Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees

We have some exciting family events coming up in the next few weeks – including a very special 50th Anniversary Celebration for my parents in which my entire family will gather here at our home for a weekend full of surprises and fun.

To make the “Golden Weekend” go more smoothly, we decided to make as much of the food ahead as we could.

So two of my sisters and a couple of nieces came down for a few days this week and we had our very own “Cook-a-thon” (complete with lots of chocolate and laughter and even some vintage music!)

My kitchen was hopping as we had every available surface covered and in use.

We made 4 cavatini’s that were put in aluminum foil pans and frozen.

We peeled over 70 potatoes and made 3 large pans of make-ahead mashed potatoes. These were also put in aluminum foil pans and frozen.

We baked a large batch of crescent rolls…

…a very large batch of crescent rolls (because you can never have too many hot buttered rolls!)

We also brined, roasted and pulled apart a large turkey, made a batch of hamburger buns, made 8 pounds of taco meat, prepped 4 egg casseroles, made 4 pans of cinnamon rolls that we froze before baking, and covered 40 pieces of chicken in Mom’s original marinade before freezing them in plastic bags.

Whew!

Not only did we make a freezer full of food, we also made some great plans and fun memories.

We discovered once again the truth in the old saying “Helping hands will get things done, half the effort, twice the fun”!

This post is linked up at Design’s by Gollum.

My husband is absolutely the easiest guy to cook for – ever. Seriously. He rarely complains, just enjoys what’s put in front of him.

I’m not sure if this is the result of living on his own it for several years before we met and fell in love – or if he has always been so easy going?

But since he seems to like everything I cook – when he does compliment a dish, I take notice!

I first tried this recipe a few years ago – never dreaming that he really liked coconut. Surprise! He finished off a tray hot from the oven!

So simple. So yummy. What a great way to make my handsome guy happy!

Coconut Macaroons

Combine:

1/2 cup flour
3-3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/8 tsp. salt

Add:

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. The batter will be stiff. Drop by tablespoons about 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Yield: 2-1/2 doz.

Enjoy!

When I was growing up, a church potluck was not complete unless Miss Shirley brought a lasagna.

It was fabulous and disappeared quickly. As kids we would jockey for position in line to get a piece before it was gone.

Lasagna was a delicacy for us. It just didn’t ever show up on our table at home. We were Dutch – German and my dad was a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

When my oldest sister had a baby, one of her friends brought over a lasagna. She was kind enough to share the recipe and a family classic was born.

Soon after my husband and I were engaged, he leaned over at a family meal and whispered, “Do you think you could get your sister’s lasagna recipe?”

I’ve teased him ever since that he married me for the recipe!

Lasagna

1 pound hamburger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon basil
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 -lb can tomato sauce (2 cups)
2 – 6 oz. can tomato paste
10 oz. lasagna noodles (10 noodles)
3 cups cottage cheese (1 large container)
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat slowly, drain. Add next garlic, basil, salt, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook noodles in a large amount of salted water, drain, rinse.

Combine cottage cheese, parsley flakes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Place 1/3 noodles in greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread with 1/3 cottage cheese filling, add 1/3 mozzarella cheese and 1/3 meat sauce. Repeat layers.

Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

This can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Just thaw before baking and allow at least 15 minutes more to the baking time.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Design by Gullum’s Foodie Friday

I adore bread – especially fresh bread right from oven.

I’m so thankful that God blessed me with a daughter who’s goal for the year is to learn to bake beautiful hard crusted artisan breads. (Are you jealous yet? You should be you know!)

For our Valentine’s party – she worked all afternoon to make these out-of-this-world French Baguettes.

She was so thrilled to pull them out of the oven and thump that hard crust and hear the crunch when she cut into it.

We were thrilled with the soft pillow-like inside and the wonderful yeasty flavor!

They did take some time to make – but weren’t difficult. We just had to do a little planning ahead to get them done in time.

Trust me – they were worth the effort!

French Baguettes

5  cups white bread flour (we used only all-purpose flour and it was fine)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 ounce fresh yeast
2-1/4 cups lukewarm water

Sift the flours and salt into a bowl. Add the yeast to the water in another bowl and stir to dissolve. Gradually beat in half the flour mixture to form a batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 3 hours or until nearly tripled in size and starting to collapse.

Add the remaining flour a little at a time, beating with your hand. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes to form a moist dough. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour.

When the dough has almost doubled in bulk, punch it down, turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 3. Shape each into a rectangle measuring about 6 X 3 inches.

Fold the bottom third up lengthwise and the top third down, and press down to make sure the pieces of dough are in contact. Seal the edges. Repeat two or three more times until each loaf in an oblong. Let rest in between folding for a few minutes, if necessary, to avoid tearing the dough.

Gently stretch each piece of dough lengthwise into a 13-14 inch long loaf. Pleat a floured dish towel on a baking sheet to make 3 molds for the loaves. Place the breads between the pleats of the towel to help hold their shape while they are rising. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise, in a warm place, for about 45-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to the maximum, at least 450 degrees. Roll the loaves onto a baking sheet, spaced well apart. Using a sharp knife slash the top of each loaf several times with long diagonal slits. Bake at the top of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Spray inside the oven with water 2-3 times during the first 5 minutes of baking, or place a pan with water on the bottom rack of the oven beneath the bread. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 3 wonderfully crusty loaves.

I’ve linked this post up over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday.

Okay – I fully realize that I have already shared more than you probably want to know about my freezer and it’s contents. But please – just one more!

You have to understand that it’s snowing again and I’m house bound and I need help.

Serious help.

You see…I found something in my freezer.

Something that I buried deep down and tried to forget was there.

But I unearthed it – and now I know I have to deal with it.

It’s a package of rabbits.

Yes, cute little bunnies. Think Thumper.

Over a year ago a friend’s son shot them and butchered them and asked me if I wanted them. I was quite busy at the time and a little distracted and I said sure.

He brought them over in a large ziplock bag. I told him to just put them in the big chest freezer. He did and I forgot all about them (that’s the beauty of a big chest freezer!)

Until now.

I found them.

And they still have the legs attached.

And the legs have fur on them.

Yes, for over a year I had rabbit fur in my freezer.

I hope the innards are out. I’ve been too scared to look – and besides they are frozen shut.

I thought for a moment that I would just wait for Mom to come down – she would know how to cook rabbit meat. Mom knows everything.

Then I realized that if she cooked it – I would have to eat it.

Now I’ve heard that it’s supposed to taste like chicken, but I’m not sure I am brave enough to try it.

Now lest you think I’m a wimp – I will proudly admit that I help with butchering around here. I’ve dealt with innards and fur and feathers. But those parts are always outside.

It’s a process and by the time the meat arrives in the house it looks like – well – meat. All traces of it’s “bambi-ness” are gone.

The fur and feathers don’t make it to my freezer.

That don’t stare at my from the counter as I prepare to cook them.

I’m trying to work up the courage to thaw them and chop those offensive legs off and actually cook them.

Or…then again – maybe not.

Do you think if I just ignore them long enough they will just vaporize?

Photo by Masteruk