Playing House

The past few days I've had the most fun puttering around playing house. I baked cake-like brownies that turned out light, fluffy, and oh-so-good. I also tried making garlic-parmesan bread sticks. Though they didn't rise as much as I would have liked they were still delicious. I may bake another batch today and tinker with the recipe to see if I can get it right. If it doesn't turn out, I'll try this Quick & Easy Garlic Bread Sticks recipe.

A change in perspective and attitude really does make a world of difference in how I view my work. And I really believe that making my home a cozy, comforting haven should (and can!) be a joy instead of a drudgery.

I love using my creativity in the kitchen to come up with new meals and goodies for my family, knowing they were made from scratch with my two hands. I love celebrating birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and the magic of the seasons, and decorating as such. I love having time to learn new things along with my children, to explore, to craft, to rest, to nap, and to simply be.

It's a wonderful life.

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag (24oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla & eggs on medium speed or with spoon until light & fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda & salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoons or #40 cookie/ice cream scoop 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

About 6 dozen cookies.

Cheesy Potato Soup

3 cups peeled, diced potatoes
2 cups water
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp. minced onion
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 cups milk
1 cup Velveeta, cubed

Put water in pot. Add potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, parsley; cook until tender. Add the milk & cheese. Turn the heat to low & simmer until cheese is well melted. Add salt & pepper to taste.
***
I made this for dinner last night. I didn't have celery or parsley & I substituted minced onion for diced onion and added a good bit of mozzarella, but it still turned out delicious. It would have been perfect if I had made cornbread to go along with it. I'll know to do it next time. I'm thinking that adding broccoli florets would be nice, too.

After dinner there was still a good bit of cheesy broth left so I peeled and diced more potatoes and cooked them until they were tender and added it to the pot. The broth was too good to just toss out and it made plenty to send with Alfred to work and for us to have it again today for lunch.

This is just an example of how I have been creative with our meals lately. Use what you have and don't be afraid to make substitutions as needed.

Homemade Pizza

(My first pizza dough made from scratch)

Ingredients for Pizza Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup warm water

Directions:
Combine flour, salt, sugar & yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil & warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes on Baker's Secret pizza pan.

I added an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce....

Then topped it with Mozzerella cheese and pepperoni. I baked my pizza for 20 minutes.

Wa-laaa!

The pizza was delicious and didn't take long to make. Plus it was more filling than frozen or fast food pizza. My next venture will be making a stuffed crust pizza!

Mountain Hideaway

Whenever pulling into the driveway, I like to pretend I'm going home to a little cabin deep in the woods, amongst the pine trees and the home of all creatures great and small. You see, our property backs up to a creek and on the other side there is a hill covered with pine trees. It reminds me of a mountain top and so I pretend it to be so.

I imagine myself out in the garden gathering vegetables and herbs, and fresh flowers for the table that is beautifully set, lit with an oil lantern. There is a pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove and a loaf of crusty bread ready to come out of the oven. The tea kettle whistles cheerily until I take it off the burner to pour myself a cuppa.

***

I stocked up on baking supplies today because I want to spend more of my time cooking and baking from scratch. It is healthier and easier on the budget than buying pre-packaged foods, and it is important to me to stretch my husband's income as far as I can. He works so hard to provide for our family and I should be working equally as hard here at home.

I made my own homemade cocoa mix and I will share the recipe with you.

4 cups instant non-fat dry milk powder
1.5-2 cups sugar
1 cup non-dairy creamer
2/3 cup cocoa
1 pkg. chocolate OR vanilla instant pudding mix

Add 1/3 cup of the cocoa mix to a mug, fill with boiling water.

It is so fulfilling to make your own groceries out of simple ingredients! When Alfred & I married 16 years ago, I had no idea of all the things you could make from scratch. Really! And it's only been in the last 2 years or so that I really had the courage to attempt making things myself from scratch. I can tell you that when you make your own, it is more filling than the store-bought stuff and it tastes better, too!

Fudge Cookies

Mix together:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Then add:
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix well; chill for 1 hour.

Use teaspoon for cookie dough; roll into a ball and drop in sugar. Make a criss-cross pattern with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note: Use a tablespoon if you want bigger cookies.

My To-Do List and a Recipe

There will be no painting done today. Instead I will focus on cleaning the kitchen, master bedroom and bath, straighten up the pantry, and do laundry. I also will plan my menu for the week and write out a shopping list. And I want to make an icebox cake.

Icebox Cake
Prepare and bake chocolate cake mix according to directions and let cool.
Prepare chocolate instant pudding; pour over top of cake.
Cover and store in fridge.

Makes a refreshing dessert on hot, steamy days.

Quick and Easy Dinner Rolls

1 pkg. yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup oil
3 cups flour, sifted

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add egg, sugar, salt, oil. Add half the flour & beat until smooth. Add rest of flour and beat again until smooth. Fill greased muffin pans half full & let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.


Note: I have made these dinner rolls twice and my family loves them! The recipe makes 12 rolls and after I mix it up and put the batter in the muffin pan I let it sit for 2-3 hours before I bake them. Happy Baking!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Recipe

2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Place the butter and brown sugar in a frying pan and melt until it boils or bubbles. A cast iron pan works well because it's heavy and will be less likely to scorch.

