♥ Apple Swirl Streusel Bread

I used Gala apples for this one however, you can use Braeburn, Pink lady or Honey Crisp apples. Don't forget to click on photo for drool mode!

Apple Swirl Streusel Bread
  
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups apple, peeled and diced
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

With a mixer, beat sugar, and eggs until creamy. Mix in lemon juice and the vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt and then gradually stir it into the flour mixture until it is just moistened. Next fold in apples with a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl.

In a small bowl add Streusel topping ingredients. I usually cut them in with two knives until blended and crumbly. Pour half the batter into a standard greased 8 x 5 loaf pan. Sprinkle half of streusel topping over batter. Repeat layers for 2nd half of batter and ending with rest of topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Let cool completely.

Icing

1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar(powdered sugar)
1-2 tablespoons milk

Mix powdered sugar with a little milk at a time to get the consistency you like best. Drizzle over cooled bread.






  Photography ©Welcome Home

Welcome Home Cooking....Recipes From My Mother's Collection

 

It is an exciting day for me as I have just released my first cookbook. It's called....

 

"Welcome Home Cooking....Recipes From My Mother's Collection."

 

 It's a beautiful 196 page full color high quality cookbook with a complete recipe to match each photo.

"There's nothing like a home cooked meal made with love that can spark old memories of our childhood. Welcome Home Cooking is a collection of recipes left to me by my Mom, who now lives in Heaven. It is filled with down-home country recipes that a Southern Mom would teach her daughter. Recipes that have created memories that will never fade. Like her wonderful chicken and dumplings and her delicious homemade cornbread she used to make in her old cast iron skillet. Or, her Sunday after church suppers of Buttermilk Fried Chicken and her incredible Peach Cobbler, fresh out of the oven. I've put together a cookbook for those who yearn for those memories of good old fashioned, uncomplicated home-cooked southern food. The kind of food that memories are made of; and it comes to you straight from my Mother's recipe box. I hope you enjoy some of my Mom's favorite recipes and that you'll make some memories of your own."

It's available today in ebook format for your desktop or laptop (Windows and Mac) and for your iPad, iPod Touch and iPhones for only $24.99. You simply click on the link below to find it. Then you purchase it with a credit card or PayPal and you will receive an immediate email with a link that you can use to download the book to any or ALL of these devices. If you have an Apple Device, you will need to download the free ibooks app first. If you want to also download it to your computer, I suggest you download the free app for Calibre or any other ebook application.

That's all there is to it. You will have your new book in just a matter of minutes. Why an ebook? First it is the most economical way to purchase a book. It's convenient in that you can carry your book wherever you go. My ebook is on all my devices....it's on my phone when I go to the grocery store and need the ingredients to make something for dinner. It's on my iPad for when I know I have a long wait in the doctor's office or when I go to the beach and I want to read a book. And it's on my computer when I want to print something off to take to the kitchen to make a recipe instead of getting my beautiful hardback all dirty and smudgy. Ebooks are the way to go today.

The print book is also available today, however as I projected earlier this year before it was published, it is very pricey and you might find it outside your budget. Unfortunately I have no control over the Publisher's set price but I know that usually when I give much of the proceeds to a charity, they usually charge more. With this book, as well as all my books, I support No Kill Shelters across America in their effort to save the lives of healthy dogs and cats who are killed unnecessarily while waiting for their forever homes.

"Welcome Home Cooking" is also being released today in a soft cover, hardback with a dust jacket, and a hardback image wrap book without a jacket. This book is bookstore quality and meant for those who are sticklers for top notch binding, gorgeous paper, and professional printing. This is not just an average cookbook. It is a limited first edition book and the production team at this publishing house produces each high quality book as they are
ordered, which doesn't always lend itself to affordability.

But you be the judge. If you'd like to preview a few pages of the book before deciding to purchase, go to this link and click on the book and it will show you about 29 random pages. Then if you like what you see, feel free to order it and they will start production of YOUR book right away and ship it to you before the end of the month. The publisher is offering Welcome Home fans a coupon that will give you 25% off the purchase of any print book. That's on Print books only. See below

To purchase Welcome Home Cooking in ebook format for $24.99 today go to: http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/412757-welcome-home-cooking

To Preview Welcome Home Cooking and purchase it in softcover or hardback go to: http://www.blurb.com/b/4446916-welcome-home-cooking

For Print Books: Enter the code in all caps SAVE25BLURB and receive 25% off your purchase if used before July 31st.

Hope you like it!

♥ Roasted Sockeye Salmon

Roasted Sockeye Salmon

1 2-3 lb Sockeye Salmon Fillet (or any size you choose)
tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
lemons for garnish

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat salmon dry with a paper towel. your hands rub the fillet with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and fresh minced garlic. Turn down oven heat to 400 and roast for about 15 minutes (depending on thickness of fillet) or until salmon flakes easily in the middle or thickest part. If you want to use a thermometer, it should register 125 degrees in the center of the fillet. Remove from oven and transfer to platter or cutting. Garnish with lemons.

♥ Boston Cream Pie

Boston Cream Pie

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round baking pans. Set aside. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside.

Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time; beat well after each addition. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition just until mixed.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 29 to 34 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edge of cake by running knife around inside edge. Carefully remove cake from pan; cool completely.

Pastry Cream Filling:

1 1/4 cups whole milk or light cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile in a saucepan combine the milk and split vanilla bean on medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.) Remove vanilla bean, scrape out seeds, and add the seeds to the egg mixture.

Place the egg mixture back into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes very thick and it is hard to stir. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until cold.

Once filling is cold, Remove plastic wrap and with spatula spread half on on bottom cake layer. Top with second layer. Using a long angled spatula smooth filling around edges so that it is flush with the cake. Your cake is now ready for frosting.

Thick Chocolate Ganche:

12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream

Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow ganache to completely cool and set up. The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. When you are able to spoon the ganache and it can hold its texture, it is ready for piping.

Pipe ganache around the top of the cake in a circular motion to resemble a rose as shown in the photo or be creative and make your own design.

Photographs are the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home

♥ Purple Cone Flower

I shot this with my little Samsung MB250 as I do most of my close ups of food and flowers. It is one single flower in my spread of Purple Cone Flowers also know as Echinacea. Who doesn't love the gracefulness of this flower. I love them at each stage of blooming from the time they bud to the point where all the petals start to point downward. Mine are about 3 feet tall and blend well in the back of my garden.

♥ Balloon Flower

love this little flower....I know I say that about all the flowers in my garden, but I love this one for different reasons. It's called the Balloon Flower because the buds like little inflated balloons before they pop... open to reveal a beautiful bell shaped flower. Click on the photo for full effect.

It is a popular perennial that comes in shades of blue, white, purple, and pink and while the one shown is the dwarf variety, the common Balloon Flower can reach up to 3 feet in height. Flowers appear in mid-summer and last for at least a month before fading, although proper dead-heading can prolong the blooming season somewhat.

Photograpy ©Welcome Home

♥ OLD FASHIONED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Biscuits just like your Mom or Grand mom used to make! Some recipes should never change!

Butter Milk Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 450. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal. Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined. At this point if it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet touching each other. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until they are a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom. Do not over bake.

Hints: Your dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits. So work quickly. If you use a food processor the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of over mixing. You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly. Don't roll these with a rolling pin or you will have tough biscuits.

You can also make them up and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once they are frozen, drop them into a ziploc bag or container for up to one month. Then just bake frozen biscuits as you need them in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Photography ©Welcome Home

♥ Chicken and Dumplings

Of all the recipes my Mom taught me to make when I was young, my favorite is Chicken and Dumplings. It is the ultimate comfort food with the tender, moist chicken and fluffly biscuit-like drop dumplings that melt in your mouth. Of course my... Mom make her own handmade dough for the dumplings and I take a short cut and use Bisquick to get the same exact flavors in less time.  

Chicken and Dumplings

1 boiler chicken cut up
2 cups Bisquick baking mix (or make your own...see below)
2/3 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch oven or large wide pot, over medium heat, add chicken and cover with water. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat and cook for about 90 minutes until chicken is fork tender. Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool.

Mix 1/4 cup milk and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, to broth bring to slow boil. Meanwhile remove skin and bones from chicken and shred or cut into bite sized pieces. Add to soup mixture. Stir to combine and cover.

Mix the 2 cups of Bisquick and 2/3 cups of milk together to form a soft dough. Then drop spoonfuls of dough into the broth and bring it down to a simmer. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes and then cover and steam for 10-15 minutes or until dumplings are done in the middle. Season with salt and lots of pepper and sprinkle with a little parsley.

HOME MADE BISQUICK

5 Cups All Purpose Flour (I used unbleached)
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Shortening (or cold butter cut into pieces)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the shortening. You can use a pastry blender, however, I find it easier to just use my hands to get it mixed in really well.
Store in an airtight container. Use the same as you would use Bisquick in a recipe. If you use cold butter in the recipe, you will need to keep this in the refrigerator. If you use shortening you can store it in your pantry.

Photo and recipe ©Welcome Home

♥ Strawberry Short Cake Croissants

I whipped up this easy dessert at the last minute and wanted to share it with you. It is heavenly. I buy my croissants at Costco because they are so rich and buttery and they made this even better than I imagined. 

 Strawberry Short Cake Croissants

4 large croissants
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons honey

Fresh strawberry Syrup

1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and let stand 30 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until warm.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together honey and butter and brush on tops of croissants. Warm croissants in oven for 5 minutes or until warm. Remove from oven and set aside.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Beat cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Split warm Croissants in half lengthwise. Spread strawberry syrup on each half. Arrange strawberries on bottom half of croissant. Top with fresh whipped cream (I filled a plastic storage bag with whipped cream and snipped off the corner and piped mine in for a prettier presentation). Cover with top half of croissant. You can top with more whipped cream and fresh strawberry syrup if desired. Enjoy!

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home

MY MOTHER' GARDEN

"MY MOTHER'S GARDEN"

Her heart is like her garden,
Old fashioned, quaint and sweet,
A wealth of beautiful blossoms,
And there a quiet retreat.

Sweet violets are in hiding,
We know as we pass by,
And lilies, pure as angel thoughts,
Are opening somewhere nigh.

Forget-me-nots there linger,
To full perfection brought,
And a bloom of purple pansies
In many a tender thought.

And in that quiet garden -
The garden of her heart -
Songbirds are always singing
Their songs of cheer apart.

And from it floats forever,
overcoming grief and strife,
Sweet as the breath of roses blown,
the fragrance of her life.

~ Alice E. Allen

♥ Baked Lemon Chicken

Baked Lemon Chicken

4 large bone-in, skin on chicken breasts, about 3 pounds
2 large lemons, zested, plus the juice of 2 whole lemons (or use 1 whole orange for zest and juice)
2 limes, 1 zested, both juiced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Freshly cracked black pepper

Put the chicken in a large non-metalic bowl. Put the lemon (or orange) and lime zests in a small bowl and add the juices. Whisk in the olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and a generous grind of black pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss until well coated. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes but no longer than 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. With tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and arrange them on the rack leaving space between each piece. Drizzle a small spoonful of the marinade over the top of each chicken piece; season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when meat is pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Cool slightly before serving or let stand until room temperature before refrigerating for later use.

Photo and recipe ©Welcome Home
Photography by Ramela Jimenez

STORY OF TWO DOGS

There is a story they tell of two dogs. Both dogs, at separate times, walk into the same room. One dog comes out wagging his tail while the other comes out growling.

A woman watching this goes into the room to see what could possibly ma...ke one dog so happy and the other dog so mad. To her surprise she finds a room full of mirrors. The happy dog found a thousand happy dogs looking back at him. The angry dog saw only angry growling dogs looking back at him. Meaning: What you see in the world around you is a reflection of who you are.

My Mom used to tell me, "Always show the world your happiness and not your pain... because people gather in sunshine and hide from the rain." 

  "People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." ~Mother Teresa

For as far back as I can remember, my Mom taught me to "Live in such a way that those who know you but don't know God, will come to know God because they know you." I intend to do just that.

♥ Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

9 inches pie shells, baked
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cupwhite sugar
1/3 cupall-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoonsalt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoonsbutter
1 teaspoonvanilla
3 bananas

Have baked 9-inch pie shell ready. In a large saucepan, scald the milk. In another saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in the scalded milk. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Cover and, stirring occasionally, cook for two minutes longer.

In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready; stir a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks; when thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture. Cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla. Let sit until lukewarm. When ready to pour, slice bananas and scatter in pie shell; pour warm mixture over bananas.

If desired, make a meringue (you'll have 3 leftover egg whites) to top the pie, or just let the pie cool until serving.

http://www.food.com/recipe/old-fashioned-banana-cream-pie-14979

♥ Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I love this recipe and have been making it for years. I experiment with all kinds of cheeses depending on what I'm in the mood for. I like this combo best....

Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8... inch
1/2 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the potatoes, cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover and keep simmering for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.

Remove and discard bay leaves. Transfer 1/3 of potato mixture to 3-quart gratin dish and sprinkle with 1/3 of all three cheeses and the bacon. Add another 1/3 layer of both and then the rest. End up sprinkling the top with a light layer of parmesan cheese.

Bake until the cream has thickened and is bubbling around the sides and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
 

Recipe and Photo ©Welcome Home
Photography Ramela Jimenez
 

♥ TERIYAKI CHICKEN KABOBS

 

TERIYAKI CHICKEN KABOBS

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

3 tablespoon Soy Sauce (I used Kikoman)

2 tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 T Canola oil

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Few drops of hot sauce, optional (I used Tabasco)
Red and green bell peppers, sliced
Onion, sliced
Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

Soak 4 barbecue sticks in water for about 1 hour. Line baking pan with aluminum foil, pour 1 cup of water over on top and put a cooling rack over it. Cut chicken breasts into about 2 x 2 inch pieces and marinate in soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, powdered ginger, garlic powder, ground black pepper, liquid smoke and sesame oil, hot sauce for at least 2 hrs. Cut bell peppers and onion the same size as chicken. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Thread chicken in between with peppers and onion on barbecue sticks.

Bake chicken for 15 minutes, brush with barbecue sauce and turn and bake for another 15 minutes. Put oven to broil and cook chicken 3-5 minutes longer. Brush chicken with more barbecue sauce as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Copyright ©Welcome Home 

♥ ORANGE BROWNIES

Here's a wonderful treat for you! A big glass of cold milk and a couple of these will bring sweet dreams! Yum!

ORANGE BROWNIES

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
... 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure orange extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Stir together flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add butter, eggs, vanilla, orange extract and orange zest. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven. Spread the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting over completely cooled brownies. Cut into squares

Creamsicle Cream Cheese Icing

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
4 Tablespoons softened butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
½ tsp. orange extract

In a large bowl, blend cream cheese with butter until smooth with a hand-held electric mixer. Add in 3 cups confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time, orange zest, orange juice and orange extract whip until well blended.

copyright ©Welcome Home.

Sometimes we need to go where we can hear that screen door slam, and bring back memories of Mom calling us at supper time. Sometimes we need to wish on a falling star and lay in the grass and make shapes out of clouds. Sometimes we need to ...climb a tall tree, and skip rocks across a pond and catch fireflies in a jar. Sometimes we need to remember when life was simple and innocent. Sometimes we just need to be a kid again.

~Marty

Painting by Jim Daly
http://www.jimdalyart.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=25909&Akey=X5J4XX7L