Hot Tips!

My Grandma emailed this list over and I thought It was kinda cool.  Some I agree with and some I will try next time!  Just thought I would pass it along :)

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.

If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.

Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream before beating.,  (Josh LOVES a little horseradish in his!)

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the food channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs :
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal; mash till they are all broken up Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done - easy clean up.

Reheating refrigerated bread:
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Get rid of weeds:
Start putting torn, wet newspaper in your plants and work the nutrients in your soil. Put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic; they will not get through wet newspapers.

Flexible vacuum :
To get something out of a heat register or under the refrigerator, add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum attachment.. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling:
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! static is gone.

Measuring Cups:
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! ?

Reopening envelope:
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola ! It unseals easily.

Conditioner:
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies:
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the< /B> cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants:
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Info about clothes dryers:
Wash dryer filter with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush every six months. This will increase the life of the dryer and avoid fires caused by dryer overheating.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

I've tried my fair share of cinnamon rolls over the years, and while most have been pretty good, they were time consuming or make like 80 cinnamon rolls (like I really need that many). This recipe claims to taste like Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, and while they were tasty and my favorite so far, there is something about someone else making your cinnamon rolls that makes them just that much tastier :) If you find that these are just too yummy to eat just one (and therefore add to your waistline) blame Destiny - I got this off her Facebook page!

Ingredients for rolls:

1 CUP WARM MILK (make sure it's warm - if it's too hot it will kill your yeast)

2 EGGS
1/3 CUP BUTTER
4 1/2 CUPS FLOUR
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
2/3 CUPS OF SUGAR
2 1/2 TEASPOONS QUICK RISING YEAST (I just used the yeast I got from Costco - and I don't know if it's quick rising but it worked for me)

For the filling:

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

2 1/2 TABLESPOONS OF FRESH GRATED CINNAMON (um, I just used regular old cinnamon)
1/4 CUP OF BUTTER

For the frosting (I didn't think it made enough at first, but it ended up being perfect):

3 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE

1 1/2 CUPS OF CONFECTIONER SUGAR
1/4 CUP BUTTER
1/2 TEASPOON OF VANILLA
1/8 TEASPOON OF SALT


MIXING:


PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREE'S

Take your 1 cup of milk warmed to about 100 degrees and disolve the packet of yeast, mix well into the milk making sure there are no clumps in the bottom of the bowl or on the spoon. (Mine still had clumps even though I stirred forever)

In a large bowl mix together the flour,sugar,salt, butter and eggs. Add yeast mixture. Mix well and then knead the dough until well mixed and doesnt stick to your hands. Knead this into a large ball, Using your hands lightly dusted with flour place into a bowl with a drop of oil in the bottom of the bowl and cover in a warm location to allow to double in size. Once the dough has risen for about an hour you will remove it from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface to roll out. Take your rolling pin and roll the dough out in the shape of a rectangle. Let this rest for approx. 10 minutes. While this is resting take the cinnamon that you have grated and combine in a bowl with the brownsugar and mix in well. Once you have done this, And your dough has rested take some butter and coat the dough with enough butter to make it even and slowly sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mix all over the dough. Once you have done this you will want to roll the dough up and seal it with a little bit of water on a paint brush to allow the seam to stick during the baking process. After you have done this cut the roll into 1/2 inch sections and place on a baking sheet and allow to rise again until doubled again in size. About another 30 minutes should be enough time.

BAKING:


Finally the last step in this recipe is the baking and the frosting of the cinnamon buns. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Bake the rolls in a preheated oven until golden brown about 15 minutes, While rolls are baking, Beat together the cream cheese and butter with the confectioner sugar and vanilla and salt. You will want to spread the frosting on the cinnamon buns as soon as they have cooled but just for a few minutes as the best time to add the frosting is while they are still warm and will disolve the frosting allowing it to soak into the cinnamon bun

Mine made about 24, and they all fit on a jelly roll pan. Happy eating. Oh, and did I mention these are completely healthy?? :)

Chicken and Dumplings

I was craving comfort food this past week. Not because I'm pregnant (because I'm not!) but because I was cold and sick and didn't really want to make chicken soup... again. So this time I looked up chicken and dumpings on some websites and decided on Sisters Cafe. Celeste jokes that I'm their biggest fan, but I think their recipes are super easy and usually pretty tasty. This recipe is really easy, uses things you would usually have on hand, and was really yummy. I threw it together in no time and my family really liked it. I would have liked to see some veggies in the actual dish, so next time I might add some frozen peas and carrots to it.

