Suzanne’s Mushroom Barley Soup

When we visited David & Suzanne in the Smokies, we were overwhelmed with their hospitality!  This is one of the delicious dinners Suzanne had waiting to warm us after a day hiking mountain trails to view Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, High Falls and Bridal Veil Falls (of Last of the Mohicans fame) in DuPont State Forest, NC.

Suzanne told me it’s better if you prepare it in the morning, or the night before, and then reheat to serve… and she’s right.  It gets better as the flavors meld.  So go ahead and make a double batch- some for now, some to bless a friend with tomorrow!

Suzanne’s Mushroom Barley Soup

We double this recipe for our family of 8.
8 oz sliced shrooms
4 Tbsp butter
2 leeks, chopped
1/2 c chopped carrot
s&p
1 tsp dill
1 1/2 qts stock
3 Tbsp barley
-
4 Tbsp flour
1/2 c half and half

1) Saute veggies in butter 3-4 minutes.  Add stock, seasonings and barley.  Simmer 1 hr.

2) Dissolve flour in cream.  Stir in and simmer till slightly thickened.

DELISH!

Popcorn S’mores

Popcorn Balls

Move over Rice Krispie Treats… well, at least for this month.  The name is cheesy, but the taste is sweet!  This recipe is also from www.popcorn.org

Pop-a-rific Popcorn Balls
3 quarts popped popcorn
1 (1-lb.) pkg. marshmallows
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

• Place popped popcorn in a large bowl. Set Aside.  In large saucepan, heat  marshmallows and butter or margarine over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour  over popcorn, tossing gently to mix well. Cool to allow handling (5 min.).
  Butter hands well and form 2 ½-inch balls.*

Yield: About 14 balls

Perfect Popcorn Poppin’ Tips!

Popping Tips for Good Old-Fashioned Popcorn
Seeing as how October is National Popcorn Popping Month, nothing’s better than a great batch of popcorn. Here are a few tips for perfect popping, every time from www.popcorn.org:

• Warm the heavy pan or heavy skillet. Be sure the lid of the pan is loose
  enough to allow steam to escape and keep the pan moving when popping popcorn on
  the stove.

• Add ¼ cup of vegetable (cooking) oil to the pan. Allow the oil to heat. The
  best popping temperature is between 400-460 degrees Fahrenheit. Note: Oil burns
  at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, so if your oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot.

• Test the heat of the oil by dropping in one or two kernels. When the kernel
  spins in the oil you’re ready to add the remaining popcorn. Pour just enough
  kernels to cover the bottom of the pan.

• Cover and shake the pan to be certain the oil coats each kernel. When you
  hear the last few pops, remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and empty
  the popped popcorn into a large bowl.

We like ours sprinkled with Nutritional Yeast Flakes for a delicious and nutritious snack!  Here are some more Popcorn Recipes to enjoy this month. 

The World’s Best Muffins!

So good that the photo I’m showing you of the muffin depicts them perfectly- eaten up! (Note the crumbs on Andrew’s lips- that’s what’s left.) Yes, these muffins are that good!

Now, I used to be a recipe hoarder… but I have learned that some things are too good not to share! Enjoy these moist, flavorful muffins for breakfast, tea time, or anytime you want to share a special moment with your sweet family!

Allie’s* So Very Yummy Nana Crunch Muffins
3 c flour (can replace 1 c w/whole wheat if you’d like)
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted & cooled
2 x-lg eggs
3/4 c milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c mashed RIPE (read: sweet, almost rotten & mushy) nanas
1 c diced nanas
1 c small diced walnuts
1 c granola
1 c shredded coconut (I buy unsweetened from the HFS)

1) Sift flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt into a large bowl.
2) Mix eggs, milk, vanilla & mashed nanas in a bowl.
3) Stir butter into flour mixture (bowl 1) and then combine this with the wet stuff(bowl 2) only till it’s all combined. You shouldn’t overmix muffins- lumps are ok.
4) Fold in diced bananas, granola, coconut and walnuts. Use an ice cream scoop (it’s so much cleaner!) to scoop into lined or sprayed muffin cups, filling all the way up to the top! Sprinkle tops with finely chopped walnuts, granola or coconut.
5) Bake in a preheated 350 oven until the tops are brown 25-30 minutes. 15 ish for mini muffins.

This recipe is good for a few days and even frozen & reheated, unlike most muffin recipes. The secret is all the butter & all the nanas. The higher the fat in a muffin, the longer it stays moist & tasty! YUM!!! Be prepared to exercise self-control b/c you’ll want to eat them all up right away!

*I found this recipe 10 years ago in a magazine… it’s undergone a few changes (like healthy flour & extra vanilla) but someone else deserves the credit for these tasty morsels. Whoever you are, THANK YOU!!!

Christmas Recipes

My favorite dessert is baklava. Not the soggy kind found in stores, mind you. The tightly rolled treats of crisp phylo enveloping finely chopped nuts all coated, but not soaked in, a simple syrup glaze. Mom made it each Christmas growing up and I have never had any that compares! Chris and I have made it a
few times, but it is very intensive since we hand-roll each piece so it’s been a few years (or should I say a few children) since we’ve made it. I do not continue the tradition Mom did of making lots of delish goodies (snowball cookies, candied nuts, cherry cordial cookies, all so tasty!) because of all the
work involved. But when I do pull out one of those recipes, it brings a smile to my face!

Today’s recipe brings a smile to my face without the extra work.

It’s so easy, you can pull a chair up to the counter and let your little ones do it or turn the recipe over to a budding chef! And it’s likely the only way your kiddos will be able to play with snow this Florida “winter”. Serve in a puddle of chocolate sauce for a pretty presentation!

Toasted Snowballs (from Susan Branch’s Autumn cookbook)

* Preheat the oven to 350. Spread sweetened coconut on a cookie sheet and bake 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally until toasted.
* Scoop ice cream into balls and roll in the coconut.
* Keep in the freezer until ready to eat!

p.s. Click on the photo to see Cooking.com’s recipe for snowballs.

Cranberry Waldorf Salad

Thanksgiving is a holiday full of warm family memories. Forty something of my “closest relatives” on Mom’s side gather at Uncle Kenny’s in Tallahassee for dinner at lunchtime, dessert all day, and a time of sharing what the Lord has done in our lives over the past year. What a blessing to testify of the Lord’s goodness with family!!

My Uncle Walter died this year- that only leaves my GeGe and Aunt Ruby still alive. I want to bask in their wisdom and soak up their love for the Lord. Their generation walked through so much and yet are so grateful for what the Lord has done for them! They never complain but always proclaim His faithfulness.

GeGe, Georgia Maxine Hart, daily prays for Chris and me, our children and their children on down the line. Next Thursday, she will wrap her arms around us and do it in person. Puritans and Indians and the Lord’s Providential hand on our nation are all wonderful… but family is what Thanksgiving is about to me.

Cranberry Waldorf Salad
(This is a guideline- I like to do a dash of this and a handful of that. I also increase ingredients exponentially to feed a crowd!)

1 lg granny smith apple, chopped
1 lg red apple, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
¼ c walnuts, (you guessed it!) CHOPPED
½ c dried cranberries
¼ c grapes, halved
¼ c vegenaise (or mayo!)
A dash or two of nutmeg

* Combine.
* Sprinkle with additional nutmeg.
* Chill.
* Serve on a bed of spinach. Yummy!
* If you have any leftovers, stuff into pita halves with some fresh salad greens. This is a great diversion from the typical Turkey
Sandwich!