Making Herb Butter

 I love herbs - both growing and cooking with them. After attending a recent Medicinal Herb class, I'm exploring using herbs as tonics and for cleaning, so I've been adding a few more plants to my yard that can be beneficial to us.

 I've had this bird cage hanging in a tree and decided to add small pots of oregano and some aloe in it. As the plants get larger, I'll transplant to bigger containers or somewhere in the ground.

One of my favorite ways to use herbs is "Herb Butter."

It's so easy to make and there's no exact recipe.

I let two sticks of (real) butter soften at room temperature, so that you can stir in the herbs. For this batch, I added chopped chives, oregano, basil, salt, and garlic powder. Stir it in good and then refrigerate to let it get firm again. That's all! 

Use whatever herbs you like and to your taste. Now that I think about it, at times I've even added dried cayenne pepper to the butter.  

Grilled corn on cob is so good with herb butter. At Memorial Day, we bought 10 ears of corn and grilled them. Everyone was going crazy over the corn. Later that night, I found out Jeff didn't get any corn. We had 11 in attendance and everyone ate the corn . Ooops! So for 4th of July, I made sure there was plenty of corn for everyone and that he got a piece.

 For grilled corn, I remove the silks, but leave on the husk. Soak corn for 30 minutes in water, liberally apply butter to ears of corn, pull the husk back up over the corn, wrap in tin foil and grill 20-30 minutes. It holds it heat really well, so its the first thing to go on the grill and it'll still be warm after grilling the meat. Remove foil just prior to setting on the table and then watch it disappear! Oh and pass the herb butter around the table!

We also used a pat of butter on the steaks, right before they came off the grill and it's good on bread as well.

Do you cook with herbs? If so, what's your favorites? 

Stars and Stripes Strawberry Peach Pie

I got up this morning, planning to make a peach cobbler to go along with the Homemade Ice Cream Jeff is planning to make this evening. We have two peach trees here at home and we've been anxiously awaiting them to ripen and today was finally the day and it just happens to be 4th of July and we have a family cookout tonight! I mean, whats Independence Day without peaches and ice cream???

I shared a picture from my last years red, white, and blue stars and stripes pie and I really wanted to make something prettier than just a cobbler. I usually cook pretty simple stuff, but when I decide to really cook, I go all out. (We have chicken marinating for Jerk Chicken on the grill tonight, I've made herb butter for corn on the cob, baked a pie, and prepared corn to take to our 4th of July get together already today plus started a batch of homemade herb and citrus cleaner.)

So I got to thinking - Last years pie was strawberries and blueberries... Could I do strawberries and peaches? I looked on pinterest and saw a few recipes for a Strawberry and Peach Pie, so I decided I was going to make my own version. I must confess, I've never had this combination of fruit pie, but its worth a shot, right? Jeff picked fresh peaches and we bought strawberries on sale yesterday, but I didn't have a crust on hand.

I can make homemade pie crust, I've just got lazy about doing it and have been buying store bought crust. Want to know my secret to pie crust? It's a pastry mat! Grandmama could make the perfect pie crust and roll it out just right and never measure. This girl needs some help and the pastry mat keeps me from rolling out the crust to far (and making it too thin) and then I can cut the size I need and it fits right in my pie plate. Also great for homemade pizza crust!

I also double my pie crust recipe almost anytime I make it, more especially since this one was going to have a top on it.  I rolled out the one for the bottom, then took cookie cutters to cut out stars and used a knife to make stripes. I had plenty of extra crust, so I outlined the entire pie with stars. 

I brushed the crust with some buttermilk (we don't have any regular milk on hand,) then sprinkled some sugar on top and into the oven it went!

 Oh my Stars and Stripes!!! Can't wait to cut into the pie tonight, with a dollop of homemade ice cream on top!

Janice's Pie Crust Recipe:

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
6-7 tablespoons cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter. Add water till ball forms (the less water, the better.) Roll out on pastry mat and cut to exact dimensions of pie plate.

Recipe can be doubled to make 3 small crust. I used a double recipe for this pie and then had a few scraps leftover and baked them with sugar and cinnamon. I loved it when Grandmama baked the extra scraps of crust and let me have them!

Stars and Stripes Strawberry Peach Pie Recipe:

2 cups fresh strawberries
4 cups fresh peaches
1/3 cup flour
1 cup sugar plus some for sprinkling on top.
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (or a big dash if you like a lot, like we do)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
dash salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
tablespoon cornstarch
milk for brushing on crust

Cut up fresh fruit, toss with lemon juice, then mix with all dry ingredients. I added a little bit of cornstarch to thicken up the juice.

Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Now the fun part - decorating the top! I had prepared my stars and stripes ahead of time, so my fruit wouldn't be sitting on the pie crust, while I made the decorations. I layered the cutouts, then brushed with buttermilk. (Could also use egg or regular milk, I chose to use buttermilk, since that's what we had on hand.) Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. After 30 minutes, I covered the edges of the crust with foil, to keep them from burning. Remove from oven and let cool.

You could cut any shapes or decorations out for the top of the pie and serve it anytime you wish or simply make a lattice top. 

Pizza Poppers Recipe

Our family does appetizers and finger foods for Christmas and I wanted to take something different this year, so I ask my Facebook friends for some recommendations of their favorite recipes for easy appetizers. Courtney from Timeless N Chic, said Pizza Puffs and shared a recipe from Pinterest. 

I love pizza, could seriously eat it all the time (but I don't) and they looked good, so I give it a try! I did tweak the original version, because we are beef people, instead of the sausage that was called for in the original recipe. I also added more spices and seasonings. They were a hit at the Christmas gathering and Jeff has been asking "when are you going to make more Pizza Poppers" almost every single day since then! 

I made Pizza Poppers for supper one night this week and documented with pictures and wrote down my version, so I thought I would share with all of you! I think it would be a hit for Super Bowl parties or any other party where finger foods are on the menu. I love to dip them in marinara sauce. Jeff likes them with spicy mustard. Ranch dip would also be an option. 

First step - Brown a half pound of ground beef in a cast iron skillet, coated with olive oil cooking spray.  I chopped two cloves of garlic, threw in a generous portion of minced onion, some salt, fresh ground pepper, and about a teaspoon of garlic and herb seasoning. Somehow, I ran out of Italian seasoning and didn't realize it, so either one you have will work just fine. 

On a side note, how neat is this skillet handle? My mom crocheted a set of towels, pot holder, and this handle cover for a Christmas gift! 

While the meat is cooking, grate 2 cups of Parmesan cheese. 

At this point, I was reminded of another recent Facebook conversation where we discussed the 

"oldest thing you own and still use." 

I have many of my Grandmama's old kitchen utensils, including the All-in-One Cheese Grater, the copper colored measuring cups, and stainless steel mixing bowls. While probably not that old, I love the mixing bowls. They are light weight and those little thumb hooks are the best! We've got newer ceramic mixing bowls and I seldom, if ever use them. I believe the cheese grater is from the 1950's.  

My kitchen is not fancy or full of the newest kitchen gadgets. We have a small house, therefore space is limited. We use what we have and what works best for us. My sweet Grandmama died just a few months before we got married and I was fortunate to get some of her kitchen items and sewing machine (that I can't date, but that's another post.) You may notice that I used a pudding bowl for serving the marinara in. I've also been known to serve dips in wine glasses or cute coffee mugs! 

 When I post a picture of my vintage style canisters, someone will always ask where I got them. I've had them for years, although I did a search and found them on Amazon, so you can still get them!
(aff link)

Now, back to cooking - stir together the two cups of cheese, 1 1/2 cups baking mix (such as Jiffy or other biscuit mix), additional teaspoon of Italian or garlic and herb seasoning, and a third of a cup of chopped pepperoni in a mixing bowl. I used pepperoni with jalapenos for a little extra kick.

