Clouse Cousins Cookin'

DIY Laundry Soap and All Purpose Spray

2012-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

While I was in Mesa helping Shara with her new baby we made some Laundry Soap and All Purpose Spray. It's super easy to make, lasts much longer, uses less and less expensive than store bought.

LAUNDRY SOAP
(This was all found on the same shelf at Walmart in the laundry soap section)
website: beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com
1 - 4 lb. 12 oz. box Borax Powder
1 - 4 lb. box Baking Soda
1 - 3 lb. 7 oz. (55 oz.) Arm and Hammer Superwashing Soda
3 Bars Fels-naptha Soap (grated)
2 containers oxi-clean (or store brand) 3 1/2 lbs. total)
Optional: 1 bottle Downey Unstoppables (for added scent)
Mix altogether in bucket or large bowl
Use 2-3 TBS. per load - put in bottom of tub before adding laundry
(I use the scoop from the oxi-clean)

All-Purpose Spray (from Dr. OZ)
(Make this before the laundry soap to use the Borax powder)
2 c. water
1 TBS. Borax Powder
3 TBS. vinegar
1 TBS. dishsoap
essential oils for scent:
(10 drops tangerine, 3 drops peppermint)
(10 drops tangerine, 3-5 drops lemon)
(FYI - lemon doesn't smell good by itself!)

Cranberry Relish

2011-11-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to make your Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving! It's listed under "Holidays".

Maple Bars

2011-10-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
3 TBS. active dry yeast
1 cup very warm water
1/2 C. + 1 TBS. sugar, Divided
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 c. bread flour
1/4 c. shortening
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Peanut oil for frying

Maple Icing
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp maple extract
1/3 c. hot water

Combine the yeast, 1 TBS sugar, and 1 c. warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to proof for 5-10 min. or until frothy.
While the yeast is proofing, combine the sugar, salt and 4 c. of flour in a large bowl. When the yeast is ready, add the shortening, egg yolks, and vanilla and mix with the paddle attachment for 1 min. to break down the shortening. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients and mix on low until blended. Repeat with the next 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Switch to the hook attachment and add the remaining 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix until no white spots remian and then turn the mixer to medium and knead for 2 min. (The dough is really stiff)
While the dough is kneading, bring 2 quarts water to boil in a pot. Lightly flour a baking sheet.
When the dough is done tranfer it to the baking sheet. Form a 6"x6" square and cover it with a cloth. Place the pan in the oven and place a 9x13 pan on the rack beneath. Pour the boiling water into the pan and close the door. (instant proofer) Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
When the dough is done rising remove it from the oven and place it on a lightly floured surface. Bring another pot of water to a cboil. Roll the dought into a 11x12" rectangle. Cut off the edges of the dough so they are even. Cut the dough into 12 rectangles about 5x2" big. Transfer back to floured baking sheet and put back in "proofer" for 45 min. more.
When the dough is risen, heat oil in pan to 350 degrees. Fry donuts until golden brown. Let drain on paper towels.
While dough is cooling, whisk together the icing ingredients. Dip the puffiest side of each bar into the icing.
Makes 12 bars.

Strawberry Lemon Bars

2011-07-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Lemon Bars--Adapted from a recipe on norecipes.com

makes about 12 lemon bars

for crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons of softened salted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes (1 1/2 sticks)

for filling:

1 cup halved then sliced strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2/3 cup lemon juice

powdered sugar for dusting

Line a 9″ x 13″ pan with enough parchment paper to go about 1″ up on all sides. In a bowl mix the flour, rolled oats, powdered sugar, and salt. Then add the vanilla. Next, cut in butter with a fork until the dough looks like pea sized gravel. Sprinkle the dough evenly over the parchment lined sheet and use your fingers to press the dough into a uniform sheet of dough that goes about 1/2″ up all the sides. Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/4 cup of sugar and toss to coat. This will release excess moisture and sweeten the strawberries. To prepare the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.

Remove the crust from the freezer and put in oven and bake for around 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and fragrant. When the crust is done, take it out of the oven, then immediately scatter the strawberries around the crust, pour any juice from the strawberries into the lemon mixture and whisk to combine. Pour the lemon mixture over the strawberries.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, then put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the lemon bars doesn’t jiggle anymore. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

Refrigerate overnight (or for several hours).

Slice, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

The powdered sugar will disappear into the bars after a few minutes (see picture above...I swear I dusted them). So only do it right before (or not at all--it really doesn't need it).

Fourth of July Cake

2011-07-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

I made an Italian Cream Cake and decorated it for the Fourth of July cake decorating contest in Luna tonight. I just used M & Ms and pecan pieces. I had fun. Erin, if I don't win the contest you need to draw me a trophy for first place anyway!!

MILLIONAIRE PIE

2011-07-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

1 8oz. pkg cream cheese
1 8oz. carton Cool Whip
1 small can crushed pineapple (I used 15 oz.)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Add pineapple and pecans. Pour into a graham cracker crust. Refrigerate to set.

I doubled the recipe and it made 3 large pies. I'm sure you are surprised that I am actually sending a recipe but this was so good and so easy. I got the recipe from my neighbor.

Apple French Toast

2011-06-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

APPLE FRENCH TOAST

(My SIL shared this recipe with us at a family reunion - so good!)

(forgot to take a picture - this is all that was left!)
This is so yummy and easy - plus you make it the night before so you just pop it in the oven the next morning!

1 c. brown sugar
1 cube butter/margarine
2 TBS. light corn syrup
4 c. peeled and sliced granny smith apples
2 TBS. Tapioca
4 eggs
1 c. milk
cinnamon
French Bread slices (slice thick)
Mix together sugar, butter and corn syrup. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Put in a 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam. Cover with peeled, sliced apples. Sprinkle with Tapioca. Beat eggs and milk together. Dip bread into mixture and put on top of apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Serve with syrup and whipped cream. (It doesn't really need any syrup - it makes it's own!)

Wheat-Black Bean Chili

2011-06-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a very healthy recipe that is also very tasty! I know it sounds crazy, but the wheat is actually very tasty in this recipe. You can change this recipe any way you want - I looked at several different recipes on the internet and used what sounded good from different ones.

WHEAT - BLACK BEAN CHILI

2 c. wheat berries (wheat berry - meaning the whole wheat kernel)
1 onion, diced
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
4 tsp. beef bouillon granules
3 c. water
3 cans black beans
2 tsp. garlic salt (or more)
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. cumin
handful of cilantro, chopped into small pieces
(and maybe more cilantro for garnish if you want)

Soak wheat berries in water overnight in fridge. The next morning, drain water off of wheat berries and put in crockpot. Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a little bit of oil until tender, and add to crockpot. Stir beef bouillon granules into water and add to crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cook on high 1 hour, and on low until dinnertime.

Strawberry Banana Streusel Muffins

2011-05-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

My husband likes to wake up with just enough (and I mean barely enough) time to get ready for work before heading out the door. Because of this, he loves it when I have muffins in the freezer for him to just pop in the microwave before leaving. He also LOVES strawberries, and it seems we often have bananas that are too ripe for eating. Thus, these muffins were born. I have also added pecans to the streusel topping which is DELIGHTFUL! You could also use blueberries or raspberries or blackberries or whatever, and I'm sure they would be good!

Banana Streusel Muffins

4 C. flour

2 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 eggs
12 oz. vanilla or strawberry yogurt (I used half and half for the muffins above)
1/2 C. butter (or coconut oil...YUM!)
4 ripe bananas, mashed (2 C.)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C. chopped strawberries (can be fresh, but strawberries that have been frozen and then thawed also work great)

Streusel:

3/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 C. flour
2 Tbsp. butter

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, butter, bananas, and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients in with dry ingredients until moistened. Add strawberries last and gently stir to evenly distribute strawberry chunks. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.

Combine streusel ingredients (cut in butter). Sprinkle over muffins (pressing it gently into the muffins helps it stay on when baking).

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. (Makes about 30 muffins)

Coconut Chicken Salad w/ Warm Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

2011-05-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

I tried a recipe from Skinny Taste! It was SO GOOD! The problem with DELICIOUS low-fat food is that you are sooo tempted to eat more than a serving (even though you're full).

I didn't get a picture of mine, but here is a picture from the website:

And you can find the recipe HERE!

Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-04-18T12:37:00.001-07:00

This post is to help Allison not feel so lonely on this blog! I've made these cupcakes from The Sisters Cafe twice now. Once with the truffles inside a few weeks back, and once with Hershey's Kisses inside for my little guy's birthday. Here's my review:

The cake: it's a doctored up cake-mix and it turns out really good and moist. I think I'll have to do this to cake mixes from now on.

The frosting: I prefer chocolate pudding and cool whip mixed together, but that's because I'm not a frosting person.

Truffles or Hershey's Kisses inside?: they were both delicious. However, the truffles were probably a little better since they were creamier and meltier in your mouth. The Hershey's Kisses were still fun and way cheaper. My kids thought it was so fun to have one inside. Plus you can buy a whole bag of them and eat them while you are baking! With the truffles, you have to save them all for the cupcakes. The truffles melted into a thin, horizontal layer toward the bottom of the cupcake. The Kisses stayed in a clump in the middle of the cupcake.

Hungry-Girl Nacho-rific Chicken!

2011-04-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Judging from the fact that I've posted most of the recent posts about food, I would almost say that I am the only one cooking, BUT I KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE!

COUSINS, have you fallen of the face of the earth???? I want to see what you're making!

Here's what I made last night:

You can find a link to the recipe HERE!

Or, here's an image of the recipe directly from the site!

Thin Mints--Knock Off!

2011-04-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ok...so the story is:

I wanted to buy Thin Mints and Samoas from the Girl Scouts, but when I happened to see some girl scouts selling cookies, I only had $4 cash with me...which will only buy 1 solitary, sad, lonely box. And, I love thin mints, but I had a recipe. So, Samoas won.

But, the good news is that the Thin Mints were delicious homemade!

Jereld suggested the parsley twig garnish...don't laugh.

Girl Scout Thin Mints

Chocolate Cookie Wafers

1 18.25-ounce package Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix
3 Tbsp. shortening, melted
1/2 C. cake flour, measured then sifted
1 egg
3 Tbsp. water
nonstick cooking spray

Coating

3 12-ounce bags semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 tsp. peppermint extract
6 Tbsp. shortening

1) Combine the wafer ingredients (except the water) in a large bowl. Add the water a little bit at a time until a dough forms (the dough will seem very thick--this will give the wafers a crispy texture once baked). Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 2 hours.

2) On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough to 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out wafers with a spice jar lid (like McCormick spices or whatever you have). Put wafers on a lightly greased cookie sheet (they can be pretty close together--they don't spread out). Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely before moving on to the next step.

3) Combine chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for 2 minutes, stir. Repeat heating and stirring until chocolate is melted and is a smooth consistency.

5) Dip each wafer in chocolate. Let the excess chocolate run off into the bowl (tapping your fork on the side of the bowl helps). Place dipped wafers on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

YUM!

Nativity Craft

2011-03-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Marsha, Camilee and my Mom came last weekend and we whipped out a ton of nativities. It was so fun. Steve had the boards (8X2's) all cut for us in 12" lengths (55 of them to be exact-I can't do anything in small numbers). We had to sand, stain, cut paper, and mod podge. The paper was a scrapbook nativity scene that I found at Michaels. I ordered most of them online, though. These will be our Christmas gifts this year. I love how they turned out.

(Doesn't Cam look so cute in that apron?)

Curious George Birthday

2011-03-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

My friend taught me how to decorate cakes using a coloring page and an overhead transparancy. I put the coloring page under the transparancy and decorated on top. Then I froze the frosting. Then I turned it onto the cake and peeled off the transparancy. I loved how it turned out.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

2011-03-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is more of a dinner idea than a recipe I suppose...but yummy none-the-less!

Top your favorite pizza crust (or cheat by buying one like I did) with:

Pesto (Costco--or should I say Kirkland--makes really good Pesto sauce)

Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Tomatoes

Chicken (cooked in a little olive oil with garlic salt and pepper)

and Black Beans

or add whatever else you want! I think black olives would also be a good addition!

Mandarin Chicken--Panda Express Knock-Off!

2011-03-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe...and YUM! I should have taken pictures...didn't...oh well.

Mandarin Chicken (Panda Express Style) Sauce

2/3 C. sugar
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp minced fresh garlic (I never use "fresh" garlic. I always use the pre-minced garlic in the jar from the store)
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 C water
4 tsp arrowroot

Combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan. Combine water with arrowroot ina small bowl and stir until dissolved. The arrowroot will serve as a thickener (much like corn starch--in fact I'm sure you could thicken this recipe with some corn starch instead--just be aware that corn starch seems to thicken better than arrowroot and you would probably not need 4 tsp of corn starch).

Add the arrowroot/water combo to the saucepan and cook on high. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring often. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic salt (not too much!). Grill in a frying pan with some non-stick cooking spray OR cook them like I did...on the GRILL! YUMMY! Chicken should be browned in spots.

When the chicken is cooked thoroughly, chop into bite size pieces.

Serve the chicken over white rice (I'm a cheater and used Minute Rice). Drizzle with Mandarin Sauce.

ENJOY!

Apple Struesel Muffins

2011-02-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

These muffins are so YUMMY!!! I promise. You'll probably want to double (or even triple) this recipe because you'll want more!

2 C. flour

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 C. butter, melted

1-1/4 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 C. chopped peeled tart apples

STRUESEL TOPPING:

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1 TBSP. flour

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1 TBSP cold butter

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, butter and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be really stiff). Fold in apples. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and cut in the butter until crumbly (I cheat and melt the butter). Sprinkle over the batter. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing form pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Play Dough

2011-02-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

This is what our Webelos are playing with tomorrow! (for their Craftsmen badge)

PLAY DOUGH

3 c. flour

6 tsp. cream of tartar

3 TBS. Cooking Oil

1 1/2 c. salt

3 c. water

Food color (or a pack of Kool-aid)

Put water and food color together in pan.

Mix dry ingreds together. Add to water.

Cook over med. heat until it forms a ball (doesn't take very long!)

Knead to make it smooth. Cool.

Store in airtight container.

TRUFFLES

2011-01-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

Our Head Custodian's wife made these and he brought them into the kitchen to share with us cooks! I'm not a huge fudge fan but these just literally melt in your mouth! She shared the recipe with us so I'll share it with you! (I haven't attempted them yet myself).

1 1/2 lbs. Milk Chocolate - melted
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or 5 drops peppermint oil

Line 8" square pan with plastic wrap. Scald cream and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla or mint. Beat chocolate with electric mixer. Stop the mixer and add cream all at once. Continue beating, cleaning bottom and side several times until smooth. (1-2 min.) Pour into prepared pan. Cool . Cut into tiny squares.
They melt in your mouth!

Danish Delight

2011-01-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

We are having the Temple Prep. class at our home tomorrow night so I asked Mark what to make for dessert and this is what he suggested - sounded good to me!
My friend gave me these cute block letters for Christmas - they're reversible! I think they're adorable!

1/2 c. margarine - Melt in oven (300 degrees)

Add to butter,- mix and bake for 30 minutes stirring occasionally:

2 1/2 c. Rice Krispies

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 1/4 c. coconut

1 c. chopped nuts

(Take out 1/2 of above mixture)

1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream - soften and spread on top of mixture - sprinkle remaining mixture on top of ice cream - freeze for 2 hours or overnight.

Make as directed:

1 box Strawberry Danish Dessert

Frozen or fresh strawberries added to Danish Dessert

Serve with Strawberry Sauce

Hot fudge or Raspberry Sauce is good too!

Yummy! Cranberry Orange Cookies!

2010-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe off of allrecipes.com. You can find the recipe here.

These are GREAT! No wonder the recipe is a 5 Star recipe!

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Picnic

2010-11-27T17:59:00.001-08:00

Aunt Nyla, Tawnya, Bronson, Aunt Carole, Shara

Grandma, Aunt Carole, Aunt Nyla, Jennifer, Camilee&Jase, Amy, Tawnya&Bronson, Shara, Jessica, Katie&Ryker, Marsha, Kaitlyn, Alexis

Our Wonderful Grandma

Chicken Parmigiana

2010-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

I may be the only person on the planet who's never made this before and boy have I been depriving me and my family of a very delicious meal! When Shara said she had requested it for her birthday dinner I added it to my 2 week menu and finally did it last night (although this is not her exact recipe). I didn't get any pictures before we devoured it, but just picture something yummy!

Chicken Parmigiana
4-6 Chicken Breasts
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Bread Crumbs (I added Italian seasoning to them)
Pasta

Sauce (this is actually our recipe for pizza sauce, but it worked great for this too)
2 T. olive oil
5 garlic cloves minced
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano

Saute garlic in olive oil and add remaining ingredients and heat until thick and bubbly.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and some of the Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Cover each side of the chicken breasts with mixture. Place in baking dish. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle the Mozzarella Cheese and the rest of the Parmesan cheese over top. Place back in oven and cook for the remaining 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Serve over your choice of pasta.

SO GOOD!

WORMS

2010-10-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

100 flexible plastic straws with the bendable neck

1 package (6 oz.) raspberry or grape flavor gelatin

3 envelopes unflavored gelation (Knox)

3 c. boiling water

3/4 c. whipping cream

12 to 15 drops green food coloring

waxed paper

Instructions:

Combine gelatins in a bowl and add boiling water, stir until gelatins completely dissolve. Chill until lukewarm, about 20 min.

Meanwhile, gently pull straws to extend to full length; place in tall container with the neck end towards the bottom. ( I used a tall drinking glass, the recipe says to use a cleaned 1 qt. paper orange juice carton). Wrap together with a loose rubber band to hold straws together.

Blend cream and food coloring with the lukewarm gelatin mixture. Carefully pour into container, filling straws. (The mixture will fill up the straws as well as on the outside of the straws)

Chill until gelatin is firm, at least 8 hrs. or cover and chill up to 2 days.

Pull straws from container, then pull straws apart and wipe off the outside. Run straws under hot tap water for about 2 seconds 3-4 straws at a time. Starting at the empty ends push worms from straw with rolling pin, or use your fingers.

Lay worms on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill until erady to use, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Worms will hold at room temperature fro about 2 hours.

One Step Closer

2010-10-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

My countertops are Oak and they are beautiful! We got them oiled today - we'll have to sand and oil them again to get some of the rough spots out.

My sink is huge! It'll be nice to bathe babies in it!

I have a laundry bar by the washer and dryer - I think I'm going to love it!

...yes my house is still a total wreck! I give myself two weeks to get it put back together - we'll see....

