Completely Domesticated

Health(ful) Nut (& Seed) Bread

2011-01-05T05:33:00.001+02:00

Last fall, I took a loaf of bread to a dinner our small group was having. It was kind of liked. Especially by our pastor's wife. And she kind of told a couple of people about it. Several of whom asked me for the recipe.

Slight problem: previously, the bread had not turned out as well as it did that night. And I had trouble getting it to do so again. :-/

I tweaked and I tweaked, though, and I think I've finally come close to a recipe that will consistently yield stellar results. It will, at least, turn out decent bread. It's never inedible. It's always quite tasty, in fact. It just isn't always the incredible loaf I took that night.

You're forewarned.

And my apologies for my tardiness in getting this recipe to people. I feel guilty, I promise.

• 2 1/2 C milk
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 C white flour
• 2 C whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 t yeast
• 1/3 C raw sunflower seeds
• 1/3 C raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 C chopped raw pecans
• 1/4 C flax seed

Directions:
1. Place the ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed.
2. Set machine for regular cycle, 2 lb/large loaf, medium or light crust.
3. Scrape sides of pan, as needed during first kneading to make sure all flour is incorporated.
4. Add flour or milk, if dough seems too wet or dry, respectively.

I want to try this recipe with honey, instead of sugar. I'll try to remember to report back, if I do. I think that it would complement the seeds/nuts well, in addition to being healthier.

Plus, I already know that the bread is heavenly with honey butter.

Oh, and, as you may have guessed, this bread was inspired by a certain commercially-marketed bread. I've cleverly disguised it, though.

Reusable sandwich bags

2010-11-24T08:18:00.000+02:00

I know I don't post pictures of my crafty stuff often. That's mainly because I either don't take pictures, or I take them, but I never get around to putting them up.

I'm playing with using the "email photo" option on my phone to be better about posting pics.

These are a reusable sandwich and snack bag I made for MS & JW. They both liked the pirate fabric and another flame fabric, so they're going to share. The pirate fabric is just a cotton print, and it's lined with PUL, so it's machine washable, but I can also just wipe it down.

Don't look too closely at the straightness of the lines. This was my first successful project on a sewing machine. Ever.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

2010-05-22T20:09:00.000+03:00

A friend posted in her Facebook status about making Cheesecake Ice Cream. Since A. we have made it a tradition to make homemade ice cream on Fridays when we grill out on our roof with our neighbors, and B. we would have made up such a tradition if we hadn't already, just to try Cheesecake Ice Cream, we decided to make this our Flavor of the Week (I feel like I should write it on a chalkboard).

CS (aka "the neighbor") suggested we add strawberries, so it became Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Oh yes, we did. Don't worry, I made it healthy by substituting plain yogurt for half of the sour cream, because ~~we only had one cup of sour cream~~ I'm concerned about the health of my family and neighbors.

CS also suggested adding the crackers (we use "petit buerre" tea crackers here). It was a yummy touch.

Suffice it to say, this flavor will be going into our repertoire to pull from for the future. It reminds me of Marble Slab Cheesecake Ice Cream with a strawberry mix-in.

Oh, and I just froze it in our freezer, rather than making it in the ice cream maker, as Julie had said it was too thick for theirs, and they ended up just freezing it, anyway. There were a few ice crystals, but it was still incredible. And ML was happy to have the week off from babysitting the ice cream maker.

12 oz cream cheese
1 C sour cream
1 C plain yogurt
2 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C sugar
6 T lemon juice
2 T vanilla flavoring

3-4 C frozen strawberries, chopped

graham crackers (optional)

Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Slowly add sugar and then beat in sour cream, yogurt, and heavy cream.
Add vanilla and lemon juice and mix until thick and smooth.
Stir in strawberries.
Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours.
Serve garnished with 2-3 graham crackers per bowl to be crushed and eaten with the ice cream or for dipping.

Emjheddera

2010-05-09T13:33:00.000+03:00

Emjheddera is kind of like Arabic mac & cheese. Or maybe more like spaghetti and sauce. It's what you always keep ingredients on hand for and make when you run out of time or don't feel like making something complicated.

We love it, though, and I like to serve it (usually with a roasted chicken) when we have guests from the States (or other Western countries; not to be discriminatory). It's also my go-to recipe when people ask me for an Arabic recipe they can make, since it doesn't require an Arabic spice mix, just cummin. Don't know why I haven't posted it before.

This is the bare bones, basic Arabic kitchen recipe. I'm sure there are some cookbook versions out there with fancy twists. Feel free to elaborate.

Saha!

serves 4-5
traditional Arabic gheda (lunch)
excellent source of protein when eaten with leban (plain yogurt)

1 C lentils, rinsed
2 C rice, rinsed
1/4 - 1/2 C olive oil
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1-2 med onions, chopped
1 T butter

Place rice in bowl with water to cover 1 - 1 1/2 inches. Soak 30 mins.

Meanwhile, place lentils in 2 qt. pan with water to cover 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Lentils should be cooked but not mushy. Drain.

Place 2 1/2 C water, oil, salt and cumin in 4 qt. sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Drain rice. Add rice and lentils to boiling, seasoned water. Simmer 8-10 mins.

Sauté onions in butter. Use to top lentils and rice.

Serve with Arabic Salad (diced tomatoes and cucumbers with a little vinegar, oil and some dried mint; minced onions are optional) and leban (plain yogurt, slightly runny and slightly tart).

Vanilla Ice Cream

2010-04-19T11:10:00.001+03:00

After ranting and raving about the family vanilla ice cream recipe, I thought I should probably post it.

I thought for sure I'd already posted it or at least had it saved on my computer when I went to mix it up last week, but I couldn't find it. I knew I'd seen the actual recipe card (you remember those old fashioned things, don't you?) somewhere in my kitchen recently, so I looked in all of the usual places: the clip where I used to hang cards back when I used them, the miscellaneous basket, I even resorted to looking through the actual recipe card box. The entire thing (which is a mess, because Z dumped it out one time, and I haven't put it back together since, so I had to look through every.single.card). Couldn't find the recipe. I was about to call Mom and have her read it to me or e-mail it to me when I looked one last place: it was magneted to the refrigerator. In plain sight the whole time. Fortunately, I had a friend to chat with on the phone while I was looking, so it wasn't too much of a pain.

Recipe found, I proceeded to mix it up, stick it in the freezer and go directly to the computer to type it in. An hour later (because you don't go "directly" to do anything in this house), it was safely saved in my recipe file. And, just for safe keeping, and because you all really have to try this, here it is for the www, too.

• 4 eggs
• 2 C sugar
• 3-4 C 1/2 & 1/2 or light cream
• 2 T vanilla, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 t salt
• 5-6 C milk (enough to raise mixture level to “fill line” of cylinder)

1. Beat eggs until light.
2. Add sugar gradually, beating until mixture thickens.
3. Add salt and vanilla and some 1/2 & 1/2. Mix
4. Pour into cylinder.
5. Add remaining 1/2 & 1/2 and milk to “fill line.”
6. Chill in fridge.
7. Freeze according to ice cream freezer instructions.

Yes, it has raw eggs in it. And my mother, who has had salmonella and strongly discourages me from eating raw cookie dough as a result (so I don't; nope; not ever), still makes it. It's that good. Live dangerously.

Oh, and when it says "preferably" on the vanilla, referring to Mexican vanilla, that means "only if you want it to be the best homemade vanilla ice cream you've ever tasted." If not, feel free to use regular vanilla flavoring.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2010-04-19T10:55:00.001+03:00

We had been looking for a while for a grill to go halvsies on with the other family in our building, and since we finally found one, we've been grilling at least once/week. After a couple of times getting started after the guys got home from work (7:30ish) and not having food to feed the kids until way past their bedtime, we decided that Friday (our Saturday) would be the best day to grill. And, since family tradition is *so* important, I proposed reinstituting my mom's family's tradition of making homemade ice cream when grilling. I mean, family traditions are important, right?

So, the first week, we made the traditional family recipe of vanilla. With Mexican vanilla. Because it is just wrong to make homemade vanilla ice cream with anything besides Mexican vanilla. Really, really wrong.

But I digress.

This week, we decided to break with tradition, I mean, make our own traditions by trying a new flavor. Polls were taken. Votes were cast, and allrecipes was searched. We ended up with Mint Chocolate Chip. Because, since I'm making the mix, my vote trumps. And there were a few other people that wanted it, too. (I think CS, the wife of the downstairs family, was a tad disappointed, so look for a chocolate ice cream recipe next week.)

I found this recipe but, of course, had to make some modifications, not the least of which being to adjust it to the amount required for a *real* ice cream freezer, not one of those mamby pamby countertop versions (do I sound a little bitter, because we have a 110 countertop ice cream maker that we got as a wedding present sitting in our attic in TX? well, I'm not). Plus, there will be none of this "fat free" business. This is ice cream. And that stuff's not good for you, either.

So, without further ado (because there's been enough ado already), here's the recipe we ended up with.

• 3 C half and half
o or 3 C water + 2 C full cream powdered milk
• 2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 2 envelopes powdered whipped topping mix
• 1/4 t peppermint extract
• 4 drops green food coloring (optional)

• 3-4 C whole milk (to “fill line” of freezer)

• 2-4 (1 oz.) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
o or 1-2 C mini semisweet chocolate chips

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix half and half, condensed milk, whipped topping mix, extract and food coloring on high speed for 3 minutes.
a. Or use stick blender to mix directly in ice cream freezer canister.
2. Pour into canister.
3. Add whole milk to “fill line.”
4. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight).
5. Freeze according to freezer directions.
6. Pour into container and allow to firm up 24 hours in refrigerator freezer.

Caveat: when it says "allow to firm up 24 hours in refrigerator freezer," it means it. The stuff never "set" like ice cream normally would in the ice cream maker itself (could have been one of the ingredients we used being different, since they're local). But it had enough crystals in it to set up fine once we poured it into containers and put it in the freezer overnight. Good things come to those who wait, I guess.

Caveat #2: you will want to eat *way* too much of this stuff. Even if you don't like mint.

Peanut Butter Frosting

2010-03-29T17:14:00.000+03:00

Back in December, I went to open my traditional Buttercream Icing recipe when I noticed an intriguing file name: Peanut Butter Frosting. Hmmm . . .

I was making a chocolate chunk cookie cake, and it sounded like a match made in heaven. It was.

I made the icing again for the chocolate/white chocolate swirl cake for MA's birthday. Again, it was a hit. Today, it's topping a dark chocolate mocha chocolate chunk cake. Oh yes, I did. And I mentioned it in my FB status. So I had to post the recipe to link it. Plus, it really should be shared.

courtesy of Ruth fr SL

• 1 stick butter
• 1 C peanut butter
• 1-2 T milk
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 2-4 C powdered sugar

1. Cream butter and peanut butter.
2. Add milk and vanilla and mix.
3. Add powdered sugar gradually until desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Spanish Rice Mix

2010-02-23T17:43:00.002+02:00

Similar in concept (but not in taste) to the Mexican Lentils and Rice mix, this is a great option to make 3-4 ziplock bags-worth at a time to have for future quick meals.

• 1 C long grain brown rice or white rice
• 2 t chili powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t each oregano & cumin & garlic powder
• 2 T dry onion
o or 2 t onion powder
• Dash red pepper flakes

1. In a quart-sized ziplock bag combine the above ingredients.
2. Seal & label the bag.
3. Store on the pantry shelf.

To Prepare:
• 1 pkg of Taco Rice Mix
• 1 or 2 T oil
• 8 oz can reduced sodium tomato sauce
o or 1 C chopped fresh tomatoes
o or 1 can chopped tomatoes, including liquid
• 1 can whole kernel corn (optional)
• 2 C water
o reduce to 1 1/2 C, if using brown rice

1. Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add contents of the Taco Rice Mix and sauté until rice is toasty and slightly opaque.
3. Add tomato sauce and water.
4. Stir and bring to a boil.
5. Cover pan and reduce heat to very low.
a. Brown rice will cook in 45 minutes.
b. White rice will cook in 20 minutes.
6. Serve topped with cheese for a main dish, or just like it is as a side dish.

Makes 4 servings.

Variations

To make Taco Style Beans & Rice add a 15 oz can of kidney or pinto or black beans (1-1/2 cups cooked beans) well drained and rinsed, along with the tomato sauce and water.

To make Taco TVP & Rice Mix add 1 cup of plain TVP and 2 bouillon cubes to the rice mixture. Use the flavor of bouillon that you prefer. When you prepare the dish, increase the water to 2 3/4 C. Otherwise, proceed as directed.

Note: I keep the bag of Taco Rice Mix in a small brown paper bag along with the canned tomato sauce, and sometimes a can of kidney beans too. This keeps the items together in one spot so I don't have to hunt all over the kitchen for that "can of tomato sauce that I know is around here somewhere". You may be more organized than me and always know where that extra can of tomato sauce is, but in case you're not this tip will save some work. Be sure to label and date the paper bag so you know what it is when you see it sitting there on the shelf.

I double this for our family, so we have leftovers.

This also makes a nice gift for an ill friend or neighbor or new mother, especially along with a prepared meal (as a bonus :-). It would also make a nice care package/basket for a college student/newly married couple. I include the following instructions (modified depending on whether I'm including kidney beans and/or corn).

Spanish Rice Mix Instructions

1. Heat 1-2 T oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add contents of the Spanish Rice Mix and sauté until rice is toasty and slightly opaque.
3. Add tomatoes (undrained), kidney beans and corn (drained), and 1 1/2 C water.
4. Stir and bring to a boil.
5. Cover pan and reduce heat to very low.
a. Brown rice will cook in 45 minutes.
b. White rice will cook in 20 minutes.
6. Serve topped with cheese for a main dish, or just like it is as a side dish.

Mom's Coffee Cake

2010-02-14T14:46:00.000+02:00

Coffee cake the way I remember it. And now I know why Mom always made this recipe. It uses oil and melted butter, respectively, instead of softened butter, so there's no cutting in the butter! I have another delicious coffee cake recipe from the BH&G cookbook, but it takes (literally) an hour to make, because both the batter and the crumb topping require cutting butter in. Who wants to spend an hour in the morning putting breakfast together (and *then* you have to wait for it to bake)? This, on the other hand, goes together really quickly.

