Category: Recipes

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Gluten-Free Lemon-Coconut Bonbons

Today I made some no bake coconut bonbons. These are gluten-free. I found a recipe at My Incredible Recipes and as many of us do and changed it up a bit to make Tiffany’s birthday bonbons.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Bonbons

The original recipe for No Bake Coconut Snowballs can be found here:

No Bake Coconut Snowballs

Gluten-Free Lemon Coconut Bonbons

Use the ingredients for the recipe for No-Bake Coconut Snowballs and add about 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring to the original recipe. I put everything into the food processor and processed. I then made balls and refrigerated them. I dipped them in white chocolate ( 1 melted about 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips) and put back on my parchment paper and I put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Enjoy!

 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Bonbons

Make a second batch and add only vanilla flavoring to the batch. Make the balls and refrigerate until firm. Now dip them in semi-sweet chocolate (melt 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips) and place on the parchment paper and back in the refrigerator until set.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

 

Gluten-Free Lemon Coconut Bonbons

 

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Andalusian Christmas Soup

Andalusian Christmas Soup

How I Found This Recipe

Andalusian Christmas Soup.  My story. This recipe was found on a radio program in the 1980s while driving around Seattle, possibly being stuck in traffic. The host of the radio program offered the recipe for those who requested it. I requested it.

I was recently telling someone about this recipe and after a search for my original recipe, I found it while in WV. I hope you like it as much as I do! This recipe works well for vegetarians as well as meat eaters.

Origins

The south of Spain is the home of this inexpensive make-ahead soup. When served with condiments that include meats like miniature meatballs and sausage, fresh vegetables, and substantial garnishes, it makes a full meal especially well suited to informal entertaining.

The soup base is a blend of tomato puree, chicken broth, herbs and lots of sweet, slow-cooked onions. Serve it hot in a soup tureen or casserole, surrounded by choice of condiments.

The Recipe for the Soup Base

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced onions
3 Tablespoons flour (omit if gluten is an issue for you or your family) Use another thickener.
1 can (1 lb.) tomato puree
2 quarts chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced or mashed
1 Tablespoon each red wine vinegar, Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon each pepper, oregano, tarragon leaves, and liquid hot pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed crushed

Condiments (suggestions below)

Directions

In a 4 or 5 quart pan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter; add the olive oil and onions. Slowly cook the onions stirring occasionally, until they are limp and slightly golden; it takes about 45 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over onions and blend; gradually stir in tomato puree and broth. Add the garlic and vinegar, Worcestershire, pepper, oregano, tarragon, hot pepper seasoning, and cumin; stir until well blended. Bring to boiling over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Condiments:

Meats (choose 2 or 3)

  • About 30 meatballs: combine 1/2 lb. lean ground beef; 1 Tablespoon chopped green onions; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/8 teaspoon each ground cumin, crushed oregano leaves, and pepper; form into bite-sized balls and bake in a shallow pan in a 500-degree oven for 5 minutes.
  • About 10 ounces linguica, chorizo, or kielbasa sausages: slice about 1/4 inch thick and in a dry frying pan over medium heat, turning until browned.
  • 1/4 to 1/3 pound tiny cooked shelled shrimp
  • About 3/4 pound cooked ham: cut into 1/2 inch cubes and saute in 2 Tablespoons butter until slightly browned.

Fresh Vegetables: (choose 3 or 4)

1 cup each of several vegetables

  • cubed red or green bell pepper or a mixture of the two
  • diced peeled cucumber
  • diced fresh tomato
  • diced sweet onion
  • 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms: sliced and sauteed in 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 pound fresh carrots: slice and cook in a small amount of water until fork tender, drain.

Garnishes (choose 3 or 4)

  • 3 or 4 hard cooked boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 1/4 pound grated cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 or 3 small limes cut into wedges
  • 1 small can garbanzos drained
  • 1 small can of sliced ripe olives, drained
  • About 1/2 cup chopped parsley

This was originally published on my Redding Mountain blog.

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15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake

15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake and Frosting

This is a cake that I have made for many years. I have made it for potlucks, church camp, and just company dessert. If you have ever been to our house for a “singing” you may have sampled this cake. I usually keep the ingredients on hand so that I can put together a cake quickly if the need arises. It is not only quick but economical. A big plus is that everyone who likes chocolate will love this cake!

