Marinade for Chicken

This is a great marinade for chicken thighs or legs

1 tbls cornstarch
1 tbls water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 good grating of ginger root or1/2 teas ginger powder
pepper to taste
stir this altogether and pour it over the chicken then bake in a 350 oven for approx. 1 hour or till done
it makes a sauce that you spoon over the chicken delicious with rice

Merry Christmas

Heidi and I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas. We know how much fun it can be when  Santa comes or you see Him in his sleigh or the kids send special notes etc. Here are a few pictures that remind me of times past with our kids.

 Merry Christmas from Heidi and Jon

Peanut Butter Fudge

1 cup creamey peanut butter
2 sticks butter (must be butter)
2 teasp. vanilla
1 1lb. confectionary sugar ( I like Domino sugar as it is less lumpy and worth the extra because of that)
mix the butter and peanut butter together and microwave for 2 minutes
stir and then microwave for 2 more minutes use a good sized microwave bowl for this
then add the vanilla and stir in the confectionary sugar
place in an 8x8 pan that is lined with wax paper or plastic wrap that you sprayed with pam
refrigerate for a couple hours
Don't Eat it all that day

Calico Beans

I made these last night and they are delicious and cheap to make
1 can white beans
1 can ranch beans  or if you can't find them another can of white beans
olive oil about 2 tbps
1 onion diced up
4 garlic cloves
brown the onion and garlic then add beans
2 tbpl of brown sugar more or less
2 tbpl of ketchup
1 tbpl cider vinegar
alittle hot sauce
salt and pepper
1/2 cup water
bake in oven about half and hour

royal icing

This is so easy and so perfect for sugar cookies
3 egg whites
1 lb. confectionary sugar
3/4 teas cream of tartar
mix with heavy duty mixer 8-10 minutes
then frost your cookies

More Biscotti

Heidi has been looking for more Biscotti recipes. Here is one she found The Tasty Kitchen Blog that she looks at often and has some great recipes and Ideas. Please let them know how you found them.
Jon

Popcorn Balls


11/2 cups molasses

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 teas vinegar

1/2 teasp. salt

Boil till a little syrup dropped in water turns brittle about 250 deg on thermostat

remove from heat and add 2 teas vanilla and 5 tablespoons of margerine

pour over 4 quarts of popped popcorn and form into balls

makes approx. 24 balls

Tis the season to make them. enjoy remember taffy is hot!

Stuff I found in a drawer

OK everybody, I guess you need to know how Heidi files her recipes. When she says she knows where it is that means we might get it today sometime. Here are some pictures and recipes I found in a junk drawer:

So this is a GREAT recipe for Biscotti. A little history of Biscotti from the website Biscotti Goddess:

Biscotti originated centuries ago, thanks to an Italian baker who liked to serve them with Tuscan wine. The idea spread across Italy, and eventually into many other cultures. Mandelbrot are a version with Jewish origins. The Germans have zwieback, and the Spanish have carquinyoles. The French serve croquets de carcassonne and Parisienne biscottes. In Greece, you’ll find biskota and paximadia, and in Holland, you’d be served a rusk. Centuries ago, biscotti proved to be an ideal food for soldiers, sailors and fisherman, who needed sustenance while on long journeys.

So for this great cookie here is Heidi's basic recipe and she has done them with pistaschios, lenmon and other great stuff.
Biscotti
2-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups pistaschios
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 stick of softened butter
Preheated oven at 300
Form dough into 2 rough logs with wet fingers
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes
Remove from oven. Cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick
Place back on cookie sheet
Reduce oven to 275 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes

These are really great with either tea, coffee or cold milk

Raspberry jellies

:
1.75 oz powdered fruit pectin
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
red food coloring

Directions:
Warning: the first half of the recipe needs to be completed the day before you want to eat the candy.

