Cookie Thursday

Well, today is our last cookie day and I'd have to say Cookie Thursday was a success.

Several months ago I wondered if my kids might be tired of cookies every Thursday, so I took a few weeks off.

Oh no. That was a bad idea.

They came home wondering who the cookie monster was who had pilfered their cookies. Doesn't every kid envision walking in the door after school to homemade cookies, a glass of cold milk, and their mom asking all about their day? Mine at least did/do.

Cookie Thursday was back on.

I made all kinds: some were our regular old favorites, and some were a few new ones*.

*Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Favorite Chocolate Chip
Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Homemade Oreos
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
Peppermint Chip
*Rolo Cookies
*Andes Mint Cookies
Gingersnaps
*Cookies and Cream Oreo Cookies
*Swig Sugar Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Rocky Mountain Cookies
Macadamia Nut White Chip Cookies
*Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

and the ultimate surprise, which I didn't think I'd like so much, were:

*Root Beer Float Cookies

especially if you let them sit for a day and let the rootbeer flavor enhance.

Cookie Thursday is on hiatus until school resumes and in the meantime we have library days with a trip to the ice cream shop afterwards.

Root Beer Float Cookies
3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix DRY; do not prepare
2 eggs
1 t. root beer extract
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 to 2 c. white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars together. Beat in instant vanilla pudding and mix well. Add eggs and root beer extract and beat until well incorporated. Add flour and baking soda. Mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

A recipe mishap

With some of my other projects completed, I'm focusing on my recipe book. The format I've had is years old and I don't even use half the recipes anymore. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that revamping my recipe book has been in the works for several YEARS now. Not days. Not weeks. Not months. Years. And with the onslaught of Pinterest I've just got that many more recipes to put somewhere more accessible. I know, some people like using their computer or tablet as a recipe book. Not me. I spend so much time in front of a computer doing other things that I actually need a little technology break. Plus I can be messy when I cook.

Here's a funny story regarding that old recipe book. The other night Kiersten put herself in charge of making dinner while I was napping with Alex. After discovering some hamburger buns in the freezer she decided to make Tuna Burgers.

My recipe as written on the recipe card:
1 can tuna
2 T. onion
1/2 c. salad dressing
2 T. pepper
1/4 lb. cheese, grated
2 chopped pickles 
3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
2 T. celery

Mix together and place on hamburger buns open face up. Heat under broiler until cheese melts.

My recipe might have been interpreted a little differently, thus the final outcome wasn't even anything edible. 

When I appeared on the scene, Kiersten was just finishing up except it didn't look like it was supposed to.

Her first question: "Do you really put salad dressing in this?" as her eyes wandered to the bottle of Lighthouse Ranch Dressing.

I guess I've failed to teach her that Miracle Whip is also referred to as salad dressing.

Her second question: "Do you really put that much pepper in there?"

Um, there shouldn't be any pepper. That recipe should really say BELL pepper. 

Next time she knows to question a recipe anytime it calls for 2 tablespoons of pepper.

She and Tyler took one bite and disposed of it immediately.

This could be a really good analogy for miscommunication and misunderstanding.

 

Lake Powell

Do you remember the days when kids actually went to school? . . . For an entire week?

It seems my kids have more days off than they're really in school.

For some reason they had a Monday off a couple of weeks ago so we decided to head to Lake Powell to try some striper fishing.

Well, rule number 1: Don't try to get on the lake right before a storm. The wind was threatening to sink our little boat. Even though the sky was clear, the waves did not help our fishing cause.

Rule number 2: If by chance you get a fish on your line, you had better pull and reel with everything you have or that whale might just suck you right in. Erik had experience with rule number 2.

And that's about it. We came home with two striper so I wouldn't call it a wasted trip although in previous years we've hauled home a lot more.

My kids have never been to Lake Powell, so for them this was certainly an adventure.

We love fish tacos and striped bass is one of the best fish when making them. In my opinion the sauce is what distinguishes a good fish taco from a bad one.

* * * * *

Fish Tacos

white fish (cod, bass, tilapia) 
¼ c. green onions, thinly sliced
¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 T. mayonnaise
3 T. sour cream
1 t. lime rind, grated
1 ½ t. fresh lime juice
¼ t. salt
1 garlic clove, minced 
tortillas
fresh limes
salt
cabbage or coleslaw

Bread the fish with some flour and cook in a pan with butter until it flakes easily. For the sauce combine the green onions, cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime rind, lime juice, salt, and garlic in a small bowl; set aside. To prepare tacos, divide fish evenly among tortillas. Squeeze fresh lime juice over fish and lightly salt. Top with coleslaw and sauce. 

