Home is: Cooking with Leftovers

Today I'm linking up with my sweet friend Sandy at Reluctant Entertainer on her weekly Home Is... Today she's featuring cooking with leftovers. Head on over to get other yummy leftover tips.

We don't usually eat leftovers for dinner throughout the week, because my husband always packs leftovers for lunch.

But occasionally, I'm found with a bit of extra chicken, seafood (shrimp, scallops), pork or beef (skirt steak, roast or steak) that isn't enough to pack for a full lunch, or even more rarely, more meat than my husband can pack for lunch. Also, whenever I'm serving rice as a side dish, I will usually make extra rice so we can make this yummy, quick and cheap, cheap meal.

My husband came up with a wonderful way to use up the meat: "Throw It In the Pot Stir-Fried Rice." I know everyone knows how to make this, but sometimes I think it is an easily forgotten "go-to" leftover meal.

This isn't a "recipe" like you are used to seeing, with measurements ... it is mostly "toss this in" or "add a splash of that..." but there are some basics that are the back bone of this easy dish that you can toss together.

Here's the "food" part we usually put in it:

Rice (white or brown, or Jasmine)
Leftover meat
Egg -- scrambled
Finely diced carrots
Chopped onion (any kind: white, yellow, red, spring, etc)
Frozen peas
Any veggies in the refrigerator like mushrooms, broccoli, etc.
Leftover cooked vegetables (add these last)
Garlic, diced
Ginger (sometimes)

Sauces/Condiments we add:

Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Sesame Oil
Fish Sauce
Oyster Sauce

We usually use two or three kinds of sauces. Always soy sauce, and then one or two of whatever else we have in the refrigerator. Don't go crazy with the sauce -- just a few tablespoons.

Basic Instructions:

Place a little oil in a large frying pan or wok. Cook or heat each ingredient separately, placing it all into the same bowl or plate when done.

In order to keep the rice from getting starchy or sticky (in a bad way), you need to cook it on a high heat. When you add the rice, let the rice sit without stirring it. When the rice is heated thoroughly, flip it over with a spatula so it doesn't break down and get sticky.

Add all your ingredients back into the large pan or wok and add your sauces, drizzling them over the rice and flipping the rice over until coated.

And that's one of the ways the Sunshine household eats leftovers!

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES...

In diet and lifestyle ...

Yes, a "healthier us" is in progress. Please excuse me while I blab about it on my blog.

We've (and by "we" I mean "he") started Step 1 (lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure) towards a healthier husband. But there is so much more... so I present you with Step 2...

Step 2 towards a healthier us: Reducing on meal per week to a meat-less meal. Ugh. I can't tell you how hard this will be for me. I am totally all about beef. And now, I need to be totally about ... lentils, beans, legumes, tofu.... UGH. Fortunately, it is only for one or two meals a week.

Actually, in all fairness, I can mix pasta in with all that healthy meatless stuff... so I'm okay with that. Anything with Pasta is okay with me!!! And Parmesan cheese, of course, which is a hard cheese, therefore better for the diet!

Much to my husband's "joy," I'll be making a ratatouille over spaghetti this Sunday, and I'm hoping it will blow our socks off. Really, really hoping.

Next weekend, I'll be trying my hand at a really delectable vegetarian spaghetti sauce with lentils. No ground chicken. Just ... lentils. Joy. But, HEY! It's HEALTHY! And that's what my husband (and really, ALL of us) need.

In retrospect, we eat fairly healthy meals at home, but that's not always the case when we go out. It is hard to control the sodium levels in restaurants (hence the SuperShots), and all the delicious sauces are tempting at best. Another thing I'll really have to curb is baking. I love to bake, and while I do bake a lot with Splenda for baking, not all things turn out as tasty with applesauce or Splenda as they do with real sugar and real oil. And sadly, I have a sweet tooth... something I'll have to come to terms with on my own.

So ... Anyone out there have any healthy meat-less dishes they like (outside of chili, of course!)?

WFMW: Lower Cholesterol AND High Blood Pressure

Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer hosts the weekly "Works For Me Wednesday... go check her out and all the other awesome tips!

This is totally the easiest way to take a step toward healthier living in 2009! As many of you may have read in a previous post of mine, we had a heart scare with my husband. He is now under strict orders to change.his.life.asap.

So... change his life we shall! One step at a time. We eat fairly healthy anyway (well, at least in the home), but there are some extra changes we need to make, and one came in a fairly easy form.

Promise Healthy Heart (the Promise butter spread people) offers several heart-friendly products that actually help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure without major or drastic changes in your diet. Actually, ALL of their products are heart-friendly. One of the products is called "SuperShots" -- which is a "drink" that tastes like a weak yogurt, and while yogurt is a very BAD option for you if you have high cholesterol, this drink has NO cholesterol content.

Each Cholesterol reducing drink contains enough plant sterols to help remove cholesterol from your body (so do all their spreads!).

They also have a SuperShots for reducing high blood pressure, loaded with potassium which flushes sodium (causes high blood pressure) from the body (because "salt happens")!

So -- How easy is it? You drink one of each per day. ONE. That's it! They cost around $4.50 for a pack of 4 (WalMart carries them, as do most grocery stores). I'm willing to pay $30-40 a month for a healthy alternative to prescription drugs!!!

Why do I say this works? Because my brother-in-law started taking the Cholesterol reducing SuperShot, and his cholesterol went down 30-some points in one month. He continues to drink them and has maintained low cholesterol readings. I think he said something like... "it's the easiest way to change your lifestyle, reduce your cholesterol, without really doing a lot of "changing" and hard work" (of course there are other healthy changes you need to make, and he has too... but this is a great and easy start!).

As for the high-blood pressure SuperShot, my husband started taking them on Christmas Eve. On January 2, he had a 4 hour stress test, and at the beginning of the test (a resting state) his BP was 110 over 80. That's GREAT in comparison to what it had been!!!

Next step: Have one meat-free meal per week, working towards two.

This totally works for us!!!

Friday Finds #8: Cooking Delights

Good morning! Today I have a fun idea for Christmas gift giving ... affordable, practical, original---ish.

Giving cookbooks as Christmas gifts isn't necessarily an original thought. But... You know how you sometimes get a beautiful cookbook for a gift, open it up, and only find one or three recipes that you actually care for? What a waste of a gift... and how disappointing if you're the one that GAVE that gift to someone. Well. This year, try putting together your own cookbook for a Christmas gift!? A book with a collection of your own favorite recipes and tried-and-true recipes from other sources.

There are many sites that can make this dream ... the one of actually seeing your name in a book that you created ... next to a recipe you love ... a reality. They all offer pretty much the same thing, just different sizes and prices: you can use your own customizable recipes, or selected recipes from their site or others; standard, easy page layouts; standard covers to choose from; most places let you choose from hardback cover or softback cover (a more economical choice, which allows you to get duplicates, if you're planning on mass producing these as gifts).

Drawbacks: You will probably have to create an account or become a member (free) which means that unless you're already a member, you'll begin getting emails from them (which you can opt out of, too).

