Christmas Icicle Candy

Well, I decided to try my hand at a variation of a recipe I found online for some homemade hard candy. These are basically twisted strips of candy -- we learned some tricks along the way, and intend to make this again in a few weeks with some better success.

Definitely tasty and delicious though. And very fitting for this time of year.

We'll wait to post the recipe until we try this for the second time.

Once a Month Cooking Week!

I'm doing a Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) marathon this week. Some of the recipes I do will be ones that I have already shared for you in this blog, but I'll be doing a lot of other stuff too! I will be putting up some new recipes this week, so be sure to check back!

Today I started the week off by buying all the meat at Costco. When I got home, I immediately began browning the ground beef. I still have about 8 lbs of it left to go, but I'm almost there. I will also be baking several pans of chicken breasts, which will be cut up and added to a number of recipes, including enchiladas, tortilla soup, and my sweet and sour chicken recipe. Before the day is over, I'll also be putting together some ingredients to make a quick and easy Roast Beef Au Jus, which you must remind me to share with you if I forget!

Here's the complete list of what I plan to make:
Sloppy Joes (x3)
Chili (x4)
Beef Tips (x2)
Beef Pot Pie (x2)
Taco Meat (x4)
Roast Beef Au Jus (x2)
Sweet and Sour Chicken (x3)
Chicken Enchiladas (x2)
Taco Soup (x3)
Tortilla Soup (x3)
Chicken Cilantro Enchiladas (x2)
Beef Stew (x2)
Teriyaki Meatballs (x2)
Barbecue Meatballs (x2)
Chicken Pot Pie (x4)
Spaghetti Sauce (x5)
--------------------------
45 meals

Yes, I know this will last me well over a month, but I so love to double or triple recipes when I can, and it makes it so much easier to do OAMC when you aren't making 30 different recipes!

So, that's what I'm up to this week!

Aunt Mary's Sloppy Joes

My mom's Aunt Mary (the sister of my grandma) use to have the most wonderful recipe for sloppy joes, which she use to make all the time and never shared with anyone. It was her super secret recipe. Sadly, around the time I was in junior high she was diagnosed with cancer. She died when I was a freshman in high school. Thankfully, before her death, she finally agreed to share her recipe with everyone, for which we will always be thankful. This recipe brings back wonderful memories of being at her house as a little girl, sitting by the pool, eating sloppy joes, potato chips, and a big glass of Minute Maid fruit punch. I hope that someday I'll have the privilege of sharing this meal with my grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews, too :)

Aunt Mary's Sloppy Joes
2 lbs. ground beef
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 pkg. burrito seasoning
1 8 oz. can of V-8
1 can tomato soup

Brown ground beef. Drain fat. Mix in onion soup, burrito seasoning, V-8 and tomato soup. Cover and allow to simmer until thick. Serve on potato rolls or hamburger buns.

Andrew's Strawberry Scones

This is a recipe that Andrew came up with, and we all loved it! I always love it when Andrew makes breakfast for the family :)

Scones with Strawberries
2 1/3 c. Bisquick
3 Tbs. Sugar
3 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 c. milk
Sliced strawberries
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix Bisquick, sugar, butter and milk until soft dough forms. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Split scones in half and spoon strawberries in the middle, and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

My Favorite Waffle Recipe

So, I will be the first to admit that while it is nice to be able to make things from scratch, there are certain things that I have stopped attempting to make because it never tastes as good as what you can buy in a store. Lasagna is probably my biggest example because I cannot beat Michaelangelo's or Costco's brand, but waffle mix is another one of those things. I love the Krusteaz Waffle Mix. However, a few years ago, I came across a problem. Our family was rapidly expanding and the little boxes that I was buying at the grocery store weren't going very far. So, we started to buy the bulk bag from Costco or Cash 'n Carry (a bulk grocery store in our area that caters mainly to businesses). When I first made waffles using the mix from the bulk bag, I realized instantly that they didn't taste the same as the mix in the box that I was use to. I can't even begin to say how disappointed I was by this, and went back to buying the box. However, very soon it became apparent to me that the recipe on the bulk bag was different from the smaller box. I wondered if the bulk mix was made differently from the box, but after comparing their ingredients side by side, I realized it was the exact same mix, only Krusteaz was omitting two ingredients in the recipe on the bulk mix. So, I started adding oil and eggs to my bulk mix, and the waffles came out perfectly. So, for anyone who is interested, this is the CORRECT way to make a Krusteez waffle (you know, just in case you buy the bulk mix, too, and it doesn't turn out that yummy!)



Krusteaz Waffles
For 2-3 7-inch Round Waffles:
1 1/2 cups Krusteaz Belgian Waffle Mix
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. Oil
3/4 cup Water

For 4-5 Waffles:
3 cups Waffle Mix
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Oil
1 1/2 cups Water

for 8-10 Waffles:
6 cups Waffle Mix
4 Eggs
2/3 cup Oil
3 cups Water


Preheat and lightly grease waffle iron. Blend all ingredients together with a wire whip until smooth. Pour about 2/3 cup batter onto preheated and lightly greased waffle iron. Cook waffles 3-4 minutes until golden brown, or according to waffle iron's instructions. Serve hot! We like to serve waffles with whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries on top. It's a Flanagan favorite :)

Strawberry Baked Brie

Every year around Thanksgiving we make a baked cranberry brie, which everyone always loves. I have played around with recipe I have a bit, making it with different types of crusts (phyllo, puffed pastry) and different types of fruit topping (cranberry sauce, raspberry preserves among other things). Well, a month ago I was participating in a marketing campaign for President cheese and received a coupon for a free cheese item of my choice. I naturally decided to go with a brie wheel. Since it was spring, I thought I'd try to update my basic baked brie recipe to find something that would be more appropriate for a sunny spring day.

Strawberry Pecan Baked Brie
5 sheets Phyllo dough, thawed
1 round brie
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a round cake pan with non stick cooking spray. Lay one layer of brie in pan and lightly brush with melted butter. Lay a second layer on top of the first, overlapping slightly so that it is not completely on top of the first. Brush second layer with melted butter. Continue until all sheets of phyllo have been layered. Place brie in center of the phyllo sheets and gently press phyllo against the sides of the brie to make a "nest". Cover the top of the brie with chopped pecans. Bake for 20 minutes, or until phyllo is a golden brown. Allow brie to cool off slightly before placing sliced strawberries on top. Serve with crackers!

Quick and Simple Chili

During the fall and winter months we have chili and cornbread a lot. It's a very simple and hearty meal to make, and the boys generally like it. I have played around with this recipe a lot over the years. The basic recipe has always been the same, but I have added different ingredients from time to time. I like to at least double the recipe so I can freeze half for later. Corn bread is a must with this recipe- a classic favorite is the Jiffy brand corn bread mix, although we also really like the Trader Joe's cornbread mix. One of these days I'll try to make my own!

Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Hunt's fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained (light red also work, I like the look of the dark better!)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
Shredded cheese


Brown ground beef in a large pot. Drain fat. Add about 1/2 cup of water and place pot back on the stove. Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, beans celery, and corn. Cover pot and simmer on low for 30-60 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve with a generous portion of corn bread!