CRACKERBERRIES KITCHEN

Friday, April 5, 2024

Eggplant Parmesan

*After yesterdays Dilly Debacle Tall Cool ☺ne said I better make something good.

1 small eggplant

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup Italian bread crumbs

¼ cup flour

2-3 tbsp. canola oil

½ cup fresh parmesan cheese

4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

16 oz. marinara sauce

Preheat oven 350º

Wash eggplant and cut off ends. Slightly peel (not necessary). Slice into ¼ inch slices. Combine bread crumbs and flour and mix well. Dip eggplant in beaten eggs, then dredge through the bread crumb mixture. Heat oil over high heat in large skillet. Cook about 1½ minute flipping half way through. Drain on paper towels.

Layer cooked eggplant in baking dish alternating with fresh parmesan cheese, marinara sauce and mozzarella. Bake 350º for about 15 minutes, just until chees melts and sauce is bubbly. Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve with your favorite pasta or to make it heathy we love it with spiralized sweet potato.

Enjoy♥

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge. Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Dilly Salmon Loaf

1 (15½ oz.) can salmon, drained and flaked

2 cups fresh bread crumbs (great to use up some of that leftover sourdough bread in the freezer)

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup finely chopped onion

3 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dill weed

Preheat oven to 350º

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Shape into loaf (my mother always put it in copper fish casserole pan) and place in a greased baking dish. Bake 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes and top with lemon dill sauce before serving.

Lemon Dill Sauce

1/3 cup butter

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 egg

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tbsp. sugar

¼ cup chicken broth

¼ tsp. dill weed

Melt butter in sauce pan and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Do not boil. Refrigerate leftovers.

Just a side note: This is not one of my better recipes. I was struggling with something for D and Dill came to mind. I thought of doing a dill egg salad sammich and probably should have went with that idea. Sometimes when a thought comes to mind, stick with it... don't second guess yourself. Tall Cool ☺ne said I had to include a disclosure with the post. I told him salmon is an acquired taste and some people might like it.

Enjoy♥

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge. Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Chili

BEANS:

16 oz. dry red kidney beans

½ cup sugar

½ ketchup

¼ cup molasses

2 tsp. dry mustard

½ cup chopped onion

¼ lb. salt pork

Salt and pepper.

Soak beans overnight, drain, rinse, and put in crock pot with just enough water to cover. Add ingredients and cook on high for 3 hours (DO NOT TAKE COVER OFF DURING THIS COOKING TIME) Turn down to low and cook 5-6 more hours.

CHILI

1¼ lb. chopped steak, (leftovers from Tall Cool ☺ne's grilling)

1 pkg. hot sausage links, removed from casing

1 qt. stewed tomatoes (from last year's garden)

1 can tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

4 tbsp. chili powder

1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. basil

2 tbsp. paprika

Cook sausage and drain off grease. Add all other ingredients and let simmer for about 1½-2 hours.

The thing I like about chili is no matter how many times I make it, it always seems to get better. Even when I follow my favorite recipe, I add something or change something and it always gets better. Recipes are like that. They can always be improved upon.

Do you have a favorite chili recipe? Do share with me.

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge. Be sure to visit other players and don't forget to check out Crackerberries.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Beefy Open-Faced Fajita via Flatbread

Preheat pizza stone 375º

2 Stonefire authentic flatbreads (I got them on mark down and didn't know what I'd use them for)

2 slices Monterey Jack Cheese

2 slices Colby Jack Cheese

½ finely chopped sweet onion

6-8 oz. grilled beef (top round or London broil), thinly sliced

1 tomato, sliced

1-2 tbsp. parmesan cheese

½ cup red enchilada sauce

2 tbsps. candied jalapeños

fresh chives and thyme (optional)

Did I mention these posts were going to be a miracle? I thought I was going to be all ready and have my posts done for the challenge. (We all know what thought did).

So Tall Cool ☺ne likes to grill on the weekends and always has lots of meat to use for the week. I needed something for B and it just so happens that he cooked beef over the weekend. I always love it when I can use whatever we have in the fridge that's left over from something else. The great thing about this recipe is it's very versatile. It can be any meat you want or if you want completely veggie, that's okay too. Isn't that what recipes are for? A guide and you make it your own by experimenting with what tastes and works best for you.

Slice the flatbreads and place the cheese inside. Top with the onion, then the beef. and cover with tomato. Put the tomato over the beef as it keeps it moist when it's cooking and keeps it from drying out. Then top with the enchilada sauce, parmesan jalapeños and fresh herbs.

I used two flatbreads which was more than enough for us. But we like to have leftovers for lunch for the next day so it worked out perfect.

Cook in preheated oven about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Cut into quarters and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Do some experimenting to make it your own. Don't forget to go see Crackerberries.

Enjoy ♥

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.

