Salmon Patties

Some of you may have heard me say lately that I had never cooked or even had salmon patties. My Mama never cooked them that I know of, so in turn, I didn't think to try them. I just figured they weren't any good. Well, I've had a few foodie friends that have encouraged me and inspired me. So, I went on a mission today to come up with a salmon patty recipe and try it out. That is just what I did! They turned out great! (Craig ate seconds!) So, without further delay... here's the recipe!

Salmon Patties

1 - 15 oz can salmon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs, Parmesan flavored
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp butter

Drain and de-bone the salmon. Break apart with a fork and add egg and seasoning. Add the bread crumbs 1/4 cup at the time just until the patties can be formed, but do not add too much as to make it dry. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Dredge the patties in bread crumbs and add to the skillet. Cook until golden brown on both sides.




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Chocolate Trifle

This is the simplest dessert ever!

Chocolate Layer Cake
Chocolate Pudding
Whipped Cream
Caramel Sauce
Chocolate Sauce

Cut the cake into chucks and layer in a trifle bowl. Top with a layer of pudding, then a layer of whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel sauce. Repeat layers, ending with caramel and chocolate sauce.
Add chocolate curls, if desired.
* You can substitute brownie for the cake, if you want.

Easter Dinner from my Blog...

My friend Laurie at Food is Love has thrown down the gauntlet! She has challenged me to make the Easter Holiday meal from dishes I already have on my blog. No pulling out Mama's old notes on the traditional Easter Feast this time! (Unless I've unwittingly already got it buried in all these posts :-) Soooo... Ok Laurie! I'm on it! Let's get ready to rumble!!!



Yes! That's me in the polka dot pants!!!

When I think of Easter, I think back to Easter Hunts with all my cousins, family and friends. I also think of a big ole whole picnic ham that has been cooked to perfection by my Mama, of course... green bean casseroles, brown rice, potato salad and someone always brings the Watergate Salad that most Southerners, that don't care for it much, refer to as "that Green Stuff"! No meal would be complete without Mama's macaroni and cheese. We also loved to churn ice cream and Mama always had a cake or two on the counter.



Now... let's see what I can come up with from previous posts that could come close to my Easter Food Memories!

First of all, what can I replace the ham with... I cannot believe I haven't covered something as simple as ham! Ok, let's go with Chicken Cordon Blue that has some ham and, you might think, is a pretty fancy holiday kind of feel, but wait, remember this is 'with a twist'! This an easy version that is turned into a casserole! So, it's perfect to fix for a large family get-together. Whew! Main course... check! Now let's find those sides!

There is Mama's Macaroni and Cheese and the green bean casserole. Instead of brown rice, let's go with Grandmama Bradham's Greasy Rice.

I can't believe I don't have my potato salad on here either. So, we'll go with my new popular Cornbread Salad. We always have to have some nibbles lying around so, I'll put out some Dill Pickles, pickled okra, pickled carrots and Bread and Butter Pickles. And no meal is complete without Mama's Short Biscuits. Oh and don't forget the Green Stuff!

Now, desserts... As I said, we loved to churn ice cream. So, I'd like to have some of Mama's Orange Pineapple Ice Cream and, I had already bought the ingredients to make the kids an Italian Cream Cheese Cake.

Well that's the Challenge... My Easter Meal from my Blog...

Thanks to Laurie at Food is Love! This was a fun challenge! So it's my turn to challenge some of my foodie friends. Here goes...

The Southern Lady Cooks

Rich Fletcher's Good Food Revolution

Cooking with Libby

Check out Laurie's Challenge Results too at Food is Love!

Italian Cream Cheese Cake

1 stick Butter
½ cup Crisco
2 cups Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
2 cups Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Coconut
1 cup chopped Pecans
5 Egg Whites, stiffly beaten

Cream butter and Crisco. Add sugar, beat well. Add egg yolks and beat. Add flour and soda. Alternate with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla. Add coconut & nuts. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites 2 Tablespoons at a time. Pour into greased and floured 9 in cake pans and bake at 350 for 20 – 25 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:
1 – 8oz Cream Cheese, softened
½ stick Butter, softened
1 box 10x Sugar (1 pound of powdered sugar)
1 tsp Vanilla
Chopped Nuts, optional

Mix cheese and butter, add sugar and vanilla. Frost Cake and sprinkle nuts on cake.

*** This recipe was featured on Recipes For My Boys ~ Thursday's Treasures Week 69

Mama's Sweet Pickles Sticks

Mama's Sweet Pickle Sticks

Cucumbers
3 ¾ cups Vinegar
3 T Salt
4 ½ t Turmeric
3 cups Sugar
4 ½ t Celery Seed
¾ t Mustard Seeds

Use fresh, firm, medium cucumbers. Wash and cut into quarters. Pour boiling water over them and let stand overnight. Next morning, pack solidly into clean jars. Make pickling solution, boil 5 minutes. Pour hot solution over cucumbers. Put lids and seal. Fill 6 pint jars and process according to your canner instructions. (usually 5 minutes for pints and 10 minutes for quarts)

Another Canning Recipe

This is my Mama's favorite kind of pickle and her favorite recipe for them...

Bread & Butter Pickles

Use 4 quarts medium-sized, cucumbers sliced thin (do not peel). Make sure they are not seedy. Add 6 medium white onions, sliced thin, 2 peppers, chopped and 3 whole garlic cloves. Add 1/3 cup salt. Mix thoroughly. Let stand 4 hours in covered container with cracked ice. Drain well. Combine 5 cups sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed, 2 tablespoons mustard seed and 3 cups vinegar. Pour this over the cucumber mixture. Heat just to boiling point. Seal at once in hot sterilized jars.

