A Quick Announcement

I just wanted to let you all know that after a lot of thinking, I've decided to stop the Family Recipe Fridays carnival.

While I enjoy hosting it, and certainly don't mind the traffic it brings to my site, it's just not what I thought it would be. The blog world doesn't NEED another food carnival on Friday. I thought people really would write posts about their family recipes, and that is not what it has turned in to.

I myself am starting to run out of family recipes to share as well! I think it's run a good course, and I am so happy with the new food blogs I've found through hosting. If you'd still like to share a recipe on Fridays, I hope you'll visit one of the following carnivals:

Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker. Writer.
Friday Feasts at MomTrends.
Foodie Fridays at Designs by Gollum.

In other news, my 12 Days of Libbie Carnival starts tomorrow! Sometime in the next 12 days, write a new post (or recycle an old one) sharing a sweet memory or something you love about your kid(s). I'll have a linky up every day so you can join in whenever you want.

Family Recipe Fridays: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

For Family Recipe Friday this week, I am recycling this old post from December 2007.



When I got home from our choir concert tonight I was feeling a little blue. I think the beginning of December Christmas elation has worn off. I am ready to get to PA and see all the fam and actually do the celebrating. This week is the in-between. Hardly anyone is at work, everyone else has more vacation time. No parties. No church. Nothing until we leave next Sunday.

So instead of doing something useful, I wanted to bake. I started with brownies. One of the girls I teach on Wednesday night brought me one of those homemade jar mixes that you add liquid to. They have chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, walnuts...yuummmm.

But that was not labor-intensive enough, so I was scouring the Internet for a shortbread cookie recipe (and considered pound cake, except my loaf pan is dirty) and then just went and stood in the pantry. And I remembered this wonderful oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie recipe I used last year. YES!

It is from The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book. I have baked from this with great success--but always laughing, because it has the most pretentiously detailed recipes I've ever seen.

One reason I love the recipe is because it says to put two cookie sheets in the oven at the same time! Brilliant! OK, so I could probably always do this, but I don't ever think of it, so I am very grateful to Bruce & Mike (authors) for that help.

It also happens to be one of Mr. V's favorite kinds of cookies, and maybe he will forgive me for eating the Subway cookies he left in my purse if I feed him them and send the rest off to school with him tomorrow!! Shh, he hasn't remembered yet.

So, without further ado, here is the recipe. I've deleted some of their superfluous instructions because I don't want to be here all night!

Chocolate Chips Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen

2 1/4 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 T (1 stick) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for greasing baking sheets
1/2 c solid vegetable shortening (4 oz.)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature (HA! Yeah, maybe it would be at room temperature if I ever thought about cooking in advance)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used 1 c. mini chocolate chips and 1 c. semisweet baking chocolate I cut into chunks, because that is what I had on hand)

1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly butter two large baking sheets; set aside. Whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined; set aside.

2. Beat the butter and shortening in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until softened and somewhat creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and continue beating until airy, pale yellowy-brown, but still a little grainy, about 2 minutes (see what I mean?!). Beat in the egg and vanilla all at once.

3. Turn the mixer off, pour in the oat and flour mixture, then beat at a very low speed until just incorporated. The dough should be cohesive but crumbly. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula until distributed throughout.

4. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a walnut and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a spoon--don't make an indentation or let the sides crack; rather, gently push down just to take the roundness of the tops.

Here are the cookies pre-smash:

5. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the sheets back to front and top to bottom. Continue baking for about 8 more minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned but still soft to the touch. Cool for 3 minutes on the sheets, then transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then butter them again to make additional batches.

There you have it, the most detailed cookie recipe you never knew you wanted.

But it does make a delicious cookie.

Some of these are a little more done than I would have liked. Maybe I did not rotate the sheets well enough or should cook them for 7.34 minutes each time instead of 8.

Join the carnival! Write a post about one of your family's favorite recipes on your blog and then link up to your specific post here with MckLinky. Then cruise around and check out all the delicious recipes!

Family Recipe Fridays: Beef Stew

I've posted this recipe before, but since most of you probably haven't found it out there in the VW archives, I thought it needed a second take here for Family Recipe Fridays. With the nippy weather this week, I'm definitely itching to make stews and soups.

This is our very favorite beef stew in the whole world. The first time I made it, scoured from the pages of my Stuffed Cougar cookbook, Mr. V declared it was "better than his mama's." Have you ever met a Southern man? THAT IS THE ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT!

The simple ingredients meld together for ultimate yumminess. Try it! I don't think you'll be disappointed. And let me know if you do! Also, my friend Meredith made this after I posted the recipe originally. She subbed tomato juice for the wine and she said it was still great. A little mix of red wine vinegar and beef broth would also work.


Little League Stew
adapted from The Stuffed Cougar

1 lb. stew beef, cut into small pieces
4 potatoes
4 carrots
1 onion
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 c. red wine
salt and pepper

Peel potatoes (if needed) and dice potatoes, carrots, and onions. Mix all ingredients together. Either cook in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or in a 300 degree oven for 4 hours.

Serve with a crusty bread or grilled cheese. Be all warm and tingly inside.

Family Recipe Fridays: (Somebody's) Grandma's Mac and Cheese

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of working on a Bible study called No Other Gods by Kelly Minter (as I may have mentioned once or perhaps a dozen times on this blog). It was a new thing for LifeWay, both a young adult and women's study, complete with recipes and a Web site. I loved it and was so excited to throw myself into the project.

I led a test group for it, I wrote the leader's guide, I was the copy editor of course, and then I cooked every single recipe in the book. It took me a day and a half and then I served a gigantic and varied buffet to some co-workers.

And then I cried at the dishes.

Anyway, this macaroni and cheese was my favorite recipe from NOGs (although the black beans and brown rice are a close second!). We had a big family dinner at my grandma's apartment this summer the night before my grandpa's funeral and I offered to cook. I made apricot pork loin, salad, green bean casserole, and this mac and cheese. The family then decided I am never to show up without it again. So I think that makes it a family favorite.

Grandma's Mac and Cheese
from No Other Gods by Kelly Minter

1 lb. ziti or penne rigate
2 10 oz. bars of extra-sharp cheddar cheese (like Cracker Barrel brand)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Slice cheese to medium thickness. Slice butter about the same width as the cheese. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a shallow 9x13 dish with cooking spray.

Boil the pasta for 3-4 minutes--you only want to cook it partially. Test by biting one piece: once you can leave an imprint of your teeth, the pasta is done. Drain.

Take the baking dish and place half of the pasta on the bottom of the dish. Dot with half of the butter squares and half the cheese. Add some of the milk--come up to about the pasta layer or a little bit above. Repeat layers once.

Put the dish on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.

After this, top the dish with Italian bread crumbs, then cook for another 10 minutes.

Heaven and Fall in One Little Cookie

When my husband and I were dating, he introduced me to this, his favoritest cookie in the whole world. And my Mr. V, he is a COOKIE MONSTER. So saying it is his favorite is no small thing.

These cookies scream of Fall and I can't wait to make my first batch soon.

Pumpkin Cookies

makes about 3 dozen cookies

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shortening or butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Sift the first five ingredients together (flour through salt).

In a separate bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients all at once and stir gently to form a smooth batter.

Drop by teaspoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350.

Frosting:
3 T butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil slowly and let boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Cool completely.

After cool, stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

One and a half recipes of frosting will ice two recipes of the cookies.

(Ice the cookies once they are slightly cool. Don't put away until icing is well set.)

Family Recipe Friday posts:
Yellow Squash Casserole at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Smoky BBQ Brisket at Cozy Kitchen by the Sea
Creamy Cabbage at The MawMaw



Recipe submitted to Share Your Life at Kelly's Korner, What Did You Bake Today?, and It's a Blog Party.

Family Recipe Fridays

Y'all. I am still battling this nasty ear infection. I took a whole round of antibiotics and it just came back. And worse. I can barely get off the couch without feeling woozy tonight, so here's the MckLinky if you want to post, but I just don't have a recipe to share tonight. I'm going to bed.

Family Recipe Fridays: Breakfast Casserole

I am not a huge breakfast person. I never ate breakfast regularly from the time it was up to me until I was married at 22. But once I started actually rolling out of bed before 9 AM, I found breakfast was necessary to get through the day. After nearly five years of being at work at 7:30 AM, breakfast is starting to grow on me.

Mr. V eats a brown sugar and cinnamon pop-tart every single day for breakfast. It just baffles me. I am not someone who can eat the same thing every day. I need variety. I also need protein. I can't make it to lunch on a bowl of cereal or a doughnut.



This is the easiest breakfast casserole in the world--and it's tasty! My mom made this all the time when I was growing up. You can fancy it up by adding different flavors of sausage or cheese or integrating spices, but I like it nice and plain.

Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
6 slices of bread, buttered on one side
1 dozen eggs
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Lay the bread slices butter-side down in a 9x13 casserole. (You just need one layer, so if they don't all fit, cut them in half or pieces to fit.)

Brown the sausage and drain. Sprinkle over the top of the bread.

Beat the eggs until fluffy. Pour into casserole.

Top with the cheese. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, cook one hour at 350 or until eggs are set.


See? Easy peasy lemon cheesy. Or something like that.

Last week I made Kate's Country Breakfast Casserole and it was pretty darn good, too, if you're looking to try something a little less ordinary! Cumin and potatoes jazz it up well.
___
Join in! Write a post about a recipe your family loves or one that has been passed down through your family. Then link to that SPECIFIC POST using MckLinky here. Click through the links and see the deliciousness awaiting you!




Egg picture from Stock Exchange user superfloss

Family Recipe Fridays: The Best Pizza in the World

My friend Megan came over Tuesday night, and I am officially declaring what we made The Best Pizza in the World. I just had it for lunch today, validating that title. It is ah-mazing.

Pizza is, of course, completely customizable, so it almost seems silly to post a recipe. But this combination is exceptional. Especially for a girl whose hubby would not touch this with a ten-foot pole. Hey, there are some merits to having him away. (NOT worth it, by the way. Miss him terribly.)


The Best Pizza in the World

1 recipe pizza crust--make your own or buy dough somewhere. We used an herb crust from Trader Joe's and I may never go back
Homemade Pesto (recipe follows)
1/4 onion, cut into rings
1 small Japanese eggplant, sliced thin
1 roasted red pepper, diced
10 small grape tomatoes, halved
1 handful spinach leaves
6 slices fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 T freshly grated Parmesan

Grill the onion rings and eggplant after brushing with olive oil until well done (on a grill pan, or you can roast them in the oven).

Roll out dough into a large oval on a pizza stone. Spread pesto over the top to within an inch of the edges. Place onion, eggplant, roasted red pepper, and tomatoes over the sauce. Top with spinach leaves and goat cheese. Lay mozzarella slices evenly over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake at 425 for about 18 minutes or until the crust is crispy. Enjoy this special treat!

Homemade Pesto

1/2 cup basil leaves
2-3 T minced garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a handful toasted walnuts or pine nuts
extra virgin olive oil

In a mini-chopper, food processor, or blender, process all ingredients except oil. Stream in some oil, process again. Keep adding oil until the mixture moves freely when you pulse it. (This video does a pretty good job of showing what I mean).

Taste and see how you like it. You can always add more of something to make it to your taste!

Join the carnival! Write a post about a family recipe you have, click on MckLinky and add the PERMALINK to your post, and then click around to visit the other recipes here. What a good start to the weekend! If you don't have a blog, feel free to add your recipe in the comments.

Family Recipe Friday: Turkey Pecan Salad

My mom has been here all week, which means: FOOD! For free! And I don't have to make it!

I think if you're a regular reader you've surmised that my mom is a very good cook and I have a lot of happy food-memories. I love her enchiladas, potato soup, and cabbage rolls.

This one is another Mom classic from my growing-up years. My directive for this week is: YOU MUST TOAST THE PECANS. It makes a huge difference. Enjoy this delicious summer salad! She often serves it with a Waldorf salad on the side.

Turkey Pecan Salad

1 lb. turkey breast, cubed (can use smoked deli meat, cut 1-inch thick)
about 2 cups pecan halves, toasted in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

Toss above ingredients together. Mix dressing. Stir in dressing just before serving. Serve on a bed of lettuce or in pita pockets.

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T sugar
a pinch white pepper

Have a family favorite recipe you'd like to share this week? Blog about it, then add the permalink to your post using MckLinky here. (Please do NOT link to your main blog page.) If you don't have a blog, you can leave your recipe in the comments. Then surf around all the yummyness!

Family Recipe Fridays: Basic Soups

To me, there is nothing more comfortable than homemade soups--especially on a cold night, but anytime, really, as a comfort food.

One of my co-workers recently had surgery and is having a tough recovery. My first instinct was to say, "I'll bring soup! What kind of soup do you want?" He wanted chicken noodle.

