Trees, Food, Grandsons

 I was sitting in the Tahoe between lab/doctor appointments reading my Kindle when I looked out the window. LOOK at the coloration of this tree trunk! Trees are not just brown!!

In preparation of going to stay with the grandsons while there mother was out of the country with her job... (Poor thing went to Naples, Italy!) (Poor thing, this was the first time she was away from her sons for that length of time!) ...I bought some sausage made at the local locker plant. Their seasoning mix has no nitrates which is something the grands' parents are trying to stay away from with their food. I kept telling them that you could find something that tasted better and had a better texture that the chicken weinie sausages that they are feeding my grandsons.

This is the proof.

While we were keeping the grands, Sam and I ate a hamburger at a local place. This apron is so me! :D

Of course, little boys will be little boys. LOUD. So I took them outside to blow off some steam. (Sam watched television almost the whole time we were there.)

See!

The first night I made the mistake of feeding the boys early. 

John had his arms full trying to eat dinner.

Later, at home...Sam made beef stew. He started it in the slow cooker, but the electricity popped off. After about 30 minutes, he put it in the Dutch oven.

DELICIOUS!

My Yard...and Beyond

 One of our wild "pets."

 Doughnut Muffins! Recipe below.

 Cardinal hens - through the sewing room window.

 This has bloomed before. I have two of these - one on either side of the door. These are the first I have ever had to bloom. I think it is because instead of being houseplants, they are outside.

I got this recipe on the HGTV food forum from Martha (aka Linderhof - her blog is in the list on the right)

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk

Topping
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar Plus

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8) Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).

9) Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.

10) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature. 

Yield: 12

Raisin Walnut Oatmeal Scones

Yep. One is already missing. :D Guess whooooo?! LOL

 

I LOVE my sectioned cast iron skillet! Not only does it bake great scones, the cornbread is so good and crusty! Yum!
 

Buttered with orange marmalade. Heavenly!

Snacks and Clouds

 Look good?

All you need is a package of oyster crackers. Mix some vegetable oil, ranch dressing mix, onion powder, fresh ground black pepper, whatever other spices you want. Spread in a baking pan. Bake 30 minutes at about 350 degrees stirring every 10 minutes.

I LIKE Penzey's spices and blends. I used their ranch dressing mix. I believe I had more of it left in the bottom of the pan than I did in the past when I used Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix which must be finer ground.

If you don't know that I love cloud formations...you haven't followed my blog very long.

Sunsets and Cinnamon

I love the cookie scoops. They look like small ice cream scoops. Perfect for making Snicker Doodles - no more rolling out with your hands!

 

Jonathan arrived just in time to help. 

Scoop dough out into a bag of cinnamon sugar. 

Shake and place on cookie sheet. 

Bake, cool - a little bit - eat!

The recipe came from Sam's mother, Hazel. This was his favorite cookie until I started baking his new favorites, Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. :D

Snicker Doodles


1 cup butter *
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix shortening and sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt.  Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. 
Roll in mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
Bake at 400 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 - 10 minutes.

*The recipe calls for shortening. I do not use shortening or margarine. The butter worked just fine and you know the cookies tasted better!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I have a wee bit o' the Irish in me - Fields from my mother's side and Griffith from my dad's side. 

I use my cast iron chicken fryer with its cast iron lid to bake

 

Irish Soda Bread

It does a smashing job of it!

Before church I put carrots, potatoes, onions, and corned beef in the slow cooker. 

I also made shortbread.  

Everything I read online stated that REAL Irish Soda Bread has just four ingredients. When you start adding sugar, raisins, orange rind, etc. it becomes cake.

I got my recipe from The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread.

White Soda Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon salt
14 ounces of buttermilk

The way I did it:
Put your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven with its lid into the oven. 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together.
Stir in buttermilk.
Place dough on floured surface and knead just a bit. Not too much!
Shape into a ball.
Cross cut the top.
Remove skillet from oven and pour in just a bit of vegetable oil to lightly grease the skillet.
Put the formed loaf into the skillet.
Put the skillet in the oven and cover with the lid.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.

Remove from oven. You must then immediately slice off a bit and slather with butter. Quality Control is a job...but sigh...somebody's got to do it. ;-)

My shortbread recipe was found in an old cookbook called The Highlanders Cookbook. Once again REAL shortbread has only three ingredients.

Shortbread
1 pound butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar 
4 cups sifted flour

Beat butter and sugar until just combined. Gradually add flour.
Dust counter with a combination of flour and powdered sugar. You can form two circles 3/4" thick or one large rectangle 3/4" thick.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Using your thumb, indent around the edge. Then prick all over with a fork.
Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
Lower temperature to 300 degrees and bake about 45 minutes. These should not brown much at all.
Remove from oven and immediately slice into desired shapes. Triangle for your circles or squares for shortbread baked in a rectangle.

It's Sunday!

Parents, PLEASE! Look at your kids' clothing before leaving the house! Her two sizes too small thong is cutting her hips in half. Then her too tight dress magnifies all the bumps and humps including the fat dimples! And she's really not too big...the clothes are just too tight. (For those of you who remember - looks like she has on a sanitary napkin doesn't it!!)

Cain loves chocolate chip cookies - just further proof that he is my grandson. :D

I made King Cup Cakes for our monthly birthday cake at work. Neither the judge nor I could find purple sugar crystals anywhere (without ordering which we waited too late to do) so she purchased purple cupcake papers. The recipe is on King Arthur Flour's website.

Yippee!!! After 21 hours of hand quilting, I completed the first pass on my applique quilt! The border is 10" x 94"...crosshatched and outlining the vine on both sides.

Next roll on the frame - starting on the blocks. I originally planned on calling this Rose of Sharon variation "Sherry's Rose." But since the death of Mama nearly a year ago now, this will be "Shirley's Rose."