My Grocery Deals

It's been a long time since I took pictures of groceries, but since I just taught a coupon class and am really trying to get back into the coupons like I used to (sadly, I have been slacking the last couple months and my coupons were in a huge mess until just one week ago) I decided I needed to remind myself just how great this is.  Hopefully someone will see my list and picture and it will motivate them to try it.  Smith's had the sale I've been waiting for, so this was a great place to start. I definitely walked out of there with my coupon "high".

Here's a list of what I got and what I paid after sale price and coupons:

• 14 boxes of Kleenex (between .20 and .56 a box depending on the coupon and after the $2 catalinas printed)
• 8 bottles of shaving gel (.94)
• All laundry detergent (2.49)
• 33 cans Hunts tomato sauce (.34-.54 per can depending on the coupon)
• 4 cans Hunts tomato paste (.16 per can--and these were the big cans)
• 14 cans Hormel Chili (.17 per can)
• 4 French's Honey Mustard dipping sauces (.75)
• 4 bottles of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (no coupons but still a great price--1.99)
• 4 40 oz. bottles Heinz ketchup (again, no coupons but still a great price--1.79)
• 2 each Cocoa Pebbles/Fruity Pebbles (1.44 for family size box)
• 4 Grape Nuts Flakes (.99)
• 6 Uncle Ben's Long Grain & wild rice (.67)
• 6 Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (.38)
• 8 Kraft Singles (1.71)
• 3 DiGiorno pizzas (3.49)
• 2 Kraft Deluxe Mac & cheese (1.49)
• 2 Miracle Whip (no coupons and not a great price but I am out--2.79)
• 12 boxes Ritz Crackers (1.32)
• 2 boxes of Cheez-its (1.99--not a great price but Colby pulled a sad face when I told him no so I caved)
• 9 Balance Bars (.16)
• 4 Kroger syrup (1.49--no coupons but I am out again and love this syrup)
• 2 bags Garden of Eatin chips (1.09--never had them before but I'm giving them a try)

All said and done, I spent $125 , I still have $2  in the form of a Catalina to spend the next time I go to Smith's, and I rolled out of there with TWO SHOPPING CARTS.  It was an awesome sale!  Unfortunately I didn't have any more coupons for hunt's tomato sauce, so I'm going to have to do some scrounging around and go back.  There were other things I wanted to get but my cart was heaped and stuff was falling out so I decided to call it a day. 

By the way, did I mention that I received rewards points based on the regular prices?  I'm up to 450 points already this quarter.  Another 50 points and it's off to the gas station we will go with both cars to save another $17.50 on gas.

For anyone contemplating using coupons, I don't know why you're waiting...

Jammy Scones

I used to make these a LOT... many, many years ago and then I completely forgot about them.  As I have been working on organizing my recipes over the last month, I found this one and remembered how yummy they are.  Luckily I had everything on hand to make them again right away!  I usually make them for breakfast (they go really good with eggs and bacon...or with a continental breakfast) although I don't know why--they'd really be great any time you want a yummy sweet roll.  They're also pretty fast and easy.

JAMMY SCONES
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
14 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces (no margarine!)
your favorite jam (of course I used peach raspberry jam )
milk, powdered sugar, vanilla for glaze

Combine the dry ingredients.  Add the butter chunks (make sure they're cold ) and cut them in (you can use a pastry cutter or two knives.  I used my kitchen aid whisk and it worked well but took some time)  After adding the butter the dough should look like coarse cornmeal and there should be no chunks of butter left, but be careful about over handling it.  Add the buttermilk and combine until well mixed but don't overdo it (think pie crust)  The dough will resemble cookie dough more than bread dough and will be quite dry.  Use your hands to gather it all into a ball.  Pat the dough out evenly on a lightly floured surface and form it into a rectangle--make it fairly even but it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. It should be about the size of a jelly roll pan.  Spread the jam on half of the rectangle (about 1/4-1/2 cup of jam)  Fold the empty side onto the jammed half (It sticks and you will probably need to scrape it up with a spatula as you go in order to move it--that is normal.  It will look a bit messy but that's okay.)  Once the dough is folded, roll it with a rolling pin into a long rectangle that is about 3/4 inch thick (Don't push too hard or you'll squeeze all the jam out)  Cut the dough into 12 squares and place on an ungreased baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart.  Bake at 425 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Mix a glaze with some powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Let the scones cool for about 10-15 minutes and then drizzle them with glaze.  They taste the best when they're warm but I wouldn't refuse a cold one...

Something Fun with Biscuits

So, in keeping with my bread theme, I have a really YUMMY addition.  It's much easier than making bread, yet still fills my need to eat bread of some kind with every meal.
About a year ago I had coupons for biscuits...and then they went on sale so cheap that they were free.  Naturally, I bought as many as I could with the coupons that I had and walked away with 25 cans of Pillsbury Grands! biscuits.
So what does one do with 25 cans of biscuits, you might ask?  Let's just say that baking them and serving them as biscuits got old pretty fast.  I heard you could freeze them if you removed them from the can but I was just too lazy to do it, so I found other things to try.  This was the hands down favorite.  They're quick and easy and can be made VERY last minute, which is how I do dinner most of the time.
An important thing to note, though, is that when they come out of the oven the jam in the middle is hot--and I mean HOT.  Like molten lava hot...like eating fire hot... It will literally remove the skin from inside your mouth if you're not careful.  Make them with enough time that they have about 15 minutes to sit before you serve them.  Unless you're serving them to your enemy... then go right ahead fresh from the oven.

