Top 10 Posts of 2012

Here are the Top 10 Posts for the Year Ending 2012.  It's been an exciting 12 months.  Pinterest has been a huge part of my blogs success and I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to visit, look around, leave comments and repin my photos.
 
I am so humbled and thrilled that I've had almost 1.3 million pageviews!  Wow ~ What a rush!  The combined hit total for the #1 and #2 posts (both Breakfast Cookies) was over one million pageviews.   So, without further ado, here are the posts that have caught your eye in 2012 ~ Cheers!

#10 ~ Banana Nut Bread Smoothie

#9 ~ Mike's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

#8 ~ Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies

#7 ~ Fat Flush Plan ~ Low Carb & Low Fat Meals

#6 ~ Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Cookie

#5 ~ Blueberry Almond Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

#4 ~ Cocoa Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

#3 ~ Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

#2 ~ Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

#1 ~ Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies



White Tiger Zebra Cake ~ and other goodies baking in Jennifer's Kitchen ~ Guest Cook Post


I've mentioned my friend, Jennifer, on the blog before.  She is one of the reasons I've got this blog.  It was one innocent comment from her that started it all... BACK STORY ~  When I started posting my dinner photos on my Facebook page, she said one of the meals looked pretty good & would I share the recipe, so I did.  Well, that day in April 2011 - the blogging seed was planted, but I didn't know it yet.  It took me until December 2011 to actually get the blog going, and I've never looked back.  What a quick year it has been!  Here are the very early meal photos, that started it all.   OK, Back Story finished... on with the post. :)

A while back, Jennifer called to tell me about a really cool cake she was baking for her son's 6th birthday.   She was making a ~ Zebra Cake, with a White Tiger theme.  Cool!!  How she explained it to me sounded pretty neat, so I asked her to send me some photos of her making the cake & links for the recipes she used.  Here is what she sent.  I think my son would get a kick out of making this type of cake and it would be a fun baking project for when the winter weather keeps us inside.

So, here are Jennifer's comments on how she created her really cool ~ White Tiger Zebra Cake...

Zebra Cake recipe adapted from here.

- But I added a little sour cream for moisture since my test run came out a little dry.
- Used half kefir/half milk since I like that slight twang it gives.  Plus it's a natural leavener.

Frosting ~ recipe came from the Martha Stewart Coconut Buttercream recipe.
- Didn't use coconut extract but rather added toasted coconut in the filling between the cake with this frosting.  And left it vanilla for the outside of the cake.

Bought the black and orange fondant ~ SatinIce Fondant

 ~ it's tastier than other fondant I've used.

When you slice the cake it does look like zebra stripes and it's not hard to do.  It's visually appealing!

Here are some other tasty treats that have come from Jennifer's Kitchen...


Summertime Peach Ice Cream ~ Jennifer says ~ I tried this since it was so kid friendly and easy.  Not bad.  Not to die for but wow was it easy and quick.  And of course if I didn't have my little helpers, it would have overflowed...



Triple Chocolate Brownies

Jen ~ I thought it would be fitting to end 2012 with a post sharing the goodies from your kitchen since it was a comment from you that got me started sharing recipes for my photos, first on Facebook and now on this blog.  Thanks a million!  (or, should I say just under 1.3 million (pageviews) ~ not too bad for my first year as a blogger :)


Easy Homemade Snowman Pizza


I recently saw a photo of a pizza shaped like a snowman.  I thought it was too cute and decided to make my own version for a fun holiday meal.


Super easy to make,  I just used a premade herbed pizza dough from Trader Joe's and the usual pizza fixin's.


Then I shaped it like a snowman, decorated it like a veggie-dressed snowman and then baked it following the directions on the bag of dough.



Easy-Peasy!  I just love Snowmen ~ How about you?


Lazy Man's Crepes ~ simple way to jazz up your morning pancake batter...


This morning my son wanted pancakes for breakfast.  I had just enough powdered pancake mix to make a couple of pancakes, but not enough for all of us to have some.  I looked around, but there was no backup box in the pantry ~ drat!  So, I decided to thin out the batter and make my easy version of crepes instead.  That way there would be plenty for all of us for breakfast.

Sometimes when I get the craving for crepes, but, I don't want to get out all the ingredients to make the real-deal, I made them this way.  It's super easy, especially since I use a 'just add water' pancake mix.  I add extra water to the mix, just enough to make the batter thin enough to swirl around the hot skillet.  It's ready to flip when the bubbles are set, just like traditional pancakes.  Can't get easier or lazier than that.  Maybe I should have called them ~ Lazy Mom's Crepes.  :)

Shirley, this is the breakfast your Uncle Roy was telling you about today.  Let me know if you try making them and if your family likes them.  :)  

Lazy Man's Crepes



Ingredients
  • your favorite prepared pancake batter  (I like Eagle Mills Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix ~ just add water)
  • extra water
  • stuff for filling and topping the crepes, like ~ sweetened cottage cheese, fresh fruit, jam, whipped cream
  • pancake syrup
  • Pam cooking spray
Directions

Take you favorite prepared pancake batter and add extra water.  You want the batter thin enough to swirl around the pan to make a crepe circle.  (probably about the same amount of water as the liquid called for in your pancake batter recipe)

Warm up a skillet, over medium-high heat & add Pam cooking spray when ready to cook the crepes.  Pour in about a scant 1/4 cup thinned batter and swirl around the pan.  Flip over when bubbles appear, just like you would when making regular pancakes.  When done, set aside and keep warm. (or just fill and serve them as you go)  Continue making  more crepes, applying more Pam to the skillet for each crepe made.

Fill crepes with sweetened cottage cheese or your favorite fillings.  Top with syrup, fresh fruit and whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Eagle Mills Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix ~ I LOVE THIS STUFF!!  It is very similar in makeup to Heart Healthy Bisquick & is only about $1 a box.  All you need is water ~ how lazy is that? teehee ~  Cheap & cheerful at its best!

Cinnamon Red Hots Applesauce ~ a vintage family recipe from the 30's


Our dear family friend, Dick, makes a wonderful vintage gelatin 'apple sauce salad'.  I've always called it by my own name for it ~ Cinnamon Red Hots Applesauce.  It's a recipe that he got from his Aunt Maud and dates back to the 1930's.  Way back when, Cherry Jello and Cinnamon Red Hots were new taste sensations that were all the rage, as were Jello/gelatin 'salads'.  So, it's not surprising that she combined them into this unusual combo.  We enjoy it so much, that I always ask Dick to bring a bowlful of it to our holiday dinners.  When he was a child, Dick says he remembers it being served on a bed of lettuce, as the 'salad course' of a special dinner.  I just serve it right along with everything else.  To me it's more of a fun and tasty spin on traditional applesauce, rather than a 'salad'.  Different times, different definitions of what a 'salad' is. 


Yesterday, I posted a picture on the blog's Facebook page showing what we had for our Christmas dinner and mentioned the Cinnamon Red Hots Applesauce.  (it was on last years Christmas dinner plate, too)  Thanks to Crystal (a reader of the blog) for asking for the recipe and giving me the inspiration for today's blog post.   Here you go, Crystal, hope you like it!

Cinnamon Red Hots Applesauce
makes 4~6 servings 
(Roy likes it with 1/4 cup CRH & I like it a little spicier, so sometimes I use 1/3 cup CRH)

Ingredients
  • 1 cup boiling hot water
  • 1/4 cup Cinnamon Red Hots candies (add more for an even spicier, cinnamon-y taste)
  • 1 small box Cherry Jello (or your favorite red flavor)
  • 1 pint unsweetened applesauce (16 oz)
Directions 

Add 1/4 cup Cinnamon Red Hots to one cup of boiling hot water, stir to dissolve.  ((gently heat up the water/CRH in a saucepan if the Cinnamon Red Hots don't dissolve completely with just stirring))

Add one package Cherry Jello to the hot water/Cinnamon Red Hots liquid, stir 2 minutes or until Jello is completely dissolved.   Add the pint of applesauce to the Jello mixture, stir well.  Refrigerate for a few hours until it firms up.   ((It will be thicker than regular applesauce, but not as firm as Jello))  Enjoy!

English Traditions ~ Boxing Day




Ă  la ~ Nightmare Before Christmas
Today, December 26th, we are celebrating the English holiday ~ Boxing Day.  Check out the whys and wherefores of the holiday here.  Since we had ham for our Christmas Dinner, we are turning it into ham sandwiches for lunch.  I'm serving it with some of the remaining English cheeses I bought the other day; festive tortilla chips (I'm a sucker for 'corny' colored chips - pun intended :); PG Tips English tea, made in our Brown Betty teapot and then we're having the rest of the snowman cake for dessert. 

There is so much leftover ham to eat, I'll be turning it into other dishes that feature ham for days to come.  I went to the BBC site and found a bunch of Boxing day recipes to help inspire me for our next meal. 

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  Here are a few pictures from our family's Christmas Day...

Christmas Dinner  ~ Ham, scalloped potatoes, veggies & cinnamon red hot applesauce...

I bought a lot of cheeses for the holiday season & we're still enjoying them...
Christmas morning...

Christmas Cookies ~ from the kitchens of my family & friends....

Here's a little peek into the Christmas kitchens of my family and friends...







Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas ~ from our kitchens to yours!



Christmas Eve ~ Dessert Party


This evening we had a little Dessert Party to celebrate our Christmas Eve.  The holiday table was set with a mix of old and new ~ vintage tablecloth, kitschy snowman plates (thanks, Annie!),  retro 60's dishes/glasses and the platter under the snowman belonged to my great grandmother.  A comforting mix that makes me happy.

We all enjoyed a little bit of everything ~  a Frosty the Snowman Cake (thank you for the cake mold, Dianne!),  some Christmas cookies (thank you, Dan!),  the last of the Krumkaker that I made the other night (thanks for the inspiration, Martha!), a glass of eggnog and a cuppa English tea.  We might not have been able to be with all of our friends and family, but it was like they were there at the table with us even though... and that makes me happy, too.  






 

Meatloaf Patties ~ Festivus for the Rest of Us

Festivus Meatloaf Patties ~ Super quick way to get dinner on the table for this most cracked of holiday traditions.  Thanks to the TV show ~ Seinfeld ~ we have yet another holiday dinner to make.  For that famous episode, Mrs. Costanza made meatloaf.   My meatloaf version cuts out all that time consuming ~ baking, slicing and loaf pan washing.  Just save yourself the trouble and cook it up like you would a hamburger.  Somehow, taking shortcuts on this meal just seems so right...  :)

Today is the 23rd of December and it's the day to celebrate Festivus.  Since the original Seinfeld TV episode ~ The Strike ~ (the one that introduced us all to Festivus, this most particular of holidays) had meatloaf as the meal of honor, I decided I might as well trot out a quick and simple version of 'meatloaf' that I do.  I'm dubbing it my ~ 'Festivus for the Rest of Us' Meatloaf Patties.  If it's good enough to serve at Frank and Estelle's Festivus Celebration, than it's good enough for me to serve at mine!



Festivus Meatloaf Patties
makes 4 festive Festivus single-serving meatloaves

Ingredients
  • 1 pound lean ground hamburger
  • 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • salt & pepper, to taste

  • ketchup, gravy or BBQ sauce for topping your Festivus Meatloaf Patty ~ it's your call
Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients until well combined.  Divide meat into four lumps and form them into an oval or circle shape, as you see fit.  It's your Festivus Meatloaf Patty, do with it as you will.

Cook the Festivus Meatloaf Patties in a large nonstick skillet, over medium heat, until they are done to your liking.  It's better if you don't burn them.  Top with the condiment of your choice. (less chance for argument that way)  Serve with any sides that trip your trigger.

Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us!  Let the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength begin...  NOT!   teehee

 
 

Norwegian Krumkaker ~ Christmas Waffle / Wafer Cookies


My childhood pal, Martha (I introduced you to her in this post), has relocated with her family, to Norway.  She is busily learning the language and customs of her new home.  Today, her Norwegian husband informed her of the Christmas tradition of the wives making at least seven different types of "cakes" to be enjoyed during this festive time of year.  Some of the basic ones are...
  • Smultringer
  • Sandkaker
  • Sirupssnipper
  • Berlinerkranser
  • Goro
  • Krumkaker
  • Fattigmann 
As Martha was sharing this holiday "cake making tradition" information on Facebook, I chimed in with my thoughts on how to turn 'one' cake into 'seven mini cakes', using a little creative butchering of a single layer rectangle cake.  Sounded good to me.  Her friend, Denise, let me know it is really cookies when Norwegians speak of "cakes".  Oops, I got that one totally wrong ~ that was definitely lost in translation.  There goes my two cents' worth of cake baking shortcut ideas.

But...this whole discussion made me remember that I had purchased a Krumkake Waffle Cookie Iron at a yard sale this fall.  Cool!  I'd totally forgotten about it.  Now, I could make some traditional Norwegian Christmas cookies, I mean cakes...I mean cookies here in my own kitchen. 

Martha, we may be separated by a huge ocean, but we can still play together in the kitchen ~ just me here in America and you over there, in Norway.  I'd share with you if I could, that way you'd only have to make six kinds of cookies (I mean cakes... I'll never get that straight) instead of seven.  Does that count?  :)  Merry Christmas to you and yours! x/o


Norwegian Krumkaker ~ (Waffle / Wafer Cookies)
makes 8-10 cookies


I found a recipe for Krumkaker over on the Sons of Norway site.  I measured it all as instructed, wrote down how much it actually was, and got started.  Unfortunately, I didn't read all the directions through first, (see that is why I'm a challenged baker!) and melted my butter straight away.  ~ Oops!  I was supposed to cream that with the sugar...  I also added some water because it just seemed too thick to me.  See, I can't help but tinker with recipes!   Nevertheless, the cookies cooked up perfectly (I think so anyway) and tasted great.  So I think this might just remain my way of making them in the future.  Why mess with a good thing that worked?  My son adored them filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit ~ me, too!  Daddy better get home soon, otherwise there may not be any left for him. :)

Ingredients
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract


Directions
Whisk together the melted butter, egg, water and vanilla extract.  
In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar and cardamom.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.

Add a heaping tablespoon of the batter to the preheated Krumkaker Cookie Waffle Iron and cook until golden and done.  Mine only took about one minute and 15 seconds per batch.  When done, roll the cookie around anything resembling a cone shape (I made homemade 'krumkaker rolling cones' from toilet paper rolls & foil.  When you have a kid, you've always got t.p. tubes hanging around for crafts.  I'm creative in a cooking pinch, if nothing else :) and allow the cookie to cool around the cone while making the next one.  You can also place the hot cookie in a custard cup to make a little dessert waffle cookie cup or just leave them flat.

Serve these little golden beauties as is or filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. ~ Enjoy!




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