I don't love housework, but I do love all the "mod cons" - as our friends across the pond call modern conveniences. There's something supremely satisfying about knowing the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer are all working away in the background while I'm busy with other things. I feel the same way about my slow cooker. Knowing that dinner is ready to go with little to no further effort on my part is comforting in a way. It's one less thing to concern myself with as we finish up other chores and work on school for the day. Other than for a meal, I also like to use my slow cooker for large batches of chicken. I buy it as it's on sale, then when I get a few packages I pull them out of the freezer and cook them all at one time. I wrote about that process in this post. I'll be doing that today! I'm cooking down about $5.00 worth of chicken which will translate to about 4 meals for our family. When I have it all packaged up, the shredded chicken will go in the freezer to await its fate in one of these recipes:
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Thai Chicken Pasta
Chicken Ranch Casserole
Chicken Parmesan Calzones
Chicken Salad
Chicken Pot Pie
... Or any number of other fabulous options!
A special thanks goes out to our "college people", who blessed me with a new slow cooker last night! It's non-stick and stainless steel and programmable ... and I'm so excited! Thank you so much! We love y'all.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Pecan Pancake Cookies
I love Snickerdoodles - they're soft, chewy, cinnamon-y ... perfection! When I found this recipe for them, I fell in love immediately. For your traditional flavor, I don't think those can be beat! But I wanted to jazz up the basic flavor a bit, and so adapted that one into this recipe for what I call Pecan Pancake Cookies.
Pecan Pancake Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup pecans, finely chopped (measure, then chop)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the eggs, maple and vanilla; beat until smooth.
In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in pecans.
Let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator. (Much longer and the dough will be too stiff to work with.)
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sugar with the cinnamon, and preheat the oven to 300°.
Roll the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into balls and coat in the cinnamon-sugar. Press gently onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle. Cool on the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies
Pecan Pancake Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup pecans, finely chopped (measure, then chop)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the eggs, maple and vanilla; beat until smooth.
In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in pecans.
Let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator. (Much longer and the dough will be too stiff to work with.)
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sugar with the cinnamon, and preheat the oven to 300°.
Roll the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into balls and coat in the cinnamon-sugar. Press gently onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle. Cool on the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Perfect Gift
Need the perfect Christmas gift for someone? Here are a few great ideas ...
- A cute little apron ... and my cookbook!
- A basket with muffin mix (homemade or store-bought), a muffin tin and decorative liners ... and my cookbook!
- Homemade drink mixes, coffee mugs, herbal tea ... and my cookbook!
- Jarred spaghetti sauce, spaghetti noodles, pretty dish towels, a batch of cookies ... and my cookbook!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Weight Loss
Lately I've been trimming down a bit. I have never been concerned about my weight, and have always been comfortable with my size. After the birth of our third baby, though, I found that even though I wasn't gaining pounds, they were redistributing in odd ways. I had one pair of jeans that fit well, and I wore them ALL THE TIME. But when they finally wore out, I knew I had to do something to get into the clothes I had because I sure couldn't afford to buy new ones!
I'm going to share with you a few simple steps I took that have helped me trim up - not that I've lost significant weight (not that I want to) just that I'm definitely a bit slimmer than I was. Actually, I've only lost 10 pounds in about a year! But my clothes fit much better, thankfully.
1. Sweets: I have never had a sweet tooth, so it hasn't been difficult to cut those down to a minimum. I still eat a few cookies when I bake them, but otherwise, I avoid baked goods.
2. Exercise: I love these diets that suggest an hour of exercise a day! When you're a homeschooling mom that is just absolutely impossible! So, I exercise about 20 minutes. Add in the time it takes to get ready (clothes, water, kids settled) and shower after ... that's long enough.
3. Protein: I happen to like protein best out of the food groups, so that's what I eat the most of. I could take or leave bread, so that hasn't been difficult to cut back on. I eat low-fat cheese, peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs, sliced ham, nuts, chicken, bacon, etc.
4. Apples and Bananas: I have eaten lots of apples lately! Both fruits really feel like a full snack when they're cut into slices. I especially like eating them with crunchy peanut butter or Nutella.
5. Eating Less: I have made a concerted effort to eat less often, and less at each meal. Mostly this is because we haven't had a very large grocery budget and I don't have much to snack on! But I eat breakfast (high protein), lunch, snack (about 2-3 in the afternoon) and dinner. I do my best not to eat after dinner, but if I do, it's light and just enough to take the hunger pangs away so I can sleep. I also drink unsweetened hot tea which helps fill my tummy and feels like a treat.
6. One Meal A Day: I have at least one meal a day that I love. I'm not cutting out pasta - I love it too much! And potatoes are not going anywhere - I couldn't live without them! But I do practice moderation. I have found that a completely spartan diet does not work for me. I love food and there's nothing wrong with enjoying it - in moderation.
I haven't been drinking lots of water, no more than usual, I'm not counting calories, and I know I could lose more weight if I would just ________________. But again, my goal isn't truly weight loss, just a slimmer build and not having to buy new clothes!
So, I hope this encourages you to make small changes if you'd like to see a bit of difference in yourself. Obviously, these steps won't help if you're looking for significant weight loss, but they've helped me reach my goal!
I'm going to share with you a few simple steps I took that have helped me trim up - not that I've lost significant weight (not that I want to) just that I'm definitely a bit slimmer than I was. Actually, I've only lost 10 pounds in about a year! But my clothes fit much better, thankfully.
1. Sweets: I have never had a sweet tooth, so it hasn't been difficult to cut those down to a minimum. I still eat a few cookies when I bake them, but otherwise, I avoid baked goods.
