Eggs

These edible birds nests can be found on my pinterest Easter board. They were so easy and fun to make. We used Reese peanut butter eggs instead of the cadbury ones. They are darling....almost too cute to eat.

Of course, we had to make peanut butter eggs too. The first time I made them was with my mother-in-law, and I've been doing them ever since! Every year for 15 years now....Oh wait! I think I skipped the year that Kaite was born--just a few days after Easter. Kaite did the sprinkles this year! They are really easy. 1 jar (8oz) marshmellow cream, 1 1/2 stick of butter (softened), 1 cup peanut butter, 1 pound powdered sugar. Just mix together, form into egg shapes and chill well or freeze. Then dip in melted chocolate (almond bark) and sprinkle quickly before chocolate dries. I like to add a small amount of whipping cream to my chocolate. I'm not crazy about chocolate and this makes it a little thinner and a little more bearable. It still sets up just fine.

Crepes

I have had a couple of requests for my crepe recipe recently. Here is the one I use. I got it from Taste of Home many years ago and made a few little changes. It's a little involved the first couple of times you make it, but trust me, after a while it becomes second nature.

Ingredients •1-1/2 cups milk •3 eggs •2 tablespoons butter, melted •1/2 teaspoon lemon extract •1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour •2 tablespoons sugar •Dash salt •TOPPING: •1/2 cup sugar •2 tablespoons cornstarch •3/4 cup water •1 tablespoon lemon juice •1 teaspoon strawberry extract •1/4 teaspoon red food coloring, optional •4 cups sliced fresh strawberries •FILLING: •1 cup heavy whipping cream •1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened •2 cups confectioners' sugar •1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions •In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, butter and extract. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.•Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 2 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in extract and food coloring if desired. Cool. Add strawberries.• In a small bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream. Then we just add the desired amount of fillings to a crepe, roll it up and try really hard not to eat too many. =)

Of course you can use any combination of fruit and berries for these. My personal favorite is fresh blackberries from my back yard.

My Kammy LOVES marshmallows, so when I saw the recipe for peppermint ones on pinterest, I thought it would be fun to make some for and with her. They were fun to make, are pretty, and I think they taste better than the plain store-bought ones (which I don't care for at all.) Turns out Kammy likes the store-bought ones better! :)

Fall & Family

Fall is such a cozy family time of year. I really think that it is my favorite, but then...when winter comes, I like it, and in spring it is the best. The hot summer is probably not my favorite, but even it has a place. The changing seasons are such a wonder!I have not been feeling well at all lately, hoping the doctors find something soon, and that it's not too serious. Anyway, my family is so sweet and kind. Kammy wanted to make me breakfast in bed on Saturday. I had to go back to bed and wait for it, and daddy and big sisters helped her. I thought it was about the sweetest thing ever!Junk mail. Kaite drew on this piece, and I thought it was awesome for a 2 year old!I love fall veggies. Above is some spaghetti squash we stuffed.The girls and their friends made some pretty pumpkins out of rolls of toilet paper yesterday. To add some "puffiness" we wrapped each roll in a couple of shopping bags before wrapping them in fabric scraps.We have also been enjoying the outdoor firepit. Rancher loves to beg for roasted marshmallows. Even he knows that they are WAY better roasted!The kids are always good for a hot dog off the grill or roasted straight off the fire.When we moved here in June, we planted tomatoes. It was late in the year, so we didn't expect too much. They never turned red. The solution?Fried green tomatoes. Dipped in ranch! Yum!

Coffee & Crean Brownies

Ingredients:

(Recipe can easily be doubled--and usually NEEDS to be--they are THAT good!)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING:
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar

(I always double this because we like a stronger coffee flavor).

GLAZE:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
In a microwave, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla; stir in chocolate mixture. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to chocolate mixture.
Spread into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack.
For filling, combine cream and coffee granules in a small bowl; stir until coffee is dissolved. In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in coffee mixture; Spread over brownies.
In a small saucepan, combine chips and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is thickened. Cool slightly. Carefully spread over filling. Let stand for 30 minutes or until glaze is set. Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.

We prefer them slightly chilled.

Note: Sometimes when I make these, they "raise" around the edges of the pan and "fall" in the middle. When this happens, (which it did when I made them last night) I just take a fork and push the edges down so that it is all flat and even. I'm not sure what makes this happen sometimes and other times not. Maybe you have an idea?

PS. I even eat these sometimes, and I don't usually like chocolate. :)

When life gives you lemons....

Make lemon pie.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup water
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

MERINGUE:
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked
Directions
•In a large saucepan, combine sugar and flour. Gradually stir in
buttermilk and water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat
until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat; cook and
stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

•Stir in a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to
the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir
2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice and
butter until butter is melted. Keep warm.

•In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks
form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high just
until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.

•Pour the hot filling into pastry shell. Spread meringue evenly over
hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes
or until the meringue is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1
hour; refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving.

Note: I use 4 egg whites in my meringue and when I'm cooking for my mom (who like TART lemon pie,) I replace the 1/2 cup water with lemon.

24th day of Christmas

I am busy in the kitchen today in preparation for Christmas dinner. We will be having Prime rib with all the fixings as well as a few extras. I am looking forward to having family around my table. I have a great weakness for all things shortbread and caramel so the girls and I also made some Salted Caramel Thumbprints. They are just setting here in the kitchen to cheer us on in our cooking/baking endeavors. I'm so glad to have hubby home today....I have already sent him to the store for forgotten items once!Merry Christmas, once again! Treasure it all!!!

22nd day of Christmas

A friend sent me a recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars...a new one for me. When I first tried them, I honestly didn't think I'd make then again. Then I tried another one after they had chilled a while and I was hooked! I've already made a second batch! Click 'here' for the recipe.

18th day of Christmas

Kammy found a recipe for homemade marshmellows in a christmas magazine we have and of course, knowing her sweet tooth and love for marshmellows, we had to make them! They turned out pretty and as far as marshmellows go, they don't taste bad either. Here is a bit of the conversation that went on while were were making them. Kammy: Let's pretend like we are helping our mother make marshmellows. Kalli: Umm....we are! Kammy: Yeah, I know...but it's more fun to pretend! In case you'd like the recipe, here is a link. My advice is just to buy them though....much less work and who really likes them anyway?!

The 12th day of Christmas

Today, the girls and I made these very yummy Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Icing.

You can find the recipe online here.

2nd Day of Christmas

I first tasted Almond Roca when I was about 8. My mom did the same thing I do to my kids, "Oh honey, I don't think you would like that." Almond Roca is sort of a grown-up sort of candy and I am not much for candy period. Especially chocolate. I LOVED Almond Roca! I still do! When we moved out of our house a few weeks ago, my sweet neighbor brought me an ENORMOUS tub of Roca! The amazing thing was that she had NO idea it was my favorite. While I am loving it here, I am missing all my neighbors across town and thinking of them as I eat my Roca.=)
Click here for a quick easy Almond Roca cookie bar recipe.

And here for more fun Days of Christmas posts.

Some like it Hot!

Rick brought me home a salsa recipe from a co-worker last night so I decided to give it a try this morning. I made just a few subtle changes to fit our tastes. It turned out soooo good, that I thought I'd share the recipe with you. Here are the washed peppers and tomatoes.

The recipe called for all jalapenos, but I used a mixture of jalapeno, habanero, and green bell peppers.

As follows:

2 small green peppers, about 10 habanero, and the rest jalapeno. Enough to make 6 cups when chopped very finely.

I also used one onion --because that's all I had. The recipe called for 2 cups and I only got one.

I chopped all this with the small dicer on my Videlia Chop Wizard (which I LOVE!)

I also chopped 6+ cups of peeled tomatoes, using the larger attachment.


Add to chopped ingredients:

2 cups cider vinegar

10 cloves minced garlic

4T minced cilantro

4t oregano

1t cumin

3t salt

2-3 cans tomato paste

(Tomato paste is for the purpose of thickening, so you can adjust the quantity to your liking)
Simply combine all ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Carefully ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim and threads of jars with a damp cloth. Place lids on jars (I heated my lids along with the jars to steralize them). Screw ring down evenly and firmly, but do not use excessive force.

Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

All my jars sealed and I had enough extra (I ran out of jars) to keep about a quart in the fridge. It is sooo yummy. It's pretty hot because "Some like it Hot" ;) so if you want a milder version, I would just substitute more tomatoes for some of the peppers. This is supposed to yield 6 pints, but I was pleased to get 12 pints and a quart.

Chicken Crunch

Not only do I decorate with chickens, I also cook with them. Among the chicken dishes at our house, this is a favorite...in fact, it is Kalli's very favorite! I like it because it is so easy to prepare. On days like today -- with school orientation week, a pounding headache, and a 15 month-old who refuses to nap....I appreciate easy! I usually serve it with a potato casserole and a vegetable or salad.

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

8 ounces sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

1 box stuffing mix (flavor of your choice)

1 stick butter

sprinkling of paprika

sprinkling of celery salt.

Instructions:

Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Set aside.

Mix together: sour cream, lemon juice, worchestershire, and celery salt.

Dip chicken in sour cream mixture and place in 9X13 baking pan.

Pour any leftover mixture over the top of chicken.

Pour dry stuffing on top of chicken.

Melt butter and pour over stuffing.

Bake at 350* for about 35 minutes.

Telling on the 35 year old...

Little girls LOVE birthday parties, and when you are the daddy of 4 little girls, you can't have a birthday without having a bit of a party. They couldn't believe that all he wanted for his birthday was a 4-wheeling outing. They kept asking what color of plates he wanted for his party, what he wanted on his cake and so on. Finally, we settled for a brisket dinner and daddy's favorite coffee and cream brownies for dessert. Complete with a candle of course! :)

I spend a lot of time telling you about the 12, 8, and 4 year old. I spend even more time telling you about the 15 month old. Today, in honor of his 35th birthday, I'd like to tell you about the 35 year old. Many of you know the story how I became the 35 year old's wife. We met for the first time 8 months after the letters and phone calls began. We were engaged on our 3rd visit and married the 5th. Bear in mind that all of this happened over a period of about 3 years. To Dr. Laura and all of you who say that young marriages don't work, I have one word, "balogna!". I will say that marriages without God don't work...no matter how old you are! I have learned to never be jealous of the time my husband spends with God, for it only draws him closer to me.

That said, Is Mr. Richardo perfect? Not quite,but he is perfect for me!

Does he do things that irritate me? Oh yeah!

He is NOT Mr. Neat Guy.

His tool box in a constant state of chaos, but he spends time playing silly games with his girls.

He is in competition for world's worst procrastinator, but he whispers, "I love you truly" to me every day.

He never has learned to fold clothes, in fact...I'd almost rather he not try, but he can change even the dirtiest of diapers.

He forgets to change the oil sometimes, but he remembers to say, "thank you" when I make his favorite brownies.

He's famous for locking the keys in the car, but he makes the business/personal phone calls that I dread.

He almost never picks up up his own dirty clothes, but when I cry he picks me up and holds me.

He's not a real 'people person', but he really loves people and cares about the struggles that are real to them.

He's not big on organization, but he's big on faithfulness.

Sometimes he forgets the special days and dates, but every day, he provides well for our little family.

He's not well known in this world, but he knows the God of Heaven well.

Scenes from #8

Kalli requested a barbie cake for her birthday so I tried my hand at making one. It turned out pretty cute although personally, I would have had more fun with fondant. :) Kalli is not a fondant fan though, and it was her birthday after all! I love the happy look on her face. If God enjoys making his children smile as much I do, then it is no wonder he showers us with so many blessings! This is my favorite birthday piccy...it's just so 'Kalli'

So happy to get her '8' doll!
Showing Kaite her Liv doll who has wigs to change. Later in the evening, I heard Kammy ask Kalli if she could change her earwig. (For those who may not know, an earwig is a nasty bug we have out here).

We blind-folded her and gave her all her fancy stuff!

She was very happy and surprised!

After the party, we went to the park for pictures and a 'tea party'.

I let them dress up in my dresses and each of them got a hat.

They had so much fun and were so fun to watch!

We love our girls, although I have to say I think daddy was pretty excited when he heard Kammy say that she wants a Lightning McQueen birthday and a Mater cake! :)