French Onion Soup (with Chicken Broth)

This soup can be finished on the stove or in a slow cooker. The longer it cooks the softer the onions and richer the flavor. This recipe is a great variation from the traditional recipe made with beef broth. Serves 6 people. 

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4 large onions, sliced into thin rings

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

2 quarts chicken broth

French bread, sliced and toasted

mozzarella or romano cheese, shredded

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Melt butter in large soup pot. Add onions and cook over medium heat, for at least 15 minutes, stirring often until onions are tender and golden brown. Add sugar and cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add broth, cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minute or transfer to slow cooker and cook until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and top with toasted french bread slices and shredded mozzarella or romano cheese.

Adapted from here.

Baked Chicken Strips

This is one of my favorite recipes! It's so easy and they turn out perfect every time. You can also cut the chicken into cubes to make chicken nuggets or add some cayenne pepper to spice them up. Serves 4-6 people.

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2/3 cup Heart Smart Bisquick

1/2 cup dried parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1-2 eggs, beaten

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips or nuggets)

3 tablespoons melted butter

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Preheat oven to 450. Mix dry ingredients in ziplock bag. Dip half of chicken pieces into the egg, using a fork, letting excess drip off, and place in the ziplock bag. Shake and transfer to a parchment paper or foil lined cookie sheet. Repeat with other half of chicken. Drizzle melted butter over the chicken. Bake for 6 minutes, turn and bake for 6 minutes more, or until chicken is done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Slightly adapted from bettycrocker.com

Summer Squash and Carrot Wheat Muffins

You can use zucchini or yellow squash in this recipe, both are great. and you can omit the carrot if you don't have any on hand. This is a fairly healthy recipe that tastes moist and delicious. I cannot even tell they have wheat flour in them. This is my new go to recipe and lately I've been making them almost every week. I have even frozen 2 cup quantities of shredded squash and carrot so that I can quickly whip up a batch.

Servings: 10-12 muffins

2 cups shredded zucchini (or 1.5 cups if using carrots)

1/2 cup carrot, finely shredded (optional)

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

*additional water if needed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl combine zucchini, oil, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. Sprinkle flours evenly over the top and stir with a long fork until well combined.

3.Depending on how much water the zucchini releases, you may need to add some additional water if your batter is too dry.

4. Divide the batter into 10-12 muffin cups until about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Slightly adapted from quietcreekfarmcsa.com

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories	177
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6.7g	9%
Saturated Fat 0.7g	3%
Cholesterol 33mg	11%
Sodium 194mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 26.7g	10%
Dietary Fiber 1.8g	6%
Total Sugars 10.5g
Protein 4g

Valentines Chocolates - Peanut Butter Filled

Will make 30-60 chocolates depending on size of mold. I use Aldi brand semi sweet chocolate chips. They are very good and affordable. Quite easy to make and fun to give to friends. 

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1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons softened butter or margarine

24 ounces chocolate, chips or chopped (or more)

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Make peanut butter filling in small bowl with hand mixer. Prepare peanut butter filling inserts and set on wax paper. Melt and temper chocolate (I would only temper 10-12 oz at a time). Fill piping bag with tempered chocolate. Fill bottom of mold. Place peanut butter filling on top of chocolate and fill rest of mold with chocolate. Tap the mold to settle and smooth out the melted chocolate. Look underneath mold to make sure the peanut butter filling is not showing but completely covered with chocolate. Place molds in fridge until hardened (doesn't take more than 30-60 minutes). Pop out of mold and store in airtight container in fridge.

How I tempered my chocolate: http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2010/03/how-to-temper-chocolate.html

Thomas the Train Cake

The picture below shows the basic construction. I used a skinny loaf, a small loaf, and one cupcake. I cut the small loaf into three pieces. I used my cake paint for the blue and gray but used frosting dye for the black, red, and yellow. I used cream cheese frosting (had cream cheese and butter, no shortening) and discovered that the cake paint did not work well on it and the cream cheese frosting was hard to spread out completely smooth. The cake paint might have worked better if I let the frosting dry out overnight, but I think straight buttercream just works better since it crusts more and faster. I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes and double stuff fudge oreos for the wheels. 

Elmo Birthday Cupcakes

I made these this weekend to take to my son's preschool class for his birthday. Made zuchinni muffins instead of cake to make them a little bit healthier and used a cream cheese buttercream frosting.

Mouth - 1/2 of a oreo cookie (gently) sawed in half with a sharp steak knife
Nose - 1/2 of an orange smile fruit snack (walmart brand)
Eyes - mini chocolate chip pressed into a mini marshmallow

Frosting - used a #17 star tip

Summer Squash Bake Over Rice

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5 cups thin sliced, quartered summer squash (zuchinni or yellow mix)

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons melted melted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

herb seasoning blend (fish spice or other favorite other herb medly)

French-fried onions (optional)

white rice (cooked)

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Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle bottom of little smaller than 9X13 casserole dish with herb seasoning. Combine squash, minced onion, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, melted butter, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Pour over seasoning in the casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with herb seasoning. Sprinkle top with fried onions. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Let sit at room temp for at least 5 minutes with lid off before serving. Spoon over white rice.

Alternate version: use 1 box stuffing mix instead of herb seasoning mix and omit all onions and rice.

Bradford Brownies

These brownies are slightly cake like but still dense and have a very rich cocoa flavor. This is my favorite homemade brownie recipe that I have tried. We call them Bradford brownies because my husband got the recipe from a friend with the last name Bradford. They are WAY TO EASY to make when you get a chocolate craving and they turn out perfect every time. Serves 12

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1 cup melted butter (can also use 1/2 cup, 1 stick, and they will turn out fine)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

4 eggs, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.5 cup flour

2.25 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

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Preheat oven to 350. Combine cocoa powder and melted butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients then combine with wet ingredients. Spread into a 9X13 greased pan. Bake 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Baked Tomatoes

My favorite summertime meal when our garden tomatoes are in abundance! Also works well for tomatoes from the store that aren't fully ripe and juicy, it will literally transform them!

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8 medium or large tomatoes

olive oil

garlic salt

Italian seasoning

dried Italian bread crumbs

dried parmesan cheese

fresh cracked pepper

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Preheat oven to 425. Cut top 1/4 of tomatoes off and discard and a tiny slice off the bottom if they don't sit flat. Remove very center core of each tomato and discard. Place in lightly greased baking dish. Brush tops with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and fresh cracked pepper on top of each tomato. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until very soft and starting to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on top. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or broil for 2 minutes. Serve immediately over a bed of pasta. 

Easy Homemade Christmas Stockings with Fur Cuff

I made up this pattern myself and I was very pleased at how forgiving it is and how easy it was for me as a beginner. I made five total and after figuring out how to make the first one it only took me about an hour or less to make each one. It doesn't take very much fabric and though fur is expensive you don't need very much. I think each stocking ended up costing less than 2 dollars in the end. I picked coordinating fabric for each member of my family. I know Christmas is still far away but I wanted to put this out there in case anyone wanted to make some, since nobody wants to start Christmas projects at the last minute. I made the stocking pictured 2 years ago and made my fifth this month, which motivated me to finally write down the directions and get the post out. Text instructions are at the bottom of the post. I hope this tutorial makes sense!

1. Draw and cut out pattern using newspaper or a store ad. I just looked on the internet for different stocking shapes and drew one that I liked.
2. Layer your batting and fabric in this order: batting, fabric print side up, fabric print side down, batting (4 layers total).
3. Pin pattern to your layers and cut out. Remove the pattern and reinsert the pins. Sew around sides but not at the top. (I just lined up the edge of the fabric with the edge of my pressure foot). You can trim the edges a bit if you want. **This is the only step where you have to be really careful about how you sew, because it's about the only part that where mistakes will be visually obvious in the finished product. Be very careful as you sew so that your lines are smooth, especially around the rounded corners of the stocking foot, because when you turn it right side out it will be very obvious if your curves are not smooth. The lining doesn't have to be perfect because it will be stuffed inside the stocking and no one will see the edges.
4. Two layers of stocking lining - lay out, pin pattern on and cut out. (I used a reversible ivory color fabric, but if yours isn't then make sure you sew with the right sides facing each other, since you will be stuffing it in the stocking and you want to see the right sides when you look inside your finished stocking.) Remove pattern and sew lining around sides but do not sew the top.
6. Turn the lining right side out.
7. Leave your stocking wrong side (batting side) out and stuff it into the lining.
8. I cut my fur 5 inches wide and cut a piece that stuck out about 1-2 inches on both ends after wrapping around the top of the stocking (my piece was about 17-18 inches long).
9. Hem one raw long edge of the fur (just fold over and sew with a big loose stitch or hand sew with a big loose stitch, use a needle to hand pluck out any fur that becomes matted down in the stitches on the visible side).
10. Pin fur to top with raw edge of fur on the top (make sure the fur side is facing/against the lining of stocking).
11. Make hanging strap (I cut my strap piece 2 inches by 8 inches and folded the sides toward the center then the whole thing in half again (pressing flat with an iron) and did a straight stitch to stitch them together).
12. Pin the hanging strap onto the side you want it against the lining, hanging straight down. I had my hanging strap stick out 2.5 inches.
13. Sew the hanging ends of the fur together, trim excess if necessary, and then pin the fur (with the hanging strap in between the fur and the lining) all the way around, pinning all 5 layers together. Sew all the way around. I just lined up the edge with the edge of my pressure foot. Thankfully this step does not have to be perfect because it all ends up getting hidden when you turn the stocking out for the final time. This project is VERY forgiving.
14. Turn stocking right side out, the strap should be sticking up now, and then fold the fur down.

