Turduckendog

Passing the freezer section, my younger son saw a turducken.  We decided to pass it for this year, but we also decided that if we ever do make it, we will put a hot dog in the middle.  Tuducken is such a fun word that we would have to make it even funnier by adding a dog.

Mom's Pecan Pie

Yes there are many versions of Pecan Pie and it is funny that Penny once gave mom her recipe and it was the same recipe Grandma had.  Mom says she usually uses less butter than it calls for.

No Bake Cookies a.k.a. DooDoo Cookies

I just got a text asking for this recipe. Why isn't it on the blog yet? Well, that's an easy one! I don't like them.  Growing up I heard them called many names: No Bake Cookies, DooDoo Cookies, DooDoo Yummies, Cow Plops, Poop Balls, etc........

I've had them at church events rolled in coconut, chopped nuts, various cold sugar cereals, and other things I don't even want to guess what they are.

I guess you could use the recipe but basically it might be about the same to take a spoonful of peanut butter and smash on some toppings.  Oh well, here's the scan of the recipe from the old recipe card file. The ingredient on the fold of the middle of the paper says 1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter.

Oh great! One of my children just saw me doing this and said, "I want Cow Plops."

Lundberg Farms Organic nonGMO gluten free Brown Rice

This is my favorite rice and I hope Costco keeps selling it because I've heard they stopped in parts of the country.  It takes longer to cook than white but tastes great and is so drastically much more healthy feeling after eating it compared to white rice.

http://www.lundberg.com/Default.aspx

Brown Rice Cooking Instructions

· 1 cup Lundberg^® Short Grain Brown rice

· 2 cups water or broth

· 1 tbsp. butter (optional)

· salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 50 minutes. Do not remove lid. Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. A rice cooker may be used with the same water-to-rice ratio. Yield: 3 cups.

If you're going to use white rice, Calrose is our favorite.

Chocolate Sunrise Surprise

No way!!!! 8:30 am on a Saturday morning and the kids aren't upstairs begging us to make breakfast yet!  Uh Ohhhhh!!! I vaguely recall hearing cupboards and jars and other random things being opened and sounds like they were happily working together on something.  8:45 am a smiling daughter comes up and then a smiling proud son.  "We made breakfast for you Mom and Dad!"  How could we not get up and go try it.  Luckily I was first so I could do the small taste.  A plastic bowl full of chocolate something. "Dad, we didn't put eggs in it like the last time so it's good." That explains the slime consistency a couple weeks ago of a similar mixture.  I had to leave the room before Mom had her big spoonful.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! from the kitchen as she tasted it.

Ingredients that we know of:  Mustard, Chocolate Quick powder, Hershey's chocolate syrup, Grated Orange peel, freshly juiced Orange juice, 8 drips of Cholula hot sauce, water, vinegar (not sure what kind or how many kinds), maple syrup, instant apple cider pack.

Jambalaya, Spicy Swamp Soup Recipe

So I get a text from my daughter. Dad, what can I make with celery and carrots and green bell pepper? 

To a toddler, just add peanut butter and raisins to the celery, or just add ranch dressing for dip to both. 

To an adult daughter, knowing that there are probably other odds and ends in the kitchen, make some Jambalaya.  Ok, she could just make some chicken noodle soup or some kind of gravy base stew or some slaw type salad, but Jambalaya sounded like the best answer last night. So, here's a basic guide of a recipe for Jambalaya. 

There aren't really many rules.  Just mix things from the "swamp" or fridge and freezer,  leftover meats and vegetables, add some spice and tomato liquid, cook up some rice. (I like brown rice for this the best but others like white rice)

Try and remember the last good Jambalaya you had and what made it so good, then take this recipe and adapt it to what you liked the most about the one you loved.  Maybe it was the spicy heat, or tons of shrimp, or the unique road kill meat inside. Anyway, here's a beginning guide......

Lemon Bar Recipe

There are many recipes for lemon bars but this one is lemony and tangy and sweet and just the right amount of each part of a lemon bar.  Some people kind of make them that taste like they were dusted with flour, not powdered sugar.  Some people make them with a dry crust that has a really tiny amount of any flavor on top.  Some people make them so that they look nice but the lemon pie type filling on top tastes like rice paste.  This recipe doesn't make those mistakes and is perfect for our family.

Chilaquiles Recipe

La Fe Tortillaria makes great Chilaquiles, but I really fell in love with them in La Jolla at a taco shop across the road from where I worked years ago.  The ones from La Fe make a great quick breakfast meal where I know they will make them for me.  The ones in La Jolla didn't even have any meat and were the cheapest thing on the menu but a huge portion and sooooooooo good.  Some friends from Mexico laugh at me when I say these are one of my favorite things and lots of taco dives kind of laugh at me when I ask if they make them because they are what people just make at home usually from leftovers.  This recipe post  is more of a summary of what can go in Chilaquiles that I have enjoyed from many different people and places.

