Baking Bits: Getting Healthy – What I’m going to miss

Now this...this I could eat!

 Okay, so I’ve mentioned several times that our family is working towards Whole Foods eating. Yeah…we’re kinda slow around here, but we’re making progress. But, before we talk about all that healthy junk…I wanted to share a tip with you novice cookers/bakers out there. Some of you may already know this one, but I didn’t, so I thought it was worth the share.

When I bake bread, I often find that we eat it well for a couple days and then we’re off of it for a while. Unfortunately, sometimes we’re away from it for too long and it goes bad. A lady at church was talking about how she “stores” her bread so it doesn’t go to waste.

First, slice your bread as you would regularly. Then, she puts butter on each slice of bread and places it on a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to set the butter just enough so it doesn’t stick to anything. Now, get your gallon size baggies and put the buttered bread slices in there and freeze! Then, all you have to do is pull out the slices you want and either toast them or bake them in the oven. Add a little garlic powder and voila – you have homemade garlic bread on the fly!

Well…now that I’ve give you that tip, let’s get back to today’s topic: What I’m going to miss on this healthy journey!

1. Bread. Ironic after what I just posted, I know. I love bread of any kind. Rolls, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, bagels…you name it, I like it! Now, with that said, I do watch how much bread I eat.

2. Chocolate – Strangely I didn’t used to like chocolate. In fact, I did not have a candy bar until I was probably 14 years old! Well…that was a HUGE mistake! Now it’s become a “go-to” comfort food. I will miss it, but I’m glad its gotta go.

3. Pop – I drink water during the day, but at night I like to have some pop/soda. I gave up caffeinated beverages nearly 4 years ago and I always drink diet, but I know I need to give this one up too.

4. Chips & Dip – Another favorite “go-to” comfort food is Potato Chips and French Onion Dip. I don’t eat this too often, but enough that it’s a problem.

5. Sandwiches – I know this kinda goes along with the bread thing, but particularly I will miss those wonderful Ham Sammies! ugh!

6. Soy Sauce  - After reading this article on the Dangers of Soy, I am absolutely convinced we need to give up all soy products. But man oh man do I love it on my steamed rice. Oh wait…I’ll be giving up rice too, so I guess it won’t matter. Well…that was easier than I thought! Haha But, seriously, you need to read the article. Good information and lots to think about.

The truth is pretty much anyone in this country could stand to eat better, exercise more and just be healthier all around. That’s what we’re trying to do. I’m not sure how much weight I’ll lose on this journey, but I’m excited for the possibilities.

A couple of other reasons we’re switching to whole foods/paleo is that I have Crohn’s disease. They discovered it after they removed my gall bladder back when I was 19 years old. I’d had trouble for years, but never knew it was anything medically wrong. I always thought it was just me. Honestly, I’d had those issues as long as I can remember, so in a way – it was normal. It’s been in remission, more or less, for the last 10 years. But, this year (possibly with all the stress and events surrounding our family) I have had more trouble than I’ve had in a long time. It got so bad that about 3 weeks ago they ran some blood tests that revealed I was indeed having a “flair up” of my Crohn’s. bleh!!!!! So, now for the first time in my marriage and in nearly 11 years I’m on medication for Crohn’s. So, I decided that if eating healthier could help curb some of the symptoms, if not take it away completely, it was worth a real try.

The other reason we’re making the switch is our children. Although we have no official diagnosis, we see evidence of ADD/ADHD and Aspergers in our oldest child. I probably notice these things more since we homeschool. But, nevertheless, research shows that removing gluten and other key foods can help those kids with ADD/ADHD and Aspergers. So, we’re gonna give it a whirl.

I know all these things take time to show real change. So we’re working towards cleaning out the pantry and fridge. As we’re cleaning, we’re making better choices for our meals and slowly integrating whole foods. Hopefully, by the end of May we’ll be completely eating whole foods only. That’s the plan anyway.

Then, everything I’ve read says to give it a month and see how you feel after that. So, that’s the plan.

Do any of you follow the Paleo eating plan or eat whole foods? What are your thoughts and tips for making the switch? How has it changed your life?