Grease a loaf pan. Stir together pectin, water and baking soda in small pan. Cook on high heat. At the same time, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. When it reaches boiling, add the pectin mixture. Cook for about 1 additional minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add extract and food coloring, stirring to incorporate. Pour into the prepared pan and allow to cool, loosely covered, overnight on the counter. The next day invert the pan on to a platter or plate full of sugar. If you have trouble unmolding the candy, use a sharp knife to loosen it from the perimeter of the pan and carefully slide your fingers underneath the candy to gently peel the candy out of the pan. Press both sides of the candy into the sugar. Slice the candy into 1/4 inch slices, then cut each slice into 1/4 inch cubes. Roll each cube in sugar. Allow to sit an additional hour before packaging or serving. I made these in lime, orange,  lemon and grape.

last year I made these for Christmas. They are wonderful but don't make them on a rainy day as they won't set

Mrs. Bailey's Ginger Cookies

 1 cup sugar
1cup shortening
2/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup hot water
1 teas baking soda
1 teasp, cinnamon
1/2 teasp ginger
1/2 teasp. cloves
enough flour to make a stiff paste 3-4 cups
roll and cut bake 400 degrees 10 minutes

These were my favorite cookies as a child. They are a soft ginger cookie. Mrs. Bailey was a lady that lived in Winchester Center Connecticut in the 1920's till 1930"s and she was a friend of my Grandmother's. I only have this recipe of hers, and it is written in my grand mother's scripe

Ginger Snaps

3/4 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cup flour
1/2 teas salt
1/4 cup mollases
3 teasp. baking soda
1 teasp, cinnamon
1 teasp. ginger
1/2 teasp. cloves
Mix shortening sugar and egg beat till incorporated then add dry ingredients
roll in balls then into sugar
bake 350 degrees approx. 10-12 minutes watch burns easy because of molasses These are delicious

Turkey Goulash

• 1 pound Of Ground Turkey Or 3 Cups Of Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey
• 3 cloves Of Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1 whole Pepper, Chopped
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• ½ teaspoons Ginger
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup Chicken Or Turkey Broth
• 10 ounces, weight Frozen Spinach Or 1 Bag Of Fresh
• add at the end 1 cup Sour Cream
• 6 ounces, wide Egg Noodles, Cooked

Cook until done. Then add the sour cream.

(From the other side)
This is the first time I have had this and as always it was great! I wish I knew how she comes up with this stuff.
J

Thanksgiving Relish

This is our favorite dish at our Feast Table
set this aside in one bowl
1 bag of cranberries ground up I shread them in the food processor
1 navel orange ground up skin and all
1 cup more or less sugar
Now
2 packages of raspberry jello
1 package knox geletin
disolve in half the water you would normally use to make the jello
add this to the cranberry concoction refrigerate a couple hours or overnight
delicious especially with the sandwich which is another whole post

chicken casserole

This is my own version to use leftover chicken
I had a roterise chicken for this past weekend
and  we still had some left so I took it off the bones
approximately 2 cups maybe alittle less
to that I added 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream
some spices salt pepper garlic powder thyme
then i cooked up 1 bag of brown success rice and added that
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
1 jar pimentoes
1 package of frozen brocolli with cheese I microwaved mine then added it
1/2 a sleeve of ritz crackers added over the whole casserole
1/4 cup melted margerine or butter
bake this for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees
This is a fabulous casserole  maybe add a tossed salad with it dinner done

Bread and Butter Pickles

One of my most favorite pickles for a sandwich especially grilled cheese and pickle or humas and pickle
6 cucumbers sliced thin
4 onions sliced thin
1/4 cup  salt
put in a big bowl and let it sit for 1/2 hr. then rinse off
In pan cook for 3 minutes 1 pint white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. pickling spice
pour this on the cucumbers and pack in jars tight
do a boiling water bath for 10 minutes
tighten down the jars after they are out of the bath

Random thoughts

Well I guess it is about time I put something up again. I,ve been pretty busy with the different organizations I work with, Robotics and Masons. I am happy with the overall election results but not too happy about Connecticut and it's cold blue demeanor.
I really hope the congress finally gets the message and does something to create more jobs to ease the economy, because it will not be a good recovery if the jobs are not there.

Heidi made Bean soup yesterday and it is great, as usual! Had a really good chicken soup last week also. She made a Pumpkin Cheesecake for a bakesale that we had at work. They sold it as a silent auction and got $16 but we had thought they would sell it by the piece. So, Heidi made another one for me to bring in for everybody. It was really good.

I made some really good spagetti sauce last week. Nice and thick. Used some leftover meatloaf broken up in it along with some sausage, basil, oregano, 4 tablespoons of minced garlic and 5 big cloves of garlic sliced into it, 2 cans tomato puree, 2 cans tomato paste, 1/4 cup sugar and let simmer for about 4-5 hours.

