Homemade Pie Crust

I have always heard that pie crust is so hard to make, and have never made my own until Thanksgiving of this year!  It was super easy so buttery yummy, we LOVED it!  I made it for Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, and Chicken Pot Pie!  ;)

Homemade Pie Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles courase crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until misture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic & refridgerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate, Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

 

EZ Creamy Tomato Soup

I fell in love with Mimi's Tomato Soup and thought with some research, I could come up with something similar!  This is how I did it... so good on a cold day like today!  If ya make it like I did, you will need:

4 C. crushed tomatoes
4 chicken bouillion cubes
4 C. boiling water
2 Tb. butter
2 garlic cloves
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. sugar
Salt & Pepper
1 C. heavy whipping cream
2 Tb. dry basil

*Sour cream, Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese if desired!

Pour 4 cups of boiling water over 4 bouillion cubes and set aside.
Sautee garlic and onion in butter about 5-10 minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes and get it real hot.
Add tomato and onion mixture to the chicken broth, add sugar, some salt & pepper and bring to boil.
Remove from heat, add cup heavy whipping cream & dry basil.  (I prefer fresh basil if I have it! :)

*Add a little cilantro, a dollup of sour cream, some grated cheddar cheese and had this yummo soup with a grilled cheese sandwich!  Awesome!



Apple Pie w/ Homemade Crust

Oh my, doesn't this look delish??  This was my very first apple pie with real homemade crust!  Both of these recipes came from www.allrecipes.com and turned out wonderful!  I boiled my apple slices in water with cinnamon & sugar first to get them good & soft.  Also, I made two dough balls for crust, one for the bottom, and lattice crust for the top.  A sweet friend gave us some yummy apples, and it turned out great for Christmas!


Filling:
1/2 cup butter
3 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 apples  (I used 5 and it was plenty!), peeled, cored, and sliced.

Preheat to 425 degrees.  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in flour to form a paste.  Add water, white sugar and brown sugar and bring to a boil.  Reduce temp and simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan.  Fill with apples, mounded slightly (Hope you sliced them thin!).  Cover with a lattice work crust.  Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust.  Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, THEN reduce the temp to 350 degrees.  Continue baking for 35-45 minutes until apples are soft.  ( I baked 50 minutes with crust covered with sheet of aluminum and removed it and baked another 10 minutes without it.)
 

Croissant Style Dinner Rolls

I have a folder with old recipes in it I've clipped from different places over the years.  This one I love.  We really like homemade fresh dinner rolls, rolled up like croissants, but heavy & yummy like dinner rolls!

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup real butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (or .25 ounce)
1/4 cup butter, softened

Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of your bread machine.  Select Dough/Knead & First Rise cycle and let the machine do the work!  Mine takes about 90 minutes.

When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half.  Roll each half into a 12 inch circle and spread the 1/4 cup butter over the two rounds.  Cut into 8 wedges.
Roll croissant style wedges starting at wide end, roll gently but tightly.  Place point side down on greased cookie sheet (I use butter for this too!)  Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in warm place to rise for about an hour.  Preheat oven for 400 degrees, bake about 10-15 minutes until golden.

Losing Weight and Living Healthy!

I was talking with a sweet friend about healthy living. Seems like it is a topic on a lot of our minds lately. Even the Duggars are getting in to it!

I'm so thankful to have such awesome support in my journey to get healthy again! My friend has been walking with me for a couple of weeks now, she's a runner, as in... marathons! I'm gonna try to go up a notch and do a little jogging tonight. She is convinced that there's a 5K in my future! Don't ya love positive, optimistic friends??

One problem I have and maybe you do too, is that it is so ingrained in us from an early age to finish everything on our plates. It goes against our nature to throw away food. I can hardly even type the words! ;p

So, since our family is often on the go and we eat out more than we should, my friend suggested asking for a to-go box when ordering food. That way I can eat half & take half home for another meal.

What a great idea!



Here is my lunch today, leftover salmon. I made a fresh salad to go with it. We're out of tomatoes though, bummer. Did you know that Olive Garden is now bottling their yummy dressing & selling it? It's around $6.00 for a big bottle. I love a big colorful salad with all kinds of healhty stuff on it!

BTW, I'm down 12 pounds now!

If not for a fantastic weekend with fabulous friends & scrumptous southern food... Could've been more! ;)

Hey, it was so worth it!

