Spam Snacks

The men need to take something to their bible study tonight...what could be better than Spam snacks? If you had asked me what Spam was pre-marriage, I'm fairly sure I had never heard of it. It has grown on me over the years.

Spam Sushi, fun to make with kids.

Soak rice for several hours prior to cooking. After it's cooked, mix in rice vinegar.

In a separate bowl, mix oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. About 1 cup each. Stir until dissolved. Slice your Spam and cut into sections and marinate in the above sauce about 5-10 minutes. Then, with a little oil, fry on the cooktop until done (you can tell, will look crispy).

Cut seaweed into strips. We just made little rice squares, added Spam and wrapped with seaweed. I might invest in a sushi wrapper soon.

Yum.

Starbucks party

Bekah Ruth turned double digits on Flag Day. We had a few friends over to help celebrate. The back row is Bekah, Bekah, Emily and Rachel.  Front row are the sisters :) - Jael, Naomi and Hannah.  Baby Miri was sleeping and Sarah was slaving in the kitchen making the beautiful cupcakes below. . .

 If there are two things Bek loves, it's bubble gum and coffee!  Sarah found this fun (but very time consuming) recipe for us to make.  They were delicious - can't go wrong with 10 eggs and a pound of butter!!

 You can find them at http://kimzkitchen.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/starbucks-frappacinos-cupcake-style/

Along with the yummy cupcakes, we had our own Barista (Tamara) come out and make fraps! Josh got a lesson in making drinks so I hope to have some homemade fraps this summer.

Cheese Blintzes and preschoolers

This is a great recipe to make with kids, especially preschoolers!  Lots of fun tasks for them to help with and they love eating the end result.  It's not the healthiest recipe, but it is fun. :)

The recipe was passed to us from our dear Swedish Mor-Mor.  Enjoy!

Cheese Blintzes

1 loaf white bread, cut off crusts

8oz cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 c. sugar

Beat the above together in a mixer.

1/2c. melted butter
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

1. Grease a 9x13 pan
2. With a rolling pin, roll the bread very thin.
3.  Spread bread with some of cheese mixture.
4.  May need a spatula to help lift, but roll up and place in pan.
5.  Do above until pan is full.
6.  Take a brush and brush on butter.
7.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
8.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned.
9.  Serve warm.

Excellent Ham Pot-pie

My sister-in-law found an excellent way to use leftover ham.  I modified it slights, but you can find the orginal receipe here:http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Au-Gratin-Ham-Potpie.

Au Gratin Ham Potpie

1 package au gratin potatoes
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 16 oz bag of mixed frozen veggies
2 cups ham, cooked and chopped
1 can cream of potato soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix above ingredients and place in a 9x13 pan.  Roll out home made pie crust (or buy a pie pastry) and put over.  Bake at 400 for approximately 45 minutes.  Let cool and sit for 10 minutes before serving over hot rice. 

It was devoured.  Next time I'll have to double the recipe!

Onion Strings

If you love onion rings, this is a keeper of a recipe.  I just checked out The Pioneer Woman Cooks from the local library and am having fun trying a some new recipes.  You can check her out at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/.  This onions strings are easy and yummy. 

1 large onion
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I left this out)
canola for frying

1.  Begin by peeling the onion and slicing very thinly.
2.  Separate the onion slices and place them in a shallow dish.  Pour buttermilk over.
3.  Press the onions down so they are submerged and let them soak for at least one hour.
4.  In a bowl, combine other ingredients.
5.  Pour oil into deep fryer or pot and heat to 375.
6.  Using tongs, remove a handful of onions from buttermilk and dunk into flour mixture.  Coat well.
7.  Plunge onions into the hot oil.
8.  When golden brown (under a minute), remove and place on paper towel-lined plate.

Homemade Chicken Potpie

 I just thought this was fun. . . how many three month olds do you know who slumber while their sister sings Les Miserables to them?!

Hani and Bekah are busy getting the veggies ready for the pot pie!

Amy's Chicken Pot Pie

Filling:
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 peeled/chopped carrots
4 chopped celery
4 peeled/chopped potatoes
12 oz. frozen corn
12 oz. frozen peas
4 cups shredded chicken

Crust:
2 of Amy's pie crusts rolled out and place on top.  **See next recipe!

Heat broth in large saucepan.  Combine water, flour, salt and pepper.  Add to broth, stirring constantly until thickened.  Place sauce and veggies into casserole dish.  Cover with crust.  Cut holes in the crust to allow steam to escape.  Bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.  Approximately 35 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.

Amy's Pie Crusts

1 5lb flour
1 3lb can Crisco
2 Tablespoons salt
3 1/2 cups cold water

Mix all together.  Divide into 20 crusts.  Freeze until ready to use.  Thaw and roll out. . .


Enjoy the season of comfort food!

Cups!

What's a mom to do?  It is sometimes the "little things" in life that put me over the edge.  Like cups.  There are just too many cups used at this house.  People take a cup and then leave it.  They forget which cup was theirs and pick a new cup.  It drives me nuts to be constantly dealing with cups.  Years ago I was encouraged by Kendra, preschoolersandpeace, to color-coordinate items in the home.  I think I did a few things, like towels and bedding.  Well, it's time for CUPS!  These lovely cups were found at Target for a mere $1.38 - a price worthy of my sanity.  Each child has their own color cup and plate.  Now I will finally know whose milk is left and who forgot to clear their spot at the table!  Victory, I hope.  Even if it might be short-lived and they all melt in the dishwasher.  A day of sanity will be worth it!

Beside the cups is my wonderful, expensive (but worth it) Vita-Mix.  This is one of our favorite meals -Strawberry Banana Smoothie.

Amy's Basic Smoothie Recipe

2-3 frozen bananas
1 apple or pear
10-12 strawberries, frozen
Strawberry yogurt (2-3)
Strawberry Jumex Juice (Mexican section)

Fill blender about 1/3 with Strawberry juice.  Add yogurt and fruits. Blend on high until smooth.  Pour into color-coded cups!

Comfort Food...

Finally, a cloudy almost cool day with a smattering of rain!  It actually feels a bit like fall today.  Sundays are Slow Cooker days around here.  Leaving the house for church at 7:30am and not arriving home until close to 1pm, there are too many little hungry tummies that need to eat RIGHT AWAY.  We have a saying that "Sundays start Saturday evening."  So, that means all the clothes, shoes, Bibles, diaper bag, etc., are set out the night before.  Breakfast is usually quick and easy to clean up and the Crock Pot is going.  If my kids can learn to throw dinner or lunch into the Crock Pot, they will be way ahead of most in cooking!

Today was a easy lunch, no real recipe.  We call it Ground Beef Soup:

1-2 lbs ground beef
Water
Beef boullion or stock
carrots, cut
celery, cut
green beans, chopped
frozen corn
potatoes
chopped onion
garlic salt
celery salt
bay leaves
black pepper
onion powder

Just cook until done and add seasonings until it tastes good to you!  We add rice, but the kids really like it with barley or noodles.

Happy Fall!

Discoveries!

 We discovered that our grape "jelly" mixed in with cream cheese makes a delicious bagel spread!  Now how to package that for gifts. . .hmm.  If I were Sassy Chicken I would have made my own bagels. . .but that leads to a second discovery - our new friend, Fresh and Easy!

When I first went to the store I thought there was no way I'd be shopping there.  Everything is packaged into one/two person servings, highly priced.  Not exactly a store for a family of 10!  But, we have discovered that they mark all that nice fresh food down daily. . so that the large bag of bagels we enjoyed with our new grape spread was a mere $.40.  And the plethera of fruit displayed below was less than $2.00!  They even threw in the nifty bag. . . love it!

Jam

After washing and destemming the grapes, they have to boil.

It's quite a process straining them! 

It seems like a small amount after the hoards of grapes we picked!

The kids were wanting to make grape juice or jelly with our concord grapes.  It all smelled delicious, but was a bit of a process compared to strawberry jam.  I think ours is really more a jam then jelly, as the cheesecloth didn't keep it all out.  I ended up blending it with the Vita Mix! 

Here's the question - is liquidy jam really syrup?  If so, we might have made grape syrup!  I think my pectin amount was a bit off ....

Farm Fresh Pancakes!

Our friend, Ayemie, gave us these super cute and fun pancake molds.  Every farm family needs these!

Pancakes

2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp.  baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs.  butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat eggs.  Add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Heat griddle and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  If you have molds, pour batter into the molds.  Flip.  Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Farm Pancakes

A cow, a pig and a chicken!

Too much zucchini?

Perhaps your garden is growing wild like ours with too much of some items. . .here's a yummy recipe for zucchini bread (although we prefer muffins) and a revised recipe.  Both turned out delicious!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon

Beat eggs until fluffy.  Add next four ingredients.  Mix lightly.  Add flour mixture (mix last five ingredients together) and blend.  Divide batter into two loaf pans or muffin tins.  Bake at 350 until toothpick is smooth.  Remove and cool.

Amy's Revised Zucchini Muffins

3 farm fresh eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 cups whole wheat flour (fresh ground from Sassy Chicken!)
1/2 cup flax seed
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 cups grated zucchini

Mix ingredients and put in muffin tins.  Bake at 350 until done.  Eat and enjoy!

Special Sundays. . .

Sunday mornings have become known for "Puffy Pancakes", a recipe shared with us by our dear Swedish Mor-Mor (grandmother). It's quick and easy and fun. Farm fresh eggs are best - if I could get our hens to lay!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt 1/4 cup butter in 9x13 pan while mixing together:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt

Pour mixture over melted butter. Return pan to oven for about 30 minutes or until nice and puffy!

Getting ready for the oven. . .

Almost done. . . the recipe calls for serving with warm jam but we tend to sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in syrup (as long as the hair is all pulled back!). Yummy topped with fresh fruits, as well!

Yum!!

These are yummy muffins and fun to make. The peeling and grating help get all involved! I think we'll be making these once a week!

Bran Flax Muffins

1 1/2 c. white flour
3/4 c. Flaxseed meal (Trader Joe's)
3/4 c. Oat Bran
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and shredded
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples raisins. Combine mild, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 F for approximately 15-20 minutes.