"She works with her hands in delight" Proverbs 31:13

Quaker's Best Oatmeal Cookies

                                          

                                                (picture from quakeroats.com)

Baby was craving these today. :) I was actually really in a baking mood this afternoon, so I decided to pop some of these in the oven for something sweet. Besides, my cake plate was looking a little empty and needed to be filled with a big pile of cookies! At least, that's my excuse. :) No really...these sounded really good and food "sounding good" is quite rare for me nowadays. Eli really loves these too...I actually think that they're actually his favorite. Here's the recipe if you all would like to try them out. These are just plain oatmeal cookies but you could add anything that you want to them. Chocolate chips...walnuts...pecans...raisins...other dried fruits...the possibilities are endless!

P.S.- Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to share some advice with me about nausea! I am definitely going to be implementing these tips! Thank you so very much!

Quaker's Best Oatmeal Cookies

2 1/2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 C. brown sugar, packed

1/2 C. white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 C. oats

(I added about 1 C. chopped pecans to mine)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in oats and anything else you want to add. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes for a chewy cookie and 10-11 minutes for a crispy cookie. Cook for 1 minute and remove to a wire rack.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

Today was such a lovely day with its blue skies, singing birds, and much warmer temperatures! This morning, Eli came with me to the grocery store before he had to go to work to help me pick up a couple of things, and when we came home, we enjoyed a relaxing walk in the sunshine. After he left for work, I decided to put a load of laundry in the washing machine and suddenly had the craving to bake something!

 The other day, I stumbled across a recipe that I had printed out for Lemon Poppy Seed Scones and thought I would go ahead and bake them today. I love new recipes! After trying some of the Lemon Poppy Seed Scones from Ukrops that my Nan had gotten us all hooked on, I tried to find a recipe that would taste the same or at least pretty close to them. These turned out really well with a crunchy sugary top and a mild lemon flavor. I would definitely make them again! Here's the recipe if y'all would like to try it. Scones are soooo good. :)

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

3 C. all purpose flour
1 C. sugar
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp salt
10 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 C. whole milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, 1 C. sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon peel, and salt in food processor (I just mixed them together in a bowl). Add butter and cut in until mixture resembles a coarse meal (I just cut the butter in with a fork and used my hands). Whisk egg and lemon juice in a medium bowl to blend and add to flour mixture. Mix until moist. Add 1/3 C. milk. Process (or mix) until dough comes together, adding more milk if dough seems dry.

Using floured hands, gather dough into a ball and flatten to an 8'' round. Cut round into 8 wedges and transfer scones to a baking sheet. Brush scones with milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool. Enjoy!

(Recipe taken from recipezaar.com)

The Best Basic Meatball Recipe!

Tonight, I rolled up a batch of these to put in our spaghetti sauce for dinner. This is one of our family's favorite recipes! It calls for ground beef, but we use ground turkey instead and it tastes wonderful! We ate ours over angel hair pasta. Here's the recipe if y'all want to try some for yourselves:

Basic Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Stir together in bowl:

1 C. unseasoned breadcrumbs

3/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 C. milk

1/2 C. beef broth (or chicken broth)

1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley

3 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. black pepper

2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

pinch of nutmeg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Add:

2lbs ground beef (or turkey)

Mix together and shape into balls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Place meatballs (so they're not touching) onto a greased baking sheet. Cover bottom of pan with an additional 1 cup of broth. Bake until meatballs are cooked through. Enjoy!

Apple Pound Cake

                      

 The cooler weather that we've been blessed to have recently has put me in the mood for my favorite season...autumn! I'm reminded of the crisp air, hot soups, apple picking, warm sweaters, colorful leaves, and of course a lot of fall baking...my favorite. :) There is just something wonderful about the smells of baking apples, cinnamon, gingerbread, loads of pies, and all other manner of seasonal baking...delicious! The other day, I was having an "I'm craving fall" moment, so I decided to make an apple pound cake.

I love pound cake in any shape or form, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this version while flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks, "Mennonite Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley" (compiled by Phyllis Pellman Good and Kate Good). Usually pound cake recipes call for a ton of eggs and butter, but this recipe doesn't (which is nice!). It smelled wonderful while it was baking, and the recipe was extremely simple and delicious! I added a touch of cinnamon to the batter when I made it because, as I said, I was craving fall. :)

I'm excited to say that today Mom, Nan, and I are going to meet with the caterer for the cake tasting this afternoon! We had to cancel last week's appointment, but we are going for sure today. I will try to take some pictures today for scrapbooking...and blogging...purposes. :) Here's the cake recipe for those of you who want to try it...

