Sun, Fun…and Sawdust

Sheep are HILARious!
...especially when they're coming for ya

Ok. I have to admit it, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. Life is still good…and so is food…there’s just a lot to accomplish, and so little time.

I’m still baking, perusing sales, stocking up on my food storage, and making all kinds of fantastic mistakes. I’ve got a ton of new recipes, and even some pictures. But, with summer approaching and my new house being built it’s so hard to find the time to sit down in front of this pretty little glowing screen.

To alleviate the guilt, and a whole bunch of unnecessary stress I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to take a blogging break. So…here we be.

I made spaghetti sauce...so I could have pots for my plants

I purchased 50lbs of white beans!



Brownies = Therapy



I’ll be back in July (or maybe August), and ready to go with all sorts of craziness…

Thanks for stopping by…and I’ll see you again soon!

Happy Eating!

I baked me some Spring-Time

Part of my original idea for Easter was to bake some cupcakes. I had it all planned out. The Easter bunny would bring a trail of jelly-beans, and as the kids collected them we would save them for decorating cupcakes later that day. It would be the start of a fun family tradition. Well, as the holiday progressed that plan was quickly discarded; for several reasons, but mainly as a way to Simplify.

So, since I had already purchased the cupcake papers I couldn’t let them go to waste. I decided that Spring can be just as diligently celebrated. It is a marvelous season, and so very anticipated.

Let the celebration begin!

Ok. I dug out a recipe from my hoard. It was written as a cake-in-a-baking-dish recipe, so I modified it for cupcakes. I also reviewed the altitude adjustment information and made some changes from there. And there’s one more thing I did change. I have recently (yesterday) acquired (purchased) 50 pounds of WHITE beans…and I have been DYING to use them. So, of course, I ground some into flour and added them to the cupcakes!

As with any dessert in my family, there were mixed opinions. I liked them a LOT; they’re just like little peanut-butter-cups, only in a cake! My honey said they were good. Boys and Aunt L all loved them, and girl only ate the middles; she’s funny like that…then I had an explosion of cupcake bits all over my kitchen; which is usually an indicator that they enjoyed it…

Over the next few days the little’s managed to eat cupcakes for every meal, and snack time as well. I think they were a success!

I did have a bit of indecision about how they should be stored. The frosting was a bit soft, so if I just covered them in plastic I envisioned the frosting would stick to it and make a big goopy mess. To solve that problem I put them in the fridge to harden the frosting. Then I covered them in plastic wrap. I thought it would be best to just leave them in the fridge because of the frosting. But the next morning, when they were cold they didn’t quite taste as good, and they weren’t as soft and fluffy. After that I just left them on the counter during the day, and put them in the fridge at night.

They taste SO delicious at room temperature…so, if you want to store them in the fridge make sure to pull them out in time to warm them up before serving.



Boy #2 decorated this one...isn't it cute?! he was SO proud of it!



Related Recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Survey <-------don't forget the survey!

Rolled and Roasted

I’m still a bit overwhelmed by the whole “altitude adjustment” ordeal, and I haven’t been able to make myself sort through the information yet.  Combine that with the Holidays, and other various circumstances, and life has become somewhat complicated—in a manner of speaking. So, I’ve been sticking with what I know. Or, at least, what I think I know.

I have dreams and delusional expectations about how I’d like to conduct the Holidays…but, I’m learned enough to at least know how much I personally can handle. For now, I’m playing it very low key.

Simplified = Good

Here’s how I simplified my Easter 2011, Celebration:

Simplify: Easter

And these are my simplified Easter 2011, Foods:

Breakfast = Easter Bunny brought it (see previous post)

Party = Potato Salad (store bought)

Lunch = Scraps (aka leftovers/cereal/misc)

Dinner = Roast, Rolls, Easter (Deviled) Eggs

For the roast I just improvised a recipe, using whatever sounded good. I’ve heard it said that it’s impossible to screw up a meal in the crockpot. Well, I will testify that it IS possible…in fact, I do it all the time. I think I am exceptionally talented in “crockpot ruining”. On occasion I get lucky, and it all comes together. This one turned out pretty good, and was super easy…but, I’ll blame any unlikeable part of it on the altitude.

The rolls are one of our favorites. They are soft and sweet, dense yet fluffy. I like them even better the next day, once they’ve softened from being in an airtight plastic bag. They taste just like the ones I can buy in a big bag from the Costco bakery.

This was the first time I actually doubled the recipe, though, and it didn’t turn out as great. The problem was that I had to move the oven racks to fit both pans in at the same time. The rolls ended up browning faster than the middles baked. They were completely cooked, and tasted good, but some of them had more dense centers that were somewhat doughy tasting. I’m sure it’s related to the weather, the altitude, my decrepit oven, and the quantity I was trying to cook at one time. Step around my obvious handicaps and you should do fine.

I also have trouble with hard-boiled eggs. I can usually cook them fine, but the shells ALWAYS stick to the whites, and it’s a massacre to get them off. SO frustrating.

Here are the directions I used this time to boil the eggs; and also some tips. Mine mostly turned out alright, but about half of them still stuck to the shells…so, I’ll keep trying:

How to Boil an Egg

Also, keep in mind that water boils at a lower temperature when you’re at high altitude (along with a whole collection of scientific altitude complications). What that means is that the water isn’t quite as hot once it starts to boil, so food takes longer to cook.

Related Recipes:

Roast

Dinner Rolls

Boiling Eggs & Deviled Eggs

Related Articles:

Altitude Complications

Easter Breakfast

Simplify: Easter

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Happy Easter!...instant breakfast

I find it difficult to relax and enjoy the holiday if I’m busy in the kitchen cooking.

So…here is my solution to Easter breakfast!

Easy Directions:

Open box…

  

…just add children!

Happy Easter!

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Survey!!!

Aha! It’s NOT me…it’s YOU!

As I have been wading through this disastrousness I’ve been dealing with, I finally decided to do a little research. As it turns out, my problem is neither myself, nor my flour! It is in fact the altitude (I’m above 5400 ft)…AND the weather! (if you don't know what I'm talking about read my previous post)

I don’t know why I haven’t noticed before, but I’m assuming it’s related to the changing weather and the fact that I haven’t been a consistent baker. I have noticed that my cookies usually turn out more flat than I would like. And I’ve also gone through a lot of recipes that didn’t turn out as great as the reviews claim them to be; just figuring that I have a different opinion of what’s good or not good.

I’ve always noticed the “high altitude” adjustments on the back of cake mixes and I’ve heard little snippets here and there about altitude affecting baking. But, I’ve never really believed it, and I never realized that it could make such a profound difference.

I remember growing up in California, and the cookies we baked were always so tall and fluffy. I remember baking those exact same cookies in Utah, and being disappointed at their flatness. I never put too much thought into it other than I believed I had a faulty memory of those days when I was small.

This new realization is as equally frustrating as it is relieving. I found an article that explains all about baking at high altitude. There is so much information to sort through that I think my brain may explode. I’m going to have to rethink pretty much everything I know about baking, and start from “scratch”.

I guess it’ll at least fit in with my theme here.

 So…here I go again…

Here’s the article I found:

High-Altitude Baking

It explains all about altitude problems, the science behind it, and gives solutions.

Here’s a general chart that is a good place to start out, when baking at high altitude:

Recipe Adjustment Guide

And here’s where you can find your city’s elevation:

GNIS

(enter your city as Feature Name, select Civil as Feature Class, select your State and County, and click Send Query)

I’ve listed some random Utah Elevations:

Salt Lake City, 4222

Tooele, 4862

Herriman, 4993

Draper, 4747

American Fork, 4632

Elk Ridge, 5423

Orem, 4764

Provo, 4616

Payson, 4747

Richfield, 5351

Cedar City, 5676

While your here, answer my Survey!

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Seriously?... What’s the deal?

Ok. There is very definitely a problem here. I’ve been having a bit of disastrousness lately, and it’s rather discouraging. It seems everything I make is horribly falling apart.

