Family, Food, and Fun

Sausage Lentil Soup

2012-02-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

I learned something new before making this recipe.
Did you know that lentils should be soaked before cooking?
I didn't.
Thanks to SnoWhite from Finding Joy in my Kitchen, now I do. She said,

"Lentils need to be soaked before use – so, bring pour the lentils into a large bowl and cover them with boiling water. Allow the lentils to soak for at least 15 minutes. Then drain.

Why soak the lentils? Lentils have properties that inhibit the enzyme, trypsin, a key digestive enzyme that works to break down protein in the small intestine. Soaking (for up to 24 hours) decreases the action of the trypsin inhibitor – which is what we desire! "

So that's not too hard. And at least you don't have to plan ahead too much.

Anyways, this soup incorporates the lentils with Italian sausage (I made my own turkey sausage) and lots of healthy veggies, so it's a protein, fiber, iron, and vitamin-packed meal. Not to mention inexpensive to make and it makes a big batch.

Oh, and it happened to be a HUGE hit with my family. I got compliments on it from all of the kids (a rare occurrence) and Grant said it's one of his new favorites.

Recipe: Adapted from My Baking Addiction and Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 pound green lentils
*1-1/2 lb ground Italian turkey sausage (Recipe follows)
1 large onion, diced
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
3 large carrots, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 T. minced garlic (2 large cloves)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Additional water to cover
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
grated Parmesan
fresh parsley (for garnish, optional)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

2. In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add in the Italian sausage. Brown the sausage until it is cooked through.

3. Add in the onions, celery, carrots, zucchini, garlic, herbs and spices, cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the chicken stock, canned tomatoes, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed to adjust the consistency of the soup.

6. Check the seasonings – add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley.

I couldn't find Italian turkey sausage when I was grocery shopping, so I bought ground turkey and resolved to make my own. It's actually cheaper that way, too. I found a couple of recipes that sounded good and combined elements from both to create my own.

*Homemade Italian Turkey Sausage (adapted from Cooking with Michele and Allrecipes)
1-1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. ground sage
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground thyme
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. fennel seeds, crushed

Mix all ingredients together well. Chill for several hours to allow the flavors to "marry".

Melting Snowman Cookies

2012-02-10T16:18:00.001-05:00

Marissa and Annika were both the designated "snack bringers" for their Wednesday night church classes this week.
I had spotted these cookies recently and couldn't wait for a chance to make them.....they're just so CUTE!

The girls were very willing helpers in decorating these snow guys and gals - and their friends at church were super thrilled with them as well.
If we're not going to get real snow this year, we might as well eat some melting snowmen cookies, right?

Annika has been asking me if we can make these cookies every time they have to take snack, she loved them so much.

Some of the snowmen weren't so happy with their fate - and some just took it all in stride with a big smile on their faces. Some had bows - the one at the bottom right corner ended up with three of them, thanks to Marissa! One had a headband that ended up looking like green hair.

This disgruntled snowman sported earmuffs with his nicely coordinated bow tie.

Notes:

You can make your cookie dough from scratch, or you can even use the sugar cookie mix or pre-made dough from the store if you so desire.
The amount of Royal Icing was a bit much- I ended up with quite a bit leftover, but I'd rather have too much than too little. We decorated 30 cookies.

Recipe: (adapted from Truly Custom Cakery - she has a great tutorial on how to make these!)

Sugar Cookies (I used this recipe)
Large Marshmallows
*Royal Icing (recipe follows)
Icing Colors (Food Color or Wilton Gel Colors of your choice.)
Silver Dragees, Mini Chocolate Chips, or other little candy pieces to use for buttons and accessories (optional)
Wax Paper

*Wilton Royal Icing Recipe
3 T. meringue powder
1 lb. sifted powdered sugar ( about 4 cups)
6 T. water

Make your sugar cookies first. Whatever recipe or mix you use, when the dough is chilled and ready to bake, shape into balls and press flat, about 1/4" thick. They should not be identical or symmetrical - it's melted puddles of snow you're forming!

Bake and cool the cookies completely. Then make the Royal Icing.

IF using a counter top mixer, beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes until icing forms peaks. If you are using a hand held mixer, it will take more like 10-12 minutes.

AFTER you get stiff peaks, transfer a few Tablespoons of icing to a bowl and tint orange. I used a tad of red and yellow. Scoop into a sandwich bag and seal it shut. Snip off one tiny corner for piping. Because it was so thick, it stood out straight when I piped the noses and really looked like little carrots. Fun!

Do the same procedure for any other colors you want to tint.

Thin the remaining white icing by adding water while stirring, a teaspoon at a time.

To test for the right consistency: Using a knife, scoop a little of your runny icing and hold above the bowl. As it drips, count to 10. By the count of 10, the icing that dripped down should meld into the icing in the bowl so there is no indication of where your drips landed.

Put your icing in a container covered with a wet paper towel and a lid when you're not using it. If you don't, the icing will dry out quickly.

When frosting a cookie, don't be afraid to let it puddle around the base of the cookie a little. Once it dries, it will stay there and look even more like melting snow! Take a marshmallow and squish it a little. Pipe on the facial features and place on the cookie. Pipe on arms, buttons, and other additional details as desired.

We liked little bow ties....handsome fellow.

Scarves were very nice too. Note: all of my colored icing except the noses was sparkly decorating gels, not tinted royal icing.

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

Cinnabon Popcorn

2012-02-06T18:08:00.001-05:00

So the Super Bowl was last night.

The Giants won.

We only knew that because we felt obligated to check the score after

Downton Abbey was over, just so we wouldn't appear to be completely ignorant to anyone who

might mention the game.

(Do you guys watch Downton Abbey? After my sister introduced it to us via Netflix on her visit

here over the holidays, we have been seriously addicted. Seriously.)

Yeah, to say we're not football fans is probably the understatement of the year.

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy tasty snacks with friends!

This has to be one of my favorite snacks ever.

I am a huge fan of the regular Caramel Popcorn that I've made several times, and this recipe

is very similar, but with the additions of cinnamon, pecans, and a white chocolate drizzle.

It was wildly popular with the friends who shared it with us as well, with requests for the recipe.

So here ya go.....enjoy every delectable bite!

Recipe: adapted from the Girl Who Ate Everything

16 cups popped popcorn (I used air popped, about 1/2 cup kernels)

1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped (optional)

1-1/3 cups brown sugar, tightly packed

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup karo syrup (or honey could work)

10 T. butter (1 stick plus 2 T)

1-1/4 tsp. vanilla

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3 squares almond bark

Preheat oven to 250° F.

Line two jelly roll pans with foil and set aside.

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. Use the largest bowl you have!!

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a large microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Chop butter into chunks and place on top of the sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup over the top of everything. Microwave on high for 30 seconds then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more. *If you microwave it too much, your popcorn will turn out really hard.*

Remove from microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. Mixture will foam and rise. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir very well so everything is well coated. *Stir more than you think you need to!*

Spread popcorn mixture onto prepared pans. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir. Melt almond bark according to package directions. Drizzle over popcorn. I found it easiest to put in a sandwich bag, snip off a tiny corner, and drizzle it that way.

When the almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and enjoy!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

Family Update - January Edition

2012-02-02T17:31:00.000-05:00

Annika (4) sporting her Sunday morning accessories. Which I did not allow to stay on her for church, by the way.

Ellia (2) and Miranda (3 months)

Aren't they cute in their matching shirts? I got those 4 years ago for Marissa and Annika. I had no idea I'd ever have two more daughters to wear the same shirts.

Corban (8) in his last Upwards basketball game for the season. He's the one shooting. His team was undefeated, thanks in part to their excellent assistant coach, my dear husband! :)

Corban's improvement over last year is tremendous - he really loves basketball now.

Marissa (6) has started ballet classes and absolutely loves dancing. She doesn't mind the cute leotard and slippers, either. We wish she could take lessons from my sister Anna - but something about travelling 1,300 miles for classes makes that a bit impossible.

Andes Creamy Fudge

2012-01-31T14:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's one more Christmas recipe that I never got around to posting. But hey, we haven't gotten to February yet, so I'm doing good.

Last week was a doozy for my family - we had a vicious round of a stomach virus, of which I'll spare you most of the gory details, but here are a few take-aways from the week.

* I never knew that a 4-year old could vomit 18 times in a nine hour period. (granted,

half of those were dry heaves, but we all know how painful that can be)

* I never knew I could be so completely dehydrated and still be able to nurse my 3-1/2 month old.

Thanks to God for making that happen. She never once went hungry.

* Our boy (8) only had a mild stomach ache for a day and the baby didn't get sick at all.

The rest of us had varying degrees of miserableness.

* We lived to tell about it. Amen.

On to the Fudge.

I'm a fudge-kind-of girl - I like all kinds of flavors, with and without nuts, pretty much if

it's fudge, I like it.

Back in 2006, I got this recipe from a friend after she made it for a Christmas party and I fell in love with it.

It's super smooth, soft, creamy, melt-in-your mouth, minty chocolate goodness.

And it's very easy to make.

Doesn't photograph very well, but that's probably just me.

I had a real hard time keeping out of the container of this one. Definitely part of the reason I

didn't lose any baby weight over the holidays.

Recipe: (from a friend)

Yield: approximately 4 lbs

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 (5 fluid oz) can evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup)

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

1 package (10 oz) Andes Baking Chips

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Lightly grease a foil lined 9x9x2" pan; set aside.

Heat sugar, butter, milk, and marshmallow creme in heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add Andes baking chips and vanilla extract, stirring until chips are melted.

Immediately spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into 1 inch squares. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. For creamier fudge, let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Chocolate Layer Cake with Cheesecake Filling

2012-01-23T14:44:00.002-05:00

A dear friend of mine had a birthday this month, and I wanted to make her a cake.

Not just an ordinary cake, but something special.

A knock-your-socks off kind of cake.

With the knowledge that she loves chocolate, almonds, and cheesecake, this sounded like a winner.

And it was.

I wanted to make the cake part from scratch but time was running short and a jazzed-up

mix was the best I could do.....but it was really delicious.

Takes a few steps, but they're totally worth it.

I've never put frosting on a cheesecake before, but after tasting the combination here, I fell in love with the idea.

And I can see myself taking this concept and making other flavors as well.

Recipe: (adapted from Food Network)

Chocolate Cake:

1 Devils food cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. almond extract

Cheesecake Layer:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. almond extract

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

6 cups powdered sugar

6 Tbsp. cream or milk

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Sliced almonds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper circles and butter them well.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sour cream and extracts and mix to combine. Divide batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely.
After removing the cake from oven, reduce temperature to 300°F.

While cake is baking, prepare the cheesecake batter.

Line a 9-inch round baking pan with aluminum foil, letting edges of foil extend over sides of pan. Lightly grease the foil.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar, beating until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream and extract. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake 45 minutes (at 300°) then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in oven with door closed for another hour. Let the cheesecake cool completely in its pan on a wire rack then cover and chill for 4 hours. Using edges of foil as handles, remove cheesecake from pan and peel away foil.

To make frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add chocolate, beating until combined. Beat in almond extract, vanilla extract and powdered sugar, adding a Tablespoon of cream after every cup of sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.

To assemble cake:
Spread a layer of frosting on top of one chocolate cake. Next, layer cheesecake and top with chocolate icing. Place second chocolate cake and ice with frosting on top and on the sides. Sprinkle almonds on sides or top.
Pipe on additional frosting for decoration if desired.

And if you haven't yet, please vote in the poll in my sidebar! I'd love to get your response!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesdays

Cooking? Cleaning? Neither or both?

2012-01-20T14:36:00.002-05:00

In December, a friend from church asked me if I would bake a birthday cake for her daughter's 4th birthday. As we were discussing the details, she said that she just didn't ever bake at all.

I offered to teach her some of the basics, saying that it really wasn't that difficult.

She responded, "Yes, but you have to want to do it. I don't have any desire to bake. I'd much rather clean."

I replied, "Oh, I'd rather bake than clean any day - I love baking and really don't like cleaning much at all."

She said, "I think people either like one or the other. Not usually both."

So that set me thinking.

I've created a poll on my sidebar at the very top......

I'd love to hear how you all feel about cooking/baking and cleaning.

Do you prefer one over the other?

Both?

Neither?

Update: In the poll, I should have added "baking" in with the cooking - I know that baking and cooking are different (I greatly prefer baking) - but what I really meant to be asking was whether you prefer preparing food in any way to cleaning or vice versa. Does that make sense? Hope so!

And just so you know........

here's what the cake looked like - I only had a couple of minutes to snap a photo and it's not the best, but at least I got one.

I also made some of these cupcakes.....for the preschool class. I'm told they were a big hit.

