What I've been up to...

I know this post has nothing to do with food, but I wanted to share what else I've been up to lately. I admit I am a bit obsessed with scrabble tiles. I have used them to decorate and make craft projects from.

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My main hobbies are cooking and reading. I have decorated/labeled my bookshelves with scrabble tags. This picture shows a portion of my Jane Austen shelf. I just used hot glue to attach the letters to the trays. If I want to use different words latter, I can just pop them off.

I love advent calendars, so I made myself a scrabble one for this year.

It took me a little while to get this next one figured out. My parents have 13 grandchildren and my husbands parents have 12 grandchildren. The word GRANDCHILDREN has 13 letters. I put a picture of each of their grandchildren in order on the back of the scrabble tiles to spell the word. For my husbands parents, I added 2009 as the last tile. I displayed them two different ways. I am pleased with how each project turned out and hope they like them.

I made myself a set of all these pictures and added ones of aunt, uncles and grandparents. I put the picture on the back of the letter tile that begins their first name. So my picture is on a "T" tile for Tanya. I hung them all on a 4 foot Christmas tree. It is our "Family Tree".

I still have several more craft ideas, but I am running out of tiles. They will have to wait until I find more used games at the thrift shops.

German Pancakes

German Pancakes
My mom used to make this all the time for us when we were kids, but we called the “Hootinany Pancakes”. I had forgotten about them until my son Jeffrey came home from school asking for me to make them. Another kid had it for lunch and he wanted to try it. I made them this morning. Jeffrey peaked in the oven and said “Whoa mom! They are growing out of the pan!” I assured him that it was supposed to be that way. It made me laugh.

1/4 cup butter melted
6 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk
½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour melted butter into baking dish and tilt to coat the entire bottom. Whisk remaining ingredients together until smooth and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. It will rise like a soufflé, and then fall slightly when taken out of oven. Lightly dust with powdered sugar and serve. You can also top with your favorite syrup.

Peanut Butter Layered Brownies

Peanut Butter Layered Brownies
These have become a favorite around our house. I like them even better the next day. The flavors blend together to make a mouth-watering treat!

1 pkg. family size fudge brownie mix
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp cold milk
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can (16 oz) chocolate frosting

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions. Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, milk and pudding mix until smooth. Spread over brownies. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Frost with chocolate frosting.

**Tips**
If you choose to use crunchy peanut butter, you will have to add more milk to make it m spread better.

When spreading peanut butter mixture over brownies, don’t worry about getting brownie crumbs mixed in. The chocolate frosting will cover it all.

Neighbor Gifts

Still looking for an easy and impressive gift for your Neighbors this season? We made these cute treats with red and green M & M's. We packaged them in a cute box and attached the following story.

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As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see…

The M becomes a W, an E and then a 3.

They tell the Christmas story.
It’s one I’m sure you know.
It took place in a stable
A long, long, time ago.

The E is for the East where the star shone oh so bright.

The M is fo the Manger where the baby Jesus slept that night.

The 3 is for the Wisemen bearing gifts, they say they came.

W is for Worship, Hallelujuah Praise to His name.

So as you eat these candies or share them with a friend,

remember the Spirit of Christmas and never let it end.

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Merry Christmas everyone!

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken Alfredo
This meal was a hit! It was very flavorful and the whole family loved it. I altered the original recipe and have given you my substitutions. This makes A LOT of sauce which was great for us. We ate it for dinner last night and I sent it in the kids’ lunch today. We still have sauce for leftovers to have later this week. This recipe yields 10-12 good sized servings.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cubed
6 Tbsp butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 pounds fettuccini pasta, cooked
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup flour
1 Tbsp salt
¾ tsp ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup half and half (I used 1 cup water and 2/3 cup powdered milk)
¾ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
8 oz shredded Colby-Monterey Jack Cheese (I used 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup Mozzarella)
3 roma tomatoes, diced (I used 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
½ cup sour cream

In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add 2 cloves garlic (minced) and Italian seasoning. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink inside. Remove from chicken from the skillet and set aside. Remove any extra juices and discard.

