peaches.................

I wanted to can all the peaches I bought this year from Utah but the days kept passing and the fruit fly population kept growing so I knew I needed to take care of them super quick. My sister told me that you can just fill your sink with ice water and let the peaches sit for a bit and then put them in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds and the skin will just split off. It worked like a charm. I sliced them up and sprinkled a bit of fruit fresh in a zip lock bag. I made sure to squish all of the air out before freezing them. They are ready for peach cobbler, making jam or being a fruit topper. I am sure most of you know this trick for peaches but for those who are newly domesticating themselves- I thought it was worth posting.

Pimp MY menu!

It isn't that I don't enjoy cooking for my family, it is just that sometimes I get stuck making the same things over and over simply because the thought and preparation send me over the edge with our hectic life. This blog was created by some girls I know who have really motivated me to try new things and make dinner fun again and not just a necessary endeavor for survival. (we all get to that point- I know!) You can even become an author on this blog if you have recipes you want to share. I have tried a lot of their recipes and I especially love Theresa's recipe for Pizza crust. My pizza crusts never worked before this one! One thing I learned about, is this great website where you can type in ingredients you have on hand and it gives you a list of possible meals to make! Are you kidding me? I HATE going grocery shopping so when I am brain dead and only have ketchup and an onion this comes in handy- totally kidding. I just thought this would be nice to share seeing as how the school year has begun as well as activities and we could use any help offered for making mealtimes better.

Tried it, Love it..........................

This book really delivers it's promise. I have been getting tons of zucchini and squash from friends who garden and I remembered hearing about this book from my friend Tamra. Luckily my neighbor had a copy and I was able to borrow it. I have made a couple of the recipes and I have to say my kids eat it up! Livia is my veggie girl and could live on vegetables and dip for most of her meals if I would only let her. Tate however is not so into the veggie route of healthy eating so now he has no clue he is getting his servings. You do feel kind of sneaky when you watch your kids eating and they are completely oblivious. I have decided I am going to have to buy my own copy because not only is this a doable, useful cookbook- it is just cute to look at as well!

Bakerella.................

While viewing my friend Sara's blog I learned about the best blog for people who love to bake! I consider myself as one of those people so I fell in love immediately with this woman from Georgia who has the yummiest blog to look at. Check out how to make these sweet little cupcakes! The picture is from Bakerella herself- how did you ever find this blog Sara- I love it!

Orange Chicken

Tess recently compiled a whole bunch of lovely recipes from friends and family- My goal is to try a new recipe once a week to attempt to broaden my menu selections. I think we all get stuck in the rut with our old reliables that we cook on a weekly basis. My hopes is that my family will embrace different flavors and styles of cooking so they won't be picky eaters. Tonight I made a recipe that was submitted by Chenoa Miner. Let's just say that it was a hit! Orange Chicken is now Tate's favorite dish- the kid could not get enough. I loved this flavorful dish and I am sure you will too. Again, it is one that is easy to have ingredients on hand for- in fact it might just become an old reliable for you very soon!

Orange Chicken

2 lbs of chicken cut into bite size pieces
1/2 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. flour
1 egg
oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbs minced ginger (I used ground ginger and it seemed to work just fine)
salt & pepper

The Sauce:
1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs water
5 tbs sugar
4 tbs vinegar
zest of one orange

in one bowl mix cornstarch and flour. In second bowl mix one egg with salt and pepper for seasoning. On the stove heat 1 cup of oil in skillet. Dip chicken into dry mixture and then into egg mixture and place in skillet. fry until crispy. (Did I mention it isn't a healthy recipe which is why it tastes sooooo good!) Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. put ginger and garlic into skillet and fry for one minute. Add sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add chicken back into the mixture and serve over rice.

Enjoy and try not to feel guilty!!!!

for Tess...............................

Tess is my sister in law that will always eat soup with me at the Wildflower Breadco. even if it is 90 plus degrees outside- I found this recipe and I loved it because it is made out of stuff you actually have at your house at any given moment- it is so easy to make!

Sunshine Ginger Carrot Soup—By Allison Fishman

Makes 4 (1 1/4-cup) servings

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tablespoons butter,1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger,1 medium onion, diced 4 large carrots (about one pound), peeled and grated1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)2 cups low-sodium chicken stock,1 cup water,1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar,1/2 cup half and half (optional),1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Add ginger and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
2. Add onion, carrots, and salt and stir to combine; reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock, water and sugar; bring to a simmer until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add half and half (if using).
4. Transfer carrot mixture to a blender and cover or use a hand blender. Blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.
5. Divide the hot soup among serving bowls, and dollop 1 tablespoon of warmed sour cream in the center of each bowl. Use a toothpick to create sunrays by gently spreading the sour cream outward on the surface of the soup.

Learning new things.............

I learned how to make rolls last week with my friends Tamra and Wendy. We had decided to get together each month and share a talent with each other. Wendy shared with us her family roll recipe. I love these rolls and it is so fun to make them and deliver them to friends- people literally freak out over homemade rolls. I will say it was rather time consuming but I loved every minute of it. The next day I decided to make some in my kitchen only I had three extra kids playing at my house and I ended up spilling half of a Sam's club size of vegetable oil all over my kitchen floor (anyone who has ever had to clean an oil spill is feeling for me right now I am sure) I decided that you should only make these rolls when you can focus and there isn't much chaos surrounding you! Here is the recipe:

• 4 c. scalded milk (heat milk in a saucepan until it is super hot)


• 1 c. sugar


• 1 c. oil (careful on this one- ha)


• 4 eggs


• 1T. salt


• 3 pkg of yeast


• *mix together sugar, oil, eggs, salt and milk


• stir in yeast


• add 5 c. of flour- mix and let sit until it is bubbly


• add 5 more cups of flour


• Knead dough


• scrape out of bowl


• oil bowl


• place kneaded dough back into bowl and let it rise


• punch it out and knead


• let it rise a second time


• Divide dough into 4 balls


• roll out each ball into a flat circle and spread butter on dough


• using a pizza cutter cut 16 triangles (like you would with a pizza


• starting with the wide end of the triangle roll it like a croissant and place on an ungreased cookie sheet


• Bake at 350 for around 20 minutes

Your first pan will get eaten that day believe me. This recipe makes enough to give some to neighbors and friends. I really enjoyed this process- in a way it is really relaxing to make things from scratch.

The finished result should look like this:

sweet treat.................

I just made some simple yummy treats for a Relief Society Activity and I thought I would share them. They are so fun to make with your kids! The first one is Oreo balls: 3/4 of sleeve of oreos mixed with 6 oz cream cheese. First you blend oreos in processor and then fold into cream cheese. Form little balls and dip in melted chocolate (I use nestle milk chocolate chips) You can even melt white chocolate and string it along the top (or reverse the chocolates) Livia was my chocolate dipper and decorator- as I am sure you can tell from the finished product! Believe me, it really does not matter what they look like-they still tasted great. The next recipe is one my sister in law Shannon gave to me. They are the most addicting peppermints known to mankind. You cannot eat just one and by the time you are finished you need an insulin pump! You take 3oz of soft cream cheese fold it together with 3 cups powdered sugar and add 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract (food coloring is optional). The thing I like about this recipe is again it is super kid friendly and fun to shape! With both of these recipes they need to be chilled before eating and kept in the fridge. Livia and I had a blast making these yesterday.

Sucker!

Making homemade suckers is so much fun- and kiddos think it is magical. A mom that makes candy is -oh so cool! Tamra recently taught me how to make these suckers and Last weekend Livia and I bought some Easter molds to make some melted chocolate suckers. I am not posting any pictures of that batch because I forgot the important step of spraying Pam on the molds so my result was mutated looking chicks and bunnies.........................they still tasted great and who doesn't love a blob of chocolate on a stick! Anyways- here is how to make Tamra's suckers:

Supplies:
candy molds
lollipop sticks
sugar
Karo syrup
candy thermometer
food coloring
flavoring (Cinnamon, cherry, lemon etc.)
Sauce pan
And oh ya- SPRAY PAM!
Candy making supplies can be found at most craft stores- I got mine @ Michael's)

How to:
in a sauce pan- mix 1 c. sugar, 1/3 c. Syrup and 1/2 c. of water
Stir constantly until you reach 275 degrees F
remove from heat
add color
add 1/2 tsp. of flavoring
Pour into GREASED molds where sticks have been placed.
Let cool and harden
pop out of molds
you can individually wrap them is sucker bags which are also found with candy making supplies.

* In most stores they will have the bags of colored melting candy which is really easy and fun as well! Did I mention that your kids will think you are super cool?-cause they will!