Pizza Improvised

Last night pizza was on the menu. It was 96º outside. Turning the oven on would have made it stifling inside. I put on my thinking cap and turned Marine; did a little improvising.

1 loaf (16 oz) Everything Italian bread (bought on mark down at Wally world on a Friday afternoon and thrown into the freezer for later use)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
6-7 cherry tomatoes
5 fresh basil leaves
½ tsp garlic powder
1small onion
2 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped pepperoni
1 cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat heat grill and set to medium. Split bread lengthwise; brush with olive oil. Place, inside down, on grill for 2-3 minutes, to lightly brown bread. Remove from grill and turn temperature to low.

In food processor or grinder, combine tomatoes, basil leaves, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and onion and chop/process until a paste is made.

In small bowl mix tomato paste, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and tomato/basil paste together and stir well. Spread on bread halves. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni and green pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and 1 tsp Italian seasoning.

Place bread halves on aluminum foil and cook on grill, covered for about 15-20 minutes. Be sure to check as some grills cook hotter than others and you don’t want the bottoms of the bread to burn. Remove from grill, slice and serve.



© Crackerberries 2009

Reese's Sweet No-Bake Treat

Tall Cool One likes his sweet treat in the middle of the night… he is the epitome of Cookie Monster. When it is anything over 90º and no air conditioning, who in their right mind wants the oven baking cookies? I made this rice crispy square kind of treat but different.

½ cup sugar
½ cup Reese’s mini pieces
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
½ cup cinnamon mini wheat’s, crumbled
½ cup peanuts



Combine sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in large microwavable bowl. Cook on high one minute, remove from microwave and stir well. Cook on high one minute; add vanilla and stir well.

Fold in rice chex, mini wheat’s and peanuts until well blended. Spread mixture in 9½ x 7 pan lined with wax paper, cover with wax paper and refrigerate for one hour. Cut into 12 bars.

© Crackerberries 2009

Bratty Tortellini

2 Bratwurst Sausages
12 oz Copper Hook
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups cooked tortellini
8 small to medium size mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh baby spinach
½ cup fresh shredded Asiago cheese

Cook bratwurst in small sauce pan over medium heat in beer for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally. In small bowl combine 1 Tbsp oil, garlic, onion and basil and mix well to form a paste.

In large skillet heat remaining oil and add paste, and cook 1-2 minutes; add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add spinach and tortellini and heat just until spinach starts to wilt (1-2 minutes). Slice bratwurst into bite size pieces and add to tortellini. Transfer to serving plate and top with cheese.

© Crackerberries 2009

Ice Cream Spoon Pops

I scream!
You scream!
We all scream for ice cream!
For breakfast!

Okay… so I’m getting a little carried away. But on those wicked hot mornings, what better way to start the day than with an ice cream? Add a little yogurt and fruit and it’s not only cool and refreshing, but if you add a piece of toast it's breakfast. I used peaches because that’s what I have the most of … but you could try strawberries and strawberry yogurt, blueberries and blueberry yogurt. Get your creative juices flowing and whip up a spoon pop!

2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup peach preserves
6 oz peach yogurt

Combine all three ingredients in blender and mix well. Pour into plastic cups. Place a plastic spoon in the center of each cup and cover with plastic wrap. Carefully cut hole in top of plastic wrap to accommodate spoon handle. Place in freezer for about 4 hours.

Enjoy for breakfast or a healthy snack on those hot, humid, hazy dog days.


© Crackerberries 2009

Love My Husband Taco Salad

Show your husband how much you love him even when you throw the simplest things together for din-din! :)

16 oz red kidney beans
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp dried cilantro leaves
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp black pepper
8 oz can tomatoes
Cornstarch for thicken (optional)
1½ cup sour cream
2 cups shredded lettuce
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup slice black olives
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup shredded cheddar
6 6-inch corn tortillas
Oil for cooking


Cut corn tortillas in quarters to make chips or if you want to get really amorous you can take kitchen scissors and cut heart shapes out of the tortillas. Heat oil over medium high heat and cook the tortillas 1-2 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with seasoning salt (if desired). I mixed a combination of celery salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and paprika to sprinkle on mine. Cover cooked tortillas with a paper towel and set aside.

