Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

There is a chef named Samin Nosrat. She is Iranian and lives in California. She worked as a chef for many years and then wrote this cookbook about these 4 elements of cooking:

Salt

Fat

Acid

Heat

Her concept is if you understand these 4 things you will become a better cook.



She has a show on Netflix too, with 4 episodes about each of these 4 elements.
I loved watching them over the weekend. My whole family seemed to enjoy the shows too.
You can go to saltfatacidheat.com for more info. too.

Her cookbook is sold out online right now, but I'm excited to get one when I can.


 This was a fun way for me to begin the new year. Happy Cooking!!
You can listen to her fun interview on NPR too.

She says,

"This was an opportunity for me to elevate and honor home cooks,
most of whom are women and have been women for the great part of human history."

-Samin Nosrat

Breakfast Game Changer

I was at stake girls camp a couple weeks ago.
We had an AMAZING camp cook and staff.
One morning they made french toast with this buttermilk syrup
for the older girls and leaders up at camp.

It was the BEST SYRUP I HAD EVER TASTED.
In all my years of livin' I had never had this syrup before.
I asked the camp cook for the recipe, and she said the recipe from
Oh, Sweet Basil's blog is the best. Adding the baking soda at the end, helps to finish
the syrup properly. I couldn't wait to come home and make it.

I made the recipe this morning. My life will never be the same.
It's an easy recipe and takes french toast to a whole new level.
We may eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the rest of the summer.
You can use this syrup for all your favorites: pancakes, waffles, crepes, french toast, etc.

Happy Syrup Making!  Buttermilk Syrup from Oh, Sweet Basil

Photo credit: Oh, Sweet Basil Blog

Happy General Conference Weekend

My kids like watching Good Mythical Morning.
Occasionally, I found myself listening and giggling while I watch the show despite of myself.

Kyle watched this episode when he was home sick this week. It was all about what pumpkin products to buy at the grocery store, Trader Joe's. Here's to pumpkin food season:



Also, I'm looking forward to this weekend. It's our church's general conference, when our church leaders speak to us to give us advice, council, wisdom, revelation, etc. Our family watches it together, and it's always a nice weekend to S L O W down.

How to watch LDS General Conference this weekend.

I'll be making these cinnamon rolls this weekend too. They really are pretty easy for 1st time cinnamon roll makers. The rising just takes about an hour.

Happy 2017!

Ready or Not here comes 2017!

I hope you had a good holiday.

Chris and I enjoyed this movie, Lion, starring Nicole Kidman over the holiday.



I also loved the Star Wars Rogue 1 movie, which surprised me.
The characters were excellent,
and it might be my favorite of all of the Star Wars movies.

I'm listening to this new song from John Mayer over and over again,
called Love on the Weekend.



I tried making this breakfast casserole.
I loved it.

Today the kids start school again. Hooray! Christmas was fun,

but I'm glad to get the house back again.

Today I'm calendaring, and making a to-do list.

I don't know if I will get the house back again,

though, because come this weekend.

We will have a new dog.

Our 1st dog.

After a lot of thought and decision,

our family has decided to try life with a dog.

This could be our best or worst decision.

We will have to let time and experience decide.

Lindy needs a running partner,

my 3 boys need an active playmate,

and Sadie needs a pet to snuggle

and to love.

Chris grew up with dogs, he's content to give it a Go!

I did not grow up with dogs, so this is a labor of love for my family.

We will be getting a Brittany puppy that is about 9-10 weeks old.

Wish me and all of us LUCK!

(The one we are getting is a boy that is sitting on top of the army blanket.)

2 Easy Dinners and an Easy Dessert

Our family tried these recipes this past week and we all loved them.
And they were Easy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew from Six Sisters Stuff

Place theses ingredients in your crock pot:

1 lb. beef stew cubes ( I used pork stew meat)

4 carrots sliced

4-6 red potatoes cut into large cubes

1 bay leaf

Combine these ingredients in a bowl:

1 (1 oz.) packet dry onion soup mix

2 cans (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (10 oz.) package frozen green peas

Then place this mixture on top of the meat and vegetables

in your crock pot.

Cook on low 7-10 hrs. or high 5-6 hours.

(I think I cooked ours for about 3-4 on high)

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding (3.9 oz.)
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream (8 oz.)
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
1 c. mini-semisweet chocolate chips 
6 squares white baking chocolate (1 oz. each)

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, pudding mix, and sugar. Add the sour cream, oil and water; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured (it has to be VERY well greased and floured or I use “Cake Release style Pam” which also works really well) 12-cup bundt pan (the smaller bundt pans are not large enough and the cake will spill over. If you have a smaller pan, pour a cup or two of the batter into a seperate Pyrex bowl and bake an extra mini cake!). Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (sometimes longer, just keep checking). Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. In a microwave or double boiler, melt the white chocolate; drizzle over cake. (I put the chocolate squares in a ziplock bag in the microwave. Mush the chocolate around every 30 seconds to  make sure it soesnt burn until it is fully melted. then snip a small corner of the bag off and drizzle.) Yield: 12-16 servings.

