Carrots and pancakes

These are carrots from Mom and Dad's garden...I roasted them with chicken and red potatoes.



Here's my panckake pen...it's great!



Yesterday's mousetrap...



Today's attempt at a bee and hive was not so great...



Some of the leftover batter looks like a frog...

Zucchini bread

Jacob's teacher gave him a good sized zucchini so we made bread tonight. The recipe is from Betty Crocker . I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour which is why it turned out a little darker than normal. I omitted the nuts and raisins and added a cup of chocolate chips.





I put Charlie to bed and found that Jack had taken a giant bite out of one...

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Last week we decided to make pulled pork sandwiches in the crock pot...it was so good! VERY easy, too! We also had sweet potatoes and Uncle Jerimy made grilled pineapple...yum!

1 large pork tenderloin, I used one about 7-8 lbs, it was big! It should have a bone and a layer of fat on the bottom.
1 large yellow onion
1 can root beer
2 cups apple juice
Water
Garlic powder, Italian seasoning
Barbecue sauce
Buns or rolls

Spray the crock pot with a non-stick cooking spray. Slice the onions and layer them evenly in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the pork in the crock pot, fatty side up, pour in root beer, apple juice and water until the liquid is about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with seasonings. Let the meat sit in the pot, refrigerated, for a couple of hours then flip and sprinkle with seasonings. I put the pot on low at midnight so it was ready at 2:00 PM. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, drain the meat, remove the bone and shred with 2 forks. Serve on rolls with BBQ sauce!

Here is Martha's picture:


Here is mine:

Christmas Pillowcase

I found this pattern in the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Crafting magazine and Mom provided the fabric. It is a slip on pillowcase and the fabric on the back is the same as the tree on the far left. It measures 12"x12".

Beach House Peach Cake

This cake was so easy and yummy! The pictures make it look burned, I think it was because of the dark pan. I told Jack, who loves to bake with me, that we were making a peach cake. He thought I was saying "beach", so he called it a "beach house cake." Since it's September, I broke out the pumpkin mold just for fun! I like that this recipe did not call for pureed or diced peaches, just sliced. They broke up in the mixer (I did not mix by hand) which left nice, big chunks in the cake. The brown sugar substitute for part of the sugar made it extra rich. There is no need for icing on this cake!

I took this recipe from allrecipes.com

3 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups white sugar (I ran out of white sugar, so I used 1 1/4 C white sugar and 1/2 C brown sugar)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced (I used a whole, large, drained can)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I did not use these)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2.In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, peaches and pecans. Mix thoroughly by hand.
3.Pour into prepared 9x13 inch pan and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until done. (Mine took and hour)

Sunshine's Jalepenos

Sunshine decided earlier this week to make these and I've been thinking of them since!

They tasted good but.....WEAR GLOVES WHEN YOU ARE CLEANING THE PEPPERS! Halfway through cleaning out the seeds, I must have scratched my face under my eye. My cheek started burning...then REALLY burning...then it spread to my eye and it was nearly unbearable. After 10 minutes of flushing my eye out, the burning spread to my nose! 3 hours after dinner...my hands were still burning! WEAR GLOVES!

10 jalapeno peppers
2 packages of cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar
10 slices bacon,cut in half to make 20 pieces

Trim stem off peppers, halve and clean out seeds. Mix cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a bowl. Fill peppers with cheese mixture then wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon. Bake at 350 until bacon is done, about 30 minutes.

Secret ingredient muffins....

James wanted to have muffins in the morning so he can eat them on the way to work. He likes the size of Costco muffins but they are horrible for you.

I broke out my Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld and got cooking. We made Applesauce Muffins and Peanut Butter Banana Muffins. They both have the secret ingredient of pureed carrots! I think the Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are the best tasting ones that I have EVER made! I loved that I got to not only use my shiny red mixer, but also my shiny silver food processor.





Applesauce Muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used organic whole wheat)
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used a Tablespoon)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup non-fat skim milk
1/2 cup carrot (or butternut squash) puree
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

I mixed all of the ingredients in the mixer, although the real instructions are much more elaborate. I used a jumbo muffin pan, paper baking cups with non-stick spray and it made 6 good sized muffins. I baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1/2 cup carrot (or cauliflower) puree
1/2 cup banana puree (I used two large, very ripe bananas)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white (I used the whole egg)

Again, I added all of the ingredients at the same time although the original recipe is picky about sifting and order. Since the first recipe only made 6 muffins, I doubled the recipe. I used paper baking cups sprayed with non-stick spray and it made a dozen good sized muffins. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.


Both of these muffins can sit at room temperature for 2 days or can be wrapped individually and frozen for up to a month.

Enjoy!

Chewy Peanut Butter and Apple Cookies

I had peanut butter and apples and figured somewhere there must be a cookie recipe combining them...I found one at cooks.com.

I broke out the SRM (shiny red mixer)and mixed away. I used a cookie scoop and they turned out very chewy and perfect even in my crap oven.






Mix:

3 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup peanut butter

Add:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. skim milk
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Add:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 medium apple (peeled and diced - 3/4 cup)

The recipe looked a little blah, so I added the following:

1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon


Stir until mixed; drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. These freeze well.

I used a cookie scoop and it made 22 cookies.

Slow Cooker Tortilla Chicken Soup

The cafeteria at the hospital served this last week and it was so tasty that I decided to make it for the family. I started with the following recipe from the Betty Crocker site.

I added a diced red bell pepper and thickened it up with some mashed potato flakes. It was delicious!


6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/4 lb)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 can (15 oz) chick peas or garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
3/4 cup salsa verde
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, if desired
1. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except tomatoes and cilantro.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 7 hours or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (180°F). Stir to break up chicken thighs. Stir in tomatoes before serving. Garnish with cilantro.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

The tortilla pieces will dissolve during cooking, adding flavor and some thickening to the soup.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 330 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 45mg; Sodium 1160mg; Total Carbohydrate 37g (Dietary Fiber 7g, Sugars 5g); Protein 26g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20%; Vitamin C 10%; Calcium 8%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 1 Vegetable; 3 Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.© 2010 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved

Carrie had a little hat...

I made this little hat today, first time using the eyelet pattern.

Time to make the bread...

I have a goal. I will defeat the yeast and make home-made bread. Today was not that day, though. Sigh.

I made whole wheat oatmeal bread from scratch. The dough was so tough that my shiny red mixer (I think from here on out, it will be referred to as SRM, ha ha), had a rough time mixing the dough. I've decided that I need a bread dough hook for it if I am to continue on my journey of bread perfection. I followed the directions to the last detail (including the 10 minutes of kneading by hand) and I still could only get it to rise about halfway up to what it should. It turned out "dense", as James described it, but good.

While the oatmeal bread was rising, I decided to give my old bread machine that's been sitting in the garage for four years one more try and if it did not make a good loaf, I would throw it away. No use taking up space if it does not work. Back when I was using it weekly, the bread stopped rising. I was always using a boxed bread mix and I assume the yeast was old, if that's a real thing. I made whole wheat honey bread in it today and it turned out great.

The inspiration:


Adding the honey:


The SRM:


The whole wheat honey bread:


The oatmeal bread:

Bread

Home made bread is my next goal. I have never had success with yeast. Ever. Details, pictures and hopefully success to follow soon.

I'm going to be channeling my inner Martha....

Funeral Potatoes...yum.

Not just for funerals! These are so good, I'm thinking of making them for my Nephew Kyle's party this weekend...he is leaving for his Mission next week.


1 Large bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (not already browned, raw)

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 pint of sour cream

1 small bunch of green onions (just the green part cut really fine, I just use scissors!)

GOBS of grated cheese, I use cheddar/jack combination but any is fine. (what is a GOB? Oh about 2 large handfuls, but more is good too.)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, plop in a 9x13 pan and cook at 350 degrees for about ½ hour.

Optional: Crushed Corn Flakes on top, or Crushed Potato Chips, or Bread Crumbs W/melted butter etc, be creative.

Recipe stolen from HERE

Harmony

My second great niece decided to make an attempt at arriving at 34 weeks this morning, thankfully she did not! I thought since I was in a crafting mood, I should make a crib card for her like the one I made for Noah. Only problem....I have no PINK paper! I was able to find a tiny bit in my scraps and make it work.

I left room at the bottom right for her picture once she arrives:



This one looks very plain, it is just for her footprints to go on and hang outside of her Mommy's hospital room door:

Crib Card

Since I can't be there to with my family as they are dealing with baby Noah, I decided to get crafty and make a crib card and pound signs for his isolette like we do for our babies room's at my NICU:







My Cricut cutter had steam coming from it's ears by the time I was done....

Knitting a pattern??!!

Jessica inspired me to attempt to knit a pattern, so I found a basketweave on youtube. It was very easy! It is a simple pattern of knit 5, purl 5.




I might have to get some pretty and soft yarn and get creative. That is, of course only when I've finished the quilt I've made the top for and the cross stitch project that is halfway finished.

Spring goals

I have 2 goals for this Spring:

1. Make a raised garden bed. I've wanted to do this for a few years in a particular spot in the back yard. Right now, the only place I have to grow in the ground is the rose bed in the front yard. I'd like to keep that for flowers only this year. I've had vegetables mixed in with them and in planters, but that looks too cluttered to me. This way, James (who is very good with yard and flower maintenance) only has to keep track of the flowers. I have a hard time killing those, but I am excellent at killing vegetables.
Something like this, I love the use of finials to make it like a "bed":



I think this one is neat, but I doubt I could make one this fancy:



Martha has a great article about making them: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/building-raised-beds

I also want to have hanging flower baskets in the front, preferably Fuchsias. Those are what we had at our house in Anchorage and in my mind, that's what you should have hanging out in front. (Hint hint for Mother's Day, James??)



2. Create 2 week meal plans and stay 2 weeks ahead. Last night I watched "The Food Nanny" on BYU-TV. I'm going to try her 2 week plan and see how it works. The episode last night was a crack up, with the lady she was helping in tears of laughter over cleaning and preparing a chicken to roast. With my work schedule, I may need to make it a 3 or 4 week schedule. I'm going to start this in March....I'll post an update when I know what my menu will be. I'm hoping this will cut down on the "what to make for dinner" stress, especially on nights where James and I only see each other to pass off the children.

Click on the image for a link to her cookbook:


Here is a link to her sample menu plan: sample menu
Here is a link to her blank menu: blank menu
Here is a link to her grocery list (I'm not a fan of this grocery list, I prefer the one in my iPod, of course): grocery list

I hope that I can accomplish these with the 3 boys, school and work!