UPDATE: Dec. 10, I am now down 23 pounds!!  Praise the Lord!! :)

Like Chateau on the Lake Roast Beef Wraps

I tried to copy this roast beef wrap we had in Branson at Chateau on the Lake... it was soooo good!



Ingredients are:
Deli roast beef, sliced avacado, tomatoes, baby spinach, Italian dressing, provolone cheese, salt and pepper in a spinach wrap.

Sweetbay offers a yummy smoked turkey and guacamole wrap that is really good too. :)

Also pictured are pumpernickel bread, and dee-lish pesto. Yumoli!

My Own Grilled Chicken and Veggies Recipe

Marinade:
1/4 cup sugar
1 large garlic clove~ crushed
Enough Soy Sauce to saturate the sugar

Marinate 2 boneless chicken breasts, zucchini and yellow squash (cut into 1/4 inch circles) for about 15 min.
Sprinkle with lemon-pepper seasoning and grill!
I like to grill the veggies in aluminum foil pack.

YUMMMY!

Quick Easy Potatoes

My Mom is a great cook. She makes the simplest dishes taste so wonderful without using hardly any seasoning, other than salt 'n pepper. Try her easy taters... So rich and flavorful, so little time and effort, you'll be so glad you did! I use red potatoes...

Preheat: 375
About 6 or 8 red potatoes sliced in 1/4 in. circles, I like to leave the pealing on.
1/2 package (or 1/2 pound) Bacon (I use Turkey Bacon, just add some EVOO for more juicy-ness!)
Onion, Salt and Pepper
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cook about 45 minutes, add the cheese when done!
Mmm Mmm! :)

Easy Potato Salad

I made this for Hubby the first time years ago. He took a bite, closed

his eyes and said "Mmmm, I never thought I'd taste this again."

His first wife Kim, who died in 1996, made the exact same potato recipe from Betty Crocker's cookbook.

So glad he can still have her yummy potato salad! :)

Kim's Simple but yummy Potato Salad:

Boil about 6 medium potatoes while you are mixing:

2 cut up stalks of celery
However much onion you like (I LOVE onions, but not in this recipe)
3/4 c. real mayo
1 T. vinegar
2 tsp. mustard
Salt and Pepper
4-6 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Pickles to taste

Drain potatoes, add ingredients and mash together.
Add eggs as topping and sprinkle with paprika.
Cover and chill in fridge.

Freezing Meat & Burgers Recipe

I found out from a friend that Walmart usually has their meat that didn't sell over the weekend at reduced prices on Monday mornings. I started beating the crowds by shopping early, buying the meats we use the most in bulk, then bringing it home to separate into freezer bags. 5.5lbs of hamburger will divide into 7 freezer bags for our use. I also get boneless chicken breasts, which are usually on sale. We divide two large pieces of meat per bag. :)

The babies help by flattening the meat, which makes for better storage quicker thawing... one bag will thaw in about 15 minutes in the sink.

No more "I forgot to thaw meat for supper" excuses for eating out! :)

We so the same to chicken breasts to flatten them for the same reasons...

and it also ensures thorough cooking. ;)

Big Boy is mixing ingredients in the bag that came from the freezer for hamburgers! What do you put in your hamburgers?? We use garlic, onions, A1 Sauce, mustard, an egg, and bread crumbs.

HAPPY COOKING Ya'll! :)

Homemade Wheat Bread

There are lots of recipes for homemade wheat bread and rolls. We like the EASY and YUMMY ones! This recipe comes from my fav healthy living cookbook,

though I've tweaked it just a tad.

Here is their website:

http://www.breadbeckers.com/

First, we grind 4 cups of wheat in the Whisper Mill, which will give you about 5 cups of flour.

The wheat berries turn into soft warm flour!

(This amazes my son!)

FYI... the quicker you use the wheat flour, the more nutrients you get out of it.  I have read that wheat will lose most of it nutrients around 24 hours after being milled. (I believe the source is Bread Beckers, their link is at the top of this page)

In a mixing bowl, add in order:

2 cups hot tap water
1/2 cup Olive Oil (Extra Virgin...the darker, the healthier)
1/2 cup Honey (local is healthier)
Stir in 3 cups of the wheat flour

Add 2 tsp. Yeast (or 2 1/4 oz. packets)
2 tsp. Salt (Sea Salt)
1 egg
Mix and add the remaining flour, about 2 cups or so.  (It will be sticky, not a formed ball like white flour dough.)

Pour dough into bread machine for kneading. My machine takes about 90 minutes.

Prepare pans with real butter or olive oil, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Watch it rise!

Pull and roll into balls. Dough will be sticky.

Like these!

Bake in oven for 18 minutes.

They're done!!

Mmmm smells good!

Spead real butter over tops making them irrisistable!

**Cut this recipe in half to make one loaf of bread in your machine!**

Baby Heath Bars

Preheat 400*

4 cups oatmeal, uncooked

1 cup sucanant w/honey

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, softened

My hubby & kiddos LOVE these!!  They are *mostly* healthy :)

Combine above ingredients and spread in greased 9X13 pan.

Bake in oven 12 min. Spread topping over oatmeal misture after removed from oven. Let cool, refrigerate and cut into squares.

Topping: 

12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips  (OR... mix it up with a 6 oz. pkg of choco. chips, and a 6 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips)

1 cup peanut butter

Melt in double boiler.

**From Healthy Choices Cookbook, Johnna McAllister Recipe page 49**

Mexican Cornbread Casserole: EEEASY!!

Oh Boy! Doesn't this look good??

This is a tweaked recipe from a cookbook compiled by Moms of students

at East Hills Middle School in Greenwood, AR.

I added my own tasty extras! :)

Warning: Not for the cholesterol challenged eater...

Mexican Cornbread Casserole:

*Preheat 425*

1 lb. ground beef, browned with some garlic & onion, and spices like: salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder

2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 can cream corn
1/2 can beans (we like black beans)
1 box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix
A bunch of cheese (we use an 8 oz pkg. of sharp cheddar)

Brown the meat with all the stuff.
Mix Jiffy with milk, eggs, 1/2 of the can of the corn.
In 8X8 pan, pour half the cornbread mixture, all of the meat, cheese, beans, and rest of the corn.
Top with rest of the cornbread mixture.
Cook at 425 Degrees for 25-30 minutes.

When ready to eat, I like some cilantro, fresh home made guacamole, some sour cream, & Pace Picante Salsa to have with it! Yummo!

Cast Iron Skillet Onion and Honey Cornbread

This is Lil Ole Me in my apron & in the kitchen... making a fab supper for a fab Hubby! :)

Speaking of Hubby, when we married, he had 3 fundamental rules for marriage:

No lyin', cheatin', or wearin' Muu-Muu's.

Well... things sure do change as we umm, mature.

 

 

I got myself some Muu-Muu's!!

From SEARS!!!

hahaha!! Talk about "mature".

(Don't worry Hubby, I promise not to break the other rules!) ;p

In the kitchen...

My wonderful Step-Dad got me a cast-iron skillet for my birthday.

LOVE IT!

I had wanted one for so long & this one is already seasoned!!

Perfect.

I clipped this recipe by Alicia Ross from the newspaper.

MMmmm!

Twas as yummy as it looks!

(Recipes like this are why (wo)man invented the MooMoo! ;p)

Onion and Honey Cornbread in Cast Iron Skillet: Preheat 400 degrees

2 Tb vegetable oil, divided use

1/2 c. thinly sliced yellow onion crescents

1 c. plain yellow cornmeal (not cornbread or meal mix)

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tb baking powder

2 eggs

2 Tb butter, melted

1 1/4 c. milk

1 Tb honey
*I am adding Sweet Jalapeno's*

Coat 9-inch cast-iron skillet with Tb of oil, covering the bottom and sides well.

Add onion & drizzle remaining oil over onion & toss to coat.

Spread onion pieces to cover the bottom of skillet & place skillet in a cold oven.

In medium bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, salt, & baking powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, milk, and honey.

When oven is preheated and onions are beginning to caramelize, carefully remove the skillet and set aside.

Pour wet ingredients into dry & stir just until mixed, about 15 or 20 strokes.

Pour batter into hot skillet, smooth top and carefully place in oven.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly golden & springs back when touched.

Remove, allow to cool 5 minutes.

Easter Cookies

Wish I could take credit for this fun recipe!!

The kids & I made Easter Cookies that look like carrots stuck in soil!

It was so much fun!

The actual owner of the recipe & instructions came from this blog.

We made a "bunch" haha!

And delivered some to our favorite people! :)