Eating Cardinals

March 24, 2014March 24, 2014

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

4 cups vegetable broth

4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1 3/4 pounds)

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 cup sour cream for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, saute the celery, carrots, and onions in the 1 tablespoon of butter until tender. Stir in the basil and parsley. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until bubbly. Add a bit of the soup broth to the flour mixture and then stir the flour mixture into the broth. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts.

Served by Julie at Joanna’s Lake House 2014

March 24, 2014

Sausage and Cheese Grits Casserole

Sausage and Cheese Grits Casserole

4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup uncooked quick grits

1 9-ounce package precooked turkey sausage crumbles

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons butter

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 3 quart casserole. Heat water to boiling, add grits and salt. Cook according to package directions until tender. Stir in the sausage, 1 cup of the cheese and butter. Mix together the milk and eggs and add to grits mixture. Pour into casserole pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Served by Julie at Joanna’s Lake House 2014

March 24, 2014

Cheese Danish

Cheese Danish

2 cans read to use refrigerated crescent rolls

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg white

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13 X 9-inch pan. Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pac k of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture and brush with egg white. Bake for 35- 45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Top with glaze after cooling for 20 minutes.

Served by Nancy P. at Joanna’s Lake House 2014

February 14, 2014

Spicy Baked Eggs

Spicy Baked Eggs

2/3 cup marinara sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper to

taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf

parsley

4 eggs

2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmigiano

-Reggiano cheese

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

4 slices toast or 2 English muffins

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.	Spoon marinara sauce into the bottom of a square baking dish. Sauce should be about 1/4 inch high. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Make a narrow wells in the center of the sauce for the eggs.
3.	Crack each egg into a ramekin, then pour into the baking dish over the marinara sauce in the wells.
4.	Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, then drizzle with olive oil, and then drizzle with heavy cream. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven until yolks are just set, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with toast or English muffins. You can make as many servings of this as you need. Just use a larger dish and adjust ingredients accordingly. I use a 13×9 dish for 6 eggs or 1 1/2 time this recipe.

Terri’s “Drink of the Day”

Kim’s super mom goodie baskets.

An ocean of Brownies from Kim’s Goodie Baskets.

Puppy Chow….also in the Goodie Baskets.

Gina’s Shrimp and Grits. Recipe to come soon!

Joanna’s Takeout Service

Julie’s relaxing porch perch to watch the ice melt.

Terri was walking around town with the fam.

Gina’s Apple Cake. Recipe here.

Cindy’s luncheon date with her mom.

Cindy’s still-no-power-on-breakfast tea with her mom.

What a day!

January 7, 2014

Scorched Grits

Julie’s (NOT Scorched) Creamy Cheese Grits

1 cup stone ground white grits

2 – 3 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk or cream

½ cup shredded cheese

If using stone ground grits, rinse before cooking. Add 2 – 3 cups water and salt to grits. Do not cover pan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer. Stir often. You may have to add more water while cooking if the grits get too thick. After about 20 minutes when grits are softened, stir in milk or cream and cheese. Serve warm.

Julie Murphy

January 7, 2014

Sour Cream Drop Biscuits

Sour Cream Drop Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 24 mini muffin pan. Mix all ingredients together. Drop by tablespoonfuls into muffin pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Julie Murphy

January 7, 2014

Praline French Toast

Praline French Toast
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
10-12 slices French bread, about 1 inch thick

Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, optional
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups chopped pecans

Generously spray or butter a 13×9 inch casserole dish.

Mix the eggs, half and half, maple syrup and sugar in a large bowl. Place the bread slices in the prepared casserole dish and cover with the egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the topping by melting the butter in a sauce pan. Add the sugar and maple syrup and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the pecans. (If not using butter, just mix other topping ingredients.). Spread mixture over bread and bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Gina Tiedemann

January 7, 2014January 7, 2014

Hash Brown Casserole

1 32 oz bag frozen shredded potatoes, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, divided
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup

Hash Brown Casserole

3 cups (12 oz) grated cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped onion
2 c crushed cornflakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the thawed potatoes over the
bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 c of
the melted butter, the soup, cheese, sour cream, salt and onion, mixing
well. Pour the mixture over the potatoes. Top with the cornflakes and
drizzle with the remaining 1/2 c melted butter. Bake, uncovered, for 45
minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Gina Tiedemann at Kim and Terri’s Lake Houses

January 4, 2014January 7, 2014

Fruit Smoothies

Basic Smoothie Proportions

1 cup ice

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup juice

1 cup fruit

Blueberry Smoothie

1 cup blueberries

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 cup ice

1/2 cup orange juice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth on highest setting.

Peach Smoothie

1 cup ice

1 cup vanilla or peach yogurt

1 large fresh peach (or about 1 cup frozen peaches)

1 5.5 ounce can Kern’s Peach Nectar

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth on highest setting.

Julie Murphy served at North Carolina (where she left her million dollar blender) and Kim’s Lake House (where she used Kim’s blender)

December 31, 2013

Cardinal Sugar Cookies

Cardinal Sugar Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ sticks butter

2/3 cups shortening

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In a nother bowl, beat butter and shortening together. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture beating until well combined. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight. Roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into cardinal shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool. Decorate with frosting and red sugar crystals.

Julie Murphy at Christmas Brunch 2007

Cardinal Sugar Cookies