Christmas Baking hints

Baking goodies for friends has been a very fun tradition for Team Southerland.  Sometimes the holidays get very busy and the enjoyment of this tradition can be squeezed out by the hustle and bustle of visitors, activities, recitals, and trips.

One thing that can bring some joy back into baking for our friends is to start baking early.  Most cookies and candies will freeze very well.  It's easy to bake one item on several different days and just freeze them until you are ready to assemble the goodie plates.

Packing the plates can be such a fun time!  We have found pretty clear plastic plates for about $1 a piece around the holidays at the grocery store or the dollar store.  They make great plates for giving away goodies.  Another packaging idea is to wrap your paper plate in decorative plastic wrap.  Or, use plain paper plates and use a hole punch to punch holes around the edge.  Weave some ribbon through the holes to decorate the plate and wrap in clear plastic wrap tying it at the top with a matching ribbon.  There are plenty of ideas online of how to create neat packing ideas for goodies.

Chicken hints

Mommy will often bake chicken in the oven with no seasonings.  When it has cooled, we cube it by cutting it up with the meat scissors and then store it in the freeze to use later for chicken pot pie, chicken fried rice, or soups.

If baking a whole chicken, once you cut off the meat to use for other meals, don't throw the bones away.  Use it to make chicken stock to put in the freezer for chicken pot pie and soups.  You can do the same thing with a turkey.

Once again, anything you can do to streamline dinner prep will make your life easier at the end of the day when everyone is tired.  It will also cut down on the "we don't have anything to eat so let's go out to eat" phenomenon. 
Love Always,
Mommy

Butter hints

We often fry things in a tablespoon or two of butter.  I will take stick up butter and cut it into tablespoon slices then store it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator to make it easy to grab just a tablespoon at a time.
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If you forget to set a stick of butter out, grate the butter onto a small plate.  The grated butter will soften very quickly and be ready to spread.  It also looks pretty neat!

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Cutting in Butter shortcut- Grate cold butter into dry ingredients then use a pastry cutter to quickly cut in butter.  Much faster than using just a pastry cutter.

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Rule of thumb for substituting salted for unsalted butter in a recipe is to omit the extra salt in the recipe. (Omit 1/4 tsp of salt per 1/2 C of butter).

Real butter is good for you if it is made from milk that does not have hormones or antibiotics in it.  Butter made from raw milk is best.  Margarine is very bad for you and our family has chosen not to use it at all.  If something has ingredients you can't pronounce in it, it's better to stay away from it.  The more things we can make from scratch the better it will be for our health.  It is often a more frugal way to feed your family as well.  :)
Love Always,
Mommy

Laundry Detergent

1   bar Dove soap, unscented
1  C.  Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½  Cup Borax


Grate soap with a grater.  Mix all ingredients. 


For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. 


Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads) 


We have been using this for awhile now and it works great, even on Jonathan's diapers when we use white vinegar with it to help disinfect.  We save a lot of money by making and using this detergent and Mommy really likes how well it cleans our clothes.  We made big batches of it at a time and store it in a gallon bucket with a tight fitting lid.  You don't want the little guys to get into this as they shouldn't put the Borax in their mouth.
Love Always,
Mommy

Remarkable Fudge

4 C sugar

1 1/3 C evaporated milk

1 C butter

2 C (12 oz) semi-sweet choc. chips

7 oz dark chocolate candy bar (Dove works very well!), chopped

7 oz. marshmallow crème

1 tsp vanilla

Line a 13x9x2 inch pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan.  Butter the foil; set aside.  Butter sides of a heavy 3 quart saucepan.  Put sugar, evaporated milk, and butter into saucepan.  Cook and stir over med-high heat until mixture boils.  Reduce heat and continue cooking and stirring for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate chips, candy bar, marshmallow crème, and vanilla.  Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is combined.  Beat by hand for 1 minute.  Spread in prepared pan.  Score into 1" squares while warm.  When fudge is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan.  Cut into squares on the score lines.  Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.  Makes about 4 lbs. of fudge.

Peanut butter chocolate fudge:

Prepare as above except substitute 1 C peanut butter for the butter, add 1 C peanuts, and leave out the candy bar.  

Here is another one that we have made at Christmas time to add to our Christmas Candy Plates that we like to give out to friends.  The Dove Chocolate Bars make this the best fudge Mommy has have ever had!

Love Always, 

Mommy

Marbled Mint Candy

Mommy Modified

1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 lb. vanilla candy coating (vanilla bark)

¾ C. finely crushed candy canes or round peppermint candies (app. 30 round)

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. 

Crush peppermint candies to very small pieces.

Melt candy coating in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in crushed peppermint candy.  Pour mixture onto baking sheet.

Heat chocolate chips in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.  Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the peppermint mixture.  Gently zigzag with a butter knife through the layers to created a marbled effect.

Chill candy 15-30 minutes or until firm.  Use wax paper to lift candy from baking sheet.  Break into pieces and store tightly covered for up to 2 weeks on the counter or freeze for several months.

This has been a Team Southerland Christmas Candy Tradition since Hannah was a baby.  Every year the children and Mommy make this and truffles.  It makes a great present for friends.  I love the traditions that we have and Mommy enjoys making this with the children every year.

Love Always,

Mommy

Chocolate Cake with Snow Peak Icing

This recipe is from Mother Smith who was Paw Paw’s mother.  Paw Paw was GrandMommie’s (Diane Southerland) Daddy.  So this cake recipe is from Daddy’s great grandmother!

2 C of sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 C of flour
2 (heaping) TB cocoa
½  C of butter milk (or reg. milk & 1 tsp vinegar)
2 eggs, beat thoroughly
½ C butter, softened

 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray and flour 2 round pans.  In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients in bowl- set aside.  Mix wet ingredients in bowl.  Combine  the two bowls together and blend.  Add 1 cup of boiling water.  Pour into pans.  Bake around 30-40 min. or when you stick a toothpick in it and it comes out clean.  Let cool and top with Snow Peak Icing.

Snow Peak Icing

This is Grandmommie’s (Diane Southerland) recipe.  Daddy’s mommy!  :)

1 ¼ C corn syrup

2 egg whites

Pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form when beater is raised.  While eggs are beating, in a small saucepan, heat corn syrup over medium high heat until boiling.  Add salt to egg whites.  Slowly pour in syrup, continuing to beat until frosting is fluffy.  Fold in vanilla.  Frost cooled chocolate cake!

This is a Southerland Family favorite!  Daddy often requests this cake for his birthday and I know that Uncle Michael's family has this for birthdays frequently as well.  I just made this for Daddy's birthday and it looks and smells yummy!!!  GrandMommy used to make this for the children's birthdays.  Anytime it snowed in Texas Daddy used to say, "It looks like chocolate cake with white icing!"  (Only Texas snow looks like that!  Real snow is all white!  Not white with dirt showing through!)  :)
 
Love Always,
Mommy

Cake Hints

Mommy took a cake decorating class in Utah with Julie Hale when Daniel was a baby.  She learned so valuable tips for making cakes.

One is a recipe to use to coat the cake pans so the cake won't stick. Mix up the following ingredients:

1 part Crisco

1 part vegetable oil

1 part flour

Generously grease the cake pans.  Use a lighter coat along the edges and a heavier coat on the bottoms and corners of the pan.

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To make a light and fluffy cake, substitute whole milk for the water in a boxed mix.

Grandma Durst's Chocolate Frosting

Velma Durst
Darrel Durst
RaShell Southerland
Team Southerland children

1/4 C. butter, softened 

2-3 C. powdered sugar
6 TB cocoa
3 TB evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa. Beat in softened butter and milk. Add additional evaporated milk until desired consistency is reached. Stir in vanilla.

Mommy usually double this to frost a cake. We need leftovers for graham crackers- our all time favorite way to consume this delicious treat! :)  Hannah has mastered the art of making a white cake and this frosting.  She has quite the reputation at Veritas Baptist Church and there are some folks who request that she make this on a regular basis.  

Love Always,

Mommy

Shell's Granola

Mommy modified recipe

1 C. butter
1 C. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
7 C. oatmeal
1 C. wheat germ
1 C. raisins
1 C. golden raisins

In a large dutch oven pot melt the butter.  Stir in the honey and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn the mixture.

Add the salt and cinnamon and stir well.  Remove mixture from heat.  Stir in oatmeal and wheat germ and coat well.  Spread granola on a large baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Stir and let cool.

Add both types of raisins and store in an airtight container.

We usually eat this over cereal or yogurt.  This is an easy recipe to make but so yummy.  It's our favorite granola recipe.
Love Always,
Mommy

Best Pancake Batter

Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom

3 cups flour 
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 beaten eggs
3 cups milk plus 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
6 Tablespoons oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a pitcher. Add wet ingredients. Stir together, digging deeply to get all the flour moist. 

Cook on a hot, lightly greased griddle (375 degrees) or heavy skillet.  Pour batter from pitcher onto griddle.  Flip when the top is all bubbly.

Makes approximately 20 standard sized pancakes.

There is no other pancake batter for Team Southerland!  Mommy found this recipe from Crystal Paine years ago when she ran the website Biblical Womanhood Online.  She now runs Money Saving Mom.  This is a fantastic recipe to make along with bacon, eggs, and homemade hashbrowns for Breakfast for Dinner.

Love Always,

Mommy

President Reagan's Favorite Mac-n-Cheese

Kathleen Heise

1/2 lb. macaroni
1 TB butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
3 C. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 C. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil the macaroni in water until tender; drain thoroughly.  Stir in butter and egg.  Mix mustard with salt and 1 TB of hot water and add to milk.  Add cheese, leave enough to sprinkle on top.  Pour noodles into a buttered casserole dish, add milk mixture, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until custard is set and top is crusty.

The Heise Family in Germany made this for us and it is so good.  It has been awhile since our family has made it because we have been making crock pot mac-n-cheese but this is a great recipe for the oven.  We have very fond memories of the Heise Family.  They were so instrumental in Daddy and Mommy's life to help us solidify some of our thoughts about raising children and homeschooling.  We praise the Lord for the Godly influence the Heise's have had on Team Southerland.
Love Always,
Mommy

Steak Marinade

Sheri Southerland, Daddy's brother, Mike's wife

1 C. soy sauce
1 C. water
1 TB onion powder
1 TB garlic powder
1 C. BBQ sauce
2-4 steaks

Place steaks in a 13"x9" glass dish.  Combine ingredients and pour over steak.  Cover and put in the refrigerator for 6-36 hours.  The longer the meat marinades the more tender it is and the stronger the flavor.

Aunt Sheri has grilled this marinated steak for us when we were visiting them in Oklahoma.  That is good eating!  This is our favorite steak marinade.
Love Always,
Mommy

Chicken Salad

Mommy Modified

13 oz. canned chicken breast, drained
1 tsp. ranch dressing mix
1 tsp. sour cream
2 tsp. milk
6 tsp. mayonnaise

Dump chicken into a bowl and break up the chunks with a fork.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Spread on bread or crackers.

Our favorite way to eat this is on bagel halves and broiled on low until warm.  Then add a slice of cheese and broil until melted.  This is a very yummy lunch!
Love Always, 
Mommy

Chicken with Wahoo Sauce

Best of Country Slow Cooker Recipes

6 chicken breasts, cut in half
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TB butter
1 C. water
3/4 C. lemon juice
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
4 tsp. dried parsley

Combine the oregano, Lawry's, and pepper.  Sprinkle on the chicken.  Brown the chicken in butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Transfer to the crock pot.

Saute the garlic in the skillet.  Add the water, lemon juice, and bouillon to the skillet.  Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen the browned bits.  Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours or until chicken in no longer pink.  This cooks up fairly quickly.  Baste the chicken and add the parsley.

Serve the "wahoo sauce" over the chicken and some rice.

Mommy has often doubled the wahoo sauce recipe as it is well liked in our household.  This is an easy recipe to overcook and make the chicken too dry so don't let it cook too long.
Love Always,
Mommy

Sloppy Joes

Mommy Modified Recipe

2 lb. hamburger

¾ C. ketchup

¾ C. water

2 TB minced dried onion, rejuvenated

1 ¼ tsp chili powder

1 ¼ tsp. garlic salt

1 ¼ tsp. ground mustard

12 oz. tomato paste

1 TB plus 1 tsp. sugar

1 ½ tsp. apple cider vinegar

Hamburger buns

Brown the hamburger in a skillet.  Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine.  Turn on low for 1 hour or until heated through.  Can be kept on low or warm during serving.  Place mixture on buns and serve. 

Yields: 12-16 sandwiches

We made these for the movers when we moved from Virginia to Texas and they were so very thankful to not be eating pizza!  We figured it pays to treat the folks well who are packing up your things.  :)  This is a good recipe to take to church.  It works well on rolls and goes pretty far. 

Love Always,

Mommy 

Onion Turkey Breast

Mary Ann Wasick

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook

4 lb. turkey breast, boneless and skinless

2 envelopes onion soup mix

2 tsp. garlic powder

4 C. water

Place turkey in the crockpot.  Sprinkle onion soup mix and garlic over the turkey.  Add the water and cook on high 8-12 hours.

Serves: 6-8

Such an easy recipe and it is so yummy!  Homemade Onion Soup Mix doesn't have MSG in it so that is a much better option than the stuff you buy at the store.  I think we even had this turkey for Thanksgiving one year.  :)  This is really yummy.

Love Always,

Mommy

Chicken Pot Pie

Mommy modified recipe

1/4 C. butter
2 TB minced onion, rejuvenated
7 TB flour
3 C. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 C frozen peas, cooked
1 C frozen corn, cooked
1/2 C. frozen carrots, cooked
1 C. frozen hashbrowns, thawed but not cooked
2 C. chicken, cooked and cubed
1 refrigerated pie crust, thawed (If frozen, takes 60-90 min. to thaw)

Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Cook and cube the chicken.

Rejuvenate the minced onion in 4 TB of cold water.  Set hashbrowns out to thaw.

Put water on to boil to cook the frozen veggies.  When water boils, add all the vegetables and bring water back to a boil.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan melt the butter.  Add the onion and sauté.  Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and stir with a whisk.  Add the chicken broth and stir well to make sure there are no flour lumps.  Stir in thyme.

Heat over medium heat until boiling and thickened, stirring frequently.

Add peas, carrots, corn, hashbrowns, and chicken to the gravy.  Boil for a minute or two.  Pour into a 9 inch pie dish or cast iron skillet.  Place pie crust on top.  Pinch edges under then press the crust with a fork to seal it well.  Cut small slits with a knife to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cover the edges of the crust with foil and cook for 5-10 minutes longer or until crust is brown.  Remove pie from oven and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes for the gravy to firm back up.

At one point Daniel declared this his favorite meal.  It is a favorite with all of Team Southerland.  We are now having to double this recipe.  I think we need to make this again soon!   Mommy will sometimes cook up a bunch of chicken, cube it, and put it in the freezer.  That cuts down on the prep time for a meal like this one.  Anything you can do ahead of time makes dinner prep easier and quicker so you don't have to spend a lot of extra time in the kitchen each evening.  
Love Always,
Mommy

Lasagna

Mommy modified recipe

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

29 ounces tomato sauce

1 cup water

6 ounces tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook beef, onion, and garlic together in saucepan until browned.  Drain.

Stir in tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt, oregano, garlic powder, basil, and pepper.  Mix well.

Combine the cheeses.

Spread one fourth of the meat sauce in either the crockpot or an 13x9 inch pan.  Arrange one third of the noodles over the sauce.

Spoon one third of the cheese mixture over the noodles.  Repeat layers twice.  Top with remaining sauce.

To cook in the crockpot:

Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours.  Sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese and serve.

To cook in oven:

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Serves: 8-10

This is the only lasagna that Mommy makes. It is so very yummy!  It makes a bunch!  Our family can currently only eat about 1/2 a pan of this for dinner.  Hannah has helped Mommy make this for several years now.  Lasagna is a great filling meal and it heats up well for leftovers.

Love Always,

Mommy

No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 C warm water (110-115 degrees)
3 C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy cast iron pot in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Mommy has made this several times before I found the Artisan Bread recipe.  This is a good recipe as well.  It's not hard.  Just start it in the morning (or the night before) and it will be ready for dinner!

Love Always,

Mommy

Strawberry Milkshakes

Modified from a recipe from Heavenly Homemakers

1 C. milk
1 C. heavy whipping cream
2 C. frozen strawberries
2 TB maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour milk and cream into blender.  Add frozen strawberries, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.

What a fun breakfast!  We need to make these more often.  What a wonderful summertime treat.
Love Always,
Mommy

Grandmommie's Skillet

Linda Diane Southerland- Daddy's Mom

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 C. chopped onion
2 C. cooked macaroni
2- 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2- 12 oz can whole kernel corn
4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 C. shredded cheese

Brown hamburger and the onion.  Pour off fat and stir in remanning ingredients except for cheese.  Simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in cheese and serve immediately.
Serves  8

Grandmommie made this for Hannah the day that Grandpaw took Hannah to Six Flags (June 5, 2012).  Hannah loved this dish and asked Grandmommie for the recipe.  Mommy can't wait to try it!  :)
Love Always,
Mommy

Raspberry Vinaigrette

3/4 C. olive oil
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
2 TB raw honey
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 C. fresh or frozen red raspberries
1/4 C. water

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to desired consistency is reached.  Store remaining dressing in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

We tried this dressing a couple weeks ago for the first time.  It is amazing!  Wow!  It goes very well on a spinach salad.  Yippee!
Love Always,
Mommy

Chicken Noodle Soup

Mommy made recipe from several different ones

Soup
2 TB dried minced onion, rejuvenated
1 tsp. dried minced garlic, rejuvenated
4 C. Chicken broth
1/2-1 C. chicken, cooked & cubed
2 carrots, sliced
1 tsp lemon juice
1 bay leaf
Dash of ground cloves
Pepper to taste
1 tsp. salt

Saute garlic and onion in some butter in a stockpot.  Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.    Cover with a lid while making noodles.

Noodles
2 eggs
4 TB milk
2 C. flour

Combine ingredients well and roll out thinly on the counter.  Cut 1/4" stripes in the rolled out dough and then cut of lengths of noodles.  Dip both sides of noodles into flour and drop them in the boiling soup.

This is the best soup and Hannah is a pro at making the noodles to go in it.  We all love this one.  Boo Boo isn't a huge fan of soup but she likes this one a lot.  I am so glad we found the different recipes so we can make this.  It is a wonderful meal on a chilly afternoon.  Yum!  If someone is feeling a little sick, this is a great meal.  Mommy will add extra garlic if we are fighting colds.
Love Always,
Mommy

Freezer Jam

Jevonne Humphrey


3 lbs. strawberries
2 C. sugar
7 TB Instant pectin


Puree strawberries in the blender.  Combine pectin and sugar in a bowl.  Pour in 4 3/4 C. strawberry puree and mix for 3 minutes.  Pour into desired containers and let stand for 30 minutes.  Store in fridge for 3-4 weeks or freezer for a very long time!


Hannah and Mommy made this last fall and it was so yummy!  We put it on toast, stir it into yogurt, or eat it on bagels with cream cheese.  So delicious!  I bet it would be awesome on pancakes too.
Jevonne is a gal Mommy went to elementary school with.  Mommy and Jevonne got reacquainted on Facebook in 2011 and she shared this recipe with us.
Love Always,
Mommy

Apple Butter

http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/10/homemade-apple-butter-recipe-plus-free-printable-labels.html

• 6 pounds medium apples 
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups raw or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3-4 teaspoons cinnamon

Peel, core, and slice apples in fourths. Put them in the crockpot with the vanilla and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir every few hours. Once apples are very, very tender, mash with a potato masher and stir in sugar and spices. Cook on low for another 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cool and pour into jars or an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks or freezer for a long time.

We made this in the Fall of 2011.  It was yummy.  We like to stir it into yogurt or put it on bagels with cream cheese.  The house smells so yummy while this is cooking!

Love Always,

Mommy 

Fruit Cocktail Salad

32 oz. fruit cocktail, undrained
20 oz. unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained
11 oz. mandarin oranges, drained
1 TB lemon juice
1 package (1 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 firm bananas, sliced

In a bowl combine the fruit (except for the bananas) and the lemon juice.  Sprinkle with pudding mix.  Stir gently for 1 minute or until mixture is thickened.  Fold in bananas.  Refrigerate until serving.  Even better the next day!

Team Southerland really likes this fruit salad.  If made the day before serving, the pudding thickens up the juice and the flavors blend wonderfully.  Kim Truesdell in Germany at Eifel Baptist Church gave me this recipe before Hannah was born.  We just took this to Veritas Baptist Church for the Father's Day lunch.  I made a double batch and there was only a little bit left over.  
Love Always,
Mommy

Daniel's Birthday Cinnamon Rolls

http://amysfinerthings.com/moms-cinnamon-rolls


1/2 c. very warm water
1 T. sugar
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. melted butter
2 eggs
2 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. warm milk
5 1/2 c. flour
butter
brown sugar
sugar
cinnamon

Icing

2 TB butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

2 TB milk

1 C. powdered sugar (use more to get desired consistency) 

1. Combine water, 1 T. sugar and yeast.  Set aside for 5 minutes to activate.
2. Mix 1/2 c. sugar, melted butter, eggs, and salt.  Add yeast mixture.
3. Stir in warm milk.
4. Add 5 cups flour, 1-2 cups at a time.  More flour may be necessary.
5. Knead dough on a well-floured surface, adding flour as necessary, until dough isn’t sticky.
6. Let rise until double (about a hour or so) in a clean, oiled bowl.
7. Punch down risen dough.  Separate into two pieces.
8. Roll out dough in a large rectangle.  Spread with softened butter.  Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon.
9. Roll dough into 13" log.  Ct dough with dental floss into about 12 (1-inch) rolls.  Place in 9×13 pan.  Let rise until double (about 1 hour or so).
10. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes.  Spread icing while hot.

For icing, melt butter.  Add vanilla and milk.  Sift powdered sugar into mixture and stir well.

These are the most amazing cinnamon rolls!  We made them for Daniel's 10th birthday and then we made them to take them to church the next weekend.  For church, we made 18 rolls per pan by rolling the dough into 19" logs.  (You always lose an inch somewhere along the way).  :)  These are definitely going to be made again.  I did sneak in 2 C. of freshly ground wheat and they were still wonderful; it didn't change the taste.  When we took them to church we make the dough, let it rise the first time, and assembled the rolls.  We put them in the refrigerator and the next morning we took them out to let them rise and bake.  Our house smelled incredible as these were cooking.  Oh yum!

Love Always,

Mommy

Raspberry Syrup

Mommy invention

12 oz. raspberries
1/4-1/2 C. sugar

Put the raspberries in a saucepan and sprinkle sugar on top.  Mash the fruit and cook over medium heat.  Serve over pancakes or stir into yogurt.

You can use any type of berries.

We had Breakfast for Dinner last week and we made up this syrup for our pancakes.  The children love it.  If the seeds are bothersome it could be strained through cheesecloth before serving.  We have been using the leftovers in our raw milk yogurt. Yum!
Love Always,
Mommy

Alfredo Sauce

Homestead Cooking cookbook

1/4 C. butter
2 C. raw cream
1 C. Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.  HEat until steaming, stirring occasionally.  Don't let it boil or it will curdle.  Use immediately.

This sauce does not warm up well in the microwave.

This is Daddy's favorite Alfredo sauce.  In the spring and summer we can get the raw cream from Nors dairy and it makes the best Alfredo sauce.  The cream from the store just doesn't taste the same.  Mommy has tried several different Alfredo recipes but none of them have turned out well until we tried this one.  
Love Always,
Mommy