Aunt Debra's Pasta Salad

There are different ways to make this but when we had it at Emma's baptism, this was the general directions for what she made.  I have made different versions but never remember what I do so when Debra made this and it was so good, I asked what she did.  I've also added diced chicken and artichoke hearts.

Bow Tie or Spiral Pasta cooked and drained and cooled to warm or chilled
Greek Salad Dressing OR Italian Salad Dressing (we can make our own so it is soy free)
Bacon bits or shredded bacon
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Olives
Feta Cheese
Decent Shredded Parmesian, not the powdered nasty stuff
Spinach with stems off
Broccoli
(Basil leaves would be good too)

Combine the above and add or delete items and serve.

Uncle Jason's Green Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Jason!!!!!!!!

This is the best and awesome to have it be soy free to boot. No more needing to get my fix from Rubio's for the green stuff.  I used to love the Rubio's chopped salad with their green stuff and still like it, but their steak has turned more hot dog processed texture and tasting over the past year and a half so I'd much rather make my own salad at home.

OK I made it at home yesterday and to tone down the spice for those who ate with us, use about 1/4 can of diced jalapeno peppers, and instead of 2 Tablespoons of salt, use 2 teaspoons of salt, and add an extra 1/4 cup of sugar.

Monthly Meal Calendar

I'm still working on a Monthly Meal Calendar with google calendar so if you click on the link below, you can try to copy what you want to your own google calendar.  There are about 9 weeks of meals that will rotate with additions and deletions along the way.  I'm hoping you will be able to add meals that are recorded as events from my menu planner calender to your own google calendar and that the recipes will be in the descriptions. 
Mobile apps to do this have gone all quirky in the past month and now are asking for yearly subscription fees with some of the features now dissabled even in the paid version.

myfitnesspal.com works for diet and exercise online and on the phone.  The MenuPlanner app is fairly good for a grocery app but data entry is kind of a pain so I'm still trying others to find one that will work for what we need.

<iframe src="https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=2q9g5i1jkh3nl142h5uc9g4g6c%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles" style="border: 0" width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Mom's perfect Rice Krispies Treats!

Strangely enough, we know several people who say they can't make the super-easy rice krispy treats and have them taste good;  they turn out rock hard or strangely flavored or something!   Well, Mom has a few tips that make hers turn out perfect every time:

• use miniature marshmallows (they melt faster, so don't cook as long, so the mixture stays softer)
• use fresh Kraft marshmallows
• use the "old" recipe that has a bit more butter than the newer "healthier" recipe
• DON'T overcook the marshmallows!!
• coat the tray in butter not Pam to avoid the "fake" taste
• use the Kellogg's Rice Krispies, not a knock-off brand, for the best taste
• measure the marshmallows and cereal ahead of time so you can just dump in quickly and avoid over-cooking.

1/4 cup butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies cereal
butter to smear onto pan/tray

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat (not the high heat Dad usually uses!!).  Add the marshmallows and stir just until completely melted (no more!).  Remove from heat.   Add the cereal and stir until well coated.   Pour and press into a buttered 13x9 pan.   Wait until cool to cut (but feel free to snitch around the edges while it is cooling!!)

For holidays or special events, sprinkling colored sugar crystals over the top makes them "fancy" and gives a little crunch when eating!!  You just have to sprinkle the sugar on when it is still warm so the sugar will stick!!

Aunt Jane's cheesy bread

This is the make-ahead sandwich loaf bread that we first had at an open house with the Daynes.  Since getting the recipe from Aunt Jane, we've used it for all sorts of people-coming-over events (mission farewells, ordinations, baptisms, birthdays, potlucks, etc).  It is a great complement to a soup and salad dinner.  You can make the loaves ahead of time and put them in the fridge (or freezer!) and then just bake them when you want to use them!

• One unsliced loaf of sourdough french bread  (the "sourdough" is more important than the "french"--it has the heartiness to hold up to the cheese; if it is a smaller loaf, use two loaves; most sourdough bread is soy-free!)
• 6 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 8 oz tub whipped butter (I use about 5-6 oz butter, and I usually use regular softened butter that I whip)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Slice the loaf of bread horizontally as if to make a giant sub sandwich.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together into the whipped butter.   Spread the mixture onto both sides of the bread, put the two sides together, and cut into slices.  Wrap the entire loaf in aluminum foil.  

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes--until the cheese is all melted and the crust is crispy.   If you're putting it in the oven from the fridge, add an extra 10 minutes or so.

Yippee Skippee!!!! Mom's Frosting Recipe

Cameron seems to call for this recipe about once a month...  it's probably time to post it!

Mom's Buttercream Frosting

about 2/3 cup butter (3/4 of a stick)
about 3 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of almond extract
dash of salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter until fluffy with a hand mixer.  Add about half of the powdered sugar.  Mix well.  Add the milk, flavorings, and salt.  Mix well again.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add a bit more powdered sugar or milk until frosting is desired consistency.

