Previous Blog

I am going to be posting all the previous, great items on my old blog ( yes the one that froze up ). So please enjoy and share anything with your friends and family! Thanks and make sure to follow my blog.

Graham Cracker Toffee

3 sticks of butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 bag chocolate chips

1 - 1 1/2 cups toffee bits

graham crackers

Line a cookie sheet with graham crackers. In a small saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and peans. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Pour mixture over graham crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. When the chocolate starts to melt gently spread with a spatula. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Cool. Cut into squares.

Chase's Corner

Chase my almost nine year old really wants his own blog. He loves to write and draw and use his imagination. I told him that once a week he could have his own little corner on my blog to share his thoughts. Today he wanted to remember when he was little about age 19 mo. old and daddy taught him how to "shave"! It was cute he thought it was really funny! Don't even ask about the black eye, let's just say he was not real graceful.

Energy Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup bran flakes cereal

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup mixed dried fruit, chopped

1 egg, beaten or 1 tbsp powdered egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup dry milk powder

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 13 x 9x 2-inch pan.
In medium bowl, combine cereal, bran, wheat germ, orange peel, orange juice, dried fruit, egg, oil, applesauce, honey, and dry milk powder; blend well. Let set 5 minutes.

In large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and soda. Stir in the first mixture and mix until all ingredients are combined.

Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Cool.

Servings: 20 Bars

Calories/Serving: 117

Nutrition: One serving (bar) provides approximately: 117 calories; 2 g protein; 21 g carbohydrates; 3 g fat (1 g saturated); 11 mg cholesterol; 2 g fiber; 12 mcg folate; 1 mg iron; 32 mg sodium.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

What better way to use up your zucchini than in this rich, moise, super yummy, fantastic cake? We had some friends over this past weekend and they were in charge of the dessert. WOW!! It was sooooo good.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

1/2 cup margarine or butter (or 1/2 cup mashed beans)
1/2 cup oil
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs (or 2 Tbsp. powdered eggs)
2 cups grated zucchini (if the zucchini is large, remove seeds first)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 TBS cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

Mix all wet ingredients first, then dry ingredients.
Grease a 9X13" pan (I also tried it in 2 (9 inch) pans- works perfect- keep one and give one away)

Topping
3/4 Cup Pecans-chopped
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Chocolate chips
Mix together and sprinkle on the top. Pat it down just a little.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 min.

Serve warm with vanilla Ice Cream!

Our new favorite cake!!
Enjoy

PETE Jars

Convenient and Air-Tight Food Storage Containers

PETE Jars

Many people have been using PETE Jars for storing food for years.  However, not everyone is familiar with these containers.  Plastic PETE Jars derive their name from the symbol on the botom of the container.  On this particular type of jar, the symbol is 1 with the letter designation of PETE or PET.  This type of plastic is considered BPA Free and air tight.  This type of plastic container is commonly used for juice containers, sports drinks and other liquid and food products.
So, why use PETE Jars?  For us, having our grains, seeds, nuts and legumes in PETE jars encourages us to use and rotate our food storage.  Keep the jars in the pantry, in your cupboards or on a bookcase like we do and have easy access to your for storage.  The PETE jars  are so air tight that you can add an oxygen absorber with a metal lid and it will hold a tight seal and help provide a great long-term food storage option.  Many of them are made in a square design, so they maximize space.  They are clear, which helps you see the contents easily.  However, this also means that for long-term storage they should be stored in a box or kept in a dark place.

Canning grape juice

Grape Juice

1. Pick grapes.
2. Prepare quart bottles. I washed mine in the dishwasher on a sani-rinse.
3. Fill basin of steamer approximately 3/4 full of water.
4. Rinse grapes, picking out leaves or debris. Leave grapes on the stems.



5. Place grapes into steamer. Pack, but don't press.
6. Bring water in basin to a boil. Turn down to medium heat.
7. After about 50 minutes, you will be able to fill one or two still-hot quart bottles.
8. Place flats on full bottles and finger-tighten the rings.
9. Check water in basin. Refill if necessary.



10. After an additional 20 to 40 minutes, you should be able to fill approximately three or four more bottles. Place flats and rings.
11. Process in a water bath for 5 minutes (adjust for elevation). The USDA also adds sugar (which is optional) and an additional step of refrigerating, straining and reheating the grape juice before processing in order to reduce tartaric acid. The tartaric acid crystals don't bother me, so I skip this step. I add my own sugar when using the juice.
Here is a link to official recipes and water bath times: UGA - Grape Juice.

Also:

A. If you aren't going to strain the juice, don't stir or push the grapes or you will get a lot of debris in your bottles.

B. After filling my quarts, I did stir the grapes in the pot and then let it cook a little longer. I saved that juice to strain and serve that day. Approximately two total quarts were taken after the grapes were stirred.

