Cooking with KP

Kay's Chewy Blondies

When Amanda was young, she was always "making a mix" as she said. She would pretend to be her grandmother mixing ingredients. I discovered this recipe in VFW cookbook my mother gave me one Christmas. Because it was so easy, I would often let Mandy do the mixing. She loved it. Over the years, I have added a cup of chocolate chip or butterscotch morsels to the recipe and have changed from pecans to walnuts, almonds or macadamia nuts for variety. This wonderful basic recipe that you can add all sorts of things to. One Christmas, I added chopped fruits (like the ones in fruit cake) and these were gone in about 2 minutes at a school Christmas party. You can also add a frosting to them. I hope you like them. Let me know your additions and how they turned out.
BASIC RECIPE:
1/2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c. sifted self-rising flour
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla
Melt butter. Pour melted butter in mixing bowl and blend in sugar and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in 13 x 9 inch pan.
Bake slow at 325°F for about 30 minutes. Cut while still warm.

Amazing Chicken Tortellini

Well, school has started back and the crock pot is always on the counter, so I can have dinner ready when I get in from work. Here is one that I just made last week. It was so good, I think we may have it this week again. It makes a lot and the leftovers are great for lunch the next day.

8 chicken thighs with skin and bones
1 12oz container chopped seasonings (onions, bell pepper mix)
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 T. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. seasoned salt
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 jar Marinara sauce
1 bag (32 oz) frozen six cheese tortellini (I used Schwans brand)

Place first 8 ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Chicken will shred apart with a fork when done. Remove bones and any remaining large pieces of skin. Stir in Marinara sauce and tortellini. Cook on medium for 35 minutes. Enjoy. Top each serving with a sprinkle of Parmesan or Mozerrella cheese.Wonderful comfort food. Great with garlic bread and a side salad.

Corn Cakes

One of the last meals my mother, Lillian Hall, cooked for me included corn cakes. I have always loved them. As we were eating them, Mother said, "Better than any damn beignets." She was a woman who knew her mind and didn't need to pretend for anyone's approval.
This isn't her recipe; it is one that I found online and fix sometimes. It is great. Try it next time you want something different. Mike and I like it with pork chops and turnip greens.
This recipe makes about 6-7 saucier size corn cakes.

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg

Directions
Coat a large griddle with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high.
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cornmeal. Mix well with a fork and make a well in the center.
In small bowl, whisk together milk, honey, oil, and egg. Pour mixture into center of dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
Pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle for each corn cake. Cook 2 minutes per side, until puffed up, golden brown.

Sometimes I add a couple diced green onions or a handful of grated cheese to vary the taste.

Key Lime Cookies

This is a recipe I found on QVC community pages. I love anything key lime flavored.

Cookies:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp key lime zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp key lime juice

For Dusting:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp key lime zest

Preheat oven to 325.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla, salt, and lime zest. Then add the flour and baking powder and mix only until a rough dough forms. Do not over-mix.
Add the lime juice and mix until a smooth dough comes together. Again, do not over-mix.
Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cookies are done when bottoms are slightly browned. Cookies will be fragile.
To finish, mix 1/2 cup confectioners sugar with the 2 tsp of lime zest in a shallow bowl. While cookies are still warm, gently roll them, one at a time in the sugar/lime mixture. After all cookies are coated, finish by sprinkling any remaining sugar/lime mixture over tops.

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container. They also freeze really well in freezer bags.

Makes 2 dozens

Sweet Mustard Glaze for Chops or Chicken

If you are looking for something a bit different but extremely easy and tasty, try this. Good on pork chops or chicken.

4 center cut pork chops or pieces of chicken (thighs are the best)
1/3 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
garlic powder
seasoned salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chops or chicken with garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, mix mustard and brown sugar. Dip meat in sauce so that both sides are covered. Place on baking pan. Spread any remaining sauce on top of meat. Bake 25-30 minutes until done. Enjoy.

Kay's Key Lime Pie

When I was 19, I entered the Military Wives Pillsbury Cooking Contest with this lime pie filling. The crust that I created used Golden Graham cereal. I won $500.00. Yes, it is true. I am not ready to share that crust recipe yet. However, I often make this pie with a ready-made graham cracker crust. You can also make the pie with lemons instead of limes, and when you make it with lemons you can toss in a few diced strawberries for a strawberry-lemonade pie. This recipe is easy and quick and delicious. My brother David would eat an entire pie whenever I made them.

1 container of nearly thawed Cool Whip
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
juice of two large limes, seeds removed. I like a little pulp in mine.
1/2 tsp. lime peel
3-4 drops of green food coloring (use yellow if substituting lemons)
1 graham cracker crust pie shell

Follow step by step or filling will not thicken properly. Grate one lime on grater for lime peel. Juice two limes. In a plastic bowl, mix by hand the Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add the food coloring and mix by hand well. Add the lime peel and mix by hand. Pour in the lime juice. Mixture will immediately start to thicken as you stir. Do not over stir. Put in crust and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Firecracker Chicken

Here is great recipe for chicken for the Fourth of July.

8-10 boneless skinless chicken strips/tenderloins
1/4 cup vinegar based hot sauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 T. yellow cornmeal
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Tony's seasoning
2.5 cups canola or vegetable oil heated in large skillet or deep fryer

In a large zip lock bag, mix hot sauce and buttermilk. Add chicken strips. Marinade at least one hour in refrigerator. The longer the chicken marinades the spicier it will become. Drain chicken strips in colander, so that they are barely covered with buttermilk. Mix flour, cornmeal, pepper, garlic powder, and Tony's in another large zip lock bag or a large paper bag. Toss in chicken strips and coat. Fry in heated oil for 8-10 minutes until done. Very spicy, like a firecracker. Great in ranch dipping sauce.

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Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.