Hand and Foot Prints

I saw this idea on a website and thought it was so cute. I was thinking they would be great wall hangings for a play room or just my sons bedroom. It is a great project because you can let your child help paint and then before you get ready to do the prints, even everything out.

Supplies:

2 canvases (any size, I used 16x20)
Acrylic paint
sponge brushes

Just evenly paint the whole canvas and when you are ready, take your child's clean hand and press it into the wet paint. Repeat with opposite hand and then feet on separate canvas.

You can get a set of two canvases at Hobby Lobby and use their 40% off coupon. I think I got mine for $5. Very cheap art project.
I had used a lighter blue at first but then re-did it to make it darker so the hand prints would show up. The only bad thing was I wasn't thinking that there was blue underneath and not white so the hand prints didn't end up showing up as well.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

I'm sorry I didn't get a good picture of this fudge/candy. I had already packaged it all before I remembered and I wasn't about to take anything apart. I did want to get it posted here though so this picture will have to do. The recipe is for the candy on the bottom. The top one is some chocolate fudge. This is something my mom always made at Christmas time and I've made it the past few years also. Very delicious and artery clogging:)
Ingredients

2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
2 cups peanut butter
1 lb. (3 3/4 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick butter
1 12 oz. bag chocolate chips (2 cups)

In a pot, melt butter and add peanut butter after it's almost melted. Once butter is melted, remove from heat, add graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix well and press into a 9x13 greased pan.

Melt butter and chocolate and pour on top of peanut butter mixture. Shake pan lightly to even out the top. Cool before cutting.

White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

With the left over white chocolate from my cookies, I decided to dip some pretzels. It was fun and they taste delish!
Ingredients

pretzels (any size, any kind)
white chocolate or almond bark

Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir in between.

Put the pretzel in the chocolate and use a fork to take it out and tap on edge of bowl to get of excess chocolate. Scrape on side of bowl and set on wax paper to harden.

You can leave them like that or sprinkle them with any extras while they are still wet. You can also take another color of chocolate and drizzle that over them.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Again I found a great recipe on this blog. She has the best things on her blog! Anyway, I made a whole bunch of Christmas treats and thought that this would be a great one. They were easy and they look like you slaved all day making them. They are tasty too........even though I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate. They would be better covered in regular chocolate I think. Oh, and they are very similar to these other cookies I've posted here.
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used a bag of white chocolate chips and the rest white almond bark - it worked great)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add egg, then yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles, and place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.

Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer parchment, with cookies, to wire racks, and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)

Sift crushed candy, and separate larger pieces from dust, reserving both. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave (don't overheat or the chocolate/almond bark will seize!). Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, press lightly on the cookie until completely submerged in the chocolate. Pick up the cookie with the fork, let excess chocolate drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of either candy pieces or dust on top. Repeat, sprinkling half the cookies with pieces and the rest with dust. Refrigerate until set, up to 3 hours.
I skipped the freezing part before cutting out the cookies. I just refrigerated and then rolled out the dough, cut out circles and put them on my pan and then froze it for 15 minutes. It didn't seem to make a difference. They also set up just fine sitting on the counter.....you just have to keep little fingers out of them!

Cream of Broccoli Soup and Bread Bowls

Last week I made some really delicious cream of broccoli soup and homemade bread bowls. They both came out so good and we ate so much we were stuffed. The only bad thing about bread bowls is I can't usually eat all my bowl because it makes me too full!
Italian Bread Bowls

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups).

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use parchment paper). Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
from my Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 1/2 pounds broccoli
2 cups water
1 large stock celery, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
Shredded cheese

1. Remove flowerets from broccoli; set aside. Cut stalks into 1 inch pieces, discarding any leaves.

2. Heat water to boiling in 3-quart saucepan. Add broccoli flowerets and stalk pieces, celery and onion. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer about 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender (do not drain).

3. Carefully place broccoli mixture in blender. Cover and blend on medium speed until smooth.

4. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

5. Stir in broccoli mixture, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat just to boiling. Stir in whipping cream. Heat just until hot (do not boil or soup may curdle). Serve with cheese.


I added cheese right to the soup because it needed more flavor. Probably about a cup or so.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes last week and they were so yummy. I made 12 regular and then used up the rest of the batter with mini ones. I think I got 12 mini also. The only part that was hard for me was the frosting but I finally fixed it and they still tasted great.