C. I had an apple box and a full shopping bag full of concord grapes. It yielded about 20 total quarts.

D. We reconstitute our juice with a little more than a full additional bottle of water and 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar. Each crop of grapes is different. Adjust to your own taste.

My kids favorite is to reconstitute our juice with a 2 liter of seven up!

Homemade Solar Cooker

This is a picture of my current solar cooker.  It is a hybrid Windshield Shade Solar Cooker based on models developed by Kathy Dalh-Bredine and Sharon Cousins. 

I added the silver bowl after several failed attempts to balance the cooking rack on just the windshield shade.  I also added the black lid after my first failed roll cooking experiment.  I read through a great FAQ on solar cooking and noticed that they mentioned needing to use the black lid.

Materials:
*Reflective Windshield Shade
Mine is oversized.  $5 from Amazon.
*Velcro
To attach the edges of the windshield shade. $3 at Walmart.
*Bucket/Pots/Basket
In which you place the windshield shade.  I used two flower pots stacked.  We were also successful with a five gallon buckets with rocks inside.  A square laundry basket also worked - but I needed the basket.
*Large Silver Bowl
*Square Cooling/Cookie Rack
*Black Pot with Black Lid
Mine is a 12 lb. roaster from Walmart ($11).  It is actually too big but I've been nesting a smaller second pan inside.  I still need to try cooking directly in this pan.
*Cooking Bag
I needed turkey size to accommodate the black pan.  This can be reused.

Optional:
*Internal Cooking Thermometer
  It is fantastic for making perfect steaks and tender chicken.  It has been extremely helpful in our cooking experiments because I am able to track temperature without opening the bag and pan (which usually results in a a 20 degree temperature drop).  It is wireless and I can read the temperature from within my home.

Instructions:
1.  Attach Velcro to the windshield shade as shown here.   I used an oversized windshield shade so it took four two-inch pieces evenly spaced.  It is easier if you make sure that the Velcro is put on the notched long side.

2.  Place the windshield shade funnel into your bucket or pot. 

3.  Place cooling rack into silver bowl.  I used scotch tape at the corners to keep it from slipping.  If your rack is larger than the bowl, you can just have it rest on the edges.

4. Place bowl and cooling rack into funnel.

5. Place food into either the black pot directly or a smaller nesting pan within the black pot. 

6. Place the black pot into the cooking bag.  Fasten tightly.  I like to tightly twist the bag opening and then insert the twist tightly into the pot handles.

7. Place pot and bag onto the cooling rack inside the silver bowl. 

8. Tilt the setup so that the funnel optimizes the sun light.  I can see the best position by looking at the shadow on the ground behind the windshield shade.  Continue to adjust every 30 minutes or so as the sun moves across the sky.

9. Cook until items reach desired temperature or until food is cooked thoroughly.

Hints:
*Cooking will be most successful on a clear day.  Sun rays are most direct and consequently your cooking temperatures will be optimized between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  Smaller food pieces will cook more quickly.

Toffee Apple Dip

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2-1 (11oz) pkg Heath milk chocolate toffee bits

Beat cream cheese, sugars and vanilla together until fluffy. Stir in toffee chips. Serve with sliced Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples. YUM!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Covered Brownie Bites- To Die For!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Covered Brownie Bites

1 brownie mix such as Pillsbury

2 Cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup peanut butter

1. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Bake until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center but still slightly undercooked. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. When you are able to touch brownies comfortably, scoop brownies with a medium cookie scoop, roll tightly into a ball and place onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Continue rolling until brownies are gone. Freeze brownies until very firm, a couple hours or overnight. No worries if your brownie balls aren’t perfect, once frozen reshape them. They are easier to handle when chilled.

2. Place chocolate chips over a double broiler (or heat in microwave until smooth) to melt, then stir in peanut butter until creamy smooth. Roll each frozen brownie ball into chocolate and place onto wax paper to dry. Enjoy room temperature or chilled.

Striped Delight

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs (we would place Graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin).
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
Combine and press into 9x13 inch pan

First layer:
1 package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Beat until smooth add 1/2 container of cool whip and mix together. Spread over crust.

Second layer:
Mix 2 packages instant pudding of your choice (my favorite is chocolate, but pistachio is good also) with 3 1/2 cups cold milk. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Chill.

Before serving, top with remaining cool whip.

Chocolate Chip cookie Dough Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
from Annie's Eats

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies (if you feel ambitious)
Mini chocolate chips

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. If the mixture is too soft or sticky to handle with your hands, refrigerate for an hour until it firms up. (Mine was just right - no chilling needed, but the original recipe suggested it.)

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture. You can be generous with the cookie dough mixture. I had about a 1/2 cup leftover.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Almond Joy Brownies

I love these brownies because they are easy, delicious, and have ingredients that I usually have in my cupboard.

Marie

1 box (the 1 lb family size or 9x13" size) brownie mix

2 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup almonds chopped

1 cup coconut

Mix brownies according to package directions, and then stir in remaining ingredients. Bake according to package directions.

