TheKitchenCookie

~My Current  Favorite~ I like this salad because it's simple, has only a few ingredients, goes together quickly, and packs a healthy punch. Fresh Green and Red Leaf Lettuce, torn into pieces Fresh Spinach, torn into pieces Craisins Red Onion, thin sliced Walnuts, Pecans, or Sliced Almonds Feta Cheese Crumbles Vinaigrette: 2/3 cup olive oil ½ cup sugar 1/3 cup red wine vinegar ¼ cup white vinegar Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake to dissolve sugar. Drizzle over salad. Store leftovers in the fridge. ~Be Blessed!~ 

Betsy made me do it ☺ Or maybe I should say she made me want to taste it. I was making pizzas over the past weekend and decided to try this version along with a traditional one and a BBQ Chicken and Pineapple one. Very simple and uncomplicated but full of delicious flavor! My husband enjoyed it a lot! Son #3 and I were the only other lucky ones to try it. The leftovers were enjoyed for a quick supper another night. Leftover pizza is a good thing at our house. ☺ I made my own pizza crust and prebaked it. Spread Ken's Farmhouse Ranch Dressing generously over it. Top with Roasted/Grilled Chicken and Apple Wood Bacon (precooked) and CoJack Cheese (shredded) and sprinkle with dried Parsley Flakes. Bake at 400° till cheese is melted and beginning to brown. So Yummy! Thanks Betsy for the introduction! ~Be Blessed!~

Saturday Morning Breakfast I was making french toast for some of the children this morning and it made me hungry for some as well. This is not my usual breakfast fare so I decided if I'm gonna load up on calories I may as well do it right. Lucky? for me I had all the right things in the cupboard to make a really yummy one. Forgot the cream cheese for the picture but it's in there. ☺ 2 pieces of Swirl Bread Cream Cheese, thin layer on one Lemon Curd and Jam on the other one Dip in an egg/milk/cinnamon mixture and toast/fry in butter on a skillet. Sprinkle with powdered sugar Drizzle with Maple Syrup YUM!                                                                                                                   I went outside early (before 6:00) to enjoy the morning beauty (who could sleep in with a beautiful day beckoning outside with the birds as cheerful as they are?!) I took my camera with me to take some pictures of the flower

This is what we enjoyed for our dinner tonight. Superb! So tender and delicious! Our schedule has been so crazy but eventually a person gets to a point where they need something normal in their schedule again. I was hungry for something grilled so I made this the normal in the midst of chaotic. I usually like to do our grilling when everyone is here to enjoy it with us but that didn't happen tonight. The two oldest had class socials and were not here over dinner time. I've been wanting to try something like this with limes so today I took time to put this together. My husband and son and I really enjoyed this but Serena did not eat more than a bite because she knew I had used limes for it. I'm pretty sure that if I would make a quesadilla for her tomorrow using the same chicken she would eat it without batting an eye. Finnicky. I dislike pounding chicken for various reasons so I usually take a sharp knife and cut small slits across the grain in the thickest part of t

Andre's Class He's the handsome guy in the center back with a gray shirt ☺ They're a great group of young people! ♥ these kids!! My son really is this much taller than me!! Would someone please tell me when this happened?!?! Serena loves to run! I like the look on her face in this one. Anticipation, joy, a little apprehension. The end of our school year is always very busy and involves lots of time in various activities. This past weekend Lin and I were one of two couples that went with our oldest son's Sophomore Class (as chaperons) to a cabin in the mountains for a weekend of fun and just hanging out, getting to know each other outside of a school setting. We had a lot of fun and I think they all enjoyed it. They sure do have a lot of energy!! We were blessed to be a part of their weekend. Today was Track and Field for the 3 that attend a different school and so I spent most of the morning there cheering them on. It&#

Recently my sister Ann was told she is gluten and dairy intolerant and that her body stores them as water. Wow! That was quite an eye opener but it makes perfect sense if you know the whole story. So as she starts on her gluten and dairy free journey I'm doing some searching and experimenting for her. I've noticed for at least a year now that I myself feel much better if I don't eat bread and things like that, so I've also been keeping my eyes open for a while recipes I think sound tasty. My in-laws have also been gluten free for a year also, so there are lots of good reasons for me to experiment with these recipes. I still have lots to learn but one day at a time usually gets us somewhere, eh? I had found a grain free blueberry muffin recipe from Deliciously Organic  (love her recipes!) but it was made with heavy cream and that didn't work so well for Ann. I was thinking about what I could use instead when I spotted the overripe bananas on my counter. Bingo! S

Every year when the Peonies are blooming we get a lot of rain which makes it necessary to bring in large bunches of these fragrant beauties.☺ I love to have a pretty, fresh bouquet in the house throughout most of the summer. It was looking like more rain tonight so I brought a bunch of these in.  I have mostly white ones, a few of the darker ones and one pink one that appeared out of the blue one year. Not sure where it came from unless the person who dug out the original clump left a stray tuber. That one is a pretty, deep pink with a yellow center and only a few petals. Very Pretty! The sprig of pink flowers in this bouquet are "Tinker Bells" They smell like lilacs. Love it! I asked Serena to pick the few ripe strawberries this evening so the Catbird doesn't have them for breakfast, and when I came in she had them on the counter with a note that said, " Your reward is 27 strawberries, you're the best Mom in the world". Not exactly sure what I&#

Several years ago a friend asked me to make a cake for her daughters birthday party at school. She mentioned that her daughter likes a light lemony flavor so I decided on this Lemon Chiffon that I found here . I made the first one just like the recipe but have since changed it up a bit by using some cake flour instead of all All Purpose flour and omitting the sweet glaze for a wonderfully light and yummy treat. More recently I used this cake for my husbands birthday treat and made it into a trifle with blueberries and real whipped cream. It was delicious. The cake is a treat just by itself, too. Preheat oven to 325°. Adapted from Tablespoon.com Ingredients: 1 cup cake flour 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons AP flour (Gold Medal) 1½ cups white sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup cold water ½ cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 teaspoons lemon zest 7 egg yolks 1¼ cups egg whites 2/3 teaspoon cream of tartar My oven rack is normally in the middle position. Move i

This is our current favorite for Sunday lunch. The whole family agrees that they are delicious and they are super easy for me because they require very little prep the day before, and who doesn't want a Saturday off?! ☺ I usually try to bake the bacon and wash and crisp the lettuce the day before and have it handy in the fridge. But that is about the extent of planning ahead that is needed. I don't know about you but I spend a good deal of time in the spice aisles of the local grocery stores looking for something intriguing and different that I haven't tried yet. Recently I discovered the Fiesta Citrus Perfect Pinch Seasoning  from McCormick and thought I would give it a try. We really like it on this chicken.  We like to use the Applewood Smoked Bacon for these along with a Cheddar CoJack blend of shredded cheese. I like to shred my own since the pre-shredded has an anti-caking agent on it that I don't care for. We also like to use the Sun Dried Tomato an

I was craving some peanut butter and chocolate and needing cookies for lunches so I thought I would do it the easy way. They turned out perfectly soft and chewy. Delicious with a glass of milk. ¾ cup creamy peanut butter ½ cup vegetable shortening 1½ cups brown sugar 3 Tablespoons milk 1 Tablespoons vanilla 1 egg ¾ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon baking soda 1¾ cups AP flour Chocolate Chips Combine the first 5 ingredients and beat until well blended. Add the egg and beat until just blended. Combine flour, salt, and soda and add to the creamed mixture. Mix just until blended. Add chocolate chips and stir. Using a size 40 cookie scoop drop onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Enjoy! ~Be Blessed!~

In one of my recent grocery forays I came across a sauce that I had never seen before and thought it sounded like a potentially good marinade for Pork Tenderloin. Turns out I was right. I mainaded it for about a day and grilled it for a nice and juicy treat. The Habenaro gives it a little bit of heat but I like things spicy and the rest of my family didn't seem to mind it either. This was the source of my inspiration. I did recreate the sauce on my own and got it very close to the bought stuff without too much difficulty by guessing the amounts. It is also delicious served with cream cheese and crackers. I haven't tried it on chicken yet but I'm pretty sure that would be good too served over rice. ☺ My homemade version here: 1 lg. Mango 1-2 Tablespoons fresh Ginger Root, shredded ½ cup Honey ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup water 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes 1 Habanero Combine in a blender and blend until smooth.

Today is my husbands 40th birthday. I asked him a few days ago what his favorite meal is so I can prepare that for his special day and his answer was, "I really don't know. I like everything you make." Good answer, right?! ☺ He enjoys a good trifle dessert, and I've been wanting to make a Lemon Chiffon Cake (recipe coming later) so I decided to do some of our latest favorites on the grill and this trifle dessert. We had some of his family over last evening for a small celebration, two of his siblings live out of state and one had other plans. So even though they were not all here we still enjoyed his parents and his brother and family who came in honor of his birthday. His big party is coming later.☺ I decided to see if I could lighten up this dessert with less sugar and no fake ingredients (Cool Whip) by using real cream and honey or maple syrup for at least some of the sweetener instead of powdered sugar. I was pleased with the outcome. It was delightfully le