Gingerbread Pancakes

2012-01-17T16:44:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely holiday season, not without its challenges, but lovely just the same.

Grant's parents were here for three weeks, and my younger sister Anna got to visit for eleven days, overlapping with the grandparents for most of that.

I think we all managed to get some level of sickness during that time, mainly head and chest colds but also with Ellia (2) getting pink eye and a bacterial eye infection that required antibiotics.

I struggled with knee problems, ending up at an orthopedist, getting X-rays and even an MRI (if you've never experienced one of those, I can tell you that you feel like a torpedo being loaded and even with ear plugs, those machines are incredibly loud.)

Fortunately, I do not have a meniscus tear as expected, but apparently have a condition called Patellar Tracking Disorder. My treatment is just strengthening and increasing flexibility, supervised by a physical therapist.

After all of the festivities were over and our guests had all gone, the decorations put away and life beginning to resume normalcy, I picked up my Taste of Home Dec./Jan 2012 issue to browse through again and my attention was drawn to this recipe.

It sounded so good!

And who says gingerbread is only for Christmas, anyways?

We have pancakes or waffles almost every Saturday morning, and they're always the same kind. Basic whole wheat. Delicious, but ordinary.

The original recipe called for serving them with "Banana Cream" - which is homemade whipping cream with chopped bananas folded in. Frankly, that didn't sound too appealing to me.....oh, whipped cream is great, but I think bananas would just spoil it. Well, we didn't need those extra calories anyways, so I just served the pancakes with a light drizzle of syrup. They're actually very tasty plain, since they have plenty of sugar in them.

My family absolutely went nuts over these. Nuts, I tell you. Except for Ellia, who wasn't crazy about the Gingerbread Men I made in December either. Guess she's not a gingerbread sort of gal.

Corban (8) says these are the best pancakes ever and I should never make regular pancakes again.

Grant says they're just fabulous.

I agree - if a pancake is so tasty you don't mind grabbing a leftover one out of the fridge and eating it cold and plain, that's a pretty darn good pancake.

I did alter the recipe.....changing the amounts of butter and molasses and ginger.

Recipe: (adapted from Taste of Home)

Yield: approximately 42 pancakes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)

6 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

5-1/2 cups flour (I used 3 cups whole wheat, 2-1/2 cups all purpose)

4-1/2 tsp. baking power

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

2-1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground allspice

4 cups milk

In a very large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. Combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and allspice; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle (I didn't grease it, although it was recommended). Turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until the second side is golden brown.

This post is linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday.

Christmas Mice

2012-01-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

I can't even take how cute these are!

Marissa (6) saw me looking at them on a blog around Christmastime 2010 and asked if we could make them, but somehow I forgot about them and it never happened.
This year, when I saw the mice again, I knew I just had to make them with her. I bought the ingredients and a few days before Christmas, I mentioned that we were going to make little mice.
"Oh, just like the ones we saw last year and I loved so much?" Marissa excitedly inquired.
Yes, she had remembered.

We had a lot of fun making them.....but I have to say, it's really hard to eat something so stinkin' cute! However, we managed.

Recipe: (from Smockity Frocks)
Yield: about 28 mice

1 jar marchino cherries
1 cup milk chocolate chips
chocolate kisses
sliced almonds
Black decorating gel

Drain cherries and dry on paper towels.
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and stir until smooth.
Dip cherries in the chocolate and set on a wax-paper lined baking sheet.
Immediately place an unwrapped chocolate kiss on the front and press together. Add sliced almonds for the ears. Pipe on eyes and noses with the decorating gel.
Let stand until firm, or refrigerate for faster results!

Grandma and Annika got in on the fun.

Dipping cherries

I thought it was fun to have the little mice all around the goodies platter, like they were nibbling away on the candy. We also had Divinity, Hint of Berry Bon Bons, Homemade Snickers (new), and Andes Creamy Fudge (new).

Countdown to 2012: Best Dessert Recipes of 2011

2011-12-31T08:08:00.001-05:00

Just like last year, I couldn't possibly choose only one dessert to highlight, but at least I managed to keep it to ten instead of fourteen. Of course, that's probably because I just didn't get to bake as much this year.

Cake of Roses

This cake just makes me happy. It's feminine, beautiful, elegant, yet so simple to decorate. And it tasted fabulous. Three layers of moist chocolate cake, with raspberry filling and chocolate mousse filling, frosted with raspberry butter cream. It was amazing.

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

The best. sugar. cookies. ever.

Candy Bar Cookie Bars

Rich and decadent, chocolatey and peanutty, I found these bars impossible to resist.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

We could not believe how awesome these were. They inspired the Cake of Roses mentioned above.

Strawberry Ice Cream

When my chocolate-loving husband said he actually preferred this ice cream, I knew we had a winner.

Gooey Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cake Bars

Very easy to throw together and sure to gather compliments wherever you take them, these are a huge crowd pleaser with tons of chocolate and oreos.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

I love caramel. I love apples. I love cheesecake. And don't even get me started on streusel.

All together? Awesomeness.

Very Chocolate Ice Cream

So so smooth and creamy. The perfect chocolate ice cream.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

Yeah, we like the never-old raspberries and chocolate combination. These bar treats are just wonderful.

Fruit Pizza

Fruit pizzas are so simple, but so delicious. My kids have been begging me to make this for months, despite my explanation that we can't get good fresh strawberries at this time of year. It is seriously one of the top-requested recipes around here.

Be sure to check out Finding Joy in my Kitchen for more collections of Dessert Favorites!

Countdown to 2012: Best Crockpot Recipe of 2011

2011-12-30T08:47:00.001-05:00

We absolutely love this Spicy Pulled Pork.
It is without question our favorite crockpot meal of the past year.
I've made it several times for guests and gotten rave reviews from everyone, and Grant says it's one of his absolute favorite meals that I've ever made.
Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Be sure to check out other crockpot favorites over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen today!

Countdown to 2012: Best Main Dishes of 2011

2011-12-29T07:51:00.002-05:00

Truth be told, I greatly prefer baking over cooking.

I know, I know, that comes as a huge surprise to anyone who frequents my blog.

Ha.

But there is something very satisfying about cooking up a delicious dinner and having the other five people at your table eat with gusto and clean their plates, possibly asking for seconds.

And there wasn't even chocolate involved.

Yeah, cooking is pretty fun too.

Here are some of the favorite main dishes of our house this past year.

(Another top dish is coming tomorrow with the Crockpot Favorites, so don't forget to come back for that one!)

Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya

Bourbon Chicken

Super Bean Burritos

As always, be sure to check out Finding Joy in My Kitchen for lots of Main Dish Favorites from other bloggers!

Countdown to 2012: Best Soups and Stews

2011-12-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

Like I've mentioned before, this year has not been one in which I had oodles of time for trying new recipes, as several months we were just in survival mode and sticking to old favorites.

These two soups definitely made it to our favorites list, and the second one is even vegetarian, part of our attempt to eat less meat. When you have four young children, it's hard to find meals that everyone will eat without complaining - and both of these dishes pass that criteria for my family. So that makes them winners in my book!

Lentil Chili

Black Bean Soup

Be sure to check out Finding Joy in My Kitchen for more Soups and Stews Favorites!

Countdown to 2012: Best Bread Recipes of 2011

2011-12-27T11:41:00.000-05:00

I love making bread - there's just something so comforting and welcoming about the smells of bread wafting through the house, and there's no denying the health benefits and superior taste of homemade breads.

Here are my favorites from the past year - at least of the ones I got posted!

Strawberries and Cream Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Homemade Wheat Bread

Old Fashioned Corn Bread

Be sure to check out other favorites over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen!

Peanut Brittle

2011-12-26T14:16:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, Christmas is over and here I am, posting one of my favorite Christmas candies. What can I say, the past week has been really busy and I just couldn't make time to blog. I'm just happy I made time to even make the peanut brittle in the first place!

I got this recipe from my grandma many years ago; it was one of the Christmas candy traditions for our family along with Divinity and Buck-Eyes. I absolutely loved eating the candy, but as I got into my teen years, I treasured the time spent learning how to make it and getting special time with Grandma. She passed away in '98 and to the best of my knowledge, I'm the only one of her grandchildren who makes these recipes anymore.

I had a batch turn out really badly a couple of years ago - I didn't cook it long enough and the result was so chewy/sticky that you could barely eat it and keep your teeth intact. It was extra disappointing because I had made it to give as gifts to some ladies in my MOPS group and it was such a flop, I couldn't possibly give it away.

My point - be SURE to cook it to 300°!

Which brings up another point - be SURE to test your candy thermometer (stick it in boiling water and see if it registers 212°F; if not, make necessary adjustments when making candy) before you start making the candy.

The end result is a wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanutty candy that makes a great addition to your candy or cookie trays and really nice gifts to neighbors and friends.

Recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
12 oz. raw Spanish peanuts
2 T. butter
1-1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

Grease a large cookie sheet with rims generously with butter. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water, cover with a lid, and heat over medium heat for three minutes. Uncover and cook to 250° or it spins a thread. Add peanuts and cook until it reaches 300°, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and salt, then baking soda. Stir until blended. Mixture will foam up and lighten in color when you stir in the baking soda.
Pour immediately into prepared pan and spread to the edges.
Break into pieces after it cools.

Countdown to 2012: Best Breakfast Recipes

2011-12-26T11:44:00.000-05:00

SnoWhite is hosting a Countdown to 2012 this week, with today's feature being Breakfast Recipes.

I participated in the countdown last year and really enjoyed it.....so I decided to give it a shot this year as well. Hopefully I'll be able to post every day!

As I was perusing my posts from 2011, I realized that the events of the year really limited my posting of new recipes this year. Something about dealing with pregnancy nausea for four months, having a newborn, homeschooling with five children 8 and under, and having a knee injury (could be looking at arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear soon)....let's just say I've kept my kitchen adventures to a minimum.

That being said, here are a couple of breakfast recipes that we have enjoyed tremendously this year and that I make often.

English Muffins

English Muffin Bread

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the best Bread recipes!

Chocolate Peanut Sweeties

2011-12-14T17:26:00.000-05:00

I first tried these a couple of years ago, after spotting them in a Taste of Home magazine

I thought they were fantastic.

They remind me (quite rightly so, since the recipe is nearly identical) of Buck-Eyes, but with the pleasant addition of pretzels, which not only contribute to the fun factor with the salty crunch to complement the chocolate and peanut butter, but they also make the peanut butter balls infinitely easier and faster to dip.

That makes a win/win combination, if you ask me.

Recipe: (adapted from Taste of Home)

1-1/2 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

60 miniature pretzels

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

2 T. shortening or butter

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until completely incorporated.

Shape into 1" balls; press each one onto a pretzel and place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips with shortening until melted.

Stir until smooth.

Dip the peanut butter ball into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Return to baking sheet, pretzel size down. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5 dozen

English Muffin Bread

2011-12-12T08:09:00.001-05:00

In the past few months, in a further attempt to decrease our breakfast cereal consumption, I started making English muffins once a week. I would usually make them on Thursday nights to have for breakfast with scrambled eggs on Friday, with any leftovers making their way to our Sunday morning breakfast. I tried numerous muffin recipes and finally decided this one was our favorite. They really are great muffins.
However.
I found that I had to bake the muffins in two batches on my griddle, which required a lot of attention with the flipping, testing, dropping more muffins, etc. Not hard by any means, just time consuming.
Then I saw this recipe for English muffin bread. I was intrigued! Could we really have the flavor of English muffins in an easy to bake bread?
Yes, we could.
Admittedly, the texture is a bit different than the muffins because of the shape and baking difference, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies to soak up the butter and jelly, the taste is great, and I love the fact that I can just spoon the dough into the bread pans and put them in the oven (after they rise), not worrying about standing over a griddle for 30 minutes.
The other great thing about English muffin bread (as compared to regular bread) is that you do NOT knead it, you just stir it together until mixed, cover it and let it rise. So fast and easy!

It really is best toasted and is wonderful as a sandwich with eggs or spread with jam or just plain butter.
The family voted unanimously that they prefer it to store bought whole wheat bread as toast with breakfast.

Recipe: (From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
Yield: 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS:
2-3/4 cups very warm water
1-1/2 Tablespoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar
5-1/2-6 cups all-purpose flour (I use at least half white whole wheat)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl or bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix. Add half of the flour. Mix. Add remaining flour. Mix. The dough will be very, very sticky. Don’t be alarmed! Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled. Stir down the dough with a wooden spoon.
Grease two loaf pans (8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch) generously with cooking spray. Divide the dough between the loaf pans. I just spoon it in there. The dough should fill the pans about halfway. Cover the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the bread rise until doubled. It will look puffy and bubbly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes until lightly golden brown on top and baked through. Remove from the oven and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. Butter the tops while still warm.

