I'm sure everyone has seen the recipe for caramel corn using Old Dutch Puff Popcorn ... It's even better when you use the Chester's Butter Puffcorn. The recipe is basically the same, but I think it has better flavor.
Ingredients
1 cup salted butter
A collection of old family treasures passed down through the years, and new-found favorites
I'm sure everyone has seen the recipe for caramel corn using Old Dutch Puff Popcorn ... It's even better when you use the Chester's Butter Puffcorn. The recipe is basically the same, but I think it has better flavor.
Ingredients
You can find my original post for these tacos here. These are delicious, and a favorite of my family. Keep a dish of chopped chipotle chilies with the sauce on the side to add to your own tacos, to amp up the smoky spice. I start with a rotisserie chicken, so they are made very quickly. I usually make one and a half to two times the sauce mixture that I allow to reduce by half. You want the sauce to be nice and thick, so that it coats the chicken well. You can serve this with lime cilantro rice, and fresh Pico de Gallo (Recipe below). The recipe for the rice can be found on my blog, here.
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 cup orange juice (not frozen concentrate)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided (See note below)
1 1/2 pounds of shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken
salt and pepper, to taste
I got this recipe from a friend at work. I've made it numerous times, and have loved it every time. The cream cheese gives the gravy a very creamy texture, and the Italian Dressing mix, gives it loads of flavor. You can serve this over any kind of noodles - I like to use egg noodles; or you can serve it over rice. The recipe can be found at the Easy Chicken Recipes website.
Ingredients
I got this recipe from a coworker many, many years ago. It has just a few simple ingredients and was always a hit everywhere I took it. It was an absolute favorite of my son, Luke. Before he died, I made it for him often; so everytime I see this recipe, I think of him.
My mom made dozens and dozens of cookies of all varieties, every year at Christmas. Us kids would give her a helping hand, but we very may well have gotten underfoot. I thoroughly enjoyed it, because it meant spending time with our mother and was something I looked forward to.
This is a basic cookie that you can then choose to add different ingredients to flavor them. What I remember making most often, are the Spice Cookies. We would press in several red hot cinnamon candies, to amp up the flavor. I loved these cookies when I was a kid. This recipe brings back a lot of memories, and I can't wait to try it again.
Basic Cookies
My son John, loves soft chocolate chip cookies; but I personally prefer them more chewy-crisp. He found this recipe online on the cooking blog Cakes by Courtney, made them and fell in love with them. They are very good, so bookmark this page. If you prefer the ingredients to be listed by weight, she does so on her blog.
Ingredients
I found this recipe in one of those old church cookbooks, but I haven't made them in years. There is a note written on it stating that while they are a lot of work, it is well worth it because they are that good.
First Layer
If you think you don't like tomato soup, try this recipe. It is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients; and very comforting on a cold winter day. I found this on Natasha's Kitchen. I've made it many times, and it is delicious. I've made some modifications to suit my tastes, so click on the link above to see the original recipe.
Ingredients
I haven't always liked Minestrone Soup, but I guess when I've tried it, it was a canned soup. Making it from scratch is a game changer. I found this recipe here on the Love and Lemons blog. Minestrone soup is typically a vegetarian soup, but I add a can of Swanson's low-sodium chicken broth because otherwise, there is not a whole lot of broth, once you add all the vegetables and broth. You can add more vegetable broth, beef or chicken broth, or leave it as is. Try to keep all your vegetables cut up about the same size.
Ingredients
This is a delicious soup recipe that I found on iamhomesteader.com. It is comfort food at its best. I've made it several times, and is always a hit. I've made a few modifications to suit my tastes, but you can find the original recipe in the link above. The recipe calls for a rotisserie chicken, but you can make your own poached chicken. If I'm able to use that shortcut, I will.
Ingredients
I made this for the first time recently when I made Chicken Fajitas. It is very good. I used basmati rice, which is very different from long grain rice; but you can use either one. This recipe was found here on this site. Simply Recipes Cilantro Lime Rice This rice can be served with Asian or Mexican dishes.
