Sometimes Cooking Makes Me Cry

This week we were blessed with about 20 onions! So in order to make easier use of them, I chopped, sliced, and diced them and threw them in the freezer.

Onions freeze up great! Then all I need to do is shake a little frozen onion in whatever I'm making and it's done. They are great for soups, casseroles, roasts, whatever I need that calls for onion.

And then all my tears are done at once. :o)

diced, thick sliced (for onion rings), thin sliced (for

French onion soup or sauteeing) and rough chopped

Garlic Mushroom Pasta

This dish requires a little more time to prepare but is well worth the effort! It is a meal that Chris and I were very disappointed when the boys decided they liked it, too. :o( The best part is dipping crusty Italian bread in the extra sauce on the plate!

Roast 2 bulbs of garlic in the oven. (Use a garlic roaster or foil) Remove the cloves of garlic.

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup sliced green onion

3-4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup milk

Melt butter in large skillet. Add mushrooms and green onion and saute until butter is absorbed. Add chicken broth, thyme, red pepper, and roasted garlic cloves. Simmer over low heat until liquid is reduced by half.

Stir in milk. Warm through.

Toss sauce into cooked and drained angel hair pasta.

Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Jello Eggs

These are a favorite Easter tradition at our house! It doesn't seem like Easter without Jello eggs! I even made them into "dino eggs" for Zack's birthday one year.

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 large or 2 small boxes of jello

Dissolve jello in water for 2 minutes, stirring constantly in a pouring container. Pour into closed egg mold sprayed with cooking spray. Chill at least 3 hours. Pry mold open with butter knife and carefully remove eggs by running finger along the edge of the mold to loosen eggs.

2-Tone eggs

Use 2 different small boxes of jello. Dissolve one box in 2/3 cup boiling water. Pour in one color, filling each egg mold halfway. Chill 1 hour. Dissolve second box of jello in 2/3 cup boiling water and pour on top of first color. Let chill at least 3 hours before removing.

Lemon Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes ever! The recipe came from my Grandma Ide and Zack and I often request it as a birthday cake. It has a wonderful lemon flavor!

It is much easier on the arms if you have a stand mixer, but the sore muscles are worth it!

1 lemon cake mix

1 small box of lemon jello

4 eggs

1 cup water

2/3 cup oil

Combine first 4 ingredients and beat for 5 minutes. Add oil and mix well.

Bake in greased 9x13 pan at 350 for 35 minutes or until done.

Remove from oven. Make glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/3 cup lemon juice

Whisk until smooth

Puncture cake with fork. Pour glaze over the top and smooth.

Let cool and serve.

Refried Beans

This is a really easy and inexpensive way to cook beans. You can use just about anything to season them and they are very versatile, too! We love to use them for burritos and nachos!

Pour 2 pounds dry pinto beans in crock pot. Cover with cold water about 2 inches over the beans. Cover and set sit overnight. BE SURE THE CROCK POT IS NOT ON!

In the morning, pour the beans into a large colander and rinse with cold water. Place back into crock pot and just cover the beans with 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken or vegetable broth.

Turn on low and let cook until soft. Season beans with:
1/4 pound cooked bacon and 3 Tbsp of the bacon fat (or 3 Tbsp shortening for vegetarian)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 medium chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic,
1/2 chopped fresh jalapenos

Turn on low and let cook until tender.

When they are soft and soupy, add 1-2 tsp salt mash with stick blender. They will thicken  as they cool.

Apple Pork Chops

This is a variation on the pork chop recipe I made on me and Chris' second date. We really like them and they are so moist and easy to make! They are really good served with stuffing and corn as sides!

Place pork chops in baking pan. Top with sliced onions and apples. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Squirt some mustard on top of each chop. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for one hour. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally.