Molasses Cookies

i have been promising minihe we'd make cookies for a while now but things just didn't work out for us - naptime, suppertime, bathtime...  i love molasses cookies but have never made them myself. probably because i don't happen to keep molasses on hand, but with seasonal items, like molasses, in stock and highly visible, i thought this would be a delicious project for the two of us.  the recipe is not my own, although i did have to use golden brown sugar instead of dark since that's what i had on hand. i also only had whole cloves instead of ground so i neglected that ingredient from my batter.  i used a tiny, itty, bitty sprinkling of nutmeg instead.  they're similar, right?   click here to view the website where this comes from.  

dry ingredients:

2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t ground cloves (omitted)
preparation:
wisk together in a bowl and set aside

wet ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 C dark brown sugar (i used golden)
2 T oil
1/3 C molasses
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
preparation:
beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. scrape sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
add remaining liquid ingredients and beat until incorporated. scrape sides and beat briefly.


combine:
add flour to liquid bowl, beating with each addition.
refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.  this step is important because the batter is sticky and extremely difficult to work with.


bake:
preheat oven to 375 degrees.
cover baking sheet with parchment paper
place 1 C sugar in a bowl
roll dough into 1" rounds and then roll in sugar
using the bottom of a glass, flatten each round slightly
bake 9-10 minutes or until tops start to crackle
cool on a wire rack

don't these just look delicious?

more, please!

 fish is a dish i am not confident in my ability to prepare.  i have tried boxes of breading, countless cookbooks, consulted websites, all with an inconsistent level of success.  tonight's recipe worked out beautifully and ironically, i followed no recipe at all...  three of the four of us were members of the clean plate club, in fact!  i'll divide this recipe out a little bit differently than previous posts...


breading: mix the following in shallow pan
spattering of seasoned bread crumbs (probably 1/2 c)
2 T corn meal
2 T flour
1 t parsley
sprinkling of garlic salt
s&p


in a bowl, wisk together 
3/4 c milk
2-3 T sour cream
1 t lemon juice


fish:
tilapia fillets to fill your family, i think i fried 6 and could have gotten away with 4 or 5...
thaw fillets, rinse well, and pat dry


tartar sauce:
3/4 c miracle whip
1/4 c sour cream
2-3 T finely diced onion
1 T relish
1 T lemon juice
1 t dill
1 t parsley
s&p


mix all ingredients in a small bowl while fish is thawing to allow flavors to marry longer.


preparation:
in a skillet, heat 2 T oil
dip fillet in milk, dredge in breading, place on skillet
fry until golden and flip, total time around 7 minutes
*i am always concerned about cooking fish completely so i err on the side of over cooking...

60 Greatest Love Stories

if you have a few minutes and a box of kleenex nearby, check out these touching stories about some of the greatest love stories of all time.  thanks for sharing, ally-bear!

french onion soup & burgers

i adore my slow cooker and use it as frequently as i can, usually once during the week, and once on the weekend.  i came across a recipe on betty crocker website and followed it, mostly.  i didn't have broth on hand but i did have instant bouillon.  (more about that below) i also didn't have any mozarella but i did have a block of muenster. (also more about that below)  the soup served 6 with leftovers for french onion burgers, the second recipe in this post.  it's delicious!!!


french onion soup: this is my adaptation of the betty crocker recipe i found online.
ingredients:
2-3 onions, sliced thinly
6 cups water
2 T instant beef bouillon
**or 4 cans beef broth**
one turn of worcestershire sauce
4 T butter
s&p
loaf of french bread
butter
garlic salt
parsley
4-6 oz. cheese
preparation:
slice onions, add to crock pot
add in four cups of water
microwave until warm, 2 cups of water and stir in 2 T instant beef bouillon, add to crock.
add butter, worcestershire, s&p, and stir to combine.
turn crock on low for 8-10 hours
for french bread -- turn broiler on low (i do this because i inevitably burn bread otherwise...)
i happened to have the kind that was sliced lengthwise and pre-buttered, so i placed my slices of muenster on top and broiled until bubbly.  otherwise, you could use the prepackaged texas cheese toast, or slice your bread the "right" way, butter and season both sides, pile mozarella sky high, and broil until bubbly.
notes:
i am a fan of homemade but semi-homemade is sometimes just as delicious and takes a whole lot less effort.  i think if i make this again i'll use texas cheese toast and save myself the expense and time...


french onion burgers: i used the leftover soup to make these tasty burgers.
ingredients:
1 lb burger
sprinkle of lawry's
1 t parsley - i hear that you're supposed to rub the dried seasonings in your hands to help refresh the aroma and flavor before adding to a dish (shout out to rachael ray, actually...) 
sprinkle of garlic salt
sprinkle of onion salt
1 T bread crumbs
4 buns
butter
onion salt
1 cup french onion soup (could use a can of soup, make a packet of it, or simmer some onions in a can of broth)
sliced cheese
preparation:
preheat the oven to a low broil (again, i use low so i don't burn the bread)
thaw the burger and mix in seasonings and bread crumbs
form patties - 1/4 lb patties was perfect for us and fit right on the bun, but you could make them smaller)
fry 'em up!  (or grill if the weather permits)
while the burgers are cooking, butter the buns and sprinkle with onion or garlic salt or both
when just about done, remove burgers from the pan and add soup
bring to a boil and cook out some of the liquid, condensing the flavor
when you add the burgers back to the pan, throw the buttered buns in the oven
serve the burgers with a slice of cheese and a side of the au jus left in the pan!  
notes: 
these were delicious and everybody ate every last morsel.  the toasted buns added a nice crunch, and the au jus made it seem a little more like a restaurant burger.

splitting wood...

we are a two-income family but still struggle if any "extras" come up, like a car repair, medical/dental bill, and so on. between daycare, vehicles, camper, mortgage, insurance, and the standard monthly expenses, there's not an over abundance of cash remaining.

like other families in our very common situation, we found a way to all but eliminate our dependence on propane by installing a wood burning furnace in our basement. last winter alone, we saved ourselves a minimum of $1,500! we had one fill in the fall since we use propane for our stove, water heater, dryer, and barn. a fill usually runs us right around $700-900 and we would need at least 3-4 fills per year so that was a huge savings for us. we've gone from a fill every 3-4 months to 1 per year! an added bonus-the heat from a wood burner was so much warmer, and in our old farm house, that's huge! in winters past we would bring the kids to sleep downstairs because it was just too cold. now, they sleep with light blankets and a t-shirt. another note about the savings--it paid for itself! d put up the chimney himself and retrofitted our ductwork, so if you are a DIY kind of family, it wouldn't take more than a weekend to get you up and running!

the drawbacks?
1. d is busy nearly every weekend cutting, splitting, hauling, stacking, and tending to this endeavor. thank goodness it's been a very mild winter thus far and we have been able to stock up instead of literally burning through it. also, we have an attachment for the bobcat that splits wood and is operated inside the cab. makes the work go pretty fast...
2. our yard to the west of the house is a mess. the lawn is torn up from the bobcat tires, there's wood chips, sawdust, and splinters all over, but it's not visible from the road or visitors or really from the family room so it's more of an eyesore only if you know it's there.
3. chimney fires are a real danger and maintenance of the chimney is a must. it is recommended to sweep them quite frequently to clear out the build-up of creosote, which is highly flammable. we had to clean ours twice and ended up not using it when the temps got too high since creosote is better carried out with the draft of cold exterior air.

if you have considered using an alternative method for heating your home, consider burning wood. d's dad bought a brand new corn furnace, burned corn for a season, and traded it for a wood furnace. theirs is outside and plumbed into the house underground. we're, and by "we're" i mean d, is happy to share more about our experience, cost savings, and methods.

strawberry sour cream pancakes

pancakes are a huge hit in our house. anytime. i've experimented with bisquick, homemade batters, add-in's, syrups...  i've made this strawberry sour cream recipe several times with excellent results and very happy eaters.  i hope you like it!

strawberry sour cream pancakes: i eyeball a lot of my ingredients so this in generally a more or less kind of recipe.  add ingredients to achieve your desired consistency.

ingredients:

1 cup bisquick

1 egg

1/4-1/3 c sour cream

1/4-1/3 c milk

2 T sugar

1/2-3/4 c quartered strawberries (i used frozen and thawed them partially)

preparation:

mix together the first five ingredients, adding more milk or bisquick to achieve your desired consistency

fold in the strawberries; be gentle or your pancakes will turn pink

heat a griddle with a teaspoon of oil, spoon batter and spread out slightly. 

flip when bubbles pop and don't fill back in, 2-3 minutes.

second side goes faster, about 1-2 minutes.

yielded 14 pancakes

notes:

i have found that lowest heat setting yields the most even cooked, blonde colored pancakes.  it takes a little more patience, but definitely worth the effort. these go so fast i haven't had the chance to actually freeze this particular kind, but i have frozen blueberry, banana, applesauce, and regular pancakes very successfully.  just make sure to put them in a freezer bag, squeeze as much air out as you can, and seal it tight.  just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds, sometimes less depending on thickness and size.

 my happy eaters dug right in!

me and d

tonight d and i were laying on the couch cuddling and he says to me, "i love you. more than you know. i'm sorry i don't tell you enough just how much you mean to me."  awh.... *sigh*  (he had been drinking all afternoon, but the message was nonetheless heartfelt and sincere.)  to which i replied, "it's ok, honey.  i tell you enough for the both of us."  we chuckled and enjoyed our time together until minishe climbed on d's back and exclaimed, "gittyup horsie!"  but i have had a few hours now to reflect on his words, and i have to admit, i don't hear those words enough from him and we stopped kissing goodnight years ago. but you know what?  i never have wondered how he feels about me.  i never have and i never will.

music is my life

as i mentioned in one of my first posts, music has been a part of my life for as long as i can remember.  so much so that i made it a career.  i was recently accepted to graduate level studies at the university of saint thomas and will begin pursuing my degree in music education with an instrumental emphasis.  i would love to eventually teach music education courses, piano and flute lessons, and help prepare college students to be music teachers.  that's probably years down the road but it's good to have goals and aspirations. 

there are several new trends in music that make me so excited.  one of those is music business. it is spectacular to see how music is branching out beyond performance and education!  so for those students who love music and want to work in the industry, they no longer have to major in business, minor in music and find a way to combine the two with teachers who are completely confused by the combination...  mcnally smith college of music in saint paul is cutting edge and offers a totally new, contemporary approach to music in the 21st century.

i also am quite satisfied with the internet radio options that are now available.  if you weren't already aware,  pandora streams radio through computers, handheld devices, and now even tv's, dvd players, and gaming systems.  i am incredibly impressed with the content of their artist biographies.  they are comprehensive, well researched, and composed extremely well.  another application i am completely in love with is spotify.  its interface is similar to iTunes, which, as an apple enthusiast, is helpful.  it also streams radio, allows you to star albums, individual songs, create playlists, and see what your friends on facebook are listening to.  i like how people have made their playlists public, which exposes me to music i haven't experienced yet.

UPDATE:
iTunes radio has changed my life!  Ok. Not really. But it is pretty cool.  And Minihe knows how to use it!  It's pretty amazing my almost-6-year-old can unlock the computer, recognize the iTunes icon, find the radio area, and scan through artists.  That's pretty amazing for a kid who can't really read yet.  But then again, he has had a gadget in his hand since before he was two.....  Kids these days.

you weigh in... what music do you listen to?  what service do you use for listening to music?  who or what is your biggest influence in your music selections?

meal planning made easy

meal planning is a huge aid i rely on in planning our monthly budget, managing my time, and feeding my family.  i have two methods that work well for us.  i tend devise a list of 30 meals, some more or less elaborate, and not all homemade.  frozen or take-out pizza, hot dogs, mac and cheese, and deli meat sandwiches usually make it on the list every month.  as every busy mom knows, while they aren't the most nutritious of meals, every child will eat every last morsel of these menu items.  sad, but true...  

at any rate, i develop my grocery list based on what i need to prepare the meals.  as the fresh mushrooms, peppers, carrots, broccoli, etcetera disappear, i make the switch to frozen, rarely canned.  as fruits disappear, i usually buy more or switch to frozen/canned, but only in 100% juice.  bread, milk, eggs, butter, and other perishables get purchased as needed as well; although, i have been known to make my own bread every once in a while...

the second method i use actually compliments the first and puts my list into an actual plan, organized by day, and for the weekends, by meals.  i have included a .jpg image of the template.  message me if you would like this template in .pdf, .doc, or .pages format if you are interested in adapting it to fit your needs.  i'd be happy to share!

there are a few other time saving methods i have used from time to time including make and freeze, crock pot, dump bags, one skillet recipes.  a quick google or pinterest search will yield many successful blogs, websites, and official sponsors that will help you incorporate these time saving efforts into your meal time organization methods.  look for my own adaptations to come in the weeks to come!

what if?

i am an incredibly passionate person, especially when it comes to things i feel passionate about.  sounds right, right?  recently i encountered some posts on a facebook page that features mugshots of local arrests.  seems innocent enough, right?  wrong!  the commentary that followed was outrageous!  and it doesn't just happen there, it happens after almost news item on any website.  it sickens me the insults adults are throwing at each other and speaks to the heart of the character the school systems are trying not to instill in our children, the future of this nation and world.  several adages raced through my head when reading the message thread of said facebook page: 
1. just because you can, doesn't mean you should...
2. if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all...
3. treat others as you would like to be treated...
4. people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones...
5. actions speak louder than words...
6. if you can talk the talk, then you should be able to walk the walk...

should i go on or do you get the point?

at any rate... i took it upon myself to call adults to action and composed a quite lengthy article published in our local newspaper, not in the letter to the editor, as initially intended, but in the editor's own column...  quite an honor, although it doesn't hurt that i have worked at said newspaper on and off for 6 or 7 years... :)  i hope that this post is though provoking for you and makes you think about how your actions are being viewed by the young and impressionable that are watching...  **warning: this is quite a read, but definitely worthwhile...

In response to a recent experience I encountered on a local Facebook page, I believe it is my civil duty to call adults to action in changing the tide of the way we interact with each other.  North Iowa Mugshots claims to operate under the premise of public service and posts pictures of local arrests, organizes them by crimes, and to proceeds to allow this page to be an open forum for reckless commentary by anyone.  A public service cannot coexist peacefully with a platform for rebuttal.  Not to mention it is in direct violation of our judicial system’s “innocent until proven guilty” doctrine.  North Iowa Mugshots is not the only Internet-based news source to be held accountable - I see many absurd and irrelevant comments following other news stories on local TV stations, news papers, and other reputable websites.  Presenting the facts is called journalistic integrity, and while people feel it is there right to respond to these facts with their own interpretations, I ask - is it necessary?

I don't know 99% of the people featured on that page or in the news, and my guess is most may not either.  However, it is frustrating and sickening that adults are throwing insults, language, personal attacks, and threats around with complete and utter disregard for the full extent of these inappropriate and senseless comments.  The old adage "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" seems quite appropriate to describe the situation going on not only on that page or pages like it, but in society in general.  I am far from perfect, and I’m really glad my life isn’t on a microscope for others to dissect.

It is my belief the administrators of any webpage have the right, and dare I say obligation, to censor such posts.  This statement may get me accused of infringing on freedom of speech rights; however, when people exercise these "Freedom of Speech" threats they are making, they may earn themselves a picture on the wall of shame, and then they are no better than the people they are blatantly judging.  Furthermore, the cloak of anonymity gives people a voice they wouldn’t ordinarily exercise.  The argument could be made that a website is not responsible or can be held liable for the comments made by members, and one must take into consideration the type of people posting such garbage.  While a valid point, I ask, again, it is necessary?  Perhaps I was raised by very wise people, but I believe my grandmother said to me on many occasions, “Is it better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool rather than to open it and remove all doubt?”  I implore you to consider these words the next time you consider saying, writing, or expressing yourself in a manner that is insensitive, foolish, and impulsive.   

I am not an activist against Freedom of Speech - here I am speaking openly against the activities of those who post unnecessary commentary following any news story.  I have been employed by local newspapers for years and fully understand the impact of our First Amendment Rights.  What I am an activist against is such vulgarity that serves zero purpose, openly makes physical threats, harbors an atmosphere of bullying, and makes an outright display of despicable behaviors, one post nastier than the previous.  It simply called common sense and responsibility, two key traits crucial to our ability to function and coexist.

If this is what children have as role models for appropriate adult behavior, it is no wonder kids behave the way they do.  That goes for the people featured in news articles for their wrong-doings and those who feel the need to treat others so uncivilly.  This, my friends, only perpetuates instead of breaks the cycle.  I am a teacher, I have kids of my own, and I serve on on my school’s character education team; the observations I have made of the comments are not solving any problems, are not a wise use of time, and most certainly are not positive.  It is our responsibility to instill values in our children and encourage them to be civil-minded, caring, compassionate, and respectful in their relationships.  It's total hypocrisy for today's adult generations to complain about the behavior of today's youth when they have not set an example worth following.

Instead of pointing out the obvious flaws in decision-making of people featured on the sites, what if we provided mentoring to young mothers as to how to run a household?  What if there were reasonable daycare options for them to finish or pursue education?  What if we did more drug and alcohol awareness in our own homes?  What if there were tougher traffic laws?  What if bartenders didn’t allow their patrons to get behind the wheel?  What if?  Believe it or not, I am not a liberal democrat - I’m a humanitarian just wanting the best for the future of this world.  My kids have to grow up in here, and it’s already difficult enough to teach the difference between right and wrong without all the social influences, negativism, and injustices being displayed in our own backyard.

Although I use websites for their intended purposes, and like to pride myself on keeping up-to-date on local news stories, I am astonished by other adults who choose to use them as a platform for spreading hatred.  Just because a comment box follows a news item doesn't alone justify or even require its usage.  There are appropriate outlets for voicing an opinion and I am not convinced that children, or anyone with an ounce of common sense, should be subjected to some of the most wicked statements I have ever encountered.  I must look crazy for putting this much thought into this cry for social justice, but if no one else is going to be a voice of reason, I will stand up and support the cause whole-heartedly.  

I again am reminded of a poem that sums up what I am trying to say:

Watch your thoughts for they become your words.

Watch your words for they become your actions.

Watch your actions for they become your habits.

Watch your habits for they become your character.

Watch your character for it becomes your destiny.

It is only to society's benefit that our interactions with each other remain respectful, considerate, calm, and productive.  We first have to look within to be the change we want to see.  Do you have it within you?