Bloom Eats

Cheesy Bacon Chicken

2009-04-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry no photo......didn't think to take one at the time, but we tried this for our weekly "Bloom Family Dinner" a couple of Sundays ago, and it was delicious. This came out of the "Grass n' Grain"....my Mom is always saving a new recipe for me out of there.

1/2 c. Dijon Mustard
1/2 c. Honey
4 1/2 teaspoons veg. oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
2 cups fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons butter
Onion (I added this, although it didn't call for it)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 bacon strips (I bought a pkg. of the already cooked kind)

Combine the mustard, honey, half the oil and the lemon juice and use half of it to marinate the chicken for 2 hours. ( I only did it about 30 minutes.....I never think to read a recipe ahead of time). Drain and discard the marinade from the chicken, and then brown the chicken in the remaining oil, and put in a greased baking dish. Saute the mushrooms (and here's where I added the onion) in butter. Spoon the reserved marinade onto the chicken. Top with the mushrooms and onions, cheese and bacon strips. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. (Actually, I baked it for an hour at 300 degrees, as I was headed to church)

Mom's Homemade Donut Recipe

2008-08-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

My sister Jolie e-mailed me with these pictures the other day, bringing back wonderful memories of Sunday morning breakfasts when we were little girls.........

Here is what her e-mail said, which explains how easy they are to make:

Remember when mom used to make homemade donuts? I made them the other day,and being inspired by your recipe blog, I took pictures! I just took refrigerator biscuits and cut a hole in them, fried them, then put glaze or cinnamon sugar on them.

To make the glaze, just mix powdered sugar and milk until it's to the consistency that is perfect for drizzling over the hot donuts. This recipe is fat free, of course! And if you believe that........

Thanks for the memory, Jolie!

Banana-Coconut Cream Dessert

2008-07-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is the yummy recipe that my "sister-in-law" Mary made for our July 4th Barbeque. I made it last week for the staff at work as my birthday treats.

2 cups Bisquick

2 tablespoons Sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 4oz. pkg. vanilla instant pudding

1 3/4 cups milk

2 bananas, sliced

1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Just so you know....I doubled the recipe because I wanted to make it for work.....so this recipe really just makes a 9x9 square pan.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the Bisquick and sugar in a bowl, and then cut in the butter using a pastry blender, until crumbly. Press into an ungreased pan, and bake about 15 minutes.

Cool completely, about 30 minutes. In the meantime, make your pudding, using only 1 and 3/4 cups of milk. Spread it over the crust, and slice the bananas over the top.

At some point, you'll need to toast your coconut. I just put it in a little metal pie pan and bake it until it looks toasty enough. I love toasted coconut!

Finally, just spread the Cool Whip over the top, and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

And enjoy! We're off to Branson now for the week......when I get back, I'll tell you about all of the good food I ate on vacation. I'm looking forward to eating at some fun places!

Grandma Dorothy's Waffles

2008-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, you're probably going to think that "Bisquick" is my new national sponsor, but no, it's not true.....I just happen to have 2 recipes to share with you that both include it as a major ingredient. The first is the waffle recipe that we always use....it came from my Grandma Dorothy. It's very simple, but so good.

2 cups Bisquick
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1 and 1/3 cups Club Soda

That's it....just mix it up, and pour it on a hot waffle iron.

And of course, slather it with butter, syrup, or whatever you like....and be sure it eat it while it's still nice and hot!

And don't bother cleaning up your waffle iron afterwards............I obviously don't!!

Joyce's Stovetop Ham Casserole

2008-07-02T21:32:00.001-07:00

At work we often ask one another "What's for dinner at your house tonight?" because it seems the worst part of cooking for our families is just coming up with a recipe that everyone will like...but that isn't the same old thing. This week Joyce gave me a new Ham Casserole recipe.....and originally, it requires you to bake the casserole in the oven, but she just put it together in a deep skillet on the stove, and it worked fine, without heating up the kitchen in the middle of summer.

