What I remember about dried beef is eating it as a kid with a cream sauce and peas on toast, now doesn’t that sound yummy?? But there are so many other things you can do with dried beef as well and I have many appetizer recipes. This one is so easy and fast and can be whipped up quickly when unexpected guests arrive!
Dried Beef Appetizer
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (4 ounce) carton sour cream
2 Packages dried beef, shredded
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together all ingredients, mold into a loaf or put in a decorative bowl and refrigerate. Serve with crackers or cocktail rye bread.
Last night I finished a book I was reading “Stories from Candyland” by Candy Spelling. I know what you are thinking, HUH?!? Well, I had read both books by Tori Spelling: “Story Telling” and “Mommywood” and thought they were OK, but wanted to hear the “other” side of the story. (If you don’t follow PEOPLE magazine you may not know who either of these people are. Candy Spelling was married to Aaron Spelling who created Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Dynasty, etc. etc. Tori Spelling is their daughter and her claim to fame is Beverly Hills, 90210)
Anyway, The Manor (the home that they built in Los Angeles) that is 56, 500 square feet, not including the 17,000 square foot attic, has always intrigued me and I heard the book talked about the “house” and I had nothing better to read. And I read just about anything. The book was OK, but what I didn’t know is that Candy Spelling loves to cook and collect (among other things) cook books. This WAS intriguing since she probably also had a few chefs at any given time. At the end of the book, when I had just about run out of patience with her talking about herself, I found a collection of recipes! This was the best part of the whole book. I love easy throw-together meals and I’ve heard from many of you that that is what you like about the recipes I share–they are EASY!
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I can tell that it is easy and sounds very good as well, I will add a picture when I make it in the future, until then, I would love your comments!
Chicken Casserole by Candy
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup raw rice
1 fryer chicken, cut up
1 Package onion soup, undiluted
1 can beef consomme’
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish. Pour all of the raw rice in the casserole dish, then place the chicken parts on top of the rice. Sprinkle the package of onion soup on top of the chicken, followed by the beef consomme’, then the cream of mushroom soup, then 1 can of water. Do not mix these ingredients. Place in preheated oven uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and return to oven for another 1/2 hour. Remove and Serve.
Poppy Seed Bread
Makes 1- 9 x 5 x 3 bread
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS:
Combine sugar, oil and eggs. Add milk, then stir in the flour. Add vanilla and baking soda. Stir. Mix in seed and nuts. Pour into a greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes.
NOTES: In some of the low calorie recipes it says you can substitute applesauce for the oil. In this case, I have tried it and it doesn’t work so well, and doesn’t taste great either.
We’re having company this weekend and I have to work on Saturday morning so am not able to do the usual egg dish for breakfast. So instead I thought I would pull out some homemade bread recipes to whip up before they get here. I think I originally got this recipe from my mom and I have had it since probably pre-marriage (NOTES: we were engaged 20 years ago on August 5th, so it’s an old recipe). I made it a lot when the boys were young and we had leftover bananas and they loved it.
Banana Bread
Makes 1- 9 x 3 bread
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2-2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas-2-3 bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS:
Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in bananas and add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in nuts. Turn into a well-greased 9 x 5 x 3 pan. Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees.
Hip! Hip! Hooray! I found Root Beer extract this weekend! And I know that you all have been dying for an update 
Actually a few of you have been asking where the recipe is, so I am pleased to be able to give you the information from my little experiment in making soda.
I did find the Root Beer Concentrate at our local Wal-Mart (ok, not my favorite store, but they had what I needed) It is made by McCormick and comes in a 2 ounce bottle and is located by the baking extracts. The recipe is on the back and goes like this…
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Root Beer concentrate
1 bottle (1 liter) cold soda water, seltzer or club soda **I used club soda
DIRECTIONS:
Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add Concentrate; stir until well mixed. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly pour soda into root beer mixture until well blended, serve.
It was really easy, and Arin did most of it for me. We had a few families over for a get-together yesterday and had a taste-test. Everyone really liked it, however, the conneseour (not sure how to spell that and spell check isn’t helping) of Root Beer that I am, found it to taste more like Barq’s than like A & W, so maybe next time I will try mixing it with seltzer to see if it changes the flavor.
0 comments » 
