Bowl of comfort

Hey, thanks for the doll-love! I posted her over on Craftster, and everyone over there was so warm and welcoming to this former "lurker." The pattern is just so versatile... I saw someone alter the head and actually make a horse doll with it! My next doll project will, hopefully, be based on "Coraline." There are some pretty amazing adaptations of her into doll-form on Craftster! I loved the book, and can't wait to see the movie when it comes out on DVD...but not until July!

I am finally starting to feel better and get my energy back, thankfully. Yesterday was spent doing my LEAST favorite thing, which is switching the girls' summer/winter clothes out. Since they are so close in age, I have to decide what won't fit Brianna anymore and what WILL fit Bella. Then there is the putting away of old and new. I am not done yet!

My e-friend, Rebecca, shared a delicious potato soup recipe with me, which she got from her sister. I made this about a week ago on a rainy, yucky day, and it was really good! The girls asked for 2nds and 3rds!

Baked Potato Soup

-5 large baking potatoes, baked

-1/4 cup butter

-1 medium onion, chopped

-1/3 cup flour

-4 cups half-and-half

-3 cups milk

-1 tsp salt

-dash pepper

-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Peel the baked potatoes and coarsely mash with a fork. Melt butter in soup pot and add onion. Saute until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Stir in potatoes, milks, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until heated through. Top each serving with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Yield: 12 cups.

(Randi's Notes: I only made a half-batch, like usual, and it was a lot of soup! I decided to mix half of the bacon and cheese directly into the soup, and it was good. If it gets too thick, just add some more milk to thin it out to your liking.)

I made The Amish Cook's Whole Wheat Batter Bread to go along with it. Following my friend Jessica's advice, I increase the amount of honey to 3 Tbsp. It is perfect everytime, and NO kneading involved!

☺☺☺

I hope everyone has a nice, relaxing long weekend! The only planned thing we have is Brianna's dance recital tomorrow afternoon. HOPEFULLY we can get some things done around our house!

Strawberry jam

What a fantastic, Spring-y week this was! I was happy to spend time outside (with dirt on my hands) and inside, with the windows open. Even during the rainy times, it was just peaceful to hear the "tap-tap-tapping" on the windows and roof.

This is the time, most every year, that I make homemade strawberry jam. You can get nice, fat red berries for 99 cents/lb or less at the grocery store quite consistently; the small, homegrown ones are REALLY good, but since you add so much sugar to them to make the jam, I prefer using the large, store-bought ones. They are just easier/faster to clean and prepare.

I started with a 4 lb. box of strawberries, which I cleaned in a sink-full of cold water. Then I simply cut off any bad/white spots and the stems.

I decided to puree them in my new food processor instead of slicing them. If you like a slightly chunky jam, you can slice them or use a pastry cutter to crush them. As they cook, they will break down more.



Mmmm... and nice, smooth strawberry puree! What a time-saver!

I did a little bit of math and adapted the recipe found in my trusty Better Homes cookbook. To my largest stockpot, I added the strawberry puree (which was approx. 7 cups from the cleaned 4 lbs of berries), a 4 lb bag of white sugar, a Tbsp butter, and two 1.75 oz. boxes of Sure-Gel (pectin). Stirring pretty consistently, I brought it to a boil. Let it boil for about 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

(Note: Make sure you use a large enough pot while cooking the jam, and continue to stir often. If you fail to do this, it will probably boil over...I had this happen ONCE and it is a horrible, sticky mess to clean up)

Using a wide-mouth funnel (found with the canning supplies), fill your clean jars up to 1/4 inch of headspace. For jam, I prefer to use half-pint jars, but pints will work in a pinch. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, apply the lid/band. Process in a boiling hot water bath for 5 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. (This is how I do it, following my trusty, 8-year-old cookbook. USDA guidelines for home-canners change, so check their website for the most recent recommendations).

Whenever I can something, I always set the hot, processed jars on dishtowels, then cover with another dishtowel as they cool. (This is how my family did it ☺). There is nothing more exciting than hearing all of the little "pop"s as the jars seal themselves. From all of my berries, I think I made approximately 8 pints-worth of jam. I calculate it cost about $1.11 per pint to make ☺

Balls in shells

Brianna loves to sit up on the butcher block and watch me cook. Last week, I decided to make a big deal out of her cooking supper for everyone! Being 4 1/2, she looked at me nervously and said, "I think I'm going to need some help..."

My beloved Taste of Home magazine has changed it's format. Some changes (such as the ad-free magazine going more commercial) were a big difficult to adjust to. However, there are some new gems to be found in it, as well. There is now a section with a recipe targeted towards kids. The most recent issue had a delicious-sounding recipe that seemed like it would be a fun project for Brianna's first dinner-making experience:

Easy Stuffed Shells

*1 package (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells

*1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

*36 frozen cooked Italian meatballs (1/2 oz. each), thawed

*2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water.

Place 1/2 cup sauce in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. (We halved the recipe, since we don't need to make that much food!).
Place a meatball in each shell.

Transfer to prepared dish.

Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Mmm... this recipe was fabulous!! It was a really simple cross between lasagna and ravioli. We ate it with garlic bread and salad. Since we only made half the recipe, we had a fun time counting out half the shells and meatballs. Great job, Brianna! This recipe is definitely a keeper ☺

Fluffy Bites

It is amazing how much a little bit of crafting got me so far behind last week. (And no, I have only watched Twilight once!). I find it hard to believe it is already Wednesday, yet there is still so much to be done still. Although it is mood-lifting to see the yard turning green again, I dread going though winter/spring clothes :P

I really want to share with you all an insanely good recipe I tried this week. It comes from my beloved Family Fun magazine (March 09, page 94). This is the first time I have used puff pastry, and....wow. Imagine fancy, flaky, super-flavorful ham + cheese sandwiches.