Meanwhile, melt 4 Tbsp butter in the skillet. Sauté onion, 2 garlic cloves (minced) and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly add milk and half-and-half (or the powdered milk substitute), stirring until smooth and creamy. Cook until slightly thickened. Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterey Jack Cheeses stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccini.

***Tips***
I used a pretty large skillet to make the sauce, but I had to transfer it to a stock pot before I added the chicken. This really makes a lot of sauce.

If you do not want leftovers, consider cutting the recipe in half.

Blackberry Pie

Blackberry Pie
This recipe became a favorite after a blackberry picking trip with our cousins in Oregon a few years ago.

1 ¼ cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup flour
4-5 cups blackberries (I like a full pie, so I use 5)
2 pie crusts – unbaked

Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Toss with black berries. Place bottom crust in your pan. Fill with blackberry mixture, mounded slightly. Place top crust; cut slits to allow for venting. Cover edges of crust with foil and back at 400 degree for 40 to 50 minutes. (Removed foil from edges for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking time.)

Apple Pie

Apple Pie
We had this pie for Thanksgiving and we all really enjoyed it. I combined a few different recipes to come up with this one. My family thinks I need to make it more often.

1 recipe for a 9 inch double pie crust
½ cup butter
3 Tbsp flour
¼ cup water
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 large apples – peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about a minute. Reserve ¼ cup of sauce to the side. Add apples to remaining sauce and stir to coat.

Place bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apple mixture, mounded slightly. Cover with lattice work of crust. Gently spread reserved sauce over the crust.

Cover edges of crust with foil and bake the pie 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 35-45 minutes, until apples are soft. I like to remove the foil on the edges for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking time.

The Great Roll Debate

I've been trying to decide on a roll recipe that will become my "go to" recipe. I've tried out a few different ones. I've come down to the two listed below. I made both recipes and sent them to work with my husband for their potluck lunch. He is supposed to have his co-workers vote on which one they like better. I'll let you know the results. I like them both. The honey butter is just heavenly!

Have a Great Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!!

Honey Butter

Honey Butter
This is from the Lion House Pantry. Yes it really does whip for 20 minutes. I promise you the results are worth it. Heavenly!! I suggest doubling it, because one batch will simply not be enough once people taste it.

Ingredients:
· ½ cup butter, softened
· ½ teaspoon real vanilla extract
· ½ cup honey

Method:

Whip softened butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and honey gradually. Beat for 20 minutes. Makes 1 cup.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Lion House Dinner Rolls
This is the recipe for the rolls made at the Lion House Pantry in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are big and soft. Oh so yummy.

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Ingredients:
· 2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
· 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
· 2 tablespoons dry yeast
· 1/4 cup sugar
· 2 teaspoons salt
· 1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
· 1 egg
· 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour
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Method:
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In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). add 1/2 cup at a time until dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl and feels soft and slightly sticky. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

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Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.
Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.

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Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. You can see a tutorial on shaping the rolls at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8wPowCbtbo
Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.

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Helpful Tips for Making Rolls
Always add flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.
It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour called for in the recipe—add only enough flour to make dough manageable.

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To shorten dough's rising time, use one of these methods:
1) When dough is thoroughly mixed, oil bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap. Fill sink or larger bowl with about 2 inches of hot water or enough water to come about half or three-fourths the way up outside the dough bowl. Place bowl of dough in bowl of water and allow to rise until double in size.

2) Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.
Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.

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How to consistently make attractive, good-tasting rolls? Practice! Practice! Practice!

Mom's Dinner Rolls

Mom’s Dinner Rolls By: Barbara Parry
These are the rolls my mom always makes. I use this recipe when I make my chicken rolls too. They are light and tasty!

3 cups warm water
½ cup powdered milk
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
½ cup honey
½ cup oil
1 Tbsp salt
9 cups flour

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, honey, oil, salt and 5 cups of the flour; mix together. Add in 3 more cups of flour and mix in. Add remaining flour a little at a time. You may not need the full 9 cups. Mix until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl and feels soft and slightly sticky. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. Knead for 5 minutes. Let dough rise until double.

