Cookie of the Month

I love being a stay-at-home mom/ homemaker. I love the managerial skills it requires of me and of course the organization. I also love how it pushes me to improve myself. Sometimes, however, it can be a tad bit monotonous and that's where my "projects" come in. I like to make crafts and bake in the time I carve out for myself. 

Last year I challenged myself to make a different kind of cake bread each month.

 

Okay, so I cheated a little and made fudge in November. It still counts, right?

This past year I decided to do cookies! Oh and FYI none of the recipes are my own. I'm great at following other people's creations though. ;)

I tried to make different genres of cookies and cookies I'd never made before. January was snowball cookies which were a big pain to make due to their crumbliness but my daughter Aftyn declared they were her favorite. I guess that makes them worth it! In February I tried red velvet cookies. These became my favorite! SO yummy!

I had a hard time thinking of a St. Patrick's cookie that I thought my kids would all like so I kept it simple and made inside out chocolate chip cookies with mint M&M's. My daughter Breah was particularl fond of them because she loves chocolate/mint combinations. Me too! In April for Easter I made thumbprint cookies that had chocolate fudge centers and a mini Cadbury egg in the center. Pretty good!

May and June cookies both turned out great! May's cookies were a sugar cookie and I chose lemon sugar cookies. They were really, really good! In June I did an oatmeal cookie and added white chocolate, butterscotch, and milk chocolate chips. You can never go wrong with oatmeal cookies!

July was a busy month for us with vacations and such so I kept it simple and made my great-grandma Ambrose's old-fashioned butter cookies. They are a favorite in our house! In August I made cake mix cookies with funfetti cake mix and vanilla frosting. The kids loved them!

September's cookies were chocolate crinkle cookies. The process was interesting for them. They were basically made with refrigerated brownie batter, which was messy. They tasted good though! The kids requested I bring back pumpkin snickerdoodles from Six Sister's Stuff for October. I didn't mind because they are delicious. ;)

In November I chose a candy cookie and made homemade Twix cookies. They were really good but took forever. In the end they yielded 2 dozen cookies which didn't seem like enough for the amount of effort they required. And because December is already crazy I found a simple recipe for vanilla pudding cookies. They weren't my favorite but they were very festive looking and worked very well for Santa's cookies. :)

I'm so proud of myself for sticking with my goal! I got to try so many different cookies that I'd never made before and discovered some new favorites in the process. Goal setting and improving one's self is never a bad thing. Now it's time for the next goal. 

I'm thinking brownies. :)

Sugar Sweet

Brown sugar turned rock hard? No problem! Take the heel from your loaf of bread and throw it in with your sugar. Within a few hours the sugar will have absorbed all the moisture from the bread and be soft again. This is a tip I learned from my mom and is probably well-known but I thought I'd share it anyway. :)

Here's some interesting facts about brown sugar. I learned some new things and maybe you will too!

• Brown sugar is essentially white sugar that has some molasses mixed into it. 
• Some people think that because the sugar is brown it is healthier (think white rice vs. brown rice) but it's not the case. Sugar is sugar whether it's white or brown. :)
• Because brown sugar has molasses in it, it makes cookies slightly chewier when baked with.
• Because it is not very abrasive, brown sugar makes a great exfoliant for skin.

And because I'm trying to make this post be at least a little interesting (ha ha) here's a recipe also that features brown sugar. My good friend Charlotte shared it with me and it is super easy and very yummy. Four out my five kids liked it which is really saying something for my picky crowd!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 chicken breasts
Mix tomatoes, brown sugar, and pepper flakes. Pour on chicken. Cook.on low for 6-8 hours. Shred. Serve on tortillas, cheese, lettuce and sour cream. Also good on a salad.

And this concludes my informative yet slightly boring post about brown sugar. Funny, when I told my thirteen-year-old daughter about the post I was working on she responded with, "Yawn. Mom that is so boring. If you want to keep your followers you'd better come up with something more interesting." 

Well too bad, Ainsley. It's staying boring so there. Homemaking isn't too awful exciting but I for one happen to find brown sugar interesting so there! Hmm, I think I need to get out more. ;) Leave it to the teenager to "keep it real". ;)

No Cans Allowed

I have a bucket list per say of things I would like to learn how to do that I think would make me be a more rounded housewife. They're just silly things like learn how to make candy or eventually have such a bounty of fruit and veggies growing in my yard that I have to can them. I think we all have secret wishes of being a little more fabulous in the kitchen and our homes. I know I do.

One of the items on my list was to learn how to make a pumpkin pie from a pumpkin. I tried it for the first time last year and, lo and behold, it actually worked and tasted good! If you've always wondered what goes into making a pumpkin pie sans the can then read on and I'll take you on a fantastic journey. Okay, okay, maybe not fantastic but interesting nonetheless!

First you need one of these bad boys, aka a sugar pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins are small (about the size of a grapefruit) and you may have doubts that one of them could make a pie (I did) but rest assured there is enough fleshy goodness to indeed fill a pie shell. Last year when I made my pie I set a goal for the next year to first grow the pumpkin before I turned it into a pie. Did I meet my goal?

Eh, sort of. I grew pumpkins but not sugar pumpkins. I opted for jack-o-lantern pumpkins this year for the kids. I'm still counting it! So after you've obtained your pumpkin (which can be found at any grocery store this time of year), the next thing you have to do is cut it in half, cut the stem off and get to work scooping out the seeds. Honestly, this is the hardest part of the whole thing. Sugar pumpkins seem to be very attached to their guts but it is very important to make sure all the strings are out otherwise you'll be sifting them out later when you mix everything together which is not cool. Last year I did it alone. This year I enlisted my husband and his strong man hands to finish the deed. Ah, much better.

After all the guts are out, cover each half in aluminum foil, place on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven at 350 for one hour. The pumpkin should be tender when pierced with a fork and that's how you'll know it's done.

After it's all cooled, use a spoon to scoop out the pumpkin from the shell. This part is easy. The pumpkin literally just falls out of the shell with minimal pressure. Piece of cake (or should I say pie?)! One you've got your pumpkin scooped out, mix it and the other ingredients together (make sure you have a big bowl because once all the ingredients are in there it's very soupy and tends to splatter when being mixed) and pour into the pie shell. Yes, I said pie shell. I don't make my own pie crusts. I know how but they never turn out pretty and make me angry so I opt to let my good friends at Pillsbury make one for me.

After your pie has baked for the allotted time it should look something like this. Isn't it purdy?! You won't believe the difference between a pie from a pumpkin and a pie from a can.

The best part of this whole pie experience is that I really felt like I learned something. So many of the things that our grandmothers did have gotten lost in the hustle and bustle of modern living. It was so refreshing to take my time and make something with my own hands. There's a lot of love that goes into this kind of baking and I know that's why my grandmothers' cooking always tasted so good too.

What's on your "inner pioneer" bucket list? 

*Oh and the reason I didn't post the recipe is that it (and the all the instructions for making a pie) can be found on the bottom of the pumpkin when you buy it. If for some reason you need it, just shoot me a comment and I'll post it for you. :)





Super Easy Turkey Meatball Stir-Fry

Okay so apparently, I am in a recipe sort of mood on this blog lately. :) This year I have planted a garden and am so excited to cook with some fresh veggies that I grew all by myself! This recipe is a favorite at my house and is perfect for garden goodies. I thought I'd be nice and share it with you all too!

Here it is:

What You Need:
1/3 pkg of pre-cooked frozen turkey meatballs.
2-3 cups of your favorite fresh veggies (chopped). Last time I made this with pea pods (halved), yellow squash (sliced), carrots (chopped), bell peppers (diced), and baby corn (halved). I always just put in whatever I have on hand.
1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup Catalina dressing
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 cups cooked brown rice

Make It:
 Combine all ingredients in a large skillet.
Cook on medium high heat, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over brown rice.

Tips to Make it Work Great!
* I adapted this recipe from a recipe found on kraftrecipes.com. However, I have found everything cooks a little more evenly if I take the meatballs and zap them in the microwave for a couple of minutes so they're a little thawed before adding them to the skillet.

*While the meatballs are cooking in the skillet I take my trusty wooden spoon and break them into fourths. This is just a personal preference but I like to have a little bit of meat with each bite of veggies instead of one big meatball.

*The original recipe says to cover the skillet while everything's cooking but I like my veggies to be more crisp so I leave the lid off.

*This recipe can also be made using a package of frozen stir-fry vegetables so it can be used in the winter time as well when fresh, good quality veggies are harder to come by.

I hope this recipe becomes a favorite of your family's too!

Root Beer Float Cake

Since it's summer it's a must at my house to have yummy Root Beer Float Cake. I saw the recipe when I was home visiting my mom a couple of years ago on her Gooseberry Patch calendar. I was a bit skeptical but it turned out so yummy! The frosting tasted like the foam on a root beer float. It was very fluffy and held up well. I was worried it would absorb into the cake but it set just fine.

Here's the recipe:

Root Beer Float Cake

18-1/4 pkg white cake mix

2-1/4 c. root beer, chilled and divided

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs

1 env. whipped topping mix (Dream Whip)

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1-1/4 cups root beer, oil and eggs; beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 13"x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min.; cool completely. In a medium bowl, combine remaining root beer and whipped topping mix; beat until soft peak forms. Frost cake.

