Toffee Nut Bars!

The pics are backwards. But if you understand logical sequence of events, this won't be difficult for you.

I'm excited about these. :)

1 cup oleo (I used shortening)

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

Put into cookie pan, bake bake at 325 15-20 min.

8-10 Hershey bars to sprinkle on top (I used Heath bar pieces)

Chopped nuts (I used one five oz bag of chopped walnuts)

Potato Puff Casserole

My apologies, I know I said I would post last night. From now on, I'll post as close to once a week as I can, but I can't guarantee when that will be. It will be whichever night I can make it happen! :)

Recipe:

3 eggs, separated.

instant mashed potato (amount for 8 servings)

1 cup cottage cheese (I used 1%)

1 cup "commercial" sour cream (I assume this recipe was written when many people still made their own!)

1/8 tsp garlic salt

1/4 cup green onion

1/4 cup pimiento

2 T. melted butter.

paprika (I used sweet basil instead, because I got a good batch from Cossetta's in St. Paul)

Beat egg whites until they hold firm, stiff peaks. (I couldn't get mine very fluffy; we'll see what happens!)

Prepare instant mash potatoes as directed. (I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk)

Put potatoes in large mixing bowl, whip with egg yolks, cottage cheese, sour cream, and garlic salt. until fluffy. (Again, mine didn't get that fluffy...)

Fold in onion and pimiento

Fold in egg whites

Spoon into buttered 2.5 quart casserole dish. (I used nonstick spray)

Drizzle melted butter over top, then sprinkle with paprika.

Bake uncovered at 325 for one hour, until toothpick comes out clean.

I'm not crazy about the ingredients I picked up at the local market; next time I will be going to a better store. Grandma's recipes deserve the best ingredients!

Separated eggs

Instant mashed. I would have preferred to use real mashed, but I wasn't sure how to get them fluffy enough; my mashed potatoes always come out with a very heavy consistency.

Green onions...yum

Adding the pimientos and green onions

Adding the egg whites

Drizzling with butter!

Ready to go into the oven...

Finished product!

One satisfied customer! :)

It's A Wonderful Life...

On November 8th, 2011, my grandmother, Elaine Kennedy, passed away. She lived for her family, which includes four children, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and one loving husband already in heaven. Not only was grandma a skilled artisan who could craft elaborate and delicate crafts, but she was also a wonderful cook and baker. It was this love she passed onto me. :)

For my 2010 wedding, my lovely aunt, Grandma's youngest, gave me a truly special gift. She put together all of grandma's recipes for me! Since then, I've been unsure how to best use them, but with Grandma's passing, it's become clear that they should be passed on to the world. Hence, this blog!

The idea is to follow a Julie/Julia-type format and blog my attempts at making Grandma's recipes. Some will fail because I'm not half the cook/baker she was, but there will be fun pictures and some yummy results. Thanks for visiting and let me know if you try these yourself!

My first attempt will be "Potato Puff Casserole," coming Friday, November 18!

Kate