Hi, Y’all ~ Come on in, set a spell…and join me, the farmer’s wife, in a recipe exchange…we all love t’ eat, and I know we all have our favorite, tried ‘n’ true recipes…but sometimes you just wanna try somethin’ new…or find a new twist on an old favorite…so I hope y’all will feel free to share some of your favorites with us, and I’ll share some of our faves with you….
I’ll put the coffee on…
Caddo Critter Farmer
The (Mis)Adventures of a re-located, retired "city-boy-turned-farmer" & his 'raised-in-the-country' bride, living, & loving, the rural life.
Caddo Critter Farmer 
whers the recipes Miss Beth
DOG, PIG, & COW CASSEROLE (OLD MCDONALD’S MAC ‘N’ CHEESE)
Ingredients:
3 c. cooked elbow macaroni
1 c. milk
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
½ pound hot dogs, sliced 1/4″ thick
½ pound bacon, fried and broken into bite size pieces.
Mix milk and cheese soup; set aside. Alternate in casserole dish, layers of macaroni, hot dogs and bacon. Top with milk-cheese mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. You may top with cheese slices of your choice 15 minutes before serving.
Haystacks (aka Coconut Macaroons)
These are so good, so chewy, and so quick ‘n’ easy to make…
To make ‘em:
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg white
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
To bake ‘em:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until combined. Stir in the coconut until well blended.
Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Use your fingers to shape the cookies into loose haystacks, moistening your hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking.
Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to a wire rack with a wide metal spatula. Cool completely before storing in airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen haystacks.
COUNTRY BREAKFAST BOWL
Serves 4 (Unless you’re a teenager or a very hungry adult, then it only serves 2…LOL)
Ingredients:
1) 1 small (5 count) can jumbo buttermilk biscuits, baked as directed on can, then split and buttered. (Or you can whip up a batch from scratch, but mine aren’t very good, so I let the Dough Boy do the hard part)
2) 6-8 eggs, scrambled & cooked to your liking
3) 1 recipe Bacon Cream Gravy (see below)
Directions:
Break warm biscuits into bite sized pieces, divide evenly between four soup/cereal bowls. Next, divide the eggs evenly between the bowls on top of the biscuit pieces. Top with Bacon Cream Gravy, and enjoy!
Bacon Cream Gravy
Ingredients:
8 slices bacon, fried crisp & crumbled into “bits” (of course you can use more if you really LOVE bacon)
4 tablespoons bacon drippings
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 – 2 cups milk (less for thicker, more for thinner)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
salt and pepper, heavy on the pepper
A shake (or two!) of garlic powder ( YES, GARLIC! It really makes the gravy taste a lot better.)
To make gravy:
Put drippings in a skillet over med-high heat. When hot, whisk in the flour until well blended; cook & stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, until bubbly & light golden brown. Add milk & spices, whisking constantly; cook & whisk until the gravy comes to a rolling boil and thickens; add bacon pieces, whisk in the cream if using, remove from heat & serve.
Okay…I’m not too sure how to do this, so I’m just going to post a link here and hope I’m not infringing on any copyrights…have not tried this method of cooking eggs, but plan on doing so…probably later on today…
HARD STEAMED EGGS (from the Fresh Eggs Daily blog)
http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/01/hard-steamed-eggs.html
Homemade Marshmallow Fluff (aka Marshmallow Creme)
So delicious! Use this homemade marshmallow fluff/creme in any recipe that calls for marshmallow fluff. In fact, you could use it and Homemade Peanut Butter (recipe below) to make a delightful “Fluffer-Nutter Sandwich”…Which of course, would taste best on thick slabs of homemade bread…but, alas, I’m not a very good bread baker.
This version is a bit more complicated than others I’ve seen, but it turns out a little stiffer, closer in consistency to store-bought. It’s also a little bit dangerous, since it involves slowly pouring boiling hot syrup into beaten egg whites with a mixer running! But, sometimes it nice to live dangerously, when the reward is a little bit of heaven on earth…
Ingredients
3 large egg whites
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Beat egg whites together until light and frothy using an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment. With the mixer running, slowly pour in 2 tablespoons sugar; beat until soft peaks form.
In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup water, corn syrup, and remaining 2/3 cup sugar. Place over medium heat and cook until boiling. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture reaches the firm-ball stage, about 242 to 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
With the mixer on low, slowly add hot syrup to egg-white mixture.Increase mixer speed to high and continue beating for 4 minutes. Add vanilla and continue to beat until mixture looks like marshmallow cream, about 1 minute more. Store in tightly sealed jars.
Makes about 5 cups of fluff.
Homemade Peanut Butter
Ingredients
2 lbs roasted Spanish peanuts, shelled and skinned (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon plain salt
1 1/2 teaspoons honey, preferably raw, if you can get it
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
Directions
Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Roasted Peanuts:
2 pounds in-shell raw Spanish peanuts (Spanish peanuts are recommended for making peanut butter because they have a higher oil content)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 to 2 tablespoons plain salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the peanuts under cool water to remove excess dirt. Pat dry and place in a large bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt until well coated.
Place on 2 large sheet pans, making sure to spread them out into a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Once you remove the peanuts from the oven, let them cool, Then remove shells. Remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts together in your hands held a large bowl, allowing the peanuts and skins to fall into the bowl. Once the skin has been loosened from all of the peanuts, blace the bowl in the sink, fill with water, and stir a couple times with your hands. The skins will rise to the top and can be skimmed off. Once skins are cleared, drain peanuts, spread on paper towels and blot dry with more paper towels. Proceed with peanut butter recipe.
ANOTHER GREAT EGG RECIPE: SIMPLE STRATA
The strata – a member of the custard family – is the ideal make-ahead breakfast or brunch dish. Assemble it the night before to allow the bread layers time to soak up the savory custard. Bake it in the morning while the coffee brews and the table is being set.
Like its cousins the quiche and bread pudding, the strata has endless variations. It can be made with almost any firm bread, enhanced with vegetables, meat and cheese, and flavored any way you like.
As with French toast and bread pudding, the strata is a good use for bread that has become a bit dry.Here’s a good basic recipe to get you started…variations are only limited by your imagination, & what your family likes.
Simple Breakfast Strata
What You Need
4 slices dense white OR whole grain bread
4 EGGS
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. dried thyme OR oregano leaves
6 slices Canadian-style bacon, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz.)
Here’s How
PLACE bread in single layer in greased 8-inch square baking dish.
BEAT eggs, milk and thyme in medium bowl until blended; pour over bread. SPRINKLE with bacon. REFRIGERATE, covered, at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.
HEAT oven to 350°F. REMOVE strata from refrigerator; uncover and let stand while oven heats. BAKE in center of 350°F oven 30 minutes. SPRINKLE with cheese. BAKE until puffed, golden and firm in center, about 5 minutes longer.
Substitute: 6 strips regular bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled, can be substituted for the Canadian-style bacon. Can also substitute about 4 ounces cooked crumbled sausage or 4 ounces diced ham.
Or omit dried herbs, bacon & cheese, and add 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 cup raisins over top. Continue as directed and serve with butter & syrup or honey. (Actually I use regular bacon, cooked & crumbled, and sprinkle it AND the raisins over the top!)