Chocolate Mint Chip Cupcakes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup chocolate milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (6 ounces) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat the melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Add the eggs, peppermint extract, and chocolate milk. Beat until creamy.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and beat until blended - do not over beat. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 - 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan.

I didn't bother with the unsalted butter (who buys that? so unflavorful!). I also didn't have unsweetened chocolate so I just used semi-sweet. And I used my eggs right out of the fridge. I hate things that need room temperature because then you have to plan ahead. Which I never do!

Mint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

3 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put egg whites and sugar in a double boiler over simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).

Pour heated egg mixture into a clean bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes. (It's very important to beat it for the whole 6 minutes.)
Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-low, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears soupy or separated after all butter has been added, beat on medium high speed until smooth again, 3-5 minutes more.)

Beat in all extracts. Reduce speed to low; beat 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Okay, this frosting was a whole other story. I don't have a stand mixer so I just used my beaters. Apparently it doesn't come out right with beaters. Plus my arm got tired trying to beat it for 6 minutes. Anyway, mine was kind of runny so I ended up using powdered sugar and stiffen it up a little bit. It still tasted great and seemed to work just fine. Oh, and the recipe doesn't say this but put a little green dye in to get it minty looking.

Caramel Apples

I'm sure everyone knows how to make caramel apples but I just had to post this because my son was so cute while I was trying to take a picture. He wouldn't stay out of the way.

Ingredients

5 medium apples (we only got 4 out of it but I think some caramels were eaten beforehand)
1 pkg. caramels (about 50)
2 tbsp. water
5 Popsicle sticks (should come in bag of caramels)

Wash and dry apples. Insert wooden Popsicle sticks into stem of each apple.

Cover cookie sheet or plate with wax paper; spray with PAM. Set aside.

Place caramels and water in large saucepan; cook on medium-low heat until caramels are completely melted, stirring constantly.

Dip apples into melted caramel until evenly coated, spooning caramel over apples if necessary. Allow excess caramel to drip off. Scrape bottoms of apples, then place on wax paper. Refrigerator at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Store leftover dipped apples in refrigerator.

I decided to coat mine with come candy. I just crushed up an Oreo for one, some M&Ms for one, and a heath bar for another one. Any candy you like would be great....or some people even like nuts or sprinkles. Just roll the apple in it after you dip it.

Creamy White Chili

This was the yummiest soup ever! So so good.....even my husband said it was good and he doesn't usually like soup. I found the recipe on a blog I look at but I changed it some so I will just put how I made it.
Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can chicken broth
1 can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk

In a large saucepan, add chicken, beans, corn, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and milk. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.

I'm sure the original recipe would be just as good, or better, but I didn't have some ingredients so that is why I changed things up. Cream would have made it delicious but I didn't want to run to the store so whole milk worked just fine. I do think the addition of corn made it really yummy though.

Pumpkin Apple Struesel Muffins

Another WOW recipe! I made these and I think the three of us ate almost half of them that night. (yes, even my toddler that doesn't eat anything- especially if it is fruit or vegetable) We went apple picking so I've been looking for good apple recipes and when I saw this one, I had to make it. I love pumpkin and then with apple added to it, I knew it was going to be a winner.
Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups Pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

For Muffins: Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease or paper-line 24 muffin cups. Combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine pumpkin, eggs and vegetable oil in medium bowl; mix well. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

For Struesel Topping: Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over muffin batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly. Makes 24 muffins.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Wow, this was a yummy dinner. I have never heard of it before but when I saw the recipe I decided that I needed to try it out. My husband hates mushrooms so I was going to make it without but then decided, "no way, I'm not catering to him! I'm getting mushrooms!". So off to the store for mushrooms. It was so worth it. I haven't had mushrooms for a long time since I never buy them so this was delicious.

Ingredients

8 OUNCES SPAGHETTI
8 OUNCES SLICED FRESH MUSHROOMS
4-6 SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS OR 8 BONELESS SKINLESS THIGHS (CUT IN BITE-SIZE PIECES)
1 TABLESPOON BUTTER
1 ½ TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE
3-4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER
6 TABLESPOONS FLOUR
½ TEASPOON PAPRIKA
1/8 TEASPOON NUTMEG
¾ TEASPOON SALT
½ TEASPOON PEPPER
1 CAN CHICKEN BROTH (14 ½ OUNCES)
1 CUP SKIM MILK
¾ CUP PARMESAN CHEESE
SPRINKLE PAPRIKA

Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir fry the mushrooms and the chicken pieces with the 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice until chicken is done, about 15-20 minutes. Toss with the cooked spaghetti. Set aside. Melt the 3-4 tablespoons of butter and stir in the flour and spices. Add broth and stir until the sauce thickens, then add the milk. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti. Mix. Place mixture into a 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and paprika and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

*I had some spaghetti from another night so I just used that. My advice would be if you are cooking spaghetti just to make this, make sure it is still a little under cooked. Since mine was cooked all the way, it got a little too cooked and soggy from then baking it in the oven. Still good but just mushy.
*I only used 3 small chicken breasts and there was tons of meat.

Cucumber Sandwich

I've been meaning to post this for weeks now. I had a craving for a cucumber sandwich so I broke down and paid $2 for one of those long English cucumbers (is that what they're called?). I never buy cucumbers because they seem so expensive but sometimes cravings win. Anyway, I got creative and ended up with the best tasting sandwich ever! Seriously, we've had this for dinner twice and I've had it for lunch lots of times. So yummy!
Ingredients

Cucumber
Tomato
Smoked Gouda
Mayo
Salt
Pepper
Bread, bagel, roll- whatever you want

Cut the cucumber nice and thin so it layers nicely. Same goes for tomato and Gouda (or any cheese you like).

Lightly toast bread then spread with mayo and layer on cucumber, tomato, and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Open wide and take a bite! You won't regret it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I found this recipe on this site and decided I had to try it. YUM! YUM! YUM! That's all I have to say...........go make it right now!
Ingredients

Crust
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9″-square baking pan (I used a 9" round spring pan and cut the final dessert into pie-shaped pieces). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Lightly coat the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. (Tip: put the chocolate chips into a zipper bag and heat on 50% power for a few minutes. Cut the corner off the bag and squeeze the bag to make drizzling less messy). Use a teaspoon to drizzle chocolate over top of bars. Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour. (Stick the bars in the freezer for 5 minutes to set quickly if you're in a hurry).

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars (clean the knife after each cut) and serve.

BBQ poppers

These were some yummy little things I made. I found the recipe on a blog I really like. They were quick, easy, and very tasty. Perfect dinner for me. I just made up a nice big salad and we ate that and these and it was a great dinner.
Ingredients

1	lb. lean ground beef
1/2	cup barbecue sauce
1/4	cup chopped onion
1	to 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1	(12-oz.) can Pillsbury® Golden Layers® Refrigerated Buttermilk or Flaky Biscuits
2	oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar or American cheese

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 10 medium muffin cups. In large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in barbecue sauce, onion and brown sugar. Cook 1 minute to blend flavors, stirring constantly.

Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each greased muffin cup. Firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming 1/4-inch rim over edge of cup. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture into each biscuit-lined cup. Sprinkle each with cheese.

Bake at 400°F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of biscuits are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from muffin cups.

*I used ground turkey instead. I only used a little over half a pound so I just put the extra biscuits in the muffin tin and we ate those plain.

Carrots

This is just a really yummy way to cook carrots. My sister told me about it so I decided to give it a try. Now this is the only way I like them!
Ingredients

Carrots
Olive oil
Salt

Cut carrots in little spears or rounds. However you like.

Heat up about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan. Add carrots and stir around for a while. After a few minutes cover with lid. Check on them and give them a stir every once in a while. Cook until desired tenderness. Salt to taste.

I loved carrots this way because some of them would get a little fried from the bottom of the pan and it made them kind of crispy. You also don't loose the nutrients like you do when you boil them. I don't really like crunchy carrots so I always have to cook them longer so this way I can get a softer carrot but still have the nutrients.

Chicken Enchiladas

I've been in the mood for enchiladas lately. In the past two weeks I have made two very different versions of them. Here is one I found that sounded interesting but I changed things around a bit. The filling was really good but I wasn't too much of a fan of soggy tortillas from the sauce. Next time I would use corn tortillas and I think they would be way better. And maybe just put a little cheese on top so they aren't so soggy. Anyway, here is my version of the recipe:
Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts
1/4 onion, diced really small
butter
1/2 block of cream cheese (4 oz)
1 small can diced green chilies
1/2 pint cream
Salsa verde
cumin
tortillas
cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil chicken and cut up 2-3 chicken breasts. (Can do this the day before and refrigerate).

3. Saute onion in butter. Add cream cheese and 1 small can green chilies. After cream cheese melts, mix in chicken. Add a splash of green salsa (maybe 1/4 cup). Salt and pepper to taste and add a little cumin to taste also.

4. Either spray Pyrex or pour a little salsa on bottom of dish. Drop chicken mixture in tortillas and roll up. Put in pan. Put a little green salsa on top of each tortilla then pour cream on top. Add shredded cheese on top. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

*I wouldn't do the cream again. I did it because I'm trying to follow recipes more precisely but it was just too much liquid. It tasted really great but I just couldn't get over the texture of soggy tortillas. And again, use corn tortillas next time. I think they would have been way better. So my verdict is this is a great recipe, just needs some tweaking for my liking. Feel free to change it however you like.

*Oh and the other enchilada recipe I made before this one I found here. It was really good. Again, I didn't follow it exactly and I for sure only made about half that much. They were so good though and I couldn't stop talking about what a great dinner I made:)

Black Bean and Corn Salad

I know there are all kinds of versions of this salad but this is one that my mom has made and I love. It goes great with any meal as a little fresh side or you can use it as a dip for chips.
Ingredients

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1-2 tomatoes (depending on size and how much you want)
bunch of cilantro
salt
vinegar

1. Open cans and drain and rinse then dump into bowl.

2. Dice up tomato. Put in bowl.

3. Chop up however much cilantro you like and throw in. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar and mix all together. Add salt to taste.

The great thing about this salad is it is totally flexible. Make it to your preference. I thought I didn't want the vinegar on mine but it adds a nice tang. Start with a little and taste as you go.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

A few weeks ago, my husband was begging me to make lemon poppy seed bread. After a few days of him asking I finally did it. This bread came out so good. One of the best recipes for lemon poppy seed bread that I've used.
Ingredients

• 2 C sugar
• 1 c vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 c milk
  

• Icing:
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 3/4 c confectioners' sugar
  

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Combine sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts in a lg. bowl; mix well. Stir in poppy seeds

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture and milk to sugar mixture alternately, mixing well after each addition. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

3. Bake loaves for 45 min. or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen edges from sides of pans. Cool loaves in pans for 10 min. Turn out onto wire racks.

4. For icing, blend lemon juice and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle over warm loaves.

I made some mini muffins first and then poured the rest of the batter into 1 loaf pan. I also used a real lemon and put the zest in the batter and then used half the lemon for the juice- instead of the extract. Then I used the other half of the lemon for the juice in the icing. I poured the icing on the loaf while it was in the pan still so it could seep all over the sides too.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman. I tried it out when we had the Missionaries over and they were a big hit. So delicious that I had to make them again a few nights later. I need to go buy more potatoes so I can make them again. That's how yummy these are.

Ingredients

Small red potatoes
Olive Oil
Kosher salt

Clean potatoes and boil in salted water until fork tender.

Put some olive oil on a cookie sheet. Remove the potatoes and put on cookie sheet.

Take a potato masher and smash the potatoes part way. Brush with more olive oil then sprinkle with salt and any herb you like. I just used some basil.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Tomato Pie

I was talking to my mom and she was telling me how they had a tomato pie for dinner. My first reaction was......eewwww! But then she started explaining what was in it and I warmed up to the idea and thought it sounded pretty tasty. So I got online and searched for tomato pie and Paula Deen's recipe was the first to come up. I decided to give it a whirl.
Ingredients

4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 (9-inch) prebaked deep dish pie shell
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes.

Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pie shell. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

To serve, cut into slices and serve warm.

Okay, here are my modifications:
I didn't have fresh tomatoes so I used canned diced tomatoes. A 28 oz. can is plenty. I used that plus a 14 oz. can and it was way too much. My husband hated this but told me it had potential. He wanted pepperoni in it, since it was kind of like a deep dish pizza. I think you could put crumbled sausage or pepperoni and it would be great. Definitely way less tomatoes than I put. I think that was what made it not as good.

Asian Chicken Salad

I'm back.......I hope! It was really hard to get the motivation to start blogging again. I got out of the habit and now I have had a hard time getting back into the habit of taking pictures of the things I make and then actually posting them. Anyway, I am finally able to cook some and have the energy to cook a little. Here is a really fast dinner I made up the other night. I just used what I could find in the house but I'm sure you could be creative and change up the ingredients.
Ingredients

Lettuce
Carrots- shred them
chicken
mandarin oranges
Bean threads
Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

Now the amounts totally depend on how many people you are feeding. I'm sure you can figure out how much you need for your family.

