Bailey Goes Camping

 My girls really enjoy this book and wanted to go camping like Bailey.  We did the whole thing, and they LOVED it.  (To protect my family's privacy I don't like to put up pics with my girls' faces, but you can get the point from these).  I would recommend something like this as a fun cabin-fever activity.  I pulled the whole thing off with about 45 minutes of prep-time and for the cost of a bag of marshmallows and a pack of hot-dogs.  I used scrap pieces of yarn and some leftover velcro stickies to make the fish and poles.  It was a well-spent afternoon/evening.

Peach Mustard Pork Tenderloin

A rookie on the dinner roster, this became an instant favorite for two reasons: 1) It's easy, and 2) My kids will happily eat it.

Peach Mustard Pork Tenderloin
2/3 cup peach preserves
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Olive oil
Pinch of ground thyme
1/4 tsp. Salt
About 1 1/2 pounds Pork tenderloin

Mix all of the ingredients in a big zipper bag, add pork and marinade in the fridge for at least an hour.  Preheat your oven to 450.  Remove pork, shake off the marinade, and place it in a roasting pan.  Bake uncovered about 30 minutes (check done-ness with your meat thermometer).  While your pork is roasting, pour the marinade into a saucepan and bring it to a boil for 1 minute.  Allow it to cool.  Once your pork is cooked through, let it stand for 5 minutes, then cut it into slices and pour the marinade over it.

Note: I might try to microwave some peaches in water until soft and serve them with this next time...

Pancakes! Pancakes!

This is one of those things that I dedicated myself to and it paid off.  I have tried approximately 365,912 pancake recipes, and through a lot of trial and error I have finally created a perfect set of my own custom recipes.  I have my mouthwatering, blubber-building, buttery carb-cakes, and my lean, mean, muscle-building protein pancakes, and my tiger-striped pancakes (GO TIGERS!) and my whole wheat cranberry pancakes... (to name a few)  And, of course, the shape and topping possibilities are endless.  Here are some of my pet recipes:

Amanda's Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal (optional)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
Mix well and fry in butter until golden brown


Amanda's Whole Wheat Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs


Amanda's Whole Wheat Cranberry Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. dried cranberries sprinkled onto each pancake just after you drop it on the griddle.

Amanda's Power Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups soy milk
2 scoops Body Fortress Vanilla protein powder
2 eggs

(For a carb-based menu item, these tote a relatively low calorie count and pack a whopping 6-8 grams of protein per pancake depending on the size.  I usually top mine with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.)

Amanda's Cornbread Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla (optional with this recipe)
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs

"Fillng":
3/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. melted butter

Glaze:
6 oz. cream cheese - softened
2 Tbsp. butter - softened
1 cup powdered sugar (you can add more or less of this depending on how thick you want your glaze/frosting)
1 tsp. vanilla

Prepare your glaze and set it aside. Mix the filling ingredients and put them into a small zipper bag or a pastry bag.  Make the batter as you normally would and pour it onto your griddle to make your pancakes, then snip the corner off of the filling bag and drizzle the filling in a spiral shape onto the pancakes on the griddle.  Flip as you normally would.  After you pancakes are golden on both sides stack them up and glaze them with the cream cheese glaze.

Tiger-striped Pancakes
Inspired by on of my girls' favorite bedtime stories ("The Boy and the Tigers" by Helen Bannerman) this recipe  also boasts a bit of school-pride for us, as the tiger is our district mascot.  Divide your favorite pancake batter into 2 bowls, and mix 1/2 cup cocoa and 1 Tbsp. milk into one of the bowls.  After pouring the regular batter out on the griddle streak the cocoa batter across the top with a spoon.  Flip as normal.  ENJOY!

(Who says you shouldn't play with your food?!?!?!?!?)

Pizza Night!

I'm updating this post, because Saturday Pizza Night has become quite the event in our house these days!  In addition to making my dough, I have started to stretch my own mozzarella cheese (I'll post that later, but you can find great video tutorials online) and make own sauce.  My girls LOVE pizza night, although they still prefer the store-bought cheese, leaving more of the fresh for my husband and I.  :)  By making a batch-and-a-half of this dough recipe and 1 batch of sauce, I can get 4 small personal pizzas for my girls (which they "decorate" themselves), and a 14" for us.   Then there is a third leftover, which I leave in the fridge until Sunday afternoon and we make another pizza for dinner that night.  (just to give you an idea of the quantities it will all yield)

Pizza Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. (or packet) of yeast
1 1/8 cups room-temperature water
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Toss it all in your mixer bowl, and (with the kneading hook attachment) let it go at a speed 1 for about 2 minutes, then at 2-3 for another 30 seconds.  Finish it out with a minute of hand kneading to make sure it's well-mixed.  Let it rise is a greased bowl for about and hour and a half.  After you top it, bake it at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.

I LOVE my sauce recipe, because it's basic and versatile.  I can make it 20 minutes before it goes in the oven, or add more water and let it simmer all afternoon for the best flavor.

Pizza Sauce
6 oz. Tomato paste
1 Tbsp. Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Dried Basil (use fresh if/when you have it!)
1/4 tsp. Ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Minced garlic (I usually add a bit more)
For fast prep add 1 1/2 cups water, for a few hours of simmering add 2 1/2 cups water.
Stir it all together in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and reduce to simmer.  I cover mine.

There is NOTHING like home-made pizza.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a super yummy alternative to the normal butter-cream.  It leaves a little less room for spectacular decorating, but this Rosette cake was my first try with the frosting and this design and still turned out pretty well.  (Next time I need to pack the rosettes closer so that I don't need to fill-in between them, and I don't think I'll use two colors again, it was confusing to the eye).  This frosting would be the perfect compliment to a red velvet cake, or a berry-based cake.  It pairs well with dark, bittersweet chocolate too.

Cream Cheese Frosting:


1 (8oz.) package of cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup butter - softened
3 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the butter, cream cheese, milk and vanilla.  Add the sugar until you reach the consistency that you're looking for.  For a chocolate version, you can add 1/3 cup of cocoa to this recipe.  I imagine you could also add melted chocolate chips or the equivalent too, I just haven't tried that approach myself.  The cocoa keeps it firm enough to make moderate designs like the rosettes.

Note: Cream cheese will spoil, so refrigerate this cake and it's leftovers.  Chilling will also preserve your designs from "melting" off your cake.