TN Family Trip

Earlier this we week made a trip to TN to see family.  I got caught up in visiting and neglected to take pictures, so we only have a few. I have been making mental notes to do better in that regard.

We had a wonderful (if limited) time with family, and that was the important part. I got to see two younger cousins that I haven’t seen in a long while and got to know their spouses and kids. I found that I am quite proud of the people they have become as adults! I wish that we could have spent more time with everyone, but we were limited in what we could do since a couple of the kids got sick with really bad allergy attacks.

We did get to spend a day at a local park. What fun! Here are some relaxing pictures of the kids playing in the creek. Thanks goes to my cousin Kendalyn for pulling out my camera and snapping away! 🙂

Grandma Reed’s Chicken and Dumplings

This week we have been in TN having a wonderful time with family! Of course one of the things we like to  do on vacation is eat and try new foods and recipes. 🙂 There are a lot of phenomenal cooks and bakers in our family and it is always a blessing when they share recipes that are special to them!

My cousin Kendalyn wanted to share a recipe with you that is special to her: Grandma Reed’s Chicken and dumplings. She remembers her mother making this meal often on Saturdays spent around the house. As the broth for the dumplings slow simmered, they would fill the house with a delicious aroma that is a comfort to Kendalyn and her family as they continue the tradition of making this meal.

To make this you will need:

1 whole chicken

Bisquick

1 cup buttermilk

1 onion

3 celery stalks

3 medium carrots

3 bouillon cubes

Salt, pepper and sage

Sprinkle the entire chicken with sage, pepper and plenty of salt

Place the chicken, onion, carrots, and celery into a large stock pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer for at least an hour until the chicken is cooked.

Remove the chicken and veggies.

Strain off fat then reserve 4 quarts of broth. Add bouillon cubes to broth and salt to taste. Cut a small amount of the veggies boiled in the broth into small pieces and pull the chicken off the bones into spoon-sized pieces. Return them to broth then bring the broth back up to a good simmer.

Fill a 16 oz Pyrex measuring cup (approx. 20 oz) to the top with Bisquick

Then measure out just under 1 cup buttermilk (to make this extra special you can double the dumplings)

Combine the Bisquick and buttermilk into a thick dough

Drop by large spoonfuls into the broth

Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes (occasionally ladle broth over the dumplings as they simmer).

I love sharing family food traditions, especially when they are foods that are warm, hearty and remind you of home!

Thank you, Kendalyn, for sharing with us! 🙂

 

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Campfire Pockets

What a busy week we are having! Right now we are preparing for a vacation and also our upcoming school year. I’m still trying to keep meals as simple and healthy as possible. These campfire pockets are a kid favorite here and I like them because they are easy, healthy and don’t require me to heat the house up.

The ingredients you need are based on how many people you are serving and personal taste.

We used:

1 potato per person

Several yellow plumb tomatoes per person

Several slices of onion and green bell pepper per person

1 hard boiled egg per person

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 lb ground beef, divided between 7 pockets

Onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper sprinkled into each pocket

Peel potatoes and chop into thin strips

Cut boiled eggs into quarters

Chop other veggies into thin pieces

Fold foil into pockets: Fold in half then double fold both of the sides.

It should look like this (below)

Layer veggies  in pocket

Add meat and sprinkle in spices.

Fold top. Carefully shake a little to mix the contents.

Place packets on grill until potatoes are tender and meat is thoroughly cooked

The best part is you can eat it straight out of the pocket which means NO clean-up!

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Red Fried Tomatoes

Summer is in full swing and gardens are producing tomatoes like crazy! It’s always at this time of year that I start craving fresh tomato sandwiches and fried tomatoes. My mom always makes fried red tomatoes…one of my favorite summer dishes! It’s so simple to make!

You will need:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3 eggs

Several medium tomatoes

Oil

Whisk the eggs

Mix the Parmesan cheese, flour, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders together in a bowl big enough for dredging

Slice up your tomatoes

Dip the tomatoes in egg mixture

Dredge through flour mixture, coating both sides. Preheat about 1/2 inch oil in a pan on medium heat.

Place tomatoes in preheated oil

Fry for a few seconds on both sides until golden brown

These make a great side dish or lunch!

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Gold Rush Brownies

I can’t believe how much of July has passed already! Summer seems to be flying by so fast! We are getting a lot of use out of the porch this year…spending a lot of time out there.  Dinner is served casual style on the porch, followed by kids playing until it’s dark out. I haven’t been spending very much time in the kitchen though. It’s simply been too hot to stand over the stove for too long! I’ve been making a lot of quick, easy meals.

Tonight I wanted something easy, and that didn’t use a lot of ingredients (since I have not made it to the grocery store yet, hehe). I decided on this vintage recipe that only uses four ingredients: Gold Rush Brownies.

You will need:

2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1 15 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Dump all the ingredients into a bowl.

Mix together. It should be a fairly thick mixture.

Spread into a greased 8 inch square pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for at least 10 minutes before you cut and serve. Very easy and quick to throw together…plus, it tastes super yummy! 🙂

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