Snow, anyone?

So.....how we all doin'?

Me: Back to school after spring break. Enjoying some warmer weather. Applied for and accepted to online grad school program.

You: Wondering when I might post again? (You know who you are...) 

Yeah, it's been a while. I think any of you with young kids would appreciate the fact that there have been many nights as of late that once the kids are in bed, I just have zero energy for anything, i.e. writing up blog posts!

That's not say I haven't been working on anything or had anything going on in my brain that is worthy to share. : ) So, I'll work on sharing some of those. I have been thinking lately of a new little "feature" you might enjoy.

We are pretty much knee-deep in spring these days. Which I am LOVING. So ready for it. And we certainly had our share of white stuff this last winter. On one of our last snows, we made some snow dessert.

The kids had a great time running out in PJs and boots to gather some snow and then we made some snow pudding. I chose a pretty easy recipe....just snow, milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. There are some more complicated recipes if you are into it!

The kids loved it. We added chocolate syrup to it, too. Here's a link I used: http://chefmom.sheknows.com/articles/822391/snow-desserts....but you can Google your own if you like!

Tuck that away until next winter....fun for the kids! ; )

Major yard work for my mom on tap for tomorrow. Pictures may follow. 

xox

A better burger

 Now that the grilling season is in full swing, I get excited about all of the things that can be grilled....hamburgers, pork, chicken, kebabs. I love brats! And sometimes, a few grilled hot dogs just hit the spot.


In the last year or so, we've cut down on our red meat consumption. I love hamburgers as much as anyone else, but there were a few factors in our decision. It's not as healthy a meat as others. And to get really good, leanish beef, it gets expensive. My mom and my brother are nervous about pink slime (Google it if you dare). 


So....lately we have been having turkey and salmon burgers (my husband loves the salmon, not this picky eater) when we grill. They make for easy dinners. Then, we found a recipe in the newspaper for bean burgers.

I must say that there are a few foods for which I have become developed an obsession. Black beans! I love them with wild rice and grains. I throw them into a salad....especially taco salad! And now I can make burgers from them. 


They are really easy....three ingredients, including some spices.

They are quick to make.....and the recipe makes six patties. They are also cost-effective.....you need two cans of beans, two eggs, bread crumbs and spices. Good for ya, too.


We don't miss the ground beef at all! Well, almost. : )


Bean Burgers--from USA Today magazine
2 cans (15.5oz) pinto beans or other, drained, liquid reserved
1c dry bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. each, ground pepper and garlic powder
1/4c olive or canola oil


Fork mash 1 can of beans, leave other can whole. Mix beans, bread crumbs, eggs and spices in medium bowl, adding enough reserved bean liquid to hold together without being wet. Divide into 6 equal portions and form patties, 4 in. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook, turning once until a brown crust forms on each side.


Enjoy!

Party Time......

Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Share Day at Just a Girl

Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life

Addicts (not so) Anonymous Addicted to Decorating

Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming

Project Parade at The DIY Showoff

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Tip-Toe Thru Tuesday at Crayon Freckles

Pinspirational Thursday at The Artsy Girl Connection

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Sunday Salvation at Sassafras Salvation

Tuesday Talent Show at Chef n Training
Flaunt Your Flowers  at Tootsie Time
What I Wore/What's Up Wednesday at Rae Gun Ramblings
Sunday Roundup at A Rosie Sweet Home
Overflowing with Creativity at It's Overflowing

Got a frittata?

What up?????


We came through the frost OK. I know you were all as worried as I was! ; ) I got up extra early to spray down my plants. The therm said we were at 34 degrees. That could have caused a freeze....but I did not notice any plant damage. Yee haw! Here's hoping we can get through the next month and a half without doing this many times.


So...I was making dinner the other night and was a bit tired of making the same old stuff.


Tacos? Check.


Egg sandwich? Check. (egg sandwiches do not count as breakfast food to me; I could eat these daily)


Then it occurred to me that I had a bunch of eggs in the fridge. We love breakfast for dinner at our house (see also egg sandwich)....omelets, French toast, bacon. It's a good way to get some protein, especially for the kids.


So, I made a frittata. Which is kind of like a quiche, but a little leaner and it takes less time.


You will need:
6 eggs
1-2T milk
filling--veggies, meat, potato, beans, etc.....whatever you like or have on hand!
1-2T olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder
1/2 c shredded cheese
oven proof skillet (or wrap your skillet handle in aluminum foil)

Set oven to broil. First, you will need to cook your veggies in olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste (you could add some cayenne pepper or Italian seasoning if you like also). If you are using frozen veggies, I would defrost in the  microwave first to cut down on cooking time. Anything fresh will take a little longer and you should cook it to desired tenderness.

I chose broccoli and cauliflower. I also threw in some farro, a rice-like grain.


Beat eggs in a bowl, adding milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour into the pan, making sure it reaches the edges. Cook 5-8 minutes over medium heat, until set at the edges. I jiggle the pan a bit to see if the edges are set and the middle is still a bit soft.

Add your cheese on top and put in the oven to broil. This will finish the cooking in the center and brown over the top of the frittata.

Remove when slightly browned over.

And there you go. Easy and a great way to use up leftover veggies or meat....and totally customizable. : )

Corn and sausage chowder

As spring arrives and warmer weather comes, the time will come to give the crockpot a rest. Not that you have to, I just tend to. And the grill will make its debut, which is so nice! However, putting the crockpot to bed makes me a bit sad....I really love chili. I'm kind of obsessed with it!

So, I thought I'd share one of my favorite crockpot soup recipes. It's also a pretty healthy soup recipe.

Corn and Sausage Chowder

1 lb turkey or pork sausage, casings removed/browned OR tube sausage, cut into 1"    pieces

1 can creamed corn

1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup

2 c frozen carrots or can use fresh

1-2c frozen corn

3c frozen shredded hash browns

salt and pepper to taste

add water to desired consistency

Cook on low 6-8 hours.

I didn't have any hash browns on hand, so I used some frozen diced potatoes I had in the freezer. I also used some frozen sweet corn I had on hand from last summer. Yum!

Enjoy!

Party Time......

Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Share Day at Just a Girl

Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life

Addicts (not so) Anonymous Addicted to Decorating

Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming

Project Parade at The DIY Showoff

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Tip-Toe Thru Tuesday at Crayon Freckles

Pinspirational Thursday at The Artsy Girl Connection

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Sunday Salvation at Sassafras Salvation

Tuesday Talent Show at Chef n Training
Flaunt Your Flowers  at Tootsie Time
What I Wore/What's Up Wednesday at Rae Gun Ramblings
Sunday Roundup at A Rosie Sweet Home

What a ham

You know, sometimes you gotta just toot your own horn. I'm feeling accomplished this week at my attempted culinary feat.


You also must know that although I possess some gifts, cooking and baking is not one of them. I describe myself as a functional cook. I have a few good recipes that I know how to make well and they get the job done, but you'll never find me creating new recipes or looking forward all day to trying out something new in the kitchen. 


Each year, my mom and dad are sent a Honeybaked ham as a holiday gift. It rocks for us, since my mom calls me up and asks me to cut it up and bring her back a slab of the prime pieces. I then proceed to cut up the rest....we use some and freeze some.


And.......every year, I've stuck that d&*$ ham bone in a baggie in the back of the fridge and told myself I'd make some soup. Well, this year I did. Buh-bam.


I started with two bags of beans. They got soaked overnight, 6 cups of water per 16oz of beans. I drained them the next morning. I should preface this by saying that I was not totally convinced this would work.

I put the ham bone in the pot with the soaked beans and 6 more cups of water. I put the pot on low all day.

After 4-5 hours, I added some salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and some Italian seasoning. I also threw in some corn and shredded potatoes that I had on hand in the freezer.

Miraculously, most of the meat fell off the bone. Yum!

It was quite tasty and filling, if I do say so myself.

After a day of doing some of that, it was much appreciated soup! Okay, it wasn't that much snow, but since we haven't had any, we'll take it. Or at least the kids did. : )

Party Time......

Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Share Day at Just a Girl

Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life

Addicts (not so) Anonymous Addicted to Decorating

Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming

Project Parade at The DIY Showoff

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Tip-Toe Thru Tuesday at Crayon Freckles

Sunday Shake-up at Jacque's Soda Parlor

Fabulous Friday at Ohh Baby

Pinspirational Thursday at The Artsy Girl Connection

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Sunday Salvation at Sassafras Salvation

Tuesday Talent Show at Chef n Training
Flaunt Your Flowers  at Tootsie Time
What I Wore/What's Up Wednesday at Rae Gun Ramblings

Christmas Treats, Part 2--Caramels

The other treat I make annually? Caramels. I have a voracious sweet tooth (or a sweet molar....) and caramels are right up there. I found this recipe in the paper several years ago and decided to give it a try. I must say, my first attempt was less than stellar. Let's just say it would have made a lovely caramel.....sauce.


To start, a buttered 8x8 pan.

Here's what I started with....cream, two kinds of sugar and a bit of salt.

Although this recipe is labor-intensive, I love that it fits into one of my favorite cooking categories--five ingredients or fewer!

You will need a candy thermometer....

The mixture will be heated three times to a certain degree. Basically, caramels are just burned sugar. : )

After it has been cooked up, you stir in vanilla and pour it into the pan.

Typically, I let them cool overnight before I cut them.

Cut into 1in pieces and wrap in waxed paper.

The recipe is a bit long with the boiling instructions! : ) If you would like it, let me know by comment or email and I will send it to you!

Christmas Treats, Part 1

Last weekend, we began our Christmas treat blitz. We usually do it on a weekend, one of the last before school lets out. I like to tuck some treats in with the teacher gifts for my kids' teachers!


We started out with Christmas cookies.  Now, these are not the Christmas cut-out cookies that you traditionally see. Although more fun, I find the cut out process to be a bit time-consuming for us.....and I don't own a rolling pin. : ) Maybe we'll evolve someday. We do sugar cookies  and decorate those.

A kid-friendly part of this recipe is the "squashing" of the cookies with a glass dipped in sugar.

I use a cream cheese icing for these cookies....I got the recipe from my sister. It's easy to make and to color.

And....here are my son's decorated cookies. I'm especially lovin' the ones with the sugar decorations. I let him pick out something at the store for decorating....sprinkles or whatever.

These would be my two year-old's cookies....we did the icing for her and let her do the sprinkles. The heavy saturation look to some of hers gives me a chuckle!!

The other treat we took on that day as we waited for cookies to cool off was peppermint bark. It is a super easy recipe and my kids love to help.......with the peppermint crushing. You put all of the mints in a big baggie....

And you let them go to town. Crush away!

Mix in with melted white chocolate, peppermint extract and rice krispie cereal and peppermint bark you shall have! I also added some melted milk chocolate to the top.

Sugar Cookies
1c powdered sugar
1c butter
1c sugar
1c vegetable oil
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
4c+4T flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cream of tartar


Mix all ingredients. Roll dough into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press cookies down with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.


Cream Cheese Frosting
16oz powdered sugar
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/2c butter (1 stick)


Soften butter and cream cheese, beat well. Add powdered sugar. Can be colored, refrigerated or frozen.


Easy Peppermint Bark
8oz peppermint candies, crushed (about 2c crushed)
4c white chocolate chips
3/4tsp peppermint extract
2c puffed rice cereal or a bit more to taste


Spray rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray. Crush candies. Melt in microwave, heating one minute at a time (be careful, chocolate can burn easily), stir in between until melted. Stir in candies and rice cereal. Immediately pour mixture right away onto baking sheet. Use spatula and spread to 1/4in. thickness. Chill until firm. Break into pieces. Store at room temperature in airtight container or in fridge or freezer. Can drizzle good quality dark chocolate on top in zigzag pattern. Chill again before breaking into pieces.

Party Time......

Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Share Day at Just a Girl

Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life

Addicts (not so) Anonymous Addicted to Decorating

Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming

Project Parade at The DIY Showoff

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime

Tip-Toe Thru Tuesday at Crayon Freckles

Sunday Shake-up at Jacque's Soda Parlor

Fabulous Friday at Ohh Baby

Pinspirational Thursday at The Artsy Girl Connection

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Sunday Salvation at Sassafras Salvation

Tuesday Talent Show at Chef n Training
Flaunt Your Flowers  at Tootsie Time

Going bananas for pancakes

I would have to say that I am pretty much a utilitarian cook....I don't mind cooking and I enjoy making tasty dinners and dishes. But....I am not a person who tries new recipes constantly or likes to experiment in the kitchen. ; )

I do like to make pancakes for the kids on weekends. I make them from scratch, since I don't keep pancake mix on hand. The recipe is not that hard and you can customize it! 

We usually add white chocolate chips to pancakes...but last weekend, we added banana, since I had an old, ripe banana that needed to be used up. Usually for me, a good excuse to make banana bread, but I decided to go with banana pancakes. I'll list the recipe below....plus, I have some tips I've learned that make pancake time go much more smoothly!

First, I mix up the ingredients. No need to use a mixer--a few lumps are fine.

Okay, not the ripest banana ever, but still needed to be eaten! I mashed it up and added it to the batter.

Here is one of the tips I've picked up.....to keep the pancakes from sticking, use a paper towel with some oil (olive or other) soaked into it. Wipe it onto the heated skillet or griddle between each round.

Look for bubbles to flip.

You can also put the oven on warm and keep the cooked pancakes on a plate in there if you would like to serve all of the pancakes at the same time.