Well Stocked Kitchen List

So Daughter one moves out of the dorm and suddenly there's a kitchen to think about.  What would I buy to start from the beginning again?  This may be a one shot time thinking about it list for the moment or I may come back and finish it. 

My kids will tell you I research my kitchen tools too much but if I'm going to use it daily then why waste time with things that don't work for me and fit in my kitchen the way I want.  I like consumer search and cook's illustrated websites along with others, but when it comes down to spending the 20 cents or $300 for a tool, I need to physically see and feel the tool. 

Since motor skills are a challenge, ergonomics are way important.  Whether standing or in a wheelchair, the tools and resources stocked in a kitchen matter and make a huge difference in being able to enjoy a meal with my family after making it or being too worn out to functionally sit and even use a fork and drink from a glass with them.  I cook to feed and nourish them but sitting together as a family is part of who we are and what we do for meals. 

So the $1 set of wooden spoons vs. the $20 ones is not a matter of cost but rather a matter of function and fit.  It is a matter of making the most of the blessing it is to be with my family.  In the case of wooden spoons, the cheap ones from the Ranch 99 Chinese Grocery store beat out the better looking more expensive ones at Bed Bath and Beyond.  Yes I put them in the dishwasher and wear them out quicker, but that allowes better use of the energy I am blessed to have. 

In the case of a mixing bowl the largest old clear Tupperware one that is no longer sold works best to not dump it on the floor and be able to see through when in a chair, be it with or without wheels.  Since they are no longer available, the best additional bowls available are the white oxo brand ones because of the rubber bottom and place to grip on top.  White because clear isn't available and there is enough contrast with whatever is in the bowl and the color white, when vision sometimes becomes an issue for whatever cause.

Well, here is a beginning list.  Energy gone for now so will add and change later..... if and when I remember....


Spices?
Sea Salt
Whole peppers with a grinder
Thyme
Italian Seasoning but not the kind with onion added that so many companies seem to be adding now
Basil (I love my fresh Basil in the kitchen window but for a new kitchen, I guess I would settle for some dried Basil to start with)
Celery Seed (because sometimes I just don't have celery in the fridge and the seeds give the same flavor)
Cumin
Chili Powder
Chinese 5 spice
Garlic slices or slivers or granules (Garlic salt is just too manufactured and I love the taste of sea salt which helps keep sodium down and flavor fresh)
Dehydrated onion (it's just so convenient and easy without the tears or decision to save or toss the extra half or so of the fresh onion.  Fresh red onions are a must though for recipes that use them.)
nutmeg
cinnamon
ginger
sage

white vinegar
rice vinegar
balsamic vinegar
blackberry balsamic vinegar
olive oil
lemon juice
lime juice
small cans pineapple juice

dijon mustard
honey mustard
white flour
wheat flour
baking powder
baking soda
corn starch
corn meal
oatmeal
cocoa powder

oxo mixing bowls
Tupperware measuring set (but I hate the new colors, they make it too hard to read measurments. I want another white set.  They are easy to hold and use.)
2 cup glass measuring cup
Good whisk with handle that won't fly out of your hand or cause cramping
wood spoons

Chinese Salad Dressing Recipe

This is another recipe from a post it taped and sealed to a Tupperware shaker that has been through the dishwasher for years and can't be scanned.  It is old enough that it has soy sauce listed so it was before our soy free years.  The soy sauce can be replaced with half the amount in molasses and the rest of the amount a careful mix of rice vinegar and water.  Sorry, no measurements for soy free so you need to experiment to get it right if you don't want the soy.

Chinese Salad Dressing

5 Tablespoons white sugar
16 Tablespoons soy sauce (or a soy free mixture as mentioned in the introduction above)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon ginger
3 Tablespoons white vinegar
4 Tablespoons water

Blend and let sit for a while in the fridge first to let the flavors blend.  You can add sesame seeds but it won't keep as long in the fridge so if you like them with it, then add when using.

Soy Free French Dressing Recipe

This is from an old post it that we taped to a Tupperware dressing shaker thing years ago after we figured out what worked for us in our quest to eat soy free at that time.  It is too smeared to scan after being through the dishwasher who knows how many times.

Frenchish Dressing

2 cups tomato juice
2 teaspoons paprika
7 Tablespoons lemon juice
8 Tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard (find a soy free one)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion
1 green bell pepper

Blend in a blender and store in the fridge.  About 18 calories per 2 Tablespoons.

Soy Free Barbeque BBQ Sauce Recipe

BBQ sauce is always a challenge on a soy free diet.  We are of the thicker tomato based sweet BBQ liking persuasion.  The thinner, heavy vinegar based kind weve eaten in the south is not what you will find made in our kitchen.

Sorry, if that is what you are looking for.  

Two exact same looking bottles of sauce on the shelf at the same store can at times have different ingredients.  When calling the manufacturers, they often don't even know and will even say no soy over the phone when it is listed on the bottle. So... if you aren't sure from past trial and error and supplier that BBQ is safe then you have to approximate and make your own. 

