Bruin Lake

We spent a fun filled weekend with our friends the K's camping! Despite the especially hungry mosquitos and the rain, we managed to have a great time! E and her friends M and S enjoyed the K's inflatable Kayak.... but they could only go out 2 at a time!

I didn't take photos of breakfast - but we learned to make a new camping breakfast treat! Omelette's in a Baggie!

It was so easy - we plan to do it again every camping trip!

Here's how it works....
Start by putting your biggest pot on the stove/campfire/etc. about 2/3 full of water - and set it to boiling.

Write everybody's name on a quart sized ziploc baggie and pass them out. Break 2 eggs into each baggie. Add a dash of milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Shake, shake, shake the baggie - until everything is mixed together, yolks are broken, etc.

Then the fun part... add whatever other stuff you like in omelettes! Diced ham, Green Pepper, Onion, Mushroom, and CHEESE were the accompaniments we chose (well, we PACKED the mushrooms - but forgot to put them out - but they would have been yummy!!)

Then - put the sealed baggie into the boiling water for about 10-12 minutes... and you get a perfect omelette! It's amazing!! My pot can do 4 omelettes at once.

Whaddya think of an Orange Van?

Got word this morning that my van is a Total Loss - and so I'm shopping for a new car now... going to test drive (not that I reallly need to test it!) another 08 Dodge Grand Caravan - but this time, I'm looking at ORANGE ones. :-) We'll see if I still like it after I see it in person tomorrow!

Made dinner again tonight - and so I've got another recipe to share - again out of the Kraft Food & Family magazine!

Farmhouse Chicken Dinner - and I discovered a new trick - instead of retyping the recipe here - I

can link to the recipe over on the Kraft website!! My photo was taken before I made the cheese sauce, and plated it over the rice. As usual, I had to make a few substitutions - I made white rice instead of brown, and I used the regular Philly Cream Cheese - because that's what I had in the house! OH - and I didn't have an onion - so I just sprinkled some dried minceed onions on top - and that added the onion flavor. One other note - smaller carrots would have cooked better in the time allotted. Mine were still very crunchy.

It was a big hit - even A liked it (although I didn't put the sauce on hers!) I will make this again sometime!

Finally, I want to congratulate our Goddaughter, B on her 1st Communion! We drove down to Ohio to be there! She made her 1st communion at the same church where I made mine 34 years ago! It was a fun, albiet short, trip - and it was good to see all our adopted family there!

Spring is springing everywhere - and I will be so disappointed if my Apple Tree and my Wisteria decide to bloom while I'm in Novi next week! It's going to be a great year for the Wisteria - I see lots and lots of bloom buds! If you've never smelled Wisteria - you should - smells like grapes - YUMMY! I love how my yard smells when everything blooms!

Posting may be very light over the next couple of weeks - the convention is in just 10 days!!

Mom - You're taking a picture of Dinner AGAIN???

My family thinks I'm crazy, taking pictures of dinner again this week - but I have another recipe I wanted to share!! And I cooked again... so heck, I have to blog about it, right?

Tonight I made "Saucy Parmesan Chicken"

I pulled the recipe out of one of the Kraft Food & Fun magazines that they will send you for free if you sign up on their website. They plug all kinds of Kraft foods - but the recipes I've cut out and made from this magazine have all been very good! (To get your subscription - go to kraftfoods.com - and no, this is not a paid endorsement!)

So, here's how you make it:

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (I buy full sized breasts from one of our local stores with great meat counters, and then I cut them up - 1 full sized breast (both halves) I can turn into four servings. I buy when it's on sale, cut it up and freeze it, and thaw it for when I need it!)

1/4 cup Kraft Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing (OK I use exactly that- but any italian dressing would probably work!)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (again mag and I both use Kraft - but other brands probably would work too!)

You put everything into a ziplock bag, coat all the breasts well, and lay flat in the fridge for 30 minutes (while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees)

When oven is heated - place chicken on a baking sheet (I line it with foil for easy clean up) and bake for 20 minutes.

That's it! Easy Schmeezy Japaneezy - and everyone likes it!

I made up a vegetable fried rice dish that I had in the freezer from Market Day, and I heated up a can of green beans, and chopped up a quick salad. Voila - dinner!!

PS: No word yet on the van - hopefully I'll know tomorrow if I need to start car shopping again - or if I need to look for a rental car while they fix.

Dinner is a Hit!

One happy child, about to partake of her favorite food! Notice, Stroganoff can be served on TOP of the noodles, or NEXT too the noodles. (Guess which way A eats it.... miss picky eater!)

And the savory seasoning and minced dried onion - PERFECT. Tasted great!!

I'm Cooking Dinner - for the 2nd Night in a Row!

Now, for some of you, that might not be a reason to celebrate - but the last three weeks has just been a whirlwind of rehearsals (Ice Show, Musical, Access Broadway, Honors Band) performances, and traveling - and more than my not having time to cook (which has been the case) we haven't all been home at the same time to EAT in three weeks!

So, I'm celebrating the simple things - Last night I made sloppy joes (OK, I didn't say I was cooking GOURMET meals!!) and A tried them for the first time in years, and declared them "allright". She ate her whole joe - so they can't have been too bad!!

Since she went out of her comfort zone for me last night and tried something new - tonight I'm making her absolute favorite! Her Uncle Brian's "Beef Stroganoff". It's cooking away in the crock pot - and there it will cook until dinner time. By then, the house should just smell perfectly yummy!!

Here's the (really simple) recipe - courtesy of Uncle Brian

2 lbs stew beef - cubed
1 family size can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of Beef Broth
1 package of Lipton Onion Soup
(OK, Brian hates onions, and doesn't put this in when he makes it - but he told me that it might be a nice addition for a family that likes onions... and we do - so I put it in - only today - I'm out of lipton onion soup - so I just threw in some "Savory Seasoning" and some "Minced Onions" from the spice cupboard, and hope it works!!)

Cook all day in the crock pot on low

1/2 hour before serving - ladle out several ladles of the "juice" and whisk it together with a pint of Sour Cream and return to the pot for 30 minutes.

Serve over Egg Noodles.

I'll take another photo of the finished dish tonight!!

Pecan Sandies/Sandies/Sand Tarts/Snowballs

These are one of my Dad's favorite cookies. I have two copies of the recipe - both in my Grandma Cron's handwriting - although she gives credit for the recipe to someone else. I haven't made these in AGES - but I had a hankering - and I knew my Dad would appreciate them (which he did!)

I didn't do the best job with my photojournalism of the baking process. It was a bit chaotic here, with everyone doing their own thing to get ready for Christmas - and I got sidetracked partway through baking!

I made a double batch of the Recipe which I am posting - so that I would have enough to last through all the cookie trays we are taking places!!

Sandies - from the kitchen of me - by way of my Grandma Cron - by way of someone named Jane Smalley.
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Crisco
5 T Powdered Sugar (I looked this up - that equals 1/3 cup!)
2 C Flour & Salt (OK I decided that my Grandma did NOT mean 2 cups of salt - and I just put in about 1/2 t (I poured some into my hand, and threw it in with the 2 cups of flour)
1 t Vanilla
1 t Water (I think this is just to keep the dough moist enough to ball up - when I doubled - I didn't add the 2nd t until I checked the dough.
1 C chopped nuts (but my Grandma ALWAYS used Pecans - so I did too!)
Cream shortening, butter and sugar. (I used my pastry cutter)
Add vanilla, water. Then add salt and flour. Finally, add the nuts.

Shape in half-moons or balls (I chose balls, and used my mini scoop from Pampered Chef).
Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar when cool.

Enjoy! We are!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I spent my Thanksgiving morning baking Apple Pies. Just thought I'd share!

The Pie recipe is my maternal Grandmother's, and the crust is my mom's recipe (which she pulled from a cookbook in order to bake her first ever pie for my dad!)

Rich Pastry
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tspn salt
1 Tbspn sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 egg yolk
1 Tbspn lemon juice
1/4 cup milk

Sift flour with salt and sugar. Cut in shortning until like crumbs (pictured at left). Beat together egg yolk, lemon juice and milk. Add liquid to dry ingredients and work with hands. Generously flour your surface and your rolling pin when rolling out.
Makes 2 crusts (either a top and bottom, or two bottoms if you are making pumpkin pie!)

Apple Pie
4 cups sliced, peeled apples (I use Granny Smith)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tblspns flour
1 tspn cinnamon
1 Tblspn water
sm. amount of butter (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon. Put 1/3 of this mixture into the bottom crust, then layer apples and mixture, ending with mixture. Apples should be HEAPING (the photo at left is not yet full!) Add water, and optional butter. (I forget it every year, and it still tastes OK - but it's in my Grandma's recipe!). Add top crust, and slit to vent. Press down firmly to keep juice in. Pinch a rope around the edge. (optional - place leaves or other crust decorations on top! Glue them on with the egg white you didn't use in the crust!) Place in 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, then reduce temp to 325 for an additional 50 minutes.

It really is yummy!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!