I'll Take One Of Those and Two Of Them.....

Ordinary and Everyday sights 

here in PA Dutch County..

 I am so excited for the new addition we have

here in Lancaster County..!

The Good Cooking Store..

Click on for Link

Next to Pampered Chef,

This store will be my "new" best friend 

when it comes to niffy gadgets

for cooking and baking..

Be sure to read the Bio

on how 

"The Good Cooking Store"

came to be..

Her story from childhood 

is one to be shared by

many who are true

PA Dutch Heritage...

I am planning a trip to the

"Store" this coming week..

I will certainly share my thoughts

and new gadgets I am sure to Purchase!!

Stay safe and warm...

Have a fantastic week:)

K

You can't eat just one....!

Don't you just love a soft chewy cookie...?!

You would think having Christmas

Just a few weeks ago,

one would be all cookied out?

Truth be-told,

I'm such a sucker for a good cookie...

and I honestly did not bake cookies this year,

I only ate a few of those given to me as gifts,

which was plenty..!

I think the smaller size of the calorie packed treat 

makes me feel as though I am not over indulging...

too much:/

One of my favorite cookie is the very simple and easy

Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chips...

This cookie is right up there with the 

warm Chocolate Chip Cookie....

 

SShhhhhhhhh...

I'll tell ya a secret..

"I ate two straight from the oven"

I can't even begin to tell you how yummmmo they were...!!

 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Will You Be My Valentine....

Do you remember the days of handing out 

Valentine's Day Cards in school?

Remember getting the classroom list with 

all the names of the students in your class,

so you were sure not to forget someone

or

spell their name wrong....

I can remember...

I remember going to the stationary store

to chose my "special" Valentine's 

to be addressed by me in the most

perfect handwriting I could achieve for the 

grade and age I was at that given year....

And it seemed no matter how much you wanted 

to avoid getting those nasty 

different colored hearts

with the lame Valentine promise written on them..

Everyone from A to Z in your class

handed them out..!

My fondest memories were the years my son

hand crafted his own V-Day cards..

He attended private school during his primary school years,

and I would like to say his class size was

much less in size than the public school,

not so with his class.

Every year we searched for a theme,

purchased the materials needed

with Jere being ready and eager to start his 

V-Day Card Creations..
It was always very interesting what he created,
given the fact of his gender....

 I longingly remember the treats he brought home were

 those of Mother's who loved the kitchen

as much as I do...

Rarely did he come home with a V-Day treat 

that wasn't home made...

I miss those days,

It always gave me an excuse to whip up

a batch of something yummy 

to share...

Here is a link to some homemade Valentine's Cards 

Let the creativity juices flow for

your very own special Valentine this year!..

Food and Football Day......

Having mentioned before my Football Team is 

The Steelers..!

Today is the Big Day for

Big Ben 

and the Team..!!

Will Big Ben lead the team to a win today

against the Jets, 

for another trip to the Super Bowl...!?

I knew today would be a busy one,

so with that in mind...

last evening after a long day,

I put a nice size Pork Roast in the oven

for today's Feast of

Pork BBQ Sandwiches to munch on

while watching the Steelers and Jets battle it out for the 

AFC Championship..... 

After Church I finished preparing the BBQ,

And I must say...

It sure does smell good:))

Enjoy your Sunday and Have A Blessed Week...

K

I have been searching way too long for a

"good" Cranberry-Orange Muffin Recipe..

The search is complete..!!

I found this recipe over at 

Glorious Treats

The combined ingredients of Cranberry and Orange

with your morning coffee is 

one to savor every bite....

Cranberry-Orange Muffins  

1 cup dried (sweetened) cranberries

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon fresh orange zest (the zest of one whole orange)

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange extract

2 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola or olive)

1/2 cup milk (any fat content)

 Directions ~

1.)  Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line a muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners.

2.)  Zest one whole orange (making about 1 Tablespoon of zest) and set aside.

Squeeze the juice from that one orange (about 1/3 cup).

3.)  Put the orange juice (if needed, add some prepared orange juice to the fresh juice to make 1/3 cup) and the cranberries in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.  Turn off heat and set aside.

4.)  In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger, and set aside.

5.)  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, orange zest and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

6.)  Scrape down the side of the bowl, then add in the eggs (one at a time), vanilla, orange extract, and oil.  Blend until well combined.

7.)  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk (add about half of the flour mixture, then some milk,then the rest of the flour, and the rest of the milk).  Fold in the cranberries.  Do not over mix.

