Blackberry Sweet Cream

Last week blackberries were on sale for $.97.  I couldn't help myself and had to get a few packages.  They were amazing.  I'd been wanting to try Pioneer Woman's recipe for sweet cream, and this was the perfect oppurtunity. 

It was delicious.  It tasted like custard, only not so thick, and combined with the blackberries.... oh... my goodnes.. it was heaven.

The neighbor girls and a couple friends came over to help make dessert, only to find out this little one didn't like berries.  Or sweet cream.  But Tristan was excited when she offered to share hers.

Her sister was a fan though.  I was wishing I hadn't cut the recipe in half-I thought it'd make too much but even after a bowl each we all wanted more.

And this little guy liked a little bit of it, but he preferred playing than eating.

She didn't want her picture taken, but I got her anyway ;) It was fun to have everyone over for a impromptu brunch dessert party... and we'd all agree to go and make that sweet cream dessert asap :)

The BEST Soft Sugar Cookies EVER

I was in the mood for cookies the other day, and my daily 4 o'clock suggested Sugar Cookies.  Jeff seconded the motion.  Best idea of the week!   So, I found this recipe for the softest, most delicious sugar cookies EVER.

Oh. My. Gosh. They're so dang good. They're soft, they're good, they're delicious, they're soft... I ate myself sick on dough, then ate myself sick on cookies. I never even got around to frosting them, I just ate them warm as soon as they came out of the oven. When I did I want frosting, I just dipped them right into the batch of frosting I made while they had chilled.  Sick, I know.  That's how good they were.  I decided I had to take a picture the day after I made them, so the frosting got a little clumpy when I tried to ice a couple.  Oh well. 

For the cookies you will need:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used salted because it was all I had, and then used a smidge less salt than called for, tasted great anyway)
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs (room temperature)
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (you don't have to, but it's cute)
Sprinkles (if you're into that kind of thing)
Directions:

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (or just spray them with Pam). In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Lick the beaters clean. Cover and chill the dough for an hour.

If you can keep yourself from eating all of the dough, roll it into balls. I found that pretty much whatever shape you put them on the cookie sheet, they stayed in that shape. I scooped a spoonful out, rolled them into balls and gently flattened them. Bake them about 8-10 minutes, taking them out of the oven before they have brown edges. Brown edges=no good. I found with the first batch that if I could just barely touch the top of the cookie and it wasn't doughy, they were perfect. Whatever I didn't shove into my mouth when they came out of the oven was left to cool on the cookie sheet.

There's No Place Like Home-Wizard of Oz

Today my church held a big dinner to celebrate the organization of the Relief Society. They chose the theme, "There's No Place Like Home" and centered everything around the Wizard of Oz. I volunteered to decorate a table.... and since it might be the only time I have a chance to make these cupcakes (of course, I saw them on Pinterest), I jumped on it. Since I was babysitting and had a few extra kids, I opted for the easiest way to make these. I bought a box of cake mix, cream cheese frosting, Sour Punch Straws, and Starbursts.

In between refereeing sessions over the wooden train set, I cut each straw into six pieces, and cut the Star Bursts in half.

Then I squished the Starbursts into shoe shapes and stuck them on the straws. Then the 2 year old and the 4 year old saw their chance. One would distract me while the other snuck into the kitchen and steal a shoe or leg and run off before I noticed. At one point I thought I was going crazy because I'd think to myself, "I swear I had more than these..." or "Um that's weird. These should be in groups of two? Where's the other one?" They were so sneaky it took me forever to figure it out. Dang kids! I saw one woman made the legs with hard candy and made the shoes out of fondant, but I'd rather eat a Starburst than fondant.

Since each cupcake would need it's own little support, I took the envelopes from my free 8x10's I printed at WalGreen's last week and covered them in foil. Had I wanted to be extra cute I would have covered them in my shiny pink wrapping paper, but that would have required tape, scissors and working around 3 kids who were obsessed with my every move. Since Looney Toon's was ending soon, I opted for foil.

Then I squished a cupcake on top of the witch's legs. That was the funnest part.

This is how they looked on the table... I liked it. The cupcakes were great bribery in filling the table up in about 2 seconds. Everyone loves a cupcake.There were a ton of cute decorations...

But this one was my favorite. Sonia-this is the Emerald City of all wrapping-paper-tubed-Emerald Cities.

This one was cute-the sign says something like "Love Begins at Home..."

I wanted to steal the puppy from this basket.

And I wanted the picnic basket from this one.... "Hey Boo-BOo! Let's go get a pic-a-nic bass-ket!"Where they got all this stuff I will never know, but it was cute. There were quite a few other tables, but I just wanted to give an idea of how cute this was set up.

They served ham, funeral potatoes, two different kinds of salads and rolls. So good!

The salad had strawberries. I love strawberries. And they had a big ol' cake. It's not a party without cake. Unless you are turning 21. Then you just want liquor and cake seems silly. Unless you don't drink. Then it seems like a good idea unless you're the only one eating it.

Everyone got a cute name tag. Mine spent the night sticking to my hair more than my shirt. I would have pulled it off but then I would have had to pull out 3 individual hairs so I just left it on and didn't move my head. I like my hair attached.

Super good evening! They also had a darling skit, some great music, and of course, a great speaker. We talked about how the Relief Society is dedicated to service to others and to helping each person develop their own relationship with God. It was nice.

I had to peace out early to go to play with my indoor team. We played the white team again. Oh. Yes. We did. I found my little friend and in true Christ-like manner, taunted her again. It was fun.

French Breakfast Muffins

Being around five girls makes me want to bake. So for breakfast this morning I jumped on Pinterest and made French Breakfast Muffins. These muffins go by other names, so far I've seen Cinnamon Sugar Donut, French Breakfast Puffs, Feather-Light Muffins, Paris Puffins, and Cinnamon Muffins. Whatever you want to call them, they're delicious. You will need:

1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour (I would do 1 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

Topping
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium-large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined, but still a bit lumpy. Mine was super lumpy-there was too much flour. Don't overmix. Scoop batter into muffin tins that have sprayed with cooking spray. I used a small muffin tin and got about 3 dozen muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they just start to turn a bit golden at the edges.

For the topping, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another small bowl. Dip the warm muffins in melted butter, then dip/roll the muffin in cinnamon sugar. This was a lot of butter and sugar! Since you are basically just getting a sugar topping, you probably don't need so much butter and sugar. I mixed my butter and sugar together (almost like a glaze) and dipped the muffins in that. It was delicious. Either way, you can't go wrong. It's butter and sugar. Bon apetit!

Most Amazing Roast. Ever.

Cooking is a talent I have recently discovered. So far I've found it easy and fun, and I love trying new recipes. We recently had a roast at a friend's house that was mouth-wateringly delicious. Last night I was grocery shopping and found some great deals on meat-one of them being a roast. I was going to just throw it in the crock pot, but Jeff begged me to see if we could get our friend's Mom's secret recipe. He obliged, and spent an HOUR texting it to me. I followed the directions exactly, and behold... the most amazing roast in the world. We all sat around and drooled while we ate it, and agreed it was absolutely amazing. Even Tristan ate a good serving. I would share the recipe-but it's a super family secret. But I had to at least share the picture of dinner.... look at the steam, the Texas plate, and those delicious vegetables! Seriously. I can't wait to make this again.

Bajio's Green Chile Chicken Quesadilla

When Jeff and I lived in Rexbizzle, we loved going to Bajio's. Our favorite dish was the green chile chicken quasadilla, with sweet rice and borachho beans. On our last trip there, he was heart broken to discover the restaurant was closed. He requested that I make this for for dinner yesterday, and let me tell you... it kept me busy.

And Tristan kept me busy. I need more kitchen tools to entertain him, he kept climbing out of the bumbo and harassing me! Anyway, if you find yourself in need of something to do for a few hours, not including clean up, here you go!!!!

The Quesadillas:

You Will Need:

2 Grilled Chicken Breasts

1 cup Green Chile Chutney

1 cup of Caramelized Onions

1 cup Shredded Cheese (a mix of cheddar and jack cheese)

4 large Flour Tortillas

DIRECTIONS Marinate Chicken Breasts in 1 cup of lime juice and 1 cup oil, let stand for at least two hours in the refrigerator. On a hot grill, grill the chicken until done and set aside to rest. Once the chicken has had time to rest and cool, shred into small pieces.* Slice 1 whole white onion into slices. In a medium saute pan, add 2 TBL spoons of oil and saute the onions until they are translucent. * Once the onions are done, add the shredded chicken and cup of Green Chile Chutney, and saute all together until well heated. Warm up each tortilla and add shredded cheese to each tortilla. Spoon in warm chicken mixture and fold the tortilla over. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.

The Chutney Sauce

You Will Need

3 large annaheim peppers, halved, seeds removed

1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeds removed4 oz. can diced green chiles

5-7 tomatillos, husks removed

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

dash of chili powder

dash of cumin

dash of salt

1 large sweet onion, halved

Directions: Place peppers, tomatillos, and onion on baking sheet/rack. Roast in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until nicely browned. Place tomatillos and about 1/4 cup onion in blender and process until mostly smooth. Dice peppers. Add all ingredients except the remaining onion into a large pot. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Add more sugar/peppers to adjust the spiciness/sweetness to taste. For Carmelized Onions: Slice the remaining onion and saute with a little bit of the green chile sauce over medium-low heat until carmelized.

BAJIO SWEET RICE

You Will Need:

1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 of a white onion, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

1 1/3 cups white rice

3 cups chicken broth

1/4-1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:

Put a little oil in bottom of pan (maybe about 1/2-1 tablespoon). Saute chopped onion until translucent. Add the chopped cilantro (no big stems) and saute a minute more. Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn). Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar dissolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil. Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Kiki's Borracho Beans

You Will Need:

1 pound dried pinto beans, washed

2 quarts chicken stock

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chopped stewed tomatoes

1 white onion, diced

1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: Soak beans in a large pot of water overnight (Or start early in the morning and let them hang out in a crock pot ALL day). Drain beans, and refill the pot with chicken stock and enough water to cover the beans with 2 inches of liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Stir the beans occasionally through out the entire cooking process to make sure they do not burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir beer, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno peppers, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and cilantro into the beans. Continue to cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until beans are tender. With a potato masher, crush the beans slightly to thicken the bean liquid. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.

Can I just tell you that you should be easy with the beer? Actually, next time I'm going to leave it completely out. These beans were so, so so delicious. Until I was like, "Oh, right. Gotta add the beer." Without even looking I dumped in about 3 times too much. We had to toss them, they were awful. I can't even think about how much got wasted when those went down the drain, I'm still sick about it. ... Also, here's a hint. I think next time I'll go with semi-homemade with Sarah Lee's recipe for boraccho beans, although these were so delicious.

I think I had all four burners on cooking something at about any given time, and once the oven. It definetly took some skill to have everything ready at the same time. Next time there are a few things I think I could make ahead and would taste even better marinated overnight. And of course, the kitchen was totally trashed. I swear I used almost every single pot and pan we have.

The end result was totally worth it though. We had them again the next night, and then the following night we had chicken tacos since I'd made extra chicken. Now, go try this!

Things to Cook for Dinner

I always know when Jeff loves something for dinner, if it was just OK, or if he hated it. If he loved it, he scarfs it down like he's never seen food before. If it is just OK, he'll eat MOST of it, and leave a bite or two. If he hated it, he openly chokes down a couple bites and then says he isn't hungry. But we all know that's a lie... he's almost always hungry.

Anyway, this SAHM Mom thing is fun! I have nothing to do all day but decide what to cook for dinner! So, here are few things I've tried this week. Some were better than others. They were all really easy.

Sweet and Sour Boneless Beef Ribs

The sauce was yum. I served it with rice, green and orange peppers, leftover white onions and pineapple sauteed in soy sauce. I used the canned pineapple juice to help make the rice. Jeff's favorite so far. Be careful about browning the ribs-I think they'd have been better in a slow cooker. Oh, and I left out the red pepper flakes.

Tanya's Boneless Ribs

These turned out super. I listened to the reviews and did them in the slow cooker, and they were super duper tender. So delicious. Jeff liked them a ton but not as much as the sweet and sour. I served them with mashed potatoes and green beans. Also, I left out the hot sauce. I'm not a spicy fan.

Pork Chop Veggie Medley

Pork chops were on sale, buy one package get one free. I had everything on hand, which was great... except mine didn't look anything like the photo. It looked more like stew? I liked it, the pork chops were tender and I like tomatoes. I served it over rice as suggested.

We also tried the boxed Macaroni Grill pasta mixes. Oh. My. Gosh. They were SO good. I don't have a recipe for those-just buy the boxed mixes. Yum.

No Butter Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are my favorite-and I wished I would have paid attention to the recipe I used this one time that made them absolutely delicious. Sadly-I can't remember where I got it from. I guess I'll have to keep trying every recipe out there until I find it. Darn. Anyway, I tried this one last night-it's slightly similar to The Pioneer Woman's, but I don't think they're as crumbly or crisp. I don't like crisp cookies. I let the nieces help-which explains the width and height difference in the cookies-but they turned out surprisingly good despite all the different sizes. Thanks to Tiffany for taking a picture of these after I left!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp double-acting baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I did cinnamon)

Combine:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Add to this mixture and beat well after each addition:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla (I always add a smidgen more... but that's me)

Add the flour mixture all at once and beat well. Shape the dough into 1/2 inch balls. Dip the balls in granulated sugar, or flatten them. Bake about 10 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet-do not let the edges brown!