Back in business!

After a wonderful, long, crazy summer full of weddings, vacations and soaking up some vitamin D - Homemakers is back in business!!

Stay tuned for weekly updates on the fun things we are doing this Fall.

fruit salsa and cinnamon chips!

In case you guys didn't know, I'm truly madly and deeply in love with all kinds of fruit. The first time I had this was HEAVEN.

recipe:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
 
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

*notes* use any kind of fruit you want... like we added mangos in there. Also, I didn't think this was going to yield a lot, but it totally did.

Disneyland Dinner!!

So tonight we will be making cards that we will donate to a school in Sprinville. In return, Disneyland will give us a free day pass to thier park! We thought since we will all be getting together to make cards that we should also make Cafe Rio- something we've been wanted to do for a while. Here is the recipe for the meat and dressing.

"Just like Cafe Rio" Pork:
5-6 lb prk roast
1 Tbsp cumin
1 cup brown sugar
12 oz bottle La Victoria Taco sauce
20 oz bottle coke

Cook roast on low for 12 hours in crock pot with water added half way up roast. After 12 hours, drain water off roast and add remaining ingredients and continue cooking for 4 more hours. Then shred the meat and cook for 2 more hours.

"Just like Cafe Rio"
Creamy Ranch Dressing: 1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1 cup mayo
1 cup shopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos (peel off paper) (found by the hot petters in the fresh produce)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less as desired)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.


Pictures from the night:

I have to admit I was very impressed witht he creativity and card making skills our boys have. I think the others girls would agree...

I am the worst poster. Here are some recipes we have tried:

French Onion Soup

Serves 6.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 pounds yellow onions, sliced 1/4-inch into half circles
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups Beef Stock
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small French baguette, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 3 cups)

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large heavy pot on medium-low heat. Add onions. Spread them out in as thin a layer as possible. Sprinkle with sugar, and cook, stirring just as needed to keep onions from sticking, until they are melting and soft, golden brown, and beginning to caramelize, about 1 hour.
2. Sprinkle flour over onions, and stir to coat. Add stock, and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Meanwhile, lightly toast bread under a broiler; set aside. Ladle hot soup into six ovenproof bowls. Arrange the bowls on a baking pan. Place 1 or 2 slices of toasted bread over each bowl of soup. Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated cheese over bread in each bowl, and place under the broiler until cheese is melted and crusty brown around the edges. Watch carefully that bread doesn't burn. Serve immediately.

Chicken Pot Pie Serves 8. 2 tablespoons butter 1 carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 1 medium onion, chopped 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface 1 cup whole milk 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Coarse salt and ground pepper 9-inch-round store-bought pie dough (from a 15-ounce package) or homemade double crust

Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in the middle. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add carrot, onion. Cook until carrot is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in chicken and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Divide filling among eight 8-ounce ramekins or ovenproof bowls; set aside. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 15-inch round. With a 3 1/2-inch floured biscuit cutter, cut out eight rounds; place one on each ramekin. Transfer ramekins to a rimmed baking sheet; bake until filling is bubbling and crusts are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. To store: Prepare through step 3; let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil; store in freezer, up to 3 months. To reheat: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Uncover ramekins; bake on a rimmed baking sheet until bubbling and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

PUMPKIN SOUP!!

We made yummy yummy pumpkin soup tonight! Go homemakers.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F(200 degrees C). Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread butter mixture evenly over one side of each bread slice. Place bread, buttered side up, on a baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until bread is crisp and topping is bubbly. Cut each slice of bread into 8 small triangles or squares.
2. Saute onion in butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth.
4. Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally..
5. Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Do not boil. Ladle into individual soup bowls. Top each serving with Cinnamon Croutons.

GIRLS NIGHT

It's a good thing we love each other... it was a right car ride up. Ashley was an awesome driver.

We loved visiting the Family Tree Center in Park City! Hayley and I wanted to find out exaclty how we are related... we didn't really get to but it was really fun. The two senior misisonaries were really nice :)


They even took our picture

We thought it would be fun to take pictures... like the really sweet ones on christmas cards. This is our version of a "Family Portrait."

C'mon, I couldn't be posting on this blog without including a picture of food... this is what we had for breakfast. Hayley knows how to make killer waffles and syrup. YMM

Hello Ladies!!

The garden wasn't a total bust! Ashley and I enjoyed a very red and delicious tomatoe the other day! Out of the six plants in our garden, only two of them produced ONE tomatoe each. Therefore, we decided to take many pictures of our tomatoe seeing as they are very scarce. We are waiting for Jessica to get back North Carolina to pick the other one (which by the way is THIS WEEK!!)

So us girls decided to plant the garden mostly for fun but also as a learning experience. We thought we could try it out and see what we could learn by trial and error. The main lesson for this season: Plant a garden in the SUN.

Kinda Lonely :(

Ashley and I picking the tomatoe.

Yummiest snack ever: Tomatoe with salt and pepper.