CINNAMON THUMBPRINT BISCUITS

 1 can Pillsbury Grands! biscuits (I suppose you could use other biscuits, but these are the best)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/2 cube melted butter
your favorite jelly or jam (I used my favorite peach/raspberry jam found here )

Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl big enough for the biscuits to be dipped. Melt your butter in a separate bowl.

Dip the biscuit in the butter.

Then coat with the cinnamon sugar.

Place them all on an UNGREASED baking sheet (they will be swimming in butter--especially if you bought the butter tastin' biscuits that are my personal favorite). I usually sprinkle more of the cinnamon sugar on top to cover up the spots where my fingers wiped it off.

With your thumb, press firmly in the center of the biscuit--almost all the way through to the pan but not quite.  I usually press one way then the other to make sure the hole is round, deep and firm.

Fill the holes with a small scoop of jelly.  You might think more jelly is better, but don't overdo it or it will just run all over the biscuit.  You want it to stay in the hole while it bakes.

 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes at the temperature recommended on the side of the can.  The edges are the best place to look to see if they're done--they should be golden.
Allow the biscuits to sit and cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Bread Snobs

This year in an effort to save money I started the school year telling my kids they would have to take a home lunch at least a couple times a week.  Little did I know that they would discover that they LOVE home lunch way better than school lunch and now the fight has reversed--they want home lunch every single day.
This desire for home lunch created a whole new problem for me--the problem of the disappearing bread.  With everyone packing a lunch every day I'm going through a loaf every couple of days... which leads to my OTHER problem...
We are bread snobs.  It's Grandma Sycamore bread or bust for us... I have found a couple of noteworthy substitutions (Farm Bread runs a close second, with Dunford bread pulling up the rear) but other than that, we hate all other kinds of bread.  And with the price of that bread going up and up and up...well, let's just say we've been weeping over cheap imitation bread a lot these days. (No matter how much I like it, I refuse to pay $3 for a loaf of bread...)
So for the past couple of months I have been experimenting with making good sandwich bread.  All of the bread was good, but not necessarily good for sandwiches.  I have tried at least a dozen recipes and none have been exactly right.  So this last week I took the best parts of each recipe and combined them to try a recipe of my own... I'd hate to jinx it, but I think I've actually DONE IT!  (With 4 bread critics in my house, it's pretty easy to distinguish the success from the failure.)  Everyone has voted, and this is definitely the winner...It takes a little more time and patience than the other breads I have made, but it was definitely worth it.

THE PERFECT SANDWICH LOAF

 5-6 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 cups HOT water (about 125 degrees)
3 Tablespoons shortening

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer measure 2 cups flour, the sugar, salt, yeast, and dry milk.  Mix it well, then add the hot water and beat just until blended.  Add the shortening and beat until it has mixed in well, then add one cup of flour and beat for 3 minutes at medium speed.  Your mixture should be smooth and creamy looking.

Continue to add flour 1/4 cup at a time.  Take your time, letting the flour completely mix in before adding more.  The dough should form a soft, elastic ball that can be stretched without being sticky.  If the dough is too hard it will be hard to work with and dry when it's finished. (The perfect amount of flour for me was 5 1/4 cups each time with a sprinkle of flour added during kneading.)  Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding sprinklings of flour if it starts to stick to the sides of the bowl.  When it's done, if you feel the dough is too hard, mix in a teaspoon of water.  If it's too wet or sticks to your hands, add a little flour.

 Grease a bowl and place your dough in it, turning to coat the top.   It should look smooth and soft.  Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature to rise for one hour (dough should double in size)
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead for a few minutes to work out any air bubbles, then slice it into two equal pieces with a sharp knife.  Shape each piece into a ball and allow it to rest for 3-4 minutes while you prepare your pans.

Spray or grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.  Form each ball of dough into a loaf by pressing the ball into a flat oval.  Place it in the pans and gently press the dough into the corners of the pan with your fingers, making it as flat in the pan as possible for a more even loaf.
Cover the pans with wax paper and let rise again at room temperature until the dough is about an inch over the top of the pans--about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees--don't put the bread in until it has reached the right temperature!  Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes.  The loaves should be golden brown and sound hollow when you thump on them.

When the loaves are done baking, remove them from the oven but not from the pan.  Place the pans on a cooling rack close together and cover them with a heavy kitchen towel.  Wrap the pans, towel and all, in foil and allow to cool.  This makes the bread "sweat" so the crust (top and bottom) will be soft.  (NOTE: the towel is important because it will absorb any condensation that forms instead of leaving it sitting on the bread making it soggy.)  You can also choose to brush the tops with melted butter for a soft crust instead, but that leaves the bottom crust to get crunchy--not so great if you're making bread for sandwiches.

When the loaves are almost cool, you may want to remove them from the pans, wrap them completely in the towel and foil and let them finish cooling.  Store in bread bags or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to keep them fresh.

