Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzels

I've made these pretzels from  Two Peas & Their Pod several times now, and they are a favorite. Each time I've made them, mine get this beautifully dark color, but are perfectly soft and delicious inside. Perhaps it's because I swap out olive oil for the butter and canola oil the recipe calls for? In any case, they're delicious!

Valentine Gingerbread Homes

Tradition. We've made gingerbread houses for years, and we all look forward to it. When a friend hosted this year, I was happy to be able relax and not have all of the baking, cleaning up, etc. that goes along with such an activity. But there's something to be said for hosting, too. You know, like if you're invited for Thanksgiving dinner, and it's wonderful, but you don't have the leftovers for sandwiches, and the carcass for broth. Yeah, it's kind of like that. But different, too. 

Verne especially missed me hosting since he wasn't able to partake in the house decorating. Sometimes I think that activities I plan are too over the top, and that maybe no one even cares. It's not that I feel under-appreciated; I don't. My family has always been very good about expressing their appreciation for what I do. It's just that maybe I don't need to go to the lengths that I do to show my love for them. Maybe I'm doing these things more for myself than for them, because they're what I would choose. Maybe they'd be satisfied with doing less, or not doing the activity at all. 

In any case, I had those feelings of missing something, and decided to proceed in a different way. Since Abigail did get to build a Christmas house and time was going to be very limited when we were all together over the holidays, I decided to move the activity to Valentine's Day. Abigail invited friends since her siblings would be absent. I baked and assembled eight houses: six for the girls, one for Verne, and one for me. 

The leftover dough was baked into hearts, big and small, and round cookies bearing a homemade stamp. Marshmallows were dipped in Dolci Frutta and topped with snowflake sprinkles and nonpareils. Pink lemonade was also served. 

The table was set with a house at each spot, and goodies for decorating were placed in bowls just before the girls arrived. 

Each girl was also asked to bring some candies of their choosing to share for decorations. 

Look! A real, live gingerbread person!

The girls had a great time, and it was fun to see their unique decorating styles. However, the highlight of the day was watching Verne decorate his house. I made his house a bit different, and added a chimney. He is special, you know.

The girls were allotted 3 hours for decorating. No one needed that much time, and they used the last hour to play games. But Verne? He worked, and worked, and worked. He took four hours on his house, and with that I got my answer. These traditions? They are not just for me.


Cookie stamp found here.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Verne had to be out of town on his birthday, so I wanted to have a little something special to welcome him back home. Pie. Pie is special, right?

The tartness of the cranberries played well with the sweeter apples, and the vanilla ice cream complimented it all. Mmm.

*Apple Cranberry Pie*


one recipe of Never Fail Pie Crust

6 c. peeled and sliced granny smith or golden delicious apples

2 c. washed cranberries dusted with 1 Tbls. flour

3/4 to 1 c. sugar, to preference

1 tsp. cinnamon

3. Tbls. cornstarch

1 Tbls. lemon juice


Preheat oven to 375°.   Prepare pie crust, rolling thin, and placing bottom crust into a deep 9" pie plate.

Combine apples and cranberries, and drizzle with lemon juice, tossing well to coat. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch, and toss with apple/cranberry mixture. Pour filling into pie crust.

Roll top crust, and place on top of filling. Crimp the edges, and add fluted edge, if desired. If using a solid top rather than lattice, cut slits to allow steam to escape. Brush top crust very lightly with water, and sprinkle with a thin dusting of cane sugar. Bake for 50 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.

Lemon Cake with Cranberries and Lemon Icing

Abigail baked a cake last night after seeing a photo on Pinterest. Unfortunately, the pin led nowhere, so we googled the recipe name until we found a matching photo. This cake was very lemon-y, and the cranberries were perfect. We'll definitely make this again.

Abigail changed the recipe just a little to accommodate Verne's butter intolerance, and she also left the red food color out of the glaze. Why ruin a great recipe with chemicals?

The link to the original recipe can be found above, and if we could have we would have definitely preferred to use real butter, and her adapted recipe is below.

Lemon Cake with Cranberries and Lemon Icing

For the cake:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c. non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening 
1 c. raw sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries (for the cake and decoration)

For the glaze:

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 1 lb. loaf pan.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine butter and sugar on medium speed, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated.

Reduce mixer speed and alternatively beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture, and repeat, ending with the last of the flour. Stop mixer occasionally and scrape the sides of the bowl. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in one cup of cranberries, saving some for decoration.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake 55-60 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool 15 minutes before removing bread from the pan. Cool completely before icing.

For the glaze, simply whisk together the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar until there are no lumps. Drizzle over cooled cake.



It makes a delightful breakfast, too!

October 2013

Recipe for the popcorn bars can be found here. I HIGHLY recommend adding nuts. 

October came, and now it's nearly gone. I completed another trip around the sun. I gave and received snuggles, cooked soups and scones, ate goodies, oversaw Abigail's lessons, finished two quilt tops, and ran. And ran. And ran.

Three more sleeps until Verne and I run our marathon. I think we'll both be glad for the time change that night.