First it was the waffles, and then my bread hasn’t been turning out quite right. I’ve made a few batches of cornbread that weren’t satisfactory. And I just tried a new cookie recipe that was a total flop. I can NOT figure it out, and it’s driving me nuts.

I have narrowed it down to 3 possible explanations:

 #1. I am trying too hard, and therefore overlooking simple things

#2. The weather and the altitude (rainy & wet, and I’m also at about 6000ft), and

#3. The flour I’m using isn’t very good.

I’d like to believe it’s not the first one; I want to think I’m slightly competent. The second one is plausible, but I’ve been at this elevation for 5 years, and the weather is an annual occurrence...I think I would’ve noticed before… that just leaves the flour. I did buy a very inexpensive 25lb bag of generic brand flour around the time all this started. It’s a little disappointing to think that I can’t buy inexpensive flour, but at the same time it would be great to know it’s not ME.

I once made some really delicious “chocolate crackle cookies” from a box mix I got from Costco. I’ve been searching for a “from scratch” recipe to duplicate them, but haven’t had much luck. So, I found this recipe that seemed like it would be great, and ended up with these disastrous cookies.

They tasted good, so I know they have potential, but they were like melted little blobs, sticky and shapeless.  I got the recipe out of a “Lion House” cookbook, so they should ideally be amazing. I’m posting the recipe, just in case someone else can bake without my inevitable curse. The picture in the book was way prettier than mine turned out.

Related Recipe:
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Waffles with Blueberry Sauce
Wheat Bread
Cornbread

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Lumpy little pillows of Delicious

I am in LOVE!...with Basil.

A few weeks ago I purchased a sweet basil plant, when Walmart first put out their spring gardening displays. I know I probably didn’t get the best price on it because it was a brand new display, but I was excited to grasp onto spring. I’ve wanted to use basil for a while, but never had any reason to. With my aversion to sorting through my hoard of recipes I didn’t have any current recipes that use basil.

So, it’s just been sitting there…waiting…waiting for Mother Nature to say “come and play outside”. All the while, it’s been staring intently at me, taunting me with its existence.

Yesterday I picked off a leaf, and smelled it.

OH. MY. GOODNESS! I LOVEd it!

I couldn’t stop smelling it…until the dog ran up to me and snatched it out of my hand (weird-o dog).

I had already planned to experiment with some sort of ravioli for dinner, so once I smelled the basil I knew immediately it HAD to be in the ravioli.

And so it went, evolving from there.

Simple. Sweet. Satisfying.

This may or may not be an original recipe, but it was at least straight out of my head, without any written words to follow along. I used the leftover chicken from the sweet and sour chicken, and then cooked a few more chicken breasts on the stove, in olive oil.

This was my first attempt at raviolis, and they were horribly ugly…but in a cute, delicious sort of way. I made a bit of a mess at first, until I started to get the hang of it. I had to throw out the first few…my dough was too sticky and they sealed themselves to the counter. And I also tried to cook them all in the same pot, which was about twice as many as I should have cooked at one time.

Oh well, in the end, life is good.

AND! Everyone LOVED it! …weirdness continues to enjoy my life…

Related recipes:

Chicken and White cheese Basil Ravioli

Homemade Pasta (basic recipe)

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Who needs take-out? Not I, said the cat

I am not normally a big fan of frying foods at home. In fact, it’s taken nearly two days to recover from this one. I hate having grease splatter all over the place, and the smell of oil. But, that’s just me, I guess. Some people love it, and do it all the time.

At any rate, I LOVE this homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken. And so do my kids! And, of course, my honey loves it too. The savings are usually my favorite part about making take-out at home…but, for this recipe it actually tastes BETTER than our favorite local Chinese food place. The savings do increase my love for this recipe, as well. To feed my family our regular  take-out order we spend over $50. I roughly calculated the cost of this meal…same amount of food…and it was around $11. HUGE savings. Makes me smile.

As far as following a recipe, this one is pretty straight forward, and difficult to mess up (even for me). I did, however, make an exerted effort to follow EXACTLY, each step…I’m still bruised from my bout with the waffles.

And it went smoothly, and easy. The hardest part, for me, was cutting up all the chicken. It seems to take me forever to do that…but, that’s the same for me with any chicken recipe. So, if you are used to and comfortable with cutting up chicken this should be a breeze. Also, as I mentioned, it thoroughly greases up your kitchen. But, the leftovers are fantastic! So, make extras and avoid the mess later!

Thanks for stopping by…and happy Chicken-ing!

Related Recipe:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Newest tips added:

Ceramic knives (just a word about them)
Comparing prices: the impossible

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Stupid-head Waffles of Death: it’s not you, it’s ME?

I am seriously ridiculous with following recipes. I cannot even believe myself sometimes. Do I really have to get WORSE, before I can get better?

Today was an ultimate low. There was a pretty brutal showdown between myself and this recipe; name calling and everything. In the end I learned that fighting is not the answer. Can’t we all just get along?

I literally ruined FOUR double-batches of waffles. That would technically be EIGHT batches! The worst part is that this is NOT a new recipe. It’s actually one that I’ve made a dozen times, and my family really loves it. My girl has been begging for it for 3 days. I kept putting it off, as life tends to get in the way sometimes. I finally made a super-duper unbreakable promise to her that we would have them for dinner tonight. So I absolutely could not give up. No way. I even had her help me mix up the first batch.

...an hour and a half later...I was dumping the 3^rd batch down the drain and starting over; one last time. I had to grit my teeth, take a deep breath, and FOCUS. I was going to do it right. That was it. There would be world peace, and everyone would dance in the streets.

I COULD NOT BELIEVE myself, when I screwed it up a fourth time. Impossible! I really was starting to believe I was hallucinating.

So. I did not win this battle. And I came away from it pretty bruised and beaten. But. As they say, the war's not over yet. There is a bit of sunshine in the end here, though. I did at least make them “look” pretty. And the kids didn’t know the difference. I think all they care about is the blueberry sauce anyway. I thought they tasted alright, too, but through the sweat and tears and blood and pain it was hard to enjoy the moment.

can you hear them laughing at me?

They may or may not have been delicious. I may never know. But, I do know, that the recipe is a good one…and I have lived to fight another day.

Here’s a play-by-play of tonight’s death-match:

Me vs Stupid-head-waffles-of-death-recipe

Round 1:

Recipe: beat eggs until light and fluffy. Then beat in rest of ingredients.

Me: separate eggs, beat whites until fluffy. Add ingredients one at a time; mix after each.

WRONG!...baking soda wouldn’t mix in. floating around in chunks. Also too runny. Didn’t even try it.

1 point for recipe

Round 2:

Recipe: same as above.

Me: separate eggs, beat whites. Remove whites from bowl. Add ingredients to clean bowl, one at a time; mix after each. Add whites last; fold in.

WRONG!...batter was super foamy. Waffles sizzled and deflated as cooked. Very eggy tasting.

2 points for recipe

Round 3:

Recipe: same as above (BOoooring)

Me: beat eggs until light and fluffy (don’t separate this time). Add rest of ingredients; mix after each.

WRONG!...batter was very runny. Dripped straight out of waffle maker.

3 points for recipe

Round 4:

Recipe: yep…same… AGAIN! (why mess with what’s working?)

Me: (feeling defeated and exhausted)…OK, fine! We’ll do it your way! (…but do I? No. Of course not) Add all dry ingredients to bowl. Lightly beat eggs with fork, in separate bowl. Add eggs and oil to dry. Mix…Forms a dough ball! Then add milk, slowly….

Wrong!Wrong!WRONG!....and the winner is: RECIPE!!!!

The last time I did figure a way to patch it up good enough to end the torture. The batter was way too thin and runny, so I added more flour to it. That helped to thicken it up, and keep it in the waffle maker, but it made the waffles slightly less flavorful, and more dense. They were adequate, just not to my standards.

The moral of the story is:

FOLLOW. THE. RECIPE!!!

So, I hope you can do what I could not.

