Caleb's Birthday

So, for Caleb's birthday, I made cupcakes that any boy would love!

They were actually very simple. Simple chocolate cupcake. Chocolate frosting. Then we dipped the top into crushed oreos to look like the dirt. (use a food processor to get a fine grind). The gummy worms went right in. :-) Loved seeing the look of the kids faces when we brought these in.....some were a little unsure....but most couldn't wait to get their little hands on them....and i left totally satisfied seeing all the chocolate goatees. lol.

Claire's Birthday

So the kids are at a new school this year. I was delighted to find out that we can make homemade goodies for snacks, birthdays, and parties! Yay! So here are the birthday treats. I think they turned out adorable. :-)

We made rice krispie treats, shaped them in a Popsicle shape, stuck in a color stirrer (instead of the stick), dipped them in almond bark, and then sprinkles! We made strawberry and chocolate flavors. The kids LOVED them!

Hello friends!

Bet you thought you wouldn't see me again. lol. Truth be told. I love blogs, I still love cooking, I love planning out meals.....my problem is time! My husband is deployed now, and I'm running a military wives ministry. Oh, and we have 3 kids! Yikes!

One of the things I'm trying to figure out is why is it so hard to cook with my husband gone? If you are a military wife, you know what I'm talking about. It's so hard for me to find motivation to cook a homecooked, creative, healthy meal for just me and the kids. Like I said, I'm working on it. Tonight was victorious!

Caleb choose dinner.....speghetti and salad. I know what your thinking....creative???? NOT!

Well, if I can toot my horn for a sec......I made our own tomato sauce. You would think with as much cooking as I have done, I would have made my own tomato sauce. Nope. Tonight was my first....and....it was a success! Did I mention, the tomatoes came from my garden...oh, I didn't....well....tooooot, tooooot. (that was my horn again, lol)

So the recipe......is not going to be precise. It was a dash or this and a dash of that kind of recipe.

5-6 Ripe Tomatoes

4-5 cloves of garlic

Italian seasoning grinder (mccormicks)

Olive Oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tomatoes in wedges. Chop garlic. lightly drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and garlic on a cookie sheet. Use as much or as little Italian seasoning as you'd like. Salt and pepper. Roast for about an hour. (It smells great!) Spoon all into food processor or blender and pulse until smooth or desired smoothness is reached. oh, and salt and pepper again. (if you want)

Granola

I'm re-posting this granola recipe....because....well it's that good. :-)

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

optional: raisins, cranberries, any dried fruit, coconut, any nuts or seeds.

Combine oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon in a large bowl.

In a sauce pan over med heat, combine honey, oil, and sugar.

Simmer until bubbly.

Pour hot liquid over oat mixture. Combine with hands until all is coated.

Spread the granola on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 20-30 min at 300 degrees until golden brown.

If you like your granola with big chunks, do not stir or touch until completely cooled. If you like it all separate, stir half way through baking and once you take it out of the oven.

Store in an air tight container. Eat with milk, yogurt, or just as a snack.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'm at my parent's house this week and we've been sifting through old recipes. How can you tell a recipe is good? Answer: When it looks like the one above! This is in my mother's handwriting but came from my Nana which came from her mother, Gram. I'm not even going to try to date this recipe but my mom has had it in her possesion for over 25 years. Love it! This is the Raisin cookies I grew up with. I can remember coming home from school to the smell of these in the house. My mom swears they are the best because you soak the raisins in hot water.

Enjoy.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
3 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder

4 cups oatmeal
1 cup hot water
1 box raisins
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a sauce pan over med heat, cook water and raisins until the raisins are full and plump. Do not drain. Cream the sugar, butter, and eggs. Add the raisins to the creamed butter mixture. My mom's recipe says, add the rest of the ingredients. :-) Cook at 350 degrees. Check after 6 min.

Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

NOTE: These brownies are cake like.....I even thought maybe I shouldn't call them brownies....however it uses no eggs and no baking powder....so, I'm calling it a brownie.



The cream cheese frosting is really good, but it does overpower the cake a little, I mean brownie. I'm waiting for a recipe for a frosting that I believe will go perfect. Ok, confession time. I tried to make the "perfect frosting" last night....and it was disasterous. By the end of the night, it was re-named marshmallow chocolate soup. Anywho, this is a good recipe and a good way to use up some zucchini.



Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup veg oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup walnuts (opt)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. set aside. Cream together the vegtable oil, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. The mixture will look grainy. Stir in zucchini and walnuts. Let mixture sit for 5 min. The zucchini will add quite a bit more moisture. Bake for 25-30 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool brownies before frosting.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (8oz) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a mixture. Melt chocolate chips and milk in a double broiler or slowly in the microwave. Add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese slowly.
Frost the brownies.

Enjoy!

Zucchini 2010

We are visiting my family in Missouri right now and my parents garden is in full swing! We now have 10 cucumbers, 9 zucchini, and a bucket full of beans on the counter.
We have high hopes and plans for these lovely veggies. Today, zucchini brownies.....tomorrow refrigerator pickled veggies! Can't wait!

I posted a huge list of zucchini recipes last summer. Here is the link. Enjoy!

Zucchini Recipes