Home Cooking with Sonya

Sloppy Joe's with Kidney Beans

2012-02-21T12:36:00.000+01:00

There is nothing worse than being down for the count from a simple cold..but that was me last week! It was a mild one but it held on for dear life. Thankfully I only get sick maybe once or twice a year now so I can't complain to much :)

Sloppy Joe's are always an easy standby meal. I don't make it that often because my husband and I aren't fans of tomato based recipes. However once and awhile the boys will have those.. "Remember when we had that back home" moments and I will hunt down what they are craving. We already have THIS recipe that we love but I didn't have everything I needed so I went with this one. It wasn't bad but we still prefer the more tangy taste when it comes to sloppy joe's. I did love the addition of kindey beans and will add it to our favorite recipe from now on.

Sloppy Joe's with Kidney Beans

1 TBS Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Finely chopped Yellow Onion
1/2 cup seeded and finely diced Bell Pepper
1 lb. Ground Beef,ground chicken,turkey or soy crumbles
1 can (16-ounce) Red Kidney Beans,drained and rinsed
2 TBS Tomato Paste
1 cup Tomato Sauce
2 TBS Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp packed Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Hamburger Buns,split

In a large skillet over medium-high heat,place the oil in the pan. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook,stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the meat and cook until no longer browned, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the beans,tomato paste,tomato sauce,cider vinegar,cinnamon, and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer,stirring frequently, until the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes.

Serve on toasted buns with or without cheese.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Source: Simply Suppers

"Lighter"Honey Mustard Chicken

2012-02-13T12:48:00.000+01:00

I have a tv in my bedroom now and it's become my biggest time suck. I get everything done in the morning and then climb into bed and smile. I can't remember the lastime I spent the majority of my day snuggled up under the covers while catching up on all of my favorite shows and movies. It's been ages..and it's become a dangerous pastime. I love it. So very very much.

I am going to be starting an intensive language class very soon that will require my attention 5 days a week for 6 months or longer. So I figure I deserve these last few peaceful moments of "me"time. Soon I will be blogging about my class and my crazy biking adventures through town. I will be baking to save my sanity and praying it doesn't take longer than 6 months to pass the test. The lastime I needed to learn a language was in middle school. I hope I still have what it takes!

My family loves honey mustard chicken..but I wasn't to happy about the calorie content in alot of the recipes. I spotted this one and decided to give it a try. It was a winner..the wonderful honey mustard taste but without all the guilt!

"Lighter"Honey Mustard Chicken

4 Bonless skinless Chicken Breast halves (6 ounces each)
1/2 tsp. Salt,divided
1/4 tsp. Pepper,divided
2 TBS Reduced-fat Butter
4 tsp. Honey Mustard
1 TBS Milk
1/2 tsp. Dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley Flakes
1/2 cup Reduced-fat Sour Cream

Rub chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper(use more if you prefer). In a large skillet over medium heat,cook chicken in butter for 6-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, reduce the heat to low. Combine the mustard,milk,basil,parsley,and remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Remove from heat;stir in sour cream. Serve with chicken.

**1 Chicken breast with 2 tablespoons gravy equals 262 calories**

Yield: 4 servings
Source: Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet

"Lighter"Lemon- Blueberry Oat Muffins

2012-02-08T10:27:00.000+01:00

Recently our local store had a sale on fresh blueberries and we decided to take advantage of that. I'm constantly amazed how expensive it can be to get the fruits and vegetables you need in your daily life. My husband and I have made a conscious effort to include more fresh fruit choices in the house at all times. In theory it's a wonderful idea. However when you have a food budget to stick to and notice how everything seems to be slowly creeping up in price..it hurts. I'm happy to say though that we are making good on that promise and have been enjoying a variety of fruits and vegetables :)

I decided to use some of the blueberries in a lighter muffin recipe. I eat one of these in the morning with a small container of low fat yogurt for a delicious low calorie breakfast that doesn't skimp on taste. The muffins have a wonderful lemon flavor. I didn't have any fresh lemons so I subbed in a half teaspoon of lemon extract and will continue to do that. It gave it the perfect hint of lemon that goes so well with blueberries.

Lemon-Bluberry Oat Muffins

1 cup Quick Cooking Oats
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 cup Fat Free Milk
2 TBS Butter,melted
1 tsp. Grated Lemon Peel..I used 1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Topping:

1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats
2 TBS Brown Sugar
1 TBS Butter,softened

Preheat oven to 400 or 200 celcius. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with either liners or nonstick spray;set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the oats,flour,sugar,baking powder and salt. In another bowl,whisk together the egg,egg white,milk,melted butter,lemon peel and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Combine topping ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
1 Muffin equals 166 calories.

** If using frozen blueberries do not thaw before adding to batter. You can also sprinkle them with a small amount of flour to stop them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins**

Yield: 12 Muffins
Source: Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

Flour Free and Sugar Free Muffins

2012-02-06T12:38:00.003+01:00

Last week I decided to take a giant leap of faith and bake muffins that contained no flour or sugar. I was scared. It's crazy to sit here and type that but I was really scared to give this a try. Why? I guess because I'm a creature of habit and sometimes I find it hard to think outside of the box and can't possibly imagine anything tasting good without atleast sugar.

Boy was I wrong! So here is the low down on these muffins. There is no flour..instead you use ground up oats and that magically resemble flour once you whiz the poo out of them in a food processor. To replace the sugar you use seriously ripened banana's and cranberries. I'm not going to lie..it takes a minute or so to get use to these. Your tastebuds know right away that something is missing..and that would be the sugar. However what you do taste is oats and banana's..which I loved. I didn't like these muffins when I tried one warm. Infact I didn't love them until the next morning. I think the 24 hour resting period really worked for these and allowed the flavors to really come together. The texture is not the same as if you used a bunch of flour and sugar but I can't say enough positive things about these. My whole family loved these and my youngest wanted these for his snack instead of his usual chocolate granola bar. That says it all.

I can see myself playing around with this recipe. I think next time I will add in some sort of spice,swap the cranberries out for maybe blueberries,possibly adding in some honey instead of the lemon juice, the possibilites are endless. You need to keep the mashed banana's in there since they are the binder to it all. If you are looking for a guilt free treat to have and one that you can feel good about giving to your family, then this is it.!

Cranberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

3 cups Oat Flour (finely ground Oats)
1 TBS Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
2 cups Very Ripe Bananas ( 4 bananas)
3/8 cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/2 cups Yogurt..I used plain
1 TBS Poppyseeds
2 cups Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin;set aside.

In a medium bowl,whisk together the oat flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer, rapidly beat eggs for 1-2 minutes. Add bananas,lemon juice, and vanilla and beat well for one minute, making sure that no large chunks of bananas remain.

With mixer on low speed, Add 1 cup of yogurt to the liquid mixture, followed by half of the dry ingredient mixture. Add remaining yogurt and dry mixture and beat just until combined. Fold in poppy seeds and cranberries by hand.

Pour batter into 12 greased muffins cups. Cups will be very full,almost to the point of overflowing (it's ok!) Bake for 25-30 or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

** I filled my cups to the top and still came away with 15 muffins. I was to nervous about filling all the way to the top**

Yield: 12-15 Muffins
Source:Confessions of a Bright Eyed Baker

Sunday's In My City...

2012-02-05T17:42:00.000+01:00

The temps went down to 7 degrees this week, or roughtly -14 or -15 celcius. Now it gets cold back in Oregon..but this was different.

The Dutch winters are bitter. The cold settles into your bones and no matter how many blankets you put on or how much coffee or tea you drink. It's never enough.

Dutch winters are also beatiful. In my area we didn't get snow. We still had the beautiful sun and the birds that were trying to warm themselves up as best as they could. I put out extra food for them and hoped that they would get through this coming week ok. The cold temps are here to stay! I wish you all a wonderful and warm week ahead. Please head over to Unknown Mami and check out what everyone else is up to this week.

Makeover Coconut Cookies

2012-02-01T15:35:00.000+01:00

One of my many goals for the new year was to open myself up to trying all different forms of cooking and baking. I've been using alot of new ingredients in my cooking,cutting out certain things and trying lighter versions of our favorites.

Being a foodie I am totally open to non fat,low fat,gluten free and anything else that looks and tastes good. When it comes to making these foods at home, it's been a total hit and miss for us. My family has been really supportive of my trials and errors when it comes to using new ingredients and as long as I don't make it to weird, they will continue to come to the dinner table with a smile on their face.

These cookies are a lighter version of an original that called for almost 2 cups of butter and frosted cornflakes. These guys are still delicious and at 69 calories per cookie, you can still enjoy something sweet without feeling to guilty.

Makeover Coconut Cookies

1/4 cup Butter,softened
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg
3 Egg Whites
3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 tsp. Coconut Extract
1-3/4 cup All-purpose Flour
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 cups Cornflakes

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray;set aside.

In a bowl,combine the flour,baking powder and salt;set aside. In a large bowl, combine the butter,oil and sugars. Beat in egg,egg whites and extracts. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix until combined. Gently stir in cornflakes with a wooden spoon.

Drop by tablespoons full 2 inches apart onto prepared sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield:3-1/2-4 Dozen
Source: Taste of Home Baking Cookbook

Spicy Roast Chicken Legs

2012-01-31T10:40:00.000+01:00

Whoa is it COLD here..freeeezing bitter cold. Thankfully there is still sun,zero snow and no icy road conditions to speak of. Now that I have that out of the way..who is addicted to Pinterest like I am? full on addicted. I have my entire life planned out on boards..looks way better on there than it does in real life!

