Pumpkin Waffles

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup milk

½ cup canned pumpkin puree

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 T vegetable oil

1large egg, lightly beaten

cooking spray

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with knife. Combine flour and next four ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next four ingredients; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about ¼ cup of batter per waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading to edges. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter.

Yield: 8 Waffles

Layered Peach Dessert

Hi Everyone! This blog is being seriously neglected and I am feeling a little sad! I'm at the point where I am sick of the same old recipes, so get posting ladies...

I have a delicious recipe to share (well, I thought it was delicious!) I stole the recipe and the picture from here. If you love fresh peaches, then you will love this. There are a few things I will change next time I make it, but I'll give you the recipe first...

Layered Peach Dessert

Crust:
1 pkg. Vanilla wafers, finely crushed

Filling:
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
10 fresh peaches, sliced

Topping:
1 pt. whipping cream
½ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Place half of the crumbs in a 9x13 pan. Whip cream cheese, sugar, and butter together until smooth. Drop by spoonfuls over the crumbs. Spread carefully using a spoon dipped in hot water. Keep dipping the spoon in the water so the mixture doesn't stick to it. The crumbs will slide around, but that is okay. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Arrange the sliced peaches over the top. Whip the cream and add sugar and vanilla. Spread over the peaches. Sprinkle last half of crumbs over top. Cover and chill 8 hours, or over night.

Okay. I halved this recipe because I didn't want to eat a whole thing by myself. Here's what I would change... The whipped topping is already sweet enough (I used Dream Whip), I wouldn't add the 1/2 cup of sugar - I would also add a few more peaches - 7 instead of 5, or 12 instead of 10. It is very, very yummy and peaches are so delicious right now!

Brownies 101 + Chocolate Plastic

Brownies 101-

Okay, I'm sure most of you already know how to make amazing brownies, but it has taken me awhile to figure out. I don't know why I have never thought of it before, but I have had problems in the past with getting my brownies to cook evenly (usually they are crunchy on the outer edge and gooey in the middle). The trick my friends is parchment paper. I lined my pan with parchment paper and trimmed the edges (you do not want parchment hanging over the edge of your pan). After it had had cooled I carefully lifted the brownies out, and voila, they were cooked evenly.

This is a recipe that I use when I want to mold chocolate into shapes (like the flower in the picture) to add a little extra flare to your dessert tray:

Chocolate Plastic-

• 2/3 cup lt. corn syrup
• 16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

* For a variation, using white or milk chocolate reduce corn syrup to 1/2 cup

In a saucepan over medium heat stir the corn syrup and chocolate together, continue stirring until they are mixed thoroughly. Line jelly roll pan with plastic wrap and spread the mixture 1/3" thick. Let cool completely (I usually make this recipe and store in the fridge a few days before). When ready to mold, let the chocolate mixture stand at room temperature for several hours, knead and roll out about 1/8" - 1/4"thick. Cut into desired shapes.

Cheesy Potatoes

I know that most of you have a recipe similar to this, but a few people requested this recipe. I hope you enjoy (sorry there is no picture to go with it)!

• 2 lbs. shredded potatoes
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 pt. sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/4-1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup green onions

Mix ingredients together and put in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle crushed corn flakes on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.

Magnetic Paint

My friend emailed me this link. The lady painted a "magnet board" on her wall. It turned out really cute. Check it out.
http://paintit.typepad.com/painter_girl/2007/11/creating-a-magn.html

The same lady also did a post about "chalkboard paint". She has some really fun ideas!

http://paintit.typepad.com/painter_girl/2009/03/my-kitchen-project-round-up.html

Fruity Sherbet

This recipe is also in the "Columbus Friends" cookbook, in the dessert section.

4 pints pineapple (or lemon) sherbet
12 oz frozen raspberries, thawed
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 bananas quartered lengthwise and then thinly sliced

Soften sherbet in large bowl. Add fruit, mix well & refreeze.

Pizza Dough

Here is the pizza dough recipe from craft night.

1 1/3 cups water
1 Tbl. yeast
1 Tbl. sugar
2 Tbl. oil
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Combine water and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Mix for 1 minute. Knead for 10 minutes. (I cheat and use my Bosch) Place dough into a well greased bowl and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours. (it usually ends up being about 1 hour) Roll out onto pan/pizza stone add toppings and bake at 475 degrees until golden brown. (Make sure to sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal before rolling out!)

I also had a request to post the toppings I put on the Vegetarian Pizza. I spread about 1/3 of a jar of Ragu's- Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce, fresh spinach, thinly sliced zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, and olives. Then I chop up some canned artichokes (not marinated) sprinkle those on and top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Berry Medley Punch

• 1- 12oz. can frozen limeade
• 1- 12 oz. can frozen orange juice
• 1- 12 oz. can frozen lemonade
• 1 46 oz. can pineapple juice
• 3 cups cold water
• 2 qt. Gingerale
• 1 qt. Club Soda
• 1 package frozen berry medley

Mix together and serve

Did You Know? {a.k.a. - laundry tip}

Just a quick laundry tip now that berry season is right around the corner. We love berries in our house, what I don't love are the stains they can leave on your clothes. But did you know that hot water is the key? (Trust me, I didn't believe this at first and ruined a few of my kids clothes trying stain removal products before I gave in and decided it was worth a try. It is so cheap and it really works.)
Take the article of clothing that has berry juice on it, pull it as tight as you can, and put it under running water (as hot as possible). It may take a few minutes, but just work with it (Abby's shirt was covered in strawberry juice the other day and it took a few minutes to get it out).

Note: I have never tried this on frozen berry juice stains, but I am sure it would work just as well.

