I Love My Fat

First, I want to thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes. I had a great birthday, and much cheesecake was eaten, and I did make it till after the candles were blown out. I think that shows that I'm finally maturing a little bit in my old age. =)


Today I want to talk to you about something I hold very near and dear to my heart: fat. No, not the fat on my chin or hips (though I'm sure it has helped all areas of my body grow in bad ways). I'm talking about the kind of fat you ask Santa to give you for Christmas. The kind of fat you'd be just as happy to get as a new diamond ring, maybe. The kind of fat that just makes EVERYthing better. I'm talking BACON fat people. I'm talking smokey, rich, buttery bacon fat.




Do you cook with bacon fat? You should, you really should. Just don't do it everyday, or even every week for that matter. It could kill you if you did that. But every now and then you really ought to try using bacon fat in your homemade bread, put it in your garlic black beans, use it to fry up an egg or two, or to grease the pan for your french toast, and if you want to make a man smile just try cooking his next steak in it. Ho-boy!





Now, you can get bacon grease anytime you cook up some bacon, but I've found that baking your bacon provides the cleanest and most stable bacon grease, not to mention the fact that baking your bacon is fast, less messy, and frees your stove top up for pots and pans of pancakes, eggs, and syrup.



To bake bacon lay bacon out flat (you can overlap the slices a little) on a rimmed baking sheet. Make sure it is rimmed so you can capture all that lovely fat (and so you don't start an oven fire with dripping grease) and bake on the middle shelf in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Be very careful taking pan out of oven, remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate, then pour the fat through a fine mesh strainer into a clean, sterile canning jar. Voila! Store this in your refrigerator or freezer and use it anytime you need that "essence of bacon."

Isn't that a pretty sight? I love it!

The only thing better than bacon fat is BABY FAT!!! Good golly, is there anything cuter than a naked fat baby?

(That mirror that he has his pudgy little hand on is a mirror that has never gone a whole day without smears, fingerprints, and lick marks. So gross.)

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Holy Hannah we have been eating good around here this week. I have been sticking to my menu and loving every bite (let's just forget the fact that I posted about calorie counting earlier). I had this lovely vision of posting recipes everyday and have been photographing everything I eat so I could do just that. But to write a post means I have to put my fork down... and that is asking a lot. But the recipe for this pie is so easy I thought I'd post it in between bites.

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Lemon Sour Cream Pie

1 fully baked and cooled pie crust

your favorite lemon meringue pie filling (I used a recipe from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook)

16 oz sour cream

3-4 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Whipping cream and extra sugar

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Mix sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together and set aside. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cook your lemon filling. Fill pie crust with lemon filling and top with sour cream mixture (starting at the crust and working your way in) smoothing to completely cover top of pie. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove and let cool then chill in the fridge overnight. Let sit at room temp for 15 minutes before serving. Or just eat it whenever and however you want.

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Now, if you didn't forget to buy whipping cream and you aren't too busy changing diapers and yelling at kids you can top your pie with whipped cream and lovely little lemon slices. I just had enough time to slap some slices on plates and call it good. And boy is it good. So very very very good. Mmmmm, that slightly sweet and cool sour cream is the perfect sidekick to the tangy, sugary filling held together by the salty crust. Oh, baby! And if you wake up early enough you can eat the last two slices for breakfast and then tell the kids that daddy must have eaten them while they were sleeping.

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Not that I would ever do that.

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My Bark Is Worse Than My Bite

An Ordinary Mom wanted me to post about my peppermint bark. I feel a little silly because I consider almond bark to be a cheater candy. All you do is melt the stuff, stir something in, and then spread it around on wax paper. But even with all that cheating I can still manage to mess it up. I made some this morning so I could photograph it for this post. I'm tired, lazy, and it ended up looking like peppermint poo. Ah well. If you make it when you are tired and don't give a hoot it might look like this, but if you take just a little time and care, artfully drizzling it with dark chocolate, it will look beautiful.