DIY Crib Sheet

2010-09-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

My husband has been set on a Camo themed nursery from day one...BOY or GIRL!

Good thing we're having a boy.

I found this great tutorial from MADE.

It's EASY!

No one makes a Hunter Orange crib sheet...except me I guess. I would have had to spend lots of $$ to buy a custom one.

Thanks MADE!

Kitchen Overhaul

2010-09-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd put up a few pics of what's been going on in my world (without a kitchen!)
We started this mess the middle of August -
Before the demolition of my kitchen

Jed and Mark hard at work - (lovely green linoleum and layers and layers of wall paper!)

As of this week - I'm loving the way it's turned out so far! Lots of work though! ( Katie, Jed and Roy have helped us a ton - thank you very much! )

We decided to go through IKEA for most of the stuff (cupboards, floor, microwave, MY FIRST DISHWASHER, sink (not in), countertops (not in) and I'm very pleased with them so far!

If you care to see the "work in progress" go to my blog. (nobuckaroos.blogspot.com)

Earring Holders

2010-07-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

While our boys were camping:

And the finished products, complete with our earrings:

As soon as the boys are back, we'll have Steve pound some nails for us to hang these things up with.

We went to the dollar store and bought a meat/grease strainer thing. We decorated it with ric rac, flowers, buttons, ribbon, etc. They turned out cute and easy to make, too.

Necklace T-Shirt

2010-07-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

I made these T-shirts this morning for Callie. Our boys are camping, so we had to do some fun "girlie" things. I used puff paint and the end of a pencil, tinker toy, and paint brush for the necklace T-shirt, and just dipped and dotted. For the other t-shirt, it's just iron ons and ric rac. Quick, easy, and fun.

Fried Ice Cream

2010-07-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Marsha made us this yummy dessert for FHE while she was visiting. She got it from her friend, Mindy. It's REALLY GOOD!!!

3 C. Rice Krispies

1 C. Brown Sugar

1 C. chopped pecans

1 1/4 C. coconut

1/2 C. butter

pinch of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300. Melt butter and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bake in a 9X13 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Take out of oven and cool. Take half of it out of the 9X13, leaving the rest for the bottom layer. Layer with softened vanilla ice cream. Put the other half of the mixture on top. Squish down to hold it in place. Put dessert in freezer to harden. Cut and serve. You can top it with honey, caramel, chocolate, or any kind of topping.

We topped it with blueberry pie filling. It was delicious.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs

2010-07-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

Tawnya found this recipe from the sisterscafe.blogspot.com website and they were delicious.
We added zuchinni, yellow squash, and onion chunks.

Jed was gone to Scout Camp all week so we met at Katie's for a couple of days.

Pesto Bruschetta

2010-07-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

My favorite appetizer at Oregano's is Pesto Bruschetta - if you ever go there, it's not on the menu, but you can still order it (don't ask me why.) The other day, Jen and I tried to recreate it and I think we came pretty close. It is Italian bread topped with pesto, diced red onion, sliced tomatoes, and a blend of Italian cheeses (or whatever you like), and then broiled in the oven.

Jen made the Italian Bread - click here for the recipe. I have made this Italian Bread recipe since then and it is pretty easy and DELICIOUS! The pesto is a recipe Jen found and has been using from The Sisters' Cafe, and they got it from the Barefoot Contessa.

Give this a try - Jen and I loved it so much that we could eat it for dinner, not as an appetizer.

Here are the simple steps:

Slice your bread horizontally, and spread pesto on it. Sprinkle chopped red onions on top.

Put sliced tomatoes on top of the red onions.

Sprinkle the Italian blend of cheeses (or whatever cheese you want) on top,
and broil it until it looks good to you.

Car Cozies

2010-07-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

Here's another project Camilee and I made over our sewing weekend. They turned out to be so fun. The boys have been playing and playing with these. We mass produced these because of all of our boys. We made 8 altogether.

We got the pattern from Homemade by Jill.

The pattern said to put piping all the way around, but we found that it's too bulky that way and we liked it better on just the top and bottom. Also, it would work just as well to use denim or duck cloth for the outside and just cotton on the inside. It is VERY STURDY the way we made them, with denim and duck cloth all the way through.

And this is after a weekend of sewing.

Lunchbags, Placemats, Kleenex Pouches

2010-07-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to Camileee's for the weekend and have a sewing fest. It was so much fun. We made some cute stuff. The first project we did was lunchboxes for Madison and Callie. We got the pattern from here. We did make a few changes, like not using a pillowcase like the pattern says to use, but regular fabric and not using the iron on vinyl. We've heard that stuff doesn't wash up well. We wanted these to be machine washable. This was our first time with appliques, and we know how to do it better next time. We will use interfacing on the back so it doesn't pucker.

To square off the corners, we put the two bottoms of the bags together and sewed across the squared part and did them together, instead of squaring separately and then hand sewing the two together. It was easier this way.

This flower is from a tutorial we found here. We did add some purple netting stuff in between each layer. And we just used a hair alligator clip thing on the back to clip it to the handle, so it can be removed to wash.

Next time we aren't going to use twill tape on the casing for the strings. It was a mess to work with. It would be just as good and easier to just hem it under with a rolled em.

We used fusible fleece on the back side of the lining. It was fun. I defintely want to use this stuff again on something. And instead of hand sewing the lining to the outside of the bag, we topstitched with our machines.

This pattern came with a placemat tutorial. How cute! They won't have to put their lunches on the yucky cafeteria tables.

And what little girl doesn't need her own matching Kleenex pouch for her backpack? Here's the tutorial for that.

STARS

2010-07-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Marsha made these very pretty and fun stars for the 4th of July. I love how they turned out.

The only thing she did different is that she didn't use a succer mold. She just used a candy mold.

Here's the link to where she got the idea from and how to do it.

If you suck on them slowly, you can feel the pop rocks working. Cool, huh? I wish I was there to

test them out! I love pop rocks.

Child Leash

2010-06-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've seen lots of "mommy handles" on craft blogs lately. I'm sure they work great if you have a sweet little girlie that likes to mind and never tries to run away. But my BOYS are different. I need something more like a LEASH. So I cut a strip of material 5 inches wide and made a belt and a handle. I ironed the strips in half and then the edges inward towards the fold, then sewed down both sides. On the belt I put a D-ring on one end and a hook-clippie thing I got in the jewlry section at JoAnn's. Then on the handle I put another clippie thing on one end and a wrist loop on the other. We'll see how this works.

Of course he has to model it on the kitchen counter since it's his favorite spot in the house.

He's been playing doggie all day, and also "tying himself" to things all over the house.

Here's a picture of the belt D-ring and hook. The handle hook just clips right to the D-ring, also. Too bad I had to mix gold and silver. No JoAnn's in Thatcher.

4th of July Oreos

2010-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

My Visiting Teacher brought me these yummy cookies. Oreos dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles with colorful sprinkles. She stuck a skewer in the cookies and put them into baggies and tied with ribbon. So cute. Of course, the kids all had to have one, so I ended up eating one and Steve didn't get any. Oh, well.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

2010-06-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

Isn't this picture just too wonderful?! Erin wanted her hand in the picture.

Madelyn came over to help me out the other day, and she asked if she and Erin could make peanut butter popcorn. I said sure, thinking that I wouldn't eat much of it myself. But I was wrong - it was delicious! I kept snitching some here and there.

Here's the recipe:

PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN

2 qts. popped popcorn (one bag of microwave popcorn worked well)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup or honey
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cook sugar and corn syrup to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until melted and smooth. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat. Serve as is or form into popcorn balls.

And what would a recipe post be if I didn't say ENJOY! at the end.

Peanut Butter Balls

2010-06-15T11:52:00.001-07:00

These were yummy. Next time I make them I am going to add chocolate chips to them.

I doubled this recipe because I knew they would go fast.

1 cup quick oats

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup non-instant dry milk (cannery kind), or 1 1/2 cups instant dry milk

2/3cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup coconut flakes

Mix all ingredients and use a cookie scoop to make balls onto waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator.

Remember-Letters by Allison

2010-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Allison and I swaped crafts. I sewed some flour sack towels to match her new kitchen curtains and she made these fun letters for me. I love them. Thanks Allison!

Key Lime Pie

2010-05-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 Pre-made Graham Cracker Pie Crust

4 Egg Yolks
14 oz. Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 C. Lime Juice
Zest of 1 Lime (optional...but makes it really yummy)

Whip the yolks and lime zest (if used) until fluffy (at your highest hand mixer speed) or about 5 minutes. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to mix (about 3 to 4 minutes longer). Lower the mixer speed and add the lime juice gradually until well mixed.

Pour the mixture into the crust and bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Cool on counter about 20 minutes. Then refrigerate for 20 minutes. Then freeze until pie is quite hard.

Serve with Whipped Cream.

AND--for all of you Lactose Intolerant Folks out there:

Substitute the sweetened condensed milk in the recipe above with the following recipe-->

Sweetened Condensed Milk Substitute:

2 eggs
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt

Mix all ingredients together...Wa La!

NOTE: If you use this substitute, the brown sugar makes the pie a tan color instead of yellow...but it's absolutely YUMMY!

Custom Curtains and Quote

2010-05-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

I made myself some curtains inspired by the CUTEST play kitchen built by Crafting Chicks featured by Knock-Off Wood (one of my new favorite websites...someday I'll have the right tools). You'll find the directions there (obviously you have to tailor the measurements to your own windows).

