kara's kitchen 101

Mama's Meatloaf!

2012-02-04T18:09:00.001-08:00

2 lbs. ground meat

1 can canned milk

2 tsp.salt

2 eggs

2 cups corn flakes

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 green pepper

mix and cook 10 min. at 350.

Add sauce. Bake 1 hour or till done, baste with sauce.

Sauce

4 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

4 tbsp. Brown sugar

4 tbsp. vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 cup ketchup

1 can tomato soup

small onion chopped

Not over the Slump... but hopeful

2012-01-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not completely ready to start cooking again... I don't know what happened, but sometime last year I lost my love for cooking! I just couldn't stand to do it for a while! I hope that my search for some new recipes will help encourage not only my diet, but also my love to cook!

Get ready!!!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

2012-01-04T09:57:00.001-08:00

Start with 3 or 4 frozen chicken breasts. Add an entire bottle of your favorite teriyaki marinade. Add one whole can of pineapples. Turn your crock on low for 6-8 hours.

EAT and ENJOY!!! For an extra something if you can handle the carbs, when it's cooked completely put it over brown rice!

Empanadas Appetizer

2011-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

You will need:

1 box refrigerated pie crusts (2)

4 oz. cream cheese

2 T. fresh chopped cilantro

2 T. salsa

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 c. finely chopped cooked chicken

1 egg, beaten

Additional salsa for dipping!

Let crusts thaw for about 20 minutes out of fridge.

Heat cream cheese in microwave until soft, add cilantro, salsa, cumin, salt, garlic. Stir until smooth. Add chicken and stir until well-mixed.

Unfold pie crusts; remove plastic. Roll out slightly and cut 3 inch rounds using biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Reroll pie scraps until you have used it all to make as many rounds as you can.

Preheat oven to 425 . Place about 2 t. of chicken mixture in center of each round. Brush edges slightly with water. Pull one side of dough over filling to form the half circle; pinch the edges to seal.

Place 10-12 empanadas on a foil-lined baking sheet; brush lightly with egg. Bake 16-18 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve with salsa.

(Makes 10 appetizer servings)

Cooking Slump

2011-08-23T12:31:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been in a cooking slump! I can't seem to get over it! I just don't find joy in cooking right now. I know I should be thinking of new and tried and true recipes to share, but I just can't seem to get it together at the moment! I am planning my son's birthday party soon though! I have a few more details to work out, but I will share pictures when I can get everything together. The theme for this year's party is STARS! Everything is also going to be centered around the color BLUE since it has been his favorite all year! :) I hope to have star-shaped cereal, star-shaped sandwiches, cheetohs (a must-have), M&Ms, Twizzlers, and Cupcakes (blue ones, with star sprinkles!).

Hope to get these pics up as soon as I get everything going!

:) Happy Cooking!

Fw: Passionate Homemaking: Defining Hospitality: Strangers Welcoming Strangers

2011-04-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

From: Passionate Homemaking <lindsay@passionatehomemaking.com>

Sender: noreply+feedproxy@google.com

Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:26:14 +0000

To: <mrs.karamarsh@gmail.com>

Subject: Passionate Homemaking: Defining Hospitality: Strangers Welcoming Strangers

Passionate Homemaking: Defining Hospitality: Strangers Welcoming Strangers

Defining Hospitality: Strangers Welcoming Strangers

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 07:21 AM PDT

Written by monthly contributing writer, Natalie.

What on earth is hospitality? Is it fancy dips and great decorating? Is it great cooking, or inviting people over frequently and hosting lots of events?

Who can we look to as hospitality role models, to help us define and refine our hospitality? Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, and Southern Living Magazine? Our grandma?

Hospitality vs. Entertaining

We are often told that when we do "Martha Stewart-ish" types of things, we're practicing hospitality. In reality, we are entertaining. These two words are often interchanged and confused, and we should be clear on which one is which.

The dictionary defines entertaining as "amusing" or "diverting", and we all know how much great food and a beautiful setting can amuse and divert! It is completely possible to excel at entertaining, without ever practicing true hospitality. So it becomes really important to define hospitality, and to start with what God has told us in his Word.

Defining Hospitality from the Bible

Jesus makes it clear for us that hospitality is meant primarily for those who are most estranged, and least welcomed:

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14)

Jesus was simply reiterating what God told his people in the Old Testament about how they should treat people on the fringes. I love this scripture from Leviticus:

You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:34)

God has been instructing his people for a long time to be welcoming to those in need, but we can see from Leviticus that the ultimate model of hospitality is God himself, in the welcome he extends to us through His Son.

The essence of biblical hospitality is welcoming "strangers" and meeting their varied needs, since God welcomed and provided for us in Christ, when we were estranged from him!

Who is a Stranger, and What Do They Need?

A Physical Stranger. Neighbors just moving in from across the country. International students (especially if you live in a college town). People in rest homes. A homeless person. A new mother with no nearby friends or family to help her keep house, run errands, and get an occasional break. Military wives. There are tons more possibilities. Basically, a person who lacks a community to assist with basic needs.

This person may need very practical help, such as:
A ride.
A meal, or help preparing meals.
Help running errands.
Help in the process of purchasing a car, or finding living quarters.
Unpacking from a move.
Babysitting children.

An Emotional Stranger. A newly divorced young mom. A newlywed struggling alone to figure her spouse out. Adult single ladies who do not get many invitations. A college student without trustworthy parents or mentors, trying to make decisions about her future. A woman whose engagement was recently broken off. Basically, a person whose physical needs may be already met, perhaps even a wealthy person, but who is relationally estranged.

This person may need relational help, such as:
A listening ear.
Lots of time.
An open invitation to your home, when needed (within reasonable boundaries, of course!)
Stabilizing normalcy. Like being invited to play board games with you and the kids, or some other very average activity.
Gentle encouragement.
The sharing of helpful scriptures.

A Spiritual Stranger. A store clerk. Your brother. Your babysitter. Your mail carrier! This could be anyone who does not confess Jesus as their Lord.

It goes without saying…this person needs spiritual help!

Obviously, these categories are artificial, and each individual will probably be a unique, overlapping blend. Many of us reading would even feel we fit into one or more ourselves. This breakdown is merely a starting point for thinking deeply about people and learning to discern how we can best reach out.

God can and will give many opportunities for us to explain, in detail, his work of redemption (a.k.a. share the gospel) as we practice hospitality and look for opportunities to love people the way they need most. Hopefully we can begin to see that hospitality may include a dinner invitation and appetizers, but is by no means limited to just that! Any act of kindness that communicates a welcome to a "stranger" is an act of hospitality!

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What's For Dinner Tonight!

2010-09-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Squash Soup!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds yellow summer squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 lemon, sliced, seeds removed
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 to 4 grinds of fresh nutmeg or dash of ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Wash and trim squash. Slice, reserving 8 very thin slices for garnish. In a large saucepan, melt butter; gently saute onion and lemon. Sprinkle with flour and cook slowly, stirring, until flour is absorbed. Add chicken broth gradually, then sliced squash, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour. Puree soup in blender or food processor. Add nutmeg. To heat, stir in cream with a wire whisk and cook over low heat. Do not allow to boil. Garnish cream of squash soup with reserved squash slices.
Squash soup serves 8.

Grape Juice Chicken

2010-05-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is from my WW cookbook but I changed it a little (including the name) b/c I didn't have all the ingredients!:P

You need:

2 T Veg. oil
1 Granny Smith apple
1 T brown sugar
4 (4 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper
1 medium onion, thinly sliced and ringed
1/2 c. grape juice (it calls for apple cider, but I didn't have any! I'm sure you can use any type of juice)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 c. hot cooked wide noodles (I've used other kinds)

1. Over med. heat, saute your apples in 1 T. oil, then sprinkle them with the brown sugar; cook until tender then transfer them to a plate.
2. Sprinkle the chkn. with cinn., salt, and pepper and using the other T. oil, saute them until brown (4-5 min. per side) and transfer these to a plate.
3. Using the same skillet, cook the onion, covered until tender. Stir in the juice and vinegar. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid cooks off by about half.
4. Return everything to the skillet (chkn, apples) and cook until heated through (2 min?) Arrange the noodles on the plate first with the chicken mixture on top. Pour some of the juice over each peice of chicken/noodles.

1/2 c. noodles, 1 chicken breast, and 1/4 c. sauce = 352 calories which is around 8 points WW.

ENJOY! My whole family found this meal to be very tasty and filling! If you try it leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

Since I'm on a Salad Theme this month...

