Amish Caramel Corn

I love giving homemade food gifts to family and friends for the holidays. This week I've been testing different recipes to see which ones I think will be perfect for the Christmas goody baskets that I make up.

I found a great recipe for Amish Caramel Corn. It was easy to make and Greg gave it thumbs up! This would be perfect to put in a cute holiday tin. Are you making any special gifts for the holidays?


Here's the recipe: "My Amish Friend's Caramel Corn"

Ingredients

• 7 quarts plain popped popcorn
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Greg's Favorite Quiche

This Swiss Cheese & Onion Quiche is one of Greg's breakfast favorites at the log cabin. Sometimes I will add 1/2 cup of cooked turkey bacon to it (trying to keep it somewhat healthy.) You can also add ham too. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/4 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS
Spread 1 tablespoon butter over bottom of pastry shell; set aside. In a skillet, saute onion in remaining butter until tender. Spread in pastry shell. Toss Swiss cheese with flour; sprinkle over onion. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream and salt. Pour evenly over cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F; bake 30-35 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Log Cabin Cooking

I'm really hooked right now on this easy chicken recipe I found using Kellogg Corn Flakes. It's so quick to prepare and I think it's so tasty - perfect for log cabin cooking cuz lord knows I don't like to spend hours in the kitchen! I'd rather be in my kayak.



Maybe some of you already know about this recipe? (And if you do, why didn't you tell me? LOL!) I like to use bone-in chicken thighs or breasts with this - very juicy! Do you have any favorite easy chicken recipes you like to make?





Ask Chip what he thinks!

Entertaining at the log cabin

I love to entertain family and friends at our log cabin! At the heart of entertaining is good food in my opinion. I love making dips! This past weekend when I was shopping in Chicago, I picked up a "Dip Chiller." Perfect for keeping dips cold especially when you're outside in the summer sun. The top is removable, you put/hide ice cubes underneath. Why didn't anyone tell me about this invention?! LOL!

By the way - you also didn't tell me about Bone Suckin Sauce! While I was in this shop - stuffing my face with at least 20 different food samples, I tried this dip made with this wonderful barbecue sauce. (Let's just say I returned to the "free" sample about 5 times!) Please share any of your favorite easy dips you like to make in the summer!

Here's the recipe:

No Bones Party Dip
1/3 cup Bone Suckin Sauce
8 oz Cream Cheese
6 Tbsp Chopped Onion (red is best I think!)

Mix all ingredients together. Serve with crackers, pretzels or chips.

A drawing and a good recipe for Easter!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow night for my drawing! I will draw a name out of my log cabin followers and send them a little gift from my Nature Store. To all my followers (and visitors!) - thank you for visiting me! I have met so many wonderful people!

On a side note, I have discovered a great recipe for corn casserole by Paula Deen! This would make a great side dish for the Easter table. My brother-in-law hooked me onto this and then I had to make it. Yummy and easy to make!

Corn Casserole - Paula Deen
Ingredients
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Food for the log cabin guests

I've been perfecting my recipe list of "best dishes" for log cabin guests. While I do like to grill, we need other options in the winter (especially since our weber charcoal grill is under 10 feet of snow right now!)


Guess what's in my cute little birdy box? (No, not a bird!)













It's a recipe box I picked up at a little shop in Gaylord! Now let's make you something since you're my guest.













No, I"m not going to make you peanut butter pine cones! I like to think I'm a better host than that! Though I must say, the Hairy Woodpecker does like my "cooking"!



















Let's pull out the recipe for one of the best and cheesiest Baked Rigatoni dishes you will ever try! Yep - it lives up to the hype!










Look at this! Is your mouth watering? Do you want the recipe? I'm going to share it with you! Also, do you have any "winter" dishes you like to make for your guests? Share them here! I just love recipe exchanges! Okay Leedra, now pass the garlic bread and let's eat!

Shelley's Baked Rigatoni (well it's not mine, but I tweaked it!)

• 1 box Rigatoni noodles

• 2 large plastic jars of Ragu Traditional spaghetti sauce
  

• 2 lbs of either ground beef or turkey if you want to make it healthier


• 1 tbsp of butter


• 1 small onion


• 1 small container of sour cream


• 1/2 tsp minced garlic


• 6 slices of mozzarella cheese (enough for a single layer)


• 6-8 slices of provolone cheese (enough for a single layer)


• Fresh grated parmesan cheese (to sprinkle generously on top!)
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make Rigatoni according to directions, toss w/ butter and set aside. Brown beef in pan with finely chopped up onion and garlic. Drain. Add Ragu sauce and simmer until hot.

At bottom of deep casserole plan, pour a little of the sauce to cover the bottom. Pour 1/2 the noodles on top. Pour a bit of the sauce on top of the noodles to cover. Layer provolone slices in single layer to cover. Spread sour cream on top of provolone slices. Pour some of the sauce on top. Pour the other 1/2 of noodles on top of this layer. Pour some of the sauce on top. Layer mozzarella slice on top of this layer. Pour the rest of the sauce on top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese generously on top. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Cooking & playing games

I am a true outdoors gal but I do love my indoor activities too at the log cabin. Cooking and playing games ranks right up there. I love finding new recipes - especially from other bloggers and sites such as allrecipes.com. I recently made this cheesy artichoke dip that my guests raved about (or maybe they were just being kind!) Now that I'm getting over the flu, food is starting to sound good to me again.


I've listed the recipe at the end of this blog post in case you would like to try this!











Here's a bite just for you!












Now, after I've loaded you up on some appetizers, let's play some games.


Sequence is one of our favorite board games. You work with your partner(s) to build a sequence on the board with the playing cards you have in your hand. Jacks are wild! I've listed the game link below on Amazon.







We also like to play scrabble and boggle too. What games do you like to play?


Cheesy Artichoke Dip - from http://www.allrecipes.com/
INGREDIENTS:
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
and chopped
1 (6 ounce) can marinated artichoke
hearts, drained and chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile
peppers, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) package grated Parmesan
cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella
cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.
In a medium bowl, mix artichoke hearts, marinated artichoke hearts, green chile peppers, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
3.
Spread the mixture in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Another day in the log cabin kitchen

What does this red squirrel have to do with this post? Well nothing really, except I thought he was cute and as I was watching him eat all the suet cakes meant for my birds, I decided I needed a little treat myself from the log cabin kitchen!
















Please have a seat. Pretty soon those pumpkins will be gone and it will be time to get the log cabin decorated for Christmas! Also, I'm starting to crave cranberry pecan bread that comes out from my favorite deli this time of year. Stay tuned, I'm going to have a giveaway of that special bread!







I found the log cabin Christmas serving ware at Kohls! Perfect for my abode! Now they need some cookies - something easy and quick to make.









Have you tried this Nutella stuff? Hazelnut spread with milk and cocoa....yum! Well let's spread this on some soft ginger cookies. (Repeat SOFT ginger cookies - not those spicy ginger snaps that I don't care for.)
















I have a confession. I was too lazy to make homemade soft ginger cookies, so I made them out of box. (Really, I do know how to cook...) Well take 2 cookies, and spread the nutella on one - then stick them together.









I like the combination of the ginger, hazelnut and cocoa. Plus I like the fact that I was munching on cookies less than 30 minutes after the craving set in! And really....I will have more sophisticated recipes coming up in the future.....

Fall cooking at the cabin!

Can you feel it? The air is cool, the leaves are showing their reds and golds, and it's time for fuzzy fleece blankets and wool socks. And then the food.......apple pie with a flaky crust, homemade soup and chili.....gets you in the mood to do some fall cooking!

I'm ready to whip my log home kitchen into a cooking frenzy this weekend! And some of my favorite blogs I like to read have some delicious ideas.....

1. Penny at Lavender Hill shares her secret ingredient for apple pie....
2. How about some Spiced Lentil & Barley soup from Catherine at Catherine Holman Folk Art?
3. Bobbi at Rightmeyer Recipes is making tomatoe pie!
4. Mom2 has a couple yummy things to choose from....Quick & Easy Minestrone Soup or Popeye Meatloaf.
5. Cooking with Val is sharing a recipe for Maranda's Squash Casserole.

What are some of your favorite things to cook in the fall?

Pioneer Woman at the Log Cabin!

Since I now have a log cabin, I have to do "pioneer things."

I am going to can the blackberries I picked last weekend and make blackberry jam at the log cabin!

Now that sounds like something one of these pioneer women pictured here would do, right??

This photo is courtesy of the Otsego Historical museum and these people once lived in my cabin town!


By the way, I learned that the method I used last year (turning the jars upside down to set) is the WRONG way and can cause botulism! Luckily all my family members made it last year without incident. In case you're curious, click here for canning tips. Want more information on blackberries? Click here.

I did purchase a pressure cooker - but after reading the threatening instructions tonight, I am returning it. I am afraid it's going to explode in my face! So I went on Amazon and purchased a water bath canner. Now that sounds a lot safer in my opinion.




Here's my new canning tool!





Now I just need to make labels for my Blackberry Jam! What to name it? The Loon's Nest Blackberry Jam seems too long...

Cabin Cooking

No Stove yet. I hope to remedy that this weekend. Last weekend 3 local (by local - I mean the town my cabin is in) appliance stores were doing "inventory" - so the selection was not the best. Did they call each other and pick that weekend? And all that's left is the $1000 stove? Well I foiled their conspiracy and told them I would wait. We did think about buying a stove downstate and driving it up - but the weather has been iffy and Greg's back is not the best for heavy lifting. Anyways, wish me luck and I leave you with this recipe my mom gave me today - perfect for cooking at the Log Cabin!

Wildberry Crisp

• 5 cups fresh mixed berries
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts

Place fruit in 2 quart baking dish and stir in white sugar. Topping: in medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake at 375 degrees 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown. Enjoy!