Cinnamon Rolls with Grandma Leah

The other day I had the opportunity to make cinnamon rolls with my grandmother. We had a blast! They are so yummy and fun to make! I learned how to make them and look forward to making them in the future! 

Quick and easy mini Cheesecakes with Blueberry toping

The other day I noticed I had bought two packages of cream cheese instead of just one. I wanted something fun to do with it, so I decided to try a new recipe! I found this recipe online but changed it around a bit! My entire family loved it and I will make it again! 

Quick and easy mini Cheesecakes with  Blueberry toping

Cheesecakes: 

8 graham crackers (Crushed into crumbs)

4 T. butter

8 oz. neufchâtel cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 t. lemon juice

1/2 t. lemon zest

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350, and line 9 muffin cups with paper liner and spray with pam. 
• In a bowl, mix the graham cracker drums and butter until just moistened. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each cup, pack them down to make an even crust in each. Bake crusts for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla until mixed well. Top each crust with the cream cheese mixture, fill the cups almost to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, let them cool completely then chill in the fridge for about an hour before serving. Before serving top with blubbery topping and then enjoy! 

Blueberry topping:

16 oz. frozen blue berries

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 t. cornstarch

• To make topping combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring it to a boil, reduce   heat, and simmer until berries are reduced and the mixture thickness. (About 15 minutes.) Remove from heat and cool. 

For you calorie counters: 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I hope you and your family are celebrating what easter is all about. For our families' dessert I made carrot cake and it was delicious! The cake is moist, has great flavor, and is so yummy! Everyone loved it and I recommend that all try it! 

Carrot Cake:

Ingredients:

For cake:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound carrots peeled and grated

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans by spraying them lightly with pam. Cut out circles of parchment paper to lay inside the pans and give them a light spray as well. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add carrots and mix with a spoon to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, mix together sugars and eggs until combined and pale in color. Add oil and continue to mix until oil has incorporated into the eggs and sugar. Add dry ingredients and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. Divide batter equally between the two pans and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan for 2 hours. To remove, carefully run a paring knife around the perimeter of the cakes and invert onto a cooling rack or plate. Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting.

For frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese , softened but still cool

5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, but still cool

1 Tbs sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

To make frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until well combined. Add sour cream and vanilla. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Decorate cake as desired. I covered the outside of the cake with chopped walnuts. 

Sukiyaki

This dish is a favorite of my mother's. It has a yummy flavor and its something fun and different to have. Another pro is that it smells really good! 

Sukiyaki

1/2 C. soy sauce 3/4 C. canned chicken broth

3 T. sugar 3 C. Chinese cabbage or bok choy (cut 1/2" diagonal slices)

12 green onion 3 large mushrooms

4 stalks celery 1 C. bamboo shoots

3 C. chopped spinach 1 lb. beef steak, thinly sliced

Combine soy sauce, broth, sugar.  Mix well, set aside.  Heat heavy skillet and grease well.  Add cabbag, green onions, mushrooms, celery, bamboo shoots.  Pour soy sauce mixture over vegetables.  Cook over high heat for 8 minutes.  Add spinach and meat.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.  Push all solid ingredients down into sauce and cook for 3 minutes longer.  Serve with rice.  Serves 6.

Simple-Hamburger Stroganoff

This is another family favorite! We love this beef stroganoff because it has great flavor and is easy to make. It tastes especially good on a cold fall or winter day! We like to serve it with egg noodle and then have canned green beans on the side. Gutes Essen!

Hamburger Stroganoff

1 lb. hamburger, 1/2 chopped onion (or use onion powder to taste), 1 garlic clove or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 6 chopped mushrooms ( or more if you would like), 2 T. flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 C. sour cream.

