Chicken Casserole My Mother Found Because of an Army Connection

Scentsy salutes the military 9/1/10

Here's a recipe my Mother used to make us when we were growing up. It's from my Mother's friend Joyce she met when they were neighbors as young Mother's and when their husbands were in the army together.

It was a favorite of ours growing up and now my children enjoy this simple casserole also. I hope you will too.

Joyce's Chicken Casserole

1 *chicken cut in bite size pieces

1 can campbell's onion soup

2 cup chicken stock

3/4 sq. butter

1 cup rice

Mix all together.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

A 3-1/2-pound whole *chicken will yield about 3 cups of diced cooked chicken.  Generally, 3/4 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts will yield 2 cups of cubed cooked chicken. Allow about 1/4 to 1/3 pound of boneless chicken per serving. 

Brigham Young's Buttermilk Doughnuts

I'm recording this here so I can try it.  My Father had cut it out of the newpaper, so I guess I'll make them for him :)  

Title: Brigham Young's Buttermilk Doughnuts

Description:
This version of Brigham Young's buttermilk doughnuts has
been modernized by Brenda Hopkin, head baker at the Lion
House Pantry restaurant. It was on the paper on Feb. 21,
2009. She halved the recipe, specified the amount of flour
and added more butter and soda. To see the original recipe
from Naomi Young Schettler, as well as Winifred Jardine's
version, go to http://MormonTimes.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten
5 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:
n a medium bowl stir together all dry ingredients and set
aside. Whisk together buttermilk, eggs and sugar. Add
melted butter and whisk again. Add dry ingredients and gently
stir together -- do not use a mixer. Dough will be sticky. Start
heating frying oil to 375 degrees. Roll or pat dough on a well-
floured board about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Cut with 2 1/2 inch
doughnut cutter. Form the scraps into a ball and reroll and
cut. (The dough could be cut with a knife or pizza cutter in
small squares or rectangles to speed up the process). Fry in
hot oil. Doughnuts will start to crack on top when they are
ready to turn. Remove from oil when golden brown. Drain on
paper towels. While warm, roll in or sprinkle with granulated
sugar as desired.

Number Of Servings:Makes 2 dozen doughnuts

Valentine's Day Varietes

Warm Red Velvet Cake with a powdered sugar glaze was our dessert for our visitor's from Canada Sunday night. We also served the hamburger, tomato, rice casserole with sour cream for our red main course.

When my husband and I ate out earlier this week for our Valentine's Day Dinner, we were served Crab Salad pictured on the left. I then bought crab and served it Saturday to our family on Valentine's Day and Sunday to our friends from Canada.
The picture I quickly snapped was of a kid's size portion -- skeptical of crab, yet required to taste it:). When I served it on Sunday, I took a long oval platter and laid the red leaf lettuce on the edge and the iceberg bed of lettuce down the middle with crab on top of it and the tomatoes along the edges.

The kids helped me ready chocolate fondue dessert on Valentine's Day which my Mother had requested. We had such flavorful strawberries in the store this time to dip along with bananas, strawberry pound cake and then 'pink' marshallow rice krispie treats the kids made too. Our main course was homemade spaghetii sauce over gnocchi noodles. We also served purchased organic red pepper and tomato soup and drank strawberry juice. We love to eat and wear red, white and pink on Valentine's Day!! My husband made cherry chocolate heart shaped waffles with homemade strawberry syrup for our Valentine's Day breakfast.

Chocolate Dream Roll

This month's recipe theme is "chocoholic". I'm not really a chocoholic, but do like it. My chocolate eating is mainly chocolate candy bars with Reese's being my favorite, followed by peanut M&Ms. It's a real treat though when I get to eat Fazer (Finnish) and Marabou (Swedish) chocolate. I enjoy brownies too. I like my Grandma's Chocolate cake pudding.  I would love to get the commercial recipe for the cake our friends had at their wedding in California.  Well one of my family's favorites is my Mother's Unelma Torttu which translated means Dream Roll. She got this recipe from her Jukkarainen aunt. I made this for our recipe exchange and am glad I have some left over to share with my Mother.

