The "Martha Side" of Me ~ Tortellini Soup

A friend of mine--whose name happens to be Martha--recently served this at our weekly Study Group. It was delicious, filling, and easy!








Tortellini Soup

1 lg. jar/can spaghetti sauce
2 qts. chicken broth/stock
1 pkg. frozen tortellini (any variety) ~ as you can see, I could only find ravioli :-)
1 pkg. frozen meatballs (any variety)
1 pkg. frozen spinach or broccoli
1 can diced tomatoes (optional)

Heat spag. sauce and broth--bring to boil. Add frozen tort., meatballs, and veggie and cook/simmer 30 minutes.

The "Martha Side" of Me ~ Snickerdoodles

I love, love, LOVE snickerdoodle cookies. But up until last year mine never turned out quite right--that's when I discovered a recipe from a former co-worker that I'd saved from the early 90's!!! Sidenote: Does the fact that the recipe sat untried for well over a decade give you any idea how 'not' passionate I am about cooking, hmmmmm????

Anyway, just in time for all your holiday baking, I give you "my" favorite (only!) snickerdoodle cookie recipe (pictured in the foreground, other recipe coming soon)!

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 F.
Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine/butter, shortening, and eggs in large bowl.
Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.

Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; roll balls in mixture.
Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes.
Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

The "Martha Side" of Me ~ Breakfast casserole

Yesterday, a friend asked for my breakfast casserole recipe so I thought I'd just post it here and share it with everyone! A former co-worker from YEARS ago made this when it was her turn to provide b-fast for our monthly birthday celebrations in our department--it's been my/our favorite for many years since!!



Breakfast Casserole

½ cup butter or margarine, melted
12 eggs
½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 lb. small-curd cottage cheese
3 rounded tsp. dried onion flakes
2 rounded tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried mustard
½ tsp. paprika
2, 8oz. pkgs. shredded Monterey Jack and Colby, or Cheddar cheese
1 lb. breakfast sausage (any variety), browned and drained
2, 4oz. cans sliced mushrooms, drained

Brown the sausage and drain. Melt the butter. In a large bowl, whip the eggs until fluffy. Mixing well after each addition, add the following ingredients one by one; flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, melted butter, one package of the shredded cheese, mustard, and paprika. Mix in the sausage, onions, parsley and mushrooms. (At this stage you may cover the mixture and refrigerate in the bowl overnight to bake the next morning or proceed to the next step below.)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place mixture in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Evenly top with the other package of shredded cheese. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350, and continue baking for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted in the middle comes out fairly clean.

Cool and cut into squares to serve.

Serves 8 – 10

Variations:

• I normally half this recipe for my family—follow all directions above, and bake in a 9x9 baking dish.
• I prefer to put all of the cheese in the mixture, rather than half on top.
• I frequently take advantage of the ‘overnight’ directions—helps make Sunday mornings a bit less hectic in our house!

"Martha" side of me ~ Easy French bread recipe (in bread machine)

1 1/2 cups water
4 cups white bread flour
2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. yeast (fast rise), or 2 1/2 tsp. active dry

Place ingredients in bread machine pan in order given, set for 'basic' recipe and medium crust. Makes one large loaf in an 11 cup capacity bread machine (you can confirm the capacity of your pan by pouring water--by the cupful--to the rim of bread pan)

Bread has a crispy light colored crust--great for sandwiches, and goes great with soups!

The Martha Side of Me ~ Potato & Ham Chowder

The crispness in the air reminds me that fall is just around the corner, which means great soup weather! This is a quick and easy, but delicious recipe.

1 pkg. of boxed scalloped potatoes (any variety you prefer)
1 cup diced ham
2 stalk of diced celery
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups half & half
1/3 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
1 diced onion (any size you like)

Mix potatoes, sauce mix, ham, broth, celery, onion & pepper in crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 hours. Mix half & half with the flour, gradually stir flour mixture into chowder until blended. Cover and cook on low for one more hour stirring occasionally until thick. For a less thick soup, use regular milk instead of half & half. Garnish with chopped green onion, shredded cheese, or sour cream if desired. Snuggle in with the ones you love and enjoy!

"Martha" side of me ~ Colossal Cookie recipe

I love making this giant cookie to give friends and family as a simple 'thank you' or 'I'm thinking of you' surprise! I first made this for my husband when he was is Seminary--I baked it (on the sly) , and put a note in his student mailbox that told him to retrieve 'something special' from the student mail office! :-)


Colossal Cookie

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed light or brown sugar

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces equals about 1 cup)

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixer bowl at medium speed (I just mix by hand), beat butter or margarine, brown sugar and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Place dough in refrigerator for 1 1/2 hrs. or in freezer for 45 minutes or until chilled, but not hard (chilling makes the dough less sticky and helps prevent excessive spreading during baking).

Grease a 12-inch round foil baking pan (I get mine at the dollar store). Place dough in center of pan. Press evenly to within 1 1/2 inches of edge of pan. If desired, sprinkle additional 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top, pressing down lightly. For easier handling, place foil pan on a baking sheet.

Bake in center of a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are firm and no indentation remains in center of cookie when lightly touched. For a softer cookie, bake the minimum time. Place foil baking pan on a wire rack and cool cookie completely.

If you're really adventurous, use cake decorators icing and decorate the cookie!

The "Martha" side of me: favorite brownies from scratch

Here's a recipe I promised in THIS POST.

I've been using this brownie recipe exclusively since our 'seminary days', it's from our 1988 Dallas Theological Seminary Cookbook. The Seminary wife who submitted this recipe also was a very talented calligraphy artist whom I hired to write out the song my husband wrote for me for our wedding--a total surprise to me during our wedding ceremony. Hmmmm, I think I just might post the lyrics to that sometime soon.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this recipe, it's not only an easy and delicious recipe for me, it's a really easy recipe for kids--our Nina has become quite accomplished at it!

Favorite Brownies

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring (I prefer to use extract)
2 eggs
1/3 c. dry cocoa
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 c. chocolate chips (or try white choc. chips, or Nina's personal creation and favorite-- miniature M & M's!)

In saucepan, melt butter.

Add sugar, vanilla, cocoa, and eggs; mix well.

Add flour, stir until just blended--don't over stir.

Pour in a greased 8 x 8 pan, sprinkle nuts and/or chips on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until knife or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The "Martha" side of me: great recipe to make for those in need

As I have mentioned (countless times) before, cooking is not my strength, nor is it my passion. But I do have some recipes that I rely on and wanted to share one with you that has turned out to be 'perfect' to make for families in need (new baby, illness, death, etc.).

I always purchase a disposable foil casserole pan so there is no clean up necessary and no 'worries' about washing and returning a dish! For a "complete meal" I normally bake a loaf of "Easy French" bread in my bread machine, and a batch of my favorite (from scratch) brownies. I'll provide those recipes later! :-)

Make It Easy Chicken!

1 Reynolds® Oven Bag, Large Size
2 tablespoons flour
1 envelope golden onion soup mix
1 cup water
3 medium carrots, cut in chunks (a sm. bag of baby carrots works well, too)
2 medium red potatoes, cut in wedges (I've used different varieties of potatoes with no problem, I also scrub them clean and leave the skin on)
1 medium green bell pepper, cubed
6 chicken pieces, skin removed (I prefer to leave the skin on cause I like the flavor it gives the veggies as they cook, but will take it off if I am aware of any special 'diet' needs.)

Seasoned salt, pepper (I use Paprika instead of pepper)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

SHAKE flour in Reynolds Oven Bag; place in 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

ADD onion soup mix and water to oven bag. Squeeze oven bag to blend in flour. Add carrots, potatoes and green pepper to oven bag. Turn oven bag to coat ingredients with sauce. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings; add to oven bag. Arrange chicken and vegetables in an even layer in oven bag.

CLOSE oven bag with nylon tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top. Tuck ends of bag in pan.

BAKE 55 to 60 minutes (Be aware that I've had to cook thick pieces of chicken longer), until chicken is tender and juices run clear or meat thermometer reads 170°F for breasts and 180°F for other pieces.

Number of Servings: 4-6Nutrition Information:(Per Serving)

If you'd like to see the nutritional info., go here Make It Easy Chicken!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

I absolutely love this painting by British artist Edmund Blair Leighton--so much so that I have a large print hanging over our bed (a treasured "find" while shopping alone on my birthday several years ago--my mother had sent me away while she entertained my daughters for the afternoon), and a postcard waiting to be framed (discovered at the Tattered Cover in Denver during one of our MANY visits).

Edmund Blair Leighton (1853 - 1922) was a pre-Raphaelite artist who created fastidiously crafted medieval and regency scenes that elegantly recreate a romantic, chivalrous past. Leighton, who studied at the prestigious Royal Academy and exhibited there for more than 40 years, spurned a job in the office of a tea merchant to follow his artistic ambitions. His work contained themes of courtship or weddings, often characterized by long, richly colored dresses, perceptively painted with flow and ripple that expressed both motion and rest. Leighton’s exquisitely romanticized historical scenes are frequently reproduced as posters today.

(check out more of Leighton's work at art.com)

It's heeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrre...

...the 18th anniversary of my 29th birthday!

And, I will spend most of this day doing some of the things I longed to do but was unable to until five years ago--home schooling my children, enjoying lunch together, toting my kids to doctor's appointments and music lessons, etc.

God's timing is perfect!

"Martha" side of me ~ Eggnog Cake

Just realized that I didn't post this several weeks ago--it's been in the draft folder!

Well, with the success of the 'eggnog French toast' under my culinary belt, I decided to try an 'eggnog cake' recipe the day after Christmas--another 'hit'!! This truly is becoming scary--I must be in some sort of time-space continum or time warp that allows my cooking to be sucessful.

Festive EggNog Cake
Servings: Makes one (8- or 9-inch) cakeServing Size: not available Nutrition: not available
Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 0Total Time: 0

Ingredients
CAKE:
1 (18.5-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup BORDEN® EggNog
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
FROSTING:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16-ounce) package confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons BORDEN® EggNog
Yellow Food Coloring
Strawberry Bon Bons (optional)

Instructions
Cake:Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Pour into 3 well-greased and floured 8- or 9-inch square or round cake pans.
Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans.
Cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows). Store leftovers covered.
Frosting: In small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add BORDEN® EggNog, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Stir in food coloring.
Fill and frost cake layers. Decorate with Strawberry Bon Bons (optional).

"Martha" side of me ~ Eggnog French Toast!

During Christmas, dear hubby took the week off so our family had plenty of time to play and relax together--which also means we had plenty of time to EAT together!

Not being an adventurous cook (have I mentioned that before?) it's a really big deal when I venture out and try a new recipe--one that has not been previously tried and recommended by trusted family or friends!

But when I saw this recipe on the can of eggnog I decided I had to try it--and it was a 'hit'!

(easy) Eggnog French Toast
Servings: Makes 8 Slices Serving
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup BORDEN® EggNog
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 slices French Bread (I actually used my own "French Country" bread that I make in our bread machine--according to our daughters it's not "wimpy American bread")

Instructions:
In medium bowl, combine BORDEN® EggNog and salt.
Dip bread into eggnog mixture.
Cook in hot greased skillet or griddle until golden brown on both sides.
Serve hot with syrup, confectioners' sugar, honey, or jelly. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Fudge Phobia

Warning: the only theological 'value' to this post is the fact that it reflects my efforts to die to self and battle my 'fear of man'!

I'm not naturally inclined to cooking. I do not receive much joy from it, although I am told often by my family and friends that I am a good cook--translation: edible, no need to suppress any gag reflexes. I'm okay with that, really! My chosen area of creativity involves all things related to fabric, patterns, thread, and needles.

So, LAST year when Carla posted about her easy and delicious fudge I was skeptical but tempted. However, because I am NOT an adventurous cook (understatement of the year), I simply tucked the thought WAY back in my mind. Unfortunately, that thought came to the front of my mind several weeks ago as I realized I was depriving our daughters of the opportunity to create rich and lasting memories--memories of "family fudge".

For those of you who do much cooking, you know that candy-making can be one of THE most complicated and temperamental forms of cooking! While growing up, it was my dad who would bravely dug out the big pot and ingredients several times each winter and made some of the BEST fudge and taffy I've ever had! We kids were assigned the very serious business of stirring, and stirring, and stirring, and...

So, I searched Carla's blog and determined that I'd at least try this "easy" recipe and see how it goes--and if it would be edible! Last Friday evening--our first full day with electricity restored--our girls and I made that fudge and it WAS delicious! No kitchen disaster, no need to throw it in the trash, no call to the fire department, and no scrunched-up faces as it was being 'chocked' down!

With THAT culinary success under my belt I began searching for my dad's 'famous' family fudge recipe. With a little help from my mother and a friend of hers I will be trying that recipe this weekend. It's much more complicated but I'm determined to no longer deprive our girls of this family tradition--and possibly the 'memory' of how to graciously deal with fudge-making disasters! :-)

Stay tuned, I'll let you know how it goes--and how the Lord might further sanctify me through this particular domestic endeavor!

The "Martha" side of me - "If You Give a Mom a Muffin"

For your entertainment, I offer you this little break from theology--and a glimpse into the "Martha" side of me! :-)

IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN

If you give a Mom a muffin, She'll want a strong cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll make herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.

She'll wipe it up.

While wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the box of Goodwill items.

Bumping into the Goodwill items will remind her she has to get these boxes out of her basement and into the car.

When she puts the boxes in the car, she'll find a bag of groceries and this will remind her she has to cook dinner.

She will get out the chicken defrosting in the fridge.

She'll look for her cookbook, "101 Things To Do With Chicken".

The cookbook will be sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the Netflix movie she's meant to send back and the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook will be in her purse that is being dumped out by her one-year-old.

As she bends down to rescue her purse, she'll smell something funny.

She'll change the baby's diaper.

While she is throwing away the diaper and searching for the handsanitizer, the phone will ring.

Her three-year-old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember she wants to call a friend--not for coffee, but for a very strong drink.

Thinking of drinking will remind her that she was going to have a cup of coffee in order to stay awake for the rest of the day.

And chances are...

If she finds her cup of coffee (which she has to reheat by now),

Her children will have eaten the muffin that went with it.


I received this through an egroup and have no idea who wrote it. This was in the footnote:

[Sure wish I could take credit for this! But I do hope that if this ever finds its way back to Laura Numeroff, the original author of the children's book series which this little scene is patterned after, she'll take it as the highest compliment!]