I do love carbohydrates! Lemony pie 1 ready-made shortbread crust 2 3.4-oz. boxes lemon instant pudding mix (do not prepare) 2 C whole milk 1 TBS fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon 1-1/2 C heavy whipping cream 3 TBS powdered sugar Combine lemon instant pudding mix, whole milk, and fresh lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Whisk together until pudding is thick (about 2 minutes). Spread 1-1/2 cups onto prepared crust. Beat heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in bowl of a stand mixer, or with a handheld blender, until stiff peaks form. This takes about 5 minutes. Add half…
Author: Melanie Behrens
Questions to consider I recently came across these questions that you are supposed to ask your friends to get a better insight into them. I’m not sure any if this will help you with me, but maybe you want to tell me how you would answer them. “If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?” That would be the one belonging to my friend, Mary Ann. Her dog is named Fritz. He is a cute little schnauzer that lives in a family with two adults who adore him. Fritz does pretty much as he pleases and…
How about this for dinner? Salisbury steak slow-cooker style For the patties: 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef 1 egg 1/4 C onion, minced 1/4 C dried breadcrumbs 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper For the sauce: 1-1/2 C beef broth 1 small onion, sliced 6 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1 pkg. brown gravy mix 2 TBS cornstarch 1 TBS ketchup (optional) 1 TBS Dijon mustard In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, egg, minced onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix to combine and form small patties about 3/4 of an inch thick. Place patties in bottom of…
Do you know her? Recently Betsy Ross, who is famous for sewing the first flag of the United States, has been swept up in criticism. In fact, now there’s been even more scrutiny of our first flag, saying that it represented slavery. Also the flag made with 13 stars has been called a racist symbol of a world full of slavery. What? I’ll present my case about that a little later. But for now, let’s see who Betsy Ross really was. There is no preserved, documented evidence that says Betsy Ross was the sole designer and creator of our first…
It’s time for desserts again. Chocolate peanut butter cheerios cups chocolate Cheerios: 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 TBS coconut oil 1¼ C Cheerios peanut butter Cheerios: ¾ C peanut butter 3 TBS organic brown rice syrup 3 TBS organic coconut oil 1¼ C Cheerios Spray 12-cup silicone muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, combine dark chocolate and 2 TBS of coconut oil. Stir until it’s completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in Cheerios. (Optionally you can melt chocolate and coconut oil in microwave…
Tales of craziness Recently I’ve had some crazy events happen around me and to my friends. You may remember this periodically happens! Last week I was in the car for the first one. I am thankful that this crazy person didn’t hurt us or anyone else, as far as I know, and that we were driving behind him or her and not in front of the pickup truck. The trip to Columbus for dinner started off in an unbelievable way. We were headed down Rt. 33 toward Dublin and about halfway there we spotted a tan colored pickup truck which…
Here are some great shrimp and dessert recipes. Shrimp scampi pasta 8 oz. linguine 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning 1 TBS olive oil 1/4 C white wine or chicken stock if you don’t want to use alcohol 1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 TBS salted butter 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined 6 garlic cloves, pressed or grated salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste zest of 1 lemon 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley leaves 1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according…
It’s not always random… but sometimes it is Even in the midst of all the unkind acts related to social media and other wackiness going on, there was a time a few years ago when random acts of kindness were being promoted. I’m sorry that sort of thing seems to have faded away, because you can never have too much kindness in our world. Now we have this. I recently heard one of those kindness stories. A former Marysville High School grad moved to the San Diego, California area many years ago. She has made her life there and has…
Let’s have dessert! Cherry delight Crust: 2 C crushed graham crackers 1/2 C melted butter 1/4 C white sugar Filling: 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature 1 C heavy whipping cream 1 C powdered sugar 1 large can of cherry pie filling Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust – Mix crushed graham crackers, melted butter and white sugar together. Then press evenly into an 11×7 baking dish. Place into oven for 5-8 minutes. Set crust in fridge to cool while you prepare filling … if it’s too hot, it will cause filling to melt when you add it…
Fun facts … some disturbing! This may be your day to learn something. If you are a fact or trivia person, this is for you. We can call them fun, semi-useful facts. Here are some to add to your list. “Chocolate milk is more efficient at giving you energy than most energy drinks.” Two University of Connecticut researchers advise to put down the energy drink and pick up chocolate milk. They have learned chocolate milk is more efficient at restoring muscle. It turns out that it’s better than white milk because it has more sugar for energy to let…
These recipes all have a distinct Mexican flair. Churro bits 4 C Ritz Bits peanut butter 1 C butter 1 C light brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla 2 TBS granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread crackers evenly on baking sheet and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine butter and brown sugar. Stirring constantly bring mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove mixture from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this immediately on…
I don’t know the authors of these thoughts, but it is clear that some are written down by a man. You will see what I mean, later. This one is probably from a woman – A wise man once said … nothing. I am sure this applies to mankind in general. Women may be more likely to talk since you must know that the average man speaks only about 25,000 words a day and the average woman about 50,000 words. Women complain that when a man comes home from work, he often has nothing to say. He claims he already said…
This is all about strawberries. Strawberry rhubarb bars 1 C packed brown sugar 2 C large oats 1 C whole-wheat flour (or all-purpose flour) 3/4 C cold butter cut into ½-inch pieces 4 C fresh diced strawberries 3 C frozen or fresh chopped rhubarb 1/4 C cornstarch (reduce to ½ TBS If using fresh) 3/4 C granulated sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats and flour until mixed. Add butter and mix with an electric mixer, a pastry cutter or your hands until…
Several well-known people have been born in Union County, like Maj. Gen. Robert Beightler, commander of the 37th Infantry Division during World War II, and military governor of Okinawa during after the war. Also notable is Charles Fairbanks, born in Unionville Center, and his wife Cornelia Cole Fairbanks, born in Marysville. He was the 26th Vice President of the United States, serving with President Theodore Roosevelt. The Fairbankses met at Ohio Wesleyan College and married in 1874. Norton Parker Chipman of Milford Center led an exceptional and service-oriented life, but I never heard his name, until recently. He was born…
This is dessert week. Caramel apple squares 1/2 C unsalted butter (melted) 1/4 C granulated sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt 1 C all-purpose flour APPLE FILLING: 2 large apples (thinly sliced) 2 TBS flour 2 TBS sugar 1 TBS ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg CRUMB TOPPING: 1/2 C old-fashioned oats 1/3 C brown sugar 4 TBS all-purpose flour 5 TBS chilled butter cubed caramel sauce Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 9×9 pan with non-stick spray and set aside. For crust, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in bowl until combined. Add flour and mix again. Using your…