Giveaway for Vison Forum

Vision forum is having a giveaway over at A Wise Woman Builds Her house. 

Have you ever been to the Vision Forum website?  They have great christian books and resources, be sure to check them out here:
http://www.visionforum.com/start.aspx
Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Missy

Quick Chicken Soft Tacos

Last night I had some chicken to cook, but we had eaten chicken the night before also.  I'm tired of eating the same things all the time (my husband is a very picky eater).  I had some tortillas in the fridge so I decided to make chicken soft tacos.  Looked up a few recipes online and did not want to spend much time cooking supper.  I used to work full time, so I have learned how to cook quick meals.  I took a frying pan and cut up some onions and threw them in the hot skillet which I had put a little bit of olive oil in to prevent sticking.  Meanwhile, I took my scissors and cut the chicken breast in small, bite-size pieces.  Tossed some flour and salt on it and then threw it in another skillet to cook, next time I will only use one skillet and throw it in with the onions since I added them to the onions anyways!  I hate doing dishes and am always trying to find ways to use less pots and pans.  I put some garlic through my garlic press and threw that in.  I didn't add the garlic first because it has a tendency to burn.  I sprinkled salt and taco seasoning over it all and continued to cook it until cooked thoroughly.  My husband came home and was like "what about the cheese?"  Totally forgot the cheese!  He shredded some cheddar and mozzarella (his idea) and we threw it all together in the tortillas.  It was really good and even my husband liked it!  It took less then 30 minutes from start to finish!  If you have any veggies, you can always add lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, salsa or sour cream.  We liked them plain and I put salsa on everything.  I had tried a new brand of salsa and it had molded!  Gross!
Hope you enjoy it, I know there are no measurements but I just did it all to taste.
Missy

Cake Decorating Class

We had our third baking class that I taught to the 3 young ladies from my church.  We made carrot cake and regular buttercream using thot not powdered sugar.  Boy was that buttercream sweet but good!  I let the young ladies choose what design they wanted to do on their cakes.  First I taught them how to frost the cake, then do a shell border.

They picked up on the borders very quickly.  (please excuse the picture quality, I forgot my camera and had to use my phone.)
They got to pick their own designs, I gave them some suggestions.  I showed them how to make their designs and they practiced on plates first.  Miracle made a butterfly, Aaliyah learned how to write her name, and Ashleigh made a design from a Wilton instructions book using the shell border.  We didn't feel like messing with color so made the cakes mono-chromatic.  (At least I think that word means one color!  LOL)

I haven't been teaching them in-depth decorating because these were baking classes, but they have been doing a great job!  I explained to them not to worry about it being perfect - just have fun!  That's a lesson I need to learn!
Each class I have printed off the recipes we used in class and some things I wanted them to study.
The first week was sugar cookies and royal icing and they had to learn about eggs and their structure and use in baking.  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2011/10/sugar-cookies-class.html The second week was Cupcakes and IMBC and they had to learn the differences between carob and chocolate and how to substitute it and about different flours. http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2011/10/carob-cupcakes-recipe-and-class.html  This week they have to study about different kinds of natural sugars and using them in baking.  I'm thinking about doing a blog post about the different kinds of sugar to share with ya'll.
We used the carrot cake recipe from Bob's Red Mill and added a can of pineapple and walnuts.
Next class we will learn how to bake an apple pie and cheesecake - just in time for Thanksgiving!  I must admit this will be my first apple pie too!  LOL  Ahleigh's and Aaliyah's dad has been looking forward to the cheesecake, he loves my cheesecake.  LOL
Thanks for listening!
Missy

I Hate Word Verifications

I would like to apologize.  I hate those dumb word verifications.  They are a pain in the neck!  For over a year I have gone without it on my blog for comments.  Unfortunately, I had to enable word verification to prevent spam in my comments.  Some of the spam has been for bad sites. 
Would whoever sends the spam, stop please?  I am not going to click on your link, I'm not that stupid.
I'll leave you with some pictures of my cat, I hate having a post with out pictures!  LOL

They love this quilt I got a the pound store in Lubbock.  Can you imagine all of the love and care that was put into this quilt just to have someone toss it away?

Please excuse the fact that I did not make my bed!
I'll be posting some things later this week.  Have a great day ya'll!
Missy

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I love pumpkin spice cupcakes!  I first made this recipe last year, here is the link:  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2010/12/pumpkin-spice-cake.html

I made them for church and made them "healthier".  I was surprised how delicious they turned out with wheat flour!
Here is the revised recipe:
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

1 Can (15 oz.) pumpkin (about 2 cups)
2 Cups sugar (I used palm sugar)
1 Cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 Cups flour (I used 1 cup hard white wheat flour and 1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In large mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Add eggs and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 15" x 10" baking pan, or cupcake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes 15-20 minutes for cupcakes, or until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool

I frosted them with Italian Meringue Buttercream and then sprinkled the tops with cinnamon.
http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2011/08/italian-meringue-buttercream.html

I'll be making a turkey cake next week using this recipe.  Can't wait!
Missy

Lactation Cookies?????

I've seen several recipes for lactation cookies.  Since I have not been blessed with children, I did not know what they were.  I figured they had something to do with breast feeding.  My friend Skye brought some to bible study this week.  The ingredients help to fortify the breast milk for the babies.  She shared the cookies and they were really good.  I'm sure the ingredients would be healthy for any woman.  She got the original recipe here:  http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/major-milk-makin-lactation-cookies.html
Here is the recipe with the changes that she made.


Ingredients:


1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 3/4 c. oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. flax
3 T  yeast
1/3 c. water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup palm sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 c. (12oz) carob chips
1 c. chopped pecans
Directions:

Be sure to check out the website for the rest of the directions!
Enjoy!!

Cranberry/Apple Relish again

I'll be sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you this year.

1Ch 16:34 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."  His mercy does endure forever, it was because of His mercy for us that He sent His Son to die for our sins.  What a great thing to give thanks to God for!


I wanted to share a recipe from last year that I absolutely love!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Cranberry/Apple Relish
1 bag (12 oz) fresh or frozen cranberries
2 apples peeled and finely chopped (I used my Pampered Chef Chopper)
2 cups apple cider or juice
2 cups sugar (If using palm sugar do not skimp or it will be sour)
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (I found this in the bulk section at the grocery store)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1. In a 3 qt saucepan, combine cranberries, apples, apple cider and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add ginger and cloves. Simmer until most of the cranberries have burst, about 30 minutes or more.
2. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. Serve warm or chilled. If you let it chill for a day or two it will gel up some.
Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.

You can also make yummy turkey salad sandwiches with it!
 To make the sandwiches cut up some leftover turkey, add a lot of relish(to cover?) a bar of cream cheese and a big spoonful, about 1/2 cup, of plain yogurt. Mix it all up and serve between bread. I think I'll add pecans next time. It was delicious!
I also used this to make a dip for crackers at New Years last year.

I am going to stock up on fresh cranberries when I find them on sale and put them in my freezer.
I can't wait to make it this year, I'll be grocery shopping friday for my Thanksgiving meal.

Here is an old picture of a Thanksgiving more than 9 years ago, I'm not sure of the actual date.  Boots wanted to share our leftover Thanksgiving dinner with us!

Missy

First Turkey Dinner

This is my husband, Chris and I, in 1995 cooking our first meal for our families, the day before our wedding.  I had already moved into our duplex and was getting it ready for Chris to move in after our wedding.  We were so skinny and young back then!

I was just thinking about the first turkey my husband and I cooked.  We were young and had never cooked a turkey before.  One of my older friends had told me to be sure to get the giblets out.  I have never liked dealing with raw meat (did I mention I didn't know how to cook when I got married?), the smell and texture and thought of touching a dead animal just really grossed me out.  I didn't mind eating it already cooked, I just didn't want to touch it!  But you gotta do what you gotta do and I forced myself to cook raw meat so that we could have something to eat.  (I know kind of childish, but I still get grossed out sometimes.)  :)

This is my mom on the right, and Chris's mom on the left.

Back to the turkey.  I told my husband he needed to pull the giblets.  He said no way he was going to stick in his hand inside the turkey and I needed to pull it out.  Mind you, neither one of us knew what to expect when we stuck our hand in there.  This went on for 30 minutes pushing the turkey back and forth.  Of course he proved to be the more stubborn one and I had to stick my hand in there and pull it out.  I pulled the bag of giblets out and threw them away.  Then my husband told me I better make sure nothing else was in there and when I pulled out the neck, I freaked out so bad I dropped the whole thing on the floor!  We washed the turkey again and cooked a delicious, moist turkey.  It was so worth the experience.  My secret for my turkey is using an oven roasting bag.  You can buy them at your local store where the aluminum foil and plastic wrap is.  You don't have to baste and it does not have to cook as long.  I surprised my aunt with how easy this was.  I also use a whole stick of butter, sage and garlic and stick a whole onion in the cavity.  And of course salt.  Pretty simple, but sometimes that is the best kind!  Do you have any turkey tips to share?  What is your funniest cooking experience?

Always lick the spoon.  Did I mention this was also a turkey dinner?  Chris and Zeke had to go buy me a roasting pan to cook the turkey in and I am still using that same roasting pan today to cook my turkeys in!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Missy

Sewing Area

I would love to have a sewing room.  Right now that is my dining room.  It looks like fabric has exploded all over the place.

What a mess, right?

I do my cutting, sewing and laptop on the kitchen table.
I invited a couple of friends over for dinner.  He fixed my dryer in exchange for a dinner of chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.  I totally rearranged and cleaned my dining room so we could eat at the table.  It looks a lot better now.  I moved my bakers rack and set it up as a desk with my laptop on it.

I'm thinking of maybe moving my baker's rack to the office to store my material on, and my desk to the dining room.  I'll have to see if my husband will help me with that.

I now have more room on my table for cutting and sewing.  I like this better.  Of course when I have a cake to decorate this gets put away so that I can make a different kind of mess with frosting and cake.
I want to build a house and have either a loft, or big room with 3 outside walls so that I can have lots of windows.  I want half the room to be my sewing/craft room.  It will have a special cutting table and my old dining room table for my sewing.  Lots of shelves and cabinets.  The other half will be my husband's office/library/music room.  This way we won't be isolated from each other!
Not to mention a nice big kitchen for all my baking and decorating, but more on that later.
I have since updated the baker's and put in a desk instead, to see the update, go here:  http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2012/01/whoops.html
Where do you do your crafts?
Missy

Cherry Cobbler

For our church's anniversary we had an old-fashioned Sunday where we dressed up old-fashioned and ate old fashioned food.  We had a potluck and had chicken dumplings, greens, black eyed peas, cornbread and salad.  For dessert we had cobbler, I've never made cobbler before and did not realize how hard it was to find the fruit for a cobbler this time of year.  (I could have done apple, but I have an apple crisp in my fridge that I've been eating on.)  I decided to do cherry, which ended up costing  more then I expected.  I'll make sure to use " in season" fruit next time, but I think my healthy cherry cobbler turned out pretty good!  I'm thinking next year maybe pie social?
Cherry Cobbler
1 cup kamut flour
1/2 cup organic unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
about 6 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened pitted cherries ( I used and 12 oz and 16 oz bag)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1.  Preheat oven to 400° F.  For topping, in a medium bowl stir together flour, the tablespoons sugar (if you are not using the granulated kind, crumble it in with the flour mixture like you do the butter), baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Using your fingers is a quick way to do this.
2.  For filling, in a large saucepan combine the cherries, 1 cup sugar, and the cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat until cherries juice out, stirring occasionally.  Be sure to not have your heat too high and keep an eye on it, I scorched mine and has taken a long time to clean that pan!  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Keep filling hot.
3.  In a small bowl whip together the eggs, milk and agave nectar.  Add to flour mixture, do not over mix.  Transfer hot filling to a 2-qt square baking dish, unless it is for a crowd, then use a 9x13.  Using a spoon or scoop, drop topping into several mounds on top of filling.
4.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.