Here’s a link to the recipe. GOOD LUCK! It’s a fighter…

(It’s actually a really easy, delicious recipe…I’m just insane)

Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

 

By the way, the blueberry sauce is amazing! And I didn’t screw it up. I also used the leftover cream cheese frosting from the cinnamon rolls. Sometimes I can be brilliant.

Related Recipes:
Waffles with Blueberry Sauce
Frosted Cinnamon Rolls (use the frosting for the waffles!)

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Cinnamon rolls of Amazingness

Ok. I confess. I am a recipe collector. I have a gigantic hoard of recipes; but the strange thing is that I don’t use them. I love to look through recipe books, food magazines, and cooking websites. I find so many fabulous recipes that I just have to add to my collection. My stash is so ominous that it’s exhausting just to think about going through it. Whenever I actually need a recipe I seek out a new one instead of relying on the ones I already have. It’s a very strange habit of mine, and I really need to knock it off and clear out the rubbish. I’m setting a new goal: Ok. By the end of the year, I will have sorted through my entire stash of recipes, discarded the Terrible’s, and organized the Fabulous. Yikes! Now I’m scared. Breathe….ok, ok…I can do it.

  

To start me off in the right direction I can officially say that today I tried something new, FROM my STASH! I’ve had this recipe for like 6 years. I even think about it sometimes, which is the weird part, because it’s not like it was one that was buried and forgotten. I just haven’t been able to make myself try it. In my defense, however, it’s only been a recent development that I’ve actually been baking and cooking regularly. With this new hobby I may actually be able to get through that stack of recipes.

Drum roll…today’s recipe, #1 from the stash: Cinnamon rolls! And they were pretty amazing. I actually got a craving for them 2 days ago. I stepped out of my car in the Costco parking lot and was completely immersed in a sweet wave of fresh baked Cinnamon; but they weren’t on my list so I didn’t let myself buy any. And they were so worth the wait.

I have a really (REALLY) hard time following recipes. I don’t know why, but I just can’t do it. I have to change the amounts, add or subtract ingredients, and I do it all in a different order. That is another habit I’m trying to break (one step at a time); I need to learn to follow a recipe the first time, and then make changes afterward. I must’ve been on a roll today--I did follow the recipe! EXACTLY. Word for word. And now that’s done, I can add my 2 cents.

 Here’s a link to the full recipe, with my changes:

 Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

And here are a few changes I made from the original recipe:

They didn’t all fit in a 9x13 baking dish, as suggested. Next time I’ll use a baking sheet instead.

  

It was recommended to turn the pan over, fresh from the oven, so the filling would recoat the rolls. I didn’t have a problem with the filling dripping out, so flipping them just made a mess of my rolls; I won’t do it next time.

I also doubled the frosting because I LOVE a little roll with my frosting.

  

No forks required!

Why fight it?

But, even following the recipe exactly they turned out fabulous. Definitely a keeper, I’m adding it to the Fabulous. Even my honey agreed! And he can be quite picky.

That's one down...five million to go...

  

Related Recipe:

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

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Instant Dinner: Lunchables. Yep, homemade.

I’ve always thought store bought lunchables were such a waste of money. They're over-priced, the kids only eat a tiny portion of it, and all they really care about are the candies that come in it.

Sadly, I did give in to them for a while. It was a time that I was trying to edge away from “happy meals”, and fast food. It seemed healthier (and possibly cheaper) to buy food from a grocery store instead of a drive-thru window. It was for sure a step in the right direction. And, I’ve taken a lot more steps since then. I guess buying lunchables became a habit, engrained in their tiny brains. The colorful packages developed tiny voices, and they called out to my kids as we passed by them. It was a painful process to wean them off of the silly things. 

I’m always looking for simple and easy—to go along with cheap and healthy; hence the lunchable fiasco. Depending on the situation, each of these sought after qualities alternately take a front seat on my priority bus. If life were made of chocolate, and we were all butterflies in the sunshine I would put Easy, and then Simple, behind door #1. Followed of course by Healthy, and then last of all would be Cheap. I’m not cheap because I enjoy it. I’m cheap because it’s my nature. It’s my instinct for survival. It’s in my genetic programming even. So, in the end, cheap always wins out. But I find ways to make harmony among this chaos of decision.

At any rate, I just wanted to point out an incredibly Easy, Simple, and less expensive--yet quick and somewhat healthy—last minute meal idea:

The Homemade Lunchable!

There are endless possibilities, but our favorite includes American cheese singles, Ritz crackers, and Turkey lunchmeat slices from Costco. We always have these on hand, it’s always easy to access, and I buy it all in bulk, from Costco.

All you really need is a cracker, a meat, and a cheese. Some kind of sauce is always good, and then you can get creative and add veggies, or whatever else you have in your pantry at the moment. Another of our favorites is Ritz, pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese; just like a mini pizza!

Have fun, mix and match…keep life simple, smile a little.

Best of all, my kids love it! AND they can even get it all out and assembled on their own. It’s almost like pressing an EASY BUTTON…

So, we shall rename this delightful discovery...

I hereby declare this meal to be so dubbed:

Easy-Button-Instant-Dinner

So let it be written, so let it be done.

And we all lived happily ever after…the end



(sorry, no recipe...just pictures and ideas)
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A Leaning Tower of…OREOS

And the best part is that I made them! And…and…and… from scratch!

These were ridiculously AMAZING. If you like Oreos—even a little--you HAVE to try this. It was the highlight of my week. They were so pretty, I felt like the proud mother of these things.  I couldn’t stop smiling and admiring them. My kids are starting to question my sanity, as I ogle food and am constantly taking pictures. I can’t even explain how it makes me feel when I see these foods that I have created come together so perfectly. This is definitely getting a little weird. But weird can be good, and I’m ok with that; such is my life.

I’ve seen this recipe on several different blogs lately and in slightly different versions. I don’t know who to give original credit to, so in the sense of fairness I’ll just call myself a “recipe recycler” and share with you my own version. That way no one is sad, and all who have a similar recipe can feel equally credited.

It fits perfectly into my theme of trying to get down to basics and make as much from scratch as I possibly can. Oreos are often a staple in my home, and my honey and I like to enjoy them in the quiet of the evening, after the kids are in bed.

 I have a hard time eating them casually. Eating Oreos is sort of an event in itself, and it has to be done right, in order to maximize the ultimate Amazing-ness of this simple pleasure. For me, it has to be in the evening, once my tummy has had plenty of time to relax from dinner. Of course, the kids also have to be in bed, and all my evening tasks need to be finished. I settle under the covers with my honey, a neatly stacked pile of 6 cookies (store bought), and a half glass of cold milk. As perfect as perfect can get.

So, I made these amazing, perfect, gorgeous cookies yesterday afternoon. In the midst of my photo shoot the kids got home from school. Girl actually threw an impressive tantrum because “they look so good, I can’t stand it…I HAVE to have one!”… She carried on like that--screaming--for an entire hour. It was very exhausting, but I suppose I can consider it a compliment? Anyway, I made them all wait until after dinner so we could enjoy them as a family; sort of creating a new Oreo ritual.

After much anticipation, the moment of truth happened. And, surprisingly, they actually tasted almost as good as they looked (I say almost because I kept them in the fridge, and so they were a little hard). It also lost some of its magic because we were eating them on a full stomach. Very important to remember, do not eat them on a full stomach. Other than that, they were superb. Girl and boy#1 enjoyed them, boy #2 said “these are so delicious I could eat them all day, every day”, and boy #3 basically took a bath in his milk, while--with a blissful glint in his eye--devoured every morsel he could get in his mouth. He was completely immersed in the whole process.

These are so easy and so good. The cream filling is identical to store bought (except better, of course) and the cookie is so very close; not identical because of the texture, but as close as you can get at home. Right out of the oven they are crisp, but if you let them sit overnight in a sealed container they soften up. I almost fell over when I ate one this morning—they were that good.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to buy another package of the real ones again.

Everyone has their own “Oreo ritual”...what’s yours?

Related Recipe:

Homemade Oreos

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