What's Cooking Wednesday - Week 5

I did consider wimping out on this one - after all, tofu was the ingredient!  Never tasted it and it wasn't on my bucket list.  I decided to give it a try anyway and dug around on the internet trying to find something that I thought I could handle.  I came up with this recipe for Tofu Chocolate Mousse from Martha Stewart.

It was very easy to make and wasn't that hard to eat, although it wasn't as sweet as I like my sweets.  A little dollop of whipped cream helped that.  I'm linking up to Judy at Patchwork Times - check there to see what recipes you can try using tofu!

I continue trying to "find the time" in 2013.  In addition to trying new recipes, one goal I had now that I'm retired was to go through some of the crafty books I've purchased over the years and try something new.  For my first attempt, I dug out this book and used the technique to make a little chair pad.

It was a fun to try something new - and it took about 50 feet of 3/16" rope for that little pad.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Week 4

The ingredient for this week was cream style corn.  Rarely would you find that in my cupboard, but I was willing to give it a try.  I decided to dig through my "family cookbooks" to see what I could find.

In the Tormanen family cookbook, I found a recipe for Corn Squash Bake -

1/4 c chopped onion
1 stick melted butter
1 can cream corn
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen squash
1 1/2 sleeves crushed saltine crackers
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c French onion rings

Saute 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/2 stick butter.
Add corn, squash, and 1 sleeve of crushed saltine crackers.  Cook until squash is well mixed into corn mixture.
Mix in 3/4 cup shredded cheese (save about 1/4 cup for top).
Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
Cook in a skillet 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 sleeve crushed saltine crackers and French onion rings.  Place on top of corn bake.
Bake 350 uncovered for 20 minutes.

It didn't specify in the recipe when to put the 1/4 cup of saved cheese on top.  I added it before baking - I might try next time to add it after 15 minutes.
I wasn't able to find frozen squash, so I baked an acorn squash and used that.

I really enjoyed the blend of the corn and squash taste - I'll most likely try this recipe again.

It doesn't look much different than my corn and cabbage dish from 2 weeks ago does it!?

You can find more recipes using cream style corn over at Patchwork Times.

Oh dear - I see the ingredient for next week is Tofu!  I may wimp out on that one!

Show Us Your Socks

I'm linking up to Judy at Patchwork Times again today.  Today she's asking everyone to show their socks.  When I saw that it was going to be in the single digits today, I pulled on the socks that I knew would keep my feet toasty warm.

Not only do they keep my feet warm, they warm my heart.  They were a gift from my sister-in-law who for many years has shared her cozy summer home on Lake Superior for a fun quilt retreat.  They always bring back good memories.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Week 3

The ingredient of the week was spinach.  That was a tough one for me.  I occasionally buy spinach to add to salad but I've never done anything else with it and wasn't sure where to start.

My friend Elaine suggested stuffed manicotti.  After browsing recipes on the internet, I decided to give it a try.  The recipe again came from allrecipies.com - you can find it here.

I have no desire to be a food photographer when I grow up.  It's hard to find an uncluttered surface in my kitchen for a photo.

The recipe went together easily.  I'm not sure of the proper way to stuff a noodle - but a narrow rubber spatula worked well for me.  I divided the recipe in half, ate some, put a serving in my freezer and another in my mom's freezer.   It was pretty tasty but was one of those dishes that would probably taste better if someone else made it.

I'm linking up to Patchwork Times where you can find some more things to do with spinach.

The ingredient for next Wednesday is creamed corn.  Not something that I stock on my shelf - but I'll see what I can come up with.

Design Wall Monday

As much as I love having a design wall, it hasn't changed much lately.  Today I actually have something new  to link up with Judy and her "Design Wall Monday".

I wanted to try out Andie's tutorial for a disappearing nine patch so I decided to combine that with my goal to make a second baby boy quilt this month.  I love the block - and it goes together easily - but it would probably be more effective with less busy fabric - and might make a nice two color quilt.  I'll try it again someday I'm sure.  I can picture this one being used by a little boy with an imagination - driving tiny little cars every which way on the narrow "roads".  

There's lots of design wall links at Patchwork Times today - head on over and see what other quilters are working on.

What's Cooking Wednesday

Judy Laquidara of Patchwork Times has started a Wednesday challenge called "What's Cooking".  This fit right in with my New Year's resolution to "Find the Time".  One of the things I wanted to find the time for in the new year was trying out new recipes.  Judy gives one ingredient each week and whoever wants to participate makes and shares a recipe using that ingredient.  The ingredient for today's challenge was carrots.

I'm not a very adventurous cook - I must follow a recipe.  If I do make any changes in the recipe it's only at the suggestion of someone who has tried a change and recommends it.  I hunted around for a recipe on the internet and ended up at one of my favorite recipe sites - allrecipes.com.  I decided to try a recipe for "Cabbage-Carrot Casserole".   I was curious to find out why it had a five-star rating since, to me, it sounded pretty gross.  I also wanted an excuse to use my new casserole dish.

It turned out to be deserving of all the great reviews it had - it makes a great side dish.  I don't think I added enough cheese (how do you measure 2 oz. when you're grating cheese?), and it probably would have been even better if I had remembered to add the 1/2 cup of milk to the cheese sauce.  I'll definitely have to try it again and do it right next time.

Over the course of the week, I also found time to try a yummy recipe for Byerly's Wild Rice Soup.  I've tasted this recipe before but had never made it myself.  Some recipes always taste better when someone else makes it -- this wasn't one of them.  Even I made it taste great!

And a thank you to Katie L for her Pinterest link to a super easy, Two Ingredient Lemon Bar recipe!  I love a simple dessert recipe that can be put together quickly and one for which it is easy to keep the ingredients on hand.  I'll definitely be making this one again.

Check the links at Judy's blog for more carrot recipes.  The ingredient for next week is spinach.  Any ideas what to do with that?