Cake:

  2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 cups white sugar
  1/2 cup butter or margarine 
  1 cup water
  1/2 cup shortening or cooking oil
  1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa unsweetened
  1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk that has been soured)
  2 eggs
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoons vanilla

   Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
6 Tablespoons milk
4-5 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powder sugar
Finely chopped walnuts if desired 1/4-1/2 cup

Directions For 15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake:

Mix flour and white sugar and set aside.

In a small saucepan boil 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup water, and 4 Tablespoons cocoa.

Pour cocoa mixture over flour and sugar mixture. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well and pour into a greased jelly roll pan (17 in X 11in)

Bake in preheated oven 350°- 400° degrees oven for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:  5 minutes before cake is done bring to boil 1/2 cup butter, 6 Tablespoons of milk, and 4-5 Tablespoons of cocoa. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 4 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and beat or stir until smooth. Immediately pour frosting over cake. Sprinkle with nuts. Enjoy warm or cooled. The frosting tastes like chocolate fudge. This is a very yummy cake and it is very hard to eat just one piece.

I believe I received this recipe in 1980 while at Freed-Hardeman College from a cookbook put together by the Preacher’s Wives Club.

15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake
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Mom’s Whoopie Pies

While in the Northeast recently I came across a lot of whoopie pies! One of the ladies from church brought some to share AND she was willing to share her recipe with me. Well, actually it was her mom’s recipe. She brought two kinds of whoopie pies to share: these yummy chocolate ones and some zucchini ones.*  I got permission to share her recipe. Thanks, Beth!

Mom’s Whoopie Pie

(Boy, these will take you back to the good ole days!)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Sift the flour, soda, and salt together. Mix the cocoa and sugar together and combine with the flour mixture. Beat the egg slightly and add the vanilla and milk to it. Combine with other mixtures. Finally, add the oil and mix well. Drop on a baking pan.  2 Tablespoons for each cake. 12 cakes to a pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
Whoopie Pie Filling
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup confectioner sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. marshmallow fluff
Beat butter, Crisco, sugar, and vanilla with an electric beater. Fold in fluff. Spread between halves of the whoopie pie cakes. Wrap in plastic to store.

 

Marie Hazelton passed this along to her daughter Bethany Guion and we appreciate that for sure. Keeping passing those recipes down folks! Share your stories!

  • You can find the Zucchini Whoopie Pies here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipes/zucchini-whoopie-pie-cookies
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Fudge Pie

For my friend Teresa’s birthday, I made her a fudge pie.  I used the recipe I found from :

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12350/fudge-pie/

I recently bought this cute little 6-inch pie plate! Isn’t it cute? So I made one just for her and a larger one to share.

This is a very easy and quick recipe for fudge pie. I chose this one because I had the ingredients on hand and it was a great choice.

 

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My Mom’s Squash Casserole

On Monday my husband came home from our favorite farmer’s house. He had a huge bag of kale and a bag of yellow squash, my favorites. The squash was so sweet we ate some raw. I needed a dish to take for a ladies’ meeting we have once a month, Women at the Well. So I made my mom’s squash casserole. The evening was a wonderful time of fellowship. There were a few leftovers and the casserole was so wonderful my daughter wanted the leftovers for breakfast! (Well maybe I was guilty of eating it for breakfast too!) So here is the recipe. I hope you like it.

Betty Melcher’s Squash Casserole Recipe 

2 cups cooked squash

2 eggs

1 small onion chopped

8 ounce shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 to 1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 stick margarine or butter, melted

10 -12 crushed saltines, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

I usually buy 3 or 4 large squash for each recipe and I double the recipe. I slice and cook the squash for a few minutes in a little water, not much until it is barely tender. Drain squash. mix eggs, onions, cheese, milk, butter, and half of the crushed crackers. I mix just to blend in the mixer and pour into a 13 X9 casserole dish. ( A double recipe fits perfectly in the 13 X9 pan) Unless you want it to be thicker.  Sprinkle the rest of the crackers on top and bake 30 – 40 minutes until set at 350 degrees. This turns out perfect every time.
***I added a bit more squash for more texture and because I love squash! (1/2 to 1 cup)

 

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Lawrence’s Homemade Salsa

To say my husband likes salsa is an understatement. He has been known to eat a half gallon of salsa all by himself in one week. He can eat salsa on almost anything! Anyone who knows him knows his love for salsa and nachos. Chips are an excuse to eat more salsa. We have salsa making parties where the whole family gets involved chopping onions, tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro. It’s a happy day for the whole family when Lawrence decides to make salsa. Today I am going to share Lawrence’s salsa recipe that he developed from lots of salsa making!

