Audrey School

Audrey took some interesting classes Spring Qtr 2014 - Typography, Visual Communication Design II, Prepress Production and Film History II. For Summer quarter she had Technology in World Civilization, Fundamentals of Interaction Design and a Speech Communication class. She made the Dean's List for Summer 2014.

This popcorn was a handout for her Film History Class, the topic was Film Exhibition History. And the Mickey cookies were a handout for a group presentation in her Speech Communication Class and the topic was Disneyland Secrets. Note: I think there is a reason people make sugar cookies more often in the winter months than the middle of the summer...we kept having to put the dough back in the fridge as it kept getting too soft. The frosting was on the runny side also, but that might have been an aspect of the recipe we used rather than the weather. Ended up just outlining the Mickey ears so we would not have to make more frosting - we are not decorators in this household, but gave it a good effort anyway!!

SOFT CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamed and smooth, about 1 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high until fully combined. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined. If the dough still seems soft, you can add 1 tablespoon more flour until it is a better consistency for rolling.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto parchment to about 1/4" thickness. Stack the pieces (with paper) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Chilling is mandatory.Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove only one dough pack from refrigerator at a time. Using a cookie cutter, cut in shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.

Bake 8-11 minutes, until very lightly colored around edges. Rotate baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Icing
This icing dries hard and shiny and the colors stay bright.
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2-4 teaspoons milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Gel food coloring

In small bowl stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If too thick, add more corn syrup. Divide into separate bowls if making more than one color. Add coloring and decorate cookies.

Cake Pops

Cheyenne showed me a cake pop pan that Grandma had bought and then asked me when we were going to do something about it!! We decided we'd make dessert for Grandma's 4th of July party, so Cheyenne came over on July 3rd and we got to baking. For the cake pops we used a cake mix and then we dipped them in red, white and blue candy melts and then into sprinkles or colored sugar (or both). Cheyenne was a great baker!! Thanks for hanging out with Aunt Sam-alam-acam-afam-alam!

Butterfinger Cookies

BUTTERFINGER COOKIES
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 and 1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 qty - 2.1 oz Butterfinger candy bars, chopped (about 2 cups). You can chop with a chefs knife or place in ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin. Don't use a food processor as it makes the pieces too fine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg and mix. Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Then add Butterfingers and mix. Roll into 1" balls. Place on un-greased cookie sheet. The recipe did not call for it, but I 'scored' the tops like you would a peanut butter cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before moving to rack. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoyable Saturday

Audrey and I went to the Valley Mall to see Dragon 2. It was a cute second edition to the series. Hiccup and Toothless chart un-mapped territories and discover a secret ice cave, home to the Dragon Rider. There was a sad part of the movie - why I need to bring tissues even to cartoons!

This weekend was the Stake Youth Conference and they had the youth go into "missions". On Friday they started by finding out about their area and eating food from that region or country. On Saturday they went on actual splits with the missionaries assigned to our area. And then in the evening, a family would feed them dinner. That's where we came in. We drove out to the stake center, brought the two young men to our home, fed them dinner, let them teach us a short lesson, and then we drove them back to the stake center for the remainder of their conference.  We served them spaghetti, veggies, olive cheese bread and blueberry parfaits.

OLIVE CHEESE BREAD
1 loaf French bread
6 ounces Pimiento-stuffed green olives
6 ounces black olives
2 stalks green onions
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces. Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning. Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip with crackers.

Note: This was tasty. Made a lot! I would half the recipe. Plus, the French bread was really hard to cut once it was cooked (crunchy), plus cutting around the hot cheese. So perhaps putting this on sliced French bread rolls on a cookie sheet would be an easier way to bake and serve.

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE JARS
serves 6
For the graham cracker crust layer:
1 heaping cup of graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine all ingredients and "tamp" about 3 tablespoons into each jar or cup.
For the cheesecake layer:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
Place all of the cheesecake ingredients in the bowl and with a hand mixer, whip until smooth and fluffy. Divide evenly among the 6 containers, placing on top of the graham cracker crust layer.
For the blueberry layer:
1 (20oz) can blueberry pie filling
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Mix fruit filling with extract and divide evenly among the 6 containers.

