Recipes and More

Fettucine in Charred Tomato Sauce and Shrimp

2011-08-24T17:06:00.003+09:00

It's quite embarrasing that I haven't posted here in such a long time. Here is a GREAT recipe that I just discovered in a new cookbook I ordered recently called, "The Athlete's Palate Cookbook." Mike and I have found that if we work together on this one that is doesn't take that long to make it. Mike prepares the shrimp and tomatoes and puts them on skewers and then grills them. He does the tomatoes at 450 for about 10 minutes making sure to rotate them. The shrimp is also cooked at 450 for about 8 minutes rotating every 2 minutes. He prepares both the shrimp and tomatoes by coating them in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Since our kids aren't huge tomato fans we usually half this recipe for the tomato sauce and then just give them the plain fettucine noodles. One of the greatest things about this recipe is how simple and fresh it tastes. It is so yummy!

Fettucine in Charred Tomato Sauce and Shrimp

(photo taken from "The Athlete's Palate Cookbook")

Charred Tomatoes

12 plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I just finely chop them into small pieces)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I use regular black pepper)
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
3/4 lb fresh fettucine, cooked al dente
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Shrimp

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 large shrimps, peeled and deveined

Tomatos

Place the tomatoes on a very hot grill plan (we use skewers placed in a grilling rack that we can rotate easily) and char on all sides, turning with tongs, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove them, cool slightly, and coarsely chop.

Sauce

Heat the oil in a large, high-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the charred tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook until the tomatoes are soft and break down completely, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the basil. Add the cooked pasta and, using tongs, stir to coat the pasta evenly.

Divide the past among four large, shallow bowls and top with 5 of the pan-sauteed shrimp. Garnish with the basil sprigs.

Shrimp

Prep the shrimp by peeling them and deveining them. Then coat them in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Put them on skewers and put them on the grill and rotate them every 2 minutes so they have been cooked on each side twice (total of 8 minutes).

Ballerina Cupcake Toppers

2011-02-16T12:23:00.003+09:00

I thought these ballerina cupcake toppers were so adorable and perfect for any little girls birthday party. HERE is the link to the tutorial that I used. She even did a video which I thought was helpful. I decided that using tulle was way cuter than using the pink tissue paper. I also used pink straws instead of toothpicks. I was surprised at how easy these were to make. The only tricky part was getting the tulle to not stand straight up in the front. The double sided tape did very little to hold the crazy tulle in place for just this part. To get the front of the skirt to lay flat I had to used the ribbon to hold it in place. Also, for the bodice I ended up copying and pasting it a bunch of times in a document and then printing it out on the wrong side of a piece of pink cardstock. That way I didn't end up having to trace them all before cutting them out. Just remember when you are cutting that you cut inside the black line so it won't show on the back of the bodice. I ended up making 15 toppers so I tried to salvage as many as I could to save for another day.

You could also use this tutorial to make matching invitations by following the same directions except don't add the back skirt and tape the bodice and front skirt to a blank card or folded piece of card stock. You could also attach these to gift bags.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

2011-02-16T11:05:00.003+09:00

These homemade blueberry muffins are to die for delicious. The best part is that they use ingredients that are a bit healthier like half wheat flour instead of all white flour and applesauce instead of butter. I am addicted to these muffins. I love making the jumbo muffins instead of the regular sized muffins. This recipe yields about 7 jumbo muffins or 12 regular muffins. I have to thank my friend Myisha for giving me this great recipe. This recipe originated from Becky Hammond.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 oz. (1 cup) whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar (1 cup tastes even better)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce (sweetened works just as well)
1-1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I use frozen so they don't bleed too much)

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup standard muffin pan or a 6 cup jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, the baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and oil until the mixture is pale and slightly frothy. Whisk in the applesauce, lemon zest, and vanilla. With the whisk, stir in about half the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and then the remaining buttermilk, stirring until well incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them to the top (even with the jumbo muffins). Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and then unmold. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