I make it differently each time but about the same.  This chicken scratch is from one of the times I wrote down what I used after making it.

The basics to a soy free sweet BBQ Sauce are basically manipulating the amounts of some kind of vinegar, brown and white sugar, molasses, tomato paste or sauce, and other spices and fruit juice or vegetable additions.  Some people add liquid smoke but we've been a little wary of this ingredient because a lot of the bottles of it appear a little too mystery ingredientesque to feel safe allergen wise.  I've called a company or two and been told its just liquid smoke with no other ingredients. I'd rather be safe than sorry with this and depending on the meat we use it on, there is usually enough "smoke" flavor for us from the grill.

Nick's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

A recipe in words of a kindergartner after helping dad make chicken noodle soup.  Yes opening a can is so much easier but then you have that weird artificial aftertaste and also the ever present allergen soy.  The canned chicken we have used is only available at Sam's Club around here but may have soy in the future. If soy is an issue, please always check for the words "broth" and "enhancer" and "flavoring" along with the many other hidden allergen words for soy.

Italian Chicken Pasta Thingy Recipe

 Another chicken scratch note recipe done after making something with what was in the cupboard.  Its approximate to what is a frequent last minute can't think of anything to make so boil some pasta and quickly throw things together thingy.  Add, delete, change as you want.  This is just for ideas, although looking at it, it is probably fine as written too.

Chinese Chicken Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe

Ok, so here's one of the chicken scratch notes for one of the soy free chicken stuff with noodles things we would make.  It was from one of the nights Emily liked it so I had written down about what I had done.  Sorry its as messy as it is but its been a good source of how to approximate something Chinese we would make frequently.  Cook and substitute at your own risk.

Grilled Chicken Green Salad Recipe

Just a basic Grilled Chicken with other stuff in a salad.  Add and delete as you want.

Pork Chops with Balsamic Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This is the culinary arts project from years ago that Cameron worked on and tweaked for a final or midterm I think.  We have made it for years.  Be sparing with the balsamic at first in case your balsamic is too strong from being older or just a stronger brand.  We have used the Costco brand and it has consistently worked for us as measured in this recipe. Sometimes we double the sauce amount.  Please make sure the pork is thawed if its coming from your freezer or the pork will be dry and tough.

Oven Rosemary Potatoes Recipe

Alexia Foods Oven Fries in the freezer section have been soy free in the past and hopefully will be in the future.  Sometimes we run out and other times we just want to make a 5 or 10 pound bag of them so its just not practical to have that many Alexia ones in the fridge.

The Alexia ones have the following ingredients:  Olive Oil, Rosemary, Garlic, Russet Potatoes, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Marjoram, Thyme, and Dextrose.

There are varied recipes out there in books and on the internet but what we do is basically cut the potatoes in 4 or 6 sections so the pieces are about 1 1/2 inch chunks or if you want thick fry shapes then sliced accordingly.   Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl and pour olive oil, whatever form of garlic on hand, chopped fresh Rosemary( dried is fine too), Thyme, Salt, and Pepper.  Then toss the potatoes til coated and place on a cookie sheet that has oiled aluminum foil lining it.  Maybe sprinkle some more salt and seasonings over it if desired and put in the oven.  Bake about 30 minutes until they are browned some and a fork comes out easily or you taste them to see if done.  Depending on your oven, you may need to turn them about half way through the cooking process.

Corn Bread Recipe The Sweet Almost Cake Kind

As far as I can tell, this is the Corn Bread Recipe that mom and grandma use.

Quick Baked Potato or Sweet Potato Recipe

Well this isn't really a recipe but rather directions.  Wash the potato or yam or sweet potato.  Wrap it in wax paper and twist the ends.  Microwave for 7 minutes and let sit a couple minutes before unwrapping to serve or eat.
Sometimes more time is needed but 7 minutes is what the plastic wrapped microwave ones say in the produce section and what has worked for me for years.  If you need more that one, then adjust the time about 4-6 minutes for each additional one and have them individually wrapped.
After doing this the first time, make a note of how long it takes with your microwave if it needs more time since different microwaves have different wattage.
If you are eating baked yams or sweet potatoes, then mix some cinnamon with brown sugar to fill it with.
I haven't tried it yet but I think using a piece of a paper grocery bag might work too.  The steam from the potato should keep the paper from catching fire but don't try this unless you are watching it and let me know if it works or you had to call the fire dept and don't blame me.  I have used parchment paper before and plastic wrap but am a little weary of plastic wrap touching food in the microwave from the stories of it as a possible carcinogen.

Boiled Rice Recipe

Yes this is kind of like "how to boil water".  BUT have you tried the awful rice some people make?  A rice cooker is the easiest option but when you don't have one, here's the basic recipe.  If you double or triple it, then cut back some on the water because it won't need as much to cook.

