"rowing" Boxes for Katje

Tonight we made boiled dinner in the crock pot. To go along with the book we made cabbage and potatoes (with carrots and venison and spices). Did I mention I cannot stand the odor of cooking cabbage. I can eat it if I don't have to smell it! AUGGGHHH! It was an aweful smell. But I never let the kids see my face.  Tippy-toe is like me. I will reheat it tommorro for dinner. We were gone today so it was a good day to cook a meal ahead. Boiled dinner is always better heated up anyway.

halloween count down

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a fall favorite of my family we always roasted them plain when I was growing up but I wanted to try this new recipe I found here.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons worchestire
3 shakes garlic salt (this is a "man" measurement so around 1/8 tsp)
3 shakes onion powder (around 1/8 tsp)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Rinse seeds under cold water and make sure all of the strings and pulp are removed. Drain well. Stir seeds with melted butter, worchestire, garlic salt, and onion powder in a small bowl making sure they are fully coated. Place seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 - 60 minutes (or until brown and crispy) stirring every 20 minutes.

Bean soup

 Bean Soup I found the recipe here and decided to adapt it a bit to use up some beans I already had in the cupboard. Mine will not have all the beans on this list. My Mother's bean soup was just great northern beans and no veggies. If I added carrots or celery she told me "that is vegetable soup not bean soup".
Ingredients for the mix (original recipe)
Baby lima beans, dried ¬- 1 lb
Barley pearls - 1 lb
Black beans, dried - 1 lb
Black eyed peas, dried - 1 lb
Great northern beans, dried - 1 lb
Green split peas, dried - 1 lb
Lentils, dried - 1 lb
Lima beans, large, dried - 1 lb
Navy beans, dried - 1 lb
Pinto beans, dried - 1 lb
Red beans, dried - 1 lb
Soy beans, dried - 1 lb
Yellow split peas, dried - 1 lb

Combine all dried beans and store in airtight containers until ready to use.(I just put mine in pint size canning jars for the couples and in quart size for the larger families I put two bouillion cubes on top in the pints and three in the quarts for my gift jars at the same time.)

Ingredients for the soup 
Dried bean mixture, 2 C
Garlic cloves, minced – 1-2
Hot pepper, fresh, coarsely chopped - 1
Lemon juice - 1/4 C
Onion, chopped - 1 large
Salt, ¾ tsp
Ground pepper - 1/4 tsp
Whole canned tomatoes, undrained & coarsely chopped - 16 oz can
Water, 2 quarts
Ham to season, if desired - The original recipe called for 1 ham hock. (That is how my mother made hers.It's the bone that is the secret ingredient to a better soup broth... so if using beef Aimee get a bone in the cut of meat.)

Sort & wash the beans, place in a Dutch oven, and cover with water 2" above beans. Soak overnight.(older beans will require longer soaking and another water change)

Drain beans & add 2 quarts hot water, ham, salt, & pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, & reduce heat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Add remaining ingredients, simmer an additional 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper to taste. Add lemon juice before serving.

 Made Black bean soup tonight with ham hock,chicken stock, black beans, red pepper, and leeks seasoned with parsley, and salt. Put it all in the crock pot on high for 4 hours. The fresh beans turned everything in the pot black. Tasted so good with a batch of cornbread.  We bought the leeks(2/1.00), beans(2.00/bag), and peppers(3/1.00) fresh from the farmers market. I love to make food FRESH in SEASON from the LOCAL farmer's market and the recipe above was my inspiration when I saw the beans at the market I had to buy some. The good thing about fresh beans is they do not require soaking overnight. The ham hock I had in the freezer $1.00/lb, the chicken broth was $1.75, red pepper $0.33, leek $0.50 that is about $3.58 for a crock pot full of soup. Enough to fill up my family of 6 tonight with leftovers for lunches.

Dumplings for my little dumplings

I made the kids dumplings for a warm fall supper the other night. I had forgotten how simple and filling these little things are to make and eat. Cam and Tippy-toe each had two bowls. I wound up making a second batch.
My Broth
1 large can of chicken broth, 1/2 to 3/4 can of water,1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, a pinch of salt. Boil. For the dumplings I just followed a recipe I found on all recipes.com
Cam said they tasted like my homemade noodles. Only it was 20 minuets to make them! Easy and filling for those little tummies on cool fall evenings. And the cost was minimal the only thing I bought was the broth.The real secret is the poultry seasoning added to the broth to give it that chicken flavor. Enjoy!

suppers ready

My Mom's Spanish rice is in the oven
2 cups water to 1 cup rice bring to a boil turn off stove then let set 10 minuets covered on the burner.
I made 4 cups rice which is enough to fill grandmas baking bowl and have a little white rice left over to use later. Fry 1 # venison burger add spices I use parsley, garlic powder,taco seasoning, salt pepper and worcheshire sauce. 1 quart home canned tomatoes. Mix in bowl bake at 350 for 30 minuets.

smore cupcakes yum yum

S'Mores Cupcakes
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 "Family Size" box Pilsbury Fudge Brownies
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

20 graham crackers
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag unsweetened mini chocolate chips

2 cans Marshmallow Fluff
2 Hershey Bars (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for "cake like" brownies (3 eggs instead of 2). Set aside batter.

Combine graham crackers and sugar in a food processor or blender and pulse until the crackers are crushed into small, even crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse again until mixture is crumbly but becomes firm when pressed.

Drop 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and use a small glass to press them down until evenly spread and firm. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips on top of graham crust in each cupcake. Place cupcake pans in the oven for about 5 minutes to firm graham crusts and begin melting the chocolate.

Remove pans from oven and fill each muffin cup with brownie batter until 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle each cupcake with another teaspoon of chocolate chips and a Tablespoon of graham mixture. Place tins in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.

Place muffin tins on a rack until the cupcakes are cooled. Meanwhile, fill a pastry bag or quart-sized zipper bag with marshmallow fluff. When cupcakes have cooled, pipe a small amount of frosting on top of each cake. Do not overfrost, as the fluff will ooze as it settles onto the cakes.

Turn oven to broil setting and place muffin tins, one at a time, under broiler approximately 1 inch from the flame. Watch the cakes closely to make sure they puff and brown but do not burn. This may only take a few seconds! Shift tin as needed to make sure the marshmallow browns evenly. Repeat with the second tin. If desired, once cupcakes are completely cooled, top each with a piece of Hershey's chocolate.

Serve with lots of napkins....or a hose.

Monkey bread in a Jar

Monkey Bread {baked in 8 ounce mason jars} Makes 4 servings
What you’ll need:
10 refrigerated biscuits – cut into quarters
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mason jars with cooking spray and place them into a deep sided baking tray.
2. Into a bowl, add: sugars, and cinnamon. Whisk together to combine. Place cut biscuits pieces into sugar mixture. Toss to combine and coat well.
3. Evenly distribute coated biscuit pieces between the jars. Adding a little extra of the sugar mixture as  you go. Fill only 3/4 of the way up the jar {to allow for bread to rise and not overflow}
4. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until monkey bread has risen and is golden and bubbly. Allow jars to cool slightly prior to serving.
found this here gotta try it!

Bee's Wax Polish

I found this recipe at Plain and Joyful Living

This polish is non-toxic and food grade quality which means you can use it to periodically seal all of your wooden spoons, bowls, or as a furniture polish.

Gather together 1 ounce of beeswax and cut into small pieces, 8 ounces of olive oil (about 1 cup) and essential oils if desired (lemon or lavender work well).

In a double boiler (we used a can in a pot of boiling water), add the beeswax pieces and melt. To this add the 4 ounces of olive oil and turn the heat to medium-low. Continue to heat until the wax and oil are blended. If desired add 2 - 4 drops of essential oil.

Pour into a clean jar and cap.

Homemade dishwasher soap

I found this recipe from rockin granola
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
1 Cup of Borax
1 Cup Baking Soda (I used Washing Soda)
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Citric Acid (You can purchase "Fresh Fruit" in the canning isle. It is a produce protector or you can puchase 15 packets of lemon Kool-aid, the unsweetened kind, and that works as well.)
Mix all ingredients in a container and voila! dshwasher detergent! Use 1 Tbsp per load PLUS add some vinegar to the rinse aid portion of your dishwasher (this keeps the plastic from getting a cloudy look) and wash away!
I may have to try this!

There are many versions of the Coffee Mug Cake out there, but this recipe comes from

Homemade mamma's website looks like even Aimee could make it hummmm????



What You Need:
4 Tbsp. Self-Rising Flour
4 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Oil
3 Tbsp. Milk
2 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa
3 Tbsp. Chocolate Chips
1 Egg
1 Splash of Vanilla
1 Large Coffee Mug

First, mix all your dry ingredients in your mug, then add the egg. Mix well, then add the milk and oil, mixing some more. Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla. Pop your batter-filled mug into the microwave and let it cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes (it will puff up over the top of the mug, so don't be worried when you see that). Once it's done you can eat it right out of the mug...
 thought  of you when I saw this Aimee!

apple pizza

At the 4 c's I found this wonderful recipe to make with the little kids today.

Apple Pizza


Apple Topping:

2 tablespoons butter
2 large cooking apples
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and slice the apples. Melt butter in skillet, add apples, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Simmer 15 minutes, then cool.


Cheese Topping:

4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix in a bowl and set aside.

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup soft butter

Mix in a bowl and set aside.

Crust:

2 3/4 to 3 cups flour
1 package dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Blend 1 1/2 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Heat water, milk, and butter until very warm; add to flour mixture and beat three minutes. By hand, stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rise 15 minutes. Pat dough onto a large oiled pizza pan, forming a rim around the edge. Spread on cheese topping, then apple topping over cheese; sprinkle with streusel topping. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Serves 16.

Making Moonsand

Cam's moonsand got destroyed by the littles and she's wanted more ever since. I just found a recipe and want to record it here so we can make it soon.


Moonsand

9 cups play sand in color--crayola brand found at walmart
3 cups corn starch
2 1/2 cups water--start with 2 1/4 and add more to desired consistancy
Mix well.

(ratio of corn starch to sand 1:3)

This looks like simple fun for all the four littles.

I found this recipe at www.skiptomylou.org