When beef mixture is cooked, stir into biscuit mix. (I use lean ground beef, so I don't have to drain meat.) Add 6-7 tablespoons of buttermilk to create a batter. Then spoon or shape into balls on cookie sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

You can easily double the recipe for a crowd or reheat leftovers. This made 26 pizza biscuit bites this week and we will eat about 3 meals (6 servings from this recipe). All the flavors of pizza, without having to roll out a pizza crust. 

Hope you enjoy them and please let me know if you try them! 

My Favorite Christmas Memory

I'm working on cemetery flowers for my grandparents today and I'm getting a bit sentimental. 

My favorite Christmas memory doesn't come from a present, a shopping experience, decorating or a big party. It involves peanut brittle and my Grandmama! 

It was the winter of 2001, and Grandmama had just got of the hospital. She had a stroke a couple of years before that and someone had to stay with her. I stayed a lot of nights with her and made the sweetest memories with her! 

She usually went to bed around 8:00. The house was quite and I was in her kitchen, baking cookies. Christmas was just a couple days away. Now mind you, I was expecting her to go to bed any minute, but she got up and came in the kitchen, grabbed her big cast iron skillet and got busy making peanut brittle! 

(This pic was from my cousin's wedding that was held that summer.) 

Due to her stroke, she had trouble talking. Everyone was "mama" and she used words like "skeepits" and "Wiggins" 

She knew what she was trying to say, but it didn't come out that way. If you ask her a question, she could answer or nod yes or no, but you had to know what to ask. 

I had never made peanut brittle and didn't know exactly what to do, how to help her, or how to spin a thread! Somehow that peanut brittle turned out fantastic and I've never had another piece as good as that night! She died the following March and I'll never forget her and our time together. 

The recipe above is in her handwriting and is a copy from her cookbook. One time, I tried unsuccessfully to make it and almost had to throw away my skillet as it stuck terribly and I had to chisel out the failed brittle! 

Favorite memories aren't bought or underneath the tree... 

Supper

Around these parts, we refer to the evening meal as "Supper." Dinner is what you eat at midday. Occasionally it's referred to as lunch, if'n you are in town. 

Today, I felt inspired to cook a big supper. We usually don't eat too much in the evening time and hardly ever go out to eat. Tonight we are stuffed and have plenty of left overs for the week. (Read, I don't have to cook again anytime soon.) 

It all started with this Bloomin' Onion. I saw the recipe in Mary Janes Farm Magazine. Enlarge the picture to see the recipe better. Now, I'm not even a fan of onions, but this was good! I had to gather a few special ingredients at the grocery store today. We aren't fancy eaters and I had never used a few things this recipe called for, but I was up to trying something different. 

I really didn't know what horseradish was, but after looking around the store, finally found this root. Anybody know any other good uses for this thing or how to store it? One good thing about this recipe is the onion was baked, not fried, like at the popular restaurants. We rarely fry anything, in an effort to eat healthier. This root looks like the stem if a pumpkin! 

We grilled corn on the cob, a small beef arm roast, and fresh herb flavored hamburgers. We had bought the beef last week and then the Mr got sick, I was super busy, and it didn't get cooked during the week. 

Finally, for desert, we had apple crisp. Except, we are really too full to eat it! My husband complained that the green apples we had weren't very tasty, so I figured a little cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg would add some flavor. 

 I guess my inspiration for cooking was more about using up groceries on hand. I hate having to waste food. Now we have plenty of left overs to eat for dinner or supper this week. 

(You can find the grilled herb burger and apple crisp recipe on my Pinterest Food board.)

Chocolate Delight - Brownie Truffle

 

 

I've never been the type that considered myself a great cook, even though I have a Best of Show Plaque from a pie contest. This week though, people have been calling me and asking for some of my recipes. It kind of flattering that someone wants to fix one of my recipes.