Note: For an easier meal, you can use fish that’s already crusted and bake according to directions on the package or cook up some fish sticks.

This one's for you Linda

I should probably clarify my blog title. My sister-in-law Linda had left a comment wanting to know how my chicken canning went when I finally tried it. So this one's for Linda.

Chicken went on sale . . . $1.79 a pound, although I had to buy 40 pounds of the stuff. I should have waited a week because Smith's had it for $1.69. I hate it when that happens.

Anyway, I'd been waiting for this chance to try canning chicken. I got 7 quarts filled up and it looked like I hadn't even made a dent in my 40 pounds of chicken. Seriously, all I did was put a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules in the jar and put my chicken breasts in the jar, leaving about an inch of head space (I actually cut my chicken up because man were they HUGE! I was pretty sure those chickens must have been fed some kind of growth hormone.).

I didn't even put water in the jar (it may look like it, but the chicken creates its own broth as it cooks); just wiped the rim of the jar, put my lid on and I was ready to pressurize. My only mishap was when the canner started to steam, it was coming out of the side also and I knew that wasn't right. So I shut the entire process down to check the seal and started over. Second time worked like a charm. Ninety minutes later . . . 

I can't say they're the prettiest things I've seen. In fact it all looks so unappetizing to me. But I knew I just couldn't let them sit on my storage shelf; I was going to have to actually try it.

Tonight's rainy, cold weather was calling for Chicken Noodle Soup. When I opened the jar, it smelled like canned chicken I buy from Sam's Club, it shredded very nicely, and it tasted wonderful in our soup.

Canned chicken was a success and by far the easiest canning I've done yet.

Now what to do with the rest of all that chicken. I froze some and grilled some to freeze for later use.
I just put the entire cooked chicken breast in a ziploc baggie instead of cutting it up or shredding it. That way I can use it how I want. You want to know the secret ingredient to cooking most meat:

Yep, it says steak on it, but I use it to season my chicken, ground beef, homemade fries . Just sprinkle some on whatever you're cooking. Definitely one of my favorite things.

You're gonna want to stay tuned for a later post. Last week I learned how to make wheat meat. What? You know . . . for that day you're going to want some meat and have nothing but all that wheat you've been told to store. All I can say is it was some funky stuff.

* * * * *

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP for those cold, rainy days that call for it
8 c. water, divided
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 c. carrots, cut up
2 c. celery, cut up
1 onion, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into chunks
3 to 6 ounces of egg noodles (I use the noodles called Country Pasta rather than regular egg noodles, although you could just use those. I put in about 3 big handfuls of noodles.)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (a must!)

Heat 6 cups of water and bouillon until bouillon is dissolved. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add chicken and 2 MORE cups of water. Add noodles and cook until softened. When noodles are done, add cream of chicken soup and salt and pepper to taste.

My new hobby

I've been in canning mode . . . and loving it!

Shhhh! Don't tell my mom, but I think I've found a new hobby.

Today while the snow/sleet/hail fell (I know CRAZY; it's only the end of September),

I cut and cored and peeled apples to make applesauce. What I discovered is that applesauce is labor intensive if you do it the old-fashioned way. Next time I'm investing in a sauce maker. Erik, my applesauce lover, better be grateful for the love and time that went into these:

I hate to think about it, but he could down one of those jars in 5 minutes what took me about a 1/2 hour to get in that jar. I tried regular and cinnamon and yes, my bottles look hideously dirty; tomorrow I will make them sparkle.

In addition to my usual peaches and applesauce this year, I tried:

green beans -- first time using a pressure cooker myself

pears

I also came across the yummiest Pear Crisp. In my opinion, it's so much better than apple crisp. You'll have to try it (recipe's at the end). 

salsa -- oh, can't wait to open one of these up this winter

And, when chicken goes on sale, I want to try canning it.

Tyler has also worked hard the past couple of weeks putting together two of our five (or six) garden boxes. I'm so excited for spring planting and already bought the stuff to make my bean trellis. These garden boxes are a work of creative art. Tyler loves the game Tetris and that has been the catalyst for these boxes. You'll just have to wait until they're all done to see the final product.

And lest you think I have lazy children who enjoy watching their dad work, they are really putting their weight to work to hold those boxes together while he drills.

