Cold Days & Warm Hearts

When I woke up this morning, it was quite chilly, so on my way to work, I decided that I wanted to make this day a little warmer day...for me at least! I really thought about Christmas Shopping, but decided to wait a little bit longer! Oops...did I just say Christmas before Thanksgiving! Ha ha! I Love Christmas!

I finished work by noon and headed home...when I got there; I built me a little fire and then set to work on gathering ingredients for my treats that I wanted to cook up! (I Love My Food Storage!)

Greg loves pumpkin cookies...I don't think they’re too bad either...so they would be my first whip up for the afternoon, sure glad too, nothing better than a warm pumpkin cookie with melted chocolate chips to munch on while cooking more yummies!
 
I used these three ingredients to make quick and easy pumpkin cookies and wanted to show you how darn easy they really are...so I added some illustrations.

Pumpkin Cookies

2 boxes of cake mix (spice or yellow)
1 large can of pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips
Mix together well
* Add spices to taste like pumpkin pie - allspice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg
Place on baking paper lined cookie sheet and bake @ 375 degrees for 10 - 12 mins.

I was on a roll and decided since I hadn't eaten lunch yet, that I would get dinner started before I sat down to eat a couple of left overs from last night for lunch.

I decided to make Taco Soup. This is so easy it's scary.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 lg. can tomato juice
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can tomatoes (not drained)
1 can black olives, sliced (I like to cut my olives up with my egg dicer)
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. ranch dip seasoning (optional)
Grated Cheese
Dorito chips or other salsa chips
You may like to add a little water to thin the soup...this is up to you!

Brown ground beef in large pot then drain, add other ingredients except cheese and chips and simmer.
I like to put mine in my Crock Pot and cook on low for 1-2 hours.
Serve with crumpled chips on bottom of bowl add soup and top with cheese.

So...Carla, my sister brought me this neat cornbread recipe last night...she knows that my family loves cornbread...so I decided to try it...and yep, it was so easy and very yummy!
I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients...but I did shoot the mix after I got it all mixed up.

Sweet Chili Cheese Cornbread

1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 can cream style corn
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in warm water for about 10 mins before cracking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.  Add green chiles and corn and mix well. 
Add flour, baking powder, corn meal and salt.
Mix well
then add: cheese
Take a spoonfull of flour and toss with grated cheese (this helps prevent the cheese from sticking together in a big lump.) Mix well

Pour mixture into a pam sprayed 9x13 baking pan.  Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 50- 60 mins. or until knife inserted in center of pan comes out with no goopy batter on it.  (Why yes, goopy IS an official culinary term.)

So yes, here is the final eats of this chilly rainy day...Greg and I truly enjoyed them and I sure wish that Carla would have been home to try the cornbread...it is yummy...I'll be adding it to some of my favorite recipes.

Well, this wraps up my baking and cooking on this chilly day! I managed to make this day more pleasant and I did indeed manage to warm two hearts... I hope I was able to warm some of your hearts by sharing these recipes with you and may you find them as yummy as much as I do! 

We are now enjoying a cozy warm fire, watching a BYU Men's Basketball Game, while waiting for the JAZZ Basketball Game at 8 p.m. tonight!  Pretty sure Greg will be having a glass of milk and a couple of pumpkin cookies before the night is over...for me...well, I will pop up some popcorn, make up some hot chocolate and really enjoy this chilly November 2012 night!

Good Eats, Warm Hearts and Good Night!

 Hi Readers,
 I came across this recipe and wanted to share with my family and friends...tomorrow or Saturday, whichever day gives me the most time...I am going to share another granola recipe...that doesn't take quite so much effort...but this one is great!

As far as the ingredients go...shop amazon.com I find this resource my favorite place to shop most times! Now some of you people live in the city...so go to your health food stores and buy, buy, buy...but hey I live in the country so ground delivery is about as good as I get!

PS: I use the oven method to cook mine too!

Good luck and let me know what you think...if you have allergies to nuts like I do...get creative with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and other yummy treats!

CINNABON GRANOLA

You know, the smell that has tortured people in shopping malls everywhere for years? I sure do. Well, now that smell can be found in your own house! A big, gooey cinnamon bun….in granola form.



GRANOLA
2 cups (215g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (95g) raw buckwheat groats
1/2 cup (65g) raw walnuts, chopped (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds...the list can go on)
1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened shredded coconut (chopped dried fruit or oat bran for nut allergies)
1/4 cup (40g) raisins
1 tbsp (15mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2.5mL) sea salt
1/4 tsp (1.25mL) fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
1/4 cup (50g) Medjool dates, pitted (if  they don't have to be this brand, use what you're used to)
2 tbsp (30mL) melted coconut oil (melted butter if you have nut allergies)
2 tbsp (30mL) water
2 tsp (10mL) pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, buckwheat, walnuts, shredded coconut, raisins, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

2. Using a blender, blend the maple syrup, dates, coconut oil, water and vanilla extract into a smooth, thick sauce.

3. Pour the sauce into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are well coated.

DEHYDRATOR METHOD
4. Transfer the granola to a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray and spread into a thin (about 1/2 inch thick), even layer. Dehydrate for 8 to 10 hours at 115F.

OVEN METHOD
4. Preheat the oven to 300F. Transfer the mixture to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread into a thin, even layer. Bake for 25 minutes, gently stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even browning. Allow to cool completely before gently breaking into clusters. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge or at room temperature.

Makes about 6 cups of granola.

Bitter/Sweet Day In Paradise

Bitter/Sweet day in Paradise. Our Lady Badgers took 2nd to Bryce Valley by 6 points...35 - 41. They should have walked away with the win...but sometimes things just aren't meant to be I guess. (((Sigh))). But never fear we are headed to state and will play their first game at 8:30 PM Wednesday night come wearing your purple and gold...and prepare to give your heart a ride of its life! ♥ 

You all know what it looks like when you squeeze the baby powder bottle to hard and that white cloud of powder pops out the top! Well...that's what the game looked like last night...oops we got squeezed just a little too hard! Fresh tears and broken hearts...but hey, they can take state one game at a time...I know they
can! ♥

Whitney gave her heart away last night to the game and her team mates.  It hurts to watch your child hurt, but it is also a honor to watch her rise above it after a few shed tears.  We were able to reminisce on the way home and have few good chuckles while remembering the year.  Whit's heart is healthy again...she is ready to face this next week head on...she likes the idea of the state trophy being a hard one to get and the fact that if the goal to the championship is accomplished...the Trophy is Bigger!

As a Mother...I am Honored to tell those of you reading this blog that our hard working Whitney made the All-Region Team...HOORAW to you Miss Whitney...you bring Honor to your family and to your team! We love you so much and wish you much success the rest of this ride into state and for the rest of your high-school career. Thank you for the opportunity to take this ride with you this year and the past years building up to this moment!

Here are a few pictures of this weeks basketball games.  I got some of the Lady Badgers playing Valley their last region game before the Region Tournament and then you will see a couple of the team in a moment of defeat (((SIGH)))! The last one will be of our Whit just as she is getting ready to receive her All-Region Medal...she missed the announcement because her team went to the locker room and didn't know that she had made the team...so I didn't get a picture of the team or her with them another big (((SIGH)))! But CONGRATULATIONS GOES OUT TO WHITNEY!

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.”
~Washington Irving~
  
Until Next Time...Happy Hoof Beats!

BEES & DOGS

Yeah...Yeah...I know...I need to blog a lot more...but...O well!

So today has been a great day...I just spent it with Chelsie and the boys...what a gift...treat...and hug!

Chelsie found her a new purse...it looks just like mine...but then when are we together anyway...she will just make hers looks cutier than mine anyhow!

Whit has had Darc over and they have been enjoying the BB game videos of their season...talk about giggle...but like Trev said...they always giggle when they're together. Sorry Trev:-(...but now you know who girls are...they just want to have FUN!

By the way...Carla...join Facebook...we need to see your face:)...she says never happen...right and pigs fly too!

Today Quote:
If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair. Because five minutes at the fair, you'll be going, 'you know, we're alright. We are dang near royalty.
~Jeff Foxworthy~

Have a great Saturday night...I know I will!