Unelma Torttu

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar

4 egg whites
3/4 cup flour
4 T cocoa
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Filling:

1 cube margarine
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg or yolk
vanilla

Directions:

Beat yolks until thick and lemon colored; gradually beat in 1/3 cup sugar. In a large bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form, gradually add remaining 2/3 cup sugar, beat until stiff peaks form. Fold yolks into whites. Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Fold into egg mixture. Spread on greased wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Turn onto a dish towel sprinkled with sugar.

Roll, cool completely, unroll, and fill. 

Roll again. 

Cut in half and wrap in saran wrap and keep in refrigerator.

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls

My daughter took a picture of the cinnamon rolls we made on Sunday.  She thought I should post it on my blog, so I am just for her.

She helped me make homemade rolls and we doubled the recipe, so that with the other half we made dessert at the same time.  We added a powdered sugar glaze to them.  I also added brown sugar on the tops at the last minute before I baked them.  It's better inside of them I've decided, but I'm looking for a way to make them more gooey inside and on top.  Any ideas?

I won 2 dozen cinnamon rolls from a sister in our ward at the Relief Society Service auction. She brought them a dozen at a time, most recently 2 weeks ago.  They were huge and light and delicious.  I need to get her recipe and learn how to make huge, light and delicious cinnamon rolls.  

Also, I need to try my hand soon at the Finnish version of turning pulla dough into cinnamon rolls.  

Pres. Obama's Inaugural Luncheon Menu and Recipes

Today, Barrack Hussein Obama became our 44th President.  It would have been awesome to be in Washington D.C. to participate.  I was able to watch this with my parents in their home and my husband was able to watch it with his parents in their home by chance as he's there on business. What an historic day for our country!  We've recorded it to watch with our children. They have watched this process with us this last year or so.  Although our nation didn't choose Mitt Romney as we'd hoped, today I watch two LDS politicians intimately involved in the inauguration, one Bob Bennett (R-UT) co-chairing the inauguration and Harry Reid (D-NV) toasting the President as the Senate Majority Leader. 

I just heard that the page that has gotten the most hits on the inauguration website is the one with menus and recipes for today's luncheon sharing what our new President and the First Lady and guests ate.  I would have enjoyed everything except the duck.  

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Tonight's FHE before Christmas was an open house at friends.  We didn't know if we could make it since other friends from MN were due to arrive.  They were delayed so we went.  Boy were they delayed!!  See story below recipe.  It was such a fun evening with many friends and wonderful food and games.  I made 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Place chicken breast pieces (personally not fond of chicken livers) in a ziplock bag. Add some Italian dressing and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, precook as many pieces of bacon as you would need in the microwave, oven or grill until partially done.

Wrap each chicken piece with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. I also put in a water chestnut or pineapple chunk before I wrapped each one.

Place on a foil wrapped pan in the oven at 425 for around 15-20 minutes or until bacon is done the way you like it.

This is very easy and as Kent said, "You can't go wrong with bacon!"

Mrs. Newberry Biscuits for Thanksgiving

Categories: Breads
Title: Mrs. Newberry Biscuits

Description:
Thanksgiving dinner means you'll need the Mrs. Newberry Biscuits recipe. Our family always ate these then growing up. My Mother got this recipe from her neighbor Mrs. Newberry when they lived in Fort Riley, Kansas while my Father was assigned there for the military. My brother and I would smash the first one out of the oven, much to my Mother's shagrin, and smother it with butter. Later that evening we'd use them for turkey and tomato sandwiches. I think it's the sugar that makes them:)

Ingredients:
2 T dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 c. warm water with a shake of sugar on top
2 1/2 c warm water
3/4 c powdered milk (scant)
1 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c shortening or margarine
7 1/2 c flour (about)

Directions:
Mix and knead as any biscuit dough. Raise until double or about 1 hour in a warm place or a dishpan of hot water. Form into round balls, golf ball size or a little larger. Raise covered with dish towel in a warm place for 2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Sweet Potato Pie

I've been served Sweet Potatoe Pie before and really love it.  I've never made it before and no longer live near the acquaintance who made it for us, so I googled and found this recipe to try which sounds so good.  

It's also the first time I'm emailing my post to my blog.  So fun and handy!

