S'more please!

I was gathering items to take camping...
thinking of roasting marshmallows
and came up with this term...


S'MORE-GASBORD


Too hot to stand over a fire or no fire available for s'mores? 

Make a S'moregasbord using Marshmallow Fluff
(Cost Plus World Market),

or marshmallow cream on Graham crackers.

Add a 'buffet' of toppings! Toffee bits, caramel bits,

chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter chips, etc.,
shredded coconut, nuts....

I made one last time we went camping
(using real roasted marshmallows)
and the Fluff for our family gathering on the 4th.

My favorite...
Fluff, Coconut & dark chocolate chips!

Coconut Muffins

Coconut Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 cup flaked coconut

TOPPING: 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil and extract; mix well.

Stir into dry ingredients just until combined.

Stir in coconut.
Combine the topping ingredients;

sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 400* for 18-20 minutes.

enJOY!

I have many muffin pans in all sizes & shapes

& decided I needed this muffin/cupcake baker!

It takes about 10 minutes to bake the muffins & doesn't heat up the kitchen!

I found that if I bake them a little longer than 10 min.

& fill them fuller than the directions say, they brown a little more. 

(They do not brown like being baked in the oven.)

Recipe Card Swap...

Cut lots of ovals and here's what you get...

Pumpkins!

I was in a recipe card swap...but only two other people participated.

I was looking forward to new recipes but totally understand.

There's just not time to do everything!

To make this 6" square card, the punches I used are the

Large & Extra Large Oval, Two Step Bird Extra Large (for the small leaves), the 5-Petal Flower Extra Large for the bigger leaves

& the Modern Label Extra large.

For texturing, I used the Big Shot Square Lattice embossing folder.

Using the flourish stamp from the ELEMENTS OF STYLE, (pg 133), 

I stamped in Soft Suede ink on the same color card stock.

Other colors used are More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie (how appropriate!)

Garden Green & Cajun Craze

The recipe is in the pocket!

I shaded each of the ovals to give depth to the pumpkins.

I really like how they turned out!

 

These are the other two cards I received in the exchange...

I started something I can't quit....(besides stamping & beading)....

Shortly after I started my job, I thought it would be great

to make birthday treats for those in the office. 

The office has about doubled in size since then

but I can't NOT make the treats!  

There's a couple of months that we have multiple birthdays

just a few days apart & with my schedule,

I'm always happy to find a quick but delicious treat! 

These are the ones I made for the last birthday.

Fabulous Quick Bars

1 cake mix (yellow, white, butter pecan)

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

1/2 c peanut butter

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. combination of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips

3/4 c. chopped nuts, opt.

Mix cake mix, butter, egg & peanut butter with a spoon.  Press dough into greased 9 x 13 pan.  Pour sweetened condensed mile over dough.  Sprinkle with chips & nuts.  Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until the edges are light golden brown.  Cool, cut into bars, arrange on pretty plate & enJOY!

I try to keep yellow, chocolate, butter pecan cake mixes, sweetened condensed milk & a variety of chips on hand for quick delicious treats.

Have S'more...

Shortly after I started working at Langlas, I decided to make birthday treats for all those in the office. 

Eleven years later.....

After getting home late from a class, I remembered

I needed treats for the next day.

I decided to try a new recipe for S'mores.

They are really tasty but not that pretty

so I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them out.

They looked lots better after cutting them out

& placing them on a pedastal plate.

Here's the recipe:

S'MORES

10.5 oz bag mini marshmallows

1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

5 tbs. butter or margarine

1/4 c. light Karo

1 tsp vanilla

13 oz. box Golden Grahms cereal.

Take 1 cup marshmallows & 1/2 c. chocolate chips & set aside. 

Melt the rest of the marshmallows and choc. chips 

along with the butter, & Karo, stirring until completely melted. 

Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour over cereal, add remainder of marshmallows and choc. chips 

& stir until completely coated. 

Pat into a 9 x 13 pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Set aside until firm then cut into bars or shapes.

enJOY!

It's all in the presentation...

I tried a new recipe called

Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken

I used the frozen chicken breast from Costco.

The sauce carmelized on the chicken and kept it very moist.

Mostly, I liked shaping the rice in a measuring cup then topping it with a few sprigs of fresh oregano.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (cut into 1/2 inch strips)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix together brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and hot sauce in a small bowl.

Lightly salt and pepper the chicken strips.  I used very little salt since Soy Sauce is salty. 


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken strips and brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

 One of my rice "towers" toppled.  My husband was so paient to wait for me to rebuild it before serving!  :)

Scones for Saturday morning

Blueberry Coffeecake Scones

Scones
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, chilled
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp grated lemon peel (opt)
1 1/2 c. blueberries, fresh or thawed

Crumb topping
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c. butter, chilled

    Stir together dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla & lemon peel.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture & stir to combine.  (The dough will be sticky)  With lightly floured hands, gently knead the blueberries into dough.  Pat into a circle on baking sheet or stone.

    Prepare topping by mixing dry ingredients.  Cut in butter.  Sprinkle over top of dough pressing in slightly.  Cut dough into 8 wedges.  Bake at 375* for 30-35 minutes.  Serve warm.  Makes 8 scones.

    I know these are blueberry scones but I don't know why the picture is so blue.  It didn't appear that way on the camera.  I would have taken another picture.....but we ate them!

     I cut this recipe in 1/2 for the two of us.  I made them heart shaped instead of cutting into wedges & topped them with a few more blueberries.  We would have liked a little vanilla glaze on top & that would have made them even prettier.  Served with plenty of fresh brewed coffee!

~enJOY!

Soup is on...

    I'm enJOYing my last full day at home over this long week end and spending a little time in the kitchen. 

    We've had a turkey in the freezer that should already have been roasted.  We decided we better just do it.  It has taken up enough freezer space for long enough!  I didn't have a big enough roaster with a lid so just covered it with several layers of foil.  Not once but TWICE, the juices overflowed in the oven even after thinking we had the problem solved after the first time!  WHAT A MESS!  Rick was so kind to help me clean it up and is carving the turkey right now! 

    We'll shut ourselves in another room and turn on the oven to self clean (so thankful for that).  Today, the temperature outside is almost 40* so we can open the windows for a little while.

    While waiting for the turkey to roast, I made this soup for lunch.  o-yumm!  Let me know if you try it & what you think!  :)

Zuppa Toscana Soup
like Olive Garden's®


1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled
½ lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 qt. water
(2) 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - cubed
2 garlic cloves - crushed
1 med. onion - chopped
2 c. chopped Kale, Collard Greens or Swiss chard
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper - to taste

    In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside. Brown bacon; drain, set aside. Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.

    Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.
    Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through. Serves 12.

What a treat! Dad Musson brought dinner to us! Here's his recipe...

Maple-Plum Glazed Turkey Breast
1 c. red plum jam
1 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 c. lemon juice
1  3-5 lb. bone in turkey breast
    Combine jam, syrup, mustard & lemon juice in saucepan.  Bring to a boil, turn heat down & simmer for about 20 minutes or until slightly thick.  Set aside 1 c.  Place turkey breast in sprayed slow cooker and pour remaining glaze over turkey.
    Cover & cook on LOW for 5-7 hours. When ready to serve, slice turkey & serve with heated remaining glaze.  Serves 6-8.

  Rick's dad has had to cook for himself again.  He is doing such a good job, especially with this recipe, we may turn Thanksgiving dinner over to him!  He also brought yams, cranberry sauce, pickles & canned pineapple.  While the guys were down watching the football & baseball games, I made a pineapple upside down cake for them.  It sure was nice not having to decide & prepare dinner after work!

From "The Modern Family Cook Book "

by Meta Given

Copyright 1953

I LOVE cook books! This is from a cook book my Mom used. Something I didn't remember when looking through the book is this creed at the front of the book.

THE MEAL PLANNER'S CREED

The health of my family is in my care; therefore- I will spare no effort in planning the right kinds of food in the right amounts.

Spending the food dollar for maximum value is my job; therefore- I will choose from the variously priced foods to save money without sacrificing health.

My family's enjoyment of food is my responsibility; therefore- I will increase their pleasure by planning for variety, for flavorful dishes, for attractive color, for appetizing combinations.

My family's health, security, and pleaure depend on my skill in planning meals; therefore- I will treat my job with the respect that is due it.

Being a homemaker has been one of my most favorite things ever. I've always loved trying new recipes and meal planning but I'm not nearly as good at planning meals since the kids aren't home anymore. One has to get used to cooking for two again. I have more cook books than almost anyone I know but I get home and can't figure out what to fix. I'm trying to have a better plan which makes things so much easier when trying to fix dinner after a day at work.

Helpful hints:

*Write menu for the week. This helps with grocery shopping.

*Keep your ideas in a notebook to go back & use again. (I liked posting the menu for the week on the refrigerator...worked well until I'd change my mind and Rick already had his taste buds set for the original idea. :)

*Write cook book names and page numbers in your notebook. This makes it much easier to find the right recipe when you want to fix it again.

*Write the date on the recipe. It is fun to look back and see the recipes you've used & when. I also like to put a smiley face & comments on recipes we liked. A frowny face if we didn't like it.

This morning for breakfast, I started preparing French Toast. Yeewww! The milk was sour and already poured in with the eggs. I did not want to waste the eggs so mixed up pancakes instead. Sour milk makes great pancakes! Here is the recipe from "The Modern Family Cookbook" 1953 My Mom made lots of these & I have, too!

Griddle Cakes or Pancakes
2 c. flour

5 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3 tbs. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. milk

1/3 c. melted shortening

Sift flour, measure and resift with baking powder, salt and sugar. (I don't sift it) Beat eggs in mixing bowl, add milk and mix. Stir in melted shortening; then add flour mixture all at once and beat until perfectly smooth. Have griddle heated only moderately hot, or to a temperature of 300-325* F. if you have a griddle thermometer. Grease lightly with unsalted fat. Pour out 1/4 c. batter for each cake. Bake until top-side is full of air bubbles (my Dad will tell you this is most important!) and under side is golden brown, then turn and bake until brown on other side. A spatual or pancake turner is desirable for turning cakes. (Isn't that cute? What else would you use?) Serve at once with butter and syrup, honey, or sugar and sausages or bacon, if desired. About 25 cakes.

Note: If thinner cakes are desired, add 1/4 cup more milk.

~Italics are mine~

Try them!

If you have helpful hints & ideas to share...I love hearing them!

Saturday morning scones...

This morning, I made Gingerbread Scones for breakfast. Here's the recipe:

2 c. flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 ts. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
3 tbs. molasses
3 tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. raisins (opt.)

Stir together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with pastry blender (or food processor) until it resembles course crumbs. In a small bowl, mix egg, molasses, milk & vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be sticky. With lightly floured hands, pat the dough into an 8" circle in the center of a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. With a serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges. Bake 20 -25 minutes at 375*. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm & enJOY!

I cut this recipe in 1/2 for the two of us. Amy had given us DELCIOUS Maple Cream from Mt. Cube Sugar House in Orford, NH. It is so good that if you don't have anything to put it on...eat it with a spoon. It was perfect for these scones!

Rick had to wait a little longer than the 5 minutes cooling time because I wanted to take pictures! :) He is always such a good sport! Love him so much!

The "before - baked" picture. I baked it on a well used baking stone. (No need to grease this)


I love using different dishes. These little square plates were perfect!

The finished product with the Maple Cream and a cuppa coffee!

mmmmmmmm....dessert!

This is the dessert I made for a fellowsip dinner after church last Sunday.

I layered Nilla Wafers, bananas, banana cream pudding & Cool Whip. I mostly liked it because it was pretty. Pretty food just HAS to taste better! I used two large boxes of puddings to fill the bucket. Put a little pudding on the bottom to hold the wafers. Layer bananas on top of wafers, more pudding & Cool Whip...repeat starting again with wafers.A friend & I went to a Taste of Home cooking school in Billings several years ago. I don't remember what they made and displayed in a glass bucket...but I loved the bucket! I was able to order one from them and later found them at JoAnn Fabric (just one time) so got one for my friend, too. I use the bucket to hold fresh veggies, fruit, salads and desserts.

Wednesday...What's for supper?

This is one of our favorite meals. You can make it as spicy or mild as you like. We like it spicy!

Paprika Chicken with Sour Cream Gravy

1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground red pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 c. butter
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream

Stir the flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper on a plate. Coat the chicken with the paprika mixture.
Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Stir the soup and green onions in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the sour cream.
Serve over rice or noodles.

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 20 minutes
Serves: 4