This bread can be frozen and/or it lasts, covered or bagged, at room temperature for several days

Bacon Braised Green Beans

2011-12-08T17:21:00.001-05:00

Green beans with bacon - how can you go wrong with that?

For me, they bring back memories of my grandparents, who used to cook numerous things with either bacon or bacon grease. Good old Southern cooks, that's what they were.

I wanted a new recipe for beans for Thanksgiving and this was what I picked.

We were not disappointed; in fact, Grant said this is his absolute favorite way to eat green beans now.

I can't deny it, they're probably my favorite too. If only they were low in fat....but I suppose they fit right in to a low-carb diet. Which I am NOT on, nor will ever be for that matter. But if that's the way you roll, these could be a great addition to your menus.

I'll probably save them for special occasions, because of the extra effort and cost, but I know they'll be making an appearance on our holiday tables in the future.

Recipe: (adapted slightly from the Food Network - Emeril Lagasse)

1 T. olive oil

6 slices bacon, diced

1 cup thinly sliced onions

4 cloves sliced garlic

2 lbs. fresh green beans, rinsed, ends trimmed

1 cup chicken stock, vegetable broth, or water

1 t. salt

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes. Drain all but about a Tablespoon of grease. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green beans and toss to combine with the bacon and onions.

Increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken stock. As soon as the stock begins to boil, place the lid on the pan and cook the beans for about 6 minutes. Remove the lid, season the beans with the salt and pepper, and toss well. Replace the lid and cook until the beans are tender, 1 or 2 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and transfer the beans to a serving dish or small platter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

2011-12-02T20:18:00.001-05:00

We were having guests for dinner recently and I was contemplating what to make for dessert. As I perused my blog for inspiration, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Squares caught my eye.

I couldn't stop thinking about how fabulous those are, but I just didn't have the time to make them.

Then I thought, "Why not make cookie dough ice cream?" I've made cookie dough truffles before (in my pre-blog days) that were egg-free and fantastic, so I knew it couldn't be too hard to make some cookie dough ice-cream. This was what I came up with.

The cookie dough is really wonderful - I had a hard time keeping from eating the chunks just plain.

Had to make sure they were suitable for the ice cream, you know. Right.

This makes a delectable dessert, which could only be made better with the addition of a chocolate swirl. I thought about that too, but didn't have the time to make that either. Regardless, this is one of my favorite ice creams and everyone really enjoyed it.

Recipe:

yields: 2 quarts

Ice Cream Base: (from Cuisinart manual)

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups whole milk

1 T. vanilla extract

3 cups heavy cream

Combine sugar and milk in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat until sugar dissolves completely, which can take several minutes.

Gently stir in the extract and cream.

Freeze in ice-cream maker as explained in your owner's manual.

Meanwhile, make cookie dough.

Cookie Dough: (from serving-ice-cream.com)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla until blended.
Add flour and salt.
Stir until well mixed.
Form into a long log, wrap with plastic wrap, and put in the freezer until ready to use.
Cut off slices about 1/8" thick and cut each slice into small pieces.
You may not need all of them in the ice cream - you can save the remaining dough in the freezer for your next batch, or just munching!

When there is about 5 minutes left before the ice cream is done, add in small chunks of cookie dough.

Ice cream will be soft-serve consistency - if you want it firmer and scoopable, put in a plastic container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

Butterfly Cake

2011-11-29T17:12:00.000-05:00

Our sweet, rambunctious, independent Ellia turned 2 last week. She is full of life, laughs, and plenty of squeals......she loves babies, both real and dolls, she talks in 5-8 word sentences, she calls Corban "Pibben" and until just yesterday, said hiccup as "Hippup". Irresistibly cute! Now she says it correctly, which is still cute in her little voice, but it's just not the same.

Ellia loves butterflies, so it was a no-brainer to make a butterfly cake for her birthday. I ended up choosing this one from Betty Crocker.com - and made two of them, since each butterfly is made from one 9" cake layer. I also made some flower cupcakes from another cake mix, because I didn't want to run out of cake!

Instructions:

1 cake mix, baked according to box directions in 2 9" rounds

Buttercream frosting of choice

Assorted candies for decoration - optional

Colored Sugar in desired colors

Fruit roll-ups

After cake is completely cool, wrap in foil and freeze overnight if possible.

Remove from freezer when you're ready to decorate and trim the top of the cakes if they're rounded.

Then cut each circle exactly in half. Cut out a little triangle out of each straight edge just below the center and use the cake pieces to form the body of the butterfly, as shown below.

Frost and decorate as desired, using fruit roll-ups for the antennae (or you could use licorice if you want).

I wanted to make them a little more detailed, but I just didn't have the time. The lovely thing about butterflies is that really the sky is the limit on how you can decorate them - just be creative!

And what little girl doesn't love butterflies?

She really did like her cake, she was just a bit overwhelmed at the group of people staring at her and trying to get a smile out of her.

This is her big gift - the mac-daddy of all dolly strollers. It's awesome. There's little she loves more than pushing dolls around the house - and we figured we might as well get a nice, sturdy stroller that would last a few years. This one most definitely will. She could hardly believe it when Grant brought it out for her. Her face was priceless.

Can she be 1 Month Old already?

2011-11-17T17:11:00.000-05:00

Holding up her head like a big girl - 11/7/11

11/8/11

One Month Old Today - 11/9/11

At her check-up, she was 22" long (grew an inch since birth) and is now 11 lbs even.

Just the hint of a smile.

Very very serious. 11/16/11

Starting to get a little happier. 11/16/11

Now that's downright funny. 11/16/11

She's 5-1/2 weeks old, and we're getting genuine smiles every day now. Love it!

Sleeping so peacefully - little angel baby. 11/12/11

Cake of Roses

2011-11-10T16:36:00.002-05:00

Meet Marissa's 6th Birthday Cake. Isn't she lovely?

She had originally asked for a horse cake, but since I knew I was going to have a 2-3 week old baby consuming most of my attention, I wouldn't have the time or energy to attempt what she desired, so I talked her into a rose cake. I first saw it on foodgawker and was completely smitten. There are several such cakes on there by different bloggers - the first one I ever saw was posted by I Am Baker.

She has a lovely tutorial on how to make this cake and so I took her method and my ideas for flavors and here we are.

The great thing about it is that this beautiful cake can be achieved with just a 1M tip.

(it took me a few months to get one - our local stores were consistently out of stock every time I checked, which was often - when I finally found them, I bought 2!)

Per Marissa's request, I made a chocolate cake using this recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, along with the raspberry filling and Raspberry Buttercream Frosting (a double batch). The cake recipe made 3 layers - which I baked ahead of time and froze to make them easier to trim and frost. This cake is extremely moist and can be difficult to frost, but the taste and texture are SO worth it.

After a bit of deliberation, I decided the raspberry filling wasn't thick enough to be a sufficient filling between the layers, so I added a chocolate mousse copied from this cake.

Then all was left was to give the cake a thin coat of the buttercream and then pipe the roses.

Easy breezy!

I've never finished decorating a birthday cake so fast!
I could have been a little neater on the piping job, but I had a sweet little newborn calling for me, so I rushed a bit.

Marissa with her cake - she LOVED it!

And for the record, it should be refrigerated - if you leave it out at room temperature too long (most of the day) and only half of the cake is left - this might just happen.

We didn't see it happen - but it had been leaning a bit, which concerned me, and while we were getting the kids to bed, it decided to fall apart. Thankfully, all the festivities were over. I did salvage the cake and we did eat it and enjoy it tremendously - but it sure wasn't pretty anymore!

Linked to Birthday Cake Round-up

Fudgy Mint Cookies

2011-11-08T07:29:00.000-05:00

These have to be some of the easiest cookies I've ever made.

And some of the tastiest.

Okay, so they do use a cake mix, which I generally try to avoid.....

but for these delicious morsels, I'm willing to make an exception.

Chewy, fudgy, chocolaty, with little chunks of minty goodness in every bite,

they're a huge hit wherever I take them.

Recipe: (adapted slightly from Taste of Home)

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 T. water

2 eggs

1/2 package of Andes Mint Baking Chips

4 T. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, butter, and water until well combined. Beat in eggs. Stir in Andes baking chips. Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set.

Allow to cool for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Miranda's Birth Story

2011-11-06T19:56:00.001-05:00

Expectations. I had a few of them in regard to Miranda’s birth. I expected that it would be my easiest labor. I expected that it would be my shortest labor. I expected that she would come early. Well, maybe that last one was a strong hope. But I was definitely counting on it. I expected that there would be no complications and that she and I would be completely healthy and well. I expected that we would have no traffic issues in getting to the hospital/birthing center. A few of these expectations were met. A few were not. Thankfully, the most important ones were the “met” ones.

With my parents’ visit halfway over and no baby yet, an impending ankle surgery for Grant, and me just 1 cm dilated, I was really stressing. I felt like a watched kettle that wouldn’t boil. Yes, my parents had agreed to let mom stay with us an extra few weeks and fly home instead of driving with dad, so I knew we would still have help during our time of transition, but I desperately wanted Miranda to be born (and us to be home) before my dad had to leave for Arkansas. He needed to meet his newest granddaughter.

I awoke at 1:35 a.m. on October 9 with a contraction. This was nothing new. I had been having contractions for weeks, sometimes at regular intervals for hours at a time. I had mistakenly thought I was in labor at least four times in the past two weeks, only to have everything just die away eventually. I was beginning to think I would never recognize when I was really in labor until it was too late to make it to the hospital.

But this time was different. I knew it immediately. It was sharper and stronger than I had been having. I again began to hope that this was it. Miranda would be born on her due date. In my excitement, I couldn’t go back to sleep, even though the contractions were at least 7-8 minutes apart. I eventually woke Grant around 3:30 and made the call to the midwife soon after that.

After hearing my description of what was going on, she thought it was too early to come in, but that I was probably in labor. While Grant showered and got some things ready, I tried to rest. Hindsight being 20/20, like it usually is, I realize now that it probably would have been best if we had just hung out at home for a few more hours. But seeing as it was my 5^th baby, I had no idea how fast the labor would go, and I really didn't want to be in hard labor during our 30 minute drive to the hospital, plus the fact that I preferred to get going before the children were up, we went ahead and woke my parents and left the house around 5:30 a.m.

I had four contractions on route to the birthing center, just like before, with Ellia. With her, we had a baby in our arms less than three hours after arriving. With Miranda, not so much.
The midwife Beth, the one whom I awoke with my call, (and whom I had only seen twice during my pregnancy – and never with Ellia, since she was new to the practice) checked me soon after I was hooked up to the monitors for the mandatory 20 minute check on the baby. I was 3 cm. dilated. Not great, but at least we were moving in the right direction. Beth seemed a little grumpy. She left the room after that and we never saw her again. Oh well. Didn’t bother me too much (Grant either).

At 7:00 was a shift change for the nurses and we met the two that would be with us for the day (Connie and Jessica). I was given the option of having the monitor on for 20 minutes every hour or having the nurse listen with a Doppler for a couple of minutes every 45 minutes. I chose the Doppler.

I prefer to labor standing up and spent the next couple of hours walking around the room, occasionally sitting to check facebook or write on my blog. I was getting a little frustrated that the contractions were still 6-7 minutes apart and not super intense. Things were dragging a little, in my opinion.

Obviously not in serious labor yet.

Around 9:00, Blair came in. I was so excited to see her, as she was my favorite midwife of the four in the practice and I just felt most comfortable with her. She has a way of being very cheerful and upbeat while calm and peaceful at the same time, and assertive when necessary. It’s a great personality for a midwife.

After assessing the situation with my sporadic contractions, she asked if she could check me….I was dilated 5 cm. She said that although I had made progress in the past 3 hours, she didn't know if she would even classify me in active labor, considering all the information. According to her, labors with 5^th babies are often long and slow. Well, she’s the midwife, she would know better than me. She said that if we left things as they were, she wouldn't be surprised if I continued in labor for another 12 hours. Ick.

I wasn't super uncomfortable, but I definitely wanted to have Miranda sooner than that.

She then suggested breaking my water. Four days earlier, my friend Christen’s water was broken at 5 cm (her fourth baby) and she had her daughter one hour later. (Of course, she had been walking around dilated 5 cm. for nearly 2 weeks and she always has fast labors-- I know that everybody is different, but I can’t deny that her experience was on the forefront of my mind and those expectations kicked in again – surely I’ll have Miranda within an hour if we do this!)
I hastily agreed. My water was broken at around 9:30. I dilated to 6 cm, 100% effaced, and Miranda’s head was at 0 station, lower than before. As expected, the contractions picked up in frequency and intensity almost immediately. Within 20 minutes, they were over a minute long and about two minutes apart.

For awhile, I found that standing next to the whirlpool tub watching the water was helpful to me. Blair said that wasn’t surprised; she always makes sure the tubs are filled even if the expectant mother has no intention of getting in because just the sound and sight of the water can be soothing.

Around 10:30, Grant was standing near me during a contraction and I leaned over on him, hugging in sort of a slow-dance position, and that was a much better alternative to the water-gazing. We continued our “dancing” as the contractions tumbled on top of each other and the breaks became nearly non-existent.

At some point in there, the times are fuzzy to me now, or maybe I never even looked at the clock, Blair checked me again. I was 7-8 cm. dilated. That was a little discouraging, as the pain was getting nearly unbearable. I remember giving myself a little pep talk in my head, something like, “You can go from 7 cm. to 10 cm. in just a couple of contractions. It’s happened to me before. You can do this.”

One of the nurses picked up our camera and shot some photos (without even asking us!) .....

they and the midwife said we were such a perfect "laboring" team, they loved to watch us.

Grant continued to be my strength as it became almost impossible to relax through the non-stop contractions. Blair sat in the corner of the room, knitting and quietly observing. She came over at one point and asked why I was leaning forward so much – I explained that it was because my lower back was hurting so badly – not from labor so much but from just standing for hours. She suggested that we modify our position a bit and Grant put his foot on the bed and I rest my belly on his leg-shelf. It did help the back pain slightly, but a few minutes later, I decided I had to try lying down.

I lay on my left side on the bed and felt a few moments of hopelessness – that I could never do this. I kept praying through the pain for the urge to push. I just couldn't wait for it to be over. A few minutes later, I felt that blessed urge – and announced it to everyone. I don’t know what I was expecting as a response exactly, but I remember being a bit shocked at how relaxed Blair was. She just said, “Ok” and kept knitting. The nurses were getting last minute preparations ready for the baby – but Blair seemed completely unconcerned. She moseyed over and stood near me as I started pushing slightly. I wasn't sure what position would be best – and she said I could just stay as I was. One of the nurses came over and held up my right leg.

Almost done!
I have no recollection of this photo being taken and upon reviewing the pictures was surprised to see that I somehow managed to look so peaceful during this stage - it's not how I remember feeling!

I couldn't believe how hard the pushing was. It seemed more difficult than it ever had before. I had to change positions to something more familiar. I sat up partially, with Grant sitting behind me so I could lean on him. That felt better. Again, my expectations of how this stage of labor would proceed based on how Ellia's labor was weren't met. I had actual breaks between contractions where I was almost "pain-free" and didn't feel like pushing at all. Although I had read about this phenomenon, I hadn't actually experienced it with any of my other labors. (Well, the two with epidurals don't count). So while the pushing stage in reality was only 10-15 minutes (not sure exactly), it seemed so much longer because of those breaks.

Miranda was born at 12:05 pm and was a bit purplish and had a gurgley cry, but she was put on my chest and rubbed vigorously with a warm towel by one of the nurses while I snuggled her and rejoiced that we had done it, it was over. Well, nearly. We waited until her cord stopped pulsing to cut it, which only took a few minutes, the placenta was delivered, Blair confirmed that I had no tears or issues at all, (thank God!) and Miranda continued to improve in her color and crying - although she remained a bit rattley in her breathing for a few hours.

We did it...she's here!

Her weight was taken, a whopping 9 lb 5.6 oz, and 21" long. Big baby! Not surprising, our others were 8 lb 1 oz, 8 lb 6 oz, 8 lb 13 oz, and 9 lb 0 oz respectively. Definite pattern there. Getting larger every time!

Grant thought her sticking her tongue out a little was funny.

So back to those expectations.

This was not my easiest labor – that would be Ellia’s. (I’m convinced that my labor with her was easiest because my water didn’t break until the pushing phase. Just my theory.)

This was not my fastest labor – that was Marissa’s.

Miranda did not come early – she was exactly on her due date. (which certainly beats late, I admit.)

However.

We had perfect traffic to the birthing center (Sunday morning at 5:30 in the fall = no tunnel traffic!)

She and I were both healthy and well after an uncomplicated labor and delivery.

And, I had the bonus of my favorite midwife, something I had barely dared to hope for.

She is beautiful. She is perfect. Even right after delivery, I stared at her, amazed that she had come out of me, in awe that in just 9 short months, this little soul's body had been formed. Birth and life are such miracles.

Miranda means "Wonderful, admirable". Kathryn means "Pure". Names with significance. Qualities we desire and pray for in our daughter.

Skateboard Cake

2011-11-03T20:24:00.001-04:00

Our boy turned 8 last month - October 20, to be exact - and since skateboarding is one of his favorite activities, I had decided to make him a skateboard cake. I got inspiration from the Family Fun website.

But how to decorate it?

I scoured Cake Central for ideas, ones that would be simple (we do have a newborn baby around here, after all) but appealing to him. When I found this one, I knew it would be perfect, since he loves all things camouflage and it looked relatively easy to replicate.

I chose well, he absolutely loved it, and his friends were all very impressed as well.

Here's how ya do it.

Recipe:

1 13 x 9 " cake (I used chocolate)

1 9" round cake (I used yellow)

1 batch Buttercream Frosting** (recipe at end of post)

Cocoa powder

Heavy cream or milk (for thinning frosting if necessary)

4 small chocolate-coated doughnuts

2 Pirouette cookies

Food coloring - black, green

It helps to have the cakes baked ahead of time and frozen, that way they carve easier and you get fewer crumbs when icing the cake.

Cut the 9" round cake in half. Lay the 13 x 9" cake horizontally on the cake board and trim off a little of the sides, to give the skateboard some dimension. Place the cut halves of the circle cake on each end. Trim bottoms to make level with the larger cake if necessary.

I tinted my whole batch of frosting light tan with some sifted cocoa powder. Sifting is very important, you don't want clumps of cocoa in there!

I removed about 4 cups of frosting and divided equally between 4 bowls. One I added extra cocoa powder (plus a little cream) to make the dark brown. Another I added a little bit of green food coloring for the light green. Another I added lots more green and some more cocoa powder to make a dark green. The last I added more cocoa powder and black food coloring to make black. (It's much easier to achieve black frosting with chocolate in there!)

With the plain light tan frosting, I gave the cake its base coat. Then I used a toothpick to outline the design I wanted. You could skip that step if you want, I just felt more comfortable with having an outline.

Then I simply fitted a couple of pastry bags with small star tips (Wilton tips 17 and 18), filled with frosting, and went to work.

Interesting note: I only have two re-usable pastry bags that I like to use. Since I didn't want to wash them out between colors, I did the dark brown before the light brown and the dark green before the light green and just left the residue of the darker frosting in there when I filled the bag with the lighter frosting - it made the lighter frosting come out mixed and made the camoflaged appearance even cooler.

After the piping was all complete, all I had to do was stick a couple of the Pirouette cookies in between a couple of doughnuts for the wheels and axles and place them carefully on the cake. I made sure to have extra doughnuts handy for the kids at the party, because of course everyone wanted one.

The happy birthday boy.

**Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature (salted)

1 cup shortening

8 cups powdered sugar

1 T. vanilla extract

1/4 cup cream or milk (more if necessary for desired consistency)

1/2 t. almond extract (optional)

Pinch of salt, (if you used unsalted butter)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and shortening on high (8 on my KitchenAid) for a minimum of 10 minutes. Reduce speed to "Stir" and add the powdered sugar slowly. Add vanilla and cream or milk. Whip until smooth. Add almond extract if desired. It gives the frosting just an extra "Wow" factor that I really like.

Linked to Birthday Cake Round-up

Baby Miranda - a few photos

2011-10-11T06:40:00.000-04:00

My parents brought the kids to see us at the birthing center about 5 hours after Miranda was born.

Ellia thinks Miranda is awesome!

For now.

Marissa is in baby heaven.

The next day - we had to leave the birthing center section of the hospital to regular mom/baby postpartum in the middle of the night so someone else could use the room.

Grant is pretty smitten with his 4th daughter.

Corban has decided that a 4th sister isn't such a bad thing.

Annika with Miranda

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 7

2011-10-09T15:18:00.000-04:00

Introducing Miranda Kathryn -

born at 12:05 p.m.

9 lbs 5.6 oz

21" long

Labor got pretty difficult for awhile, probably around 10:30 or so. Grant was my awesome support and helped me focus on relaxing through some pretty brutal contractions. I ended up pushing for about 15 minutes. Wow, was that intense. No tears or anything, praise God!

I'll probably write a more detailed birth story sometime soon, but for now, all is well, Miranda is beautiful and perfect, and I'm feeling very good, thankful for some Motrin for those afterbirth pains.

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 6

2011-10-09T09:52:00.000-04:00

9:50 a.m.

Breaking of the waters definitely picked things up - contractions coming every 2-3 minutes and are pretty intense, but I'm handling them just fine. Baby was perfect on the monitors.

Hopefully it won't be too much longer!!

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 5

2011-10-09T09:33:00.001-04:00

We've had a change of shift, so I have two new nurses, Connie and Jessica, and a new midwife also, Blair - who was actually the one I was hoping for all along, hurray! At around 9am Blair checked me and I was dialated to 5cm, but she thought that I was not really in active labor since my contractions have been irregular. So she suggested breaking my water to get things going. As she broke my water I stretched to 6cm, 100% effaced and the baby's head at zero station. Things should start moving along faster now. I'm also now required to stay on the monitors for 15 minutes to make sure the baby is reacting well to having the waters broken.

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 4

2011-10-09T07:04:00.001-04:00

7:00 a.m.

Arrived at the hospital/birthing center around 6:00 a.m.

Had a 20 minute monitoring session, the baby sounds great. My contractions slowed down while resting in the bed, but are picking back up now that I can move around.

Dilated 3 cm.

Things are quiet here at the center - very nice. My nurse is named Karen. She seems really nice. Nurses can make a big difference in how things go, so that's a relief!

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 3

2011-10-09T05:17:00.000-04:00

5:15 a.m.

Contractions are still 4-6 minutes apart, but now a little over a minute long. Definitely stronger.

We're gonna head to the hospital now.

So thankful that it's early on a Sunday morning and we don't have to worry about tunnel traffic at all.

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 2

2011-10-09T04:04:00.000-04:00

4:00 a.m.

I called the answering service - the midwife on call is Beth. There are four midwives in the practice, and Beth is the newest one and I've only seen her twice. That being said, another one of the midwives, Jennifer, I haven't seen at all - every time I've been scheduled to see her, something came up like a labor or she was sick, so I'm glad she isn't the one there today!

Beth thought I should wait at home a little while, that since my contractions are not yet a minute long (45 sec), I was still a bit early in labor.

I woke Grant, we both got showered and dressed, and now we're just taking care of last minute things before we go.

Haven't woken my parents yet, although Grant's coffee grinder might have done the trick.

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 1

2011-10-09T02:36:00.000-04:00

My 5th pregnancy has presented a challenge that I had not yet experienced. While I have had Braxton Hicks contractions with all of my other pregnancies, it has never been to the extent that I've had them this time. There have been at least four occasions that I had regular contractions for several hours and was convinced it was the "Big Day", only to have the contractions fade away and nothing end up happening.

Very frustrating.

Especially when my friends who have been pregnant with me have all delivered their babies already, my parents have been here for several days and my dad will be headed back home on Thursday, and for heaven's sake, I want him to get to see his new granddaughter!

Today is my actual due date.

I have not had a baby born on the due date yet. My first was 12 days late, my second was 6 days early, the third was 9 days late and induced, and the fourth was 1 day early.

It is 2:32 a.m. and I was awakened about an hour ago with contractions that are much more intense than what I have had up to this point. Probably about 6-8 minutes apart at this point, nothing super regular, but definitely meaning business. I am confident that today is the day.

I hope I don't have to come back and eat those words!

Can't WAIT to meet my new baby girl!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

2011-10-03T07:00:00.002-04:00

I was in the mood recently to try a different granola bar recipe. My family still loves these Chewy Granola Bars, but since good quality honey has gotten even more expensive and harder to find around here, I wanted to find a recipe that used less than 1/2 cup. These are a delicious alternative and were liked by my whole family, which isn't always easy to do.

I love the peanut butter flavor and would probably enjoy chopped nuts in these as well, so maybe I'll add some next time. The flexibilty of granola bars makes them so much fun - you can add in whatever dried fruits or chips (chocolate, peanut butter, etc) or nuts or coconut you want or have on hand.

I also liked using a combination of oats with this recipe - it just gave them a nice texture. I'm sure you could use 100% of either and they would be just fine, though.

Recipe: (adapted from Allrecipes)

1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 egg
2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3-1/2 cups rolled or quick oats (I used 1 cup quick, 2-1/2 rolled)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix well. Add in flaxseed and oats and stir to combine. Add cranberries and chocolate chips (or other desired add-ins).
Press into a buttered 13 x 9" pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Cut into bars after 5-10 minutes, after bars have cooled some but are still warm.

Makes 18 bars.

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

2011-09-30T18:11:00.001-04:00

I like sugar cookies.

I mean, there's sugar, in a cookie. What's not to like?

But in all honesty, if given a choice between sugar cookies and something with chocolate or peanut butter or caramel (or all of the above), the sugar cookies would lose every time.

Until now.

These are seriously my Favorite. Sugar. Cookies. Ever.

Reminiscent of the super soft frosted sugar cookies you buy in plastic containers at the grocery store, (did you know that at Wal-Mart, they'll give a free cookie to each child at the bakery....and it's often one of those sugar cookies? I may or may not sneak a bite of my youngest's cookie once in awhile.), these are so much better, it's ridiculous.

Buttery, flavorful, perfect texture, they're just dreamy.

No artificial ingredients, no chemicals, no weird stuff you can't pronounce, and unbeatable deliciousness.

Can you tell I'm a fan?

I didn't try to roll out the dough to cut shapes, so I can't say for sure that it wouldn't work, but the dough is pretty soft and spreads quite a bit, so I'm guessing it wouldn't be the best for shaped cookies.

But when you taste these, you won't care that they're in a plain ole circle shape. I promise.

Recipe: (adapted slightly from Annie's Eats)

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature (I used salted)

1-1/2 cups sugar

5 t. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

4-1/2 cups flour (I used half all-purpose, half white whole wheat)

4-1/2 t. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

Frosting:

5 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter (5-1/3 T), melted

1 T. vanilla extract

6-8 T. milk

Food coloring (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together to blend. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, use a medium cookie scoop like this one (love that scoop!) to make balls and flatten them slightly. Your cookies will be a bit smaller, but you'll get more of them, so it's okay.

Space the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or just until set. (10 minutes exactly for me.) Do NOT overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all. Let cook on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost cookies, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and 6 T. milk to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Linked to 4 Moms Eat Dessert

Almost there.....

2011-09-28T14:48:00.001-04:00

Because I got a request for belly pictures, and because I figured I might regret it someday if I didn't have any end stage photos of my pregnancy with this little one, I recruited Corban to be my photographer this morning.

And just in case you're wondering, I did not succeed in my goal to gain only 25 lbs. My sweet tooth and aches and pains of pregnancy prohibiting me from exercising much combined to result in my gaining the usual 35 lbs or so. Blech. I really have my work cut out for me once she's born. Weight loss is harder after every baby.

Anyhow.

38-1/2 weeks along - she could come any day now.

And like my last baby, I fully intend to live-blog this labor/delivery, so stay tuned.....you never know when it will happen!

The Things that People Say....

2011-09-27T07:08:00.000-04:00

I have a really large belly.

It's true.

I do look like I "swallowed a watermelon seed" or "shoved a basketball up my shirt".

It's just how I carry. Every time, no matter if it's a boy or a girl.

I'm getting rather weary of the constant stream of comments from complete strangers, though.

"Wow! You look like you're about to POP!"

(to which I'm tempted to respond, "Thanks, so do you!")

"You MUST be due ANY day now."

("actually, I was due 2 months ago, I don't know why the baby won't come.")
or
"I can tell you're due anytime because your belly button has popped out."
(Oh really? Because this is my 5th baby and my belly button popped out by the time I was 4 months along.")

I've been hearing such things for the past 8 weeks or so. Yeah, when you still have 10 weeks till your due date, it makes you feel so wonderful to have people say things like that.

The big kicker came last week.

I was shopping at Wal-Mart with my two youngest.

Cute, aren't they?

As we ~~strolled~~ waddled down the aisle, an older woman came down from the opposite direction.

She had a scowl on her face and was unabashedly staring at my belly.

Gruffly, she demanded, "Is that a boy?"

"No," I smiled. "It's a girl!"

She grimaced and looked at my two little angels as if they were disgusting vermin before loudly exclaiming,

"Oh NO, not another one."

I was completely shocked.
Stunned.
Dumbfounded.
I managed to continue smiling and replied, "Girls are wonderful!"
"Hmmph", she grunted as she pushed past and continued down the aisle. "There's nothing like a boy."

Wow.

Spicy Brown Beans

2011-09-21T17:19:00.001-04:00

I used to only make a pot of brown beans when I had a leftover ham bone (with lots of meat still on it) to use up - brown beans and ham are wonderful together and that's the way my grandparents always made them.

Now that I'm trying more meatless bean dishes, this one has been very popular with my family.

You can make the beans as spicy as you want - just adjust it by adding less or more pepper and chili powder.

The biggest thing with beans is to make sure they're salted well enough. You can add some salt while they're cooking, but it's really best to wait until they're soft and ready, then add the salt to taste. You can always add more if it's not enough - but if you over salt or season in the beginning, you can't take it away!

We love these beans served with a big pan of cornbread - and sometimes some hashbrowns fried in a little coconut oil on the side.

And don't forget the ketchup!

Okay, maybe my family is weird, but we always ate ketchup on brown beans when I was a kid (and black-eyed peas too!) and I still love ketchup on beans.

Recipe: (adapted slightly from the Pioneer Woman)

1 lb dry pinto beans

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 jalepenos, seeded and diced (or slice them if you prefer)

1-1/2 t. salt, more to taste

1 t. black pepper

1 t. chili powder

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

If you're planning ahead, rinse the beans under cold water, sorting out any rocks/particles. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Let sit overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse the beans.

If you did NOT plan ahead, after rinsing the beans, place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour. Proceed with recipe.

Place beans in a slow cooker, cover with water by an inch, and cook on low for 4 hours. Add onion, peppers, and spices, stir well, cover and continue to cook for another 4-5 hours, until beans are completely tender. Add additional salt and seasonings to taste.

Note: If you want to add a ham hock to this, it would certainly be delicious. Just throw the ham in with the beans in the beginning and let it simmer all day - before serving, remove the bone and any fat chunks, remove any leftover meat from the bone, and add it back to the beans.

The Day We Went to the Fair

2011-09-17T11:17:00.001-04:00

I hadn't been to a county fair since my early teen years....as far as I can remember. Around here, I didn't even know about any county fairs - just the state one. And that one is too far away and costs too much for us to even consider it with young children. But yesterday, we had a real treat. Some friends invited us to join them at the Isle of Wight County Fair, which is about 45 minutes from our house. We had planned on going today, but since there was rain forecast for the entire day (and so far, they were right), we made some last minute adjustments and went yesterday afternoon and evening.

Here are some of the highlights.

Marissa is obsessed with horses right now, so one of the top two highlights of the day for her was getting a pony ride. Her first ever. She was just in heaven.

Annika enjoyed it just as much.

Grant with his girls - we were watching a K9 acrobatics show - dogs doing jumping tricks and such. The girls thought it was amazing.

First ride on a Ferris Wheel for all the kids - here is Annika (far right) with her best buddy Lydia and Jenna (Lydia's aunt).

Natalee, Corban, and Marissa

Ellia got her first ride on a merry-go-round - she liked it pretty well.

Another favorite ride of the kids was the giant swings. Natalee and Marissa here.

The older children insisted on going down this giant slide - fun but obviously not the longest ride out there.

We got to watch an alligator show - very cool.

The favorite event of the evening for both Grant and the kids was getting a ride on a monster truck.

Check out those laughs while they're rumbling and bouncing around a field!

Nothing like laughing with good friends!

Natalee and Lydia's grandparents own a specialty ice-cream and tropical treats trailer that was selling their goodies at the fair - so we got to hang out there some and the girls were peeking out of the trailer window.

One of my favorite events of the evening - since being almost 37 weeks pregnant, I couldn't exactly go on the rides - was enjoying a chocolate dipped coconut cream pie on a stick from their business. My goodness, that was awesome!

There were more rides, a bull-riding competition, a cool magic show, and a great fireworks display that we also enjoyed throughout the evening. We didn't get home until after 11:30 pm, so needless to say, we're a bit worn out today. But it was well worth it, a night to remember for all of us.

Strawberry Ice Cream

2011-09-15T16:20:00.000-04:00

Homemade ice cream is so much fun!

Regular vanilla? Awesome.

Vanilla with added Andes mints chips? Delicious.

After I made the Very Chocolate Ice Cream, Grant and I were convinced it was really unbeatable.

And then Annika asked for strawberry ice cream for her birthday and I combined a couple of simple recipes and made this.

Chocolate lovers that we are, I couldn't have been more surprised than when Grant declared that this strawberry ice cream was better than the chocolate. And he should know, he had just cleaned out the container with the remaining chocolate ice cream in it to make room in the freezer for the strawberry.

It is amazing.

Fruity.

Creamy.

Smooth and perfect.

I made it with fresh berries, but since strawberry season is really over, I am sure I'll be trying it out with frozen (thawed) berries at some point. I'll be sure to update this post with the results when I do.

Note: This nearly overflowed my 2 quart ice cream maker, so if your maker is smaller, please reduce the quantity of ingredients to what seems appropriate or make it in 2 batches.

Recipe: (inspired by the Cuisinart Recipe book)

1 lb. fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

1 cup milk (I use whole milk)

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

3 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 t. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Place berries in blender with 1/4 cup of sugar and puree until smooth. If you prefer your ice cream to have chunks of berries, feel free to just mash them instead - but I don't know what that would do to the overall texture of the ice cream.

In a separate bowl, combine milk and remaining 1 cup sugar. With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for a few minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Don't stop too early! It will make your ice cream grainy if the sugar isn't dissolved. Add cream, vanilla, salt, and strawberry puree. Stir to combine.

Pour into prepared ice cream maker and freeze as directed in your manual.

Serve immediately as soft serve, or put in a freezer-safe container and freeze until hardened, a couple of hours at least.

No, it's obviously not low calorie.

Or low fat.

But it is worth every bite. I promise!

Curious George Cake

2011-09-12T13:28:00.002-04:00

All of my kids love Curious George, so it was just a matter of time before one of them decided on a George birthday cake. This was the year.

I showed Annika numerous cakes from Cake Central and Coolest Birthday Cakes, but she wasn't too impressed with many of them, or they were going to be far too time consuming for me to undertake. I ended up showing her a bunch of George coloring pages online, and this was her favorite one.

I was a little nervous about how to do the details, because it isn't a huge cake and the fingers were pretty tiny, but it all ended up working out okay.

First, I baked a 13 x 9" chocolate cake, using this recipe. I froze it to make frosting it easier.

On party day, I whipped up a batch of buttercream frosting and tinted a couple of cups of it light yellow.

After frosting the cake, I placed the outline of the picture Annika had chosen on top and traced around it lightly with a toothpick.

Next, I tinted a small amount of frosting black (helps a lot if you add cocoa powder to it first - it's hard to get black frosting from white. I added a little extra cream to it, because the cocoa powder stiffened it up and it was hard to pipe.) I used my smallest Wilton tip to draw the basic outline, saving the details for later.

I tinted a tiny bit of frosting light brown with cocoa powder for the face, hands, and feet - and ended up spreading that on with toothpicks because my smallest tip was still in use with the black frosting. Then I added more cocoa to some frosting for George's body - and piped it on with my smallest star tip. I added in the rest of the details of George's face, hands, and feet both with my small tip and with a toothpick dipped straight in black food coloring.

The ice cream was the easy part - just pink and white with some black accents.

I used a larger star tip (#17, I think) for the border on the top of the cake, with tiny stars of white on top - and used a new tip, #199 for the shell border on the bottom. It was a lot of fun to use.

The cake turned out to be really cute, Annika was delighted, and everyone really enjoyed it. Super delicious, too!

Before the party, when she first got to see the cake.

Sisters!!

Lydia, Natalee, Marissa, Annika, Elizabeth, and Ellia

I printed out coloring pages for the kids from this website -

and got lots of ideas for games and decorations from the PBS kids website.

Here is another great site with lots of printables and activites.

Finally, here's another site with lots of general games for kids - I got some good inspiration there.

Linked to Birthday Cake Round-Up

English Muffins

2011-09-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

I am always reluctant to call a recipe "The Best" because when it comes to food, preferences are exactly that - preferences. Very subjective.

So I'll just say that out of the four English muffin recipes I've made in the past couple of months, this one is the winner in our opinions. All the recipes attempted were good, very well received by my family and entirely consumed with no problem - but these muffins just took breakfast to a whole new level.

They're really easy to stir together, don't require any kneading, rolling, or shaping, and cook up in 10-12 minutes on an electric griddle. And the flavor is just fabulous. The first time Grant tried one, fresh and hot, his comment was, "You have got to be kidding me. Is this dessert?" Not because they're sweet, they're not. Just because it was so good, you wouldn't even want dessert afterwards.