In large skillet brown the ground beef and drain grease. Add tomatoes with juice, cumin, paprika, cilantro, cayenne, black pepper and stir well. Bring to a slow simmer. Thicken with cornstarch if needed. Only use ½ tsp at a time as it will thicken fast.

Gently fold in beans. (Most people would say drain the juice from the beans…I keep it because I use my homemade beans and I think it adds more flavor.) Cook for about 5 more minutes or until heated through.

Spread chili bean mixture on bottom of glass pie plate. Top with sour cream. Cover with shredded lettuce, onion, tomatoes, shredded cheddar and olives. Serve with homemade tortillas, a side of guacamole and salsa.



© Crackerberries 2009

Recycled Macaroni Salad

After cooking for teen-agers … (boy, can’t they put the food away?) sometimes I still find myself cooking to feed an army. Sometimes the ideas I come up with to do with the leftovers are a disaster … other times they turn out to be a blessing. I remember when I told my mother about this one, she said, “UGH, that’s just gross!” The truth of the matter is it didn’t really sound too appetizing, but I have to say, once we tried it, it was a definite keeper!




4 cups leftover macaroni salad


(I make my macaroni salad with a combo of mayo, Miracle Whip, chopped sweet pickles, green peppers, onions, green olives, peas, tuna fish and onion and a bunch of different spices)


2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 small onion, finely chopped
¼ tsp pepper
2½ cups milk
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices American cheese
¾ cups crushed potato chips



In a medium sauce pan cook the onion in the butter over medium heat until tender. Add flour and pepper to create paste. Add milk stirring constantly; cook and stir constantly over medium heat, until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheeses and stir until melted. Combine with macaroni salad and transfer to a 2-qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips. Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.


© Crackerberries 2009

Saucy Salsa

Tall Cool One makes fun of the way I say salsa…he says I say “SELTZA”. I don’t hear it come out that way. “Salsa, Seltza” … it’s all the same to me. You put it on a lime tortilla and yum; you got yourself a healthy nutritious and delicious snack. The good thing about this recipe, you can make it as hot or as mild as you like. Tall Cool One just whipped up a recipe and put a handful of chopped Chile peppers in … I don’t think I can eat it. Feel free to add more or less on the garlic and the jalapeño peppers or you may want to even try different peppers.

8 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 cups coarsely chopped onions (2 Vidalia + 1 red)
1 cup coarsely chopped green pepper
1 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeño
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp coarse salt (canning salt)
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 oz tomato paste (optional)

Combine all ingredients except the tomato paste in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tomato paste, if desired (this just thickens the mixture a little and adds a little more red color to it…works well if some of the tomatoes you are using are green). Ladle the salsa into hot sterilized jars, leave ½ inch head space. Wipe the rims clean, add covers. Process the jars for 20 minutes in boiling water bath. Quantity: 5 pints.


Crackerberries 2009

Cherry Tomato Chow Chow

Chow Chow Chow


Typically I only put my own recipes on here, but Tim from CCL asked if I was going to have it posted and so…here it is. I found this recipe in the August edition of Cooking Light when I was trying to find something to do with all of the cherry tomatoes we had. You can serve this will beans, field peas, ham, chicken, burgers or on hot dogs, bratwurst or even on a turkey burger. You might even try it on a veggie roll-up.


2¼ cups white vinegar
1½ cups sugar
18 black peppercorns
9 whole allspice seeds
1½(3-inch) cinnamon sticks
6 cups chopped seeded tomato (I just chopped the cherry tomatoes)
4 cups chopped green cabbage
1½ cup chopped green pepper
1½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1¼ tsp salt
2 Serrano chili peppers, minced



Combine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, allspice and cinnamon in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook one minute and add veggies and salt. Return to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature; discard cinnamon sticks. Place tomato mixture in air tight containers and store in refrigerator for up to three weeks. Chow chow grows tastier with time.

I think you could probably process this in a boiling bath for 15-20 minutes, if you were of a mind to put some up for winter.

