16th July, 2009
Homemade imagination
The other day I made some homemade blueberry chocolate chip ice cream (courtesy of a dear lady in our church). As we all sat down to enjoy some, Ian notices he has a few holes in his icey mound.
“Daddy, look! It has holes in it!”
Acknowledging Ian’s excitement, Jeff smiles and nods.
Reassuringly and quite matter-of-factly Ian adds, “Is OK to eat, Daddy, but caterpillars can crawl inside.”
Posted at 1:06 pm | Comments (4)
20th November, 2008
Cleaning optional.
Since my dear 7yo, along with her older sister, has been unloading the dishwasher for the past few years, I assumed she knew how to load the dishwasher.
At least that she had the general idea.
Alas.
I was wrong.
Bless her dear heart though. She will make a fine packer someday.
Posted at 2:08 pm | Comments (6)
17th September, 2008
Tomatoes from our garden!
So. Now what?
Posted at 1:50 pm | Comment (1)
16th September, 2008
We made bread!
I don’t know what made me want to do it, but I found myself just itching to make bread today. Which is really abnormal for me since I’ve never really made bread before. Sure, quick breads, buiscuts, muffins, Irish Soda Bread (which I undercooked) and even tortillas (which bombed so bad I swore lifelong allegiance to Tia Rosa right after that), but never yeasty, kneady, punchy, risey bread. At least not that I can remember. Oh WAIT! Bread machine bread. I’ve made that. Remember those contraptions circa 1995? That craze stood the test of time, huh?
I think it’s because it’s fall. I love fall. Fall makes me dreamy. And each year about this time I have a growing urge to bake. Since summer puts us on a sort of baking hiatus, I suddenly have 16 recipes I want to bake in one weeks time. Apple crisp, sausage breakfast casserole, chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch pumpkin muffins, herby omelette bake, and this year, bread.
I’ve had this recipe for beginner’s bread sitting in my cookbook binder for years now and today was the day I finally decided to make it with my girls.
Here are the girls…ahem…with Ian, who had just ran lickety split across the kitchen to get in on the shot. Sneaky boy!
Hannah reading the recipe.
I have no idea where she got so buff. She came out of the womb with chiseled biceps. I think it was a mutant gene.
Emma working the dough.
See ya in 2 hours!
It’s risen!
Hannah had the fun of punching out the air and kneeding it again for a minute or so.
Whas dat Nana?
Think we should have used a hairnet?
After this it went into the pan to spend more time rising, then into the oven.
DONE!
We were all so excited about this bread! It came out perfect!
Emma thinks we should make a loaf every day.
Ha. ha.
Posted at 2:35 pm | Comment (1)
5th June, 2008
A moment of silence, please.
It happened while I was scooping ice cream.
While I was thankful the flying debris didn’t knock me unconscious, I was left temporarily dazed and confused.
Thankfully, I recovered within a short time and still possessed enough brain cells left from the day to remember our old, trusty spade sitting idly in the recesses of our utensil drawer.
Of course it was only 2:34pm (but don’t tell anyone OK?).
I now plan to invest in a super duper, top chef quality scooper.
One should not underestimate the necessity of such a tool for serious ice cream eaters.
Posted at 6:12 pm | Comment (1)
13th February, 2008
Easy Gourmet Brie Pasta
I put this together last night to go with our tomato soup. I had to find a use for the 8oz. of brie cheese that had been sitting in my fridge since New Years and was going to expire today.
It turned out yummy!
Easy Gourmet Brie Pasta
1lb of bite size pasta (shells, macaroni etc. – I used pennette)
8oz. of brie, rind removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 garlic clove, crushed
3T olive oil
Fresh or dry parsley for color (I used dry and it worked great)
Prepare ingredients.
Cook pasta according to package.
While pasta cooks, place the cut up brie, garlic, olive oil and parsley in a microwavable dish with a lid (I just used a regular bowl with small plate to put on top) and heat in mircrowave for about 45 seconds or until cheese is fairly soft and melty.
Drain pasta and place back in pot.
Dump the melty ingredients into the hot pasta and stir well.
Eat and enjoy!
For more yummy and helpful tips to make life easier, visit Rocks in My Dryer (hosted at Don’t Try This at Home).
Posted at 8:13 am | Comment (1)
29th January, 2008
Best Brownies
I got this recipe from here. They are YUMMY! My kiddos loved em!