Katsudon

2011-01-10T21:38:00.003+09:00

As with any New Year I have new goals and ambitions. One of my goals for the year is to try new recipes (including traditional Japanese dishes) and an overall effort to cook healthier. Since I do love food some of my recipes won't be 100% fat free. It's called baby steps people! Anyways, one of our favorite Japanese dishes is Katsudon (deep fried pork and egg bowl). Mike found this recipe from a youtube video called, "Cooking with Dog" where the dog, whose name is Francis, is the host. It is so dumb that it is funny. Click HERE for the link. The recipe was perfect and our Katsudon turned out so WELL! Some of the ingredients are from our little Japanese grocery store but can also be found at most international grocery stores in the US.

Preparing the Pork:

Pork Loin (1 cm thick)
Pinch of salt and pepper
Frying oil
Flour
1/4 of an egg
1 Tbsp. water
Nama Panko (fresh bread crumbs)

Make cuts along the pork on both sides (this prevents the pork from curling as it is fried). Pound the pork to make it tender. Sprinkle salt and pepper on one side. Crack an egg into a dish. Scoop 1/4 of the egg into a glass pie dish. Add the water and beat the egg. In another pie dish use a baking brush to coat the pork with flour on both sides. After the pork is coated with flour, dip the pork loin in the beaten egg and then coat it with the Nama Panko. Deep fry the pork over medium heat. Turn the pork so it browns evenly. Flip it over and fry the other side. Remove the pork and drain the excess oil. Cute the pork into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

The Sauce:

50 ml of water
1/5 tsp. granulated dashi
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Hon Mirin
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 sliced onion
1 egg
Mistuba (Japanese wild parsley) - optional

Combine the water, dashi, soy sauce, Hon Mirin, sugar and onion in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat. When it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer until the onion is soft (about 3 minutes). Place the pork strips on top of the sauce mixture in the saucepan and pour 1 beaten egg on top of the pork. Cover and cook on high heat for one minute. Sprinkle the mistuba on top and scoop everything onto steamed rice. Serve while hot!

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-12-25T14:21:00.001+09:00

These are the BEST cinnamon rolls I have ever had. I make them every year for Christmas morning. They are not that hard to make but take some time to prepare so I usually make them the night before. This recipe was given to me by my mother who got it from our dear friend Karen.

The Dough:

2 1/4 cup hot water
1/2 can (3/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 stick margarine (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dry potato flakes

2 eggs
2 Tbl. yeast
4 cups flour

Directions:

Combine the water, evaporated milk, margarine, sugar, salt, potato flakes and 2-3 cups of flour. Mix. Add the eggs and yeast. Mix for about 4 minutes. Add the flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl. It will be a soft dough. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until double (about 1 hour).

Divide the dough in half or thirds depending on pan size. Roll out into a long rectangle. Spread with melted butter and sprinkel with cinnamon and sugar mixture (1/2 cup sugar with 2 Tbl. cinnamon). Roll it up so it is in a long roll and cut 1 inch slices with floss. Place in the pan about 1/2 inch apart. Allow to rise about one hour. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 min.

The Frosting:

1 stick butter
1 lb box of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 Tbl. milk

Frost while the rolls are still warm. Enjoy!

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

2010-12-15T14:50:00.000+09:00

For years it has been our tradition to make Grandma Candace's lemon poppyseed bread for our neighbors. It was especially fun to make some for our Japanese neighbors this year. Our sweet old Japanese couple across the street really liked the surprise and greeted us and our kids with such kindness. They are the sweetest old people I have ever met. They just love hugging our kids and talking to them (in Japanese of course). I actually wrote the card in Japanese by myself but had help with the translation!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/8 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 Tbl. poppyseed
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. butter extract

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Mix the first 7 ingredients and then add the flour and baking powder. I usually make small loaves because they turn out better. I can get 7-8 mini loaves out of one batch. Bake at 350 F for 33-35 minutes. Brush the topping mixture while the bread is still hot.

