Carmel Apple Cookies

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This soft cookie recipe is a delicious taste of Autumn.  I tested this recipe with a spice cake mix (on sale for $.49) , but have a from scratch recipe following that should be great too.

Here’s the original as tested:

1 box spice cake mix

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup carmel chips (like the ones you melt for dipping apples)

1 peeled and chopped tart apple

Mix all ingredients well, folding in the chips and apple last.  If the dough feels too wet add a little more flour.  (This depends on how juicy the apple is.)  Drop by rounded spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.  Cool.  Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

From Scratch Recipe:  I haven’t tried this version, but it “should” work :).

1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup carmel chips

1 peeled and chopped tart apple

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well.  Stir in the salt, baking soda, flour, oats and spices until moistened.  Fold in chips and apple.  Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Grilled chicken for the Freezer

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With school starting and a generally busy schedule, I’m putting homemade convenience foods in my freezer every chance I get. The latest recipe started with a 10 lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts from Costco. I poured a bottle of chipolte lime marinade I snagged for $.50 right into the bag. And refririgerated for a couple of days until I had more time.

Then I placed them on a broiler pan and broiled on high for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Set them on a plate to cool while I cooked the rest. And then sliced them really thin.  I had in my mind restaurant style grilled chicken strips as I sliced.

Then I weighed the strips into 4 oz serving sizes and packaged them in snack size bags for the freezer.  Now all I have to do is microwave the frozen strips for 90 seconds and add them to a tossed salad or a pita for instant lunch.  It’s low-fat, high protein, and sooo tasty!!

Do you have a favorite chicken marinade recipe to share that I can try next time?  I’m out of $.50 bottles of  marinade 🙂 .

Overnight French Toast Casserole

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Here’s a make-ahead breakfast recipe for you.   I like to make it the night before and pop it into the oven right before I start my morning aerobics.  By the time I’m showered and dressed breakfast is ready to serve. 

1.  First cut a whole loaf of 100% whole grain day old bread into cubes and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

2.  Then mix 6 eggs, 3 cups of skim milk, a tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a teaspoon of vanilla and pour over the bread.

3.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4.  In the morning dot with 2 tablespoons of butter cut into tiny bits and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (about 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.)  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. 

5.  Cut into 12 squares and serve with maple syrup or fruited and yogurt. Yum!

Quick Meal Stretch: Taco Meat for a Crowd

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Our hamburger comes in 2 lb frozen logs.  It barely feeds my family of 7 for a meal of tacos.  Once a week we add 4 extra mouths to our table and I knew it wouldn’t stretch.  I added 2 cups of cooked brown rice to our meat once it was browned and then added my taco spices to flavor it all together.  I loved the flavors and the children ate it well.  We had enough for lunch the next day.

3 Ingredient Taco Seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1-2 Tablespoons chili powder

Mix spices and sprinkle on 2 lb cooked meat with 1/4 cup water.  Cook and and stir until most of the water has evaporated.

3-Step Homemade Chipolte Peppers

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The only thing my garden is producing right now is jalapenos.  That’s just fine with me.  I love southwest flavors!  We roasted our own jalapenos for a smoky chipolte flavor.  Here’s how.

1.  For a mild flavor slice the peppers in half and and remove the seeds.  Wear rubber gloves to protect your skin.  If you like them hot, skip this step.

2.  Pour a quart of cool water in a bowl and add a Tablespoon of sea salt.  Soak the peppers for a few hours or overnight.  You can put them in the fridge, I didn’t.  For extra smokey flavor, add a Tablespoon of liquid smoke.

3.  Remove peppers from water and place on a broiling pan.  Broil on high for about 3 minutes watching for the skins to bubble and brown.  You can use immediately or freeze for later use.

33 Lunch Ideas

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My family is big, sort of. When I’m in public people stare, but when I’m at homeschool coop I can say I “only” have 5 children. Most of them have 7-12. The point is, leftovers are becoming scarce. Leftovers used to be my lunch stand by, just warm it up and eat. Lately, I’ve been cooking a brand new meal for lunch. Now that our homeschool has started, it needs to be fast and filling. Here are 33 ideas for lunches that I can make quickly or start the night before in the slow cooker. Do you have any ideas to add? Please add your favorite lunch as a comment.