I am no chicken noodle connoisseur, but I think the one I made tonight is pretty excellent. The secret is this: USE THE INNER LEAVES OF THE CELERY. And yes, I stole that directly from Rachael Ray--and my mother. Who might have also stolen it from Rachael. But it gives the soup an entirely different flavor that is so ... right!

My mom's potato soup has the same secret. It is one she served often when I was growing up, and it's taken me years to get it right. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's not, but it always makes me feel like home.

Jessie's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

extra virgin olive oil
2 onions or shallots
2 carrots, scrubbed
2 stalks celery and some of the inner leaves
2 T fresh parsley, chopped fine, or 2 tsp. dried
1 can chunk white chicken, drained, or 1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
salt and pepper
4-6 cups chicken broth (I use water and chicken base)
10 oz. egg noodles

Coat the bottom of a heavy-bottomed dutch oven or stockpot with olive oil. Dice onions, carrots, celery, and parsley and saute in the oil until very soft (10-15 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add chicken and broth. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for a while--at least half an hour.

Bring it back to a boil and add egg noodles. Boil until soft, about 5-6 minutes.

Serve with saltines.

Mom's Potato Soup

1 yellow onion
3 stalks celery and some of the inner leaves
3 T butter
4-6 potatoes, peeled
4 strips bacon, fried crisp
chicken broth
2 c. milk
salt and pepper

Dice onion and celery. Melt butter in a dutch oven or stockpot. Saute onion and celery in butter until soft. Add salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, dice the potatoes. Add to the veggies in the pot. Add stock until the potatoes are almost all covered with liquid. Bring to a boil and let cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.

Turn back the heat to medium-low and add the milk. Let simmer for a few minutes. Crumble the bacon into the soup and stir in. Garnish with cheese and green onion if desired.

My mom always makes little "rivels," tiny dumplings for the soup. This is a very approximate recipe because I haven't made this in a while. So you just kinda have to make it into a batter you can make into tiny dumplings.

1 egg
flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Whisk egg. Add baking powder. Keep adding flour until it is crumbly. Drop by teaspoonfuls into simmering soup. Let cook about 10 minutes.

___________
Have a recipe you want to share? Write a blog post about a family favorite recipe and add it here using MckLinky. Please link to the PERMAPOST for your recipe. If you link to your main blog page, the link will be deleted. If you need help with this, e-mail me.

Family Recipe Fridays: Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

While this is not a recipe passed down through my family, it's a recipe our little family ADORES--as does everyone else who has come into contact with it. I even sold these coffee cakes at the craft sale at our work one year. They are THAT good.

The cream cheese adds a richness to this that many other coffee cakes don't have. The turbinado (raw) sugar is my person addition. I love the crunch it gives the topping. If you don't have any, though, and don't want to buy it, regular white sugar will work just fine. The batter for this is VERY thick--so don't be worried about it when it won't pour. You'll just need to spoon it into the pan and smooth the top.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light Five-Star Recipes

1/4 c. butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese (I usually use light--aka Neufchatel cheese)
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, unthawed (I've also used frozen cherries)
cooking spray
2 T turbinado sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Beat butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add the 1 cup sugar. Add egg; beat well.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into margarine mixture. Stir in vanilla; fold in berries.

Pour batter into a 9-inch round cake pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar and cinnamon.

Bake at 350 F for one hour; cool on a wire rack.

This is versatile: serve for breakfast as coffee cake, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as dessert! It also freezes very well.

Family Recipe Fridays: Scalloped Corn

Tricia's post about holiday recipes today had my wheels churning and my mouth watering. (Have I mentioned Tricia, aka Once a Month Mom, is my cousin? Like once, or a hundred times?)

My favorite Thanksgiving side dish, by far, is our Grandma's scalloped corn.

I'm not sure if this terminology is an Ohio thing or what. (Pam?) I've never heard anyone else call this scalloped corn. Around these parts, they have corn pudding, but it's sweet. This is not, except for the sweetness of the corn itself.

When we've had holidays in Tennessee (rare, but a few times), I've insisted on having this corn and my mom's sweet potatoes. Those are really the only things I care about. Turkey, I can take it or leave it. I'd rather have candied sweet potatoes than pie (but NO marshmallows). But, oh, corn. Yummmm.

Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Scalloped Corn

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 stick butter (4 T), melted
1 T sugar
salt and pepper
1 c. cracker crumbs (Ritz is best)
paprika

Mix together everything but the paprika. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika (lightly). Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 F.

P.S. Here are a few of my other favorite holiday recipes.

Want to join in the carnival? Write a post about a recipe that's been passed down through your family or a recipe your family just really loves. Share the permalink to your post here. If you don't have a blog, you're welcome to leave your recipe in the comments. Please link back to Family Recipe Friday in your post so everyone can see all the great yummyness here!

Family Recipe Fridays: Tater Tot Casserole

A week or two ago, I asked my mom what recipes I could use for my Friday posts. She is so, 100% NOT a recipe person. She made stuff up, or used a recipe once and then improvised the second time around.

I could remember several recipes she made I didn't like: bean soup, lima bean casserole, and this tater tot casserole. We laughed over the idea of me using the tater tot casserole as a Family Recipe Fridays post. And now here it is.

It's not that I don't like it, exactly. It's just not what I would prefer for dinner. But my dad and sister love it. It's like junk food without going through the McDonald's drive-thru. I remember one time my mom was out of town, and I went to our house and made this for my dad and Ashley. You would have thought I'd hung the stars. They were ecstatic.

At the beginning of my pregnancy with Libbie, I could not even THINK about chicken without getting sick. I think it all started with the chicken salad fiasco and went downhill from there. I didn't eat chicken again until I was at least 16 weeks pregnant. So during that time, I pretty much ate beef. And one night, out of blue, I decided the only thing I could stomach was Tater Tot Casserole. Pregnancy will do that to you.

All the taste of a Sonic cheeseburger and tots without having to sit and wait there ... but without the goodness of a cherry limeade. I suppose you could make your own of that, too! (Another major pregnancy craving of mine.)

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 can cheddar cheese condensed soup
2 cans green beans, drained
1 bag frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Press raw ground beef into the bottom of the pan, making sure not to leave any holes.

Spread green beans evenly over the top of the meat. Pour cheddar cheese soup over it.

Place tater tots on top of the green beans. Add as many as you can without overlapping. You want to cover it all, though.

Cook for an hour or until beef is completely done.


Want to join in the fun? Write a post describing a recipe that's been passed down through your family, or one that is your family's favorite! Link here to the link for THAT SPECIFIC POST (not your main blog page). Then click around and see all the other delicious recipes. If you don't have a blog, you're welcome to leave your recipe in the comments!

Nine Happy Weeks

I've had nine weeks of Family Recipe Fridays! How great is that? I so appreciate you all who have linked your recipes. If you would ever like to write a guest post for FRF and share with us one of your family's meals, please e-mail me and we'll work it out. I'd love to have some guest posters. :)

I thought it would be nice to compile all of the recipes that have been submitted thus far into one post. That way, we'll have a sort of "cookbook," and if you're looking for a good dessert or fun appetizer, it'll be easy to find one! I'll keep the link on my sidebar and try to continually add the new recipes to this post.

Breakfast

Banana Bread
Banana Muffins
Cherry Cream Cheese Braid
Chocolate Pudding Zucchini Muffins
Mom's Zucchini Bread
Oatmeal Muffins
Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins
Zucchini Eggs

Main Meals

Avacado Bacon Melts
Baked Flounder
Cashew Chicken
Cabbage Rolls
Cheesy Chicken
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Chicken Marbella
Chicken Parmigiana
Cranberry Chicken
Cranberry Chicken Casserole
Divine Chicken Divan
Feta Pasta
Indonesian Peanut Chicken
Italian Chicken Sausage Spaghetti
Jackie's Chicken, Broccoli, and Stuffing Casserole
MawMaw's Italian Chicken
Mexican Chicken and Black Beans
Mom's Enchiladas
Oven BBQ Chicken
Quinoa with Beans and Corn
Summer Pasta
Tater Tot Casserole
Turkey and Dressing
Turkey Royale
White Pizza

Soups and Salads

The Best Macaroni Salad
Caprisio Tortellini Salad
Chicken Lime Soup
Chicken Salad
Chili
Cornbread Salad
Cucumber Salad
Easy Chicken Taco Salad
Gayle's Broccoli Salad
Layered Salad
Mom's Pasta Salad
Oriental Coleslaw
Rainbow Slaw
Simple Curry Chicken Salad
Summer Chili
Summer Cucumber Salad
Veggie Thai Noodle Salad

