something to read...

-encouraging post about waiting by megan at night song

-recipe for apple butter in slow cooker (and cute way to decorate jars to give as gifts) by jessica over at lemon tree creations 

-thought provoking post on technology time-wasters by lindsay at passionate homemaking

simple yet delicious

As my mom and I were preparing dinner yesterday, we're trying to figure out what to eat along with our breaded chicken and green beans.  My mom mentioned we could reheat some leftover egg noodles and throw some peas in with the noodles.  I thought maybe I could find a recipe real quick online.  Sure enough after Googling "recipe with noodles and peas", I found one that called for ingredients we had.  The recipe was the first one on the list! :)  Anyways, it came out tasty and extremely easy!

Here it is:

Egg Noodles with Peas and Parmesan
Recipe found at cookthink

1/2 pound egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter  (I used regular salted butter.)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed  (Because I didn't have time to let them sit out, I defrosted the peas in the microwave a little. Make sure you keep an eye on it and don't let it cook all the way.)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup grated parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.  (I skipped this step because I used leftover noodles.)
2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the peas. Cook 1-2 minutes, until peas are tender and heated through. Add the red pepper flakes and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. When the pasta is done, drain and add it to the butter and peas. Toss to coat. Stir in the parmesan and serve.

Pretty simple, huh? :)

free recipe cards

Aren't these recipe cards cute? :)  Today I was going through some free downloads I found at different blogs and sites. This one came from A Winding Road.  You can download it for free by going to the post here.  Enjoy! :)

{brownie biscotti}

This past weekend I tried making biscotti for the first time.  I say "tried" because I burned them the first time! :)  They were still tasty but I made another batch for our coffee house at church. Who would want to buy a burnt biscotti? :)

You can find the original recipe here.

Brownie Biscotti

1/3 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour (I used 1 c. white flour & 3/4 whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3 c. cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips  (I used regular choc. chips and chopped them a bit. I also added a little more.)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 Tab. water

1. Preheat to 375 degrees F.  Grease 1-2 baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.  Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.  Dough will be stiff, so mix in the last bit by hand.  Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

3. Divide dough into two equal parts.  Shape into 9x2x1 in. loaves.  Place onto baking sheet 4 in. apart.  Brush with mixture of water and yolk.

4. Bake for 15 to 20 min. or until firm.  Cool on baking sheet for 30 min.

5. Using a serrated knife, slice the loaves diagonally into 1 in. slices.  Return the slices to the baking sheet, placing them on their sides.  Bake for 8 to 10 min. on each side, or until dry. (This is where I burned them so be careful!)  Cool completely and store in airtight container.  After they cooled I drizzled them with melted chocolate chips.  Yum!

sweet-potato muffins

My mom found this sweet-potato recipe the other day on allrecipes.com.  These muffins turned out so moist and yummy!  A few of my family members thought they were pumpkin--even my brother who doesn't like sweet potatoes! :)  We made a few adjustments but you can take a look at the original recipe here.

Sweet-Potato Muffins

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 c. flour (I used part whole wheat and part white)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg)

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. salt

4 c. boiled, peeled, and mashed sweet potato

1/2 c. raisins (you may finely cut them if you wish)

1 c. walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease muffin tins to hold 12 muffins.

2. Whisk together brown sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in a small bowl.

3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt, and sweet potatoes in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir the egg mixture, gradually incorporating it with the flour mixture.  The batter will be lumpy.  Stir in the raisins and walnuts.

4. Spoon the batter into the tins.  Bake the muffins for 20-25 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the middles comes out clean.  Remove muffins from pan.  Serve the muffins right away.

Yummy Gingerbread Scones!

Last week I tried out this gingerbread scone recipe.  They turned out so well I couldn't stop eating them!  It tastes just like a gingerbread cookie but not as sweet and more bready.  I think the scones are good plain but feel free to spread butter on them.  Keep in mind that it is quite a messy clean-up! :)

Gingerbread Scones
Prep: approx. 20 min.  Bake: 15 min.  Yield: 1 doz.

2 c. flour (I used about half wheat flour)
3 Tab. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. cold butter
1/3 c. molasses (I didn't have enough so I added some syrup)
1/4 c. milk
1 egg, separated
Sugar

1.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly.  In a small bowl, combine the molasses, milk and egg yolk until smooth; stir into the crumb mixture just until moistened.  (If you're using wheat flour, you may need to add a little more milk.)

2.  Turn dough onto floured surface; knead gently 6-8 times.  Pat into 8-in. circle; cut into 12 wedges.  Separate wedges and place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet.  Beat egg white until frothy; brush over scones.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 min. or until golden brown.  Remove from pan to a wire rack.  Serve warm.

Taken from The Taste of Home Baking Book