Gingerbread Mix

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Another mix recipe for your collection!  I found this recipe years ago in an old cookbook and it has been a favorite ever since!

Gingerbread Mix
8 C. flour
2 C. sugar
1/4 C. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cloves
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 C. shortening (I use all natural palm oil)


In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients (I like a whisk for this job).  Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an airtight container.


~This mix makes a great gift packaged in a cellophane bag.

~To use this for gingerbread house: use the Easy Ginger Cookie recipe below adding 1 C. flour (you will have to use a mixer or your hands to get it mixed). Roll 1/8"-1/4" thick and cut as desired.  Bake about 7 minutes, until edges are browned.  Cool on wire racks overnight.  This makes a very durable gingerbread house!

Easy Ginger Cookies

Easy Ginger Cookies

3 C. gingerbread mix
1/3 C. molasses
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl, dough will be fairly stiff!  Roll dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar (or cinnamon/sugar mixture) and place on cookie sheets.  Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are browned.

~I like to pre-portion this mix in ziploc bags, that way I can have cookies ready for the oven in a matter of minutes--perfect for last minute company, to tuck in a gift bag or just to enjoy with your afternoon tea.


~To make rolled gingerbread cookies: add 1/4 C. flour to the Easy Gingerbread Cookie recipe. Roll out on lightly floured surface and cut with desired cutters.  Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are browned.



~This mix also makes a yummy gingerbread that I will be sharing in the future along with a lemon sauce recipe!

Movie Night Caramel Corn

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Movie Night is always an event in our house, especially now that the kids are older and it is harder to find a night when we are all home.  One of the most requested snacks on movie night is always the homemade caramel corn.  I have been using this same recipe since I was a girl and found it in a children's cookbook (a long time ago!).

Umm....no drooling on the screen please.

Movie Night Caramel Corn
8 C. popped popcorn
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. Corn syrup (or corn syrup substitute)
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Place popcorn in a large casserole dish, set aside.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Preparing for a double batch

In a med. saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Bring to a boil over med. heat.  When mixture starts to boil, stop stirring and boil 5 minutes (without stirring).

No stirring my caramelly goodness

Remove mixture from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla, mixture will become light and fluffy.

Ready for some popcorn

Pour mixture over popcorn and stir to coat.  Bake for 20-25 minutes stirring every 7-8 minutes, until mixture starts to harden.

Just keep stirring, just keep stirring...

Remove from oven and cool, stirring to break up pieces and keep from sticking to pan.  Caramel corn becomes crunchy as it cools.

Enjoy!

~I almost always make a double batch, otherwise it disappears before I can set the bowl down. 

The Advent Project

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Wow, it has been busy around here lately with birthdays, appointments, kids work schedules and getting ready for the holidays!  Some days I feel like I have so much to do that I will never keep up, but I love this time of year and wouldn't trade the memories we are making for anything!


Part of getting ready for the holidays for us, is starting to prepare all of our ideas for our Advent Project.  Thanksgiving is a perfect time to start planning.  As your family is reflecting on all the things they are thankful for, you can talk about how you can share those things with others around you!

The Advent Project was written for a friend after a conversation we had about Christmas and how easy it is to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and “I want” attitude of Christmas. It started as just some ideas to celebrate Jesus’ birth, giving to others and building memories and traditions as a family. As I was sharing some of my ideas, I realized how eager others were for the very same thing! I decided to put it all together in one place and share it with everyone–my Christmas gift to you!

The idea of the Advent Project is simple, everyday there is a Bible verse (part of the Christmas story in Luke) and then there are family activities, books and movies. You can do an activity every day, once a week, whatever works for your family. Some activities will require some pre-planning and are designed for a wide variety of ages, so you choose what is most appropriate.

It is not supposed to be a complete list, but a jumping off place--ideas to get you started.  Every family has different traditions, commitments and resources.  My hope is that you are inspired to make the holiday season more meaningful for your family, to teach and encourage giving not just gifts, but your time and thoughtfulness and love.  


Every year our planning is a little different.  As our kids have gotten older, we have let them pick and plan a lot of the activities that they want to do.  It is so heartwarming to watch your kids pack shoeboxes of gifts for other children or pick a name from an Angel Tree and use their own money to buy special gifts for a foster child.  Baking and decorating sugar cookies has always been a special time for our family and we have had as many as 20 guests sitting around our table laden with frosting and sprinkles, sipping hot cocoa, listening to Christmas carols and laughing as we shared a memory and some time together.  The goal is to create meaningful memories, not necessarily centered around gifts, but around being together and celebrating the greatest gift of Christmas!




Download your FREE copy here:
 The Advent Project 1
 Feel free to print and share as many copies as you like.

