Archive for Recipes
Homemade Rolls and Crock Pot Stuffing and More Homemade Rolls
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve had several emails and comments asking for my Homemade Roll recipe. The recipe uses 100% whole wheat flour and honey…and I’m sorry but I haven’t posted the recipe on my blog yet. It is featured in Heavenly Homemaker’s Guide to Holiday Hospitality ebook! Eventually I’ll try to work in a tutorial on my blog for how to make them!
Also…after Missie left a comment about her Crock Pot Stuffing on this post…several of you requested the recipe! I wanted it too!!!
I emailed her and she kindly sent me the link to find the recipe at AllRecipes.com.
Missie stated: “This is fantastic just like she makes it, however I have modified it some for my family. I do not add 2 cups of celery, since my husband doesnt care for the flavor. I just use one cup. I also saute the veggies in 1/2 cup butter and some olive oil, instead of one whole cup of butter. I add about two cans of chicken broth after adding the eggs, and see how moist it looks then. If I need to, I can always add more liquid a little later. But keep in mind that since it’s in the crockpot, it will be making moisture of its own. This is one of my favorite recipes of all time, due to both the ease of preparation and the taste!”
Thanks Missie! We may all be pulling out our crock-pots tonight!
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So…are you all busy in the kitchen today?!
Ends up we have seven people joining us tomorrow…so I’m working up another batch of rolls and some extra potatoes!! And maybe a cream cheese fruit salad…because I’m having too much fun and JUST CAN’T STOP MYSELF. Seriously…I’m getting too big of a kick out of this!
And NO I’m not making more rolls because “quality control” ate too many the other day. I just want to make sure we have plenty since we’ll have a few more people around our table than I originally thought.
And YES I’ll need to do quality control again today because that’s what good hostesses do. Ah, our work never ends, does it?
Happy Thanksgiving Preparation Day everyone!
Holiday Help: Simplify Making Mashed Potatoes
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Learning this little potato trick changed my mashed potato making life forever.
Instead of preparing your potatoes to be mashed on the day of your big holiday meal…prepare them the day before.
Scrub them (or peel them, whichever you like to do)….chop them…and throw them into your cooking pot.
Cover them with cool water.
Put a lid on your pot.
When it’s time to cook your meal, boil your potatoes and mash your potatoes, then serve your potatoes (with lots of melted butter!).
I’m telling you, this little trick will save so much back pain on Thanksgiving day. I always prep my potatoes on the Wednesday before. They sit in the water waiting patiently until it is time to cook them Thursday.
Between prepping my potatoes the day before and cooking my bird several days before I need to serve it…I practically have nothing to do on Thanksgiving day.
Okay, not really nothing.
You know what I mean.
P.S. I use this little trick almost every time I make mashed potatoes any day of the year. If we’re having mashed potatoes for dinner…I prep them in the morning or whenever I have a spare minute during the day. Then, when it’s time to cook dinner, all I have to do is turn on the burner to cook the taters. Love it!
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This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays.
Holiday Help: How to Make Turkey Gravy
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I think gravy is my family’s favorite part of the holiday meal. “You want any potatoes with that gravy?!”
I know some people are intimidated by making gravy…afraid to make it lumpy and all that. (And then there are people who like lumps in their gravy. “What are these delicious lumps you put in your gravy?”)
Here’s the easiest way I’ve found to make turkey (or chicken or beef) broth gravy:
Easy Turkey Gravy
You will need:
- Turkey broth (Hopefully you saved your broth after you made your turkey.)
- Arrowroot powder, cornstarch or flour (about 3 teaspoons for every 2 cups of broth)
- Water (about 1/3 cup for each of your 3 teaspoons of arrowroot powder)
- Salt
Step One: Pour broth into a medium saucepan.
Step Two: Spoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) into a small jar or glass.
(Surprise, surprise…I use a jar.)
Step Three: Add water to arrowroot powder and whisk smooth with a fork.
Step Four: Bring broth to a boil (Try saying ”bring broth to a boil” five times fast.)
Step Five: Slowly pour arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, or flour)/water mixture into boiling broth, stirring while you pour. (I usually make gravy with a whisk. On picture taking day, I used a wooden spoon. Either one works, but a whisk usually helps in case lumps want to form.
Step Six: Stir at medium to high heat until gravy thickens.
Turn down the heat and allow the gravy to simmer for a minute or two.
Salt to taste and serve your gravy.
Trouble Shooting:
- If gravy refuses to thicken, stir in tiny bits of arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, or flour)/water mixture until it is thick enough for your liking.
- If gravy is too thick, stir tiny bits of water or milk to thin it out.
