The Pepper Report

Pepper is the new puppy my parents got back in June.  He's doing well and as cute as ever.  My mom was a bit worried that he was so unruly.  Next to my grand dame Little Star, who is 8 years old he was quite the heathen.  I reminded my mom he's still a baby.  Don't worry about him.  He's right on track.  He still needs training, which she's doing.  Just keep it up and when we're here we'll help with the "don't nip my nose," "don't lick my eyeball," "stop scratching by neck," and my brother's favorite "stop punching me in the crotch."  He's learning more with every trip up there.

Pepper is learning to get along with my Little Star.  As you can see from this photo he's getting a healthy respect for her as he leans away from her.

He had to be held in the photo and with the quick jump out as with all babies.

They aren't the best of buds, but they do pal around in the yard.  Every now and then Pepper can't stand it and tries to jump on Little Star.  She gives him a gentle, but firm growl down.  He goes right into a submissive pose, which meets with Little Star's approval.  Then they continue their tour of the  2 1/2 acres.

Which way did she go?  Caught Pepper's ears in mid flight as she looked around for which way Little Star had gone through the garden.

A Day That Warms A Mother's Heart

I get my heart warmed a lot with my kids, but Sunday was a particularly heart warming day.  My daughter belongs to a group at school called "Caring for Cancer Patients."  I thought it would be great to host a machine knitting day, so they could make Chemo Caps for donation.

My plan was to teach them to machine knit and to feed them.  Both went off without a hitch.  They all really enjoyed learning to machine knit.  They were very excited to have knitted hats themselves. 

While they were machine knitting I tried a new appetizer call Chile Relleno Bites.  Excellent Recipe.  The recipe is not kidding when it says "cool and cut into squares."  When fresh out of the oven my daughter couldn't wait and asked to dip in.  I said sure.  It was a gooey mess.  I suggested she scoop some out and eat it with tortilla chips.  She made a bowl for all her friends and it was great.  What was left in the pan actually cooled.  It cut up into beautiful squares that one could pick up and eat as the recipe intended.

Chile Relleno Bites


2 small cans diced green chiles
5 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 eggs, beaten well
1 dash Tabasco sauce


Preheat oven to 350. Spread the green chiles on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Add the Tabasco sauce to the beaten eggs, and pour over the chiles and cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.


I also had dinner plans.  Thank goodness my son came home as I found out I couldn't make dinner and machine knit.  I had started dinner, but couldn't finish.  My son came home and asked, "Anything you need help with?"  What a nice son.  I said, "Yes, could you finish dinner?"  He jumped right in.

We were knitting and dinner smelled so good.  The teenagers couldn't wait to eat.  My friend that was over helping with the knitting couldn't wait to eat.  Next thing I knew Diana was back from Pennsylvania.  She is the leader of the CCP group.  She lives next door and she and her older brother (who picked her up at the airport) stopped in to see the progress of the knitted hats.  Allison announced, "Diana's here to see the hats!  Andy's here to raid the fridge!"  Allison laughs.  Andy laughs.  I laugh.  Then Allison says, "No really Andy here's looking for food."  I laughed again and told Andy to get a plate and help himself.

We all ate and knitted and it was just a really fun day.

Bean Pot Pizza

How many of you out there own a Home & Garden Bean Pot?  They were sold at Home & Garden shows, which were run like Pampered Chef or Avon shows.  It was so adorable I had to have one.  Ten years ago!  Now what to do with it other than collect dust.  I decided to drag mine out and try this recipe.  It could be cooked in something other than a Bean Pot.  Maybe 2 layers in a 9X13 inch pan with aluminum foil.  It's that good you'd want to make it.

Home & Garden Party Bean Pot Pizza

By Nancy Westbay, OH

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

16 oz. box rotini, (spiral pasta), cooked

1 small can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained

32 oz. pizza sauce

16 oz. mozzarella shredded cheese

3 oz. pkg. pepperoni

Brown ground beef and onion together.  Drain and combine with cooked macaroni, mushrooms and pizza sauce.

Prepare your Home & Garden Party Bean Pot with a vegetable oil spray and then layer  ingredients as follows:

Approximately 1/3 of the rotini and beef mixture, then 1/3 of the sliced pepperoni, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of pepperoni and reserving about 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Cover with lid, place in oven and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees F.

