June Cookie Carnival~ Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

I joined Cookie Carnival many, many moons ago, and to my utter shame this is my first post. My first cookie recipe is Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. This is a Martha Stewart recipe, and even though my cookies were extremely ugly, they were delicious! I halved the recipe, because I really wasn't sure if we would like them or not. Now I'm glad I halved it because there would've been 3 dozen of these little buttery gems with nuggets of fresh strawberries laying around and I would've eaten all of them! I followed the recipe to the letter, and my only complaint is that they didn't spread well. I think you can see from my photos they turned out quite small. I used a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, so I'm not sure what happened. Also, I didn't have any sanding sugar, so I just sprinkled on plain old granulated *after* they baked. I didn't want the sugar to burn. These tasted like sweet little biscuits. They weren't like any cookie I've ever had. I was expecting a shortbread type cookie but they weren't like that at all.

After all was said and done, these were really good! I would've never made them if not for Cookie Carnival, and I'm so glad I tried them, because I definitely want to make them again, but maybe with some peaches this time. So until next time....happy baking!

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Ingredients
Makes about 3 dozen
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

If You Would Just Obey Your Mother, Life Would Be So Much Easier

Today I let Middle Child dress herself. I was in the shower and figured she could handle the putting on of the clothes. I then proceeded to tell her to brush her teeth and comb her hair. All of the sudden, I heard "Mama, this comb is stuck in my hair." "What were you doing?" "I was trying to twirl it around." Hmmmm.....okay. So begins the lesson on what happens when we disobey. And it was a doozy.

So here is our problem.

I pulled and tugged for almost 10 minutes trying to get this untangled out of her hair. She's really got it in there. Finally, I gave up. I told her we were going to a Hair Salon and get it cut out. And she totally freaked. She wants long, flowy, princess hair. This was not conducive to long, flowy, princess hair.

Then something hits her like a ton of bricks. She had to go out in public. Like this. With a red comb stuck in her hair. She was not a happy camper.

Isn't this picture priceless?

Did I mention we had VBS tonight? She was NOT going to VBS with her hair like this!

So anyway, I was in the bathroom getting myself ready and wonder of wonders! She got it out herself! I was really surprised. She must've been really worried about that haircut! I then proceeded to tell her, "When I tell you to do something just do it". Don't twirl it around, don't play around. Just do what your told. I'm sure that sunk in.

So crisis averted. Until the next one. I'm sure you'll be hearing about another one shortly!

Gone Fishin'

Today we decided to venture out into the heat and take the kiddos fishing. There's a great park about a half hour from our house that has a fishing pond, so we decided to go there. It also has a Carousel, a small train,a petting zoo, a snake exhibit (yuck) and a small zoo. There are several playgrounds and mini golf, too. And best of it all it's super cheap. Each different ride or exhibit only costs around 5o cents up to 1.50, and the playgrounds and snake exhibit are free. You can't beat that!

When we first got there we saw this little guy hanging around with his mommy. What is it about baby ducks that just makes a girl melt? Well, really baby anything for that matter.

Oh, sweet little baby duck......I wanted to pet his sweet little feathers, but that little sucker was fast!

The we went on our fishing adventure. Daddy baited our hooks.

And then we waited.......

And waited..........

And waited some more.......

Finally, the wait was over! Sweet fishy Victory!

Ewwwwwww........yuck........

This little guy kept flitting around everywhere. This is the only picture I got of him. Every time I tried to get another one he'd take off.

Then we were joined by none other than...........

Mr. Squirrel! Or possibly Miss... I didn't get that close.

Little man and I also saw what I think was a rattlesnake. We didn't hang around to get pictures of him. Couple of turtles too, but I was afraid I'd drop my camera in the water. And then blogging would over! Because this man......

would probably NOT buy me another camera!

So, other than the stifling heat, a great time was had by all! Hopefully, they'll be more adventures to come!

Coupon Monday!

I've never been much of a coupon shopper. I always though it was time consuming for very little payoff. Then my friend Amory told me about The Grocery Game. I decided to try it and see how I would make out. They have a trial period that only cost 1.00, so I thought why not? Let's see if we can save some money!

The way this works is every Sunday you get a list that is made up of the sales of the stores you have signed up for. I have 3 stores on my list, Harris-Teeter, Food Lion, and CVS. Harris-Teeter doubles coupons everyday, and CVS does Extra Care Bucks. I do Food Lion just because it's the closest to my house and I shop there more often. The list tells you what's on sale, and which coupon you should use. It tells you what date the coupon ran in the Sunday newspaper, too.


My first stop was Harris Teeter. This is what I got.


Nestle Drumstick Minis
Sara Lee Chocolate Pie
6 Bottles of Pert Shampoo
Colgate Total Toothpaste
Aquafresh Ultimate Whitening Toothpaste
3 cans of Beanee Weanees
AirWick Warmer
AirWick Oil Refill


The Retail for this was 48.00 and some change. I paid 19.27. Not too bad. Now I didn't really need 6 bottles of shampoo, but it was less than 1.00 per bottle. Might as well get it while it's cheap, and stock up right? We will always need shampoo.



My next stop was CVS pharmacy.

Lysol Spray
True North Nut Clusters
Barilla Elbow Macaroni and Spaghetti Noodles
2 cans of Bush's Baked Beans
Lady Mitchum Deodorant
Perfect 10 Hair color
Kraft BBQ Sauce (I also bought 3 packs of M&M's, but that was just an impulse. What?! They were peanut butter and strawberry! Yeah!)

So retail for all of this was 39.98. I paid 15.86. Not bad!


My last stop was Food Lion.



2 containers Easy Mac

2 packages of Ball Park Franks

2 packs Orville Redenbacher popcorn

Weber Mango Lime Seasoning

McCain Frozen Potatos

Toilet Paper

2 Boxes of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios

*edited to add* One and 1/2 pounds of ground beef

The Retail for this was 36.00 and some change. I paid 12.97! Pretty Good!

Now, I do want you to know that I would never pay full retail for this stuff. If it's not on sale, I don't buy it. Not unless it's a necessity, and that usually isn't the case. And also, some of this is stuff I wouldn't normally buy. The True North Snacks, Nestle Drumsticks and Sara Lee pie are not usually on my shopping list. I only bought them because I got them so cheap. I usually don't buy name brands either. There a few store brand things I won't buy (like Peanut Butter), but for the most part, I like them just as well as the national brands.

To sum it all up, I got all the aforementioned groceries for around 50.00. I think this was worth the time and effort I put into clipping the coupons and putting my lists together. Of course most of the work is already done for you with the Grocery Game. If you like to save money, just check it out!

German Chocolate Cake, Cheesecake Style

I just love me some Paula Deen. I think she is the quintessential Steel Magnolia. She really surpassed some hardships to get where she is today, and she got very little help doing it. I have 2 of her cookbooks and love to watch her on Food Network. She cooks stuff that I grew up on and actually want to eat. Don't get me wrong, I love to try new foods,and I will try almost anything once. Almost. But there's just something about Fried Chicken and homemade biscuits. They get me every time.

This particular recipe I got from Paula's Website.It has tons of recipes and I happened on this one and decided to make it for the guys at the fire station. I tried a piece and and to be completely honest, I wasn't that impressed with it. I could tell it was a boxed mix, (I'm a cake snob. Sue me.;) and the cheesecake layer wasn't assertive enough for my liking. (I love me some cheesecake, too!) Also, and this was my mistake, but the icing recipe looked like it would make a huge amount, so I cut it in half. Don't do that. It was just barely enough, so If I do make this again, I will put the whole recipe on the cake.

Hubs had told the guys at the station I was bringing cake and they were waiting on me. I just love a guy who melts at home cooking, aren't' they the best?(My hubs does not melt at home cooking. He's happy with a microwaved hot dog. I guess I shouldn't complain.) But anyway, they loved it! They raved over and then one guy said how pretty it was! He obviously doesn't read food blogs.




So here it is: German Chocolate Cake, Cheesecake Style. And I know the picture is extremely pathetic, but I was in a hurry. Sorry. ;)

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) German Chocolate cake mix
Cream Cheese Filling:
2 Tsp Vanilla
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Frosting:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, cubed (not margarine)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flaked coconut
1-1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Prepare cake batter according to package directions; set aside. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Gently spoon remaining batter over top; spread to edge of pan. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. For frosting, in a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans. Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings

Creepy Crawly Things.

Road trips to BBQ joints that just aren't that great.

Cupcake icing on sweet faces.


Petting zoos and show offs.

Pony Rides.

What does summertime mean to you?

I'm Ba-ack!!

I went on mini vacation this past week. I call it a mini vacation, because I had all the kids, Hubs stayed at home (work), and I still had to do all the things I do at home (cooking, cleaning, laundry) just in a different part of the state. I love being with my family and I really miss them, especially now that the kids are out of school. My mom is my best friend and I spent more time with her than anyone, and It's a little strange now that I can't just drive to her house anytime I want.
Anyway, I hung out with my sisters, and we went swimming and went to a wedding and just had an all around good time. For those of you who don't live anywhere near the mountains, I've got a few pictures for you.......

