Sprechen Sie German?

When we were in Germany I had the best bratwurst in a little town just off the Rhine, near the Brother's Castles. It was my first bratwurst ever, and it was amazing! Since I've been home I've tried a couple brats and they don't even seem like they are the same product!

Oktoberfest is here (up at Snowbird) and I wonder if it will come close to my real German experience? Any thoughts? Has anyone been? Is anyone thinking of going? Call me, maybe we'll head up there together.

How fun!

Check out Design Mom and the amazing party she planned for her little girl! She hired Sticky Fingers (in the Denver area) to come and set up, entertain, and clean up. Now that's what I'm talkin' about! The kids made customized chef hats, then were taught how to cook a meal. What was the meal you ask? Parmesan and Ricotta Gnocchi over Peaches with Prosciutto and Parmesan plus Honey Lavender Dressing. I don't even eat that well! And it sounds like the kids loved it.


What a cool business concept. Throw parties and teach kids how to cook. Anyone up for it?
When I'm a mom I hope I'm half as cool!

No Soup For You!

Yesterday the air was nice and crisp and the sun was still shining, it was fabulous! I've been waiting for this day so I could make some yummy soup. Sunday dinner was just me and husband, so we tackled this recipe together and finally perfected it. Really, this recipe is pretty easy, just a little time consuming, but really worth it.

Chicken Corn Chowder
Serves 8

3 - 4 potatoes (chopped into bite size pieces)
½ cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
½ of a yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ jalapeno
1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 tsp)
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups water

Bring ingredients to a boil. Make sure that vegetables are fully covered, if you need to add water, do so. Once boiling, simmer until tender.

In a separate pan make a roux:
1 cube butter
¾ cup flour

On medium high heat, melt butter. Once melted, decrease temp to medium heat and gradually whisk in flour. Continue stirring until you get a nice thick consistency.

Then add:
1 tbl. sugar
1 quart of milk

Once this is all mixed, add broth mixture into the milk mixture. Then add the following:

Fresh Rosemary (to taste, you don’t need much)
3 cups cook and cubed chicken (I roast 4 breasts of chicken)
2 cans of sweet canned corn (drain liquid)
1 lb. velveeta cheese (at room temperature, cube, then add)
Salt & pepper to taste.

Cook until the cheese is melted and to desired temperature.

Husband started out by roasting 4 chicken breasts by placing them in a roasting pan, pouring one can of chicken broth, and then seasoning them with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. I know this is more time consuming than boiling the chicken, but it really tastes the best and makes it so the chicken isn't tough and rubbery. I then used the reserves to replace the one can of broth it calls for in the recipe.

This is probably my favorite soup. It's a large recipe for just two of us, but I like to have leftovers and some to freeze for another day. The only thing that would make this recipe better is if I had made my homemade crescent rolls to dip into it.

Sunday Dinner

We had family over this Sunday for Travis and Nikki's birthdays. On the menu:

Chuck Roast

Season with Salt & Pepper, fresh rosemary, lemon zest from one

lemon, and 2 garlic cloves. Put it in a crock pot on top of carrots and onions

and pour 2 cans of beef broth over it. Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Carrots

(placed on the bottom of the roast with onions)

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Homemade Crescent Rolls

Homemade Raspberry & Peach Jam

Eclair Cake

The roast just fell apart, it was really good. Putting a roast in a crock pot is great because the only thing I had to do right before the guests arrive was the potatoes and gravy. The best part of the meal really was the rolls and jam. My friend Lauren gave me this recipe years ago and it's turned into a family favorite.

Lauren's Crescent Rolls:

2 Cups warm Water

2 Packages Quick Rising Yeast

1/4 Cup Oil

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Egg

5 1/2 Cups Flour

In a large bowl pour warm water over yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes in order to activate the yeast. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Let stand for 1-2 hours for the dough to rise. Divide dough in half, roll out in circles and cut into pie shapes. Roll into crescent. Place on lightly greased sheet. Cover. Let rise for 1-2 hours. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Makes about 2 dozen, depending on the size you make the rolls. I like them big, so I usually only make 16 large rolls.

A great tip I've learned when it comes to cleaning up after serving a large group is to always make sure your dishwasher is empty. That way you can gaurantee you'll have room for all the dirty dishes after dinner. This means making sure you clean up as you cook.

Oh yeah, remember my restaurant recommendation? Well, gift certificates and BBQ sauce make a great gift for guys who like their meat (Travis). And, homemade jam makes for a great parting gift for your guests. My cute niece, Kellie, recommended tying raffia to the container for better presentation.

Enjoy!

Homemade Love

I had some friends move into a new home and figured a good housewarming gift would be some homemade jam.

I love homemade jam, but I've always thought it would be difficult / time consuming to make. I was completely wrong. I used the recipe off of the back of this fruit pectin packet and was done in 10 minutes flat! It calls for 4 cups of crushed fruit and 1 1/2 cups sugar. You mix everything together and don't even have to turn the stove on!

Since it was so easy to make, I figured I better make some homemade wheat bread to go with it.

Anyone know of a cute way to package freezer jam to give as a gift? Let me know.

BBQ for Summer's End

For me, Labor Day weekend represents the ending of Summer and the beginning of Fall. Yes, my pumpkin obsession should be starting soon. And what better way to see Summer come to an end with a great BBQ meal. So Husband and I made our way to Pat's BBQ for a little brisquet, ribs, meatloaf, and all the fixen's, that was all to die for! If you're looking for a great, hearty meal that serves you enough food to last a week, this is where you want to be. Check it out here.

Just in case you were wondering, they sell their awesome bbq sauce for $6 a bottle. This is serious stuff!

Italian Feast

While in Italy we had some amazing food and I've been wanting to recreate some of our favorite meals and share them with friends. We even brought home some spices and pesto that I've been dying to try. And seriously, how could you not miss drinking Fanta? It's either that, wine, or sparkling water, which left us without much options. They also look at you funny when you ask for tap water. Go figure.
I love how meals are an event in Italy so I wanted to experience it the same way, dining al fresco of course.

The menu

Bevande: Orange Fanta

Antipasti: Bruschetta

1st Course: Spaghettie Carbonara

2nd Course: Grilled chicken with pesto

Dolci: Tiramisu

The meal was good, but I think the only thing worth noting was the tiramisu. For the recipe go here. When we were in Rome we had the best strawberry Tiramisu ever, which is why I replaced the raspberries with strawberries. I also ran out of time and couldn't get to the liquor store for the orange liqueur, so instead I squeezed the juice from two oranges and about 1-2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and simmered over medium heat to infuse the flavors (it worked out quite well).

The best part really was the company! Thanks Dave, Brittany and Madeline for joining us.

Tomato Season

I had this for lunch today:

And it made me think of this:

One of the first things I had once I arived in Italy was Capreses Salad. We started winding the streets of Venice and found a little restaurant tucked in a street with beautiful outdoor dining and an accordian player. It was everything I had pictured when I thought of Italy.

So, since tomatoes are finally in season, I've been dying to have caprese salad again. I picked up some fresh mozzarella at Costco for just under $7 for 5 pounds last night and it's so good. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella up and add fresh basil, salt and pepper, and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegarette. Enjoy!

Because I want to go wherever you go...

For our 8th Anniversary (yes 8, I know) I wanted to do something special for Husband. I got the idea from the Oh Happy Day blog and knew it would be perfect. I thought it would be simple, but it turned out to be quite the project with many late nights. I pretty much followed the instructions, the only problem I faced was that the map I got was really big! I also thought it would be great to add a beautiful frame, and I knew my friend Alex has mad wood working skills! I got some pins to indicate all the places we've been, and all the places we want to go. Here's the breakdown:

World map 43x30 found at Utah Idaho Supply for $12.99

Pins / flags founds at Utah Idaho Supply for around $3.99/pkg

Foam board at Michaels Crafts for $1.50

Spray glue at Michaels Crafts for $3.00

Wood to make the frame at Lowe's for a total of $10.00

Stain for the wood I already had

Now all I have to do is to figure out where I want to hang it up. Any ideas?

