Relief Society Birthday Cupcake Decorating Class

 

There are actually some super-fun things that the pandemic has brought us that we wouldn't have enjoyed otherwise.  One of them happened Tuesday evening when we joined my Mom's ward's Relief Society Birthday event: a cupcake decorating class...via Zoom.

We learned how to make so many cute cupcakes, and that was made so much easier because of technology.  I think  it was even easier than if we had been in person.

And it was really cool to reconnect with my old ward members I knew as a youth.

Later I shared some photos of the evening on FB and discovered that a non-member friend of mine from high school is friends with the cupcake instructor from the class.  Again, more blessings of the last year...more skills gained and more connections and friendships made.  God definitely has a plan.

 

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Easter Bread Recipe

 

I've just been feeling to great about getting to get my vaccine last week.  But to top the week off I also got to dye eggs and make Easter bread with my kids.  We made these a few years ago when we first moved to Pittsburgh, but I haven't really found time to make it since.  Here's the recipe:

Italian Easter Bread

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup butter , at room temperature
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour
• egg wash (1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water)
• 6 dyed , uncooked, Easter eggs (will cook in the oven)
• Sprinkles

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, milk, salt, butter, eggs, sugar and some flour.
2. On low speed, add the rest of the flour until a dough forms.
3. Knead until dough is smooth.  Add more flour as needed, until tacky.
4. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.
5. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into 14-inch ropes.
6. Twist ropes to form a "braid" then join ends to form a wreath.  Place on lined baking sheet.
7. Cover with towel and let rise 1 more hour.
8. Brush with egg wash.  Decorate with sprinkles.
9. Place egg in center of each nest.
10. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

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Giant Bubble Recipe

In the previous post, I shared our recipe for a fun at-home Field Day.  Today, I am sharing the recipe we use to make GIGANTIC BUBBLES...which are the hit of any gathering!

The secret ingredients are guar gum (found on Amazon) and concentrated dish soap (such as Dawn's Platinum Power Clean).

Here are the ingredients for this mixture:

• 1 Tbps Guar Gum Powder
• 24oz Dish Soap
• 3 Gallons of Distilled Water
• 3 Tbps Baking Powder

Note: The best dish soap for bubbles is up for debate, but generally Dawn Platinum Power Clean is seen as one of the best. I also like Dawn's hypoalergenic dish soap which seems to work nearly as well and can be easier to find in stores. Anything labeled as a concentrate of '2x' is typically not very good.

Giant bubbles will work best in high humidity and cool air, so mornings and late afternoons will give the best results. The middle of the night can also give great results, and the colors created in the bubbles by artificial lights are quite nice. 

(Recipe Source)

We have had the best results when we make the bubble recipe the night before use.

Another ingredient for success in giant bubble-making is to make these bubble wands: (This link shows you step-by-step how to make them.)

It's basically 2 rods, a washer, and rope.  Secure them in any way that makes an uninterrupted triangle that works as a huge bubble wand.  I keep my bubbles in a big storage tub that has a lid for storing overnight.  This is now one of those things that I always want to keep on-hand during the summer months.

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Strive to Be a Chocolatier

 

Autumn continues to work on her baking skills...this weekend, she turned her attention to making molded chocolates -- just in time for Valentine's Day!

It's so simple and fun...it's just like painting, because you melt the chocolate and use a paintbrush to apply the various colors.  Right up her artistic alley.

It's fun to watch our kids as they explore their interests and broaden their talents.  It's tasty too and was a fun way to pass the chilly weekend.  What are your kids working on for their Children and Youth goals? I'd love to hear...

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Chicken & Veggie Bake Recipe

 

One of our favorite (and easiest) dinners to make and eat in 2020 has been this one-pan (actually our family requires two) chicken and vegetable bake.

The girls have gotten lots of time to help cook, and this is one that everyone enjoys.

We use bone-in chicken thighs, dipped in melted butter and then breaded in Italian bread crumbs. 

We place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and add chopped up vegetables (sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, potatoes, etc. are a favorite).  Then we drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and sometimes...more pats of butter for taste.

Then we bake at 475 degrees for 35 minutes.  It turns out perfect every time.

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Prognostication & Popcorn Recipes

Today is the day that the country looks to Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog for weather predictions.

Groundhog Day is one of those odd holidays that's always, unexplainably on the calendar, and if you don't know, it stems from the Christian holiday called Candlemas, which is situated right in the middle of Winter and is a celebration of Light and Christ.  

I have to applaud the group of people who not only started this tradition of looking to a groundhog to predict future weather conditions, but who managed to make it a national holiday.  As a PR person, I see what an incredible job they've done to keep the lore alive and make it a fun event that people flock to at 3:00 am every February 2nd.

