Monday, February 28, 2011

Sweet Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Yellow Corn Meal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or Paper-line muffin pans.
Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter in small bowl; mix well.  Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended.  Pour into prepared muffin cups filling about 2/3 full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool slightly.  Serve warm.

** My girls Love muffins for breakfast, but they are picky about what kind.  They like just plain muffins.  I used to buy the jiffy mixes, but now I make them with this recipe or with Cream of Wheat.  They are more moist than the jiffy mixes.  I Like to make mini-muffins too.  They are easier for the kids to eat.

*This recipe came off the corn meal box.

February Weekly Menu 4

Sunday:  Corn Beef Casserole/Veggie/Salad/Jello
Monday:  Pizza
Tuesday:  Tomato Macaroni Soup
Wednesday:  Pot Pies (yes, the banquet brand ones)
Thursday:  LEFTOVERS
Friday:  Mini-Meatloafs/Roasted Potatoes/Veggie

The Birthday of my BLOG is in March!  Hmmm, what should I do to celebrate?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Crocheted Hat and Flowers

I know this has turned into more of  a food blog, but when I did my first post, I did say that it was going to be a blog of whatever else I KREATE!  Well, I have been trying to keep my hands busy...and not with the computer. 
  
 Back at Halloween time I found the pattern for this hat...only the person doing it did it in Halloween colors.  I thought it would look cute in other colors too, so here is one I made.  I DID NOT make the flower on the hat.  But I plan to make some like it!

 My girls were arguing who got to wear it and who's it was.  Their Dad told them that there would probably be 50 of them around in the next few days that they could choose from.  Can't tell whether he likes my new project or not.  I suppose there will be a few more made though.

********************************************
Bubble Gum Pink

Black and White

Cozy Red

Warm Natural with Brown

Brown with Natural Creams

Mixed Pink with White

Denim Blue with White

Burgandy with Warm Natural

Black and White
**********************************************
B is wearing the Burgandy with Warm Natural

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Helpful Tip

A Good Friend from back home shared a tip on how to save time in the kitchen.  Check out her tip on her blog:  Green Eyed Girl Crafts!  I Love how organized her freezer is.
Thanks Vicki for the Great Idea!

I always try to buy hamburger in bulk.  It saves $$$.  My mom taught me to do this.  I divide it up (usually in 1 lb chunks), wrap it in seran wrap then foil and freeze it.  A trick I saw Jim's mom do was premake hamburger patties also.  Stack them with wax paper between each patty.  Wrap with seran wrap then foil and freeze.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Pioneer Pancakes

1 cup milk
3/4 cup wheat
2 eggs
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp oil

Blend together milk and wheat on high in blender. Blend for 4 minutes.  Turn to low and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on hot griddle like you would pancakes.  They will be thin.  Serve with maple syrup. 


I LOVE THESE!  They take me back to when I was little and would stay at Grandma's.  She would make these for us for breakfast.  I stuck the leftovers in the fridge and enjoyed snacking on them (cold) throughout the week.

February Weekly Menu 3

Sunday:  Cheese Nib Chicken
Monday:  VALENTINE'S  Spaghetti/Green Beans/Garlic Bread
Tuesday:  Fish-n-Chips(tator tots)
Wednesday:  Baked Potatoes
Thursday:  LEFTOVERS
Friday:  SAMANTHA'S B-DAY!  Sloppy Jo's/Pasta Salad/Chips

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sour Cream Banana Bread

Bread in Picture was made by my Mom!

1/2 c. crisco
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 c. flour
1 c chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts for this recipe)
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
  Cream Crisco and sugar.  Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla.  Add sour cream.  Gradually add dry ingredients.  Mix nuts, sugar and cinnamon and set aside.  Grease bundt pan or loaf pans.  Spread 1/2 nut mixture on the bottom of pan.  Add 1/2 of the batter.  Add remaining nut mixture and then the rest of the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.
Makes 1 bundt pan, or 2 loaves, or about 5 small loaf pans.
**This is my Mom's Recipe.  This bread is moist and tender.  Mom always makes it for Christmas.  I Love the cinnamon/sugar/nut mixture on the bottom.  