Cooking Class: Macaron

The French macaron is a sweet meringue-based confection filled with ganache, buttercream or jam and is between two cookies. I've wanted to try making these for awhile, so when I saw that they were having a French Macaron class at the Kitchen Engine - I signed up. Really enjoyed the hands-on class taught by Amy Juran. The class tops out at 10 people so that we could actually make macarons from start to finish (mixing the batter, shaping the cookies). Because there is a period where the macarons set before baking, Amy did have some made up so we could continue to the step of putting the fillings in. She had Italian buttercream, chocolate ganache, assorted jams and a jalapeno/cream cheese filling paired with apricot jelly. Though I enjoyed the various sweet fillings, it was a fun change to have the savory (Jalapeno/cream cheese) with the apricot jelly and the sweet cookie.

MACARONS
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Step 1: Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. **Add coloring here if only doing one batch** Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. **Put into another bowl - add color then flour mixture if doing more than 1 color/batch**. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. **I read that you can run granulated sugar through your food processor a few times to make superfine sugar.** A note about coloring - use gel type coloring like you get in the decorating section of the craft store. Also, if you are wanting a super bright result, use "Electric" colors. One of the demo colors was lilac, but it turned out looking like a milk chocolate on the outside (until you took a bite). It was decided that using more true colors (like purple instead of lilac) would get sharper results.

Step 3: Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip (Wilton #12) and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour (until skin forms on the surface of cookies). Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.

Step 4: Let macarons cool completely before removing from sheets.

Step 5: Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Filling ideas:

• Classic icing
• Italian butter cream icing - meringue, sugar, infuse with flavored emulsion (not extract) such as lemon or raspberry
• Chocolate ganache - equal parts dark chocolate morsels and heavy cream
• Fruit jams
• Nutella
• Peanut Butter
• Lemon curd
• Cream cheese with flavors added (like raspberries)
• Jalapeno Cream cheese (from dairy section) with a teaspoon of apricot jelly
• Artichoke spinach dip
• Salmon spread

Father's Day Celebrations

For Father's Day we celebrated all weekend! Saturday we went downtown to the AMC theaters to see Edge of Tomorrow. It starred Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise. Cruise played a military officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is dropped into an alien war. Killed within minutes, he finds himself in a time loop, forcing him to live out the same combat over and over. With each battle he increases his skill and begins to work alongside the Emily Blunt, a Special Forces warrior. The movie had lots of action, suspense and even some funny moments.

Afterward we headed back to where we parked, but stopped to check out the recently renovated Huntington Park. The park features viewpoints where you can see the lower Spokane Falls below the new City Hall Plaza. Signs tell you about the hydroelectric history of the region.

Next up was lunch (or breakfast) at Old European restaurant. Audrey got the crepes filled with sweet cream, I got potato pancakes served with applesauce and John ordered a club sandwich.

Because John had meetings on Sunday, we decided to do the present opening on Saturday. Sidney Kitty even decided to help. John got 2 new dress shirts and a couple of blu-rays, including the Oceans Trilogy. The bag labeled "Dad's secret stache" was full of candy bars that Audrey had bought for John.

Sunday: John asked me to make Chicken Enchiladas for dinner. This is an oldie-but-goodie recipe that I had not made in awhile. Then the Cleaver's had us over for homemade ice cream that evening. Alyx made a cinnamon crunch ice cream (with rice krispies) and a raspberry sorbet. *I'll update the post if I get the recipes from her :)

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
Grated cheddar cheese
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 onion, chopped
1 can (7 oz) diced green chilies
1 pkg flour tortillas
1 can olives, sliced

Brown chicken, onions and chilies in a pan. Add soup, sour cream and cheese to mixture. In a greased 9x13 pan fill flour tortillas with sop/chicken mixture. Roll and fill entire pan, with seam down. Pour remaining soup/chicken mixture over top. Cover with cheese. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until well heated.

Dee Rescues Me

So even before I quit my job, I was planning to visit my friend Dee and had already scheduled Friday as a day off. Audrey and I drove to Dee's house on Friday morning. She lives in Selah, about 220 miles from our home. It was wonderful to have a place to retreat to and just chill for a few days.

Friday: We arrived a little after lunch time and got the tour of Dee's house and their gorgeous property. After visiting for awhile and having a bite to eat, we headed to downtown Yakima. Patina, a recycled clothing boutique owned by her friend, was a fun place to explore. Found a cute blouse there. We went to the shopping mall for awhile and then stopped at Papa Murphy's for pizza. We had never had the Chicken Garlic, something Dee's family orders all the time. That was yummy! After dinner Dee made some Pineapple upside down cupcakes (recipe below). And later that evening we watched a meteor shower from her deck. (I looked it up and found it was the Camelopardalids meteor shower associated with Comet 209P/Linear.) Amazing what you can see when you don't have the city lights to distract! We did not stay out all night as the evening got cool. Dee's daughter was sweet and had given up her room for the weekend - thank you!!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CUPCAKES
20 oz can pineapple chunks (or slices), drained, juice reserved
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
Maraschino cherries, cut in half

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with non-stick spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs and reserved pineapple juice with mixer on medium for 2 minutes.
In small bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar. Spoon 1.5 teaspoons butter mixture into each muffin cup. Top with pineapple pieces. Place cherry half, cut side up, in center of pineapple pieces. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cupcakes to loosen; invert onto cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Saturday: We woke up and Dee made homemade donuts for breakfast! They were delicious!!

BAKED CAKE DOUGHNUTS
2 cups cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 TB butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray doughnut pan with non-stick spray. In large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs and butter. Beat until just combined. Fill each doughnut cup approximately 2/3 full. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 4-5 minutes before removing. Finish doughnuts with chocolate glaze or cinnamon sugar, or confectioners' sugar. Doughnuts are best served fresh. Makes 12 doughnuts.

We headed to Selah, but first stopped at the Wenas Cemetery. The cemetery was incorporated in 1880 and is the second oldest incorporated cemetery in Yakima County. It is approximately 7 acres.

We then went to Buhrmaster Bakery, a local bakery where everything is baked fresh daily. I bought some cinnamon pecan bread to take home, but went next door to the Red Apple grocery store to buy milk to go with the bakery items we had to try immediately. Went to The Vintage Shop, an antique store. That was fun! And we also spent much of our morning on my souvenir spoon hunt... seriously a lot of time. We went to store A, asked if they carried, they did not but told us maybe store B carried. So we'd go to store B only to find out they did not carry them either. That went on for quite some time!

We checked out Wenas Lake for awhile. This was just up the road from Dee's house.

Regrouped at Dee's house and then headed back into town and went to King's Row. Audrey and I shared a Garbage Burger (beef patty, ham, bacon, cheese). It was enough for us to share! Audrey also enjoyed that you could order ANY flavor of pop since they would mix them to order. So you could have a raspberry coke or a vanilla orange soda or a pineapple root beer. The combos were whatever you could dream up.

We headed to Yakima for more spoon hunting. Finally found a spoon at Walgreens. Then we went to a super cool bookstore called Inklings. They carried lots of other items besides books, so we spent quite awhile exploring this shop. Afterward we went to Glenwood Square, a refurbished fruit warehouse that was built in 1910. Still had the brick walls, hardwood floors and rough timber beams throughout. The warehouse had restaurants, offices, shops and some cool fish tanks!

Unfortunately it was time for us to head home. We made one more stop (Fred Meyer to pick up road snacks and fuel the car) and we said our goodbyes. Dee - thank you so much for a wonderful visit!!

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

We had the missionaries over for dinner and tried this new recipe. It is a delicious one!! We served it with steamed broccoli and the Parisian salad mix from Costco. We also made Oatmeal Cake for dessert.

CHICKEN IN BASIL CREAM SAUCE
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place milk and bread crumbs in separate, shallow bowls. Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise or pound with a meat mallet to make them thin.

In skillet, heat butter to medium heat. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. Cook chicken in butter, on both sides, until juices run clear (about 10 minutes). Remove and keep warm.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in cream and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil (stirring constantly) for 1 minute. Reduce heat. Add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Stir and cook until heated through. Serve chicken with sauce poured over the top.

OATMEAL CAKE

CAKE:
1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour boiling water over oats and set aside. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Beat in eggs, then stir in soaked oatmeal. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Batter will appear thin. Bake in greased and floured 9x13 pan for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

TOPPING:
6 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and spread on baked cake. Place under broiler in oven until bubbles – approximately 3 minutes.

Easter M&M Cookies

Easter M&M Oatmeal Cookies
1 and 1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 TB milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
6 and 1/2 cups oats
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups M&M's

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars until smooth. Add in the milk, the extracts and the eggs, beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl measure all of the dry ingredients except the M&M's. Slowly add them to the wet mixture. Once combined, add in the M&M's and stir well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly sprayed pan. Bake one sheet at a time for 11-13 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Makes 8 dozen.

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes
10 oz maraschino cherries, drained (about #20)
1 box white cake mix
Reserved juice from cherries
Enough milk to make 1 cup liquid (I used about 1/2 cup)
1 stick butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pan or cupcake tins. Drain the cherries and reserve juice. Slice the cherries in half and set aside. Put the cake mix in a mixing bowl. Add enough milk to the cherry juice to bring the liquid to 1 cup. Pour that into the cake mix. Add all the other ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. After completely cool, frost with whipped topping.

Oatmeal Cranberry Delights

These were truly "delightful"!! Sent them with John to Young Men's. The boys devoured them.

Oatmeal Cranberry Delights
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups oatmeal (I used old fashioned)
1 cup finely chopped pecans
6 oz dried cranberries
1 cup grated milk chocolate bar
1/2 cup melted white almond bark

Cream together the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, oatmeal, salt and cinnamon together and add to butter mixture. Mix well. Fold in pecans, dried cranberries and grated chocolate bar. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on rack. Drizzle melted almond bark over cookies.

Cookies & Candy Baking

What do you need on cookie baking day? A regal looking cat with supervisory skills and a husband with a hammer!

We made a few old favorites: Bessie's Christmas Candy (recipe obtained from Bessie Riggin), Candy Cane Snowballs, and Soft Ginger Cookies. Then we tried a new favorite, Stained Glass Window Candy.

Bessie's Christmas Candy
1 package Almond Bark (white), melted in a double boiler
Then add:
3 cups Rice Krispies
3 cups Captain Crunch Peanut Cereal
1/2 jar dried salted peanuts
3 cups colored miniature marshmallows

Mix all ingredients well. Drop onto waxed paper. Let set. Break into chunks.

Candy Cane Snowballs
2 cups butter (no substitutes), softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until easy to handle. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

8 ounces white candy coating
1/3 to 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip the tip of each cookie into the candy coating, then into the crushed candy canes. Yield: 5 dozen

Stained Glass Window Candy
1 stick unsalted butter
1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 package (10 oz) colored mini marshmallows

Melt the butter and chocolate together over the stove at low heat just until melted. Stir well and let cool 10-15 minutes. (Or you run the risk of melting the marshmallows when adding them). Stir the marshmallows into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture and stir gently until well-coated. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to let the mixture cool and firm up, only about half an hour. On a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil, form the mixture into a log about 1 and 1/2 inch thick. Roll up the log and wrap tightly, sealing the ends so it looks like a burrito. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing. Remove tin foil/wax paper before slicing. (*this is the tricky part!) Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

FAIL!  I've made these many times before and they are usually wonderful. They were the last cookies we mixed up and when they came out of the oven, I was tuckered out and defeated. (I don't know about you, but when I plan my baking day, I usually have grandiose plans on how many millions of different batches of adorable cookies and candies I'm going to make.... and by the time I get to only #3, I'm almost done!) Anyway, we scrapped the first batch and then realized what had happened... I saw "3/4 cup" in the recipe below and grabbed 3 cubes of butter = 1.5 cups!  That would certainly flatten them out.... I showed the picture to Audrey and she said I should delete it. I said "I have to post the fails 'cause people think I'm perfect". She literally fell to the ground in uncontrollable laughter. After about a minute of non-stop giggling, she breathed and then asked "Who does?" We were both laughing now : )

Soft Ginger Cookies
3/4 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 and 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
Additional sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Roll into 1 and 1/2 inch balls, and then roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2.5 dozen

Catch up!

A few things to make note of:

11/12 - The Youth hosted a Single Sister dinner for the older sisters in the ward. John came home and was raving about the food that some of the young women leaders had brought. I was able to get two recipes from Nicole Black. See below - Pumpkin Dump Cake and Buffalo Chicken Chili

11/18 - John came inside before going to work and said he thought his truck had been gone through during the night. I asked him why he thought that? He took me out to his truck where all the contents of his glove box were all over the seat and his garage door opener was in a different spot. They took nothing from the truck, however, we found later that they had used the garage door opener to get into the garage and take one of John's nicer tools. (Did not realize until when he went to go use it). We have now taken to keeping the garage door opener inside the house.

12/3 - Safeway Spokane Distribution Center luncheon at work. The meal was catered again this year. Went down after the crowd had died down and the food was running low, but still had an opportunity to visit with current and retired Safeway employees.

12/5 - Safeway Spokane Store managers luncheon at Twigg's in the valley. New venue for us this year. Brian (District Manager) and the Store Managers were in attendance. Because our HR rep Nancy had just left for another job opportunity, I was the only other one there besides management. Nancy usually had attended in the past. We had a nice lunch (able to order off the menu), a short meeting and then the gift exchange. Doug Ryan and Dan DiCicco had planned a few fun games and a different spin to the gift exchange. Made it more enjoyable as they had said "no alcohol" this year! Meant I could actually have more than one other gift to choose from. No... I did not go home with this bear. Part of the gift exchange was being able to steal from others and one of the managers' young child was the ultimate recipient.

12/6 - Safeway Columbia Store managers luncheon in Moses Lake at Michael's on the Lake. Jodee (HR Rep) and I carpooled to the meeting. Jodee was a little sad (as she was retiring the first of January) so knew this would be one of the last opportunities to see the store managers. Little did we know that it was the last time we'd have Craig as our District Manager. At the meeting he announced his retirement, with last day of 12/10. I was pretty emotional as Craig has been a wonderful boss and great supporter for all in the district. He truly will be missed! What ended up being kind of funny..... the store managers in Columbia also do a gift exchange. Jodee and I were discussing what we had brought for our gift exchange. I (as usual) had something non-alcoholic, but Jodee brought something she thought no one would guess. Well, we started opening the presents. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5..... each gift was Crown Royal. Each one! They were different sizes or gift packs, but all were Crown Royal. When all the presents were open, every single one was Crown Royal except what Jodee and I had brought. After Craig made his retirement announcement, the store managers "gifted" all the Crown Royal gifts to Craig. They had NO idea he was retiring, but kind of thought he would in the next couple years. So without realizing it, we actually had a Going-Away party for Craig. Nice venue if you are ever in Moses Lake - I ended up ordering crab stuffed chicken (delicious). After the meal Jodee and I headed home. I was pretty bummed out, was not a happy day for me.

12/6 - And John had a YM winter camp-out so was already gone by the time I got home, all weepy....

12/9 - Today was the last day that I would get to have Craig as my boss and District Manager since I was on a planned vacation starting 12/10. Very sad day. Below was the official announcement they sent out about his retirement. I'm going to miss him!!!

Craig started his career as a produce clerk with Safeway at store #376 in 1969 and was promoted to Store Manager in 1989. He managed 2 stores and was subsequently promoted to Director Retail Support in March of 1997. He was promoted to District Manager in January 2000 successfully managing the Metro, Everett, Spokane and Columbia Districts. His accomplishments and contributions over his 44 years with Safeway are too many to list! Craig’s positive outlook, along with his commitment and drive for excellence are very much appreciated and he will truly be missed by all who have worked with him. 

Here are the recipes from the 11/12 event.

Buffalo Chicken Chili
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut in 1" pieces
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
28 oz can diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
Blue cheese

In a 5-6 quart crock pot, mix all ingredients except the buffalo wing sauce and the blue cheese. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Stir in sauce before serving. Sprinkle blue cheese on individual servings if desired.

Pumpkin Dump Cake
1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin
1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup melted butter

Mix the first 8 ingredients together and pour in a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix. Pour melted butter over the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Thanksgiving

We went to the Hartman's place at Twin Lakes, Idaho, for Thanksgiving again this year. It was a small group compared to previous years. There were the three of us, the three Hartman's (Mary, Richard, Christopher), plus Sherry and Larry Lansford, Carol and Vern Lansford and Opal Adams. John made our favorite apple pie and we also brought a Cheddar and Chive cheese ball (shaped like a pumpkin) with crackers, sweet yams in the crock-pot, and fresh green beans with bacon. It was a quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving Day.

Cheddar and Chive Pumpkin Cheese Ball
16 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (sharp or colby)
Assorted crackers
Cheddar slices for pumpkin ribs
Pretzel rod for pumpkin stem
Pie crust to create leaves - cut into small shapes & bake.

Let cream cheese soften to room temperature. Add chives and shredded cheddar. Mix well and form into pumpkin shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours. While in plastic wrap, create the ridges down the side of the pumpkin. Remove wrap. Lay the cheese into the ridges and press. Break off a piece of pretzel rod and add to top for stem. Add a few baked pie crust leaf pieces near the stem.

Yams / Sweet Potatoes
1 cube butter
1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 yams, peeled, cubed and boiled
Mini Marshmallows (optional)

Melt butter in a saucepan with the brown sugar and maple syrup. Place yams in crock-pot, pour on the sauce and right before serving, dot with marshmallows.

Garlic and Bacon Green Beans
12 ounces fresh green beans
3 pieces cooked bacon, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Using a large pot, add in water and bring to a boil. Place green beans in water and boil for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. In a saucepan, combine the cooked beans, bacon and garlic clovers. Simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Note: since we were traveling, we put all in the crock-pot after the beans were cooked.)

Apple Raisin Cream Pie
Pastry for a double crust pie
7-8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
1 cup sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1-2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 TB butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Make favorite pastry; line bottom of pie tin with one crust and set aside. Combine apple slices, sugar, flour, spices, raisins, dash of salt and lemon peel; mix together well. Spoon filling into pastry lined pan; dot with butter. Cover with top crust decorated with steam vents; seal edges. Cut a 1-inch circle in dough in center of top crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes - best to have a cooking sheet under pie to catch drippings. Remove pie from oven; slowly pour cream into center hole of top crust. Return to oven; bake 5-10 minutes longer. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Refrigerate leftovers.

Green Slime Jello

This was awesome!

GREEN SLIME JELLO
2 small packages (3 oz each) Cook and Serve lemon pudding
1 large package (6 oz) green jello

First make the lemon pudding in a large pot according to the package directions. (Adding the sugar, egg yolks and water as directed). Set aside. Mix the jello with 2 cups boiling water, stirring until dissolved. Add 1 and 1/2 cups cold water and stir. Add the jello to the lemon pudding (in the large pot) and whisk until smooth. Pour into a 9x13 dish and let set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookie

Chocolate? Peanut Butter? Yup, I loved them! And another week with cookies for the Young Men. John always tells me the boys like the cookies, even when I make ones that I don't post, but the most telling time was when I heard one of the moms say, "Oh, I've heard about your cookies and how great they are".

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES
1 and 1/2 cups plus 2 TB flour
6 TB cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp course salt
6 TB butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 TB peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TB milk
2 cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cups, divided*
* Freeze the peanut butter cups before you chop - helps to stay intact while mixing them into the dough.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of the mixed, combine the butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and milk. Blend until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until incorporated. Add in 1 and 1/2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups and fold in gently with a spatula.

Use a large cookie scoop and place them 2 inches apart. Gently press a few pieces of the reserved peanut butter cups into the top of each of the dough balls. Bake 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. The cookies may seem too soft immediately after coming out of the oven, but they will set as they cool. Don't over bake them. Let cool on the baking sheets about 10 minutes, then transfer to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

These were delicious! Another attempt to use up "chips" at the Carter household while making treats for John to take to the Young Men. Had white chocolate chips and usually I bake with chocolate chips, so went on the hunt for this recipe. Spent $8 on macadamia nuts to make them, but they were so worth it.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES
1 and 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts (unsalted)
1 and 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

In large bowl add flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.

Melt butter, then add to the bowl of the electric mixer. Blend melted butter with both sugars and beat until well combined. Add the egg, then the egg yolk, and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and blend well. Pour flour mixture slowly into the wet mixture, then add the nuts and white chocolate chips and blend just until all the flour is incorporated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put cookie dough in the fridge until oven is to temperature. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop the batter using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges of the cookies are just beginning to get golden brown and the centers appear slightly under-baked. Allow the cookies to cool about 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack. Keep dough in the fridge while baking the other cookies so they keep their shape while baking.

Heath English Toffee Bits Cookies

Note: There are two types of Heath toffee bits. One is called Bits 'o Brickle (just toffee) and one is called English Toffee Bits (milk chocolate and toffee). I got the recipe off the Hershey website and it called for just the toffee ones, but using the milk chocolate and toffee was awesome. With John now in young men's, I'm using this opportunity to make treats for his activity nights. I have a habit of buying "fun" baking chips (white chocolate, toffee bits, cinnamon chips) so have a few choices in my food supply to try.

TOFFEE BITS COOKIES
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 and 1/3 cups Heath toffee bits which is one bag
*Can use Bits 'o Brickle or English Toffee with Milk Chocolate

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in toffee bits. Drop by rounded teaspoon on greased (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.

Family Events

James came to Spokane from Denver to spend some time with Grandma McMackin. We were able to get together with him on Saturday afternoon (7/20) and take him to see Lone Ranger. We met up with the Heerdink's at the CDA Riverstone Regal cinemas. Got the unlimited popcorn and pop for all. Loved the movie! And of course Audrey was more than willing to see it again. Funny, interesting, good story line. I'd watch it again.

Afterwards we stopped by the Heerdink's new house in Post Falls as they had recently moved. After visiting awhile, we went back to Grandma McMackin's house to meet with her and discuss dinner and the rest of the evening plans. We ended up playing pool for a couple hours (super fun and she is very good) and then we all went to Noodle Express. Grandma treated us all (thanks!). We were able to have a wonderful day!!

On Sunday after church we went up to the Gramlow's for Cheyenne's birthday party. James and Grandma McMackin were able to join us. They had a taco bar (either soft or taco salad fix-ins) and fresh watermelon. I made a jello salad and it was a hit with everyone, but especially the pop lovers in the crowd. It was a great weekend. We love doing things with adopted Grandma McMackin and it was a sincere pleasure to hang around with James. We don't see him often enough and he was a delight.

Cherry Cola Jello Salad
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup water
2 quantity (3 oz) packages cherry flavored jello
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
3/4 cup cola
Drain pineapple (save the juice) and set the fruit aside. In a saucepan, bring the pineapple juice and water to a boil. Add jello and stir until it's completely dissolved. Stir in the cola, pineapple, and the pie filling and mix until completely incorporated. Pour jello into a large serving bowl or 9x11 pan. Refrigerate until firm (about 4 hours).

Bishopric Barbecue

John decided on Sunday (7/7) that we needed to have a barbecue at our house on Tuesday (7/9). We invited all the incoming Bishopric and their families and all the outgoing Bishopric and their families. Everyone was able to make it! (Christensens, Freedlands, Simmons, Cutlers, Scotts, Carters). We provided hamburgers with all the toppings, punch and cupcakes. Everyone brought a salad or side dish. There was more than enough food to go around and it was all delicious. We had chairs and tables set up outside and everyone was able to spend time relaxing and visiting with each other.

Papa T's Burgers
1 pound hamburger mixed with 1 pound Jimmy Dean Sausage roll
Add chopped onions, ketchup (or BBQ sauce) and grated cheese.
Shape into patties and cook on the grill.
Top with cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, mayo, tomatoes

Nancy's Punch
10 cups water
6 oz can frozen lemonade
6 oz can frozen orange juice
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 quart 7UP
Mix together, add ice and serve

Cupcakes - Made cupcakes from an orange creamsicle and a pink lemonade cake mix. Used the same frosting recipe that I did for the Key Lime cupcakes, just substituted frozen orange juice and orange zest for the orange frosting and frozen pink lemonade and lemon zest for the pink frosting.