I have pinned so much stuff that I decided that I needed to actually do something about it..like use one of the recipes finally! So here we go..spicy roast chicken legs! yum yum. You can grill these aswell but I went ahead and stuck them in the oven.

Spicy Roast Chicken Legs

4 Skinless Chicken Legs
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBS Brown Sugar
1-1/2 TBS Paprika
1/2 TBS Garlic Powder
1-1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 TBS Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt

Make four deep scores on each leg. Place all ingredients into a plastic bag; marinate for 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place chicken legs onto prepared sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until done.

Yield: 4 Chicken Legs
Source: Everyday Rachel Ray

Sunday's In My City...

2012-01-29T12:56:00.000+01:00

Places like this make me love The Netherlands even more.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Stop by Unknown Mami and join in the fun of sharing a piece of your world with others.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2012-01-24T16:38:00.001+01:00

Enchilada's is not something you will find in The Netherlands. I can find refried beans,flavorless taco seasoning,tortillas and salsa now..but it's not the same. My husband fell in love with Taco Bell while we lived in Oregon and luckily I have been able to make some of our favorite meals from there at home.

Enchilada's are something we all enjoyed but I never really made the step of making them myself..mainly because of the sauce. I will admit to using a packet or a can back home when I wanted to make them and never really saw a need to make it myself. Well now I have such a need and thanks to another expat who pointed this recipe out to me, I can make them for my family at anytime. The sauce is delicious,slightly spicy and it can be frozen for later use.

Enchilada Sauce

2 TBS Butter
2 TBS Flour
5 tsp. Chili Powder
1-1/2 tsp. Cumin
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
6 ounces Tomato Paste
2-1/4 cups Water
Salt& Pepper

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add spices and tomato paste;whisk until thoroughly combined. Add water gradually,stirring or whisking constantly. Heat until boiling;reduce heat to a simmer and continue stirring until desireed thickness is achieved.

I waited to add the salt and peper until the end. I didn't want to continously add more and more in there if I didn't need it. If you worry about the amount of chili powder, add in half and then taste as you go along to see if you need more. I added in the full amount and even my spice sensitive kid loved this.

Once you have reached the desireed thickness of the sauce,coat the bottom of your pan with sauce,add your enchilada's and pour the remaining sauce over top and add shredded cheese!

Yield: Enough for a pan of enchilada's
Source: Food.com

Sunday's In My City...

2012-01-22T12:32:00.000+01:00

We dropped into the colder temps this week.

   It was a nice change from all the rain we have been and are getting again! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Head over to Unknown Mami to see what everyone else is up to!

Crockpot Chili

2012-01-19T10:50:00.000+01:00

Chili is a hard dish to photograph. That's all I have to say about that!

The bitter cold that The Netherlands is known for has finally decided to show up. The only way I can fight it off is with soup and chili..and loads of coffee and hot chocolate :)

This is a super easy crockpot meal that can be changed up anyway you like. You can use a can of tomatoes with chilies,add in vegetarian meat,ground chicken or turkey. You serve it over rice,spaghetti or in bowls topped with shredded cheese and sour cream :)

Easy Crockpot Chili

1lb. Ground Beef
1 Onion,chopped
1 Green Pepper,chopped
1-1/2 tsp. Salt
1 TBS Chili Powder
2 sp. Worcestershire Sauce
29 oz can Tomato Sauce
3-16 oz cans Kidney Beans,drained
14-1/2 oz can Crushed or Stewed Tomatoes
6 oz can Tomato Paste
2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream;optional

Brown ground beef,onion and green pepper in skillet. Drain if needed. Pour into crockpot. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese.

Cover and cook on High 3 hours, or Low 7-8 hours. Serve in bowls with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Yield:8-10 servings
Source: Fix it and Forget It Cookbook

Sunday's In My City...

2012-01-15T17:49:00.000+01:00

Our weather lately has been more like summer!

It's been very cold ( just like summer!)but the sun has been visting alot.

I checked the forecast and we are in for rain ( again..just like summer:/ )and possible snow at some point this week.

Until then..I will be enjoying my fine feathered friends aswell as the sun! Please head over to Unknown Mami to see what she and everyone else is up to this weekend!

Brown Sugar Spice Cookies

2012-01-11T11:16:00.001+01:00

How is everyone's weeek going? My two boys finally went back to school on monday and it feels good to be getting back into some sort of a routine again. I've been keeping myself busy with reorganising the house. I'd love to tell you that I enjoyed doing this, but I really don't. The average Dutch home is very cramped and I find myself exchanging one pile for another...and we don't even own that many items to begin with! My kitchen is so small that it makes me want to weep on a weekly basis but I'm happy to say that the countdown to buying a new home has begun! I can't get to excited because we still won't be moving until 2013..but we are getting closer and that keeps me hanging on!

Yesterday I headed into my weenie kitchen and whipped up a batch of wonderful brown sugar cookies. Although this is a simple basic recipe, the flavor is anything but! the cookies are chewy with a nice spice flavor. The only difference I would make the next time around would be to up the spices to one teaspoon. The recipe also calls for 2 teaspoons of baking soda but I only used one and it was perfect. I am really sensitive to the taste of baking soda and one teaspoons seems to be my limit before I complain of tasting nothing else.

If you like a chewy soft cookie,stay around the 8 minute mark.If you like a more crisp cookie,bake them slightly longer and allow them to sit on the cookie sheet longer. These cookies puff up alot in the oven but when they come out they will flatten and crinkle a bit..and you want that!

Brown Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup ( 170 grams) Butter,softened
1-1/4 cups Dark Brown Sugar ( it doesn't say but I packed mine)
1 Large Egg,room temp
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda..I used 1 with no problems
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon..next time I will use 1 tsp.
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger..will use 1 tsp. next time

Preheat oven to 375 or 190. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt,cinnamon and ginger;set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and dark brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until well combined. The dough will appear very dry and that's ok!

Drop large teaspoonfuls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are just brown,8-12 minutes. Cool on sheet for one minute before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3-1/2-4 dozen
Source: Best Bakesale Cookbook

Lemon Walnut Quick Bread

2012-01-06T13:59:00.001+01:00

Happy Friday Everyone! It's been one crazy week in the weather department. We still haven't gotten any snow and the temps are ranging in the 50's! What we have gotten those is rain,massive wind,flooding in certain parts and hail. The boys had to spend their last week of christmas vacation inside. We all get outside when the sun decides to come out for a few minutes..but it hasn't shown up nearly enough! I'm dogsitting again for my lovely Friends for almost the entire month of January and I'm loving it.

I am such a sucker for quick breads. I love the ease of mixing the ingredients up and having a delicious loaf within an hour to enjoy. This bread,however, needs a resting period of 24 hours. By allowing it to rest you get a wonderful moist lemony fresh loaf. It's good. Go make some. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Lemon Walnut Quick Bread
1-3/4 cup All-purpose Flour
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Egg,lightly beaten
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Vegetable oil or Butter,melted
2 tsp. Lemon Zest
1 TBS Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts or Almonds

Glaze
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1 TBS Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8x4 inch loaf pan,set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture;set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil, lemon zest and the lemon juice. Add egg mixture all at once into the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened ( batter should be lumpy). Stir in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan,spreading evenly.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted towards the middle comes out clean..a few crumbs attached is ok.

In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. Gently take a skewer and poke holes in the top of the bread all over and going almost all the way down the inside of the bread. Brush the glaze all over the top of the bread and allow it to soak in. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest overnight before slicing.

** If you aren't a fan of nuts you can turn this into a lemon poppy seed bread. Simply omit the nuts and replace with 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds**

Yield: 1 Loaf
Source:Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Baking

Spicy Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

2012-01-03T20:47:00.000+01:00

I am soooo behind on posting recipes! I have tons of new recipes to post but getting myself to sit down and post them is something else entirely. It's not if I have a whole lot going on these days. I guess my brain is still on christmas vacation time or something.

I am a big fan of spiced nuts and smoked nuts but never really bothered to make my own. Now that I have it's probably not a good thing. It's so simple and noone will believe that you did it yourself in one hour. You can make these all year long and if you are looking for a homemade gift..pour some into a cellophane bag,tie a nice ribbon top and you are good to go!

Spicy Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

1 Egg White
1 tsp. Cold Water
4 cups Whole Almonds
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 or 125-130 celcius. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar,salt,cayenne pepper and cinnamon;set aside. In a large bowl, lightly beat egg white. Add the water and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts, and stir until well coated. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the nuts and toss to coat. Spread evenly onto prepared pan and bake in oven for 1 hour, stirring occasionally,until the nuts are completely dry and golden. Allow to completely cool and store in airtight container.

Yield: 4 Cups
Source: The Comfort of Cooking

My Christmas Gift

2011-12-28T12:52:00.001+01:00

I pretty much received the Red Ryder BB Gun of gifts. I still can't believe it. I've talked a few times on here about wanting a standmixer and coming to terms with the fact that I would never own a kitchenaid because of the outrageous price they charge over here for it. I had one back home and just loved it and was crushed beyond belief when I saw the price tag for one over here. I researched like crazy online as to what I could get that would come close. I finally decided on a kenwood standmixer and let the whole kitchenaid dream go.

