Sesame Noodles with Chicken

I made sesame noodles with chicken a couple weeks ago and we loved it so much I had to make it again! It really is quite yummy. I usually just bake a couple of chicken breasts in soy sauce and lately I've been dumping brown sugar on it. I don't know why and I don't know what brown sugar does but it makes me feel good. ha. You can find the recipe here.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/sesame-noodles-with-chicken-recipe/index.html

On Days Like Today....

...when I wake up and the weather has done this overnight I'm thankful that I don't have to get out of bed and scrape my car off to go to work,

...I'm thankful that I have this little one around and am thankful for all of the fleece sleepers people gave her to keep her warm,

...I'm thankful that my dogs don't seem to mind the snow so much and rather like to go run around in it a little,

...I'm thankful that James adores Daisy so much that when she comes inside and her paws look like marsh mellows he takes care of them and make sure she gets warm and cozy,

...I'm thankful that although Lily is a soggy doggy when she comes in from the cold she still loves to snuggle with me,

..I'm just thankful for Lily,

...I'm thankful for food! No SURPRISE there! ha. This is a caramel chocolate chip bar. It is so good! Recipe below photo

Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars
1 pkg of Caramel Cake Mix (I also used a chocolate cake mix last week and it turned out great)
2 Large eggs
1/4 C water
1/4 C light brown sugar
1/4 C butter softened
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 13x9 pan
combine all ingredients and mix. mixture will be thick.

Bake at 375 for 24-27 minutes. Cut into bars after cooled in pan.
ENJOY!!!

Chicken Curry

Before we moved out west I used to make this. Really. Don't believe me...just ask my family. ha!
Don't get me wrong. I do still make the occasional hamburger/tuna helper.

BUT NOW

I'm making things like this. I got this recipe from www.thepioneerwomancooks.com
This is chicken curry which I never thought I would ever make. I've been trying to mix our menu up a bit here.
It tasted pretty good but it does smell up the house which if you aren't used to can be pretty strong. I also learned that it turns everything yellow! ha!
This isn't a bad recipe. I think I'll incorporate it in maybe once or twice a year but to be honest I still prefer steak, mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, mac & cheese etc. etc.

Pizza

We love pizza but I get tired of making the same old kind. I was looking around for some ideas last night and found this recipe. While my pizza is not this exact recipe this is where the idea came from. http:// thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/caramelized-onion-prosciutto-pizza/
I get a lot of recipes from the Pioneer Woman. A lot of times I don't have the exact ingredients but I always manage to make it yummy.
So here is what is on my pizza...
onions carmalized in brown sugar - I love how this made the pizza sweet
mozarella and colby cheese - I did not have enough to do the whole thing in mozarella so I added the colby cheese
parmesean cheese
a bit of salt
cooked sausage
black olives

I used my own recipe for the pizza crust. I baked the crust at 350 for 5 minutes before adding everything...then plopped it back in the oven for another 15.

Middle of the Week Projects

Emma this morning zonked out for her nap. I just love her little hands. :)

Yesterday I made Indian Flat bread. The first time I tried these was at my sisters house when I was home for a visit. I fell in love with them. Usually I make this in the summer but it was warm and sunny here yesterday so I thought a little summery treat was just what we needed. These can be eaten plain (yes they are that good) or loaded with veggies, deli meats, cheeses etc. It is hard not to have to many in one sitting. Here is the link to the recipe. They do take time and practice to make but are so worth it.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Naan/Detail.aspx

The flat bread on a sheet ready for the second rise. I'm so thankful for my Bosch Universal mixer! It makes every job so much easier and faster.

I also made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. It is so simple! You can find the recipe I used at this website.
http://www.homemademothering.com/search/label/laundry%20detergent

Here is another recipe from one of my other favorite blogs that is similar to the one above.

http://ourjourneytoasimplerlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/homemade-liquid-laundry-detergent.html

You are asking...what does Emma do while I'm doing these projects??? Here are a couple of pictures of her. She plays really well as she watches me and we talk, sing songs and I tell her all about the things I'm making...ha...poor girl has to listen to me talk a lot!

Material and Food

I buy fat quarters at the quilt store downtown to make the table top quilts I am making. These are two that I bought last week. I just love them & I love buying fat quarters because they fit my budget. When I got this fabric home I realized it didn't go with the quilts I was making so I'm just going to have to go back to the store and get some more. There sure is some beautiful material.

I know the stripes & flowers go together but I'm not sure about the blue in the picture below.

I love the fall decor but I don't have a lot of it. I wanted something simple and pretty for my kitchen table so I put an ivory tablecloth my sister gave me on it. Then I found a fall napkin I had to place in the middle with 3 tea light candles. I love how they melt down right into the gold dish. It makes the kitchen and home seem cozy and comfy which is nice considering how cold it has been here.

Tonight for dinner we had red pepper risotto and olive cheese bread. I put this photo up for my sister just so she knows I'm not just a "short order cook" and she'll come to visit so I can cook more for her. I got both these recipes from this website www.thepioneerwoman.com I didn't have all the ingredients for either recipe so I just used what I had and I don't think it hurt either recipe. For the olive cheese bread I only made half a batch and I put the spread on whole wheat bread thinking that makes it a bit healthier... don't you think? ha.

Tuesday

Today I made these heavenly french breakfast puffs. They are so yummy! My sister told me I had to try them as they are close to the greasy donuts we used to get at the apple orchard in
Michigan. You can find the recipe at this site.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/12/french_breakfast_puffs/

I'm working on table top quilts. I'm going to see how many I can get done by Christmas. The lower one is the first one I did with help from my mom doing the border for me. :) The second one looks so much better. I love them! They are so easy and fast to put together.

My mom and dad were here in September. They did a little decorating and mom did tons of sewing. Here are some pictures of what she did to my back bedroom. I call it my cozy little haven to go to when James is sleeping during the days.

She finally figured out what to do with all the Mary Engelbreit pictures from my calenders I've been holding onto for many years. They bought cork boards, dad stapled some material on it and mom rearranged the pictures just so and glued them on. For a final touch she glued a boarder around the edge. Aren't they just the cutest?

I couldn't have a post without a photo of the dogs! Yes, they both need to have haircuts. :) I sure am glad I have these two rascals! :)

Granola Bars

I have been making my own granola bars for a couple of years. James loves taking them in his lunch and I was so tired of paying $3.00 to $5.00 for a box of granola bars that were so small you could eat them in one bite. These probably do have a lot of calories but they are still healthier. I've had several requests for my recipe which is from "Martha's Family Cookery Book" by Martha Greene.

Granola Bars
3 Cups brown sugar, packed
2 Cups cooking oil (canola, safflower or corn oil)
Add in:
4 eggs
Beat in:
2 tsp vanilla flavoring
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 Cups rolled oats
1 Cup walnuts, chopped
1 Cup shredded coconut (optional)
4 Cups whole wheat flour

Divide batter evenly between 2 greased 11x17 baking pans and spread out evenly. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cut into squares while warm. Remove from pan to cool.
*You can use 1 Cup of any dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, dates or apple pieces.

*I place chocolate chips on the tops right before putting in the oven. Then I spread it before I cut.

It really does make a lot. This is before I put them in the oven. It does take a few times making them to get a system down where it's easy to spread and cut.

I have a Bosch Universal mixer that I mix the dough up with. If you are going to use a kitchen aid I would recommend cutting the recipe in half.
These granola bars freeze well.

Jalapeno Pepper Jam

Today I made my sister's recipe, Jalapeno Pepper Jam. It is one of our favorites around our home. I put it over chicken or ham to bake or on a cracker that is smothered in cream cheese. This batch I made is very hot. I taste tested it and my mouth burned instantly. Ha! At least I had sense enough not to burn my hands this time when handling them.

Always make sure you start with a clean kitchen! One trick I learned from my sister and our girlfriend Heidi, is to always have a sink full of hot, soapy water. I've gotten in the habit of doing this every time I'm in the kitchen. It is so much easier to clean up as you go along especially when you are canning. This process sure can be sticky.

I've got them all packed and in the Steam Canner

This is the steam canner. I had no idea what my friend Stacie was talking about a couple years ago when she was talking about this and I was talking about the hot water bath. She didn't know about the hot water bath either. She is from Montana and this is what her grandmother always used. Of course I only remember my mom and family using the hot water bath. This works the same way but it is awesome because you just fill the bottom part with a little water. You put the top on and when steam starts to come out of the little hole....you start the timer. No more huge bath of boiling water to deal with.

After I take them out of the steamer I love hearing all the lids "pop"!


Jalapeno Pepper Jam
4 Cups finely chopped jalapeno
1 chopped sweet red pepper
1 can apple juice
2 T lemon juice
1 pkg pectin
8 Cups sugar

-Combine all ingredients except sugar and bring to a boil. Add sugar - return to a boil for one minute.
Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes....
*Adjust time for higher altitudes :)

Tomorrow I'm going to try this recipe with less jalapenos. Instead I'm going to use more sweet red peppers. I love experimenting and I'm sure it will taste just as good.
Lady was picked up by Stacie this afternoon so I no longer need to worry about losing her again. James came home tonight and she wasn't here and the first thing he said was "did you lose Lady again?" Ha! I told him if that was the case I would be in tears!! I went to the garden store today and bought some marble rocks for my garden...pictures to follow next week. :)