Here is THE cinnamon roll recipe... It's off the internet, and a little modified. Anyway, this is the way I do it.
Dough:
1 cup warm milk(about 110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temp
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast
4 1/2 c. flour(I have substituted partial whole wheat, it's just ok)
1 tsp salt
Filling:
2 1/2 TBS cinnamon
1/3 c. butter(softened)
1 c. sugar
Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
Mix warm milk, eggs, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Proof(let sit) for 10 minutes or until foamy. Add flour and salt. Knead until smooth(or let your kitchen-aid do the work for you with the dough hook). Heat oven to 200, then turn off. Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with towel. Place in warm oven and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
Roll dough into a 16X12" rectangle/oval. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Spread butter on dough and sprinkle with sugar mixture(use all of it). Roll up dough lengthwise and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls into a lightly greased 9X13" pan. Cover and let rise in warm place until nearly doubled(30-60 minutes). Or you can cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and keep in refrigerator over night. In the morning you can take it out, remove covering, let it rise for 1 hour(in an oven heated to 200, then turned off), and then bake.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert onto cookie sheet for 30 seconds, then flip back over, and allow to cool while making frosting.
Beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Spread on warm rolls.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Carrot Cake
This recipe came out of a church cookbook, and I've been making it for YEARS. It's the only carrot cake recipe I'll use since I don't like nuts or raisins in my carrot cake. The pineapple makes it perfect! Ok so how to write this recipe? Original or modified??? I guess I'll do the original and describe the changes I make??? Try to keep up! :)
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil(I use applesauce instead)
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 c. grated carrots
2 1/2 c. flour(half and half whole wheat or whatever you're brave enough to try!)
8 oz. crushed pineapple
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
(I also add some vanilla)
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour a 9X13" pan or two 9" pans. Mix all ingredients until smooth and well blended. Bake 50-60 minutes for 9X13, or 30-45 minutes for 9" pans.
I ALWAYS double the recipe for the frosting, but here it is in it's original form!
3 oz cream cheese room temp
1 tsp vanilla(I use about twice that amount)
1/4 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Frost cake when cool.
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil(I use applesauce instead)
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 c. grated carrots
2 1/2 c. flour(half and half whole wheat or whatever you're brave enough to try!)
8 oz. crushed pineapple
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
(I also add some vanilla)
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour a 9X13" pan or two 9" pans. Mix all ingredients until smooth and well blended. Bake 50-60 minutes for 9X13, or 30-45 minutes for 9" pans.
I ALWAYS double the recipe for the frosting, but here it is in it's original form!
3 oz cream cheese room temp
1 tsp vanilla(I use about twice that amount)
1/4 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Frost cake when cool.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Urkey Lurkey(Italian pasta dish)
I got this awesome recipe from a friend, who I think, got it off of a cooking show. It rocks! :)
1 lb pasta
1 head cauliflower, broccoli, or both
1 lb Italian sausage(we leave this out when T is home b/c he doesn't like it)
4 oz salami or pepperoni(when T is home we do 4-6 oz of each)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil(I only use 1/4 cup)
1 large onion
1 red or green bell pepper julienned
2 TBS minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper(I use this only in my portion, it's much too spicy for my kids)
8 oz cubed mozzarella cheese(I use closer to 16oz)
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1/2 cup sliced black olives
2 TBS freshly chopped parsley leaves
finely grated Parmesan cheese for passing at the table
Bring a pot of salted water to boil, and cook pasta according to directions. Strain and place in large pot or pasta dish, cover.
Meanwhile, bring another pot of salted water to boil, and cook cauliflower, broccoli, or both, until tender crisp(about 5 minutes). Using slotted spoon, transfer to pot with pasta and cover.
Meanwhile, in a skillet over med/high, crumble and cook Italian sausage until browned and cooked though. Add pepperoni/salami and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer meats to pot with pasta and cover.
Add 1 1/2 TBS olive oil to a hot skillet with onions and bell peppers, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, basil, oregano, and red pepper, and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Using spoon, transfer to pasta pot.
Add olive oil, cubed cheese, green and black olives, and parsley to pot. Toss to thoroughly combine. Serve in large bowl.
1 lb pasta
1 head cauliflower, broccoli, or both
1 lb Italian sausage(we leave this out when T is home b/c he doesn't like it)
4 oz salami or pepperoni(when T is home we do 4-6 oz of each)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil(I only use 1/4 cup)
1 large onion
1 red or green bell pepper julienned
2 TBS minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper(I use this only in my portion, it's much too spicy for my kids)
8 oz cubed mozzarella cheese(I use closer to 16oz)
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1/2 cup sliced black olives
2 TBS freshly chopped parsley leaves
finely grated Parmesan cheese for passing at the table
Bring a pot of salted water to boil, and cook pasta according to directions. Strain and place in large pot or pasta dish, cover.
Meanwhile, bring another pot of salted water to boil, and cook cauliflower, broccoli, or both, until tender crisp(about 5 minutes). Using slotted spoon, transfer to pot with pasta and cover.
Meanwhile, in a skillet over med/high, crumble and cook Italian sausage until browned and cooked though. Add pepperoni/salami and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer meats to pot with pasta and cover.
Add 1 1/2 TBS olive oil to a hot skillet with onions and bell peppers, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, basil, oregano, and red pepper, and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Using spoon, transfer to pasta pot.
Add olive oil, cubed cheese, green and black olives, and parsley to pot. Toss to thoroughly combine. Serve in large bowl.
Chicken Nuggets
These are super easy to make, and way cheaper than buying organic chicken nuggets! :)
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts(be sure the chicken is completely defrosted!)
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts(be sure the chicken is completely defrosted!)
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs(I just made my own with organic whole wheat bread and Italian seasoning)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
That's it! It's so yummy!
powdered sugar
I thought that I already blogged this, but going back through my posts I can't find it! This is how to make powdered sugar, which is very expensive if you buy organic because powdered sugar is more expensive than organic granulated sugar!
1 cup sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
Blend in blender until smooth and powdered.
That's it! Have fun! :)
1 cup sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
Blend in blender until smooth and powdered.
That's it! Have fun! :)
organic creamer
Ok for those of you who haven't looked at what's in that coffee creamer you drink every morning, quick go look right now! I'm not even sure it can be considered a food product! :(
So my husband is completely in love with coffee creamer, so when we went organic, asking him to give that up is like asking him to cut off his right arm! Looking online this morning I found a super easy, super yummy recipe! The best part? It makes alot, and you can tweak it to be any flavor you want! Here's the basic recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
4 TBS maple syrup(I'm sure you could use agave nectar)
Steam over medium heat, remove from heat, and cool.
That's it! Now for some add ins:
To make Vanilla just add a TBS of vanilla, or a vanilla bean cut in half!
To make Cinnamon, you guessed it, just add cinnamon!
Pumpkin pie spice: Add pumpkin pie spice
Chocolate: Add a few TBS of Cacao powder
Are you getting the picture? Add whatever you want, to taste, to make it your own! How easy is that???? Much love to you all(obviously why I share all this with you!!!!)
So my husband is completely in love with coffee creamer, so when we went organic, asking him to give that up is like asking him to cut off his right arm! Looking online this morning I found a super easy, super yummy recipe! The best part? It makes alot, and you can tweak it to be any flavor you want! Here's the basic recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
4 TBS maple syrup(I'm sure you could use agave nectar)
Steam over medium heat, remove from heat, and cool.
That's it! Now for some add ins:
To make Vanilla just add a TBS of vanilla, or a vanilla bean cut in half!
To make Cinnamon, you guessed it, just add cinnamon!
Pumpkin pie spice: Add pumpkin pie spice
Chocolate: Add a few TBS of Cacao powder
Are you getting the picture? Add whatever you want, to taste, to make it your own! How easy is that???? Much love to you all(obviously why I share all this with you!!!!)
Friday, March 11, 2011
birthing
So lately I have been confronted with a brand new dilemma. When I was pregnant with our littlest(for at the least the next 4 months) I had my midwife ask me if I wanted any of the kids present during my birth. At the time my oldest 2 were a 9 year old boy, and a 7 year old girl. I responded no, that if the oldest was a girl maybe, but that I thought that a 9 year old boy was too young to be in the delivery room. Until she asked, I had never even thought about letting any of the kids in the room.
So by the time this baby is going to be born our oldest daughter will be 9, so my plan(that I hadn't even cleared with my hubby yet!) was to ask her if she was interested in being there, and if so, show her some actual birth footage, get a backup person to take her out of the room if necessary, and go from there. I never got the chance to discuss with hubby or to ask!
2 nights ago, during prayer time, our 5 year old daughter said that she wanted to see the baby come out. I said, "Well you already know how a baby comes out." She said, "Yeah but I want to SEE it." Hmmm. Then my 9 year old pipes in with, "Yeah, me too!" I'm trying to come up with a good reason why not. Not that I want to say no, but I don't want to just say yes without thinking it through either. If they know what they're in for, and I have a backup plan, then why not? I have very calm labors and deliveries, and I don't scream or yell or get out of hand...
Something for our family to pray about and decide! I'll let you all in on the answer when we figure it out! :)
So by the time this baby is going to be born our oldest daughter will be 9, so my plan(that I hadn't even cleared with my hubby yet!) was to ask her if she was interested in being there, and if so, show her some actual birth footage, get a backup person to take her out of the room if necessary, and go from there. I never got the chance to discuss with hubby or to ask!
2 nights ago, during prayer time, our 5 year old daughter said that she wanted to see the baby come out. I said, "Well you already know how a baby comes out." She said, "Yeah but I want to SEE it." Hmmm. Then my 9 year old pipes in with, "Yeah, me too!" I'm trying to come up with a good reason why not. Not that I want to say no, but I don't want to just say yes without thinking it through either. If they know what they're in for, and I have a backup plan, then why not? I have very calm labors and deliveries, and I don't scream or yell or get out of hand...
Something for our family to pray about and decide! I'll let you all in on the answer when we figure it out! :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
wahooooo!
Midwife called this morning and gave me the all clear! Apparently she meant it when she said that she was bad at measuring placentas! The radiologist doc told her that it wasn't anywhere near my cervix, and I'm off all my restrictions! She said only God knows why I was spotting, but apparently no need for alarm! Totally looking forward to the rest of this pregnancy, hopefully the rest will be VERY uneventful! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
the waiting game
So once again we're playing the waiting game. This time it's waiting for the doc to call back and tell me where my placenta is, something I never thought I'd really care about. They rushed me in this morning to see the doc, who rushed me in to get an ultrasound, then the ultrasound tech rushed me back to the doc to see what was going on. Too bad the doc left to go deliver a baby! :)
She's supposed to call before the end of the day, but she's on call delivering babies so her day ends at 7am tomorrow! She hopefully will let me know at that time what kind of restrictions(if any) I am on, and where my placenta is.
Right now all I can think about is the long list of housecleaning I want to get done. You know, basic stuff like dust my whole house, scrub all the kid drawings off of my walls, vacuum all my floors, and scrub my bathrooms! I'd also like to make a big batch of granola for breakfast. I'm wondering how much I can get away with doing without EXACTLY doing what I was told not to...
She's supposed to call before the end of the day, but she's on call delivering babies so her day ends at 7am tomorrow! She hopefully will let me know at that time what kind of restrictions(if any) I am on, and where my placenta is.
Right now all I can think about is the long list of housecleaning I want to get done. You know, basic stuff like dust my whole house, scrub all the kid drawings off of my walls, vacuum all my floors, and scrub my bathrooms! I'd also like to make a big batch of granola for breakfast. I'm wondering how much I can get away with doing without EXACTLY doing what I was told not to...
Monday, March 7, 2011
pregnancy...
It's crazy how after so many easy uncomplicated pregnancies, you can have one that just wants to scare you! This is pregnancy number 7 for us, we have 5 beautiful children, and one up in heaven with Jesus. The pregnancy we lost started out just like the rest, and was totally uneventful, until I woke up one morning and spotted just the tiniest bit. I don't EVER spot, I didn't feel like I was very big, and I hadn't felt the baby move yet(I was 18 weeks) so I just knew in the pit of my stomach that something was wrong. We went into the ER, and they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. It crushed us.
This pregnancy started out exactly the same as the rest as well. About 7 weeks I had some spotting and just fell apart. I had determined already in my mind that there was no hope for this baby. We went into the clinic and they found a heartbeat right away, and everything was fine. They said they thought it was a result of intercourse, and just to know that it would probably happen again, and it did. Occasionally, until I went on vacation 8 weeks ago, I would spot after sex. Apparently super common, and nothing to worry about.
So I got back from vacation a day before my husband, and we hadn't done anything in days before that anyway, but the day after I got home, I started spotting. I called L&D and they wanted me to come in. A good friend of mine came to sit with the kids, and her hubby offered to pick Terence up from the airport for me. After going in and getting checked out it turns out that my placenta is really low and close to my cervix. So I have to go back in to have it measured etc. to see how bad it is.
It's crazy to me that something so rare has been happening to so may ladies that I know lately. Supposedly only 1 in 200 pregnancies have partial or full previa, so what is that .5%? So how weird is it that I know 2 ladies personally that have been effected by this just in the last 6 months, and more over the last couple of years. I certainly don't know 400 women. Supposedly things that make you more likely to have this are smoking(nope), cocaine use(nope), and being over 35(nope). The chances of you losing a baby after 10 weeks and hearing the baby's heartbeat are less than 1%, yet I know 2 ladies plus myself, for a total of 3, that this has happened to in the last 2 years. It makes me wonder why all of these pregnancy and birth issues are so prevalent right now. I'm wondering if there are some spiritual forces against us...
So, pray ladies, pray hard for your families, and your babies!
This pregnancy started out exactly the same as the rest as well. About 7 weeks I had some spotting and just fell apart. I had determined already in my mind that there was no hope for this baby. We went into the clinic and they found a heartbeat right away, and everything was fine. They said they thought it was a result of intercourse, and just to know that it would probably happen again, and it did. Occasionally, until I went on vacation 8 weeks ago, I would spot after sex. Apparently super common, and nothing to worry about.
So I got back from vacation a day before my husband, and we hadn't done anything in days before that anyway, but the day after I got home, I started spotting. I called L&D and they wanted me to come in. A good friend of mine came to sit with the kids, and her hubby offered to pick Terence up from the airport for me. After going in and getting checked out it turns out that my placenta is really low and close to my cervix. So I have to go back in to have it measured etc. to see how bad it is.
It's crazy to me that something so rare has been happening to so may ladies that I know lately. Supposedly only 1 in 200 pregnancies have partial or full previa, so what is that .5%? So how weird is it that I know 2 ladies personally that have been effected by this just in the last 6 months, and more over the last couple of years. I certainly don't know 400 women. Supposedly things that make you more likely to have this are smoking(nope), cocaine use(nope), and being over 35(nope). The chances of you losing a baby after 10 weeks and hearing the baby's heartbeat are less than 1%, yet I know 2 ladies plus myself, for a total of 3, that this has happened to in the last 2 years. It makes me wonder why all of these pregnancy and birth issues are so prevalent right now. I'm wondering if there are some spiritual forces against us...
So, pray ladies, pray hard for your families, and your babies!
the longest vacation EVER
So we just got back from the longest vacation we have ever taken. It was fun, and we made alot of memories. but I am so glad to be HOME! Terence was scheduled to go to a school so I figured I'd hop a MAC flight and head down to Washington State for a 3 week visit. Well, between his school date getting bumped, him needing to come down to take care of some business, and then him not being able to come down right away for those 2 weeks, we ended up away from home for 65 days!
We were able to get alot of visiting in with alot of friends and family that it's been too long since we've seen. They got to spend a TON of time with their grandparents. They got to run around quite a bit with my best friend's kids. 3 of the kids had birthdays while we were down there. Terence and I had the opportunity to take them to the great wolf lodge, which we've never been to. I think that was the highlight of my trip!
To any of my cloth diapering friends who think that it's too hard to go on vacation with your cloth diapers, it can be done! Back and forth between my mom's and my friends' houses, 2 different stays in hotels, and a whole lot of traveling, and we still never had to use a disposable. I'm so proud of myself! HAHA!
I had to take a break from blogging as well since I didn't bring my laptop with me. All I had was my iphone and I haven't figured out how to blog efficiently from it yet. You'd think that they'd have an app for that!
All in all it was a super fun and super busy vacation, and totally worth it. But, like I said, it is good to be HOME! I forgot how much I love my house, taking care of my house, and cooking meals for my family! I don't plan on going on vacation again ANY time soon! :)
We were able to get alot of visiting in with alot of friends and family that it's been too long since we've seen. They got to spend a TON of time with their grandparents. They got to run around quite a bit with my best friend's kids. 3 of the kids had birthdays while we were down there. Terence and I had the opportunity to take them to the great wolf lodge, which we've never been to. I think that was the highlight of my trip!
To any of my cloth diapering friends who think that it's too hard to go on vacation with your cloth diapers, it can be done! Back and forth between my mom's and my friends' houses, 2 different stays in hotels, and a whole lot of traveling, and we still never had to use a disposable. I'm so proud of myself! HAHA!
I had to take a break from blogging as well since I didn't bring my laptop with me. All I had was my iphone and I haven't figured out how to blog efficiently from it yet. You'd think that they'd have an app for that!
All in all it was a super fun and super busy vacation, and totally worth it. But, like I said, it is good to be HOME! I forgot how much I love my house, taking care of my house, and cooking meals for my family! I don't plan on going on vacation again ANY time soon! :)
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