Party Like A Rock Star

We celebrated Husband's 30th birthday with a backyard party filled with lots of friends and fun. I have to admit that I didn't start planning it until the day before, but fortunately it turned out great. I kept everything pretty simple and kid friendly (since most of our friends now have growing families).

Here are the supplies I purchased:

A few pieces of cute paper (and stuck with a color scheme) - $5

Small cellophane treat bags - $2

Lemons and limes - $3

4 bags of lemonheads - $4

With the paper I made the garland that you see hanging from the trees and added a few details to some of the serving pieces. Then with the treat bags I made party favors for guests to take home.

Afterward, we enjoyed a game of volleyball with plenty of smack talk (some more than others - Robin!). We even had our very own cheerleaders :)

Action shots courtesy of Nat (thanks Nat!)

Keep it Simple

You want to know what the problem is when you eat Italian food in the States? Way too many ingredients. Seriously, the Italians know how to do it. They keep it simple.

Dinner typically starts at around 8:00pm and you first start off with appetizers, which for us was either caprese or bruschetta. Then you move on to the first course, which is pasta. The pasta consists of noodles and a sauce (no meat, extra veggies, or cheeses). Then you move on to the second course, meat. Typically fish, but sometimes you'll see a red meat or chicken. Then dessert, always dessert. And lastly, a cappuccino or coffee (and if you decline they look at you funny). In between each course they talk and smoke and hang out. It turns into quite the event, lasting at least 2 hours.

While in Rome we found a tiny restaurant tucked away in a little street, where I had the best pasta of my life. It was Spaghetti Carbonara, pictured above, which consists of bacon, eggs, and cheese. That's it. Anyone have a great recipe? I'm dying to test it!

Lunch pretty much consisted of caprese sandwiches. Tomato, mozzarella (the freshest I've ever had), and basil on a roll. That's it. Soooo good!

This may not seem to surprising to those of you who know me, but my favorite place also happened to have the best food. Vernazza, Italy - check it out (the picture speaks for itself).

No time for homemade?

Last week I went to bookclub and wanted to bring something yummy, but had no time to make something from scratch. I love making rolls, and will have to share my recipe soon, but I just couldn't fit it in my schedule. So, I ran over to Texas Roadhouse (remembering how yummy their rolls and cinnamon butter taste) and bought up a dozen of them. They come all wrapped up nicely in a pretty box and are only $3.99/dozen! So, if you're ever in a bind this is a great option.

If you haven't ever had them, trust me, their that good!

Photo Session

I get asked about the picture on my sidebar all the time. All of the credit (and I mean ALL of it) goes to my cute friend Brittany who took them. Isn't she amazing? You should contact her if you're interested.

Anyway, here's a couple more from our fabulous photo shoot. It was so much fun, thanks Brittany!

Gelato Countdown

In exactly 12 days I will be on a plane heading for Europe with my twin bro and his wife. First I'll be trying out bratwurst's in Germany (can you believe I've never had one before?) and then I'll move down through Italy in search of the best gelato. Seriously, if you know anything about me at all, you know that my favorite part of travel is the food!
It will be husbands first time out of the country (Canada just doesn't count) and we're both so excited. Any tips, favorite restaurants, shopping, or sites that are a must? Please share!

I went out with some cute girlfriends the other night to try out some local Italian pizza at Setebello's and then on for some gelato at Capo Gelateria. It's a good way to prepare for my trip, don't you think? Anyway, these connecting restaurant's are a must date night/girls night, and I highly recommend them!

I inquired about the difference between gelato and ice cream, and besides the differences in ingredients and processes, it apparently has fewer calories! I figured that I can now eat more of it while in Italy.

Outdoor Entertaining

As previously mentioned, my house is WAY too small for entertaining. On the other hand, my backyard has room a plenty! Which makes for great summer parties. The only bad part is that I don't hardly have any outdoor furniture. What I have learned is that there are tricks to making it work. For instance, that utility table of mine....suddenly looks beautiful with a pretty tablecloth and fresh cut flowers from the garden as a centerpiece. You almost don't even notice the ugly folding chairs that are tucked into the table!

I love it when my cute sister-in-law Nikki entertains. And here's why:

a) she's all about good food and fun (no fuss)

b) she always has an unlimited supply of beverages, with an option that pleases everyone

c) you can hang out all night if you want (she's up for anything)

Images:

Galvanized Metal Tray I can think of so many ways to use this tray! Great to carry anything from beverages, to strawberries, to your paper products.

White Serving Tray with Melamine Serving Ware This tray is so versatile, it could work indoors or out, or even become a permanent fixture on your coffee table! Don't you love the melamine serving ware?

Under the Sea Serving Pieces I've had my eye on this for forever, just waiting for it to go one sale. Everything would look great in this from fruit, to seafood, to dips, to mini desserts.

Hmmm...I should have a party. Maybe a bunco tournament? or how about some Volleyball? Who wants to come? If we were at Nikki's it would be Rock Band all the way!

I promise, you'll never go back

On Saturday morning I was craving pancakes, but I didn't have much time to make them from scratch, so I decided to make them from the box (not as good, but still worthwhile). I started getting everything out and the husband came in to help when I decided that I wanted to make homemade syrup, so the boxed pancakes would taste better. Husband starts getting annoyed that I'm taking the time to do this. I told him not only will I finish before he makes the pancakes, but he will thank me later for the delicious syrup.


Not only did he thank me while we were eating our pancakes with homemade syrup, but I finished way before he the pancakes were done!


Thanks to Adrianne, I now get why she won't eat store bought syrup. I know I won't!

Just follow the directions on the box.

Another tip: when making boxed pancakes, add some zest from a lemon and it will do wonders!

Fabulous Crepes

Sunday brunch is my favorite, as you can tell by most of the recipes I include in this blog. This last Sunday I opened up my Fabulous Fairholm cookbook and finally decided on these amazing crepes. They were so easy and quick, just remember when you are making crepes you want them as thin as possible, so spread the batter out as much as you can. I added powdered sugar, strawberries, homemade whip cream, and homemade syrup. You can even omit the sugar and make them a heartier breakfast by making fillings such as scrambled eggs, mushrooms, chives, and sausage. The possiblities are endless.

Fairholme Crepes
serves 4 - 6

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
dash salt
2 teaspoons sugar (if using sweet filling, otherwise omit)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or melted butter


Whisk together above ingredients until smooth. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Heat lightly oiled, non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat.

Pour 1 medium ladle of batter into pan and swirl to cover entire pan. Cook briefly and flip over with a wide spatula. Continue to cook until golden for about 1-2 minutes. Make sure that the pan comes back up to temperature between crepes.

To freeze, or not to freeze?

Did you know I freeze my bananas? No, not the ripe and ready to eat ones, but the ones that don't get eaten before they go brown and are perfect for baking. Why you ask? Well, then I know I have them on hand for those homemade banana bread cravings. I'm still searching for the perfect recipe, and am currently taking suggestions, but honestly, stephmodo never steers me wrong. So maybe I'll have to try out her favorite banana bread recipe.

Image via flickr.com

Wishful Thinking

If any of you have every been to my home you know that it's tiny! At least it feels that way. I love, love to entertain, but I just don't have the space for it. Which is why many of you haven't been over. I don't have a dining room, but I am constantly dreaming of what it would be like if I did. Right now, my dining consists of a small 4 person table in the corner of my tiny kitchen (and even then, it barely fits).

I am in LOVE with this dining room. Don't you just want to sit there for hours and eat fabulous food! I know I do. And the striped captain chairs...amazing!

Sorry, I don't even remember where I found this image. What I do know is that I'll save it for the day that I can finally duplicate it.

Have a lovely weekend....

Oh My!

Getting family together for Mother's Day is difficult. I feel like the Mother's still end up doing all the work on a day that is supposed to be for them. So this Mother's Day I had my family over, and all the Mother's had to do was show up. We had a great BBQ (husband was the chef), played a little badminton, and I made these amazing Brownie Peanut Butter Cups. Heaven! Try em, you won't be dissapointed.

Just a little tip: don't use as much peanut butter as it calls for.

Kitchen Love

I bet I'd cook more often if I had a kitchen like this one. Image via Elements of Style. Check this blog out, it's fabulous!

I'm in a cooking slump. Slump meaning I just don't cook. I could eat cereal.....for every meal.

Well, I call it a slump. The husband says if it's been more than a few weeks it's worse than a slump.

That's right, I just promoted him to full time chef in our household!

Easter Table

It's all about presentation! I found this great bunny napkin tutorial at Martha Stewart.com. For your centerpiece, put pretty eggs (dyed, or plastic) in a clear vase with a couple of votive candles and it will look amazing! Or, buy a bunch of tulips at the grocery store and put in a pretty vase. The best part is, most of this stuff everyone has on hand so you won't have to go out and buy anything.

Now you have everything you need to host a beautiful Easter meal.

Easter Dessert

Stephmodo has done it again! The moment I saw this recipe for Coconut Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting on her blog, I knew I had to test it out. It turned out so good, and I think it would be a wonderful Easter dessert. You definitely need to use Martha's Cake Frosting Tips to ensure your cake turns out pretty. Stephmodo adds Lemon Curd to this classic cake, unfortunately I didn't have time to test it out, but after trying the cake, the moisteness of the curd would compliment the cake really well. Serve slightly chilled for best results.

If anyone wants some cake come on over, I've got plenty left!

Enjoy!

Easter Dinner

Husband made dinner last night. It turned out fabulous! He can make dinner for me anytime.

This recipe can definitely be tweaked. For instance, we didn't have any cherries, so we used Craisens, instead of shallots use whatever onion you have in the fridge, and we ommitted the apple. So it's whatever works for you and your pantry! And it's also fairly healthy (i.e. we omitted the butter as well!)

Pork Chops with Cherry Apple Reduction Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pork chops, medium thickness

1 shallot, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and diced

3 tablespoons white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 pound cherries, pitted and diced

2 tablespoons butter

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the pan and brown on both sides; remove and keep warm.

3. In the same pan, saute shallots and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes. Add apples and wine; saute for 1 minute.

4. Add chicken stock, mustard, diced cherries and pork to the pan, simmer over medium heat until the cherries are soft and the pork is cooked all the way through.

5. Remove pork and stir butter into the sauce.

6. To serve, drizzle sauce over pork chops.

Makes 4 servings

This would make a wonderful Easter meal, just add mashed potatoes, and asparagus with hollandaise sauce.

Enjoy!

Mustard Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

I was looking to cook something for dinner the other night that was both delicious and healthy (and as always, easy to make). I remember coming across this recipe (from Real Simple) via one of my favorite blogs stephmodo. I had to tweek it to adjust for the items I had on hand, but it still turned out fabulous.

A few things to consider:

*You don't have to use a whole chicken, I used chicken breasts.

*You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, I used potatoes, carrots, and onions.

*The sauce can be adjusted, I added a couple tablespoons of honey. It's probably better with a really good deli mustard, but I didn't have any, and my plain, cheap mustard still did the trick!

The recipe is worthy of guests, just add a nice artisan bread and a yummy green salad and you have a quick, easy dinner!

Click here to view the recipe

photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo

Blueberry Pancakes

When Trevor and I took a trip to Canada, we stayed at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast http://www.fairholmemanor.com/. It was unbelievable! The inn keepers were great hosts and the breakfast was to die for! So good in fact that they made a cookbook, and every time I make something from it, it turns out to be the most delicious recipe I've ever tried. You can check out their website for information on purchasing the book, but in the meantime, you can try out this recipe to give you an idea of how great it is.
Blueberry Pancakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
zest 1 large lemon or orange
3 cups buttermilk (substitute: 3 cups milk with 3 tablespoons vinegar, let sit for 5 minutes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
maple syrup

Preheat griddle or skillet on medium heat.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed and make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, lemon or orange zest, buttermilk and melted butter. Pour mixture into center of well and gently fold together. The batter should have a pebbly or slightly lumpy consistency (it will also be runny, but you want it this way!).

Coat the griddle with vegetable oil. Pour about 1/2 cup batter onto heated griddle, about 3" apart. Scatter 8 to 10 blueberries on top of each pancake. When bubbles being to appear on top, carefully flip over each pancake and continue to cook until golden brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

*Just so you know, the picture in the cookbook looks way better than mine, but the taste is amazing! And yes, this picture of the Inn doesn't even do it justice.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tsp baking powder

5-6 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients. You want the dough to be soft, but not too sticky. Chill until cold, then roll it out and cut it into shapes. Make sure you cookies are at a nice thickness (thin sugar cookies are never good). Bake at 350 deg for 8-15 minutes (time varies by thickness). Once the bottoms are slightly golden they're done!

Frosting:

5 Tbl butter (room temperature)

3 Tbl crisco

2 tsp vanilla

approx 8 cups of powdered sugar

approx 10 Tbl evaporated milk
Cream butter and crisco. Mix everything together until you get a good consistency.

*This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies! So the frosting recipe is large so you have enough to frost every cookie!

Martha Stewart and I have made up

So, I really wanted chocolate, and since this recipe looked so easy, and I had all the ingredients, I decided to give Martha another chance (see my previous post about our quarrel). These cookies were not only easy, but delicious as well. In fact, I think they are my new favorite cookie!







Surprise Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally (I think it’s better to use a mound of miniature marshmallows)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

Chocolate Frosting – Makes 1 cup
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

Martha, I missed you dearly. I’m so glad we could have the chance to make up.


This is Trevor, my Sous Chef (self proclaimed) and taste tester. He wanted to make sure he got adequate mention for making the frosting. It really was good frosting honey!

This is what my neighbors are getting, how about yours?

White Wheat Bread

5 cups hot tap water

1/4 cup oil

3/4 cup honey

1 T salt

2 T instant yeast

10-12 cups flour (half wheat and half white)

In bread mixer put water, oil, and honey, (put honey in same cup as oil and it comes out a lot easier!), salt, and 1/2 the flour. Start to mix and then add yeast and enough flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Let machine knead for 6 minutes. Let rise for 10 to 15 minutes (this step can be eliminated if you're in a hurry!). Put oil on counter and roll or pound into loaves. Put into greased pans and let rise 15 to 20 minutes on top of warm stove. Bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes. After putting bread on cooling racks, rub stick of butter all over the top (this makes your bread look pretty). Make 4 medium sized loaves.

Raspberry Butter

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the berries and powdered sugar until softened.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Add butter and mix until combined. This may take a few minutes, but it will come together.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ding Dongs

Everything is always better homemade than store bought, right? Well, I decided I wanted to make ding dongs, and it turned out so easy and simple (best of all, the ingredients are always on hand at my house). So this is what I did:

Make cupcakes (I just use a box - sooo much easier!), but only fill them about half way (you don't want them to over flow out the top of the pan). Once cooled I "inject" the bottoms with this filling (see picture):

Filling:

1/4 cup all-purpous flour

1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside to cool completely.

Once cooled, beat the 1/2 cup shortening, butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the milk mixture and continue to beat for 4 more minutes.

You'll want to inject the cupcakes about 3 - 4 times to make sure you get a good amount of filling in there.

For the chocolate topping you can do a ganache (which is good just messier) or use a dipping chocolate (also good, but much prettier than the ganache - depends on what you want).

Dipping Chocolate:

Melt 12 oz chocolate

Add 2 teaspoons shortening, mix until smooth

Then dip the tops of the cupcakes into melted mixture. If serve cold I've found they taste better.