1 can pineapple slices
maraschino cherries (enough to fill centers of pineapples)

Place pineapples in the butter and sugar mixture. Put cherries in the center of the pineapple. Cut the slices of pineapple into halves and line the sides of the frying pan with them (standing up on edge).

Prepare a box of yellow cake mix following the directions on the box to mix the batter (do not bake in a separate pan; follow instructions below).

Pour the batter over the pineapple and cherries.

Bake at 350°F degrees. When the cake is done, loosen the edges with a butter knife. Remove from heat and allow to sit five minutes, then turn it upside down on a serving dish.

Optional: Instead of using a cake mix, you can prepare the batter from scratch using the recipe below, or any recipe for yellow cake.

Scratch Cake:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk

Combine ingredients and beat 1 minute. Pour batter over pineapples and cherries (same as above). Bake at 350°F and follow same steps as above.
***
Alfred loved it! The girls did, too, though they picked off the pineapple & cherries. :)

Recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. Quaker oats
2 c. chocolate chips

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla together. Add eggs, beat. Add flour, soda, salt. Beat, stir in oats and chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fudge Cookies Recipe

photo source: Flickr


1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Mix well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then add:
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mix well; then chill dough for 1 hour.
Use teaspoon to scoop dough; roll into balls and dip into sugar.
Do criss-cross pattern with fork.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Autumn Meals and a Cookie Recipe

There's nothing like having a pot of chili simmering on the stove on a chilly evening. It will be served over cornbread or with crackers. You can also serve it over rice and top it with cheese. It makes for a very inexpensive, yet filling meal.

The next time I do the grocery shopping I must pick up cocoa and marshmallows to make hot chocolate. Since I'm not a coffee drinker, hot chocolate will be a nice substitute on cold autumn and winter mornings.

I made a batch of peanut butter cookies, as I had planned. I doubled the recipe. I chose to use an easy recipe...all you need is 1 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg (recipe not doubled). Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. I like to roll mine in sugar and flatten with a fork to get the "plaid" design. They turned out to be delicious!

Happy Baking!

Easy Dessert Recipe

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

10 oz. angel food cake

5 oz. box of instant chocolate pudding

8 oz. container of Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Crumble the angel food cake into a 9x13" baking dish; preferably glass.

2. Prepare the pudding & immediately pour over the cake.

3. Spread the Cool Whip over the top, being careful not to mix with the pudding.

4. Chill for at least an hour before serving

Enjoy!

Saturday Plans & a Recipe

Our Saturday will be filled with activities. I just put a roast on to cook in the crockpot for tonight's dinner. It will be served on toasted onion buns. We're going for a drive to look at a few pieces of property. Then, this afternoon we are taking Kendall shopping for clothes. And finally, we'll be going to a classic car show at one of the local malls....free entertainment for the family. :)

Here is how I cook my roast. Put the roast into the crockpot. Add a packet of dry onion soup mix, a couple cans of cream of mushroom soup, and water. Cook on high for 3 hours, then turn it down to low for 3-4 hours. Easy and delicious!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Easy Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. ground beef

* 1/2 onion, chopped

* 1 (10 oz) can Rotel Tomatoes & Green Chilies

*1 (15 oz.) can chili with beans

* 1 (14oz.) can stewed tomatoes, chopped

* 1 (10 oz.) pkg. cheddar cheese, grated

* tortilla chips, crushed

Instructions:

1. Brown ground beef & onion in skillet; drain excess fat.

2. Add Rotel tomatoes & green chilies and stewed tomatoes to skillet & heat through.

3. Line bottom of baking dish with crushed tortilla chips.

4. Spread the skillet mixture over the chips and top with grated cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts

6. Garnish with diced onions & sour cream and/or guacamole.

Enjoy!

Refreshing Drink Recipe

Recipe for Cucumber Water

1 gallon cold water

2-3 slices fresh lemon

2-3 slices cucumbers

Place all the ingredients into a pitcher and serve!

For a stronger taste, let the water sit in your refrigerator for an hour prior to serving.

Easy Fudge

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz.)

1 square unsweetened chocolate (1 oz.)

1 tsp. vanilla

1.5 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Butter a square pan (8x8x2). Heat condensed milk, chocolate chips & chocolate over low heat - stirring constantly - until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla & nuts. Spread in pan & refrigerate until firm. Cut and wrap in 1 inch square pieces.

Banana Bread Recipe

3 large bananas, well mashed

1 egg

1 stick of butter, melted

1.5 cup of flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl; put into a well greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

LIBBY'S® Famous Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

MIX sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

More recipes can be found at: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/

Fudge Brownies

I baked these brownies last night using a recipe from Hillbilly Housewife. My family thought these were the best ever. Enjoy!

Fudge Brownies

1 cup melted margarine (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 medium eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cups flour
First off, don't be tempted to put baking powder or baking soda into this recipe, thinking I have forgotten to list it above. This recipe does not call for any leavening other than the eggs. This is the secret that makes them chewy and fudgey. There is another recipe for Cake Brownies which does call for baking powder, if that's really what you want.
So, first melt your margarine (I do it in the microwave). Next get out a large bowl and combine the margarine and sugar with a spoon or whisk. Add all four eggs, and beat the mixture until it is sort of fluffy and emulsified. Add the salt, cocoa, and vanilla. Stir up really well. Add the flour. Stir again until the mixture is thick and chocolatey. Turn the batter into a well oiled 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before serving. Cut into 32 small squares.