Our breakfast this morning....

Fruity Oatmeal Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups any flavor fruit jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the preserves over the top and sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture, gently pressing crumbs into jam.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

*These are really yummy, even though I only had 1/2 of one. I am trying to cut back on the sweets. :( But, the kids loved them and they were easy to make)

Happy First of October!!!

~Julie

Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee (pie dough).....

Pate brisee is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. Pressing the dough into a disc rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly. (From Martha Stewart Living)

*Julie's note: MUST keep EVERYTHING refrigerated for approximately 15 -20 minutes before making the crust! So much easier to work with,the colder the better!

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour(chilled)
• 1 teaspoon salt(chilled)
• 1 teaspoon sugar(chilled)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces (Julie's note: frozen and grated)
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor (I freeze & grate my butter and then proceed in my KitchenAide with paddle attachment; although the Cuisinart does work extremely well, also), combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

*This is the absolute BEST pie crust I have ever made!! The dough is like fabric....it just moves so well and it's just wonderfully easy to work with. The crust is a little messed up in this picture because Charlie checked on the pie and took a bite out of the crust to see if it was done!! :) Also, the slightly brown spots are where I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the crust. YUM!!

Blackberry Pie:

4 cups fresh blackberries or 2 bags frozen

3-4 TBS. a.p. flour

2 cups sugar

1 T. vanilla

1 T. lemon juice

1-2 T. cinnamon

2 T. butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Line a 9 inch pie pan with half the pastry. Save remaining pastry for top crust & cut into lattice strips. Chill both while preparing the blackberries.
3. Combine berries, flour, sugar,cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice. Spoon into pie shell, and dot with butter or margarine.
4. Place lattice strips on top of berry mixture. Dot with butter & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
   

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes, or until browned.

~Julie

Apple Pie Bread..............

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded, peeled apple (about 4 medium)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup raisins
Streusel-Nut Topping

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 9x5x3-inch loaf pan; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar until combined. Add buttermilk and baking powder; beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour and salt; beat until combined. Stir in apple, nuts, and raisins.

3. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

5. Makes 1 loaf (14 servings)

6. *Note: To make 1/4 cup sour milk, place 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1/4 cup total liquid; stir. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

7. Streusel-Nut Topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.

This one's for Darcy & Jess! Hope you enjoy; it's SO good!! :)

show LOVE to your family; bake for them!! (Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel muffins)

*I have some posts scheduled to publish throughout the week. I sat down last night and worked on some recipes I have promised a few people. That's probably all I will get to post this week but there are quite a few so I had to get them out of the way sometime!

I made these last night for Charlie & the girls (me, too) lol. We had Darcy's Chai tea along with them and all I can say is, "Who needs Starbucks?" :) I didn't have the same kind of green tea as Darcy used but we made it work. It's delicious and the whipped cream and cinnamon with it; heavenly! Anyway, here's the recipe for the muffins. I think I may have shared them before but they are so good, I will share them again!

filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons brown sugar

streusel:

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons white sugar (used half Splenda)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

muffins:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar (used half Splenda)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin

1/3 cup olive oil (I used Smart Balance)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

To make the filling:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar.
Beat until smooth, then set aside.

For the streusel topping:
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.
Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For the muffin batter:
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla.
Beat together until smooth.
Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full.
Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter.
Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

*I used Valentine's cupcake papers to make it special; all muffins this week will be baked in these! Hope you enjoy these yummy muffins!! :)

We did some baking this morning..

We made these! They are oh so yummy! The only substitutions I made were to use 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. I also used canola oil instead of olive oil (I was out). Very moist and a wonderful taste! Claire helped with the streusel topping. Very easy for her to do. Lily helped put the paper cups in the muffin tin! And Drew sat in his swing and watched us; he is training to be a chef at an early age! =)

Well, that's been our morning so far. We load up and travel 1 & 1/2 hrs. away to the doctor this afternoon. 3 babies in a car for a totoal of 3 hrs. PRAY for me, PLEASE!! (maybe the muffins will soothe Claire & Lily in the car; I hope!)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

To make the filling:

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar.

Beat until smooth, then set aside.

For the streusel topping:

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.

Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For the muffin batter:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla.

Beat together until smooth.

Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full.

Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter.

Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.
Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday...updated with Homemade Pizza recipe!

These are in no particular order because I don't know what I will be fixing on what days. Things change around here a lot lately and that is why I love my crock pots!! =) Have a wonderful week!