1.  Pour 1 3/4 cups of water in a pot that has a lid.  Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter. 
2. Bring to a rolling boil. I sometimes cheat, don't wait long enough, and people can always tell.
3. Add 1 cup of rice slowly.
4. Cover and cook over low heat.  Set a timer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat to another burner and let sit for 5 minutes more.
5. Fluff with a fork, serve, and eat.

German Pancakes Recipe a.k.a. Oven Pancakes

Use a cake pan, casserole pan, or pie tin.  They are good with syrup and powdered sugar or canned or fresh fruit.  This is the recipe we use but probably the same as everyone else too.  On a trip to England years ago, almost the same thing was served smaller as a bread with dinner.  Dessert to one is a dinner roll to another.

Aunt Janice's Chili Relleno Recipe

Another Aunt Janice recipe.  These Chili Rellenos are great and my wife loves them and orders Chili Rellenos at restaurants regularly so if she likes this recipe then they are at least as good as or better than a good restaurant one.  She is known to not finish ones that are bad.

Cheese Strata Recipe

This is the in-laws Christmas Day and New Years Day and special day recipe that most of the married into the family and almost all of the born into the family love.  It can be made ahead of time and frozen to bake later or baked and frozen to reheat later.  Butter amounts can be increased or decreased and the corner pieces are always the best.

Crepe Recipe

A blender and a pan and just a few ingredients make a crepe that can be filled with anything main dish or dessert.  This is moms recipe that we've used forever.

Chili's knockoff Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe

OK, this is one of my wife's favorite soups on the soup and salad menu so a couple of years ago we went through trial and error of many recipes and adjustments to come up with this recipe that the family likes.  Soy free can be an issue with changing ingredients in the items listed so if soy free is your goal, then check all labels as always, and adapt as needed.  Velveeta surprised me as an ingredient that works the best.  We tried all real cheeses and it just didn't work the same so this is one instance of using an ingredient I never would otherwise.

April, 2015 Update: We just tried the Chicken Enchilada Soup at Claim Jumper last week and was it so awful, neither of us could stomach or handle more than two bites each. It was gritty and tasted like half cooded dry black beans with hard old carrots that were probably some sort of dried out corn or stale corn tortillas thrown in a food processor with enough spices to color it a dark brown.  The fried tortilla strips and few strands of chicken let me know it was indeed what I had ordered instead of a strange chili. The waiter looked at the unfinished soup and looked at us like he knew what was up. I quietly asked and he said with a knowing expression, "Yea, it's supposed to taste like that." He was a great guy and offered another bowl of a different soup to go but I didn't take him up on the offer.  I was full from lots of salad from their salad bar with lots of their hot sweet bacon dressing.  Lesson learned.

Aunt Janice's Enchilada Recipes

Aunt Janice was Mormor's friend from way before California happened and then in later years changed my and some of my siblings diapers.  Years ago, I was at her home for dinner when Cameron was a baby and she made the most wonderful Enchiladas and was kind enough to share the recipes with us.  This is what we have used for years.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are great but the cans of cream of mystery soup used in them kind of gross me out.  They are basically soy and other hydrogenated cheap filler thickener of the moment ingredient substances that slurp out of the can.  Yes they are the staple of many a Midwesterner or Baptist or Mormon or Catholic or other casserole and jello making baking home cook, but replacing with extra sour cream and seasoning can make recipes healthier and less artificial tasting and soy free.

For the Sour Cream Enchilada Recipe posted here, just substitute the soup can amount of more sour cream and a can of soy free canned chicken or other cooked chopped chicken to the mixture.  A little dehydrated onion can also help boost the flavor if needed.

For the Regular Red Enchiladas, the shredded lettuce sounded kind of gross when I saw it in the recipe but when you finely shred it, it great and authentic.

Pineapple Salsa Recipe

Costco or Smart and Final sell great Pineapple and also mango peach salsa. 

The problem is needing it for a chip when we are out of it or the ever changing presence or absence of soy. This recipe can be adjusted as you like but is a basic quick salsa from what is usually in the pantry if you just can't get to the store.  Substitution happens all the time with this recipe.

Waffles Recipe - a big batch

Waffles are great!  So many years soy free has made a necessity of making a big batch for freezing.  Waffles at stores and even at restaurants usually have at least the soy lecithin from the nonstick spray they use on the waffle iron. Here's the recipe we've used for years.  It makes a lot.

Sweet Potato Sefleu or Casserole Recipe

Aunt Stephanie made some great sweet potato stuff for a Thanksgiving years ago and I called her to get the recipe.  When she emailed it to me, she wrote Sweet Potato Sefleu and thats the name we called it because I though it was some Southern name for it. I later found out that Sefleu was just a typo that the spellchecker she had must have mixed up but we've had this recipe in our book this way so long that the title has stayed.

Swedish Orange Gingersnaps Recipe

Its a whole lot easier to buy the great assorted types of Swedish gingersnap cookies at Ikea and even some grocery stores now, especially because they are usually soy free being imported from non soy subsidy countries. 

But, Ikea has been known to run out and grocery stores have at times had ones way past expiration and ransid.

So, here's a way to have them when you can't find them to buy.  Ok they do taste better when homemade if done right.

Mom's Sugar Cookies Recipe

Suzanne makes awesome sugar cookies.  They take time and have to be done correctly.  This is one of those recipes where doing it right matters and one of those recipes where I fail when I follow the recipe.  I don't do it right somehow so mine can be reminiscent of playdough dried in the sun but when Suzanne makes these with the same recipe, they are the best and softest.  They freeze well and ship well in care packages to Utah and Hawaii.  Making these in the Utah altitude and Hawaii humidity might cause some need for modification though.  So here is the recipe and good luck to both of my college children.

 For frosting, call mom because that's another one of those things I just don't do right.

Also a note when letting your younger siblings help.  Have them wash their hands and blow their noses first and put theirs on a separate "special" pan to cook if they are coming in from a hard days play to "help".  The "special" pan is for them.  Ones that are "not special" and fine for anyone that they make don't need to be on the "special" pan. hahaha.... was just thinking of having them make a "special" set to send to college after an afternoon touching starfish and sweating from playing with friends at Sealife at Legoland.  Extra salt and misc. "flavoring" and textures are easily hid with frosting.

Ikea Apple Cake Inspired Recipe Wannabee with Italian tilt

I love the Swedish Apple Cake or Applekaka that used to be a staple at Ikea's restaurant.  Trying to find a duplicate for this recipe is a challenge because there are so many versions of this in Sweden and they just don't turn out the same.  So this recipe is inspired by Ikea and our Swedish roots but a Wannabee because it just isn't the same.  The Italian tilt is because the browned sugar topping and lower profile are more reminiscent of an Italian apple torte. Our favorite way to make this is in a big 12 inch round cake pan and we can polish it off between 4 or 5 of us for breakfast because we love it so much.  A more practical and less caloric way we make it is in two round layer cake pans.  We then eat one of them for 4 or 5 of us and freeze the 2nd one in a gallon Ziploc for a different day.       

OK UPDATE DECEMBER 2011.... Just was at Ikea in San Diego and what used to be a wonderful cake of beautifully sliced apples that was amazing is now a cake of apple chunks that look mooshed and pressed together with goop so they can be mass produced cheaply and sold frozen.  I sooooooooo miss the old Apple Cake they used to have.  So I now love this posted recipe so much more that I don't think I'll ever want to even try to put the new IKEA Slop of an apple cake in my mouth again.  SOOOOOOOO SAD that the good stuff is gone.

UPDATE APRIL 2015.... Tried it again at IKEA last week and now it is almost completely some sort of congealed cornstarch or hardened mush filler that isn't even goop consistency any more. I miss the Applekaka of the past but am thankful for the recipe I have and am hopeful to find a real one again some day in Sweden or somewhere here in the states.

Emily's Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

I can't find the old recipe card that the recipe started from but this is the recipe that I think was printed for a 5th grade demonstration presentation years ago.  That would definitely explain the font.  This is the same as Aunt Sheila's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Cooking them just underdone enough to stay soft was always Emily's key to making them right for her preference and that of her friends.  There was a better copy of this that Emily used to pass out to a few friends but this is what is in our binder cookbook and the plastic sleeve needs to be wiped off from lots of use.

Marasche Cherry with Almond Paste Cookies

The Recipe posted here is from a recipe book listed in it but just use it as a guide and please change it if you need to.  There are many recipes out on the internet and many are pretty bad so work with what you have available and adjust it to your areas humidity and you own oven.

To make the cookie, you basically take a good almond paste or make your own, then mix it with egg white until it is the thick cookie mix consistency you want, like playdough.  Next take the best bottled sour or sweet cherry that you can find or afford (cheap maraschino ones work but pale in comparison to a really amazing cherry) and put it inside of a ball of the almond mixture.  Close the ball around the cherry, kind of like hiding something inside a wad of playdough as a kid.  Then if you want, and I do, roll the ball in almond slices or shreds or crumbs for an additional outside texture and bake at about 350 depending on your oven until done enough to be firm but not hard like a stale rock.

Costco and Sams Club are usually the best places to find slivered almonds at the best price but Smart and Final sometimes has them for a reasonable price too.  To find Almond Paste, head for the Kosher section and hope they have Solo brand Almond Paste in a can.  It has been the easiest for me to work with and is usually much more economical than the toothpaste tube other couple brands that can be runny and even a little too grainy.  Solo brand Almond filling is ok for fillings in pastrys but doesn't work as a replacement to almond paste so depending on your options available at the stores, make your own if you need to.


