Sunday, October 28, 2012

Nutmeg and Hazelnut Coffee


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I could not find my Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer last weeks so I purchased my usual Hazelnut Coffee Creamer.  While I was making my coffee on Monday I happened to see my nutmeg nuts sitting on the counter and the idea popped into my head to grate some fresh nutmeg into my coffee.... Oh boy was it good.  So if you like Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer like me and can not find it, just put some nutmeg into your coffee along with your usually creamer  :o)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Vanilla Popcorn


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Tonight I made Vanilla Popcorn.  I have never made any flavored popcorn or popcorn balls before so was unsure how difficult it was going to be.  It was not difficult at all.  I am planning on making this for the holidays.  I saw the Vanilla Popcorn on the blog Read it and Eat.  I adapted her recipe a little bit.  She puts her sugar mixture in the microwave instead of on the stove.  She also says that you do not have to bake your vanilla popcorn but if you do not it is chewy instead of crunchy.  I prefer crunchy.  I think next time I will also add peanuts to mine.  Bill and I have decided once you start eating it that it is hard to stop.  It is so yummy!


Vanilla Popcorn
adapted from Read it and Eat


12 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)  
1 cup white granulated sugar
 
1/4 cup white corn syrup
 
1/2 tsp salt 

1 stick real butter

1/2 tsp baking soda
 
1 tsp vanilla

Pop popcorn and put the popcorn in the biggest bowl you have.

Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and butter in a pan and melt over medium heat.  Stirring constantly stir until mixture begins to boil.  Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla.   Stir until it starts to foam a little bit, and gets thick. Pour over popcorn. Mix well with a big spoon.

Spread the popcorn out on a cookie sheet or two.  Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Mini Monkey Bread


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Bill and I had a busy weekend.  Friday we went out to eat for Sweetest Day.  I bought a coupon off of Restaurant.com for a new restaurant that we had not tried before.  We ate at the Filling Station and really enjoyed it.


On Saturday we went to a Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party at my sister Dina's house.  I made snickerdoodle bars(click here for recipe) for the party and they were a big hit.  Bill and I watched our niece Marley and her friends carve their pumpkins.  We decided to opt out of the hay ride as it was too cold for me.  A lot of fun was had by all.


Today Bill and I took the Corvette out for probably our last ride of the year.  We will be putting the Corvette in storage pretty soon.  Bill took me to George Rogers Clark Park.  Even though this park is right here in Clark County I have never been back to it before.  I was surprised when we came to this beautiful lake.  The trees still looked pretty but I bet last weekend they were amazing.

Tonight for supper we had chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes and biscuits   Since the kids have moved out, a roll of biscuits is too many for Bill and I.  I tried baking what I needed and putting the can back in the fridge to use another time but they go flat and do not bake up fluffy.  So tonight I came up with an idea.  I had a can of 10 biscuits.  I baked 4 of them and then took the remaining 6 and made Monkey Bread.  I love Monkey Bread, it reminds me of Pecan Sticky Rolls.  It is so easy to make.  I prepared the rolls and put them in the pan as supper was finishing up, when I took my biscuits out of the oven I then popped my Monkey Bread in.  I baked my Monkey Bread while we ate supper. Then after supper we had a nice treat.

I want to thank my Friend Shari W for my tube pan!  I love this smaller size.

Mini Monkey Bread

6 biscuits cut into 4's (a total of 24 pieces)
2 T sugar
1 t cinnamon
3 T melted butter
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C chopped Pecans

Grease an 8 inch tube pan.  Put pecans in the bottom of the tube pan.  Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces (for a total of 24 pieces).  Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.  Roll each biscuit in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place in the tube pan.  Melt the butter and brown sugar together and pour over the biscuit pieces.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Invert pan right away onto a plate and let cool...enjoy
Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese


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Bill and I went to Portsmouth to see Cally last weekend.  She found out that Romney was going to be on campus on Saturday afternoon.  The students could get tickets to attend the rally and she called and asked Bill and I to go with her.  So we got up early on Saturday, stopped and bought some Schulers donuts and headed to Portsmouth.  We had a really good time at the rally.



After the rally we went to eat at Port City Cafe and Pub.  It is an Irish Pub.  It was really neat inside.  It reminded me of an old fashion bar.  We all had Rubens and chips.  I think the Ruben was the best I have ever had.  We will definitely go back there to eat when we are in Portsmouth.


picture from http://www.theportcitycafeandpub.com/about_us.html

This slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese was excellent.  I love being able to put stuff in the crock pot.  The smell is amazing all day long.  The Mac and Cheese was so cheesy.  I did make mine with a different cheese than Trisha did.  I used 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese.  Mine had a little bit of a bite to it from the pepper jack cheese.  I have read other reviews for this recipe and those had said they did not boil the macaroni first, they just put it in raw.  I did boil mine first and it was not mushy at all when it was done.



Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Trisha Yearwood


  • Cooking spray
  • 8 ounces cooked elbow macaroni
  • One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick ) of butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of pepper
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • Two 10-ounce bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 5 cups)
  • Dash of paprika

Directions

In a large 4-quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray, mix the macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, eggs and all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture and then sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, stir the mixture and serve hot.
Cook's Note: If you don't have a slow cooker, grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan with butter, add the mixture and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes.
Thursday, October 11, 2012

Cherry Lime Margarita Sunsational Cake


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Our household was not too happy today.  The Reds choked and lost the last 3 games to the Giants.  We have been sick about it.  We are dedicated fans who either watches or listens to every game possible.  Bill and I have been all excited for the playoffs.  It all ended today and now we will have to wait until next year :o(

The Milk glass cake stand in the picture was my birthday present from my Mother in law and Father in law.  I had mentioned that I loved Milk Glass Cake plates a few weeks ago while looking at a cook book with my Mother in law and she started shopping for one for my birthday.  I absolutely love it.  My favorite part of the plate is the ruffle on the edge.  If you look close you can see the clear glass on the edge of the ruffle.

I had to make a cake so I could share my birthday present with you so here I have a Cherry Lime Margarita Sunsational Cake.  This cake was really moist and tart.  This is one of Bill's favorite cakes.  I have made different flavors of this cake and posted them on my blog before.  This summer I happened to find Margarita jello and bought a box and it has been sitting in my cupboard waiting to be used.  A flavor that I have taking a liking to this summer is Cherry Lime.  I have in the fridge a carton of Minute Maid Cherry Limeade.  I decided to make a Cherry Lime Margarita Sunsational Cake.  Next time I make it I am going to use a cherry cake mix.  I think it will give it more of a tart cherry taste.  Also if I can not find margarita jello I will use lime jello.



Cherry Lime Margarita Sunsational Cake

1 Box White Cake Mix 
1 small box margarita jello
3/4 C Minute Maid Cherry Limeade
3/4 C oil
4 eggs

Mix together and beat for 3 minutes

Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan

Bake 350 degrees for 34 to 40 minutes

When cake is done poke holes in the top and sides with a fork.  Pour glaze over the cake.

Glaze: 4 T Cherry Limeade and enough powder sugar to soupy consistency.  Pour over cake.


Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes


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These are the pancakes I talked about in the last blog update.  Cally made these for her and I on Sunday morning.  They were really good!  You could taste the lemon but it was not so strong that it was sour.  I was worried they would be sour but they were actually really good.  I had Cally fix mine without the blueberries.  The lemon flavor mixed with the maple syrup was a sweet lemony taste.

These pancakes also were made out of my Birthday cookbook.  Cally and I already have some other recipes picked out to make the next time she is home.

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
Pioneer Woman

zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 C evaporated milk
1 1/2 C plus 1 T flour
1/4 t salt
1 heaping T baking powder
3 T sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 heaping C blueberries
2 T butter, melted plus extra for serving
maple syrup

Zest the lemon and set the zest aside.  Squeeze the lemon juice into the evaporated milk.  Stir and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.  In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.  Add the baking powder and sugar.  Crack the egg into the evaporated milk/lemon mixture and add the vanilla.  Add the lemon zest to the evaporated milk mixture and stir to combine.  Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients,Stirring in gently with a fork as you pour it in.  Be careful not to over mix it.  Then fold in the blueberries.  Finally stir in the melted butter.  Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-low heat and add 2 T butter to the pan. Use
1/4 C measure to drop the batter into the pan.  Then cook them on both sides until done.

click on the link below to see where these pancakes are partying

Saturday Dishes 
Sunday, October 7, 2012

Fried Mozzarella and a Birthday surprise


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I had a great weekend.  My birthday is tomorrow and Cally had said early on that she would be home the weekend before my birthday to celebrate with me.  Then last week she said with midterm coming up she had too much work and could not make it home.  At that point it was going on 3 weeks since I had seen Cally.  I was bummed but knew she had work to do so it was ok.  I then started making my own plans to go see her on the weekend of the 13th.  I kept asking Bill about reserving a room in Portsmouth for the 13th.  He was not paying a whole lot of attention to me.  On Thursday night I found a room at the Greenbo Lake National Park Lodge.  He would not say for sure he was on board with going to see her.  On Friday I decided I was just going to book the room at the lodge because rooms were filling up fast in that area for the next weekend.  