Marinate some chicken in the salad dressing for at least a few hours. Then cook it either on the grill or in a frying pan until done. Let rest before cutting.

Fry up the bean threads in hot oil so they puff up and turn white. Place on paper towel.

Chop up your lettuce and assemble on plate with the rest of the ingredients on top. Serve with more dressing.

This was really tasty and easy and nice for a hot summer day. I was thinking the only thing it was missing was some toasted almonds (but I didn't have any and wasn't about to run to the store).

Apologies

I thought I should explain my absence from this blog. We are in the midst of moving, visiting family, buying a house, and my husband starting a new job. I apologize for the infrequent posts and I promise by the end of June I will be back with more recipes and crafts. All my sewing and craft supplies got packed today and tomorrow my kitchen is getting packed. Please forgive me and stay tuned. I hope I don't lose any readers by my absence.

How to make BOWS

Materials:

• Ribbon in any width you like


• Needle and Thread


• Piece of Cardboard cut to the width you would like the bow to be. Usually 3-5 inches with the center cut out to allow for stitching. Cereal boxes work great.

• Alligator clips (you can find these at Sally's Beauty Supply. Box of 100 for $4.99)

• Glue gun

Instructions:

• Take your ribbon and wrap it around and down the cardboard using the clips to attach it to the cardboard at the top and bottom. Wrapping it 3 times around to make a 2 loop bow. Make sure to leave some extra end hanging off the cardboard on the top and bottom.

• Stitch through the center of the ribbon using about 2 stitches per “row” of ribbon.

• Remove the needle and slide the cardboard out from the middle of the ribbon.
  


• Lay the ribbon down and make sure the thread is even on both sides.

• Start to tie the thread into a knot but hold down the sides of the ribbon so that the bow can begin cinching. Make sure the sides of the bow do not fold over themselves. Pull tighter until the bow completely cinches.


• Have someone (toddler fingers work great for this) put their finger down in the middle to hold the bow together while you tie the knot on the side and then repeat on the other side. (I like to keep flipping it and tying knots a few times. I feel like it makes it more secure that way.)


• Use a lighter to barely singe the ends of the ribbon to keep them from fraying, or use fray check.


• Glue on to an alligator clip and its ready to wear!

Here's another example using smaller ribbon and wrapping it more times.
You have to do something to cover the thread in the middle. You can glue on a button or flower or wrap a piece of ribbon over it. One way I like is tying a loose knot in some ribbon and then wrapping it around the middle.
Then you just glue it on and wrap to the back and cut the extra ribbon.
This would be a cute little bow or you could put it in the middle of a bigger bow like this:
Here are some more examples of some bows I made:

You can do all kinds of creative things once you understand how to make a basic bow. I didn't go out to the store and find any materials so I just scrounged around the house. I think little jewels would be really cute as the center of the bow. Also if you bought a big button and glued that in the middle.
It is easier to make a bow with silky ribbon. The grosgrain ribbon is hard but once you get the hang of it it isn't too bad.
I have two more things to show you how to do but I haven't done them yet so I don't want to post the directions until I have some examples. One is how to make these bows into headbands and the other is how to make curly ribbon.
I hope this wasn't too confusing. If you have any questions just leave a comment and I'll try to help you. I'm not very good at this yet but by the 9th bow it was getting a lot easier.

Honey Nut Chicken Tenders

Here is a really yummy recipe I saw on Rachel Ray. The only thing I didn't like was there was too much spice in it. I really wanted them to taste sweeter and nuttier. So maybe be careful on the seasonings or leave them out all together? The other thing was I put a little too much oil in. So be careful on that as well. Ingredients

2 pounds chicken tenders
Salt and pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
A splash milk
2 cups honey nut flavored cereal (recommended: Honey Nut Corn Flakes)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, eyeball it

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place flour in a large shallow dish. Coat chicken in flour. Beat eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Combine cereal, bread crumbs, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning and vegetable oil in food processor. Transfer breading to a shallow dish. Place a nonstick baking sheet near chicken breading station. In batches, take flour coated chicken and coat in eggs then in breading and place on nonstick cookie sheet. When all the chicken has been coated, transfer to oven and bake 15 minutes, until evenly brown and cooked through. Cool and serve, or pack up for a picnic! This chicken may be served hot or cold.

