Fork it up Fridays

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Since it's still cold out, at least here in SE Michigan, I'm sharing a recipe for French Onion Soup. My old recipe is in my father's beautiful handwriting, but I have no idea where he got the recipe. Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

Three Servings

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 pounds onions, thinly sliced

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth

6 - 1/2 inch-thick French bread slices (Baguette slices, toasted)

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (about 2 oz)

Oddly enough, the recipe didn't come with directions. My guess would be to melt the butter, add vegetable oil and saute the onions until tender. Add the wine and the chicken stock, and simmer for 20". Spoon the soup into individual small bowls, then place the toasted bread on top the soup and add the cheese.

Hope you enjoy!

Fork it Up Fridays

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Since it's February and we're deep in the winter season (yawn), I thought I'd share my absolute favorite chili recipe. Seriously, this is the only hamburger/red bean chili recipe I use. I usually serve this with a side of homemade coleslaw and cornbread. My sister loves to serve her chili with optional toppings of Fritos, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. Yum! BTW, this isn't the standard way of writing a recipe with the ingredients listed and then the directions. Since this is the original way it was given to me (typed on a typewriter), I'm posting it that way.  :)

Harold's Chili

2 pounds of hamburger (browned)

ADD:

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp hot chili powder

1 1/2 tsp regular chili powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

ADD DICED:

1 1/2 celery stalks

1 small onion

1/2 green pepper

1/2 hot pepper (fresh)

ADD AND SLOWLY BOIL FOR 45 MINUTES IN COVERED KETTLE:

1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes (cut up)

1 - 14 1/2 oz can whole tomatoes (cut up)

1 - 46 oz can tomato juice

ADD:

1 - 15 1/2 oz kidney beans

1 tbsp brown sugar

SIMMER 1/2 HOUR IN OPEN KETTLE

Enjoy!!

Next Friday, I'll be sharing a great recipe for ham and potato soup.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo - Jenna

Fork It Up Fridays - Special Edition

Happy Friday everyone!! I have a very special edition of Fork It Up Fridays today. Our Tuesday's guest, Constance Phillips, has given us her heroine's special hot cocoa recipe! Yum!!!!

Hailey’s Hot Cocoa (All That’s Unspoken)

Making hot cocoa from scratch is one of those things that has been “made easier” by little white envelopes of instant powder. But Hailey (From All That’s Unspoken) knows that some things in life are better when we put forth a little effort, and that’s especially true for a cup of instant heaven. It has the power to soothe a heartache, warm a body and heart, and chase away the monsters from a little girl’s dream.

Even though, when pressed, Hailey kept her secret ingredient from Nate, she has decided to share it with all of you here at Jenna Rutland’s Fork it up Friday.

(Below the recipe is the excerpt from All That’s Unspoken where the cocoa first appears.)

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

1/4 cup cream

1 Tbsp sugar

1 1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp cocoa

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels

A dash or two of peppermint oil (depending on taste) or replace ½ of the semi-sweet chocolate for chocolate mints

Toppings: marshmallows or whip cream and broken candy cane chips

Directions:

Add cream, sugar, milk and peppermint oil to a small sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and add cocoa, morsels and chocolate mints (If didn’t use peppermint oil) to the saucepan.

Whisk until everything is melted and smooth.

Pour into mugs and top with marshmallows or whip cream and then add pieces of a broken candy cane.

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

I don't seem to cook much pork and I'm not sure why. The recipes I choose always seem to result in the pork coming out tough and tasteless. If anybody has some tips or recipes to share, bring 'em on! The following recipe was given to me years ago by one of my fabulous sisters-in-law (I've been blessed with 6 of them!), and is one of the few recipes that turns out tender, delicious chops. Give them a try and let me know if you like them!

Pork Chops Supreme

4 bone-in pork chops

Salt

Lemon juice

Sliced onion

1/4 cup ketchup

3 Tbs. brown sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chops in baking dish and salt. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice. Top each chop with a thin slice of onion.

Mix together the ketchup and brown sugar. Spread mixture over the top of each chop.

Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Fork it up Fridays

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Today I've got a simple cold macaroni salad that will take you minutes to make, but give you lots of time to enjoy. Great for a side dish for sloppy Joes or hamburgers, and is always a hit at barbecues or family reunions. I've had this recipe so long it's falling apart; I have no idea where it came from. This should be made at least a few hours ahead of time. Hope you try it!

24 Hour Mac Salad

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup water

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 pint of mayonnaise

1 pound of twist macaroni

Cook macaroni per directions on box. Combine vinegar, sugar and water. Stir until dissolved. Mix all ingredients together. Will be soupy at first. Place in refrigerator and stir occasionally. (The liquid will absorb into the cooked macaroni after a few hours).

Fork it up Fridays!

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

As we head into fall, we're still able to get plenty of delicious fresh fruit. I've actually never met anyone who doesn't like some kind of fruit. It's a great item to take to parties or serve at a potluck. Today I'm going to share with you two different fruit dip recipes. Hope you find one you enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Dip:
1 small pack of vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 (16 oz) container of sour cream
2 Tbs. orange juice concentrate

Beat pudding and cold milk together well. Add sour cream and orange concentrate. Beat until well blended. Refrigerate and serve with fresh fruit.


Fresh Fruit Dip:
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 (8 oz.) marshmallow cream
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Blend first two ingredients and the the next two. Serve with fresh fruit.

Fork it up Fridays!

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Today I've got a Lemon Cake recipe from my big sis, Diana. She's a wizard in the kitchen. She's never afraid to try a recipe, she can whip up something delicious with whatever she's got in her fridge, and at last count she had over 400 cookbooks!! Hope you enjoy this great recipe! (You will need a tube pan.)

Lemon Cake

Cake:

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 pkg (3 oz) lemon Jello

3/4 cup water

1/2 melted butter

4 eggs, unbeaten

Glaze:

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

2 Tbs. melted butter

1 Tbs. water

Cake: Empty cake mix into large bowl. Add remaining cake ingredients. Beat 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Pour batter into 10 inch tube pan that is lined on the bottom with paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes then remove from pan and cool on rack.

Glaze: Gradually blend lemon juice into the sifted confectioner's sugar. Add melted butter and water. Punch holes through cake with toothpick. Pour on glaze, allowing it to run into holes.

Enjoy!

Fork it Up Fridays

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Today, I've got a tasty salad recipe that's well known in my neck of the woods. We can even buy the dressing already made at the grocery store. I'm including the dressing recipe in case you can't find it in the cold produce area of your local grocery store.

Betty Salad

Dressing:

1 cup oil

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup salad vinegar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. grated onion

1 tsp. Worcestershire

1 tsp salt

Salad:

Lettuce

Raw spinach

Bean sprouts (well drained or use fresh)

Bacon bits

Hard boiled eggs

Combine the salad ingredients based on the number of servings. Nothing is written in stone; the more people you have, the more you make. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad before serving. Enjoy!

Fork It Up Fridays

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Today I'm sharing with you my family's favorite macaroni and cheese recipe. This one dates back to the 1940's and is from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I'm posting the original recipe, but I usually lighten it up my using low fat milk instead of the cream and also using low fat cheese (we like sharp cheddar). Hope you enjoy!

Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

8 oz macaroni

4 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/2 tsp. salt

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.

In large saucepan melt butter. Add flour mixed with salt and pepper using a whisk to stir until well blended. Pour milk and cream in gradually, stirring constantly. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts. Turn off flame.

Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Stop in next week for another great recipe! Until then, come by on Tuesday and see what I'm up to!

xoxo - Jenna

Fork It Up Fridays

Hi! Welcome to Fork it Up Fridays! Each Friday, I share a delicious recipe that I've tried and enjoyed. Some may be a family favorite while others may be something my sister or daughter passed on to me. Hope you enjoy!

Today I'm sharing a recipe given to me by my daughter. She and her husband love spicy foods so if you're a fan, you may like this.

SPICY CHIPOTLE COLE SLAW

2 tsp. chipotles, finely chopped

2 tbsp. honey

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

4 cups grated cabbage, shredded thin

4 cups red cabbage, shredded thin

1 cup red onion, sliced very thin

1 cup green onion, finely chopped

1/2 to 1 cup carrot, shredded

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine first four ingredients. In another bowl, combine everything but cilantro. Drizzle dressing over top, sprinkle cilantro over whole thing and toss well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Chill till serving.