Fresh Mushroom Soup

Fresh Mushroom Soup

¼ cup butter
12 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup rice flour or all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
½ cup snipped parsley
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons dry vermouth (optional)

In a large saucepan melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, blending well. Slowly add the broth, followed by the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the parsley, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Add vermouth, if desired, and cook until the mixture is heated through.

Gingerbread Bears

Gingerbread Bears
I got this from my friend, Betsy. We had a great time making them one afternoon. She and Rachel got creative dressing their bears in clothes and hair made from the dough.

• 
  1 cup butter
  2/3 cup dark brown sugar – packed
  2/3 cup molasses
  1½ tsp vanilla
  1 beaten egg
  4 cups flour
  ¾ tsp baking soda
  1½ tsp cinnamon
  1 tsp ginger
  ½ tsp ground cloves

• Melt butter and then, over low heat, stir in brown sugar and molasses. Increase to medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth.
  
• Removed from heat and pour into a mixing bowl.
  
• Stir in vanilla and let the mixture cool 5 minutes.
  
• Stir in beaten egg.
  
• In another bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients.
  
• Add this to the butter mixture and mix until well combined and doughy.
  
• Chill 2 hours to overnight.
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare bears on ungreased cookie sheet.
  
• Prepare the bears by making a series of balls. One about 1½ inches for the belly. One about 1 inch for the head. Four about ½ inch for the paws. Two small balls for ears. Then assemble the balls to make a bear.
  
• The dough is easy to work with, but can get sticky. Keep some flour on hand.
  
• He can be sitting up or laying flat.
  
• You can make his belly more oval shaped.
  You can use a toothpick or other tool to add facial features and a belly button.
  You can make clothes or accessories or even make other animals.
  
• Bake 8 – 10 minutes.
  Cool on a rack.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 2 Dozen Cookies

These oatmeal cookies make a great snack and are pretty healthy. We eat them for breakfast a lot. The flavors go well together and lend themselves to a little fiddling for taste. Add a little less sugar if you add chocolate chips. Add a little more cinnamon if that’s a favorite flavor. Most of all, enjoy.

¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cup flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or semi sweet chocolate chips

*** I use gluten free flour which makes the cookies really light and lets all the other flavors come through. If you choose to use gluten free flour, I suggest Pamela’s Baking Mix.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream the butter.
Mix both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Then add this mixture to the butter.
Beat two eggs together with the vanilla. Then add this mixture to the butter and dry ingredients. Mix just enough to combine.
Add flour and oats. Mix just enough to combine.
Add 1 cup raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, or semisweet chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees about 10 minutes.

Baked Potato Soup

This warm soup fills your tummy and your heart.

Baked Potato Soup

Makes 10 cups
- 4 large baking potatoes, baked and insides scooped out
- 2/3 cup butter
- 2/3 cup potato flour (or regular flour)
- 6 cups of milk
- 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
- 4 green onions, chopped and divided
- 1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 8 ounces sour cream

Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour, stir until smooth over low heat. Gradually add milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly.

Add potatoes, ½ the green onions, ½ the bacon, ½ the cheddar cheese. Cook until heated.

Stir in Sour Cream. Add milk if too thick.

Serve warms with onion, bacon, and cheese sprinkled on top.

Fudge

This easy fudge recipe is fun to make with kids.

Fudge

2 cups sugar
¼ cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 small can (5 oz) Evaporate Milk
1 inch less than a stick of butter
1 cup chocolate chips (I use bitter sweet or milk chocolate, but you can play with flavors.)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put sugar, evaporated milk, cocoa, and butter in a pan on Medium Low heat. Stir until dissolved and bubbly.

Lightly boil for 5 minutes – don’t stop stirring.

Remove from heat and add vanilla and chocolate chips. Beat with a wooden spoon until thick. (About 1 minute.)

Put in an 8 inch square pan. Cool completely, then cut and eat.

Cranberry - Apple Cumble

This great dessert from my friend Sarah is a favorite! It's warm and delicious and is the perfect end to a wonderful meal shared with people you love.

Cranberry – Apple Crumble
From: Sarah Garber

Ingredients:
1 lb cranberries, rinsed (about 1 quart)
1 ½ cups sugar
3 table spoons cornstarch
3 sweet apples (Golden Delicious) peeled, cored, and sliced
Juice and Grated Zest of 1 orange

Topping:
8 table spoons unsalted butter, cut up
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup oatmeal (McCain’s makes a Gluten Free Oatmeal)
¾ cup rice flour

Optional Accompaniment:
Vanilla Ice Cream


Directions:
Preheat Oven to 375
Butter 9 ½ or 10 inch pie pan (stone is better than glass).
Stir together half the cranberries with all the sugar and cornstarch in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Add remaining cranberries, apples, orange juice and zest. Stir together and pout into pie dish.

Topping:
Cut together all ingredients in a mixing bowl or food processor until crumbly.
Spread over fruit mixture in the pie dish.
Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Tips:
Put foil under the pie dish to catch drips that boil over.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Mini Frittatas

Mini Frittatas

This recipe makes four dozen. You can cut it in half, but since they are small, they usually get eaten up fast.

You can also leave out one of the vegetables to save time cutting and chopping. It’s nice to have all of them for the color, but the dish is good either way.


Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray (Pam)
18 Large Eggs
2 teaspoons coarse salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 medium zucchini trimmed and cut into 1/8 inch rounds
4 – 6 white mushrooms, cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and flesh cut into 1/8 inch dice
1 yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and flesh cut into 1/8 inch dice
½ cup finely grated cheese. Guryere or Fontaina are nice, but you’d have to check the ingredients for gluten. I usually use something more child friendly, like cheddar or mozzarella


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly coat four 12 cup or 2 24 cup muffin tins with cooking spray.

Whisk eggs, salt, pepper, and chives in a large bowl. Set aside.

Put 1 zucchini round, 1 mushroom slice, and 1 teaspoon of pepper into each muffin cup.

Ladle egg mixture into each cup to fill. Sprinkle with cheese.

Back until set 8 – 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Sometimes I top them with a dollop of sour cream and a little caviar, or some more chopped chives.