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May 16 2012
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To Taste and See

TO TASTE AND SEE : “DUMP IT ALL IN” SOUP

Wednesday is the day I grocery shop. And Wednesday is the day I cook and bake.

Today was no exception. Except it was EASY! I do like to spend time over an involved recipe, but it was nice today to simply open cans and dump in the ingredients. And out came a really good soup. I mean, really good. So here’s the recipe…

Black Bean and Corn Soup

ready to be shared!

- it’s a Weight Watcher’s recipe from E-MealZ
- it’s 4 pts and 4 servings (Serving = 1 cup)
- E-MealZ is a paid subscription program for weekly meal planning and shopping list. Subscriptions can be tailored to a particular diet and the size of the family. Pretty neat, huh?

Ingredients :
1 c Rotel, undrained
11 oz can white corn, drained
15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
(1 T chili powder, ½ t cumin, ¼ t minced garlic)

TIP – In your colander, start with the corn that only needs to drain and is not as messy. Then drain and rinse the black beans.

Crock Pot Instructions : Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot and
cook on low 7 – 8 hours.

Stove Top Instructions : Combine all ingredients in a big pot and bring to a boil, then simmer on low until ready to serve.

I served it with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of mexican shredded cheese. I paired it with Pillsbury French Loaf, which Tyler and I think is just delicious. It was a simple meal ready in minutes.

ALSO! This is an easy meal to double – triple – make however much you want and freeze it or share it with family and friends.

Tyler and I took a big ole portion of this soup to a family of seven – the parents and five big boys! – along with a loaf of bread and a plate of brownies. From what I heard, they liked it, too.

This is my slow cooker and I LOVE it!

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May 10 2012
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To Taste and See

TASTE AND SEE : Strawberry Bread

Remember those could not resist strawberries from the North Hill’s Farmer’s Market?

See my strawberries?

Well, with them came a pamphlet complete with recipes. I figured if the strawberry patch itself is recommending recipes, they must be good.

So to start – I do plan to make many a baked good with fresh strawberries this season – I baked the Strawberry Bread.

Let me share with you the recipe

** PS before we get started, you should know this makes two loaves. I halved the recipe because one, I only own one loaf pan and two, because I was not sure if we needed two whole loaves of strawberry bread and three, the bread takes an hour to bake and to wait for my pan to be ready to bake the second loaf would have taken… well, too long.

Strawberry Bread

3 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C oil
2 1/2 C strawberries, chopped very fine

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Then, stir together remaining ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, and stir until smooth. Spoon into two greased and floured loaf pans (9x5x3). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
SOURCE : Ingram’s Strawberries, High Point, NC

I think the before it's baked strawberry mixture looks pretty in my pink mixing bowl

Looks good and tastes good : This is what the yummy bread looked like hot out of the oven. It practically slid out of the pan, too, in perfect form. Of course, I appreciated that!

I love this emile henry scalloped rectangular serving platter I have. It’s been perfect for breads, cookies, even crackers and topped with a bowl of dip.

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May 02 2012
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To Taste and See

grandmamma’s homemade macaroni and cheese

Anytime there’s a family get together, grandmamma asks around to all of her grandchildren – which is my sisters and brothers and me – what we would like to eat.
Here’s the conversation
Grandmamma : So what would you like to eat at my house this Saturday, Rachel?

Me : Well, … your macaroni and cheese … and then whatever else you would like to fix.

I am sure she has made this recipe hundreds of times. I have grown up on it. We ask for it every time.

It’s that good.

So, here’s the recipe – it’s simple, in your pantry kind of ingredients. This is like a family secret, so really enjoy that I’m sharing it with you.

And if you serve it grandmamma-style, you’ll serve it with ham off the bone, dinner rolls, broccoli salad, green salad, a few other side dish casseroles, and hershey bar cake for dessert.

Tonight we are having it week-night style, with hotdogs on the grill, asparagus, and peanut butter pie, Tyler’s favorite dessert. (I will share this recipe with you soon.)

Grandmamma’s Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

2 T Cornstarch
1/2 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 8-10oz box macaroni noodles (any will do)
a bit of butter for greasing your baking dish

In a sauce pan, combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. of dry mustard
powder (optional) 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and maybe 1 tsp of salt with 2
and 1/2 cups of milk (I use skim, but any type will do)

Mix well so that cornstarch dissolves.
Add 2 tablespoons of oleo or butter.
Heat and cook on top of stove until butter melts, and mixture boils for a minute or two.  Once the butter is melted, and it starts to thicken, STIR CONSTANTLY. The mixture will thicken slightly.

Remove from heat and add 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Stir to dissolve cheese.

Meanwhile cook macaroni.  Somewhere between 8 and 10 oz.

Combine cooked and drained macaroni and the cheese mixture together in a lightly buttered baking dish.  
Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

*Just a little sweet side note – these instructions were given to me verbatim from my grandmother. LOVE

So the only quick pic I have is of the noodles still boiling and the cheese mixture all ready to go. I thought about taking a picture of the finished product only after we had eaten half of it... ;)

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Jan 25 2012
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To Taste and See

delicious recipe – apple dapple cake

Remember the post a little while ago about the  variety of southern cookbooks I purchased with birthday money? Well, I am enjoying them, to say the very least. I love cooking through the recipes and sharing them with my husband, family, and friends.

This recipe – the one for the Apple Dapple Cake – is a must try, must make again recipe.

My mom came over and I said, no matter what crazy diet you are on – really, y’all, she’s done a tremendous job of diligently taking care of her body through good eating and exercise and as a reward to herself, she’s lost weight – you MUST try this cake! Thankfully, she thought the cake was worth straying from her healthy eating regime.

I told her I practically licked the batter bowl clean after pouring the majority of it into the Bundt pan. Delish!

This is the one! From A-Z (apples to zucchini!), this cookbook is a collection of southern recipes

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Jan 13 2012
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To Taste and See

a wintry warm recipe

From one of my southern cookbooks, At My Grandmother’s Knee, I baked this delicious Pumpkin Bread.

I appreciated that this recipe was the kind that you just do a quick mix of all of the ingredients and bake it. It came out perfectly and we enjoyed it many mornings for breakfast. Tyler and I made this bread and delivered it to friends of ours who had just had their second son. I think pumpkin bread is the kind of delicious treat, breakfast, or snack that is everyone’s favorite comfort food.

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