10/31/11

Quick Tip

Here is a quick tip from here.

When buying cabbage, look for heads that appear heavier than their size with crisp leaves. 



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10/30/11

The Perfect Meal, Part I

Last night I made Chicken, french fries, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream!  I am going to do three parts, one for each item to share what I made.   The first is... chicken!  I was just experimenting with different ingredients and came up with this.  I had breast and it was moist, flavorful, and amazing!!!

Seasoned Chicken:

Brine:

1 whole chicken
2 qt. water

1/2 cup Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Seasoned salt
1 tbsp. dred Chives (optional)
1 tsp. dried Oregano
2 tsp. Chili powder
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Set the chicken in a bowl filled with 2 qt. water and add all the other ingredients above.  Stir the mixture every once in a while.  Keep the chicken in the bowl for about 1 hour.

 Drain all the water out of the chicken, cut in half, and set on a baking sheet skin side up.

Seasoning:

2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp Seasoned salt
2 tsp. dried Oragano
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Butter

Rub seasoning on chicken and place in the oven on 350 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours.  Make sauce after the chicken is put in the oven.



Sauce:

2 tbsp. Butter
1/2 tsp All-spice
1/2 tsp dried Sweet basil
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Olive oil

Mix all of the ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat until butter is melted.  When the chicken is half done, brush on half of the sauce.


When the chicken is done brush on the rest of the sauce.
Finished Product! Enjoy! :)

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10/26/11

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are amazing chocolate chip cookies!!!  Here is where I found the recipe.  This was the first time that I have ever heard of cornstarch in cookies, and they tasted really good!!!  YUM! YUM!

Chocolate chip cookies

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semi sweet, and it tasted fine.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color.  Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer that ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  Enjoy!


After putting eggs and vanilla in.  (I made a double batch.)


Mixing after dry ingredients were added.

Adding the chocolate chips.

FInished product!
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10/25/11

Olive Oil Bread! Yum!!

Here is an amazing recipe that we got from a woman that goes to our church.  This is a great and easy bread that tastes amazing!

Olive oil bread

Makes 1 large loaf

6 cups unbleached white bread flour
3 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast
about 600 ml room temperature water
100 ml olive oil
extra flour for dusting

Large baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil.

  Combine flour and salt in large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.  In small bowl, cream the yeast to a smooth liquid with 3 Tbsp of water.  Pour the yeast liquid into the well of flour and add most of the remaining water.  Quickly mix with a dough hook, then pour in the oil and continue mixing until the dough comes together.  Add remaining water if necessary, the dough should be fairly soft, but should hold its shape and not stick to fingers.  (Add flour if it does.)  Mix the dough in your mixer for 5 to 6 minute on medium high speed or if you want to get a arm workout, you can knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes.  Place in a large bowl, cover with damp towel until doubled in size, about 2 hours.  ( I did this step in our warming drawer on low heat for 1 hour.) Turn out the dough on a floured surface and shape.  You can braid or twist it.  (This time I did three big rolls.)  Let rise another hour.  (Again, I put it in our warming drawer for 20 minutes.)  Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes THEN another 18 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Enjoy!

After the wet ingredients were poured into the well.


The dough before its first rise.


The dough AFTER its first rise.


Finished product


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10/24/11

Cheese ball gone weird...

I think this cheese ball is just a little over the top, and really disturbing...

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10/23/11

Awesome Braid


Do a normal braid, then hold onto the middle strand and push the 2 sides up the braid.  For more details go to here.  Enjoy! Pin It

10/21/11

Halloween Treats!


I know these are meant for a classroom, but I think they would make great treats for a halloween party!  Don't they look adorable?... and good? Pin It

10/19/11

Pumpkin Roll

I have to say that pumpkin roll is one of the greatest foods in the world.  I found this recipe in a old Amish cookbook.  We devoured it quickly...

Pumpkin Roll:

1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I didn't put them in)

Mix dry ingredients.  Add eggs and pumpkin.  Grease a cookie sheet and line with wax paper.  Sprinkle with nuts if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Flip baked mixture onto tea towel that is sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Remove wax paper immediately and roll in tea towel.  Cool.

