Berry Smoothies

Ingredients:

1 banana

1/2 c blue berries

2 or 3 large strawberries

3/4 c yogurt

3/4+ c milk

1/3 c crushed iced

Directions:
1. Cut up bananas into slices and add to blender
2. Cut strawberries into 1/4 or 1/6, this will make it easier on the blender.
3. Then add in blueberries, yogurt, milk, and ice.
4. Blend for about 30 seconds and stir with a spoon to taste test.
5. You can then add in milk or more berries if you need.


Directions with pictures and details:

 Cut up bananas into slices and add to blender. Then cut strawberries into 1/4 or 1/6, this will make it easier on the blender.

Then add in blueberries, yogurt, and strawberries to the blender.

 Then pour in your milk.

 And lastly, add in the ice, crushed works best. If you use crushed you are lest likely to have chunks of ice in your smoothie.

Blend for about 30 seconds and stir with a spoon to taste test.

You can then add in milk or more berries if you need. Add a little, blend it about 15 seconds more then taste. I often find that I need a little of something. Then pour into a cup and it's ready to drink as is, though I like to put mine in the freezer for about 5 minutes to make it a little bit chilled. 

Enjoy!

Funnel Cake Time!

Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 c milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 c flours
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2+ c vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a deep heavy pot or skillet over medium-high heat. (To know that the oil is hot drop a pinch of flour in and you will know that it is hot if it sizzles)
2. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl.
3. In another bowl beat the egg and milk together.
4. Then add the dry ingredients slowly into the milk mixture, and beat until smooth.
5. Then funnel the batter into the oil, starting in the center and working your way out.
6. Cook for about a 1 1/2 -2 minutes on each side using a spider or two forks to turn it over, and then remove it to a plate covered into paper towels.
7. Then sprinkle powder sugar over the funnel cake to finish it off.

Enjoy!

Pasta Salad - Salad

2 c baby spinach
1 c cooked penne pasta
3-4 grape tomatoes
vinaigrette of your choice
any other toppings you like with your salad
*I will say that if you want a little marinara sauce a few generous spoon fulls is also good

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente (which literally means "to the tooth", when pasta is cooked al dente there should be a little resistance in the center when the pasta is chewed). Drain water immediately to stop the pasta from cooking anymore. Allow the pasta to cool to room temperature.  

2. Rinse and drain spinach; then add to a bowl with the pasta.

3. Add vinaigrette and marinara if you desire. I personally have recently fallen in love with Kraft's Greek Vinaigrette Dressing. Toss the pasta and spinach until coated.

4. With a sharp knife cut tomatoes into at least quarters, you may want to cut them even smaller. You don't have to have some fancy knife like some people think is required to cut tomatoes, you just need to start witht he very tip of the knife, that way it pierces the skin and then allows the knife to glide right through.   

5. Add in tomatoes and any other toppings you would like to add and toss lightly.

Enjoy!

Funfetti Sheet Cake

I had planned on making a cookie cake for opening night of Nunsense but I will say that the cake is more of a thin sheet cake than a cookie cake. I find cookie cakes one of the hardest things to get the way I want it unless you are just altering a store bought cake mix. I have never loved the way a cookie cake I have made turn out enough to go back to that recipe. The day I get it right, I'll share the recipe with you. But this is a good thin sheet cake if you are wanting something in between a full out cake and a cookie cake. 

Ingredients:
3/4 c cold butter or margarine (for this I actually used margarine, I'm normally a butter person, especially with baking, but this is one of those recipes that either or really works fine)
3c + 3/4c flour
1 1/2 c buttermilk (add 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice to milk, if you don't have buttermilk on hand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
Sprinkles

Icing Ingredients:
2 c powder sugar
1/4 c vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk


Cake Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350* degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix butter, sugar, and 3 c flour into crumbs. I suggest starting with a mixer for a minute or two then going in with one hand and rubbing the butter into the flour. Separate out about a cup of the flour mixture into a separate bowl.
3. Add the baking soda to the milk before adding it to your crumb mixture.
4. Next add in vanilla and eggs and mix well.
5. Then add in the remaining flour.
6. Grease baking dish, you will want on with at least an inch lip because this is a somewhat runny batter and will also expand when baking so you want a good lip on your pan so that the batter does not bake over. I attempted to use a pizza pan and had to pull it out of the oven and take away some of the batter when it almost expanded off the pan. Pour in batter to pan or dish, if you want it even thicker you could use a 9x13 dish.
7. Sprinkle on sprinkles and using either your finger or a spoon mix them into the batter a little. Try to not move the batter too much or touch the bottom of the pan as not to mix in the non-stick spray causing the cake to then stick after it bakes. You can then sprinkle a few extra sprinkles over the top of the cake batter.
8. Bake for anywhere between 20-35 minutes depending on how deep or large your pan is, you want to look for a light golden color around the edges and have a tooth pick come out clean.
9. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before frosting.

Frosting Instructions: 
1. Cream together the sugar and shortening.
2. Then add in milk and vanilla and mix until combined and slightly fluffy.
3. You can then with a spatula spread it over the top of the entire cake or put it in a pastry or just a freezer bag with the tip cut off and pipe out a design or message.


How to make the cake with detailed instructions and pictures -

 Preheat your oven to 350* degrees. In a large bowl mix butter, sugar, and 3 c flour into crumbs. I suggest starting with a mixer for a minute or two then going in with one hand and rubbing the butter into the flour.

 Separate out about a cup of the mixture into another bowl and set aside for later.

 Not all of the mixture will be crumbs, this is what mine looked like at that point.

 If you don't have butter like on hand add 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice to your milk as a substitute. Add the baking soda to the milk before adding it to your crumb mixture.

Next add in vanilla and eggs and mix well. Then add in the remaining flour and mix well. Grease baking dish, you will want on with at least an inch lip because this is a somewhat runny batter and will also expand when baking so you want a good lip on your pan so that the batter does not bake over. I attempted to use a pizza pan and had to pull it out of the oven and take away some of the batter when it almost expanded off the pan.

 Scrap down the sides of the bowl well with a rubber spatula to make sure that there aren't any flour pockets you missed. You don't want to be surprised when you start pouring the batter into your pan to find a clump of flour on the bottom of your bowl. Pour in batter to pan or dish, if you want it even thicker you could use a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle on sprinkles and using either your finger or a spoon mix them into the batter a little. Try to not move the batter too much or touch the bottom of the pan as not to mix in the non-stick spray causing the cake to then stick after it bakes. You can then sprinkle a few extra sprinkles over the top of the cake batter.

Here i was in the process of adding in the sprinkles.

Bake for anywhere between 20-35 minutes depending on how deep or large your pan is, you want to look for a light golden color around the edges and have a tooth pick come out clean. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before frosting. 

For the frosting cream together the sugar and shortening. I'm sorry I don't have process picture of the frosting. Then add in milk and vanilla and mix until combined and slightly fluffy. You can then with a spatula spread it over the top of the entire cake or put it in a pastry or just a freezer bag with the tip cut off and pipe out a design or message.

Enjoy!

Caramel Pop Corn

Caramel Pop Corn


Ingredients 
1 bag popcorn 
1/3 c butter
2/3 c brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/8 tsp baking soda


Directions: 
1. Pop popcorn according to package instructions.
2. Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
3. Add in brown sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda, and stir constantly for 5 minutes. 
4. Pour over popcorn and stir thoroughly and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Muffin Mishap

I know that baking and cooking does not come easily to everyone. I will admit that I have my fair share of mistakes and failed attempts in the kitchen. I thought it would be good to not only show recipes that have turned out but also when I have a failed recipe. I was trying to make muffins for church tomorrow, which is something I often make on a Saturday night, but tonight I decided to try making one from a cake mix, but not only a cake mix but a homemade cake mix. So I took two different approaches to making a homemade cake mix and pulled from both recipes. Then altered it to make muffins from a cake mix, and I also made a few changes of my own that I know normally make a good healthier muffin. On top of that I added a chocolate crumb topping that I eyeballed and didn't use a recipe for, all aided in the chemistry going askew.

Looking back at what I was doing now, I realize I should have noticed that I was using too much milk, baking soda, and oil. I shouldn't have substituted one of the two eggs for yogurt, and I used too much butter in the crumble. 

One problem that happens, is if you are trying to cut a recipe in half, remembering to cut each ingredient in half can be forgotten, so I suggest writing out the new measurements whether you are increasing or decreasing a recipe. That way you are less likely to have a mental math error.

If you want to play with a recipe, I suggest only altering one ingredient, such as following all the instructions for brownies except using apple sauce for oil. I should have realized, I was playing with way too many variables for the muffins to possibly turn out the way I was hoping they would. If you only alter one ingredient you can see how that one change effects the final product and then you can use that in the future with your knowledge of how making works. 

The centers fell and having too much butter in the topping cooked the sugar in the caused them to have a crispy top. So now you can see that I fail in the kitchen too. It's going to happen sometimes, but you have to continue trying and one days that everything works out, you will be deliciously rewarded. 

Now for Something Sweet...Hm...Rice Pudding?

Once night recently I wanted something sweet and decided I'd make up some rice pudding in my rice cooking. I'm sorry that I didn't think about taking process pictures until after I'd already finished. But here is the recipe to enjoy.

Rice Cooker Rice Pudding

1 c uncooked long grain rice

2 c water

3 c milk

3/4 c sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/4 tsp of salt

cinnamon

Directions: 

1. Rinse rice under cold water and drain.

2. Cook rice in water on cook settings with your rice maker.

3. Once rice maker has gone through one cook cycle, add in: 2 cups of the milk, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt. 

4. Cook through another cycle string every ever 3 to 4 minutes. 

5. Add in the last cup of milk and cook through another cycle. 

6. Then allow it to stay on the warm setting stirring every couple minutes until it as reached the wanted thick consistently. Note that once removed from the heat the rice pudding will continue to thicken. 

7. You can then eat it right away or allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or over night. I prefer to eat my rice pudding warm with a bit of cinnamon on top.