September Foodie Holidays: Week 4

Sept. 22: Ice Cream Cone Day
Sept. 23: Pot Pie Day, Key Lime Pie Day, White Chocolate Day
Sept. 24: Cherries Jubilee Day
Sept. 25: Lobster Day (Official, by act of Congress and everything)
Sept. 26: Pancake Day
Sept. 27: Corned Beef Hash Day, Chocolate Milk Day
Sept. 28: Strawberry Cream Pie Day
Sept. 29: Coffee Day
Sept. 30: Hot Mulled Cider Day

Sometimes you might want to include notes or comments from the contributor. They might be about where the recipe came from, special instructions, optional information... anything really that isn't critical to the instructions themselves.

I credit this recipe to my daughter, even though she doesn't make them.

Pancakes with Sprinkles

Pancake mix

Water

Multicolor “jimmies” sprinkles

Mini chocolate chips

Directions: Heat a nonstick griddle (or spray your pan with cooking spray). Prepare the pancake mix as usual, but add sprinkles and chocolate chips to the batter. (For 4 pancakes, about 1 tsp. sprinkles and 1 Tbsp. chocolate chips.) Cook as usual.

NOTE: I started making these for her after she had “Sprinkle Pancakes” from the kid’s menu at a local breakfast restaurant, and I saw “Birthday Cake Pancake” mix in the grocery store for twice the price. The jimmies melt as they cook, making these very much like Funfetti pancakes, without the cost. The chocolate chips were her addition, and insistence. (WW)

September Foodie Holidays: Week 3

Sept. 15: Linguini Day
Sept. 16: Guacamole Day
Sept. 17: Apple Dumpling Day
Sept. 18: Cheeseburger Day
Sept. 19: Butterscotch Pudding Day
Sept. 20: Rum Punch Day
Sept. 21: Pecan Cookie Day

This was another recipe that didn't make the first edition cookbook and had to be flown in from California; from my sweet sister-in-law.

Guacamole

2 avocados

2 green onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato, diced

1 serrano pepper, seeds and all

cilantro, to taste

lime juice, to taste

salt, to taste

Directions: Mince onions, garlic, cilantro and pepper together. Halve avocado, discard pits and scoop flesh into a ceramic or glass bowl. Add tomato and minced vegetables. Add lime and salt to taste. Mix.

Note: Use only plastic utensils on avocados to minimize oxidation.

September Foodie Holidays: Week 2

Sept. 8: Date Nut Bread Day
Sept. 9: Wiener Schnitzel Day
Sept. 10: TV Dinner Day
Sept. 11: Hot Cross Bun Day
Sept. 12: Chocolate Milkshake Day
Sept. 13: Peanut Day
Sept. 14: Cream-Filled Doughnut Day

No recipes for this week, just a tip! My husband's grandmother used to save the partitioned aluminum TV dinner trays, wash, and then make her own TV dinners with her own leftovers. While it may not be practical to save the plastic thingies that little frozen dinners come in today (and some come in biodegradable cardboard), you can buy partitioned plates that are microwave safe and make your own "TV dinners."

Pay attention to which recipes "freeze well" or "reheats well" or conversely "doesn't reheat well" if you get recipes with those sort of notes. If you have a handful of recipes that do, and the rest don't, ask the contributors – "Hey, how does X reheat, does it make good leftovers?" – and include those additional notes in the cookbook. If you're trying to save a little money and take lunches to work and not eat out, knowing which things reheat well (and which don't!) is great information to have.

September Foodie Holidays: Week 1

September is National Biscuit Month, Better Breakfast Month, Whole Grains Month, Honey Month, Mushroom Month, Potato Month, and Rice Month.

Sept. 1: Cherry Popover Day, Gyro Day
Sept. 2: Blueberry Popsicle Day, Grits-for-Breakfast Day
Sept. 3: Welsh Rarebit Day
Sept. 4: Macadamia Nut Day
Sept. 5: Cheese Pizza Day
Sept. 6: Coffee Ice Cream Day
Sept. 7: Acorn Squash Day

My mom stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her mother-in-law to get this recipe. I'm glad she did, because by the time I compiled the family cookbook, Mamaw had already died.

Biscuits

4 C. self-rising flour

1/2 C. powdered milk

handful shortening

water

Directions: Put flour in a bowl. Make a well in the flour; pour the powdered milk in it. Add the shortening. Add water, a little at a time, working in flour from the sides. When the consistency is right, scoop by handfuls onto a floured surface. Pat into a biscuit shape with floured hands. Bake at 450ºF until light golden brown.