The Farmers Wife

Kim's Casserole ~ Homemade Hamburger Helper

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Kim's Casserole, Family Recipe

Hey y'all! It feels good to be back to posting somewhat regularly! My hubby got me set up with our old laptop so that I can blog while he's working at home now! YAY!!! lol! Today's recipe is a family classic from my childhood and I'm pulling it from the archives as I've recently re-made it and changed it up a bit!

I honestly don't know where this recipe originated other than my Mom making it fairly often when I was young because I just loved it, (hence it's named after ME! haha!) and it's an easy and cheap meal to throw together. I honestly kind of forgot about this recipe until last week when my little Sis-In-Law was perusing my blog and found it and decided it must be made the very next day for lunch. My little sous chef just adored this and ate it up, my Sis got seconds, and I (being pregnant and suddenly majorly craving this) ate a lot more than I'd like to admit... HAHA! It reminded me of my childhood, and really was just an all around comfort food and with all the stress of the last few months it really hit the spot. Now I know this isn't the most figure friendly meal I've ever posted, so if you're wanting that feel free to check out another recipe. But it is cheap, easy and a big time kid pleaser. And also when I make Mac and Cheese I use only half the butter recommended and always use lowfat milk too and so far my boys haven't noticed... ;-) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Lbs. Ground Sirloin (ground beef works too)
1/4 Onion, diced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 boxes Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
1 can Tomato Soup
1-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning (to taste)

Directions:
Cook Macaroni according to directions on package. Meanwhile in a skillet saute' onions and garlic in a little bit of Olive Oil. Once translucent, add the ground beef and 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning and brown, once cooked drain the fat. Add the beef to the cooked and prepared macaroni. Pour the tomato soup in the pot and mix. Add in the remaining seasonings (to taste) and stir. Makes about 6 servings.

Review:
This is a really easy dinner. Comes together really fast, and is a major kid pleaser. We had this a lot growing up, and for me it tastes like my childhood. It's fairly rich because of the soup, but it really is yummy! 3.5 Stars

Party Food!!

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all! So I'm told there's this big football game coming up this Sunday... Something I heard about a Stuper Bowl... haha! I know, I know it's Super Bowl Sunday this February 5th... And while I will not be partaking of any football type activities as it is also my Birthday (I HATE when my b-day falls on Super Bowl Sunday.... UGH!) I know most of you out there will be. So to get you started on your menu plans, or to just give you some ideas here's my list of favorite party foods! I hope y'all have a fantastic weekend, and may the best team win (FYI I have NO idea who's playing... BAHAHAHA!!!)

Party Food!!

(So you know there is a specific party food category on the site, and all of these are listed there too!)

Appetizers:

Pizza Bites (These are both man and kid approved, so if you have any kids coming to your party these are a must have!)

Pizza Muffins (A kid pleaser, but you can easily change the fillings for your party goers)

Corn Dog Bites (You just can't go wrong with these puppies!)

Bean Dip (Who doesn't love a good dip?!? teehee!)

Main Dishes:

Hoagies (You can mix these up so much to your specific tastes, and make several for all your guests! OR if doing a sandwich bar give my Spicy Mayo a try!)

Italian Beef (Easy, delicious, and feeds a crowd! Serve with little buns, or big ones)

Crock Pot Savory Chili (Because every football party requires some good chili!)

Pulled BBQ Beef (Simple yet very tasty and man approved game day food! And if you forget the buns here's a recipe for Hamburger Buns)

Balsamic Grilled Chicken (May sound girly... But totally man approved! My man couldn't get enough of this chicken!)

Tostada Pizza (For a Mexican themed party day!)

Chicken Fingers (Served with a wide range of dipping sauces and your boys will be happy and messy for hours!)

Grilled Steak with Grill Seasonings (This was my Hubby's recipe he shared this summer, and with tips of the perfect grilled Steak and Burger!)

Sides:

Potato Salad (Simple, basic, total man food! Add in onions or pickles as you see fit, or put them on the side!)

Baked Beans (Staple for any game day party!)

Cheesy Mac (Who doesn't love a good Mac and Cheese?!?)

Lighter Loaded Mashed Taters (Shhh... Don't tell them it's diet!!)

Vanilla Fluff Fruit Salad (It's so good it could almost be a dessert!)

Seasoned Grilled Corn (It's super easy, and famously delicious!)

Seasoned Potatoes (Cooked on the grill so less clean up, and totally dude approved)

Desserts:

Cookie Pizza (I know this may seem more like chick food, but I'm sure you could get inventive and use the colors from your favorite team to make a design on your cookie!)

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Sugar Chips (A wonderful dessert, that's different from your typical variety!)

Grandma M's Chocolate Chip Cookies (Because everyone loves a good cookie)

White Raspberry Cake (Basically a Jell-O cake, where you can use whatever flavor of Jell-O you want to match your teams colors! And can use fruit on the top to make the team logo!)

Beverages:

Pineapple Mango Punch (This is guy approved, my man made up this concoction himself! Nice alternative to beer, cus I'm sorry but I hate that stink!)

Hope you all enjoy your Super Bowl Parties, and that this helps with our menu planning for the big day! I personally hope to catch every chick flick possible and chill with my family all day! ;-)

Happy Cooking!

Pulled BBQ Beef

2012-01-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Pulled BBQ Beef, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all! Man it feels like forever since I posted a recipe... I'm so sorry about that! Things are just nutty around here lately, and I think I've finally accepted that the normal I've always known is gone. I just have to adjust and find a new "normal" My hubby has been working on paperwork for our farm a lot recently (yes, farms really do require quite large amounts of paperwork believe it or not!) which means he is using my laptop while I try to figure out how to clean and do my normal household activities without disturbing him. lol! And my little Sis in Law is spending 4 days out of the week with us as she needs a place to crash between her classes at the local college. And she has been using my laptop for her homework in the afternoons... So basically I'm trying to find the balance and time to do more than check my email! I have still been cooking, though I've hit a bit of a creative slump recently I hope to get out of it soon. Don't worry though, I have tons of recipes to share with you in the meantime!

Today's recipe is one I've played around with for awhile. One of those I had to perfect before sharing with you. Some attempts have been very lazy and blah, and some were very difficult and time consuming. But I finally hit gold a couple weeks ago and this delightful meal was the hit of my family!

As most of you know from reading my last post, my Hubby and I are expecting an addition to our family in the form of a little girl this spring! And we couldn't be more thrilled. But I am doing things a little different this time around, I'm planning meals that can be frozen and easily reheated after our little miss arrives. With our Son that wasn't an option, we just had a teeny tiny freezer that my Hubby filled with about 15 lbs. of meat 2 weeks before I gave birth... haha! So I was juggling a newborn, being a Mom, company, and trying to feed my family. It was slightly stressful. This time around we not only have a big ole freezer in the garage, but I want to be able to relax and not worry and stress about food so much, and have meals that can easily be made for last minute company coming over. (And that my Hubby can cook himself while Mommy feeds our little miss! hehe!) That's where this comes in, this freezes wonderfully! And I knew it would, it's something we just have to heat up and grab some bread or buns and eat. Perfect! I just had to get it right first... haha! I think y'all will be pleased with this easy but flavorful dish, it's so simple and will totally drive you nuts smelling it cook all day long! ;-)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Chuck Roast (I buy cheap cuts of meat for crock pot meals)
1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder, divided
1 Can Root Beer
2-3 Cups KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce, but it needs to be thick)

Directions:
Spray a 6qt. Crock Pot with non-stick cooking spray, then place the onions on the bottom. Sprinkle the pepper and garlic powder evenly on both sides of the roast, then place into the crock pot on top of the onions. Pour the can of root beer around the roast, then cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once cooked, take out the roast and shred the meat. Drain out most of the liquid left in the pot, leaving as many onions as possible. Put the shredded meat back into the pot, and add the barbecue sauce until it's evenly coated and saucy. Put the lid back on and cook another hour on low, this allows the meat to absorb even more of the barbecue sauce. Serve warm on your favorite buns or rolls.

Review:
This dish was beyond easy, but so full of flavor! The root beer adds this amazing flavor to the meat, and let me tell you what, you could smell this cooking all the way down the street... We had a guy come to the door the day I made this and he immediately asked what on earth I was cooking because he could smell it as he pulled up! HA! Now that's a good meal! 4.5 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Reminiscence and an Announcement

2012-01-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in doing my year in review for 2011, and I apologize for that! Things have been very hectic recently, and I had some special news I wanted to share with y'all (at the end!!) and was waiting on some last minute info to come through. But don't worry, I promise this won't be too long... lol!

This last year was such a roller coaster for not only The Farmers Wife, but our whole family. My Hubby has worked more hours this last year than previous years, which was at times a struggle. My Son started potty training and doing preschool at home with Mommy. And I have been busy trying to keep on top of everything!

At times this year I know my focus has been off this site more than I would have liked, either with working on other projects, or with some personal difficulties. This June I ended up in the ER with excruciating ear pain in the middle of the night, turns out a wonderful (NOT!) spider decided my ear looked yummy that night and wanted to eat my ear drum. Lovely huh? Not so much... After battling that very painful incident I now have lost significant hearing in my right ear and still battle pain at times. Also this year we experienced a couple of losses in the form of Miscarriages that are never easy and take a toll on me physically and emotionally. We've always wanted to have a large family, and I think this year we realized that a large family was not in God's plan for us.

There have been blessings this year too though, we became and Aunt and Uncle for the very first time this year with the arrival of our precious Nephew this June! He is such a sweet and adorable little guy and we all love him so very much! It has been fun watching his parents grow with this new little person in their lives too. As I always said they really are amazing parents, and I'm so glad to be able to share this journey with them as we are constantly swapping parenting info. We've also spent a lot more time with my little Sis-In-Law as she attends college just minutes from our house and spends a lot of time "mooching" food off of me! :-) But we enjoy having her around and my Son just loves seeing her all the time.

This year my site has grown by leaps and bounds as well, and that is all thanks to my wonderful readers! I wouldn't be where I am today without all of you and your amazing support and love I always feel. I hope that in 2012 we will continue to grow, and this site will have even more recipes and food info for you all!

Now for the big news... I know many of you have wondered at my recent absence the last few months in posting, and while it may not seem it, I have been doing some "slow cooking" that last few months... You see the truth is I haven't been feeling very well. I've battled a lot of sleepless nights, indigestion, nausea, headaches, emotional moments, exhaustion, and a whole myriad of symptoms... Did you guess yet?!?!?!

I'm PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally after years of battling losses and starting to feel that we may never have more children, this September we got a very welcome surprise. And we couldn't be more excited about this baby arriving early this June (or late May as my son was early!). So far this has been a normal pregnancy (although I have been much sicker hence the lack of posting) and still have yet to gain weight. But here I am at 19 1/2 weeks and I have one parting piece of news to share with y'all that we are just beyond thrilled about.

It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just found out early this week, and that's the piece of news we were waiting on before announcing. We are all so excited to have our precious little girl, and to complete our family! Nichole Ann is scheduled to arrive June 3rd, however high chance of her being early. And since I know y'all will want to meet her, here's is a picture of our precious little girl!

Our little girl, Nichole!

I really can't tell you enough how I appreciate y'alls support as I've been taking a step back from not feeling well, and never telling you why. lol! But I wanted to get to a "safe" point before announcing because of my history of Miscarriage. I know this next year will be a challenge with keeping up here on the blog and our changing family, but I look forward to the challenge! I have some new special recipes I can't wait to share with you, and some new categories that will be coming over the next year. Such as Freezer Meals, and Baby Food! I look forward to sharing the rest of this journey with y'all!

Happy Baking! ;-)

Baked Cinnamon Apples

2012-01-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

Baked Cinnamon Apples, Farmers Wife Original

I'm BAAACK!!! haha!! I know it's been WAY too long since I've posted. Life has been just slightly hectic recently and I'm still trying to get my bearings back. We had a wonderful, but slightly stressful Christmas and New Years, and while I love this time of year, I admit I am always happy to be done with the stresses of it all. Coordinating everything when you have a little one and 3 Christmas's to attend, things can get pretty hairy. But we survived, and I think are getting back to a semi-normal life. Typically every year I do a reflections post at the end of each year, but I'm behind so you can look for this post sometime next week! For now how about we talk about some Apples!!!

It's really no secret that my family loves Cinnamon Apple recipes. I've been working hard the last few years to recreate our favorites at home, and so far have been somewhat successful... But this year I did it. I achieved what I thought was impossible... I got it RIGHT! These apples turned out to be a HUGE hit with our extended family on Christmas Day as a side dish, and my family alone ate my test run of 4 apples between the 3 of us in one sitting.... lol! These apples are so easy, they're great as a side dish, or on top of your favorite pancakes! I hope you'll give these a try and soon!

Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 Cup Apple Cider
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Directions:
Peel, core and dice your apples into 1/2 inch pieces. *This can be done the day before just place in a ziploc bag with lemon juice and refrigerate.* Place the apples in a baking dish. Then in a medium saucepan combine the remaining ingredients, and cook on medium heat whisking frequently until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for about 4 minutes then pour over the apples and mix. Pre-heat your oven to 325F degrees, and cook the apples for about 55 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure even baking, until the apples are fork tender. *If the sauce thins out while cooking, make a cornstarch slurry of 1 tablespoon Cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water, mix well and add to the apples and bake for 5 more minutes to thicken up the sauce.* Serve warm.

Review:
I have to say these get a 5 star rating from our house and our family. They were such a huge hit, I'm so glad I made them for Christmas this year! I quadrupled the recipe and cut up all the apples the day before which made this a breeze!

Happy Baking!

Cheesy Mac

2011-12-20T00:00:00.001-08:00

Cheesy Mac, Farmers Wife Original Recipe

I don't know about you all but in my house Mac and Cheese is a go to meal, and loved by both my son and hubby. Typically we're a blue box kinda family, though I've tried making different versions over the years, they were never enjoyed as much as this beloved blue box. Until this recipe I made just last week. It was one of those days where I didn't really feel like cooking, wanted something easy and was really in the mood for pasta. So I went searching through my fridge and pantry and found all of the ingredients listed below and started cooking, and man am I glad I did!!! I've never seen my son eat Mac and Cheese the way he did that night, and the next day for lunch, and the next day after that... It was a little bit crazy!

I think if we're all honest with ourselves, we each have a little kid in us buried deep down that still wants that good ole' comfort food. And I love being able to pass those favorites of mine down to my son. I hope that this will bring back some cheesy memories for you all, and also have to say this would be a pretty awesome side dish on Christmas! ;-)

Ingredients:
1 lbs. Ditalini Pasta (or your pasta of choice)
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1 1/2 Cups Mild Cheddar, Shredded
1 Cup Velveeta, cubed
Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large stock pot cook your pasta til Al Dente' or preferred doneness. In a medium pot, heat your cream, cheeses and pepper until smooth and bubbly, stirring frequently. Once your pasta is done, drain and pour back into the pot. Then pour all the cheese mixture on top and stir until evenly coated, serve warm.

Review:
This was surprisingly good to be honest. I've made homemade mac and cheese before and it was not loved by my boys, but they both devoured this batch and asked for more! I'd give this 4.5 stars!

Happy Cooking, and Merry Christmas!

Cookie Swap Party!!!

2011-12-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!! I thought we'd have a little bit of fun today! Ever been to a cookie swap party?!? I remember going all the time with my mom back in the day. But now I thought we should have a fun "virtual" cookie swap! I hope y'all will join in the fun, and let all your friends know! I'll get us started by posting my favorite cookie recipes for y'all to check out!

First up is my creation from last Christmas, possibly my favorite cookie ever!!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies:

Next is a new twist on the classic Peanut Butter Blossoms, with the Hershey's Kiss in the middle... Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies:

Third would have to be the family recipe we just can't live without, especially at the Holidays...

Grandma M's Chocolate Chip Cookies

And last, but certainly not least is my Grandma's classic...

Sugar Cookies

Here are the rules for this Linky!:

1. Link up to your exact post, not the main page of your site.

2. Please link back to this Cookie Swap somewhere on your blog, you can use this code to link back to this page: http://www.the-farmers-wife.net/2011/12/cookie-swap-party.html

3. Have fun and link up as many cookie recipes as you want, and check out all the ones you want to make this year! Let get started!

Easy Cheesy Hasherole

2011-12-03T08:50:00.001-08:00

Easy Cheesy Hasherole, Farmers Wife Original Recipe

It's hard to believe we're already into December! This last year has totally flown by so fast, I think I got whiplash... lol! It's so unbelievable to me how far this blog has come in the last year, if it weren't for all of you I know The Farmers Wife wouldn't be where it is today, and I probably would've run out of recipe ideas a long time ago if y'all didn't challenge me! I just love all of my fans!

Anyway, you came here for a recipe, not my emotional diatribe. Well it will come as no surprise that this is another breakfast recipe. I think I'm just a bit obsessed with breakfast foods. Not entirely sure why to be honest, something about it is comforting to me. Something y'all probably don't know though is I frequently try to create homemade "Skillet" dishes to please my picky boys. I grew up loving these dishes filled with eggs, veggies, cheese, meat and maybe some potatoes served with toast. Such a simple idea yet very filling and full of flavor. I've been working on a recipe for a long time that was pleasing to all of us, and last night I finally achieved this goal! I wish I could say this came as some sort of epiphany, or anything special. It was more like "I have this leftover, and some of this... Sounds like a skillet to me!" haha! But when my hubby took his first bite and actually said "Mmmm..." I was shocked! He said that because I used less veggies and added the hash browns it was perfect guy food. So if you have a picky guy you're trying to feed breakfast this weekend, I hope you'll give this a try! It's kid and guy approved!

Ingredients:
4 Hash brown Patties
8 Eggs
4 Slices Canadian Bacon, diced (or ham would work too)
1/2 Cup Diced Tomatoes
2 Green Onions, diced
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook your hash browns according to package directions, until crispy. Then chop into bite sized pieces and set aside. In a skillet cook your Canadian bacon, tomatoes and onion until heated through and the bacon is slightly browned, scoop into a bowl and set aside. Clean our your skillet and spray with cooking spray, then scramble the eggs with a dash of pepper. Once the eggs are cooked add back in the bacon and veggie mixture, and the hash browns. Heat through, then add the cheese and mix on low heat until cheese is completely melted. Serve warm.

Review:
This dish was so simple, it really came together pretty fast as I was able to cook the veggies and eggs while the hash browns were baking and the whole thing took only about half an hour. Which is my kind of meal! With my boys giving it 2 thumbs up I have to say this gets a 5 star rating! This would be fantastic for a Christmas morning breakfast alongside some toast, or cinnamon rolls... Yum!

Happy Cooking!

French Bread Bowls

2011-11-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

French Bread Bowls, Adapted from Bread Machine Magic

Wow, it feels so good to be back to posting! I've really missed y'all the last week and a half, I'm so sorry about the sudden lack of posting, but the last couple weeks have been utterly insane for me and my family! Between celebrating our Anniversary, and then my Sister In Law's Birthday and Thanksgiving all in a space of 3 days... Was a little bit exhausting! Don't get me wrong it was a lot of fun too, but this Momma was just plain worn out, then to top it off we had our wonderful family staying with us (Which was a blast!) and then my Hubby and Son both got sick. :-( I needed to take a break from here in order to survive. I missed y'all, and I'm hoping to really get back into the swing of things!

Now on to the recipe! I've long been playing around with making Bread Bowl as I just ADORE them! And then a few of you requested a recipe for them, and suddenly the wheels got turning in my head. I have to admit, my favorite bread bowls are made with sourdough not french bread. But when you have limited time and a craving, you just figure something out. haha! These were actually quite easy, and really fabulous!

With my boys sick I've been making soup like crazy, and finally we just needed to finish up the leftovers but I was getting really tired of soup. So I thought making some bread bowls would change it up just enough that I could stomach another bowl of soup. haha! And you know it actually worked?!? The bread itself was just perfect, crusty outside and soft and chewy inside. A great flavor... Ok I'm totally drooling now. I did make these using a bread machine for the dough, didn't have the energy for anything else... hehe! But you can totally make this without a bread machine!

Filled with Hamburger Barley Vegetable Soup

Ingredients: yields 4 bread bowls
1 1/4 Cups Water
2 teaspoons Salt
4 Cups Bread Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
Cornmeal as needed

Directions:
Place all ingredients (minus the cornmeal) in your bread machine in the order listed, or according to your manufacturers directions. Select the Dough setting and press Start. Once the dough is done, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Then roll into an even log, and with a sharp knife cut 4 even sections. Form each one into a large ball, and using your knife cut an X across the top of each about 1/2 inch down. Then take a cookie sheet and cover with cornmeal, and place the bowls on the sheet. Dust the tops with a little flour, then cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. *Tip: Turn your oven on to 200F degrees for 1-2 minutes then shut off and place the pan in the oven to rise. Don't forget to remove pan before preheating the oven!* Once risen to double the size, pre-heat the oven to 450F degrees. Bake about 15 minutes or until crust is golden and and crisp. To serve, cut a circle in the top and using your hand scoop out the inner bread (saving to use for dipping!) leaving about a 1/2-1 inch lining of bread to soak up the soup. Fill with your favorite soup and serve with the innerds alongside!

Review:
I have to say I was really happy with how these turned out! They were remarkably easy, and full of flavor. You could leave out the garlic if you wanted to, or add in some other spices to give it more flair. I hope you'll give these a try with your next pot of soup! 4.5 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes ~ and Anniversary Post!

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Our Wedding Day 5 years ago!

This last week has gone by SO fast, I can hardly believe it's already Friday... But you know what else has gone by fast? The last 5 years! 5 years ago today I married my best friend, the man of my dreams, and my soul mate, Jeremy! It's hard to believe it's been half a decade since we said "I do" sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday and other times it's hard to remember a time when we weren't!