* * * * *
Pear Crisp
The Pioneer Woman Cooks

4 to 5 large pears, peeled, cored, diced
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt

Topping:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. pecans, very finely chopped
1 cube butter, melted (I tried 6 tablespoons and it worked just fine)

Place pears on bowl with sugar and salt. Coat the pears. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Mix. Add butter until all combined. Pour pears in to a baking dish and sprinkle topping mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream (or just plain tasted mighty good).

Four kids in three schools

My elementary kids (plus Alex)
Yesterday we got a call from the school informing us that Ashlyn has been moved to a different class, a 3rd grade/4th grade split and will have a new teacher. She handled the news okay, although I could tell she was a little nervous. I took her this morning so we could find her new classroom and new teacher. Honestly, Ms. Marshall looked a little unsettled herself. I hope it was just a case of first day jitters and that this whole situation will be a positive one.

Nate is the "big fish" this year entering the 6th grade.

Alex desperately wanted to go to school today after dropping Ash off at her class. So we came home and I got out a tracing page and had him trace lines and color them in as I made my traditional first-day-of-school cookies.

My high school "little fish" and jr. high "big fish" 
Kiersten started 9th grade; Erik is my other big fish starting 8th.

* * * * *

Rocky Mountain Cookies 

1 c. sugar 

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

1 t. soda

¼ t. salt

½ t. baking powder

2 c. old-fashioned oats

2 c. Rice Crispies^® cereal

6 oz. chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Fold in oats, cereal, and chocolate chips. Place by spoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Baking bread solar style

I'm not even sure how the subject came up as we were talking over the fence, but before I knew it my brother-in-law's mother was telling me all about her solar oven and wonder oven.

And I was intrigued enough to listen and make some bread dough to try them out for myself.

Looks pretty good, doesn't it.

The solar oven is pretty remarkable and extremely easy to use. And I liked that my kitchen stayed cool on this rather hot summer day. This contraption is definitely going on my wish list so I can try a myriad of other things in it.

The wonder oven was . . . well . . . weird. That tote does NOT contain the actual oven. IT IS THE OVEN!

Looking inside after the dough has "baked" for approximately 5 hours. It still looks like dough, doesn't it?
Bread after sliding it out of the can.

That's got to be the strangest looking loaf of bread I've ever seen. I don't think I'll be setting up my bake sale table outside anytime soon. I mean would you eat bread that's sat in a plastic container and looks like the can it was baked in?

Well, Ash gave it a try

. . . and a thumbs up.

Surprisingly it tasted just like my original homemade bread only a little denser. There wasn't a crumb left after dinner.

I am a canner

Hi!

My name is Missy and I am a canner.

It's true.

I've become quite domesticated this fall. Canning was never something that interested me. But ya know, it is kind of satisfying to stand back and look at my beautiful bottles that are going down on my shelf for the winter. Last year I tackled peaches and this year I added apples to my repertoire.

So, what DO you do with a box of apples?

Dried apples, of course.

Ya, that got old after a week. Drying takes a long time.

I tried making apple jelly. I had it once and remember it being so delicious. Well, I learned that jelly can be kind of tricky. It didn't seem to be setting up, so I figured I just needed to boil it longer than the minute the recipe was telling me to. And I was right. It turned out great with a tint of red because I chose the lazy way and didn't peel my red apples.

I made apple pie filling bars for Grandma Leary's 90th birthday party. Oooh la la. They were most excellent. BUT, I've been good this week. I brought leftovers home and haven't had a single one all week.

Today I made apple pie filling while the snow fell, and [tangent coming] can I just tell you how much I've been wanting hot chocolate these past two days. I'm afraid that next week when I've conquered this crazy no-sugar diet, I may just have a huge relapse and stuff myself silly with everything I've denied myself [end of tangent].

There are still apples left in my box. Some apple crisp just may be in the works tonight.

In case you were interested in those apple pie filling bars (I never did get the correct name for them), here's the recipe:

Fruit Pie Bars

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour

2 c. pie filling (or any fruit, sweetened and thickened)

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add almond, vanilla, and flour. Spread 2/3 of the batter onto greased cookie sheet. ( I just use parchment paper.) Spread pie filling over batter. Drop the remaining batter by spoonfuls over the top of the filling. Don’t worry that it doesn’t look pretty. It will puff up. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Just until the edges are a light golden brown. After you take it out, let it cool then drizzle icing over the top.