Over the next few weeks my husband kept telling me that he researched everything and had it all under control. When my husband says that I instantly know it to be true. That man can research like no other. We both decided that although we both knew what we were getting from eachother that we would still wrap the gifts. So my husband left one evening and came home with one giant box and two smaller ones. He couldn't stop smiling and kept telling me how excited he was this year for christmas. I was pretty excited too because I desperatly needed a heavy duty mixer for my baking and breadmaking needs.

So christmas morning was finally here. We went downstairs and the boys decided that they wanted everyone to open up one gift at a time and they picked me to go first. My husband jumped up and brought the big box over to me. I tore open the top part of the wrapping paper fully expecting to see the Kenwood name on it. I was in total shock when I saw the words..Kitchenaid. I looked at my husband and burst into tears. Not just any kind of tears, but the-I can't control myself tears-so I'm going to cover my face with my hands and just sob sort of tears.

I never expected I would get one. I knew what they cost over here and I knew what that sort of cost ment for us and the fact that my husband walked into that store and went straight for the kitchenaid without a second thought made me love him 5 bazillion times more than I already did. He knew I would be content with a kenwood but he wasn't content with me having one. He knew my main passion was baking so the extra cost would pay off in the years to come. The color is cocoa silver and it's just beautiful. The other two presents contained the glass bowl mixer and a special grip paddle. So I now have the stainless steal mixer aswell as the glass bowl. I'm pretty much set for life. I keep looking at it and touching it. I still haven't used it but I plan to. My husbands favorite dessert is pavlova and I am thinking that this weekend he is going to get the biggest pavlova ever. I wanted to make something really special the first time I used it..and I'm thinking this is it :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas! I have so many recipes to share but I am sick of sweets! I made wonderful spicy cinnamon roasted almonds so I might post those soon. You can make those at any time of year. What made your christmas special this year? We had a wonderful day as a family. We laughed, we cried..well I cried anyway, we ate, we made new memories and we all decided that this was the best christmas ever.

Can you believe we are about to enter 2012!?

Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

2011-12-20T12:42:00.000+01:00

This weekend was my cookie exchange get together! I had the best time. I really really did. It was so great to spend the day with other expats and it really helped to make my holiday season that much better. We happily ate,drank and chatted the whole day away. We plan to make this an annual event and I can't wait until next year!

I brought these wonderful sandwich cookies to share with everyone and they seemed to go over very well. They are really simple to bake and the frosting makes your whole house smell like a peppermint factory!

I also brought along my lemon sugar cookies in the shapes of snowflakes. I need to practice my frosting more!

I'm finally done with baking for everyone else. I have one more cookie box to mail off and I only need to worry about my family now. It's been a great holiday baking season and can't wait until next year to do it all over again!

Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

1-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour,lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup Semi sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
5 TBS Butter..real butter!
1 TBS Water
1 Large Egg,lightly beaten

Peppermint Frosting

1/2 cup Butter,softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2-1 tsp. Peppermint Extract
Milk as needed for consistency
Sprinkles,food coloring,crushed candy canes;optinal

Preheat oven to350 or 180 celcius. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips, brown sugar, butter and water, stirring constantly until melted and smooth ( there will still be grains of sugar and that's ok). Transfer mixture to a large bowl and beat in egg. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Do not overmix.

If the dough is to soft, let is sit for a few minutes or place in the fridge for a few minutes. The dough is going to be very soft so do not expect it to hard up. Gently roll balls, either into 1 tablespoon full for large cookies, or 1/2 inch balls for silver dollared sized cookies ( I went with the larger size). Place 2 inches apart on prepared sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes for the larger cookies or 5 mins for the smaller cookies. The cookies will be done when they are slighlty puffed in the middle and the edges are set but centers are still soft. Cool for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Once they completely cool they will flatten out and get that chocolate crinkle look on top.

To make the frosting, beat all of the ingredients together, including a drop or two of red frosting and peppermint extract to taste. Add the milk by teaspoon full until spreadable, but not to soft. Place frosting in a ziplock bag and cut off a small piece of the corner. Pipe the frosting onto one side of the cookie and top with its matching pair. Roll edges into sprinkles if desired. I found that pouring sprinkles into my hand and rolling the cookies like that worked best.

** For step by step photos of everything, head over to Our Best Bites**

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen for large or 4-5 dozen for the teenie ones
Source: Our Best Bites

Whopper Cookies

2011-12-15T11:24:00.000+01:00

Yesterday my partner for the cookie exchange through mail received her goodies! I kept checking my facebook all day long to see when she finally had gotten them :) I'm happy to say that she loved everything I sent..including these bad boys..and they are bad.

You know what puts them on the naughty list? you can actually eat the dough..Now lets be honest..I will eat raw cookie dough no matter what. I don't care of there are raw eggs in there..Im sampling. This recipe however has zero eggs in it..zero..which means you could infact grab a giant spoon and take the bowl into the living room,pop a christmas movie in and eat until you pop. I won't judge! These cookies are soft and in the middle they get slighty chewy. The whoppers..or maltesers as they are called over here, hold up perfect in this recipe.

Go make some!!!

Whopper Cookies

2-1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 cup Butter,softened
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/2 cups roughly chopped Whoppers or Maltesers ( I put them into a reseable plastic bag and lighlty tapped the tops with a rolling pin..way easier than trying to chop them with a knife)

Preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in milk and vanilla. then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Do not overmix, stir only until no streaks of flour remain. Gently stir in the chopped whoppers.

Drop by rounded 1-inch balls onto prepared sheet. Bake 12-14 mins,or until lighlty browned. Cool on baking sheet 2-3 mins before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: several dozen
Source: Baking Bites

Chocolate Chip Scones

2011-12-13T08:33:00.000+01:00

I'm in a mad rush this week to get a bunch of baking done. I am headed to my first cookie exchange get together on saturday and I'm so excited! Anytime I can meet up with other expats is always exciting for me. I am also doing a cookie exchange through mail! When you mail something within The Netherlands it only takes one day to reach the person. So a group of us ladies who are on an expat cooking group on facebook decided to do one through the mail. It's not always easy getting together around this time so mailing off a wonderful box filled with cookies is the way to go!

   I decided to surprise my 3 guys with some chooclate chip scones this weekend! My kids thought I was the coolest mom ever for serving them chocolate for breakfast :) This was my first time trying a scone recipe and to be honest I don't know if it's an authentic one or not. We didn't wait until they cooled off to eat them so to us it tasted like a wonderful thick cookie! These are super simple to bake and I can see myself making these again really soon!

Chocolate Chip Scones

1-1/2 cups Plus 2 TBS All-purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt..I used 1/8 tsp.
1 cup Chocolate Chips..I used mini's
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 TBS Butter,Melted
Additional sugar for sprinkling;optional. I used a cinnamon sugar combo on top :)

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour,sugar,baking powder and salt. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. Add the heavy cream to the flour mixture and mix just until the dough forms and the dry ingredients are incorporated. Knead the dough briefly with floured hands to make sure that everything is combined ( I did it right in the bowl)

Using either a large cookie scoop or spoon, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15-20 mins, or until lightly browned.

Yield: 10-12 Scones
Source: Tracy Carolyn and Annie's Eats

Sunday's In My City...

2011-12-11T13:28:00.000+01:00

It's been a cold week here in The Netherlands! We had a bunch of snow this time last year, but not a single snowflake has fallen this time around.

I've got crockpot chili cooking right now and I've been busy raking up the massive amounts of leaves that a storm dumped in my back yard.

My christmas cactus has bloomed once again! love it

Christmas is getting closer..are you ready for it??? Have a wonderful week! Head on over to Unknown Mami and join in on the fun of sharing your world with everyone else.

Brown Sugar Oat Muffins

2011-12-06T12:54:00.000+01:00

I cant believe I have gotten to the point of not posting a recipe based on looks. I mean..seriously. I didn't want to post these because my muffins have peaks..but you know what? peaks happen. It's a part of life and ladies..we need to embrace those peaks! I did two things wrong with this recipe. I over mixed and I didn't check my oven temp. It was slighty higher and when I finally caught it, it was to late. They didn't burn but it shows how you do need to pay attention when baking!

With all of that peak drama aside..these guys are awesome! there is no flashy bits of nuts or raisins or apples or a glaze..well you can add those but you don't have to! I only added a sprinkle of sliced almonds and it was perfect. These are great on their own or with butter. If you don't have whole wheat flower then just add all-purpose flour. Super easy recipe that results in a moist muffin with a great brown sugar flavor with an added old fashioned element with the addition of oats. The original recipe did not call for any spices but I highly suggest you add one. I went with a teaspoon of pumpkin pie seasoning but cinnamon would also work very well.

Brown Sugar Oat Muffins

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
3/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pimpkin Pie Spice or Ground Cinnamon
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or 200 celcius. Line a muffin tin with liners or grease with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats,flours,brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spice and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake for 15-17 mins or until toothpick inserted towards middle comes out with just a few crumbs. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield~12 Muffins
Source~ Taste of Home

'Tis the Season

2011-12-05T19:37:00.000+01:00

The tree has been up for almost a week now and I can't stop looking at it. There are so many memories on there. The one above was bought on sunday to mark my 7th wedding anniversary.

I bought this one on sunday aswell..There is something magical about a smiling mushroom with ladybug on top!

I can still remember when my husband and I walked into the all year round ornament store in Oregon and bought this one. They need a serious shot of personalised ornaments over here. I have yet to find someone who does it!

