Robin's Pasta Sauce

I've been wanting to make my own pasta sauce for quite some time and so the experimenting began. But one day I was at a friend's house and she had this sauce cooking in her crock-pot and gave me a taste. Oh my was it good! I begged, pleaded, got on my knees, wept tears of envy as I petitioned her to please share her recipe with me. She was very kind and said that yes, I could have it AND I asked her permission to share it with all of you. Now, Robin doesn't have a blog otherwise I'd be pointing you to her blog but she IS a blog reader so feel free to comment on this post and thank her for this recipe if you like it. She made this up herself and well, as her sauce implies, she's a great cook. Not only is SHE a great cook (and I know this because I've enjoyed tasting her cooking several times) but her husband is also a great cook! (Sorry if I'm embarrassing you guys, but truly Bill, you and Robin make quite the culinary couple!) I used the same begging tactics to get a copy of Bill's chocolate bread pudding recipe that was incredible....so I'll have to ask them if I can share that on here too. It's time for Bill and Robin to open a restaurant or at least start a cooking blog! =0) hint hint.

Robin uses all fresh ingredients from her summer garden to make this recipe and then she freezes it in her deep freeze in canning jars. I have a very large deep freeze as well and seeing that I hate the time and energy it takes to can, I loved the idea of freezing it. BUT you can surely can it as well if that is your preference. If you are freezing it, be sure to leave room at the top of the jar for expansion like in my picture above. Do not fill them all the way.

I didn't have fresh garden produce to make this with so I converted most of the recipe for you to canned tomatoes and dried herbs. I have to admit that Robin's fresh version was better but that the canned and dried version still taste good and works well. This IS our new pasta sauce. I used the organic diced tomatoes from Costco and the organic tomato paste from Costco as well.

4 onions
4 garlic cloves (1 tsp garlic powder)
2 diced bell peppers
1/2 c olive oil
16 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 8 cans diced tomatoes -14.5 oz)
1/4 c fresh oregano (or 1/8 c of dried crushed)
1/4 c fresh basil (or 1/8 c of dried crushed)
1/4 c fresh parsley (or 1/8 c of dried crushed)
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp salt
2 6 oz cans tomato paste

Saute onion, garlic, peppers in olive oil. Combine everything in crock-pot. Cook 2-3 hours on low. Stir often. Then let cool. Put in canning jars and freeze.

Other Info-
-My kids aren't crazy about the chunky tomatoes (which I personally love!) so when I'm going to use a jar of sauce I pour it first into our blender to puree it and then the kids love it.

-This recipe makes about 5 large canning jar sizes. It also fits in my 6 qt crock-pot and I don't know how well it would fit in a 5 qt. but you could try it. There was a little room in my 6 qt still. My picture shows 4 jars because we used about 1 jars worth for dinner that night.


Differences-
-Robin doesn't add the tomato paste until she is ready to use a jar of the sauce. When she is heating it to use, then she adds 1-2 cans of the paste for one jar of sauce. I put 2 cans of paste into the original ingredients when it was cooking in the crock-pot and don't add anymore paste when I use a jar.

-I also rounded Robin's original recipe of 3/4 tsp of pepper up to 1 tsp.

-One of the times I made it, I added more sugar because the canned tomatoes just aren't as sweet as garden fresh ones. So I made it with 1/2 c organic sugar instead of 1/4 c.

-Robin uses green bell peppers, I use red bell peppers. (I use red because they are easier to digest and they are packed with nutrients and it's a sneaky way to get them into my kids who don't want to eat them otherwise.) You can use any color bell pepper that you prefer.

Homemade Croutons

Homemade croutons are easy and yummy. Now that I've been making them my husband doesn't want me to buy store bought ones again. If you want organic croutons, this is the way to go.

A few slices of organic bread (I use cracked wheat sourdough)
Organic extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil
Organic seasonings:
I use at least garlic powder (or minced garlic)
but then you can add other spices as well like:
a sprinkling of Mrs. Dash original
a tsp of dried parsley
a tsp of dried basil
whatever you like!

