Author: Anna

Fresh Tomato Pie

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A friend who was moving away 🙁 brought this over when we invited her family over for dinner before they left.  I have always wanted to make a tomato pie and this recipe is scrumptious.  She got it  HERE. As for the pie crust recipe, I tried a new one and that is why you see the funkiness in the photo.  I decided to NOT give you a link to that one quite yet (although it tasted really good), until I have used it more than once.  The link I have provided for the crust is my tried and true pie crust recipe.

Ingredients:
Pastry for 1-crust 9 inch pie (see this  RECIPE )
evaporated milk
4 cups sliced firm ripe tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. salt (okay, I typed this up before I actually made the pie–too much salt.  Tweak it.)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp. dried leaf basil
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (I used the grated)
1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced


1.  Line pie plate with pastry.  Flute the edges.  Brush shell with evaporated milk.

2.  Bake shell at 450 degrees for 5 minutes .

3.  Fill the baked shell with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil.

4.  Combine mayonnaise, Parmesan, and garlic; spread over the layered tomatoes.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until tomatoes are cooked and pie is golden.

Source:  southernfood.about.com

Almond Bites

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There are days, and sometimes  weeks, where you are pulled in many directions and can’t seem to get things done as efficiently as you would like, much less remember everything that has to be done.  This morning was one of those times.  I work with the youth in our church, specifically the girls, and we alternate with the boys’ leadership in providing refreshments for a sort of bi-monthly meeting.  Well we haven’t had one this summer, for various reasons, so my brain had not realized that it was our turn to bring the treats until this morning at church.  The meeting is in 3 hours and I don’t shop on Sundays.  So, what do I have on hand?  Nature Valley Almond Bars!  Perfect.  And just so you know, there are a few others who are raiding their pantries today–girls included–so the youth will not perish from lack of goodies after their meeting.  This is a great idea for a quick treat and it’s healthy–almonds are a Super Food, remember.

Ingredients:
Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Almond Bars

1.  Remove the wrapper from the bars.

2.  Cut each bar into thirds and then cut each third diagonally (I cannot type that word without thinking of Harry Potter).

3.  You now have cute little triangles of chewy goodness, and since these particular bars have an almond butter icing kind of thing going on on the bottom layer, they look even more presentable as a treat to take to a meeting,etc.

Another good quick treat:  Cut Fig Newtons diagonally into cute little triangles and cover in powdered sugar. Yummy!

Source:  A Desperate Youth Leader–me!

Itsa Pizza!

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My friend, Saren, posted a recipe for Southwestern Pizza that got me motivated to throw one together myself.  She just used ingredients she had on hand and that is pretty much what I did except I did pick up some black beans and Queso Fresco at the store since I had to go anyway.  This is a great, easy, quick dinner and pretty healthy as well.  You can find Saren’s recipe HERE, but I will show you what I used to make mine.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Tomato sauce
Cholula sauce
Minced garlic
Green chilies, chopped
Black beans, drained well
Canned corn, drained well
Green bell pepper, chopped
Jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
Pulled pork (because I had some left over  from supper earlier in the week)
Queso Fresco
Onion Salt, to taste
Salt, to taste (balance with the onion salt
Crescent Roll Dough (you can use homemade or ready-made pizza dough, pita bread, whatever…)

1.  Open 2 cans of Crescent Rolls. Keep the dough together for the eight rolls in the first can.  Spread out on your pizza stone or rectangular cookie sheet.  Pinch the dough together at the perforations to form one crust.  Take half of the second can and add to the dough you have already formed, so that you have a pan-size pizza.

2.  Mix tomato sauce, Cholula Sauce, and minced garlic (I would have used salsa instead, but we were out).  Spread evenly over dough.

3.  Add all of your toppings in layers, as desired.  Top with the cheese.

4.  Sprinkle with salt and onion salt.

5.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until dough is done in middle.  Watch your exposed crust so it doesn’t get too brown.

Source:  Original recipe idea from Saren Loosli, Five Kids in Five Years.

Carpet Stain Remover

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You may ask why I am posting a carpet stain cleaner on a food blog.  Well, to be honest, it was the quickest thing I could do in a really busy week.  And we had a cookout for all the youth in our congregation at my house, tonight, just before I scheduled this blog post. It was great fun and they played Corn Hole and Frisbee and Ping Pong and Foosball and ate lots of hot dogs and hamburgers.  I love working with the youth of our church.  They stayed longer than the activity was supposed to end, but I don’t care.  Anyway, that’s another reason for the weird post.  I just finished cleaning up from the festivities.  However, we can relate this spot remover to food because the test spot I used is in the dining room where food is eaten and spilled…see where I am going with this?  Yeah, it works.  I think I got this from Facebook, because it is totally turning into “Pinterest,” don’t you think?

Ingredients:

1 large bottle hydrogen peroxide (I asked myself, what is large? When you see the bottles all lined up beside each other , you will know.)

2 tablespoons of baking soda

1 tablespoon of Dawn Dish Soap



1.  Mix all the ingredients together in a plastic spray bottle. Use a good quality plastic.  My bottle appears to be leaking so I will need to switch.

2.  To apply, saturate the stain with the mixture, let it dry, vacuum and done.

OMGosh! Cinnamon Rolls

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These rolls are sooooo good.  Got them from Pinterest here and adapted them to my own personal taste.  These are originally from Pioneer Woman, who is just a lot of fun to watch in action, I must say.  So I guess you could say this recipe is an adaptation of an adaptation.  Isn’t that what we all do on our food blogs?  LOL….On another related note, these still do not beat my sister’s recipe but that’s okay.  Good to have more than one cinna-roll recipe in your arsenal, just in case.  What I like about these is that I can have them oven-ready and put them in the fridge overnight, bake them and glaze them the next morning and save myself a little sleep. My favorite step?  Rolling out the dough into a big ol’ funky rectangle! I usually try to get more even edges, but when I saw Ree’s photos I realized I can let go of that.  Yes, yes I can. 
 
Ingredients:
DOUGH
2 cups whole milk (I used 1% and it was fine!)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 T. salt
 
FILLING
1 c. melted butter, more if you want
1/8 c. ground cinnamon
1 c. sugar, more if you want (why not?)

GLAZE
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla flavoring (original recipe uses maple flavoring)
1/4 cup milk
1/8 cup melted butter
1/8 cup milk (original recipe uses coffee)
Pinch of salt
 
Directions:
1.  Mix milk, vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a pan.  Scald the mixture (heat just to the boiling point).  Remove from heat and cool at least 45 minutes (you want it warm, about 115 degrees F.).
 
2.  When the mixture is lukewarm to warm–not HOT–sprinkle in 1 package Active Dry Yeast–2 1/4 teaspoons if you have a jar.  Let this sit for a minute, until it starts to bubble, and then add 4 cups of flour.  Stir mixture together.  Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
 
3.  Next, add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir mixture together. At this point you would cover the dough and refrigerate until needed.  You could do it overnight or for a day or two. You may need to punch it down if it starts rising out of the pan. 

4.  To make the rolls, sprinkle your work surface generously with flour and roll the dough into a thin rectangle, about 1/4″ thick.  Brush with melted butter, sprinkle the sugar on and then the cinnamon.  Be generous.

5.  Working from the wide edge, roll the dough tightly towards you in a neat line.  Pinch the seam to the roll to seal it.  Spread 1 T. of melted butter in each pan.  Cut the dough into 1-inch slices with a sharp knife (I use the dental floss method)  and lay them in the pans.  Let rest 20-30 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 13-17 minutes, or until golden.

If you are making ahead for Christmas Morning or hey, just for breakfast, instead of popping them in the oven, just put them straight into the refrigerator and they will rise slowly this 2nd time overnight.  In the morning let them sit out for about 30 minutes and then bake as directed.

6.  For Glaze, mix together all ingredients, and stir well until smooth.  Consistency should be thick but pourable.  Generously drizzle over warm rolls.  Do not be afraid to use every drop of this glaze.  Seriously, it is better than just the usual powdered sugar, water and vanilla.

Source:  Pioneer Woman, via Sugar & Spice by Celeste

 

 
 
 

Practice What You Preach

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Photo Courtesy of  LDS.org

 

I was driving down Valley Road in My Town recently and saw this quote on the marquee of the local Catholic Church:
 
                     “PREACH THE GOSPEL EVERY DAY.  USE WORDS WHEN NECESSARY.”
 
