Strawberry Bread

1 c. butter 
1 1/2 c. sugar 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1/4 tsp. lemon extract 
4 eggs 
3 c. all purpose flour 
1 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp. baking soda 
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 
1 c. strawberry preserves 
1/2 c. sour cream 
1/2 c. chopped pecans 


Grease and flour 2 bread loaf pans. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350*. 

In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients in a separate small bowl. Add dry ingredients alternately with preserves & sour cream. Fold in pecans. 

Bake at 350* for 50-60 minute. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm with butter or dust top with powdered sugar.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Macaroni & Cheese Soup

A few nights ago I pulled out my old recipe boxes & took a stroll down memory lane. In search of an old tried -n- true recipe to add to the weekend menu I came across a recipe I had shared in a recipe swap years ago. Even though the temperatures aren't cold enough for soup, it didn't matter because anytime is a good time in my opinion for noodles & cheese! I hope you enjoy this as much my tummy does.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey, cooked & drained 
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni 
1/4 c. butter 
1/2 c. carrots, finely chopped or shredded 
1/2 c. celery, finely chopped 
1 small onion, finely chopped 
3 c. milk 
6 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed 
2 Tblsp. chicken bouillon granules 
1/2 tsp. pepper 
2 Tblsp. cornstarch 
2 Tblsp. water 
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained 
1/2 c. frozen peas 

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water & set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery & onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables have softened and onions are translucent. Remove from heat & set aside.

 

In a heavy dutch oven combine milk & cheese. Heat over medium heat stirring often until cheese is fully melted. Stir in bouillon granules and pepper. Stir together cornstarch & water. Pour into milk mixture and stir consistently until mixture thickens. Bring to a boil and let cook for 1 minute.

 

 

 

 

 

       

Stir in cooked vegetable mixture, corn, peas, macaroni & cooked meat. Stir to mix well. Let simmer over med-low heat until all ingredients are heated thoroughly. Serve warm.

Click HERE for printable recipe

Kitchen Kollection

This weekend I picked up a few little things to add to my kitchen kollection. One can never have too many Texas themed items. I also found two ceramic egg trays that I had been in search of. Looking online they were averaging $29 plus for the solid white tray, but I found these cute polk-a-dot yellow and purple one's at Marshall's for $9.99 each. I love how they spruce up the icebox as well as keep you better informed on how many eggs you have or don't have on hand.

I Love You GBP

Guess who! Yep that's ME! 

I am Gooseberry Patch's fan of the week! 

What a thrill and honor this is! 

Dreams really do come true!

Frequent cookbook contributor and collector, 

Nichole is our Fan of the Week! 

Thanks for your friendship and 

enthusiasm all these years, Nichole...we appreciate you!

 

Pre-Packaging

If your like me, you love cooking with shredded cheese. But it can play havoc on some folks digestive tract. So our trusty friend Benefiber always comes in handy. So when buying my shredded cheese in bulk at Sam's I separate it into smaller freezer bags for easier use. Since Benefiber comes in a handy powder form, it's easy for me to add a tablespoon or two to the bags before freezing. This way when I pull out a package to use in a casserole or such, I won't have to remember to add it to whatever I'm cooking. Or if I happen to run out of Benefiber, it'll already be in the cheese and I won't have to worry about it. The bags that I add it to are easily identified by a "B" so that we know which ones have the powder and which ones don't.