Making Pasta

My Mom called during the Holidays with a gift idea for myhusband - a pasta maker!  For over 26 years Richard has been one tough guy to find just the right gift. Last week we made spaghetti and were pleasantly surprised. It was easy and fun plus it tasted great and held up better than regular pasta for left overs.



Next time, we'll use the fettuccine wheel and then cut into the length of noodles for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Slow Cooked Creamy Garlic Chicken

I discovered an amazing sauce for chicken by accident. When I read the directions I knew my family would not be in favor of mixing the potatoes and green beans with the chicken. I knew how tender slow cooked chicken could be so I just poured this sauce over the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot. Six hours later the house was filled with a delicious aroma. It was perfect with oven potatoes.

Later that week I made Chicken Noodle Soup with the left overs and my family wouldn't let me forget that it was the BEST batch of soup yet. This is the part I'm trying to re-create with Cambell's Oven Sauce.

Slow Cooked Cubed Steak

This is a great melt-in-your-mouth meal for a family crowd. Just make it and forget it.

2-3 pounds cubed steak
3 cups brown gravy or 1 pkg Southeastern Mills
1 can beef broth
1 TBSP butter per lb
1 TBSP olive oil per lb.
flour
pepper, garlic salt & love

1. Pour beef broth in bottom of crockpot.
2. Flour and season both sides of each cubed steak then brown in a hot skillet with oil/butter.
3. Next, layer pan-browned cubed steaks in crockpot.
4. Make gravy according to directions. Pour on top of meat.
5. Cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

New Family Tradition, Homemade Pizza

On a Friday night during winter break we decided to make pizza dough in our bread maker. It had been stored in the pantry for months and we were missing that fresh baked bread smell. It ended up being a fun family event as we created our very own pizzas with a whole array of toppings. It's Friday again and the pizza dough is mixing. This could be a family tradition for the New Year!

The dough will take about 1 & 1/2 hours in the bread maker. This is the recipe for our Oster 2 lb Expressbake.

Pizza Crust 
1 and 3/8 (1/4 plus 2 Tablespoons) cups warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon active dry yeast
Sprinkle lots of love






1. Combine ingredients in the order listed above, yeast added on top of dry ingredients not touching water.

2. Select dough setting.
3. Press "Start/Stop". This will take 1-1/2 hours until completion.
4. When display reads, "0:00" remove dough.
5. Divide dough in half using sharp knife.
6. Pat dough into jelly roll pans or 12 inch round pizza pans. Might need a couple drops of oil on your hands to prevent dough from sticking.

7. With fork prongs, poke several holes in dough.

8. Pre-bake dough at 400 for 7-10 minutes, remove from oven.

Toppings we like:

• Pizza sauce, 1 can will do these 2 pizzas
• pepperoni, try diced salami
• mozzarella cheese, try feta cheese or provolone 
• canned mushrooms or saute' fresh sliced mushrooms
• pepper rings, try diced onions, green peppers
• black olives or green, sliced
• oregano, try pizza seasoning



Katie is brushing garlic butter on edges
of crust before baking.

• Don't forget the love

9. Spread sauce on dough, then add favorite toppings and cheese
10. Melt 2 Tablespoons butter, add garlic salt to taste. Brush on crust edges.
11. Bake at 400 for another 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Meals the Hickman Family Loves to Eat

Richard and I have cooked dinner and had a family meal almost every night for the past 26 years! It's been getting harder with Tommy in college and Katie's busy high school schedule but we still make an effort to be together. Once per week, when making a grocery list we check everyone's schedule and then plan accordingly. Over the years we've referred to a list of our favorite meals that I put in the front of our cookbook. I think it's time to update what we like now that the kids are older! Of course, we never forget to put love on everything we make!



PASTA, ITALIAN
Spaghetti with meat sauce (crockpot)
Lasagna Made Simple
Pasta Primavera & Shrimp
Spinach Noodles, beets
Chili Mac
Homemade Pizza
Stuffed Shells
Macaroni & Cheese (crockpot)
Homemade Noodles

GROUND BEEF
Meatloaf, boiled potatoes with sour cream
Taco Salad
Ground Beef Pie
Stuffed Peppers
Sloppy Joes, Mac & Cheese
Hamburgers, Macaroni Salad
Cabbage Rolls

HAM
Ham Green Beans, Red Potatoes
Ham Potato Casserole
Ham & Cheesy Potatoes (crockpot)

PORK
Sausage & Peppers
Pork Chops with stuffing (crockpot)
Pork Roast, potatoes, carrots  (crockpot)
City Chicken (crockpot)
Pork & Sauerkraut (crockpot)
Roasted Veggies with Sausage

CHICKEN
Stir Fry & rice
Slow-Cooked Chicken Breasts (crockpot)
Parmesan Chicken Penne
Baked Chicken Breast, noodles, peas
Grilled Chicken, Cheese Potatoes
Chicken A La King
Chicken with creamy mushroom sauce, noodles
Chicken Cacciatore
Garlic Chicken (crockpot)
Sweet Baby Ray's Chicken (crockpot)

BEEF
Cubed Steak (crockpot)
Beef & Noodles
Roast Beef, Potatoes, Carrots (crockpot)
Beef Hash, beets
Beef Stew (crockpot)
Steak au Poivre (Tommy's dish)
Slow-Cooked Pepper Steak (crockpot)

SOUP
Vegetable Beef (crockpot)
Cream of Broccoli
Cream of Cauliflower
Cream of Potato
Chicken Noodle
Chili (crockpot)
French Onion Soup
Mushroom Soup
Stuffed Pepper Soup

BREAKFAST
Belgian Pancakes
Sausage Pie
Quiche Lorraine
Christie's Oatmeal Breakfast

MEXICAN
Oven Chicken Fajitas
Spanish Rice
Corn Casserole

Gramsy's Buttermilk Cookies

Almost Homemade Spanish Rice

Zatarain's Spanish  Rice with a can of diced tomatoes makes the best side dish with Fajitas.