Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

 Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

3 eggs, separated

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsps. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Beat egg yolks until they are pale yellow.  Add in sweetened condensed milk and after mixing well, add the lemon juice and zest.   This will thicken the milk as you stir it.  Pour into prepared pie shell ( graham cracker or baked pastry shell).   Place in a 325F oven for 25 minutes.  Increase heat to 350F and remove pie.

Beat the three egg whites with the cream of tartar, then gradually add the sugar beating until the meringue forms peaks.  Do not overbeat!   Top the hot pie filling with the meringue, being sure to spread it to the edges of the crust.  Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes until peaks are golden brown.

You may substitute in half a cup of fresh orange juice and 2 tsps. orange zest to make an orange meringue pie.  It's equally as good!

Golden Chicken Pasta

 Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the slow cooker

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 to 1 1/2 pounds assorted mushrooms, sliced 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 cup vegetable broth 

2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed 

Two 15-ounce cans golden mushroom soup 

16 ounces chive and onion cream cheese 

Two 0.7-ounce packages dry Italian dressing 

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 pound of your favorite pasta

Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

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Directions

WATCH

Watch how to make this recipe.

Special equipment:

 a slow cooker

1. Turn a slow cooker to low and coat it with cooking spray.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Increase the heat, cooking them until all the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, working in batches if necessary. Add the vegetable broth and cook until the liquid is somewhat reduced. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Place the chicken, mushroom soup, cream cheese, dressing mix, black pepper and the mushroom mixture in the slow cooker and stir lightly to disperse the ingredients. Cover and cook all day, about 8 hours.
4. Just before serving: Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
5. Serve the chicken with the pasta and garnish with the Parmesan and parsley.

Golden Mushroom Meatloaf and Gravy

 I first round this Campbell's recipe years ago and started making it long ago when the budget was tight.  That I was willing to pay extra for the soup called for which is only available from Campbell's line says something about how good the recipe was.  

Golden Mushroom Meatloaf and Gravy

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1/4 cup water

• Step 1

  Heat the oven to 350°F.  Season the beef with salt and pepper.  Thoroughly mix the beef, bread crumbs and egg in a large bowl. Place the beef mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and shape firmly into an 8x4-inch loaf.

• Step 2

  Bake for 30 minutes. Spread 1/2 can soup over the meatloaf.

• Step 3

  Bake for 30 minutes or until the meatloaf is done. Let the meatloaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing.  Reserve 2 tablespoons pan drippings.

• Step 4

  While the meatloaf is standing, heat the reserved pan drippings, the remaining soup and water in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot. Serve the gravy with the meatloaf.

Spaghetti a la Diablo

Way back when I was a newly married first-time bride, a recession came along, and I lost my job.  We had to cut our grocery budget, which had never been generous, close and hard.  I found this recipe in my favorite old cookbook , which was published in 1920... I tried it, namely because it called for 1/2 cup of meat and it would serve the two of us at least 3 meals.  We loved it.

I made it at least twice a month even after we were able to move our grocery budget a little higher.  If you're using fresh mushrooms,  they have such a nice meaty texture in this dish, but I often had to use canned mushrooms.  I've always found this dish so tasty and satisfying that we honestly never felt the need to increase the meat.  

In later years, with five kids at home to feed, we doubled the spaghetti but didn't quite double the meat. Even feeding seven no one left the table hungry.  

I'm still making this dish.  Typically, I make it strictly by the recipe, but when I had family living with us and we hit a budget crunch time, I found that we could add in 1 small diced zucchini to stretch it still further.  Zucchini is such a mild vegetable that it only added a pleasing bit of color without affecting the flavor in the least.

I was a little taken aback by the sugar in this recipe.   I find it's really necessary if you're using a very acidic sharp tasting tomato, but even if you are using canned tomatoes, which I often do, you'll like the balance of the sweet with the heat of the cayenne pepper in this dish.

Spaghetti a la Diablo

1/2 cup (4 ounces) cooked chicken
1 cup mushrooms (I used a drained can last time figuring when the recipe was written fresh might not  have been available but I do like to use fresh mushrooms too if I have them on hand)
2.5 cups diced tomatoes (I often use just 1 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes rather than open 2 cans)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small onion, finely diced
8 ounces cooked spaghetti
2 ounces (1/4 cup) shredded cheese (I usually use cheddar, since it is most commonly on hand in my kitchen)

In a little oil, cook onion, mushrooms (if using fresh) and garlic until tender.  Add tomatoes and chicken, all seasonings and then toss with cooked spaghetti.  Place in a casserole dish and top with the shredded cheese.  Bake until hot through and cheese melted.

