Summer Recipe......

Summer is here full force in Texas!!!

And it has been wonderful weather for Popsicles!

Here is a great recipe we found on Rick Bayless' website....

Have fun!!!!

Paletas de Frutas

(Fruit Ice Pops)

3/4c. sugar

2/3c. lemon juice

2c. sparking water
Two 10oz. bags frozen fruit pieces or pulp

Mix sugar, lemon juice and sparking water in large bowl.

Stir well until sugar in dissolved.

If you use fruit pieces....

Divide the fruit among 20 Popsicle molds, then fill with lemon mixture, leaving about 1/4in head space for expansion. Place in freezer until they are firmly set.

If you use fruit pulp....

Follow the above recipe. But instead of putting the fruit in the molds, mix the pulp with the lemon mixture then place in Popsicle molds.

I like this recipe because it is very easy for smaller children to help with.

And older children can make it by them selves.

Is there a recipe that your family makes during the summer?

(I'm searching for some new ones, so please share!)

Kitchen Sink Cookies.....

This is one of my family's favorite cookie recipes!

We found it in one of Martha Stewart's Magazine several years back.

They are a nice thick cookie. My Dad really likes them because of this! :)

They get there name for the fact that you add everything to them except the kitchen sink!

Not literally but they do have a lot of ingredients in them!

I hope you enjoy them!

Kitchen Sink Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add oats, chips, coconut, raisins, and walnuts, and stir until well blended.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.

Variations: You replace the chocolate chips for M&Ms, or the raisins for a different type of dried fruit. You can also just add dried fruit instead of the chocolate to make them a bit more healthy. One lady had added cranberries and dates to the mix.

If you do change the recipe be sure and watch that the dough doesn't get too dry!

What is your family's favorite cookie recipe?

Breakfast Recipe.....

Here is another great recipe that uses up a lot of eggs!!

I like it because you can adjust the amount of eggs up put in it also.

Farmer's Casserole

6c. tater tots

1c. grated yellow cheese (colby, chedder, etc.)

1c. diced fully cooked ham

4-12 beaten eggs

1 1/2c. milk

Grease a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange tater tots in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with ham and cheese.

In mixing bowl beat together eggs and milk. Pour over potato mixture.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 min. If you added more eggs it may take more time.

The other nice thing about this recipe is it freezes nicely!

Just assemble and put into freezer un-cooked.

I made about 14 of these the other day because we had so many eggs!

Everyone one really enjoys this one. :)

I think I'm going to get one out of the freezer for this morning!

Strawberry Pie Recipe!

For Mother's day this year we are making a couple of these pies to take to my Grandma's house.

So, I thought I'd share it with you!

This is my Great-Grandma Ruth's recipe.

Strawberry Pie

10oz. strawberries (we add a little more)

1-8oz package of cream cheese

1pt. cool whip

a little bit of sugar to sprinkle on strawberries

graham cracker crust

Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add strawberries and sugar.

Fold in cool whip. Spread mixture into graham cracker crust.

Store in ref.

It tastes best if left to chill over night.

(If it lasts that long!!!)

Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe?

I've been looking for some to try out since we have an abundance of them!

Hope you all have a blessed day!!!!

(photo from Google)

Picking Strawberries

We were so excited to go pick strawberries with Hannah and her family last week!!!

It is so nice to have sweet, encouraging friends to share fun times with!
Here are some pictures of our trip........

Hannah and myself and the strawberry patch.

(Hannah's sister Parah)
She was having such a fun time wandering up and down the isles eating more strawberries that she put in her basket I think!

Baby Girl going for a ride on Mom.
She really enjoyed being outside!



Hannah's sister Aliah and her brother Josiah
This is one of my favorite pictures I took.





My sweet brothers trying to find the reddest strawberry they could find.




L-R Little Man, Sweet Brother and Hannah's brother Noah
Aren't they handsome?!


At this farm they planted 17,000 strawberry plants!

They seemed to go on for ever. :)



When we got home we made strawberry ice cream with fresh goats milk as a surprise for Dad!

Fresh Fruit Ice Cream
(this is my Great-Grandma's recipe)

2-2 1/2 qts. fresh fruit (pureed or smashed)

2c. sugar (or to taste)

1 1/2tsp. lemon juice

1tsp. almond flavor

1TBS vanilla

5 eggs

2 qts. milk (cow or goat)



Mix fruit with flavorings, add eggs and sugar. Add enough milk to fill a 5qt ice cream bucket to the fill line.

Then process according to your ice cream makers instructions.



This ice cream stays smooth and never gets icy hard in the freezer!
Some other fruits you can use are peaches, strawberries, bananas and the like.


Enjoy!!


Lord willing we will be going back to pick some more strawberries to make jam, fruit leather, etc. So I will be posting more recipes soon!

(If you have any favorite recipes with strawberries in them please let me know. The last time we picked 18lbs, so I could use some more was to use them!)

Laundry Soap

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap-

for the front or top load washing machine
We really like this detergent recipes that we found off of the Duggar Family website (www.duggarfamily.com).

It works wonderfully on Baby Girl's diapers and makes our other clothing smell very fresh and clean!

4 Cups - hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup - Washing soda

½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Herbal Hair Rinse

I love this new hair rinse I found!
I'm always looking for new ways to keep my hair healthy and shiny.

This stuff really works to get any shampoo residue off the scalp, making the hair look very healthy!

Herbal Hair Rinse

3c. boiling water

Large handful of Rosemary (dried or fresh)

or

Chamomile flowers dried

1c. cider vinegar

2 aspirin crushed (optional)

If you are dark haired like me use the Rosemary as your herb

or if you have a light hair color use the Chamomile.

Place the herb in the boiling water, turn off heat, cover and let cool.

Strain out the herb and pour into a jar.

Add cider vinegar and aspirin.

The aspirin really helps if you have dandruff.

Mix well. I you added aspirin it will settle to the bottom, just shake well before using.

I put mine in a spray bottle for easy use.

Spray on wet, clean, combed hair (a little goes a long way!).

Massage onto scalp.

You will smell like a pickle for a little bit,

but as your hair dries the smell will dissipate!

Enjoy your healthy shiny hair!

An Abundance Of Eggs

Our chickens have been quite busy lately, so we have been blessed by an overflow of eggs!

I thought I'd share our favorite recipe for eggs.....

Simple Quiche

(pronounced keysh)

1 1/2c. of cooked meat chopped

(we have used bacon, sausage, ground meat or we have even done meatless)

2c. shredded cheese

(I use Colby jack)

8 eggs beaten

2c. milk

4TBS grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2c. of a green vegetable chopped

sometimes I'll put in broccoli, asparagus or spinach

2 pie crust

(we buy or pie crust already made to save on time, but any pastry pie crust will work)

In a large bowl beat together eggs an milk. Add cheese and parm cheese. Mix well.

Chop up the vegetable and the meat. Stir into egg mixture.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake @350 for 35min or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Let rest for 10min before eating.

Enjoy!!!

This recipe will make 2 quiches.

We eat this for dinner, lunch or breakfast.

I make up a bunch at time and freeze them.

To defrost just reheat in 350 oven until center is warm.

(photo courtesy of Goggle)

Cheese Cake

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert, so I thought I'd share my recipe with you!

New York Style Cheese Cake

The Frugal Gourmet

1c. Graham cracker crumbs

3/4c. Sugar

1/2c. plus 2TBS melted butter

1 1/2c. sour cream

2eggs

2tsp. Vanilla

1lb. cream cheese broken into small pieces

Blend cracker crumbs, 1/4c. sugar and 1/4c. melted butter together. Press into a 8-or9-inch greased spring form pan. I start on the bottom of the pan first and work my way up the sides of the pan.

Blend sour cream, 1/2c. sugar, eggs and vanilla in a food blender for 1min. Add the cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Pour in the 2TBS of melted butter.

Pour in the spring form pan.

Bake in the lower third of a 325 oven for 45min.

Refrigerate for 4hrs. preferably over night, before cutting and serving.

We put canned cherries on it sometimes. But my favorite is with canned blueberries!!

Note: I double the crust ingredients since I make sides on the cheesecake. The recipes calls for just making a bottom.

Enjoy!!

Healing Salve

I made this green salve a couple of months ago and it has been the best stuff!

We used it when my youngest brother got the chicken pox. It really helped with his itching and also helped him heal within a couple of days!

My Dad recently used it also. He burned him self on the grill pretty badly, and after applying this salve for several days his hand is heal completely!

Anyway, there are so many other uses for this salve.

Such as rashes, bruises, sprains, itchy skin, diaper rash and the like!

Healing Salve

1pint Vegetable Oil

2oz. Comfrey Leaf

2oz. Chickweed

2oz. Yarrow Flowers

2oz. Golden Seal Tops

1oz. Myrrh Powder

1oz. Echinacea Root

1tsp. Lavender Essential Oil

5oz. Bee wax

Vitamin E oil

(sorry I don't know how much I put in)

Combine herbs and veg oil in crockpot.
Heat gently for about 2hrs. Stirring occasionally.

Strain herbs (Be careful the herbs are very hot!) I squeezed them to get all of the liquid out.
And discard then them.

Pour liquid back in crockpot. Keeping it warm, add beeswax and vitamin E oil/
Make sure the beeswax is completely melted before moving on.

As the salve cools it should be the consistency of peanut butter. If it is to runny and more beeswax.

When the beeswax is melted, stir well and pour into tins.

I used 2oz. tins, but it really doesn't matter what size.

Allow to cool.

You now have salve!

We keep ours in the ref. just to keep it fresh.

Have fun!!

Baking Bread

.

Tuesday's are my baking days around here.

So, I thought I'd share a great recipe that a sweet friend gave us.

5 Loaf Whole Wheat Bread

2/3c. oil

3/4c. honey

51/2c. hot water

3 heaping TBS yeast

up to 15c. whole wheat flour

(works well in a Bosch or any kind of mixer)

Mix together oil, honey, hot water and yeast .

Let sit for about a minuet until the yeast starts to bubble.

Slowly add the flour until the mixture is very slightly sticky.

You made not need the whole amount of flour.

When it has reach the consistency you want, kneed for about 12min.

When the time is up, place in bread pans and set some place warm with a dish cloth over it.

Preheat oven to 350.

When it has risen to about double in size place in the warm oven and cook for about 20-25min.

Take out and let cool for a little while, then place on cooling rack to finish cooling.

This is our favorite bread so I end up making several batches.

I think the last time I made it I made 12 loaves! :)

When you have growing boys you end up making a lot.

Sometimes I will fold raisins and cinnamon it to a couple of loaves for a breakfast bread.

I have also folded in oatmeal.

and this last time I made an Italian loaf by folding in cheese and parsley.

What we don't eat right away I freeze.

Do you know of any other combs I could try?