anything new?

its been a while....

Valentine's came and went....such a lame holiday I think. I have never really liked it much. Russ was a good doobie and got the girls in his life some beautiful roses. REd for me and Pink for the princess. I was going to get a photo, but they wilted the next day.......so much for that.

Other things that have been happening.....

We tore out the west facing bedroom wall to put insulation and reframe, and re-sheet rock it. That was really the happy valentines I wanted!!! I'll post a photo later. Work has stopped. AGAIN!. unfortunately. maybe in the next month or so, he'll get another bug in his bonnett and do another something to stop the nagging on my end. Oh how i wish I had the $ to have someone else refinish everything. What is really irritating is he helps lots of other people do their finish ups and doesn't ever do his own.... at least he knows how to do things like this. I should be grateful for his talents....

complain complain complain

Mom & Dad are in Arizona for 3 weeks, they left on the 12th. When your world is shaken or altered for some reason be it small or large, it makes you grateful for what you do have. I am so thankful for parents who are so willing to help out with my kids so I can work part time. I talked to my parents tonight and they both told me how much they have missed having Kamryn around. They see something and say, oh wouldn't Kam like that, or let's get that so Kam can play with that. Knowing this helps me see that I'm not the only one benefitting from this arrangement. They have the opportunity to get to know their grandkids in a one on one way. I'm glad it's working out. This fall when Kamryn goes to school will be a hard one for all parties involved for sure.

Good news...we took down the mondo huge King Canopy Lodge Pole Pine bed in our bedroom. Horray!! I have enjoyed it, but it is definately time for a change. Russell's feelers were a little wounded, because I said I didn't really want it anymore....he made the bed for one of our anniversary's---can't remember which one anymore. Anybody want a bed??? Right now it's in our living room.......wonder how long it's going to be there. No I really don't want to know that.

I made buckeye cookies today. For New Beginnings tomorrow. mmmmmmm

Whenever my mom takes cookies anywhere, she makes these. They are so yummy.

here's the recipe.

Buckeye Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 large packages Reeses mini cups

Cream together first 7 ingredients. Add flour, soda, and salt. Roll into balls (or use small scoop) and place balls in mini muffin tins. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes (do not overbake). Remove from oven and immediately place an unwrapped Reeses in the center of each cookie. Place pan in freezer for 4-5 min. or until set. remove from tin and place on rack to cool. These freeze well if separated by wax paper between layers. YUM!

Please don't lick the screen....it leaves a nasty tongue print.

is the day over already?

so I am wondering how in the world every day goes by soooo fast??

just a few minutes ago I was fixing dinner, then before I knew it....it's 9:00 and time for the bed and blanket show. for the kids that is.. I wound up doing so many things today I forgot to squeeze time in for a little cardiac stimulation, on the treadmill I went. It really sucks when everyone else is in bed and the 10 o'clock news comes on and I still have 1/2mile to go.

Ok you fitness addicts, is it better to excercise 3o minutes everyday or 1 hour 3 days a week? Is there any difference? Quantity or duration? What say you?

Oh...I fixed a very quick and yummy dinner tonight. Our family loves Pasta Roni, but 1 pkg is just not enough for us, and I totally admit I'm a cheapskate.....so, I found a recipe on Food network and tweeked it a bit, and came up with this.

Pasta side dish

2 cups water
3/4 cup milk or cream (I used 1% milk)
1-2 TBL butter (I used 1 and it was fine. could sub EVOO if so desired)
2 bouillon cubes ( I use the costco chicken base. You'll never go back to granules)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp basil
ground pepper
2 cups pasta (rotini, angel hair, linguini, curly noodles, etc.)

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. let boil 15-20 minutes until desired doneness. May need to add more water until pasta is done. (I did)
It was sooo yummy!! You could do almost anything to fit your taste. The garlic was divine!
Next time, I'll do parmesan cheese and a dash of nutmeg for maybe a fettucini twist.

I also made this old standby

Seasoned Chicken

chicken breasts cut into 2-3 pieces each.
1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 pkg Italian dressing mix (or Ranch drsg mix)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix crushed crackers, dressing mix, and cheese together. Roll chicken breasts in crumbs generously and place on cookiesheet ( if it's not stoneware, you better Pam it). Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until done. The kids love this. You can serve it over pasta with sauce, or just plain. My kids dip everything in ranch dressing, so that is always an idea.
Tonight I didn't have any Ritz, but I did find less than half a pkg of croutons and just smashed those up. I didn't add any dressing mix because they were already seasoned. It worked out pretty good. It was great because I started dinner at 6 and it was on the table by 6:30. A little broccoli and a glass of milk and wah la!


I must sleep now. My previously sweaty body has now been thouroughly chilled by the fan in my bedroom and I'm anxiously awaiting my flannel sheets.

TTFN

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMmmmmm

So here I am, Saturday night planning what I'm going to indulge in first. a Reeses for breakfast, cookies for lunch and ice cream for dinner.....when my sweet husband reminds me it's FAST SUNDAY@!!!
yeah...
crazy.

so after all that.
I ate a reeses.
it was divine. I swear I heard music aaaaAAAAHHHHHH!

I savored every morsell.
then I had another.
then a leftover Christmas caramel.

then we went to my mom's where I had these:

Won Ton Yummies

1 pkg won ton wrappers
1 lb ground sausage
1/2 cup onions
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack and cheddar)
1/2 cup Ranch dressing

Brown saugsage with onion. drain grease. Mix in cheese and dressing. Place won ton wrappers in mini-muffin tins and place 1 spoonful of mixture in the center. Pinch wrapper together. Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes. YUM!

and this:

Queso

1 brick Velveeta cheese
1 bottle salsa (approximately)

cut up cheese into cubes and melt in microwave/crockpot. Add salsa to taste. We like Pace Picante medium. Add as much salsa as you want. serve warm with chips. We like homemade chips. (cut up corn tortillas and fry in oil, then salt to taste)
I could drink this stuff!!

and for dessert, I had cheesecake.
yum

Coming soon to a blog near you----what I learned from sugar free January.

veggie-licious

Last night I got my kids to eat;

• zuchini
• sweet potatoes
• mushrooms (well they tasted them at least)
• celery
• broccoli
• carrots
• onions
• yellow peppers

Amazing eh? Yup I thought so. This is how I did it.

Chicken Stir Fry

Peanut oil (a necessity for high heat and the taste is supreme)

6 cloves garlic, minced--the real stuff

1 tsp grated fresh ginger (this is key-it makes such a difference)

1 tsp coarse salt

1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips (I usually use 2 big breasts-I seem to have an abundancy of those)

assorted fresh veggies--time to clean out the fridge. Any quantity--you may need to double up on the sauce. Chop veggies and place in separate bowls. (or piles on the cutting board)

• peppers
• onions
• sugar snap peas
• cabbage
• carrots
• celery
• sweet potatoe (sounds gross--but soo good)
• zuchinni
• broccoli
• mushrooms
• bok choy
• bean sprouts

1 cup chicken broth (I use the chicken base-tastes better & less salty)

2 TBL soy sauce

2 TBL sugar

2 TBL cornstarch

Mix broth, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine garlic & ginger root and sautee in hot peanut oil. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add sliced chicken and stir fry for another 3 minutes. Place in separate bowl.

Stir-fry other veggies separately til tender crisp, then place them with the chicken (fry them separate, because some may take longer to cook, then other veggies won't get overdone. When all veggies are done, combine everything and add sauce. Cook only until sauce thickens to prevent overcooking of veggies. Serve over rice or noodles. YUMM!

Sugar free January day 6/20. Without the extra calories of my sugary snacks, my appetite has increased exponentially. I'm starving all the time. I seriously can't drink any more.....72 oz water, 44 oz crystal light, 32 oz diet Dr Pepper, 8 oz milk. Help.....I'm drowning.

what am I doing?

Did you notice the time? What in the world am I doing??? Yah...I've been meaning to get to this, but it just hasn't happened. There's still so many things to do and so little time. I love Chrstmas---but hate all the craziness!

I don't think I've had more than 5 hours of sleep at night in the last week and a half. Why do I let myself get so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle?? One of these years I'll be like my organized friends, Christy, Deborah, and Zalia and get my Christmas shopping done and wrapped before December first.....yah right!! That will Never happen!

So this year I made these....

They turned out yummy! I've had a few requests for the recipe..so here it is.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls. Refrigerate for 15 minutes for easier dipping.
DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Variations: Use any cookie ie. Nutter Butterss or different flavored oreos. Dip in Almond Bark, White chocolate, or milk chocolate. Drizzle with different color chocolate.

Try them! they are easy easy, but dipping them takes a bit of time. Kaden helped me by drizzling the designs on the top.

Here's a photo of Kamryn at her cute little preschool program. She was really getting into it....so was her little neighbor.

Kamryn apparently got tired of him after while though...

Just kidding, it's just a little hand action to the song they are singing. Pretty funny though..

Well, if I don't get back here before the big day...Have a Merry Christmas!

YUM!

Friday at work we had another successful payday potluck. We had yummy chili, stew, breads and cornbread, these amazing chocolate chocolate chip cookies with raspberries in them. I found this recipe on the back of a newsletter I got from Intermountain.

CRANBERRY SALSA


INGREDIENTS

1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, cut into three-inch lengths
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 limes, juiced
3/4 cup white sugar
Pinch salt


DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor
fi tted with a medium blade.
Chop to medium consistency. Refrigerate if not using
immediately. Serve at room temperature. (Let set overnight for better flavor)
Servings: six (only if you each eat 3/4 cup. there was quite a bit)
Preparation time: 15 minutes

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories Per Serving: 146, Total Fat: 0.3 grams, Cholesterol: 0 milligrams, Sodium:
76 milligrams, Protein: 1 gram, Fiber: 4 grams, Carbohydrates: 37 grams

This was soooooo great. I suggest making it in advance. It wasn't so tasty when I first made it, but after it sat all night in the fridge the flavors all mixed and it was delicious. I served it with tortilla chips. Today for lunch I spread some cream cheese on a Ritz and then topped it with the salsa......WOW! I definately recommend this for a holiday appetizer.

Thanksgiving Dinner

For several years now my mom and I have gathered our favorite recipes and juggled a few ideas and I do believe we have perfected the Thanksgiving feast. (the way we like it at least) We have had the same menu for 4 years now. Haven't changed a thing. We look forward to it every year. Especially the left overs.

I thought I could share some recipes with you so you too can enjoy what we like.

Menu:
Turkey & gravy (of course)
apple cranberry relish
Dressing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet Potatoe Puff
Green Beans
Rolls
Cranberry Fluff or
Raspberry pretzel salad
relish tray

Desserts:
pumpkin pie
apple pie
banana cream pie
lemon merangue pie
pecan pie
chocolate pie (sometimes)

all with fresh whipped cream lightly sweetened

sounds ordinary enough right. Yup. nothing special, but here's how we do it. I'll probably only post 4-5 recipes tonight, then the rest in the next few days. Enjoy!


Potatoes

10 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup sour cream
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter (divided)
2 tablespoons dried minced onion (cuz my dad hates real ones)
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
paprika

Boil potatoes for 20-25 min. or until tender. Drain and place in a bowl; mash. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 4 TBL butter, onion, and salt; stir until smooth and the cream cheese and butter are melted. Spread in 13X9 pan. Melt remaining butter; drizzle over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Regrigerate or bake immediately, covered, at 350* for 40 minutes; uncover and bake 20 minutes longer. If potatoes are made ahead and refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. These are sooooo good, you don't even need gravy! (this is from the Taste of Home 1999 cookbook)


Thanksgiving Dressing (Stuffing)

This is a basic recipe but just how we like it. We make it in the crock pot to save room in the oven for the turkey/rolls.

preseasoned dressing (Pepperige Farms crumbled not cubed) Not stove top
1 pkg sage sausage (Jimmy Dean) fried and crumbled
3 carrots
2 stalks celery
onions
poultry seasoning & sage to taste (~1tsp?)
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup butter melted

Chop carrots, celery and onion with food chopper or in blender/processer with a little water.
Mix veggies, sausage, bread crumbs together. Combine butter, broth, and seasoning. Pour over crumbs and veggiews til moist. You may not need all the liquid--don't make it too soggy. Don't stir too much or it will make a paste. Spray bottom of crock pot with Pam. Put dressing in and cook on low for 4-6 hours stirring occasionally. Can make up to 1 day ahead.



Sweet Potato Puff



I never really liked sweet potatoes until about 10 years ago. This really should be classified as a dessert it is so good.

3 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes (without added milk or butter)
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter melted
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup coconut

Topping:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
2 TBL butter, melted
¼ cup flour

In a mixing bowl, beat sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in coconut. Spoon into a greased 2 ½ qt. baking dish. Combine topping ingredients until well blended; sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.




Apple Pie In a Brown Bag



My Grandma Burdett found this recipe in the newspaper about 35 years ago. This pie is great because it always turns out perfect and you don't have to roll out the pie crust. It is baked in a brown paper bag...No don't worry it won't burn. mmmmm perfect with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

1 ½ cup flour
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup oil
2 Tbl. Cold milk

4-6 cups peeled, sliced apples
½ cup sugar
2 TBl. Flour
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine 1 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, salt, oil and milk. Pat into pie plate. Do not roll out.

Combine sliced apples, sugar, flour, and spices. Stir together until the apples are coated. Put into pie shell. Sprinkle with topping.

Toppping:

¼ cup flour
¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar

Combine and mix until crumbly like pie crust. Sprinkle on top of pie. Place in a brown paper bag. Seal with staples or paper clips. Place on cookie sheet to bake. Do not peek! Bake at 350˚ for 1 ½ hours. Let cool slightly before attempting to cut.




