Shepherd's Pie

It's Monday again so time for another freezer recipe. I was a little wary of freezing mashed potatoes but it turned out just fine. This recipe was also more time consuming to put together as I had to make the mashed potatoes (all 10 pounds) and cook the ground turkey (4 lbs) ahead of time. Still it was really nice to just layer the finished product in a pan when I was ready to cook it.

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 clove, minced

1 16-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 5-ounce can tomato sauce

1 tbl Worcestershire sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Cheddar Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 In a 12-inch skilled over med-high heat, cook the beef, onion and garlic until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain. Transfer the mixture to a 3-quart round casserole.

3. Add veggies, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce to meat mixture in dish.

4 Top with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

To freeze: Cook meat mixture and allow to cool. Also make your mashed potatoes. Remember you'll need to double or triple your ingredients. I made 4 freezer meals.

When potatoes are cool put into gallon sized freezer bags and seal.

When meat in cool put into gallon sized freezer bags and then add the rest of the ingredients, seal, and mix around by squeezing the bag.

Then put the potato bag and veggie bag into one gallon sized freezer bag together, seal, and label.

There you go: Dinner to go in a bag. This did take a while to thaw to be sure to put this dish in the fridge the evening before you plan to cook it.

Harvest Rice

Last night I had the honor of going to a little dinner organized by my multi-talented sister-in-law and some of her multi-talented friends. I do have to say it is slightly intimidating to cook for people who cook really well and are so talented. We ate awesome food and are now exchanging recipes. We were to find a recipe that went along with a harvest theme and bring our dish to share. It was a lot of fun. Next month we are going to still do the cooking club and incorporate a book club theme too. I'm am so excited to finally belong to a cooking club/book club - only 2 of my favorite things. This is going to be fun.

I found my recipe on Allrecipes - love that website. I did adapt it a little to mine own taste but who doesn't do that. Enjoy!

Harvest Rice

1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice mix
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Place almonds on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast at 350 degrees F for 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Mix broth, brown rice, and wild rice in a medium saucepan, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.
3. In medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and brown sugar. Saute until butter is absorbed and onions are translucent and soft. Reduce heat, and cook onions for another 20 minutes, until they are caramelized.
4. Stir cranberries and mushrooms into the skillet. Cover, and cook 10 minutes or until berries start to swell. Stir in almonds, then fold the mixture into the cooked rice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

Another great cookie recipe. I found this recipe off the back a Hershey's bag of butterscotch chips. It's quickly becoming a family favorite. The other day we all sat around a bowl of cookie dough and just ate it (It wasn't completely full). So much for being a good mom but hey, it's that good.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup buter or margarine softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats

1 3/4 cups butterscotch chips

1. Heat oven to 375 F.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips; mix well.

3. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Freezer Burritos

Remember this recipe for Easy Mexican Rice Burritos. Shawn needed some healthy lunches to take to work. When we were first married I used to buy him those frozen bean burritos from the store but these days I just make my own frozen burritos. Just make the Easy Mexican Rice recipe and substitue brown rice to be extra healthy. Put a heaping spoonful or two in a whole wheat tortilla wrap (again extra healthy) and top with some cheese. Then roll up.

I put each burrito in a sandwich bag and then all the burritos in a gallon freezer bag. That way they don't get freezer burn and you can decide if you want one or two. Also, there is no need to defrost as you can just pop them in the microwave just like the ones you buy at the store.

This recipe made 18 burritos and cost me practically nothing as I already have all the ingredients in my food storage. I just had to buy the tortillas. By the way, even if you don't have all the ingredients on hand this is still a super cheap meal to make and as you can see it makes a lot.

Veggie and Barley stew

I made this stew about a week ago. I doubled the recipe and then divided it up into gallon-size freezer bags. I ended up with enough for 6 dinners. I also made cornbread muffins and divided those up into quart-size freezer bags. I love the idea of freezer meals. There is no waste and it saves so much time throughout the rest of the week. As an added bonus, this meal is super healthy and you can really experiement with all kinds of veggies. Gotta love that.

Veggie and Barley Stew

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

3 cups tomato-vegetable juice

3 cups water

1 potato, peeled and cubed

1 (15 oz) peas, frozen or canned

1 (15 oz) can, whole kernel corn, drained

2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 cup barley

1 tbl soy sauce

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dill weed

1. In large pot over high heat combine all ingredients.

2. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until veggies and barley are tender.

