My Cookbooks: Cook's Country Cookbook

The Cook's Country Cookbook has a really long title ~ The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook. It is based on the Cook's Country TV show that is shown on PBS stations. It is one of the newest cookbooks in my collection and one I have wanted for a long time. I received it as a Christmas present from my MIL & FIL. 

This cookbook contains all of the recipes from the tv show and is updated every year. I have the season 9 cookbook, which is the latest addition. The book also includes all of the features of the show; such as ingredient testing and equipment ratings. Some of the other interesting things in this book are short histories of how some of the recipes came to be. They also include helpful tips on how to avoid some of the pit falls that may come when making a particular recipe. Valuable tips on how to prepare certain ingredients can also be found. 

There is a great range of recipes in this book; from old fashion favorites to ones with international flare. Grilling recipes have a devoted section all to itself. Breakfast recipes can also be found. I recently fixed one of the breakfast recipes ~ a Dutch Baby Pancake. It was yummy and something a little different. I have many, many more recipes marked to try. 

The Cook's Country Cookbook is one of those cookbooks you will want to add to our collection. The recipes are easy to follow. They also provide reasons why the recipe will work and things to avoid. It is simply a good thing! 

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If you having been following along all week, I hope I have shared a cookbook that might be of interest and helpful to you. I would love to hear some feedback from you, so, please leave a comment. If you have a favorite cookbook, I would love to hear about it, too. Finding and trying new recipes is one of those simple pleasures for me!  

My Cookbooks: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook was a Christmas present from my youngest BIL and I love it. It is so Martha. It is laid out beautifully and crammed full of baking know how, but you wouldn't expect anything less from Martha Stewart. 

The first few pages of the book contain general baking tips, baking equipment, and techniques. The equipment section has pictures and what each piece is used for. The same goes for the technique pages, plus great insight from Martha's years of baking. 

At the beginning of each the recipe sections, there is information and tips on how to bake that type of baked goods. What type of equipment needed to make that particular baked good is covered, as well as a variety of helpful tips. The instructions are very well laid out and go step by step. I have never had any problem following any of Martha's recipes(...well, I did once because I didn't read the recipe all the way through before starting. My bad!) and everything has turned out well. I have tried only one recipe from this book to date ~ Chocolate Scones ~ and we liked them. I have many, many more marked to try. Now, I just have to find the time to get to baking.

I can't recommend Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook enough. It would be a great gift for a new bride to be or the budding baker in your family. Martha's Baking Handbook, as she would say, is simply a good thing!  

My Cookbooks: Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook

I grew up reading the Little House books and watching "Little House On The Prairie" on tv. I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and the life she lived. I wanted to be a pioneer. So as an adult, I was thrilled when I came across "The Laura Ingalls Wider Country Cookbook." 

This cookbook is full of recipes that Laura fixed for her family from the things they grew on their farm. It also contains recipes using special ingredients that would have been expensive at the time, such as citrus fruits. All of the recipes are simple, hearty, country, home cooking. The potato pancake recipe I use comes from this cookbook. However, there is so much more to this cookbook, especially for a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. 

"The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook" is a book filled with stories about her life on the farm with Almanzo and Rose. It is full of pictures of their farm in Missouri. There are pictures of the inside of their home and pictures of their adventures around the farm. It talks about her writing for a local newspaper and how she would write down recipes on whatever she could put her hands on at the time. If you are a LIW fan, you will just enjoy reading this book. I have read it numerous times and will read it a few more times. It is simply a good thing! 

My Cookbooks: The Joy Of Cooking

If you are looking for an all purpose cookbook or a cookbook for a new bride, I highly recommend "The Joy Of Cooking." It is crammed full of valuable information and tons of recipes. First published in 1931, "The Joy Of Cooking" has been updated several times to reflect the current cooking knowledge. 

While I haven't used many of the recipes, this is my go to cookbook if I have a question on how to prepare something or how to cook/bake something. It has a whole section called ~ Know Your Ingredients. Here you can find 5 1/2 pages of equivalents and substitutions for common ingredients which is VERY helpful. This section also has measurement equivalents and conversion charts. You will also find tips on how to grow, harvest, dry, freeze, and use herbs, as well as how to use spices. Other chapters include; "The Foods We Eat", "Entertaining", and "Menus." 

