In the height of the summer garden produce, this is a family favorite. I usually use a combination of zucchini and yellow squash. I will give the vegetable recipe and then the chicken variation.
I usually quadruple plus this recipe – I really like having leftovers!
Vegetable Enchiladas (Serves 5)
4 c. zucchini/yellow squash combo
2 c. sour cream/yogurt (I use homemade kefir but the total amount equals 2 cups)
1 (10 3/4oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
3 c. shredded cheese (1 1/2 c. Monterey Jack and 1 1/2 c. Colby works well)
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
10 (10 inch) tortillas
1 c. shredded cheese – to sprinkle on top of enchiladas
Preheat oven o 350F.
Chop onion. Slice zucchini and yellow squash.
Saute onion and when translucent add squash. Cook until limp.
In a large bowl, mix sour cream/yogurt, soup, cheese, green chilies and pepper. I set aside a couple of cups to spread on top of the enchiladas before baking.
Mix cooked vegetable with the sour cream mixture.
Place 1/2 cup of mixture on each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a 3 quart oblong baking dish. If desired, spread remaining sauce on top. 
Bake at 350F for 20 – 25 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese and continue baking until cheese is melted.
Chicken Enchiladas
4 c. shredded chicken
2 c. sour cream/yogurt
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
3 c. shredded cheese
1 (4oz) can chopped greeen chilies
2 Tbsp onion, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
10 (10 inch) tortillas
1 c. shredded cheese – to sprinkle on top
In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, soup, 3 c. cheese, green chilies, onion and pepper. Mix well. (May reserve a couple of cups to spread on top of enchiladas).
Place 1/2 cup of mixture on each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in oblong baking dish. If desired, top with reserved sauce.
Bake at 350F for 20 – 25 min. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheese and continue baking for 5 min until cheese is melted.
One of our family favorite delicacies is homemade doughnuts. You can not go wrong with them. Whether you glaze them, fill them with creme, use an icing, or eat them plain, they please everyone.
They are:
- fun to mix up
- fun to roll out
- fun to cut out
- fun to cook
- fun to eat
They are just a FUN food! They are a must for everyone to try! The following recipe reportedly makes about 2 dozen doughnuts. I am not sure about that because we triple and sometimes even quadruple it! And now, for the recipe …
Homemade Doughnuts
1 qt milk warmed
10 Tbs sugar
8 Tbs oil
1 Tbs salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg (opt. more or less to taste)
7 Tbs dry yeast
4 c all purpose flour
4 c whole wheat flour
Preheat deep fryer.
Pour milk into the bowl of your mixer. Add sugar, oil, salt and nutmeg. Add yeast last (the other ingredients help cool the milk so it does not kill your yeast). 
Add the whole wheat and all purpose flour and knead until well blended and dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
Place on oiled surface and prepare to roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. You do not need much oil, just keep the dough from sticking. We place oil on our stone dining table. This makes easy access for all the little helpers.
Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out. See what I mean about the little helpers!
We use a plastic glass for the large round and a smaller container for the holes. Just use whatever works!
Deep fry in oil at 375F. We use a deep fryer so I don’t have to worry about the temperature – the fryer does that for me. The doughnuts will float, so, after a couple of minutes, turn them to cook the other side. You want a nice golden brown.
We use a utensil such as a plastic cooking fork – not the small white plastic ones!
Drain on paper towel. That is what the recipe says anyway, but we use a clean towel on a cookie sheet (emphasis on clean!). Use the icing or glaze desired. We dip the hot doughnuts into a warm chocolate icing allowing it to drip and then place on a platter. Unless of course, a quality control test must be done and then it ends up in a mouth. It is definitely a family affair!
Then again, who needs a doughnut to dip – fingers work great!
Mmmm! There is nothing like a freshly dipped finger!
As you might imagine, with our size family and having pancakes almost every morning, we use a lot of syrup! Here is a recipe I found and use consistently with everyone’s approval. Unfortunately, I do not remember where the original recipe came from. I have saved two syrup containers (1 gallon each) and make enough to fill both at one time. It is easy, tasty and economical to make. The first recipe gives the amounts to make approximately one quart of syrup. The next amounts are my scaled-up recipe I use to fill two, one gallon containers.
Pancake Syrup
Small Batch (1 qt.):
- 2 c. warm tap water
- 4 c. sugar
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- 1-1/2 tsp maple flavoring
- 1/4 tsp butter flavoring (optional but very good!)
Large 2 gallon batch:
- 16 c. warm tap water
- 32 c. sugar
- 1 c. molasses
- 1 bottle maple flavoring
- 2 Tbsp butter flavoring
In a three-quart saucepan (for small batch) or a three gallon stock pot (for large batch) combine the water, sugar and molasses. Put the pan on the stove over medium heat. Stir frequently until the syrup comes to a rolling boil. Watch the syrup carefully because it tends to foam and will boil over if your pan is too small. If this starts to happen, remove the pan from the heat and turn the heat down.
After the syrup boils, cover the pot and simmer it for ten minutes over low heat. Do not stir it for this ten minutes. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool. Stir in the maple flavoring (and butter flavoring). Store the syrup in a clean appropriately sized bottle or jar. I use a funnel when pouring to avoid a mess.
Whole wheat pancakes tend to be heavy but the following recipe is not! Making your own, rather than using a store bought mix, is both economical and healthier. Whether you use fresh ground or store bought flour, this is a great recipe!
We buy enough whole wheat berries in bulk to last for one year and store them in 5-gal buckets with oxygen absorbers. As needed, we grind the wheat berries to make flour and use it fresh. This way we have the nutritional benefits of fresh ground flour and the economical savings of buying at a reduced price of bulk purchasing direct from the grower.
We have whole wheat pancakes every morning during the week. No, we are not in a rut and we do have variety! Periodically, chopped nuts are included. On Fridays, we have raisins in our pancakes and on Saturdays we add chocolate chips! (On Sundays we have eggs and biscuits!)
This recipe works great with fresh ground or store bought flour and can also be used for waffles.
Whole Wheat Pancakes/Waffles 
2 eggs
3 c. whole wheat flour – heaping
2 oz oil
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 – 1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 – 3 c. milk (may substitute 8 oz powdered milk and 2 – 3 c. water)
***Optional ingredients: chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips
Preheat griddle.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Add eggs, oil and milk – stir until combined adding enough milk to make a thin batter. (If making waffles, add enough milk to make a thicker batter.)
Pour batter onto heated griddle and cook until browned turning once for a lighter pancake.
Serve hot with syrup, honey or jelly.
Who doesn’t love getting freebies? Especially, if they help your life to run smoothly! Here is a freebie that I posted earlier and just love – Springpad Recipe Box but it can also be used for a whole lot more. They can help you keep not only recipes organized but movies to watch, books to read, wines, restaurants ….. and it is free! It is as easy as signing up with your email address, being sent a confirmation email and you are ready to get started! 
Here is another freebie for a crochet/craft newsletter along with free patterns. Our 14 year old daughter is our craft whiz and I thought she would like this one – and she did! When I signed up, I gave my email address and then had several “special offers” to wade through. If you are not interested, merely click the “skip” button, which is what I did, and you will be ready to begin. It was free, just realize you will be presented with the special offers page and there is no obligation to go through them unless you are truly interested.
This is my favorite lasagna recipe. Please keep in mind, with a large family I multiply recipes for large crowds! The basic ingredient quantities are given along with variations that I have used successfully.
Spinach Filling
2 lbs Ricotta Cheese ( may substitute cottage cheese, I now use our homemade ricotta)
2 – 10 oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in bowl.
Tomato Sauce
I use frozen tomato sauce from last years garden and add Italian spices. For a meat option, brown 1 lb ground beef or turkey meat and add to tomato sauce.
Assembly
In a 13 x 9 pan, starting with a bit of tomato sauce in the bottom to prevent sticking, layer: 
- Lasagna Noodles (Eggplant slices may be substituted and work great!)
- Spinach Filling
- Tomato Sauce
- Mozzarella Cheese (I now use our homemade cheese)
End with Mozzarella Cheese. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Variation: Since our eggplant did so well last year, I peeled it, sliced it and froze it. Now, I use eggplant slices instead of lasagna noodles.
Here is a free organizer that I am just beginning to use and thought you might also benefit from! So far, it works great for recipes and can be used for much more. With just a few easy clicks, I have been able to save recipes from different sites – it is so easy!
“Springpad is a free personal organizer used to keep your favorite web pages in one place: recipes, notes, restaurants, books, movies, music, tasks & more.”
Just sign up with your email address and you are ready to go! Get Organized!
Another Freebie!
Here is a free, downloadable, excel template for a weekly, 2-wk and monthly menu planner. I had posted this earlier but thought it might be beneficial to remind you of it. I have finally moved into the computer age of technology, even with my menu plans!
This is a wonderful recipe for an impressive looking cake! I have used candy bars with and without nuts as well as adding my own chopped pecans to the icing spread and sprinkling on top of the cake. 
Chocolate Candy Bar Cake
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c sugar
10 (1.5 oz) milk chocolate candy bars with nuts
1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Prepare came mix according to directions. Pour into 3 greased 8″ round pans.
Bake at 325F for 20-25 min. or until a fork comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 10 min. Remove from pans and cool completely.
Icing
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and sugar at medium speed with mixer until creamy.
Chop 8 candy bars finely. Fold cream cheese mixture and chopped candy into whipped topping.
Spread icing between layers and on top and sides. Chop remaining 2 candy bars and sprinkle half over the top and press the remainder into the sides of the cake.
Cheese fondue became a family favorite while living in Switzerland, I have made the following recipe with Appenzeller and Gruyere cheeses, as well as, other combinations including one sharp and one milder cheese.
Traditionally, it was the man’s job to make fondue. Our theory on the reasoning behind this: since so much alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, the men were there to inhale the vapors!
Cheese Fondue
8-10 c grated cheese (combination of Appenzeller, Gruyere, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Muenster – I pick 1 sharp and 1 mild variety)
2 c white wine
2 tsp corn starch dissolved in a small amount of cherry liquor
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
ground pepper and garlic powder to taste
Mix cheese and white wine in fondue pot and heat over medium heat stirring constantly with a figure 8 motion until smooth and creamy. This should take at least 10 – 15 min. Add the corn starch dissolved in cherry liquor as a binder as well as the lemon juice. Let the fondue simmer for another 10 min. stirring constantly. Add pepper and garlic powder to taste. Move fondue pot to the table over a small burner to keep it warm. Dip bite size bread pieces into the hot cheese and enjoy. We serve fondue with pickles, pickled okra and pickled onions as side dishes.
** A longer cooking time helps the fondue to be smooth rather than stringy.
Mozzarella is an Italian cheese which is quick, easy and fun to make. We enjoy eating it fresh, as well as on pizza and in lasagna. Made fresh, it stores in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks and in the freezer for several months.
Unlike other cheese making processes, the curd is heated to 170F and then stretched like taffy. This pulling and stretching gives the mozzarella the stringiness it is famous for.
Use milk that is at least 3 days old. As milk sits, the acidity increases which allows the cheese to stretch.
Before beginning, please read Cheese Making Basics.
Homemade Mozzarella
2 gallons whole or skim milk (whole milk gives a larger yield than skim)
 3 tsp citric acid powder 1/4 tablet (or 1/2 tsp liquid) rennet dissolved in 1/4 cool water
4 tsp salt
Pour milk into pot, sprinkle with citric acid and stir well. Milk must be cold or the citric acid does not work well.
Heat milk to 88F – 90F over medium heat. If you overheat – just let it cool back down!
Pour dissolved rennet into milk while stirring.
Turn off heat.
 Stir slowly and after a few minutes, the milk will begin to thicken. Globs of white curd will separate from the liquid (whey). If it doesn’t coagulate immediately, let the milk sit for about 30 minutes. Once the milk has coagulated and the whey separated, turn heat to high and heat milk to 110F.
 Place a colander over another pot and pour or spoon out the curds into the colander. Continue to heat the whey.
Press whey out of the curds in the colander.
Place curds back into the pot of whey and heat until 120F.
Now for the fun part!
With a spoon, lift the curds out of the whey – cool a few seconds, if necessary, and begin pulling and stretching it into a rope. The cheese will break apart at this point if it is not hot enough – just put it back into the whey and let it heat further.
After stretching it into a rope, return it back into the whey to heat back up.
Once heated again, stretch it again. Continue this process several times until it takes on a shiny, soft and smooth appearance. It should be ready by the time the whey reaches 150F – 160F. If the whey gets too hot, the cheese will melt into it.
Once stretched enough, pour 4 tsp (may use more if desired) salt on the counter. Remove mozzarella from the whey and place it on the salt. Knead the salt into the cheese but work quickly as it must be hot to absorb the salt. Place the cheese back into the whey briefly until it is hot. Remove and roll into a log or place in the desired container.
.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
I make 4 gallon batches and place it into a rectangular dish similiar to a loaf pan. Once chilled, we either eat it fresh with crackers or grate and freeze it.
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