Welcome to My Kitchen

Names are important, even in recipes. Chocolate no-bake cookies we all know, and though plain and maybe boring they satisfy the sweet tooth. But, if we say Moose Farts, our attention is grabbed and we wonder what can this can possibly be. Merleen Smith, Odessa, shared this recipe that her son Cam asked her to make for an event he was attending. This no-bake cookie would be fun to make with the help of young cooks to do the mixing and the rolling.

Moose Farts

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, plus more for rolling

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Melt butter and mix with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

Add coconut, graham cracker crumbs and chocolate chips, mixing until well combined. Refrigerate for one hour.

Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll in the additional graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: about 2 1/2 –3 dozen Moose Farts (cookies).

Note graham cracker crumbs are easy to make by placing the crackers in a zip closure bag and rolling with a rolling pin. Also, miniature chocolate chips would be good in this recipe.

Leslie Fink of Odessa, brought Lemon Blueberry Cake Mix Cookies to a recent coffee hour. She got the recipe from Gina Weber of Ritzville. Leslie said Gina makes these cookies in many mix flavors and a variety of additions.

Lemon Blueberry

Cake Mix Cookies

1 lemon cake mix (about 13 1/4 ounces) (cheaper brands are best)

1/3 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 can of prepared frosting or powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl stir together cake mix, cooking oil and eggs with a wooden spoon. Gently fold in blueberries. Shape dough into one inch balls and place two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

With the bottom of a glass dipped in the powdered sugar, lightly flatten the cookies. Bake 6-8 minutes until edges are golden brown. Cool one minute before removing from the baking sheet.

Cool completely, and if desired spread with frosting.

Note: instead of frosted cookies, roll the dough balls in powdered sugar then flatten. This is the method Leslie used. Also note: Gina prefers the off brand cake mixes for this recipe as they are drier and this makes the cookies firmer. You won’t need to flatten the cookies if you use a name brand cake mix and they will be softer.

Also included on the recipe page was the suggestion of using a spice cake mix and adding Heath Toffee Bits.

Salad recipes are in demand with summer gatherings filling calendars. Another recipe from Kim Powers of Odessa is Tri-Noodle Salad. This dish has all the traditional ingredients of an Italian pasta salad with a kid friendly twist.

Tri-Noodle Salad

1 package (12 ounces tri-color) rotini pasta

2 large diced tomatoes

1 package (5 ounces) mini pepperoni slices

2 cups chopped green olives

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

1 bottle (8ounces) prepared Italian dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and chill.

In a large mixing bowl combine chilled pasta with remaining ingredients except the Italian dressing. Pour dressing evenly over the salad ingredients and toss gently to coat with dressing. Chill until ready to serve. Yield: about 12 servings.

Note: plain rotini may be substituted for the tri-color pasta, and black olives for the green and your favorite cheese.

Dry summer weather seems to shorten the life of fresh bread for sandwich making. Rather than let this bread go to waste, turn it into Herbed Croutons for summer salads, or eating out of hand as savory snack. I originally found this recipe in Family Circle magazine pre-1070. Since we more often use as a snack, I cube the bread at about one inch.

Herbed Croutons

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp ground thyme

1/4 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp ground paprika

4 cup cubed French bread or day old bread

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a large rimmed baking sheet at the ready.

In a large mixing bowl combine bread, seasonings mixing well. Drizzle with the vegetable oil and stir well to evenly coat all the bread.

Spread coated bread cubes on baking sheet and place in oven, remove and stir every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool until only warm to the touch, then line a large airtight container with a paper towel or two and place croutons in the container. Let stand until totally cool, remove paper towel and store tightly cover. Use within a week or so of baking, or freeze until ready to use. Yield: about 4 cups croutons.

Note: for variety, replace the seasoning with 2 teaspoons of Spice Islands Garlic and Herb Seasoning, or similar product, and the 3/4 tsp paprika. This will make saltier croutons but there are several salt free seasoning mixes on the market as well.

Summer keep cool cooking tips. Use your slow-cooker or other counter top appliances to reduce cooking heat expelled into the house. If you have a safe covered place outside, move those cooking appliances outdoors for the cooking time. Try to do any cooking indoors in the early morning when it is possible to open windows and let out the heat.

Share your favorite summer recipes and cooking tips with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Record Times, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Summer heat requires diligent watering of vegetable gardens and flower beds. Try to water in the cool of morning or late evening when plants can take up more of the water and less is lost to evaporation.