Cross Rhodes Academy - Homeschool Blogger

Sweet & Sour Pork

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:56:00 -0600

Sweet & Sour Pork

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice
1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
hot cooked rice

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Refrigerate pineapple chunks until ready to use.

Place pork in slow cooker; add green bell pepper and sliced onion. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, 3/4 cup pineapple juice (add water to make 3/4 cup if necessary), vinegar, water, soy sauce, and salt; blend until smooth and pour over pork and vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 hours. Add pineapple chunks about 45 minutes before end of cooking time.

Serves 4 to 6

Texas

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:41:00 -0600

This week in our study of South Central states is Texas. The capital of Texas is Austin. Did you know that its captial was named after Stephen F. Austin? He led a group of Americans that settled in Texas. We found out that Texas is famous for many great dishes because of it's diverse food heritage. Here's a great one to try...

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake

2 c. Sugar

2 . All-purpose flour

1/4 c. Cocoa

1 t Baking soda

1 t Cinnamon

1/2 c. Butter (1 stick), melted

1/2 c. Buttermilk

1/2 c. Canola or other vegetable oil

1 c. Water

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 t Vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan. Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon, and set aside.

Stir together the remaining ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. The batter will be rather thin. Pour

into your prepared pan, and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.

For the Frosting

1/4 c. Plus 2 tablespoons Milk (whole, 2%, skim - doesn't matter)

1/4 c. Cocoa

1/2 c. Butter

1 pound Confectioner's sugar, sifted (about 4 cups)

1 t Vanilla extract

1 c. Chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix the milk and cocoa in a heavy saucepan (stir, stir, stir). Add the butter and, over medium heat, stir until the butter melts. Remove from heat and

gradually stir in the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the pecans. When the cake is just out of the oven, spread the frosting evenly over the hot

cake. If you aren't sure about your oven, you can test it with one of those little dime store oven thermometers.

Note: With its comparatively thin batter, Texas Sheet Cake requires every bit of the 400° heat in your oven, if it's going to get done in 20 minutes.

If you are from Texas feel free to share a recipe with us to try. This is the last of the South Central states. I won't be back until after the holidays to share with you about our state studies. We are taking a break away from the states until then. Thank you for stopping by to learn along with us.

Slow-Cooker Sausage Dressing

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 16:53:00 -0600

Slow-Cooker Sausage Dressing

1 lb. of sausage (cooked and drained)

1 Tbs. butter (or margarine)
7 C. dry bread cubes (or unseasoned croutons)
1 C. fresh chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery
3 C. chopped apple (unpeeled)
1/4 C. fresh minced parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1-1 1/2 C. turkey stock or chicken broth.

Rub walls of a slow cooker with butter. Combine remaining ingredients and pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on High setting 1 hour; stir well; cook on LOW 2-3 hours.

Makes 8 servings

Oklahoma

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:22:00 -0600

This week in our study of South Central states is Oklahoma. The capital of Oklahoma is Oklahoma City. Did you know that in the 1890's Oklahoma became a major oil producing state? The first oil well was drilled near Chelsea in 1889. We found there were many great foods associated with Oklahoma's history so here's a recipe using some of them...

Oklahoma Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1-1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 lightly beaten eggs

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel (optional)

1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup margarine or butter

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, using a spoon, mix all cake ingredients together. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for 40-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Cake is done when it crusts on top. Cool on rack 20 minutes then invert. Mix all frosting ingredients together and spread on cake as soon as removed from pan.

We haven't tried this recipe yet but it does sound very tasty. If you are from Oklahoma feel free to share a recipe with us to try. I'll be back next week to tell you about the last state in our study of the South Central States.

Savory Stuffed Chicken Rolls

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 17:05:00 -0600

Savory Stuffed Chicken Rolls

6 boneless chicken breast halves
6 thin slices ham
6 thin slices Swiss cheese or other
1/4 to 1/2 cup flour
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Gravy Magic or other browning sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Place chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap; pound to flatten. On each chicken breast, place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese; roll up and secure with toothpicks. Dredge the chicken rolls in flour. Place mushrooms in slow cooker then top with chicken rolls. Combine chicken broth, wine, and rosemary; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Remove chicken to warm platter. Combine cornstarch, water, and gravy browning sauce; stir into chicken cooking juices and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste; pour sauce over chicken rolls.
Serves 6

Louisiana

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:23:00 -0500

This week in our study of South Central states is Louisiana. The capital of Louisiana is Baton Rouge. Did you know that in 1803 the French sold the entire Louisiana Territory to the U.S. for fifteen million dollars? It was called the "Louisiana Purchase". Early in Louisiana there was a blending of foods from Spanish, English, and French foods. We know them today as the Cajun (creole) cuisine. Here's a recipe we tried:

Louisiana Dirty Rice

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground beef
4 cups white rice, cooked
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Sauté celery, onion and green pepper in large frying pan. Add ground beef and brown lightly. Add the cooked rice, parsley, green onion tops, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and serve. I also added some paprika to bring the color to the dirty rice.

I would have had a picture of this to show you but I didn't remember it until we had eaten it up. Sorry...It's been a busy week and I've had lots of things keeping me busy. If you are from Louisiana feel free to share a recipe with us to try. I'll be back next week to tell you about the next state in our study of the South Central States.

Beans & Hot Dogs

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:30:00 -0500

Beans and Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

3 cans (16 ounces each) pork and beans
1 pound hot dogs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup ketchup
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Directions:

In crockpot, combine beans, hot dogs, ketchup, onion, molasses, and mustard. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Serves 6

Arkansas

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:46:00 -0500

This week we have started our study on the South Central states. The state we learned about this week is Arkansas. The capital of Arkansas is Little Rock. My dh happend to be born and raised in West Memphis, AR. Did you know that Little Rock is the largest city in the state of Arkansas? The tomato is Arkansas's state fruit and vegetable so here's a recipe we tried...

Arkansas BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup water

1/8 cup black pepper

3 oz brown sugar

1/8 cup red pepper flakes

3 oz Worcestershire sauce

3/4 qt red wine vinegar

3 oz yellow mustard

1/4 qt white wine

1/4 cup ketchup

3 oz salt

PREPARATION:

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour. Do not cook or store in aluminum. Store sauce in a glass container.

These are pictures of ours once it was finished cooking.

We enjoyed eating this spicy dipping sauce on some baked pork steaks. We also tried it on baked chicken the next night. If you are from Arkansas feel free to share a recipe with us to try. I'll be back next week to tell you about the next state in our study of the South Central States.

Easy Meatball Soup

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:51:00 -0500

Easy Meatball Soup

1 pound frozen meatballs, Italian seasoned
3 cups beef broth
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 cup diced potato, about 1 medium potato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 ounces (about 3 cups) frozen mixed vegetables

In crockpot, combine meatballs, broth, tomatoes, potato, onion, garlic powder, and pepper. Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours, until potatoes and onion are tender. Stir in frozen vegetables and cook on HIGH for 1 hour longer. Serves 6

***If desired, serve with a tossed salad and pass the Parmesan cheese.

I got another Award!!!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:35:00 -0500

I have been blessed again with an award. This "Gorgeous Blog Award" came from Bronwyn over at Coffeandconversatio. Thank you Bronwyn. I hope you stop on over there and check out her blog. She has a really nice one where she shares her life as a mother and wife. By accepting this award I am require to tell you six things about myself that you don't know and then award it to six other gorgeous bloggers.

Now let's see what I can come up with that will make this most interesting for you to know about me.

1. I have 2 middle names which are Louqueta Lynn (in this order). Now imagine me being required to write out my whole name as a signature with my maiden and married name hyphenated .

2. I met my dh in college. He wanted to date me for over a year but I wouldn't go out with him because I wasn't interested. He tutored me and we became good friends. I fell for him and we dated for 4 months before we got married. We've been married 13.5 years now. Who would have known ?

3. I only have one child and his birthday is coming up this week (Oct. 22nd). He will be 10 years old. My dh always jokes that God may use His sense of humor to bless us with another child after we're 40 and not thinking about raising kids any longer.

4. I am a black, shy, stay at home, 1st generation, homeschooling moma who just started blogging for the first time last Fall.

5. My favorite movie to watch EVERY YEAR around the holidays is "The Sound of Music".

6. My comfort foods are ice cream, peanut M&M's, and potatoes. I haven't had these in a while because I'm trying to have some discipline. Oh how I miss them since I'm eating healthier now. Please pray for me .

I would like to pass on this award to 6 other gorgeous bloggers who are:

1. Kela @ http://nellumsandco.blogspot.com/

2. Gidget @ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gidget/

3. Erin @ http://www.welltrainedhomeschool.blogspot.com/

4. Summer @ http://gracefromabove.blogspot.com/

5. Renee @ http://glowacademy10.blogspot.com/

6. http://devildogfamily.blogspot.com/2009/10/educaching.html