Gloria's Apple Pound Cake

1 1/2 C. oil

2 C. sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 C. chopped nuts

2 C. finely chopped, diced, peeled apples

confectioners sugar

Mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Fold in nuts and apples. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 80 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then remove from pan. Lightly dust with confectioners sugar. Enjoy!!

Friday's Musings...

I can say this...we will never need to buy salsa again!

My afternoon was spent chopping, peeling, slicing, and dicing ingredients for homemade salsa to can. I am covered in tomato juice, and I smell like a garlic clove. :) We had about 25-30 ripe tomatoes hanging from the vines and needing to be used up in some way...and since my family could eat its weight in salsa...there you go. :)

The recipe was really simple! I just mixed together chopped peeled tomatoes, onions, green pepper, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, lime juice, cider vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Then Mom and I canned them.

Tip: When your eyes are on fire while peeling an onion...stick your head in the freezer. :) It works every time!

Now we need to figure out what to do with all of our cherry tomatoes! We have tons of them!

 

This morning, Mom, the boys, and I ran some errands in town. One of our stops was the ever-so-fabulous Dollar Store! Sometimes when I go to the Dollar Store, I find nothing. And other times I have to keep myself from spending too much...thinking "Hey this stuff is only a dollar!" and then ending up spending $20. :)

Well anyway! This morning I found some neat kitchen items for my hope chest. Yes, I am working on a hope chest post! Sorry everyone. :)

I can't wait to use them in our new home!

Speaking of which, I wanted to post the progress of our new home! Eli and I have both been convicted about remaining debt-free in the future, even with the building of our house. Eli's parents have been so gracious to let us build a house on their land to help us accomplish our goal while we're beginning our new lives together. I am so excited!! The land has just been cleared and is still in the "cleaning up" process, and once that's done, we can start building!

                  

This is where our house is going to sit. You can kind of see where the trees have been cleared for building.

                 

Here, Philip and I are helping clear the land. My arms are still sore! :) These pictures are from Tuesday.

                

Eli and Eric are tackling a tree with a chainsaw and an axe. :) The land is well on its way to being completely cleared! I am so excited! I absolutely love the house plans and am looking forward to watching the progress of our future home!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookies

           

A couple of days ago, I told Megan that I would make some Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheel cookies from her recipe blog, Country Girl Recipes, along with her and post about them when I made them. This morning I gave the recipe a try! I really enjoyed making them, and the recipe was very easy to follow with simple ingredients. Not to mention, they tast good. :) How can one go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter? I did have a hard time when it came to rolling the two layers together because my dough kept sticking to the counter. :) I just kind of scrunched it all together! It is a great recipe though! Oh, and I didn't have any brown sugar, so I cheated and used white sugar. :) That might be why my cookies turned out more flaky than smooth? This was such a great recipe, thanks so much Megan for sharing it! To see how Megan's cookies turned out, head on over to her recipe blog. You can find the actual recipe here.

Today I have become a nurse because Mom has caught some sort of stomach virus. She is currently bed-ridden. :( We're just resting here at home today while she's recovering. Poor Mom! I actually think I might need a nurse myself. :) While I was fixing Mom some hot tea just now, I seriously burned the fire out of my pinky and ring finger. Mainly my pinky. :) I'm so graceful in the kitchen! Owwww!!!! Have a wonderful Thursday Everyone...and go bake some cookies!

Ice! I need ice!!

Too Many Cooking DVDs!

I was in a very "Martha Stewart" mood this morning! I'm not really a big fan of Martha...since she did some jail time and is kind of snooty acting :)...but I enjoy her recipes (I love ALL recipes!). A couple of weeks ago, Mom and I were in the good ol' Dollar General Store and spotted a few Martha Stewart cooking DVDs for only $3! Hey...why not? I have never really seen her T.V. shows but who can pass up some cheap DVDs full of recipes? Mom and I are really enjoying them! I've learned how to fry a turkey, cook a chicken 5 different ways, steam fish, glaze a meatloaf,  make a souffle (haven't tried this one yet :), make vegetarian dishes, side dishes, pastas, etc. :) I want to try and make her black bean burger. :) Anyway, I sound like a Martha Stewart advertisement!

One of the neat little things that I discovered while watching Martha cook is that she keeps all of her fresh herbs in a little cup nearby! I don't know why...but I had never thought of that before. Well, it makes perfect sense...you can treat herbs like flowers...put them in water and they'll last a couple of days.

                           

Here is my herb cup. :) This does make it a lot easier and more convenient than having to go out...in the rain... to the garden every time you make dinner. My garden is quite a distance from the house so it's nice to be able to just reach into your jar and get what you need. :)

Yes, I'm still talking about Martha. :) I love how she advertises her products while she's cooking. In practically all of the episodes, she will just be stirring something or putting chicken on a plate and she'll say something like, "Ehem...by the way...you can find these beautifully crafted platters on my website...Martha Stewart.com...aren't they just lovely? They come in all different colors, and you can just do so much with them...and aren't they beautiful? Go to Martha Stewart.com and you can get them there...etc.." Okay that was an over-dramatization, but you see what I mean. :) Hilarious!

Today, I made her Chicken and Dumplings recipe for lunch since we had some leftover chicken from last night:

                           

This recipe took me like 10 minutes to throw together...it was so easy! The ingredients are really basic! A lady who works at an old southern plantation created this recipe for her family. Here it is if y'all want to give it a try;

Chicken and Dumplings

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 4 chicken breasts, uncooked
• 4 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• pinch of cayenne pepper,
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley

Combine all of these ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover and continue to cook until chicken and vegetables are cooked. Remove chicken and tear into chunks. Add back to the broth.

In a bowl, combine:

• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 Cup milk

Measure dough with a teaspoon and drop into boiling soup. Let them sit on top of your soup for 4-5 minutes, and then flip them over with a fork to let them cook on the other side. When dumplings are finished...ENJOY!

Okay, enough about Martha. ;)

For Dad's Morning Coffee...or Mom's Tea :)

            

Chocolate Chip- Pecan Biscotti

4 Tbsp butter, softened

1 C. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

3 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C. chocolate chips

1/2 C. chopped pecans

(You could really add anything that you wanted- white chocolate, walnuts, cranberries, dried cherries, chopped pistachio nuts, etc.)

Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add chocolate chips and nuts. Divide dough in half, dust each half with flour, and roll into a log that is the length of your baking pan. Flatten each log slightly with your palm to make them a little flat. If you would like to, brush each log with an egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake the logs at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. After they have baked, slice each log into small slices and lay the slices flat on your baking sheet. Bake again for 12 minutes, and they will be nice and crispy. Then, dip them in your coffee!

For Dinner Tonight...

Okay, brace yourselves for the best baked chicken recipe known to mankind...at least I think it is! :) Practically every time I bake a chicken, it turns out dry! I have no idea why. Tonight, I tried a new recipe that had a couple of new techniques that I had never tried before but I think made all the difference with both the flavor and moistness of the chicken. When we cut into it tonight at dinner, the juices ranneth over! :) I was very happy!

First, you half a lemon and rub one of the halves all over the chicken. You can even squeeze the juice all over and inside the cavity. Next, stuff the lemon half in the cavity along with half of an onion, and one stick of celery (broken in big sticks). After the bird is stuffed with flavor, you then make a simple rub to put over the chicken. When I first saw the ingredients in this rub, I was a little hesitant to try it. :) Squirt some yellow mustard (you heard me :) into a small bowl, just  enough to cover the chicken with. To that, add some chopped fresh rosemary (or like a teaspoon of dried) and a tablespoon or so of minced garlic. Mix it together and use your hands to spread it all over the chicken. You can even put some in the cavity for flavor. I know, mustard on chicken sounds really strange, but combined with the lemon, garlic, and rosemary-FANTASTIC! The skin is crunchy and the inside is very tender and juicy. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. This one is going in the recipe box for sure!

Cookies, Cookies Everywhere!

This morning I decided to go ahead and bake some Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies for the End-of-Winter Cookie Giveaway! I love this recipe! Since we're supposed to share our cookies (and not eat them all :), I really wanted to share them with my Aunt Lucille in Georgia. She eyed these cookies on the blog a little while ago, and has been craving them ever since! I'm popping them in the mail tomorrow, and hopefully they will not melt in the Georgia heat before she gets them. :)

Aunt Lucille, if you're reading this, I hope you enjoy these cookies!! And I hope they don't get smushed in the mail. :) I love you very much, and I can't wait to see you when my family and I visit some time soon!