Pancakes are also a great excuse for sprinkes....my kids like sprinkles on top. I think it's because the box of frozen mini pancakes they like has sprinkes on the pancakes. What isn't better with sprinkles?

You can try different fruits or different chocolates in your pancakes.....

Pancakes from Scratch

1 egg

1c milk

1c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1T sugar

Mix all ingredients. Can use whole wheat flour if you prefer.

Enjoy some pancakes on a chilly morning!

Easy caramel corn

One of my holiday specialties is making homemade caramels. What's not to love about caramel? It could be one of the best flavors ever in my book. I learned how to make them by a few trial-and-error batches from a recipe I got in the newspaper.
More on that once the holidays arrive....it won't be long! As one of my gardening newsletters recently pointed out, only 88 days until January 1. Eeek!

So, I was overjoyed to find an easy recipe for homemade caramel corn in one of my magazines. With the hands-on time at 20 minutes and the whole recipe taking one hour, it looked good to me.

Easy Caramel Corn

Nonstick cooking spray
3T canola or vegetable oil
1/4c popcorn kernels
6T unsalted butter, cut into piece
1/3c packed light brown sugar
3T light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and cook, shaking the saucepan constantly once the kernels begin to pop, until there is a 2-3 second interval between pops, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles and lightens in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt. Pour over the cooked popcorn and with rubber spatula, toss to coat.

Spread popcorn mixture on the prepared baking sheet and bake, tossing once, until deep amber, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, toss and let cool on baking sheet. (The popcorn will crisp as it cools)

Makes 6 cups. Will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Enjoy!

Brownies from scratch

I made some brownies last weekend for my husband's birthday. We have two birthdays within two days of each other--husband and our son--so, it makes September a little busy!

This is a favorite recipe in our family. My mom got it a long time ago from a neighbor....I love it because it's easy and it uses just one pot and a pan. Quick clean-up! Plus...I like easy from-scratch recipes. Baking from scratch is not all that hard and I think of it as a bit of a lost art.
First, melt the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla...then eggs.

 Then you add the dry ingredients.

Mix it up, baby!

 In the meantime, the pan has to be buttered.

Because the mixture is warm, the chocolate chips melt fairly quickly when added.

 Pour into the pan....and bake.

Our Favorite Brownies
3/4c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2c butter
1c brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 6oz package chocolate chips

Melt butter and brown sugar in large saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat in eggs and add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips. They should melt quite a bit, as the mixture is warm. Pour into buttered 8x8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Frost when cool.

Although I skipped the frosting so we could make brownie sundaes--vanilla ice cream with choice of strawberries and chocolate sauce or ice cream with caramel sauce--the frosting for these brownies are TDF.

Frosting
1/3c soft butter
1/2c brown sugar
1T cream
1/4c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

And....if the brown sugar-y frosting isn't your taste, try a cream cheese frosting....can you tell I have a frosting problem?

Leah's Cream Cheese Frosting
16oz powdered sugar
1 8oz block of cream cheese
1 stick butter

Yum....and enjoy!

May link to these parties....
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Show and Share Day at Just a Girl
Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life
Addicts (not so) Anonymous Addicted to Decorating
Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming
Project Parade at The DIY Showoff
Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Tip-Toe Thru Tuesday at Crayon Freckles
Sunday Shake-up at Jacque's Soda Parlor

Easy marinade

I thought I'd share a marinade that we've been using a lot this summer! I can't remember where I found it--probably somewhere on the internet. It's really easy and very tasty!

You will need:
1/4c soy sauce
3T balsamic vinegar
1/4c olive oil
1/3c honey (or can sub sugar)
1 clove garlic, minced (or sub 1/8 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix and use for pork, chicken or beef.

We started with boneless chicken thighs. I love the Manager's Special section of the meat department.

You can see here that I subbed in garlic powder. I don't typically have fresh garlic cloves on hand! I've also been known to substitute sugar for honey if I'm out of a bottle of honey (substitution noted above).

Ingredients before mixing...

And mixed...

Here come the chicken thighs.

Refrigerate for a while...either all day or overnight. As an infamous person once said, "Who marinates the day of?" Um....me. I have two kids and can't think further ahead than five minutes sometimes. : ) I stick it in the fridge and give it a shake every now and then.

And voila! We baked ours in the oven, about 15-20 minutes at 350. I really wanted grilled chicken, but there was a downpour when we were making it. : ( At least it's good baked, too, for when it's cold out!

Enjoy!

Linking to these parties...
{wow me} wednesday at Ginger Snap Crafts
Show and Share at Southern Lovely
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Simply Creations Link Party at Simple Home Life
Addicts (Not So) Anonymous at Addicted2Decorating
Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime