Frozen Peanut Butter Bars

Nine out of ten times, if our family is picking out a candy bar that we like to eat, it's usually  Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. We are big fans of the chocolate peanut butter combo. I've loved them since I was a kid and always will. So I was thrilled when a while back, someone posted on our family web page a simple and delicious recipe for Frozen Peanut Butter Bars. I had to try them out, and boy oh boy did I open up Pandora's box when I did. It is kind of embarrassing to admit that I may have eaten about half the pan by myself. They were just too tempting! Now I make sure to share them with friends and neighbors when I make a big batch because a little of these babies goes a long way. This is a definite keeper and a handy go-to recipe that has become one of our family favorites and is a very close stand in when we are craving some Reece's. I love it because I would always put my Reece's in the fridge to get cold, I liked them better that way so this is the perfect recipe for me!

It also meets all my criteria for a user friendly recipe:

*Uses ingredients you always have on hand, no fancy things you have to run to the store for.

*Makes enough for the whole family, with some to spare for friends and neighbors

*No complicated steps

*Can be stored and portioned easily.

Frozen Peanut Butter Bars Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups peanut butter - creamy or chunky
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk chocolate
1/3 cup milk

Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt butter/margarine and peanut butter together over low/medium heat. Mix well. Remove from heat. Add graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar, mixing well. Spread peanut butter mixture in a jelly roll pan (for thinner bars), or 9x13 pan (for thicker bars). Chill. When the peanut butter layer is firm, melt chocolate chips with milk over low heat. Spread over chilled peanut butter mixture. Chill again.

You can leave them in the pan or cut them into serving size bars. You can wrap them individually or freeze in layers in a large rigid container or gallon sized zip-loc freezer bags -- separate layers with wax paper so they don't freeze/stick together. Then freeze.

Eat straight from freezer, or thaw slightly. You can also keep the whole pan in the fridge if they are going to be eaten right away.

*I usually line the pan with wax paper before spreading the peanut butter mixture in the pan, it just makes it easier to slice and pop them out of the pan that way. You can use a 50/50 mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips or just whatever you have on hand. They are good no matter what.

P.S. I forgot to add that these are a great warm weather treat because they won't heat up your house to make them. I love that.

Bread Bowls

Yesterday was such an awfully cold and windy day that  some super cozy comfort food like clam chowder was definitely what we needed -- it was a day to make lemonade out of lemons.  I thought instead of just clam chowder I'd do something cool to go with it. I love clam chowder, but it's just not the same without serving it in a warm bread bowl. That's our favorite way to eat it. So I decided I would try and make my own. Traditionally, bread bowls are made using a sour dough recipe. I just used the simple french bread recipe I have, rolled the dough into four small balls for the bowls, (not the gigantic ones you usually get when you eat out) and then I made a small little loaf of bread for the kids with the extra dough. After baking I let them cool just enough to be able to handle them. To serve, I cut the tops off and buttered them to serve alongside the hollowed out bowls filled with chowder. To hollow them out I just ran a knife a little bit from the edge all the way around and then the middle all came out mostly in one big chunk which was pretty yummy to eat as well. They turned out great. Riley said that was the best bread he's ever had (probably because it was all soaked up in chowder.) I guess I should have acted like they were much harder to make so he would have been even more impressed. :) This was just one more of those "duh" moments for me, like why hadn't I tried this before? I make french bread all of the time.

I'm glad I attempted to try this out and I'll be doing it a lot more often with other soups and things. The bread held up really well and didn't get overly soggy. It was very fun and very easy.

I'm happy there were leftovers for my lunch today because after running this morning I was STARVING! MMmmmm........

If you don't already have a french bread recipe you like, here is the really easy generic one I use:

French Bread:
2 T yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 T sugar
1 T salt
7 cups flour (not approximate, I kind of eyeball the last cup until it's the right consistency)

(I use my stand mixer and this usually makes 2 big loaves)
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Add salt and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well. Add the rest of the flour cup by cup making sure it doesn't get too dry (sometimes you can add a little bit of water to it if it is) and knead for about 5 minutes. Let rise for about 30-45 minutes. Grease cookies sheets. Punch down the bread and knead for another minute on a floured surface. Divide dough into whatever sizes are needed at this time. Let rest 10 minutes. (I usually just skip that part). Roll into ropes pinching ends under and then place on cookie sheet. Let raise until doubled (about 30 minutes). Place a pan of hot water on the lower shelf of the oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the bread gives a hollow sound when it is tapped.

Chef Kendle

Last night Kendle was in charge of planning and preparing a healthy dinner so she could complete one of her requirements in her Faith in God book. The Faith in God program helps boys and girls ages 8-11 live gospel principles, develop testimonies, build friendships, and develop righteous qualities that help them to achieve their great potential as children of God. There are so many wonderful activities listed in the booklet that give the children an opportunity to learn and serve. I'm excited to work with Kendle on this throughout the next few years.

She was in charge of choosing what to cook, making a grocery list, and then doing the cooking and setting the table, and so on. She chose to make spaghetti which is one of her most favorite things to eat, and I told her I would teach her how to make home made french bread to go with it. We were also going to make a salad to go with it (but mom forgot to get a salad mix from the store), so after thinking it over with Kendle we decided to just add some olives and grapes to the menu instead. This was her meal after all, it should be things she likes to eat. We were also going to make fruit pizza for dessert, but we are going to make it for tonight's dessert instead. We were a little cooked out.

She came racing in the door after school, so excited to get started. I had to help with a few things for safety reasons (like draining the pasta), but other than that she did just about everything with some instructions from me. I think she liked baking the bread the best. I tried to be patient the whole way through (which at times was a bit tough) and I think it turned out to be a good experience for her and for me as well. It made me realize I need to get her in the kitchen more to help me and learn from me so I can start giving her more responsibilities. And, I think she realized how much work it can be to prepare a meal and clean up. She was very good about my cleaning as you go rule and even helped unload the dishwasher while she was waiting for the bread to rise. So it was win-win all around.

Here are some pictures:

Morgan was excited too. He loves spaghetti and french bread. He told Kendle that the food was dee-wish-iss!

Nature's Bounty

This year I decided since I was so busy I would only plant a few little vegetable plants and call it good. I am a low maintenance type of gal and I don't really like to mess around with high maintenance plants. I planted two tomato plants, one zucchini, and one yellow zucchini squash. Four plants total. I didn't even plant a cucumber like I usually do so I can make this summer favorite. I literally put the plants in the ground and basically forgot about them. Someday I would love to have a huge garden I can tend when I have the time to devote to it.

This year we have had an overabundance from these four little plants. Huge plump tomatoes. Juicy little baby tomatoes. Crisp yellow squash. Ginormous zucchini on steroids. I think we have some good soil where we live since it used to be all farmland, maybe there are still some rich nutrients left in the soil. Whatever it is, I loved going out with the help of my little farmer boy Morgan and gathering up big bowl fulls of ripe veggies. My plants have produced more this year than ever before. I love summer tomatoes and I can eat them up almost as fast as I can pick them. They have literally been little miracle plants, it seems like the moment I pick one there is another ripe one in it's place.




Every summer I never ceased to be amazed at watching what can come forth from a tiny little plant.

It is a good reminder to me that from small beginnings can come great things.

New Favorite

I love muffins and doughnuts. Any pastry or baked good in general actually. I love blueberry muffins, pumpkin muffins, chocolate muffins, banana chocolate chip muffins, muffins with jam swirls and crumbly toppings and I've even tried a "healthy" low cal muffin or two that weren't too shabby. I also love all types of doughnuts (how can you NOT like doughnuts) but usually I come back to one of my simple favorites, the cinnamon/sugar covered doughnut. So putting a muffin and a doughnut together in one recipe is like the best of both worlds to me.

I was so excited when I ran across a recipe for Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins. They are so good it is hard to eat just one. I love that the recipe is so simple and easy to whip up in a few minutes. No weird ingredients or extended prep time. They bake up quickly like a muffin, but have a nice dense texture like a cake doughnut. They are yummy for a special breakfast or an after dinner treat, or an after school snack or..................really anytime. They are just extremely tasty.

Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup milk

Topping:

1/4 cup, butter melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir to combine. In another bowl combine sugar, oil, egg, and milk. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fill paper lined or greased muffin cups half-way and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Melt butter in a small dish. Combine cinnamon and sugar in another small dish. Immediately after removing the muffins from the oven, dip the tops in the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Serve while warm for best taste.

4th of July Desserts

I loved this roundup from the kitchn on making some patriotic inspired desserts for your 4th of July celebrations.

This blueberry star cake is beautiful:

And you can't go wrong with Ina Garten's flag cake:

Or if you're trying to take a healthier route, this fruit platter makes a

pretty display:

In the past we've also done simple things for the kids like patriotic colored star shaped sugar cookies and those red/white/and blue rocket popsicles are always a hit as well.

I wish I could be baking up some sweet treats for the 4th, but I'm busy packing for our weekend away in Portland. Riley's team is playing in the Portland Cup and we are making a family trip out of it. We'll be hanging out at my brother Jeremy's on Saturday - barbecuing it up in their gorgeous backyard, visiting, playing, doing some fireworks, and having a good old time. The kids are excited to play with their cousins and swim in the hotel pool. And we may just have a few surprises up our sleeve.......

Backstory with Recipes

So I guess I should give a little more information about the dinner that made Riley fall in love with me. [Actually, the way he tells it, he knew he was going to marry me from the moment he met me, but this meal sealed the deal. I guess I will have to have him write his own version of how things happened. ] Now you would think it was some magnificently hard gourmet dinner, but that is not my style or Riley's style. I am a fan of down home comfort food cooking. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy branching out and going a little fu-fu every now and again, but really it's the basics done right that are my favorite. I made him fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pan gravy and biscuits. Simple right? This is seriously one of those bribery meals you can pull out. Need the garage cleaned out or the bathroom painted? This will do the trick.

For a lot of dishes I cook, I pretty much make it up as I go. I don't have "real" recipes, just a lot of eyeballing this and a dash of that and a pinch or two of something else. It's basically just trial and error and until it's just right the way my family likes it and sometimes those turn out to be the best dishes.

I wish I could have taken some pictures of our dinner last night, but with two crying babies, two older rambunctious kids, and a starving husband it totally slipped my mind. But I will say there was not a lot a whole lot of talking around the dinner table, just lots of happy eating sounds. Even Kendle my picky eater was devouring her chicken like it was going to escape off her plate if she didn't gobble it down.

Sarah's Fried Chicken
4 chicken breasts cut in half (You can leave them whole, I just do it for time's sake because they cook faster and they are smaller portions for the kids.)
3 eggs
Oil
Flour
Garlic Powder
Seasoned Salt
Regular Salt
Pepper

Heat the oil over medium heat about 350 degrees. Do not fill the pot more than half full with the oil. You do not want it too hot, that will burn the outside of the chicken and not cook the middle. To check if it's ready, I stick the handle of a wooden spoon in and if it bubbles and sizzles around it it's ready.

In a shallow dish or pan (I use tin pie plates) mix together about 3/4 cup flour (add more if you need it) a couple of big dashes of Garlic Powder, Seasoned Salt, and Pepper to your own tastes.

In a medium sized bowl beat the eggs.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Set up everything assembly line style on the counter near the stove. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg and coat on both sides. Then immediately coat in flour mixture. Make sure to get an even coating on both sides. Place in hot oil and cook until nice and brown (I don't have an approximate time, just until it looks done).

Remove and place on paper towels to soak up some of the excess oil. To keep the chicken crispy while finishing the batch, I will place them on a cookie sheet in a slightly warmed oven.

Pan Gravy
[Trust me, this recipe is not for the faint of heart or if you are counting calories. Of course all things in moderation right?]

Drain off almost all of the oil from the pan used for frying the chicken. Leave just a small coating of oil and the bits and pieces left over from the chicken at the bottom of the pan. That's the good stuff. Over low - medium heat add in a tablespoon or two of flour and start mixing and scraping up all of the stuff from the bottom of the pan with a wire whisk. You want it to be smooth and stirrable. Keep whisking until it has browned a bit. You want to get rid of the flour flavor. Then slowly add in a little bit of milk at a time until you get the desired consistency. You don't want it to be pasty and lumpy. Keep whisking and stirring until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste - it needs to have flavor. If it starts getting too thick again, add in a little more milk and whisk until smooth again.

You also have to serve these yummy biscuits with this meal:

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder (you can add a bit more depending on your preference)
3/4 tsp. salt
5 T shortening
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly and in little pea sized pieces. Add milk a little at a time until a ball forms and dough pulls away from the sides (not too sticky). Roll out on floured surface and cut into biscuits ( I would err on the thick side depending on your preference). If desired brush tops with butter, and then bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Do not over bake these. You want them to be soft and flaky.

My family seriously thinks I am the queen of the world when I make this. Well at least during dinner anyways.

*And don't forget the mashed potatoes!*

My favorite thing about making homemade bread?

Using it for toast in the mornings.

I love the yummy texture of it being crispy on the

outside and then still a little bit soft on the inside.

It's the best!

I have to use some serious restraint to keep myself from eating about ten pieces, and for some reason I think it actually SMELLS better while it's toasting up than regular bread.

{Maybe that's just my imagination.}

Summer Recipes

My zucchini plant has been growing like a large monster this summer and I've been making zucchini bread like it's going out of style. I just made another batch on Tuesday, and still have more grated zucchini waiting in my fridge to make about six more loaves. Kendle loves the stuff and eats it about as fast as I can make it. I've been stowing the extra loaves in the freezer to pull out at a later time. The batch I made on Tuesday was pumpkin zucchini bread and I think I like that the best. I just have a thing for pumpkin flavored breads, cookies, cakes, etc.....

I used this recipe and thought it turned out pretty well. I added a little more zucchini to mine though (just because I had so much to use up). This makes a really moist yummy bread:

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

*Directions: In a mixing bowl combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in x 5-in x 3-in. loaf pans ( I used one of my bigger loaf pans and two really small ones). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes and then remove to wire cooling rack.


I've also been anticipating getting some rhubarb from my mom so I can try out this recipe my Aunt Alaina posted on our family web page for Rhubarb Custard Cake:


Rhubarb Custard Cake
White cake mix
3-4 cups rhubarb mixed with 1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream

*Directions: Make cake mix according to directions on box and put in a greased 13x15 pan (if you don't have a pan that size you can adjust this to use a different size). Sprinkle the rhubarb/sugar over the cake mix.Pour the pint of cream over the top - don't mix it in. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top and cake is pulling away from the edges.

Another family member on the web page commented that they also tried this with peaches and it was equally delicious.

Do you have anything yummy you've been making this summer?

Veggies

I have been on a veggie high the last few weeks. I am craving fresh vegetables and I think it is because my body was so nutritionally deprived the last few months that now I'm over compensating a little. Oh well, it's good for me at least (and the future addition to our family). Some of my favorites are corn on the cob, grilled zucchini, little cherry tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, ..............really I love almost everything I can get my hands on. My favorite summer snack that I can't get enough of though is tomato/cucumber salad, which is really just chopped tomato and cucumber mixed together with a little salt and pepper or a dash of Italian dressing. It is so simple and good, I never get tired of it.
















Riley also picked me up another bottle of Olive Garden dressing which is super yummy to dip veggies in. Yesterday we went to my parents house for Sunday dinner and my dad sent me home with some freshly harvested little red potatoes. They make the best garlic smashed potatoes, or I like them cooked and tossed with butter and herbs. Could summer food get any better? I wish I could eat this healthy all year round.

*Worth Watching*

I recently discovered Clara Cannucciari, who is a 93 year old cook. She has her own cooking videos you can watch here that feature recipes her family made during the Great Depression. On each video she teaches how to make simple and affordable meals while telling stories about her life during the Great Depression.

I sat hooked watching all of the video's and listening to her share interesting tid-bits about the hardships they faced, but also the good things she remembers. She has such a cute personality and lots of great information to share. Some of her stories are so funny. This has inspired me to want to do the same thing with my grandmother.

Here is just one of the videos I thought I'd share. To see the rest clink on the link above.
(make sure to pause the music playlist on my side bar first)

Yummies

What I love about February:

I am on sugar cookie overload - help I need an intervention! Why do sugar cookies have to be so darn addicting?

Baking Powder Biscuits and other Ramblings

Back in my college/younger years I dated a guy who's grandmother made the BEST baking powder biscuits that were so flaky and light and melted in your mouth practically. The family all called her NeeNee and she was from New Orleans. She had the best accent and stories and would tell me about all of the great food to be found in Louisiana, specifically one instance where she had the best "Poor Boy Sandwich" down in the French Quarter - which is New Orleans oldest neighborhood. She also made us eat a spoonful of black eyed peas on New Year's Day which is supposed to bring you good luck through the year. She was a bit on the eccentric side, but boy she could really cook.

What got me thinking about NeeNee and her biscuits, was that I happened to stumble upon a really good baking powder biscuits recipe that I've used about three times in the last two weeks (not so good for the old waistline) that is very yummy. It's the best recipe I've found yet for them and VERY easy to make. So if you're in the mood for making something homey and cozy this weekend, try these out:


Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder (you can add a bit more depending on your preference)
3/4 tsp. salt
5 T shortening
3/4 cup milk


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly and in little pea sized pieces. Add milk a little at a time until a ball forms and dough pulls away from the sides (not too sticky). Roll out on floured surface and cut into biscuits ( I would err on the thick side depending on your preference). If desired brush tops with butter, and then bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

I like that it uses ingredients I always have on hand and they come together in minutes. Leftovers are great reheated for breakfast and topped with scrambled eggs and cheese.


I am looking forward to having a somewhat relaxing weekend. Something to celebrate - Saturday is the last day of hunting season for Riley. Hurray! No more dead birds in our driveway, huge loads of hunting clothes to wash, boring recounts of the days hunt that I somewhat pretend to listen to, and getting woken up at 4:00 in the morning when Riley leaves. He was pretty stoked that today he was getting to go hunting with some famous guys. They are going to be on a hunting video. One of the guys invented the "Final Approach Blind", if any of you don't know what that is , I'll just tell you that is a VERY big deal. He would be like the Bill Gates of the hunting world. Riley has shot three banded geese this year (which is pretty much unheard of I guess?) so I think he is quite content for hunting season to come to an end. Now we will have a few slow weeks of nothingness until soccer starts up.

That's all for today - have a great weekend!

It's cookie day

My need to bake something at least once a week has really been thwarting my weight loss goals. Especially once the weather starts to turn a bit cooler, it's like baking fever sets in. Now I'm not Martha Stewart by any means, but I do make pretty good cookies, although how I married someone who prefers cheap generic store bought cookies is beyond me. When I was a kid, there was nothing better than cookie day at our house. My mom would have to triple the recipe to make enough for all of us and they would be gone in less than an hour. Here's what I'm making today:

Chocolate pudding cookies with peanut butter chips. Mmmmmm. It makes the house smell so good. These cookies are really soft and the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite in pretty much any treat.

Something else I love to bake in the fall is pumpkin bread. It's making my mouth water just thinking about it. I love anything with pumpkin actually. Have you ever tried pumpkin icecream?

Well, I better get back to my baking. I can't wait for Kendle to walk through the door after kindergarten, take a big whiff, and know that it's cookie day.

Recipe for Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies or Pudding Cookies:

1 cup margerine

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 small package instant chocolate pudding

1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

*Additions: you can add regular chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, nuts, pretty much anything you like.

Mix all ingredients together and bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake, they are meant to be soft and slightly underdone when you take them out.

Cupcakes

I've had a few people ask me why I have a picture of a cupcake in my profile. I'm kind of becoming semi-obsessed with them at the moment, maybe it's because I'm trying to lose weight and they look more delectable than ever, or maybe it's how many different interesting kinds there are, I'm not sure which. Also, coincidentally that was my family nickname growing up. Anyways I have found some amazing pictures of them and they look like delicious edible art to me. Maybe there's a chance I'm going crazy, but take a gander at these delightful pictures anyways.

I totally agree with this last picture!!!!