Holiday…

Did you have a Merry Christmas? We really, really did! Now we are gearing up for New Year’s Eve which is always fun! I’m not going to do a long post today I just wanted to quickly share two links…

#1. If your New Year’s resolution is to tidy and clean your house go visit organizedhome.com/ . I just found this site and can’t wait to dig in and see what they have to offer…I especially like their printables.

#2. If you are going to be having or are attending a New Year’s party check out all these cool Jell-O Shot recipes! Wow – who knew you could get so creative with Jell-O Shots!

Crafting has pretty much stopped over here-I have a house full of kids, a head cold, and a Christmas mess to sort and organize…have a happy and safe New Year!!!

Happy Crafting!

First Annual French Fry Fiesta!

We had a great weekend! We had our first annual french fry fiesta!! I purchased one of these:

and we cut and fried about 20 pounds of potatoes…and five sweet potatoes (YUM!)…and some jalapeño poppers…and some corn dogs…and some mozzarella bites…and we had all the fixins you could imagine…and we ate ourselves into food comas. I don’t feel so good today…duh! But the star of the party was the deep fried Oreos!! Here is how you make them…

• 1 package Oreos (regular or double-stuff)
• 2 eggs
• 1 2/3 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

Mix dry in one bowl, mix wet in another, slowly whisk dry into wet until smooth. Dip an Oreo in the batter, knock off the excess and fry! Our oil was at 350 degrees. Fry until golden brown. (Just a couple minutes) Sprinkle with powdered sugar when done and prepare for ecstasy!!

Everything was so good we’re going to do it again next year…might take us that long to recover! But the weather was beautiful and the company was awesome (thanks for coming guys!!!)…it was a good day! Next year there will be even more surprises…and maybe even some fruit and veggies…maybe…

More boxy pouches made -

I have nine pouches made, filled, and shelved. Um…I have a lot of felt! I’m looking for ideas now. I have some floating around in my brain and just have to get busy I guess.  I didn’t want to use up my keychain stash on these so I twisted some wire into a loop on the last ones made. That worked just as great!

Now here is a recipe for Julie’s mom – who LOVES baking powder biscuits. (Me too!)

Easy-Peasy Tasty Biscuits

Cut together (as you would a pie crust):

1/3 C Butter Flavored Crisco

1 and 3/4  C Flour

2 and 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

3/4 teaspoon Salt

Then stir in 3/4 C milk until a soft dough forms. Plop down onto a baking sheet (not greased) and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. I plop down roughly 6 biscuits.  You can add anything to these – I’ve added chives, bacon, cheese…you name it!

I hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Crafting!!

Not a food blog…maybe a bread blog?

Click on the picture to be taken to the recipe. This has become a favorite around here! It is just so quick and easy to make and doesn’t require milk…I have teenagers…nuff said. I have probably made 10 loaves in the past two weeks! Sorry that this isn’t a “crafty” post – but this is an excellent opportunity to archive our favorite bread recipes. Not that I ever lose my cookbook or anything…OK – I lose it a the time! I’ll bring it with me into the office, or while sitting on the couch, or sometimes I’ll even have it in the KITCHEN…and totally lose track of it! Otherwise I’ve been making little felt wristlets…and swearing a lot…more on that next week! Happy Crafting – and have a wonderful weekend and Mother’s Day!!!

Since Wednesday…

I have made almost 4 lbs of butter (It’s good to make friends with the milk man) and used almost five pounds of flour making bread. This bread…This recipe is to die for!! And it’s low-fat! (Click the link or the picture to be taken to the recipe.)

The recipe is at BettyCrocker.com and it’s called a “Country Loaf”. It calls for bread flour but I don’t keep that on hand…instead I have Vital Wheat Gluten and add 4 tsp./loaf. It is soooo good. CRUSTY on the outside and SOFT on the inside. For my supper I spread a couple slices with pesto, topped with cheese and broiled until brown. Then I topped it with my favorite pasta sauce. Heaven in my mouth!! The kids liked it too – although they liked the grilled meat that was also served better. lol. My Betty Crocker is always my first stop when looking for a recipe. I’ve loved that cookbook since I’d look at my mom’s. Do you have a favorite cookbook, and if so what is it? I love Betty because the recipes are always basic…I always make it the way it’s shown the first time and then experiment after that.

I also tried to stamp on metal again…maybe I’ve found the craft that has finally stumped me…I’ll share pictures next week. lol.

Have a great weekend and Happy Crafting!!

Swedish Limpa Bread

I know, I know…you’re thinking this lady has no business posting food pictures! I’d retake the picture, however, the loaf is almost gone after packing lunches this morning!  But, I just had to show you the book that I got the recipe out of for this loaf of Swedish Limpa Bread. YUM! It is a hearty bread. If you like a crunchy crust and a chewy inside this is the bread for you! There is a similar recipe here. However, I didn’t use any molasses, and I used butter instead of shortening, and added 2 tsp of Caraway seeds. This is going to become a regular around here. I especially liked that there is very little fat in the recipe. Seriously, if you like to bake bread at all you have to try it! We (6 of us) devoured one loaf straight out of the oven with a smear of butter and some cheese. Heaven!

Now, I did jog three blocks and one foot yesterday. Then walked briskly for about 20 minutes. I also developed a mild case of shin splints. And…woke up at 3:30 AM because my body was in pain. Not my shins, my thighs. This is really such a surprise cause I thought I was in reasonable shape, not great shape, but reasonable…guess I was wrong!!

Laffy Taffy

Last night the kids, some good friends, and I made taffy. We used this taffy recipe from Skip to my Lou. It is awesome! The taffy is just right – chewy, but doesn’t stick to your teeth. I can see this is going to become a favorite!!

 

Here’s my notes: It takes a lot longer than you’d think to bring it to 250 degrees. I’d hold the boil for 30 seconds or so next time, maybe – I think I’ll research this a little before we do this again. I think I’ll also cool it faster – put it outside (in the winter) or in the fridge. You’ll use an entire stick of butter between what you use in the recipe and what you’ll use to butter your hands. Well, this was used between four kids and two adults. It pulls into stringy strands that you have to mush back together – this is to be expected. You’ll eat yourself sick…have supper first.

Happy crafting!!!

Morning Muffins

As you know this isn’t a food blog…any time I’ve taken a picture of food it ends up looking nasty and unappealing. Which is why there is no picture to go with this recipe. hehe. However, I am posting the recipe because I keep losing it!! I’ve called my patient mother-in-law no less than 9 times over the years for this recipe. Thank you! The best part about these muffins is that the mix can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months. I’ve never tested this – they are always gone within a week around here – but it is so easy to grease the muffin tins the night before, cover pan with a clean towel, and fill with muffin mix and bake the next morning…the kids and hubbie are impressed! (Before I baked mine this morning I sprinkled the tops with sugar and cinnamon) – so. good. Well, here it is:

16 oz Raisin Bran

3 C sugar

5 C flour

2 tsp salt

5 tsp baking soda

1 qt buttermilk

1 c oil

4 well-beaten eggs

Mix dry

Mix wet

Mix together

Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Can be stored in fridge for up to three months.

I’m Tired!

Canned I don’t know how many quarts/pints of pears with my sister over the weekend. Ugh. It was a marathon that lasted until 2:30 – 3:00 AM! That tired feeling has followed me ever since then. I cannot believe I didn’t take a picture.

But after being inspired by Julie’s sunset pictures I decided to share a sunset picture from Montana. The mountain featured in the photo is Lone Mountain. FYI – I took the picture in the parking lot of a gas station. A gas station! Just think about the view we usually have at a gas station. . . this is pure awesome!

Canning Season

I went to Julie’s yesterday and picked tomatoes and grapes. (God bless you Julie and thank you!! – my brown thumb just doesn’t produce much produce!) Then I came home and canned 4 and a half quarts of spaghetti sauce, and 20 jelly jars of grape jelly. Then I cleaned the kitchen. Then I fell into bed and slept a good sleep. I still have to remove the rings, and wipe the jars down but I’m NOT going to touch them until this evening. So far, everything “tinked” - “tink” it has to be one of the most musical sounds in the world. Now it is on to some more apples and this weekend will be a marathon pear-canning session. Tis the season to be busy!!!

Sugar waxing

Although there are a lot of great ideas on this wonderful internet – there aren’t many that make me want to make it right now!! Well, this one did make me want to make it right now!! Within a couple of hours of reading this post from Made by Petchy I was cooking up this sugar wax. I have to say it works great! My legs are so smooooooth! Yes, it stings to rip up the wax, but it is doable. I didn’t cry or anything. I had a sister try to wax my legs with some “regular” salon style wax and I have to say that hurt way more. Made By Petchy’s recipe translates to 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and one heaping tablespoon honey. Now, if your on my gift-giving list don’t make this. This is going to be part of your Christmas present. I know I’m ruining the surprise, but some of you will forget anyways (lol) and many more people may want to make the same thing. I can’t keep this wonderful idea to myself! Are you planning your Christmas gifts yet? I sure am – I have a few ideas up my sleeves – but I hope I can keep the most of them under wraps until Christmas – but I want to share the ideas too – oh the dilemma!!!

Just a note – make sure you cook this in a saucepan with plenty of room. I have an unholy mess fused to my cooktop cause it boiled over a couple times!

Smoked Chicken

My hubbie and a friend smoked 60 pounds of turkey legs over the weekend. They have been seal-a-mealed and now the guys are set for hunting season and ice-fishing weekends. Reminds me of Hagar the Horrible – some of those legs are HUGE! Anyways, even though I’m a vegetarian I appreciate meat, and decided to give this meat-smoking a try. We don’t have a smoker – they used the one that belonged to our friend. But – we do have a gas grill. A large gas grill. So here we go! First I followed the instructions here for how to smoke meat using a gas grill. Then I found this website to be very informative about smoking all kinds of meat. So first I made the brine. Then soaked the 3 1/2 pound chicken for 3 and a half hours. Then I got everything ready on the grill -

Is that just about the worst picture you’ve ever seen? The only reason I’m putting it out here is so you can see the placement of everything on the grill. The chicken is on a beer can chicken thingy – in a small roaster. The foil wrapped bread pan has one small hole in the top and is filled with some hickory wood chips and is placed directly on the burner. Then I let it smoke (with the lid closed) for about 3 and a half hours by using only the burner under the wood chip pan. After all that I served it and my husband said . . . it tasted like. . . like . . . chicken! Hrmph. I do have to say that the meat fell off the bone really easily. And now that I’ve done it I’ll probably do it again but this time soak in the brine for a couple days – at least. All in all, it was really easy – the leftover chicken has been added to pasta with bacon, black olives, and bacon ranch dressing with a dollop of Miracle Whip for extra creaminess. I think that has been a bigger hit than the chicken itself!!

Flat Bread

I am a fan of Martha Stewart. I don't watch her show very often or with any regularity but she is so calming to me. It's a good show to have in the background as you go about your life. Anyways, it was on the other day and this recipe caught my eye. I just love bread. So, I had to try it and it was soooo good now I have to share it. I didn't take a picture because we know I just can't do a good food picture (gotta work on that) - this picture is from Martha's website. You can go here for the recipe - you just have to try it if you love bread too! Some notes - I didn't use the filler they suggested. I used a grilled sweet red pepper, cucumber, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, vidalia onion, and a squirt of cucumber ranch dressing. It was HEAVEN in my mouth!!! I made the dough in my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook. You wouldn't have to - but it sure is quicker! Then I grilled the dough in my cast iron pan on the stove top. I have experimented a bit - like, I only grilled half of the dough and put the rest in the fridge overnight. It was fine. The next time I grilled it all up (I make a double batch at a time) and we are on day three of the flat bread being stored in a large Ziploc in the fridge and it still tastes great!! I'm sure it would freeze nicely - but it just doesn't last long enough around here to have any to freeze. (I've had to guard the ones in the fridge.) This winter I may make a quadruple batch and freeze half of it with some parchment paper between the slices. I'll let you know. It makes a perfect quick summer dinner. Just throw whatever you have in the fridge on it and roll it up. My hubbie took some to work today with some crab salad used for the filling. PB&J would be fine. Anything! Happy crafting!!