After baking, remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.  Cover with lid and let it set until the cheese is melted.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Lynne's note:  After it was baked I couldn't add the cheese AND replace the lid.  The rotini had puffed up to the very top of Bean Pot.  So, I threw on the cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Worked out great.  Everyone raved about it and said it should be made again.  I fed 6 people generously and had enough leftover for 2 lunchs today.

Menu Planning Continues

This is month number 2.  Decided to do it again.  It worked out fairly well.  Having nearly all ingredients readily at hand was such a time saver.  Having all the meals written out and on the fridge made for a great work sheet for the month.  No wondering what's for dinner tonight.  Check the list.  When the kids would ask what's for dinner I had have them refer to the list.  If I hadn't picked out something I'd have them choose.  Once something was made I found it handy to write the date next to it and cross it out.  This worked out well for leftover questions.  Is this still good?  Check the date next to the recipe.  "Why yes it is still good, but today's the last day for it better eat it."

As the list was getting many crossed out items I found it more handy to highlight them.  I knew what was done and what wasn't at a quick glance.  It turned into a great work sheet.  Some things added.  A thing or 2 not made.  Some meals tweaked a little different, but all in all a big help to my daily cooking duty.  Next month's list will be further down from top of page as the magnetic clip covered a few meals and for some reason it really bothered me. 

We still used the same rules as last month.  One meal veto.  Can't veto the same meal 2 months in a row.  Chicken Curry seems to be my son's least favorite meal.  He vetoed it last month and couldn't this month.  So, he paid his sister $1 dollar to veto it this month.  She took him up on the offer.  Dear Hubby laughingly said, "That's not right!"  It's his favorite meal.  I told him I'd sneak it in some night when both kids are off doing their own thing.  It will be our special "parents only" meal.  No kids allowed.

This month's menu plan as worked on by the whole family is...

Turkey and Trimmings
Hot Turkey Sandwiches
Turkey and Dumplings
Beanpot Pizza (attached)
Beanpot Enchiladas (attached)
*Beef & Barley Soup
*Chinese Simmered Chicken
*Deviled Short Ribs
Burgers & Mac Salad
*Slow Cooker Meatball Subs
*Artichoke, Spinach & Feta Shells
*Bierox Casserole
*DeAnn's Basil Sauce and Meatballs
Steak with *Cheddar Potato slices (hot links)
*Polka Dotted Macaroni and Cheese
Country Fried Steak
Eggplant Parmesan
Nachos w/Refried Crack
*Western Meal In One
*Biram Ruzz
Chicken Delish
*The Best White Chicken Chili
*Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken
Paninis and Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
Tipsy Chicken with rice pilaf
Make your own pizza night
*Cheddar Waffles w/scrambled eggs & bacon

The star before the meal reminds me that I already have the recipe written down in the recipe box.

Here is one of the recipes from this month's plan.  It's been a family favorite for many years.  Please see the notes at the end as I make it slightly different for our tastes.

HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH CHICKEN

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. corn flake crumbs
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (powder)

Combine corn flake crumbs, Parmesan cheese and dressing mix, set aside. Melt butter. Dip chicken in melted butter and then coat chicken with crumb mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Lynne's note:  I did not like the flavor of the corn flake crumbs.  They has a strong distinct flavor of their own.  I use bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, Panko crumbs anything on hand instead.  This way the great flavor of the ranch and Parmesan shines through.  I also use half as much butter.  I brush it on and then roll in dry mixture.   Otherwise... err I never thought I'd hear myself say this ... it becomes too buttery.

Halloween Cake Pops

Or Cake Pops Redux.  My first cake pops were successful in that everyone enjoyed them.  I on the other hand felt there were a few tweaks that could be done to make them more successful in my eyes.  Last time the cake pop dough was very moist and keeping them on the stick was difficult.  Good thing I didn't have any Styrofoam and stood them up as they probably would have all slide down the stick.  This time I decided on a less gooey dough and a smaller dough ball.  I call it dough, because it reminds me of cookie dough in it's consistency.