My favorite place is Tastebook. You can grab recipes from tons of different places with a click of your mouse... Cooking Light, Food and Wine, My Recipes, Food Network, Recipe Zaar, All Recipes, Better Homes and Gardens, Better Recipes, Southern Living, Simply Recipes, Epicurious, Bon Apetit Recipes, and more. Also, they print the books with a spine that allows you to add pages even after your book has been printed (very clever)! They print them beautifully and mail them to you and you just add it to your book.

Other places you can visit to decide which one will work out best for you are:

allrecipes
Kraft Foods (very, VERY easy to use)
Create My Cookbook

It's a good find for a Friday! You can spend the weekend playing, and create a Christmas gift all at the same time! Yay!

Have an awesome and warm weekend... and ... 4 more Fridays until Christmas Week!!!

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style

Click HERE for Friday Finds!


It's the most wonderful time... of they year!!!

I love Thanksgiving and Christmas... hands down, my favorite holidays of the entire year! I love the happiness, the food, the reasons for the seasons... love it all. And I also love Overwhelmed with Joy's holiday tradition... Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style! So if you have a recipe to share, hop on over and link up, then read up on all the great recipes!

This year, I have two new recipes to share!

The first one is a Cooking Light recipe, a deep soul-warming soup called Golden Winter Soup. It has the delicious combination of leeks and potatoes, with the extra sweet surprise of butternut squash. A great soup for Thanksgiving! (picture taken from My Recipes)

Prep Notes: This recipe instructs that you use a blender to puree the soup. I do not have a blender, so I used my food processor in smaller batches, and it worked just fine. A potato masher, however, will NOT work, because the broth and starchy vegetables really need to be emulsified nicely in order to obtain its creamy texture.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
4 chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
3 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Return mixture to Dutch oven, and stir in half-and-half. Cover and keep warm.

3. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

And now, one of my new favorites... Apple Pie Bars from Taste of Home -- ohmygoodness they are yummy! They have a rich apple taste, and they are the perfect dessert for pot-lucks, church dinners, and dinners to share with neighbors or for shut-ins. The recipe yields a lot, but none will be left!

Prep Notes: The dough is a bit tricky, as it is very crumbly, so if you are a novice baker, might I recommend the pre-made pie dough they sell in rolls? Otherwise, you will want to use the dough recipe provided as it has a nice texture-flavor thing going on! Also, I used a small pizza dough rolling pin to roll it into the pan because I found it to be so crumbly. You might want to try rolling the top crust out in several pieces to make it easier to handle. Finally: this is a forgiving recipe, so if you "forget" (ehem!) certain ingredients (like the crisp rice cereal) it will still work. The rice cereal is a thickening agent, and I don't recommend you skip it on purpose. Only if you're slightly distracted by a three year old that has been screaming in the background for over a half hour.

Ingredients:

Crust:
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shortening
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk

FILLING:
1 cup crisp rice cereal
8 cups sliced peeled tart apples (about 9 medium)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon apple pie (or pumpkin pie) spice or all spice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Topping:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in the shortening until crumbly. Combine egg yolks and milk; gradually add to crumb mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 15-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spritz some Pam in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in baking pan and place one rectangle in the pan; sprinkle with crisp rice cereal (see prep notes above).

Arrange apples over cereal. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and apple pie spice; sprinkle over apples. Top with remaining pastry; cut slits in top. Brush with egg whites.

Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. In a bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve a thick drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 3-4 dozen.

Holiday Cooking -- Blogger Style

Oh, yay! Oh, yeah! It's the holidays! Get your groove on!

Okay -- please forgive my lame and very non-rhythmic attempt to ... ummm ... do the -- cabbage patch thingie ...

But...

Overwhelmed with Joy's annual "Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style" recipe exchange is right around the corner!

Mark your calendars, ladies and gents, because November 7 is the day to post your special holiday recipe, recipes or reci-recipes -- how ever many you want to post! And I have a new one to share -- nanny, nanny boo boo! [Ehem!!! I'm just SO excited!]

ANYWAY -- to help spread the word, Overwhelmed is hosting a giving away! She will give one set of 20 personalized recipe cards to one lucky winner! She is designing these recipe cards, and they will have your first and last name on each one (possibly Christmas themed). Too fun!!! And if you've seen her other designs, you'll appreciate how cute they will be!

All you have to do is: publish a post about Overwhelmed's upcoming "Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style" recipe exchange on your blog (as IF I needed any extra incentive other than my love to cook!) and then stop back at her blog and leave her a comment with a link directing her to that post. If you do that, she'll toss your name in the drawing for the free personalized recipe cards. How fun is that????

So get posting, get cooking, and get ready for the mega-fun "Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style" recipe exchange!!

Sparkly Clean and a New Recipe!

This weekend, Hunter demanded that he sleep at Mawmaw's and Pawpaw's house. Friday evening, he brought his blankets down from his room and made a pallet bed on the kitchen floor and said, "I make my bed and sleep at Pawpaws."

Poor boy. We were only going up to Mawmaw's and Pawpaw's Friday night to pick up daddy's boat, but he wanted to sleep there, and when we left, he screamed and threw an all-out temper tantrum because he wanted to stay. So, on the way home, daddy called and asked if Hunter could spend the night Saturday evening. And they agreed. And Hunter was excited from the moment we told him (Saturday afternoon) to the moment they picked him up. Good grief -- he hardly wanted to say goodbye to us! He had a grand time at the park feeding ducks...

In the mean time -- mommy got in a huge CLEANING FRENZY Friday evening. I cleaned for an hour and a half, straightening, dusting, vacuuming, organizing, moving things around, eliminating toys... then Saturday, I ran to the orchard for some fruit, the grocery store, came back for some more cleaning, toilet scrubbing, a NAP (which was highly in order, considering Hunter woke up at SIX in the morning), and some cooking. Unfortunately, I had too much going on in my head, and couldn't fall asleep at all, but I did lay down and rest, which I needed. AND ... my house is all sparkly clean, and I LOVE it. I was a wee bit frustrated, however, because it seemed like whenever I got one room clean, Hunter felt like he had to decorate it for me. With his toys. TONS of toys. So, needless to say -- many toys were thrown out, moved out, or HIDDEN.

Later Saturday evening, we had our Pastorman and his lovely wife over for dinner, which was long overdue... and it was wonderful to have dinner and adult conversation without Hunter. Don't get me wrong... I adore my son, and adore having him around, but every now and then, a break is wonderful, and I am so thankful that my in-laws are willing to take him on!! It is difficult to entertain with an almost-three-year-old that has boundless amounts of energy and DEMANDS constant attention. AND -- he wants to "hep cook" -- and trust me -- while I find this endearing and I try to encourage it, his "hep" really isn't "hepful," but Hunter loves to cook, and I can't possibly squelch that, now can I?

I really wanted to have grilled salmon or chipotle hamburgers, but the heat was unbearable, and my husband refused to grill, so I plaid it safe and had a plain 'ol roast beef... which is a good thing, because I don't think Pastorman's wife likes fish. I did, however, create a wonderful NEW recipe! It was so good, and had such a fresh taste to it. It was a traditional roasted new potatoes and carrots with a twist that totally kicked it up a notch ... I'll share the recipe below ... but you'll have to promise to try it out!