Strawberry Shortcake and Other Deliciousness

Let me apologize for the quality of the photos in this post. I've gotten quite lazy about getting out my good camera. It's so easy to grab my phone that I've neglected real documentation. Ugh... note to self- get back to real photos!

We didn't get near as many berries from the garden this year as we have in the two years prior. Too much rain, and not enough sunshine makes for a poor berry season. Thankfully we've had lots of strawberry shortcake. Not enough, but we'll be thankful for what we've had. ;-)

Strawberry Shortcake

Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 tbls baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup cream, half and half, or milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Whisk together the egg, cream and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat or roll the dough into a 7 inch round. With a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place the scones on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack.

Filling:

2 pounds fresh strawberries

1/4 cup - 1/3 cup granulated white sugar (or to taste)

Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large bowl and crush them with a potato masher or fork. Add the remaining sliced strawberries, along with the sugar.  Cover and refrigerate.

Topping:

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1 - 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar (or to taste)

Chill the bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 - 30 minutes. Place the cream and sugar in the bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours.

To Serve: Cut the scones in half and place the bottom half of the scone (soft side up) on a dessert plate. Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream. Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries. Top with whipped cream and a few more strawberries. If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 people.

Not to worry; we've made some healthier things with our berries, too. 

Homemade Bread

I've been baking bread for several years now, and even bought a Nutrimill so that I could grind my own grain two years back. I loved everything about homemade bread, except that I couldn't get it to toast well.

As time went by, I found myself getting lazier about the bread baking. I used up my wheat, and started buying store bought loaves once again. It didn't taste near as good as the homemade loaves, and I decided to get back into the habit of baking once or twice a week, depending on our needs. I tried a new recipe, and what do you know! This bread toasts perfectly, but is nice and soft when eaten fresh.

My family was very appreciative when I went back to baking our bread fresh, and after reading about the dough conditioners used in nearly every brand on the market, I'm convinced that homemade is the way to go.

Do you buy your bread, or make your own?

Portable Oven

Quite a few years back, my mom gave me her 18 quart electric roaster, and I've used it many occasions, but I was never happier to have it than when my oven caught on fire Christmas Eve. We always have a ham dinner for Christmas, without fail. This Christmas, though, was different.

Earlier in the week, as I was menu planning, I gathered my family and asked them how they would feel about pot roast, complete with potatoes and carrots for our holiday meal. Everyone was quick to agree that it would be a nice change of pace, and I was thankful that it was something I could throw into the roaster before church on Sunday morning, and have ready and waiting when we returned home. Personally, I don't think this was a coincidence, but rather, God's providence. He knows every detail of our lives, and I was able to carry out my plans for dinner without a hitch. What a blessing!

Since then, we've been eating meals that I've been able to prepare without an oven. Soups, stews, and meals cooked in the electric skillet or on the griddle have been our mainstays. (Our grill died in the fall, and we have yet to replace that.)

While Rosie was here over the weekend, we were discussing the oven dilemma, and I mentioned the roaster. Her ears immediately perked up, and she asked, "What kind of roaster?" When I showed it to her, she shared that their oven had gone out, and some friends gave them an electric roaster and she baked everything from cakes, to bread, to biscuits and cookies in it.

Yesterday afternoon, I looked at the large bunch of over-ripe bananas on the counter, and decided to pull the roaster out and give it a try. I baked the bread about 30 minutes longer than normal, per Rosie's instructions, and it turned out beautifully!

And today I made enough granola to fill up my jars. I'm so glad for that little conversation over the weekend. My family thinks Rosie is a genius!

Yummy Things: a VERY easy cookie

So, on Christmas Eve I placed eight extremely large sweet potatoes into the oven about an hour and a half before my in-laws were to arrive from a 500 mile journey to see us. As I stood in the living room I heard a noise coming from the kitchen that sounded like someone had placed a metallic object into the microwave, causing it to arc. Except, I didn't have anything in the microwave.

I ran into the kitchen to see my oven glowing green. And with that electrical fire, my oven died. It's been a challenge to fix meals, bread, and treats and I think we've done a pretty good job. Tonight was no exception. Braised pork chops, fixed in the electric skillet, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. (The top of the stove still works.) Oh! and home-canned applesauce.

For dessert? These cookies that my quilting friend Norma brings regularly. I recently called her for the recipe, and thankfully, she was happy to share. Thanks, Norma! I think you'll be thanking her, too.

Yummy Things

1 pkg. Vanilla almond bark
1 c. Creamy peanut butter
3 c. Rice Krispies
2 c. Dry roasted peanuts
2 c. Mini marshmallows

Melt almond bark in a large microwave safe bowl. Stir in peanut butter until completely melted. Add dry ingredients and stir to coat completely. Drop by tablespoonful onto waxed paper. Cool completely, and enjoy.

Cute {on a stick!}

I'm catering a Christmas party for a local business tomorrow (50 people!). I baked 32 dozen cookies last night. I have to bake 20 dozen more today. I also need to make homemade hamburger buns for the party. Six dozen of them! Despite that, I spent the afternoon making 5 dozen cake pops that look like little Christmas cupcakes for the cast and crew of the local production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Have I lost my ever-loving mind??

