Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce

I have a crock pot of Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce going. My 57 year old husband has high blood pressure and he's overweight. Yes, I'm a fatty too! Ugh! My sauce is so American! Just two large cans of tomato paste and 4 cans of water. Whisk until smooth and add herbs and spices and ground beef. A simple recipe with no salt added other than what's in the tomato paste.
Why do I use tomato paste only for my sauce? Well if you read a can of plain tomato sauce it says "TOMATO PASTE, WATER" That's it! And it costs a lot more than a 8 ounce can of sauce like I used to use when I was a young wife married for the second time to a 27 year old man with high blood pressure, (Yes even at that age!).

Lorraine's Kielbasa Corn Chowder

1 Ring Kielbasa. (I used Hatfield)

1 to 1 and1/2 Cup diced Onion

1 to 1 and 1/2 Cup thin sliced Celery

3-4 Cups Corn Fresh off the cob is best

3-4 Cups Yukon Gold Potatoes cut in 1/2 ” dice (They cook up firmer, hold their shape)

3-4 Cups Chicken Broth (I use water and Better Than Bullion Chicken)

2 Cups Whipping Cream

2 cloves Garlic minced

2 TB Butter

3 TB Flour

1 Tsp Salt

1/2  tsp Pepper

1 tsp Seasoned Salt

Quarter the kielbasa lengthwise and cut in thin slices, brown in a skillet, and add to the broth in the pot or crock pot.
Saute onion and celery until softened, then add that, also the corn and diced potatoes and season to your likeness.

Cook until potatoes are tender.

Add the whipping cream and heat up before making the butter rue and stirring it in to thicken the broth.

NOTE: This recipe is so good that the soup was one of the few to sell out at the soup sale! I made the soup 2 days before selling it, so the flavors could ripen. Add the whipping cream and heat up before making the butter rue and stirring it in to thicken the broth.

Magic Cake

NOTE: I found this recipe floating around Facebook. It really is delicious, I highly recommend it!
 
MAGIC CAKE

4 Eggs separated

1 tsp  Vanilla

1/8 tsp Salt (My addition since the recipe has none)

3/4 Cup Sugar (I'm going to replace it with Brown Sugar sometime for a Butterscotch taste)

1/2 Cup or stick Butter melted

3/4 Cup Flour 2 Cups Milk (I'll use Canned Milk -plus 1/2 cup water to make 2 cups) 

10X Sugar for on top

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, Grease a 8 X 8" baking dish.

Separate eggs- Beat whites into stiff peaks and set aside.

Beat yolks with sugar until light, this might take 2-3 minutes.

Add butter and vanilla-beat well.

Then add flour and mix until smooth.

Slowly add milk mix well.

Fold in egg whites 1/3 at a time, but keep in mind, this isn't easy to do with this runny batter.
 Just do your best and pour into the baking dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-70 minutes (WHAT? I said to myself.. Maybe it was a typo... I'm baking 40-50 mins) Or until set.  (I baked mine 45 min.)

CHOCOLATE Version- Use 6 and 1/2 TB Cocoa Powder and 6 TB Flour

LEMON Version- Use 1 and 3/4 Cups Milk and 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice. Also add some lemon zest if you want to,

BUTTERSCOTCH Version- Use packed Brown Sugar instead of the white sugar.

Great Grandma Jones Homemade Bread

2 Cups Scalded Milk cooled to lukewarm

2 Cups Water Lukewarm

1 Large Cake Yeast or 3 pkgs Dried Yeast

5 heaping TB Lard or Crisco (I use Canola or Olive Oil)

4 TB Sugar

4 tsp Salt

12 Cups Flour (Approx.)

In a large bowl mix Crisco, Sugar and Salt in the Scalded Milk and let cool to lukewarm, add 1 cup of lukewarm water.

Proof the yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm water by adding 1 tsp Sugar and mixing well. Let it bubble up at least an inch, then add to remaining ingredients in the bowl.
Now add about 4 cups flour using the mixer or by hand. Mix well after each addition of flour. When it gets thick enough to knead, either let the mixer knead it, if you have that attachment, or knead it by hand in the bowl or on the table top at least 100 "turns" or even 200 if you used bread flour. (Bread flour has more gluten and needs more kneading than All Purpose flour).

Place dough in a large greased bowl and oil spray the top of the dough, then cover with plastic wrap or a cotton cloth. Don't forget to oil spray the top of the dough before covering. Let rise about 1-2 hours, until double in bulk, then punch down dough turn over to empty puffy dough onto table or counter top and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape the dough into a loaf by rolling flat to remove air bubbles and then shaping into loaves. Place in oil sprayed loaf pans. I weigh mine-24 ounces for a medium loaf pan- 8 and 1/2" X 4 and 1/2 " and 30 ounces for a large loaf pan like Pampered Chef sells.

Let loaves rise until 1" above sides of pans, then bake in  400 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until a nice medium/dark brown. They should sound hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool on racks completely before slicing and or freezing.

NOTE: I personally cut the cooled loaves in slices and freeze 2-3 slices in sandwich bags so the loaf doesn't go moldy on me, taking outhem out as I need them, because there are no preservatives in them. I even freeze whole loaves and THEN thaw them and slice them and refreeze them with no problem.

Lorraine's Light Chicken Marinade

1/2 Cup Burgundy Cooking Wine

1/2 Cup Olive or Canola Oil

1 TB Kikkoman Soy Sauce

1 TB Yellow Mustard

1 TB Minced Garlic

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Emeril's Original Seasoning

1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Italian Medley

Mix well and place in a flat dish, or set aside to pour over chicken in a zip lock bag.

Cut your chicken breasts lengthwise into 3 pieces, poke holes in it with a "nail" type tenderizer on both sides.  Then place in marinade and place in fridge for about 3 hours. Turn once half way through. Grill at least 5 minutes on each side. This is a flavorful marinade that doesn't overpower your taste buds. No dipping sauce needed.

Baking Bread

I'm baking bread today! Three loaves at a time. I would have made 5 but mom and dad didn't need any.

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

3 LB whole Chicken or 6 or more large chicken thighs.

4 carrots diced small 1/4"

1 Lg Onion diced small 1/4"

2 stalks celery, diced small  1/4"

2 Cups Peas

2 TB BETTER THAN BOUILLON

1/2 heaping cup pearl Barley

10 Cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Essence of Emeril.

Throw all ingredients except the frozen peas. Let cook on high for 4 hours. Remove chicken and de-bone after it cools. Cut in bite sized pieces and add to crock pot with the 2 cups of peas. Let cook another hour then serve. This freezes well.
NOTE: Add any other veggie you like. I often add 2 LB of mixed vegetables for a more filing soup.