Also, one of the cabinets in my house was missing a cabinet door and I tried and tried to figure out a way to make it look nicer.

You can check out a picture of the cabinet before (and Jereld steam mopping) here.

Doesn't it look much nicer now?????

Since I'm redoing my kitchen, I needed to start decorating the top of the cabinets. It's a work in progress, but here's one piece that's finished:

These are cardboard letters that I bought at Hobby Lobby and spray painted brown. I just selected some scrapbook paper and Mod Podged scrapbook paper onto the letters.

Letter Dice

2010-05-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is what we gave Lucas' teacher, Ms. Heather, at the end of school.

I bought 9 - 1 inch dice (they came in packs of 3). If they had not been out of 1 1/4 inch, I probably would have bought them. The big 2 inch ones might be kind of fun too. I only ended up using 7 of them. I also bought some rub on letters in the craft section. I'm sure stickers would work too, but I wanted something a little more permanent. I painted all the dice then sanded all sides and the edges so they were smooth. Then I rubbed the letters on to each dice. I used all the letters once and then added more of the more common letters. I got the mini paint can at Robert's too. It's kind of fun because you can use the can as a shaker to roll them. If you plan to use this to teach letters than you might want to include Q & Z like I did. If you plan to use it for words/reading, then leave them out.

My kids had a blast with them until we had to deliver the gift!

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

2010-05-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from one of my new favorite craft sites-Brown Paper Packages

They are yummy!!! (Please forgive the toe in the picture-if only Jay would stay off of the counter!)

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
2 1/3 c. flour

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 c. chocolate chips

1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c. butter

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 c. coarsely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)**OPTIONAL**

1 3/4 c. toffee bits (10 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix the flour and sugar together. Cut in butter until the mixture is coarse crumbs, Add beaten egg and mix well. Stir in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips and nuts. Reserve 1 1/2 c. of that mixture. Press the rest into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top in an even layer. Top with 1 1/2 c. toffee bits. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top, followed by the remaining chocolate chips. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle remaining toffee bits on top.
ENJOY!!!

Teachers End of Year Gifts

2010-05-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

This year for our teachers, the kids gave them a bottle of the lotion that I made. This time I used Vanilla Oatmeal baby lotion so the smell would be more of an adult smell and not a baby smell. It turned out good. This is what the card said:

I’m so glad I was scent to your class this year.
Your knowledge rubbed off on me in many ways.
You’re the cream of the crop when it comes to teachers.
I appreciate your helpful hands.
Thank you for being soft and kind.
Even though there were rough spots, you soothed the
callouses and made this year smooth for me.
Just as lotion moisturizes, nourishes and revitalizes, you
helped me grow with your tender loving care.

Love,

(have the kid sign their name)

Weighted Pincushion Organizer

2010-05-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have wanted one of these ever since I saw them at the Sierra Vista quilt show. The ones they were selling were different, but I like this one better. I found the tutorial to make this at www.sewmamasew.com . This is actually for my mom for Mother's Day so the next one will be mine! Here are the changes that I made...

I thought the original pincushion looked too long and skinny so I shortened it by about 2 inches. I also had to make the weight bag smaller to match the shorter pincushion.
I used flannel instead of felt in the middle of the bag.
I am going to add something later today--I am going to sew a square of that rubber non-adhesive shelf liner to the bottom of this to keep it from slipping. My friend Roxanne has one of these and she suggested the idea to keep it from sliding around.
I think I will make one other change on my next one...I will add fusible interfacing to the scrap bag to make it a little bit more stiff.

If anyone wants the dimensions for the pincushion pieces that I shortened, leave a comment and I will post them.

More Aprons

2010-05-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Amy inspired me to start making aprons because hers were so cute! Here is my first apron which I am giving to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. I decided to learn how to make ribbon flowers to dress it up a little bit. I watched a tutorial on youtube. They are simple and fun to make! They would make cute hairbows. I hand sewed the ends of the ribbon together so they wouldn't fray.

Madison decided she wanted to be the apron model.

Here is a headless picture of me...I had a sewing day so I didn't do my hair or makeup!

These aprons are super easy and are nice because they are fully lined. I am making a different project tonight so more pictures to come!

Flour Sack Towels

2010-05-11T09:11:00.002-07:00

After I finished the apron yesterday, I decided to make some of these cute towels that I got from the Brown Paper Packages blog. They were fun to make, easy, and turned out so cute. You just use scraps of material and cut a strip, press edges under like in the picture, and sew to the bottom of the towel. Add a ribbon or some ric rac to the bottom, or anywhere, and you're done.

I only got to make 3 of the 10 towels I bought. After the first three were done, my doorbell rang (it was the Census lady), the baby was fussing and ready to be fed, the house was TRASHED, and the other four were whining that they were hungry. Then the husband called and said he was on his way home from work. I figured I better save the other 7 for another day. Reluctantly I put the sewing away for later. I can't wait to get it out again and make the rest. These are so fun.

Dry Erase Board

2010-05-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Ever since Shara sent me this link awhile back, I've been wanting to make one. Especially for our bathroom since my husband finds it fun to make notes/lists/schedules all over the bathroom mirror! I had this 11x14 frame that needed to be used. If I was doing it for the kitchen, I think I'd want it bigger, but for this space it's perfect. I stopped at our adorable Gracie Lou's today and picked up the red fabric... decisions are not easy in the fabric store!! Unfortunately my glue gun decided today it would die. And since I'm an impatient person, I used tape to hold the fabric around the board. Worked like a charm.

I love how it turned out! Pretty simple, pretty cheap (especially if you have a frame already on hand)!

More Aprons

2010-05-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

I've been making aprons over the past several months. This is just a few of them. I've made lots for gifts. It's been fun to change them up a little and give them as gifts. Today I made one for my mom for Mother's Day (late). I used Shara's yo-yo's.

Allison got the cutest apron for her bridal shower, so I traced it onto newspaper and went crazy. I changed it a little. I line the back and a few other little changes. They are fun to make.

Kids Apron

2010-05-08T08:11:00.001-07:00

(This one is the one Katie made me for my birthday)

Back in February we made this apron for Abby's friend's birthday. She had a retro red play kitchen and I thought this apron would be fun to play kitchen in. Katie is actually the designer of the apron, she made then first for each of us (so cute!), then she made ones for Reese and Abby. I just took the apron she made Abby and drew a pattern from that. Sewed it all up and then put ribbon as the waist band and neck ties with some fray check. For this apron I added a yo-yo flower for decor. I thought it made it quite cute and was tempted to keep it for a bow in Abby's hair. I made some really cute ones for my SIL and MIL, but I don't have pictures of them!

If you don't know how to make a yo-yo. Here is a good tutorial. These are super quick, really cute, and inexpensive little gifts to give!

Roast

2010-05-07T16:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a delicious way to make a roast in the crock pot. What I did different: used beef broth instead of the water, mixed the 3 packets with the beef broth and poured over the roast, shredded the roast a few hours before turning the crock pot off so the flavor could get to more of the meat. I found it here and have used this recipe twice now.

I also made these potatoes to go with it and we all LOVED them.

Roast
3 pound chuck roast, thawed

1 package dry ranch seasoning

1 package brown gravy mix

1 package dry italian dressing mix

3/4 cup water (if using a frozen roast, only use 1/2 cup water)

Combine all 3 packages of dry seasoning and cover all sides of roast with mixture. Place in a slow cooker and pour water over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

Cake Stand

2010-05-07T16:21:00.001-07:00

Well, here's my first crafty post. It is the perfect craft if you like simple crafts - grab a couple of items at a thrift store (I found a candlestick and plate that went together pretty well) and glue them together! I first saw this idea from a friend, and then on Your Home Based Mom. The glue I used was E6000. There is a tutorial at Your Home Based Mom, so head over there for more ideas and instructions.

Mother's Day Lotion

2010-05-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

I got this "recipe" from 1 Talented Family blog . It looked fun, so I tried it. She says it's the best lotion and promised that everyone will love it. It was easy to make and smells good.

This is directly from her blog:

"The ingredients are: a large 27 ounce bottle of Baby Lotion (I use Wal-Mart brand, it is cheaper, smells sooooo yummy and is just as good). One 2.5 oz tube of Vaseline (again, I used Wal-Mart) and 2 bottles of the Vitamin E Cream (Fruit of the Earth brand). The Vitamin E cream is $3.67 for 2 bottles and that is how it is sold."

Go to their blog to see a picture of the ingredients.

You have to cut open the lotion bottle to get it all out. There's actually quite a bit left after squeezing it all out.

I actually ended up using a heaping 1/4 cup of vaseline from my tub of it since when I went to make it I couldn't find the tube of it that I had bought. I found it outside all squirted out and dirty. Thank you Jay.

I mixed it all with my beaters. It was fun. Then I scooped it all into a gallon size ziploc bag with a rubber spatula and cut off the tip of one corner and squirted it into each container. This worked really well.

I got the containers from Walmart (of course-where else here in Thatcher?). The small ones are from the section with all the travel size stuff. The pump is from the housewares department with the bathroom items. It turned out pretty, I think.

I used some on Drake this morning after his bath. He turned out so soft and smells so good!

Crafting

2010-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Cousins (and aunts):

Marsha and I were wondering how everyone feels about turning this blog into cookin' and craftin'. We know some of you have made some cute stuff:

Shara's onesies that she gave baby Jack
Katie's wreath for Valentine's Day
Hooter Hiders
And lots more

How does everyone feel about this?

