Smartappsforkids is giving away an iPad mini

Here's a link to their giveaway!

New Name!!

I changed the name of this blog to better portray my current reality. I am hoping it will become a place to showcase my hobbies, and to share bits and pieces of my daily life.

~Amie

Tortellini Chili Bake

from Company's Coming - Simple Suppers cookbook

Ingredients:

1 Can of diced tomatoes (or 2 Cups chopped fresh tomato)

2 C Tomato juice

2 C of chili (if using leftover chili) but the recipe used a can of chili, so you can do that as well

1 1/3 C chopped green bell pepper

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1/4 C Cream Cheese, cut up

1 package of refrigerated beef or cheese filled tortellini (12-16 oz)

Combine first six ingredients in greased 2 quart casserole.

Add tortellini. Stir gently. Bake, covered in 425 degree F oven for about 45 minutes. Stir once at the halfway point, bake until tortellini is tender but firm. Makes about 8 cups.

This was something my husband picked out of one of the many cookbooks around here (when I asked that he come up with just one dinner idea out of 2 weeks worth of dinners, lol)....it was actually pretty darn tasty!

Blonde Brownies

I just love to make things that have memories behind them.....the memory here is simple, my mom would make these, and we would inhale them.

Ingredients:
3/4 Cups Butter or margarine (softened)
2  Eggs
2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
chocolate chips (depending on how many you want, you can use a whole bag, but I usually use about 2/3 of a bag)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.



Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add all the flour mixture into the sugary egg mixture until you have a nice thick batter.



Transfer into a 9x13 baking dish.



Pour the chocolate chips on top of the batter.



Use a spoon or spatula to smash the chocolate chips into the batter.





Place into the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool as long as you can possibly contain yourself.....eat with a nice glass of cold milk. Repeat, repeat...etc.

Variations:

If you use melted butter instead of softened, they make a flatter more fudge-like brownie.

These can also be made with butterscotch chips or a mixture of chocolate and butterscoth.

These are great with a cup of chopped nuts added at the same time you do the chocolate chips.

 

A Strangely Good Snack

Ok, so I ran across this idea online one day, but totally forgot about it....honestly, it sounded too odd to even try. Today, my 3 year old and I were a little bored. We played outside for a bit, but it isn't warm enough to stay out terribly long. For some reason, this memory popped into my head and I decided it was experiment time....so we chalked it up as science!

Microwave Potato Chips


These were actually pretty good.....unexpected to say the least. You can play around with your favorite spices to make them to your liking. I enjoyed them with just sea salt.

I just tossed the sliced potatoes in a bowl with a little bit of olive oil and some sea salt. Spray a microwave safe dish with a little bit of cooking spray (or use parchment paper) then I nuked them for about 5-6 minutes in my lower wattage microwave (think the $40 one at Wal-Mart, lol). I would probably use my food processor next time, but the baby was sleeping....so, I used the side of the cheese grater.

Try them, you will be surprised too!

Banana Nut Bread with Nutty Streusel Topping

Sometimes my husband likes to ask me why I don't buy him bananas....I tell him I stopped because he wasn't eating them. He lets me know he wants some, so I pick some up. He will eat them the next couple of times I buy them, but then it always goes back to where they don't get eaten again. This last time, I bought 5 bananas....and I ate one. Yesterday, I had four bananas that were getting too ripe to eat. That's okay though...because overripe bananas mean one thing....Banana Nut Bread!! This recipe isn't for purists that only want flour, banana, sugar etc. This one has a few spices, but I just love it....and the Streusel topping just takes it one step further.

Ingredients:



Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (or cooking oil)
1/2 cup chopped nuts



Topping
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp butter


Directions:

Grease bottom and sides of one 9x5x3 inch pan or two 7.5x3.5x2 inch pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Mash up the bananas...nummy



Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.



If you are using nuts, sprinkle them on the flour mixture now. Combine the eggs, bananas, sugars, and butter and pour all at once onto the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). If you mix too much, the bread will be dry and super dense. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s).



Making the Streusel Topping

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and all-purpose flour. Using a pastry cutter or two  knives...or forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs.



Add the nuts and then sprinkle Streusel topping over the batter.



Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cover with foil last 15-20 minutes to prevent over-browning.



Now, eat some while it's still hot...mmmmm.

My big fat fluffy pancakes

The first time I made these pancakes I knew I would never buy another pancake mix...ever. They are fluffy, yummy, and made from things I always have on hand. The pictures show double ingredients, because I took pictures as I was making some for the boys. I like to make a double batch and freeze tons of little pancakes for easy grab and nuke breakfasts during the week.



Ingredients:

1 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C milk
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the vinegar and the milk to sour the milk. This will take about 5 minutes (you can also use regular buttermilk if you have it, but I rarely do. You would just use slightly less than a cup of buttermilk about 7/8 Cup) Wisk all the dry ingredients together and set aside. Once the soured milk is ready, mix in the butter, egg, and vanilla then wisk together. Combine milk mixture to the flour mixture. It's a pretty thick batter, but it works! I use about 1/4 C of batter for a large pancake and a Tbsp of batter for small ones. All the pictures are of the Tbsp sized pancakes. Feel free to add any fruit or chocolate chips into the batter too. These can be made in a skillet or on a griddle. I used my Griddler because it's faster...and I like faster.









This recipe will make about 8 of the big pancakes plus 12 of the smaller pancakes. Enjoy!

edited to add salt

Still around...

Things have been a little crazy here lately, but I am still around. When I get a chance, I have some reviews to post. I did say I would be sporatic, right? haha

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ok...it's almost time to say goodbye to pumpkin recipes for a while. I had made some pies last weekend and found myself with about a cup of pumpkin puree left. I thought about what I could do with it for a little bit, then my 3 year old announced that he would like a cupcake. He basically asks for cupcakes daily...but at this moment I thought...cupcakes...that taste like pumpkin pie...covered in cream cheese frosting...oh yes, I must!

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 stick butter (softened)
1 Cup pumpkin puree
3/4 Cup milk
2 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (heaping)
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (softened)
3-4 Cups powdered sugar
1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk (more if needed)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt (optional). Sift them all together and set aside.

Cream the butter and white sugar, and then add the brown sugar.



Add in the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. (about 2 minutes)

Next comes the pumpkin....this step looks rather odd, but go with it anyway, lol

See...strange looking glop at this point

Now add in about 1/2 the dry ingredients, mix for 1-2 minutes then add half the milk. Repeat for the other half of the flour mix and the milk.

Fill muffin cups lined with cupcake liners about 2/3 full (I use the larger of my two cookie scoops) and bake for about 17-20 minutes (mine were done in 18 minutes for the first batch, 15 for the second). Makes 24 cupcakes.

To make the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time. You can drop in milk a Tbsp at a time to get the consistency that you prefer. If you plan on using a knife to spread a small amount of frosting to the tops you could cut the recipe in half.

Better Than Pumpkin Pie...pie

This pie has been a favorite in my family since I was pretty young. My mother found a recipe and changed it up a bit, but the finished product is beyond yummy. When I was in the Navy, I called my mom for the recipe...at least 2 times. I still have the piece of paper I scribbled the recipe onto while on the phone with her. This includes all the extra notes and tips she gave me throughout the conversation. There are a few people that still remember me for this pie...it is that good. There were some people at my shop that told me they weren't really the pumpkin pie type, but they tried it anyway. I was then informed that they could totally do this kind of pumpkin pie.

We always called it Pumpkin Cheesecake. This is not, however, a pumpkin flavored cheesecake, so I guess it needs a new name. I could call it Pumpkin+Cheesecake Pie....or Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie...you will see what I mean as we continue.

Ingredients:

1- 9" deep dish pie crust, (you can make your own or buy one....it's good either way)

Cheesecake Layer
1- 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened but not warm)
1 egg
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract



Pumpkin Layer
1 1/4 C mashed pumpkin
1 C evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp salt



Garnishments
20-30 pecan halves
maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For this pie, I tend to just use the hand mixer, because it's rather easy. Put all the ingredients for the cheesecake layer into a mixing bowl and mix until thick and creamy. Place the mixed ingredients into the bottom of the pie crust and set aside.



Mix all of the pumpkin layer's ingredients together in a mixing bowl. This should come out pretty thin in comparison to the cheesecake mixture. Using a large spoon, or small ladle....spoon the mixed pumpkin ingredients on top of the cheesecake layer. Be rather gentle here so you don't disturb the cheesecake section too much.



Place the pie onto a cookie sheet and cook for 60-70 minutes. If the outer crust seems to be getting too brown, you can make a foil shield and place it around the edges.

Let cool for 15 minutes, then lightly coat the top with maple syrup.

In a small skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of butter and add 25-30 full pecan halves. Saute for about 2-3 minutes.



Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Place them around the edge of the pie....or make them into any fancy schmancy thing you would like.



I have entered this into the Love The Pie Party hosted by TidyMom

Bubby's Pizza Dough

For those that don't know me personally, let me explain a little about my 10 year old son. With his Autism comes MAJOR food issues. He is terrified of most food and has a very short list of things allowed into his mouth at any time. For some time now, his thing has been pizza....at first, it had to be Pizza Hut hand-tossed only....anything that deviated would not be touched. Well, since I have been out of the working world for a little over a year now....that was just too much $$. I went through a million pizza recipes before I stumbled upon a pizza forum that was filled with die hard pizza gurus. They walked me through several things that have helped me so much. I know that the best doughs are the ones that are refrigerated for a couple of days to ferment....that weighing the ingredients is helpful....that bread flour makes a much much better dough. Eventually, it got to the point that I couldn't always make dough 2 days in advance...something would come up... all too often. I finally settled with a same day dough....which was still worlds better than the recipes I started with.

I will share with you the recipe that I have ingrained into my head....I make this dough 5-6 days a week. Since I do weigh my ingredients (flour and water) I had to measure things out to convert it for a recipe. That being said, you will have to measure the same way I do....it's not hard ;) First, and most importantly, never scoop the flour out of the bag (or container) with the measuring cup. This packs the flour and you end up with a lot more than you should. Too much flour makes a very dense non-airy pizza. Instead, use a spoon to put flour into the measuring cup, then with the back of a butter knife (I sometimes use an index card) level off the top of the cup.

This recipe uses instant dry yeast (sometimes labeled as "Yeast for Bread Machines")....this makes it a very easy yeast dough in my opinion. Mostly, because instant dry yeast (IDY) only requires one rise....and it does not need to be proofed in water first. If you wanted to use active dry yeast (ADY) you would use 1 1/4 tsp and let it rise, punch down, then let it rise again.

I usually do this with my mixer, but I have done it by hand when the baby was sleeping, so it can be done. I will give directions assuming a mixer is being used.






Ingredients:

2 3/4 Cups + 2 Tbsp Bread Flour
1 scant (slightly less than) cup of warm water (not hot)
1 Tbsp Sugar or Honey (or a combo of both)
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Instant  dry yeast (or yeast for bread machines)
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Put the water, oil, sugar &/or honey and salt into the mixing bowl. Stir until dissolved

2. In a different bowl mix the flour and yeast together



3. Pour all the flour/yeast into the mixing bowl with the water mix.



4. Using the dough hook, mix the dough on a lower speed for about 5 minutes.



5. Once the dough is removed from the mixer, I usually knead it by hand for a minute or two, then roll the dough into a ball. Lightly coat the bowl and the dough ball with oil. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 1.5-2 hours. (may take longer if it is really cold in your kitchen)



6. Lightly flour a clean surface and remove the dough from the bowl. Sprinkle some flour (not a lot) on the top and smooth it around. Flip the dough over and do the same for the other side. Preheat your oven to 475-500 degrees F...yes, that is hot.



7. Push the dough out using your hands. Do not use a rolling pin, because it will flatten all those nice bubbles that will cook up into airy pockets in your dough....and that's just wrong.



8. Place the dough on a pizza screen or a pan (the pan in the picture is one of those air crisp pans with the holes in the bottom like this) If you look closely at the dough, you can see several bubbles....these are future air pockets, aren't they lovely??



9. Just a tip from trial and error....that cheese at the grocery store, you know the fine grated "Pizza Blend"...is no bueno on pizza. For one, the cheese is so thin that it will burn before the crust is cooked...and well, it tastes odd too. For a simple pizza, just grab the bag of larger shredded mozzarella. Then add your toppings! (since this is Bubby's pizza, it is, and always will be, pepperoni. Don't try to cover all the sauce in cheese.....I promise, it will melt.



10. Place the pizza into your 475-500 degree oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Start watching it after 8...make sure the cheese is good and bubbly and that the crust is browning.



All that's left to do now is dig in! Let me know if you give this a try!

Here is the simple sauce I make, but you can use your favorite!

1-6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz of water (just use the can)
1/2-3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt (totally optional....omit for sure if your tomato paste already has salt)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar

Just mix it all together and it's ready to go...no need to heat it up since it is going into the oven ;)