I am grateful for parents who have encouraged us to enjoy our family idiosyncrasies, and out of those, have created traditions for us, as well as passed on traditions that their parents established. If you know us very well, you know that we are foody. Meal times are tremendously important… and, well, we just enjoy the variations and excitement life offers in the form of palatable delicacies. Thus, many of our traditions are in that form… food!! Here are two of our favorite recipes that have become holiday traditions over the years:

Dad’s Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. hamburger, cooked and drained

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 c. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. pancake mix

12 eggs

1 c. milk

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a greased 3-qt. baking dish, layer meat, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the pancake mix, eggs, milk, oregano, salt, and pepper; pour over cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 45-50 min. or until top is set and lightly browned. Let stand for 10 min. before serving.

Neely Team opinions: Best when served with piping-hot grits and shredded cheddar cheese. Also, some prefer to delete the mushrooms.

Chef’s notes: Can be made ahead and frozen. Take out of freezer the night before, and then bake in the morning, leaving covered for all but the last 15-20 min.

Fabulous Fruit Bowl

2 c. water

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. lemon or lime juice

1/2 tsp. salt

3 oranges, peeled, sectioned, and chopped bite-size

3 kiwi, peeled and sliced

2 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned, and chopped bite-size

2 large apples, cubed

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 lb. green grapes

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained

In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, lime juice, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Combine fruit in large bowl; add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Neely Team opinions: We aren’t that fond of grapefruit, so we use one can of canned grapefruit in syrup (but drained) instead of 2 fresh ones.

Chef’s notes: The salad doesn’t have to have the extra 1 hour chill if the dressing has been refrigerated for a day or so and is cold. Can also substitute fresh pineapple for canned.

Problem: Taste buds craving oreo truffles, but no recipe was known.

Solution: Check online!!

A little while back, we were staying with a family who served us a delicious candy — oreo truffles!! Ahhh…. I can almost taste them now… they’re just so good, that is, if you like chocolate. If you’re looking for just the perfect snack, appetizer, dessert, hors d’oeuvres, or anything else, this will be sure to sooth an aching sweet tooth. They’re really easy to make, and best when shared with friends and family!! We passed them around at a family get-together around New Years, and one of our aunts suggested that we post the recipe (and insisted on a picture!). Great idea, Aunt Joanna!!

Enjoy!!

Oreo Truffles

1 lb Oreo cookies (3 sleeves)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or 1 tsp. mint, or almond)

1 lb. chocolate (dark or milk)

1/2 lb. white chocolate

1. Grind cookies to a fine powder in food processor. With a mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese).

2. Roll into small balls and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate for 45 min. (or freeze for 15 min.).

3. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on lined cookie sheets.

4. Drizzle melted white chocolate over chocolate balls. Let cool.

5. Store in refrigerator.

Other thoughts on this delicious treat:

~ We like to also dip in white chocolate and drizzle with dark.

~Can also roll truffles in various mixtures: chopped nuts, chocolate sprinkles, multi-colored candy sprinkles, chocolate shavings, colored sugars, etc.

For those who would like to know the nutrition facts, it was included with the recipe. (These might fluctuate based on the size ball.)

Serving Size: 1 ball

Calories: 128.2

Calories from fat: 70

Total Fat: 7.8g

Sugars: 10.8g

Saturated Fat: 4.4g

Sodium: 54.8mg

Total Carbs: 13.1

Fiber: .5g

Protein: 1.7g

To celebrate today, Kathryn and I made this yummy recipe (from a sweet lady at our church). We had lots of fun doing it together! It is easy and doesn’t take very long. Enjoy!

Creamy Almond Cheesecake

Crust:

1 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp. sugar

6 Tbsp. melted butter

Filling:

2 (8 oz. each) pkg. cream cheese

2/3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 eggs

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Press cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar into a pie pan (or a spring-form pan) and bake at 325 F for 10 min.

Meanwhile, process cream cheese, sugar, and flour in food processor for 30 sec. or until smooth. Add eggs and process 30 sec. Add lemon juice and extracts and process 15 sec. or until blended. Pour into hot crust. Return to oven – bake 30-35 min. Refrigerate uncovered 5 hrs. or overnight.

Optional  berry topping:

2 c. strawberries, washed, stemmed, and halved

1 1/2 c. blueberries

1/4 c. raspberry or blackberry jelly, melted

After cheesecake is cold, arrange strawberries in 2 rows around outside of edge. Place blueberries in center. Gently brush berries with melted jelly. Store in refrigerator.

Notes from Chef Hannah: To make graham cracker crumbs, put the crackers in a plastic bag and beat them with a hammer (but put the bag on a cutting board first so you don’t mess up your counter top!). Be sure to lick the food processor bowl and spatulas. The filling is very yummy! If you use a spring-form pan instead of a pie pan, it takes a little longer to bake.

But we had to stop here for a moment and give you these simply scrumptious sauce recipes we tried tonight! In a flurry of trying to get dinner for a hungry bunch of people and running into a few difficulties (i.e. missing ingredients ), Jessi, Amanda, and I had an absolute blast researching, dreaming, concocting, mixing, and revising them. The final results were a hit! The first one is out of From the Kitchen of Two Sisters cookbook with some of tweaking. We call it Shanghai Surprise Sauce because we didn’t know how it would turn out – - but thankfully it ending up being a pleasant surprise, though not quite like we expected! The second one is a delectable replica of a normal Chinese sweet-n-sour sauce that we found on the internet – - contorted to Neely specs as well.  Serve both sauces hot (but separately, of course ) over Basmati rice and chicken with steamed or sautéed vegetables on the side. Enjoy!!

Chef’s Notes: You can substitute white rice for Basmati. To prepare the chicken, we sauteed it in olive oil and a little salt. If you have any left-over rice after this meal, serve it for dessert with Cool-Whip and your typical ice cream toppings. Voted by the Neely Team as quite yummy!

Shanghai Surprise Sauce

Start by making soy sauce…

6 beef bouillon cubes

4 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. molasses

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of garlic powder

1 1/2 c. water

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together all ingredients. Boil together until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 min.

Then add…

1/2 c. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. cornstarch – mixed with 1/4 c. water

Bring soy sauce and other ingredients to a boil again on high for 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.

Chef’s disclaimer: We have not used the soy sauce substitute in anything but the Shanghai Surprise Sauce, and we even forgot to try it before we added the extra ingredients. Ooops! So, if you try it with something else and like it, drop us a comment.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2/3 c. distilled white vinegar

4 tsp. olive oil

1 3/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice

1/4 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar

In medium saucepan over med-low heat, whisk cornstarch and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook until thick.

Bottom:

8 c. zucchini, peeled and cut to look like apple slices
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves

Stir together in large saucepan. Cook mixture until soft/like stewed apples (about 10-15 minutes). Pour into 13”x9” glass baking dish.

Topping:

1 1/3cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup dry oatmeal 
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
2/3 c. soft butter

Stir with a fork until completely mixed and crumbly. Spread on top of zucchini mixture. Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes. Rotate halfway through cooking, and cut through topping in several places to let juices come through. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 12-16.

Cook’s notes:
* We chopped our zucchini into bite-size pieces instead of slices. And if the zucchini is really big, scoop the seeds out. One of our zucchini was a big, tough one, over a foot long and really big around (the size we would normally throw in the mulch bucket), but we cut the seeds out, and no one ever knew the difference.
* You can also bake this instead of microwaving it. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
*Light and dark granulated cane juice (Sucanat) can be substituted for the white and brown sugar.

Enjoy!!!

Step 1: Put strawberries in a large dishpan, and fill with cold water. Let them sit for a few minutes.

Step 2: Drain the berries in a colander.

Step 3: Stem them. We used sharp knives. Take as little of the berry as possible.

Step 4: Put strawberries through the food processor with a slicing blade. Or, you can quarter them.

Step 5: Put 4 c. of sliced berries in a glass measuring cup and stir 1/4 c. of sugar. Be sure to stir gently or they will get mushed.

Step 6: Pour strawberries into a labeled quart-sized FREEZER plastic bag and gently squeeze air out. Make sure you don’t get any juice on the zipper of the bag, or it will not seal and the berries will leak in your freezer!

Step 7: Place bags on a flat tray in a single layer and put in the freezer. When they are frozen, you can take the tray out.

The berries are now ready to be used in your favorite dessert or salad. We like to use them, along with a quart of frozen peaches, 1 cup of frozen blueberries, and 3-4 fresh bananas, to make a yummy breakfast.

“Who can find a virtuous woman? … She worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. (Proverbs 31: 10, 13, 14)

Several months ago, I wrote to our friends who are serving in Austria/Germany, Todd & Kim Lapato. I asked Mrs. Kim for a sample menu from over there – a common meal for the average people. My idea was to re-create that meal here for my family as well as I could, and have a special evening highlighting the Lapatos’ ministry while eating food from that country. (Since we enjoy food so much, I thought that might be a good way to make it more meaningful and memorable!) Her response was quick, mouth-watering, and far more detailed and thorough that I had even hoped for! So then came the next step: finding the perfect evening for our “missionary night.” For me,that was a little more difficult than the initial planning stage, and several months passed before we actually did it. (There were MANY nights that would’ve been great, except that we didn’t know that we’d be home or we didn’t have all the supplies or we just didn’t think about it until it was too late in the day to prepare everything!) However, the idea was “cooking” in the back of my mind all the while (pun intended ), and we finally did it – exactly five months after she sent me all the menu ideas and recipes!

It was great!! I enlisted Mom and Kathryn’s help, and we made schnitzel (a very thinly pounded filet of chicken that is dredged first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs), fried potatoes, and gravy, as well as a big salad, German style. (Mixed greens on top of individual piles of corn, kidney beans, green beans, grated carrot, and thinly sliced cucumbers in the bottom of the bowl; it was served room temperature, and the dressing was plain oil and vinegar.) Our beverage was equal parts mixed of carbonated water/apple juice – very yummy! (Again, the beverage was room temp, since Europeans don’t usually use ice in their drinks.) Dessert was apple pie (as a substitute for apple strudel) and coffee. Dad even let all the kids have coffee since it was a special occasion, which was quite a treat!

It was a delicious way to “experience” the Lapatos’ mission field, and everything was a smashing success! I’ve heard several requests since then for “Austrian chicken” (schnitzel), so I know everyone really liked that. The potatoes turned out softer than I had expected, so I want to do those again and see if we can make them a little crispier. We put Montreal Steak Seasoning on them (which is a grilling seasoning with black and red pepper in it), and they were really good, although probably a little spicier than they would normally be in Austria. Some of the salad “toppings” (they STARTED in the bottom of the bowl ) were a nice break from our norm, and I heard several votes to make salad like that again. We really enjoyed the whole menu, and I have a feeling that this won’t be the only time we have it!

After supper, we read an update letter from the Lapatos’, and we enjoyed hearing more about what life is like for them. We also got on their blog and read their list of prayer requests, and then prayed for each one specifically during our family prayer time. All in all, it was a fun (and delicious!) way to experience a little piece of missionary life, and we almost felt like we were “with” the Lapatos while we read their updates and prayed for them. Even though we couldn’t physically travel to Europe to see our friends, Missionary Night was a great way to take a mental journey there and visit them in spirit, while we also enjoyed some of the wonderful food like what we might have eaten if we did visit in person! The prayer time was very special, and we enjoyed having a whole evening devoted to just one family, so that we could pray more directly for their specific needs.

So what about you? Do you know anyone who is serving the Lord on a foreign field? Could you set up an evening devoted specifically to updating your family about their lives and ministry, learning about the culture they are living in, and praying for the needs that they have? Read their prayer letters and learn about their ministry. Find out what their needs are, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, so that you know better how to pray for them. Contact them and ask any questions that you may have about their field or lives. Tell them that you are thinking about and praying for them, and if you are going to have a Missionary Night, tell them that, too. I promise, your interest in what they are doing will encourage them greatly, and will also be a blessing to you and your family!!