Only 3 ingredients. You can use any brand of white chocolate/vanilla bark.

Smash up some candy canes. A Hammer really is the best for this. I tried using the bottom of a heavy glass and it took FOREVER! The hammer finished the job in less than a minute (and it makes you look cool to your kids).

When peeling candy canes I can't stand peeling the hook part, so I don't. I just leave them on the counter and they magically disappear so I'm not wasting anything with my laziness.

I used too many candy canes so this didn't spread as thin as I like it to. But it will taste great.

I didn't drizzle the chocolate so it just looks like you-know-what. Still tastes great.

Stick in freezer and break into pieces when fully set. Seriously, people, it took me ten times longer to blog about this than it did to make it. And you could really stir anything into this "chocolate" bark. Check out all these variations: Almond Bark Recipes

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Don't forget to make chocolate covered pretzels! You can also dip plastic spoons into the bark then dip them into the crushed candy canes and you have yummy hot chocolate stir spoons.

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Enjoy! I'm off to sit on a heater vent to get warm.

Turkey Lurkey

Turkey Lurkey, so named because all the calories consumed on Turkey Day have a habit of lurking in my body for years. The only way I can be ok with this is if the calories I consume are worth it. I have to be able to look at that fat pad resting on top of my jeans and smile while thinking, "You were so worth it, baby," as I pat it and remember the luscious pecan pie and delectable turkey leftovers that were its parents.



So, what kind of turkey leftovers are so good that I can caress a love handle? How's about the best turkey salad ever to cross your lips?

4 C. cubed cooked turkey meat

1 1/2 C. dried cranberries

3/4 C. chopped celery

3/4 C. minced green bell pepper (Red works too)

2 green onions sliced

1 C. chopped pecans or cashews halves

1 C. Mayonnaise

1 tsp each of paprika, Lowry's seasoning salt, and onion powder

dash of pepper

Stir all together and eat on left over Thanksgiving rolls, with a side a salad, or straight out of the bowl when no one is looking. I think I've had 4 helpings already. Oh yeah, this year's turkey is going to be doing a LOT of lurking.

Let Them Eat Cake!

I know I missed my promised Friday post about dejunking, but I've been up to my knees in life and won't be able to post those till Monday. Until then, enjoy this older post/recipe from last year and enjoy your weekend!

I have a fellow homeschooling friend, whom I love dearly, that taught me about healthy cake. One day she was commenting on how it made her a bit angry that people in her neighborhood liked to poke fun at her for feeding her kids chocolate cake for breakfast. I was ready to sympathize with her because I have been known to let my kids eat stale popcorn for breakfast on a bad day. I was glad I didn’t confess this because she went on to tell me about her chocolate cake, “If only I could get my neighbors to understand what chocolate cake is, in our family. Our chocolate cake is made from freshly ground wheat flour, cocoa, applesauce, and zucchini. I can guarantee that my cake is healthier than any pop tart or cold cereal they’ve ever fed their kids”. Now, I have heard of sneaking veggies into food and I do it quite often myself, but this seemed too good to be true. I’ve always felt that there are limits to how much “healthy” you can sneak into a food before the kids can tell. However, my dad always said, “Don’t knock it till you try it”. So… I ground my wheat, grated my zucchini and squeezed out the excess moisture, mixed it all together and all I can say is, “I will eat it in a box, I will eat it with a fox”. This isn’t just good, this isn’t just cake, this is the only chocolate cake I have ever tasted that makes me want seconds, even thirds. I’m tempted to keep this fabulous cake a secret so that I can think of myself as superior to all the regular chocolate cake eaters out there, but then my mom has always told me to share, and my sister always told me that “saving is like stealing”. So, here is chocolate cake that is good enough to eat twice and healthy enough to serve for breakfast:

Breakfast Chocolate Cake
*Preheat oven to 350
6 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp. Oil (you can use olive oil)
3 eggs
2 C. sugar
1 C. Applesauce
2 C. Grated Zucchini (the smaller you grate it the better so try to use a grater with small holes, also place the zucchini in a clean, non fuzzy, dishtowel and twist it to remove excess moisture from the zucchini)
***MIX ALL TOGETHER, then add
2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
***Mix quickly and pour into a greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle with 1 C. chocolate chips, and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes because it is very hot when it first comes out, my kids can attest to that.

Soup De La Nuit

Sometimes wonderful things happen just out of sheer luck. Like taking a random shot in pool and hitting the cueball off several sides and knocking two of your own balls in without scratching. Whenever something crazy good like that happens to me I try to act cool, you know, like, "I totally meant to do that" but I'm usually so shocked that it happened that I just laugh like a little girl. Last night I was laughing all through dinner over the soup I made, it was so amazingly good.

Mr. Hotness came home at the usual time, and as usual (these days) I hadn't even thought of what to make for dinner, let alone started making it. He comes home late in the evening so if dinner isn't ready it means we go to bed much too late. I had to think of something quick, and I was sick of getting bailed out by McDonalds, Subway, and Little Ceasars Hot-n-Ready $5 pizzas. But what to make? I was tired and in pain and in an, "I don't care," attitude I started gathering ingredients pell-mel. I'm hoping I can remember exactly what I did, though, because the results were fantastic. This made a soup that could easily have become Shrimp Sausage Gumbo if I had just added rice and some heat. So, without further ado, here is what I call Mish Mash Soup:

Mish Mash Soup

Half of a large onion diced
3 large stalks celery sliced
3-4 large carrots sliced (or more if your kids will only eat carrots)
Sautee onion in a large, hot pot with 1 tablespoon bacon grease until starting to brown, then throw in the carrots and celery and continue cooking and stir for 4 minutes.
Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of garlic salt and a little pepper while stirring.

Add:
A can of Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes with the juice
2 teaspoons of Dried Basil
4 Beef Bullion cubes
and 4 cups of water
1 can Kidney Beans drained and rinsed
1/2 of a Hillshire Farms beef polish kielbasa sliced (7oz.) Or you can add the whole thing. I'm just stingy with meat, but the kids wished there had been more "hot dogs" in the soup.

Let this stew for about 10-15 minutes

Throw in:
1 large Zucchini cut in quarters and sliced into thick chunks
3 big handfuls of frozen corn (about 1 cup or more)

Season to taste with more garlic salt

Let stew for 5 minutes. Throw in about a pound of large, raw Shrimp. Let cook just until shrimp are done, and serve.

Mr. Hotness and I both had about 3 bowls each, Cookie had two, Pablo actually ate half of his, and Monster Man and Sweet Terror at least picked out the "hot dogs," carrots, corn, and slurped up the broth. And in our family that is a huge success.

I know there should be a luscious, mouthwatering photo here for you all, but I can't seem to find my camera. As soon as I do I will take a picture and post it here.

Egg Rolls

Are you ready to fry in egg roll heaven? Here is your shopping list: (WARNING: This makes a LOT of egg rolls. No worries, though. They get eaten very fast and you can freeze any leftovers. I very rarely have enough left over to freeze as I eat them for every meal the next day. Mmmmmm. And you can freeze them either before or after you fry them. Just make sure they aren't wet if you freeze them raw or they will stick together, and that they are cool if you freeze them fried so they won't get soggy and stick together. )

2 packages egg roll wrappers

1 pound (or a bit more) Sweet Italian Sausage

1 large, or 2 small heads of Napa Cabbage

1 can sliced water chestnuts

3 handfuls of bean sprouts (or two cans of La Choy bean sprouts, but I prefer fresh)

carrots

celery

onion

red pepper

(and various other vegetables to your liking)

Directions:

Squeeze sausage from its casing (If you can find the sausage in a block instead of in a casing it is a lot less gross) and brown like you would hamburger meat, breaking into small pieces. Drain and put in fridge.

Now chop your brains out. Have a big bowl ready for the Napa cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters the long way and then slice thinly. This is very messy. And put in the large bowl.

Dice the water chestnuts

Throw in the bean sprouts as they are.

Grate one to two large carrots.

Finely dice 2 stalks of celery.

And finely dice, grate, or julienne any other veggies you want to put in but which are all optional at this point(peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli stems, etc)

Season veggies with around 4 tsp of garlic salt, throw in some Chinese 5 spice powder if you've got it, maybe some ginger, you know, just throw whatever Chinesey flavors you like into it.

Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a very large fry pan (or if you have a large crockpot you can do it all at once in there too). Heat up half the sausage till hot and then throw in half the veggie mess. Toss constantly (unless it is in the crock, then just stir it up occasionally). Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce (or teryaki) mixed with 3 teaspoons cornstarch over the veggies as you stir them. You just want to cook till the cabbage starts to wilt. Set aside in big bowl. Repeat with second half of meat and veggies, but make sure your pan is really hot before you repeat. Place in big bowl with rest of filling.

Heat your oil to 350.

While oil heats, start wrapping. This is a long tedious process so try to get lots of people to help. This is why we usually only have egg rolls when visiting family or have friends over, so there are many hands for helping. Keep small bowl of water close at hand for moistening the edges of your wrappers. Dip finger in water and run along the edge of the wrapper. The cornstarch used to keep the sheets of dough separate acts as a glue when wet and helps seal your egg roll. You want to make sure that the eggroll is properly sealed. If there are any gaps or holes the filling will spill out into your oil and oil will get into your eggroll making it grossly oily. Here is a link to someone else's instructions if you need more visuals. And then fry till crispy golden brown on both sides.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

For sweet and sour sauce I throw equal amounts (about a cup each) of white vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce into a sauce pan, add the juice of a large can of pineapple tidbits and 1/3 of the pineapple, and heat till hot. When hot, stir in 1 tablespoon cornstarch that has been mixed with 2 tablespoons water. Stir till it no longer looks cloudy. You can add some red food coloring for that fun Chinese restaurant look if you want. Make sure to scoop up the pieces of pineapple with your egg roll. YUMMERS!

CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Now, if you have left over egg roll wrappers, cut them in 1/4ths (into smaller squares). Fill them with a dollop of cream cheese. If you want you can add stuff to the cream cheese like garlic, green onions, shrimp, crab meat, or all of the above. Moisten 2 connecting edges and fold over into a triangle and seal shut, then fry these little guys just like you did the egg rolls. These are sooooo good dipped in the S&W sauce!

And if any of this is confusing let me know what you need clarified and I will edit this in red to try and fix the recipe. There has never really been a recipe for these. It is one of those things you just eyeball and throw together.

Better Than Spaghettios

When I was a kid Spaghettios were da bomb! The only thing better than Spaghettios were Raviolies. Mom didn't buy them because with as many kids as she had it was just cheaper (and healthier) to make a big ol' pot of spaghetti. So, for every birthday till I was 15 I would ask for Spaghettios and Raviolies for dinner. Chef Boyardee was good to me all those many years ago.

I have tried several times to buy my children's love and affection with Spaghettios. The first time I heated them a can and served it I sat back waiting for the praise and adoration. Instead all I got were whines. "This doesn't taste good." "Can I be done." "Whah is distuff?" So I say, "I made it, you eat it." "But we don waaaaannnnaaaa." "FINE, go play. I will eat it. I love it!" Then, with my nose in the air I sit down to enjoy 4 bowls of yummy goodness all to myself.

The only problem is that the kids are right. This stuff is NASTY! I force myself to eat an entire bowl and then I just wash the rest down the sink. The saddest part of this, though, is that I still will occasionally buy them again and try to get the kids to like them again. This last time I even bought Dora The Explorer shaped Spaghettios. I mean, come on, anything Dora has got to be good, right? Sweet Terror and Monster Man had fun cooking them, playing with them, and looking for all the different shapes, but neither of them could stomach more than a mouthful, and neither could I. They seem to get grosser every time we try them. *SIGH* I guess I will finally have to accept that I will not be able to buy my way into the heart of my children via canned noddle Os. Luckily for me I still had a smidgen of Lasagna left over from last night.

What? Lasagna? How could I, who have been complaining about my lack of energy, who's house is a total disaster, who spends WAY too much time on the computer, how could I have time, desire, or the ability to make lasagna on a weeknight? Well if I must share my secret... I made my awesome Lazy Lizzy Lasagna. Now, all you amazing lasagna makers (Yes, sis, I'm talking to you), this is NOT a lasagna meant to impress. It isn't even healthy enough to serve without vegetables. There is no bechamel sauce, there are no vegetables, and my kitchen is clean by the time we sit down to eat because I have only used 2 bowls, 2 spoons, and the pan I cooked it in. But I don't care because every single stinkin' one of my whiney picky kids asked for seconds. My husband had seconds and then had to leave the table to keep from eating more. And because it was eaten so fast I could only manage to salvage this pathetic, dilapidated corner piece for a picture after dinner was over.

Lazy Lizzy's Lasagna

Ingredients: This is for an 8x8 pan (Any bigger and I gain too much weight) but you can just double it for a 9x13 pan

~1-1 1/2 jar(s) Prego spaghetti sauce (No mushrooms, veggies, meat, or anything else that will make the kids think you are poisoning them. Last night I used Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic flavor)

~A bunch of shredded Mozzarella cheese. I think I maybe used 1-2 cups. I just sprinkle to cover.

~Some Lasagna noddles. I do not buy the oven ready noodles. I laughed when they first came out with the oven ready because I have been using the regular noodles as oven ready since my 8th grade HomeEc class.

~Ricotta filling (mix 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 C. Parmesan cheese, 1Tbslp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp nutmeg or dash of pepper)

~Water

Assemble as you would regular lasagna. Sauce, noodles, ricotta, cheese, sauce, noodles, etc. I do at least two layers or until I run out of ingredients. With each layer of sauce I sprinkle a Tblsp of water. At the end I also pour a tsp of water in each corner of the pan. Rap tightly with foil and bake in oven at 350 for an hour or until you can poke a sharp knife all over the lasagna without resistance from the noodles. Don't poke the knife through the tinfoil. You don't want bits of foil in your food and if it isn't done you will need to rewrap it because the tinfoil holds in the steam which cooks the noodles. I also stick my lasagna in a cold oven and then turn it on (but I don't set the timer till the oven has reached 350).

It takes a long time to cook but it goes together in 15 minutes and leaves me time to chop veggies, make a salad, wipe down the counters, check a few blogs, and have the kids set the table. And if I make a 9x13 pan I will thow in raw spinach and sauteed onions and zucchini between the layers on one half for the adults to enjoy.

Now, I'm off to wash two bowls of Dora down the drain. Bon Appetite!

Taking It Slow

First, I want to thank everyone who left comments for Cookie about her poems, it has made her very happy (I think she is getting addicted to blog comments, just like her ol' ma).

The world is rife with quick recipes these days. Rachel Ray has been teaching millions how to cook thousands of meals in just 30 minutes. Microwave cookbooks abound. Grocery store shelves are stocked with boxes of "just add water" meals waiting to grace your table. And as grateful as I am for 7 minute Mac-N-Cheese, 3 mintue Ramen noodles, and 45 second microwaveable hotdogs, I gotta say that there is something fine and noble in preparing the occasional all-from-scratch-ready-to-eat-in-just-a-few-days kind of meals. For this reason, I come before you today in order to share my recipe for...

How To Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup In Just 3 Months

MONTH 1:

Buy a rotisserie chicken and serve it for dinner with cornbread and steamed vegetables. When dinner is over, pick any leftover meat off the bones of the chicken. Chop chicken meat and save for tomorrow's chicken salad. Shove any leftover chunks of "questionable" meat, grissel, and the rest of the chicken carcass into a big Ziplock Freezer bag and toss it into your freezer.

2 weeks later, pick up another rotisserie chicken or roast your own. Serve it for dinner with roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions, a lovely green salad and some garlic bread. When dinner is over, pick any leftover meat off the bones of the chicken. Shred chicken meat and use in next day's chicken enchiladas. Shove rest of the chicken carcass into a big Ziplock Freezer bag and toss it into your freezer.

MONTH 2:

Some day when you are cleaning out the fridge and need to get rid of the last straggling veggies, pull out a big stock pot. Fill it with your two frozen chicken carcasses and any leftover veggies (preferably celery, carrots, onion, garlic). Do not add parsley as it tends to color the broth green. Throw in some salt, pepper, and maybe a bit of sage, rosemary, and thyme. You really don't want to season it too much because you can season it to taste when you use it later. Add enough water to cover everything in the pan. Get it to a boil and then turn heat down and let it simmer for several hours (or until the liquid becomes golden in color and tastes like a yummy, hearty chicken broth. Strain liquid through a mesh strainer and toss the solid junk. I prefer to strain my liquid into a big, clean, pitcher because it takes up less space int he fridge. Cover pitcher, or bowl, with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for several hours or overnight. After broth has chilled, remove fat layer. Now take out a bunch of Ziplock sandwich bags and a 1C. measure. Scoop out 1C measurements of gelatinous broth into sandwich bags and seal shut. Put all of your little bags into one big Ziplock Freezer bag and throw back into freezer.

MONTH 3:

Buy another rotisserie chicken or roast your own. Serve it for dinner with Parmesean mashed potatoes and carmelized onions, fresh steamed broccoli and carrots, and applesauce. When dinner is over, pick any leftover meat off the bones of the chicken. Chop chicken meat and use in next day's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Shove rest of the chicken carcass into a big Ziplock Freezer bag and toss it into your freezer.

Next Day: In a big bowl, dump 2 1/2 C. flour, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking powder. Make a well in the middle of the flour (just push your fist in the middle and take it out), and crack in four eggs. Using a wooden spoon, mix eggs into the flour until it gets too hard to stir. Using clean hands, start kneading the mixture until it all comes together and feels smooth (it will seems like it is much too dry at first but will eventually come together nicely). Wrap in plastic and set aside while you chop veggies.

Later... dust counter top with flour and roll out noodle dough as thin as you can (because the dough has baking powder the noodles will puff up a bit so don't worry about getting it too thin), my husband likes 'em a bit thick. Cut in strips, or spoon size squares, or do what we like to do: using very tiny cookie cutters, let the kids cut out a bunch of shapes. This also makes it fun for them to eat as they hunt for their favorite shapes in the soup.

Set a big pot of salted water to boil. When it gets a good boil going add a bunch of the noodles and let them cook for 4-6 minutes. Pull out with slotted spoon and toss them into the soup you are making on the next burner (see soup recipe below). Continue boiling noodles in batches until they are all done and added to the soup.

While kids are cutting out noodles... In a big pot melt some butter and throw in a bunch of chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring, until onions become translucent. Throw in 2, 3, or 4 (depending on the size of your family) bags of broth (remove the plastic bags), and leftover cut up chicken. Bring to a boil and season if needed. When all the noodles are in let it cook for a few minutes more while the children set the table.

Call out, "DINNER TIME!" Sit and enjoy your soup, but don't forget to act like an exhausted martyr as you proclaim, "I'm so glad you like it, it only took me 3 months to make."

Rainy Day Cookies

I know it looks like I'm posting another recipe but really this is more of an activity to keep kids busy (read the part after the recipe). I'm giving you the recipe because it makes a LOT so it will see me through a whole week of rainy days. Plus I really like the flavor of this cookie.

Best Big Fat Sugar Cookies

*I’ve tried a ton of different recipes for the perfect, soft, big, fat sugar cookie and this is it. Hope it meets your expectations. It makes a lot (it helps to have a nice big mixer to make these) but you can freeze it in small portions or just bake them all and give them to your neighbors. They will love you.

Ingredients
2 C. butter
3 C. sugar
6 eggs
1/2 C. cream
2 tsp. vanilla
7 C. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions
Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl. Add eggs and blend well. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with cream and vanilla. Mix just until all ingredients are incorporated (the less you have to mix the more tender your cookies will be). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. May be frozen up to 3 months. Roll and cut cookies. Bake in 325 degree oven until set but not browned (the time varies as to how thick you roll the cookies. I like them really thick). Cool and decorate (It is my personal belief that sugar cookies taste best with pink frosting and sprinkles).

Now, it is important for you to leave your perfectionistic tendencies in the laundry room while the kids are having fun. These are not cookies that you will be giving to the neighbors. And the kids really don't need you at all except to pull out the cookie sheet and pre-heat the oven. Have kids wash their hands, give each a big blob of dough, give them a theme, and back off. My kids have made the entire alphabet, made numbers to use in their math studies, made shapes, animals, self portraits, crazy shapes, big vs. small (the small ones always overcook and that leads to scientific discussions), sometimes I give them bowls of nuts, raisins, cranberries, cereals, etc. to decorate with. Oh, another fun thing to do is to give them small bowls of milk colored with food coloring and some paint brushes so they can paint the cookies before we bake them.



Bon appetite, and happy creating!

Look what we had for dinner last night...

Taco Soup
*This is an all time favorite of mine; it’s easy, quick, good enough to serve to guests, and most of the ingredients can be kept in your food storage. It’s also great to make a double batch because it freezes well.

Ingredients
I lb Ground Beef, browned and drained
(for vegetarian style I substitute a can of black
beans, drained and rinsed)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped and sautéed
1 pkg. Mild taco seasoning mix
(you’ll just have to try ‘em all and decide which
one you like best. The Taco Bell brand is a
good one to start with because its very mild
and the best for small children).
1 16 oz. Can whole kernel corn undrained
1 16oz. Can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. Can stewed tomatoes (I break the tomatoes up a bit)
1 8 oz. Can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer all together in large pot for 30 min, stirring occasionally.

Now you have a healthy, fairly low calorie, rib stickin' soup that will please the whole family*. BUT, if you are like me and decided not to make any "eat healthier" or "loose 15 pounds" kind of resolutions then feel free to take this soup from rib-stickin' to RIB-ROCKIN'. To do this you now cover all that warm goodness with a big dollop of cool sour cream, shredded cheese, and Fritos brand corn chips. Mmmmmmmm

When a recipe says "will please the whole family" I always laugh and think, "They don't know my family." Here are the reviews from my family:

DSSH: Mmmm, I love your taco soup. We get seconds, right?

Cookie: I'll take 2 scoops. I love your taco soup, mom.

Pablo: Pass the chips. What do I have to eat out of the soup? Do I have to eat ALL the corn?

Monster Man: I want two scoops too!!! later... I can't eat the corn, it has red stuff on it.

Sweet Terror: I can't eat this STUFF. *dropping spoonfuls back into her bowl* Ewwww, dat's disgusting!

If they would just put a spoonful in their mouth before working themselves into a full gag reflex I know they would love it too.... ah well, that is why Heavenly Father invented PB&Js.

Cheese-ing Up The New Year

Did you get any of those surprise goodie plates or gifts from neighbors, friends, or people you didn't even think knew you? Are you feeling guilty? Are you wishing there was a way you could return the favor without looking like you are only giving in order to return the favor? Were you left without the time or means to give to them before you were swallowed up in the all-consuming rush of Christmas? Well, worry no more, because the cheese ball is here to rescue you. No, no, no, I'm not talking about me, silly, I'm talking about the real deal.


Last year was our first Christmas in this neighborhood and I was totally unprepared for all the gifts we received from others. Then I remembered my favorite Christmas loophole, New Years. Most people still have their Christmas trees up on New Years Eve, people are still getting Christmas cards and presents that were late in the mail, everyone is still eating Christmas goodies, and therefore most everyone is still in the tail-end euphoria that is Christmas. For this reason I have deemed it legally Christmas until New Years Day. This means I still have 3 more days left to get out Christmas cards and to give goodies to all the people I missed. Now, even though it is "legally" still Christmas, no one is going to be very impressed with another plate of Christmas sugar at this point so I will save them the trial of having to pretend they are so glad to get another one. Instead, I like to make and deliver cheese balls and crackers. It is the perfect New Year's Eve snack, they can be made ahead of time, and I don't have to bake or risk burning myself with molten sugar again. Here are my do's and don'ts about giving cheese balls:

1. Never give a whole cheese ball. No one, not even at a party, actually finishes a whole cheese ball. For this reason I split one cheese ball into thirds (or fourths if giving two to each person) and make small cheese balls.
2. Don't make the usual Cheddar/Worcestershire cheese ball because those are the kind that never get finished. I like to make several different kinds of cheese ball, ones that are unique or not that common. (See bottom of post for recipe links)
3. Do give the recipe with your cheese ball. Not only will it save them from having to ask you for it if they like it, but with allergies these days people really need to know what you've put in it.
4. Do give crackers with your cheese ball. Do keep crackers wrapped in their original packaging because you don't know when they will get around to eating your cheese ball and soggy or stale crackers are never impressive.
5. Avoid using nuts to coat your cheese ball. Many people have allergies to nuts, some people just don't like nuts, and if they wait a few days to eat the cheese ball the nuts can become soggy. For this reason I prefer to roll my cheese balls in fresh herbs (NOT basil, it turns black), grated parmesan cheese, bacon bits (REAL bacon), or sprinkled all over with paprika.

Other good New Year's Eve gifts are spiced nuts, carmel or kettle popcorn, Cinnamon rolls (who wants to make breakfast on New Year's day?), and other silly stuff like that.

HAPPY CHEESE-ING AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

White Cheddar Cheese Ball
Roquefort Cheese Ball
Feta Cheese Ball
Spinach Artichoke Cheese Ball
Spicy Cheese Ball
Pineapple Cheese Ball (I add bacon bits to this one and roll it in bacon bits too)

Allrecipes

Do you use allrecipes.com? I use it almost everyday. The thing I love best about it is the reviews that are given for each recipe. For instance, sometimes reviewers will give extra tips or ideas for the recipe, they can warn you away from a bad recipe, and they can help make the recipe a success by letting you know if there is something wrong with it as is. An example of this is the pork loin I made for dinner tonight. I have never cooked a pork loin before so I was a bit nervous. I looked for a recipe that had simple ingredients, simple instructions, had a high rating from reviewers, and I found it: Herb Roasted Pork. I read all the reviews and decided to do as many had suggested and doubled all ingredients but the meat, used brown sugar instead of white, and I used a mix of apple cider and balsamic for the vinegar. I did everything else exactly as the recipe said and I have to say it was purty dern gooooood. After I took it out of the oven I gave it one more coating of the glaze, tented it with foil, and let it sit for about 7 minutes while I finished getting everything on the table and finished the veggies. I sliced it, placed it on a platter, drizzled a bit of extra glaze on it, and served. For side dishes I served sauteed carrots and green beans, roasted russet potatoes and sweet potatoes (just roasted them in oven along with the pork), sour cream, cheddar cheese, and butter. Have you ever tried butter and cheddar cheese on a sweet potato? YUM!

Now, lest you start thinking I'm Martha Stewart, my kitchen looks AWFUL. I even have glaze splatters on the front of my shirt. So, now that I'm done licking my fingers and patting my full tummy, I am off to clean my kitchen.

And for more great recipes you should also check out Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style hosted by Overwhelmed With Joy.