Our Favorite Cherry Pie!

One day when Steve was a teenager bored all home alone, he decided to make a cherry pie. Ever since then he has been famous for that! He ended up making a tartlet recipe from Mrs. Field's cook book to make the pie crust. It is delicious!! We've used store bought cherry pie filling, homemade and bottled cherry pie filling with amazing results! Of course our very favorite is using cherries off of our own cherry tree...nothing can beat that!

Pie Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup salted butter

2 large egg yolks

2-3 T ice cold water

In medium bowl, combine the flour and butter with a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and water, then mix with a fork just until dough can be shaped into a ball.

Gather dough into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate until firm- about 1 hour. 

Cherry Pie Filling:

I used this recipe to bottle my fresh cherries. I just boiled my cherries for 1 minute to use as the cherry water. 

http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes/cherry-pie-filling

I've also used this recipe to make fresh cherry pie filling. It is super delicious as well:

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/homemade-cherry-pie-filling-recipe/

Split dough in two halves. Roll one half between two pieces of floured parchment paper. Turn over into pie plate. Prick with fork throughout the sides and the bottom. Pour cherry pie filling into pie crust. Dot with butter. Use strips of dough to make a lattice for the top, flute edges with fingers and sprinkle sugar on top OR roll the other half out and lay on top, flute edges, cut slits in center of pie and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 50 min. Serve with cream or ice cream!! 

Yummy Chocolate Pretzel Dip!

Katelyn (9-years old) and her cute friend Kailee made up this yummy recipe and they were so excited to post it on the blog AND Pinterest! 

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You have to try! Easy 4-step recipe for our famous delicious chocolate pretzel dip!



 Ingredients:

• chocolate
• caramel
• pinch of sugar
• white chocolate chips

 It depends on how much you are making, so do how much you prefer!

Directions:

1. Pour chocolate, caramel, sugar, and white chocolate chips into bowl.
2. Put into microwave for about 30 seconds.
3. Stir until smooth.
4. NOW ENJOY WITH PRETZELS TO DIP!

April's Best Salad

My neighbor/friend makes some delicious salad dressing! It goes with practically everything and can even be used as a chicken marinade! I can't wait to eat more of it! Here is her family's favorite salad to go with her Taylor's Sweet & Sassy Dressing:

spinach

lettuce

tomatoes

red, orange and yellow pepper( my kids favorite)

purple onion, sliced thin

radishes

cucumber

carrots

blue cheese or Feta

zucchini, sliced into thin sticks (optional)

diced apple (optional) 

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada's

From: Kayla Gubler

4 T Honey

3 T Lime Juice

1 T Oil

2 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1 can Enchilada Sauce

1-2 lbs Cooked Chicken, shredded

12-15 Tortilla Shells, fresh (or warmed)

Shredded Cheese

Mix honey, lime juice, oil, chili powder and garlic powder. Add shredded chicken. Put a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese then roll up. Lay rolled enchiladas next to each other in pan. Cover with enchilada sauce. 

Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle more cheese over the top and return to oven- uncovered- until the cheese melts. 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I must have been feeling adventurous or something because I tried roasting pumpkin seeds and making pumpkin puree for the first time this fall and we loved them! I kind of think the pumpkin seeds taste like popcorn! I got this recipe via Pinterest from Oh She Glows...thank-you!!

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds: from Oh She Glows

1. Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. After picking off the strands, give them a GOOD rinse with water in a colander.

2. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. Using Elise’s method for inspiration, I added the pumpkin seeds to a medium-sized pot of water along with 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat. Apparently, this method helps make the pumpkin seeds easier to digest and produces a crispy outer shell during roasting.

3. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. The seeds will stick to the towel, but just rub them off with your fingers. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be bone dry – just a light pat down.
4. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I only needed to use about 1/2-1 tsp). Massage oil into seeds and add a generous sprinkle of Herbamare (or fine grain sea salt will do). Try to spread out the seeds as thin as possible with minor overlapping.

5. Roast seeds at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Roast for another 8-10 minutes (if your oven temp is off, this could vary a lot!). During the last 5 minutes of roasting, remove a few seeds and crack open to make sure the inner seeds are not burning (you don’t want the inner seed brown). Cool a couple and pop them into your mouth to test. They are ready when the shell is super crispy and easy to bite through. The inner seed should have only a hint of golden tinge to it. They should not be brown.
6. EAT! Remove from oven, add a bit more Herbamare, and dig in! Ah, so good, so good! There is no need to remove the outer shell; it’s quite possibly the best part.

Butternut Squash Soup

One day my sister was nice enough to give me a butternut squash. So when I saw a pin on pinterest for a butternut squash soup recipe I decided to try it. I admit I was nervous (for myself and my kids!) but I was so excited when we all liked it!

Butternut Squash Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• Hot pepper sauce

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in large saucepan
2. Add the chopped onion and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add chopped squash, chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, white pepper.
4. Add little bit of hot sauce { according to your taste }
5. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes – or until squash is tender.
6. Use blender to puree the hot soup.
7. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

That same day I decided to try roasting pumpkin seeds for the first time, too! It was a success!

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

I made yummy syrup for Mason's birthday dinner where he requested Breakfast For Dinner. It was pretty easy and super yummy. I loved mixing it up! (Sometimes I get tired of the same ol syrup!) I got this recipe from Kara via Pinterest.

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly, and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. (Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat; if it gets hot too fast, the egg will cook. And scrambled eggs in vanilla sauce would be bad. Really, really bad.) Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Creamy Berry Salad

Creamy Berry Salad

Mix together:
-frozen mixed berries
-tub of Cool Whip
-container of yogurt
-cheesecake pudding mix

Chill before serving

Berry Blend Smoothie

I adapted this recipe from here and I'm excited to try their other ones, too!

Berry Blend Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
½ cup mixed berry juice (I used Raspberry Guava-just 'cause that's what I had on hand-and it was good!)
½ cup milk
1 cup ice


Mix together and enjoy!

Taco Pizza

Our pizza lover {aka. Katelyn} has deemed Friday nights as pizza and movie night! This really is a fun family thing to do together but I don't know how long I can eat a pepperoni pizza each week! So, I've tried pull-apart pizza's {which we love}, homemade pizza's {sometimes that's just too much work}, take-out {that adds up!} and pizza rolls are on my list too but I have been keeping my eye out for some other ideas, too. When I found this Taco Pizza recipe via Pinterest I knew I had to try it. But little did I know that it would be a favorite!! Seriously, Steve said it was 'really good' {and that's sayin' somethin'} AND HE ATE THE 3 PIECES THAT WERE LEFT OVERS!! He. Never. Eats. Leftovers.

I'll let that speak for itself! Thanks Holly for introducing our family to our newest favorite recipe!!

Taco Pizza

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used colby and monterey jack cheese)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
4 green onions, chopped

Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to package directions.
Unroll pizza dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a 10×15 inch cookie sheet). Let dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Press dough over the bottom and up along all 4 sides the of cookie sheet. Bake pizza dough for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven.
Place refried beans into a microwavable-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir well and then spread beans evenly over the top of the warm pizza crust. Top with the cooked ground beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese and then add the tomatoes, black olives and green onion.
Return to oven and bake another 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. {if it lasts that log!}

Grinch Kabobs

I have been loving preparing after-school lunches for my kids lately. I think that the time right after school until dinner is done is [one of] the most important times to be available for your kids. I LOVE their hugs as soon as they get home and the kids tell me about their school day. I love to make those fun snacks I find on Pinterest for their after school snack. The kids love it when I make something a little special! I will be making this one at Christmas-time for sure!

(To be honest, I found this on Facebook and don't know who to give the credit to...sorry.)

Grinch Kabobs

Stack a mini marshmallow, strawberry, banana slice and green grape on a toothpick for a fun and festive snack!!

Zucchini Bread

I actually made muffins using this recipe for breakfast the other day and it was a hit. The kids loved it!

Zucchini Bread

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups zucchini, grated (about 1 med zucchini)

3 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup  pecan nuts, chopped

Combine sugars, oil and eggs until well blended. Add zucchini and vanilla. In separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Mix with wet ingredients. Add nuts. Grease and lightly flour 3 small loaf pans. Pour into loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Makes 3 small loaves. 

