What's Cookin' ?

The perfect Summer sandwich !

Hamburger patty, aged Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lettuce & turkey bacon
all smothered in mayo & ketchup on toasted sour dough bread.
Add a little cup of soup to the side.
Yummy !!!

Heavenly Spring Coconut Cupcakes....

These are my favorite cupcakes in the whole world !!

Please feel free to copy & save the recipe to your folder or click the recipe to enlarge.

Saturday Morning

Good morning from my home to yours!

I do hope you had a wonderful Good Friday yesterday. We are looking forward to Resurrection Sunday tomorrow.

This morning we enjoyed homemade sweet cinnamon biscuits, which was melt in your mouth yummy!

Here is the very simple recipe I wanted to share with you. It is perfect Saturday mornings with coffee or tea.

~Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits~

2 C. sifted all-purpose flour

1 Tbl.baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 C. Veg oil

3/4 C. buttermilk

1 stick softened butter

3/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

**********

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium mixing bowl & mix well. Stir in veggie oil, buttermilk until blended.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Roll dough into 15 X 8 rectangle

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 9 inch round baking pan lightly

Spread butter over the dough. Combine sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl, mix well. Sprinkle all over butter. Roll up rectangle, jelly roll fashion, starting from long side, pinch seam.

Cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. Arrange, cut side up in prepared baking dish. Bake until browned about 15-20 minutes. Remove, serve warm

Yummy !!

We also colored eggs and will hide them for the kids... just for fun ! We do hope you are having a blessed weekend and pray your Resurrection Sunday will be special, as you think about what Christ has done for us.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Failte !

Well, did you wear green???
We did !! So ya can't pinch us !!

My dear Mr. Darling is half Irish on his mothers side. They were known as the O'Gale's. Once in America their name was changed to Gale. So, in honer of our family roots we celebrate St. Patrick's day.

Did you know that corned beef and cabbage in not a traditional Irish meal? It is an American-Irish invention. The Irish are known for Colcannon, as their National dish.... it is a meal of potatoes, scallions, cabbage, heavy cream, butter and seasonings such as thyme, salt & pepper. I am making this dish for the very first time this year... so I hope it goes over well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you ever eat Colcannon

That's made from thickened cream,

With greens and scallions blended

Like a picture in your dream?

Did you ever take potato cake

When you went off to school

Tucked beneath your jacket

With your book and slate and rule?

~Irish Children's rhyme~

*****************

Another fun traditional food is Irish soda bread, which was a daily fare in Ireland, made fresh for breakfast and tea. Authentic Irish soda bread is made with sour milk, not butter milk, or milk soured by adding vinegar or lemon juice...you simply leave the milk out overnight to sour. It is said that they didn't use any sugar...but, I like to add a bit for sweetness. Here is a recipe I have from a Victorian Holiday Book I refer to.

I know, I know a green tea frappuccino is by no means IRISH...

But it is GREEN and sooo good... Go get one today !

You won't be sorry !!

Have a GREEN kind of day !!

Peanut Butter Heaven !!!

We made the most heavenly cookies this week !!

Thought we should share with those who have never had a Peanut Butter Cup Cookie before !!!!

You won't be able to eat just one !! Each cookie is filled with a delightful Reeses Peanut Butter Cup center....oh man !!!!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

They are soooo yummy, it will melt in your mouth.

Enjoy !!!!

Peppermint Crunch Christmas Cookies

Yesterday we made cookies for a Christmas cookie/ ornament exchange party that our friends were having.

Cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time...beat well.

Sift dry ingredients to mixture in two batches alternating with milk.

Stir in crushed candy canes.

Spoon onto greased cookie sheet.

The batter seemed really doughy... you may have to use a heavy duty mixer for this since I ended up burning out my little hand mixer.

I baked mine for about 7-8 minutes...ovens may vary. I took them out when they started to look golden. If you bake too long they burn on the bottom and come out hard !! So, keep your eye's on them !! This recipe makes about 5 dozen.