Served toasted with scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast, with a few extra slathered with fruit preserves, they delight my whole family.

The recipe is written with weight measurements - if you don't have a kitchen scale (which I highly recommend), I've included approximations for the measurements.

Recipe: (from Michael Ruhlman)

2 ounces/60 grams butter (1/4 cup)

1 T. sugar

16 oz. milk (2 cups)

1 package instant yeast (2-1/4 teas.)

1 large egg, beaten

16 oz. white whole wheat (or all purpose) flour (about 4-1/4 cups)

1-1/2 t. kosher salt

2 t. baking powder dissolved in 1 T. water

Cornmeal for dusting

Combine the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium/low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Add the milk, stir for a minute, and remove it from the heat. Stir in the yeast and the egg.

Combine the flour and salt in mixing bowl. Add the milk mixture and stir till it's all well combined. Cover and set aside for 1-1/2 hours, or refrigerate overnight (removing it from the fridge an hour before cooking).

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. (325° on my griddle).

Stir the dissolved baking powder into the batter. Dust the griddle or skillet with corn meal. Scoop-pour about 1/4 cup portions onto the griddle, free form or in rings. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until nicely browned. Flip them and continue cooking until done, 5-7 more minutes.

Allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes, pry in half with a fork, toast if desired, and serve with butter, honey, preserves, or with eggs and breakfast meat - however you like them!

Happy Birthday to my Annika - for yesterday

2011-09-07T20:15:00.000-04:00

Our middle child turned 4 yesterday.

We celebrated on Monday with a Curious George party and a few friends.

Annika is a delight to everyone who meets her.

She's friendly, energetic, has a great sense of humor, loves to be a helper,

tells great stories, sings to herself in the bathroom, is incredibly bright in academic skills,

runs laps inside our house to "practice for when I play soccer, Mama",

cries when she oversleeps and doesn't get to kiss her daddy goodbye in the morning,

wants to be like her big sister Marissa

in nearly everything,

entertains and plays with little sister Ellia for hours every week while I do schoolwork with the older kids,

and more importantly that all of that,

she loves Jesus.

What more could you ask for in a daughter?

Bourbon Chicken

2011-08-31T14:58:00.000-04:00

I'm not exactly sure why this is called Bourbon Chicken, because it has no bourbon in it; however, it tastes remarkably similar to the bourbon chicken you might buy at one of those food kiosks in the mall, which makes it a winner in my book! I think it would taste even more authentic if you used chicken thigh meat, but I hardly ever buy that.
What do I love about this recipe?

It's fast - comes together in 30 minutes or less.
It's easy - no complicated instructions or ingredients
It's healthy - at least relatively so. Unless you're avoiding soy.
Number 1 reason - it's Delicious! I mean really delicious! All of my children loved it, which doesn't happen all the time, and Grant and I couldn't get enough of it. I can't wait to make it again!

Recipe: (from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
4 T. oil (I used expeller pressed coconut oil - no flavor)
Cornstarch (for dusting, optional)

Sauce:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. apple juice
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 T. ketchup
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. soy sauce (reduced sodium)
Hot cooked rice, for serving

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and if you choose, lightly dust with cornstarch. (I did not).
Heat oil in your skillet or wok and fry chicken in batches until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.

In a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into skillet and bring to a boil. Add chicken pieces back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over hot rice.

What a Weather Week....

2011-08-25T16:27:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago, I experienced my first earthquake.

And the funny thing was, I didn't even know it was an earthquake until after it was over.

Oh, I knew something weird was happening.

I just thought it was my kids.

Absurdly, I thought they were jumping on the bed upstairs and that was causing the whole house to shake.

Earthquakes just don't happen in Virginia, so it literally didn't even cross my mind.

So there I was, hollering up the stairs at the kids,

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?????"

and watching them come out of their rooms with puzzled faces saying,

"Nothing, Mom...why is everything shaking?"

Then I looked up in my entryway and saw my chandelier swinging back and forth.

And I felt pretty dumb for thinking the kids were physically capable of making our whole house rumble.

Which it did.

A quick check on facebook confirmed that many of my local friends (and some not local) had also felt their houses shaking, so it was indeed an earthquake.

I felt dizzy for a couple of hours that afternoon......it was like my whole equilibrium was knocked off course in that few seconds of shaking.

And now Hurricane Irene is menacing our coastline.....

I pretty much blew off the warnings about her earlier in the week because in the seven+ years we've lived here, none of the hurricane threats have come to fruition, other than a couple of tropical storms and a nor'easter or two.

Now, it's looking a lot more serious than that.

We live in a pretty safe place as far as flooding goes, our neighborhood is actually the highest elevation in our whole community, but that doesn't put us out of danger of downed trees, power outages, that sort of thing.

The last major hurricane that hit this area was Hurricane Isabel - she knocked Virginia for such a loop that there were people out of power for multiple weeks, countless homes damaged by falling trees, that sort of thing.

Supposedly, if Irene doesn't change course, she could be more intense than Isabel.

I'm not excited about that.

I look out my window right now and see the sun shining brightly, a gentle breeze blowing, a normal summer day. Yet several people I know are already evacuating the area.

There are no D batteries to be found in town, so I hear from friends, which is unfortunate because we're running pretty low.

I did get 12 gallons of drinking water yesterday when I had the chance. I'm going shopping again tonight to get more non-perishable food and such.

And I'm praying like crazy that we are spared the horrific damages that people are panicked about.

Any of you East Coast readers feeling the anxiety also?

Black Bean Soup

2011-08-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

This bean, vegetable, and rice soup is so hearty and delicious, you won't even miss the meat.

We didn't, although it is remarkably similar to our Turkey and Black Bean Soup, which we also love.

It's nice to know we can have a meatless version that is equally satisfying and delicious.

I started out with dry beans, soaked overnight, because it's more economical and less sodium - but I'm sure canned beans would work just fine. The recipe didn't call for rice, but I thought it would be a nice addition. Turned out well, but I did end up with less liquid than I planned at the end and the "soup" turned into more of a casserole consistency. We still ate it in a bowl and it was still great, but I think next time I'll add a little more liquid (broth or water) if I add rice.

You could easily make the soup without rice and serve it on top of cooked rice if you want, we might try that too.

Recipe: (modified from Allrecipes)

1 lb. dry black beans (soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed) - can substitute 4 (15 oz) cans black beans

1 quart vegetable broth (or chicken or beef if you prefer)

1-1/2 T. chili powder

1 T. cumin

1-1/2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can chili-ready tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)

3-4 large carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 c. brown rice (uncooked, optional)

Additional broth or water, if using rice

Combine all ingredients except the rice in a large slow-cooker. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, depending on how hot your slow-cooker gets. Add uncooked rice and a little additional liquid for the last two hours if desired.

Serve with shredded cheese, corn chips, corn bread, or on top of hot cooked rice if desired.

Old Fashioned Cornbread - Seriously Good Stuff

2011-08-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

This is definitely the best cornbread I've ever made, hands down. I love the texture, the flavor, everything about it. It's delicious as leftovers, it doesn't dry out and get super crumbly like most cornbreads I've made. It was wonderful served with bean soup, a perfect accompaniment to brown beans, and just amazing on its own, either with a little butter or with some honey or molasses drizzled on top for a sweet ending to our dinner.

I had honestly never known that you could grind up popcorn to make corn bread - did you know that?
I also never knew or considered how important it is to have organic popcorn. Apparently popcorn is one of the most heavily sprayed-with-pesticides crops there is, and obviously we don't wash it before we pop it. Not to mention that regular popcorn is a GMO (genetically modified organism), which carries its own set of risks.
You can probably find organic popcorn at health food stores, or order from Amazon. I got the 5 lb bag of Great Northern Organic Yellow Gourmet Popcorn for less than $8, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

Recipe: (adapted from the Nutrimill owner's manual)

2 cups cornmeal (I grind mine from organic popcorn)
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or canola oil)
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. coconut oil or bacon grease (butter can be used)

Preheat oven to 400°. While oven is preheating, put a large (12") cast iron skillet in the oven with the 2 T. oil or bacon grease.
Mix all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl for two minutes.
Remove the very hot skillet from the oven and pour in batter. Place back in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

2011-08-17T09:13:00.002-04:00

Pasta dishes are usually a popular item around our house, not to mention great for pot-lucks or for taking to friends in need. This one is a really delicious variation that we all very much enjoyed and I'm looking forward to having again. The flavor of the chicken sausage goes great with the spinach (which is one of those veggies I don't even try to get into my kids apart from a casserole, where they don't even notice it!) and adding a little cream to the tomato sauce takes it to a whole new level of yumminess. Plus having two kinds of cheeses doesn't hurt anything. Does it ever?

It makes a lot, a very full 13x9" pan. Freezing part is definitely an option, instructions are included at the end.

Note: The original recipe called for using a pound of pasta, which I did, but I felt like the dish would have been slightly better (more saucy, less dry) with a little less pasta, so next time I'll use a 13.25 oz box of whole wheat pasta.

Recipe (adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1 T. olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil, chopped)

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 (13.25 oz) box whole wheat pasta (rigatoni or rotini)

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained well (can substitute 1 9-oz bag fresh spinach)

12-16 oz. precooked smoked chicken or turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick (you'll find this in the same section as the hot dogs, next to precooked kielbasa)

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, 4 oz. cut into small cubes and 4 oz. shredded

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (fresh or from a can)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook pasta in salted water as directed on box. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain and return contents to pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes, oregano, and basil; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach, and cubed mozzarella to the pasta in the pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into a lightly greased 13x9" pan (or divide evenly between two 8x8"pans).

Top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20-25 minutes.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Taco Salad Dippers

2011-08-15T16:41:00.000-04:00

I love meals that combine healthy, frugal, crowd-pleasing, filling, and easy into one pan. That's exactly what this meal does. You have meat, rice, and beans all simmering together in a tomato sauce with spices until it comes together into a lovely thick (although not extremely visually appealing, I have to admit) mixture that is delicious served over tortilla chips with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa on top - or equally tasty spread over a tortilla and made into a quesadilla.

This is a recipe that will find it's way into our meal rotation regularly for sure.

Recipe: (from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

2 lbs. ground turkey or beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups water

1 cup rice (white or brown)

1 t. oregano

1 T. sugar

2 t. chili powder

2 t. salt

2 t. cumin

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

1 (15 oz) can pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, brown the ground turkey or beef with the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain any grease. Add the water, rice, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, watching to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. (If you're using brown rice, it may need to simmer up to 60-70 minutes).

The mixture will seem watery at first, but it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs water and all the ingredients meld together.

Banana Bread

2011-08-10T10:14:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't have a go-to recipe for banana bread? I didn't.

There are several I'd use from time to time, one from my good old standby Betty Crocker cookbook, one from a friend's mom, a couple of different variations from cooking websites or blogs.

When I had a stack of quickly over-ripening bananas recently, I decided to give this recipe a try, with a few modifications to make it even healthier. It turned out so tasty, I don't know if I'll ever resort to banana bread browsing again.

Can I tell you again, if you've never bought or tried barley flour, give it a shot sometime. It adds such a light and lovely texture to baked goods, without altering the taste if used in small amounts......I just love it!

Recipe (adapted from Tammy's Recipes)

3 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup barley flour (can use whole wheat or all-purpose)

4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 cup sucanat (can use white sugar)

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large)

2/3 c. coconut oil, melted (can use melted butter or substitute some applesauce in equal amounts)

4 T. milk

4 eggs

1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Cinnamon/sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk, making a well in the center.

In another bowl, mash together the bananas, oil, milk, and eggs.

Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and stir briskly until well combined. Stir in nuts, if using.

Pour batter into greased and floured loaf pans.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. If bread is browning too quickly, lay a piece of foil on top of the loaves while they're baking.

Cool on a wire rack. Remove from pans after 10 or 15 minutes. When cool, slice with a thin knife. Bread can be frozen.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

2011-08-08T20:54:00.000-04:00

I am loving our new grain mill.....and making lots of things with freshly ground hard white wheat. It is just so satisfying to know the nutrition level of the bread products we're eating is significantly better than before, not to mention absolutely delicious.
When Grant asked for Spicy Turkey Burgers this week, I decided to try out homemade hamburger buns. Believe it or not, I had never really considered making our own buns before. But as I stood in the bread aisle of Wal-Mart analyzing the ingredient list of the only 100% whole wheat buns available and saw that the list was at least a couple of inches long and included who knows what, I thought, "For heaven's sake, I can do better than that." So I did.

These are lovely - nice texture, slightly chewy, full of homemade goodness. The whole family enjoyed them, although the girls were a bit disappointed when they came in from playing outside and thought from the bread smell we were having homemade pizza......but they sure didn't complain when they were eating the burgers!