  

Really Good Tuna Casserole

 This is not my recipe but it is one I've tried and boy is it delicious.  The author of this recipe is Sweet Little Bluebird.  It is her photo I've used below to show you what the dish looks like.   I halved the recipe which was more than enough for the two of us and still netted us leftovers.

I personally have searched for years for a tuna casserole that tasted GOOD and this one most assuredly does!  Give it a try.  And let her know you tried it.  You can find her link right here.

OLD FASHIONED TUNA NOODLE CASSERO

Ingredients

• 12 ounces wide egg noodles (not extra wide), slightly under cooked with a little firmness *under cook about 2 minutes less than according to package 
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 ounce can solid white albacore tuna in water, drained well
• 2 cans (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup – OR make homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (like Hellmann’s – not Miracle Whip) 
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup peas 
• 1 cup crushed potato chips 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare egg noodles, making sure to slightly under cook them by 2 minutes so they are slightly firm. Drain well. 

 

In a skillet over medium to medium-high heat melt butter and add onions. Cook until onions are tender and translucent. 

 

In a large bowl add cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and the cooked onions and butter from skillet. Mix well. Next, add tuna, peas, cheddar cheese and mix well. Last, add prepared egg noodles, gently folding into soup/tuna mixture until well blended. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Top evenly with crushed potato chips.

 

Place casserole on middle rack of oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes uncovered, until casserole is completely heated through. Enjoy! 

Daddy's German Potatoes

 Potatoes and onions...Such a simple dish and yet one with powerful memories for me.  You see my daddy was very proud of his Irish heritage and mighty fond of potatoes.  He told Mama that as far as he was concerned potatoes should be on the table at every meal and Mama did serve them with most meals, including spaghetti dinners.  We were the only folks I knew who had pasta with meat sauce and a side of French fries to go with our salad!  Remember those frozen chicken pot pies.  French fries and salad went with those, too.

One of Daddy's favorite methods of cooking potatoes was German potatoes.  I've no idea why he called it German Potatoes but he did and that is what I called it for many years myself.

 He'd slice several potatoes thin, slice an onion and  heat oil in a heavy skillet.  In would go the potatoes and onion and these he'd let crisp on the bottom then turn them and then turn them again and again, allowing the potatoes to crisp and the onion to mellow.  He'd pop on a lid just long enough to let the heat steam the potatoes to tenderness.  Then he'd salt and pepper. 

The aroma of browning potatoes and caramelizing onions was tantalizing to us kids.  We might have been outdoors playing, or so often in my case, in my room reading a book, but the moment we smelled potatoes and onions cooking we had to go see what was for dinner...or lunch or breakfast, as the case might be.

I carried that simple dish to my first married home.  My ex-husband enjoyed it as much as we'd enjoyed it.  One summer we took a camping vacation to the mountains where we ended up at a primitive campsite.  No running water, no electric hookups and the nearest restrooms and showers were a mile drive down the side of the mountain.  We didn't even go equipped with a flashlight or wood for a fire.  But we did have a pup tent, wool blankets and a portable grill with a cast iron cooktop, food and charcoal.

I had brought along a bag of potatoes and onions and some meats to grill.  I had a single cast iron skillet and into that skillet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, went potatoes and onions.  We were in a lonely place on that side of the mountain, but do you know people literally walked out of the woods to our campsite to ask what I was cooking at every meal.  When I'd reply "Potatoes and onions," they generally said "Is that all?  It smells so good!"  Apparently, as basic and common as I thought the dish was, it was a revelation to nearly everyone who approached us that two humble ingredients could create such a delicious aroma.

All these years later and I must confess that German potatoes is still one of my favorite dishes.  It is comfort food at it's best, requiring nothing more than the most basic of pantry items: oil, salt and pepper, onion and potato.  It's cheap and filling, yet so delicious it never seems like a budget dish.  It is a great accompaniment to breakfast eggs and bacon or ham, or served alongside chops, steaks and burgers or hot dogs.  It is equally at home on a plate with any of them.

And it was to that dish I turned one day this week, when the weather outdoors was rainy and stormy and I was just longing for something comforting and filling but easy.  Two potatoes, one onion, salt and pepper and oil.  John came out of the music room as soon as he smelled the browning potatoes and onion.  "What's for supper?"  Nostalgia on a plate.

Peaches and Cream Pie

 

I'd never had or heard of this pie until a blogger/vlogger offered it as a free download for subscribing to her blog.  I looked online to find another recipe that is similar to hers to share here, so I can't say it's tried and true, but she's not shared hers to the general public and I don't like to share a recipe that isn't public domain or strictly mine.