Sides

Baked Beans
Baked Pineapple
Brussel Sprout Hash with Caramelized Onions
Couscous
Grandma's German Potato Salad
Orzo with Spinach and Tomato
Oyster Dressing
Pickled Beets
Special Potatoes

Miscellaneous

Ham and Green Onion Cream Cheese Spread
Homemade Substitutes
Middle Eastern Hummus
Mrs. Compton's Rolls
Serious Salsa

Dessert

Apple Pie Ice Cream
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Layer Cake
Coca-Cola Salad
Cool and Easy Pie
Creamy Brownie Frosting
Gingerbread
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Ice Cream Cake
Milky Way Ice Cream
Orange Sherbert Cake
Oreo Truffles
Peach Cake
Peach Crumb Cake
Strawberry Banana Trifle
Swirled Peanut Butter Bars
Sugar-free Banana Split Dessert
Zucchini Cobbler

Have a new family recipe you'd like to leave this week (7/17)? Use MckLinky to link to the address for your specific blog post with the recipe (NOT your main blog address). If you don't have a blog, leave your recipe in the comments. And what do you think of collecting these as a cookbook?

Family Recipe Fridays: D-Hall Feta Pasta

This is stretching it a little as a family recipe. But if I want to keep this carnival going for any length of time, I'm going to have to do that!

Jen taught me how to make this recipe in our dining hall at college my freshman year. It was totally my fallback for when I could not stomach chicken strips or even my special concoction of Kix, peanut butter, and strawberry frozen yogurt.

Then, the summer after freshman year, I taught my mom to make it. She LOVES anything with feta. The rest is history. We just love this stuff, and it's a great lazy dinner that doesn't take much actual cooking.

Feta Pasta

D-Hall version: Scoop some spaghetti noodles into a cereal bowl. Top with feta cheese, bacon bits, and peas from the salad bar. Add one little container of butter, and microwave for a minute or so. Mix well.

For the rest of us:
1 lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked, with a little pasta water reserved
1 package feta, crumbled
1 cup frozen peas
1 lb. bacon, fried crisp and crumbled (I always do mine in the microwave)
1 T. butter

Combine cooked spaghetti, butter, feta, peas, and bacon. Stir together well and let the feta melt a little bit. If it is too dry, stir in a little of the pasta water until desired consistency. If you're real fancy, you could top with some fresh parsley.

Join the carnival! Link up to your specific post (NOT your blog address, the post permalink) about a recipe your family has passed down. If you don't have a blog, you can leave your recipe in the comments section.

[Please pray for my dear friend Carolyn, who has linked every time I've done this carnival. Her father-in-law died of a heart attack yesterday, and I know the family could use your prayers.]

Linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Sliced and Diced at Once a Month Mom.

Family Recipe Friday: Layered Salad

Is there one certain recipe that seems to be at every extended family gathering you have?

For me, it's my Grandma R's layered salad.

Grandpa and Grandma R* with Libbie a few days after we came home from the hospital.

It is seasonless. The ingredients are nothing terribly out-of-the-ordinary. And it's graced the buffet for every family holiday I can remember.

The crunchy iceberg, the creamy mayonnaise, and the rolly-polly peas meld together for a truly delicious bite. I am honestly not a big mayonnaise fan; I eat pasta and potato salads and the like, but if I have it on a sandwich I just spread the tiniest amount. Thinking of eating straight mayo makes me gag--it is seriously the grossest thing I can think of. But the mayo in this blends with the other ingredients and seasonings and I never think of it as anything but a good dressing for the lettuce.

This salad would be great for any 4th-of-July gatherings you're planning this weekend. My grandma always serves it in a Pyrex 9 by 13 pan.

Grandma's Layered Salad

Break up one large head of lettuce into bite-size pieces (iceberg or Romaine). Spread out in a 9x13 dish. Then add the following layers:

1. 4 to 5 stalks of celery, chopped
2. 1 c. frozen peas, uncooked
3. a sprinkling of dehydrated onion flakes
4. 1-2 c. mayonnaise, spread (enough to cover)
5. 1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled
6. a sprinkle of salad seasoning
7. 1/2 c. or so of Parmesan cheese

Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.


