Thursday, November 20, 2008

French Bread


French Bread is a really simple and delicious bread to make. I love it with spaghetti or lasagna or toasted with butter, cheese and garlic.

French Bread

Dissolve:
2 pkg. (2 Tbsp.) yeast in 1/2 c. warm water.

Combine:
2 c. hot water
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 c. oil
3 c. flour

Stir well, then stir in yeast. Add 3 c. more flour and mix well. Leave spoon in batter (or leave it in your mixer) and let it rest for 10 minutes. Stir down. Repeat 5 times. (A total of 6 times). Knead lightly and divide into 2 parts . Roll up in oblong loaves. Let rise 30 minutes. Cut 3 diagonal slices into each top. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until nice and brown. (You can brush top with egg white for crustiness.)

We like the texture that letting it rest 10 minutes then stirring down gives it. We do it with our pizza dough also. Happy bread baking!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Apple Pie


Something about fall makes me want to bake with apples. And since this year we have a bunch of them it's perfect! So the other day I made an apple pie. First I went out (in the rain) and picked about 8 yellow delicious apples off one of the trees in our orchard...

First get about 6-8 apples. I used yellow delicious, but any good baking apple is good. Next you need to make the crust, for a 2 crust pie: 1-1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. shortening, and 3/4 tsp. salt. Using a pastry cutter or a fork smash it until it looks like bread crumbs. Then add 1/4 c. cold water and carefully mix to together until it sticks together enough to form a ball. Divide in half and roll one half into a circle on a floured surface. Then to be sure it's big enough take your pie pan (I used a 10 inch one) and lay it upside down on your pie dough and if the dough extends about an inch or more over the edges of the pan you're good. So carefully place your circle of dough into the pan and trim the edges if necessary. Put that and your other ball into the fridge to keep them good and cold while you work on your filling.

For your filling you need to peel and core your apples and then slice them into thin slices. Put your slices into a bowl and toss with: 3/4 c. sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Then take out your pie crust and put your filling in the bottom crust. Dot with butter and roll out your top crust. Place your top crust on top of you pie and pinch a seal on your edges. Prick the top a few times with a fork, and bake it at 350 degrees until it's golden brown and when you stick a fork into the top it goes in easily. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream or just by itself. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

I Guest Posted!

Hey everyone! I guest posted for my Mom the other day, you should go check it out. TheChocolateLadyDishes.blogspot.com
I posted about these brownies I made with my good friend Courtney. Enjoy!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Mint Brownie Pie


When Mom's best friend and her husband came for a visit she wanted me to make a special dessert that said "Welcome, we're so glad you're here!!!" Yeah, she was pretty excited. : ] So we found this in one of her recipe books and I made it special by melting chocolate chips and piping them into little stars, then I put them in the fridge to harden. They looked really cool! I also piped chocolate on top for decoration and of course, more chocolate!

Mint Brownie Pie-
From Taste Of Home Annual Recipes- 2000

Melt together in a saucepan 6 tablespoons of butter and 2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate.

Stir in 1 cup of sugar until well blended.

Add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Stir in 1/2 cup flour until well blended.

Pour into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Filling:

In a mixing bowl, beat 8 oz. of cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract and green food coloring (optional)

Fold in 1 carton (8 ounces) of Cool Whip.

Spread evenly over brownie layer, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove sides from pan just before serving.

You can get creative with what you do to garnish it. More whipped cream, chocolate chips, piped chocolate, : ] whatever you want. Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Crazy...

Time for a new post right? Anyway I got a really good one for you! The other night we were watching a show on Food Network called Food Detectives, they take food myths and test them. I really love the show, it's so fun to watch. The other night one of the myths was that it was impossible to eat 6 saltine crackers in 1 minute. We thought "Yeah right, that would be so easy!" After watching them all try it and fail on the show, we decided to do it. It took me about a minute and a half. And none of my other siblings could do it except my older brother. He was able to get them all in his mouth by the 30 second mark and had the rest of the time to swallow. The hardest part is that the crackers are so dry and you have to work up a lot of saliva to get them all down. At this point I shall challenge you to find 6 crackers and try it!!!
The Rules:
1. You can't drink any water while you are eating them or swallowing them.
2. You can't put anything on the cracker.
3. You have to have them all swallowed before 60 seconds is up.

Be sure to comment and tell me if you could do it or not. Happy Cracker eating!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Coconut!