Such a profound little statement!  We all know that others watch our actions much more than they listen to what we say.  Back in the day, the statement would have been “practice what you preach.”
 
It’s important for us to be sure that all of our actions reflect our values, beliefs, and standards.  We are being examples in many ways—some we may not even realize.  
 
Who out there doesn’t just LOVE Pinterest?  I know, right?  Well, I “re-pin” frequently, and for those who aren’t familiar with the website, it is an online kind of “someday I want to have/do/ try this really cool craft/recipe/outfit/ home décor trick– kind of like a bulletin board or file.  Even more exciting is that it is all in photos that you can click on and eventually get back to the original source for more information and directions.  You go on the site and look at all these photos and “re-pin” them to your “boards.”  One thing I started noticing was that people I know who have high standards of modesty, were re-pinning immodest, revealing clothing–strapless, backless, super short dresses, etc.  I wonder if they even realize what they are saying by re-pinning these items?  There are others out there who also know their standards, and they are confused by the mixed message that is being sent.  We can all take a lesson from this:  Every action we make, every word we say, can preach the gospel or preach something else.  Remember that we are emissaries for the Lord and we need to make sure that all we do reflects that.

Easy Sweet and Sour Catalina Chicken

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Yesterday was busy-busy. Get the SUV washed, go to Sam’s, fill up that SUV with the cheap gas at Sam’s, come home and unload all that bulk stuff from Sam’s.  Put it all away. Take a shower, get dressed, go to doctor’s appointment, go by Walmart on the way home to pick up stuff for the blog post recipe and the other items that I couldn’t get at Sam’s.  Wait for that crazy thunderstorm to clear a little while shopping and enjoy the power flickering and the rain pounding the roof of Walmart.  Drive home and put all that Walmart stuff away and then prepare the recipe for the blog post for Thursday.  Ahhhh…it’s in the oven and I can finally sit down and check my email.  Oh, looky there!  Jen posted a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken!  What are the odds that we would pick the same type of recipe to post this week?  No worries, though, because they are slightly different.  It’s all good.  No, really it is yummy good.
Ingredients:
1 cup Apricot-Pineapple Preserves
1 small (8-oz.) bottle of Catalina dressing
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts


1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Heat a large oven-proof skillet or dutch oven to medium-high heat on the stove top.

2.  While pan is heating, place jam, Catalina dressing, vinegar, and 1/2 of the onion soup packet in a bowl and stir to combine.  Set sauce aside.
3.  Sprinkle remaining onion soup mix onto chicken pieces and pat on all sides with clean hands. (I cut my chicken breasts into smaller chunks)
4.  Drizzle olive oil into hot pan to coat bottom of pan.  Place chicken pieces in and cook without moving them for 2 minutes.  Turn chicken to other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
5.  Pour sauce over chicken and spread evenly over the pieces.  Place pan in oven, uncovered, and cook until chicken measures 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.  I let these cook for about 30 minutes, then checked the temperature and cooked them for a few more minutes.
6.  Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes.  Serve chicken and sauce over hot white rice.



Source:  Our Best Bites

Berry Cheesecake Pops & Happy 4th!

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How did I get so lucky to post on Independence Day?  I am honored to post on the 4th of July because I am a patriot.  I get teary-eyed when the national anthem is played and the Stars and Stripes are presented at ballgames.  Every time. 
For our followers who are not of the LDS faith, I would like to share a couple of our Articles of Faith–what we believe–that correlate with our celebrations today:
Article of Faith #11–We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
Article of Faith #12–We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
I just thought these were very appropriate as we celebrate our freedoms and the principles upon which this great country was established.

Now that I have given you food for thought, here is my food post for today.  Have you seen the new cookbook from our lovely Kate and Sara at OBB?  It is entitled, “Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites.”  Yummy stuff .  This recipe comes from that book and it is a perfect summer treat for this holiday.




Ingredients:

2 cups assorted berries (I used strawberries and blueberries)*
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
3 oz. cream cheese
1 cup Half-and-Half
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice



1.  Place berries and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar in a blender or food processor and roughly puree.  Add more sugar, if needed.  You should end up with about 1 cup of berry puree–smooth or chunky. Whatever you want.

