Blueberries!

After a friend alerted me that Blueberries were on sale at Aldi for $1.29/pint ... I just had to go out and buy some.

I bought 24 pints! Blueberries are my very favorite fruit - can you tell?

When they are in season I like to pick many pounds of them, unfortunately my schedule and blueberry season had conflicts this year. I only managed to pick about 10 pounds - not enough.  Most of them I will freeze so that in the Fall I can make Blueberry Applesauce for my daughter. I'll also use some in Purple Lava.

But I've also got plans for blueberry jam, blueberry muffins, blueberry scones, blueberry cobbler, blueberry buckle, Blueberry Boy Bait... Hmmm ?? I'm sure more ideas will come to me.

Do you have a good recipe for blueberries you'd like to share? I'd love to add it to my collection.

I Made It – Shredded Beef Filling

I love it when my friends recommend recipes, because I can ask questions. Likewise, when I find a really good recipe I like to share it with you, too. Feel free to ask questions and find out if it will work for your family.

Have you ever come across a recipe that intrigued you just by looking at the ingredient list?

My first introduction to this recipe was when FishMama made it for one of her Freezer Cooking Days. She talked about how many different ways she could use it. That sounded like my kind of recipe. I like when I can work once and have several meals from it.

Then I looked at the recipe. It looked quite easy, but the ingredient list – chili powder and oregano? Really? Chili powder and oregano in the same recipe? I would never have dreamed of putting those together. But, as I recall Boneless Chuck Roasts were cheap that week, the slow cooker was sitting idle and I needed a few more meals ready to use in the freezer, so I decided to give it a try.

Shredded Beef Filling

The Review:

If you’ve been following for a while you know that this recipe shows up periodically in our Menu Plan. I’ve mentioned it a time or two, but it really is worthy of a whole post.

If your man is like mine -- one way to his heart is through his stomach. This is most definitely man pleasing food. When Shredded Beef Filling is cooking in the slow cooker the whole house smells delicious, my husband walks in and says, “Where’s my wife? I want my wife!”

No kidding.

This recipe will get his attention.

It’s absolutely delicious. My kids love it too. The first time I made it, I wasn’t too sure what their reaction would be – they can be picky eaters. But they finished off their small portions and then asked for more.

Typically, when I make it, I use 2 large chuck roasts and we’ll eat part of it unshredded as roast beef on the day I make it. Then, after dinner I shred the rest and portion it into bags, about ¾ pound per bag. I add a bit of the drippings so that it stays moist when I reheat it, and then freeze it.

To reheat it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then heat it up in a skillet over medium heat. It stays wonderfully juicy. We’ve eaten it as shredded beef tacos, shredded beef sandwiches – with juice for dipping, and as BBQ beef sandwiches. We’ve even been known to steal a bite or two right out of the serving bowl!  My whole family loves it. I still want to try it in enchiladas and taquitos, but I’m a Mexican food neophyte and I need a recipe before I delve into those untested waters.

We highly recommend Shredded Beef Filling. You can find the recipe here. The next time Chuck Roast is on sale for less than $2.00/lb, go buy yourself some roasts and try this recipe. You won’t regret it.


Visit Tasty Tuesday @  Beauty and Bedlam for more recipe ideas.

I Made It - Homemade Pizza

If you're anything like most American families, pizza is on the menu several times a month. It's a wonderfully versatile one-dish meal. If your family loves veggies you can make an all veggie pizza, if you love meats, you can make an all meat pizza, or mix it up. The options are endless.

The Back Story
My family, just like yours, loves pizza too. Back in our DINK (dual income, no kids) days, Hubby and I would order a pizza to be delivered and rent a movie from Blockbuster nearly every Friday night. It was a great stay-at-home date night. Now that we're living on one income with 2 kids, we still love pizza. But the price of ordering out? Not so much.


Thus began my quest for finding a less expensive alternative. The first recipe I found for the dough was a Food Network recipe that involved letting the dough rise. I tried it a few times, but found that it required too much time letting the dough rise. I didn't usually have dinner in the works far enough in advance to make that dough.

Then about a year or so ago I came across this recipe form MoneySavingMom.

The Review:
I love that I can pull this dough together in less than 15 minutes. It goes together incredibly easily. Basically you dump the ingredients in a bowl, mix it all up, knead it a bit and you're good to go. You can make it even easier by kneading it in your Mixer, Food Processor or Bread Machine. If you don't have any of those, kneading it by hand is not very difficult. It's a very forgiving dough and thus, perfect for this yeast-challenged cook. Slap on some toppings and you've got pizza in the oven in less than 25 minutes. It also freezes very well.