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Baked Chicken Penne with Broccoli

Recipe taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
** See below for adjustments I made
Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your own)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.
Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.
Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

** We used regular mozzarella cheese.  We don't like too much spice/seasoning so we cut the tyme down to 1/2 tsp.  I also added only half of the jar of sundried tomatoes, knowing the kids wouldn't like them.  This meal was delicous!  Jim helped me fix it.  The kids were hesitant about it because it was something new.  My 2 year old loved it!  I will definately be making this again!

February Weekly Menu 2

Sunday:  Grilled Pork Chops/Long Grain Rice/Green Salad/Peas
Monday:  Viola Meal/Peaches and Cottage Cheese
Tuesday:  Grilled Cheese
Wednesday:  Tacos
Thursday:  LEFTOVERS
Friday:  Heart Shaped PIZZA....From Papa Murphy's

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine Cookies II

Picture taken from Betty Crocker
This idea came from Betty Crocker.  Gotta Love Betty!
Roll dough into 1" balls then roll the balls in sugar.  Place on baking sheet.  Press heart shaped chocolate onto top of cookie.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  I used Hershey Heart Chocolates on half and Reese's Peanut Butter Heart Shaped Cups on the other half.  MMMMM!  Peanut Butter and Chocolate!  Perfect combination!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Homemade Valentine's


I Love how these turned out!  Yes, it took A LOT more time than just purchasing already made Valentine cards, but it was fun putting these together with the kids.  And thanks to Dad/Jim for helping out.  He always makes things go a little smoother.
Jim's mom does this fun craft/card idea with the kids when we are camping.  We decided to do it with our Valentine Cards.

To make your own tie-died paper:
Cut cardstock to the size you want.  Spread a layer of shaving cream (1/2"-1" thick) on a paper plate/pie tin/cookie sheet, whatever will be big enough for your paper.  Then drop 3-4 drops of food coloring (per 6" square area) across the top of the shaving cream.  Use a popcicle stick and make zigzags through the shaving cream...creating designs with the food coloring.  Press paper face down on shaving cream.  Lift paper up.  Scrape off shaving cream and TA DA!  COOL DESIGN.
We used latex gloves to keep our hands from being colored.  We glued a matching solid color on the back and the kids wrote their Valentine's message on the back.

HURRAY!  4 KIDS NEEDING VALENTINE'S!  ALL VALENTINE'S ARE DONE!  Now to make the treats for their parties!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

THE LUCKY WINNER IS.....

Thanks to all who entered!  I love reading your comments.  Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.  Ok, Ok!  I will announce the winner!  The winner was chosen by True Random Number Generator at Random.Org.

And the Winner is.....
 Comment #9
Michelle Pedersen

Congrats!

Valentine Rice Krispy Treats


I got the idea for this fun treat from another Blog I like to check out.

I made mine a little different.  I used Strawberry Marshmallows and just followed the microwave recipe on the back of the Marshmallow package to make the Rice Krispy part.  I used a heart shaped mold to shape them.  After letting them set for about 5 minutes I then carefully pushed a sucker stick into them.  I drizzled melted white chocolate over the top then added the sprinkles before the chocolate set up.  After they were set up I packaged them in bags with a ribbon.  Quick, and very easy! 

Ingredient list
1 package strawberry marshmallows
1 box rice krispies
Margarine
White Chocolate chips
Sprinkles.


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Corn Dogs

In response to the question by Anonymous....Deep Fry in Oil...Using a Fry Daddy or some other version of an oil deep fryer.

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
12 hot dogs
12 craft sticks

Combine egg and milk.  Add dry ingredients to form batter.  Heat hotdogs in boiling water.  Dry hotdogs off and insert stick.  Dip hotdog in batter, covering the whole hotdog.  Deep Fry in oil at 375 degrees until golden brown.


