Baked bean Casserole and Apple betty for dinner.

Good morning to you all.  Last night for dinner I made a dinner that is a favorite in my house.  Baked bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and for dessert Apple betty.  My bunch with the exception on M loves baked bean casserole.  He doesn't  like beans.  Both are easy recipes and they are below.  Mashed potato recipe isn't because just about everybody has their own recipe for that.

Baked bean Casserole
( family of 5)

• 1 lb hamburger meat
• 32 oz pork n beans (canned or fresh made) 
• 10 splashes of  worchestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp of minced onion
• 1/4 c brown sugar

Brown the hamburger meat in a large cast iron skillet,  then add the pork n beans with all the juice,  Worchestershire sauce, onions, and brown sugar stir and throw in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350.  

 Apple betty

• 1 quart of Apple pie filling (I use my canned apple pie filling if using store bought pie filling 2 cans)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 tbsp  cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 stick of butter softened

Pour in your pie filling  then mix the other ingredients in another bowl then pour on top and bake at 350 for 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling up and the crust is browned.

Sick days-MRCs

I went to Kroger Grocery store yesterday (not my normal store).  I found little bags of mini pastas for $0.39 and they weren't on sale.  Hey that is a great price no matter how you do the math. I got 3 bags of Mini alphabet noodles and 3 bags of mini wheels. So this morning while I was packing them up for longer storage, I had a stroke of genius. Soup for the kids when they are sick.  These noodles would be perfect for that.  And when Miss S is sick her restrictions on diet are pretty much gone.  So this would be a really fun treat for her to have. I kept it simple for her though.

Chicken noodle soup MRC

• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1/2 cup dehydrated or Freeze Dried carrots
• 1 1/2 c noodles ( I used alphabets)
• 2 cubes of chicken boullion 

Layer in a bottle in the order from above and seal with an oxygen absorber.

To make 8 cups of water to a boil and add MRC, Makes 8-10 servings at 8 servings the carbs are 21g.

Beef noodle soup

• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp tomato boullion
• 1/2 cup dehydrated or Freeze Dried carrots
• 1 1/2 c noodles ( I used wheels)
• 2 cubes of beef boullion 

Layer in a bottle in the order from above and seal with an oxygen absorber.

To make 8 cups of water to a boil and add MRC, Makes 8-10 servings at 8 servings the carbs are 32g.

Enjoy!

Sunday morning breakfast

As I have shared before, we typically have a special breakfast for Sunday.  This morning it was homemade oatmeal raisin muffins.  They were yummy, although to me they tasted a little too much of baking powder so I will post the fixed recipe below. The kids loved them and so did J.  I double the recipe because 12 muffins isn't quite enough for a little girl, a preteen boy going through a growth spurt, and a manlet going through puberty   I swear at about 10 years old you can't keep boys fed.  They will eat you out of house and home, not to mention the garden. But all is good.  I am also posting how to make the mix up for storage.

Quick and Homey Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
Makes 24 muffins

2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup olive oil
2 egg, beaten
2 cup milk

Cinnamon Topping
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oven to 425°F. Grease a muffin pan, or line the wells with paper muffin cups.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir in the oats and raisins.

In a large measuring cup, whisk the olive oil with the egg and milk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients just until combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with the batter.

Mix all the ingredients for the cinnamon topping together in a small bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the muffin batter.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a rack until they are cool enough to be handled. Remove from the pan and eat while warm, or let cool completely and then store in an airtight container.

To make for storage:

Quick and Homey Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
Makes 24 muffins

2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup raisins

Store in an Airtight bottle or jar with an oxygen absorber

To make:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 egg, beaten

2 cup milk

Heat the oven to 425°F. Grease a muffin pan, or line the wells with paper muffin cups.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir in the oats and raisins.

In a large measuring cup, whisk the olive oil with the egg and milk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients just until combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with the batter.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a rack until they are cool enough to be handled. Remove from the pan and eat while warm, or let cool completely and then store in an airtight container

Happy, Happy, Happy

Busy bee, and then it got cold.

I have been a busy little bee for a few weeks, then today in May in Texas, it is cold.  Like turn the heater on cold.  Seriously there are parts of Texas getting Freeze warnings tonight.  Luckily I am not in those areas but seriously, we are a little over a month away from the official start of Summer.  And I do remember the summer I had M, from April 15- October 1 that year there were only 5 days that weren't 100 degrees or more.

Now mind you, I don't believe in Climate change ( at least not due to global warming).  Seriously I believe that like an Inconvienant Truth is the same kind of truth as Al Gore  invented the Internet. And remember his wife forced the music industry to start putting stickers on music to prevent perverted or violent music out of peoples hands.  Anybody remember the outcome of that?

