It's a jungle out there

This morning I was walking by the living room slider and saw white flowers on Victoria's string bean plants!! I told her and she went to check them out and noticed how many pepper buds there are too!!



Pepper plant

String Bean Plant with flowers!

Close up of the flowers

Look!! Peppers are starting!

More flowers on her string bean plant

Arnolds Sandwich Thins

My Mum has been raving about Arnold's Sandwich Thins. I finally found some and bought the whole wheat ones.

Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins - 8 pack: These unique sandwich-sized flatbreads are perfect for making your favorite burgers and sandwiches a bit healthier. Available in select markets.

This product is:

Low Cholesterol

Excellent Source of Fiber

Low Fat

0g Trans Fat

100% Whole Wheat

Made with Whole Grains

No High Fructose Corn Syrup

They are fantatic for sandwiches, but I think they would be even better for burgers!

Lime Meltaway cookies

While looking through my Martha Stewart Cookie cookbook, I stuck a post it note on the page that had a recipe called Lime Meltaways. I took my butter out to warm up earlier today. I just made the dough and now it is chilling in the fridge. The dough smells fresh and yummy. I did snitch a little piece and it tastes very light and good.

Makes about 3 dozen.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.

Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.

While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.



UPDATE: These are incredibly yummy!! Even Marcel had a couple and he doesn't like sweets. By the way when it says to toss the warm cookies in the powdered sugar, be very careful! The cookies are very crumbly.

Garden update

Victoria's container garden is growing well! Look at her tomato plant, it now has 6 or 7 flowers and she is very excited!

Her herb pot is doing very well also. Last week when I made a roast chicken I snipped off a bunch of sage leaves and some lemon basil leaves to tuck under the skin. Mmm it was goooood!

Her bell pepper pot and string bean pot are growing too!

My favorite kitchen hand soap

My favorite kitchen hand soap, from Bath & Body Works. It is called Kitchen Lemon. It smells fantastic!

Isn't Victoria the sweetest

So last Friday night over dinner, Victoria pulls her chair up to Marcel and was whispering in his ear that she wants to make me breakfast in the morning. Marcel asks her why and she replied back "because Mummah had a hard week getting the house all ready for my friends to come over and because she does so much for me". She wanted to make me eggs and coffee and Marcel said something about me not wanting hot coffee when it is warm out. They whispered back and forth for a few more minutes.

Saturday morning I got up and was making coffee cake muffins for the adults and Victoria and Marcel said they would be right back.

They went to Dunkin Donuts so that Victoria could get me ice coffee and a donut. She picked out a chocolate frosted donut with my favorite colors pink and orange! She said they were Dunkin Donut colors LOL I think that was THE best donut I ever had!!!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and thoughtful little girl!!

Breakfast for dinner = Yum!

What to do with Ham leftovers from Easter Dinner?? Make breakfast for dinner! That was Victoria's idea last night. She wanted eggs, ham and pancakes and not bisquick pancakes...

So I whipped up a batch of buttermilk pancakes.

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted


In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a griddle to medium high heat, lightly spray with cooking spray.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a whisk to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over mix! Scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Flip when nice and brown.

Oh and if you don't have ready made buttermilk, you can make your own. The recipe for buttermilk is 1 cup of milk to 1 tbs of an acid like white vinegar or lemon juice.

Coffee Crumb Cakes

I recently picked up a Family Circle Magazine because it had a couple copycat recipes. I love copycat recipes. Anyway the one that got my attention was the Coffee Crumb Cakes (the little ones in the plastic wrap). So I made a double batch for the egg hunt this past Saturday.

12 servings
Prep: 10 minutes Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour


Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°. Coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray and dust with flour.

2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl. Whisk to blend. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until smooth. Add flour mixture alternating with milk until just blended. Stir in vanilla.

