Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
2.02.2012
Rice Crispy Valentines
11.21.2011
Pumpkin Streusel Pie
Well I am gearing up to make pies for Thanksgiving this year. Over the weekend I practiced making a new crust and a new Pumpkin pie recipe. First, you must start with the crust. This is a delicious, no-trans-fat recipe that will melt in your mouth. I got the crust recipe from a friend at work--thanks Ruth. The pumpkin streusel I found at this website.
Crust:
2 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup OLIVE OIL (regular, not light tasting or extra virgin)
4-5 TB ice cold water
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir to incorporate. Then add your oil and 4 TB water. Mix to incorporate. Try not to overmix or it will make your dough dry and less flaky once cooked. If your dough looks dry, add UP TO 1 TB more water. Once everything is mixed in, cut ball of dough in half. Roll out one half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, flip crust into pie pan. If you need a pre-baked crust (such as for a cream pie), bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Pumpkin Streusel Pie
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin, or 2 cups puree
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt; blend well.
Pecan Streusel Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup firm butter (I thought this was too much, my mixture never got crumbly so I would suggest starting with 1/3 c butter)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped
1/2 cup coconut (sweetened flaked shredded)
Streusel topping: Combine brown and white sugars, vanilla, and flour; cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped pecans, macadamia nuts, and coconut. Set aside. (I used chopped walnuts and almonds and it was still yummy).
Pour pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a rack in the middle of your oven and one a step or two higher. You want the pie to fit on either rack because you are going to move it to the top rack at the end of baking.
Bake for 15 minutes on middle rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake for 25 minutes longer.
Next sprinkle streusel topping over pie. Move to higher rack and continue baking at 350° for about 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until golden brown and the filling is set.
I had several people who are not Pumpkin pie lovers tell me this pie was not too pumpkiny. They really enjoyed it. Delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Crust:
2 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup OLIVE OIL (regular, not light tasting or extra virgin)
4-5 TB ice cold water
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir to incorporate. Then add your oil and 4 TB water. Mix to incorporate. Try not to overmix or it will make your dough dry and less flaky once cooked. If your dough looks dry, add UP TO 1 TB more water. Once everything is mixed in, cut ball of dough in half. Roll out one half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, flip crust into pie pan. If you need a pre-baked crust (such as for a cream pie), bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Pumpkin Streusel Pie
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin, or 2 cups puree
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt; blend well.
Pecan Streusel Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup firm butter (I thought this was too much, my mixture never got crumbly so I would suggest starting with 1/3 c butter)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped
1/2 cup coconut (sweetened flaked shredded)
Streusel topping: Combine brown and white sugars, vanilla, and flour; cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped pecans, macadamia nuts, and coconut. Set aside. (I used chopped walnuts and almonds and it was still yummy).
Pour pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a rack in the middle of your oven and one a step or two higher. You want the pie to fit on either rack because you are going to move it to the top rack at the end of baking.
Bake for 15 minutes on middle rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake for 25 minutes longer.
Next sprinkle streusel topping over pie. Move to higher rack and continue baking at 350° for about 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until golden brown and the filling is set.
I had several people who are not Pumpkin pie lovers tell me this pie was not too pumpkiny. They really enjoyed it. Delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!
9.09.2011
Grilled Pizza
Summer is starting to fade and I am trying to get outdoor meals completely out of my system before it does! I have seen grilled pizzas on several food websites and decided to try it myself. It is now my new favorite thing to make. It takes far less time than oven baked pizza and tastes sooo yummy. You have to try it ASAP.
First get all your ingredients ready to go. You will need quick access to them because you have to work fast when getting them on the pizza. You need to have your meats cooked and ready to go. My favorite dough recipe is from Pioneer Woman... find that HERE.
I prefer to make mini pizzas rather than one large one, it's harder to flip a giant one.
Get them all ready to go and generously spread oil onto one side of each one.
Throw them on. Close the cover. Your grill needs to be at medium to medium high. Let them sit for about 5 minutes. Check them. If they are starting to bubble up and are sufficiently brown on bottom, spread some oil on the top and flip them over.
Now you have to work fast to get all the ingredients on. I just throw stuff... it makes for a great surprise when I'm eating. :) Close the grill cover when you have all your ingredients assembled.
Let them cook for another 3-5 minutes until browned on bottom. Pull them off and enjoy! Seriously so yummy, fast, and easy. I'm making this tomorrow! Just looking at the picture is making me hungry. I apologize for my crazy instructions... that's how I cook. If you want more detailed ones, go HERE to Our Best Bites. They have good instructions for grilling pizza as well.
Stay tuned because next week I am posting my all time favorite pizza recipe!
First get all your ingredients ready to go. You will need quick access to them because you have to work fast when getting them on the pizza. You need to have your meats cooked and ready to go. My favorite dough recipe is from Pioneer Woman... find that HERE.
I prefer to make mini pizzas rather than one large one, it's harder to flip a giant one.
Get them all ready to go and generously spread oil onto one side of each one.
Throw them on. Close the cover. Your grill needs to be at medium to medium high. Let them sit for about 5 minutes. Check them. If they are starting to bubble up and are sufficiently brown on bottom, spread some oil on the top and flip them over.
Now you have to work fast to get all the ingredients on. I just throw stuff... it makes for a great surprise when I'm eating. :) Close the grill cover when you have all your ingredients assembled.
Let them cook for another 3-5 minutes until browned on bottom. Pull them off and enjoy! Seriously so yummy, fast, and easy. I'm making this tomorrow! Just looking at the picture is making me hungry. I apologize for my crazy instructions... that's how I cook. If you want more detailed ones, go HERE to Our Best Bites. They have good instructions for grilling pizza as well.
Stay tuned because next week I am posting my all time favorite pizza recipe!
6.30.2011
Bowtie Brocolli Pasta
One of my favorite dishes of ALL time, no joke, is this pasta. I found the original recipe at Favorite Family Recipes and their version, which is actually Bowtie Asparagus Pasta, is a little bit different but equally good. I decided to make my own version of this recipe for several reasons.
1: It was incredibly fattening! An entire cube of butter and cream... yowza. I could only eat a little, which was basically impossible. So I would eat a ton and get sick. No fun. My husband thinks it tastes better with the extra calories but I like it both ways.
2: Asparagus is expensive in the grocery store. It was $3.99 a pound at one point in my grocery store. If you have asparagus, I would recommend trying both versions of this recipe because they are both amazing. Also- pine nuts don't come cheap either so I omitted those.
Bowtie Brocolli Pasta
Adapted from Fav. Family Recipes
1lb. bow tie pasta
1/2 CUBE butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or I use a few shakes of garlic powder
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup corn starch
2 cups milk or half & half
salt & pepper, to taste
1lb. broccoli, or however much you like
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Boil pasta until al-dente. Boil broccoli in separate pan until crisp tender. Melt butter in a large skillet, add the garlic and saute. Add Parmesan Cheese, bouillon, and 1/4 cup cornstarch. When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in milk and salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched broccoli. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve immediately. Enjoy! Everyone I have ever served this to loves it so I implore you to try it TODAY!
4.25.2011
Egg Rolls
I found the recipe here
This recipe will make 50-100 small egg rolls or the rolls I made were pretty big so it only made about 35.
1-2 packages spring roll skins
2 packages vermicelli (or Muong Bean Thread noodles) noodles (6 ounces total)
2-3 pounds meat (I used 2 rolls sausage, cooked)
1 head of cabbage, shredded finely (or use 1 10-ounce package of pre-cut cabbage)
4 whole eggs
3 egg whites (save the egg yolks for sealing the egg rolls)
1/2 pound carrots, shredded finely (or use the 10-ounce bag of shredded matchstick carrots)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Put the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl and pour hot water over noodles and let soak for 15-20 minutes (if using boiling water, soak for 10 minutes) If it soaks too long the noodles will be mushy. Once soaked, drain very well and chop noodles up a bit into 2-3 inch pieces (not too short).
Mix all the above ingredients (cooked noodles, cooked meat, cooked cabbage, whole eggs, egg whites, carrots and onion) in a large bowl. Hand mixing works best. Then add:
1/2 tablespoons salt
¼ cup oyster sauce
4-5 tablespoons black soy sauce (I have trouble finding this so I just use normal soy sauce)
1 tablespoon black pepper
Mix together.
Pull apart spring roll pastry wraps. These were the ones that I found at Macey's in the Asian food isle toward the floor.
The spring roll skins work best when soaked (for 5 seconds) in water. I used a plate with water in it and rubbed the water around the edges. It is most important that the edges are wet so they don’t crack when you roll them up.
Fill each wrap with 3-4 TB of egg mixture (for medium sized rolls).
Heat canola or vegetable oil (I always use canola oil) 1/3 full in pot. I would suggest using a Fry Daddy. Heat the oil to about 375 degrees. Fry egg rolls until golden brown and cooked through. Constantly turn the egg rolls so they don’t overcook on one side. Drain on crumpled paper towels and enjoy.
I did try to bake some so they weren’t so greasy. I found it worked best when I brushed each with oil and bake at 415 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Flip over halfway through the cooking time. Make sure the rolls aren’t touching or they will stick together.
These were a really big hit with my family and friends. They did require quite a bit of time, but I had my husbands' help that made the work fun and the time go by quicker.
3.10.2011
Using Yeast
I have never had much luck when it comes to using yeast. That is until I sat down and read all I could about yeast to figure it out. I am still an amateur at best but I thought I would share my tips and tricks to inspire any of you out there that are also afraid of yeast.
I found this little bit of random info about yeast interesting..."Yeast... is used in baking as a leavening agent, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in dough into the gas carbon dioxide. This causes the dough to expand or rise as gas forms pockets or bubbles. When the dough is baked, the yeast dies and the air pockets "set", giving the baked product a soft and spongy texture. The use of potatoes, water from potato boiling, eggs, or sugar in a bread dough accelerates the growth of yeasts." -Wikipedia
Mel's Kitchen Cafe has an awesome tutorial on baking with yeast and it helped me sooo much! Go HERE to see that. I highly recommend it. I also found good tips at The Reluctant Gourmet.
Some of the tips I have learned and found most useful from these places and from my own practice are the following...
1) Instant yeast is a good option for beginners. I love not having to wait for my active dry yeast to proof before adding it.
2) Get your water at the right temperature. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it's too cold, the yeast won't work. My rule is to test using my wrist... I like it to be warmer than bath water but not hot enough to burn.
3) The amount of flour used in a recipe is just a basic guideline. I always thought you should follow the recipe exactly but when it comes to bread, it's important to not over flour your dough.
4) Good supplies for bread making... If you plan on making bread a lot, a mixer is a lifesaver! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Bosch. I never knew just how wonderful it really was until I made bread. I also think that having silpat liners are wonderful.
5) Kneading the dough is very important. It takes a lot of kneading to develop the gluten. That's why the bosch is so handy! Kneading by hand can be quite therapeutic though.
6) The main ingredients for bread are... Water, yeast, flour, salt. Many recipes call for extras like eggs, milk, and vital wheat gluten. Want to know what happens to your bread when you add these? Go HERE to find out!
7) Let your bread rise in a warm place. Ben used to warm up our oven on the lowest temperature and stick it in there... it was way too hot and started cooking the bread. I put mine in a sunny place in my house with no drafts.
8) I make a batch of bread that is usually 4-6 loaves and then place the rest in plastic bread bags and freeze.
Since learning to use yeast, I have made the following: Lion House Rolls (my favorite!), bagels, bread bowls, another roll recipe, three different recipes for whole wheat bread, breadsticks, and pita wrap bread. Can you tell how much I love Mel's Kitchen Cafe? :) I loved all these recipes and have decided to try making all of our families bread items from now on. No more expensive old bread at the grocery store for us! Yay! Baking bread has become one of my favorite new hobbies. I hope these tips and tricks helped inspire you to try it out as well. Happy Baking!
I found this little bit of random info about yeast interesting..."Yeast... is used in baking as a leavening agent, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in dough into the gas carbon dioxide. This causes the dough to expand or rise as gas forms pockets or bubbles. When the dough is baked, the yeast dies and the air pockets "set", giving the baked product a soft and spongy texture. The use of potatoes, water from potato boiling, eggs, or sugar in a bread dough accelerates the growth of yeasts." -WikipediaMel's Kitchen Cafe has an awesome tutorial on baking with yeast and it helped me sooo much! Go HERE to see that. I highly recommend it. I also found good tips at The Reluctant Gourmet.
Some of the tips I have learned and found most useful from these places and from my own practice are the following...
1) Instant yeast is a good option for beginners. I love not having to wait for my active dry yeast to proof before adding it.
2) Get your water at the right temperature. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it's too cold, the yeast won't work. My rule is to test using my wrist... I like it to be warmer than bath water but not hot enough to burn.
3) The amount of flour used in a recipe is just a basic guideline. I always thought you should follow the recipe exactly but when it comes to bread, it's important to not over flour your dough.
4) Good supplies for bread making... If you plan on making bread a lot, a mixer is a lifesaver! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Bosch. I never knew just how wonderful it really was until I made bread. I also think that having silpat liners are wonderful.
5) Kneading the dough is very important. It takes a lot of kneading to develop the gluten. That's why the bosch is so handy! Kneading by hand can be quite therapeutic though.
6) The main ingredients for bread are... Water, yeast, flour, salt. Many recipes call for extras like eggs, milk, and vital wheat gluten. Want to know what happens to your bread when you add these? Go HERE to find out!
7) Let your bread rise in a warm place. Ben used to warm up our oven on the lowest temperature and stick it in there... it was way too hot and started cooking the bread. I put mine in a sunny place in my house with no drafts.
8) I make a batch of bread that is usually 4-6 loaves and then place the rest in plastic bread bags and freeze.
Since learning to use yeast, I have made the following: Lion House Rolls (my favorite!), bagels, bread bowls, another roll recipe, three different recipes for whole wheat bread, breadsticks, and pita wrap bread. Can you tell how much I love Mel's Kitchen Cafe? :) I loved all these recipes and have decided to try making all of our families bread items from now on. No more expensive old bread at the grocery store for us! Yay! Baking bread has become one of my favorite new hobbies. I hope these tips and tricks helped inspire you to try it out as well. Happy Baking!
3.04.2011
Grilled Caesar Chicken Salad
Last month sometime, I was able to get French's Honey Dijon mustard for 49 cents (regular price $1.49). I am not a fan of mustard, but I use it occasionally in recipes and sometimes sandwiches. Anyways, this recipe was actually on the bottle of mustard.
Orginal Recipe from the Honey Dijon Mustard Bottle:
2/3 Cup Caesar Dressing
2/3 Cup French's HOney Dijon Mustard
4 Medium Boneless Chicken Breasts
Tossed Salad
Mix Dressing and mustard. Pour 2/3 cup sauce over chicken. MARINATE chicken in refridgerator for 30 min. Grill or broil chicken 10- 15 min. until donw. Cut into strips. Drizzle remaing sauce over chicken and tossed salad.
I thought why not I will try it, but I will change it a little, for one it is still snowy at our house and I don't want to be running in and out to check the grill and my kids aren't really that excited about eating salad. So, for our dinner I did this:
1/3 Cup Caesar Dressing (I got salad dresssing for 49 cents too)
1/3 Cup Honey Dijon Mustard
4 Chicken Breasts
Slices of Medium Cheddar CHeese
Mix Sauce. Pour over Chicken. Pre heat oven to 350. Marinate in the fridge for 30 min. (or so) Spray or line a 9x13 baking dish. Place chicken into baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken. Layer slices of cheese over each chicken breast. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. I also use a meat thermometer to check doneness... I believe for chicken it needs to be over 173 degrees, I usually like 180 ish to be safe. Towards the end of cooking I turned on the broiler so that the cheese got all bubbly.
I served this with rice and a veggie. My family loves it, even my kids.
Orginal Recipe from the Honey Dijon Mustard Bottle:
2/3 Cup Caesar Dressing
2/3 Cup French's HOney Dijon Mustard
4 Medium Boneless Chicken Breasts
Tossed Salad
Mix Dressing and mustard. Pour 2/3 cup sauce over chicken. MARINATE chicken in refridgerator for 30 min. Grill or broil chicken 10- 15 min. until donw. Cut into strips. Drizzle remaing sauce over chicken and tossed salad.
I thought why not I will try it, but I will change it a little, for one it is still snowy at our house and I don't want to be running in and out to check the grill and my kids aren't really that excited about eating salad. So, for our dinner I did this:
1/3 Cup Caesar Dressing (I got salad dresssing for 49 cents too)
1/3 Cup Honey Dijon Mustard
4 Chicken Breasts
Slices of Medium Cheddar CHeese
Mix Sauce. Pour over Chicken. Pre heat oven to 350. Marinate in the fridge for 30 min. (or so) Spray or line a 9x13 baking dish. Place chicken into baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken. Layer slices of cheese over each chicken breast. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. I also use a meat thermometer to check doneness... I believe for chicken it needs to be over 173 degrees, I usually like 180 ish to be safe. Towards the end of cooking I turned on the broiler so that the cheese got all bubbly.
I served this with rice and a veggie. My family loves it, even my kids.
2.28.2011
Homemade Samoas
Oh my goodness I love samoas! I wish they sold them in stores because I have never been lucky enough to cross paths with an actual girl scout... I know, it's weird. :) My mom used to buy these when I was a teen and my self-control pretty much went out the window whenever they were in the house. They are really that good. Anyway... I found this recipe for them at a cute little food blog called A Bicycle Built For Two. That recipe HERE... Her cookies are much better looking than mine. In fact, mine don't even look much like real samoas... but I promise they tasted good.
Start with the cookie recipe... (Makes about 12-15 cookies)
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and roll out like sugar cookies. Use a small cookie cutter (I recommend something 2 inches or smaller because these are rich cookies) and cut out dough. Using a pencil eraser or your finger, make a smaller circle in the middle. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes on a greased baking sheet.
Now for the topping...
3 cups shredded coconut
12 ounces of caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces chocolate chips
Toast your coconut at 350 for about 15 minutes. (You can do this while making the cookies) Stir throughout and keep an eye on it. Unwrap your caramels and place them in a microwave safe dish with the salt and milk for about 3 minutes. When the caramel mixture is done, add the coconut to it and stir well. Pour this onto the baked cookies.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish or on the stove top. Dip the bottoms of the cookies in the chocolate or just spread it with a knife and place on parchment paper. Then drizzle remaining chocolate on top of coconut.
Like I said, hers cookies looked a lot more like the real thing. My problem was that I made them too big and I didn't have enough caramel to make the topping runny. I just ended up covering the little holes I made with coconut and chocolate.
My daughter didn't seem to care though... :)
Start with the cookie recipe... (Makes about 12-15 cookies)
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and roll out like sugar cookies. Use a small cookie cutter (I recommend something 2 inches or smaller because these are rich cookies) and cut out dough. Using a pencil eraser or your finger, make a smaller circle in the middle. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes on a greased baking sheet.
Now for the topping...
3 cups shredded coconut
12 ounces of caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces chocolate chips
Toast your coconut at 350 for about 15 minutes. (You can do this while making the cookies) Stir throughout and keep an eye on it. Unwrap your caramels and place them in a microwave safe dish with the salt and milk for about 3 minutes. When the caramel mixture is done, add the coconut to it and stir well. Pour this onto the baked cookies.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish or on the stove top. Dip the bottoms of the cookies in the chocolate or just spread it with a knife and place on parchment paper. Then drizzle remaining chocolate on top of coconut.