Brown hamburger, onion, garlic and mushrooms.  Drain fat.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, paprika and soup.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 C. sour cream.  Sometimes I add a little water to make it less thick and also to help extend the servings.  Serve over cooked noodles or rice.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

My mom and I recently made this salad for a church activity, and I was reminded how yummy it is! This salad is fresh tasting, and has great flavor! The bacon and the broccoli are a great combination! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Broccoli Salad

3 large stalks broccoli, peeled and chopped

1 bunch of green onions (or use onion powder to taste)

1 lb. bacon

1 C. sunflower seeds

1 C. sliced almonds or coarsley chopped peans

1C. seedless raisins

Mix chopped broccoli stalks and flowerets, chopped onion and fried, small cut pieces of bacon into a bowl.  Toss with dressing:  1-1/2 C. mayo or salad dressing, 3 T. vinegar (go slow on this. 3 T. is too strong for my family's tastes), 3/8 C. sugar.  Chill well before serving

Easter Countdown

I thought I would share a great spiritual countdown to Easter. My church's women's group made these for an activity and I really liked the idea. They are easy to make and are great for any age group.

Resurrection Eggs:

Items Needed:

12 plastic eggs

Scripture list (See Below)

1 Sacrament Cup

3 dimes

A piece of string

A piece of soap

A thorn (I used a clipping off a blackberry bush)

1 Nail

Two dice

Rocks

Spices (Cinnamon Stick)

White Cloth 

Picture of Christ (I used this image http://s2.hubimg.com/u/876519_f496.jpg) 

Just put each item in the assigned egg. Then open one daily before easter!

Here are the Scriptures and the items they go with:

1. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:39; (Sacrament Cup)



2. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,, And said unto them, what will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 26:14-15 This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 11: 12-14 that Jesus would be sold for 30 pieces of silver. (3 dimes)



3. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Matthew 27: 1-2; (string)



4. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Matthew 27: 24-26; (soap)



5. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews and they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. Matthew 27: 28-30 (thorn)



6. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. Matthew 27: 31-32 And He was crucified... nailed to the cross. (nail)



7. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet... And sitting down they watch him there: Matthew 27: 35-36 (small pair of dice)



8. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent:. . . Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Matthew 27: 50-51 & 54 (rocks)

9. And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, and brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from the heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Mark 16:1; Mathew 28:2, 5 ; (spices)

10. Then Joseph went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock.And he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. Matthew 27: 60, 65-66; (white cloth) 



11. Then the angels said unto the women, “Fear no ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen.” Matthew 28:6; (empty)


12. ”And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father -- That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” D&C 76:22-24 (Picture of Christ) 

Sliced baked potatoes

I found this recipe online and put my own tweaks into it. Next time I will let the potatoes cool for about 15 minutes, when I cut them into wedges the skin fell off. But other than that I enjoyed them!!

Sliced Baked Potatoes:

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean

1/8 cup Milk

4 T. Butter 

1/2 cups Sour Cream

3 slices Thin Bacon, Fried Crisp & Chopped

1/2 cup Grated Cheddar-jack Cheese

Salt, Johnny Salt, and Onion powder

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the skins are slightly crisp.

On a cutting board, cut off the very end pieces of each potato, then slice the potato into 3 to 4 equal slices. Lay the slices flat and use a round cutter or a spoon to remove most of the insides. Leave a very thin rim of potato around the edge for structure. As you go, dump the insides into a mixing bowl with the butter and sour cream.

Add milk and mix the potato mixture together until smooth. Add bacon, seasoned salt, and cheese, and mix together. Taste and make sure the mixture is seasoned adequately.

Use a scoop or spoon to fill the potato slices with the potato mixture. Slightly mound the mixture in the slices, as it will settle after baking. Top with additional cheese if desired, and bake at 375 for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, watching very carefully so you won't burn them.

Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing with a spatula and serving.

Snapshots from my kitchen

Here are a couple snapshots of what I've been baking/cooking lately. I'm in college and school keeps me busy, but I'm catching up. Hope you enjoy my recipes! 

