Some things don't need to be "new and improved"

Every family has their favorite dishes and I would bet that most of them are comfort foods.  Having the good (or maybe bad) fortune to come from a family of good  excellent cooks there are a lot of favorites to choose from. Bread pudding and Rice pudding are our family favorites.  It may have something to do with the fact that they are calm and predictable...and yummy! This recipe is easy and cheap to make, travels well and can be eaten warm or cold.  It doesn't get any better than that!

6 slices of white bread toasted and buttered
6 eggs
1 quart of whole milk
"some" fresh ground nutmeg (personal choice of how much)
3/4 C sugar (I only use 1/2C)
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt

Beat eggs, add milkm numeg, sugar,vanilla and salt

Pour over pulled apart bead  that was placed in a greased (Pam)  8X11 casserole dish

Bake 1 hour at 325.  Test by inserting knife in center

Put raisins in 1/2 hours before finishined (optional)  WELL drained pineapple (8 oz. crushed) can also be added to the milk mixture

Officially Homesick

Memorial Day has made me homesick...that begs the question can I be homesick for somewhere that I was not born and raised?    

I was raised in Medford NJ.  A wonderful little town that has a Memorial Day Parade every year..they had theirs today.  So did Medford Lakes.  There were many stops along the way before my husband and I ended up in Orange Park FL.  We lived there 27 years before moving to WV 7 months ago. Orange Park is NOT a little town, quite transeint because of the large military presence.  Today I missed them both...terribly.

I had to drive "downtown" to drop something off.  As I was leaving the neighborhood, I noticed something.  Our house was the ONLY house flying the flag.  Actually, on Memorial Day and Fouth of July, we line our walkway with flags and today was no different. Not ONE  American flag in sight.  I checked the entire neighborhood.  Then I headed into town.  The only flags I saw were at the Hometown bank and the Volunteer Fire Dept. (they fly daily/lighted)  I felt a small bit better when I hit Main Street because the town had put flag up on the telephone poles..but as I checked only two other businesses had flags.....not ONE house had a flag.

That would never happen in Orange Park. In my little neighborhood a good amount of the neighbors fly the flag every day.  Our house is one of them we have  a 20ft. lighted flagpole, we fly 24/7.  On holidays, probably 80% of the homes have Old Glory proudly displayed which is quite an effort because many of my neighbors are elderly. (Fox Valley you ROCK!) That is repeated in neighborhood after neighborhood. Maybe Orange Park is such a "flag flyin'" town because we are such a military town.  If so, I miss my Navy town.

I have been gone from Medford a long time...but I would bet it is still the kind of town that when our flag passes by at the parade you do not have to ask people to stand...they just do.

I miss the flags...I miss knowing that my neighbors fly the flag because they care.....they "get it".  I don't know if the lack of flags denotes lack for care or patriotism but it made me sad.....and homesick.

June Cleaver is back! Expresso Cupcakes!!!

Cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist chocolate fudge cake mix
1 1/3 C water
1/2 C vegetable oil
3 eggs
1T instant expresso coffee powder

Filling
1 container (8oz.) mascarpone cheese
2t  milk
2t instant expresso powder
1C powdered sugar

Frosting and Garnish
1t instant expresso
1 container (12 oz.) Betty Crocker whipped milk chocolate frosting
 Chocolate-covered expresso beans

1) Heat oven to 350 for shiny metal pans or 325 for dark or non-stick pans. Place baking cups in each muffin tin
2) In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, and eggs with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for two minutes, scaping bowl occasionally. Gently stir in 1T just until blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3) Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan to cooling rack.  Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4) In medium bowl, beat mascarpone cheese, milk, 2 teaspoons of expresso powder and the powdered sugar onj mdeium speed until smooth. Spoon mixture into decorating bag fitted iwth a 1/4 inch (#9) writing tip.
5) To fill each cupcake, insert tip of bag into center of coller cupcake, gently squeeze bag until cupcake expands slightly but does not burst (each cupcake should be filled with about 1T of filling)
6) Stir 1 teaspoon expresso powder into the frosting. Spoon frosting mixture into decorating bag fitted with a 3/4 inch (#824) star tip. Pipe over top of cupcakes Garnish with expresso beans. Sore covered in refrigerator.

These are FAB...if you want to save time you can just frost the cupcakes with a knife and "plop" the expresso bean on top!  The filling must be inserted with the decorating bag!

I had more to say than just "Dinner O' the Day"

To "all" my followers (seven of you dear people).I have changed the name of my blog.  I moved all of my posts over to: Not Just Dinner O' the Day.   I can't move my followers.   So, if dear friends you would still  like to see what's for dinner (and some random other stuff) I hope you will follow me here.

I changed the name because I have more to say than just stuff about food.  Those of you that know me well probably started laughing right when you read  " ...because I have more to say..." 

Today's Tip: Plastic Knives are not just for Picnics

Really...now, maybe I am the only one who did not know this (actually it may be me and Kim Knapp) But if you want to cut brownies easily..use a plastic knife...really.

I DID know that if you cut a head of lettuce with a plastic knife, it will not turn brown because I spent 6 dollars to buy one.  It would have been cheaper to use one of my knives in the picnic basket.

"Almost Mrs. K's cookies"

We have a dear friend of the family..our girls call her "Mrs. K"  We lived down the street from her house for many years.  It was a very different house than ours..we have two girls (hair bows and My Little Pony's), they have three boys (Tonka trucks and dirt)  Mrs. K has not only survived in a house full of men, she is in control (shhhhhh....don't tell) She has always been able to do it all, works full time, quilts, makes time for family and friends and she cooks.  She makes  chocolate chip cookies that start with a yellow cake mix.  They are referred to, with proper reverence as "Mrs. K's cookies.  The amazing thing is NO matter when you drop in, she ALWAYS has cookies. 

That long introduction is to tell you that this recipe also starts with a yellow cake mix, the cookies are VERY good, VERY easy but they will never become a legend like "Mrs. K's cookies"

1/2 C butter, softened
1 box of yellow cake mix
2 large eggs
1 T water
1 pkg of Heath toffee bits
1/2 C pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350, Mix butter, add cake mix, eggs and water.  Mix well. Add toffee and pecans mix by hand. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Transfer to cooling rack

Sometimes there just isn't a recipe

I made Chicken Noodle Soup last night and I sorta feel like Michael's Grandmother.  I have her closely guarded Potato Salad "recipe"..it takes four 5 X 7 index cards, written in narrative form My soup turned out very good but there just isn't a recipe..so here goes.

I am so cheap that after I baked a whole chicken the other day, I decided to boil the carcass like I do with a turkey.  In 6 cups of water I added  some sea salt, course ground black papper, a chopped clove of garlic, 2 stalks of celery chopped and and 1/2 a large onion chopped.  I simmered it for about 30 minutes, let it cool, put it through a strainer and picked out all the meat and threw away the cooked onion/celery (Michael hates onions in his food, the celery was way too mushy). I refrigerated it overnight, skimmed off the small amount of fat, reheated it, added a 1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed veggies brought it to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, then added about  1 1/2 cups of fine egg noodles and bioled for another 4 minutes.  It was quite tasty! Grandmother Esther would be proud!