Clouds & Cookies

Ok, so sometimes I want someone to pinch me and tell me I am really planning my wedding. I am trying not to get too crazy with the planning; however, I would like to get some things finished before I go away on vacation and start working again. Courtney said "let's go dress shopping Tuesday" and I looked at her like she was insane. Mom thought it sounded like a great idea since Julie, Courtney, and Dad could go too!! So we made an appointment in Allentown and...I have a dress. YES! Engaged July 16- wedding dress ordered July 19. The place I went to was awesome. I was the only bride in there, had a long appointment, a sweet lady helping me, and it was quiet in there- not a zoo. I tried on maybe 8 or 10 dresses, but as they say the 3rd is a charm. Actually, I ended up designing my own dress and ordered a part of a different dress that it was a tie between and they will put them together. I have a VERY unique custom-designed (by me) dress!!!!!! I AM IN LOVE WITH IT.

To be honest, I was not even that excited to look for a dress...it has never been what I looked forward to, but now that I found "the one" it is a different story.
The dress is top secret because I like surprises!

Also, since soon I will need to watch what I eat, I am pigging out now. I made these awesome double chip cookies today from my Simple & Delicious magazine!! Soooo good! Julie ate 4 today. Hehe! :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips

How-to:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate and butterscotch chips.
• Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown (tops will feel soft). Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 30 cookies.
  

Hamantaschen by the Hundred

Some Bible School pictures for your enjoyment:

My kids the last night of Bible School (minus 2)...we were having a party to celebrate Jesus. I am in the back with my sweetheart of a helper, Abby.

The Little Chefs

"Cooking" homemade lemonade- The girl in the light blue/white striped shirt is Corey's niece, Taylor

In addition to saying yes to being the lead kindergarten Bible School teacher, my mom jumped in and volunteered me to make 100 hamantaschen cookies for the adult class. These went along with the lesson in the Bible they were studying. Apparently, it is a Jewish cookie for Purim. They were actually quite delicious, and my mom and great aunt, Sharon, helped me in an assembly-like fashion.
These cookies only had 4 ingredients in them - flour, sugar, eggs, and butter- oh and I think salt. Then you fill it with jam/preserves. I googled the recipe. Here are the cookies still being folded into triangles before baking:

I think by the end of our experience, we had become quite the Jewish mamas! The flour was flying as we "whipped" up dozens. Each cookie gets a dollop of whatever kind of jam you choose. I used triple berry jam, cherry jam, red raspberry, and mango apricot. They have a denser texture, much like a tea biscuit, but I highly recommend you try them sometime. They bake for about 12-14 minutes. They are easier to make than they look!


In other news, which I am sure all of my (6?) readers know about by now, I got engaged on Saturday, July 16!!!!!!!!!!! As of summer 2012 (date unknown) I will be Mrs. Bethany Fazekas. It was a laid back, quiet proposal -outdoors, after a long hike in the state park. We failed to bring water. Stupid. It was the middle of July, what were we thinking? But, it was very nice and I am so excited that after 5 years of (mostly) being long-distant, we are now engaged and planning a wedding. I have had terrible insomnia the last 2 nights- up until 3 AM. Not sure what my deal is. We haven't even been able to celebrate with dinner or wine or champagne or even a movie night because I haven't really seen him since the proposal. It's countdown crunch time until the BAR. :(

I am also struggling big time with keeping my focus. I have about 4 days to write a paper on discourse analysis, prepare for a grad school exam, and do some postings on our school forum for class. I write 2 sentences of my paper, and magically find that I am visiting a wedding website or...going on facebook...or reading a wedding magazine...or calling a friend. I am leaving for my only vacation of the summer on Saturday, so I MUST buckle down and get my work done.

Strawberry Mango Sorbet

Where Have I Been, You Ask?

Not cooking that's for sure. Well, kind of cooking. This week is Vacation Bible School and I am the dedicated lead teacher of the KINDERGARTEN class. Yes, not my usual preference, being that I am used to teaching high school students. But every day I wake up and "lesson/activity" plan for 12 feisty little 5 year olds. The theme this year is cooking so it is kind of up my alley. The kids all wear chefs hats and aprons and have been learning all kinds of things. I think they are loving it. I am too minus this one boy who we had to send home an hour early two nights in a row because he was screaming like a 2 year old. Also, his mom came up to me last night and told me:
"M****** has really bad gas tonight. He's not potty trained and he will probably poop during these two hours. Just call my cell. If he acts up again take him outside and say "Breathe, Breathe."

Are you kidding me lady? I have 11 other kids to chase around. Additionally, I don't "do" poop. Tying shoes and wiping noses is as far as I go and that's already pushing the envelope.

Bible school has a way of cutting out your dinner hour. I have had pizza late at night, Wendy's snack wraps on the go before, and tonight's lovely dinner: 2 toaster Pop Tarts at 9PM. So yeah....a bunch of bad for you "meals" that don't allow for cooking. But, I am truly happy that my 5 year old kids can still remember a LONG Bible verse from Monday night and can recite all of their verses for the week. I have had numerous moms come up to me and say "what did you do? My kid can recite this verse and Bible story verbatim." :) So I can make some sacrifices in my weekly schedule to do this! That's right- even though they are 5 they LEARN at Bible school, they don't just play tag. :)

So I will leave you with a delicious EASY to make sorbet that is actually kind of healthy. It tastes great after wisdom teeth extractions- which my sis had done last week. I made it a lot last summer, too, and it is always a hit with the family.
Ingredients-

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1-1/2 cups chopped peeled mangoes
• 1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, halved
• 1/4 cup lime juice

How-To:

• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved; set aside to cool.
• In a food processor, cover and process mangoes and strawberries until pureed. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in sugar syrup and lime juice.
• Pour into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish; cover and freeze for 45 minutes or until edges begin to firm. Stir and return to freezer. Freeze 2 hours longer or until firm.
• Just before serving, transfer to a food processor; cover and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
  

Ribs on the Grill

It's pouring outside now. I mean, really really pouring...the kind of rain you hear over your loud music playing and your dad nailing in hard wood flooring in the room next to yours. The kind of rain that gives you an excuse to sit in your bed in the middle of the afternoon and write a blog entry about yummy food.

This is a perfect summer meal...baby back ribs on the grill, a salad, and seasoned french fries.
I don't do the grilling- my dad is a master griller-but I did prepare the sauce and marinate the ribs. These do take some time, but the flavor is wonderful.

Ingredients-

• 4-1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 6 pounds pork baby back ribs (I made 3 racks, and we had plenty)

SAUCE:

• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
• 1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup ketchup

How-To:

• In a bowl, combine all the spices. Set aside 4 teaspoons for sauce. The original recipe called for fennel seeds and caraway seeds to be ground up with the other spices. I didn't have fennel seeds, and I am not a fan of caraway, so I left those out. But you can add them in here, if you wish. Just grind it up until the seeds are crushed.
• Rub remaining spice mixture over ribs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Wrap ribs in a large piece of heavy-duty foil (about 28 in. x 18 in.); seal tightly. Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Place ribs over drip pan and grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for about 2 hours or until tender.
• In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, brown sugar, vinegar, onion and reserved spice mixture. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes; cool slightly. Transfer to a blender; add ketchup. Cover and process until smooth. Set aside 1 cup sauce for serving.
• Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Or, we just sprayed the grill with PAM Grilling spray. Carefully remove ribs from foil. Place over direct heat; baste with some of the sauce. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes or until browned, turning and basting occasionally. Serve with reserved sauce.

The french fries were awesome and so easy:
Buy a bag of frozen french fries and sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing seasoning packet. Bake for about 15 minutes at 425 on a cookie sheet. Then, combine the rest of the ranch dressing seasoning packet with 1/2 cup of ketchup and 1/2 cup of mayo. Serve as a dip for the fries. SO EASY AND DELICIOUS!!!



I hope you are enjoying grilling foods this summer. It really is a great way to cook.
Also, while you are on the blog take time to vote in the poll on the side of the page.
Next post will feature the easiest homemade strawberry mango sorbet with no special equipment needed (except a food processor). :) Happy cooking!

20 years old!

Courtney said she really didn't want a cake for her 20th birthday. But, seriously, what is a birthday without blowing out candles on a delicious looking dessert?

I decided to make a chocolate almond layer cake of sorts. No icing. It would be too rich. So, I went with low-fat Cool Whip on top. Goodness knows it had to be low-fat since the rest of the cake was high-fat. :)

Let's just say that the layers of melted chocolate harden into a soft shell format; the almonds are crunchy, and it tastes like a gigantic yodel treat. YUMMY!!! And, serving it with milk is a must, of course.

Ingredients

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix- I used Pillsbury
  
• 12 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped (I used 3 bars of Baker's brand chocolate)
  
• 3/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed (light Cool-Whip)

How-To:

• Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using two greased and floured 8 inch or 9-inch round baking pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in almonds (mixture will be thin); set aside.
• Split each cake into two horizontal layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with half of the chocolate mixture. It will run over the sides and this is OK! Top with second cake layer; spread with half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers. Chill at least 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
• Serves about 12 people. Garnish with chocolate curls if you want.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE SIS!!

4th of July!

I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July! My family celebrated over the weekend by going to Lititz and seeing the parade and fireworks. We watched the fireworks in the grass on the lawn of Warwick High (where I teach) so it was fun. It was dad, mom, Julie, Corey, and myself. Courtney stayed home to work, I think.

Yesterday we took it easy at mom and dad's house and had a nice cookout. The menu:

• Steak on the grill
• Corn on the cob
• Roasted Sesame Green Beans with Red Pepper
• Potato Salad
• Penne with Tomato and Mozzarella

Dessert: Fresh raspberries with a homemade vanilla custard glaze
Recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• fresh raspberries

How-To:

• In a small saucepan, combine the cream, egg yolks and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160° and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. I found this to be just when it starts to boil. Make sure you keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cover and chill until serving. Serve with raspberries.

TIPS--

• You could also pour it over peaches or strawberries if you don't have raspberries.
• It will be soupy--it is a glaze but it has delicious flavor. Refrigerate it for at least an hour.
• This is a "healthy dessert" at around 150 cals per serving. It should serve about 4 people.
  

Stuffed Shells

I don't know what it is about a baked pasta dish...the cheese, the noodles, the meaty sauce...it is just always yummy. Here is the recipe for the easy stuffed shells I made that I referenced in the post a few days ago. My family really enjoyed them and even the leftovers were eaten quickly. I served this with Caesar Salad and garlic breadsticks.


A few tips-
1. I browned the ground beef with the onion ahead of time (even a day ahead) so prep is really fast!
2. You can get prepared pesto off the deli line-on the olive bar at Wegman's-or in jars near the spaghetti sauce. Or, if you have basil in your garden, make you own! It is delicious in this dish.
3. I used part skim Ricotta and part skim Italian cheese to lighten the dish. I also used spaghetti sauce that was "flavored with meat."
4. You can make this entire dish the day before and put it in the fridge. Then just take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
5. You will probably have extra shells. I didn't really know what to do with them- so Corey was eating them plain off of the counter. If you want, make extra of the cheese mixture so you can fill the extra shells!

Ingredients:Easy Beef-Stuffed Shells Rec

• 20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese, part skim
  
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto
• 1 egg
• 1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce, divided

How-To:

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions to al dente; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups Italian cheese blend, Parmesan cheese, pesto, egg and half of the beef mixture.
• Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce into a greased 13-in x 9-in. baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture into pasta shells; place in baking dish. Combine remaining beef mixture and spaghetti sauce; pour over shells. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  
• Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.