Becka's blog

I was trying to think of an idea for a blog post and realized that I had never posted the recipe for these Big Cookies.

I got this recipe many, many years ago from my friend Sue. Over the years my daughters and I have made hundreds of these big cookies. One year DD, Nora, made these cookies in heart shaped pans for every room on her hall in the dormitory!

You can put all the dough in a 9" x 13" pan and cut them into bars or you can bake the dough in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. The round "big cookies" can then be turned out onto a paper plate or cake board and these make really nice treats, especially for hungry college students. They are also a nice dessert to include when you are taking supper to someone.

Here are the ingredients:

Here's the recipe:

Big Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1tsp. vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix cake mix, oil, water, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans that have been greased and floured and lined with parchment or waxed paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. Cool in pans for 10 mins. and then turn out onto a cooling rack covered with a towel. Immediately turn right side up onto a plate or cake board. Cut into wedges to serve.

If you are baking in a 9" x 13" pan you don't need to line the pan with waxed paper. Bake the same way and cut into bars. You can decorate these with the person's name and a border of icing for a birthday or other event. You can also use a chocolate cake mix for a brownie like version. You can also drop the dough onto cookie sheets and bake as you would bake regular chocolate chip cookies.

Here I'm tracing the pan onto waxed paper:

Here is the pan greased, floured, and lined:

Here's the cookie dough ready to go into the oven:

This picture shows how to flip the cookie out onto a towel lined cooling rack:

Here's the important step of peeling off the waxed paper before flipping the cookie right side up onto a plate:

One of DD Megan's friends made a batch with a lemon cake mix one time -- I don't recommend the lemon.

Becka

Dried beans are very nutritious, economical, tasty, and can easily fit into your schedule. There are many ways to cook them, including in a pressure cooker, a crock pot, or on top of the stove. Make sure you purchase dried beans from a store with a fast turnover. If the beans are too old they sometimes remain hard even after several hours of cooking. Also, do not add salt or acid ingredients to the beans until they are tender. These ingredients also impede the softening of the beans.

If I plan to cook a lot of beans ahead for a salad or for freezing I like to use the crockpot. For this method just pick over the dried beans, wash them, and then soak them overnight. In the morning drain off the soaking water and then place them in the crock pot and add water to cover by about 2" above the dried beans. Cook on low for about five hours and then check to see if the beans are tender. If not, cook a while longer.

When I am making bean soup, here is the method I like to use:

Pick over the dried beans and then wash them. Place in a large pot and then cover with water by a couple of inches. Let soak overnight. In the morning drain off this water and add fresh. Bring the beans to a boil and simmer for about two minutes. Cover the pot and let sit for a few hours. (I let them sit while I am at work.) When you return in the late afternoon drain the beans and add fresh water. (You can also add ham broth or drippings if you have any available.) Simmer the beans gently until they are tender. Normally I find this takes less than an hour.

Here's the recipe for the bean soup:

1 lb. great northern beans
1 medium onion (sliced or diced)
2 stalks celery, sliced (with the leaves)
ham broth if available
1-2 cups diced ham
2 potatoes, diced
2-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pinch Italian seasoning
1/4 cup catsup
black pepper

Cook the beans until tender. In the final cooking you can add the ham broth if you have any. (If not, use water or vegetable stock or even chicken broth.) For a pound of beans I would add 6-8 cups of liquid. It depends how "soupy" you like your soup. Add the potatoes and carrots to the beans and continue simmering them.

In a skillet saute the onion, celery, and diced ham in a small amount of oil until the vegetables are wilted. Add these vegetables to the beans.

Simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Add the catsup (the secret ingredient!) and season with black pepper and salt, if needed. The ham and ham broth are often pretty salty, so you may find that you don't need much salt.

Here are the beans, potatoes, and carrots simmering together:

Here are the onions, celery, and ham being sauteed:

Years ago I read a tip about adding a bit of catsup to bean soup to improve the flavor. I was a bit skeptical since I'm normally not a big catsup fan, but it really does perk up the flavor and adds just a hint of tomato taste and color to the soup. The herbs also add a bit of zip.

If you want to freeze part of your soup take out the part you want to freeze before adding the potatoes. Potatoes generally do not freeze well. It's best to add them to the soup right before cooking. You can also add leftover mashed potatoes or some instant potato flakes to this soup as a thickener.

Enjoy your delicious bean soup!

Becka

Do you ever get hungry for ham but find the prospect of utilizing a large piece of ham rather daunting? I have the perfect solution for you:

The Ham Slice

This nice little slice of ham costs about $4-5 dollars but can provide at least three meals for two people. I like to cut it into about five pieces. The meatier pieces can be browned in a skillet for a quick, easy meat serving and the piece with the bone in it can go into soup (such as corn chowder, ham and bean soup, or potato soup) or it can be diced up and used in scrambled eggs, egg casserole, or scalloped potatoes.

Here are a couple of pieces which have been browned in a skillet:

Here's a slice ready to be eaten:

This is delicious with a baked sweet potato!

Here's a bowl of bean soup:

So, keep this in mind the next time you get a hankering for ham.

Becka

I made stuffed shells on Saturday and realized that it was a recipe I had never posted on my blog. The shells can be made ahead and either refrigerated or frozen. In fact, I think they are actually better when they are made ahead because the filling sort of "sets up" and seems a little firmer after baking. You can freeze the shells in a single layer in a pan or on a tray and then put them in a bag in the freezer and just take out the number you need for a meal.

Here are the filled shells:

Here are the shells right out of the oven:

Stuffed Shells

1 egg
15 oz. cottage cheese (about 2 cups)
1 heaping cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp. dried
1/2 tsp. salt
dash white pepper
20 jumbo shells, cooked and then rinsed with cold water
about 3 cups prepared spaghetti sauce

Beat egg lightly. Stir in cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. Spoon approximately a heaping tablespoonful into each cooked shell. Arrange in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Top with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. Serves 4-6.

This recipe can easily be doubled. If baking from the refrigerator or freezer you will need to increase the baking time. Store in the refrigerator or freezer without the sauce. Add the sauce and final dusting of parmesan cheese just before baking.

You can also add some cooked spinach to the filling if desired. This makes a tasty meal served with salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Becka

For most of February we (like most of you!) have had cold, snowy or rainy weather. For the last three weekends there have even been some travel advisories in our area. Partially because of this Rob and I have spent a little more time than normal pursuing some fiber-related hobbies.

I have been working on my little on-line quilt-along project that I mentioned in my post called Winter activities. I strayed a little bit from the posted directions, but not too far. The blocks went together quickly and the piecing was fun. I decided to go with black for the sashing because of all the other colors that were involved. I am now working on the machine quilting and am using a variegated thread called antique Christmas and am doing some outline quilting and hope to do a little bit of free motion quilting as well. I've been doing a lot of reading and some practicing in preparation for this step.

Rob has been working on a very cute knitting project. Shortly before Christmas we found this self-striping yarn. He just finished this adorable little baby sweater. I think it is pretty amazing how the yarn forms stripes all on its own. We found the sweater pattern as a free leaflet near the yarn in the store. Here is a link to a .pdf of the pattern.

How about you - have you been doing any crafting during the month of February?

Becka