Monday, April 1, 2024

Asparagus Omelet

4 eggs, slightly beaten with 2 tbsp. water

4 oz. can mushrooms, drained (I would have used ½ cup sliced fresh but I didn't have any)

6 oz. can white crabmeat, drained

*½ cup premade hollandaise sauce

½ bunch fresh asparagus, cook crisp tender (steamed for 2-3 minutes)

1 slice Colby Jack cheese

Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

In medium skillet, spray with cooking oil and cook eggs over medium heat just until set. Meanwhile combine crabmeat, mushrooms and hollandaise sauce and stir to combine. Add to one side of the eggs after they have set. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Carefully fold egg minute in half. Top with slice of cheese and let stand 5 minutes before cutting in half.

Serve with toast and fresh fruit.

Serves 2

*You can make your own hollandaise sauce that is even more healthy than the premade.

¼ cup plain low fat yogurt

1 tbsp. mayonnaise
½ tsp lemon juice

1 tsp. dry mustard

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix well.

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge. Visit Crackerberries.

Enjoy ♥

Sunday, March 17, 2024

O'Harbie's Milseog

CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup toasted chopped walnuts

1 stick butter

Combine ingredients in small bowl and cut in butter until crumbly. Press into a greased baking 8x11" or 9x13" baking dish. Bake in pre-heated 350º oven 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack and prepare filling.

FILLING

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained (reserve liquid)

1 3 oz. pkg. lime gelatin

1 3 oz. pkg. island pineapple gelatin

1½ cup mini marshmallows

4 medium bananas chopped/sliced

1 cup boiling water

2 cups cold water

Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, stir in cold water. Place in freezer to chill about 30 minutes. Once it's thickened, fold in 1 cup marshmallows, bananas and crushed pineapple. Spoon over cooled crust. Refrigerated until firm, about 1 hour.

TOPPING

½ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup Cool Whip

1 cup coconut flakes

Food Coloring (if desired)

Combine reserved pineapple juice in small sauce pan with sugar and flour. Cook and stir over medium heat until thicken and bubbly. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour a small amount of sauce into beaten eggs, stirring the eggs constantly. Add egg mixture to pan and bring to a gently boil, cooking for another 2 minutes.

Let cool completely and then fold in Cool Whip. Spread over gelatin layer and let chill. Right before serving top with toasted coconut flakes and tinted mini-marshmallows.

***I was going to save this recipe for the blogging challenge but I got thinking this would make a really cool recipe for EASTER... those little green marshmallow could be tinted pink and orange and look like little EASTER eggs. So I decided to share it today. It is St. Patrick's Day after all.

Cheers,

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Spirit Feeding • Flesh Starving † Theme Reveal

This year’s blog came way too fast. As every year I had all intentions of having my posts done and ready to go so that I have more time to visit other people’s blogs. OMG I’m such a procrastinator.

This is my tenth year participating in the A2Z Challenge. It’s so much fun. Hooking up with fellow bloggers is like a family reunion. I started this post on Valentine’s Day. I figured if I started then and wrote one post a day I’d have all of my posts completed by the time Theme Reveal came out and I could just enjoy reading others posts. Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Which brings me to my theme.

Similar to last year I will be in tandem with Crackerberries posting a blurb there and a recipe here. When I first went to Culinary Arts back in the 80’s I learned to cook for institutions. BIG! When I got married and had children and we always had a ton of family around so the cooking continued to be BIG!

Like the theme for the A-Z team, this year, Crackeberries Kitchen will be blogging about hope and positivity by starving the flesh. (Learning to cook for two instead of an army!)

Tall Cool ☺ne and I have walked thousands of miles over the last 18 years. I’ve shared some posts about it in the past on Joe & Ella’s blog. We all need that encouragement to be better stewards of our bodies. We committed to calorie counting again at the beginning of the year. Unlike anyone else, starting a resolution is easy, sticking to it, not so much. The struggle is real, my friend, the struggle is real.

My friend, Beck asked me if I had any suggestions on how to cook for one or two. I never really gave it a thought until now. So here's the challenge! Cooking for two and trust me when I say it's going to be a challenge. Hope you’ll join me in the A2Z blogging challenge.

Cheers,

Thursday, March 7, 2024

It's coming

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! My favorite time of year is coming up. Stay tuned next week for the awesome THEME REVEAL. Can you wait? I know I can't!

The team's theme for this site for April 2024 will be hope, positivity, and ~~living your best life~~ blogging your best blog. Victorious Blogging.

I kind of have my theme mapped out, but I still have a little tweaking to do.

Who's with me for the challenge? Who's with me to just follow along with my posts? I really hope you'll play along. You won't be disappointed. Money back guaranteed!☺

Cheers,

Monday, February 12, 2024

Savory Pork Loin with Garlic Honey Glaze

Savory Pork Loin Roast

Ingredients:

3 lb. Pork Loin Roast

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

Spice Rub

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. crushed rosemary

Honey Glaze

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup honey

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside. Pat dry pork loin with paper towels.
In a small mixing bowl combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Rub pork with a little olive oil and then rub the spice mix all over the pork.
Heat olive oil over medium heat and sear the pork loin until browned on all sides; about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer pork loin to baking sheet, fat-layer side up; set aside.
In a bowl, combine garlic, honey, soy sauce, mustard and oil; whisk until well combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce to use for the vegetables.
Brush remaining honey mixture over the pork loin. Roast for 25 minutes.
Toss the vegetables with a tablespoon of olive oil and the reserved honey mixture. Pull pork roast out of the oven and add the vegetables all around it in one layer.
Tent a piece of foil over the pork so the top doesn't get too crispy. Put back in the oven and continue to cook for 25 to 30 more minutes, or until internal temperature of the pork loin reaches 145˚F. Toss vegetables half way through cooking.
Remove baking sheet from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Cut the pork in slices and serve with veggies.

SIDE NOTE: make extra honey garlic glaze to add to meat when serving.

© Crackerberries 2024

Monday, November 27, 2023

Sourdough Pie Crust (with Turkey Pot Pie)

So I've been using this sourdough starter that my friend Kathy gave me for over a year now. I've been able to keep it alive too. ☺ As always, I'm willing to try new things with the dough. Kathy sent this to me and said "What do you think?" Well, I've gotta tell ya, pie will never be the same again once you try it with sourdough pie crust. It is so easy and easy to work with too.

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 oz. butter, cut into cubes

4 oz. Crisco (or other lard)

1 cup sourdough starter (I was just a little bit short so added a little more water)

2 tbsp. ice water

Cut the butter and Crisco into the flour, sugar, and salt mixture until it resemble small peas. Add sourdough and mix to combine. Add water if necessary.

Kathy's recipe said to wrap in plastic and refrigerate several hours until chilled. I just used mine at the time I made it and it was fine. It can be kept in fridge for several days or freeze for future use.

Yield: 2 crusts (with enough leftover for amazing pinwheels).

©Crackerberries Kitchen 2023

Friday, November 24, 2023

Sourdough Dinner Rolls

1½ cup sourdough starter

½ cup warm water

2 tbsp. butter

1 egg

¼ cup sugar

3½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. yeast

Combine the sourdough starter with the warm water and mix to combine. (If you don’t have 1½ cups of starter, just add enough water to equal 2 cups of liquid). Place ingredients in the bread machine in the following order: butter, starter mixture, egg, sugar, flour, salt, (optional herbs or spices) and finally the yeast.

Select dough setting. Once the bread machine has stopped, remove dough and let rest about 5 minutes. Cut into 12-16 equal portions and roll in balls. Place on parchment paper line cookie sheet and press to flatten just slightly. Cover with towel to rise for about 45-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375º. If desired, brush tops of rolls with beaten egg or milk and cut little crosses in the tops. Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove, cool, serve.

Other options.

Herb Garlic Rolls: add ½ tsp. thyme, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. basil, and ½ tsp. oregano.

Sweet Spice Rolls: increase sugar to ½ cup and add ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. allspice, ½ tsp. nutmeg.

PS if you want to read more about Christmas and newsletters check out the post over on Crackerberries writings.

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Blueberry Salsa

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 cups grape tomatoes, thinly sliced

½ cup sweet yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1-2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

1-2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. With a fork, gently smash ingredients together to combine flavors. Let chill in fridge for flavors to incorporate for at least an hour before serving with tortilla chips.

Enjoy this recipe I stole from my favorite Lowe's Food Store where we sip and shop.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Reflections on Feeding the Flock 23

Another A-Z challenge completed. This is something I’ve been doing since 2015. I actually dabbled in it in 2014 but was not very successful. It disciplines me to actually take the time to write. I always have full intentions of continuing to write throughout the year, but life seems to get in the way. We all have priorities and each one takes a different precedence over someone else’s concerns. What is important to me is probably not important to you. My cousin Eric writes a newsletter every month about rocks. For the life of me I don’t know what is so special about rocks? click here if you really want to know., But he loves it. I applaud him for all the work he puts into that newsletter every month, even though I don't understand most of what I read.

I enjoy this challenge very much. Every year I get to reconnect with the fellow blogger’s I’ve met over the years. Every once in awhile I'll make a few new friends. It’s like a family reunion online.

This year I stretched myself too far. My theme this year had to do with The Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all the nations…” FEEDING THE FLOCK 23 was my theme. Check out W-WAKE UP. That’s where my theme idea originated.

I took on more than I should have by opting in to do both blogs. I learned a lot throughout this challenge. I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish. I lost my stepdad on Earth Day and I still had seven days (14 posts) to go. How was I going to function and go to work and post a blog each day? Do you know what God said to me?”…O you of little faith.” If GOD leads you to it, He will see you through it. (praise Lord!)

I was successful at posting to both blogs for every letter. I did slack at visiting others and I apologize for that. I do want to say thank you to those who visited me. Kristin was consistent at leaving a comment on every recipe I posted. ☺ Little comments mean a great deal in bloggy world.

At this time, I don’t have any suggestions about improving the challenge. I liked the graphics and KUDOS to whoever took the time to do them this year. If anyone who is reading this post is interested in volunteering to get your talent out there…click here

Here are the links for each of the posts this year… the food was supposed to go with the devotion but somehow I meandered and got lost along the way. It happens. Hope to see you all next year. And you never know, I might come up with a post here and there. Stay tuned.