As for recipes, you will find everything from drinks, to game, to pies, to cakes, to pickles, and relishes. I have a lot of recipes marked in here to try and even found a new favorite of ours homemade potato chips. There is a cheese blintzes recipe I want to try but I haven't worked up enough courage to try making crepes, yet. 

Not only is the cookbook a great tool to have on hand, there is also a "Joy Of Cooking" website that corresponds with the cookbook. Just don't expect to find all the recipes from the book on the site, however, you will find some new recipes thrown into the mix. It also has a ingredient and technique page you will find helpful. The site also gives a history of how the cookbook came to be and the history of it over the decades. It is one of those sites, you will want to bookmark for future reference.

"The Joy Of Cooking" has become a staple in my cookbook collection and in my cooking/baking efforts. I highly recommend it and think it is simply a good thing!  

I Love Cookbooks

I love cookbooks and not just for the recipes. I love to read them. They give insight to the history of recipes and the regions they come from. They also tell stories about the authors or surrounding how a recipe came to be. They also contain a lot of valuable information on different cooking techniques, tools for cooking/baking, and how to go about preparing certain cuts of meats. They are just a great resource to have on hand. They are also a great shower gift for a new bride to be. So all this week, I will be sharing some of my favorite, go to cookbooks. 

The books I will be sharing have helped me out a lot over the years as I grow in my cooking/baking skills. They have helped me branch out of my comfort zone to try new recipes and new techniques. Some of them, I love because of the story and history they tell. All of them I think would be welcomed by anyone that has a love for cooking/baking or a bride (or new couple) setting up a new household. All of them are simply perfect!

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Lime Marinade

Since we like Mexican inspired food, I am always looking for new recipes. My searching lead me to find this lime marinade in a owner's manual for the new Oster DuraCeramic Electric Skillet. (I am going to have to do a simply perfect product post on this electric skillet, because I love it.) The lime marinade is part of a recipe called Easy Beef Fajitas. If you like Mexican inspired food, you will like this recipe and will find other uses for it. Of course, I made changes to the recipe to fit our family's taste.

Lime Marinade

• juice of 2 limes
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/4 tsp of salt (I used garlic salt and left out the minced garlic.)
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (I used less.)
• black pepper to taste 

Combine the ingredients above in a bowl. Add beef and allow to stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you use this to marinate chicken or fish, I wouldn't leave it at room temp. Drain meat and discard the marinade, then fix meat as desired. 

 

We weren't use to using a lot of lime in recipes, so we were pleasantly surprised by how good meat was marinated in it. Who knew lime marinade was simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Spice Rub For Pork Or Beef

McCormick use to make Southwest Marinate available in a pack that you added oil, water, and vinegar to. It made a delicious marinade for grilled pork chops. A few years ago, they stopped making it. So I started looking on the internet for a homemade replacement. I finally stumbled across this recipe and it is a very close match. It can be used as a rub or turned into a marinade. I have gone back and looked for the original recipe, but can't seem to find it, but this happens to be one of those recipes I really didn't make many changes to it. 

Spice Rub For Pork Or Beef

• 2 Tbsp of oil (I use olive oil.)
• 1 Tbsp of chili powder 
• 1/2 tsp of oregano
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper 
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp of cumin
• a few red pepper flakes (this is the one addition I made to the recipe.)

Stir together, cover and refrigerator for 15 minutes, then rub on the meat to coat all of it. 

 

We have tried this rub on a pork roast and it was good, but we really like it made into a marinade for pork chops. 

 

Spice Marinate

• all of the spice rub above
• 1/4 cup of oil (I use olive oil.)
• 2 Tbsp of white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of water

Mix all the ingredients together, then add the meat to be marinated. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer for a deeper flavor. 

 

This spice rub is easy to make, can be used for pork or beef, and easily turned into a marinate. It is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Italian Dressing

While I don't like or use Italian dressing on my salad, I do like to marinate chicken that we are grilling in it. It helps keep the chicken moist and makes it very flavorful. We use to use Kraft's Tuscan House Italian Dressing (and still do in a pinch.) However in our continued effort to eat healthier, I went looking for a good homemade Italian dressing recipe. I found one at "The Family Homestead." Like most recipes, I have adjusted it to our taste. You can find the original recipe here. 

Italian Dressing

• 1/2 cup of olive oil (I use a little less than a 1/2 cup.)
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (I use a little less than a fourth of a cup.)
• 1/2 cup of water (I use a little more than a 1/2 cup.)
• 1 Tbsp of maple syrup (I use about a tbsp and a half.)
• basil, garlic salt, seasoning salt, onion powder, parsley, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes all to your taste

Mix all the ingredients together. If the olive oil taste is still too strong, add a little more water. 

 

I don't know how good this dressing in on a salad, but it awesome to marinate chicken in. I love making a big garden salad and topping it with grilled chicken marinated in this dressing. It is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: BBQ Sauce

DH and DD like to eat BarBQ pork sandwiches made out of a Boston Butt Pork Roast and BarBQ sauce. We also like chicken baked in BarBQ sauce. So when I started looking for alternatives to store bough, I came across this recipe on a fellow homeschool mom's website The Family Homestead. It is a good substitute, but as with any recipe, I adjusted it to our taste. 

BarBQ Sauce

• 6 oz. of tomato paste
• 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of ketchup 
• 2 tsp of dry mustard (I use yellow mustard.)
• 2 tsp of salt (I use garlic salt.)
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder 

Mix ingredients together in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to blend the flavors. 

 

In addition to the ingredients, I add a tsp of black pepper and a tsp of onion powder. I also use garlic salt instead of plain salt because I like the flavor of garlic. I also use yellow mustard instead of dry mustard. I just squirt two good squirts of it in with the rest of the ingredients. I also use a heaping 1/2 tsp of chili powder.

 

This BarBQ sauce is also good to make cocktail wienes in the crock pot. I just add a few tbsp of maple syrup to the mixture and I have even used strawberry syrup. They are always at hit at our holiday gatherings. 

 

Homemade BarBQ sauce is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Taco Seasoning

All this week I am going to share some of the miscellaneous recipes that add spice or seasoning to other dishes. Most of these are tried and true recipes that I have used for years. The very last one is one that I just came across recently. All of them have been a hit at our house. 

We eat a lot of Mexican inspired recipes, so we go through a lot of taco seasoning. As I began to try to cut out preservatives and chemicals out of the foods we ate, I started looking for an alternative to the store bought taco seasoning. I finally came across one that we like in a cookbook written by a homeschool mom know as Marmee Dear. The name of the book is "Martha's Family Cookery Book." It is easy to make and uses herbs and spices most people have in their cabinets. 

Taco Seasoning

• 6 tsp. of chili powder
• 2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I use garlic salt.)
• 4 1/2 tsp. of cumin
• 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
• 5 tsp. of paprika
• 3 tsp. of onion powder

In a bowl combine all of these ingredients. Store in an airtight container. This is a stronger mix than store bought packs, so add in small amounts to your taste. One store bought pack usually contains about 4 tbsp. 

The recipe calls for garlic powder, but I use garlic salt because I felt it needed more flavor. I also use less cayenne pepper than it calls for, because I can't take a lot of heat. Just adjust the amount to fit your family's taste. 

Homemade taco seasoning is simply a good thing!

Happy Resurrection Sunday

He is risen! 

He is risen, indeed! 

Easter Sunday is a very important day for me as a follower of Christ. It is the day my Lord and Saviour arose from the dead after give His life as a sacrifice so that my sins and the sins of all people could be forgiven. 

His resurrection is also a promise of the eternal life all mankind will have when we confess our sins, ask for forgiveness for them, pledge to live life differently according to His Holy Word, and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. 

If you feel like something is missing in your life and you need unburden yourself, will you please consider accepting the promise of eternal life by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. All it requires is a little humbleness, confession, belief, and acceptance. Will you accept Him today? 

Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!  

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord! 

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!  

Have a Happy Easter and a blessed Resurrection Sunday!  

Dyeing Easter Eggs By Marbleizing Them

Marbleizing eggs was an idea I got from an article in Martha Stewart's Living Magazine a few years ago. Dyeing eggs this way creates an unique look to each egg. Not to mention, it is a lot of fun and messy. 

Here is what you need:

• food coloring (I use McCormick's)
• vinegar
• water
• cups to put the dye in
• shallow pie plates or pans to put the dye in
• empty egg cartons
• olive oil
• big spoon
• hard boiled eggs

First thing to do is to prepare the dye by following the directions on the food coloring box. I prepare the dye in cups and in the shallow dishes. The marbleizing will work best if you put lighter colors in the cups to dye the eggs in first, then use darker colors in the shallow dishes in which to do the marbleizing with. If you want to create all kinds of different shade this chart from McCormick is a good tool to have on hand. To the prepared dye in the shallow dishes, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and swirl.

Now that you have everything prepared, start dropping the eggs in the lighter dyes in the cups first. If you are working with little kids, a whisk is a great tool to use to help them dye the eggs. Place the egg in the middle of the whisk and dip into the dye. Older kids can work with big spoons. (When we were dyeing these eggs, we also were using the rubber band method.)

When the egg is the shade you want it to be, remove it from the dye and place in an empty egg carton to dry a little before moving on to the marbleizing step. 

Once the egg has a chance to dry a little, it is time to roll it in the oily dye. Use a fork to swirl the oil around, then roll the egg in the oily dye. Place it once again in an empty egg carton to dry. 

Before placing the eggs in a basket or a bowl, use an old rag to wipe them down. Another thing about dyeing eggs this way is that the colors get richer with time. 

 
This is a simply fun interesting way to dye eggs! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Dyeing Easter Eggs Using Shaving Cream

If you are looking for a fun and messy way to dye eggs, then this method is for you. The kids will have a ball dyeing eggs like this because it is so messy. Luckily, the clean up is easy. This method also creates some really cool looking eggs. 

Here is what you will need: 

• food coloring
• hard boiled eggs
• a can of shaving cream (I used the smallest and cheapest can I could find.)
• an empty egg carton
• old rags 
• pie plates, cake pans, or some sort of shallow dish

Spray some of the shaving cream into the shallow dish. Next add drops of food coloring to the shaving cream. You can do two colors per dish or as many as 5. 

 

Next use a knife or a fork to swirl the food coloring a little.

Now take the hard boiled eggs and dip them into the shaving cream. Swirl the eggs a little, then place the eggs into the empty egg carton for a little while, so the colors will set. 

After a minute or two, wipe the shaving cream off of the egg and admire your creation. If you want to dip them again in different colors, feel free to do so. 

Clean up is easy. Just wash out the dishes and pans with the shaving cream in them in your kitchen sink. All the mess will go down the drain, well except for the mess on your table and your kids.

After dyeing eggs like this several times, I have learned a few tricks. 

1. Try to dip and swirl. Don't drag the eggs through the shaving cream. This will muddy up the colors to much to tell them apart. 
2. The green and yellow colors are harder to get the dye to stick. So you might want to not swirl those colors to much with the shaving cream. Try sticking them directly into the food coloring drops then swirl. 
3. A little Clorox Clean-Up sprayed on your hands and rubbed in will clean the food coloring off of your hands.  
4. Keep plenty of old rags on hand when doing this, because it will be messy. 

I hope you and your family will try this simple, yet, funny and messy way to dye eggs! 

Dyeing Easter Eggs Rubber Band Style

DD and I love to dye eggs for Easter. As a matter of fact, we spent this past Sunday afternoon dyeing them. It is a fun way for us to spend time together and talk. We have long past gave up on the Paas Easter egg dye and found other ways to dye eggs using food coloring that are a lot more creative, fun, and messy. So, I thought I would share 3 ways we really like to dye eggs with you. 

The first way involves rubber bands. By putting rubber bands of various sizes around the eggs then dipping them into the dye, you get all different patterns on the eggs. You also can put them into another dye to color the white space left by the rubber bands. I save the rubber bands off of the vegetables I buy at the grocery store, so I don't have to buy any. 

On "A Life Lived Simply" facebook page last year, I put up a photo album with step by step instructions on how to dye eggs rubber band style included in the pictures. The results are pretty and making them can get your kids creative juices flowing. Go and check it out! 

Dyeing Easter eggs is simply one of those simple pleasures in life! Get to dyeing to today and have some fun! 

How To Make An Easter Egg Cake

Maybe, I should clarify the title. I am going to tell you how to make what I call an Easter Egg Cake, but it isn't one you can eat. It is an easy, yet pretty way to add to your Easter decorations. I have mine sitting in the middle of our dining table and have received a lot of compliments for it. I can't take the credit for the idea, because it was a Pinterest pin that inspired me to create my own. 

This is my version of the Pinterest pin that I call an Easter Egg Cake.

Here is what you will need:

• A clear glass cake plate or cake stand.
• A clear glass cake dome that will fit your cake plate or stand. 
• Easter grass used for Easter baskets of some kind. (I like the crinkle cut shredded paper from Hobby Lobby.) 
• Various sorts of Easter eggs, in all sizes. (I used styrofoam glitter eggs in all sizes. Some I bought from Hobby Lobby. Others from AC Moore's.)

First step is to turn the cake dome upside down and put a little grass in the bottom. 

Next, add a layer of eggs.

Add more grass and then more eggs, until you fill up the cake dome up almost to the top.

Finish it off with another layer of grass to the top of the cake dome. 

Now flip the cake dome onto the plate or the stand and your Easter Egg Cake is finished. 

I just love simple decorations like this that you can make using things you have on hand and ones that you spend very little money on. I think this Easter Egg Cake is simply beautiful! 

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If you decide to make one, let me know how it turns out! 

How To Make A Cross Cake

If you are like me, holidays mean family gatherings and food. These gatherings give me a chance to try out new recipes or come up with creative dishes or desserts. However, creative can often mean time consuming. So, if you are looking for something easy yet creative to take to a family gathering this coming Easter weekend, then this cross cake may be right for you. 

You will need to bake a cake in a 9" X 13" cake pan. I used my favorite white cake recipe. It makes a very thin cake which works really well for the construction of the cross. Let the cake cool completely before cutting it up and decorating it.

When the cake is cool, cut in half lengthwise. Next cut of the halves into 2 pieces; making one 2 inch piece and one 11 inch piece.

On a big piece of cake board, place the uncut piece vertically near the bottom. Next take the 11 inch piece and place at the top end of the vertical piece perpendicular so it is evenly spaced on either side.  Take the 2 inch piece on top of the perpendicular piece so it is in line with the vertical piece.

Now that the cross is assembled, it can be iced and decorated. I use icing on all the ends where the pieces meet, so it will help them stick together to help the cake maintain its shape. 

A cross cake is simple to make but still pretty and appropriate for this upcoming Easter holiday! 

Decorating For Easter

If you have followed this blog or its FB page, then you know how much I love to decorate for the holidays and for the seasons. After I take down all of the Valentine's Day decorations and snowmen decorations, I am ready to put out all of my Spring and Easter decorations. They seem to help chase away the gloom of the winter days. They especially brightened our home during our long hard winter. All of the bunnies put a smile on my face and the bright pastels make my heart sing. Here is a glimpse at our Spring/Easter decorations. 

 

Welcome to our home!

On the kitchen window sill...

a family of bunnies are hard at work...

decorating eggs.

A family of bunnies hiding among the plants in the corner of the kitchen.

I made this banner this year. You can see it from the laundry room as you walk in the door. It makes me smile!

During this Easter season, I can never forget the sacrifice my Lord and Saviour Jesus made for all of us. 

"The grass is a greenin'. The birds are a singin'. The sun is a shingin'. That must mean Spring is a springin'!" Tafy Sills

Happy Spring, everyone! I pray that you all have a simply blessed Easter season!