*I prefer my brownies with more brownies and less "stuff" but you could add in more nuts, extract, and coconut!

Creme de Menthe Brownies

Creme de Menthe Brownies
Ingredients

* 1 cups (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 11/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
* Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
* Chocolate frosting
*

Frosting:

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
* 1/3 cup cocoa
* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.

Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.

Bubble Pizza

This has become one of our favorite meals. It is a quick & easy way to make pizza. The best part, you put whatever toppings you and your family likes in it.

2 tubes buttermilk biscuits
1 jar of pizza sauce
2 cups cheese
Any pizza topping you & your family likes

If you are using sausage or hamburger, brown and drain the meat.

Cut the biscuits into quarter. Put the biscuits and pizza sauce in a bowl. Add in all your pizza toppings except the cheese (for this pizza we did sausage, pepperoni, olives, green pepper). Mix it all together and place in an ungreased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Put the cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes.
Note: For the pizza sauce, you can use any kind of sauce you want. Sometimes we use a big can of tomato sauce and put in our own seasonings. Next time, I think we are going to try it Hawaiian style with ham and pineapple.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

This can be a great freezer meal. I will add those directions at the bottom.

For each meal you will need:
1 lb Turkey Kielbasa or any kind of sausage you like, cut into thin slices
1 can Rotel
1 cup cubed colby cheese
1/2 cup Italian Dressing
12 ounces rotini pasta

Brown the sausage and then toss everything together with the cooked pasta. I like to serve this with rolls or cornbread.

When I make this, I usually buy the big 3 lb package of smoked Polish Sausages. I then brown up the sausages and divide into three portions and place each portion into gallon size freezer bags (the third one we eat for dinner). Then into each bag and our dinner, I add 1 can rotel, 1 cup cubed colby cheese and 1/2 cup italian dressing. I then place the two bags into the freezer.

When I want to have one of these meals for dinner, I get out one of my bags and let it thaw. I boil my pasta then add the stuff in the bag to the cooked pasta and let it heat up.

Here are our bags ready to be frozen.

Dorito Casserole

Dorrito Casserole

I got this recipe several years ago from a friend. I remembered about it a few weeks ago so we had it again and I was reminded how much we like it.

1 - 14 1/2 oz can Enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup cheese
1 bag Dorritos, any flavor (this time I used the ranch flavored Dorritos and really loved it, but I also really enjoy it with the cheese flavored ones, but you can use any kind you would like.)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Crush the chips and spread half of them on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Mix the sauce, soup, chicken & onion in a bowl and spread over the chips. Sprinkle cheese over the sauce. Then top with the remaining chips. Bake for 35 minutes.

Simple Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from allrecipes.com

 

 

1 cup potato, peeled and diced

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup half-an-half (I just use milk)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (I use lots more, to taste)

2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded

1 can crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in butter for 10 minutes.

Add flour to sauteed mixture, stirring well. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add milk and broth, gradually stirring into vegetable mixture.

Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. stir in salt and pepper, add chicken and stir well.

Pour into 9x13 inch pan and top with crescents, rolled flat.

Bake for 20- 30 minutes until crescents are golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Southwest Egg Rolls

Southwest Egg Rolls

2-3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp dried onion

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 small can green chillies

1/2 Tablespoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash Cayenne pepper

1 cup cheese (we used mozzarella, but cheddar would be good too)

Flour Tortillas

Avocado-ranch dipping sauce

1 cup ranch

1 whole avocado

1 tsp minced onion

Blend together in blender. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Saute all the ingredients except the cheese together (I don't like biting into crunchy peppers, so I added my green pepper first and then added the rest of the ingredients) until warm. Remove from heat and add shredded cheese. Warm tortillas. Place about 1/2 cup mixture onto tortilla and fold and roll up so that the mixture can't get out. Place inside a panni or george forman grill to grill and melt cheese. Serve dipping sauce.

Thai Tofu Noodles

Thai Noodle Salad with Saute Tofu (from Cooking Light)

Tofu:
3/4 pound firm water-packed tofu, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon peanut oil

Noodles:
3/4 pound uncooked rice vermicelli

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (such as Three Crabs)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Remaining ingredients:
2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. To prepare tofu, cut tofu into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange tofu slices in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Top with several more layers of paper towels; top with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan. Let stand 30 minutes. Remove tofu from paper towels; cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Combine tofu, 2 tablespoons juice, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate at room temperature 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, swirling to coat; heat 30 seconds. Remove tofu from bag; discard marinade. Add tofu to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp, carefully turning to brown all sides. Remove from heat.

3. To prepare noodles, while tofu marinates, place vermicelli in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water. Let stand 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well. Set noodles aside.

4. To prepare dressing, combine 1/4 cup juice and next 8 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon red pepper), stirring with a whisk.

5. Combine vermicelli, lettuce, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss well to combine. Top with tofu.