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.