I have a few recipes for homemade gifts from the kitchen in a special section of my family cookbook. Whenever I need an idea for a quick gift, this “Homemade Gifts” section of my family cookbook never fails to inspire me or solve my immediate gift need. 

Even if I don’t have all the ingredients for a quick homemade gift from the kitchen, it is usually very easy to shop for the missing items since most recipes are made with standard measurements and readily-available package sizes.

My favorite homemade gifts from the kitchen are recipes for hot beverages that are great for the cold winter months. I usually give them in a Snapware or plastic storage container that provides use long after the beverage ingredients are gone. Here are three recipes for my most popular homemade gifts from the kitchen:

SPICED TEA
A wonderfully soothing and warming mixture to make individual cups or whole pots on chilly evenings.

1-1/2 cups instant tea powder
2 cups orange flavored instant breakfast powder
1 (3-ounce) package lemonade mix
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
Place 2 teaspoons of tea mix in a cup, add boiling water, stir and enjoy!

MEXICAN COCOA
A tasty south-of-the-border beverage that even Montezuma would love!

2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup amaretto flavored non-dairy creamer powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
1/4 tsp almond powder
Add 2 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 cup water to make cocoa.

CHAI TEA MIX
An exotic blend reminiscent of the lovely chai tea served in Indian restaurants.

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon white pepper (for zip, optional)

Blend 1 cup at a time in a blender or food processor until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.
To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons into a mug of hot water.

One of the great things about these gifts from the kitchen recipes is that they can be enjoyed hot or cold (if dissolved first and blended with ice). When you purchase the ingredients in bulk, you will be able to make several gifts from the kitchen at once. They are a great way to stay connected with friends and family well beyond the holidays. 

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

Kitty Litter Cake is a concoction of demented minds, yet it garnered lots of laughs and marvels at how it actually mimics “the real thing,” even down to the tormented Tootsie Rolls used to imitate cat poop.

I just had to share this frightful Kitty Litter Cake marvel of modern culinary arts with you as soon as possible. I understand that you MUST use a new (never used)  plastic cat litter box and new (never used) pooper scooper to gain the full effect. Whew!

Kitty Litter Cake for Halloween

1 spice cake mix (or German chocolate cake mix)
1 white cake mix
2 large packages vanilla instant pudding mix, prepared
1 large package vanilla sandwich cookies, crumbled
Green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Roll candies

1 new kitty litter pan
1 new kitty litter pan liner (optional)
1 new pooper scooper 

Getting Ready
1.  Prepare cake mixes according to package directions and set aside to cool when baked.
2.  Prepare pudding mix and chill.
3.  Crumble vanilla sandwich cookies in food processor, scraping often. Remove about 1/4 cup of cookie crumbs from the whole batch. Mix a few drops of green food coloring into this ¼ cup of cookie crumbs. Make sure they are completely colored. (Note: You will have a small amount of colored crumbs and a larger amount of uncolored crumbs.)

Assembly
4. After cakes have cooled to room temperature, crumble them together into a large bowl. Gently combine with the chilled pudding and half of the uncolored cookie crumbs. (Mix in just enough pudding to moisten, but not soak).

5. Line a new, clean kitty litter box. Spoon the Kitty Litter Cake/pudding/cookie mixture into the kitty litter box.

6. Unwrap 6 small Tootsie rolls and heat a few seconds in microwave until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Bury them in the  cake/pudding mixture. Be creative on placements.

7. Sprinkle the remaining half of cookie crumbs over the top of the Kitty Litter Cake. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly on top of everything. (These are supposed to look like the “odor-eating chlorophyll” granules in real kitty litter).

8. Heat 2 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them up and place on top of Kitty Litter Cake. Sprinkle with a few cookie crumbs.

9. Microwave remaining 4 Tootsie Rolls until pliable and spead strategically over the top of the cake. For the ultimate shocker, take one Tootsie Roll and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs. Yuck!

Serving
10. Place the cake-laden Kitty Litter Cake box on a newspaper on the Halloween party food table.

11. Sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around the outside of the Kitty Litter Cake box for a truly disgusting effect.

12. Serve Kitty Litter Cake with the kitty litter scoop. Watch unsuspecting party guests maneuver around this dish. They will inspect the glistening misshapen Tootsie Rolls suspiciously. Don’t be surprised if many guests pass on it; it really is that disgusting. But good!

Aren’t you glad you now have a Kitty Litter Cake recipe to include in your family cookbook for a Halloween treat, (or is it trickery)?

