Day 347

Paul and I took a Christmas cookie making class this afternoon. He had a ton of fun rolling dough, pressing out cookies, rolling balls, frosting, and sprinkling sugar. He also did a fair bit of taste testing along the way. One of my favorite things about this class is that it was at one of the local wholesome food stores, so a lot of the ingredients were natural and added healthy elements to the delicious treats.

Day 234

I've been wanting to make this for almost two weeks since PCC posted the recipe on Twitter. I bought a semi-tart apples from the Farmers Market last week. I would have made it last weekend, but we needed to leave too early in the morning for my cousin's wedding.

Since I couldn't do it last weekend, I didn't try to find bread until this week. The boys and I found this perfect cinnamon bread at the grocery store.

It took some time and my kitchen was a mess, but the results were devine! I'll have to make this again later this fall.

Day 207

Today I have a recipe to share because that's the kind of friendly blogger that I am. We had a church picnic this evening, and were supposed to bring a dessert. I decided to make Toffee Brownies, which are really super easy.

First you make up a regular batch of 9" x 13" brownies, but don't bake them. Then you melt a 1/4 cup of butter in about a 12-inch skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add one cup of brown sugar and one cup of chopped pecan. I made mine with about 1/3 cup of chopped pecans and 2/3 cup of walnuts because that's what I had in the house.

The recipe I follow is a bit vague at this point and says heat until melted. You stir and stir for a while and think you're done, but if it looks like this...

then keep going.

Once it looks like this...


you need to "pour: it over the brownies, which really means drop. Then spread it out a bit, but work quickly because it will harden into a toffee in not too much time.

Bake it in the oven per your brownie directions, and you'll have...


Pretty easy, tasty, and you probably won't come home with any.

Day 179

Over the past two days, Paul and I have made a couple of batches of ice cream. This afternoon we made some mint chocolate chip. Here's Paul pouring in the milk. We brought our ice cream to grandma and grandpa's house tonight. Paul was very proud to be making it for his family.

Day 115

I'd been planning to do this for a while, but I was waiting for a really good menu. This morning, my good friend and I went to Dinner's Ready and made 20 meals. The last time I did this was well before Matt was born.

It's really nice to have some pre-made meals hanging out in the freezer for those nights when I don't have a lot of time or a lot of inspiration. It's not cheap, but there are almost always leftovers for lunch the next day and it's a more balanced alternative to grilled cheese sandwiches or frozen pizza.

The best thing is that this many meals will fill in the gaps for us for probably at least 3 months. We really enjoyed our Yakisoba Stir Fry with Pork for dinner tonight.

Day 92

I had some bacon left over from the stew I made a couple of weeks ago. I didn't want it to go bad, so I looked up a crustless quiche recipe and it turned out fantastic!

I hadn't made a quiche in years because hubby gave the impression that he really didn't care for them. This one had lots of bacon, mushrooms and cheese. It was such a hit with the hubby that he had to stop himself at three pieces because he was afraid he'd get sick.

Now the kids on the other hand were a different story.

Day 76

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to try my hand at making some Irish Lamb Stew. I'd never cooked with lamb before, so I was a bit nervous about trying it out. It turned out fantastic! The meat was very tender and flavorful. It was a surprise for my husband, and he really enjoyed it.

Day 58

I don't generally have plans for Valentine's Day, but this year I had a few things I wanted to do for my guys. One of them was make a cake. I made the cake, but then we all got sick with the flu and all I could smell that entire night was that cake. I thought I'd never be able to eat a yellow cake again.

The first cake ended up being tossed before it was ever frosted. I decided to make another today. It turned out super yummy. One of my favorite parts is the black heart sprinkles. I'm not a fan of the holiday, so they were perfect!

Day 35

I am not a cook at all. I don't have the time, and honestly, I can't stand the clean-up. But I got it in my head to try making my baby's cupcakes for his first birthday party from scratch. How hard can it be to follow directions? Actually, for me it can be challenging.

Anyway, here's the finished product.


They are Cookies and Cream Cupcakes. I think they turned out okay. Based on the batter, I think they might be a bit too floury, but they smell pretty good. I also think I might have gone after those poor Oreos a bit too much. It sure was fun to crush them though.

Now I have to figure out a frosting. I want something light. I'm going to try to find a whipping cream frosting. Or maybe mousse.