Blondies

 

These are the best blondies I’ve made so far! They taste like butterscotch and are so yummy! this recipe calls for self rising flour, but don’t worry, I have you covered if you don’t have any. Just check out the * below.

 

Blondies

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 2/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups self rising flour*

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam.

In a mixer beat the eggs. Add the brown sugar and melted butter. Mix in the flour. Mix in the nuts. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars while warm.

*To make Self Rising Flour

For each cup called for in a recipe use~

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk well.

Calico Bean Soup

I made this bean soup mix for a group at church and it was really fun and easy. I added cooked Italian sausage to my soup, along with some onion powder, garlic powder and a few red pepper flakes. There were 4 of us that made this bean soup with different variations, and everyone liked mine best.

This was the first time I’ve cooked with dried beans where my husband didn’t complain of gas. I think it was because it suggested washing the pot with soap before using it for the rest of the recipe.

The bean soup mix looks like the jar on the right.

To Make Calico Bean Soup Mix~

In a 1 quart jar layer~

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dry Black Beans

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dry Great White Northern Beans

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dry Red Kidney Beans

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dry Pinto Beans

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dry Green Split Peas

Flavor Packet~

(Put in a small zip lock bag and place in top of jar)

3 Beef or Chicken Bouillon cubes

3 tablespoons dried chives

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon savory seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

Place lid on screw lid on jar. Decorate as desired. Be sure and give the directions for making the soup with the jar~

Calico Bean Soup~

Quick cook method~

Rinse beans.

Put beans in a large pot. Add 9 cups of water.

Heat to boiling and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and let them sit for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, drain and rinse the beans very well. Wash the large pot.

Put the drained beans back into the washed pot and add 5-6 cups of water. Cook until beans are tender. Drain.

Add flavor packet and 5 cups water simmer for 30 minutes and serve.

To add more flavor and variety add the following ingredients when you add the flavor packet add any of these~

1 quart tomatoes

1 can corn, drained

1 pound browned sausage, chicken or hamburger.

Crock~pot Beef Roast

 

I forget how easy a meal can be to put together with a crockpot! This was the best roast, and so easy! I didn’t have a package of onion soup mix, so I made up some with the recipe below. It was kind of fun hammering the bouillon cubes!

Crock~pot Beef Roast

1 can Dr Pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 package onion soup mix*

1 tablespoon oil

Heat a skillet and pour 1 tablespoon of oil in it. Brown roast on all sides in the skillet. Place roast in crockpot.

In a bowl mix the Dr Pepper, cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix with a whisk. Pour over roast and cover with lid. Cook on low all day.

 

Homemade Onion Soup Mix*

3/4 cup instant minced onion

1/3 cup beef bouillon powder

4 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed celery seed

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine everything and then store in an airtight container. 5 tablespoons of the mix equal one package of onion soup mix.

How to make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk & Evaporated Milk

I have been meaning to share these two recipes with you. The first one is for How to make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk, I first got this recipe when I was first married. I really like to use this when a recipe calls for a can of sweetened condensed milk, this doesn’t have the canned taste that the boughten has, and it’s cheaper!

The evaporated milk is one my mother came up with years ago.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk:

Place the following ingredients into a blender in this order~

2/3 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
1/3 c. boiling water
1 cup dry milk

Cover and blend until smooth. The mixture will thicken as it blends. It will become even thicker as it cools.

Pour into a container and cool completely before using. This recipe yields one can of commercial size sweetened condensed milk.

 

A nice substitute when you don’t have a can of evaporated milk.

Evaporated Milk

2/3 cup dry milk powder
3/4 cup water

Mix together. Makes 1 cup.

I have used this as a substitute for heavy cream in some of my recipes.

Homemade Protein Bars

These protein bars are super simple to make and are really good and filling. I decided that Chauncey wasn’t getting enough protein, very important for a swimmer and he loves these bars. They make a great snack or meal on the run!

Homemade Protein Bars

3 cups quick oats

1 1/4 cup chocolate whey powder

1 cup mini chocolate chips

2 cups natural peanut butter, 1 16 oz jar

1 3/4 cup agave nectar or honey

Spray a sheet pan with Pam

In a large bowl whisk the oatmeal, protein powder and mini chips.

In a second bowl measure the agave nectar and peanut butter, microwave for 90 seconds. Stir. Add to the oatmeal mixture.

Pour into prepared pan and chill for 2 hours. Cut into bars and put in snack bags. I patted a little extra oatmeal on mine.

Strawberry Ripple Quick Bread

 

 This quick bread makes up really fast, especially if you make up the cake mix a head of time. I thought the orange zest in it made it yummy. I cut up the orange in what we call smiley’s, so it wouldn’t go to waste.