**Once in awhile Jim gets the urge to make stuff from scratch.  This was one of his urges.`(Except for the hotdog part)!  We haven't bought "already made" corndogs since.  They really are quite easy.  We even took one hot dog, cut it up and made bite size corndogs...otherwise known as Hushpuppies. 

*This recipe came from the Koosharem Relief Society Cookbook.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

WOO HOO! 10,000 Hit GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED
10,000 HITS
So I was watching my count about 10 days ago because I wanted to do another GIVEAWAY when I got 10,000 hits.  Well, I was about 40 hits away...the last time I checked, and my counter reset to 9,000.  Not sure what happened, but, I'm there again!  Thanks to all of you!  So,  Let's do a GIVEAWAY!  I hinted previously about this GIVEAWAY.  I LOVE sharing some of my favorite kitchen accessories....things that make being in the kitchen a little easier.  This GIVEAWAY has extra value too.  It is HOMEMADE!
My very talented MIL and her very talented Mom (also know as Grandma) made these.
*2 Handmade Hot Pads
*1 Handmade Dish Rag
*1 Handmade No-Scratch Scrubber

I'm so EXCITED to share these with someone!  They are wonderful!
**
Here's how to enter:
Three Chances to win.  Leave a seperate comment for each chance.

#1 This one is Mandatory....How did you hear about or find my Food Blog?

#2 Share this on Facebook or on your Blog.

#3 Become a Follower...If you already are, just let me know in your comment.

Please leave your e-mail in your comment so if you win I can contact you.

This GIVEAWAY will close at NOON on Saturday the 12th, 2011.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Cookie Monday Recipe

QUICK TIP!
When making your frosting for Valentine Cookies, use some juice off of marachino cherries.  It gives your frosting a yummy cherry flavor and colors it a soft pink.  This tip came from my Mom!  That's the only way I do it!
You can't have Valentines without Heart Shaped Frosted Sugar Cookies!
Here's the Recipe for the Sugar Cookie Recipe I like best!
It works best when I frost the cookies and the kids decorate.

February Weekly Menu 1

Sunday:  BBQ Pork Ribs/Baked Potato/Jello/Corn
Monday:  Beef Stroganoff/Green Beans
Tuesday:  Breakfast Casserole
Wednesday:  Sloppy Joe Bake /Cooked Carrots
Thursday:  LEFTOVERS
Friday:  Baked Chicken Penne/Bread

The Baked Chicken Penne was a new recipe I tried!  It was soo delicious!  I will post the recipe for it soon!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Super Bowl Sunday Menu


I have been stewing over lots of different snack ideas for the super bowl.

Chocolate chip cheese ball
homemade taquitos
hot and spicy chicken strips
7-layer dip
cream cheese/caramel apple dip
strawberry cream cheese fruit dip
nachos
buffalo wings
Mom's beef sandwiches
chicken salad on croissants
artichoke dip
icecream sundaes
rootbeer floats
Connie's wontons
Kettle Corn
Worms
chips/onion dip

There's just a few that I remebered as I am posting.  But I think I have narrowed it down.
So, here is my menu for Super Bowl!

Lunch:  BBQ Pork Spareribs/Baked Potatoes/Veggie/Jello/Rolls

FOR the GAME:
Strawberry Cream Cheese Fruit Dip/Apples and Strawberries
DR. Pepper (for me) Kids get Sprite
Store bought Taquitos

At the risk of losing some followers.....
GO STEELERS!!



Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dilly Dip

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. grated onion (I use dehydrated minced onions)
1 Tbsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 Tbsp. dry parsley

Combine all ingredients, stirring well.  Let stand overnight to blend flavors. 

*This recipe came from the Koosharem Relief Society Cookbook.  Use it for a veggie dip, chip dip, or with your turkey!
**This is our always "go to" dip.  It is at almost every family get together.  So easy to make....my kids make it for me and the kids love it too!
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