A Fall Apple treat & Thanks

Today I am Thankful for...

.Bright Red, Crisp Apples.
.I do love a good apple.

.For little hands which are eager to help.

.For bright smiles.

.For joyful hearts.
.For the awe of trying something new.

.For yummy fall snacks.

.For children who giggle with delight.

.I am thankful I am a mom.

What are you Thankful for today?

Pumpkin Cake

I normally do not bake with packaged foods, however this recipe intrigued me, so I had to give it a try. It is incredibly quick to assemble, and surprised me on how good it tasted. I think it would go well with a side of cinnamon ice cream. A good seasonal last minute dessert to keep in mind.

• 29 oz canned pumpkin ~ I used fresh pumpkin from our garden
  
• 12 oz evaporated milk
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice ~ I did not have so I used a mixture of cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg
  
• 1 yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
• 3/4 cup melted butter

Heat oven to 350*. Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar & spices, mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Drizzle butter over the dry cake mix. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until done through.

The cake is not fluffy & airy like traditional cake. It is similar in consistency to pumpkin pie with topping.

Banana Cream Birthday Pie

His father talked him in to this.

He did loved it.
even wanted it for breakfast :)
Sunday he will get a Batman cake when he has his friend party.
Best of both worlds, pie & cake!

Homemade Banana Cream Pie

1 pat in pie crust - easiest ever
Oh yes, get yourself one of those cream whippers pictured in that post! We use ours all of the time!

Filling:
1 cup 2% milk*
1 1/2 cups cream*

4 egg yolks
1/4 tsp ground vanilla beans
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp banana extract
6 T flour
3/4 - 1 cup sugar**
pinch of salt
2 - 3 bananas

Directions:
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. In a separate bowl, mix milk, cream and yolks. Pour milk mixture into sauce pan. Whisking constantly, cook on med/high heat until the mixture is thick. Remove from heat, add ground vanilla, vanilla extract & banana extract. Pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a film from developing on top. Let cool at room temp for 30 minutes. Stir, then spoon 1/3 of pudding into pie crust. Top with sliced bananas. Cover bananas with another layer of pudding, top with slice bananas, top with remaining pudding. Cover. Refrigerate until cold. Serve with whipped cream.

* You can use 2 1/2 cups whole milk instead of cream.
** If using cream I would reduce sugar to 3/4 cup to prevent the pie from being too rich. I would use 3/4 cups anyway :)

Favorite Things~ Cookbooks

I use these all the time.
Can you tell?

King Arthur is my favorite baking/info go to book.

Super Baby Food has a wealth of information about feeding babies and simple healthy recipes.

Simply In Season is a cookbook organized by the four seasons. The recipes in each season consist of the foods available in that season.

Recipes From The Old Mill is full of tried and true recipes made from whole grains. Some of our favorite bread and dinner rolls have come from this book. I have altered many of the recipes, replacing white flour for whole wheat or another whole grain flour, with great results. The first time we tried making crackers was from a recipe found in The Old Mill.

The Cake Bible has amazing pictures and even better cake recipes. It is very detailed and I simply LOVE this book. My favorite cheesecake recipe is within it's pages.

The Complete Meat Cookbook is a must if you get sick of casserole cooking. Very detailed, it explains: cuts of meat and their best uses, tenderizing techniques, marinates, rubs and proper cooking. After purchasing this book, I have taken grilling, broiling, sauteing, and baking of our meat to a juicy, new level.

Nourishing Traditions takes the reader and cook back in time. Reintroducing methods which people used long before modern conveniences were readily available. If you've ever wondered what some of the ingredients on your favorite processed foods are, you'll be shocked when you find out.

366 Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains is a great addition if you desire to go meatless one or two nights a week, or if you simply want to add more rice, beans, and grains to your diet.

What are your favorite cookbooks?

Rhubarb Crisp

in the winter.
Yes-Sir-Ree
My taste buds are jumping with joy because I froze rhubarb last summer.
.warm.
.sweet.
.sour.
A perfect treat for a cold winter day.


Mix until crumbly:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup regular oatmeal
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Set aside.

Dice 4 cups rhubarb (I normally use more like 5 or 6)

To make syrup:
In a saucepan,(whisk together sugar and cornstarch before adding liquids)
combine:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cook until thick and clear.

*Place half of the crumbs in a greased 9 inch pan. Spoon diced rhubarb over the crumbs. Pour syrup over rhubarb, top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350* for 45 - 50 minutes.

