When I first got married and visited my husband’s family home for the first time, I was most nervous about eating meals together. I admit, I’m a picky eater, scared to try anything new. At least I used to be. But I needn’t have feared. Tom’s mother, Darlene, is an excellent cook and, as the head cook at the Culdesac Elementary/Middle/High School for years (yes, one school to house all the kids from this tiny Idaho town!), she spoiled students and teachers alike with her soups, homemade breads and cinnamon rolls.  I don’t know if this recipe was ever part of her school lunch program — if not, it should have been, for it is one of her most requested recipes.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

1½ packages graham crackers, crushed (approximately 15 rectangles)

1 (6-ounce) package lemon JELL-O

2 cups boiling water

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 teaspoons vanilla

1. In a large bowl, mix JELL-O with boiling water; stir until completely dissolved. Allow     to cool to room temperature.

2. Spread all but ¼ cup of the crushed graham crackers in a 9 x 12-inch pan.

3. In a large bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

4. Add JELL-O, sugar and vanilla; mix well.

5. Fold in the whipped topping (1/3 at a time) until well blended.

6. Spread lemon mixture on graham cracker crumbs.

7. Sprinkle ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs on top of dessert.

8. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

*If the JELL-O starts to firm, place the bowl in a sink filled with hot water or microwave JELL-O for a few seconds on medium power.

Makes 15 servings.

Pork Shoulder with Mushroom Sauce

Confession time...I hardly ever use cream of anything soup. Or a crock pot. My mom rarely used the soup in her recipes so it never became part of my cooking repertoire. And I never even heard of a crock pot until I got married. So this was a leap of faith for me to try out a recipe using cream of mushroom soup and the handy, dandy gadget that busy moms love. The leap of faith was SO worth it! The pork turned out amazingly tender (we're talking fall-apart tender, here!) and the gravy was delicious. Hope you enjoy!

PORK SHOULDER with Mushroom Sauce

What you need:

                                                                                                          

1 (2- to 2½-pound) boneless pork shoulder

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

1 (10¾-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

½ cup apple juice

6-8 small mushrooms, sliced or 1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon beef granules or 1 beef bouillon cube

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

hot cooked rice, noodles or mashed potatoes

         Make it happen:

                                               
1. Trim the majority of fat from pork shoulder.

2. Season all sides of pork shoulder with salt and pepper.

3. Place pork in 3½- to 6-quart slow cooker.

4. Top with sliced onions.

5. In a medium bowl combine the tapioca, soup, apple juice, mushrooms,Worcestershire sauce, beef granules, thyme and garlic powder.

6. Pour over pork.

7. Cover; cook on low heat setting for 8 hours or on high heat setting for 4 hours.

8. Cut pork into servings; serve gravy over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

            Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Fluffy Baked Scrambled Eggs

Baked Scrambled Eggs

Have you ever wondered how restaurants create such fluffy scrambled eggs? Instead of cooking the eggs on the skillet, they are baked in the oven to a wonderful, golden color. This recipe is so easy that your kids can make it on their own. It can also be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator—just keep the vegetables separate from the egg mixture, then throw them together just before baking for a quick, healthy breakfast for the whole family.

8 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoon prepared mustard

¾ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1 green onion, finely sliced

A handful or two of sliced vegetables (mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, zucchini—whatever you prefer)

1 large tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, parmesan or Italian mix)

1)      Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8” pan.

2)      Beat eggs in a large bowl until light and frothy.

3)      Add mustard and seasonings; mix well.

4)      Stir in onion and vegetables

5)      Pour egg mixture into a greased 8x8” pan

6)      Place baking dish in heated oven.

7)      Bake approximately 8 to 15 minutes, until eggs are just barely set in the middle. (Be sure to check at 8 minutes—the time depends on how many vegetables you added to the mixture and how accurate your oven temperature is)

8)      Pull from oven and push eggs from pan into serving bowl, breaking up the eggs into smaller pieces

9)      Stir in tomatoes and cheese.

10)  Top with additional parsley.

11)  Cover with foil until ready to serve.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Savory Spinach, Feta and Peppadew Muffins

Savory Spinach, Feta and Peppadew Muffins

Adapted from Bon Appétit—Makes 12 standard muffins

You can find Peppadew peppers in one of two places.  Either on the condiment aisle nearby the jarred roasted red peppers or on the olive bar if your grocery store has one.  If you can’t find them, substitute a jar of roasted red peppers.

Non-stick vegetable oil spray
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sweet paprika
½ tsp. smoked paprika
¾ tsp. salt (I would use 1 tsp salt, maybe even 1 ½ tsp)
¾ cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup thinly sliced spinach leaves
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup drained mild Peppadew peppers or roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped

1)      Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Spray 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with nonstick spray. 

2)      Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, paprika, and salt in medium bowl. 

3)      Whisk milk, oil, and eggs in large bowl to blend. 

4)      Add dry ingredients; whisk just until blended. 

5)      Add spinach, feta, and peppers; fold to incorporate evenly. 

6)      Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (cups will be filled to top).

7)      Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes. 

8)      Cool 5 minutes.  Run knife around muffins to release from pan.  Invert pan to release muffins, then turn muffins right side up to cool completely.

9)      Serve with butter.

(Can be made the night before, allowed to cool completely, wrapped and stored in the fridge.  Allow to come to room temperature before serving.)

Apple French Toast Breakfast Casserole

You may have tried breakfast casseroles in the past, but have you tried one with fresh fruit in the casserole and a drizzle of caramel on top?

This recipe was served at the Stanwood, Washington Ward's August Relief Society activity, and everyone seemed to love it. It's easy to make, can be made the night before serving and can be served hot from the oven or at a warm temperature, so it's great to serve for a crowd or to make for a holiday morning when you want to be enjoying time with family and friends rather than slaving in the kitchen.

By the way, this recipe was gleaned from Salt Lake City's KSL news station. For years the station has shared a recipe segment on its noon news program and its Web site (http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=28).  Lots of tasty dishes to try out. Enjoy!

French Apple Christmas Breakfast

3 cups whole milk (or powdered milk equivalent)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

6 eggs (or powdered equivalent)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

4 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup raisins (optional)

10 slices firm bread (I recommend whole grain white wheat)

Caramel Syrup (see below)

1)      Butter sides and bottom of 9x13 baking pan.

2)      Combine milk, brown sugar and white sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar.

3)      Add eggs, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well and set aside.

4)      Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Arrange apples in bottom of prepared baking pan.

5)      Sprinkle raisins over apples.

6)      Tear bread into pieces and place on top apples.

7)      Pour custard over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8-10 hours or overnight.

8)      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with caramel syrup.

Notes: This is delicious bread custard, perfect for Christmas morning, or any morning when a special breakfast with little preparation is desired. Serves 12

Caramel Syrup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2/3 cup cream

3 tablespoons milk (only if needed to thin the syrup)

1)      Combine brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, and cream in heavy sauce pan. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil.

2)      Reduce heat to simmer and simmer gently 5 minutes.

3)      Remove from heat. Syrup will thicken as it cools.

4)      Stir in vanilla.

5)      When cool stir in milk, one tablespoon at a time, thin to desired consistency.

6)      Serve warm. Store unused syrup in the refrigerator.

For nutritional analysis go to www.UtahDairyCouncil.com

Tomatoes in a Packet

Part of successful food storage cooking is taking advantage of the fresh ingredients available from your garden or nicely priced at the market. Top on my list: tomatoes. Not just the regular, everyday tomatoes that have little flavor. I’m talking about the heirloom tomatoes that are packed with sweetness, tanginess, mouth-tingling happiness.

Recently my neighbors and I had a bonfire cookout and I was craving tomatoes. So I quartered some small tomatoes and placed them on a large piece of foil. I added a few other ingredients, folded up the foil around the vegetables, sealed it tight, and threw the packet into the fire. A few minutes later, we had beautifully roasted tomatoes with a nice smoky flavor.

Tomatoes in a Packet

Heirloom tomatoes, quartered or cut into eighths

Sliced onions

Minced garlic (from a jar is fine)

Pinch or two of kosher salt

Drizzle of olive oil

Shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese mix

1)        Place all of the vegetables in the center of a large piece of foil.

2)        Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with oil.

3)        Fold foil into a packet and fold edges to seal.

4)        Place this packet on a second sheet of foil and repeat.

5)        Set packet into hot coals or on top of grill. Cook 7-15 minutes, or until desired tenderness.

6)        Carefully open foil packet. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of vegetables.

Tangy Coleslaw

Tangy Coleslaw

A recipe from Darlene Hasenoehrl

½ head cabbage, shredded

1 pkg Chicken Top Ramen noodles (noodles only-uncooked))

4 green onions, chopped

½ c slivered almonds

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Dressing

½ c. canola oil

3 Tbsp. sugar

Seasoning packet from Top Ramen noodles

3 Tbsp vinegar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1)        Mix together salad ingredients except for the Top Ramen noodles.

2)        Mix together dressing ingredients.

3)        Pour dressing over salad and mix well.

4)        Top with Top Ramen noodles just before serving.