Happy Face Omelet

I love making food that the kids will enjoy. So today a Happy Face Omelet is on the menu. Since most omelets are shaped like half a skillet, it lends itself to the bottom of a face. Once I made this cute omelet, I got requests even from Grandpa.

I've tried many different fillings--onions, peppers, sausage, bacon, avocado, but Grandpa's favorite is
ham and  cheese. Today the happy face had a little surprise. Grandma still likes to play with her food even
when she can't cook with the kids. What do you think?












Ingredients:
   
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheddar cheese
Sliced ham or turkey meat

Directions:

Whip eggs with salt and pepper in a small bowl, using a wire whip or fork. Heat a medium skillet coated with cooking spray. When it is warm enough for a drop of water to dance on the surface, add the egg mixture. Spread the egg until it covers the surface.Sprinkle cheese on top. Lay the meat at the edge of one side (like a tongue sticking out of a mouth).

When the egg is nearly done, flip the other side of the omelet over, not quite half way, so that the tongue is
exposed. When the egg is done lay the omelet on the bottom half of a plate--the tongue sticking out.      Toast a small bagel, butter it, or cover with cream cheese for the eyes!  Now you have a happy face omelet!
  

Wheels: Peanut Butter Banana Honey Roll-ups

My youngest grandson's first word was "car." He loves wheels--cars, trains, planes.

He's not quite as particular about his food looking like a work of art, as his sister is, but this is one lunch that he loves, "Peanut Butter Banana Honey Roll-ups".

Use a large whole wheat tortilla and spread it with peanut butter. Peel a banana and place it on the tortilla then drizzle it with honey. Roll it up and slice it into wheels.

This makes enough wheels for two children or you might want to share the wheels or do a counting game with them. How much are two wheels plus three wheels?

Then, use a second tortilla to cut out train cars, add wheels, and load it with carrot sticks (logs), raisins (coal), or apple slices (grain). Use celery strips for the track.

If you deal with peanut allergies, try hummus, grape tomatoes, or cucumber sticks on your tortilla. Serve with either a cup of milk or yogurt and you have a healthy lunch.

Do you have any kid-friendly lunch ideas? Can you turn it into a work of art? Tell me about it!

Russian Potato Chicken Soup

Hardy soups are for Winter. Maybe that's why Russia is famous for their soups--they have long winters.
My daughter-in-law is Russian and makes the best borsch imaginable.

My mother-in-law, Shirley's family came from Russia around a hundred years ago and her family recipe for chicken soup with matzo balls is great. It is just what the doctor ordered when you have a case of the sniffles.Today is cold and dreary and the forcast calls for snow--soup time!

This Russian Potato Chicken Soup recipe came from Ladies Home Journal about 20 or 30 years ago. My daughter-in-law says she had never eaten it in Russia before, but she thought it was delicious all the same. I'll just put my southern twist on it and say, "Ya'll stay for supper now. Ya' hear?"

Ingredients:

1) 1 1/2 pound chicken breast meat-chopped and sauteed with 2 tablespoons butter, or leftover meat from a broasted chicken

5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped   
4 cups chicken broth or 2 bullion cubes and 4 cups water

Prepare above ingredients and put in crock pot on high.

2) 1 medium chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery with leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Chopped green onions, fresh parsley, shredded cheddar (optional) as garnish

Saute onion, celery, parsley, and butter. Add to chicken mixture in crock pot. Let cook for three or four hours.

3) Just before time is up make rue in skillet by combining the following:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cooking oil

Allow to brown lightly. Dip one cup of broth from crock pot and add to skillet. Stir until smooth then dump the contents of the skillet in.the crock pot and stir.

4) Add 1 can of evaporated milk and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. If not thick enough you may add paste of flour and water and stir until soup is of the right consistency. Chop 2 green onions or 2 tablespoons parsley for topping. May serve with shredded cheddar.

This might turn in to one of your comfort foods. I hope you like it as much as we do. Have you got a soup recipe you would like to share? Send it to us or make a comment. I would love to hear from you.

German Sweet Bread (Stollen)

What a perfect day to bake Stollen! The snow was floating down in thick clumps and it was Christmas Eve. It brought back happy memories of holiday seasons past--the decorated tree, wrapped Christmas gifts, stockings hanging by the fire, and joyful children racing through the house.

I miss those festive days, but will pass the joy on to you. This recipe was given to me by a friend who got it from her mother who came to the United States from Germany. We liked it so much that we ate it not just at Christmas, but also for brunches on special occasions, winter or summer. I entered the stollen in a baking contest in the summer, decorated with Black-eyed Susan s made of candied pineapple petals and sliced date centers. It won first place  and was published in The Elwood Call Leader in Elwood, Indiana, in the mid 1970's.

