Iced Coffee

I'm not a big hot coffee drinker.  After a nice dinner I will drink a cup with some amazingly chocolaty dessert.  But other than that I like my coffee iced.  Even in the dead of winter when it twenty below I will pull up to the coffee cart & ask for an iced mocha.  They look at me like I'm crazy.  To which I respond "Honey, you don't even know crazy!"  Okay, I don't really say that, but I think it.

Back on track.  I've learned over the last year how to make my own iced coffee that I love.  I also love how much cheaper it is than buying espresso & how I don't have to get out of my pjs to get one.  Here are my steps:
*First you need to cold brew some java.  I like to use the Toddy Cold Brew System.  Not too expensive & works like a dream.  But if you don't have a Toddy you can also add a half pound of your favorite coffee (dark roast recommended) to 1 gallon of water.  Giver 'er a good stir & then cover & let sit (brew) for eight hours or so.  Strain through a few layers of cheesecloth & a colander.  Now that you have your coffee concentrate prepared stick it in the fridge until it is very chilled (no one likes lukewarm iced coffee).
* Now, find yourself a glass.  I like to throw in one tablespoon of chocolate sauce.  Then add the coffee concentrate a little below half full (about 3 ounces).  Mix the chocolate & coffee together.  Add ice cold half & half almost to top (about 8 ounces).  Give a good stir, your almost done.

 

* Here's my secret ingredient: coffee ice cubes.  Whenever there is a bit of coffee left in the pot, instead of pouring it out I put it in ice cube trays & freeze it.  Then I add the coffee ice cubes to my ice coffee.  It keeps the flavor real & doesn't water my iced coffee down.  Don't use coffee concentrate for the ice cubes, that would be over powering.  Just stick to the drip coffee for the cubes.  If you don't have coffee ice cubes on had just use regular ice.  Fill the glass the rest of the way up with ice so your coffee is freezing cold.
*Now you're ready to sit back & sip away.  I suggest using a straw, it just makes it that much better.  Enjoy.

Iced coffee is a great drink to serve at parties & BBQs as well.  To make an entire pitcher just stick to the same quantities- a little less than 1/2 a pitcher of coffee concentrate, rest of the way with half & half & then ice to top it off.  Add flavor (like chocolate) as desired.

Love This Stuff

One thing we don't lack around here are mosquitoes.  They're horrible for all of July & August.  My poor kids get eaten alive the minute they step out the door.  And they hate it when I have to spray them down with bug spray.  So you can only imagine my excitement when I found this stuff.  Not only does it smell good, it's sunscreen & bug repellent in one.  It's always handy when you have 4 kiddos if you can skip a step.  So to get sunscreen & bug repellent on in one shot is wonderful.  It's also waterproof.  I swoon, I'm in love.

You can grab a bottle of this stuff here wait patiently for a sale & you can get it for a steal.

White Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a common occurrence in our household.  We all love them in various forms.  This white enchilada is a nice change from the more common red enchilada.  It very mild & is great for kiddos or a large crowd with a wide range of taste preferences.  My version is not spicy at all, but you could easily kick up the spice by adding chili powder or hot sauce.  Some folks are intimidated by enchilada making, I know I was at first.  But in reality it is very easy.  I've done a step-by-step for you to help the process go smoothly.  Let's get to making some enchiladas!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons canola oil
12 corn tortillas
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans (4 oz) diced chilies
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Flash fry tortillas to soften, about 5 seconds on each side (do not cook too long or they will get crispy).  Place tortillas on paper towels to drain.
In large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Add the onion  saute for 3 minutes.  Add chicken, one can of chilies, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, cumin & garlic powder.  Stir well & add 1/2 cup chicken broth & cream.  Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture begins to bubble.  Turn off heat & set aside.
In separate large skillet melt butter & sprinkle in flour.  Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until brown & bubbly.  Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth & cook for two minutes.  Stir in the remaining can of chilies.  Reduce heat to medium-low & stir in sour cream.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the grated Monterey Jack cheese & 1/2 teaspoon paprika.  Stirring constantly cook until cheese is melted & sauce is creamy & smooth.
To assemble:

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of chicken mixture on top of tortillas.

And plenty of cheddar cheese.

Roll up

Place seam side down in 9x13 casserole dish

Pour cheese mixture all over the top & spread out to coat evenly.

Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese & back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with green onions & serve.

Grandma's Stroganoff

There are three foods that I will forever associate with my Grandma Wilma (there's a name that's hard to pass on to your children.  We used her middle name Rose instead for our oldest Maddie-Rose.  Maddie-Wilma just didn't have the same ring).  They are homemade Mac & Cheese, Vegatable Beef Soup (which I called Grandma Soup & only later in life realized that it had an official name & was made by other people in the world) & my favorite of her's, Beef Stroganoff.

 This is comfort food at its finest.  My Grandma's stroganoff had a bit of a twist that was uniquely hers.  For one, she used ground beef instead of strips of steak.  Secondly, she always threw in a secret ingredient...

... for great tasting stroganoff you've got to put in a can of diced tomatoes (okay, so maybe it's not that secret of an ingredient).  It takes the flavor to a whole new level.  Don't be shy, throw those tomatoes in!  This dish is hearty, flavorful, & appeases to youngin's as well.  My last bonus I'll give you for this dish is that is easy & quick to make.  Serve it with some salad or green beans & you'll have a completely down home & yummy meal that everyone will enjoy.  Here it is, straight from my Grandma's recipe box...
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef/elk/deer
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb. mushrooms, washed & sliced
1 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
16 ounces Rotini noodles
Directions
In large skillet melt butter.  Add onions & mushrooms, cook for 3 minutes.  Add ground beef & cook until meat is cooked through.  Reserving 1/3 cup of the broth stir in remaining broth, ketchup, garlic, salt & tomatoes.  Cover & simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile cook noodles until al dente.  Blend reserved broth & flour.  Stir flour mixture into meat mixture & heat to boiling stirring constantly.  Reduce heat & stir in sour cream.  Cook until heated through.  Pour over noodles & serve immediately.  Enjoy!

*Some folks are extremely adverse to mushrooms.  I wouldn't suggest it, but if you must omit them I think this dish would still be wonderful.

Salted Nut-Roll Bars

About a year ago my Mom started making these & they quickly became my husband's new favorite.  These bars are great for those who love salty & sweet.  Or those that just don't like (Lord have mercy on their souls) traditional desserts or chocolate.  This unique desert is a crowd pleaser & one that most people haven't had before.  If you need to bring a dessert to a potluck & don't want to duplicate make these babies, I guarantee no on else will bring them.  They are a great mixture of salty & sweet, crunchy & chewy.  Give 'em a try, here's the how:

Ingredients

1(1lb) package peanut butter cookies (like Nutter Butters)

1  1/2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups peanut butter chips

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups dry roasted peanuts

2 cups Rice Krispies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.  Pulse cookies in food processor until they are fine crumbs.  Melt 1 stick of butter & add to the cookie crumbs, pluse food processor until crumbs clump together.  Press crumbs into the prepared baking pan & bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Melt peanut butter chips, corn syrup, remaining butter & vanilla in a saucepan over medium low heat.  Stir constantly until smooth & incorporated together.  Spread half cup of the peanut chip mixture over the cookie base.  Top with marshmallows & return to oven.  Bake until marshmallows puff, about 2 minutes, & remove from oven.  Do not let the marshmallows get brown.

Mix peanuts & cereal with remaining peanut chip mixture until well coated.  Drop spoonfuls of the topping over the marshmallows.  Spray a spatula with non-stick spray & smooth out the top of the bars.  Cool bars before serving.  Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

I love cool refreshing Summer dinners.  Ones that make you actually want to eat despite the relentless heat.  Well, this salad fits the bill.  It requires very little oven/stove action & you can make it in the morning so that's it just ready to go come dinner time.  Pair it with some fresh fruit & a cooling drink & you're set.  Super easy, super yummy, & super cooling... I like it!  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoon flax seed (sesame seeds work too, I just like the color of the flax seed)
small head of cabbage shredded or chopped
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 packages Ramen noodles, uncooked & broken up
2 chicken cooked chicken breast
Directions
Cut chicken breast into small chunks.  In a bowl mix the oil, sugar, salt, vinegar & flax seeds.  Add cabbage, chives, & Ramen noodles & mix well.  Add in chicken & stir to coat.  Cover & set in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.  Enjoy!

The New Stomping Grounds

I've been super busy the last few weeks renovating our new house.  Last October we sold our house in town.  We didn't find a place we liked right away so we moved out of town thirty miles to my family's horse ranch.  And the next month we didn't find a house, and the following month we didn't find a house, and the next mon- well, you get the idea.  But at the end of June we finally closed on a house we absolutely love!  The real kicker is it's on the same street I grew up on.  In fact today driving home I took the left turn towards my childhood house instead of a right to go to my actual house.  I was zoning out & muscle memory just took over.  I'm sure the neighbors are already wondering about me.  That & the fact that my son ran around buck naked in the yard for 20 minutes before I saw him & made him put some shorts on.

Back on track, it's a great house up in the mountains, but only 5 minutes from town.  There is wildlife everywhere & the neighborhood is wonderful.  The house was in good shape but needed some revising to fit our large family of six.  There were only 3 bedrooms when we bought it.  The upper floor is our master suite & my hubby's office.  The main floor is the living area, kitchen, & bathroom/laundry room.  The basement has a family room, the other two bedrooms, a tiny bathroom & a large storage area.  The storage area made this weird "L" shape around the bathroom & behind on of the bedrooms.  So our major project is moving the bathroom back & making it bigger to accommodate 3 girls (& someday teenage girls) & adding a fourth bedroom.  We also are putting a shower on the main floor bathroom (which only had a sink & toilet) so our son can have a bathroom to use as well.  I could just picture my kids as teenagers & my poor son never getting a shower or being able to brush his teeth because his three sisters were constantly in the bathroom.

So for the past few weeks we've been bouncing back & forth from our new house & the ranch.  I've been painting, wiring, replacing light fixtures & tearing stuff down. Here are some before & after pictures.  Let me know if you have any cool ideas for stuff.

There was way too many variations of wood grain in our great room.  So I had my husband stain the fireplace wall white.  I think it really enhances the fireplace & adds some good contrast to the room.

We had to bring the banisters up to code before we closed, lenders requirements.  Which was fine because we would have done it anyway.  We decided to just make it a wall.  It made a spot for my piano & also will cut down on noise from the basement.  We are installing LED lights along the stairway for the dark hours.  They are light sensitive & will automatically illuminated once it gets dark.

We also had to have the outside deck railings brought up to code.  It amazes me that people have lived in this house since 1975 & no one has ever had railings on this deck.  I was afraid I was going to fall through the gaps were so big.  I love how it looks now.  Next year we will do some exterior painting.  Shoot me your ideas for colors, I'm not so wild about everything being pea green.
I'll post more before & afters as we move along.