Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ah, vacation.  For us, that means sleeping in, no where to be unless we want to go there.  It also means being able to prepare breakfast instead of just a quick bowl of cereal or muffin on the way out the door.    I've been collecting breakfast recipes for weeks.  I've never made anything but traditional pancakes, so I was excited to give these a try. 

The batter comes together quickly, but make sure you note the 1 hour refrigeration time.   I only have a 10" skillet, so I used the full 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.   Don't over grease the pan, it just needs the lightest touch if your skillet is good.   Be confident when you flip, I hesitated on the first one and made a bit of a mess.    My pancakes got a touch more color than they should probably have, but my flat stove top has hot spots that I'm still trying to figure out.

What better place to enjoy a lovely breakfast than the patio?  Thank you so much to Lise T for sharing her recipe!

This week, two of …

School's out and that means my teenage son is home all day, rummaging through the cabinets and fridge, grumbling about being hungry.   I like to keep some sweet and savory things on hand to cover both bases.    Muffins are a go-to.   They come together so quickly, and I can make them when I have time and freeze them.

I pinned these muffins a while back from Taste of Home, and since strawberries are in season in NH right now, that's what I used for the fruit.  I'll make another batch in a few weeks with blueberries.   I love that the recipe calls for tossing the fruit in the flour, that's a great way to keep all the berries from sinking to the bottom.   I also like to sprinkle the tops of muffins with raw sugar, it gives them a nice crunch.

No grumbling from the son about these.   Next time I'll do half the batch as minis, they'll be great for on the go snacks and way better than the store bought ones.   Thank you Linda G for sharing your recipe!

There have bee…

Disclaimer- This is a sponsored post. I was provided with a selection of Cabot Cheese in order to create an original recipe.  All opinions are my own. 
Being from New England, we are huge Cabot fans.   We've toured the Visitor's Center, and there's always some of their products in our fridge.     It was like Christmas in June when my box of cheese arrived.  I knew immediately I wanted to use the Chipotle Cheddar, but what to make?  Should I do a twist on the cheese-stuffed crescent-wrapped hot dogs?  Mac n cheese?   I kept bouncing back and forth between a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese, so I decided to make the best of both worlds- a patty melt.

I like to use my Griddler, it cooks so much faster and evenly than a skillet.  I put the cheese in the freezer while I mixed the taco seasoning and the ground beef.     I cooked the patties to medium, removed them and gave the surface a quick wipe down with a paper towel.   I buttered the bread, and then placed 4 slices buttere…

This week I'm celebrating the 2 year anniversary of becoming a Volunteer Field Editor for Taste of Home and what better way to do it than with these Stuffed Hash Browns?     

I couldn't find the refrigerated hash browns, so I bought frozen, and let them defrost. I like fresh cracked black pepper and kosher salt.  I used minced dried onion and dried chives, it's what I had on hand.   This is one of those recipes that I hope I get the picture on the first few frames, because I just want to EAT!    They definitely did not disappoint- crispy seasoned potatoes, packed with bacon and  topped with a dollop of sour cream.   Perfection.  Thank you to Annie P for sharing the recipe!


* Exported from MasterCook *

                           Stuffed Hash Browns

  1            package  refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes -- (20 ounces)
     1/4           cup  finely chopped onion- I used 1T minced dried onion
     1/2      teaspoon  salt
     1/4      teaspoon  pepper
  4        …

Did you know June is National Dairy Month?  This week I'll be sharing recipes that feature some of our favorite dairy products, along with an amazing giveaway sponsored by Cabot Cheese.  I'd like to thank From Gate to Plate and Cooking with Carlee for hosting this event, be sure to check out the recipes they and the other bloggers are sharing via the links at the bottom of the post!

I'm kicking things off with this fantastic no bake Frosty Chocolate Pie.   We've had some hot weather here in New England, and I've been pinning no bake desserts like crazy.  I knew this one would be a winner with my guys. It came together in no time at all.  I did cheat and use a store bought Oreo crust because I had it on hand.  I upped the dairy products even more by making my own whipped cream- 1/2c of heavy cream and 1T sugar.   For quickest and best results when whipping cream, be sure to chill the bowl and beaters of your mixer in the freezer.

I had grand plans to photograph the …

Are you a klutz in the kitchen?  Do you have the best intentions, but then as things get underway it all goes sideways?   Even the best of us can suffer a disaster in the kitchen.   There was the time that I slaved over a double layer pineapple upside down cake and managed to flip it out of the pan and onto the floor instead of the serving plate.  Or the time that I made blackened chicken parmesan...

My husband worked 2nd shift when we were first married and wasn't a fan of leftovers or reheated food.   I used to wait up and make his dinner for him so that it was ready when he got home.    Chicken parm is hands down his favorite meal.  I'd bread and bake the chicken at a normal hour, and then about 15 minutes before he was due home, I'd pop it back in the oven with the sauce and cheese to finish.   I'd had a particularly long day at work, and didn't press the button on the timer.   I dozed off in front of the tv, and woke an hour later to the smoke detector going o…

For years I've sworn that I am going to get over my fear/hate relationship with yeast, and every year, it still hangs on.    A few weeks back I made the Angel Biscuits and those went fairly well, and I thought, now's the time for bread.  Several other Taste of Home Volunteer Field Editors shared their reviews of this recipe, and that boosted my confidence even more.

Here's the thing, bread can't be rushed, you can't force it to rise.  I chose to make this on a day where I had nowhere to be and could give it as much time as it needed.  It wasn't the warmest of days, so I preheated the oven, propped open the door and then proofed it above it.  First rise went swimmingly.  I punched the dough down and moved it to the baking dish for the second rise, but I wasn't happy with the appearance.   I could tell it was going to make a bumpy rough loaf, which my guys can turn their noses up at.   I removed the dough and shaped it into a loose ball like this.   Just fol…

The calendar is telling me that it's the first thursday in June (where did May go?) and that means it's time to #FillTheCookieJar!   This month's theme is Summer, and I had a bit of a hard time getting into the spirit of things.  May was a rainy, rainy month and a few nights we had to put the heat back on.   While I was bundled back into my flannel shirt, all I could think about was a roaring campfire, and making S'mores.  I found this recipe from Abby M on the Taste of Home website.

I made no changes to the ingredients, but I do have issue with most recipes that use "S'mores" in the title.   Melted marshmallows are not the same as toasted marshmallows.  For it to really be a S'more to me, it has to have that toasted (sometimes charred) flavor.   Instead of microwaving the cookies with the marshmallows on top, I placed them back onto the baking sheet and put them under the broiler until they were toasted.   You could also use a kitchen torch.


We total…