Gingerbread Houses

One of our Christmas traditions is to build gingerbread houses. Ira got to build his own for the first time. He was so excited!

Laura Lou even made a reindeer for hers.


Deb caught in the act of eating more candy.


Abby's creation. See her peppermint ball snowman?


I love how elaborate the girls start to get with their houses as they get older.


Marie made a melted chocolate walkway leading up to the door.

Eve wasn't done with her village when I took these pictures so I'll post it later.

Incredible Edible Book Cake Contest

The girls decided even though they couldn't be there to participate in Grandma's grand opening of her bookstore The Purple Cow they still wanted to make a cake based on a book. One of our absolute favorite books is The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. It has to be read by dad because he does all the voices and sound effects. The pig uses man toys like pneumatic drills and dynamite to destroy the wolves' houses.Debbie, Laura, and Abby each helped frost the pig and put on its eyes, nostrils, and mouth (which is a Flying W). The instructions for the pig is here. Sara and Marie did the wolf cupcakes. We did a variation of the instructions here. I think they did a great job!

Lemon Pudding Dessert

A little while ago I made a dessert called' Lemon Pudding Dessert'. It's REALLY good. Here is the recipe, in case you would like to try it

Lemon Pudding Dessert

1 cup cold butter

2 cups flour
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8oz. carton cool whip
3 cups cold milk
2 pkg. lemon pudding mix

Cut butter into flour until crumbly. Press into ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. let cool. In a mixing bowl cream sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in 1 cup cool whip. Spread over crust. In another bowl beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Carefully spread over cream cheese layer. top with remaining cool whip. refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
Tips: I like to add a little lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture. It makes it not so sweet, and more lemony.

Broccoli Roll Ups

Last week it was my turn to cook. I wanted to share this recipe with you.

Broccoli Roll-Ups

• 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• about 1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed and patted dry

Place broccoli in microwave safe dish and cook for about 2 minutes to allow broccoli to start to become a little tender.

Separate crescent dough into the scored triangles. Place a small amount of cheese and one or two broccoli florets along the wide edge of each triangle; roll up the dough. Place point side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Ahhh, the lazy days of summer are here. Except you wouldn't know it if you went by the weather we've been having around here. This was the scene out my living room window yesterday morning. (I was sitting on the couch when I took the picture.)
That is snow on the mountains. In June. But indoors we are warm, having fun with our Cool Summer Days. Over the last several years I've developed quite a list of activities to keep the kiddos learning, creating, playing, laughing, HAPPY! Here is my list divided into categories:

Crafts:
Make homemade stickers
Paint with watercolors (I let them use my real watercolor paint)
Use potatoes carved with simple designs as stamps to make our own wrapping paper
Stamp birthday cards for family and friends, file them to send throughout the year
Make Christmas decorations or ornaments
Create scrapbook pages
Make home made pinatas
Break your pinata
Make playdough
'Stained Glass Windows' - Cover the sticky side of contact paper with several colors of tissue paper, make sure to leave about an inch edge all the way around so it will stick to the window
Make your own chalk
Make candles
Make papercrafts. This site has loads of fun printables to make and do!

Cooking:
Bake a cake, decorate it, and sing "Happy Unbirthday to Us!"
Make popsicles
Bake mini loaves of bread, make butter to spread on them
Bake up different batches of muffins to freeze for snacks
Make homemade bagels
Decorate sugar cookies
Bake cupcakes and deliver to friends
Choose different cookies recipes to bake and freeze for snacks
Make Ice cream in a bag
Make tiny treats

Field Trips:
Go swimming
Pick raspberries
Go to the museum
Ride a horse
Go out for ice cream
Trip to the dollar store
Go to the movies
Attend a concert

Education:
Learn a new Primary Song
Check out a book from the library on paper airplanes. Make all different kinds and have competitions.
Make 'Slime'
Make a list of what you want to learn about this year (Homeschool)
Buy school supplies
Catch butterflies, compare them, learn the life cycle of a butterfly
Plant a garden
Learn about different types of poetry (haiku, limerick, acrostic) and write your own
Design a quilt
Sew your quilt
Read books all day or listen to books on tape

Patriotic:
Make patriotic bracelets
Paint T-shirts for the 4th of July (search FamilyFun)
Make patriotic hats
Attend a parade
Do patriotic activity pages (wordsearches, crossword puzzles, coloring pages) Do an internet search to find more than you can ever do!

Boutique Week:
Make soap
Make chapstick and lip balm
Have a make-up makeover. Don't forget to take glam shots!
Paint toenails and fingernails.
Make charm bracelets
Make seed bead rings
Sew some cool new PJ pants
Make hair accesories - tie lots of ribbons around hair elastics

Outdoor Activities:
Build a campfire, roast hot dogs and marshmallows
Camp out on the lawn
Blow bubbles. Use different wands. Be creative!
Go for a walk
Try geocaching or letterboxing. These are SO MUCH FUN!!!!
Play water games
Try some new outdoor games (search FamilyFun)
Have a nature scavenger hunt. Write a list for older children. For younger children paint different colors on the bottom of egg cartons (different shades of green, brown, other colors of nature) and see if you can find objects matching those colors. You'd be surprised at what they can find!!
Bike riding
Hiking
Squirt gun fights

Indoor activities (Sabbath appropriate):
Draw pictures and send to the Friend Magazine
Write down everything you are thankful for. Be very specific.
Read pioneer or ancestor stories. Act out your favorite ones.
Try writing your own song
Choose a cousin to write a letter to. Make sure to tell them all the things you admire and like about them!
Make your Christmas wish list (I like to get my Christmas shopping done by November)
Write real letters (not e-mail!) - to grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, or friends
Make your own envelopes out of wrapping paper to send your letters in (Look here for templates)
List 5 nice things about each member of your family
Play board games all day
Think of a good service project to do. Plan it out and carry through with the plan
Make a list of what to give everyone for Christmas
Music Mix CD

I hope this list will get you started on making this a great summer spending time with your children. And please let me know if you can think of more fun activities!

Sugardoodle and The Dollar Stretcher also have HUGE lists of summer activities.

My Junk Food

The checker at the grocery store was unloading my cart when she unceremoniously asked, "Do you ever buy junk food?"

It took me a little by surprise for a couple of reasons: 1) she obviously knows who I am because I come through her line every week at about the same time (how hard is it to miss a lady with six girls and one boy in tow?) and 2) she pays attention to what I buy.

I smiled, "Heck no! It's too expensive."

"So, um, do you ever eat anything unhealthy?"

"OH, yeah. We are the biggest chocolate chip cookie freaks. I have 100 lbs. of chocolate chips stored downstairs in three 5-gallon buckets." The bagger's jaw dropped in awe.

"Don't forget your Dove chocolate, Mom," Sara quickly pointed out.

"Oh, right. I have to have a supply of Dove too."

"Good for you! I'm glad to know you are normal after all." Now what is that supposed to mean? I'm not even going to ask.

My question for you is: What junk food do you like to splurge on? Can't live without? Do you buy it or make it?

Here's a few of our favorite homemade treats: 'Healthy' Cookies, Hostess Cupcakes,Mexican Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Scones with Honey Butter.

Bon Appetit!

Sweet Roll Tradition

One of our General Conference traditions is for the girls and I to make sweet rolls while Joseph is gone to the priesthood session on Saturday night. We each get to eat one hot from the oven and the rest are saved for breakfast the next morning. We usually make a batch each of cinnamon rolls and orange rolls. This year we made pecan sweet rolls, half with dried cranberries added, instead of the orange rolls. Here is my breakfast before I decided to melt sharp cheddar cheese over the top. Another tradition we have is to eat off our china plates each Sunday.

Because my china has a metal on the rim I had to transfer my roll to a different plate fit for the microwave. Here's the yummy, gooey goodness. And just so you know, I ended up eating three. :P

Honey Butter Recipe

This recipe comes from the Lion House Cookbook.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 cup honey

Whip softened butter. Add vanilla and egg yolk and mix. Gradually add honey while whipping. Makes 1 cup.

Scones with Honey Butter

Scones:

1 pkg yeast (1 TBSP) dissolved in 1 cup warm water
1 TBSP Sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 TBSP. butter

Scald milk. Melt butter in milk. In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Add 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour and mix until dough-like. Dough will be sticky. Carefully roll out on floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into squares and fry in hot oil.

Chicken Eggs

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I got this simple but delicious recipe from my mother-in-law.

1 box spice cake mix
1 small can pumpkin (1 lb.)
chocolate chips, nuts and/or raisins

Mix together the pumpkin and spice cake mix. Add desired amounts of chocolate chips, nuts, and/or raisins. Place by rounded tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet. We baked them at 350 for about 10 minutes. Yummy!

Note: Do not make the cake like it says on the box. Just mix the pumpkin with the dry cake mix.

Big green giant

It's that time of year when everyone seems to want to get rid of all their extra zucchini, especially the ones that have been left in the garden to grow to a gargantuan size. I love zucchini. I eat it every which way - raw or cooked. My family, however, has different tastes. These are the only two ways they will eat zucchini.

Sauteed Zucchini

3 cups grated zucchini
1 very finely chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste

Saute all zucchini and onion in olive oil or butter until tender. Add salt and pepper.


The following recipe is from a good friend in Fallon. This is the best zucchini bread EVER!

Orange Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, beaten
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. zested orange peel
2 cups grated zucchini
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix eggs with oil and sugar until well blended. Add zucchini, orange juice and peel, and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into two greased 8x4 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

This bread is great the first day and even better the next when the orange flavor had penetrated every bit of the bread. YUMMY!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Sara wanted to make peanut butter cookies Saturday afternoon because she was bored. This is after she already spent a couple of hours making bead necklaces and bracelets at her cousin's house. I think she was just missing Eve and Marie who got to spend the day in Fallon. These are yummy and stay chewy if you under cook them slightly. Warning: This are definitely not for the health conscious!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream shortening and butters together. Add sugars and mix well. Add eggs and beat. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Mix thoroughly. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets, press flat with a fork, and bake at 375 for 8 minutes.

Chocolate Obsession

Those who know me well, know I am a true chocoholic, with dark chocolate being my clear favorite. I am always on the look-out for really good, chocolaty, cakes and cookies. My "Death By Chocolate Cookie Book" is well-used and abused with cocoa and chocolate splatters on almost every page. Here's my latest find from the Deseret News Food section. Indulge yourself this weekend!

MEXICAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 pound coarsely chopped good-quality dark chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and black pepper. Set aside. In a small heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt the coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter. Let cool slightly. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the melted chocolate mixture with the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Line a 17-by-12-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, drop scoops of the cookie dough onto the parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until they look flat and the surfaces crack (cookies should still be soft in texture). Let the cookies cool on the parchment on wire cooling racks. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes about 3 dozen.
—Recipe created by Chaim Potter, Napa, Calif.

Little Red Hen

I always feel like the Little Red Hen when I make wheat bread because I have to grind the wheat to have enough flour. I love this recipe!

Wheat Bread

In a small saucepan heat to warm:

2 cups milk

2/3 cup oil

1 cup honey

In a mixing bowl dissolve:

4 TBSP. yeast

1 TBSP. sugar

in 2 1/2 cups warm water. Add 2 TBSP. salt. Pour milk mixture into mixing bowl. Gradually add 12-15 cups wheat flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. (Today I used 13 1/2 cups of flour). Knead dough and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Divide dough into four equal portions. Shape each into a loaf and place in greased bread pans. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes. Take out of pans and brush tops and sides with butter. Enjoy!

Catalan Bread

My FIL, Brent, brought up some Pain Rustic Bread for us last week. I was very excited to see the recipe for Catalan Bread on the back. Avi, my paternal grandfather, used to make a version of this bread when I was growing up. So I omitted the meat in the recipe and made it the way Avi does. Next time I'm making a huge batch of paella to go with it!

CATALAN BREAD

4 slices pain rustic bread

1 clove garlic, halfed

1 roma tomato, halfed

4 slices peppered ham or anchovies

olive oil

salt

Lightly toast both sides of the bread in the oven. Rub cut side of garlic all over top of bread. Next rub bread with cut tomato. Brush on olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add meat if desired. Delicious!

Corn Tortillas

We had company for Sunday dinner yesterday and served them enchiladas made with homemade corn tortillas. Marie and Eve are demonstrating how the tortillas are made using the tortilla press. Fast, simple, delicious!

Hostess Cupcakes

Sara was feeling bad that Eve and Marie got to go help Joseph by driving the truck for him so she got to make Hostess cupcakes. She was in the middle of filling them when Marie and Eve got home. Marie helped while Eve went off and sulked because she's been wanting to make fudge.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

3 c. flour 2 c. sugar
½ c. cocoa 2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt 1 c. oil
1 c. milk 1 c. hot water
2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and fill muffin tins lined with cupcake papers.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Fill with Cream Filling:

2 c. powdered sugar 4 Tbsp. margarine
3 Tbsp. milk 4 Tbsp. shortening
dash of salt

Beat until creamy. Put into pastry bag fitted with a large writing tip and fill
cupcakes from the top. Frost by dipping tops in frosting. Frosting hides the
hole where cupcakes were filled.

Frosting:

½ c. margarine
4 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. milk

Bring to boil. Remove from heat; add 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

Food Storage Dishes

Our ward had a social Saturday night all about food storage and emergency preparedness. We were to take dishes made from our food storage. Here are before/after pictures of what I took. The apple pie filling was made using the apples off Grandma W's trees. To make the enchiladas I used the masa harina to make homemade corn tortillas and filled them with canned chicken, dried onions and regular cheese. They were topped with a red sauce made from the chili powder. Yum, yum!

Joseph's 'Healthy' Cookies

Joseph came in from work craving cookies. He calls these 'healthy' cookies because they don't have as much sugar as most recipes and also have wheat flour. Course he wouldn't let me take a picture of him chowing down. But some of the girls obliged.

Healthy Cookies

1 cup softened butter or margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 small box fat free, sugar free instant pudding mix

(any flavor but we usually use vanilla or chocolate)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups (or more :D)chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (we use pecans)

Cream the sugars and butter together. Add the instant pudding mix; beat well. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, soda, and salt; add to the butter mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Place rounded tablespoons of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Supposed to make about 4 dozen but only makes about 2 1/2 dozen after we all taste, and taste, and taste the dough.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Variation: Reduce butter to 3/4 cup and add 1/2 cup peanut butter. Use chocolate pudding mix. Add 2 Tbsp. cocoa with flour. Use a mixture of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. Omit nuts.