Cut the bread in cubes (I use the ends of the loaf). Toss in a bowl while drizzling olive oil till well coated. Every piece of bread needs some olive oil on it so keep tossing till it's well coated. Sprinkle garlic while tossing and other optional seasonings.

Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 min or until cubes are browned and crunchy.

These are very light croutons with a good crunch to them and are great for not only salads but soups as well. Store in an air tight container for up to five days in pantry.

Potato Leek Soup

I wanted to make yet another healthy soup and since leeks are super good for you and my kids love potatoes I thought I'd make up my own version of potato leek soup in hopes that they would like it with leeks.

6 yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
2 leeks washed and sliced (white part and light green only)
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 box chicken broth
2 c water
1/2 c milk
2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (at least 2 tsp of salt)

I made this in the crock-pot by first cooking the potatoes and leeks in the water till tender. You can also use the same method just in a pot on the stove. Once the potatoes and leeks are very tender, scoop them and the water into your blender or food processor and puree them. Pour them back into your pot or crock-pot and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well when adding the cheese so that it doesn't stick in clumps. You can also toss the grated cheese in a few tbsp of flour to coat it and it won't clump when you add it to the soup. Simmer on the stove for about 45 min. or cook on low in crock-pot for a few hours.

Top with croutons or chopped herbs.

My kids absolutely loved this despite my worries.

Answering Questions - Electric Griddle

The one I have is a Rival Electric Griddle. I do love it but there are so many out there to choose from. I couldn't say that I wouldn't recommend a different one. Here is a link to the exact one that we have.

White Bean Chili

1/2 pound of dry white beans (great northern or navy work well)
1 pound ground turkey cooked (or ground beef or omit it for vegetarian)
2 medium onions diced
1 bell pepper diced (red, yellow, or orange)
1 clove of minced garlic
1 packet of chili seasoning (or your own chili spices)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1-2 cans diced tomatoes (depending on how much you like tomatoes)
1-2 cans water
salt and pepper

Soak beans overnight in water. Drain water and put beans in slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Cook on low all day till beans are tender.

Serve with grated cheese, sliced avocados, minced fresh onion.

Variations-
-add other types of beans as well
-serve over baked potatoes

Tip-
soaking dry beans overnight does two things- 1. it softens the beans to speed up cooking time, 2. it helps release the content of the beans that causes, well, you know, the music you get the next day from that magical fruit.

Beans, Beans, Beans

I've been asked about more recipes for beans and I'll go ahead and include other legumes in that. For some reason I don't really think of "recipes" when it comes to beans but rather what I can add beans into. There are the basic bean recipes that most people are familiar with like
baked beans
chili
refried beans

but then there's this whole world of adding beans to several meals. You can cook a whole pot of beans and add your favorite seasonings and some like it with a ham hock but you can also add beans to meals that we don't always think of. For instance salad. Salad is a great place to add beans.

Fresh green salad - try adding garbanzo (aka chickpeas) or kidney beans. Better yet, add a few scoops of three bean salad on top of your green salad
Texas Caviar- this is a salad made with corn and beans...I'll be making it and posting it on here eventually. But basically any type of chunky corn or bean salsa is a great place to use black beans or black eyed peas. So consider making a 3-bean salad or some other bean salad that you like.
Soups - you can add beans to most soups either whole or mashed to thicken a soup. Try adding Northern White Beans pureed in veggie soup or whole beans to a pasta soup (like minestrone). Don't forget to add a legume like lentils to your soup cooking. They have great flavor and add another healthy food source to your meal.
Dip - You can puree your beans and add olive oil and seasonings to make a healthy bean dip. My kids love this. Hummus is made from chickpeas as well and is a good dip that kids usually like. make a layered dip with pureed pinto beans for chips...using sour cream, cheese, and guacamole.
Spread- Hummus or other bean dips make a healthy spread to put on sandwiches instead of mayo!
Side Dish- How about serving a lentil/rice side dish. I've seen several recipe for this and I made one recently in my crock-pot that I'll be posting soon. Once I made this huge pot of them I served it as a side dish with dinner and often use some of the leftovers to thicken my homemade soups. My kids tell me that they don't eat lentils but they eat them in soup this way! I've seen beans and rice as a side dish too. Try adding some spices like curry to give it some kick.
Mexican Style- You can add beans to just about every Mexican style meal in one way or another. Add beans to your taco salads, your taco soups, your tacos! Mash them for bean dip (which we already mentioned), mash them to use them in burritos and on tostadas. Use beans as the main ingredient to your taco lasagna to make it vegetarian.

