From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     Since we are camping this weekend, I thought I'd include a Dutch oven recipe. It's our favorite way to cook! With this recipe I thought I might try to use the chocolate pie filling and make a really decadent dessert....MMMM! Can't wait!

Dutch Oven Campfire Cobbler

By MommyMakes on June 10, 2005

Photo by MommyMakes

4 Reviews

• 
• Prep Time: 1 mins
• Total Time: 11 mins
• Serves: 8, Yield: 1 cobbler

About This Recipe

"I combined a couple of ideas and came up with this. This is for a deep 12 inch cast iron dutch oven. Amounts are approximate, use whatever size cake mix and pie filling you have, easily double the recipe for bigger crowds. We burned ours in about 10 minutes by putting a too hot log on top so BE SURE TO CHECK IT OFTEN!"

Ingredients

• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) boxes yellow cake mix or 1 (18 1/4 ounce) boxes white cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
• 2 (21 ounce) cans fruit pie filling
• cinnamon, to taste
• 25 charcoal, briquettes ( at least)

Directions

1. Place dutch oven over approximately 15 charcoal briquettes or over coals on a flat spot in the fire ring.
2. Empty pie filling into Dutch oven.
3. Spread dry cake mix on top of pie filling and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.
4. Cut butter or margarine into even sized pieces and arrange on top.
5. Put lid on dutch oven and arrange 10 hot charcoal briquettes in a checkerboard pattern on top or scatter hot coals over lid.
6. Bake until done (this could be anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes depending on how hot your fire/coals are).

Thoughts on a Thursday...

Here's a new word to learn from my favorite type of novel....

ly·can·thrope

   [lahy-kuhn-throhp, lahy-kan-throhp]  Show IPA

noun

1.

a person affected with lycanthropy.

2.

a werewolf or alien spirit in the physical form of abloodthirsty wolf.

What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday?...

     So, here it is Wednesday and I'm wondering What's In Your Library Bag this hot and humid Wednesday?? It's a great day to stay IN and read, don't you think?
     Remember when I wrote about our Adult Reading Program this summer, Blind Date With a Book?? I kept hearing such great things about it from our patrons that I finally took the plunge and checked out my first book! It was hard, I must admit. I picked out 3 different books, and then shut my eyes and told Kathy to pick one for me, because I just couldn't do it! Not knowing what I was going to read was killing me! What if I didn't like it? What if I couldn't even muddle through it. I wanted to commit to trying something new, but I was so worried about finding a book that I wanted to read, it was hard to embrace the idea of reading something totally different from my norm.
     Now, you all know what kinds of books I typically read, right? Guess what my first Blind Date book is??!!

     I won't keep you in suspense....It's The Shunning by Beverly Lewis. Amish. Inspirational. Nothing I would have chosen for myself. Surprisingly, not as bad as I expected. Even though I am somewhat of a niche reader, I can branch out. This book, however, not my favorite story, is still readable. The ways the Old Order Amish are depicted are quite interesting. Because it's hard to grasp the idea of a shunning and how they could believe in such a thing, it makes me want to look it up and see if some of the things are true or completely fictionalized. I want to learn more about the Amish. What a good book! It makes me want to read more. Reading. That's the whole idea.
     The characters are well developed and the story moves right along. There isn't a whole lot of tension, like a mystery would have, and very little even hand holding, certainly no kissing, but reading out of your box is the point in the end. And this book is someone's favorite, just not my typical read.
     Perhaps I'll find another author that I love and perhaps not, but I will have branched out and tried something new. And you should, too!! I urge you to try Blind Date With a Book. It's hard to let go of that control over what you are reading, but ultimately freeing and enlightening in the end.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Here's something from Pioneer Woman to go along with all those great burgers you've been grillin'!

Recipe: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever

Prep Time: 10 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

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Ingredients

• 4 cups Elbow Macaroni
• 3 whole Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped (more To Taste, Can Also Use Pimentos)
• 1/2 cup Black Olives, Chopped Fine
• 6 whole Sweet/spicy Pickle Slices, Diced (about 1/2 Cup Diced)
• 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced (white And Dark Green Parts)
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Or Distilled Vinegar
• 3 teaspoons Sugar, More Or Less To Taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• Plenty Of Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Milk (more If Needed)
• Splash Of Pickle Juice (spicy Sweet Pickles)
• Extra Pickle Juice To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.

Mix together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Splash in enough milk to make it pourable. Splash in pickle juice for extra flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.

Place cooled macaroni in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing. Toss and add more dressing if you'd like. (Dressing will seem a little thin, but it will thicken up as salad chills.)

Stir in olives, roasted red peppers (or pimentos), pickles, and green onions. Add more of any ingredient if you'd like more stuff going on! At the end, splash in a little more pickle juice and stir.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with sliced green onion to serve!

From Our Recipe Box to Yours....

Here's the next installment in my burgers for grilling....

*Perfect Burger* - makes 4 patties
1 lb ground beef
1/2 C quick-cooking oats
1 egg
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
*optional to add 3/4 C sharp cheddar cheese

Mix until well combined. Form 4 patties. Grill over med-high heat 3-5 min per side.

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

Tis the season for grilling!! I thought I might share a few different burger recipes to try this summer...Here's the first installment from Pinterest...Have you been to Pinterest yet?? It's definitely addicting!!

Best Burger Recipe Ever with Secret Sauce

4.0 from 28 reviews

Print

Recipe type: Entree

Author: Ashley Stock – Little Miss Momma

I am kinda a stickler when it comes to homemade burgers. I can’t stand the dryness of pre-constructed or frozen patties, or when the patty turns into a giant dome that I can hardly bite into–and my burger muuust have cheese. So last year I set about creating the perfect burger, and you know what? I don’t even make it on the grill.

Ingredients

• Burger
• ground beef 85/15
• sesame seed buns
• 1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• season salt to taste
• cracked black pepper
• onion powder
• Secret Sauce
• 3/4 cup of mayo
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup relish
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire
• seasoned salt

Instructions

1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.
2. Then it is very important to push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty–this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome. These burgers stay extra moist because the bbq sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.
3. Wait for the skillet to get super hot and then apply a very thin layer of butter to the pan. Place the patties on the pan, indent side up.
4. Reduce heat to medium and allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.
5. For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.
6. Assemble the burgers and serve with avocado, lettuce or your choice of toppings!

Notes

I also butter and toast the buns on a skillet Pioneer Woman style. Something about a sesame seed bun makes the burger seem more legit.

Thoughts on a Thursday...

Here's a good one for today...

imponderable

   \ im-PON-der-uh-buhl \  , noun;

1.

A thing that cannot be precisely determined or measured.

adjective:

1.

Not ponderable; that cannot be precisely determined, measured, or evaluated.