Icing:

1 c. powdered sugar
1– 2 T. milk

Easter Bash and Lemon cookies

Every year since Tyler can remember the Ellis side of his family has held an Easter Bash. When he was a kid they all traveled to Hurricane, Utah (who wouldn't want to escape to somewhere warm?). Since I've been around it been held a various places, but the usual spot has been Aunt Nancy's, two blocks from our home. How convenient is that!

There's usually a barbecue, yummy salads, snow cone machine, Wheel-of-Terror, tug o' war, and good old visiting. This year we competed in a pie eating contest, Tyler's talented cousin Camilla had a funny photo booth set up, and I brought yummy Lemon Cookies. Spring always brings out the lemon in me.

*Photos courtesy of Camilla and Nancy 

LEMON COOKIES

2 boxes lemon cake mix

1 c. butter, melted

2 eggs

1 T. fresh lemon juice

12 oz. white chocolate chips

1 t. shortening

powdered sugar

Melt butter and add to cake mix. Mix to cool off butter. Add eggs. Add lemon and all but 1/2 c. white chocolate chips (I think it was too many and next time will try less.). Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Don't overbake. Allow to cool. Melt remaining 1/2 c. white chocolate chips in microwave for 30 seconds. Add shortening and continue to melt at 30 second intervals. Don't let the chocolate get too hot or it will seize and not cooperate. Drizzle over cookies and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

That pesky Pinterest

I have fallin' in love with Pinterest.

Deeply.

For an organized person it is the best thing to hit the internet in a long time. I once heard a poll on the radio where the listeners were asked if they could only have either Facebook or Pinterest, which one would they choose. For me it was a no brainer.

Tyler likes to tease me and ask if dinner or my latest cute gift is from Pinterest.

I use it mainly for recipe ideas. I'm always looking for good recipes that my family will like. I also love that when I find something on the internet, instead of bookmarking the page that I'll never go back to, I can just pin the image to one of my many boards.

Tonight's dinner is Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast Sliders and for dessert we have Mint-Chip Ice Cream Brownie Squares to commemorate St. Patty's Day. Below is what I gave the kids and Tyler this morning while we ate green eggs and ham with green blueberry muffins and green orange juice . . . our traditional St. Patrick's Day breakfast.

And then today I received an email from Tyler with one line:

http://mommyimhungry.blogspot.ca/2011/05/bacon-mushroom-honey-dijon-chicken.html

Is he a clandestine Pinterest-er? I think he would like me to make this for him. Hmmmm . . . 

I was planning on this for tomorrow's Sunday dinner, but maybe we'll have to change things up a bit.
(Crispy Cheddar Chicken from Jaime Cooks It Up!)

Valentine recipes

Jacob's Lasagna

1 lb. Italian sausage or ground beef (with 1 T. Italian seasoning added)

1 T. dried onion or 2 green onions

26 oz. can Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (Garlic and Herb)

8 oz. lasagna noodles

1 large carton cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. mozzarella cheese

1 T. Italian seasoning

2 t. salt

2 t. pepper

Brown sausage (or ground beef with Italian seasoning). Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Mix cottage cheese, eggs, mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Set aside.  Mix sausage (or ground beef) with spaghetti sauce. Layer noodles first; meat sauce second (leaving a small amount for the top), and cottage cheese mixture third. Continue to layer (2 layers of noodles). Add remaining meat sauce mixture and spread on top along with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a small amount of Italian seasoning on top as well.

Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is slightly brown. 

Variation: Don't cook noodles and layer as you would normally. Use about an extra half can of spaghetti sauce, making sure the noodles are well covered. Cover and leave overnight in refrigerator. Bake as you normally would. This way doesn't make the lasagna as runny.

__________

Lemon-Orange Drink (aka Mt. Dew drink)

6 oz. concentrated orange juice

6 oz. concentrated lemonade

1 1/3 c. sugar

1 t. almond

1 t. vanilla

12 c. water

Combine all together and chill. Makes 1 gallon. May also be served with 7-Up or Sprite.

NOTE: If I use Sprite, I reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup. It's too sweet otherwise.

__________

Insulin Shock

20 oz. pkg. Oreos

1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream

1 jar hot fudge topping

8 oz. Cool Whip

Crush up half of Oreos and layer in 9X13-inch pan. Slice ice cream and layer on top of cookies. Pour topping over ice cream and top with Cool Whip. Top with remainder of Oreos. Freeze until solid.