Back to the Basics

I've realized lately that I have been trying to hard to make everything so amazing that I'm getting lost in the details. So, back to the basics this week! Back to the chocolate chip cookies and the BK for date-night...okay, In-N-Out (It's Chad's favorite, so why not?).

This past Sunday Chad and I were craving donuts, so out comes the beautiful deep fryer we got at Bed, Bath & Beyond a couple weeks ago!

Delicious Delights: Donuts/Doughnuts
I used the same recipe for the donuts that I used for the Pizza Bites (Rolls). Here it is again:

Scones--Peggy

2 C warm water

1 T yeast

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

4 C flour (2x water) (I always end up using more flour, because I like my dough less sticky)

5 T oil

In large mixing bowl combine water, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. mix slightly. Wait for yeast to bubble and float to top. Add enough flour. Knead five minutes (I don't ever count how much I knead it. I just knead it until it is the right texture) Roll out. Cut. Fry.

The glaze I used was the same one I put on the Danish Puff Pastry

Here it is again:

Traditional Buttercream Frosting: (learned from Mom)

2 C powdered sugar

1-2 T butter, melted

sprinkle of salt

1/2-1 t vanilla/almond ext

milk

Put everything but milk into a bowl and mix until you can't anymore. Add milk, 1T at a time until glaze is consistency you want it. (I like mine pretty soupy)  

And that's that. :D

While I was at work, one of my coworkers and I got talking about healthy food--we work at a bakery, so it doesn't come up all that often. :) While we were talking about it, I told him I make a fruit smoothie every day and without it I can definitely tell the difference. I'm more tired and everything's a bit more fuzzy. He asked me what I put in it, and here it is:

Delicious Delights: Daily Smoothies

1 banana

4 very large frozen strawberries (or the equivalent of frozen fruit)

1 normal yogurt--whichever flavor you choose. I use Activia from Costco, or the low-fat kind from the normal grocery store, and I love the combo of peaches with the frozen strawberries.

2 Tbsp Jell-O powder--supposed to help your joints, again, any flavor. I usually use raspberry.

Milk, to make the blender work

It's best if you blend the frozen strawberries with the milk first. I usually don't, just because it takes a bit longer. I use the magic bullet type thing I have to make my smoothies. (I'll try the blender soon!) I layer it like: (the list is like it is, the ingredient on the bottom, on the bottom--closest to the blades, and the ingredient on the top, on the top)

Banana Pieces
Yogurt
Jell-O Powder
Strawberries (or other frozen fruit)
Milk

They are wonderful, and I presume pretty healthy for you. :)

I volunteer in the elementary schools frequently, and the other day I was a couple minutes later than I usually am, so I was in the middle of the hallway when all the students began singing the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem. Which, despite the incredible talent it takes to sing the song well, it touched my heart to hear them all singing together, memorized by heart, the anthem of our country. Needless to say, they probably don't recognize the significance that it has to me. I was alive and in elementary school myself when the attack on the Twin Towers in New York occurred, so it can only be natural for me to find comfort, strength and courage in this song. Just my experiences. :)

This week I also cleaned Chad's muddy tennis shoes that have been muddy and waiting for me since November's Turkey Bowl...I used the fabulous knowledge source of Google, which led me to many Yahoo questions about it, and determined I would brush off as much mud as I could with a toothbrush, then wash them in the washer with Oxi-Clean and air-dry them.

 This is what they looked like when I took them out of the bag to clean them.

 Close up. It's pretty caked on there. 

 After I cleaned them with the toothbrush I decided

I needed to clean it with a wet toothbrush. 

Here they are after the wet toothbrush. Amazing wouldn't you say!? Just water and a toothbrush. 

And this is after the Oxi-Clean in the washer. I'm impressed. Now you know what to do! Thanks to a conglomeration of Google and Yahoo. :P

Today Chad and I went with our congregation up to Salt Lake to do service at the LDS Temple there. It was such an uplifting experience, and the temple is so beautiful! 

Us, in front of the temple, across the reflecting pool.

A picture of a fountain on the other side of the lot, and another picture:

 This was from the view of that same fountain. 

(you can see them fussing over a new bride getting her pictures taken. 

It makes me remember my wedding day!)

Chad, posing for the camera...kind of.

 It's bright!!!

here's my smile...haha, he makes me laugh.

He is such a wonderful husband. He keeps talking about how he can't wait until it's summer. Spring is here though:

as evidenced by these photos! So happy it's warm! (at least for the next day or two...)

Next week will be some cookies and at least a craft project or two. Have a great one!

Does it have to have a title?

I never know what to title my posts! There are so many things to put up here, since it's been a whole week! The evenings get busy. I'm still trying to adjust to being a new wife. It's fun, believe me. And busy. But I love being busy, so it's great! Today I've got a kitchen tip, a favorite song, fashion, thoughts, food, food and more food. :)

Ever had rock-hard brown sugar? Well, I have, but never this bad! It was bending my spoon as I tried to get it out! I figured that since it is in a canister on my counter, I would just get a paper towel wet with hot water, ring it out as much as I could, and stick it in the top of my canister. Like this:

Looks kinda dorky, I know. BUT my brown sugar is as soft as it was when it came out of the bag! I was amazed, so I thought I would share. 

Okay, so time for a taste of the music I love!!! I know Josh Groban is amazing. You know it too. :) His new CD, Illuminations has got to be my favorite. I don't own it yet though. I know. Sad. :( I went to his concert in Salt Lake City, Utah last August. I almost cried just because he was there, singing to me. Like...actually! He sang Happy Birthday to a gal who's birthday was that day. Oh. My. Gosh. I was so jealous. I almost wished it was my birthday! haha. Anyways, I love Josh Groban. Plus, he's hilarious! Have you seen the tweets of Kanye West by Josh Groban? If not, here it is (sorry, the beginning isn't my favorite :(, just skip a little): 

Okay, so he's hilarious, has a gorgeous voice...what could be better?! This song:

Made me cry the first time I heard it. Any favorite Josh Groban songs you guys???

While I was sitting in class, listening to group presentations on ESL curriculum guidelines, I saw one of the girls in my class, and I could not get over how everything she was wearing was so cute! Here's Karen:

Just, how she pieced together the whole thing amazes me! Okay, here's where she got everything: Pants: Zara, Shoes: Aldos, Cardigan & Belt: H&M, Shirt: Banana Republic. I love shoes. A lot. and I think that's what clinched the outfit for me. All the colors and tones were just perfect, and the shoes made it heaven. Thank you Karen!

I've been thinking a lot about how much people know. I'm a heavy Pinterest user, and the things I find on people's blogs are amazing! Just, the vast amounts of knowledge that are in this world...I just wanna grab everyone on the street and get to know who they are and what they know. Osmosis through a hug would be the coolest thing ever! It just makes me want to learn everything! I think that's why I'm a teacher. I love everything, so therefore I can teach my students to love everything. 

I love food. I love desserts. Danish Puff Pastry (something my Grandma Nell would make at Christmas) is one of my favorites! You think pastry, and you go, oh no! I don't wanna fold this a billion times to make it fluffy and full of goodness! But you don't have to! It just requires some cutting in of butter. 

I don't know where the recipe came from, but here it is:

Delicious Delights, Danish Puff Pastry:

Danish Puff Pastry:

1 C flour

1/2 C butter (a stick, cut into pieces)

2 T water (I always use 3 or 4)

1/2 C butter

1 C water

1 C flour

3 eggs

1 t almond ext

Measure 1 C flour into bowl, cut in 1/2 cup butter. Sprinkle 2 T water and mix with a fork. round into ball, divide in half. Make 12"x3" strips, 3" apart on ungreased baking sheet

Combine second amounts of butter and water in saucepan

Bring to rolling boil and remove from heat. Stir in 1 C flour (all at once) to keep from lumping. Stir until smooth. This is what it will look like: kinda doughy, weird texture.

Add one egg at a time. This is the weirdest step. The egg doesn't really mix in very well so you have to mix it forever. 

Add extract and beat again. Divide in half and spread over the two crusts on baking pan. 

This is the top view. The dough covers the whole crust. Try not to get it over the edges.

This is about how thick it is on the top. It looks weird and tastes nasty all by itself, 

which is why you need the frosting (coming later)!

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes (check at 50, especially if you don't know your oven very well, like me, in my new apartment. 60 minutes was a little too much) If you bake it the right amount, it'll be soft in the middle. 

This was how mine was:

little toasty

Traditional Buttercream Frosting: (learned from Mom)

2 C powdered sugar

1-2 T butter, melted

sprinkle of salt

1/2-1 t vanilla/almond ext

milk

Put everything but milk into a bowl and mix until you can't anymore. Add milk, 1T at a time until glaze is consistency you want it. (I like mine pretty soupy) 

I cut these in half long-ways and then into pieces short-ways. 

Yummy yummy! 

Then I made dinner...I know. Dessert tends to come first in my mind... :P I work at a bakery, and there are always extra donuts. I used to think they were so amazing. Now, I can only eat a bite before I'm so done with the donuts. Unless they're cake/old-fashioned donuts. *sigh* those are the best ever. I could eat those until...well forever I think. Anyways, I found a recipe on Pinterest!

Pinterest Pinned, Mini Mexican Pizzas:

I actually didn't make mini pizzas, I made big pizzas, but here's the reference recipe, from Dashing Dish! 

 

What I did:

1 lb ground beef, cooked (no seasoning)

1 can refried beans, heated

2 T taco seasoning

1/2 C peach pineapple Chipotle salsa (from Walmart, the Great Value kind)

Mix all that together and spread on 2 normal sized flour tortillas, on greased baking sheet. I put a flour tortilla on a cookie sheet--so I ended up using 2 cookie sheets. Cover in shredded cheese with chives:

yummy yummy 

Bake at 425 for 8-9 minutes. It was so surprisingly delicious. Except for the pieces of pineapple (I strongly dislike the texture of pineapple) Thank you Dashing Dish!

Last night Chad and I went to Chili's! I am such a fan of their 2 for $20 right now! It has steak on it!!! But, I didn't get the steak. That'll have to be for next time. I got the Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers. 

plus a corn on the cob! It was so delicious! And the seasoned fries in the ranch...mmmmm. The chicken was the perfect texture, perfect amount of sauce...It was just so good. 

Chad got the ribs with the dry rub...look at him! He just can't wait for me to take the pictures so he can eat!

I took a few bites, it reminded me of being in a log cabin up in the woods. Chad said it reminded him of Independence Day on the 4th of July. 

Well, welcome to the end of our week! Our next door neighbor just had a baby! So excited for them to come home tomorrow! I'm excited to hear baby cries through the walls! (no, that was not in the least bit sarcastic)

Hope y'all enjoyed! Better try some recipes at home! "Everyone can cook!"--Ratatouille, the Disney/Pixar film. <3 movies! Tell me about good movies you've seen! I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End this weekend. I love love love that movie! It's so clever, and the plot goes everywhere...its good. 

Sunshine on its way!

This weekend was marvelous! It was so sunny and warm, and since I always seem to be freezing cold, it was so wonderful! Of course, daylight savings helped with that a bit, because the sun was up later. Because of daylight savings though, I missed my show on Sunday night! Once Upon a Time? I’m sure you’ve heard of it, or watch it religiously. In either case, I knew it was going to be a good one, and it was! (I watched it on Hulu last night…) ugh, sooo good! Interesting twists and turns. Anyways…my mom thinks its super cheesy, and it probably is, but I love it so much I don’t even care!

So, I was pondering a bit yesterday, and just thinking about the gender wars that seem to be happening everywhere! Especially on Pinterest and Facebook. Why do men say such negative things about women? Why do women say such negative things about men? Even if these things are true, we should be looking for positive things in everyone. We aren’t going around saying, “oh I think I want to be frustrated/upset/sad/miserable today.” No! We want to be happy! Isn’t that everyone’s goal? We all pursue things that make us happy. How can we upstage the gender war with good things? I’ve thought of a few:

To men: Thank you for working so hard to keep food on the table for your families. Thank you for being an upstanding role model to our children. Thank you for learning things that you can do to make progress.

To women: Thank you for nurturing your children and/or the people around you, and learning what you can to make the home a better place for your family. 

We all need men AND women! Families and girls/guys night out. Right? Anyways, stepping back to the ground, off of my soap box. Just something to think about.

So I had LOADS of fun baking this weekend! Did a couple Pinterest Pinned desserts and a snack/dinner idea! 

The first was a Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf, from Sweet Pea's Kitchen, who adapted it from someone who adapted it from someone else, but hey, its so good!

 

This is the Pinterest Pinned picture

This is my picture. Not as pretty, but oh so good! 

My glaze on the top was a bit too stiff, and I let the loaf and the lemon syrup cool too much before melding the two together. But, between Chad and I, we've eaten the whole thing in three days. It is very rich. I could only have one slice at a time--which was kinda sad because it was so amazingly delicious! The top was a bit tart for my taste, so next time I think I'll not put quite as much lemon juice in the syrup. But also, like I said, I let them both cool too much, so the syrup kinda pooled in the top. Maybe that's why. Also, I put frozen blueberries in, instead of fresh or thawed, and so they all sunk to the bottom as you can see. It was still really good, just some tips for when you make it :)

Next, I made Pizza Bites, from Pennies on a Platter. They turned out really well for not using the exact recipe...

 

Here's the gorgeous picture of pepperoni, cheese and dough.

I didn't open mine like that and take a picture, but:

Here's before the oven...

and after. 

We call them Pizza Rolls, because they're a combo of both.

I used my mom's friend's recipe for pizza dough/scones/bread/rolls, so they turned out more like rolls with some cheese and pepperoni in the middle, but they were still good! I think that should be my catchphrase: "But they were still good!" I say that a lot...

I also used crisco and a pastry brush to brush the tops instead of olive oil. Crisco is amazing. Unhealthy and kinda gross if you really think about it, but amazing nonetheless. 

Peggy's pizza dough/scones/bread/rolls recipe is the best!!! I love it so much. It makes sweet dough that you just can't get enough of! The only thing I don't make with this recipe is bread. Because I buy Grandma Sycamore's White Bread from Costco...because it is to die for. (I think I'm a carb-aholic...)

Scones--Peggy

2 C warm water

1 T yeast

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

4 C flour (2x water) (I always end up using more flour, because I like my dough less sticky)

5 T oil

In large mixing bowl combine water, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. mix slightly. Wait for yeast to bubble and float to top. Add enough flour. Knead five minutes (I don't ever count how much I knead it. I just knead it until it is the right texture) Roll out. Cut. Fry. 

For Rolls: Form into balls. Let rise 10 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

On Sunday, Chad wanted me to make Salty Turtle Brownies from une Gamine dans la Cuisine

Their beautiful picture:

 

okay, does that not look like something you would spend an hour or two in the kitchen to make???

Here's mine. I just realized I forgot the chocolate on top...But it was still good!!!

yummy! 

okay, I need to learn how to take better pictures. The juxtaposition of these two just makes me hurt inside. Apparently I need lessons. Google! Isn't that the truth? Whenever we need to know something its either Google, Wikipedia, or our friend who is supposed to know, but then refers you to Google...or Wikipedia. :D I love how much information we can get in 2 seconds on the internet. We are so blessed. 

So for these brownies, you NEED vanilla ice cream! They are so rich its ridiculous, but of course delicious! I've never made home-made caramel before, and let me give you a tip: when you make these, make sure your sugar/water mixture does not cool off too fast. I got huge lumps of hardened, caramelized sugar that wouldn't dissolve back into the caramel. It still turned out okay, but I think it would have been loads better. I also forgot to get cream, so I used milk (ouch, I know), which worked okay, but it could have been creamier. Also, just to cut down on costs a little, instead of pecans I used hazelnuts, still unbelievably delectable, but not as pricey--you know, college student budget and all. 

Because of a very generous grandmother (Grandma Nell) who gets meat from her sister (Aunt Ann) who has a ranch, and because my Grandma Nell and Grandpa Jim can't eat an outdoor freezer, an indoor freezer and two garbage bags-full worth of meat, we got steak for dinner Sunday night. 

Delicious Delights: Steak!

So, pretty basic: Johnny's Salt and Red Pepper Flakes rubbed into each side of the two steaks. We have one of those grills that sits on top of your oven burners, so I used that. I sprayed it with cooking oil, turned the heat to medium (we have an electric stove, so it took a while to heat up. If you have a gas stove, it won't take as long). When it was all heated up, I put the steaks on. The fat dripped off, sizzled and smoked. Here's a couple pictures:

It got so smoky in our apartment that when the steaks were done and we were still waiting for the carrots, we went on a walk. We left all our--okay 2--windows open, with a fan going. ugh it was so nasty, I could barely breathe. But, oh. my. gosh. The first bite was worth every cough, it was so delicious. I wish I could share my joy with you...but I don't think I could express myself accurately enough. 

Side note(s): I just got that banana hanger/stand, love it! The salt and pepper shakers are apple themed (my kitchen) and the cute lady bug timer I got from my Grandma Margieann for my bridal shower. I love that thing! Of course, the ticking drives me nuts, but I can get distracted sometimes, so it keeps me on top of my baking. :)

New section! Organized Opposites. This is where I show you before and after pictures. I think I'm going to show in-between pictures from now on too, because these before and afters look kinda similar, but I'll explain. :P

This is a bunch of counted cross-stitch stuff my Grandma Nell gave me. I had no idea what was in the bin, so I had to take everything out. It was all kinda just piled in there--according to me. She probably knew where everything was in there. :) It doesn't look too messy though. 

This is it all done. Looks about the same, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you: I have the frames on the bottom, with the fabric. Then on the left side I have started projects, and on the right side I have kits and patterns. The three boxes to the left with the grocery bag behind it is all thread. (wow!)

Here's a closer view. :) Looks decent, but I'm pretty sure if anyone else were to know where things were in this bin, they would have to take out everything too.

okay, here's my baking cabinet--or so I call it. It just has all the baking essentials, as you can see. 

I had just bought a few things, so I needed to take everything out and start over. That's my method: take everything out and put everything back in a place. 

Looks about the same...but I can tell you that the things I use most are right near the front. 

I have limited space in my apartment, so this looks really good. (and the reason you see two bottles of oil, is because one is 'used' oil, that you can reuse for deep frying things)

So, question: How do you get baked on cooking spray off your pans? Its nasty, and sticky and brown! yuck!

Happy Tuesday!

Busy Saturday Morning

When I was younger, I would wake up early early on Saturday mornings to watch 1 Saturday Morning cartoons. Today though, my husband, Chad, and I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to finish up our wedding shopping! We got some spiffy things and I am even more excited to be in the kitchen!

We got a blender, a rice cooker and a deep fryer! *bonding moment* It was the best! We both turned around and saw it at the same time, looked at each other, and decided to get it! French Fries and Donuts, heck yes! (like I said before, this is not a heart-healthy, or anything healthy food place) And there's Chad in the background, trying to beat a round of bosses on the Hero Mode on Skyward Sword (the new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii)

Delicious Delights: This is something I love to eat! Waffles! Add the fruit and whipped cream and mmmm I'm in heaven. 


Here is the waffle recipe I use--I found it online, I don't remember where :(


Waffles:
2 Eggs
2 C Flour
1 3/4 C Milk
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Sugar
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla


This recipe makes the most delicious waffles! They are moist, and sweet and the texture is just perfect!

My waffles always turn out round because I just put all the batter right in the middle of the waffle iron, but they're still good. :D mmmmm so fluffy!

Strawberry Sauce:

Fresh or frozen strawberries

water

sugar

You can make as much or as little as you want, and you can keep it as tart, or make it as sweet as you want! Fresh strawberries are better, but I usually use frozen, just for convenience--I make smoothies all the time, so I always have frozen strawberries on hand. With fresh strawberries, just cut them up into the size you want them. I usually do them in quarters, because I like the big chunks of strawberry. Put the strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with sugar. Let them sit for about 20 minutes. This helps the juices come out and helps your sauce taste better. With frozen strawberries, I sprinkle them with sugar and some water, and I don't let them sit. Then put the strawberries, water and sugar all in a pot and heat them through until strawberries are soft and tender, or until syrup is the consistency you like it. Its really all very subjective.

This is my strawberry sauce, boiling. I boiled it for a while, just to get most of the water out and the strawberry juice and the sugar to make it more syrupy. That bamboo spatula is my favorite tool to use in the kitchen! It works for just about everything and doesn't scrape up my nonstick pans! 

Here is the finished product: 

This is actually a picture of the waffles I made on Valentine's Day (I put red food coloring in the batter), but I didn't have whipped cream today, and this one looks prettier :) I used whipped cream from the aerosol cans from the store. I love home-made, but I'm a gal of convenience, so from the can it is. *Plug for Costco, my very favorite whipped cream in the whole wide world is the Land'O'Lakes Whipped Cream that comes in the 3 pack for about $8 at Costco! It is rich, creamy and it is heavy, so it makes a difference.*

Pinterest Pinned: This section is for things I have pinned on Pinterest and then done at home. You get to know if they work or not! These things include food, crafts...mostly just food and crafts, because I don't have children yet, so I won't have a lot of opportunity for the kid things I find. 

Today I am going to share with you a homemade air freshener! Thanks to Kelly from The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking, http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2011/05/super-simple-homemade-air-freshener.html, I made an air freshener!

This is the air freshener she made from a mason jar, baking soda and essential oils! The instructions are on the link above.

Here is mine:

Its a bit smaller, and I had it in my bedroom--which is a lot bigger than a bathroom, so it wasn't working super well. Now I have it in my bathroom, and I can definitely tell the difference! I love the recycling of old glass jars, and that you can use this powder on smelly spots, let it sit and vacuum it up to make the smelly spots go away! I am excited to keep using these!

Last today is Media Munchies: This is for reviews of books I have read or movies I have recently watched.

The Help:

Book: This book is not only entertaining, but it makes you think. I love fantasy books, so I did not think I would enjoy it near as much as everyone else did, but I also love compelling stories and this one is most definitely compelling. It compels you to think, to ponder, to wonder...what would I have done? It has romance, suspense and civil rights. Really a fabulous read. I could not put it down!

Movie: Follows the book very closely. As a reader who watches the movies and is very frequently disappointed, I was not disappointed, I was very VERY happy with the result! Read the book and watch the movie, they are fabulous compliments to each other.

Captain America: I know, I haven't watched it yet, so I am behind the times. I watched it last night for the first time. I was surprised at how good it was, there are some very cheesy moments, but some very hilarious ones as well. Worth watching so the Avengers make sense. I love the connections between these movies. It connects with Iron Man and Thor, so I thought that was cool--even though I haven't seen Iron Man yet...I'll see that soon, no worries :D

That's it for the day, off to work on a final project! Yippee!