Breakfast for Church

DH and I voluntered to cook for our Sunday School class.  I had fun spending a day baking! Here is what I did!

I made a blueberry sour cream pound cake  a puff pastry filled with eggs, sasuage, potatoes and cream cheese.  I made two of each and froze them for my girl's get together the next weekend (which I posted about before this, sorry!)

This was the star! I made a sugar cookie as large as a pizza.  I covered it with cream cheese and sugar combined and then placed the fruit on.  It was great!  I will definately make this again!

Blueberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

from "Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer" by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, & Bonnie Garcia

nonstick cooking spray

3T dry bread crumbs

4 C flour

1/3 t. salt

1 1/2 C light sour cream

1 t. baking sod

3/4 c butter, softened

2 3/4 C sugar

2 t. vanilla

3 eggs

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 C blueberry, fresh or frozen

Yield: One 10 inch tube cake or two medium loaf pans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 10 inch pan or two medum loaf pans with cooking spray and dust with bread crumbs.  In medium bowl, stir together flour and salt and set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and baking soda; stir well.  Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until well blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.  Add lemon juice and beat 30 seconds.  Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beating at low speed.  Begin and end this process with flour mixture.

Fold blueberries into batter.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 dgrees for 70 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack: remove from pan. 

Breakfast Strudel

from "Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer" by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, & Bonnie Garcia

4 frozen puff pastry sheets
11 eggs
2 T. fresh chives or green onions, chopped (optional)
2 T. unsalted butter
1 C frozen hash brown potatoes (I used fresh potatoes)
1 C red and/or green bell peppers, diced (optional)
1 C sasuage, browned (turkey, pork or beef)
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T. water


Yield:  4 strudels

Thaw pastry sheets to room temperature, about 30 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, wish eggs and chives (or green onions) together. Set aside.  In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add potatoes and peppers; saute 5 minutes.  Add sasuage and blend.  Add egg mixture to the skillet and scramble just until set.  Season with salt and pepper.  Take egg mixture off burner and stir in cream cheese.  Cool.

Unfold each pastry sheet onto a piece of waxed or parchment paper that has been lightly dusted with flour.  Trim the pastry on the left and right corners in a downward angle.  Make up to 10 slits at a downward angle on the left and right sheets.  Spread the egg filling down the center, dividing the mixture between each pastry sheet.  Braid the pastry sheet.  Mix remaining egg and water together.  Brush each strudel with egg mixture.  Wrap each strudel in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze.

On serving day, thaw strudel.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place strudel on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Sugar Cookie Fruit Tart
From Cooks.com

Make a cookie tart from recipe below
1 8oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 C fruit

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a small mixter bowl until smooth.  Spread evenly over cooled cookie tart or crust within 1/2 inch of edge.  Arrange fruit as desired on top of cream cheese mixture.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Slice into wedges.

Sugar Cookie Recipe
by allrecipes.com

2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Gradually blend in dry ingredients.  Roll dough into a tart pan or onto a pizza sheet Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as we did!!

Girl's Saturday Get Together

I am so excited to say that my idea for a girl's get together finally happened!  I organized a time of food, fellowship and God's Word and although I invited around 6 women, only 2 showed up and it was amazing.  I am so glad that God is in control when I try to do something!

This was the table setting. I wanted to put a table cloth and place mats but I didn't have any so this is the best I could do!  I think it turned out well! 

  

Here is the food!  I baked two of each of these for our Sunday School class the week before (gotta love the cook it and freeze it cookbooks!).  I made a blueberry sour cream coffee cake and a puff pastry filled with eggs, sasuage, potatoes and cream cheese.  They were DELICIOUS!

 Here were the gifts.  I had so much fun sewing these totes and the girls were able to choose the one they wanted. They were excited which made me happy!

I decided to do a devotion on Friendship since this was our first meeting and I knew I was meeting with women I really didn't know that well yet.  I decided to open with a candy ice breaker. It was fun and we learned new things about each other.  Then we did a "friendship" survey to find out what kind of friend we are.  Then I referenced a devotion from the Faith Lifts devotion site about the relationship that Mary and Elizabeth had and how Mary ran to Elizabeth's house when the angel told her she was pregnant with the Lord in Luke 1:38-56.  Then she stayed with Elizabeth for three months.  The relationship they must have had for Mary to choose Elizabeth to go to at a time when she was even unsure of what was happening tells me that she trusted Elizabeth.  I want someone who I can run to when I need a trusting ear and heart.

I believe God has opened a door for the women in this group to grow closer to each other and God.  To keep each other accountable and encourage each other in tough times.  To celebrate with each other.  I am so excited to see what the future holds!! 

Coco Krispies

Yes, I am one of those parents who let their children eat sugary cereal.  I know it's terrible! So I will appologize up front!


However, the idea for this post is from something my 6 yr old came up with. I have Rice Krispies Cereal at home and he loves chocolate milk so he has decided that when he eats both of these items, he pours the chocolate milk (warm) into the cereal thus creating Coco Krispies.  Pretty smart, huh?


Ok, this is my feel good post for today! Oh and the chocolate milk is made with Nesquick so it's kinda nutritional!  I think you should try this too :)

Throwdown

Do you watch the Food Network? Have you seen Bobby Flay's show "Throwdown with Bobby Flay"? If you answered yes, then you will understand this post. If you answered no, then hopefully you will try to watch in the future!
The competitors: Lisa Clark and Amy Comeaux (me!)

The product: Hostess Cupcakes

The Challenge: Loan Operations Throwdown

This was the set up (isn't it nice, I did it myself!). I purchased some milk because how can one eat chocolate cupcakes without milk?

The Judges: Two co-workers from the branch (which will remain nameless for identity's sake).

The Result: I lost by 3 points!!! But it was oh so much fun! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I knew I was going up against someone fierce as Lisa is a cake decorator and a good one. I have had such a love for baking recently that it was something I just had to do. I had co-workers taking home cupcakes to let their spouses judge.

I'll let you know if we ever do it again. Until then, enjoy the pictures and dream of how good they tasted!! :)

He likes it, he really likes it!

I have had so much fun reading all the frugal blogs and learning how to make so many things we eat from scratch. However, getting my family on board has not been as fun! The kids are much easier to convert since they have to eat what I give them but DH is used to "store bought" items. Well, I think I've finally found something I can make from scratch that DH likes and I feel that it is cause for celebration!

So, I am celebrating "homemade bagel day". I made a batch yesterday and I only have this one lonely one left! Yay! I hope this encourages all the other Mom's who are trying to be frugal and making their everyday breads and snacks from scratch. I will continue to try and convert DH while I have fun and save money!!

Baking Day

I had Monday off for Presidents Day and had plans to spend the day baking snacks for the kids (and parents too)!

This is my finished product presented to my kids. Pretty, isn't it?

I baked Italian Bread from the recipe on the back of the Break Making Flour. It came out crispy and delicious!

I made Rice Crispy Treats from a recipe by Ellie Kreiger (Food Network). It is made with peanut butter and honey so it's healthier. They are good but they don't stick together well!

I packaged the crispy treats for easy take and eat consumption. Plus, I am hoping it will keep them fresh too!

Ok, these pictures are not cooperating and I cannot switch the order so you will see the finished product before the finished snacks! I made personalized labels for the granola bars. They have the date on them and are packaged in foil to keep them fresh.

This is the granola bars before I wraped them. They are Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.

This is my homemade label for my Amish Friendship Bread. It is just so yummy! See the bread below!

So here is to another successful baking day! I love to bake, I take after my Daddy! Enjoy and let me know if you want any of the recipes...I'll be happy to share :)

Baking Night

Ok, so I read a couple of posts lately about setting aside a baking day to prepare food for freezing so the kids could heat and eat easily. Well, I did my shopping last night and was ready to bake. I love to bake so for me is truely isn't a chore but a joy. My DH was at church and my kids were otherwise occupied so I got a lot done. See my progress below:




Chocolate Chip Pancakes




Oatmeal cookies without oatmeal (I substituted special K cereal)




Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

You should hear my kids tonight. They are so excited about morning and are telling me they are going to have a continental breakfast - one of everything!

Enjoy your baking time :)