Maple Apple Chips

These cute chips are so simple to make. 

However make a bunch, these didn't hang around very long. 

Slice apples thin (I used a mandolin slicer that my sweet mom gave me)

Lay on a baking sheet

Brush with maple syrup

bake at 250 for 30-40 min (check thin take less time)

Eat up

~Blessings

Scones...

Lemon Blueberry, and they were good!

Cake Day

Today was a baking day! Chocolate cake was the final decision. I was going to make muffins, but someone whom will remain nameless, drank all the orange juice! (cute kid) However, I did refrain from making cookies. I will make them in a few days... I tend to create situations around here that the Cute Guy refers to as feast or famine. I can't seem to spread out my baking craze. I tend to have no deserts or too many! :) I am on a mission to rectify the situation, but I still reserve the right to go a little crazy every now and then!

Blessings

Chowder time

I love winter! I love hot soup on a cold day, it warms the insides up.
Chowder- this one is potato

Dice one onion and saute in olive oil.
Add 6 to 8 peeled and cubed potatoes, I use Yukon gold, or russet.
Cover with water, add salt and pepper, use common sense for amount.
Place 1 bay leaf in with the potatoes and simmer until potatoes are almost tender.
Add one can of corn ( I use frozen).
Mix 1/4 c of a.p. flour to 1 1/2 c milk mix well add to pot.
Simmer until potatoes are done.
Salt and pepper to taste. :)

I wish I had better directions, but I usually cook by taste, rather than follow a recipe.


We top the chowder off with some fried bacon

Cakey Cookies: Thanks Martha

I have been searching for a good recipe for cakey chocolate chip cookies... Finally my search is over! Martha had a recipe that passed the test. I am not a fan of c.c. cookies, so I could really care less if they are crisp, flat, chewy or cakey! However, the cute guy LOVES cakey cookies. So after many taste test we finally found one that hit the spot! So with out further ado...


Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and set in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

* Here is the only substitution I made... I used butter flavored Crisco in place of the butter. I find the melting point to be higher for Crisco, therefore the cookies bake up instead of flattening out.

Blueberry Muffins...

and gluten free, made with brown rice flour. :)

Homemade Rolls...

These Rolls are a family favorite! I have been making them for years, and they don't seem to hang around long. The rolls are very easy to make, especially when I employ the use of my bread machine. I usually make my breads by hand, but this recipe is so easy in the machine. In fact, I only use the bread machine to make dough. I purchased my bread machine at the thrift store for less than 5.00. So don't run out and purchase a new machine. :)

Homemade Rolls
Place ingredients in machine in order they appear in recipe...

1 1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c. oil
2 tbsp. Honey or brown sugar
2 tsp salt
4 c. all purpose flour or half wheat flour/ half white
2 tsp. active dry yeast (make a small well in top of flour)

Set machine to dough cycle and let it run. When the dough cycle is done ( my machine it takes 1 1/2 hours), punch dough down and let rest 10 minutes. (I only do this if I am feeling generous with my time). Pinch off balls of dough a little smaller than a tennis ball or larger than a golf ball if you want smaller rolls. Fold dough to bottom to make smooth top, gently dust with flour and place in a greased baking pan. Place on the stove top (warm area) cover with dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
~Blessings

Just to take the chill off...

Taco Soup
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 pack taco seasoning
1 can pinto beans
1 can white kidney beans
1/2 diced onion
Frito Chips

Brown onion and ground beef, drain if needed. Add beans, tomatoes, and seasoning packet to stock pot and one or two cans of water, and simmer at least 30 mins. Dish out and top with fritos and cheese. Enjoy! It is guaranteed to take the chill out of your bones!
~Blessings

Greening up

Do you find fitting vegetables into your daily eating troublesome? Try experimenting- here spinach is tossed in with the eggs and salami. I then put the lid on top and turn the heat real low, cook until eggs are set! It makes a great breakfast and ups the green factor.

Fruit...

Controlling the fruit. My fruit bowl was to small to contain the last of this years apples and the fresh cara cara oranges and cuties. The nanas are at the other end of the counter, they brown way to fast if stored near the apples! There is also a large bowl of cuties on the coffee table, they will be devoured in a matter of days! I find placing the fruit on the coffee table to be the best way to cause a feeding frenzy!

How do you store your fruit?

Winter Warm Up

We had a little dusting of snow and a lot of cold wind. Burr...
Since I was forced to remain inside my snow globe, only catching glimpses of the lightly falling powder, I decided to make some apple streusel bread. Mixing up the dough was easy and quick. Chopping apples and nuts was simple, I went the rustic route, no peeling and a rough chop. The result was amazing... I will post the recipe on this post tomorrow.

~Blessings

PS So far I am enjoying having the semester off. I hope to see and here from you soon.

Sunshine for winter

Need a little sunshine this winter? Why not try some fresh citrus juice. Myers lemons and cuties are both sweet and tart. Juice the fruit and mix with water and 1/2 cup of sugar. Enjoy and think of a warm summer day.

~Blessings

PS- I went light on the sugar because both fruits pack their own sweetness.

Loafing around...

Yesterday I finally caved and decided to try to make a rustic loaf of crusty bread. The recipe is very simple and can be found here. The process is easy and takes almost no time, however the wait can seem like an eternity. I mixed up the ingredients and let the dough rise for 14 hours! But the wait was worth it. The bread was tasty and I was one happy lady. If you have a dutch oven I highly recommend give this recipe a try. If you are a bread lover this recipe will not let you down.

Resting

Ready to Eat

Next time I will go a little lighter on the dusting...

P.S. If you are in need of a good laugh there is a post you need to read over at The Pioneer Woman. I laughed so hard at the end of the post when I envisioned the look I get from the cute guy, because I literally could stand in for her in the post. Enjoy!

~Blessings

Wrapping Up the project...

I hope you have enjoyed looking at ways to enjoy the holidays! I hope the recipes, web-sites, and new ways to think about exercise have inspired you. Creating a healthy holiday shouldn't mean deprivation or risk for your health. But rather, it is about options, the healthy and the not so healthy. It is about making conscious choices, without sacrifice. It is about enjoying all aspects of the season, including the food we choose to eat.

I have enjoyed sharing with you all, and will return my blog to its normal (boring) posts this week. Thank you for your help with this project, your comments have been helpful. If you can, would you answer the following questions and post in the comment section. My project is to be presented on Thursday. So I will be wrapping it up tomorrow.
Thanks again, Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays.
Paula

Questions:

1. Did you find the posts interesting?
2. Would you use any of the sites, recipes, or advice during this holiday season?
3. If this project was done over (like next year) what would you like to see?
4. What was your favorite post?


Blessings to you all, and thank you again

If you are not a follower, feel free to comment. I need at least 10 survey questioners answered. Mom you can type in for the girls in the office if they are willing to comment.

Big, Bad and Brown (Brownies)

Brownies are simply the best! Serve up a hot platter of chocolate gold and see if you don't feel like a millionaire (from all the complements of course)!! The cheesecake swirl takes these brownies over the top!

Eating Well

Holiday Cookies

Who says you can't enjoy the holidays? Who says you can't indulge in some heavenly cookies? The holidays are loaded with those treats that seem to appear in abundance once a year... And we tend to over indulge. Here are some wonderful cookies that are diabetic friendly and sure to please all.

These light and airy cookies are a chocolate lovers dream.

Molasses Crackles, nothing says winter like molasses.

eating well

Chocolate and Orange a true winter combination.Find recipe here

Why have our waistlines increased???

While doing research for several classes I found this interesting graphic. It shows how our plate sizes have helped to increase our waist sizes. Today our plates hold much more food, which means much more food enters our mouth. The standard plate size prior to the sixty's was about the size of a Dixie plate, you know the little paper plates you use at picnics. Yes, the ones that require several trips through the line just to sample what is on the table. You know the old saying Looks can be deceiving, well our plates are certainly holding true.


Do you happen to own a set of your grandmothers dishes, her pretty china, used only for special occasions? Take a look and see if this theory holds true, are your plates bigger or is this graphic fibbing?

Did you know that Americans consume approximately 500 more calories per day than in 1970?

Let's take a visit...

Hello all,

I wanted to share a wonderful cooking site. Gina over at Skinnytaste has a blog full of healthy recipes. She is a member of weight watchers and her recipes are normal and tasty. The only thing she has done is just lightened them up a bit. I have used many of her recipes and have not been disappointed. Take a look and let me know if you find any that look tempting.

Friendly Fillers

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Do you still have shopping to do? I thought it would be fun look at some healthy options for appetizers. I thought these simple ideas were something all could enjoy. I find these recipes to be quick and simple.

I know most of us tend to whip up all kinds of wonderful treats for the holidays, however they can take a toll on our body and health. Here are somethings to consider:

people eat at social gatherings,
they eat anything, no matter what you put out they will eat it... Trust me, they will.
Take advantage of this...

Serve a nice vegetable platter

Try these cuties, when placed in a nice serving bowl
they offer color and a sweet taste.
Try it, put some out and see if they don't disappear like magic.

To satisfy the sweet tooth, try maple popcorn.
Simple and filling.

Do you have any favorite go to healthy appetizers?

The Happy Hostess...

photo
Country Living

"To all who live in simple unpretentious houses, successful party-giving amounts to little more than the friendly enthusiasm of the host or hostess!
Etiquette- Emily Post

Don't you just love the simplicity of this table setting? I would love to set a table that looked like that. However, it never happens! There are several reasons, but the biggest is, how do you eat with all the ornaments on the table. Where do you put the food?

Entertaining should be fun and fuss free, wouldn't you agree? Buffets or pot-luck dinners are wonderful and help to decrease stress for the hostess. How do entertain during the holidays? Are you formal or laid back? Do you have a large menu and many guests? Do you keep it simple and limit the food?

Tomorrow I would like to talk about appetizers. I thought we could spend some time looking at healthy options that are filling and delicious. Ideas that won't have you tied to the kitchen and worn out by the time guests arrive. Dishes that will allow you to be a Happy Hostess. I'll see you tomorrow be sure to bring your favorite recipes.