Picnic Cake

1 3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over butter and oatmeal in mixing bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add sugars and mix well using a spoon (not a mixer). Add eggs and mix. Add dry ingredients and 1/2 of chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and 1/2 cup brown sugar over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CAKE

So, I know pumpkin is a little out of season but I had a can I had to use in the pantry and love this recipe....
Happy Baking :) - MichelleL.

Ingredients:

CAKE

1 C BUTTERMILK

*(I didn't have buttermilk so I used 1 cup of milk & 4 tbsp. vinegar - worked great!)

1 C WATER

2/3 C COOKING OIL

2 C SUGAR

2 EGGS

1 TSP. BAKING SODA

1/2 TSP. SALT

2 C. FLOUR

3/4 C UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER

PUMPKIN CREAM FILLING

1 8oz CREAM CHEESE, SOFTENED

1/3 C CANNED PUMPKIN

1/4 C SUGAR

1/4 TSP. CINNAMON

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

1/2 C WHIPPING CREAM

4 oz SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE, CHOPPED

1. Grease and flour round 9" baking pans; preheat oven to 350


2. In large bowl combine cake ingredients in order listed and whisk until well combined. Divide batter between prepared pans.


3. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes till top springs back. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely.


4. Prepare pumpkin cream filling. Place one cake layer on plate and spread filling over top and top with second cake layer.


5. Make chocolate glaze. Bring whipping cream to boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate (DO NOT STIR). Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir till smooth. Cool another 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over cake, allowing glaze to drip down sides. Chill until set, about 30 minutes. (*watch the glaze, I always let it cool too long and it gets too thick....still works though)

Indian Food

This is for you Ang...
If you haven't ever had Indian Food try it, it's amazing and this recipe is easy to make.

Chicken Tikka Masala
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne pepper (this will be hot, I only add about 1/4 tsp because of the kids)
2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (I used bottled and it was fine)
1 tsp salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

*I've done it both ways, but cutting the chicken before marinading is much less messy.












1 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalepeno pepper finely chopped (I leave out)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

*Basmati rice is the type the Inidian restaurants use, but we have used regular rice once in a bind and it was fine. We all agree that the Basmati rice is better though. This can be a little more expensive, but I found a small bag at the Walmart Market for $3.99 and it was great!
Also if you're wondering if your family will like this, you might be suprised. My kids love it and eat a ton of it and trust me they are very picky!
Indian food is usually served with Naan. At the restaurants you scoop your chicken and rice onto the bread and it's wonderful!
I tried this recipe and it was easy enough, but it does make a lot of Naan
(by the way, Naan is like a flatbread or pita).

Naan
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 egg beaten
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup melted butter

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, intil the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. roll into balls and place on a tray. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

*no picture, sorry
I have another recipe that doesn't make as many, but I haven't tried it. If it's better I'll post it later.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Yummy....The kids loved these mini muffs they make a great snack!
1 1/4 cup oats
1 cup whhole wheat flour (or white)
1/3 cup chopped pecans (didn't have any this time)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes ( I used Pumpkin)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Topping
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp. pecans ( I used chopped almonds)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
350 18-22 min
I made mini muffins and they were perfect no dry at all!

Stephanie's Kitchen

Heads up to a web site mentioned today on KSL Studio 5. Stephanie's Kitchen, what a fun site full of beautiful pictures and recipes on her blog. The items look mouth watering and yummy. Makes me want to run to my kitchen and get baking. Check her out for some fun ideas. www.stephanieskitchen.com

Getting Prepared

It's the start of a new year...time to get prepared! Each month we will focus on a different items you need to supplement your 72 hour kits, 3 month supply and long-term storage. This will be ongoing, so join in when you can. When we are finished we'll start over again. The items for the month will be posted along the sidebar (right side) and will be added to each month. If you have ideas or recipes that go along with the items focused on each month feel free to share with everyone!

Wheat

For those of you that missed the wheat class (which is pretty much everyone), here is the info we talked about along with some tried and true recipes. Wheat can be intimidating, and we may not know what to do with it if we have it in storage, but it really is easy to incorporate into our diets. Here is some info to help you get started.

• We all know the health benefits of wheat, we have discussed it at a previous enrichment activity (thanks Angie and Pepper). It is an important thing to add to our diet, but introduce it slowly if you don't consume it on a regular basis. I'll save you the details... but wheat will make you very "regular" if you know what I mean, so introducing it gradually will let your body adjust to it.
• Here is a breakdown of some of the wheat terminology so we know what some of the recipes are talking about. The wheat we buy from the store, cannery, etc is called either wheat berries or the kernel. Sprouted wheat is wheat that has sprouted from the kernel after being soaked in water. This can be used in salads, soups, in place of rice or in any other recipe you think would work. Bulgar is wheat that has been soaked and then baked to speed up the cooking time. This can also be served like rice. Cracked Wheat is a wheat berry that has been broken down into small pieces. You can crack uncooked wheat berries in a food grinder or processor.
• The flour we buy at the store has preservatives added to it so it can be stored at room temperature for a long time. When you make your own wheat flour or crack your wheat it obviously has no preservatives, so it won't last as long. If you keep it too long it will go rancid and smell bad. I don't know a definite time, but I have kept it for a few months with no problems. It just won't last years like the flour from the store. Anytime you have cracked wheat or flour and you don't use it all you can store it in the freezer in a sealed container to make it last longer. lds.org says the storage on wheat is 30 years, but it will last MUCH longer than that it will just start to loose some nutritional value after that long. Here is a rule of thumb though, anytime the outer shell is broken the 30 year rule doesn't apply any longer and must be used as discussed above.

Okay, so you have wheat now what do we do with it? There are two types of grinders: electric and manual. Both are just fine, you just need to weigh the pros and cons of each one. An electric is obviously quicker and easier and a manual is great for no electricity and quite a bit cheaper. Don't go out and buy one if you don't have one, I decided to ask for mine for Christmas because I wouldn't have been able to buy one right when I wanted it. If you don't have one there are still options to use wheat. You can soak wheat (sprout it) and make it into a hot cereal or into recipes as discussed above, you can crack it in your processor and also make this into cereal. This is similar to cream o wheat and we just add milk and either brown sugar or honey to sweeten it slightly. There are also a few blender recipes that you grind the wheat berries in. Any recipe that calls for flour would need to be done with a grinder though, so if you know someone with one go borrow theirs if you don't have one of your own.

Wheat Recipes

Okay, so here are the recipes

Whole Wheat Muffins

1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
mix all except flour, then four into bowl containing flour and mix well with spoon. (I do in my mixer and it turns out just fine). Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. (check early). Makes 1 1/2 dozen


Whole Wheat Country Griddle Cakes
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup instant cream o wheat (dry)
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
Cook on greased griddle until golden brown



Whole Wheat Blender Waffles With Coconut Syrup

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp wheat berries
1 cup milk
2 eggs
4 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar or honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Blend wheat berries and milk on high for 4-5 minutes until batter is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low for a minute or until Incorporated. cook on hot waffle iron (stir batter before pouring onto waffle iron, because any heavier wheat particles will settle at bottom). Makes about 10 waffles
To make pancakes instead of waffles, use 1 cup wheat berries and 2 Tbsp oil

Coconut Syrup

7-8 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract
place butter, buttermilk and sugar into pot. Turn on stove to medium heat and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and add flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the fizz to reduce before serving.


Whole Grain Apple Fritters

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup finely chopped and peeled apples
stir dry ingredients then add in wet ones. Fold in apples. Batter will be very thick. Drop by spoonfuls in hot pan with a little oil. Flatten a bit with a spoon and cook on medium heat until golden and flip and cook in the other side until done. Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon. When fritter are done and hot, drop them in powdered sugar mixture and coat both sides, just a light dusting. You can dip them in syrup or eat them plain.

Chocolate Zucchini Mini Muffins

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated zucchine, small grater
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups chocolate chips, divided (I use mini and I don't use the full 2 cups)
mix all dry ingredients except for chocolate chips. Add wet ingredients. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour into mini muffin tins. Top with last cup of chips. Bake at 375 for 12-15 mintues. You can also bake this in a 9x13 pan or regular muffin tins. Bake at 325 for 9x13. This makes a lot and they freeze great.

Baby it's cold Outside!

Here's a Soup that we love....

Tortellini Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
4 cloves of garlic
4 c. chicken broth (or 4 bouillon cubes & water)
1 -14. oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup parm cheese (powder kind works best)
10 oz. package cheese tortellini
1/2 bag fresh spinach
1 Tbsp dry basil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter or olive oil cook garlic 1 min. Stir in tomatoes, broth, basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med add Tortellini. Cook until tortellini is tender (5- 10 min). Then add Parm, stir until mixed stir in Spinach and cook two more minutes.Enjoy!

www.simplifysupper.com

For anyone that didn't watch Good Things Utah today ... this is for you. A web site called simplify supper.com is done by two young ladies that seem to have a great thing going. The site gives simple recipes and a months worth of ideas on a calendar. What a fabulous idea. All the recipes are for 4 people so you could easily double or have left overs depending on your situation. Gosh ... I wish this had been around when I had a young family. Check it out!! Melanie Butler

Buttermilk Refigerator Rolls

I tried these this last week and they turned out pretty good. I like them because once you mix the dough it can last up to 7 days in your fridge and you can have rolls whenever you want! Enjoy

3 cups Buttermilk (room temperature)
3 cups flour
1 T. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (first let rise a few minutes)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour (sometimes you need a cup more--it should not be too sticky)
½ cup oil
1 tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes. Mix the buttermilk, flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.
Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and kneed for 7-10 minutes. Roll out what you want and place the rest in the refrigerator, covered. The next time you want some fresh baked rolls, take from the bowl what you want and again put the rest back in the refrigerator. It will keep for 7 days. (This is perfect for Sunday meals because you don’t have a lot of mess to clean up and it’s quick.)
Let rolls rise on baking sheets until double in size. Time depends on the room temperature, usually 1½ - 2 hours. Dough from the refrigerator will take longer because the dough is cold.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter if you like.

Freezer Meals Group

The South Weber 1st Ward has been doing a few "freezer groups" which I have been wanting to get into for almost a year now, but am still on the waiting list. So instead of waiting another year, I thought I'd propose the idea to our ward/neighborhood and see if enough sisters were interested to get one started. Here's the general idea of what they do, but of course we could do it any way we wanted:

Myrt Hyer (if any of you remember her) made copies of her recipe book which has freezer meal ingredients, instructions, recipes etc. and I've got it to use.
They do six gals in a group and get together once a month. I believe they have a daytime group and a nighttime group for people that work during the day. Each person picks a recipe and buys the ingredients to make six of that particular recipe. All of the prep work (which is usually minor) is done at home, then they get together at someone's house and each person assembles their six meals using the ingredients that everyone brought. All of the recipes are meant to be stored in the freezer and then go straight into the oven or crockpot. One recipe feeds a family of six, so if you have a large family you go home with six freezer meals but if your family is smaller then it could be twelve or more meals if you divide them up. They split the costs evenly and on average spend about $50 a month.

I have more details of course, but that is the gist of it. If you're interested, email me at mollycollings@gmail.com

Molly Collings

Back to School Tip

I thought I'd share this time saving tip with you guys. I'm sure none of you are as busy as me right? Okay, so I'm going to preach nutrition for a minute. We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day right? Well, it really is, that's why it's called breakfast. "Breaking" the "fast" from the energy you burn during your sleep. It's especially important for all these kids going back to school. Here is a great recipe for pancakes that have protien to keep their energy up until lunch. Here's the tip to make our mornings easier. Make a batch (or 3) and freeze them. On those crazy mornings, just take them out, pop them in the microwave and you have breakfast in seconds. We made a batch last week and we've had them almost every morning since. They freeze great! Here they are:

Peanut Butter Pancakes
1 1/4 cup flour (I used half wheat, half white)
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cup milk ( you can add a little more to make the batter thinner)
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 T. melted butter
1 egg
Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. Beat the egg and then add the milk and peanut butter until well moistened. Butter a pan or griddle, heated to medium high. Spoon by quarter cupfuls onto your griddle. Makes about 20 regular size pancakes.

Citrus Toss Salad

Citrus Toss Salad

I have seen this salad on two websites and it looked so good I had to try for myself. I have to say it has to be one of my favs.......YUMMY! Okay, enough posts from me for a while :)

Romaine or spring mix
1 red onion, sliced
1 large orange, peeled and sliced
1 pt. strawberries, cut up
2 kiwis
2 avocados, cut up
sugared pecans

Dressing:
1/3 - 1/2 cup oil (I thought 1/3) was enough
2 limes zest and juice
juice and zest from 1 orange
2 T sugar

Carribean Tacos : courtesy of Shari Goodman

This has been our favorite recipe this summer! Try it even if you don't want to add all the extra stuff. It's a keeper for sure!