See, there are always cake pops at the concession stand, and all of the children in the cast always want to buy them. Fact is, they like them so much the concession stand runs out, leaving none for the patrons. So, I got the bright idea to surprise the cast and crew with FREE cake pops all around. Perhaps I did lose my mind, but I think there were quite a few happy children tonight, and isn't that the point?

Back to the kitchen!

Look Good... Feel Better

It was a busy few days as I prepared for an event this past weekend. The kitchen exploded with pink confections to be served at a fashion show featuring breast cancer survivors as the models.

260 icing roses in various shades of pink and white topped mini-cupcakes.

Attendees stopped by my food table, and then went on to bid over items in a silent auction before entering the auditorium where they were moved to tears. Literally. The models exhibited beauty and grace, and their families gathered around them, showering them with love.

Look Good... Feel Better. Never heard of it? Check it out!

Flip Flop Cake

Occasionally I'm hired to bake pies, or bread, or scones. And cakes. Most grocery-store varieties just don't cut it.

I love when I'm given free rein over a project, too; it seems to be when I do my best work. The only instructions I was given for this cake were the names, and "maybe something poolside, or beach-y. You know, summery!"

When Lori arrived this morning to pick her cake up she looked bruised and beaten. She fell down the deck steps yesterday and really injured herself. Because she was wearing flip flops, and her husband had just hosed the deck off, down she went. And then I showed her the cake.

FLIP FLOPS!

She was half-afraid of the heckling she was going to take when she carried this baby into the party, and who can blame her? I say those who tease get no cake!

The First and the Last of Them

Much to my dismay, I picked the last of the strawberries this afternoon, but much to my delight I picked the first of the blueberries! I used the first and the last of the season's berries atop a lemon cake. From a box, lemon cake. But wait!

You can dress up a cake mix, and make it so much better than just a "boxed" mix. We always start with Duncan Hines if the ingredients come in a box. In my opinion, all other brands are worthless. (You are entitled to your own opinion.) To the Lemon Supreme mix, Abigail and I added freshly squeezed lemon juice in place of the water. We added the eggs and oil as called for, but also added 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. of baking powder. In the end, we stirred in the zest of two lemons.

Let me tell you, this was a very tart cake! A dusting of powdered sugar and fresh berries were the perfect  embellishments.

Anna's Orange Cookies

I like my recipes, and we definitely have favorites, but sometimes I feel like something new. Don't you?

When Anna posted the recipe for these orange cookies earlier this week, I knew I had to try them. I wasn't disappointed. Despite her hilarious commentary, they aren't quite as bad for you as you might think. I got 80 generous cookies from the recipe, and figured out the Weight Watchers Points Plus to be 3 per cookie.  Not so bad!

A bit off subject, do you ever use wildflowers to garnish your foods? We have these lovely little wild  violets tucked all through our grass. They remind me of my younger days when it would take me forever to walk the mile from the bus stop to my house after school. I would dilly dally and pick my mom a fistful of these early spring flowers only to do it all over again the next day.

Speaking of my mom, I think she'd really like these cookies. And I think they'd be equally as good if you substituted lemon juice and rind for the orange.

Did I just get off topic again?

365/3 Banana Bread

We used the same banana bread recipe for years, and truthfully, I was starting to think it was a little dry. Because it was my grandma's recipe, I was hesitant to try a different one. However, I recently stumbled upon the following recipe, and instantly knew I'd love it. It was the yogurt that hooked me, and it didn't disappoint. My resident banana bread baker, Collin, was very reluctant to try something new, and really gave me some grief for even suggesting such a thing. One bite and he was sold, too.

Banana Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed ripe banana (about 3)
1/3 c. plain, low-fat yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lightly scoop flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl. Cream with a mixer until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture into dry mixture; beat at low speed, just until moistened. Pour batter into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 f for 1 hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely.

Banana-Blueberry Coffeecake

I'm so thankful for the local organic blueberries that I froze last summer. I eat them almost daily on top of my homemade yogurt, and they were delicious in this coffeecake that Abigail baked for us just this morning.

*Banana- Blueberry Coffeecake*

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries


Beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds to soften. Add sugar; beat until well combined. Add 3/4 cup of the flour; stir just until mixture resembles course crumbs. Reserve 3/4 cup.

Combine remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Stir into remaining butter mixture. Combine eggs, mashed bananas, milk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Turn into a greased, 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake in a 375 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

Cranberry-Blueberry Cake

As many of Anna's recipes as I've made, I've enjoyed every one. This cake is no exception. It's quick to throw together and is equally good cold or warm. The only change I make is to decrease the sugar in both the topping and the batter from 1/2 cup to 1/3. It's plenty sweet!

Busy in the Kitchen

Because I was chilled ( not sick, just cold!) from the moment I woke this morning, I decided to spend the day in the kitchen. What better way to warm up than standing by the oven, or over a hot stove?

Homemade yogurt, a big pot of hard-boiled eggs, homemade granola, supper, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert seemed like plenty to keep the kitchen warm. The only problem being that warm air rises and my feet didn't enjoy any of the heat. Time to put some socks on!