Small Batch Salsa

4 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 Tablespoons fresh jalapeno pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup of lime juice

 

Big Batch of Salsa

4 quarts chopped tomatoes

4 cups chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers

2 cups cilantro chopped

2 cups lime juice

Whichever batch you make you just chop all the veggies and mix in a bowl. Then dig in. Or wait a bit It only gets better and better.

By the way, did you notice my amazing bowl? A gift from my dear friend Betty!

 

 

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Sun Tea and One Time Meetings

Making Sun Tea is just fun!

My first experience with sun tea was in college while I was on Campaigns Northwest, 1979. We stopped in Ontario, Oregon just over the eastern Oregon border for the night and church the next morning. As was our custom we stayed all night with host families from the church of Christ. I stayed with a family in Vale, Oregon on their ranch. The house had many windows facing out over the land and on the deck railing sat a gallon jar of sun tea. They were a sweet family. I enjoyed seeing their land and seeing them work the cattle, and just getting to know them a bit. This was just a one night stop yet they hosted a stranger for the night and treated her like family.  So never underestimate the impact of one time meetings. Memories of those meetings may well follow you through your life and to eternity.

I am in the sunny south and I must tell you it is iced tea drinking time! Mid 90’s today.  It is very simple to make and may seem funny for me to give instructions. Regardless,  I will share how I make sun tea.

To make a gallon of sun tea you will need:

1-gallon glass jar with lid

1-gallon cold water

2-3 quart size or 6-8 regular tea bags

Fill your gallon glass jar with cold pure water. Add 2-3 quart size tea bags (depending on how strong you like your tea) We like 3  the best. Place the lid on the jar and set it in the sun to brew. Depending on your season, temperature, and the direction of the sun it may take 1-5 hours. Mine was ready in an hour or so. However, I live in the sunny south and it is summer! After your tea is ready you may sweeten it with honey,  sugar or any sweetener of your choice.

 

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Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

There are many reasons to make your own seasoning mixes. First, it is much more economical to put together your own seasoning mixes. You should check for places that sell herbs and spices in bulk for added savings. You may want to divide the cost with a friend. You can make a whole lot of taco seasoning in a few minutes and save some money too.  Secondly, you know the ingredients and can adjust for those who have allergies. Many taco seasoning packets have gluten in them.

Today I will share a couple of Taco Seasoning recipes.

Taco Seasoning Mix (Recipe I believe originally came from Gentle Spirit Magazine back in the early 1990’s )

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons minced onions dried

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch ( I would omit this)

 

This was the original recipe I used. I multiply this and keep it in a glass jar.

This will season 1 lb. of ground beef which has been cooked and drained. Add 1/2 cup of water and original recipe of the seasoning blend. ( About 2 Tablespoons) Simmer 10 minutes.  This will make enough meat for 8-10 tacos

Here is the latest recipe I have started using. You can find it at the web address below.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

https://neighborfoodblog.com/2015/04/taco-seasoning-recipe.html

I still multiply it and keep it stored in a glass pint jar. It can be used to season taco meat or chicken or pinto beans.

 

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Soft Gingerbread Cake

Soft Gingerbread Cake

Maybe you have a memory of soft gingerbread warm from the oven. I have such a memory but not from my childhood. When I lived in Reedsport, Oregon in 1984-1985 a friend invited us to dinner. I do not remember what she served for dinner. But for dessert, she served warm gingerbread with applesauce. It must have been VERY good because I still remember it today. Gingerbread does remind me of homey things and long ago days. I usually think of gingerbread in the winter but here I am home on a rainy stormy day and thinking of gingerbread. It is made from simple ingredients and ready to eat quickly. Because of this memory and my usual make do attitude, I went searching for a soft gingerbread cake recipe using ingredients I have on hand. I found a simple recipe at Once Upon a Chef. I adapted it a little. I used granulated sugar because I only had granulated sugar. I found it works well. I also love to use my flour sifter to sift the dry ingredients.  I chose to bake it in my small 13X9 cookie sheet pan so that it would be a bit thinner. I think you will like this recipe just as it is… My grandchildren happened along at the right time and shared in the sampling. We all agreed it tastes wonderful with a cold glass of milk.

You can find the recipe on the website below.

( Adapted from https://www.OnceUponaChef.com/recipes-Gingerbread-cake.html )

When I got ready to make a picture this is all that was left!