8.)  Scoop batter into prepared muffin/cupcake pan. 

Bake muffins about 20 minutes (test with a toothpick, there should be moist crumbs, but not wet).

9.)  Cool muffins on a wire cooling rack. 

Enjoy the muffins while still warm, or when cool.  They are best the day they are made, but are still very good the next day. 

Yields about 8 large or 12 medium (standard) muffins.

Recipe Source ~  Glorious Treats

Yes....I am a huge Steelers Fan!

Soup...Warms The Heart and Soul

 MMMMM.....Soup

It's what's for Lunch, Dinner and sometimes a snack..

I love soup

After our Christmas Ham Dinner,

I promptly placed the Bone from the Ham

into my deep freezer for a cold day in

January when I knew I would crave a nice

hot bowl of soup..

The day has/had come...

I prepared this pot of Ham and Bean soup with Rivals

a few days ago,

when the weather forecast was predicting

a Cold and Snowy start to the week..

The "white" you see on the top

is what we in PA Dutch Country call..

"Rivals"

Rivals are a,

Crumb Size Noodle...

Made with flour and egg.

Simply put about two cups of flour to one egg in a small bowl,

and gently mix together with a fork.

Take small amounts of the mixture

and drop by your hand

(your hand will get a bit messy)

into the Simmering Pot of Soup...

Giving a gentle stir after each handful.

This Crumb Egg Noodle is added to 

many Soups made here in PA,

if your a true PA Dutch Cook...!

I let my soup Simmer for at least 30 mins

after all ingredients are added,

giving a gentle stir every now and then...

 

Now here is a fine looking pot of

Ham and Bean Soup with Rivals...

This pot of Soup lasted two days..

warming it for lunch and dinner,

I must say, too

with each warm-up..

the taste was enhanced with all the flavors of this 

comfort food on a cold and windy day.

Instructions:

Make a pot of broth with a Ham Bone or Ham Hock,

Cooking for approx. 1 1/2 hours.

Remove Bone or Hock from Broth and trim ham

from bone, removing any fat.

Add the ham you just removed back into the broth.

**(You may need to purchase more ham to add to the soup

if your only using ham leftover from a ham bone,

you can find ham cubes in your meat department at most 

grocery stores or purchase a Ham Hock 

and cook along with the ham bone to make the broth)**

Take two or more Large Cans of Northern Beans and

rinse each can of the beans in a culender,

then adding them to the broth.

Let the beans cook on Med Heat for about 10-15 mins

with the ham.

Add some Tomato Juice or V8 Juice,

whichever you have on hand or like..

Add the juice to fill the pot full to the top...

Stir gently and let this continue to cook on Med heat.

Mix your Crumb Egg Noodle together

Add this as instructed above.

After the Rivals have been added,

Stir the soup gently and place a lid on top

leaving a small opening on one side,

and let the soup simmer for 30 mins or so...

I cook all my soups in my

"Green Pan"

this pan allows me to keep the soup in the pot 

and store in the refrigerator over night,

I simply take the pot from refrigerator to stove

the next day and warm up 

for another hot and tasty bowl of soup..!

Bon Appetit

Tiffany, one of the gal's I work with at my business,

Shared some of her homemade

Banana Nugget cookies with me..

She claims had she not shared the half dozen with me,

She would have eaten them all...

Well Tiffany, 

Thanks..!

Cause now "I" ate them ALL...!!

This cookie recipe is the tastiest...EVER!

The texture of the cookie is very moist,

it reminds me of fresh Banana Bread,

Minus the strong taste of Banana..

If that makes any sense..?!

I would have posted a picture,

but they didn't last long enough:))

Banana Nugget Cookies

Tiffany Miller

1 ½ c flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

¾ tsp cinnamon

¾ c shortening

1 egg

1 ½ c mashed bananas

1 ¾ c quick oats

1 c sugar

Chocolate chips

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Set aside.

Mix rest of ingredients and beat well.

Combine dry ingredients into mixture.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees until done.

Coconut Ice Cake

My Blogger Friend Chris,

who I have come to adore immensely...!

Posted this recipe on Facebook

I plan on making this easy sweet treat for 

Valentine's Day..!

And maybe before:))

RECIPE FOR COCONUT ICE

5¼ cups icing sugar

2½ cups coconut
395g can sweetened
condensed milk
1 egg white, beaten lightly
...pink food coloring
METHOD

Line deep 19cm-square cake pan with strips of baking paper.

Sift icing sugar into large bowl; stir in coconut, then condensed milk and egg white.

Divide mixture in half; tint half with pink coloring. Press pink mixture into pan then top with white mixture. Cover; refrigerate about 3 hours or until set before cutting into squares.

Makes 64

The Frinzy Begins..

Well...the Holiday is officially over for me today:(

Today my son returns home from a Holiday Vacation in Pittsburgh 

with very close friends of his High School Years...

So after today...

It will be back to whirlwinds of quickly entering through one door,

grabbing a bite to eat and out another door..

Going to the dryer to find clothing left there from

the night before, 

by someone else;/

The kitchen sink needing to be emptied first thing  in the morning,

only to have the dishwasher within inches...

It's the life of,

I know you were here,

the proof is in the Sink, Dryer and Refrigerator...!!

But, I will not complain!!!

After All...

It's what makes a Parent a Parent...Helping their Children to achieve

a better life and responsibility all in due time..!!!!

I want my son to know this will always be his home,

and as long as he is working hard, achieving and being productive 

in society, I will clean a dish or two before I hear his spoken words,

"Mom, I was going to wash that"..!

Stay warm...and remember to check on that elderly neighbor 

during these cold dreary months..!

And if by chance you have an extra bowl of soup,

share it..!!

Tomorrow I will be making a large pot of Ham and Bean Soup with Rivals,

with the Ham Bone left over from Christmas Dinner..

Have a great week...

K

Unstoppable and Inspirational....

Chris Kaag, The Nephew of a very dear and long time friend of mine,

Is the Grand Prize Winner 

Of this year's

Penn StateFootball UnitedHealthcare All-Star of the Game award!!

"We are pleased to announce that Chris Kaag of Reading, PA is the 2010 Grand Prize winner of the Penn State Football UnitedHealthcare All-Star of the Game award. During each Penn State football broadcast UnitedHealthcare recognized one Penn State All-Star, someone who is making a healthy difference in their own life or the lives of others. This short slide show/video introduces the ten All-Stars from the 2010 Penn State Football Season and recognizes Chris as the Grand Prize winner. www.getupandmove.org
Thanks to UnitedHealthcare for sponsoring this creative promotion to recognize Penn State fans who make a difference."

 

 

 Chris is such an inspiration to ALL who come in contact with him...

A hereditary debilitating Neuro-Muscular disease 

may have effected Chris with physical limitations,

but the disease has not stopped Chris

from pushing forward, achieving the highest levels

and most importantly...

Giving Back!!

  

Congratulations Chris...!!

 

Me with Proud Aunt, Vickie

This picture was taken recently at the Open House 

for my Salon Business...

Vickie has always been a true, supportive and dear friend...!

Gut Bree

Wet Bottom Shoofly Pie

In my last post I mentioned a Dessert very well

known to Pennsylvania...

ShooFly Pie...

I follow the Blog

The Pennsylvania Dutch Country Blog

and they have featured this Awesome Pie...

the only thing missing in the article is a recipe.

However, If you Google

ShooFly Pie..

You'll be sure to get several recipes you can try..

I found this "Wet Bottom" recipe on Allrecipes.com

it is very similar to my Wet Bottom Shoofly recipe...

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
•  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

1. To Make Crumbs: In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and shortening. Cut ingredients together with a pastry cutter or rub with fingers until dough forms fine crumbs. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. To Make Filling: In a medium bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Stir in corn syrup, molasses, salt and egg being sure to stir well. Pour 1/3 of mixture into unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumbs over mixture. Continue this process until crumb mixture and liquid mixture have been used up.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 minutes. 
   

The pie is excellent served warm with a huge 

scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream on top...

Or 

Whipped Cream....

  "gut bree" 

Good Food At Dinner

Only the Numbers Change....

 HAPPY 2011

Making the customary dinner for Pennsylvania,

Pork and Sauerkraut with Mash Potatoes..!!

Usually this dinner is topped off 

with the sweetness of

A Wet Bottom Shoofly Pie...!!

Grandmother always had several pies made,

waiting patiently in the Dining Room

on top of the Side Board...

It seemed no matter how stuffed you were

from the Pork and Kraut,

You somehow found room for the

ShooFly Pie...

No Pie this year, though...

I had my quota of sweets for a few months:)

Whatever this New Year Brings to you,

May it be a year of Growth, Understanding and Compassion

for you and those you encounter..!

Wishing YOU a very Blessed New Year..!!

K