One of the reasons I like making homemade pizza so much is that I can adapt it to what we have on hand and my family's personal tastes so easily. My daughter prefers just cheese pizza. The rest of us have other favorite toppings. The pizza in the picture is 1/3 cheese, 1/3  ham and pineapple (my son's favorites), and 1/3 ham, pineapple and I added a bit of red pepper that I needed to use up.

Why We Love It:
I love this recipe because I can serve pizza to my family and not break our family budget. And since I usually use whole wheat flour when I make the dough, I don't feel so guilty about all the extra carbs. My kids love it because we can have pizza more often than we used to. Last week, when I was stumped for a dinner idea, pizza was one suggestion. Thanks to this recipe I can indulge my kids' request and not be the stingy mom-that-always-says-no.

I've also found a great recipe for home made pizza sauce. That review will be coming soon.

What's your favorite topping for pizza?

Cocoons

Ever had difficulty deciding what to make? You know you're in the mood to cook something different, but nothing seems to be really striking your fancy.

This was my dilemma today. I was contemplating what to post for the Ultimate Recipe Swap. The topic is flour and although I use flour as an ingredient nearly every day, I was having difficulty coming up with something new. Most of the recipes I use on a regular basis are not my own - they are recipes I've gotten from other people. And those that are my own, for the most part, I've already posted. So, what new could I post?

I began to browse my favorite cookbooks and the various recipes links I've saved online - all looking for inspiration. Then, as I was browsing some old posts I realized I'd never posted the recipe for the Cocoons I made at Christmas. They're not your every day cookie, a bit unusual, but not too difficult either so I settled on this recipe:

Cocoons
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
½ lb butter (2 sticks)
6 Tblsp confectioner's sugar
1 Tblsp vanilla
3 Cups flour, sifted
2 Cups pecans - chopped fine
Additional confectioner's sugar for rolling

Directions
1. Cream the butter with the sugar.

2. Mix in vanilla.
3. Add sifted flour a little at a time.
4. Add pecans until mixed throughout. The dough will be crumbly, but should hold together when pressed in the palm of your hand (see photo).
5. Roll into small cocoon (or log) shape in palm of hand.
6. Lay out on an ungreased baking sheet. These don't spread much so you can fit a lot on one pan.

7. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes on ungreased baking sheet.
8. Remove from oven, roll in powdered sugar while still hot.
9. After cookies are cooled roll in powdered sugar again.


Notes:
No, I did not leave out an ingredient. There really is no baking powder or baking soda in these cookies.
This recipe makes about 5-6 dozen depending on the size of the cocoon you make. Mine, in these pictures, are a little larger than we typically make.
My father loved these cookies and my brother even made a special request for them last Christmas. Personally, I, umm, think these tend to be a bit on the dry side as cookies go.

Enjoy!

You'll find more great recipes using flour at The Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom.

Pineapple Souffle

One of the best things about church pot-lucks is the opportunity to try new dishes without having to cook them or pay for ingredients for a recipe my family may or may not like. This recipe was part of a brunch pot-luck at my church a few months ago. Hubby and I both loved it, so of course, I had to request the the recipe.

It goes together very easily and can be mixed up the night before and baked in the morning - making it that much better! We've now had it as a side dish for dinner as well as for breakfast. We loved it both ways. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do.

Pineapple Souffle
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
½ loaf Hawaiian Bread (round)
1 stick butter
1 Cup sugar
4 eggs
8 oz can crushed pineapple, strained.

Directions:

1. Cut the bread into ½" cubes. (You can cut the crust off if you prefer.)
2. Cream the butter and sugar together.
3. Beat in the eggs.
4. Mix in the pineapple.
5. Add the bread and mix together (I think this works best by hand.)
6. Place in a 1½ qt casserole.
7. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes, uncovered.

Notes:
You can easily double this recipe and bake it in a 9x13.
The second time I made it, I only used 3 eggs. It still worked very well, but wasn't quite as rich as with 4 eggs.


This recipe is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy @ Blessed with Grace
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty & Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
Ultimate Recipe Swap @ LifeAsMom

Super Bowl & Party Food

Confession: I am not a football fan. I never have been. Having also married a non-football fan I doubt that I ever will be. As far as I'm concerned football is just an interruption to good conversation. I used to root for the team with the prettiest colors on their uniform just to annoy my older brother. I don't think I have ever been to a Super Bowl party in my life. You see we're just not football people in my family (except for my brother, God bless him!)