Argentian Ham and Cheese Empanadas

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-1 medium onion, finely chopped

-2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

-8 oz cooked ham, chopped

-2 Tbsp bread crumbs

-8 oz mild Cheddar or Jarlsberg cheese, shredded

-2 Tbsp sour cream

-1 large egg, lightly beaten

-pinch black pepper

-1 package of empanada wrappers or 2 packages of Pepperidge Farms frozen puff pastry, thawed

-egg wash made from 1 large egg beaten, combined with 1 Tbsp water

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and parsley and cook until onion is transparent (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat, transfer to medium-sized bowl, and allow to cool.

Add the ham, bread crumbs, cheese (I used Cheddar Jack), sour cream, egg, and pinch of black pepper to the bowl, and mix well.

(To make the empanada wrapper, I cut each sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pasty dough into 4 equal squares)

Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in center of wrapper and lightly moisten the edge with the egg wash. Fold the pastry in half and press the edges firmly to seal. Crimp the edge with a fork dipped in flour and pierce the top with fork to allow steam to escape. Repeat with remaining pastry/filling, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375. Brush the empanadas with the remaining egg wash and bake them on a parchment-lined baking seet on the upper oven rack until golden (About 20-25 minutes). Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Randi's Notes:

• -Although I purchased 2 boxes of the puff pastry as called for in the recipe, I decided to only make half the recipe. One box contains 2 sheets of pastry, and I cut each sheet into 4 squares...therefore, half the recipe yielded 8 empanadas. This was enough to feed my husband, myself, and both girls, with 2 1/2 left over, and we were stuffed!
• -According to the recipe, these can be frozen and baked later. Simply place the unbaked (and un-egg washed) empanadas on wax paper-lined baking sheets and freeze (then stack in sealable bags/containers in freezer). When you are ready to bake them, just egg wash and pop in the oven, increasing the baking time by 15 minutes.
• -Leftover filling is really yummy in omelets or scrambled eggs!!
• -There was so much "mmmm-ing" going on at the table, I couldn't hear anything else. -These would be insanely good for a party, especially since you can make them ahead and they look so darn fancy.

Sweet as pie

On Friday, Brianna and I took a little "Mommy and Me" shopping trip to run multiple errands. On the way out of Burlington, we stopped at this grocery store called "Fareway." Is this a chain or just something local? Anyway, it seems to be a fairly old store, but in a way that was refreshing! The meat counter had actual butchers (about 5 or 6 of them) in aprons and paper hats taking orders. We just don't have that around here anymore. Plus, the strawberries that were on sale had been hand-wrapped in those cute little plastic berry-baskets (as opposed to the pre-weighed clamshells at my usual grocery stores.) I walked out with 20 lbs. of chicken leg-quarters, 3.5 lbs of strawberries, and a dozen eggs....and it all cost me $12!

With the hints of Spring-like weather inspiring me, I decided to make a favorite: strawberry pie! My husband's family's recipe is so super-simple.


First, you will need to bake yourself a single pie crust. Homemade or store-bought, it doesn't really matter. I prefer Martha Stewart's pate brisee recipe because I can whirl it up pretty easily and fast in the food processor. (How do you like my f.p? It was the Christmas present from hubby, and in the special "Martha" color of my kitchen, just for Macy's!) In a pinch, you can also use a graham cracker crust.

For the filling, you combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 3 Tablespoons cornstarch in a saucepot. I like to make a "slurry" with the cornstarch and a little of the water and then add, which helps to decreased the lumpiness. Cook and stir over medium heat until it becomes clear, thick, and bubbly.


Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup of strawberry jello powder. Allow to cool.
( I believe this is a little bit less than one of the small boxes contains. Most of the time, I have a large box on hand that I measure from for the sole purpose of making pie. I found that you can also subsitute one small box of sugar-free jello in place of the 1/4 cup.)

Add 1 quart of sliced strawberries to the cooled sauce, then pour filling into the cooled, baked crust. Cover and refrigerate until set, then enjoy!


This recipe is always a favorite in our house. We also make a killer raspberry pie by substituting raspberries and raspberry jello! Yum yum... where's the Cool Whip?

Giant Green Goodness...Mmmm

I would dare to say that my favorite food in the world is zucchini. I have very fond memories of a skillet casserole my grandma used to make for me that centered around this plump, green squash. Lately, I have been using the first small zuke's to make a shred for my favorite summer lunch, zucchini pancakes. They are also called fritters, if you make them smaller. Regardless, they compromise a tasty, filling lunch... with plenty of ketchup for dipping :-) The girls love them, also, which is a VERY good thing.



Zucchini Pancakes


(recipe makes about 4 4-inch pancakes, enough for a very filling lunch for 1-2).

Shred up 1 cup of zucchini. For a little extra savory flavor, shred a few tablespoons of onion in, as well. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (or to taste), and let sit for a few moments so that the zucchini starts to give up some of its liquid.



Next, add 2 1/2 tablespoons baking mix, 1 egg, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and pepper (to taste). Mix into a nice batter. For a little extra crunch, you can add a little corn meal to the batter, as well.









Heat a nonstick skillet and spray with Pam. Spoon the batter into mounds (as big as you like), and flatten them out so that they will cook evenly. At this point, I like to sprinkle the top with cornmeal because I like that extra body and crunch. Cook for several minutes, and when they start to puff up a little and the bottom is browned, flip and finish cooking.






Delicious! Make them smaller, and they are a good side dish, as well.