A Little Help In My Kitchen...

This week we have been blessed with a  couple of sweet visits in our home!  On Tuesday, we were able to have lunch with the precious Jeff and Meghan Stacy Family!  Meghan and Jeff are one of the sweetest couples you will ever meet!  They prayed and prayed for a family and now they have two beautiful little boys that call them Mama and Daddy!  They are soooo cute!  It made me remember when mine were little!  It feels like only yesterday that mine were that age! 


Meghan, Elijah and I worked on learning to make biscuits and gravy while Anthony, Jeff and Everett visited and waited on lunch! ;) 

After we had lunch, I planned a special treat for Elijah to enjoy...  We made snowmen out of powdered doughnuts!

 Here's what we used:     Mini Powdered Sugar Doughnuts

                                        Candy Corns

                                        Mini Chocolate Chips

                                        Extra Powdered Sugar For Snow

You use the mini chocolate chips for the snowman eyes and mouth. Add the candy corn in the middle of the doughnut for a nose and sprinkle extra powdered sugar for the snow!  He loved these!  Isn't he the CUTEST???

Thank you Meghan, Jeff, Elijah and Everett for sharing the afternoon with us!! <3 Love you!


Then...

Today, we were blessed with another visit from our sweet friends, The Leavens!  The Leavens Family was originally from Georgia, just like us,  but were living in Pennsylvania because of work. We happened to be working in their area and we met them at church!  After talking to them, we found out that we knew so many of the same people and that our paths had probably crossed before, but we just didn't know it!  It's a very small world out there! 

Anyway, they just moved back to Georgia, and started home schooling.  Susan called and asked if her girls could come and learn to make biscuits for a home economics lesson this week too!  I was thrilled to have them!  They did a wonderful job! 





                                                                           

               

 

 

 

Sydney, Ashley and the twins, Carley and Kenzey.  These four girls are not only beautiful, but they are being taught by their sweet mama to be virtuous women one day!  <3  If you girls are anything like her, you will be just fine!!  What a wonderful family!!  Thank y'all for coming!!   Love you all!!

 

 

 

All of these sweet kids in my kitchen, got me to thinking about my three sweet kids in my kitchen through the years.  I have been so blessed to able to be home with my children and do things like cook with them. 

 

Today, I stumbled upon a little jewel from the past...

 

 

 

This is a recipe that my Avery wrote out for his favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies!  He got this recipe from a Weekly Reader Magazine and used to LOVE to make these! <3

 

I decided to make them today...

 

Here are the ingredients:

 

1/2 Cup of Margarine or Butter, Softened

 

1/3 Cup of Sugar

 

1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar

 

1 Egg

 

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

 

1/2 Cup of Oats

 

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

 

1/4 Teaspoon of Salt

 

1 Cup of Flour

 

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips

 

First, blend your butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in a mixer.

 

 

 
 
 

Then, blend your Oats, Salt, Baking Soda and Flour in with the other mixture.

 

 

 

 

Last, but not least, add your Chocolate Chips!! 

 

Bake at 350 for about 12 Minutes...

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

YUMMY!! 

 

 

 

 

 

My Little Kitchen Helper

 

Then...

 

 

 

and Now...

 

 

 

I love you Avery! <3

 

 

 

<3 Luke 18:17

 

"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."

 

<3Psalm 127: 3-5

 

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

 

 

Homemade Strawberry Pies For Valentines Day

For my Valentine of almost 27 years (2 yrs. dating and almost 25 married), I decided to make one of his favorites...Strawberry Pie! <3

Here's the recipe:  Ingredients:

                                   2 tablespoons of Cornstarch

                                   1 cup of Sugar

                                   1 cup of Water

                                   1/2 of a small package of strawberry jello

                                   1 baked 9 inch Pie Shell

                                   and of course...Strawberries <3












                                                                   



I started out by washing my berries...

Then in a saucepan, blend your cornstarch, sugar and water with a whisk, over medium heat, until it boils and turns thick.

When the mixture is thick and has cooked for about 3-5 minutes total, remove it from the heat and whisk in the jello.

Set the jello mixture aside to cool.

Now, cap and slice your washed strawberries and blot with a paper towel to remove any excess water from your fruit.   Then place your strawberries into your baked and cooled  pie shell.

When your jello mixture has cooled, pour the mixture onto your strawberries in the baked shell.  Allow to set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before cutting. 

YUM!!!!!

This recipe only makes one pie, but I made two so my Valentine could have his very own!! <3

Happy Valentines Day Anthony!! I love you!

This weeks tips and favorites...

Favorite #1

I LOVE keeping these types of containers!  Years ago, on vacation, I bought the sugar inside the container to keep it from spilling and getting wet on our trip.  I decided to keep it and refill it each time I buy sugar.  Now, I look for products that have the reusable containers and just buy the container once and refill as I buy more product!  This is so handy!



Favorite # 2

Wax paper sandwich bags!!  I love using these!  I remember in elementary school on picnic days they would put raisins and peanuts mixed together inside of these and put them in our sack lunch!  I love packing Anthony's biscuits in these  when he goes to work and I use a sharpie marker to mark which biscuit is jelly (JB) and which is sausage (SB)!  (Makes me feel like I have a restaurant!!)  ;)  I know that's crazy!!  It's ok! :) I get these for $1.00 at the Dollar General!!


My kitchen tip for this week comes from my Mother-in-law, Wanda Hackney. <3

She saw this on a cooking show and told me about it. I decided to give it a try and blog about it!

If you don't have an egg slicer a cooling rack works just fine!  Watch this...

You'll need a cooling rack, a hard boiled egg at room temperature  and a bowl.

Place your peeled, hard boiled egg on top of the rack with the bowl underneath it all.

Then use your hand to press the egg through the holes in the rack.

It's as easy as that!! 

Great tip!!

<3 I John 4:7-8

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

<3 I John 4:11

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

Happiness Is Homemade Banana Muffins And Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch

I hope everyone has had a beautiful week so far!  Tomorrow's Friday, so it's almost time for your weekend to begin!  I want to share two recipes that are sure to put some HAPPY  into any day that you make them!  <3

As most of you know, my BIG DREAM is to one day have my own bakery!  If it ever does happen, you will for sure see these two recipes behind the glass case!! 

I'm starting with my own recipe for Banana Muffins.  These are so moist!  You won't believe it!!  Here's what you'll need:

                                                    Ingredients:
                                                   
                                                    6 ripe mashed  bananas

                                                    1 and 3/4 cups  of self rising flour
                                                 
                                                    2 teaspoons of baking powder
 
                                                     1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

                                                     1/2 teaspoon of salt

                                                     3/4 cup of sugar

                                                     1/2 cup of oil

                                                     1 large egg

                                                     1 stick of melted butter

                                                     2 splashes of vanilla extract

First, use Crisco or cooking spray to "grease your muffin tins".  You'll  need enough pans for 24  muffins. 


Now, begin by mashing your bananas, egg, oil and sugar in a bowl...

 

 

 

 

 

In another bowl, mix your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

 

 

 

 

 

Combine the two bowls of ingredients and add the melted butter and vanilla last. 

 

Bake at 325 degrees until done

 

Be careful not to overcook.

 

These are soooo yummy!!

 

 

 

Okay, now I'm going to share my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.  These will knock your socks off!! ;)

 

Ingredients:

 

 

 

For the dough:

 

1 cup of warm water

 

2 teaspoons of active dry yeast

 

1 large egg

 

2 tablespoons of canola oil

 

1 teaspoon of salt

 

3 cups of self rising flour

 

3 tablespoons of sugar

 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 

 

 

For the Filling:

 

About 3/4 stick of softened butter

 

1/2 cup sugar mixed with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon

 

 

 

For the Icing: 

 

 1 pound of Powdered Sugar

 

A few splashes of milk

 

A splash of vanilla extract

 

 

 

 

 

First, mix all of your ingredients for the dough in a large bowl. 

 

 

 

Transfer this mixture onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball of dough.

 

 

 

Then place the smooth dough ball into a greased bowl to allow it to rise to double it's size.  You will need to cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or tea cloth while it's rising.

 

*I heat my oven then turn it off and place my bowl on the open oven door to rise.  The heat from the oven helps, but the dough is not actually in the oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the dough has risen to double it's original size, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it again just enough to remove any air bubbles from your dough.

 

Then use a rolling pin to roll your dough out  as close to a large rectangle as you can. Mine looks more like a large oval! :)

 

 

 

 

Now you need to make your filling...

 

In a bowl combine your sugar and cinnamon with a fork until it's all mixed together.

 

 

 

Spread your dough with a thin coating of softened butter and sprinkle your dough liberally with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 

 

 

Start at one end of your dough and roll to make a log.  Try to tighten the roll as you go...

 

 

 

Now, cut your cinnamon rolls out.  These will rise so don't cut them too big. I use a serrated knife.

 

 

 

 

Place your cut rolls, very close together onto greased or sprayed pans.

 

 

 

Allow these to rise just like you did with the dough ball in the beginning.

 

 

 

You are now ready to bake!!  :)

 

Bake these at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Watch them carefully so you don't over bake!!

 

While they are baking, mix up your icing. 

 

Add the milk into the powdered sugar stirring with a whisk or a fork, one splash at a time.  A little milk goes a long way!  Add your vanilla and your ready to ice!! 

 

 

 

 TIPS: **If your icing is too thick add more milk.  If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.  Only add the milk a splash at a time!

 

When the rolls are done.  Take them out of the oven and pour your icing over the tops and spread evenly! 

 

 

 

You just made Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch!!  If that ain't HAPPINESS, what is?!?! ;)

Hope you enjoy!! 


This Thursday's favorite:

My potato masher!!  As you can tell by it's mauve handle, I've had this since I got married in 1989!!  I LOVE this thing!  I use it to crush fruit when I make jam, banana bread... I use it when cooking ground meat to break up the meat in the skillet and sometimes I even use it to mash my potatoes!! ;)  If you don't have one, get one!!  They are very handy!!


<3 Colossians 4:6

"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."