Family Cookbook Cranberry Spread

Ingredients:

1 pack cream cheese 1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
Zest of 1 orange ¼ cup pecans, finely chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries crackers

Directions:

In an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, juice, cinnamon, and sugar. Fold in orange zest and pecans. Refrigerate. Serve with crackers.

Family Cookbook Green Bean Casserole

Chris got this recipe from a potluck at work. It is probably the most high-calorie green bean casserole recipe I have ever seen, but it is absolutely worth it once a year on Thanksgiving. =)

Chris' Green Bean Casserole

3 cans French cut green beans, drained
½ lb. Velveeta cheese, sliced
6 oz. sour cream
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 packages Town House or Ritz crackers, crushed
2 sticks of butter
Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix sour cream, mushroom soup, and garlic salt and pepper. In a baking dish, layer the green beans and soup mixture, and top with the Velveeta cheese slices. Melt butter and mix with crushed crackers. Spread cracker mixture on top of cheese. Bake at 350o for 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

This also works great with light sour cream, light Velveeta, Reduced Fat Ritz and margarine substituted for the originals!

Teeny Tiny Knitted Flower Pattern

My sister has started making adorable hair bows recently. She's building up quite a stock, and she'll sell some Wednesday. We talked this morning about coming up with some knitted flowers to adorn the hair clippies. The problem with free patterns online is that they are intended for personal use only. Therefore, it would be a breech of the rules to use them for the clips she's selling. So I set to work creating a pattern of my own. And, in case you're wondering, I welcome you to use this pattern however you see fit. If you'd like to knit a handful of these and sell them at a craft fair, you have my full permission. And while we're on the topic, that goes for any and all patterns I share on this blog. If I have borrowed a pattern to reprint on this site, I've had permission to do so, and I will always indicate that. In that case, please refer to the author's rules. Anyway, enjoy, and please let me know if you make these or have any trouble or questions!

Size 0 needles, 4-ply yarn

CO 10 stitches

Turn and knit into the front and the back of the first two stitches.

*Leaving the remaining stitches on the needle, turn and purl 4.

Turn, and knit 3

Turn, and purl 3

Turn, and knit 3

Turn, and purl 2 together, purl 1

Turn, and knit 3.

Pass the second stitch over the first, and repeat. One stitch remaining on right needle.

Knit one, then knit into the front and the back of the next stitch. Repeat from * 4 times until one stitch is remaining. Pass the tail of the yarn through the stitch, and sew the ends together to create one round flower.

Family Cookbook Focaccia

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme ½ tsp dried basil
1 pinch black pepper 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water 2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Family Cookbook Recipes

A few years ago when my cousin got married, I compiled family recipes in a scrapbooky recipe book for him and his wife. I meant to also create one for each member of the family, but I just haven't done it yet. I'm not a scrapbooker, sadly, so that kind of thing is really hard for me and time consuming. Just the other day I got the idea to just post all of the recipes here to benefit everyone. I have no clue what the frequency of posting these recipes will be, so if you're a family member and have a request, let me know, and I'll get to it. Have fun on your sneak-peek into our mostly German-inspired family cookbook.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

Heavy whipping cream Chocolate chips

Directions:

This recipe calls for a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream. Heat one part cream in a sauce pot. When it reaches a boil, remove from heat, add two parts chocolate chips and cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir with a whisk until all of the chocolate is incorporated.

Notes:

I use this recipe for chocolate fondue as is. You can also use it to make chocolate covered goodies by dipping in the ganache, placing on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet, and refrigerating until solid. (I would recommend using ¼ of the whipping cream for chocolate-covered things.) If you whip the ganache, it can also be used for icing on cakes. I make this all the time for various things.

Green Beans and Almonds

I love to cook for people. I think one of the best ways to bless someone is to deliver a hot meal that's been lovingly prepared. Do you know a new mom, someone who has lost someone special to them, or someone going through tough financial times? Call them and tell them not to plan anything for dinner - that you're bringing them a meal. It will knock their socks off. Here's one of my favorite sides to deliver.

Green Beans and Almonds

2 Cups of fresh green beans

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons butter

a couple shakes of your favorite salt-free seasoning (I use McCormick's garlic and herb)

Fresh ground black pepper

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add almonds and seasoning, and cook about 5 minutes (enough to lightly toast the almonds). Add the green beans, and toss to coat with the butter and the seasonings and almonds. At this point, I go two ways. If I want the green beans to be more crunchy, I just cook them uncovered until they reach my desired consistency. To give them more of a steamed consistency and meld the flavors better, add about 3 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the pan, and place a lid on top. Check them every couple of minutes. Just before they're done, remove the lid to let the water steam out. Enjoy!

Teacher Gifts

This is such a great idea! Let me know if you need any last-minute coffee cozies, and I'll whip them up.