2012--New Year, New Start

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First, an apology to all my faithful readers.  I know that I have been absent since Thanksgiving and a few of you even sent me kind notes about my whereabouts.  Life has been hectic around our house.  For the first time in 20 years, I took a part time job.  With one child starting college, another starting college in a few months, several unforeseen expenses (think cars, house repairs, medical, dental, etc...), and braces our finances were stretched too thin.  It has been a difficult adjustment for me, mostly in not being able to be home and available for my family.  Being the holiday season, the hours have been crazy and my off time was spent taking care of my family and household.  Thank you so much for your patience in waiting for a new post.

I would love to promise you a new post every day in the new year, but I know that is a promise that I cannot keep.  I do hope to continue adding new posts on a regular basis.  I am only one person and my family and other responsibilities often come first. I still have one child homeschooling, plus I will continue to work part time, so I will do my best.  My goal is to continue to keep the blog ad free.  I am (currently) the only one writing my blog posts and I do not make any money from the blog, I do not have any sponsor (nor will I ever accept a sponsor that I don't 100% believe in), all blog post, giveaways and product reviews are paid for by my budget (I will always disclose if something is provided to me in exchange for a review--like the Chocoley Review).  I only share this so that you know where I am coming from and why sometimes there is a delay between posts.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!


"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

I do not know what the new year holds, but I look forward to all that God has in store for my life and my family.

Wishing you a safe, happy, and very blessed 2012!

All-Purpose Quick Mix

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This is my everyday go to mix for biscuits, shortcake, coffee cake, scones and even a delicious self crusting quiche.  You can use this mix in any recipe calling for biscuit mix.


All-Purpose Quick Mix

5 lb. bag flour (20 Cups)
4 C. nonfat dry milk powder or buttermilk powder
3/4 C. baking powder
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cream of tartar
5 C. vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.  With Pastry blender (or your hands) cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal in texture.  Store in airtight container.

~Use 1/2 whole wheat flour, if desired.
~Cut recipe in 1/2 for smaller households.

Biscuits

3 C. All-purpose quick mix
3/4 C. milk or water

Stir together until blended.  Drop dough by spoonfuls onto baking sheet.  Bake in 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

~Add 1/3 C. shredded cheese and chopped herbs to dough for a cheesy herb biscuit


Shortcakes

Follow above biscuit recipe adding 2 Tbsp. sugar to dough.  Sprinkle tops of dough with sugar.

Biscuits and Shortcakes

Coffee Cake

3 C. All-purpose quick mix
1/3 C. sugar
1 egg
1 C. milk or water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Spray an 8" pan with cooking spray.  Combine quick mix and sugar in medium bowl.  Mix egg, milk and vanilla.  Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine.   Prepare filling by mixing flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in butter till mixture is crumbly. 
Spread half of the cake batter in bottom of pan.  Sprinkle filling over batter.  Top with remaining batter.  Bake 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

~This is great for a weekend or company brunch.  Serve with fresh fruit and sausage or bacon.

Coffee Cake

Self-Crusting Quiche
~I love this for a lazy weekend breakfast or a busy weeknight!

3 eggs
1/3 C. all-purpose quick mix
1 1/2 C. milk
1 tsp. minced dried onion (or 1/2 tsp. onion salt)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-1 tsp. herbs of your choice (parsley, thyme, oregano)
1 C. shredded cheese of choice ( I love swiss or cheddar)
1 C. finely chopped meat, crumbled bacon, sausage or cooked veggies (little bits of leftovers make a great filling!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray.  Layer meat and cheese in bottom of pan.

Combine rest of ingredients in blender and mix about 1 minute.  Pour over cheese and meat.  Bake 30-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm or cold.

Self-Crusting Quiche

Griddle Scones

~These tender scones are a favorite in our house.  Top with lemon curd, fresh whipped cream or your favorite preserve
~These are great for camping
3 1/2 Cups All-purpose quick mix
2 eggs (room temp).
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 C. milk, cream or whipping cream

Place all-purpose quick mix in a bowl.  Mix eggs, honey  and milk in separate bowl.  Stir into mix with a fork just until blended (do not overmix!).  Turn dough onto floured surface.  Using 1/3 of the dough at a time, pat or press mixture into a circle about 1/2" thick.  Cut each circle into 4 or 6 wedges. 
Preheat a pan on med.-low heat.  Gently place the wedges on griddle.  Cook until bottoms are lightly browned and the scones rise slightly (be careful not to burn).  Turn and brown other side. Serve warm

For an extra special treat serve with Devonshire Cream:

Combine 1/2 C. chilled whipping cream and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar in mixer and beat until stiff peaks form.  Fold in 1/2 C. sour cream.  
You can also add 1 C. diced fresh fruit (peaches, strawberries, raspberries).

