Salmon Mountain Strata

The last time we were in Wisconsin, I, too, bought a 50-lb bag of potatoes. Who wouldn't buy 50 lbs for $7? Big time budget saver. We have worked our way to the end, and I wish we would be going to Wisconsin before Thanksgiving so we could get another 50 lbs, but it won't be happening :( In an attempt to actually make a one of my recipes to put on here, I came across this one, which worked out perfectly because we had everything (minus 6 ounces of salmon) on hand that needed to be used.

1 can (1-lb) salmon
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
4 eggs
2 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. dried dill weed
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 medium Idaho potatoes (6 cups sliced)

In large bowl combine salmon, onion, celery, eggs, milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, dill and pepper; mix well. Pare potatoes and cut into thin slices. Place half of potatoes in greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and spread half of salmon mixture over potatoes. Repeat with remaining potatoes, salt and salmon. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 servings


Well, I told Big Chubb that I would never make this again. He and Little Chubb gobbled it right up. I ate it because I was desperately hungry.

After cooking it for the time intended, the potatoes were still raw, the onions and celery were still crunchy, and it had a very fishy taste to it even without the entire pound of fish. At least it got rid of some of the ingredients from our house.

Oven Baked Potato Wedges

We got a 50 lb bag of potatoes and have been barreling through it. I try to find new uses for them, mostly for Jacob's sake.  I thought these would be a step up from our normal baked french fries.

Oven-baked Potato Wedges

Ingredients:
2 T canola oil
1 c flour
1 t garlic powder
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
1/2 t celery salt
1/2 t seasoning salt
2 large eggs, beaten
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed, but not peeled
canola cooking spray

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with a tablespoon of canola oil.
2. With a fork or whisk, mix the flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, celery salt and seasoning salt in a shallow dish and set aside.  Add the beaten eggs in a small bowl.
3. Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch thick wedges.  Dip each wedge into the beaten eggs, then the flour mixture, making sure it is well coated.  Place the coated wedges on the prepared baking sheet and let them sit 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Coat the tops of the potato wedges generously with canola cooking spray.  Bale in the center of the oven until golden brown (15 to 18 minutes), flipping after ten minutes.  Serves 5.


These were not the best.  We thought the flour mixture put too much flour taste on the wedges.  The egg didn't do that great of a job mixing with the flour for a pleasurable result.  We won't eat these again.

Billy's Vanilla Buttercream

This was the frosting to go with the cake for Brooke's birthday.

Billy's Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
6-8 c confectioners' sugar
1/2 c milk
1 t pure vanilla extract

1.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.  With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy.  If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach....(The recipe cuts off, but I add)... desired consistency.  

This was bad, very, very, bad.  I added all eight cups of sugar and it was still very runny. Then I added the rest of the sugar in the bag and it was still too runny.  I, however, had no more powdered sugar, so runny frosting it was.  The cake ended up looking very odd, with weird spiky dots (I tried to fix it with kitchen staples and went too far) and frosting.   If you do make it, DO NOT add even near 1/2 c of milk.  DO NOT!

Golden Yellow Cake

We don't eat cake very much, because we aren't huge cake fans, so I jumped at the chance to make one of these recipes for the Little Turkey's birthday.  This recipe comes from the Wilton website.

Golden Yellow Cake

Ingredients:
3 c cake flour sifted (I used white flour, but did sift it)
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2/3 c butter or margarine
1 3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 milk

Makes: Approximately 7 c batter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bottom of 2 nine-inch rounds with vegetable pan spray.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light.  Add eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.  Continue beating one minute.  Pour into prepared pans.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool on grid ten minutes.  Gently run a thin spatula around edge of cake.  Turn out onto cooking grids.  Cool completely before icing.

This cake was very good.  Dad said it was very, very good multiple times, and Jacob told me it is a keeper.  I agree.  It has a firmer texture than boxed cake mix.  This recipe will definitely be our go-to for when we need a cake.

Ellie's Pumpkin Delight

"To Margaret...Happy Thanksgiving. Ellie Wood 96-97"

1 yellow cake mix
1/2 c melted margarine
1 beaten egg

Mix and place in 9x13''

1 29 oz can of pumpkin
3 eggs
1/4 c white sugar
1/2  light brown sugar
2/3 c canned milk
1 t cinnamon
1 t pumpkin pie spice mix

Pour over bottom layer

Topping:
1 c reserved cake mix
1/2 c pecans...be generous
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c margarine...not melted

Blend together and sprinkle over all. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until knife comes clean. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or Cool Whip. YUM!

I've made something very similar and really, really liked it. This was almost just as good. The one difference that made me like this version a little less is the egg in the bottom layer. It made the cake rise too much. We had it warm from the oven the first night and cold the other nights, and I enjoyed it more cold. YUM!

Buttery Light Dinner Rolls

Mom obviously was on the lookout for a good roll recipe as evidenced by the  many roll recipes I have in my cupboard project stack. She told me once that I don't have to make any of them because she liked the recipe I made. I like to try out new recipes though, because what if there is a better one? This one looks like it was from some sort of country magazine/newspaper.

Buttery Light Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk, scalded

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 package active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

1 egg, beaten

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions

Stir sugar, salt, and butter into milk; cool to lukewarm. Place warm water in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle with yeast and stir to dissolve. Add warm milk mixture and egg; blend well. Stir in 2 to 3 cups flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Mix in additional flour about 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. The dough should be soft and sticky but not stick to the sides of the bowl. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place dough in a large greased bowl, turning to cover dough with grease. Cover with damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to one hour. Punch down dough. Shape into rolls (1 1/2-inch balls) and place in two greased 8- or 9-inch cake pans or on a large baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with damp towel. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with melted butter and bake 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Serve hot.

Recipe by Mindy Merrell.

It's been awhile since I've made totally white bread, so these were almost like a special treat. They were good and definitely light. If you need a good roll recipe, give this one a try. I'll probably stick to my go-to recipe (Lion House rolls), but I may make these again if I need a recipe that's a little faster. 

It says it makes 24, but I got 16 large size rolls.They did not fit in two cake pans. 

Barley Pilaf with Mushrooms

Barley Pilaf with Mushrooms

1 T plus 1 t olive oil

2 c onion, chopped

1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

1 c pearl barley

2 c water

3 T fresh parsley, minced

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, mushrooms and bay leaf for 5 minutes, stirring, until onion is softened. Stir in barley, water and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reuce heat to low, cover pan and simmer 30-35 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender. Discard bay leaf and stir in parsley. Fluff with a fork before serving.

This was yummy. The barley is a little bit nutty and chewy, which I liked. I didn't have a bay leaf, and I forgot about the parsley until we were eating, but it was still good. I liked it better than rice pilaf. I'll definitely make this again.