Kris Carlson's Weblog

Pasta Salad

2 lbs. Thin Spaghetti

1 lg. Red Onion

1 lg. Green Pepper

1 lg. Bottle Itallian Dressing

1 jar McCormick Pasta Salad Seasonings

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Cook Spaghetti and cool in cold water.  Dice onion and green pepper.  Combine with other ingredients.  Mow down.  Keep refrigerated after opening.

Note: It helps to use a large stainless steel mixing bowl.

Limpa Bread

This stuff is really good.  We can only get this bread once a year, and only from Donlan's Fish and Seafoods in Flint Michigan. 

Buy a loaf of Limpa Bread.  The loaves come round, so it is easy to hollow them out and make a bread bowl.  Cut or scoop out bite size pieces of bread, leaving behind about 3/4 to 1 inch of bread on the sides and bottom.  Make the Shrimp dip below, and fill the bread bowl.  Dip the bread pieces, and when you run out of those, eat the bowl.

Dip:
8 ounces of Cream Cheese 
Worchestershire sauce - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to taste
Chopped small onion
1 can Cream of Shrimp Soup
1 can little shrimp (tiny size)
garlic salt - to taste

Combine the ingredients until smooth.  Add Worchestershire Sauce and Garlic Salt last gradually, tasting as you go.  You can always sweeten the pot.  So add a little then taste.  Too much of this stuff will make the dip taste bad.

Enjoy !!

Gazpacho

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

3 cups tomatoes, red ripe, seeded and diced
2 cups red bell pepper, diced medium
2 cups red onions, diced medium
1/2 cup celery, diced medium
2 cups cucumber, diced medium
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups organic vegetable juice
pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin

Method

Mix diced tomato, peppers, red onions, celery and cucumber together in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture in half and separate in two bowls.

Add garlic to one of the bowls and empty into blender. Add vinegar to the blender and puree until smooth.

Add the vegetable juice, cayenne and cumin to the blender. Blend.

Add the puree to the bowl of diced vegetables.

Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with lemon and cilantro.

Frank's Redhot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Bake time: 20 minutes; Prep time: 5 minutes

Makes about 4 cups of dip

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese softened

2 cups (9.75 oz each) Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained

1/2 cup any flavor Frank's Redhot sauce

1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Assorted vegetables or crackers

1. Stir cream cheese in deep baking dish until smooth.  Stir in remaining ingredients.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until hot and bubbling.  Stir and serve w/veggies, crackers and/or tortillas

Cowboy Cookies - Texas

3 cups flour (3.5)

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1.5 cup (3 sticks) butter

1.5 cup sugar

1.5 cup light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cup chocolate chips

3 cup old fashioned oats

2 cup flake coconut

2 cup chopped pecans

Mix first 5 ingredients into bowl, set aside.  Beat butter & sugar till creamy, add vanilla, eggs - each separate, then add flour mixture till they are combined.  Add chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, & oats.  Drop cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.  This recipe calls to make them huge, but she makes them like reg. chocolate chip cookies.  If you use light brown sugar, they will be light; and dark brown sugar will be dark.

Big cookies make 3 dozen. 350 degrees F for 17-20 minutes

Small cookies make 6 dozen. 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes

Grape Salad

4 lbs. small red grapes, seedless - sweet
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 t vanilla (I think that's teaspoon)
mix together
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
this is the topping

Put together the night before in a 9x13 inch serving dish.
Refrigerate overnight or 6 hours

I've had this dish several times; most recently at 2 family reunions this summer in Ohio.

Sticky Buns

This recipe is so easy and so delicious. I am making these by myself for the first time tonight. My mom has made them several times and I've watched. I just put everything together and I'm letting them rise overnight. I'll bake them in the morning. Yummy. I'll invite my friend over for a coffee and some tasty treats.

Sticky Buns:

2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 package (3.5 oz) of "cook & serve" butterscotch pudding mix. Do Not use instant.
1 teaspoon powder cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 stick (1/2 cup) sweet cream butter (melted)
20-25 frozen white dinner rolls (Rhodes Bake N Serve)

Combine brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, pudding mix (dry), & pecans in bowl. Place frozen dinner rolls in a well buttered angel food cake pan. The pan should not be 2 piece or have any seems where the mixture could leak out. Pour melted butter (1 stick) over rolls being careful to coat each roll. Sprinkle pudding mixture over rolls and let rise overnight. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Invert pan on a large serving plate to remove buns. Remove any remaining liquid from the pan and pour over buns.

Warning, these things are highly addictive.

Swedish Meatballs

I got this recipe from my aunt. For the last 2 years I've been making this recipe for Christmas Eve with lean Venison. I've made it with ground beef and lean venison, and I have to say the venison is better. Enjoy.

5 lbs. ground beef
5 eggs
1.25 cups dry bread crumbs
1.5 cups finely chopped onions (sweet)
1.5 teaspoon nutmeg (oh, that's a lot)
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 cans cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

mix everything but the soup together well. form 1 inch balls and brown in skillet (I use butter but you can use oil in the skillet). then place the balls in a slow cooker or the like and cover with cream of mushroom soup. heat on low for a minimum of 2 hours.

Bunkett

These almond pastries are simply devine. My mom first made these for us back in the late 70's. If you have a sweet tooth and you like almond pastry, then you will love these Bunketts.

1 lb. Butter
4 C Flour
1 C Cold Water
- mix like pie crust and let stand overnight in the refridgerator

{(1.5 C Sugar
1.5 C Almond Paste
- mix until real fine)
add 3 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon Lemon Flavor
- mix real good let stand over night in fridge}

In the morning or next day:
- Divide into 8 parts
- roll each one out like pie crust
- put paste on and roll up
- sprinkle milk and sugar on top
-Bake at 350 degrees F until lihgt brown, about 40 minutes.

Today, 12-23-2006 my mom made these. They taste just like I remembered and they are good. I shared some with a friend tonight and his first words were "these are good", then about 10 seconds later, "boy these are good", and then again in about 30 seconds, "damn these are real good."

- Enjoy

Chicken Paprikas

1 onion
4 T shortening
1 T Paprika
1 t black pepper
2 t salt
4 - 5 lb. chicken
1 1/2 C water
1/2 pt. sour cream

Brown onion in shortening add seasonings & chicken, brown about 10 minutes. Add water. Cover & simmer slowly until chicken is tender. Remove chicken. Add sour cream to pan drippings & mix well. Add dumplings. Arrange chicken on top. Heat through & serve.

Dumplings

3 eggs beaten
3 C flour
1 T salt
1/2 C water

Mix all ingredients together & beat with spoon. Drop batter by teaspoon onto boiling salted water. Cook about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water. Drain well & add to paprikas.

I just got this recipe from my mom; and she got it from my aunt Sara. I haven't tried my hand at making it yet, but I have tasted it when Sara made it. If memory serves me, it is pretty good.