Pinecone Cheese Ball

 This cheese ball recipe was inspired by my husband's sister Jean. She brought a cheese ball to a family gathering last year that caught my eye. I knew right then & there I'd be making one similar and asked for the recipe. She promptly ( she is so good at quick responses like being prompt, R.S.V.P.s and any & all such considerations that really do matter ! ) sent me the recipe which I copied and put away somewhere. I'll find it soon I am sure. Anyway, I improvised until I find the recipe. Take 1 or 2 packages of cream cheese and let warm to room temperature. When the cream cheese is room temperature , knead into it herbs of your choice. We chose basil and dill.With your clean hands, form it into a pear shape. Flatten it onto a plate. Then poke sliced almonds into the  cream cheese imitating the seed pods of a pinecone. I surrounded the cheese ball with rosemary cut from our herb garden. The rosemary grows there all year long. You can plate your cheese ball with any greens you have available. Serve with plenty of crackers , this cheese ball goes fast !

Lamb Chops

Lamb Chops

~ Raise up a lamb kindly. Let it nurse from it's mother at least 3 months, then let it play happily and enjoy life. When the time comes, dispatch quickly , thanking God for His provision of this life and the privilege of being able to raise your own meat. Butcher and wrap appropriately.This is the recipe Jim used ( his own ) in preparing our Jacob Sheep lamb chops.

 

• Combine 1 can of cola ,rosemary,garlic, and Worcestershire sauce in desired proportions.
• Marinate the lamb chops in this mixture 4 to 6 hours.
• After marinating, place the chops in a roasting pan, salt & pepper to taste and roast 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Then put fat side up under the broiler until the fat begins to sizzle and is crisp, watch carefully , this doesn't take long . ( don't burn the chops ! )
• Take the chops out of the oven and let rest for a few minutes while you plate the salad & veggies. We like a fresh green salad and Brussels sprouts with our lamb.

Venison Steak

My son 'CT' got his 3rd deer a few weeks ago with my brother.  He decided to cook up some of the steaks the other night so he marinated the meat in Dr. Pepper overnight ( in the fridge ).  This takes away any gamey taste and tenderizes the meat.  While the coals were heating up on the barbecue, he drained the Dr. Pepper off the meat, then soaked it in teriyaki sauce, just enough to go half way up the steaks.  Then he seasoned them with steak seasoning and barbecued them until medium / rare.  They were the BEST steak I've ever had.  I don't think I'll let him move away from home - ever.

Cooking Smoked Trout by the Norwegian Fjords ~ Can you imagine a more perfect place to cook your freshly caught trout ?

Grandpa B's Peanut Brittle

 Ingredients:  3 cups sugar
                      1 cup Karo (corn ) syrup
                      1/2 cup water
                       3 cups peanuts
                      2 tsp baking soda
Stir together sugar, syrup and water in a 3-4 quart heavy pan over medium heat until it boils.
Stop stirring and cook to 280 degrees.  ( use candy thermometer ).
Now add 3 cups peanuts very slowly.  Peanuts should be room temp, not hot, not cold.  Cook until thermometer reads 300 degrees.  Watch carefully.  Remove from heat and add the baking soda.  Mix in and be careful as it bubbles up.  Now pour into 2 buttered 12 inch round pizza pans.  ( should have edges on the pans. )
Let cool and harden.  Once completely cooled, break into pieces.

 

 

 

Sugar Cookies~ A Family Favorite

 Sugar cookies, made with real butter, fresh eggs from my flock of chickens, real vanilla, & love.Nothing beats a good plain sugar cookie accompanied by a cup of good coffee, tea,  or tall glass of cold milk. If it happens to be around Christmas the cookie may be frosted and liberally adorned with various sugared sprinkles, but still the best cookie in my book.This recipe comes from the November 1983 edition of 'Country Home'. I have baked many different sugar cookie recipes and all have turned out deliciously yummy, but this recipe is the best.Every year with grandchildren I have made these cookies for Christmas festivities.Baking these cookies with them is now a Christmas tradition, but these cookies are good all year round.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg ( farm-fresh best )
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.Beat butter & shortening until they are combined, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well.Add dry ingredients; beat well.Divide dough in half; wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for about 3 hours or overnight. (Sometimes I leave this in the fridge for a week or more until I am ready to bake.)

Working with half of the dough at a time, on lightly floured surface, roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desored shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove to wire rack; cool. Frost & decorate if desired. Makes 36 to 48 cookies.
NOTE: Often I will simply form the dough into a roll , wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and place in the fridge. When I want fresh baked cookies I pull it out of the fridge and cut slices of the roll and bake.No rolling out on a floured board, no cookie cutters needed. Just fresh, hot, simple sugar cookies to go with my cup of good , hot coffee.

Far I Kal ( Lamb & Cabbage )

Lamb & Cabbage, or "Far I Kal " in Norwegian, is delicious! We cooked our lamb & cabbage in a crock pot and found this is a perfect way to cook this meal. Far I Kal is very easy to make, and given we have a home grown supply of lamb this recipe is a natural for us.

• To make Far I Kal you will need ~
• 1 1/2 pounds of shoulder or breast of lamb
• 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 cups water
• 1 head of cabbage
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• peppercorns, as many as your taste dictates

( We doubled this recipe for our large crock pot.) Cut the lamb into 1 inch cubes. Heat the oil of choice in a large saucepan , dredge the meat in flour seasoned with Johnny's all purpose seasoning, or seasonings of your choice and brown. Then put in the crock pot . Discard outer leaves of cabbage , quarter the cabbage, then layer on top of the lamb. We did this 4 times. 4 layers of lamb & cabbage. Sprinkle liberally with peppercorns between the layers then add the water. We then left the crock pot low for 4 to 6 hours and busied ourselves with all the activities a busy weekend day offers.

Finally ~ time to eat! Look at this lovely dish filled with lamb and cabbage, seasoned with peppercorns.

We served our lamb & cabbage over rice, but most Norwegian Americans choose potatoes for this honor. I s'pose you could use noodles too. This is a versatile dish.

Yum! Home raised lamb and cabbages, easy-peasy and affordable too.

"This dish is said to be better every time you re-heat it. The nineteenth- century Norwegian cookbook writer Olaug Kauken claimed it was best the 7th time around.". Andreas Viestad ' Kitchen of Light'

Thai Chicken with Lemon Grass & Cellophane Noodles

I love this soup! Great for winter time and great for digestion! Here's what you'll need:

• 2 oz cellophane noodles, tied together


• 2 1/2 pints unsalted chicken stock


• 8 oz skinned, boned chicken breasts


• 1 oz cloud ear mushrooms, soaked in very hot water for 20 minutes, then cut into thin strips. ( I used shitake mushrooms )


• 3 stalks fresh lemon grass, bruised with the flat of a knife and knotted, or 1 and 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind.


• citrus leaves or 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice


• 4 thin slices fresh ginger root


• 10 garlic cloves, peeled


• 2 tsp fish sauce

Pour the stock into a heavy bottomed fireproof casserole and bring it to a boil. Add the cellophane noodles, the chicken breasts, the mushroom strips, and the lemon grass and citrus leaves if you're using those. Thread the ginger slices and the garlic cloves on to skewers or wooden toothpicks, and add them to the stock with the fish sauce. Cover pot and remove it from heat. Let the chicken stand undisturbed for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the stock and set it aside to cool. Remove the lemon grass, ginger and garlic from the stock and discard them.

When the chicken is cool, break it into shreds with fingers. Remove the noodles from the stock, then untie them and cut them into 2 inch lengths. Reheat the stock; add the chicken, noodles and 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce if so desired. If you are substituting lemon rind and lime juice, add them now. Ladle the mixture into individual bowls and serve.

Grandmother Bread~ Deliciously Easy!

This bread recipe came from Suzanne McMinn, and I first read it on her blog 'Chickens In The Road'. Since I discovered this recipe I have successfully made Grandmother Bread more than a hundred times. There are many variations of this basic recipe too. The bread dough makes the best pizza dough ! As there is no dairy in this recipe we use it frequently so everyone in the family can enjoy a thick slice of deliciousness , hot, soft, yummy - right out of the oven. Here is one of our granddaughters, learning to make this bread we will be using for communion in our home church gathering. Granddaughter is excited to begin !
Here is our granddaughter kneading the bread dough.To make this bread you will need :

• 3 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast ( 1 packet )
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 7 cups all purpose flour

"In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, sugar & salt. Let sit 5 minutes.Then stir in three cups of the flour. I use a whisk to do this. When the mixture is too thick for the whisk I use a strong wood spoon. Keep adding flour and stirring until the mixture becomes too thick, then you'll need to use your hands.Now is a good time to put the dough on a floured surface to begin kneading .When the dough is smooth and elastic roll it into a ball and place in a big greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap, and place in a warm place.In about an hour the dough will be doubled in size. This is when we punch the dough down, divide in half,knead and roll the halves into 2 balls. You may prefer to shape the bread into loaves, and this works well too.
The sun room is very warm this day so I placed the 2 round loaves our granddaughter punched, kneaded, and shaped into 2 pie pans and set them in the sun room to rise again.After rising double in size, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Isn't this a happy face? Her first home made bread is a success!

I had such a good time baking with this precious granddaughter and I hope she is always reminded of good times with her Grandma & Grandpa when she smells home-made bread baking. And by the way, this bread was delicious, and she did almost all the making & baking by herself! ~"The best things in life are nearest : breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." Robert Louis Stevenson

CHOCOLATE PIE ( by Miss Ellie)

Hello...My name is Eleanor but my friends call me Ellie.

Today I will be making a Chocolate Pie.

We start with a Graham Cracker Crust. You will take one package of graham crackers and smash them up but dont forget to help yourself to one to snack on while doing this task. Now add one cube of butter melted and a couple of Tablespoons sugar. Mix this altogether and put it in a pie pan then bake for 6 minutes at 350 degrees. You need to have a grown up do the oven part or you might get burnt. Grammy always tells me the oven is hot, hot,hot.

Now you take a package of Instant Chocolate Pudding mix with two cups of milk and mix this for two minutes. It needs to go in the refrigerator for 5 minutes, you can lick the beater while you wait, or finish that graham cracker you started while making the crust

We now add a cup of cool whip to the pudding mix, grammy says to fold it in don't beat it up. When it is all mixed you put it on your crust and spread it around. If you want to taste it that is ok but you really shouldn't use the spatula again.

You may add the rest of the cool whip on top and then be sure to put some chocolate sprinkles on the cool whip. Grammy had to help me a little cuz mine all went into one clump

I really had fun doing this with my grammy

Thank you for visiting

~~~~PLEASE ENJOY~~~~

SNOWBALLS

Snowball Cookies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/4 teasoon salt

1/2 cup-1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter in a large bowl. Add sugar cream until light. Stir in vanilla.Add flour and salt mix until blended. Stir in nuts. Shape into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until bottoms are golden(light brown) cool 10 minutes and roll in powdered sugar after they cool roll again. They look like little snow balls. I think they are best if you make them bite size between 1/2 and 1 inch. I also use a cookie scoop and it makes it very easy, just scoop and drop on your cookie sheet bake and roll and you are done. These go quickly so I always make two batches a few days apart.

~Merry Christmas~

CAPPUCCINO CARAMELS

This is a favorite at our Thanksgiving. I don't make them every year but pretty close to it. If you make candy often you get to know the look and feel of it which I should have paid attention to this time. You cook them to the firm-ball stage but my new candy thermometer had it lower than the temp on the recipe so my caramel came out harder than I would like. Still very delicious but at my age you have to watch all those crown,you paid so much for, don't come off.

1 cup butter

1-16 ounce box of brown sugar (2 1/4 cups packed)

1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)

1 cup light corn syrup

3 Tablespoons instant coffee crystals or instant espresso crystals

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

In heavy 3-quart saucepan melt butter over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, coffee crystals, and orange zest. Mix until very well blended.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook until it reaches 245 degrees or firm-ball stage. This should take about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in walnuts and vanilla(remove thermometer alsobefore stirring)

Quickly pour into butter pan any one around 8x8 or 9x9 or 10x7 will do well. If you put buttered foil as a liner it will come out eaasier. Cut when firm and cool into desired sizes, one inch is recommended. Wrap in wax paper cut to size.

~Enjoy~

NOTE: do not get distracted you must pay close attention the cooking of these . I dont' even answer the phone. Allow about one hour from start to finish and they make a great gift.

-

ORANGE SNOWBALLS

This recipe came from a cookbook, the name has slipped my memory. I do not know who to give credit for this recipe and this is the first time I made these. It has been snowing here so I thought my guests at Thanksgiving dinner might like them.

2 3/4 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted

Flaked coconut ( I used between 1-2 cups)

Line airtight container with wax paper. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine wafers, sugar , almonds, butter and concentrate. Stir until well blended (mixture will be crumbly).

Shape mixture into 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in coconut and place in container. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 3 dozen.

~~~~~

I thought if you wanted to make them more of an adult only version ( like burbon balls) you could substitute orange liqueur`. I have not tried this but thought it might be a nice Holiday gift idea. ENJOY!

Meat Loaf ~ For Jim

This meat loaf recipe is one I have used for at least 30 years and it came from Redbook Magazine. I have had to put the recipe in a plastic cover because it is so well used. This recipe really is a formula for meat loaf because it gives proportions along with options. I have never made it the same twice, and yet it almost always turns out great. One note: don't tell my husband Jim I am making meat loaf for dinner unless I really do. Every once in awhile I have had to change my dinner plans and when he came home from work to discover there was no meat loaf , well, let's just say the disappointment almost ruined his entire evening. He not only looks forward to my meat loaf, he is very happy thinking about the meat loaf sandwiches he will be enjoying for lunch.

BASIC MEAT LOAF

• 2 cups fine soft bread crumbs or variations~ Bread & rolled oats,bread & crackers (ground)
  
• 2/3 cup finely chopped peeled onion
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup liquid ~ milk, or ketchup, or red wine ...
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 pounds of any combination ground meats. Beef & pork, beef & turkey, beef & venison or elk...you get the picture.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread crumbs, onion, salt, pepper, and liquid in a large bowl; combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and combine. Break about 1/4 of the ground meat and into small pieces and scatter over the bread crumb mixture. Mix thoroughly ( using hands is best) and repeat until all the meat is blended in. Pack the meat loaf mixture thoroughly into bread loaf pans or casserole dish that is at least 1" larger in all dimensions than the loaf. Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Pour off excess fat and meat juices and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. Also makes the best sandwiches!

PFEFFERNUSSE

This recipe also comes from my cousin-in-law Dana Burnson.

Pfeffernusse

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

1-1/2 granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter (soften)

3 eggs

6 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon soda

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon each of black pepper, nutmeg, ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon

2 teaspoon anise extract

1/2 cup milk

1 cup ground almonds

*If you make a larger cookie(1-inch) you may add a couple extra minutes to the baking time

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat well after each one. Stir together dry ingredients. Add flour alternately with milk until dough is stif. Add nuts. (Dana uses almond extract) Chill overnight. Roll inot 1/2 inch balls. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

~~~~~

I made half the recipe because I wasn't sure if we were going to like them. I was surprised at how nice they came out and not to spicy either . The anise flavor is much like a Springerle but spicy like a gingersnap (no lemon). I think you could bake them right away or chill only for an hour or two if you want. The difference might be they flatten out a little instead of holding the round shape. I used a 1 inch cookie scoop, the 1/2 inch was to small for me. My company also thought they were great a different kind of cookie and I think it would be great for the Holiday's because it wasn't overly sweet.

~~~~~

Dana said this was her husband Tim's favorite from when they lived in Ritzville. they had many fond memories from Ritzville

FRENCH SILK CHOCOLATE PIE

This recipe is from Dana Burnson

~I gave the pie a little harvest decoration~

1 pre-cooked pie shell

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

Cream until well blended

3 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend into butter-sugar mixture

*2 eggs

Add one at a time beating 5 minutes after each egg. Keep Refrigerated

Garnish with whipped cream and pecan halves.

~~~

Dana says--this recipe is from her grandmother Woods who made it each holiday.

It was a favorite so she keeps up the tradition.

