Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt Today

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~appetizers~
Meatballs
Shrimp cocktail
Cheese chunks w crackers
Chips & dip
Cashews

~ beverages ~
Pop – Water – Sweet Tea
Raspberry punch

~ main ~
Ham
Beef smoked sausage w/ sauerkraut

~ sides ~
Sweet Potato Casserole
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
Pork stuffing
Corn pudding, Potato Salad & Baked Beans (Shirley’s bringing)
Deviled Eggs
Dinner Rolls

~ desserts ~
Cherry Pie w/ vanilla ice cream
Coconut Cake

Candy Buffet

BAKED HAM WITH COLA

INGREDIENTS
1 (20 oz.) can sliced pineapple
1 fully cooked smoke ham, whole or half
2-4 c. (depending on size of ham) cola beverage (I use one can per half)

DIRECTIONS
Arrange pineapple on ham; secure with wood picks. Place ham in shallow pan. Pour cola over ham; bake 15 minutes per pound in preheated 350 degree oven, basting with pan juices occasionally. Remove to warm platter and let stand 20 minutes before carving.

Optional: Score ham with a sharp knife in a crisscross pattern about 1 inch apart. Insert whole cloves into the top of the ham instead of using pineapple, pour coke over top and bake as usual.

My mom used to score the top and then hold the pineapple in place with the whole cloves, before dumping a can of cola over top.  Its all good.

Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. ~ Charles M. Crowe

 

Grandma’s Cherry Pie

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Honey Glazed Ham, sliced
Cheesy Hashbrown Bake
Green Beans
Rolls w/ butter
Grandma’s Cherry pie w/ vanilla ice cream

Grandma’s Cherry Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/3 tablespoons butter (about 4 teaspoons)
1 14.5-ounce can pie cherries, NOT cherry pie filling (look for Dark Sweet Pitted Cherries packed in water)
Pastry for double-crust pie

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and undrained cherries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils (about 6 or 7 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in almond extract.
Pour mixture into a 9-inch unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust, seal edges and *crimp. If using a lattice crust, allow filling to cool before applying it. If a lattice crust is not used, put one or several vents in the crust ( I cut bird-tracks /\ /\ /\ forming a cross on top of my pies, because my mom always did). Bake at 425°F for 30 to 35 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Prep time: 25 minutes; Cooking time: 30-35 minutes; Total time: 55 minutes

*Crimping is done by pushing the outside edge of our pie crust between your pointer finger and thumb on your left hand using the tip of the pointer finger on your right hand. <- repeating all the way around the pie, then cut off the excess pie dough with a sharp knife.

Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish. ~ Jean de La Fontaine

 

BAKED CHICKEN & SHRIMP SUPREME

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BAKED CHICKEN & SHRIMP SUPREME
Potato Casserole
Normandy Blend Vegetables
House Salad
Rolls/Butter
Beverage

BAKED CHICKEN & SHRIMP SUPREME

INGREDIENTS
1 c. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Accent
2 tbsp. cut chives
4 c. cooked chicken, diced
2/3 c. diced pimientos
1/2 c. melted butter
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. paprika
2 cans button mushrooms (lg. can)
2 qt. milk
4 c. cooked shrimp
8 c. cooked rice
1 c. flour

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter and blend in flour, salt, pepper, Accent, paprika and chives. Drain broth from mushrooms into measuring cup and add enough milk to make 2 quarts. Add milk mixture to butter mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Add mushroom crowns, chicken, shrimp and pimientos. Line two oblong baking dishes, 8″x12″x2″ with rice. Fill center with chicken mixture, brush rice rim with melted butter. Unless baked immediately, cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 35 minutes, or until bubbling hot. Time will depend on the temperature of the dish when it is put in the oven.

Serves 20

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That sir which serves and seeks for gain,
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the storm.
But I will tarry; the fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly:
The knave turns fool that runs away;
The fool, no knave, perdy.
~ KING LEAR
Act II The Fool, scene iv

 

Mid-Week Meal

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Sliced Ham
*Lorraine Potatoes
Fried Okra
Creamy Sautéed Tomatoes
Pickled eggs, cut in half lengthwise
Rolls/Butter
Soft Sugar Cookies
served warm w/ strawberries or blueberries & whip cream
Beverages and coffee or warm tea w/ dessert.

Lorraine Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
5 cups sliced unpeeled potatoes
4 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces, partially cooked
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese, (substitute Emmenthal or Swiss if you can’t get Gruyère).

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 × 9-inch baking dish.
2. Layer half the potatoes, bacon, green onions, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half the Gruyère on top of the potatoes. Repeat layers.
3. Cover with foil. Bake until potatoes are tender and cheese is melted, about 1 hour.
4. Remove foil. Bake for 10 minutes longer. Cut into squares to serve.

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson “Ring Out, Wild Bells” 1850

 

Oven Baked Cheese Dream

INGREDIENTS
Butter or margarine (optional)
4 slices pumpernickel bread, toasted
8 slices tomato
8 ounces leftover turkey, ham or both, sliced thin
Cheddar Cheese Sauce (see recipe)
4 slices bacon, cooked
4 spears asparagus or broccoli, precooked
4 slices Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Butter (if desired) the toasted bread slices and arrange them in the bottom of a shallow casserole. Top each bread slice with 2 slices of tomato and two ounces of sliced meat. Cover with the Cheddar Cheese Sauce.
2. Heat casserole in 400-degree oven until the cheese begins to bubble. Add bacon slices, asparagus or broccoli and 1 slice of Swiss cheese  to each meat-topped bread slice. Return to the oven. Heat until the ingredients are melted together. Serve hot.

CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded or coarsely grated white Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of white pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in saucepan. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the milk and stir until it is well combined and the sauce is thick and smooth.
2. Stir in the shredded or grated cheese, salt and pepper. Continue to stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.
3. Make just before serving. (If allowed to stand, they could become soggy, losing their fresh-cooked taste).

Serves 4.

Serve with chips, bean salad, tangy pickles and fresh fruit. Use green olives as a garnish.

Experiment with spicy or flavored mustard’s, such as Dijon or tarragon. Try such cheeses as Gruyère or farmhouse cheese.

Note: For those of you that know me, you know that I always add a shot of Tabasco or hot sauce to my cheese sauce while the cheese is melting. It just gives it a little kick. And I hate asparagus, so you know I’m go with the broccoli. (sh)

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. ~ Winston Churchill

 

Teriyaki Steak

Time for a mid-week meal update – what are you making for dinner tonight? Do you have a regular Wednesday meal that makes the week’s halfway point easier to handle? Are you making it today, or did you make it earlier in the week?

As you know, I love to eat… and to cook… (cleaning, not so much). You know I love Asian inspired foods (with the exception of sushi). I LOVE Teriyaki… I put it on too many things. Stir-fry’s, sausage stuffed mushrooms, steak, you name it. Rice pudding & custard are my two favorite desserts. Quick & easy.

This is a quick and easy meal.

Teriyaki Steak
Butter Noodles
Boiled Cabbage
Crescent Rolls
Rice Pudding
Beverages

INGREDIENTS
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced onion flakes
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lb London broil (flank steak)

Mix together all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, except steak. Mix well with your fingers & place the steak in the bag. Shake bag to cover completely with marinade. Marinate in mixture for 2 hours. Turning bag over, every half hour. Grill, bake or broil (George Foreman – like me) to your liking. Let rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve over a hearty bed of buttered noodles.  Serve cabbage in a soup bowl sprinkled with *cornbread croutons.

*Cornbread croutons: Heat 2 TBSP of bacon grease in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cube some leftover corn bread into 1 inch squares. Toss into skillet. Stir occasionally, making sure not to break up the bread. About 5 minutes. Toss on top of cabbage just before serving.

There’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can’t do any business from there. ~ Colonel Harlan Sanders