Bill and I had plans for Friday night, we were leaving as soon as he arrived home from work to put our car in the New Carlisle Heritage of Flights car show.  We went to the car show with our cousin Greg.  Greg has a 63 Impala SS.  We have been attending car shows with him some this summer.  Below is Greg's 63 Impala SS and our Corvette at the car show.



While at the car show Cally called me a couple of times and chit chatted with me about her day and what she was doing for supper.  I told Bill and Greg about my conversations with Cally and they listened to what I had to say about her day.  Little did I know Greg was also in on the secret surprise I had later on in the evening.  It started to rain so Bill and I ordered a pizza and decided to call it a night and go home.  I was the first one in the door when we arrived home.  All the lights were off but I could see some inside the kitchen from the garage light behind me and I said to Bill, Someone has been in the house cause there is a cake, flowers and a present on the kitchen bar.... I no longer said that and the light came on and Cally jumped out of the living room yelling Happy Birthday.  It was the best surprise I had ever had.


This was my present from Cally.  We love Pioneer Woman.  I have her first cookbook and we also watch her cooking show on Saturday.  Cally and I made several dishes from the cookbook this weekend.  Below is Cally preparing and frying the mozzarella sticks.


The Fried Mozzarella sticks were our favorite.  They are the best Mozzarella sticks I have ever had.  They were super easy to make too.  We also made Lemon Blueberry Pancakes and I will blog about them soon.... they were also scrumptious.

Fried Mozzarella
from Pioneer Woman

16 pieces string cheese, removed from their wrappers
1/2 C flour
2 eggs
1/4 C milk
2 C panko bread crumbs
1 T dried parsley flakes
canola oil for frying
pizza sauce for dipping

Slices the sting cheese pieces in half for a total of 32 pieces.  Place the flour in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk together the egg and milk.  In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the parsley flakes.  One by one roll the mozzarella pieces in the flout.  Then briefly dunk them in the egg/milk mixture.  Finally roll them in the panko mixture.  Use your hands if necessary to get the crumbs to adhere.  Place the mozzarella pieces on a baking sheet, then place them in the freezer for 20 to 30 min (I only had mine in for 10 to 15) to flash freeze.

To Fry the mozzarella, heat 1 1/2 inches of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the mozzarella sticks 6 to 8 pieces at a time.  Watch them closely and turn them over to brown evenly.  They should cook for less than 2 minutes; make sure the cheese doesn't start to bubble and leak.

Remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.  Serve immediately with warm pizza sauce.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Pumpkin Bread


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Fall is in the air.... and I am loving it !  Fall is my favorite season.  I love it cool in the morning and warmer in the afternoon.  


Last week Bill and I attend a Road to Victory Concert for Romney/Ryan. I have not been to a political event like this before.  It was very exciting.  Rodney Atkins put on a heck of a show and sang for over an hour.  I am excited about the election but also getting really anxious for all the commercials to be done. 



This pumpkin bread recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks.  It is one from a local church and all the recipes have the name of the church member that submitted it.  I just love old cookbooks like these. 


I bought some whole nutmeg when I was in Amish country last week.  It smells so good when I grate my nutmeg for this recipe.  I don't think I will go back to ground nutmeg.


Pumpkin Bread
Jean Graham, Asbury United Methodist Church, North Hampton OH
recipe slightly adapted

No. 1
4 eggs
1 C oil
3 1/3 C sugar

No. 2
3 1/3 C flour
1 1/2 t salt
2 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1 t allspice

No. 3
2 C pumpkin
2/3 C water

Mix No. 1.  add No. 2 beating alternately with the 2/3 C water and then beat in the rest of No. 3.  Grease and flour 2 loaf pans and divide batter between the pans.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until the bread tests done in the middle.

I did my bread in a 9 X 13 baking pan and I think I baked it for 1 hour.  I started with 45 minutes and then just kept checking it every 5 minutes until the center was firm and tested done when I inserted a knife in the middle.