Cream of Mushroom on Toast

This is a really warming comfort food,
cheap to make and tastes great anytime.
Make this on rainy days for a easy lunch.
Served along with cooked frozen corn or peas
makes this a quick and all around meal.

Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup cold water
4 slices white bread

Directions:
Toast bread to dark color and cut the
toasted bread into about 1" squares.
Devide toasted bread squares onto serving plates.
Open can of soup into a microwave safe bowl,
add water and mix with a fork to combine well.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave soup
on high setting for 3 minutes or until boiling.
Pour soup over plated toast squares and serve.

Cream Puff Pastry

These are super easy to make and bake up good.
Tasty golden and crispy puff pastry that you
cut open and fill with sweatened whipped cream.
Don't be afraid to try and bake these thinking
they are too difficult to prepare at home.
This is one of the easiest pastries to bake.
Ihis recipe makes about 12 puff pastries.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
Pastry cream filling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring water, salt and butter to a boil in a
saucepan and then add in the flour all at once.
I use a wooden spoon and stir, stir, stir
until the flour is well incorperated and a
somewhat creamy dough is formed.
Remove saucepan from heat and add in eggs
one at a time again, stir, stir, stir.
A silky dough is what your looking for.
Place batter by tablespoonfuls 2" apart on
a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.
Open oven door and turn off oven heat.
Let the puff pastries slowly cool in oven.
Remove to cut open and fill with pastry cream.

Herbs De Provence Crackers

A simple to make cracker that tastes great.
Dip in sour cream for a balance of flavors.
This is like a pie dough but is crispier.
I like the darker browned crackers best.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Herbs De Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup cold water
flour for rolling out dough
salt on top to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place flour in a food processor,
add in sugar, Herbs De Provence,
1/2 teaspoon salt, pulse to combine.
Pour in olive oil and pulse while adding
in just enough cold water to make dough.
Flour a work surface and roll out dough
as thin as you can with a rolling pin.
Sprinkle top of dough with salt to taste.
Place dough on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into squares.
Bake in oven for about 12 minutes to brown up.
Check crackers and remove any that are browned
before the others do with a spatula.
Continue baking until all crackers are done.

Banana Custard

Quickly made using the microwave oven.
You're going to like this easy custard,
it's soft, creamy with sweet banana flavor.
This recipe makes one serving.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 ripe banana
1/2 teaspoon butter

Directions:
Beat egg in a mixing bowl and then peel
banana and mix it with the egg in bowl.
Microwave on high setting for 2 minutes.
Remove and top custard with a little butter.
Serve warm.

Banana Pancakes

With just two ingredients these pancakes are
easy to prepare and tastes sinfully good!
I like them plain, with fresh berries or
with a dollop of orange marmalade on them.
One banana and one egg per serving.

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 large egg
cooking spray for pan

Directions:
Preheat a skillet to medium heat.
Break egg nto a mixing bowl and beat well.
Peel banana and cut into 1/2 inch slices,
place in the bowl with beaten egg and
stir mixture well to make a batter.
Pour batter into skillet to the size
of pancakes you desire to make.
I like silver dollar sized pancakes.
The batter will puff up but will not spread.
Let cook until bubbles appear on top and
flip with a spatula to cook other side.
Remove pancakes to serve warm.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Using two kinds of chocolate in these
makes them extra chocolaty and special.
Possibly the best chocolate chip cookies.
This recipe makes about 32 cookies.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 squares Hershey's baking bar chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Use a knife to chop up the baking bars,
to be about the same size as the chips.
Cream together the butter and sugars.
Add in the egg and vanilla, mix well.
In a seoerate bowl combine the flour
along with the baking powder, soda and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix
just long enough to form a cookie dough.
Mix in the chocolate chips and baking chocolate.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place
them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until just browning,
remove to cool before eating and storing.

Caraway Seed Crackers

Easy to make the cracker dough in a food processor
then roll out the dough as thin as you can and bake
until the crackers get nice and golden and crispy.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degress F.
Grind the caraway seeds in a food processor
then place caraway seeds in a mixing bowl
along with the flour, sugar, salt,
baking powder and ground pepper.
Mix to combine then pour into food processor.
Cover and pulse while pouring in the lid
the oil and water to form a dough ball.
Roll dough out on a floured work surface
as flat as you can get the dough to be.
Tranfer to a parchment lined baking sheet
and cut dough into squares using a pizza wheel.
Bake until brown and crispy for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.

Quick to Make Pasta with an herbed Tomato Sauce

Boil up some water and cook up some pasta and
make a tomato sauce using canned tomato paste.
This is a good for you fast food for you to make.
It's cheap, tastes great and fills you up.
Add in some herbs and spices to the tomato sauce
and you've got a quick meal in only minutes.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried pasta of choice
4 cups cold water to cook pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt for cooking water
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups cold water
1 dash of dried oregano
1 dash of granulated sugar
1 dash of salt or to taste
1 dash of garlic powder
1 dash of onion powder
1 dash of cayenne pepper
grated parmesan cheese

Directions
In a soup pot bring water to a boil,
add in pasta and cook for 12 minutes.
While pasta is cooking place in a microwave
safe mixing bowl mix up really good
(I use glass mixing bowl) the tomato paste,
water, oregano, sugar, salt, garlic powder,
onion powder, and cayanne pepper.
Microwave on high power for six minutes,
or until the sauce is hot and heated through.
Drain the cooked pasta, place in a bowl and toss
with the microwave cooked seasoned pasta sauce.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese to taste.

Strawberry and Tomato Salad

An interesting combination of flavors.
Strawberries dressed in balsamic vinegar
and tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 pint fresh cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
dash of salt
dash of black pepper
dash of sugar
dash of dried oregano

Directions:
Wash tomatoes, cut in quarters and
place them in a mixing bowl.
Remove stems from strawberries, cut
in half of quarters if they are big
place in bowl with cut up tomatoes.
Dress with vinegar, olive oil, and season
with salt, pepper, sugar and oregano.
Mix with a spoon and let sit for about
15 minutes before serving.

Spiral Sliced Cooked Ham

An easy way to heat up a cooked ham.
The moisture stays in and it's tender.

Ingredients:
1 cooked ham
Ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F.
Line a roasting pan in both directions
with aluminum foil using pieces
big enough to fold over top of ham.
Remove ham from packaging and place
ham on top of foil cut side down.
Sprinkle ham with black pepper to taste.
Bring up foil to cover ham and seal tightly.
Bake ham in oven for 12 minutes per pound.
Remove ham and let rest 15 minutes before serving.