For all but just our immediate family, I double this and bake it in a 9x12.

Combine:
1/4 C oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 C milk

Stir together, then add to milk mixture:
1 1/2 C sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix well; pour into greased 9" x 9" pan.

Topping:
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup broken nuts (or substitute 1/2 C raisins -- or do both).

Combine. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 375 about 25 min. or until knife/cake tester comes out clean.

Serve warm.

Cornbread Dressing

2010-02-01T20:34:00.000+02:00

And a family/internet recipe for a traditional cornbread dressing. Turned out very yummy, if do say so myself.

• 2 C flour
• 2 C cornmeal
• 2 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 C milk or water
• 1/2 C oil

• 1/4 - 1/2 C butter (1/2 - 1 stick)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t dried basil
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 1 T dried sage
• 1-2 t salt,
• 1/2-1 t ground black pepper
• 3-4 C chicken broth

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1-2 C milk
• 2-3 eggs, boiled & chopped

1. Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, & salt.
2. In separate bowl beat eggs, milk & oil together.
3. Add to flour mixture.
4. Stir just until smooth.
5. Bake at 200* for 30-35 mins.
6. Allow to cool.

7. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion, celery, green pepper and garlic.
8. When onions are tender stir in thyme, basil, oregano, sage, salt, pepper, cayenne and broth.
9. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
10. Preheat oven to 350*.
11. Grease deep-sided 9x13” pan or 9x13” and 8x8’ pans.
12. Crumble cornbread into large bowl.
13. Pour broth mixture, beaten eggs, milk and chopped boiled eggs over cornbread crumbs.
14. Mix well.
15. Place in prepared dishes.
16. Bake (at 350*) for 30 mins.

- I usually bake the cornbread the day before.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Corn-Bread-Dressing/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cornbread-Stuffing-Southern-Style/Detail.aspx

Giblet Gravy

2010-02-01T20:32:00.000+02:00

Belatedly posting my two new holiday successes from this past season (I made them both Thanksgiving [with help/tutoring from Mom] and Christmas [on my own!]).

• giblets from a turkey
o or chicken livers
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1 stalk celery, halved
• 1/4 yellow onion
o or 1 T dried onions
• 1 quart water

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
o or equivalent water + bullion
• 4 hard-cooked eggs
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup milk

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, simmer the giblets, salt, pepper, bouillon, celery and onion in 1 quart of water for 40 to 50 minutes.
2. Discard gizzard, if using.
3. Chop liver and neck meat, if using, and return to pan.
4. Add chicken broth or if you have a turkey, use drippings (about 1 1/2 cups and 1 can of chicken broth).
5. Chop eggs and add to broth.
6. Mix cornstarch and milk together and slowly add to broth.
7. Stir well until thickened.
8. Reduce heat to low.
9. Heat through.

- I usually make the broth (steps 1-2) the night before.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Giblet-Gravy-I/Detail.aspx

Monkey Bread (Bread Machine)

2009-11-29T15:23:00.000+02:00

Inspired by my IRL df GfG, I decided to make Monkey Bread for Thanksgiving breakfast.

Again, I fished around to combine several recipes to suit my needs (read: whims). I started here (where GfG got the idea), looked here, and here, as well. Oh, did I mention that I wanted to do the dough in the bread machine? (Well, I guess I did. In the title. But anyway . . .) No whackable cans of dough to be found here. No biggie. I let me trusty bread machine do the work, and it was just about as simple as whacking the can on the counter, if not quite as satisfying.

When all was said and done, it was a hit. Houston, we have a tradition.

• 1 C wheat flour
• 2 C white flour
• 1/4 C powdered milk
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 C water
• 1 egg
• 1 T butter, softened
• 1 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 2 1/2 t yeast

• 1 C sugar
• 2-3 t cinnamon

• 1 C butter (2 sticks)
• 1/2 C brown sugar

1. Place first group of ingredients in bread machine.
2. Set for dough cycle.
3. Stir together sugar and cinnamon.
4. Place in ziplock bag.
5. Divide finished dough into 20 pieces.
6. Drop into ziplock bag.
7. Shake to coat.
8. Place in bundt pan or deep dish baker.
9. Melt butter and brown sugar together.
10. Pour over dough pieces.
11. Bake at 375* for 25-35 mins or refrigerate and bake in the morning.
12. Allow to cool for 15 mins. before inverting onto plate.

Crustless Quiche

2009-11-28T23:53:00.002+02:00

Even though I can now make pie crusts, I still like this simple way to throw together a quiche without worrying about a crust.

from Karen M

• 1 C veggies
o sliced mushrooms
o spinach, torn or chopped
o green onions, chopped
o okra, sliced
o carrot, grated
o cauliflower, chopped
o zucchini, sliced
o tomato, chopped

• 1 C protein
o hot dogs, sliced
o tuna, flaked
o sardines, flaked after removing spine and scales
o chicken, shredded
o ground beef or turkey, browned

• 1 C cheese
o mozzarella
o Monterey jack
o cheddar
o Parmesan

• 4-5 eggs
• 2 C light cream or milk
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/3 C flour
• 1 T oil

1. Layer veggies and protein in greased pie plate.
2. Top with cheese.
3. Beat eggs with remaining ingredients.
4. Pour over ingredients in pie plate.
5. Bake at 375* F for 40-45 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Oil Pie Crust

2009-11-28T23:47:00.000+02:00

I have a deep, dark secret: I have not ever successfully made a rolled pie crust. There, I said it. I feel better.

A while back, a friend and I made a deal: I make the cheesecakes, she makes the pies. She moved. I'm up a creek.

Oh, and often my mom comes for Thanksgiving and makes the pies. She doesn't really enjoy making pies, though (she's adopted Mrs. Smith as a member of the family, so she can claim "old family recipe").

At one point, I got desperate and tried the oil pie crust recipe in Better Homes & Gardens. It flopped.

This year, though, I got desperater (yeah, I know). I looked at the BH&G recipe again. And I went to my source of all sources (well, for recipes: allrecipes.com), as well. As I am wont to do, I took a little from each, and I love the result.

Woo hoo! I can make pies! :-P

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1T sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 T milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place all ingredients in 9 inch pie pan.
a. Or place in medium bowl.
3. Stir together with fork.
4. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan.
5. Poke holes in bottom and side of crust.
6. If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown.
7. Use as directed in favorite pie recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Pie-Crust/Detail.aspx

Banana Bread (GFCF, eggless, soaked, bread machine)

2009-10-30T10:07:00.002+02:00

My friend's banana bread recipe adapted for whole wheat, soaked grains and GFCF & eggless. Pretty sure that counts as a new recipe. :-P

The fun part is that I ground 90% of the flours in my coffee grinder. I've been wanting a grain grinder "someday" for a long time but had contented myself to the white wheat flour that we can get here for the time being, since I don't have access (that I know of) to wheat berries, anyway.

Many GFCF flours, though, are made from things I actually do have access to, like brown rice, chick peas and coconut. I started thinking more seriously about getting a grinder when I realized that. Then, I started wondering whether my extra coffee grinder that I use for things like flax seed and powdering sugar would work to grind those things. I reasoned that they really weren't that much "harder" than coffee beans.

Sure enough, I was able to grind an entire bag of brown rice, plenty of coconut and some chickpeas. The chick peas are the most difficult of the bunch. They make a *ton* of noise bouncing around in the grinder before they start breaking down. I was concerned that they would break the plastic in the process (I've something similar happen with ice in a glass blender), and, sure enough, there's a tiny crack that I think may have been made by the chick peas. So, this is probably not a long-term solution, since the grains were not exactly as fine as I'd like them to be, and my coffee grinder might not hold up, but it's really nice to be able to save some money and have GFCF flours available more readily in the meantime.

I've got my eye on a Vita-Mix as my "someday" grinder/blender. We'll see when that someday comes.

• 1/2 C brown rice flour
• 1/2 C tapioca flour/powder/starch
• 1/2 C coconut flour (ground coconut)
• 1/2 C chickpea flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 2 T flax seed, ground + 6T water, whisked
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
o or 3 small bananas, peeled and halved

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine.
2. Select the Dough setting, and press Start.
3. Mix the bread for 3 to 5 minutes until the bananas are mashed and all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. If necessary, use a spatula to push the dough from the sides of pan and scrape bottom of pan to ensure all flour is incorporated..
5. When 3 to 5 minutes have passed on the clock display, press Stop, turn off or unplug machine.
6. Smooth out the top of the loaf with the rubber spatula.
7. Select the Bake setting, set timer for an additional 7 hours and press Start. (The Bake cycle time may vary with machines, but should be about 50 minutes.)
8. To test the bread for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center top. If the bread is done, the toothpick will come out clean. If not, reset the machine on Bake and continue to bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Remove the pan from the machine, but allow the bread to remain in the pan for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

Soaked Whole Wheat Pancakes

2009-10-30T09:59:00.004+02:00

When I originally posted my version of NoSpendMonth's pancake recipe (back in January), I promised that I'd play around with soaking the grains and replacing some of the fat with applesauce. So it took me a while. :-P

Here it is, though. We had these this morning for breakfast, and they were really good. Lighter than usual and more of a buttermilk taste, which I liked (not sour, just rich). I've got a stock of applesauce in the freezer, which made that modification simple (need to post my applesauce "recipe" soon; it's more of a "process" than a "recipe," but it's so simple that I want to share it).

• 4 C wheat flour
• 1 C oats
• 5 C milk
• 5 T vinegar
• 1 C butter, melted (2 sticks)
o or 1/2 C butter, melted + 1/2 C applesauce

• 3 T baking powder
• 3 t salt
• 3 eggs

DIRECTIONS
1. The night/7-10 hours before the meal, in a medium bowl, whisk together milk and vinegar. Leave to sit for 5 min.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together flour and oats.
3. Mix butter (and applesauce, if using) into milk mixture.
4. Stir milk mixture into dry mixture.
5. Cover and leave out 7-10 hours.
6. Stir baking powder and salt into flour mixture.
7. Whisk eggs in separate bowl and stir into flour mixture.
8. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat (if non-stick, oil is not necessary).
9. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
10. Brown on both sides and serve hot

Banana Bread (bread machine)

2009-10-29T15:03:00.005+02:00

I know part of the point of using the bread machine is to let it do the kneading for you, but you have to admit, having a quick bread mix and bake in the same (highly non-stick) pan, leaving no mixing bowls to wash, is certainly a plus. A friend sent me this recipe when I first got my machine, and we've really enjoyed having it. I adapted it to whole wheat flour and to soaking the grains.

• 2 C flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 2 T flax seed, ground + 6T water, whisked
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
o or 3 small bananas, peeled and halved

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine.
2. Select the Dough setting, and press Start.
3. Mix the bread for 3 to 5 minutes until the bananas are mashed and all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. If necessary, use a spatula to push the dough from the sides of pan and scrape bottom of pan to ensure all flour is incorporated..
5. When 3 to 5 minutes have passed on the clock display, press Stop, turn off or unplug machine.
6. Smooth out the top of the loaf with the rubber spatula.
7. Select the Bake setting, set timer for an additional 7 hours and press Start. (The Bake cycle time may vary with machines, but should be about 50 minutes.)
8. To test the bread for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center top. If the bread is done, the toothpick will come out clean. If not, reset the machine on Bake and continue to bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Remove the pan from the machine, but allow the bread to remain in the pan for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

Lisa's 3-Bean Salad

2009-10-27T13:59:00.002+02:00

The ex-pats in our town have a tradition of providing meals for several days when a family returns from the US. It is such a blessing as you're re-stocking your fridge and pantry to not have to scramble to feed your family, as well. Having lived life together with several of these families for 5+ years, we've developed "favorites." Dishes of each other's that we like the best. One of mine is a friend's 3-Bean Salad. Makes me want to fly out just so I can return to some of her cooking (seriously, I get the recipe for everything she makes for us).

• 1 can chick peas (drained)
• 1 can green beans (drained)
• 1 can kidney beans (drained)
• onion, minced (optional)
• green pepper, minced (optional)
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 oil (not olive oil)
• 2 TBL sugar
• dash oregano
• dash salt
• dash pepper

1. Mix all ingredients
2. Refrigerate overnight

English Muffin Bread

2009-10-24T23:55:00.004+03:00

For our first anniversary, ML gave me a bread machine. Wait, before you groan, it was probably the best gift he could have chosen. I loved it. It think it may have actually given rise to the use of the phrase "completely domesticated." If not, the phrase was certainly used.

I used that machine several times a week. Until we moved overseas.

Bread machines have heating elements (kinda part and parcel with the concept). Heating elements require a lot of wattage. Wattage that would have to be converted from 110 to 220, were I to take my beloved bread machine overseas. Bread machines also rely on timers. Timers don't play well with converters.

So, the bread machine went to live with my mother. My mother bemoaned the counter space it would take up, but accepted it reluctantly. My mother has used the bread machine even more than I did. Go figure.

Ten years I have wanted a 220 bread machine. Ten years we have lived in locations where 220 bread machines were either unavailable or ridiculously expensive. Until now.

I received an e-mail from a friend here while we were in the States saying that she'd spotted a 220 bread machine for a reasonable price. We then had an offer of money for the purchase of a bread machine after we received ZL's diagnosis. Sweet (new) friends who wanted to make our lives less difficult with all of the added stress.

Three months later, we purchased a bread machine. It took a little while, because we didn't want a non-discounted floor model (grungy and tinkered with), but we finally found a bread machine. And I am lovin' life. This thing even has a specific gluten-free cycle with which I have baked two loaves now of bread that ZL actually likes!

To come: several great bread machine recipes.

For now: one of the first things I did when I got moving with the bread machine was e-mail my mom for my favorite recipe from the recipe booklet that came with my original bread machine, English Muffin Bread. Seriously, the inside of this is just like the inside of an English Muffin. Really yummy stuff. Incredible as a sandwich bread for PB&J or PB & honey, because the jelly/honey soaks into the bread. Had to share.

• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 3 1/2 C flour
• 1/4 C powdered milk
• 2 t yeast

1. Place the ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed.
2. Set machine for regular cycle, 2 lb. loaf, light crust.

Enjoy!

Chloe's Virus-Killing Chicken Soup

2009-10-20T17:30:00.004+03:00

Yeah, it started here. And it was posted here. And again here. And those are just the ones I know about. But this is my version. :-P

Seriously, this soup is amazing. It tastes incredible, and the anti-biotic and anti-bacterial properties of the garlic, the nasal-clearing properties of the peppers, and the general immune-boosting properties of the vitamins from the veggies can't help but improve/maintain your health.

I was re-formatting it into my standard recipe format, which makes it easier for me to read, anyway, so I thought I'd share it here.

We're trying to avoid another round of the stomach virus that's been circulating and avoid getting the flu at all, so we're having this for dinner tonight.

• one whole chicken
• water to cover + 4 bullion cubes or 4 t bullion powder
o or 2 boxes/cans chicken stock + water to cover
• 15-30 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (1 1/2-2 bulbs)
• 1 T salt
• 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
o or 1 1/2 t dried thyme
• fresh rosemary
o or oregano sprigs
• cayenne pepper, about 1 tsp.
o or 1/2 t cayenne + 1/2 t curry powder + 1/2-1 t crushed red peppers
• ground black pepper

• 1 large onion (coarsely chopped or sliced)
• 1 fennel bulb (sliced thin)
o or 1 t dried ground fennel
• 1 leek (sliced thin)
• 4-6 stalks of celery (coarse chopped)
• 1-3 large red and/or yellow bell peppers (coarse chopped)
• 1/2 lb. carrots (coarse chopped)
o or 1-2 lbs. carrots, if missing several of the above veggies
• any other stout veggies preferred by your family
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 C white wine, optional
• salt and pepper

• Frozen green beans
• Frozen peas
• zucchini
• flat leaf parsley (chopped)
• 1-2 cans chopped tomatoes with juice
• any other quick-cooking veggies preferred by your family
• salt and pepper to taste

• leafy green veggies

1. Place chicken, garlic, salt, thyme, rosemary, and peppers in a soup pot.
2. Cover with water/bullion or chicken broth.
3. Simmer on stove top until chicken starts to fall apart (1-2 hours, depending on attitude of bird and altitude of home).
4. Remove from heat.
5. Remove chicken and set aside to cool.
6. Using slotted spoon or strainer, remove larger herb pieces (i.e. stems).
7. Place oil in bottom of large pot and heat.
8. Add first group of veggies and sauté until onion is just transparent.
9. Add wine and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
10. Cover the vegetables with chicken broth from chicken--add more broth from can or box if you don't have enough broth from chicken.
11. Or skip steps 7-10 and just add the sliced veggies to the broth.
12. Simmer veggies until beginning to become tender.
13. Meanwhile, de-bone chicken.
14. Add quick-cooking veggies (2nd group) and de-boned chicken meat and continue to simmer until veggies are tender.
15. Add any greens, such as spinach, simmering a minute or two to wilt.
16. Serve or cool and freeze.

Serving options:
• Tortilla Soup: top with monterey jack or mozzarella cheese, slices of avocado and tortilla or tortilla chip pieces.
• Chicken Noodle Soup: Add egg noodles and simmer until cooked.
• Freezer Soup: Freeze, either in meal- or individual-sized portions to be served to sick members of the household as needed.
o For example, freeze in a standard-sized mug, remove from mug and store in freezer ziplock bag. Thaw and heat in original mug.

Benefits:
• Garlic: anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties
• Peppers: opens sinuses
• Veggies: vitamins and minerals
o i.e. carrots are packed with Vitamin A and bell peppers with Vitamin C

Saha!

Stretching a Boxed Muffin Mix

2009-10-17T22:45:00.004+03:00

The only possible application I can think of for this particular recipe is living overseas and only having access to blueberries in a boxed blueberry muffin mix (or lemon poppyseed, for that matter). If you were in the States and willing to mix up a batch of muffins, you'd just buy your own blueberries. If you wanted the convenience of a boxed muffin mix, you'd just make the mix.

So, for all my friends who live overseas...

Stretching a Boxed Muffin Mix

• 2 C flour
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 C milk
• 1/4 C vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 T lemon juice, optional

• ingredients called for by the muffin mix

• 1 boxed muffin mix

1. Combine 1st group of ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add the powdered mix from the box to the large bowl and stir.
3. Combine 2nd group of ingredients in a medium bowl.
4. Add the ingredients called for by the muffin mix to the medium bowl and mix.
5. Add the mixture from the medium bowl to the large bowl and stir.
6. Stir in any “mix-ins” included in the boxed mix (i.e. blueberries).
7. Pour into muffin tins and bake according to box directions.

• This will increase the number of muffins by 12.

*I use local "whole wheat," which is basically a white wheat flour, so it has the added benefit of increasing the healthfulness of the muffins, too.

White Chocolate Macchiato Cheesecake

2009-08-24T23:02:00.003+03:00

We hosted a guys' get-together tonight to celebrate ML's birthday, which was yesterday. My original plan was to just make our traditional Washington Cheesecake and maybe pop some kettle corn. Then, I saw this recipe (linked on a SL thread, of course), and the rest was history. I was now out to make a White Chocolate Macchiato Cheesecake (white chocolate, because I didn't have caramel sauce, and I didn't have dark baking chocolate). We're not that fond no-bake cheesecakes, and I didn't have plain gelatin, anyway, so I just modified our standard cheesecake recipe to incorporate the coffee and the white chocolate and, of course, the Oreo, excuse me "chocolate sandwich cookie," crust. I was a little concerned, because the liquid I was replacing from the original recipe (the milk and the vanilla) was a good deal less than the amount of coffee I was substituting. No need to be concerned. The result was delicious. So, without further ado, I will share.

White Chocolate Macchiato Cheesecake

• 18 chocolate sandwich cookies (aka Oreos)
• 4 T butter (1 stick), melted

• 1/4 C white chocolate chips (or chopped baking white chocolate)
• 1/4 C instant coffee granules
• 1/2 C boiling water

• 3 8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
o or 41 Laughing Cow cheese triangles
o or 33 Kiri cheese squares
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 T flour

• 3 eggs

• 1/4 C white chocolate chips (or chopped baking white chocolate), melted

1. Pulse cookies in food processor until finely ground.
2. Add butter; process to blend.
3. Press over bottom of 8in. spring-form pan.
4. Bake 10 mins at 325*.
5. Place in freezer until needed.

6. Meanwhile, stir boiling water into coffee granules and white chocolate chips in small bowl or glass measuring cup.
7. Let sit 1 minute & stir again.

8. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and flour at medium speed until well blended.
9. Add eggs, one at a time, until blended.
10. Blend in coffee mixture.

11. Pour over crust.
12. Bake at 350* for 30-40 mins. or until cake is set except for a 1-2 in. circle in middle.
13. Loosen cake from edge of pan (with table knife) and allow to cool.

14. Drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Oh, and we skipped the kettle corn. I don't think anyone could have tolerated more sweetness. Besides, I was busy putting the kids down.

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins (GFCF, eggless)

2009-08-15T10:53:00.003+03:00

***Edited to reflect some recent changes I've made.

Yes, it's been quite a while. I had a very low-energy first trimester, a trip to the States, a life-impacting diagnosis for my 3yo, a new house, and a baby. I've been a little busy.

When life hands you a PDD-NOS diagnosis, you go gluten-free, casein-free, so without further ado, my first GFCF recipe posting, which you may recognize as closely related to the dried fruit muffin recipe I posted previously. It's my first from-scratch adaptation, and it actually turned out! Hopefully, there will be more to come...

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins (GFCF, eggless)

- 3/4 C brown rice flour
- 3/4 C tapioca flour/starch/powder
- 1/2 C coconut flour (ground coconut)
- 3/4 C sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 C rice/coconut milk, apple juice or coconut milk yogurt
- 1/4 C oil
- 1 T (heaping) flax seed
o grind & add 3 T water
o whisk together
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- (3/4 C) 100 g raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray muffin tin cups well with a non stick cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. In a small mixing bowl whisk ground flax seed with water and then add and stir together the milk/juice, oil, and vanilla extract.
5. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until mixed.
6. Stir in the raisins.
7. Scoop batter (making sure to include raisins from the bottom of the bowl) into the muffin cups filling each 3/4 full.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Nut Butters

2009-03-05T17:49:00.004+02:00

I hate to call this a "recipe," because it's incredibly simple, so we'll say these are "instructions."

I didn't want to not share it, though, because I sure wish I'd known a long time ago how simple it was to make. So far, I've made almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter and sun-nut butter (sunflower seed butter). The sun-nut butter didn't turn out well, but I think that's either due to the fact that the sunflower seeds were old or that I tried to add honey. I've learned that honey messes with the texture. It make my peanut butter funky once, too. I'm planning to try sun-nut butter again when we get to the US, and I have access to less expensive bulk seeds (without shells; sorry, just not doing the shell route).

• 4 C nuts/seeds
• 1-4 T oil*

*I’ve used sunflower and olive successfully. I now use olive (fresh, local EVOO, not to brag, though). I’d like to try coconut, too.

1. Put nuts in food processor. (Can use blender with a strong motor.)
2. Process until the blade has pushed all of the “nut flour” to the edges/it sounds like it needs help (i.e. the motor is struggling).
3. Add oil 1/2 T at a time until processing well.
4. Continue processing until creamy (several minutes). This will not be as creamy as industrial peanut butter, but will get like the "natural" kind you can buy.
5. Store in fridge, and it will not separate, so it doesn’t have to be stirred.
6. Have house help clean food processor. (Oh, wait, I just gave away one of the secrets as to why I think it's so easy. :-P) Food processor supposedly also gets clean well in these “dishwasher” things I’ve heard rumors of.

Peanut Butter Granola

2009-03-05T16:40:00.004+02:00

After my success with the baked Honey Granola recipe that I'd remembered, I decided I wanted to try Pioneer Woman's Peanut Butter Granola version. I had finally remembered to ask for peanuts to make peanut butter (mental note: post recipe/instructions), so I was set to go. We definitely enjoyed it and will be making it again soon.

The only bummer was that I only had 1 can of oats, so I had to make a 1/2 batch. In case you haven't picked up on this by now, I hate baking/cooking breakfast that yields only one breakfast-worth. Oh well, at least it tasted good. And I snuck the measly leftovers for myself. :-)

• 1 stick butter (1/2 C)
• 2/3 C natural peanut butter
• 2/3 C honey
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t salt
• 6 C rolled oats (10 C quick-cooking)
• 1 C raisins (optional)

1. Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a medium saucepan/pot.
2. Add the honey, vanilla and salt.
3. Stir the mixture until smooth and hot throughout. (It doesn’t need to boil.)
4. Add the oats.
5. Stir until the oats are completely coated with peanut butter mixture.
6. Turn the mixture into an ungreased cookie sheet, or a large 9 by 13-inch pan.
7. Spread the granola out evenly and bake it at 375° for 10-12 minutes. It will be brown and crispy.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.
9. Break into pieces after cooled.
10. Add raisins, if using, when granola is cool.

For the 1/2 batch, I used my Pampered Chef deep dish baker. I could have packed it in more and used it and the mini deep dish baker for a whole batch.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

2009-03-05T16:01:00.003+02:00

I had ML get koosa* the other day, because I wanted to make a different kind of muffin. We've been rotating between making orange apricot muffins and cinnamon raisin ones from Michelle's recipe, and it was time for a change.

I remembered a Chocolate Zucchini recipe I'd gotten off of AllRecipes at some point, so I pulled that one up. Doubled it. Tweaked it a bit (would you believe the sugar below is halved? =-o). And it's a new staple. I love the fact that I can shred 1 kilo of koosa, use 1/2 of it, and freeze the other half for a batch later on (which I baked this morning).

This recipe makes enough batter for 24 large-sized muffins (i.e. with the cups full, rather than 2/3; you know, the way they tell you not to do when you're learning about portion control? what can I say? we like muffin tops...on muffins :-/) and 24 mini muffins. I feed my family breakfast and have enough to put up two bags for later breakfasts (or send to neighbors, as I did this morning), plus the mini muffins for hosting a social visit. This last option is wonderful. I love having something already baked to pull out of the freezer when I'm busy preparing the house. The other part (having family breakfasts made ahead) isn't too shabby, either.

*What? You don't know all of the vegetables in Arabic? Fine. I'll tell you. Koosa is squash. Or zucchini. Well, more like sqacchini. It's somewhere in between the two. I use it for squash in recipes that call for squash and zucchini in recipes that call for that. It's less moist than US squash, and more moist than American zucchini. Consider yourself educamacated for the day.

Makes 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups grated zucchini (1 lb. or 1/2 k)

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In an extra-large bowl beat the eggs.
• Beat in the sugar and oil.
• Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Mix into dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just moist.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin tins.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes (10-13 minutes for mini muffins).

Today, I made this with olive oil, because, well, we didn't have any vegetable oil, and I'm trying to limp along without it, so I don't leave any to go bad while we're in the US. They turned out fine. I could taste the olive oil in the batter (when I was "cleaning" the bowl) but not in the finished product.

Stay tuned for the Applesauce Muffins I'm making soon. That should get us through breakfasts until we leave for the States. :-)

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2009-02-11T20:36:00.003+02:00

This recipe was requested after I listed "My mom's cream cheese pound cake fresh from the oven" as one of my favorite smells. It is actually my grandmother's recipe and inspire the cute-little-boy quote, "Mrs. Mattingly, could you make this where it is all the outside?" (the "crust" is really yummy; of course, the inside is, too). I went on to intersect with that "little boy" at several different points in my life, and he actually did the interior decorating for both our home church and many James Avery locations.

I haven't made it in a really long time, so I don't have any tips. My mom makes it often to take to get-togethers and to give to families with a meal.

• 3 sticks butter
• 1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese (or 7 Laughing Cow triangles)
• 3 C sugar
• 6 lg. Eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• dash of salt
• 3 C flour

1. All ingredients must be at room temperature.
2. Cream butter and cream cheese.
3. Add sugar gradually.
4. Add eggs one at a time and beat.
5. Add vanilla and salt.
6. Add flour gradually.
7. Bake in greased and floured tube pan.
8. Bake at 300* (starting with a cold oven) for 2 hours.

Overnight Coffee Cake

2009-02-03T11:48:00.003+02:00

A friend texted me yesterday at about 5:00 asking if I wanted to do a cake to have at the gathering at my house this morning for our friend who's birthday was today or whether I wanted her to do one. A) The texting friend generally makes the cakes in our ex-pat group, and, although I know she likes blessing people this way, I wanted to take that task from her this time. B) I wanted to bless the friend who's birthday it was (we'd had a celebration for her this past weekend, but you gotta have something on your birthday, right?). So, I said I'd make a coffee cake.

At about 10:00 last night when I was completely wiped out from my day and the kids still weren't asleep, I seriously questioned my decision. A little late to call or text and say, "Actually, I'd rather you make something." :-l Plus, I still wanted to be a blessing to everyone.

I'd already made the decision that I wanted to serve something make-ahead. Me and baked breakfast on a timetable don't mix. That's why it's so important to me to have baked goods in the freezer from mornings when I do have time to make them. Otherwise, we'd be eating cereal every morning (never mind that we did this morning, anyway).

So, I went to the Breakfast>>Make Ahead/Overnight file on my computer (geeky, I know, but it works for me), and opened two recipes: Overnight Coffee Cake and Baked Oatmeal. I'd served baked oatmeal at a gathering at my house not too long ago, plus, I didn't have any raisins (although I'd like to try it with chocolate chips, so I will be making it soon, anyway), so I decided on the Overnight Coffee Cake.

Problem: it calls for shortening, and A) I'm trying to cut hydrogenated fats out of our diet and B) the shortening I have is bad, anyway (don't know why I haven't just thrown it away). A quick google tells me I can substitute butter, so we're back on track.

The original recipe just has the ingredients listed in a random order and says "mix them together." I can't do that! That's not proper baking etiquette! So I "fixed" the recipe and made it as listed below (I'd done that when I'd made it previously, but I hadn't noted it in the recipe).

Fortunately, it went together more quickly, probably, than it's taken to write about it (or even read about it), and I covered it with foil and stuck it in the refrigerator. Took it out about 7:00 this morning and put it in the oven about 7:45. Other than my funky oven baking it lopsided due to a variance in temperature, it came out perfectly, everyone was blessed, and I even have enough left over to send downstairs to a neighbor who's dishes I need to return.

So...I guess it was worth it after all. :-P

• 1 C butter
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 C buttermilk (or 1 C milk+1/2 t lemon juice or vinegar)

• 2 C flour
• 1/2 C oats
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda

• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon

1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Add eggs and mix.
3. Add milk and mix
4. Stir together dry ingredients.
5. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix until combined.
6. Spread into greased 9 x 13 pan.
7. Stir together additional brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top of batter.
8. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
9. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

This is, of course, from a SL thread way back when. Like, way back before I started copying the usernames to go with recipes so I could credit them. I did a search, and I can't find it, so it must have been from before they switched to the new system, and I never can remember how to search the archives, so my apologies to the original poster. If you happen to see this and want to claim it, please do. :-)

Chunky Potato Soup

2009-01-15T18:30:00.003+02:00

Okay, finally the review of BETHANY's CHUNKY POTATO SOUP that I promised a few days ago.

Well, when she says "my crockpot cooks fast," you shouldn't necessarily assume that your crockpot is going to cook fast, therefore, not making it the best meal to plan for dinner when you've slept in late due to your 3yo having a really rough night and are fixing this to go into the crockpot at the same time as you're fixing "breakfast" that actually should count as lunch, given the time you're serving it.

It does, however, taste great the next day.

The potatoes, while cooked, were not at the "mushy" consistency typical of chowders (this would make a great option for kids with texture issues). This was perfect for serving to ZL without the liquid, because it was basically finger food (who am I kidding? what is *not* finger food with this kid?). However, next time, I might give it a couple of jabs with a stick blender to for a more chowder-esque taste/texture, because I like those kind of soups.

Oh, and if you forget how small the cans of condensed milk are in your country and only ask your husband to pick up two, thinking that will be enough, only it isn't, you can always use the tried-and-true powdered milk-with-half-the-water for the condensed milk (which is what I always do, but I was going for convenience this time; oh well). Heck, if you're going to use a stick blender, skip the water, and just put some powdered milk in (maybe 1/3-1/2 C?). That's what I usually do in my cream soups, anyway.

6 c. cubed, peeled potatoes
5 c. water
2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. thinly sliced carrots
1/4 c. butter
4 t. chicken bouillon
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
12 oz. can evaporated milk (2 1/2 160 ml cans)
3 T. chopped parsley
snipped chives (optional)

In a large crockpot, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on high 7-8 hours or until the veggies are tender. Add milk and parsley; mix well. Cover and cook 30-60 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with chives, if desired.

BETHANY's Notes: My crockpot cooks fast, so we eat this 5 hours after it starts cooking. We only let it sit about 5 minutes after putting the milk and parsley in as it really doesn't take long for the milk to heat up.

Final notes:

We rarely have celery here and didn't this time, so I just put in more carrots.

If you do not have parsley, don't use rosemary. Use something savory. The soup was still good, but I would have preferred it with a different spice.

Good Old-Fashioned Pancakes

2009-01-10T14:15:00.003+02:00

I tried a new pancake recipe today. It was raved about in a thread on SL, either one about hot breakfasts or one about not spending and making things from scratch. I can't remember. Both have been popular lately, given the economy (hot breakfasts being more economical than cold cereal, not to mention more filling :-).

Either way, the recipe is from Michelle over at No Spend Month. Yep, the same one I got the Blueberry Muffin recipe from. Stay tuned for her pizza dough recipe. :-P

We liked the pancakes. I'd like to get on the ball enough to soak the grains the night before, use applesauce for 1/2 of the fat, etc. That will come. And if I wasn't trying to make BETHANY's Chunky Potato Soup at the same time, we'd have liked them even better. I kind of let most of the pancakes get too dark. Oops. (I'll post the soup recipe after we have it tonight.)

Of course, I couldn't leave the pancake recipe alone (in case I haven't mentioned, I rarely do), as rave as the reviews may have been. Mainly I just tripled it. But I also added oats, just for a more multi-grain effect.

INGREDIENTS
• 4 C flour
• 1 C oats
• 3 T baking powder
• 3 t salt
• 3 T sugar
• 4 C milk + 2 t vinegar
• 3 eggs
• 1 C butter, melted (2 sticks)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. Whisk milk, egg & melted butter in separate bowl.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the liquid mixture; mix until smooth.
4. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat (if non-stick, oil is not necessary).
5. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
6. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

The Chicken and Dumplings that weren't (CP)

2009-01-09T15:48:00.003+02:00

So, I followed the Crockpot Lady's recipe to make Chicken and Dumplings...and I got Chicken Pot Pie. Don't know what chicken and dumplings were like in her family growing up, but they were not like this in mine.

Nothing wrong with the taste of the recipe at all. It was actually delicious. It was just Chicken Pot Pie, rather than Chicken and Dumplings. So, we will repeat it, just calling it the right thing. :-P

I'm still searching for a good chicken and dumplings recipe, but a friend e-mailed me one today, so I'm going to try that. It's not crockpot, but I'm hoping to adapt it.

For a great crockpot Chicken Pot Pie recipe, though...

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 C mushrooms, chopped
• 16 ounces frozen vegetables

• 2 cans cream-of-something soup, or combine in a saucepan:
• 4 T butter
• 6 T flour
• 1 C milk
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 t poultry seasoning

• 1 can refrigerated biscuits, or one batch drop biscuits.

1. Put the chicken and vegetables into the bottom of the crockpot (anything 4 quarts and up will work).
2. Add the cream-of soups, or your homemade substitute.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5.
4. An hour before serving, shred chicken with two large forks, and drop in the biscuit dough.
5. Cover and cook on high for another hour.
6. The biscuits are done when you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. They will be spongy and will brown a bit on the sides and top.
7. Serve in bowls, with a biscuit or two per person.

Honey Granola

2009-01-09T15:11:00.002+02:00

I've been meaning to make crockpot granola for, oh, a couple of weeks now. I was either using my crockpot for something else, had used the oats to make oatmeal, or just plain forgot to put it all in the night before (or didn't feel like it).

As I was falling asleep last night wondering what we were going to have for breakfast this morning, since we were out of flour, and I'd forgotten to ask ML to get any, and I didn't want to dig into the breakfast stash in the freezer on a morning where I had the time to actually make something, I remembered that my crockpot granola recipe was based on an oven-baked recipe that I actually preferred. Duh.

So, for breakfast this morning, we had granola. And there are leftovers for a quick breakfast another day. Hurray!

Oh, and today I added coconut and sunflower seeds as the add-ins. Meant to put in raisins after it baked, but I forgot. I'll probably put them in the rest when I store it.

• 6 C dry oatmeal (or 10 C quick-cooking oats)
• 1 C butter (2 sticks)
• 1 C honey
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C each nuts and dried fruit (optional)

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the honey, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. (Honey is easiest to measure in a well-oiled measuring cup, or just use a mini spatula to scrape out the measuring cup afterwards.)
3. Heat briefly with and then add the oatmeal. Stir.
4. Turn the mixture onto an ungreased cookie sheet, the kind with shallow sides; a large 9 by 13-inch pan works well, too.
5. Spread the granola out evenly and bake it at 320° for 20-25 minutes. It should be a toasty brown.
6. Now remove it from the oven and allow it to cool and crisp up right there in the pan.
7. Store it in a clean coffee can or sealed canister.
8. Add the nuts and dried fruit, if you are using them, when the granola is cool.

I use two stoneware dishes that I have, one deep dish baker and one miniature deep dish baker. A 9x12 stoneware or stoneware bar pan would probably be best.

I have found that the granola bakes best in stoneware, second best in metal and burns easily in Pyrex.

I don’t stir the granola while it is baking, and I actually pack it down into whatever I’m cooking it in. I find that it stays in “clumps” better that way, and that is how I like my granola.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2009-01-09T14:04:00.002+02:00

Sunday nights after church (and often committee meetings) growing up when we lived in Dallas=canned soup (quick and easy, since we had school the next day and needed to get to bed), usually Campbell's Tomato Soup made with milk so that it was cream of tomato soup, served with cheese toast. Aaah, comfort food.

Living overseas, I missed cream of tomato soup. I attempted an approximation with fresh tomatoes. Just didn't cut it. Not to mention how much of a pain it is to do the whole dip 'em in boiling water, then ice water thing to get the skins off.

When we moved to our current location, I was thrilled to find Campbell's in some of the import groceries in the capital. They weren't cheap, so they were an occasional treat.

Then, someone posted the following recipe on the SL boards*, and dinner was saved! Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but we sure have enjoyed it.

And the other night, I even added some leftover rice I'd made with up with a bag of frozen vegetables (originally served with fish; we ate all the fish). Even yummier and added bulk to the meal (although not all of the kids appreciated the adaptation; we'll probably alternate with and without rice; at least I got the little leftover serving).

And, of course, we had cheese toast with our soup. So it was mozzarella cheese on sub bread, rather than cheddar on whole wheat loaf bread, but still...

• 4T butter
• 4T flour
• 2 c. milk
• 1 qt. tomato juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. Italian seasonings

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper.
3. Cook and stir for a min. or two.
4. Whisk in milk.
5. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.
6. Whisk in tomato juice and Italian seasonings.

*And I've searched and searched and even posted the recipe for someone to claim, but no one has, so I can't even credit them.

A scarf and a shawl (or a sharf gone wrong)

2009-01-09T13:30:00.003+02:00

When my mom came for a visit in October, she brought yarn and knitting needles for me to teach her how to knit. She'd learned to crochet somewhere along the way but never to knit.

Two slight problems with this plan: 1) She got sick. :-( She was able to hang with the kids and do a few fun things with us, but we didn't have nearly as much down time/visiting time as we normally do. And knitting was the least part of that that we missed. 2) She brought this really fun fuzzy yarn in two different colors. Those who know fun fuzzy yarn and have ever learned to knit know that it's not at all good for learning on. No big deal, because I had plenty of other yarn for her to learn with, but there was no way she was starting, much less completing, those projects (she wanted scarfs) while she was here.

So, I took up the projects for her.

I worked the blue yarn first (I'd link you to the type, but I kind of didn't pay attention to that, so I don't remember), intending to make her a sharf. This is a concept I'd stumbled on accidentally when I was first knitting what was supposed to be a scarf for a friend. It ended up too wide, but made the perfect convertible scarf/shawl. So I repeated that concept several times, including one which I gave my mom while she was here. And I thought I'd repeat it again with this yarn.

I still have a bit of a problem gauging how wide something's going to be, though, by my row of casting on, so it, too, ended up too wide. So I made a shawl. But I ran out of yarn, so I used some leftover from my nephew's blanket to finish out the ends.

I can't decide whether it's stylish-funky or just funky.

I was able to send packages back with a friend's parents to be mailed, and my mom got these yesterday (this was the last of the projects I'd been waiting to post until the items had been received). I assured her that, if she wants, we can buy more of the original yarn and I'll remove the ends and just knit more of the fun, fuzzy yarn. I haven't heard back yet as to her response to my offer. :-P

So, with the brown yarn she bought, I decided to play it safer. Just a scarf, thank you.

Well, I did play with some patterns, but once I discovered that the yarn was too fuzzy for the patterns to show up, I took that part out and just knit. And it still turned out fun and fuzzy. With fringe, too!

Mocah Fudge Sauce

2009-01-06T15:26:00.001+02:00

What to do with a failed mocha fudge recipe? Serve it over ice cream and make sure you have it written down to enjoy over and over and over again in the future.