The original recipe included directions for using an egg wash and topping with sesame seeds, which would make them look more like hamburger buns, but I don't really prefer sesame seeds on buns anyways, so I omitted that step.

Recipe: (adapted from Annie's Eats)

1 c. warm water
3 T. milk
1 T. instant yeast (or 1 packet)
2-1/2 T. sugar
1-1/2 t. salt
1 large egg
3 c. white whole wheat flour (can use bread flour if desired)
3 T. gluten (omit if using bread flour)
1/2 t. lecithin (omit if using bread flour)
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2-1/2 T. butter, softened

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, milk, yeast, sugar, salt, and egg. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flours, plus gluten and lecithin if using, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the butter. Knead for about 6-8 minutes. The dough may be somewhat tacky, but don't add too much extra flour which could create tough buns.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 30 minutes or so, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Set a large pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. with a rack in the center. Bake the buns about 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Must be Slacking.....

2011-08-05T07:38:00.000-04:00

My three dancing Princesses. Marissa (5) dressed them all up and they were thoroughly enjoying dancing together. Melted my heart in a really big way.

See that one in the middle?

That's Annika. She's turning 4 in a month.

We started up our home school this week and she is doing work from the Abeka K-4 program.

She loves doing workbooks and feeling big like her siblings.

She loves to color (and does it remarkably well for her age) and is currently practicing sounds of letters, especially short vowel sounds.

After our first day of school was complete, she came to me with a look of total dismay.

"Mom!" she exclaimed loudly. "You forgot to teach me how to read!!"

I giggled and tried to explain that learning how to read is a process, you don't learn in just a day, that practicing the sounds of the letters is the beginning stages of reading, etc etc.....but she was not satisfied.

Every day since, she's insistent on getting her "reading" time and is still expectant that she'll be reading books independently immediately.

Oh, how fast they grow up.

Quick and Easy Banana Cake

2011-08-02T14:31:00.001-04:00

I generally stay away from packaged mixes, but there are certain times that it just makes life so much easier. This is a nice recipe to have on hand for those times.

This banana cake is so moist, full of banana flavor, and lightly spiced that it tastes great without a frosting.

I've made it before in muffin tins and served them for a brunch, where they were very well received.

However, if you want to jazz it up a little, you can't go wrong with a basic cream cheese frosting.

That makes just about any cake better!

Recipe: (adapted from Allrecipes)

1 white or yellow cake mix

Oil, eggs and water called for on box

2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions with oil, eggs, and water. Mix mashed bananas and baking soda together, then add to cake mix. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pour into a greased and floured 13x9" cake pan or muffin tins lined with paper liners or greased.

Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Bake cupcakes as directed on box.

Cool completely and frost if desired.

Frosting (optional)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
cinnamon (optional)
chopped nuts (optional)

With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar and continue to whip together. Add vanilla and stir well. Spread on top of cake or cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts if desired.

Super Bean Burritos

2011-08-01T12:10:00.000-04:00

Another attempt at a vegetarian meal, this one was a huge hit with the entire family. The filling is so tasty and satisfying, you don't miss having meat at all. Although they can reportedly be frozen and reheated with great success, I didn't get the chance to try that because we gobbled up the leftovers for lunches the next couple of days. I might prefer them with a little less corn personally, but they were great as is.

Recipe: (from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1 cup brown or white rice (or 2 cups already cooked rice)

2 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced (can substitute 1 (4 0z) can green chiles)

1 t. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

3 T. tomato paste

2 cans beans (pinto or black), drained and rinsed

1-1/2 c. water

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn, drained

6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. onion powder

14-16 soft-taco sized flour tortillas

2-3 cups shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or cheddar)

Cook rice; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (a potato masher or fork works great here). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.

Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.

Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup bean and rice mixture and a good sprinkling cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.

Serve warm immediately, with salsa and sour cream if desired — or, to freeze for later consumption, put the baking sheet of burritos into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until very cold so that they don’t come apart in the wrapping process. Remove them from the freezer and wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped burritos in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze up to three months.

To reheat from frozen:
Remove plastic wrap from the burrito. Poke holes in the top several times with a fork. Microwave on high for two minutes. Gently poke a few more holes in the burrito and microwave for another minute. Be careful as the burrito will be piping hot!

Very Chocolate Ice Cream

2011-07-26T21:13:00.002-04:00

We just got an ice cream maker last week!!! It's a Cuisinart 2-quart capacity countertop variety, which is the largest size I could find that didn't require ice and rock salt for making the ice cream.
So far I've made the vanilla recipe from their included booklet, as well as the vanilla yogurt. The ice cream was wonderful, the yogurt tasty but not nearly as good as the ice cream (go figure, must be the 17 less grams of fat per serving). For having guests this weekend, I decided to make some chocolate ice cream as well.

This recipe caught my eye off of Allrecipes and with all the positive reviews, I knew I had to make it.

In all seriousness, it is one of the best things I have ever eaten. I'm not even kidding. Even Grant agrees, and he's pretty picky about homemade ice cream, texturewise. It's the perfect amount of chocolaty goodness, creamy and smooth melt-in-your mouth delectableness. Everyone loved it.

Note: This amount filled up my 2-quart ice cream maker to full capacity. If you have a smaller machine, please decrease the ingredients! The link below to Allrecipes takes you to the recipe itself, and they have an awesome feature on their site that calculates different amount of servings for you. The original recipe was for 8 servings - I changed it to 12 for our machine, which was perfect.

Recipe (from Allrecipes)

1 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped finely (I used Bakers Semi-sweet Chocolate)
3 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Combine sugar, milk, salt, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat to about 150°, very hot but not bubbling yet. Place the egg yolks into a small bowl. Gradually stir in about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid. and return to the saucepan. Heat until thickened (175-180°), but do not boil. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate until chocolate is melted. Pour into a chilled bowl, and refrigerate for about two hours until cold, stirring occasionally.
When chocolate mixture has completely cooled, stir in the cream, and vanilla. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Graduation Cake

2011-07-22T13:00:00.002-04:00

I consider this cake my crowning achievement in cake decorating thusfar. I actually made it in June of last year; I have no idea why it's taken me so long to get it on the blog.

My neighbor Jenny had a daughter graduating from high school, and they were a part of a homeschool co-op that had several graduates. They were having a ceremony and reception and Jenny requested that I make the cake for them. I was extremely honored that I would be asked for such an occasion, as I had only made cakes for my own children up to that point, and I'm completely self-taught. I browsed through some cake decorating websites to get some inspiration and asked Jenny for input on what she had in mind before I committed. It was a little nerve-wracking to be making a cake for 60+ people, and for such a special event as well! (I mean, my kids sure don't care or even notice if I mess up something on their birthday cakes).

This was what we came up with for the idea. There was only one problem. I had no idea how to pipe roses. I ended up buying a Wilton Cake decorating book, which is lovely and very informational on lots of things....but ultimately it was watching tons of youtube videos that helped me catch on. That and the hours of practicing. :)
I ended up making the roses a few days in advance and saving them in the fridge (carefully stored on wax paper in plastic containers) so that when the cake was ready, I could just slide them on wherever I wanted them.

So the bottom of the cake was a half-sheet chocolate cake, the top layer was a 13 x 9" vanilla cake. All the frosting was regular Wilton recipe buttercream, except the fondant scroll on top. That was homemade marshmallow fondant.

I had quite a time with the writing. I originally intended to paint on the names, so I bought this gold glittery stuff that you add a little clear vanilla extract to for making it like paint....only even with the tiniest paintbrush I could find, it wouldn't paint the letters clearly enough. So back to Michael's I went to get edible markers. Supposedly they're good for writing on fondant. For my purposes, that didn't work either. The tips were too big for fine print and the yellow color just didn't show up.
My final solution was to just tint some buttercream yellow and pipe on the letters. I have terrible handwriting, so I found a font I liked and typed out the list of names, then printed it in the exact size I would need for the scroll. I copied a faint outline of all the words on the fondant with a toothpick, then wrote over it with the frosting. I was so nervous about that part! It turned out really nice, though, leaving me wondering why I hadn't chosen to go that route in the first place.

I was very pleased with the final product and I think it was well received by everyone. I sure learned a lot in the process and had a great time seeing it all come together.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2011-07-21T13:16:00.000-04:00

Got a zucchini surplus from your garden? This is the perfect way to use some of it up. We didn't plant zucchini this year because of the poor results we had last year (that is to say, 0 zucchini and diseased plants) but there are pretty good deals at most of the grocery stores on it now so we're eating it pretty frequently.

One day I remembered I had this recipe tucked away in a folder, not having been used in several years. That is a crying shame, I tell you. This recipe deserves to be made all throughout the year, especially during zucchini season.

Now, I have two daughters who don't like zucchini at all, and a son who thought that zucchini in a bread would be gross. He almost didn't even want to taste it.
One bite later, they were all converted.

"This is like CAKE!"
"You don't even need frosting!"
"I want this for my birthday cake!"
"I want this for my birthday BREAKFAST!"
"This is the best chocolate bread EVER!"

Yeah, those are the comments I heard from my kids.
And they are right. It is like cake, it definitely doesn't need frosting, and it is certainly birthday meal worthy, although probably we'll make something else for the actual "cake".

It really is one of my favorite recipes, all the way around. And one of the best parts - you get two loaves, which becomes seriously necessary once people taste it and can't stop eating it.

Recipe (adapted from Allrecipes)

2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
1-1/2 c. white sugar
2/3 c. applesauce
1/3 c. oil (I used expeller-pressed coconut oil)
2 c. grated zucchini (about 1-1/2 medium)
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. white whole wheat flour (you can use all purpose if you want)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a microwave safe bowl, microwave unsweetened chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, applesauce, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and melted chocolate; beat well.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

Black Bean Burgers

2011-07-19T13:56:00.000-04:00

We're trying something new around here. I've been reading a lot about meats and the products you injest when you eat conventional meats (the growth hormones, antibiotics, affects of genetically modified organisms that are in the feed of most meat animals, all that stuff), and needless to say, it's grossing me out.

Now I'm not about to turn vegetarian - but I figure that since organic meat is crazy expensive and local farmers are extremely uncommon around here, it wouldn't hurt us to consume less meat products and obtain protein from other sources for a few meals a week.

I've even convinced my carnivore husband of it, and he's agreed to have at least one or two dinners a week that don't include meat.

However, since he is doing P90X and needs lots of protein for all that muscle building he's doing, just veggie-based meals won't cut it. We're trying to incorporate more beans and brown rice into our diet, so black bean burgers seemed a natural choice.

This was a first for everyone in my family. Not only had I never made black bean burgers, I had never eaten one either. I don't think Grant had either. So I have no point of reference with which to compare this recipe, I can only comment on whether we liked it or not.

The general consensus - we did.

Corban (7) wasn't a huge fan, he liked the taste of the burger but just didn't enjoy it on a bun. I have to admit, it was a bit strange to be looking at something like a burger but experiencing a texture completely different. I did really like the flavor of the burgers, although I think I might enjoy it more wrapped up in a tortilla or maybe a pita bread. Just so I'm not expecting a real burger sort of meal.

Grant loved the leftovers - he just ate them plain without buns for his lunch the next day.

Note: The original recipe called for 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, which I omitted because of certain people I love who despise it. It also called for a minced shallot - I just used some onion powder, because I don't ~~normally~~ ever keep shallots on hand.

Recipe: (adapted from Annie's Eats)

3/4 cup panko

3 T. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided

2 large eggs

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

1/2 t. onion powder

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Combine the panko with 2 tsp. of the olive oil and mix with a fork to blend. Add the mixture to the skillet and toast the panko, stirring frequently, until light golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place 2-1/2 cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, 1 T. of the oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Whisk to blend. Add the egg mixture, toasted panko, remaining 1/2 c. beans, bell pepper, cilantro (if using), and onion powder to the bowl with the mashed beans. Stir together until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions (I made about 8), about 1/2 c. each. Lightly pack into 1-inch patties. (At this point, the patties can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.) Heat 1 T. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.

Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total. Transfer the cooked burgers to a plate, tent with foil, and repeat with the remaining oil and bean patties. Serve warm. I melted some cheddar cheese on half, and pepper jack on the other half.

Visit from the Grandparents - Summer 2011 Part 2

2011-07-16T10:09:00.000-04:00

A few more photos of our fun time with Grant's parents are in order......somehow we failed to get downloaded the fishing photos that Grandpa took, so hopefully he can email those to us and I can add those....some pretty cool shots of the guys catching small sharks!

Beach time! Ellia was obviously having a good time.

Marissa - loves the pool!

Annika - our little fish.

Slightly chilly Ellia with Grandpa

Getting a lesson from Grandpa on different aircraft at a local park.

