Sweet Potato Pie: A Thanksgiving Tradition

Every year around this time I reflect on the first Thanksgiving my husband and I had together as man and wife. I still get a chuckle just thinking about it. We come from two different cultures. Our cultures never really clashed until we were trying to figure out what pie we should have at Thanksgiving.

Click on the link for my Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

 and how it became a Thanksgiving tradition in our home.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

The other morning I woke up to a cool crisp breeze coming through my window. I laid there in bed watching the blue sheer curtains move back and forth. It was such a calming sight.

That wasn't my first time waking up that morning. Previously, I was awakened by the sound of the alarm clock. The ringing sound is a signal that it's time to rise and shine and help my husband start his day. During the course of making him an omelet, he mentioned a craving for something with butterscotch.

Later that morning, I played around in the kitchen and made these amazing Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies.

Oven at 350 degrees

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cup of flour (You can substitute 1/2 cup of wheat flour.)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup of butter (2 sticks, softened)
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup of butterscotch chips

Instructions:
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream both sugars and butter together.
Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended.
Add dry ingredients from the bowl that was set aside.
*When I add dry ingredients, I always fold and blend them by hand into the wet ingredients instead. My cookies always seem to come out better. Don't over mix.
Add oats. Fold and blend them in.
Add butterscotch chips by folding and blending.

Put cookie dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Take 2 Tbsp of cookie dough and make it into a round ball.
Place cookies on baking sheet. Slightly press down cookies.
Put the remaining cookie dough that's in the bowl inside the fridge for 10 minutes.
Bake cookies on the sheet for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before putting them onto the wire rack to cool.

My husband was one happy man when he came home from work.

"She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

~Proverbs 31:12

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

I was blessed this week with a box full of apples from an older couple at church. I decided to make Apple Pie filling and freeze it for the upcoming holiday pies. With the left over apples, I will make apple butter. (Apple butter taste delicious when it's spread on some hot, homemade biscuits.)

Here's the recipe for Apple Pie filling:

About 8 cups of apples
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of sugar (I use a 1/2 cup of white and 1/2 cup of brown)
1/4 cup of all flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

Put sugar and all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix.

It should look something like this when you're doing mixing. 

Dump the mixed dry ingredients in a freezer bag. 

Peel and core apples. I don't have one of those machines that peel apples. So to save time, I used an apple slicer. Once sliced, I peeled and sliced the apples.

Put the sliced apples in the freezer bag with the dry ingredients. Leave the air in there and shake the bag so that the dry ingredients coat the apples. 

 This is after the apples are coated with the dry ingredients.

 Add lemon juice and vanilla extract.

 Now, make sure all the air is out of the bag and mix. 

Now it's ready for the freezer.

I'm looking forward to baking Apple Pies this holiday season. This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving early. Two of our sons will be home. We look forward to spending precious time with them.

Word of Encouragement:
Let us, as Christian women, be busy about our homes. There are so many things that would come in and take time away from our families. If we allow those things (internet, social media, phone, going from house to house, etc.) to steal our time; it's time we can never get back.

Weekend Breakfast

Today is the first day of Fall. Slowly, I've been cranking the oven and enjoying the aroma of baked goods. With the arrival of fresh crisp air, the scent of apple-cinnamon and pumpkin spice candles; it's a season of slowing down and enjoying the beautiful, vibrant colors of the leaves.

One thing we really enjoy around here is a hearty breakfast. In order to save time on the weekends, I prepare a big breakfast on Saturday so that there are leftovers on Sunday morning. That gives me a little extra time to get ready for church.

I found this Breakfast Casserole over at Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I must say, every recipe that I have tried on this website has been a success.

Right before it goes into the oven.

I did change a few things from what the recipe called for. I only added half the amount of sour cream.

It takes about an hour to bake depending on your oven.

The finished result from this recipe looks amazing and smells delicious.

The finished result was worth all the butter and sour cream.

Yummo!

Herbs, Honey, Bread & Butter

I look forward to our Wednesday evening home group. This week it is our turn to bring snacks. I don't know why I ponder over what to bring. I'm sure whatever I bring, the people are so sweet that they will eat it anyway.

Last week during our Home Economics class, Sarah and I baked some homemade bread. This bread was by far the best we have ever baked. The recipe is a keeper for sure. We got the recipe while watching the video "Homestead Blessings: The Art of Bread Making".

So I decided to bake bread for our home group. Here's an excerpt of the video.

Here's how our bread turned out. Of course we melted butter on our :)

Also, I managed to find fresh herbs really cheap in my area. I decided to make herb butter to go with it. Since my husband has a little sweet tooth (which I always cater too), I decided to make some honey butter as well.

Herb Butter

Herb Butter is fairly simple to make. You use 1 stick of butter. 3 teaspoons of your favorite fresh herbs. I like to use 3 different herbs. I also add a tablespoon of shredded Parmesan cheese; it's optional. Mix it on high with a hand blender until well blended.

Honey Butter

Honey Butter is just 2 ingredients: 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of honey. We like the taste of clover honey, so that's what I use.

I love to put my butters in small canning jars.

As the weather starts to warm up, I'm reminded that nothing compares to bread baking in the oven. Soon, I won't be able to crank that oven on. I'm enjoying it now while there's still a cool breeze today. Someday, I look forward to my grandchildren enjoying my fresh baked breads that I made for their mother and father when they were younger.

Home-Baked Bread

by Sally Croft

"Nothing gives a household a greater sense of stability and common comfort than the aroma of cooking bread. Begin, if you like, with a loaf of whole wheat, which requires neither sifting nor kneading, and go on from there to more cunning triumphs."
-The Joy of Cooking

What is it she is not saying?
"Cunning triumphs". It rings
Of insinuation. Step into my kitchen,
I have prepared a cunning triumph
for you. 

Spices and herbs
sealed in this porcelain jar,

a treasure of my great-aunt
who sat up past midnight
in her Massachusetts bedroom
when the moon was dark. Come,
rest your feet. 

I'll make
you tea with honey and slices

of warm bread spread with peach butter,

still fresh with dew. The fragrance
is seductive? I hoped you would say that.
See how the heat rises
when the bread opens. 

Come, we'll eat together, the small flakes

have scarcely any flavor. What cunning
triumphs we can discover in my upstairs room
where peach trees breathe their sweetness
beside the open window and
sun lies like honey on the floor.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

 

I found this recipe on Pinterest for a Cinnamon Roll Cake. Upon my first glance at the picture, I knew I had to make it. I love cinnamon rolls and I love cake. What a great combination.

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Mix everything together except for the butter.

Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife.

Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. While baking, prepare the glaze.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

When the cake is done. Wait about 5-10 minutes, then drizzle glaze. 

Taste delicious while it's warm.

If you're on pinterest, look me up :)

Buckingham Palace Shortbread

It's that time of year when the oven is cranked and the candles glisten as I sit with the latest recipe book. I'm preparing for the holidays by experimenting with some new ideas. I've found some real treasures hidden in the pages of this book. One caught my eye because only few ingredients were needed. It's called Buckingham Palace Shortbread.

I decided to try this recipe and the results were amazing. One bite of this shortbread and I wanted another one. I decided to split a piece with the children to justify getting another one. That was so kind of me. :)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

 2 cups of cake flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/4 salt
1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Direction:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt until well blended.

 2. Beat the butter until creamy. Beat the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.

3. Add the flour mixture in 2 or 3 additions until it forms a soft dough.

4. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes preheat the oven to 350*F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or leave ungreased.

6 On a light floured surface, roll the dough out to 3/4 inch-thick stab, about 5x8 inches.

7. Gently lift the dough and transfer onto the baking sheet. Baked for about 40 minutes. Slip the parchment paper with the shortbread onto a hard surface. Immediately sprinkle the shortbread heavily with the powdered sugar.

8. While it's still warm, gently cut into 1 and 1/2 inch squares. Let it cool completely.

The shortbread taste best at room temperature. 

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did. 

Better Than Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

This summer I find myself enjoying the company of my youngest child who will officially be a teenager soon. Earlier today the children and I were talking about the morning that Sarah and my husband made cinnamon rolls. I remember that day vividly. The cinnamon rolls were about an inch wide and 2 inches high. Sarah informed me that it was my husband who didn't listen to her and that's why the cinnamon rolls came out the way they did.

Though it's true the cinnamon rolls didn't turn out the way she had hoped that day, but she will never forget the time spent with her father. It's all about making memories that will last a lifetime. Today, I made memories with Sarah. We made some "Better Than Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls."

Here's the recipe we used: Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls.
Since we are not fans of cream cheese frosting, we did this one:

• Vanilla Frosting
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• milk or cream (2 to 4 tablespoons)

 Getting things ready.

 Rolling out the dough.

Spreading the butter.

Spreading the brown sugar & cinnamon.

Rolling up the dough. (At this point, it smells good and it's not in the oven yet)

 All rolled up and ready to be cut.

Sarah is doing a great job.

Ready for the oven.

 Making the frosting while the cinnamon rolls are in the oven.
(Now it smells even better in my home. "Home Sweet Home")

All done and ready for frosting.

(Ooops! I had to step away because of the drool.)

 Ready for my family to enjoy.