A couple weeks ago I was staying with my Grandparents with 2 of my other cousins. One day we went grocery shopping and came across this coconut on sale, we decided to get it and see what it looked like inside and better yet taste it. So when we got home my grandpa drilled 3 holes in the eyes of the coconut and we drained out the coconut milk. The milk, we decided, tasted rather bland. Then he sawed it in half and rinsed it out. This is what it looked like. (see picture.) We used a knife to shave off some of the coconut (the white stuff) and ate it. We decided that dipping it in sugar made it taste a lot better. : ] But all in all it tasted like coconut, which is one of my favorite foods. And I Then after we cleaned all the coconut out of the shell (it came out pretty easily) I sanded off the outside and a bit inside and use it as a bowl. I think it's the coolest bowl in the world. What do you think?





Thursday, July 17, 2008

My Birthday Cake!!!!



Hi all! I celebrated my birthday this week, which meant I got a delicious birthday cake and something to blog about! Not to mention the presents... This year I wanted an ice cream cake with mint chip ice cream. So I mixed 2 recipes together and came up with a really good cake! And the very first "Dagmar's name the dessert contest". So after you read my recipe please comment with what you think I should call it.

Crush 1 sleeve thing of oreos and 2 Butterfinger bars. Reserve a little of the Butterfinger crumbs to sprinkle on top. Melt 1/4 c. butter and mix it with the crushed oreos and Butterfingers to make the crust. Pack the crust onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13 cake pan. Then spread 1/2 gallon of mint chip ice cream on the crust and on top of that put cool whip. Sprinkle the crushed Butterfingers on top for decoration. Freeze until you want to eat it. Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Dinner Rolls, My 4-H Project

Hey ya'll, want to see my 4-H project? Yes, they are dinner rolls. They go into judging today, I'll post how they do when I find out. I also brought them to the Farmers Market and they did really well there. (Sorry I can't get the picture to work right now, I'll come back later and see if I can get it fixed.) Here is the recipe.

Dinner Rolls

Quantity: About 60 rolls, depending on the size.
Time: 35-40 minutes
Temp: 350 degrees

½ c. water
2 pkgs. Dry yeast or compressed yeast
4 c. lukewarm water
1 egg or ½ c. dry skim milk powder
½ sugar
12 c. unsifted flour
1 tbsp. Salt
¼ c. soft shortening


Sprinkle yeast over the ¼ cup water. Mix sugar and 4 cups water. Add 6 cups of flour and dry milk (or egg) and beat to a smooth batter, using mixer if you wish. Add yeast mixture and beat until bubbles appear. Add salt and shortening. Gradually add remaining flour. Mix well and knead 10 minutes. Let rise until double. Punch down and let rise again. Form into loaves or rolls, let rise until light and then bake.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Farmers Market!!!

Finally a town near us has decided to have Farmers Markets!! (There have been rumors around that they used to have them...but I don't know if it's true or not.) Anyway, This year I got a table. Which meant I was baking and baking and baking so more! Yeah, a lot of baking. I brought some cookies and a couple different kinds of bread. It was a great experience and I can't wait till next week. I also learned quite a bit, some of the thing include: Be sure you bring chairs, they really come in handy. Package neatly. Hand write price tags. If you can, bake some of your stuff earlier, otherwise it's a whole lot to do that morning! Smile. And give free samples! If you have a Farmers Market near you, you should really consider at least going! They are really fun!
I'll be back later to post about some of the things I brought.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Cream Filled Cupcakes


Last week 2 of my cousins got to come and stay with us for the week. We had a ton of fun! One of them, Indie, loves to cook (Just like me!). So we had a marvelous time in the kitchen together. We made these cupcakes Mom found and wanted to try. They ended up really well and tasted delicious, even though in the process of inserted the cream in the middle of the cupcakes sometimes if would start coming out the top, so we made a big mess! But it awesome anyway! Come and cook with me again Indie!

Cream Filled Cupcakes

Combine: 3 cups flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1/3 cup of baking cocoa, 2 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. salt.

Add: 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup of water, and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Beat until smooth (about 2 minutes.)

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins half-full of batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and cool completely on wire racks.

For Filling: Combine 1/4 cup butter or oleo softened, 1/4 cup shortening, 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Place a very small tip into a pastry pr plastic bag. Fill with the cream filling. Push the tip through the bottom of the cupcake and fill each one.

Frost each cupcake with your favorite frosting. We used Nana's butter cream frosting recipe and added cocoa powder.
Nana's Butter Cream Frosting

1/3 cup butter or margarine, slightly softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 or 2 Tbsp. milk or cream
If chocolate add 1-2 Tbsp. cocoa powder.