2010-04-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Debbie Marsh's (Mimi) Gergie Salad

1 head lettuce
4 green onions
6-8 slices bacon, crumbled
3 oz. toasted (sliced) almonds
4 t. sesame seeds
1/2 c. chinese noodles
Mix crunchies together and cover in dressing right before serving.
Dressing:
4 T. sugar
1 T. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 c. salad oil
6 T. white vinegar(mix and shake)

"Enjoy! Recipe is from Albq. New Mexico!" ~ Debbie

CUCUMBER SALAD
1 c. plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. dried mint
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
Garnish: fresh mint sprig
Stir together yogurt and next 5 ingredients.
Add cucumbers and toss.
Garnish if desired.

ORANGE-BERRY SALAD
Given to me by Grandmama Marsh a few years ago.
8 servings
1 (lloz) can mandarin oranges
2 (3 oz) pkgs. strawberry or raspberry jello
1 (16oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 c. pecan piecesmint sprigs

Drain oranges, reserving juice. Add water to make 3 cups. Pour into a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in gelatin until disolved. Cover and refrigerate until partially set. Fold oranges, cranberry sauce and nuts into gelatin. Pour into lightly oiled 6 c. ringmold. Cover and refrigerate until frim. Garnish w/ mint. Serve with chilled dressing, sprinkled with zest and a piece of mint.

On the side: 1/2 c. prepared Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing2 T. orange juice1 t. grated orange zest (reserve some for garnish)whipped cream

Strawberry Salad

2010-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

My friend, Kristin, asked me to post this one and send it to her. We had this on a picnic on the hill at SBTS. Miss you my friend! :) Hope you make it and think of me!

12 ozs. fresh spinach leaves
1 qt. fresh strawberries- hulled, quartered
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 c. pecans, almonds, or walnuts
1/2 c. veg. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. distilled vinegar
1 1/2 grated onion
1/4 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 can mandarin orange slices
- wash/drain spinach, then squeeze dry between layers of paper towels; tear into bite-sized pieces
- toss together spinach, strawberries, orange slices, sesame seeds and walnuts in a large bowl; set aside
- in a separate bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vinegar, onion, worchestershire sauce, and paprika
- pour prepared dressing over salad and toss to coat
- serve immediately

Bagelheads Coleslaw

2010-04-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

I love the coleslaw at Bagelheads here in Pensacola, so I'm going to try to make it myself at home! Tonight we're having Teryaki Chicken, Bourbon Baked Beans (Bush's!), and Bagelheads slaw... If you have my cookbook, you have the recipe for the chicken already, so here is the coleslaw:

1 pound cabbage, finely shredded
2 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, any flavor
1 (2-ounce) package slivered almonds
1/4 cup butter
1 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 green onions, chopped

Remove seasoning packets from noodles and set packets aside. Crumble noodles in package. In a skillet over medium heat, cook noodles and almonds in butter until lightly browned; set aside.
For dressing, combine vinegar, oil, sugar, soy sauce and seasoning packets from noodles in a jar; put lid on and shake well to blend. Refrigerate dressing.
Immediately before serving, toss together noodle mixture, dressing, onion and cole slaw.

So good! Call me if you have questions about this post or if you have a better recipe!! :)

Quesadilla Night!

2010-03-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so tonight we're having Quesadillas, salsa, and chips! For my quesadillas I just put the tortilla in the skillet, add cheese, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, (whatever else I want), and onions. I close it up while it's still in the skillet and then turn it! I take it out and serve with some low-calorie/light sour cream. Wallah! Great meal. We'll probably have a side salad as well. We're trying to get our veggies!!! :)

Fweuh!

2009-12-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to have some of my baking done this year. Sometimes it is very therapeutic and other times just stressful! I think I felt a little of both this year. I made peanut-butter balls for Reagan and my bro-in-law John, Crispy Date Balls (see last year's post for the recipe!), I covered pretzels, and previously had made chocolate-covered cherry cookies. All of them tasted very good, but it sometimes makes me think I should think about buying things in the future! I probably never will because I think the homemade gifts are the best, but you just get bogged down sometimes and wish it was just more fun!! I think if I were with my friends or with someone I love working on these it would be more fun... shout out to Callee.... I wished you were there with me when I was baking! It would have been MUCH more fun with you! :)

Dinner in a Pumpkin

2009-11-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked about this recipe, so I thought I'd share with anyone who has a pumpkin left after Reformation Day (for losers, that's called "Halloween").

1 Medium Pumpkin2 lbs. hamburger, cooked and drained

Diced onions, and celery to taste

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 T. brown sugar

1 4oz. can sliced mushrooms (drained)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups hot cooked rice

Preheat oven to 375. Cook rice. Cut a lid for the pumpkin. Using an icecream scoop or large spoon, remove the seeds and pulp. Dice onions and celery. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, onions, celery, mushrooms and soup in a large bowl. When rice is finished cooking add and the beef to the mixture of soup and veggies. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin, place it in a medum pan or on a cookie sheet. Bake one hour until the pumpkin is tender. Scoop out to serve.

I hope this will be a favorite this year for RG!

1st Birthday Cake

2009-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the cake I will be making for Lil'Bob's first birthday!

SALSA!!!

2009-08-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

You need:
2 cans tomatoes
lime juice or lime
1 bunch of cilantro (use disgression by your family's tastes)
1-2 onions ( sweet are best)
1tsp. southwest chipotle seasoning (McCormick is one who puts out this type of seasoning)
garlic (about one clove)
1. Cut into chuncks that your family likes or blend in the blender/chopper and mix all ingredients together well. 2. I like to serve this in individual bowls for each family member. 3. Combine with Mission or Tortilla Chips of your liking.

Lasagna

2009-05-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's what you need:

1 lb. of ground beef
1 package of OVEN READY lasagna noodles
shredded cheese
1 large container of cottage cheese

Spaghetti sauce

Brown your meat first! Do NOT cook your noodles. Start layering your pan (9X12 or so) with noodles, then cottage cheese, meat, sauce, shredded cheese... and keep layering until you run out of ingredients. (Mine usually only gets two layers.)

Serve with salad and french bread or whatever you like with your lasagna!

Crazy Salad

2009-03-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

You need:

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Carrots, Celery and any other veggies that you like
Blue cheese, or some other gourmet cheese
Ham or turkey
salad dressing

This makes an easy dinner sometime when you don't want to cook!!!

Crispy Date Balls

2008-12-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

When I made these tonight I almost cried because the smell and taste reminded me of my Mama and Daddy and the Christmas parties they used to throw when I was a child. I remember the friends and everyone laughing and having a great time with my friends. Mama always made tons of goodies and we ate and played games and sometimes had dumb skits and then we all went Christmas caroling in our neighborhood. It was the most fun! It was a tradition!

Here's the recipe:

1 stick of butter
1 c. of sugar
1 8oz. package of dates
1 c. chopped pecans
2 c. rice krispies
1 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar

Put butter, sugar and dates in saucepan. Cook 10 min. until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, add nuts, krispies and vanilla. Cool. Roll into small balls then roll in the powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunchies

2008-12-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

8	cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
3	tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	cup white vanilla baking chips

1.	Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
2.	In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
3.	In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

Meemee/Mama's Dressing...

2008-11-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

1. Make cornbread following instructions on the box.
2. Saute 1 large onion (about 1/2 cup) and 2 cups chopped celery.
3. Add stuff mix ( do not cook)
4. Add day old bread and white bread chunks or whatever left over bread you have
5. Add 6 eggs
6. Add milk and chicken broth to make consistency that you want
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
At this point, the mixture should be wettish/soppy
8. Pour into an 8X12 pan and bake.

Tater Soup

2008-11-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

My mama always made us potato soup when we were sick, so when Reagan was sick the other day, I tried my hand at it. I really wasn't sure how to start, so I looked up about 8 different recipes and decided to combine a few. Here's what I did:

Cube about 8 cups of potatoes (after peeling them, of course)
Cover just barely with water in a large pot & boil until tender
Add about 2 tablespoons butter & stir
Stir in 1 package of cream cheese
Stir in 2 cups of milk (less if you want it thicker)
Stir in 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
Salt & pepper the pot of soup
Serve into bowls; top with shredded cheddar cheese, bacos, & green onions

Chicken with Penne Pasta and Alfredo sauce

2008-11-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Last night I grilled chicken on the George Foreman with Italian dressing and put it on top of penne pasta (wheat) with Alfredo sauce. Reagan and I both enjoyed this dish. It's pretty simple and doesn't require much brain power.

Thanks Chef Pam for the inspiration.

Recipes

2008-11-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

I'd like to keep a record of all my favorites here so that I can come back to them later... but also comment when I try something new.