From A Mother's Cupboard - Irish Soda Bread

Tradition - noun - the handing down from generation to generation.

Irish in heritage, this Irish Soda Bread recipe has been handed down from great grandma, to grandma, to mom and now to me. We're proud to be Irish and celebrate the traditional way. I can already smell the corned beef, cabbage & potatoes cooking on the stove. This sweet smelling bread will be baking in the oven to be enjoyed by my family on St. Patties Day!!!

Cheers to you and yours!

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups flour
3 tbs sugar
2 tsp bake soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 1/4 c buttermilk (or 1 1/12tbl lemon and 1 1/4 c milk...set for 5min)
1/2 cup raisins or not :)
1 egg

Add dry ingredients. Cut in butter, add buttermilk or the substitute and egg. kneed 10 times. Flatten into a 6" circle. Bake at 375 for 30-35 min. Serve with butter.

Straight from A Mothers Cupboard - Tomatoes with Feta & Shrimp

Handed down from my mother in-law, this tasty recipe is one of our family's all time favorite. Healthy & Simple!

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp & Feta
5 lg tomatoes, peeled & cut into 8th's
3 tbl olive oil
2 tbl fresh minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup feta, crumbled
3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 1/2lb med shrimp, peeled
1/2 c chopped Cilantro
2 tbl lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450. Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish. Spoon olive oil and garlic over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toss. Place on top oven rack & roast for 20 min. Remove and stir in shrimp, cilantro, & lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Place back in oven for 10-15 min or until shrimp are cooked. Serve warm with angel pasta and a loaf of crusty bread.

Straight From A Mothers Cupboard - Meatza Pie

A yummy alternative to meatloaf! As I share my mommy recipes with my Classic Tale readers, I am reminded weekly of the importance of family tradition. Each recipe post is shared personally with Megan, a mommy fighting breast cancer. As each week passes she is closer and closer to completing her treatment. One more week of treatment Megs! Here's a recipe that you shared with my family while we were growing up, handed down from my mom....

My family enjoyed it last night. All three kids were scraping their plates and asking for more!

Meatza Pie
1lb ground beef
2/3 c evaporated milk or reg milk
1/2 c fine bread crumbs or oatmeal
1/2 teas garlic salt
Combine and press into bottom and sides of a pie plate.
Layer in order:
1/3 c catsup
1 c shredded sharp cheese
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c ripe sliced black olives

Bake 375 for 30 minutes. Serves 5-6.
Easy as pie...quick and yummy!

Dutch Babies - Savored in the Company of Family

Another Classic Recipe for an amazing friend, mommy & wife who is fighting breast cancer. Breakfast, as a family sitting around a table, is a rarity these days. Now more than ever, I am reminded of the importance of family time. This recipe is a delicious tasty favorite. Easy to make but looks impressive.

Dutch Babies
6 eggs
1 1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbl lemon zest


Heat oven to 425. In a bowl whip eggs & add the remaining ingredients. Place 3 tbl butter in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place in warmed oven to melt butter. Pour in egg mixture and bake for 20 min. You'll be amazed at how it puffs! Serve with syrup, powdered sugar or your favorite fruit sauce. We love warmed sliced peaches sweetened with brown sugar. Impressive enough to serve company yet simple enough to make any day. Cheers to a family breakfast!

Sweet Deals for Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day! As a child this was always one of my favorite holidays. I couldn't wait to pass out my cards at school and get sweet little notes back. It's amazing how the Valentines have evolved over the years....now filled with stickers, candy, and treats. Still an all time favorite in our home are yummy pink frosted cupcakes topped with a sweet little candy heart and Valentine sugar cookies sparkling with sprinkles (recipe to follow). Humm....sweet seems to be the theme here :)

Here's our current sweet deals:

• $10 off of a $75 dollar order with the coupon code of MY10
• Always FREE shipping over $50
• L'Amour and Angel Baby Shoes Ship FREE
• Pluie Pluie Rainboots and Raincoats Ship FREE
• Check out our current Daylee Designs Hat Giveaway Here
  

Just a few fabulous offers to sweeten your day!

Now for the recipe I promised. The best sugar cookies of all time.

German Sugar Cookies
1 lb butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teas vanilla
5 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together butter, sugar until fluffy. Add eggs 1 @ time. Blend in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add slowly to butter mixture. The dough will be very soft so have extra flour to use when rolling. No need to put in fridge. Roll out to 1/4" thick. Bake at 350 for 6-8 min for soft cookies. Tip: Dip your cookie cutter in flour before cutting out each cookie. These are the yummiest and softest sugar cookies. Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Another week has passed....way too fast! But great for you, Megs as you count down your treatment days. Here's a terrific Chocolate Pecan Pie from one of our favorite restaurants in Montesano. I've been making it for years. A very easy easy but impressive dessert.

8" pie crust - from scratch or the freezer
1 1/2 c pecans, crushed
6 oz choc chips
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c corn syrup
3 eggs
1/4 c melted butter

Sprinkle pecans over the bottom of the pie shell. Top with the choc chips. Mix in a separate bowl the sugar, corn syrup, eggs and melted butter until blended. Pour this mixture on top of nuts and chocolate. Bake 325 degree for 1 hour. Dust each serving with a bit of powdered sugar. I suggest cutting the pieces small as this is a rich one....yummy!

Homemade Wheat Bread - Easy

Ok Megs....here's the yummy bread that goes with the previous posted soup recipe. It's Molly's favorite bread. A very simple recipe that starts in the bread machine. I know you have a nanny helping you out. Maybe she cooks too???

You'll be entering week 2 since treatment started. Counting down toward wellness. Hope you're feeling ok. Keep up the exercise.....for your sanity and soul not for weight loss :) Love ya, Nellie

1 cup warm water
1 tbl milk
2 tbls oil
4 tbl brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp dry yeast

Put all ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Set on dough cycle. When dough cycle is finished, take dough out and shape into a loaf. Place in a greased bread pan or shape on a baking stone or cookie sheet. Cover and let rise 20 min. Sometimes I skip the 2nd rise. Just depends on how much time you have. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min or until golden brown. Serve warm, sliced with butter. Smells yummy and taste better than any store bought bread!

Note: This recipe was from MoneySavingMom.com. A great blog on saving money and becoming a better home economist.

Recipes for a dear friend....

A close friend of mine has just been faced with the challenge of overcoming breast cancer. Her prognosis looks great but she still has to complete the next few months of treatment. She is a loving warm intelligent woman, a wonderful wife and one terrific mommy to three beautiful children. We are separated by distance and I want so much to be there to help her out. I've promised her personal updates and at her request tried and true yummy recipes.

So, Megan, here's the first of many wonderful family recipes that I make for my kids and husband. Most of them are recipes shared from generation to generation. This particular soup is amazing. We serve it with warm bread and is great to take to someone when sharing a meal. The recipe makes enough for two families. I'd be making it for you if I were closer :) Enjoy!

Sicilian Minnestroni Soup
2 tbl olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrots
2 cloves minced garlic
2 can of tomato basil soup (campbells or any other brand)
4 cups beef broth
4 oz prosciutto finely chopped
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 lb extra lean ground beef or use ground turkey
1-14.5 ox canned diced tomatoes with juices
1 cup red wine
1 tsp pepper
1-20 oz can small white beans
1/3c orzo pasta in box
garnish parm cheese

In a large stock pot heat olive oil, add onion, carrots, garlic, prosciutto, rosemary. Cook stirring until vegies soften about 5-7 min. Add meat, cook until brown, drain off fat. Add tomatoes, wine and pepper cook 5 min. Add soup mix, beef broth and beans. Bring soup to a boil and reduce to med low and simmer 45 minutes. Sprinkle orzo in soup and simmer 15 minutes more.
P.s. Sharing this recipe at A Grocery Cart Challenge were other ladies are sharing their tried and true!

Barbequed Short Ribs

It's been feeling like fall over here on the West Coast. We've had showers and sun breaks but the evenings have a bit of a chill. Fall reminds me of my Grandma who loved to make warm and tasty meals on cold fall days. Here's one of my favorite classic main dishes:

Barbecued Short Ribs
1 lb beef short ribs (boneless, I buy them from Costco), cut into 2"-3" sections
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp oil
1/4 C cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 C catsup
1/2 C water
3 tbsps worcestershire sauce
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/2 C celery, diced
1-2 tbsp salt

Brown ribs with onion in oil. Combine remaining ingredients and add to ribs. Cover and cook slowly, until tender - 11/2 to 2 hours. Serve with rice and fresh green beans. (We love the sauce and sometimes double it when making the recipe)

The Yummiest Cinnabon Recipe Around

Mmmmm I can smell the yummy scent coming out of my oven. It's a sweet cinnamon smell. These wonderful cinnamon rolls are just about ready to pull out of my oven and serve to my friends.

This recipe is from my friend Michelle at Candid Reflections. She brought them to our dear friend Ursula at the hospital the morning after she delivered her third little girl. What a great treat to bring a friend. A treat to remember!

Cinnabons for the Bread Machine

1 cup milk

1 egg

4 tablespoons melted butter

4 tablespoons water

½ box instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz. box)

4 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2½ teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling

½ cup soft butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting

4 ounces soft cream cheese

¼ cup soft butter

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ teaspoons milk

3 tablespoons real maple syrup (opptional)

Place all ingredients into your machine in the order recommended by your manufacturer. Select dough cycle and start. When cycle is finished, remove the dough and knead enough to punch down. Roll to 17×10. Combine the filling ingredients (nuts or raisins may be add) and mix well. Heat in microwave for 10 seconds to make it spreadable. Spread over rolled out dough with rubber spatula. Get as close to edges as possible. Roll from the widest end into a tight log. Cut into 1″ slices. Place in a lightly greased baking dish, put in a warm, draft free place and allow to rise 20-30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Mix frosting ingredients and frost when rolls are slightly cooled.

Let me know how things work out! ;)