For those of you who may not know, Jeremy and I didn't exactly have the most conventional dating relationship... lol! We met online via a mutual friend, I know, I know... He's lucky I wasn't some lunatic ;-). We spent so many hours on the phone, video chatting and eventually meeting in person. Somewhere in all of that we fell madly in love. And as unusual as our relationship may have started out, when he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife I responded in the way all women do... "Is this for real?!?!?" Ok... so maybe not EVERYONE reacts like that, but I was floored, happy, but he really surprised me. (I said yes by the way!) After what seemed like an eternity we finally said our vows to each other in a very intimate and personal ceremony with our closest friends and family there. As crazy as it sounds I can still close my eyes and remember every detail of that day. The look on his face when he first saw me in my dress, when our pastor goofed up our vows causing Jeremy to stumble and everyone cracking up laughing, my cheeks shaking from smiling so much but I just couldn't stop, and most of all I remember walking down the aisle to this wonderful man. I couldn't tell you if the congregation stood up as I walked past them on my Father's arm, or if every candle was lit like I wanted, all I saw was my future standing before me. It was like a dream... a dream come true!

Now you may be asking what all this has to do with a post about Carrot Cake... Well... My wonderful Hubby isn't a huge cake fan, however he LOVES carrot cake. So on our wedding day I surprised him with a Carrot Cake Grooms Cake. I couldn't honestly tell you if he remembers that detail or not but I'll never forget it. He freaked out at first thinking it was a mistake (which cracked me up!) and then was really surprised when I said it was for him. So for our 5th anniversary I thought it would be fun to surprise him again with his favorite cake, this time in cupcake form. I really hope he enjoys them, and they will also be gracing our Thanksgiving Dessert table this year!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes, My Grandmother's Recipe

Ingredients: yields 1 13x9 pan or 24 cupcakes
Cake
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Oil
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs
2 Cups Shredded Carrots
8 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple, undrained
1/2 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

Frosting:
8 oz. Package Softened Cream Cheese
6 Tablespoons Softened Margarine or Butter
2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans (optional)

Directions:
For cake:
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk together; set aside. In your mixing bowl combine sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs. Beat well, then slowly add in the flour mixture and mix well. Add in the carrots, pineapple, raisins and pecans. Pour into a greased and floured pan, or using an ice cream scoop, scoop into lined muffin tins. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. For a 13x9 pan bake for 50-60 minutes, for cupcakes bake for about 20 minutes rotating halfway through. Cake is done with toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

For Frosting:
Combine the cream cheese, margarine, sugar and vanilla in your mixer, beat until smooth. For cupcakes you can then spread or pipe onto the cake and then sprinkle with more nuts. For a cake you can spread the frosting on smooth and sprinkle the cake with the nuts or you can add the nuts to the frosting before spreading.

Review:
These are just beyond delicious! I doubled the recipe this year since I am making them for Thanksgiving too (which we're celebrating this Sunday) and they smelled fantastic baking and totally hit the spot for breakfast... haha! The bonus is un-frosted this cake is completely dairy free! So if you're looking for an easy Dairy free dessert this year I promise this will wow! 5 stars.

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes ~ Guest Post!

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!! I'm SO excited about today's guest post! Today a very good and "old" friend of mine, Samantha, has agreed to share her famous recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with y'all! When I say old I don't mean so much in years, but Samantha and I have been friends since we were in Jr. High, and though we've lost touch at times over the years, you really wouldn't know it by the relationship we have now. I am so blessed to have her as a friend and I am SO honored that she's sharing this recipe with us today! She's a busy Momma herself to a sweet little boy, and I appreciate her taking the time to write up this post! Now without further ado I turn this post over to you Sam!

_____________________________________

I make these every year for Thanksgiving and my family goes crazy. I have to hide them so they don't get eaten before dinner. I constantly get requests to make more and more each year. This will make about 2 dozen cupcakes, last year I doubled the recipe to make sure everyone had enough, and most likely will again this year. It's a great treat for after Thanksgiving dinner, if you can wait that long. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as my family does! Happy Thanksgiving.

*This picture does not do these cupcakes justice, my son helped me with the icing so they aren't as pretty as you can make them!

What you will need:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk

Directions:
In medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in mashed or canned pumpkin. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition. Spoon batter into baking cups (I usually find ones with pumpkins on the bottom for the holiday). Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until a wooden tooth pick comes out clean. Let them cool and then I frost them with cream cheese frosting and top with a little pumpkin decoration.

________________________________

Don't those just sound amazing y'all?!? If I can find the extra time I might just whip some up for Thanksgiving this year! Thank you Sam SO much for this post! I love ya girl!

Samantha and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Maple Glazed Carrots

2011-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Maple Glazed Carrots, Farmers Wife Original

With the holidays fast approaching, I've been going back over some recipes I've never blogged about this year. Believe it or not at any given time I have a back log of recipes that have yet to make it onto the site. Sometimes it's nice to be able to not worry about cooking something new for a week and just post recipes that I haven't taken the time to post yet. And other times I get struck dumb at how long it's been since I made a particular recipe and it's not made it's way to y'all yet! This is one such recipe... I made this earlier this year... for Easter. HAHA! I honestly don't know why it's taken me so long to post this recipe, other than to say I forgot about it and replaced it with what I would probably deem more impressive meals. But the truth is no meal is complete without at least 1 delicious side right?

Now I'm weird about carrots, I do love them. But I hate them raw, even with ranch I'm not overly fond of them. But cooked in a stir fry, or with a sweet glaze and I think these little babies become like a piece of heaven on my plate! I've made these a few times over the years, tweaking the recipe just a bit each time til it was just right, and this time I just fell in love. My little Sous Chef went nuts about these, which really surprised me! As a baby carrots were one of his least favorite foods, and he's never eaten them since, until I made these at Easter. I think he ate more of them than my Hubby and I combined... So if you're looking for a kid friendly veggie side for this holiday season I hope you'll give these a whirl!

Ingredients:
1 Bag of Baby Carrots
1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt

Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine the syrup, sugar, cinnamon and salt on low-medium heat. Once the sugar is dissolved add in the carrots and mix to evenly coat them all. Cover and let come to a low boil, stirring frequently so the sugar doesn't burn. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Serve warm.

Review:
These carrots are so very simple, yet full of delicious flavor. They are a great side dish especially with so many saltier sides like Mashed Taters and Green Bean Casserole that most of us make this time of year. My little Sous Chef gives these a 4 star rating!

Happy Holiday Cooking!

Holiday Tips and Menu Ideas

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning y'all!! Today's post is not exactly a recipe, but every year I like to re post my Holiday Cooking tips and Menu Ideas for y'all. I know Halloween is just the start of the Holiday rush for most, and with Thanksgiving just a few short weeks away I know we're all starting to prepare. So here are a few helpful hints to make your holidays a little less stressful and some menu ideas!

Holiday Tips!

1. Get as much baking done as you can in the days before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Baking takes so much more work and time than cooking, it's good to have it out of the way.

2. When making Mashed Potatoes, if you are serving a large crowd and want them to stay warm once they're mashed put them in a crock pot on a warm setting with a small amount of butter on top to keep them warm and moist. (This is also great for keeping stuffing, sliced turkey, sweet potatoes, all those things warm too.)

3. When using your crock pot for anything such as breakfast, potatoes, soups, make sure you spray it with non-stick cooking spray first. It will make your clean up that much easier

4. If it's cold outside and you want to keep your guests nice and warm, keep things like coffee, tea, hot chocolate or cider on hand. For things like Hot Chocolate and Cider you can also keep those warm in a crock-pot. In fact most things like that you can make in the crock-pot as well. Either with your own blend of Hot chocolate or with packets, just add the right amount of water, heat it up in the crock-pot and keep on warm.

5. When making a Turkey, be sure and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before slicing to keep the juices in the Turkey.

6. Keep the leftovers and reuse. Things like Turkey Tetrizinni, soups, potato pancakes, etc. are all wonderful things on a cold winters day. And can be frozen and pulled out at a later time.

7. Take leftover place cards, or just some card stock and make labels of what different items are, or the ingredients in them so that if things look similar you know what you're having, or if your family has some allergies or diabetics they know what is safe to eat.

8. Wear an apron all day long! This one I can't stress enough, especially if you tend to be a bit of a klutz. I am constantly spilling on myself while cooking, and eating and if you're like me you wear something nice for the holidays you want to keep it clean. So wear an apron and once clean up is done take it off and show off your still fabulous outfit!

9. Be patient and try not to worry. Food reacts to our emotions, as weird as it sounds. If you are stressed and doing too many things at once, things will get burnt or just spoiled, which will only stress you out more. And plan your cooking schedule. If things cook at the same temperature take advantage of that and cook multiple things at once.

10. Clean while you cook! I cannot stress this one enough. While things are cooking and before starting the next round, wash whatever you can then or get someone else to do that for you, so that once the food is served and you are done eating you can relax and only have the dinner dishes left to clean up.

For some Holiday Recipe Ideas:

Breakfast:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Spiced Donuts

Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Main Dish:

Roasted Turkey Breast

Buttermilk Chicken

Side Dishes:

Hashbrown Casserole

Macaroni and Cheese

Sweet Potato Casserole

Fruit Salad
Maple Glazed Carrots

Desserts:

Apple Bars

Apple Pie (Sugar Free or regular)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Fudge Krispies

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Peppermint Brownies

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Sugar Cookies

Beverages:

Hot Chocolate

Pineapple Mango Punch

For some recipes of things to make with leftovers check out these:

Baked Potato Soup

Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

Turkey Tetrizinni

Turkey Bacon Club Sandwich

Turkey Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

Happy Holiday Cooking!

Turkey Tetrizinni

2011-10-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

My Grandmothers recipe, with some slight changes by The Farmers Wife

Today's recipe is coming to you from my archives. Sometimes when an old recipe didn't get the attention it deserved I'll redo it and re-post it for y'all! This particular recipe is an oldie but goodie, and the wonderful thing about this recipe is it is great for that leftover chicken/turkey you have around after the holidays! This classic dish is a great leftover re-purpose type of meal! One of the things I love about re-purposing leftovers is not only is it great on a budget, but because you're completely changing the way you're using something it tastes completely different from the original recipe and for those who hate to eat leftovers, this is a great trick to get them to eat those leftovers they'd normally try to avoid that end up in the trash. This Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrizinni is something I have to admit I refused to eat as a child. For no reason other than I thought it looked kinda funny and given the choice between that and eating a meal of holiday leftovers, well in my mind there was no contest! As an adult I have found that I love this recipe, and oddly enough have actually gotten my Little Sous Chef to eat it too (guess he's not as picky as his Mom was!) and the Farming Hubby really enjoys it as well. This recipe is wonderful for a crowd as the original recipe fills both a 9x13 and a 8x8 pan FULL! (I have started halving this to feed just us and still put some in the freezer) One of my favorite things about this meal is not only is it budget friendly, you get to re-purpose your leftovers, but it also freezes beautifully, so you can get 3, yes I said 3 meals out of that holiday turkey you made!! You can make this anytime of the year, just buy a whole chicken, and boil it and shred the meat, but using the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is my favorite way to make this delicious meal.

Ingredients:
3-4 Cups Cut up (or shredded) cooked Turkey or Chicken
1 lbs. Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Green Pepper
7 Tablespoons Flour
3 Cups Chicken or Turkey Broth (or make stock using bouillon)
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 lbs. Velveeta, cut into cubes
1 Small can of Diced Black Olives
1 Small jar of Diced Pimentos

Directions:
Cook angel hair in water, add approximately 1 chicken bouillon cube for every 2 cups of water. Cook angel hair for 8 minutes, drain. In a medium sauce pan (or just use the stock pot you used for the pasta) melt the butter, and saute the onion and pepper until tender. Blend in the flour, forming a roux. Add the broth and cream until incorporated. Then add in the Velveeta and stir until smooth and melted. In your stock pot add back in the pasta, the cooked Turkey, olives and pimentos and pour the sauce over it all. Mix gently, and then pour into an oblong (or 9x13 and 8x8 pans) and heat in oven for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. When casserole is bubbling in the middle, it's done. This can also be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated.

Review:
We really enjoy this dish, it's creamy and delightful. With the pimentos it has a bit of a kick to it, which is really nice. It is a pretty easy meal to make, which is wonderful when you're tired from the holiday, but are sick of eating leftovers. If you're like our family and have veggie trays, you are likely to have leftover green pepper to use, and chicken or turkey broth as well from making gravy. This is also great if you have a lot of family in town for the holidays and need something large and filling to feed a crowd, you could even make this before the holiday, freeze it and then defrost and re-heat until warmed through and serve! 4 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2011-10-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Farmers Wife Original

I don't know about y'all but once the weather starts to drop I immediately think SOUP! I love my thick and creamy soups with a nice hard roll (or bread bowl) when the weather starts to change. It's something that I have grown to look forward to as an adult, and something my hubby has quickly adapted to. haha! I will say there are some soups he's not a huge fan of that I just could not live without, like my Broccoli Cheese Soup... I couldn't stand a world without this amazing soup, but I've never gotten him to even taste it! (which is kind of ok since that means I get the whole pot mostly to myself! hehe!) However my little Sous Chef seems to have his Mommy's love of creamy soups as he will eat a giant bowl of whatever soup I make faster than you can say "whoopdedoodle" ok... maybe not but, c'mon it was funny!

This particular recipe is an oldie but goodie. I've been making it for years, but recently I changed it a little and found my boys and I liked it even better and decided it was worth re-posting! You may not know this about me but I ADORE loaded baked potatoes... They are full of carbs and bad things for you but taste so darn good (don't worry I only indulge about twice a year). But after making this soup sometimes I have a hard time deciding which one to make when I get those carbolicious cravings... In fact I'm struggling with this dilemma for dinner tonight. haha! So what do y'all think? Soup or Potato? Which should come first this fall? ;-)

Ingredients:
2 Lbs. Russet Potatoes, Peeled and chopped to 1 in. pieces
1 medium Onion Diced
1 Cup Chopped Carrots
1 Cup Diced Celery
3 Cups Chicken Broth (I used bouillon)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Pepper
6 Slices of Bacon, cooked and diced (I used Turkey Bacon)
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar
Sour Cream, I used Fat Free

Directions:
Peel and chop the potatoes, place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the Onion, Carrots, Celery, Broth and salt. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Then add in Milk, Pepper and Bacon, and cook on high for another 30 minutes. Then add in the cheese, stir. Serve with green onion, crumbled bacon and a dollop of sour cream on top *optional is only a garnish*.

Review:
This was incredible easy, and delicious. Smelled fantastic while cooking, and reheats really well too, and freezes beautifully!! I recommend this for a cold night when you want a baked potato, but want to try something new too! Tasted like a loaded baked potato, but in soup form! Yum! 4 Stars

Happy Cooking!

Pumpkin Spice Donuts, and Holiday Traditions

2011-10-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Spice Donuts, Farmers Wife Original

It's Friday, Friday... Yup Rebecca Black your song hits me every Friday Morning when I wake up... I don't think I should be thanking you for this, but hey it gets me going! haha! Good Morning Friends! I know y'all have been asking when this recipe was going up, and it's been driving me crazy wanting to share this yummy goodness with you! Finally this morning my Internet it working (for the moment) so here we go!

I don't know about y'all but when I think of the Fall/Holiday Season I think Pumpkin. I kind of go on Pumpkin overload too, why you may ask... Well I blame my Dad haha! Growing up, as soon as that first snap of cold hit, you could find my Dad in the kitchen whipping up something delicious and filled with pumpkin flavors. (In fact he still does this as he sent me a message with a picture of his latest fall creation a couple days ago!) And this continued all the way through New Years in my house, not a holiday went by that my dad didn't go bake crazy, and having something like Pumpkin Donuts is something my Dad would've happily made back in the day for those family days, if only we had Donuts Pan like we do now.

One of my favorite family Holiday Traditions I remember, is when we would set up the Christmas Decorations. Every year, pretty much without fail we would put ours up the day after Thanksgiving. I remember waking up to the smells of something amazing baking in the kitchen for breakfast as my parents got the decorations out of the garage. My brother and I would tumble out of bed (me for coffee) and sit down and devour my Dad's latest creation before tackling the tree. And in my family everyone had a "zone" that they were best at, my dad was the master of the tree and the lights. My Mom always got the ornaments ready to go with hooks and made sure they were clean/not broken. And my Brother and I would hang the ornaments and place various other decorations throughout the house and then we got to decorate our own rooms. Though perhaps some of my favorite times were when we would go to the store to get whatever Christmas decorations my Dad wanted new that year, like the year I convinced him to get the flashing M&M lights, or the year Dad came home with the blow up Santa and Frosty for the yard... Oh I remember the looks of "delight" on my Mom's face when we'd come traipsing home from those trips... haha! But even though my Dad would go a little overboard with the decorations (much to the delight of his children) he could always redeem himself with Mom if he baked her up something yummy and delicious. Something just like these Donuts.

When I was making these, the whole time I was remembering that tradition I had growing up (which by the way my hubby and I have adopted in our family as well) and thinking my Dad would be so jealous if he knew I was making these, because it's something he would've thought of back in the day! haha! Thanks Dad for sharing your love of baking with me, and your love of Christmas. They are both things I have carried on into my adult life!

So what are y'alls favorite family Holiday recipes/traditions? I'd would LOVE to hear what everyone does, this is my favorite time of year! Happy *almost* Holidays! ;-)

Ingredients: yields 12-14 donuts
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Pumpkin Butter
1/3 cup Half & Half
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter, melted

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cinnamon (more if desired)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425F degrees, and spray your donut pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients and then add to the dry. Whisk until just combined, the dough should be thick almost like frosting. If it's too thin add a bit more flour. Then fill each donut well about 2/3 full. *Tip* I used a pastry bag and coupler, and piped the filling into each well, it was SO easy and you got the perfect donut shape that way.* Bake about 7-9 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden and spring back when touched. Let cool in the pan a couple minutes, then remove and repeat with remaining dough. Once the donuts are cooled, combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon in plastic bag or bowl, and coat the donuts.

Review:
I have to admit this was my first time using my new donut pan, but we just loved them! They were so light, and full of that pumpkin flavor we all adore! If you don't have pumpkin butter you can used canned pumpkin, just add extra spices and sugar to the dough. Our whole family gives these 5 stars!

Happy Baking!

*I created this post as part of Frigidaire's Talk Turkey Campaign. Share your own recipes and tips at Frigidaire's Make Time for Change site. For every recipe or tip that's shared, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save The Children's U.S. Programs, which creates lasting change for children in need .*

Pumpkin Butter

2011-10-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Butter, Farmers Wife Original

Hi y'all!! Wow I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted last... I can honestly say that I did miss y'all and typing up these recipes, however it was a much needed break to take care of my sick boys (and the big one was monopolizing the computer while he was home sick anyway... haha!) and to take care of myself so that I wouldn't get sick. And believe it or not, I never did catch it! I had a few days of horrible allergies after being out on the farm, but that's normal for me!! YAY!!!

Now, on to the recipe. I've been toying with the idea of making Pumpkin Butter for about a year. I thought about it last Holiday Season, but ran out of time and energy. This year I decided to go nuts, in 2 days time I made a giant batch of this stuff, a batch of Cran-Apple Butter and 2 homemade loaves of bread... Yeah I went a little crazy... haha! This recipe will fill 6 16 oz. containers... I know I know.... That's a little much. But I gave most of this away, and that is my plan for the future to make this for holiday gatherings, or to just give away to friends and family! Plus this amazing butter can be used for baking too, and I'll be sharing my recipe for Pumpkin Spice Donuts later this week!

I confess I'm doing something I rarely do right now... I'm posting the recipe to make the big batch. Why you might ask? Because I want to, lol! And because if it was me, all the ingredients for this are really reasonable so why not share with those you love? (Plus you can't use it in baking if you don't make more than you need.... haha!) I hope y'all love this, it really makes your house smell like fall!

Ingredients:
3 29 oz. Cans of Pumpkin Puree (NOT Pumpkin Pie Mix)
1 Cup Apple Juice or Cider
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Cup Sugar (or Splenda)
3 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger

Directions:
In a large stock pot, combine all the ingredients. Cook on medium-low heat stirring often for about 30 minutes. To let all the flavors combine. Then using a Potato Masher or Whisk, mix together on low heat until completely smooth and the right texture. Should be thick and easy to spread. Taste and add more sugar/spices if you want. Allow to cool, and then place in resealable containers. This stays fresh for up to a month in the fridge, or 4 months in the freezer. *Do not can Pumpkin Butter*

Review:
This was amazingly simple and took very little time, and yet it tastes like a pumpkin pie spread on your favorite bread... It's amazing! I give this 4.5 stars.

Happy Baking!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Chicken Tortilla Soup, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all! I can't believe it's October already, man this year has just flown by. It's hard to believe that a year ago very few people ever read this blog, I had never done a giveaway, and I was just starting my journey with Foodbuzz. This year has been so amazing! And to top it off, this year included me experimenting with possibly my new favorite soup. Chicken Tortilla Soup!

I've made a few versions of this soup over the last year all were good... But none were great until this one! And would you know, this is the first one I completely created on my own. I've been working on this recipe for awhile because I knew what I was wanting it to taste like, just not entirely sure how to create this. Finally a few days ago I got it just right!

Some of you who follow me on Facebook may already know that my family has been hit by this cold going around. And let me tell you it has not been fun. My poor little sous chef got hit with it so fast I was blindsided, and was pretty miserable for a couple of days. He is finally on the mend, but now my wonderful Hubby has caught it, think there's a chance I will escape this? I'm doubtful but one can still hope! Anyway, this soup has been fantastic to us with sinus problems, it's just spicy enough to get everything flowing, but not too spicy that my little guy wouldn't eat it. And I'm so glad for that, he slept so wonderful the night I made this and woke up feeling so much better! Ah the wonders of Jalapeno... haha! I hope y'all will give this easy soup a try, it really is wonderful for this cold and flu season!

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Water
1/3 Onion, diced
1 15 oz. Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 15 oz. Can Regular Diced Tomatoes
1-2 15oz. Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed (based on your preference of beans, I used only 1 but would've liked to have more)
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Hot Sauce
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
8 Corn Tortilla's, cut into small strips
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Toppings: optional
Shredded Cheddar
Sour Cream
Diced Jalapeno's
Tortilla Chips (or Tortilla Strips, I used these)

Directions:
Spray a large slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the bottom of the pot, and add the broth and water. Then add the chopped onion, and the cans of tomatoes (if you can't find Fire Roasted Tomatoes, get a can of regular tomatoes and add 1-2 jalapenos diced, a small can of green chili's, diced and up the spices a bit.). Then drain and rinse the black beans, and add into the pot along with the spices and hot sauce. Cook on high for 6 hours. Once the chicken is fully cooked, take the chicken out of the pot and shred it, then add it back in. Then slice the corn tortilla's into strips about the size of noodles, and add to the soup. Stir well, this will help thicken the soup. At this point taste and see if you want/need any more spice. Then add in the cup of cheese, stir and serve warm with your choice of toppings.

Review:
I must admit I LOVED this soup, so did my whole family! In fact I had a second serving as a snack later that night as it is pretty low in fat and calories and it was just so darn yummy! lol! I will be making this often! 5 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Linked up on:

AMEX Dinner@6 Winner!

2011-09-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning y'all!! Today I'm am SO thrilled to announce the winner of the $100 American Express Gift Card, drumroll please....

And the winner is: Comment #54 Tracy Rsaid...My favorite is a Bisquick one:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/hearty-chicken-pot-pie/07ca9e43-c96f-4540-991c-564ee78bd768

Congratulations Tracy!! You will be receiving an email from me shortly, to get your contact information which will be forwarded to FoodBuzz who will be sending out your prize! I want to note that according to the rules provided by FoodBuzz and American Express the winner will only have 48 hours to respond, if they don't I will choose another winner.

Thank you so much everyone for commenting and your willingness to share your 6 ingredient recipes with me! I have so enjoyed reading each and every comment and checking out those fabulous recipes! Y'all are awesome! Keep up the cooking!

Happy Cooking!

*This giveaway is sponsored by Foodbuzz along with American Express. The winner was chosen via a Random Number Generator*

Korean Beef

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Korean Beef, Family Recipe

Y'all know I like to make some of my childhood favorites, and sometimes even re-create them. Korean Beef is a dish my Mom used to make when we were kids, in fact I think she still makes it to this day. Don't ask me where this recipe originated, as I have NO idea, lol! However, this is one of very few dishes that I have not made any changes too. There's just something so delicious about this simple meal, that I just can't change a thing. As you know this is a rare thing for me, and at times I've actually had to battle that little voice in my head saying "play with it, you know you wanna!". But every time I sink my teeth into a big ole' bite of this I know I made the right decision to leave well enough alone!

Words alone really can't describe this dish, it is most likely different from anything you've had before. If you're thinking this is going to taste like Beef and Broccoli, you would be very wrong. You can add broccoli to this, or even snow peas (do those still exist? I haven't seen them in YEARS!) but we like it best with just the carrots, and let me tell you what... My boys ADORE those carrots! I've even started adding extra because we end up fighting over who got more carrots... haha! The recipe listed below is actually for double the sauce of the original recipe, because we love this sauce so much. If you're not a sauce person feel free to cut it in half, but in my house we are saucy... BAHAHA!! Sorry I just couldn't resist! ;-)

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless beef top loin or sirlion steak (I buy the pre-sliced stir fry steak for this)

1/2 c. soy sauce

6 T. sugar (or Splenda)

4 T. vegetable oil

1/2 t. pepper

3-4 green onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
Cornstarch Slurry:
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Water

Directions:

Trim fat from beef; cut beef diagonally across grain into 1/8 inch slices (for ease in cutting, freeze partially for 1 1/2 hours). Mix remaining ingredients; stir in beef and carrots until well coated. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Cook the meat and carrots in 10 inch skillet or wok over medium heat until beef is cooked through and the carrots are soft. In a small container combine the cornstarch and water until it forms a white paste, add to the pan and let boil for a few minutes, this will thicken up the sauce. Serve beef with hot cooked rice. Serves 4.

Review: This is a very simple and yet utterly delicious meal! It's been a long time favorite in my family, and now I make it for my hubby and son and they love it just as much as I did growing up! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 5 Stars.

Happy Cooking!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!! It's ends tonight at 11:59pm, so enter while you still can!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Waffles

2011-09-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Waffles, Farmers Wife Original

It probably won't come as much of a shock to you that I created yet another breakfast recipe... lol! I'm just a little bit obsessed with breakfast foods, and it's the one thing I can be completely creative with and have no fear of how my boys will react. For awhile now I've been toying around with the idea of a Pumpkin Spice Waffle, but I wanted to add something to make it stand out just a little bit. Then a couple weeks back I received the most fantastic package in the mail...

Thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I received a box FULL of Ghiradelli Chocolates to try! I was so excited I started bouncing off the walls... No seriously I did. Then I opened the packages... Yeah... Getting chocolates in the mail in the middle of our AZ heat didn't work out too well, lol! They did have a completely melted ice pack in there in the attempt to keep the chocolates from melting, unfortunately that didn't work. These were SO melted, they haven't really recovered even being stored in the fridge. Once chocolate melts, it changes the texture completely, and I learned this lesson the hard way. Now don't get me wrong it tastes fantastic still, but to eat it as normal chocolate is impossible, since as soon as I remove it from the packaging it starts to melt again. It is however great for baking! So instead of pairing it with some fruit or beverage, I paired my chocolates with Pumpkin and baked it into waffles... Oh yeah baby! They were AWESOME! I can't believe how much we enjoyed these, in fact we even ate these cold as midnight snacks... haha!

These waffles came together SO fast, the longest part was honestly just the baking, in other words, waiting for the darn waffle iron to cook each one... haha! But it was worth the wait, served up with some warm maple syrup, these are such a wonderful treat full of fall flavor!

Ingredients: (yield about 12 waffles)
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/4 Cups Pumpkin Puree
1/2 Cup Milk (I used 1%)
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Bar Ghiradelli's 72% Twilight Delight Dark Chocolate

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices. Whisk together until fully combined. Then in a medium bowl combine the vanilla, pumpkin, milk, oil and eggs. Whisk those together until full combined, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined and the batter should be thick. Next coarsely chop the chocolate, and using a spoon fold into the waffle batter. Heat your waffle iron, and spray with cooking spray. Using a measuring cup, measure out the amount of batter needed to fill your waffle iron, for my round one that was about 1/2 cup. Spread out slightly, and lower the top of the iron and let it cook until golden and slightly crispy. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with your favorite syrup.

Review:
These were just outstanding, they were fantastic fresh out of the iron (because you know it's torture to wait for them all to finish baking!), and were delicious smothered in syrup too! The addition of the dark chocolate was out of this world, it took an already delicious waffle and made it spectacular! My Little Sous Chef devoured these, and then asked for more, so I'd give them a 4.5 star rating!

Happy Baking!

P.S. Don't forget about the Giveaway going on until this Thursday, Sept. 29th for a $100 American Express Gift card!! There's still time to enter!

Spicy Mayo

2011-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Spicy Mayo, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all!! I am SO sorry it's been almost a week since I posted last... This whole week has been NUTS! I fell and twisted my ankle earlier this week and have been running around shopping, and then regretting it and laying down icing my foot for the better part of this week! With everything going on my brain has been way too fried to write up a post, however I have been cooking and baking up a storm! My house smells like fall today, and I'm loving it! But today's post is about something different!

We've all been to those upscale sandwich shops at one point or another, and most of us have favorites that we order ever single time we go. Well I remember one such place when I was living back East, that had the world's most amazing Turkey Sandwich, full of flavor and the most delicious spicy mayo. That was the only "wet" portion of the sandwich but it was enough, and I've long wanted to replicate that sandwich. I finally got as close as I could with this delicious mayo recipe, and some amazing onion poppy seed ciabatta bread. I made this for dinner one night last week, and then again for lunch the next day. hehe! If you love a flavorful sandwich, and want to replicate your favorite deli shop's specialty sandwich's, I hope you'll give this a try! And I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Mayo (I like the Olive Oil based ones)
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Paprika
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1-2 Green Onions, finely diced

Directions:
Combine the mayo and spices in a bowl and whisk together. Taste test and if you want it spicier add more spices. Then add the diced onion and mix, spread on your bread of choice for a delicious sandwich. Cover and keep in the fridge.

Review:
I have to say I really, really love this stuff! I not only enjoyed my replica sandwich, but I also used this to make a BLT the other day on a delicious Everything Bagel, and I will never go back to plain ole' mayo on a BLT again! I hope you give this easy and delicious mayo a try soon! 5 stars

Happy Cooking!

P.S. Don't forget about the Giveaway going on until the 29th for a $100 American Express Giftcard!! There's still time to enter!

Apple Bars

2011-09-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Apple Bars, My Grandma's Recipe

Hey y'all! Well it seems that fall is here, the temperature has dropped even here in AZ to the 90's! WAHOO!! haha! I know, I know that's not really cool, but when you go from 115+ everyday it feels like a drastic drop to us. And because of that I'm really in the fall mood, dying to bake and use all those beautiful apples that are showing up in my stores and pumpkin... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! I don't know about y'all but this is my favorite Food time of the year, all the warm flavors and cinnamony goodness, just makes my soul sing.

I'm actually pulling this recipe from the archives and updating it. Believe it or not this blog was not always popular... Lol! I started it back in the spring of 2009 and the only person who read it was me. And there's quite a few posts that never got the attention they deserved, or good pictures either. So I'm going through and updating some of them, and in this case actually changing the recipe a bit. Not a lot really, but I did a few things. First off though I adore the original of this, what I really wanted was a thicker crust, because well... I LOVE this crust! I could eat just that and be happy. (I'm weird, but we've already established my insanity.) And I used less butter than the original called for, and upped the spices just a tad. Otherwise it is exactly the way Grandma made it! The weird thing is I don't remember this recipe from my childhood. There's very few of Grandma's recipes I don't remember, but this is one of them. Why that is, I don't know, and it seems a tragedy because they are AWESOME! In fact I'm thinking these need to make an appearance to the dessert table this Thanksgiving instead of the typical Apple Pie! Oh yeah... ;-)

Ingredients:
2-3 Apples (I like gala or granny smith), peeled and thinly sliced

Crust:
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Oatmeal
1 cup Brown Sugar (or Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
1/2 cup Melted Margarine

Sauce:
1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar (or Splenda)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions:
Peel and slice the apples, and set aside in a little bit of lemon juice. Mix together the crust ingredients and reserve 1 cup of mixture for the top and pat the rest into a 8x8 pan. Cover with the sliced apples. In a medium saucepan boil the sauce ingredients for 5 minutes. Should be thick and bubbly. Pour over apples and cover with reserved crust mixture. Bake for 45 minutes at 350F degrees. Best if served warm (but is also delicious cold), may be topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Review:
This is a very loved recipe in my house. I made it a few years ago for my Sister In Law's birthday and it's since become my easy fall back dessert that impresses and is like comfort food! My Little Sous Chef thinks it's the most yummy "cookie" and loves the cinnamon apples. Be sure to give this a try for the holidays, a wonderful substitution to the typical apple pie! 5 Stars.

Happy Baking!

P.S. Don't forget about the Giveaway going on until the 29th for a $100 American Express Giftcard!! There's still time to enter!

Not Your Momma's Ravioli Lasagna - AMEX 6 Ingredient Challenge and Giveaway

2011-09-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

Ravioli Lasagna, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all! If you're a Facebook fan, you know I've been working on some really special posts, that I've been DYING to share with you... Well here it is! I was chosen, along with 19 other fabulous bloggers, to be a part of the AMEX Dinner@6 Challenge by FoodBuzz's Tastemaker Program along with American Express to create a dinner with only 6 ingredients!!! I have to admit when I first got the email that I was chosen for this challenge, my emotions went haywire! I very quickly went from stunned, to ecstatic, to downright worried lol! This really was a challenge for me. I've made a few recipes in the past that were 6 ingredients or less, but never as a requirement (though I was relieved when I read the rules that water, oil, salt and pepper didn't count as one of the six so I could use them to my heart's desire! hehe!). So after spending a few days marinating ideas in my food obsessed brain, finally this one came to me at 2 am... Yeah... I told you before I dream in food. ;-) Ravioli Lasagna... Or as I like to call it "Not Your Momma's Ravioli Lasagna" this is unlike any traditional lasagna you've ever had, trust me on this!

For this challenge I had my own criteria on top of the 6 ingredients or less, it had to be easy, full of flavor and kid friendly. Because that's what this Momma needs at the end of the day. Though I have to be honest... I am surprised at how good this turned out. I know, I should wow you and say I knew it would be awesome and blah blah blah... But the truth is I was scared to make this. I've never really had luck with a lasagna before, and this is so NOT traditional lasagna. But then I served it up to my *picky* Little Sous Chef, and after he took his first bite, he closed his eyes... After a somewhat awkward pause... lol! The following conversation ensued:

Me: "So........ How is it?"
LSC: *Stuffs his mouth and says:* "It's so nummy... You're a nice cooker Mommy!!"
Me: "Really?!? Are you sure?"
LSC: "Yup! I'm not allowed to lie remember Mommy?"

Lol!! He cracks me up sometimes, but when a 3 year old pays you such a high compliment it must be taken into consideration. And to my surprise this lasagna really was full of flavor even with such few ingredients, and it held up so beautifully... This is truly the best and easiest lasagna I've ever made and the best part is it came together in under an hour, including bake time! Serve this alongside a salad and some delicious garlic bread, and this dinner would impress even the pickiest eater, or at least it did in my house as my son even asked for seconds... You read that right, SECONDS! Yum....

Ingredients:
16 oz. Ravioli, any filling you like I had Cheese on hand
1 lbs. Italian Turkey Sausage (or 3 links *optional, leave out to make this vegetarian*)
3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3 Roasted Red Peppers
1 15 oz. Can Italian Diced Tomatoes
3 cloves of Garlic
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot boil 6 cups of water, and cook the ravioli about 7 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Remove the sausage from the casing then add to the pan, and cook until browned. Meanwhile in a blender puree the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and remaining oil and puree until desired consistency (I like some small chunks). Pour the sauce into the pan with the meat and heat through, once hot add about 1/4 cup of cheese to the sauce and let melt. In a greased 8x8 pan place a small amount of sauce in the bottom, then add a layer of the ravioli, top with more sauce, and a layer of cheese. Repeat layers using all of the ravioli and sauce, ending with cheese on top. Place in a 350F degrees pre-heated oven, bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Once done, let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

*Don't leave!!! I have something special for you!!!*

Along with creating this recipe, and as part of the Dinner@6 contest sponsored by Blue Cash PreferredSM, American Express has also provided me with $100 gift card to give to one of YOU!!! How awesome is that y'all? Thank you American Express and Foodbuzz for sponsoring this giveaway for my fantastic fans! But as with EVERY good giveaway there a few rules...

1. This Giveaway will run until September 29th, 2011 at 11:59 PM ET. I will announce the winner Friday September 30th, 2011. The winner will be chosen via a Random Number Generator, and the winner will only have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen. I will contact you VIA email to receive your mailing info which will be passed on to Foodbuzz who will be sending out the gift-card.

2. Comments must be made on THIS BLOG POST. Comments on Facebook or Twitter will not be counted as entries.

3. Leave a comment letting me know what your favorite 6 ingredient dinner is, and your name and email address! Only ONE comment per person will be counted.

4. Share this post along with the link on your Twitter/Facebook Accounts saying "I have entered to win a $100 American Express Gift-card on The Farmers Wife, and you can enter too!"

As always Good Luck! I look forward to reading what you like to make with 6 ingredients or less!

Happy Cooking!

Sargento Cheese Taster - and Honey Apple Sandwich's

2011-09-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love cheese... I have to be honest here, I really do. Not all cheese's, but there are certain kinds that I just adore. Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Swiss, Pepper Jack, just to name a few! But I've never considered myself much of a cheese snob until I met my Hubby.

I will never ever forget the first Christmas I spent with my In Law family, not only was it my first time meeting them, so there was that awkward factor, but it was my first time spending Christmas away from my family. I remember that Christmas Eve so well... We spent the day just relaxing with his family, getting to know each other, and then going to the church's Christmas Eve service that night. Which was incredibly nerve wracking for me, meeting the congregation, and extended family... Let's just say before the service I was so nervous I felt sick. Everything went fine, at least for the most part. But afterward when we finally headed back to my In Laws I was finally famished! I hadn't eaten in hours because of my stomach and was ready for some serious grub. But to my surprise I find out his family has no real intentions of eating dinner, because they all ate such a big lunch. So when they pulled out different cheeses and crackers for everyone to munch on, I was floored. lol! This was the first time I experienced the art of eating cheese and crackers as a real "meal" and the tastes to look for in different cheese's.

I have since grown to love this tradition and it's something my Hubby and I do on occasion. In fact almost every year for Christmas I will fill his stocking with different summer sausages, mustard's, and crackers for us to munch on for dinner after the heavy holiday meals. So when FoodBuzz contacted me asking if I'd like to sample Sargento's Natural Blend of cheeses I jumped at the opportunity! I mean we love cheese, and crackers, and just about any pairing that goes with them, so why not? We had so much fun with this y'all!! So here's the details and a special recipe I came up with! ;-)

Plate of Cheese's and pairings. The Sargento is the "marbled" looking one!

As some of you know I'm a part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program, which is totally awesome! As a part of this program I received a $25 American Express Gift card to try my choice of Sargento's Natural Cheese, a processed cheese of my choice and the pairings of my choice (crackers, fruit, etc.). I have to admit there wasn't a huge selection at our store of Sargento's cheese, but after a while of hemming and hawing I decided to try one of their blends, so we got the Cheddar Mozzarella Blend... Oh my word y'all! I've never had a blended cheese quite like this before it was delicious!! I got a pairing of Summer Sausage, Apples and my favorite Crackers to go along with this tasting, (and of course the processed cheese). There was a pretty large difference between the Sargento and the Processed Cheese. The taste of Sargento, especially when paired up was exceptional. The processed was well... Processed. Not great but not completely awful either. They have a very different texture and taste from each other, and I have to say the Sargento was strong on both the Cheddar and Mozzarella in this blend, a great mixture of salty and almost fruity tastes. I would highly recommend giving the Sargento Cheese's a try, especially the blends... They really are delicious, however they do melt REALLY easy... So don't eat them in a room that is over 80 degrees, we found out (we live in AZ folks, it gets hot here!) or it starts to get gooey really fast. However this is GREAT for the recipe I am about to share with y'all!

Honey Apple Sandwich's

Today my Little Sous Chef and I are stuck home in some nasty weather, so we decided to have some fun with lunch. We took a few simple things we had on hand, rolls, ham, cheese, honey mustard sauce and apples and made ourselves some sandwiches. I was a bit skeptical of his idea, but it did smell awfully good... Who knew he would hit it out of the park with this?!? I have to say I just loved this, and the cheese brings everything together because it's subtle enough to let the other flavors shine, but you can still pick it out of the line up!

Ingredients:
8 Potato Rolls, sliced in half lengthwise
4 Slices Sargento Cheddar Mozzarella Natural Blend Cheese
8 Slices of Honey Ham
1 Apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Honey Mustard Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Mayo
1 1/2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
2 Tablespoons Honey

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Using a serrated knife, slowly slice through the rolls lengthwise (place the rolls on a flat surface, and holding the top in place slice through the entire "tray" of rolls so they are like one long flat surface). In a small bowl combine the mayo, mustard and honey with whisk until smooth. Then spread about 1 teaspoon of sauce over the top and bottom halves of the rolls. Place 2 slices of apple on the bottom half of each roll, then top with the ham and cheese. Place the top half back on, and wrap the entire thing in foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is warmed through. Serve warm.

Review:
I have to say not only did I love the cheese by itself, but in this little sandwich is was amazing! These were so easy, and would be exceptional for parties! 5 stars.

Happy Cooking!

*This post was sponsored by FoodBuzz's Tastemaker Program along with Sargento Cheese's.*

Buttermilk Chicken and a Tribute to my Grandma

2011-09-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Buttermilk Chicken, served on my Grandmother's China

Y'all know how I love to make/recreate some of the classic recipes I grew up with from my Grandmother. Some of them just out of nostalgia, and some because I want to try to lighten them up. But this is one recipe I just can't change. Buttermilk Chicken... My Grandma knew what she was doing with this baby. If you're looking for a quick, lowfat dinner, then I suggest you look at another recipe right now, because this isn't it. But this recipe is so very near and dear to my heart and brings back all sorts of memories for me.

As a kid this was the coveted dinner, the one and only dinner you looked forward to as soon as you knew it was going to be made. Everyone in our family felt that way about this meal, everyone who's ever had it loves it. I remember almost every single time we had company coming over (unless it was last minute) my Mom and Dad would make this up along with mashed potatoes and of course some sort of vegetable and dessert. But this was the star of the meal, the recipe everyone asked for, ate seconds of, and there was almost never leftovers (much to my disappointment... lol!). We had this for holidays, birthdays, you name it and this was usually the meal that was asked for.

As an adult I don't make this very often. It is kind of heavy, takes more time and energy and planning than I really have to put into a meal, and bakes for so long that some times of the year I honestly can't justify having the oven on for 1 hour. But there is one thing that never fails. Every single year my Hubby and I have been married, I make this for Christmas Eve. And we devour it, my Little Sous Chef could get lost in that gravy (and the first year he had it I'm pretty sure he did... haha!) and for that one night we indulge.

