Charlotte’s Kitchen

Archive for October, 2007

Who doesn’t like cookies?  Here’s a great twist on peanut butter cookies.

Ingredients

• 1-2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 T cornstarch
• 1-3/4 t Watkins Baking Powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Watkins Original Grapeseed Oil
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1-1/2 T light corn syrup
• 1 T Watkins Peanut Butter Extract
• 1 t Watkins Original Double-Strength Vanilla
• 1 egg
• Sugar for dipping, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC.
2. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and soda in bowl; stir well and set aside.
3. Combine sugars, oil, and peanut butter in large bowl; beat until well blended.
4. Add corn syrup, extracts and egg; beat well.
5. Stir in flour mixture.
6. Shape dough into 1-inch/2.5-cm balls.
7. Dip tops in sugar, if desired, and place on baking sheet.
8. With fork, flatten lightly in criss-cross fashion.
9. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned.
10. Remove cookies from pan and cool on wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

To understand why Watkins, you need to know a little background.

The Beginning:
Joseph Ray Watkins started the J.R. Watkins Medical Company in 1868 and the company has been a pioneer in natural personal care every since. Since the beginning, Watkins has specialized in home remedies using natural botanicals, such as camphor, menthol and herbs, to help people feel better and live healthy lives.

The Spice Company:
J.R. traveled the world searching for the finest natural herbs and extracts to formulate his remedies. During his travels, he realized the pure and rich spices from far away lands should be shared with his customers to use in their pantry, thus beginning Watkins long history as the spice company.

The High Quality Products
Commitment to quality has always been a source of pride for Watkins. Customers benefit from and depend on this consistent attention to detail. Watkins offers products for everyone-from everyday necessities to special indulgences.

• Distinctive gourmet and organic food products serve a wide range of tastes and cooking styles.

• Natural-based apothecary personal care products blend the best of nature with today’s modern science.

• Timeless remedies like our original Red Liniment and our amazing Petro Carbo Salve stand side-by side with today’s most advanced dietary supplements.

• Environmentally friendly home-care products ensure a clean home and a clean world.

Watkins adheres strictly to the same quality standards set forth by the founder, J.R. Watkins. They continue to provide products that are good for the earth, good for others and good for you. All Watkins products are backed by J.R.’s original 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee so you can use them with confidence. If someone is not completely delighted, they receive a full refund. That’s why so many people insist on Watkins products for every area of their lives.

Award-Winning Products Made with the World’s Finest Ingredients:
Just as when J.R. Watkins founded the company, Watkins is committed to offering outstanding natural products of superior quality and value.

To achieve these high standards, Watkins has always used only the finest ingredients—herbs and botanicals from the world’s best growing regions.

Because they have our own manufacturing facility, research and development lab, quality assurance, and many years of experience, they are able to maintain the most stringent quality standard—the Watkins standard.

As a testament to that quality, Watkins Vanilla, Cinnamon and Pepper received the Gold Medal of Honor at the 1928 World Expo in Paris, France. Nearly 80 years later, they’re still winning awards.

The All-Natural Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and USDA Certified 100% Organic Black Pepper both recently received the Cooking Club of America Member Tested and Recommended Seal of Approval.

So why Watkins? Quality products at a fair price from a company that cares about more than just the bottom line. That’s why Watkins.

Here’s a r eal comfort food for you. An easy to make chicken and dumpling stew.

Ingredients

• 3 whole skinned and deboned chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds)
• 3 cups water
• 2 1/2 T Watkins Chicken Soup Base
• 1 1/2 t Watkins Garlic Flakes
• 1 t Watkins Parsley
• 1/4 t Watkins Black Pepper
• 1/8 t Watkins Celery Seed
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 Watkins Bay Leaves
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Parsley Dumplings

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 t Watkins Baking Powder
• 1 t Watkins Chicken Soup Base
• 1 t Watkins Parsley
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 T Watkins Original Grapeseed Oil
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions

1. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch/25-mm cubes.
2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine chicken, 3 cups/750 ml water, and next eight ingredients.
3. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until celery is tender.
4. In small bowl, combine water and flour; mix well and stir into broth.
5. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil and thicken, stirring frequently; stir in vegetables. Bring to a boil.
6. Drop dumpling dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto boiling stew mixture.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover tightly and cook 13 to 16 minutes or until dumplings are fluffy and no longer doughy on bottom.

