Thursday, May 19, 2011

Warm Cake Mix Delights



All you do is add 1/4 cup of any Betty Crocker Cake Mix to 1/8 cup of water.
Mix it in a microwave safe bowl and add any filler or topping.
In this one, I added mini chocolate chips as my filler and carmel sauce as my topping.
Next, microwave for about a minute (but check it after 50 seconds just in case.)
When its done, leave it in the microwave for a few moments. . . . wouldn't want it to pop in your face.
(Not that it would. Its just, after the re-fried bean incident I am leery of hot things popping in my face.)





















Now its done and you have an easy, delicious, warm, gooey, mini cake just for you! Best part is it is so easy to make another one for every member of your family!

Note: I totally stole this from my sister on her blog. You can find her recipe and pictures here.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tuesday Morning Scones

 
At 12am after school, these are the best pictures you're gonna get





Cleaning Day: Attacking the Kitchen!






So... this is what my kitchen looked like on Tuesday morning.

Pretty bad eh?
Well I decided to con my little sister into helping me deep clean it.
It took a few good hours and A LOT of elbow grease but we did it!

First: We cleared off all the counters and table (plus the table and oven that's 6 surfaces)
Second: We picked up all of the stuff off the floor. (that pile of orange is nasty towels and rags)
Third: Kenna (and Ella) scrubbed down the surfaces/windows/oven while I washed dishes (I should add that our dishwasher only works as a drying rack so all those had to be done by hand. . . . my hand)
Fourth: We pulled off all the plants and pulled out the table and swept and mopped the whole floor
Fifth: We cleaned out SOME of the cupboards (just some)

This is the end result.



Make sue to flip back and forth from the end result to the starting result
so you can get the full effect. (btw: the corner to the right of the pic with the table
had some nasty, sticky stuff on the ground. my shoe almost stuck to the floor!)

The wall behind the oven was splatter painted red with pasta sauce.
















With 4 adults, one minor, constant stream of children and other siblings coming through this kitchen is great at getting messy very easily. But I have to say, it looks and feels a whole lot bigger when its clean!

Friday, May 13, 2011

One day I was in the mood for. . . . . Cookies!

 First set of ingredients....

Second set of ingredients...





Chewy, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz.)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
  • 1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
  • 2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using.
  • 3. Drop dough onto baking sheet. (I used my cookie scoop!)
  • 4. Bake in a 400° oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
  • 5. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
Note: For the longest time my oven has refused to bake cookies correctly so bound and determined to get this recipe right I only baked two cookies at a time until I found the right cooking time.
Note 2: If you do not want to bake all the dough at once then scoop the dough onto a cooled and prepared baking sheet. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough is firm. Take the sheet out, remove dough and place in large freezer safe Ziploc bag. Return to freezer. This way you can take them out and bake as many as you desire.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

One day I was in the mood for...Corn Dogs!

Corn Dog Recipe:

Chili powder and honey were the main flavors in this so be sure to add enough. Don't worry about it being spicy or hot because the chili just makes it flavorful.


 Dry ingredients+wet ingredients= 2c. batter

Aren't they cute? Oh and yes, the one in the top left corner is actually and Oreo.

"Mini" Corn dog Recipe:
I got this recipe off the Internet and adapted it a bit

2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of yellow corn meal
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4  teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (I used Chili powder)
Honey (I didn't measure but use a lot. probably approx. 1/4 c.)
1 egg
3/4 cup of whole milk
1 pkg. hot dogs or veggie dogs
4 tablespoons of cornstarch (for dredging)
Skewers (Note: I used one skewer to dip with then just slid the batter-dipped hot dog into the oil with a knife)
Oil for frying (I put about 3/4 bottle of vegetable oil in my wok and it worked great)

Grab a pair of tongs and line a baking sheet with paper towels. (For the corn dogs after frying.)
Pour your oil in a cast iron skillet, dutch oven, or deep fryer (or wok).  Heat over medium-high heat until your thermometer reads 375F (Note: I don't have a thermometer so I guessed by putting a drop of the batter in. If its hot enough the batter will rise).

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yellow corn meal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cayenne/chili powder. In a large bowl whisk the one egg and whole milk.  Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, mixing until just combined.  The mixture will look a lot like pancake mix.  Don’t over-mix and let it rest for 10 minutes. Note: I left the batter in the measuring cup and it was easier to dip the hot dogs into.)

While your batter is resting, lay your cornstarch on a baking sheet or big plate.  Place each hot dog on a skewer and roll in the cornstarch, being sure to pat off any excess.  Then quickly dip the hot dog in and out of the batter. Immediately place the corn dog in the hot oil.  Be careful! The oil will be hot and may splash back at you.  Cook until the coating is golden brown, 4-5 minutes.  Remove with tongs and place on paper towels for draining.  Serve with ketchup and mustard and enjoy!

Note: I made these for my nieces so I decided to make them mini. At first I simply cut the hot dogs into 3 equal parts. I found that they were too big so I began cutting them into 6 equal parts. They worked great and were easy for little fingers to grab and dip!

Another note: I had to keep adding honey and chili powder to the batter even after I started frying it up. Be sure to only do a few corn dogs at a time then taste and make sure its the flavor you want.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

It has been awhile...

Hello and Happy Mother's Day!
I haven't added a new post on my blog for some time, this is mainly for two reasons.
One: this blog confuses me. I need someone to help me organize it!
Two: I lost the cord to my camera so I can't post the awesome pictures of my baking, or other creations.
As a result I decided to make this blog much simpler. Sure I'll post more pictures of my baking but in addition I will also give my opinions on movies and books... and simply give you updates on my life.

Most recent: I am currently enrolled at Horizon Medical Institute where I am studying to become a phlebotomist. The course ends in August and I am very excited about finishing.
Also, as many of you know my boyfriend of over 3 years, Bradley, has left on his mission. Its been two weeks tomorrow since I have seen him.

There is more but I think I'll save that for a later post. Have a nice day everyone!
Till next time.