The decorations in Winter are usually candied cherries--red or green and pecans. This recipe makes four medium sized loaves that you can share with your friends as gifts or at your next party. Don't forget to get the children involved in the preparation. Watch out for the Santas in your house. In my home they nearly polished off an entire loaf before we got up on Christmas morning.

 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 packs of yeast or 2 scant tablespoons
pinch of sugar

1 1/4 cups milk (Scalded)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter (softened)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 beaten eggs
5 2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup plumped raisins (Measure raisins and soak in 1/2 cup warm water for about 10 minutes)
1/2 cup candied fruit (Citron, cherries, pineapple-your choice)
lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Directions:
1. Put lukewarm water in small bowl; add pinch of sugar and yeast. Stir and allow to set until foamy...

2. Meanwhile scald milk, do not boil! add sugar, butter, salt and cool to lukewarm.

3. Add eggs, yeast mixture and 3 cups of flour. Mix until smooth.

4. Add spices, raisins (drained), citron, lemon zest, nuts, and remaining flour a cup at a time. Knead on floured surface to form a soft dough. Form into a ball, place in large buttered bowl and let rise until double in bulk.

5. After rising, Cut into four equal pieces and flatten each into oval shapes. Butter and fold in half,long ways. Place two breads each long ways on greased cookie sheets. Cover with warm towel and allow to rise until double. Bake 375 degrees for 25 minutes until light brown. Remove to rack and cool. Ice with butter frosting and decorate with candied fruit. Share!

Peanut Butter Fudge

While shopping at the grocery store the other day, my sister, Wilma, met an elderly woman who was so excited about a recipe she had discovered that she couldn't wait to tell everyone.

That's one thing about being a senior citizen--it's okay to talk to total strangers in the middle of the baking isle at the grocery store. So I would like to thank the creative chemist who thought up this recipe with only two ingredients! Yes, you read that right--just two.

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter
1 can vanilla or white icing (or chocolate if you prefer)

But wait, there is a caveat. Make sure you buy the cheap peanut butter, not the all natural with just peanuts and peanut oil ( The fudge will turn out too soft.) If you prefer to use natural, try peanut butter with coconut oil or something that makes it homogenized--in other words, it should have a spreading consistency without having to stir it.

1. Pour the can of frosting into a medium-sized microwave safe bowl.

2. Heat in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth.

4. Pour into a buttered 8x8 baking dish.

5. Place in refrigerator until set.

6. Cut into cubes and serve only when you are having guests. Otherwise you're likely to eat the entire dish yourself--not good for you, unless you are a senior who is of a mind that you should have dessert first because life is short.

I used Chocolate icing for this batch:
 

This is great to make with children, but be sure only adults handle the icing while it is hot. Making goodies with your kids is great fun. Make enough to give some to their favorite people, like Grandma, Grandpa, and their teachers.
Wrap it in a gift bag and see if they can keep a secret until the holidays!

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Here is another Thanksgiving recipe for all you people who have probably already shopped or already have these items in your cupboard. You won't find it boring or just like every other pumpkin pie and it will certainly wake up your taste buds. My daughter Becky makes this dessert every year when she goes to the fall family get-together. Try it out and let me know if you like it better than plain pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:
3 cups solid packed pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup evaporated milk (add water to make two cup)


1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup melted butter

In large mixing bowl combine eight  top ingredients and pour in rectangular cake pan.Then sprinkle top of pumpkin mixture with entire box of yellow cake mix. Next sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Finally melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter and pour over cake mix. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serve with Redi Wip or ice cream. Are you going to change your favorite pumpkin dish to Pumpkin Pie Cake?

My Michele Pumpkin Cake

This year I didn't have any grandchildren to help me cook for Thanksgiving. So sadly, I had to make this cake on my own. My sister Wilma sent this pumpkin cake recipe that looked very simple and interesting. She named it "My Michele Pumpkin Cake" for the friend who gave her the recipe. Thank you Michele. I hope you don't mind if I made a few changes.

                                       
I mixed this cake and had it ready for the oven in seven minutes--and I'm slow. Imagine what you can do with it--super easy and delicious. Your kids could make this cake with very little help. Remember to put the cake in the oven yourself and then remove it.  Make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
2 tbsp. water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
butter brickle pieces
"Readdi Wip" or your favorite whipped topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first three ingredients until smooth. You may need to add a little more water. Your batter should be about the consistency of pancake batter. Pour into a greased rectangular cake pan and bake until light brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and prick top with a toothpick (20-30 times) and pour one can of sweetened condensed milk over warm cake. Allow to cool for about an hour before serving or store in refrigerator for later. When ready to serve, top with Readdi Wip or whipped topping. Sprinkle with Butterbrickle pieces and/or caramel syrup. This is rich and decadent, so serve it in small pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.