- If gravy doesn’t have enough lumps for your liking, add sprinkles of arrowroot powder or flour and just try to stir them in. They won’t stir in no matter what you try, thus causing lumps.
- If conversation around the Thanksgiving Table is lagging…challenge your guests to say “Bring Broth to a Boil” five times fast. That’s sure to liven up any party.
This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
Ever Tried Cinnamon Apple Toast?
Posted by: | CommentsI mentioned here that I may be getting sixty pounds of apples in my co-op order this week. (UPDATE!!! Click here to see if the apples all came in or not!) If they all actually come in, I have no doubt that they will all get eaten. The kids love snacking on apples…they are SO nice to have on hand! The apples I mean. Well actually, the kids are pretty nice to have on hand too.
I ordered twenty pounds each of Gala (my favorite!), Yellow Delicious and Spartan. I’ve never even heard of Spartan apples before. Have you? Are they good? I ordered them because they were $11 for 20 pounds!!! I can’t wait to try them (if they come in)!
Here’s a very simple apple idea we’ll be snacking on with all of our apples:
Cinnamon Apple Toast
Your favorite whole grain bread (I use this homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread…or Whole Wheat Sourdough if I have it made.)
Apples, sliced thinly
butter
cinnamon
Place slices of bread on a baking pan. Butter each slice. Lay three or four apple slices on each piece of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Broil Cinnamon Apple Toast in the oven for 2-3 minutes.
So simple, your bigger kids can help you or make these themselves!
Other ways to eat apples…
- My kids eat them big, in slices, or cut into chunks…depending on what Mama has time for.
- Applesauce Bread
- Applesauce
- Apple Fruit Leather
- Caramel Apple Dip
- Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip
- Apple crisp
- I may experiment with individual apple pie pockets. Doesn’t that sound fun?
What are your favorite ways to eat apples? If you have one, feel free to leave a recipe link in your comment! Really, because sixty pounds of apples? I might need to get creative!
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This post is linked to Works for me Wednesday.
Holiday Help: The Easiest Way (in My Opinion) to Cook a Turkey
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Clearly the easiest way to cook a turkey is to let someone else cook the turkey. 
But, if you’re the one in charge of preparing the meal this year…let me share the easiest way I’ve found to cook a turkey.
I remember being so intimidated to cook a turkey the first time I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. I called my mom a million times to ask questions.
Could it really be that cooking a turkey is as simple as taking out the innards, putting it in a pan, covering it, and baking it? Yes, it is that easy.
My holiday turkeys are not fancy. I don’t stuff them. I don’t slather them with anything. I just put them into the oven and cook them. They create their own broth…smart little birds that they are.
Here is an excerpt from Heavenly Homemaker’s Guide to Holiday Homemaking ebook on How to Cook a Turkey:
Pick your turkey: You will need about 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person you are serving. Buy your turkey accordingly. Or, buy a larger one if you want to have lots of turkey leftovers. (Here are all kinds of ideas for what to do with leftover turkey!)
Thaw your turkey: Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 3-4 days until thawed.
Prepare your turkey: Once the turkey is thawed, reach in and grab out the bag of giblets. (This is by far every one’s favorite step, right?!) Empty the giblets into your roasting pan as they help make a good, rich broth. Place the turkey, breast side up, into a large baking pan or roaster.
Cook your turkey: Cover with foil or with your roaster lid. Cook at 325° for 15-20 minutes per pound. (For instance, a 20 pound turkey would need to bake for three to four hours.) You know your turkey is done cooking when the little red thingy pops up…or when the legs start to pull away from the body. Your turkey should be golden brown and slightly crisp looking. (Light brown and slick looking? Mr. Turkey is not done yet.)
To Cook your Turkey ahead of time (I highly, HIGHLY recommend doing this!!):
You can cook your Thanksgiving turkey as many days ahead of time as you want. I know most of you like turkey fresh out of the oven on Thanksgiving Day. But, here’s what I learned from my mom, and it really saves a lot of trouble on the big day when I’d really enjoy visiting instead of messing with a big bird.
Cook and cool your turkey any day before Thursday. De-bone and put meat in baggies. Pour broth into jars (3/4 full). Freeze or refrigerate, depending on how far in advance you cooked the turkey. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day before serving.
To reheat turkey, put as much light and dark meat as you think you will need for the Thanksgiving meal in a 9×13 pan. Drizzle a liberal amount of broth over turkey, cover and warm in 300° oven for 30-45 minutes or until meat is hot and steamy.