This recipe comes from Taste of Home. I have made it numerous times now, and they are so tasty, and always are well-liked by all who have tried them. I make a few minor changes, and often add a little more of each seasoning called for. Use fresh lemon juice in the marinade, and serve with fresh lime slices.
Chicken and Marinade
I made this recently, and it is so good. Everyone loved it. The recipe can be found here at theseasonedmom.com. It is worth reading through her notes and seeing the links to other recipes of hers. This is a real simple recipe, one I'm sure you will enjoy. You can either use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Here, I used the breast. See my notes below for other changes I made.
Instructions
I've been looking through old recipes to add to this blog. I suddenly remembered these brownies that I used to make when my kids were little that we all enjoyed. After a little research, I found the recipe. This will be added to my long list of things to make, if for no other reason than for nostalgia of it.
This is another recipe I made often when I was in my teens.
I made these bars a lot when I was a teenager, and into my 20's. I remember them being very moist and good. I recently came across this recipe again, and is on my list to make again.
Bars
Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the softened cream cheese, and add the softened butter, beating again until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and milk, beating until you reach the desired consistency. Add the vanilla, and mix in well. Spread over the cooled bars.
This is an old recipe from my teens and 20s that was made often for bridal showers, baby showers, and "just because". It makes a cake-like brownie with a nice mint-flavored filling and a dark chocolate ganache topping.I believe the recipe originates from one of those old church cookbooks that were popular in the '80s and 90's.
Photo is courtesy of Taste of Home website here.
Brownie Layer
Filling Layer
I make these doughnuts every year, and have been making them for decades. I usually post pictures of them every year, but realized that I never posted pictures from last year. Since I make these on Christmas Eve Day, you will have a preview of what they will look like. Once I make these tomorrow, I will post pictures of my 2021 doughnuts. I thought I had taken more pictures than just these two, but I'm not able to find them.
See recipe here
Classic Cake Doughnuts
This is for a single batch and makes about 30 doughnuts
oil for deep frying (I use canola oil)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the oil for frying, just until the ingredients are moistened. If desired, refrigerate the dough for easier handling, about 20 - 30 minutes, or so.
Fill a large heavy-duty saucepan, dutch oven or electric skillet, 2/3 full with oil. Use a candy thermometer to regulate the temperature and heat to and maintain 375 degrees. I use a deep fryer and follow manufacturers directions for frying.
Remove a portion of the dough from the bowl, and keep the rest chilled (half of the dough would be a good amount) and on a floured surface, knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, or until it no longer sticky. Roll out to a 1/2 " thickness, ensuring that the surface is floured underneath.
Use a doughnut cutter and cut the doughnuts out. Ideally, you will also have a small cutter for just the doughnut holes, too. Shake off excess flour, as you don't want too much flour adhering to the dough, as the flour will end up in the hot oil and will just burn. Slip the doughnuts into the hot oil and fry 1 1/2 minutes on each side for a total of 3 minutes, until they are deep golden brown. You want to turn the large doughnuts over halfway through the cooking time, but the doughnut holes, you will probably want to turn over frequently throughout the cooking time for even browning.
Carefully remove the doughnuts from the hot oil with a slotted spoon that has a long handle. Drain on paper towels. I like to line a large roasting pan with a paper grocery bag, then place several layers of paper towels on top of that to absorb any excess oil.
Allow the doughnuts to cool and then store in covered containers. These will keep for a few days.
If sugaring or frosting the doughnuts, please see my notes below on Toppings and Frosting.
Notes on Rolling and Cutting the Dough
I like to roll out the dough and have everything cut out, placing the doughnuts on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. I then cover them with waxed paper and chill them until ready to fry them. This speeds up the process considerably. If it's cold enough outside, I have the trays outside, then bring in one tray at a time, allowing the doughnuts to warm up a few minutes before frying them. This is not necessary, and totally up to you. It is just something that I have found over the years that has saved me time when making such huge quantities of doughnuts (such as when quadrupling the recipe!) ... yes, you read that right. I given them away as gifts.
Notes on the Toppings:
Granulated Sugar
If you are going to roll the doughnuts in granulated sugar, you will want to do that while they are still very warm, so the sugar will adhere to the doughnuts.
Powdered Sugar
If you want to roll the doughnuts in powdered sugar, allow them to cool completely. I would even suggest waiting until the second day so they can dry out some and the powdered sugar will not absorb any of the oil from the doughnuts. But powdered sugar is very good on these doughnuts, especially when warmed up in the microwave.
Frosting or Glaze
If you plan to glaze or frost the doughnuts, allow them to cool, first.
Sprinkles
I repeat this in several sections, but if you are going to use sprinkles on the doughnuts, do so immediately after glazing or frosting them so that the sprinkles adhere to the doughnuts.
FROSTING RECIPES
This is the chocolate glaze that I've been using for years. It is Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network. It is excellent, and although it involves a few steps, don't let that deter you. This is just the way I do it, only to make it easier for me to dip the doughnuts from a larger bowl.
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups powdered sugar
In a saucepan, combine the butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla over medium heat until the butter has melted. Decrease the heat and add the chocolate, whisking until the chocolate has melted. Turn off the heat. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until very smooth. Either place the saucepan over a larger saucepan (if it fits snugly) that has WARM water in it OR transfer chocolate to a large bowl (this is what I do, so I have room for dipping) and place the bowl over a saucepan that has WARM water in it.
This is based upon a recipe found here at this website Chocolate, Chocolate, and More for Chocolate Cake Donuts with Vanilla Glaze. What I did differently was to add some corn syrup so the frosting would harden and not be sticky. I also used clear vanilla extract, so it would remain very white, and not change color from the regular vanilla extract, but you can use whatever you have on hand. it will not affect the taste either way.
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Stir the vanilla, milk and corn syrup into the powdered sugar to create a thick glaze. Add any additional powdered sugar, if necessary, if you need it any thicker. Dip the tops of the doughnuts into the frosting or spoon the frosting over the doughnuts over a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch the drips. Allow the doughnuts to dry and harden.
If you are adding sprinkles to your frosted doughnuts, do so immediately before the frosting sets up and dries.
Additional Notes on Preparing and Frosting the Doughnuts:
For the Chocolate Glaze:
You don't want to use boiling water, just very warm water. And, you don't want to the water to touch the bottom of the saucepan or bowl. The idea is to just keep the chocolate glaze warm and liquidy enough while you are dipping the doughnuts in it. Just dip the tops of the doughnuts, and gently shake the excess chocolate off. Place on a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch the drips and allow the chocolate to harden before serving or storing.
You want to work quickly so that the chocolate doesn't cool and that you have difficulty getting it to adhere to the doughnut. If you find that it is cooling off too quickly, you could empty that water and add some warmer water, but that is not a guarantee that it will work real well.
For the Vanilla Frosting:
When using the Vanilla Frosting, you don't have to worry about using a bowl over warm water, since it is just a regular frosting and not an actual glaze.
When using Sprinkles:
If you are adding sprinkles, do so immediately before the glaze or frosting sets up and dries.
Plain Doughnut Glaze
Another Alton Brown recipe from the Food Network. This actually gets better as it sets up and dries. It gets a little crunchy, which is something I like.
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract ( I used clear vanilla to help maintain a white color, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
2 cups powdered sugar
Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. (SEE NOTE #1 directly below this paragraph) Slowly stir powdered sugar into milk mixture until well combined. Remove from heat and set over a bowl of warm water. (SEE NOTE #2. directly below this paragraph) Dip doughnuts in glaze one at a time, and set on a rack with paper towels underneath to catch the drips and allow to harden before serving or storing.
Notes on the Plain Doughnut Glaze
NOTE #1) I start off cooking this in a saucepan, combining the milk, vanilla, then finally adding the powdered sugar. I transfer that mixture to a large bowl and place it over a saucepan of WARM water, ensuring that it fits snugly over the saucepan. This way, I have plenty of room to dip the tops of the doughnuts and I am not cramped for space as I would be if I were dipping them from a small(er) saucepan.
NOTE # 2) Do NOT allow the water from underneath the bowl to become too hot. This will break down and melt the powdered sugar, causing it to become more of a clear glaze, rather than an opaque glaze, which is what you want. Also, you do not want the water to touch the bottom of the bowl. You don't need that much, just enough to keep the glaze warm and liquidy.