Half the Hamburger, Twice the Health

I learned this tip from my mother-in-law who raised nine children. Mealtime at her house was a hectic time, I'm sure, trying to manage all those little ones. So she started cooking large quantities of hamburger at a time and freezing it in smaller portions for later. That way, when she was ready to prepare a meal, half the work was already done.

I don't cook with hamburger too much because I'm just not a big fan of red meat, but when I do, I most often cook a whole pound and take half of it and freeze it for another recipe. I then double whatever vegetables the recipe calls for so as to not make the liquid be off-balance.

It's easy to do. Simply scoop out the amount you wish to freeze and place it in a quart-sized freezer bag. Press the hamburger flat. This makes the meat much easier to break apart and reheat when you're making another meal. I'm all about saving time when cooking and this is a great way to do just that!

Here's a yummy recipe to get you started!

Szechwan Beef
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 can cut baby corn
2 cups instant brown rice

1. In large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Remove from skillet and set aside. Place half in a Ziploc bag and freeze for later.
2. Add oil to skillet and return to medium heat. Add carrots and peas and stir-fry about 3 minutes.
3. In small cup, combine water and soy sauce with cornstarch and ginger. Add to vegetables in skillet.
4. Return ground beef to skillet along with baby corn. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
5. Prepare rice according to package directions. Serve beef and vegetables over rice.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

 Since the weather seems to be stubbornly staying cold, I thought I'd share my creamy chicken and rice soup recipe that I shared a while back on my other blog. I am a self-proclaimed "convenience chef" and although I am perfectly capable of cooking from scratch, I find it so much easier with my small kids to cook using precooked foods. Someday I'll go back to cooking from scratch but for now, here's a recipe I made up that's healthy, tasty, and super easy.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

2 cans skim milk (use empty chicken soup cans)

1-2 cups of frozen vegetables (the one I use has corn, green beans, peas, & carrots)

1 can of Costco all white canned chicken, broken up into bite-sized pieces.

1 tbsp minced onion

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1 pkg Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (Long Grain and Wild)
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Whisk together soup and milk over medium heat.
2. Add vegetables, chicken, onion, and herbs and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. Cook rice in microwave and add along with the almonds to the soup.
4. Stir until heated through and serve! (Serves about 6 but can easily be doubled)


Told you it was easy!

Baking Blunders

On Saturday I devoted my whole day to Christmas baking. After spending two hours at choir practice, I came home and got to work. I wanted to try two new recipes this year but I was confident they would work out fine. The first one I started was a recipe of Martha Stewart's that she makes for her own family every year-- Noel Nut Balls. Sound yummy right? I followed the recipe exactly and things were going along great. However, when I got to the part that said "form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for three hours", I ran into some problems.

The dough was so crumbly it was extremely difficult to get into a ball. It stuck way more to my hands than it did to itself! Finally, after much effort, I got it to mostly stick together. After its three hours in the refrigerator, I was supposed to take the dough out and roll it into balls to prepare it for baking. There was just one problem... the dough was literally as hard as a rock! I couldn't even press my thumb into it at all! I finally ended up putting the whole ball of dough, bowl and all, into the preheated oven to soften it a bit. It worked and I was able to bake them, and roll them in sugar.

Here's the final result. And after all that?? I found them to be not very tasty. They tasted like a ball of crunchy butter with sugar on top. Martha Stewart, where did I go wrong?

The other new recipe I tried was called St. Nick's Dove Sticks. I saw the recipe on the back of the holiday peanut M&M's bag and thought they looked so yummy and easy. First, I had to made a graham cracker crust with peanut butter and margarine. I was to press it into the pan. Slight problem though-- the crust was so sticky it would not press! It did get all over my hands though. I finally got it down using a rubber scraper and proceeded to melt the hundred Dove chocolates (okay, okay, so maybe it wasn't that many but after unwrapping them all it seemed like it!) and pour them over the crust. That part went smoothly and I felt my confidence returning! Finally, I placed M&M's on top of the chocolate and refrigerated it to let it set.

Now, the picture on the back of the bag shows the sticks in perfect little rectangles. However, when I tried to cut them this is what happened:

They were not cooperative. The crust was still very sticky, the chocolate broke into pieces, and everything fell apart, including me! I was so tired after working on these things (plus chocolate covered pretzels) and so bummed that they didn't turn out the way I expected them to.

I was feeling a little teary and so my husband came over, wrapped his arms around me, and said, "Don't worry. We get a lot of Christmas goodies from people that look yucky but they always end up tasting good." Hmmm, thanks?

Next year I am going back to my old stand-bys: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, Rachael Ray's Five Minute Fudge, and Chocolate Covered Pretzels. I'm good at those ones and they always look pretty too. And if you were one of the people who were so unfortunate as to get my goodies this year, I'm sorry. Try the Dove sticks though. They may not look pretty but they taste like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. :)