Joyce's Stovetop Ham Casserole

2 cups cubed ham

1 can Cream of Mushroom

8 oz. Sour Cream

1/2 pkg. Spiral Noodles (I used egg noodles)

1/2 c. celery

1/2 c. onion (I used a whole Vidalia onion)

2 cups Swiss Cheese

Butter, to saute the onion and celery. (I used a whole stick)

This Farmland Cubed Ham is sure handy....just open the package and dump it in!

First, saute the onion and celery in butter until it's soft, while you cook the noodles.

Add the soup, sour cream, noodles and ham to the skillet, and heat through, stirring often.

Just before serving, add the swiss cheese, and stir it in.....I prefer mine not completely melted, so I removed it from the stove burner before I stirred it in.

It was so good.....and every single member of my family thought so, which is a huge victory for me! And it made a lot....as we all had second helpings, and I still had some left over for lunch the next day.

Peabody Taco Salad

2008-06-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Mom made this salad a lot when I was growing up. Whenever she would make it, she would always talk about how she had gotten the recipe when she and Dad were first married and lived in Peabody, Kansas. It was "THE" recipe for awhile.....you know how that goes, when a new recipe kind of "makes the rounds" and everyone is trying it. It is one of my favorites. You are supposed to just mix it all up in one bowl, but I like to keep the ingredients separate in the fridge (unless I'm making it to take to a potluck or something) so that I can have one whenever I want. It does get soggy after the first day.

Reta's Peabody Taco Salad

1 large head of lettuce, chopped (you did this in 1972...now you buy a sack of salad!)

1 large tomato, chopped

1 onion, chopped (if you like onion)

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (but I use black beans, 'cause I like them better)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (ah...go ahead and use 2 cups...that's how it comes in the package now....I do remember grating cheese to make this salad as a kid)

Crushed Doritos (I like the Nacho Cheese Flavor, but use what you like) There is no amount listed on this....I probably put in 2 cups crushed.

For the Dressing:

Mix Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing with Picante Sauce (equal parts). No amounts listed here, either....I keep this mixed up in the fridge in a shaker to use whenever I want it.

You can also add browned hamburger to make it more of a "meal".

Maybe I'll actually cook something in the next week so that I have something to post again.....but don't count on it!

Cheesy Pizza Pasta Salad

2008-06-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Paige, and I've now made it twice....both times to take somewhere else. I can't wait to make it for us at home so that I can really eat a lot of it.....it's a very hearty salad, so would be a meal in itself.

Here's the ingredients:

1 (19oz) pkg. of frozen cheese tortellini

1 green pepper, cut into strips

1 small red onion, cut into strips

Small can of sliced black olives

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pkg. diced pepperoni (I used the pkg. shown above to make 2 salads)

Greek Vinaigrette Dressing (I used about half a bottle on each salad)

Paige said that if you really like Italian Dressing better, you could use that instead. She, however, feels that the Italian Dressing is a little too strong. (You really should see the funny little "attack" gesture she makes when she talks about Italian Dressing) I thought the Greek Vinaigrette was really good....I even used a "light" version.

Cook the pasta as directed on the package, rinse it with cold water and drain. Place it in a large bowl, and add all of the other ingredients. Toss, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Here's what it looks like:

We even discussed that this would be good served warm, using a jar of Prego Spaghetti Sauce ( I like Prego best) instead of the salad dressing....I would leave out the olives, too.

Dee's Dip

2008-05-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

This dip recipe was e-mailed to me recently, and I finally tried it last night. The whole family loved it....it was delicious! A great Sunday night supper/snack.

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained, along with 1/2 cup chopped onion.

Zeb took this lovely photo of me chopping onion into the skillet.........

Add all of the following and stir until all blended:

Pinch of Garlic Salt
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
3/4 tsp. oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Serve with Taco or Tortilla Chips. I think it would be really good with Frito's Scoops, too.

Thanks for sending it, Elaine!

Penne and Smoked Sausage

2008-05-25T13:02:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite casserole recipes. I got it a couple of years ago from a magazine ad for the Cheddar French Fried Onions. I absolutely love French Fried Onions. In fact, I used to steal them from my Mother's cupboard when I was a kid, and I would take them outside and eat them behind the bushes, and then throw the empty can away in the neighbor's trash can. I remember watching Mom dig through the cupboards saying "I just know I bought some French Fried Onions for this recipe!" I finally confessed a few years ago.

If your family likes smoked sausage, you've got to try it. Cut your sausage into bite sized pieces...like this, and brown it a little in a skillet.

Cook 2 cups of penne pasta according to package directions. I have often used more pasta...just to increase the amount of casserole I end up with, and it seems to work well. It makes a lot to begin with...I have often made this to take to someone, and then kept a dish of it at home for us.

In a large bowl, combine 1 and 1/2 cups milk, and a can of Cream of Celery soup (I used the Healthy Request kind. Stir in 1/2 cup of the onions, 1/2 cup of Mozzerella, 1 cup of frozen peas, and the browned sausage.

Finally, stir in the cooked pasta. Transfer to a greased 9x13 dish, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Be sure to sprinkle on the rest of the cheese, and more onions (whatever you haven't eaten yourself straight out of the can) for the last few minutes of baking time.

Mexican Stuffed Jumbo Shells

2008-05-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

These shells are pretty much why Caleb married me. I got this recipe from my Cousin, Jean in Denver when we were there on our summer vacation in 1988, the same year the Caleb and I started dating. Mom made them when we got home, and Caleb had some, and he's been hooked ever since. I made them a lot on Wednesday nights in College.....which was always the night he would come to visit me. I would use the Pace HOT sauce, and he would sit there in my little apartment and sweat while he ate them......until he finally told me to start making them with "Medium" instead. Ever since, we've always been "Pace medium" picante sauce people. In fact, this time, I decided to try out the "Best Choice" brand of medium picante sauce, and Caleb thought he could tell the difference....told me to go back to Pace next time.

Mexican Stuffed Jumbo Shells

12 large pasta shells (I used more.....around 18), boiled and drained

1 lb ground beef

12 oz Pace Medium (or mild if you're a pansy) Picante Sauce

4 oz can of chopped green chilies, drained

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I used the "Mexican blend")

8 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

Brown the beef and drain. Combine the picante sauce, tomato sauce and water. Stir 1/2 cup of this mixture into your hamburger, along with the green chilies and half of the cheese.

Spread half of the remaining sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Don't forget to boil your shells. And did you know that if you try to take a photo of a steaming hot pan on the stove....it'll fog your camera lens right up? Well, now you know.

Stuff the shells (it's not difficult to do....but mine are always sloppier than Mom's!) with the burger mixture, and arrange in dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add the rest of your cheese for the last 5 minutes of baking time.

I actually forgot to take a photo of the finished pan of shells.....so you just get this one bad photo of the half-eaten pan that I snapped after dinner last night.

Coming soon.......a yummy looking dip recipe that was e-mailed to me last weekend. And one for all of you smoked sausage lovers.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars

2008-05-15T20:43:00.001-07:00

The first day that I introduced this new recipe blog, my Sister said "You should do the Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars!" I said "Well, I'd have to make some first, so that I can take pictures of them", and she said "Yes....exactly!" And since she was coming over to help me work on the Concordia Dance Photo Orders last night.....I made some up for her. And for me, too, of course.

1 roll of refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Egg

Squish half of the roll of dough into the bottom of a 9 inch square pan. Then mix the cream cheese, sugar, and egg, and spread it over the dough, like this:

Then drop the rest of the cookie dough on top of the cream cheese mixture. In chunks. Because it is impossible to spread it evenly. See example below:

Then bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. In my oven, this was about 35 minutes.

I know that a 9 inch pan doesn't seem like it makes a big batch.....but because they are so deep, and so rich, you can actually cut them into very small chunks for serving, so this size of pan will serve more than you think.

Dad's Favorite Dinner

2008-05-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, we had this often on Sundays at noon. We always had a big Sunday noon meal, and then not much the rest of the day. In fact, my parents still have only Popcorn on Sunday nights.....and then they graze on whatever else they can find in the kitchen the rest of the evening.

Mom gave us the recipe when we got married....she called it "Dad's Favorite Dinner" because my Dad loved it so much. I never liked it a lot as a child, but I do now....and Caleb loves it. He's a real "meat and potatoes" kind of guy.

It's so simple......first, make some hamburger patties out of thawed ground beef....enough for your family. For us, I make 6. One for everyone except Caleb, who gets 2. I'm really into this stuff (pictured below)....don't know where it came from, because my Mom gave it to me, but it's really good mixed into hamburger. I use more than the package calls for.

I line the pan with foil....just to make the clean-up easier. Put your hamburger patties on the bottom, and then cut up some onion over the top (I use a whole onion, in big chunks, because Caleb really likes onion, but use whatever your family likes), and then add some chopped potatoes....I peel them, but you wouldn't have to. Again, add enough for your family. Then add a package of frozen veggies over the top....whatever you like. This time, I used some called "Mediterranean Vegetables".....it was what I had in the freezer. Mom often used fresh cabbage, cut into large chunks over the top.

Then I sprinkle a bunch of this "garlic-pepper" seasoning over the top. Cover the top with foil, and bake it for 60-90 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

And "Voila"! A simple, one-dish, nutritious meal......with a thousand different variations, depending on what you and your family like. You can do this in the crock pot, too....but be aware that the veggies can sometimes get too soggy that way. In the oven, they steam up nicely.

Apple Snicker "Salad"

2008-05-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

My good friend and co-worker, Joyce shared this recipe with me last week. I had heard of it before, and it might even be stuffed somewhere into my "neatly organized" recipe cupboard, but I never had made it before last weekend. It's really a dessert.......but just pretend that it's a "nutritious fruit salad" and then you can eat as much of it as you want without feeling guilty. That's what I did, anyway.

6 Granny Smith Apples (or whatever kind you like best...I did use Granny Smith), chopped

1 Large Box of Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 cup Milk

12 oz. Cool Whip

6 Snickers Candy Bars, chopped

Just mix it all together and serve! So easy, and so wonderful! I did find out, though, that it's not so good the second day....the apples got a little soggy. Another reason to eat it all up on the first day.

Sara's Yummy Crock-Pot Potatoes

2008-05-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, I can't say that I've never seen or made anything like this before.....I've been making the "Hash Brown Potato" recipe in a regular baking dish for years, but when my wonderful Daycare provider, Sara, gave me this "crock pot" version of it recently, I thought it was worth a try......when you can just mix something up and forget about it for 4 hours, it's my kind of recipe. So, we made if for our Mother's Day lunch this weekend.....and I will never go back to the old way. It was really good.....I especially loved the addition of bacon, which was not in my original recipe. And Sara says that she sometimes makes it with Ham Cubes....so then it's a "meal".

2 Cups Cheese (I used cheddar, grated)

16 oz carton Sour Cream

1 can Cr. of Chicken Soup

1 can Cr. of Celery Soup

1 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled (or cheat and use the little bags of real bacon bits, like I did)

1 lg. Onion (Sara leaves this out.....I used the potatoes that had onion and pepper in them)

1/4 cup of Margarine, melted (I didn't melt it...just cut up the stick into chunks)

1/4 t. pepper

1 pkg. frozen cubed potatoes (again, I bought the O'Brien ones with the onion and pepper)

Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Serves 14.

Bierock Casserole

2008-05-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

I always have to tease my sister-in-law, Lisa, because the first time she wrote this recipe out for me, she spelled it "Beer-Rock Casserole". I had to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. But that's okay....she knows I still love her! Remind me to tell you about the time she disappeared behind my couch during my Tupperware party.......just kidding, Lisa, I won't tell.

This is a very easy and yummy recipe for Bierock Casserole:

1 and 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 small diced onion (or cheat like I do and used dried minced onion flakes)
1 small head cabbage (or cheat like I do and use a bag of angel hair coleslaw)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (you can use the fat-free kind)
2 cans crescent rolls (you can use the low-fat kind)
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown the burger and drain. Add the cabbage and steam. Add the soup and heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with 1 of the cans of crescent rolls (flat). Top with all of the meat mixture, and all of the cheese. Then top with the second can of crescent rolls. Pinch together (this is impossible to do, by the way, so just do your best.....it's not like it will matter that much if the edges aren't covered). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Be sure to uncover it for the last few minutes of baking time, so that the crescents get a little crispy.

After making fun of Lisa, I'm going to be really embarrassed if I didn't spell "Bierock" right.