The picture you see here is particularly special to me, as it is served on my Grandmother's China. As you have probably guessed by now I have always been incredibly close to my Grandparents, in many ways I would say they have been unsung hero's in my life. As a child they were so much fun and spoiled me like crazy (I admit I had them wrapped around my fingers...), and even took me on trips with them to see my Great-Grandmother, though heaven knows why they put up with me on those road trips and my annoying tape recorder where I made them do "talk shows" with me... haha! And as a teen they were an escape from my crazy life. They let me sleep in without bothering me, and there was always fresh coffee waiting when I got up. And no matter what age I've always been able to sit down and have a serious discussion with them. My Grandparents are the couple who will have been married for 57 years this November, and are such a wonderful example to us. I see a lot of my Geeky Farmer and myself when I watch my Grandparents together. They still tease each other, exchange hidden messages with their eyes, and are so in love it makes you smile. So when I got married and my Grandma offered me this china which was theirs, I'm pretty sure I cried. It means so much to me to have this, and I only bring it out when we have Buttermilk Chicken on Christmas Eve. So Grandma if you're reading this (and yes folks she really does read my blog!) know that you are so loved, and thank you for the recipes that have warmed my soul and my stomach all my life, and for the shining example you and Grandpa are! I love you!

Ingredients:
1 Stick of Margarine
1 Quart Buttermilk
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (I use lowfat)
4-6 Chicken Breasts (I use boneless, skinless)
Breading:
1 Cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions:
Mix together breading ingredients, and set aside. Melt butter and pour into a foil lined (for easier clean-up) shallow baking dish. A 13x9 pan works great. Dip chicken in buttermilk; then roll in breading mixture. Place in the baking pan. Bake on bottom rack in a 425F degrees oven for 20 minutes, then turn chicken. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until chicken is done and slightly browned. Mix the Cream of Chicken Soup with 1 can of Buttermilk; pour over chicken. Return to oven and heat until gravy is hot, about 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite recipe for mashed potatoes and use the gravy on those as well as the chicken.

Review:
This meal is fantastic! We just love it, it's kid friendly and will wow your dinner guests! It does take some planning ahead, but it is well worth the splurge! 5 stars

Happy Cooking!

Fall Festival Granola

2011-09-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Fall Festival Granola, Farmers Wife Original

I am hitting a major writer's block tonight as I write this, not sure if it's the weather, lack of sleep, stress or a little person in the background going "Mommy, are we doing school tomorrow? What am I learning? Can I color instead of learning school?" Lol! Ah the life of a homeschool Mom is kicking in, but I have to be honest, I'm loving it! My little man just started his preschool year and I am so thrilled to be teaching him at home. Today we went and got ourselves new library cards and checked out all sorts of books as a sort of "Field Trip" and are looking forward to going for story time every Tuesday this fall!

Speaking of which... It has come to my attention that fall has arrived! Or well... it hasn't exactly arrived HERE in AZ (unless you consider the start of those fabulous fall flavored drinks at Starbucks! hehe!), but from what I hear it has arrived to other parts of the nation. haha! Though regardless of when the weather cools down, by September I always start to crave the fall flavors and food, and sing Christmas Carols (as seen in my last post for Cinnamon Rolls). So a few weeks ago when I ran out of my normal recipe for Granola, I decided it was time think up a brand new recipe, with a more fall inspired theme. And just like right now as I write this, I was hit with a writer's road block. I just couldn't figure out what in the world to do with this idea. Until one night, last week while laying in bed around 2 in the morning WISHING I could fall asleep I started thinking up recipe ideas. I know... I'm seriously insane but it did help me fall asleep! Anyway, back to the story, after a little bit of thinking I sat up straight in bed (luckily not waking my hubby as he was still awake too watching a scary movie) and declared I had it figured out! haha! I went to the store the next morning and promptly bought exactly what I needed for this, and I am so glad I did. This granola is amazing, it smelled fabulous while cooking, and even my Hubby ate it, and he is not a granola fan! I have a few more ideas for fall inspired granola recipes, but this is the first one! Happy Fall! ;-)

Ingredients:
10 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Golden Flax Seed
1/3 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Package Dried Apples, diced into small pieces
1 Package Dried Cherries, diced into small pieces
3/4 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1 1/4 Cup Honey
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch of Allspice
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
Optional:
1 1/2 Cups Slivered Almonds, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, or Peanuts

Directions:
Grease a large crock pot (6-8 quarts) with cooking spray. Then combine the oats, flax seed, wheat germ, fruit and nuts (if using) in the pot. In a medium sized bowl place the peanut butter and heat for about 45 seconds in the microwave to soften it up. Add the honey and spices and whisk to combine. Pour over the oat mixture and add the oil. Mix very well. Place the lid on, but vented with a spoon and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring EVERY 15 minutes (This is VERY important to do, if you don't parts of the granola will get very burnt while the rest will remain uncooked!). Once done, turn off your crock pot and you can either cool the granola in the pot, this will keep it slightly more moist and less crunchy, or you can spread the granola onto cookie sheets and let cool for about 1 hour, this will produce a crunchier granola. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bags. This will keep for up to 2-3 weeks (if it lasts that long!)

Review:
I LOVE this stuff!!! It tastes like fall to me, is so delicious by itself, in a bowl with cold milk, or even with warm milk making it almost more of a oatmeal... Yum! Next time I'm trying Pumpkin Puree! 4.5 stars.

Happy Crock-Potting!

Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

2011-09-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls, Adapted from my Grandma's Cinnamon Twists.

Happy Labor Day friends! I hope that you all are having a wonderful holiday weekend, and for those of you with a 3 day weekend I hope you're making the most of it and having fun! We only get our standard farm weekend... Sunday. Haha! Oh well, we had a wonderful time yesterday relaxing and chowing down on some fabulous food. And you know me, no weekend would be complete without a delicious morsel of yummy baked goodness to go with my morning up of coffee (I say morning because there is also the afternoon cup, and early evening cup... hehe!) This week I decided (at the VERY last minute) to whip up a batch of cinnamon rolls, but not just any rolls, I wanted to take a recipe that was my Grandma's for Cinnamon Twists and change it up a little and make rolls instead. Sometimes I love my brain.

I know the title says Best Ever in it, I hate doing that, honestly I do. But when my little Sous Chef took a bite and immediately made yummy noises and then promptly announced "These are the BEST EVER Cinnamon Rolls Mommy!! You have to post about them, go take a picture!" I knew that I really had to include it in the title. lol! Pleasing a 3 year old's palate is the hardest thing to do if you ask me, so when you hit a home run with it the feeling of success is overwhelming. We were so pleased with how these came out to be completely honest with you, cinnamon rolls are not something I make very often. Probably about once a year, and as soon as I start I remember instantly why I hadn't made them in a year, because let's face it homemade cinnamon rolls may be good, but they are a royal pain in the rear. But these? Let me tell you, it only took me 30 minutes to get the dough made, rolled out, coated in cinnamon-sugary goodness, cut and in the oven to rise. I'm not kidding. Then after a fairly short rising time they baked... SO freaking easy! I know I have found my new go to Cinnamon Roll recipe, this is the one that will become a new family Holiday tradition. Christmas Morning will be better because of these rolls... haha! *Channeling Christmas time....*

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

In the lane, snow is glistening.

A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight...

Walking in a winter wonderland!"

Yes, yes I did just sing a little Christmas song. Yes I also danced around in my chair whilst singing it. You know you wanna join in song and go bake yourself some of these. I promise I won't tell... ;-) Merry Cinnamon Roll Day! (hehe! and Happy Labor Day too!)

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup non-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or one package)
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2 tablespoons soft shortening
3 cups flour

Filling:
2 tablespoons soft butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Heat sour cream to lukewarm in a large pan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, spices, baking soda and salt. In a separate container dissolve the yeast into the warm water to activate the yeast. Once activated add that to the sour cream mixture. Add egg, shortening, and flour to the mixture. Mix well, use hands if necessary. Turn dough on floured board or counter and knead until smooth. Roll the dough into an oblong 24 x 12". Spread the butter over the whole thing, then sprinkle evenly with the sugar mixture. Starting at one end, tightly roll up pinching the seam together. Cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls into either 2 cake pans, or one 13x9 pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size about 1/2 hour (heat oven to 200 Degrees for about a minute and then shut off, this will be warm enough to raise the dough). Once risen, remove from the oven and preheat to 350F degrees, and bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden and the center is firm. In a bowl combine the glaze ingredients and glaze the rolls while still warm. Serve warm.

Review:
I will never make another cinnamon roll as long as I live. I've found my recipe, we love it and I hope you will too! They are flakey, but not so much that they fall apart. Moist (thanks to the sour cream) and so sticky and gooey with cinnamon goodness... And the absolutely best part?!? They are ONLY 207 calories a piece... All put together and this recipe get 5 stars.

Happy Baking!

Pizza Muffins

2011-09-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Pizza Muffins, Farmers Wife Original Recipe

If there is one thing I have learned about my son is that asking him the question of "What sounds good for dinner?" can result in some pretty interesting conversations to say the least. The things he comes up with sometimes leave me floored and others hungry, and on the rare occasion slightly nauseous... Haha!! My little Sous Chef is quite the culinary experimenter. He's not afraid to challenge me, and make me try it first.

So the other day when I asked him this fateful question his response was "Um... I want Pizza Muffins!" I was flabbergasted for about at a minute before asking him to describe what his vision of pizza muffins were. You see my little man loves to eat finger foods, anything that he can pick up and eat easily is a winner is his book (and mine too!) so I wasn't exactly surprised at his request so much as slightly repulsed at first. haha! But after talking about it, and thinking about it I figured out that it would litterally be a little pizza made into a muffin. So the taste would still be that of pizza. (Which was NOT what I first thought he meant.) Last night my little Sous Chef and I whipped up a batch of these to go with our family movie night, and I have to say he was right. These are pretty AWESOME! They were incredibly easy to make, and totally delicious. A great surprise for any kid to find in their lunchbox (they're good both cold and hot!) and will make them the envy of the cafeteria! ;-)

Ingredients: this recipe made 16 pizza muffins
Pizza Dough: adapted from Bread Machine Magic
(I made homemade but you can easily use a store bought dough)
This is for a bread machine (but can be made in a stand mixer)
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
3 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoons Oregano
2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

Filling:
Pizza Sauce
Pepperoni, Sausage or preferred Pizza Meat
Shredded Cheese (I used Cheddar but Mozzarella would be good)
Optional:
Diced Bell Peppers
Diced Onion
Diced Mushrooms
Sliced Black Olives
Diced Tomato
Diced Pineapple

Directions:
To make the dough place all ingredients in the order listed into your bread machine, select the dough cycle and press start. Once the dough is done, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, and grease your muffins tins. Take about 2 tablespoons worth of dough (a small ball) and press it into each muffin well, so that you create a little "bowl" inside the tin, repeat with remaining dough. Place about 1/2 teaspoon pizza sauce in the center of each well, then add your desired toppings, ending with cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden and the cheese is melted. Serve warm with more sauce if desired.

Review:
My honest review of these is that they surprised me. We loved these, which was unexpected. They were devoured by my little sous chef, and smelled amazing while baking and were oddly enough elegant for pizza. haha! I'd give these 4.5 stars.

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife's 7 Links

2011-08-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!! Sorry I've been MIA for a few days, busy life and not feeling so good. But I'm back today with a fun post! I was tagged by Becky over at Baking and Cooking A Tale of Two Loves. Becky is just the sweetest, I have really enjoyed getting to know her and feel so honored that she chose me to do this, so without further ado I give you my 7 Links!

Most Beautiful Post: Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. I made these this year for my Hubby's birthday, and the post was a tribute to my Hubby and my Little Brother who share the same Birthday. Not only were these fabulous tasting, but they turned out so pretty and were a nice surprise for my wonderful Man for his birthday.

Most Popular Post: Cinnamon Apple Pancakes. This recipe was born out of the brain of my son, he wanted Cinnamon Apple Pancakes and challenged me to make them. This recipe was also my very first recipe ever to make it to Foodbuzz's Top 9!

Most Controversial Post: Omelet in a Bag . To be completely honest I don't think I've had much controversy on this blog, but I know this post was in my mind controversial because it went against everything I knew about making an Omelet.

Most Helpful Post: Whipped Cream. This whipped cream is made in the Food Processor, a method I found through my techy Hubby and it totally changed the way I think about making whipped cream, and was a huge hit!

Most Successful Post: Pan Seared Chicken with Parmesan Basil Linguine. I picked this as the most successful post because I've gotten a lot of compliments from readers who have actually made this and loved it, and since it is a completely original recipe I would say that is what makes this successful!

Post that didn't get most attention: Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies. I got really into baking Christmas cookies last year, and I wanted to try a recipe that came to me right after Thanksgiving when we didn't have any Pumpkin Pie, so I went pumpkin crazy! And these cookies were such a HUGE hit, we loved them! However the post itself did not get the attention it deserved in my opinion as I've never seen a cookie like this before.

Post I'm most proud of: Morning Glory Muffins. This recipe is my Grandmothers with just a few changes, but I'm so proud of these because not only are they one more way to honor my Grandmothers Legacy, but they are Dairy-Free so my Sister-In-Law was able to eat them, but the pictures turned out so fabulous. In fact this one is now the background image on my phone. hehe!

I hope y'all enjoyed my 7 links, and maybe learned a little more about me and my favorite posts! Now I get to choose 7 fellow bloggers to do this challenge next! ;-)

Angie @ Angie's BIG Love of Food

Tina @ Flourtrader

Briarrose @ Flour Dusted

Lizzy @ That Skinny Chick can Bake

Lark @ Lark's Country Heart

Libby @ Cooking with Libby

Marsha @ The Better Baker

Banana Chip Bundt Cake

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Banana Chip Bundt Cake, Farmers Wife Original

You know those yellow fruits, the one's that sometimes grow brown spots and look like bruised, well, banana's! We all have them from time to time, there's no need to feel ashamed, to hide them from your friends and family, or to worry... Just bake them up into something delicious! If you're like me, you hate to see banana's start to turn brown, they reach a point where you really don't want to keep them on your counter because your guests will inevitably think that you are a wasteful person who doesn't eat your fruit. Or... Maybe that's just me... I've mentioned that I'm extremely OCD right? I can't stand waste, I hate having clutter, and overly ripened fruit sitting on my counter just makes me feel guilty for not eating it in the first place!

So this week when I saw those fatefully over ripe beauties I decided that this time (because I will admit there are times when they don't get used and end up moldy and tossed) I was going to bake. And not just bake, but create! It started as a poll on Facebook for Muffins or Bread (overwhelmingly the response was muffins) and then my wheels started spinning. I remembered a beautiful bundt pan my wonderful Sister In Law gave me months ago that was still sitting all pretty and unused in the box. And I sat down, with a pen (which is rare for me) and a recipe card, and wrote out a recipe. From scratch, and my brain (two slightly scary places however food seems to taste good that way) and out came this delightful treat! Next time you need an easy and delicious dessert, or want an impressive breakfast or brunch cake I hope you'll give this a whirl! I can't wait to try it next time with cinnamon chips! YUM!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, Softened

1 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Sour Cream (I used Non-Fat)

3-4 Ripe Banana's, Mashed

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

12 oz. Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:

In a large mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Then add in the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. While that mixes, mash your banana's with the lemon juice (this helps keep the banana's fresh). Pour into the egg mixture along with the vanilla and sour cream. Mix on medium speed until fully combined. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then with the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated and thick. Then using a spatula fold in the chocolate chips. Coat your bundt pan with cooking spray and flour, then using your spatula gently spread the batter into the pan evenly, then bang the pan a few times against the counter to get out the bubbles. Pre-heat your oven to 350F degrees, and bake for 50 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan, then invert onto a serving dish and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Review:

This was so incredibly easy, and fun to make. My little sous chef was helping me with everything, and loved tasting this at each different stage. I can't wait to make this again with cinnamon chips next time, or even add a chocolate glaze to the top of this one... Yum! 5 stars.

Happy Baking!

Crock Pot Savory Chili

2011-08-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Crock Pot Savory Chili, Farmers Wife Original

This is one of our families favorite recipes. I make this all year round even with our summer heat, because we start to miss it. Lol! This chili is great by itself, with all the toppings, served on a loaded baked potato, or however you like to eat your chili!

But I have to warn you, there is secret to this recipe.... And I must really like you all if I'm willing to share it with you. hehe!

You ready? I know the suspense must be killing you...

I feel like keeping this up and just let you be tortured...

Oh ok... The secret is Chocolate!!

Yup, I'm serious. Trust me it really is good. My dad is the first person who introduced me to chocolate in chili and I remember the first time he made it I was pretty skeptical. I mean chocolate in chili? It sounds a little weird, and I know a lot of people who simply won't even give it try because of that. Though my favorite thing is after guests eat it, and rant and rave over how delicious it was, we tell them the secret ingredient and then they all SWEAR they could taste it... haha! That cracks me up every time because you really can't, there's not a lot in it and it just brings out the other flavors. Ever seen the movie Chocolat'? It's the same concept the shop owner had with her chocolate and hot chocolate, just a little chili powder brings out the flavor of the chocolate, and guess what, the reverse is true too!

The original recipe I made had 1 pound Ground Beef, and 1 pound Italian Sausage, I changed it to Ground Turkey to cut out most of the fat. It's a big hit in our family, and it also freezes very well! This can also be done on the stove top if you're short on time just cook in a 8 quart stock pot. This recipe does require a 6-8 quart crock pot.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, Chopped
3 tablespoons garlic, Chopped
4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons paprika or tabasco sauce
2 tablespoon cumin
3 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 lbs ground turkey (or 1 lbs. Ground beef & 1 lbs. Italian Sausage)
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes in puree
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans, in sauce
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate

Toppings:
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
chopped green onion
crumbled corn chips
chopped jalapeno chile

Directions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 7-10 minutes. Stir in chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano and salt. Add the Ground Turkey (or ground beef & sausage). Increase the heat to medium high and cook the meat, stirring frequently, until cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Once the meat is done add to the crock-pot. Add the Tomatoes, Kidney, Chili and Black Beans, and the chocolate into the crock-pot and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally if possible. (If done on the stovetop, cook on low heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.). Top with your choice of toppings, and enjoy!

Review:
This is a family favorite in our house. We all love it, and eat it like mad when I make it! It's great served any way you like it, including on a loaded baked potato! I typically only make it during the winter months. But I'd still say it's a 4.5 star recipe!

Happy Cooking!

Linked up at:

Cherry Dessert

2011-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Cherry Dessert, Adapted from my Grandmother

To Celebrate my 200th post, I thought I'd share a sweet dessert for us all to share! hehe! We all love dessert time, whether you are patient and eat yours after you've digested the meal, or if you're impatient and eat it first before you even get to the first course. Regardless of how you eat it, I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love to indulge every once in awhile. I know I fall into this category, and at times have to restrain myself from indulging everyday... haha! But when I do I try as hard as I can to cut down on the fat in the recipes I make. This is one such time that was such a homerun that I'm now wondering why I haven't made it again... Hmmm...

Growing up this was a treat we had fairly often, as it was my Mom's dessert of choice for her birthday, and absolute favorite dessert my Grandmother made. When I was younger my wonderful Grandmother put together a cookbook of recipes for all of her children, to pass on the family recipes through the generations. When I got married to the love of my life, I was so blessed to be given my late Great-Grandmothers copy of this book. I don't know if many of you had the chance to know your Great-Grandparents, and she is the only one I ever knew, but the memories I have of my time with her are so precious. I used to take trips with my Grandparents to go visit her, that's where I learned to sew, and quilt, make the perfect cup of coffee, and I loved watching 2 of my favorite women cooking together in the kitchen. So to receive this book, with my late Great-Grandmothers notes in the margins meant the world to me. I cherish this book, and feel so honored to have it, and hope to one day pass it on to my own child(ren). And while I love the recipes from this book, they are from another time and are loaded with more calories than we like to consume. So I've made it my mission to re-do these recipes in a lower fat way that still taste great, and I started with this fabulous dessert!

This is not quite a cheesecake, not really a pie, but totally delicious! We loved this dessert, which I made for Easter this year. Next time you want a slightly lighter but still lip smacking good dessert, I hope you'll give this a try!

Ingredients:
1 Oreo Pie Crust (can use graham cracker but I like the chocolate addition)
4 oz. Fat Free Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Small container Fat Free Cool Whip
1 can Cherry Pie Filling (or make your own)

Directions:
Beat the cream cheese, sugar and extract until smooth. Then fold in the cool whip. Pour into the pie crust, and chill for 1-2 hours until filling is set and slightly firm. Right before serving top with the pie filling, slice and serve.

Review:
This is so incredibly easy, and such a delightful treat. Great for the summer heat as it does not require an oven! (YAY!) I give this 4 stars.

Happy Cooking!

Country Fried Chicken

2011-08-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Country Fried Chicken, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all! I want to say I'm sorry if I seem absent lately, I'm working on potty training the little sous chef (he's finally starting to get it!) but it is taking a huge chunk of my time and bathroom floors are not blogging conducive... haha! But I am here, and hoping to have more posts for you this week. So for today, I'm sharing this Country Classic!