1 Egg Sandwiches with fried egg, bacon, and cheese
2 Egg Salad Sandwiches on bread, pitas, or buns
3 Egg Burritos plain or with sausage
4 Creamed eggs over freezer biscuits
5 Frittata
6 Breakfast casserole
7 Southwest grilled chicken salad pitas
8 Chicken salad in cheese puffs
9Tuna salad on bread, buns, or pitas
10 Banana dogs, banana with peanut butter and jelly on a whole wheat hot dog bun
11 Hot Dogs
12 Macaroni and cheese, plain or with tuna or hot dogs stirred in
13 Chili over baked potatoes
14 Baked breaded vegetable nuggets
15 Crumb coated cheese and rice balls with marinara dipping sauce
16 BBQ meatballs and baked fries
17 BBQ beef baked in biscuit dough in a muffin tin
18 Pizza toppings baked in biscuit dough in a muffin tin
19 Hamburger bun or English Muffin mini pizzas
20 Homemade chicken nuggets
21 Ham and cheese pockets (with small rounds of pizza dough folded in half and baked
22 Jack Mackerel Patties
23 Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
24 Grilled burritoes
25 Tostadas
26 Quesadillas, cheese, bean, pizza, or ham and cheese
27 Ranch veggie pizza
28 Croissant roll chicken pockets
29 Sausage gravy over freezer biscuits
30 BLTs
31 Submarine sandwiches, baked
32 chili
33 Potato soup

I Made Roman Shades

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After months of drooling over the instructions at Little Green Notebook, I made my own shades!  I modified the instructions a little because I was worried about keeping the slats straight.  I also took a chance on hot glue, since I didn’t have fabric glue on hand.  It worked pretty good, but it is easy to pull everything apart when you want to.  So far it is staying put for normal use.

 

First I had DH hang the blinds, and then I took scissors and snipped groups of 6 slats.  By leaving the ladder threads intact everything stayed nice and straight.  This left my spaces 6.25 inches apart which is pretty close to standard for Roman Shades.

I did do a little sewing.  After measuring the length and width of the blind, I cut my fabric that size plus 1 inch all the way around.  Then I serged and hemmed all the raw edges.  To make the ruffle trim, I cut strips 3.5 inches wide, sewed them together in a very long strip and hemmed it with a rolled edge.  Then I ran it through my ruffler with a 1/2 inch seam allowance down both edges.

It helped to steam iron everything flat before top-stitching it place on the shade.  The final effect was a puffing strip with a ruffle on each edge.  I love it!

Once the shade was stitched together, I hot glued it to each slat and across the top (leaving the top edges free so I can take it down.)  I glued it while it was hanging and gravity made everything hang straight.  I love how it looks except that I can see the slats though the shade.  I didn’t want to use black out fabric because I like plenty of light in the room, but I wonder if I should have done it anyway.

It’s my birthday!

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I don’t mind growing older much.  Each year brings me a little more secure in who God created me to be, a little bolder in my belief, a little wiser with my decisions, and a little happier with my life.

While I’m thinking of it, my friend Twylene shares my birthday today.  She is the sunniest, sweetest person there is and she is fighting stage 4 cancer.  Will you pray for her and her family?

I have so many plans and dreams for the future, but if I never accomplish another thing, I’m satisfied.  From a child I dreamed of being a teacher, wife and mother.  In my adult life I followed my dreams and started a sewing pattern company, been on TV and the radio, and in the National Enquirer.  (Should I be proud of that last one?)  I’ve been blessed to travel to all 50 states, Canada, Bahamas, Honduras and Mexico.  I’d love to see Europe, England and the Orient someday, but if I get to stay in the United States for the rest of my life I can’t think of anything better.

What more important thing could I accomplish than raising my beautiful babies, creating a home that allows my family to be the best they can be, and living a life of service for God? 

This blog lets me share what happens as I go about the 3 most important things in my life and I appreciate you for being a loyal reader.  Knowing someone might read and be encouraged makes me reach a little farther, try a little harder, and learn a little more.  You inspire me to be better, Thank You!

Make a beautiful salad

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There’s nothing like a  lettuce salad made with crisp, green, Romaine lettuce.  Really all you need is lettuce, but start adding stuff and the salad turns really special.  Some salad veggies add up fast in cost and don’t last very long in the fridge.  Here are some alternative options that will keep long in the fridge.

Craisins or raisins are beautiful additions for color, sweetness and a chewy texture.  A sprinkling of sunflower seeds or chopped almonds ($3 a lb whole at Costco) adds just the righ crunch.  Carrots are long keepers in the fridge and add fantastic color and nutrition.  Home grown sprouts are so easy to make and turn an ordinary salad into a gourmet salad bar creation.  I like to keep mini colored bell peppers and sugar snap peas from Costco on hand too.  What a salad treat!

Moving Into the Kitchen

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All the cabinets are in and I am putting in shelf liner!

I chose printed vinyl from Jo-Ann’s and am using spray glue to hold it in place.  I really like the look.  It’s fun to open the boxes of kitchen items I haven’t seen since  April. 

I’m really liking the glass front doors on this cabinet.  It’s the only glass we put in since most of our stuff is useful but not pretty.

My favorite cabinet so far!

We still need countertops, a sink, crown moulding, and baseboard trim, but for now–it’s such an improvement.