Homemade Coffee Creamer

Hello Monday

Today we are venturing into the kitchen again with some more DIY.  That's right, y'all, we are gonna make some Coffee Creamer!  I stumbled into this adventure by accident.  The other night I made some donut holes and had three different "flavors."  Powdered sugar, of course, chocolate and cinnamon sugar.  With the leftover mix I decided to try it in my coffee as a sweetener and it was pretty good.  It got me to thinking how much I like to flavor my coffee and creamer is ridiculously expensive, IMO.  I mean, who doesn't want to save money???  I also like to see what I can make with the ingredients I have available in the house. This is super simple and a wonderful way to use up the powdered milk I have left from bread making.  There's always so stinkin' much...

Gather Ingredients:

Dry Milk

White Sugar

Brown Sugar 

Powdered Sugar

Cinnamon

Cocoa

I then put everything in the blender (recipes follow), blend and voila, creamer.  It would be just as easy to put it in the container and shake, shake, shake...

Cinnamon Sugar:

1 Cup Dry Milk

1/4 Cup White Sugar

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 :Powdered Sugar

1 TBLS Cinnamon

Mocha:

1 Cup Dry Milk

1/4 Cup Cocoa

1/2 Cup White Sugar

Now, these are the measurements I used and these are the first batches.  I will make these again but some changes will be made.  On the cinnamon sugar, I would use more brown sugar (for a caramel flavor) and less cinnamon.  For the mocha I think more cocoa would be better.  I have discovered the addition of extracts give me so many more variations.  I'm a huge amaretto fan so, of course, almond extract would be fantabulous.  The possibilities are endless.  I would most certainly make a bigger batch but I just wanted to fill these little jars for now.  Yes, I am going through a glassware/storage phase and I LOVE it!

So, I hope this gives you a start.  I would love to hear what other flavors/recipes you may have.  Please, feel free to share in the comments section.  I feel like I talk to myself most of the time, which I do in reality, but it would be great to get some feedback.  

Here's to a Great Week!

~Ash

Potato Soup with Bread Bowls

Hello Everyone.

Last night we had an amazing meal, potato soup in bread bowls.  It was all homemade and I'll be sharing the recipes and photos....yes, photos!  The kids loved it and I believe we all ate ourselves sick.  It was worth it tho, it's food!  AmIRight???  LOL  So, let's waste no time, here it comes...

The bread bowls came from a recipe I found at Six Sisters' Stuff.  I think it turned out fabulous and we will most definitely be making it again.  Here is a link to the recipe.

Love my Kitchen Aid!

Waiting for them to rise...

YUM!

The Potato Soup Recipe is something I came up with outta my head.  It's a mix of different recipes I've seen using what I had in the house.  Here goes:

Potato Soup

Rough chop the following:

Bacon About 5 slices
Onion One medium

Carrots Two large 

Potatoes 6-7 smaller  (I had russet)

Broccoli Stalks from one head

Chicken Stock About 4 cups

Potatoes About 2 Diced

Broccoli Crowns Chopped

Bacon Cooked, crumbled

Green Onions Chopped (optional)

Cheese

Directions:

First brown the bacon in a large pot.  Once the bacon is cooked, remove and cook onions, carrots, potatoes and broccoli stalks in the grease.  Once they have softened a bit I add the chicken stock and cook til the veges are soft, even mushy.  Then I use a hand blender to blend it all together and smooth out any offensive veggies...  Once the soup is the desired consistency, add the remaining bacon, potatoes and broccoli crowns.  Cook until the potatoes are tender.  Now it's time to add the cheese(s)!  I was using what I had on hand so I used shredded cheddar (a handful), four slices of American, two slices of swiss and two slices of provalone.  Once the potatoes are tender and the cheese is melted in, it's time to serve.  I topped mine with extra bacon and green onions.  So So Good!

Here are a few more pics of the prep...

Dude likes using the big knife.

And there you have it!

So, lemme know if any of you try this recipe.  Even though I know it's warming up for many, we still have snow up here.  I'd love to hear any feedback.

Blessings,

~Ash

Food, Yum

So, I can finally say I am getting a little better with the blog stuff.  I'm not done with this page so please don't think it's gonna stay like this.  I am just too lazy to revert back to the original while I play around with the building of the page.

Ok then.  This week I tried out a couple new recipes on the fam.  Other than those we had some WoodsFam staples.  Here's what our menu looked like:


Monday:  Chili Mac
Tuesday:  *Turkey Fried Rice
Wednesday:  *Cabbage Burger Casserole
Thursday:  *Sweet Potato Chili
Friday:  Soft Tacos

*Denotes a new or altered recipe

Sweet Potato Chili

Unfortunately, I cannot locate the pics of the Cabbage Burger Casserole,  Sorry.

Reviews:

~The Chili Mac is always a winner.  Macaroni &Canned Chili topped to your liking.  I like adding ketchup, cheese and diced onion...the rest of the Fam omits the onion.

~The Turkey Fried Rice was just an alteration of meat.  Rice, Frozen Mixed Veggies, Sliced Water Chestnuts, Ground Turkey, Eggs and seasonings.  It received the thumbs up.

~The Cabbage Burger Casserole was also a hit.  I found this recipe @ allrecipes.com.  I altered it by cooking a few strips of peppered bacon (I crumbled this over the cabbage in the dish), using only 1 1/2lbs of ground beef (browned in the bacon grease) and baking it in a casserole dish.  I used regular (cheap) canned dinner rolls to top it off.  I was skeptical at first but the more I ate, the more I wanted.  It's def. a dish to warm you on those cold Nebraska (Montana) days and nights.