Visit the Imperial Sugar Recipes Web site for other great Imperial Sugar and Dixie Crystals recipes! If you enjoyed this recipe, subscribe to our newsletters.

Check out this delicious recipe!

Janie's Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (cooked)
1 cup firmly packed Imperial Sugar Dark Brown Sugar or Dixie Crystals Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2  tsp. ground ginger
1/2  tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2  tsp. cinnamon
1 unbaked 10-inch pastry shell
Whipped topping (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt and spices in a large bowl.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add evaporated milk.  Mix just enough to combine.  Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff.  Fold into large bowl.  Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake additional 45 to 50 minutes or until set.  Cool.  Top with whipped topping, if desired.

From the kitchen of Janie R., Austin, TX

*dark brown sugar is key:)

Show Off Salmon-in-a-Crust

Tonight's recipe party theme is "Show Off".  This came immediately to mind for me.  I've only made it a couple of times a few years ago, but my Mother used to serve this at ladies luncheons or a small group.  She was first served this on an official visit to Heinavesi by Ambrosius in a Russian Orthodox Monastery and started serving it when they returned home.  

Salmon-in-a-Crust

Lohipiirakka--Finland

Every Finnish hostess has her own version of this fish pie.

1.5 cans salmon 

2 T butter

1 T lemon  juice

2 T minced fresh parsley

4-5 T dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

1 t onion powder

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

3 hard-boiled eggs

1 egg, thoroughly beaten

lots of melted butter:)

Lemon wedges for garnish

Drain water off of salmon, open second can, just scoop out half of it.  In a small bowl, mix together with a fork:  salmon, lemon  juice, parsley, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.  

Cover a large ungreased baking sheet with parchment paper.  Or grease baking sheet; set aside.  Shape on end to resemble a fish tail, not less than 6 inches wide.  Arrange pastry on prepared baking sheet.  Cut pieces of dough scraps to represent fins; press in place.  Spread salmon, parsley mixture over pastry within 2 inches of the edge.  Drizzle with butter.  Now make a layerof  rice and drizzle with more butter and sprinkle more dill weed over it.  Next make a layer of chopped boiled eggs and again drizzle with butter and dill weed.  

Roll remaining half of dough to a 20" x 10" oval.  Moisten edges on bottom crust with water.  Arrange top crust over salmon layer.  Press top and bottom crust, shaping fins and tails.  Brush surface with beaten egg.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut a hole where eye of fish should be.  Insert a small ball of dough to keep hole open.  With tips of scissors blades, cut top crust to simulate fish scales.  These also serve as air vents during baking.  Bake 35 minutes or until crust is lightly browned but still pale.  To serve, cut in crosswise slices.  Serve with melted butter, lemon wedges and Horseradish Mayonnaise.  Makes 8 servings.  

Cottage-Cheese Pastry

Rahkakuori--Finland

Use this lovely, flaky pastry for sweet or savory pies.

1 cup cold, firm butter

2 c all-purpose flour

1 small-curd cottage cheese

1-2 T ice water, if needed

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture is crumbly and pieces are about the size of peas.  Stir in cottage cheese until mixture forms a crumbly dough.  Knead lightly to shape into a ball, adding ice water a few drops at a time, if necessary.  Chill 30 minutes before rolling out. 

Keeps well in refrigerator if you'll use it within 2 days.  It freezes well, so make it ahead of time. 

Horseradish Mayonnaise

This is excellent with any cold fish.

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. grated fresh horseradish

In a medium bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Fold in mayonnaise and horseradish until blended. Refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Makes about 2 cups.

Beet Salad goes well with this.  Apple Juice is nice to serve as the drink.  Dessert could be lemon souffle. 

Beet Salad

Punajuuri Salatti

2 cans of whole beets

1 apple

1/2 tsp horseradish

Drain the beets and grate them.  Now peel the apple, remove the seeds and then grate it.  Add the horseradish and as you keep stirring it, tastes it and add until it has enough of a kick for you.  

Meat Pies for Sale

Finnish Meat Pies are sold at the train stations in Finland. I remember buying them at the "kioski" to eat. Apparently so does another woman whose Mother is also Finnish. I ran into her at the grocery store and she said she most remembers the meat pies at the "asema" but has never made them since she doesn't have a recipe for them.

Well my Mother has the meat pie recipe and I grew up eating them -- especially at my brothers' teenage parties and other fun events. I guess since they could be considered a Finnish hamburger, my Mother would serve them to teenagers. I've never made them myself though as I remember them being time intensive -- at least in ratio to how quickly they are consumed.

Recently our daughter has been asking me to make them, so I guess it's time to make them for my kids and to share the recipe.

Finnish Meat Pies (Lihapiirakat)

from Finlandia Ranch

Dough:

2 cups milk, heated

1 Tbsp. dry yeast, dissolved in a little warm water

2 tsp. salt

4.5 - 5 cups flour

1/2 cup shortening

Mix as you would any bread dough, working in the shortening last with your fist, kneading well. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Meanwhile prepare the filling as follows:

In a quart size kettle, boil 1/2 cup Quick Pearl Barley in 2 cups water for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Stir now and then during cooking.

In another kettle, prepare the following:

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 beef bouillion cube

1 cup water

Boil these together until onions have wilted; approximately 10 minutes.

Then add to onions, 1 lb. hamburger, stirring until hamburger is cooked. Take off heat and now add the cooked barley and the following spices:

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. white pepper

2 tsp. dill weed

and salt to taste.

Now your dough should be ready, so roll it out real thin, using 1/4 of the dough at a time. Use an empty Crisco can as your cutter. Place a tablespoonful of meat filling in the center of each round, moistening edges with a little bit of cold water. This helps seal it. Fold it in two and pinch it to seal it. Place on counter top to raise. By the time you have all of them filled, the first ones are raised and you can star t deep fat frying them. Drop as many pies into heated oil as you can. Let cook on one side, then turn over and cook the other side. Keep turning over a few times until brown. Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Place another paper towel on top and a heavy bath towel, to soften the pies. Then cool and heat before serving. And of course eat some as soon as they are cooked. That is when they are best. Make a slit in the pie and squirt mustard or ketchup in.

Handy and quick snack to have on hand. Goes well in a lunch box or take along on a picnic. They freeze well. You may reheat them individually in the microwave or put a batch in the steamer to reheat them.

Hope you enjoy them as we do.

Homemade Pizza

My husband was in the mood for his Mother's homemade pizza for lunch.  It's so easy to whip up the crust and we didn't even wait to let it rise.  Our youngest was my helper and he put half pieces of string cheese near the edges and folded over the crust so it was like a Pizza Hut too.  It really did taste oh so good!  I hope you'll give it a try.

Title: Mom Adams' Pizza Crust

Description:
Made overseas over the years when pizza was not available to her children.  Now requested of Grandma at every family gathering, especially for birthdays.

Ingredients:
1 c luke warm water
1 T sugar
1 T yeast
2 T olive oil
1 t salt, scant
3.5 cups white flour

Hunt's Garlic and Herb Spaghetti Sauce

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in water with sugar. Add remaining ingredients and knead. Let raise 15-20 minutes.  Grandma just uses spaghetti sauce nowadays, but used to make her own sauce.

Add whatever toppings you enjoy.  She uses onion, green pepper, sausage, pepperoni, hamburger or ground turkey, mushrooms, cheese, etc. (I also like artichokes, black olives and tomatoes.)

Bake 425 about 15-20 minutes.

Halloween Salads

We spent some time this Halloween with Governor Sarah Palin 

and ret. Quarterback Steve Young 

and their flip cell phones!

We had so much fun.  All of them attended our ward trunk or treat.  Gov. Palin was a little hesitant at first.

Steve Young even attended our ward Harvest party earlier.  And they all stopped by our kids' schools.  What a Halloween treat!

My husband and I also attended a couples Halloween party.  I was asked to bring a Halloween salad.  Although one can find many Halloween main dishes, breads, desserts, drinks, and even appetizers, one area lacking in Halloween choices is the category of salads.  I did find this orange and black Halloween salad recipe and decided to make it to share.  Here is a picture of how it turned out.  I think I was supposed to mix it altogether, but liked the look of the orange bed of "spider legs" and the sunflower seed "fingernails" and the black bean "eyeballs" this way.  I'm not sure why parsley was added, but you can read more about this recipe at the link above.   My friend has some more pics from the party. 