2. Exercise: I love these diets that suggest an hour of exercise a day! When you're a homeschooling mom that is just absolutely impossible! So, I exercise about 20 minutes. Add in the time it takes to get ready (clothes, water, kids settled) and shower after ... that's long enough.
3. Protein: I happen to like protein best out of the food groups, so that's what I eat the most of. I could take or leave bread, so that hasn't been difficult to cut back on. I eat low-fat cheese, peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs, sliced ham, nuts, chicken, bacon, etc.
4. Apples and Bananas: I have eaten lots of apples lately! Both fruits really feel like a full snack when they're cut into slices. I especially like eating them with crunchy peanut butter or Nutella.
5. Eating Less: I have made a concerted effort to eat less often, and less at each meal. Mostly this is because we haven't had a very large grocery budget and I don't have much to snack on! But I eat breakfast (high protein), lunch, snack (about 2-3 in the afternoon) and dinner. I do my best not to eat after dinner, but if I do, it's light and just enough to take the hunger pangs away so I can sleep. I also drink unsweetened hot tea which helps fill my tummy and feels like a treat.
6. One Meal A Day: I have at least one meal a day that I love. I'm not cutting out pasta - I love it too much! And potatoes are not going anywhere - I couldn't live without them! But I do practice moderation. I have found that a completely spartan diet does not work for me. I love food and there's nothing wrong with enjoying it - in moderation.
I haven't been drinking lots of water, no more than usual, I'm not counting calories, and I know I could lose more weight if I would just ________________. But again, my goal isn't truly weight loss, just a slimmer build and not having to buy new clothes!
So, I hope this encourages you to make small changes if you'd like to see a bit of difference in yourself. Obviously, these steps won't help if you're looking for significant weight loss, but they've helped me reach my goal!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thanksgiving!
I don't usually have anything at all to cook for Thanksgiving, but this year our schedule has changed up a bit. We'll be spending the day with Handsome's family, celebrating not only Thanksgiving, but my father-in-law's 70th birthday! For that event, I'm bringing:
Easy Yeast Rolls - I use this recipe, but substitute honey in place of the sugar, and I usually use 1/2 whole wheat flour.
Buttery Corn Casserole - I'll be using my modified version of this recipe, and doubling it!
Green Bean Bundles - This is a new recipe but it looked so good I thought I'd take the chance. I'm doubling this one, too!
For our church's celebration of Thanksgiving on Sunday evening, I'll be making Cornbread Dressing. My plan is to bulk up the ingredients, stretching the recipe to make a small pan for our family to have another night with chicken and gravy. Yum!
Easy Yeast Rolls - I use this recipe, but substitute honey in place of the sugar, and I usually use 1/2 whole wheat flour.
Buttery Corn Casserole - I'll be using my modified version of this recipe, and doubling it!
Green Bean Bundles - This is a new recipe but it looked so good I thought I'd take the chance. I'm doubling this one, too!
For our church's celebration of Thanksgiving on Sunday evening, I'll be making Cornbread Dressing. My plan is to bulk up the ingredients, stretching the recipe to make a small pan for our family to have another night with chicken and gravy. Yum!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sunday Night Review 11/13
Sunday night I made two new recipes - and one I'd made only once before. All three were crowd favorites!
Baked Spaghetti Casserole - Our Oldest Girl didn't like the addition of cream cheese, but overall it was very well liked.
Crusty Baguettes - Super simple French bread. So good I made it for Monday night's dinner, too! I found the amount of flour to be way off, and actually added 4-5 cups of flour. Definitely let the dough rise, and use a cake pan or something similar to hold the ice - do NOT put it directly on the oven floor!
Brown Sugar Cookies - The maple glaze pushes these cookies over the top! Simple and addictive.
Baked Spaghetti Casserole - Our Oldest Girl didn't like the addition of cream cheese, but overall it was very well liked.
Crusty Baguettes - Super simple French bread. So good I made it for Monday night's dinner, too! I found the amount of flour to be way off, and actually added 4-5 cups of flour. Definitely let the dough rise, and use a cake pan or something similar to hold the ice - do NOT put it directly on the oven floor!
Brown Sugar Cookies - The maple glaze pushes these cookies over the top! Simple and addictive.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Avgolemono
Some time ago, I posted this recipe for Lemon Orzo Soup.
Since then, I found two articles on the soup being referred to by its
actual Greek name, Avgolemono, which literally means "egg lemon". Pretty
descriptive name, don't you think? Anyway, I've been eating this soup a
lot lately because it's so filling and easy to make, not to mention
fairly cheap. I've not even had pasta to put in it, and it's still
enough to tide me over for lunch. In my original post I mention several
add-ins you can use to enhance the soup, and I've discovered a new one:
Tabasco sauce! A few glugs of that really push the flavor to a whole new
level!
As for the articles I read, I think this recipe is a bit heavy on the eggs, but in the comments section there's a recipe for someone's Yia Yia's (Greek: Grandmother) recipe that sounds perfect and gets rave reviews from commenters.
This recipe is actually inspired by the aforementioned Yia Yia's version. Authentically Greek, apparently, though more complicated than my version. I'll definitely be giving this method a try one day!
As I stated in my original post, this soup is perfect for when you're feeling under the weather with a stuffy nose and/or a sore throat. It's my favorite comfort food for cold, blue days!
As for the articles I read, I think this recipe is a bit heavy on the eggs, but in the comments section there's a recipe for someone's Yia Yia's (Greek: Grandmother) recipe that sounds perfect and gets rave reviews from commenters.
This recipe is actually inspired by the aforementioned Yia Yia's version. Authentically Greek, apparently, though more complicated than my version. I'll definitely be giving this method a try one day!
As I stated in my original post, this soup is perfect for when you're feeling under the weather with a stuffy nose and/or a sore throat. It's my favorite comfort food for cold, blue days!
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