She Who Makes...

How to Store Fruits and Veggies

2013-04-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Just stopping by for a quick HELPFUL tip!

I found this website while pinning the other day. It is so helpful. It is a list of TONS of veggies and fruits that you might have in your kitchen at this moment -- and some you don't because frankly you've never even heard of them!

The list gives you specific instructions for how to prep your produce when you bring it home from the store so that it will last as long as possible in the fridge, counter, pantry, etc. until you can get it eaten up!

Here's an example:

Avocados ‐ place in a paper bag at room temp. To speed up their ripening‐ place an apple in the bag with them.

If you scroll all the way down through the list (it's like 5-6 pages long!!!) you will see a link for printing it so you can store it in a binder with your recipe books. I have a binder of all the "homemade" recipes I need and I stuck it in there for easy reference.

Visit My Thirty Spot and get your list today!!!

Bake some Heath Bar Biscotti

2013-04-23T14:23:00.000-06:00

A few months ago we had a family over for dinner and she brought me a lovely gift basket filled with treats... special teas, espresso powder, etc. and these delightful homemade biscotti! The recipe has been around a while, apparently she got it out of the Washington Post and it can be found online in several places. I adapted it by leaving the butterscotch extract out and replacing the chopped up candy bar with Heath English Toffee bits. I also used pecan halves... not sure why the original recipe called for whole pecans. Worked just fine and tasted great!

You'll need:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups Heath English Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits
1/2 cup pecan halves

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream the oil, granulated and brown sugars together until well blended. Stir in vanilla extract. Blend in eggs.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and then fold into batter. Fold in toffee bits and pecans.

Place batter on baking sheet (it will be thick and a little sticky) and form it into two logs, each about 10 to 12 inches long about 3 inches in width. (Flatten the logs slightly -- it's more like a long rectangle.) Bake in preheated oven until set, about 25 minutes. Cool very thoroughly.

This was the first batch, tiniest bit underdone. The second batch got a bit more brown.

With a sharp knife (serrated might work well for you, experiment or you could also try a pizza cutter), slice the logs in strips (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide) and return them, cut side down, to baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven first on one side, about 12 minutes, then turn over and bake other side about 5 minutes, or a little longer to desired level of brown. If you bake them a bit longer they will be a bit more crunchy and taste more caramelized, but watch carefully so you don't over-do it and burn them! Cool well.

Green Monster Smoothie

2013-04-18T11:26:00.001-06:00

This is what I had for breakfast.

You are probably wondering two things.

Q1. What in the world is it?

Q2. Why in the world would I drink it?

A1. This is a Vegan Detox Green Monster Smoothie. I got it from Ambitious Kitchen. It is

3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup cucumber peeled, sliced
1 large frozen banana, sliced
1 1/2 cup milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
1 1/2 cup kale, loosely packed (just the leaves--not the stalks!)
Large handful of Spinach

Throw it all in a high-powered blender and go! It makes a LARGE glassful of smoothie!

A2. I am currently on the Paleo diet... but that's a topic for another day... so this smoothie is perfect for me! Plus it's fast and easy to "eat" breakfast this way... And it does NOT taste like veggies at all. It tastes fresh and smooth and cold. This one is a keeper for sure!

Why should you eat Kale? WebMD says:

"One cup of kale is a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients. Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds. Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw."

Obviously you could use regular cow's milk in this smoothie. The benefit of using almond milk is that it becomes dairy-free and can assist you in getting rid of toxins in your body. You won't miss the milk, I promise! And if you are someone who can't have milk--well then this is just for you!

DIY Stain Remover

2013-04-16T07:24:00.002-06:00

Okay, wait until you see this! It is awe-some!!!

I hate spending tons of money on special cleaners just so that I can have a million bottles in my cabinet for every little cleaning need. So, I am always looking for more ways to use the same products over and over to make cleaning products to use around the house.

Here's another great one. See these? They are my 4-year old's T-Ball pants from practice this week.

YUCK!

DIY Stain Remover

2/3 cup Dawn Dish Soap

2/3 cup ammonia

6 Tbsp baking soda

2 cups warm water

Mix together and pour into a spray bottle. This tends to separate easily so you'll have to shake it up each time you want to use it. Spray it on the stain and rub! Then wash as normal. Since these are white, I dried them outside in the sun. Here's the result...

