31 Days Challenge - Day 5 - Cucumber Salad

I almost missed a day! I was in bed just a few minutes ago...about to fall asleep...when it hit me...I DIDN'T BLOG TODAY! I'm determined to complete the 31 days challenge, so I dragged myself out of bed, and here I am trying to decide what to write about.

I'll share a recipe that I tried a couple months ago that I really enjoyed. I found this recipe for Refridgerator Cucumber Salad on pinterest. It turned out fantastic! The longer it sat in the fridge, the better it got. I highly recommend you try this out.

Back to bed...I'll try to blog early tomorrow so I can prepare pictures and everything.

Vegetable Soup and Grandma Jack's Sweet Milk Rolls

I got a very easy recipe for Vegetable Soup from church friends Charlie and Beth Brandhorst and this Homemade Roll recipe from my Grandma Jack.

Vegetable Soup:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion (chopped)

30 oz. spaghetti sauce

2 cups water

1 can beef broth

salt & pepper to taste

16 oz frozen vegetables

Brown ground beef and onion, then combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

It was very good, but almost too much spaghetti sauce. Next time I might try less tomato sauce and maybe more beef broth.

Grandma's Sweet Milk Rolls:

1 package yeast (the regular kind, not the quick one)

2 cups warm (not hot) milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. melted butter (and more to grease the pan)

1 tsp. salt

4-5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in milk, when bubbly add sugar, butter, and salt. Mix well. Add 3 cups of flour, beat smooth, then gradually add more flour until soft dough forms. Knead 6-8 minutes. Let rise double, about 30 minutes. (I let mine rise about an hour)

Butter bottom and sides of dish. Punch down dough. Make into 12 balls and spread out in the pan. Let them rise double again.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and butter the tops.

Jake and I both loved the rolls! In fact, I've made them 3 times in this past month. I am also planning to take them to our Thanksgiving feast at a friends house.

This whole meal was great for a cold and foggy day!

Green Beans and Mushrooms

I bought green beans at the market, and I bought them right before the stand was about to close, so they gave me a huge bag full. I'm taking this opportunity to try some different ways to prepare green beans. Here is my first experiment.

Ingredients:
5 mushrooms (sliced)

two handfuls of green beans

a few tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Toss the mushrooms and green beans in the oil.

Heat in a skillet until mushrooms are brown.

I seasoned with minced onions, pepper, and salt.

The mushrooms were VERY good, but the beans were a little under cooked. Next time I'll probably cook the green beans on their own for a while before adding the mushrooms.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

I got this recipe from my friend Meagan. See her blog here.

Ingredients:
- 16 oz pasta
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 Tbs. flour
- dash of salt & pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp White Cheese, shredded
- pack of Hormel cubed ham
- about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs

I threw in the rest of the Italian mix shredded cheese that was left over from my calzone(mozzarella, provalone, and parm) so I also added an extra 1/2 cup of milk

Directions:
- cook pasta & drain
- melt butter in large skillet
- add flour, salt & pepper
- cook until smooth
- add milk and continue stirring until boiling
- still stirring, cook 1-2 more minutes until it thickens
- mix in cheeses and stir until melted
- add pasta
- pour into casserole & top with bread crumbs
-bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until crumbs start to brown

Chive & Onion Mashed Potatoes

I love Ore Ida Steam & Mash Potatoes! They are so easy to make, literally just steam the bag, pour into a bowl, and mash them. When I prepare them I usually only add milk and butter, but Jake says they taste too boring. I found a recipe from the Food & Family Magazine for these Chive & Onion Mashed Potatoes.

I prepared the Steam & Mash Potatoes as usual and then mixed in half a tub of Chive & Onion Philidelphia Cream Cheese.

New Potatoes & Old Cars

Last night, Jake grilled steaks, so I wanted to try a new potato recipe that the ladies I worked with at Bismarck have always raved about.
The recipe for Onion Roasted Potatoes is right on the back of the box for Lipton Onion Soup Mix. It's just one packet of soup mix, extra virgin olive oil, and cut up potatoes. Mix and bake. That's my kind of recipe!

Jake is working nights this week, but he still got up early today to take a friend to Venice to the airport. He pulled the car out of the garage and turned it off for a few minutes to clean it out. And then it wouldn't start. So I had a little mechanic lesson this afternoon!

Something about the starter won't release some magnet thing. So, now we have to carry around a long extender tool so if it won't start again we have to pound on the starter until it releases. I had him put it in layman's terms so I can understand it. Jake claims cars are easier than math. No way!

Just to be safe, we are running our errands on the motorcycle today!