© Crackerberries 2009

Dog Days of Summer Iced Tea

August always brought about the dog days of summer. I remember my grandmother always saying to me, “don’t plague the dog, he’ll go mad”. Never really knew what that meant other than it was so dang hot outside, who wants someone plaguing ‘em? They were wicked hot days and the nights weren’t any cooler. My Mimi would make ice tea and cucumber sandwiches and say that would cool us off. It was good. I remember at night lying on the grass watching the lightening bugs and looking up at the stars. I was amazed at how vast a universe there was out there. The dog days have rolled around again. I wonder what happened to the lightening bugs, still I am in awe of God’s creation and I recall how good a mason jar of homemade iced tea tastes … just like my Mimi used to make.

8 tea bags
2 quarts cold water

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Place tea bags and cold water in a large glass jug. Set in the sun for a day. Remove tea bags and refrigerate. Sweeten with homemade syrup.

Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cool and store in fridge.




© Crackerberries 2009

Stuffed Cabblage Leaves

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cup white rice, cooked
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
6 large cabbage leaves
½ cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 cups salsa





In large skillet cook beef and onion until meat is brown; drain off fat. Add tomatoes, 1 cup salsa, rice, thyme, nutmeg and pepper and bring to a boil and cook 1 minute; remove from heat and set aside.

Trim away heave veins from back of each cabbage leaf. Place leaves in boiling water for about 2½ minutes; or just until limp.

Combine parmesan cheese and beef mixture. Divide beef mixture up amongst cabbage leaves. Fold in sides and roll each one being sure to get the folded side in the roll. Place in greased baking dish seam side down. Pour remaining salsa over cabbage leaves. Cover and bake at 350º 35 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with Colby-Monterey Jack cheese and bake uncovered another 10 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.


© Crackerberries 2009

BTC Omelet

Omelets aren't just for breakfast!

3 large brown eggs, beaten
1 large tomato
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 – 2 slices American cheese
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 medium onion, diced
4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled






Heat non-stick fry pan to over medium high heat. Slice two pieces from the tomato and dice the rest. Dice the onion; cook over medium heat just until crisp tender (about 2 minutes). Remove from pan, set aside; wipe the pan clean with paper towel. Spray with non cooking oil and heat over medium high heat. Add fresh ground pepper to egg mixture and pour into pan. Using spatula, pull egg mixture carefully toward you to let uncooked portion drain off cooked portion. Once you have all of the egg cooked, sprinkle with bacon, tomato, onion, and mozzarella cheese into the highest side of the egg mixture. Carefully fold the egg over with spatula and top with American cheese and sliced tomatoes and any bacon crumbs leftover.

© Crackerberries 2009

Snowman Donuts

Back in the day when Tall Cool One and I were next door neighbors and “going together” my dad would let him come over every other night only to watch Rockford Files and then he had to go home. On special nights when our moms went to ceramics class, Dad would get the deep fryer out and we would have a time… flour everywhere. Mom used to get so mad when she came home…no one can quite clean up your kitchen like yourself, if you know what I mean. We have the ceramics that our moms made us that year and sometimes we whip up a batch and reminisce about the days when Dad made us the donuts. Not sure if this is the recipe he used, but it worked pretty good for us and it makes a double batch so we could whip up a bunch later.

4½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup non-fat dry milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1½ cups shortening

In large bowl combine flour, powdered milk, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Mixture can be stored in an air tight container for up to 6 months. Yield 2 batches of donuts.

4½ cups mix
2 eggs
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Oil for deep frying

Combine eggs, milk and vanilla; pour over doughnut mix and stir just until moistened. Turn dough on floured surface and knead 15-25 times. Using donut cutter or fancy cookie cutter, cut into ½” thickness. Cook in 370º oil for 1½ minutes per side. Yield 1½ dozen donuts.

© Crackerberries 2009

Vidalia Onion Applesauce

So everyone has heard of pork chops and applesauce? Sometimes you gotta think out of the box – or out of the apple-ordinary!

5 apples, peeled & cored
1 cup water
½ tsp ground cloves
1 cup sugar
1 large Vidalia onion
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp thyme leaves


Dice apples and place in sauce pan with water and cloves. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat. Cook for about an hour or until apples are tender and mushy, taking cover off for last 15 minutes or so to cook down liquid. Add sugar and set aside.

In small skillet heat oil and add diced Vidalia; cook for about 8-10 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar, stirring often and cook 2 minutes. Add vinegar, continuing to stir and cook three more minutes. Stir in apple mixture and thyme. Cool and serve with pork, chicken or lamb.

© Crackerberries 2009