Breakfast:

Banana Bread

Blackberry Muffins with Cream Cheese Spread

Pancakes w/Fruit & Whipped Cream

Pumpkin Chocolate chip muffins

Oatmeal w/Fruit

Pumpkin Bread w/cream cheese spread

Lunch:

leftovers

PB&J

Hot Dogs, corn on the cob

Pig in blanket, tator tots, broccoli

French Bread Pizza

Breakfast Burritos, Baked Potatoes cubed & fried w/onion in olive oil

Supper:

Baked Ravioli(didn't have last week), French Bread with butter, Salad

Julie's easy beef stew, buttermilk cornbread

Crockpot Potato Chowder, Buttermilk cornbread

Tortilla Soup (recipe at the bottom)with sliced avacados, sour cream, colby/jack cheese, green onions

Homemade Pizza, Salad (I will share this recipe later; my sister requested it as well, so I will just post the recipe as soon as I can find it! lol )

*Wednesday night- eat out or eat at church

*Friday morning-may eat breakfast at church (Mom(Barbara) is cooking; YUM!)

*Desserts of the week (bible study): Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies,

Apple Caramel Cake

Go to Laura's for more menu ideas!

Charlie & Julie's Chicken Tortilla Soup (a knock-off of Papa Pablano's)

6 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (or whole chicken; cooked, deboned & shredded)(reserve all broth)

3 stalks celery, minced

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chillies)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

1 c. sliced zucchini, optional

water to make soup consistency that you want

1/2 c. shredded cheese

sour cream

tortilla chips

Cook chicken breasts or whole chicken. Reserve broth. In dutch oven, saute onion, garlic and celery in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add rest of ing. except cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hr. In bowls, place chips, sprinkle with cheese. Ladle soup over chips and cheese. Top each with sour cream and avacado and more cheese if desired.

Enjoy!!

Charlie's Homemade Pizza

3/4 c. water (110-115 degrees)

1 tsp. sugar

2 TBSP. butter (melted or very soft)

2 & 1/2 c. flour (ap)

1 TBSP. yeast or 1 packet

1 Tablespoon cornmeal (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pizza sauce

12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

sliced onions, optional

chopped bell peppers, optional

pepperoni, fried hamburger, fried sausage, canadian bacon,optional

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon basil

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. If using a bread machine to make pizza dough, put ingredients in bread machine in order listed and set to dough setting.

If making dough by hand, mix water, butter, and sugar in mixing bowl. Add part of the flour and stir. Add the rest of the flour and the yeast, and stir into a dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Set dough in bowl and grease the top. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes.*(I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer and knead for only a couple of minutes or so. 6-8 is too long if using a stand mixer).

2. After dough has risen the first time, punch down and knead until air bubbles are removed.

3. Liberally butter a 16-inch round pizza pan, and press dough onto pan. Carefully lift one-half of the crust and fold over (to expose half of the pizza pan). Sprinkle 1/2 Tablespoon cornmeal over pan. Lay crust back in place and repeat on other half, so that there is cornmeal sprinkled between entire layer of crust and pan.

4. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over top of crust and then spread with 1 cup pizza sauce. Sprinkle on cheese and any optional toppings desired. Sprinkle on oregano, basil, and parmesan cheese last.

5.** Place pizza in oven and turn heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes; rotate crust and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until top is browned. (Be sure to watch so it doesn't burn; every oven is different!)

6. When pizza is browned, turn off heat and open oven door. Leave pizza in oven until ready to serve. Then remove from oven, cut, and serve. If there is leftover pizza, we often put the pieces directly on a cooling rack to cool, which prevents condensation forming between the crust and pan.

Baking Bites...

I am starting a new thing on my blog! If you look under my profile you will see a picture of a yummy looking dessert and if you click on that picture it will take you to the recipe! I am going to try to make a different thing each week and so, if you think this would be fun for you, you are more than welcome to join me!!!!

I will try to post some good sugar free desserts (or ones that use Splenda) as well, because I am always looking for something healthier, too!!! And, I have some friends, as well as myself, who either can't have or don't need a lot of sugar. (Hi, Denise!)

So, join in and play along and let me know what you think or post about it on your blog if you try a new dessert or dish with me!!! :o) I LOVE cooking and I am going to use this as some therapy that I need right now until this baby gets here! Just hope I don't gain 50 lbs!!!!

Everyone have a wonderful blessed weekend!!!

Love,
Julie