Seven Layer Cookies - A Family Favorite

Do you have a cookie you only make at the holidays?

We do!

It is the Seven Layer Cookie!

Why do we only make it at Christmas?

I don't know because it is so easy and so yummy!

There are similar recipes on the sweetened condensed milk cans.

Carnation calls them Outrageous Bars. Eagle Brand calls them Magic Bars.

We call them 7 layer bars because we have added butterscotch chips!

Here is what you need!

Melt the stick of butter and pour into a 9 x 13 pan.

In the words of Paula Deen "butter makes it better"!

Take one package of graham crackers and get a helper to crush them up!

This is a great kid cookie because they can help with every step and they are quick!

Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the butter evenly.

Sprinkle a whole bag of chocolate chips!

A whole bag of butterscotch chips!

A cup of pecans! (you can substitute another nut here or leave them out if you have nut allergies in the fam)

A cup to cup and half of coconut!

Drizzle one can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the whole pan.

And Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. If using a glass pan bake at 325, if using a metal pan 350!

Pull them out when they are lightly browned. If you can wait let them cool before cutting,

they will stay together better.

Maybe these will become your family favorite as well!

Happy Holidays!

Recipe:

1 stick butter

1 package graham crackers crushed

1 12 oz package chocolate chips

1- 12 oz package butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)

1 cup coconut

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Melt stick of butter. Sprinkle, and spread crushed graham crackers evenly. Layer chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chopped pecans, and coconut. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over the whole thing (this acts like a glue that will hold everything together.)

Bake at 350 in a metal pan, 325 if using a glass pan for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown on the edges. Let cool before cutting.

Enjoy!

Handmade Gift with a Recipe

Maddie made two homemade gifts for her friend.

She made a canvas using the same method she used for boards in her room here.

And she made stuffed mushrooms.

These are always a hit!

I got the recipe from a good friend years ago!

Sofia tried them and loved them last week at the homecoming festivities.

So Maddie made them for Sofia's birthday as well!

Nothing like a hand made gift!

(we did throw in a little starbucks gift card)

Stuffed Mushrooms

12 large mushrooms

1 cube butter (not margarine)

1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs

1 T finely chopped onion

1 T parsley finely chopped (optional)

1 egg slightly beaten

Salt/Pepper

Wipe mushroom cpas clean. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Dip mushrooms in butter to coat. Mix breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, egg and a little salt and pepper. Fill mushroom caps, melt the remaining butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and drizzle with the remaining butter.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes!

I didn't say it was healthy...Paula Deen would like it because of the stick of butter!!

Pumpkin Latte....the perfect fall coffee.

This is the Pumpkin Latte recipe I found over at Sand and Sisal.

Sand and Sisal

It is super easy.

And much cheaper than Starbucks!

Hope you try it!

Lasagna - Pioneer Woman Style

I made the Pioneer Woman's "Best Ever Lasagna"

One word Delicious!!

What makes it unique?

Cottage Cheese instead of Ricotta (my kids like this better not so pungent!)

Breakfast Pork Sausage mixed with Ground Beef...we really liked the sauce.

The actual baking time pretty quick....just enough time to get kitchen cleaned up,

garlic bread and salad prepped!!

Try it you'll like it!!

Also, her new Food TV show debuted this weekend

it was pretty good; fun to see a life on a ranch!

Another Pioneer Woman Hit!

Day two of trying a new Pioneer Woman Recipe...another keeper.

Here is the photo from her website.

Here is the link to the recipe.

Beef with Snow Peas.

Critique:

All 3 kids liked it!!

It was very easy! Much faster to make than the barbeque yesterday! Much of this prep could be done ahead and then stir fry right before time to eat.

I ended up letting the meat soak in the marinade/sauce for about 45 minutes to time eating with when the kids would be home from their evening activities.

Additions:

Right at the end I tossed in some leftover steamed sliced carrots, just to heat thru. It provided an additional veggie....and the color contrast was very appealing.

Note:

Flank Steak is not as cheap as it used to be, but still cheaper than dinner out for 4 at a Chinese restaurant...even a cheap Chinese restaurant like Panda Express; and I am sure this is healthier.

Tonight...Leftovers!! :)

Happy Cooking.

A KEEPER FROM PIONEER WOMAN!

Do you get tired of your standard meals?

Do you get stuck in a rut, looking for new ideas?

I know I do.

Next question ....have you heard of the Pioneer Woman?

She has a great blog, covering homeschooling, photography, and cooking among other things!

She is a funny writer.

She has a cookbook, a children's book,

she will have her own Food Network show starting this fall,

and they are making a movie about her and her family based on another book she wrote

Black Heels and Tractor Wheels.

On top of that she has 4 kids!

She is a busy woman!

So this week before grocery shopping a picked out 4 recipes to try from her blog.

The first up was this one just posted on Monday.

Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken

It was fabulous!

A definite keeper!

I am not going to post any pictures because she has done all the work (see recipe link above)!

I am going to provide you with a critique:

1. Allow enough time for browning the chicken this takes a little longer than you would think. Allow 10-15 minutes per batch. After that the dish comes together pretty quick.

2. BE CAREFUL WITH THE WHISKEY! I have had some bad luck with adding alcohol to dishes and it not cooking off. I reduced the whiskey from 1-1/2 cups, to 1/2 cup and than added a cup of chicken broth. (I could still taste it a little bit....so if you don't want to taste it at all just substitute chicken broth where you see whiskey....it would be cheaper too.)

We will definitely be making this again.

The kids said keeper, everyone left the table stuffed!

A sure sign of a good meal right!?

Let me know if you try it!

Scones -- Peach, with Toasted Coconut and Pecans

Do you have a go to breakfast baked good?

For me it is scones.

