Joy in the Kitchen!

Several years ago I inherited my Mom's old yogurt maker from the 70's.  Well, to be truthful, I borrowed it for so long she forgot where it was until I confessed.  She let me keep it!  (Wish I could "borrow" her 100 year old upright grand piano! LOL)  I've made many batches of yogurt in this machine.  It has been well worth the money Mom paid for it.  :) You do NOT, however, have to have a neat little machine to make fine yogurt!  The only thing that machine does, is keep the yogurt at a constant temperature while it incubates (I know that makes it sound like it's going to hatch, but it's the only word I can think of to describe it at the moment!) .... around 100 degrees.  There are several other options for keeping it warm but I'll just share the two I've used. There are a few items that are useful for making yogurt:  a cooking thermometer the one I use looks like THIS .... a larger, heavy bottomed pot.... glass jars, quart, pint, o

It's almost time again for April Fools Day!  I'm not a big believer in mean or hurtful pranks, but in our household a few little surprises or twists here and there are a lot of fun!!!   Generally I don't allow things that make a mess or hurt feelings.  Here are a few of the fun FOOD pranks we've done the past few years.....   I can't use them again very soon, but YOU CAN! These pranks are all quality tested in my own home.  :)    My 8 year old son was looking over my shoulder as I was putting this post together and he said "That was so fun!  Can we do it again this year?"  I had to explain that surprise is the best part of the fun... but I'd better get on the ball and find a fun surprise for him!   Maybe THIS year my April Fools Surprise will be doing NOTHING!   They'd be able to enjoy it all day!   Click through each link to see more pictures and details on our April Fools Fun.    Chicken Sandwiches with Chips and Soda Meatloa

My daughter Audra has been making delicious, chewy pretzels for her family for a while.  They were getting rave reviews from her hubby and kids.... so of course I had to try them!  We decided to try them as pretzel bites rather than a full sized pretzel.  It worked perfectly.  Family loved them!  Win! Audra and I made several batches of these Pretzel Bites for a meeting I was attending.  So many of the people there loved them as well.  I've never had store-bought soft pretzels before, but several of the meeting attendees said they were as good as Pretzel Maker Pretzel Bites.   The recipe is simple and not too time consuming for bread.  Give it a try! Soft and Chewy Pretzels and Pretzel Bites 2 3/4 C. flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 2 1/4 tsp. yeast 1 C. warm water Pretzel Salt or Coarse Salt 3 T. melted butter (for brushing after baking) Put all dry ingredients in mixer bowl.  Pour warm water over and stir with a spatula to incorporate.  Knead on medium low

It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Yet, that's often one of the most difficult times to take a few minutes to nourish yourself!  This breakfast scramble can be cooked in under 10 minutes and is quick to eat.  Ingredients can be prepped ahead to save time. I often fix this just for myself, though if my husband is home he enjoys it as well.  It works well to just double the ingredients and cook for two.  It doesn't work as well to cook for six people as the eggs take longer to cook and the spinach goes too soft and the color leaches out into the eggs.   Dave and I have been participating in a health program through his work that gives us support on making healthy changes to our activity and food.  One of the challenges is to eat a high protein breakfast each day.  This recipe supplies around 15 grams of protein and 260 calories.  Add a piece of whole wheat toast and you're above 20 grams of protein. Add 1/2 an oz of shredded chees

This was the first cookie I learned to bake. I think I was about 11 years old, maybe 12.  What warm memories of using my Mom's old mixer.  By the time I was adding the last cup of oatmeal I had to have help to stir it in by hand.  I remember eating about as much dough as baked cookies.  Some things never change!!!   However, some things DO change and now I have an awesome KitchenAid mixer than can mix up a double batch all by itself without batting an eye!    I'll type in the recipe just like Mom's, but I do make some changes.  Most of the time I add 1/2-1 tsp. of cinnamon.  I've read about the health benefits of cinnamon so in my mind, this qualifies these cookies as a health food. LOL!  Seriously though, if you're going to have a cookie, one with oatmeal in it at least provides more nutrition than one with straight white flour, and once in a while I substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the white flour.   (and then remember that cinnamon! ;)  )

These cold, windy days make a soup or stew so inviting!  Hubby and I are trying to make some healthy changes to our diet and this hearty stew is perfect for filling up without filling out! I love the earthy, peppery, flavor of lentils.  My mother fixed them some when I was growing up, my favorite recipe of hers was a Lentil Casserole with hamburger and the seasonings of baked beans.  It was delicious!  If I had had kale or spinach on hand I would have thrown some of that in at the end of cooking to add color and nutrition, but I was out of fresh greens.  Play around with the veggies all you want in this stew and you'll find which ones you love best! Hearty Chicken and Lentil Stew 1-2 chicken breast, boneless, diced 2 quarts chicken broth (or 2 quarts of water and chicken bouillon) 1 1/4 C. lentils (I use red) Brown chicken in a tablespoon or so of olive oil.  Add chicken broth and lentils and bring to a boil.  Simmer for around 40 minutes or until lentils are almost te