More Frozen Peaches

(it is peach season around these parts. this is the second method for freezing peaches that i've done this year. the pictures are from last year. the first method is this one.)

Deon's Frozen Peaches Recipe

2 quarts peeled/skinned and diced peaches

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons fruit fresh

1. place all the ingredients into a bowl

2. stir and mix them all up

3. divide the batch in half and place in two labeled quart freezer bags

4. press flat and lay in your freezer to freeze

Gingersnap Cookies

we love to make gingersnap cookies this time of year.

and the house smells so delicious!

the recipe: ( i always seem to make these a little different every time, but here goes...)

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening or oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon groundcloves
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
small amount of white granulated sugar

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg in a bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Form into a ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets lightly. Remove dough from the fridge and form into small balls about 1-2 inches. Dip the tops in white granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes. (makes 4 dozen)

(it's funny to me writing down recipes from my paper. there are always little nuances that aren't included. like the fact that i use a spoon to mix and stir everything up instead of an electric mixer. to me it makes a difference. or the fact that after i take the cookies out of the oven, i drop the cookie sheet on top of the stove or counter to flatten them out. is this the same for you? do you have little "tricks" you do when baking and cooking?)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Calico Chili

this past summer aryn took a cooking class from Nicole. she learned all sorts of valuable skills and brought home dinner for the family every tuesday. (what a wonderful relief for me.)

she loved the class. she felt like a chef. we decided to keep tuesday night as this amazing girl's night to cook. even while we stayed at my mom and dad's house, she cooked.

when i was her age, i never really learned how to cook meals. i am so happy that she is learning. it's a sure sign that my not.so.little girl is growing.

wonder what she cooked for us last night?

 it's a recipe from Misti. you're gonna love it. shhh! it's a secret!

Here's the chili recipe:

1 lb hamburger (brown it of course)

1 or 2 cans chili beans

1 or 2 cans pork 'n beans

1 can stewed tomatoes (or go the extra mile and put a pint of bottled tomatoes instead)

1 pint salsa (the real recipe calls for half a bottle of picante sauce but I like my (that would be misti) salsa better)

chili powder to taste

1 tsp. sugar

Green Beans

Let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time there was a girl that loved to garden. She loved the planning, and the planting. The watching and the waiting.

But one year, the girl didn't grow a garden. 

In the beginning, there were too many things happening all at once, and it just didn't seem quite possible. Then the spring came and went. And then the summer came and went too. And then the fall came.

The girl was sad. She missed her garden.

Luckily for her, she had a grandpa. A grandpa that loved to garden. Every year. Without fail.

This grandpa also loved to share. And so the girl was blessed.

(not) The End

 This recipe is from a girl in my ward that was kind enough to share it with me. Her husband, our bugman, raves about these green beans. So I thought I'd better give them a try. My grandpa has more beans coming on, so I will most likely be bottling more later this week. Next time I'm doing pints.

Angelene's Green Bean Recipe

1. place washed green beans into quart jars

2. sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar then 1 tsp. salt

3. fill jars with water

4. put lids on jars

5. place jars in pressure cooker with appropriate amount of water   (check the instruction booklet)

6. steam for 10 minutes

7. then cook for 25 minutes at 15 pounds pressure (depends on your elevation)

(the cooking time for pints is 20 minutes. halve the sugar and salt as well.)

How To Freeze Peaches

This year, I learned two new ways to preserve peaches. TWO. (I just love to learn.) They are both easy to do.

I thank my friend Terra, for sharing this first one with me. She told me about it one night at a great Relief Society activity (put on by Maridee, who has her own peach recipe going on over there). Later, when I called Terra for specifics, she was so very helpful in her explanantions.

We love to make smoothies. These are perfect for them.

1. wash and peel the peaches.

2. cut into quarters, then eighths.

3. place on waxed paper baking sheets. sprinkle with fruit fresh.

4. place baking sheets in freezer. freeze.

5. label freezer bags with date and content, put peaches inside. (i use the gallon sized bags.) store in the freezer.

And that's how you do it! Oh so very sastisfying. Has anyone else given this a try?

On another note...I'd just like to tell my peachy husband that I love him and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Fourteen years. WHOA.

Last of the Sparkly Bread

The other morning my little kiddies woke up to a surprise for breakfast. Sparkly Bread. Zoe words were, "Finally. Mom made some more sparkly bread." Actually, I didn't make more, I just took a loaf out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight.

You may be thinking, "Sparkly Bread?" Let me explain. You probably know this delicious treat by another name...Amish Friendship Bread. My little kiddies like to call it Sparkly Bread because of the lovely, glistening, sparkly sugar on top.

A while back, my friend Misti, gave me a zippered plastic bag and a note. The zippered bag contained a mixture and the note contained directions for the mixture. Little did I know how much we all would fall in love with this bread. But, fall we did.

The note tells you to keep a "starter" for yourself, and then give the rest away to friends. At the end of the note, it also explains that if you give away all your "starters," you'll have to wait until someone else gives you another back.

Well, I've got to tell you...I cheated. I saved one of the "starters," instead of giving it away, and made more bread for my family. Then I froze it. So we could have some for later. Guess what? I also found out you don't have to wait for it to come around again. I found a recipe for the "starter" and some for the bread. This one is most like the one I received. It uses pudding.

Give it a try and give some away!

Rich in Blessings

The other day I was going to the metropolis south of our town. I was waiting for a minivan as I was getting ready to pull out onto the highway. As the minivan passed, I noticed something was written on the back window. What I read brought a smile to my face...it said, "$Rich in Family$."

Part of the reason I smiled was because of the message. But mostly I smiled because it brought back a memory from my childhood that still manifests itself today.
I remember being a little girl and asking my mom if we were rich. Her response was always the same... "We are rich in blessings."

I think it kind of comforted my little girl self even though I probably didn't get the entirety of what she was saying. When we are little we don't fully grasp the concept of money. I think little kids need to know that they're going to be taken care of. They need to know that their needs are going to be met.

At the same time, my mom didn't want to lie to me... because in the monetary sense we weren't rich.

It's after we get a little older and have more experience with the world that we start to understand money and what it entails. We have more experience with "having" and "not having," and comparing it to others.

As I got older, during the teenage and early adult years, I remember laughing and joking about my mom's answer with my brothers and sister. We knew darn well we weren't rich.

I focused on the financial aspect. I think I was young, and had grand visions of making a better and different life for myself and my family. A life where there were lots of "things." Because "things" would make it different and better. Maybe "things" would make me different and better.
Now that I'm in my thirties, and have had a little bit more experience, I see things a little more clearly. I'm not naive, and I know I have a lot more to learn, but I try to put the priority on people more than money or things. I'm beginning to understand the real meaning behind being "rich in blessings."
Our life is extremely rich. We have all of our needs met, and a lot of our wants. We have many wonderful relationships with people that enrich our lives every day. Specifically the relationships we have with family. They truly are treasures. Real treasure.

It's funny, because now I have my own kids, they ask me that same question, "Are we rich, mom?" I answer them the same way my mom did: "Yes, we are. We are rich in blessings."

Here's how my grandma told me to bottle cherries:

Put 1/2 cup sugar in the bottom of a quart jar :: Fill the jar about a quarter way full with warm water :: Mix with the sugar to make a syrup :: Add washed and stemmed cherries whole, to the jar :: Pack them in as good as you can, leaving an inch of head space (This is usually to the bottom of the neck of the jar.) :: Wash around the neck of the bottle to remove any syrup :: Put a new lid on and tighten :: Place in a cold pack canner :: Bring to a boil :: Process for 25 to 30 minutes :: Remove the jars from the canner and let cool.

Note: the pits are left in the cherries and taken out when you use them after bottling. The top few pictures are of plum jelly. Rich indeed.

Spinach Poppy Seed Salad Recipe

What do you do when you've got a bunch of spinach? Make Spinach Poppy Seed Salad, of course!



Luckily, we had the opportunity to use a lot of our spinach last Saturday evening. My cousin Ryan came home from his mission and we were invited to a Homecoming dinner. I love when Family gets together. And I LOVE being able to go out into the garden and gather some of what we've grown.


My cousin Maresa gave me this recipe. (I've printed my adaptations.) It is SO good!
The Recipe:


Spinach Poppy Seed Salad
1 bag fresh spinach... (or from the garden!)

1 head iceburg lettuce

1 small onion, slivered

grated cheese (I use cheddar)

1/2 bottle real bacon pieces

grape tomatoes



Dressing:



2 1/4 tsp. poppyseeds

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

3/4 tsp. dry onion

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. rice vinegar

1/2 c. oil




1.Wash and tear the spinach and lettuce. Mix together.

2. Whip together or shake in a pint bottle the dressing ingredients. Add onions and marinate for 8 hours or overnight. (Maresa says she only marinates for a few hours. Me too, usually.)

3. Layer cheese, bacon, and tomatoes on top of spinah mixture. Pour the dressing over this right before serving and toss.

Spinach, Anyone?

We had our first harvest from the garden last Tuesday. SPINACH.

I made Lasagna Roll-ups. I learned how to make these while in college. I lived with some girls that wanted to share food and cook with everyone instead of cooking our own food for ourselves. It was fun, and I got to try a bunch of new things!

Aryn loved, LOVED them. Isaac picked out the filling. (He is one picky kid.) Zoe sort of ate them. Gene and I both enjoy them.

Lasagna Roll-ups

Cheese Filling:

2 cups ricotta cheese

freshly chopped spinach (or 10 oz. frozen spinach)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Additionally:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 jar spaghetti sauce

grated mozzarella cheese for topping

1. pour 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce into a 13x9x2 baking dish.

2. cook noodles as directed on package

3. mix the cheese filling ingredients. drain noodles.

4. spread 3 Tbs. of cheese filling down the length of 1 noodle. roll up. repeat for each noodle.

5. place rolls in baking dish. cover with remaining spaghetti sauce. top with mozzarella cheese.

6. cover with tin foil and bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Bread Wednesday

Wednesday was our bread making day. The only thing I regret about the whole thing is that my house never gets that "bread baking in the oven" smell. Or feel. Because I believe that there is a definite feeling that comes with making bread. It's one of those things that turns a house into a home. And creates memories...

Anyway, here is the recipe. I'm going off memory. I don't know if it makes any difference, but my grandma and I use a BOSCH bread mixer.

Grandma's Bread Recipe

2 Tablespoons salt

2 Tablespoons dry milk

2 Tablespoons SAF instant yeast

2 Tablespoons dough enhancer

2 Tablespoons gluten

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup honey10-16 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (we use 16 cups)

6 cups warm water

Put in the 6 cups of warm water. Add in the honey and oil (this will cool the water). Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (salt, dry milk, yeast, enhancer, gluten). Then add these to the water. Add in 6 cups of flour. Mix this together using the M setting. Once everything is mixed, turn the knob to the 1 setting. Begin adding flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Then set a timer for 10 minutes, this will knead the dough. Put some oil onto a flat surface and your hands. Remove the dough and separate it into 6 balls. Form into loaves, and place in pans. Cover. Let the dough rise to double in size. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the pans to let cool. Brush butter over the tops. Makes 6 loaves.

Two Little Red Hens

First you grind the wheat into flour.

Then you mix in these other ingredients and some water.

Voila! Bread.

It's just that easy.

Oh yeah. And I got some good stories to go along with the bread. (I probably learned some things I never would have known had I not made bread with my grandma today. One of the most important things: Grandma does NOT gossip. And she does NOT lie.)

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies

On Tuesday I made these cookies for our preschool Thanksgiving Feast. Yum. YUMMY.

The other week ago, when my neighbor, Aleisha, made them for us, I ate all of them myself. I didn't share with anyone. That's why my kids call me the COOKIE MONSTER. (And I have the shirt to prove it!)

I found the recipe here. Eat up!

I have to admit that I messed up on the directions. I mixed the butter and sugar in with the flour mixture before I was supposed to. Happily, everything turned out. Also, I melted already made frosting for the drizzle instead of making it.

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts
VANILLA GLAZE (recipe below)

Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease baking sheets. COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle or spread with Vanilla Glaze. FOR VANILLA GLAZE: COMBINE 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well.

Great idea Kendra!

Analice can this count as my recipe?

MMMmmm... Homemade Bread

Who loves homemade bread, raise their hand?

Over the summer, I started making bread with my maternal grandma. I figured that since I had been gathering wheat for food storage, I'd better get my children used to eating whole wheat bread.

My grandma and I have had some wonderful experiences and conversations as a result. We continue to make and bake bread together about every two weeks on Wednesdays. Today was one of those Wednesdays!

I love that we've strengthened and deepened our relationship. I hope that for everyone: better, stronger, deeper relationships.