I have a basic recipe I use from a May 2000 issue of Country Home

and I just change out the mix-ins based on my availability.

Today we tried coconut, pecans and peaches.

We toasted the pecans and coconut on a little cookie sheet in the toaster oven.

Watch closely coconut can quickly go from toasted to burnt.

Whisk together dry ingredients, 2 cups flour, 2 Tbsp. baking powder, 2 Tbsp. sugar.

Cut in 1/3 cup butter (use the real stuff...margarine just isn't the same.)

Gently mix-in your coconut, pecans, and peaches, coat with the flour mixture.

Stir in 3/4 cup milk. Your dough will be thick and sticky.

Turn out onto your counter and just form it

into a circle approximately 7 inches and 3/4 inch thick.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Brush with a little additional milk and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

I did a little longer with the peaches because they were sort of a wet addition.

Enjoy!!

Recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/2 - 1 cup of mix-ins (suggestions below)

3/4 cups milk

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar. Cut in the butter with pastry blender, or two knives until mixture resembles coarse peas. Add in desired mix-in. Add 3/4 cup milk and stir just until dough clings together. On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a 7 inch circle 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 6 to 8 wedges. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with additional milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake in a 425 oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Other mix-in combos:

Chocolate Chips (kids favorite)

Chocolate Chips, 1Tbsp Orange Zest

Chocolate Chips, Coconut

(do you see a theme?)

Strawberries

Dried Fruit....

You get the idea, use the base recipe and make it your own. You could even go 50/50 on the flour and use 1/2 oats 1/2 flour!!

Enjoy!

Peach Crumble Pie!!

We celebrated a little 4th of July Barbeque a couple of days early.

My husband is an airline pilot and will be working on the 4th.

He loves a good barbeque so the day he left we made a good barbeque dinner.

On the menu:

Ribs

Mashed Potatoes

Corn on the Cob with Cilantro/Lime Butter

Pan Fried Garlic Brussel Sprouts

Garlic Bread

and

Peach Crumble Pie

I wanted to share a tip to peel peaches easily.

First Score the Peach with a big X.

Drop in boiling water for about 30 seconds, or until skin starts to pull away from peach.

Remove from water when cool enough to handle pull skin away from peach.

This way you don't waste any of the delicious peach.

The Martha Stewart Recipe is from her Everyday Food Magazine.

We made the whole recipe including the crust.

But you could definitely cut a corner and buy the Pilsbury Crust from the refrigerator section.

The crumble was the best part.

(the photo above is before it was mixed)

MMM Peaches

Top with crumble.

Here it is baked.

The main drawback.

It needs to set for an hour and a half after you bake it so plan your time accordingly.

Here is the clan enjoying the feast.

Happy 4th!

Got Squash!!?

So the garden is groWING!

I have packed alot of plants in this year!

So far so good no tomato worms like last year!

The yellow squash is out of control.

Look at the size of these leaves!

So far the producing plants are, beets, zucchini, basil, cucumbers and lots of yellow squash!

We have eaten the squash, sauteed, grilled, roasted.

Then I remembered a recipe for Yellow Squash & Basil Soup.

My old neighbor from Naval Housing (more than 10 years ago) made it for me.

I got the recipe.

I went thru my box and I found it!

It is so easy.

I know you will love it too!

It is hard to think about soup in summer sometimes.

But, it is yellow squash a summer vegetable.

Serve it with a a crisp cool salad.

Delicious!!

Recipe:

4 Tbsp Butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 small yellow squash, sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced.

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a 4 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, squash and carrots. Saute for 8-10 minutes.

Add chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Puree in batches in blender, cuisnart or better yet use a emulsion blender. Add basil as you go so it gets blended into soup. Return to pot and heat, stir in half and half and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Homemade Strawberry Milk

Do you like Strawberry Milk?
I have to admit I always wanted my mom to buy the Nesquik Strawberry Milk.
She never did :(
It is full of sugar and processed... but I admit I do buy it.
I add a little amount...much littler than recommended to
give my 3 year old's milk a slight taste of strawberry.
My motto it is more important to get the calcium in than avoid a little sugar.

However, frequently we have been making a homemade version.

With fresh strawberries.



Sometimes we throw in a small container of yogurt.




Equal parts, milk and ice.







Take a little sample.

What does it need a few more strawberries?

A little more ice?

Adjust it to your taste.

And Enjoy!!

Recipe:

This is approximate:

Fill blender to about 3/4 full with strawberries. (This is also a perfect place to use up those strawberries that may be a little past their prime; they blend up well.)

A container of yogurt if you have it on hand. If not we have made it without the yogurt.

About 3/4 cup of both milk and ice.

Blend.

Other Combinations:

Banana, Peach, Mixed Berries

Leftovers? Freeze into popsicles. Or freeze in a baggie and just pop the frozen leftovers into the next batch!!

Crisp Skinned Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes

So I tried a new recipe!!

It is from the January issue of Martha Stewart.

You can find the recipe here.

You sprinkle a little cornstarch on the chicken and rub it with butter, that is what makes the chicken so crisp.

But, my families favorite part of this recipe was the potatoes!!

You peel and boil them a bit. Then you lay them around

the chicken and cook in the oven. They become yummy and crispy!

(You do need to flip them once half way through)

Next time we try this chicken we will definitely make more of the potatoes!

You may say why make my own roast chicken when you can get them pre-roasted from nearly every supermarket. Don't get me wrong I buy those too. But, there is something about the smell that makes it worth it to make one at home. And it really is easy.

There were several other roast chicken recipes from the January issue we will be trying.

How does Garlic-Rubbed Chicken with Roasted Oranges and Red Onions sound? Or Paprika- Rubbed Chicken with Roasted Garlic? You can find these recipes here and here.

So grab a whole chicken next time they are on sale and try one out for yourself!