Happy Easter-Triple Chocolate Bars!

Happy Easter to one and all!  We are getting ready for a busy Easter day...but I have ham in the oven, am soon to start on a batch of homemade butter and just took my favorite easy dessert recipe out of the oven....triple chocolate bars!!  They are soooo good, and soooo easy...but I do not actually count them as from scratch cooking.  Why you may ask?  Well, because they rely on convenience items instead of the usual from scratch flour, sugar, eggs, etc.  So why am I including them here?  The easy answer is because, well, they're easy and darn tasty.  Also, they are great to throw together at the last minute, say, oh, I don't know, 9:00 at night when you are informed by your child that she needs two dozen of something to take to a class party the next day.  Or, say Easter morning when you forgot to buy more flour, were out late the night before with friends, and don't feel like going to the store.  Plus, they are made with items you probably have right now in your cabinets....don't believe me??  Go ahead and look, I'll wait.......ah ha, see I was right, wasn't I?  Now use those few items and in 20 minutes you will have yummy, hot from the oven triple chocolate bars that everyone will think you slaved over.  Don't worry, I promise not to tell how easy they are...well, that is if you don't tell anyone either.  It'll be our secret!

Anyway, here's all you need:

1 box of chocolate cake mix-I prefer dark chocolate, but use whatever you like
1 small box of instant chocolate pudding (the one that only needs 2 cups of milk)
2 cups of milk (you knew that was coming, didn't ya'?)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or whatever kind you have leftover from the last time you made cookies)
1 bag of chocolate chips (you can use mini if you prefer...and again I use dark chocolate)

Here's what ya' do:

Add the milk to a bowl.  Dump in the pudding mix and, well, mix it up.  Wait about 3-5 minutes for it to become....pudding!

Next, dump the cake mix into the pudding and mix together.  It will be kind of thick, but don't worry...it's suppposed to be.

Next, throw in the nuts and the chocolate chips and mix again.  Don't overmix, just get everything combined.

Spread the mixture on a greased cookie sheet as evenly as you can.

Pop in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, and that's it!

Here's what ya' get....

Not the best quality photo in the world this morning, but hey, you get the idea!  Now go ahead and enjoy with an icy cold glass of milk!  You know you want to :)



Yay Weekend :)

Ok, so let's just say I have been really, really bad at keeping up with the blog of late.  Spring break, school meetings/events and tons of other stuff have just added up so that when I actually have time to post, well, let's just say I find myself drinking a glass of wine and relaxing instead.  And we have had a few minor setbacks with the cooking everything from scratch lately...mainly a sleepover the other day for the girls, which necessitated buying some convenience food that they requested, and again, some other events that meant we stopped for pizza for dinner instead of making it at home.  But, I have to post my favorite pico de gallo recipe, that we used not just for tacos, but for quesadillas last nite.  Soooo good, and so easy and the girls eat it like it's going out of style...and since it's full of fresh veggies, I have no problem with that :)

Ok, again, this is soooooo easy and versatile...you can make it spicier if you like, or mild as I do for Belle, who decided a long time ago she doesn't like anything spicy!

Ok, don't ask me for exact measurements here, cause I don't use 'em.  I think the best recipes are the ones that you just experiment with and add in whatever you want...in whatever quantity you like.  But, here's the basics:

Cut up several tomatoes....this is best with fresh tomatoes in the summer.  But, since it's not anywhere close to summer, we used about 8 plumb tomatoes.

Add in 2 large white onions, diced.

Add in 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.

Now, here's where you can get creative.  Time to add some peppers.  These can be spicy peppers if you like, or mild.  Since I was making this for the kids, we used two yellow bell peppers, chopped up.

Next, add some salt and pepper to taste, and about 1-1/2 teaspoons of cumin....trust me, you want this in there!!

Finally, chop up a heck of a lot of cilantro and throw that in there too.  Have I mentioned, I love, love, LOVE cilantro??  I didn't???  Well, I do!!! It rocks and is soooooo good in pico!!

And that's it...really.  Mix it all together and enjoy with tortilla chips, tacos, quesadillas, on chicken, burgers, heck just all by itself.  It's that good....honest, I wouldn't lie.  We go thru a ton of this stuff here.  You will thank me....really, you will :)



Happy St. Patty's Day!

So sorry for the lapse in between posts.  Have been going thru a house full of sick people for the last few weeks, but I think we are finally over everything (I hope, I hope) and back on track to healthy!!

So being St. Patrick's Day, and with us all wearing official green (mine bearing the name of a famous Irish beer!!!) and since we will be having traditional corned beef and potatoes tonite (no cabbage...I love it but no one else does except Belle, and since my mom is making dinner, we will defer to her) I decided to make Irish soda bread to go with dinner.  Pretty simple recipe, kind of like mixing up a quick bread, but pretty tasty and goes great for breakfast for the rest of the week.

So, you will need:

4 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons cold butter

1 1/2 cups raisins

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

And here's what ya' do:

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds. In another bowl, mix the milk and eggs and then stir into crumb mixture just until flour is moistened (add more milk if needed, or more flour if the mix is too wet...it should be a little sticky, but not too bad). Turn onto a floured surface and knead a few times just til it all comes holds together and then shape into a ball.

And here's what it looks like:

Goes great with traditional St. Patty's day dinner (including a large pint of green beer), and I love it warmed up for breakfast for the rest of the week (the bread, not the beer-lol!!)

Plop the dough ball into a greased 9-in. round baking pan (I used a pie pan) and cut an X in the center of the dough.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about an1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if top browns too quickly. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

Loving This Weather

Ok, so it must be about 70 degrees outside today.  Gotta say, loving this March weather.  I will take this over snow any day of the week!

So my parents invited us over for dinner for my dad's homemade pizza, which is always yummy as long as he manages not to drop it on the floor. (Long story...let's just say, many a pizza has made its way to the floor, cheese side down of course, over the years.)  I decided, being the ambitious person that I am today for some reason, to surprise dad and bring dessert, my Grandma Burden's recipe for pineapple tea ring.  First of all, let me say that I have all sorts of new found respect for my Grandma for making this back in the day.  Talk about labor intensive!!  I even used the bread machine to prep the dough, and it is still taking forever, with lots of different steps throughout.  No wonder Grandma always wanted to make pie or cookies instead!  I believe I have made this recipe exactly once in my lifetime, and the results were less than impressive, but it is my dad's favorite so trying it again.  If it works out (everything on its second rise right now) I will post pics and the recipe.  If not...well, may have to make an emergency run to the store for something else to whip together quickly.  But the basics of it are as follows:  yeast sweet dough, filled with a sweet filling of crushed pineapple, sugar and raisins, and butter, sprinkled with brown sugar/cinnamon, let it rise again, then bake it off.  Once done, top with a powdered sugar glaze, sprinke with nuts and garnish with cherries.  Again, did I mention it takes like all afternoon to make???  Hopefully it will work out...probably won't be anywhere near as good as Grandma's, but as long as it's close, I think we will all be happy.  So stay tuned....hopefully pics and recipe soon to follow :)

Whoo hoo...it worked!!! And since the recipe made two, I have already taste-tested and it rocks! Recipe to follow after I get my dad's opinion on it after dinner :)

Long Night - But Butter Recipe :)

I had all the best intentions when it came to breakfast this morning.  I made the biscuits last nite and was going to make the sausage gravy after the kids went to bed.  However, since they didn't actually fall asleep until about the time I went to bed, I decided to make it first thing this morning.  That'll teach me to plan ahead.

To say it was windy around here last nite would be an understatement.  I would guess sustained winds of around 25-35 with some very high gusts.  Of course, it had been windy all day, but seemed to pick up somewhere around 11:30 or midnight.  Since we now live in an older house, the wind, of course, can be heard rattling the windows, blowing the tree branches outside and in general making weird creepy sounds throughout the house.  Which is what Cordie decided to come tell me a little before midnight.  She woke me up to say it was too windy, it sounded creepy in her room and when was it gonna stop.  I reassured her it would end soon, sent her back to bed and assumed that was the end of it.  Boy, was I wrong.  She proceeded to return to my room every 2 minutes for the next hour and half to tell me the same thing.  "Mommy, it sounds creepy in my room.  I don't like it.  Can I sleep in here?"  My response, was the same each time, "Yes, it sounds creepy.  I don't like it either.  No, you can't sleep in here."  During one of the last times she was convinced there would be a tornado.  I assured her there would not be and that we hadn't even heard any sirens.  With the words barely out of my mouth, cue the loud train whistle, which in the middle of the nite, in the middle of a wind storm, unfortuantely to an 8 year old can sound a heck of a lot like the tornado sirens!  So, fast forward another hour, I have calmed Cordie down and gotten her to sleep, gotten Belle back to sleep after her coughing fit, and finally laid back down....only to be kept up by the wind.  Geesh, Cordie's right...it does sound creepy.  And of course the snoring dog, and the seemingly endless trains that decided last nite was the nite to be out.

In any event, as I got next to no sleep last nite, biscuits and gravy did not happen.  I offered to make hash with the leftover corned beef I had, and offered pancakes or waffles, but the girls were happy with some yogurt and toast.  Works for me.

So, for tonite, we will be having leftover soup from yesterday, homemade bread - yep the one I posted yesterday, and Belle's homemade butter...which I will add the recipe for now.  Then if I find my motivation later (which I assume is at the bottom of the pot 'o' coffee, I will be making a coffee cake for tomorrow, and will post that as well.

I don't really consider this a recipe....considering there are two ingredients.  We found this in a children's kitchen science experiment book we took out from the library.  It actually works, and is really, really good.

What you will need:

Half pint of whipping cream or heavy cream
Salt (to taste)

Really...that's it. Pour the cream into a large plastic jar, with a very tight and leak-proof lid.  I actually used a glass canning jar, but if you are concerned about dropping the jar while shaking it, plastic would be the way to go.

Anyway, pour the cream in, put on the lid and make sure it is tight.  Now, shake, shake, shake.  This is a good workout for those arms!  Keep shaking the jar, back and forth, up and down, side to side, whatever, for about 20 minutes.  It's a long time, but it is worth it.  Have the whole family help.  The mixture will first tighten up and look like whipped cream.  Keep shaking.  After about 20 minutes, the mixture will solidify and form a large yellow blob, for lack of a better term.  That's it, you're done!!  Congrats, you have made butter!!  Don't you feel all Little House on the Prairie right about now??

Carefully remove the lid and pour off the excess liquid, then remove the butter to a plastic container.  Stir in salt to taste...(we used very little), spread on toast, crackers, whatever else and enjoy!  Store in the fridge....and as it is real butter, it does harden up in the fridge, so be sure to take out a few minutes before you want to spread it on your morning toast so it has a chance to soften up.

Getting a Jump on Breakfast

The girls decided to change it up tonite and ask for biscuits for dinner instead of bread.  I, of course, took this as an opportunity  to make extra for breakfast tomorrow.  Now, to find my motivation so I can whip up a batch of sausage gravy tonite too...then breakfast is just heat and eat with some yogurt and fruit on the side :)  Recipe to follow shortly....well, after the kids are in bed that is :)

Day One - Dinner

Okay, well like I said, we have a housefull of sick kids this week.  Seriously, whatever this nasty cold thing is that has been hitting the kids for the last three weeks or so, is very annoying and can go away any time.

That being said, Belle and I decided that the best thing for dinner tonight was a big pot of chicken veggie soup, homemade bread to go with her homemade butter, and some chocolate cupcakes for dessert.  Really, does it get better than that?  Granted, it's about 70 degrees here in NW Indiana in the first week of March, so soup would be more appropriate if it was like 20 degrees and snowing, but I will take this weather any day over a blizzard.

First up, the soup.

Yep, that's it cooking away in the slow cooker....and looks like I am gonna have to scrub that cooker when it's done too.