At this moment in time I am not planning to attend a Super Bowl party. Maybe I should gather some girlfriends who are also non-football fans and we could get together and gab. (But, given the current weekend weather predictions for our area, maybe not.)

So, it's rather odd that I'm doing this post today... Super Bowl Party food. I really haven't got a clue what food one would take to a Super Bowl party.

However, I do have a clue what I would take to a party involving lots of finger foods that can be nibbled on for several hours.  If I had my druthers and could find wings at a really good price I would probably take Lemon Pepper Wings using this recipe. Of course, if I wanted to get all extravagant and use the crab meat I'd snagged and frozen in July (because that's when it's cheapest), then I'd make this best-crab-dip-in-the-world.

As I understand it there's usually chips and dip at these functions, so I'd probably be inclined to take this Pumpkin dip, too. I prefer it with Wheat Thins, but Hubby is partial to tortilla chips. Or I could take this awesome fruit dip along with a bunch of fruit, obviously. That might provide something that was actually healthy! As for dessert - it's kind of funny, I've never heard of anyone taking dessert to a Super Bowl party. Do people do that?

But all of that is just fodder for daydreaming, of course, because I'm a non-football fan and I won't be attending a Super Bowl party.

Don't feel bad for me. I don't!

Are you going to a party on Sunday or are you a weird non-football person like us?

For food ideas that other people will be taking to a real Super Bowl party be sure to visit Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Bulk Cooking: Turkey Stock, Breakfasts & More

The last several days Fishmama & Money Saving Mom have been hosting a Freezer Cooking party. I didn't post my plans for this month's Freezer Cooking, because I was afraid that with trying to catch up on Reading the Bible in 90 Days I wouldn't get it done.

But, I had noticed a few problems in my pantry:

• a serious lack of quick & easy breakfast foods (I am sooo not a morning person - gotta do this ahead or its cold cereal & Pop-tarts for sure) 
• I had bought several pounds of meat that needed to be used quickly
• the turkey carcass in my freezer was taking up way too much space
• and a special request from my hubby for his favorite granola bars

So over the course of a few days I developed a plan for what I would make:

Turkey Stock
Shredded Beef
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Spaghetti Sauce
Ground beef - cooked for future use
Waffles x2
Hot Chocolate Mix
Oatmeal Packs
Pancake Mix x4
Zucchini Muffins
Granola Bars
Cookies - maybe

I didn't get it all done today but was quite pleased with what did get accomplished - including some catch up on my Bible in 90 Days and some extra time with Hubby on his day off.

Here are my totals for the day:

• 6 ½ pints Turkey stock
• 2 lbs shredded beef fillinng - if you've never tried this recipe, do it this week. This recipe will change your life taste buds! Food Lion has chuck roast on sale $1.89/lb this week.
• 3 meals of spaghetti sauce with italian sausage ready to use
• 4 containers (2 cups each) of mashed sweet potatoes
• 4 bags of waffles (probably 5 meals worth)
• 12 Oatmeal packs (3 meals worth)
• 4 bags of dry pancake mix

We had some of the shredded beef for dinner - it's so good we had to force ourselves not to eat it all in one sitting! The oatmeal packs are great for mornings when everyone wakes up at different times. They are also versatile - additions like fruit, nuts or peanut butter can be added according to individual tastes.  The turkey stock is in the fridge letting the fat rise. Tomorrow morning I'll skim it, separate it into 2 Cup portions and freeze it.


I'm also planning to finish up the remainder of the list tomorrow:

• Cook the ground beef
• Peanut Butter Granola Bars
• Zucchini Muffins
• Hot Chocolate Mix - It's snowing here (again!) and we are completely out of mix so, I'm thinking this will be high on the priority list.

What are your favorite things to cook in bulk?

You can see what more people cooked on their Freezer Cooking Day at Money Saving Mom.

Birthday Cake Roundup: Superman & Princess Barbie Cakes

Today, Fishmama is hosting her annual Birthday Cake Roundup.

In a typical year there is no way I'd be anywhere near this Roundup -- other than gawking at the amazing cakes people create and share. The typical birthday celebration at my house involves chocolate cupcakes, whatever color icing my kids want that year and some kind of small toy stuck on the top of the cupcakes as decoration: store-bought princesses for the girl, store-bought Superman logos for the boy. That's about as creative as I have gotten. After all, with one Halloween birthday and one Christmas birthday, there's a whole-whole-lot to do around here for birthdays.

