Archives salty bOOger

scramble

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Every year my grandmother, mother and now myself make this Chex mix for Christmas.

It is a recipe that was handed down from my great-grandfather. We call it Scramble instead of Chex mix though.

Over the years I have made my own versions of it. The original recipe called for salad oil which I changed to butter. Usually, the recipe is doubled and tins are filled and gifted to friends and family as a little “goodie bag” to snack on. I remember many years my mother would fill tins with one side containing homemade fudge and the other half with the scramble and give them out as gifts.

It’s not the holidays in my family without Scramble! My own little tradition is to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” while making it. So turn on your favorite Christmas movie and make up a batch this year!

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french OniOn sOup

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Sink your spoon into the Ooey Gooey, melty bubbly cheese…

…down past the pieces of floating French Bread into a deep, dark amber liquid. As you pull out your spoon little bits of caramelized onion fall down the string of cheese that dangles down into the steaming bowl of soup.

You can’t help but enjoy every spoonful of this French Onion Soup!

I adapted this from Tyler Florence’s recipe and it’s better than any that I’ve had at a restaurant.

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creamy guacamOle

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I have only just recently started liking guacamole.

It may have to do with me not finding the recipe I really like…but my search for the perfect guac is over.

I love this recipe that I found from Knorr…with a few alterations of my own I have come up with my version that is a creamy and spicy guac.

This creamy & spicy guacamole goes perfect with tortilla chips, tacos, tostadas…anything you want to eat it with! Including eating it by the spoonful. 

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beef strOganOff melt

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Grief is a funny thing…

It comes in waves of being unbearable and not feeling a single thing at other times. It’s a juggling act of when and how to allow the pain and memories to flood your mind. Sometimes it’s uncontrollable and sometimes you can steer through the deep floods of emotions that lurk beneath the surface of the mind. 

I very recently lost my grandfather expectantly and have been trying to cope with the loss. I’ve had more experience with death in my life than I care to have had…and knowing it’s a part of life doesn’t make it easier. Knowing my grandfather lived a full and happy life does make it bearable a little.

At times I am numb and don’t feel anything, like the event, didn’t affect me at all. Then it all crashes down on me and I cry and get angry at different things…I tell myself I should have done so much more with my papa, visited him more…but I realize these are all the steps to grieving and it’s normal and good to feel all of these including feeling numb. It’s a self-defense measure that doesn’t allow you to feel the whole impact of the loss at once.

I’ve found that allowing myself to remember things that we shared to be helpful…like food. Meals that we shared, special recipes I first had with him or weird dishes we both enjoyed like grilled peanut butter and onion sandwiches. Sitting with my grandmother and remembering the things he didn’t like and sharing recipes that were his favorites. It’s the things like these that make it bearable. 

Like this recipe- my first time having this beef stroganoff melt was at Sunday dinner over my grandparents. Of course, my grandpa didn’t like the green peppers so he got a slice without them. Making this recipe has always made me think of him and I’ll always have that memory tied to this dish…and that is beautiful. These types of recipes are my favorites- the ones that are sprinkled with a loving memory.

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patty melt

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A good patty melt is the product of several different foods combined into one mouthwatering sandwich.

Imagine the buttery and crispy toast from a grilled cheese, the chuck from a good burger and the onions from French onion soup, then slap some Muenster and Mozzarella cheese on it…now tell me you’re not drooling!

The key to making this sandwich ooze with gooey cheese is combining the Muenster and Mozzarella Cheeses. Muenster is a soft cheese that melts quickly and stays melty while you are eating the sandwich so you get that stringy cheese when you take a bite.

Instead of those old plain hamburgers, you regularly make, give this a try…this may just become a regular meal. 

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lasagna

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One of my all-time favorite meals from childhood is lasagna.

My mother and grandmother made this recipe and every other lasagna I’ve ever had fails to live up to this one. I’ve made my own tweaks here and there throughout the years…but kept it pretty much true to the original recipe. I know some people swear by using Ricotta Cheese in lasagna, which I’ve tried substituting for the cottage cheese in this recipe but I find that my personal preference is cottage cheese. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great with Ricotta as well but I crave the original recipe I grew up with.

I sometimes change up the recipe by adding some fresh from the deli Mozzarella on the top of shredded Mozzarella, just for some extra creamy flavor. There is, however, one thing that I will not change to try a different variation…the meat. It must be pork sausage, and my go-to is Bob Evans Original Roll Sausage. I love the flavor that the pork sausage gives to the sauce…no other meat is going to give you that.

Another substitute is using garlic powder in place of the fresh garlic…if you don’t have any garlic on hand it will do in a pinch, just add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the meat sauce in place of the minced garlic.

To make ahead, assemble lasagna layers and refrigerate, increase bake time to 45 minutes.

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