3. Divide batter evenly among indents of prepared pan (about 1/4 cup in each).

4. Topping: Combine sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium-size bowl. Stir in melted butter.
Add flour and rub mixture with hands to make crumb topping. Mixture should clump together and form little balls. Sprinkle topping over batter in the cups, about 1 heaping tablespoon for each.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean; 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

My Thoughts:
They tasted very good but they were huge! Not sure if it is because I double the recipe and I used two 12 muffing pans. Next time I will make a single batch and still use two pans, but not fill them all the way up. I think instead of 12 it would make like 16 and be the perfect size.

Bunny Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I received an email with a recipe for Bunny cupcakes. So I decided to make them for an impromptu Easter Egg hunt.

Here is the recipe:


RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
A cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe)
White icing
Shredded coconut
Pink decorators' sugar
Jelly bean nose
Chewable Sweet Tart eyes
Large marshmallow
Mini marshmallows

1. Frost a cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with white icing and sprinkle on shredded coconut fur.

2. Cut a large marshmallow in half widthwise. Squeeze each half slightly to give it an oval shape, then decorate the sticky side of each one with pink decorators' sugar and set them in place for ears.

3. Add a jelly bean nose and either jelly bean or snipped Sweet Tart eyes, and mini marshmallows for cheeks. For a finishing touch, draw on decorators' gel pupils or whiskers if you like.

Here are some things that I changed:

For the eyes I used M&M's and black decorating gel
For the nose, I cut a pink jelly bean in half and used 1/2 per Bunny
For the cheeks, I jut one mini marshmellow in half and used one mini marshmellow per Bunny. Using two whole mini marshmellows, well they kept tipping over.
For the whiskers, I used Twizzlers pull and peel.

Now my issue with the ears, Walmart brand marshmellows are horrid! Way to sticky and mushy! I do not like how the ears came out at all. Way to much marshmellow. Next time I am sticking with Jet Puffed and I am going to slice them the way I do the Flower Petal Cupcakes.

Next my issue with the coconut I am going to SKIP IT!! One reason using the coconut makes everything else fall off. I had to use extra frosting to keep things stuck on. Another reason to skip it, some kids just don't like coconut. I will just use a piping bag and a Wilton tip No. 233 Multi-Opening Decorating Tip.

So finally here are some pictures, they did turn out very cute.




I made six green eyed bunnies, six blue eyed bunnies and a dozen flowers.

Printable Coupons

Last night at work our "theme" was money saving ideas and we handed out a great sheet with different tips and examples. Like one was the difference between buying a store rotissery chicken at about $7.00 - $10.00 for a 3 pound bird and buying a whole roaster chicken and cooking it at home.

The kids also talked about ways their families save money at home. One boy said that his mom gets the paper and clips coupons. I told him that there are a few places online that you can print out coupons and he wrote them down. Some of my favorites are:

coolsavings.com
coupons.com
mypoints.com
couponloop.com

Another good way to get coupons is signing up for newsletters like at Pillsbury.

What are some of your money saving tips for the grocery store? Do you have favorite coupon sites? Let me know!

Homemade Trail Mix (update)

Homemade Trail Mix (update)

I did add some banana chips (good and fattening for Victoria)
Shredded coconut (not toasted per Victoria's request)
Dried pineapple chunks
And I found some roasted shelled pumpkin seeds in the same section with the other dried fruit and nuts.

Cuisinart Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor

I also got this for Christmas last year. OMG I love this!! I don't know why I didn't get one sooner? A few years ago I thought of getting a cheapy one from GE and when I finally decided on it, we couldn't find it at any store. That must have been a sign. Anyway this past Christmas Marcel said forget it!! Just show me the one you want and I sent him the link and a few days later a big box from Amazon was sitting by the front door.

Product Features:

Includes steel blade, dough blade, slicing disc, and shredding disc
Extra-large feed tube for larger food slices
Dishwasher-safe parts
Five-year full motor warranty, three-year limited entire unit warranty

Iced Tea Maker

Last Mother's Day (I think), Victoria picked out and iced tea maker from Mr. Coffee. She picked lime green. I used it so much last summer and packed it away when it got cool out. I pulled it out the other day and already have gone through 3 or 4 pitchers. Yum!