What do I believe in, well, I believe weather comes in cycles.  If you look back at recorded weather and read the farmers alamenacs.  It all goes in cycles, just like earthquakes, hurricanes, ice ages, and eclipses.  It all goes in cycles, that is the way God created it.

So for dinner tonight I am making speghetti with meat sauce, and homemade garlic bread.  Doesn't that sound yummy.  Yes it does, well until after dinner when the acid reflux kicks in.  But it is worth it.  Pain is good.  Pain is just fear leaving the body.    And as my typical behavior I will be canning my leftovers.  Well just the sauce.  Noodle don't can well.  They become some nasty starchy brick in the bottom of the jar.

Special Speghetti sauce

• 6 pints of tomato sauce
• 1 pint of diced stewed tomatos
• 1 pound of browned hamburger meat
• 1 cup of lemon juice
• 1 1/2 red wine (make sure you would drink it otherwise it will taint your sauce)(if you don't want to use wine use sparkling red cider it works too)
• seasonings to taste: minced onion, garlic powder, orgeno, italian seasonings, parsley, pepper, 
• 6 packets of stevia (you could use sugar but I have to cut carbs somewhere)

Cook for about 20 medium heat, jar up hot and can, I am using 10# pressure for 20 minutes with quart jars and 1 in head space.

Sunday Morning tradition!

At our house we have a tradition on Sunday mornings and special days, Moma, me, makes a special breakfast.  It is different every week and holiday.  This morning it is homemade cinnamon rolls.  (recipe below)  Past ideas are reindeer pancakes for Christmas, Bunny butt pancakes for Easter, Texas for Texas Independence day.  Miss S loves pancakes and ask for them nearly everyday, and she can have them with Sugar Free syrup. My family has gotten so used to sugar free syrup that when I got some lite because it was free, the boys asked to have S's instead.  To us it taste better, I know most of you are turning up your noses at the thought, but you get used to it.

I have to brag on my pageant girls.  I guess I need to back up I have a pageant system that is non profit.  Yesterday we had a pageant and despite less than 10 contestants we still collected 170 items and 3 trash bags of clothes for the families in West, Texas where the fertilizer plant exploded.  If you really start to think about it.  The Oklahoma City Bombing did that much damage with only a Ryder truck full of fertilizer, this was an entire plant of fertilizer and a very small town.  But I am so proud of these girls, they didn't get anything in return.  So next time somebody talks down about pageants or you see Drama on Toddlers and Tiaras, remember what I just said these pageant girls did for strangers.

Today is also a very special day in history.  I don't get political on this blog and I am not starting now but many will take it that way.  Today is the 152nd anniversary of the beginning of what Southerns call "The War of Northern Aggression", although the rest of the country knows it as the Civil War.  I personally call it the War of Northern Aggression, being the good southern girl I am.  That was not a war over slavery as they teach now, the South did not like the Northerns "Yankees" and DC taking some of their rights away and imposing their beliefs on the south.  Sound familiar?  Just food for thought.

Back on topic:

Here are some pictures of other "special" Breakfasts.

Bunny butts for Easter.  The kids thought these were so funny.  Even the 14 year old loved them.

Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer pancakes.  

Not to bad free hand if I do say so myself.

Today's Cinnamon rolls are proofing now then into the oven and make some icing.

Cinnamon Roll recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbls softend butter I used Texas Road cinnamon butter (recipe below)
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2-4 cups flour

Method
Put water and yeast in large mixing bowl and add next 4 ingredients. Beat with dough hook until well blended. Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour and mix until soft dough forms (should not be sticky). Put out onto floured board and knead a few times until smooth. Place in greased bowl, cover until dough doubles, Then roll out on a floured surface until about 1/3 inch thick and rectangular.  Brush on more of the Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter across the entire top of the dough, sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.  Then roll from on end longways to the other side.  Then with a dough cutter (or pizza cutter) cut about an inch thick rolls off.  Place on a WELL GREASED cookie sheet.  Then let it rest and raise again for about 15 minutes.  Then bake for 20 minutes at 350.  

Icing: 
 1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 milk
1-3 cups of powdered sugar To your desired thickness.

Mix until creamy.


Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter

·         ½ cup butter

·         ½ cup powdered sugar

·         ½ cup honey

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

melt the butter and mix well.

Rolls are in the oven.  And I am starving

Pinto Bean Pie

I know pinto bean pie sounds gross at first thought, but before you turn your nose up at it, try it!  When my friend Miss R told me about it I was very skeptical.  I made it for my family and without telling them it was pinto beans.  They loved it.  J knew that it was pinto beans and his comment was it taste just like pumpkin pie.  Yes it does. And the best part of it is that it can be made from food storage items.  I have spoken in earlier post about the need for comfort items and to keep things normal well at my house a cake or a pie every now and then is made just for the heck of it.  

Pinto Bean Pie

• 2 cups pinto beans
• small potato
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 2 pie crust (store bought or handmade will have a blog post about that later)
• 1  c sugar (or 1/2 c stevia)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cans evaporated milk (1 1/2 c if mixing powder evaporated milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Next 3 can be adjusted but I like mine pumpkin pie every spicy if you don't then cut in half.

• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves

First you have to cook your beans:

add the 2 cups of pintos to a large sauce pan add the baking soda and potato ( I am told the baking soda and potato help lessen the gassiness) add 4 cups of water and cook your beans as normal.  Until they are soft.  When they are done drain and remove the potato ( save for stew or mashed potatoes)

Next you preheat the oven to 350

In a blender or food processor ( or by hand)  mush up the beans until they are smooth.  Then in a large mixing bowl mix the sugar, beans, milk, eggs, vanilla, and seasonings together.   Then pour into the pie shells.  Place the pie pan/s on a cookie sheet to help with clean up just in case.  Bake for 45-60 minutes.  Until you can insert a butter knife in the center and it comes back clean.

I promise it is Yummy!!! M liked it and he is picky and typically hates beans of any kind. 

Toilet Paper Tube Firestarters

Firestarters from items you have in your house right now.  So they are basically free and you are saving it all from the landfill.

You need:

• Toilet paper/paper towel tubes 
• Lint from the dryer
• Wadded up paper (junk mailings work great)
• Left over wood pieces or saw dust (if you have it)
• Paraffin (optional)
• Wax paper or aluminium foil To protect your surface and make clean up easier.

Stuff the toilet paper tubes with the lint, paper, and wood.  If you have it melt some paraffin (doesn't take much) drop a couple of drops in each end.  It is really that easy.

Happy Yummy Sunday!

My son, E, is always giving me a hard time about looking at what my family calls "food porn".  Well after last night I might have put a stop to it.  Yesterday before my walk with the family, I found a recipe on Facebook that looked and sounded so yummy.  It was Bacon Cheesy Pull Apart Bread.  It is so good!!! I mean really really good.  The recipe calls for Sourdough bread, well I didn't have any and I was not going to run to the store for that.  I made mine with home made bread. I can not explain how good it is.  The best part is can be a meal and I have all the stuff put up in my food storage so if something did happen I would still be able to make this yummy treat.  Well I guess I should share the recipe for both the bread and the yumminess.  

Cheesy bacon pull apart bread

Ingredients

1 lg	unsliced round sourdough bread (I used homemade bread)
8 oz	block of cheddar cheese, sliced into thin slices
1/4 lb	bacon, cooked and crumbled, more or less
1 stk	butter, melted I substituted my ranch dressing mix 1 tsp instead of the following.
1/4 tsp	each of dried chives, parsley, dill weed, and garlic powder
1/8 tsp	each of onion powder,salt and pepper

Directions

1

 Using a sharp knife cut a cross-hatch pattern into the bread. 
To do this slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices, making sure not to cut into the bottom crust. After you make the cuts in one direction, it is easiest to get an extra set of hands to squeeze the loaf together to cut it in the other direction.

2

 Place the bread onto a large piece of foil and curve up the edges to form a packet.Melt the butter. Then all the dried herbs and spices. Mix all together and let it sit for a minute. Pour the butter herb mixture all over the bread. Then place the thin slices of cheddar cheese in between the cut slices. Then sprinkle the top with the crumbled bacon.

4

 Wrap the foil all the way around the round of bread and place on a baking sheet.
Place in preheated 350^ oven and bake for 15 minutes.

5

 Unwrap the bread and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and begins to brown.

My homemade bread and roll recipe

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast or 1 tsp
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp softened butter
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2-4 cups flour

Method
Put water and yeast in large mixing bowl and add next 4 ingredients. Beat with dough hook until well blended( I continue to stir with a wooden spoon). Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour and mix until soft dough forms (should not be sticky). Put out onto floured board and knead a few times until smooth. Place in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place approx. 45 minutes. Punch down and turn out onto floured board. Shape into 12 rolls and place in greased Cookie sheet. If making bread shape into a loose round shape or place in a greased loaf pan.  Let rise again about 30 minutes. Bake 350 for 20 minutes. Brush tops of rolls/bread with butter. Recipe is easily doubled.

I guess you are going to need the recipe for the ranch dressing mix.

Ranch Dressing Mix

2 cups dry parsley flakes, minced
1/2 cup instant minced onion
2 tablespoons dry dill weed
1/4 cup onion salt
1/4 cup garlic salt
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder 


Dump all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until completely powdered. 


