"kickin it old skool"!

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	kickin' it ol' skool can imply many different things, but there are two main definitions: 1)Doing something like it was done in the '80s  2)(The most popularly used version): Hanging out with a good friend that you've grown up with.

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Yesterday Glenn and I set out to find Glenn his birthday present. He had his hopes set on a portable camping oven, ( yes you heard me right Mr. Camping Minimalist) wanted a oven to take camping. So off to Costco we go, when we finally saw it out of the box he thought it was to big to take camping, he then tells me he would like a new out door grill, OK! Off to Sportsmens, Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Fred Meyers and Big R. In that Order which will have somewhat of an importance at the end of the story. 

Glenn wanted a small compact propane grill made in the USA! Oh God does that even exist??? Well not one that we could find here in Central Oregon. Probably could of ordered one for a pretty hefty price but that wasn't an option for us yesterday. It almost became a quest for us to find that perfect grill, or should I say it did become a quest. 

The first store after Costco was Sportsmen's Warehouse, they probably had the best grill selection, but we did travel to each of the other stores but just like Murphy's Law states you seem to get the first one you looked at...Glenn's criteria for a grill was not quite all filled, but boy is he happy with what  he FINALLY chose. 

Take a look: compact check, grill check, and MADE IN THE USA check!

Glenn's 59th Birthday Present "THE ALL CAST IRON, MADE IN USA, ASHFORD HIBACHI"!

There you have it, and this is how 2 "empty nesters" spend their day on a saturday..

Happy Birthday Glenn!

Spiced Carrot Muffins - WOW!!!

This is probably the best carrot cake-muffin I have had, the good part is you don't have to add the cream cheese frosting. It taste's great with out it :).

The recipe calls for 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt, I didn't have any on hand so I sure 2/3 cup low-fat sour cream and added 1/4 cup 2% milk. It all worked out just fine. 

The great thing about this recipe, it is OK to freeze the dough mixture in the muffin cups here is how you do it:    Using the muffin pan, line however many muffins you want to freeze with muffin liners, fill the individual muffin liners almost to the top, place the pan in the freezer. In 45 minutes to 1 hour take out the pan and put the frozen uncooked muffins in a zip lock bag, try to get as much air out of the bag while closing as possible. Return batter filled cups to freezer until ready to bake.  When ready put frozen batter cups back into the muffin pan and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. 

Recipe -   http://www.marthastewart.com/337237/spiced-carrot-muffins 

You won't be sorry!

Happy baking,

Betty Jo

Homemade Kahlua

In September I started the process of making my own Kahlua and yesterday November 7th I was finished. After a few taste tests I can assure you it's "some pretty good stuff". I followed the recipe, link below, with a few of my own adjustments added. I used Stoleys Vanilla Vodka and Starbucks french roast coffee beans.

Can't you just smell the coffee boiling in the picture on the right.  Coffee aroma filled the house for the next few days.









As you can see from the photo below, I used a fruit canning strainer because that is what I had on hand. I think for next year I will invest in a beverage strainer, since I had to strain this liquid 4 times before all the coffee debris was gone.  I guess you could use instant coffee, if you didn't want to go through the bother of straining. We are not instant coffee drinkers so that would not work for us. If you are asking yourself how would you know? I would always be saying to myself "I should of used coffee beans instead":).

Kahlua 2012
I reused some maple syrup glass jars I have been saving so some time . 

 Talking to my friend Lisa last night she told me how she likes her Kahlua served. Pour a shot or two of Kahlua over ice into a glass then slowly pour the same amount of 1/2 & 1/2 milk into the same glass then top with a drop or two of some more Kahlua. Yum Yum! I have to say.  

If you would like to have your fridge filled with enough Kahlua to last the winter & to give as gifts for the holidays follow this recipe from Ski Bum Kitchen. 

www.mylikeasaskibum.com/from-the-ski-bum-kitchen-homemade-Kahlua-vodka-and-coffee-deliciousness.

Happy Wintertime!  Betty

 

5 Ingredient Brownie Mix off Pinterest

Pinterest is my best friend, practically every night before bed I cruise through Pinterest to see what's new and what I like. So with that said;

 I don't know if it's my age or the weight I have gained (which really doesn't  have anything to do with this) or I just want to be more healthy. We live in a world that over processes food, I have been very self conscious about looking to see how many ingredients are in processed food or mixes. I try and I mean TRY to find foods with 5 ingredients or less. Do you have any idea how hard that is.

So one night I see a brownie mix you can make and yes it has 5 ingredients, now that is just the mix then when you are ready to make it you can the eggs and stuff, but that is OK. Today I was at the store and I picked up a brownie mix to count the ingredients I stopped at 12 and move on down the isle with a smile:)..

Now the brownie's aren't good for the weight gain but I tackle my issues one at a time or this lady will diffidently go crazy, Lol....

Brownie's with Halloween Sprinkles

Never buying a box again. Brownie Mix $0.30 /mix. 1 Cup Sugar, 1/2 Cup Flour, 1/3 Cup Cocoa, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Baking Powder. Add: 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

http://pinterest.com/pin/137570963588643288/, Check out this pin and like it or repin if you want to but by all means try it. As you can see by the photo the Brownies look nice and rich and good tasting also.

Thank you to the person who pinned this in the first place,  Betty

Wild Huckleberry Merlot Cake



key ingredients



The cake mix



The Wine

 

cook for 20 minutes, cool for 10



cooling before being frosted



Have you ever used Merlot instead of water in a cake mix, all I can say is amazing. Micah brought back from Glacier Park a cake mix which calls for wine. Sometime in the near future I am going to try using a regular cake mix and see if I get the same wonderful results. The next time you decided to bake a cake see if you have a bottle of wine sitting around use it instead of water and if you are so incline why not have a glass to enjoy while you are baking your cake:)..

Thanks for reading my blog,  Betty

Roasted Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash

Roasted Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash

About 2 weeks ago Amanda gave Glenn a spaghetti squash, I am assuming she did not know quite what to do with it well neither did I:). I had heard how good this type of squash tasted but never really cared or explored to find out. I now have a new found desire, yes that would be spaghetti squash!

The texture is amazingly just like noodle spaghetti, hence the name I guess. The taste is nutty and something else I can't really explain. I bet most of you have tasted or cooked with it before so this is nothing new to you. Amanda it is so easy to cook and the following recipe is wonderful.

This is something so easy to make but is very intimidating to try. All you do is slice in open length wise, sprinkle with Himalayan salt and cracked pepper, lay the two pieces face down on a cookie sheet add 1/4 cup water cook for 40 minutes at 350. Cool, take out the seeds then scrape with a fork and "Wa Laaaaa" you have spaghetti. Truly amazing.

So my next step is to find the growing season for spaghetti squash, if it is under 60 days I just might be adding this to my garden. Try the attached recipe it is a keeper.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roasted-shrimp-with-spaghetti-squash

What a great day to cook and thanks for reading my blog,
Betty

What a great cookie to make; I couldn't find the recipe on-line so here you go. You can see the list of ingredients above I will give you the low down on what to do from there.

Mix 1st 3 ingredients together in one bowl

Blend next 4 ingredients in 2nd bowl

use mixer to mix bowl 1 slowing into bowl 2

put 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl or plate

roll dough into  1-inch balls and roll in sugar

place on baking sheet

with bottom of a glass flatten balls

use small cookie cutter and imprint figure not going all the way through the cookie.

cook for 9 minutes at 400 degrees

after cookie cools frost with power sugar, vanilla and water mixture, which is call glaze. 



as you can see I had a small star shape, cute don't you think.



What a nice batch of cookies!

Thanks for reading my blog,

Betty

Thanksgiving Menu 2010

It is that time again when I am busy looking through my recipes, looking up new dishes to try, and pulling together my menu for the annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner. After I have complied my food list to buy Glenn and I go out for our annual buying trip to a few different grocery stores. We have done this since the 1st Thanksgiving Day we spent together as a couple in 1998. We have gone after mid night the night before due to heavy work schedule at Sears to a casual Sunday afternoon one week before. That is what we do now:). I always look forward to this shopping trip I really can't tell you why but we always seem to have so much fun buying a ton of ingredients for one great meal. So to say the least I am very thankful I have Glenn to help me with the Thanksgiving Day shopping. Can't wait till Saturday for that annual "date" of ours.

2010 Thanksgiving Day Menu

Turkey/Sourdough Stuffing w/Juniper Berry's

Mascarpone Chive Mashed Potatoes/Bourbon Gravy

Pomegranate mixed green salad

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Wedges

Cranberry Relish

Mandarin Orange Salad

appetizers

Herbed Shrimp Dip/Crackers

dessert

Cranberry and Apple-Cider Sorbet

Ting A Lings

Thanksgiving Day Punch

Champagne

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EACH OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,

AND A SPECIAL HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY TO OUR GROWN CHILDREN THAT COULDN'T BE AT THE HOUSE TODAY, YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Bread and Butter Pickles

This time of the year is so fun because it is time to make "bread & butter" pickles. They are great in salads, tuna sandwiches, burgers well really almost anything. The process you follow is really easy and pretty fun to do. You cut up the small cucumbers and layer the cut slices with Ice and walla walla sweet onions then let them sit over night.

Cooking the brine bring to a rolling boil and then strain through a cheesecloth, this is the juice that goes into the jar with the cucumbers.

Cucumbers are ready for the final stage before becoming pickles.


If you are ever at our home ask to have some bread and butter pickles with your burger you won't be disappointed. Have a great summer.
Where you can find the recipe; Better Homes and Gardens magazine, August 2009, Classic Bread and Butter Pickles or on their website.

Small Batch Microwave Jam

It is a rainy day here on the high desert, I am so ready for summer. I started the day with watching TV, not interested so I put my laptop on the kitchen counter and while I watch MAMMA MIA! I made Jam!

This recipe I found is the best, it makes small batches and it is so easy. Here is the website in case you are inspired to make your own. Trust me it is 100 times better then the store bought Jam, an you get the satisfaction of saying "Oh, I made it,would you like some more?"

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/jam.shtml

Sterilizing is one of the most important parts of the jam making process, I re-read this section each time I make jam just so I make sure and get it right.

I buy the frozen berries at Costco, they seem to work when it isn't berry season. It took me a little less time then the movie, so you don't have to spend all day just making jam. My cooking hat off to Jane Lake who put this together to share with all us wanna be cooks:)

Remember at the beginning I told you it was raining, well I was not kidding it is really coming down. Our sun room has a metal roof so it is really loud, and when you don't get a lot of rain the noise can intimidate you a little bit. Maybe I could look at it like, it is natures way of cleaning up after a long winter. Now is a comment like "the glass is 1/2 full" or what!

Personal Trainer COOKING on my DS!

I just have to say every woman over 40 should have a DS, this device is good for the brain, soul and diet. There is other stuff that it is good for but I want to write about cooking.

I have learned how to make Chinese cabbage salad, California rolls, chicken teriyaki and Seafood in Lettuce Cups. The lettuce cups were fun to make pretty easy and the 3 of us ate them all in one sitting. For those of you that have this game you need to make the lettuce cups they are delish..

What's fun about it is you can list ingredients you have in your cupboards already and it will pull up recipes that call for them, or you can go my calories per serving, etc. You can then create a grocery list, and then follow the chef step by step.

The next recipes I am going to try are; Red Berry Coulis,Tomato Bruschetta and Kimchi Dumpling Soup. The red berry coulis is from Germany the soup is from South Korea and the bruschetta Italy. The soup recipe is challenging since you make the dumplings from scratch, good luck to me! I will let you know how they turn out.

Here are some photos that were taken while we were cooking up some good meals. When Glenn and Lisa cook together it is pretty fun to watch, they argue, agree and disagree and they make the best food together. Glenn would turn up the stove, Lisa would turn it down, Glenn would put the lid on, Lisa would take it off. You would think they were married...

But look what they can cook up together. Best dish of Paella I have had!

Here is what my counter looks like when I am making California Rolls, which have now become a repeat favorite. Happy Cooking!

Thanksgiving Day Menu

Being in retail you have to know how busy we are in the store, getting ready for the busiest time of the year. With that said every year I cook Thanksgiving Dinner, the whole Family comes to the house for a few days and EATS! Well except for Casey and Holly, Casey has to work and I understand that, maybe someday they will be able to come but until then you are in my thoughts and I am thankful I have you as my Son.






During this time of the year I like to be over organized, this is when Glenn would start calling me Monica (from Friends), I would prefer to be Phoebe, I like her free spirit, she is a little strange sometimes but I like that in a person. Keep on track Betty, So I think I have my menu ready to go.

*2008 Thanksgiving Day Menu*

TURKEY- following the recipe from Martha Stewart.com Turkey 101 from Lisa

PECAN CORNBREAD DRESSING - everyday food

MASH POTATOES WITH BOURBON GRAVY -everyday food

CRANBERRY RELISH - from Virginia

STEWED GREEN BEANS WITH BACON - everyday food

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE - everyday food

ROLLS

PUMPKIN PIE

ANGEL FOOD CAKE W/BERRIES

CHAI SPICE GIRLS COOKIES

APPETIZERS -

OLIVE GARDEN HOT ARTICHOKE AND SPINACH DIP

SEASONED TOASTED BAGUETTE

CHAMPAGNE

SPARKLING CIDER

Holiday food photos posted at a later date!.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

PAELLA

"Paella"

If you like to cook and you like seafood this recipe is for you. Glenn was in Portland last week, he went out to eat dinner at South Park Seafood Grill in downtown on 9Th and Salmonhttp://www.southparkseafoodgrill.com/. He asked about their Paella and wanted to know exactly what it was, they told him it was their specialty. He loved it!

Glenn just loves to use his knifes!

Glenn looked the recipe up online at //www.mediterrasian.com/cuisine_of_month_paella_pf.htm. After we got all the ingredients, which took most of the day because we shopped around for saffron because it is very expensive. So if you know of the best place to get it please let me know.

You know how it is when a man cooks, they think they have to use every pan in the cupboard.

It looked like a fun dish to cook and it cooks up a lot, which happens to be very important to us especially when all the kids come over. As a side note I think it is very important to home cook when you have grown children and they come to visit. It gives them a sense of being home and comfort. Our kids have always been very good eaters and they like most recipes we cook, don't get me wrong we have had "flops" but over all we are pretty successful in cooking for 9 of us and one grandchild, boyfriends and girlfriends so that adds up when you are fixing a meal. A very special lady at work gave me a easy recipe for acorn squash which we served with the Paella;

Put squash in a 9x13 pan in the oven for 2 1/2 hours at 325 degrees, leave whole then after they cook cut them in half, scrape out seeds and stuff baste inside with butter and brown sugar and put back in over on broil for about 5 minutes. Easy and good! Thanks Trudy.

Time to eat!

If you want to try something new and you haven't cook this dish before I recommend you try it. It is really tasty I can't wait to have it again. Another good meal Glenn, Thanks BJ.

It's zucchini time!

One day you go out to your garden and there are these really cute yellow flowers inside this big plant, then a few days later you go out into the garden and see the same plant and a little 2" green vegetable and the yellow flower is on the end of it, then about 3 days later you go out to the same plant again and the cute little 2" green vegetable is the size of a "LOG" which is still green in color. So at this point you start to look around and the yellow flowers, 2" veges and logs are everywhere and I mean everywhere. They begin to overwhelm you if you let it so that is when the baking starts and the recipes come out all containing the one same ingredient: ZUCCHINI!

Zucchini Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil


• 3 eggs or equal egg substitute


• 1 1/3 cups sugar


• 1/2 orange juice


• 1 teaspoon almond extract


• 2 1/2 cups flour


• 2 t baking powder


• 1 t baking soda


• 1 t salt


• 2 t cinnamon


• 1/2 t ground cloves


• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

oven 350. combine 1st 5 ingredients, in separate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold in zucchini into the batter. Fill cupcake liners bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

I used mango juice instead of orange juice, it turned out great. The finished recipe. Stay tune for more Zucchini recipes