But seriously, as a Mom, I do the same thing...look for ways to make the ordinary celebratory...especially in the dead of winter...and most especially during a pandemic.

Today, we were guaranteed 6 more weeks of winter weather, and we're kicking that off with snow storms this week and single digit temps next week.

So, to warm our lives up a bit today, we whipped up some yummy popcorn and delivered it to friends.  Here are my kids looking various degrees of happy to be out of the house to deliver said popcorn:

Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA is just 1 hour and 45 minutes from our house, and while I've never been there in person, this video (which was a virtual replacement for the yearly in-person celebration because of COVID) is a fun one to watch to get the full experience without actually being there!

Here are two recipes for the popcorn treats that we made today:

Valentine's Popcorn:

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter

12-14 oz mini marshmallows

10 cups of popped popcorn

valentine's Day sprinkles

10 oz Valentine's Day M & Ms

Small pretzels broken up into pieces

Instructions:

You make this similarly to rice crispy squares.  Pop the corn and add broken up pretzels. Melt the butter in a pan on the stove, then add marshmallows and stir to melt and combine with melted butter. Pour over popcorn.  Mix.  Add M & Ms and sprinkles and more of each ingredient to your liking.

Lucky Charms Popcorn:

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter

12-14 oz mini marshmallows

10 cups of popped popcorn

10 oz Lucky Charms cereal

Small pretzels broken up into pieces

Instructions:

You make this similarly to rice crispy squares.  Pop the corn and add broken up pretzels. Melt the butter in a pan on the stove, then add marshmallows and stir to melt and combine with melted butter. Pour over popcorn.  Mix.  Add more of each dry ingredient to your liking.

Now it's time for me to go watch "Groundhog's Day!"...THE MOVIE!

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Sausage Roll Recipe

 Over the first weeks of this year, I've been making an effort to share some recipes that are special to our family traditions.

Today I'm sharing the short-cut method to making our family's traditional sausage rolls (which my family has really enjoyed over the holidays, asking me to make it multiple times.)

This was my English great-grandmother's recipe. I remember my grandmother always made sausage rolls for Christmas Eve to eat after opening our gifts at midnight.  We also sometimes had them on New Year's Eve.

She made a lovely homemade crust.  Then my Mom started making it with a box crust when necessary.  And now I make it using a store-bought crust that I just roll out.  So when my girls read this years from now, just know simple is best, but Grandma's way was probably tastier!

What you'll need:

2 roll-out crusts

1 tube of hot sausage

1 tube mild/regular sausage

Directions:

Rolls out both crusts on floured surface.

Mix the two sausages together in a bowl.

Spread meat evenly on top of the crusts.

Then "jellyroll" the crust and meat concoction together.

Make sure to seal the edges.

Bake on a pan at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crust is brown and meat is no longer pink.

Slice and serve hot.

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Sugar Cookie & Royal Icing Recipe & Decorating Tips

 

When we moved to Pittsburgh four years ago, a really kind sister in the ward had my girls and me over to teach us how to decorate sugar cookies.

I have always been touched by this gesture.  This sister is a super-pro at cookie decorating and makes them look totally professional.  Also, I have always wanted to know how to do that, so I just think she is a very generous person to share her "secrets" with me.

When I make them with my kids, we always have a great time doing it and they feel really accomplished because we are able to make the cookies look pretty cute....as opposed to how they used to look when we made them, which was not so cute.

So, today, I thought I'd share the recipes that we use and some tips to help anyone out there who might like to give it a try!

First, I make the cookie dough.  I love this recipe, because it's so quick and easy.  You don't have to chill the dough in the refrigerator and it tastes so good.  I love almond flavoring in cookies (it's what gives my fortune cookies their yummy flavor as well!)

Here is the recipe that I use.  It's called BEST SUGAR COOKIE EVER by In Katrina's Kitchen. (Follow the link for the recipe)

Once the cookies are made, we whip up this icing recipe, courtesy of my cookie master friend Julie.

Royal Icing

★★★★

Prep 10 mins ∙ Makes 1 batch of sugar cookies ∙ (The icing makes a LOT, so I only double if I'm making like 4-6 batches of the cookies.)

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons meringue powder*
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon of a combination of vanilla and almond extract
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 lbs powdered sugar

Directions

In the bowl of your mixer combine the meringue powder, water, emulsion (extracts) and corn syrup. Mix on low speed until frothy.

Dump all the powdered sugar into the mixer and begin by mixing on low until the mixer starts to struggle.

Then switch speed to level 4 or medium speed and mix for exactly 3 minutes. No more and no less. immediately put the icing into a air-tight container.

Notes

**I use 2 1/2 tsp of CLEAR vanilla and 1 tsp of almond extract. Clear flavorings ensure white icing.

Next I divide up the icing into however many colors I want.  In separate small bowls I have the kids stir in water and food coloring to make the icing the correct consistency, and then we fill the icing/piping bags which are equipped with small round tips.

In general, you want consistency of the icing to be firm enough that it doesn't run off the cookie while you're "outlining" the cooking and runny enough that it will also spread and mix with itself when you are "filling" in the cookie shape.

Per my friend's instructions, I use tall drinking glasses to help me fill the piping bags.  Then I place wet paper towels in the bottom of each glass and use them to stand the bags upright as we mix more and as we decorate.  Makes the whole process easier.

Here's a cookie that has been outlined.

Even my 4 year old can enjoy doing it.

And here's one that has been filled in.  You can make two bags for each color....or you can mix a consistency that can be used for both outlining and filling in.

You can make designs like this by swirling wet icing with a toothpick.

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Lucky 60 Minute Dinner Rolls

I'm sharing some of my favorite recipes over the next little while, recipes that might be kind of simple, but that add a little magic to our family traditions.  This one was given to me by my friend Lauren Miles. But like all good recipes, this one morphed into not just 60 minute dinner rolls, but LUCKY 60 minute dinner rolls! 

This happened about 7 years ago when we were doing a Christmas Traditions Around the World study at home.  It's a Serbian tradition to make Christmas bread which has a coin hidden in it.  The person who finds the coin is said to have good luck in the coming year. It's called Cesnica.

We used this recipe that year and all of the kids present (including my sister's children) were thrilled to find a quarter in their rolls.  (Watch out though, the coins stay hot for a little while!) I add enough coins for the little kids at least to find a quarter.  It just depends on the dynamic of the crowd.  We did this today after church, and my girls were thrilled to find quarters, poking their fingers in all of the rolls!  Unfortunately, they're going to have to make their own good fortune this year, because only the little kids found quarters.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I like to double it. If you use sifted flour the rolls rise even higher and you can make the rolls larger or smaller depending on your preference.  You can bake them in muffin tins or on a flat baking sheet.  In the photo above I baked close together so they can be pulled apart for our Christmas celebration.

60 Minute "Lucky" Dinner Rolls 

3.5-4.5 cups flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 pkgs (4.5 tsp yeast)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

Stir together 1.5 cups flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl.

In a separate, microwavable bowl, combine milk, water, and butter and heat until liquids are 120-130 degrees.  (Butter does not necessarily need to melt.)

Transfer to Bosch mixing bowl and gradually add dry ingredients.

Beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

Add 1/2 cup flour, beat for 2 minutes on high.

Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.

Turn on to lightly floured board and knead 5 minutes by hand OR knead 5 minutes in mixer.

Place in greased bowl, cover, and rise for 15 minutes.

Split dough in half, half again....form into 24 round dinner rolls.

*On special occasions like Christmas or New Year, I high a coin, usually a quarter, or two for my kids to find.  If you find a quarter in your roll you get "good luck"!

Place in greased muffin tins or a flat cookie sheet.

Rise 15 minutes.

Bake 10-12 minutes @425.

Makes 24 rolls.

For my family, I double this recipe.

Great with soup or makes yummy sliders with a slice of ham or turkey.

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Whole Wheat Pancakes in the Blender

 If there is one meal that has sustained us during this pandemic, it's this whole wheat pancake recipe that my friend shared on FB early last spring.  

It makes good use of all that wheat grain in our basement, and it's easy to grind up in my Bosch blender in just one step.  

I made it many mid-mornings of cyber-schooling, and it brought people out of the woodwork, filled bellies, and brought smiles.  I made it so often in 2020 that I ended up buying a Christmas ornament of a stack of hotcakes to commemorate the year. 

I am sharing it here, mostly to keep it where I can easily access it and for others to use.

Whole Wheat Pancakes in a Blender

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat grains

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. baking POWDER

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. honey

Instructions:

Place 1 cup wheat grains and 1 cup milk in blender.

Cover and blend on high for 2 minutes.

Then add 1/2 cup of milk more and blend for 4 minutes on high.

Add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 Tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp salt.  Blend until well-mixed.

Finally, add 1 Tbsp Baking Powder.  Blend until just mixed.

Cook pancakes on a hot griddle.

Note: I double this recipe for our family of 8.  I could easily triple it, but my blender pitcher won't quite hold that much!

And here are a few 2020 pancake pictures for my own enjoyment!

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