Parsley Dumplings

1. Combine flour, baking powder, soup base and parsley in medium bowl.
2. Add milk, oil, and egg; stir just until moistened.

Makes 6 servings.

Cold, damp and rainy. Perfect weather for making a batch of chili. We eat a lot of chili in the fall and winter.

Here’s one of my favorite ways to do it. I use a slow cooker so I can just put it on and let it cook. I do have to check it once, at the three hour point, when I turn it down. I hope you enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Hamburger

2 cups chopped Onion

1 can (8 oz.) Tomato Sauce

1 can (14.5 oz.) Black Beans, drained and rinsed

2 can (14.5 oz.) Mild Chili Beans, do not drain

1 can (28 oz.) Diced Tomatoes

3 T Watkins Chili Powder (01928)

1 T garlic, finely chopped

1 t Watkins Cumin (00592)

1 t Salt

1 t Watkins Dry Mustard (01936)

1 cup water

2 cups cooked Elbow Macaroni

DIRECTIONS

Brown the hamburger and chopped onion in a skillet and pour into crockpot.

Add the tomato sauce, black beans, chili beans, chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt, and dry mustard.

Set on high for 3 to 4 hours

Add 1 cup of water and turn to warm/serve. Taste and add more spices if necessary.

Cook the elbow macaroni on the stove and mix in with the chili.

Serve with some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

You can also make this by cooking on low for 8 to 10 hours. Perfect if you are going go to be out of the house all day.

It’s a cloudy rainy day here in Versailles, and we’re happy because we really need the rain. Hope it’s a great day where you are.

I’ll admit it, I’m not as young as I used to be. There’s even some places that give me a senior discount. I’m sure a lot of my readers are in the same boat as I am. We just can’t seem to eat the things we used to be able to. That’s why when I came across this information from the FDA I thought I’d share it with you. It’s from a flyer called “Food Safety for Seniors“.

Older people need a healthy diet. It can help them avoid sickness. A healthy diet includes a range of foods. But raw foods are risky because they can have a lot of germs in them.

Why do seniors get sick from raw foods?

As we age, it can get harder and harder to fight off germs. As you age, it’s easier to get sick from germs in your food. Having diabetes, kidney disease,or some cancer treatments also may add to your risk.

What foods should I avoid?

• Rawfish
• Raw shellfish, such as oysters, clams, mussels,and scallops
• Raw meat or poultry
• Raw or unpasteurized milk or cheese
• Soft cheeses such as feta, brie, blue, and Mexican-style
• Raw or lightly cooked eggs or egg products, such as salad dressings, cookie dough, cake batter, sauces, and drinks such as eggnog
• Raw sprouts
• Unpasteurized or untreated juice from fruits and veggies

In the U.S., almost all juice is treated to kill germs. This makes it safe to drink. The FDA requires a warning label on all juices that have not been treated. The label says:

WARNING:This product has not been pasteurized and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with a weak immune system.

It’s a cloudy day here in Versailles, but a great day to be alive. Hope it’s nice where you are.

John did the cooking last night and it was great. Last month we ordered some of the Watkins Baked Potato Soup Mix (05707) and since the weather has turned cold, he decided it was time to try it.

Rather than using the 3 cups of water like the directions say, he used 2 cups of water and 1 cup of milk. When it was almost done he added half a pound of frozen hash browns (cubes, not slice). That really made for some great soup. I’ve heard some people think it has too much of a pepper flavor but I didn’t think so. John doesn’t like spicy food and he didn’t think it was to spicy either. I guess everyone is different when it comes to what they consider spicy.

We topped it with some shredded cheese and loved it. I think next time I’ll add a little crumbled bacon on top also.

The soup is a holiday special so it won’t be available for long. If you would like to try it, you can order it online at the Watkins website. If you do, please use my associate number 030517.

Have a great day.