A few weeks back I had an identity crisis. Ok not really, but I felt like I was. There was little to no food in my house and I was HUNGRY! I wanted to cook, but nothing too difficult and was having a hard time trying to figure out what I could make when all I had was a few chicken tenderloins, flour, 2 potatoes, and chicken stock. Finally it clicked, Country Fried Chicken, with all the fixens! Yes I realize this is a much more labor intensive meal than I had originally planned on making, but it really was worth it. And not to mention how much fun it was to surprise my Hubby with this meal, I don't cook like this very often as it is a lot of work and more fat than I think we really need. It was so good though... lol! I don't remember eating Country Fried Chicken much before, but I know my Hubby likes it so I figured it must be good. I mean what's not to love, fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes and Jordan rolls? Mmmm.. ;-)

Ingredients:
6 Chicken Breast Tenderloins
2 Cups Buttermilk
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Gravy:
4 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
2-3 Cups Chicken Stock
Pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning

Directions:
Pour the buttermilk into a bowl, and add the chicken tenders, let sit for about 30 minutes. In a shallow dish combine flour and spices. Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry and dredge in the flour mixture, then back into the buttermilk and then one last dredge in the flour. Place the coated chicken pieces on a plate, then in a large skillet heat about 1/2 inch of oil. Once the oil has reached 350F degrees, add your chicken pieces being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook about 5-8 minutes per side until the chicken is golden and the inside temperature reaches 165F degrees. Once the chicken is fully cooked, turn your oven on warm and cover a baking sheet with foil and place the chicken on top, let it stay warm in the oven while you make the gravy. For the gravy, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once melted add the flour and whisk into a ball (this is called forming a roux). On medium heat, let this brown slightly, then add the chicken stock and seasonings. Whisk until the gravy is smooth, stirring occasionally, cook the gravy until thick and bubbly about 10-15 minutes. Taste test and add more spices if needed. Serve over the chicken and potatoes.

Review:
This chicken was incredibly moist, which is rare for me and fried chicken. I tend to dry it out. lol! The soaking in buttermilk helps SO much with this! We really enjoyed this meal, and my boys both devoured their food. So overall I'd give this a 4.5 because even though we loved it I won't make it all that often for 2 reasons, one the level of difficulty and it's a higher calorie and fat meal than I like on a regular basis.

Happy Cooking!

Morning Glory Muffins

2011-08-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Morning Glory Muffins, Adapted from my Grandmother

This week has been insane... And I mean really crazy. We've had car trouble, and the giveaway, and family in town. It's amazing I've posted at all this week. But when I'm stressed I like to bake, it's about the only time I actually enjoy baking because it forces me to focus on something else and I'm able to relax at least for a little while.

Right now my Sister In Law and her family are down visiting, and I'm SO excited to get to see my little Nephew again (can't believe he's almost 2 months old!). And since my Sis in law is dairy free I find the challenge of finding/creating new recipes that the whole family will enjoy, and she can indulge on too, to be so much fun. Last week while I was going through my Grandmother's recipes I came across her recipe for Morning Glory Muffins and would you believe they are completely dairy free?!? I was thrilled, and couldn't wait to make them for this weekend. Of course I made a few slight changes based on some personal preferences and I made 2 batches, one with nuts and one without. Personally I prefer without, and the texture is actually quite different but they are both wonderful! And they are kid approved which shocked me, but my little Sous Chef was chomping at the bit to eat one while they were baking, and then promptly devoured his muffin. These are a wonderful, healthy muffin packed full of flavor! So brew up some coffee and get baking, you know you wanna! ;-)

Ingredients: recipe yields 18-24 muffins
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Allspice
2 Cups Grated Carrots
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins (Or regular, or you can use dried cranberries)
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans (Optional)
3 Eggs
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored and shredded
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Vanilla

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and grease or line a muffin tin. In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and allspice together. Stir in the carrots, raisins and nuts. Shred the apple (I used my food processor's shredding attachment) add the lemon juice to the apple to keep it fresh. In a medium bowl combine eggs, oil, vanilla and shredded apple. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until everything is combined and thick. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop one scoopful of batter into the muffin wells. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until slightly golden and firm in the middle. Let cool on a wire rack.

Review:
I'm really impressed by these, I can't say that I remember eating them as a kid but I know I will be making them a lot now! And I am SO glad my little man likes these too, because they have so many wonderful things in them! 5 stars!

Giveaway Winner, and Kodak Book

2011-08-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday Morning y'all!!! I just have to say that I am FLOORED at the response to the giveaway! Y'all are so awesome, I wish I could give this to each and everyone of you but unfortunately I can't. So without further ado.... The Winner is.......... Comment #12: Mary Tullila!! Congratulations Mary! You will be getting an email from me shortly to get your mailing info to send the giveaway items to you! And for everyone else... Well keep reading I have more for you!

One of the joys of being a foodie is not only getting to create all sorts of fun new recipes to share, but on occasion I get to test out products and share my thoughts with all of you! Recently I got the opportunity through being a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, to receive a free Medium 20 Page Photobook from Kodak! Though my story of creating this book has a happy ending, you will also hear my tales of customer service...

When I got my email saying I was selected I was pretty excited, since my idea was to create a sort of sample cookbook with some of my favorite recipes in it! If you've ever created a photobook before you probably already know that it does take a bit of time and energy to get the pictures where and how you want, and to decide on the wording you like. But after about a day and a half... (remember I had a 3 year old to chase in the meantime) I finally had the finished product and I was excited!! I swear I started bouncing off the walls! Unfortunately the excitement was slightly short lived. I did have a few problems with my order, including one completely missing page. As to what caused this problem I don't know, because when I would go in to "Edit" the book everything was as it should be, but alas I received the book with this page missing. However, after contacting Kodak about the problem for the second time I got an email saying that they have fixed the problem (and I checked they HAVE!) and will be sending me the corrected book absolutely free. I am very happy this has a happy ending, and I thank you Kodak for your assistance and for correcting this problem. Their customer service was very helpful, and friendly and I am so looking forward to having the corrected book in my hands!

Front Cover

Title:

The Farmers Wife

A sampling of cooking from The Farmers Wife

About the book itself:

Because I'm such a foodie as soon as I saw the email from Foodbuzz about this, I of course immediately went into cookbook mode... haha! I was obsessing over every detail, what recipes were just perfect, and what pictures were my favorites. I have to say this was really planned out, even for me! The book is divided up into 3 different categories, first is breakfast foods, then main courses, and then desserts. There are 11 recipes total in the book. Each one with a full color picture to go along with it.

For me I see this as a portfolio of sorts, but also a keepsake. Something I can hold in my hands and say "This is MY work, this is what I do" and it is something I am very proud of. Overall I can say I enjoyed this experience and getting to create this book. If you are curious as to what the whole book looks like, you can go take a peek at the finished product HERE!

Page from inside the book

The Fun Part!!

Because Foodbuzz and Kodak are so awesome, they are letting me give YOU something in return! KODAK Gallery is also providing an exclusive offer to extend to all of YOU my readers;
40% off a medium hardcover or a large Photo Book. Simply go to: www.kodakgallery.com/creativity to redeem. The offer is only available through this URL from 8/1/11 - 8/31/11.

I hope you enjoy creating your own photobook, whether it's a cookbook or full of family adventures I know it will be wonderful! And Congrats again to Mary!

Happy Cooking!

Breakfast Egg Casserole

2011-08-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Breakfast Egg Casserole, Farmers Wife Original

Picture a sunny bright Sunday morning, the family is coming over at the last minute, and you haven't gone grocery shopping in a week... What do you do? Panic? Yeah me too! Then after a cup of coffee and a conversation with a good Friend I calm down and can finally think about a menu plan that doesn't require me running out to the store. This such occurrence happened just about a week ago, Let me explain.

My hubby and I invited my In Laws over for "Lunch" on a Sunday after church, just Mom and Dad, but it was last minute. Now normally this doesn't really bother me, but this particular week had been slightly stressful for me, and I was hoping to take a nap that Saturday afternoon when we invited them over. Then suddenly I was running around like a crazy person realizing I didn't have much food in the house! Eventually I calmed down, called a good friend in a panic, then called my Mom In Law and came up with a plan of action. Brunch instead of Lunch. Now THAT I could do! Suddenly I was relieved, and looking forward to trying out 2 new recipes! I was slightly hesitant, as we all are whenever we're experimenting with a new recipe, but as soon as I saw everyone had gone for seconds of everything I knew I had something good! This Egg Casserole was SO easy, and delightfully delicious. Next time your in a panic for a "Brunch" meal, give this a try!

Ingredients: yield 5 servings
10 Eggs
1/4 cup Sour Cream (I used Non Fat)
1/3-1/2 cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley (or fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1 3/4 cups Shredded Cheddar
1 Small Ham Steak, thinly sliced into strips
2 Green Onions, diced
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Bell Pepper, diced (any color but I used a mixture of Red, Yellow and Orange)

Directions:
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil then add the ham, onions, tomato and bell pepper. Saute until the ham is slightly browned and the veggies are soft and fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside. Grease a casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl crack the eggs, and whisk until combined and frothy. Add the sour cream, milk, spices and 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and whisk to combine. Add in the ham and veggie mixture, then pour into the prepared casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and add the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered another 30 minutes until golden around the edges and the center is firm. Remove from the oven and let cool about 10 minutes, the eggs will deflate a bit. Serve warm.

Review:
I will admit I was nervous about this dish. This was completely by the seat of my pants kind of recipe and I literally had no fall back! And yet it was amazing! When my In Laws and Hubby took seconds, and my little Sous Chef ate his whole serving I knew I had a hit on my hands! 5 stars.

Today is the LAST chance to enter the Giveaway! You have until Midnight Mt. Time so hurry on over!

Happy Cooking!

Cherry Danish

2011-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Cherry Danish, Farmers Wife Adaptation from The Country Cook

Hey friends! I hope y'all had a great weekend, we sure did. We spent most of Sunday just relaxing and spending time as a family. My favorite kind of day, laying in bed snuggling and watching movies, even the little sous chef was up for some snuggle time which is really rare these days!

Often on the weekends I like to whip up a special breakfast/brunch for us as I can't imagine starting out a weekend without a delicious meal. So this week I'm dedicating to our families favorite type's of breakfast/brunch/breakfast for dinner meals! Today I'm sharing this incredibly simple, but delightful cherry danish!

When I made these a few weeks ago, it was admittedly for dinner one Saturday night in hopes of having the leftover's for breakfast the next morning.. Wrong... There were no leftovers... haha! Which is partially my fault, I made a smaller amount than I meant to because I'm a ditz sometimes and forgot the second tube of crescents... haha! But that's ok, these were so worth it! I've seen different variations of these all over blog world, but you know me I just had to make them my own. I made them smaller than most, and with a homemade filling, and almond glaze... Yup, you read that right! YUM! These are great as a part of a brunch, or even as a dessert buffet!

Cherry Danish without Glaze

Ingredients:
2 tubes of Crescent Dough (I used Low-Fat)
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
Cinnamon Sugar mixture in a shaker

Filling:
1 can of Tart Red Cherries, reserve the water (Oregon Brand or you can use Pie filling)
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
A few drops of Red Food Coloring (optional)

Glaze:
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar (more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

Directions:
Prepare the filling first, drain the cherries, and reserve the water. In a medium sauce pan combine the water from the cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until thick. Once thickened add the cherries, almond extract and food coloring, and using a potato masher mash slightly. Set aside and let cool. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. On a big baking sheet or cutting board, unroll your crescent dough, separating each triangle, and flattening slightly. Using a pastry brush, brush a small amount of button onto one side of each triangle, then sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Starting on the long straight end, roll each one up into a stick, then start to coil it to form a circle, pinching the seams and make an indentation in the middle. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, and add 1-2 Tablespoons of cherry filling in each middle, then bake for 8-12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the filling is slightly bubbly. While they cool, prepare the glaze by whisking together the milk, powdered sugar and extract until the consistency is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Then drizzle over the cooled danish's and serve.

Review:
We loved these, I can't wait to try them with a homemade peach filling... They are going to be made a lot this fall! 4.5 stars!

Don't forget to check out the Giveaway going on until this Wednesday! There is still time to enter and good luck!

Happy Baking!

White Raspberry Cake

2011-08-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

White Raspberry Cake, Farmers Wife Original

Good Morning y'all! To preface this post, let me start by saying, I like cake. Not in an obsessive sort of way, but I just love the anticipation that goes with the baking, cooling, decorating and then finally sinking your fork into the mountain of deliciousness... I know you understand what I'm saying here, cake is one of the most famous types of desserts and the options are endless.

With all that said, I don't make cake all that often. It's tedious at times and takes a lot more time and energy than this Momma has most days, plus the constant "Mom, is it done yet? Oooo... I want some now! No I don't want to wait for it to cool!" kinda wears you down... But every once in awhile I decide to whip out the inner Martha and bake a cake, however when this urge comes a box won't do. It's homemade all the way for this girl!

If you know me, you are probably already aware of the fact that I don't typically follow recipes. Except the ones that exist somewhere in my head (or in the rare case that it's a family recipe) because I just have this picture in my head of how I want that dish to look and taste. I know I'm weird, I've embraced this fact about myself (also I'm a bit of a messy cook, just thought you should know!). So when it comes to baking my mind explodes with ideas, and this cake was just that. An idea. I had seen various versions all over the net and have been wanting to try it for while, but first I had to come up with the perfect cake recipe, so I spent hours in the kitchen late one Saturday night while my boys were fast asleep, and baked this delightful creation. Now I'm not dumb enough, to think it's the best thing ever, and I don't strive for perfection, just yumminess! And this fit that bill! Just adding the raspberry jello to it was the icing on the cake! (Actually... the icing was cool whip... but you get the point!)

Ingredients:
Cake:
4 Egg Whites
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Shortening (or Butter but shortening makes for a whiter cake)
1 3/4 Cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Buttermilk

1 small box Raspberry Jello
1 Container Cool Whip
Fresh Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries

Directions:
Separate the eggs, and let the egg whites come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Grease and lightly flour a 9x13 pan and set aside. Then in a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening with your electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds, then add the sugar and vanilla until combined. Texture will be crumbly but will come together in your fingers. Next add in one egg white at a time until fully combined, then slowly start incorporating the flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream and buttermilk. Spread into the prepared pan, and bake at 350F degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool. While cooling, mix your jello according to package directions. Poke holes all over the cooled cake with a knife or fork, and pour the jello evenly over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Top with cool whip and fresh berries.

Review:
We LOVED this! I made it for the Fourth of July this year, and it was such a huge hit. My little sous chef went to town on this and he's not a big cake lover, and so our company. The cake was EXTREMELY moist, possibly the moistest cake I've ever had... I highly recommend this, great for a kids party, or even for a family Barbecue! 5 Stars.

P.S. Have you checked out the Giveaway going on right now? If not you should, it's my favorite kitchen items and I'm so excited to share them with y'all! It's going on until the 10th so head on over!

Happy Baking!

Facebook Fan Giveaway!

2011-08-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!! It's hard for me to believe that just a few months ago I was doing a giveaway for y'all when the facebook page reached 200 fans, and now here I am just a short time later with over 1,000 fans!! I really can't say enough how I appreciate each and everyone of you! I wouldn't be where I am now, or headed in the future without your support and encouragement each step along the way, and that is why I want to do this giveaway!

Now I know I have put you on pins and needles waiting for the details of this giveaway and I am SO happy to finally get this up for y'all!! So here we go! Ready? This giveaway is a bunch of things that I LOVE to have in my own kitchen!


Custom Aprons by Ann Leigh Designs

Giveaway Loot!

1. 2 Custom Aprons by Ann Leigh Designs (Cupcakes and Circles)

2. 4 Placemats (2 green and 2 blue)

3. 2 Green Woven Trivets

4. 1 Green Sandwich Cutter (this is one of our favorites!)

5. 1 Blue Tongs (I use these almost daily!)

6. 1 Blue Silicone Toppings Spatula (LOVE this! Great for ice cream toppings, or cleaning out the bottom of a jar!)

Giveaway Rules:
1. Be a fan of The Farmers Wife on facebook, already a fan? You're already qualified!

2. Re-post the link to the giveaway on your Facebook/Twitter accounts.

3. Leave me a comment here on this post, ALONG with your Email address, to let me know you've done all of that, and you're entered! Just one comment per person, multiple comments will only count as one!

Details:
*Open to USA Residents only, Sorry to my viewers from other countries! I wish shipping was cheaper!* The giveaway will run until Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 at 11:59pm MT. I will announce the winner on Thursday, August 11th, 2011. You MUST leave a comment with your email so that I can email you to get your address to send the package. Winner will be picked via a Random Number Generator.

Good Luck! And thanks for all the Foodie love y'all!! Can't wait to see who wins!!!

Happy Commenting! ;-)

The Farmers Wife

Revenge of the Chronic Dieter, by Phyllis Salmons

2011-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Friends! Man I can't believe it's the end of July already... Seems like just yesterday I was begging and pleading with my wonderful foodie friends to do 8 weeks of guest posts for me, and here we are, at the very last one! Don't worry, I'm not going to get all emotional and blubbery, but I have to say a HUGE thank you to all my wonderful friends (and Hubby!) for their fantastic posts. Especially to this weeks poster, Phyllis from Vintage Vera!

When I first sent out my plea for guest posters, Vera and Phyllis were among the first to respond, and that blew me away! I mean here we have 2 wonderful women who have a cookbook of their own full of the wonderful recipes their Mama made, and they want to post on MY blog?!? Well I thought that was pretty darn awesome! Some of you may remember Vera's post the beginning of the month, but now I give you her sister Phyllis with 2 wonderful desserts sure to please, and not kill your diet! (The best kind in my book!) So without further ado I give you... Phyllis!

__________________________________

I am a longtime college professor teaching at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Most of my students are studying to be professional pilots. I teach them physics and will see begin my 34th year here (Note: I started teaching physics in college just out of kindergarten, LOL).

I grew up in Winston-Salem, NC. I have three older brothers and one younger sister (the famous Vera Guthrie of Vintage Vera). I help Vera with the admin duties of her Facebook Group Vintage Vera.

As far as cooking is concerned, I have always felt comfortable with desserts -- I figured no matter what they looked like, unless you really blew it, you could still eat the results. This is rarely true with main dishes. I can make a killer (and high cal) lasagna though (I need to work on a version of that which would accommodate my metabolism deficiency).

I never married and have no children except for my cats, past and present. What can I say -- I am the classic old maid schoolteacher cat lady.

I know my Guest Blog is nothing like you have ever seen before, but I hope you enjoy it.

Revenge of the Chronic Dieter

By Phyllis Salmons

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the past. Perhaps it’s just because I am getting older – they tell me that it is typical to look back at the good old days. Adding to it, a little over a year ago, my sister Vera started a Facebook group called Vintage Vera. On that page, we sit on our virtual “front porch” and talk about things of the past. When we were kid, the adults sat on the real front porch and visited while the kids played in the yard nearby. Naturally, one of the favorite memories of Mama and Granny is the delicious food they cooked.

In late 2010, Vera and I published the Vintage Vera Cookbook to document those early recipes we have always loved. When I think of the hard work that Mama did as she reared five kids and provided for us with a great deal of hard work outside the home to bring in money and by keeping the house clean and warm. How in the world she found the time and the energy to cook is beyond me.

As Vera and I were recording many of the recipes, I frequently commented on the calorie and fat content. As children we burned it off. The adults worked so hard on the farms, on their jobs, and in the home, that they would never think of joining a gym. Though I know they got tired, they always had the time to do what they knew they must do.

What a wimp I am today. My job is not nearly as physically demanding as my mothers. I feel it necessary to pay big bucks for the accessibility to the gym. I am always tired. If I go to the bank and to the post office in the same day, I definitely need a nap (and often take one if those errands are not on today’s agenda).

With my lifestyle abundant with time saving and energy saving devices, a less demanding job, and an aging metabolism, my thoughts are frequently on calories, fat content, and portion control.

Alas, if I get it my body whipped into shape, I will always have to be very careful about what I eat. This realization has created a great depression when considering that I will never again truly enjoy delights such as Mama’s Apple Pie or her Sliced Sweet Potato Pie. How sad.

Here is her recipe from the Vintage Vera Cookbook (not pictured):

Phyllis's Version, before baking!

Mama’s Sliced Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes

1 large can evaporated milk

2 cups sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. flour

Crust for two-crust pie (homemade or store bought)

Directions:
Boil sweet potatoes until fork tender, cool and peel. In a deep dish baking dish, line the bottom crust and sprinkle with flour. Slice the sweet potatoes into slabs and layer into dish until about three layers deep. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix evaporated milk with water to make about two cups of liquid. Pour the liquid over the potatoes, sugar and cinnamon. Cube butter and dot over the top. Use the second pie crust to cover the filling, making slits in the crust (or construct a lattice top). Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour until the crust is brown and the pie filling is bubbling. It may be wise to place a baking sheet under the dish prior to baking to avoid boil over. Good served hot or cold.

Now you can see my point about lamenting that I could never again delight in this delicious treat. To tell you the truth, I always loved to dollop a hearty serving a Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream on a hearty serving of the pie. Guess you know now why I have a weight problem.

Now don’t get me wrong – I am trying. In 2009 I lost almost 90 pounds which has indeed improved my health greatly. I put a little of that back on (not too much, but enough to get my attention). I still think I need to lose about 10 more pounds beyond my lowest, so I am really trying to be good.

Oh, the sadness when I remembered the taste of Mama’s pie and the thought that I can never afford to have it again.

A few months ago, it occurred to me that a good number of the calories in pie are in the homemade crust. Now Mama’s was great, but I do not make my own crust because of having cats in the house – there is a fear of finding a cat hair in the crust. So, back when I did cook these delights, I used store-bought crusts – not as good, but I felt an appropriate substitute under the circumstances.

I love the crust as much as anyone, but it occurred to me that I should invent a “low-cal, low-fat” pie filling and omit the crust. Being that portion control is also my downfall, it is important to attempt small amounts so as not to overeat. LOL did you ever know of anyone who bought a bag of low calorie cookies and ate all instead of the stated serving size of two cookies?

At first, I tried to make my lifestyle friendly version of Mama’s sliced sweet potato pie.

I made the filling just like Mama (hers is probably eight servings – or four for me). I made mine in a smaller pan (probably three servings) substituting
About ¼ cup of Splenda Brown Sugar for the Granulated Sugar = 193 calories. The two cups of granulated sugar adds up to 770 calories.
1 Tbsp. Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread for the butter (~45 calories). Mama would have used about 4 Tbsp of butter at 400 calories.
I used two sweet potatoes boiled or baked (~230 calories).
I used ½ c. fat-free evaporated milk (176 cal)
Having no crust, I did not use the spoon of flour

Mama’s version My no-crust version

312 per serving + calories in the crust 215 per serving

Now take into account that I was eating a double serving of Mama’s pie WITH Breyer’s Vanilla and yikes!

Upon tasting of my tasting my Crustless Sweet Potato Pie, truly I was doing a happy dance!

The Apple Pie Experiment

A few weeks later, I wondered if I might do the same with Mama’s apple pie. On my first attempt, I made the same substitutions (Splenda and Smart Balance) in a single serving ramekin so as not to overeat. I used a Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored and sliced into thin wedges.

I sprinkled with cinnamon and a little pumpkin pie spice, used the Splenda Brown Sugar and the Smart Balance. I didn’t know what to do about liquid, so I must have added about a quarter to a third cup of water. I baked at 400 degrees for one hour.

The smell permeating the house was heavenly! How long had it been since I had smelled that wonderful delight – if it tasted anywhere near as good as it smelled, then wow wee!

The taste was right on the money, but the apples were literally swimming in hot apple pie juice. I ate the apples and drank the juice, making a mental note that next time the juice needs to turn into what would better be called syrup.

Today I tried it again. With the apples sliced into the ramekin, I sprinkled on cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice (I didn’t have any apple pie spice), with the Splenda Brown Sugar and Smart Balance on it. To make the syrup, just guessing, I added one heaping teaspoon of flour and 2 Tbsp of cold water.

Bake for one hour in a 400 degree oven.

About half way through, I stirred it so that the top apples would get down into the juice that had developed. Ah, this was much better, not just a runny liquid!

After baking, I spooned the whole thing out onto a serving dish. If I weren’t going to photograph it, I would have just eaten it straight from the ramekin.

OMG! Perfection!

For the apple pie, I looked online and found a source stating that one-eighth of a 9-in. pie has 410 calories. Now I figure that my ramekin of Crustless Apple Pie has enough filling to equal three or four slices of that apple pie (ok, without the crust), but I figure the whole concoction is about 200 calories!!!

So that’s my tale of the Revenge of the Chronic Dieter! Bwahaaaahaaaa….

___________________________

Thank you SO much Phyllis for both of those recipes, I admit I would miss the crust (hehe!) but they look outstanding! I am so thankful to you and all my friends for this wonderful journey through you're kitchens!

If you would like to learn more about Phyllis and Vera head on over to their Facebook Page, Vintage Vera. There is also information on the facebook page about how you can purchase your very own copy of their cookbook!

Happy Cooking!
The Farmers Wife & Phyllis Salmons

Pan Seared Chicken with Parmesan Basil Linguini

2011-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Pan Seared Chicken with Parmesan Basil Linguini

Hey y'all!! I'm so excited to finally share this recipe with you today! When I first made this, I posted the picture on Facebook and was OVERWHELMED by y'alls response over it! So much so that I even let you guys name it! The name winner is... Pan Seared Chicken with Parmesan Basil Linguini! Long yes, but fitting. I wish I could say this recipe was created out of some special epiphany, but the honest truth is that I pretty much made it up as I went along. Oh I mean, I had an idea of what I wanted the end result to be, but I didn't have any sort of recipe to follow. Truthfully though... that is totally me in my element. I love creating recipes on the fly, while cooking, they seem to be my best ones. lol! The best way I can describe this dish is that it's somewhere between an Alfredo and a Carbonara... Which makes it TOTALLY YUM! hehe! My little sous chef adored this, and ate every last bite and then asked for more (which is REALLY rare for him!) and all I can say is that I enjoyed this as leftovers just as much as I did the night I made it!

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Panko
1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
4 Fresh Basil Leaves, chiffonade
1 Egg
1/4 cup Milk
1 Package Linguini

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1/4 White Onion, diced
1 Roma Tomato, seeded and diced
5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves, chiffonade
2 cups Heavy Cream
2/3 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 teaspoons Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Thyme
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions:
To make the sauce heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Then add the garlic and onion and saute til the garlic is slightly browned and the onion is translucent. Add the tomato and basil and saute for about 1 minute, then add in the cream and stir til the oil and cream don't separate. Next put in your cheese's and spices and stir constantly until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is thick. Set aside while you cook the pasta and chicken. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Flatten the chicken to about 1/2 inch thickness, (or you could butterfly it) then in a shallow dish combine the panko, breadcrumbs and basil. In another shallow dish whisk the egg with the milk. Then heat a large skillet on medium-high heat, and add about 1/4 inch of olive oil. For the chicken, first dip it in the egg mixture being sure to coat both sides, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture. Once all the chicken is coated, place in the hot pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, then cover and turn to low heat and cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Once your pasta is cooked, drain and put back in the pot, pour the sauce on top and mix. Transfer to serving dish, and slice the chicken into long pieces and place on top of pasta, garnish with more basil and Parmesan.

Review:
5 stars... I have to be honest, this was just so good! We loved the creaminess of the pasta along with the crunchy seared chicken... Mmmm...

We're finishing up our Guest Posting series this Friday with Phyllis Salmons from Vintage Vera with a very wonderful post I know you're sure to love!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

Philly Cheesesteak

2011-07-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Philly Cheesesteak, Farmers Wife Original

You may not know this about me... I love Philly Cheesesteaks.. And I mean LOVE them! I would eat one everyday if my waistline approved. I'm not entirely sure when the obsession started, and I've never actually been to Philly either, but once it was there is refused to go away. A few months ago I found this Philly Cheesesteak frozen package with everything, meat, rolls, onions and cheese. And it gave me an idea, why can't I make these at home? I know it's crazy that it took me seeing that to realize I actually could make this at home, what can I say? I'm slow sometimes. So a few weeks ago when I found cube steak on sale at our store (and when I say on sale I mean WOWZA it was a big sale!) the wheels in my head started turning, I started drooling all over the place, it wasn't a pretty sight in the middle of the store, you know what I mean because it's a natural reaction for a foodie. haha! I promptly bought the other ingredients needed for this and made them for dinner, and oh baby... It was GOOD! My hubby even ate it, and these really aren't his favorite (isn't he sweet to eat my favorites?!?). Next time you want a cheese steak I hope you'll consider this one!

Ingredients: this will make 2-3 sandwiches
2 Cube Steaks
1/2 White or Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced *optional*
1 Tablespoon Butter
Worcestershire Sauce
Steak Seasoning *I used my Hubby's steak rub*
Cheese of choice *Provolone, Mozzarella, Cheddar*
Steak Rolls

Directions:
Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat, grease with olive oil and add the steaks. Season the top side with a splash of Worcestershire and a sprinkle of steak seasoning. Turn after 4-5 minutes and cook on the other side, seasoning the flipped side as you did the first. In a separate pan melt the butter, then saute the onion and pepper adding a sprinkle of steak seasoning until soft and caramelized. Once steaks are mostly done, remove from the skillet and with a sharp knife slice thinly, add the sliced steak back to the skillet and let it cook another couple minutes then remove. Split the steak rolls and place open side up on a baking sheet. Top with steak, then onion and pepper mixture and cheese. Turn on the broiler and place the baking sheet in the oven, keep close eye on it, you want the cheese to melt and not burn and the bread to toast lightly. 2-3 minutes. Remove and serve warm.

Review:
I really really love this, I'm sure it's not quite your traditional cheese steak but it has SO much flavor it just to die for! I give this 4.5 stars since I don't make it that often.

Steak Rub from The Geeky Farmer

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's FRIDAY!! Y'all know what that means, Guest Post day here at The Farmers Wife! This week's guest post is my favorite by far, and you know why? Because our wonderful poster this week is my amazing Hubby, Jeremy aka The Geeky Farmer! You've heard me talk about him for months, and rave about how awesome he is, and now y'all get to actually "meet" Jeremy!

I want to state for the record that this picture is old... lol! This is probably about 4 years old in fact, it was taken while I was pregnant with our son. But we don't tend to take pictures of ourselves anymore, they're all of the little man or in my case of food... haha! But isn't he handsome? Ok.. Maybe I don't want y'all to answer that question... haha! This man is not only the love of my life, but he is the most AMAZING Griller I know. When I say I would much rather have a steak at home, grilled by him, than go to the top rated steakhouse in our city I'm not even kidding. He is amazing! Now y'all know from my posts that my Hubby is a dedicated Farmer, but he really is more than that. He is a great cook, and is always challenging me in the kitchen, and I in turn like to challenge him on the grill. But enough from me, because I really could go on for days about this wonderful man, now you get to hear from him!

_______________________________

Hey all! It's Jeremy, or as I refer to myself over on my blog "The Geeky Farmer". First I want to say thank you to my beautiful wife for the opportunity to share this with all of you, but before we get started, here is a bit about me. I spent a good bit of my teen and young adult life building and fixing computers as well as dabbling in programming and web design. Just before high school we moved back to my dad's hometown so he could help with the family farm and I have worked there ever since. When I'm out driving tractors all day I have a good bit of time to research all sorts of geeky stuff, I usually browse through over 1,200 geeky articles a week thanks to GreenStar GPS auto-steer and my Verizon Droid X! I too have a blog where I do reviews of Android smartphone apps and a friend of mine does iOS apps for me.

Like most of you, my dad did all the grilling when I was a kid, but as I grew up I gradually started taking over as my dad was working long hours. By the time I was in high school I was doing most of the grilling and I liked it, so much so that I even got grilling related supplies a couple times for Christmas. As time went on I moved out and then got married and eventually got my own grill.

Not long after I decided to make my own steak spice mix as I just was not satisfied with what you could buy in the store. While there were quite a few packet mix things that are great for chicken there were not many that I liked that were good for beef, so I started experimenting with different combinations of spice mixes and decided that I liked Garlic, Lemon, Salt and Pepper.

At first I would use Garlic Salt and Lemon Pepper, but it still didn't quite satisfy my flavor, mostly because it was too salty. Then one weekend when Kim was pregnant with our son we spent an entire evening trying different mixes and spices and finally decided on a great mix!

Steak

There isn't so much a recipe, just a ratio, that way you can mix it in any quantity you need. The ratio is as follows, using these exact measurements should be enough for 1-2 average sized steaks or about 6 hamburgers:

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Lemon Pepper

3 Tbsp Garlic Powder (Granulated Garlic works too, but I prefer the powder, easier to get an even mixture)

3 Tbsp Onion Powder (dried chopped onions works too, but has to be applied separately and is harder to measure, also much more likely to fall or be knocked off while cooking)

Steak pre-grilled with seasoning slathered on.

For steak I recommend you mix the powders on a bowl, then using a spoon, shake them on the raw steak good and thick. You should have to pat it down with your hands to get it to stay. If they are less than say 2+ inch thick then I usually spread the powder on a plate or something and roll the steak in it till it picks up a good bit of the spices. For hamburgers I usually shake some on after the first time I flip them (explained below), putting on about 1/3-1/2 as much as the steaks.

Kim suggested that I give a brief explanation of how I cook burgers and steak for you all, so here goes. Before I start I should warn you, I like my beef with no pink left, so if you like it so it's still walking around on your plate mooing, well then you'll have to change these instructions accordingly.

I start both burgers and steak the same way: Get the grill good and hot, say 375°-425°, then cook them for 5-7 minutes on each side. For steaks I then move them to the upper rack and turn the temp down to about 325° and continue cooking 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked to your liking. Hamburgers I keep the temp hot and just keep them moving being careful to not let them burn.

_____________________________

Thanks Honey, for this great post! You know I love your steak and burgers, and now the whole world knows too! I really hope y'all enjoyed this post, and this fantastic recipe, as well as getting to know the man behind The Farmers Wife! This won't be the last you hear from Jeremy either, he'll be doing another tutorial soon!

If you want to see what Jeremy's blog is all about you can check out his site: The Geeky Farmer

You can also "Like" him on Facebook and follow him on not only One (@TheGeekyFarmer) but Two (@GeekyFarmerNews) Twitter Accounts!

Happy Grilling!

The Farmers Wife & The Geeky Farmer

P.S. If you're looking for great sides to go with your Grilling Feast this weekend check out all the sides I made to go with this great recipe! Baked Beans, Lighter Loaded Mashed Taters, and Vanilla Fluff Fruit Salad!

Kim is also Guest Posting over at Baking and Cooking, a Tale of two Loves today! So hop on over and check out Becky's site!

Baked Beans

2011-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Baked Beans, Farmers Wife Original

I can't believe this week is half over already... I know I always say that, but it still astounds me how fast the week goes by. As you may already know I've been doing a series of Barbecue side dishes this week, and it just wouldn't be a good barbecue without baked beans!! Most of you, like me, probably grew up on the good ole' Bushes Original. And I have absolutely nothing against that delightful canned goodness, but I do like to try to make things myself sometimes and cut out the middle man. Now truthfully I was INCREDIBLY skeptical about making these... I don't think I've ever had homemade baked beans before, and truthfully I was surprised to learn that they are called baked beans because you actually do bake them! Lol! I know, I know, I'm a little dense sometimes, but all I'd ever seen was beans cooked (reheated) on the stovetop so how was I to know? I debated right up until the last minute on if I was even going to make these, I was just that nervous about it, but that first bite and wow... We were sold! They were so delicious and full of flavor, more so than any canned baked bean I've ever had, and we liked them so much I've made them more than once!

Ingredients:
2 cans Pork N Beans
1/3 lbs. Bacon
1/4 Onion, diced
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Molasses
1/8- 1/4 cup Mustard
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
Dash of Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions:
In a skillet cook the bacon until crispy, once done remove and set aside. Cook the onion in the bacon grease, until translucent. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In an 8x10 or 9x13 glass pan, pour your cans of beans. Then crumble the bacon and add to the beans. Once the onions are cooked add them and the grease to the beans, along with remaining ingredients and mix well. At this point you can taste test (the bacon is cooked, you're just baking the flavors together and making it thick) and add anything you feel is missing. Then cover and bake for 1 hour, removing the foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking. Serve warm.

Review:
We really loved this, I think my hubby's exact words were "Wow... We're never buying canned again!" haha! 4.5 stars

Psst... This weeks Guest Poster is.... MY HUBBY!!! I'm so beyond thrilled for this post y'all, and I can't wait for you to get to know him a little better too! If you have a moment go check out his site, The Geeky Farmer.

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

Lighter Loaded Mashed Taters

2011-07-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Lighter Loaded Mashed Taters, Farmers Wife Original

I'm having one of those days again... The kind where all I want to do is sleep and my energy level is well... *ZZZzzzzzzz* Oh sorry, what was I... Oh right energy, doesn't exist for me today. I would much rather lay down and sleep the day away than share this recipe with y'all. Sorry if that offends or upsets, you know I love you guys, just have absolutely no drive or vision today. But I wanted to share this fantastic recipe with y'all!

Now I'm sure loaded mashed/baked potatoes is nothing new to you. They've been all over since some of the big chain restaurants added them to their menus. Now I will admit to the guilty fact that I have tried them before at said restaurants, and while my conscious regretted it later, my tummy enjoyed it at the moment. lol! So when working on side dishes to compliment the perfect Barbecue feast one of the first things that came to mind was loaded mashed taters... But how could I make these little bad boys just a little healthier? Well, it's not as good for you as eating steamed veggies, but this is good and not nearly as guilt ridden as the big chain restaurants version! And just so you get an idea of just how low in calories this is, we got 5 servings out of it totaling 249 calories per serving! Not to shabby if you ask my flabby... ;-)

Ingredients:
4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 Tablespoons Margarine
1/2 -2/3 cup Non Fat Sour Cream
1/8-1/4 cup Milk (I used 1% but you can use Skim or whatever you have on hand)
3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar
4 slices Turkey Bacon, cooked and diced
2 Green Onions, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of Garlic Powder

Directions:
Peel and cube the potatoes and place in a stock pot and cover with water. Cook on medium-high heat, bring to a boil and let cook about 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. Once cooked, drain and place back into pot, then add in milk and butter. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until creamy and mostly if not fully lump free *You can use a hand or stand mixer to mash the potatoes I just prefer the old fashioned way.* Add the sour cream and spices and mix well. Then add your cheese, cooked diced bacon and green onions and stir. Serve warm.

Review:
We really enjoyed this, and did not miss the fat in this recipe AT ALL! I will be making this repeatedly. 5 stars!

Vanilla Fluff Fruit Salad

2011-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Fluff Fruit Salad, Farmers Wife Original

It's another summer weekend, and y'all know what that means... BARBECUES!!! Yeah baby, I love me some good ole' barbecues. You know the kind, the men all outside congregating around the grill complementing each other on their manliness (I'm just guessing this is what guys talk about while standing around the grill... lol!) and who can down a can of whatever drink is in their hands first, critiquing the griller's technique and hollering at the women to bring them more beverages. The kids are running around the yard being watched (hopefully!) by the men, or swimming and getting themselves very hungry for the food they will likely not want to stop to eat... And all the while the women are in the kitchen (cus we're really the smart ones being in AC) making up all the side dishes to go with the meat of choice being cooked by our men. Sound about right to you? ;-) Ok... I might have over-exaggerated a bit... But you get the point, a good barbecue is where we all come together to share a delicious meal. And I have just the thing for your next barbecue!!

This fruit salad is seriously my new favorite fruit anything. I've made it a couple of times and every time it is GONE fast! The first time I made this was just for the 3 of us, and we managed to pack it all away in one day... Yeah... I won't go into details as to how we spent most of that next day but I think it was well worth it! The little Sous Chef was in love with this, and the Hubby and I shared his opinion. You know when each bite that is taken everyone makes a "Mmmmm" noise that it must be good! I hope you'll give this a try for your next barbecue! (I know I will!)

Ingredients:
1 6oz. Container Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1-2 Bananas, sliced
1 16oz. Container Strawberries, sliced
2/3 cup Blueberries
1 16oz. Can Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 8oz. Can Pineapple Tidbits, drained
1/2 cup Raspberries

Directions:
In a large bowl whisk together yogurt, marsmallow fluff and lemon juice until combined and smooth. Add in your fruit and mix until fully coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Review:
This is incredibly simple, and sinfully delicious! This gets 5 stars from our family! If you wanted to you could add in some nuts for a crunch or a bit of granola, and you can really use any fruit you like as well.

And be sure to stay tuned this week for more BBQ friendly sides all leading up to a VERY special Guest Post this Friday!!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

Classic Hummus, from Basilmomma

2011-07-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! It's that time of the week again... Guest Post Friday! I can't believe we're almost to the end of this series here at The Farmers Wife, but I have really enjoyed it and loved getting to know some fellow bloggers better, I hope y'all have too! And I am SO thrilled for this weeks fabulous guest... Heather from Basilmomma!

Isn't she just wonderful y'all? I can't tell you how much I've looked forward to this post. I haven't known Heather all that long but I just can't get enough of this gal and her food! She is a Wife and Mom to 2 boys, so we all know what that means... She is one very busy momma! For Heather cooking is her hobby (can you see why we get along?!?), which I just adore as it is my hobby as well! And if you haven't you need to go check out her beautiful site, I promise you will find a bazillion recipes you will be drooling over and want to try ASAP! And now I will turn this over to Heather!

___________________________________

You would think that we never feed my kids by how often they ask for food. If I ate like that I would be big as a house and quite unhealthy. The thing I often forget is that kids, unlike adults, are always moving. At least mine are. Playing tag, riding bikes or in this case, swimming. I could never keep up with him in the water and I can't imagine how good of shape I would be in if I did.

Health conscience adults that are watching their weight would never down a handful of brightly colored gummy "fruit" snack but don't think twice about handing a pack over to their hungry child. Whether it is to satisfy their hunger or to pass the time parents often give to many filler foods. Sometimes it is just easier to give in to what they are asking for rather than fight that battle in public.

Now, this is not to say I have never done this and I am guilty of this myself. A bag of super buttery popcorn at the movies or a dish of french fries from the baseball concession stand sometimes does the trick. But like clockwork, they are hungry again in an hour. I have found that for my kids, the key is to offer a more filling snack choice and also a drink. I know I often think I am hungry when in fact I am actually thirsty. There are so many drink options out there that are not loaded with sugar and artificial colors. I know right now my kids are really into those little Crystal Light pouches that you add to a 16 ounce bottle of water. Best thing you can refill that bottle and reuse it or use one of your own at home.

I see snack time as a Fourth Meal. The opportunity to sneak in a few things that I sometimes can't on their dinner plates. There are so many possibilities and they can be defined by your child's individual tastes. There is the standard that we all love, peanut butter in jelly, but what about substituting the jelly for a banana and the bread for a tortilla. Roll this up and wrap in plastic or foil and this is a good packable snack. The protein of the peanut butter and the healthy sweetness of the banana will tide your child over until their next meal.

Try some variety in those Ziplock bags. Small cut up fruit and a yogurt cup to dip them in is a good one. Dried Cranberries with sunflower seeds and a handful of chocolate chips will satisfy their sweet tooth. They idea is to find items that are tasty, filling, nutritious and enough to keep them away from the hot dog cart. Now, this doesn't mean that we don't enjoy the occasional treat at a game. I would be lying if I said we never did. But for some people a Saturday means going back and forth between soccer and little league, swimming and lacrosse. That can be several hours up to all day being away from home. So there can be a lot of time to fill.

Once you have packed your child's favorite small toys or handheld games consider packing in a few new foods to try. This was how I initially introduced Hummus to my kids. I knew they would be hungry and I wanted them to try a new recipe I had. I didn't say what it was but I did bring along dipping items that I knew they liked. When they realized that was all I brought they eventually caved in and gave it a try. To their shock not only was it good but they wanted more and that is how a new popular snack in my house was born.

Snacks don't have to be boring to be nutritious and delicious. Think outside the box and make something new. My recipe for hummus makes quite a bit and really only has a few steps. I like to put this in little 6 oz. cups that I can wash and reuse. It doesn't hurt that my husband and I like to eat this as well. Now I can bring along something to nibble on that makes everyone happy and especially me. Less whining about being hungry and less to pack is a real winner in my book.