Yummy!!

white chocolate party mix

Ingredients

1. 1 - 14 oz box corn chex
2. 1 - 14 oz box rice chex
3. 1 - 16 oz bag pretzels
   
4. 2 1/2 pounds white chocolate or white almond bark, white chocolate is so much better, but a bit pricey!
   

Mix dry ingredients in a very large bowl.

Melt chocolate and pour over dry ingredients. Stir or mix with your hands until all of the dry ingredients are covered.
Spread out to dry.
Store in an air tight container or zip lock bag.
We normally freeze ours until we are ready to eat it.

KA Apple Cake

My children get giddy when I pull out the apple corer.
They fight over the peels,
silly kids.

We always have fun with it when we pull it out.
Our apples turn into springs, worms and slinkies.

Yesterday we made apple cake.
I used a recipe I found in my KAF cookbook. You can find the recipe here from King Arthur Flour.

I made a few adjustments. Why stick to the recipe right?

• I used half whole wheat flour. Next time I will use all whole wheat. It is a dense cake and I don't think all whole wheat will effect it. (remember I am grinding my ww flour, NOT buying it, HUGE difference!!)
• I used real butter instead of shortening.
  
• I didn't not add nuts.
• I used about 1/3 cup less sugar.
  
• I added maple syrup to my icing. Then read the reviews and noticed other did too. It must have been a good idea :)

Hope you enjoy it!

Busy Times

Last week I had the privilege of making goodies for the staff Christmas party at church.
I had a blast baking for them!!

My children helped by:
Sprinkling Sugar

Taste testing

Frying and Sugaring Rosettes

Instructing me how to decorate

Sampling the crumbs

And asking...

How they could become staff :)

Fall Food

I love the smell of pumpkin meshed with cinnamon oozing from my oven. It reminds me of when I was a child. My sister and I were experts at sneaking food from the pan and rearranging the bars, frosting or topping to appear like we didn't. I am sure my mom knew, because I can know tell when my children do the same thing, but she rarely said anything. I hate to admit it, buuuuuut.......
I've done it as an adult too, with my sister as an accomplice.
I guess somethings we never out grow :)

If you are having company and want to make your house smell delicious, try these easy pumpkin bars. I pared them with dense granola bars.

Pumpkin bars

1. Beat:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
  

2: Mix in:

• 15 oz pumpkin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
  

3. Add:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
  

4. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350* for 20 - 25 minutes.

5. Frost with a cream cheese icing*. I drizzled colored icing** over the bars to dress them up.
*Icing: Cream 4 oz cream cheese, 4 oz softened butter, vanilla, 2 - 4 T milk, and enough powdered sugar to make a thick icing. **Warm icing slightly to thin, color then drizzle.

Granola Bars

1. Mix together in a large bowl:

1 cup blended graham crackers
4-5 cups oatmeal (more oatmeal will be drier bars, less oatmeal, sticker bars)
4 1/2 cups rice crispies

2. Set aside above mixture.

3. In a large sauce pan, melt together:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey

4. Add:

24 oz mini marshmallows

5. Stir, on low heat, until marshmallows melt.

6. Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and stir well.

7. Mix in:

2 cups raisins or diced dried fruit

1 cup chopped peanuts, optional
1 cup chocolate chips*, optional

8. Press in to a greased jelly roll pan.
* if you mix in the chocolate chips before the mixture cools your chips will melt. I sprinkle them on top and then press the chocolate chips down in so they stick.

Candy Apples

An easy, delicious dessert.
Not healthy, but none the less, tasty!

It is best to use a firm, tart, apples such as Granny Smith. The apples we used were from the orchard, I can't remember the variety. You will see in the final picture, our baked apples didn't hold their shape. A firmer apple will hold it's shape and will look nicer after being baked.

Start by halving and scooping out the centers. I used a small cookie scoop to dig out the seeds.

Next make a crumb mixture of:

• 2/3 cup soft butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup flour

Remove about 1/2 cup or a little more and set aside. To the remaining add 1/3 cup melted butter and stir together. Your mixture should look wet. Fill the apples with the wet mixture.

Sprinkle the dry crumbs on top of the apples.

Bake at 350* for 30- 40 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Serve warm.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

There is something irresistible about an oatmeal cookie. My taste buds really like the oaty, chewy, brown sugary, goodness that comes with each bite. They are very heartwarming on a cold, dreary, day. ~ None of which today is, but none the less, these are going to get made soon.

No, I didn't bake the cookies pictured above. My good ole' baking buddy Martha did.
Yes, I'll admit it, I subscribe to Martha Stewart's 'Cookie of the Day' recipe email. She's got some great recipes.
So if you're looking for some heartwarming goodness, go here to try these. And if you get a batch whipped up before me, would you mind dropping a few off at my house? Thanks!

A summer treat

What can you make with these?

Flip Flops of course!

Aren't they just the cutest things ever!

I stole the idea from Family Fun. Check it out!

Cherry Bars

I'm all about healthy eating. You'll find organic dairy products and produce in my kitchen. Grass fed beef and organic poultry in my freezer. I have a vegetable garden and an orchard. I even order organic wheat berries by the 50# bag so I can grind our flour.
However, I live by the 90/10 rule.
90% of the time we eat healthy so the remaining 10% of the time, we can have a treat or two. Yes, occasionally, we eat donuts and go to the ice cream shop and (sometimes) we even, GASP, eat fast food.

It's all about moderation.

But, buy treats? No way! Make them yourself! When you make them, YOU control the ingredients. Here are a few simple changes that will help your treats become a tad bit healthier...

Use aluminum free baking powder
Change from regular white flour to unbleached to cut back on unwanted chemicals in your food.
Add part whole wheat flour to dense cookies, bars and cakes, it's hardly noticeable.
Use butter instead of margarine, it really is healthier!
Buy farm fresh free range eggs instead of eggs from the grocery store.
Make fruit filling and pie filling from fresh or frozen fruit or use homemade jam.
Make your own frosting, don't buy the canned stuff! Who knows what they put in that junk.

More healthy tips later...
Now for the recipe.

An easy, quick summer BBQ dessert.

• 1 cup plus 1 T oil
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• approx 5 cups (canned if desired) pie filling. I used cherry, use whatever your taste buds desire
  

* Cream sugar and eggs. Add oil and mix until smooth and oil is distributed evenly. Add flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla, mix well. Reserve 1 1/2 cups batter. Spread the rest over the bottom of a greased jelly roll pan. Spread pie filling over batter. Drop remaining batter, 1 T at a time, over pie filling. Bake at 350* for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool. Drizzle with powdered sugar icing*.

*Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
vanilla extract
enough milk to make a thick drizzle-able consistency

Rhubarb Pie

I'll just be honest...
Pies scare me.
I dread making them.
I am not very good at it.
I don't really like pie.
The crust thing is intimidating.
I'd much rather whip up a batch of cookies than a pie.

BUT,
my family likes pie,
I like a challenge,
and so I continue to try.
picture strategically taken so you cannot see the flaws :)

The Filling
3 cups diced rhubarb (I used a little more, maybe closer to 3 1/2 - 4)
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 T flour, rounded
1 LG egg
*Beat egg. Mix well with sugar and flour. The mixture will be thick. Spoon over rhubarb and mix well. Put in unbaked pie shell. Cover with a crumb mixture* or top crust. Bake @ 425* for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350* and bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the rhubarb is soft.

The Crust: You have two options.
1. No roll pat in crust, my favorite, can we say, EASY!
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 T milk
1/2 cup oil
*Mix together until it forms a ball. Pat into an ungreased pie pan. Top with a crumb topping mixture.
Crumb Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
*Combine sugar and flour. Cut in butter to make crumbs. Sprinkle on top of pie before baking. Cover with tin foil if it is browning too quickly.

2. Flaky Roll out crust.
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup very cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water (I measure out water and add ice chunks)

1. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening. The mixture should form small even crumbs.
   
2. Cut the cold butter in leaving pea sized or larger chunks of butter.
   
3. Add ice cold water 2 T at a time. Tossing with a fork to moisten dough evenly. You've added enough water when a chunk of dough, squeezed in your hand sticks together easily. You should see visible fat chunks. Don't over mix.
   
4. Divide the dough in half. Form into two balls, flatten to one inch thickness. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30+ minutes.
   
5. Unwrap dough and roll out on a floured surface. Roll the dough approx 3-4 inches larger than the inside diameter of your pie crust. Roll from the center outward with as few of rolls as possible.
6. Press into pie pan. Fill with filling. Bake as recipe directs.
   

With our extra dough, we like to make mini pastries. Cut dough with cookie cutters, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and bake at 415* for 8 - 12 minutes or until crispy.

