Gingerbread Houses

Don't do it!!!

Name This Recipe

Last night was one of those busy nights when I didn't have any dinner plan and didn't have a lot of time to make dinner either. So I looked around the kitchen and came up with a pretty tasty meal--even the kids really liked it! But what would you call this dish?

NAME THIS RECIPE

1 lb. spaghetti
1 pkg. (12-16 oz.) breakfast sausage
1/2 -1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed
1/2 large white onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
thyme, to taste
oregano, to taste
lemon pepper, to taste
a few handfuls of fresh spinach
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
feta cheese, crumbled

Put a pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
While the spaghetti is cooking, brown the sausage in a large frying pan. Add the fennel seed to the sausage while it is browning. When the sausage is mostly cooked add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are limp. Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and lemon pepper; cook for a minute or so. Add spinach and cook until it's wilted. Stir in the tomatoes and remove from heat.
By now the pasta should be all cooked. Drain it, then return it to the pot and stir in the sausage mixture and about half of the feta cheese. Add salt, to taste. Top with remaining feta cheese and serve immediately.

Pretty darn good, but what would you call this?

The Best Pie Crust Ever!

Anyone will tell you that I make a really good pie crust. Truly! I'm not just bragging on myself again. That's because pie crust really is easy. You've heard, "easy as pie," right? Well, it's true. The biggest "secret" to a great pie crust is to make it fast and make it cold. There, you've got it. And make this recipe--it really is fantastic.

FABULOUS, FLAKY PIE CRUST

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp. lemon juice (fresh-squeezed is nice, but not necessary)

2 1/2 Tbsp. cold water

2 1/2 Tbsp. cold milk

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups shortening

In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk, lemon juice, water and milk. Put in refrigerator until you need it later.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt together. Drop pieces of shortening into the flour mixture [use all the shortening, but cut it into chunks before you drop it in. Probably not really necessary, but that's how I do it because it spreads the shortening around kind of evenly. Whatever.] Using a pastry blender [for my kids, this is what I call the "pie cutter"], cut the shortening into the flour until it's all crumbly. Pour the refrigerated mixture over the flour mixture and cut it in, using the pastry blender. The mixture should adhere, you shouldn't see any really wet spots, but it shouldn't be in one big mass of dough either. This makes enough dough for two single-crust pies, or one double-crusted pie.

To roll: Get a plastic grocery bag and cut it across the bottom, up the sides and cut the handles off. Now you have two pieces of plastic just the right size for rolling a pie crust in.

Spread one sheet of plastic on the counter and place 1/2 of the dough in the center of it. Flatten the dough slightly and place the second sheet of plastic on top of it. Roll the dough into a circle, pretty close to the size you'll need it to be.

Peel the top sheet of plastic off, replace it, and then flip the whole thing over [now the bottom sheet is the top sheet, right?]. Peel off the new top sheet and replace it. Roll again, until the dough is the right size--it should fit into your pan with a little overhang.

Peel off the top sheet of plastic, replace it, flip it over and peel off the other sheet of plastic. Slide your hand, fingers spread out, under the plastic (the piece with the dough on it). Invert the whole thing into the pie pan, fitting it into the edges, and peel the plastic off.

Flute the edges of the crust.

> Refrigerate your pie crust for 30 minutes before you bake it! <

For a pre-baked crust (usually for cream pies): Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of the crust; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until it's browned the way you like it. [If you're really worried about the crust shrinking or bubbling you can line it with foil and fill it with dry beans before you bake it. This works, but I think it also makes the crust just a little tough.] Let the crust cool to room temperature before you fill it.

If you cook the filling at the same time as the crust, in a single crust (pumpkin pie, pecan pie), still refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes before you fill it. Fill crust and bake according to recipe instructions.

For a double crust pie (apple pie, fruit pies), fill the pie, put the top crust on and flute it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake according to recipe directions.

Easy as pie. (And fabulously flaky too!)

Popcorn Balls

These are soooo easy to make and the kids LOVE them! And, since they are made with Jello, you can make different colors to suit the seasons: Tonight we made orange for Halloween, but you could make red and green for Christmas, pink, purple or yellow for spring--Oh! The possibilities are just endless! :-)

JELLO POPCORN BALLS

9 cups popped popcorn [I prefer air-popped, with no butter, but microwave popcorn will work.]

1 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 (3 oz.) package jello, any flavor

Put the popcorn into a bowl large enough to hold all of it.

In a heavy saucepan, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Add the Jello and stir until dissolved. Pour over the popcorn and stir in well. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. [I learned the hard way that the balls just won't stick together if you try to make them while it's still hot. Besides that, you will burn your hands!] Lightly butter your hands--just like putting on lotion. Now scoop up handfuls of the popcorn goo and make it into balls.

When you're all finished making the popcorn balls, give your kids some spoons and let them clean up the bowl for you.

This recipe makes about 18 balls the size of tennis balls.

Cheddar Chowder

I suppose if I'm going to gripe about whether or not people read this blog, then I ought to at least post something to read once in a while. So here's a recipe that's a family favorite--I mean everyone in my family likes it!
No, I take that back. Kaylie refuses to eat anything that's called "soup" (or anything like unto it). But I bet she'd like it if she'd actually taste it. :-)

CHEDDAR CHOWDER

1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
water
chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
2-3 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (sometimes I throw in a pinch of pepper-jack, just for kicks)
1 cup diced ham

Put onions, celery, carrots and potatoes into a big soup pot. Measure in enough water just to cover the veggies (probably 3-4 cups). Add one bouillon cube per cup of water you've put in. [Oh no! Did you forget to MEASURE the water? :) ] Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender.
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and flour. Add to the soup and mix in thoroughly. Then add the milk and stir until smooth [well, actually it's kind of chunky because of the vegetables; oh well]. Add cheese and ham and stir until cheese is completely melted. Serve right away. Preferably with hot bread--in fact, this soup is just the right kind to put into bread bowls--Yum!