Versatile Blogger Award

I have been awarded "Versatile Blogger Award" via The Real Housewife of Longleaf Ranch!  Thank you Cassie.  This is my first award as a blogger and I am honored to receive it from you.

Family Favorite-Nachos

Tasty and simple to make, nachos you will love to make!

The Good:  These are absolutely delicious and easy to make.  Great for parties and for children who like to help in the kitchen!

The Bad: Its really hard to stop eating these so we always make massive amounts.

The Ugly:  These are terrible for dieters.

Suggestions before starting:

Please do not get frazzled because I do not give amounts to anything with this recipe.  This is another recipe where you do it how you like.

Any tortilla chips work but we like to use scoops because they are so much easier to eat.

I do not typically like olives but I do like green olives on these.

Chili powder is best fresh.  Make sure you get the spice not the mix.

Do not be afraid to add plenty of spice.  It is hard to overdo it. 

Honey Cookies In Memory of Annie

In our lives we come across a million different personalities.  Some are incredible enough we carry the memory of their presence forever.  Today I would like to honor an incredible woman, Anna M. Hufford.  Anna is the grandmother of Wicked Chef #2 (Dave) and one of the most distinguished and incredible people I have met.  On Sunday, April 17th, 2011 Annie lost her short battle to a brain tumor but quickly gained her wings.

The first time I ever met Annie she told me the story of her and her husband, Walt, making honey cookies.  As she told the story, I knew this is a family I want to be part of someday.  I wish to have similar passion as her and Walt share.  She told us how she had Walt mix her cookies the day before and how exhausting the project was.  I had never heard of honey cookies before so I pictured the older couple mixing typical cookies and sitting down for a rest afterward.  Little did I know they were a very vibrant couple and the cookies were very difficult to mix.  I had never heard of 2 day cookies before!  In the brief time I knew Annie, I saw my original impression was not entirely wrong, her and Walt were incredible together and recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.  Annie is truly loved by many; even her mere acquaintances were made to feel like close family.

Suggestions before starting:
Annie would make the cookies around Thanksgiving and hide them in the pressure cooker until Christmas.  Unfortunately, her kids were a little sneakier and she would only ever see half of the original cookies at Christmas.  The longer the cookies sit the softer they become.
Annie would usually use walnuts instead of almonds and currants are a necessity.
The dough is very thick due to the honey and is quite difficult to mix. When Walt was unavailable, Annie would recruit her grandchildren or strong neighbor kids to mix for her.

Honey Cookies courtesy of Anna M. Hufford


Ingredients
1 qt. honey
3 c brown sugar
1 lb raisins
1 lb currants
1/2 lb chopped almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 qt sour cream
4 tsp soda
flour, enough for soft dough

Directions

1. Boil honey and brown sugar together for a few minutes and cool.
2. Separately, mix the rest of the rest ingredients into a soft dough.
3. Add honey/sugar mixture and mix well.  Let stand overnight in fridge.  Roll to 1/2 inch, cut and bake in oven at 350.

Lets toast to Annie!

Provolone Burgers

"So juicy and flavorful you don't even need condiments!"

The Good:  If you want to be known as the grill chef this is the recipe to do it with.

The Bad: The recipe calls for a large amount of meat.  Great for parties, not so practical for couples.

The Ugly: Ground beef is not the healthiest option.

Suggestions before starting:

We used the griddle instead of a grill set to 375. I absolutely love my griddle.

The original recipe says it makes 8 burgers but we made 11 last time we made this recipe.  Make them the size you prefer but remember to pat them down tight and flat so they will cook evenly.

It says to cover while cooking, you can cover it with a ceramic bowl or any type of dish that can stand high heats.  I usually do not cover it other than when putting the cheese on.  It is supposed to help cook it more evenly and trap the heat in.

If you are unsure if the burgers are done, do not hesitate to cut one down the middle.  I like mine a little pink but I know others do not.

As you can see we added some sauteed portobello mushrooms... they're perfect for all meals!

Healthier option: try all the same spices with turkey instead of ground beef.

Family Favorite- Apple Coffee Cake

Succulent, flavorful and perfect for any time of the day or night!

The Good: This is an absolutely delicious cake that is easy to make and perfect for any occasion.

The Bad: This cake never lasts long.

The Ugly: My coworker keeps threatening me because it took so long to post this.

Suggestions before starting:

As with all recipes I make, I set out the eggs so they will be luke warm when I am ready to make the cake.

Usually 2 apples are enough for this recipe.  We always use Granny Smith apples because they are perfect for baking.  Make sure to dice them fairly small.  My parents usually use a grater for the apples but I like them larger; however, if they are too large it will not bake properly.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts... I leave these out.  I do not like walnuts but my parents always add them.

Immediately after removing from the oven I cover the cake with a clean towel to keep in the moisture.

Family Favorite-Stuffed Peppers

Spicy or mild, creamy or crunchy... these are delicious!

The Good: These are incredible easy, great as an appetizer, carry-in dish or holiday hors d'oeuvre.

The Bad: If you decide to reheat these expect them to get gradually hotter.

The Ugly: Unfortunately the peppers do not come with a spicy thermometer so it can be guess work to know if they will be spicy or not.

Suggestions before starting:

If you are someone who does not like spicy foods, feel free to use another type of pepper or taste test your peppers before using the bunch.

The first time I had this recipe it was not spicy at all but the second time it had a bit of a kick.

Adjust the cream cheese and sausage to your taste.  I love cream cheese so I added more than Dave (Wicked Chef 2) would.

All of the quantities are approximations.

Family Favorite- Meatloaf twist

It seems every family has their own version of meatloaf.

This has always been one of my favorites but this time we improvised.

The Good: Simple, tasty and cheap, it is hard to go wrong with a good meatloaf.

The Bad: Every family has their own style of meatloaf so sometimes its hard to make one you know everyone will be familiar with.

The Ugly:  If you're looking to go on a diet, do not use ground beef!  There is a lot of fat released from the meat but if you are just looking for great tasting comfort food you are in for a treat!

Suggestions before starting:

Due to the oils released from the meat I always cover my pan with foil with a very light layer of cooking spray before starting so it is easier to clean.

The recipe below has saltines, onion and spices; however, if you followed the Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and had a lot of extra stuffing leftover, you can substitute most of the ingredients with the stuffing you had leftover.  The fresh spices are incredible but you can also use dried herbs. The bread crumbs just make the meat softer.  For a harder meatloaf use the saltines.

When making this, if you think the measurements do not look how you would like them to, change it.  Add anything you want and as much or little as you like.  That's the great thing about meatloaf, it can be made however you would like.  I have seen people add celery, peppers, salsa, raisins... you name it!

To mix/combine means use your hands in this recipe.  I always sit the ingredients out early so they will be at least luke warm.  Otherwise this can be painfully cold.  Dish soap is the best cleaner to cut the grease off your hands afterward.

I always mix the seasonings together before mixing in order to make sure they are evenly spread.  If using fresh spices make sure they are minced first.  If using dried, just use more than you would if fresh.

For a healthier option: do not be afraid to try Turkey meat.  It will just be a little dryer.  When using ground chuck we tend to get 80% lean.