2.  Transfer puree to a bowl or measuring cup with a pour spout and set aside.  Wash out food processor and place the cream cheese, half-and-half, vanilla, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar inside.  Puree until smooth–not going to show a picture but it is white and liquid.

3.  Fill popsicle molds, alternating berry mixture and cream cheese mixture.  You can swirl it with a popsicle stick or leave in layers.  Freeze until slightly firm if you are adding your own popsicle stick.  My form came with stick/lids so I just put mine in at the get-go and froze them completely.

4.  To remove from molds, carefully run warm water around the outside of molds until popsicles are loosened.  Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer.

*  Next time I make these I am going to try some of my freeze-dried fruit and see how that turns out.  Sounds like a good way to use that fruit from my food storage and it is a healthy snack–pretty much.


Source:  Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, p. 124.

Mother’s Apple Pie

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This recipe is our family favorite and combines the basic apple pie recipe from my Grandma Davis with a pie crust recipe from my friend Jill Robinson.  An accidental collaboration, you might call it.  I made the mistake of making it once for my husband’s birthday and now it is expected each year, and again on Father’s Day.  Not a big deal and I am glad to give something so appreciated, but remember, this is from scratch and usually happens during busy weeks in our lives. Also, it is exclusively eaten by said husband so sometimes another pie is needed if anyone else wants a slice.  Even as we speak, I am posting this at my parents’ house on my way to the beach for a week because there is not Internet there unless we piggyback–with permission–from the neighbor.  Hopefully, I will have enough signal to get on and post the pictures!  Oh bother!  Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients for Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water

1.  Cut shortening into flour in a bowl.

2.  In another bowl mix egg, vinegar and water.

3.  Stir both mixtures together into a ball.

4.  Roll out on floured surface or press with hands into a pie pan.

Yield:  2 shells or one double crust.


Ingredients for Pie:
Pastry for 2 crusts (above)
Flour
Sugar 
Cinnamon
Apples (about 6 large–my preference is 3 Gala and 3 Granny Smith)
Nutmeg
Butter

1.  Place one crust in pie pan, 9″ deep dish is best.

2.  Sprinkle 1 T. flour and 4 T. sugar over bottom crust.

3.  Put in peeled and cut up cooking apples (Winesap are good), mounded in center.

4.  Blend together in bowl 1 cup sugar, 2 T. flour, 1 t. cinnamon and 1/2 t. nutmeg.   Pour over apples and dot with butter.

5.  Place top crust over, seal around edges, and cut steam vents in top.

6.  Bake at 425 degrees F. for 45-60 minutes.  Sometimes I cover the edges with foil until the last 10 minutes to avoid over-baking.

Sources:  The Brew Family Cookbook, vol. II, “Strange Brew”, Audrey Davis and Jill Crandall Robinson, circa 1980ish.


Homemade Fruit & Cream Instant Oatmeal

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For several years now I have been saying that I wanted to make my own instant oatmeal packets. Years now.  And finally, thanks to our dear friend PINTEREST, I have found a recipe that I like and have tried it and have fulfilled a dream!  Yay me!  There are many variations to the basic recipe, but I chose the fruit and cream version.  I have a lot of fruit in my food storage that I want to use and this is a perfect way to do that.  I used peach this time, but next time I am trying mango.  Yeah, that fruit.

Ingredients:
3 cups quick-cooking oats
Salt
Small (snack-size) zip baggies
Non Dairy Creamer (I used the non-fat and it is delicious!)
Sugar
Dried or dehydrated fruit

1.  Put 1 cup oats in a food processor and process until powdery.  Set aside in a small bowl.
2.  Put the following in each baggie:  1/4 cup un-powdered oats, 2 T. powdered oats, 1/8 t. salt,
     1 T. creamer, 1 T. Sugar, 2 T. fruit.

3.  Store baggies in an air-tight container.
4.  To serve:  Empty packet into a bowl and add 3/4 cup boiling water.  Stir and let stand for
     2 minutes.  For thicker oatmeal, use less water–for thinner, use more water.


Source: Kaylin Cherry via Pinterest