Maria and Monica's baby shower

 

My sister Maria and my sister-in-law Monica are both having baby girls next month! We are so excited. It is the third child for each, but we still wanted to have a little baby shower with immediate family. So my mom and I held one at her house a few weeks ago.

I ordered the invites and she hand made all the cute decorations. She is super talented--if you're wondering where my craftiness came from.

There was me, my mom Carolyn, our sister-in-law Lori, Maria, Monica, her mom Roxy and grandma Lucy, friend Brenda, Maria's mother and sister-in-law Dawna and Josie, her Grandma (in-law) Audrey, and our aunt Sherri. We just wish our sister Meg was there!

It was pretty low-key, we mostly just ate and talked.

I made chicken salad sandwiches (just used canned chicken and added celery, apple, red onion, mayo, mustard, craisins, etc. Next time I'll add feta cheese.) and the cupcakes were this vanilla cupcake recipe and this lemon cheesecake mousse on top. 

The cupcakes though!

I rather stupidly decided to try a new recipe from scratch the day before the shower, and this is what happened! So I went back to the store to buy more ingredients, tried lowering the oven temp and some other things and the second batch turned out like this, too! It was almost comical.

See the mini round cake in the middle, between the two cupcake pans? That I saved for Isabelle's "smash cake" on her first birthday. It is so pathetic looking, hahahahahahaha

The problem with the recipe is that it has three different leavening agents, (creaming the butter, plus baking soda and baking powder) and we live over a mile high in elevation and so even though I only filled the cups halfway, the batter rose a huge amount and then collapsed. The flavor was really good, just know that they might not turn out pretty.

 Anyway....

 

 My mom had us fill out papers with our hopes for the babies as they grow up, and then the girls opened gifts. There was quite a decent haul!

 

I gave them baskets with all my favorite baby things and some sister bracelets.

 After gifts, we sewed some burp cloths from cute flannel and cloth diapers (cut in half) for the back. They will be awesome, I wish I'd made some for me a year ago.

 

When it was over, the husbands came back over with our kids. It was fun to see so much family. Now I just can't wait to meet those BABIES!!

Pinterest recipes I've tried and liked

The computer with all my pictures on it has a faulty graphics card so I can't update the family blog right now. I am so behind as it is!! Oh, well.

A post I've been thinking about writing anyway is to share some of the best recipes I've found on Pinterest, because they can really be hit and miss. I've made plenty that didn't live up to expectations, but these ones did. (I'm going to use the pictures from the original sources, since I don't have ones of my own.) Follow the links to get to the recipes. They are picky eater approved, and most can be made even while holding a baby!

Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

*Notes: I made this for my sister's mission farewell. It was definitely more work than just using a cake mix, but in the end it was worth it--the cake held up and was still moist a week later when kept in the fridge, and it was SO good. I don't have a bundt pan, so I used a big jelly roll pan. I baked it for 20 minutes. The frosting was awesome. It makes a lot--if you use the bundt pan, you will only need half the frosting, but the sheet pan used it all up.

After making that recipe, I had about a half a small can of leftover pumpkin, so I searched for a way to use it up:

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

*Notes: I halved this recipe (because I only had 1/2 cup of pumpkin left) and it made about 8 substantial pancakes. My whole family loved them--even me--and I usually HATE pancakes. The texture was thick, fluffy and a little chewy and the flavor was so good. It uses dry pancake mix as a base, so it's fast and easy.

Green Chili Beef Taquitos

*Notes: This is a very simple recipe--I was surprised how much flavor it had. I used Old El Paso Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce and I think I used two 10 oz. cans. It made a lot of meat and the taquitos were devoured. I've made it twice, and I would recommend that you keep the roast in a big chunk and shred it at the very end. The meat tastes better a little dry with some sauce spooned over the top before baking in the tortilla and cheese. If you shred it halfway through cooking and let the meat soak up too much liquid, it gets mushy.

Smothered Italian Chicken with Buttered Garlic Spaghetti

*Notes: I omit the onion flakes (only because I never seem to have any), and because the spaghetti sauce I usually have on hand isn't basil marinara sauce, I add basil flakes instead. I've made it with penne instead of spaghetti--so just use whatever pasta you happen to have. It is YUMMY. A family favorite. Next time, I should add some sauteed mushrooms to really take it over the top.

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

*Notes: This is one of our new all-time favorites. It just uses a bottle of doctored up, store bought BBQ sauce--I usually get a small 18 oz. bottle of Kraft Original. Unless you are cooking a dozen pieces of chicken, it makes enough sauce for two recipes. I pour half over the chicken and store the other half back in the BBQ sauce bottle. I've found that boneless, skinless chicken thighs stay juicier than other cuts, but make sure they're trimmed of all fat and gristle.

I only use half the amount of oregano the recipe calls for, and because Lawry's seasoning salt makes me have some sort of allergic reaction, I use 1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning instead. Last time I made this, I cooked it in a slow cooker instead of the oven (on low for 6-8 hours or 4 hours on high) and shredded the chicken to serve on those hard rolls you buy at the bakery. It was absolutely delicious.

Peach Pecan & Goat Cheese Salad

*Notes: I made this for a potluck and it was a big hit. You can buy a bag of candied pecans (sometimes with dried cranberries added, which I think is what I used) by the salad dressing at the grocery store. You can also substitute feta cheese for the goat cheese. It's served with poppy seed dressing. It made a huge salad and the entire thing was eaten--which is saying something.

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

Notes: I omitted the bag of mini marshmallows and everyone was still wanting to lick the bowl clean. An excellent potluck dish. I might just make it for Thanksgiving.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

*Notes: I'm rarely on top of things when it comes to side dishes, but these are something I can make with common pantry items. They are done in about 20 minutes and are full of cheesy, buttery, garlicky goodness. Yum yum yum yum yum. I omit the cayenne pepper.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Broccoli over Rice

*Notes: This makes enough for two meals and is one of Madelyn's favorite things that I make. I am a huge fan of slow cooker meals. It does used canned soup--for best results, I've found that using Campbell's Healthy Request versions of Cream of Chicken and Cheddar Cheese soup makes a big difference in taste. Also, I don't have Cajun seasoning, so I just use a pinch of paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper and oregano.

Garlic Alfredo Sauce

*Notes: I actually found this recipe on allrecipes.com first--it makes double the amount that this Pinterest recipe does. (And it uses garlic powder instead of minced garlic). But if you make double, that means you can save half of it to make Pasta Primavera with sauteed mushrooms and shrimp, steamed broccoli, carrots and penne pasta. I have made this so many times I have the recipe memorized. My pin of this recipe has 747 repins and 72 likes--so join the crowd and try it out.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

*Notes: We love the beef and broccoli from Panda Express but this is just as good, and cheaper. I use beef short ribs instead of chuck roast, and they come out incredibly tender. I reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/3 cup (and use low sodium) and reduce the amount of sesame oil to 1/2 tsp. That stuff is so potent--I think a tablespoon would be way too much.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

*Notes: Instead of using raw chicken breasts, I use chopped, leftover dinner ham (so then it has ham AND bacon. Yes.). And I use 1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half in place of the olive oil, and instead of cutting up potatoes I just use a bag of thawed country style hash browns. This is what Mark refers to as "man food".

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

*Notes: This is a convincing knockoff of the Olive Garden soup. It is worth a trip to the store to pick up the ingredients you might not have, like the gnocchi (potato pasta--like little dumplings). My family loves it but Mark and Madelyn prefer mini gnocchi or the big ones to be cut in half.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Notes: The only cookie recipes I bother with anymore are from Sally's Baking Addiction. She has developed them so that even up here at 6,000 feet, the cookies are thick and fluffy--something I struggled to achieve for years! They are amazing with just semisweet chocolate chips, which is the way I usually make them. Do allow some extra time, because the dough has to be chilled for 30 minutes before baking. Double the recipe and freeze little balls of dough and you'll thank yourself later. (These are awesome pick-me-ups for new mothers. And husbands. And everybody.)

I have 514 pins on my Recipe Pinterest board, so I'd better start testing out some more!

Old Fashioned Buttery Crescent Rolls

About once a year, I make homemade rolls from scratch. I don't have the time or patience to make them more often (plus, I think the store bought frozen balls of roll dough are really good). But we were having our friends the Malies over for dinner on New Years Day because I'd never gotten around to making our Christmas ham, rolls, potatoes and peach cobbler. The time had come!