I love this one too. The truth is I love all of my ornaments. We all know the story behind each and everyone one..and we talk about them every single year. Do you have special ornaments or decorations that you bring out year after year? I want to do an ornament swap sometime. How much fun would it be to receive an ornament from The Netherlands or Germany or England!

Sunday's In My City...

2011-12-04T17:27:00.000+01:00

Today I went to a German Christmas Market that was held right below a castle. Does it get any cooler??

We had to walk up this really steep hill and I kept bumping into everyone because I couldn't stop looking at the castle.

The market was right at the top of the hill. It was much smaller than we were used to and most of what was being sold was handmade.

Handmade equals big bucks. I understand the time and effort that goes into making handmade items but with prices like that I need to be picky!

Everyone of course stopped and stared when they heard us chatting away in english...even the dogs did a double take :)

I bought two ornaments,kettle corn and sugared almonds with cinnamon..oh heck yeah they were good.

All in all it was a wonderful afternoon!

In The Netherlands they celebrate Sinterklaas on Dec 5..We get our Santa Claus from Sinterklaas. They also celebrate it at school. Each child writes down 3 things they would like to get ( it needs to come in under 5 dollars) and then they list a few of their hobbies. My youngest son had a partner who enjoys horseback riding. She asked for a pair of riding socks,candy and 3 pencils. You then need to decorate a container,box or whatever you want in the design of what that person likes. So we took a box,placed the items in there and turned it into a horse by using felt and a hot glue gun. It took 3 hours and alot of laughter. My husband kept burning his fingers on the hot glue gun and I can't tell you how funny it is to see a 6 foot 4 inch man holding onto felt horse ears while saying "Ow,ow"over and over. You then include a poem for that person as if you were Sinterklaas and you make it about them or the gift...and it needs to rhyme. The person then reads the poem opens up the gift and guesses who it was that made the gift for them. I hope she enjoys her gift! Head on over to Unknown Mami to see what everyone else is up to this weekend!

Gingerbread Whoopies w/ Lemon Buttercream Frosting

2011-12-01T18:21:00.000+01:00

Heeelloo people! I am still around! thanks for the concerned e-mails..I am alive and ok. Being an expat comes with its ups and downs and for the most part I can ride the bad ones out fairly quickly. However when Thanksgiving rolls around I hit a huge dip with my spirits. I start thinking of home and about everyone and what they are up to and what I'm missing out on. It takes me awhile to bounce back..and this time it was a really huge dip. I'm feeling better though and have much to be thankful for. I made a no-bake pumpkin pie but there isn't really a point in posting that anymore. So I will wait until next year!

I do have a whoopie pie recipe to share with you though. Today is my 37th birthday and this is what I made for myself. These babies were awesome. The inside is a lemon buttercream frosting that goes perfect with gingerbread. I had a wonderful birthday and being 37 doesn't feel as bad as I thought it would..and I really thought it was going to feel bad. I have a habit of getting caught up in the whole number thing and assuming I'm going to need a walker at any moment. Yes I'm over the top like that.

Don't overbake these, add more lemon to the frosting than I did and hide a few because they are going to go fast. Real fast.

Gingerbread Whoopies

1/2 cup plus 3TBS Butter,softened
3/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Extra Large Egg
2 TBS Molasses or Blackstrap Molasses
2-1/3 cups All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
3/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
Pinch of Salt
2 TBS Milk

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter,sugar and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and mix until combined.

Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, allspice and salt over the creamed mixture and mix together. Add the milk and mix until combined..( you can also mix the sifted flour and milk in by using a wooden spoon).

Using a level 2-inch/5cm ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon, make 18 halves. To make each half, put the batter onto the prepared sheet in 2-inch/5cm diameter rounds about 1-1/4inch/3cm high..allow 3 inches between each round to give them room to spread out ( although these did not spread out much and I ended up placing 5 onto the cookie sheet)

Bake in the oven 10-12 mins, or until firm to the touch. Transfer to wire racks to cool completly. ** I wouldn't overbake these. I allowed some to go as far as 15 minutes and although they were firm to the touch by then, they hardened up and became dry.**

When whoopies are cooled, match each one with its closest partner in size. Spread frosting generously onto the flat side of one whoopie using a butter knife or pastry bag fitted with large star tip and top each one with its partner.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

3/4 cup Butter,softened
3/4 tsp. Vanilla
3-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 TBS Lemon Juice

Place butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat together with either an electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until combined.

Sift in the powdered sugar. Add in lemon juice and mix together until light and fluffy.

** I would add more lemon juice next time or swap the vanilla out for lemon extract**

Yield: 9 Whoopie Pies
Source: Whoopies! Fabulous mix and match recipes for whoopie pies.

Sunday's In My City...

2011-11-27T12:59:00.000+01:00

When I first came to The Netherlands the first thing I noticed was how cramped and congested everything was here. I took Oregon for granted and instantly missed the wide open spaces.

My eyes instantly dried up from lack of nature. All I could see were buildings,more buildings and people. I've lived here 4 years now and have spotted a squirrel only twice!

I am still not used to living in such a cramped country. I get edgy and feel like a caged animal alot of the time.

My husband can spot when I've reached my limit..we pile into the car, drive 30 mins away and arrive here..

We get out of the car and both take a deep breath. We instantly smile and then we listen..We listen to the birds, the trees, the wind, the life that lives within this beautiful forest.

We don't come here as often as we'd like and although it's only 30 mins away, life has a way of keeping you busy. There are appointments to be kept,jobs to head to,being to tired to move and just letting the daily grind take over.

I'm thankful for moments like these..When we can walk through here and talk about life, where we want to be in the future and what we need to do to get there. I love the quiet moments just as much. It fills me up again until the next time I am able to stop by. What keeps you going and gives you peace? Please stop by Unknown Mami and see what everyone else is up to this weekend!

Sunday's In My City...

2011-11-20T14:38:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago I attempted to be the good wife by joining my husband on a "quick fishing trip"wich consisted of him throwing the poll in for less than hour..and it was only for that short amount of time because I couldn't feel my face after 5 minutes of walking around.

I spotted this horse and it quickly came over to me.

It was all alone and I could tell the poor thing was very lonely. I didn't have anything to offer her except my hand.

She stood still for the longest time as I stroked her beautiful face. My fishing trips are done for the season. The bitter cold is here to stay for awhile so I'm going to pick and chose my moments of freezing my face off! Please stop by Unknown Mami to see what everyone else is up to this weekend!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-11-17T13:02:00.000+01:00

Chocolate and peanut butter has got to be my favorite combination. I miss the chocolate peanut butter M&M's,ice cream, nutty bars..the list is endless really. I've tried to make my own chocolate peanut butter ice cream but so far I haven't found the one yet. Do you have a favorite combination? if so, what is it? I also like the hot and cold combination too..warm brownies with ice cream is always good. Oh..sweet and sour is awesome too..Ok..moving on.

Peanut butter cookies has always been a favorite of mine since childhood. I can remember when times were tough and we'd get a food box to make it through the rest of the month, there was always a big jar of peanut butter in there and I always knew that peanut butter cookies would be baked at some point. I'm not sure why I never bothered to add chocolate into the classic recipe..I mean it makes sense and the finished product is awesome. The cookies taste almost like a brownie :) I went ahead and added in chopped salted peanuts and used a cookie scoop to portion the dough out. They came out ginormous..and awesome. I didn't add to much time on to the larger cookies because I wanted them to stay soft and perfect.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup Shortening..I used real butter with no problems
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1-1/4 cups Packed Brown Sugar
3 TBS Milk
1 TBS Vanilla
1 Egg
1-1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa...I used Dutch Cocoa:)
3/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flour,cocoa,salt and baking soda;set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the shortening,peanut butter, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add egg. Beat just until blended. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture to creamed mixture just until combined.

Drop by tablespoons full 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Dip a fork into flour and make criss cross pattern onto tops of cookies. Bake 7-8 minutes or just begining to brown. Do not overbake! Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: Several dozen..depending on small or big you make them
Source: Amanda's Cookin'

No Fuss Slow Cooker Potato Soup

2011-11-14T12:14:00.000+01:00

   Brrr...is it COLD out there! I walked to the store recently and my face felt chapped when I returned home. I'm no stranger to cold winters. I'm originally from Oregon and winters can get bad there. What The Netherlands has going for it though is that deep level of bitter cold that leaves you chilled to the bone. My face hurts nonstop for about 4-5 months and no matter how much extra strength lotion I put on my face and hands it's never enough. I need to stock up on gloves,hats and thick boots to make it through every year.

The only way to combat the bitter cold that awaits everyone as they leave for the day is to have giant bowls of soup with warm slices of homemade bread when they return. I'm a huge fan of the slow cooker and I just love knowing that dinner is ready and waiting for us at the end of a long day. Now that the boys are both getting braces, we have alot of appointments coming up and I'm going to rely on slow cooker meals alot more..Today's wonderful visit consists of teeth brushing..and we get charged for this visit. I toally get that they need to learn how to brush their teeth differently once the braces are on..but WHY not go over that when they actually have them on??

Lets talk soup! this is a super easy recipe that can be changed to suit your needs. You can add in meat if you want,I've used a packet of onion soup before and I've added in a pouch of instant potato soup towards the end to make it thicker. All versions are good and we love the soup!

No Fuss Potato Soup

6 cups Cubed Peeled or Unpeeled Potatoes
2 cups Chopped Onion
1/2 cup Chopped Celery
1/2 cup Thinly sliced Carrots
5-6 cups Water or Broth
1/4 cup Butter,cubed
4 tsp. Chicken bouillon granules..leave out if using broth
2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 can (12 ounces) Evaporated Milk
3 TBS Minced fresh Parsley;optional

In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine the vegetables,water,butter,bouillon,salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high 7-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Add milk and parsley. cover and cook 30-60 minutes longer or until heated through.

Yield: About 3 Quarts
Source: Taste of Home Slow Cooker Meals

Walnut Bars

2011-11-10T20:23:00.000+01:00

So we took the boys in to the orthodontis to see if they did infact need braces and they both do. While I listened to the guy go over everything they needed, I mentally checked out after I heard things like...the oldest one will lose his bottom teeth in 20 years,the youngest has something I have never seen in my 16 years of working here, they both need 4 teeth pulled..two on top and two on bottom..we will then fit them with braces and over the next few years everything will realign and everything will be fine... So yeah..I checked out and thought about what I was going to bake for my husband and I to gloss over this painful meeting.

We walked out in complete silence after setting up the appointments to get the ball rolling! Thankfully over here they cover 70% of what needs to be done and although their teeth look perfect right now he showed us where it was starting to go wrong and where it was going to end up for the both of them. So instead of a kitchenaid mixer for christmas this year, I get two sets of braces..whoo hoo!

The bars were just what we needed. They had a simple shortbread crust,chewy center and a lemon glaze that brings it altogether. Total perfection!

Walnut Bars

Crust:
1/2 cup Butter,softened
1/4 cup Sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt

Filling:
2 Eggs
1-1/2 cups Packed Brown Sugar
2 TBS All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1/2 cups Chopped Walnuts

Lemon Glaze:
1-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
2-3 TBS Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Grease a 13x9 inch pan and set aside. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour and salt;slowly add to creamed mixture and mix well. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

For filling: In a small bowl, combine the eggs,brown sugar,flour,vanilla,baking powder and salt. Stir in walnuts. Spread over crust. Bake for 25 minutes or until filling is goldne brown.Cool on wire rack.

Combine the powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to achieve desired consistency;spread over filling. Let stand until set before cutting.

Yield: 2-1/2 dozen
Source: Taste of Home Baking

Cornmeal Yeast Bread

2011-11-08T13:57:00.000+01:00

I've got another cornmeal recipe for you! this time it comes to you in bread form. The smell of homemade bread baking is incredible. Do they make a candle in that scent? if not, they should! I have memories of my mom baking loaves of bread. I used to love to watch her take a cube of butter and rub it over the top of the bread when she pulled it from the oven. I still have a ways to go before Im at her skill level breadmaking wise', but the more I do it, the more I love it.

This is a super simple bread recipe that goes great served along soup or chili or toasted with butter and jam :)

Cornmeal Yeast Bread

2 pkgs( 1/4 ounce each) Active dry yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water ( 110-115 degrees)
3/4 cup Milk
1/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Butter,melted
1 Egg
3/4 cup Cornmeal..I used Polenta
1 tsp. Salt
3-1/2 to 4 cups All-purpose Flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.Add milk,sugar,butter,egg,cornmeal,salt and 1-1/2 cups flour. Beat with wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface;knead until smooth and elastic,about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl,turning once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into two loaves. Place in two greased 8x4 inch loaves seamed side down.Cover with plastic wrap (make sure to spray the plastic wrap with nonstick spray so that it doesn't stick to the dough) and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 or 180 celcius for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 2 8x4 inch loaves
Source: Taste of Home Baking

Sunday's In My City...

2011-11-06T15:15:00.001+01:00

I love The Netherlands during the fall season..all the bursting colors make me smile! This road leads to my husband work. Thats a two lane road by the way. You need to share with it cars,bikers and the occasional horse drawn carriage.

I spotted this lovely fellow munching away and enjoying the sun.

We even made some time to pop over into Germany to see if we really and truly wanted to live there.

We walked around this small town to get a feel for it. The stared at me nonstop when they heard me speaking english.

The more I walked around the more I realised...

Germany has beautiful churches! they are HUGE too!

   However, I came to realise that it wasn't for us. I've spent 4 years thinking I was going to jump the border from The Netherlands into Germany. Four long years. I came to realise that The Netherlands is where I belong..kind of made me sad and relieved at the same time. I don't feel like starting all over again with a new language,set of customs and trying to fit in. I don't have it in me anymore. So 2012 means that this American is going to get her butt into Dutch language classes and settle in once and for all!

Head over to Unknown Mami to see what everone else is up to this weekend!

Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

2011-11-03T13:46:00.000+01:00

Did everyone have a happy halloween? I spent mine taking care of a sick kid with a serious sinus infection! thats enough to keep you away from blogging for a week. I'm happy to say he is over it and back at school!

I am on a serious cornmeal kick and can't use that ingredient often enough. I plan on making some homemade polenta soon but decided to use some of it in this easy recipe. These drop biscuits were a huge hit. The polenta lends a slight crunch and I made the mistake of using one cup of cheese instead of 1/2 cup..it was a great mistake. The next time I bake these Im going to use sharp cheddar cheese and possibly add in some choped scallions! I'll be back with a recipe for cornmeal bread..goes great with chili or soup :)

Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

1-1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Cornmeal
2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard
1/2 cup Shortening..I used butter which is why they spread out.
1/2-1 cup Shredded Cheddar or Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Milk

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line a cookie sheet with parment paper or grease with nonstick spray;set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and mustard;cut in shortening until crumbly. Stir in cheese and milk just until moistened.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared sheet. Bake for 26-28 minutes or until golden brown. Serve Warm

Yields: 10-12 Drop Biscuits
Source:Taste of Home Baking

Maple Cornmeal Cupcakes w/ Maple-Butter Frosting

2011-10-28T20:26:00.001+02:00

   So this week was one of those kinds that didn't want to come to an end. It held on reallly tightly for all it was worth and it almost broke me. Almost. Luckily there was enough down time to regroup and come back out swinging!

One of the things that helped me get through this long week was baking up these cupcakes! The first thing I said when I took a bite was how much it reminded me of a maple bar doughnut..which happens to be my all time fav when it comes to eating doughnuts..well those and applefritters! I was so happy with how these turned out. The maple flavor is perfect and the cornmeal adds an almost nutty undertone. I used polenta so there was an added slight teenie crunch.

These are sweet cupcakes and sharing them with others is perfect! I also found that these to be best served the same day they were made.

Maple Cornmeal Cupcakes

1-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal..I used Polenta
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Butter,softened
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Maple Extract
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk

Frosting

4 cups Powdered Sugar
2 TBS Butter,softened
2 tsp. Maple Extract
3-4 TBS Milk

Preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Line a muffin tine with liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, cornmeal,baking powder and salt.In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time,beating well after each addition, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Beat in maple extract and eggs. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk just until combined.

Divide batter evenly among 18 muffin cups,filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.Cool 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; place on wire racks to cool.

For the frosting:In a medium bowl,beat frosting ingredients,adding enough milk, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Frost cupcakes.

** As always I halved the frosting recipe and there was plenty of frosting for all 18 cupcakes**

Yields: 18 Cupcakes
Source: Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cupcakes

Cheeseburger Soup

2011-10-27T09:48:00.000+02:00

Homemade soup has got to be one of my most favorite things to make during the cold season. It's cheap,easy and your whole family will smile when you serve up big bowls of it.

This soup is currently our favorite. I tweaked the original recipe slightly and I will post what I changed along with the original recipe. I was so excited to find this one since most of the recipes for cheeseburger soup calls for velveeta cheese..Not only can we not get that here but that cheese scares me. I was never allowed to eat it growing up and never cooked with it as an adult. It's a hearty soup with great flavor so give this a try!

Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb. Ground Beef,Turkey or Soy Crumbles
3/4 cup Chopped Onion
3/4 cup Shredded Carrot
3/4 cup Chopped Celery
4 cups Diced Potatoes..peeled or unpeeled
1 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Parsley
3 cups Chicken Broth..I used 4 cups Beef Broth
2 TBS Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1-1/2 cups Milk..I used 2 cups
Salt,Pepper and other seasonings to taste
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Sour Cream;optional but really worth it

Place potatoes, broth, basil and parsley into a large soup pot. Bring up to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, sautee the beef,onion,carrots and celery until tender and beef is no longer pink;drain if necessary. Add beef mixture to the cooked potatoes and stir to combine.

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add in milk and bring to a boil,stirring constantly until the mixture is thickend and bubbly. Take off the heat, add in the shredded cheese and stir until combined. Pour into the soup mixture,bring to a boil and stir until thickened and combined. Season to taste.

You can either add the sour cream to the soup or top each bowl with it. Stir to combine and enjoy!

Yield: 6-8 servings
Source: She Who Makes

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

2011-10-24T11:36:00.000+02:00

   Buttermilk biscuits bring back wonderful childhood memories for me. I can remember waking up as a kid and getting so excited when I saw that biscuits and gravy were on the menu. Growing up we had a simple breakfast of cereal and toast during the week but on the weekends my mom would make a big hot meal for us. My favorites were homemade hash browns and biscuits and gravy..I wanna be a kid again!

I now make those same meals for my family and I can hear the excitement when the boys know that biscuits are on the menu. I made these to go along with a new soup that we tried and I will be posting that one tomorrow! We loved it, so make sure to come back tomorrow to see the recipe.

These drop biscuits are light and fluffy and the melted butter thats combined with the buttermilk really helps with that. The butter will clumb up when you add it to the buttermilk..and you want that. Thats what makes these guys pillowy soft.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup Buttermilk,chilled
1/2 cup Butter,melted and slightly cooled
2 TBS Melted Butter for brushing on top

Adjust oven rack to middl;e position and preheat oven to 475 or roughly 245 celcius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk the flour,baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl,stir the chilled buttermilk and melted butter together until the butter forms small clumps. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Using a greased 1/4 -cup measure, scoop out and drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are goldne brown and crisp, 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking.

Brush the baked biscuits with the extra 2 tablespoons melted butter,transfer to wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve Warm. **If you don't have a 1/4 cup measure then just use a large spoon or ice cream scoop**

Yield: 12 Biscuits
Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Sunday's In My City...

2011-10-23T12:04:00.000+02:00

Is it cold where you are?

We've got cold the cold crisp mornings now...

It's followed by the super bright and sunny days..

Plenty to see while out walking..

They are predicting a rather harsh winter for us here in The Netherlands, so needless to say I plan on enjoying the crisp sunny days as much as I can! Head on over to Unknown Mami to see what everyone else is up to today!

Apple Pie Muffins

2011-10-21T17:39:00.000+02:00

Appearance wise these muffins are a fail. The tops are ginormous and I wondered if they were going to beable to stand up after I took them out of the pan. It's funny sometimes how you can make the exact same recipe as someone else and come away with total opposite results.

Taste wise however they were wonderful! Infact these muffins were actually made for someone who was recovering from an illness they picked up while vacationing (how horrible is that! thats not the kind of souvenir I want to bring home with me!) Anyway he told my husband that his girlfriend said they were the best muffins she had ever eaten. I love that kind of feedback! I have to say that I liked these muffins even more the next day..the muffin was even more moist and the flavors really came through. So if you know of someone who could use a little pick me up then these muffins just might do the trick :)

Apple Pie Muffins

2-1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
2 tsp.Pumpkin Pie Spice..see not below
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Egg, room temperature
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Butter,melted
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/2 cups Packed Brown Sugar
2 cups Chopped Granny Smith Apples..peeled or unpeeled

Topping:
1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/3 cup All-prpose Flour
1/4 cup Rolled Oats
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
3 TBS Butter,melted

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Line 12 muffin cups with liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk until sugar has dissolved.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Gently fold in apples. Divide batter amoung muffins cups evenly,making sure to fill to the top.

In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and mix until well blended. Sprinkle over the tops of muffins. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completly.

** Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe**
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tso. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
Mix to combine

Yield: 12 Muffins
Source: My Baking Addiction

Blue-Ribbon Upside Down Apple Cake

2011-10-19T10:40:00.001+02:00

There is something so old fashioned about upside down cakes. It's something you expect to see being served at your grandmothers house:) I'm a huge fan of This recipe wich features pineapple, but this one has equally become a favorite aswell.

This recipe has you cooking the apples in with the caramel sauce and by doing so, you thicken the juices which in returns lessons the chances of having a soggy cake. The only change I would make to this cake is maybe use butter extract in place of the vanilla in the cake. I think it would work really well with the caramel sauce.

Blue-Ribbon Upside Down Apple Cake

Apples:
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Packedlight Brown Sugar
1-1/2lbs(3-4) Granny Smith Apples,peeled,cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/8 tsp. Salt

Cake:
1/2 cup Sour Cream,room temperature
1 Large Egg, room temperature
1 Large Egg Yolk, room temperature
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Butter,cut into 8 pieces and softened

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.

For the apples: Melt butter in a large heavy bottom skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook,swirling the pan occasionally,until the sugar looks dark brown (like dark brown sugar), about 2 minutes. Stir in the apples and salt and cook,stirring often,until the apples have softened slightly and juices are thickened and syrupy,5-7 minutes. Scrape the apple mixture into the prepared cake pan and lightly press into an even layer.

For the cake: Whisk the sour cream,egg,egg yolk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. In a large bowl,whisk the flour,sugar,baking powder,baking soda,and salt together. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed,beat the butter into the flour mixture,one piece at a time,about 30 seconds. Continue to beat the mixture until it resembles moist crumbes,1-3 minutes.

Slowly beat in the sour cream mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth and fluffly, about 1 minute.

Spoon the batter over the apples and gently spread into an even layer. Gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 35-40 minutes,rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let the cake coolslightly in pan, about 10 minutes. Place as serving platter over the top of the cake pan, invert the cake, and let it sit until the cake releases itself from the pan ( do not shake or tap the pan), about 1 minute. Gently remove the cake pan and serve warm or room temperature.

Yield: One 9-inch round cake
Sourece: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Bread

2011-10-17T12:47:00.000+02:00

   Everyone needs to get their fall baking hats on because I've got some great recipes coming your way! I am in a quick breads, muffins, casseroles, soups and stews overload..and I mean that in a good way:)

Today I am sharing a lovely quick bread recipe that makes two loaves..That means one for you and one for a neighbor maybe..or a friend or just someone who deserves a pick me up? I think instead of random acts of kindness we could also add in some random acts of bakeness. I bet we could all come up with someone who deserves some bakery love.

As with all quick breads, I think they are best eaten the next day. You wrap them up in plastic wrap after they have completly cooled and it gives the loaf some resting time. All the ingredients settle and mingle a bit..and what you get a super moist loaf that tastes amazing. Give it a shot..and this recipe too!

Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Loaf

2-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1-1/4 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Butter,softened
2 Eggs
1-1/2 cups Mashed Riped Bananas( about 4 medium)
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Shredded Coconut
1/2 cup Chopped Nuts;optional

Preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Grease bottom and 2 inches up the sides of two loaf pans with nonstick spray. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda;set aside.

In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Using a large wooden spoon, add in bananas, buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined.

Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently mix in the chocolate chips, coconut and nuts if using. Pour batter evenly into two loaf pans and sprinkle additional coconut on top if desired. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans before removing and allow to cool completly on wire racks.

** I used two 8x 4 inch loaf pans and the original recipe states that it takes about an hour for the loaves to bake but mine were done in 40-45 minutes.**

Yield: 2 Loaves
Source: This Week for Dinner

Sunday's In My City...

2011-10-16T16:09:00.000+02:00

I took a walk this weekend along the Dutch/German border.

This is how close we are. The dirt road on the right is Germany and the field to the left is The Netherlands. It's amazing to me even now that I live here.

So I spotted some cows..and as it turns out, they were just as curious about me as I was of them.

So there I was, knee deep in a blackberry bush trying to touch a cow for the first time. I was shocked over how big they really are! They kept sniffing the air trying to figure out who I was.

They were so soft to the touch..almost like touching a horse.

I gotta tell ya..I love cows. I'm so going back there again soon : ) Head on over to Unknown Mami to see what everyone else is up to this sunday!

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe's

2011-10-13T10:07:00.000+02:00

I debated on if I was going to post this recipe because it doesn't taste anything like a philly cheesesteak..not even close..not even kinda sorta if you close your eyes and try real hard close. It drives me nuts when someone tries to spruce up a recipe by giving it a more snazzy name. I totally fell for it too and I should of known better when I saw the ingredients list.

This is nothing more than a regular sloppy joe recipe with a cheese sauce..nothing more, nothing less. I'm totally ok with that but atleast call it like it is. I've had cheesesteaks before and I wonder what type Rachel Ray has been eating because clearly there is a difference. There is also something clearly wrong with me if I went ahead and made this based on the ingredients I knew not to be in the normal cheesestake recipes:P

With all of that being said..it was good. The cheese sauce was a nice addition and I added in diced peppers and mushrooms when I saw that Cassie Craves had made it aswell.

Sloppy Joe's with Cheese Sauce

1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb. Extra Lean Ground Sirloin..I used regular beef
1 Large Onion,Chopped

1 Bell Pepper,Chopped; optional
1 cup Sliced Mushrooms;optional
1/4 cup Steak Sauce
1 cup Beef Stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 TBS Butter
1 TBS Flour
1 cup Milk
1 cup Shredded Provolone Cheese..I used Cheddar

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and brown the ground meat about 5-6 mins. Add the onion,peppers and mushrooms and cook for another 3-4minutes, until the onion and peppers start to soften and the mushrooms are browned. Stir in the steak sauce and the beef broth, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook for about 2 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium sized skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese until it's all incorporated and melted through.

To serve, place meat on a roll and top with cheese sauce.

Yield: 4 servings
Source: Rachel Ray

Happy Fall!

2011-10-11T13:27:00.000+02:00

There is no denying it now..fall has finally come to The Netherlands! Are the leaves changing where you are? What's your favorite part about fall? do you love the crisp morning air, the changing of the leaves,halloween? or do you love the baking and the warm comfort foods? I'd love to know!

The BEST Molasses Spice Cookies

2011-10-10T13:32:00.000+02:00

There is no denying fall has finally arrived here in The Netherlands. It's downright cold! We've got those dark mornings which are followed by the grey,windy wet afternoons. We've been on a soup kick aswell. We can't seem to warm up!

This summer a dear friend of mine sent me a goodie box from home. Inside, among other wonderful items was a jar of blackstrap molasses. I've never baked with that before. To be perfectly honest, I don't even think I have baked with light molasses either. I put the jar away and knew it would be time to use when the weather got cold and the leaves started changing. Well the day finally arrived :) I went searching online for blackstrap molasses cookie recipes. I was able to find one that looked very promising. The dough was simple to work with and it smelled like christmas in the house while the cookies baked.

I was seriously hooked with the first bite! The salty,spicy,chewy-cake-like combo was out of this world. I couldn't stop at just one and cursed the fact that I needed to share with everyone else. When my two boys came home from school they made a beeline right into the kitchen.When my husband came home he got a huge smile on his face and asked right away what I baked. These are seriously one of my all time favorite cookies..and I don't make that statement lightly. These are right up there with my lemon sugar cookies and I can say without a doubt they will be making the cut in my christmas baking list!

The original recipe states that the recipe makes 18 cookies...18 very large cookies. I went ahead and made them in all different sizes and came away with several dozen. I could serioulsy see myself making them large at some point but then making sure that I don't need to share them with anyone else:P

Molasses Spice Cookies

2-1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda..I used 1 and it was just fine
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1-1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
3/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
3/4 cup Unsalted Butter,softened
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar,Packed
1/2 cup Sugar,plus 1/3 cup for rolling cookies
1 Large Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/3 cup Blackstrap Molasses

Preheat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice;set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 2 minutes.Add the brown sugar, and 1/2 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy,about 3 minutes with mixer on medium speed. Add egg, vanilla and molasses;beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Switch mixer to low speed and add in the flour mixture, beating just until combined,about 30 seconds.

Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Using about two tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls. Roll balls in sugar and then place on an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake until the outer edges of the cookies are set and the centers are soft and puffy,about 11-13 minutes. Cool on sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Do NOT overbake these cookies. You want them to be kind of soft and spongy in the middle..trust me on this!

Yield: Depends on the size 18-several dozen
Source: Simply Recipes

Roasted Chickpeas

2011-10-05T13:34:00.000+02:00

I'm sorta guilty of buying things based on cute factor in one way or the other. Take chickpeas..the Dutch word for chickpeas is Kikkererwten..wich means..are you ready? Frog Peas!! is that not the cutest name ever? I bought a can of it just because of the name. I know I'm weird. I'm ok with that. So now I needed to figure out what to do with my ~~frog~~ chickpeas.

I decided to roast em! I've seen recipes galore for these all over the blogging world and there isn't much to it. You drain em', rinse em', dry em' , drizzle with olive oil, season em', and bake em' until they are crispy. Easy peasy :) They are sooo addictive. I found myself munching on them like potato chips while watching tv.

Roasted Frog Peas

1 can of chickpeas..any size you want
Olive Oil
Seasonings of choice.

Preheat oven to 400 or 200 clecius. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place chickpeas between papertowels and blot until totally dry. Toss chickpeas with a few tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl and pour out onto a cookie sheet evenly. Bake 30-40 mins or until brown and crispy. Turn every 10 minutes so they don't burn. Season to taste and serve!

You can season them before putting in the oven aswell. Get creative with your spices. I've used smoked paprika,cajun seasonings, a simple salt seasoning and lemon pepper seasoning. All have been great!

Yield: 4 side dishes or one giant snack serving for you!

Kruisspin

2011-10-04T09:50:00.000+02:00

I know alot of people don't like spiders..but I do. Well from a photography stand point I love them. I think they have beautiful details on them that we don't take the time to really see. This lovely fellow lives outside my front window :) The Dutch word for him is Kruisspin and if I translate the page it comes out as Garden Spider. I love the cross pattern he has!

It's Tuesday Around the World again on Communal Global. So please join us in sharing a piece of your world with us!

Sunday's In My City...

2011-10-02T14:55:00.000+02:00

The Netherlands has been hit with a massive streak of beautiful sunny weather..I do believe thats called an Indian Summer. Im just loving it! It's quickly coming to an end but it was fun while it lasted.

The mushrooms are back in full force and it's one of my favorite things about living in The Netherlands during the fall season.

Meet Sherman, the newest member of the family. He was given to us by our friends that we dogsit for. She knew I had a massive love for him and I was so excited when she asked if I wanted him:)

I happily spend my afternoons picking weeds for him to snack on. It's love I tell you!

Dew drops are on my list of favorite things right now. I hope you all have a wonderful week and please stop by Unknown Mami and join in the fun of sharing your world with us!

Corn Muffins

2011-09-30T14:49:00.000+02:00

You can't tell from this photo but that corn muffin is ginormous. I heart it. Alot. So I'm seriously loving my new cookbook..The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. If you are looking for a new cookbook..I would like to suggest this one. It's awesome for beginners aswell as the more advanced bakers. They have the best tips and tricks included in the cookbook and I am so loving that.

These corn muffins not only rock on the corn flavor but they are extremely moist and soak up the butter that you know you are going to want to put on there. Incase I didn't tell you..these guys are huge. I am one of those none muffin filling offenders. I contstantly think that I am adding in way to much. What happens though is that you get a boring smallish muffin that can come out dry due to baking to quickly. Had I not paid attention to how many these make I could of easily come away with 18 muffins. So trust me on this and fill all 12 of your muffin tins full. I also had to sub some of the ingredients. As a rule I never keep whole milk on hand and was out of sour cream so I used plain yogurt instead. Now go makes these.

Corn Muffins

2 cups ( 10 ounces ) All-purpose Flour
1 cup(3 ounces) Yellow Cornmeal ( I used Polenta)
1-1/2 tsp. BakingPowder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 cup Sour Cream ( I used plain yogurt)
3/4 cup(5 1/4 ounces) Sugar
1/2 cup Whole Milk ( I used Buttermilk)
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter,melted and cooled
2 Large Eggs

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 400 or 200 celcius. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salttogether in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the sour cream, sugar, milk, melted butter, and eggs together until smooth. Gently fold the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined( do not overmix!)

Portion batter into each greased cup and bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, about 15-20 mins.

Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 Corn Muffins
Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Fluffernutter Cookies

2011-09-28T10:57:00.001+02:00

Did you grow up eating fluffernutter sandwiches? Basically for those who don't know what they are, it's a sandwich with peanut butter and marshmallow cream. I've actually never had one and it's probably a good thing because after I tasted a spoonful of the peanut butter and marchmallow cream..I was sorta in heaven. I felt slightly guilty for enjoying it by myself..but not so guilty that I left my kids know who were upstairs :)

I'm sorta on the fence with these cookies. I didn't love them like I thought I would. I'm a big peanut butter fan and if you are in it for the whole 3 ingredient,can be eaten within 20 minutes factor, then by all means give these a shot. They are really chewy and would go great with a big bowl of chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

Fluffernutter Cookies

1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Large Egg
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff

Preheat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter and egg with a large spoon until well combined. Slowly stir in the marshmallow fluff just until combined. You basically want a swirled effect with the dough. You want to see both the peanut butter and the fluff.

Drop by tablespoons full onto prepared sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until baked through. Allow to sit on cookie sheet for 5 mins before removing to wire rack.
** I would caution about allowing the cookies to become to brown. I let the first batch go until almost 15 minutes and that was way to long. You don't want the cookie to become to brown in this case.**

Yield: About 18 Cookies
Source: Picky Palate

It's Mushroom Time!

2011-09-27T10:35:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite things about living in The Netherlands during the fall season is all of the wonderful mushrooms that grow here. They come in every shape,size and color you could ever imagine.

All of these mushrooms were found while taking a simple walk through the woods on saturday.

As always I have hopes of spotting a fairy peaking around one of them someday :) so what does your "Today" look like? join us over at Communal Global in sharing a piece of your world with the rest of us.

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

2011-09-26T18:39:00.000+02:00

   Believe it or not...summer has finally arrived here in Holland! I think thats what you call an Indian Summer! We went through a massive cold spree and now..my goodness! it's in the upper 70's and beautiful! I've been outside everyday for over a week now soaking up the sun,working in the yard and airing the house out while we still can. I really really needed this.

This dish is also something that I will really really need again soon. I am trying my best to introduce new foods to my family. Growing up I hated and I mean hated spinach. I always had it in the cooked form and it was a giant slimy green goo of a mess. I avoided it all the time after that until i finally decided to just get over it already. I knew I didn't like the cooked form but I never bothered to give the raw form a shot. Well I loved it. I started making salads with it left and right and then moved on to adding it in main dish meals. I still loved it. Gone are the haunting memories of slimy goo wich have been replaced with wonderful ideas of how I can use it even more!

This dish is really quick to make and I love the cider vinegar dressing you put on everything towards the end. If you can't find or don't like kielbasa, feel free to use any sausage that you do like.

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

1 lb Red Potatoes,cubed
3 TBS Water
3/4 lb Smoked Kielbasa or Polish Sausage,cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup Chopped Onion
1 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Brown Sugar
2 TBS Cider Vinegar
1 TBS Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp. Pepper
4 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
5 Bacon strips,cooked and crumbled

Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until tender;drain.

In a large skillet, saute kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add potatoes;saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.

Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme, and pepper;stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add spinach and bacon;cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Yield: 4 servings
Source: Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook

Morning Glory Muffins

2011-09-21T09:57:00.001+02:00

A few weeks ago I ordered myself a new cookbook called " The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book" I'm head over heels in love with it. To be honest I've never heard of the show and we don't really get cooking programs over here ( oh how I miss FoodNetwork). I heard people talk about their cookbooks so I went hunting for one. I picked the baking book to try out first but I plan on ordering the family cookbook next! They have great tips and tricks to make everything turn out everytime..and so far it has paid off! I whipped up some biscuits that went so fast that I didn't have time to take a picture of them. Guess I will have to make some more :)

These muffins were another recipe that I tried and loved aswell. We are on another muffin kick at the house. I made these to serve along yogurt and homemade Granola for breakfast this week. The muffins are moist and are filled with nuts,pineapple,raisins and shredded carrots!

Morning Glory Muffins

2-1/4 cups(11-1/4 ounces) All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1/4 cups (8-3/4 ounces) Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1/2 cup (8 TBS) Butter,melted and cooled
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 cups Grated Carrots..peel first.About 4 medium carrots
1 (8 ounce) can Crushed Pineapple..drained and pressed dry with paper towels.
1/2 cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 or 190 celcius. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Gently fold the sugar mixture into flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the shredded carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins, and nuts just until combined..do not overmix!

Using a greased 1/4 cup measure, portion batter into each muffin cup. Bake until golden and toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 12-16 Muffins
Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Peanut Butter Cup Invasion!

2011-09-19T17:49:00.001+02:00

I totally forgot to post about this! While shopping at one of my favorite stores a few weeks back my husband quickly comes over and tells me to come and see something. I couldn't believe it...Reeses peanut butter cups..in The Netherlands! they do not understand the whole peanut butter/chocolate combo and if you talk to them about it they get this horrible scrunched up look on their face. They eat raw fish for goodness sake yet the thought of eating a peanut butter cup is way to much for them!

Next to the cups they also had some kind of off brand mac n cheese, mustard, cheese curls and bbq sauce. All the prices are in euros by the way so 2,29 for the bbq sauce equals $3.12. I picked up a pack of the reeses and shared them with the boys. I gotta tell ya..I no longer like them! the fake sugary and crap chocolate flavor just doesn't do it for me anymore..Thats not going to stop me from using them in homemade ice cream or baked goods but it looks like the tastebuds are forever changed!

Sunday's In My City...

2011-09-18T17:59:00.000+02:00

Another week has flown by! I'm back to share part two of my Giethoorn adventure! If you missed the first set of photos you can find part one HERE. After we took our boat through the neighborhood we started towards the middle of a huge lake. We spotted a restuarant along the way.

Although it's a man-made lake it wasn't done on purpose. They dug out a bunch of trenches to get peat out and then eventually they had dug so many of those out that at one point it flooded,filled up and turned into what you see now. It's actually not very deep. I thought it was a normal deep lake but it was breast deep.

They have tons of rental homes available.

   We plan to return next summer and hopefully rent one of those wonderful vacation homes! Thanks for stopping by and please head over to Unknown Mami to see what she and everyone else is up to!

Quick Mexican Rice with Black Beans

2011-09-17T16:17:00.001+02:00

I don't know about you but I always have problems with side dishes! The main dish I never have problems with, but I draw a blank when it comes to serving it with something else. I usually end up with either a salad or potato type dish. It gets boring. I've been trying to work on that, to make something equally delicious as the main meal. I think this one fits in nicely with that.

I made cheese quesadillas for dinner the other night and wanted something to go along with it. It's pretty much a no-brainer to serve some sort of mexican rice dish to go along with the quesadillas. I was short on time though and was so happy to find this recipe! It's easy, comes together in no time and tastes fantastic. You can add in additional spices if you like..I added in cumin. You could actually make this a main dish by adding in some cooked ground beef and eating it like that or stuffing a tortilla with it :)

Easy Mexican Rice with Black Beans

3-1/2 cups Hot Cooked Rice
1 cup Black Beans
1 cup Shredded Cheese..Cheddar,Monterey Jack,etc
1 (4oz) can Chopped Green Chilies
1 cup Tomato Sauce,warmed
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
Additional Seasoning;optional

In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together until evenly mixed and cheese is melted. (I went ahead and placed the black beans in with the tomato sauce as I warmed it up in a saucepan over medium low heat)

Yield: 4-6 side dish servings
Source: Kitchen Simplicity

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Snack Squares

2011-09-14T21:01:00.001+02:00

Monday I posted a recipe for Rocky Road Freeze and I told you I would come back today and post what I served it with..Well here it is.. oatmeal peanut butter squares. They are heaven. I've made these 3 times in the last few weeks..they are that good.

There's no butter or eggs in this recipe..nothing but peanut butter, brown sugar, flour and oats..oh and some chocolate :). They are thick, almost brownie like and the peanut butter to chocolate ratio is spot on. You could add in nuts..I added in chopped walnuts in one of the batches and we really loved that. I think they are best served warm with a giant scoop of ice cream on top but if you don't have ice cream don't let that stop you from making these. They go great with a giant glass of cold milk : )

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Snack Squares

1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour..I used All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 TBS Vanilla
1/2 cup Milk
1/3 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Additional Add Ins: chopped nuts, cinnamon,various chocolate chip flavors.

Prea heat oven to 350 or 180 celcius. Grease an 8x8 inch sqaure pan,set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, add peanut butter and sugar and mix on high speed until fluffy-about 2-3 minutes. Add in vanilla and mix until combined.

Reduce speed to medium and add in the baking soda, salt, flour and oats. The dough will look crumbly and you want the peanut butter mix to be broken up into clumps. Reduce speed to low and add in the milk;mix until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts if using and make sure the chips are completely combined in with the dough.

Roll dough into a ball with your hands. Place ball in middle of prepared pan,pressing to fit. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until set and golden on top. Let cool on wire rack before cutting into 9 squares.

Yield: 9 big squares
Source: How Sweet It Is

Unusual Mushroom

2011-09-13T11:27:00.000+02:00

So I'm outside on saturday afternoon getting ready to mow the lawn when I spotted..this! yep thats a mushroom! I was totally grossed out. At first I thought it was a creepy slug of some kind and then I started laughing because I couldn't believe the funny shape and color it comes in. I had my husband look up the Dutch word for this mushroom to figure out what it was. It's basically called a 'Stink Mushroom' and the smell attracts the flies and when they walk on the mushroom the spores attatch to them and they carry it with them to their next stop. They come in a variety of colors..white,red and multi color. I mowed over the sucker and the next day it was sticking straight up again!

So that's my "Today" for you :) It's time to join us again in Communal Global by sharing a bit of your world with the rest of us. So link on up!

Rocky Road Freeze

2011-09-12T11:25:00.001+02:00

Although summer is quickly coming to an end I just had to post this recipe. Is there ever a bad time for ice cream? I'm determined to use my ice cream maker more often. I use it all the time in the summer and then stop for the winter. I miss peppermint ice cream that we would buy around the holidays and I'm going to make some for sure this year!

So what if you don't have an ice cream maker? well you are in luck because this recipe does not require one! All you need is two bowls and a few ingredients to make this. I hesitate in saying that it tastes just like rocky road ice cream. It's a good substitute but not the real deal. We all loved it though and wait til you see what I served it with..check back on wednesday for that : )

Rocky Road Freeze

1 can ( 14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Chocolate Syrup
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Mini Marshmallows
1/2 cup Miniature Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Chopped Salted Peanuts or Walnuts

In a bowl, combine milk and chocolate syrup;set aside. In another bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate milk mixture, marshmallows, chocolate chips and peanuts.

Transfer to a freezer-proof container;cover and freeze for 5 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: About 1-1/2 Quarts
Source: Taste of Home Winning Recipes

Sunday's In My City...

2011-09-11T18:17:00.000+02:00

I finally went to Giethoorn,Holland. It's been nicknamed "The Venice of The Netherlands". You can rent boats and tour the town through the canals.

It seriously felt like I was in another world..like in a Thomas Kinkade painting.

See what I mean? the homes are beautiful. It was a perfect day.

You can pull your boat to the side and walk in an out of stores.

If you have a very large chunk of change you could buy this lovely home :)

Next week I will show the more pictures of Giethoorn and the lake we spent a few hours on..I hope you come back! Please head over to Unknown Mami and check out what she and everyone else is up to today. Even though I am now living in The Netherlands, I have not forgotten about 9/11 and those who were killed that tragic day. I can still remember where I was when it happened and the complete sense of loss,fear and hope I felt during that time. I will never forget.

Dijon-Crusted Chicken Breasts

2011-09-08T20:08:00.001+02:00

School is back in full swing! My oldest son is 13 and over here you start high school at that age. However, high school here is waaaay different than high school in the states. The biggest difference is that his day can start anytime between 8 am and 11 am and he can get home anywhere between noon and 4 pm! It's almost like going to college. He can have an hour in between classes to do what he wants and a class can be canceled all together and he has that free time until his next class. If you are confused..then join the club because so am I! I wrote his schedule down to make sure I atleast know where he is supposed to be throughout the day. I have a feeling he is going to be maturing alot this year.

In between getting everyone on a schedule again and keeping track of who needs to be where and at what time, I've been trying some new recipes! Chicken has got to be my favorite ingredient to use when making dinner. You can do so much with it that I never get bored. This recipe is super easy and Im sure most of you have the ingredients already in your kitchen. The best part however is that if you keep your chicken breast weighing in a 4 ounces each, it comes in at 169 calories per breast!

Dijon-Crusted Chicken Breasts

4 Bonless skinless Chicken breast halves( 4 ounces each)
1/3 cup Dry Bread Crumb
1 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 TBS Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Reduced-fat Margarine

Place bread crumbs, chesse and seasonings in a shallow bowl. Brush chicken with mustard on all sides;roll in crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil and margarine over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked and the juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings
Source: Taste of Home 30-minute Light Entrees