Homemade Ideas for Valentine's Day

Pretzel Treats

 With Valentine's Day less than a week away, I need to start planning to do something special for the ones I love.  These are some of the things I made last year. 

Raspberry Filled Sugar Cookies

Heart Shaped Cucumber & Cheese Slices

Cupid Floats

Recipes for these treats can be found on my blog here.

And here are a couple that I actually made on Valentine's Day last year:

Salted Caramel Cocoa

Cocoa Pudding Cake

The recipes for these can be found in my blog archive here.

How about you?  Do you have any special Valentine's Day recipes you make for your sweethearts?  I'd love some new ideas for this year.

Healthier Dinners at Our Farmhouse This Year

 

One of my goals for 2017 is to try at least two new recipes each week and to consistently prepare nutritious, lower fat dinners for our family.  I've fallen into a rut over the past year or two as I'm driving children around every afternoon and evening where I rely on tried and true quick meals that I could make on autopilot.  If I haven't planned ahead to thaw some meat or start something in the crockpot in time, I dash into the supermarket near one of the schools after parent pickup and spend more money than necessary for convenience sake.  Even though my family is content with those meals since they're usually favorites of our children, my husband and I get bored with the same 20-30 dinners that get rotated throughout the months.  And they're not always the healthiest.  

So this year, I've decided that since I have this beautiful new kitchen, it's a good time for a culinary change.

 

Amazon 

I pored over the many food magazines before settling on this Special Edition of Cooking Light: Top-Rated Recipes.  It contains several months' worth of dinner recipes that are quick to make, use ingredients I typically have stocked on our pantry shelves, and are not so exotic that my little ones will turn up their noses and complain.  The dishes that claim to only take 20 minutes of prep time really do only take 20 minutes, which is a huge selling point for us busy moms of school-aged children.  I tried two recipes last week, and we're giving them star ratings of 1-5 with 5 being the absolute best and I must make them again.  The Lemon-Garlic Broccoli Bulgur Bowls that I made with quinoa instead (because I couldn't find bulgur in the local grocery store) received 4 stars.  I was informed by my teenagers that it would have been 5 if I had left out the broccoli.

 

I made the Speedy Shepherd's Pie above on the right later in the week, and it was a unanimous 5 star recipe, even with the instant mashed potatoes on top.  My family wants this as a weekly dish, surprisingly enough.  I doubled the recipes both nights, so there was enough for 8 servings.  This usually means no leftovers in our house, but in both cases, everyone was so full that we had extra for lunches the next day.  That's almost unheard of in my house.  Better yet, both of those recipes were only around 400 calories/serving, so they were lo-cal meals that were quite healthy and filling.

This week we're trying the Chicken-Poblano Tortilla Soup one night and Sausage & Spinach Spaghetti Pie another evening.  Hopefully they'll also receive rave reviews from my personal picky in-house food critics.

Holiday Spirits: Apple Pie Cocktail & Cranberry Apple Cider

 

My husband discovered a fabulous cocktail that is perfect for this time of the year: Apple Pie.  We had these the day after Thanksgiving while we were decorating our freshly cut Christmas tree.  These are so good you'll want to share them with a house full of friends and family this winter.

Apple Pie Cocktail

Rim a low ball glass in a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon.  Pour 1 shot of Fireball whiskey and 1 shot of vanilla vodka over ice in the rimmed glass.  Fill the rest of the way with apple cider.

These taste so good that you just want to keep sipping them for hours, but beware that these drinks are potent, and the liquor kind of sneaks up on you, so pace yourself.

  While the adults enjoyed the apple pies, I had a large crockpot going with warmed cranberry apple cider for the kiddos.  This was a huge hit, and it made our kitchen smell quite festive while the tree trimming occurred.

There are a number of these recipes out there, but I used this one that I adapted from The recipe Rebel:

Warmed Cranberry Apple Cider

Pour a little more than 4 cups of apple cider, slightly more than 4 cups of cranberry juice, and 2 cups of orange juice in a crockpot or slow cooker.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of whole cloves, and 3 whole cinnamon sticks.  Stir and let cook for several hours.  I ended up doubling this recipe to make enough for refills for 5 children.  They absolutely loved it.

After sampling the non-alcoholic cranberry apple cider and drinking a few apple pie cocktails, we adults concurred that the ultimate holiday drink would be to combine these two.  Spiking the slow cooker cranberry apple cider with the Fireball whiskey and vanilla vodka would create a warm version of the cocktail and would be even better for a party.  It would also eliminate having to create each drink individually; although, you would still need to rim each glass first.

These will be making future appearances at our mountain farmhouse this season.

