♥ Egg Salad Sandwich

I love egg salad sandwiches...not those cold egg salad sandwiches you get at your local deli that are full of chopped celery, pickles, onions, and anything else you can chop up. I love just basic egg salad, still warm.... on light buttered toast, with just a little mayo and a little pepper and nothing else. Now and then I might add a little mustard powder but not often. You can add whatever you want, but my idea of a classic egg salad sandwich is all about the eggs. Here's a snap shot of my breakfast this morning.....
 

Classic Egg Salad Sandwich

6 eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (Hellman's)
pepper to taste (optional)
Your favorite bread, toasted lightly and buttered

To hard boil eggs – Gently place eggs into a single layer in a sauce pan. Add just enough water to cover the eggs completely. Bring the water to a rapid boil for about 5 minutes. Then remove eggs from heat tightly cover with a lid. Let the pan site for 10 minutes. Transfer eggs into a bowl with cold water. Allow to sit for a few minutes and crack and peel.

Chop hard boiled eggs. Place chopped eggs in a medium bowl. Mix in mayo, 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you like. Add a little pepper to taste. Spread egg salad onto toasted and buttered bread slices.

You will have enough here to make three sandwiches. I keep it in the refrigerator and then microwave it to warm it up again the next day. 

Photograph property of ©Welcome Home 2013

♥ White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berries

 I love cheesecakes and I make them often.  Who does like a dessert so rich and smooth and creamy and decadent!  And look how many ways you can change them up!  You can make so many flavors and add any of your favorite toppings.  Cheesecakes really are very easy to make....don't ever be afraid to make them. And they freeze so well.  I like to give them as gifts or bring them out of the freezer for an elegant dessert for friends and family.  I make these perfect little 6 inch cheesecakes instead of the much bigger ones and there's never any leftovers. I have included a link at the bottom of the recipe so you can find the little ...spring form pans I use in case you're interested.

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berries

For the crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 sticks salted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a spring form pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

For the cheesecake

1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup good quality white chocolate chips
3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream for cheesecake batter

Over low heat in a small saucepan, heat 1/3 cup of whipping cream until scalding. Stir in the white chocolate until melted. Set aside while you make the rest of the batter.

Cream together cream cheese and sugar until creamy and then add one egg at a time beating well after each one. Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate. Finally blend in the 1 cup of whipping cream.

Pour your batter into your prepared crust and bake in a water bath at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes depending on the size of your pan. The cheesecake will be slightly brown around the edges. It will be slightly wobbly just at the center. Allow the cheese cake to cool on a wire rack at room temperature.

When completely cool remove the cheesecake from the spring form pan by running a sharp knife around the outside edge before removing the sides of the pan and then run a knife under the crust to release it from the pan’s bottom. Cover the top with fresh raspberries and drizzle with raspberry glaze.

For the glaze and topping

1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
1 tablespoon water
strawberries and blueberries for garnish

Place the jam in a small saucepan. Heat the saucepan over low to medium heat on the stove, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add about 1 tablespoon of water and stir constantly over low heat, until the berries begin to break down and the sauce develops a thinner, pourable consistency. Taste and add sugar or a little honey if you want it sweeter. Turn off the heat when the sauce has reached the consistency you desire. Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes or until it's still thin enough to pour but no longer piping hot. Drizzle over strawberries and blueberries and then store in refrigerator. If the sauce thickens too much, simply reheat it on the stove for a minute or two and allow it to thin.

If you are interested in these little 6 inch spring form pans you can click on this link to find them. Remember, anything you purchase on Amazon through Welcome Home will help me save the lives of dogs and cats who are killed unnecessarily while waiting for their forever homes. Note the Welchome08 in the link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DIX7U/ref=as_li_ss_sm_fb_us_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=399837&creativeASIN=B0000DIX7U&linkCode=shr&tag=welchome08-20&qid=1378240341&sr=8-1&keywords=6+inch+spring+form+pans

♥ Apple Crisp

I found this dessert among my Mom's old recipes and it brought back memories of the house smelling like apples and cinnamon. As usual, there is a little note on the back of the card that reads..... "You are young and probably won't remember... that this was your favorite dessert growing up. It's so easy to make and such a good dessert that makes the house smell so good. I hope that you will remember me making it for you when you grow up and have a family of your own. I love you baby girl....Mom." So I made it today and yes Mom....I remember. I miss you.

Apple Crisp

8×8 glass dish, buttered
5 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup oats
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put apple slices in bottom of greased dish. Mix remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over apples, completely covering them. Bake about 30-35 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. So easy. So Delish!

Photograph property of ©Welcome Home

♥ Patty Pan Squash

Wondering what to do with all that squash you still have in your garden? My favorite squash are those little Patty Pan squash that come in green and yellow. Some know them as summer squash or scallop squash. They are a tender summer squash, like zucchini or yellow squash. The scalloped shape makes them a bit of a novelty and kids are tempted to try them because of their fun shape. They taste like any other summer squash.

Panko Breaded Patty Pan Squash

6 small patty pan squash sliced 1/2 inch with mandolin
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Beat eggs with a tablespoon of milk in a wide shallow bowl. Mix the panko, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and garlic powder in another shallow bowl.

Dredge your squash into the egg mixture, then into the crumb mixture, taking the time to press the crumbs all around each slice. Place breaded squash onto a plate until you have enough to fill (but not crowd) your frying pan.

In a large heavy fry pan (I use my Mom's old 12" cast iron skillet), heat the olive oil and butter until it shimmers. You can drop in a bread crumb and know it is ready when it sizzles. Place slices one by one into the hot oil being careful not to loose to much breading. Let slices brown for at least a minute or two. When the bottom is golden brown flip each slice over and brown the other side.

Let the cooked slices drain & cool on the paper towels or wire rack and repeat the process until all your batches have been turned into crispy fried deliciousness. I also use this same recipe for zucchini and other squash and even eggplant.

Photograph property of ©Welcome Home 

Rose's Pie Plate

I love this beautiful pie plate because not only is it pretty, it is functional for those of us who aren't very good at making fluted edges for our homemade pies.

It has deeply fluted edges making it easy to create a fluted border simply b...y pressing the dough into the fluting. It's an award winning pie plate made of ceramic with that fluted edge that creates a beautifully scalloped pie crust. It's made of high fired ceramic with a scratch free glaze so it's broiler, oven and dishwasher safe. It comes in sage green, bayberry blue and red (as shown)

Click on this link to purchase and remember the proceeds from anything you buy here at Welcome Home, goes to the NO KILL Advocacy Group to save the lives of dogs and cats who are killed unnecessarily while waiting for their forever homes. Click on this link for price and availability.....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050SKLZ6/ref=as_li_ss_sm_fb_us_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=399837&creativeASIN=B0050SKLZ6&linkCode=shr&tag=welchome08-20&qid=1377816699&sr=8-1&keywords=rose%27s+pie+plate

♥ My Mother's Lap

My Mother's Lap

I have quite a few memories of my childhood, but the sweetest memory that still lingers, is the memory of laying my head in my Mother's lap whenever I needed her. I can still feel her soft, gentle hands stroking my hair an...d the sweet sound of her voice telling me she loved me and her promise that everything would be okay.

Even later, when I was a grown woman and life had dealt me a broken heart or two, I would run to her for those comforting moments, time and time again. And of all the moments in my lifetime, these will forever be the most precious to me.

How ironic this journey of life can be at times... for little did I know that one day I would be comforting her and stroking her hair as she lay dying. And I would whisper those same words for the last time. "I love you Mom. Go on to a better place. Everything will be okay."

~Marty

♥ Always Pray

 

 

"Always pray for eyes that see the best in all people and a heart that forgives the worst. Pray for a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith.

Pray for the courage to love again when your heart has been broken in a thousand pieces. Pray for the wisdom to learn from your mistakes and the understanding that you may fail again. And pray for the strength to go on when you think your world has come to an end.

But most of all, pray that you can live in such a way that those who know you but don't know God, will come to know God because they know you."

~Marty
Welcome Home

♥ Her Hands

Her Hands

  Her hands held me gently from the day
I took my first breath.
Her hands helped to guide me
as I took my first step....

Her hands held me close when the tears
would start to fall.
Her hands were quick to show me
she could take care of it all.

 

Her hands were there to brush my hair,
or straighten a wayward bow.
Her hands were there to comfort the hurts
that didn't always show.

Her hands helped hold the stars in place,
and encouraged me to reach.
Her hands were there in prayer for me
because she always believed.

Her hands are now twisted with age
from pain and years of work.
Her hands now need my gentle touch
to rub away the hurt.

Her hands are more beautiful today
than anything can be.
Her hands are the very reason
of how I came to be."

~Maggie Pittman

photo source: Timothy Hamilton Flickr
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/pictorialist/interesting/

♥ Great Mac and Cheese

There are a lot of mac and cheese recipes out there. I have featured many on my page including crab mac and cheese and several others. However, when I want the best mac and cheese out there, this one is my go to every time. I have create...d a velvety texture and flavor from all the different cheeses and a wonderful buttery crunch from the bread topping. Try it and let me know if it becomes your favorite too! Oh...and you've just gotta click on this photo for drool mode!



Great Mac and Cheese

1 lb elbows macaroni
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup muenster cheese, shredded
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 and 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter a deep 9 x 13 baking dish.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add macaroni and the 1 tablespoon salt to your boiling water. Cook for 7 minutes, or until somewhat tender. Drain well, and return to the pot. Add 8 tablespoons of melted butter to the macaroni and stir.

In a large bowl combine all the shredded cheeses. Then add the half and half, the beaten eggs, the sour cream and about 2 cups of the combined shredded cheeses and mix thoroughly. Pour all the macaroni mixture into the buttered casserole dish, and top with remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.

Bread Topping

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup or more as needed)
8 slices of bread, cubed or torn into pieces

In a large skillet, melt one stick of butter. Toss in bread cubes and stir to coat bread thoroughly in butter. Top entire casserole with buttered bread cubes covering the cheese completely. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and bubbly and the bread cubes are lightly toasted. Serve hot.

















 Photograph is the property of ©Welcome Home

♥ Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

There is nothing better than pulled pork from a roasted pork butt or pork shoulder. Tender and flavorful and the perfect sandwich! I use Sweet Baby Rays to give it that sweet smoky barbecue flavor....oh my! Click on the photo for full drool mode!

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-5 pound) pork shoulder (I use a pork butt)
Sweet Baby Rays Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush, spread the mixture all over the pork butt.

Place a rack inside a roasting pan and put the pork butt on the. Roast for 20 minutes at a high temperature of 425 degrees and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Slow roast at the lower temperature for about 4 hours or until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 185 degrees. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes.

NOTE: You can make this same recipe in a crock pot as I did in the photo shown. Simply follow the same instructions but pour 1 cup of chicken broth in the slow cooker before placing your meat inside. Cover and slow cook on high for 6-8 hours or until your meat is fork tender.

With two forks, shred the meat into pieces and add heated barbecue sauce. Mix well and serve alone or on sandwiches.

NOTE: While I used to make my own sauce and have several recipes for it, I have stopped since being introduced to Sweet Baby Rays. There is nothing like it and I only use this sauce on everything I would normally 
make a barbecue sauce for now.

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