So this is about the easist soup recipe known to man because it doesn't matter what you put in there.  It is also a great use for all those bags of frozen veggies you have lurking in the back of the freezer that have next to nothing left in them but you just couldn't bring yourself to throw them away.  Well, now you have a use for them.   The other great thing, the soup can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be.  Have homemade chicken stock on hand?  Great, use that.  Want to make it?  Well, that recipe will be later...although it is pretty darn easy to do with a slow cooker.  Have leftover chicken from dinner last nite to go with those lonely veggies in the freezer?  Throw it in there too.  Really pressed for time, you can grab a chicken from the deli and pull the meat off of there....not my  favorite option, but I have done it too.

Okay, so for the soup:

This will make a HUGE pot of soup, so you will have some to freeze, eat for lunch the next day, make into chicken pot pie, feed the neighbor's dogs...you get the idea.

You will need:

Either 1- 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins or 1 whole roasting chicken (around 2-3 pounds or so) or 1 fully cooked chicken from the store deli

4 carrots, peeled, sliced and diced.  (I know what you are thinking-I'll get the baby carrots from the store because they are already peeled and teeny and I won't have to do that much cutting.  Yep, that is true...however, that little bag of baby carrots will cost you anywhere from $1.00 if they are on sale to $1.59 depending on where you shop.  A bag of regular old carrots is almost always under $1.00, and really, peeling and cutting is not the worst thing in the world.  I always peel and cut the entire bag at once, and put the extras in baggies for snacks for the girls during the week.)

2 small onions, sliced.

4 small potatoes, peeled (if you prefer) and cubed

3-4 stalks of celery, sliced

3 bags (regular size) assorted frozen veggies.  Use your own preferences here, we picked corn, green beans and peas, but whatever you like will work.

1 box, plus one small can chicken stock (or about 5-6 cups homemade stock)

salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, dried parsley, dried basil and any other herb you'd like to add in there.

Okay, if you bought raw chicken, time to cook it.  Preheat your oven to 350, throw your chicken in a pan, season with salt, pepper, and anything else you'd like, drizzle it with some olive oil and pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes or so, or until the juices run clear and no pink remains.  If you got a whole roasting chicken, this will take longer.  If you got chicken from the deli, pull all the meat off of it.  You don't want the skin, just the meat.

While the chicken is cooking, prep your veggies, if you haven't done so yet, and throw them all in your slow cooker.  Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and whatever other assorted herbs you feel like having that day.  We are using basil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper I believe...been a few hours since I put it all in there to cook.  Add in the chicken broth and stir to combine.  Start the slow cooker on high while the chicken finishes cooking (to start those frozen veggies cooking).

When the chicken is done, shred the meat and add to the veggies and broth.  Stir to combine, and leave on high for one more hour.  Then reduce to low and let cook for 4-6 hours, or longer depending on your schedule that day.  Mine has been in since about 10 this morning and it is going on 5:00 now.

That's it...really easy and really good.

Also on the menu...homemade bread.  This is my go-to bread recipe these days.  It can be done entirely in a bread machine, or just let the machine do the dough, then take it out, put it in a greased loaf pan, let it rise, and bake.  I will say that if you have ever tried bread machine bread and hated it, (like I have), try this one, just once.  It does not taste like the typical bread machine bread that we all remember.

Again, if doing in the bread machine, this is so easy.  Just throw everything in there about 3 hours before you want bread, and you are good to go.

So, in the bottom of the bread machine, put 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1 cup of very warm water and 1 packet of yeast.  Let sit for ten minutes or until yeast is foamy.  Next, add 1/3 cup olive oil, (or veggie oil if that's all you have...it works), 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and 3 cups of all purpose flour, which has been whisked.  That is key....you have to whisk your flour.  I don't know why...I'm sure there is some science behind it that I just don't understand.  All I do know is I have done it both ways, and the bread works much, much, much (did I mention much?) better if you whisk the flour first.

Sorry, where was I?  Okay, once you have added in all that, hit the start buttom on your bread machine for the standard loaf.  Really, that's all there is to it.  Check during the kneading cycle to make sure you don't need to add any extra water or flour, but that is really it.  You can take it out after the dough cycle, put it in a greased bread pan, let it rise till double, then bake in the oven, or let the bread machine do all the work.  Either way works great.  We go through about 3 loafs of this a week at our house...and it goes great with...oh, I don't know....chicken veggie soup :)