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 5 T instant coffee dissolved in 2 T warm water
• 1 t vanilla

1. Heat sweetened condensed milk and chocolate over medium heat (or in the microwave) until chocolate is melted.
2. Stir in coffee mixture and vanilla.
3. Serve warm over ice cream, brownies, or just eat with a spoon.

Mom's Fudge

2009-01-06T15:12:00.003+02:00

And by "Mom's Fudge," I mean the fudge that Mom's always made. Yes I'm aware that the recipe's straight off of the jar of marshmallow creme (or "marshmallow fluff," as I was reminded it's branded when I google'd it).

However, my mother shares my philosophy of cooking/baking. In case you haven't figure it out by now via my recipes it's "make good-tasting things that don't take too, too much time/preparation." If it's worth an extra step, I'll do it. If I can find an alternative that's just as yummy, you can bet I'm going to make that instead (i.e. my mother is the one who has adopted Mrs. Smith, so she can claim her pies as an old family recipe*).

So, this is our old family recipe for fudge (and, by the fact that it's been used by three, if not four, generations, I think it actually qualifies, even without adopting Mr. Fluff).

• 3 C sugar
• 3/4 C butter
• 2/3 C evaporated milk (170g/159ml)
• 1 12 oz. pkg chocolate chips
• 1 7 oz . jar marshmallow crème
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 C nuts, optional

1. Combine sugar, butter, and milk in 2 1/1 qt. saucepan.
2. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
3. Continue boiling 5 mins. over med. heat, still stirring.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in chocolate chips until melted.
6. Add marshmallow cream, vanilla and nuts, if desired.
7. Beat until well blended.
8. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
9. Cool at room temperature.

*Just to clarify, my mom's a great cook. I love eating at their house and making her recipes. She just isn't enamored with extra steps that aren't necessary. And I whole-heartedly agree.

Blueberry (or other dried fruit) Muffins

2009-01-06T15:02:00.004+02:00

Michelle over at No Spend Month posted a recipe on her menu thread on SL for Lemon Blueberry Muffins. I had dried blueberries, cranberries, and cherries thanks to a wonderful e-maginary friend who'd mailed me a care package (shout out to MelanieinWA!), so I chose to use Michelle's recipe as the base. We ended up not liking the "lemon" aspect, and I made a couple of other changes. Here's what I ended up with.

Blueberry Muffins

4 C all purpose flour
1 C quick-cooking oats
1 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 C skim milk (from powder is fine)
1/2 C canola oil
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz dried blueberries or cherries or other dried fruit
or 2 2/3 C frozen blueberries, unthawed
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray muffin tin cups well with a non stick cooking spray.

In a small mixing bowl stir together the milk, canola oil, egg white, and vanilla extract.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just moist.
Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into the muffin cups filling each 3/4 full.
Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I'm actually feeling well enough these days to re-stock my freezer with breakfast foods like this, so we can have them on busy/lazy/ill mornings!

PSA: if you're going to get unexpectedly pregnant and there's any possibility you'll have morning sickness/lack of energy, make sure not to do so when your freezer is not stocked (as it normally is) with cooked meat and pre-baked breakfast options. :-/

Edited to Add: I made these this morning as cranberry-orange muffins, and they were yummy. I used the last package of dried fruit a friend had sent me, :-( and I substituted 2 C of orange juice for the milk. Tomorrow, I think I'm going to make cinnamon raisin muffins by using raisins (I know; surprised, aren't you?) and doubling the cinnamon.

NY's baby blanket

2008-12-29T16:36:00.005+02:00

Just finished and sent off to the States to be mailed: a baby blanket for our soon-coming new nephew, ML's youngest sister's third child.

What you can't see in this picture...(sorry, old family joke) is that there is a star in the middle of each square. It's much more obvious in real life.

It is based on the same pattern that I knit from for ML's middle sister's youngest daughter's blanket. I "just" worked out the star pattern to replace the heart one ([u]not[/u] an easy feat, although it sounded simple enough to begin with).

Again, I used Caron Simply Soft yarn. This time, though, I chose 1) Light Country Blue, 2) Country Blue, and 3) Dark Country Blue with the first section being knit with 1 & 2 together, the second 1 & 3, and the third 2 & 3. I was worried that this was going to make the blanket too dark (there was a Soft Blue I could have made the lightest color and dropped the Dark Country Blue), but ML's sister was able to look at the yarns before they were brought to me (when ML's parents visited), and she loved them (I also knew that a darker blanket would look dirty less easily). She even used those colors as a basis for the quilt ML's mom will make, as she does for each grandchild.

The other main difference is that I alternated the knit and the purl each time the pattern repeated across, thus making it squares, not just strips. I wanted it to have a bit of a quilt-block look, and I really like the way it turned out. I will definitely keep this as part of the pattern for future renditions.

His Cunning Hat

2008-12-27T14:52:00.005+02:00

Okay, so only fans of the entirely too short-lived TV series Firefly (which I can recommend to Sci Fi fans, minus a few certain scenes) and, specifically, the wrap-up movie Serenity, will appreciate this, but I made a special hat to put in ML's stocking this year: a Jayne Cobb Cunning Hat.

I was blessed to find a crochet pattern, since I don't have circular knitting needles, and it actually went together quite smoothly. I only had to take out the first inch or two of the body of the hat once when I determined that it was going to be too small, and I had to re-do the earflaps after he tried it on and we discovered that they were too large and actually came over the very edges of his eyes (oops; the perils of making a piece of clothing for someone without the benefit of them being able to try it on).

So, without further ado, ML in his new hat (with added background by the man himself :-):

Oh, and I had to use muted colors, because the yellows available here were too pale and the orange was too pink, but I like the way it turned out.

Washington Cheesecake

2008-12-12T17:23:00.003+02:00

When we got married, ML's mother photocopied most of their family recipes and his sister cut them apart and glued them to recipe cards for me (and made a set for herself and their other sister at the same time). The notation on the card for this recipe said, "ML's favorite." I took the hint and learned how to make the cheesecake before we even left the States.

To me, it is simple. Plus, it's saved me from ever having to bake pies. My ex-pat friend, whom we've been with all our years overseas, and I decided there was no reason for me to learn to make pies, if I would just make cheesecake, and no reason for her to learn to make cheesecake, if she would just make pies. We specialized. :-)

makes about 12 servings
from a seminary friend of ML’s mother

• 1 C graham cracker (or petit beur) crumbs
• 3 T sugar
• 3 T butter, melted
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/3 C finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

• 3 8oz. packages cream cheese
o or 41 “Laughing Cow” cheese triangles
o or 33 “Kiri” cream cheese squares
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 T flour

• 3 eggs

• 2 T milk
• 1 t vanilla

• 1 C mini chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate (optional)

• 1 can pie filling (optional)

1. Combine crumbs, sugar, butter, cinnamon and nuts and press into bottom of spring-form pan. Bake at 325* 10 mins.
2. Increase oven temp to 350*
3. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and flour, mixing at medium speed until well blended.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Blend in milk and vanilla.
6. Stir in chocolate chips/chunks.
7. Pour mixture over crust. Bake at 350* 30-40 minutes or until cake is set except for a 1-2 inch circle in the center.
8. Loosen cake from rim of pan (with table knife). Cool before removing rim completely.
9. Serve topped with pie filling, if desired.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

2008-12-11T14:57:00.002+02:00

Several people mentioned this cake on SL a while back as an option to use canned pumpkin. Since I discovered how easy it is to make my own pumpkin puree', I tucked it away as a good option. It sounded kind of like dump cake, only with pumpkin, instead of pie filling.

Wouldn't you know, though, there were no yellow cake mixes to be found in-country. Cake mixes are available at every little corner grocery here (and every corner has at least one grocery), but all of the sudden, none of them had yellow cake mix. Every other flavor under the sun. But no yellow.

I'd looked at all of the big grocery stores in the capital, even, as I happened to be in them over the course of a couple of months. About a week ago, I stopped at a slightly-larger-than-small grocery store to pick up a lunch option for the kids on my way home from a friends' house. Guess what they had? Yellow cake mix, of course. In our city. In a little grocery store.

And I happened to have a pumpkin that needed baking and pureeing. And friends coming over for a Numb3rs-watching evening. What a perfect combination of circumstances!

The cake was a hit, to understate the reaction. It is delicious, and I will definitely be making it again.

(And don't anyone dare plug this into any kind of nutritional calculator. Or, if you do, I do not want to know. I'll stick my fingers in my ears. I will. It's a dessert. It's a treat. I don't want to know.)

Cake:
• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), melted

Filling:
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (1 3/4 C)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), melted
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar (2 C)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.
3. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
4. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.
5. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together.
6. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well.
7. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. (Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.)
8. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations:
• For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.
• For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
• For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

About those crafts...

2008-12-03T23:20:00.004+02:00

In case anyone's wondering, yes, I remember that this is supposed to be a craft and recipe blog. It's just that all three crafts that I've been working on recently have an element of surprise (or are completely a surprise) for the end user, so I'm waiting until they're given to post pictures.

I'm planning to start a pair of wool soakers for ZL within the next day or two, though (with the hopes of venturing back into the realm of nighttime cloth), so there should be something new to oooh and aaah over soon.

Spinach Casserole

2008-11-26T23:13:00.001+02:00

My mom found this recipe in the Dallas Morning News kids' section when I was in elementary school. I guess it was supposed to help kids like spinach. I didn't have any trouble with that beforehand, but this didn't hurt.

It's one of my favorite dishes. Ever. I've been known to eat some of the leftovers for breakfast.

It was one of the dishes we chose for our "traditional" family Christmas meal when my mom had us pick something, since we always got the turkey-and-fixins meal at a grandmother's (or two). Yum!

• 1 sm onion or 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 pkgs. frozen spinach, 10 oz. each, thawed
• 8 oz. cream cheese
o or 7 Laughing Cow cheese triangles
• 1/4 C milk
• 1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated

1. Steam the chopped onion with a teaspoon of water in a small microwave-safe bowl covered with plastic wrap vented just a little to allow steam to escape for two minutes. (You can skip this step if you don't mind onions a little crunchy in the finished product. It's especially helpful for little kids with texture issues, though.)
2. Mix onion, cream cheese and milk with a mixer or by hand.
3. Squeeze excess water from spinach and spread into baking dish (3 qt. or 9x13).
4. Spread cream cheese mixture over spinach.
5. Top with cheese.
6. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2008-11-26T16:28:00.002+02:00

This recipe is from a sweet older lady who was in our small group when we first got married. We had a LifeGroup Thanksgiving dinner before everyone headed off to their family celebrations, and she made this. It was delicious. ML absolutely loved it. I now bring it to all holiday meals. I think I would end up a single parent, if I didn't. :-P

• 3 lg sweet potatoes (or yams), cooked & mashed
o or 2 large/3 medium cans, drained
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2-1 t cinnamon
• 2 T margarine
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 C nuts, chopped
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 bag marshmallows
o or 1 jar marshmallow cream

1. Add all but marshmallow to sweet potatoes & mix.
2. Spread into 9x13 baking dish.
3. Top with marshmallow.
4. Broil 1-2 mins.

Corn Pudding

2008-11-26T16:12:00.003+02:00

One of our traditional holiday dishes. From The Four Ingredient Cookbook, a cookbook my mom gave me right around the time I got married. The ladies who wrote it (them, actually; there are several) are from my hometown, but it became kind of a national phenomenon. You may have seen it on an infomercial. :-) They're wonderful for cooks just starting out. And I need to go back through them soon for some inspiration, too.

Wow. I just looked up the cookbook to link it. It's gotten fancy. Mine is an old spiral-bound copy, and they're either hard-bound or at least bound paperback now. And looks like it's still selling well. Cool.

• 2 cans (16 oz. each) creamed corn
• 1 pkg (6 oz.) corn muffin mix
o or 1/2 C flour, 1/2 C cornmeal, 1 T sugar, 1 1/2 t baking powder, 1/4 t salt, mixed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 C butter, melted

1. Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish.
2. Bake 45 min. at 350*.

Simple, but yummy. A good compliment to a laden table.

Apple Cracked Wheat (CP)

2008-11-19T20:49:00.004+02:00

Mamamin6 posted this on a Sonlight thread on crockpot oatmeal. I was delighted, because we can't get non-quick-cooking oats here. (Well, there are the imported little bags of Bob's Red Mill, but one of those would feed my kids maybe one meal. And we'll not even talk about how much it costs.) Quick-cooking oats done in the crockpot are paste (ask me how I know). Yay for cracked wheat.

• 2 C cracked wheat or bulgur wheat
• 4 C (1 l) apple juice
• 4 C water
• 4-6 T honey
• 2-4 T unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t cardamom
• 1 C chopped apples (2 medium apples)

1. Put the cracked wheat in a dry skillet and toast over medium heat until you can just smell the aroma, about 5 minutes.
2. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or overnight, until tender (the cracked wheat will take longer to cook than the bulgur, which is parboiled).
4. Stir the cereal well and scoop into bowls with an oversized spoon.
5. Serve with milk, cream, or soy milk, if desired.

mamanin6 says:
• To make plain cracked wheat, use 1 C wheat to 3 C water. We've also cooked steel cut oats with apple juice in the crock-pot, and that tastes good, too.
• If you like crock-pot cooking, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook is a great book. Lots of great recipes, and tons of great info about crock pots, how to convert oven recipes to crock pot, etc. It is one of my most used cookbooks! They have a delicious tapioca pudding recipe that you make in the crock pot.

I haven't had more than a bite of this (my goal is to eat raw for breakfast, and I've been pretty good about keeping to it), but the kids like it, MS especially. It's going to for sure be a regular in our repertoire.

Oh, and I skipped the toasting step the second time, and the kids didn't seem to mind, so I don't think I'll bother with it in the future.

Stuffed Mexican Cornbread

2008-11-19T19:11:00.006+02:00

My mother used to make Stuffed Mexican Cornbread when I was growing up. Our first year overseas was rather unadventurous culinarily speaking. Lots of scrambled egg sandwiches for the adults and mashed bananas for MS. At some point, though, I managed to recreate this recipe from memory with what was available. It was one of my first cooking successes (and if you doubt that, ask ML about some of the failures).