I {heart} bread

I have been on a MAJOR bread kick these last couple of weeks.... I just love bread!  I am completely convinced that if there is a hell, it will be just like heaven only there won't be any bread...or pastries.  I've been making so much bread, in fact, that one of my kids actually said "you need to slow down on the bread"...and then he proceeded to stuff his face with it.

Alas, my favorite bread that I have made is not my own recipe, but I really felt I had to share because it just wouldn't be right to keep it to myself.  I found it on one of my favorite blogs, Deals to Meals  and I even swiped her picture because mine just didn't look this good.  The bread is actually called Cinnamon Swirl Bread, and this picture is of the TO DIE FOR french toast that can be made with it (which I also did).  Scrumptious....there's nothing else to be said.

But don't feel like you HAVE to make the french toast...because the bread is good all by itself.  I'm just saying that you'll probably want to... you might even just want to call it dessert instead of breakfast.

 
So give it a go!  You'll be glad you did.  Here's the link:

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

And of course, you will need this recipe also...partly because it goes inside the bread, and partly because it's just plain yummy.  If you've ever had Texas Roadhouse's cinnamon butter, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Cinnamon Butter   

One interesting side note about the bread recipe... I baked it for the time stated in the recipe and it was not even CLOSE to done... Unfortunately I didn't realize this until I had pulled it out of the oven and sliced it open and saw raw dough in the middle.  All bread should basically sound hollow when you thump on it...so I would try that before assuming that it's done.  Next time (translated: tomorrow) I will probably bake it for at least 45 minutes.

Amazingly Delicious!

When I told my sister I was going to try this, she said, and I quote, "Ewww, that sounds awful."  It gave me pause...and I wondered if maybe I was wrong and shouldn't try it.  But in a moment of desperation (I was out of chicken and ground beef...all I had were pork chops...something had to be done!) I decided I would go ahead.  What's the worst that could happen?...we'd end up at McDonalds for dinner... (It's happened before...like the day I made skunk meatloaf...which is a whole story in and of itself that I will save for another time.)
Anyway, I'm glad I went ahead and tried because not only did it turn out absolutely fabulous, but I nearly had a riot on my hands as my husband and sons fought over the pork chops (I started with 12 and I personally only ate one...who knew there'd be a shortage?) It was also SUPER easy, and who doesn't like easy?  I made mashed potatoes with melted cheese on them to go with the pork chops and the sauce was also delicious over the potatoes.  So, before you say "eww" give them a try!

COLA BBQ PORK CHOPS
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cups cola carbonated drink (a 12 oz. can)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch
2 small cloves garlic, minced
12 boneless pork chops
seasoning salt and pepper
  
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat and brown the chops.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as they cook. Transfer them to your crock pot, cover and cook on high for about an hour, then drain off all the fat before adding the sauce (this step can be skipped if you want or if your pork chops are particularly lean, but I like to remove all that fat so my sauce isn't greasy when they're done).
Combine the ketchup, barbecue sauce, cola, brown sugar, corn starch and garlic and  mix well.  Pour over the pork and reduce the heat to low and allow to cook for 4-5 hours.
NOTE: this recipe would also probably be good with chicken, although I haven't tried it yet.  The pork was very tender and falling apart when it was done cooking, so I wouldn't recommend using bone-in chops or you'll end up with naked bones floating around in your sauce.  No one likes naked bones.

New Year, New Recipes

I have begun the new year all motivated to try new recipes... (Notice I did NOT say I made a resolution to eat more healthy, although I really should).  I really need to cook more often and I get tired of the same old thing...so I've been on the hunt for new and delicious things.  So far, so good!
If you LOVE english muffins (which I do) then this is the recipe for you.  I have had the english muffin bread from the store bakery and I like it, but this is definitely better!  Not only is it delicious with a big, thick coating of butter and honey (or jam) but it also makes fabulous breakfast sandwiches.  Beware...you'll  be addicted!

ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD
2 cups milk
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons cornmeal (approx.)
6 cups flour
2 Tablespoons active, dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Grease 2 8x4 loaf pans and sprinkle the cornmeal inside.  Set aside.
Warm the milk and water together in a microwave safe bowl for about two minutes (little bubbles should appear around the edges.)  In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda.  Stir the warm milk mixture into the dry ingredients slowly, then beat until it's mixed well.  Add the remaining flour one cup at a time.  (The finished product will look like a stiff cookie batter--NOT bread dough!  Don't add any extra flour!).
Spoon the batter (it will be stiff and sort of rubbery--that is normal) into the prepared pans and spread it evenly.  Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.  Because of the yeast and baking soda it will rise pretty fast, so keep an eye on it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  When the dough has reached about to the top of the pan, it's time to bake it.  Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Remove from the pans immediately and cool before slicing.
NOTE:  When I moved my bread into the oven, it appeared to "fall" and I thought I had lost all my leavening, but it was fine.  It poofed back up as much as necessary as it baked.  This bread is best when toasted (with LOTS of butter)

More Bananas...

Still have lots of bananas left... time to figure out what to do with them!  These muffins were delicious.  My only problem is that I needed a bigger muffin pan...