Annika was just unhappy about mosquitoes.

Swinging time!

Visit to our Yankee Candle Factory Flagship store - the kids' first time there.

The kids all dipped candles - lots of fun.

Corban got to make a wax mold of his hand....he loved it!

Grandma and Ellia.

Annika and Grandpa

Grant's brother Eric came down for one of the fishing trips and the guys came back with a few crabs - he cooked them and taught us all how to properly eat a crab.

A little surprisingly, Annika was the hugest fan of crab meat - she's our little seafood fanatic!

Last day of the visit- all the kids with grandparents.

Gooey Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cake Bars

2011-07-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

Can you EVEN.
I mean, really.
These take ridiculous to a whole new level.
Nothing nutritious about them, not one single crumb.
Chocolate to the hilt. A chocoholic's dream come true, if you want to know the truth.
Can you see the gooeyness? (spell check says that isn't a word. I don't care.)

Thankfully, I made these for Grant's work potluck, not for us at home, because otherwise I could be guilty of consuming a day's worth of calories in about 5 minutes.

The recipe comes from Jenny at Picky Palate, who has some of the craziest ideas for new recipes. I would never have thought of something like this. I guess that's the reason she's been to the Pillsbury Bake-Off and other national cooking contests and I haven't.

Recipe:
1 devils food cake mix
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
1 egg
14 chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a 13 x 9" pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, butter, and egg. Use your hands and just mash it all together until it's well mixed. Press evenly into prepared pan.
Break cookies into pieces and sprinkle evenly over cake.
Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the cookies.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of it all.
Bake for 23-25 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen from foil. Allow to cool completely. Use foil to remove from pan and cut into pieces.

Fruit Pizza

2011-07-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

It was my turn to make food for our small group from church last week, and I decided to do a pizza night. I made 2 large pizzas in cookie sheets, one half cheese, half veggie (with zucchini, tomatoes, and green peppers) and the other barbecue chicken bacon. For dessert - pizza again. Yum!

I realize there are lots of variations on fruit pizza out there, so I won't make any claims that this is the best one, but it sure was delicious and popular with kids and adults alike. I made two, so I doubled this recipe. I think the ratio of topping, fruit, and cookie were balanced very nicely - nothing was overpowering or dominating and it was just plain good. The cookie was nice and soft, but never got soggy. Fresh fruit can get iffy in quality if left in the fridge for too long, so I recommend eating the leftovers by the next day. That wasn't a problem for my family.

My kids are already begging me to make it again.

Recipe (adapted from Allrecipes, decorating idea from Finding Joy in my Kitchen)

1/2 c. butter, room temperature
2/3 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed

Fresh fruit - I used strawberries and kiwi (peaches, blueberries, mandarin oranges, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, mango, or most other fruits are possibilities as well!)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a pizza pan.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir well.

Gently press into the prepared pizza pan. Don't worry about getting all the way to the edges - as the cookie bakes, it will expand. I left at least 1 to 1-1/2 inches space around the edge.

Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cookie is lightly browned around the edges and set in the middle. Cool completely.

Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped topping until well combined. Spread over the cooled crust. Arrange sliced fruit on top as desired. Chill until serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Iny's Prune Cake

2011-07-12T17:12:00.000-04:00

When I first read the Pioneer Woman's post about this prune cake, I was dubious. I mean, really. Who in the world has ever heard of a prune cake? ((her, apparently))

What could it possibly taste like?

Not that I think prunes are gross or anything, I actually kind of like them (but not pure prune juice, blech), but I just would never have thought of making a cake out of them.

Then I got her cookbook and saw the cake was in there too. Okay, it had to be seriously good or she wouldn't have featured it in a cookbook.

I finally buckled down and made it when my in-laws were here.

Obviously not a fancy or beautiful cake, I was very excited to take that first bite and see if it was worth all the hype.

And I have to say, I loved it.

It's incredibly moist, sweet, gooey even.....
just delicious. And you feel healthy because you're eating dried plums in every bite. :)

Note: I think this cake would be just fine with substituting some applesauce for part of the oil. At least half of it, maybe even all of it. That would make it a LOT lower in fat.

Recipe: from the Pioneer Woman (Iny was her great-grandmother)

Cake:

1 cup prunes

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup canola oil (substitute applesauce if desired)

1-1/2 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. allspice

1 t. cinnamon

1 cup buttermilk

1 t. vanilla extract

Icing:

1 cup sugar

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 t. baking soda

1 T. white corn syrup

1/4 c. butter

1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°.

Cover prunes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft and mashable, about eight minutes. Remove from heat, drain water, and mash on a plate with a fork. Set aside.

Mix together oil, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry

ingredients, add buttermilk and vanilla and stir gently until just combined. Add the mashed prunes and stir gently again. DO NOT OVERMIX!

Pour batter into a buttered baking dish (13 x 9") and bake for 35-40 minutes. Do NOT overbake!

While cake has 5 minutes remaining, make the icing:

Combine all icing ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Boil without stirring for 5-7 minutes or until icing starts to turn dark. Do NOT allow icing to reach soft ball stage; icing should be caramel in color, but not sticky like caramel. Icing should be easily pourable.

Pour icing on hot cake. Allow to rest on the counter. Serve warm.

Visit from the Grandparents - Summer 2011

2011-07-07T12:51:00.000-04:00

We had a visit from Grant's parents this spring, from the end of May until the middle of June. We had lots of fun activities, not the least of which was Grant and I getting our first night away alone (since having children) to have an early celebration of our 10th anniversary (coming up tomorrow!). We also got another weekend away to attend the VA homeschool convention, which was truly amazing and a lovely thing to experience without worrying about the kids.

Here are some pictures of other things that happened:

Marissa learned to ride a bike without training wheels.....awesome!

(I love the blur of Annika, running fast)

We went to the Living Museum and explored their new Butterfly Exhibit - here the kids are working together to move along like a caterpillar.

Annika the Spider is about to devour her prey (Marissa).

Flying like a butterfly on a zipline.

We loved the live butterfly garden outside.

Corban got to participate in a demonstration during a little workshop.

We also made a trip to the beach on a gorgeous day - Ellia here with her shades on (didn't stay on for long).

Grandpa and Ellia.

Grandma and Marissa

Annika digging.

Ellia wasn't crazy about the water but sure liked carrying around a shovel.

Grandma and Ellia

Marissa learning to use a boogy board.

She loved it!

My three girls.

Ellia was so funny about not wanting her hands to get dirty....she would do whatever she could to stand up without touching the ground.

More pictures coming up soon!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2011-07-06T16:42:00.000-04:00

When Grant came home and smelled this cooking, he immediately declared, "I bet this will become a new family favorite." After he tasted it, he confirmed his suspicion. He absolutely loved it! I thought it was excellent as well, and all of the kids gobbled it up but my lone green pepper hater. It was even good as leftovers, although it's best the first day.
The chicken is lightly breaded and fried before being smothered with sauce and baked to delicious completion to be served over rice, extra sauce optional. I think this is a great dinner to take to someone in need, serve to company, or just to have for a weeknight meal. It's bound to be a crowd-pleaser.

I added a green pepper because I thought it would be good - it was. We determined that chunks of pineapple would be delicious baked with it also. Haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it would be good.

Recipe: adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Note: if you like extra sauce (we did), double the sauce ingredients – pour half over the chicken and follow the baking directions in the recipe and pour the other half in a small saucepan. Cook the sauce on the stovetop at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Serve it on the side of the chicken.

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch (I used arrowroot powder, and needed an extra 1/4 cup)
2 eggs, beaten (I ended up needing 3 eggs - maybe I had larger chicken breasts)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 green pepper, cut into pieces (optional)
Chunks of pineapple (optional)

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Add pepper and pineapple if desired. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

2011-07-04T11:54:00.002-04:00

A triumph.

That's the best way I can describe this cake. Why?

Grant is typically not a huge fan of from-scratch cakes. He nearly always prefers cakes from a mix, whether doctored up or not. After tasting these cupcakes, he declared that not only is this his favorite cupcake ever, it is also his favorite chocolate cake, EVER. I could hardly believe it, except I felt the same way about it. It's so incredibly moist, tender, chocolaty, you just don't want to stop eating it. The cake recipe is actually very similar to the Raspberry Chocolate Cake I made at Christmas last year, except it has more chocolate and a bit more buttermilk.
So what makes these cupcakes even more special? When you bite into them, you find a delightful surprise of a rich homemade raspberry filling adding a burst of flavor to every mouthful. Add to that a fluffy raspberry buttercream frosting, and you have one of the best desserts I have ever eaten.

Notes: The recipe I followed said it yielded 24-28 cupcakes, yet I got 36 full-size cupcakes out of the batter.
The filling was enough for about 24 cupcakes. The cupcakes without the filling were also amazing, and some of the children preferred them that way.
I had a small amount of frosting left over, which like all homemade frostings, was delicious on graham crackers!

Recipe: (Cake and filling from Smitten Kitchen, frosting adapted from Annie's Eats)

Cupcakes
3 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
1-1/4 t. salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup oil (canola)
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 t. vanilla extract

Filling:
1 (12 oz) bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. cornstarch

Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
6 cups powdered sugar
1 T. raspberry liqueur (optional)

I recommend starting by making the filling.
Put the thawed berries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Press through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan to remove seeds. (This is time-consuming, took me close to half an hour).
Add sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it has thickened, remove from heat. Chill while making the cupcakes.

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; add the hot coffee and let stand a minute or two, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until slightly thickened and pale yellow. Slowly add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, mixing until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter and jam until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and beat after each addition. Add the raspberry liqueur if desired. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes, place the raspberry filling in a pastry bag. (I used a plain round small tip). Stick the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze to insert a couple of teaspoons of filling into each cupcake. When you can see the top moving upwards and the filling just starting to ooze out, stop piping!
Place the frosting in another pastry bag (I used a 2D large star tip). Pipe frosting onto each cupcake in desired pattern.

Cupcakes do not need to be refrigerated.

This post is linked to the Ultimate Recipe Swap: Chocolate.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cast Iron Skillet

2011-06-27T12:01:00.000-04:00

I was brainstorming what to make for Grant for Father's Day and kept coming back to the good old standby of chocolate chip cookies. There's hardly anything he likes more than those. But I wanted to jazz them up a bit, make it something out of the ordinary. Then I saw this recipe on foodgawker and thought it would be pretty fun to make, not to mention faster than all those cookie trays. Plus, there's always the option of decorating it with frosting, which could only make it better!

He was delighted, as were the children. It tasted great, even though I think I overbaked it a tiny bit. The original recipe said to bake it for 40-45 minutes, but when I checked it at 35 minutes, it was definitely done. So check early, always check early! Ovens are not created equal.

I made a basic buttercream frosting for decorating, using a stick of butter creamed with 2 cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, a Tablespoon or two of milk, and added a couple of Tablespoons of cocoa powder to part of it to make chocolate frosting. I did have frosting left over, which nobody complained about eating on graham crackers.

If you don't have a need for decoration, this would be fabulous served warm from the oven with ice cream and hot fudge or caramel sauce.....ummm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Recipe: (from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

2 t. vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. chocolate chips (I used 1 bag Nestle mint chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (I greased with a little coconut oil), and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 30-35 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool in pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Spicy Pulled Pork

2011-06-22T17:49:00.000-04:00

We don't eat pork very often.....as you might have noticed from browsing my recipe index.....but while my in-laws were here, I decided to give this recipe from the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook a try. It just sounded so good....not to mention easy.

She recommends serving it with warm flour tortillas, lime wedges, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Leftovers can be used for soups, enchiladas, tostadas, sandwiches, whatever you want.

So I did what she said. Served it with tortillas, lime wedges (give one a squeeze over your serving - it really was delicious!), slices of avocado, and sour cream. We all thought it was pretty fantastic.

Leftovers were eaten pretty much the same way, or on whole wheat buns. Either way, it makes a tasty meal that pleased just about everybody.

I did alter her cooking method, by using the crock pot instead of the oven (and eliminating the extra cooking liquid) so we could be out and about all day and not have to worry about it.

Recipe:

4 lbs (up to 7 lbs) pork shoulder

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. chili powder

1 T (to 2 T) salt

pepper to taste

3-4 cloves garlic

2 T. white vinegar

1-2 T. olive oil

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 onion (cut into quarters)

For Serving: tortillas, sour cream, avocados, salsa, lime wedges, etc.

Rinse pork and pat dry. Place in crock pot.
Combine all the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend into a nice paste. Pour over the pork and rub all over, getting into every nook and cranny.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours, until pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove from crock pot and cut off any fat (if desired) and shred meat well. Pour some of the juices over the meat to keep it moist. Serve as desired!