4 T. Honey

3 T. Fresh Lime Juice

1 T. Oil

2 tsp. Chili Powder (I only use 1 tsp)

1/4 tsp. Garlic powder

1 - 1 1/2 pounds shredded and cooked chicken

Toppings:

little flour tortillas (Neighborhood Walmart has them fresh daily in the deli)

Shredded green cabbage
diced avocado

cilantro

Salsa

diced mangoes (or you can use the mango salsa)

diced tomatoes

Shred chicken and toss into chili powder, garlic powder, oil, honey, and lime mixture.

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles with Coconut Syrup

I got this recipe off the internet recently and I've made it already a few times. These are sooo good and a great way to use up some of that wheat in your food storage. I know the syrup sounds interesting, but I'm telling you the waffles are amazing with it! I didn't have any buttermilk one time, so we just put jam on the waffles and they are good without the coconut, but not nearly as much as an indulgence. Try these, I don't think you'll be disappointed.


Whole Wheat Blender Waffles
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp whole wheat berries (these are just the wheat kernels you get)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
4 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar (or honey)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Blend wheat berries and milk on high for 4-5 minutes, until batter is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low for a minute or until incorporated. Cook on hot waffle iron. (stir batter before pouring into waffle iron, because the heavier wheat particles will settle at the bottom) makes about 10 waffles. (to make pancakes instead of waffles, use 1 cup wheat berries and 2 Tbsp oil)

Coconut Syrup
7-8 Tbsp butter
4/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

Homemade Clif Bars

These power bars are great and We made seven batches ( I know sounds crazy huh?) this past week so I thought I'd share! I love love love these and they are no bake! If you are going to make them double it and put into a 9x13 pan. We made one batch with chocolate chips and one batch with craisins, raisins and almonds.
Enjoy girls!


Courtesy of Enlightened Cooking:
There is plenty of room for variation.

1 and 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal (e.g., Rice Krispies)
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc.)
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (preferably roasted or toasted)
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or honey, maple syrup, or light molasses)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/3 cup nut butter (e.g., peanut, almond, cashew, soynut)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the rice cereal, oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit, and nuts in a large bowl.

Bring the syrup and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in nut butter and vanilla until blended.

Pour nut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated (mixture will be stiff). Press mixture firmly into an 8-inch square pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) using a large square of wax paper. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 12 bars. (Wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator).

Variations:
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Replace the dried fruit with an equal amount of semisweet miniature chocolate chips (or carob chips). Combine the cereal mixture with the syrup mixture, then let the combined mixture stand 10 minutes before adding the chips.

Peanut Butter Cookie
Use chopped dates for the dried fruit and dry roasted peanuts for the nuts. Use honey, or half honey-half molasses for the syrup and peanut butter for the nut butter.

Will You Cherry Me?
Use chopped dried tart cherries for the fruit and lightly salted roasted almonds for the nuts. Use any nut butter (almond butter is great, but I know, very expensive, and add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

Apple Pie
Use chopped dried apples for the fruit and rice syrup or honey for the syrup. Be sure to add the cinnamon option, and use toasted walnuts or pecans for the nuts.

Watchamacallits

1 c. Karo syrup (found with other syrups)

1 c. sugar

1 c. peanut butter

3 c. Rice Krispies

1/2 pkg. chocolate chips

1/2 pkg. butterscotch chips

Stir together Karo syrup, sugar, and peanut butter in a large pan. Cook on med heat until mixture is creamy. Add 3 cups of Rice Krispies (I use a big enough pan and add it right into the creamy mixture) . Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Combine chocolate chips (on bottom) and butterscotch chips in a bowl and microwave for a minute until smooth. Spread over krispie mixture. Cool in the refrigerator. Remove and cut into 1-inch squares.

Happy 4th of July!

Okay, I'm going to start things off. Hope everyone had a great holiday. I printed this off the Kraft website a few years ago, but I've never done it. My mother-in-law asked me to bring a Jello salad to the BBQ and I thought it was a easy, cute and patriotic way to celebrate the fourth. You can use it on top of anything that has cool whip or frosting I'm sure. I just have Jello under my cool whip, but I have two other versions... one's a cheesecake and one is a pound cake. Great way to spice up the traditional Jello !