Like I said, hers cookies looked a lot more like the real thing. My problem was that I made them too big and I didn't have enough caramel to make the topping runny. I just ended up covering the little holes I made with coconut and chocolate.
My daughter didn't seem to care though... :)
2.26.2011
Blueberry Muffins
I have been craving blueberry muffins sooo much lately! (Yes I realize I am not pregnant anymore) We had a pretty good recipe but I wanted something extra special so I searched a little and stopped right when I came to this title... "To Die For Blueberry Muffins." Sounds good enough for me! They really are the best blueberry muffins I have ever had. The recipe is HERE at All Recipes... or just scroll down.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. I just used liners...
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
2.22.2011
Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake
Mmmm I LOVE coffee cake! I especially love this coffee cake made by my mother. I have no idea where she got the recipe but it's pretty dang near perfect. :) Enjoy!
Mom's Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Filling:
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. chopped pecans
4 tsp. sugar
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix filling ingredients in a small separate bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture in a greased and floured bundt pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon filling. Then spoon more batter, then more filling, then last of the batter. Bake for 60 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Mom's Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Filling:
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. chopped pecans
4 tsp. sugar
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix filling ingredients in a small separate bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture in a greased and floured bundt pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon filling. Then spoon more batter, then more filling, then last of the batter. Bake for 60 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
1.03.2011
Grandma Edythe's Granola
Right after we had our first baby, my husband's grandma came to visit and help us out. She brought this AMAZING granola and it's been a family favorite of ours ever since. It's definitely one of the best granola recipes I have ever had. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
Grandma's Granola
Recipe by: Edythe Marett
Mix the following in a large bowl:
9 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups chopped dates, raisins, or cranberries
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup almonds, whole or slivered (or macadamia nuts)
1 cup dry milk
After this, get another bowl and mix the following ingredients together really well:
1 cup oil
1 Tbsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. maple
Add this mixture to the dry ingredient mixture and stir until everything is equally moist.
Spread it out onto two large cookie sheets or three smaller ones. Bake at 250 degrees for 75 minutes. Stir the mixture two or three times throughout baking to cook it evenly. It will be soft and moist when removed from the oven. Let it cool until it is dry and crisp.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it makes my house smell heavenly for hours!! Enjoy!
Grandma's Granola
Recipe by: Edythe Marett
Mix the following in a large bowl:
9 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups chopped dates, raisins, or cranberries
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup almonds, whole or slivered (or macadamia nuts)
1 cup dry milk
After this, get another bowl and mix the following ingredients together really well:
1 cup oil
1 Tbsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. maple
Add this mixture to the dry ingredient mixture and stir until everything is equally moist.
Spread it out onto two large cookie sheets or three smaller ones. Bake at 250 degrees for 75 minutes. Stir the mixture two or three times throughout baking to cook it evenly. It will be soft and moist when removed from the oven. Let it cool until it is dry and crisp.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it makes my house smell heavenly for hours!! Enjoy!
10.23.2010
Halloween Parties
I LOVE Halloween and I LOVE Halloween parties! They are probably my favorite type of party to throw. This year my neighbor and I teamed up to throw a Halloween party for our kids. I know it's a little late in the season but if any of you need some last minute ideas for your festivities, you may get some here!
Go HERE for the how-to on these pumpkin fruit cups. My neighbor made these and the mummy pizzas below. She said they were a lot easier to make than they look and they were SOO adorable. Go HERE for the Mummy Pizzas. They were a definite hit as well.
My treats weren't near as yummy but the novelty of eating eyes and fingers was fun for the kids at least. :) Go HERE for the edible eyeballs and HERE for the cheese fingers.
The drink was apple cider with creepy apple faces floating in it. I bought store-bought cider and Martha Stewart had the how-to on the faces. Go HERE for that.
We let the kids decorate sugar cookies at the very end for a dessert.
The party was pretty simple but perfect for a group of kids. Good luck on all your upcoming celebrations this season. Happy Halloween!