Griddle Scones w/Devonshire Cream and Raspberries

Spinach Balls

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Sorting through my appetizer recipe file I came upon this old recipe I hadn't made in decades  many years. So, I decided to make it for our ladies card group last night.It's March and I wanted something green !Finger food, easy to nibble on, great with a glass of wine or tea, and can be made ahead.That's all I needed to bring it out again. Ingredients include; Stove Top mix, frozen spinach, eggs, onion ,butter, Parmesan, and seasonings. Cook the spinach and drain. Chop an onion. Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Whisk the eggs in a smaller bowl. I used the empty egg bowl to press out all the extra moisture from the spinach. Works great. Combine everything. TIP: If you've emptied out the container of shredded cheese, toss the container in the recycle bin but keep the cap and toss it in the dishwasher. Why, later. Once the mixture is well combined, Put a lid on it!  Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. That makes it easier to handle. Measure out about 1-1/2" balls. Then roll in your hands to shape. Bake at 375 for about 20-30 minutes until slightly golden and it smells good in your kitchen.This makes a lot of balls, so I always freeze some on a tray and then toss them into a  Ziploc bag. You can bake them frozen for 30 minutes whenever you want a little snack. I've also baked them the last 30 minutes with a roast chicken to serve as a side, little spinach stuffing balls.
Now, for the caps; they fit on most mason jars.
These are Classico sauce jars filled with; cheese,
breadcrumbs and mini chocolate chips.
 Easy to store and shake out.
Spinach Balls2 boxed frozen chopped spinach1 box Stove Top stuffing mix-chicken flavor4-5 eggs1 onion, finely chopped1 to 1-1/2 sticks butter, melted3/4-1 C grated Parmesan cheese1 t thyme1 t garlic powder1 t pepper1 t saltMicrowave the spinach in a covered container for 8 minutes, stirring once. Drain well in mesh colander.(Use the small bowl to press out extra moisture)Microwave the butter in a large bowl for 1 minute.Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Combine all ingredients in the large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.Shape into 1-/1/2" balls. Freeze some on a tray, then store in a plastic bag until ready to bake. Bake the remaining balls @375 for 20 min.Bake frozen balls for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Mandarin Orange Cake

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Good Monday to you!

And to you. And to you there, with the garden dirt still fresh on your knees. 

Isn't the Spring time weather fabulous. It seems to have come to Utah early this year, and after a very mild winter at that! Wonderful and fabulous, honkity-honk, please don't ruin things with talk of a drought, ok? Let's just enjoy the sunshine for what it's worth, alright? Thanks a grundle. You are such an easy going reader. Truly.

I have an easy, light and flavorful cake recipe for you today. It's made with a mix, which I know many of you love. The ingredients are few and easy to find. Another bonus. The taste makes you think of sunny summer weather. The frosting is light, fluffy and refreshing. The cake is moist with a hint of orange. 

I hope you make the cake. I hope you love it. I hope you get to run yourself around in the sunshine today flying a kite or something, or eating an ice cream cone, or playing a little bit of hop scotch on the sidewalk.  


Please refrain from doing all three at the same time. 


It's just for you own safety. I don't want you to fall down and skin your pretty little hands. Then you couldn't make the cake, you know. 


And this cake. It needs to be made. :)



Mandarin Orange CakeTime: 15 min. hands on, 1 hour totalYield: 12 servingsRecipe from Mommy's KitchenPRINT RECIPEPRINT WITH A PICTURE
***NOTE: This cake can also be made in a 9x13 pan. Thank you.***
CAKE:1 box Butter Golden Cake Mix1/2 C oil3 eggs1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges
FROSTING: 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding1 (12 ounce) container cool whip, thawed
CAKE
1. Into a stand mixer, or large mixing bowl pour the contents of the cake mix. 

2. Add 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

and 3 eggs. 

3. Open up your Mandarin Orange can. Now, ladies and gentlemen. Please note that the recipe calls for one 15 ounce can of mandarin oranges (juice included, please). However, I happen to have two cases of 11 ounce cans of mandarin oranges sitting tight in my food storage. I didn't want to search the grocery store shelves for a 15 ounce can. If you are in the same boat...

Just measure out your oranges (and juice) to equal about 15 ounces. You'll want to reserve 8 or 9 oranges to decorate the top of your finished cake. 4. Pour the mandarin oranges and juice from the can into the mixer. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes or until the batter is well combined and a bit glossy. 

5. Spray 2 nine inch round cake pans generously with cooking spray. Cooking spray with flour would work really well for this recipe, if you have it. :) Also, cutting yourself a piece of round parchment paper or wax paper to fit in the bottom of your pan will help the cake come out easily. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes. 

7. Invert the cakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely. 
FROSTING
1. Place a thawed 12 ounces of cool whip into a large mixing bowl. 

2. Pour 1 small box of vanilla pudding over the top of the cool whip.

3. Pour in 1 can of crushed pineapple (juice included, please) and mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. 

4. Choose yourself a pretty plate or platter and put a dollop of the frosting into the middle of it. 

5. Place one of the cake layers onto the plate and add about 1 cup of the frosting. 

Spread it out, nice and lovely like. 

6. Gently place the second layer over the top and pile up the rest of the frosting on it. 

Then just spread the frosting over the top and onto the sides until it looks just as pretty as a picture. 

7. Decorate the top with mandarin oranges. Refrigerate if you aren't planning to serve it right away.
Enjoy!