JULY 4TH WEEKEND

My family thinks there is nothing better than Strawberry Shortcake with homemade biscuits.

Personally, you can give me chocolate and nuts any day!

Do you have a preference?

I'm linking up with Michael at Designs by Gollum
for Foodie Friday

and

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors
for Saturday Nite Special (cooking section).

Have a glorious 4th of July weekend.

BANANA BREAD COBBLER

As some of you know, cooking is not my most favorite thing to do; but occasionally I run across a recipe I just have to try. In the new February issue of Southern Living magazine was a recipe for Banana Bread Cobbler. If you love bananas, this is both unusual and quite tasty. How can you go wrong with two cubes of butter? If you don't have the magazine, you can check out southernliving.com.

This recipe calls for self-rising flour. I always make my own to keep on hand. My recipe for self-rising flour is:
6 cups regular flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt

Mix the three ingredients together and store as you would regular flour.

I'm joining in with Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
for her weekly Foodie Friday party. Check out her blog for a list of participants.

FOODIE FRIDAY - MADELEINES

Michael at Designs by Gollum
is hosting Foodie Friday once again. Please check out her wonderful blog for a list of the participants in all of their yumminess!

Madeleines are a small French cake/cookie dating back to Louis XV's time. They are sponge-like and usually flavored with lemon baked in a speciality pan. I bought my pans about 35 years ago when my sister-in-law gave me the basic lemon recipe. Since then, I have adapted the recipe for different flavors. It can be a fancy cookie served at parties, etc. I've made dozens and dozens for family and friend's weddings over the years. But it is a simple cookie, too - the grandkids like to make them and will eat one right after the other if not supervised!!

The recipe:

Add 4 unbeaten egg whites one at a time to 2/3 cup sugar, beating well after each. Repeat with 4 egg yolks. Fold in 1 1/3 cup flour with mixer on low, followed by 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter and a pinch of salt.

Variations:
Lemon: Add 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
Walnut: Add 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract and 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Chocolate Chip: Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup chopped chocolate chips
Chocolate: Increase sugar to 3/4 cup and add melted 3 oz. chocolate

Spray 24 madeleine shells with Pam and fill 1/2 full. Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar thinned with water
Lemon glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar thinned with lemon juice

Dip madeleines in glaze of choice and place on wire rack to dry.

Here are what my madeleine pans look like. They are available at most kitchen supply stores.

This recipe is a good approximation of those found in Paris. Now, if I could only master Laduree's macaroons. Does anyone have a recipe for those?

POSTSCRIPT: My blog has gone through a minor transformation, as I switched over to accommodate bigger pictures. This 70-year old, non computer-literate brain was challenged, so I'm still working out the glitches and deciding which pictures are best enlarged. I'm also working on some mosaics. Thanks to all of you who have posted tutorials and given suggestions. I'm open to any further ideas; and as always, appreciate your comments.
Sally

FOODIE FRIDAY

Once again, our charming hostess for Foodie Friday is Michael of
Designs by Gollum.
Be sure to stop by her place to check out all of the participants in this event.

What do I fix for supper when there are only dibs and dabs in the refrigerator? And, I'm too lazy to make quiche? It's frittata!

No real recipe needed. First, I swish around a little olive oil in my 8" quiche baking dish. Then, I just start layering in the ingredients on hand. Today, it was some leftover baked chicken, 2 crumbled strips of cooked bacon, a handful of fresh peas from the garden, and a small, sliced tomato. Mushrooms, onions, olives, and/or ham are also good. Really anything you have on hand works. Then, I sprinkle the top with grated cheese and dried (or fresh) parsley. Next, I pour six beaten eggs with salt and pepper over all.

That's it! Bake in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes. Be sure to watch it for doneness. I live in a high altitude, and it takes a full 30 minutes for the eggs to set.

Make some toast and supper is ready. I was raised on a farm - our night time meal was always called supper.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

P.S. I seem to be having trouble leaving comments on some of the blogs that I enjoy and regularly follow. It appears that it is those blogs that have their comments embedded at the end of a post. I click and click and cannot get the comment block to come up. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong and how I can fix it? I'm not the smartest thing when it comes to this computer; but I sure don't want those blogs I love to think I am lurking and not commenting!!

FOODIE FRIDAY

Once again it is Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at
Designs by Gollum.
Be sure to stop by her charming blog to check out all of the other food offerings.

One year ago today, this is where we had lunch! Yes, that is Laduree in Paris, France. What a wonderful day that was with an exquisite lunch and a walk down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

The theme of Foodie Friday this week is "Trainwrecks". The only trainwreck in the Salmagundi kitchen is me - I have a terrible time thinking of things to cook. When that happens, one of our go-to places is BIG BURGER WORLD, an old-fashioned drive-in right out of the 1950s. Today, one year after Laduree, this was our place of choice for lunch.

You go up to the window to place your order, and when it is ready they call your number over the loud speaker. Everything is made to order on an old grill, and assembled fresh. As the name indicates, they have huge plate-sized burgers.

We always have the small burgers, then split a small order of hand-battered onion rings. They also have delicious made-from-scratch milkshakes & malts; this time of the year made with fresh strawberries. We resist those, however, as the burgers and rings are enough calories for the day!!

From Paris, France to Small Town, USA -- In both places, the food is special.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

FOODIE FRIDAY & MOTHER'S DAY

Michael, the creator of great tablescapes, beautiful food, and the blog,
Designs by Gollum
is once again hosting the fun event - Foodie Friday!! Be sure to stop by her blog to see the list of participants for this week. I'm sure you will witness a plethora of beautiful food.

My friend, Sue, at Rue-Mouffetard
is on a mission to instill in me the joy of cooking. I am a decent cook, but even during all of my 50 years of marriage; I have never really enjoyed cooking. Sue is always encouraging me to try different recipes so that I might find some fun in what to me is a chore! Recently, she emailed me a recipe for Easy Danish telling me how easy and good they were. So today it was my turn to fix dessert for our supper club, and I thought I would give it a go.

Even though they are traditionally thought of as a brunch or breakfast pastry; I served them with ice cream for dessert. They were a big hit!

This afternoon as I was in the kitchen working on the Danish, the postman brought me a package. AND, the package was from Sue. How eerie is that?

You can see the Danish cooling in the background as I opened the box!

Look at this wonderful note.

I couldn't believe it that someone I only know through blogging would do something like this for me. I was overwhelmed!

Look at this beautiful little dish.

Thank you, Sue!! I will cherish it forever.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO SUE AND ALL OF YOU OUT THERE IN BLOGLAND! When we adopted our daughter, someone told me that "caring, not bearing, makes you a mother"! I know you all care deeply, so to all of you have a joyous day on Sunday.

Sally

FOODIE FRIDAY - PIG FEAST

It's that day we all look forward to - Foodie Friday - hosted by Michael of
Designs by Gollum.

I have been hungry for this dessert for ages, but I've managed to resist knowing that there is really nothing redeeming nutritionally about this recipe. Well, my resolve has finally been broken. Here is "Pig Feast" - the title says it all!!!

Mix well:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Pack into a buttered 9"x13" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool.

Combine:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.

Mix and let stand until firm:
1 - 5oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 - 5oz. package instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk

Spread pudding mixture on top of cream cheese layer.

Spread another 1 cup of cool whip on top. Sprinkle a crushed Hershey bar and more nuts over top. Refrigerate.

We savored every bite!!

Go check out Gollum's blog for more wonderful Foodie Friday participants. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

FOODIE FRIDAY - MONSTER COOKIE DAY!!

This is my first time participating in Foodie Friday hosted by Gollum at
Designs by Gollum.
Be sure to go by her blog to check out all of the other participants with yummy food to peruse!


When my kids were in grade school, we moved to a new town requiring them to change schools, always a traumatic experience for young kids. Mike was in 6th grade and was having a hard time adjusting. They were scheduled to go on a field trip his second week in his new school, and his teacher asked if I would make cookies for 60 kids to take on the trip. Of course, I said yes and set about making monster cookies. They were a big hit with the kids, and I guess Mike felt welcomed because from then on he adjusted to the new school without any problem.
This is what you need for monster cookies:

4 cubes margarine
2 lbs. brown sugar
4 cups white sugar
12 eggs
8 teaspoons baking soda
Mix the above well, then stir in 48 oz. creamy peanut butter
Add:
18 cups oatmeal
22 oz. M & M candies
12 oz. chocolate chips

Use a 1/4 cup measure and drop on cookie sheet. Flatten before baking at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mike likes raisins in his cookies, so in the last third of the dough, I add about one cup of raisins. This recipe makes a monster amount of monster-sized cookies.

I always package them individually in sandwich bags, just as I did those for the sixth grade class field trip. These cookies freeze and/or travel well.

After that experience with the sixth grade class, I made these cookies all of the time for school and church functions. Back in those days, no one was concerned about peanut butter allergies, I guess.

When Mike went away to college, he requested monster cookies to be sent for his birthday in March. He has always been a spring break-type of traveler, so hasn't been home for his birthday very often. So, now it is family tradition since 1987 to make monster cookies to send to Mike for his birthday. Yes, he will be 41 years old in a week. It's not just Mike that needs monster cookies - Bob, Jenni, and the grandkids love their cookies, too!

All is good in the Salmagundi household tonight. I made 144 monster cookies today. Now, I just need to get Mike's mailed to him tomorrow as he is headed to Italy and Greece for Spring Break.

Does your family have a Foodie tradition that just can't be messed with????