What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

A couple new recipes and a few old friends…that’s a fun combination.  We asked some “old” friends to eat dinner with us yesterday, and what sweet fellowship we enjoyed!  Old friends are special, aren’t they?  You can be relaxed and comfortable together as you eat and visit.  The laughter was good medicine (I think we overdosed a few times!), and the conversation was encouraging and uplifting.  Thanks for coming, Friends!  We love you!

I made a “normal” meal – shocking, isn’t it?  By that I mean it was standard fare. 

The dish of corn isn’t very attractive, after getting all bubbly in the oven, but don’t let that fool you or discourage you from trying this simple side dish.  It’s on the order of a special creamed corn.  Very good!  I mixed the whole thing up on Saturday night, then popped it into the microwave a couple of minutes, then the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Corn Cheese Bake
1-3 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 T butter or margarine
1/2 tsp onion salt
1-1lb. can whole kernel corn, drained (or 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen corn, thawed) I used a frozen bag of corn and one can and it was plenty of cheese to cover it.
Paprika

Combine cream cheese, milk, butter and onion salt in saucepan, stir over low heat until cheese melts.  Stir corn into cheese.  Pour into small casserole.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Cook uncovered until bubbly, about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I love to make bread and I especially love the smell of yeast rolls in the oven!  This was a really simple recipe and didn’t take lots of time to rise.

Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls

Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls
Ingredients


•1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

•2 cups warm milk (110° to 115°)

•1/2 cup sugar

•2 tablespoons butter, melted

•1 teaspoon salt

•4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour


Directions


•In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, butter, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

• Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide into 16 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 16 rolls. – I made mine a little smaller and got 2 dozen rolls.

We had gotten some local strawberries this weekend, so for dessert I just did a simple version of Strawberry shortcake and ice cream sundaes combined. One of my guests can’t eat strawberries, so I also had bananas and caramel as an option. 

Dessert doesn’t always have to be pie or cake that you’ve made.  Simplify things and just put together a dessert like this and watch how much time it will give you! (I’m preaching to myself!)  =)

I have to share another new recipe I made on Saturday for a great side dish.  This is a Green Bean Salad.  You know that we LOVE Southern style green beans, which means they’re cooked to death, but this recipe uses fresh green beans, but only requires you cook them for 3 minutes!  It is a delicious change and a great salad.  My husband cooked Turkey Burgers on the grill and I made this to go along with them.  It was a great accompaniment to that meal!

Green Bean and Walnut Almond Salad
1 lb. fresh green beans
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped (I have learned that it’s best to grate the garlic so you won’t get a bite of raw garlic.)
4 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped walnuts or almonds, to garnish

Dressing
6 T olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon (didn’t have this and it was still good!)

Trim the beans, and snap into bite sized pieces.  Cook for 3-4 minutes in salted boiling water.  Drain well, refresh under cold running water, and drain again.  Put into a mixing bowl and add the onion, garlic, and cheese.

Place the dressing ingredients in a jar with a screw-top lid.  Shake well.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Give them a quick stir.

Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until they begin to brown.  Sprinkle the toasted nuts over the beans to garnish before serving.
Serves 2-3 Maybe 4…but my husband liked this so well, that he had a few helpings!

What’s been cooking in your kitchen?

From my parsonage kitchen,

 

P.S.  I’m serving lemon squares and brownies tonight at Ladies’ Bible study.  Hope you’ll be there to study God’s Word, hear from Gracious Designs, and enjoy a little snack at 7 pm!