home is where my story begins...

Sally Blake’s Pumpkin Cake

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Dear Sally Blake,

I’ve never met you before but I eat your pumpkin cake every year.  Somewhere along the road of life, you met my sister, fed her some of your yummy pumpkin cake, and she wrote down the recipe.  Eventually, I tried that pumpkin cake and thought it was worth adding to my recipe book.

Sally, I made your pumpkin cake for my family last week, like I do every year at about this time, and they fell in love all over again.  They tell me I should make it more often, even when it’s not pumpkin season.  They tell me it’s the best treat I could make on cold fall evening.

Thanks, Sally Blake, wherever you are.

Happy Fall,
Becca

And here’s Sally Blake’s Pumpkin Cake Recipe:

4 eggs
1 3/4 Cup sugar
1 Cup oil
1 16ox can of pumpkin
2 Cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Combine wet ingredients.  Then fold in dry ingredients. Pour into an ungreased 9×13 pan and bake for 30-45 minutes.  Sally’s recipe says to bake it for 30 minutes, but I’ve always needed 45 with my oven.  Remove from oven when the cake springs back when you touch the middle. Cool completely.

Frosting Recipe:

Combine
3 oz of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
a tiny bit of milk

Frost the cake with your cream cheese frosting and enjoy!  Thanks again, Sally Blake.  We love your pumpkin cake!

Kids in the Kitchen

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I really do believe my kids enjoy spending time in the kitchen with me.  I don’t think they are just trying to humor me.  Over the weekend, I had both of my kids in the kitchen at the same time.  One was making lunch and the other was making dessert.  
My son made the pesto, basil, tomato, and mozzarella pizza.
(He even picked the tomatoes and basil from the garden.)
My daughter made her Cowgirl Cookies.  They have chocolate chips, M&M’s and oatmeal.  The kids don’t love the oatmeal, but my hubby and I thought it was a pretty tasty cookie!

Considering the CRAZY work week I had last week, having my kids do the cooking on the weekend was a great treat.  (For the record, my hubby did all of the cooking during last week’s craziness.  So, it’s not like I needed a break from cooking, I just needed a break!)
You’ve just gotta love having your kids in the kitchen!

Cowgirl Cookies

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My daughter had her birthday party at the beginning of this month.  She wanted a cowgirl theme – with no pink cowgirl stuff.  It was to be a red cowgirl party and she certainly had opinions of what she wanted this party to look like.  She found pictures of her perfect party and proceeded to plan out her list of important features.  There were to be red bandannas, root beer in bottles, and several very specific games.  Cowgirl Cookies were not on the list, but at the last minute (when I couldn’t find pool noodles to make pool noodle horses for our race) I changed up one of the games to include making our own jars of Cowgirl Cookies.  I found the recipe on Bakerella.  I had every intention of cutting cute toppers, but we just ran out of time.
We made the jars with the dry ingredients.  To make the cookies, you just need to add the wet ingredients.  My daughter decided to make them on Saturday.  We poured the sugars in the bowl first and we added one stick of softened butter.  Once that was creamy, we put in one egg, 1 tsp of vanilla, and mixed it up.  Then we added the last of the dry ingredients.  We baked the cookies at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. 

My kids are not fans of oatmeal in cookies, but they ate them anyway and seemed to like them.

Here’s Bakerella’s Cowgirl Cookie recipe.  Please note that in her recipe, she uses melted butter.  I used softened butter and I also creamed the sugars and butter first.  I’m sure her way works just fine.  After all, she’s Bakeralla, but I just did this my way because that’s how I roll.  
Happy baking!

Best Peach Cobbler I’ve Ever Made

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When we were in Ellensburg, last week, we bought a box of local Regina peaches at a farm stand just off of the freeway.  We took them over to my cousin’s house with us and just about devoured them in the the two days we were there.  On the way home, we figured that we should probably buy another box since they were so good.  The day after we got home, my hubby requested peach cobbler.  I’m not a huge fan of warm fruit, but I figured I’d give it a try.  This recipe is a combination of a peach cobbler recipe that I found on Pinterest and another cobbler recipe that is a Pioneer Woman recipe.  I took my favorite things about both recipes and combined them into one.  
Friends, when my hubby tasted it he told me it was hands-down the best thing I have ever made. Not just the best cobbler I’ve ever made, but the all-around BEST THING – out of anyting that I have ever made.  Now, you should know that I bake and cook A LOT.  So, saying that this recipe was the best thing ever is really saying something.  The topping tasted kind of like a warm cookie and the peaches were absolutely perfect.  I chose the least ripe peaches I could find in the box so they wouldn’t be smooshy.  My hubby drizzled his ice cream and cobbler with caramel sauce, but I didn’t think that sounded very good, so here’s the picture without caramel.

Here’s the recipe:
6 fresh peaches, sliced
1/4 cup sugar to sprinkle on peaches
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a large baking dish. (I used my large round Pampered Chef Stoneware.)  Place sliced and peeled peaches in the pan. Sprinkle the peaches with  1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.  Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add flour and salt. MIx well.  Drop by spoonfuls onto the peaches and spread it around.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with ice cream.  Top with caramel sauce if you think that sounds good.
Honestly, I can’t say it was the best thing I’ve ever made.  It was pretty tasty though, and you just can’t beat fresh peaches!
Happy baking!

Dinner Group in August

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Last night was my turn to host the dinner group that I do with a few friends.  I posted about this dinner group before, explaining how it is the best way ever to host a dinner party.  My friend, Krystal, came up with the plan.  She said a friend had done a dinner group like this one and loved it.  We started about a year ago, with the intention of getting together once a month.  Some months are crazier than others and we have to skip, but I was excited to host this month!  Everything is just easier in the summertime. 
For those of you who aren’t regular readers of my blog, the whole idea behind our dinner group is that the host chooses the recipes and purchases the ingredients, but doesn’t do any of the cooking ahead of time.  Each guest and the host cooks one of the dishes. The rule is, that you can’t choose recipes that you’ve ever made before.  It has to be something new.  Now, those of you who know me know that I am NOT an adventurous eater.  Sometimes the recipes have really prompted me to venture out of my comfort zone!  
I decided we would have a honey themed party this time.  Each recipe I chose involved honey in some way.  We started off with a honey and cheese table. 
 I went down to my local Central Market, which has a lot of specialty items.  I told the people in the cheese section what my plan was and they got REALLY excited.  Honestly, I think I made their day!  They guided me in my cheese and honey pairings and explained way more about the flavors of cheese and honey together than I would really ever need to know. Williams-Sonoma also has a great blog post on honey tasting. One of the cheese blocks I bought (the one that practically made the cheese man jump up and down with joy) used crushed honey comb from bees outside of a monastery in France, around the edge of the cheese.  (At least I think that’s how his story went.  I started hearing, “Wah, wah, wah.  Waaaah.  Wah. Wah.”  It was a little overwhelming.) By the way, when you go to a fancy cheese store and they show you the cheese you should buy, look at the cheese but then ask for something less expensive.  Wow!  Who knew cheese could be so expensive!
We were all kind of shocked by different flavors that the different honey had.  We used Clover, Raspberry, and Blackberry honey.  Obviously, the cheese had different flavors too.  I should have kept track of the different types of cheese, but I forgot to write them down for later!  I tried to remember which honey was supposed to go with certain cheeses, but in the end, I couldn’t remember.  We just snacked and enjoyed our cheese and honey pairings.
I’m not a drinker, but my friends usually serve some sort of yummy drink when they host the dinner group.  I found a recipe for a peach and honey drink that sounded good.  It called for Jack Daniels’ Honey Whiskey.  Ummm.  That’s a $32 bottle of alcohol that I will never use again!  My local Safeway had Jim Bean Honey Whiskey for $10, so that’s the one I chose to use.  I forgot to take a picture of the drinks but they were very pretty.  The recipe called for equal amounts of whiskey, peach nectar, and sparkling water, with a little honey mixed into the drink.  Yes, I tried the drink!  I took a taste and it was very honey/peachy.   I had about half of the drink and then I promptly handed it over to my hubby.  I just don’t like the alcohol flavor.  Bleck.

I set up a little table on my deck so we could eat dinner outside.  I love that tablecloth.  It’s a pretty linen cloth that was my grandma’s from many years ago.  The folding chairs were my grandparents’ too.  I just love the antiquey feel.
On the menu tonight was grilled corn with honey basil butter, chicken with a honey Thai rub, and a pear and blue cheese salad with honey glazed walnuts.  Overall, I LOVED the salad and HATED the chicken.  I thought the grilled corn was really yummy.  I’ve never grilled corn right in the husks so that was something new for me.  

For dessert, we had a apple tart drizzled with honey.  
 I’ve never been a huge fan of honey, so this was something new for me.  I’ve used honey in recipes, but I don’t usually put honey on anything and just eat it.  I have to say, I kind of like it, especially the honey and cheese pairings.  That was surprisingly yummy!
It was such a nice party and a perfectly relaxed evening.  Thanks for coming, friends!
Happy party planning!

Cookie Friday

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I do a job share, in my teaching position, so I can be home with my kids on Fridays.  My kids’ school district has an early release schedule every Friday.  It’s the perfect opportunity to bake up an end of the week treat.  Most of the friends, neighbors, and family members in the ‘hood know about Cookie Friday, so I’ve started having to make a double batch each week.  (5 or more teenagers and a dozen Girl Scouts can eat a lot of cookies!)
 If you’re looking for a few yummy cookie recipes, I’ve been trying to pin my recipes here:
http://www.pinterest.com/beccaross/cookies-by-home-is-where-my-story-begins/
Happy baking!

Homemade Bread Recipe

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In addition to Cookie Friday, I also had some homemade bread rising when the kids came home from school.  I use the same recipe that my mom always did when I was growing up.  Sometimes I will use whole wheat flower instead of white, but it’s always the same basic recipe.  I make the dough in my bread machine, on the dough cycle, because it makes the process SO much easier.  Once the dough is ready I put it into bread pans to rise again.  I don’t like the way my bread machine cooks the bread, so that’s why I just use the dough cycle.
 
On Friday, I tried pulling up the recipe on my blog and I couldn’t track it down!  I tried several different key words and nothing seemed to pop up for me.  It’s been a while since I’ve posted this recipe, so I thought it might just be buried in blogland somewhere.  This recipe is such a staple in our house, that it’s certainly worth a repost.
 
Ingredients:
1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups scalded milk
1 Tbsp shortening
6 cups flour
(white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 Tbsp sugar
2tsp salt
 
Combine yeast and warm water.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes.  Scald the milk and add the shortening so that it melts.  Put the milk mixture into the bread machine first. Add the rest of the dry ingredients on top of the milk.  Then, pour the yeast mixture on the very top.  Set your bread machine to the dough cycle and wait for it to beep at you!  Once it has risen in the machine, form into loaves and let rise again until it has doubled in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 
 
Tips:
DON’T BE AFRAID OF YEAST!
Yeast is very easy to work with and shouldn’t be intimidating. When I dissolve the yeast in the warm water, I make sure the water feels slightly warmer than bathtub water.  If it is super hot, it will kill the yeast.  If you use cold water, it won’t activate.  I also make sure the milk is about that same temperature.  Finally, when I let the bread rise in the pans, I usually turn on my oven to preheat and just set the pans on the stove.  It gives the pans just enough warmth to help them rise.
 
Happy baking!
 


Snow Day and My New Cookie Press

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The Friday that school was ready to end for the Winter Holiday, we had a sudden snow day. The weather man told is it was coming, so we sent our teacher gifts to school on Thursday, in case school was canceled.  I woke up at 2am and checked outside.  No snow.  Then, at 5:15, the phone rang and it was the automated system telling us that school was cancelled.  It had snowed a few inches in a very short time and the snow was still coming.  
Suddenly, my crazy-busy-jam packed day became the greatest Christmas gift I could possibly be given.   There were Christmas cookies baking, music playing, snowball fights happening, and the happiest kids I could imagine.  My stress level melted (just like the snow would by later in the day).
Spritz cookies were up on our list of cookies for the neighbors. 

I had eager helpers too.

 

Spritz are super simple, and the kids love to do these on their own.

Speaking of Spritz, I have a fabulous new product to share with you!  My cookie press broke earlier this year, so I needed a replacement.  This was the first time I tried my new one and I LOVE it!  It’s the Cuisinart ELECTRIC cookie press.  Honestly, my kids got to do this more than I did because they thought it was really cool and kept asking if they could have a turn. You can’t see the cord in the picture, but it plugs in and does the work for you.  This may sound lazy, but the manual-hand cranked cookie press just never seems to produce even cookies for me.  The electric cookie press is no-fail.

I was rather impressed with this fun little product.  It was the same price as the manual cookie presses that I was looking at, but it worked so much better than my old one.

Pretty cookies for the neighbors make me happy. 

Nothing makes me happier than a snow day, unless it’s a snow day and I get to play with my new kitchen toys!

Happy baking! 

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Sundried Tomato, Pesto, and Cream Cheese Spread

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Here’s a super-simple recipe for you to tuck away until you need a last minute appetizer for a party.  It’s almost embarrassing to call this a recipe, because it’s that simple.

Start with a block of softened cream cheese.
Chop a small handful of basil and mix it into the cream cheese.
Spread the mixture on a plate.
Top with pesto (homemade is best, but store bought will do just fine).
Dice up a few sundried tomatoes and spread those over the top.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

We served this dip with Pita chips and it was pretty yummy.  One of my hubby’s coworkers asked for the recipe and I was truly embarrassed at how easy this was.

The mint brownies we brought to the party took quite a bit more work, so at least I didn’t feel too guilty!

I loved being able to use the fresh mint and basil from my garden for these two dishes.  Fresh herbs make everything pretty. Here’s the link to the mint brownie recipe if you missed that one.
Happy gardening, cooking, and baking!

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I’m linking up to Fertilizer Friday to share my herbs!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

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This was our treat this past weekend.

Homemade chocolate chip cookies, with homemade ice cream sandwiched in between, rolled in mini chocolate chips…. does it get any better than that?

Here’s the link to my cookie recipe.  I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of white chocolate and macadamia nut for this recipe.  You’ll have to keep checking back for my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe.  That’s coming in a future post.

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