Hello!

There is so much going on right now! First off – what was brewing was this – look!

I bet you can’t guess what it is – I’ll tell you cause you’d NEVER guess, it’s Root Beer!  I found a recipe here and while it doesn’t look like Root Beer it tastes really good! I got the root beer extract from a local Watkins dealer. It was just under $5.00 for 2 oz. I think I’ll get 4 two liter bottles from that. While grocery shopping at WalMart I saw they also have the McCormick (spelling?) brand for under $4.00. What is really amazing is how fizzy it is! Just yeast, sugar, extract, and water and it is as fizzy as any bottled soda! You can also get lots of other flavors – strawberry for example. I think we’ll try them all!! It was very easy. VERY easy! 

This is another project I’ve been working on. It didn’t turn out like the picture in my head said it was going to turn out. Look -

It’s a paper mache bowl. Oops an extra blue star is on the bottom – but you get the idea. I made it with tissue paper and glue. I used up a lot of the glue the kids brought to school and didn’t finish. Here is a view of the outside of the bowl.

There has to be about 6 layers, or more, of tissue paper I purchased at the dollar store. The paper for the stars was purchased there too! I put a layer of tissue paper over the stars to help keep them from peeling off. All in all it is just busy around here. This week will be spent getting ready for the 4th of July – which is a favorite family holiday. The day will be spent with friends and family.

Here is an example of one of the crafts I did last year – my son and his friend are in this picture, and they rode on the top of a fire truck with my husband in the parade. I wanted them to look like firecrackers. I got these table-toppers at the dollar store and wired them onto their hats. Gabe thought he just looked like a table-topper. I thought he was an adorable firecracker! I think we’ll be doing the same thing this year – maybe expanding on the idea a bit. So much to do – so little time!!! Have a great week and a safe and FUN 4th of July!!

Granola and snow

I came across this recipe for granola and since we were out of cereal and I'm tired of making oatmeal we gave it a try. It is a hit!!! I halved the recipe because my oatmeal supply is running low and I don't have wheat germ so I used some whole wheat flour and we added raisins for some more sweetness. I am a little bothered by how much oil is required - instead of a half a cup I used a third. I can understand why you need so much oil but it still goes against the grain. Next time I'm going to substitute some peanut butter for some of the oil. The picture shows how much we have left after snacking on it yesterday, having it for breakfast today, and packing it as a snack at school for today. I think this will be a regular thing around here - instant oatmeal - hmmmm - I wonder how it would taste with some hot milk poured on it on those cold winter mornings? Sorry my food-picture-taking abilities are so bad - hard to make food look appetizing with the camera - but it sure looked good in the cereal bowl.

The other two pictures were taken yesterday morning after a wet and heavy snow fell. Aren't the trees beautiful?

Bagel brats

So my Uber-Hunter left me for three days recently to go ice-fishing way up north. What does the Uber-Crafter do when left alone? . . . She paints the kitchen and turns the house upside down! I mixed four cans of paint together and got a lovely shade of green. I really like it! I also cooked up a storm so he could bring food with him and I could have all the meals already prepared for the kids. It is nice to take a vacation from supper. One of the successes was bagel brats. I used this recipe for Boiled bagels and wrapped the dough around brats. You wrap the dough around the brat right before you boil the dough. They turned out great and it was so nice to have supper done - the kids could just microwave one whenever they were hungry. I may have used too much dough per brat because they were really thick but there were no complaints. I also made a few bagels. I like to substitute the salt in the recipe with garlic salt. They are so yummy. I think I better go make some more now. Happy crafting! Sorry the picture is so dark - I took it at supper time when it is generally just dark around here. And maybe green wasn't the best choice for a background. Oh-well, live and learn.