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your tips and getting healthy journey! Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts or leave a link to your own post about getting healthy!!

Blessings,

Annette

Baking Bits: What?! You Cook?

When the Hubster and I got married almost 9 years ago, I did not cook. At least not much!! In fact, here are the 5 things I could make:

1. Chicken & Rice (all from cans & boxes)

2. Mexican Casserole (all from cans)

3. Ramen Noodle soup (anyone who went to college knows this recipe!)

4. Scrambled Eggs (sometimes I didn't even burn them!)

5. Hamburger Helpers (yep, you guessed it...another box)

So there ya have it! Proof that the Hubster did not marry me for my cooking skills! HA! In fact, early on in our marriage, he was most often the cook. I hardly boiled water!! TRUTH!!

It wasn't so much that I couldn't cook, but that I was scared to death - literally -  about cooking. Now, I could follow a recipe quite easily and more often than not it turned out edible. However, when it came to tossing spices and things in to punch up the recipe - I was done! I couldn't do it!!

Maybe you're the same way. Maybe you just think you don't have the time. Or maybe you've just never tried. I'd like to give you some tips on How You Too Can Cook! Because, seriously...if I can do it, you can too! Trust me!

True Story: I called my best friend 2 years ago (around the time I actually started to cook at home) and was talking to her after I had put dinner in the oven. I mentioned something about making dinner and she kinda' giggled. NO really...she did!  I said, "What?! I can cook!" She said something like, I'm sure you can I've just never seen you do it! Oh...she knows me so well. Then, she asked what we were having. I told her BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes from scratch and green beans. I seriously thought the phone went DEAD!! "Did you touch the chicken?" Oh man does she know me or what?! "YES!!!! Can you believe it?" I can NOT stand the texture of raw meat. It literally makes me cringe. Thus the reason my bestie was in shock!

Now, I still don't like to touch raw meat - ICK! - but now I just use gloves. Sereiously, I do! I've tried and tried to get over it, but I just can't. So for now the gloves help. LOL

So, here ya go...my own tips on what help me learn to cook.

How You Too Can Cook...From Scratch!

1. First, do a LOT of reading! I've done so much reading on cooking and cooking substitutions, etc. it would probably drive a person insane! Don't be afraid to use the internet!

2. Start by stocking up on kitchen essentials. You can't cook from scratch if you don't have common ingredients on hand. Flour, sugar, baking goods and a variety of spices are a great place to start.

3. Gather your recipes. You can family, friends, search the internet, Pinterest (love getting recipes on there), online groups and so much more!!!

4. Make your first recipe as directed. Don't change a thing. Sometimes the recipes I found were great the way they were. They had already been tweaked. Don't get ahead of yourself.

5. Once you've tried the original recipe, then you can begin to play around with the spices, ratios, etc. 

The first recipe I really made my own was this Homemade Pizza Sauce. The first few times I made it I followed the recipe exactly. Then, I realized that I could add a little more basil & oregano or some Italian Seasonings and even some parsley to punch it up just a bit. The Hubster was impressed. So much so that now he won't make the sauce if I'm home!! Yes, he helps out on Homemade Pizza night - aren't I lucky?! Seriously, I am!! The Hubster is willing to step in and help in the kitchen when needed!

Right now I'm going through this process again as we're transitioning to Whole Foods eating and going off Soy and gluten (mostly). I have various reasons for doing this, which I'll discuss in a series coming in May!!

Hope that helps some of you or gives you the confidence to get started!! Trust me...if this no touchy raw meat, egg burning, Ramen noodle soup makin' girl can do it - SO CAN YOU!!!

Blessings,

Annette

What's coming: Next week I'll be sharing our favorite Homemade Bread recipe. 

In May I'll be doing a series on Wednesdays about going to Whole Food & Paleo eating!!

Hope you'll join me!

Baking Bits: Fly Dip

When the Hubster and I were engaged and I met his entire family for the first time, they had this dip. My future mother-in-law starts naming things on the table to eat and then says, “And there’s fly dip too!” With so much excitement and enthusiasm that I honestly thought they were all crazy!

Fly Dip? Are you kidding me? What in the world is fly dip?

My fiancé insisted I try it because he just knew I would love it as much as everyone in his family did. WOW! No pressure or anything! What if I hate it? Do I pretend to like it to stay on their good side? What if it was the most disgusting thing in the world and I literally gagged on it? I was terrified to try it! True story!!!

So, I scooped a small amount onto my plate, got some tortilla chips and made my way to the table. Oh man was I nervous! They were all waiting for me to try it – literally, they were watching me eat to see what I thought. Have you ever had anyone watch you eat? It’s quite unnerving. I mean, what if I dribbled something out of my mouth? UGH!! The pressure…

But, seriously…they were RIGHT!! You really do have to try it before you pass judgment. Looks can definitely be deceiving on this one. It may look questionable, but it’s truly yummy. And highly addictive! You’ll find yourself doing that ol’ going back for more chips to eat the dip, only to have leftover chips that need more dip scenario over and over and over.

This was one of my Dad’s favorite dips. It’s a cold dip, so it’s wonderful in the summer. And perfect for outside gatherings since none of the ingredients will spoil in the heat! Win-Win!!!

Here’s how you make this super duper easy-peasy, scrumdillyumptious treat.

You’ll need:

1 small can chopped black olives (4.25oz)

1 medium can green chiles (7oz)

1 large can petite diced tomatoes (28oz)

3-4 green onions

1 tsp. (heaping) Garlic Salt

1 tsp. Sea Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 ½ TBSP White Vinegar

3 TBSP Oil

What do you think of my nice blue backdrop? Okay, so truth...my kitchen island was cluttered and I didn't take the time to clean it up, so I put a box up there and draped a blue snuggie over it. Nice, huh?!


Okay, are you ready for this level of difficult cooking? Hang on…here we go!

#1 – Open black olives and green chiles and pour into medium bowl. Do not drain them. Just pour them in.

#2 – Open diced tomatoes and add them. Don't drain these either, you'll need the juice. You with me so far?

#3 – Add garlic salt, sea salt and pepper. We’re moving fast I know, but try to keep up people!

#4 – Add the chopped green onions. Just scrape 'em in there.

#5 - Add vinegar and oil. Still with me??

#6 – Stir all ingredients together until blended. How ya doin’? Still with me?

#7 – Chill for 2-3 hours before serving. I prefer to make mine a day ahead of time to let the juices really sit and soak up those spices we put in. The longer it sits, the better it is in my opinion.

Serve with Tortilla style chips and you’re ready to go! YUM!!!!

Whew! Did you make it all the way through with me? I know it’s a tough one to follow. Open, pour, chop, scrape, stir. Got it?


Oh man...I can't wait to have this tomorrow night at Small Group!!! The smells just bring back such good memories to my taste buds! 


Confession: After taking these pictures, I had to eat the chips and some dip. I mean...they were already contaminated! And boy was it yummy!

What’s your favorite quick summertime dish? Feel free to share in the comments or link back to a post so we can all benefit!

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up to these fabulous parties:

The Better Mom, The Prairie Homestead, Chef In Training, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, The Imperfect Housewife, Comfy in the Kitchen

Baking Bits: April Fool's Cupcakes

April Fool’s Day is just around the corner. And last year I was feeling particularly saucy. Now, I don’t usually play practical jokes on anyone, not because they’re not funny…but I’m not good at them!

So last year, I really just wanted to pull a fun prank. While searching the internet for some fun and unique ideas, I came across these.

Spaghetti and Meatball cupcakes!! Yep, you read that right! These are cupcakes!! Aren’t they so fun? And, they’re super easy to make too!

I mostly followed the direction on this website, which also has a couple of other cute ideas for April Fool’s Day cupcakes. In fact, I might try my hand at those this year. Hmmmm…

I did use a boxed cake mix, simply because I was in a hurry. And, it makes 24 cupcakes, which is exactly how many I needed. But, feel free to make your own from-scratch cupcakes.

I also used this buttercream icing recipe with some TOP SECRET tweaks I cannot reveal. No really…I can’t!!! My bestie used to make cakes for people and she gave me her secret tweaks and I was sworn to secrecy. With a secret hand-shake and spit even! Okay…maybe not, but I still can’t reveal it. Sorry. But, trust me, the Wilton recipe is what hers is based on, so it will be just great too!