This is a recipe from a cooking class that I took back in my Dixie College days over 10 years ago, before I decided to be a Nutrition and Food Science major. You don't need any fancy equipment to make it--in fact for years I just made it with my big metal mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. When I made a few dozen rolls for Thanksgiving that way one year when we were living in New Mexico (6 years or so ago), my aunt Susan was SIMPLY HORRIFIED that I had to stir and knead it all by hand. That Christmas, my mom surprised me with a Kitchen Aid mixer. But I don't have room to have it on my counter all the time, so this is one of the few recipes I haul it out for.

--Btw, it is much, much easier to make these if you do have a Kitchen Aid, but it is also easier to overmix the dough when a machine is doing all the work. I think I overmixed it this time so the rolls weren't as tender as they might have been. (The more you knead dough, the more gluten develops, which gives bread its structure and strength.) Too much flour also makes them dry and tough.

Anyway, on to the recipe.

 

 Bonus: If it is Christmas break, then your kids will be home and want to "help" and then when you get exasperated at them dumping flour all over the kitchen and themselves, a photo op like this will occur!

Old Fashioned Buttery Crescent Rolls

adapted from Illustrated Guide to Food Preparation

Total Time: approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours

(makes 24 rolls)

3/4 cup milk, scalded*

2 packages active dry yeast**

1/2 cup lukewarm water

3 Tbl. sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 Tbl. butter

1 egg

4 cups unsifted all purpose flour

1. Scald milk until it clings to the sides of the pan.

2. Soften the yeast in the lukewarm water.

3. Meanwhile, put the sugar, salt and butter in a mixing bowl, and add the scalded milk.

4. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients and melt the butter.

5. Beat the egg well, and add to the milk mixture.

6. Stir in approximately 1/2 cup flour.

7. Check to be sure the mixture is no warmer than 105°F. Add the softened yeast/water mixture.

8. Add the flour gradually. When about half has been added, beat the dough vigorously for 3 minutes.

9. Continue adding flour to make a soft dough, yet one that can be handled without too much difficulty. Better to have dough a little on the sticky side than too dry.

10. Put the dough out onto a floured bread board. Knead about 5 minutes until blisters can be seen just under the surface when the dough is stretched.

11. Put dough in a big clean bowl, and oil the surface. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and put in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume (about one hour).

12. Punch down dough and divide. Shape into desired form, place on a greased baking sheet and cover. Let rise a second time before baking. (about 30-40 minutes)

13. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

*To scald milk: place in small saucepan over med/high heat. Watch and stir carefully until milk begins to steam and cling to sides of the pan with tiny bubbles at the edges. Do not allow it to come to a full boil.

**1 package of yeast = 2 1/4 tsp.

To make crescent shaped rolls, divide the ball of dough in two after first rising. Roll into a flat circle about 12" around. Brush the surface with melted butter. Cut dough into 12 wedges (like a pizza--I even use a pizza cutter). Starting at wide end, roll each piece of dough up and place on greased baking sheet. Cover for second rising and when finished baking, brush with more melted butter.

You can pop these into the freezer for later, so make an extra big batch! I always reheat mine in the microwave (tastes better than room temp.) and slather them with --yes-- EVEN MORE BUTTER. Yum, yum, yum.

Jam!

 Well, here's procrastination for ya. Two years ago (TWO YEARS!) I bought some jelly jars and pectin, with the intention of learning how to make jam. It never happened. I just had no clue how much fruit I'd need, or if it would be hard to make, and I had never canned anything before.

 So here it is, the summer waning once again, and I still hadn't done it. My sister-in-law Monica gave us some strawberry freezer jam, and we ate the whole container in a few days, and then Madelyn started hounding me to make some more. I put her off because I thought we'd need an obscene amount of fruit.

Folks, it turns out that one batch of freezer jam only requires two cups of crushed strawberries, and that amounts to just one of those 1 lb. clamshell containers at the grocery store! Hello.

 Enter random Doctor Who reference:

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.eusVjJld.dpuf

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.pnYHzc2N.dpuf

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.pnYHzc2N.dpuf

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.pnYHzc2N.dpuf

Clara:  So what’s it made of, time?  I mean, if you can just row right through it it’s got to be made of stuff, like jam’s made of strawberries.  So what’s it made of?
The Doctor:  Well not strawberries.  No.  No, no, no.  That would be unacceptable.

 From "The Rings of Akhaten" Season 7, ep.7

Clara: So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean if you can just roll right through it, it's got to be made of stuff. Like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?
The Doctor: Well not strawberries, no. No no no. That would be unacceptable. - See more at: http://www.planetclaire.org/quotes/doctorwho/series-seven/the-rings-of-akhaten/#sthash.eusVjJld.dpuf

 Well, I'd bought four of those clamshells, and I had two boxes of pectin, so I made a double batch. And it was ridiculously easy. Four ingredients! Strawberries, sugar (twice the amount of sugar to strawberries) pectin and water. I chopped the berries in my mini food processor, but you can use a potato masher instead. And if you're making freezer jam, there's no fancy boiling of jars and sealing to worry about. I felt kind of dumb for waiting so long, when it turned out to be so simple.

 Madelyn helped me, and we ended up with 10 cups of jam for our double batch. We only had nine jars, so the other went into a plastic container. I had to chop up the other two containers of strawberries I'd bought to freeze for future jam escapades.

 The Sure-Jell pectin came with the recipe, and it has several variations of freezer jams and cooked jams, too. Immediately after I finished this batch, my mind started racing and I began thinking of the possibilities--and now I want to try making cooked jam to hand out for Christmas neighbor/coworker/family gifts. I'll need to make like 50 jars of it, but whatever. (That escalated quickly...) I'd end up having to make something anyway, and I'd rather get it done now than have to worry about it in December. I think I might try the triple berry recipe.

 Here's one of my frozen jars--I forgot to take pretty pictures before so you'll have to deal with it. Dana over at Made just did a post about this and has tons of beautiful jam photos, if you're into that sort of thing. (I am.)

Freezer jam doesn't set up as firm as cooked jam, but it is so fresh tasting. Yum. I'm going to try it over ice cream, in milkshakes, and over waffles. Or maybe just eat it out of the jar with a spoon--that would work, too.

Summer Spinach Salad

I feel weird posting a salad recipe. Like, this is just stuff I always like in a salad and I assume other people make theirs the same way. But I guess they don't.

Last week, I brought this to a church activity and it seemed to be a hit. I guess a better indication of that is that the following day, Madelyn pulled out all the ingredients again, chopped her own tomato and made everyone this for lunch. She loves it! Thumbs up for kids eating healthy! It has a nice combination of fresh, salty, sweet/tart and nutty.

 

This salad turned out to be enormous, and I put too many toppings on (which sank to the bottom of the bowl), so this recipe isn't going to have specific amounts. Just use the amount you'll need for your family.

 Summer Spinach Salad

by Melissa Yoder

baby spinach

crumbled feta cheese

toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts

cherry tomatoes, halved

dried cranberries (Craisins)

chopped green onions

To toast the nuts, heat on medium in a dry skillet until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside to cool. Toss the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed. Serve with your favorite dressing. My suggestions:

Delish!

Other yummy things to toss in:

diced avocado

chopped cucumber

slices of this chicken
 

Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes

Remember the Berry Mousse Cake recipe I posted a couple of months ago? Well, this is the same thing, only in glorious cupcake form. I took these for a test run on our 4th of July pool party at Dr. Dowse's and they were a big hit. It is one of those desserts that ends up all over your face, but you couldn't be happier about it. Let's get started, shall we?

 Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes

by Melissa Yoder

1 box white cake mix (I like Duncan Hines), prepared into 24 cupcakes

4 oz. Cool Whip, thawed (half a container, and lite is fine)

4 oz. cream cheese, completely softened (half a brick)

1/2 cup strawberry jam or preserves

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Cool Whip and sliced strawberries for the top

Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool completely.

For the mousse, beat together the softened cream cheese, jam, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Cover and place in fridge until needed.

When cupcakes are completely cool, cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake that reaches 3/4 down with a small serrated knife or a cupcake corer. Remove cake centers and set aside. (You won't need them.)

Fill icing bag with chilled mousse and pipe into each cupcake hole:

 

Pipe remaining mousse onto the tops of each cupcake:

 

Dollop a little Cool Whip on top:

Garnish with washed, sliced strawberries.

 

 

 YUM

  

 

 Look. At. That.

When you take your first bite, you will be in creamy strawberry heaven. And then the rest of the cupcake will be gone in 4.2 seconds.

Keep refrigerated until ready to eat, and store leftovers in the fridge. They taste great the next day, but after that, the cake becomes a bit soggy. Better to just eat them all at once. :)