Memory Baker

I love handwritten recipes. I am currently in the process of handwriting all of our family recipes for all four of our children. I'm starting with my two oldest sons, Ryan an Matthew, since they are both out of the house living like adults. Like most of you, I grew up learning that feeding others is another way of saying "I love you." Food celebrates, it shows your love, gratitude, welcome and sorrow {They call it comfort food for a reason}. Anytime there is something big happening in our lives, food is a part of it.

{My recipe card box and recipe books I'm making for my oldest sons}

But what happens when we lose those people that made those recipes for all those moments? They are gone and we are left with only the memories of how much we miss them and miss their food.

Food impacts our lives just like people do.

{My daughter, Mary Kate, learning all of Mama's recipes}

That's why I write it all down: the recipe, the year I received the recipe, who gave it to me and some recipes even contain a story. For example, the recipe that I'm sharing with you today, Pumpkin Crunch. Written on the recipe card I have, "this recipe is a fall favorite of mine. Given to me by my Mom when I was in my 20's living out on my own for the first time." You see, recipes don't have to be passed down because you're married or have children. Recipes should be passed down because you saw how it touched someone else.

{A treasure of family recipes}

These days, when I see people make over something I made, I write the recipe down on one of my own recipe cards and send it their way with a little note. It's the cheapest gift you can give, along with one of the most personal gifts you can give.

{Share you next recipe on a recipe card, not in an email}

Recipes are a part of family history and family tradition. Sharing recipes with family and friends, written in your hand, connects us in a way an email, text, blog or even a cookbook can't. So next time you go to a gathering and as you lovingly prepare your food for others, bring a piece of paper and pen, and make note of who complimented you on your recipe. When you get home write that recipe down for them with a little note and mail it as soon as possible. I promise you, you'll make someone feel loved. And there is no better way to say "I love you," when we run out of words, than to say it with food.

{Pumpkin Crunch}

Pumpkin Crunch

1 box yellow cake mix

3 large eggs

1 can {15oz}pumpkin

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 can {12oz}evaporated milk

1 cup melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

whipped topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans or chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 9x13 baking dish

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt

Mix well and pour into baking dish

Sprinkle evenly with dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture

Top with chopped pecans or chopped walnuts

Drizzle melted butter over nuts and cake

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown

Let cool and serve chilled

Top with whipped topping and sprinkle with remaining nuts

Enjoy!

Meatloaf Veggie Burger

My family loves a good meatloaf, and so do I. Meatloaf is my go to recipe for company coming over and for a welcomed fall meal. But have you ever had meatloaf as a hamburger piled high with roasted root vegetables? Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all don't know food love until you've had these. My Mom used to make these when I was a little girl and here I am now making these for my family. This is a recipe I hope my children will grow up loving as much as I did. And this is a great recipe for anyone on a budget or new to cooking, too. Simple, easy and cheap.

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

Extra ketchup for smearing

1 large russet potato

1 bag carrot chips or 2 carrots for slicing

salt and pepper for seasoning

hamburger buns optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, using  your hands (yes, just like Mom used to do)

Mix ground sirloin, beefy onion soup mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and egg 

Tear off 6 sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping meatloaf patty 

Form meat into 6 hamburger patties

Place each meatloaf patty onto a sheet of foil

Add additional ketchup to the top of meatloaf patties, smearing it across the top of the patty

Cut your potato and carrots into slices (not too thick because it takes longer to cook through)

Generously add potato slices and carrot slices to each meatloaf patty

Veggies should be over flowing, you want a bunch, trust me.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking

Wrap each meatloaf patty and its veggies in the foil sheet 

and poke a few holes in the bottom of the wrapped patty for ventilation and to let fat drain out.

Place wrapped and poked patties onto a lined cookie sheet 

Bake in over for at least an hour 

After an hour let the patties sit for a few minutes to cool off

Opening up patties straight from the oven could burn you because of the steam, so please use caution.