The other change I made was to the “meatballs.” We do not like Ferrara Rocher chocolates, so we made up some quick crispy rice treats and simply formed them into ball shapes. Then, dipped them in melted chocolate bark. Yes, they took a little more time…but, oh man were they yummy!! We did use strawberry jam for the “sauce” and boy was that even more delicious!

Sorry, this is the best picture I have of the "cheese" topping

Last, we sprinkled on the “Parmesan” cheese (aka White Chocolate bark shredded). What fun these were to make!! The Hubster doesn’t have an office of people to share these with, so I sent them to work with both of my parents, while keeping some for us here at home.

My mom had several ladies at work that could not even eat them because of the way they looked!! Isn’t that hilarious?!

These were super yummy cupcakes and so cute to boot – don’t you think?!

What are some of your favorite April Fool’s Day pranks? Do you have any traditions for this momentous day? Please share your favorite prank(s) or link up to a post you’ve written on the subject!

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up to these fun parties:

Chef In Training, Deep Roots At Home, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Comfy in the Kitchen

Baking Bits: Homemade Cheeseburger Pizza

We make this at least every other week at our house!! Over the past year in my quest to cook more meals for my family, we have tried several pizza dough recipes. This is by far our most favorite! Well…actually, we’ve tweaked it to fit how we like our crust, so I’m going to give you our version of it.

And right now, I'm going to apologize for the lack of ingredient pictures and possibly the poor quality. Some 3yr old child, who shall remain nameless, has messed with my camera and I'm not quite sure what he's done to the settings! Isn't it so frustrating when your children can mess things up that you can't fix? Please tell me that happens to you too.

Let's make some pizza...maybe that will make me feel better. Here goes!

This is my crummy ingredient picture. Not even everything here!
So sorry about that!!

To Make the Crust, you’ll need:

Active Dry Yeast

White sugar

Warm water (110^oF)

Bread flour (white/wheat flour will work too)

Olive oil

Salt

Preheat oven to 450^oF. In a medium bowl, dissolve 1 packet (or 2¼ tsp) active dry yeast and 2 tsp sugar in the warm water.

Once dissolved let it stand until creamy, approx 10 minutes*. See how it looks a little frothy? That's what you want.

Stir in 5cups flour, 4TBSP oil and 2tsp oil. 

Isn't this such a great picture? I just love it!! Such a pretty mixer...

Beat until smooth. I usually beat it until the sides are mostly clean. Notice the difference in the two above pictures? Notice how little dough there is on them. Well...that and the dough falls off the hook. That's another way to tell you've beat it smooth.

Let it rest for 5 minutes. It will “grow” a little, but not quite double. (See those sides are pretty clean!)

Divide dough in half and roll out onto a pizza pan lightly dusted with cornmeal. (Or use your well seasoned Pampered Chef stone and you don’t need the cornmeal.)

Homemade Pizza Sauce

I found this recipe several years ago and used it for quite a while. But, again…we’ve tweaked it. *NOTE: I usually start the sauce during the 10 minutes my dough is at “rest.” Here is what you'll need to make this sauce. 

You’ll need: 

Tomato Sauce

Tomato Paste

water

Garlic powder

Oregano

Basil

Italian Seasonings

My oldest and my niece "fighting the bad guys" in our backyard with vacuum cleaner attachments!
I feel so protected...wouldn't you?!

 Okay, you'll have to really forgive me here. I forgot to take pictures of this part as I was juggling 2 extra kiddos at my house while trying to make these. IMeanwhile, I hope you enjoy these few pics I snapped of the kids in action!

My nephew, digging...I think!

My oldest daughter "cheese-ing" for the camera.
I guess she thought I needed the peanut oil...

Okay, so back to the sauce...(I promise to take pics the next time I make this and update the post! Promise...Promise!)

