Friday Funny--Pumpkin Pie and Pie Pumpkin

First on a serious note, how do you prepare a pie pumpkin? 
We purchased one and now need to figure out what to do with it. Please put all your pie pumpkin advice as a comment!

Now, on to pumpkin pie...

Christmas Goodies Made this Weekend

It was a Winter Storm Warning weekend here in the Kansas City area, so it was perfect for focusing on the warm kitchen making Christmas goodies.We are not done, but at least done with all the candy-type things like Peppermint Pretzel Melts, Peanut Butter Balls, and White Chocolate Christmas Crunch.

First, we made Peppermint Pretzel Melts. It's my favorite for it's ease in making and clean-up. We also had some chocolate kisses, so we made some of those to mix things up a bit!

We also made peanut butter balls per my husband's request. I haven't shared the recipe before, so here it is. 

1 lb. peanut butter (softened) 

1 stick butter

1-2 lbs. powder sugar

Chocolate almond bark

We brought in a neighbor to help!

Mix peanut butter and butter thoroughly. Slowly add powder sugar and mix well until the mixture is very stiff. Melt almond bark according to the directions. Make balls and cover in bark placing on wax paper to until dry.

The lasts thing we made was White Christmas Crunch Squares. It's so yummy but the most mom-intensive since it involves a boiling sugar and a 350 degree oven. Mija enjoys breaking up the candy canes!

We still need to make our "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake. This year we're going to add a new treat which we also still need to make...

Homemade Laundry Soap

I've heard of homemade laundry soap for awhile, and then I read about it in Lorrie Flem's Chore Bundle which I reviewed for Gabby Moms. I've seen the same recipe several other places, so I thought I would try it.

And Lorrie and others have said that it's save to use in an HE washer.
Here's what you need.

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda

2 cups (1 bar) Fels-Naptha soap

First, you grate the bar of soap. It took me about 10 minutes, but I was distracted several times.

Yes, it looks like grated cheese. I just used my regular grated and it cleaned up fine. After all, it just soap!

Then you add the other two ingredients and mix. It'll look like this.

One thing we noticed was you may need to mix it up before you use it because the powders can settle. 

You only use 2-3 tablespoons!  Yup, that's all. 

The total amount for all the ingredients was about $9.00. I have enough of the two powders for at least 3 more recipes. That means I will end up paying up $13.00 for 128 loads of laundry or $0.10 a load. Powdered Tide with Bleach (which is the quality Lorrie to which she compares it) ends up being $0.30-$0.70 a load.

We've been using it and have liked it mighty fine!

We've also been using white vinegar as fabric softener in the wash and it also works!

Love it when you can go more natural and cheaper at the same time!!

Baking Sugar Cookies

Yesterday, I was awakened to find a recipe book and ingredients collected on the kitchen table. Mija declared that she was making cookies for daddy to celebrate his recent new job.

With only slight hesitation, I declare her plan viable. You see, it wasn't that long ago that our food was rationed because of my husband's unemployment. The hesitation was because I had to quickly reckon if we had enough to spare. Yeah! I thought it would be okay.


She had gone though one of my permanently borrowed cookbooks from my mom. From all the actual recipes, she chose one for sugar cookies which my mom had jotted down by hand.

Mija had gotten all the ingredients, but needed a little help deciphering my mom's shorthand.

First of all, props to mija's teacher for doing such a great job teaching her fractions! ;-) She totally understood the fractions in the ingredient list. 

The only things I did in making the cookies was find the baking powder while explaining that there was a difference between baking powder and baking soda. I knew there was baking soda in baking powder, but there were more things as well.

I also flushed out mom's recipe a little bit, as well, explaining that generally you cream together the shortening/butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla first, and then add in the dry ingredients.

I also had to assure mija that if it chilled longer than one hour, it would be just fine. 

In the next step, one thing I did was roll out the dough. After all, that part can be a little challenging with a chilled dough. The other thing I did was take the pans in and out of the oven. After all, 400 degrees is pretty hot!

So, all in all, she did it all including all of the decorating. 

It was actually a very special activity. First, to have my daughter make cookies from a recipe my mom wrote by hand. Second, to roll out the dough with the rolling pin my grandfather made for my grandmother. It's so cool that mija remembers that and told me the story about the rolling pin!

And of course, it all counted for school! 

Recipe for your Extra Ham--Smothered Ham 'n Cabbage

Ham is one of the traditions of Easter dinner. Here's a recipe you can use for some leftover ham.

I just made some of this last week. I wish had taken a picture. My family loves it anytime of the year, and my hubby doesn't even like cabbage. I originally got this recipe from Prism Weight Loss.

Smothered Ham 'n Cabbage

3 teaspoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion (I just use a half of onion.)

1 clove garlic, minced (I use garlic powder if I'm out.)

8 oz. of cubed ham (I never measure this. I just put in however much looks good.)

1/2 cup mushrooms (I NEVER add mushrooms and don't miss them.)

4 cups green cabbage (I just use the whole head.)

2 cups sliced carrots 

1 bay leaf (Always forget to buy, so I never use!)

1/4 teaspoon pepper (I like a little more.)

2 cups water

2 packets instant beef broth & season mix

1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

In 5 quart saucepan or Dutch oven heat butter until bubbly and hot; add onion and garlic and saute until onion is softened. Add ham and mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add cabbage, carrots, bay leaf, and pepper and continue sauteing for 5 minutes longer. Stir in water and broth mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Stir in dissolved cornstarch and let simmer, uncovered, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

It's thick and yummy. Stew-like. I use the times mentioned as a suggestion.

It goes well with salad and a bread.

Easter Projects: Resurrection Rolls and Stained Glass Cross

Yesterday we did do projects for Easter. One was art and one was baking, but both focused on the real reason for the season.

First, I had come across a cute idea which I posted on Pinterest. I had to use what I had available, so our stained glass cross was a little different.

We didn't have cling-on paper, so I used clear contact paper. We tore off the backing a little at a time and put torn tissue right on the back.

We didn't want to just remember the cross, so we went a step further. I wrote "He Is Risen" on the contact paper and then we tissued the back just like we did on the cross.

I would have used the black Sharpee, but again, we used what we had! I then cut out the words leaving the outline intact. 

Here's our finished project.

I just attached it with household tape. It looks really cool during the day, too, with the sun behind it, but I didn't want you to see the boxes and laundry!

Then in the evening we made Resurrection Rolls. It's been a few years since we've made them, so the experience was fresh for mija.

All you need is a roll of biscuits (you know, the scary kind that can pop at any moment), marshmallows (preferably white mini or large ones cut in half), a little butter, and a little cinnamon sugar.

You set the oven temperature according to the container.

You use these items to tell the resurrection story.

First, you spread out the biscuit explaining that Jesus was laid in a borrowed tomb.

Then you lay Jesus (the marshmallow) in the tomb. He's white because He's been wrapped in grave clothes.

Jesus laying in the tomb anointed with oil and spices.

Then you put a little butter and cinnamon sugar on Jesus. It was a speedy burial, so they couldn't prepare the body fully but did put some spices on him when he was buried (John 19:40).

Of course, the tomb needs to be sealed up tightly by folding the biscuit over and pressing the edges together.

The sealed tomb.

We put the tombs in the oven for about 10 minutes. Check on yours. When they are golden brown remove them. Let them cool for a few minutes.

When you are ready to open them...

Jesus is gone! He's risen from the dead!

Little ones really are gobsmacked by it and even mija was asking "Where did Jesus go?"

Of course, the marshmallow has melted in the oven leaving behind an empty (and yummy) tomb.

We actually made three each allowing each of us to have a turn to tell the resurrection story.

There are many kinds of resurrection rolls recipes, but I really like this one because of the ease and the obvious object lesson.

White Christmas Crunch Squares---YUMMY!!

I made these last year, and while they were still yummy, I didn't do the best job on them.

This year, however, I learned from my mistakes and viola! we have yummy treats to share.

This recipe is not original to me. I got it from Kraft Recipes.

Set the oven to 350 degrees and put foil on your 15x10x1 baking sheet. My sheets were a little bigger, so I just had some empty space around the edges. No biggy. 

First, you need to cracked up 1/4 cup candy canes. You could also make it without the candy canes if you wish. The candy canes just make it a little more festive.

Coarsely chop 1 package of Baker's white chocolate. I made sure to show you the box. Do NOT use just white baking chips or almond bark. That was one of my mistakes last year.

Oh, yes. That is actually two boxes worth of the white chocolate because we were making a double batch although the amounts I'm giving you is for a single batch. It's great math practice to double or triple recipes!
You put 32 crackers on the foiled pan. Again, great math practice realizing that would be 8 rows of 4 crackers.

Now, the "Mommy-has-to-do-this" part.
Cook 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) and 3/4 cup brown sugar on the stove for about 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally while you melt and mix everything well. Then let it boil for 3 minutes. No more. No less. (That's another place where we went wrong last year.)
Pour it over the crackers and spread it around. Yes, make sure to cover all the crackers or you'll have dry spots. Be careful! Hot sugar burns big time. And you've just put boiling sugar over the crackers, so the pan will actually be warm/hot when you go to put the pans in the oven.

Bake for about 5 min until golden brown. Take out of the oven and spread the white chocolate all over the crackers. Then put back in for about 1-2 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Don't expect the chocolate to be melted all over the place. The chocolate will be melted, but you will have to spread it around with a spatula or spoon.

After spreading the chocolate, sprinkle the crushed candy cane over the top. Then you cool completely. We actually put ours in the fridge to help the process along.
Then you break them up. Ideally, you break them into the little square cracker shapes. Sometimes it cracks otherwise. I'm okay with that. Not everyone wants a big old square of candy. Especially considering how sweet these things are! 
Here's a plate of the finished product.

Well worth the sugar coma!

Birthday Cake--Pinterest-style

While this week is mija's birthday, we celebrated on Saturday since The Nutcracker rehearsal is hogging the schedule. She didn't mind getting cake, ice cream, and gifts early!

I actually used the opportunity to use three...yes, three...of my pins from Pinterest! Here are the pins I used.

Source: omnomicon.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

I didn't follow the recipe on cake, only the method to make a rainbow cake. I only used 4 colors and I didn't switch the colors around.

Source: tastykitchen.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

The basic recipe for this frosting is the classic fruit dip...marshmallow fluff and cream cheese, so you know it tastes good. The difference is a little bit of vanilla. I even was able to put it in a bag and pipe shell work and such with it. I wouldn't recommend it for heavy duty decorating, however.

Source: brasstacksandbasics.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Because the picture was so small, I actually cheated and purchased the tubes of icing just to save me time. I actually found Wilton tubes cheaper and larger than the Betty Crocker tubes at the grocery store. Two things I recommend after doing this. First, select a cake that can handle a larger picture. My picture was less than a 4 x 6 which made detailing VERY challenging. Second, don't use the Wilton Sparkle Gel. It doesn't freeze which means it doesn't come up neatly when you pull up the wax paper. 

Here was my final product.

Twilight Dash

As I mentioned, it being small was a challenge and the use of gel messed it up some, but on the whole, you can tell it was a pony. The eyes and the cutie mark suffered the most. Mija thought it was cool regardless.

Here is the whole cake. 

Twilight Dash looks better from a distance!

I left the frosting unsmoothed. I thought it looked more "marshmallow-y" that way. 
Now for the piece de resistance which made everyone wonder how I did it...

I didn't prettify it before I took the photo, but you can see it worked awesome!

And most importantly, the birthday girl thought I was, in her words, artistic, a cake decorator, and talented! This mommy rocked the party.

Oh, yes. She had pink hair. She wanted to look like Pinkie Pie.

Friday Funny--Scary with an easy donut recipe

BUT, if you are brave enough to open the package, you can actually make some easy and yummy donuts!

Source: womenlivingwell.org via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Toasting Jalapeno Peppers--The way I was taught

First, it really bothers me that I don't know how to put an ~ over the "n" in jalapeno.  I just wanted to let you know that I really do know how to spell it. 

Second, I want to admit that bugs me to no end when people pronounce it wrong. It's not "j"alapeno with a "j" sound, and it's not jalap-ee-no with a long "e" sound. The "ja" says an "h" sound and the "e" says a strong short "e" almost a long "a" sound.  The "n" with the squiggly line says "nyo". 


Now that I've either enlightened or alienated everyone, I'll get on with the toasting of the peppers!

My grandfather was from Mexico. His mother (my great-grandmother) taught my "gringa" grandma how to cook "Mexican", so she knew her son would be fed correctly. (These are the same grandparents I wrote about for Valentine's Day this year.)

Well, my grandma is the one who taught me!

When she taught me, we had a gas stove, and she used her "placa" or plate to lay the peppers on. I still have the placa but it's packed and wouldn't have worked on the electric stove.  I do have to tell you about the placa I have! 

You see that round burner cover on this antique stove? That is what my placa is like! My grandmother saved the burner cover from one of her old stoves because it worked so well to toast peppers and cook tortillas!!

Well, I wanted to toast these peppers to keep in the freezer, so I put them on the electric burner. My cousin (who is more Mexican than I am) let me know I could have put them in a pan since it's an electric stove. I probably will next time, but old habits die hard.

WARNING: Do not touch any orifice on your body while doing this!!! Wash hands very thoroughly after. You may also want to us the exhaust fan.

So, I washed and dried the pepper and then put them on the burner like this.

If you notice, the peppers start to sweat when on the burner...wouldn't you?

In fact, don't be surprised if they do a little dance!!

As areas get toasted, turn them over. I just use the stems to turn them around, but you can use tongs or a spatula.

I wouldn't recommend using a fork to turn them because it let's out all the juices!

You can move them around anyway you need to make sure it get's well toasted. Trust me. These are not burned.

This is what they looked like when they were all done.

Then I let them set awhile to cool down.  Now, I could have frozen them just as they were. I would have then defrosted and peeled them as needed. However, I chose to peal them before freezing. I also removed the seeds. In case you didn't know, the seeds are what makes a pepper really hot, so if you don't want things too hot, leave out the seeds.  Here is what they looked like when peeled.

You can see that regardless of how "burned" they may have looked when I finished toasting them, the pepper were just fine!
WARNING: Most people today suggest wearing gloves or plastic bags over your hands when you are peeling.  
I didn't because, well, I was just taught to do it with my bare hands. My finger tips were a little tingly afterwards for awhile, but not a big deal.

So there you have it! That's how to toast peppers! It works the same for all kinds of peppers regardless of how you pronounce them! ;-)


Don't forget my review and giveaway of A Well Planned Day Software subscription! It's not to late to enter.


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What's For Dinner, Mom?

After a day looking for droids or guarding the moon of Endor, the question my  storm troopers usually ask is "What's for dinner, mom?"

I don't know about you, but after a day training my padawan and cleaning out the bongo, I sometimes forget to get Han Solo out to thaw! "Oh, Bantha poodoo!" I shout because I don't know what we're having. My lack of planning definitely causes a disturbance in the force or at least in my composure. Plans may be handy for building a Death Star, but I sure don't have any. 

Lorrie Flem's book, What's For Dinner, Mom? should help with the question. That's why I purchased it and now get to review it for Eternal Encouragement!


The reason I was interested in this book is because it was a lot more than just a cookbook. Lorrie teaches and touches on so many subjects that I wanted to know more about. She teaches about bulk cooking, freezer meals, meals for others, crockpot cooking, organization and more. Her directions are simple and easy to understand. Not pretentious at all. It's so handy to have all that information in one book!


The recipes also are traditional meals with a Lorrie twist. There are no ingredients you'll have to look up or purchase at some gourmet shop. Real food for real people. I think my family would eat everything in the book.


One other thing I like about this book. It's spiral-bound which means that it lays open flat. It can be such a pain when you are trying to cook using a recipe and the book keeps wanting to close. With this book, you can actually leave it open or fold back the page, and stays flat!


Now for the really fun part. You have a chance to WIN YOUR OWN COPY! Each month, one Gabby Moms' review get chosen as the best. This month one of the readers of whichever mom's blog is chosen as the best will win an actual copy of the book. So, if you want to be considered if I win this month, here is what you need to do. Leave a comment INCLUDING your email address. If I get chosen, one of you will get chosen! The winner will be chosen on June 23.


I really do appreciate this book, so I hope we can both win!


I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. (Although I really do own my own copy, too!)

A Recipe from me! Cornbread Pie

I haven't shared many recipes, but I thought I'd share this one since it's a big hit in my family.


Here's my warning, however. I'm going to give you the basic idea, but I don't measure or necessarily use the same ingredients each time! To me, that makes a recipe more useful because I can use what's on hand instead of shopping for missing ingredients.


I'm going to share with you how I did it yesterday then mention how I made it last time, so you can get ideas how to modify it for your own use.

First, I make two boxes of corn muffin mix according to package directions. (I do add a little sugar because we like sweet cornbread.) I make it first, so it can set and get "puffier." I set the oven to 400 degrees.

Next, I throw all the ingredients into the pan. In this pan, I have:

• Leftover Salsa Chicken (another one of my recipes)
• a can of corn, drained
• a can of chili beans, drained
• left over beans
• a package of taco seasoning

I mix it all up together and warm it on the stove top. Because my pan is oven-proof, I just leave it in the pan. If you don't have an oven-proof pan, you can put it in a casserole dish. The size would depend on how much "stuff" you through together. I probably would put this in a 13x9 pan. As it is, I don't "grease" the pan, but I might do a few sprays if I put it in a different dish.

See, the cornbread batter much "puffier."  I pour this directly over the stuff in the pan and spread it around to make a smooth even layer. 

Check the the cornbread mix box. I start checking time according to the time on the box. For instance, the box said 15-20 minutes, so I started checking then, but I kept checking back until it was the golden brown I wanted. This was 30 minutes in the oven.

This is what it looks like after your husband takes the first piece! It is a little juicy because I included the juice from my salsa chicken to add taste. Not a big deal. 

The last time I made it, I used ground turkey, chili beans, corn, green peppers, and taco seasoning. Leftover chili would work. Taco meat. Stew. Make your own cornbread recipe. Basically, any leftovers or ingredients you think would taste good with cornbread are what you use!

You could make a smaller one by using less stuff and only one box of cornbread. We like leftovers, however!

So, what would you use in your cornbread pie?  I'd love more ideas!