This is the view from my sister's deck. Awesome, huh?

These were taken outside of the pool we went to. It was an awesome pool, except that there was about 75 middle schoolers there. And they kept splashing me in the face. And I really hate that. But they didn't really mean to. So I kept my cool.


This is my mom trying to take a picture of herself. She would strangle me if she knew I put it on the Internet. Love you, Mama! That's my niece in the background. That kid's a piece of work, let me tell ya!

This is my other niece. She, too, is a piece of work. Hmmm.. Lots more to come later!

Dorie's Creme Brulee....Oh Baby.

I've had Creme Brulee on my mind for several weeks now. It was always one of those recipes that everyone else makes, but not me. I was always a little intimidated by it. So I just made up my mind that I was gonna do it. But first.....I need ramekins, and a chef's torch. Now I know you can do it under the broiler of an oven, but where's the fun in that? This gave me the perfect excuse for buying one! So I checked out Ebay, and Williams Sonoma(geez, ex-pen-sive!) and finally on a whim, I went to our local TJ Maxx and whadya know! I found a torch and 4 ramekins for a little over 10 bucks! Yay me! (Name that show.)

(ooooooohhhhhhh...open flame....)

So then I set out to find the perfect Creme Brulee recipe. I looked at several, from Alton to Ina, and found they're pretty much the same everywhere. At least the basics are. Eggs, cream and vanilla extract, and some used vanilla beans. Pretty simple stuff. I finally found one that looked really good on Ezra Poundcake. If you've never been to her site, you must, MUST I tell you, check it out. Her photos are absolutely beautiful, and her recipes are pretty darn good, too. Just check this one out, and I swear to you, you will never look at Salmon the same way again. Seriously.

But, I digress. Rebecca made Creme Brulee from the book Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. As I happen to have that very same book, I decided to give it a go.

Oh. My. What have I been missing?! This was just so.....wonderful. It was smooth, creamy and vanilley(is that even a word?) and simply divine. And it was so easy! A little time consuming, but well worth it. My hubs on the other hand didn't really care for it that much. He said it tasted like vanilla pudding (men) and didn't like the caramelized sugar on top. He's a firefighter. You would think he would like anything that has to do with an open flame, but whatevah. All in all this was a great recipe and I will definitely make it again. Cause If I don't what else am I going to use that nifty little chef's torch for?

Crème Brûlée
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
The most efficient way to caramelize the sugar topping is to use a blowtorch (see page 475 of Baking: From My Home to Yours). If you don’t have a torch, you can chill the custards very, very well, then set them in an ice-cube-filled roasting pan and run them under the broiler. You won’t get as even a coating with the broiler as you would with the torch, but you’ll still get the flavor and the pleasure of a crackly sugar crust over cream custard.
Note: The best baking dishes for crème brûlée are shallow, ideally just an inch (2,5 cm) high, about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter and holding about ¾ cup of liquid. Porcelain, pottery or glass gratin or baking dishes are perfect, but if you don’t have them, you can use ramekins or even disposable aluminum foil pans, an unglamorous but effective solution.
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk (Note: I didn't have any whole milk in the house, so I used all heavy cream. It turned out perfectly.)
3 large egg yolks
1 / 3 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 6 tablespoons sugar or sifted light brown sugar, for topping
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200ºF/ 93ºC.(Another note from me: This wasn't nearly long enough to bake the custards. I checked them after 50 minutes and they weren't anywhere near done. I cranked the oven up to 250 degrees and baked them for about 20 more minutes and that worked perfectly.) Put the six baking dishes (see Note above) on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.
In a 1 or 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until well blended but not airy. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid---this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the cream and milk. Give the bowl a good rap against the counter to de-bubble the custard, then strain it into the baking dishes.
Bake the custards for 50 to 60 minutes, (see my note above) or until the centers are set---tap the sides of the dishes, and the custards should hold firm. Lift the dishes onto a cooling rack and let the custards cool until they reach room temperature.
Cover each custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The custards can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) For the sugar to be successfully caramelized, the custards need to be thoroughly chilled.
Makes 6 servings.
Serving:
Serve the crème brûlée when the crème is really cold and the brûlée is still warm. You can serve the whole dessert chilled, but the sugar topping won’t have its characteristic crackle. And while I think crème brûlée should be served with nothing more then a spoon, you could offer berries and cookies as accompaniments.
Storing:
The custard for crème brûlée must be made ahead so it has plenty of time to chill, but once you’ve caramelized the sugar on top, your storage time is over if your want the sugar to have crunch.

Where I Wish I Was........

The mountains will always be home to me. I miss them.