Hannah Says...

Project 365 - Week 17: Day 5

April 26

One of my go-to recipes when I have to take dessert somewhere. Chocolate Chip Pie. It's easy, delicious and people usually love it.

Project 365 - Week 14: Day 7

April 7

One of my favorite recipes...Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

Sugary, salty, buttery pretzels.

Light, fluffy cream cheese with strawberries.

These are my two favorite parts of this recipe. I neglected to get a picture of the entire dish. But you must trust me that these layers, combined with jello and cool whip make for delicious treat. Kind of dessert-like, but since its called salad, we eat it as just that. A salad.

Project 365 - Week 11: Day 1

March 11

Our new favorite food is smoothies. And my new favorite ingredient is...cooked oatmeal. I'm pretty sure I saw the idea on Pinterest, so I thought I would give it a try. Its so good! Actually, I can't really even taste the oatmeal, but what's great is how long I stay satisfied after drinking one.

A loose recipe:

2 bananas
2 cups berries
1+ cup yogurt (my favorites are Tillamook Vanilla Bean or Zoi Greek Honey)
1+ cup cooked oatmeal (cooled)
enough milk to get things flowing
fill your blender and blend to your desired consistency

I like to save plastic starbucks cups, fill them and freeze them. Then take one out the night before you want it and put it in the fridge to thaw. If you are going to drink the smoothie right away, I would suggest using frozen fruit so that it's nice and cold.

Project 365 - Week 8: Day 2

February 20

Another recipe.

Homemade chocolate milk. It's actually more like chocolate milk concentrate.

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c good cocoa powder
Put all ingredients in a small saucepan, wisk on med heat until cocoa and sugar are dissolved. About 5-10 minutes. At this point it won't be hot, just warm. Then pour into some sort of container with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

A couple of suggestions:
When serving, I mix equal amounts of this and plain milk - one serving at a time.
I only have one kid, so this amount lasts us quite a few days. If you have more than one kid, you might want to make more.
There aren't alot of groceries that I splurge on, but cocoa powder is one. And it's not like it's going to break the bank if you buy the good cocoa. I think this container was around $4 and it lasts awhile.
If you are going to make it into hot cocoa to drink right away, just add more milk to your saucepan and heat to your desired temp.
The concentrate is also really good, heated up and mixed with freshly brewed coffee.
And, obviously, you don't have to make it concentrated. I just like that I don't have to have a huge container of chocolate milk in my fridge. And when Brent drinks it, he likes it more chocolatey than what I serve to Emmett.

Project 365 - Week 7: Day 7

February 18

This is a treat I remember from when I was a kid. My mom would take cheerios, raisins and peanuts, and mix them with melted chocolate chips. (I think sometimes she would mix mini marshmallows in too.) Then she would make little mounds of them and let them harden on the counter. I distinctly remember trying to pick a bite off before they were comepletely hard, so she wouldn't notice. The fun thing about them is that you can make them any way you want. The ones pictured have honey nut toasty-o's, rice krispies, dried blueberries and cherries, coconut and almonds.

Here's a loose recipe:
2 cups of cereal, 1 cup of dried fruit, 1/2 cup of nuts and 1/2 cup of coconut.
Melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips with 2 tbs oil or butter in microwave. 1 minute first, then 30 second increments after that.
Mix your dried ingredients well, then toss with the melted chocolate.
Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with a little cooking spray.
Make small piles of your mixture on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles if you so choose.
I put my tray in the freezer to expedite the hardening process.
I also like to keep them in a tupperware in the fridge or freezer.

Banana Cookies

This is a recipe that goes way back in my family. My mom (or maybe grandma) found it in the newspaper. They were originally called Vietnam cookies because they were a great cookie to ship overseas. Apparently women would make them and send them to their boys in Vietnam. At any rate, they are a moist delicious cookie and that makes them a staple in our house. Think cross between oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip banana bread.

The ingredients.

I forgot that I wanted to add whole wheat flour. (Sidenote: I learned that when making quick things (cookies, quick bread, etc.) use whole wheat *pastry* flour. And if making something that will rise (regular bread, rolls, pizza crust, etc.) use whole wheat flour.)

I know these look disgusting, but seriously overripe bananas are the key to awesome baked goods. Provided there are supposed to be bananas in the recipe.

Your dough will be really soft. After mixing, make sure you mix a few times by hand with a spatula and really incorporate the batter together. Dig down to the bottom of the mixing bowl.

When you put them on your cookie sheet, you will not be able to shift them around without making a mess.

You want them just a little brown around the edges.

Cool them fully on cookie racks.

This is what happens if you don't do a little hand mixing. These few cookies were the last to be scooped and baked.

He loves these cookies, but wasn't into having his picture taken.

The Recipe:
3/4 Cup shortening (horrible, I know.)
1 Cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 Cups flour
(I used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and slightly more than 3/4 cups white flour.)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Cup chocolate chips (I used mini, so I took it down to 3/4 cups)
1 Cup shredded coconut
1 Cup bananas (I use 3 med-large bananas)
1 3/4 Cup quick cooking oats (Honestly, I use regular oats because that's what I normally buy)

Beat brown sugar and shortening. Add in egg and beat for at least a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add in soda, salt, spices and banana. Mix well. Add flour, mix. Add chocolate chips and coconut, mix. Add oats, mix. Don't forget to hand mix, making sure that all the banana and brown sugar from the bottom of the bowl gets incorporated in.

Bake in 350* oven for 15 minutes.

Other potential mix-ins:
raisins (not my favorite, but if you like them go for it.)
butterscotch chip (my sister Abby did this instead of the chocolate chip and they were awesome.)
white chocolate chips (I may do this next time)
walnuts (also not my favorite)

One more thing, these aren't the kind of cookies that can be left out on the counter. I usually divide the batch into two ziploc bags and store one in the freezer and one in the fridge.

March

March already although it feels like winter still.  I guess technically it is still winter, but there have been so many glimpses of spring that I am ready for it to be here!  This morning the field behind our house was getting mowed and I barely smelled the freshly cut grass through the cold air and it took me to a warmer place, for about a second.

Today feels like what used to be a normal day for us and I am savoring it.  Brent is working a day shift and will be home for dinner.  Emmett and I went to Bible study this morning.  I peeked in on him at the end and enjoyed watching him interact and play "duck, duck goose" like a big kid.  He has been so fun lately.  He's talking more and more each day.  A few days ago he looked outside and said "it's raining out dere."  I looked out and sure enough it was raining.  He also loves the Jack Johnson song "Upside Down" and calls it "George" because it's in the Curios George movie.  When I got him up from his nap today he said "have money" and showed me a penny.  Um, choking hazard?  I could go on and on about him, but I have a couple more things to share.

Here are a couple of really good recipes that I tried out last week.  Definitely keepers!

• "Re-fried" beans - So yummy, so easy!  I might try this recipe with black beans too.  I used most for my burritos and froze the rest.
• Burritos - A new favorite at our house.  I made them just as the recipe, but used the above homemade beans and used smaller tortillas.  (One benefit to living in Yakima is the plethora of fresh tortillas that are available!  Fiesta Foods has a really good selection.)  I made some with meat and some without.  Brent has been taking them to work and we have also enjoyed them at home too.  Seriously, so good!  I want to try getting creative, like using black beans and chicken? 

In some older news, Brent and I had date night Friday night.  We had a quick dinner and went to see "Taken."  So not my kind of movie, but it was really good.  I could hardly walk out of the theater because I was so tense the whole time.  It made me appreciate that my little sister, who is a world traveler, has always been safe and protected!

That's it for now, off to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with my little boy.  I promised him that as soon as I was done typing, I would play.

fun little treat

The other day I got a sample of a Betty Crocker Warm Delights in the mail.  (Apparently the samples aren't available anymore!)  I made it last night and it was really good.  When I looked at it I thought it looked just like cake mix, so I thought I would try a little experiment.  I took about a half a cup of regular cake mix (chocolate) and mixed it with about 1/4 cup water in a microwave safe bowl.  (I totally guessed on the amounts, but I aimed for it to be slightly thicker than when I make a cake for real.)  Then I microwaved it for 45 seconds and when it came out I drizzled it with Hershey's syrup.  It would probably be good with chocolate chips mixed in and maybe a little whipped cream or ice cream on top.  It is so good and so much easier than making a whole cake!

I also put a song on my sidebar and would like to know if it is working??  (You have to click play.)

More Christmas Things

Ok, so these aren't all Christmas-y, but oh well.

All day today, since it has been so cold, I won't let Emmett go outside.  I keep telling him that it is too cold.  So, whenever Brent goes out, Emmett stands at the window crying saying "Dad-dy, cold!"  I think he worries that his Daddy is too cold out there.  In an effort to keep him in, I have the door to our back deck locked (that's the only door he can open to the outside.)  Well, I must have used it and forgot to lock it because he made it out into the snow...BAREFOOT!  He stood there crying, not knowing what to think.  Poor little guy.

Emmett and I wrapped a bunch of Christmas presents this afternoon.  I was really lazy this year and resorted to using stick-on bows instead of ribbons.  So not like me, but I just wanted to get it finished.  I did, however, print some cute gift tags from here and here.

We have two Christmas parties tomorrow night, and I am bringing treats to both.  I made my mom's shortbread this afternoon, using my new cookie cutters.  (They were the gift I received at our Bunco Christmas party!)  Tonight I made peanut butter cups, but they are actually balls.  It's the easiest recipe!

• 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (I actually use 1/2 gc and 1/2 rice krispies crumbs)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 18 oz peanut butter (I totally estimated this one)
• 1 stick softened butter
• I used my food processor and zip zapped it all together (make your crumbs first and then add the rest)
• Roll in small balls and chill
• melt some (1-2 cups) chocolate chips or milk chocolate with 2-3TBS shortening (or something like it, butter, oil will work)
• Roll the chilled balls in the melted chocolate and let harden
• I think you are supposed to then put them in those little paper muffin wrappers, but I never do
• Eat one (or two) whilst the chocolate is still soft...delicious!

One week to go!!

Recipes

I wanted to have 5 recipes to share, but could only come up with 4.  Oh well, right??

Gingerbread ~ I made this into bread, not cupcakes.  I also skipped the icing in the recipe.  I'm thinking a little cream cheese frosting might be good on it instead.  It doesn't make a huge loaf, but it is delicious nonetheless.

Chocolate-Hazlenut Smooches ~ This is the first recipe that I have made using my love, Nutella.  (I usually stick to spreading it on anything edible!)  These cookies were really good, although I don't know that I can really taste the Nutella in them.  I skipped rolling them in sugar and the Hershey kisses because I didn't have either.

Tagine Chicken ~ This is one of our all-time favorite dishes.  It's from Rachael Ray, so it's pretty easy.  It calls for some spices that you might not have in your cupboard, but they aren't so exotic that you won't use them again.  The dried fruit adds a really nice sweet touch.  I don't like cous cous, so I use orzo instead.  I also add a little cornstarch at the end because I like my sauce a little thicker. 

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup ~ This is one of those recipes that I knew immediately would go into my permanent recipe box.  It was so good and so easy!  I love lasagna, but never make it because it's such a pain.  It takes forever, makes way more than we could ever eat, I could go on and on.  This, however, really does taste like lasagna and was much simpler.  (I didn't go by the recipe exactly.  I used italian sausage instead of ground beef.  And I skipped the green bell pepper.)  Also Brent requested smaller noodles, so next time I will break them up more.  Or use a different noodle altogether.