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.

Wassail

Here is the recipe for the wassail I made for our lovely "Ugly Sweater Party"...which by the way was completely awesome!

Wassail:
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups water
5 cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
2 cinnamon sticks

Combine ingredients and boil 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 1 hour.

Add:
1 quart apple cider
1-6 oz can frozen lemonade
1-12 oz can frozen orange juice
4 1/2 cups water

Heat and serve!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip:
from: My Kitchen Cafe

-5 garlic cloves

-1 10 oz. bottle store-bought alfredo sauce
-1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
-1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
-1 14.5 oz. can artichoke hearts (non-marinated), roughly chopped
-1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)

*Wrap the garlic cloves in tin foil and bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. When they are cool to the touch, squeeze them out of their skins and finely chop.
*Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. It's ok to have clumps of cream cheese. The mixture won't be completely smooth.
*Spread the mixture into an 8X8 pan and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot. Serve with chips or baguette slices.

~Ok, so I just made this dip for my Craft Group and it was so yummy. I have to say that this is the best Spinach Artichoke Dip that I have ever made. It was a hit, so I had to share it with you girls :-)

St. Jude Sprout

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. . .

I made these enchiladas last night and they were so good!
I loved the sweet, yet spicy flavor.
The best news was that Isaac and Seth liked them too. :-)


Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from The Sisters' Cafe

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 4 large chicken breasts)

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 10oz cans green enchilada sauce


Cook and shred chicken and set aside.
Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder till blended, then toss with shredded chicken and let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour.
Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.
Top with shredded lettuce, diced onions, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole etc. or just eat them as is.

Apple Crisp

This is such a yummy Fall Dessert!

Apple Crisp:

-4 medium tart cooking apples (like rome or granny smith),
when sliced it should be 4 cups
-3/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup quick-cooking or old fashioned oats
-1/3 cup butter, softened
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-cream or vanilla ice cream

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom and sides of a 8 by 8 by 2 pan with butter.
2. Peel apples, then slice them (I like mine sliced thinly)
3. Spread apples in pan.
4. Mix the remaining ingredients (except cream) with a fork, until crumbly. Pour mixture over the apples.
5. bake for 30 minutes (you don't want to bake it for longer, or the apples will be mushy)
6. cool for about 15 minutes then serve with cream or Vanilla Ice Cream.

creamy chicken soup

I really debated on whether or not to even put the picture...I always forget to take it the night of, so here it is in my tupperware container, straight out of the fridge...but I promise, this soup is delicious!CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP:

3 cups chicken (cubed or shredded)*

3 carrots sliced

1 1/2 cups celery, diced

2 onions, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

*My mom usually just plops a small chicken in, but as a time factor, I usually just cut mine up)

Combine uncooked chicken, carrots, celery, onions, parsley, salt and pepper in large pot. Cover with water and boil apprx. 20 min, or until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender. Drain liquid, reserving 3 cups. Set chicken and vegetables aside. Combine reserved liquid and milk into large pot and bring to a boil. In a different pan, melt butter and stir in flour. Mix until smooth. Add to boiling liquid. Boil until thick. Add chicken and veggies.

When I made this last night I decided to add homemade noodles to it, which tasted amazing!

NOODLES:

1 egg beaten

1 Tbl. milk

pinch of salt

flour

Mix egg, milk and salt together. Add flour unti you have a stiff ball. Knead until it is mixed well. Roll out with rolling pin until pretty thin. Once you have it rolled out, (I use a pizza cutter) cut the noodles into thin strips, or whatever shape you want them! Let sit for 20 minutes.

(I added my noodles to the chicken/milk liquid, while I was waiting for it to boil.)

If you are going to add noodles, I would recommend adding a little more liquid. I added about 3 cups of chicken broth and dumped a little powdered milk in at the end. (Just kinda make it up as you go!)

BYU Mint Brownies

I am usually not a big fan of brownies, but I love the BYU Mint Brownies! I got the recipe from one of my mom's friends. I hope you enjoy!



MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

- Brownies:

• 1 c. margarine
  1/2 c. cocoa
  2 Tbsp. honey
  4 eggs
  2 c. sugar
  1 3/4 c. flour
  1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
  1/2 tsp. salt
  1 c. chopped walnuts12 oz (optional)

- Chocolate Icing: (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

- Mint Icing:

• Dash of salt
• 5 Tbsp. Margarine
  3 Tbsp. milk
  1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
  2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
  1/2 tsp. mint extract
  1-2 drops green food coloring

1.Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Cooking/Photography Website

I found this really great website. It has some great recipes and I like that it shows EVERY step (with nice pictures!) Also the photography part is pretty great too. There are some basic photo-taking tips and tricks and details about cameras. There is also alot of information about photoshop stuff and how to jazz up your photos. Check it out when you have time! http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

These are very similar to the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes at The Cheesecake Factory. They take some prep work, but are well worth it in the end!!!


SALSA VERDE
2 tomatillos
1 4-ounce can green chilies
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cilantro (you can use fresh, I use the flakes because I always have them on hand)
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon sale
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Combine all ingredients in food processor/blender on high speed. Cover and chill. It will be pretty runny, but it sets up when it chills.

TOMATO SALSA
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon cilantro
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 small jalapeno, minced
dash salt and black pepper
Mix all ingredients together and chill. You really could use any salsa for this part, but fresh is the best!

SOUTHWESTERN SAUCE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chlil powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
dash of salt
dash of garlic powder
Mix and chill. This sauce is meant to be drizzled over the top, so it works best if it is in some sort of squirty bottle. I use an old mustard bottle.

SWEET CORN CAKES
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Chop 1 cup frozen corn in food processor/blender until coarsely pureed. Combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Blend until smooth. Add corn flour and flour and mix well. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup frozen corn. (I think it is easier to mix it all together with my hands. The frozen corn makes the butter hard to mix in.) Form 3-4 patties with the mixture and arrange on un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cakes are browned a little on the bottom. Flip cakes over and bake for another 5 minutes.

To serve: spoon SALSA VERDE onto plate or platter (I heat this up a little in the microwave after I put in on the plate.) Arrange cakes on top of sauce. Spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each cake then drizzle entire plate with SOUTHWESTERN SAUCE. Spoon some TOMATO SALSA over cakes then add some chopped avacado. Wala...all done!

Olive Garden Alfredo

8 oz cream cheese (not reduced fat)
½ cup butter
1 pt cream (2 cups)
melt for 30 minutes on low heat
add 1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup parmesan cheese

melt and stir another 20 minutes

Spaghetti & Meatballs

4 T olive oil
1 tsp. instant minced garlic
½ cup chopped onion (sauté garlic and onion with oil)
2 quarts tomato juice
2 - 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1 tsp salt
½ tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. leaf oregano
1 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. garlic salt

Meat Balls:
Beat together
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp onion salt
3 – 4 slices white bread broken and soaked in above mixture.
Mix in 2 lbs hamburger, and form in nice large meat balls.

Drop meat balls in simmering sauce and let steam cook on low heat with lid on pan for 1 hour. Simmer with lid ajar for another 2 hours to thicken the sauce.

BBQ Pulled Pork and BBQ Baked beans:

Andy and I just threw a big BBQ Party for his work!
Here are a couple of the recipes we used:

BBQ Pulled Pork

-1 medium onion, finely chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
-1, 4-ounce can of green chilies
-1/3 c. cider vinegar
-1/3 c. apple juice
-3/4 c. prepared BBQ sauce
-1 tsp. liquid smoke
-1, 41/2 -5 lb pork roast
-salt and pepper
-buns or rolls

-In a 4 qt or larger slow cooker, combine onion, garlic, and chilies. Place pork on top, drizzle with liquid smoke. Pour in vinegar, juice, and BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on low settings until pork is so tender it falls into shreds when prodded with a fork(about 9 hours). Carefully lift pork from cooker, discard all left over juice in the crockpot. Using two forks, separate pork into shreds. Add a bottle of BBQ sauce and warm in the crockpot or a casserole dish.
Serve with rolls or buns.


BBQ Baked Beans:

-5 slices of bacon
-2 cans (16 oz each) baked beans, drained(it is best if you use Bush's ORIGINAL baked beans)
-1/2 of a green pepper seeded and finely chopped
-1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
-1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
-1/2 cup HICKORY SMOKE BBQ sauce
-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

-Mix all ingredients in a crock-pot. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8-12 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Make sure you stir often, scarping the bottom of crock-pot.
Makes about 6-8 servings