PW Tacos

Made these today:

Tacos

So good.

Quinoa Stir-Fry with Chicken and Veggies

Quinoa Stir-Fry With Vegetables and Chicken


• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 small red chile, chopped (optional)
• 2 cups snow peas, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 oz grilled chicken breast, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce


Place quinoa in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, undisturbed, until quinoa absorbs water, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and leave uncovered. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook carrot, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper, ginger, garlic and chile, if desired; cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Add peas, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Remove vegetables and return skillet to heat; add quinoa, along with egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until egg is evenly distributed, about 2 minutes. Add vegetables, chicken, scallions, cilantro and soy sauce; cook 1 minute more. Divide stir-fry among 4 bowls; serve warm.

Hassleback Potatoes

Pie

Real Pie.  Not wheat/dairy/soy/sugar free pie.  Real, Good, Pie.

I doubled my favorite pie crust recipe, borrowed some of my mom's pie plates, and got busy.

Here's what I came up with:

Banana Cream (Lion House)

4 cups milk

2 cups half and half

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cup sugar, divided

3 egg yolks

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Bananas

(makes 2 pies)

 Measure 4 cups of milk, reserving 1 of those cups to mix with the cornstarch later.  In a large sauce pan add the 3 cups of milk, half and half, butter, and ¾ cup of sugar.  Cook over medium heat until butter is melted and milk is scalded (this means bring almost to the boiling point.)

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks well.  Add the remaining ½ cup sugar and salt and whisk very well.  Slowly add to the hot milk, stirring constantly for about half a minute.  Cook mixture for 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Whisk the remaining 1 cup of milk with the cornstarch until smooth.  Slowly add to hot mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Stir for 2 more minutes.  Continue cooking for another 15 – 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  When pudding is thick, add the vanilla.  Remove from the heat.

Pour hot filling over sliced bananas.  Cool, then top with whipped cream.

2 Chocolate Cream

(same as banana cream, but melt 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with the vanilla in the end)

Coconut Cream

(same as banana, except mix some toasted coconut into the pudding)

Mixed Berry

3 Pumpkin

I made them for our Annual Shamrock Club Harvest Dinner.  Yum.  Along with about 140 rolls.  Double Yum.  I'll post that recipe later.

Wheat, Dairy, Sugar and Soy Free

That's why I haven't posted for a while.  I've been told by a health practicioner that I should avoid all of them for about 6 months.  And yah, it's no fun.  And yah, I cheat all the time.  But I've become a bit adventurous lately.  Here are a few things in the blogosphere that I've tried and actually enjoyed (I had to make variations to most of them, using things like almond/rice milk, agave, etc):

Crepes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lots of these . . . . I should have kept better track!

Cookie Dough Dip
with Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

Flax Seed Pancakes

Cornbread

I've also failed at too many to record.  Dang.

I need to gather a few more flours and such to make this All Purpose Flour mix.  That way I can make this Pie Crust.  Even though I'm sure it won't be the same as my all time favorite pie crust.

And for the record, I'm totally cheating on Thanksgiving.  And Christmas.  And New Years.  And maybe a few days in between.  I'm so bad at this.

I am doing better though.

Eclairs

I made these for my High School BFF's birthday last week. Yum. The only problem was that I gave her all but 3 of them. So, I made them again this weekend. Yum. Again. 

I used the recipe in my new favorite cookbook, Miette. It's a bakery I visited in San Francisco this last spring with my family. They make excellent macaron's. I want to try that recipe next.

Eclairs:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
7 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups flour
5 large eggs (1 whisked with 2 Tablespoons water)
Pastry Cream
Chocolate Ganache

The directions in the book are super long, and I did some of it my own way, so here's the jest of how I did it.

Preheat oven to 425.

In medium saucepan, bring water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Stir the flour in energetically until the dough pulls away from the sides (3 minutes?). Now add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Just keep beating with a wooden spoon - this is a muscle building exercise.

Transfer some of the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 1x5 rectangles onto a greased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes without disturbing. Turn off the oven and leave alone until they are browned and feel light and hollow (20-25 minutes longer). Immediately pierce each end with a chopstick, or something similar. Transfer to wire rack and let them cool completely.

Pastry Cream:
Here's where I cheated. The real recipe sounds divine. It really does. But I was running low on eggs and it calls for 7 yolks. So, I went the easy route and used a whipped cream recipe I'd seen Paula Deen use on Food Network. It was pretty good.

3 cups heavy cream
3 Tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1 Tablespoon confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Whip all together until stiff peaks form. Fit into pastry bag with a 1/4 inch round tip.
Fill those pastries with yumminess.

(Another alternative is to use instant vanilla pudding. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I used that this weekend because a) I didn't have much time, and b) I was out of whipping cream. And they were still a hit at our family get together.)

Chocolate Ganache:I've always made ganache with just chocolate, cream, and a little vanilla. I tried the recipe in the cookbook, and let me tell you, it was good. And you only need about 1/2 of this recipe. Keep the rest in the fridge for a tasty brownie or cake topping.

10 oz chopped chocolate (62 percent cacao is what it calls for, but I used dark chocolate chips - and it was still good)
2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature

Combine chocolate and powdered sugar. Heat cream in sauce pan to a gentle simmer. Poor over the chocolate and stir until creamy and the sugar is dissolved. Heat over a pan of boiling water if it needs more heat to melt the chocolate. Whisk egg yolks in small bowl. Pour about 1/2 cup of chocolate into yolks while whisking to temper them. Pour the mixture back into the chocolate and whisk to combine. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean heatproof bowl.

Dip the top of the stuffed eclairs into the warm ganache, let the excess drip off, then set the finished eclair on wire rack to dry. Once the ganache is dry, serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 hours (if they'll last that long!)

Blueberry Muffins

Breakfast Muffins

10 TBSP butter, melted (1 1/4 sticks)

1 TBSP Baking Powder

1 3/4 Cups Flour

1 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Vanilla

2/3 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Milk

1 Large Egg

1 1/4 Cup Blueberries (or other fruit) - frozen is fine!

Struesel (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon & salt in large bowl. In medium bowl combine butter, vanilla, sugar, milk and egg. Fold blueberries into flour mixture. Add butter mixture, and fold. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Press/sprinkle struesel on top of each. Bake until tops are golden, 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool a bit in pan, transfer to wire rack. Makes 12-18 muffins.

Struesel:

5 TBSP butter, melted

2/3 cup Flour

2/3 cup Powdered Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

pinch of Salt

Whisk together dry ingredients; add melted butter. Combine using your fingers until the mixture has a crumbly consistency. Drop the crumb mixture over muffin batter and press gently before placing in oven.

My personal tips: I usually use at least 1/2 whole wheat flour (sometimes all). I don't always make the struesel - I think they are good without, but it adds an extra bit of fun if you have the time for it. I also have a hard time with the big whole blueberries, so I chop them - just a little - with a knife. Tossing them with the flour first helps keep the batter from being completely purple. Oh, and these are good using strawberries or raspberries too :) I can' t think of anything else - Enjoy!!

Snickerdoodles

Martha Stewart’s Snickerdoodles
makes about 1 1/2 dozen

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
- – -
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 20 (1 3/4-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks.  

Hot Fudge Sauce

Mom's Hot Fudge Sauce

Melt:

1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips (good ones!)

2 cubes butter

Add:

4 cups powdered sugar

2 2/3 c. evaporated milk (1 1/2 cans)

Bring to boil and simmer on medium low for 8-10 minutes. Stir constantly or it will scorch. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream. Keep refrigerated - reheat in microwave or stove top. Enjoy!! 

I like mine with Vanilla Bean ice cream, almonds, sliced bananas, and coconut.

Dad and the kids like to skip the almonds and coconut, and add sprinkles and whipping cream. 

My neighbor likes to eat spoonfuls right out of the jar.

So, any way you like it, sit back, and enjoy!

Tilapia

Tonight we had something sort of like this tasty Tilapia:

Here's how I did it:

4 to 6 tilapia fillets, about 1 1/2 pounds
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish.  Arrange fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in sauce pan, add basil and panko.  Sprinkle, then gently press into the fillets.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the topping. Fish will flake easily with a fork when done.

Serve with fluffy rice and veggies.

Family BBQ

We had Family Home Evening at my parents house tonight.  Burgers, Potato
Salad, and lots of desserts!


I made this hamburger bun recipe:

Light Brioche Burger Buns
Adapted from Comme Ça restaurant in Los Angeles, via the New York Times
Go! Make these! What are you waiting for?
Makes 8 4 to 5-inch burger buns
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sesame seeds (optional)
1. In a glass measuring cup, combine one cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be on the sticky side so it can be a bit messy, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave them tackier than you would a round loaf.
3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours. (In my freaky, warm apartment this only took an hour.)
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for one to two hours. (Again, this only took one hour in my apartment and I suspect, you’ll also only need an hour for a second rise.)
5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.


And tried out this ice cream:
Quick Coconut Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries

makes 1 quart

For roasted cherries
1 pound Bing cherries
2 tablespoons sugar

For coconut ice cream
One 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup cream
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat the oven to 450°F. Toss the cherries with the sugar and spread them out in one layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring several times, and watching to make sure the sugar and juices don't burn. Remove from the oven and let cool. Pit the cherries and set them aside.

Whisk together the ice cream ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure the sweetened condensed milk has been thoroughly mixed into the cream.

Put the ice cream mix in your ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions. When the ice cream is the texture of soft-serve, scrape it out and fold in the roasted pitted cherries. Transfer to a bowl or container and cover the ice cream with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is in full contact with the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for another 2 hours, or until firm.

Tip: Chill the separate ingredients (coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk) for an hour in the refrigerator before mixing everything together. This will help the mix be colder and therefore freeze faster when you put it in the ice cream maker.

All I can say isYum!

Shelf Reliance

Last night I hosted a party for Shelf Reliance.  It was fun to get to try several of their products - and think that you can have some yummy variety in your food storage (sometimes I think my food storage is all just beans and wheat . . . . ).  If you haven't looked at their stuff, you might want to check it out.  Even host your own party - they have oodles of host benefits!

Dutch Oven: Chicken & Rice

One of my favorite things about camping is the food.  Whether it's cooked over the fire, in the hot coals, or in a dutch oven.  It's always good.  This past weekend I went to the cabin with my girl friends.  We dined on such delicacies as hot dogs, s'mores, banana boats, pancakes & bacon & eggs, and we busted out the dutch oven for some Chicken & Rice.  It was tasty.

4+ cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cube Butter
1 1/2 cups Rice
Chopped Onion, Bell Pepper, Celery
3 Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks and seasoned generously with poultry seasoning
2 cans of Biscuits

Combine the stock, butter, rice and veggies in the pre-heated dutch oven.  Lay chicken on top.  Cook for 1 1/2 hours with 10 coals on bottom and 12 coals on top.  When rice is tender, and chicken is done, layer the top with biscuits.  Replace lid - putting more coals on top - and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy while sitting around the campfire!

Granola

My mom used to make Granola all of the time - hence the nickname, Nola Granola.

Here's her recipe.  It's super easy, and super tasty!

8 cups Regular Oats
1 cup Sesame Seeds
1 cup Sunflower Seeds
1 cup Unsweetened Coconut
1 cup Raw Nuts
1 cup Powdered Milk
dash of Salt

1 cup Canola Oil
1 cup Honey
1 TBSP Vanilla

Warm the oil and honey in a little pan on the stove.  Add vanilla.  Mix everything together well and put on cookie sheets in the oven and bake at 180 for 2 hours.  I generally use 3 jelly roll pans for this batch.

Goes great with a scoop of vanilla yogurt or with milk.  Oh, and some fresh fruit.

Homemade Ice Cream

This weekend we had our Annual Homemade Ice Cream Party.  Success!  We had a blast, and the storm and mosquitoes held off for most of it . . . .  the mosquitoes came in at the end and we had to end our bean bag tournament early.  Dang - we were gonna win too  ;)  The worst part about the evening is that my camera sat on the counter the whole time without being touched.  I had it ready, and completely forgot!!  Bummer.  Here are the flavors we had this year:

I made:

Vanilla

and Hazelnut Chocolate

We also had:

Raspberry

Pina Colada***

Apple Pie

and more Vanilla

I haven't decided on a favorite yet, but the hazelnut chocolate was sooo good.  So was that Pina Colada.  Oh, and that Raspberry.  Hmmmmm.

The new addition this year was toppings and waffle cones.  I ordered some cones from our local candy shop, then ordered some waffle cone bowls from Amazon.  For toppings we had: crushed oreo's, crushed mint oreo's, m&m's, marshmallows, sprinkles, almonds, chocolate sauce, toffee bits, whipped cream in a can, coconut, and I think that's all.  The kids especially loved the topping table.

The new verdict is that it needs to come around more than once a year.  Maybe we could pull another one off before the fall weather comes.  And I could take pictures.  We'll see.

***This is a link to a coconut ice cream that Lanae made.  She did a batch for 16 people and added a small can of crushed pineapple at the end of the freezing to make it coconut-pineapple.  She also only used 1/2 of the coconut it called for, and put it in the blender with the cream and the cream of coconut.***

Raspberry Bars

Disclaimer: These are not good for you.  Don't let the fact that there is fresh fruit in it fool you.  But, they are totally worth the calories!  Delish!!

