Fast and delicious...

 Holiday Chicken Salad

3 cans (13 oz. ea.) drained Member's Mark Chicken Breast
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 c. mayonnaise or yogurt
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 c. minced green bell pepper
2 sliced green onions
1 tsp. paprika
Ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, shred drained chicken
Add the mayonnaise, paprika, cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion and nuts. Mix together and add black pepper to taste.
Serve as a sandwich or with crackers or a bed of lettuce.  I add a splash of lemon juice. You may need to add more mayo...if it's too dry for your taste.

Apple Pie in an Apple

Marlene Vasenda Harmon posted a recipe on FB last and it sounded fun and simple...and it was.  Here's the recipe and my pictures.  Can't wait to eat it tonight.

~APPLE PIE BAKED IN APPLE~

5-6 Granny Smith apples (make sure they can stand on their own)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
pie crust (homemade or pre-made)

1) Preheat oven to 375F.

2) Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.

If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.

3) Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.

Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.

Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.

4) Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.

Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.

5) Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft

Fried Pork Chop with Caramelized Onion Gravy

WOW!  We had this last night and it was amazing!  Robert asked for it again....and soon.  I agree.
this came from January 2013 Southern Living Magazine, read while I was at the dentist's office.

• 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
• 6 (1/2-inch-thick) boneless pork loin chops $
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons canola oil

1. 1. Combine first 3 ingredients, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a shallow dish. Place each pork chop between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/8-inch thickness, using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet.
2. 2. Sprinkle pork with remaining 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; place egg whites in another shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour, dip in egg whites, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere; place on a wire rack.
3. 3. Cook half of pork in 1 1/2 Tbsp. hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Dab top of pork with 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil using a pastry brush; turn pork over. Cook 3 minutes or until done. Keep warm on a clean wire rack in a jelly-roll pan in a 200° oven. Repeat with remaining pork and 3 Tbsp. oil. Serve with Caramelized Onion Gravy .

Carmelized Onion Gravy

• 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 1/4 cup Browned Flour ***see below but you can use regular flour
• 1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon jarred chicken soup base
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• Preparation

  1. 1. Sauté onion in hot oil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. 2. Place Browned Flour in a bowl; gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Add milk mixture to onion, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Whisk in soup base and pepper until blended.
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  Browned Flour

  Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spread flour in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until flour is the color of pecan shells, stirring with a wooden spoon every 7 minutes. Remove from skillet, and cool completely (about 30 minutes). Refrigerate flour in an airtight container up to 2 months.

A Wonderful Beef Soup

In 1976 we moved to Sheffield Lake and the Lorain Ward.  The very first activity we attended at church was a dinner.  Jane Hassler (now Ervin) made all this beef soup and Peggy Lester made these amazing biscuits.  I had the recipe once and a couple of weeks ago I wanted it again.  And Jane still had it and still makes it.  It was amazing.  So here it is.  There's a post script afterward.

Jane Flatt Hassler Ervin 1:49pm Jan 4 Sorry I forgot about the recipe until now: Beefy Vegetable Soup large pkg of beef stew meat ( i cut in smaller pieces) 1 1/2 stalks of celery (diced) 1 1/2 large carrot (diced) 1 medium onion (diced) 1 (28oz) tomatoes (i sometimes us V-8 or tomatoe juice) 1/4 c parsley 1/4 tea basil 1/4 tea thyme leaves 1/4 black pepper Large bag of mixed frozen vegetables I also throw in extra large lima beans & cut up okra (both in freezer section) and I add lots of fresh dice potatoes... (I love potatoes so I put in quite abit) and I add some fresh chopped cabbage In my pressure cooker I put about 5 cups of water & beef stew & cook approx 20 min (until tender) then I added the seasoning , tomatoes, & carrots, celery ,onions & potatoes & cook a little bit longer until slightly tender then I add frozen vegetables & cabbage & cook until done... sometimes I get carried away with my vegetables & have to add more tomato juice or V8. I usually make this soup a little on the thick side .... You can also freeze the soup if you have left overs.  PS  My body doesn't always allow for tomato base so I used beef broth instead.  I do not use lima beans nor okra.  I also do not add cabbage at the end but I imagine it would be a great addition.  What I did ended up being SO delicious.

Candied Orange Peels

These are expensive if bought in stores but so easy if you make them yourselves and who does eat oranges?  Thanks to Chef Jacques Pepin for this:

Using a vegetable peeler, peel an orange.  Just the outer skin which contains the essential oils, NOT THE PITH white part.

Place cold water in a skillet and add the peels, turn on heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 seconds.

Remove the peels to a plate. Wash out the skillet (and you will notice the water has changed color to a yello) and dry.

Repeat that process of cold water, peels, boiling for 10 seconds. Remove peel and wash out skillet and dry it.

Next add water and sugar and peels..  Bring again to a boil again. This time allow it to boil til the peels become a bit translucent.  They won't be totally translucent but will appear to be lighter.

Remove peels to a paper towel.  then toss in a bowl of sugar, coating all sides.  Place these on a wire rack and allow to air dry.  Store in an air tight container...or freeze them in an air tight freezer baggie.

You can later dip some in melted chocolate if you want a specialty gift for someone.  These I am candying for the Cornish Saffron loaf.

Texas Sheet Cake

This was always a quick and easy dessert which the kids would gobble up.  We never get it now cuz it's just Robert and me.  But for Cody's Eagle Scout refreshment, we made 2.  I loved having it again and decided to make a half sheet cake for us when we got home.  Realized that MY recipe wasn't on our blog (when we were at Cara's) so I thought I'd post it now.  Cara used the Pioneer Woman's recipe.  The only difference is Ree uses 1 cup of butter, not half butter and half oil.  You decide.  Either are great.

SIFT TOGETHER
2 cups flour 
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt

BRING TO A BOIL
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 stick margarine

ADD
4 Tbs cocoa
MIX WELL AND ADD
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
POUR INTO 11X16 JELLY ROLL PAN AND BAKE AT 425° FOR 20-25 MINUTES

ICING-START 5 MINUTES BEFORE CAKE IS DONE
MIX AND BOIL
1 stick margarine
4 Tbs cocoa
6 Tbs milk
REMOVE FROM HEAT AND POUR OVER 3-3/4 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR
BEAT WELL AND SPREAD OVER CAKE WHILE STILL HOT 

YUM YUM

This is a copycat recipe for YUM YUM that's served in hibachi grills like Fujiyamas.  Be sure to use sufficient amount of cayenne so that mayo taste is cut.

1-1/4 cup Hellmann's Mayonnaise
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
dashes of cayenne pepper

Use a wisk to blend all ingredients thoroughly until smooth. Refrigerate over night (very important) and serve at room temperature. Makes 12 1/8 cup servings.

Number of Servings: 12...unless you love this stuff like we do.