Strawberry Ripple Quick Bread

2 1/2 cups Quick Cake Mix*

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon orange extract

1/2 strawberry jam, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8x8x2 inch loaf pan with Pam.

In a large bowl mix the cake mix, eggs, milk, orange zest and orange flavoring just until it comes together. Spread in prepared pan. Using the melted jam make 3 long rows of jam down the length of the pan. Using a knife swirl the jam into the batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

 

Quick Cake Mix

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold butter cut into small cubes

In a large bowl whisk all the dry ingredients. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender. Pour into a large zip lock bag to store.

Crunchy Coffee Cake

 

My family really liked this coffee cake, it’s not to sweet and it has a really nice texture. I’ll be making this recipe a lot!

Crunchy Coffee Cake

1 16 oz package hot roll mix*

1 cup oats, quick or old fashioned

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Spray a 12 cup bunt pan or a 10 inch tube pan with Pam. In a bowl whisk all the dry ingredients for the cake.

In a small bowl heat the milk and the butter in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until butter is melted and milk is at about 120 degrees. If it is to warm let it cool to 120 degrees. Add the milk and the eggs to the dry mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Add the chocolate chips and mix. Spoon into the prepared pan. Whisk the dry ingredients for the topping. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. Mix in the chocolate chips. Sprinkle over the batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until double, 40-60 minutes.

Heat oven to 350. Bake Coffee cake for 45-50 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan topping side up and cool on a wire rack. Cool Completely before serving.

*If you don’t have a hot roll mix use~

3 cups flour

2 1/4 oz packages quick rising yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Whisk all the ingredients together.

Quick Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while but I didn’t have a cake mix around and I kept forgetting to pick one up. So I searched around and found a spice cake mix recipe, so you can make your own mix or used a purchased one. This is a great recipe because it has NO FAT(except the chocolate chips)! Gotta love that!

Quick Pumpkin Chocolate Chip nCookies

1 spice cake mix*

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all together in a bowl with a mixer or wooden spoon. Drop onto cookie sheets with a cookie scoop and bake at 350 degrees for 12~15 minutes. Remove to cookie racks to cool.

*To Make Your Own Spice Cake Mix

2 1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup powdered milk

3 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly mixed. If you want to make this into a cake add~

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening or oil

Lasagna Hamburger Helper

I just love a quick dinner recipe! This was so fast an easy and I like that I had all the ingredients! You can use any kind of pasta, you can even break up lasagna noodles. Chauncey wanted the cute little bow tie pasta noodles.

Lasagna Hamburger Helper

1 pound hamburger

1 cup tomato sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cup pasta, your choice, I used bow tie

3/4 cup hot water

2 cups milk

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Brown the hamburger in a skillet, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. In a small bowl mix all the herbs, sugar and cornstarch add to skillet. Add the hot water, pasta, milk and tomato sauce. Cover and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Serve!

Italian Hamburger Helper

This is another Homemade Hamburger Helper from Chickens In The Road. The guys just love this stuff and I love how easy it is to make! I used a bag of mixed pasta noodles that Chauncey picked out. I think different kinds of noodles can make a casserole really fun!

Italian Hamburger Helper

1 pound hamburger

3/4 cup hot water

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cup pasta, your choice

1 cup stewed tomatoes, I used tomato sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Italian Herbs

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup shredded cheese

In a large skillet, brown the hamburger. Add the water, milk, tomatoes, pasta and all the seasonings. Stir, reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes, covered. Stir and add cheese, cook 5 more minutes uncovered if soupy.

Make Your Own Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper

My Works For Me Wednesdays Tip is Beef Stroganoff! Do you like fast and easy without the preservatives of a mix?

Before we get to the recipe, be sure to sign up for my 2 GIVEWAYS! You can find all the info for the Bluegala Clothing giveaway HERE, and the Road Kill T~Shirt Giveaway HERE!

Since Chauncey loves noodles so much I decided to try the Stroganoff Hamburger Helper version from Chickens in The Road. I just love a one dish main dish, especially in the summer when it's hot and I don't feel like cooking dinner! Wait, I don't feel like cooking dinner in the winter when it's cold! lol This is a great recipe to have around because it's EASY and you can pass it off as homemade, because, ahem, it is!

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper

1 pound hamburger

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 cup hot water

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups small egg noodles

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

In a large skillet brown the hamburger, add the mushrooms when the hamburger is almost done browning and cook the mushrooms a little. When the hamburger is no longer pink add the water and milk. In a small bowl mix all the seasoning ingredients and sprinkle over the frying pan mixture. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. Uncover and add sour cream, let sit for about 5 minutes before serving so it can thicken.

Sharing an Ice Cream Cone and Homemade Chili Cheese Hamburger Helper

We went for a drive the other day with the doggies. We stopped and got ice cream cones. I think Seamus and Ella enjoyed theirs. I wish they could figure out how to hold their beards back though, they had to have baths when they got home!

I found this recipe over at Chicken's in The Road and had to try it! Chauncey loves anything with Pasta. I don't buy Hamburger Helper very often so I love this alternative and it's easy and fast, can't get much better than that, except it tastes good! Be sure and check out all the variations Suzanne has for it on her blog!

Homemade Chili Cheese Hamburger Helper

1 pound ground beef
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown ground beef in a large skillet; drain.

Add hot water….

….milk….

….pasta….

….and your homemade sauce packet (corn starch, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar, and paprika).

Bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer on low about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.

In the last few minutes of cook time, stir in the cheese; cover the pot again for the final few minutes of cook time.

When the pasta is tender and the cheese is melted, turn off heat and uncover. Let mixture stand, uncovered, about five minutes. It will continue to thicken as it stands.

Work For Me Wednesday- Make Your Own Pancake Mix

I always make pancakes for the kids for breakfast when we're in a hurry. I just grab my big bag of pancake mix from Costco and whip some up, but I ran out the other morning and didn't feel like going to Costco yet... lazy, huh? So I got out my Make A Mix Cookbook and came up with this recipe. It was really fast to make the mix and the kids loved the pancakes! It Works For Me! Now head on over to We Are That Family to see what everyone else is up too!



Don't forget to enter my contest, today is the last day! You have until midnight tonight! You could win one of these great kits from CSN Stores! I'm giving away both kits, the cupcake kit and the cookie kit. These would make great Christmas presents and are a great way to have some fun with your kids! You can find all the rules here!



Pancake Mix

12 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups powdered milk
2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup baking powder

Measure everything into a large bowl and whisk well. Store in a covered container or ziplock bags.

To Make Pancakes

1 1/2 cups pancake mix
1 cup water
1 egg

Mix well with a whisk and fry by scoopfuls onto hot greased griddle. Makes enough for one hungry teenage boy, one not so hungry girl and one for two small dogs to share.

There's a great giveaway over at Today's Give Away!

Head over to Make It and Love It for another giveaway

Autumn Spice Muffins and a Contest

These muffins have a nice wholesome flavor. I love using whole wheat flour and oatmeal in baking. The aroma of these baking is wonderful! If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, I've included my recipe.

Autumn Spice Muffins

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with Pam.

In a large bowl whisk all the dry ingredients. Add the milk, egg and oil and mix well. Scoop into muffin tin with a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop. Bake for 25 minutes.

*Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 cup cinnamon
2 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Mix well, store in a jar.

Head over to Beneath My Heart, Traci has a great giveaway for a bulletin board!

Make-Ahead Spoon Rolls and Make Your Own Self-rising Flour

I found this recipe in a Southern Living Annual Recipe Cookbook. I knew I had to try it when I noticed that you don't have to let it rise! It said that you could store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. I baked up half and put the rest of the batter in a bowl with Saran Wrap in the refrigerator. This recipe uses Self-rising Flour, which I never buy, so I've included my recipe for that. These rolls taste like a cross between a muffin and a roll. They were a hit with butter and jam.


Make-Ahead Spoon Rolls

1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups warm water
4 cups self-rising flour*
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
Pinch of salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 2, 12 cup muffin tins with Pam.

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and the next 6 ingredients until blended. Spoon into muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

*Make Your Own Self-rising Flour

1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk until well mixed.

A Hike, and Cafe Rio Pulled Pork

We went for a gorgeous fall hike yesterday. Chauncey found his way down to the creek.


The dogs were hanging out while we looked for acorns and took pictures.


Sloan is holding one of her rocks she found.


This is one of the bridges we crossed.


This bridge goes up through the trees.


Chauncey found a cut of branch to sit on.


Sloan loves to look for rocks! They both came home with lots of rocks. Chauncey is working on his geologist merit badge so he's working on a rock collection. Sloan just loves rocks!


It was 72 degrees out yesterday!



I came across this recipe the other day when I was looking for some ideas for dinner. This was so easy to make! I've never been to Cafe Rio, so I called a friend to see if she had. She said they serve this over salad and another restaurant chain serves it with rice and beans. I served it with salad one night and the rice and beans the next. It was a hit! Even Sloan loved it! I don't usually buy Taco Seasoning Mix, so I found a recipe for it.

Cafe Rio Pulled Pork

3-4 lb pork loin roast
2 cans diced green chilies
3/4 bottle salsa
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 package taco seasoning mix*

Mix everything but the roast in a bowl. Put the roast in a crock pot set to high. Pour the salsa mixture over the roast. Cover. Cook on high for 4 hours if the roast is frozen cook on high for 6 hours. Remove the roast and shred with 2 forks. Return to the crock pot, stir. Cover and cook for 1 hour.

Serve on a green salad or with rice and bean.

*Taco Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Mix in a small bowl. Equal to 1 package Taco Seasoning Mix, without the preservatives!

Some Goodies I made and Caramel Cheesecake Bars

I decided to make some little goodie bundles for my Visiting Teaching ladies this month. I found some pretty fall dishcloths at Walmart and some fuzzy socks. I wrapped some pretty paper around them to spiff them up a little. I also wrapped a couple of cans with paper. I'm going to put candy in them for my Visiting Teachers.

Fall is in the air! Don't you love fall food flavors? Pumpkin, Gingerbread, and how about Caramel? Well here's something I came across in a Southern Living Cookbook. This was pretty easy to make and oh my gosh, does it taste good! I only had a little taste, then I covered it and put it in hiding in the back of the refrigerator! It was really easy to make too!

Caramel Cheesecake Bars

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

Caramel Topping

2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter. Pour into a 9x13 pan and press into pan.

Bake for 8 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Combine the sugar and flour and whisk well. Add to the cream cheese. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.

Pour over the crust. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then pour warm caramel frosting over cheesecake bars.

Carmel Frosting

Place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium low heat. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until it reaches a pudding like thickness. Remove from heat.

Sweetened Condenesed Milk

1. Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water into a blender.
2. Add 1 cup of nonfat dry milk.
3. Add 2/3 cup sugar.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter.
5. Add a few drops of vanilla.
6. Cover and blend on high speed for 30 seconds or until smooth.
7. Remove from the blender.
8. Use in a recipe immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

The easiest Marinara Sauce ever, or what to do with a slew of tomotoes!

My sister in law brought me over a huge bowl of tomatoes! Yum! But, there wasn't enough to can, but to many for us to just eat. I mentioned it to my daughter Jennie and this is what she told me to do!


Easiest Marinara Sauce Ever

A bunch of tomatoes
2-3 zucchinis
1 onion, chopped
6-9 cloves of garlic (I used 9)
2-3 tablespoons basil
Sea Salt and Pepper (just eyeball it)

Heat oven to 425. Use a big cookie sheet.

Blanched all the tomatoes and take the skins off, you could skip this part.

Quartered them and lay them on a cookie sheet along with, zucchinis (I just cut them in strips) cloves of garlic, and onion. Sprinkled on the olive oil, and then you kind of toss everything around a little to distribute the olive oil. Sprinkled on the basil, sea salt and pepper. Put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the zucchini is fork tender. You can stir it around a little halfway through.

After it cools a little I put it in the food processor in batches and pureed it. I used a slotted spoon to get it off the cookie sheet. I didn't want all the juice to make the sauce runny.

I put it in quart size freezer bags and froze most of it.

We had some for dinner over tortellini!

Metamorphosis Monday and English Muffins

Today is Metamorphosis Monday, and I decided to make my livingroom look a little more summery. So I went through my stack of linens and found some that would work, then I went around the house and gathered up some things. My daughter had fun helping me, and this is what we did. I think it turned out nice!



















I found this recipe for English Muffins a while back, sorry, I can't remember where. I gave them a try the other day, and I will never buy English Muffins again! They were pretty easy and they taste great! Now lest you think I let my family have chocolate on their muffin, it's Nutella and the other is blueberry cream cheese. My mom accidentely bought blueberry instead of regular cream cheese, so she gave me two of the blueberry creamcheese and that's what made me think of making English Muffins!



English Muffins

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour

Warm the milk in the microwave for one minute, it should be lukewarm. Mix in the sugar, stirring to dissolve. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the milk, butter, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat with a bread hook until smooth. Add the flour a cup at a time until you have a nice soft dough. Knead for 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, covered for about an hour. Punch the dough down and put on a floured counter and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick.



Cut with a round cutter, I used a coke glass. Sprinkle a piece of wax paper with cornmeal and put the rounds on the cornmeal. Keep working up the dough into a ball and rolling out until you used up all the dough.


Cover the rounds and let raise for 30 minutes.




Spray a griddle or skillet with Pam and cook muffins on each side for a few minutes, until browned, then bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. If you have a griddle that can brown a lot at once, cook them on each side for 10 minutes.

Go check out A Soft Place To Land, Kimba is doing a great giveaway!