Kathy's Kitchen, More Summer Goodness

I was looking through my salad recipes, and my mouth just kept watering.

 

This week, our son Caleb bought a large watermelon, and graciously, he shared half with us. Oh my. So delightful.

 

WILTED LETTUCE SALAD

 

Ingredients:

2 bunches leaf lettuce or spinach, washed

4 slices cooked bacon, diced

¼ cup vinegar

1/3 cup chopped green onion

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

 

Directions:

Fry bacon until crisp.  Add vinegar and cook until heated through.  Remove from heat and add shredded lettuce and onion.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sugar.  Toss until lettuce is wilted and serve immediately.

 

And Another:

 

Waldorf salad,

 

2 cups apples

One cup celery

¼ cup chopped nuts

½ cups salad dressing

One cup grapes

2 tsp. Lemon juice

Put chopped apples, celery and grapes in a large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, salad dressing and nuts. Mix well. 

Kathy's Kitchen, Nutty Shakes and Two Slow Cooker Chili

It’s no April fool—you get two recipes this time.

 

From Mary:

 

Two slow cooker Chili

 

Ingredients:

4 pounds lean hamburger meat

1 pound breakfast pork sausage

1 large onion

2 packages (1 ounce each) Williams Chili Mix

4 bottles (12 ounces each) Heinz Chili sauce

1 cup Pace Picante Medium Chunky Salsa

2 cans chili beans (My daughter Christie substituted the equivalent of one can of beans with leftover bean soup.)

 

Chop the onion. Cook the onion with the meat in a large skillet. With a slotted spoon, dip the meat and onion from the skillet and add the other ingredients to a large bowl. Stir. Cook in two medium slow cookers for four hours.

 

 

NUTTY SHAKE 

 

I found this shake recipe in some of my old files when I was searching through for memoir-worthy stuff. I have no idea where I got the recipe from, or when, because there was no date, but I was tickled that it says to pour over the sink. That does sound like a suggestion I would be liable to give in Kathy’s Kitchen, or even in a lesson as a rehab teacher.

 

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 cups milk

2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened

 

In a big bowl, place the peanut butter; pour in the milk and mix with a fork. Add ice cream; mix with an egg beater until    everything is foamy. Pour the milk shake into four glasses.  Pour over the     sink in case you spill. 

Kathy's Kitchen, Smashed Potatoes

From the Carroll Times Herald, where my daughter Rebecca is editor. This is definitely a keeper.

 

OUR FAMILY FAVORITES

These smashed, seasoned potatoes make a jazzy side dish

By Jane LawsonSep 17, 2021

 

Smashed potatoes have it all — crisp edges and soft insides topped with a blend of garlic and smoked paprika.

When plain potatoes just won’t do, jazz up meatloaf, pork chops or chicken breasts with these fancy yet easy-to-prepare potatoes.

Smashed Potatoes

These potatoes require an extra step, but the effort is worth it. This side dish is a fun addition to any dinner.

1 1/2 pounds small yellow potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons melted butter

Parmesan cheese, grated

Fill a large pot with water. Add potatoes. Heat water on high until boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in a strainer.

In a small bowl mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto baking sheet (with sides). Place potatoes onto baking sheet and use the bottom of a glass to smash each potato carefully. Be careful not to smash too hard; you want to retain the round shape. Continue with each potato, allowing for space between each one.

Drizzle each potato with melted butter. Sprinkle with seasoning mixture and Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven and bake for 22 minutes or until potatoes are crispy around the edges and golden brown. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Note: Reserve any leftover seasoning mixture for future use on meat, potatoes or vegetables.     

Kathy's Kitchen, Porcupine Meatballs in the Crockpot

Welcome back to Kathy’s Kitchen. I’ve been enjoying searching through recipes and sharing recipes with my mom recently, so you may be hearing more from Kathy’s kitchen.

 

This dish is something I do regularly, and our family loves it.

 

Porcupine Meatballs in the Crockpot

 

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/2 c. raw rice

1/2 c. onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. green pepper, finely chopped

1 egg

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 (10 1/2 oz.) can tomato soup

1 can diced tomatoes and liquid

In mixing bowl combine ground beef, rice, onion, green pepper, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well to blend. Shape meat mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 1/2

inches in diameter. Place meatballs in slow cooking pot. Pour soup and diced tomatoes over meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for

 4 to 5 hours. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

 

Now in Kathy’s kitchen, we always remember the rule my husband Murray taught me, “A recipe is merely a suggestion.”

 

I use two pounds of meat, usually one of beef and one of sausage. For a sauce, I use a jar of salsa or bottle of barbecue sauce. It’s sometimes a little dry, so I’m planning to add an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce next time.

 

I’m working on convincing Murray to let me cook these to go with our spaghetti sometime, but for now, we eat these on hamburger buns. Mmm mmm good. 

Kathy's Kitchen, Laughs and Bread Pudding

I love making homemade bread. Kneading, feeling the dough come to the right consistency, is fun for me. And when the bread turns out good—what a shot of hopefully not too much pride in myself.

But this year, for whatever reason, it hasn’t risen the last several times I’ve made it. Bummer.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to use a loaf of unrisen bread to make the bread pudding my Mom used to make.

I remembered most of the ingredients, guessed how much of each. I didn’t feel I needed to call my mom to ask her.

I crumbled up the bread, added cinnamon and vanilla, threw in some butter. I didn’t have any raisins. Finally I gave in and called Mom about the amounts of eggs and milk.

It was all mixed up; I asked Murray to pour it in the baking dish for me and smooth it out. All ready. Oven was heated. I took hold of the pan and prepared to put it in.

Whoops, I forgot sugar.

“I don’t have to put it back in the bowl, do I?”

“Yes.”

We did. I started dumping in sugar, but Murray thought it would be a good idea to call Mom again and ask her how much. On the phone with Mom he said, “Stop, that’s enough,” as I started to add more.

It turned out great, despite everything. I’ll definitely do it again, but I hope I don’t have to use a loaf of unrisen homemade bread.

Bread pudding from Kathy’s Mom

Crumble up about a loaf worth of dried or stale bread. Add two eggs, two cups milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup sugar, a large spoonful of butter, raisins if desired.

Mix all ingredients and press into a greased baking dish. I used a casserole dish. You could use a square baking pan, 9 inches, or even a 9 by 13 if you've got enough bread. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

PS: I shared this recipe with a friend, but it took me two emails to get it to her. Because the first time, I forgot to include the sugar in the recipe.

We never stop laughing in Kathy’s kitchen.