Is that amazing or what?!?!?!?!

She Has Five Favorites!

2013-04-10T16:47:00.000-06:00

Today I am joining in with Moxie Wife and others and writing about a few things I'm loving right now.

1. Green tea to start my day. Particularly one that has some kind of fruity flavor added to it.

I've been a coffee-first-thing-in-the-morning-please-don't-talk-to-me-until-I've-had-my-cup person for decades (pains me to say it) but recently I've replaced that first cup of joe with green tea.

Makes me happy.

2. Jillian Michaels on the DVD player. Yeah, she's kinda annoying, and I guess I wouldn't say that She Personally is a Favorite, but her workout program is. Surprise surprise, breaking a sweat every day (even only for 20-30 minutes) really really improves my mood and overall feeling of well-being. Yep, you heard it here. First probably.

3. Lest you think I'm so last decade with Favorites #2 and #3 let me add Call the Midwife to the list. Totally awesome show. I cry over each and every episode. Watch it online or get the DVDs from Netflix, whatevs, just Watch This Show.

4. Peperoncini

Current fave way to consume is in a wrap sandwich -- get yourself a wrap of some sort (edible), spread it with a bit of mayo, layer deli turkey, some kind of cheese if you want, spring mix or other kind of green stuff, and then a bunch o' peperoncini. Sprinkle with black pepper, roll up, and enjoy!

5. Um, I've owned this little gizmo (Pampered Chef Mini-Whipper) for years -- in fact I own two of them -- and only just realized what it's most especially good for. Even the company's write-up doesn't tell you that if you pour some milk into a small saucepan and put it over medium heat and use this guy to whisk up the milk for all of maybe 20 seconds that you'll have perfectly frothed milk that you can continue to warm and then use to make an awesome homemade latte! (Just add a few ounces of hot strong coffee or espresso -- I make mine from instant and it works great!) Why I didn't realize this I have no earthly idea. So don't bother buying yourself a battery-operated milk frother thingy, just use this, which you probably already have and didn't know what it was good for. Or maybe you do and I'm just the last person to realize... yeah probably that's it.

Head on over to Moxie Wife to read up on more Five Favorites!

Have You Made Your Own Granola Yet?

2013-04-10T09:34:00.001-06:00

If you haven't tried this granola yet you are really missing something!

It is so yummy and crunchy and texture-y... Plus it's fun to play around with and add stuff to!

This week's version includes dried apples and sunflower seeds.

Leave a comment on Facebook if you have some ideas of tasty things to add to granola!

Strawberry-Banana-Oats Smoothie

2013-04-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to this site I have found several more healthy meal-replacement smoothies to try!

Unfortunately my blender jar was in the dishwasher this morning. And of course it hasn't been run yet... so lazy me decided to try making my smoothie in the food processor instead. Which of course makes absolutely no sense since now not only do I have a dirty blender but also a dirty food processor. Yes, I am THAT smart.

But I got my smoothie in my belly faster and that's all that matters really.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp maple syrup
1 cup diced strawberries
1 banana
A small handful almonds
1/2 cup old fashioned oats

Blend! {or Process!}

When you are done, toss it in a large glass and grab a straw. It's a bit gritty because of the nuts, but it goes down just fine when you drink it through a straw. It has an earthy taste but is sweetened by the fruit and syrup. Even the baby girl gave it a few sips!

Make a Spring-y Wreath

2013-04-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

Do you have any grapevine wreaths lying around your house collecting dust? If so, go get one! If not, then get thee to a thrift or craft store and pick one up. While you are there grab a can of pastel spray paint.

Go outside and spray that thing until you can't spray it anymore. It will take several coats, but if you just go back out every once in awhile and squirt it a bit each time, it will eventually go from looking like a somewhat "dated" country accent to this ---

Okay, well not quite yet... first you have to wrap some ribbon around the wreath and tie it in a bow. Then you have to make some tissue paper flowers! Go here and learn how to do it. It's really very simple. Once you have some flowers, hot glue them to the wreath and you're done!

Isn't it cute?!

Make Grilled Cheese Roll-ups

2013-04-03T05:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a very fun idea for lunch for your kids (and you 'cause they're pretty good!)...

Take a few slices of bread and roll them out really thin. I left the crusts on because my bread was really soft. If you are using a hearty bread you may need to trim the slices down. Once they are really thin, place some pieces of cheese on top and roll from one side to the other. Squeeze them down and place them in melted butter on your skillet. Cook until brown and then flip them over with tongs. Brown the second side and serve them up! P.S. I think these are best with cheddar.

Thanks, Recipe By Photo!

Sharing Scrapbook Pages #3

2013-04-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

Grid designs are a great way to include multiple photos on your page while keeping the page simple to-make and easy on the eyes.

a list

small photos surround the list in the center -- all the things we wanted to do before leaving our temporary home and returning to North Carolina


card stock, sticker letters, journaling spot, photo corners

A New Room for Caroline

this way there's one block for the title, one for the journalling, and similarly-sized photos take up the rest of the space -- easy!

patterned paper, card stock, sticker letters, stickers, vellum

Summer Fun

less photos and more room for decoration... journalling is handwritten around each picture.

patterned paper, card stock, cardstock stickers, pen

April showers bring May flowers

grid in the middle again with a little more decoration and minimal journaling... it's all about the pictures on this page!

die cut paper, card stock, rub on letters, die cuts

Make Homemade Vinaigrette

2013-03-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Salad + me. Something like this:

Childhood -- iceberg lettuce, chopped carrots, quartered tomatoes (maybe even chopped celery?), drizzled with Kraft's Catalina dressing.

College -- more iceberg lettuce (with perhaps a bit of romaine?), broccoli florets, chopped hard-boiled egg, sunflower seeds, chinese noodles (you know, those deep fried things), and grated carrot, bathed in Ranch dressing.

Adulthood -- Caesar salad.

Parenthood -- more Caesar salad. Really ready for something different...

So I've recently figured out how easy it is to whisk up a freshly made-to-order vinaigrette dressing and then toss it with some spring mix or whatever greens I have on hand. I'm probably the last person on this green earth to figure this out, but I do tend to run about 10 years behind, so it's to be expected.

Anyways, here's how simple it is:

(Recipe found in Melissa d'Arabian's Ten Dollar Dinners and online here as Cafe Green Salad).
Serves 4 for small side-salad or 2 if you are serving just this plus a meat or fish.

You'll need:

peeled clove of garlic, sliced in half
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T red wine or balsamic vinegar (if you double the recipe and have both, use 1T of each)
1/4 tsp soy sauce
pinch kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 T olive oil

Take the peeled garlic clove and rub the cut side all over the bottom of a wooden salad bowl. Discard the clove. Plop the mustard into the bowl. Whisk in the vinegar(s), soy sauce, salt, and pepper until you have a blended, creamy mixture. Then pour the olive oil sloooowly into the bowl, whisking all along, until you have a lovely dressing like so. It'll take just a few minutes to do this, especially once you've done it a couple of times and it's so good!

I've found the best thing is that you can actually just let this sit until you are ready to serve the salad -- put handfuls of greens on top of the dressing when you're ready and toss away. The bowl you see in this photo could be pretty much filled with salad and then tossed. As I said, this will serve about 4 for side salads or 2 people who are hungry and are eating just this and a fish or meat portion.

You can serve the salad just as is, simple and fresh, or you can add any of the following optional ingredients, whatever you like!

Optional but extra yummy additions -- sliced or chopped avocado, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, toasted pine nuts.

Make Beef & Bean Burritos for the Freezer

2013-03-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

Beef & Bean Burritos -- for the Freezer

makes 16-24 burritos per batch

I have only made the 8" variety and find them the perfect size for lunch -- just add a piece of fruit and you're all set. A hearty appetite may require two of burritos for dinner; these are especially convenient when you need to feed someone who is running off to skating practice or choir rehearsal... or when you're dining alone!

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
2 cans (16 oz each) plain refried beans (or similar quantity of homemade refried beans)
3 c shredded cheese ("Mexican" packaged or combo of monterey jack and cheddar -- whatever you like!)
1 1/3 c enchilada sauce (1 jar or can or similar quantity of homemade enchilada sauce)
1/2 c water
1/3 c chopped onion (one small onion)
2 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
2 t dried oregano
1 t salt
16 (10") flour tortillas or 24 (8") flour tortilla

Optional toppings, later for serving (although I like them just plain, myself!): more shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado, etc.

For assembly you will need plain white paper towels (tear or cut full sheets in half) and aluminum foil as well as zip freezer bags.

Directions

In a large heavy-bottom pan or Dutch oven, brown the beef over medium heat until cooked, drain off fat and leave the meat in the pan. Add the refried beans, cheese, enchilada sauce, water, onion, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, and salt. Stir until thoroughly blended and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the onion is soft.

(At this point you will definitely want to get a spoon out and dig in. Try and resist or at least act in moderation.)

Let the mixture cool slightly. Set up for assembly as follows:

keep a skillet on medium heat to warm each tortilla as you need it (for 5-10 seconds)
place a piece of aluminum foil (about 8" wide) horizontally on your work surface
place a half-paper towel on top of the foil
place the warmed tortilla on the paper towel
spoon 1/2 c (if using 10" tortillas) or 1/3 c (if using 8" tortillas) of the filling in the middle of the tortilla
fold the sides of the tortilla towards the middle and then fold the bottom up and top down
flip the wrapped burrito over (seam side down) onto the paper towel and wrap the same way in the paper towel (sides in, bottom up, top down)
flip the burrito again and wrap the same way in the foil!
place this little burrito package in a zip freezer bag (you should be able to fit about 8 in a gallon size bag) or other freezer container
burritos may be frozen for up to 2 months!

When you are ready to eat, remove burrito from the freezer bag, unwrap the foil from the frozen burrito and place the paper towel-wrapped burrito on a microwave safe plate, seam side down. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. If you have thawed the burrito first (by leaving it still wrapped out on a counter), remove the paper towel also, place burrito on the plate seam side down, and heat for no more than 2 minutes.

Serve with optional toppings of your choice or all by itself!

Recipe source: Taste of Home -- slightly modified with additional assembly directions and larger serving size.

Sharing Scrapbook Pages #2

2013-03-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

@ 47

Here's another simple one-page design for 2 photos: turning 47... so young!


patterned paper, card stock, stickers, stamp & ink pad

too much fun

Similar design, with a journal card added for a bit more detail: a fun time with my siblings.

card stock, patterned paper, sticker letters, rub-ons, journal card, photo corners

family

Same basic 2-photo design with a bit more embellishment and handwritten journaling along the side: summertime family visit.


patterned paper, chipboard letters, stickers

our tiny dancer

This last page is based on the same 2-photo idea but this time the photos are vertical: youngest daughter's first dance recital.

die cut paper, card stock, sticker letters, stick on jewels

Honey Baked Chicken

2013-03-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

My More-with-Less Cookbook is on my kitchen shelf and is well loved. ( If you don't own a copy, I encourage you to go ahead and remedy that situation!) This chicken recipe is tasty, easy, and can be successfully used with whatever kind of chicken you have on hand!

I think this recipe works great with chicken thighs but the original recipe calls for a cut-up 3 lb chicken so go ahead and do it that way if you want. You could also try chicken breasts (if you have a good source) but obviously, if they are boneless and skinless you will have to shorten the cooking time. Start checking for done-ness after the 30 minute mark, I would say.

Honey Baked Chicken

Serves 6-8

You'll need:

6-8 chicken thighs (see above note)
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. honey
2 T prepared mustard
1 t salt
1 t curry powder

Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish, skin-side up. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Add the honey, mustard, salt, and curry powder to the bowl and whisk together until completely combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken pieces and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 hours, basting every 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and has a lovely golden brown glaze.

Source: More-with-Less Cookbook

Simple Pan-Fried Fish

2013-03-21T05:00:00.000-06:00


Happy First Full Day of Spring 2013!

Y'all probably already know all about pan-frying fish but hey, just in case you need a reminder of how simple and yummy this preparation is... I'm here for you!

Tilapia can be bought individually frozen or in larger packages in your grocery freezer case or fresh at the fish counter . Either way, cook it up this way and you'll love it. I recently served this to dinner guests as part of the following menu:

Cream of Mushroom Soup (not the canned kind... fresh and flavorful and so smooth)

Pan-Fried Tilapia

Roasted White and Sweet Potatoes or Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Spring Greens Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Fresh Apple Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce

There were both children and adults at this meal and everyone was satisfied.

Pan Fried Tilapia

Recipe adapted from Always Order Dessert.

Serves 6.

You'll need:

6 tilapia filets

Butter (3-4 T)

Olive Oil (4-6 T)

Sea salt or kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the filets and use paper towels to pat them dry. Leave the fish pieces on paper towels on the counter while you heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Start with 2 T of butter and 4 T of olive oil per filet. While the butter and oil are heating, generously season the filets on both sides with the salt and pepper.

When the oil/butter is hot, place the filets in the pan, two batches of three filets probably will work. Cook the filets 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp on the pan side. When ready, carefully flip (stand back and avoid splattering yourself!) and continue cooking on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Make sure the fish is nice and crisp, and therefore full of flavor! (After the first batch is done you may want to add more butter and olive oil to the pan -- 1 T butter and 2 T olive oil -- and make sure it's nice and hot before adding the remaining filets.)

When the first batch is done, remove the filets to a serving platter and keep warm (uncovered) in a 200 degree oven while you fry the remaining fish. When they are done transfer to the platter and serve!

DIY Fabric Softener

2013-03-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

I have been making my own laundry soap for about a year now. I am pretty proud of the money I am saving and the cute little glass jar of soap that sits next to my machine.

I was still buying fabric softener, however, because I really like the way it makes the clothes feel and smell--especially since my husbands clothes stink like grass and dirt every day.

Recently I found a way to make your own fabric softener and I am giving it a try.

It's so easy. All you need is:

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups conditioner (yup! for your hair. pick your favorite scent. cheap kind.)

Mix the water and conditioner together. Don't go too crazy. It will foam up a bit. Let it settle and then add the vinegar. Store in an airtight container. I use an old ice cream bucket. I pour some into an old fabric softener bottle and just keep refilling it from the bucket. This way I can pour it in easily. I use about 2 Tbsp per load.

That's it! Thanks FrugalGirls for the idea and detailed explanation!

Additional thoughts: Recently I have researching what to do for smelly laundry and my searches have found ideas like soaking smelly clothes in vinegar, adding baking soda to the load, separating my clothes even further and washing with smaller loads, adding more soap to the load, add less soap, and washing for shorter periods of time. So! I am going to investigate this further and will return with [hopefully] a solution for smelly laundry. Yikes!

Make a Healthy Smoothie

2013-03-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

In the last few weeks I have been introducing smoothies to my diet! I have been replacing one meal per day with a healthy, filling smoothie for two reasons:

1) To control my calorie intake
2) To make sure I actually eat something! I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to actually sit down and eat breakfast and lunch some days!

Here are my 2 new favorite smoothies--

Green Reset

Two handfuls of baby spinach, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 cup of yogurt, 5 strawberries, 1/2 orange. Blend well and enjoy.

I use frozen spinach. I peel and dice my apple. I just dump the peeled banana in. I use less yogurt and it still works. I sometimes use some fresh juiced oranges instead. All options work great. You really can't mess it up! Here are some things I like to add:

1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal and/or
1 Tbsp of wheat germ
Small handful of almonds
4 ice cubes (I personally like my smoothies REALLY COLD)

Chocolate Protein Shake

Throw everything in your blender and go until it's smooth.

1 1/2 cups cold milk (The original recipe calls for chocolate milk, but I just use regular.)
2 scoops protein powder (Laura introduced me to Muscle Milk and it's yummy!)
1 banana
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter (I use ground peanuts)
3-4 ice cubes (I use four for sure, 'cause remember I like my smoothies cold!)

Both are filling and healthy! Who knew you could drink up so much good food in under 5 minutes! Good for us busy mamas...

Sharing Scrapbook Pages #1

2013-03-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I scanned a lot of my scrapbook pages. It wasn't a perfect system -- in the process I lost some of the details on the edges, but it was a good feeling knowing I had a digital version of all those somewhat vulnerable paper pages.

I thought I'd occasionally share a page or two or three with you -- even though some of them might look a bit "dated" (after all scrapbooking is an extremely trendy craft!) maybe some of the ideas, page design, subject matter, will inspire you. At least, if you're like me, you'll enjoy looking at what someone else has created.

First Day '07

Simple design, simple text, simple story: first-day-of-homeschool snapshots taken on the back porch.

sticker letters, ribbon, cardstock, pen

Singing Beach -- Manchester MA

Same basic layout, rotated and journaling added along the side, this time computer generated: a visit to a much-loved beach in Massachusetts.

sticker letters, patterned paper, cardstock, stickers

{3}

Again, same basic layout, turning the photo strip a bit on the diagonal this time, with more room for lots of hand-written journaling along the side: celebrating my sisters and our relationship over the years.

patterned paper, cardstock, rubons, chipboard numbers, photo corners, pen

First Day of School

Back to the same design as the first layout above! This time with a bit more liberal use of patterned paper and stickers.

patterned paper, stickers, stamps & ink

Cookbooks -- On my Kitchen Bookshelf

2013-03-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

I don't own a lot of cookbooks but I sure do like reading them -- I figure that's one of the purposes of public libraries and I generally check cookbooks out by the handful. I love paging through them! Occasionally -- wait for it -- I even cook something from a cookbook! But I definitely don't feel pressured to do so. Most of the time I'm just enjoying the pretty pictures, expanding my food horizons by reading about the possibilities, but I'm not really going to actually use the cookbook.

What about you? I expect you have your favorite cookbook author or TV cooking show host extraordinaire... someone whose recipes you completely trust and whose style of cooking meshes well with your tastes and preferences.

Here are a few of my favorites, cookbooks that I actually cook from. These are the ones that are on the bookshelf above my kitchen counter and that I pull ideas and recipes from regularly.

Betty Crocker's New Cookbook -- basic cooking information with many tried-and-true recipes.
Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl and Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier -- sure you can get a lot of good recipes on her website but the book is great too and with few exceptions, everything I make from her is delish!
Joy of Cooking -- I don't actually cook much from this but it's a great ingredient and know-how resource
More-with-Less Cookbook -- this one has stood the test of time, originally published in 1976, it has withstood the 80's, 90's, and the "oughts", with all the food fads and no-nos, it promote real food and simple, healthful recipes.

In addition I have few new favorites or potential favorites --

Ten Dollar Dinners by Melissa D'Arabian -- ways to cook healthy and tasty food for your family, without spending a lot at the grocery store. Check this one out from the library and you might end up buying your own copy.
How to Cook Everything: The Basics by Mark Bittman. I really like this one. Again, try to review a library copy and decide if you want to own.
How to Cook like a Rock Star by Anne Burrell. I just bought this after a friend strongly recommended. Am eager to try!

By far my favorite recipe resource, however, is my hand-made notebook of recipes that I've collected over the years -- from friends, blogs, other online resources. I definitely recommend keeping something like this in your kitchen, it's as simple as buying a spiral-bound notebook and taping or stapling recipes onto each page. Write your comments around them. If you didn't like a recipe after making it, just tape another one over it! Every recipe in this journal is one that I make over and over again and I find it a much better way to keep track of all those printed-out-recipes than stuffing them in a drawer or into another cookbook... or any of the other places we stuff those kinds of pieces of paper...

I also use this recipe journal as a place to record menus for holiday or special meals and for what I served when we've had friends over for dinner. This helps me in creating new menus and I like to have a record of what I've served.

Lastly, I have a recipe collection binder that I bought years ago from a Pampered Chef consultant. This is where I keep recipes that come to me from family members and friends, most of these recipes are pre-internet and were hand-written on a recipe card.

What's your favorite cookbook?

Make Macaroni & Cheese -- Stove Top Style

2013-03-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

We have been entertaining quite a bit since moving to our new home in Indiana. And by that I don't mean that we're a laugh riot now and we make those around us un-bored -- what I mean is that we are "being hospitable" (as my husband says). Having people over for dinner. Making new friends. It's fun and I'm enjoying having the kind of home and kitchen that makes doing this a pretty easy thing.

When there are young children accompanying their parents to our house for dinner, I like to have a dish of mac & cheese available to suit their sometimes simpler palate... and the baked kind, though it can be delicious, doesn't hold up to sitting around very well. Plus it takes up space in my oven. In search for a recipe that could be made ahead and then sit on the back of the stove while I prepared the other dishes, and still be creamy and yummy it when it was time to eat, I found this popular version -- Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese, courtesy Alton Brown and the Food Network. It's a good one, but I've tweaked and toned it down just a bit to make it even simpler to make and less intensely flavored -- we're not big mustard fans around here so I took that out entirely.

Once you get the hang of this recipe (and make a habit of keeping these simple ingredients on hand) you'll find it's really not that much more work than the blue box, for a much tastier and healthier result.

Macaroni & Cheese -- Stove Top Style

Serves 4-6 as a hearty side dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni (approx. 2 cups)
4 T butter
6 oz evaporated milk (this is half of a large can or use a small can which is 5 oz -- should be fine)
2 eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
black pepper, to taste
8 oz medium cheddar cheese, shredded (most grocery-store blocks are 8 oz, or use a pre-shredded bag which should also come in 8 oz size)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the elbow macaroni until al dente. Drain. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the butter and toss to coat.

In a separate bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together the evaporated milk, eggs, salt, and black pepper. (You can do this step while the pasta is cooking and have it ready to go when the pasta has been drained & buttered. You can also shred the block of cheese while the pasta is cooking, if you haven't bought the pre-shredded kind.) Stir the egg & milk mixture into the pasta.

Now add the shredded cheese to the pot and turn the heat to low -- stir the (somewhat strange looking at this point) mixture steadily with a wooden spoon and after 3 to 4 minutes it will magically morph into a creamy, sauce-y, yummy pot of mac & cheese! Make sure it's nice and hot, and enjoy immediately, or cover and set on the back of the stove (no heat) until you are ready to serve -- you may need to add a splash of regular milk and stir it a bit over very low heat before serving but I have had this sitting for up to an hour and it's been just fine!

Enjoy Irish Foods on St. Patrick's Day!

2013-03-14T07:54:00.000-06:00

Enjoy some authentic Irish food while you and your family "Go Irish" on St. Patrick's Day! (In case you're not remembering, it's this Sunday, March 17.)

A completely traditional "Full Irish Breakfast" could be a bit difficult to pull off, but you can approximate it by serving any or all of the following to your family:

fried egg (usually sunny-side-up)
bacon (you probably won't be able to find the British-style "rasher" -- here is a great article explaining just what exactly this is! -- so just sub in regular ole' American bacon, what the Brits call "streaky bacon")
sausages
buttered toast (white or wheat, but it should be sandwich bread style, nothing fancy or artisan!)
baked beans (NOT the maple-flavored Boston-style, but this plain tomato based version)
small tomato, cut in half and broiled or pan-fried
sauteed whole mushrooms
soda bread
potato scone (a triangular shaped flour-y hash brown; most traditional in a Scottish full breakfast)
black pudding
white pudding

I've personally never been able to bring myself to include black pudding (and I don't think I ever got the opportunity to enjoy white pudding) when I've been breakfasting somewhere in the British Isles... I won't hold it against you if you skip it.

And of course you'll want cold orange juice and plenty of hot, milky, sweet, black tea to go along with this filling full breakfast!

Options for later in the day include:

Irish Stew (mutton or lamb, potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, cabbage leaves)
Beef and Guinness Pie (pretty much what it sounds like)
Corned Beef and Cabbage (again, pretty much what it sounds like... I made this just one time for my family... not really a favorite)
Colcannon (this is a favorite!)

Make Mexican Chicken & Rice

2013-03-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Okay peeps, here is my FAVORITE easy dish for those crazy busy days...

Mexican Chicken with Rice

This recipe was originally a crock pot idea, but I am going to share how I prepare it for my family.

In the morning I take 1 pound of boneless chicken breasts out of the freezer (do you keep a stockpile of chicken in your freezer? If not, you should! More on that another day...)

I also put just under 2 cups of rice with 2 cups of water in my rice cooker. (This is the amount that works for our family of 5, plus the occasional babysitter who is eating with the kids while I am teaching in the music studio.) My rice cooker has a delay timer, so I can set it and forget it!

After the chicken has thawed enough for me to cut it into cubes, I throw the pieces into a skillet and sprinkle them with cumin and seasoning salt to taste. I cook the chicken until it has just turned from pink to white and then I toss it all into a bowl with 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. If you want to have less dishes to wash, just pour the enchilada sauce in an 8x8 baking dish and then stir in the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with 4 ounces of shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes. Scatter with 3 chopped green onions and serve over the rice that has been cooking in the rice cooker!

If you're like me and enjoy making things from scratch, then you have to make this homemade enchilada sauce. It's so good!!! And you can freeze it!

Craft an Easter Egg Tree

2013-03-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a very cute decoration that anyone can make to celebrate Spring and Eastertime! It's also a decoration that you can make without spending a lot of money.

Go to your local dollar store and pick up:

a styrofoam cone
several packages of colored plastic eggs
plastic Easter basket "grass"

Grab your hot glue gun.

Begin gluing the whole plastic eggs around the base of the cone (see photo). Continue spiraling around the cone until you reach the top and then add one egg at the very peak of the "tree".

When you are finished attaching the eggs, go back and insert some plastic grass into each gap between the eggs.

Display and enjoy!

(Yes, it's that simple, but so colorful and cute.)

How to Raise Baby Chick[en]s

2013-03-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's baby chick time here at our house! Last year around this time we picked up 10 little girls to begin our very own Backyard Flock! Raising chickens has been on our minds for quite awhile. Being that we live in-town, there isn't a lot we can do to farm out our property, but what we can--we will! And we are allowed to have up to 10 chickens as long as there aren't any noisy roosters in the bunch! We did a lot of research before starting the process.

The website that was most helpful to us was http://www.backyardchickens.com/.

I encourage you to visit the site if you are interested in starting your own. Here are some of the things that we had to figure out when we were getting ready ...

We researched the different breeds and decided on Golden Sex Link because they do well in cold weather and are consistent egg layers. Plus my hubby really wanted to have brown eggs and these girls can do that! Some are even speckled, which is kinda cool looking.

We had to gather supplies -- we picked out a container for them to live in [brooder box]. We decided to use a large tub. We clipped a heat lamp above the tub at the height that allowed us to keep the tub at the right temperature. We used an outdoor thermometer to help keep things regulated. We found a waterer that attaches to a canning jar (which you know I have tons of!) and were able to borrow this chick feeder from my brother-in-law and sister. The chicks live on top of (2-inch deep) pine shavings to keep them warm and relatively clean.

The baby chicks need to live indoors for at least 2 months before they can begin to be transitioned outside. As they grew we attached a screen on top of the tub to keep them from getting out. The lamp was moved higher and higher as they grew and didn't need the temperature as hot. Every day we checked their water and food. We gave our chicks a starter feed that is made in the hatchery we purchased them from. We like their feed because the medicine they add is herbal instead of artificial.

Here is a good summary of what you need to know when raising chicks for the first time!

Next time -- Raising Teenage Chickens!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection

2013-01-20T17:37:00.003-07:00

If you have been reading our posts for awhile, you may remember a couple years back we shared some tips and ideas for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I have to be honest (sorry sisters!) but even these tips did not solve my cookie struggles. When I bake the much-desired choco-chip cookies at my house, I always cringe. They are just greasy and flat and crunchy and just NOT what I was craving.

My kids still eat them and so does the hubby, but I am just not satisfied.

So for awhile now I have been trying many varieties and methods with inconsistent results.

That is, until today.

I am a new woman.

If you are like me and you are an epic failure in the world of choco-chip-cookie baking, you have GOT to go to this website and read the whole thing. And look at the pictures. She has awesome pictures.

And then after you do that... bake her cookies.

Design Mom's
Version of the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 oz.) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat for 5 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for another minute after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in two or three additions, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips using a silicone spatula or the mixer on low speed.

Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a few inches of room between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.