Lemon-Butter Salmon & Broccoli Penne

Here are a few recipes that I have recently posted on my blog,
they were very yummy and very healthy!
Enjoy.

Lemon-Butter Salmon & Broccoli Penne

Adapted slightly from Fitness Magazine

2-3 Salmon Fillets (salt and peppered)
3 cups of dry whole-wheat pasta or multi-grain
2-3 cups of cup up Broccoli
1 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup low-sodium Vegie broth
1 lemon juiced and zested
2 tbsp of corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup of the Vegie Broth
2 garlic cloves, minced

Make it: broil or Grill Salmon for about 8 minutes or until done.
Cook Pasta according to package directions. When pasta is almost done add broccoli and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Whisk together melted butter, broth, lemon zest and juice, and garlic in a saucepan. When slightly boiling add the cornstarch mixture. Cook until thick. Toss the sauce with the drained pasta and broccoli. Serve pasta and add Salmon to the side or on top. I also like to add some Parmesan Cheese on top of all.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Adapted slightly from Fitness Magazine

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
4 tsp. olive oil
3-4 Chicken breast
4 cups chopped vegetables
( 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup sweet potato, 1 cup red or yellow bell pepper, 1 cup other zucchini)

Make it: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together 2 of the minced garlic cloves with the cheese and 1 tsp of the olive oil. Pat the garlic-cheese mixture onto chicken and place in baking dish. Toss cut up vegies with 3 tsp. of olive oil and the other 2 garlic gloves and salt and pepper. Put the vegies around the chicken in the baking dish. Cook for 20 -30 minutes until your chicken and vegies are done.

Firehouse Turkey Chili

Firehouse Turkey Chili

Adapted From Shape Magazine

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 large clove garlic, smashed (I used 2 large cloves of garlic)
-1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
-1/2 pound ground turkey (I used 1 pound of ground Turkey)
-2 tablespoons chili powder(I used only 1 Tablespoon and it was just perfect for our families taste)
-1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
-(I also added one small can of V-8 juice for extra liquid)
-1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used Organic canned Kidney Beans)
-1 medium red bell pepper, diced
-1 cup carrot, diced
-1/2 teaspoon brown sugar ( I put in 1/4 cup to make the chili not so hot)
-salt to taste

Directions:

*In a large saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Toss in garlic and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.

*Add turkey and continue to cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cook for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, bell pepper, carrot, brown sugar, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat.

*Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of scallions. Top with nonfat sour cream if desired. (I also served the Chili with Organic Corn Tortilla Chips, Kirkland brand from Costco)

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 23 minutes

Nutrition Score per serving: 1 cup: 268 calories, 9 g fat (27% calories), 2 g saturated fat, 40 g carbs, 17 g protein, 11 g fiber, 106 mg calcium, 6 mg iron, 789 mg sodium

Laundry Essentials

One of my obsessions is making sure every stain is out of our clothing and that our clothes smell good. Here are a few tips that help me keep all of my laundry clean and smelling good.
*Note: I always use these in addition to my laundry detergent.

Rubbing Alcohol is a life saver in my house! My kids love to color with markers and pens and their clothes are constantly getting drawn on. Solution: Pour a little rubbing alcohol directly on the ink marks and toss in the washing machine and it comes out as good as new.

My family is frequently getting grease spots on their clothes (either from working, playing, cooking, or newborn spitup). Solution: Pour a small amount of dawn dish soap directly on the oil/grease mark and toss in the washing machine. (On occasion, if the grease is really embedded into the clothing, you made to reapply dawn and wash a second time - this is rarely the case).

I use bleach when washing all of my white towels, but I don't like to use bleach for my colored towels. Instead, I use vinegar. It cleans the towels great and they never have a nasty smell. Vinegar also works great to get the musty smell out of clothing if you have forgotten to change loads and they have been in the washing machine too long.

Better than Bleach

Many of you have asked me what I use to get my whites clean. I use Tilex Mold and Mildew remover. This baby can get out any stain and is way better than bleach! Just spray the cleaner directly onto the clothes and toss them in the washing machine. ONLY use on whites and do not let them soak in the cleaner for too long - spray them and then wash them asap.

A big thanks to my sisters-in-law Marie and Shawna for this laundry tip!

The best part is now they sell Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover at Costco!!

Scrub Free + Mr. Clean = Clean Shower

A while ago Leesa and I were talking about cleaning and what products we use to get the best results. She asked me what I used to clean the bathtub/shower. I told her I used Scrub Free and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and that it worked like magic.
She later told me that she called her Mom and told her she had just cleaned her tub and it was like one of those commercials where the cleaned part just glows white.
My sister Krysta gets the credit for this - I don't know how she figured out to combine these two products, but I'm glad she did. Beware: First you will be disgusted, and then amazed!

Spray your tub with this cleaner - let sit for 3-5 minutes and then scrub using the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. (May need to be repeated 2 or 3 times the first time you clean your tub.)

P.S. If anyone knows how to get dry-erase marker out of clothes please share. My kids have ruined too many things with those darn markers!

Crepes with Fruit Sauce

This is a very easy, very yummy crepe recipe from Becky Higgins recipe blog here. I add a delicious fruit sauce over the top - Enjoy!

CREPES

4 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. flour

2 1/4 c. milk

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk, stirring to combine. Add the salt and melted butter; beat until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled 9" frying pan over medium heat. Using a 1/4 c. measuring cup, scoop the batter into the pan. Immediately tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot. Fill with your favorite fresh fruit, rolled up in the crepe, and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top.

SAUCE

6 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. cornstarch

1 cup orange juice

1 cup fresh or frozen fruit

In small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in orange juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup fruit and return to a boil. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Serve over crepes.