Classic Hummus

A few of our favorite dippers.

Ingredients:
1/4 C fresh flat leaf parsley

zest of 1 lemon and 2 TB of it's juice

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves (or more if you like a little kick)

2 15 ounce cans of Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 TB of Tahini paste. This is available at Meijer and will keep for a long time in the pantry.

5 TB water

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 TB of olive oil

Add all of these items to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until thoroughly pureed and has a smooth texture.

Keep in refrigerator. Keeps for 1 week.

With a cut up pita, carrots, cucumber and some small pretzels.

_________________________________

First off I just want to say Thank You SOOO much for sharing this recipe with us Heather! I LOVE Hummus and haven't made it in years, and I love that you make this healthy for your family. We all want our kids to eat healthy and this is spectacular, especially for summertime! I am so honored to have you here and as a friend!

If you want to see more of Heather and her fabulous food you can check out her blog Basilmomma

You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter

Happy Cooking!
The Farmers Wife & Basilmomma

Sausage and Pepper Pizza

2011-07-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sausage and Pepper Pizza, Farmers Wife Original

Another week is almost over... I swear it's hard to believe how fast time flies these days! Some of you may know this already, but I tend to make pizza most Friday nights as it is easy and well who doesn't love a pizza night? I get tired of eating the same old pizza all the time, unlike my boys who I think could live on Pepperoni Pizza... lol! Sometimes I mix it up and make a BBQ Chicken Pizza, or add some veggies and pineapple, just whatever makes it a little different. Until a few weeks ago... I had an epiphany one afternoon. I wanted a sausage pizza, and I wanted it BAAAD!! ;-) That was when I went digging through my fridge. I can't say it was a pretty sight at first, when all the contents of your fridge/freezer make it's way onto your counter it can get a little messy... This is when I decided to clean out the fridge and freezer and to make a really long story short what was left, after my escapade, was the makings of this pizza. And it was worth it! I loved the texture and taste of this pizza so much I think I want to have it's babies... ;-) Yup, I went there! Trust me on this one, it's that good!

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough: adapted from Bread Machine Magic
(I made homemade but you can easily use a store bought dough)
This is for a bread machine - Makes a "medium" pizza
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
3 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

Pizza Toppings:
Pizza Sauce (I used my spaghetti sauce and added garlic and oregano to it)
1 lbs. Italian Turkey Sausage
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 cup Turkey Pepperoni, chopped
1/4 Onion, diced
1/4 Yellow, Orange and Red Peppers, thinly sliced
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
Place dough ingredients in bread pan starting with wet ingredients. Select Dough setting, and press start. Once the dough is finished, using your hand form a round pizza crust either on your pizza pan or a pizza stone.

In a large skillet heat half the olive oil, and saute the onion, and peppers. Once soft, remove from pan and set aside. Place the other half of the oil into the pan and cook the sausage (remove from casing and crumble into pan) until browned. Then add the pepperoni and cooked peppers back in. Pre-Heat oven to 350F degrees. Spread desired amount of sauce on to pizza crust, and then top with half the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and then add remaining sausage mixture. Then top with mozzarella and bake for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Review:
While I absolutely adored this pizza, my Hubby was slightly less enthused... lol! So overall I'd give this 4 stars.

This weeks Guest Poster is Heather from BasilMomma with a fabulous recipe I know you'll just go gaga over!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

Cherry Chocolate Biscotti

2011-07-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Cherry Chocolate Biscotti, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all! Do you ever have days where you feel like you've just hit a wall? You can't focus, or think straight for beans? That's how I feel today, so bear with me! I've been meaning to post this recipe for weeks and just keep forgetting. Some of you may remember this from my Guest Post over at The County Cook a few months back, I had so much fun with this post. It was my first ever Guest Post and it was a brand new, never been made or posted before original recipe! And now I want to re-share this recipe with y'all!

If you're unfamiliar with Biscotti, they are a twice-baked cake/cookie originating in the Italian city of Prato. The cakes are generally large almond biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven. And let me tell you, they are amazing!! I remember the first time I had biscotti, and they were this chocolate creation a friend of mine was serving at a party and I fell in love. Now y'all know I'm just a wee bit obsessed with coffee (ok... more than a wee bit...) and these are the PERFECT companion to your morning (or early afternoon, mid afternoon, evening cups of coffee... *disclaimer I do NOT drink THAT much coffee... Most of the time...). When you dunk these little bits of heaven into your coffee, tea or whatever they soften up a bit and the added flavor is just amazing! I highly recommend giving these a try if you're a die hard coffee freak like I am, you really won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
4 Eggs
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1 cup Sugar
5 oz. package Dried Cherries
1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
3 Tablespoons White Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Add in the Cherries, Dark and White chocolate and toss in the flour mixture (this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the dough). In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, oil, sugar and almond extract. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. The dough will be stiff, and sticky, you may want to use your hands. Once mixed, divide the dough in half, and form into 2 log's on the cookie sheet the length of the pan, flattened slightly. Bake the logs for 25-30 minutes until golden and firm. Let cool about 30 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange on cookie sheets and bake again for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through to brown up the edges. Let cool and serve with coffee, tea or hot chocolate. These will keep for about a week in an airtight container.

Review:
I have to say this gets 5 stars. They have an amazing flavor with the almond extract and the cherries. I personally like mine with a big cup of coffee, and they soften up a little when you dunk them and they become just delectable!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

Grandma M's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-07-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Family Recipe

Saturday morning, hard to believe we're here already! This week has both dragged by and flown all at the same time. But I'm glad to be at the end of another week, and for me that means baking time! Between cleaning and laundry which are always on my to do list on Saturdays, I also try to do my baking then as well. This makes for a busy day for this Momma, but also a really great smelling one. (hehe!)

I don't know about y'all but I try my darnedest to keep junk food out of the house, reason being if it's there we WILL eat it... lol! So most of my Saturday baking is breakfast foods for us to eat on Sunday so I don't have to get up before the Roosters to make breakfast for the family (yes I realize how lazy I sound... But quite frankly I like to be lazy. hehe!) so this usually consists of breakfast breads or rolls, or some form of muffin. But this week I decided on Cookies. I haven't made these cookies in over a year (I know I'm a bad Wife and Mom with that confession!), why exactly that is I just don't know. One of the reasons is I keep loosing the recipe (most recently my little Sous Chef admitted to throwing it away...) and another is they're just so dang addictive I can't stop eating them... I mean these cookies are good with coffee for breakfast, alone as a mid morning snack, with my second cup of coffee mid afternoon, and with a glass of milk before bedtime. How do I know this? Because that's what I did yesterday... haha! Here's a little history behind this cookie recipe...

This is actually my Hubby's Grandmothers recipe. One of the first things I remember about meeting my Man's family is their obsession with these cookies. They like them fresh out of the oven, frozen, and would probably eat the dough if Mom would let them. They've been made dairy free, with raisins instead of chocolate chips, for bridal showers, baby showers, and just about anything in between. I still remember the first time I was "allowed" to make/see the recipe itself. I believe I was helping make them for my Bridal Shower, and I insisted on making a batch with Raisins in it instead. I am pretty sure it was considered blasphemy at the time, though they turned out to be a big hit. But I felt so honored to be a part of this legacy and now I get to continue to share this recipe and Grandma M's legacy with my own kids. So I hope you will enjoy these, and who knows maybe they'll become a legacy for you as well!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Margarine, softened
1 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
3 Eggs
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
4 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
12 oz. Chocolate Chips (I round up to 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups Chopped Nuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, or your stand mixer cream the margarine, sugars and egg until combined. In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Add the oats to the flour mixture. On slow speed add your flour/oat mixture to the wet ingredients one cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Then add in chocolate chips, nuts (if using) and vanilla, mix until just incorporated. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and drop by rounded spoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes (times may vary depending on oven and size of cookies) until golden. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 1-2 minutes before removing and cooling on wire racks. These will keep in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for 1-2 weeks (if they last that long!) or in the freezer for a couple months.

Review:
These really are a fantastic cookie. Completely different from the kind I grew up eating, but I really do love them. And I love being able to continue a legacy in my Hubby's family. I give these 5 stars!

Note: *If the margarine is room temp when they go to the oven, the cookies may spread out more and not be as puffy. You can refrigerate the margarine, sugars and egg mixture until firm, then have all the dry ingredients mixed, ready to add while the cooled mixture is still firm.*

Happy Baking!

The Farmers Wife

Macedonian Style Fritters from Diethood

2011-07-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday friends!! I don't know about y'all but I'm SO ready for the weekend! And to kick start your weekend I have a fantastic Guest Poster for ya today. Kate from Diethood is here to share a fantastic recipe with us! Kate is such a total sweetheart, I have really enjoyed getting to know her through the blogoshpere, and adore her site and recipes! She has an unending enthusiasm for food, which I totally love and admire!

Isn't she just gorgeous y'all? *Kate when I grow up I want to cook like you and look like you... is that ok?* lol! Ok seriously though, Kate is such a sweetheart. She is Macedonian, which I have to admit I find so fascinating. Kate is also a Wife and Mom to an adorable little girl! Now I have to say, I love the authentic recipes she posts on her site, I've never seen food quite like it and it all looks amazing! One of the things I love about Kate is that she finds food and cooking to be a passion of hers, and her natural curiosity is shown on her blog with the wonderful recipes she creates. I just know y'all are going to LOVE this recipe today... So without further ado I give you Kate!

__________________________________

Howdy Y’all!

I’ve always wanted to say that! Kim’s blog seems like the appropriate place for it.

HI, KIM! Thank you for having me here!

I am always very flattered when a fellow food blogger asks ME to Guest Post… ME!?! Yep, me!

Thank you, Kim, for this invite – I am so honored to be here. If you were closer, I’d hug you and
kiss you!

In the spirit of Southern cookin’, I decided that I wanted to show y’all how to cook up some fritters. But not just any fritters; these are Macedonian style fritters. What’s that, you ask? Macedonia! It’s my home country! I was born in Macedonia, but moved to the States when I was around 11 years old.

Fritters are a breakfast staple in Macedonia. We inhale these treats like no other. You can have them with powdered sugar and some chocolate syrup, or you can also have them with some feta cheese, or plain yogurt… or you can always just eat them plain.

Macedonian Style Fritters – Pitulici (Pee-too-lee-tsee)

… in some parts of Macedonia these are also called Mekici (meck-e-tsee)

You will need:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups warm water (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups canola oil for frying pan
Toppings: powdered sugar, chocolate syrup, feta cheese, yogurt, jam, etc…

Directions:

Sift together the flour, yeast, and salt; set aside. With your electric mixer on low (or “knead”), mix together the water and olive oil. Add in the dry ingredients, one tablespoon at a time. Knead together until the dough is soft, but not sticky. If the dough feels dry, add in some water, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too moist, add in a bit of flour until you reach the desired consistency. Transfer the dough to a large bowl that’s been greased with some olive oil. Let it rest for 30 minutes. When ready, pinch off some dough and pull it at the sides with your fingers to mold it into a disc, the size of a standard pancake. In a large frying pan place 2 cups of canola oil and heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough, (around 370 degrees Fahrenheit), carefully drop in the fritters, one to two at a time, and fry until golden in color, about 3 minutes, flipping only once. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve immediately.

______________________________________

Oh my word y'all... Did you get a load of those fritters? I am in awe and drooling all over the place here... They just look exquisite and the perfect treat... Thank you SO much Kate for sharing this fantastic recipe with us and for teaching us some Macedonian! I really hope y'all loved this post as much as I did, and please go check out Kate's site!

For more of Kate's fabulous recipes, you can find her on her blog Diethood

You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter

Zucchini Lasagna

2011-07-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Lasagna, adapted from a family friend

Howdy Folks! *teehee* Sorry I just really felt like saying that this morning. I'm still waking up here, drinking my coffee and thinking I can't believe this week is half over! Time sure flies when you spend your days cooking and cleaning. I don't know about y'all but our weather has been nasty here, I woke up Sunday morning to my living room and part of my kitchen covered (And I mean COVERED) in sand... YUCK! I hate sand... And then had to get my rear in gear and spend the day cooking. I was exhausted, and ready to throw in the towel pretty quickly, but we had company coming over and that just wasn't an option. Now what does this have to do with today's recipe you're wondering... Honestly? Absolutely Nothing... HAHA! But since we're all friends here I figured I'd get y'all caught up!

This recipe was given to me from my Mother In Law courtesy of her best friend. About a month ago my In Laws took a big ole trip, and one of their first stops was to visit these friends, the next morning I get a call from my Mom in Law with this recipe solely so I could try it and adapt it! (hehe! She knows me a little to well.... lol!) As I was writing down the recipe the wheels in my brain were already turning with how I wanted to make this, and as luck would have it, I had almost everything already in my house to do so! I will admit I was a little skeptical, I mean it's very different from anything I would normally make but to my surprise we liked it! I couldn't get the little Sous Chef to try it, but I wasn't surprised at all by that. This recipe is very low cal, and figure friendly, and tastes pretty darn good if you ask me. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. Zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced
2/3 cup Ricotta Cheese (skim)
2/3 cup Non Fat Sour Cream
1/4 cup chopped Green Onion
1/4 cup chopped Yellow and Orange Pepper
1 lbs. Italian Turkey Sausage
28 oz. Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Thyme
1/8 teaspoon Sage
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a large skillet on medium-high heat brown the turkey, once cooked add the tomato sauce and spices. Let come to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile chop your veggies and slice the zucchini. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, sour cream, peppers and onion, set aside. Grease an 8x8 pan (or double the recipe to make a 9x13) then start your layers with a thin layer of meat sauce, then top with zucchini, cover that with the cheese and veggie mixture, sprinkle part of the mozzarella and Parmesan on top of that. Repeat layers, ending with meat sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes. Serve warm with a salad and fresh bread.

Review:
I really enjoyed the flavor of this dish, the texture was different than normal lasagna and is it more watery. Overall I'd give this 3.5 stars. I will probably make this again, but it won't go into our normal rotation since the little guy wasn't a fan. *Yet!*

Stay tuned for this weeks guest poster! Kate from Diethood is sharing a fabulous recipe with us this Friday!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

Red, White and Blueberry Rolls

2011-07-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Red, White and Blueberry Rolls, Farmers Wife Original

Happy Fourth of July my Blog Family!!! As some of you may know, in the Farming community the only holidays our guys get off are Thanksgiving and Christmas. So quite often the other holidays either get put on the back burner or ignored completely. But you see there is this one slight exception... Food! I can't pass up the opportunity to cook a huge holiday specific meal, that would be like blasphemy in my world! ;-)

I'm sure it's no surprise to you that this is a breakfast recipe, as I am the self proclaimed breakfast queen. We just love breakfast, I mean what isn't there to love about it? You get to eat sweet sticky morsels of goodness just because it's "Breakfast", what more could you ask for? A few weeks back I had this idea, something I had never seen before, Cinnamon Rolls with White Chocolate and Blueberries with a Red Strawberry Glaze... Yeah baby. I was a little skeptical of how exactly they would turn out, but man were they good. Yes, they were very sweet but served with a side of smoky bacon and cheesy eggs... This was the perfect holiday breakfast! And you know the rule of thumb, if the little Sous Chef devoured it, then it really must be good! ;-) I hope y'all will like this, and have a wonderful celebration today!

Ingredients: small recipe yields 9 rolls
Dough: adapted from bread machine magic (can easily be made without a bread machine)
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Water
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Yeast

Filling:
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter or Margarine
Cinnamon Sugar mix in a shaker (or 1 Tablespoon of each mixed together)
1/2 cup Blueberries
1/3 cup White Chocolate Chips

Glaze:
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1-2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Tablespoon Strawberry Preserves

Directions:
Place dough ingredients in your bread machine in order listed or according to your manufacturers directions. Select dough cycle and go relax while it does the hard work for you (hehe!). OR you can make this in a stand mixer with a dough hook and let it knead the dough and then let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Once the dough is done, turn out onto floured surface and using a rolling pin roll out to an 8x14 inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix evenly all over the dough. Then sprinkle the blueberries and white chocolate leaving about 1/2 inch border at the long ends. Starting with the long edge, start rolling up the dough, pinching the seams to seal. (Some berries and chips may fall out, that's ok just stuff them back in.) Using a sharp knife mark 1 1/2 inch sections. Using a sharp knife or dental floss cut the rolls. Place the rolls into a greased 9 inch cake pan, flattening them slightly. Cover and let rise in a warm oven for 30-40 minutes *Tip turn your oven on at 200F degrees for 1-2 minutes, then turn off and place the rolls in there. Be sure to remove the rolls before pre-heating the oven.* Once risen, remove from the oven and preheat to 350F degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and prepare the glaze by whisking together the ingredients and drizzle over the rolls. Serve warm.

Finished Product!

Review:
These are sweet, sticky and wonderfully delicious! I would give them 4 stars, as I won't make them that often but will definitely be making them again!

Happy Independence Day!

The Farmers Wife

Vegetable Pizza and Very Vanilla Fruit Salad, From Vintage Vera

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Blog Family!! I hope y'all are having a great week, and are looking forward to celebrating the Holiday Weekend! To kick start your Fourth of July food fest, I have a fantastic Foodie to share with y'all today!! Vera, from Vintage Vera is sharing TWO fabulous recipes with us today, both of which would be fantastic for your Holiday get together's!

Vera and I met through Facebook, and I remember when I first came across their page, I truly felt like I had come across something special. Vera along with her sister Phyllis have created a great "Home" on their page, where you can share your memories and recipes and just feel like you've always got a friend. They also get a bit silly at times (just like all Sisters do!) and make you feel like a big part of the Vintage Vera family! I've recently gotten the chance to look over their cookbook to do a review on Country Cooks Across America (which will be posted tomorrow morning!!) and I just have to say I loved it. They are such a fantastic team, and I feel so blessed to know them! Now enough from me... I give you Vera!

_______________________________

Q: Tell us about yourself and your family.

A: I have always lived in Winston-Salem, NC, and I am Southern to the core. My husband, Jack is my BFF. He is a treasure and I love him as much today as I did when we married 27 years ago! With no children, our kids are our pets (currently cats named Earnie and Loucie). Usually we have one or more dogs as well, but not at this time.

I have siblings all over the map. The oldest is Garland Davis. He and his wife live in Hawaii. Next is John Salmons. He and his wife Candy live in King, NC. Finally, Raymond (aka Tommy) and his wife Bonnie live in Southern California. All three were in the military in the Vietnam era, -- add their enlisted years together and it is almost 60 years of service to our country!

My sister Phyllis Salmons lives in Daytona Beach, FL. She works behind the scenes with me on my Facebook Page (Vintage Vera). Phyllis will present the guest recipe for The Farmer's Wife on July 29, so please come back and see what she will come up with! I also have two nieces and two nephews, all grown today.

Having been close to Mama my entire life and having to deal with the circumstances with her final years, gave me a great compassion for senior citizens. Although I have many years of work experience in banking and insurance, after Mama passed away, I was inspired to work in association with helping the elderly. Today I work with a non-profit agency helping senior citizens, especially in matters regarding budgeting and finances.

Q: What is the purpose of the Vintage Vera Facebook page?

A: I love history and what we call "front porch stories." When I was a child, the adults sat on the porch in the evenings and talked about a wide variety of subjects and issues. The children playing nearby learn many life lessons and memorable stories by overhearing some of this exchange. We don't have the literal front porch for a social outlet anymore, but at Vintage Vera we have created a "virtual front porch." Now we can visit with neighbors around the world and stay as long as we wish! A wide variety of subjects come up and you know one of those is food! No matter where a person is from, we look forward to their next visit to Vintage Vera and their ideas and input on our discussions, notes, and photos.

Q: What do you first remember cooking?

A: As a child I remember standing in a chair at the kitchen stove stirring the homemade custard we used in making the best banana pudding. While the custard cooled a bit, I would line the bottom of our dish with vanilla wafers. Phyllis would get me to count the wafers, teaching me my numbers, because even as a teenager she was good at math and already showing signs of being a teacher. (Today Phyllis is a professor of physics at a university where she teaches students who hope to be professional pilots.)

Today Jack and I work together in the kitchen with the cooking. He is always interested in trying new recipes and pitches in with as much of the preparation as needed. In fact, all of my brothers are pretty good cooks too! Jack and I have Mama's fruit trees in the back yard and we grow our own vegetable garden. We enjoy the harvest year round by canning apple butter, pear preserves, tomatoes, pickles, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Q: What are your favorite foods?

A: That's easy! Pinto beans, turnip greens, sliced tomatoes, and homemade cornbread! I am not a big meat eater, although I am not a strict vegetarian. I absolutely cannot stomach any kind of seafood so don't even suggest it!

Now here are two recipes from Vera -- shall we say Vera's Vintage Vittles?

Thanks so much to Kim, The Farmer's Wife, for allowing me to share a couple of recipes from our Vintage Vera Cookbook! I'm sure you will agree that farmers and their wives are among the unsung heroes of our great nation! Thanks Kim -- we appreciate everything you do -- on the farm, for your wonderful family, and sharing with us via the internet!

With it being the middle of the summer, the last thing I want to do is to heat up the house by cooking. Growing up in rural North Carolina tobacco farming country, we didn't have air conditioning so it was important to Mama to keep from heating up the rooms even more. Today, I still think it is a good idea, even with good air conditioning.

These recipes are great summer fare for a number of reasons! First of all, you don't have to stick strictly to the stated amounts. Mama used to do a lot of cooking just putting in some of this and some of that, as she would say, "till it looks right." The only cooking required for the veggie pizza is to brown the crust in the oven (that's not going to heat up the room too much)!

As far as the vegetables go, you just toss on what you have from the garden or in the refrigerator, as much or as little of each as you wish! The salad takes care of the available fruits you have on hand!

Veggie Pizza and Very Vanilla Salad

Vegetable Pizza:
Ingredients:
2 cans crescent dinner rolls
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
Shredded cheddar cheese
Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, sweet pepper, cucumbers, and tomatoes, all chopped

Directions:
Heat oven to 375. Unroll both cans or dough, separate into 4 long rectangles. In an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 pan, place dough in pan -- pressing to seal all openings. Press up the sides of the pan to form a crust. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In a bowl mix the cream cheese, sour cream and ranch mix until smooth. Spread over the baked crust. Top with vegetables and cheddar cheese. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

Optional: If you want meat on the pizza, toss on chunks of ham, chicken, or pulled pork. It's all up to you! Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Very Vanilla Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
2 c. strawberries, halved
1 c. blueberries
1 c. pineapple chunks, canned or fresh
1 c. cantaloupe chunks
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
2 tsp. McCormick's Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Mix fruit, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. For Raspberry Fruit Salad: Prepare as directed use McCormick's Raspberry Extract in place of the vanilla.

If you have another fruit on hand, like blackberries or fresh peaches, just add them in. When ready to serve, if desired slice a small banana on it (do this last so that the banana will not brown).

_______________________________

Q: Tell us about the Vintage Vera Cookbook.
A: Vera and Phyllis compiled the Vintage Vera Cookbook in 2010 to document the recipes served by Mama and Granny -- some of these dishes they had not even thought of in years.

Mama rarely referred to a recipe. As her health was failing, we were unaware of the fact that everyday just after breakfast, she would write down her recipes in a composition book. I never knew of this book until after she died and her nursing assistant told us about her spending the time writing it. The penmanship was weak and not her beautiful handwriting that I remember. I know that she was preparing it for us so that we would know how to cook these dishes when she was gone.

Upon finding this treasure, we knew it was just like her to never say a word about it. After many calls to the siblings, I came up with the idea of compiling a cookbook, indicating that certain dishes are in her memory and others were credited to Granny.

This cookbook is very special to us -- a trip down memory lane as we compiled it -- and a culinary delight when we cook and reap the rewards. Through this cookbook, we feel closer to Mama and consider it a preservation of her love.

Until we started comparing notes with other people, we had not seen some of these recipes outside of our Mama's kitchen. Many of our family and friends had grown up with similar culinary fair and relate to this cookbook easily. In addition to the recipes Mama wrote down, our aunts and cousins and other friends were kind enough to provide recipes for many of their favorite dishes. Many of them are likewise designated to be in memory of the loved ones whom we associate with that dish.

Included in the Vintage Vera Cookbook are Mama and Granny's recipes for "putting up" the harvest of the family garden and fruit trees. Today, in addition to canning apple butter and pear preserves from Mama's fruit trees, Jack and I can Grape Leaf Pickles with the products of the backyard grapevine, and we plant a vegetable garden allowing us to can other favorites like tomatoes.

Until July 4, a special benefit is being held from the sale of Vintage Vera cookbooks to benefit the victims of the late April tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Details can be found on the Wall, the Notes Tab, and the Shop Now Tab of the Vintage Vera Facebook page. After July 4, donations from the sale of the Vintage Vera Cookbook will go to a non-profit organization call HERO (Horse Education and Rescue Organization). HERO helps abandoned and mistreated horses, getting them the help they need and then they seek to place to horse in a location where they will be properly cared for.

We hope you will consider participating in Vintage Vera and spreading the word about all of the chatter happening on the virtual front porch! You will find it quite enjoyable!

Once again, thanks to Kim for offering me the opportunity to share my memories of Mama, for this is indeed what these recipes are to me and my siblings. How rare for a mere cookbook be so sentimental!

When you come to visit Vintage Vera, be prepared to laugh! I hope to see your comments soon over on our front porch and if you are interested in our cookbook, just just let it be known! Welcome friend and y'all come back now, ya hear?

_______________________________

I just have to say first of all Thank you SO much Vera for sharing your heart and your recipes with us today! I can't wait to give them a try, with our summer heat you can bet these will be made ASAP! I really hope y'all will go check out Vera and Phyllis on Facebook and take a peek at their cookbook. Also at the end of the month Phyllis will be sharing some more of Mama's recipes with us!!

You can find Vera on her Facebook Page: Vintage Vera

I hope you'll enjoy sitting on the Front Porch alongside Vera and Phyllis!

Happy Fourth of July!

The Farmers Wife

Corn Dog Bites

2011-06-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Corn Dog Bites, Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Good Morning y'all! I am so excited to share this recipe with you today, I've been holding onto it since Fathers Day just to share it for the Fourth of July weekend! You know when I asked my Hubby what he wanted to eat for his Fathers Day dinner this year a whole bunch of ideas went through my head, steak, burgers, essentially man food... So when he said "Corn Dog Bites" my brain went "WHAT?!?" Of course my little Sous Chef was quick to side with Daddy and agree that this was a must make meal and how come Mommy hadn't thought of it before. Well I'll tell you why... Because I've never made corn dogs before in my life. Ok sure, I've opened a box that was sitting in my freezer and zapped a few in the microwave on a busy night (go ahead and cringe... I know I am!) but to actually make them myself... Seemed daunting. And well, it was a little bit. I still have the marks on my hand from where the really hot oil burned me. But all in all I have to say this was a great success! They were delicious, cooked up incredibly fast, and were a HUGE hit with my boys!

I will say this, make them with a helper in the kitchen... Preferably an adult, and possibly your spouse. Someone who's not afraid of hot oil (which I now am... haha!) and willing to do the dipping of the dogs into the batter and dropping them into the oil, because you need a second person to also be flipping them in the oil as they really do cook incredibly fast. These would be so perfect for any Fourth of July Celebrations, they are total All-American Food and being bite sized make them a fantastic appetizer!

Ingredients:
1 quart oil for deep frying
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pounds hot dogs

Directions
Heat oil in a deep fryer or stock pot to 365 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in melted bacon drippings and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix until everything is smooth and well blended. Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels so that the batter will stick. Using 2 forks, dip the hot dogs in the batter one at a time, shaking off the excess, with the second fork gently push the coated hot dog off the first fork and into the oil. Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they are browned and cooked evenly. Drain on paper towels, and serve warm.

Review:
5 stars, all the way 5 stars. Best corn dog I've ever had in my life!!! We used the leftover batter to just make fried corn dumplings which were delicious too! I highly recommend giving these a try!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

P.S. Don't forget tomorrows Guest Post is Vera from Vintage Vera

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

2011-06-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all!! Oh man am I ever so glad to be back with you! It has been an insane few weeks around this house and I'm hoping that is coming to an end and I will start to get caught up on posts and with y'all! I am so sorry to all my friends who's blogs I haven't commented on, I miss you all and I will be back to stalking your blogs asap! ;-) OK, on to the recipe!

Now I don't claim to be southern, I was born in Tennessee, and have spent some time there over the years visiting family and what not. But I still remember my favorite part of going to visit them was getting good southern Biscuits and Gravy. Yes I know, my memories involve food, see I was always a foodie at heart! ;-) I haven't had good biscuits and gravy in several years, and awhile ago my Sister In Law challenged me to make my own. Sadly I've put this off for far too long thinking it would be incredibly difficult... I was so wrong... *Kick's self in the rear* Both the biscuits and the gravy were far easier than I ever imagined they would be, and the only thing I regret is not making these before. I now feel as if my life has been seriously deprived... hehe! If you like your traditional Biscuits and Gravy without the sausage, than you can just leave it out. But if you ask me the sausage is totally what makes this so yummy. You can totally use refrigerated biscuits, I honestly just wanted to try making them myself. hehe! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Biscuits: recipe from joyofbaking.com
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Cold Butter or Margarine, cut into small chunks
3/4 cup Milk (I used 1%)
1 Egg, slightly beaten
Egg wash topping:
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Milk

Gravy: Farmers Wife Original Recipe
1 lbs. Mild or Hot Pork Sausage
2 teaspoons Olive Oil (only if not enough fat from sausage)
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 cups Milk
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
Dash of Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. To make the biscuits first combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the cold (must be COLD) butter until resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and egg and using a spatula mix until just combined (you want it to be sticky and moist and lumpy). Turn out onto floured surface and knead gently til it all comes together (do not over knead or your biscuits will be tough and not flakey). Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and using a biscuit or cookie cutter cut out your biscuits. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, and brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

While they are cooling start your gravy by heating a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the sausage first, breaking up into pieces and brown. Once cooked, using a slotted spoon, scoop out the sausage onto a paper towel lined plate, leaving as much grease as possible in the pan. Add the flour to the pan and whisk to create a roux. (Note: if your sausage does not leave enough grease, add in a small amount of olive oil.) Once your roux forms, turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream and milk. Whisk to combine, and then cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Once thick, add in spices and sausage. Taste, and add in more spices as desired. Serve warm over biscuits.

Review:
I have to say this one get 4.5 stars. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars as it is a very heavy meal therefore it won't make it into our monthly rotations (which is what my 5 star rating means), but we all loved it. Including my little Sous Chef, who devoured his portion in about 30 minutes flat!

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife

P.S. This weeks fabulous Friday Guest Poster is the gals from Vintage Vera! You will love this post, so be sure and check back!

Yogurt Blueberry Muffins from Baking and Cooking, a Tale of Two Loves

2011-06-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Y'all!!! I hope everyone is having a great week, and I am so thrilled to end this one with a great guest poster... Becky from Baking and Cooking, a Tale of Two Loves! I have really enjoyed getting to know Becky, she is from the same area where I grew up which is really neat. We've bonded over food, and what better way is there to bond? ;-)

Becky is just the sweetest gal you'll ever have the privilege to know! She is a devoted wife and Mother, and she loves to cook and bake with her hubby! The things they turn out of their kitchen always look delightful and never cease to leave my mouth watering. In the short time I've come to know Becky I have learned that she is enthusiastic about doing her part in the fight against cancer, and even held a bake sale a while back to fund research! I have really enjoyed the chance to get to know Becky, and have been looking forward to this post for weeks!! So without further ado... Here's Becky!
__________________________________

Hello everybody! I was so surprised and elated, when Kim sent me an email asking to be a guest blogger. Of course, I would accept, even though I have been on hiatus. I have followed her blog from the beginning, with her mouth watering, down home recipes, which are so family friendly. She makes everything from delicious smoothies to decadent desserts, and you won't be disappointed. Kim has even helped me with my pictures and Food Gawker, even though they weren't accepted:)

I live with my husband in the Chicago burbs, and have 3 grown sons, and one Granddaughter. I was one those people that started blogging, after seeing Julie and Julia. I thought if Julie can do it, so can I. I love to bake and my husband cooks. We try to eat and cook healthy, due to my husband's bypass. We both get the instant gratification, when we see the smiles on the faces of people eating our food.

Now for those wonderful Yogurt Blueberry Muffins, which would make a delicious treat for the upcoming holiday weekend. These muffins have the Greek Yogurt. I'm such a fan of the Greek yogurt, eating it for lunch, and baking with it all the time. If you have haven't gotten on the Greek yogurt bus, don't wait any longer. It has almost 3 times the protein in 6 oz. cup, than regular yogurt, and most flavors are 140 calories The texture of these muffins is dense and and soo moist. I used strawberry Greek yogurt, because that was what I had, and it was fine. Also, I used frozen blueberries and added chopped almonds to bump up the flavor and add a crunch. These muffins could also be made with whole wheat flour, or could change up the fruit and flavors of yogurt, very versatile. You will be pleased with these muffins, and they will be a hit with your family.

Yogurt Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Cooks.com

Ingredients
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten Could use Egg Beaters
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. milk I used Almond milk
1 (6 oz.) carton Greek yogurt, plain or any flavor
1 c. frozen blueberries Do not defrost
1/2 cup chopped, slivered almonds
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:
Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl. Mix egg, oil, milk, and yogurt. Add to dry ingredients, stirring only enough to moisten. Fold in frozen blueberries, and chopped almonds. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees 20 min or until golden brown. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon Sprinkle over warm muffins.

Note:I have not received any remuneration from any company, and the opinions expressed are those of the author.

Thank you Kim, for the honor and opportunity to share my recipe with you and your awesome readers. Enjoy you're weekend!

__________________________________

I love me some Blueberry Muffins, but never thought to add yogurt to them!! Don't y'all just love this recipe? I think these will have to be made pretty soon in this Farming House. Thank you SO much Becky, I am so thrilled to have you here, and I am honored that you took the time away from your break to create this post for us today!

If you would like to see more of Becky, you can check out here site: Baking and Cooking, a Tale of Two Loves

You can also find her on Facebook

Hawaiian Cake, and a Birthday!

2011-06-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hawaiian Cake. Family Recipe

Hey y'all!! This week has been a very exciting one in our family! First my sweet little Sous Chef had his 3rd Birthday on Saturday, which was a huge hit and so much fun (more in a minute!), and then just this morning our sweet little Nephew made his grand entrance into the world! We couldn't be happier, and cannot wait to meet him, and our little Sous Chef has big plans for all the wonderful things he needs to teach his new cousin. hehe! Most importantly of course being the wonders of all things John Deere.

Now back to the Birthday Boy (though really there's 2 of them now huh? hehe!), when we were deciding what to make for his birthday dessert, I honestly can't even tell you how many times he changed his mind. If there is one thing I have passed on to my child it is the never ending possibilities when it comes to food. At first he wanted tractor shaped cookies decorated to look like a real tractor, then it was sugar cookies with frosting and tractors made out of M&M's, next he wanted a Jell-O cake with Lime and Lemon Jell-O (notice the John Deere theme yet?!?), and last but not least he settled on an old family favorite... Angel Food Cake with Crushed Pineapple, also known as Hawaiian Cake! This recipe is so easy my little Sous Chef probably could have put it together himself, (sans the oven of course!) but for me it was so wonderful to have it be easy! I was still recovering from all my health problems and needed an easy dessert. This cake is light, but SO flavorful, and a wonderful dessert for any summer cook out!

So to end this post I just want to say a big Happy Birthday to my sweet little Sous Chef, and also Happy BIRTHday to my new Nephew! I love you both SO much! I am so blessed to have you in my life!

Ingredients:
1 Angel Food Cake Mix, *Must be 1 step* (or homemade)
1 can Crushed Pineapple in Juice
Cool Whip, or Whipped Cream

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl empty your cake mix, and add the entire can of pineapple and it's juice. Using a spoon or spatula gently mix, until completely combined. Pour into an un-greased 13x9 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then serve with the whipped topping of your choice.

Review:
I love this cake, someday I will attempt to make this with a homemade angel food cake and bake it in my angel food cake pan, but last Saturday I needed to keep it simple! We just love this, and even my In Law family who's not big on cake devoured it! 5 stars.

Happy Cooking!

The Farmers Wife!

P.S. This weeks Guest Poster is Becky from Baking and Cooking, a Tale of Two Loves! Be sure to check it out!!

Teriyaki Noodle Bowls

2011-06-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Teriyaki Noodle Bowls, Farmers Wife Original

Hey y'all!!! I'm finally starting to get back to normal life, and I can't thank you enough for sticking with me during my much needed break. But I'm back and so excited to share this delicious recipe with y'all!

I made this a few weeks back, and it was one of those born out of my cravings meals. I knew I wanted noodles with sauce and chicken and it just grew from there. I know, I'm silly I could've just gone to a Chinese place to fulfill this craving but that would go against my desire to make it at home! We love pasta in this house, no surprise there, but we also adore Chinese food. Surprisingly even my little Sous Chef shares this love of all things noodley and Chinese. ;-) When I made this I will be honest, I didn't really expect my boys to like it, neither one is huge on Peppers like I am, but I couldn't resist adding them in. And other than my little Sous Chef picking his out (which he gave to me!! YUM!) this was a huge hit! I am honestly salivating while typing this... I really should make it again!

Ingredients:
1 lbs. Chicken Breast Tenders
1 package Spaghetti Noodles
1/4 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 Yellow Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
Green Onions, Garnish

Sauce:
1 bottle Kikkomon Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Directions:
Mix together the sauce, and measure out about 1 cup, refrigerate the rest. In a ziploc bag marinate the chicken tenders in the 1 cup of sauce for at least 2-3 hours. To cook, heat a wok on medium-high heat, once hot add in the chicken and whatever marinade is in the bag. Cook until browned. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Once the chicken is browned add in the peppers, cook until peppers are soft. Add in the noodles, remaining sauce and toss. Serve warm with diced green onions on top.

Review:
Honestly, I really loved this both hot and cold. I was so amazed at how much my little sous chef enjoyed this. I think this would be great with some rice noodles however I couldn't find any in our store. 4.5 stars.

Happy Cooking!
The Farmers Wife

Banana Pudding Pie from The Country Cook

2011-06-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Y'all!! Oh boy has it ever been a long week... I'll spare you the details but I apologize for my lack of posting! But to make it up to y'all I have a great guest poster for you today!! My wonderful friend and great cook... Brandie from The Country Cook! Brandie is such a sweetheart and I'm so honored to have her here to share with us today!

Isn't she just adorable?!? I have to say that I really love this gal, she is always there when you need a friend even over the blogosphere. She always has something uplifting to say, and she really is a fantabulous cook! Brandie is a Mom to a rambunctious little boy a step mom to a another fabulous guy, and a wife to her former Military Hubby! She really is an inspiration to me and to many others. When Brandie and I first met in blog world I was blown away, her blog is not only fabulous but she has wonderful photos and her stories never cease to crack me up, or totally hit home with me in some way. One thing I respect and love most about Bran is she knows when she needs to take a break and she will turn off the computer, step away from blog world and just spend time with her family. Isn't that just wonderful? I know I've benefited from that piece of wisdom myself. Anyway, enough from me, Y'all are really here to talk to Brandie anyway... ;-)

______________________________________

Hello everyone! First let me start off by saying a big THANK YOU to Kim for letting me have some fun on her blog today. It is such a special treat to be here and to have a chance to share a recipe I hope y’all will really enjoy. Kim has become such a good friend to me in this food blog world and I am so grateful to her for this opportunity.

My name is Brandie, the cook over at The Country Cook. I live in beautiful Southwest Virginia near the Appalachian mountains. I’m a jack-of-all-trades, like most women. I’m a momma and a wife. I also work part-time outside the home. I love to make comfort food and I like to eat it (who doesn’t?). My food may not be considered gourmet or fancy but it feeds my family and it gathers us around the table each day. I cook a lot of the same foods my own Momma made and if my husband and son are real quiet while they eat– then I know I did good. And those are the recipes I share with everyone.

So today I’m sharing pie. Who doesn't enjoy a good slice of pie. Even saying the word pie can make me drool with delight. This combines some flavors that most people enjoy. Banana Pudding with a Graham Cracker Crust. What’s not to love?

Banana Pudding Pie

Ingredients:
For the crust and pie:
65 Vanilla Wafers
5 1/3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced

For the pudding:
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp.confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray. Place 45 of your vanilla wafers into food processor and pulse until cookies are finely crushed (reserve ¼ cup of the crumbs to use to top your pie). Mix remaining crumbs with melted butter. Firmly press into the pie plate. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove to cool.

Now to make the pudding. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the milk and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil and becomes thick (about 7-10 minutes). Reduce the heat to very low. In the bowl that you have your egg yolks in, add a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk mixture (this will keep your eggs from cooking). Add egg mixture to pot and stir constantly until mixture is thickened to the consistency of pudding (about 3-4 minutes). You may need to turn your heat up slightly to achieve this. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Now you’re ready to assemble. Arrange half the banana slices over the crust. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the bananas. Top the pudding with the remaining 20 vanilla wafers you set aside. Top the wafers with the rest of the bananas, then finish it off with the remaining of the pudding. Place in the fridge to cool completely.

For the whipped cream, using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer (or hand mixer), beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. It helps if your bowl and your whisk are VERY cold. Spread the whipped cream over pie and sprinkle with the reserved crumbs. Pie only keeps for about a day in the fridge (bananas will start to brown).

I hope some of y’all will come over and visit me sometime at The Country Cook. You can also find me hanging out on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you so much to Kim for letting me share this recipe today!

Enjoy!

thecountrycook

_______________________________________

I seriously LOVE this recipe, when I saw this is what Bran decided to share today I was ecstatic! I used to have something similar to this as a kid so I know it is good! (Though I've never ever been disappointed with a recipe Brandie's made!) I hope y'all enjoyed this post from one of my bestest blog friends!

If you love Brandie like I do you can check out her site The Country Cook

You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter!

Chocolate Crescents

2011-06-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Crescents, Farmers Wife Original Recipe.

Hey y'all!! I'm so sorry I've been gone so much the last week. It's been a long week, and even longer weekend. I'm going to keep this short as I'm not feeling well still, turns out all those migraines I was having were a symptom of a nasty middle ear infection with a bad blockage, which landed me in the ER early Saturday morning. I'm still on some heavy drugs and in some pain so let's get to the recipe!

Saturday night we were just exhausted, the Hubby and I had been up since 2:30 am and the little sous chef from about 4:00 am, with just some short naps in the afternoon. I wasn't really feeling up to cooking, but we were all hungry. So I used up the last of the hot dogs I had on hand, split them in the middle and put cheese inside and rolled them up in crescent rolls, not fancy, super easy and totally delicious. But I was left with 4 leftover pieces of crescent dough. Now I debated a few things to do with these, but in the end I decided I wanted chocolate. And after the day we'd had I knew we all deserved a little chocolate, and Voila! These were incredible! Super duper easy, totally hit the spot and I can't wait to try these again!

Ingredients: 1 tube makes 8 rolls
A Tube of Crescent Dough (I used the reduced fat kind)
8 Tablespoons Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Butter
Sugar

Directions:
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cookie spray. Separate out each section of dough, and place one tablespoon of chocolate on the the widest part. Roll them up, and pinch together the ends to keep any chocolate from escaping. Brush the tops with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 15-20 minutes, until golden. Serve Warm.

Review:
These were so easy, and incredibly delicious! Next time I will try drizzling the tops with melted chocolate! 4 stars.