Strawberry Pie

My strawberry patch is in full production mode. I've been picking 1 - 2 gallons a day of beautiful, red, juicy berries, and that's after the kids raid it! It won't last much longer, but we are enjoying every bite of it.

Really, what could be better than fresh, juicy, strawberries with fresh whipped cream?
Not much!

Speaking of fresh whipped cream...
Do you have one of these?
It's a cream whipper.
I love mine!
Just pour in fresh cream, a little powdered sugar and vanilla extract, if you wish. And WaLa! Whipped cream.
Put one on your Christmas list if you don't have one.
You'll love it!

I know I promised a Rhubarb Pie recipe, and it's coming, but this is a new recipe we tried for Strawberry Pie. It turned out very tasty. However, it doesn't look as nice as my other recipe. That is why you need to top it with Fresh Whipped Cream ;)
The difference between the two recipes is the 'new' recipe doesn't have strawberry jello added. If you are trying to stay away from artificial ingredients then this is the way to go.

Ingredients and Directions:
1 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1 cup mashed strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice or 1/2 cup water or an additional 1 cup of mashed strawberries (I used the extra strawberries)

*Mix sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add mashed strawberries and liquid or additional cup of mashed strawberries. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and add:
2 T lemon juice
*Let cooked mixture cool.

Once the mixture is room temperature gently stir in:
6 cups diced strawberries
*Pour into a prebaked pie crust.
I use a pat in crust .
Flaky roll out pie crust recipe will come with the rhubarb pie recipe.

Top with whipped cream before serving.

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

I am not a fan of chocolate.
Seriously, these almost make me gag.
BUT, I know many people love chocolate and I was making cookies (34 dozen to be exact) for church. I wanted to make a variety, and I thought the dark color would add dimension to the tray.

Note: Mine are boring, Gabrielle's are colorful.

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies
(I changed a few things, my changes are after the recipe)

2 cups flour
1/2 cup Dutch Processed cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp instant coffee
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
16 oz melted semisweet chocolate, cooled
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Whisk together eggs, vanilla and instant coffee, set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
3. Add egg mixture to butter mixture. Mix until incorporated.
4. Beat in melted chocolate, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well.
5. Add baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well.
   
6. Add flour until combined.
7. Stir in chocolate chips.
8. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. The mixture will thicken.
   
9. Drop dough onto parchment lined baking sheet. I used my medium cookie scoop which holds 2 T of dough.
   
   
10. Bake at 350* for 8 - 10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set, and the tops are cracked but centers are still soft and slightly underdone.
    
11. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Makes 4-5 dozen medium sized cookies.
    

My Changes:

• used slightly less instant coffee, about 1 1/2 tsp
  
• I didn't have enough brown sugar so I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• I used milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet, but kept the melted chocolate semisweet
  
• I added 1 cup white chocolate chunks and reduced the milk chocolate chips to 1 1/2 cups

Big & Chewy CC Cookies

I LOVE reading recipe books, analyzing the recipes and scoping out new ones to try.
You can only imagine my excitement when my recent Amazon purchase came!
.Three.New.Cookbooks.
It was like Christmas in March!
I'd read rave reviews about the Chocolate Chip Cookie

recipe from 'The American Test Kitchen' cookbook, some said that recipe itself was worth the price of the book. I wanted to try it right away. It looked similar to my recipe with the exception of the melted butter, that intrigued me, and using 2 egg yolks in addition to 2 eggs.
What would melting the butter do to the texture?
Would the extra fat provided by the yolks improve the final result?

The verdict?
They definitely looked good, they were thick, not thin and flat. The texture was perfect in my opinion: not flaky, not crunchy, but tender. Maybe not quite as sweet as I am accustomed to, but not bad. Try them and let me know what you think.

Big And Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 1/3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup melted butter, cooled
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 lg eggs
2 lg egg yolks
1 T vanilla
12 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional (I used)

Preheat oven to 350*
Beat melted butter and sugars until combined. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to first mixutre, mix until all of the flour is combined. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop onto parchment lined, or lightly greased, cookie sheets. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are golden but the center are still soft and puffy. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 - 10 minutes before removing.

**The original recipe say to roll 1/4 cup balls of dough, place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 325* for 17 - 20 minutes. I wanted smaller cookies, so I made my cookies the 'normal' size, increased my oven temperature, and reduced the baking time.