1 Year Anniversary GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Ok, I have been way slow with this GIVEAWAY.  March is my Blog's Anniversary.  I wanted to do alot more to celebrate 1 YEAR doing this blog, but just haven't done it.  It's crazy to me to think that my blog is a year old already.  Thanks to all of you that have supported me and for all of the wonderful comments.  This blog is turned into more than I ever thought it would be.  With that, Here is what I am giving away for my Anniversary to one of you!

It's a Flirty Apron!  Have you heard of them?  I first saw them in the mall in Provo about 5 years ago.  I thought they were so cute, but never got one for me.  A few weeks ago I saw an add to purchase "irregular" Flirty Aprons for more than half off the regular price.  I took the chance on the "irregular" title, and bought two.  One for me and one to give away!  The "irregular" on this one is just some smudging on the print in a few spots.  You can only see it if you are looking closely.

Anyway, it is an adorable Apron!  And I am GIVING IT AWAY!

To enter for a chance to win this APRON, all you have to do is:

Leave me a Comment!

Please leave contact information in your comment.  I will only contact you if you win!

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This GiveAway will close March 31st at 9:00 PM

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Good Luck!  And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Kristi's Kitchen Kreations!

Cookie FANS!

Many of you know that Monday is "COOKIE MONDAY" at our house!  I have tried really hard to make sure I have cookies coming out of the oven every Monday when my girls walk in the door from school.  Some days it is a challenge to get the cookies done, but other days it is a challenge to not eat them all!  I started Cookie Monday when my girls started school in the fall of 2009.  We had just moved from Utah, my girls were starting a new school and the only thing I thought to do to help them when they got home from their first day was make them cookies.  That's when I decided to do it every Monday!  I also have a friend back home that inspired me to make cookies more often.  My girls spent a few afternoons at her house after school a few years ago.  They came home and told me how MRS. M. always had cookies for her kids after school.  Mrs. M. has inspired me in more ways than this, but almost everytime I make cookies for the kids after school I think of her and miss her.  Thanks Mrs. M., we ALL look forward to Cookie Monday!

In honor of Cookie Monday, I wanted to start something new!  I want to share pictures of Cookie Fans!  So, If you have a picture of you or your young one(s) making cookies together, and would be willing to share it, please send it my way!  I want to try to post one a week for Cookie Monday!  E-mail the picture to me at Kristirowley @ hotmail . com.  Please type in the subject bar, "Cookie FANS!"

Check out our first COOKIE FANS!

This is the CUTEST or should I say HANDSOMEST picture!

These COOKIE FANS made the colored cookies for St. Patricks Day.

Thanks for sharing J. Family!

Chocolate Chip Cookies III

1 2/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups chocolate chips
optional: nuts

Cream together shortening and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients, then the chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

*This recipe came from my mom.  All three chocolate chip recipes that I have posted have the same ingredients, just different amounts.  It does make a difference in the taste of the cookie too.  When I made these I used my "BIG" cookie scoop.  The outsides had a nice warm crunch and the inside was soft and melty.  These didn't last long at our house!

March Weekly Menu 4

Sunday:  Jim's B-day!  Fried Chicken/Mashed Potatoes with Chicken Gravy/Corn/Rolls/Jello

Monday:  Spaghetti

Tuesday:  LEFTOVERS

Wednesday:  Homemade Chilli/Homemade Bread 

Thursday:  McDonalds

Friday:  Pizza

Thanks to all who have "LIKED" my Facebook Page.  I Love reading your comments and appreciate your support.

Homemade White Bread

This recipe came from Allrecipes.com

3 cups warm water*

3 tablespoons active dry yeast

3 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup white sugar

8 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix thoroughly, and let sponge rise until doubled in size.
2. Gradually add about 4 cups flour, kneading until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
3. Punch down the dough, let it rest a few minutes. Divide dough into three equal parts. Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning.

*I added 1 cup powdered milk to the warm water.
**So no, this is not as good as Grandma Opal's, but I am quite pleased with how this bread turned out.  I love when a dough is a "good dough" which gets there by lots of kneading.  I allow my mixer to do the kneading, and it still takes about 10 minutes.  If you do it by hand I would suggest kneading it for 15 minutes.
 

