Official Start of Summer

Part of me wanted to skip blogging about our summer, not because it wasn't exciting or eventful or memory filled, but the task of going through all of those pictures and trying to organize them in a way even semi-coherent was daunting. Then I read an article about this who was a professional scrapbook-er.  Her 16 year old son died unexpectedly and the one thing she said she was so thankful for always doing was taking so many pictures and recording those memories.

  OK! OK! I'll do it.  

Anyway, enough explanation.  To me summer officially begins when we can pick strawberries and make strawberry jam and/or sryrup for our pancakes! YUMMERS.

Here is our favorite recipe for STRAWBERRY SYRUP:

 8 Cups Strawberries-sliced in half

3 Cups Water

2 Cups Sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons Vanilla

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pot and cook for 10 minutes.  Straw mixture in a mesh strainer.  Use a wooden spoon to force all the liquid our of the strawberry chunks.  Return the strawberry liquid back to the pot and boil for about 20 minutes until the mixture thickens.  Pour into sterilized jars.

Low Country Boil with My Ragin' Cajun's

Despite the protests of the family, every once in awhile I like to do something besides PREGO and spaghetti noodles for dinner. Last night we had a Low Country Boil and with the exception of Nash who only ate corn it was a great success. It comes together easily with minimal clean up and who doesn't like to eat with their hands and sans plate!

Ingredients

Shrimp 

Polish Sausage

Red Potatoes

Corn

Onion

Lemon

Old Bay Seasoning

Chicken Broth

1. Cover table with paper, even newspaper will work. I also included lemon halves and cocktail sauce on the table.

2. Bring two cans of chicken broth and two or more cans of water to a boil with 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning, the juice of one lemon and a 1/2 of an onion in tact. (like a big chunk of onion)

3. Add corn and potatoes and boil for 5 minutes

4. Add sausage and boil for 5 minutes

5. Add shrimp and boil for 5 minutes or until all ingredients are tender

6. Drain off water/broth and serve over your paper

Summer's on the Grill

One of my favorite things about warm weather is eating and cooking outside. Unfortunately, the last time we built a fire in the backyard we almost caught the entire neighborhood on fire.   It was time to come up with an easier way to make S'mores. 

Just grab a pie plate and spread a layer of  peanut butter (optional), covered by a layer of chocolate chips.

 Then top with mini-marshmallows and place on a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden brown.  Dip your graham crackers in the yumminess or grab a spoonful to spread on a couple of crackers.

Do you know how to tell if a recipe is a success?  

Two out of three children will be unable to keep their eyes open while eating it.

Quick Fixin's

If I had to pick my very favorite sandwich, without a doubt, it would be a Reuben.  I will admit that I am willing to pay almost any price for a good Reuben at a number of Kosher NYC delis. Yes, I paid $30 for this yummy sandwich at Carnegie Deli once.Why it never occurred to me that I could make my own is beyond my comprehension until now.  I finally made my very own Reuben and I have now eaten one for my last three meals. The rest of the family is not nearly as in love with the 5 pounds of corned beef in my fridge but they are tolerant. If you are a Reuben fan here is my 3 minute Reuben Recipe for success.

Ingredients

First warm your sauerkraut and corned beef in separate containers in the microwave or on the stove.  Meanwhile toast your seedless Rye bread.  Spread Thousand Island dressing on both slices of the bread, then top with corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese.

PF Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat

This is our families new favorite recipe.  Nash absolutely loves Chinese food and he asks for this every night. It is one of the only recipes that the entire family will eat without complaint.

Sauce Ingredients

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

3 Cloves Garlic

2 tsp. Ground Ginger

2 tsp. Vegetable Oil

Combine all ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 to 2 lbs. Flank Steak

1/4 Cup Flour

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

Bunch of Green Onions

While sauce is simmering cut flank steak into thin pieces across the grain and place in a gallon Ziplock bag with 1/4 cup flour. Coat meat with flour and place in hot vegetable oil.  Cook meat until done about 7 minutes. Remove oil and pat meat dry with paper towel add sauce and diced green onions to meat.  Cook an additional 5 minutes and serve over rice. Adding broccoli to the meat is also delicious.

Smoothie Factory

I do not like fruits or vegetables or anything remotely good for me. But, the older I get the more I realize that my body functions a whole lot better when it gets fruits and vegetables rather than just chocolate chips and Diet Coke.  One way I can stomach getting my daily allotment is if I drink them-in smoothie form.  Last week for Family Home Evening we created Smoothie Freezer packets to throw in the blender each morning. 

It wasn't fun for everyone as you can tell from the picture. The kids fought over which job they wanted, what fruit combinations to use and anything and everything else you can imagine,  but eventually we got them done and we now have about 30 days worth of smoothie packets in our freezer. 

Here is how to do it:

1. Trip to Costco to buy fruit, quart-sized freezer bags, and ginormous bag of greens.

2.  Add a variety of fruit to each bag. We used apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, raspberries and blueberries to create different combinations, some tasted better than others. I think a banana is almost a must for each smoothie bag. Remember it is an experiment.

3.  Add almonds and/or instant oatmeal

4. Fill the rest of the baggie with greens. We used kale.

5.  When blending you can either add water, milk, or yogurt to the mixture and if you need a little sweetening, like I always do, add a tablespoon of honey.

Each packet makes two large smoothies.

Our smoothies received Nash's stamp of approval. Trust me, he is the toughest food critic in town.

 

8 Can Taco Soup or Food Storage Soup

I love soup, especially in the fall and winter when the weather turns colder. One of my favorite and easiest soup recipes is my 8 Can Taco Soup. It is made completely of canned food that can sit in your pantry for a couple of years before expiring.  Forgive my photo. I have yet to perfect the art of food photography.

 

Ingredients

1 Can Black Beans-Drained & Rinsed

1 Can Pinto Beans-Drained & Rinsed

1 Can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 Can Corn-Drained

1 Can Chicken Broth

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Can Chicken Drained

1 Envelope of Taco Seasoning

Salt & Pepper to taste

(Note: all of the cans should be the regular or 14.5 oz variety)

Combine in pot or Crockpot until warm.  Serve with chips and cheese.

 

 



Pin-tastic Carpet Cleaner

The highlight of my weekend was cleaning the carpet in the kid's bedrooms. Lest you think I am being facetious, I am not. I used a cleaning recipe I found on Pinterest and it worked like a charm. The carpets look brand new!  So, exciting.

Combine 2 parts peroxide and 1 part Dawn Original Blue Dish Soap in a spray bottle. Spray stains or entire carpet. Let set for a couple of minutes and wipe/brush away stains. 

Tacos in a Bowl

I am of the opinion that Ramen Noodles added to anything can only improve the flavor.  I have lots of Ramen Noodle recipes but this one is my favorite.  It is fast, easy and filling!

Ingredients

1/2 lb. Ground Beef

2 T. Chopped Onion

3/4 Cup Canned Diced Tomatoes Drained

2 T. Taco Seasoning

1 Cup Water

1 pkg. Ramen Noodles

Crushed Tortilla Chips

1/4 Cup Cheese

Cook beef and onion then drain grease.  Stir in tomatoes, taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil and add noodles.  Cook until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and chips and anything else you would eat on a taco!

Honey Butter Sopapillas

About once a month we make Fry Bread and top it with chili and all the fixin's, but the best part of this meal is the dessert.  It is so yummy and so bad for you and so simple.

Here is what you need:

6 Rhodes Rolls 

3 Tablespoons Butter

3 Tablespoons Honey

Powdered Sugar

Vegetable Oil

Let the rolls rise as instructed on the package. Heat up the oil and pat out the rolls making them as thin as possible.  Cook in oil for about 30 seconds on each side.  Melt honey and butter in microwave and stir.  Pat sopapillas with a paper towel removing excess oil. Pour honey/butter mixture on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Will Bake to Party

Tis' the cookie exchange season and I have two cookie parties in the next few days.  So, I spent most of today preparing for the first exchange which required a mere 6 dozen cookies per person.  I made these...

Pretzel Chocolate Chips
(These are the MOST perfect combination of salty and sweet.)

Recipe

(Adapted from this Source)

3 cups flour 

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup slightly broken pretzels

Coarse Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients and set aside.  Soften butter and combine with sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients mix well. Add chocolate chips and pretzels.  Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt/pretzel salt. Makes about 40 cookies.

Not only did I make 6 dozen cookies, okay more like 8 dozen cookies, we ate at least a dozen during the process. I also made frosting and filled up a hundred baggies in preparation for the cupcake decorating portion of our Church Christmas Party.

I made sure to remove all the air from the baggies and wrapped tape around the baggie just above the frosting.  Then at the party we just had to cut the tips off the baggies.  It made for relatively mess free cupcake decorating.

Finally, the elf packed the boys lunch today.

Candied Almonds & Elf's Return

Not only are these yummy, but they make your house smell delicious.  

RECIPE:

4 Cups Almonds 

1 Egg White

2 Tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cup White sugar

3 Tablespoons Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Cup Water

Combine Egg White and Vanilla and whip until smooth and frothy.  In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients.  Add almonds to egg mixture and then add dry ingredients. Place in a prepared crockpot on low for three hours.  Stir every twenty minutes.  After three hours add water and stir thoroughly.  Cook for an additional 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Look what arrived via Santa Mail on our doorstop today...

That is right our Elf on the Shelf has returned.  Stay tuned for all of his antics.

Christmas Is Coming!!

It is that time of year again, when every spare minute is filled with shopping, wrapping, baking, eating, decorating, crafting, mailing and trying your very best to make the holiday magical. I am going to try to post what we are doing/making/where we are going every day until Christmas. Today, I thought I would share an easy and fun homemade holiday gift-Kool Aid Playdough with laminated play mats. What kid can resist playdough, especially playdough that smells as yummy as Kool Aid.  

Harley loves to help me in the kitchen and she had so much fun telling her brother's that she made her very own playdough.

Recipe:

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Salt

1 Pkg. Kool-Aid

1 Cup Boiling Water

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Combine Dry Ingredients. Add boiling water and oil.  Stir with a spoon until it cools enough to knead with your hands. Store in the fridge.

Now onto the play mats.

You can print an entire booklet of pages to laminate. They include things like putting the spots on a dog, putting the flowers on the stem and of course more educational things like counting skills.  

HERE IS THE LINK to print your own.

TGIS-Cookies in a jar

I am trying to avoid sweets as much as possible, but Sunday's are my cheat day. It is the one day of the week that I make dessert. One of my family's favorite desserts are cookies in a jar. To make these yummy things spray a small mason jar with Pam and fill it with your favorite cookie dough.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the sides are golden brown and the middles are still a little gooey.

 

Top with ice cream.

 

Enjoy!

Whatcha' Doing?

It's been a long time since I have had time to do anything crafty, but today I busted out the hot glue gun and made this seashell wreath.  These shells are just a few of the at least 20 pounds we hauled back from Panama. 

It is also canning season at our house.  Scott hates this time of year. He has convinced himself that it always ends in some sort of a disaster, just because of one little incident involving exploding glass, a melted kitchen rug, a few minor burns, and some glass shards embedded in a foot.  He is so dramatic.  Anyway,  I canned seven quarts of peaches and 18 pints of jam.  My grandma's raspberry peach recipe can be found HERE on my blog.

This year I also tried a strawberry/peach freezer jam that we absolutely love.  We have eaten 3 pints in 4 days.

Peach & Strawberry Freezer Jam

3 Cups Peaches

2 Cups Strawberries

1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice

1 Box of Sure Jell Fruit Pectin

4 1/2 Cups of Sugar

1 Cup of Light Corn Syrup

After peeling and removing the pits from the peaches and the stems from the strawberries chop in a food processor. Do not over chop. You want a few chunks.  Add the lemon juice and the pectin.  Allow the pectin to dissolve for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn syrup and then the sugar.  Pour into PREPARED freezable glass jars.  Do not overfill because the jam will expand when it freezes. It should last about a year in the freezer and up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

Adapted from Chief-In-Training

In other news, I went to Target today and Atley had me paged. He told the security guard he was lost, which was odd considering he was right next me only 2 minutes earlier.  Nash was so excited when my name was blared over the loud speaker in the store. I think there was a bit of a conspiracy between the brothers.

Everything's Peachy

 It is amazing that only an hour or so away from the city you can find yourself in the Blue Ridge Mountains and feel like you are light years away from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C.

 I took the kids to Hollin Farms to pick peaches this week and we had a perfectly lovely day.

 After picking peaches and raspberries we went home to make cobbler.

 Here is my Harley Approved cobbler recipe.

6 Large Ripe or Nearly Ripe Peaches

1 Cup Splenda (or real sugar)

2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

1 Cube of Butter

Boil diced peaches, Splenda, and cornstarch for 1 minute and place them in a prepared 9 x 13 baking pan.

Sprinkle the peaches with cake mix and then drizzle melted butter on top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with whipped or ice cream.