The only thing I had to tweak was the frosting. It was very crumbly and dry with the original recipe, so I added some milk. One of the reviewers on allrecipes said they melt the butter instead of use it softened.
This is the recipe how I made it:
Best Brownies
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- About 2-3T. of milk for consistency
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
- In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overcook.
- To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2-3T’s of milk (to desired consistency). Frost brownies while they are still warm.
Enjoy!
Posted at 1:37 pm | Comments (2)
23rd January, 2008
Easy Overnight French Toast
One of my goals last fall was to move from cold cereal virtually every morning and start making more hearty and healthy breakfasts.
Not being the kind of mom who likes to wake up at 6am to whip up some freshly cooked eggs, bacon and whole wheat sprouted green tea infused flaxseed studded bran muffins, I got busy gathering recipes I could prepare the night before and just pop in the oven in the morning.
I’ve found several we like and make regularly, including steel oats in the crock pot (the crock pot is the best kitchen gadget invented, hands down, except for maybe the coffee maker), baked oatmeal, sausage egg casserole, and our favorite, overnight french toast.
Overnight French Toast
1/2 cup butter (Don’t try to use less because it won’t taste the same – trust me)
1 cup brown sugar (Or more if you want)
2 tsp. cinnamon
12 slices of bread (If you have a Trader Joes near you, their Honey Whole Wheat bread is perfect for this – it’s not sprouty or chewy but definately naturally “dry” which works GREAT for french toast! Healthy too! Just remember though, the bread has NO shelf life, speaking from experience, so if you get it, pop it in your freezer for later or in the fridge if you plan to use it within a few days.)
9 eggs
2 cups of milk (Any range of fatness you prefer)
Melt the butter in the microwave or stovetop. Add the brown sugar and stir. Spread evenly in 9×13 dish. Layer the bread on top, breaking pieces to fit the pan when needed. Beat the eggs and milk then pour on top slowly, covering all the top pieces with liquid. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Next morning, preheat the oven for 350*. Remove cover and bake for 40-50 minutes until done.
When done, flip dish over onto another 9×13 or larger dish, or long plate. The sugar and butter caramelize and serve as the topping.
This recipe is so yummy and filling! Enjoy!
For more ideas, check out Rocks in My Dryer.
Posted at 7:26 am | Comments (5)
21st December, 2007
“Sweet” Cinnamon Quick Bread
The girls and I made these up today. The stuffage on top is struesel.
I was going to give them to a few of our neighbors along with the Snowman Soup mix I made up.
That won’t be happening.
Baking Tip #849: Do NOT substitute sour cream mixed with milk when the recipe calls for buttermilk.
My mouth is still trying to relax.
Posted at 3:36 pm | Comment (0)
19th December, 2007
Cookie Bar Bake
This is such an EASY recipe to make – one dish, very little clean up, and so simple and fun for little hands to help with! I recently made it for our church Christmas Fellowship and it was YUMMY!
Cookie Bar Bake
1/3 cup butter
1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup butterscotch chips
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Place the butter in a 9×13 casserole dish and pop it into your 350* oven for a few minutes to melt.
Remove dish and sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top, coating evenly. Use a spoon to pat down if desired.
Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over top.
Sprinkle the semisweet chocolate chips on top.
Then sprinkle the walnuts (if desired).
Finally, sprinkle the butterscotch chips.
Bake in a 350* oven for about 25-30 minutes (until golden brown).
I’ve made another variation of this recipe for years for my hubby, as this is his favorite dessert. Instead of butterscotch chips, I use about ½ cup of flaked coconut and increase the walnuts to ½ cup instead. You can also substitute peanut butter chips for the butterscotch. Goodness, you can really go crazy and sub all kinds of things if you wanted – M&M pieces, pecans, etc!
The one drawback to the cookie bar is that it takes a LONG time to cool and harden. I suggest making it several hours if not just the day before you plan to serve it.
Lastly, spring for the higher quality chocolate if you can! I used the Guitard chips this time when typically I’ve used Nestle or plain brand. BIG difference! Ghiradelli or the Trader Joe’s brands are delicious too!
Enjoy!
And don’t forget to check out more Christmas ideas over at Rocks in My Dryer!
Posted at 7:09 am | Comment (1)