I baked a Duncan Hines Devil Foods cake in a 9X13 inch pan.  I then crumbled the cake into tiny little bits in a large bowl.  I had bought some store bought chocolate frosting.  I added 1/2 the plastic container to the crumbled up cake bits.  I found no easier way than just sticking my freshly washed hands in the bowl and squishing away.  The amount of frosting I thought was just right.  Not too gooey this time.

After washing the chocolate goo off my hands I got out my cookie scoop and portioned out the dough.  This time I made balls that were more quarter size as Bakerella suggested and I ignored the first time.  I rolled each ball by hand to create a nice smooth round ball.  I thought the smaller ball wouldn't be much of a treat, but it takes me 3 bites to eat one.  So, even someone who put the whole thing in their mouth would find it to be a delicious mouthful.

This time I had the chocolate melted in a double boiler and ready to go when it was time to put the candy sticks in the cake balls.  I dipped the stick in chocolate and then into ball.  The chocolate did pool up around the bottom of stick.  This concerned me that there would be a lump on the bottom of each Cake Pop.  Once I started coating the Cake Pops with melted chocolate I quickly found out it wasn't a concern and covered up quite nicely.

When I dipped Cake Pop in melted chocolate one wants it in the hot chocolate as little time as possible.  I found it faster to use a spoon.  I would dip the pop into the chocolate.  I then rotated it quickly as I pushed the chocolate up on the Cake Pop.  I then pulled the Cake Pop out of the chocolate shook it gently to remove any excess chocolate that might drip down the stick once standing in Styrofoam.  Next I quickly pushed a small piece of pretzel stick into the top of my Cake Pop.

To get a smoother look to the chocolate I ended up adding a small about of Crisco.  This made the chocolate smoother and shinier on my Cake Pops.  When I say small amount I used about 2 T to 1/2 a big of Wilton's Candy Melts.  I find the candy melts in the Wilton section of either Michaels or Joanns.

I had precut the pretzel stick bits to have ready when it came time to push them on top of Cake Pops.  Bakerella had used green Tic Tacs for the top of hers.  For some reason I got it into my head that lime, spearmint whatever flavor green Tic Tacs would be just didn't appeal to me with a chocolate cake pop.  Now pretzels and chocolate is a great combo.

(Only one casualty this year slid down the stick)

I had wanted to draw Jack O Lantern faces on the pumpkins, but the Wilton's FoodWriter Edible Color Makers Fine Tip totally suck.  Suck suck suck.  I know you're saying, "Come on Lynne don't sugar coat this tell us how you really feel."  They did not work at all.  This was all that was available in the stores around me.  I will find my receipt and return these as we found them to be a complete waste of time.  I really don't know what they could be used for. 

Fortunately, the pumpkin look of these Cake Pops was good enough to amaze and treat all our friends to some Halloween fun.

(Do we really need to show the empty stick?  Yum!)

Barbecued Pork Buns... in your spare time

OK I jest about making these in your spare time.  I won't lie these take some time to make.  What I do is get the whole family to help.  They are made up and ready to bake in no time.  Totally worth the effort they are SO good.

I usually make these for Chinese New Year.  When we were writing up this month's menu plan though my daughter asked if we could make them to go with Hot and Sour soup.  I thought why not.

As my son and daughter were preparing the filling I was getting a little bit of guff.  First comment was from my son, "Black mushrooms! I don't like black mushrooms in my Bao (pronounced wow with a 'b' the word bao simply means 'bun' in Chinese)."  My daughter's comment, "Chopping why all this chopping?!"  My son, "Hoisin sauce?  Why Hoisin sauce it tastes nasty."  My comment, "This is the recipe we eat every year and you guys love it.  Keep chopping and stop the kibitzing."

(2 ounces of dough, 1 T of filling)

We like the baked bao better than the steamed bao.  My only problem is probably half of mine usually burst open during the baking.  Not badly, but enough I'd like it to stop.  No one has ever said, "My bun is broken I'm not going to eat it."  I was watching a cooking show with Ming Tsai.  I've always enjoyed him.  He was making bao and said to not only pinch the bottom of the bun, but twist it.  My son sealed the first batch of bao I sealed the 2nd.  I not only pinched and twisted, but I put a smidgen of water to help seal them too.  End result more of my son's buns stayed sealed than mine.  He kind on pinched and folded his quickly.  I put a lot of effort into making mine seal.  Geeze!  So, I'd say from now on I'm not going to spend as much time sealing it's a waste of time.

(my son's folded seal was better than my pinch and twisted)

I got this recipe at a community center class back in 1989.  It was a class on how to make Chinese Appetizers.  It was a great class.  I got several great recipes.  This being one of them.

(pinch and twisted baked bao and this is as much as they leak if they are going to)

Barbecued Pork Buns

3/4 cup Bar B Q pork (chopped)
2 T green onions (chopped)
3 dried black mushrooms (Soak in warm water for 30 mins.)
2 T Hoisin Sauce
3/4 T Soy Sauce
1/2 med. onion (chopped)
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 T cornstarch
1 T water
1/2 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 T peanut oil

Squeeze excess water out of black mushrooms and mince.  Combine pork, green onions, mushrooms, Hoisin Sauce, soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and oyster sauce in bowl and mix well.  Set aside.

Heat wok or skillet; add oil and stir fry onions for about 4 minutes until soft.  Add chicken broth, water cornstarch and remaining sugar (1 1/2 tsp).  Cook until thickened.  Remove from heat and  add pork mixture; mix well.

Cool meat mixture.  Using Bridgeford bread dough, cut and flatten dough to make 2 1/2 inch diameter shells.  Place 1 T filling into shells and seal by gathering.

Place on small wax paper squares on baking sheet gathered side down.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 -13 minutes.  Can steam 20 to 25 minutes.

(We made about 32 and after 2 days there were none to freeze)

Lynne's notes:  I buy the BBQed pork premade from local grocery store with a Chinese food section.  Dried Black Mushrooms are easy to find in most grocery stores in the Asian food section.  Same with Hoisin Sauce and Oyster Sauce.  I seldom have peanut oil in my house and vegetable always works fine.  Bridgeford bread is frozen bread at the grocery store.  I usually whip up a batch of white bread in my bread maker.  This time I grabbed a bag of pizza dough at the grocery store.  It worked well.  About 2 ounces of dough per bao.  I usually make a double batch of bao.  While you're doing all this chopping may as well.  If they are not all eaten they freeze well and heat up in the microwave well.  I bake mine now on a Silpat and skip the wax paper.

Cookie Fail

Upper right cookie is the cookie fail, bottom right cookie is what color it should have been, cookie on left is my famous Gingersnap.

That's what my kids called the cookie dough my husband made last night.  DH needed to make a dessert for a potluck at work.  I suggested the very easy Chocolate Chip Cookie.  He liked that idea.  I suggested he use a large cookie scoop, so the cookies look real impressive. 

He used my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but I was shocked by the color of his cookie dough when he asked me to come in and help him get them baking.  The dough was a chocolate brown.  I started questioning his ingredients.  Which I got a snarky reply "I know how to read."  I said, "I know you know how to read, but clearly there is something drastically wrong with your cookie dough.  It should look like this!"  I held up the rubber spatula he had used early on before things went terribly wrong with the proper colored cookie dough clinging to it.  The dough tasted fine.  OK it wasn't so terrible, but it wasn't very appetizing and with food things need to look good as well and taste good.  I could see this sad look come across his face.  The one my children get when they feel like they've made a big cooking mistake and think everything is ruined.

I found out he had put the chocolate chips and pecans in the mixer turned it to high and let it go for a few minutes.  When I went to make the Gingersnaps 30 minutes later the mixer was still hot to the touch.  I said, "Chocolate chips and pecans should be hand stirred in at the end."  He said, "The recipe should say that."  I replied dryly, "It does."  At this point I knew there was no reason for continuing this line of conversation.  He was looking defeated.  I took another tack and said, "The cookies will be fine they're just extra chocolaty.  If anyone says 'what's wrong with this cookie' snatch it away from them and say, 'thank you more for me.'"  He chuckled and we starting scooping the dough on to the cookie sheets.

I have to say they did taste fine.  They were a bit tough and they did look oddly colored.  BUT I sent him to work with 30 good sized Chocolate Chip Cookies and 20 good sized Gingersnaps.  There were only 3 cookies left.  Chocolate Chip of course.


Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

PREPARATION DIRECTIONS:

1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.

2. COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

3. DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

4. BAKE 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

TIP* If nuts are omitted, add an additional 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.