15. Hang stocking and enjoy your work of art!

Slow Cooker Cornbread Souffle

I adapted this recipe from multiple sources. It took me a few tries to optimize this recipe but I think I finally figured it out.  This is a really rich recipe that is not exactly low in calorie, which is why it's so delicious. However, it's perfect for a holiday dinner or a church potluck. I actually took this to a church potluck this weekend and everyone raved about it and it was gone before we left.

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2 eggs, beaten

1 package cream cheese, 8oz, softened to room temperature

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mixes (8.5 oz boxes)

1 can creamed corn

1 can corn, drained (or approximately 2 cups frozen corn)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

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Combine eggs and cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pour into a greased slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-5 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. You will have to optimize this recipe the first time you make it for your slow cooker because you want to be careful not to over cook it and different slow cookers will vary. Check it periodically. You want to cook it just until a knife barely comes clean when inserted into the center so that it will still be moist and delicate. 

Easy Light Asian Peanut Sauce

soy sauce
packed brown sugar
natural peanut butter

adapted from here

Combine 3 parts soy sauce, 3 parts brown sugar, and 1 part peanut butter. Add more peanut butter if you like a stronger peanut flavor, but I think this ratio is just right. Warm on stove or in microwave and whisk until smooth. Serve with rice, rice noodles, plain ramen noodles, or as a meat marinade.

Spicy Italian Chicken and Pasta Soup

I LOVE this recipe and have been making it for a few years now but I've made a few changes to it and wanted to revise it on my blog. I also changed the name. Adapted from Your Homebased Mom

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1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (*more for more heat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small or medium onion minced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
3 cans chicken broth (or 1 box)
8 oz shredded chicken (**see slow cooker option)
4 ounces mini bow tie pasta, Barilla brand (cooked separately to al dente, drained)
1-2 tablespoons dried basil
parmesan or mozzarella cheese shredded, for topping

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Saute onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper in olive oil over medium heat in a medium stock pot until onions are tender. Add can of tomatoes, broth, and entire can of chicken with the water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta and basil. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top and toasted french bread, if desired.

*For added heat, top individual servings with crushed red pepper

**Slow cooker method: Let raw chicken cook in broth, tomatoes, and spices until chicken shreds. Add in pasta and basil at the end.

Updated 1-12-2020

Little Piggy Cake

I used a 9 inch for the bottom layer, a small spring form for the middle, and the top half of a cupcake for the nose. I used the bottom side of large chocolate chips for the eyes. I found the cardboard cake holders at Walmart (4 for$4). 

Personalized Mini Martinelli Bottles for Party Favors

I made these personalized labels for mini Martinelli's bottles as a party favor for my grandparent's anniversary celebration. I just designed them on powerpoint, printed them out on regular paper, and taped them over the real label. I bought the mini Martinelli bottles at Walmart in the juice aisle. You can also find them at Dollar Tree sometimes.

Anniversary Cake

I made this cake for my grandparents 60th Anniversary Party. It was a triple layer (though each layer was single) with a 14" base. Bottom layer was carrott, middle was chocolate, and top was lemon. It was the first time I did the swirl roses and they were super easy! I just found a video on youtube and showed me how to make them. I did a cream cheese buttercream frosting which was too soft to work with but tasted good so I will need to look for a better recipe in the future. The cake has lots of flaws (I masked some of them by sprinkling a coarse sparkly sugar over the cake) but I think it turned out well and I learned a lot for the future while doing it.

Homemade Poppy Seed Fruit Salad Dressing

1/3 cup fruit juice or 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries*
1 T vinegar** 
2 T sugar***
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t onion (or small chunk of onion) 
2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp minced from a jar)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Mix first set of ingredients in blender or food processor until everything is pureed and well mixed. Strain seeds if necessary and add more sugar, vinegar, or salt to taste. Stir in poppy seeds. Store in refrigerator and use within a week.  * I have used lemon juice, lime juice, fresh pomegranate juice, fresh apple juice, peaches, mangos, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. If you use a fruit with lots of little seeds (like blackberries) you will need to strain it before adding the sugar. If you use juice your dressing will be thin, if you use fresh fruit it will be thicker and more like what you would find in a store bought bottle (you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin it out). I also found that with fresh fruit the oil in the dressing didn't separate out right away.** I prefer using white vinegar. I have tried red wine and rice but I think they are too strong. *** I add more sugar depending on the sweetness off the juice/fruit (may need up to 1/2 cup if using lemon or lime juice)

DIY Edible Cake Paint

I love decorating cakes but I don't love making many different colors of frosting because one it is a pain, and two, it's hard to get the colors correct and dark enough without using the expensive dyes made specifically for frosting. I also do not like fondant. So I invented my own cake paint and it's super easy and costs almost nothing. You only need three ingredients - powdered sugar, food coloring, and water.

I just put about 1-3 teaspoons of powdered sugar in a little glass cup, added a few drops of food coloring and stirred with a paint brush. Then I added a drop or two of water to thin it out. You want it thin enough to paint but not too thin or it will run, basically about the consistency of acrylic paint, but maybe just a touch thinner. If it is too thin just add a pinch or two of powdered sugar. Then just paint it onto your frosting with paintbrushes.

Dump Truck Cake

Use my DIY Edible Cake Paint for this cake

I frosted my entire cake white and then painted the red and yellow and black. Then with the rest of my frosting I made it yellow and used my piping bag and tips for the stripes and accents (using this amazing technique to fill the piping bag). I needed about 1.5 batches of frosting (buttercream recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook).

I used a toothpick to draw on the white frosting so that I knew where to paint. If you mess up with the toothpick just run a butter knife in warm water and smooth it out and do it over again.

To make the dump truck cake (I got my inspiration for this cake here) I used 1 cake mix divided between a regular bread pan and a mini loaf pan. I leved the top of the big one to make it flat and just cut the ends off the mini loaf so that it was the same width as the bottom of the truck. I left the round top on the mini loaf. I used the cookie part of oreos to make the dirt and mini chocolate donuts for the wheels. The entire cake cost me less than 5 dollars to make.

Fabric Applique Greeting Cards

I made some greeting cards recently with fabric scraps and Heat 'N Bond and some good quality cardstock. For the dark colored cardstock I used double sided adhesive tape to secure white paper on the inside. I just printed some basic shapes from microsoft clip art and other clip art I found online and traced them onto the heat n bond.  For the thread on the birthday hats I just layed it underneath the fabric before ironing on the applique. Keep the iron moving while putting on the applique or else you will get an imprint on your cardstock of the edge of the iron. I put a piece of white copy paper between the applique and the iron. Then I put the cards inside a heavy book (like a dictionary) to press them flat for a few hours because some of them bowed a little from the heat of the iron. I added embellishments (beads, ribbon, buttons, etc.) with a hot temp glue gun.

Caramel Apple Pie (with really soft apples!)

One of the reasons I don't usually pick apple pie is because often the apples are hard and the crust is on the burned side. This is probably because people have to cook the pie forever to try and soften the apples! After having a caramel apple empanada at Taco Bell I wanted to make my own caramel apple pie, so I created this recipe and figured out a way to solve the problem, cook the apples first! I have also used pears and it was excellent too. Make it for Thanksgiving or any special occasion :)

I cut each round apple slice into 6-8 pieces so they are bite size and you can cut your pie pieces more easily. Can also use pears instead of apples. Can reduce or omit citrus juice if apples are extra tart.

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4-5 cups chopped apple slices (peeled, slice and chop apples into bite sized pieces; Optional: use pears)

2 T lemon, lime, or orange juice (optional: reduce or omit if apples are extra tart)

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

double pie crust (recipe at bottom)

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Preheat oven at 425.

Combine apples through cinnamon in medium to large sauce pan. Heat over medium heat and stir until sugars dissolve and juices run from fruit and it begins to simmer. Reduce to medium low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3 T flour mixed with 3-4 T cold water

Slowly stir in above mixture and cook for an additional 10 minutes, on medium low to low, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile prepare a double crust. 

Remove from heat and let filling cool for 5-10 minutes.

1 egg white mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water 

Pour into pie crust, top with top crust, being sure to seal the edges by pressing the two layers of crust together before fluting. Cut 6 slits in top of pie crust with thin sharp knife. Brush crust with egg white mixture to give the crust a nice glossy finish and prevent burning. 

Place pie pan on cookie sheet before baking in oven (just in case the filling spills out). Bake for 20-30 minutes until crust is golden brown and cooked thoroughly. 

Double Pie Crust

2 ½ cups flour (300 grams)

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup white shortening (126 grams regular Crisco)

Ice water

**Refrigerate shortening and flour prior to starting if your kitchen is warm. 

Stir flour and salt together in medium to large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two knives until shortening pieces are the size of tiny peas. Sprinkle ice water 1 to 1/2 tablespoon at a time over the flour, stirring quickly with a long fork between each addition. Once the dough starts to aggregate into balls and you can press them together like a firm play dough (and very  little or no dry flour remains) you can stop adding water. Form into a large ball. Divide into two equal balls (if making a double crust) and wrap in plastic wrap until ready to roll out. 

Roll out onto a very lightly floured piece of parchment paper. 

Prior to baking brush any exposed crust with an egg and water mixture (1 egg plus 2 teaspoons cold water) using a pastry brush. This will give the crust a nice glossy finish and prevent it from burning.