This post may contain affiliate links which help support this site.
Showing posts with label in the kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label in the kitchen. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Double Chocolate Krackle Cookies
So, several months ago I guess I signed the boy up for a weekly breakfast making, er, I mean, weekly cookie baking class! BEST. SPENT. MONEY. EVER. It was overall a wonderful learning experience:
- learning about the chemistry of the ingredients and how they work together, taste, feel, smell, sound
- learning an important home economics skill and learning the way around an industrial kitchen
- testing levels of patience in waiting for ingredients and supplies to be passed along and cookies to be baked and cooled
- learning the importance of teamwork in helping out fellow bakers, and helping to clean up
- using hand-eye coordination in pouring ingredients INTO THE BOWL and not ONTO THE TABLE
- fine motor practice was used in measuring out ingredients in small amounts and cracking eggs
- large motor skills in mixing all the batter by hand and rolling and shaping the dough
- and practicing good listening skills in waiting for the instructor to call out the next ingredient or to explain the steps of the recipe.
And let me tell you the stress that is relieved between parent and child in being able to mess up somebody else's kitchen! I don't care how patient a parent you claim to be, there is always that sense of OMG-are-you-freaking-kidding-me?! when you have littles in the kitchen "helping" out, especially when the project is impromptu! AmIright?! Anyways, it was great having another adult to be frustrated at other than mommy! And we learned some new fun and easy recipes that kids can follow, and every week we made DOZENS of super yummylicious treats to take home! This was by far the best extracurricular activity we have ever done and I cannot recommend it highly enough. So much so, that we have signed up for another session!
Double Chocolate Krackle Cookies
Prep Time: ????? Depends on how many eggs end up on the floor and how much flour is flung around the counter.
Bake Time: 8 - 10 minutes
Makes about 30 1-inch ball cookies OR 7 or 8 ginormous misshapen mound cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
Directions
- Heat oven to 375°.
- In a large bowl (or on medium speed using a stand mixer) beat together brown sugar, shortening, and vanilla until well blended.
- Add the egg and mix well.
- Add in the flour, salt, cocoa, and baking soda and (mix on low speed) stir gently until well incorporated. The dough will become stiff and resemble play-dough. Kids can dig in and use their (clean!) hands to mix the dough (sprinkle on a little flour if the dough is too sticky to work with)!
- Add chocolate chips.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and leave in the mixing bowl watching as your kiddo gently smashes each neat little ball that you form.
- Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the balls and shake the bowl until the balls have absorbed most of the sugar. This will help the powdered sugar stick and give the cookies that "Krackled" look.
- Sprinkle the powdered sugar onto the balls and shake the bowl to ensure all of the cookies are coated.
- Place cookie balls about 2-inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. These cookies will not spread, so if you want flat cookies, you can smash them down a bit!
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until cookies are set. Let the kiddos watch the cookies "Krackle" in the oven like dinosaur eggs! The insides will be a little like a cakey brownie or truffle.
- Cool completely (or as long as you can possibly stand to wait!) and enjoy these yummy rich treats with a cold glass of milk!
You can also check me out over at The Krazy Coupon Mama on Facebook! Frugal living at its finest! Money-saving tips, lessons in couponing, daily deals, freebies, product samples, printable coupons, giveaways, store deals, and more! Because Budgets and Babies Can Make Anyone Krazy!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
THE PERFECT cold-and-rainy-outside-snuggle-on-the-couch-in-jammies breakfast!
I have been making baked oatmeal for my little family for a few years now and we just LOVE it! None of us are fans of the mooshy texture of traditional oatmeal ("It's so gwoss Mama!" And it really is!), so baking it is a nice compromise on a healthy, warm, and filling breakfast. (If you've never had baked oatmeal, it's a little bit like a warm, crumbly cookie without the guilt of eating a bowl of cookies for breakfast! lol) YUM!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Bird's Nests!
Ah, another holiday and another excuse to make yummy treats! I don't normally go all out with the holiday treats, as I have a little that is just not into the sweets. *insert a great big ol' sad mama face* But I have seen this idea for cute little spring treats floating around for the last couple of years and thought we'd give it a go this Easter! And, what do ya know? The boy loved it!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
It's time for Jell-O Easter molds!
I'm pretty sure I've seen these in our local grocery store or Target for around $5, but right now you can get a FREE Jell-O Jigglers Easter Egg Mold (reg. $5.45) for ONLY the cost of shipping ($2.95)! And if you order before 3/18 it will arrive in time for Easter fun! Can't wait for ours to get here!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Mexican Rice with Corn
WOOT! I have just been on a cooking roll this week! It started with those YUMMY shredded beef tacos that I was trying to imitate from On the Border (and I totally hit those out of the park!) and then I just had to go for the rice too! My little boy absolutely loves the rice at OTB and can easily devour several servings at a sitting! He loves it so much that I even had the servers gather me a price list for the rice and it was not cheap! Something like $28 for a gallon-sized container?!
So, I asked my readers for a recipe and a friend of mine suggested I try a "fail proof" recipe she swears by. Well, I tried it. And about half way through I soon realized the recipe was not "FOOL proof!" LOL I spilled more than the required amount of rice in the pan, so I had no idea how much was actually in there. I didn't have cumin, so I had to substitute a random amount of chili powder. The onion I bought didn't end up looking so hot after I cut into it, so I didn't have enough of that. And as I was tasting the rice while it cooked, it just didn't taste like what I was going for......it didn't have that On the Border kick! So, I ended up doctoring up the flavors just so I wouldn't have to toss out the whole batch and waste it. I added my go-to ingredient and it was SO good! I made this again the next day with my own made-up recipe and served a bowl to my biggest critic and asked him what I was dying to know, "Sweetie do you like this 'orange' rice or the 'orange' rice at On the Border better?" And........he gulped down a HUGE spoonful and looked up at me and squealed, "No Mama! I LOVE YOUR rice the BEST! More please!" And that's all the praise I needed to hear to know my recipe was a success! ♥
Mexican Rice with Corn
1 cup uncooked Long-Grain White Rice
(1) 8 oz. can of Tomato Sauce
(1) packet of your favorite Enchilada or Taco seasoning mix
2 cups liquid (either Chicken Broth or Water)
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 cups Whole Kernel Frozen Corn
- Begin by rinsing the rice in a strainer before cooking. This will rinse off any dusty starch or leftover chaff particles and may prevent the rice from being a clumpy mess. Set aside to dry a bit.
- Heat the oil in a 2-qt saucepan over medium heat, then add the rice being careful of any splatters from the wet rice hitting the oil.
- Stir the rice constantly, until it gets puffed up and golden.
- Add 1/2 of the tomato sauce, about 1/2 of the seasoning packet, and the liquid.
- Bring mixture to a rolling boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover.
- Cook for approximately 18 - 25 minutes, checking periodically that the rice is not sticking to the pan or burning.
- The rice is done when all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. (*Note: Depending on the rice variety, you may need a little less or a little more water as the rice cooks, so check the package for specific instructions. I just opened a new brand of rice and learned this the hard way!)
- You can add small amounts of chicken broth or water if the rice is still too, um, crunchy (?) for your liking. ;)
- Mix in the corn and fluff the rice gently with a fork.
- Cover again for just a few minutes to allow the corn to heat through. (At this point, you could add the rest of the tomato sauce and your rice dish will have a nice creamy texture. We like it like this!)
- Remove from heat and serve.
This rice is SO good by itself or when paired with our favorite Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos!
Now, I do not ever live under the pretense that I can actually 'cook', but what I strive for (and what I hope all kitchen-haters like me are aiming for) is making tasty meals that my family will enjoy, using recipes that are understandable, simple to put together, and super easy to replicate. I am often modifying recipes I find and basing them on familiar tastes or on the ingredients I have on hand at the time. Not every recipe is a keeper, but that's all a part of the learning curve!
You can also check me out over at The Krazy Coupon Mama on Facebook! Frugal living at its finest! Money-saving tips, lessons in couponing, daily deals, freebies, product samples, printable coupons, giveaways, store deals, and more!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos
I LOVE going to On the Border to eat! But, it quickly became that I would always order the same thing! Now, this may have been because I always had a little one to look after and sitting and browsing the menu options quietly and thoughtfully like my other table mates *sigh* just was not gonna happen! So, I found something I liked, and just went with it: 3-item combo with shredded beef soft tacos and all rice for the side (and then I'd end up having to give ALL of that rice to the boy!) Not much of a meal, but truth be told, I would go there everyday and eat it! LOL
So, I decided last week to finally try my hand at making shredded beef and it was nearly a huge fail! (Can't call this one a Pinterest Fail, as I was just going by instinct! LOL) But my readers came to the rescue and my dinner was saved! Turns out Mexican shredded beef is super-easy to make, and if I dare say so myself, what I made was so much better than OTB! I would still go for the Sopapillas though!
Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos for the Crock Pot
2 - 3 lbs of Boneless Beef Chuck Roast
(1) 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
(1) packet of your favorite Enchilada or Taco seasoning mix
2 cups water
Salt
Pepper
- In the crock pot, add the tomato sauce, seasoning packet, and about 1 1/2 cups of water.
- Rinse the meat with cold water and pat dry.
- You can cut the meat up into 2-inch cubes, but I prefer to just toss the whole thing in.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Add the meat to the cooker.
- Cover and set on high.
- Keep an eye on the meat and check the level of the liquid. You can add a bit more water as necessary if the level becomes too low or the meat is looking dry.
- Cook for 8 - 10 hours or until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily.
- Serve with flour tortillas or over my yummy Mexican Rice with Corn! Enjoy!
The beef should be fall-apart tender when done. I was able to gently smash the meat with a fork and it flaked apart nicely! (And yes, that crock pot needed a good soak and a scrub afterwards! If you'd like to avoid the hassle of cleaning that bad boy up or don't have a hubby whose willing to scrub like mine is ;) here's a great coupon for the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners!)
I really enjoyed making this meal for my little family. When I was growing up, I could not have been less interested in what my mother or grandmothers were doing in the kitchen. And now that they have all passed, I dearly regret with every holiday, birthday, family dinner, or Wednesday that goes by not learning from those beautiful women who raised me. I make it a point now, whenever I am in the kitchen (no matter how stressed or frustrated I become), to include my little boy in the process. Hopefully one day he'll remember the recipes that his mama made for him and share them with his family. ♥
Now, I do not ever live under the pretense that I can actually 'cook', but what I strive for (and what I hope all kitchen-haters like me are aiming for) is making tasty meals that my family will enjoy, using recipes that are understandable, simple to put together, and super easy to replicate. I am often modifying recipes I find and basing them on familiar tastes or on the ingredients I have on hand at the time. Not every recipe is a keeper, but that's all a part of the learning curve!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)