*I always called my grandparents Grandma and Grandpa S (the whole last name) and Grandma and Grandpa R (same). NO ONE in Tennessee calls their grandparents "Grandma and Grandpa." It's Nana, Pawpaw, Mawmaw, Memaw, Nona, Granny... is "Grandma and Grandpa" Northern jargon? (My parents and grandparents are from Ohio.) It just always strikes me as one of those funny things.

Family Recipe Fridays: Serious Salsa

Why serious? Well, because it takes a lot of chopping (or hand work with your food chopper--that thing takes some arm strength!).

But this is some good salsa. My mother-in-law cans some each year using tomatoes and anything else she can use from her garden. Despite my disdain for fresh tomatoes, I really like salsa, and I especially love this one because the tomatoes are in itty bitty pieces. Mr. V steals as much as he can each year; but I haven't seen any appear in our pantry this summer, so I guess I'll be making my own soon.

On an extreme side note, one of my favorite things is guacamole mixed with salsa. Apparently BooMama, BigMama, and Rocks in My Dryer took a little trip to visit Ree, THE Pioneer Woman, this week. And she served that exact thing to them. Why wasn't I invited? I mean, BooMama replied to one of my Tweets once, so, really, we're tight.

Humph.

OK, anyway, here's the recipe!

Serious Salsa

This is one of those recipes you can take with a grain of salt. Use however much of everything you like and want.

1 cup green pepper, chopped fine
1 large tomato, cored and chopped fine
1 1/2 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped fine
1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 T cider vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder

for hot salsa, add:
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Combine all ingredients and mix. Cover and let refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before tasting. Adjust ingredients to taste.

Join the carnival! Write a post about a family recipe you have, click on Mr. Linky and add the PERMALINK to your post, and then click around to visit the other recipes here. What a good start to the weekend! If you don't have a blog, feel free to add your recipe in the comments.

Family Recipe Fridays: Peach Cake

Once upon a time, what seems like a million years ago, Mr. V and I, along with several of our college friends, were at beach week before our college graduation. (OK, it was only 2004. But that does seem like a LONG time ago!)

We stayed at a lovely house with our friends, frolicked on the beach, played softball with a kiddie bat in the street, found a baby sea turtle, and Mr. V threw me into the wall (but that's another story).

Trying to find something new to cook, we stumbled upon an old recipe box and found this absolute divine deliciousness. We make it often for potlucks and dinners at friends' houses because it is fairly simple and SO GOOD. It is perfect for summer.

While it's not really a recipe passed down in our family, I like to think it's somebody's family recipe! And we'll definitely pass it along to Libbie and our other children.

Fresh Peach Cake

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups mashed peaches (we usually use frozen so as to not have to peel them. I know, that kinda negates the "fresh" part, doesn't it?)
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. flour

Beat eggs; add peaches and mix. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 pan. Bake 1 hour at 350.

Here is the topping that was in the recipe we found. We've never used it because I don't even know what Milnot is. We used to use a vanilla-almond canned frosting. Any vanilla frosting (homemade or not) would work.

Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. chopped nuts
1 stick butter
3/4 c. Milnot
1 c. coconut
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in a saucepan; cook over medium heat until thickened some. Pour over warm cake.

Want to join in the carnival? Add the link to your post (NOT your homepage) to Mr. Linky below; read through the other wonderful linked recipes here; and please link back to Vanderbilt Wife! Thanks. Can't wait to see what's on the table this week--maybe I'll find something to make for our vacation.

[I'm trying out the new Mr. Linky (free version). You do have to click to a separate page for it to work. Sorry!]



Recycling this oldy-but-goody for Sliced & Diced: Peaches and Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap: Baked Goods. For those visiting from there, I no longer do Family Recipe Fridays. Sorry!

Family Recipe Fridays: My Family's Grossest Recipe

Why, you might ask, would I post what I consider my family's grossest recipe?

Well, because Sunday is my grandfather's funeral. And while we have a whole lot of family recipes on my mom's side, this is the only one we have on my dad's side that I can recall. I couldn't bring myself to post anything BUT this recipe.

Every year, most of the time on Thanksgiving but occasionally on Christmas, my dad's side of the family gathers at my uncle's house to celebrate "Thanksmas." Yes, friends, two holidays rolled into one. We exchange presents, sing carols, and eat. A lot.

Being the eccentric family that we are, we can't have any normal stuffing. Not even that (BLEGH) Southern delicacy, cornbread dressing. We have oyster dressing.