October Family Home Evening

I showed my kids some episodes of this tv show.

It's perfect for the month of October.

We all enjoyed it!

(You can watch these shows through Amazon or YouTube.)

We also went to the

 LDS Youth YouTube channel

We let the kids pick short videos they want to watch.

These are always some of our best Family Home Evenings,

when we watch theses videos.

We always learn something, the kids pay better attention,

and each message is always very direct and important.

We also made pumpkin pie milkshakes!

I love this recipe from Our Best Bites.

Treats are the key to fun Family Nights.

General Conference Weekend - Oct. 2016

I was so excited this past weekend, I made homemade cinnamon rolls!
This has been a goal of mine for years.

We also listened to General Conference from our church.
We listened to our Prophet, President Monson and the 12 Apostles.

Home-Made Orange Julius

Last week most of our family was hit with a stuffy head cold. My favorite remedy for when we're not feeling good with aches, sore throats, and stuffy heads is home-made Orange Julius drinks.

It's surprisingly easy, and tastes delicious. Even if we're not sick. 

Orange Julius

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (DO NOT MAKE ORANGE JUICE)

1 c. milk

1 c. water

1/4 c. sugar (You can omit this, or use less)

1 t. vanilla

8 ice cubes (It's better to add 2 at a time as you blend it)

Combine all ingredients in the blender, except the ice cubes.

Blend 1-2 min., adding ice cubes one at a time, until smooth.

*You want the drink to become kinda frothy from blending it.

(If the drinks sits for a bit in the blender, it may separate, just blend again!)

Recipe from food.com/8589

Softening Brown Sugar + An Easy Dessert Recipe

I have a large bag of brown sugar, that went really hard.
It became hard as a rock -
too hard to put in measuring cups, and bake with.
But, I hated to throw it out.
I googled how to soften brown sugar, and saw this tip:

Put your hard sugar in an air tight container with a piece of bread.
(I also put in a couple drops of water, too).
Then cover it with a lid.

I wasn't sure if it would work. I was a little skeptical.

WaaLah! It did work, I had super, soft brown sugar after a couple of days.
I love how this tip gives us a good reason to use the heels of our bread, too!

My soft, brown sugar was perfect for making this EASY, yummy dessert.
Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Bars
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Recipe tips after making it a few times:
We like using less chocolate chips, and more caramel.
Give the bars enough time to cool (1 hour +), to cut and serve.

Image source from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Rhubarb Recipes!

My husband grew up having rhubarb in his backyard garden.

His birthday is in April, so he loves having rhubarb pie for his birthday.

Now all the kids and I like it too.

We grow it in our garden now.

(The rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so don't eat the leaves!)

You can find it at most grocery stores though, this time of year.

Here are some fun recipes, we've tried over the years that we enjoy.

Most of these are dessert recipes! Of course.

Rhubarb Ice Cream from TasteofHome

Rhubarb Cream Pie

Image source simplebites.net

Preheat oven to 400. Combine 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. four, 3/4 t. nutmeg. Add 3 slightly beaten eggs. Add 4 c. 1 in. slices of rhubarb (1 lb.) Line 9 in. pie plate with pastry; fill with above rhubarb filling.

Dot with 2 T. butter. (* optional, you can add a lattice crust top). Bake for about 50-60 min. Cool serve with vanilla ice cream!

Rhubarb Galette from Real Simple

Image source top:

adesertfete.blogspot.com

bottom: cuisinestyle.com

Rhubarb Compote from Blue Apron
image source giddyupglutenfree.blogspot.com

In the pot used to cook the quinoa, combine the 1 stalk rhubarb, 2 T. vinegar, 2 T. sugar and ¼ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes, or until the rhubarb has softened and the mixture is saucy and thickened. Transfer to a serving dish. Rinse and dry the pot.

This sauce is delicious served with grilled chicken.
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What 'Cha Cookin?

Here are some recipes that were on our weekly menu recently, that we all enjoyed:

One Pot Pasta from my Sister's Pinterest Recipes

This was really easy, you could replace some of the water in the recipe with

chicken broth, if you wanted a little more flavor.

We all loved it!

Decorating Sugar Cone Christmas Trees with Cousins

Tate, Hunter, and, Matthew doing serious work.

 Brandon being extra careful.

 Cousin Sam and Haylee busy at work.

 Aunt Karen showing them how to get it done right.

 Kyle carefully adding his details.

 Cousin Matthew sooooo super excited.

 Tate making sure to get every part of the cone covered.

 Finished Trees:

My sister, Karen, came to town as a last minute surprise
in early December. All of our kids, including my sister's kids
who live nearby, had fun hanging out one evening.

We needed an easy Christmas activity.

My sister, Karen, suggested decorating sugar cones as Christmas Trees.

Just buy a few boxes of sugar cones, make some green frosting,
and decorate with any small candies.

Favorite Frosting Recipe for Decorating (very sugary, beware)
2 lbs. (8 c.) powder sugar
2/3 c. crisco
2 T. milk (I always add more for right consistency for spreading)
1-2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. light corn syrup
Mix together, add your food coloring.
My favorite food coloring paste by Wilton.

It was super easy and fun for all ages, boys too!

Family Favorite Pumpkin Seed Recipe

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds from Real Simple Magazine

Abt. 2 cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed and patted dry.

(I rinse them out in a colander,

and usually let them sit out overnight on a cookie sheet)

2 T. melted butter

Mix these together in small bowl

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 300 F. Spread the seeds on a rimmed baking sheet,

and bake until dry throughout,

50-60 min.

Increase oven temp to 350 F. 

In a large bowl toss the seeds with the sugar mixture, then slowly add in the

melted butter, to evenly coat.

Return the seeds to the baking sheet in the oven,

and toast, until golden brown, 10-15 min.

Floating Tacos - A Family Favorite Recipe

Floating Tacos

White Sauce (Make sauce first so it can chill while you prepare the meat.)
4 oz cream cheese
1 C. Mayo
1 C. buttermilk
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. parsley
1-2 cloved minced garlic

Blend these ingredients together to make sauce, chill in fridge.
This recipe makes a lot, works as a great salad dressing too.
*White Sauce shortcut: 1 packet of dry ranch salad dressing,
   and mix in desired amount of sour cream. (Easy and Fast)

Meat Mixture
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 onion
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 8 oz cans of water
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. sugar
1 t. oregano
1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cumin
1 cup cooked rice

Brown meat and onion. Add remaining ingredients (except for rice),
and simmer for 40 min. Then add cooked rice, and warm through.
Serve on bed of taco chips with white sauce and toppings.

Toppings
taco chips (Fritos are our favorite)
lettuce
cheese
onions
tomatoes
olives
avocados

Recipe from dental school friends, the Swensens.

A little of our Valentine's this year

I tried this dinner for our family.

I've been craving it ever since I saw it on tv last fall.

We all enjoyed it.

I tried this delicious frosting, on our red velvet cupcakes. 

I sprinkled them with a little cinnamon and red sugar.

mmmmmmm . . . .

Chris and I were happy to just watch the Olympics this year.

I'm thankful to have a Valentine to watch it with and cook for.

Sadie had her own vision for her Kindergarten valentines' this year:

White cards, with cut out wrapping paper hearts on top.

A sucker on the inside with her name, and a white circle sticker to close them with.

Kyle is easy to please. He had no interest in pinning Valentine ideas.

Last year I grabbed some boxed sets of Valentines on clearance at Target.

Kyle just picked from the stash - dinosaur etchings.

Tate's class made valentines in class this year. Easy.

Lindy looked up ideas on Pinterest, and found this idea:

She made them herself.
Luckily, we had oreos and straws at home all ready,
so it was easy valentine to put together without running extra errands.
We picked up the bags at Michael's.

Remember December

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

1. Christmas PJ's came out Thanksgiving Weekend.

2. Lindy and her school friend were in a wreath decorating contest. They placed 2nd.

Lindy used a glue gun for the contest. She may have a glue gun talent, so she got one for her b-day.

3. We made a new Christmas cookie recipe using candy canes and junior mints. YUM!

Recipe on pg. 238 from the Savoring our Seasons cookbook.

4. Sadie spent many hours making salt dough christmas cut-outs and painting them.

5. Lindy and Kyle competed against each other in our school geography bee.

(Lindy won to compete for State again.)

6. Lindy, Kyle, and Tate had piano concerts.

7. Buddy the elf did goofy things at our house each day in December.

( I think he was suppose to be checking in on our kids' behavior for the month, but he played too much.

No wonder he wasn't welcome at the North Pole this year.)

8. Tate's school choir concert was about a warm Christmas,

 a good foreshadowing of what was to come for our family for Christmas.

I'm lovin' Tate's suit choice for the concert, but not so much the shirt hanging out.

9. Lindy had a orchestra concert for clarinet, she's behind the flute.

10. We did a countdown to Christmas with scriptures and symbols on our fridge.

11. We had a family Christmas party with my sisters.

We colored, ate, chimed, and built snowmen.

12. Lindy made a gingerbread house. Kyle a forest.

13. Our real tree dried and shriveled up by mid Dec. even though we watered it.

Back to an artificial tree next year.

14. We took our 3 older kids to see The Piano Guys.

(Incentive for them to keep practicing.)

It was an amazing concert we all enjoyed it.

15. Present opening the night before we leave for Hawaii.

The kids Santa wishes this year were:

Lindy: floating globe

Kyle: watch

Tate: hexbugs

Sadie: magic carpet

Brandon: Blue Ball

Phew. . .I think I survived December, and the fall time.

Now, I just want to sleep through January.

Once school starts at the end of Aug. I run from thing to thing until Jan. 1st.