Mixing Bowls and Measuring Spoons

Pumpkin Scones with Berry Butter

2009-01-04T10:00:00.004-06:00

I tried this recipe from my Mom's October/November 2008 copy of Taste of Home. Such a fantastic source of recipes! This particular magazine had a whole section on recipes made with pumpkin. What could be better?!? This recipe stood out to me and was actually the grand prize winner in their "Pumpkin Patch Specialties" contest. I decided it would be the perfect breakfast for Christmas Eve morning. I was right! This is such a delicious recipe and simple to make. I love scones, but these in particular are fantastic. And the cranberry butter recipe to accompany the scones - amazing! Just make sure and make the butter the night before. It's better that way. I know the Fall months of baking pumpkin recipes are over, but in my personal opinion, pumpkin recipes are great year round! :) Give this a try - you'll love it!

PUMPKIN SCONES WITH BERRY BUTTER

Berry Butter
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Place cranberries in a small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes; drain and chop. In a small mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and cranberries; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Pumpkin Scones
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, optional

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pie spice, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, pumpkin and milk; add to crumb mixture just until moistened. Stir in pecans if desired.

Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Pat into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges; separate wedges and place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with berry butter.

Yield: 8 scones and about 1/2 cup berry butter

Robin

Fruit Oatmeal Cookie Bars

2008-01-08T18:17:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking with the dawn of this new year that I really need to start paying more careful attention to the things I feed my kids. It seems lately that all they want to do is eat, and when they recently devoured an entire box of Kellogg's® Nutri-Grain® Cereal Bars within the span of two short days, I knew I reallllly needed to get serious...for their sake, and for the sake of our grocery budget! And I've been inspired lately to try more home made meals and snacks, as opposed to conveniently prepackaged food items, so this afternoon I tried these yummy Fruit Oatmeal Cookie Bars found at allrecipes.com. They were a big hit during our Tuesday Tea Time today! Just as good (if not better) than the name brand store bought variety (at least in my opinion), and, if not actually better for my kids, I at least felt better for having made them myself. :)

Fruit Oatmeal Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups any flavor fruit jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the preserves over the top and sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture, gently pressing crumbs into jam.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Melissa

Belgian Wassail

2007-12-29T10:13:00.000-06:00

I tried this recipe for the first time this year and found it to be surprisingly delicious despite how easy it was to prepare. And you can easily pour the leftover wassail back into the apple juice container and refrigerate; simply warm up a cup of it in the microwave anytime you want!

Belgian Wassail

2 oranges
2 lemons
4 cups water
1 tablespoon allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar
1 gallon apple juice

In large bowl, squeeze juice from oranges and lemons. Reserve juice and rinds. In large saucepan boil water, orange and lemon rinds, allspice and cinnamon. Simmer 1 hour. Remove rinds and add sugar, apple juice and reserved juice. Stir to dissolve sugar. Serve hot.

Makes 20 servings.

Robin

Pasta Bake

2007-12-18T17:21:00.001-06:00

I have been making this recipe for years! It meets so many family menu needs - cheap, easy, fast, large and mighty tasty!

Italian Pasta Bake

1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
4 cups mostaccioli or penne pasta, cooked, drained
1 jar or can of spaghetti sauce, any type
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups shredded Italian cheese

Brown meat in large skillet and drain.

Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Spoon into 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Celeste

Cranberry-Orange Bread

2007-11-21T22:06:00.000-06:00

This delicious recipe came from the mother of my mother's dear friend growing up, Mrs. Beissner. It is a delicious recipe and really pretty easy to put together. The kids helped me with it today!

Cranberry-Orange Bread

2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. grated orange rind
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1-2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Combine orange juice and grated rind with well-beaten egg. Pour all at once into dry ingredients, mixing just enough to dampen. Carefully fold in chopped nuts and cranberries. Spoon into greased loaf pan. Spread corners and sides slightly higher than the center. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until crust is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan. Cool.

** I am not a nut person, so I leave them out. It is still delicious!

Celeste

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-10-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

These soft cookies are a fall favorite in my family, and I've been meaning to share the recipe here for over a month now! The kids and I made another double batch yesterday and their numbers are rapidly diminishing. :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C. butter or butter flavored Crisco
3/4 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. canned pumpkin puree
2 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. chocolate chips

Cream together butter and brown sugar, then add eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin and beat well. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, and stir into mixture. Stir chocolate chips into the batter, and drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Melissa

Taco Salad

2007-10-09T22:19:00.001-05:00

Two recipes in one day! I guess I'm making up for not posting any in so long!

This recipe is one my mom has made for a number of years. I hadn't made it in awhile and finally prepared it for dinner last night. It's such a wonderful salad, I just have to share the recipe. Our version has changed somewhat over the years, but I will post the original recipe to the best of my memory. Some of the ingredients you just add as much as you prefer. The original recipe is for twice the amount I suggest - and my family has been known to consume it all in one night - but unless you have a very, very big bowl, you may want to see if the smaller portion is enough. :)

Taco Salad

1 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
tomatoes, diced
1 lb. hamburger meat
1 15oz. can Ranch Style beans
shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag chile cheese flavored Fritos
creamy italian dressing

Mix together the lettuce, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Brown the hamburger meat and warm up the beans on the stove. Drain the hamburger meat and drain and rinse (with warm water) the beans. Stir into the salad mixture. Add desired amount of cheese. Crunch up the Fritos and either stir directly into the salad before serving, or add to individual servings to maintain crunchiness. Add dressing if desired.

Variation: Though the dressing was always very yummy in the salad, to keep the salad healthier, we no longer use it. The Fritos flaver it enough. Personally, I like to use baked Tostitos in place of the Fritos. They don't give the additional flavor, so I also add a little picante sauce, like a dressing. Today I tried something new since I didn't have any picante sauce. I sprinkled just a little Lawry's Seasoned Salt into my bowl of salad. Perfect! I think this will be my new preferred way to eat it! Of course, the rest of my family still sticks with the Fritos. And I must say, they really do make the salad extra yummy!!!

Robin

Pumpkin Cream Muffins

2007-10-09T18:55:00.000-05:00

This delicious recipe comes from the Gooseberry Patch Pumpkin Cookbooklet #15. I made it for the first time today, and even though I didn't have quite enough cream cheese and I forced all of mine into 12 muffins instead of the 18 it was supposed to make, they still turned out super yummy!

Pumpkin Cream Muffins

1-1/3 c. sugar, divided
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs, divided
3/4 c. oil
1 c. canned pumpkin
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened (I used about 5 oz. of fat-free cream cheese)

Topping:
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. butter

Combine one cup sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, 2 eggs, oil and pumpkin; set aside. In a separate bowl, blend together cream cheese, remaining sugar and remaining egg. Pour pumpkin mixture into greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Place a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center of each muffin. Sprinkle each with one teaspoon topping mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Makes 1-1/2 dozen muffins.

Robin

Butter Pecan Peach Cake

2007-09-05T23:16:00.000-05:00

I made this dessert last week when our engaged couple was coming over for our Sponsor Couple meeting. They raved about it last week and asked for the recipe tonight. So I thought I would post it here as well. This recipe is taken again from my Country Quick and Easy cookbook put out by Gooseberry Patch. They call it a cake. I would call it a cobbler. It was mighty tasty with vanilla ice cream on top.

I did several things differently. I used two 15 oz. cans of peaches not in syrup. I use the ones packed in juice. I did use the butter pecan cake mix if you can find it. I used margarine, which is usually fine. I did not use nuts and coconut. We don't like either!

Butter Pecan Peach Cake

29 oz. can sliced peaches, undrained
18.25 oz. pkg. butter pecan or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut

In the bottom of an ungreased 13" x 9" baking pan, pour in peaches and syrup. Cover with dry cake mix; drizzle butter over the top. Sprinkle with pecans and coconut. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 18 to 24 servings.

Celeste

Nibble Sticks

2007-08-31T17:31:00.000-05:00

Like Celeste, I knew when I was planning our curriculum for the fall that I wanted to include special "tea times" at least once a week. (Maybe more!) However, knowing how much I love to bake, especially in the fall and winter months, I was a little worried that this might lead to an excessive amount of unhealthy snacks. Yesterday, though, I was paging through a cute little cookbook I bought used a few months ago (Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook) and came across a recipe for "Nibble Sticks", which sounded quite tasty and relatively simple to make. Since it was nearing lunchtime, I rounded up the kids and led them to the kitchen, where they helped me mix together a quick batch. The ingredients are ones that I usually have readily available, and required such little effort. They turned out delicious, too! We actually ended up eating only these for lunch (I had thought we'd include them with lunch), and even Meghan enjoyed munching on one. But the highest compliment came from Darren, who, devouring three in rapid succession after arriving home from work, asked me, "Um, honey? Do you think you could maybe have these on hand all the time?" :)

Here's the recipe:

Nibble Sticks

2 cups of Gold Medal all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of shortening

2/3 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped salami, bologna, or fully cooked ham (we used ham lunch meat)

About 3/4 cup of milk

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese and meat. Stir in just enough milk so a soft dough forms.

3. Sprinkle a surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the floured surface. Knead gently 10 times. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Pat dough into an 8 inch square; cut square in half. Cut each half crosswise into 1-inch strips.

4. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool with ketchup, mustard, or cheese dip if you like.

Enjoy!

Melissa

Smoothie

2007-08-24T16:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I am not sure that this is really a recipe. Rather, a yummy concoction. As many of you know I am a Weight Watchers member. I track my food. I count my points. I am always excited for tasty low point snacks that taste sweet. Today I threw this together and enjoyed the results.

2 Dairy 2 Point Smoothie

1 Weight Watchers 1 point yogurt, any flavor (I am addicted Amaretto Cheesecake)
one half cup skim milk

Shake in an airtight container.
Drink.

I wanted a smoothie. I did not want to drag out the blender. Easy. Very tasty.

(Just a note: On Weight Watchers, as a nursing mom, I need to get three dairy servings a day. I always have a yogurt at breakfast with my quarter cup of granola. This gets me my other 2 dairy servings in a really tasty way.)

Celeste

Fabulous Foolproof Pie Crust!

2007-08-23T12:21:00.000-05:00

After I stated that I just could not make a decent pie crust, my husband's aunt passed this recipe along to me this weekend. She is right! This is indestructible! I made it last night, and for the first time ever I had a crust that was easy to work with, not tough, not crumbly! The egg and the vinegar are the keys! It even smells like a Pillsbury crust (but it doesn't cost nearly three dollars to make!).

Indestructible Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 egg
4 Tbsp ice water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening. In another bowl, mix vinegar, egg, and 3 Tbsp ice water. Drizzle over flour and mix with fork. Add other Tbsp of water as necessary in order to make a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out and cook as recipe directs. Makes 1 double crust pie.

Michele

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake

2007-08-20T09:24:00.000-05:00

OK! This one is really bad, if you know what I mean! It is so bad, you will want to share it with a lot of friends and family so that you will not eat the ENTIRE thing!

This little recipe comes from Country Quick and Easy, a cookbook from one of my favorite catalogs, Gooseberry Patch. I love their catalog. I love their cookbooks. I love their stuff!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I will be making another one tomorrow for our engaged couple that is coming for their first Sponsor Couple meeting Tuesday night.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake

3.5 oz. pkg. non-instant chocolate pudding mix
18.25 oz. pkg. chocolate cake mix
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions. When done, remove from stove top and stir in dry cake mix until just blended. Spread mixture into a greased and floured 13"x9" baking dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips over all. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 14 to 16 servings.

Celeste

Tortilla Soup

2007-08-14T07:36:00.000-05:00

Each year, Celeste's church puts on a wonderful Christmas bazaar where you can not only purchase some beautiful things, but you can also enjoy a fabulous lunch. The favorite menu item is tortilla soup and if you don't get there early enough, they will run out! But that is okay because several years ago I purchased their cookbook, Scents from Heaven, and it contains the recipe for this amazing soup. This soup has become a favorite in our house (with the exception of one tomato-disliking little boy). Perhaps it will become a favorite in your house as well!

Tortilla Soup

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. butter

2 tsp. Tony's Chachere's Creole seasoning

4 cans chicken broth

3 cans stewed tomato (chopped), do not drain

1 c. Pace picante sauce

1 bunch cilantro, chopped (discard stems)

1 lg. chicken (cooked and deboned) or 4 boneless chicken breasts

Prepared rice, amount as desired

Monterey Jack cheese (grated)

Tortilla chips (broken into pieces)

In a large pot combine butter and garlic and saute for 2 minutes; add Tony's seasoning and stir to mix. Add broth, tomatoes and picante sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and rice. Stir in cilantro and let simmer for 5 minutes. When ready to serve, place tortilla chips and cheese in the bottom of bowl and pour soup over top. Yields 8 servings.

*note* For a reduced fat alternative, I have used baked tortilla chips and 2% cheese - still delicious!!!

Robin

Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls

2007-07-30T08:57:00.000-05:00

When Darren and I were still dating, I sometimes liked to surprise him at the bookstore where he worked with a tray of hot, homemade cinnamon rolls to share with his co-workers on cold Sunday mornings. It made me happy to serve him this way, but the considerable amount of time spent in the kitchen on those crisp fall and winter days were quite enjoyable for me, too, warm and comforting, in a cozy, domestic sort of way. I realized a few weeks ago that it's been years now since I last made cinnamon rolls for him, and never, in fact, have my kids experienced the pleasure of pulling apart the sticky, fresh baked treats, warm from the oven and served by Mom. And so, when I came upon a recipe for cinnamon rolls on the back of a Jiffy baking mix box two weekends ago, I thought I'd give them a try. Not quite the same as the confections of the past, but still, we all agreed, rather tasty. Never satisfied to settle for less than the best, however, I decided this past Saturday night that I was going to redouble my efforts and really go all out for Sunday morning's breakfast. Cinnamon rolls were, again, on the menu, but this time, they'd be the real deal. Out came the cookbooks. Through the cupboards I rummaged. And wouldn't you know, I did, in fact, have everything I needed to try the recipe I loved most! (Thank goodness I finally found that last pesky package of yeast, which I just knew had to be hiding in there somewhere!)

Having reviewed the general instructions, I knew that this would not be a quick, mix together and stick in the oven affair. I was quite all right with that, though, because it was really the effort of "doing" that I actually desired most. I rose at six before the rest of my family was stirring to start the dough, which I knew would have to rise for at least an hour and a half. During that time, in the still, dark quiet, I unloaded the dishwasher and read in the silent living room, joined eventually by Dylan, who curled up beside me on the couch with a book of his own. As the rest of our family joined us one by sleepy one, there was much excitement and happy anticipation as the heady aroma of the rising dough filled the kitchen. When the time finally came to roll it out, all three of my kids were up at the counter, helping and tasting with wide smiles and twinkling eyes. I have to admit that we deviated just a bit from the printed recipe; in place of raisins, we opted instead to fill our rolls with chopped pecans and chocolate chips, a decision that was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from all of us! I'm convinced that these will become a regular Sunday breakfast in our home over the coming months, and I look forward to many happy, toasty mornings spent in my kitchen, serving my family with love.

Cinnamon Buns

1 recipe Sweet Yeast Dough (see recipe below)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup raisins (we used about a 1/4 cup each of chocolate chips and pecans
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare Sweet Yeast Dough; let rise as directed.

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Cut dough in half. Roll one half of dough into 12x8 inch rectangle. Brush rectangle with half of melted butter, sprinkle with half of sugar mixture and half of raisins. Starting with 1 (12 inch) side, roll up jelly-roll style. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut each roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices 1/2 inch apart in prepared pans. (Rolls will spread as they rise.) Cover with towel; let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Spread mixture over rolls. Serve warm.

Sweet Yeast Dough

4 to 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.

Combine milk and butter in 1-quart saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is 120 to 130 degrees. Gradually beat milk mixture into flour mixture with electric mixer at low speed. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and 1 cup flour. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour, about 2 cups, to make soft dough.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; flatten slightly. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour to prevent sticking if necessary. Shape dough into a ball place in large greased bowl. Turn to coat with grease. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough, knead on lightly floured surface 1 minute. Cover with towel; let rest 10 minutes.

(Recipes from In the Kitchen with America's Favorite Brand Name Recipes.)

Melissa

Meat Filling for those Rolls

2007-07-28T05:27:00.000-05:00

I had promised to post our favorite meat filling for these, and so here it is!

Hot Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches

1 Recipe French Rolls (7 individual rolls)
1 lb ground beef
1 diced green pepper
1 diced onion
1 10 3/4 oz can cheddar cheese soup
1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
7 slices American cheese (or your favorite)

Cut off top of rolls and hollow out some of breading (Save 1/2 c. of bread). Cook beef, onion, and pepper on medium heat until brown. Drain. Mix in soup, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 cup breading. Spoon into buns and top with slice of cheese. Replace bun tops. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Great with some oven potato fries!

Michele

Bean's Banana Bread

2007-07-26T17:02:00.001-05:00

Well, you really must try it. I take absolutely no credit, whatsoever. Today we finally got around to making Danielle Bean's recipe for banana bread and it was delicious! I really like the fact that it has no nuts! Go on over to Danielle's place and try the bread. You'll be pleased.

Celeste

Welcome to the Kitchen

2007-07-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Just wanted everyone to send a little welcome to our newest cook to join the kitchen. Melissa from Bountiful Blessings has joined us for some cooking fun. I love everything she creates. She has a lot of creative genius. And her recent peach pie was enough to make us all salivate. I can't wait to see what you offer to our tasty little food blog.

Celeste

Easy Blueberry Cobbler

2007-07-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

With all the recent talk of blueberry recipes (see Blueberry Bash at The Virtual Kitchen and Celeste's yummy 'The Best' Blueberry Muffins recipe below), I decided to post a recipe for a simple blueberry cobbler. This is a recipe I got from my grandmother a long time ago. It's very basic and easy to make - which is sometimes the best kind of recipe when you have toddlers in the house!

Blueberry Cobbler

1 stick oleo
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups milk
3 cups blueberries

Melt oleo in bottom of pan. Layer blueberries over oleo. Mix batter and pour over blueberries. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Simple, but delicious!

Robin

Reality

2007-07-24T19:46:00.000-05:00

Well, just so our readers will not think we are too terribly proud over here, I thought I would offer a dose of reality.

Sick Mama Tuesday Night Dinner Menu

Breaded Flounder, from a frozen bag
Crispy French Fries, from a frozen bag
Green Romaine Salad, from a cold bag
Corn, from a can

Despite the number of containers from whence this meal came, it was truly tasty, not too bad for you and quite pleasing to the eye.

Gotta try the breaded Flounder from Sam's.

Celeste

And here they are!

2007-07-24T13:12:00.001-05:00

The real things! 'The Best' Blueberry Muffins. We made them tiday using some really delicious blueberries. We used an extra cup (a little secret from my mom).

Celeste

A Hint on Making Bread with Small Children

2007-07-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

I have heard from a few people "How do you make homemade bread with small children. It takes a lot of time."

Well, not actually. The hardest part of bread baking is planning ahead. I keep basic ingredients on hand - flour, sugar, big jar of yeast. The most work is the mixing that needs to be done several hours ahead. This coincides perfectly with the really little ones' naptimes. I can mix (and knead if necessary) in the relative peace of only older helpers. And those older helpers can be quite good at the tedious kneading! After that, it really just needs to be put into the oven.! You can do it!

Michele

Homemade French Bread (or Sandwich Rolls)

2007-07-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

This is a versatile little recipe which is easy to make. It is no knead. It can be either a loaf of French bread, served hot alongside a meal, or made into sandwich rolls, stuffed with a fantastic filling (maybe tomorrow, I will share our favorite one!). So without further ado...

French Bread

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon melted shortening
4 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Add sugar, salt, shortening, and remaining water. Add flour and stir until smooth.Cover and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled. Roll out onto floured surface, divide into halves and rest 10 minutes. Roll each half into a 10 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Roll up from a long side and pinch to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet, cover, and let rise 45 minutes. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes 2 loaves.

If you want sandwich rolls: Complete above through first rising of an hour. Then divide dough into 7 individual 4-inch circles (will be about 2 inches tall). Let rise for 45 minutes and then bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Will supply a great beef and cheddar filling for these later! Enjoy!

Michele

As we begin this new adventure...

2007-07-23T17:28:00.000-05:00

I just want to thank Celeste for asking me to join her and Michele in this fun recipe sharing endeavour. I am honored that she has that much faith in my cooking and my choice of recipes! I look forward to posting my favorite mealtime selections, which will more than likely come in the form of desserts, as those are my favorites. And take it or leave it, I will offer any cooking advice I may have acquired over the years in the hope that it may benefit someone else. So until I find that perfect first recipe to post (which I will make happen very soon) - happy cooking, everyone!

Robin

'The Best' Blueberry Muffins

2007-07-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

I know everyone has their favorite recipe for blueberry muffins, but these are "the best". Not only do I think so, but the title actually says it!

My mom has been making these blueberry muffins for as long as I can remember. She clipped this recipe from the Houston Chronicle's weekly Food section years and years ago! It has been a staple ever since. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always have and still do! Here is the recipe as it appears in the newspaper clipping.

'The Best' Blueberry Muffins

From Muffins Elizabeth Alston. The secret is an extra half cup of blueberries which are mashed and added to the batter.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar or less depending on tartness of blueberries
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups blueberries (mash 1/2 cup with a fork)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 to 18 regular muffin cups including the area between each cup, or use foil or paper baking cups.

In a medium bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.

Mix mashed berries into batter.

Fold in half the flour with a spatula, then half the milk. Add remaining flour and milk. Fold in remaining blueberries.

Scoop batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg sugar. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let muffins cool at least 30 minutes in the pan before removing so they won't crumble.

These produce a soft, more cake-like muffin than some recipes. Be sure to adjust amount of sugar to tartness of berries and let cool in pan as directed after baking.

* My mom and I have always used a mixture of cinnamon and sugar instead. It is purely a matter of taste.

Celeste

The Newest Food Blog on the Block

2007-07-23T15:16:00.000-05:00

I think so many of us enjoy blogs for a host of different reasons. One of the reasons, I am sure you would agree, is all the yummy recipes you can collect and try! I am amazed at the number of bloggers out there who have "food blogs." Where have I been? Recently, I have been inspired most especially by the sweet friends in The Virtual Kitchen. They tantalize us with their delicious fare and host a lot of fun with their festivals. While I do not want to copy their blog in any way, I did think it would be lots of fun to share a new "food blog" with a few friends.

So Michele, Robin and I have teamed up to offer recipes for some of the foods that we love to prepare for our families and friends. We hope you enjoy what we have to offer - lots of love from our kitchens to yours!

Celeste