Hamburger Crunch

This was a pretty simple recipe. Tasted pretty good too! The meat mixture taste reminded me of Sloppy Joes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
2 10 3/4 ounce cans tomato soup
1 Tablespoon onion, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cup corn chips
8 ounce package shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and onion together in large skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in soup and chili powder. Spread in an ungreased 9 x 13 inch baking pan; top with corn chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Serves:6 to 8


Variations:

Add diced green peppers or diced tomatoes

Cinnamon-Apple Parfaits

I've had this recipe sitting on my counter to make for about two weeks now. I finally made it. The recipe, once made, reminded me almost of apple crisp. It tasted pretty good.

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
21 ounce can apple pie filling, warmed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 quart vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Combine oats, brown sugar and butter; spread in an ungreased 8 x 8 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool; crumble and set aside. Mix together pie filling and cinnamon; divide among 8 parfait glasses. Top with ice cream and oats mixture.

4 Generations....Round Two!

Here are a few more 4 generation photos and family pictures. When my maternal grandma saw her great-grandson for the first time, she couldn't help but start talking away with him.



Grandma-Great and Deegan







What a cool guy!!

Sour Cream Cookies

These seemed pretty simple to make. They are also soft and delicious!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar, white or brown
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter some cookie sheets. Beat the eggs well, then add the sugar, sour cream, butter and vanilla, beating until well incorporated. Mix the flour, baking soda, and nutmeg together and add to the first mixture, beating well. Arrange by teaspoonful's, 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets and bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

(Made about 3 1/2 dozen cookies)

It's Getting Cooler Outside...Two More Recipes

I can't believe it's the middle of September already. The weather was cool and drizzly today here. Over the next few weeks, it will begin to get even cooler. I love all seasons for the variety, but I like fall for the "sweatshirt weather".

I got home from work this evening wanting something warm and tasty for supper. I wanted something that would fill me up and then be able to curl up on the couch afterwards and relax for the rest of the evening.

I don't remember where I found the recipes, but they were delicious and simple.

"Grandma Ketcham's Macaroni Casserole"

Ingredients:
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 pint sour cream
2 (14 ounce) cans tomatoes, with liquid
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until nearly tender. Drain the macaroni well and place it in a 2 quart buttered casserole dish. Mix in the sour cream, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the bread crumbs, combining well. Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the macaroni mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.



"Beans and Weenies"

Ingredients:
1 pound hot dogs, sliced
3 (16 ounces each) cans pork and beans
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoon mustard

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 3-4 hours.

4 Generations

My nephew will be 3 weeks old on Monday. This weekend, my grandparents were visiting and we were able to get some 4 generation photos with them.

We all think this my nephew is pretty special!

Country-Style Skillet Apples

When I was a child, I remember times being at my mom's oldest brother's house. If my aunt was watching us for a little bit over lunch time while mom had an errand or two to do, occasionally she would make fried apples in a skillet. This is not my aunt's recipe, but it reminded me of the times she made her fried apples.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
4 apples, cored, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Stir in sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch; mix well and stir in water. Add apple slices. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.

100 Years of the Kansas State Fair

This year, Kansas is celebrating 100 years of the state fair. Yesterday, I went and spent literally almost the entire day walking around and checking things out. I plan on going back next Sunday afternoon to check a few more things out and to pick up my fair entry.

I checked out the livestock buildings where people were showing their pigs, horses, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and cattle. It seemed interesting to me in a way to see 4-H and FFA students show at the state fair instead of the county fair like I'm used to.

From there I went to check out the birthing center where two sows were waiting to have their piglets, a few cows were ready to have their calves, and a few sheep were ready to have their lambs.

I went to the building where art exhibits were located. There were many wonderful paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures.

After eating a hot dog and drinking a lemonade for lunch, I went to the Domestic Arts building to check out my fair entry.

I've been knitting for less than 2 years. Out of 21 entries in the category that I was entered in, I received 3rd place; beating out others who had been knitting many, many years longer than myself. Needless to say, I was quite excited. Someday, I'd like to work my way to getting the best of show.

I went to check out a few other buildings and exhibits. After going to the fair years ago with a friends family, getting salt water taffy is now a tradition of mine. Their grandma would get it every year.

I was starting to get tired of walking after a few hours. Looking for something different to try, I paid the $3 to ride the train that goes part of the fair grounds. The tracks are about 3/4 of a mile. Sunday was Kansas State University Day. When I went to go ride the train, Willie the Wildcat (KSU mascot) was riding the train and taking pictures with onlookers.

When I was finished riding the train, I went to sit on one of the benches in the little park area that was in the shade. Who should be patrolling the sidewalks but "Barney Fife" from The Andy Griffith Show.

While checking out the building where the biggest pumpkin, biggest watermelon, and other produce entered were being displayed, I saw a few melons that were decorated. The two that caught my eye were:

Willie Robertson from "Duck Dynasty"

A minion from "Despicable Me"

While waiting for a friend to show up at the fair, I ended up finding some other friends and wondered around the fairgrounds with them. I ended the evening watching the hypnotist show with the friends I had been waiting for. We laughed so hard at several of the people on stage and how they reacted to being hypnotized. Had a great end to a great day!

I Forgot What Recipe I'm on Already....

I tried another really simple and fairly quick recipe this evening. It was quite tasty!

Campbell's Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup frozen or canned peas
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna, drained
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix soup, milk, peas, and noodles in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir. Sprinkle cheese over casserole.

Enjoy!!

Pie Imperfection

Someday I would like to be able to perfect the art of making a pie. Anytime I try though, something isn't turning out right.

Twice in the past year, I've tried making the same pie, but the filling will not turn out! It is for a butterscotch pie from The Amish Cook's Baking Book by Lovina Eicher with Kevin Williams. I follow the recipe like I do all of the others. The filling turns out runny and will not set up.

I figure I'll try the recipe again over the next year to see if I can finally get it right. Third time's a charm, right???

Garden Grown

For the past few years, I've been wanting to plant a garden, but never really had a place to have one. This year, I asked my mom and my step-dad if I could plant one at their house. They have a few acres of property. My step-dad was kind enough to till up a decent sized plot for me to plant. I had corn, peas, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes.

The corn started off great, but when it came time to pick them, there were several that were not very good to eat.

I was able to get a lot of green beans and cucumbers.

With the green beans, my mom taught me how to get them ready to freeze.

My freezer is pretty stocked for the winter months with the green beans. I can't wait to use them in vegetable soup or green bean dumpling soup.

With a lot of the cucumbers, I tried a recipe for dill pickles that my mom had given me. It was actually quite simple.

Combine 2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar*, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon dill seed, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, and 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; stir. Quarter 6 pickling cucumbers lengthwise, and place in a bowl or jar; add 3/4 ounce fresh dill. Top with hot vinegar mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
(July 2013 Cooking Light magazine)

*Next time I use this recipe, I'm going to try 1 cup of vinegar instead. I had several people tell me there seemed to be too much vinegar, but otherwise, the pickles turned out well.

Now I have pickles to last me for the next year!!