Peaches and Cream Pie

• 3/4 cup flour
• ▢1 tsp baking powder
• ▢1/4 tsp salt
• ▢3 ounces Cook & Serve vanilla pudding mix (NOT instant
• ▢3 Tbsps butter at room temperature
• ▢1 egg
• ▢1/2 cup milk
• ▢15 ounces canned sliced peaches, drained, reserving 5 Tbsps of peach juice
• ▢8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢1/2 cup sugar

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla pudding mix.  Mix with butter, egg and milk.  Spread mixture evenly over a greased pie pan.  I use a big 10 inch pan to make this recipe.

Now lay peaches out in a pretty pattern on the batter mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and 5 Tbsps of the reserved peach juice.  Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the peach slices.  Spread lightly over the peaches.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.  This pie really is best when it's cooler or even stored covered in the fridge.

Mia's Upside Down Peach Cobbler

 

There was, once upon a time, a lovely blog called 'Aspiring Homemaker' and the young teen who wrote it was a lovely girl whom it was my pleasure to meet.   Mia was a homeschooled girl who lived in a rural setting with her family and she shared their journey living in a town house and moving into the country.  The family truly lived in a homestead sort of way.  Mia and her sister wore vintage clothing, practiced doing things in the old fashioned ways.   

Mia loved to cook and often shared recipes.  One memorable recipe for me was her Upside Down Peach Pie.  I never shared it here because it was, in my mind, her recipe and as long as her blog was up where public could read it, I simply linked to it.  However, the blog is no longer live for public views and hasn't been in quite a few years.   I searched online and found the recipe at another source and wanted to share it.   I often use the 'Easy Cobbler' recipe but this one, while similar and using the same basic ingredients is superior to my old tried and true one and come peach season, it was the one I'd often use.   

I'm still going to call this Mia's Upside Down Peach Cobbler because that is what I've always called it but you will probably just call it 'Delicious!'

Mia's Upside Down Peach Cobbler

2 cups fresh peaches (You can substitute drained, canned peaches)

1/2 cup sugar

Place in a saucepan and heat to boiling.

1/4 cup butter

Melt butter in baking dish (2 quart or an 8x8 pan) in 350F oven

Mix batter ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup milk

I like to use a whisk to help remove any lumps but you can use a blender or mixer.  

When butter is melted, remove pan from oven.  Pour in batter mixture.  DO NOT STIR.  Now take hot peach mixture, juices and all, and pour over batter.  DO NOT STIR.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Batter will rise to the top and turn golden brown while peaches will 

Sarah's Peach Festival Cobbler And Terri's Easy Peach Cobbler

 Peach Festival cobbler

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sliced peeled peaches
1 1/4 cups sugar {I use less if peaches are real sweet}
1cup presifted flour
2 tea baking powder
1/2 tea salt ..or less
1/2 tea nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 tea vanilla Hubby loves this flour filling and at times I add a bit more of it to the same recipe...I also sub some of the milk for peach juice.
Do it in the same fashion as your recipe with the exception that the peaches go in over the melted butter and the flour mix goes over before baking. fits into 1 1/2 qt casserole. bakes 350 for 30 min till golden. I found this in my first cookbook. America Cooks from the Federation of Women's Clubs 1967. 

(from reader Sarah)

That recipe is Sarah's but I'm going to include my own right here below it.

Terri's Easy Peach Cobbler

1 stick of butter (I often do half a stick often because a whole stick is super rich), 

1 cup of milk, 

1 cup of sugar  

1 cup of flour (if using all purpose add 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt)    

Melt the butter in a 7 x 11 baking dish or a 2 quart casserole in a 375F oven.   In the meantime put milk, sugar, flour together in a bowl. I use all purpose flour so I add 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Self-rising flour works just great in this, too.   Don't mix.  Just set aside.  Now peel and slice 2-3 cups peaches. I add extra peaches.  Older recipes actually call for 1 cup of fruit which I find isn't near enough.  And by the way this cobbler topping is excellent over apples/applesauce, oranges, berries...They all taste yummy!

Pour the melted butter into the flour mixture.  Mix quickly with a whisk, just until it's all mixed and not lumpy.  You can, if you prefer, do as my late father in law used to do and blitz it in the blender.  Pour into the casserole and put peaches into batter.  Bake until golden brown and puffy.  I haven't made one in a 7x 11 pan in a long time so I can't tell you how long to cook that.  I use the 2 quart casserole usually.  In a casserole, it takes about 1 hour to bake. It will go quicker in the 7 x 11 pan since it's more shallow.

You can double the recipe and put into a 13 X 9 pan and it too will take about an hour to cook through.  This is how we made it most often when I was growing up.  I like that the recipe can be doubled or halved, and even quartered, easily.