~What can I say about the Sweet Potato Chili?  Well, it's a bit different.  It's another from allrecipes.com.  I do not like sweet potatoes but having received two rather large ones in our Bountiful Basket, I couldn't waste them.  I would say I could make this again but it would definitely need some Ash Tweaks.  I would use less cinnamon and dice the potatoes much smaller to be much less noticeable.  I would also contemplate trying it on the stove instead of in the crock pot, simply because there are times the dinner plans need to be altered.  So, I give this one a hmmmm, maaaybe....

~Soft Tacos are soft tacos, a WoodsFam Staple and all around winner.  Last night I added a can of black beans to the meat to stretch it a bit, we had two extra mouths here.  Once again, I was a glutton and ate waaaaay too much.  I have a tendency to overdue it every time.  But they are just SOOOOOO good!!!

This coming week will be a little easier to plan.  With Ash Wednesday there's one less dinner...lol  However, so begins the abstinence of meat on Fridays.  Veggies Here We Come!  And pancakes, children demand pancakes, ugh.  I'll be on a bunny diet those days.  No Problem!

Maybe this will inspire someone to try a new dish, venture into uncharted culinary territory.  Whatever you may choose I hope you choose well.  Feed yourselves well and feel better to boot!

Have a wonderful weekend.

~Ash

Fun Friday

Good Evening Everyone and TGIF.

Tonight we had a Lucy original, Lucy Casserole.  She came up with this idea on her own and we've tweaked it a bit.  Tonight's turned out fabulous and we're sharing this recipe below.  Big hit with the fam and her friend who's staying over.  We had ours with spinach, a Lucy favorite.  Obviously any vegetable would be good on the side.  Let me know if any of you try it.

Have a Great Weekend.

~Ash

Lucy Casserole

Ingredients:

1 Box of Penne Pasta
½-3/4 Cup each; Pepperoni, Deli Ham
2 Cups Diced Cheddar Cheese, reserve ⅓ cup
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Butter
Flour
Milk
1/2 Packet Ranch Seasoning (I used the dip version)

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350*F
Cook pasta according to package directions.  While the pasta cooks, dice/chop pepperoni, ham and cheddar cheese.  Combine these three ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  

After draining the pasta, use butter, flour and milk to make a simple white sauce.  Once the sauce comes together, add the ranch seasoning and about ⅓ cup of diced cheese and cook until cheese melts and sauce is smooth, stirring frequently.  

Combine pasta with meats and cheese and place in a 9X13 casserole dish.  (Sometimes I even remember to spray the dish before I add the goodies...)  Pour the sauce over the pasta mix and then top with shredded cheddar cheese.  I cover mine with foil and bake for. about half an hour.  Remove cover and cook until brown on top, about 15 minutes, and serve.

KFC and Kraft KopyKats

Good Afternoon.

I figured I would post a quick note about last night's dinner.  Turned out fabulous!  And yes, while eating we found a PBS show highlighting "Soul Food."  Yep, not the most healthful but everything in moderation, right?  LOL I found a few recipes on Pinterest and figured it was time to try them out.  This is where the recipes are posted.  We had the "KFC Chicken" and the "Kraft Mac & Cheese."  I also made a quick cole slaw to complete the meal.

The cole slaw was simple.  I used red/green cabbage, carrots, spinach (yes) and dill pickles.  I ran everything through the shredder then added the "dressing."  I used mayo, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt and a few hits of cayenne.  I had a few substitutions/changes to the chicken and mac.  Our grocery store didn't have tomato cup of soup so I used a tomato bullion.  I soaked the chicken in a salt water bath before breading, as well.  I also added heavy whipping cream, pepper and seasoning salt to the mac.  It was a big hit!  The boys took it for lunch today, what was left of it after the hubbs inhaled four pieces of chicken.  You read that right. FOUR!  The reviews on the leftover lunch, "fantastic."  Go figure.  Next time I am definitely adding the collards to the menu and some biscuits, but last night was last minute dinner decision.

Hope to hear from anyone who tried these or other recipes on the link.  There are several I would like to try.  Have a relaxing evening.  

~Ash

Super Easy Supper

Good Day All.

It's SNOWING!!!  Yay! Maybe not...  It's gonna be a freezing cold weekend here in Montana.  Down in the negatives tonight and single digit/teens for highs.  We'll see just how much snow we get here, looks like we are only in for about 6".  Puts me in the mood for some good comfort foods.  We keep our thermostat set really low (64*F) so I like to take the opportunity to use the oven as often as I can.  So, in keeping with the theme, I have decided to post a quick and easy casserole for my first recipe.  The kiddos and I threw this together one night while the hubby was out of town.  Please excuse the photo quality, or lack thereof.  I just randomly decide to take pictures of meals.  I suppose it's time to learn the art of "beauty" shots.  Know what I mean?  LOL

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 Package of Pasta (we used small shells)

Pizza Sauce (we used leftover spaghetti sauce)

Pepperoni

Ham

Mozzarella Cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

* Preheat oven to 350 F

Cook pasta according to package, drain.  While pasta is cooking, prep your “toppings” as you wish.  We cut up pepperoni and used leftover diced ham. Mix sauce, toppings and pasta, even a little mozzarella, and place in baking dish.  Top with mozzarella and then bread crumbs.  Cover with foil and cook until bubbly, about 30 min.  Remove foil and brown the top for a few more minutes.  Serve with garlic bread.

**Any pasta/topping could be used and a side salad would go well too**

I hope this helps someone.  I know I am always looking for new ideas.  It's even better when I can use leftovers and clear out the fridge a little.  No one in this house likes leftovers so it's a good cover.  And who can go wrong with pizza, right?

May you all have a joyous day.  Give out a little extra love today, I bet there's someone near you who could use it.  It's a great day for cuddling too.

Comfort Food and Hugs go great together.

~Ash