1. Pour small can of tomato sauce and two small cans of tomato paste  and a tomato paste can of water into a small saucepan. Heat on med-low.
2. When the sauce is just about boiling, dump in all your seasonings. Now, I wish I could tell you how much I use, but honestly after making it several times I just put in what I think looks good. However, I did start out with the same measurements she uses at Heavenly Homemakers (link above). And, yes…I know Italian Seasonings have the other three in there, but I just like the way it looks, so I add it too! Yes…my kids think I’m silly.
3. Turn heat down and simmer sauce until ready to use.

Now for the toppings!!! Are you ready?? Okay…here we go! Now, as you probably noticed above, this dough makes two pizzas. And, since our kids don’t like the cheeseburger one…silly kids…we make a plain bacon pizza for them. So, I make that one first.

And, yes…I cheat and use Bacon bits. I do, however, shred my own cheese so that more than makes up for my lack of being a good parent when I use bacon bits, right?!

Before topping our pizzas, we baste the dough with an olive oil/Italian seasonings mixture.

Spread sauce onto pizza. Use how much you like to make it very saucy or not so much. You’ll have plenty, trust me! I usually have enough left over for some nice dipping of the crusts!

Sprinkle some cheese over the sauce. We use mozzarella for the bacon pizza, but my oldest requested half of it with just cheddar…so there ya go!

Sprinkle how ever much bacon you’d like on top of the cheese.

Then we like to add a light sprinkle of cheese over the top of the bacon too. Yes…we like cheesy pizza!

Bake the pizza at 450^oF for 20-25 minutes. You want the crust to be slightly golden, but make sure it’s completely cooked. So we usually lift up the edge with a metal spatula to see if it’s done.

Cut and serve! ENJOY!!!

Now, while my first pizza is cooking, I take the 20 minutes to cut up my ingredients for the Cheeseburger pizza.

Here’s what you’ll need: (again, I'll take a picture of this next time too)

Pizza Sauce

Mustard

Onion (The Hubster likes red onion)

Browned hamburger/turkey

Pickles

Mozzarella Cheese

Cheddar Cheese

Anything else you like on your cheeseburgers…

You’ll need to get the meat browning if it’s not already done. I don’t add any seasonings to it, since we’re putting onion on the pizza anyway. But, you could add a little onion powder if you like.

Dice your onion and pickles.

Roll out the dough on your pan lightly sprinkled with cornmeal (or use a well used one like ours). Again, we baste the dough with an olive oil/Italian seasonings mixture.

Okay...so I forgot to take a picture of the round with just sauce.  Sue me!

Spread a light amount of sauce on the dough at first (trust me, you can add more later if you want).

Next comes the “secret ingredient”…mustard. Yep! You might think its crazy, but oh wait until you taste it!! Just trust me. Well…as long as you like mustard it will be yummy! Squirt mustard all over the sauce.

Now you’re going to mix the mustard and sauce together on the dough. I find using a spoon works best. Now…if I was making 2 cheeseburger pizzas (or 3 like I did last weekend when my brother came in town), you could actually mix the mustard into the sauce while its still in the pan and it would be fine.

Sprinkle some mozzarella and cheddar cheese over your sauce mixture.

Add the browned meat. Make sure it’s broken up a little so you don’t have big clumps.

Add your onions and pickles.

If you want, you can add bacon and make it a bacon-cheeseburger pizza!

Sprinkle a little more cheese over the top. You can never have too much cheese on a pizza! Oh my word...that's starting to look yummy, don't you think?!

Sprinkle a light amount of cheese over the top.

Bake the pizza at 450^oF for 20-25 minutes. You want the crust to be slightly golden, but make sure it’s completely cooked. So we usually lift up the edge with a metal spatula to see if it’s done.

Oh WOW!!! That looks so delicious! And, believe me...it is!

Now all you have to do is cut, serve and enjoy!!!

Hopefully you all stuck with me through this post. It really is a yummy one!!! What’s your family’s favorite pizza?

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up to these great parties! Be sure to check them out for more yummy, scrum-dilly-ump-tious recipes!

An Original Belle, The Better Mom, Time Warp Wife, Chef in Training, Growing Home, Far Above Rubies, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, A Wise Woman Builds her Home, Deep Roots at Home, The Imperfect Housewife, Comfy in the Kitchen, Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling, 

Baking Bits: Ham Tettrizini

It’s a nice fall Saturday afternoon. Football season is in full swing. My fiancé and I sneak into his dorm parent’s apartment (whom our kids affectionately call Oma and Opa) to watch the OU football game. They are huge fans as are we, so we get front row seats on the cushy couch and FREE food to boot!

WOW was that was a looong time ago! Ahem…moving on. Oma made this recipe quite often for us and it quickly became one of our favorites! We still visit Oma and Opa often, usually every 6-8 weeks or so, and she still makes this when we visit. Our kids have grown to love it just as much as we have, so a couple years ago my husband finally wrote down the recipe and how she made it. This is my oldest child’s most requested meal. He absolutely loves this stuff!!

Ham Tettrizini w/ Angel Hair pasta

You’ll need (not all pictured) :

Ham – cubed

Butter

Cornstarch or Flour

Milk (preferably whole)

Cheddar cheese

Angel Hair pasta (or whatever kind you like)

Seasonings of your choice (we prefer a little garlic powder & onion powder) 

We dice a turkey-ham ourselves

Now this recipe is easily halved, doubled or even tripled to feed any size family or gathering! So here are the ratios you will need to follow:

Flour 1:1 Butter

Cornstarch 1:2 Butter

Milk 1c per 2 TBSP Butter mixture

½ cup cheese:1 cup Milk

1. First, measure out all your ingredients and have them ready. Otherwise, you’ll burn the sauce.

2. Begin heating the water to cook your pasta.

3. Basically you’re going to make a Rue. So, first melt butter over low heat.

4. Add flour/cornstarch and stir constantly until it makes a paste. Flour will make a much thicker paste than cornstarch. (I prefer the cornstarch because I can taste the flour.)

5. Add the milk. We prefer whole milk, but you can use whatever you like. But, I don’t recommend anything less than 2% because it might not thicken as well.

6. Reduce heat to medium, med-high. Stir constantly with a whisk until it thickens and expands. Okay, so I don’t know how exactly to explain it, but it will almost double in height in your saucepan.

**NOTE: It helps if you have a super cute Sous Chef to help you out!

7. When it’s almost to a boil (you know those few bubbles start popping up), add the cheese. Reduce heat to med-low and stir until cheese is all melted and it’s creamy.

Now at this point you can stop here and take it several different directions. Or do like I did and make the sauce ahead of time and "allow" your 3yr old to use the camera to take self-portraits. Aren't they GREAT?!

If you don't have a 3yr old...here are some options you can do:

a)      Split up the sauce into several equal portions and store them for future meals.

b)      You can pour it over steamed broccoli.

c)      You can pour it over elbow noodles for some nice and creamy Mac & Cheese.

d)      Add browned hamburger/turkey meat with taco seasoning and some yummy Cheeseburger Macaroni.

e)      Get creative and make an entirely new dish!!!

But, let’s pretend I have perfectly lovely 3yr old and he didn't take the camera and continue on with our meal.

8. At this point you need make sure your pasta is cooking if you haven’t already dropped it in your boiling water.

9. Before you add the meat, make sure to add any additional seasonings you might want. We like a little Italian flair, so we add a dash of garlic powder and onion powder. Make sure they are stirred in completely before you add the meat. (I added mine after the meat, because I forgot. But normally we add it before.)

Don't forget to change from the whisk to a spoon. Otherwise, you'll get the little ham pieces stuck in it like this and it's simply annoying! For one, because it's stuck in there and for another because I now have to get my hands dirty to really separate the whisk to get them out. And, it really just drives me nuts when I have to stop cooking to wash my hands for things that could have been avoided. Whew...glad that's out! Okay...moving on...

10. Add the diced ham (We buy a turkey-ham and dice it ourselves.) and stir to incorporate it completely. You will want to continue stirring until the meat is warmed up. (Approx. 5 min or less) Sometimes we even turn the heat off all together because the sauce is hot enough to warm the meat. There’s no real measurement on the ham, so use what you want. We use a little more than a pound because we like some in each bite!

Don’t you wish you had a cutie like this one to help you in the kitchen?

 **WARNING: Consuming large quantities of this will get you messy!!**

Happy Cooking!!

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up with these great parties: