Blog--Restart!

So with a little bit of nudging and prodding from Maria I found Pintrest... and with this new found love I have discovered that I miss my blog. I miss writing about my family and the greatness that it is. I constantly take pictures of what I'm baking and making but I just send to my friends from the phone and that's it. I forgot the whole sharing with everyone else. So here is what I'm gonna do.. I'm gonna get started back here and what a perfect time to do so. Van is a month from graduating and I have a ton of small projects planned so here we go. Get ready for my blog to explode once more.

Yard Projects. Cleaning Projects. Curtains for my kitchen. Bathroom redesign, because it is the last room on my list. A few updates to the light fixtures in the kids rooms. New recipes for the graduation party.

Lot's and lots and lots....

We did get new hardwood floors I can show you. My bedroom also go a face lift oh and how about the yard I'm so proud of... well the mulch before and after shots! To kick off this 'Let's Blog Again' journey...so here we go!

Cookies for Santa

This is how we spent our Sunday morning. I have to say that it was alot of fun and no matter how old they get this is one tradition that I plan to continue for as long as they are home. I may still even make them come home just to make Santa cookies with me. A memory I will never forget. This year we had Cori with us. She is my other daughter anyway. I may make her come for it as well. I hope your family enjoys these as much as all of us did!


Santa's Favorite Sugar Cookie

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix until just combined. Add flour and baking powder in intervals. Dough will seem as if doesn't have enough moisture but continue to mix with mixer until combined (it will come together when chilled). Divide the dough into four equal parts, shape into four disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate about an hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, about 1/4 inch thick for crispier cookies and 1/3 inch thick for softer cookies. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges just start to turn a golden color. For softer cookies, do not allow the cookies to take on color. Remove from oven, let cool for one minute and then transfer to wire rack. Allow cookie sheet to cool thoroughly before placing uncooked dough on it. Decorate cookies with icing recipe below.

Note: Can be stored in freezer undecorated for 2 months. Dough also freezes well.
Yield varies greatly depending on how thin you roll out the dough and how large your cookie cutters are, but an overall guideline is 24 cookies.


Icing

Ingredients
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

Thanksgiving Flashback

Let's pretend I did this right after Thanksgiving and it isn't the middle of December now.

It has been a busy few weeks, to include not only two computers crashing but modem problems as well. It has been interesting to say the least. Enough of that though, lets relive at least one of the desserts from my holiday because really it was a great one and lots of great food came from it!

I know we are going backwards but hey that's just how it is this morning. Thanksgiving in Reverse! Here was the hit of the party, the kids loved it!! Fruit Pizza turkey style. They simply could not get enough! You can really do this recipie any time you wish. I've been doing it for years around the Fourth of July but when my husband asked for 'fruit pizza' for Thanksgiving I was a little stumped until I started thinking of all the great colorful fruits that were out there and then I was like 'By George I think I've got it' ran down to the local Dollar General, found a turkey windchime, took it apart used the wooden head and tada!!!! I was totally excited with how he turned out and everyone just had to have a slice!


Never Fail Sugar Cookies
2 cups of flour
2/3 cup of shortening
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
2 tlb milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cut shortening into flour.
Add in sugar blend well
Add egg, milk and vanilla blend until moist.

Press cookie mixture into the pan of your choice. A round pizza pan or a square greased cookie sheet ( on my squares I use a 9/13 casserole dish)
Cook at 400 for 7 mins, now this could varry from oven to oven just press the center and make sure it is done, but remember not to overcook because no one wants a hard cookie! Let Cookie cool

Creamy Pizza Topping

8 oz of cream cheese
8 oz of cool whip topping
1 cup of sugar

Cream cheese should be soft, adding in the sugar until you have it well blended. Then fold in whipped topping. Let it set up as the cookie cooks and then cools.

Once you have a cooled cookie you will need to bring it out and spread on your topping and from there it is up to you.

In the summer I use bananas, blueberries and strawberries to make an American Flag, Thanksgiving I used... Cranberries, bananas, and mandarin oranges.



ENJOY!!! I promise they will love it!

A Biscotti kind of morning

I got biscotti on my mind the other day and I remembered getting the recipe from a friend of mine. Then Dave got sick and that threw a wrench into everything. Sick kids, sick husband, left me feeling even sicker and en energy levels at ground zero. This morning though, we woke he felt some better and was rested which really meant I was rested so I found my recipe and went to work on the biscotti. Now biscotti smells so lovely when it is cooking, just like cookies, but the outcome is much different. They are not meant to be soft or fluffy, just a punch of flavor in a neat little toasted sweet bread. Great for your coffee, heck my aunt even would dunk hers right into her coffee. I was battling even blogging about them because I was afraid that most would think that their dry little sweet had turned out badly. Which could be further from the truth. My friends from FB quickly proved to me that Biscotti did indeed deserve to be blogged about. So on with the show. Deanna and Holly this is for you!

Pecan Biscotti
(Ethereal Mandelbrot)

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 oz ( about one cup) coarsely chopped pecans
3 large eggs
pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Oven 350, wire wracks set in the middle.
Cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.

Here is what you need.


In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nuts, stir well.


In another bowl combine eggs and salt. After mixing then well you will add sugar and vanilla, until smooth then add in the melted butter. ( forgive the yellow hue I need to remember not to use those bowls on my presentations)


Fold flour mixture into the egg mixture until all the flour is absorbed. The dough will be very soft.


Spoon the dough onto the prepared pan into strips. I had three two on one pan. One alone. Leave the two about two inches apart and from the sides lengthwise in the pan.



Bake the logs about 25 mins or until they are well risen and have also spread to about double in size. The logs are done when pressed with a fingertip , they feel firm. Cool off pan to room temp.Using a sharp serrated knife slice the baked logs diagonally about 1/4 inch to 1/2 apart.


Return biscotti to the pan cut side down and bake upt o 15-20 mins longer until golden brown. When done take out and store in a tin or plastic container with a tight fitting cover. On a side note, I got to thinking.. ohhh wouldn't these be good dipped into a bit of semi chocolate, like a lady finger? MMMM next time I know what I need to have in supply. Enjoy!

Finally Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Heaven

My pumpkin creativeness got delayed for a few days. Sick child, sick me... yes it happens but we are back. Patton back in school and me full use of my shoulder once again. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I feel like it is constantly what I'm preparing my mind for. Looking through recipes, changing the menu for Thanksgiving day. I did though find plenty of time to do my own version of "Pumpkin Rolls". My own version you ask? Well let me explain. A picture says it all!



Never expected that right? Well I watched several video's on how to do the pumpkin rolls. How you cook it roll it and do all that prep only to sometimes end up with a cracked roll. I didn't want cracks to disappoint my pumpkin craving. I just wanted thick and creamy cream cheese icing layered over that moist roll of pumpkin. So I made them cupcakes. Simple and very easy to do. I can't wait to get my icing bags for Christmas ( Yes I've asked everyone and at least one of you had better place them under the tree for me.... ) then my icing will be pretty and I can be creative as I want with the tips. Enjoy these little pumpkin jewels my husband who doesn't even like pumpkin had three last night and one this morning. That right there tells me I did something right!

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup oil
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk (or soymilk)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each – ground cloves & nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

You can sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar or pecans I tried both, everyone loves the extras!


Speaking of husband today happens to be his day off and he wanted to do nothing more than just sit around all morning and watch his WWII HD Series on TiVO so I left him to do that and I decided after a long time on the phone with Maria to try her Hash brown Strattness(found here). She made it for me while I was there in October and it was delicious, and while I'm using hers as a base be ready for a few changes. I'm in the south.. I had to have butter on my hashbrowns and well Dave loves mushrooms, so there is plenty of them in there. She told us to be creative and add stuff and I did just that.

Ingredients

5 eggs
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp minced onions
1/2 cup cheese
3/4 cup chopped ham
6 slices of bacon
4 oz can of mushrooms
1/4 cup of milk
2 cups of frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 tbsp of butter

Cook bacon and set aside. Drain skillet and add mushrooms and ham cooking them up and then set them aside as well. In a very wide skillet add in butter and hashbrowns this will be your curst ( as Maria pointed out. Let them cook until they just start to brown. In separte bowl have your eggs blended with your milk and salt, and pour right over the hashbrowns. Let that cook until almost done before adding in the cheese.



Tonight we are going to have Marinated steak with caramelized onions. It will be my first try but I've been craving it since I stumbled across the recipe in a magazine and ripped it out. Today is as good of a day as ever to try it out!

ENJOY.

Cranberry Goodness

So I was all geared up to sit down here and write about my weekend activities and the phone rings.

Me: Hello
Dave: The washer repair man is on his way.
Me: PRAISE GOD! ( because I have a laundry running out my ears!)

Yay I'm getting my washer fixed I'm bouncing around because now I can wash all those dirty clothes (yes I do get excited about the little things) The man walks in and says. "It's dead... " I'm standing there looking at him like... Noooo.. (because it is brand new it can't be dead!)but it must of been more like. "I want to kill you" because he asked me nicely not to murder him. My brand new washer is dead. I love this machine. It beeps at me when it is almost done, just a small 'Hello Leeann I am almost done with your family's washing, and is sooo silent as it does it's work. I've had it a month and It's been wonderful until it just stopped spinning and washing... the man says it's brain is fried. A week.. I gotta wait a week before it will be fixed. (Parts delivered... then he is only in our area one day a week... because I love in East Bumble). So now my mood is sour, because I gotta go to the laundromat to do my washing... UGH! I don't wanna!

I said a little prayer and now I'm gonna claim that God has adjusted my attitude and I can write here about my great weekend. A weekend that I wound up cooking away. So sit back, adjust your seatbelts and here we go.

First I just gotta show you these beauties that my Mamaw Massengale let me clip and bring home! Look at those colors, BRILLANT!

So now on with the Blog! Let's start with Saturday, which I think has become my cooking day I don't know why... don't ask. I cook every other day of the week as well but it seems on Saturday I just get this bug to do something awesome and new and grand and this weekend it was Cranberries!

First: Cranberry Chicken you can find the recipe here.

Here is the little goodies that will make this very simple very scumtiliumpious meal.


Blend them all in a bowl it should look like this.


Next Pour it all over the chicken you have chosen something like

Slide into the oven.. Cook time could varies mostly because chicken well you know thickness and bone or no bone. I let mine cook about 1.5 hours because those breast were thick. In then end, you get this..


Doesn't that just make you want to eat it up? My family loved it. Savanah's BFF hoovered it down.. I swear that was the quietest she has ever been out our table..EVER.

On the side we had Spinach Citrus Salad. You can find the recipe here. I made my own Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and you can find that recipe here.

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine and Cori did!

That was round one of cooking on Saturday. Round two came as I dove into making all the yummy dishes I had promised my sister I would bring for my mothers Birthday Dinner. Yes, it was a beautiful Sunday with family in Tennessee, as well a really awesome day in church for Teagan's dedication.
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I could not resist. Isn't he so adorable in Savannah & Patton's arms! He can't help that his mother and father make him wear such an ugly bib!

Pistachio Marshmallow Delight recipe here. Now this dish always screams Mamaw's to me, mostly because I can remember (once again) standing at the counter in her kitchen this time it was the night before Thanksgiving and the two of us blending this really easy really yumtastic sweet up. It was all gone, yesterday, so that tells me it really still is a truly awesome hand-me-down from my Mamaw.
Ready..set.go. The ingredients super easy right? You seriously just blend them all in the bowl in order of the details of the recipe. Then you put it into your dish, spread over the cool whip and slap cherry on top!!


(Except I had to slap eight on top because I wasn't about to have one of those babies saying.. "I didn't get a cherry Aunt Lee!")

Next a salad that was my Aunt Katie's. If we had family dinners I was always running to the table and looking for this dish. It's simple.. and easy but yum is it good. I even hate peas and look at this! It is full of them. I have to say, I wish I would have gotten the exact ingredients from her before she passed away, but I did not. I do though think I made it pretty close and I even added my own spin on it with the spinach which my mother said was 'great'. You can find the recipe here. I won't bore you with the detail pictures because really it is the same.. you add it in order of the recipe and Tada! Seven Layer Salad!

I also made Green Bean Casserole with a twist... no french friend onions, this had stove top instead... it was great....and I'll tell you how great it was... they dug into it eating it before I could get a picture..but still the goodness is here. ENJOY, because this is me saying time to get creative with Pumpkin!

Halloween Weekend!

I had not planned to wake up on Halloween morning and feel the urge to cook but that was exactly what happened. Mom had given me a ham the night before because she had cleaned out her freezer and sized down. What to do ..what to do.. I thought. Finally I remembered the bag of northern beans she had given me as well and decided perfect and it is just the kind of day to have that sort of meal.

Patton started "Ghost Adventurers" and I sat down to looking over many ham recipes and decided what parts I liked of them all and did my own blend. I wanted sweet but brisk ham, and that was exactly what I got. The beans I wanted them the way my grandmother use to cook then and that took me back to when I was a little girl standing at her side watching her prepare Thanksgiving dinner. I always went down there and spent the night before because I wanted to cook like her and she was more than willing to teach me. I never got any precise recipes from my grandmother because she and my mother are the sort of cooks that say, "Just keep putting in the milk until it looks right". What I did get was advice and technique that I find myself doing today in my own kitchen. I remembered the bacon or fat back she put in. I remember the onion and the way she laughed when she was crying from the strong aroma of that fresh onion. So I did exactly how I remembered her doing and eventually I had a pot of northern beans. Patton called it bean soup, I called it yummy memories.

Then I decided that a pan of cornbread would make it pretty much perfect and finally for the first time since I started cooking cornbread I wrote down the recipe. Yes, I thank my mother for this recipe, I find it perfected by Dave's helpful advice. Seriously. Keep putting in the buttermilk until it looks right, Cornbread believe it or not is best when it flows into the skillet.

Last, I decided I was going to make cupcake's the old fashion way as well, searched through different books and web pages and came up with this recipe, perfected by the cream cheese icing these cupcakes are rich, like the ones you get from an old fashion bakery. Thick, moist and filling. Not those airy box made cake mix brownies... there really is a difference. All recipies can be found here!

My family was happy, then Savannah and I went and saw a scary movie. One I want to never see again and don't want to remember. That's a whole other story. Overall, my kids are much bigger than once upon a time but I had fun with them this Halloween and I would not trade the memories for anything at all!