1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
2 cups Flour
2 cups Raspberries
3/4 cup Sugar

Mix Berries and 3/4 cup of Sugar.  Set aside.  Cream Butter and Sugar together.  Beat in Yolks.  Add Flour.  Pat half of the mixture into an 8" square pan.  Spread berries over top.  Crumble remaining mixture over berries.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes (until lightly browned).  Makes 16 Bars

Sugar Cookies

The kids made sugar cookies today.  And I didn't take a picture :(  They picked out a bunch of random cookie cutters, and went to town.  We found the recipe at Tasty Kitchen.  Easy and tasty.  And I loved the frosting.  Anything with Cream Cheese is good :)

Sugar Cookies
1 cup Butter, Softened

2 cups Granulated Sugar

2 whole Eggs

1 cup Sour Cream

1 teaspoon Vanilla

4-½ cups Flour

½ teaspoons Baking Soda

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

_____

Frosting:

1 block Cream Cheese, Softened, 8 Ounce Block

5 Tablespoons Butter, Softened

4 cups Powdered Sugar

1-½ teaspoon Vanilla

2 Tablespoons Evaporated Milk

Food Coloring (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs in one at a time. Then mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then slowly add the flour mixture into the cream mixture.

Roll cookies onto a floured surface. I like to roll the dough till it is about 1/4″ thick. Cut with your cookie cutters of choice. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.

For the frosting:

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugar till soft. Add in vanilla. Mix in, 1 Tablespoon at a time, the evaporated milk till desired consistency is reached. (Usually 2 Tablespoons is enough). Then mix in food coloring of choice.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I have had a hard time coming up with a Peanut Butter Cookie that I really love.  This one did the trick!  

1 cup Peanut Butter

1 cup Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 1/2 cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Cream Butters and Sugar together.  Add Eggs and Vanilla.  Add Dry Ingredients.  Add Chocolate Chips.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

And what makes them even better is if you have one of the cute cookie jars to put them in.   I love that my mom and dad are so talented!

Bowtie Pasta Salad

I got this recipe from my sister and made it for our family bbq last night. It was so good!

1 Package Pasta

1 C. Pine Nuts

Grape Tomatoes

1/4 C. Crumbled Feta Cheese

Chopped Spinach

Dressing:

1/4 C. Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 C. Olive Oil

1 Clove Garlic

1/4 C. Asiago or Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 squirt Worcheserchire Sauce

Pinch of:

Basil

Oregano

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Sugar

Mix all together, refridgerate, enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Nacho Dip

The other night we had a RS activity where everyone brought something in their crockpot to share, and the recipe.  We had some tasty treats.  I'm always ready for some new crockpot ideas.  I tried a new one myself.  Nacho Dip.  Super easy, and pretty darn good.

1 pound of hamburger
2 cloves garlic
2 16oz jars of your favorite salsa
1 pint sour cream
1 can refried beans
3 cups cheese

Brown the hamburger with crushed garlic.  Mix in crockpot with salsa, sour cream, beans, and 2 cups of cheese.  Heat on low for 2 hours.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve with corn chips.

(recipe from my Fix-it and Forget-it cookbook)

Lion House Cheesecake

For Mother's Day we had all of the family over for a tasty dinner including: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh green salad, frog eye salad, roasted asparagus, dinner rolls, and cheesecake with fresh strawberries for dessert.  Cheesecake.  Yum.

Crust:

• 1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs rolled fine
• 3 T sugar
• 6 T melted butter
• 1 t cinnamon

Filling:

• 3   8 oz packages cream cheese softened
• 1 C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t vanilla

Topping:

• 1 pint sour cream
•  3 T sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla

1. Mix the ingredients for the crust together and press along the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. Use a small measuring cup to press the crumbs into the side of the pan. 

2. In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add the sugar 1/4 at a time, mixing well between. 

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust.

5. Bake at 300 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. You want it to be almost done before you put the sour cream topping on. Stick a knife into the center, and be sure it comes out almost clean.

6. Mix the ingredients for the topping together.

7. Spread  the sour cream mixture on the top of the cheesecake and bake for another 15 minutes. Check it with a knife as well. It should come out clean this time. 

8. Let it cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight, at least. Two or three days of chilling out in the fridge makes it taste even better.

(I doubled the recipe and used my pyrex pan that is just larger than 9x13 - worked great!)

Salsa!!

I know I've posted this before, but here is a refresher (for you Torrie!).  I also know it's a little early to start thinking about summer/fall canning, but here goes:

Salsa
6# tomatoes (13 1/2 cups) - chopped & peeled
5-6 jalepenos (no seeds) - chopped
2 onions - chopped
1 1/2 bell peppers - chopped
4 cloves garlic - minced
2 TBSP. salt
1 TBSP. mexican oregano
1 bunch cilantro - chopped
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 - 6oz can tomato paste
1 - 4oz can diced green chiles
10 hot yellow wax peppers - chopped

Cook down for atleast 1 hour
Process PINTS in Boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes.
Makes 6-8 pints

It is fairly mild, but I rarely stick to this exact recipe anymore.  I usually add a variety of peppers from the garden and mix it up a little.  

Key Lime Pie

I bought the BIG bag of limes last week and needed a use for them.  This was the perfect solution.  Key Lime Pie.  I had read about it about a month ago from the Pioneer Woman cooking blog.  I had a little help making it - and it turned out great.  Yum!  I have another one in the fridge now - maybe I'll go have a sliver for an after breakfast snack. . . . . . .

Bread

I know I've posted about sourdough before, but I think I may have found the perfect recipe for a great couple of loaves of sourdough bread.  The secret is patience.  I don't have much of it, but I really did it this time - I think it was a total of 18 hours of rising time.  Other than that, it's the simplest, no knead bread ever.  And it tastes like the good stuff you guy at the market.  So really, don't be scared of sourdough.  It's a little intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty darn good.

Sea Salt Caramel Brownies

Made these on Friday night.  Top them with a scoop (or two) of ice cream, and you just might be in heaven.

Sandwich

Made this for dinner last night. We also topped it with these. Still dreaming about it now. I should probably go run a few laps around the farm today, but I won't. I'll just sit here and drink this green smoothie (thanks Torrie) I whipped up this morning. Ahhh, life is good :)

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

This one's for you Amelia. And anyone else who wants it :)

Wheat Quick:
8 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 Cup Baking Powder
4 teaspoons Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/4 Cups Dry (powdered) Milk
Stir Together and Store in Fridge.

Pancakes:
2 Cups Wheat Quick
1 1/2 - 2 Cups Water
1/4 Cup Oil
1 or 2 Eggs

Whisk together and cook on hot griddle.  Makes about 16 4" pancakes.  Top with Butter and Maple Syrup.  Also great with blueberries or Huckleberries.  Yum.  I want to go huckleberry picking now. . . . . . .

Chicken and Dumplings

We've had a lot of rain lately :-( and nothing works for cold gloomy weather like Chicken Soup.  One thing I had never tried was Chicken and Dumplings, so on Sunday I gave it a shot.  I went with Pioneer Woman's recipe - simply because it was pretty basic, and she rarely fails me.  I think it would be really, really good if you followed the recipe and weren't a moron, like me :)

Here are the two changes I made (one worked, one didn't):

The chicken.  Boiled my entire checken with some seasoning and onions to make the stock, then just shreaded that cooked chicken for the soup.  Worked great - and I didn't have to go through the process of breading and browning each piece.

Apple Cider.  When a recipe says to use Apple Cider, use Apple Cider.   Not Apple Cider Vinegar.  Major misread on my part.  I thought it was strange to put vinegar in, but went with it anyway.  When the house was all stunk up, I went back to the recipe and realized my error.  Oops. We ate it anyway.  It was a strange vinegery flavor, but edible none the less.  Nathan actually loved it and ate two bowls.  The dumplings were soooo good, and I am definitely making this again - sans vinegar ;)

Cake Pops

Mollie turned FIVE the week of Christmas, so the Saturday before I let her have her first friends birthday party.  She had 4 friends over and we had a tea party.  I had been so sick that week, and felt like cancelling it, but instead got drugged up on old c-section drugs and the show went on.  Anyway, instead of a cake or cupcakes, I decided to try Cake Pops.  Have any of you tried them before?  They were a bit of a pain to make, and I didn't even taste them because I felt so crappy, but the kids loved them.  It was a fun change - and when I put them in the little baggies they were perfect to send a few home with the girls in their treat bags.  So, would I make them again.  Maybe.  Not 100% sure they were worth it - cupcakes are much easier . . . . but they were fun, and it might be fun to experiment with different characters like Bakerella does.  We'll see . . .