Tomato Macaroni Soup



2 cups macaroni pasta

1 lb hamburger

1 quart tomato juice or vegetable juice

2 tsp dehydrated onion flakes or 1/2 of a small onion diced

2 tsp dehydrated celery flakes or 1 stick of celery chopped

1 tsp parsley flakes

salt and pepper

Optional: 1 can sweet corn undrained

Cook macaroni in 8-10 cups of water.  When macaroni is done drain most of the water off, leaving enough in the pan that it just covers the macaroni.  Brown hamburger with onion in seperate fry pan, then drain off any excess grease off hamburger.  Add hamburger, tomato juice, celery, and parsley to macaroni.  Bring to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add corn if you want.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasional.  If it seems too thick you can add more tomato juice or add a few cans of tomato sauce til it is the consistancy you would like.  Enjoy!

**When needing a quick warm meal on a stormy spring day, this always does the trick.  I like to make fresh breadsticks or rolls to go with it.  The kids love that it has macaroni in it.  Anything "Pasta" is a hit with the kids.  Not quite like Tina's Tomato Mac soup at the cafe, but it's still good.

**I love Celery Flakes!  I hardly ever buy celery because no one in the family likes it.  I found a jar of celery flakes in the seasoning section and love them.  When I use them in soup they hydrate and look like fresh celery.  Celery adds alot of flavor to soup, so I always keep a jar on hand.



Homemade Wheat Bread

A few months ago we had a Relief Society meeting and was shown how to make this yummy bread.  With permission from my friend, I am sharing her Homemade Wheat Bread with you!

3 cups hot water

2 cups applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

3 rounded Tbsp SAF instant yeast

1 Tbsp salt

1/2 cup heaping vital wheat gluten

5 Tbsp liquid lecithin (1 Tbsp=Quarter sized amount)

11 cups wheat/oat flour (about 8 cups wheat and 1 cup oats ground)

Place water, applesauce, sugar and yeast in mixer.  Mix a little to allow yeast to mix and grow.  It will start to foam a little after it sits for just a few minutes.  Add salt, gluten, and lecithin.  Begin adding flour one cup at a time.  Allow each cup of flour to mix in thoroughly before adding another.  Let dough mix till it doesn't cling to sides of mixing bowl.  Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.  Let rise in mixing bowl until double in size.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pans with cooking spray.  Punch dough down and divide into 4 equal parts.  Shape dough into loaves and place in pans.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise until slightly above the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove from pans, butter top and enjoy!

*I found the Vital Wheat Gluten at Winco in Reno.  Alison's Pantry also sells it (http://www.alisonspantry.com/).

I found Liquid Lecithin at a health food store here in Carson City.  It can also be found at http://www.pantrysecrets.com/.

** This Bread is So Yummy!  It is good fresh and stays good for several days.  I love having it as toast with honey.  I don't have a wheat grinder, but wanted to try this bread.  A friend ground the wheat for me.  I decided if the family liked the bread and would eat it, I would look into getting a grinder.  Well, my grinder should be coming in the next couple of weeks!  I am so excited.  Thanks Danielle for sharing this recipe!

March Weekly Menu 3

Sunday:  BBQ Pork Ribs/Microwave Potatoes/Corn/Jello

Monday:  Baked Potatoes

Tuesday:  LEFTOVERS

Wednesday:  Mac-N-Cheese

Thursday:  Baked Potato Soup (I baked extra potatoes on Monday for this)

Friday:  Tacos

It's nice to have family that live in Idaho and can get you a good buy on FRESH Potatoes.  We got a 50 lb box awhile ago and have loved having them for what ever we need.  When I do baked potatoes I always do extra so I can make hasbrowns for breakfast.  This week I even used some of the extras in a Baked Potato Soup.  So next time you do baked potatoes, through a few extras in for other uses!

Ham Fried Rice

2 cups non-instant rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup diced ham

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 of a large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, pressed

3 eggs, slightly beaten

olive oil

Cook rice in the chicken broth then let rice cool.  Saute ham, peas, onions and pressed garlic in a WOC or large frying pan with a little bit of olive oil.  When onions are tender add rice to ham/pea mixture.  Pour slightly beaten eggs over the top and stir combining all ingredients.  Cook over medium heat till eggs are done.

**Jim loves to create new dishes.  This is one of his ohhh sooo yummy KREATIONS!  He looked at several different Fried Rice Recipes and after trying a few different things, he created one we like LOVE!

I never knew it was so easy to make these yummy dishes!  The kids loved it too!  And I Love having Jim in the KITCHEN with me!

Colored Cookies

Last year I made THESE for St. Patrick's Day.  The kids didn't care for the lime flavor...which I really like...So I went with the following for our Cookie Monday Cookie....

FOR ST. PATRICKS DAY!

1 1/4 cup margarine
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Optional: food coloring and flavoring

Cream together the margarine and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Then add dry ingredients.  Add food coloring a few drops at a time til you get the color you want.  Add a tsp of flavoring if desired (mint/almond/orange).  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes.

**This recipe came from my Mom.  Without flavoring, the cookies do have a yummy butter flavor.  Mix and match food coloring with coordinating flavors.

Grasshopper Fudge Cake

My cake/picture isn't near as pretty as the one from the Betty Crocker site, but, ohhhh!  This is good Stuff!

Yes, this is another Betty Crocker Recipe!  They sent me a calender at the first of the year.  This was the recipe on the March Calender and Brindley knew right away that this is what she wanted for her Birthday.



1 box white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp mint extract

3 egg whites

12 drops green food coloring

2 jars (16 oz each) hot fudge topping

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

5 drops yellow food coloring

thin rectangular chocolate mints (Ande Mints) broken up

Heat oven to 350°F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.

 Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mint extract and the egg whites. Reserve 1 cup batter. Stir 3 drops of the green food color into reserved batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into greased pan.  Drop green batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with metal spatula or knife in S-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pan 1/4 turn; repeat cutting for swirled design. Bake for 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. 

Carefully spread fudge topping evenly over cake. In medium bowl, stir whipped topping, remaining 1/2 teaspoon extract, remaining 9 drops green food color and the yellow food color until blended. Spread whipped topping mixture evenly over fudge. Garnish with candy pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.



March Weekly Menu 2

Sunday:  Spaghetti Pie/Green Beans/Green Salad/Garlic Bread

Monday:  Pizza Casserole

Tuesday:  LEFTOVERS

Wednesday:  LEFTOVERS

Thursday:  BRINDLEY'S BIRTHDAY! IN-N-OUT BURGER

Friday:  Pizza/Green Salad

This week was Crazy!  We had plenty of leftovers to have them two nights in a row!  It helped me...I was in no mood to cook!  Tried a new Recipe.  Pizza Casserole.  The kids had seconds.  Guess that means they liked it!

Brindley's B-Day Cake

This is the cake Brindley wants for her Birthday!

I'm VERY MUCH looking forward to it too!

Recipe to follow!

Sweet and Sour Chicken II

The following recipe came from a blog I happened upon.  It's another food blog by another Kristy....Only she spells her name different. :) 

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. 

Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. 

Place in a single layer in a baking dish. 

 Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. 

Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce.

*We doubled the sauce.  The girls could taste the vinegar, but were not turned off by it.  We definately will be making this dish again.    

**Jim, Lexie and I have a favorite place in Logan that we LOVE to eat at.  When Lexie was the baby....and we still lived in Hyrum....we would go to Formosa sometimes twice a week to get Tiny Spicy Chicken!  It is SOO YUMMY!  And the best part, any leftovers are SOO YUMMY cold from the fridge!  We miss being able to go to Formosa, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.  It did not disappoint and the leftovers were YUMMY (cold)!  

Stylish Blogger Award

Thanks to an awesome friend, Vicki, this is the second time I have recieved this award!  We used to be next door neighbors to Vicki and her son.  I loved sitting out at night with them.  We would chat and laugh for hours.  I have learned many great things from her.  Love you Vicki and thanks for the award!

So, since I have done this already on my family blog, I decided to list 7 facts about food that pertain to me.

#1 Hello, my name is Kristi and I am a FOOD A HOLIC!

#2  Of Course I LOVE CHOCOLATE...My favorite chocolate is Dove Milk Chocolate/Symphony Bars(with or without toffee bits)/Caramel filled Hershey Kisses!
 

#3  Some wierd combinations I like are: Potato Chips with Cottage Cheese or Pickles; Miracle Whip and Breaded Fish; Porkchops dipped in Applesauce....hmm, I'll have to think about this one some more. I know there are more.

#4  Vanilla Icecream is my favorite kind of icecream...because you can add whatever you want to it!

#5  My strong drink of choice is DR. PEPPER! 

#6  Rice Crispy Treats intimidate me!  The first time I made them....many years ago, they were hard.  I have only made them about 3 times since.

#7  For my wedding reception we served Pizza and Rootbeer Floats! I think there were a few hershey kisses on the plate too!

Fruit Dip

1 (7 oz) container of Marshmallow Creme

1 (8 oz) container of Strawberry Cream Cheese

Mix Marshmallow Creme and Cream Cheese together in a bowl.  Stir well and serve with your favorite fruit.

So quick and easy and YUMMY!  It goes well with Strawberries, Apples, Bananas, Pears, Pineapple.  I'm sure it is great with many other fruits.  These are just the few I have had with it.  

March Weekly Menu 1

Sunday:  Corned Beef Cassrole/California Blend Veggies/Jello

Monday:  Bean Burritos/Spanish Rice

Tuesday:  LEFTOVERS

Wednesday:  Crockpot Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots/Rolls

Thursday:  Mac-N-Cheese for the kids....(I went to RS and had Ceaser Salad/Beef Stew/Scones/Peach Cobbler

Friday:  Sweet and Sour Chicken/Ham Fried Rice

I switched my Leftover night to Tuesday because our schedules changed.

Jim and I tried a new Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe and Ham Fried Rice!  We loved it and will be making it again SOON!  I'll post the recipe later this week!

Egg Toast

This is kinda like a Guest Post today!

I LOVE to COOK EGGS!  I just dislike eating them....VERY MUCH.  My friend shared this fun way to cook eggs.  I think it is very creative.  With her permission I am sharing her post with you and today is her BIRTHDAY!  Happy Birthday Lacy!  The following was taken from her blog.

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So you take a piece of bread and cut a hole in it. You can use anything really: the rim of a cup works great, or you can use a cookie cutter for special occasions. I used a duck this time. I thought it would be funny since I'll be cooking an egg inside of it, but it looks kinda freaky. :)

Then you heat some butter in a skillet, kind of like you're making a grilled cheese sandwich. Put the bread in. We like to cook the cut out piece for a matching piece of toast. Crack the egg and pour it into the cut out part of the bread. Can you tell what I'm saying from the picture? My brain feels foggy today. I like salt and pepper on mine (the egg, not my brain).Cook it on one side until the bread is toasted/grilled. Flip it over and cook it until the egg is done how you like it. I like "over-easy". If you cook it "over-medium" or more, then it's not runny and your kids can take it on the bus if they're running late (if the school bus driver is okay with them eating on the bus of course).

Yummy! My kids say it's good with ketchup, but I think ketchup is evil.

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Thanks for sharing Lacy!

Sloppy Jo's (Mom's Version)

 

2 lbs hamburger

1/2 small onion diced up

salt and pepper

3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce

1 packet sloppy jo seasoning

1 can (10 3/4 oz) chicken gumbo soup

1/4 cup instant rice

Brown hamburger with onion and season with salt and pepper.  Drain any excess grease off hamburger.  Add tomato sauce, sloppy jo seasoning,  and gumbo soup to hamburger.  Mix together and bring to a simmer.  Add rice, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Sample the rice to make sure it is done.  If sloppy jo's are too runny still, add some more rice about a Tbsp at a time then let the rice cook through.  If it is too dry, add a little water or some more tomato sauce, just a little at a time to get it the consistency you like.  Serve in a fresh bun, hard roll, or whatever bread you like.  I even like it just between two pieces of bread!  This recipe makes enough to feed my family of 6 along with enough leftovers to have them again.

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE!  My kids always request GRANDMA NORMAN'S SLOPPY JO'S.  They even ask if she can make them because hers tastes better than mine.  I do agree with them.  The rice is mainly to soak up the juices.  I add enough tomato sauce so I can add rice too.  I love the rice in the Sloppy Jo. 

And yes, I spell it JO and not JOE...just because of my name.  I think I was named after Sloppy Jo's!  Yes, I Love my Mom's Sloppy Jo's that much!  My middle name is JO!

**MOM, if I missed something in the recipe, please add too it!