Baby Back Ribs (in the Oven)

2010-04-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

These were yummy - (sorry, no picture). Not quite as good as AC's ribs but very good.

I had a package of ribs that I needed to get cooked so I rubbed it with Rib Rub - double wrapped it in foil and stuck it in a 325 degree oven for about 3 hours. Opened it up and poured Bulls Eye BBQ sauce on it (not alot) and stuck it back in the oven for about 30 minutes. The meat just fell off the bones!

Make the rub in advance and they take about 2 minutes to prepare! (I'm sure there's a rib rub you can buy already made but I had this from Christmas!)

Kansas City-style Rib Rub: (foodnetwork)

1/3 c. light brown sugar

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. paprika

2 TBS. ESSENCE (recipe follows)

6 TBS. kosher salt

2 TBS. onion powder

1 TBS. garlic salt

1 TBS. fresh ground black pepper

1 TBS. chili powder

1 tsp. mustard powder

(not sure I used these next 3 things):

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Emeril's Essence: (foodnetwork)

2 1/2 TBS. paprika

2 Tbs. salt

2 TBS. garlic powder

1 TBS. black pepper

1 TBS. onion powder

1 TBS. cayenne pepper

1 TBS. dried thyme

1 TBS. dried oregano (omitted)

Combine all ingreds. thoroughly.

Shara will have to post Aaron's delicious rib recipe!

Frito Burrito

2010-04-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is the newest menu item for stay-at-home-mom's--to make our lunches a little more interesting.

Make a bean burrito like normal (tortilla, beans, cheese), but add some Fritos before you roll it up for a yummy crunch. (plain or the chili cheese flavored Fritos are good). You can even make it fancy with tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, etc. for an even better treat!

This was discovered by one of my sisters who chooses to remain unnamed.

It makes a yummy lunch!!!

Easter Cream Puffs

2010-03-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Don't forget about these Easter Cream Puffs that Kaitlyn posted last year for Easter weekend. I think Amy should be up for making them for her kids this year ☺.

One of these days I will post a new recipe, just not today!

Caramel Corn Pops

2010-02-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

I LOVE these! And they are so, so easy. (And they are much easier on the teeth than popcorn!)

1 - 8 oz. bag of "Barrel O' Fun Corn Pops (in the chip department)

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

1/2 c. corn syrup

1 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

Boil butter, corn syrup and brown sugar for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add soda - stir to cause foaming. Pour over pops. (add cashews or peanuts if you like)

I omitted the next step:

( put it in the oven at 250 for 45 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Pour onto wax paper. Break apart)

Italian Cream Sodas

2010-02-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

Shara introduced our family to these yummy drinks. They are so good and fun to create! One of my favorites so far is Vanilla/Mango. Mark likes the Mango/Blood Orange. However the Peach and Pina Colada (Pineapple/Coconut) aren't too bad either! You Southerners can purchase the flavors at "Smart and Final" - We in the north have to order them online.

Here's the "recipe":

http://becomingbetty.blogspot.com/2009/10/italian-cream-sodas.html

Lemony Skillet Chicken

2010-02-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

This recipe was called "Lemony Skillet Chicken" but every time I read the title I thought of this:

He he.

Lemony Skillet Chicken

1 T. olive oil
2 T. butter, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T. all-purpose flour
2/3 C. chicken broth (I used my powdered chicken buillion 2/3 tsp. and 2/3 C water)
3 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. dried chives

Heat oil and one tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Coat chicken in flour and add to skillet. Saute for about 6 minutes on each side, turning once, until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm. Add broth, lemon juice, salt, and chives to skillet and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in remaining butter. Return chicken to skillet and spoon sauce over chicken, turning to coat. Serves 4.

We ate this over rice, but it seemed like it needed a little more sauce. I haven't tried making more sauce and the proportions yet. So, if you figure it out before I do, let me know!

Oh...and I got this out of my Gooseberry Patch Fast Fix Meals cookbook.

It really didn't take that long to make. In fact, it probably took less time than saying Lemony Snicket Likes Lemony Skillet Chicken 10 times fast.

Pasta Salad

2010-01-29T13:00:00.001-08:00

I don't even know how I found this website and recipe, but it was good!

There aren't too many amounts given for the ingredients, you just have to balance it how you want it -- I did use a whole package of bacon instead of just a handful of pieces and more sundried tomatoes and pesto than it said to and it was delicious. Also, the recipe says it's better served cold, but I liked it warm and even reheated a bowl of it for my lunch today.

PASTA SALAD

About 500grams spiral pasta
Olive Oil
Sundried Tomatoes
Crumbled Feta
Bacon pieces
Basil Pesto

Cook the pasta and drain (in advance if you have time, it’s better served cold), sprinkle with olive oil.

Cook about a handful of bacon pieces, so they are nice and crispy, add to pasta with any oil in pan.

Cut about a tablespoon of sundried tomato into little pieces, add to pasta with some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes jar.

Stir about 2 tablespoons of pesto into the pasta.

Sprinkle with a small handful of crumbled feta cheese.

Toss everything together, and you’re done!

Apricot Chicken

2010-01-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

I know many of you have Apricot Chicken recipes that you love.

I love this one. It takes less than 30 minutes to make, and when I get home from work that is the type of recipe I need. I got this out of the Taste of Home: Simple & Delicious Cookbook I got for my wedding. Enjoy!

Apricot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. butter
1 can (15 oz) apricot halves
3 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 C. apricot preserves
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
4 green onions chopped (optional: Jereld doesn't like green onions...so we don't buy them at my house)

Hot cooked rice (optional)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter over medium heat for turning occassionally until cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

Drain apricots, reserving juice. Cut apricots into 1/2 in. slices; set aside. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and reserved juice until smooth. Stir in preserves and vinegar until combined; pour into skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add apricots and chicken; heat through. Sprinkle with onions (if you want). Serve with rice if desired.

YUMMY!

Enjoy the picture:

Ice Cream Toppings!

2010-01-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Jen and 3 kids came over tonight so we ended up having an impromptu ice cream party! I already had 2 ice cream toppings here that Jen had made and sent home with me last Sunday, and I also had some leftover Coconut Syrup that I had made for breakfast when Amy was here. We tried the Coconut Syrup on some vanilla ice cream tonight and it was DELICIOUS! So here are 3 links for some really yummy ice cream toppings.

Hot Fudge Sauce, by Your Home Based Mom

Butterscotch Sauce (which tastes like a saltier caramel), by Smitten Kitchen

Coconut Syrup - great for breakfast or ice cream!, by The Sisters' Cafe

Swedish Cocktail Meatballs

2010-01-20T12:02:00.001-08:00

This is grandma finally posting a recipe on the blog (okay it's not really Grandma, but Shara helping her post this). She got this recipe from her friend Sarah Beus. They are delicious - not kidding, she served me one today.

Swedish Cocktail Meatballs

1 1/2 lb. ground beed
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. minced onion
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. snipped parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 ts. Worcestershire Sauce

Mix above ingredients and shap into 1 inch balls. Brown meat balls in 1/2 cup oil in large skillet, drain well.

Sauce
1-12 ounce bottle Heinz chili sauce.
1 - 10 ounce bottle grape jelly.

In sauce pan combine chili sauce and grape jelly. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer for 30 minutes, serve hot.

Now, Sarah serves these as appetizers so there is not enough sauce for a main dish. Grandma doubled the sauce recipe, but when doubling the grape jelly she added the whole 32 ounch jar of grape jelly. It turned out perfectly. They served it over rice.

Oreo Sundae Pie

2010-01-19T15:05:00.001-08:00

This picture looks a little messy. We should have cut it with a knife instead of just scooping it with a spoon for a fancier picture. Oh, well. It tasted delicious still.

I LOVE this dessert. In fact, this weekend, I took it to Marsha's and one morning while I was there, we snuck the leftovers and two spoons into the bedroom while the kids were watching a movie and we had a feast.

1 package Oreos, crushed
1 cube butter, melted
1 large cool whip
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 Cup powdered sugar
1 large box chocolate instant pudding
2 2/3 cup milk

Put 2/3 of the crushed Oreos in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Pour melted butter over the top and press to make a crust. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1/2 of the cool whip and spread on crust. Make pudding with 2 2/3 cup of milk, instead of following the box directions. Spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining cool whip . Sprinkle on the remaining crushed Oreos. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (I even froze it so it would make the trip to Marsha's and it worked fine).

She's Still Got It!

2010-01-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Our grandma still has some groove in her! Abby told her she was starting tap dance, so grandma got up and did a little dance for her.

Enjoy!

Spanish Rice (Aunt Jeanie style) and Baked Chicken Taquitos

2010-01-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

The chicken taquitos come from My Kitchen Cafe. They are yummy. I've made them twice now. My kids love them and they are even good as leftovers. But as a side note, use a good brand of tortillas or they will crumble as you are rolling them. My mom and I started making them once with Great Value brand and she ended up making a quick run for Mi Casa's.

This Spanish Rice has always been a favorite of mine. My mom got the recipe from Aunt Jeanie a long time ago and now I make it occassionally, too. It's yummy.

The salsa is Jen's Award Winning Salsa. The guacamole is my mom's yummy yummy treat.

Aunt Jeanie’s Spanish Rice

In a 10 inch skillet cook 8 slices of bacon until crisp. Cook 1 onion (1 C.), chopped fine and ¼ C. bell pepper until tender, not brown, in drippings.
Add:
1 lb. crushed tomatoes

1 ½ c. water
¾ C. uncooked long grain rice

½ C. salsa
1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. worchestershire sauce
dash pepper

Cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2010-01-13T15:48:00.001-08:00

I had my first bite of Chicken Cordon Bleu about a month ago, and I liked it. I never dared tasted it because it has the word 'bleu' in it..which I figured meant bleu cheese! I never knew all that was in it was ham and cheese rolled up in a chicken breast!! I set out to make my own and came up with this recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken evenly with bread crumbs.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately.

I also made this sauce to go on top..
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
Mix together in a saucepan until warm.

I served the chicken over some rice and had steamed veggies on the side. We loved it!

A Couple of Links

2009-12-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

I haven't been making too many new things lately, but here are a couple of recipes I have tried lately that were a hit. The guacamole bruschetta was SO delicious as an appetizer, and Jen tried the cream biscuits and liked them, so I had to try them too (we had biscuits and gravy with them.)

Guacamole Bruschetta, from Blog Chef

Cream Biscuits, by Smitten Kitchen

Roast Chicken

2009-12-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

I made this a little while ago and I was seriously impressed with myself!! It looked so pretty and tasted delicious. It really is quite easy to do. Katie called and asked me for the recipe tonight, so I thought I would post it on here.

Roast Chicken

1 (3.5-4) pound whole chicken
1 small yellow onion
1 lemon thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery leaves
Salt & Pepper
Softened Butter
1 small onion chopped
1 carrot chopped (I would definitely do more)

Wash chicken in hot water and dry thoroughly. Season cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with onion, lemon and celery leaves (I put celery in there as well). Rub chicken with softened butter and season all over with salt and pepper.

Roast for 15 minutes at 425, reduce heat to 350 and baste chicken and roast for another 15 minutes. Add chopped onions and carrots to pan, baste them and chicken again. Continue roasting for 45 minutes plus an addition 7 minutes per pound.

I made gravy out of the drippings the chicken made. It was super yummy.

Pumpkin Bread

2009-12-03T14:29:00.001-08:00

My friend, Melissa, brought me a loaf of this stuff. It's so good. I loved it because it's moist and so delicious. I had to get the recipe and finally made it today. The kids are devouring it quickly.

The good thing is that it made 8 small loaves.

1 (29 oz) can pumpkin (I used two small 15 oz. cans)

1 Cup Oil

4 cups sugar

Mix first three ingredients then add the dry ingredients:

5 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 to 1 cup dates-chopped small (you can buy them already chopped)

3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans, of course)

Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes, or til done.

BOWutiful bows

2009-12-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
There's this company online that makes adorable little bows for kids hair and they're having a giveaway...she's actually the sister of my young women's leader.
thought you might be interested!

http://bowutifulbows.blogspot.com/

Love ya'll

Toast and Asparagus Gravy

2009-11-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

10-12 asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces

Milk

Flour

Bread

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute asparagus pieces in butter or oil until tender. Add enough milk to make desired amount of gravy, cook on medium heat until bubbling, stirring occasionally.

Make a roux out of 2-3 Tbs. flour and enough milk to make a 'Elmer's glue-like' consistency.

Add roux to milk/asparagus mixture slowly while stirring. Turn heat off.

Let gravy cool a bit and thicken, stir occasionally. (If you need gravy to be thicker just make another roux.)

Add salt and pepper to taste!

Eat gravy over buttered toast for breakfast. Mmmmmm.

This is one of my favorite breakfasts!

Corn Chowder

2009-11-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is originally Marsha's recipe. My family loves it. It's especially good with bread sticks or Italian bread to dip in it. Yum!!!

1 ½ C. chopped onion

4 Tbsp. butter
2 C. frozen hash browns

2 C. diced cooked ham
20 oz. frozen corn

2 C. cream-style corn

5 C. milk
2 cans cream of Mushroom soup

salt, pepper, parsley flakes

Combine everything in crockpot and cook on high 4-5 hours, or all day on low.

Pumpkin Rolls

2009-11-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

This is for Brooke! They are really easy and most people LOVE them! I always make them in batches of 3 or 5.

PUMPKIN ROLLS - (makes 3)

9 eggs

3 c. sugar

1 sm. can pumpkin

3 tsp. lemon juice

2-1/4 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbs. cinnamon

1 Tbs. ginger

1 -1/2 tsp. ginger

1- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 -1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. chopped nuts

powdered sugar

Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Beat in sugar. Add pumpkin and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into 3 cookie sheets (lined with parchment paper and sprayed with "Pam". Sprinkle 1 cup nuts on each one. Bake 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Loosen edges and dump out onto dish cloth sprinkled generously with powdered sugar. Roll up in towel(from long edge) and let cool. When cool - unroll - frost with cream cheese filling - roll back up (without towel!) and freeze. (roll in aluminum foil to freeze). They freeze very well for a long time!

Filling:

3 c. powdered sugar

2 - 8 oz. cream cheese

1 -1/2 cubes butter

1 -1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine and beat until smooth. Divide between 3 pumpkin rolls.

Delicious Breakfast Recipes

2009-11-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

Shara, Tawnya, Amy (Jeanie's daughter-in-law), Grandma, and I (Marsha) got to eat a yummy breakfast for lunch at Aunt Jeanie's house a while ago. So of course we had to get the recipes. Thanks for the great food, Aunt Jeanie!
Amish Breakfast

Saute, drain, and then set aside:

1 lb. sliced and diced bacon
1 small purple onion - diced

In a mixing bowl:

6 eggs slightly beaten
4 C. frozen hash brown
2 C. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C. swiss cheese
1/2 C. small curd cottage cheese - blend
1 green or red bell pepper - chopped
salt and pepper

Add bacon mix and pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min. just until set. Cool for 10 min. before serving.

Bobbi's Apple Pancakes

2 medium-size green apples
(Jonathan or Granny Smith),
peeled, cored, and chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups Bisquick All-Purpose baking mix

Mix all the batter ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon onto a greased pancake grill or frying pan and cook over medium-high heat. Serves 4.

Cinnamon Syrup

2 cups light corn syrup
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 cups evaporated milk

Combine all ingredients except the milk and bring to a full boil in a medium-size pot. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool a full 5 minutes. Add milk, and serve warm.

Fruit Salad Sauce
Boil for 2 min. and cool:
1 1/2 C. sugar
2 C. water

Add:
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 C. orange juice
1/2 tsp rum flavoring
2 tsp lemon juice

Chill in refrigerator. Serve over any variety of fruit.

Delicious Breakfast Recipes

2009-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Shara, Tawnya, Amy (Jeanie's daughter-in-law), Grandma, and I (Marsha) got to eat a yummy breakfast for lunch at Aunt Jeanie's house a while ago. So of course we had to get the recipes. Tawnya took pictures and will add them later. Thanks for the great food, Aunt Jeanie!

Amish Breakfast

Saute, drain, and then set aside:

1 lb. sliced and diced bacon
1 small purple onion - diced

In a mixing bowl:

6 eggs slightly beaten
4 C. frozen hash brown
2 C. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C. swiss cheese
1/2 C. small curd cottage cheese - blend
1 green or red bell pepper - chopped
salt and pepper

Add bacon mix and pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min. just until set. Cool for 10 min. before serving.

Bobbi's Apple Pancakes

2 medium-size green apples
(Jonathan or Granny Smith),
peeled, cored, and chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups Bisquick All-Purpose baking mix

Mix all the batter ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon onto a greased pancake grill or frying pan and cook over medium-high heat. Serves 4.

Cinnamon Syrup

2 cups light corn syrup
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 cups evaporated milk

Combine all ingredients except the milk and bring to a full boil in a medium-size pot. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool a full 5 minutes. Add milk, and serve warm.

Fruit Salad Sauce

Boil for 2 min. and cool:
1 1/2 C. sugar
2 C. water

Add:
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 C. orange juice
1/2 tsp rum flavoring
2 tsp lemon juice

Chill in refrigerator. Serve over any variety of fruit.

HOT SPICED PUNCH

2009-11-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our Young Women in Excellence and I was in charge of refreshments. We served pumpkin rolls and Wassail. This recipe is in Grams Cookbook (pg. 3) by Melanie. I think it's the best Hot Drink (Wassail type) ever!

5 qts. water
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
4 c. sugar
1 large pineapple juice
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 c. lemon juice
Boil water, sugar, cloves and cinnamon together for 5 minutes. Add the juices. Heat all together and serve hot.

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

2009-11-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Pinch My Salt

I found this recipe on the website Pinch My Salt. It was delicious! You must try it with the Salted Caramel Sauce.

Adapted from Gourmet

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup peeled and chopped baking apple (I used granny smith)
heaping tablespoon of raw sugar (demerara, turbinado or Sugar in the Raw)
extra cinnamon for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan*

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. With the mixer set to low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add half the buttermilk and continue beating on low speed until incorporated. Scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, beat in another 1/3 of flour mixture then remaining buttermilk. Finally beat in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined.

3. Scrape batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Scatter apple pieces evenly over the top of the cake batter then sprinkle evenly with raw sugar. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

4. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool until warm. Invert onto a plate. Serve plain, or with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir together sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boill. Let boil until amber in color, about 3 minutes.
Immediately add butter and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat, add cream and salt, and mix well. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate

Blonde Brownies

2009-11-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Melt 2/3 c. butter in sauce pan
add 2 c. brown sugar and mix in well. Let cool for a minute.

stir in:

2 slightly beaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

add:

2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Spread in greased cake pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 pkg of chocolate chips over top.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Pumpkin Bliss Cupcakes

2009-10-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Marsha posted a picture of my Halloween cupcakes, I'll re-post the picture. These cupcakes are delish! I love pumpkin anything though. The frosting is good too, but not if you are my mom, Marsha, or Tawnya! Katie and Abby did the decorating of them. (Sorry I've been MIA on this blog, I have a list of 10 things to post, we'll see how long that will take me)

Pumpkin Bliss Cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pans or spray them with baking spray. Sift together the flour, spice, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl combine the sugar, pumpkin, and eggs, whisk until smooth. Whisk in oil and orange juice until the batter is smooth. Add the flour-spice mix to the mixture and fold together until well incorporated, but do not overmix. Bake 20-25 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

The frosting I use is Anne Strawberry's (Aaron's cousin)

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package of cream cheese, softened (I like to use Neufchatel, less fat and I don't notice much difference)
1/2 C. butter, softened (one stick)
2 T. milk
2 t. pure vanilla extract
dash of salt
6 cups of powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency, this is a baseline)
1 T. meringue powder

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter until they are light and fluffy. Then add in the milk, vanilla, and salt, and blend.

Next, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder, cover the bowl of the mixer with a dish towel, and turn it on low until everything is combined. Then increase the speed for a minute or so until the frosting is light, fluffy, and delicious. The meringue powder will help set the frosting after it dries so it holds its shape.

New Orleans Bread Pudding

2009-10-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

*** pictures now included***

I was watching GTU the other day and Barbara Smith (4 News anchor) made this bread pudding. It looked so good so I tried it and it is yummo!

Katie took picures of it so she'll have to post them for me.

NEW ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING:

1 - 10 oz. loaf of stale french bread, crumbled (6-8 cups any type of bread) (My loaf was 16 oz. and I used about 3/4 of it)
(I used french bread that I had bought a few days ago.)
4 cups milk
2 cups sugar
8 TBS. melted butter
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
t tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
optional:
1 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 c. coconut (didn't add)
1 c. raisins (don't like!)
Combine all ingredients in blender. (except bread and optional items). Place crumbled bread in 9x13 buttered (sprayed) pan. Pour mixture over bread. Should be very moist but not soupy. (I used almost all of the mixture) Place in NON-PREHEATED oven. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with sauce.

Cream Caramel Sauce:
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 TBS. flour
1 cup whipping cream
Bring to a boil for 3 minutes then remove from heat and add:
1/4 c. butter
2 TBS. vanilla
Spoon over bread pudding.
DELICIOUS!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2009-10-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Shara and we were both making soup for supper. She was making Chicken Noodle and I was making this. She told me to post it so here it is!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP - (Aunt Jeanie's)

2 cans chicken broth

1 -8 oz. cream cheese

2 c. cooked diced chicken

2 - Lg. cans (28 oz.) Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce (mild or medium)-(I would use mild if I could find it.)

3 c. 1/2 & 1/2

1 can corn - drained

1 1/2 c. uncooked rice (can use minute rice also)

Simmer altogether until rice is tender

Ham

2009-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

I made this ham for dinner last Sunday, and everybody was a little worried because I was experimenting again, but it was so good!

Bake a ham as the instructions say. (It would be best to buy a spiral sliced ham, so then you don't have to cut it yourself)

Then mix the following in a bowl:

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground clove

1/8 tsp. paprika

dash of ground ginger

dash of ground allspice

Sprinkle the mixture onto the cooked ham all over it. Then use a blow torch with medium flame and caramelize the sugar. Wave the torch back and forth so the sugar browns and bubbles but doesn't burn. Continue all over the ham until it is well glazed. Then serve it right then or you can put it in the oven to reheat it some more.

Pumpkin Pie Dessert

2009-10-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here's another crockpot recipe from me (from the same cookbook as the last one):

Also really yummy!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5 to 6 quart

19 oz. can pumpkin pie filling
12 oz. can evaporated milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Boiling water
1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together pie filling, milk, and eggs until thoroughly mixed.

2. Pour into an ungreased baking insert designedto fit into your slow cooker (I don't have this, so I got creative. I used my cups that came with my Corelle dishes. Three of them instead of one baking insert.)

3. Place filled baking insert designed to fit into your slow cooker. Cover the insert with its lid, or with 8 paper towels (I used the paper towels).

4. Carefully pour boiling water into cooker around the baking insert, to a depth of one inch.

5. Cover cooker. Cook on High for 3-4 hours, or until a tester (aka: fork...at least in my kitchen) inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean.

6. Remove baking insert from slow cooker. Remove its lid. Sprinkle dessert with cookie crumbs. Serve warm from baking insert.

(We added whipped cream...YUMMY!) Very good fall treat!

Chicken Tikka Masala

2009-10-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was looking at a flyer from Trader Joe's that had come in the mail and saw a frozen dish called Chicken Tikka Masala that sounded really good. I decided to do a search on All Recipes, once again, and found a recipe for it that had 800 reviews and received 4 1/2 stars, so I figured it should be good. It was! Pioneer Woman has a recipe for it as well -- when I told Jen I had made this, she knew she had seen it somewhere on the food blogs, and sure enough she had.

What I learned from Wikipedia: The origin of this dish is disputed, but is mostly thought to have been created in England as an attempt to create a South Asian dish that would appeal to the British palate. It is served in many restaurants in England and has been voted the favorite dish in these restaurants.

Here's the recipe (one more thing, I didn't grill my chicken. I fried it in a pan)

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Italian Sloppy Joes

2009-10-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

These are EASY! And...so yummy! Jereld and I bought a book called "Fix-It and Forget-It: 5-Ingredient Favorites--Comforting Slow-Cooker Recipes." It's my new favorite book.

I'm so busy with work and paperwork for our house and stuff that I need easy recipes or it's frozen food for us. This recipe was extremely simple and so GOOD! It's a keeper!

Italian Sloppy Joes (the book calls it Italian Barbecue Sandwiches...I like my title better)

Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cooking time: 2-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

(I doubled this and used my 5 qt. crock pot which could have held a lot more!)

1 lb. ground beef (browned in a non-stick skillet first...which by-the-way is the hardest part)
1 cup tomato sace
half an envelope dry spaghetti sauce mix
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. Velveeta or American Cheese cubed (I used Velveeta)

1. As it says above, brown ground beef in a skillet first.

2. Place meat in slow cooker. Stir in sauce and seasonings.

3. Cover and cook on Low for 2-6 hours.

4. One hour before serving (I didn't give it an hour...I gave it 20 minutes and it was delicious!), stir in cheese. I cubed the Velveeta so it would melt quickly.

5. Stir before serving.

Obviously we ate this on hamburger buns...but you can use whatever bun or bread you choose.

Grandma's Birthday Lunch

2009-10-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

A few of the Clouse Cousins - Jen, Marsha, Katie, and Shara - were able to get together at Shara's house to have a lunch with Grandma for her (late) birthday.

Here's Grandma with Katie's little guy.

Grandma brings food even when you tell her she shouldn't because the party is for her!
Here is her yummy cookie salad - (recipe coming).

Marsha brought Spaghetti Bolognese (no picture)

Shara made a great salad (sorry no picture) hopefully she can hack into this
post and put the recipe on soon!

Jen brought some delicious homemade French Bread
with yummy stuff broiled on top. I'll try to remember to
get the recipe and add it to this post soon.

And Shara and Katie's cute pumpkin cupcakes for dessert. They were good!

Chilequilas

2009-10-17T22:12:00.001-07:00

When I was young, my dad used to make chilequilas for us when my mom wasn't home or was too busy to cook. I know at least 3 of my sisters have good memories of these as well - I'm not sure if he ever made them when I got older, so my youngest sister and my brother might not remember them.

I decided to try and make them for dinner tonight. They turned out great - I wasn't sure if my dad could tell me exactly how to make them, and I like specific recipes, so I found one that looked like what I remember at All Recipes. The picture of them when they are done is NOT pretty! But they were very good.

CHANGES I MADE OR WOULD MAKE NEXT TIME:

I am thinking you could just buy tortilla chips and use them instead of frying corn tortilla strips. That would save a lot of time and oil!

Also, the recipes calls for 30 corn tortillas and 6 eggs - I didn't quite use 30 tortillas and I used 10 eggs. It would have been not so good with less eggs. So, I say either half the tortillas, or double the eggs!

Another thing I did was use Salsa in place of the El Pato sauce and water because the store I went to was out of El Pato. I think either would be fine.

Here are the corn tortillas frying away - I had
to fry them in 3 batches.

And here is the not so pretty picture of when it was almost done.
Don't let the picture scare you - they were good!

Chilequilas

2 cups oil for frying
1/4 cup chopped onion
30 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn into strips (I used less tortillas and 10 eggs)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 (7.75 ounce) can Mexican style hot tomato sauce (El Pato sauce)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Carefully stir in the onion and tortilla strips. Fry until tortilla strips are crisp and golden brown. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels. Drain the skillet, leaving only a thin residue of oil.
Over medium heat, return tortillas to the skillet, and stir in the eggs. Season with salt. Cook and stir until eggs are firm.
Mix Mexican style hot tomato sauce and water into the skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Top with cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted.

Cupcakes

2009-10-17T22:05:00.001-07:00

I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago, but oh well! I made two different kinds of cupcakes for Erin's birthday and they were both delicious. Strawberry Cupcakes - Jen had made them and gave me a sample, and Coconut Cupcakes - my friend Mary Jo had made and I LOVED them. I'm not a huge frosting fan, so I didn't put much on these and had a ton of leftover frosting.

Instead of putting the recipes on here, I'm just going to put the links. But I highly recommend these cupcakes!

Strawberry Cupcakes
Coconut Cupcakes

Tamales

2009-10-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin Doreen (my dad's niece). She taught me how to make tamales today so I thought I'd share it! It was so fun to visit and catch up on our family! Thanks Doreen!

TAMALES:

Meat Mixture:

Cooked/shredded beef and pork roasts

Old El Paso Mild Enchilada Sauce (Las Palmas works too!)

Jar of Salsa (or can)

Spices - chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper , etc.

(She didn't really measure - just to taste)

Masa Dough: (we tripled this today!)

1 1/3 c. lard (don't use shortening)

4 c. Masa Harina (it all says instant)

2 t. salt

sprinkle a little chile powder in

3-4 c. warm broth (use chicken bullion to make broth)

Mix lard, and dry ingreds. with hands until mixed well (like pie crust) - add liquid until right consistency to spread (like sugar cookie dough)

Soak corn husks in warm water (about 30 minutes) then spread dough on husks, add meat, wrap and steam.

Freeze any leftovers and then reheat in microwave or on your woodburning stove! (That's what she did as a kid!)

Mixing the meat mixture (she used beef, pork, turkey and venison. I don't like venison but I couldn't tell it was in it.

Showing us how to spread the masa dough on the husks. Make about a 4" long. Spread a thin layer clear to one edge and about 1/4" from other edge. Put a spoonful of meat in the center of the dough then fold like a tamale! (one edge over to 1/4" of other edge - seal and fold up ends)

"Many hands make light work!" It's a great friend/family project!

Ready to steam (I'm sure we made over 100!)

In the pan to steam (she put a layer of jar rings on the bottom to hold the rack off the bottom - then layered the tamales on top criss-crossing each layer -Put the lid on but not tight. Cook for about 30 minutes. You can tell when they're done by unwrapping one and they should fall off the husk easily.

Minestrone Soup

2009-10-04T14:50:00.001-07:00

We had this soup in between conference sessions today. Soup is one of our favorite meals and we absolutely love this one!

Here is the recipe....

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium leek (white portion only) chooped (I bought these and for 1 leek it was $2.64 and you can't even taste it..so I would just for-go it)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I just bought a can of them)
6 cups beef broth
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (I don't like beans and Landon doesn't like garbanzo so we didn't put these in)
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta shells
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a soup kettle, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the carrots, celery, leek and garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and green beans, cook 2 minutes longer.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, cabbage, basil, oregano, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 45 minutes.

Return to a boil. Stir in garbanzo beans, pasta and parsley. Cook for 6-9 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi (one of Jereld's favorites)

2009-09-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

{This is Marsha breaking into Allison's post. I put the picture on, but the gnocchi itself is hard to see (it's the bumps under the sauce, not the chicken on top!) Allison wasn't thinking of posting the recipe, so she didn't take pictures along the way. I LOVED her dinner, and told her she had to post it. I have to take credit for that beautiful salad in the background that mostly came out of a bag - ha ha!}

Marsha and her family just left. We invited them over for dinner and we had GNOCCHI! I'm leaving it up to Marsha to post a picture of the Gnocchi we had tonight. She took the pictures.

So here's the recipe:

GNOCCHI (We multiplied this 5x so we could freeze some and so it would be enough)

This recipe only makes enough for 2 people for 1 meal

2 pounds of potatoes (2 large russets)
1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
About 1 Cup of flour (I think mine took more)
Salt

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters (leave skins on) and put in a large pot of salted water. Boil potatoes until soft (just like making mashed potatoes). Once done, take out of the water with a slotted spoon and cut off skins immediately (try not to burn your fingers...he he). Mash potatoes with a fork until there are no lumps. Add all the egg and a little bit of flour (about 1/4 of the flour or a little less). Fold in. Continue to add flour until the dough is not tacky (it will be somewhat like bread dough but tackier. I got my hands involved because a spoon doesn't work past a certain point). Pinch off a handfull of dough at a time and roll into "snakes." It's easier to make the "snakes" when you have some flour on the counter. Then, cut into 3/4 inch pieces. You can also roll the small pieces in some more flour so they don't stick to anything.

When you cook the gnocchi, drop into a pot of boiling water (make sure you salt the water...I like to add a little bit of garlic). When the gnocchi rise to the top they are done. Spoon them out with a slotted spoon when they rise. (They only take a couple of minutes to cook so watch them carefully).

As an alternative to cooking them right away, Jereld and I made these on Saturday and put the raw gnocchi on cookie sheets lined with foil and put them in the freezer...just ensure that they aren't touching each other or you'll have one big lump of gnocchi when you pull it out.

To cook frozen gnocchi, follow the same directions as raw gnocchi (they just take a minute or two longer).

If you're confused by my instructions (which are much shorter than the ones on the website I got the recipe from, you can visit the website here.

You can do a variety of different things with gnocchi. You can use them with sauces you would normally use with pasta or in soups!

Here's one of our favorites:

Alfredo Gnocchi (this is what we fed Marsha's family too, we've done a couple different versions).

Here's a picture of a previous meal Jereld and I had. With this version, I used alfredo sauce and cut up black forest ham from the deli. In the version we fed Marsha's family we cooked some chicken with some garlic salt, olive oil, and pepper. We also had some shrimp with garlic salt, olive oil, and pepper.

In both the version above and the version we fed Marsha's family, I used this sauce...call me a cheater if you want. I call myself FAST and SMART! This is yummy and so easy.

If you want to be a BIG CHEATER! You can use the Gnocchi below...it's more expensive, and I would compare the difference to the difference between real mashed potatoes and potato pearls.

ENJOY!

Popcorn Favs

2009-09-22T19:56:00.001-07:00

(I know - two posts in one night!)
For our YW activity tonight we had a movie night. We watched FOREVER STRONG (highly recommend) and had popcorn. I made these two kinds. The Peanut Butter was the fav.
MICROWAVE CARAMEL CORN:
1/2 c. butter - melt in microwave
Add
1/4 c. Karo syrup
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Cook 2 -1/2 minutes in microwave then add:
1/2 tsp. soda - Stir well
Pop 4 qts. popcorn. Put in brown paper bag (sprayed with Pam). Pour over popcorn. Stir. (Cut off bag to fit in microwave). Cook 2 1/2 minutes - stirring after 1 minute.
Pour out onto cookie sheet to cool.

Caramel on the left - Peanut Butter on the right

PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN:
Boil:
1 c. Karo
1 c. Sugar
Remove from heat and add:
1 c. peanut butter - Stir until mixed together.
Pour over big bowl of popcorn.

CANDIED POPCORN (Grandma's Popcorn Ball Recipe)
(This is Mark's favorite)
5 qts. pop corn
Boil together until softball stage or light tan color (I just guess!)
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. Karo
Remove from heat - add:
Add 1 tsp. Cherry flavoring and Red food coloring
Pour over popcorn.
(I never make popcorn balls - just eat it!)

BBQ (Sloppy Joe)

2009-09-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

Here's a recipe my friend gave me this summer. I finally got around to trying it today. I asked Mark which he liked better - "Manwich" or these - he likes them BOTH! (These aren't as "tomato-y" as Manwich.)
Cook together:
1 lb. hamburger -
chopped onion (or dry onions)
Add:
2 cans Chicken Gumbo Soup (Campbells)
1/2 c. ketchup
celery salt
dry mustard

Hot Dog!

2009-08-24T13:55:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law planned a fun summer party for about 200 people in her yard about a week ago. It was super fun! Don't you love those Chinese lanterns hanging in their yard?

I was in charge of helping with the hot dog toppings -- I really wanted to make a fun hot dog bar so here are the things I came up with (besides the usual ketchup, relish, and mustard!):

sauerkraut
guacamole
pickle spears
chopped red onion
pickled jalapeno slices
my mother-in- law had a pot of chili and a pot of nacho cheese
coleslaw (here's a good recipe) --yep, put it right on your hot dog -- DELICIOUS!
my brother-in-law Chris's famous cilantro, jalapeno, and onion mix (the bowl right in the middle of the picture below) It was a hit. Here's how you make it:

Chris's Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Onion Mix
(I think that's what you call it!)

fresh jalapenos, diced*
onion, diced
cilantro cut into small pieces

saute the jalapeno and onion in a small amount of olive oil until almost tender, add the cilantro and stir it all together - ta da! (add some salt, too)

*Wear some gloves while you're chopping the jalapenos. I didn't and my hands were burning for hours. (pioneer woman had a warning about this -- Jen told me about it when I called her in pain and misery!)

Jamba Juice Wanna-be

2009-08-20T17:39:00.001-07:00

I think I made the best homemade smoothie I've ever had...

I added:

some blueberries
some peaches
some strawberries
a little orange juice
a lot of ice

Blend and serve.

Almost like going to Jamba Juice with out the price!

GRANDPA'S FAVORITE

2009-08-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

Bread and Milk

Grandma's Homemade Bread

Milk

Slice of cheese ( on the side)

Fresh Green Chile (on the side)

Dessert - Grandma's Homemade Ice Cream

Happy Birthday Grandpa!