Abracadabra Watch Me Pull A Pie Crust Out Of My.........

As soon as I see a recipe for any type of impossible pie it instantly reminds me of my grandmother. My grandmother loved all of those impossible pie recipes and there was actually a period of time when she was making a couple different impossible pies per week. I think besides the fact that they were easy to make and that they tasted good, I believe my grandmother derived a bit of amusement and fascination by the crust that would magically appear from nothing but a pool of wet batter. My grandmother was not alone; all of us kids loved the magic pie crust trick....especially the part where we made the magic pie disappear one tasty bite at a time.
This impossible coconut pie turns out with the consistency of a crème Brulee that just happens to have a very thin crust. You could probably sprinkle some sugar on top and use a torch to melt the sugar and actually turn it into a coconut Crème Brulee pie.

Impossible Coconut Pie

4 eggs

1/2 stick melted butter

2 cups milk

1 cup coconut

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

You may substitute a 1/2 cup of Bisquick as a replacement for the flour and baking powder in this recipe.

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a greased pie pan. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes at 350°F.

Choose Laughter

  Me with my Mother and Grandmother - September 2008

At times we get a glimpse into what might be while spending time with older relatives. You become an observer to what waits for you as you approach the end of life's road. It can be a very sad and painful time but luckily as with all other times in life it to can be fraught with joy and laughter as well. Thank God, we can laugh even through insurmountable sadness.
My mother spent her last several years of life living in a nursing home a potential existence most of us view with fear and dread. In my mother's case this was a welcome and much needed chapter in her life and fortunately in my mother's case her time in the nursing home was a very good, loving and nurturing experience.
My grandmother's road in life has lead her to an assisted living facility, considered to be a step up from a nursing home but in the eyes of many who are living there it is another cruel act of life that rids us of our independence and ability to choose.
What I have observed so far in my 51 years on this earth is; we live to gain as many chronological years as possible hopefully filling those years with love, laughter, hope and our God given free will of; "choice". Choice, the freedom to think independently and choose between what you deem right or what you deem wrong, what you feel that you need or that you don't need, what you want or don't want, who you love or don't love.....How you wish to be cared for, who will be doing the caring and where you will call, home.
What I have learned as I lovingly observe all these potential " future me's" is as we forge through this life with all its joy, hardship and never-ending changes. As we gain years our list of choices becomes smaller and the unpleasant choices seem to out number the pleasant ones.....except for one choice that is always ours to make no matter how old we are or where we are on this road in life and that is to laugh. Laughter will always  help us to rise above the gloom and shine down on us with a light that lets us know that we will and can survive this moment and any moment that life can throw our way.
I am posting a recipe for shrimp croquettes because they became a source of laughter while having a dinner visit with my grandmother. Let's just say a woman that was seated two tables away from ours took great issue with her croquettes and it just grew into being comical. My grandmother who was in a crabby mood (which is most of the time) even began laughing, she looks so much better with a smile on her face......so here is to the power of laughter, smile and enjoy!

Shrimp Croquettes

3/4 lb. frozen cooked shelled shrimp
3 tbsp. Crisco
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. snipped parsley
Dash of pepper & paprika
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. water
1 pkg. (8 oz.) frozen peas with cream sauce

Defrost shrimp, devein if necessary. Chop finely (about 2 cups). Melt 3 tablespoons Crisco. Blend in flour. Add milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until very thick and smooth; remove from heat. Add onion, parsley, lemon juice and seasonings; stir in shrimp.
Preheat Crisco for deep frying to 350 degrees. Shape shrimp mixture into 8 cones. Roll in crumbs. Combine egg with water. Dip cones in egg mixture roll in crumb again.
Deep fry a few at a time until brown, about 3 minutes. Turn if necessary, drain on paper towel
Prepare peas according to directions on package. Spoon creamed peas over croquettes.

Makes 4 servings.

Squashing My Sanity

This is probably one of those stories that unless you were actually there you just can't truly appreciate it......but then again, the only real criteria needed to understand this is to be part of a family.

I was at my grandmother's apartment a few weeks back and all I did was mention how much I liked butternut squash. I had said I do not mind acorn squash but it isn't at the top of my list. That was it, nothing more was said and we went on to other topics of conversation. Well for whatever reason me getting my butternut squash became a mission for my grandmother. It is too expensive in the stores she said, you need to get them at the farmers markets and get a lot because they last for months if kept in a cold dark place. I said I hadn't been going to the farmers markets as much as I use to I just haven't had the time. Well I will see if your father will take me and we will get your butternut squash so you don't have to pay those ridiculous prices. For a couple weeks all our conversations were pretty much based on this butternut squash that I merely mentioned in passing, my grandmother was obsessed with it. Finally last Saturday my father took her to the farmers market, when she got home she called to tell me that she found my butternut squash but your father would not let me pay for it...he said; that is my daughter and I will buy her the butternut squash.
Well yesterday, I went over to my grandmother's for a visit and of course to pick up my butternut squash. When I got there, two bags were sitting on the floor. Go look in the bags, my grandmother tells me. Look at how beautiful your butternut squash is....that your father wouldn't let me pay for that he insisted on buying for you...just look at how beautiful they are!
They are beautiful Meema, thank you so much for all these "Acorn Squash", I'll be sure to call Dad and thank him as well.
Yes, of course I am grateful! Come on, we've all been here at one time or another...it's just funny, funny family stuff.

Acorn Squash with Apple Raisin Stuffing

1 acorn squash, med. Size (just keep doubling amounts if using more than one squash)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. scallions, chopped
1/2 apple, peeled, cored and cubed (1/2 c.)
1/3 c. raisins
2 tbsp. toasted walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp. maple syrup, or to taste
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Cut a slice off the bottom, if necessary, to make the halves stable. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and brush a little over the cut surface. Put the squash cut side down on a pan, add a little water to cover the bottom of the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in the pan and sauté the scallions for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the apple and cook about 3 minutes more, stirring. Add the raisins, walnuts and maple syrup. Cover and cook about 5 minutes. Season the mixture to taste with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the squash cavities and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, adding more water to the pan if necessary.

My Grandmother Left Chuck at the Supermarket

This recipe is for my grandmother who accidently picked up a London broil rather than a chuck roast at the supermarket and hadn’t a clue on how to prepare it... My grandmother usually makes her chuck roast by baking it for several hours in either onion soup or cream of mushroom soup. This is always served with either rice or mashed potatoes and a nice salad on the side. It is one of our favorite comfort meals that we always look forward to again and again.

Easy London Broil

1 (2 lb.) piece of London broil or Flank steak
1 tbsp. salad oil
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. pepper

Remove fat from meat and wipe with a damp cloth. Combine all ingredients. Brush 1/2 of the mixture over the meat. Let it stand 45 minutes.
Place steak, oil side up on lightly greased broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes, turn steak and brush with remaining mixture. Broil steak for another 4 to 5 minutes; let rest 5 minutes before slicing to retain most of its juices.

Basil In The Breeze

If you look out on my grandmother’s patio you will see three huge pots just blooming with basil. The plants really do look beautiful and they emit the most intoxicating aroma with each passing breeze. With each and every sniff we start craving things like; pesto, eggplant parmesan or fresh marinara. Maybe we should have just stuck with roses and tulips it would be much easier on the waistline……who am I kidding, give me basil and fresh herbs any day. Here is a quick salad with very bold flavors that tastes even better the next day. We like to serve this salad over a bed of mixed salad greens.

Salami and Provolone Salad

4 oz. of sharp or domestic Provolone cut into chunks
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese cut into chunks
3/4 cup of fresh basil, lightly chopped
2 tbsp. shallots, minced
6 oz. sliced Genoa or Sweet Sopressata Salami
4 tomatoes, cut bite size
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of olive oil
Mixed Greens, optional

Mix oil, vinegar and shallots and pour over other ingredients. Make sure everything is mixed well and serve.

Hot Steamy Morning

I normally go to my grandmother’s every Saturday night for dinner and cards but a few weeks ago I started a temporary job that has me working from 9:30 pm to 6:00 am. So come Saturday morning I am just getting out of work and by the time I would normally go to my grandmothers I should be sleeping, so I asked her if she minded if I came early in the morning instead, this way I could spend a couple of hours with her then go to see my mother and then go home and hopefully get some sleep. My grandmother was fine with that; she’s up very early these days. When I got there she had a hot steaming cup of coffee waiting for me and a batch of corn muffins in the oven. What a perfect way to end a night of work and start a brand new day, the corn muffins were steaming when I broke them open and the butter just melted on contact.

Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups of self-rising cornmeal
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup of cooking oil
1 cup of cream-style corn
1 med. onion, chopped
1 cup of sour cream

Mix all ingredients well, grease muffin tins. Pour about 3/4 full of batter and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Gentlemen Prefer Cookies!

Remember going to a bar or a club to meet men? Well I found out this morning that bars and clubs are a thing of the past. If you really want to get a man interested entice him with cookies! This little piece of knowledge came my way in the form of an innocent phone call to my grandmother (88 yrs.) and aunt (91 yrs.) in Florida. My grandmother answered the phone and said, “Guess what your aunt and I are doing today”? We are having a nice gentleman over to teach him how to bake cookies. After my mouth dropped for a second I thought, how cute. It turns out my aunt Jay had been giving some of her cookies to her mail carrier who in turn shared some of the cookies with a friend of his. Well his friend loved them and wanted to know who made them, long story short the man was introduced to my aunt, they became friends and today at 1:00 pm he is having lunch with my grandmother and aunt who are then both going to teach him how to bake Italian lemon cookies.


Italian Lemon Cookies


4 cups flour
1 cup of sugar
8 Teaspoons of baking powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of butter, softened
4 Teaspoons of lemon extract
1 Teaspoon of lemon zest (optional)

Mix all ingredients together (by hand or mixer). Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes.

FROSTING:
1 box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon extract
3 Tablespoons of Milk (should be runny enough to drizzle, if too thick add a little more milk)

Mix and pour over cookies as desired.

Lazy Babies Get Cooked in Oven.....For More details, Tune into The 11 o'clock news......Yes, I am Kidding!

My great aunt Mimi really enjoyed nibbling on baby back ribs; it was always such a treat for her. Normally my aunt would always get her baby backs at a local restaurant or at someone’s home if invited and baby back ribs just happened to be on their menu. Making them herself was a different story all together, you see and I do say this lovingly; “My aunt was energetically challenged”! If it wasn’t really, really easy to do, make, prepare etc…. then she wasn’t doing it. When any type of recipe was extremely labor intensive to make she would rely on my grandmother (her sister) to make it. Which in itself was fine because my grandmother always enjoyed cooking for the family plus she was and still is the complete opposite of my aunt, my grandmother is loaded with energy. To this day at age 88 she can walk faster than most of us that are much younger than her and still spends all day in the kitchen cooking. So whenever a recipe came along that listed very few ingredients and required very little preparation time, you would actually get to see my aunt make a mad dash for the kitchen.

Lazy Babies (baby back ribs with and oriental twist)

2-4 pounds baby back ribs
1 cup of honey (any)
1 jar hoisin sauce
8 cloves garlic

Chop garlic or press garlic. Place ribs in roaster pan. Pour hoisin sauce and honey over ribs, dot with garlic. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

My Grandmother's Cold Stuffed Tomatoes

When I was little this was a favorite grandmother, granddaughter lunch. These days it’s not as easy to find the really huge beefsteak tomatoes she use to get but any size or variety will do. The tomatoes she got from the public market when I was growing up were almost as big as the plate she served them on. She would cut them in wedges but not all the way through so she could spread the tomato open like a flower. It looked so pretty, and then she would fill them with; “egg salad, cottage cheese, tuna fish or crabmeat salad. These were really filling so we didn’t really need anything else other than a beverage. I loved those grandmother, granddaughter lunches.

You will need tomatoes, (the bigger the better) if it is a good size tomato one will do for a serving, If they are smaller I would do two or three per person. You can prep your tomatoes anyway you like to hold the stuffing.

1 (8 oz.) pkg. of imitation crab meat

1/2 c. thinly sliced celery

1/3 c. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. minced onion

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Combine crab meat and celery in a bowl, mix in mayonnaise and onions; add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Chill for at least 2 hours.