Just Blanche

In honor of Girl Scout Cookie booth sales which occur in the month of March, I have decided to share some links with you! I am a former Girl Scout and have been a Girl Scout Leader for several years. My co-leader (my Cookie Mom) and I have booth sales down to a science! I always purchase extra cookies to not only enjoy with my family and friends, but I use them to make some awesome recipes! I have also had a few parties where we pair the cookies with beer and wine! The money we raise through cookie sales, supports the girls.  We are 100% girl lead.  They vote on what they want to do. They may want to learn about horse back riding. Therefore, we visit a horse farm and learn all about horses including riding horses! We have visited places like Dunkin Donuts, Panera's, Pizza Places, TV Stations, Digital Newspaper Facility, Family Court Tour, Dr.'s Offices, Hospitals, Apple Farms, Animal Rescue, Airport Tour, and Silk Screening just to name a few! ...

There was a disagreement in the house. I asked what everyone wanted for dinner! My daughter wanted baked potatoes and my son wanted tacos. I said let's have both!  I got an ..... "oooh kkk?" I said let's combine them. The looks were skeptical. I started to describe what I had hoped to be the end product. They were so excited to make these with me! We went grocery shopping: russet potatoes ✔ ground beef ✔ taco seasoning ✔ sharp cheddar cheese ✔ lettuce ✔ tomatoes ✔ sour cream ✔  I wrote about this in a previous blog.  I found out the hard way, if you are making true baked potatoes, russet potatoes are a must! You need patience to make true baked potatoes. We started by washing the russet potatoes. Run under water and you can use your hands to remove any dirt. After washing them, using a fork, poke holes all over the potatoes. Next take some aluminum foil and either spray vegetable oil on one side of the foi...

Growing up, whenever we have stuffed artichokes, it was a real treat!  I remember watching my grandmother prepare the artichokes.  She prepared them with such ease! It takes me much longer to prepare them ! I found these mammoth artichokes. I cut off the bottom and tops of the artichokes.  Then I trimmed the tops of the other leaves.  They are pointy, so I took my kitchen shears and gave them a haircut!  I even trimmed the inner leaves in the center of the artichokes.  I then started the tedious task of stuffing the artichokes!  Have patience and time for this task. I added a glass of wine (for me) to help (me) with the this process. I used seasoned Italian style bread crumbs.  I scooped the breadcrumbs with a teaspoon and placed the breadcrumbs in between the leaves. There were only 4 artichokes and it seemed like it took forever! Then placed them in a deep pan and added water.  Fi...

My sister in law and I went out for dinner one night. She told me I had to try the soup! I thought it was odd. Normally I do not go out dinner for soup! I took one bite and was hooked! It was fabulous! I loved it so much, that I decided to try and duplicate the recipe! I was successful! Start by chopping 1 medium sized onion. If you do not want to attempt chopping an onion, purchase pre-chopped onions. You will need about 1 cup of pre-chopped onion. Also, chop 1 clove of garlic. Again, if you are like me, I keep a jar of mined garlic in my refrigerator. Use 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic.  Next, in a large pot, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic until translucent. About 2-3 minutes.  Add 3 bay leaves.  Cut the artichokes into smaller pieces.  Add to the pot. Next add the tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of dried bas...

This is comfort food. I first made this not long after I was married.  One night my brother-in-law stopped over while I was preparing dinner. He had never had corn flake chicken. He was intrigued. He watched me make this recipe. He kept saying "Is that you are doing with the chicken?" I kept telling him, "Just trust me!" I made mashed potatoes and green beans that night to go along with the chicken. He was blown away. Every now and then he will ask for that meal! That is a compliment!  My son loves this recipe! When I made this I did make mashed potatoes. I had frozen mixed vegetables that I also made as a side dish.  I love cranberry sauce with chicken. I did not have any cranberry sauce. But I did have apple sauce! That was a fantastic combination! It may sound odd, but it worked! You have to experiment when cooking!  This is how you find out likes/dislikes! Line a pan with heavy duty aluminum foil (Ag...