BANANA CARAMEL CRUMB MUFFINS
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 small to medium ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
TOPPING:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
 
Grease a 12 count muffin pan or line it with baking cups (if your muffin pan is shallow, baking cups are a good idea) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl beat together the bananas, sugar and egg, then add the melted butter.  Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir just until moistened.  Spoon the batter into the muffin pan.
Mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together for the topping.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal.  Sprinkle the topping over the muffins.  The butter will caramelize in the oven...YUMMY!
Bake for 18-20 minutes.  The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Going Bananas

Quite awhile ago, I saw a really fabulous idea online for a snack using bananas.  They seemed healthy and yummy and I knew I would love them.  I have been waiting and waiting for bananas to get really cheap so I could go buy a "bunch" (haha) and try it.  So when Winco put them on sale for 18 cents a pound I knew my time had come!  I headed to Walmart and price matched them...and I ended up with 27 pounds of bananas.  Here's the picture to prove it:

Now it's time to use these bananas up before they all go yucky.  One important thing to know about bananas (and the reason I will probably go get more before the sale ends) is that you can mash them and freeze them and they are GREAT for adding to recipes like banana bread and muffins.  Yes, they turn dark brown...but if you're putting them in something you will never even know.  I will be mashing these in batches of 3 and 6 (based on the recipes I will use them in) and freezing them.  But, before I do that I'm going to enjoy as many as I can right now!
As for the great idea I wanted to try... they turned out great and I highly recommend them.  While they would have been fun to have during the summer, when you're waiting for bananas to go on sale, you take them when you can get them...


BANANA PUDDING POPS

While I love bananas dipped in chocolate, these seemed like a more healthy alternative.  There is no real recipe, so just have fun and experiment!

First, you want to use bananas that aren't overripe at all.  The ones I peeled were almost a titch green.  Peel them, cut them in half and stick a craft stick into each half.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the bananas out so they aren't touching each other and place the pan in the freezer for a few hours (until they're completely frozen.)

While the bananas are freezing, decide on some toppings you would like.  I crushed up a bunch of different things including peanuts, graham crackers, white chocolate chips, and toffee bar.  You could use just about anything.  Crush or chop the toppings as fine as you can and put them in pie plates or shallow bowls.  (You may be tempted to not use toppings, but the toppings help hold the pudding in place so they are a good idea.) You will need more toppings than you think--they went fast and so did the pudding!  Some other toppings I thought about using were Oreo cookies, mini Reese's pieces, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or vanilla wafers.  Some crunched up cereal might be good, too.

Make your pudding according to directions on the package less 1/4 cup of milk (for the pudding directions).  I used devil's food for one batch, chocolate fudge for one batch, and chocolate mint chip for the last batch.  One of my boxes of pudding was not Jell-o brand, and it didn't work out as well (the pudding went lumpy and it wasn't sweet enough) so I would probably stick with Jell-o brand next time. Beat the pudding with a whisk until it starts to set up, then you need to start dipping bananas before it completely thickens up.

Put the banana down in the pudding and spoon pudding until the banana is covered.  Then dip the banana in your topping.  DO NOT ROLL THE BANANA or you will just scrape all the pudding off into your topping.  Dip it, then turn it and dip it again and so on until the banana is covered.  The bananas I dipped in the chocolate mint chip didn't get a topping because I had run out (and there were chunks of mint chips in the pudding anyway). I let that pudding set up a little more before dipping them and they seemed to cover and freeze well.

Place the dipped bananas back on the baking sheet and when the pan is full put it back in the freezer.  When the bananas are completely frozen, cover them in plastic wrap (or plain sandwich baggies would work good too) and they can all be tossed in a freezer bag.
For the record, the white chocolate ones are my favorite, but the graham cracker ones run a close second.  The salt of the peanuts was a little much so I will probably use unsalted nuts next time. These were really yummy and make GOOD after school treats!  I still have bananas AND more pudding so I think I'm going to go make some using Cookies & Creme pudding...YUM!

A Halloween Tradition

My kids have been asking me for weeks if I am going to make donuts.  The funny thing about them asking is that I do it EVERY YEAR.  It has become such a tradition that I now even have my kids' friends asking when the donuts will be ready....and this year one of the friends said "wow, your mom makes HOMEMADE donuts?  She must be a SUPERMOM!"  Hehe...
I am definitely not Supermom, but I do love a good challenge and that's how this tradition began... I wondered if I could do it.  Many years the donuts have not been good (I will explain my mistakes later) but I have finally got it down.  They aren't hard, but they are time consuming.  The kids wish I would make them more often, but there are a couple problems with that--first, we don't NEED 6 dozen donuts sitting around the house and second, I don't want to devote an entire day to making anything more often than once a year.  But this is definitely a tradition worth keeping... 

SPUDNUTS
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 Tablespoons yeast
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups mashed potatoes (you can use instant and I don't think it makes a difference)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups milk
15-16 cups flour
1 1/2 quarts oil for frying

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add yeast, nutmeg and salt.  Put the milk in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes on high.  Add the mashed potatoes and mix well (especially if they are hot) before adding the eggs one at a time.  Add a cup of flour and the vanilla before adding the hot milk (you don't want to cook the eggs).  Add the milk slowly, stirring as you go.  

Add about 5 cups of flour and mix well, then add one cup of flour at a time until you get a good dough--it should be almost sticky in consistency (and will resemble a stiff cookie dough, not a smooth bread dough)  The flour measurement is a rough amount--if you are using a mixer you will need more than if you are mixing by hand.  Cover the dough tightly and let it rise for one hour, then punch it down.
At this point, you can choose to roll them out and cut them or put the dough in the fridge and wait a day.  I have found that the dough is easier to work with when it sits overnight.  Get it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to roll them out.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness and cut your donuts out.  If you don't have a donut cutter, use some other circle cutters or lids.  Place them on a buttered baking sheet to rise again. Notice mine do NOT look perfect by any means--it just doesn't matter.  Let them rise for about another hour or until double in size but don't let them go too long!

Heat oil in a fryer, electric skillet or dutch oven to 350-375 degrees.  Use a candy thermometer to watch the temperature.  When the oil is hot enough it's time to fry them.  Only fry about three at a time (if you fill the fryer the temp will drop and the donuts will end up grease soaked--yuck!)  These fry REALLY FAST so don't walk away from them--only about 30 seconds per side.  When they're done, drain them on a paper towel then move them to a wire rack.

I like to glaze them all before I frost them.  Why have just one layer of sugar when you can have two?  Mix 2 pounds of powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla, and enough milk to make the glaze a good runny consistency and dip the donuts in, then put them back on the wire rack to drain.  (I put a baking sheet under them so I can scrape up the glaze and dip more donuts--otherwise you will waste a lot of it)
 

Don't forget the holes... You can roll these babies in glaze and pop them right in your mouth while frosting the rest and eat a good dozen in under 15 minutes.   

Then it's time to frost and decorate them!  

FROSTING
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 cube butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk
I like to make the frosting a little bit runny so it goes on smooth and runs down into the hole and coats the sides.  I divided the frosting into three different bowls and colored it orange, green and purple.

Don't forget to make some chocolate ones...

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1-2 lbs. powdered sugar
8 oz. baking chocolate
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Melt the chocolate and butter, then add half the sugar and vanilla, stirring and adding sugar until the consistency is right.




THINGS I'VE LEARNED THAT MAKE THIS EASIER:

1. Make the dough the night before and leave it overnight in the fridge.  Trying to do it all in one day is overwhelming.
2. Don't overdo it on the flour.  Because you're thinking "dough" you envision firm, smooth and non-sticky.  Actually, the dough should be almost sticky and messy looking.  Don't go overboard on the flour when you roll them out either, but add enough that you aren't fighting with it.  Sprinkle a little flour on the top to make it easier to roll.  It should roll easily and not attach to the rolling pin.
3. Butter the baking sheets (or use cooking spray)!  I have tried parchment paper, wax paper, and foil and the dough sticks to everything and makes your donuts weird shapes when you take them off to fry them.
4. A dutch oven is really the best fryer for maintaining heat.  I never had to wait for the oil to heat back up like I've had to do with a fryer and a skillet.
5. Keep a washcloth handy dedicated to grease wipe-ups.  I hate all the oil that drips as I move the donuts in and out of the oil.  Maybe it's just me, but I'm a little anal that way.
6. Change out the paper towels you're draining your donuts on every couple of batches or the donuts don't drain properly (and probably soak up some of that oil too)
7. Wait until all the donuts are fried before trying to glaze.  It's too stressful to try and do it all at once because the donuts cook too fast.
8. NO matter how big of a hurry you're in, DON'T cook more than a few at a time--it actually isn't faster because the donuts cook slower and get soggy with oil.  It will ruin them.

This may sound hard, or like it's too much work, but it's SO WORTH IT!  And just a note...you can cut the recipe in half, but you'll be sorry if you do.  Everyone will love them and soon people will show up (including friends of your kids, waiting out on the sidewalk for an invitation to come in and eat them) and they will be gone before you know it.  I say, if you're going to all the work, GO BIG!

'Tis the season for pumpkin

Last year I heard that a pumpkin shortage was coming in the future...so I stocked up and I'm really glad I did because the price of pumpkin this year is double what I paid last year.  Sure, there's pumpkin out there, I'm just not sure I'd be willing to pay almost $3 a can for it!  Now I'm really glad I have it because I've been craving pumpkin goodies and after my cookie disaster of a couple weeks ago I am feeling the need to redeem myself in the cookie making department.
I don't care so much for the store bought pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (although my family loves them) but the homemade kind are heavenly.  They are especially good slathered with cream cheese frosting (hey, you're eating cookies...who's counting calories?)  This recipe is really a good one and it makes about 7 dozen cookies.  I suppose you could cut the recipe in half, but then you'd blink and the cookies would be gone. I prefer these cookies cold so the chocolate chips are crunchy.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
3 cups canned pumpkin (this is just shy of a 29 oz. can so you need to measure)
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
2 Tablespoons vanilla
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (that's 2 full bags--and yes, it's a lot but you're going to have to trust me that if you cut it in half you'll be sorry)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, butter and eggs and mix well (for some reason, the butter sometimes goes chunky in this mixture but it all works out in the end so just mix it the best you can and move on)  In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add to the wet mixture, along with the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips (you can also add a cup of chopped nuts if you want, but I'm not a fan).
Using a paper towel, rub a baking sheet with butter to grease it. (I tried cooking spray but it doesn't work as well and gives the cookies a flavor)  Drop batter onto the greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes or until FIRM (poke them with your finger to check for doneness-if they're jiggly they aren't done.  Mine took 16 minutes exactly)  Let them cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before removing. Re-grease your cookie sheet between batches to ensure that the cookies don't stick.

A Cookie Boo Boo

I never professed to be a professional baker, but I do tend to do okay most of the time.  Unfortunately today was one of those "doh!" moments when I was making mistake after mistake.  I think someone was telling me I wasn't supposed to be making or eating cookies.

Here's the dough...

Here's the balls of dough waiting to be baked...

To look at them, you might not guess there is anything wrong, but you're just going to have to trust me that this is NOT the way they are supposed to be.  First of all, these are NOT chocolate chip cookies, even though it looks that way.  Secondly, that dough is supposed to be dark brown...as in, chocolate.  So what did I do wrong, you ask?
Well... it all started innocently with me wanting to make some of my FAVORITE COOKIES EVER...cookies that I haven't made in a long time.  The recipe calls for a whole cup of cocoa, which I didn't have...but I did have baker's chocolate.  So I substituted it.  It was a great idea until I added the melted chocolate to the nice, cold, dough and it all set up before getting mixed in properly.  Hence the look of chocolate chips... But by then the dough was made so I figured I might as well continue and see how they turned out. By the way, after all was said and done I realized I left out the HOT water completely...which might have made all the difference... *sigh*
The cookies seemed to bake okay, but they weren't fluffy like they were supposed to be.  Then, when I tried to remove them from the pan they were all sticking.  That's when I looked back at my measurements and realized I had only put in half as much shortening and baking soda as I was supposed to.  Oops.  So for the next batch I sprayed the pan.  Not a good plan...as that batch spread all over the baking sheet and turned into thin, crispy biscuits.  Ugh.  But the fun was still not over...
Next came the filling....and SURPRISE!  I didn't have enough butter OR shortening to make a full batch, so I had to cut it in half.  I guess this was just as well, since the cookies had become thin little disks anyway.
So, when all was said and done, they are still good.  They look weird, but they taste okay.  They should be poofy little cakes filled with delicious creamy goodness. (Technically, they are supposed to look and taste a little like a Suzy Q (only a TON better) and instead they look a little more like bakery rejects.)  I'm putting the actual correct recipe on here... and you're just going to have to trust me that they're delicious because normally they are.  I'm including the picture of my finished cookies...just ignore it and know if they look like this then you, too, have screwed them up! Someday when I make them again I will come back and add a better picture.

WHOOPIE PIES
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup cocoa
1 cup HOT water
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix well.  Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.  Add to mixture.  Mix in hot water.  Drop by heaping teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

FILLING
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
6-7 Tablespoons milk

Cream butter and shortening, then add vanilla and sugar and beat vigorously.  Add milk one tablespoon at a time until frosting has a creamy consistency.  Frost cookies generously and sandwich them.
 

Bring on the Soup!

So now that we have dessert, I guess I should post the soup!  There is nothing better than hot soup on a rainy day...

CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
4 cups chicken broth (or reserved liquid from cooking the chicken)
2 cups water
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 package Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chicken broth (or butter--depending how fattening you want your soup to be)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk


(If your chicken is not already cooked, you can cook it now and use the cooking liquid as your broth.  Place it in a large pan and cover with water.  Add sliced onion, green bell pepper, a couple stalks of celery and 2 bullion cubes.  Cover and simmer for approximately 20-30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Remove chicken and strain the liquid, reserving for the soup.  If you don't want to do this, just use canned broth--they taste about the same)
In a large pot over medium heat, combine the 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water.  Bring just to boiling, then stir in the rice but keep the seasoning packet for later.  If you're using the quick cooking rice, add the chicken now and cover and remove from heat.  If you're using the original rice, continue to cook according to package directions (25 minutes boiling) and add chicken five minutes before the time is up.  
In a separate sauce pan, heat 1/4 cup chicken broth and stir in contents of seasoning packet, salt and pepper.  Cook until mixture is bubbly.  Reduce heat and add flour to form a roux.  Whisk in cream and milk slowly, keeping the mixture smooth as you go.  Cook until thickened, approximately 5 minutes, but don't boil.  Stir the cream mixture into the broth and rice.  Cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring often, allowing the liquids to blend together.  If the soup seems too thick, add water to thin to desired thickness.


NOTE:  When I made this I didn't have enough whipping cream so I had to improvise.  I used 1/2 pint of whipping cream and added an 8 oz. block of fat free cream cheese. I used skim milk and increased the amount to 3 cups.  The flavor was fabulous, but the soup was really thick so I added another 1 1/2 cups water.  The original recipe is still better, but if you need to improvise, the soup is still doable!

Fall Food

One of the best things about living where the seasons change is getting to change what kind of food you cook.  I love fall the best, because by the time summer is over I am really ready for warm soups and stews... homemade breads and rolls... and just about anything that comes out of the oven.  I've been craving soup...so yesterday seemed like the perfect day to start!  And of course, soup is no good without some kind of bread or roll to go with it.

GLAZED CINNAMON TWISTS

1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast
1/4 cup butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup evaporated milk
4 cups flour
1 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Put yeast in the warm water and sit it aside.  Meanwhile, mix the 1/4 cup butter, 3 Tbsp. sugar, egg and salt.  Heat the milk in the microwave until it's just barely warm (about 30 seconds) and add to the butter mixture and mix well.  Add one cup of flour and mix thoroughly, then add the yeast and water mixture.  Add the flour one cup at a time until mixed well.  The dough doesn't really need to be kneaded, but mix it until the flour is thoroughly incorporated and the dough is soft and smooth.  Spray a large bowl with cooking spray.  Put the dough in the bowl, turning it once so the top is coated with cooking spray too.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size.

Once the dough is doubled, roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle to about 1/2 inch thickness. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice the dough into strips about 1/4 inch wide.

Using three strips at a time, braid the strips of dough.  The dough will stretch as you work with it, so when I'm done braiding I usually cut them in half so each braid was about 5 inches long.  

Place the braids on a greased baking sheet about 1/2-1 inch apart.

Pour or brush the melted butter over all the braids--be very liberal with the butter!  Mix the brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.  Allow to rise for about an hour.








Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  The twists should be good and brown (not lightly golden brown) or they won't be cooked in the middle.  You may want to check the middles before deciding that they're finished.  Pour on the glaze while the twists are still hot.



GLAZE
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla (add another 1/2 tsp. in you're using imitation)
1/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together.  The glaze should be thick but you should still be able to pour it.

YUMMY, CHEESY GOODNESS...

I have been negligent in my blogging lately but I am going to try and change all that.  Since right now my diet is restricted and I am about to have gallbladder surgery, naturally all I can think about is FOOD...and of course that means all the food I can't eat right now.  This Italian dish is one of my favorites, and I meant to post this one awhile ago.  The best thing about this one is that I have never had it spill over in my oven like a regular lasagna. I wish I could cook it for dinner tonight, but, alas, with the cheese and sour cream I will wait.  Hopefully somewhere, someone will enjoy this and think of me while they're eating it.

 EASY BAKED ZITI (OR PENNE)

1 lb. dry ziti or penne pasta (I prefer penne, and I always use whole wheat)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 lb. extra lean ground beef or ground turkey

2 jars spaghetti sauce (26 oz. each)

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

6 oz. provolone cheese slices

1 1/2 cup sour cream

12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

In a large skillet, brown meat and onion over medium heat.  Add spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce and simmer about 15 minutes.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, approximately 8 minutes; drain.  Grease a 9X13 baking dish.  Layer as follows: 1/2 the pasta, Provolone cheese slices, sour cream, 1/2 the sauce mixture, remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.  Because the sauce is hot, it doesn't take too long.

This dish requires lots of yummy, buttery garlic bread to dip in the sauce.  I make garlic butter with 1-2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, a couple dashes of italian seasoning, and a cube of butter.  Spread it on thick (if it doesn't drip down all over your hand while you're eating it, you need more butter)... and we wonder why I have gallbladder problems :)

Teresa's Most Awesome Jam of All Time

I love, love, love homemade jam!  Nothing you can buy can even come close to what you can make with fresh berries and other yummy ingredients (like sugar).  Having said that, I can now also say that my friend Teresa introduced me to the absolute best, most wonderful homemade jam of all time and I love it above all others.  I could just open a jar and eat it with a spoon--it really is THAT good.  So when I make it, I usually have to make at least three batches because my family loves it too and we go through it like crazy.  It's also really easy...so if you're a fan of homemade jam, this is a must!

PEACH RASPBERRY JAM

8 cups peaches, pureed (about 10 good sized peaches)

8 cups sugar

1 10-oz package frozen raspberries

2 large packages raspberry Jell-o

Mix together (in a VERY large pan) pureed peaches, sugar and raspberries.  Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add Jell-O and continue to cook and stir until it dissolves completely (just a couple of minutes).  Pour into hot jelly jars (I usually run them through the dishwasher with the heat dry on, then pull them out and fill them).  Heat lids and rings in a pan on the stove (not quite boiling but hot) and then transfer to jars.  Seal in a water bath for 10 minutes.

NOTE:  Even though the recipe says to use a water bath, I don't.  The jam is boiling and jars are hot, so I screw the lids on finger tight and turn them upside down on a towel until they cool.  I have never had one not seal.  The food safety people and extension service people would probably frown and shake their finger at me, but oh well.  If you're worried go ahead and process them--not a big deal.

Now go ahead and load a whole gallon of it onto some yummy homemade rolls and you've got yourself a little piece of heaven!

  

A Merry Belated Cinco de Mayo...

I happen to LOVE Mexican food....and I'm not talking about the nasty Americanized version.  We always have Mexican food for Cinco De Mayo...and this year I went all out and it took most of the day...sheesh!  But it was tasty.
My sister-in-law, Cindy, makes the most awesome salsa...(Her mother-in-law is a bonafide Mexican woman that has taught her how to make bonafide Mexican food...it is one of the clear cut advantages of going to visit her...someday I hope to talk her into teaching me how to make tamales.)  Ever since she gave me her salsa recipe, I have become a salsa snob...and it's the only kind I like.  The recipe sounds a lot harder or complicated than it really is...I can usually whip up a batch in about 15 minutes once the veggies are roasted. The salsa is HOT...just the way I like it.  If it isn't taking the skin off the roof of your mouth, it's not hot enough (not really, but you get the picture)
As for tortillas...there is nothing like a good freshly made tortilla.  The ones you buy and cook at Costco are great, but I decided awhile ago that I needed to learn how to make them for myself because tortillas are something we just can't live without.  I don't make them often, but when I do I usually make extra because they freeze well.
So here's my Cinco De Mayo fare...I also made  shredded beef and rice and we had burritos with chips and salsa for dinner!  Delicious!

CINDY'S FABULOUS FRESH SALSA

*A note about this salsa recipe:  I have only made this salsa fresh and we eat it all up...I don't bottle it.  Canning salsa is a scary proposition because if you end up with a bad ph/acid level with tomatoes you can get bolulism. It is recommended that only a tried and true salsa-for-canning recipe should be used when canning.  Besides that, this salsa is so good it will disappear before your eyes. 

10-14 Roma tomatoes (as big as you can find)

4-5 jalapenos (as big as you can find)

3 tomatillos

1/2 medium sized onion

1/2 bunch cilantro

juice of 1/2-1 lemon

3-5 garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1.  Preheat oven broiler on high.  Wash tomatoes, jalapenos, and tomatillos and  place them on a broiler pan (I usually wrap the pan on the bottom with foil for easy clean up but no foil on the top or the veggies will stick)  Roast the veggies under the broiler until their skins turn black all over, turning them as often as you need to cook them completely.  The tomato skins will pop and rip (and not go completely black). It's especially important to make sure the peppers are black all over so the skins will come off easily.

2.  As soon as the veggies get done, remove them from the pan and place them in a bowl, tomatoes on the bottom.  Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave them to sweat and cool. (I usually leave them for hours--they are easier to handle when they are completely cool)  The plastic wrap will bubble up on top as the veggies sweat, then will suck down in as they cool.

3.  Now everything is going to go in the blender.  Start with the onion--chop it a little and grind it up.  Next, pull the tomatoes out of the bowl and slip their skins off.  Because they have been sweating, they should come right off.  Cut off the hard round core at the top and toss them in the blender.

4.  Next come the jalapenos.  Since you can get chemical burns from handling hot peppers, I recommend wearing disposable rubber gloves.  Put the pepper on the cutting board and pull the stem off (twist if you need to, but it should come right off).  Slip a knife just under the skin at the end you just opened, sharp end up, and slice down the skin of the pepper. (The skin should almost be like tissue paper.)  Once the skin is cut, it should peel right off.  Slice the pepper lengthwise and open it up.  Run the knife sideways down the middle, scraping out ALL THE SEEDS.  Keep the seeds in a pile just in case you need them later.  You may not want to add all the jalapenos yet, just in case the salsa gets too spicy.  Start with 3 and when you are done and tasting it, you can choose to add more.  The seeds will also heat it up if you need them. (I have gone overboard before and my salsa has turned into liquid fire...so remember you can't remove any of the heat once it's in there!)

5.  Cut the small stem part off the tomatillos and throw the whole thing in the blender.  (These don't have skin so don't try to peel them)  Blend all the veggies.

6.  Add the cilantro, salt, minced garlic, cumin, and squeeze one half of the lemon into the blender.  Blend again.  Now it's time to taste it.  You may want to add more garlic, more lemon juice, or more cumin (which makes it spicier) depending on your taste.  If you have reserved any jalapenos, you might want to add more. (Depending on where I buy my jalapenos, some are hotter than others--for some reason whenever I get them from Smith's they are way hotter than any others.  I don't know why) A couple of times I have added a small can of tomato sauce to try and tame the heat...but I don't like to do that unless it's absolutely necessary.

7.  Enjoy!  Beware of dragon breath.  I think it's the onions.  Or the garlic.  Who cares.

FLOUR TORTILLAS

Note:  I make both whole wheat and white flour tortillas.  The recipe works well both ways, but is written for wheat.  If you want plain white, just substitute all white flour.

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat)

1 cup shortening or oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1.  In a large bowl or a stand mixer, combine both types of flour and salt.  Mix in the shortening or oil until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal.  Make a well in the center and add the boiling water all at once.  Mix until the water is all mixed in and knead until the dough is smooth and soft.

2.  Roll the dough into balls (they don't need to be perfectly round).  How big you make the dough balls will determine how big your finished tortillas will be.  I wanted large burrito sized tortillas, so I made mine a little smaller than a baseball.  A dough ball the size of a golf ball will make a small, soft taco sized tortilla.  I ended up with 8 tortillas from one batch of dough.

3.  Place the dough balls on a tray or cookie sheet.  Cover with a couple of damp paper towels (this is necessary because of our dry climate in Utah) and then cover with a towel.  The balls will not rise--they are just resting.  Allow them to stand for at least one hour, or up to 8 hours.

4.  Roll out tortillas on a lightly floured surface.  The dough is soft and quite oily, so it rolls REALLY easily.  Rub the tortilla LIGHTLY with a little flour and then you can stack them as they are rolled and won't stick together.

5.  Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat.  Fry tortillas one at a time.  Place it on the griddle for about 10 seconds, and as soon as you see a few small bubbles start to form, flip it over.  Cook an additional 30 seconds or so.  Be careful not to overcook them or they will get hard.  Cover the finished tortillas with lightly damp paper towels and wrap with foil to keep them warm and soft.