Last year, I may have tested around 15-20 pancake recipes; fun pregnant activities. All sorts of flours, oils, eggs or egg substitutes. I have quite a few critics at hand and many of them with no filter so I know when something’s not a crowd pleaser 😅 this recipe was Continue reading “Best chocolate chip pancakes”
The kids and I made these cuties for Luke’s class thanksgiving party which happened this morning. I love how they came out but truth be told, I have such an intimidation factor with pies! I also don’t have the best baking/cooking with kids track record. Room to grow people, room to grow 🙂 Thus is a great one with little hands that want to help. Continue reading “Mini pumpkin pies”
Avocado season is back! At least, they’re not four bucks a pop for now, ha. The welcoming of Spring-like weather somehow helps my fruit and veggie cravings grow. And that strong desire for cozy baked winter dishes like buttered, maple drenched pancakes or cheesy, sausage and kale quiche (you know, just general cravings, right?) are suddenly exchanged with cravings for fresh, crunchy, green with delicious ripe fruit! Avocado is the perfect in between with it’s fresh flavor Continue reading “Simply Deicious Avocado Toast”
Mealtimes can be a marathon with small children, especially anyone under five (which is 100 percent of our kids at this current moment, ha). Our two oldest are coming to the age where they can are readily helpful around mealtime, and are interested in doing it! I love to have their help in the kitchen; they are some of the sweetest moments. They are Continue reading “How to Involve Toddlers in Mealtime Prep”
Snacks. Quite the dangerous subject in our home. We find that we prefer less snacking in general, as they seem to lead to barely touched dinners. I usually aim to feed the kids the most in the earlier parts of the day but sometimes their appetites object and we find ourselves scavenging for an afternoon snack.
And they are an especially integral part of days that aren’t as routine! Days spent out and about exploring, taking an extra long walk, searching out a new museum or passing time at an appointment. Continue reading “10 Healthy Kids Snacks”
I haven’t been feeling the best so I’ve been cooking up a lot of comforting, savory soups and broths. I love the rich taste of a broth from scratch, flavors are so much more distinguishable—the mirepoix, turmeric, onion, garlic, and tender chunks of chicken. They truly don’t take too much time or attention, which is helpful for a sometimes distracted chef like myself. Continue reading “Chicken soup from scratch”
The weather has been a bit colder in the days following Christmas and it’s just felt perfectly agreeable to make things, even after the cookie extravaganza of 2018 (I think I’ve been baking daily for like two weeks now!). This recipe is one I’ve used over the years for Swiss Sunday bread, Zopf, or Züpfe in some regions (or so I hear!). Continue reading “Zopf on Thursday”
Five seasonal-ish recipes that I’m really enjoying as of late:
1) Morning glory muffins, hold me back! These muffins are an ode to a muffin that I’ve loved for years (this all sounds very odd..) which is the California muffin from Kelly’s here in town (a carrot apple masterpiece really). So I’ve been toying with this recipe and it is also (I won’t say equally, but certainly also!) very delicious. Continue reading “Baking and making, a list”
This is my absolute favorite cookie recipe. This is originally from here, but i’ve tweaked it just a bit. I cannot tell you ENOUGH how much amazing feedback I get on these. I can eat so many of them, it’s shameful, or impressive? But every school function, community event, bridal/baby shower, family party, YOU NAME IT, somebody is going to tell me that these cookies are their fave. And let me tell you, it’s not in the skill, this is all recipe.
To describe, they’re flavored perfectly, the right consistency of baked well on top and just enough soft inside. They have crunch in their nut, chips, raw sugar, sea salt mixture and there are so many leftovers.. somebody THOUGHT this through. So if you’re looking for a recipe to try, look no further, it’s a family heirloom now. Note, I never use a mixer on these anymore but did for years. It takes some muscle but I love them by hand the most. Continue reading “The very best chocolate chip cookies”
So super excited to give these recipes a test. Some on the healthier side, while some are emulating all that fall meals should—hearty, Continue reading “A couple cozy fall recipes”
After a plethora of homebound days over the last few weeks, my inner baker has started to surface. The rainy forecast hasn’t helped. At this rate, our household will need an emergency juice fast before Thanksgiving. Until then, we march on!
I don’t have too much experience with the non-sweet breads. I’ve been coached a few times on Swiss Sunday bread (Zopf) and Sourdough. But come to think of it, that was before I had kids. So since I don’t really have the time for fermenting, leavening, or braiding these days, this no-knead recipe has been inspiringly easy.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour1 1/4 tsp baking soda1 1/4 tsp baking powder2 tsp coarse sea salt2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar1 cup raw sugar2 eggs2 tsp vanilla1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips1 cup milk chocolate chips6 oz dark chocolate, chopped into chunks(no milk or bar chocolate on hand? otherwise, 3 cups of chocolate chips)1 cup rolled oats if desired1 cup chopped nuts if desired
it’s harvest chili people! you know.. for eating after a long day at harvest. or in my case, eating after a long day at work and then congregating with a large mass of our favorite teenagers (here’s looking at you, dear youth group) while carving pumpkins and playing games and sweating. the sweating part is just me… however, you wouldn’t even begin to believe the amount of similarities a hormonal pregnant woman and a hormonal teenager share. let’s just say it reminds how i love them all the more. and let’s just agree that hormones are hard and suck!!hearty harvest chili
to be prepared in le crock pot, or a pot and slow simmer for the entire day 🙂 adapted from this one. but i also like this one and this one. makes thirty (yes thirty!) servings
3.5 pounds ground turkey
6 (10.75 ounce) cans low sodium tomato soup
6 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1/3 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 pinches ground black pepper
3 pinches ground allspice
salt to taste
brownmeat and drain. coat the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray for good measure. then fill up the crock pot. it truly doesn’t matter the method as long as it all mixes up together. cook on high for 4 hours or cook on low for 8 hours.
enjoy with friends, and a little sour cream, cheese and green onion, mmm!
casey’s homemade potato salad
this makes a lot of potato salad. enough for 6 adults over two days of dinner, and two heaping servings for mahself in between. so let’s just say it’s enough to serve 15 people!
meanwhile, begin boiling your eggs. my rule of thumb (after many many fails.. i mean how hard could hard-boiled eggs be?! yup.. that hard for moi 😉 is 15-17 minutes at a nice medium boil. as they’re boiling, chop up all your fresh herbs (dill + basil), green onions, carrots, celery and put them in a bowl together. add your favorite spices (i choose salt, pepper + tj’s everyday seasoning).
remove your hardboiled eggs and get them in some cold water and once cool, peel them in the water. it’s so much easier this and goes so fast (have you heard of this??). slice them up into smaller but chunky pieces and set aside. once the potatoes are to your desired crisp, i dabbed them (for any excessive oil) and let them cool for a bit. while cooling, add your lemon aioli or lemonaise to your bowl full of veggies and mix it all up. little by little, begin to add your potatoes, stirring or using your hands to make sure they all get a little lemonaise love. add your egg chunks. add some spice to taste.
once everything seems to be nicely mixed, you are ready to serve! slice up some avocado to use as garnish. i had my avocado in the main mix but noticed it doesn’t let it keep well (avocado starts to brown). however that didn’t stop us from eating it for the next few days 🙂 i’d say if you have enough people to eat through the whole batch, you could include your avocado in the main mix and the color will remain just fine. enjoy!
mrscaseyann 