No one will ever know that you prepared your turkey ahead of time (except for the fact that you won’t be carving the turkey in front of them). It is always juicy and moist. I do it this way every year, and I’m always so thankful that the messy part is over before Thanksgiving day!
Are you in charge of cooking a turkey this year?! Do you stuff your turkey? Have any more helpful turkey cooking tips to share?
Up next in this Holiday Help series…How to Make Turkey Gravy!
Let me know what other questions you might like answered in this Holiday Help series!
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This post is linked to the Happy Housewife and Frugal Fridays .
Healthy Pumpkin Treat Recipes
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks ago the boys and I spent the day at a pumpkin patch. The boys had a blast all day feeding goats, going down the long slides and riding on the zip lines over and over.
I may or may not have let the boys talk me into riding the zip line one time. I may or may not have smacked myself right into the landing pad at the end of the line.
Of course one of the highlights of the day was riding on the hay wagon out to the field to pick a pumpkin. All of the boys were determined to pick THE BIGGEST pumpkin. Asa’s pumpkin was SO big, he had to borrow a wagon to get it to our van.
Malachi (the cowboy) decided to snuggle with the pumpkin on the way to the van
and Elias decided that since Asa was offering…
his pumpkin could take a ride too.
Needless to say, the pumpkins they picked are too big to fit into my oven. So much for all of my great plans to bake them and turn them into pies and other great treats. I decided I’d have to keep my eyes out for a great pumpkin deal at the store.
Guess What?!?!?
Yesterday I was at Wal-mart and saw a few scraggly pumpkins in the produce section marked down to $.33 a pound. Cool. I grabbed one.
Guess What?!?!?
When the gal rang up my pumpkin…it came up to $.01. She asked someone what she did wrong and the manager said, “Oh no. That’s right. We’re just trying to get rid of them.”
So I said, “I’ll be right back.”
She waited for me while I went and grabbed three more pumpkins (the rest were a little squishy).
Check out my four-penny purchase!
Now I can make all the yummy fall pumpkin recipes I’ve been wanting to make!
And…I’m going to go look through Amy’s big list of Pumpkin Recipes to see which ones look good!
P.S. You’ll find a great tutorial for how to bake your pumpkins and get them recipe ready here!
What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?
A Kid Friendly Meal: Sloppy Cornbread
Posted by: | CommentsYou know how some of your kids like some of your meals some of the time…and all of your kids like some of your meals some of the time and none of your kids like some of your meals some of the time?
And the ones some of them like…the others don’t…and the ones the other ones like the first ones don’t?
But you make them ALL eat it anyway because hello, we are not short-order chefs…but really it’s so much nicer when all of the kids like all of the meals all of the time.
I have discovered a meal that all of my kids like all of the time.
We call it Sloppy Cornbread.
I came up with this recipe because you know how when you have hamburger buns for your sloppy joes in the house some of the time…but not all of the time when you need them…and you don’t have time some of the times to make homemade buns…and the ones from the store are still at the store? That’s what happened to me one time.
But I really wanted to make sloppy joes and while some of the time we eat them without buns, we don’t do that all of the time and I really needed to fill my family up before a soccer game this time.
And that’s how we came up with Sloppy Cornbread.
To make Sloppy Cornbread you need:
Spread the sloppy joes out into a 9×13 inch baking pan:
Spread the cornbread mixture (you’ll need to double this recipe!) over the top then bake for 2o minutes at 400°. (You can sprinkle cheese on top before baking if you want to!)
All of us like this all of the time and some of the time there is some leftover but not all of the time because most of the time we eat the entire pan.
You should try it sometime.
Chocolate Swirl Bread (Oh Yes I DID Just Say Chocolate!)
Posted by: | CommentsAfter showing you how to make Cinnamon Swirl Bread…I got a notion to try Chocolate Swirl Bread. (I get chocolate notions all the time.)
Let me just say that I’m very glad I got that notion. Now we can all have chocolate for breakfast!!! What a great start to the day…
Chocolate Swirl Bread is just as simple to make as the Cinnamon Swirl Bread…you pretty much just substitute cocoa powder for cinnamon!
I used this bread recipe, then rolled out the dough before shaping the loaf. Then I spread butter over the dough and sprinkled on about 1/4 cup sucanat (dehydrated cane sugar juice) mixed with 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder. Roll it up and bake as directed.
Do you think it would be too much to have this Chocolate Swirl Bread with Hot Cocoa? I think I could handle washing down my chocolate with a little chocolate.
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
Garlic Chicken Pasta and Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta
Posted by: | CommentsSeveral of you have requested this Garlic Chicken Pasta recipe when you’ve seen it on my menu plans. I put off posting it because I was still tweaking it. I THINK I’ve got it the way I like it now!
I like this Creamy Mac and Cheese recipe so much that I finally tried using the same method of cooking the pasta in the milk for this new recipe too. Aha! Now I like it.
Garlic Chicken Pasta
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces (great way to use up leftover chicken)
1 clove garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or more if you like lots of garlic)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cups whole milk
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 t. sea salt
grated parmesan cheese
In a skillet, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil. Turn to low heat to keep warm. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a big pot with the milk, butter and salt. Stir almost constantly, especially as the pasta is becoming tender and the milk is beginning to boil. Cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is tender and the starch from the pasta has thickened the milk, creating a creamy sauce. Stir in the chicken and serve immediately…sprinkling parmesan cheese on each serving.
To make this recipe into Three Cheese Garlic Chicken Pasta:
Follow recipe as above, except before adding chicken to cooked pasta…remove from heat and add 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar and 3 oz. cream cheese. Stir until cheese has melted…add chicken and serve with parmesan cheese.
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays .
How to Make Whole Wheat Bread Tutorial
Posted by: | CommentsBesides making Sourdough Bread, this is my favorite, simple 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe. This recipe makes two loaves. (I always double it for my family, so if the pictures in this tutorial look like twice the amount, that’s because it is.)
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
6 cups whole wheat flour, divided
1 ¾ cups warm water, divided
1/3 cup honey
1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
1 t. sea salt
3 T. melted butter
Mix 3 cups of whole wheat flour with 1 ½ cups of warm water in a large glass bowl. Allow this to sit for about 30 minutes. This will break down the gluten and help the bread to rise better.
In a small bowl mix together ¼ cup water, 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast and 1/3 cup honey. Allow this to sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast is activated and mixture becomes bubbly.
In the meantime, melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool. You don’t want the hot butter to kill the yeast.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, melted butter and yeast mixture to the flour and water mixture. Gradually add the remaining three cups of flour and stir well. As the dough becomes harder to stir, pour it out onto a clean counter and begin to knead the dough.
Here’s a video to show you how to knead the dough. Two things: 1) I was having a freaked out hair day. So glad I could share it with you. 2) I’m pretty sure “wetter” is not a real word, yet I use that word toward the end of the video. I are sorry.
Don’t you love how I “spank” the dough at the end of the clip? There’s something very gratifying about giving the dough a nice “spank”. You should try it sometime.
Once you’ve kneaded your dough, place it into a bowl to rise.
Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for at least one hour or until it has risen to twice it’s starting size.
While you’re waiting for your dough to rise, get your bread pans buttered. You can also do some laundry, wash some dishes, or clean the bread dough out from under your fingernails.
There it is…doubled up.
Give the raised dough a nice punch.
(Punching? Spanking? Who knew making bread was so violent in nature?)
Using a floured hand, pull the dough out of the bowl onto the counter.
Knead for three or four minutes until the air bubbles are all gone.
Now you can watch how I shape my dough into loaves before baking. Again…more spanking…
Cover and allow 30 minutes to one hour to rise again. They should double in size, but the rising should happen more quickly this time because the yeast knows what to do by now.
See here how the loaves have doubled in size?
Bake the bread uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when you thump the top of it. (Great. Spanking, punching and thumping. I am really a bad influence.)
Allow the bread to cool in the pans for 10 minutes,
then remove it to finish cooling on a wire rack.
The bread slices more easily after it’s cooled. However…it’s awfully hard to wait…and bread fresh out of the oven slathered in butter is really, really good. I say go for it.
A few notes:
- Making bread from start to finish takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Most of that time is waiting and baking time…but if you plan to make bread, you should block out an entire morning or afternoon.
- If your water or butter is too cold or too hot, it will kill the yeast. If you can put your (clean) finger in the water or butter and it doesn’t burn you, but just feels warm… you’ve got the right temperature.
- If the dough in your bowl has risen to double and suddenly you need to nurse the baby or wash cottage cheese out from between your toddler’s toes…just go punch down your dough and let it rise again before you shape it. It won’t hurt anything.
- If you want to shape your dough into loaves, but bake them later: Shape your loaves then put them directly into the freezer before they have a chance to rise. Allow them to sit in buttered loaf pans for several hours (or overnight) so that they can thaw and rise before baking.
- Many of you have asked if I have a bread machine. I don’t, so I’m sorry I am not able to answer your questions about them. I’m assuming this recipe would work in a machine, but I don’t know. Maybe some of you with bread machines can chime in on this?
Soon I’ll tell you more about grain mills and grinding flour!
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
