In Memory of our Sweet Sister

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“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” – Proverbs 31:25

This is the post we’ve been dreading… the post we’ve been putting off. There’s something about seeing something in writing that makes it so permanent, so it’s been hard to face making this post. It’s with great sadness, we must tell you we’ve lost our best friend and older sister, Tracy. Tracy has been quietly fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer for 3 years now, and she was doing so well…. until suddenly she wasn’t. She fought cancer head-on with dignity and grace. We are still in shock at losing her. It still doesn’t seem real.

If you knew Tracy, you know what an amazing woman she was. If you didn’t know her, please allow us to tell you a little bit about her by sharing her obituary.

Tracy Rachelle (Moore) Burnett passed from this life on July 7, 2023. She was 52. She was born to Tom and Patricia Moore in April of 1971. The first of four girls, she grew up in Chandler, Oklahoma, and after graduating from Chandler High School, Tracy earned her degree in education from Oklahoma State University.

In June of 1995 she married Ronald (Ron) Burnett, and they spent an incredible 28 years together. They had two children, Hayden and Sutton, who were Tracy’s pride and joy. She loved supporting them in sports and other activities. Tracy was extremely proud of them both.

Tracy was an amazing wife and mother, always thoughtful, working quietly behind the scenes. She revered and respected her parents, learning her father’s value of hard work and integrity and her mother’s caring, spiritual nature. She gave great advice and was a fantastic cook. Tracy was very funny in the way only the most quick-witted people can be. She appreciated a good book and promoted reading to the children in her life, indulged in growing beautiful plants and flowers each spring, and could discuss government and current events with the best of them.

A well-respected educator who taught high school social studies for decades, Tracy continued her education and was the elementary school principal since 2015. She loved both stages of her career and was very excited about the community’s new elementary school that will open this fall. She truly enjoyed her work, her colleagues, and being a part of the team that provides opportunities and positive futures for students. Tracy was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church, often singing at Christmas programs or other special occasions.

As a child, Tracy cherished her family’s trips to Eufaula Lake each summer, which may have sparked her fondness for the ocean. She enjoyed traveling and looked forward to summer trips with Ron and the boys. She and her sisters have taken a girls’ trip every fall since 2009 with a little sightseeing thrown in between shopping, great meals, and lots of laughter, all of which also provided narrative for the recipe blog they co-wrote. Tracy also enjoyed weekend visits with her in-laws, which often spurred the sharing of school stories with sisters-in-law and nieces, all fellow career educators.

We know Tracy would want us to continue Four Sisters Dish, and we will… but we thank you for your patience during this difficult time, adjusting to life without her. Please pray for her husband and two boys, our parents, her close friends, and us – her sisters.

We miss her every day.

-Kathy, Robin, an Erin

Golden Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Years and years ago, I worked at a roofing company. We had an amazing great office crew! We had potluck lunches from time to time with fabulous dishes and often shared the recipes. As a result of one of those recipe swaps, I’ve been making this soup for more than 25 years!  

So, do you need a meatless Monday dinner? A great soup recipe for that last (we hope) big cold snap before spring? A way to use up some broccoli from your fridge? Need more veggies in your life? I’ve got you covered! This is a creamy soup that comes together quickly. It’s great for a weeknight meal. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled – you get the idea — to feed a crowd. And if you overestimate, it also freezes well. –Kathy

Golden Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T. butter

¼ c. water

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen corn

½ c. shredded carrots (or finely chopped)

¼ c. finely chopped onion

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 c. milk

1 c. chopped broccoli, cooked crisp tender

2 (10.5 oz.) cans Cream of Potato Soup

½ c. shredded mozzarella

1 c. shredded cheddar

In a large sauce pan or soup pot, combine butter, water, corn, carrots, onion and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cream of potato soup, milk, broccoli and cheeses. Stir to combine well. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring often. Taste for seasoning. Serve and enjoy! 

taco lasagna image

Taco Lasagna

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We ranch in Utah, so as you might imagine, we’re all about the beef. I’m always looking for creative ways to put ground beef to use. And let’s face it – for any of us, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to dinner ideas. This twist on a classic is the perfect remedy. Huge hit at our table full of boys! ~Kathy

Ingredients: 

1 lb. hamburger

½ c. onion, chopped fine 

1 pkg. taco seasoning

8 oz. tomato sauce

¼ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. garlic powder

4 oz. diced green chilies (I use mild)

1 can (15 oz.) refried beans

1 c. your favorite salsa

1/3 c. Mexican table cream (or substitute heavy cream)

2 c. Colby jack cheese, shredded

12 oz. lasagna noodles

Non-stick cooking spray 

Instructions: 

In a large skillet, cook together hamburger and chopped onion. Drain grease. Return to skillet.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions and set aside. Spray 9×13” deep pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

Sprinkle taco seasoning over ground beef, add tomato sauce, cumin, garlic powder, green chilies and refried beans over medium low heat.  Stir together to combine and heat through.

Start assembling lasagna by adding about 1/3 c. of ground beef mixture into bottom of pan. Add 3 or 4 noodles to begin first layer.  Divide meat mixture into thirds, using part for each layer.   Add meat mixture on top of noodles, spreading into an even layer. Top with 1/3 of salsa, table cream and shredded cheese, drizzling evenly over the layer. Continue with two additional layers, ending with salsa, table cream and shredded cheese. 

Cover with foil (sprayed with non-stick spray if it’s touching cheese layer).  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes covered, then an additional 10 – 15 minutes uncovered, until bubbly and heated through.

Quick & Easy Cashew Chicken

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This cashew chicken is, dare I say it, better than take-out.  Made with simple, easily-accessible ingredients and ready in minutes, it’s great for a weeknight or a special meal.  If you love cashews, like I do, you will love this easy take-out fake-out.  ~Erin

1 ½ lb. chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black pepper

3 T. cornstarch

2 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil

¼ c. low-sodium soy sauce

½ cup chicken broth or prepared bullion

4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tablespoons)

2 T. brown sugar, packed

2 T. hoisin sauce

1 tsp. Sesame oil

1 c. roasted, salted cashews

Green onions, sliced

Cooked rice for serving

Combine salt, pepper, and cornstarch in a gallon size baggie. Toss the chicken in the cornstarch mixture until evenly coated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil; set aside.

Add olive oil or avocado oil to a large, high sided nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until golden brown on all sides.  Do not overcook.  It will continue cooking when the sauce is added.

Add the sauce to the pan with the chicken.  Add the cashews.  Stir until the sauce is thickened.  This just takes a couple minutes.  

Garnish with sliced green onions. Serve over rice.

This recipe makes 6 – ¾ c. servings.  9-11 points per serving, not counting rice.  Click here for the WW points calculator.

https://cmx.weightwatchers.com/details/MEMBERRECIPE:62918d19d8d71c1b1ebc1c56

Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus

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People seem to either love hummus or hate it.  Personally, I’m not a fan of plain hummus, but I LOVE the flavored ones.  I make my own at home a lot.  My favorite variation, up to now, has been my Roasted Garlic Hummus.  A while back, I created this new flavor for a Cinco de Mayo cookout, and have made it several times since.  It’s been a hit every time… even with my husband who doesn’t usually love hummus.  It’s a totally different flavor variation from my Roasted Garlic Hummus, and just as good.  I paired it with homemade, air-fried tortilla chips, but store-bought would be just as good.  Let us know if you try it!  ~Erin

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas

2 T. chopped cilantro

1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced

½ a fresh jalapeno, seeded, veins removed, & finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tablespoons)

½ tsp. salt

1 T. water

2 T. avocado oil

Tortilla chips or veggies, for serving

Drain, rinse and remove the skins from the chickpeas.  Removing the skins will make finished hummus smooth and creamy.  The best way to remove them is to pinch each one between your fingers, and they will pop right out.  

Add all ingredients, except the water and avocado oil to  a food processor; blend until smooth. Finally, add the olive oil and water (stream in while the food processor is running, if possible) and blend until smooth.

Serve with tortilla chips or veggies.  

Blueberry Muffin Cookies

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Blueberry Muffin Cookies

Blueberry muffins were a Sunday morning staple in our house – so easy to throw in while scrambling eggs and maybe cooking up some bacon.  I still find blueberry muffins to be such a comfort food – and nothing is better than when you have fresh berries to make them in the spring/summer!  This cookie spin on the old classic gives you all that soft, comfort food goodness and elevates it with a bright, scrumptious glaze and a little kick of lemon in both the cookie and glaze. You aren’t going to believe you’ve made it your whole life up to now without these.  ~Kathy

Cookie Ingredients:

  • ½ c. salted butter, softened
  • ¾ c. sugar
  • ½ c. light brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 heaping T. lemon zest
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 ⅓ c. all-purpose flour
  • ½ c. sour cream
  • 2 c. fresh blueberries
  • 2 T. coarse sugar

Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ c. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla
  • 2-3 T. lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
  • pinch of salt

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Mix (hand mixer or stand mixer both work fine) until light and fluffy.
  • In above bowl, mix in eggs and vanilla well.
  • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour (about ¼ at a time). Mix until mostly combined (a few dry streaks are ok). Mix in half of the sour cream followed by another portion of your flour. Mix in the last half of the sour cream and then the last couple of portions of your flour slowly until well-combined (no dry flour when you are mixing).
  • Add the blueberries and fold in gently (do NOT use the mixer for this portion – a spoon will do).    
  • Scoop the batter in large mounds (two or three tablespoons) and place well apart to accommodate spreading during cooking. Sprinkle the tops of the cookie dough with coarse sugar.
  • Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until the top springs back lightly. 
  • Move to a cooling rack once cookies are cool enough to relocate (a few minutes should be okay).  
  • For the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. It should thicken but definitely needs to be a consistency that you can drizzle over the cookies.
  • If needed, add a little powdered sugar (a tablespoon at a time) to thicken; add a little lemon juice if you need to thin it (just a teaspoon at a time – don’t want to overdo it).
  • Generously drizzle the tops of the fully cooled (otherwise it will melt off) cookies with the glaze but don’t try to heavily coat them; you still want to be able to taste those beautiful cookies too! 

Carrot Snack Cake

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Nothing says “I love you”  like saying to your child “eat another piece of cake”!  I have to tell a story on one of us sisters (ahem, Erin).  As a child, she refused to eat vegetables. She went to great and painful (for the rest of us) lengths to avoid eating almost every vegetable (and numerous fruits) known to man. Our poor mom resorted to extreme measures to get her to eat fruits and vegetables – especially vegetables which ranged from the more common, like trying to disguise them in cheese sauce, grinding them up and putting them in other things, bribing her with money, etc. Yes, you saw that correctly! She even offered to pay her to eat her vegetables. Oh, the misery for the rest of us to hear about this night after night, LOL!   This recipe was born out of our mom’s desperation to disguise vegetables in any way to get Erin her to eat them. It’s a simple snack cake with great flavor that has become a family favorite. All that agony paid off in the form of a new favorite treat for the rest of us. 

Ingredients:

8 T. butter, softened (1 stick)

2 c sugar

2 eggs

8 oz. baby food carrots (the pureed type)

1 (15 oz.) can carrots, drained and pureed

¼ c. milk

2 c., plus 2 T flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 ¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cloves

Preheat oven to 350˚F Grease and flour 9×13 inch pan and set aside.  

Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer.  Add eggs and carrots. 

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients then mix together. Mix dry ingredients  alternating with small portions of the milk (beginning and ending with flour) into creamed ingredients. 

Pour into prepared pan. 

Bake approximately 30- 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.   
When cooled, can dust lightly with powdered sugar, if desired.  We actually prefer it plain.

Oklahoma Ice Storm Soup

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So, the name of this soup… Why “Oklahoma Ice Storm Soup”, you ask? A friend of mine makes a version of this soup she calls Ski Soup. Apparently, that’s a thing. The internet tells me so. So named because it’s perfect for eating after coming off the slopes. Who knew? All I know is it’s delicious. My friend kindly shared the recipe and I adapted it slightly to be a tad bit more healthy – swapping regular macaroni for whole wheat and regular Italian sausage for turkey Italian sausage. I also upped the veggies a bit, but the flavor is the same as her original. The main change is the name. We don’t have a lot of ski slopes in Oklahoma – okay, none – but we have the occasional ice storm. Since this is the kind of soup you could make with staples from your pantry and freezer, without getting out on treacherous roads, I think this soup would be perfect for icy weather. It’ll warm you from the inside out!