Topping:

1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. butter extract

Salmon and Asparagus

2010-10-26T16:39:00.000+09:00

We had the most fabulous salmon last night. About a month ago Mike bought a great App for his iPad called Weber On the Grill. It has been great for learning how to properly marinate all different kinds of meat and for learning how to properly use the grill and all its many cool features. He has learned so much already and our meat since then has turned out restaurant style even. We used cedar planks to grill the salmon over indirect heat. We bought our cedar planks from Williams and Sonoma. They come in a pack of 5. Included below are the recipes for the Salmon and the Asparagus.

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Honey-Lime Dressing

Dressing:

2 Tbl fresh lime juice (we didn't have lime so we used lemon)
2 Tbl rice vinegar (we didn't have rice so we used regular and reduced to 1 Tbl)
2 Tbl dijon mustard
2 Tbl honey
2 Tbl minced fresh chives
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic (we used crushed garlic instead)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large salmon fillet (2 1/2 to 3 pounds, about 16 inches long and 3/4 inch thick)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

In a blender combine the dressing ingredients except the oil. Mix until well blended and then add the oil.

Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over high heat (450 to 550 F).

Season the flesh side of the salmon with the salt and pepper. Pour about half of the dressing over the flesh and use a brush to distribute evenly.

Remove the soaked plank from water (soak for about 1-2 hours in water) and immediately place it over direct high heat until the edges start to smoke and char (5-10 min). Move the plank over indirect high heat and place the salmon, skin side down, on the plank. Grill until the salmon is just slightly pink in the center and brown on the edges (20-25 min). Keep lid closed as much as possible during grilling.

Serve warm with the remaining dressing.

Slightly Grilled Asparagus

Dressing:

1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbl lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the dressing and place in a medium sized bowl.

Wash and cut the asparagus.

Heat water in a medium sized pot until boiling.

Place the asparagus in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes to blanch them. I have found that closer to 2 minutes is better.

Immediately remove the aspargus to the bowl with the dressing.

Heat up your George Forman grill and place the asparagus on the grill for 2 minutes.

Asian Meatballs

2010-03-10T10:46:00.000+09:00

This is one of my favorite recipes. The meatballs are usually so tender and even my kids who have all not loved red meat as small children will eat these meatball. I used to put in the water chestnuts but now I opt to not put them in. They taste as good as ever without the water chestnuts so really they are optional.

Meatballs

1/2 cup water chestnuts finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 1/4 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 cup soft white bread crumbs (I just blend my bread in the blender)
3 Tbl. Soy sauce
1 garlic clove pressed/chopped or 2 tsp. crushed garlic

Sauce

3/4 cup plum jam
1/4 cup chili sauce

Mix ingredients for the meatballs and mold into about 20 meatballs and place in a 9x13 dish. Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes. Then add the sauce and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. Serve with rice.

Whole Wheat Bread

2010-02-28T10:04:00.001+09:00

I have a friend who has the most amazing whole wheat bread recipe. I know it is amazing because I tried her bread last summer when I was visiting her. Mike and I were so amazed that bread could taste that good. Ever since then I have told myself that I was going to start making my own bread. Well, life got in the way and after too many excuses of not having time I finally caved in today with all of my cooking and got out my wheat grinder. This recipe calls for either white whole wheat or a mixture that my friend came up with. This mixture of wheat includes white whole wheat, kamut, and spelt. Mike was able to find the kamut and spelt flour in a health food store in Tacoma. Both Kamut and Spelt can be ordered online but for the sake of trying to make this bread for the first time we decided to buy a smaller quantity. I have a Wondermill grain grinder and I love it. The Wondermill claims to be the world's #1 grain mill. It can grind 9 cups of grains which yields about 12 cups of flour at one time. It was fast and I didn't notice a lot of flour dust everywhere which was nice. Everything was super easy to clean. My friend has a Nutrimill and she loves hers as well. These are the two best wheat grinders on the market right now. Check this out for a comparison of the two grinders.

I don't have a Bosch Mixer...YET...so I halved her recipe to come up with something I could mix in my Kitchen Aid mixer. It was relatively easy to make. The bread turned out so yummy, however, it was a little too dense for my liking. I'm sure I didn't let it rise long enough. I will have to play with the amount of flour I put in and how long I let it rise to get the perfect consistancy and size in each loaf. The taste was amazing though. My kids have been eating it non-stop. YEAH...SUCCESS!! Eventually we will only eat this bread for our sandwiches and toast. I have one more wheat bread recipe I am going to try. It has a mixture of whole wheat and white wheat. I will post that one when I make it. For now here is the halved version:

7-9 c whole grain flour mixture (white wheat, spelt, kamut)
1 ½ tbl yeast
3 c warm water (almost hot to the touch)
1/2 c raw honey
1 tbl sea salt
1/3 c olive oil
3/4 c potato flakes
1 ½ tbl vital wheat gluten
2 ½ - 3 tbl apple cider vinegar (can substitute lemon juice)
butter for greasing

Grind your grains. Keep any leftover flour in your freezer. Add 4 ½ c of flour and yeast into your mixer. Mix until combined. Add water. Mix until smooth.

Cover and let sit and sponge for 15 minutes. Grease your pans.

Turn mixer on low and add remaining ingredients. Add the flour last 1 c at a time. Add only until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Grease your hands and divide dough into 3 equal parts. Knead several times with your hands on a clean greased surface. Put loaves in bread pans.
Cover and let rise until double in size. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Put pans in a cold oven. Be careful not to let the pans touch. Turn oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Begin checking at 30 minutes. They should be golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on them. Brush the tops of loaves with butter.

Let loaves cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Shake loaves loose and finish cooling out of pan on rack. Store in bread bags in the freezer. The bread will stay fresh in the freezer for weeks. Once your bread is at room temperature it is best if eaten within 3 days. Do not store in the fridge.

Minestrone Soup

2010-02-28T09:22:00.000+09:00

Life has been so busy I really haven't had much time to do any projects or cook new things for my family. Yesterday was the perfect day to start anew and get crackin on my recipe book that I have put off for too long. First item on the list for the day was to make my mother's minestrone soup. To think that I have had this recipe for years and never made it is mind boggling. The goal with my recipe book is to try all the recipes I want in my book and to take a picture of it. I have so many recipes on little pieces of paper. Now I am trying to type them all onto my computer. It will take some time but with a little more dedication I know that I can do it. Eventually when we make our dinner calendars the kids will be able to flip through our cookbook to see what they would like to eat for the week. Eventually I will transfer it to a really nice book by Blurb or My Publisher. For now it will remain in a binder.

Now onto the soup. This is the most fabulous soup for a good rainy day. It is pretty healthy with lots of yummy vegetables. It does take a little bit of prep time in cutting up everything but it is well worth it.

4 slices bacon cut in ½ inch pieces
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 can diced tomatoes
4 stalks celery, diced
2 long carrots, diced
½ c. green beans (I use the canned green beans)
¼ c. fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp. fresh basil

1 can bean with bacon soup
1 can red kidney beans
1 can beef broth

Fry bacon in olive oil and add onions and garlic. Sauté until golden. Add ingredients up to and including the basil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add soup, beans, and broth and simmer for 20 minutes.

Ribs and Corn Casserole

2009-10-08T11:14:00.001+09:00

This is probably one of my favorite summer recipes. The ribs are slow cooked in the oven and covered with the most delicious home made BBQ sauce. We were first introduced to this recipe by our good friend Kelvin. The corn casserole is the perfect side dish to the ribs and was given to me by my friend Kirsti. These two recipes are to DIE FOR!!!

BABY BACK RIBS

Slow Cooking the Ribs

BBQ Sauce ingredients:
Ketchup (One 66 oz. bottle)
Worchester Sauce (1/2 cup)
Soy Sauce (3/4 cup)
Brown Sugar (2 cups)
Crushed Red Pepper (1 ½ tbsp)
Garlic (2 Tbsp)

Mix the above ingredients to make the BBQ sauce. Peel away any connective “silver” skin tissue from the back of the ribs and cut them into sections of 2 or 3 ribs. This recipe makes sauce for two racks of ribs. Place the ribs into a large foil container or turkey pan completely cover with BBQ sauce. Cook for 4 hours at 250 degrees.

Grilling(optional)

Make a separate batch of Fresh BBQ Sauce (do not re-use the leftovers from the slow cook). Add a little vegetable oil so that the sauce does not burn as easily when the ribs are grilled. Dip each rib into fresh sauce before grilling and grill on low heat until sauce is caramelized and the ribs have soaked up as much smoky flavor as possible. Always cook with the lid down…it gives the ribs the most smoky flavoring, and it helps reduce the flare-ups that come from cooking such fatty (but yummy) food.

We have found that it is not always necessary to grill the ribs. Grilling does add a little extra grilling flavor but the ribs are great all on their own straight from the oven!!

CORN CASSEROLE

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can cream style corn
1 (8 oz) pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix
½ c. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 c. sour cream

Mix corn, jiffy muffin mix, sour cream and butter together in a bowl. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 45-50min.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

2009-10-05T05:28:00.000+09:00

This is another Becky Higgins wonder. It is one of my favorite recipes because it reminds me of a dish I used to order at an Italian Restaurant in Tokyo while living there as a teenager. It is fabulous! I have made a few minor modifications from the original recipe!

GARLIC CHICKEN FARFALLE

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
3 large chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/2 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime juice

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 4-5 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred with a fork. Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta and cook the bacon (Cooking the bacon in the oven (400 degrees) for around 20 minutes is way less messy. Allow to cool and then crumple. I use disposable gloves for this part). In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Mom's Homemade Granola

2009-10-05T05:25:00.000+09:00

This is my mother's granola recipe and it is so yummy. My kids love it and so I figured I'd better get a special jar to make sure that we are never low on our favorite breakfast cereal. I am pretty plain and so I don't add the raisins or sunflower seeds.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Mix the above ingredients except raisins. Stir in and coat thorougly with the following:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla

Spread on a well greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Only add the raisins the last five minutes! Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Chicken

2009-10-05T05:21:00.001+09:00

This recipe was given to me by my friend Mary. It is super easy and a BIG hit in our house. It is probably my kids favorite meal.

CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN

2-3 large chicken breasts
3/4 cup water
1 chicken bouillion cube
1/2 packet ranch dressing

Cook the chicken and above ingredients in a crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. You can replace the water and chicken bouillion cube with 3/4 cup of chicken broth. I have also used an entire packet of Italian dressing in place of the ranch dressing. Both are great!

8 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

20-30 minutes before serving shred the chicken in the crock pot and add the cream cheese and chicken soup. Mix until well blended in the chicken and let cook for 20-30 minutes. Serve over rice!

Taco Soup

2009-09-27T13:49:00.000+09:00

This recipe came from Becky Higgins and I absolutely love it. It was super easy to make and made a ton. My kids are not big bean eaters so this dish was mainly for Mike and I to enjoy. However, I am convinced the more I make things and offer it to them the more they will be willing to try it as they get older and their taste buds change.

TACO SOUP

16 oz. can chili beans
16 oz. kidney beans
16 oz. can black beans
8 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes
16 oz. can whole corn
16 oz. creamed corn
pkg. taco seasoning
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sm. can chopped green chilies (optional...I don't like this so I leave it out)

Do not drain any of the canned foods. Add all ingredients to a crock pot and add taco seasoning to the soup. Brown the ground beef in a pan with the chopped onion and add this combination to the crock pot. Simmer for at least a couple of hours. Serve warm and garnish with optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips (cooked in frying pan with olive oil and grated parmesan cheese). Another idea: Eat with large Fritos chips. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-27T13:38:00.000+09:00

Now that I will be exploring new recipes and sharing them I am finally ready to reveal my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe. OK...maybe they aren't that famous but in our house they are the most loved cookie. These are the cookies I remember my mother making when I was younger, the cookies I made with my best friend Beth when we were in high school, the cookies Mike and I made when we were newly married, and the cookies I now make for our children. There is nothing too special about the recipe other than the fact that they seem to turn out good every time I make them. They are the yummiest soft chocolate chip cookie I have tried and they even taste great the few days after.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 c. butter flavored crisco
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix the crisco and brown sugar together until well mixed. Add the egg and beat for a minute before adding the milk and vanilla. Once all that is well mixed then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then add the chocolate chips and mix those in by hand. I usually pour the chocolate chips in until I feel there are enough. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 F. The key to this recipe is to only bake one sheet at a time and only for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

New Beginnings

2009-09-26T13:55:00.000+09:00

I am finally ready for a new creative chapter of my life and one that includes some more cooking. I am not the greatest cook but I do have a few recipes I love and some more I want to try to add to my Tried and True Recipe Book. I believe that all things good should be shared. I am so thankful for friends that have shown me how to make things both crafty and edible. I am proud to share the things I learn how to make and the recipes I find the yummiest. There are no secrets here! Enjoy!

Doll and Accessories

2009-01-28T18:21:00.000+09:00

For Emma's Birthday this year I finished this cute doll, quilt, and cradle accessories. This adorable cradle was mine when I was a little girl. The doll is finally starting to wear on Emma. She continues to be attached to her first baby doll. She does love the quilt and pad and pillow though. I am happy with the way they all turned out. I had so much fun doing it. I am so glad I have girls so I can make these fun things for them.

Quilts For My Girls

2009-01-01T18:15:00.000+09:00

I just fell in love with this line from Moda called Simplicity. I wanted to make the girls something special and so I decided to make toddler quilts which ended up being a little longer than a traditional toddler quilt. Emma uses it as her main blanket right now and eventually when the girls are both in twin beds they will have these as their snuggly blankets. I took them in and had them machine quilted and the sweet lady even quilted their names in the lower right hand corners. I LOVE the way they turned out.

Church Bags

2008-06-22T09:32:00.001+09:00

I finally finished the kids church bags! In anticipation of actually having to use the entire diaper bag for baby things, I needed the kids to have their own bags for church. I just loved this fun fabric and had so much fun making these bags for the kids. The first bag was quite the experience though. I guess being 9 months pregnant doesn't help in terms of thinking things through. Once I figured things out and started thinking, they were a snap. One of the greatest things about these bags is that they are reversible. The tutorial I used to make the bags comes from a great website called Skip To My Lou. Here is the link to the bag tutorial that I got from this website. This is actually a link to another site: http://www.colorfool.net/category/tutorials/. Now that I have leftover fabric I just might have to make some more crayon rolls to match their bags. The ones I made originally were great but the pockets were just a little too big and the twistables kept falling out. There are always lessons to be learned when sewing. On to the next project--finishing the girls quilts.

Fun Cards

2008-04-19T14:00:00.000+09:00

I haven't made cards in a long time nor have I scrapbooked for that matter. For our Enrichment night we had a Service/Talent Auction. Each sister donated an item or service and then got to bid on something else. There was no money involved...it was really fun. Anyways, I made these cards, covered a pencil box to display them, put a ribbon around the box and called it good. It made me realize how much I enjoy Scrapbooking and card making...it really is relaxing and fun for me.

The Incredible Hooter Hider

2008-03-19T06:25:00.000+09:00

A good friend of mine showed me how to make these really cute Hooter Hiders for nursing moms. This one is for a friend who had her baby a couple of months ago--oops--better late than never I always say. I will definitely be making some more of these for myself. It only took me about 45 minutes from start to finish!

Fun Crayon Rolls

2008-03-19T06:20:00.000+09:00

I saw this idea from a friend and thought it was so cute that I decided to try and make a couple for the kids for Easter. This was the very first one that I did and it went pretty well. I then made three more for a good friend of mine. There were some improvements that I needed to make like making the pocket for the crayons a little taller to accomodate twistable crayons. I also made the crayon pockets 3/4 in. wide and realized it bunched too much for my liking. The others I did with a 1 in pocket and they turned out great. The twistables seemed to stay in there pretty well. I have all the fabric cut out for my kids crayon rolls for Easter...now I just need to do them this week. I ended up cutting the fabric to 7 in wide by 17 1/2 inches long which allows for 13 twistables or crayons and a pocket for paper. The pocket piece was also 7 in wide by 17 1/2 in long in case you are wondering. I bought a packet of paper at target and then cut them down to the size I needed. This made it really easy to fold into the roll because there wasn't a binding on the packet of paper.

Peter's 4th Birthday

2008-02-06T16:00:00.000+09:00

Finally a boy page! It is simple, yet fun. When Peter saw this layout when it was unfinished he was so excited. Andrew then asked me when I was going to do his birthday page. I guess those will be the next pictures I order. I am so glad that my kids are excited about their pages. It motivates me all the more to keep on going!

Easter 2007

2008-02-03T16:00:00.000+09:00

So I spent the last couple of days figuring out layouts, editing pictures and cropping them. Then it was off to Costco and the scrapbook store for some supplies. I love it when I can go to the scrapbook store all by myself. I just bought these adorable flowers from ebay and was dying to use some of them. I am having just way too much fun!

Emma -20 months

2008-01-06T16:03:00.001+09:00

This is my absolute favorite page of Emma. Ok, I know I have been girl crazy when it comes to getting my spreads done. I love photography and this was an attempt to capture Emma's sweetness. A little distraction like my necklace did wonders. I hope to be so lucky in the future with this little girl! Just a note: I sewed the patterned paper and the pink strip onto my background paper. I haven't had much luck in sewing on paper...it is always crooked. This time I drew a faint line in pencil where I wanted the line and then followed that line on my sewing machine. I thought it worked rather well. Also, for those who don't have brad punches, I used a needle to poke the hole. I used to have a brad punch, but mine mysteriously disappeared at our Super Saturday...bummer!

Phoot Shoot . 13 months

2007-12-29T04:24:00.000+09:00

So I finally finished this spread too. I love this spread from Becky Higgins new sketches book. It just worked out perfectly for these pictures. I was glad this spread allowed me a big space for my journaling.

Emma's Blessing Dress

2007-12-27T13:15:00.000+09:00

Can you believe that I actually finished a spread??? Being prenant has knocked me out of the scrapbooking mode for quite a while. This spread has been sitting on my table for two months unfinished. It must be my new Silhouette that I got for Christmas that finally broke my two month streak of not scrapbooking. Yes, I absolutely love my new toy. It was just the thing I needed to finish this page.

Christmas Advent Calendar

2007-11-08T15:10:00.000+09:00

This adorable advent calendar was an idea from the Paper Trends magazine from last year. I organized and taught a class to make these for our Super Saturday. It was so much fun to make one---but way too much work to make 23 kits!!

What I Love About...

2007-11-08T15:05:00.001+09:00

Since I haven't been scrapbooking lately, something I am trying to remedy, I thought I would post an older spread. I was so happy to have come up with this all on my own. My goal is to do this spread every year.