THE FOOD
We found all our food ideas from Disney's Family Fun website. I really wanted to find fun snacks that weren't totally loaded with sugar. (Too many treats + a group of preschoolers = complete insanity!)
Go HERE for the how-to on these pumpkin fruit cups. My neighbor made these and the mummy pizzas below. She said they were a lot easier to make than they look and they were SOO adorable. Go HERE for the Mummy Pizzas. They were a definite hit as well.
My treats weren't near as yummy but the novelty of eating eyes and fingers was fun for the kids at least. :) Go HERE for the edible eyeballs and HERE for the cheese fingers.
The drink was apple cider with creepy apple faces floating in it. I bought store-bought cider and Martha Stewart had the how-to on the faces. Go HERE for that.We let the kids decorate sugar cookies at the very end for a dessert.
THE GAMES
We played two actual games at the party and then painted mini pumpkins for a craft activity. All our game ideas came from Martha Stewart as well. Go HERE for more fun games from her!
THE DECORATIONS
Well I only have one picture of the decorations because they weren't too elaborate but you get the idea... Streamers, balloons, orange tablecloths. The kids don't care. :)
The party was pretty simple but perfect for a group of kids. Good luck on all your upcoming celebrations this season. Happy Halloween!
10.04.2010
Chocolate Raspberry Sundae Topper
I found this recipe during the summer while I was working as a food preservation specialist in Salt Lake. Its something different and fun that you can preserve and eat throughout the year. It is also super tasty. NOTE**Due to their low acidity, most homemade chocolate sauces are not suitable for safe home canning. This recipe has been tested by the USDA and it is safe as long as you follow the directions.*
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 package powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups crushed red raspberries (I used strawberries)
4 TBSP lemon juice
6 3/4 cups sugar
1. Prepare canner, jars and lids. I just keep my warm in the hot water bath or in the sink with hot water.
2. In a medium glass bowl, combine cocoa powder and pectin, stirring until evenly blended. Set aside.
3. In a large sauce pan, placed crushed raspberries and lemon juice. Whisk in pectin mixture until dissolved. (If you used a Teflon coated pan, don't whisk too hard or you will have flakes of Teflon in your topper). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full roiling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
4. Ladle hot sundae topper into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight.
5. Place jars in boiling water bath. Make sure your jars are covered with 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process for 14 minutes. (This time is for altitudes 4000 feet above sea level. You would only need to process it for 10 minutes at sea level. Add an additional minute for each 1000 ft above sea level).
6. After the required processing time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid; wait 5 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Remove screw bands, wash well and store. *Don't store with the screw bands on jars. This will prevent mold from getting into your food. It also helps you to know if a jar has gone bad if the food is spilling out of the edges.
This recipe makes about six 8-oz jars. They are best used within a year, but will last for longer than that. Just remember to rotate your canned goods and you should be fine.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 package powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups crushed red raspberries (I used strawberries)
4 TBSP lemon juice
6 3/4 cups sugar
1. Prepare canner, jars and lids. I just keep my warm in the hot water bath or in the sink with hot water.
2. In a medium glass bowl, combine cocoa powder and pectin, stirring until evenly blended. Set aside.
3. In a large sauce pan, placed crushed raspberries and lemon juice. Whisk in pectin mixture until dissolved. (If you used a Teflon coated pan, don't whisk too hard or you will have flakes of Teflon in your topper). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full roiling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
4. Ladle hot sundae topper into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight.
5. Place jars in boiling water bath. Make sure your jars are covered with 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process for 14 minutes. (This time is for altitudes 4000 feet above sea level. You would only need to process it for 10 minutes at sea level. Add an additional minute for each 1000 ft above sea level).
6. After the required processing time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid; wait 5 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Remove screw bands, wash well and store. *Don't store with the screw bands on jars. This will prevent mold from getting into your food. It also helps you to know if a jar has gone bad if the food is spilling out of the edges.
This recipe makes about six 8-oz jars. They are best used within a year, but will last for longer than that. Just remember to rotate your canned goods and you should be fine.
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