The best part in making these cookies was taking a hammer to all the candy canes crushing them to pieces. Even Mr. Darling and Vince joined in the fun .... just like a little boys.

Enjoy !!!

Making Caramel Chews ......

This weekend the kids helped making caramel chew. It was a fun yet sticky recipie which came out quite delectable !!

My son joined in by cutting the caramel into squares and wrapping them in wax paper.

I decided that I would make a nice hot cup of caramel apple coffee yum !!! A perfect compliment to a caramel chew.

My daughter had a happy cup of vanilla chai tea with her piece of caramel

Hey, No sneaking the caramels !! That's Mama's stash !!!

Dinner At The Garbarino Cuccina....

One of our favorite and very inexpensive meals in our Cuccina is my famous Italian Meatball Sandwiches. I buy frozen Italian meatballs adding 1 can of Spaghetti Sauce I let this cook over a medium low heat until meatballs are cooked through and sauce is hot !!!

I know my family loves this because you will find the evidence of the delectable meatball sauce on a particular brown eyed girl in my home.

I then lightly toast French Sandwich Rolls in the oven on 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. I then pack the roll with scrumptious meatballs topped with shredded mozzarella cheese on top !!! Bet you can't eat just one of these !!!

So when you have very little time try making some of these... it's cheap, quick, feeds a family of 6 0r more depending on how much you buy and cook, plus it is very tasty... trust me you will want this as a regular meal !!! Enjoy !!!

An All American Girl Party ....

Today was our local bookstores American Girl Party, celebrating Kit and the new movie Kit Kitterage. She was all ready to go in her new dress and apron.

We loaned out a couple aprons, a Sock Monkey and our antique typewriter for the Store Front display. The girls played toss the clothespins, hopscotch, made a button string toy, traced silhouettes, made butter and biscuits and enjoyed some Depression Cake.

Here is a sweet book you can get from your local bookstores or on line called Kit's Cooking Studio where you will find recipes for foods made during the Depression for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts.

Here is a recipe for Crazy Cake AKA Depression Cake which was an affordable treat during those days.

Enjoy !!!

***********************************************************

Crazy Cake

AKA. Depression Cake

**********

"This cake was popular during the depression, and does not have eggs in it."

INGREDIENTS

************
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

DIRECTIONS

***********
Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch un greased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

If You Came To Our House.....

My dear friend Carol from Parenting Freedom Tagged me.. so here we go !!

If you came to our house. . .
You would see:

Our Dog Missy greeting you at our door barking up a storm since she is very protective of her people.

You would enter our living area which doesn't always look freshly vaccumed.

We’d probably feed you: Supper:

Chicken Tetrazzini, Green salad, Garlic Bread with your choice of drink, except booze. We don't drink or carry alcohol in the house.Ha Ha.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipie

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter

1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can lower-sodium chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups (1 pound) cooked boneless, skinless chicken cut in strips

1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half and cooked according to package directions

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 425F. In a large nonstick skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with flour and toss to combine. Add broth and half-and-half; cook, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in sherry, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in chicken. 2. Combine spaghetti and chicken mixture; toss gently and spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or shallow 3-quart baking dish or casserole; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serves 6.

By Jean Kressy, "Relish the American Table,

We’d undoubtedly ask if you’d read:

Any and all the above Theological books we keep in our library.

We’d want to play this music for you:

Classical background.

We’d want to tell you the latest about:

What the children are up to and things we may do over the Summer.

We’d probably suggest a game of:

Pit or Scrabble

We might show off:

The kids musical abilities.

We might get on the computer and show you:

My Blog. Ha ha !!

If it was a long enough visit, we might watch:

The kids play outside.

What would a visit to your house be like?

I am tagging:

My Sister in Law Lori from Out Of The Mouth Your Heart Speaks

My Red Headed friend Liz AKA Lucille Ball at To Train Up A Mother

&

My Mama In Law Patti from Treasure Barn