Put meatloaf patty on a bun and pile on your veggies from the same foil pouch

Top with ketchup or mustard or pickles or nothing at all....its so delicious any way you have it!

Best served with fries of any kind (I personally like sweet potato fries!!).

And wash it down with a sweet tea.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf Veggie Burger

My family loves a good meatloaf. And so do I. Meatloaf is my go to recipe for company coming over and for a welcomed fall meal. But have you ever had meatloaf as a hamburger piled high with roasted root vegetables? Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all don't know food love until you've had these. My Mom used to make these when I was a little girl and here I am now making these for my family. This is a recipe I hope my children will grow up loving as much as I did. And this is a great recipe for anyone on a budget or new to cooking, too. Simple, easy and cheap.

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin

1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

Extra ketchup for smearing

1 large russet potato

1 bag carrot chips or 2 carrots for slicing

salt and pepper for seasoning

hamburger buns optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, using  your hands (yes, just like Mom used to do)

Mix ground sirloin, beefy onion soup mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and egg 

Tear off 6 sheets of aluminum foil for wrapping meatloaf patty 

Form meat into 6 hamburger patties

Place each meatloaf patty onto a sheet of foil

Add additional ketchup to the top of meatloaf patties, smearing it across the top of the patty

Cut your potato and carrots into slices (not too thick because it takes longer to cook through)

Generously add potato slices and carrot slices to each meatloaf patty

Veggies should be over flowing, you want a bunch, trust me.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking

Wrap each meatloaf patty and its veggies in the foil sheet 

and poke a few holes in the bottom of the wrapped patty for ventilation and to let fat drain out.

Place wrapped and poked patties onto a lined cookie sheet 

Bake in over for at least an hour 

After an hour let the patties sit for a few minutes to cool off

Opening up patties straight from the oven could burn you because of the steam, so please use caution.

Put meatloaf patty on a bun and pile on your veggies from the same foil pouch

Top with ketchup or mustard or pickles or nothing at all....its so delicious any way you have it!

Best served with fries of any kind (I personally like sweet potato fries!!).

And wash it down with a sweet tea.

Enjoy!

Golden Graham S'Mores

Happy Labor Day Y'All!! Today I wanted to share with you a recipe given to me by one of very best friends, Angela Howell. Angela gave me this recipe in 2008 and its a recipe that her Mom used to make for her when she was a little girl. She gave this to me the year I married Mark and became a Step-Mom to Ryan and Matthew. This recipe is so decadent with chocolate and just the right amount of sweetness! Perfect for a BBQ, a camping trip or a slumber party! Easy to make and easy on the wallet too.

Golden Graham S'Mores

Ingredients

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3 TBSP butter

2 Cups chocolate chips

1 TSP vanilla

3 Cups mini marshmallows

1-12 oz pkg Golden Grahams cereal

1 cup white chocolate chips (melted)

Grease 9x13 pan

Heat corn syrup, butter and chocolate chips to boiling, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Put cereal in a large mixing bowl.

Pour chocolate mix in and toss cereal and chocolate until well blended.

Make sure cereal is coated.

Fold in mini marshmallows, 1 cup at a time.

Press s'mores into greased pan using buttered spatula or spoon.

Drizzle 1 cup of melted white chocolate chips on top.

Let it sit for an hour

Then cut into squares and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 

Then cut again and remove from pan and put on a serving plate. 

ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

My guilty pleasure is buying magazines at the grocery store. It can be anything from Southern Living, At Home Arkansas, Women's World, People...you name it, I've probably thumbed through it and took it home because I just had to have it! This new magazine from Taste of Home is great for fall cooking and busy schedules "Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups".  I'm so glad I picked up this little gem  because I'm already loving all the food & drink recipes that I see. And I don't know about y'all, but I am so ready and excited for fall!! I am itching at decorating our home with pumpkins and leaves and lighting candles and sipping cider....I'm ready, are you?! 

Today's recipe comes from page 100 of the slow cooker section. By the way, the magazine is on news stands until October 10th.  But I must tell you, as we all do, I changed it just a tad bit. My son, Matt, loves pulled pork but with more of sweet sauce. So I added a 1/2 cup brown sugar to the sauce. Feel free to add what you want too, make it your own! If you like it spicy, chop up some jalapenos and add to it! Add whatever your taste buds desire!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin (4lbs)

1 can (14 1/2oz) beef broth

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, divided

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce, divided

1 cup ketchup

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup prepared mustard

10 kaiser rolls, split

Cut roast in half and place in a 5 quart slow cooker.

In a small bowl combine broth, 1/3 Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup hot sauce.

Pour over roast

Cook,covered, on low for 8-10 hours, or until tender

Remove roast, discard cooking juices.

Shred pork with 2 forks.

Return pork to slow cooker

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, mustard and remaining Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Pour over pork and mix well. 

Cook, covered, on high 30 minutes or until heated through. 

Serve on split rolls with slaw, pickles and sweet tea!!

Enjoy!

Busy Days & Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Is it me or did summer just flown by? It feels like it just began and already its over. I miss the lazy days of summer and this summer has been anything but lazy.

We were very busy over the summer by making friends, playing a lot and taking some family time to do some traveling and camping. However, we have been so busy that dinner is usually late and quickly put together. I started thumbing through my cookbooks to find something quick and easy for dinner and something that I knew my family would chow down on and eat at a more normal time. Plus with school now session this recipe is great for the busy nights of after school activities!

In a new cookbook purchased at my favorite little shop, Euna Maes in Springdale, "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" by Jennifer Chandler is a simple recipe for "Slow Cooker Cola Chicken." The picture looked good and I just happened to have all the ingredients, so I gave it a try.

Y'all, this chicken was so tender, it kept falling off the bone as I was trying to put it on a serving plate. Hence, no pretty photo of my chicken. The chicken was moist and it had that smokey BBQ sauce flavor that we all love but at the end you could taste a little bit of the cola. So yummy!! Plus my family ate at a normal time, I barely had to do anything to make it, the ingredients are cheap and I didn't have to stand outside in this unbearable heat to grill or heat up my house to cook in the kitchen.

Enjoy!!

(Sorry I have no photo of my end result, again, it kept falling off the bone, so it didn't look as pretty)

Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Ingredients

4 split, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 pounds) or any cut of chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 lemon, quartered

1 (18oz) bottle barbecue sauce

1 (12oz) can cola (not diet)

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a slow cooker AKA crock pot. Add the onion and lemon. Pour the barbecue sauce and pop AKA soda over the top.

Cover and cook and low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.

*You will need at least a 3 1/2 quart slower cooker for this recipe.*

**Slow cookers cook best when the lid remains tightly in place. Opening the lid often will require additional cooking time.**

Enjoy!

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Eating meatballs in this family is like eating your veggies. It's a must. We have meatballs at least a few times a month and its pretty much my go to when I have to feed a crowd.

These are great served in crock pot full of spaghetti sauce or on their own. Put them in a zip lock baggie for a quick high protein treat, or eat them on a sub smothered in sauce and mozzarella cheese, or even served them on top a pizza and wash down with a cold beer! These are simply delicious and you can't go wrong any way you choose to eat them! 

Enjoy!

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

2 slices sourdough bread

8 oz ground turkey

3-4 Italian sausage links (casings removed)

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBSP milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 cloves minced garlic

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parcment paper

Process bread in a food processor

Combine crumbs, turkey, sausage, onion, basil, Parmesan cheese, milk, salt, pepper, garlic and egg.

Mix well, go on, get your hands in there and get dirty! 

Use a small spoon to shape turkey mixture into meatballs, dropping them on the lined baking sheet. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.