I continue to look for more bean recipes though as they are a healthy way to feed my family in a very cost effective way.

Tips for getting kids to eat beans if they hate them:
mash them, puree them, mix them in (it's all about being sneaky)
serve small beans instead of huge ones (like black beans and black eyed peas and chickpeas instead of lima beans and kidney beans that are so big!)
serve white beans (kids seem more open to eating a white bean than say a red or black bean.
put a small amount into a recipe (this gets them introduced to them without serving a huge scoop of plain beans on their plate)

Friday I'll be posting my White Bean Chili recipe

Favorite Gadget Thing - Electric Grill

We get a ton of use out of our electric grill. Let me try to think of all the things we make on it...
pancakes
french toast
bacon
hash browns
country potatoes
eggs
grilled cheese
just about every grilled sandwich you can think of
tortillas

It has a cup to drain any fat or liquids that run off into the side troughs that make clean up easy.
It's immersible for easy washing!
It's portable! Gotta love that!
It's non-stick. Now I know "non-stick" is bad for you but it sure is handy!!

These make great generic gifts for those who love to cook and well, they are pretty affordable too. I was worried we wouldn't use ours enough to justify buying it when we did years ago but I have to tell you, I pull this out and use it at least once a week! It's a keeper and it's earned it's weight in gold.

Organizing Your Pantry

Most of us probably wish our pantry looked like this



















But in reality, our pantry probably looks more like this....















(neither picture is my pantry) I have had people comment on my OCD organized pantry. Because it looks beautiful? No, it's because I have labels. I label the shelves so that my pantry is organized by categories.

WHY?

1. it makes it fast and easy when I always know right where something is. And even if I don't know exactly where it is in there I at least know where to start looking.

2. it helps my family to put things back where they found them!

HOW?

I label my pantry shelves by categories. Here are my categories:
Breakfast
Baking
Snacks
Canned Goods
Pasta
Bottled Goods (cooking wines, sauces, oils, etc.)
Seasonings (this includes mixes, croutons, etc.)
Cookbooks
Drinks (hot cocoa, apple cider, coffee, tea, etc.)

You can label your pantry in anyway that works for you. I would just warn against breaking down your categories too far...the idea is to make it fast to put things back and I can tell you that if you have too many categories that it will be hard for your family to follow.

I use masking tape to label mine with a black sharpie marker. Not very fancy but it's cheap and easy. You could use a label maker if you have one and boy would that look nice. Or if you're the creative type you can come up with an idea like this....

Organized Cleaning

Speaking of Flylady, here are my own new personal lists that I'm trying to attain to (notice I didn't say that I DO them but rather TRY to). This is my attempt to get back into a routine that manages my home better.

Titus 2:4-5
"so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored"

I want to be a good manager of my home and create a healthy environment for training my children (1 Tim. 5:10 "and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds."), for being hospitable (1 Peter 4:9 "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."), and to create a refreshing refuge for my husband (Proverbs 31). Although I should have listed the last one first. =0)

These Routine Lists and the Zone Cleaning List suggested by Flylady really help me have a goal each day and keep me focused on the tasks at hand. I actually feel like I've really accomplished something when I do even just a few of them.

I encourage you to make your own lists if you think it would benefit you and you can put them on your fridge or make yourself a "home management control file" or folder and put them in there. Being clean and organized really helps me accomplish healthy and happy cooking in my kitchen.

The top list is my:
Weekly Routine

The bottom list is my: Zone Cleaning Checklist

Don't freak out over my Zone Cleaning Checklist...it's a list that I only spend 15 min. on each day I'm scheduled to do Zone Cleaning. It doesn't all get done in that 15 min. but rather I cross them off and each month I get more and more of the list done. Zone cleaning is for deep cleaning and decluttering...it's not my regular surface cleaning which I do on Saturdays and through out the week naturally.

Tomorrow I'll post about organizing your pantry.

Kitchen Tip- Cleaning the Oven

I've showed you the best stuff for cleaning your stove top, but now, what about your oven? The dreaded oven cleaning! It's the one thing that people trying to sell their tidied up house can get away with not cleaning! How many of us think to look inside the oven when we are looking for a house to buy?

Sorry, I'm side tracking....first, self cleaning ovens. In fact, that's what this post is mostly about. I can't tell you how many people I know (okay, I admit I was one of them!) are afraid to use the self cleaning feature on their self cleaning ovens! I'll start with my story....it goes way back. We had bought our first house brand new and for the first 3, YES, I typed THREE on purpose believe it or not, I didn't use the self cleaning oven feature. Fear. Yep, fear was the only reason. I had never had a self cleaning oven. So, my sweet mother in law was over one time and some how the topic came up and guess what??? She has used her self cleaning oven feature many times! She assured me that my fears were silly and that all I had to do was turn it on and it would self lock and burn all the stuff to a crisp.

Did I mention that I hadn't cleaned it by hand either in THREE YEARS????

Oy. Well, let's just say that the oven was on lock down and smoke was billowing from it and filling the house. (No, this wasn't the time I caught the oven on fire with my friend, Michele, but the smoke was coming out just like that time I caught it on fire, minus the flames.) It was in the evening and thankfully it was summer time since we had to evacuate from the smoke and wait outside till it got under control. Ya, I smoked us out. I was totally embarrassed that I hadn't at least wiped up what I could with a rag before we started the cleaning cycle. So, we grabbed the kids and waited outside while my husband tried to air out the house from all the smoke. BUT, I have to say, it did an amazing job cleaning itself! Yep, it burnt all that stuff to a fine powder soot. I just took a wet paper towel (once the oven was cool of course) and wiped up the soot in one swoop. No scrubbing, no cleaners, nada!

So, now I run the cleaning cycle more like every 3 MONTHS instead of every 3 YEARS! And, it's a simple few hours of a toasty oven and it's all clean. I try to do most of the cleaning cycles during the cooler winter months instead of the summer.

Things to note:
-it takes a few hours....often about 3 hours
-remove anything that is sitting on the stove top
-turn on your exhaust fan if you have one
-wipe out any big spills before you begin =0)
-plan to stay home while it's cleaning

How to clean an oven that doesn't magically clean itself? I use to use Bar Keeper's Friend and sometimes oven cleaner. I know those are harsh chemicals but I didn't really experiment with other alternatives. I wore dish gloves and kept the kitchen well ventilated. The Bar Keeper's Friend works wonderfully.

Anyone have a suggestion for something that works great for a non-self cleaning oven??? Share in the comments!

Tomorrow I'll post my cleaning checklists and cleaning routines....

Kitchen Tips- Cleaning Appliances and more

This post was originally going to be my last post of the week so if you already read here that it was going to be my last post, it was a mistake...I forgot to take that off. So, without further delay....

One of the best and safest cleaning agents for kitchens is white distilled vinegar.

-Use straight vinegar to run through your coffee maker, tea maker, and other appliances that may have calcium build up.
-Use straight vinegar on your sink for hard water marks and build up.
-Mix vinegar and a little water in a spray bottle to use to wipe down walls, cabinets, fronts of appliances, and inside your fridge.
-I put 1 cup vinegar into my dishwasher and run it to remove hard water build up.
-I recommend this site for a very long list of ways to clean with vinegar with recipes included.

I recommend Barkeeper's Friend for cleaning your sink. It works well for all finishes.

If you have a stainless steel sink, consider using a cleaner made for buffing and polishing it. I use Cameo for mine from time to time to help restore the luster of my sink. Look at your local grocery store for similar products.

Don't forget to clean under your facet...sometimes that gets missed. An old toothbrush works great for around the facet and around the sink edge itself.

There also products out there for polishing different types of counter tops and porcelain. Check your local Home Depot or Lowe's type stores for these products.

Now is a good time to oil all your woods as well. Mineral oil works best .... massage it into your wooden utensils (spoons), your wood knife handles, wood cutting boards, wood serving trays, wood knife block, wood rolling pin, and any other wooden dishes (salad bowls and tongs) or utensils that you may have. I like to use a paper towel to rub the oil onto every thing. Let them soak up all the oil. Laying the utensils on a paper towel on the counter for several hours works well. Then go back to washing them and using them like you normally do.

Got mold? Grapefruit juice is a natural mold killer. Cut it in half to rub on molded areas or squeeze it and put it in a spray bottle. Been breathing mold in your house? Drink fresh squeezed grapefruit juice for your own health.

It's a good time to sharpen all your knives too. Dull knives can ruin the cooking experience! Consider investing in an electric knife sharpener. Known for being expensive, yes. I do know that you can purchase one for around $30 at Target these days. So, if you don't have one, do some research to find a good price. They are well worth the investment!

Don't forget to wipe off the top of your fridge, clean under your oven hood, clean out and organizing under your sink, and clean inside your microwave.

Tomorrow's post: cleaning the dreaded oven....

Kitchen Clean Up

I get the spring cleaning bug as soon as Christmas is over and packed up. I think it has something to do with making space for the new gifts (i.e. mostly the kid's toys) and so out with the old and in with the new and so it begins. It's not long before I'm yearning to sort through every closet, drawer, and cupboard. What does this have to do with cooking???

Well, let me first back up. I did Fly Lady many years back and it changed how I approached my house work. It worked great and I learned so much from it. But, time has passed, and well, I've become a busier mom and well, my house cleaning has suffered. I know, I'm still not to the "how it relates to cooking" part yet but bare with me......

First-What is Fly Lady? Fly Lady is all about how to clean your house. Instead of me trying to explain it, if you don't know what it is, go to this page and check it out. She teaches you how to clean your house and if you feel inclined to sign up, she'll send you emails all day telling you what to do, how to clean it, in what order, what to wear while you're cleaning it, and how long to take. I have to warn you that it can become obsessive so for me, I just gleaned from it what I could and applied it to my life and then let time go by and forgot about it. Yep, back to square one. No, really, I didn't forget it all. Some of it has stayed with me and really helps me out!

So, yes, the cooking connection....well, first things first with Fly Lady...she has you start (since most of us stand in the middle of our house crying "where do I even start!?) with the kitchen sink. Yep, the kitchen sink is where you start. Scrub it bright and clean all over. It's appropriate also because this week is the kitchen zone if you are following the Flylady zone schedule.

So, the kitchen is a great place to start my spring cleaning and from there I'll move to the cupboards and I'm sure I'll find long lost Tupperware and gadgets that I thought were MIA years ago. I'll sort through my drawers and cabinets and make a pile for Give Away, Throw Away, and Put Away (um, ya, that's the stuff that doesn't even belong in the kitchen to start with!) Then I'll clear off all the Hot Spots (those are the places that naturally collect clutter) and set the table. Wow, what a start that will be.

After that I can clean the stove top, and the oven (yikes-a "how to clean your oven" post coming on Wednesday), and clean out the fridge, wipe down the back splashes, wipe down all the appliances, and then mop the floor. I'll sort through the pantry, fridge, and spice rack and throw out outdated items and reorganize my shelves. Okay, I'm getting tired just thinking about this. But, with a refresher course from Fly Lady(click here to just follow her program through the different "zones" in your house instead of signing up for all the emails), I'll be motivated and ready to give it a go....

After that, I'll apply the same tactics in all the other rooms of the house. So, if you want to join me in spring cleaning Fly Lady style, get dressed this morning, put on your face lotion, tie on your running shoes and let's fly!

Tomorrow's post will include things to clean your kitchen sink with as well as other cleaning tips.

-if you get your kitchen sink done, comment on this post and let us know your success! =0)

Beef Stew

1 chuck roast
1 onion soup mix packet
6 cups water

Cook in crock pot half the day on low (in the morning). Take out and chop into chunks. Return to the crock pot and add:
5-6 chopped carrots
4-5 cubed yukon gold potatoes (at least 2 cups worth)
1 diced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook on low till about 1 hour before serving. Then add:
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn

Then to thicken the stew, melt 2-4 tbsp butter in a skillet and add 1/4 -1/2 cup of flour till melted into a paste and add to the stew and stir till thickened.

Baked Brie

Brie is my ultimate favorite appetizer. I love cheese and well, this has long been my favorite cheese. I know you aren't supposed to eat molded cheeses when you are pregnant but I craved it and ate it anyway through both my pregnancies. Some things are hard to give up. So, here I give you not only an incredibly wonderful tasting appetizer but also an impressive presentation of a dish. Oh, and the best part, it's one of the EASIEST appetizers to make!

Brie comes in wheel or a wedge with a thick tough rind around it. Once you break through the rind you get to the creamy soft cheese that is inside it. Brie is very mild and creamy but the rind has a nice kick to it. Some people hate the rind and others love it. Both parts are eaten. The rind softens when heated up.

Melted, brie makes an amazing cheese to dip into. You can melt it on it's own but wrapping it in this pastry dough gives it another rich dimension. Far from healthy, but I had to post about making baked brie. Don't ever, ever, make this on your own. You HAVE to have other people around to eat it with you otherwise you are likely to eat the whole thing.

You can get really creative with baked brie and I'll list a lot of things you can bake with it but first, here's how you do it.

What you need:
one wheel of brie cheese (Costco sells a nice sized one)
1 sheet of pastry dough
filling of your choice
1 beaten egg

Lay out one refrigerated pastry dough sheet.
Slice brie wheel in half to make two wheels.
Place one of the halves on the pastry dough with the rind side down.
Next, put on a layer of your favorite filling (the pictured one has minced fresh garlic and a thick spread of butter.)





Put the top of the wheel down on top with the rind facing up.
Wrap the edges of the pastry dough around the wheel bringing all the points to the center. Pinch them and press them to seal the dough.









Brush with a beaten egg.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. or until golden and puffy.


Let the baked brie rest 20 min. before cutting and serving.
I recommend putting the baked brie into something with a lip for serving. At least a platter with an edge on it since the melted cheese will run out.

Here is a list of ideas of things you can serve it with to dip with:
wheat thins
multi-grain crackers
butter crackers
sliced baguettes
sliced apples
cubed sourdough bread

Here is a list of ideas of things you can stuff it with:
1/2 cup of pesto
dried chopped cherries and chopped walnuts
dried chopped apricots and sliced almonds
strawberry jam
raspberry jam
pomegranate jelly
pomegranate seeds
caramelized onions with sliced almonds
dried chopped fruit sauteed in 1/2 c of wine and reduced
butter and minced garlic
sliced apples or chopped apples with chopped walnuts
chopped bell peppers
chopped artichoke hearts, butter, and minced garlic
sliced sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil
capers and marinated chopped artichoke hearts
cranberry chutney
olive tapenade

This appetizer also can work well for a light lunch with salad and soup or for a finger food gathering.

Answering Questions- for the sake of communication =0)

There have been a few comments lately that I thought would be beneficial to answer and/or reply on a post so that others can benefit from them as well.....

1. Do you have to dry the noodles before cooking them in the Homemade Noodles post?
No, you don't have to dry them. They come out great cooked fresh!

2. Yes, you can make the noodle dough in a food processor instead of on the counter with a fork. In that case, use 3/4 c flour, 1 egg, and 1 tsp ice water and add water or flour as needed to get a dough consistency that you can roll out. This saves a lot of time and clean up.

3. Yes, the top grocery list that is filled in was done to the layout of the store that I shopped at a few years back. The other two lists are done in alphabetical order. Feel free to make your own list that is put in the order of the layout of the store you shop att. Thanks for pointing out that tip because I failed to point that out in the original post.

4. Yes, I do know about making your own homemade taco seasoning and I have a post in my drafts about a recipe to make your own taco seasoning packets that I'll be posting towards the end of this month. If you have a favorite taco seasoning recipe of your own, be ready to share it as well! =0)

5. I actually really do like the Fix It and Forget It cookbook so far. I prefer more pictures but since this book is the complete set all in one book it's a great number of recipes to glean from. I've tried a few and have several of them marked with post it notes for future use. I would recommend the book and am sorry for anyone that is not enjoying the book. You can browse through it before purchasing it at most Costcos if you are interested. I'm also enjoying the Taste of Home Slow Cooker cookbook as well and have made a few things out of it already too.

6. Yes, I'm working on making What's Cooking recipes downloadable for your purchasing convenience. I almost have the Crock-pot set done since that was the most popular one on the list. Meantime, we are working on getting the shopping cart set up. I will be working on a hard cover of the complete recipes on this site as well but it will take a great deal more time. The exciting news is that, thanks to a friend's suggestion, thanks Katey, the download print version of my recipe ebooks will be in recipe card format. That way you can print them and cut them and stick them right in with the rest of your recipe cards....I'm squeeling with joy over this...and I don't usually squeel! So, be sure to vote on the sidebar for your recipe collection preferences.

COMING UP:
The rest of this week I'm posting purely recipes ...check back Wednesday and Friday. After that I have a whole week dedicated to posts about cleaning your kitchen since it's spring cleaning time. I have so many posts and so little time. A sneak peek of what's coming after the kitchen cleaning series:
homemade croutons
homemade taco seasoning packets
how to get your kids to eat healthy
changes I'm making in what we eat
changes I'm making in how we save money
more bean recipes (these have been requested)
homemade babyfood
what I learned in college (this one is funny!)
another soup recipe before soup season is over
the 411 on olive oil
and many more!
and I'll be experimenting with making my own cream of soups, pasta sauces, and meatballs.

Homemade Pancake Syrup

I have a confession to make. I don't like pure maple syrup. I've tried for over a year now to acquire a taste for it and I just can't do it. So, I had to solve the issue of not using store bought refined sugar syrup to be healthier but I couldn't bring myself (or my family for that matter) to use pure maple syrup. None of us like it and it's a total shame I know. I do use it in cooking but not for pancakes.

My mom reminded me about making homemade syrup. I remember my uncle making this every time we went to their house growing up and I have to say it's a welcome alternative around here. I make it with organic sugar which is evaporated cane juice instead of refined sugar.

1 cup water
2 cups organic sugar
1/2 tsp mapliene (usually found by the extracts in the grocery store)

Bring water to a boil in sauce pan and then add sugar and mapliene. Stir till sugar has dissolved completely.

This syrup is thin like pure maple syrup is. It taste wonderful and brings back lots of fun childhood memories of having pancakes in my Uncle and Aunt's cheerful strawberry decorated breakfast room. We will be making this from now on.