The recipe calls for plum vinegar, safflower oil mayonnaise and french herbs.  I was unable to find all of these here, so I improvised with fig vinegar, olive oil mayonnaise and used what french herbs I did have on hand.  French herbs include basil, lavender, rosemary, tarragon, thyme and winter savory.  They are optional, but do add to the taste.  It tastes best the same day.  

Another choice I had was from the kid cookbook "Gross Grub" by Cheryl Porter my brother's family gave me years ago for my birthday.  Every Halloween I get a kick out of reading these recipes, but they sound to sick to eat.  

Hairball Salad with Saliva Dressing
Kitty's thrown up some fabulously fiber-filled hairballs!

ingredients
1 large ripe avocado
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
5-6 large carrots, washed, peeled and grated
Italian dressing

tools you'll need
paring knife, spoon, mixing bowl, fork, carrot peeler, grater and 4 salad bowls

Cut the avocado in half. Use spoon to scoop out the single large pit. Scoop the avocado meat out of its skin and into a bowl. Add alfalfa sprouts to the avocado meat and mash with a fork. (It is okay to leave small lumps.) Set the mixture. Divide the grated carrots between four salad bowls. Using your clean fingers and a spoon, make walnut-size hairballs from the avocado mixture and arrange them on top of the grated carrots. Pour Italian "saliva" dressing over hairballs and serve. Serves 4 cat fanciers

Sicko suggestion -- squeeze ribbons of chocolate icing "hairball medicine" out of a paper cone and onto the backs of your guests' hands, to be licked off for dessert:)

Aunt Ginger's Salsa

We were at Aunt Ginger's recently for Uncle Mel's funeral. It was a bittersweet occasion. His passing was such a shock, but as everyone looks back a few weeks, we see that it was his time. It doesn't make it any easier that he's gone however.

Whenever we are there or even when they visit, Aunt Ginger makes her famous salsa and this was no exception.  I asked her for it because I've had a hankering for it --partly missing them plus I love Mexican.  

Here is her response to me. I can just hear her saying it this way and you can get a feel for her personality too as you read it. I want to thank her for sharing it. 

About the salsa: I pretty much made this recipe up----when we lived in El Centro, there were two men from the main office of the company I worked for that came to our plant to do some work and decided to go to Yuma one evening after closing time. They went to a Mexican Restaurant there and when they came back the next day, they had a quart of salsa they had purchased the night before. I didn't even taste it, I just looked at the jar and decided I could make it myself----these guys were taking it back to Fresno to share with their co-workers there. So here goes-------

1 can petite diced tomatoes (28 oz can)
2 cans diced green chilis (2-4oz cans or 1-8 oz can) )
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz can)
1 bunch cilantro (use as much of it as you like--Burke doesn't like cilantro, so I would take some out before I added the cilantro--I do it to taste and I cut it up with scissors--just hold it tightly at the top of the bunch and start giving it a "haircut!")
1 onion, chopped fairly fine (Mel liked it finely chopped but when I was in a hurry it wound up in bigger chunks--do it the way you like it. You can also use green onions if you like them better--I have used them both--depends on how well you like onions!)
1/2 tsp black pepper (again, if you like it a little bit zingyer, use more--add pepper to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder, or I have granules, so that's what I use.
Add salt after it has had time to sit about 30 mins to 1 hour---just salt it to what you like--I have ruined a batch or so by using too much salt.

I think that's it. It's a "guess and by golly science."

Spudnuts

Tonight's Recipe Exchange theme is "Potatoes".  We are having it the day our kids return back to school from their 8 school day "Spud Harvest" vacation.  My husband's family lived in Scotland for 2 years and they called it "Taddy Holidays".  

I certainly didn't need to ask anyone for any ideas of recipes using potatoes, but it was a great reason to finally ask for and make this Spudnut recipe we used to help our Drill Team Advisor Jessie make for a fundraiser each year.  They are so yummy.  