Hawaiian Haystacks

This meal is something I had never heard of growing up. It wasn't until college when I went to my roommates parent's house for dinner and this was being served. I was very skeptical at first but once I tasted it, I was very surprised that it was quite delicious. So here is my version of Hawaiian Haystacks (where did that name come from??). Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1 can pineapple tidbits
1-2 tomatoes, diced
coconut
chow mien noodles
grated cheese
rice
chicken gravy

Cook enough rice for however many mouths you need to feed. Boil chicken and cube (or use those nice cans of chicken from Costco).

Make the gravy. Two options: the first time I had this, they used a can of cream of chicken soup with the cubed chicken mixed in (works great, tastes great). Second option: I saw a package of chicken gravy in the cupboard and thought, "now that would work for the gravy!" so I mixed it up and it was delish. I liked it better this way but whatever you have on hand will work great.

Put all the other ingredients out. Some people also like green onions.

Everyone has their own order so here is mine: Rice, cheese, chicken, tomatoes, pineapple, coconut, chow mien, and gravy. It doesn't really matter though because you mix it all up anyway!
Look at that nice stack of hay!! Now dig in and enjoy!

Chicken Cabbage Salad

I had this salad once at a baby shower. It was so good and I wanted to know how to make it. I never got the recipe but the other day I was telling my mom I needed to use up some cabbage and she told me to make this. I didn't know it was so easy. So, I kind of made up my own recipe. Please tell me if you have a good version of this dish. I would love suggestions.

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breast Boiled and Cubed
1/2 Head of Cabbage, Chopped (I actually only used about a quarter...it makes a lot!)
1 Pkg Ramen Noodles, Crushed up (any flavor would probably work, I used Oriental)
2 T Seasame Seeds, toasted
½ Cup Slivered Almonds, toasted

-Mix all together and toss with Dressing

Dressing

2 T Sugar
1/4 Cup Oil
3 T Rice Vinegar
1 Pkg Ramen Seasoning
1 t. Salt
1½ t. Pepper

-Mix all together, pour over Salad (I thought the dressing needed more flavor. I think next time I might add a little more sugar and maybe soy sauce? It was too oily (so I changed the original recipe from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup). )
Make sure you use a big bowl because this makes a lot. The only bad part is it doesn't keep well for leftovers. Add the dressing right before serving. This is a great summer time meal!

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin rolls have always scared me. I think because I made a really bad one once so I've never tried again. I'm also not exactly sure what a jelly roll pan is? I just use a cookie sheet that has taller edges. I decided to try it out because I had some pumpkin that needed to be used up. It was actually so simple and tasted yummy. Ingredients

Cake:
Powdered Sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Filling:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

For Cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 15x10 inch jelly roll pan; line with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together. Starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

For filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkly with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Hot Fudge

I got this recipe from my friend Crystal's blog. I have always wanted to know how to make hot fudge and now I do! It was really yummy and easy and makes a lot.
Ingredients

2 c sugar
4 T unsweetened cocoa
4 T flour (heaping)
1 c evaporated milk
1/2 cube butter
1-2 t vanilla

Mix sugar, cocoa, and flour to remove lumps in cocoa. Add milk and butter. Cook and stir until sauce boils. Boil for two minutes. Add vanilla.
I think this would be a great treat to make for someone. Just put it in a cute jar, put some fabric over the lid and tie with a ribbon. Ta-da, you have a cute, cheap gift!

Chocolate Surprise Cookies

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart. I also found it on one of the blogs I look at. I actually really enjoyed this cookie. At first I thought they were too cakey but then I put them in the fridge and I liked them better cold. Ingredients

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 large egg

1/2 c milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c milk

1/4 tsp vanilla

To make the cookie:

Preheat oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.

Scoop into heaping tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10-12 minutes. (I actually did 8 minutes)

Remove from baking sheets and place a marshmallow cut-side down into the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Spread about 1 tablespoon frosting over each marshmallow and spread to cover the marshmallow.

I think these would be really fun for kids......since there is a surprise inside! I made my frosting then left it on the counter for a little too long (I kind of forgot about it). So that is why the frosting is a little dry looking on top. It didn't spread as easy. I should have added a little more liquid.

Knit Sweater

I have had this sweater done for a long time now. I finished it but then took forever to go get buttons and sew them on. Then I had to get some pictures and now I am finally posting them. I decided to keep it neutral so a boy or girl could wear it. That way we will for sure get to use it at some point. The pattern in the book was super cute because for the girl it has flowers embroidered all around the bottom and bottom of the sleeves. The boy one was striped. It was fun to try and make but I don't think I'll be making another one. Sewing it together was a pain!