 

Sunday Brunch With 4 Generations

 

It might have been rainy and cool outside this weekend, but inside our farmhouse we were enjoying time with extended family and four generations under one roof.  Sunday morning I tried a few new recipes that I found on Pinterest: Cinnamon French Toast Bake, Baked Ham & Cheese Rollups, along with some cut fresh fruit, and Mimosas.

 

I needed to prepare enough food for eleven of us, but I also wanted plenty of time to hold our grandson, so these dishes were simple enough to make before everyone arrived.

 

The Baked Ham & Cheese Rollups consisted of Pillsbury crescent dough, thinly sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and a sauce made of butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and dried onion.  The full recipe can be found at http://www.highheelsandgrills.com/.  I doubled the recipe and made a total of twenty of these delicious rollups.

I forgot to take a closeup of the Baked French Toast, but you can see it in the first photo. You simply use two cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and soak them in an egg/milk/cinnamon mixture.  This recipe is at http://www.mightymrs.com/.  This was the favorite with my kiddos, and I definitely should have filled two baking dishes with a double batch.

 

This was the first time we've all been together in the past few months, so we officially toasted the birth of our grandson with the parents and great-grandparents.

 

The guest of honor slept through my brunch.

 

But he was awake the night before for a Four Generations Photo Shoot.

 

And he even smiled for his delighted aunties and uncles.

This was the only weekend since school started that we had absolutely nothing on our calendar, and it was truly amazing that everyone else was free as well.  It was a rare treat for sure.

 

A Potluck Weekend

 

We attended two fantastic fall potluck dinner parties this weekend: a Bilbo Baggins Birthday Party & a Stone Soup Supper.  The weather could not have been better, the food was fabulous, and it was so good to catch up with old friends again, as well as make new acquaintances.  Both parties were in wooded settings with lots of room for all the children to run and play and make noise, and each one was so unique.  I'm including the recipes of the foods we prepared and took along, but what I really wish I had was a cookbook filled with the numerous recipes used and shared this weekend.  Despite what many people believe, potluck dinners are still alive and thriving here in rural America.

 Vegetable Bars

Cover a cookie sheet with 2 packages Pillsbury crescent rolls.  (Press seams together to form one large crust.)  Bake 7-8 minutes @ 350.

Mix 3/4 cup Miracle Whip with 2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese and 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dry dressing mix.  Spread the mixture on cooled crust.

Top with finely chopped veggies and shredded cheese.  I used broccoli, cherry tomatoes from our garden, black olives, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese. 

 

Pumpkin Dip

Beat 2 cups powdered sugar with 1 (8oz.) package softened cream cheese with mixer till blended.  Add 1 can pumpkin (15 oz.), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger.  Blend well.  Serve with ginger snaps, graham crackers, or sliced apples.

 

Peanut Butter Pie

Prepare 1 box vanilla pudding (cook kind) according to directions.  Add 1 cup peanut butter to it while it's hot.  Pour into prepared chocolate graham cracker pie crust.  Cool.  You can top with whipped cream or cool whip.  I just added 2 crushed Halloween Oreo cookies to the top without the whipped cream.

 

Shells & Vegetables Italiano

Prepare 1 box Velveeta shells and cheese as directed.  Toss shells and cheese with 3 cups of blanched broccoli florets, 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes, 1 (3 oz.) can halved, pitted ripe black olives, 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing, and 1/2 cup sour cream.  I chill it, but it can be served warm immediately after making.

 

Honey Balls

Visit my post from June 9, 2015 for the recipe found here.

***All of these dishes were simple enough to put together in one morning.  It only took me about three hours to prepare everything, wash the dishes, and do a quick photo shoot.

Scenes from the Bilbo Baggins Birthday Party:

 

The children had to treck through the massive spider webs to kill all the enormous "spiders" popping up all over the place (made from black water balloons.)

 

Our 11 year old looked like Bilbo after the spiders were finished with him; although, to hear him tell  it, HE finished off the spiders.

Entertainment at the Stone Soup Supper:

 

The hosts' alpacas finally had babies this year (crias).  And there were also goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, an enormous wrestling mat that the younger children covered, buzzing beehives, a guesthouse/treehouse, and more to see. 

What a terrific way to spend an autumn weekend.  What fun things did you do?

 

Summer Sweets

 

With an abundance of goats' milk, fresh summer fruits, and more uninterrupted time at home, we have been indulging in a number of homemade sweets this summer.  With all the summer birthdays, holidays, and visits from extended family, we have all kinds of excuses to make dessert.  This is some of what we've made and consumed during the month of June:

 

Cinnamon Rolls

On the morning of my birthday, my dear husband got up extra early and made these delicious cinnamon rolls from scratch before he left for work.  These are truly the best I've ever had.  Alas, he didn't supply me with the recipe, and I'm not sure he'd find it again on the Internet.  My hubby is not one for actually measuring ingredients or following a recipe closely, so I doubt I could pass along his secret formula anyway.  Every time he makes something, it's never exactly the same as the time before. 

 

 Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

After my birthday dinner, our daughter presented me with this lemon cake with homemade cream cheese frosting.  What a light, summer treat!  I think she was going for preppy colors with the pink frosting and lime and kelly green sprinkles.  This is the frosting recipe she used from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book:

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together 6 ounces of cream cheese, 1/2 cup softened butter, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla till light and fluffy.  Gradually add 3-4 cups of powdered sugar, beating until smooth.  This recipe is doubled to generously cover a double layer cake.  

 

Wild Black Raspberries

Of course, the best summer sweets of all are the ones that come naturally with no work involved.  The black raspberries ripened this week on our mountain and in our yard, and the children have been picking and eating them daily.  I love it when we can easily forage for food in the woods or just walk outside and find fresh, organic, healthy foods.

 

Black Raspberry Goats' Milk Ice Cream

Since the raspberries are plentiful, we've been eating them plain, on cereal, in waffles, and in our weekly batches of hand-churned ice cream.  I'll share our easy recipe with you again:

Homemade Ice Cream

Cook 1 cup of milk/cream to scalding, but not boiling.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon and salt.  Chill in refrigerator all day.  When you're ready to make the ice cream, pour the cooked milk into the ice cream canister, and add 3 more cups of fresh milk or cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla, and as many raspberries as you like.  Prepare the churn with ice and rock salt, and churn for about 45 minutes.

Strawberry Cake with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

A week or so ago when the strawberries were for sale everywhere, our teen baker made another double layer cake with homemade chocolate frosting.  She took a large strawberry and cut it into the shape of a rose and used our chocolate mint leaves to adorn the top of the cake.  She and I are trying to experiment with some of our Pinterest pins this summer, and the strawberry rose was pinned to one of her boards.  This was so popular in our family that our youngest son requested the exact same cake be made for his upcoming birthday in a few weeks.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Beat 6 tablespoons butter till light and fluffy.  Gradually add about 2 cups powdered sugar and beat well.  Melt 2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, and cool a bit.  Add to the frosting along with 1/4 cup milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.  Gradually beat in another 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and additional milk if necessary.

Here's another view.  It tasted as good as it looks.

 

I am a happy camper and am enjoying every aspect of summer, especially the desserts.  Still trying to limit myself to only one per day, as hard as that is sometimes.  Running with my kiddos and Tippy up and down the mountain most every day is enabling me to eat these sweet treats without packing on any more pounds.  Unfortunately, I'm not losing any either. 

Wishing all of you a weekend filled with sweet summer treats of some kind.

What's For Dinner, Mom?

 

In our family, one of the first things I hear out of my children's mouths when I pick them up from school is, "What's for dinner?"  Sometimes I know what we're having at 3:00 in the afternoon, and sometimes I don't have a clue, I'm sorry to say.  If I know, I answer that child.  But because no one else is really paying attention to what I've just said since they didn't ask the question themselves, I will be asked "What's for dinner, Mom?" as many as six times a day.  Actually, my husband has learned not to ask me that question most of the time, so I really only hear that five different times in a day.  It's taken me sixteen years, but I finally got so tired of repeating myself over and over each day, that I went out to Michael's and bought the chalkboard above, and I hung it nice and high in our kitchen so everyone can see for themselves what is for dinner that evening.  Unless I don't know until the last minute.  In that case, the blackboard remains blank all day long, and everyone eventually surmises that Mom is either going to run out to pick up some takeout food, or it's fend-for-yourself-night because Mom is on strike.  Just kidding.  I've never actually done that as tempted as I've been.

 

I'm including below 3 of our favorite quick dinner meals that everyone in the family likes, and that is a major accomplishment because do you know how challenging it is to make something that seven people are all looking forward to eating?

 

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

 

Place a 4 pound pork roast in crockpot or slow cooker.  Combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup wine or water, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 clove of minced garlic.  Pour over the roast and cook on low for 10 hours.  This is so easy to put together in the morning before going out for the day.  When you come home, it smells fantastic.  I like it with the wine, but my kiddos prefer water.  I usually just cook some rice and make a salad or a steamed vegetable to go along with it.

 

 

 

Baked Chicken Breasts

 

Put about 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs on a big plate and add 1 Tablespoon dried basil and 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese.  Stir together.  Then coat skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the breadcrumb mixture and place in an oiled baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  I serve with a steamed vegetable and either rice or noodles.  Most of my boys proceed to smother it in barbecue sauce, but I think it's flavorful and juicy without any sauce.

 

Chicken in a Pot

 

Put baby carrots, 2 sliced onions, and 2 sliced celery stalks with the leaves in bottom of crockpot.  Add a 3 pound whole chicken.  Top with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup water or chicken broth or white wine (my kids like the chicken broth best.)  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon dried basil on top.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5 hours.  *If you cook on high, use 1 cup of liquid instead of 1/2.  All that's left to make at the end of the day is something from the bread group or some baked potatoes.

 

Now it's time for me to quickly figure out what everyone in my house is eating tonight.  I've been gone all day and only came home long enough to hang some laundry and talk to all of you.  I have to run back out to pick up a daughter from her second track meet of the season.  I'm hoping there are enough leftovers in the refrigerator to feed everyone because at this point, my chalkboard is bare and so is my mind of any impromptu dishes I can throw together in about 10 minutes.  Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 



Those Easter Dinner Recipes and More

I have a quiet reprieve today and I'm home for the morning with time to do what I love best: blog, read, reflect, and hike.  Maybe I'll even get a few photographs taken when I'm on my walk, if our beagle will let me.  Then it's back to the usual chauffeuring, helping with homework, laundry and cooking, and subbing.  As promised, I'm including the recipes I used for our Easter dinner.  These will be dishes I'll make again throughout the spring and summer---not just for Easter.

Brown Sugar Balsamic Roasted Carrots

modified from letsdishrecipes.com and found on Pinterest

Clean 1 1/2 pounds of carrots and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  I slit the carrots down the middle and sliced the larger ones in half.  Mix up 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Pour over the carrots and "roll" them in the liquid to coat evenly.  Roast in 350 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes.  Sprinkle salt and parsley over the top.

Fruit Kabobs with Peeps

found on Pinterest & linked to ameessavorydish.com/

I included these in my last post, but I think they're so cute that I'm featuring them again.  You could certainly use any fruit on bamboo skewers, and use marshmallow chicks instead of rabbits of any color.  I put the peeps on the end so they could be removed first and given away to the peep lovers in our house.  I have a couple of children who would eat raw marshmallows by the handfuls if I allowed it (which I don't, but a certain 6 year old has been known to sneak.)  I used whole strawberries, sliced kiwi fruit, canned pineapple chunks, and grapes.  These were placed at the children's end of our big kitchen table.

The children's end of the table held the fruit kabobs, a Beatrix Potter planter with plastic eggs, and the carrot cupcakes.  I think, subconsciously, I arranged it this way to entice them to eat all their dinner so they could have the desserts.  Of course, this was at the end of a day filled with sugar and chocolate from their Easter baskets, so it may not have been as effective as it would be on normal days.

Balsamic Vinegar Grilled Lamb Chops

Pinterest-inspired from Food Network (heavily modified)

I used a lot of vinegar this weekend!  This was really supposed to be a sauce recipe, but I marinated our own pasture-raised lamb in this instead, and then Hubby poured the remainder over the chops while they grilled.  This was my first attempt at making lamb chops, and we were so pleased.  They were tender, juicy, and had no strong gamey taste to them.  We grilled about 24 small lamb chops since we were feeding 9 people, so the recipe below is doubled.

Mix 2 cloves of garlic, 4 tablespoons honey, & 2/3 cup Balsamic vinegar in a bowl.  Slowly add 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon of rosemary.  Pour over seasoned (salt & pepper) lamb chops in a baking dish so all are covered.  Cover and store in refrigerator overnight to marinade.  As you are grilling, brush remaining marinade over pork chops.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook (I use this cookbook all the time)

Our 13-year old daughter is our resident cake maker, and she gets all the credit for these.  All I did was lick the beaters and suggest sprinkling nutmeg over the top.

for the Cupcakes:

Combine 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Then add 3 cups finely shredded carrot, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 4 eggs.  Beat with electric mixer till combined.  Then beat on medium speed for at least 2 minutes.  Pour into lined muffin tins and bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Cool.

for the Frosting:

Beat together 3 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla until fluffy.  Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Spread over cupcakes, and sprinkle with nutmeg if you like.  *Note: This is enough frosting if you are simply spreading it with a knife.  To make enough to put in a pastry bag and make something more fancy, like our daughter did, you need to double the recipe. In addition to our cupcakes, our son and his fiancee brought a chocolate fudge/whipped cream/ Oreo dessert that was to die for.  I gained back about 3 pounds over Easter, unfortunately.  The good news is that my new paisley tablecloth made it through Easter without being stained.  That is a miracle itself.

Along with the foods already mentioned, I also added to the table a big bowl of tossed salad with a simple homemade vinaigrette dressing, pickled beets and sweet gherkins (store-bought), and the children's colored eggs.  All of our eggs this year were laid by our one remaining geriatric hen who free-ranges all over and then lays an egg almost daily in an empty rabbit cage in our barn.

I'll include just a few pictures of the afternoon egg hunt.  Notice the Amish buggy going down the lane.  There was quite a bit of Amish traffic up here Easter Sunday.

It's too bad it was so cloudy and gray.  The rest of the Easter weekend was beautiful.

Our cat Arwin "helped" look for eggs.  She's especially interested in the multitude of green toad eggs that are clustered in our pool cover right now.

These wildflowers and a variety of shades of daffodils came into bloom over the Easter holiday and are now covering parts of our bank.

I'll close with one last picture of a carrot cupcake and this spring bouquet.  Both are on their last day here at our preppy mountain farmhouse.  The seven remaining cupcakes will be gone before the day is through, I'm sure.  And these flowers have lasted nearly two weeks, but they're being replaced today with fresh daffodils next to one of our pastures.  Everything around us is revealing that spring is definitely here...except for that annoying weather forecast that is predicting snow showers for our area this Sunday.  I'm definitely not happy about that.

Going Kelly Green for St. Patrick's Day

I couldn't stand it any longer; I had to return to blogging.  I just missed it too much to take a longer break, and I missed sharing our life with all of you.  Over the past couple of weeks I have discovered that there are more of you visiting from all around the world than I originally thought, and that is encouraging and exciting to know.  To all of you readers who sent me emails, messages, or comments since my last post, I thank you.  Your opinions and words mean so much to me, and I appreciate that you took a few minutes out of your day to drop me a line.

With St. Patrick's Day coming tomorrow, I thought I'd share with you some of the things we're doing at our farmhouse to celebrate this feast day.  I whipped up some Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies the other night as an experiment.  I saw on Pinterest that you can simply add green food coloring to your regular chocolate chip cookie recipe to get the above effect.  I added about 15 drops to the 2 sticks of melted butter before adding and mixing all the other ingredients.  Once I did that, it seemed only natural to add some peppermint extract because who doesn't like mint with their chocolate?  A little goes a long way, so I only put 3 drops of the extract into the wet ingredients.  They turned out great; although, I would have preferred a darker shade of green.  Once you add all that flour and sugar, it lightens up the butter quite a bit.  I also had to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour since the peppermint extract and food coloring added more liquid to the recipe.  Oh, and I found the napkins in the top photo on clearance at Party City.  That place has everything!

Last evening, I treated the children to Rainbow Sherbet Floats.  I couldn't find any lime sherbet in the grocery store, so I had to settle for a gallon bucket of rainbow sherbet instead.  I decided that I actually like the looks and taste of these even better.

Simply put a couple of scoops of rainbow sherbet in a mug (we like ours frosted) and add 7-Up to the brim.  That's it.  The kids loved them.

All St. Patrick's Day items were 50% off at Kohl's this past weekend, and with my Kohl's cash I was able to pick up this wall hanging for only $5.  It's on our front porch this year.  There's not much Irish blood in our family, but I was able to find one Irish ancestor in my lineage from the late seventeenth century.  Regardless, I've always loved Celtic jewelry, music, poetry, and home decor.  My husband and I even had our wedding bands custom made into Celtic love knots.

Not one of my best chalkboard designs for the porch, but I was in a hurry so I used shamrock cookie cutters as stencils to make this.  With Easter coming in just a little over a week, I'll be changing over to all new decorations this weekend.

The best green of all is the one found in nature.  Our grass and pastures are already turning a lush emerald green.  This is such a treat for us because the past two winters brought so much snow that we didn't see green grass until well into April.  Our goats and sheep are very happy.

Our banks are also full of clusters of daffodils getting ready to open.  I think it's possible they'll be blooming by Easter, which is remarkable for us since Easter is so early this year.  We didn't have daffodils or tulips in bloom until the latter part of April last spring.

Tomorrow evening I'll be making corned beef for the first time in my life.  I saw an easy recipe on Pinterest where you just put the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot with some water and beef broth for the day.  That sounds quick and easy enough.  I'm not sure if the little ones in my house will like it, but we're going to give it a try.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Readers.  And thanks for coming back to read Preppy Mountain Farmhouse over and over again.