Filling:

2 tsp. butter
8 oz.  cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients until creamy.  Spread on cooled, unrolled pumpkin cake.  Re roll and refrigerate.  Enjoy!

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10/15/11

Puppy chow!

Have you ever had puppy chow?!?  If not, you don't know what you are missing.  If you like chocolate and sugar you will love this.  Here's a recipe that I found.  Enjoy!

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10/12/11

Quick Tip

Here are some awesome quick grilling tips from The Reluctant Gourmet 


1. To keep poultry from drying out, grill with bone in and baste continuously.




2.Poultry dark meat takes longer than white meat so start it sooner.
Sear chicken on the skin side first.



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10/11/11

Sweet Nuggets!

 Here is a recipe for sweet chicken nuggets. The taste is similar to Chick-fil-A's nuggets. They were so yummy!

I didn't have any Canola or Peanut oil so I tried to make them with lard.  I don't think the taste was bad, but I think the coloring was a little different than what it should have been.  Enjoy!

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10/10/11

Kittens!

  On Friday 3 little kittens were born!!!  My cat Orchid (I love orchids) had 3 little kittens!  2 calico and 1 orange one.  Aren't they adorable?!?



P.S. Do you have any name suggestions???  The 2 calicos are girls.  I don't know about the orange one. Pin It

10/6/11

Newspaper Nails

I want my nails to look like this!!!  Can't wait to try it!      

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10/5/11

Penny floor

  Isn't this penny floor so cool?  I just can't imagine having to place every penny on this floor by hand.  The only thing I want to know is how the pennys are stuck to the floor.  Hum... I can't figure it out.

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BBQ Chicken!

Yesterday my mom took our meat chickens to be butchered.  So yesterday afternoon I helped her weigh and bag 118 chickens.  So of course we had to have chicken last night for supper!  I made BBQ chicken for the first time EVER and I created the recipe!

BBQ Chicken:
2 halved chickens thawed
2 Tbsp butter softened

Spice rub:
Tbsp Parsley 
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Garlic salt

Sauce:
1 cup Barbecue sauce
1/2 cup Ketchup 
3 Tbsp Worcestershire
3 tsp Jalapeno mustered (you could use just regular mustered, but I wanted a spicier sauce.)
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 tsp Chili powder

Preheat oven on 350 F.  Lay halved chickens on a cookie sheet.  Rub 2 Tbsp butter on the chickens.  Mix all your spice ingredients for the spice rub in a bowl.  Spread the spices all over the chickens, then rub them in with your hands.  Put the chickens in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes.  After 45 min brush on 1/3 of the sauce.  Put it back in the oven for 45 minutes.  (The cook time could vary depending on your oven.)  Turn your grill on high.  When the chickens come out of the oven brush on another 1/3 of the sauce.  Put the chickens on the grill, skin side up.  Cook for 5 minutes then flip so the skin side is down.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Watch to make sure that the chickens don't burn.  After that put them back on the baking sheet, brush on the last of the sauce, then serve.  Enjoy!

                                                                After the spice rub.


After the first 45 minutes and the first coat of sauce.

Second coat of sauce.

                                                                Finished product!


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10/3/11

More Hair tutorials!

Here are some more hair tutorials that I found from Pinterest!  Enjoy!











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Starry Night

No, I didn't make this cake.  Its just a picture that I found from Pinterest.  Isn't it sweet?
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10/1/11

Bread Knots

These Bread knots are so good and easy.  I was surprised how fast the process took.  If your putting your ingredients in a bread machine, watch it closely at the end of the rise to make sure that your bread doesn't overflow... like mine.  I went to check on my bread 20 minutes before it was supposed to be done, and the bread was touching the lid and overflowing. I think there might have been to much bread in there, oops!   Then for the second rise I put the knots in our warming drawer on low for 10 minutes to speed up the rising process.   Please try these bread knots because they are so good!  Enjoy!

Here is what the bread looked like after the first rise, it even deflated a little before this.


Then this is the finished product!

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Sail To Sleep

I want this boat bed so much!!!
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