Yummy Chocolate Cake

I've always enjoyed cake but have never found a homemade recipe that I love. They all take too long and the boxed mix tastes just as good. But I just found a new recipe and I love it! Its easy, fast, yummy, and has great flavor! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Direction:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy St Patrick's Day! Yummy Chicken Pot Pie

For St. Patrick's day I wanted to try a comfort food classic. I have made chicken pot pie but never with a crust on the top and bottom. (Mine usually just had biscuits on the top) It was fun to try something different and new! I loved it, I only would add more spices... I've made the changes to the recipe and can't wait to have it again! Enjoy! 

Chicken Pot Pie:

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast       halves - cubed

• 1 cup frozen carrots 

• 1/2 cup sliced celery

• 1 cup cut carrots 

• 1/3 cup butter

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Spices, Poultry Seasoning, Sage, Thyme, and Onion Powder

• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed

• 32 oz. carton chicken broth for boiling(reserve 1 3/4 cups chicken broth for sauce)

• 2/3 cup milk

• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

2. Place one of the crusts in the bottom of a pie pan and prick with a fork. I like to slightly bake the bottom crust before filling the pie so it isn't soggy. Just bake for 5-6 minutes at 425 degrees.

3. In a pot, combine the raw chicken, carrots, peas, celery and the spices. Add the carton of chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain (reserving 1 3/4 cups chicken broth for filling) and set aside.

4. In the saucepan over medium heat, melt butter then stir in flour, celery seed and a little onion powder. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and combine with the chicken, carrots, peas, and celery mixture. Here you can add more chicken broth if you like depending how runny you want your filling.

5. Place the chicken filling in bottom crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Seahawks Cookies

In celebration of the Seahawks going to the Super Bowl, I made sugar cookies for Dad's coworkers. I made my own cookie cutters too! I think they turned out cute!! 

Marble Pumpkin Chocolate Bread

I found the most amazing cookbook its called "One Bowl Baking". The recipes are delicious and easy to make! One of my favorites has to be the pumpkin bread. It is very moist, has great flavor, and next time I think I will add some chopped walnuts. 

Marble Pumpkin Chocolate Bread: 

1 3/4 cup (12 1/4 ounce) granulated sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) canned pumpkin

1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 plus a scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons milk

     Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan (see note) with parchment paper, allowing edges to overhang. Grease unlined part of pan. Whisk sugar, oil, pumpkin, eggs, pumpkin, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove to the batter, and then whisk until completely combined. Spoon 2 cups batter into pan. Spoon 1 cup batter into measuring cup and reserve. Whisk cocoa and milk into remaining batter and spoon into pan. Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, swirl the batter a few times, lifting pumpkin batter from the bottom. Then spoon reserved pumpkin batter over the top and swirl a few times more (see note). Bake until top is just set and skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool in pan 45 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. 

Mom's meatloaf

My mom makes the best meatloaf, and it always tastes so good! The other day I finally got her recipe! 

Mom’s Meatloaf: 

1 egg

1/3 c milk

1/2 of a roll of ritz crackers, crushed

Sprinkle of Onion Powder

1 T basil

1/2 t sage

1/2 t oregano

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup catsup

4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

2 tsp. mustard

Combine the egg, milk and hamburger. Then mix in ritz, and spices. Mix until well combine. Put parchment paper in an 8x8 pan, then place the meat in it. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. While its cooking mix catsup, brown sugar, and mustard for topping. Also crush up 1/4 of a roll of ritz. Take meatloaf out and drain fat, then put topping and ritz on. Bake for another 10 minutes. 

Fudgy Brownies

I don't know about you, but I love brownies! They taste so good and I love my dad's recipe. His aren't fudge brownies and once and a while I would like some fudge ones. So I found a recipe and modified it. They are really yummy!

Fudgy Brownies 

8 Tabelspoons unsalted butter

(A pinch less) 1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, cold

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

    1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Directions

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering. Combine butter, sugar, and cocoa powder in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest bowl over simmering water.

Stir mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty, it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour.

Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot.

Stir in vanilla with a wooden spoon or spatula. Then, add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.

When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon. (The batter will be quite thick). Stir in nuts and chocolate. Spread evenly in lined pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out almost clean 

Cool completely then remove from pan. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into 16 squares.