Thanksgiving Turkey

I am very traditional when it comes to my Thanksgiving menu. Apparently I've trained my children to be also, because if I even mention the thought of changing up the menu, I get a reaction. So, we are all happy to have it stay very basic every year, with an extra side dish or dessert thrown in here and there. What is the menu? Well, since you asked...

DINNER:

Turkey (recipe follows)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Stuffing

Sweet Potatoes

Corn

Green Beans

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls & Butter

(I no longer bother making the Green Salad since nobody seems to want it on Thanksgiving)

DESSERT:

Apple Pie

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Homemade Fudge

Mmmmmm. That made my mouth water, just writing out the menu. This is definitely one of my favorite meals of the year. Comfort food at it's finest.

If you've never made a turkey before, here's how I do it. It's really easy and I always get rave reviews.

First I gather the following ingredients:

• A bunch of celery
• A whole yellow onion (I like the sweet ones)
• A head of garlic
• Several sprigs of rosemary
• Several stems of thyme
• Several stems of sage leaves
• 2 cubes of butter
• Salt and Pepper (I use kosher salt)

Next, I chop up the celery and onion, peel the garlic cloves, cut 1 1/2 sticks of the butter into pieces, and break herbs into smaller pieces and toss it all into a mixing bowl with salt and pepper.

When that's all ready, I set it aside while I rinse the turkey in cold water and pat it dry. I put some of the mixture into the neck cavity of the turkey and secure the flap of neck skin with toothpicks.

I flip the bird over and use the rest of the mixture to stuff the inside. (Note: I usually roast a turkey that's somewhere around 25 pounds so it all fits. If you prepare a smaller turkey, just place any extra mixture around it in the pan.) Then I take the remaining 1/2 stick of butter, cut it into slices and tuck it under the skin. Next, I rub the turkey down with olive oil (you can also use vegetable oil), sprinkle with salt and pepper. This is what it looks like right before I put it into the oven:

I cover it with aluminum foil before putting in oven and remove the foil for about the last hour or so of cooking to brown the turkey.

Side Note: After preparing poultry, I spray down my counters, and sink with a bleach cleaner to make sure and kill any bacteria before I prepare any other food.

After roasting for about 5 1/4 hours at 325 degrees, and the turkey has reached 165 degrees internally, it comes out looking like this:

For more tips on thawing and roasting a turkey you can check out the USDA website by clicking here.

What are the traditions and recipes that are your family favorites? If you'd like to share, please leave us a comment.

Fruitful Fridays - Biscuits and Gravy

I am a huge fan of "Breakfast for Dinner Nights". One of my favorite dishes to make is Biscuits and Gravy. This dish is so easy and quick, too!

For those of you that need an exact ingredient amount, you might want to skip reading how I make this. I never measure for this recipe, so I'll give you a link that sounds about right to me, though I've never tried it.

Gravy:

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage

Flour

Milk

Salt

Pepper

When I make Biscuits and Gravy I like to use 1 pound of breakfast sausage (did I mention this is not a low-fat dish???) and brown it in a large skillet. Then I stir in about 2-4 heaping tablespoons of flour. Once all of the flour is absorbed, I stir in about 2-4 more scoops of flour. I like to add a lot of flour because I like my gravy really thick. If you prefer a thinner gravy, go easy on the flour. Once all my flour is stirred in, I let it simmer on medium for about 3-4 minutes, lightly cooking the flour. Lowering heat, I begin adding milk slowly. I add just enough to stir in to and make a thick paste. I continue to add milk and then stop to stir. I do this until it is a little thinner than I want it to be. Allow it to simmer on low for a few minutes to and it will thicken.

For Biscuits, I use several options. The simplest version is a piece of toast. My mom would make this and call it S.O.S. ('stuff' on a shingle ;-). Next option is a tube of biscuits baked in the oven. If I want to make biscuits from scratch, they're not that difficult. Here's a recipe I use:

Biscuits:

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

5 tbsp vegetable shorting

1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk if I'm in a pinch)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix dry ingredients and cut in the shortening. Add milk slowly forming a rough dough. Do not "over" kneed. Roll out and cut into biscuits or dollop mounds on to a baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fruitful Fridays - Choice Bins

Hello Mommies!!! Hope you all had a great summer.

Fruitful Friday posts are all about food! Sometimes we have recipes, reviews of products, stores or restaurants, menu suggestions and overall goodies that can make life in the kitchen easier.

For today, I thought I would take a moment to honor all of those moms with children returning to school - GOOD job. Being a mother of three in elementary school, getting them out the door in the morning can be the hardest part of the day (with only bedtimes being the exception).

I want to share a tip I figured out this summer with you that might make life a bit easier...AND the good news is this tip will work for Moms of preschoolers, too!!

Get yourself two storage bins; bigger than a shoe box, but no bigger than your child could carry easily. Make one a DRINK CHOICE bin. Fill this bin with juice boxes, CapriSun packets, mini water bottles, etc. Go ahead, mix them together!

Make the other a SNACK CHOICE bin. Fill these with all those little snack items we buy the kids. Be liberated from storing all the granola bars in boxes - dump them in with the fruit snacks, the pretzel sticks, the applesauce containers, etc. Put all their choices in front of them and save you the time and hassle of giving them the rundown of options, only to find an empty box for the one they choose. :~)

Here's a picture of our bins:

I like to buy my prepackaged snacky stuff from Grocery Outlet, watch for the 10 for 10 sale at Albertsons and there's always Costco (but you have to have a membership or a friend grab some for you).

Otherwise, never underestimate the pure goodness of the snack-size ziplock baggie. You can save your self a ton of money and time by buying the big bag of pretzels or box of Kix cereal and take 5 minutes to package them up. When you're done, throw them in the snack bin. You're good to GO!

These bins have made my life easier because inevitably they all want something different anyway, and I love empowering them to make their choices. Summer or school-time, whenever I pack a lunch I send them to the bins to make 1 drink choice and 1-2 snack choices. It also works when they are feeling hungry. I tell them to go to the bin rather than rummaging around my pantry.

Hope this helps...do any of you have any tips for making brown bag lunches easier? Check back next week and I'll share some menu suggestions for packing lunches.

Fruitful Friday - Caprese Salad

Fresh tomatoes and summer. They just go together. Earlier this week I made a Caprese Salad that was so delicious (if I do say so myself) that I made it again yesterday for lunch. :) It was so yummy that I just have to share the recipe with you all.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Large Tomatoes, sliced thick

4 oz. ball of fresh Mozzarella cheese (I use the soft kind in water)

Fresh Basil (I picked mine straight from my yard)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

2 Cloves Garlic

Fresh Ground Pepper

Fresh Ground Sea Salt (regular salt will also do)

Here's what you do:

Slice each tomato into about 3 slices (depending on their size) and put on plate.

Slice mozzarella and place a slice on each of the tomato slices. Garnish with Basil.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients and drizzle over the top of the Salad.

Here's what mine looked like...

And a closeup...

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!

Fruitful Fridays - Quick and Easy Marinade

I am headed to the Ladies Cookout this evening and demonstrating some various BBQ dishes. I wanted to share a quick and very easy marinade recipe. This one works great with Pork and Chicken, and my favorite use ... Kabob Skewers!

Here you go:

1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Soy Sauce

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 TBSP Garlic Salt

2-3 shakes of your favorite Hot Sauce (optional)

You can marinate the meat and veggies in this for a couple hours or even overnight. The sugar is so great in here when you grill it, because it carmelizes so nicely! Happy Grilling!

P.S. If any of you are free tonight, and want to join us...give me a call and I'll give you directions!

Fruitful Fridays - Grilled Turkey & Basil Patties

Okay ladies, I don't know about you, but once the nice weather hits my grill becomes my BFF. Seriously. I can't even imagine not having a grill in the summertime. There is just something about the sunshine and warm air that makes me actually 'desire' eating lean, healthy meals. And my grill helps me make that happen.

A week or so ago there was a great sale at Safeway on ground turkey breast was so my husband bought several packages to put in the freezer. I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do with them, but it didn't take me long to figure something out. A few days ago I threw together some ground turkey patties that were so easy and yummy I just had to share the recipe with you all. The only thing is, I didn't measure anything, so I use the term 'recipe' loosely. I apologize ahead of time to those of you who like an exact measurement.

Grilled Turkey & Basil Patties

1.25 lb. pkg ground turkey breast
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
fresh basil leaves, cut in small pieces (I picked about 3 stems out of my herb garden)
2 - 3 Tbsp. olive oil (helps hold mixture together)
fresh ground pepper
fresh ground sea salt

Mix together all ingredients in bowl. Form into 4 equal sized patties. Grill for approximately 10 minutes on each side. Meat will be white the whole way through when done.

I served these with a green salad and a slice of watermelon, but I'm thinking they would also be great on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato.

Okay, now that I have made my mouth water just thinking about the yumminess, I guess I had better start thinking about tonight's dinner since it's now 4:30 pm and I have no idea what I'll be making. :)

Have a great weekend!!

Fruitful Fridays - Mother's Bistro

So, I would like to wish a "belated" mother's day to all of you wonderful moms out there. And in honor of you, I want to share my favorite Mom Restaurant...Can you guess the name?

Mother's Bistro

Catchy, huh? Actually this place is TOPS! I could go on and on about the decor and the great wait staff, etc., but it's the food that is what makes this place one of my favs! Located Downtown right off the Morrison Bridge on the corner of 2nd and Stark, you will not be disappointed.

First of all, you'll start with STUMPTOWN COFFEE. (for you coffee geeks out there, I don't need to go any further do I?) But wait, there's more...

They have a diverse menu, serving old classics with a refined style. The best part of the menu actually changes from month to month. They have what is called a "M.O.M. - Mother Of the Month". Patrons can write in to the Head Chef Lisa Schroeder and nominate their mom's recipes to be featured at the restaurant that month. I love reading the bios in the menu, as well as, seeing the different dishes they selected.

For a "nice" restaurant, they are kid friendly. My 6 year old specifically requests to go there for  breakfast. They serve a huge pancake and use bananas and chocolate chips to make a smiley face. They also have a small, discrete busy station with some books and toys.

I will say, I choose to go on weekends for breakfast. Only on Saturday and Sunday, they serve Eggs Benedict. Truthfully, this meal served with Crab is at THE top of my all time favorite restaurant dishes. Go early and be prepared to wait. The line to get in at 9:00, tends to start at 8:30 on weekends. If you are going with a large party, you better call ahead to make reservations. Prices are on the higher than Denny's, but is not a "through the roof" place, and the quality of food makes it worth it in my book.

There you go...my unsolicited restaurant review. Do you have any other great "Mom" restaurants you would like to share?

Fruitful Friday - Leftover Bananas

One of our moms, Rachel T. put this great comment on one of the Fruitful Friday posts. It was so great I wanted to share it with you:

I love allrecipes.com, too. 

My latest favorite from their site is frosted banana bars with cream cheese frosting. Being a mom of a toddler I always have banana's on hand and usually don't eat them fast enough so I'm always looking for ways to use them up. Smoothies and muffins were getting old, so I found this - and it is yummy!

Frosted Banana Bars
Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanks Rachel!

If you have any recipes you would like to share...please send me an email, and I'll post it!

Fruitful Friday - Root Beer Cookies

During Grandma's visit last month, she made these cookies with the kids...and it was a HIT! So much so, the kids shared them with their friends and now the mommies have been asking for the recipe. Here you go, enjoy!!

Root Beer Cookies

• 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  
• 1/2 Cup Margarine
  
• 1/4 Cup Butter
  
• 2 tsp. Root Beer Extract (McCormick's has a concentrated version)
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
  
• 1 3/4 Cup Flour
  
• 1/2 tsp. Soda
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
  

Cream Butter and Margarine, Sugar. Mix in Egg and Extract. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Place dough in refrigerator and chill.

Frosting

• 4 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
  
• 4 TBSP. Butter
  
• 1 tsp. Watkins Root Beer Flavoring (this brand is clear in color, allowing the frosting to remain light in color)
  
• 1 lb. Powdered Sugar
  

Cream Butter and Cream Cheese together and add flavoring. Begin folding in Powdered Sugar. Continue to add until a nice soft spread. Store in an air-tight container.

Drop Cookie Dough in teaspoon-size balls onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool and frost.

These cookies are amazing with a cup of coffee and taste best when fresh cooked. Store in an air-tight container to retain moisture.

Fruitful Friday - Nourishment

Today I am fasting...

When I sat down to write today's post, I was impressed with the word "Nourishment". Though I am not "nourishing" my body with food today, God is wanting me to ponder what it means to nourish myself. So I looked up the definition for this word:

Nourishment -

• That which sustains
• Something fit to be eaten
• To promote or sustain growth
• The source of the materials necessary to support life
• To supply with matter that promotes health and increase

As a woman, mother, wife, daughter, etc. there are many ways in which I can choose to nourish myself; body, soul and spirit. I am so blessed to live in a place where I actually have a choice of what I can eat. But today, I made the choice to abstain.

Rather than just eating something for the sake of eating, I want to stop for a moment and thank God for all of the types of nourishment I receive. Just like the different types of food nourish the body in different ways, God nourishes our spirits in different ways.

Carbohydrates...these are meant for fast energy to perform the average daily tasks.
Vitamins and Minerals...meant to supply body systems and organs with necessary components for operating properly.
Proteins...for slower released amounts of energy meant to sustain longer periods of work.

For me, God's Carbohydrates tend to be people. I am energized quickly by people. I love my family, my friends and even people I don't know. If people are involved, I can be motivated to do just about anything.

God's Vitamins and Minerals in my life is my daily devotions. And honestly, this looks very different from day to day. For me it is the regular input of God's truth in my life. Most of my daily thought life is centered on the little areas God is pointing out to me that need more of Him. It can be from a scripture I've read, a speaker I love who challenges me or even from the lessons I pick up on from daily life.

God's Protein...this is the meat and sustaining power of my life. I have to put in some effort to get this in my diet. Carbs are easy...they are everywhere!!! Even vitamins and minerals can be taken fairly easily with daily discipline. But Protein takes preparation, thought and time. For me, to get God's "protein power", I set aside time for a more intimate encounter with His Presence. I gather my ingredients of worship and word and take my time to sit with Him. Those are the times that are the "Slow Releasing" kind of nourishment!!

In the natural we cannot thrive on one type of nourishment alone. You can't have a diet consisting of only carbohydrates or only protein. Our relationship with God is much the same. We need all types of spiritual nourishment.

Today, I am choosing to fast. If I am careful to look at my life right now, I can see I am in need of some serious direction and vision from God. I am so thankful that I do not have to "live on bread alone, but rather on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 8:3) I want some of the "Meat of God's Word" today.

In what different ways does God nourish your spirit?

Fruitful Fridays - Clam Chowder and Roux

Well...I did it! For the first time in my life I made CLAM CHOWDER! And I was able to eat it too!

My youngest daughter's teacher's favorite meal is Clam Chowder. Her birthday was this week and my daughter wanted to make her lunch. I was excited that my little girl was wanting to bless her teacher and I really wanted to honor her generosity...even if it meant making something for the first time, then giving it away! I told her teacher I'd give it a go and that the good news was, if she didn't like it, she wasn't going to be able to say that to a Sweet Little Kindergartener! ;-) (Luckily, I have a great relationship with this teacher and she laughed.)

I found a good recipe on AllRecipes.com. If you have never been to this site...you have to go! This is my "Go To" site for any and all recipes. Readers can submit recipes and then they are rated and receive reviews. The best luck I have is to find recipes with 4 or 5 star ratings and then I read as many reviews as I can to make adjustments to the recipes.

Here is the one I found for the Clam Chowder. In reading the reviews, you can rank the reviews by "the most helpful". For this recipe, the most helpful review modified the recipe by making a Roux instead of just adding the flour. I figured...seeing this was a first, why not add another first...I made a Roux, too! (hey, that rhymes!)

If you've never heard of this...

Roux (pronounced "roo" is a thickening agent for soups and sauces with roots dating back more than 300 years in French cuisine. It is made by cooking a flour and oil paste until the raw flavor of the flour cooks out and the roux has achieved the desired color, a properly cooked roux imparts silky-smooth body and a nutty flavor while thickening soups and sauces.

The AllRecipes site also had step-by-step instructions for Making a Roux. I know this had to have made a difference in my chowder. It was so thick and creamy. I am so thankful for the internet. How cool for me to want to do something new and be able to find instructions right at my fingertips!

Thanks for letting me share a "first" with you. Have any of you tried a new recipe lately and want to share it with us?

Fruitful Friday - Resurrection Cookies

Easter is around the corner, and I thought I'd share a great kid friendly EASTER RECIPE!

We did this last year with our 8, almost 7 and 5 year old and it went over really well. I was working with the ingredients and Dad read the scriptures. And the bonus was that they didn't taste half bad....

To be made the evening before Easter.

You need:

1c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1c. sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 BEFORE BEGINNING.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 c. sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know this and how to belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt.27:65-66.

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.

Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty! Read Matt. 28:1-9

Thanks to Sunday School Network for the recipe I used.

If you try this recipe with your kids, or any others like this, let us know how it turned out!!!

Fruitful Friday - Baked Omelet

Sorry Ladies for not getting my post up for you on Friday. I have company in town, coupled with Spring Break...Friday came and went.

In honor of having guests in the house, I want to share my favorite "Make the Night Before" breakfast dish:

Baked Omelet

Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl (this is the "base" mixture):

10 Eggs, beaten
1 small container Cottage Cheese
2 (or more) cups grated Cheddar Cheese
1 (or more) cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Add any of the following ingredients to Base mixture:

Sauted Mushrooms and/or Spinach
Green Onions
Bell Peppers
Green Chilis
Cubed Ham
Crumbled Bacon
Crumbled, Cooked Sausage
(or any leftovers you want to use up)

Place mixture in a 9x13 pan and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Then turn oven down to 325 and bake for 25 minutes longer. Recipe can be cooked right away or refrigerated overnight.

Ladies, please remember though, when taking glass pans from the refrigerator, don't place them directly into a hot oven. Let them it sit on top of the oven while you are preheating it to warm it a little bit.

Hope you enjoy this one. Be sure to check back this Friday for the FUNNEST recipe for kids on Easter morning!!!!

Fruitful Friday - Kids' Lunch Menus

How about starting a conversation about:

Kids' Lunches

Below is a quick reference chart I keep handy. The top section is all the main dishes. The shaded area is a list of sides or snacks. I try to keep my fridge and pantry stocked with all these items, so that I can have lunches ready in a snap.

		Sandwiches or Pitas: - Lunchmeat - Cheese - Peanut Butter - Tuna - Avocado - Egg - Cucumber & Cheese	Hot Thermos Containers: - Oatmeal - Chicken Nuggets - Hot Dog Slices Tortilla Wraps: - Cheese - Lunchmeat - PB & J - Pickles & Cream Cheese	Antipasto: - Lunchmeat - Cheese - Crackers - Black Olives Eggs: - HardBoilded - On English Muffins w/ Meat &/or Cheese	Bagels: - Cream Cheese - PB & J - Lunchmeat Ethnic: - Noodles - Steamed Rice w/ Hoisin Sauce or Soy Sauce - Taquitos
		Kids’ Lunch has ONE main dish choice, ONE juice, water or milk, napkin, spoon & TWO of the following: yogurt fruit slices cheese stick or slices chips or crackers graham crackers toss salad applesauce bag of granola fruit snack/leather pretzels celery & peanut butter carrots & dressing (sugar treat on Fridays)

These meals are great for lunchboxes with school age children. And for preschoolers, my favorite thing to do is to get 4 or 5 items and put them in small bowls and set them out on the table. They love to "mix and match munch".

Here's a link with a ton of recipes for Quick and Easy Kids' Lunch Recipes at www.kaboose.com.

Will you take a second to make a comment and share some of your favorite lunch ideas for kids?

I'll compile them in a few weeks and create a link to a printable version of our list. Thanks for your input!

Fruitful Friday - Pizza

I am headed to a Ladies Cooking Night tonight!

This is a ladies cooking group, open to anyone who is interested in learning how to cook whether you're a beginner or pro. Come and join us for a fun girls' night out and learn how to prepare an authentic dish from a different country each month. For more information Email Lois.

Tonight I will be demonstrating Pizza.

I am using my Grandmother's Pizza Dough Recipe...sorry, family secret can't give it out. But here is a wonderful website with lots of really great recipes, ideas and information about homemade pizza.

For the blog though...I thought I'd share some of my favorite "cheater" pizza ways:

For the Crust - Boboli is always a good bet, but growing up we used Tortillas as crusts.
For the Sauce - Gotta admit - the jar Ragu isn't too shabby.
For the Toppings - Leftovers always work!

So the idea of a perfect after school snack growing up was a Tortilla with some pizza sauce out of the jar, some cubed chicken or ground hamburger topped with mozzarella cheese.

What are your "quick and easy" ways for a fast pizza?

Fruitful Friday - Penzeys Spices

In keeping my posts real...I am trying to share what's on my plate this week, rather than stressing out to contrive something out of nothing for you. So this week's food highlight came in the mail for me:

Penzeys Spice - Spring 2009 Catalog

Please know I am not being paid for this unsolicited endorsement, but they are just too good to keep a lid on. I get such a kick looking through this spice catalog, truly a joy for me when it arrives. It comes with tons of great recipes and information on various herbs and spices.

I learn so much about cooking and possible flavor combinations just by looking at the catalog!

And if you get a chance to visit their store (11322 SE 82nd Avenue) ... call it a "Mommy Field Trip"!!! They have more varieties of pepper, cinnamon and salt, than you knew existed. They have individual containers of practically every herb and spice imaginable. And that's only half the store. The other half is devoted to various blends and mixes. You'll walk away enriched (a little less wealthy) but with some goodies none the less.

Because I am charged with providing recipes for the blog...I will pass along one of my favorites from the catalog. Click here for an amazing looking Apple Pancake Recipe.

...I'll give away a CBC Cafe Gift Card for the first lady to try it an give us a review.

Fruitful Friday - Dessert Spring Rolls

So the fast is over and I had a girlfriend over on Wednesday night for some "unfasting" goodies. I fixed a quick dessert I had been craving for months, that I thought I would share with you!

The concept is that of a Dessert in a deep fried Spring Roll Wrapper:

Take an orange Sweet Potato and peal the skin off with a vegetable peeler.
Click here if you are curious to the difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes.

Cut the potato into pieces about 2 inches in length and about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick.

Place potato slice onto a Spring Roll Wrapper and add about 1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar on top of potato. (Spring roll wrappers tend to do better than egg roll wrappers, making them lighter and crispier.)

Fold wrapper over Potato and Sugar. Use a few drops of water to seal up the seam.

Heat Canola Oil (or your favorite frying oil) to a medium low temperature on the stove.

Place Roll in the oil and let cook, turning over half way through. The oil temp will need to be low enough to allow time to cook the potato without burning the wrapper (approx. 3-4 minutes).

Remove from oil and let drain in a metal colander. For a pretty garnish, you can sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.

Here is a link to a video showing you how to do this recipe using a Banana and Chocolate syrup instead. I have also done this recipe with a dab of Nutella. Just about anything would work...you can't go wrong with deep fried and sugar being the combo!

(Yeah...I know there's not a lot of physical health value in today's post...but its packed with yummy, delicious value!!!)

Fruitful Friday - Comfort Food

As I write to you, I am sitting on the couch with my 9 year old son who stayed home from school due to the yucky sickness Susan was talking about in her last blog post. Yes, it is hitting all of our homes right now.

For a pick-me-up to all of those under the weather, I offer my favorite comfort dish recipe...

Chicken & Noodles

Start by boiling 2-3 lbs. of chicken in a full stock pot of salted water. (I prefer a whole chicken to get both dark and light meat, but you can use only one or the other if you like.)

Make the Noodles, while allowing chicken to cook until very tender. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from broth and take out all the bones. Before adding the chicken back to the broth, bring it to a rapid boil and slowly add the well-floured noodles.

Allow noodles to cook until done and add the chicken back in. Serve with crackers and sour cream if you like.

Home-made Egg Noodles

In large bowl, mix 2 Cups Flour and 1/2 tsp Baking Powder.
In a smaller bowl, beat 3 eggs and 3 Tbsp. Water.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour. Knead dough into a stiff ball. Pull of small golf-ball sized pieces and roll out on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Cut into 1/4 strips. Toss with extra flour and add to broth.

For a more traditional Chicken Soup Recipe and to read about its healing properties, follow this link. How about you...what are your favorite comfort foods when you or your kids are not feeling well?

Fruitful Friday - Meal Exchange Group

Hello Ladies! Today I want to share a crazy new thing I did this week...(for those of you who know me, you are rolling your eyes saying, "What now?"...lol)

I joined a Meal Exchange Group. Here's a breakdown of how this group works:

• The group of consists of 10 ladies.
• Each lady prepares ONE Main Protein Dish, 10 times.
• The Dish needs to feed 6 adults.
• On the 2nd Thursdays of the month, we meet at one of the ladies house and exchange...giving away 9 of our meals (keeping one for ourselves).
• Food is fully prepared. If can be cooked or just ready to throw in the oven or crock pot to cook.
  
• If there is any "companion" to the main dish, try to include it; i.e. for Sweet and Sour Pork, you should provide some rice that would naturally go with it;Sloppy Joe meat needs Rolls or Buns, etc.
• Meals need to be in disposable containers and able to be frozen.
• Meals can arrive frozen or cooked that day (meaning you can fit food prep into any day during the month if you have room to freeze them).
• Instructions on how to serve or complete preparation need to be attached to the dish. A recipe would be nice too!
  
• Each lady is asked to spend $80 total on all 10 Meals. If you end up getting the protein for less, you can throw in a side like a loaf of bread, can of beans or some other pantry item.
  
• For this group, no one cooks with fish or mushrooms (other groups can ask for specific exclusions depending on dietary needs).
• We have an email loop to communicate who is fixing what, so that there won't be any repeats.

I am excited to do this. For the season I am in right now, pre-prepared food is a plus and to have 10 Main Dishes for $80 goes great with my budget! All I have to do is add the sides. I participated for the first time this month and look at the meals I got: Mandarin Orange Pork, Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole, Honey Garlic Chicken, Enchiladas, Beef Curry, Macaroni Chicken Bake, Herb Chicken with Soup, Sweet and Sour Pork Chops, Spaghetti and Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Now, once the fast is over, I'll be all set! I'll let you know how they ended up tasting and if this is something I'll do long term. Have any of you joined groups like this?

Fruitful Friday - Friendship and Soup

Who doesn't love a good soup?!?! What a great way to jam pack nutrition all in one bowl and preferably only one pot to clean!

Today's recipe is in honor of a dear friend of mine...Heather Schefter. For those of you who don't know this beautiful woman of God, her and her husband, Ed, pastor the New York City Church. They planted this church in Times Square over a year ago. She celebrated a birthday this week and I wanted her to know publicly, she is passionately loved and missed!

Thank you Heather for sharing this with me and many of your friends...

Carrot Soup

1/4 cup Butter
3 medium Onions - chunked
2 tsp. Ginger Root
3 lbs. Carrots - chunked
1/4 cup Honey
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
3 tsp. Sea Salt
12 turns Pepper
5 pints Boiling Water

Saute Onions and Ginger in Butter until transparent. Add Carrots, Honey, Lemon Juice, Salt and Pepper. Stir until well mixed. Add Boiling Water. Boil gently for 45 minutes. Puree in blender (careful it's hot!). Serve!

Does anyone else have a great friend or soup recipe or both they would like to share with the group? If so, please leave a comment!