What's cookin'?

This typically doesn't happen much during this time of year, but I seem to be on a bit of a "try new recipes" kick.  This evening I tried four!  All from Gina's Skinny Recipes.  

We had...

  

barbacoa beef

cilantro lime rice

cuban style black beans

and corn salsa with lime

I served everything up along with flour tortillas and tortilla chips,

and cheese, sour cream and salsa.

It was all very well received. 

I really like Gina's recipes 

because they make me stretch out of my 

cooking comfort zone just a bit,

with tasty results!

Bubble Ring Revisited

Monkey Bread Bubble Ring
6 servings

1 loaf refrigerated bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Cut dough into 24 pieces and roll into balls.  Melt butter and combine with sugar and cinnamon.  Dip each piece of dough into butter mixture and layer in a greased bunt pan.  Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes and then turn out onto a plate.  Enjoy!

We enjoyed last night's garlic bubble ring so much that I just had to try a monkey bread variety for breakfast this morning.  Yum!

Garlic Bubble Ring

Garlic Bubble Ring
6 servings

1 loaf refrigerated bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried onion

Cut dough into 24 pieces and roll into balls.  Melt butter and combine with seasonings.  Dip each piece of dough into butter mixture and layer in a greased bunt pan.  Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes and then turn out onto a plate.  Enjoy!

This was really easy and very, very good!  Everyone enjoyed it with our spaghetti this evening.  It was a great change of pace from garlic toast or garlic breadsticks.  

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup

Bible Quiz Day 71

Answer to question 70 - thief  (I Thessalonians 5:2)

Question 71 - Peter told the Jews in Jerusalem to __________ and be __________ for the remission of their sins.

"Thank God every morning when you get up, that you have something to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not.  Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle never know."

 ~Charles Kingsley

Bible Quiz Day 70

Answer to question 69 - Timothy (I Timothy 1:2)

Question 70 - The day of the Lord will come as a __________ in the night.

Guess what?

Fresh brown eggs make very pretty Easter eggs. :-)

I used 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 

and 20 drops of food coloring for each shade.

 And I followed the suggested color combinations 
on the back of the McCormick food color box.

red, yellow, green, blue, 

pretty purple, orange sunset, teal, 

mint green, and dusty rose

Braided Sandwich Loaves

Another winner from

Jamie Cooks It Up!

I have all sorts of ideas for fillings and variations on this

recipe.

The bread is very good!

The recipe makes two loaves.

I'll probably half it next time - one loaf easily feeds a family of four.

Edited to add - These have become such a favorite with my family!  When I made the recipe again this week, I had planned to half it and only make one loaf, but I forgot and made the whole recipe.  I went ahead and prepared one braid for supper and put half the dough in the fridge.  I was planning to put pizza fillings in it the next day for lunch, but my son wanted another one for lunch just like we had for supper!  I have been making the braids with ham, cheddar and swiss and serving it with this dipping sauce....

Honey Mustard Sauce for Sandwich Braids

4 servings

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons mayonaise

2 teaspoons mustard

2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

Comine all ingredients, serve as a dip for sandwich braids and enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowls! Yummy!

Oh boy was this yummy!

I tried another recipe from 

Jamie Cooks It Up!

and we really enjoyed it.

Why would I ever again buy bottled teriyaki sauce when the homemade kind is...

...so good!

...so easy!

 ...so much better for you!

...so much less expensive!

Go here for the recipe.

Serve with green tea and get out your chopsticks. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus
April 11th-16th

Monday
teriyaki chicken and noodle bowl
Tuesday
braided sandwich loaf, pasta salad
Wednesday 
out for supper
Thursday
chopped beef sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans
Friday
invited to friend's house for supper
Saturday
margarita pizza

Strawberries and Cream Scones

Strawberries and Cream Scones
8 servings

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2/3 cups half and half
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons sugar

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  Cut in butter.  Add half and half and mix until just combined.  Gently stir in strawberries.  Pat dough in to a flattened circle.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Separate wedges and sprinkle each with sugar.  Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until done.  Serve warm and enjoy!

Linked to Sweet Indulgences Sunday, Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup.

Farmhouse Breakfast Skillet

Farmhouse Breakfast Skillet
12 servings

1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 package microwave bacon, prepared according to package directions
6 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
4 cups country style frozen hash browns, thawed

Preheat oven to 350°.  On stovetop, melt butter in skillet.  Saute onions and peppers until tender.  Crumble bacon into skillet.  Combine eggs, seasonings, milk, cheeses and hash browns.  Pour into skillet, stir until combined and spread evenly. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 40 minutes.  Let set 10 minutes before slicing and enjoy!

~Gardening Journal~

Some Pig ;-)

Since we got Miss LuLu 

it has been too chilly at night 

for her to sleep out doors.

She sleeps in her crate in the living room.

But, before we all go to bed, 

she has enjoyed some family time during the evenings.

Miss Daisy has been so sweet about 

LuLu resting in her bed.

LuLu has really made herself at home,

and made a good friend.

"I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, 

but through it all I still know quite certainly 

that just to be alive is a grand thing."

 ~Agatha Christie

Miss LuLu

Miss LuLu has been getting used to her new home.

She didn't eat much the first few days,

but she's started to really chow down during feeding time.

Besides eating,

she spends most of her time

scratching against the fence, 

(yes that's a smile!)

rooting (lots of rooting!),

getting to know the chickens,

chewing,

burrowing in the hay,

and just generally being cute.

"That was rough.... Thing to do now is try and forget it.... I guess I don't quite mean that.  It's not a thing you can forget.  Maybe not even a thing you want to forget.... Life's like that sometimes... Now and then for no good reason a man can figure out, life will just haul off and knock him flat, slam him agin' the ground so hard it seems like all his insides is busted.  But it's not all like that.  A lot of it's mighty fine, and you can't afford to waste the good part frettin' about the bad.  That makes it all bad.... Sure, I know - sayin' it's one thing and feelin' it's another.  But I'll tell you a trick that's sometimes a big help.  When you start lookin' around for something good to take the place of the bad, as a general rule you can find it." 

~From the movie Old Yeller

Watchin' my corn pop up in rows...

Bible Quiz Day 69

Answer to question 68 - Simon (Acts 8:9-13)

Question 69 - Paul called __________ his son in the faith.

Mr. H.'s Vineyard

Mr. H. has planted some grape vines.

He did some research and has set up the poles and hemp for the first growing season.

He planted red and white varieties.

2 concords, 1 cayuga, and 1 niagara

It will take three growing seasons before any fruit will be produced.

So maybe in ~three years~ I can make some grape jam! 

(And, I thought I had to be patient waiting on the chickens to lay their first eggs...!)