Because of those weird holiday birthdays (especially the Christmas one), we celebrate Half-Birthdays around here.

We have a standard Half-Birthday Cake.

But this year brought a few surprises. While cleaning out my parent's house, we came across some of my mother's old cake decorating supplies. In particular a Superhero pan and a doll cake pan.

Ah. I thought. My kids would like those.

Maybe. Just maybe I can pull this off.

So I took the pans home and a few months later, tackled the first one:

Superman.

With a few tips and an icing recipe from my real life friend, Amy, along with the plastic face and "S" that came with the pan, Superman manged to look pretty much like himself.

With that success under my belt, and certainly not to be outdone by her older brother, my daughter requested "a chocolate doll cake with pink icing."

Princess Barbie

Barbie, however, was a bit more difficult than Superman. She involved engineering. I had to do a little research to figure out how to make her work. She is the major reason I was still awake at 2:30 Christmas morning.

Here are a few things I learned in making the Barbie Princess Doll cake.

1. Before baking, measure Barbie to see if the cake will be tall enough to come to her waist. If not, you can bake an extra round layer to place at the bottom of the cake.
2. Use a Barbie or similar doll. She looks much better than the typical "half-doll" that you can buy at Michael's.
3. When you cut the hole to fit Barbie into the cake, use a long-handled teaspoon to remove the cake from the hole (that was much easier quicker than the bagel tongs I'd been trying for 20 minutes!).
4. Wrap Barbie in saran wrap all the way to her bust so that she's easier to clean up.
5. Even 8-year old boys can be impressed by doll cakes.

What's been inspiring your birthday cakes this year?

Looking for more creative birthday cake inspiration? Be sure to visit Life as Mom.

I Made It - Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"You need to eat a good healthy breakfast."

"A hot breakfast would do you good."

Does any of that sound like your mother? Much as we don't want to admit it sometimes, Mom was right. Breakfast is important. And as mothers ourselves we want to feed our children healthy meals. But sometimes, mornings are hectic and getting a healthy breakfast on the table is a challenge.

Enter the easy and healthy recipe. I have been making this Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal recipe that I found on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures for several months. In short... we love it.

The Back Story:

I've been on a quest to feed my family something healthier than Pop-tarts and cereal for about a year now. It's taken a bit of time, but I now have a good hand-ful of recipes that I make on a regular basis that feed my family a good hot breakfast. At the top of the list is this recipe for Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal.

The Review:

This recipe goes together incredibly easily. You just melt the butter and peanut butter together, dump it in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Pour that into a pan and bake. Very simple. And there aren't any funky ingredients that I don't have on hand either! It bakes in about 20-25 minutes; just enough time to pop through the shower or read a few chapters in my Bible.

Over the past few months I've tried a few variations of this recipe. The first time I made it I got up early and made it. Since then, though, I've mixed it together the night before and then baked it in the morning. Fresh from the 'fridge I've added about 5-8 minutes to the baking time so that the top crust is just the way we like it. My family really likes peanut butter, so I usually add a bit more for us. I've also made it replacing the peanut butter with mashed banana. I use about 1 whole banana to replace the peanut butter. This has become our favorite way to eat it, because it gives my kids a bit more fruit, and those who really like peanut butter can add peanut butter to the top while it's still warm - really yummy that way.

Lynn has the recipe for a full 9x13 on her site - you can find it here. I found that a 9x13 made too much for my family. I cut the recipe in half and use an 8x8 square pan - this makes enough for our 2 adults and 2 small children with a tad leftover. It will depend, of course, on the size of your servings and appetites.

Here's the ingredients for the smaller version:

1 ½ cups quick oats

½ cup milk

¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup peanut butter, melted
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

For the direcitions go to Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Updated: I've recently discovered you can cut this into squares and freeze it. Just reheat in the microwave. That makes this recipe even better in my book.

Do you have a great breakfast recipe? I'm always on the look out for good breakfast recipes. Let us know in the comments.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Pop-tarts and cold cereal. That's what used to be a pretty standard breakfast around our house. But, along our journey to more frugal living I realized, even though you can stock up on them at very cheap prices, they're still not as cheap as from scratch food and they aren't providing as much nutrition either.

Thus, began our journey toward more healthy breakfasts and muffins became one of our standards. I now have several different muffin recipes (all variations on a theme) that can be whipped up in little time and without much thought. I usually make them while I'm in the kitchen doing something else or when my daughter is in the mood to help me cook - she loves to help measure and stir; cracking the eggs - not so much :) This week it was banana muffins because I needed to use some bananas before they went bad.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ Cup chopped nuts (optional)
  
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup sugar
  
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 Cup banana (~2 whole bananas), mashed

Directions:
1. Whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nuts if preferred.
2. In small bowl, mix together, milk, sugar, canola oil, egg and banana.
3. Preheat oven to 375°.  (Here's why.)
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine. Batter should be lumpy, but completely wet. If it is too dry, add a small amount of milk.
4. Grease muffin tin.
5. Fill muffin tin 2/3 full (~1/4 cup of batter).
6. Bake at 400° for 17-18 minutes.
7. Turn out onto clean kitchen towel to cool.

Notes:
This recipe makes 12 muffins
I usually find that ¾ cup of milk is enough, but this last time I had to add a bit more.
These are really delicious with apple butter or pumpkin butter!

What's your favorite topping for muffins?


For more great cupcake & muffin recipes visit Cupcake Tuesday @ Hoosier Homemade
For more great recipes visit,
Tempt My Tummy @ Blessed With Grace
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty with Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

Crab Dip

One of the things that makes American food great is that it is a conglomeration of the best things of many different kinds of food. In most American homes in any given week you will find anything from Italian, Mexican, Asian and yes, even American style foods. And every region of the U.S. has it's own unique foods that it does really well. If you want good Chicken & Dumplings - go south. If you want good Cajun - go to Louisiana. For baked beans - go North to Boston.

But if you want good crabs - you gotta go to Maryland. Some of my friends who grew up in Louisiana complain that Maryland's cooking is generally bland - they like their foods spicey. But there is one thing they will tell you we do well - and that is crabs. The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab is the best crab meat you'll ever eat. The recipe I'm going to share today is all about the crab. I've tried several different crab recipes, but this one is without a doubt, the best. It tastes wonderful and is extremely easy to make.

I make this dip about twice a year - both in December. I make it for a family gathering on December 26 and I make it for New Year's Eve. I have no explanation why I crave seafood on New Year's Eve. I just do.(I apologize that I don't have a picture. Hopefully I'll remember to snap & load a picture before we eat it all New Year's Eve.)

Warning: If you serve this in Maryland - even if it's only to 2 people - you will not have any leftovers. It's that good!

Maryland Crab Dip*

(printable recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab meat**
  
• 1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ Cup sour cream
• 1-1½ tsp Old Bay seasoning*** 
  
• 2 Tblsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tblsp lemon juice
• 1 ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp dry mustard
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1-2 Tblsp milk
• ½ Cup grated cheddar cheese - divided
  
• additional Old Bay to taste
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
   
2. In large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, Old Bay, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic powder until smooth.
3. Add enough milk to make creamy (but not too thin).
4. Stir in ¼ Cup of cheddar cheese. 
5. Fold crabmeat into mixture.
6. Pour into a buttered 1 qt. casserole.
7. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay to taste and top with remaining cheddar cheese.
8. Bake at 325° until bubbly and mixture is slightly browned on top (~30 minutes).
9. Serve warm with array of crackers or petite breads.

Notes:
* the original recipe came from a church cookbook about 25 years ago.
** Backfin crabmeat is best for this; buy it in July or August when it goes on sale for ~$8.00/lb and freeze it instead of paying $16.00/lb in December & January.
*** Old Bay is most definitely the best. Do not try to substitute other seasonings.
This recipe makes about 4 cups of dip. The number of servings will vary greatly depending upon the size of the appetites and whether I am there to eat it or not.
It also makes a great appetizer for a graze-the-buffet style event.

You can find other great New Year's Recipes & Ideas on the Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life As Mom.
This post is also linked to the Recipe Swap @ Grocery Cart Challenge.

Cookie Marathon! Day 3

The Cookie Marathon continues today after a brief break yesterday, so that I could go work at my Dad's house.

Currently there are Date Nut Pinwheel logs in the freezer. Once they're frozen they'll be cut into cookies and baked, probably tomorrow morning.

Just to keep things real - this is what my kitchen looks like right now:

I've got to wash a bunch of dishes before I can do the next thing.  On days like this, I really wish I had 2 bowls for my mixer. I prepped the ingredients for the Cocoons while the filling for the pinwheels was cooking. So they will be next. Then I'll work on Chocolate Chip Cookies and make the dough for the Sugar Cookies.

Since we are likely to get several inches of snow tomorrow I think we'll probably finish up the kids' Christmas shopping tonight and we will bake the sugar cookies tomorrow while it snows. Sounds like fun to me!

If you'd like to see the rest of Cookie Marathon 2009 go here.

Updated Sat. AM:  I'm pretty much done with cookies. I got the Date Nut Pinwheels & Cocoons baked. One batch of Chocolate Chips baked and then I got sidetracked by getting ready for the big snow. (20-30 inches predicted as of this morning.) My kitchen has not yet recovered, but being stuck inside all day will give me plenty of opportunity to get it cleaned - assuming I don't get too distracted watching the snow. When I finally get it all together, I'm also hoping to make the Sugar Cookies with the kids today. I'll post a final update.

Cookie Marathon - Day 2 Update

It's 10:00 on Day 2 of the Cookie Marathon and I'm too tired to continue tonight.

So with here's what we've made:
Cinnamon Ornaments (okay, not a cookie, but we did make them)
Chocolate Crinkles (double batch)
Chocolate Chips
Turkish Hats
Reeses's Chewey Chocolate Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Date Nut Pinwheels
Cocoons
Chocolate Dingalings
Chocolate Crackers (recipe below)
Moravian Spice Cookie Wafers (delicious, but time consuming)
Rosenmunnar
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies (I added these while I was waiting for butter to soften this morning)

The Rosenmunnar turned out well. Not perfect, but really good. I love these cookies, but I've discovered this is a slightly finicky cookie. The recipe calls for cooking them 12-15 minutes, but I think you should start checking them at 8-9 minutes.

I'd really hoped to get the Date Nut Pinwheels into the freezer tonight, but it just didn't happen. I want to be sure we have several non-chocolate varieties to choose from in addition to all the chocolate laden cookies. They pinwheels will wait for another day.

Cookie Marathon! Day 2

The Cookie Marathon continues at my house today.

Here's where we are so far with my list:
Cinnamon Ornaments (okay, not a cookie, but we did make them)
Chocolate Crinkles - dough made, ready to bake
Chocolate Chips
Turkish Hats
Reeses's Chewey Chocolate Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Date Nut Pinwheels
Cocoons
Chocolate Dingalings
Chocolate Crackers (recipe below)
Moravian Spice Cookie Wafers (delicious, but time consuming)
Rosenmunnar (Swedish thumbprint cookies)


Planned for today:
Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Crinkles baked
Rosenmunnar (it's a cold, crisp day - a good day to make these)
Date Nut Pinwheels - dough & filling made, rolled and into freezer
Sugar Cookie Dough - ready for kiddos to cut & decorate tonight.

Chocolate Crackers
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup butter
• 1 Cup sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 35-38 saltine crackers (~1 sleeve)
• 8 oz chocolate chips
• 1 Cup chopped nuts
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
   
2. Boil together butter, sugar, vanilla for 3 minutes. DO NOT STIR.
3. Line 10x15 cookie pan with sides* with foil, grease. Cover with saltine crackers.
4. Pour syrup (above) over and spread.
5. Bake at 325° for 8 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and score through middle and side of each cracker for easy separation later.
7. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread as they melt.
8. Sprinkle lightly with finely chopped nuts.

Notes:
* A 10x15 cookie pan will fit the crackers perfectly. You will need to cut 2-3 down the middle to fill in one edge.
I've never tried using Reynolds Release Non-stick foil, but I think it would work well.
We like pecans on the top, but the nuts are really optional.

Be sure to come back and check on my progress!
You can see the other Cookie Marathon posts here.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are Hubby's favorites and have become a must-have in our Christmas Cookie Collection. They are a lot like Chocolate Chips, but with a chocolate cookie and peanut butter chips.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookie
 (printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups flour
• ¾ Cups cocoa powder
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1¼ Cup butter, softened (2½ sticks)
• 2 Cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 10 oz pkg Reese's peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt
2. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy
3. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
4. Slowly add flour mixture. Beat well.
5. Stir in peanut butter chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoons on greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 350° 8-9 minutes.
8. Cool slightly, then remove to rack to cool.

Notes:
This makes 4-5 dozen. Today I got 7 dozen.
As with most cookies, letting the butter soften sufficiently will affect how they bake, and in particular how much they spread. These (in the photo) today, I didn't let the butter soften long enough. Usually they spread a bit more.

Be sure to check out the other cookies as my Cookie Marathon continues!

For more great recipes visit,
Tempt My Tummy @ Blessed With Grace
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty with Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff

Cookie Marathon!

The Cookie Marathon has been an off and on part of my Christmas traditions since I was a teenager.

I've been planning today's Cookie Marathon for several days, but unfortunately there have been some interruptions along the way...

1) Hubby didn't take as long Christmas Shopping as I thought he would.
2) I'm missing a few ingredients I thought I had on hand (not a huge deal, I'll just do those recipes tomorrow instead).
3) Joseph was sent home from school because he bumped his face on a shelf. He's got quite the shiner just below his eye and had originally said his vision was a bit blurry. He's currently at the Pediatric Ophthalmologist with Hubby.

A Cookie Marathon always starts with a little prep work. Usually you make sure you have all your ingredients for all the various recipes you want to make before you start.

I missed that one this year.

I have also found it very helpful to have plenty of cookie cooling space available

Yes, that's the Cookie Sheet covering that table. Underneath is the box of cookie tins. I'll be rooting through that box from time to time over the next few days.

I've started today with the Reese's Chewey Chocolate Cookies because they are quick and easy. They also tend to last the longest around our house. They are a favorite of hubby, but he doesn't come close to eating the whole batch. I'll post the recipe for those soon.

I've also made a batch of Turkish Hats, but for some reason I didn't get very many this year, so I'll have to make a second batch.

Here's the list of absolute must-have cookies at our house:
Chocolate Crinkles
Chocolate Chips
Turkish Hats
Reeses's Chewey Chocolate Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Date Nut Pinwheels
Cocoons - I'll have to dig up this recipe; Mom used to make them and my brother has requested them.

On the optional list are:
Chocolate Dingalings
Chocolate Crackers (can you tell we like chocolate at our house?)
Moravian Spice Cookie Wafers (delicious, but time consuming)
Rosenmunnar (Swedish thumbprint cookies)

And on the list of cookies I've never tried but would like to are:
Chocolate Thumbprints
Candy Cane Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies
Spritz cookies - I have several recipes to choose from.
Brown Sugar Cookies

Here's the current state of my back table:

What are your family's favorite cookies?

Chicken & Dumplings

It snowed here on Saturday. It snowed 6 inches. And it was a wet snow. I'd hate to think how much it would have been if it had been a dry fluffy snow. For us, in early December - 5" of snow is a lot. The kids & hubby had a blast playing around in it while I went to the grocery store for a few deals. When I got home Kids' Choir Rehearsal had been cancelled and the troops were hungry and cold.  So, I decided this would be a good time to re-jigger the menu plan and make some comfort food.  At our house that means Chicken & Dumplings.

Now I am the first to admit, I am not from the south and I do not cook like a Southerner. I did not grow up with a Mama that made Chicken & Dumplings all the time. She did start making them when I was in college, but I'm still not sure it would pass muster for a true Southerner.  Mom made what she called "slick dumplings". Her sister made dumplings more like biscuits (Isn't it curious the way 2 sisters from the same family come up with different recipes). I preferred the "slick dumplings", so when I finally set about learning to make them, that's what I made. The original recipe came from a church cookbook published about the time I was learning to cook and came from a very nice lady who was also a wonderful cook. I have since re-worked the recipe to fit my more frugal (and slightly healthier) style. The Dumplings are still her recipe, but the stew portion are my own.

Chicken & Dumplings
(printable recipe) 
 

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups Chicken Stock (I use my own homemade)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced small
  
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
  
• Cooked chicken* - diced or shredded (equal to 1 thigh, 1 breast)
• salt & pepper to taste
  

For Dumplings:

• 2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp (rounded) shortening
• 1 Cup milk
  

Directions:

1. Pour stock into large pot over medium-high heat, bring to boil.
2. When stock is boiling, add chopped vegetables and chicken
3. Bring back to a boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
   
5. While stock is simmering, make dumplings.
6. Mix dumpling ingredients into dough (you may not need all the milk).
7. Knead and roll the dough very thin.
8. Cut in strips, about 1x2 inch pieces.
9. Drop into boiling chicken broth.
10. Boil until done (~10 minutes). Taste for doneness.
11. Mix small amount of milk and flour together. Add to stew to thicken. (This can be adjusted to your family's preference.)