*For muffins, I baked them at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. 

Makes 24 muffins. 

Homemade Laundry Soap

I thought I'd give homemade laundry soap a try. I have always used Tide and some yummy smelling fabric softener or dryer sheet. I appreciate perfectly clean - non-stained - clothes & perfectly white whites 100% of the time. I have to admit though that my standards have dropped. Either, Tide wasn't doing its job or my kids are crazy dirty... And I truly think it's the first! I don't call myself a laundry pro but I certainly appreciate laundry done right. Since laundry detergent is super expensive I thought I'd give this recipe a try and I must say that I think that it does exactly what Tide did or better. And by that I mean it gets 99% of everything out at a small fraction of the cost. Here's what I do and the glorious thing is that it's pretty flexible, so feel free to adjust to your desire (just keep the Felsnaptha, washing soda and borax):

Homemade Laundry Detergent 

1 shredded bar of Felsnaptha (I grate it and then run it through the blender to make it super fine)

2 cups Borax

2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 cup Oxi Clean

*I've also added salt, a shredded bar of Dial soap, commercial powder detergent and/or Gain unstopables... This is the part that you can customize!!

I was told to use 1-3 Tablespoons per load for a regular washer...1 for small loads, 2 for regular & 3 for large or really dirty loads. I have an HE machine and a water softener so I use about half that. 

My only complaint is that it is scent-less (if that's a word!) So, I just make sure I use fabric softener or a dryer sheet. I liked the Gain Unstopables but they are super expensive and it wasn't worth it!

*This has ALWAYS taken out fresh/new stains!!

*I usually double this recipe... it costs about $4.50/recipe and it lasts about 5 months. 

*It is super easy to make...once I shred & blend the Felsnaptha all I do is scoop and mix. Easy, peasy!

*It works with a regular washing machine and an HE machine (I put it directly with the clothes just to prevent any clogs in the machine. I have never heard of it happening and I don't think it will happen but I don't want to risk anything!)

Vanilla Pudding sauce for Pancakes

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly, and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. (Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat; if it gets hot too fast, the egg will cook. And scrambled eggs in vanilla sauce would be bad. Really, really bad.) Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

I made this last month and everyone who ate it loved it!! (I have a few people in my family that are stuck on maple syrup... :) ) I found it on Creations By Kara via Pinterest. This will definitely be in our breakfast for dinner rotation. 

http://www.creationsbykara.com/2011/03/vanilla-pudding-sauce.html

Rachael's Pumpkin Cookies

Rachael's Pumpkin Cookies

from Favorites

3 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix well. Add flour and mix to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Favorite Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

from Favorites

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 (11 1/2 oz) package milk chocolate chips

Cream together butter, margarine and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add salt, soda, powder and flour and mix just until combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Roll into balls with a cookie scoop and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Best Popcorn Balls

Best Popcorn Balls

from Favorites

3 qts popcorn

1/4 cup butter
40 large marshmallows
pinch of salt

Melt butter slowly and add marshmallows and salt. Stir until marshmallows are melted. Mix with popcorn. Dip hands in cold water and shape popcorn balls.
Makes 16 large balls.

Kids' Favorite Caramel Corn

Kids' Favorite Caramel Corn

from Favorites

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
5 qts popcorn, unsalted

Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in saucepan and cook on medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over popcorn, stirring well until coated. Spread out on waxed paper to cool, then break into pieces.

Favorite Peach Cobbler

Favorite Peach Cobbler

from Favorites

8 large peaches
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

Grease 8" square baking pan. Peel and slice peaches into pan. Combine flour, sugar, salt, shortening, egg and baking powder into dough and crumble dough on top of peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 30minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

from Favorites

1 lb elbow macaroni (about 4 cups uncooked)
1/4 cup butter
4 T flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
3 cups grated Cheddar Cheese

Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water according to package directions and drain. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir. Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add salt, pepper and dry mustard, then add 2 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir just until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add cooked macaroni and mix together. Pour into 9"x13" baking pan, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.