Happy Cookbooking,
Matilda

I use any excuse in the book to eat garlic, especially garlic mashed potatoes. So be it if I reek after eating a fine bowl of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Some Things to Know About Garlic
- One finely minced raw garlic clove releases more flavor and aroma because more surfaces are exposed
- A good garlic press is an important kitchen gadget
- Always refrigerate jars of garlic in oil to avoid deadly bacteria
- Use garlic powder, garlic extract, or garlic salt only if fresh garlic is not available

Garlic keeps vampires away, doesn’t it?
Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel Dracula popularized the idea that garlic protected anyone from vampires. Stands to reason, since garlic is known in folklore as a natural mosquito repellent that wards off the little blood suckers by tainting the blood for awhile. Why not repel the big bloodsuckers, too?

Here’s a thought: If Garlic keeps vampires away, how about H1N1? Stands to reason that if people stay away because you stink like garlic means that you probably won’t pick up their swine flu germs either.  Yes! That’s another good reason to eat garlic mashed potatoes!

This Halloween, arm yourself against vampires with my good garlic mashed potatoes:

My Good Garlic Mashed Potatoes (aka vampire repeller)
6 medium cloves fresh garlic (or to taste)
Olive oil
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley, crumbled
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 Tablespoon minced chives

Toss unpeeled garlic cloves with a bit of olive oil and roast in 400 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes. While garlic is roasting, boil potatoes until tender. Drain and place in medium bowl. Add butter and let it melt over potatoes. When garlic is roasted, let cool.  Squeeze soft garlic pulp onto the cooked and buttered potatoes. Add milk, salt, pepper, and herbs. Mash all together until smooth (lumps are okay), adding more milk if needed. Makes 6-8 servings.

Happy Halloween Cookbooking,
Matilda

As the weather becomes cooler and leaves begin to turn amber and red, it is time to pull out a favorite family recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that my family has been making for many decades.

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are plump, cakelike cookies that have a moist and delicious pumpkin flavor accented by chocolate pieces throughout.  I don’t know why, but they have a haunting flavor that draws me to them around Halloween time.  The ghosts of ancestors past perhaps, who baked these cookies in the embers of burned witches … (just kidding!).

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have just the right blend of flavors. They can also be a bit on the healthier side if you use whole wheat flour and substitute applesauce for the butter or oil.

I like to eat these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with a cup of coffee or a mug of ice cold milk. They are quite satisfying, and one cookie can be quite filling. Sometimes I get really decadent and warm them up in the microwave for 20 seconds to get a gooey melted chocolate taste.

Here is the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe that my family has made for many years. Adapt as needed for your family and family cookbook:

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves, ginger and nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (or buy some chocolate bars and chop them up to make chunks)

DIRECTIONS
Combine dry ingredients: flour, sugars, baking powder, ground cinnamon, other spices, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, egg, and vanilla. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes or until firm and lightly brown.  Cool slightly before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen good-sized cookies.

Other Great Taste Tricks for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies:
- Add 3 – 4 drops of red food coloring to boost the pumpkin color
- Frost with either caramel or orange butter cream icing
- Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

Fry a slice of bologna.
Add the fried bologna to a slice of bread.
Fold the bread in half (No mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato required).
Eat the fried bologna sandwich.

Bologna is probably one of the most maligned and disrespected of all the sausages, it seems. Granted that some bologna producers seem to go overboard with the fillers (all within USDA standards of course). Perhaps its reputation as a government-provided food for the poor and prisoners contributes to a less-than-desirable image. Or, maybe bologna’s high salt and fat content have put it out of favor in these more health conscious times.

That being said, a simple fried bologna sandwich is still a compelling part of the past, and for some, the present.  I hear that Hardee’s fast food restaurant chain has introduced a fried bologna biscuit sandwich as a breakfast item (with egg and cheese). How’s that for artery clogging?

No thanks. Leave me with my simple fried bologna sandwich.  Years ago, our bologna was beef bologna. We didn’t have turkey, chicken, pork or mixed meats in our bologna to confuse us. My favorite bologna for a fried bologna sandwich still is garlic bologna from the deli. Sliced on the thick side, it is heavenly when fried to a crispy brown around the edges (after being properly slit to prevent curling).

Fortunately for me, I’m a pretty happy person and don’t need to indulge in my favorite childhood fried bologna sandwich very often. Even if it is warm, tasty and very easy on the pocketbook.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

There are many types of cooks. Some cooks are wonderful at creating new and unusual dishes with what’s in the pantry. Other cooks are more dependent upon recipes and products that are on the grocery store shelf. Still other cooks prefer the crafter method of making everything themselves (it definitely is one sure way to know exactly what you’re eating).

My dear friend, Ruth, and I were talking recently about making a refreshing end-of-summer dessert, and we decided that Lemon Strawberry Parfait suited our taste buds. Lemon Strawberry Parfait is a simple-to-elaborate combination of lemon and strawberry flavors layered with crumbled cake or cookies and finished with a creamy topping. There is no right way to make it, but we thought it would be fun to explore how 5 different types of cooks might interpret the Lemon Strawberry Parfait concept.

Below are the 5 different cook approaches to making Lemon Strawberry Parfait that we came up with. You may think of other ideas that you can include in your family cookbook, depending upon the type of cook you are, of course:

Lemon Strawberry Parfait – From Scratch Cook
Makes cake with flour, sugar, eggs and flavorings.
Makes lemon curd with lemons from her tree.
Picks fresh strawberries from her garden.
Milks cow to obtain cream to whip for topping.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait – Convenience Cook
Uses cake mix to make the cake.
Buys instant lemon-flavored pudding.
Selects fresh strawberries in the produce section of the supermarket.
Tops dessert with Reddi-Whip from the dairy case.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait  – Assembler Cook
Selects ready made cake from the supermarket bakery.
Buys lemon-flavored yogurt in the dairy case.
Purchases frozen strawberries in flavored syrup.
Tops dessert with Cool Whip spooned from the container.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait  – No Time Cook
Buys Lemon Strawberry Parfait or similar facsimile dessert at a fast food / take-out restaurant, or any ready-made food outlet.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait  – Gourmet Cook
Makes vanilla sugar cookies to crumble into parfait layers.
Whips cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk.
Selects fine organically grown strawberries.
Drizzles Limoncello liquer over top.

Which of these Lemon Strawberry Parfait interpretations is the correct one? It’s anybody’s guess, and it depends upon the type of cook you are. I bet all of them taste pretty good, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find a recipe for Lemon Strawberry Parfait in your next family cookbook.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

I was in the mood for vegetarian one day last week, so I peeked into the fridge and found a big bag of fresh spinach. Then I checked my canned goods pantry and found a big can of garbanzo beans in the back. (Probably intended to make hummus with them, but, well, that never happened.)

So, on to the fresh spinach and garbanzos dish I was about to create. What would make that taste good, I thought. How about adding some garlic, onion and tomatoes for some extra flavor, and a little lemon juice for sparkle? This spinach and garbanzos dish was beginning to remind me of some Mediterranean-style foods I’ve enjoyed.

This is what I did to make my spinach and garbanzos dish:

SPINACH AND GARBANZOS DISH
3 lb bag pre-washed spinach
1 29-ounce can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tsp. Blood Orange olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh lemon juice

Rinse spinach and steam it down in batches with hot water in a frying pan. When cooked, set spinach aside in a colander to drain. Add olive oil to the same frying pan (it’s okay if some spinach juice remains) and stir fry tomatoes, onions and garlic until liquid is mostly reduced.

Add sea salt to taste. Stir in a drained can of garbanzo beans, and heat until hot all the way through. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the drained spinach and then add it to the garbanzo mixture. Stir so spinach and garbanzos are well mixed.  Squeeze half a lemon over the entire dish before serving. May be served hot, room temperature, or cold (which is really great for potlucks). Garnish the spinach and garbanzos dish with lemon slices.
Pretty yummy!

Come to find out via poking about the Internet, this simple spinach and garbanzos dish is an old Mediterranean favorite in Spain, where it is enjoyed frequently as a tapas treat and known as “Garbanzos con Espinacas.” The combination of spinach and garbanzos is somewhat favored in parts of the Arab world as well.

Who knew? I just made up my spinach and garbanzos dish as I went along. 

The same experimenting I did to create my spinach and garbanzo dish is probably how a lot of family recipes get started. Someone is hungry, finds several ingredients in the house, and then creates a dish that everyone likes. Pretty soon, it becomes a staple in the household menu repertoire, and finds its way into the family cookbook!

(P.S. This spinach and garbanzo recipe made quite a lot, even after scarfing it up, so I made soup by adding a large can of chicken broth to the leftovers. It will be great on a cool autumn day.)

Happy Cookbooking!

Matilda

This weekend I’m going to a birthday party. The invitation indicates a luau theme, so I plan to take my really easy, but delicious, Kalua Pork that I make in a crock pot.

Summer crock pot cooking is absolutely great since you don’t need to turn on the oven. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with baking or roasting during the summer (if your oven is well insulated). But baking or roasting during the summer just seems wrong when you can do many of the same recipes and get good results with summer crock pot cooking.

Like making Kalua Pork.  This dish is not to be confused with the delicious coffee liqueur called Kahlua that comes from Mexico. Instead, Kalua Pork is a traditional Hawaiian dish typically featuring a whole pig slow-cooked for many hours in a deep pit using hot coals, banana leaves and burlap.

So instead of digging a hole in your back yard and cooking a whole pig, you can happily use your crock pot and a smaller pork roast. The small space of the crock pot acts much like the snug back yard pit: moisture is kept inside the lid to slowly steam-cook the meat.  The only real difference in summer crock pot cooking and pit cooking is that you don’t need to party around the pit all night tending to the roasting pig.

Here is a good Kalua Pork recipe made in the crock pot that you can try (or include in your family cookbook) next time you have a luau or potluck:

Kalua Pork in a Crock Pot

6-8 pounds boneless pork butt roast (Allow 4-6 ounces cooked per serving)
1-1/2 Tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt (Adjust to 1 Tablespoon if you want it less salty)
1 Tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring (Plus a half Tablespoon after pork is shredded)
2 whole washed & unpeeled bananas

Pierce pork roast all over with a fork. Rub salt, then liquid smoke over the meat. Add meat to a large crock pot. Place the unpeeled bananas in the crock pot on either side of the roast. Cover, and cook on a low setting for 15-20* hours. Check occasionally and turn the roast half way through. When the meat falls apart, remove it from the crock pot and shred with a fork.  Remove the bananas and discard them (they were only meant to impart a special flavor). Set aside the drippings and add these to moisten the shredded meat, if needed. Taste meat and mix in additional liquid smoke to impart a smoky flavor.

* You can cook the meat on a higher setting for a shorter time as long as the meat doesn’t dry out. If your crock pot tends to cook fast, add ¼ cup water to ensure no burning. 

Back to the upcoming luau.  Along with the Kalua Pork (that will be served from the crock pot), I also plan to take along some King’s Hawaiian Bread so party-goers can make Kalua Pork sandwiches. King’s Hawaiian Bread now has mini-rolls, and they just introduced sliced sandwich bread (which I may take instead if I can find it in my local store).

Easy, delicious, and no sweat Kalua Pork. That’s what summer crock pot cooking is all about.

Aloha & happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Call me old fashioned, but I like to write my menu planning ideas on a sheet of paper using my favorite pencil or pen of the day. Sometimes I feel guilty using a whole sheet of paper to jot down menu planning ideas. (Guess my green conservative ways leak out now and again.)

To curb my penchant for “give an inch take a mile” scribbling, I used to fold a whole sheet of paper in half, and then write my menu planning ideas on the vertical half sheet of paper. (By writing my menu planning ideas with the half-sheet positioned vertically, I felt I had more room to be creative.)

After years of writing my menu planning ideas on scraps of folded paper scavenged from my stack of printed surplus (you know, the pages that print with only one line on them), I finally realized that I could be more efficient in my menu planning with a pre-printed menu planning notepad.

So, I put the word out among our staff at TheCookbookPeople.com and we found a menu planning notepad that we now offer on our website along with other cooking-related accessories and our Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software.

Our menu planning notepad is a 5” x 7” size and has 75 sheets to make it easier to plan menus for all 52 weeks of the year (as well as a few parties, too). It is designed with 7 spaces to help plan daily meals, and also to prepare a shopping list of ingredients needed to prepare those meals. Our menu planning notepad is cute, too, with a plump chef decorating the top of the pages. And, oh yes, it is magnetic and will stick to metal surfaces so the family can see in advance when their favorite dish will be served.

Now I can use my menu planning notepad when I go shopping for last minute incidentals that I may have forgotten to include on my general shopping list because I didn’t check my family cookbook first.  (You can’t really make Chicken Veronique without the grapes, you know!)

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Every so often I like to use applesauce instead of butter or margarine (or oil) when making baked goods such as cookies or muffins. In addition to cutting down on my fat intake, the texture of the cookies or muffins made with applesauce tend to be no different than those made with butter or margarine.

Also, I found there really is no appreciable taste difference between cookies or muffins made with applesauce vs. cookies or muffins made with butter or margarine (or oil). To my mind, opening a can or jar of applesauce is easier than melting butter or margarine (no oily mess in the measuring cup to clean up).

I’ve experimented with substituting applesauce for butter or margarine (or oil) in other recipes, too. They all seem to come out palatable and presentable.

So if you have other no fat/oil free recipes for cookies or muffins in your family cookbook, you might want to add this recipe for no fat/oil free cookies alongside.

Here’s the basic recipe I used to bake these no fat/oil free cookies made with applesauce:

No Fat/Oil Free Cookies Made with Applesauce

Moisture
3 egg whites
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Binders
1-2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal

Leavening Agents
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Sweeteners (or sugar substitutes to taste are okay)
1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar

Flavorings
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
½ cup raisins

Mix all ingredients well until dry ingredients are moist. Add more applesauce if mixture appears to be too dry. Drop by tablespoonfuls on oil-sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degree for approximately 15 minutes until slightly brown around the edges. Makes about 20 substantial cookies.

Try these soft, not-too-sweet, semi-healthy cocoa-flavored oatmeal cookies for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea. They can really satisfy you for most of the day (which can really help if you are trying to take off a few pounds to wiggle into that summer swimsuit).

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda