• Recipes: Auntie Anne’s Apple Cinnamon Pretzels

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    Delicious Auntie Anne’s Apple Cinnamon Pretzel ready to be eaten!

    We had the opportunity to try these Auntie Anne’s Apple Cinnamon Pretzels and they were delicious!  It wasn’t completely homemade, but it was fun putting them together.  The girls had a blast rolling out the dough, putting into different shapes, and sprinkling on the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

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    Pretzel dough rolled and shaped into cool designs!

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    Apple pretzels are baked, now on to the next step!

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    They have been sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar!

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    Anyone ready for a special treat?!

    Recipes - Pretzels - Asparagus - Potato Wedges - P1450910c

    If you are looking for a fun and delicious treat!  Try Auntie Anne’s Apple Cinnamon Pretzels.

  • Family Celebrations: Catching Up with Family Over Spring Break

    Cousins Riding Together on the John Deere Gator! Fun Times!

    The girls and I had the opportunity to go visit family over their Spring Break this year.  We had a lot of fun spending time with Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and more!  It had been a few months since we had been in the Midwest yet I was amazed how much the girls remembered.  They LOVED seeing family and spending time on the farm.  Each night they would crash from their busy schedule but they would be up early the next morning ready to (as Karlie put it so nicely) “Go explore more of Kansas!”

    I am thankful the girls have an opportunity to spend time with my parents and all four Grandpa and Grandma’s on my side of the family.  Each one has a special place in my heart and I am thrilled the girls get to have such wonderful memories of them as well.  It has been a nice adventure full of old and new memories.  It was such a blessing to see so many family members throughout our stay in Kansas!

    Here are just some of the exciting activities we participating in during our stay in Kansas (I hope to have some more pictures to show in a few days):

    • Riding Horses – Brina and Karlie LOVED Sassy
    • Playing with Dogs, Cats and Farm Animals
    • Watching them Work the Calves
    • Easter Egg Hunts
    • Kids 4 Truth Activities
    • Spending Time with Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins
    • Playing with family and friends
    • Riding the Gator
    • “Hunting” (Brina’s paraphrase) for Corn Cobs for the Horse
    • Coloring Easter Eggs
    • Crafts
    • Seeing Grandpa’s Big “Sprinkler” (Center Pivot)
    • Lots of Pheasants
    • Seeing a Coyote chase the Pheasants
    • Gathering Eggs in Grandpa Verlyn’s Hen House
    • Feeding the Turkeys
    • Homemade Food (including special Waffles)
    • Hot Chocolate
    • Helping Grandpa Russell on the Farm
    • Shooting Uncle Lee & Uncle Josh with Nerf Guns
    • Puzzles
    • The Big Hole
    • The Pet Cemetery
    • Grocery Shopping with Grandma Penny
    • Reading Books with Grandpa Russell & Grandma Penny
    • Planting Flowers
    • Learning More About our Family’s History
    • AND SOOOO MUCH MORE!!!!!!!

    The girls and I had a grand time seeing so many family members and spending time in Kansas.  A big thanks to everyone for a super fun trip!  It is a Spring Break that the girls will be talking about for years.  And yes, they found out that Easter does come to Kansas too!   Although we made a lot of wonderful new memories during our trip the girls are ready to see Daddy again.  Hopefully he is ready for us!

  • Family Recipe: Homemade Egg Noodles

    Grandma Willa makes the best Egg Noodles!  She received this recipe from her Mom, my Great Grandma Joedemann.  If you are wanting some great tasting homemade egg noodles these are amazing.  The ingredients are ones you typically have on hand and it is easy to make.

    Egg Noodles:

    • 4 Eggs
    • 1 1/2 cup Flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
    • Optional – dash of garlic salt or caraway seed

    Mix and place on a floured pastry sheet roll out & cut.  You may need a little more flour depending on the moisture of the dough.  The dough should be pretty thick you want it just enough to roll it out.  Use the noodles immediately or let them dry for a few minutes before using with your favorite dish.

    Photo by msufal

  • Family Recipe: All American Corn Bread

    The All American Corn Bread is my Mother-in-Law’s recipe.  She has a lot of delicious recipes that we have enjoyed.  The first four birthday cakes for the girls were made by Jake’s Mom.  She would take the theme for that year and come up with something creative yet different for each of the girls.

    If you’re looking for a wonderful corn bread recipe you should check out this recipe.  It is a great compliment to a pot of chili, soup, or any home cooked meal.

    All American Corn Bread

    • 2 cups Biscuit Mix
    • 1 cup Half-n-Half
    • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 3/4 cup Sugar
    • 1 cup butter
    • 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
    • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
    • 2 Eggs, slightly beaten

    Scald cream with butter, add to thoroughly mixed dry ingredients.  Mix in eggs.  Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Allow to stand for several minutes before cutting.  Serves 12

    Photo by Tristanf

  • Gift Giving: Baking Christmas Goodies

    It has been a busy week!  Tomorrow I am very excited to have the opportunity to get together with Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life and cook up some yummy recipes to share with friends, family and neighbors.  It should be a lot of fun and I am sure we’ll have some funny stories to tell and pictures to share.   I have all my recipes marked and a table full of ingredients to pack.  The girls are licking their lips thinking about all the amazing goodies that are going to be created tomorrow.  They have been asking for two weeks if the “baking” day was here yet.

    Here is what we are looking forward to baking tomorrow:

    Several of the recipes I have never tried, however, they all appear to be fairly easy to make.  It will be interesting to see what we can accomplish in a few hours and if we have any hiccups along the way. No matter what happens it will be a day full of fun and memories.  Since the oven will be full of baking goodies we decided to give ourselves a break from cooking a meal for everyone and will be ordering pizza for dinner.

    While we are busy in the kitchen cooking the men will be helping entertain the kids, enjoying some time gaming together among other tasks I am sure they will be delegated to do.  They don’t get together as often now with all the busy family schedules so they are looking forward to some fun time too.   The kids are really excited about having some time to play together while we cook.  Although I have been told from my girls that they want to taste every recipe to make sure it is good before we give it to anyone else.   So now I am off to pack up the ingredients, sprinkles and all, so we can eat dinner at the table tonight.  I look forward to sharing our adventures with you next week!

  • Recipe: Mom’s Hot Chocolate Mix

    My Mom made the most delicious homemade Hot Chocolate Mix as kids.  Once it started turning chilly she would make a big batch for the family.  It was one of the best things to drink on a chilly winter day!  If you don’t want a large batch of Hot Chocolate cut the recipe in half.

    Mom’s Hot Chocolate Mix:

    • 8 quart Powder Milk
    • 1 pound Powder Sugar
    • 1 pound Instant Cocoa
    • 1 1/2 pound Coffemate
    • 6 tablespoons of Cocoa

    Mix all the ingredients together and put in an airtight container.  Add 1/2 cup of mix per mug of warm water or milk.

    Optional: You can add marshmallows and / or cool whip for an added touch.

    We’ll be making this great recipe to share with family, friends and neighbor during our Gift Giving: Baking Christmas Goodies day!

  • Gift Giving: Homemade Handprint Ornaments

    Are you looking for great gifts to give but are on a tight budget?   This is a simple recipe that uses a few items from your pantry and makes a thoughtful Christmas Gift.  Last year for Christmas gifts we made Homemade Cinnamon Handprints for Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and extended family members.  They were inexpensive, easy to do, and the girls had a lot of fun. You probably have all the ingredients already.

    Cinnamon Handprint Ornaments:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Salt
    • 5 teaspoons Cinnamon
    • 3/4 cup Water

    Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir in water gradually to make dough.  If it is sticking to your hands, add more flour or if it is too crumbling add more water.  Knead dough for approximately 8 minutes until smooth.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll out dough to desired thickness (typically between 1/4 to 3/4 inches thick).

    We used a football cookie cutter for the oval (you can use a circle or anything big enough that they can fit their hands in) than lightly floured their hands before making a slight indention on the clay.  We took a stamp and pressed their first initial in the bottom of each palm to help us remember who it belonged to.  Since my girls are twins their hand sizes are almost the same!

    After making the handprint in the clay use a straw to make a hole in the top so you can hang the ornament.

    Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour.  (Thicker dough will take longer to bake).  They are done when the clay is dry, you notice a slight change in color.  Cool and add a ribbon of your choice!

    Optional: Once cooled you can use spray on polyurethane for extra shine.

    Ours still smell great even after a year.  We made more than one batch since we have a large family but you can do as many as you want.  With the extra dough we made Christmas ornaments so we could hang them on the tree.

  • Recipe: Homemade Naan Bread

    We brought dinner to a couple church events this week and decided to do an Indian theme.  We had Biryani, Rice, and Naan but couldn’t find Samosa’s since our favorite Indian store had closed two weeks ago (owners retired).

    Here is a great homemade Naan recipe my cousin shared with me.  We love eating it  with Indian food or plain.

    • 1 – .25 oz package active dry yeast
    • 1 cup warm water
    • 1/4 cup white sugar
    • 3 tablespoons milk
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 4 1/2 cups bread flour (you can use either white or whole wheat)
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
    • 1/4 cup melted butter
    1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand about 10 minutes.
    2. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough.
    3. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
    4. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth, then set aside. (Let dough rise for 1 hour, it should double in volume).
    5. Punch down dough and knead in garlic (if you chose to use it).
    6. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball.  Roll into ball shapes and place on a tray then cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
    7. While dough is rising the 2nd time, preheat grill to high heat.  (you can use a griddle if you prefer too).
    8. Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle and lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes (or until puffy and lightly browned).
    9. Brush uncooked side with butter and flip over. Brush cooked side with butter and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes.
    10. Remove from grill and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

    Serve the Naan with an Indian dish or really any other meal.   A light bread with great flavor.  It is similar to a pita for those who have not tried Naan.  Enjoy!