~~~~~~~~~~

* My family will not eat raw eggs so I alter the recipe a little. We had a big egg scare here in Minnesota and so we have chosen not to consume raw eggs. Dana assured me that her family has been eating this pie every year since she can remember and NO ONE has gotten sick. I will let you be the judge if you want to make this pie but be sure to keep it in the refrigerator(cold)
ENJOY

HALUSHKY

This recipe comes from Thom and Joanne Smith.

It comes from Thom's mother who still makes it with fresh potato dumplings

Cabbage (green) 2 large heads

Bacon (slab) 1 1/2 pounds

Potato dumplings 48ounces

Slice cabbage into 1/2 inch strips

Place into a large roasting pan

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces

Sprinkle bacon across cabbage in the pan

Place into pre-heated oven at 325 degrees

Cook for about 2 hours stirring occasionally

After cabbage has cooked down drain off excess liquid and add dumplings

Cook for another 45 minutes or until everything is done

~~~~

I could not find any potato dumplings except for the Italian kind and I think I should have followed the package directions because they came out a little chewy. Next time I will boil them and add them at the end, otherwise it was pretty good. I also drained the mixture in a colander over a bowl so the grease from the bacon would drain out. This took a few minutes while I put together the rest of the dinner.

WALDORF SALAD

This salad comes from Dana Burnson

3 or 4 apples cored and chopped into bite-size pieces

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup broken walnuts

1/3 cup mayonaise

1 Tablespoon sugar

Sprinkle lemon juice over apples and toss. Mix mayonaise and sugar set aside. Mix all the other ingredients and then add the dressing of mayonaise and sugar. Chill and serve.

~~~

Dana says this is was one of her dad's favorites. Her kids don't like it, but she makes it any way to keep up the tradition and her husband Tim likes it.

COCONUT BON BONS

This recipe comes from Josh, Margarita and Olivia Burnson. They got the recipe from Dana Burnson, Josh's mother(my cousin-in-law) who said it comes from her sister.

The Burnson Family says...
We love them and our family makes them every year around Christmas.
_________________
1 box (4cups) powdered sugar
1/2 stick melted butter( I used 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups coconut
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

mix this together and roll into balls
chill for 1/2 to 1 hour.
~after chilling~
1-12 ounce package chocolate chips
( I used milk chocolate because that is all I had)
1/16 pound parowax
(I used 2Tablespoon shortening instead I didn't have any wax)
melt together in double boiler
dip balls into melted chocolate, put onto wax paper lined cookie sheet.
~~~~~
I chilled them and think maybe they should be kept in the refrigerator in a closed container.
These are very good and I have a few ideas how to alter them like adding roasted almonds to make them like an almond joy candy bar maybe even adding a little almond extract but not more than 1/4 of teaspoon also the semi-sweet chocolate might go better for those of you who like the dark chocolate.
~ENJOY~

GLAZED PECANS

This recipe comes from a family reunion a few years ago. The author is unknown. I thought it was from my sister Judy but when I called her today she said it was not her recipe. I had a couple of questions and so if you want to claim this recipe I will gladly give you credit

~~~~~

Glazed Pecans

1 cup nuts( you may use another kind)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar (white)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Line a cookie sheet with foil and grease with butter. Set aside. In an 8 inch skillet combine nuts, sugar and butter. (this is where I had a question) Cook over medium heat until sugar is a rich brown color. (about 10 minutes) Immediately stir in vanilla and spread on cookie sheet. Cool completely. Break into pieces and store in a tightly covered container. Makes about a 1/2 pound. The person who gave this recipe says" We use these as Christmas gifts and are very good"
~~~~~
I would agree. I used a cast iron skillet and wondered if that may have altered the color at all ...I would also like to caution the baking time is sensitive to burning so you may have to alter your heat a little. I cooked them until the sugar mixture was like caramel and almost burned them. I am going to try again and cook the sugar and butter first, then add the pecans, to see if this will make a difference.

~ENJOY~