It is still one of ML's favorite meals and usually what he wants to break his fasts with. I know. But he has an iron stomach.

serves 4-5

• 1 lbs. ground meat
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning (approx. 2 t)
o plus water according to directions
• 3 med. tomatoes, chopped
o or one can tomatoes, partially drained & chopped
• 1 can diced Rotel, partially drained
o or 1/2 – 1 C salsa
• 1 can kidney beans
o or 1 can/1 1/2 C refried beans
• 1 can whole kernel corn
o or 1 1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
• 1 C shredded carrots (optional)
• 1 recipe cornbread batter (see recipe below or mix 2 Jiffy mixes according to package directions)
• sour cream, for topping
• extra salsa, for topping

1. Brown meat and onions (and garlic).
2. Drain (if you live somewhere where animals are fatty enough to require this step).
3. Add taco seasoning and water and simmer according to directions.
4. Transfer meat, onions & garlic (if using) to 9x12 baking dish.
5. Add tomatoes, Rotel or salsa, kidney beans, corn and carrots (if using). (If using refried beans, stir other ingredients first, and spread beans in a layer before topping with cornbread batter.)
6. Stir to mix.
7. Top with cornbread batter.
8. Bake at 425* for 20 - 25 mins. or until cornbread is golden brown.
9. Top with sour cream and salsa when serving.

This recipe is very flexible. Add, substitute, leave out as you please or as you have available.

For instance, when we had this last week, I had ground beef and onions already cooked in the freezer, so I stirred the taco seasoning in with the other ingredients. We had fresh tomatoes, jarred salsa, and canned corn, so that's what I use. We really prefer the taste of refried beans to kidney beans, so I made sure we had some UnRefried Beans from the freezer to use. MA and ZL are allergic to carrots, so we don't use those these days, although I like what it adds nutritionally, so I'd use them again someday, if I can. And JW is allergic to garlic, so we're not using any of that these days, either. Oh, and, of course, I used the flax seed egg substitute and whole wheat flour. Even with all of the changes/substitutions, it's still one of our favorite meals.

Cornbread

• 1 C flour
• 1 C cornmeal
• 2-3 T sugar
• 1T baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 eggs
o or 2 T flax seed, ground whisked with 6 T water,
• 1 C milk or water
• 1/4 C oil

1. Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, & salt.
2. In separate bowl beat eggs, milk & oil together.
3. Add to flour mixture.
4. Stir just until smooth.

(What I use for cornmeal is actually labeled “Turkish Semolina.” We have wheat semolina here, too, and the Turkish not labeled as corn, but it tastes like it in cornbread, so you might find some variation of that elsewhere.)

Hot Chocolate Mix

2008-11-08T20:04:00.003+02:00

I originally found this recipe in one of The Tightwad Gazette books. Again, it's a common enough recipe that I don't think it's copyrighted. It's ye old standard homemade hot chocolate mix recipe. It's yummy, though. :-)

• 10 2/3 C dry milk
• 6 oz. creamer
• 1 lb. Nestle Quick
• 1/3 C powdered sugar
• 1/2 bag mini marshmallows (optional)
• 1 C crushed peppermints (optional)

1. Mix with whisk.
2. Store in airtight container.

To prepare, add 1/2 C mix to 1 C hot water.

I use one bag of full cream powdered milk (which is actually 10 C) and leave out the creamer, since this recipe was written for the non-fat dry milk in the States. And now I don't even bother with the powdered sugar, since the Nestle mix is sweet enough, so, yes, to make hot chocolate mix, I just dump a bag of milk and a box of chocolate milk powder into a container and shake. But, hey, it's a hit at my house all winter, both with the family and with guests. Oh, and I do usually put in the optional marshmallows. If I have them.

You can add instant coffee for a mocha mix, but I’ve never done the calculations for the whole recipe (just for gift containers I used).

Applesauce Muffins

2008-11-08T18:30:00.002+02:00

There was a monster post-your-favorite-muffin-recipe thread on Sonlight a while back from which I gleaned several recipes. It's wonderful to just go to the recipes folder on my computer and look up muffins and have lots of options to choose from. I've even recently begun to make use of the ability to color code file names, so I mark all recipes I've made and we liked as green, all that I want to try in purple, and all that I've made and we were so-so about in yellow (if we absolutely don't like them, I just delete, so need to mark in red). It's so nice to be able to remember at a glance what we liked and what I've been wanting to try.

At some point, I had applesauce and a desire to make muffins at the same time, so I tried these. We loved them! They have kind of a gingerbread taste to them (thanks to the spices) and are just so yummy (I know that I say that about lots of things I post here, but if it weren't, I wouldn't post it, so...).

This time, I tried modifying the sweetener to be 1/2 honey (rule of thumb: use 1/2 the amount of honey for the sugar you're replacing). I didn't want to do all honey, because I was afraid it would change the texture too much, but I might try that next time, anyway. I also used the flax seed egg replacement. Oh, and I think I've said this before, but I only use wheat flour, so any time it calls for flour in my recipes, know that you can use wheat. What I have is often a white wheat, but sometimes it's stoneground organic whole wheat, so pretty much any of the above should work.

I served these for the guest ML had last night (mini ones), saved some out for the kids to have for breakfast this morning, and froze the rest. I'm actually stocked with muffins in the freezer for kids' breakfasts again. Yay!

from Magistra

• 1 C butter, softened
• 2 C sugar
o or 1 C sugar + 1/2 C honey
• 2 eggs
o or 2 T flax seed, ground + 6 T water
• 2 C unsweetened applesauce

• 3 t cinnamon
• 2 t allspice
• 1 t cloves
• 1 t ginger
• 1 t salt

• 4 C flour
• 2 t baking soda

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Mix in applesauce and spices.
4. Stir in dry ingredients.
5. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.
6. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
7. Yellow scoop (#20) makes 30 muffins.

This made 15 large muffins and 24 mini muffins for me, but I was pretty generous with the batter in the large muffins.

Taco Macaroni Skillet OR Homemade Hamburger Helper

2008-11-05T20:56:00.003+02:00

I have had Hamburger Helper (or probably the generic store brand) maybe 3-4 times in my life, when we were early married, and ML encouraged me to make some. For him, however, it is reminiscent of many, many, many meals throughout his college years, and it is comfort food.

When I picked this recipe, it was just because it was in my recipes folder, and it looked good. When I served it, though, I noticed its similarity to Hamburger Helper, commented on it, and discovered that ML was already reveling in the fact. I think we'll be repeating this recipe. :-)

Actually, it may very well join Sloppy Verna's as an option for a meal to make on the day that I'm browning large amounts of ground beef to freeze (although at almost $20 for four pounds this last time at the store, that won't be happening again any time soon; =-o I'm more motivated to pray for MA to be healed of her soy allergy, so we can go back to TVP :-/).

All that is to say: it was yummy!

(Makes 4 servings)

• 12 ounces extra-lean ground beef (2 C cooked)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
• 1 can Diced Green Chiles
o or 1/4-1/2 C salsa
• 1 package Taco Seasoning Mix
o or 2 t taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups dried elbow macaroni
• 2/3 cup Evaporated Milk
o 1/2 C powdered milk + water to make 2/3 C
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• Additional shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Cook beef in large nonstick skillet, stirring frequently, until brown; drain.
2. Stir in water, tomatoes with juice, chiles, and seasoning mix.
3. Cook until mixture comes to a boil.
4. Add pasta; return to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low; cover.
6. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 14 to 16 minutes or until pasta is tender.
7. Stir in evaporated milk.
8. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup cheese.
9. Sprinkle additional cheese over top.
10. Cover; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Buttercream Icing

2008-11-05T20:49:00.002+02:00

And our traditional icing. It was the first really tasty icing recipe we’ve found that is actually smooth enough to use with decorating tips.

Buttercream Frosting

• 2/3 cup butter softened (no substitutes)
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1-2 tsp vanilla
• 2-3 TBSP milk
• 4-4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Mix butter, shortening, vanilla 1-2 TBSP milk with blender on med.
2. Gradually add p. sugar and rest of milk until desired consistency.
3. Start
4. with blender on low and move to med once mixed.

Can add coloring to make desired color for decorating.

I just use 1 C of butter, instead of 2/3 butter and 1/3 shortening. It's easier, but as I think about it, it's also healthier, too.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup butter softened (no substitutes)
• 1 cup cocoa
• 6 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 4 tsp vanilla
• 4-5 TBSP milk divided

1. Mix butter, vanilla and 2-3 TBSP milk with blender on med.
2. Gradually add cocoa and p. sugar and rest of milk until desired consistency.
3. Start with blender on low and move to med once mixed.

Rumbaugh Cake

2008-11-05T20:45:00.003+02:00

This is our traditional cake that the kids have for their birthday parties. They get to pick the cake mix flavor that is used as the base (although we have forever vetoed mango after MS's 5th birthday, I think; yuck!). It is super rich, moist and delicious. I don't even want to know how many calories it has in it.

Named after the ex-pat friend I got the recipe from.

• 1 box cake mix (flavor of your choice)
• 1 box instant pudding (flavor of your choice-4serving size)
o or 4 T canned custard powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
o or 3/4 C leban or lebaneh
• 3/4 cup oil
• 3/4 C water
o or 3/4 C hot water + 4-6 T instant coffee granules (with a chocolate cake mix for a mocha cake)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup choc chips
o or small choc block chopped into small pieces (big ones will sink to the bottom)

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Mix powder cake mix, pudding mix (or custard powder), and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add sour cream (or yogurt), oil and water. Mix on low speed until moistened.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Pour into greased bunt pan, 9x13, or two rounds.

7. A bunt takes approx. 50 minutes to bake.
8. 9X13 usually 45.
9. And two rounds 35.
10. Or until golden brown and set in the middle.

Possible variations:
*chocolate cake/choc pudding/choc chips
*choc cake/choc pudding/choc chips or mint flavored choc chips and add peppermint flavor
*french vanilla cake/white choc pudding/white choc chips
*french van cake/ choc pudding/assorted frozen berries in cake and on top or fresh (usually do strawberries here in Jordan but can do pie filling too)--also punch holes in top and pour sweetened condensed milk over before adding berries--yummy
*butter cake/choc pudding/ choc or peanut butter chips and do peanut butter frosting

You can come up with all kinds of variations. I have noticed white choc chips don't melt as well and tend to stick to the bottom of the pan so better to use it for cakes you want to serve directly out of the pan and it is fine--NOT good for bunt cake style or ones you want to invert and decorate!

Enjoy.

Nanny's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

2008-11-05T20:29:00.005+02:00

This is not my own Nanny's cake. I got this recipe from Kmama on the Sonlight boards in a healthier desserts thread. I told her I had my own Nanny (my father's mother), and when we compared notes, we discovered lots of similarities between the two: older (as in 95ish), still living alone, very independent, etc. So, I like to think of this as a tribute to my Nanny, even though it's not her recipe.

from kmama

• 1 3/4 cups boiling water
• 1 cup oatmeal

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sucanat (or regular sugar)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour – pastry
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 12 ounces chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan
3. Mix boiling water and oatmeal, let cool 10 minutes.
4. Cream honey, sucanat, butter, eggs and vanilla.
5. Beat in oatmeal mixture
6. Add dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa).
7. Add 1/2 of chocolate chips.
8. Pour into prepared pan (greased and floured), sprinkle with remaining choc. chips and nuts.
9. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Description:
"My version of my favorite cake recipe from my grandma...modified to use healthier ingredients"

Traditionally, our kids' birthday cakes are a variation on a boxed cake mix that they get to pick the flavor of. It's delicious (I'm posting that recipe next), but not the most nutritious. I decided that Z wasn't old enough to know the difference yet, so I made his birthday cake (for his party yesterday) a slightly more nutritious version.

And, rather than using double the egg yolks as I do normally for baked goods, since ZL & MS are allergic to egg whites, I used the ground flax seed equivalent (1 heaping tablespoon of flax seed, ground + 3 tablespoons water, whisked together). It works perfectly, and I like the fact that it makes the recipe even healthier.

And it's even a nod to my own Nanny, because I learned from my dad that she was the one who tipped him off as to the health benefits of flax seeds. :-)

Chocolatier Brownies

2008-11-05T19:41:00.003+02:00

After GfG's remark on my last brownie recipe post (which did not offend me at all, just got me thinking), I decided to think a little outside the box, and venture into new territory: I tried a new brownie recipe for the first time in 12 years! I even tried it out on company. But they are close friends, so I knew they would forgive me and still be my friends, even if they didn't turn out well. Turn out well they did, though, so I thought I'd share.

I can't tell if they're supposed to be Chocolatier Brownies, as in some one who makes chocolate, or Chocolaty-er Brownies, as in brownies that taste even more chocolaty than others. I think the former sounds fancier and more exotic, so that's what I'm going with. :-P

from MomGardens

beat well:
2 C sugar
1 C Butter (no margarine)

add and mix well:
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

mix in:
1 t salt
1 C flour
3/4 C cocoa

Bake in greased 9 x 13 pan for 30 minutes at 350. Cool in pan before cutting.

The verdict: yummy! Rich, moist, kind of the perfect mix of cakey and gooey. The only thing I would change, which I noted above, was to add salt. The recipe I'm used to has salt, and I like the effect.

Pumpkin Muffins

2008-10-30T12:16:00.002+02:00

When life gives you pumpkin puree, make pumpkin muffins (or pumpkin butter, but we were already stocked up on that, or pumpkin pie squares, but I didn't have a yellow cake mix).

Okay, so life didn't just hand me pumpkin puree. I made it myself, but I still had to figure out what to with it, since all of my medium-sized tupperware seemed to have disappeared (the plan had been to freeze it in 2C portions for later baking, but you know what they say about the plans of men).

We hadn't had muffins in a while, so I dug around on the SL forums for a pumpkin muffin recipe. I came up with several, but this one was what I ended up using due to availability of ingredients. I, of course, tweaked it a little, but that's just the nature of the beast in my kitchen (and somedays...).

from Cindy in GA

it's not overly sweet, uses whole wheat flour, and makes 24 muffins. My dc love them! (The batter will seem pretty stiff, but the muffins come out wonderful.)

Combine the following dry ingredients:
4 C whole wheat flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
or 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t ginger, 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/4 t cloves
2 C sugar
or 1 C honey

Add:
3 eggs
1/2 C canola oil
2 1/2 C pumpkin

Mix well. Bake @ 350 degrees for 21 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.

I love the fact that the recipe says to bake for 21 minutes. :-P It's probably a type-o, but it made me smile, so I left it.

Corn-dog Casserole

2008-10-30T11:18:00.003+02:00

A recipe from the SL boards from "Becca FL," who apparently isn't on the boards anymore (I looked to try to link to her profile or her blog, if she had one, but she's not in the member list).

It's comfort food, and not particularly healthy, but I do make it with whole wheat flour and the hot dogs here are halal (which is similar to kosher).

Due to allergies, this time I made it with four egg yolks instead of 2 eggs and water instead of the milk. It was a little stiff, so I added probably 1/2 C more water. We eat it with mayochup (like I said, it's comfort food).

One thing I find funny about the recipe is that the note at the bottom says "This is the only corndog casserole that I've had that actually tastes like a corndog!" Um, I'd never, ever heard of corndog casserole before seeing this recipe. It most be a regional specialty. Somewhere.

• 2 pkgs (8.5oz) corn muffin mix
o or 1 C flour + 1 C cornmeal + 2 T sugar + 2 1/2 t baking powder + 3/4 t salt
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can corn, drained
o or 1 cup frozen corn
o or 1 can cream corn (casserole will have a corn pudding-like texture)
• 1 pack of hot dogs, sliced

1. Combine the cornbread mix and brown sugar.
2. Add milk and eggs, mix well.
3. Stir in corn and hot dogs.
4. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 min at 400 degrees.
6. Slice into squares.
7. Serve with ketchup and mustard.

My sister says she added about 2 tbsp of diced onions to kick it up a notch. She says she bets shredded cheese on top would be good too. This is the only corndog casserole that I've had that actually tastes like a corndog!

Pumpkin Crockpot Granola

2008-10-30T11:00:00.002+02:00

I have been wanting to teach MS how to do more in the kitchen, both for his own sake and for mine. Thanks to the idea from my sister-in-law (MKH), I have started MS off with things he can cook in the crockpot. We have a gas stove and oven, and he's a little skittish about fire (guess I should be happy), and while he's going to have to get over that and soon, the crockpot has provided a way to get him cooking without crossing that bridge quite yet. He can make a roast, and he can make applesauce and apple butter so far.

Since breakfast is the bane of my existence, I decided a breakfast option would be a good thing to teach next. So, I planned to teach him last night how to do overnight crockpot granola (using the recipe I'd previously posted). School kind of went long yesterday, though, and we wrapped up read-alouds at 9:30 PM, just in time for MS to go to bed. :-/

This morning, we were doing kitchen-school, so I could get some dishes washed and bake some pumpkin muffins while the pumpkin puree I'd made earlier in the week was still good. Noticing the butter we'd put in the crockpot to thaw yesterday (don't worry, it's cold here already, so the butter was fine), the wheels started turning in my head. Hm, I've started using applesauce in place of 1/2 of the butter for the granola recipe...I bet pumpkin puree would substitute perfectly...I was wondering what I was going to do to use up the puree that I didn't need for the muffins...it's not even going to be enough to be worth freezing...it would be just the right amount, though, for granola...

So, MS's home ec for today was Pumpkin Crockpot Granola, recipe as follows.

Crockpot Granola
• 1/2 C oil or butter + 1/2 C pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 C honey + 1/2 C molasses
• 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/4 t ginger, 1/4 t nutmeg, 1/8 t cloves
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 6 cups of oats - not quick cooking (more like 10 C, if it’s quick cooking)

1. Make sure you keep the cover of the crockpot cracked or off. Cook on low for 5 hours or until brown, stirring occasionally. The more frequently you stir, the finer the consistency. If you prefer clumpier granola stir less.
2. Add raisins, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips...whatever you desire after the granola is ready.
3. This is delicious as a hot or cold cereal, as a snack, a topping for yogurt or made into granola bars.

If you put the lid on directly/completely, you run the risk of cracking the crock (this has happened to someone who tried this recipe).

I put the butter in with the crockpot on high as I prepare to make the recipe and do a few other things. Once it’s melted, I add the other ingredients, except the oats. I stir them until they are mixed and then add the oats (and sometimes the coconut).

Recently, I chopped up several apples and put them in with the ingredients the night before. In the morning, we had dried apple bits in our granola. I’m going to try this with different fruits in the future to see what other options work.

We're planning on putting raisins in once it's done cooking. We'd love to put in roasted pumpkin seeds, but we don't have any. :-(

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-27T12:00:00.003+02:00

From our dear pediatrician (dped?), Dr. Angie S., by way of RR. Very quick to throw together and very yummy. I have taken these to ML's English students many, many times.

I usually use baking chocolate that I've chunked in my food processor, as chocolate chips are expensive (imported) and hard to come by (larger grocery stores in the capital only).

These can be made as bar cookies, as well. They take 20+ minutes to bake at that point.

A cup of nuts can be added. White chocolate with macadamia or hazelnuts (what's available here) is a great option.

The cinnamon is my addition as a nod to Tweety Cookies of Camp Mystic fame (not that I had them at Camp Mystic; Tweety's son used to bring them on debate and Mock Trial trips, but I'm sure they've been encountered by far more people via the camp). Out of curiosity, I googled Tweety Cookies, and sure enough, check out the first thing that came up (after that it was all about you-know-who and Sylvester cookie jars and shaped cookies, in case you were wondering). Too funny. I had no idea that they were so famous until a college friend mentioned them one time. A college friend who wasn't even from my home town. Turns out she'd been a Mystic camper and counselor, so I got to hear about the massive baking Tweety did each session.

• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t cinnamon

• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 3/4 C oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla

• 1 C chocolate chips

1. mix 2 groups of ingredients separately
2. add group 1 to group 2
3. stir in chocolate chips
4. bake until desired consistency
5. 350 @ 10 mins for drop cookies

Bek's Brownies

2008-10-24T20:44:00.003+03:00

A staple among our group of ex-pat friends from, well, from since before we were ex-pats. ML and I first had these with CP & RR at their house on Lasker before we all began this great adventure.

serves 4-6

∑ 1 C shortening
∑ 6 T cocoa
∑ 2 T butter

∑ 4 eggs
∑ 2 t vanilla
∑ 2 C sugar
∑ 1 1/2 C flour
∑ 1 t baking powder
∑ 1 t salt

1. Melt shortening, cocoa and butter together either on the stovetop or in the microwave in a large enough glass bowl/pan to add the other ingredients.
2. Add other ingredients to the melted mixture in order, stirring/mixing after each addition (can be done by hand or with a mixer).
3. Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes (don’t overcook).

Sloppy Verna's

2008-10-15T21:53:00.000+03:00

Courtesy of Speedy Mom from the SL boards.

We did not have sloppy joes that often growing up, but ML's mom would ship over cans of the sauce as a treat for their family. It was one of the first meals I ate with them when we went to visit when we were engaged (guess I was considered worthy of a treat). We had sloppy joes every 2 weeks or so during our early married years, but once we moved overseas and did not have access to canned sauce anymore, it fell out of our repertoire. I tried several different recipes, but none duplicated the taste of canned. Until Sloppy Verna's. Okay, so it's odd that we searched for years for a recipe that tastes like the canned option, but, hey, we're odd, and we're okay with that.

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• + salt, pepper, garlic powder - all to taste
• 1/2 onion, chopped (optional)
• 1 jar tomato sauce (16 oz.) or equivalent mixture of tomato paste and water
• 2 T vinegar (apple vinegar to gives it a nice sweet taste)
• 1/2 T mustard
• 4 T brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water (optional, depending on sauce consistency)
• salt, pepper
• paprika (optional)

1. Brown and season ground beef (and onions, if desired).
2. Mix together remaining ingredients.
3. Pour over beef.
4. Simmer 30 min.

This can be heated/simmered in the crockpot, as well.

Until we discovered MA's soy allergy, I would make this with TVP, and it was a super easy meal.

Before that, though, this was my go-to meal when I would brown 4-5 lbs of ground beef to freeze in meal-sized portions. I would use some that night for Sloppy Verna's. I'm back to that option now.

Lemon Icebox Pie

2008-10-12T14:55:00.001+03:00

The kids and I had this pie last summer at ML's parents house before he arrived in the US for my brother's wedding. I insisted that my mother-in-law serve it again after ML joined us (totally selflessly, since he was eating with them by himself), because I *knew* he would love it (not that I had to twist her arm; it's very simple to make, especially with a prepared pie crust, and they love it, too).

It's very rich, though, so be sure to cut small slices. Plus, that way, you can go back for seconds more easily. :-/

From ML’s mom, MHK
Summer 2007

∑ 1 C graham cracker (or petit beur) crumbs
∑ 3 T sugar
∑ 3 T butter, melted
∑ 1/2 t cinnamon
∑ 1/3 C finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

∑ 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
∑ 1 C lemon juice

1. Combine crumbs, sugar, butter, cinnamon and nuts and press into bottom and sides of pie pan.
2. Bake at 325* 10 mins.
3. Cool in freezer.
4. Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice with a mixer on slow and then medium speed until combined (and continue until whipped slightly, if desired).
5. Pour mixture over crust. Freeze at least 2-3 hours.
6. Slice and serve.
7. Store in freezer.

***Late breaking news from ML's cousin, CCG, who got it from her mom, who probably shared it with my mil: the recipe came from is from Orrana Felix, who's husband, Bud, farmed Granny K's wheat farm. They later moved next door to Granny K and looked out for her as she aged.

If that doesn't make it a family recipe, I don't know what does. I love that we're getting this stuff documented while we still have the info.

UnRefried Beans (CP)

2008-10-09T13:45:00.000+03:00

Bethany's awesome, restaurant-quality, much-better-than-canned, actually-doable-where-we-live UnRefried Beans:

INGREDIENTS
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 3 C dry pinto beans, rinsed or a mixture of pinto beans and black beans
- 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 t minced garlic
- 5 ts salt
- 1 3/4 t fresh ground black pepper
- 1/8 t ground cumin, optional
- 9 C water (or chicken broth plus water to equal 9 C)

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency (the beans absorb the liquid very quickly as they sit, so make it soupier than you will want the end consistency).

Modifications and Tips:
- I soaked the beans overnight in water with baking soda to, um, decrease the impact on our digestive systems. I kept the cooking time the same.
- I used a stick blender to mash the beans after draining them.
- The first time I cooked these, I used the broth I made from the fried turkey bones and skins we had at Thanksgiving. I had this in the freezer and had made half of it as soup, but it was too spicy for the kids. In the beans, though, with the added water it took to made the 9 cups (I had about 5 cups of broth), it was perfect. Not that everyone has fried turkey broth in their freezer, but if you make a soup too spicy, this might be an option, plus I thought people might find it interesting.
- Now that I've found dried black beans (read: Rob & Steph found them and pointed them out to me), I make these with 1/2 pinto and 1/2 black beans. I soak the black beans for less time than the pintos, and the black beans add to the creaminess of the final product.
- This makes enough for two meals for our family. We have it on a tortilla-type bread that we can get here with cheese, sour cream, salsa and anything else that sounds good. :-)
- If you do not mash or blend the beans, they are very similar to the El Charro beans served at many Mexican food restaurants (at least in Texas).
- I will often cook 1-2 chickens in the crockpot to use the meat in recipes. When I cook them, I add onion and maybe seasoning salt and fill the crockpot to the top with water. After they are cooked, I will use the broth to make the UnRefried Beans. It adds to the flavor.

Alternate spices:
2 t seasoned salt
2 t salt
1/2 t crushed red peppers
1/2 t cumin
1 t onion powder

Malfoof

2008-10-08T17:39:00.000+03:00

stuffed cabbage leaves
serves 8-10
from my friend, "Debra," who makes this often because of its "simplicity" (it really is the simplest Arabic dish I've heard of), Spring 2001

∑ 2 med. heads cabbage
∑ 3 C rice
∑ 1 lb ground meat
∑ 1/2 C vegetable oil
∑ 1 t salt
∑ 1 t Arabic spices
∑ 1 t cumin

1. Soak rice 15 mins. Drain and rinse.
2. Separate cabbage leaves. Rinse. Boil large pot of water.
3. Place several leaves at in the boiling water for two minutes.
4. Remove and repeat until all leaves have been boiled.
5. Combine rice, meat, oil, salt and Arabic spices.
6. Remove the large vein from the middle of each cabbage leaf.
7. Place the veins in the bottom of a large pot (this way, if anything burns, it is the vein and nothing else).
8. Cut larger leaves in half.
9. Place 1 to 1 1/2 T of meat/rice mixture between two of the smaller veins on a cabbage leaf a little ways up from the bottom.
10. Roll the bottom of the leaf over the meat mixture.
11. Continue rolling until the leaf is completely wrapped around the mixture.
12. Place in pot on top of veins.
13. Repeat above until all leaves are gone or until the meat mixture is gone or until the pot is 2/3 full (either continue with another pot or save the rest for another time).
14. Add water to the pot until it is visible between the rolled leaves in the top layer, but do not cover completely.
15. Sprinkle with cumin (this helps reduce the gas-producing properties of the cabbage) and salt.
16. Bring to a boil.
17. Reduce heat until water is simmering. Simmer 45 mins.

Hint: This makes a lot, and can get old after a meal or two, so you might want to divide the recipe, unless you're serving a crowd.

Mharrat Bandoora wa Koosa

2008-10-08T17:34:00.000+03:00

A recipe from a friend in the West Bank. It's been forever since I've made it, but I remember it being relatively simple and very good.