Rolls


For rolls when we remember, we usually go to Neighborhood Bakery (now at Gardner Village) and get their frozen dough balls. The butterflakes are delicious and the orange butterflake are to die for!! when we don't get rolls from here, I have been making Jen Monson's sunbeam rolls. Here's her recipe (I hope it's ok to share--I think everyone in the ward has it anyway)


3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup milk
5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour (divided) I ususally use about 7
1/2 cup melted butter

Dissolve yeast and 1 1/2 TBL sugar in warm water & set aside. Scald together butter and milk (I put in microwave til really hot and it gets a little skin on the top). Mix together eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour together. then add milk/butter, then add yeast. Add 3 more cups of flour (I add another cup usually so it's not so sticky). Let rise until double in size. Divide into 4 pieces. Using a floured surface, roll each piece into a large circle. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter, cut like pizza into 16 pieces. Roll up into crescent shapes starting with wide end. place on cookie sheet, brush with butter and let rise again for about 10 minutes. Bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes or until light brown.

This whole process takes about 3 hours--so start early! Rolls are much better if made the same day.




Whew! I'm tired. I'll post more tomorrow.

Friday yummies

So at work every other Friday we have a "Payday Potluck" Today's pot luck was exceptionally delicious! We had coconut milk/chicken soup, tortellini shrimp salad, strawberry spinach salad, chicken salad, cheese & crackers, homemade salsa & chips, fruit salsa, fudge, breads, and I brought caramel rice crispy treats. So I took these rice crispy treats to our neighborhood girls night out and I cooked the caramel too long--it was toffee hard--so in the trash it went. I tried it out again and they turned out delicious!! Here are 2 of the recipes.

Fruit Salsa
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 can (8 ounces/227 g) crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup sliced strawberries,
fresh or frozen1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients; chill. Serve with “Baked Cinnamon Strips”

Baked Cinnamon Strips
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6–8 flour tortillas (8″/20 cm in diameter)
1. In a large, sealable plastic bag, combine the sugar and the cinnamon.
2. Cut a tortilla into 6 strips. Lightly brush both sides of the strips with water, place in the plastic bag, seal, and shake to coat the strips. Remove the strips and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Repeat this procedure with the remaining tortillas.
3. Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 8–10 minutes or until crisp. Serve immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container.

my friend Bonnie got this recipe out of the "Friend" magazine about 7 years ago and she's lvoed it ever since. It is sooooo good.



Caramel Rice Crispy Treats
Make rice crispy treats-I usually use 1 square butter, 1 large pkg mini marshmallows and enough rice crispies to make it look good (8cups??) but don’t’ use too many or it’ll make it dry. Pour into well-buttered pan or use parchment paper (my favorite). The smaller the pan, the bigger the end product. I use large cookie sheet-but if you want the caramel thick-use a 13X9 pan and don’t make so many rice crispies.

Caramel
1 cup butter
16 oz brown sugar (2 ¼ cups)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Karo syrup
vanilla

Add all ingredients except vanilla. Cook and stir until 230* or soft ball stage, usually takes 12-15 minutes. Add vanilla. Pour over rice crispy treats. Let set until firm.

If you use parchment paper—cutting is a breeze. Just remove the whole lot and place on counter to cut with large chef’s knife. If the caramel is too hard—turn rice crispy treats over and cut through with rice crispies on top.

mmmmmmm

Heading off to the reunion

It's reunion time again--the big one. What I mean by big one--the big Baker reunion. It's at the cabin this year. Mom & Dad Baker have worked themselves to the bones trying to get the basement finished so we'll have room for the 75 ish people coming. It's gonna be great fun with cousins from Colorado, Nevada, and Canada. Here's what I'm bringing for snacks;

Seasoned Pretzels

4 lb bag pretzels
8 oz Orville Reddenbacher’s buttery popcorn oil
1 pkg. Ranch drsg mix (dry)
1 tsp dill weed
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix oil and seasonings together and pour over pretzels. Let set overnight for oil to absorb. We put in large plastic garbage sack to mix. Great snack for camping or boating.

These are a must with any gathering!!

And of course these:

Salted Nut Roll Bars

Yellow cake mix
1 egg
2/3 cup melted butter
4-5 cups mini marshmallows
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 pkg Reeses Peanut Butter chips
¼ cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 can (or a little more) salted roasted peanuts

Mix together cake mix, egg and 2/3cup melted butter.
Spread onto jelly-roll pan. Bake at 375 for 10-12 min.
Or until lightly browned. Spread mini mallows on top
Of crust, and bake another 5-6 minutes until puffy.
Cool completely. Melt together corn syrup, peanut butter
Chips, vanilla and ¼ cup butter. Spread evenly on top
Of marshmallows. (do this quickly because it will set up)
Sprinkle nuts on top. Let set a few hours before cutting.

YUM!! Gets my mouth a-watering just thinking about them

More later on the Baker Bunch.