Well I guess I will let you go for now.
J

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumkin Cheesecake--Ingredients
 Crust:8-9 graham crackers crumbled.

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter Filling: 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
...3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
3 pkgs Cream Cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For crust:In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside. For filling:Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. leave it in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

heidi's Fruity Popcorn

10 cups of popped popcorn
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbs. corn syrup
3 tbs. water
1/4 tesp. baking soda
1pkg. of jello any flavor
1stick butter
melt the butter add the sugar then the corn syrup then the water and the jello then 1/4 teas b.s. cook on high heat 5 or 6 on electic stove for 4-5 minutes stirring constantly
pour over the popped corn stir it in
place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 250 degrees this makes it not sticky and hardens the coating Yum

bake sale goodies

Brown sugar chewies
1/4 cup butter melted in a heavy sauce pan
1 cup brown sugar add to butter stir
1 egg beaten then added to brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp bp
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
this can be all made in the sauce pan add raisins nuts chocolate if you like and put in a 8x8 baking pan bake 350 degrees for approx 10 minutes the top looks cracklely
this recipe is small but so good keeps too
I put them in a chinese food container with a ribbon for the sale

pizza dough

Pizza dough that I make in the bread machine
1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in 1 1/2  cups of warm water
4 cups of ap flour (ap is all purpose)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
put the liquid in first then add the flour
use dough setting then knead
bake 375-400 for approx. 15-17 minuts
check bottom of the pie to see if its brown

White Bread

White Bread Bread Machine Style




2/3 cup warm water

¼ cup milk warmed

2 tbs. Butter or margerine melted

2 and ½ cups of flour

5 teas sugar add 2 teaspoons of this to the warm water and yeast

1 and ½ teas of salt

1 large tablespoon of yeast



warm the water till its lukewarm add yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar

let sit till it bubbles about 3 minutes now put it in bread machine add flour salt the rest of the sugar and milk and melted butter

put on dough and let it work.

I usually don't bake it in the bread machine but you can read the directions

let it rise in a warm spot and bake 375 degrees

There are lots of other recipes on the web
 
The other day I bought this bread machine in a thrift store for $5.00 I already had one but I promised Renee' one if I ever found  one cheap. SOO she got the bigger one and I kept the smaller one. I have so much fun making the bread and pizza dough in it I have also made sweet dough for cinnamon buns in it. So much easier and it kneads itself . Hope you try this Its delicious

Back again

I'm still trying to get Heidi to keep up this blog a little better but it has been a hectic month. Both of us working a lot of hours and just kind of collapsing at the end of a long day.
Well, what I really want to talk about is Soup!! Just ask our daughter about Heidi's Aunt Alice and what her husband Howard used to say. She could make the best soup ever with a bone, a rock and some water. I think Heidi has turned into her. She has made a couple of soups lately just because of our schedule and it is easier. I see "stuff" go into a pot and all of a sudden it is this wonderful meal. Fish stew, clam chowder, beef stew and last night this kind of leftover stuff and that one may be the best yet.

I hope Beth comments on this because she knows better what Howard really used to say, guess you had to be there! I'll get Heidi back here soon as the woman she is working for is coming back to work soon. Bad for our pocketbooks but good for Heidi to have some rest.

J-The other side

Beth's Pie

Well, while Beth was here she made an apple pie. It's Mine!! I let Heidi have one small piece tonight and I have had the rest!!

And this is for breakfast in the morning!!

First day at School

Tuesday was Conner's first day at school and he said it was awesome.I had him after school as Renee had to go to class.We had to stop at the grocery store for a few things and he was so good I bought some sugar free popcycles for the trip home to his house. Alittle out of the parking lot he said.. these don't taste like they're sugar free, I responded yep they are then around the corner he said are you sure they are sugar free? I said yup then at the stop light again he asked and I said why are you asking so much ? He said cause there's no white in the middle. !  I said huh then realized what he was talking about... last week I bought him some creamcycles that were sugar free also. He thought the pops were the same as he had had and he was looking for the ice cream in the middle..lol

Italian Semane cookies by Beth

These cookies are wonderful . I asked my daughter  who was visiting from Texas to make some peanut butter cookies for a birthday party , only to find out I was out of peanut butter go figure. Anyhow with No recipe she make these wonderfully delicious cookies.Not as many as there should have been got to the party.

