The End of Fifty-Two In Twenty-Two

 Fifty-Two In Twenty-Two

    This was a really fun project.  There were failures, surprises and some awesome successes.  I'll list my top five favorite recipes, as well as give some honorable mentions. And being honest, I'm also listing recipes which were failures. If you'd like to see any of these recipes and/or pictures of them, just type in a word from the title into the search bar, hit "enter" and select the recipe you are interested in. 

Top Five:

1 - No Bake Cake Balls - Week 28: I have made these numerous times and have used different combinations of white chocolate and chocolate bark and cake mix flavors, with different colored sprinkles. 

2 - Malabar Fish Curry - Week 27: I was really proud of myself for how this dish turned out. The flavor was awesome and I remember thinking that if I'd ordered this dish from a restaurant, I would have been really happy with it. I totally pat myself on the back for this one.

3- Salami Cheese Pie - Week 34: This was soooo good. I was happy with how my crust turned out and for thinking of making little cut-outs to decorate the top.  

4 - French/Dressing Vinaigrette - Week 16: I LOVE this dressing. It is light and tangy and I have made this multiple times. I refrigerate leftover dressing and let it come to room temperature before using again.

5 - Fried Fish & Swamp Gravy - Week 41: I really liked this recipe, although I felt it needed a good amount of added seasoning, which was not called for in the recipe. I liked searching for and reading about "Swamp Gravy". It is a Southern dish made with not a lot of ingredients, that many people would likely have on hand (either from canning or fresh from their garden). Thrifty and filling, you could serve several people with just one recipe. 

Honorable Mention:

Savory Onion Tart

Gado Gado

Easy Brie

Slush

Chocolate Orange Walnut Torte

Corn Fritters

3-Minute Salad

Johnny Marzetti

Fail

Coffee Caramel Cake

Tomato Bread

Dari-Craft Biscuits

Easy Brie

 Brie and Easy

Recipe 51 of 52

Appetizer #7

"Brie and Easy", quite a simple name for this dish. Rightfully so, as this four ingredient dish was so simple to make. I made it for Christmas lunch with my good friend and her mom, and we all enjoyed it.  The recipe is in the Hearts & Flours Cookbook - A Sampler of Recipes from the Heart of Texas, produced by the Junior League of Waco in 1988.  There is an inscription at the front of the book. Dated in 1997, it reads "Claire - Hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. Best wishes, Celeste". I really, liked this recipe and definitely plan to make this again. Modifications in italics. 

Ingredients:

one round of brie (I used a wedge which weighed about .67 lbs and I really liked how the wedge melted)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chopped raisins (I used a mix of dried cranberry, cherry, blueberry & raisin)

1/2 cup chopped green onion

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice off the top of the brie and place into an oven safe dish (I used a Pyrex pie dish). In a small bowl, mix together the chopped walnuts, raisins or dried berries and green onion. Sprinkle the walnut mixture over the brie and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the brie softens. Serve with crackers or thinly sliced tart, green apples. 

Brie and Easy 

Nancy's Easy Potato Soup

 Nancy's Easy Potato Soup

Recipe 50 of 52

Vegetarian Entree #7

    Next to last recipe for this Fifty-two in Twenty-two and I am late writing about it, because you know "life happens" and sometimes things get away from us, which we've planned to do. Nancy's Easy Potato Soup is in the 1997 Sharing our Best cookbook by the Greenville High School - Class of 1997.  This Greenville High School is in Greenville, Texas. This soup was really, easy. It took just about 53 minutes to make, from pulling out the pan from my cupboard to turning off the stove. It was perfect for a cold, Winter's day and I do plan to make this again. Enjoy with a salad, 1/2 sandwich or a nice piece of toasted and buttered bread. I got yummy Bolillo bread from a Fiesta grocery store.  Bolillo bread is like french bread, but is shorter and wide. Bolillo bread makes great sandwiches and garlic bread. I sprinkled shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and chopped green onion on my bowl. I would make this soup again. You should try it; it really was quick, easy and tasty.  

    I had to substitute a bag of cubed style hash browns with green & red peppers for the bag of hash browns, because that was literally the only bag at the grocery. That said, I would recommend the hash browns with peppers in it, because it added color and a little extra flavor. The recipe also calls for chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. To keep this a vegetarian recipe, I substituted vegetable broth and used two cans of cream of celery soup, instead of one cream of chicken and one cream of celery. You can keep the original recipe or make substitutions like I did. You could also sprinkle cooked bacon as a topping, if you eat meat. 

Ingredients:

16 oz package frozen hash browns (I used chunked style with red & green peppers)

1 cup chopped onions (the recipe calls for 3 or 4 green onions, but I used regular sweet onion)

1 can vegetable broth (the original recipe says chicken broth)

2 cups water

2 cans cream of celery soup (the original recipe calls for one can cream of celery and one can cream of chicken)

2 cups milk

black pepper to taste

red chili pepper flakes (optional)

shredded cheese (optional)

chopped green onion (optional)

Directions:

Mix together hash browns, onion, broth and water in a Dutch oven (or large pot). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in milk and canned soup. 

Nancy's Quick and Easy Potato Soup

Fresh Bolillo bread (with a cameo by the grapes I'd also bought; lol)    `

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Week 49 of 52

Dessert #7

    Yummy, double chocolate cookies!! I'll definitely make this recipe again.  This final dessert recipe of Fifty-two In Twenty-two comes from Best Loved Cookies, published in 2000.  In the book, this recipe is titled Hershey's "Perfectly" Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can add nuts if you like. The recipe says you'll get five dozen, but I used my cookie scoop and got a little more than seven dozen. Make this recipe!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt). Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together in a separate bowl, until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time, mixing until thoroughly combined. Gradually add your dry ingredients and stir until all dry ingredients are combined. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts if using. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly before transferring from the cookie sheet to a wire rack. Serve with milk. 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cranberry Pork Roast

 Cranberry Pork Roast

Week 48 of 52

Meat/Fish Entree #7

    Week 48's recipe comes to us from the Southern Living - Slow Cooker Cookbook, published in 2002. The copy I have belonged originally to a lady named Beth Kirner.  I only know that, because her name is written on the inside cover.  I recently used my Crock-Pot slow cooker and decided to use it again, after I found this recipe.  I don't use my slow cooker very, often and now I've used it twice in a month.  The recipe calls for a 3lb boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of fat. Cut in half cross-wise, it fit nicely in my crockpot. I had hoped for a little more cranberry flavor to come through, but overall, I liked this recipe. Served with a vegetable and rice or mashed potatoes, you could easily have enough for four servings with just one of the halves. 

    When I made this recipe this past Sunday, I started the recipe too late in the afternoon for it to cook the whole six hrs on low (after you do one hour on high). I had to turn it off early (by about two hours) so I could go to bed. The next day, I cut a few slices and admittedly, re-heated it in the microwave. Was this ideal? No, but it worked just fine.  The pork loin was cooked through and just needed re-heating. It was tender, but I know I would have enjoyed it a little more, if I'd been able to eat it fresh from the slow cooker. This recipe calls for making a gravy-like sauce after removing the pork loin. I put the melted cranberry sauce juice in a bowl and made the gravy in a pan. I plated with rice and cooked & buttered onion, and spooned the cranberry sauce gravy over top. 

    Today I'm enjoying some of the pork loin, which I cut into chunks and mixed with the gravy in a bowl.  It's still pretty tender. Like I said above, I liked this recipe. I only wish it'd had more cranberry flavor. You could remedy that, but adding extra cranberry sauce or even some fresh cranberries.  If you try it, let me know how you like it. 

Ingredients:

1 3lb lean boneless pork loin roast (trimmed of fat)

cooking spray

1 16oz can whole cranberry sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 teaspoons corn starch

2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Coat trimmed pork loin with cooking spray. Brown all sides of pork loin in a skillet on medium-high heat. When all sides are browned, put both halves in the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce, brown sugar and mustard. Poor cranberry mixture over the pork loin and cook on high for one hour. Turn to low and cook for another 6 hours. Remove roast from cooker and keep warm. Mix the corn starch and water together and stir in the cranberry sauce liquid. Heat in a microwave on high for two minutes or until thick, stirring after one minute. I made the gravy in a pan on the stove. Serve slices of roast with vegetables and rice or potatoes, with the sauce over the slices of roast. 

Cranberry Pork Loin Roast w/Rice and Cooked Onion

Macaroni Ring

 Macaroni Ring

I came across this recipe while looking for the last Meat/Fish Entree for #FiftyTwoInTwentyTwo. It is from a 1933 Bond Bread Recipe Cookbook. I wanted to try this, because it sounded "unique" and, the finished product is definitely unique. It's like having macaroni squashed together with stuffing.  The recipe recommends serving with vegetables in the middle of the un-molded ring and/or serving with a mushroom or tomato sauce. I had cream of chicken soup, so I used that.  I have to say I am glad I tried it and I'm glad I got to use my Pyrex ring mold, because I've had it for years and years, and never gotten to use it. I do not plan to make it again. If I do, I would definitely serve with hot cream of mushroom/chicken soup, cheese sauce or gravy.  I recommend you do that also.  Give it a try, because you may like it.  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups scaled milk

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

1/4 cup grated American cheese (I used finely shredded Monterrey Jack cheese)

2 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 cups cooked macaroni

1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat milk and pour over bread crumbs. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except butter) one at a time, stirring after each addition. Add the macaroni last. Add your mixture to a buttered ring mold. Dot bits of butter on top of the filled ring mold. Set in a pan of hot water and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Run a knife around the mold to loosen. Turn a plate on top of the mold; hold the plate tightly to the mold and flip over. Gently shake the mold to remove the macaroni ring. Fill the middle of the ring with vegetables if you wish. Serve with hot cream of mushroom/chicken soup, cheese sauce or gravy.

Macroni Ring Prior To Unmolding

Macaroni Ring Unmolded

Macaroni Ring Served With a Nice Salad