Spudnuts

3 1/2 tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 c mashed potatoes (instant may be used unless you can taste the difference like I can:)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp oil or shortening
3 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten lightly
2 cups scalded milk
7 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Cream the shortening, sugar, salt, and potatoes together. Add eggs and yeast. Mix well. Then add flour and milk alternating. Let rise. Roll out fairly thick, cut out and let rise again on greased sheets. Fry in deep fat and glaze. You don't want your grease too hot or they will be doughy in the middle.

Glaze:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tsp vanilla

A "Peary" Simple Dessert

My Mother used to serve us coarsely crushed graham crackers topped with real whipped cream and canned pears.  My kids have been asking for it, so tonight I made it for dessert. 

The funny thing is the boys had just come home from the neighbors where they had been playing and our youngest exclaimed, "I'm  not hungry for dinner.  I just ate about 50 (fresh) pears!"  He still ate a little bit of dinner and this pear dessert, but didn't quite have enough room for seconds.  

When we had a pear tree, we used to use fresh pears too.  Canned pears just let you serve this quick, simple, refreshing dessert anytime or any season. 

Reunion Potato Salad

We went to visit my husband's parents over "Spud Harvest".  His Mother made me a nice dinner including homemade potato salad.  I haven't had that since my Mother used to make it for us.  It was so yummy.  I know it is a labor of love and it so good.  

Here are each of their yummy, homemade with much, love potato salad recipes.  

My Mother-in-law's Potato Salad

(coming soon)

My Mother's "Reunion Potato Salad"

From the Kitchen of Finlandia Ranch

8 medium red potatoes, cubed

4 to 5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

2/3 cup sour cream

3 Tbps. sugar (this is key)

3 Tbps. cider or red wine vinegar

2 tsp. prepared mustard

1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion

1 tsp. celery seed

salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Cover and bring to a boil; cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain and cool.  Place in a bowl; add boiled eggs.  Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over potato mixture and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. 

Yield:  8-10 servings.

Delivering Harvest Treats to Harvest Workers

Twice this week we made  my Mother's Finnish recipe for  Old World Fresh Apple Butter Cake. Click on the title above and you'll find the recipe from a post I made last year.  

This year one of our sons helped his Dad make this as a bundt cake for my birthday.  We visited the place I first had my birthday cake during harvest time and ate my birthday cake there.  

Notice the white icing on it?  

Well, when I was 3 my Mother made me a beautiful white cake with white frosting and took it out to the field to share

 with the workers.  

When my Dad brought the combine to a stop, 

the white cake was suddenly a "chocolate" (dusty) cake!!  After that, my birthday cakes became bundt cakes.  This one is a favorite of mine.  I had to laugh when he put a white glaze on it because we were in the spud field after all.   Thankfully, this year, it had already been harvested there and we avoided the "chocolate".  

Next we went to the spud cellars and delivered mini bundt cakes they'd made to the Harvest workers.  

Then I made them for the Young Women's activity where we deliver a treat one day of harvest to the other Young Women who are working in the Potato Harvest.  

I just love the memories, smell, sight, sound and touch of "Spud Harvest"!  

Banana Pumpkin Bread

Since I had some over ripe bananas and some left over canned pumpkin, I gave this recipe for Banana Bread a try. I doubled the recipe, using the 4 bananas I had and the left over pumpkin.   

It made 24 muffins and 8 mini loaves.  I love the chocolate chips in it especially and was pleased with the blended taste of the banana and pumpkin.  I had never sprinkled sugar on before, but it was suggested in the recipe and I liked it, although I guess I need to add it sooner, so it melts in more.  

This made for a yummy after school treat and fun delivery to some neighbors too.  

Autumn Pumpkin Pancakes and Cookies

It feels like autumn, so this morning we started off with Pumpkin pancakes.  I happened upon this sisters recipe blog and found the recipe. Our kids really liked them and want them on Halloween morning too.  I served them with applesauce and cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.  

Since I had to open a can of pumpkin and didn't use it all, my son is making Pumpkin cookies for FHE.  My son and his friend are baking them.  I found it on one of those sister's linked blog of recipes with other friends.  

It's so handy to have the internet to look up recipe ideas from. 

The cookies called for pumpkin spice, which I didn't have, so I googled for a substitute and found this 

Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon EACH nutmeg and cloves can be substituted for 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.