This is the Christmas Carp, our annual centerpiece. Someone's gag gift from the Thanksmas exchange.

I think I used to at least have a bite or two of oyster dressing, but then I developed a severe intolerance for clams when I was in college. And I am too afraid to touch oysters or mussels or anything clam-like for fear of spewing out my guts.

Anyway, with that lovely thought, here is the (oh my word I never knew it had so much butter) recipe from my sweet Grandma, Libby the first. (Yes, with a Y. And my Libbie is with an IE. Don't ask. In fact, forget I brought it up.)

Grandma's Oyster Dressing

Four cans frozen or canned oysters
Four ribs finely chopped celery
Four cans mushrooms
One box saltines crushed
one pound butter pats
About two cups of milk

First spray a large pyrex dish, and then add a layer of crushed crackers. Begin layering the ingredients. After each cracker layer add some milk and the juice from the mushrooms and oyster cans. Bake at 350 for at least an hour until the texture is puffy like a souffle. It is okay to prepare it in advance and let the liquids sink in.

You should have about four layers of crackers and three of "goodies."

I am out-of-town for the funeral, so I probably won't be able to get your links up here until Monday or so. But please leave them in the comments, and I promise I will. Can't wait to get back and see those delicious recipes! I'd appreciate it if you'd link back to Family Recipe Fridays so others can see the whole recipe collection as well!

Oreo Truffles (The MawMaw)
Banana Muffins (Cook with Sara)
Banana Bread (Lattes and Life)

Family Recipe Fridays: Cabbage Rolls a la Donna

Did I ever tell you about the time my grandpa called me and my sister "study German girls"? He thought it was a compliment.
I have German ancestry on both sides (my maiden name and my mom's are VERY German). Maybe that is why I like this dish so much. It reminds me of my childhood.

This is a picture of my Grandma and Grandpa Long-German-Last-Name. Aren't they sweet?

Unfortunately, when I try to weasel a recipe out of my mom, she always tells me she doesn't have a recipe. She throws in some of this, some of that, and cooks it for awhile. Hm. Which is why I had to try to make her potato soup for three years before I got it right.

So when she was here last week, we made this together and I came up with measurements so that there is now an actual recipe! I hope Libbie will like cabbage and sauerkraut so I'll have someone to share this with--Mr. V ate the insides of one roll and some mashed potatoes.


Cabbage Rolls a la Donna

1.25 lb. ground beef
1 head cabbage
3/4 c. instant rice (white or brown works)
1 T. dried minced onion
pepper
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 27-oz can sauerkraut

Freeze the head of cabbage overnight; let thaw in the fridge the next day until dinner.

Core the cabbage from the bottom (you don't want to cut into the leaves, just cut a circle around it and yank it out from the bottom). Remove cabbage leaves one by one; cut off the very thick part (vein) of the leaves.

Combine ground beef, rice, dried onion, and black pepper. Form into 2-inch balls. Wrap each ball in a cabbage leaf. Place one layer of cabbage rolls in the bottom of a Dutch oven or deep casserole dish. Pour half of the tomato sauce and half the can of sauerkraut over the rolls. Sprinkle with 1/3 c. brown sugar. Repeat layers once more. If desired, cut up the rest of the cabbage and add to the top. Pour 1 cup of water over it all.

Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours at 350, or until the beef is cooked through.


Please join the carnival by writing a blog post about one of your family recipes. Feel free to save the button graphic to your computer and display it on your site. I'd appreciate it if you linked to me in your post. If you don't have a blog, leave your recipe in the comments here!

Leave the link for your post in the comments, and I will get it up here in the post as quickly as I can! Thanks. :)

Divine Chicken Divan (OhAmanda)
MaMaw's Chocolate Layer Cake (It's Come to This)
Mrs. Compton's Rolls (The MawMaw)
Cheesy Chicken (Giving Up On Perfect)
Homemade Milky Way Ice Cream (Rebekah's Bits and Pieces)
Chocolate Cherry Cake (Cook with Sara)
Swirled Peanut Butter Bars (Musings of a Housewife)
Orzo with Spinach and Tomato (Hope Does Not Disappoint)
Oatmeal Muffins (PhotoGrove)



Also linking this up with Your Life, Your Blog at Sarah in Real Life. Go, add a link, free publicity and get to see some other great blog posts from the past week!