There are two of my favorite cookies made of Almonds.  The Marasche from Il Fornaio Restaurant in Del Mar, California that is usually available around Christmas and the Almond Crescent Cookie dipped half way in chocolate from a French bakery just off the Carlsbad Village Drive exit on the 5 as you get off driving southbound.  I think its right next to the old quirky Ace Hardware that's been there forever.  The Almond Cookie from the French bakery will have to wait for another day since I haven't attempted to replicate that recipe yet and the size of that one is probably the same cost or more to make than to just buy with all the almond paste it must use.  I forgot to mention there is also an almond brownie recipe that I love and that may get posted soon too.

Yes still here.

Yikes!  Tons more recipes to post and I should have had most of them already included by now. Duh....  OK so here go the next set of soy free and soy free adaptable recipes since daughter 1 is moving out of the dorms and will be cooking on her own tonight.  You would think I would have had time to get more of this done over the past year while daughter 2 has been in kindergarten.

Devilled Eggs Recipe "Doubled Eggs"

How to boil eggs and what to do with them after dying them for Easter from the mouth of a preschooler.

Easter Dinner 2011

Fish Tacos

My favorite fish tacos are at Cessy's in Carlsbad, California.  Rubios is pretty good too but I like Rubio's most for the chopped salad with about 1 cup of their green salsa on top.  When its just too much effort to drive over to Cessy's or even down the road to Rubio's and we have some decent frozen breaded fish in the freezer, this is great!!!

Fajita Marinade, Carne Asada

Our friend, Zulema has given us some great suggestions on different Mexican foods and this marinade is one of them.  We were talking once and I told her how I really wanted to make carne asada but couldn't because of the soy allergy problems in the family.  She shared this with me and we love it.  Add as much of any of the ingredients that you want to your taste and heat tolerance level.  Mayonaise is key to making it really work on the grill and you can either make your own or buy soy-free mayonaise pretty easily.

Remember to always check the Cholula or other sauce you add for soy allergens.  Cholula has been ok for our soy allergy family member BUT I'm not absolutely sure that it is soy free even after speaking with the company on the phone.  Please check for yourself.

Citrus Dressing and Winger's Sauce

So I don't forget the Citrus Dressing we use for Apple Pear Pecan salad or Winger's Sauce for Wingers Chicken that we don't have in Califorinia, here they are.  Not a pretty printout but since Grandma wanted the Cilantro lime dressing posted, I didn't want to forget these.

Cilantro Lime Vinegrette, Cafe Rio reminiscent

Ok Grandma, here is the dressing from Sunday's dinner.  It is similar to the cafe rio vinegrette but not really the same.  It is great with salad and meat.

Orange Rolls and Swedish Tea Rings

There is way too much to say about Orange Rolls and Swedish Tea Rings.  I just don't have the time right now.  BUT, I keep forgetting to post this handout Suzanne did years ago that works for both.  She makes amazing orange rolls and her hints are from experience.  This year we did our traditional Tea Rings but didn't have time for separate orange rolls so we used double the orange roll filling and used it to make a couple of the tea rings and it was so much easier than making individual rolls and cleaning out all the muffin tins, that I thnk we may do the orange roll Swedish tea ring hibrid from now on,(or at least if I'm making them alone.)

For a pretty good Almond Filling I put 2 cups of white sugar, 1 cup of almonds, 2 teaspoons of almond extract and 1 cup of melted butter in the Cuisinart until it basically becomes almond paste.

For Swedish Tea Rings, I also frost them when cooled with an almond frosting and then sprinkle sliced almonds over the top if I have them.  Blackberry, Raspberry, or Boysenberry Jam with butter for a filling with or without sliced almonds mixed works well for filling too.  Let them rise about 30 minutes or more after shaping them.

FREEZING: I used to make these with cinnamon, orange zest, or almond paste and freeze after cutting the dough wrapped in plastic wrap and then in gallon ziplocks.  They were easy to thaw and bake leaving out overnight.  Instead of detailing the process, here is a similar to same process that I used to to and it has pictures. Freezing cinnamon roll dough to bake later

Empanadas and Fillings

Yes, I make empanadas and because of soy allergy problems, I make them in big batches for the freezer.  They are amazingly helpful for lunches and times we go anywhere that we need to have something in case there isn't anything soy-free when we are out.  I used to have to reserve most of them for my daughter with the allergy or they would dissapear too quickly to replace.  Recently a new restaurant called the "Gauchito Grill" has opened near San Marcos Civic Center and has amazing empanadas and Milanesas so I can enjoy them for myself without the work.  $2.00 per empanada for myself and wife is fine to have the variety without the work.  It is a little too much to pay to put 60+ of them in my freezer though so I will continue making them at home.  We tried making peanut butter and jelly versions and its just not worth it. 

The recipe makes about 32 of them if you roll the dough out thick like my wife likes them or about 64 of them if you roll them out thin.  I like them both ways but usually make somewhere between 32 and 60 of them.  I will make a double batch occasionally but usually wind up giving up near the end and turn the last of the dough into pizza blanks or pitas to dip in tzatziki sauce for a greek meal later.

