Diary of a Rather Crafty Girl

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Tim was completely right yesterday when he called Layla a "wrecking ball". I don't know what has come over her this week but I can't turn my back without her tearing something up. I lost her for a few seconds today and when I found her she was in the bathroom sink...


    

Last night I knew the kids wouldn't eat the salad so I made a pork loin that turned out pretty horrible and dry. So, tonight instead of cooking I chopped it up really fine and made bbq sandwiches with it. Which is kind of funny b/c on my menu tonight was pulled pork bbq. Here is the recipe I had planned on cooking. It is fabulous, easy and made in the crockpot.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

from allrecipes.com
 
"Carnitas means 'little meats' and is traditionally fried then braised. This recipe is made much easier using the slow cooker but the results are just as tasty. This makes a great filling for tamales, enchiladas, tacos and burritos. This filling is also great combined with your favorite barbecue sauce and served on buns."

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.

Serve with your favorite bbq sauce... on buns with coleslaw...yummy yummy yummy!!

Antipasto Salad

Fabulous salad tonight... I wouldn't change a thing about it.


Antipasto Tossed Salad

Salad:
6 cups torn lettuce leaves (1 head of lettuce)
8 ounces hard salami, julienned
6 ounces provolone cheese, julienned
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can pitted ripe olives , drained, halved
1 tablespoon minced chives

Dressing: {mix all together in food processor/blender & drizzle over salad}
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

We don't like olives around here so we left them out. It was simply delicious and soooo easy.

Tonights meal was simply delicious and ridiculously easy. The original recipe called for Lamb Stew Meat but after talking to the butcher at Whole Foods we decided that it must have been a misprint because Lamb Stew Meat is not very common. He suggested Lamb Shanks cut into 2 inch pieces. It turned out fabulous. I served it with fresh corn on the cob and new potatoes that I roasted in fresh thyme, garlic and olive oil.

Lamb, Green Beans and Tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lamb shanks cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
2 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add lamb and onion and cook until meat is browned; {i added a little water here so that it wouldn't stick} stir in beans and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in tomato sauce, water, salt, pepper and mint. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until cooked through and beans are tender.

Enjoy!

Chewy Gooey Granola Bars

Today we made these fabulous granola bars. I'm sure there are many more batches in my future. They are absolutely fabulous and so tasty! You could sneak all kinds of good for you things in these and tell your kids that they are candy bars. :) They really do taste like a candy bar. Or a fun way to get the kids involved is to make these with your kids and let them pick what they want in the 3 cups of nuts, fruit or seeds.

Thick, Chewy Granola Bars


The possibilities for the recipe are endless. Use your imagination and use what your kids like!

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats 


1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (more for sweeter bars, less for a more earthy bar)


1/3 cup whole wheat flour


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


2 to 3 cups dried fruits, seed & nuts (I used Sunflowers seeds, flax seeds, mini chocolate chips & walnuts)


1/3 cup peanut butter  (I use Smucker's All Natural PB with Honey)
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup 
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 9″ x 12″ pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment paper and the exposed pan with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, honey, corn syrup and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.

Bake the bars for 30 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (After about 20 minutes you can use your parchment to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.
Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, dried apples, flax seeds, peanut butter or butterscotch chips, mini m&ms, chocolate chips.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

We have been so busy lately. All day yesterday me and the kids volunteered at JOY Respite at our church which is a ministry group for special needs kids. Then we headed off to our friend's wedding.

We never skip church unless we're out of town but today got the best of us. I was exhausted and just wanted a day to spend with the family so we played hooky and spent the day together. We checked out Georgia's Farm to Market which turned out to be fabulous. We bought an 1/8th of a cow :) and lots of organic produce. Their produce prices are outstanding! So, in two weeks I'm going to have 50 pounds of local grass-fed organic beef in my freezer... which makes me very happy.

Today we made an interesting new snack that I ran across online. Well, I bought 12 pint jars for canning the strawberry preserves a few weeks ago and only needed 6 of the jars. I hated to waist them so I wanted to try my luck at canning again. I found a recipe for Banana Jam that sounded quite interesting. I've never heard of such before. Peanut Butter & Banana Jam sandwiches!?! How awesome does that sound?

I am always buying old banana to cook with. They are such a great bargain and you can make lots of great snacks with them... hum, I see a post in my future. :) I obtained 12 large bananas at Kroger for $1.25 that were started to get brown spots on the outside. The kids ate a few of them and I used the rest for the jelly. If you've never canned before, let me start by saying it is SUPER easy. I always thought it was difficult but it isn't at all. This is the recipe...

BANANA JAM

Makes: about 8 (1-cup) jars.

4 cups prepared fruit (about 10-11 fully ripe medium bananas)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
6 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

BRING boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling. 

MASH bananas thoroughly. Measure exactly 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Stir lemon juice and fruit protector into prepared fruit in saucepot. 

STIR pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.

STIR in all sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

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{please excuse the horrible photo!!}

CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt & black pepper, to taste
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Lightly brush both sides of corn tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

**A few notes about this recipe: I just put in 2 raw chicken breast and let them cook in the soup. When they were done I took them out and shredded them then added back into soup.

Also, instead of baking the tortillas I just served a few crushed corn chips on top with a dollop of sour cream and a pretty cilantro leaf. I didn't have any bay leaves so I omitted them. And I used a handful of fresh cilantro toward the end of cooking.

THE VERDICT: I think this recipe is a good starter but next time I will add black beans and a little lime juice. Overall it was tasty and super easy to make. Hope you enjoy if you make it! :)

As promised, this is your first recipe card. :) You can print it at home or send it to your favorite photo processing store {walgreens, cvs, target, etc}

New Recipes

Yippee! I got my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker in the mail today! First recipe I'm going to try is this one so that I can use up some more of the Tahitian Vanilla Beans that I bought for the Vanilla Wafers last week.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

* 7 large egg yolks
* 3/4 cup sugar
* dash salt
* 1 vanilla bean
* 2 cups half and half
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Whisk egg yolks with sugar and salt in large bowl; set aside. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Combine beans, seeds, half and half and heavy cream in a large saucepan. Bring just to a simmer. Gradually whisk hot cream into the egg yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (do not let it boil). Strain through sieve into large bowl. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Freeze in ice maker according to manufacturer's directions.

Makes about 1 quart.

Here is anothers that I'm excited about trying...

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
About 1 quart (1l)

French yogurt is astoundingly good and I suggest you use a good-quality, whole milk or Greek-style yogurt for best results.

1 pound (450g) strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
optional: 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch
1 cup (240g) plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring every so often.

Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and fresh lemon juice. Pulse the machine until the mixture is smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Vanilla Wafer Heaven

We made the most delicious homemade vanilla wafers today. Lex helped me and they turned out fantastic {as you'll see there is a tiny little finger trying to eat batter in every picture}. However, I think that next time I won't let them get quite as brown. I ordered Tahitian Vanilla Beans and I think they really made the cookies fantastic.

Lex had lots of fun measuring everything and pouring it in. But just like a little boy, he thought it was the coolest when we put the mixer on speed #10! "Go faster Mom, Go faster!!"

The batter is super thick... kind of like butter cream icing. I piped the dough onto cookie sheets and they looked so pretty.

Lex wanted to pipe some of the cookies too... but only so that he could grab the dough and eat it as soon as it came out. :) He snuck quite a few.

And these are the final cookies. They would be simply heavenly in a banana pudding! I think I may have to go get bananas tomorrow and try it. I may never buy nilla wafers again. :)

I also did a little sewing this weekend. I stopped by a garage sale in our neighborhood last week and found lots of tshirts for dresses. I made one for Layla today but didn't get a shot of her in it. I think it is my cutest so far. I can't wait for her to feel better so that she can try it on.

 

Squishy, Squishy, Fresh Pasta - Yummy!

Layla approves of my fresh pasta! She and Layla both ate it up which is reason enough to prepare it again. Next time I will take step by step photos.