To make dressing: combine 1

 Tbsp. dry mix, 1 cup of may & 1 cup of buttermilk.

Now go try it because it is Yummy!  J wants me to make it again today.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  We have all heard it, but do we practice it?  I try to most days, I get up and fix a breakfast meal not just cereal.  Well this oatmeal recipe will get you a nice hearty start in the mornings fairly easily.  This recipe also has about 15 g carbs per serving and oatmeal is heart smart.

Apple Cinnamon  Oatmeal
serves 5          15 carbs per serving

2 cups oatmeal
1/2 c evaporated dry milk
3 packets of Stevia
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 c dehydrated or freeze dried apples

Combine in a bottle and add an oxygen absorber

To mix add 1 1/2 c water.


I hope you enjoy this.


Leave some feed back!

New workout while improving your skills.

Lately when cooking I look around at all the gadgets and wonder what if there is no power.  So for a month or so, I have been doing things by hand.  I make fresh bread without a mixer or bread machine, just all by hand and wooden spoon.  I made pizza tonight with homemade crust, no mixer or food processor just by hand and wooden spoon.  Why am I calling it a work out?  Well have you ever mixed or kneaded dough by hand it is a workout, but more than that I have been watching what I lovingly call my "bat wing" arms tighten up.  Do you know how hard that is to get to tighten and tone?  Almost impossible, unless you do push ups and lift weights from dawn to dusk.  I haven't got time for that.  The other advantage is I am building my skills at cooking without powered gadgets, I mean what if a storm took out the power for a few days, or worse.  Could you, would you know how to do this without all the gadgets?  Start practicing now and get a workout.

Pizza dough
Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package or 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast 
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for bowl
• Cornmeal, for pan

Directions

Preheat oven at 450 degrees F.

Measure out 1 3/4 cups warm water (it should be pleasantly warm on your wrist). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and allow it to activate, about 10 minutes.

Put the salt and 2 cups of the flour into a food processor. Pulse 5 times to blend. Pour in the yeast and water and pulse 5 times. Add the olive oil. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, pulsing and scraping the sides of the bowl until well blended. As soon as the mixture is combined, dump it out onto a well-floured board and knead for 15 turns, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size, then punch it down. Divide it in half; each half will make 1 (12-inch) pizza.

Place on a cornmeal-dusted pizza stone, pizza pan, or cookie sheet. Roll up edge slightly to create a ridge around the pizza. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until crust is light brown.

Cook's Note: If using only half dough, freeze the other half. Place the dough in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, remove the bag from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Roll the dough out while cold then allow it to come to room temperature before adding toppings.

Pizza sauce recipe

2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce

1/2 c red wine ( I used Lion's Courage from the OZ Winery)

2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp oregano

simmer simmer while cooking the pizza dough (55 minutes)

It made enough sauce for the pizza and 2 1/2 pints to can for later 

In case you are wondering about the OZ Winery, it is in Wamego, Kansas a block down from the OZ Museum.  It is totally worth going if you are driving through Kansas.  You can call the OZ Winery and they ship!  I recommend  Witch in a Ditch, Bad Witch Gone Good, and Lion's Courage. 

Baked beans for storage

Depending on what part of the country you are from these can be called Pork n Beans or Baked Beans.  Well, whatever you call them, they are yummy.  Seriously you can make many things with this.  It can be a side dish or a main dish, cut up some wienies and you will have beanie wienies or Franks and beans.  Again it is a cultural thing.  Where ever you are and whatever you call them, they are yummy and even your kids will ask for seconds.  

2 cups small navy beans 
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup chopped onion (dried)
1 garlic clove, minced (dried)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 package of Ham seasoning

Store in an air tight bottle (soda bottle) with an oxygen absorber.  

To make add 4 3/4 c water, 
2 tablespoons of mustard.

In case you are wondering, what the ham seasoning looks like:

That ham seasoning is a great thing to have on hand.  You can add it in with any type of beans or greens you would add salt pork or fat back too.  I have sneaked this in on my family several times and they couldn't tell the difference.

Strawberry Oatmeal for long term storage

As with many of my storage recipes I have to keep them on the low carb end for my daughter S.

 This is  a simple little recipe to provide a yummy breakfast for 5.

Strawberry Oatmeal1 1/4 c of oatmeal, 1/3 c evaporated milk, tsp cinnamon, 3 packets of Stevia, 1/4 tsp salt  about 1/4 c dehydrated strawberries. Layer in the bottles and add an oxygen absorber and seal

To Cook:
2 c water and cook

This recipe has 5 servings and 35g carbs each.  I know that is a little higher but it is healthy and a great hearty way to start your day.