Italian Sesame Cookies
21/2 cups ap flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cups shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teas salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
2tblsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2  cups sesame seeds for rolling in
cream butter shortening and sugars add milk egg extract and bp then mix together with the flour this makes a soft dough roll in balls then sesame seeds bake at 350 degrees on a greased coomie sheet for 10-12 minutes
till golden brown and slightly cracked on top

Biscuits for Conner

Today I had guests for brunch. Renee,our adopted daughter and her boys came up to raid our garage for a tag sale. Well we would have been looking thru boxes and boxes of stuff from my Antique Shop but Jon took my car this morning to work and I forgot the key was in that car. So instead we got some books out of the bedroom for the sale and a few other things. One thing I had a hard time parting with was an Indian bedspread. I bought a few years ago in a church sale and it is all plum colors. It is thin cotton just perfect for hot summer nights.Funny thou I never used it. I just look at it.I hope somebody buys it and enjoys it. I really loved it but I have NO place to put it.like I said I love it but it doesn't go in either bedroom. My grandmother  had one in her cabin in Vermont . She used it to cover an old couch.I have such fond memories of that cabin. just before Renee and the kids came I whipped up some biscuits and scones.I had some sefrising flour I wanted to use up.I made 10 biscuits and 6 scones with raspberries.Guess what i have left! Right nothing not one crumb nada none. I guess it was the right thing to make. Conner loves his biscuits with lots of butter and dips them into honey Yum.Andrew loved the scones .

Here's the recipe
Biscuits
2 cups of self rising flour
1/4-1/3cups of shortening cut into the flour
1/2-2/3 cups of buttermilk or cream
Cut the shortening into the flour work it till its crumbely
add the buttermilk slowly and work the dough with a fork
pat it out on a Floured surface then cut the biscuits out with a cutter or a round water glass
bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes watch to see how the bottoms brown.
Serve with jam or butter and honey

Trying to keep everything updated

Well, here I am from the other side again. I just read how my wife baked date bars at 11:30 last night and I forgot to take them this morning. Oh well, I didn't even see them this morning and had no clue they were there. I guess it doesn't matter, I should have known, I guess. Anyway Heidi tells me last night that she is worried that I am not sleeping well, but then she is up at 11:30 baking. I guess that all makes sense if you don't see it from the guy's point of view.
Please, I am not trying to critisize or anything, just looking at the different points of view. Kind of like the guy I saw in a store last Christmas looking for a last minute gift for his wife, and he is holding a jar of cosmetic wrinkle cream!!!! I gently told him that is was a mistake and he said, "but she is always saying she needs to buy some . . .". The guys that learn to stay married usually get lucky and figure out these stupid mistakes before it is too late, or they have a wife that knows that her guy is just a little dumb sometimes.

peanut butter cookies

These cookies melt in your mouth and are easy to make. My mother use to make them at least once a week and all the kids from the center(Winchester Center) would somehow know when she was baking . We would sit outside on the grass with all our friends and eat these cookies and drink cold lemonade.

Peanut Butter Cookies

heat oven to 375degrees
mix in a large bowl the following:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
 cream these 3 ingredients
now add 1 egg
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 teas.baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 teas. vanilla
beat it all together then roll it in balls and then in granuated sugar then take a fork and press them down crossways
place on cookie sheet  make sure to leave space in between because they spread
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes watch them toward the end so they don't burn

Sometimes I double the batch because they are so good and last well in the cookie jar if I hide the cookie jar

Homemade Salsa

A couple of weeks ago I made salsa for my niece's graduation party from college. What a fun time. They live in Falls Village Ct. a small community of lovely old homes and loving neighbors.  The morning of the party we went to a wonderful church sale in Washington Ct. I bought some wonderful fun things and it cost me hardly anything. I found Beth some wonderful wooden stamps for her card making, some pillows for my couch books. a beautiful bowl for the salsa to take to the party and a wonderful orential type rug for the kitchen. Since I knew that i would be away that morning I made the salsa the day before. This gave it time to season also. here's the recipe I hope you enjoy it!
Homemade Salsa By Heidi
6 to 8 ripe tomatoes cut up and crushed in the food processor
2 ribs of celery cut up fine
1 large red onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 jalapeno pepper with the seeds taken out use according to your taste
a hand ful of cilantro chopped
salt to taste
1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning or creole seasoning
1 can of green chilis diced optional
For those who have a food processor you can do this all on grind.
if you don't you could use a blender for smashing up the tomatoes
Mix all together and let it sit in the refrigertor till cold.
Wow delicious with chips or vegetables

We made soap today

Today is Sunday and we are trying to learn the process of making soap. I figure if my 92 year old aunt can make it so can I. The first batch we made came out pretty good and needs to cure one more week. The only thing we learned from our mistakes last week is don't use an agate canner with chips in it because when you add color the color changes.Today we used a stainless steel pot and made a smaller batch. The color is beautiful . We used lavender scent and purple shaved crayon for the color.The color is fabulous. It smells like my Grandma's bathroom when I was little. .Jon was a mad scientist  in the kitchen mixing the shortening water and lye. We did a cold process method. When we get better at this I would like to try goats milk. We are making this for our church fair in September and for Christmas presents.
Well its a work day so I will add more tomorrow.H and J

Saturday Afternoon

Well as you can see, Heidi has not yet had a chance to post anything. She took a look today while I was at a Fund Raiser for the Robotics Club. She did not know how to post a new entry. I will get to show her this weekend. In the meantime. . . . .


I have a recipe to offer. Heidi has some amazing dessert recipes and one for a chocolate cake that is one of the best I have ever had. The praise is not just because she is my wife but according to many other people it is a wonderful cake. I have a little competitive streak because Heidi often just brushes my recipes aside because "you can't cook like that" is something I hear all to often. I have come up with a recipe for a Lemon Cake that is, according to many, one of the best they have had. Take a look below: It can be almost any Lemon Cake mix but I picked Aldi's brand because I'm cheap!

==================================================
Lemon Cake Special
1 box Aldi's Baker's Treat Lemon Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Veg. Oil
1/2 cup Mayo
1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding mix
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream
1/3 cup light cream

Mix all ingredients together in Kitchen Aid Mixer at medium speed until smooth

Grease a 10” X 10” X 2” cake pan

Pour cake mix into pan

Bake @ 350 deg. For 35 – 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Let cool

Confectionery's sugar with light cream mixed to make a glaze consistency. 3/4 teaspoon lemon extract and 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract. Start with about a cup of Conf. Sugar. Slowly add the cream until it reaches the consistency of a really thick drizzle. Then add the extracts and beat well.

Drizzle over cake when cool.

==============================================
Now to get back on track with what my day was today. Went to the Torrington Farmer's Market and set up a booth for our Robotics Club and its Fund Raiser. Just to let you know, this is not just a little local club. It is formed by an organization called F.I.R.S.T. which is an acronym for, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
Had a pretty good day. The weather is GREAT today, about 82-84 with a nice breeze and really low humidity. Heidi is a work until 8:00pm and then I pick her up and we go for our weekly Blizzard at Dairy Queen then home to watch a DVD, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Heidi's at work tonight

Well I'm back again. I went to where Heidi works and showed her the initial blog. She seemed to like it so this might work after all. So, from the other side now. I'm home alone and had a light dinner and a GREAT piece of carrot cake that Heidi made for her Mom's birthday, which is today. She is 85 I think. Wacky as a J Bird. I'll let Heidi explain her better. Once I hear how she describes her I will know how much I can say without getting into trouble, one of my major pastimes. I have lost most of the pictures we had before the virus took our hard drive to that bit bucket in the sky. I will get some pictures taken and get them posted. I am sur that our daughter will be ringing in from time to time too.
Have a great night all.
H&J

Where do we begin?

My wife Heidi has told me she would like to write a BLOG. Foolishly I asked a few questions and now here I am getting it ready for her to do "her thing". The name of the blog comes from me as I will be sounding in with comments from " The Other Side" which is me. She will have all kinds of stories and tons of recipes, really good ones, and odds and ends of comments from her daily life. This will include a part-time job, a slightly neurotic mother, an engineer type husband and the antics we go through to survive in a downsized economy and home(condo) where we both feel it is too small and with wacky neighbors.

At this time I am learning about how to get this thing up and looking half way decent because if I don't Heidi will never touch it, she can be a might particular. That's about all for now until I get her started this weekend. We hope to garner some followers and maybe I can get her to put in enough recipes so I can copy them into a cookbook. I have been trying to get her to do this for ages.

So long for now from "The Other Side"
H&J