 

I've made a Chocolate Delight or Brownie Truffle in the past and have plans to make a sugar free version for Christmas Eve. I was on my way home from work one evening this week and was thinking about my Christmas list and wanted to give a little something more than I already had purchased and wrapped for my co-workers. That's when it hit me! I could make the dessert in fruit jars for each person.

 

The recipe is very easy, but the results are oh so yummy!

 

Start out by making a 9x13 pan of Brownies. You can make them from your favorite scratch recipe or from a box (like I did). Let the brownies cool, before you continue to the next part. If time is an issue, make the brownies one day and assemble the next.

Next mix 2 boxes of White Chocolate Jello with 1/2 cup Coffee, and 1 1/2 cups milk. Then fold in 1 Large tub of Cool Whip. Now you are ready to assemble the truffle.

Crumble up the brownies in the bottom of the fruit jars (I used 4 wide mouth quart jars for this recipe) or a truffle dish. Next add the pudding mix. You can refrigerate till serving time. Before serving sprinkle with Heath Bar Toffee Pieces. Since I was giving this as a gift, I tied the toffee in a small bag and attached to the outside of the jar.

 

I decorated the jars with a strip of burlap, some lace and assorted ribbons, then made a tag from scrapbook paper. Since I made 4 quarts, the pudding mixture didn't quite fill the jar up, but nobody knew the difference with the cute decorations to the jar!

 

I have been ask to bring the desserts for our family gathering this week and have two people who are diabetic. I will be making this recipe with Sugar Free Brownie Mix, Pudding, and Cool Whip so they can enjoy it too.

 

So if you are in need of a super easy handmade gift or need to take a dessert somewhere, this is sure to please everyone!

Farm Fresh Pizza

I am enjoying this long weekend and the opportunity to be home and do whatever I want to! I've been working long hours and getting lots of "dashboard therapy" (driving), so I am enjoying getting to work in my yard, spend time doing tinkering around, and cook. Yes, I said cook!

I love pizza and having more time at home equals homemade pizza instead of the frozen kind.  I often get a veggie pizza when eating at Subway and many times the person behind me in line will comment "that looks good" or "I never thought of that."

I cooked this farm fresh pizza for lunch today and it was great! I had a 1/2 pound of hamburger meat, leftover from cooking burgers earlier in the week. I browned the meat and several cloves of chopped garlic.

I usually make my own crust, butI did cheat and use a crust out of the can this time.

I heated a small can of tomato sauce with fresh oregano leaves and then started layering the ingredients on the crust.

I started with the sauce, then added chopped chives, basil leaves, and more oregano. Then I added the hamburger meat. Next I chopped up two tomatoes that my sweet mother-in-law shared with me and then added fresh parsley from my yard. Finally I added chopped jalapeno peppers and cooked the pizza for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, I grated cheddar, pepper jack, and Monterrey jack cheese that was added during the last few minutes of cooking.

The pizza had a great farm fresh garden taste to it. I used all the fresh herbs from my garden to season the pizza and did not use any salt, pepper, or spices out of a bottle!

The pizza can be made with just about any combination of fresh garden produce and herbs you have on hand. When I buy a veggie pizza, I love to start with a layer of fresh spinach, but I didn't have any on hand today. I served the pizza with fresh carrots and homemade peach cobbler. My mother-in-law shared some of her fresh, home grown peaches as well!

You Shoudn't Try This Pumpkin Cheesecake!

Yesterday, the Mr. and I went to do our usual town shopping and decided to go out to eat. No big deal, you say, but we don't eat out much and eating Mexican food is a treat for us. When we walked in the restaurant, a stack of newspapers and brochures greets you and my man can not pass up reading material! As we sat down and glanced through the paper full of advertisements and very little content, I noticed a few fall recipes and one for Pumpkin Cheesecake caught my eye.

I didn't give it too much thought, but then when Farmall Man saw the recipe, he said "wow, that sounds goood!" Just so happens our next stop was the grocery store and we made a check list of the items we would need to pick up in order to cook the cheese cake. (And we just thought eating before the grocery store would help us save money!)

This morning I made my very first, from scratch cheese cake. Let me tell you, it is delicious! So with Thanksgiving coming up, I think I just might be making another pumpkin cheesecake with maple pecan glaze.

Here's the recipe, if you really want to try it. (I made a couple changes from the printed recipe in the paper. It called for raisins in the glaze and I didn't like the sound of that. You could add them if you want to) 

Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Maple Nut Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (Tip - buy the whole crackers and make crumbs yourself and save several dollars and have crackers to eat later. About 12 crackers or one tube makes 1 1/2 cups crumbs. A potatoe masher worked good to make crumbs.)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 melted butter
• 3- 8 oz packages of cream cheese
• 1- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1- 16 oz can pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (I thought I had nutmeg at home, but didn't so I substituted pumpkin pie spice - it has nutmeg in it after all.)

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press firmly in springform pan.

With mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy; gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until edges springs back when lightly  touched, (center will be slightly soft.)

Cool and chill.

Maple Nut Glaze

• 2 Tablespoons water
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 chopped nuts (I used almost a cup of pecans)

Combine water and cornstarch. In small saucepan, melt butter. Add syrup and cornstarch mixture. Cool and stir until slightly thickened. Add nuts. Spoon over chilled cheesecake.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try it. I would love to hear what you think about this cheesecake!

A Photoshoot and New Items

I have been busy making new items for my etsy store and had fun with my photo shoot recently. I decided to not use a solid white background and flash photography in my house and headed outside under my gazebo. I pulled an old door out for a "background" a found a few props to help display my new caps.

Please don't tell my Father-in-Law that I used his boots to display caps and even had them filled with

 glitter twigs at one point! ;) I hope to add several Western Christmas Wreaths to my shop this weekend.

 Burlap flowers on hats!

For this Sweet Cupcake Hat, I ran inside to get the muffin pan and a vintage flour sifter! This cap was inspired by a bakery owner and friend, who wanted to wear a cap instead of a hair net at work. Now who would choose a hairnet over cupcake bling?

I'm on vacation ALL next week! Yipppppeeeee! We don't have any big plans to go anywhere, but I have lots of projects that I would like to get completed...

I hope to continue adding more items to my etsy store, start working on a few Christmas gifts, makeover my bathroom, paint some furniture, and maybe build a stall for one of the horses... My list is longer than than my vacation! ;)

For anyone visting my etsy store and wanting to to a little Christmas shopping, I have added a coupon for my etsy store - so if you head over there, use coupon code

HOLIDAYS11

 to receive 10% off each item and I will always be happy to give shipping discounts for purchasing multiple items.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

While I'm not the Halloween, ghost and goblin type of person, I do love fall/harvest decorations and the taste of fall foods.

Occasionally I get to gut a pumpkin at work so that I can design a floral arrangement inside the pumpkin. When I clean out the pumpkin, I always save the seeds to roast when I get home. I came across the original recipe in a magazine several years ago, although, I seldom follow any of the measurements.

So for all of you who are carving pumpkins this week, DO NOT throw away the seeds, roast them instead for a great snack!

I rinse off the seeds and place in a sauce pan with salted water and boil for about 15 minutes. Drain seeds, blot dry, and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. On a foil lined baking sheet, spread out seeds and then you can add any seasoning that you please. The original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of salt. Here is where I stray from the recipe and leave the measuring spoon in the cabinet! I generously add the paprika and salt, then break out the chili powder, ground red pepper, or cumin...whatever I am in the mood for. I have a few friends who really like the pumpkin seeds to have a spicy kick. Then I put the seeds in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until light golden and crisp.

Its that simple! So next time you clean a pumpkin, save the seeds for a great fall snack!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Farmall Man!

I baked him a Yam Pie for his birthday and got him a card that has a COW on the front that says

"OH, POO! I lost my recipe for Birthday Cake!

Hope you like pies."

Judging by the amount of pie that he's already ate this morning, I think he likes the Yam Pie better than Cow Pies!

My Vintage Kitchen Makeover

I've been pondering ideas for re-doing my kitchen for a while now. I seem to repaint my kitchen every couple of years or so. Recently, I've been inspired by everything I see in the Flea Market Style Magazine and lots of things in blogland, so when I got a surprise three day weekend, I had a kitchen makeover project!

My cabinets were already painted white and had a sanded, antique look, which I love. The walls had been sponge painted shades of brown, several years ago. I liked it at the time, but wanted something different. I have been seeing all the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint buzz; but really $39.00 a quart, yes I said quart, is not in my budget. (I'll share how I created my own chalk style paint in another post!)

I managed to get one before picture, prior to everything coming off the walls!

My chalk-style paint went on really easy. It was the fastest I had ever painted my kitchen. It was really thick and I only used about a quart to paint all the walls. The best parts were that it matched my cabinets, I did not have to sand or distress the wall to achieve the same look as the cabinets, and I didn't have to purchase anything! The paint dried really fast and then came the fun part!

I used vintage family heirlooms, garage sale, flea market, and Goodwill finds, farm junk, as well as some gifts and free items to decorate the kitchen.

The wine bottles have been gifts from friends (who drank the wine) that know I love the vintage style labels and signs. I found the red pedestal at a estate sale, the softball stripped of its outer shell came from Canton, and the ice picks were my great-grandparents. The measuring cup and funnel also came from my great-grandparents and made great decor resting on the wine bottles. The "Dinner is served at the sound of the smoke alarm" sign was a wedding gift as was the big wooden spoon. The sign has been right a time or two and I was told that when I have kids, I will know what the wooden spoon is for! The shutter came out of a house that was torn down and I covered the bottle that holds the sunflower with old seeds. Each utensil hanging on the shutter came from my great-grandparents as well. I was told the hand-made chicken wire gadget was a egg whisk.

My canisters were a Christmas gift a few years ago, the yellow coffee pot was my dad's, the old jars came from my grandmother and mother-in-law, the blue bowl was my great-grandmothers, the sifter was Grandmama's as was the green tray leaning against the wall. I can remember eating many meals in the hay field off the green tray. When I was little, Grandmama would fix dinner and we would go eat in the hayfield where Granddaddy was cutting hay - good times. Some of the tins and signs have came from garage sales over the last few years.

Previously, I had a cheap wire utensil rack hanging on the wall and decided that an old rake would be much better suited for our house.

I never, ever, ever, ever, never thought I would have a lace curtain in my house, but now I do! The May Basket burlap sack was my previous curtain, but I was ready for something different. I had picked up the vintage lace at Goodwill a few weeks back. I didn't know what I would use it for; but felt like it called my name!

There was a garage sale across the street from work last week and a couple of us walked over to the sale. Nothing I was interested in was marked and when I picked up two metal sconces, my friends both said "the glass is missing." When the lady said 25 cents a piece, I said "sold". I hung them on the wall and the lace is draped through the holes!

When I took the wooden rectangle shelf off the wall, I realized there was a American Beauty Lettuce advertisement painted on the back and decided it was time for it to be displayed for a while.

A Happy Home Recipe always hung in Grandmama's kitchen and now it hangs in mine.

I took on my first upholstery project over the weekend as well. The only thing I bought specifically for my makeover was a few decorative tacks. I bought two packages for $1.29 each at Tractor Supply. For several years I have had a canvas style apron that I could never find the just right place to display. Low and behold, I decided that it would look great on one of our bar stools!

I'm really excited how my make over project came together. I feel as if our kitchen fits our personality better; its a collection of who we are and tells the story of where we came from at the same time.