My Domestic Daybook

Mom's Enchilada Stacks

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 21:46:00 +0000

This recipe for Enchilada Stacks is another favorite from my childhood. It was one that we all loved as kids and my kids love it now. I have hesitated to share it, because the recipe does include a can of condensed tomato soup. I have tried to come up with a healthier alternative, but my kids and husband can always tell and complain, so I have given up on finding a healthy alternative to this recipe and just enjoy it every few months for what it is.

I am sure that this recipe isn't even close to authentic, but it is plenty tasty and it comes together so quickly with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It is perfect for those evenings when you haven't planned ahead very well, or you are short on time.

I like these enchilada stacks best when made with corn tortillas. You can fry them lightly or just warm them up before serving. If you do fry them make sure they don't go too long. You want them to remain soft, so you can cut into the stacks easily. I have also made these enchiladas with flour tortillas and they are delicious that way as well.

I usually serve them just like pictured above. I set out all the components and then everyone can take as much or as little of each as they like. You just start by putting a little sauce on your plate, then layer a tortilla followed by more sauce. You can then add another tortilla and layer of sauce, or just get to the toppings, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, green onions, etc. One tortilla is enough for me, but my boys and my husband like to make "double decker" stacks.

When I got married, and started making these for my husband, he started frying up an over-easy egg to top the enchilada stack. So, even though it wasn't part of the original recipe, that has become the way we like to eat them best at our house.

I hope that if you give these a try, you enjoy them as much as our family does.

Domestic Doings - August

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:36:00 +0000

Here are a few of the domestic things I did in August ...

My oldest son had a birthday and asked for these delicious Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping for his birthday cake. (Yeah, my kids tend to ask for out-of-the-ordinary treats for their birthday cakes.) When I made them, I snapped a few pictures and gave the pictures on the post a bit of an update.

I made a batch of my Homemade Chocolate Syrup for Chocolate Milk. My husband and boys love this stuff!

We had some of my Mom's Enchilada Stacks for dinner one night. These are so tasty and super easy to make. Recipe coming to the blog later this week. Stay tuned!!

I made another batch of my Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Blender Muffins. They are a mouthful to say, but easy to make. They are also perfect for when you want a sweet treat without all the guilt.

This PB&J Protein Smoothie - without protein powder, is my go-to breakfast almost every morning. I love it with a buttered slice of sourdough toast. It is seriously one of my favorite things!!

I have been working on a recipe for Garlic Lemon Butter Chicken. It is almost there. I hope to share it soon.

So those are a few of the things that kept me busy in August. Maybe in September I will remember to snap some pictures of a few of the domestic things I do that aren't food related. Fingers crossed!

Easy, Buttery Pull-Apart Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 20:37:00 +0000

This Pull-apart Bread is so delicious! Light, Fluffy, Buttery and totally easy to make. A winner every which-way!! Whenever I make it, my boys cheer and it has even been requested as part of a birthday dinner or two around here. Yes, it is that good, and totally worth the little bit of effort there is to make it.

I will get right to the recipe on this one, but scroll past it for a simple tutorial that will demonstrate how super easy this bread really is to make.

Now, for the tutorial...

Make your dough as instructed and let rise.

On an oiled countertop, pat the dough into a roughly 10x12 rectangle.

Cut the dough into 24 squares. I use a pizza cutter to do this. As you can see, it is ok if they are not all the same size. Some of mine were downright tiny while others were large. It doesn't matter, it will still work our beautifully.

Put 4 Tbsps. melted butter into the bottom of your bundt pan.

Dipping the squares in the butter as you go, line up the squares so they rest on each other, and stand upright (well, not quite upright, but you can see what I mean here). You can move the pieces around or fit them in where you can to get all 24 squares of dough into the pan.

Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).

Bake for 10 minutes at 375. Then pull the bread out and pour the remaining 4 Tbsps butter evenly over the top. Be careful the butter will bubble and steam. Then return the bread to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until browned and done.

I find that sometimes my bread gets a little too brown for my liking, so I usually cover it lightly with foil for the first ten minutes of baking. Then I remove the foil when I pour the butter over the top and return it to the oven to bake the last 10-15 minutes without the foil.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.

Enjoy this buttery pull-apart bread warm, or at room temperature. It is delicious either way.

Crispy Homemade Baked Fries

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:58:00 +0000

In my last post, I mentioned that I had developed a method for making the best homemade crispy baked French Fries. Today, I am sharing this method with you. It is so easy and results in the perfect, crispy homemade fries of your dreams.

The great thing about this method, is it can be adapted to your needs. Want thinner, crispy fries? Cut your potatoes thinner. Prefer potato wedges? Cut them into wedges. If you prefer simple fries seasoned with just salt, they will be perfect. Want something a little fancier with rosemary and parmesan? Go for it! Be as simple or as creative as you want. And whether you need a lot of fries, or just a few, you can easily adapt this method to meet your needs.

I will walk you through the method, and then provide a recipe card for these delicious baked fries at the end of the post.

Cut your potatoes into your desired size/shape. You can use a fancy slicer/mandolin to cut your fries perfectly, or just use a knife, like I did, for a more homemade, rustic look.

Put the cut potatoes into a pan of appropriate size and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and parboil the fries about 4-5 minutes for thinner cut fries, up to 8-10 minutes for larger wedges. The potatoes should be slightly tender, but not soft.

Drain the water off the potatoes and then dump the fries onto a baking sheet (mine is lined with my favorite parchment paper)

Then drizzle the fries with oil and season as desired. I used olive oil and seasoned salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Toss the fries with the oil and seasonings until all the fries are well-coated.

Arrange the potatoes in a single even layer over the baking sheet.

Bake at 425 F until crispy and golden. About 35-55 minutes, depending on the size you cut the potatoes.

Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Domestic Doings April - July

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 22:23:00 +0000

Well hello there! I always intend to post regularly during the Summer months, but then reality hits and I remember just how busy it is with three boys at home all Summer, plus, this year, my oldest son returned home after living in Thailand for two years, so, I had a lot to do to prepare for his homecoming.

I did a ton of domestic stuff, but I didn't document it very well. I did manage to take a few pictures (mostly of meals I made), so I decided to start off my regular posting program with a "Domestic Doings catch up" post.

So here goes - just a few things that I did around my house while I was absent from the blog...

BLTs, one of my favorite Summer meals. We had these quite a few times.

Homemade Cheesy Bread. This recipe is a favorite and so quick and easy to make. Every time I made it this Summer, it was scarfed down in a flash.

Chicken Cabbage Salad is another Summer staple at our house. So good!!

I made some of our traditional Derby Pie for Kentucky Derby Day in May. Such a delicious indulgence every year!

I finally got around to hanging some art over my bed. I have had the large frames for awhile and finally ordered some prints to fill them. I love them. They were inexpensive and look so good. They come in a set of 4, so I just picked my three favorite. I'll find a use for the fourth one at some point. Here is an affiliate link if you are interested in getting some for yourself.

Floral Prints *Affiliate Link

Hawaiian Haystacks are another staple around our house. My boys love them! I will have to share my recipe for the chicken gravy as well as my method for them one of these days.

Grilled Hamburgers and Homemade Fries. We love hamburgers year-round, but especially in the Summer. I developed an awesome recipe for the homemade fries that I will share soon. I promise, they are worth the effort.

Hot Chicken Sandwiches are another easy meal that my family loves!

My family also loves homemade pizza. I made this several times when I was short on time and hadn't planned dinner. I almost always have pizza ingredients on hand and my Fast and Easy Pizza Dough makes a homemade meal a breeze on those busy evenings.

I did some experimenting with my Angel Food Cake recipe, trying to come up with a lemon variation. This was really good, but not quite blog-worthy. We'll see if I get around to trying again.

I tried making Paul Hollywood's Jammy Biscuits. They turned out so cute and they were good, but they were a lot of work. I probably won't make them again, but I'm glad I tried them.

And finally - the last picture I have of my domestic activities this Summer is of a quick pantry tidy-up I did. It had gotten pretty bad, but I was able to get it into order again so quickly I wondered why I had put it off so long.

So, forgive my lack of pictures and posts, but I am committed to doing better!

See you soon!

Peanut Butter Energy Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Wed, 14 May 2025 21:12:00 +0000

A month or two ago, on my Domestic Doings post, I mentioned that I had made a batch of my favorite Peanut Butter Energy Balls. I promised to share the recipe soon, so I am here today to do just that.

I am not going to wax poetic, or go into great detail about this recipe. I know there are tons of recipes for energy balls all over the internet, but this is the recipe that I have developed, and the one I like best.

Because I hate measuring peanut butter I developed this recipe to use half a jar of the Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter. I started using the whole jar, but found it was too much for my Kitchenaid to handle, and I got bored having to roll so many of the energy balls at once.

I start out by mixing up the peanut butter in my KitchenAid, using this method. Then I put half of the peanut butter back into the jar and store it in the fridge to be used later. I add the rest of the ingredients to the remaining peanut butter in the KitchenAid and mix it all together.

If my mixture seems a little dry, I add a little more honey. If it is too sticky, I add a little more peanut butter powder, until it is the consistency I like.

I use my 1 Tbsp. cookie scoop to portion out the mixture, and I then roll them into balls.

I put them on a parchment-lined tray and pop them in the freezer until frozen solid.

Once frozen, I put the peanut butter balls in a freezer safe container and store them in the freezer. I remove two or three at a time and let them defrost a bit before eating.

My boys love enjoying these energy balls as a snack as well. They are a family favorite for sure.

Here is the recipe.

pic

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:56:00 +0000

It seems that I have been posting a lot of oldies but goodies from my recipe box lately. This recipe for Chicken Broccoli Casserole is one that I have not made in awhile, so I had kind of forgotten about it, but a couple of weeks ago, I found myself with some shredded chicken and some broccoli that needed to be used, and remembered this casserole.

Now, I will be the first to say, if you are looking for a light and healthy dish, this is not for you. But if you are looking for a yummy, creamy, easy dinner that can even be made ahead if needed, this is definitely one you can try.

It comes together easily...

Steam some broccoli florets until crisp tender and line the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with them. I can't even tell you how much - I used a large head and a small head for this. Just measure with your heart.

Then place your cooked, shredded chicken over the top of the broccoli. Again, I just used what I had, I would guess this is the equivalent of about 4 or 5 chicken breasts.

Then sprinkle a small amount of grated cheddar over that.

Then a simple sauce is spread over that. This sauce is made with condensed cream of chicken soup and mayo. If you are against using canned condensed soup, I have also made it with a thick white sauce that has been flavored with chicken base combined with the mayo rather than the cream of chicken soup and it was just as delicious.

It is then topped with more shredded cheese.

*At this point the casserole can be covered and put in the refrigerator and pulled out later to be baked, if you are making it ahead.

Right before popping the casserole in the oven, cover it with toast cubes. Trust me, these are miraculous in this dish!

Then bake until bubbly and warmed through! Mmmmm! So good!

I love this Chicken Broccoli Casserole. I hope you do too!

Raisin Bran Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 19:26:00 +0000

I have been making this recipe for Raisin Bran Muffins since I was about 9 years old. They are one of the first muffin recipes I learned to make and they have stood the test of time. If you like muffins and you like Raisin Bran, I think you will like these.

They come together easily. Dry ingredients are sifted or whisked together.

Then the wet ingredients are whisked together and the raisin bran cereal is stirred in. This mixture sits for a few minutes to allow the cereal to soften a bit.

The wet ingredients are then added to the dry ingredients and the mixture is stirred together just until moistened. There may be a few bits or streaks of flour remaining. That is 100% ok. You don't want to overmix muffin batter.

Then scoop the batter into a prepared muffin pan. I used paper baking cups this time, because I hate washing out the muffin cups when I don't use them, but in the future I will just grease the bottoms of the muffin cups like I usually do. I found that these particular muffins like to stick to the baking cups, so I get a better result when I just grease the bottom of the muffin cups and then remove the muffins after baking by running a plastic knife around each muffin cup to loosen them for easy removal.

I only grease the bottom of the muffin cups because if the sides are greased, then the muffin batter can't climb the sides of the cups during baking, and you will get ridges around the outside of your muffins.

Bake them to a beautiful golden brown.

And while we are looking at my muffin pan, I just have to say again how much I love it! If you are in the market for a new non-toxic muffin pan, I love this one. It is definitely a little more pricey than your standard muffin tin, but it bakes beautifully and I love knowing that it is a healthier choice.

Here is an affiliate link if you want to take a look...

12 cup muffin pan

These raisin bran muffins are so good! And, bonus, they freeze beautifully, so if you can't eat them all within a day or two, simply put them in a freezer bag or container and freeze them to be pulled out and microwaved for a few seconds to warm them up for a quick breakfast or snack later.

If you like raisin bran, I recommend you give these a try. Here is the recipe...

Domestic Doings - March

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 21:55:00 +0000

March was a bit rough. Between sickness, Spring break, and Spring sports, I didn't get much posting done on the blog and I didn't take many pictures of the domestic things I got done around here, but I did snap a few, so here goes...

I worked on developing a new recipe for some chocolate cookies, to be used in various applications. These are not there yet.

I decided I was a little tired of my aqua front door, so I repainted it this pretty blue color. Now, don't get after me about the trim. I promise as soon as the weather gets a little warmer again I will get right on getting a fresh coat on it too.

If you want to see a picture of the door when it was aqua, there is a picture of it in this post.

I pulled out a few of the St. Patrick's Day decorations and put them up on the entry hook shelf for a few days. It took all of five minutes and it was kind of fun seeing them up again.

I also have been developing a recipe for small batch brownies, or brownies for two. These are delicious and the recipe will be making its way to the blog soon, but I want to make them another time or two, to ensure that they are perfect.

I finally got a shelf put up in my laundry room to hold all of my laundry baskets. It is sooooooo nice to have those baskets off the floor.

My shelf is 16 inches wide. It had to be wide enough to hold my baskets, so that meant I also needed long shelf brackets. These are the ones I used and I love them.

14" Floating Shelf Brackets

And just in case you are curious, here is a picture of some of the laundry room that you can't see in the picture above.

That's all I have for March. All in all it was a good month!

Tortellini Bolognese

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:56:00 +0000

This Bolognese sauce is my absolute favorite. While it may not make the prettiest photograph, I promise it makes a delicious meal.

Sausage, ground beef, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic are browned up together. Then the pan is deglazed with red wine. You don't have to use wine in this recipe, if you prefer not to cook with it. I don't drink alcohol, but most of the alcohol cooks out, and I love the yeasty flavor it gives to the background of this sauce.

After the pan is deglazed then tomatoes, rosemary, and sage are added and the sauce simmers together for an hour while all the flavors develop and meld together. So good!!

Serve the sauce over freshly cooked tortellini and grate some parmesan cheese over the top.

Domestic Doings - February

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:00:00 +0000

Here are a few of my domestic doings in the month of February...

I tried a couple more pie recipes from my mom's recipe box. Fresh Raspberry Pie...

and Hershey Bar Pie. They were both good, but I wouldn't make either one of them again, so they don't make the cut for getting their own blog post.

I also tried to make some granola muffins. Not a fan. I don't know if I will tweak this one and try again, or if it is just a bad concept altogether.

I made a big batch of my favorite energy balls. I am a fan of these. I will make a note to get the recipe I use up on the blog soon.

I also finally got on the crispy rice salad bandwagon. It was good, and fed me lunch for 3 days. I would like to play with this a little and see if I can make it a little more to my liking. If you have been wanting to try one of these crispy rice salads, there are tons of variations out there. Find one that sounds good to you and give it a try.

My principal bedroom closet had gotten a little bit messy, so I took about 20 minutes and tidied up and decluttered it. It makes me happy every time I walk in there. If you would like to see more pictures of it and how I have it organized, you can take a look at my post about it here.

I also finally finished piecing and quilting these mini quilts that I have been working on FOREVER! They turned out so cute! Now if I can just get myself to bind them (I seriously hate binding), I can put them up on the wall in my sewing room.

These mini quilt patterns are sold in a set by Cluck Cluck Sew and you can buy them on her website.

So, not a very productive month for me recipe-wise, but a good month all-in-all.

Breadsticks - Mom's Recipe Box

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:57:00 +0000

I'm sharing this recipe for simple breadsticks today. This is another one from my mom's recipe box, that I have been slowly working my way through. When I ran across this one, I actually remembered my mom making these breadsticks a few times when I was growing up, and they were just as good when I made them as I remember them being when she made them.

They are very similar to my Fast and Easy Breadsticks. They just have a few different ingredients and the taste and texture are ever so slightly different. While I don't think I will ever abandon my fast and easy breadsticks recipe, this one definitely gives it a run for its money.

After the dough is mixed and kneaded and given a quick rise, you pat it into a rectangle.

Then cut the dough into strips. I use a pizza cutter to do this.

Give the strips of dough a twist and place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Put them right next to each other. That will help them stay twisted as well as help them rise in the oven.

Cover with a clean dishtowel and let them raise for 15 minutes. Then brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

Bake to golden brown yumminess!

These breadsticks are so good. I hope you give them a try.

Here is the recipe...

Chicken Dinner Crepes

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 20:16:00 +0000

When I was in college, one of my roommates went to a bridal shower where these delicious Chicken Dinner Crepes were served. She got the recipe and made it for the girls in our apartment. Needless to say, I loved this recipe and I still make it to this day.

Granted, this dish is not the easiest to photograph in an appetizing way, but these tender crepes with a delicious chicken filling are mouthwateringly good.

They are easy to make. The crepe batter does need to be made ahead and refrigerated for at least an hour. And it you don't have any shredded chicken on hand, you will need to prepare some, but other than that, this recipe comes together in a snap.

I love these just as they are, but my husband and a couple of my boys prefer to eat the chicken filling over a bed of rice, and save the crepes for dessert. Not a bad idea at all if that appeals to you. But I highly recommend trying the flavorful filling inside a crepe first. It really is a great combination in a lot of ways.

Just put some filling in the middle of the crepe and wrap it up burrito style. You can put a little bit more filling over the top to make it more visually appealing if you like.

Some of my family also prefers the filling without the mandarin oranges, so I always leave those out, and then the people who want the oranges can just add them to the filling when they are loading up their crepes. To me, they are an essential component, so definitely try them with the mandarin oranges, unless you really dislike them.

If you have never made crepes before don't be afraid it is really not difficult, and there are lots of tutorials that can be found online about how to cook them. My biggest tip is to use a non-stick pan. Even though I cook pretty much exclusively in cast iron or stainless steel, I have only had good luck making crepes in a non-stick pan. I bought one non-toxic non-stick pan, and I only ever use it to make crepes.

So, if you are ready to try a dish that is a little different from the norm, but still totally delicious, give these Chicken Dinner Crepes a try and see what you think.

Basic Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:21:00 +0000

I ran across this recipe for basic (or plain) muffins in my mom's recipe box. It brought back some memories for me. I was probably about 10 years old, and was in a 4-H club, where we learned basic cooking/baking skills. That year, we focused on learning to make muffins and quick breads, and using this recipe, I baked my first-ever batch of muffins.

When I came across this recipe in my mom's recipe box, I knew I had to make it and put it up on the blog. They were easy to make and just as yummy as I remembered. They will definitely be making another appearance at our house soon.

These basic muffins are free of any mix-ins, so they are just as great with a bowl of soup or chili, as they are with a slathering of butter and jam or honey.

A few tips for making muffins:

1. Grease the bottom only of your muffin tins. If you grease the sides, then the batter can't climb up the sides, and you will end up with ridges around your muffin tops. Alternatively, you can line your muffin pans with paper baking cups, and then no greasing is required. (My favorite method.)

2. Mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients.

3. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, and then stir just until combined. You may have a few streaks of flour and some small lumps remaining. If you overmix muffin batter, you will end up with large holes inside your muffins, and the muffin tops will be peaked instead of nice and rounded.

I need to tell you about my muffin pan, because I love it so much. If you are looking for a new non-toxic muffin pan. I highly recommend this one. It is good quality, cleans easily, and muffins bake up perfectly in it. It is a little pricier than a standard pan, but it is worth it to me for its good quality and especially for the fact that it is non-toxic. Here is a link if you would like to take a look...

*Affiliate Link

If you want to try these good old-fashioned plain muffins, I think you will enjoy them.

Here is the recipe...

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Taco Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 20:44:00 +0000

Today I am sharing my recipe for Taco Soup. This is one of those recipes that I am surprised it is not on the blog yet, because I have been making it for years. Last week when I made it for dinner, I decided I had better take a couple of photos and finally get this recipe for Taco Soup on the blog.

There are recipes for Taco Soup everywhere and it seems there are a bunch of different ways that people prefer to eat it, but this is my favorite recipe and how I prefer to serve it.

I always serve my taco soup over rice and I always garnish it with shredded cheese, sour cream and crumbled corn chips. Since it can be hard to find organic corn products, I always stock up on Organic Corn Chip Dippers from Trader Joe's just for this recipe. (not sponsored)

I also like to garnish this with some fresh cilantro if I have it. If you like cilantro, you will probably love the soup topped with a sprinkling of it.

So, if you are looking for a taco soup recipe, or simply want to try something new, I hope you give this a try. It is super simple to make and is such a satisfying hearty soup. We love it!

Domestic Doings - January

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 17:10:00 +0000

Several years ago, I would regularly put up posts that I titled "Domestic Doings". They weren't about anything in particular. It was just a few quick snapshots of some of the domestic things I had done around the house lately. A few days ago, I decided that I wanted to bring those Domestic Doings posts back to the blog. So - - around the end of each month, I hope to share a few of the domestic things I have done over the past month on the blog.

So for January - this month I may have a little less to share, because I decided to do this kind of last minute, so I didn't take that many pictures, but I'll share what I have and hope that I do a little better in February.

Domestic Doings 2025 - here we go...

I was cleaning out my freezer and found some Rhodes rolls that needed to be used, so I made this yummy Butterscotch Bubble Loaf, and updated a couple of the pictures on my blog post about it.

I used some of my favorite PB & J Protein Smoothie and Delicious Homemade Granola, to make this smoothie bowl. Mmmm! So Good! It would probably have been even better with a few fresh fruits sprinkled on top, but it was awesome even without them.

Our family, like every other family it seems, has been fighting off colds, so I made another batch of my favorite Elderberry Syrup.

I tried another recipe from my Mom's recipe box that I thought might be good for Valentine's Day. It is called Pink Cloud Pie, and I liked it, but I didn't love it, and therefore it won't have a place on the blog. Just in case anyone thinks they would like to try it, here is a picture of the recipe - straight from her recipe box.

One of my boys had a birthday and requested some of my homemade pancakes for breakfast.

Finally, just yesterday I pulled out some of the Valentine's Day decor. I don't do much in the way of valentines decor, so this took me all of about 5 - 10 minutes.

I pulled out the favorite Hugs and Kisses Quilt.

I put up some of our minimal Valentine's day decor.

And last, but not least, I hung the tulip wreath on the door.

Here is a link for the wreath, if you are interested in getting one for yourself. They are nice and full and very pretty. I love to hang it on my door for Valentine's Day and Spring/Easter. They are available in other colors too, if you like the style but the colors aren't quite to your taste.

The Wreath Depot Pink and White Tulip Front Door Wreath, 19 Inch, Stunning Silk Front Door Wreath, Valentines Day Wreath, Extremely Full Design, Beautiful White Gift Box Included

*Affiliate Link

I hope you enjoyed this revived Domestic Doings post. It was a good January.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup - For Chocolate Milk

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 22:20:00 +0000

I love chocolate milk, but I don't drink it very often. However, my husband and boys drink it all the time. So, in order to feel just a little better about the syrup they are using, (seriously don't love all the junky ingredients in the commercial preparations) I try to make this chocolate syrup for them instead.

Yes - it is still full of sugar, but at least I can control the type of sugar and other ingredients that I put into the syrup.

And this syrup is goooood! It mixes easily into the milk and results in a nice full chocolatey flavor. It would be good over ice cream too.

This recipe does require boiling hot sugar, so be careful if you have little ones around.

Once you have made this and it has cooled, store it covered in the refrigerator. I can't tell you for sure how long it will stay good, because I don't think I have ever had a batch of it last more than a week around here.

So, if you want some chocolate syrup without all the junky ingredients, give this simple recipe a try. I think you will love it.

Manti Temple Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:23:00 +0000

This recipe for Manti Temple Bread was given to me years ago by my aunt. She must have had an in with a cafeteria worker at the temple to procure this recipe for this popular bread. I am grateful, because this bread is truly delicious.

Now that the Manti Temple has been renovated, there is no more cafeteria, so if you want some of this delicious bread, you are going to have to make it yourself. Luckily, this recipe is the real deal, or so I've been told.

I had to cut the recipe down significantly. The original made 8 large loaves. I have cut it down, so it makes two loaves, which is much more manageable for me.

I don't have any important tips for you on this bread recipe. This dough is soft and dreamy and comes together easily if you just follow the normal rules for making bread. It results in flavorful bread with a tender and light crumb that I am sure you will love.

I usually make bread in my Bosch mixer, but I have had good luck making this bread in my Kitchenaid. If you are going to try this, I highly recommend getting this dough hook. *Affiliate Link

Making a small batch of bread in my Kitchenaid works so so so much better with this hook than with the regular C hook that comes standard with your Kitchenaid mixer.

I have a Kitchenaid Classic, and this dough hook fits my mixer perfectly. If you decide to try this dough hook, make sure you check the model number of your Kitchenaid against the model numbers listed on the link, to be sure that it will fit your particular mixer. I'm pretty sure you will be thrilled with how much better it works on bread dough.

I hope you try this delicious recipe for homemade Manti Temple Bread.

Foolproof Angel Food Cake - From Scratch

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 03:08:00 +0000

This light, fluffy, perfect homemade Angel Food Cake is, shall we say, heavenly! I promise it is easy to make and turns out perfectly every time! It is completely delicious on its own, but even better with homemade whipped cream and some fresh berries. I also, as you can tell from my pictures, love it with a raspberry puree. Mmmm... So good!!

I got this recipe from my mom's recipe box. Many months ago I shared a Texas Sheet Cake recipe from her recipe box, and it was also delicious. Interestingly, I never remember her making either one of these recipes when I was growing up, which is a shame because they are both simple to make and absolutely delectable!

A two-piece angel food cake pan is required to make this cake, as it needs to hang upside down to cool. Because of this, it needs to stick to the sides and bottom of the pan, so a two-piece pan is the only way to get the cake out, still looking good. I don't know exactly what cake pan I use, there is no brand name on it, but it looks exactly like this one...

Fox Run Angel Food Cake Pan, 10 x 10 x 4.5 inches, Non-Stick

*Affiliate Link

In addition, since this cake needs to hang upside down to cool - never ever grease the pan, just put the batter in the clean pan and bake as directed.

For a few more tips and tricks for ensuring your angel food cake turns out perfectly, continue to scroll past the recipe for a simple tutorial.

Beginning with a clean bowl and beaters, beat your egg whites until frothy. Make sure that you get no egg yolk in your whites when separating them. If there is any fat in with the egg whites they will not whip up properly.

At this frothy stage at the cream of tartar and salt.

Beat until soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low and slowly add 1 cup of fine granulated sugar. Once you have added all the sugar, return the mixer to high and beat until stiff.

Pour the batter into a 10 inch angel food cake pan and run a butter knife through the batter a few times to break up any large air pockets.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cake should be golden brown and any cracks should be dry. Do Not Underbake. If you underbake this cake it may fall out of the cake pan when cooling.

Invert the cake and cool completely. I use this old sparkling cider bottle. You may want to check that your cake pan fits over whatever bottle you are using before you start baking. Alternatively, if your cake has not risen to the top of your pan, you can set the cake upside down on a cooling rack to cool. The important thing is that air can get underneath it when inverted.

When cool remove the cake from the pan and serve with your favorite toppings.

I hope you love this recipe for simple, foolproof, homemade angel food cake as much as I do.

Quick and Easy Asian Beef Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 20:11:00 +0000

This delicious Asian Beef Bowl is quick, easy, tasty, and a perfect break from all the heavy holiday eating that happens at this time of year.

You can make this dish with ground beef or ground turkey, depending on your taste. Both work out perfectly and taste delicious.

This recipe calls for soy sauce. I always use coconut aminos and add a pinch of extra salt to the sauce to compensate for the saltiness you lose when you use that substitution.

As you can see, I call this recipe a "bowl" but it can also be served up on a plate, which is how my family prefers to eat it. Bowl, plate ...whatever you decide to serve it in or on, it is delicious.

I hope you take the time to whip up this light and fresh Asian inspired meal. It is one of our favorites.

Clubhouse Grill Sandwiches

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 16:49:00 +0000

I'm popping in today to share another quick and easy sandwich recipe. These clubhouse grill sandwiches are so delicious and versatile too. They are also so easy I feel this should be called a method more than a recipe, but regardless of what you want to call it, I am sharing the base for this clubhouse grill sandwich today.

So - the base for these sandwiches includes deli ham, deli turkey, barbecue sauce, cheese, and a little mayo. You layer these up on sliced french bread and grill them to golden melty goodness. They are so so good.

You can add other things to these sandwiches as well. I like bacon, because can you really call this a clubhouse sandwich without a little bacon? We also like to add lettuce and tomatoes, but we add those after we have grilled the sandwich, because my family doesn't like the lettuce and tomatoes warmed up. We prefer sharp cheddar cheese on these sandwiches, but I imagine any cheese that melts well would be just fine.

Another tip - if you feel like the ham and turkey are not getting warm enough, we have found that we like to put the sliced meat on the grill for just a few seconds to give it a bit of a head start before putting it on the sandwich.

So - basically you take a slice of French bread, butter it on one side and put it butter side down on a warm/hot griddle. (You want it warm enough to toast the bread, but not so hot that the bread gets toasted before the ingredients in the middle have a chance to get warm, and for the cheese to melt.)

Then slather a bit of mayo on that piece of bread, sprinkle some grated cheese on top of that and then add a slice or two of deli ham. Top the ham with a bit of barbecue sauce and spread it evenly over the slice, then add a slice of two of deli turkey, follow that with more grated cheese and top with a final piece of French bread that has been butttered on one side - buttered side up.

When the underside is nice and golden, flip the sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

You probably don't need a recipe for these sandwiches, but just in case you want one for ease - here ya go...

Bakery-Style Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:21:00 +0000

These Bakery-style Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins are incredible. Honestly, I feel a little guilty calling them muffins because they are so decadent they are almost more like a cupcake, but that doesn't stop me from making them and enjoying them on occasion.

If you want a chocolate chip muffin that is a little more, well, muffiny, then check out my other recipe for chocolate chip muffins here. They are delicious as well.

But if you are looking for a crispy on the outside, fluffy, soft, and tender on the inside, and completely over-the-top sweet and delicious bakery-style muffin, then you definitely want to try these!

The batter comes together quickly and follows the normal conventions for making muffins. If I could give you just a couple of tips, they would be these...

Mix the chocolate chips in with the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. This will ensure that the chocolate chips stay suspended throughout the batter, instead of possibly sinking to the bottom of the muffin.

And then fill those muffin cups past the top of the pan. Believe me these muffins are so much better when the muffins have a nice big crunchy top. Once you have filled up the muffin cups , give them a nice sprinkling of sugar. If you have some coarse sugar - all the better. I usually don't have coarse sugar on hand, but my regular organic sugar that I use is a little coarser than conventional granulated sugar, so I just use that, and have always been happy with the results.

I mean, come on! Yum!

This recipe is for standard muffins, and I usually get about 14 out of each batch. Yes, a bit of an awkward number for a muffin recipe, but I don't mind. I just pull out another pan, fill those two extra muffin cups and enjoy having a couple of bonus treats.

In addition, this recipe calls for buttermilk. I imagine you could use another milk in its place, but I have never tried it. I will say that I often use the whey off my homemade yogurt in place of the buttermilk and the results are just as good.

These muffins are delicious warm or at room temperature, but I like them best warm. And, I may or may not have been guilty of adding a little pat of butter to a warm muffin a time or two.

As far as storage, I am sure these would store well in an airtight container for a day or two and I imagine they would freeze well. I would think they would lose their crunchy outside, but they would still be good. Sadly, I cannot tell you any of this with certainty, because these muffins have never made it more than a day at our house. My family eats them up pretty fast.

So, have I convinced you to try these yet? If so, here is the recipe for my delicious Bakery Style Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins.

PB&J Protein Smoothie - without protein powder

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 17:25:00 +0000

This PB&J Protein Smoothie! Oh my goodness! I am addicted. Every morning I wake up craving this amazingly creamy and yummy smoothie! It is packed with protein and fiber, as well as fruits and veggies! To me, it is the perfect, and healthy way to start your day.

And a bonus for all those who are like me and don't really like protein powder - - this smoothie packs about 35 grams of protein with nary a scoop of protein powder in sight! It also boasts approximately 15 grams of fiber!

I use a triple berry blend of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries in this smoothie, as well as fresh baby spinach, organic peanut butter powder, and organic flaxseed meal.

I also almost always make this with my homemade Greek yogurt, but cottage cheese may be used as well.

I add Power Beets to this smoothie. And, yes, they are an absolute must! Not only are they super good for you (as far as I can tell - I'm not a nutritionist), but they also add a little bit more sweetness to the smoothie. I think it might be a little too tart without them.

I buy mine from Amazon. They are part of my monthly Subscribe and Save order. Here is an affiliate link, if you are interested in trying them.

Nature's Sunshine Power Beets – Patented Nutrient Blend of Beet Root Powder and Nutrients to Promote Performance, Mental Clarity, & Vitality – Non-GMO, Soy & Gluten Free – 30 Servings Power Pouch

*affiliate link

And while I am leaving links, I want to mention that for years, I used a cheap standard blender. I wanted a high powered blender badly, but couldn't bring myself to fork out the hundreds of dollars to buy one. I finally compromised and bought a ninja duo a month ago, and I have been sooooo happy with it. So if you are interested in upgrading your standard blender, but not ready to go quite as high end as the really expensive ones, I recommend the Ninja. This is the one I purchased, and so far I love it!

Ninja BN751 Professional Plus DUO Blender, 1400 Peak Watts, 3 Auto-IQ Programs for Smoothies, Frozen Drinks & Nutrient Extractions, 72-oz. Total Crushing Pitcher & (2) 24 oz. To-Go Cups, Black

*affiilate link

Now, finally, since I am sure you are excited to try this delicious Peanut Butter and Jelly Protein Smoothie yourself (and you really should be), Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Simple Soft No-Roll Lemon Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 16:08:00 +0000

I love lemon and I love sugar cookies. So, it was only a matter of time until I developed my own recipe for delicious soft lemon sugar cookies.

I have tried many recipes for lemon sugar cookies in the past, but none of them have been quite to my liking. Most of them were just too heavy for me. These lemon sugar cookies are light and soft and perfect. Plus, they do not require any rolling out or cutting, so that makes them even better in my book.

Of course, if you would like to roll them out and cut them with cookie cutters this recipe will totally work for that. Just form the dough into a disk after it is made, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it until it is stiff enough to roll out. The cookies will still be every bit as delicious as if you made them with the no-roll method.

When I make these cookies, I simply use my two-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion them out on the cookie sheet, and then flatten them with the bottom of a glass that has been coated with sugar. I find it easiest to coat the bottom of the glass with sugar if I grease up the bottom of the glass with some cooking spray or butter first. Then I dip the glass in sugar between each cookie. There is no need to re-grease the bottom of the glass. As you are pressing the cookies, it seems to keep the glass buttered up enough that the sugar keeps sticking when you dip it in the sugar before pressing the next cookie. I have never measured, but I would guess I press my cookies between 1/4" and 1/2" thick.

The edges of my cookies are a bit ragged and imperfect. That is totally fine with me because I like the homemade look to them, but if you want them to look more perfect, simply roll them into perfect little balls before flattening them.

When making these cookies, I think it is important to infuse as much lemon flavor into the sugar as you can before creaming it together with the butter. The way I do this is simply measuring the sugar into the bowl of my stand mixer, and then zesting the lemon into the bowl.

Then turn the mixer on and let it run for two or three minutes to get that lemon zest pressed into the sugar.

When all the other ingredients are added, the resulting dough is soft, and can be easily scooped onto your baking sheets.

The resulting cookies have a subtle lemon flavor. You get the real lemon zing from the frosting.

This frosting you guys! Do not skip this frosting! It M A K E S these cookies and, in my opinion, it is the most perfect lemon frosting for sugar cookies that I have ever come across.

So, I have gone on way longer than I normally do on my recipe posts, so it is high time that I got to the recipe.

Here is is... Enjoy!

Asian Inspired Chicken Wraps

noreply@blogger.com (Tonia) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:57:00 +0000

I didn't know exactly what to call these delicious little chicken wraps, but finally decided to call them Asian Inspired Chicken wraps, because they are full of Asian flavors.

Last week I posted a recipe for the best grilled marinated chicken, and if you have any leftovers, this is the absolute best thing to make with them. The flavor of the marinated chicken goes perfectly with the mandarin oranges, and the crunchy noodles, and the dressing.

Speaking of the dressing - oh, this dressing! If you love Asian flavors, I think you will love, love, LOVE this dressing. It totally makes these wraps. Do not attempt them without the delicious creamy sesame dressing!

I have never made these chicken wraps with anything but my grilled marinated chicken, but I imagine they would be delicious made with about any teriyaki-type chicken.

Give these light and super-tasty chicken wraps a try.