Don’t skip the secret ingredient — I was skeptical about putting vinegar in my soup at first, but I promise it’s amazing. It’s not overpowering… just a hint of tartness in the background. Can’t wait for you to try it! ~Erin

1 1/4 lbs. (5 links) Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 large peeled carrots, diced small

2 large (or 3 small) ribs celery, diced

2 small (or one medium) zucchini, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (14 1/2 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (14 oz) cans cut green beans, drained

1 (14 1/2 oz) can who kernel sweet corn, drained

1/3 cup distilled apple cider vinegar (NOT the kind with the mother)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

6 c. reduced sodium chicken stock or broth

6 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni

crackers or croutons and grated parmesan, for serving (optional)

 

In a large stock pot, brown the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks until fully cooked and starting to brown. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Use a paper towel to clean out any residual grease from the pot. Heat 2 T. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots, and celery to the pot, cooking and stirring occasionally for about 7-8 minutes. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, green beans and corn. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, dry macaroni noodles, and the cooked sausage. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer the amount of time shown on the pasta box (about 10 minutes). Turn off the heat and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers or croutons and grated parmesan, if desired.

This soup makes about 16 cups. For me, this soup came to 3 WW Personal Points per cup. Click the link below to see your stats:  https://cmx.weightwatchers.com/details/MEMBERRECIPE:61c51053ae524b2031e8d944?shared=true

 

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole

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I don’t know about you all but I am always looking for something new and different to feed my family for dinner. We love a variety of things at our house. We are eclectic eaters! One of the things we love are jalapeño poppers, so I decided to create a casserole out of one of our favorite flavors. This one is a hearty, flavorful casserole. If your family likes a little spicier, add an extra jalapeño. It’s certainly not the same old, same old boring casserole. You and your family will love it! ~Kathy

6 chicken breasts

2 T. butter, divided 

3 medium sized jalapeños, julienned, ribs and seeds removed

3 green onions, chopped

1 (10 1/2 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 T. milk

1 c. Philadelphia Chive and Onion Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

pepper & salt to taste

2 c. cheddar cheese, grated, divided

5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

 

Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Dice chicken into 1” pieces. In large skillet, over medium-high heat, place 1T. butter. Brown chicken quickly in skillet, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove to plate. Sauté jalapeño and green onion in remaining 1 T. butter until crisp tender.

Place chicken in casserole dish, top with vegetables.

For sauce combine soup, milk, cream cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix in 1 c. of cheddar cheese. Spoon over chicken and vegetables. Top with crumbled bacon.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and top with remaining 1 c. of cheddar cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Three Cheese Steakhouse Pizza

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I’m going to admit that’s it’s pretty darned rare that there is leftover steak at my house.  However, if I’m smart and plan my meals the way I know I should, I cook a little extra so that I can make this pizza.  It’s so easy, so good, and looks like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant (at least the “fancy” restaurants that I go to).  The best thing about it is that you can use almost all pre-made ingredients for a quick dinner that your whole family will love. ~Tracy

Ingredients:

4 naan flatbreads

1 T. butter

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce (I use Prego or Classico Light)

½ of a large onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves minced garlic

2 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed and sliced chiffonade style

1 lb. steak, thinly sliced

½ c. shredded parmesan cheese

½ c. crumbled feta cheese

1 8 oz. package mozzarella balls

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, melt butter.  Sauté onions in the melted butter until translucent and just beginning to turn brownish/caramelized.  Add spinach and garlic to sautéed onions.  Cook just until spinach fully wilts.  Add the jar of Alfredo sauce and cook all together until bubbly.  Stir in ½ c. of parmesan cheese until incorporated into sauce.

Preheat oven to 425℉.  Place naan flatbreads on a large sheet pan or pizza pan.  Top each with Alfredo sauce mixture making sure to get equal amounts of onion and spinach on each flatbread.  Add an equal portion of steak, approximately ¼ pound to the top of each flatbread.  Finish off each pizza with an equal portion of the feta cheese and mozzarella balls (you can always substitute shredded mozzarella).

Bake at 425 until cheese melts and just begins to brown and bubble.