White House Chef

On seeing the news about the upcoming iron chef challenge with White House Chef Cristeta Comerford, I had to wonder: Does she use any of the recipes left behind from previous chefs? I was fortunate to pick up a copy of The Original White House Cookbook 1887 Edition (reprint) at a yard sale in Ohio…

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Fabulous, Easy Corn Bread

This is one of the recipes that just works. It’s simple and tasty. Corn Bread 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 1 box Jiffy Golden Yellow Cake Mix (these can sometimes be hard to find, but Walmart usually has them) + ingredients to make both mixes Prepare each box according to it’s own directions in…

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Simple Eggnog Recipe,

This is a classic, non-alcoholic, recipe that my sister Becky taught me to make when we were kids. If you have issues with raw eggs, you may prefer the grocery store variety of eggnog. I’m sure the original recipe probably called for half-and-half or cream, but we just used whole milk, and that’s the way…

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10 tips for a frugal thanksgiving dinner

Make turkey broth with your leftover turkey carcass Save the celery tops and celery leaves from your stuffing to use in your turkey broth Save the skins you peeled from your onions to use in your turkey broth (they add the color) Take all other vegetable scraps and add to your compost bin (or start…

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Poultry Seasoning

This morning when I got out my old American Home All Purpose Cookbook (©1966. I learned to cook with this book when I was 13), I saw my favorite “old fashioned stuffing” recipe called for poultry seasoning. Ack! I’d checked the cupboard for sage, but not for poultry seasoning. After a moment of panic, it…

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Making cheap turkeys tastier

Later today I hope to pick up a couple of the 40¢ per pound turkeys at Walmart. I like to get nice big ones, because I’m planning for leftovers. (I buy 2, freeze the second one, and we enjoy another nice turkey dinner in early spring.) One of the things I’ve learned about cooking a…

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Stop the smoke when something spills in the oven

When you’re baking and something spills in the oven and starts to smoke up the house, the ideal solution is to turn off the oven, let it cool, and get it cleaned up. But what if you’re having company and must get the food cooked… or worse yet, in the middle of cooking a thanksgiving…

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Cheesemaking – 2nd attempt

On the cheese-making front: Success!!! The curd didn’t quite look like the pictures in the instructions, but it definitely worked. It’s yummy, too! I’ll have to work out why my curd looks more like cottage cheese instead of a custard. I wasn’t able to make the ricotta with the whey and I imagine that will…

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Cheese Making

I’m really getting frustrated. I’ve been to countless stores (okay, I guess I *could* count them) and I can’t find rennet anywhere. Dang if The Original White House Cookbook 1887 Edition that I got at a garage sale for a buck doesn’t have a whole section on making cheese (as well as lots of other…

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Super Sandwich Rolls

Valerie’s Super Sandwich Rolls – Serves 12 9 oz beer3 tbsp powdered milk1/4 cup potato flakes, instant1-1/2 tbsp shortening1-1/2 tsp salt1-1/2 tbsp sugar3 cups bread flour2 tsp Yeast, Active Dry* Put ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Set machine for 1-1/2 lb, dough setting. Start. When the dough is ready, take it out of…

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