Finally, my cleaning frenzy and my lack of nap resulted in my inability to follow a conversation as the clock drew closer to 10:00 -- it was frustrating! I hate getting old. But seriously -- where does the time go when you have good food, great company and awesome fellowship???

Fresh Roasted New Potatoes & Carrots

What you Need:

• new red potatoes (pick the smallest ones, and get enough for your family)
• 3 or 4 carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chopped
• freshly ground salt
• garlic powder
• 2-3 teaspoons ground cardamom (that's the secret in this dish)
  
• lemon

What you Do:

1. Scrub and wash all your potatoes. Cut them in half and add them to a pot of salted cold water. Wash and peel the carrots and cut them in 1" chunks. Add them to the water, and turn the water on high, bringing the pot to a boil. Cook potatoes and carrots until they are almost done.
2. When the potatoes and carrots are almost done, drain them and spread them out in a rectangular baking dish in a single layer. Drizzle the butter on the veggies evenly. Sprinkle with freshly ground salt, garlic powder and cardamom (I just filled my teaspoon with cardamom and tapped the spoon all around the dish). Zest the lemon over the veggies. Toss the veggies to evenly distribute the seasonings.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are beginning to brown. Serve immediately.
   
4. Enjoy!
   

WFMW: Easy Canning Tutorial for Fruit Jams

Works for me Wednesday is hosted by Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer! Head on over for other valuable tips!

Edited with a few extras. You'll see them with-in the text, appearing in bold orange.

This is the first year I have really "canned" anything, and "canned" it properly. I've always been too scared to try, thinking that it was too difficult. Low and behold... it's not. So, here is a tutorial to help anyone else that is anxious about canning jams, but wants to give it a try. Jump off the anxiety fence and dive into jamming fruits with confidence! It really is easy, and having jars of jam made from fresh summer fruits really WORKS FOR ME! (pictures below -- sorry for bad quality -- used camera phone bcs I couldn't find my camera)

Now, before you read this, you must understand that this tutorial is NOT for freezer jam -- but don't worry! Do NOT stop reading. Canning jam is just as easy! The difference is that you will actually be processing your jars of jam in a boiling water bath. And again... these instructions are for the novice canner. I'm certain that experienced canners have more tips and tricks to add, but these are the bare bones I came up with.

What you will need:

1. half-pint wide-mouthed canning jars (jams are sticky, and it is just easier to get them in the wide-mouth canning jars, but you can use what ever kind of 3-part jar you want)
   
2. a wide-mouthed funnel
3. a heavy bottomed 6-quart pan for cooking the jam (I use the one I make my spaghetti sauce in)
4. a tall stock pot (8 qt) or preferably, a canning pot
5. rubber-tipped tongs
6. large glass bowl
7. potato masher
8. large glass measuring cup for crushed fruit
9. plastic dry-measure cup for sugar
10. a TON of sugar
11. fruit
12. pectin
13. a good recipe (the boxes of pectin all have good recipes in them)
14. Instant read thermometer
    

STEP 1: First, I put the stock pot or canning pot of water (filled up to within 2-3 inches of the top) on the stove to start boiling (it can take a long time). If it comes to a boil before I'm ready, I just let it go, because it takes too long to get it re-started.

STEP 2: Place all the canning jars, lids and rings into the dishwasher and run it on the hottest setting with the heat dry option on to sterilize them. I did use detergent in the cycle.

STEP 3: Begin crushing your fruit in a single layer in a large glass bowl with a potato masher. Pour the mashed fruit into a measuring cup and continue mashing until you reach the required amount. Mashing the fruit releases the fruit's natural sugars and flavors. (or, you can place your fruit a little at a time in a zip loc and squeeze it -- that's what I do, and trust me -- it is more fun that way!)

STEP 4: Measure out your sugar and have it all in one bowl, ready to pour into your hot fruit and pectin. It will make the whole process go smoother.

STEP 5: Have your recipe and ingredients ready. Read through it numerous times so you are familiar with it, because you will be working quickly. The box that the pectin comes in will give you instructions on how much fruit, sugar and pectin to use. It will also tell you to use a "non-reactive utensil" to stir the jam ... in layman's terms... use a wooden spoon when stirring the jam. I used a very long-handled wooden spoon so as not to burn myself with splattering, bubbling jam. I also put my hand in a glove-style pot holder, because I was burned badly with hot, melted sugar (it sticks to your skin and keeps burning) when I was little, so I'm a bit gun shy. And... to add to my gun-shyness, I now use the pot holder when adding or removing jars from the water bath because I got scalded with splashing water a few weeks ago. But -- don't let that scare you. Jamming isn't all that bad -- I'm just a pansy!

Also: Do NOT double jam recipes, because the jam won't "set" properly. Make sure you boil your jam fully in a "rolling boil" fashion ... NOT a simmering boil. Follow the instructions carefully. Each jam has a different boil rate (liquid pectin is less than powdered pectin), but regardless of the time, to have a good firm jam, it MUST boil. Make sure you stir constantly while boiling it, and DON'T multi-task with more than one pot of jam. Trust me. I tried, and it just doesn't work.

STEP 6: Once you've properly boiled your jam (regardless of boil time, it should reach 220 degrees, which can be read with an instant read or candy thermometer), you will want to fill the jars when they are HOT so they don't break. I placed the funnel in the jar, and used a plastic soup ladle (do not use metal) to pour in the jam -- it made the whole process go smoothly and a lot cleaner. I also used the glove-styled pot holder to hold my jars while filling them, because the boiled fruit is very, VERY HOT. After you fill them, make sure your jars are wiped clean of any splashes. Cover them with the lids (I ran my finger along the edge to pre-heat the gummy sealer) and rings, and begin placing them into the boiling water bath.

I processed my first batch of jam in a stock pot that was brought to a rolling boil for 10 minutes. I didn't bother to buy a canning pot until later on, which I love, but you can do it in a stock pot. Just make sure you place something at the bottom so that the jars don't touch the bottom of the pan. Once you carefully add the jars to the stock pot (they should be covered with about 1" of water, so you may need to scoop some water out -- I used my Pyrex glass measuring cup to scoop water out with), bring it BACK to a full hard boil and then begin timing the boil for whatever amount of time the recipe calls for.

STEP 7: When you take out your processed jars of jam, make sure you use tongs that have rubber or silicone tips, otherwise your jars might slip and cause the water to splash out and scald you ... this happened to me the first time. After that, I went out and purchased silicone-tipped tongs and was super careful. I put the wet jars back into the case they came in (with the dividers) and placed them in a single layer on my kitchen table to allow them to cool. You will hear the lids popping and crackling as they settle into their sealed position.

STEP 8: Allow your jars of jam to cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight). Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed by pushing down on the lid to make sure it has been sucked down -- just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it it pops up and down, it is not sealed, and must be placed in the refrigerator right away. In all the jam I made, I didn't have one single jar that didn't seal properly.

Once they cool and sit a couple days... you can either open a jar for daily use (I only waited 24 hours because I was so anxious...) or you can store them on a shelf in a climate controlled pantry or basement. Do not store them in the garage where it would be un-heated or un-cooled (those are very technical terms).

I hope these instructions help out any first-time, anxious canners out there, and if you are a seasoned canner, please feel free to add any tips in the comment section!

Now, GO FORTH and pick some yummy fruit and can your own jams!! Then come back and let me know what a rock star you are to your family!

And so... the story goes...

Saturday was a total BUST for strawberries. The plants were burned and shriveled and ... well ... strawberry-less.

I whined and complained to the girl at the counter about how this time last year we were picking strawberries, and she confirmed that we INDEED were... but the start of summer has been brutally hot and has burned off the plants. They picked their last batch of Ovation Strawberries three weeks earlier this year than last!

Humph.

So we picked black raspberries instead.

And we got red raspberries, too -- but honestly? I love the taste of the black raspberries far more than red. AND? I can't WAIT until blackberry season. Mid-July.

So far, as of this posting... I have canned Black Raspberry Jam, Red Raspberry Jam, Strawberry Jam (Yeah -- I cheated -- I bought strawberries) and Pina Colada Jam.

Did you catch that??? Pina Colada Jam!

Oh, MY WORD -- it is the Jam of Kings -- Hawaiian Kings, that is. It is so delicious, and the recipe is a State Fair award winner. I may just enter it in our State Fair... if I can work up the nerve.

Final Jamming Tally:

9 half pints of Black Raspberry Jam
1 pint of Black Raspberry Jam
6 and 1/2 half pints of Red Raspberry Jam
1 pint of Red Raspberry Jam
8 half pints of Strawberry Jam
1 pint of Strawberry Jam
9 half pints of Pina Colada Jam
1 pint of Pina Colada Jam

Very patriotic, dontcha think?

One comment: As I'm not a raspberry lover, I must say that I find the seeds in the jam to be bothersome. Annoying, actually. Maybe next year, I'll try a different recipe.

I may not eat toast for a few weeks.

Who am I kidding?

WFMW: The Five-Ingredients-Or-Less Edition

EDITED to ADD: ONE MORE RECIPE!!! And ... IT COOKS ITSELF!! WOOT!

This is the special Five-Ingredient-Or-Less Edition of Works for me Wednesday, hosted by Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer! It was hard to keep the recipes under 5 ingredients, so I didn't count salt and pepper as an "ingredient" -- even though technically, it is. Also, I didn't count the pasta as an "ingredient" either ... just use your imagination. Its a shame it wasn't the 6-ingredient-or-less edition!

Also, make sure you take a few moments to check out all the other 5-ingredients-or-less recipes that are being shared over there!!

As a side note: Can you tell which ingredients I love to use the most??

Easy Creamy Pasta Dish

1) 1 Jar of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce
2) Ground Beef
3) 1/4 onion, chopped
4) 1 clove garlic, crushed
5) Cream Cheese

Cooked Angel Hair Pasta

Season ground beef with salt and pepper and brown with onion and garlic. Strain out fat. Return to pan and add spaghetti sauce. Heat thoroughly. Add cream cheese and stir until smooth and creamy. Serve over cooked pasta (Angel Hair spaghetti cooks up within 4 minutes) and top with Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Primavera ("spring style") Pasta

The following recipe is a great way to use up all your garden vegetables -- any combination will do.

1) 2-3 tablespoons butter with a swirl of olive oil
2) 3 cups of chopped vegetables from your garden -- any combination will do (sweet onion, asparagus, carrots, squash, zucchini, tomatoes)
3) 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4) 2 cup heavy cream
5) 1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, additional for topping

Cooked thick spaghetti (tubed pastas don't seem to work as well)

In a large, family-sized pan, heat up the butter and oil. Add the vegetables and cook until almost caramelized (add tender veggies last). Add the cream and simmer until the sauce is just thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Add cooked pasta and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, toss to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with additional Parmesan cheese.

Strawberry-Infused Lemonade

The lemonade is a really pretty corally-color, and has a wonderful flavor to it. The recipe is best when made early enough that you can chill it.

1) 2-1/2 cups of water
2) 5 washed and hulled strawberries (I slice them up)
3) 1-1/2 cups sugar (or 1-3/4 cups, depending on how sweet you like your lemonade)
4) Juice of juice 6 lemons (1 cup and a little extra)
5) 3 cups cold water

In a small saucepan, make a syrup by bringing to a boil the water, strawberries, and sugar; soft-boil for 3 minutes.

In the mean time, combine the lemon juice, and 3 additional cups of water. Stir well. Add your strawberry syrup (at this point, you can choose to either leave the strawberries in or remove them).

Taste (remember that it will be hot) to make sure it's sufficiently sweet (if not, add more sugar), or if it's overly sweet (if so, add more water or lemon juice). Cool in refrigerator ... unless you're too anxious to wait, pour over a lot of ice. If you can stand the wait, chill for several hours before serving. It is even better the next day.

I forgot to include this recipe, and when I put my name on the Mister Linky, I typed in 4 recipes, but when I went to get my link, I only saw 3 recipes -- it didn't compute in my poor old brain until AFTER I published my link.

Anyway, while this may sound like an odd concoction, it really works, and tastes fabulous together.

Slow-cooked Roast

1) 1 Beef Round Eye Round Roast
2) 1 envelope dry Good Season's Italian Dressing Mix
3) 1 envelope dry Ranch Dressing Mix
4) 1 envelope dry Mushroom Gravy Mix
5) 1-1/2 cups water

In a medium sized bowl, mix all dry mixes together. Rub all over beef roast. Place roast in crock pot and pour reminder dry ingredients all over roast and around roast.

Pour water around roast, being careful to not let it pour over roast.

Cook for 8 hours, turning roast once.

Thicken juices for gravy (taste first ... may need to be diluted a bit so it doesn't taste too strong).

It's What Memories Are Made Of! (and Monday Menu Plan)

This weekend was a bit of a blur. Busy picking berries, crushing berries, jamming berries... but more about that in a later post. Promise.

But, in the rush-about of this busy weekend, I also managed to squeak a trip in to Costco on Saturday, and was shocked at how much MEAT is going up! Now, you need to understand something -- I'm TOTALLY a beef girl. And to see my precious and beloved meat SKYROCKETING in price just breaks my heart! Even ground beef!!! Phooey!

I must have looked at all the meat for over a half hour trying to decide what to do, and finally chose a pack of fat tenderloin pork chops (not my favorite, but cheap), some ground beef, a package of London Broil, salmon, a big bag of frozen chicken breasts, and some asparagus. And when I grabbed the package of Salmon, I was only thinking of my sister and brother in law, because they are practically the only people we can enjoy grilled salmon with. They love it as much as we do, and for some odd reason, I really enjoy Costco's salmon over any other! Maybe it's because it is farm-raised, and lacks in that wild-sockeye-fishy flavor (oh, don't get me wrong -- it's fishy, just not OVERLY fishy), or maybe because I'm spending less on the package at Costco. That really makes me happy.

So when I got home, I called my sister-in-law (forgetting they were at the beach for the weekend) and invited them for dinner on Sunday. They called back to say they would join us! YAY! Hunter was over the moon with excitement!

So Sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful meal of Caesar salads (with homemade dressing, of course), Asparagus with a lemony mayo topping, Teriyaki Grilled Salmon, and Pene with tomatoes, onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese and a splash of cream... and a yummy fruit salad with a dollop of homemade whipped cream with Splenda on top. It was such a wonderful and delicious way to cap the busy weekend off. So good. So easy. It's what memories are made of!

And let me just say -- my boy can chow DOWN on salmon. At one point, he even reached over to the serving dish and grabbed a second slab of salmon without us noticing! Naughty boy! But how can you fault him when he's eating something so healthy!


Moving on to Menu Plan Monday -- You simply must join Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for TONS of tips and ideas for fresh and easy menus for your busy week! This week, it's being hosted by Laura at Heavenly Homemakers... Here's mine:

• Hamburgers, salad, leftover Pene with added sauteed sweet onion slices, chunks of tomatoes, squash and zucchini chunks
• Rigatoni and meat sauce, salad, whole grain bread
  
• Shredded Pork tacos with corn tortillas, fresh corn and black bean salad
  
• Salmon and Cheddar Impossible Pie, sauteed garlicky spinach
  
• Marinated London Broil, salad, grilled potatoes and carrots
• 4th of July picnic at my in-laws home (I'll be making a coconut cake for my FIL, and individual cheesecakes, and maybe a side)
• Dinner out at the Japanese Steak House with out of town guest (maybe -- depending on budget)

BloggedIn Bounty ($100 Target Card) and Menu Plan Monday

Did you say you need a new purse? Or those cute capri's you looked at the other day while you were strolling through Target? Oh, you know the ones.... well, the lovely people from Blogged-In Network are offering us all a chance to win, win, WIN! A! Free! Gift! Card! From Target! For $100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So what are you waiting for? Click on the box and start earning points by following a few easy instructions! Momma needs a NEW PAIR OF SHOES!!! (oh, okay -- baby and daddy do too.)

Moving on to Menu Plan Monday , Laura fromI'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly edition of Menu Plan Monday -- make sure you check out her website! She's incredibly encouraging...

So, this week's menu is kind of loosey-goosey ... kind of ... and then again, kind of NOT. But I reserve the right to change it if I don't feel like cooking, because I'm BEAT, y'all, and I don't even know why. Darn hormones! Anyhoooo ... onto the food part:

1. Monday: Grilled Burgers with Chipotle (mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!) Rub with potato salad and baked beans
2. Tuesday:Creamy Sherry Chicken over Rice with Broccoli (never quite got to it last week)
3. Wednesday: Dinner for a dollar at church
4. Thursday: Penne with Meat Sauce and Caesar Salad
5. Friday: Grilled Chicken Legs with Moroccan rub with Jasmine Rice and Salad
6. Saturday: Unknown at this time.
7. Sunday: Japanese Steak House -- Woot!!!!

So... what's on your menu???

On another note, my husband and I have taken a young couple in our church "under our wing," per say. She doesn't know how to cook, and I told her I would teach her how. So, I'm asking YOU for some ideas for meals that picky eaters can eat that fall within the following categories: easy, inexpensive, not exotic, child-friendly, crock pot ideas, casserole ideas.

Please... any ideas would be awesome, since right now, she only knows how to burn things, and her husband ends up cooking for the three of them (they have a 4 year old). I'd like to put together a simple cook book for her!! Thanks for your input.

Also -- is anyone interested in doing a recipe exchange via Mr. Linky for meals you can fix for shut-ins, sick friends and family, new moms, or someone that just needs a fresh meal prepared for them? You would post the ideas on your own blog on one particular day, and then sign up on the Mr. Linky. Give me your thoughts on this!!

Have an awesome day!

WFMW: Raspy-Grater-Zester!

Thanks to Shannon from Rocks in my Dryer for hosting the weekly Works for me Wednesday Carnival! Head on over for a lot of useful tips!



These have got to be the "funnest" set of tools that I have in my kitchen. Before I got them, I tried everything, and I do mean everything... a box grater, a knife, a cheap hand-held grater I got at WalMart... the list goes on and on. All I would get is a slimy, juicy mess, or big pieces of peel (not zest).

But then, I started seeing the two different Microplane brand zester/graters on all of my favorite cooking shows, so, I went out and purchase each one, at different times, and it has revolutionized my zesting and grating! I also have a Pampered Chef zester, but I only use it for decorations, as it leaves me with long strings of zest.

The Microplane "rasp" is awesome for zesting citrus fruit, ginger, coconut, and even for grating hard spices like cinnamon sticks or whole nutmeg. The Microplane "grater" is awesome for grating hard cheeses like Parmesan, as well as coconut, too. The Pampered Chef zester is great for getting long, thin slivers of a citrus peel (they sometimes curl nicely) for decoration.

How to use them:

1. Rasp-style Zester and hand-held Grater: Hold the item being grated or zested (like a piece of hard cheese or a lemon) on the top, and run it on top of the grater. I use the grater for grating cheese which I use for my home made Caesar dressing/salad, over pasta, or in an Italian recipe.

2. Pampered Chef Zester: Hold the zester in your dominant hand and the fruit in the palm of your other hand and pull on the zester from top to bottom of the fruit.

Of course, as with all graters or zesters, you must use caution that you don't "rake your fingers!"

Menu Plan Monday

Laura and I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly edition of Menu Plan Monday -- make sure you check out her website! She's amazing...

(Go HERE for today's post)

Anyhooooo -- here's my menu plan (for what it's worth--lol!):

Penne and Meat Sauce with Salad
Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salads
Asian Salads with Grilled Beef Strips
Grilled Pork Chops with Baked Beans and Corn on the Cob
Creamy Sherry Chicken over Rice with Broccoli
Dinner for a dollar at Church on Wednesday

This coming weekend, I might take on the daunting task of teaching myself how to make homemade bread... all the frightening details coming your way next week!

And that's about all the excitement my household can handle right now! Head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu plans!

Menu Plan Monday

For today's Post on Gentleness, go HERE.

Money is WAY tight, because I was off from work for 6 days without pay when I had Pneumonia a few weeks ago. That paycheck just hit us, so my wonderful in-laws helped us out with some groceries. Another way God has provided for us!! thank goodness, Laura and I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly edition of Menu Plan Monday to help keep me accountable! This week, she has a list of recipe sites that allow you to enter in a list of ingredients you have on hand in order to get a list of corresponding recipes. She also has most of her menu plans linked to the recipes. Go check her out!!

Anyway, for the next two weeks, or menu will be simple, yet hopefully filling and nourishing. The following is a list of meals I have planned for this week (not in any particular order). One thing I noticed... I have found it easier for me to just make a list of meals, and then pick which meal I think is appropriate for the day.

Tonight for sure: Crockpot Creamed Chicken* with Sherry over Rice, with sweet peas
Tacos
One-skillet Tamale Pie (ground beef) with salad
Grilled marinated Chicken with Parmesan Rice, and brussel sprouts
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with salad
Dinner out one night for my brother-in-law's birthday

*Crockpot Creamed Chicken

6-8 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 large can Cream of Mushroom Soup
8 ounces Sour Cream
1 can sliced mushrooms (or about 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms)
1/4 cup Sherry or white wine
Garlic Powder and Season Salt

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with garlic powder and season salt. Set aside. In the crock pot, mix the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and sherry (or wine) until smooth. Add the mushrooms (with their juice) and stir. Add the chicken, and coat with the mixture. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over steamed rice with a side of sweet peas or salad (or both!).

And ... Just for Susanne:

Parmesan Rice

2 Cups rice
4 Cups water
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoon butter
4 Tablespoon heavy cream
1/4-1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly chopped Italian Parsley

Place rice, water, and salt in pot with tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done, about 20 minutes. To hot rice, add butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Toss to mix and coat thoroughly. Toss in parsley. Serve hot.

Variations: You can add the juice of one lemon and lemon zest, or you can add a handful of frozen peas and maybe some chopped ham.

Menu Plan Monday

Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the Menu Plan Monday, and since our budget is currently tight, I thought it was time for some accountability again! So here is my menu...

Monday: Lazy Shepherd's Pie -- Ground beef w/ onions, mixed veggies, beef gravy, covered with mashed potatoes, baked until bubbly.

Tuesday: Chicken Quesadillas w/ rice & beans - cheap, easy -- seasoned shredded cooked chicken with onions and red peppers, flour tortillas and cheddar cheese.

Wednesday: Dinner for a Dollar at Church -- Dinner -- for one dollar a person -- $3? DEAL!

Thursday: Dirty rice with salad -- boxed dirty rice, ground beef (we toss in some raisins, too), salad

Friday: Shredded Pork Tacos - Crock pot recipe in soft corn tortillas

Saturday: Homemade Mac-N-Cheese w/ ham -- a new recipe I'm trying -- an Italian Mac-N-Cheese with white cheddar cheese, gruyier (sp?) cheese and chunks of ham (one ham steak)

Sorry I'm late posting this, but work has been wicked crazy! Please go to Laura's blog and check out the couple hundred (as in over 200!) menu plans!

WFMW: Quick "Bare-Pantry-Leftover" Meals

This week, Shannon's Works for me Wednesday is THEMED! Yay ... love those ... because I don't have to scour my brain for ideas! Today, it's the WFMW: What Do I Fix? Edition. When you've had a hectic day, everyone is tired, hungry, and you don't feel well, but still have to fix dinner on whatever is in the pantry... here are a couple easy suggestions (one that I make, and one that my husband made just last night). Usually, we are using leftover veggies, or veggies that weren't fully used in another recipe (like half of an onion, or half of a red pepper, or an extra un-cooked steak).

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta

This is a take-off of the "hay and straw" pasta dish (which is another fast and easy dish to fix). I love this, because it's so fast and easy, and you can toss in whatever you want! I usually will add whatever I have in the fridge (mushrooms, onions, etc.), but if you don't like something on the list, just replace it with something you do like. The key is the spaghetti, cream, and the Parmesan cheese. As long as you keep those three things on the list, you can change everything else. It looks like a lot of steps, but once you read through it and familiarize yourself with the recipe and the instructions, you'll find that it goes a lot faster than you think. I usually have dinner (serve with a side salad and bread) on the table in 15 minutes.

Spaghetti (enough for your family)
2 frozen chicken breasts, sliced into strips
olive oil (for cooking chicken strips)
salt / pepper (to taste)
1/2 onion, sliced thinly (or chopped)
1 clove garlic, minced (use garlic powder if you don't have fresh garlic)
4 slices bacon
6 fresh mushrooms (optional), cleaned and sliced
2 tablespoons real butter
1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots
1 - 2 cups heavy cream (depending on how much spaghetti you make)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more, depending on how much spaghetti you make)

My mouth is watering already.

Begin by placing a large pot of water on to boil. Add a mound of salt to the water (about a quarter-sized mound is perfect). When the water comes to a rolling boil, cook spaghetti according to package directions. For a quick meal, angel-hair only takes like 6-8 minutes. For the thick spaghetti (which I adore), it will take 12 minutes.

In a medium-sized frying pan, cook bacon until crisp. Set aside on paper towel to drain, then crumble. To the bacon drippings, pour enough oil into the pan to coat the bottom and keep the chicken from sticking. Add the chicken to the hot pan, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook thoroughly, and remove from pan -- set aside. To the same pan, add the 2 tablespoons of butter, and toss in the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and frozen veggies. Cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft, tender, and caramelized. Add the chicken and crumbled bacon. Cook until heated through. Everything should be done right around the same time the pasta finishes cooking.

Drain the cooked pasta and put back into the pot. Add the chicken mixture, the Parmesan cheese and the heavy cream slowly. Stir pasta well. Add enough cream that it coats the pasta and mixes well with the Parm cheese so it makes a thick sauce. Adding more whipping cream will make it creamier, adding more Parmesan cheese will thicken it. I usually do not go by measurements here, but rather, eyeball it. Season with salt and pepper to taste (it wont need much, but it will need it, because the cream is not salty).

Steak and Noodles

I had to work late last night, and I came home to a delicious meal that my husband "threw together" from stuff in the pantry. He didn't have exact measurements, so he kind of just eyeballed it, too. You can substitute the peppers and onions for the frozen stir fry vegetables.

Egg Noodles (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
1 steak, cut into strips
1 garlic clove, chopped or minced
red peppers cut into strips
green peppers cut into strips
onion cut into thin strips
leftover brown (beef) gravy (we had 1/2 jar in the fridge)
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix or Beef Onion soup mix
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce (I think that's how much he used)
Water

Begin by placing a large pot of water on to boil. Add a mound of salt to the water (about a quarter-sized mound is perfect). When the water comes to a rolling boil, cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large (family-sized) pan, add a little bit of oil, and the steak. Cook until done. Add the garlic and vegetables and continue to cook until tender. Add the gravy, the soup mix, and soy sauce. Add enough water to make a nice sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until ready to serve. Serve over pasta.

You can also add broccoli, carrots, or anything else that floats your boat!

A Little "Q & A" and Some Yummy Recipes

Today, I'm going to answer a gazillion questions that I've been asked, but haven't gotten around to. The topics are: Caesar Salad Dressing, Christmas Cookie Ornaments; and Cookie Recipes. If you've asked a burning question that I've missed, leave me a comment and I'll get to it right away! Sorry this post is long, so if you want to get right to the cookie recipes, go to the bottom.

Recently, I participated in Works for me Wednesday and posted about "Safe Eggs," and I included my recipe for homemade Caesar Salad Dressing. The following questions/comments were posted, and I thought I'd address each of them:

Stacey from Just Me and my Guys commented:

"I can't eat the Caesar salad because I can't seem to get past the fact that they have anchovies in them! Got any ideas for that??"

Why, yes Stacey ... I have a couple ideas. Try using anchovy paste. I promise it doesn't have a strong fish flavor at all, and it's not as salty and oily. They sell it in a tube, and I usually find it around the Italian imported foods. If you're worried about the strong fish flavor, then reduce the amount by half, and finger-taste-test it (dip your finger in it) after you process it to see how it tastes. If you're really, REALLY worried about it, then try the recipe without the anchovy paste, just be sure to add salt. Hope that helps.

Amanda (no blog address) commented:

Why not use whole anchovies if you're going for a true Caesar? They really don't taste "fishy," if that's your concern. But I applaud you for using anchovy paste! Bravo!

Thank you for the applause, but it's not necessary. Actually, I chose not to use the whole anchovy for several reasons: I find them to be very, VERY salty (stiff, in fact, from so much salt); I find them to be very greasy when packed in oil; I do find them to be very strong in flavor. I find that if I use anchovy paste, my 2 year old is more likely to eat it, my husband doesn't balk at the fishy taste, and I'm satisfied with the important "body of flavor" that anchovy paste really does add to the dressing. It's one of those "flavor layering" things, I guess.

And finally, "K" (no blog address) commented:

"If I use these eggs can I go back to eating raw cookie dough again?"

(she's referring to using pasteurized eggs)

Well, "K" ... I just don't see why not! If they are safe for a raw-egg dressing, then in my book, they are safe for cookie dough! Woot! Dig in, girl!

Last week, I participated in Momrn2's Christmas Traditions carnival (check it out -- there are a couple new participants that have been added). I posted several new and older traditions that my family enjoys. And guess what??? I got a few questions from that post, too.

Momrn2 from My Quiet Corner said:

"...I think you need to post instructions and recipes on how to make your cookie ornaments. If you already have I missed it somehow!

What a fantastic idea!"

Well, I purchased extra large, gargantuan, beautiful cookie cutters from coppergifts.com -- made a large-batch sugar cookie dough from a recipe they sent with my beautiful cookie cutters (recipe follows). I didn't change a thing, either. I just followed their recipe. I decorated the cookies using items coppergifts.com sells -- they have everything you need, and they also show samples of decorated cookies when you hover your mouse over the actual cookie cutter. I used things like the White Cookie Icing in a bottle (similar to an Elmer's glue bottle) by Wilton. It dried ROCK HARD (no offense, Wilton), and worked beautifully. I also used various sanding sugars, edible glitters, Luster Dust, and other decorating items from coppergifts.com -- I whole-heartedly recommend visiting their site!! (Actual cookie recipes courtesy of Copper Gifts at bottom of this post)

Carey from Sunny Days at the Beach commented:

"...got a question about your homemade ornaments...from dough...how long do they last? Do they last for years? Can you share the applesauce recipe?"

Well, actually -- I packed all the cookies I made last year (because, frankly ... it was a LOT of work that I didn't want to throw away) in gallon-sized zip lock bags. I pulled them out to peek at them over the weekend, and with the exception of a few beheaded gingerbread people and snowmen, they look beautiful! I'm considering spraying them with Krylon's Acrylic Crystal Clear sealer in Matte to seal in their beauty.

As for the homemade applesauce recipe, I think there was a misunderstanding. I meant to say homemade ornaments with an applesauce and cinnamon recipe. Or maybe I should have said, "homemade cinnamon and applesauce ornaments." Either way, you can find many recipes on line (I linked the one I'll be using above). As for a homemade Applesauce recipe, well -- I don't have one, but Sandy at 4 Reluctant Entertainers has an excellent recipe. I'm sure she'll share it with you!

Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie was also looking for large-batch cookie recipes, so as promised above, here are a few tried and true large batch recipes:

Big Batch Sugar Cookies
Use this basic dough to make any of your favorite shapes.

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (less if making thick cookies)
1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Mix well. Chill in large pancake shapes wrapped in parchment or wax
paper for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking cookies. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mats to prevent cookies from spreading. On surface dusted with powdered sugar, roll dough to approx. 1/8" thick. Use copper cookie cutters dipped in powdered sugar to cut dough into shapes. Bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe can
make up to 5 dozen - 4-6" cookies.

Big Batch Royal Icing Recipe
Royal icing is the best for decorated cookies because it sets up so nicely. Cookies can then be used in bouquets or placed in pretty gift bags. Some royal icing doesn't taste good, but by adding flavorings you can make it taste delicious!

3 pounds powdered sugar
4 heaping Tbsp meringue powder
water
3/4 tsp clear vanilla
3/4 tsp butter flavoring
1/2 tsp almond flavoring

Put 2 lbs of powdered sugar in your mixer bowl. Add the meringue powder. Thoroughly mix the two. Add approximately 1/2 c. warm water or just enough that the frosting is fairly thin. Add the flavorings in the amounts shown or adjust them to your own taste. Add the last pound of powdered sugar and enough water to make the frosting the consistency you want. Divide and color. This icing hardens quickly so keep your containers covered until you are ready to use. For "flow" consistency add warm water a little at a time.

Good "flow" consistency is about the thickness of chocolate syrup.

Outline cookie, flow on icing and allow icing to dry hard before you add the finishing touches.

Chocolate Cutouts
This recipe is great for detailed cookie cutters because the cookies retain the size of the cookie cutter even after baking.

1 & 3/4 cups butter (no substitutions)
2 large eggs
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon water
4 & 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa

Cream together: 1-3/4 cups butter, 2 large eggs, 2 cups brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon water.

Gradually: 4-1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup cocoa. Divide dough into 3 balls, wrap in wax paper and chill. When ready to bake cookies, let dough soften slightly, roll out on floured board to 1/4" thick and cut-out with floured copper cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased baking sheets and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, and then remove. Cool completely and decorate.

Gingerbread Cookies
Copper Gifts made this recipe when they were on the TV show called, Unwrapped on the food network. They used their Large, Giant and HUGE copper cookie cutters.

1 & 1/2 cups dark molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup shortening
7 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix molasses, brown sugar, water and shortening. Stir in remaining ingredients. Form dough into 1 or 2 pancake shapes, wrap, and store in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Roll dough out to 1/4 inch and cut with cookie cutters. Decorate with candy, raisins and icing. Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on how well done you like your gingerbread cookies).

If making the HUGE cookies (15") from coppergifts.com: roll dough according to size of cookie cutter. If you are making the HUGE size, use all the dough and roll almost 1/2 inch thick, they recommend rolling dough out between two sheets of Parchment paper. Lightly grease the cutting side of the cookie cutter, remove top piece of parchment paper and cut out HUGE cookie. Remove excess dough from the outer edges of big cookie, then carefully slide cookie and bottom sheet of parchment paper onto cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how well done you like your gingerbread cookies.

Have fun, and ENJOY!!!

Gobble Gobble (some good stuff!)

I LOVE Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love the foods, the smells, and everything behind the sentiment of being Thankful, because honestly, we have a LOT to be thankful for.