This is the recipe I doubled and froze.

When I was ready for stew I tossed the frozen soup in the crock pot and turned it on high for 2 hours and left the muffins out to thaw while my family watched conference. By lunchtime we had a warm filling stew with our cornbread muffins. Yummy!

Yep, my blog died.

Hey for the two of you that read my blog, I'm sorry I let it die. I've come up with an idea to resurrect it though. It is something I'm excited about and here's a little preview:

My goal is to write each Monday about freezer meals. Yes, I know it's been done before and over and over again but these freezer meals have my own special little twist to them to make the whole idea of freezer meals a little more approachable.
P.S. it's healthy too. Who would've thought.
So stay tuned.

Flower Cupcakes and Princess cake

It's birthday week in my house right now. My girls and I made these to share with family the day before Clara's birthday. I found the idea on Kraftfoods.com. These are super easy to do. Just cut a marshmallow with kitchen scissors into four equal pieces and set in a flower shape on your frosted cupcakes, then sprinkle for some glitter. Girls love glitter! The girls loved making these but beware, it was very very messy.

Then on Clara's birthday, which was today, we made a princess cake. I found this idea on Familyfun.com. Clara picked out the cake mix, frosting and the barbie. Let me tell you, she is a pink lover! I'm actually not sure why I'm posting this. I had a much prettier picture in my head then how it actually turned out. I guess cake decorating isn't really my area of expertise but you should have seen the excited that Clara showed when she saw this cake. It was a hit!

Honey Gold Bread

So, wow, I'm so excited to have another bread recipe. This is a wheat bread recipe which is also very exciting, as I've only ever made white bread. It's actually another sourdough recipe but very good, go figure. I hope you enjoy as much as I have.

Please refer to previous post (Dollar Pancakes) for the instructions about sourdough.

Honey Gold Bread - Marie Reese

Set your sourdough batter the night before. in the morning stir and put 1 cup of starter back in your pot.

2 cups milk

2 tbls butter

1/4 cup honey

1 package active dry yeast

2 cups wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 tbls sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

4 cups white flour

Scald milk; stir in butter and honey, then allow to cool until lukewarm. Add yeast and stir until dissolved. Add this mix to basic sourdough batter previously prepared. Add 2 cups wheat flour and wheat germ, stirring until well mixed. Blend sugar, salt and soda until smooth; sprinkle over top of dough and stir in gently. Set dough in a warm spot and cover with a cloth and let rise for 30 minutes. Stir down and add remaining flour until dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon. Turn out on floured board and begin to knead with your hands. (NOTE: Flour required may vary from quantity indicated -one must gauge the feel-rather too little than too much). Work in remaining flour, kneading with heels of hands about 100 times until dough is light and satiny to the touch. Do not knead too long or include too much flour, or the sponge will be heavy and dry. Break into sections, flour lightly, fold over and seal. Place in greased bread pans; pans should be half full. Grease top of loaves, set in warm spot and let double in bulk agian. Meanwhile preheat oven to moderately hot (400 degrees F). When loaves have risen, bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then reduce temp to moderately slow (325 degrees F) and continue baking until bread shrinks from side of pans. When baked, loaves will give a hollow sound when thumped on top. Remove from oven, turn out on rack or towel on table and butter tops.

Easy Chicken Santa Fe

I have a friend all the way from Louisiana who has requested that I put in a few crock pot recipes on here. She is my study partner for school and, let me tell you, she is also such a lifesaver. She motivates me to work hard everyday and is always good for advice and help. We're both busy moms and so I thought that it would be a great idea to fit in a few of these crock pot recipes into my menu. I found this recipe on www.cdkitchen.com. This is for you, Randi!

Easy Chicken Santa Fe

2 cans (15 oz size) black beans
1 can (15 oz size) corn
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts (I used half this amount)
8 ounces nonfat cream cheese
1 cup fat-free cheddar cheese
hot cooked rice

In a 3.5 or 4-quart electric slow cooker, mix together beans, corn, and 1/2 cup salsa. Mix cumin through salt together in a small bowl; rub into chicken. Place seasoned chicken on top of corn/bean mixture in slow cooker. Pour remaining salsa over chicken.

Cover and cook on high heat setting 2 1/2-3 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Do not overcook or chicken will be tough. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add back to slow cooker. (I skipped this step. I actually cooked it on low for 6 hours and I had already cubed the chicken when I first put it in there. I am sure it would be fine if you cook it on low longer then 6 hours as well.)

Add cream cheese (cut into cubes to melt faster) and turn cooker to high heat. Heat until cream cheese melts and blends into sauce. Serve over hot rice. Top with shredded cheese.

Banana Crumb Muffins

My mother-in-law sent this recipe to me all the way from Australia! Actually, I think she found the recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ and emailed it to me. That was all the way at the beginning of June and I'm only just barely getting to trying it out. I'm glad I finally did. The whole family really enjoyed these muffins. I found the motivation to make a yummy breakfast from this book I've started reading again. It's called ChangeOne by Reader's Digest. I bought it quite awhile ago for the recipes in it. I never really read through it but now I decided is as good a time as any. The concept of the book is to change one thing each week for 12 weeks. I'm on week number 1 and my goal for the week is just to eat a healthy balanced breakfast. I officially start on Monday with this goal but I'm going to try it out a couple days ahead of time anyhow. I was actually surprised how much food I needed to eat for breakfast and I had a bit of struggle doing it because I'm not a very good breakfast eater. I did, however, feel that I was treating myself rather special this morning and my family appreciated it too. No cold cereal for us this morning!
This mornings breakfast included: one muffin, one full serving of fruit, and a serving of strawberry yogurt.

Banana Crumb Muffins -allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbl all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbl butter


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Easy Mexican Rice

This is a super easy recipe and one I used as one of this week's meatless dishes. I don't really like it as a side by itself but I love it as a burrito filler or as a chip dip. Just use it like you would taco meat. I like to put a couple tablespoons in a tortilla with some cheese, sour cream and lettuce. Super Yummy. This recipe also makes a lot so it's great for lunches throughout the week.

Easy Mexican Rice

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or white rice

1/2 of a packet of taco seasoning mix

1 (15.25 oz) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook rice according to directions

2. Stir in taco seasoning, kidney beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper

3. Cook over medium heat until heated through

Vegetable Pasta Sauce

I'm trying to be a little more healthy and save some money. Since meat is so darn expensive I thought it might be fun to try out a couple meatless meals a couple nights a week. Last night we had this pasta sauce. It is chuck full of veggies and some spices. There isn't one unhealthy ingredient. Pretty amazing (for me anyway). Shawn was pretty excited about my healthy dinner. He's always wanting me to cook more healthy. This was actually pretty tasty and very healthy. Everyone really enjoyed it. It's also a crock pot recipe which is an added bonus!

Vegetable Pasta Sauce - Rival Crock Pot recipes

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes (undrained)

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 med red bell pepper, diced

1 med green bell pepper, diced

1 small yellow squash, sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

4 green onions

2 Tbl dried Italian seasoning

1 Tbl chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper flakes (optional)

1 tsp black pepper

Hot cooked pasta

Parmesan cheese and fresh basil fr garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients except pasta and garnishes in slow cooker, stirring until well blended. Cover; cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours. Serve over cooked pasta. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Smoothies!

One of my favorite things to make for dinner is breakfast and when I make breakfast my girls always scream for "SMOOVIES"! My husband introduced me to this wonderful treat when we were dating. It used to be his specialty and one that I would always request when we watched a movie in the evenings together. Now it's become my specialty. It's not really very healthy if that's what your hoping for. Is anything on here very healthy? It is very good though! This recipe is just a basic orange julius and then I add extra frozen fruits (anything I have on hand). I like to add pineapple and mango and peaches for a tropical taste, all berries, or peaches and bananas (Shawn loves the bananas, I don't so much). Just throw it all in the blender and you really can't go wrong. So so good.

Smoothies -Shawn Peterson

A few heaping tablespoons of orange juice concentrate

1 cup of milk

1 cup of water

6 ice cubes or so

1 tsp vanilla

almost a 1/2 cup sugar

then add a handful of any kind of frozen fruit

Blend it up and enjoy! If it's too thick just thin it out with a little milk or if it's too thin add a couple ice cubes. We like ours thick.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Now look at this wonderful mess of goodness. It one of those that tastes better then it looks, trust me. This is a very simple recipe that reminds me of growing up. My mom always used to make this and this is probably the first recipe I knew by heart. I used to love it when she would make this and this is actually the first thing I ever made for Shawn when we were dating. (It's the only thing I knew how to make back then, besides Hamburger helper) He raved about it of course. Come to think of it he used to rave about my Geo Metro too... when we were dating. As soon as we were married he nicknamed it the G0-Cart.

So I'm sharing this recipe just because it has a lot of good memories for me. Isn't it funny how food can evoke good memories and bad. I'm only going to share the good though. This recipe makes me think about my mom and how hard she has always worked for our family. She hasn't always enjoyed working as much as she did and I know she was very under appreciated for it much of her working life by our family. She's taught us all a lot through it though. She's taught us about responsibility and the importance of working hard and forgetting oneself and loving your family with all your heart no matter the sacrifice. So thanks for all you do mom. I love you!

Chicken Stuffing Casserole - Kathy Wilson

2 pkg. chicken flavored stuffing

4 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

grated cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Cook stuffing according to directions on package. Place stuffing in 9x13 pan. Top with cooked, shredded chicken. Mix soups and sour cream. Pour over chicken and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

**I usually half this recipe for my family and use only one can of soup. I also add 10 oz of frozen veggies with the chicken layer and then top it with the soup mixture. Gotta get veggies in those kids some way or another.

Cashew Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend, Sara. You know if you get a recipe from Sara it's going to be good. She only cooks the best and now that I think about it she pretty much does everything well. I could really dislike her if I didn't like her so much. She has been a friend of my for probably more than 10 years. She always has her hair done nicely, her house spotless and she is always running her kids from one event to another and to top it all off she's probably woken up at 4 or 5 in the morning to do somebody's hair. It's almost sickening how put together she is but I love her and I love all her advice and I love her recipes. So here comes a goodie. I hope she doesn't mind me posting it. She served this once at her home when she was hosting our monthly "Club" (which hardly exists anymore). What good days those were. This was recieved with rave reviews by everyone in attendance and I think we all asked for the recipe. Now I make it all the time, at least once or twice a month, and everyone loves it! Thanks for the great recipe Sara.

Cashew Chicken -Sara Olson

MARINADE
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
*Mix in small bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. boneless chicken cut in cubes or strips
2 tsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced fresh gingerroot or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth

COMBINE
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
ALSO COMBINE
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

3/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews

Heat wok, add oil. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, 5-10 seconds. Add chicken and fry 2 minutes or until done. Add onion, carrot, zucchini, celery and broth. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, oil and sugar. Add cornstarch solution. Cook until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in nuts before serving. Serve over rice.

**I always add more veggies than the recipe calls for to stretch it a little farther.

Fettucine Alfredo

Not the best picture I'll admit but super yummy. I'm actually posting this for my sister and my mom. They wanted the recipe and I needed something to post on here. We made this for my sister's birthday. Chicken Alfredo is one of her favorites. You pretty much always know what she's going to order when we go out to eat and you really can't blame her. I think this recipe is just as good as any resturants and it's not as fattening besides.

Fettucine Alfredo - Kraftfoods

8 oz fettuccine, uncooked

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

4 tsp flour

1/3 light cream cheese spread

3 tbs grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp pepper

2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta as directed

Meanwhile, combine broth and flour in medium saucepan. Stir in cream cheese spread, 2 tbsp of the Parmesan cheese, the nutmeg and pepper; cook 2 min., stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture boils and thickens.

Drain pasta. Toss with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Cook of the year! This girl can smell me cooking! As soon as I get started on dinner or a dessert she comes running and has to do EVERYTHING by herself.

Sugar cookies

I made some sugar cookies at the request of one of my good friends. She loves sugar cookies and since she doesn't like a very wide variety of foods (she can be impossible to cook for) and her husband was busting his butt in my yard connecting the sprinkler system to the city's irrigation with my husband I made some. I don't think they ate enough though and they wouldn't take them home. My husband complained of too much frosting which I totally think is great. So where does that leave me? I'll tell where, it leaves me having two sugar cookies for breakfast! Ugh! I could kick myself but they did taste ever so yummy.

Sugar Cookies -Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Beat till combined, scraping bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill dough for 3 hours or till easy to handle.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half at a time to 1/8 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool on rack. Frost.

Butter Frosting

1/3 cup butter or margarine

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

milk

food coloring

1. In a mixing bowl beat butter till fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.

2. Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to reach spreading consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring.

Dollar Pancakes

My wonderful neighbor brought me some sourdough starter. It was started clear back in 1930. I've never made anything with sourdough so I was a little wary but she assured me that I couldn't mess it up. I've never been a huge fan of sour dough either but how could I not try it. She gave me two recipes to go along with her sourdough starter: Dollar Pancakes and Honey Gold Bread. Now that I've tried the pancakes I can't wait to try the bread. The pancakes were so good. They rose a bunch while I cooked them and they were very light and fluffy. The kids inhaled them. Though as I cooked them they whined about how gross the pancakes were going to be. Sometimes cooking with kids isn't as pleasant an experience as I would like. Today they fought and whined the whole time but as soon as they were eating it was as quiet as can be. I can be so thankful for good food at times.

Here's the recipe (it's long because of the starter and I don't know how to make sourdough starter so if you want some just ask me):

Basic Sourdough batter

The basic batter is set the evening before you want pancakes for breakfast or wish to make bread:

Put all of your 1 cup of Sourdough Started in a large mixing bowl (large enough to allow for any expansion of dough or batter that may take place- depending on how warm the kitchen is) preferably a pottery, glass or stainless steel bowl. Add 2 cups of warm water (up to 90 degrees F) and 2 1/2 cups of flour. Mix thoroughly- mixture will be thick and lumpy but it will thin down from fermenting and be lively by breakfast time. Cover bowl and set in a warm spot overnight. (Allow 10-12 hours during the night in a warm spot in your kitchen for complete fermentation). Because our kitchens aren't as warm as our grandmother's were... I set my bowl on a heating pad which I have wrapped a small towel around and set it at it's lowest setting.

IMPORTANT: In the morning, put 1 cup starter in your Sourdough Pot and keep in the refrigerator until next time- this will leave you with about 4 1/2 cups of batter.

Dollar Pancakes -Marie Reese

25-30 dollar size pancakes

In the morning stir the batter and put 1 cup of this starter back into your sourdough starter pot. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use again. To the batter remaining in the bowl add:

1 egg

2 Tbs cooking oil

1/4 cup instant dry milk or evaporated milk.

Beat thoroughly. Then combine:

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbs. sugar

Blend until smooth, eliminating any lumps of soda. Sprinkle evenly over top of batter; fold in gently. This will cause a gentle foaming, rising action.

Allow batter to rest a few minutes, then fry on a hit lightly greased griddle. If pancakes do not brown rapidly and sizzle slightly as you drop each spoonful of batter on the griddle it isn't hot enough.

IMPORTANT: Always made dollar size pancakes using a tablespoon full of batter for each pancake. If your batter seems too thick, it wasn't warm enough during the night and didn't ferment sufficiently- a common fault in modern kitchens. It may be thinned with a little milk. The sourdough pancake batter is normally fairly thin but lively. You'll find that sourdough pancakes require a hotter griddle than other pancakes.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Clara was feeling a little sad today. She had been playing and since she is only 3 years old, she had been fighting too. I knew just what to do to cheer her up. I suggested we make cookies together and she instantly lightened up. She loves cooking more then I even. She loves the whole process. She wants to be the one to mix it, to crack the eggs, and to measure everything. She loves the beaters when we are done mixing and is constantly eating cookie dough out of the bowl. This cookie dough is very tasty too. I make this recipe for most potlucks because it is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! I never have any left when the party is through. It's always a hit and I always get asked for the recipe. So here it is for you to enjoy if you would like.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies -Laura Daley

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 package chocolate chips (I like milk chocolate)

Cream shortening, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add flour, salt, baking soda. Mix in chips. Bake on un-greased sheet at 375 degrees for *9-11 minutes.

*The recipes call for you to bake it for 9 to 11 minutes but I think this is way too long. I only bake them 6 to 7 minutes. They will be barely brown on top. Then don't eat them until they have cooled off quite a bit and they are soooo good.

Fajitas

I think the meat is so good in this recipe. I usually finish off the meat after everyone is finished with dinner as I'm cleaning up. It's just sooo good.

Beef Fajitas -Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1 lb boneless beefsteak (cut into strips)

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

1/2 cup salsa

2 tbs lime or lemon juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

12 7-inch tortillas

1 tbs cooking oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 medium green, red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into strips

2/3 cup chooped tomato (1 medium)

sour cream

salsa

cheddar cheese

Marinade: Combine dressing, salsa, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and pour over strips of beef. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.

Pour oil into large skillet. Prehead over med-high heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil for 1 1/2 minutes. Add sweet pepper strips; cook and stir 1 1/2 minutes more or till crisp-tender. Remove from skillet.

Add half the undrained beef strips to hot skillet. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or to desired doneness. Remove beef and drain well. Repeat with remaining beef. Return all beef and vegetables to skillet. Add tomato. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or till heated through.

To serve, immediately fill warm tortillas with beef mixture. If desired, add sour cream, Guacamole, cheese, and salsa. Roll up fajitas. Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!

Caramel Popcorn

Today we had family over and I wanted something sweet (I always do). So I got this recipe from my dear friend, Heather. Heather and I started running together last year and became great friends. I feel so blessed to have a friend like her. She is one of the most giving, selfless people I know and has been such a great friend and support to me. If I ever need to giggle I can just call her up or go out on the town with her and I'm instantly cheered and ready to face a new day. I know my days have been happier since we became friends and I hope she feels the same. So thanks for all you do for me Heather and thanks for the yummy recipe.

Caramel Popcorn
1 cup Karo syrup
2 cups brown sugar
1 cube butter
1 tsp vanilla

Bring ingredients to a boil for 1 minute, then add vanilla. Pour over popcorn

Easy right! My kind of recipe!Me and my fellow cooks

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, Marilyn. These Banana Chocolate Chip Bars are a personal favorite of my husband's. He just loves bananas. When I find a new dessert recipe with banana in it I'll make it just for him.

It is Marilyn's birthday today and I'm making these today in honor of her. She's off having a great time in Australia and so since she isn't with us today it's fun to make something that reminds us of her. Actually this is the first time I've ever made this recipe and have it turn out! I guess practice makes perfect. These are so yummy! You all should really try them out.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

Cream together:

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

Beat in:

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Blend in:

1 cup mashed banana

Then add:

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Stir in:

6 oz semi-chocolate chips

Spread into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

White Bread

Since we had roast yesterday for dinner, today it's beef stew. I threw it all together in the crock pot this morning while the kids were having breakfast. I love dinners like that! So, I thought the perfect addition to stew is homemade white bread still hot from the oven. Actually, Heidi saw the stew and thought it looked disgusting; then she saw the bread baking and asked if she could just have bread for dinner. Which is basically what she did.

I don't make bread very often but I do enjoy myself when I do. This recipe comes from my Grandma Daley. My mom has told me that she would make this recipe everyday for her family and I can't really recall a time of ever going to Grandma's house without having this very same bread. I don't really think I make it as well as Grandma because it's always better at her house. Most things are that way though, don't you think. When I think of my Grandma Daley I think of an elegant lady. That's a good word for her I think -elegant. She has always been so beautiful. My mother told me that when she was young people used to mistake them for sisters. I hope that happens with me and my daughters someday. Grandma is also very kind and softspoken and I really love that about her. I love that though she's very sweet she can completely change when she's watching a football game. She will swear and yell at the game and I think it's very funny. When I make this bread I think of her and what she might have been like when she was young like me with little ones hanging on her heels while she cooked. Her life was harder than mine and I didn't have as close a relationship with her as I would have liked but I feel like in a small way I'm connecting with her through her bread. Silly as that may seem.

Today's helper was Ruben. I tried to enlist Heidi's help today but she was soon bored and ran off to play. However, Ruben climbed right up onto the counter and stayed there the entire time. He had a great time playing in the dough and flour. We got a little bit messy.

Grandma's White Bread-Geraldine Daley

Put 2 Tbs. yeast in 3/4 cups warm water. Let stand.

4 cups hot water (as hot as it will come out of the tap)

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup canola oil

2 Tbs. salt

Stir in 5 cups of flour. Stir in yeast mixture. Add 5 more cups flour and knead adding flour until the dough is soft and smooth but not sticky (about 6 to 8 minutes). Let rise until double in size (about 45 to 60 minutes). Punch down. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and divide in half. Let rest about 10 minutes. Shape 4 loaves and put them into bread pans and let rise until the top of the dough is at the top of the tin (about 30 minutes). Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Roast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

On Sundays I usually make a nice Roast in the crock pot with cut up potatoes and carrots, sometimes I make mashed potatoes when I'm feeling especially nice. This Sunday, however, we had Stouffer's Lasagna because it was Mother's day and Shawn was in charge of dinner. It was great and I really appreciated it but my roast is better, haha. Anyways, it was really fun for everyone to have roast and potatoes on a Tuesday and since Heidi loves mashed potatoes (maybe even more than me) she helped me make dinner. She helped peel the potatoes and then when they were done boiling she dumped in all the fattening stuff that make mashed potatoes so yummy while I mashed away. We had fun talking about school and all the fun things we were going to do this summer.

Here's my favorite recipe for roast:

Beef Pot Roast - Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (tweaked a bit by Shelly)

Roast (whatever size you want, I buy about 3 to 4 lbs but I only use half for this recipe and the other half I use for tomorrows recipe: Beef Stew, Shredded BBQ beef sandwiches or Fajitas)
3/4 cup water
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
a bunch of baby carrots

I just throw the roast in the crock pot along with the carrots. Then I mix up the water, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon and basil and pour over the top and then I could it for at least 4 hours but the longer the better I think.
Then to make the gravy just take a couple cups of the sauce left over in the crock pot when it's all finished cooking and add about a half cup of water with a two or three tsp of cornstarch. Stir over medium heat until nice and bubbly and kind of thick. It's yummy!

Mashed Potatoes (I don't really have a recipe, so this is pretty vague)

about 2 potatoes per person (if you really like your potatoes like we do)
a lot of butter
a few dollops of sour cream
salt
pepper
just enough milk to make it creamy
sometimes I add garlic powder

Sometimes I peel the potatoes, sometimes I don't. It's creamier I think if you do peel them. Boil with a few dashes of salt until soft -about 15 to 20 minutes. Then mash with all that yummy fattening stuff. Taste it until tastes right and then taste it some more just for fun. I LOVE mashed potatoes!

Ginger Snaps

Today Clara and I made gingersnaps! Clara even cracked the eggs! Not bad for a three-year-old. This is not just any recipe mind you. It's my great-grandmother's, my mother's grandma. My mom loved her grandmother so much. She talks about her now and then fondly and how much she loved her food and visiting her. Then the other day she talked about her grandmother's gingersnap cookies and how she always had a batch of cookies ready and as soon as they were out she'd whip up another batch. Mom even remembered the special spot they were kept just for the kids when they came over. What a great memory for my mom. Then I found the recipe. I was so excited! I even made them for my mom for Mother's day! The recipe is a little hard though just because my great-grandmother dosen't specify things. Like how much flour to use or how long to bake them. I think they turned out all right but I really do like recipes to be more specific then that.


Ginger Snaps - Vergie Rushton

1 cup sugar
1 cup lard-shortening (does anyone use lard anymore? Yuck!)
2 eggs
1 cup molasses

Mix, sugar, lard, and eggs, and then add molasses and the following:

1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cinnamon (opt)
1 tbs. ginger
1 tbs. baking soda
Add flour to make dough stiff.

Chill 1 hour.

Make into balls, smash down with glass and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 350 until golden brown. (Note: They will go hard if cooked too long.)

Oh the things you can learn in a kitchen!

I have been busy lately with my own things. I've been onery with my children. I haven't liked how I sounded when I have spoken to them lately. I've been stressed and I've been selfish with my time. It's time to reprioritize and repent. I just need to revamp my schedule a bit so that even in a time crunch I can get some quality one on one time with the kids. Schedules are great, they really are the key to my life right now.
So I was thinking today about my children and what I want them to learn from me. Here's a bit of my list:
*I want them to know deep down how very loved they are, that no one and nothing in this world is more important to me than my children and my husband.
*I want them to have an unwavering testimony of the Savior and I want them to live their lives in a way that is pleasing to Him and in a way that will bring them true peace and happiness.
*I want them to be brave, to be leaders among their peers, to have confidence in their own abilities.
*I want them to love people and to continually serve those around them. I want them to be able to see the needs of others before their own.
*I want for them to not be so concerned about the material stuff.
*I want my children to be each other's best friend.
*I want them to have good memories of family togetherness.
*I want my children to enjoy being home.
*I want them to love learning and trying new things.

The list could go on and on but I've listed what's most important I think. As I thought about it I wondered how I could teach my children these things. Then I knew. The kitchen! We have had so many fun talks in the kitchen and we are always baking and cooking in there. It is one of our most favorite things to do together.

So, ta da da da! I'm introducing my new blog. Once or twice a week I'm going to share something new that the kids and I have whipped up in the kitchen. It will be scheduled pure uninterrupted mommy-daughters time and hopefully my son will pick up on the joy of cooking as he gets older. He's only 20 months old and right now all he wants is the beater when I'm done making the cookie dough.