Kielbasa with Spinach & Spaghetti

This is a lazy woman's meal. It sounds better if I said busy woman but that isn't the case, this time. When I worked full time, was raising a child, involved in a zillion committees, I wasn't as busy as I am now as a retiree. Honest.
Seniors would come into my office and tell me how busy they were, not a minute to spare. And I'd think, "Yeah, sure. I'd like to be as busy as this person." How fresh was I? Nonna's words would come to mind, "Spit in the air and it will come back in your face." In a milder sense of her words.
So here I am busier than ever with not a moment to spare...most of the time. BUT I love it. I'm busy because I want it that way. On any given day, I could shrug and say..."I ain't doin' that any more." Ah, the luxury of growing older.
The evening I cooked this recipe was a day that my dh got a call from a buddy inviting him to see a movie and grab pizza with a bunch of the guys. See, they are the R.O.M.E.O. club. Nah, nothing to do with romance...although of few of them "still-got-it". It stands for Retired Old Men Eating Out. Ray came up with that one...he's a funny guy. A group of women play Mahjong together and the husbands go out that night. Me, I savor the evening alone and cook whatever I damn well please.
So, there was leftover spaghetti in the fridge, a half a kielbasa and a bag of spinach. All the makings of a meal. It was quick, tasty and oh, how I hate to toss out good food. Must be the senior in me or the busy woman or the lazy woman....what-evahhh.

Kielbasa with Spinach & Spaghetti

Kielbasa: type of your choice turkey, beef etc
or any sausage will do. I use Hillshire ring
Spinach 2 hand fulls, washed
small onion, sliced (optional)
Spaghetti or any type of pasta,
leftovers will do fine
salt, (optional)
If you want to go crazy, add a Tblspoon of pine nuts or walnuts

Cut kielbasa into rings or pieces and brown in a skillet. Add onion & cook until tender. Add the spinach and let it cook until wilted. Add pasta to this and heat through. Add salt to taste. No need to add spices unless you want more garlic or onion taste, then add garlic and/or onion powder. The fat from kielbasa is enough to brown the ingredients in or you can add a touch of olive oil, if needed. Serve with a salad.
Can't get much easier than this!

Remember To Make Memories At The Table

Kitchen Tips

My friend, Lynn, sent me these great tips. Wanted to share them with my food buddies. Enjoy!

Use unscented dental floss to cut cakes, cheeses & other soft solids perfectly!

Remember To Make Memories At The Table

Cherry Bliss Fruit Dip

I live in an Active Adult Community where diet is an evil word. There's always an event to attend and most events involve, food. The saving grace is that there are many exercise programs to take advantage of...zumba, aerobics, circuit training, pilates, tennis, men's boot camp & more. The fitness center is more than adequate for a great workout. The community is so lovely and safe that just walking and admiring my surroundings can keep me fit-as-a-fiddle. And it does work!
But I can't let my guard down....no, no, no...because on the other side of the scale is, a monthly Wine Social, Pot Luck Supper, and a cafe that serves tasty meals. Add in the "special" activities like, Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day Dinner/Dance, 50's Night, Lobster Boil to name a few and the pounds pack on. Having 12 close Girl Friends adds up to lots of house parties and dinners out. But I wouldn't trade any of this. Living in Victoria Gardens is my slice of Paradise. Ain't Life Grand!?

I never made a Fruit Dip, maybe because it sounds like something a skinny, health conscious woman might have in her recipe box. The last one I tasted was at our Holiday House Crawl. Maryann served a gooey caramel dip with a variety of fruit slices. So darn good. I was trying to come up with something to bring to the Wine Social. While perusing the refrigerated section of the supermarket, I saw an eye-catching green colored dip. The ingredients were interesting, but the price ridiculously high. I would need about 4 containers and that wasn't happening. Sooooo, I do what I often do....I created it myself. I was happy with the results. Sweet but not overly so, tangy, crunchy yet smooth and refreshing.

The one I brought to the Wine Social had been made with pistachio and green in color. When another Foodie, Loretta, tasted it she liked it lots and suggested I make it for a baby shower we were going to attend. Pink for the baby girl just born. I changed the pistachio to cherry and the apple slices to strawberries. It worked. Hope you enjoy both recipes.

Cherry Bliss Fruit Dip 

8 oz sour cream
4 oz (approx.1/2 of a 7 1/2 oz jar) of Marshmallow Fluff
8 oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoon cherry Jello mix
1/2 to 1 packet of Splenda (blends better than sugar)
In a hand or electric chopper chop the crushed pineapple so it is very fine. Do the same with the walnuts. In a medium size mixing bowl, blend together the sour cream, marshmallow fluff,  & Splenda. Add cherry Jello until you achieve the desired color. I used 1 1/2 teaspoon for a light pink. Mix. Fold in pineapple and nuts. Chill covered until serving.
Wash strawberries at the last minute and serve with fruit dip.

yes, the dip is green

For Pistachio Paradise Fruit Dip: swap cherry Jello mix for pistachio instant pudding. This pudding has bits of pistachio nuts already in it. You can add extra nuts if you desire. All the ingredients remain the same. Great for St. Patrick's Day supper or even green for Christmas! I served this with apple slices. Sorry photo doesn't show the crushed pineapple, but it was included in the final recipe. Re: the Splenda, add amount to your sweet taste.
Remember To Make Memories At The Table
 

Eggnog Loaf

I love eggnog and right before Christmas I buy a quart. Yes, it's fattening and the richness doesn't always agree with my tummy, but it tastes so darn good. And what's Christmas morning without eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg? Okay, a drop of rum or brandy doesn't hurt either. So after the one glass, the container goes back in the refrigerator. Sadly, the leftover often gets dumped in the sink.

 Ahhhh, but not this year. First of all, I read online that eggnog can be frozen. Who knew?! Secondly, I was given a recipe for an Eggnog Loaf from who else but, my baking diva sister, Joan. Since I intended to bake with the eggnog, it wouldn't bother me if the texture changed a bit. Thinking back, I do remember making a wonderful eggnog bread pudding one year, but it was around Thanksgiving not after Christmas.

I thought I was through baking for awhile after the hearty amount of goodies I baked for Christmas. But a friend, Jon from my community, was having a birthday on the 2nd of January and I thought this loaf would be a nice birthday surprise. His wife, Shari, commented that his special day kind of gets lost in the holiday shuffle.

It was rather brave of me or stupid to try something new on the poor guy, but it looked like a simple recipe and, heck, I had all the ingredients. Shari assured me that the loaf was moist and tasty. Jon enjoyed it and Shari even toasted a slice the next morning for breakfast. Good idea!

Eggnog Loaf
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups eggnog
3 Tablespoons rum
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter (soften)
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Powdered sugar to dust top of loaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Blend together eggs, eggnog, rum, sugar, butter & oil.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla pudding & nutmeg.
Add to eggnog mixture and stir just enough to moisten; pour into prepared pan.
Bake loaf for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan. Cool completely. Dust top with powdered sugar.
*if it needs extra time to bake through, you can cover top with foil if it is getting too brown.

Remember to Make Memories At The Table

Italian Christmas Jam Cookies

Finally, the flour and the sugar are put away. Unlike my mom, I won't be making another batch of Christmas cookies because the tin is low on goodies. That's it...fini!~ I baked 6 different kinds of cookies, a few less than most years. The American standbys are a must...chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin & snickerdoodles. Everyone loves them, Christmas or not. Okay, I'll confess...I also bake them because it keeps my husband from eating too many of my specialty cookies.

Sesame cookies, Nut cups and Italian Christmas Jam cookies, along with the American variety, stuffed the gift boxes I handed out to 25 friends this year. Next year, I may include my pignoli cookies. Just didn't get around to those this year. Oh, I did include my usual fudge....raspberry pistachio, orange walnut, white chocolate peppermint cranberry & my newest- chocolate cherry marshmallow. My son would pout if Momma didn't make a batch or two of Rum Balls, so of course that was on the confection list, too.

I'm not sure about the history of the cookie I'm posting today, but it has always been on our cookie list. Years ago, Mom filled it with prune and chocolate. You really couldn't taste prune, but when I mentioned prune, noses crinkled, sooooo I now fill them with cherry & chocolate. No more prune faces.

A few tips and facts. Like many Italian cookies, it is not overly sweet. Great with coffee and tea. Just smear a small amount of jam & chocolate in the center. If you over-fill, it will seep out of the edges. This drove my mom crazy, so it's just not done. If you don't care, then fill 'em up. Be sure to refrigerate the dough...I let it stay overnight. Cut off a piece at a time and put the rest back in the refrigerator as you roll out the dough and shape the cookies. Do roll them out thin..a thick cookie just doesn't taste the same. Of course, you can use whatever flavor jam you want. I found the brand name Solo in raspberry and decided to try that. Unfortunately, it has seeds and I don't like to crunch down on fruit seeds. Though the photo shows raspberry, I changed the jam to cherry. I use a 3 inch round glass for circle shape. Don't make them too large. Powder sugar tops the cookies, but be sure they are cooled. Cookies will be pale in color.

Merry Christmas & Have a wonderful, blessed 2013! Enjoy the cookies.

Italian Christmas Jam Cookies

2 sticks of margarine or shortening (not sure why we never use butter, don't take the chance)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4-5 Tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of your favorite flavor Jam
                                                      1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a bowl, cream together shortening, cream cheese and sugar. I use my stand mixer.
Gradually add the flour. If the dough feels too sticky, add a bit more flour. Never over mix.

Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt chocolate and jam in a small pot on stove. I use a double boiler.
Roll out dough approx. 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board or counter. Cut dough into circles and fill center with melted chocolate & jam. Fold circle into half moons and fork edges tightly closed. Place on cookie tray just a bit apart. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until light golden, but not brown!
Cool well and dust with powdered sugar.

Remember To Make Memories At The Table.

The History of Aprons

Do the kids today know what an apron is? Here's some interesting and heart-warming facts.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids... and when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

Sewing pattern from McCall

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

                  REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...

Lime Tea Cookies

My sister, Joan, is the baker in the family. Oh, she can cook a darn good meal, but baking is her forte. Having arrived at her home in Cape Coral, Florida, for a week, I wasn't surprised to find a freshly baked batch of Scones and the most moist, buttery lime cookies.  These delectable tea cookies have the perfect balance of sweet & tang.  I took the recipe home and put it in a drawer....until a neighbor gifted me with a bag of gorgeous limes from her fruit tree. Thanks Felicia! The tree produces limes, lemons and oranges, alternating the fruits every 4 months. I hope I'm remembered at the next harvest.
I took these cookies to our community's monthly Wine Social. I knew they were a hit & a keeper when even the men commented on the delicious flavor.  I hope you enjoy these cookies that are easy to make and filled with the taste of spring!  Joan, thanks for another great treat, so what if I now have to walk an extra mile to fit into my shorts. It's worth it.

Lime Tea Cookies
2 teaspoons lime juice (must be fresh squeezed)
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons of lime zest
1 3/4 cups of AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
glaze
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 teaspoon of fresh lime juice with the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, powder, soda) and blend well. Set aside.

note the specks of lime zest

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in lime zest and milk mixture. Add dry ingredients into creamed mixture and blend.

Light in color

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie trays. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are light brown. The color of cookies will be very light.
Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Simple glaze

Prepare glaze by combining powdered sugar and fresh lime juice. Mix well and brush onto cooled cookies. Add a bit of green food coloring to some glaze and glaze a few cookies green for effect.
Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies

Enjoy! & Remember to Make Memories At The Table