Happy 4th of July!

 

Happy 4th of July!

This post will be short and SWEET!

While gorging on pinterest pinning I came across this delicious looking pie. It is a strawberries and cream pie! The fact that it was no bake was also a winner since my stove and grill space were already claimed! The next time I make this one I think I will omit the crust and add less water. It was really light and was a perfect ending to all that BBQ!

Click here for the recipe and I hope your holiday is safe and fun!

 

 

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Homemade Pasta!

I bought a pasta roller many months ago with the grand intention of making homemade pasta. Couple that with my growing desire to know what is in my family's food and you've got the perfect storm for actually getting my butt in gear and making it from scratch!

Let me say, the recipe that I ended up using couldn't have been easier! I used the one from one of my favorite books "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter". This book helps families decide whether its worth the time (and money) to make certain things from scratch. It really is a fun read that gives you the recipes and instructions to make many of your family's favorites in the comfort of your own kitchen.

On to the recipe...when you get the flour and eggs mixed up it will look sort of craggy, but this is perfectly fine. Before I started rolling out the dough I cut the big ball into four equal pieces. After I rolled the dough through the first two settings I cut the sheets in half width-wise so that I could actually manage them.

I learned the hard way that its best to continue to dust the pasta sheets with flour so that they don't stick and to go ahead and cut each sheet as you go (I ended up re-rolling a couple of the sheets because they got stuck to each other).

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The pasta only took two minutes to cook (literally) when I put it in the boiling, salted water. The pasta came out super silky and luscious!

I hope you will take a leap and try your hand at homemade pasta or any of the other recipes in the book. The only drawback will be the fact that your family will want homemade pasta all the time! In the words of my eight year old, "Homemade is always best"! Toodles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pecan Pie Bark - A Delicious Discovery!

 

I really can't stand the texture of pecan pie, but my husband absolutely loves it. It is almost a sin to be a southerner and hate pecan pie (I get cross-eyed looks everytime I say it) :) Anyhoo...Enter the pecan pie bark, a yummy confection that is something between a pie and a cookie and has been approved by my entire family!

Since I don't want to be "that blogger" I want to make sure to give credit to the original blogger and guest blogger -- Great recipe - I found it during one of my Pinterest binges. :) I made some tweaks to the recipe based on previous baker's feedback and then added a few of my own. The original recipe can be found at http://wishesndishes.com/pecan-pie-bark/ and my tweaked version is listed below. Enjoy!

Pecan Pie Bark

Ingredients

1 T butter or margarine for greasing cookie sheet

12 graham cracker rectangles (may need more or less depending on length of cookie sheet

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 sticks margarine or butter

1 T corn syrup

1 T water

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups pecan halves

1 tsp vanilla

InstructionsPreheat oven to 325.

1. Lightly grease cookie sheet
2. Place graham crackers as close together as possible without ovrerlapping.You might have to break the last row of crackers to fit.
3. In a medium/large sauce pot melt both sugars, butter, corn syrup, water, salt and cinnamon over medium heat until boiling.
4. Let it boil for two minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking/burning.
5. Add the pecans and boil for one additional minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
7. Pour mixture over the graham crackers and spread to evenly distribute.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting or breaking in to pieces.
10. Store in an airtight container.

Instruction #1-2 Instruction #3 Instruction #4

Instruction #5-6 Instruction #7 Instruction #8-9

 

 

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Homemade Vanilla Extract

I have been eyeing the homemade vanilla extract recipe in the new cookbook I just bought, "The Homemade Pantry".

 

I went online and made a bulk purchase of gourmet bourbon vanilla beans (about 52 beans for $15.00). If anyone has ever priced these at retail you know that two vanilla beans cost more than $10 after tax (yes, you read that right...ten dollars for two beans 0_o) I also got some of the best vodka (Skyy brand) I could find/afford/was willing to pay for.

 

Now for my church folks who read my blog...I am NOT a drunk...;). For those who don't know most extracts are made with some form of alcohol . However, when you cook with it the majority bakes out and for the times when you don't bake it out the alcohol content is very low (you run a higher risk of getting drunk off your morning mouthwash)!

Anyway...back to the matter at hand. I read through the recipe in my cookbook and browsed recipes online to get a general understanding of the process. Here a my steps:

1. I sterilized my jar and lid to be sure they were nice and clean.

 

2. I took out 10 vanilla beans and split them lengthwise with a sharp knife.

 

3. I added the split beans to my clean jar.

 

4. I filled the jar to the top with the vodka, put on the lid and screwed it shut (my family calls me Sheera because I put lids on too tight and usually need help getting them off later).

 

5. I gave the jar a couple of shakes and put it in a dark corner of one of my cabinets.

I'll have to remember to give it a good shake once a week. Most recipes say that it will be ready in three weeks, but for the best flavor six weeks is the minimum. I am so excited!

I'll be sure to post weekly pics of its progress. If all goes well I plan to start a batch in the fall to give as Christmas gifts for all the bakers in my life!


Thanks for looking and don't forget to check back to see how it's going! Toddles!

 

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