Below is a copy of the menu from the Gauchitos Grill to give ideas on other fillings and also to drool over if you are too far away to visit it.

Carrot Cake

I used to have a Carrot Cake recipe that I adapted from this one but eventually adapted it too much by cutting oil and adding applesauce and other things to cut the fat and up the veggie content until it wasn't good any more.  So I'm back to the original recipe but do replace about half the oil with applesauce and sometimes double the carrots and usually make one sheet cake pan of it with pecans for nuts and one sheet cake pan with no nuts.  One recipe works for one sheet cake pan which I cut and freeze without frosting and keep in gallon ziplock bags for lunches and after school treats.

Nick's Chili Recipe - 2nd Grader Style

Cameron's Chili Recipe was made in Elementary School years ago, so it just goes to figure that Nick would want to come up with his own recipe.  He says that if you don't have enough hamburger then use some chicken you cook from the freezer or the canned kind from Sam's Club. ( the Sam's Club canned chicken has been soy-free in the past so that's why we have about 30 cans in the cupboard.)   A key to it is also to drain and rinse the green chili's or it will be too spicy for little brothers or sisters.  Corn bread crumbled over it can help tone down spiciness though if needed.

This is a great kid recipe because it pretty much involves opening cans and stirring.  Here is the raw hand scrawled version.

"Two Egg Cake"

Here are the versions of our most used cake recipe because we never used mixes.  Use any one of them at your own discretion.  One of them really does work but its up to you to figure out which one.  I am not listing the sources but I bet you can tell which one I WON'T be using again.

OK, most of my siblings that were around when we had the rule that everyone had to try at least 1 or 2 bites of whatever creation any of us made for the family should remember the "Best Two Egg Cake" I made.  All mom and I could figure was that I must have mixed up the Flour and the Baking Soda with reversing the amounts of each.  I put something like 2 cups of soda into it and really thought I was following the recipe so well.  It was the basic cake recipe we used through the years for most birthday cakes and cupcakes and seemed to always work without fail.  SO, how did I make it so awful that one time and have it be one of the continuing family jokes through the years.  I can still taste how awful it was and at the same time how funny it was that everyone had to eat some.

The answer came about a year ago when I was looking up the recipe online and soon after visited Mormor and Papa and was able to get a copy from the old family "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book" from 1976.  It is so worn and

stained and covered in years of pancake and other batter spilled and wiped off from 9 plus kids using it as THE cookbook until mom bought the Fanny Farmer Cook

book when I was maybe in high school.  I was surprised to find the old book still around.

 I copied the version from the cookbook but also found online one version of the cake listed "2 1/2 cups of Baking Powder/"  I vaguely remember that mom had bought a paperback version of the cookbook when I was young because it was the NEW NEW version and our older one was kind of worn way back then.  I also vaguely remember how she got frustrated with it and threw it away saying she was staying with the old one because the new one just didn't have things work right.  Well..... it now seems that the edition I think she threw away had at least one major error in one of our most used recipes and the terrible cake I made was from that edition.  Kind of nice after more than a couple decades to find out I followed the recipe correctly and it really wasn't my fault.  To all my siblings that had to suffer, this was one time that I didn't play a joke on anyone.  Yes the toothpaste frosting and that time I did the terrible Tabasco sauce Popsicle were real jokes but at least the salty cake wasn't.

Banana Bread - Not My Favorite

YUCK!!!! Just pulled out a frozen pack of ripe bananas from the freezer looking for chicken.  NO! Banana Bread is not my favorite and I only occassionaly tolerate it but my family likes it so here is the recipe we've used.  If you're making it for me, please add nuts and NEVER add chocolate chips.  Something about chocolate chips in banana bread makes my stomach turn when I bite into it and I've heard the same from some others when its been served at church potlucks too.  OK now that I've offended every person that loves the chocolate chips in it and has given it to us as gifts or served it to us, there are enough people in our family that like it that way that it is always eaten and enjoyed. 

Please mash, smash, pulverize the banana enough so it doesn't have chunks of slime throughout.  I think the chunks of slime bit is what has turned me off from banana bread in general.  Its the surprise in a bite I just don't want to find.  Kind of like the instant slime rehydration of seaweed in California Roll sushi that makes me stay away but not to the slime factor of Sea Urchin in sushi.

Divinity Recipe

BUMMER!!!!!  Divinity just doesn't work when it's humid from raining.  You can try and make adjustments but even if you get it to work, it quickly changes with the humidity and you have to try drying it out again in the oven before serving, SO since this was a really wet Christmas season this year we didn't make any, but here's the recipe anyway so you can make it when weather dries out.

12th Day of Christmas, Pistachios

11th Day of Christmas, Pumpkin Pie

10th Day of Christmas, Homemade Caramel Corn

9th Day of Christmas, Raspberry Chipotle Dip

Yes this image says 1st Day of Christmas not 9th but I switched the 1st and 9th days this year.

8th Day of Christmas, Coconut Chex Mix

This is great munchy food.