Separate dough into 4 balls. Roll out into 12 inch circle…lightly butter circle. Cut like a pie into 12 pieces. Roll up (not too tight), place on greased pan and let rise. Place tail down on bottom and place about ½ in. apart on pan. Bake 350 degrees for 15-20 min. Yields 48 rolls.

Kitchen Mishaps

Okay maybe the word mishap is a bit too mild. Yesterday was a DISASTER in the kitchen. I post this to show that we all have bad baking days and hopefully to bring you a smile.
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*It began with me trying to do too many things at once. I was trying a new roll recipe that utterly failed. I'm not even sure what really went wrong, but I ended up with a heavy lump of dough that would not do anything.
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*Next, I made my regular batch of bread. I was also dealing with the failing roll dough and forgot to add the yeast. So I tossed out both batches of dough and started over on the bread. The second batch was better.
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*In the meantime, I made a big batch of brownies for a baptism I was going to. I decided to bake them in my big cookie sheet with sides. Of course it was too much batter and it overflowed the pan while it was baking. I was able to salvage it by trimming the sides up.
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*Then as I was making myself a simple cheese quasadilla, the microwave shorted something out and tripped the breaker.
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*I decided to simply leave the kitchen, including all the mess, and not go back until the next day. Well today IS the next day. I have to make rolls and toffee bars. I sure hope my kitchen and I can get along better today. Wish me luck....

Hamburger Stew

Hamburger Stew

This stew was a HIT! The broth is so tasty that my son said he would eat it all by itself. We all really enjoyed it. I served it with the Quick and Easy Breadsticks. If you have a bit more time, you could make breadbowls to serve it in. You could throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and let in cook all day. Yummy!

1 lb lean ground beef
1 ½ cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 medium onion chopped
5 cups water
5 Tbsp beef bouillon granules
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 (16 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can corn
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 potatoes, cut into cubes
1 can (14 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp ketchup

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat, Drain off fat.
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender. I simmered mine for about 1 hour. If you are going to simmer it longer, wait to add the potatoes until you are about 45 minutes from serving. Yields 10-12 servings.

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

Quick and Easy Breadsticks
These were super easy. They do not use yeast, so they don’t have to rise. The dough is pretty sticky, but it needs to be in order to make them soft. Just roll them out on a lightly floured surface. I made half garlic parmesan and half cinnamon sugar. It went really well with the soup we had. The kids requested them to go in their lunches the next day.

2 ½ cups flour
4 tsp sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup milk

6 Tbsp butter, melted
Seasonings of your choice

In a small bowl or mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Gradually add milk and stir to form soft dough (it will be sticky). Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 3-4 times. Roll into a rectangle; cut into breadsticks. (The amount yielded will depend on the size you cut them. I ended up with about 30 breadsticks) Place butter in a large jellyroll pan. Place breadsticks in the butter and turn to coat. Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice. Bake at 425 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Yields about 30 breadsticks.

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What's for dinner?

The eternal question of "what's for dinner" has plagued many a parent. While I fully admit that occasionally we have 'cold cereal night' or 'fend for yourself night', I do usually make a meal for us to share. I've tried a number of different ways to create and stick to a menu. The method that works the best for me is a simple list. I make a list of 14 meals and then make sure I have the ingredients for all of them. Each day I pick a recipe off my list that sounds good to me. Once the recipe has been used, I cross it off the list. The list I am currently working off is:

Comfort Chicken - recipe to be posted later.
Haystacks
Quesadilla Bar
Breakfast for dinner
Tomato Basil Chicken
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Bruschetta Chicken
Skinny Tortilla Soup - this one is on the stove for dinner tonight!!
Garlic Chicken with Fragrant Rice - We already had this one. It was NOT a keeper.
Hamburgers
Garlic & Brown Sugar Baked Chicken - I'll post this one if it turns out well.
Slow Cooked Italian Chicken
Herbed Chicken and Vegetables
Creamed Tuna over Biscuits

This method works best for me because I can decide each day what sounds good or what I have time to make and know that I have all the ingredients I'll need. It allows for changes in my schedule as well as my moods.

Now it's your turn. Leave me a comment and share how you manage your menu.