A Feast for the 4th

We had an excellent feast for the 4th of July.  Some friends came up for the weekend and we ate our hearts out (most likely literally...or rather now our arteries are major clogged).  I really wasn't in the creative mood, so I turned to who other than (yes, you guessed right I'm sure) the Pioneer Woman.  She is just the best (if you can find me someone better, let me know).  Here's what was on the menu:

Jalapeno Poppers (I'm SO addicted!)

• fresh jalapenos
• cream cheese, softened
• bacon, sliced in 1/2 or 1/3 depending on size of bacon & jalapenos

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise.  With a spoon, remove seeds and membranes (if you want it a little hotter, leave a little in).  Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half.  Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece.  Stick toothpick through the middle.  Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375° oven for 20-25 minutes.  You don't want the bacon to shrink too much, but after 20 minutes if the bacon isn't brown enough, turn on the broiler for a couple minutes to finish it off.  

PW's Potato Salad

• 5 pounds potatoes (she uses russet, I used red)
  
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  
• 4 Tbsp prepared mustard
  
• 5 green onions, sliced
  
• 8 small pickles (she uses sweet, I used dill)
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
  
• 4 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

Cut potatoes in halves or thirds, then boil until fork tender. Drain. Mash potatoes or run them through a ricer or food mill to make them extra fluffy.  Fold potatoes together with mayo, mustard, green onions, salt, pepper.  Fold in pickles and eggs, then taste for seasonings, adding more salt, mustard, or mayo as needed.  If need more moisture, can add a little pickle juice from the jar.

PW's Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Dressing:

• 1 (7 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Salad

• 16 oz corkscrew pasta
• 1 jar olives (she used Kalamata, I used plain ol' sliced black olives)
• 1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• Several basil leaves, chopped or julienne
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare dressing by blending sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped.  Blend while drizzling in olive oil; continue blending until mixed together.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.  Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta, add olives, and toss together.  Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking.  Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

and these Tasty Burgers of My Husbands Own Creation

I really can't tell you exactly what was in the patty.  Basically into the ground beef he mixed in chopped bacon, goat cheese, Worcestershire, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cayenne, salt, and pepper (he's the mixing king!).  Then grilled them on up on the bar-b.  I topped mine with sliced avocado, fresh tomato, and caramelized onions.  Oh baby, it was tasty!

Strawberry Sandwiches

We've been enjoying strawberry season here in sunny California for a couple weeks now.  And man, do we have some GOOD strawberries in our area.  We are lucky enough to live where they grow, so we get berries straight from the field...can't beat that!  One day we bought a 1/2 flat of strawberries (that's at least 6 baskets) and they were gone in less than 24 hours...mainly eaten by our 2 year old, but we all are berry lovers.  Anyway, one day I asked my 5 year old what he wanted for lunch and he said "a strawberry sandwich."  Being in the good mood that I was, I thought, "what the heck, why not?," ignoring my motherly intuition that was telling me not to let my son have a sugar filled lunch.  He told me what to do and I did it.  He said the cake would be the bread, the whipped cream the mayo, and the strawberries the meat.  Sounds good to me!  When it was all made (its basically a strawberry shortcake) he said that I needed to take a picture for my blog, but "make sure you tell everyone that it was MY idea!"  So, yes, this was my 5 year old son's idea :)

• Loaf of angel food cake
• Whipped Cream (homemade is the best!)
• Strawberries

Cut 2 slices of angel food cake.  Cut the strawberries into slices.  Spread whipped cream on one side of each slice of cake.  Top on slice (whipped cream side) with sliced strawberries.  Put the remaining slice whipped cream side down over the strawberries.  Mmmmm.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Other than wearing green so I wouldn't get pinched, I've never been big on celebrating St. Patrick's day.  My mom used to bake green bread and die our milk green and all that fun stuff, but thats about it.  I guess I just never really knew why we celebrated it in the first place.  Now that I have kids old enough to care, I'm big on holiday celebrations, so today I thought I'd find the real reason why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and since I'm not Catholic or a beer drinker, it might be a good idea).  Here's a few of the facts I found, so I'll pass them on to you.  You can go here or here or even here.  There's fun facts like the color of St. Patrick used to be blue not green (I personally think the green came from Ireland being so green...took a lot to figure that one out!) or that the shamrock was St. Patrick's way of teaching the people about the holy Trinity or that St. Patrick was said to have rid Ireland of all snakes (did you know that Ireland has NO snakes?), but really they think that the snakes meant Druids, who's symbol was the snake.  Anyhow, St. Patricks Day is (obviously) big in Ireland, but it seems that it came to the good ol' USA with the Irish settlers here.  I guess its a good thing I've got some Irish in me (I think) and that I like Ireland - I'd really LOVE to visit there some day and even though I can't understand 1/2 of what they say, I LOVE their accents! ;)

Alright, enough of the trivia and on with the food.  Of course I had to throw in some green food for the kids, but I wanted to make some good ol' Irish food.  I opted out of the Corned Beef & Cabbage because (gasp) I can't stand corned beef.  I know, I know.  My husband loves it, but everything about it just grosses me out.  Soooo, instead we had the following (oh and I didn't mention that we had green eggs for breakfast):

• Oven Baked Fish
• Colcannon - a traditional Irish potato dish.
• Pot O' Gold Jello - lemon (yellow) jello jigglers made in ice cube trays and stacked like gold bars.
• Irish Soda Bread
• Ginger Beer for my hubby (I can't stand the stuff).  It's not Irish, in fact its Caribbean, but the bottle was green and it gave us the feel for the Irish beer tradition without actually drinking beer...silly us!
• Sprite for the kiddies - those mini green cans were perfect!

For dessert we enjoyed:

• Shamrock Truffles from Bakerella of course!  I couldn't find Double Stuffed Mint Oreos, so I just used Mint Joe-Joes from Trader Joes and they turned out excellent!
• Leprechaun Pudding - Pistachio pudding topped with homemade whip cream.

I hope all of you had as tasty of a St. Patrick's day as we did!  

The Best Jello Jigglers

What would a family gathering or a church function or a summer bbq be without jello?  I'm not huge on the jello casseroles or whatever they're called, but I DO love my jello jigglers!  But here's the thing, I don't like them the way they say to make them on the box.  I like them my mother-in-laws way.  You've never had a jello jiggler until you've eaten one Ma's way!  So I'm spilling the beans and sharing her secret with all of you (sorry Ma, it had to be done!).  

• 1 (6 oz) pkg of jello (any flavor of your choice!)
• 1 pkg unflavored gelatin (yes, you heard me right, extra gelatin!)
• 1 cup boiling water (you heard me right, that's 1/2 of what normal jigglers use!)

Boil water.  While water is boiling, pour jello and gelatin into square baking dish (I prefer glass, but you can also pour them into molds or ice cube trays).  Stir in boiling water, but be sure to do it slowly so you don't create foam on the top!  Stir until everything is COMPLETELY dissolved, otherwise you'll get weird crystals forming on the top and bottom of your jigglers!  This may take a couple minutes.  When the jello and gelatin are completely dissolved, place dish in refrigerator for a couple hours until they're solid and nice and chewy!  

To serve, cut them into squares or whip out your cookie cutters and make 'em into shapes!

Cinnamon Ornaments

My mom made these every once in a while for Christmas to use as ornaments on the tree. They don’t spoil (as long as you don’t get them wet) and they smell great! I’ve made these a few times to put on the top of Christmas presents…they add a nice odorous addition.  These aren't really edible, but I guess you could eat them if you really wanted too, they just wouldn't taste too good.

• 1 cup applesauce
  
• 1 cup cinnamon
  

Mix together. Add more cinnamon or flour if too sticky. Roll dough until 1/4” thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Use a straw to make a hole in the top so you can hang it later. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 225° oven for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool. Tie a ribbon/string through hole for hanging (or put ornament hook on). Can decorate with puffy paint or glue decorations on if desired.

Julie R.

AG, CA

12 Days of Yummies: Christmas Eve Mice

Day 9

I think that these are so stinkin' cute!  I have found that everyone seems to do these different.  I personally like the white sprinkles for eyes and a red tip for their nose.  I love the little cherry stem tails...so clever!

(photos courtesy of S'Mee's Tutorial Tuesday & Family Recipes & More)

• 24 double-stuffed oreo cookies
  
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 2 tsp shortening
  
• 24 red maraschino cherries with stems (well
  
• drained)
  
• 24 milk chocolate kisses
  
• 48 sliced almonds
  
• 1 small tube green decorative icing gel
  
• 1 small tube red decorative icing gel
  
• 48 tiny white nonpareils

Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream feeling. Save plain halves for another use. In a microwave or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the ste, dip in melted chocolate. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge. For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and the kiss. Refrigerate until set. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With red gel, pipe holly berries between leaves and pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 2 dozen.

Julie R.

AG, CA

12 Days of Yummies: Berry Cute Santas

Day 4

This is a recipe from Taste of Home.  I haven't actually made these yet, but they just looked so cute and fun for the kids (and adults too). 

(photo courtesy of Taste of Home)

• 1 loaf (10-3/4 ounces) frozen pound cake, thawed
  
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  
• 12 red-frilled toothpicks
  
• 12 large strawberries, cut in half widthwise
  
• 24 miniature semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 12 fudge-covered cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
  

Cut twelve 1-in. cubes from pound cake (save remaining cake for another use). For icing, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a #18 star tip. Fill bag with icing.
For each Santa, thread a frilled toothpick through a pointed strawberry half, then through a cake cube and a second strawberry half. For eyes, place a dab of icing on the bottoms of two chocolate chips; press onto cake. Pipe icing to form beards and to add fur brims below strawberry hats. Place each Santa on a cookie; serve immediately. Yield: 1 dozen.

Julie R.

AG, CA

12 Days of Yummies: Gingerbread Cutouts

Day 1

It seems every year around this time I get loads of emails with 12 Days of this or that.  SO I decided I'd do my own...12 Days of Yummies.  I was going to do cookies, but then there's so many other delicious things to make like candy and cakes that I just didn't want to leave out.  This first recipe is a festive favorite.  I've never been a fan of gingersnaps, gingerbread, or anything ginger for that matter.  But what would the holidays be like without Gingerbread people?  This recipe is actually really yummy...even I who does not like ginger anything could down a few of these yummies!  I got this recipe from my mom...they're fun for the kids to make and decorate too.  I think they're the best topped with a light powdered sugar glaze.

(photo courtesy of about.com)

• 1/2 cup shortening
  
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 cup molasses
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tsp ground ginger
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  

In a mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half of the flour the sugar, molasses, egg, vinegar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat till thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. Cover and chill for 3 hours or till easy to handle. Divide the chilled dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time 1/8” thick. Cut into desired shapes with a 2 1/2” cookie cutter. Place 1” apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375° oven for 5-6 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute. Remove and cool on a wire rack. If desired, prepare Powdered Sugar Icing, adding a few drops food coloring. Decorate cookies with icing and decorative candies, if desired.

Makes 36-48 cookies.

Julie R.

AG, CA

Awesome Sugar Cookies

I have my last batch of these in the oven right now, so I thought I'd share...I got this recipe from allrecipes.com (recipe author is Jill Saunders). Sorry I don't have a picture...my camera batteries died!:

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter, softened (I tried these with margarine and they work...but MUCH better with real butter! Soften just until they get mushy, but still hold their shape - you don't want it melted)
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Each single recipe makes about 2 1/2 cookie sheets worth of cookies...

My variations:

*Reduce the flour to 2 1/4 c. and add 1/4 c. of cocoa to make chocolate sugar cookies - perfect for bats and black cats for Halloween! Or...Thanksgiving turkeys!

*We did a second batch (regular recipe) and added a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to make orange pumpkin cookies, too. You could change up the color for any holiday - the above recipe doesn't make a ton of cookies, so you can easily make a couple of batches up in different colors.


Sandy Z.
Wyoming

Lemon Berry Smoothie

My son has been asking for a few days now to make smoothies, so I finally did it.  It was really easy and I just used what I had.  This was a "throw it all in and blend it and hope it tastes good" kind of a recipe.  They did turn out really good and my boys loved them!

• Frozen lemon juice (I used 2 ice cubes worth)
• Frozen berries (I used Boysenberries - about 2 cups)
• Milk
• Sugar (about 1/4 c)

Put frozen lemon juice, berries, sugar, and some milk in blender; blend.  Add milk as needed to get smoothie to be the right consistency.  When it is all blended, taste and add more sugar if needed.  Serve and enjoy!

Julie R.

AG, CA

Play Dough!

We are in great need of more play dough, so I pulled out the old recipes and found a few fun (mainly non-etible) recipes for the kids.

Play Dough

• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 cup warm water
  
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  
• 1 teaspoon oil
  
• 1/4 cup salt
  
• food coloring
  

Mix all ingredients in pan, adding food coloring last. Over medium heat, stir until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth (be careful it's hot!).  Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled.  This lasts a LONG time!  

For a fun twist, you can add cinnamon or different scents to the play dough (green=mint, red=cherry, orange=orange, etc...but beware this will tempt your children to want to eat it!)

Finger Paints

• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 c cornstarch
• 2 c cold water
• food coloring
• dish detergent
• 4 plastic or paper cups
  

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch together.  Then add the water and mix a little more.  Cook over low heat, constantly stirring, until well blended, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the stove; cool; and pour into the plastic or paper cups.  Be careful with food coloring since it can stain, but add a little of it to each cup and then a drop of detergent (helps with the cleanup!).

Kool-Aid Playdough

• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• 1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid
  
• 1/4 cup salt
  
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  
• 1 cup water
  

Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar and Kool-Aid® in a medium pot. Add water and oil. Stir over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes. When mixture forms a ball in pot, remove. Knead until smooth. Put in a plastic bag and refrigerate.

Peanut Butter Play Dough

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  
• 1/4 cup honey
  
• 1 cup instant nonfat dry milk*
  

Mix together until smooth.   This is okay for your kids to eat as they play!  *For milk allergies, you may substitute flour for the instant nonfat dry milk.  I don't recommend making this if you have peanut allergies!

Julie R.

AG, CA

Scripture Cake

Since its Sunday, I thought I'd post this just for fun.  It's a great way to make the scriptures fun for your kids!  (By the way, I got this picture off of flickr and thought it was perfect - funny, huh?)

• 1 cup Judges 5:25 (butter)
  
• 1/2 cup Exodus 17:20 (olive oil)
• 2 cups Proverbs 16:24 (sugar)
• 2 Tbsp 1 Samuel 14:25
• 3 Isaiah 10:14 (eggs)
• 1/4 cup Joshua 5:6 (milk)
• 2 cups 1 Kings 4:22 (white flour)
• 1 cup Daniel 1:12 (whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp Leviticus 2:13 (salt)
• 1 tsp Amos 4:5 (baking soda)
• 2 tsp Exodus 30:23 (cinnamon)
• 3 cups Proverbs 25:11 (apples, peeled and grated)
• 1 cup Genesis 43:11 (chopped pecans or waltnuts) (optional)

In a large bowl beat together butter, oil, sugar, and honey.  Add eggs and milk and beat until creamy.  In a separate bowl, sift together white and wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Stir into batter.  Add grated apples and nuts.  Stir to blend.  Pour into greased 9"x13" pan.  Bake at 350°F for about 50-60 minutes.  Great plain, with your favorite frosting or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Serves 12 (hee hee - as in the 12 apostles).

Julie R.

AG, CA