Ultimate 7-Layer Dip

Background Story:

A great party dip – I haven’t made it much, but if I get a chance to have more parties someday…lol J

Ingredients:

• 1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
• 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 cup Mexican style shredded cheese
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• 2 Tbsp. sliced pitted ripe olives

Mixing Steps:

MIX beans & taco seasoning mix. Spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

LAYER remaining ingredients over bean mixture; cover. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

SERVE with tortilla chips or assorted crackers.

Homemade Brownies

I found this recipe in a kid-friendly cook book (although I can’t remember the exact name), and they are so good! An alternative to opening a box of brownies; can’t beat homemade ones. They make a big batch to feed the crowd. This is the best pick-me-up – full of Chocolaty Goodness!

Serving Suggestion: Top a brownie with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce – oh yeah – chocolate delight!

Ingredients

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 2/3 cup oil
• ½ cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Mixing Steps

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Blend in 1/3 cup of the oil, and mix until smooth. Pour in the boiling water, stirring until the mixture thickens. Now stir in the rest of the oil, the sugar, and the eggs. Mix until smooth.
• Add the flour and the vanilla. Blend completely – there should be no lumps. Now mix in the nuts (if you’re using them) and pour into the greased baking pan. Spread the batter evenly to avoid crispy edges – not a good thing for a brownie.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until just set in the middle. Don’t overcook brownies – they are always better when slightly soggy.
• Let cool and cut into squares. Yum!

Southern Banana Nut Bread

This banana nut bread is moist and yummy! The topping makes a big difference for the bread!

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter-flavored shortening
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ½ cup milk
• ¾ cup chopped pecans

Topping

• ¼ cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• Additional Chopped Pecans

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar; beat in eggs. Blend in bananas and vanilla. Add flour alternately with milk. Fold in pecans. Pour into two greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack; cool completely.

For topping, combine bananas, powdered sugar and lemon juice (or vanilla for substitute); spread over loaves. Sprinkle with pecans if desired.

Organized & On-The-Go

Simple Cookbook Format

Cookbook/Scrapbook Update – I organized a folders for each recipe category on my computer. I found that using a simple word document with a special header for the category and year works just fine. Also, I noticed if I make the word document first, I can just copy/paste into a new post here.

Later on, it should be easy to just print out each folder/category of recipes when I’m ready to pop them into each cookbook/scrapbook. I’ll add a set of index tabs for each category with scrapbooking on these pages, relating to our family memories.

The background stories are staying with the recipes; since they are small enough to still fit on the page. I  feel they add a bit of character to the recipes too!

Sensational Smoked Salmon Dip

This is my revised Smoked Salmon Dip – it’s been a work in progress for the best tasting, and we’ve got it now! Of course, my grandma’s smoked salmon makes the dip sensational!

Every year she smokes chunks of salmon with her special recipe. The first night, she cuts up the salmon, and marinates in her combination of garlic and Canadian brown sugar mixture (I don’t have  the exact recipe yet). The next day the salmon smokes in a homemade smoke house all day – I love to get a fresh taste right out of the smoker! I’ve seen my kids do the same thing now too!

My recipe below calls for one of her freezer bags full of smoked salmon (approx. 2 cups flaked salmon).

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz) container of Whipped Cream Cheese (any brand)
• 1 (8 oz) container of Laughing Cow Cream Cheese – French Onion Flavor
• 1 (8 oz) container of French Onion Dip (any brand)
• 1 (8 oz) container of Kaukauna Smoky Cheddar Cheese
• 1 package of smoked salmon (flaked) (about 2 cups)

Combine cream cheese, Laughing Cow cheese, french onion dip and Kaukauna smoky cheddar cheese with a mixer until completely mixed. Add flaked salmon, beating just until mixed – it will stay flaky if you don’t over mix.

Special Note: We’ve tried the recipe with regular Laughing Cow cheese, and it’s okay, but the french onion flavor adds to the french onion dip for the best tasting combination.

Serving Suggestion: We found that Buttery Garlic Club Crackers make the best combination for this smoked salmon dip! Since it makes over 2 cups, there is enough to go around at a holiday party.

Tasty Meatloaf

This is the same way my mom made meatloaf when I was growing up. It’s pretty basic, but yummy just the same! One childhood memory I remember is that my dad took leftover meatloaf sandwiches for his lunches when we had meatloaf the night before.