And along those lines of being thankful, I am ever so thankful for my family, and for the ability to feed them a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Today, I'm joining in with Karla at Looking Towards Heaven, and many of you, to share my Thanksgiving menu, along with a few recipes and tips. Mind you, I do not always use "recipes" with exact measurements, so a few of my recipes are "a little of this, or a lot of that, or a pinch, or a handful" -- but I trust you will be able to pull it off without any problems! Make sure you check out all the people participating back at Karla's blog!!

Our Delicious Menu
The most tender, delicious marinated roasted turkey ever (yes, it requires more work, but it's so worth it!!!)
White wine Gravy
Cornbread Stuffing with sausage, dried cranberries, chopped apple and pecans
Sweet Potato Casserole
Mashed Parmesan Potatoes
Roasted Broccoli
dinner rolls (Bob Evans frozen ones - YUM)
cranberry sauce
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
Pumpkin roll

We may add or change a few things here or there, but for the most part, this is our menu.

Roasted Turkey Marinade
Let me start by saying that while this recipe calls for a little more effort than dropping the bird in a bag, it is well worth it. I taught my mother-in-law, who used the bag method all her life, how to cook her turkey with this method, and now, she gets rave reviews from everyone when she serves it. Basting is key, but it's only once an hour, or once every half hour if you're inspired... but you can do it while you fellowship with your family or watch the games and parades all day long.

1 turkey
1/2 ruby red grapefruit
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
cumin
garlic powder
paprika
Chicken or turkey stock (you can use the giblets, neck, etc. to make your own stock, or just use the boxed stock in the store)

The night before, place your turkey in the roasting pan, and rub the turkey with the grapefruit, orange and lemon juices by squeezing the juices over the bre@st of the turkey. This will make it ever so tender when you bake it the next day. Once you've squeezed all the juices out of the fruit, rub the fruit on the turkey. Pulp is a good thing.

Then, sprinkle the garlic powder and cumin and paprika all over the turkey. I usually coat it really well, then go over it and pat it down with my hands.

Cover the turkey with saran wrap, and refrigerate all night.

Roasting the Turkey
The following morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and drain off the extra juices from the pan. Pour enough stock into the pan so that it comes up 1/4 way on the turkey. Cook the turkey in a 350 degree oven. Baste once every hour or half hour until the temperature of the turkey is 170 degrees. If the turkey begins to brown too much, just tent it with foil. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, just add more. Basting the turkey is essential!!! Once the turkey is done, take it out of the oven and allow it to rest on the stove top or counter for at least 20 minutes so that the juices go back into the meat, and don't run out when you carve it. Keep the turkey covered with foil until you slice it.

Easy carving tip: When you're ready to carve your turkey, cut out each side of the bre@st away from the bone. Place the entire breast on a cutting board, and slice it against the grain.



Easy Gravy
Pour your pan drippings into a sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup white cooking wine. Bring to a boil. Make a "slurry" of cornstarch and cold water (about 1/2 cup water to 6 tablespoons of cornstarch, possibly more, possibly less -- it should be the consistency of heavy cream). Whisk it into the saucepan a little at a time while boiling. Do not stop stirring, or you will have lumpy gravy. Continue adding the cornstarch slurry until you reach the desired thickness you want. Season it with salt as desired.

Cornbread Stuffing with cranberries, apple and pecans
This stuffing is such a nice balance of sweet and savory. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make, and how delicious it is!

2 7 oz. packages Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1 medium sweet or mayan onion, finely chopped
3/4 c. finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
6-8 links raw breakfast sausage, chopped/diced
1 stick butter
1 and 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 can whole cranberry sauce
1-2 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped in small pieces
3/4 cup pecan pieces
3-4 cups (approx) chicken or turkey stock

In a large (family-sized pan) brown onion, carrot, celery, sausage, garlic and cumin in 1 stick butter. Add stuffing mix, dried cranberries, cranberry sauce, apples and pecans. Add 2 cups stock and stir. Taste for salt and add accordingly. Transfer stuffing to a large casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Pour 1 cup stock over. (Can make to here and refrigerate.)

Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more.

Roasted Broccoli
1 broccoli crown per 2 people
1/2 cup olive oil (more if you have more than 4 crowns)
6 cloves of crushed garlic
coarse sea salt

In a medium bowl, mix the olive oil with the crushed garlic and set aside. Cut off much of the stems and divide the crowns into chunks. Dip each chunk into the garlic and oil mixture, making sure that chunks of the garlic get onto each crown. Place the garlicky crown onto a cookie sheet lined with foil. When you've done this to all the broccoli, sprinkle it with coarse salt and place in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Check the broccoli by sliding a sharp knife into one of the spears. If it is tender, it is done. If not, continue to cook until knife tender. Do not be concerned if the broccoli starts to brown on top. That's what gives it a wonderful flavor, along with the toasted garlic and salt.

That's all the recipes and tips I have to share today. If you want to try any of these recipes, but have questions, feel free to ask away... just make sure I have your email to reply to (blogger people, see this). Also, let me know what you try, and how you liked it!

WFMW: Safe Eggs

Dontcha just love this new button? Me too!!

A special thanks to Shannon from Rocks in my Dryer for hosting Works for me Wednesday. Make sure to check her out, as well as all the excellent tips that get posted!

Today's tip is a huge one for me, although I'm fully aware that it may not necessarily impact your life, as it has mine! You see, we, at casa Sunshine, have a addiction fondness for Caesar Salads. Homemade ones. With lots of garlicy dressing all over it. The homemade original kind. WITHOUT dijon mustard in the dressing thankyouverymuch. And, guess what? Hunter loves Caesar salads, too! Seriously! He's TWO.

Anyway, I worried about feeding him (or us, for that matter) a dressing made with RAW egg. Yet, I'm not one to have a whole lot of time or energy to actually... coddle an egg. So, imagine my surprise when my sister shared that her local grocery store sells PASTEURIZED eggs! You see, it's not the raw egg that gets you sick, it's the untreated shell! Bet you didn't know that!

Well, I thought it was a pipe dream for us, because you see ... she lives in North Carolina, where all sorts of cool, hip, trendy grocery stores abound. But GUESS WHAT? Our local grocery stores have started selling pasteurized eggs! WOOT! Score for the familia. Yes, they are a lot more expensive, but it's worth our safety, as we consume vast amounts of Caesar salad each week. So, look for the eggs with a red P on top. They are Davidson Pasteurized Eggs.

I'm sure you're wondering what my prized Caesar salad dressing recipe is, aren't you? Well, come a little closer... closer... closer...

In a food processor, add 1 raw egg, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, juice from 1/2 lemon, and one peeled garlic clove (not a huge one ... not a small one ... a medium sized one is perfect). Blend until smooth. Add 1/2 cup olive oil and blend until smooth. Add some freshly cracked pepper, and taste to see if you need to add salt.

In a large salad bowl, toss chopped romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup (to 3/4 cup) additional Parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing. You can either add sliced grilled chicken, steak, or enjoy as a side with some pasta! Mmmmm.

You can thank me tomorrow, after you've made it ... and for the love of everything good and leafy, do NOT leave out the anchovy paste! It really makes a big difference! I promise it won't taste fishy at all. It will, however, taste very fishy if you put a whole anchovy in there (yuck!).

You can click here to find a store near you.

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