Although we TRY to keep our menu planned in advance and meals prepared in plenty of time, these words do ring through our house occasionally – normally on days when we’ve been exceptionally busy with school or other projects, such as spring cleaning, produce-preserving, etc. Dad’s commute from work is only about fifteen minutes, so that doesn’t leave much time for food prep, much less checking the pantry to see if we even have all the ingredients! So when a situation like this occurs, what can we do???

For times like this, it’s always good to have a backup plan – easy meals that use staple foods from your pantry.

I’m sure that you have certain “staple” foods at your house – things that you generally always have in the pantry or freezer. Yours are probably different from ours, and ours are different from the next person’s. At our home, we almost ALWAYS have grits, sugar, eggs, cheddar cheese, salt, peanut butter, and “baby” carrots. We also keep milk and flour and pasta, green beans, salsa, and applesauce. Furthermore (for those of you who want to know what REALLY makes the Neelys panic), it is an officially declared State of Emergency when we use up the last of the chocolate chips!!! (Hmmm……maybe I shouldn’t have just admitted that……)

Anyway, back to my point…

Keep a mental (or if you’re more organized, a written) list of “backup meals” – those things that you keep the ingredients for and can efficiently pull out of your barns and storehouses for a quick and delicious repast. We have a few of those, one of which I’m going to share here. It only has three main ingredients – the sauce has a few more – and these items are all staple foods at our house, making this recipe great for a quick fix. (I think it was actually developed on one of those rushed-prep nights…)

Easy Chicken Quesadillas

10 10” flour tortillas

4 c. chopped or shredded cooked chicken*

4 c. grated cheddar cheese

   Hot sauce:** (I invented this while trying to copy a restaurant sauce that I like. I was unsuccessful at duplication, but our people love it anyway!)

3/4 c. sour cream

2 T. salsa

1 t. hot sauce (like Tabasco or Texas Pete)

1/4 t. red pepper

1/4 t. salt (optional)

Lay out five tortillas on baking trays. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of chicken on each tortilla, then sprinkle 3/4 cup of cheese on top of the chicken. (Use all the chicken and cheese.) Mix together all hot sauce ingredients; spread the remaining tortillas with sauce (as much or as little as you prefer). Place each tortilla, sauce side down, on chicken tortillas. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden and cheese is melted. Cut and serve with sour cream, salsa, and remaining hot sauce. Enjoy!

*Anytime we are cooking chicken in any form – grilled, boiled, baked, etc. – we try to make some extra. Then we chop the leftovers and freeze them in plastic bags, ready for spur-of-the-moment meals like this one. It is also extremely handy for recipes that only call for “1/2 cup of cooked chicken” or some other small increment.

**This makes a mildly hot sauce which our whole family enjoys. You can adjust the amounts of pepper or Tabasco sauce to suit your taste. It also makes a good dip for tortilla chips.

Sugar Cookie Granola

2 cups whole wheat flour

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup flax seed

1/2 cup water

1 cup oil

1 cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 tsp. almond extract

1 Tbsp. salt

Dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, apples, etc.) (optional)

Combine flour, oats, coconut, and chopped pecans in large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Put flax seed in blender and grind into a course powder. Add water, oil, honey, flavors, and salt. Blend for 30 seconds or until well-mixed. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread on 3 baking sheets and bake @ 200 for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Cool completely. Sprinkle with dried fruit if desired and store in air-tight container.

Notes:

This is another one of those “spatula” recipes. You have to keep one close by to swat any little (but usually big) fingers that just happen to find their way to the bowl for a little snitch.

Well, the cake was in the oven, and everything seemed to be going very well. The aroma of a cake baking in the oven is something that I find hard to compare to anything else. Its just so, ummm, inviting… and it smells so good…nay, scrumptious. Anyway, I continued following the recipe. Now was the time to mix up the pudding. Put the pudding in the pot, pour in the milk, add the butter, stir in the vanilla… the project was going very well. But, then I realized that the pudding wasn’t thickening, and I wanted to use it as a frosting, not a glaze. Some observers came in about then, and willingly offered to taste-test it for me, just in case I had forgotten anything. (We even thought about adding cornstarch to it, but I guess if we had, it wouldn’t have produced quite the same memory, so I’m glad we didn’t.) But the good news was that the general vote was that it was really good.

So, the cake came out of the oven, and after it cooled, I layered it with the pudding mixture. Cake, pudding, cake, pudding, cake, pudding… it was all on… temporarily… that’s when the sliding began. There’s nothing quite like seeing a freshly baked cake sliding all over a plate while you’re trying to assemble it. We did our best to get it to “stand” still long enough to put it in the fridge.

Upon delivering it to the table after a delicious supper, it looked rather interesting, to say the least. I think Daddy was expecting it to be a normal birthday cake… but no, it definitely was not. If I recall correctly, it was still slipping and sliding around on the plate, pudding and bananas oozing out the sides, requiring extra caution, especially during transport.

It was dished up, and there was quite the discussion going on over this new invention, and it was an invention, because I’m sure no one had ever done this recipe that way before. It was a humorous desert to behold, that’s for sure. Daddy affectionately called it “Banana Flop Cake” – that gives an idea of what it looked like. Thankfully,it tasted really good, and ever since that night, there has been a frequent request to make it again. It turned out to be one of the most wonderful tasting messes ever imaginable!

Finally, we made it again today; this time we did it according to the recipe and made it in a 13×9 pan. Everything was going really well. And once again the wonderful aroma was filling the kitchen. Ahhhh, it smelled so good! Then, Beep, Beep, Beep… the timer was ringing, so I opened the oven, and to my surprise, the cake had risen over the edge of the pan! How was I supposed to put the pudding mixture on top of that, especially with it runny enough to get all over the counter?!?! I ended up dumping it, upside down, into a 15×11 pan, and then drizzling the pudding over it. It was delicious, and thoroughly enjoyed. And, even though this time it looked nice, it still will always have the name of “Banana Flop Cake.”  Ahhhh, memories!

Sometimes God gives us something to do and we just make a total mess of it. However, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” He can take our mess and turn it into something desirable – a ministry opportunity, a life lesson, an example or encouragement to others – which shows His sovereignty and grace, making something beautiful out of our disaster and bringing glory to Himself!!

Lessons to be learned:

• Be careful when altering recipes – you never know what may happen!
• Don’t give up, even when you make a mess twice!
• Make sure you laugh when life sends cake in unusual ways!

Oh… I guess you were probably waiting for the recipe. So, here it is… and think about us if you make it… and enjoy!

Banana Pudding Cake (aka “Banana Flop Cake”)

Cake:

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 15×11 baking dish; set aside.

Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low for 1 minute. Stop mixer, scrape sides of bowl, then continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Batter should be thick and well-blended. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it out with rubber spatula. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place it on wire rack to cool.

• 1 large package  vanilla instant pudding mix
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 stick butter, cut up
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups sliced bananas (about 3 large)

While cake is baking, prepare the pudding. Place pudding mix and milk in a medium saucepan. Fold in butter and vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring, until butter melts (about 3-4 minutes).Remove pan from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Fold in banana slices.

To prepare cake, spoon pudding over cooled cake, making sure all edges are covered. Optional: Serve with whipped topping and/or crushed vanilla wafer cookies sprinkled over the top. Refrigerate cake, loosely covered for up to 3 days.

Jessi’s version:

• Use two small boxes pudding mix instead of 1 large – makes it a little bit thicker, and I used 1 vanilla and 1 banana cream.
• We think its best served cold, but the recipe says to serve at room temperature. Follow your taste buds.
• You could try it in a 13×9, or in 3  9-inch round cake pans; I personally think it would do best in the 15×11. *grin*
• We didn’t have any whipped topping, so we just served it with a can of whipped cream, which is Dad’s personal favorite.