For those days when nothing quenches your thirst like a big glass of iced tea, Mr. Coffee offers the ideal solution. This iced tea maker brews up a refreshing beverage in about 10 minutes. It's easy to use; just pour in the water, add tea to the basket and fill the pitcher with ice.
3-quart pitcher
Auto shut-off
On/off indicator light
Dimensions: 7.75"D x 16"L x 15"H
Model No. TM30P

Griddle

For Christmas I received a Presto Tilt and Drain griddle.

I cannot recommend this enough!!! Just the other day it took all of 3 or so minutes to make 4 grilled ham and cheese sandwiches compared to 15 minutes making them one at a time. I also can grill 6 English muffins at a time.

The clean up is so easy!


With a unique "square" shape that holds more pancakes, eggs and sandwiches than most conventional rectangular griddles, the Presto Tilt 'n' Drain Griddle gives you more taste for your buck. Features a cool-touch base and the exclusive Tilt 'n' Drain feature which makes cleaning and maintenance a cinch.

Efficient square shape
Cool-touch base
Control Master heat control
Premium nonstick surface
Fits in most dishwashers and 18-inch kitchen cabinets
Exclusive Tilt 'n' Drain feature

Container Gardening

Victoria wants to have a container garden, so today at Home Depot she picked out a few plants. She picked string beans, bell peppers, common sage, greek oregano, sweet basil and lemon basil. So here is the beginning of her container garden.

You might be asking why a container garden? Well last year she tried to plant summer squash, cantaloupe, and strawberries, but we quickly found out that the neighborhood rabbit ate everything! Poor Victoria was heartbroken and really MAD! So this year we are trying containers, wish her luck!

Homemade Trail Mix

I was getting tired of paying $$$ for a bag of trail mix that would be gone in less that 24 hours. So Victoria and I picked out some items that you can get in bulk and that saved a lot of money. We put the following in it:

Roasted peanuts
Roasted almonds
Sunflower kernels
Craisins
Dried Cherries
Dried Blueberries
Yogurt covered raisins
Golden raisins
and finally a handful of M&M's

We mix up a big Gladware container every few days, it stays fresher and tastes fresher than what I bought at the store.

What else would be good in trail mix?? If you have suggestions, feel free to put you ideas on the Tagboard on the left of this page.

Thanks!!

Sausage Rolls

I am making Sausage Rolls for dinner tonight.

Makes 2

2 pounds of pizza dough
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 (4 oz) "pizza cheese", can be any kind of cheese that you like
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup breadcrumb
1 tbs italian seasoning
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375

Spray one big or two small cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Break sausage into pieces and cook until no longer pink, drain and cool.

Mix all the ingredients.

Roll out the pizza dough making two rectangles.

Press 1/2 the sausage mixture on each rectangle.

Roll up and seal the seam.

Put a light coating of olive oil on the top of the bread and sprinkl with extra garlic salt.

Split the top a bit.

Bake for 34 to 45 minutes

Topsy Turvy

Topsy Turvy...

We spotted these at Home Depot on Friday night and we had to get one. The problem was we can't hang it outside because the darn rabbit eats everything. Last year Victoria planted tomatoes, squash and strawberries and the rabbit ate everything.

So we looked row after row and finally we found an adjustable plant hanger.

Now I wonder if the plant will grow???

Flower cupcakes

I shamelessly stole this idea from of my iVillage girls, Gina.

Victoria asked for funfetti cupcakes, those are her favorite "homemade" flavor. We talked about what color sprinkles she would like and pulled them out from my "baking" cabinet. BUT she had one request, she wanted a red one like a rose.

Last night I baked the cupcakes and let them cool. Then it hit me I don't have anymore green food gel coloring!! ACK!! I will have to play with Royal Blue and Golden Yellow.

This morning while the birthday girl was eating and getting ready for school I mixed up the frosting and finally got it to a pretty green color and started on the petals. All the petals are, cut up marshmellows. It takes extra time, but so worth it if you wash off your knife after each marshmellow. That way the knife isn't sticky and won't have ragged edges.

For the center I used pastel M&M's and a small marshmellow for Victoria's.

So here are the pretty cupcakes.



Victoria's very special cupcake.

And the winning cake was.....

And the winning cake was.....

Close up of Remy's dessert.

There were 2 votes for Ratatouille, please let me know if you were the ones who voted for them.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins


1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated Sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Yield: about 1 dozen.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, from my new Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook.

FOR THE BATTER
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
2 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, and set aside.
Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.

Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Place dollops of filling (about 1 tablespoon each) about 1 inch apart on top of batter. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Place dollops of remaining filling on top.

With a butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter, running knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15minutes.

Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

I didn't have anymore parchment so I sprayed the pan with cooking spray with flour.

3/26 PICTURES!!! (First one is just for Michelle ::wink:: my double boiler)



Chocolate all melted...

1/3rd of the batter and some of the peanut butter mixture

Ready to go in the oven

All done and VERY YUMMY!!

Vital Wheat Gluten

YAY! I found some Vital Wheat Gluten, by Hodgson Mill at Walmart, now I don't have to wait for it to come in stock online. (It was in the food section near the flour and yeast)

I think I feel a loaf of whole wheat bread needs to be made today!!


3/26 Update: use the gluten for the whole wheat bread and it did rise more. The texture is a bit lighter too. Flavor was the same at the first time. The top of the loaf was a bit funky, which happens sometimes with my bread machine.

Pasta & Meatballs

When I asked Victoria what she thought would be good for dinner she said pasta and meatballs. I don't have a real recipe for my sauce. I just dump a couple jars of spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, minced garlic, onion and all sorts of spices into the crock pot and let it go all day. Usually I have store bought meatballs in the freezer, this week I don't.

So here is the meatball recipe that I made this morning.

1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I like plain then add my own herbs and spices)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not from a can)

In a bowl, mix the ground beef (or turkey), bread crumbs, what ever herbs and spices that you like, eggs, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. I used my medium cookie scoop to make the balls, and drop into the sauce. Cook for 4 to 5 hours on high.

Serve over your favorite pasta shape.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Corned Beef & Cabbage

1 box of Beef Stock
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 large onion quartered
5 medium potatoes peeled and quartered
5 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 pounds corned beef or beef brisket
1 head green cabbage, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges
(Bouquet Garni)

Stir the stock and vinegar in a large crock pot. Add the onions, potatoes, carrots, beef and cabbage. Submerge the Bouquet Garni in the stock mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until the beef is fork tender. Remove Bouquet Garni.

Bouquet Garni...I did not do this. I just put a handful of garlic cloves, a couple of bay leaves, tbs peppercorns, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp allspice berries, 1 tbs coriander seeds, 1 tsp dried mustard, 1/2 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of ground cloves and a 1/2 tsp salt and just put it all in the stock mixture.

Usually the corned beef package contains the pickling spice, but the one I bought the other day didn't. Oh well time to make a substitution!

Italian Bread

Italian Bread (makes 2 loaves)

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons cornmeal

Place flour, brown sugar, warm water, salt, olive oil and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on a cutting board generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife. Gently shake the cutting board to make sure that the loaves are not sticking. If they stick, use a spatula or pastry knife to loosen. Slide the loaves onto a baking sheet with one quick but careful motion.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate and Cinnamon Cookies

Here is another from my Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook, and they are very good. I used my smallest cookie scoop to make the cookies very small. I think next time I will use my medium scoop.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Put butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add sugars; mix 2 minutes. Mix in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips, peanuts, and vanilla with a mixing spoon until well distributed. Refrigerate dough until it is slightly firm, 15 minutes.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Space balls 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly. Bake until just golden, about 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Bagels take II

I made the bagels again and used only 4 cups of flour, not the 4 1/2 cups and the dough was much silkier.

Magic Blondies

This recipe is courtesy of my new Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook.

2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (about 2 1/2 ounces)
2/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
9 tablespoons (1 1/8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. Stir together coconut, chocolate, walnuts, and cherries in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined. Mix in 1 cup coconut mixture.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle remaining coconut mixture over tops. Bake blondies until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 25 minutes.

Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

All done!!


Of course I "needed" to sample one and it was fabulous!!!

Savory Pot Roast

Savory Pot Roast

1 can Campbells Condensed French Onion Soup
1 pouch brown gravy mix
6 medium potatoes, cut into quarters
6 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
6 or 7 garlic cloves, peeled
3 1/2 to 4 pound boneless beef bottom round roast or chuck pot roast

Stir the soup, dry gravy mix, potatoes, garlic and carrots in a crock pot. Add the beef and turn to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until the beef is fork tender. (or on high for 4 to 5 hours)

Taco Tater Casserole

Taco Tater Casserole

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 envelope of taco seasoning (or homemade)
2/3 cup water
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup (I am using plain cheddar cheese soup)
1 package (32 oz) frozen tater tots

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over med heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in corn and soup.

Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish. Arrange tater tots in single layer over the beef mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are crispy and golden brown.

Taco Seasoning

Homemade taco seasoning

1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. each ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, powdered oregano and sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Makes 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix, which is equal in strength to a package of store bought seasoning mix.

Basic Bread Machine White bread (1 pound)

I am going to make a small loaft (1 pound) to go with dinner tonight.

2/3 cup warm water
4 tsp unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups bread flour
3 tbs dry milk powder
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp Bread Machine yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacture.

Recommended cycle: Basic/white cycle medium/normal crust. Time bake feature can be used.

Cookies!

I treated myself to a new cookbook today!

Cookies are the treat that never disappoints. Whether you’re baking for a party or a picnic, a formal dinner or a family supper–or if you simply want something on hand for snacking–there is a cookie that’s just right. In Martha Stewart’s Cookies, the editors of Martha Stewart Living give you 175 recipes and variations that showcase all kinds of flavors and fancies. Besides perennial pleasers like traditional chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin, there are other sweet surprises, including Rum Raisin Shortbread, Peppermint Meringue Sandwiches with Chocolate Filling, and Lime Meltaways.

Bagels

Courtesy of Breadworld



One dozen bagels

1 1/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 tsp salt

4 to 4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 tbs sugar

2 1/2 tsp Bread Machine Yeast

Directions

Measure water, salt, flour, sugar and yeast into bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer.

Process in dough/manual cycle. When cycle is complete, remove dough to lightly floured surface. If necessary, knead in enough flour to make moderately stiff dough.

Divide dough into 6 (9, 12, as desired) pieces; shape into small balls. With a floured finger, poke a 1-1/2-inch hole in each ball. Place shaped bagels on greased baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and allow shaped dough to warm to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In a deep pan, heat 2 quarts water over medium heat to a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons salt. Drop bagels into simmering water. Cook 1/2 minute, turn and cook another 1/2 minute.

Drain on paper towels.

Set bagels on a greased baking sheet. Mix egg white and 1 tablespoon water, brush on bagels.

Sprinkle with coarse salt, sesame, caraway or poppy seed if desired.

Bake at 425oF for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from sheets. Cool on wire rack.

PICTURES: (they aren't very pretty, but they are YUMMY!!!)

Dough is all done.

Ready to be portioned out into 12 bagels

All portioned out and holes poked in them

After a nice rest in the fridge (about 5 hours)

In the meantime, I toasted up some sesame seeds

Time for their quick dunk in the water

Egg washed and sesame seeds added

Fresh from the oven, I did bake them for almost 30 minutes, I like my bagels nice and brown and very crispy on the outside.

Not very pretty, but they are really yummy!!

Garlic Lime Chicken, with a kick

Garlic Lime Chicken, with a kick

Spice mixture:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
******
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime juice

In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.