We live in a small logging town, and he logged in the woods for over 20 years. He actually taught me to cook – flapjacks (pancakes) was my first lesson! He still cooks most of the meals, it’s not my mom’s favorite thing to do. One of his specialties is Deer Roast, slowly simmered in the crockpot with carrots, potatoes and onions – it can last a few meals all week!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or deer venison)
• 1 egg
• Handful of crushed saltines (maybe 1/4 cup)
• Big squirt of ketchup, eyeball it (maybe 2 Tbls)
• Sprinkle of Garlic & Onion Seasoning by McCormick
• Salt & Pepper

Add all ingredients in bowl, and mix with clean hands.  Put into loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes at 375 degrees. The recipe feeds 4 hungry people, so we usually double it up for our family of 8.

Creative ideas: If you’re out of saltines, substitute a 1/4 cup bread crumbs or 1/4 cup rolled oats.

Western Night: I’ve also used bbq sauce instead of ketchup from time to time, and added 1/4 cup of chopped Walla Walla sweet onions!

Quick Meatballs

We make these meatballs for many different dishes, but Spaghetti & Meatballs is the main crowd favorite around here! Two of our kids hunt deer, and my husband grew up on a cattle ranch, so we seem to always have ground beef or deer (venison) around.

Special Recipe Note: I did figure out an onion substitute by accident the other day – we did not have an onion, so I used about 1 teaspoon of Garlic & Onion Medley Seasoning by McCormick, which I did have in my pantry. It was just fine – I’ve also done this in my meatloaf! So here is the quick recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or deer venison)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped onion or Substitute (above)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix it up

• In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper. Squish together with a fork or clean bare hands (works best for us) until well combined.
• Form into 1-inch size meatballs (cookie scoop is perfect), rolling them between hands so they’re nice and neat and round.
• Place meatballs in one layer on a cookie sheet or baking stone, and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning them over halfway through baking time (sometimes I forget this, and they still turn out fine).
• Scoop the meatballs off the cookie sheet or baking stone, leaving behind the fat that has drained out of them, and use in any recipe that calls for them – examples Spaghetti & Meatballs, Sweet n Sour Meatballs….

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Background Story:

This cookie recipe was the one I made when I was growing up in the 80’s. My mom was the one to say that the cookies needed chopped pecans (she comes from the south, and loves Pecan Pie), so from time to time I added the pecans to make my mom happy.

Hint – It really makes a difference if you don’t use butter flavor Crisco shortening – I think this might be why they stay soft for days.  Around our house these days, my kids like making these cookies – they don’t last long with six kids!

Oh, the last part about cooling them on a flattened brown paper bag is the best way to cool your cookies. I learned this from a high school friend, and it stuck with me.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco shortening
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
• 2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
• Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mixing Steps:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter flavor Crisco shortening and margarine (or butter) with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Add 1 cup of the flour, sugars, eggs, vanilla and baking soda – beat until well combined. Beat in remaining flour.
3. Stir in chocolate chips (optional nuts).
4. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone.
5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 – 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. *If using a baking stone, let cool for 2 minutes before removing to brown paper bag on kitchen counter.

Family Cookbook/Scrapbook

Cookbook/Scrapbook Keepsake

Welcome to Jordan Junction’s recipes. This is a collection of family favorites over the years.  I read somewhere about another person who collected cookbooks and favorite recipes, but rarely used them because they were in so many different places. I am trying to organize our favorites to get ready for our oldest daughter’s graduation next year, 2010.

Years ago, I came up with the idea of making a cookbook/scrapbook for each child as they leave the nest to venture out on their own. Our first of 6 children (blended family) loves this idea. So far, I have gathered up 2″ binders, scrapbooking papers and supplies.  Now, I just need to figure out the catergory layouts for these keepsake cookbooks!

I think I’ll keep it simple:

• Appetizers & Beverages
• Soups & Salads
• Vegetables & Side Dishes
• Main Dishes
• Breads & Rolls
• Desserts
• Cookies & Candy
• This & That

Sounds good. There are many stories that go with the recipes, and I feel that makes them all that more interesting. These background stories will be included where I can. I will tag my recipes in the categories above to help have an online cookbook to refer too.