Place butter in small bowl, and using an electric mixer, beat several minutes until creamy. Add sugar about 1/2 cups at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla, then milk or cream, a little at at time and beat well. Store in an air-tight container in refrigerator and whip up again before using.


Friday, June 13, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookies


These are killer cookies! I got the recipe from my lovely fabulous Aunt Becky. They are super sweet and chocolaty. Really good cookies! Thank you Aunt Becky!

Mix together:
1-1/2 c. sugar
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
2 c. shortening (Aunt Becky and I use: 1 c. butter flavored Crisco and 1 c. margarine or 100% veg. oil)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. water

Beat in:
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
4 c. flour
12 oz. chocolate chips

Roll into balls and place on greased baking sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Or as bars 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cook for 7-8 minutes, take out of oven before they look completely done. Let cool 1-2 minutes on cookie sheet before you remove them to cooling racks. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Cinnamon Swirl Bread


For my younger sister's birthday she specially requested this for her breakfast. Cinnamon Swirl bread. The bread is a simple recipe but the surprise is inside. You roll cinnamon and sugar inside the bread before you bake it. So you see the perfect swirls when you cut into it. We like to toast ours on a cookie sheet in the oven and spread butter over it while it's still hot. Yum!

1 package (or 1 tbsp.) active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water

2 c. milk, warm
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 tsp. salt
7-1/2 to 8 c. flour
2 slightly-beaten eggs

Mix yeast and water together and let set. Combine next four ingredients; cool to lukewarm. Add 3 c. of the flour; mix well. Stir in yeast and eggs; mix well. Add enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead till smooth (8 to 10 minutes), or if you have a mixer with a dough hook, let that do the kneading for you for 8 to 10 minutes. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and it rise in warm place till double (1-1/2 to 2 hours). Punch down and divide dough in thirds. Cover and let rest 1o minutes. Roll each half in 15x7-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Spread softened butter over the dough and spread some cinnamon and sugar thickly on top. Carefully roll each rectangle up beginning on the narrow side. Seal long edge. Place sealed edge down in 3 greased 91/2x5x3-inch loaf pan. Let rise till almost double. (45 to 60 minutes). Bake at moderate over (375 degrees) 35 to 40 minutes or until done. Turn out of pans and let cool on rack. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Rhubarb, Cherry Crisp


A perfect blend of sour and sweet, crunchy and soft, yummy and yummy. Rhubarb, Cherry crisp. I made one the other day for dessert with our fresh rhubarb. It was really good! Here's the recipe. The ingredient measurements are never exact. Just more or less.

6 c. of chopped rhubarb
1 c. of sugar
1 large box of Jello (I used Cherry, but you could use another flavor, like strawberry)
3 tbsp. flour

1 c. butter, melted
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. oatmeal
2 c. flour

Put the rhubarb in a greased 9x13 pan. Mix the 1 c. sugar, Jello and 3 tbsp. flour. Sprinkle over rhubarb. Melt the butter and mix with the remaining ingredients. Spread the topping you just made over the rhubarb. Bake at 350 degrees for about a half an hour. Let it cool a little before you eat. Enjoy!

Friday, May 30, 2008

Chocolate Chip Scones


One Friday night I decided that the next morning I was going to wake up early and surprise my family with some hot, fresh out of the oven, chocolate chip scones. So I found a recipe that looked good online and printed it off so I was all ready for the next morning. My sneaky plan was working out perfectly when my alarm rang at 6:45, (told you it was early, okay it actually isn't), and I got up and started getting things ready. I made the scones and got them in the oven at about 7:45, I also made some Hard boiled eggs, because if you have ever had a chocolate chip scone you know it's like eating a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast, and I knew that wouldn't hold you till lunch time. Anyway needless to say, my family was extremely surprised and enjoyed the scones very, very much. Heres the recipe so if you feel up to the challenge, you can surprise you family too.

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c. buttermilk, plus tablespoon (to be honest with you, I used regular dry milk)
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (I just greased mine). in large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut butter in with pastry blender or fork, the mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in chocolate chips. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract to flour mixture. Stir until dough just comes together. Flour work area, then turn dough out onto surface. Knead dough 4 or 5 times, then pat the dough into circle about 7 inches across and 1-1/2 inches high. Cut circle in half, then each half into 3 or 4 pieces. Place scones on prepared cookie sheet. Beat egg and milk together and brush tops of each scone. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Enjoy! Makes: 6 to 8 scones

Friday, May 23, 2008

Pita Bread

Pita bread was originally made in Greece, it is a very simple bread recipe that you divide up and roll into circles. After it rises you bake it in a really hot oven for a short amount of time and they inflate and look like big bubbles. It's awesome! Then you cut them in half and they slightly deflate, but still stay as pockets for you to fill with whatever yummy filling you wish.

2 tsp. dry yeast
1 c. lukewarm water
1 tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. flour (you can use whole wheat or white)

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. Let froth. Add salt and flour then mix well. Knead, adding more flour as necessary. Let rise till doubled. Punch down. Divide into 6-8 equal portions and let rise for 15 minutes. Roll each pita bread to 1/2 inch circle. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes in oven preheated to 475 degrees. Cut them in half and fill with whatever you want. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

In the land of pudding and whipped cream....

Hey everyone! Another recipe for you, this is a really awesome, super fast, delicious, dessert. Pudding Parfaits.

1 box of instant pudding (any flavor)
2 cups of milk (for the pudding, I believe it's 2 cups per box of pudding, just follow the directions on the box.)
Whipped cream

Make the pudding by following the directions on the box. Then you can do layers of pudding and whipped cream in your serving dishes, or just put the pudding on the bottom and the whipped cream on top, however you want to do it. Enjoy! One more thing, this is a really basic recipe and you can spice it up however you want, with fruit or something else in the layers also. Have fun with it!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

If you like soft cookies, (like me) these are some great ones for you! Healthy, super tasty and really soft. One of my favorites, plus they are really fast and easy to make!

Stir together and set aside:
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cream together:
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. Crisco (I used peanut butter instead)
1/4 c. butter

Add to creamed mixture:
1 egg
1-1/2 c. old-fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add reserved dry ingredients, 2 Tbsp. milk, 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, (just about any nuts will do or just use chunky peanut butter). Optional: 2/3 c. chopped raisins. You can (like me) put some toffee bits in also.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets, leaving 1 to 2 inches between cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Makes: 36 cookies.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Fudge Brownies!


This are super easy to make and you can change them up many different ways. When I made them this time I sprinkled Mint chocolate chips on top before I baked them. (See the picture) They were really yummy! You could leave them plain, sprinkle any kind of chip or nut (or whatever else) you like with chocolate on top.

Fudge Brownies

Combine:
1-1/3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3/4 cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine:
2/3 c. oil
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Spread in greased 9X13 pan (cake pan). Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Chocolate Butterflies

These are some of my favorite cookies in the world! My Mom loved them when she was a little girl too. They have a cake like texture so they are nice and soft! They freeze well, so you can make a big batch and pull them out as you need them.

Cream together:
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. shortening
2-2/3 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla

Add alternately:
2/3 c. milk
4 c. flour
2/3 c. cocoa
4 tsp. baking powder

Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Press crisscrosses with fork dipped in water. Bake 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Makes 8 dozen.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Magic Cookie Bars


I made these last Sunday afternoon. They are so easy and magic! Not to mention how absolutely delicious they taste! The recipe originally came off an Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed milk can. Thats why the recipe calls for that kind of sweetened condensed milk, any brand would work though.

1/2 c. butter
1-1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
14 ounce can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 c. (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3-1/2 ounce can (1-1/3 c.) flaked coconut
1 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for glass dish). In 13X9-inch baking pan, melt margarine in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over margarine; pour Eagle Brand evenly over crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients; press down firmly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill thoroughly if desired. Cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Apple Crisp

Today I am posting about Apple Crisp. I love apple crisp. The crispy apples and delicious topping make for on pretty good dessert. Even better if you put ice cream with it.

Mix Together:
1/2 c. sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Pour over pealed and slices apples in pan.

Topping:
1 c. Flour
1 c. Oatmeal
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick of melted margarine

Sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake 350 degrees until apples are tender.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Sour Cream cake

This is a recipe I made Saturday. We had some older milk in the fridge, so we used that for the sour cream. It tasted really good! The original recipe called for instant coffee grounds, but we left that out. You can also make more layers of filling and batter, but I did just one layer of filling in the middle.




Combine:
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Set aside. In bowl combine 1 c. margarine and 1 c. sugar. Beat until creamy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with 1 c. sour cream.

Filling Combine:
1 c. chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1/2 c. brown sugar

Spoon 1/2 of cake batter into greased 10 inch bundt pan. Sprinkle with the filling mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hr. and 10 min. (check after 40 minutes). Cool 15 minutes; turn out onto cake rack. Cool completely.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Homemade noodles

I love homemade egg noodles! And they are so easy and fast to make! Heres our favorite recipe.

1 cup flour
1 egg
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon water

Put the flour, egg and oil in the food processor and buzz it. It should look like crumbs. Pour the water in and buzz again. It should stick together when you squeeze it. If you have pasta maker you can use that to make them into noodles. Or just roll out your dough and cut it into strips. Put them in boiling water, it really doesn't take long for them to cook! So watch them closely! You can top them with what ever you like. One of our favorite toppings is just some melted butter and Parmesan cheese. Yum!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Navajo Fry Bread

Here is another family favorite. Navajo Fry Bread. The recipe says you can put Taco fixings or honey on them. Sometimes we like to sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar while they are nice and hot for dessert. Yum!

Navajo Fry Bread

Sift into a bowl:
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder

Stir in:
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. milk

Knead with your hands. Pat or roll into circles approximately 5" in diameter. With fingers make small hole in center. Fry in several inches hot oil at 400 degrees; electric skillet is convenient. Dough will puff and bubble. Turn when golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with honey, or use while fresh for Navajo Tacos.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Snack Time!

One of my favorite snacks are honey milk balls. My family also loves them. They are really fast and easy to make. Although the recipe doesn't call for chocolate, we like to sprinkle in some chocolate chips sometimes. (Are you surprised?) You can also roll them in coconut or nuts.

Honey Milk Balls

Combine in bowl:
1/2 c. honey or corn syrup
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. dry milk solids
1 c. uncooked rolled oats OR 1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs.

Mix well, then knead by hand until blended. Shape into small balls. Makes 2 dozen.

They are really nice because you don't have to cook them. A perfect make and eat snack.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

A Tip

Today Mom and I were making chocolate chip/peanut butter cookies, but we realized we had no regular chocolate chips. (Can you believe it?!) So we simply took a big Crunch bar and a Hershey bar and smashed them up. It was a lot like Chocolate chunks. You could use any chocolate bar you want. It worked really well.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Basil Carrots

I'm not saying that my other posts weren't healthy, but I think that it is time for a vegetable. So I shall post one of my absolute favorites. Basil Carrots. They are so yummy! I made them for supper last night and my brother and I fought over the last few! My Grandma makes them for us a lot, (we got the recipe from her), and they are one of my favorite things to have at her house. Heres the recipe and for the first time a picture!!
Basil carrots with melting butter
Basil Carrots

2 Tablespoons butter
6 medium carrots, thinly sliced on the bias
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon (or more to suit taste) dried basil

Cook the carrots (and drain) some first. In medium skillet, melt the butter, add the carrots. Sprinkle with salt and basil. Cover and heat through, or simmer till carrots are tender. Serves 6.

A mistake I made last night was I waited to cook the carrots till right before supper. So I was getting mad at the carrots for not cooking fast enough. So if you make them, cook the carrots before hand. Then reheat them with the salt, basil and butter.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Pancakes!!

One of my absolute favorite breakfast foods is pancakes. A nice steaming hot stack of homemade pancakes with butter melting off the top. Yum! This is a recipe that was passed down from my great grandma. It was one of the very first things I learned to cook. Here's the recipe.

Pancakes
2 Tablespoons lard (butter, margarine, or oil)
1 egg (well beaten)
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar

Do not beat, just fold together. When cooking your pancakes be sure your griddle is hot, Use as small amount of oil as you can to grease it. Turn them when the tops are covered with little holes.

Variations that are tasty are adding cut-up banana and 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the batter just before frying. Substitute whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of white flour; or 1/2 cup rolled oats for 1/2 cup flour. On special occasions (like birthdays) we will sometimes sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the pancakes in the griddle. (Very, very delicious!!)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

One of my favorite muffin recipes.

Last night Mom and I were talking that by the end of winter it seems like we eat the same thing over and over and over again. So we decided to try something new. Mom made a soup we hadn't had in a while and told me to find a new muffin recipe. (Muffins go really well with soup.) So I presented her with a couple and we decided on this one. It's called Trail Mix Muffins. I changed things around a little and used dried dates instead of apricots and walnuts (which go super great with dates) instead of peanuts. I also left out the raisins, used regular oatmeal instead of the cereal, and raspberry chocolate chips instead of normal ones.

Trail Mix Muffins (original recipe)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granola cereal without raisins
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
1/2 raisins
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cereal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the chips, peanuts, raisins and apricots.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

These go great with soup, make a filling breakfast, and would be perfect on the go. All the nuts and dried fruits are wonderful energy boosters and the chocolate, well thats what makes them taste so good.