3-4 lbs. fresh tomatoes (peeled*) or equivalent amount in canned, peeled tomatoes
3-4 tsp. Arabic spices
4-5 tsp. salt
2-3 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. green squash (may substitute yellow squash)
2 lbs. potatoes
1-2 large onions
6-8 cups cooked rice** (optional, if using recipe as vegetable side dish)
6-8 chicken pieces, cooked and de-boned (omit, if using recipe as vegetable side dish)

1. Chop the peeled tomatoes and place in a large pot (at least three or four quarts in size).
2. Cover with about one inch of water.
3. Add Arabic spices, salt, and pepper. Stir. Cover.
4. Bring mixture to a boil and continue boiling while preparing remaining vegetables (thirty to forty-five minutes), stirring occasionally.
5. Remove tops and bottoms of squash and discard. Slice squash into 1/4-inch circles, and slice each circle in half.
6. Chop potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces.
7. Chop onions into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces.
8. Add squash, potatoes, and onions to tomato mixture. Stir.
9. Bring back to boil, covered.
10. Continue to boil forty-five minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally.
11. Uncover as needed to allow excess water to boil off, depending on desired consistency.
12. If serving as main dish, add cooked chicken pieces and allow mixture to re-heat.
13. Serve over rice.

* To peel tomatoes most easily: after washing, bring a couple of inches of water to a boil in a pan on the stovetop. Prepare a several inches of water with a tray or two of ice cubes in a separate pan or bowl. Spear each tomato with a fork or hold with tongs and dip it into the boiling water for several seconds and then place it in the ice water. From experience, I have found that leaving the tomatoes in the ice water for a minute or two makes them most easy to peel. Alternately, you can boil the tomato pieces with the skins on and skim as many skins as you can from the top.

** If serving recipe as main dish, cooking the rice in the water in which the chicken was cooked adds to the overall flavor.

Spinach Dip

2008-10-08T17:27:00.000+03:00

A favorite of my family's growing up and one I've brought to the next generation. It's only caught on with MS so far. He, however, likes to have it at his birthday parties.

from the Knorr website.
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 package (1.4 oz) Knorr® (or other) Vegetable Soup Mix
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
3 green onions, chopped

1. In medium bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions.
2. Cover and chill 2 hours to blend flavors.
3. Stir before serving.

YOGURT SPINACH DIP: Substitute 1 container (16 oz) plain lowfat yogurt or lebaneh (yogurt without the whey) for sour cream.
SPINACH AND CHEESE DIP: Add 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese with spinach.

Tips:
- I can buy frozen spinach here, but you could cook your own and use that.
- I use a local vegetable soup mix, and I leave out the green onions, just because I don’t like them.
- It’s good with pita bread and with crackers, best with Fritos, but we don’t get those here.
- I can get water chestnuts, because of the stores that cater to the Asian house-help here, but I’ve also made it with chopped walnuts and with slivered almonds, instead, too.

General Dip Tips:
- Check out your local grocery store for dry soup mixes. I’ve found several that make good dips when mixed with sour cream or lebaneh (yogurt without the whey) and mayonnaise, 2 parts sour cream/yogurt to 1 part mayonnaise. Specifically, I use vegetable, onion and a great curry vegetable.

LEH's blanket

2008-10-08T00:28:00.000+03:00

At some point during ML's middle sister's fourth pregnancy, I decided to knit her a baby blanket. I don't remember any particular fanfare as to why, just that it seemed like a good idea. And as with all good ideas I have, I went to Sonlight to ask for help in the execution. I got yarn and pattern recommendations and went to town.

Unfortunately, there were a few false starts on the way to town. I didn't know much about yarn weight, and what I ordered (brought from the States) was too thin, not substantial enough to be knit into a blanket. I also did not like the way the lightest of the three colors I had chosen looked when knit. I know the original pattern called for "Barbie Pink," but there is a reason I didn't buy the yarn the pattern recommended. (I still have the bright pink blanket I ended up completing waiting to be given to a local friend, who will dearly love it.)

So, in a moment of brilliance (or, more likely, desperation), I came up with an idea that solved both of my problems: knit with two strands of different colors. It dulled the brightness of the pink and provided the bulk I needed. And the end result is pictured above.

One of the Sonlight ladies said she often knit a baby blanket with a heart in reverse stitch. The closest she could find on the internet was this pattern. I liked the smaller hearts even better than one big one, so that is what I did. And I knit it in Caron Simply Soft: 1) Soft Pink, 2) Victorian Rose and 3) Plum Wine. The first section is 1 & 2, the second 1 & 3, and the third 2 & 3.

I am knitting essentially the same blanket in blues with stars for ML's youngest sister's son due in January. Pictures forthcoming.

Leigh Anne's BBQ Sauce

2008-10-07T22:45:00.002+03:00

The best BBQ sauce in the world. One of the reasons why I love Leigh Anne (okay, one of the many, many, many reasons, but it's still one of them). I use Pampered Chef BBQ rub spices.

1 C ketchup
1 t mustard
2 T Worcestershire
1/3 C honey
1/4 t liquid smoke, optional
BBQ or Cajun spices
salt & pepper

Mix.

Spices are “to taste.”

Mexican Lentils and Rice

2008-10-07T22:40:00.000+03:00

I first found this recipe in one of the Tightwad Gazette books when we were early married. It seems like it's enough places out on the 'net that it's not unique (and, therefore, not copyrighted, and okay to post). Most recently, I was re-introduced to it by my friend LatteMom from Sonlight, and I've included her comments, as well as my own.

3 c broth (chicken, beef or veggie)
or 3 t powdered bullion + 3 C boiling water
3/4 c uncooked lentils
1/2 c uncooked brown rice
3/4 c chopped onion
or 2 T dried minced onion
or 1 t onion powder
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp each thyme, oregano and garlic powder

Blend all together in a casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 1.5 hrs at 300 degrees (or 1 hour at 350). Top with shredded cheese last 5 mins. or serve with shredded cheese.

LatteMom: This is one of our very favorites. In fact, I make two of them at the same time. One we eat with homemade flour tortillas topped with lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc. Then my dh uses the second one to make what our family affectionately calls "Daddy's Yee Haw Cowboy Dip Dinner" (which is the lentils & rice stirred up with salsa and sour cream to make a dip to serve with tortilla chips)...sometimes we'll do that for a dinner, but more than not, it's a great snack. I've also used the leftovers in a salad...a scoop on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and Italian dressing.

Mideastmom: This can be made up as a dry mix ahead of time and stored in ziplock bags. You then just dump the contents into a dish, add boiling water, stir and bake. To do this, you would use powdered bullion or cubes and dried minced onion or onion powder. Our family can squeak by on one of these at this point, but any larger family/family with older kids would need two, probably. We most commonly eat this in a bowl, topped with grated cheese, sour cream and salsa, dipped with tortilla chips

Sweet Mustard Dressing

2008-10-07T22:39:00.001+03:00

from my mom
makes about a cup and a half
great on spinach salad or just about anything else (it makes salad, with chicken, an acceptable meal at our house)

1/2 onion
1 t salt
1 t celery seed
1 T vinegar
2 T mustard
1/2 C sugar

1 c oil

Whirl first group of ingredients in blender

Slowly add oil

Tip: do not add the oil all at once. It takes a very long time to blend, if you do. Ask me how I know.

Hint: this recipe can be made without the celery seed. It changes the taste, but it is still good.

Granola (CP)

2008-10-07T22:22:00.000+03:00

This is an amalgamation of two different recipes, one from a former Sonlight poster, TaminAZ, and another from HillbillyHousewife.com. I prefer Hillbilly Housewife's granola, but it is more time consuming, so, in a pinch, I make it Tam's way, in the crockpot. Most often, these days, I make it in the crockpot.

• 1 cup of oil or melted butter
• 1 cup of honey
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 6 cups of oats - not quick cooking
• 1 cup of coconut (optional)

1. Make sure you keep the cover of the crockpot cracked or off. Cook on low for 5 hours or until brown, stirring occasionally. The more frequently you stir, the finer the consistency. If you prefer clumpier granola stir less.
2. Add raisins, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips...whatever you desire after the granola is ready.
3. This is delicious as a hot or cold cereal, as a snack, a topping for yogurt or made into granola bars.

I leave the cover off and cook overnight on low. If you cook it on warm (which my crockpot doesn’t have) you should probably put the lid on cracked/caddywhompus.

If you put the lid on directly/completely, you run the risk of cracking the crock (this has happened to someone who tried this recipe).

I put the butter in with the crockpot on high as I prepare to make the recipe and do a few other things. Once it’s melted, I add the other ingredients, except the oats. I stir them until they are mixed and then add the oats (and sometimes the coconut).

Recently, I chopped up several apples and put them in with the ingredients the night before. In the morning, we had dried apple bits in our granola. I’m going to try this with different fruits in the future to see what other options work.

Baked Oatmeal

2008-10-07T16:05:00.000+03:00

• 3 C rolled oats or 6 C instant oats
• 1/2 - 1 C brown sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 C milk
• 1/2 C butter, melted or 1/2 C applesauce
• 2 eggs
• Additions: carob or chocolate chips, dried fruits, nuts, etc.

1. Mix together.
2. Bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes. (Or cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.)
3. Cut and serve warm (some people pour a little milk over each square).

Due to food allergies, our version is made with coconut milk, egg yolks only (2 for each egg called for), and applesauce. And, yes, it still tastes good.

Pumpkin Butter (CP)

2008-10-07T15:25:00.001+03:00

I had no idea there was such a thing as pumpkin butter until someone mentioned it on Sonlight a few weeks ago.

Then again, it wasn't until last year that I had more than a vague idea as to what apple butter was or how simple it was to make, so I guess that's not surprising.

Of course, I had to try it out. I love it. The kids, not so much. I think they think of pumpkin more as a vegetable than a condiment. Weirdos. I'll win them over. Until then, all the more for me. And my in-laws, who are visiting and at who's insistence I am sharing this recipe. :-)

• 5 quarts pumpkin puree (approx. 1 jack-o-lantern-sized pumpkin)
• 2 T ground cinnamon
• 1 t ground cloves
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1-2 cups sugar or 1/2-1 C honey

1. Make unsweetened pumpkin puree. (You can use store bought pumpkin puree, but the pumpkin butter won't taste nearly as good.) See directions here: how to make pumpkin puree.*
2. Fill the crock pot to within 2 inches full with pumpkin puree, mine takes about 5 quarts.
3. Add the spices and sweetener.
4. Set the crock pot on medium or high heat.
5. Cover it loosely (with lid ajar) until the liquid begins to simmer. You don't want to seal it tightly because you want the steam to escape so it can reduce in volume and thicken.
6. Once simmering, remove lid. You can use a splatter guard, if it is making a mess.
7. Cook for 6 – 8+ hours. How long depends on the size and power of your crockpot, and how thick you like it.**
8. If the pumpkin butter cooks down too much or is too thick for your liking, just add a little bit of apple juice and blend it in.
9. If it is not thick enough, just let it cook some more, with the lid off so the steam can escape. It will thicken some, though, as it cools.
10. Fill jars or other containers. Cool the to near room temperature (a couple of hours) and store in the fridge or freezer.
r freezer.

*I used a large, jack-o-lantern-sized pumpkin and baked the 1/4’s in the oven for a little over an hour at 350*. I scooped the pumpkin meat directly into the crockpot and pureed it with my hand blender there.
** Mine took more like 24 hours, because I have an older crockpot, and it’s run on a transformer.

Original recipe found here.

Apple Butter (CP)

2008-10-07T15:21:00.000+03:00

• 2 K sweet apples, i.e. not Granny Smith (approx. 4 1/2 lbs)
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 1/4 t ground allspice (or omit and increase cloves to 1/2 t)

1. Core and slice apples (peel, if preferred) and place in crockpot with spices.

2. Cook on High overnight.

3. In the morning, stir to break apart apple pieces. (You can use a hand blender at this point, if you’d like a smoother finished product.)

4. At this point remove lid and leave off. This allows the excess liquid to bake off, achieving the desired consistency.

5. Stir every few hours.

6. The mixture should reach desired consistency before bedtime of the second night. At this point you can remove to containers to chill or freeze (or can).

7. If for some reason, the mixture still has too much liquid, cook on Low overnight, and chill or freeze in the morning.

Because it's the cool thing to do

2008-10-07T13:24:00.000+03:00

Recently, more and more of my Sonlight Forums e-maginary friends are creating recipe blogs.

The idea began to grow on me. Not because I have all that much to share, but because, as I explained when I was looking for a blog title, I find recipes that people like and serve them over and over and over again.

Consequently, I am frequently asked for the same recipes. Similarly to my "regular" blog (and I use quotation marks because the it depends on which definition of regular you're choosing as to whether it is regular or not; I'm thinking "regular" as in "plain," not "regular" as in "consistent"), this will be a place for me to link to when people ask and for the brave few who can put up with my inconsistency to browse (love you, GfG).

As for the title, I got several suggestions off of Sonlight and Facebook. Although the blog title is not directly from any of them, they all helped me brainstorm. An old high school/youth group friend's suggestions of "Cara's Blog of Girly Stuff" inspired the final choice. My parameters were that the blog was going to include recipes and pictures of crafts that I complete, but that the title couldn't be cheesy.

My problem is that, although I am a homemaker and really enjoy doing things like cooking and baking and homeschooling and knitting, I'm not completely comfortable with that. :-l For the record, I don't wear denim jumpers, nor have my crochet projects ever included a toilet paper cover. I'm hanging onto the last vestiges of hope that I'm not completely uncool (I'm typing this on a black MacBook; does that help?). So, that meant that a title like "Yarn and Yummies" (one of my own ideas) was out.

What I chose what a compromise based on a long-standing joke that ML and I have. When he gave me a bread machine for our first anniversary, and I couldn't have been happier, nor thought of anything else I could have wanted more, we decided I was completely domesticated (yes, I know it "domestic," not "domesticated;" that's the joke). When I have a good day at home and accomplish a lot, particularly in the kitchen, I'll tell him I'm feeling very domesticated.

So, I guess this blog is the ultimate proof, domestication at its best. But hopefully still somewhat cool.

(Oh, and the color theme will most likely not stay. It's a little mono-chromatic for my tastes, but I couldn't resist given the theme of the blog.)