Anniversary Salmon

Salmon is my favorite food! For our first anniversary I made Myles a special invitation for a special dinner at the best restaurant in town (our kitchen). I gave him a few options of foods to choose from including steak and fried shrimp (both of which he LOVES) but he chose this instead! The first time I ever made it for him he thought he wouldn't like it because he had never really enjoyed salmon before, but he loved it! I think it's pretty delicious too! I got this recipe from my laurel advisor when I was about to graduate.

Teriyaki Brown Sugar Salmon

2 salmon fillets
1/4 c. soy sauce
4 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Montreal Chicken Seasoning (or other herbed spice)

In a large zip-lock bag, combine soy, brown sugar, and Montreal Chicken Seasoning, close bag, and mix well squishing it with your hand. Place salmon fillets in the marinade, and let sit for 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Cover broiler pan, or cookie sheet with foil, place broiler temp on low, and position oven rack right under the broiler. Broil salmon on each side for about 6-7 minutes, or until the thickest part of the fish flakes. Avoid turning the fish more than once, as it will fall apart. (Oven broilers vary, adjust cooking time/temp according to what you have)

About this Blog

Hello Family!
I wanted to explain a few things about this blog. I started this blog as a school assignment for my family meal management class and it is a collection or recipes from our family so they can be recorded and preserved and shared with the family as it grows. I wanted to share all of the recipes with the family so you could all use the ones you remember from your childhood. (Just a note for those of us in high elevation now, when baking, you will need to reduce the sugar by about 1 or 2 tablespoons, and reduce the baking powder by a half teaspoon. For more details just google "high elevation baking") You are also free to add any recipes you would like, especially recipes that have a good story associated or that have become traditional for certain occasions. If we get enough recipes I might organize a way to print them all into a book or something! Please share as many recipes as you can, if you can only think of 1 or 2 to share, that's great, but ten is even better! Go crazy!
Love,
Melodie

Dad's Pancakes

Dad would make these pancakes on weekends to give the kids incentive to get out of bed. They are so good! I remember as kids we always liked them doughy in the middle... I wouldn't eat them that way now! I remember watching him just pour the ingredients into his hands and throwing them in. He would as few measuring cups and spoons as possible cause he didn't want to get too many dishes dirty. He just eyeballed most of the measurements.

Dad's Pancakes

1/2-3/4 c. Milk (depending on how thick or thin you like your pancakes)
2 T. Melted butter
1 egg
1 c. White Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
2 T. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt

Beat the milk, butter, and egg lightly in a mixing bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and add them all at once to the first mixture, stirring just enough to dampen the flour. Lightly butter or grease a griddle or frying pan and set over moderate heat until a few drops of cold water sprinkled on the pan produce rapidly-moving globules. If you wish small pancakes, drop about 2 Tablespoons of the batter onto the pan, or pour about 1/4 cup from a measuring cup if larger pancakes are desired. Bake on the griddle until the cakes are full of bubbles on the top and the undersides are lightly browned. Turn with a spatula and brown the other sides. Place finished griddlecakes on a warm plate in a 200 degree F oven until you have enough to begin serving.

Chocolate Mousse

Mom would make this dessert for special occasions. every woman in our family loves chocolate and this is no exception! This is especially delicious when prepared during the hot Arizona summer, and you don't have to heat up the oven!

Frozen Chocolate-Pecan Mousse Ring

2 eggs, separated
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. Vanilla
1 c. heavy cream, whipped
3/4 c. chopped pecans, toasted
1 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
2 t. oil
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

In small bowl with mixer at medium speed beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form. Set aside. In large bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla with a fork until well blended. Fold in about 1/3 of egg white mixture until well blended. Add remaining egg white mixture, whipped cream, pecans, and chopped chocolate. Fold in until well blended. Line 4-cup ring mold or mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Fill with mixture, smooth top, cover and freeze until firm (or overnight). Blend oil into melted chocolate. Cool. Run small spatula around the mousse in the mold. Invert mousse onto a chilled serving plate. Peel off plastic wrap. Drizzle chocolate-oil mixture over mousse. Return to freezer until serving time. Decorate with pecan halves if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Sunday Roast

Mom would make this easy roast on Sundays so it would be done when we got home from church. She especially liked to make it on fast Sunday when no one wants to wait for dinner. The beef is so good and moist when it is slow cooked. It just falls apart! I liked to eat it just sprinkled with salt. The vegetables also turn out moist and flavorful. Delicious!

Sunday Roast

1 Chuck roast (or whatever beef roast is on sale)

3 Carrots cut into thick coins

3 Potatoes cut into chunks

2 onions, sliced into half moons

1 can of condensed Cream of mushroom soup

Place beef roast in bottom of slow cooker then surround it with the vegetables and pour cream of mushroom over the top. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook 8 hours on low or until the meat easily falls apart. 

Potato Salad

This is a recipe that my mom got from her mom. It is a favorite in our family and with my husband as well. This is especially popular for picnics and potlucks because it tastes good any any temperature and it's very inexpensive. 

Potato Salad


6 large potatoes
6 large eggs, hard boiled
1 cup pickles, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped (optional)
1 can olives, chopped or sliced (optional)
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 T. Pickle Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste


Boil the potatoes 20 minutes or until soft. Cube the potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve warm, or chill covered until ready to serve.

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

My Mom liked to make this dinner and it was one of our favorites! I liked to sprinkle a little bit of salt on each bite and it was delicious! I especially loved the flaky texture of the crescent rolls. As I write this I'm starting to crave it! I have some shredded chicken in the freezer too... hmmm...
You can leave out the egg white and almonds. My Mom always did and we liked it that way!
Another great thing about this dish is that it pretty well balanced with all the food groups so you can serve it as it's own meal! To make it healthier use low fat mayo and more broccoli. It might be good with spinach too... I'll have to try that.

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

12 OZ cooked chicken, chopped (2 cups)
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 C. red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated (1 cup)
1/2 C. mayonnaise
2 tsp all-purpose dill mix
1/4 tsp salt
2 pcks (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten 
2 Tbls. slivered almonds 

Preheat oven to 375. Chop chicken and broccoli. Mix in bowl. Chop red bell pepper and add to bowl. Press garlic into bowl. Add grated cheese and mix gently. Add mayo, dill mix and salt, mix well. Unwrap crescent rolls and separate. Place wide edges around a round baking stone overlapping edges and leaving an opening in center of stone. Use fingers or dough and pizza roller to roll the dough towards center of baking stone, still leaving a open area in the center. Spread the filling mixture on top of the dough making a circle. Bring the pointed edges of the dough over the top of the chicken mixture and tuck it under in the center making a ring. Brush dough with egg white. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown. Makes 10 servings.

Deep Chocolate Mint Cookies

This is my Mom's favorite Christmas cookie. One of the things she passed down to us kids is the love for the combination of chocolate and mint flavors! Thin mints (especially grasshopper cookies), mint Hershey's kisses, and these cookies are a few examples. We would go especially crazy at Christmas time by filling our stockings with lots of chocolate and mint combinations, with other candies too of course. :)

Deep Chocolate Mint Cookies 

1 1/2 C. (10 oz pck) Nestle's mint flavored semi sweet chips
1 1/4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C. butter or margarine
1/4 C. granulate sugar
1/4 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt 3/4 C morsels in small heavy saucepan over lowest heat, or microwave for 1 minute, stir then 10-20 seconds intervals, stirring until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter and sugars in small mixer bowl. Beat in egg, vanilla and melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining morsels. Drop by rounded TBLS. onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven @ 350 F. for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. (do not overbake). Cool for 5 minutes, remove from pan.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

These cookies are seriously the best. You can add in whatever tasty things you want but the butterscotch chips are the best. Maybe it would be fun to try butterscotch and... craisins? These are probably the one cookie my Mom makes that I can't get enough of! But they're always gone so fast!

Aunt Lucy's Oatmeal Cookies

2 C butter or margarine
2 C brown sugar
2 C white sugar
4 eggs well beaten
2 tsp (plus 1) vanilla
Blend above together
Mix in:
3 1/2 C flour
2 tsp soda
2 tsp salt
6 C. oats
1 tsp cinnamon
Optional add ins: chocolate chips, raisins, M&M's or butterscotch chips (my favorite)

Bake @ 350 for 6-8 minutes are till edges are brown. Makes 6 doz. 

Ginger Bread Cookies

My grandmother would make these cookies for the grand kids at out family christmas party. They are so chewy and delicious! What a great Christmas tradition! I love that you can use honey instead of molasses because who keeps molasses on hand nowadays?

Ginger Bread Cookies

1/3 soft shortening
1 C. brown sugar
1 1/2 C dark molasses or honey
2/3 C cold water
6-7 C sifted flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix dough and chill overnight. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Makes about 2-3 dozen.

Whole Wheat Bread

My family didn't eat home-made bread very often because it was so much easier to buy it. But when someone did make it we loved to eat it fresh out of the oven smothered with warm butter and honey. There's something just so satisfying about the taste of homemade bread with butter and honey. Yum! 
This particular recipe can be made with all whole-wheat flour which is awesome because it has so many more nutrients and is much better for your digestion! However, using all whole-wheat flour can make the bread more coarse and dense. If you want softer, lighter dough, try adding a couple tablespoons of vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer, or both to improve the texture.

Whole Wheat Bread

Put in dough maker:
3 Tlb. yeast
6 cups water
1/2 C. honey
about 2 C. whole wheat flour
Turn on mixer for 1 minute. May use all whole wheat or 1/2 whole and 1/2 white.

Add:
More flour (approx. 2 cups)
2/3 cups shortening
2 eggs (room temp)
2 Tlb. salt
More flour
Mix about 8 minutes. Add flour to make thick dough but not dry. Grease pans. Pour spot of cooking oil on table. Spread. Put dough on oiled spot. Break into 6 portions. Shape each portion into loaf. Put in pan. Let rise till double in bulk. Bake 375 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool. 

Apple Nut Ring

I remember my mother making this for our family on holiday mornings. The smell of cinnamon and apples add a wonderful to the home as you are going through your morning. This recipe is quick and easy. If you don't have an apple-peeler-corer-slicer, just peel and core the apples with a vegetable peeler and thinly slice them. 

Apple Nut Ring
2 cans (8 oz each) pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
3/4 c. cinnamon sugar
1/4 c. raisins (optional)
2 granny smith apples
4 Tbls. margarine or butter softened
1/3 c. pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt margarine/butter and brush onto sides and bottom of round baking dish. Arrange 15 biscuits around outer edge of baking dish and overlap remaining in center. Peel core and slice apples with apple peeler corer slicer: cut each apple in half. Place 2 apple slices between each biscuit and all around the outer edge of the deep dish baker. Brush tops of biscuits and apples with margarine/butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Chop nuts and sprinkle over top. Mix raisins with remaining sugar and sprinkle over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes.