Real recipes used by real people—tested over and over again by the families that love them!


 


 

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| Featured Recipes | Cookbook Reviews | Kitchen Product Reviews |

Summer Family Get Togethers

As spring gives way to summer, many families will be planning get togethers, whether for family reunions or for July 4 or some other special holiday. In Texas, family get togethers are highly anticipated for the good company and the good food. Each attending family brings one or more dishes to the pot luck, and there is always enough food for many more than show up. One of the family favorite deserts over the past years for our family has been Lemon Bisque. In the 1960's, Lemon Bisque was the favorite dessert served in the Liberty Hill School cafeteria (Texas). The students all wanted the recipe so much that the cooks sent the recipe to the classroom teachers who wrote it on the chalkboard. Charles Pogue, (in the fifth grade, we believe) copied the recipe from the blackboard and brought it to his mom so she could make it for him. Soon after he brought the recipe home, it became an staple at reunions, holidays and Sunday dinners. There is nothing quite like the cool, sweet, lemony taste of this fantastic dessert.

Charles, who often begged the cafeteria cooks to give him the extra graham cracker crumbs left in the Lemon Bisque pans, continues to this day to love this dessert. Over the years, when he returned home to visit his parents, his mom always made sure to have Lemon Bisque waiting for him when he got there. It was a very special welcome home.

Featured Recipe: Lemon Bisque

Lemon Bisque

1 pkg. lemon Jell-o
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup corn starch
juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
2 cups crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 ounces melted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
13 oz. can cold evaporated milk
  1. Dissolve Jell-o in hot water, add lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
  2. Combine cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and butter. Mix well. Save 1/2 cup crumbs for the topping. Press cracker crumb mixture into a 9"X13" pan, firm and even. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
  3. Warm cheese to room temperature until soft. Add sugar and vanilla. Cream well. Pour milk in a cold bowl and whip until stiff.
  4. Add gelatin mixture. Whip mixture together, then add cheese mixture. Whip until well mixed. Spread over graham cracker crust. Refrigerate overnight or 3 to 4 hours.

Easy Print Recipe

 

Recipe Book Review: The Ultimate Mixer Cookbook

Published by Running Press, The Ultimate Mixer Cookbook is a great gift at less than $20, expecially for the cook on your list that has the KitchenAid® stand mixer. This cookbook by Rosemary Moon and Katie Bishop, starts with an introductory section that details the different accessories that can be purchased for the KitchenAid® stand mixer, and covers how to use each. A Blueprint for Success section provides helpful hints in using the KitchenAid® stand mixer to best advantage. The Table of Contents includes:

  • Light Lunches
  • Midweek Meals
  • Easy Entertaining
  • Effortless Desserts
  • Cakes and Bakes
  • Breads and Buns
This cookbook is designed for the owner of the KitchenAid© stand mixer. Full color pictures throughout the cookbook show how most of the 80 recipes in this cookbook should turn out. Each recipe states the amount of preparation time and number of servings the recipe makes. One of my favorite recipes in the cookbook is Light Rye Bread on page 146. The White Chocolate Truffle Cake on page 120 is wonderful. While there are some recipes I won't use (for instance, I don't care for lobster), this cookbook has enough extra information on how to use the KitchenAid® stand mixer and accessories that it is a great tool for the kitchen.

Recommendation: red plate iconred plate iconred plate iconred plate icon½ red plate icon (4 ½ of 5 red plates)
Highly Recommended: The only reason I don't give this cookbook 5 of 5 red plates, is that it only has 80 recipes. That said, the full-color photos and extra information make this a cook's delight to read and thumb through. This is an excellent gift for the holidays!

Kitchen Tool Review: West Bend 77201 Electric Can Opener

The West Bend 77201 Electric Can Opener comes in red, blue, black, white, and metallic silver. The cord has a bin so that it is not stretched out over the countertop in the way, but the best feature (other than the fact that it works very well as a can opener) is the button on top that allows you to remove the entire cutting assembly for washing. This greatly enhances the ability of the cook to keep the can opener clean. The assembly easily snaps back into place, ready for the next can. A magnetized arm capture the can lid as it completes opening the can to prevent the lid falling into the can's contents. It is tall enough to open gallon size cans, but slender enough that it takes very little countertop space.

Recommendation: red plate iconred plate iconred plate iconred plate iconred plate icon (5 of 5 red plates)

Highly recommended: Through the years, I have had several electric can openers. Most of them were difficult to clean, and some were too small to open large cans. The West Bend 77201 Can Opener has neither of those problems. For cooks who have trouble using a traditional can opener, the electric can opener can be a blessing. This particular can opener is both a blessing and a joy. At about $35, it makes a great gift, especially for adults who have arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

 

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