Notes:
Yields enough for 4-6 people depending upon appetite.
* I usually have chicken meat shredded or diced in the freezer. Sometimes it's a breast I have boiled and shredded for future meals, sometimes I shred the leftover meat from a roasted chicken.

Why You Should Clean Your Oven

When the occasional accident occurs as you remove dinner from the oven...

... it is helpful to have a clean oven, so that you can at least scrape up most of the food and use it, rather than needing to throw it away.

Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow (assuming it doesn't rain again!)


For more frugal tips visit Frugal Friday @ Life as Mom.

The Cookie Sheet

The coupon inserts have been full of baking coupons and baking ingredients have been on sale for several weeks. The smell of fresh baked cookies is just around the corner. The blogosphere will be full of cookie recipes over the next few months and lots of websites are hosting Cookie Countdowns.  All this means cookie baking time is here! Are you planning to bake cookies this year?

I love baking Christmas cookies. It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Growing up cookie baking took several forms. Sometimes it was bake a batch here and there. But, when I was in middle school, cookie baking became a cookie marathon.

My mom, an aunt and one of their friends would get together at our house and bake cookies all day long. I got to be there a few times through unusual events -- a major bought of bronchitis coincided with cookie baking day.

It was about this time that an unusual tradition began in our family:

the use of the cookie sheet.

This is not the kind of sheet you put cookies on and bake in the oven. This is an old bedsheet used to cover the table and allow the cookies to cool before they are boxed up.

My mom had one that she used for many years, and later after she passed away, I raided the closet and found the sheet. Now I use the same sheet to cover my table and cool cookies as I cook them.

In my memory, the many dozens of cookies were primarily consumed by my siblings and I. But occasionally they would be shared. Today, I give away many cookies as gifts to teachers, neighbors and specials friends.

Baking Cookies for friends and neighbors and using the Cookie Sheet definitely works for me.

Turkey Follies

Cooking a turkey once a year is an almost surefire way to be a nervous turkey cook. Some families have turkey several times a year. We weren't one of them. We had turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas and then never again until the following Thanksgiving. And rarely did my mother fix the turkey. Growing up it was usually my aunt who fixed the turkey, dressing and gravy; the rest of us brought side dishes and desserts.

So, when I got married and started hosting my in-laws there was a steep learning curve. The first year I fixed a turkey I planned that dinner for weeks in advance and then made about 6 phone calls to my mother during the course of the day with questions. Where exactly do I put the thermometer? Does this get covered in foil? What about that? I learned a lot from that experience. I learned to prepare early, make lots of lists and time-lines and check them all twice.

One year I went through my usual routine. I didn't have as much to do that year as several family members were contributing side dishes. The turkey was bought well in advance. It was thawed in the refrigerator for several days before cooking. A few days early I checked the grocery list and bought any missing ingredients from my checklist. The day before Thanksgiving I gathered all the various equipment I would need: roasting pan, rack, cotton string, probe thermometer.

I started early that Thanksgiving day preparing the turkey. I unwrapped it, pulled out the neck and gizzard packet which I never use. Rinsed it thoroughly and patted it dry. I stuffed it with the appropriate aromatics and seasoned it well. Placed the thermometer just so and set it in the oven to roast for several hours.

Things were going along very well. The turkey was smelling really good. Our family started to arrive and we began to prepare the side dishes. I kept thinking the timer should be going off soon. I'd go check the thermometer to see how things were going.

"Gee it seems to be moving kind of slowly. I thought it should be further along by now. Hmm."

I'd wait a bit and check it again.

My sister commented, "So, when's the turkey going to be done?"

"I'm not sure. I really thought it would be done by now."

This conversation repeated 2 or 3 times. It wasn't a huge deal as we'd planned to eat early and none of us were in a big rush to go off somewhere else. Several stomachs began to grumble.

My husband, the non-cook, mosied into the kitchen and said,

"Sharon, Do you know this thermometer is set on Celsius?"

"Um... No. As a matter of fact I didn't! I didn't know you could set it for Celsius. How did that happen? How do I set it back?"

"There's a button on the bottom - C for Celsius; F for Farenheit."

"What's it say if you set it to Farenheit?"

"Umm. Yeah. It's done."

Many sighs of relief all across the house.

So, if your turkey isn't done when you think it should be, you might want to check the thermometer. It may not be the oven or the turkey. It may just be a tiny white button on the bottom of the thermometer that got flipped.

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Photo courtesy of Davidlat