Chicken and Dumplings

3 c. cooked chicken, cut into large pieces (I cooked mine with salt, pepper, and garlic powder)

½ c. unsalted butter

1/3 c. flour
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 c. chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup (98% fat free variety works great)

Dumplings:
2 c. flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp celery seed
¼ c. oil
1 c. milk

Blend butter, flour, salt and pepper in saucepan (I used the same pan as I cooked the chicken in for more flavor). Add chicken broth and cook until thick. Stir in cream of chicken soup and add cooked chicken. Put in a 9x13 pan. To prepare dumplings, mix all ingredients together and stir until moistened. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto chicken and gravy. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes.



Easy Tangy Ranch Chicken

A lot of my favorite recipes have come not from the internet or from a friend, but from the back of a bottle. Have you ever seen the recipes on the back of your ranch bottle? Or on your corn meal box? I got this recipe on the back of my French's mustard bottle, and it sounded easy and yummy and cheap to make. And it was all three! My family ate is up, including my picky children and my husband, who claimed, prior to eating this, that he was tired of chicken. But even he said this was a keeper. The best part about this recipe is that you can cook it up and eat it as a main dish, or cut them up, toss them with the reserved sauce, and use it in a salad or a sandwich. And I bet you all have the ingredients on hand! Sorry for the lack of a picture. I'll add one next time I make it. Or you all can add one if you make it!

2/3 cup ranch dressing
1/3 cup mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 small chicken breasts

Mix dressing, mustard, and brown sugar. Marinade chicken in 2/3 cup sauce in the fridge for 30 minutes. Grill or cook on the stovetop until cooked through. Serve with remaining sauce (which is so good, like a honey mustard sort of). Enjoy!

Chocolate marshmallow cookies

I went to a cookie party last night and made these yummy concoctions. They are sooo moist, gooey and chocolatlie, you can’t go wrong! I wish I would have thought to sprinkle crushed candy cane on top to make them festive!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa

1 package large marshmallows

Blend butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, milk and remaining ingredients, leaving out marshmallows. Scoop out cookies with mini ice cream scoop. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven.

Cut marshmallows into thirds. Push a third of a marshmallow into the center of each cookie. Bake for 2 more minutes. Let cool and frost. Makes just shy of 2 dozen with a pampered chef med. Scoop!

*frosting*

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons cocoa

3 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

IHOP French Toast and Coconut Syrup

I found this gem on the Sisters Cafe site and had to try it. I bought a loaf of French bread at the store and happened to have everything else on hand. It was super yummy! My family ate it up and the syrup is oddly addicting and seriously delicious. It's a really light coconut flavor too. The website mentioned that if you don't like coconut, you can substitute vanilla extract instead. Oh, and I doubled the recipe and it was a perfect amount for a whole French bread loaf, cut thick (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch is what I did).

(Photo courtesy The Sisters Cafe)

IHOP French Toast

2 eggs

½ c. milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp. flour
6 slices of thick sliced French bread

First beat eggs, then add remaining ingredients with electric mixer. Dip both sides of bread and place in hot buttered pan. Flip over when browned. Serve with Coconut Syrup.

Coconut Syrup

7-8 T. butter
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract (or you can substitute vanilla, but I love the coconut!)

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

What? We have a recipe blog??



Silly me, I almost forgot! It's been that long!



However, I made this soup, which I got from the Sister's Cafe website, and after tasting just one tiny little bite, I knew I'd be posting this. It's just that good. And easy. And good.

Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Soup

2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrots

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup finely diced onions

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano

1 Tbsp dried or 1/4 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup Parmesan cheese (like the Kraft stuff)

2 cups half and half, warmed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large slow cooker, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil (if using fresh oregano and basil; if using dried oregano and basil, add those two ingredients in the last hour of cooking - I used fresh basil and dried oregano). Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until the flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

**Sister's Cafe website suggests using a food processor to finely dice all the vegetables. After dicing them by hand, I'd have to suggest the food processor too. Mine just weren't small enough!

About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour; stir constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly stir in one cup hot soup from the slow cooker. Add another 3 cups of soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt, and pepper (and dried basil and/or oregano, if not using fresh). Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Rosemary Potatoes

These potatoes are a perfect side to just about any dish and look fantastic. Okay, they taste great as well. My favorite thing about these potatoes though, is that they are sooooo easy and yet everyone thinks you were cooking all day! I decided to cook these with 20 minutes until dinner was served and had plenty of time! I love the microwave method and have switched up the spices many times...so good and so easy it is a new favorite. Hope you cook it up and fool your hubbies soon :)

Rosemary Potatoes

6 small red skinned potatoes, cleaned but not peeled
2T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. chopped fresh rosemary (1/2 t. if using dried rosemary)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper

Pierce each potatoes a few times with a fork. Place the potatoes, in a single layer, in a microwave safe baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until the potatoes are about half tender, about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the plastic wrap, it releases all the steam! Let the potatoes cool and cut them lengthwise into quarters.

Heat the oil and rosemary in a large skillet over med-high heat until the oil is hot. Add the potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot!