TheKitchenCookie

  I was recently asked to bring 3 cakes to a meal that was being served at our church and completely forgot about it until after I was in bed the night before. After some brief panic I decided to keep it simple because it was also a school morning and the cakes all needed to be baked before I left for church at 9:30.    Thankfully I had a back up Butter Pecan cake mix in the cupboard for one of them, and a recipe to go with it from my SIL Laura that turns it into something special. The caramel topping is fabulous! Luckily I also had the Glazed Pecans in the cupboard that were perfect for a garnish. :)    I Butter Pecan Cake Mix ( substitute butter for the oil )    Otherwise mix as directed. Bake in a 10½ X 15½ bar pan for 20-25 minutes. Cool.   Middle Layer: 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup Milk 1 Sm. box French Vanilla Instant Pudding 8 oz. Cool Whip    Mix milk and instant pudding,...

  Whew! Today was a bit of a marathon! But I accomplished a bunch of things on the days to-do list and I got to sit down at the end of that marathon with my sweet family for a yummy supper that included these delicious carrots. That counts as successful in my opinion. :)   They are very simple and require just a few ingredients.   1/3 c. Honey 2 Tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar 2 teaspoons Olive oil   These measurements are approximates. I was in too much of a rush to pay close attention to definite measurements. The reason for that was because my 4 men were wanting to leave ASAP for hunting, and I knew they would enjoy supper to be on time.   But it's not rocket science, just mix ingredients till you achieve the flavor you like and glaze away! :)   I laid them in a Pampered Chef Bar Pan and sprayed them and the pan with Olive Oil spray and roasted them at 425° until they looked about half do...

  This song has been playing itself over and over in my mind the last few days. More specifically the line -    "mercy drops 'round us are falling, but for the showers we plead".   All of God's 'mercy drops' = a 'shower' of blessing and grace. We plead for the showers but forget to notice the drops? We end up feeling trapped in a desert of our own making, empty and dry.   yep, a Promise right in my yard! :)   Mondays challenge:    Take time to notice the 'drops' today, jot them down, review them over and over. Use all 5 of your senses for this, use 6 if you have them! These are testimonies of His goodness, His faithfulness, and His never ending Love. Testimonies are powerful and invite more of His blessings. You can.not lose with a perspective like this!!   Happy Monday!   ♥

~before baking~   A couple of weeks ago I made stuffed pepper poppers wrapped with bacon to toss on the grill.   They were yummy!   But I thought it would be fun to serve this in dip form with some extra smoked cheeses for added flavor.   I loved it!    This way is easier, less time consuming and is delicious served with crackers or if you're avoiding foods with flour it's also yummy to use celery for dipping.   Hope you enjoy it!   6 oz. each smoked Cheddar, Swiss, and Gouda cheese, grated 1½ lbs. cream cheese, room temp. 1 cup Bacon Bits 2 Tablespoons Dry Onion Flakes 2 Tablespoons Horseradish 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 7 Jalapenos, chopped Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Smoked Paprika   Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix thoroughly. Spray a 9 inch (deep dish) pie pan or other baking dish and pour mixture in and spread evenly.Garnish as desired and bake @350° until heat...

This is what you should do when you have leftover mashed potatoes and buttermilk that really needs to be used in your fridge.   And it's chilly... and rainy... outside.   You should make cinnamon rolls!   Because at the end of the day your family will return home and your house will be cozy and comforting and smell wonderful and they will tell you that you really.are.an.amazing.person for spending your free time... in the kitchen... thinking of them all day! :)   And the icing, my goodness! the icing with sour cream instead of regular milk is fantastic! My Mother put me up to this! Revised -  Original Recipe from Tasty Kitchen 3 sticks butter, soft 1½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup Buttermilk 2 cups regular milk 1½ cups mashed potatoes (leftovers work great!) 3 Tablespoons Instant Yeast 1/3 cup lukewarm water 3 eggs, beaten 10-11 cups all purpose flour Butter 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar Cinnamon, too taste I...

Makes me Happy! :)     Concord Grape Pie is one of my favorites so last weekend when I was canning grape juice I decided to keep some grapes out for this purpose and possibly some bars of some kind?   I knew I had these 10 boxes of grapes coming but was not expecting them to be ready on Friday. 5 bushels sounds like a lot, and it kind of is, but it's really not that bad if you have no other plans, haha!  Friday morning my husband was scheduled for eye surgery (Lasik) and we had planned to have a birthday party on Saturday night for our son, inviting the youth group from church and his senior class. I picked up the grapes after school Friday and got busy!! It all worked out and we were not late for anything :) but it was a reminder that those 400 miles between me and my sisters and Mom are sometimes very unhandy!! Especially when I'm in a pinch, oh and a host of other times when it would just be nice to have them stop in or if I could do the same. Bu...