Josh's Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

My youngest son doesn't like chocolate so I'm always trying to come up with treats that don't involve chocolate and we always seem to come back to these cookies.

Josh's Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks) or margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (dark brown sugar makes a yummy, molasses flavor)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick cooking oats uncooked

Heat oven to 350 F.  Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.  Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.  Stir in oats; mix well.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto and un-greased cookie sheet.  A medium scoop works perfectly. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on the baking sheet and remove to a wire rack.

My oldest son likes me to mix in chocolate chips into his cookies.  This is a recipe that pleases both boys!

Chunky Cranberry Relish

I love cranberries, but I only like real cranberries.  When I eat food I want to be able to tell what it is I am eating.  This is a simple fantastic recipe that you can whip up before hand and pull out when you are ready for it.  My husband looked at me when I was making it and said "Eww."  After he tried it he said, "Ok, you were right it is good, can I have some more?"

Chunky Cranberry Relish
3 cups fresh cranberries (1 bag)
1/2 cup cranberry juice (you can also substitute apple or orange juice or even water)
1/8 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 Tbsp orange zest

Wash and drain the cranberries, removing any spoiled berries or foreign objects.  In a sauce pan or nonstick skillet  combine juice, sugar, salt and cinnamon, and orange zest (I add a Tbsp of fresh juice or so).  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Cook for 1 minute.  Add the cranberries.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Boil gently over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the skins pop, stirring occasionally.  Cool completely, remove cinnamon.  If desired, smash berries slightly with the back of a spoon for a thicker relish.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

For a softer, smoother cranberry sauce, prepare as directed, except boil gently for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

I owe a lot of my cooking ability to my Mother-in-law, my Mom, and my Grandma.  Because half of the battle is starting with a good recipe.  I was never a fan of pumpkin pie until I tried this one.  Thank you Sue!

Pumpkin Pie
1 unbaked pie shell
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 12 oz can evaporated (Not condensed) milk
1 15 oz can solid pumpkin pack (Not Pumpkin Pie Mix)

Prepare your pie crust in a 9" pie pan, shaping and pricking the sides and bottom.  

Combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a bowl.  Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid).  Stir in the pumpkin and sugar spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk  (I use my whisk attachment and pour in a slow continuous stream) until evenly incorporated.  

Carefully pour into pie shell.  Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 F and bake with a pie ring or covering the crust with foil for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  

Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Pumpkin Pie

1 unbaked pie shell
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 12 oz can evaporated (Not condensed) milk
1 15 oz can solid pumpkin pack (Not Pumpkin Pie Mix)

Prepare your pie crust in a 9" pie pan, shaping and pricking the sides and bottom.  Combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a bowl.  Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid).  Stir in the pumpkin and sugar spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk  (I use my whisk attachment and pour in a slow continuous stream) until evenly incorporated.  Carefully pour into pie shell.  Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Chunky Clam Chowder

I love Fall and Winter.  The air is cool and crisp and there is nothing better than homemade bread and a nice bowl of soup.  This is my Mother-in-law's recipe.  It is simple and wonderful.  With big chunks of fresh vegetables so there is no guessing what is going in your mouth.

Clam Chowder
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cans chopped clams
1 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 large carrot peeled, cut in half, and sliced (optional)
2 cups chopped potatoes (I use russets because they are nice and starchy and will help thicken the soup)
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk (I use 2 cups half and half, 2 cups milk)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Drain the clams reserving the juice.  Cut the vegetables adding to a pan.  Add in the clam juice with the vegetables and enough water to completely cover by 1/4 inch.  (Don't add too much water or else the soup will be runny)  Bring to a boil and cook the vegetables.  Rinse the clams well to remove any grit.

Meanwhile in a heavy stock pot.  Melt the butter and add the flour stirring for a minute or so to get rid of the raw flour taste.  Stir and add the milk and cook until thick and bubbly.  Add the clams to the milk and then dump in the vegetables water and all.  Stir and mix until it is all incorporated evenly.  Bring to a boil again and then let rest until serving temperature.

Allow to cool completely before covering and placing in the refrigerator.  This soup tastes even better the next day!

Baby Girl Purple Stripe Ruffle Crib Quilt

Baby Girl Purple Stripe Ruffle Crib Quilt

I used 4" width of Fabric Strips to make the quilt top

A: Dark purple, 6 strips

B: Light purple, 4 strips

C: Butterflies, 3 strips

D: Flannel purple flowers, 2 strips

Cut out the strips.  Then I laid them out on the floor in the order I wanted to sew them together.  Using a 1/4 inch seam I sewed all the strips together in order making sure to have the right side face up.  Instead of using the normal setting on my machine for the straight stitch I kept the width the normal setting and used the longest setting available on my machine it was a 4.

I flipped to top upside down and then holding on to one of the strings pulled and bunched up the fabric.  It will take awhile to bunch and slide the fabric down the length of all the strips.  After I bunched them all I made a rectangle keeping both short sides the same and the long sides the same.  Mine ended up being 36" by 42".

After I had the size of the rectangle I cut the piece of Dark Purple for the back in the 36 1/4"x 42 1/4" size giving myself some wiggle room.  Then I pinned on my binding with the raw edges lining up with the raw edges on the side of the top, so the folded edge faced in.  On the corners I made two folds, turning it and pining it in place so it would make a ruffly corner when I sewed it.  Where the edges met, I opened up the binding placed a pin where they would meet and sewed a straight stitch so the excess would be on the inside afterward.  Then I pinned that part of the strip down so it was all one long piece of binding.

Then I assembled my quilt sandwich.  This time a little different than normal.  Batting first.  Then Quilt top and Binding facing up, then on top of that place the backing right side facing down (so when you turn it inside out the right side will face out.  Then pin in place.

Sew around the edges leaving a 6" or so opening along the side so that you can flip your quilt right side out.

Once you have it turned the right way, pin your hole closed making sure that your binding is in the middle, and I quilted in the ditch along each of the stripes.  After I did that I used a zig zag stitch to go around the entire perimeter of the quilt to give it a finished look, some stability, and seal the hole left from turning it right side out.

There you go, a fun textured, little girl ruffle quilt.

Shimp Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

We are trying to incorporate more lean proteins in our diet and my boys love shrimp, so this was dinner for the day!

Shrimp Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

• 1 bag medium (41-60 piece) frozen shrimp because that is what I had on hand, definitely use fresh if you have it, thawed
• Cooked Rice (Or cook while you are preparing)
• 1 zucchini, cut in half and sliced
• 1 summer squash, cut in half and sliced
• 1/2 onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced
• 1/2-1 green or red pepper, seeded and sliced
• 3 or 4 mushrooms, I remove the stems and slice
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• ginger
• garlic
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice
• 1 recipe Thai Sweet and Sour Sauce

Prepare the vegetables and the sauce.  Bring a wok to heat drizzle with a little oil add onion and peppers, garlic and ginger and stir for a few minutes.  Add the remaining vegetables salt and pepper to taste and stir fry until the vegetables until crisp tender.  Remove to a serving dish.  

Add a little more oil to the wok add the shrimp. Season with a little salt and pepper and drizzle with lemon juice.  They are already cooked so you just need to heat them up it should only take about 3 minutes or so.  You can add the sauce to the shrimp now to glaze really quick before removing to a bowl or serve on the side.

Plate with rice, the vegetables and shrimp drizzled with the sauce all over.

Thai Sweet and Sour Sauce

I love a good sweet and sour sauce but it seems like they are always so heavy.  I adapted this from a recipe I found on All Recipes a while back and I don't have the name of the person who posted it I'm sorry, but it is a keeper!

Thai Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp fresh ginger (1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1 clove garlic pressed
1 tsp hot pepper flakes (this is pretty spicy if you like it mild start with 1/4 tsp and work your way up)
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp corn starch

Reserve 1 Tbsp of cold water and mix in the corn starch to make a slurry.

Pour the water and vinegar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add the sugar, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, and ketchup.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in cornstarch heat for another minute or so then remove from the heat.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.