Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I've been absent from my blog for a bit.  I have no GOOD excuse, so I won't make one... I've just been busy *shrugs*.

It's football time around here again for Caleb (two weeks left!) and we're also getting all ready for our Halloween party coming up in a week and a half.  Fall break starts today for the kiddos and they're super excited to have a few days off from school.  I'm hoping we make it to a corn maze this week.  We go every October!

I've been canning up a storm round these parts!  I've been blessed to have received fresh produce from several different people who had excess, so I've had a lot of impromptu canning days!  I've done peach slices, peach-lemonade concentrate, peach-maple syrup, apple pie filling, beet jelly, pickled beets, dill relish, apple steak sauce, green salsa, jalapeno pepper jelly, plums and tomatoes this past month.  I'm sure I'm forgetting something... I've done A LOT of canning!  I'm working on a canning e-book as well, but at this pace I should just plan on releasing it for canning season next year!

I'm loving the autumn weather!  Cool nights and warm days are fabulous!  I also love fall foods!  I use my crockpot at least twice a week in the fall and winter!  Today as I was smelling the delightful dish simmering in the crockpot I decided we needed a fall dessert as well.  I love pumpkin desserts!  Can't you feel the love? ;)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 c. butter, softened
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 c. flour
2 c. quick-cooking oats
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 c. chocolate chips 

Mix well.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheets or baking stones at 375 for 10-12 minutes.   This recipes makes a lot!

Potatoes with wheat berry

This dish is a old staple of the Chilean cuisine, usually popular with the peasant and found in the country side. When I was little, my family used to take month long vacations on the central coast of Chile, always on the same little village we were welcome at the kitchen of the villagers and play with their kids. I ate this same dish cooked over a firepit and hated it... 

To replicated this dish, I called my mother and she share her recipe, it was a happy day at my table, the flavors mild and complex bring back so many memories. I long to go back to Lipimavida.

My husband, also from Chile, but a city-boy had never heard about this dish, but he also embrace the soul warming nature of it.

It can be a entree or a nice companion for a steak or pork. I ate mine with 2 eggs sunny side up.

Potatoes with wheat berry

4 portions

ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped into small cubes
• 2 cups winter squash cut into small cubes
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and red cubes (yukon gold)
• 1 cup milk
• water
• 2 cups cooked wheat berry
• sal and sweet paprika to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook the wheat berry as directed on the package. 
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat warm the oil and add 1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika. Fry the onion for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the squash and potatoes and cover with the milk, season with salt and cook covered 15 minutes. Add water if started to dry out.
3. When the potatoes are "al dente", add the wheat berry and stir, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork and mashed some potatoes and pumpkin to achieve a stew consistency.
4. Serve hot.

Pretty White Pumpkins & Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice

I whipped these guys together in less than an hour using an old shower curtain!  Aren't they beautiful?  I'm so excited to start decorating for Halloween!

Now that we're into the fall season, so many recipes call for Pumpkin Pie Spice... A lot of people don't keep it on hand because it's so pricey, but it's very easy to make yourself!  Plus, all the ingredients can be found at the dollar store and most likely they're in your cupboard already!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 c. cinnamon
1 T nutmeg
1 T ginger
1 1/2 tsp cloves

Mix together well.

New Dishes!

I was out today on my weekly yard sale-ing adventure and I came upon a yard sale with boxes and boxes of stuff.  The guy said he buys storage units and this was stuff he just wanted to get rid of.  I unwrapped a couple of items and saw very pretty vintage china.  I was in a big hurry (it was time to pick Caleb up from football practice) but I wanted to dig through it all!  The guy said, "I'll give that stuff to you for $5 a box."  I grabbed both boxes of dishes and was off!  I wasn't pleasantly surprised to see what my $10 had bought me.  Eric claims I'm a "dish hoarder"... I guess I need to prove him right sometimes... It's good for his ego *grin*  I can't wait to clean it all up and use it! 

Food for the Soul

As part of Nina's Food & Nutrition class they had to make a table setting using non-table items that represent something about them.  Nina is my music nut.  She is super passionate about the music she listens to... How did I end up with an Emo daughter?  I thought her all-music table setting came out cool!  She needed to have things that represented a dinner plate, cup, napkin, fork and knife in her setting.  Fun, huh?

This is a great way to teach kids about the proper way to set a table!  Have them find items around the house to represent what would be on the table (and the table itself!).  Let them be creative and enjoy the outcome!

Dutch Oven Cooking

I LOVE cooking outdoors!  I used to have a dutch oven, but it was one of those things I let the ex keep in the divorce (along with the 4-wheelers and all other camping stuff *sigh*).  Since we were going camping for Labor Day weekend I decided to "splurge" and buy another dutch oven.  I camped last year without one and I missed the experience.  I found a dutch oven for $24 and bought a lid-lifter for $6 so it wasn't too big of an investment for something I used SIX times in one weekend!  I promise I'll use it A LOT!  I just love campfire cooking!

Although I don't use "recipes" for my dutch oven adventures, I thought I'd share a few easy dutch oven ideas!

 Fruit Cobblers/Cakes are super easy to make in a dutch oven!  This one consisted of a big bag of frozen peaches (the girls sliced them up and froze them last fall for me) mixed with some apple juice, topped with a cake mix I whipped up with some Sunny D.  I found dutch oven liners for $1/each and grabbed a couple.  They're great for things like cakes.  I buttered it well.

This dessert was awesome topped with Cool Whip!!!  You can alter this to use just about any canned fruit or pie filling!  You can use whatever flavor of cake mix you want and whatever liquid you have on hand.  It's pretty forgiving!

 Popcorn is another fun dutch oven treat.  You can see I used the top of the dutch oven to heat my saucepan of butter to pour over the top.

I just threw some oil and popcorn into the hot dutch oven and placed it on the coals.  When the popping slowed down I pulled it out of the fire and stirred it until everything had popped.

Chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, water and Heath bits were a delightful combo.  I topped the mixture with a can of coconut-pecan frosting when it was done cooking.

Of course I served this topped with Cool Whip as well!  It was a big hit!

Another dutch oven goodie I concocted this trip was a great dutch oven breakfast with bacon and sliced potatoes.  When the potatoes were done I poured a couple dozen eggs over the topped and cooked until done.  Then cheese went over the top.  Delightful!

Sliced potatoes were cooked in oil and topped with leftover pulled pork and cheese for another great meal.

Over-ripe bananas were mixed with a corn bread mix and placed in a buttered pie tin.  I placed the pie tin into the dutch oven and baked until done.  Yummy!

I've never used briquettes with a dutch oven.  I just throw it on hot coals and place more hot coals on top.  Typically if you're baking a cake or other bread-type item you'll want more coals on the top than the bottom.  If you're placing the dutch oven in a fire pit with an actual fire still going you'll want to turn the dutch oven every couple of minutes so it heats evenly and doesn't burn one side.  Everything tastes so much better while camping!

Shabby Chic Bathroom Update

I love my shabby chic rooms!  My bathroom may be small, but it's pretty!

Large glass jars ($1 each at a yard sale) and sticky chalkboard sheets ($1 on clearance at Michaels) combine to hold all the bathroom odds and ends in an organized way.

I picked this cupcake soap up in a boutique!  It's so adorable!

The shower curtain is from Target.  I love the prettiness of it.

Little feminine touches are everywhere.

The clock was a $1 thrift store find.

The only thing my bathroom is lacking is a mason jar chandelier... That ended up in my living room after Eric fed me some such nonsense about the bathroom door not being able to open and close if I had a chandelier on the ceiling... DETAILS! *wink*

Old Fashioned Family Dinner Tablescape w/Roll Recipe

Homemade Dinner Rolls

4 1/2 - 5 1/2 c. white flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 T yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c. milk (I used skim)
1/2 c. water
1 T butter
2 eggs


Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.  Heat the milk, water and butter to warm.  Add to dry ingredients.  Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Add 2 eggs and beat on high for 2 minutes.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured counter or cutting board and knead for 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top of the dough.  Cover and let rise until double.  Punch dough down.  Turn onto floured surface.  Divide into 24 balls of dough and place in 2 greased 9x13 pans.  Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise until double.  Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with melted butter while still hot.

I had Eric make the homemade butter by shaking it in the jar.  It was his first time making butter!  He's learned so many things since he's met me... *grin*

Cherry Jam has quickly become a favorite at our house!  I've made several batches this summer!

The crockpot dinner was a medley of ham, red skinned potatoes. baby carrots and corn in a broth of water and bacon salt.

Beef cuts Chile/USA

Based on the Free Trade Agreement between the Government of the United States of America
and the Government of the Republic of Chile

Cuarto Delantero (Paleta)= Forequarter

Cortes sin hueso/Boneless Cuts
1 Malaya= Subcutaneous muscle-beef flank cap 
2 Plateada= Cup of cube roll
3 Sobrecostilla= Chuck (pony)
4 Tapapecho= Brisket
5 Cogote= Clod and sticking
6 Huachalomo= Neck
7 Choclillo= Chuck tender
8 Punta de paleta= Blade clod
9 Asado del carnicero= Chuck cover
10 Posta de paleta= Shoulder clod
11 Lagarto= Shank meat
12 Lomo vetado= Cube roll
13 Entraña= Skirt (diaphragm)

Cortes con Hueso/Cuts with bone
1 Asado de tira= Short ribs
2 Costillas arqueadas= Back ribs
3 Aletillas= Sternum ribs
4 Osobuco de mano= Foreshank

Cuarto Trasero (pierna)= Hindquarter
Cortes sin Hueso/Boneless Cuts
1 Lomo liso= Striploin
2 Filete=Tenderloin
3 Punta de ganso= Outside round
4 Ganso= Silverside
5 Pollo ganso= Cup of rump
6 Posta negra= Top, inside, or topside round
7 Posta rosada= Knuckle or sirloin tip
8 Asiento= Sirloin butt
9 Punta de picana= Tri – tip
10 Tapabarriga= Thin flank
11 Palanca= Flank steak
12 Pollo barriga= Thick skirt
13 Abastero= Heel (gastrocnemius)

Cortes con Hueso/Cuts with bone
1 Coluda= Ribs steak
2 Osobuco de pierna= Shank
3 Cola= Tail 

Completely Homemade Dulce de Leche (no sweetened condensed milk)

Although I LOVE using mixes and store-bought conveniences to give me a head start on recipes, I've been spending more time recently making things in old fashioned ways.  It takes a lot longer to make things homemade, but they're good skills to have.  I blame it on my emergency preparedness mentality.  In long term survival situations we'll need to know how to make things from scratch.  It's part of becoming self reliant.  Plus, when you make things homemade you know exactly what is in them, which is nice!  Dulce de leche is something I grew up on because it's something my mom grew up on.  My mom always made it by boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk until it was caramelized.  It's how her maid did it when she was growing up in Mexico.  I love the taste of dulce de leche cooked that way, but I'm a little scared of the can exploding.  I've never actually seen a can of sweetened condensed milk explode, but I guess it could happen.  Dulce de leche is a South American treat that's been around for quite a while, but a lot of people aren't familiar with it.

This recipe makes a LARGE batch of dulce de leche... even once it condenses down it's still a little over half a gallon.  Dulce de leche is great on toast, pancakes, Maria's cookies, cake, rice pudding or ice cream.  It has a very unique caramel flavor.  It's a great way to use up close-dated milk.  Place it in milk bottles or canning jars for a fun neighbor gift!

My technique was not exact, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

Homemade Dulce de Leche

1 gallon milk (I used skim)
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 tsp salt

Bring to a boil in a very large stockpot.  Boil gently stirring very often for a very long time until it condensed to about half and becomes golden and thick.  Mine cooked for around 3 hours on the stove top with me stirring quite often and then I added a heaping tablespoon of baking soda, let it foam up while stirring constantly and then placed the mixture in my crockpot on high with the lid cracked for another 4 hours so I could run errands.  When I got home I stirred well and it had come to the consistency I was going for.  I think it wouldn't take near as long if you used a higher fat content milk.  It would probably cut the time in half or more to use whole milk.

Store in the fridge.

**Note** I read a tip somewhere that you can place a clean saucer/plate in the bottom of your pot while making dulce de leche and the rocking of the plate in the boiling mixture will help it from burning and make it so you don't have to stir constantly like you do when making homemade caramels... I tried it and it worked for me.  Most dulce de leche recipes say you have to stir constantly... for HOURS, but the plate took care of a lot of the stirring. 

Laminate Your Kid's Class Schedules and Make the Other Kids Jealous!

Nina started high school this week and Alyssa started junior high... coming from a little charter school they were both SCARED to death of big huge schools with multiple halls, buildings and TONS of kids.

To help them figure out where they were going I took notes during back-to-school night while we found all their classes... things like "upstairs", "by your locker" and "next to the lunchroom".  Then I wrote their schedules down on a paper or index card.  I wrote their "A Day" classes on one side and their "B Day" classes on the other complete with times, room #s, teachers names and a note by each to help jog their memory about where that class was.  It was so much easier for them to read than a map and all their friends were jealous!

I wrote them both by hand so they had a piece of their mom with them, but you could type it up just as easily.  Laminating is a must to keep them nice for the first couple of weeks of school until they know where they're going.

I also laminated an index card for each girl with their locker number, combo and student ID number so they have them on hand until the memorization kicks in!  I'm all for anything to make their first days of school less stressful!

First Day of School Walk Down Memory Lane

Summer is over?  What the heck???  We've been crazy getting ready for school!  This year not only are all three of my kids going to a different school, they're going to three different schools!  It's been crazy getting everyone registered and ready!  Caleb is at the elementary school, Alyssa is at the junior high and Nina is at the high school... Yes, it's confusing with pick up and drop off times!

It's time for my annual trip down first day of school memory lane:

2012: Alyssa- 7th grade, Nina- 10th grade, Caleb- 6th grade

2011: Alyssa- 6th grade, Nina- 9th grade, Caleb- 5th grade

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006: Our first year at our school. My sister also attended that year.
Nikki- 8th grade, Nina- 4th grade, Alyssa- 1st grade

2006: Caleb- kindergarten (what a cutie!)

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL EVERYONE!

Seafood empanadas, Chilean style

Another recipe for empanadas. In Chile we grow up eating all kinds of seafood. My family have a small beach house on a very remote village on the central coast of Chile. I used to spend the whole summer there, my grand father taught me how to fish on the sea and many times we made whole day excursions to fish along the rocks. Or if we were lazy, we just sit on the front of the house and wait until one of the fisherman walks by with the catch of the day. 

Here in the USA is difficult to find our most love clam: pink razor clams, in this recipe I used ones brought to me as a present from Chile.

You can also add mussels, scallops, and white fish (cooked).

Seafood Empanadas

for 20 empanadas

Ingredients:

• 20 empanada dough, I buy Goya brand here in USA
• 2 cups peeled shrimp, cooked and tail off
• 2 cans of whole clams (pink clams if you can find)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cups shredded pizza cheese or Havarti 
• salt, pepper, merkén (Chilean smoked chili powder)

Preparation:

1. If the empanada dough are frozen, thaw, it is easier work them at room temperature.
2. Wash and chop the onion into small cubes. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, chop the shrimp into small pieces.
4. Open the cans and discard the liquid. Clean the clams, cut into small pieces.
5. In a bowl mix the chopped onion and seafood, add the grated cheese, season with salt (little), pepper and merkén. Stir and taste, adjust the seasoning.
6. Separate the empanada dough. Place 2 teaspoons of filling into each pie and wet the edge of the pie with water or milk. Close the dough and tighten. Make the folds the way you want.
7. Heat oil to 380F or 190C in a deep pot. Cook 2-3 empanadas at a time, 2 minutes per side, until golden. Serve immediately.

Dolce Delights, Houston

Finally cakes of my taste in Houston!

Where? at Dolce Delights, 3201 Louisiana St. Suite 100 Houston, Texas 77006. 

It has parking in the building and a side entrance from the parking lot. Very handy.

Inside is spacious, bright and very pleasant.

I also tried an iced tea, delicious. I will not recommend the macaron go for the pastries.

The cakes are excellent texture, not gelatinous as I tried elsewhere with excellent flavor and really balanced and they highlights the main ingredient.

Friendly services, my daughter forgot a book, I called and they saved for us until the next day.

I will back many times.

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch and pistacho macaron

Raspberry & Pistachio and Salted caramel macaron

Banana Chocolate

Mango Lava

Defined Roles

I've been thinking a lot about the differences between men and women.  I do now and always have believed that men and women have VERY different roles. I love this section from the book, Fascinating Womanhood (a fantastic book that would probably offend 99% of today's women):

"We have heard the statement, "marriage is a partnership." But what kind of a partnership? It is not an equal partnership, for man's role is to be guide, protector, and provider, whereas woman's is loving wife, mother, and homemaker. Man and woman are not partners in leadership, nor motherhood, nor homemaking. With thought we can see that although man's and woman's role are equal in importance, they are not equal in responsibility. In "Marriage for Moderns," by Henry A. Bowman, this unequal partnership is compared to a lock and key. Man and woman, he tells us, are like a lock and a key which join together to form a functioning unit. "Together they can accomplish something that neither acting alone can accomplish. Nor can it be accomplished by two locks or two keys. Each is distinct; yet neither is complete in and of itself. Their roles are neither identical nor interchangeable. Neither is superior to the other, since both are necessary. They are equally important. Each must be judged in terms of its own function. They are complementary." Marriage, then is a complementary partnership."
---Fascinating Womanhood pg 78---

Most of you didn't know me when I was a married stay-at-home mom... It's been several years. This concept of defined roles has always been very important to me, but not something I've been able to fully embrace as a single, working mom.  Eric and I are striving to bring back the "era of defined roles" in our relationship.  I don't think it's the economy that has changed the need for mothers to work outside the home, I believe it is people's own attitudes and the culture we live in.  I have always felt it my main responsibility to be in my home with my children, no matter what their ages are.  I am fine without brand new fancy cars, huge houses and expensive vacations.  I am more than ok living within my means, whatever they may be, by thrifting and being creative.  I should be taking care of my house and children.  So many families say that in "today's society" it is a necessity for a family to have two incomes.  I do not believe that to be true.  I believe it may be necessary for a family to have two incomes to keep up a lifestyle that they want, not what they NEED, but what they want.  What are you losing in the process though?

I think it takes a lot of humbleness and faith in the Lord's divine law and order to fully submit to your husband.  It is a role that most men struggle with today, let alone their wives.  Men like to say that they are the "leaders" in their homes, but it's rare that they actually step up to the plate and fulfill that calling to the best of their abilities.   It is very hard for women to fall into their role when their husbands struggle with their own. 

I fully believe that the decline of society, marriage and families has happened because of things like the feminist movement. Men and women were not created to be equals in everything... they were created to be equally important though. It's an interesting journey that Eric and I are taking to try and bring the mentality of defined roles into reality, but I believe it will be worth it.  As I am working to humble myself and have more faith in Eric and his abilities and step back from the family leadership responsibilities I have been taking on for so long, I am also working to help him become the strong man that he needs to be to fulfill his role as a husband, father and leader in our home.  I think this goes far beyond religious beliefs to an arrangement of divine origin.  It's something that we will work on daily in our home.