Mozzarella Chicken

This is my "healthy" version of Parmesan chicken.

4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
2 T Butter
32 oz Spaghetti Sauce, use your favorite flavor or brand
½ t Basil, dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Brown chicken breasts in butter. Layer in casserole dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top of chicken then add sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve over noodles with tossed salad and garlic bread.

Chocolate Bavarian Cream

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
4 egg yolks
dash of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 oz un-sweetened chocolate, melted


Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water; set aside. Mix egg yolks, salt and sugar together in a double boiler. Gradually blend in milk and cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Add chocolate stirring until blended. Add softened gelatin, stir until dissolved; cool. Whip cream, add vanilla and fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into parfait glasses and chill.

BLT Dip

This is a wonderful dip that you can be really creative with. You can turn it into wraps, or use it as a special sauce for burgers and sandwiches. You can also make it a stuffing for hollowed out cherry tomatoes. If you don't use it with tomatoes as in stuffed or using as dippers, chop the tomato and add it to the dip. Try it and see which way you like it.

BLT Dip

6 slices cooked Bacon, crumbled
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lettuce
Roma Tomatoes, seeded and sliced lengthwise, for dipping

Mix bacon, sour cream, mayo, and S & P, to taste. Cover and put in frig for about an hour. Plate by placing a bowl of dip on lettuce leaves and surround with Tomato slices.

Note: You can substitute a 3 oz jar of real bacon bits for sliced Bacon.

EASY! Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

This is a super easy dessert that only takes minutes to throw together but taste heavenly! Everyone will think you spent all day making this tasty dessert!

Graham Cracker pie crust

No-Bake Cheesecake Mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup strawberry jam or 1/4 cup of strawberries and sugar to taste
2 cups strawberries ice cream, softened

Combine the cheesecake mix and milk. Blend until thickened slightly. Add ice cream and jam. Combine until smooth. Pour into crust and freeze until set. Set out 15 minutes and cut with a knife dipped in hot water. Serve immediately.

Best Ever Peach Cobbler

5 cups peeled, pitted, thinly sliced peaches*
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water or juice reserved from peaches
1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

*Substitute frozen thawed peaches or 2 large cans (1 pound, 13 ounces each) drained sliced peaches for the fresh sliced peaches. If using canned peaches, reserve 1/4 cup of the syrup to use in place of the water.

Lightly butter or spray an 8-inch square baking dish. Heat oven to 375°.

Combine the sliced peaches with the 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, flavorings, cinnamon, and water. Blend ingredients and pour into the prepared baking dish. Dot with the 1 tablespoon of butter, cut in pieces.

Combine topping ingredients and stir until well blended. Spoon evenly over the peaches, spread gently to cover as much as possible, and bake the cobbler for 30 to 40 minutes, until topping is golden.

Roasting Cherry Tomaotes

More left overs from last weekend...

Cherry tomatoes tossed with oil, then coated with
Salt & Pepper and garlic powder.

Baked at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Now I'm waiting on Craig to bring home some Okra for a
good ole southern dish of Okra & Tomatoes over Cornbread.

Canning Veggies and making Jelly

I had a lot of fruit and veggies left from my back-up for catering the wedding this past weekend. Not wanting them to spoil, or throw them out... I canned them!

Getting started making Dill Pickles

Dill Pickles

1 pickling mix package
7 1/3 cups water
3 1/3 cups white vinegar
1/8 tsp dill weed per jar
1/2 tsp chopped garlic per jar

Boil mixture. Pack jars with dill, garlic and sliced pickles. Pour mixture over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch. Then follow canning instructions.

Ready to sit for at least 24 hours

I also pickled some carrots. Turned out yummy to me!

I also did a quart of tomato sauce (on the left)
and 3 pints of strawberry jelly.

Strawberry Jelly

4 cups mashed strawberries
1 cup sugar (taste for sweetness)
1 packet of strawberry jello

Boil mixture, and follow canning instructions.

My son, Elliott opened a quart of the pickles tonight
 to try them, and this is what's left :-)

Beefy Biscuit Casserole

This is an oldie but a goodie! My Mama used to make this when I was a kid. I'd say that's comfort food right there! You could make your own favorite biscuit dough and substitute it for the canned variety. If you do use the canned, make sure that it is the flaky brand so they will pull apart easily into layers.

1 ½ pounds Hamburger
½ cup chopped Onion
¼ diced Green Chilies
1 - 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
2 t Chili Powder
1 t minced Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

1 – 8oz can refrigerated biscuits
1 ½ cups Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
½ cup Sour Cream
1 Egg, beaten

Brown hamburger, onion and chilies. Drain. Add Tomato Sauce, chili powder, garlic, salt & pepper. Simmer while separating dough. Pull apart biscuits into 2 layers. Press half in the bottom of un-greased 8 in baking dish. Mix ½ cup cheese, sour cream and egg. Remove meat from heat; stir in cheese mixture. Spoon into pan. Top with remaining biscuits and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 – 30 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Thanks to everyone for your patience these past two weeks. The wedding was fabulous, and the food went over well! This recipe is one that two of the groomsmen came over and asked me about. They were calling it a cookie dough ball because of the taste. I hope you enjoy it!

2 - 8oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 c mini chocolate chips

Combine. Roll into a ball. Chill. Roll in more chocolate chips or in ground nuts. Serve with graham crackers.