I'm Back to Cooking Again!

I was completely out of it from mono and being very sick for a couple months, but now I am starting to get back on my feet. That means I'm cooking a little more now! My wonderful husband did a great job at cooking when I was sick. It's good to have a handy man who likes to cook and does a good job at it!

My family didn't have meatloaf very often, but I wanted to try it and got this recipe from my mother-in-law. I'll call it Mom's Best Meatloaf.

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or 2 pieces old bread, crumbled)
1&1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 quick cooking oats

Mix all ingredients. Bake in a crock pot for 1-1&1/2 hours or in the oven at 350 degrees in an uncovered baking dish. You can also cook it in the microwave. Mine burnt around the edges (that's why I didn't take a picture!) the first time because my oven is hotter and I have to turn the temperature down for certain things. I'd suggest watching it closely as it cooks and finding out what works for you.



I love butternut squash and got this recipe from my husband's sister. It's delicious and easy to make!

Butternut Squash Casserole

1 pound sausage (not the breakfast kind)
2 cans green beans (or beans of your choice)
1/2 medium butternut squash, cooked and mashed
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown and drain sausage. Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Mix green beans with squash in dish. Spread sausage over green bean/squash mix. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

I baked my first pie all by myself and took it on extension last weekend for everyone to enjoy. It was delicious!


Dutch Apple Pie

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
FILLING:
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-14 cups water
3 cups diced peeled tart apples
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine first 4 ingredients; set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into an un-greased 9-in pie plate; set aside. For filling, combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in apples and vanilla. Pour into crust; top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings.

NOTE: I did 2 cups of the apples and 1 cup of frozen (thawed) strawberries instead and it turned out delicious!

I made two batches of these cookies for gatherings at Northland and everyone loved them so much that there were no leftovers to bring home.
















Chewy Gingersnaps

1-1/2 cups margarine
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
4 teaspoons cinnamon
4-1/2 cups flour

Mix first 8 ingredients well. Mix in flour well. Chill dough for 10-15 minutes. Roll into 1" to 1-1/2" balls, then roll balls in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake @ 375 for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown on bottom edges and just set, but not hard on top; should feel like a crust.

NOTE: To make lighter, try white sugar and light molasses or honey instead. I did this and they were delicious!