This is the final product before it was cooked, followed by the recipe that I used. These are the noodles made with the manual pasta roller. I didn't take pics of the KitchenAid extruder noodles.

Mario Batali's Fresh Pasta Recipe  I changed this recipe slightly. I mixed it all in my KitchenAid mixer and it worked perfectly. Then I pulled it out and kneaded it for a while. Then let it rest before rolling it out.

Crackin' Da Eggs Momma!

Tim has been letting Lex help him crack eggs in the mornings when he makes breakfast. So, now when Lex sees me cracking eggs, he wants to "Crackin' Da Eggs Momma". It is really quite cute and he's actually really good at it. I saw these confetti eggs the other day at walgreens and thought it would be a fun activity for us to do OUTSIDE. However, I forgot and left them on the island in the kitchen... Lex had a blast Crackin' da Eggs!

Layla is getting so big and she is just a doll. Look at this smile! I can't believe she is 6 weeks old! The time is just flying by.

We're getting ready for Lex's 2nd Birthday party on Saturday. I cannot believe he is going to be 2 on Monday!!Of course I've been planning a menu and such which has been a little difficult trying to plan a menu around things that toddlers like and things that adults will like too. This is what I've come up with so far...

Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders with dipping sauce

Fruit Salad

Ham & Cream Cheese Rollups - I've got to use up some of these free crescent rolls that I've been getting at Kroger. :)

Cocktail Meatballs with a Sweet BBQ Sauce  - using up more free stuff. I think I have 5 bags of meatballs that need to be used.

For now that's all I've got but I need to look through my freezer to see what else I should make.

In other news, we went to the zoo on Friday b/c it was simply a beautiful day. Lex didn't care too much for the zoo b/c he wanted to play on the playground. I love the look on his face in this photo - simply sweet carefree fun.

Weekend Recap

Lex had a playdate on Friday and they had lots of fun. Lex and Nathan played in the backyard swinging and running until both were exhausted. Hopefully we can do this again son Bellamys - it was lots of fun for all.

I'm working on a menu plan for next week. I've got tons of food in my freezer that I need to cook. Anywho, I thought I would pull some old recipes out that I haven't made in a while.

Monday
HUSBANDS DELIGHT 

1 1/2 lb. browned ground beef
Sm. onion
Sm. jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese
1 lg. crescent roll
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Brown beef, add spaghetti sauce, simmer for 10 minutes. Mix cream cheese and Mozzarella cheese together. Place over sauce mixture in large rectangular dish. Spread crescent rolls on top, butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Tuesday

CROCKPOT CHICKEN WITH BLACK BEANS AND CREAM CHEESE served over rice/noodles

4 - 5 boneless chicken breast

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 jar hot salsa

1 8 oz package cream cheese

Take 4-5 frozen boneless chicken breasts put into crockpot. Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained. Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. All done and enjoy!

Wednesday

PEPPERONI PIZZA AND SIDE SALAD

Thursday

leftover night or eat out... Tim has Volleyball on Thursday.

Friday

CHICKEN CRESCENT ROLLS

2 c. chopped chicken
2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 tbsp. chopped chives
1 lg. bottle drained mushrooms
8 crescent rolls (unbaked tube)
Melted butter
1 pkg. seasoned croutons, crushed

Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives and mushrooms. Unroll crescent rolls, fill with mixture and reroll. Roll in melted butter and seasoned croutons. Bake in shallow pan 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Optional - top with cream sauce or chicken gravy.

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Starting Monday there is an awesome deal at Kroger on Pillsbury Products. The small rolls of cresant rolls, cinnamon rolls and grands biscuts are on sale for $1. There have been tons of coupons in the last few months for pillsbury products. I've got 25 cent off coupons for the cresant rolls which would make the rolls 25 cents when the coupon triples. Then on top of this great deal, if you buy 5 you get a $3.50 catalina oyno. Ends up being a $2 money maker... yippee. If you want to read more about this Catalina deal check out the forum at HotCouponWorld.

So, here are some of the recipes that I'm going to try when I stock up on these rolls.

Sunny Morning Star Biscuit Soufflés

Soufflés

1 can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits)

4 Eggland’s Best eggs

1/4 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup cooked real bacon bits (from 3-oz bag)

1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Garnishes

Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired

Sour cream, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 6 (6-oz) custard cups or 6 (8-oz) ramekins with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.

Cut each biscuit into 6 wedges. Using 5 wedges for each cup, arrange wedges around side of each cup with pointed ends up to form a “star.” Press dough lightly on bottoms and sides of cups (it is not necessary to completely cover bottoms and sides of cups). Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with fork or wire whisk until blended. Beat in 1/4 cup salsa, 1/2 cup sour cream and the bacon bits until blended.

Spoon 2 tablespoons egg mixture into center of each cup; top each with about 2 tablespoons cheese. Spoon remaining egg mixture over cheese in each cup. Place cups on large cookie sheet with sides.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until eggs are set and biscuits are golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Garnish with salsa and sour cream.

Ham and Cheese Biscuit Sandwiches

1 cup cubed cooked ham

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 oz)

1/2 cup finely chopped peeled apple

1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury® Golden Layers® refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

1 Eggland's Best egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon water

 Chopped tomato, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray, or grease with shortening. In small bowl, gently mix ham, cheese and apple. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press or roll 5 biscuits into 4-inch circles on cookie sheet.

Place about 1/2 cup ham mixture onto center of each circle. Press or roll remaining 5 biscuits into 5-inch circles; place over ham mixture on each. Press edges with fork to seal. Mix egg and water; brush over filled biscuits.

Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cut each sandwich in half. To serve, garnish with tomato. Serve warm.

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We went to pick strawberries today with James and Melanie. It was chilly and super windy but we had a great time. I think Lex ate every strawberry that he picked ... or at least it looks that way.

We picked about 10 pounds of strawberries and they are so sweet and delicious - definitely better than anything in the grocery store lately.

I'm going to make a few chocolate covered strawberries for us because I just love them and I have the chocolate to make them on hand. I'm also going to use some of my Grands biscuts and Vanilla Whipped Cream (free at Kroger a few weeks ago) to make Strawberry Shortcakes. This is the recipe from the Pillsbury website.

PILLSBURY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Biscuits

1 can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/4 cup sugar

Strawberry Mixture

1 1/2 pints (3 cups) fresh strawberries, sliced

1/3 cup sugar

Whipped Cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Dip tops and sides of each biscuit in butter; dip in 1/4 cup sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix strawberries and 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside.

In another small bowl, beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

To serve, split biscuits; place on individual dessert plates. Top with whipped cream and strawberry mixture.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

(This isn't Mel's recipe but she inspired me to try Freezer Jam - maybe I won't have to buy so much Strawberry Preserves for Tim if he likes this)

 

2 cups crushed fresh strawberries

4 cups sugar

1 (1.75 ounce) package dry pectin

3/4 cup water

Mix crushed strawberries with sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the pectin into the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 1 minute. Stir the boiling water into the strawberries. Allow to stand for 3 minutes before pouring into jars or other storage containers.

Place tops on the containers, and leave for 24 hours. Place into freezer, and store frozen until ready to use.

Mimi's Giant Whole-Wheat Banana-Strawberry Muffins

 

2 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 bananas, mashed

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup frozen sliced strawberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 large muffin cups, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, oil, brown sugar, vanilla and bananas. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; Stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Stir in the strawberries until evenly distributed. Spoon batter into muffin cups until completely filled.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly. Cool before removing from the muffin tins.

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  And lastly, I made a really fantastic simple recipe last night that I thought you might enjoy. I've made it before with things we had on hand so I don't really have quantities... just do everything to taste.

Shrimp, peeled and deveined (about a pound)

Angel Hair Pasta (small box)

Asparagus (sliced into one inch pieces)

Lemon Pepper Marinade (I use the Kroger brand and it taste just like Lawry's)

Saute asparagus in a few tablespoons of oil oil until tender crisp. Add 1/2 bottle of marinade and stir until heated through. Add shrimp and saute until done.