Family Favorite

Our family loves this dish! I love it because it is easy and require very few ingredients. In the past I haven't made it with the dry milk, but it is a good thing to do every once-in-a-while just to get the feel for it.

Tuna Casserole
8 ounces cooked noodles
1 can tuna
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup powdered milk(see directions on package for mixing)
1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed into crumbs
1 cup canned peas, drained
Mix tuna, peas and noodles together and layer in greased casserole dish. Combine cream of
mushroom soup and milk and pour over tuna and noodles mixture. Top with crushed cracker
crumbs. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
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Maple Syrup

Ok, so my last post featured a recipe for a mixture to be used for pancakes, well I am following up on that post with a recipe for the crowning glory of pancakes, maple syrup. It is quick, easy, and delicious! What could be better?

Maple Syrup Recipe
* 1 cup water
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 or 2 teaspoons of Maple Extract
Pour sugar into a small pan. Slowly pour water on top. Turn stove on high. No need to stir.
After mixture starts to boil, check to see if all the sugar granules are dissolved. If they aren't, boil it for another 15-20 seconds. Pull off heat and pour a bit of maple extract into it. It's ready for use. It also stores well in the cupboard. Don't put it in the refrigerator or it will start to re-crystalize

Great Recipe!

I found this recipe published by Leslie Probert on www.ce.byu.edu and I am so excited to have it. In our family we kind of live on Bisquick. My kids love pancakes more than almost anything in this world so I am pumped to have a "food storage version" of the mixture. It is multi-purposed and can be very helpful.

Super Quick Mix
9 c. fine whole wheat flour 2 ½ T. salt
9 c. white flour 1 ½ T. sugar
3 c. instant dry milk 4 t. cream of tartar
2 ½ c. powdered shortening 2 t. baking soda
9 T. baking powder
Sift shortening, cream of tarter and baking soda into rest of ingredients; stir well. Keep in covered container; use in 10-12 weeks. Makes 24 cups.

Super Quick Pancakes:
3½ c. Super Quick Mix 2 T. dried whole egg, sifted
1½ T. sugar 2¾ c. water
Whisk together dry ingredients. Whisk in water just until combined (leave small lumps). Let stand 5 minutes. Cook on hot, oiled griddle. Makes 12, 6-inch pancakes.

Magnificent Muffins:
3 ½ c. Super Quick Mix 1 T. dried whole egg, sifted
½ c. sugar 1½ c. water
Whisk together dry ingredients. Add water; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased cupcake-size muffin pans. Bake at 400º F for 15 minutes.

Fruit Muffins: Reduce Super Quick Mix to 2¾ c. and water to 1 cup. Add 1 cup fruit.

Oatmeal Muffins: Reduce Super Quick Mix to 2¾ c. Add 1 c. quick oatmeal and increase water to 1 ⅔ c.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Casserole

I thought that this recipe sounded like a good hardy meal which included a good way to use up those wheat berries. I have yet to try it, so I will have to follow-up on how it ended up tasting. I got this recipe from Meridian Magazine.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups whole wheat berries,* cooked
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. of hamburger
1 tsp. cumin or oregano
1 cup Onions
1 qt. jar tomatoes or 2 ––16 oz cans diced tomatoes (partially drained)
½ cup Mixed Peppers
1 tsp. chili powder
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 small can chopped olives
2 cups grated Jack cheese
PREPARATION:
Brown hamburger with onions and peppers in large skillet. Add wheat along with spices. Stir in tomatoes, sauce, and olives. Simmer for 30 minutes. Place in an oven-proof casserole dish, top with cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. *To make wheat berries simply cook in crock pot on low over night: 2 cups water to 1 cup of wheat .

Snack Attack

I don't about you, but there are times that I am completely and totally attacked with the urge to snack. So, I figured I would try to fight my snacking battle with something healthy, or at least something that contains healthy components. In doing so, I can use up some of my food storage supply so that I can keep it rotated and fresh. There is a great recipe for granola, my snack of choice, on www.providentliving.org which I am posting to share with all of you. It is super easy, so enjoy!

Granola

Makes about 2 quarts

6 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts, chopped
1/3 cup sesame seeds
Mix all ingredients except raisins. Stir in and coat thoroughly with: 1/2 cup oil 1/3 cup honey 2 tsp. vanilla
Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Add raisins or other dried fruit and bake 5 more minutes

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

I absolutely adore the smell of homemade bread! We have been told over and over and over that whole wheat is good for you, so I thought that I would combine those two wonderful things and post a simple yet ever-so-important recipe for . . . . whole wheat bread.

Whole Wheat Bread
1 tbsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp. shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dry milk
7–8 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cold water
Mix yeast and warm water and set aside. Pour hot water over shortening, sugar, and salt. Mix dry milk with 1 cup whole-wheat flour, add hot water mixture and 1 cup of cold water, and then add yeast mixture. Add remaining 6 to 7 cups of whole wheat flour. Knead until smooth and elastic, and let rise until almost double in size. Then time as follows: Let rise 40 minutes, punch down; let rise 20 minutes, punch down; let rise 20 minutes, punch down.
Shape into 3 loaves and place in 3 small greased bread pans. Allow to rise until double in size. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

Still Soup Season

I love soup with all my heart, but soup season only lasts so long for me. As soon as it starts getting hot, I just can't make myself get excited about eating, or cooking hot soup. So, I am going to take advantage of the cold weather while I can, and although I really don't like the cold, I am looking for the silver lining in it. In this case, the silver lining happens to be soup, so here it goes! I actually got this recipe from www.providentliving.org. Go snuggle up by the fire, and sip some nice hot soup!

American Hamburger Soup

1 1/2 lb. hamburger
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup dry soup mix (from the dry-pack cannery)
2 cups potatoes, cubed
1 tbsp. sugar
3 medium carrots, diced
2 cups tomato juice
2 tbsp. parsley, minced
1 1/2 qt. water
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce pepper to taste
Brown hamburger. Mix all ingredients and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours.