Srcum-diddi-ly-umptious Peanut Butter Bars

I know....I know it's been awhile since I've posted

No real good excuse for it either.
Just been busy with everyday stuff....you know...school, homework, babysitting, fighting kids, laundry, Halloween Costumes, cleaning house,sick kids (I think the flu went through each of my kids twice), planning Halloween Party, church callings, etc.

No one else gets busy with this stuff right? haha

Well anyways......my wonderful neighbor makes these super duper scrum-diddi-ly-umptious Peanut Butter Bars. They are really that good. I kept meaning to the recipe from her and make them but one Sunday recently I was craving them and she was out of town for the weekend so I scoured the web to find a recipe. I found one and gave it a try.....2 thumbs down. They were not all that good...dry and flakey and just plain yucky. Then when she got back I got her recipe ....aaahhhhh....they turned out PERFECT!!!
I think I ended up eating a whole half pan just by myself....not good!!!

Once you start you seriously can't stop.

So if you are craving peanut butter and chocolate here is the recipe
sorry for no pictures

Scrum-diddi-ly-umptious Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup butter (salted)
3/4 cup sugar, granulated
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
8 oz milk chocolate frosting
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Cream together butter and sugars. Blend in eggs, vanilla, and 1 cup peanut butter. Add dry ingredients, mix well.

Pour batter onto an un-greased cookie bar sheet (cookie sheet with all four edges enclosed) and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool and frost with about 1/2 cup peanut butter and as much chocolate frosting as you like (blended together or in layers, it tastes the same). I mixed mine together and heated up in the microwave for a few minutes so it was easier to spread over the yummy bars!!!

So if you've got a fun Halloween Party coming up that you need to make a treat for these are perfect. They really are quick and easy and taste sooooo good!!!!

Cold Pasta Salad

The kids are back in school (hallelujah), so technically summer is over. Here in California, though, it's still in the mid to upper 90s. I thought I would share a recipe that our family uses a lot in the summer time. The only heating of your house is to boil the pasta! When we didn't have A/C, heating the house was a big thing!

Cold Pasta Salad

1 lb pasta
1/2 lb mozzarella, cubed
8-10 fresh basil leaves or 2 Tbl dried basil
2-3 tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
salt or vinegar (optional)

Boil your pasta as normal. While boiling cut mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until pasta is cool. Combine mozzarella, basil and tomatoes with the pasta. Drizzle olive oil over the pasta and stir to coat.

In our family some like a little bit of salt on our pasta and others like vinegar.
Let us know if you find something else that tastes good!

Hope you had an enjoyable summer!
And enjoy the kids going back to school!
Yeehaw!

Jacki :)

Yummy Green Pasta!

Two years ago, instead of the typical Christmas Goody Plate,
we gave our family and friends a taste of the Roper Spinach Pesto.
Ever since we have had many of those family and friends asking for the recipe.
So here it is!



For our Christmas Goodies, we made the pesto and than stuck it with box of Barilla Pasta.
We than grated some Pecorino Romano and put it in a little baggie.
I loved it because it was most of a dinner and who doesn't love a dinner that is mostly prepared. I also love this pesto because you can make a few batches and than put them in the freezer. When needed just defrost and pour over pasta. Easy, Peesy!
This is also great for St. Patrick's Day!

So if the fathers in your life love pasta, try this out on them. Definitely a keeper!
Hope you all have an enjoyable Father's Day! See ya next week!

Jacki :)

Mom's Homemade Bread

Hi! Mother Hen is FINALLY back!!
I have spent the last three weeks in Nevada and California
doing our Texas Twister Drinks!
While I was there, I got to spend lots of time with

Jacki and Juli and my cute grand-kids and son-in-laws!

Thanks Jacki and Juli for a wonderful time!
(I have just lost my whole post. I shouldn't have played with it.)
Hope I can remember what I wrote!?! Arg!
I hope at some point and time, I can write a post JUST ONCE!!!!

On Tuesday, while I was there, Jacki asked me if I would
teach her 'Young Women' class how to make bread.
Every time my kids come home, there are always some things they want to eat.
BREAD is one of those things!

Here I am with Jacki on Bread Making Day!

It brought back so many memories!
I learned how to make bread in 1973 when I was pregnant with
my oldest daughter (JaNae).
I used to get together with a great friend: Kathie Hunter,
when we both were young married ladies!
We both wanted to make bread, but I hated to get my
hands all sticky with dough, and she hated to get
her hands all dry and floury. So.......
I put the ingredients together, she mixed the dough with
her hands, and I made the loaves and rolls.
It was a GREAT system!
Then after it was done, we would split the goodies.
We did that for a long time and then I got a Bosch Bread Mixer!!!
After all those years I had forgotten how much I hated
getting my hands sticky. It only took mixing up a batch
with the Young Women to REMEMBER! Yuck! Thank Heavens one of the
leaders jumped right in - - -up to her elbows (and all
down her front) and used her hands to mix the dough
while I helped the girls get theirs going.
(Love you Karey!!)

The girls did an awesome job and I think they had fun doing it.
They each made a loaf and some rolls.
Earlier in the day, Jacki made a batch of bread,
I made a large batch and the girls each made a small batch.
That way they could each eat some but have some to take home too!

We had to use both ovens in the church and then put
the last pan in after the first two ovens were done.

When the bread was just about done and smelling very yummy, all of a sudden the kitchen was full of Scouts, leaders, other classes of girls and anyone else
that was in the building!

We had enough bread that everyone that came in got at least one piece
(and often the boys had more - - of course)
and the girls still got to take a loaf and some rolls home.

Here are a couple of the loaves I made.
There absolutely is nothing like warm bread and butter!
(Peanut butter makes it even better)
I always make the large batch, put them into 4 or 6 round loaves, or make them into rolls.

Here is the recipe for the bread. Both size batches are on the card.
Jacki did an awesome job of making cute cards for everyone.

Now some thoughts on making bread:
If you are in a hurry (which I always am), after I have mixed the dough, I make it into the loaves, and having preheated the oven, pop them right in to bake.
I don't know if it makes any difference, or what difference it does make,
but it gets done fast and I've never had a complaint on the taste or texture.
Keep an eye on the bread. You'll get so you can smell when it's done, but a lot of things affect how long it takes to cook. Summers in CA are very humid, while summers in UT are very dry! Some days it may take longer than others. If the top is getting brown before
the bread is done, put a piece of aluminum foil over the top with the shiny side up.
That will deflect the heat so your tops won't burn. Make sure you put your pan in the middle of the oven length wise and width wise so all sides get equal heat.
You can also experiment and make cinnamon rolls with the dough. Roll it out, spread butter all over it, sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar and roll up. To cut them you can either use a knife, or put a piece of thread around the roll, cross it and pull and you will cut right through the dough. The kids always loved it when I stretched out small pieces and made scones. Just fry them in a little bit of oil an add what ever toppings you'd like!

Hope you all run in and make a batch of bread. It is truly delectable!!
Your husbands or boyfriends, parents or friends will really be impressed.
As you are reading this, I am on a 14 day cruise to ALASKA!!
It will be interesting to see what I come up with for next week.
Have a great weekend! Thanks so much for reading!!
Mother Hen - Barbara

Best Apple Pie in the WORLD!!!

I found this recipe on a website a long time ago and I always get rave reviews.  It is simply amazing! It is half apple pie, half apple crisp. Be warned though this is not a low fat food.

This is taken before Caramel was drizzled on top.

For Pie

• pastry for single-crust pie
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples

Crumb Topping

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter

Final Topping

• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Prepare pastry for single-crust pie, being careful not to stretch dough too much.
2. Place in pie plate and trim and crimp the edge.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Add apple slices and gently toss until they are coated well.
5. Transfer mixture to pie.
6. FOR CRUMB TOPPING: Stir together brown sugar, flour, and oats.
7. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until topping resembles coarse crumbs.
8. Sprinkle over apple mixture in pie.
9. To prevent over-browning while baking, cover edge of pie with foil.
10. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until top is golden.
11. Remove from oven.
12. Drizzle top with caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans. ( I omit pecans because I just don't like them)
13. Cool on wire rack and serve!

Read more: www.food.com

Happy Mother's Day Treats

SORBET, SHERBET, GELATO, & ITALIAN ICE

Thought I would give you some great recipes

to make for your moms or those you honor

this Mother's Day weekend!

Lemon and Orange Gelato

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons orange and lemon zest
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Scald the milk with the orange and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar to blend. Gradually whisk half of the hot milk into the yolks. Return the yolks to the saucepan with remaining milk. Stir over low heat until custard thickens and leave a path on the back of the spoon when you draw your finger across it. Do not let the mixture boil.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and chill.

Once the mixture is cool stir in the lemon juice.

Transfer to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturers instructions.

Mandarin Orange Sorbet

Five 11-oz. cans mandarin oranges packed in light syrup
1 C. superfine sugar
3 T. fresh lemon juice

Drain the oranges and reserve 2 cups of the syrup. Purée the oranges in a food processor. Stir in the reserved syrup, sugar and lemon juice.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of the machine and freeze.

Makes about 5 1/2 cups.

Very Berry Ice

2 cups frozen or fresh strawberries or raspberries

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Partially thaw frozen berries by setting them out in a bowl at room temperature just until slightly icy (about 20 minutes); do not drain thawed berries.

In a blender container combine berries, water, honey, and lemon juice. Cover and blend on high speed about 1 minute or until mixture is smooth. (If you are using raspberries, you may want to strain the mixture through a sieve to remove seeds)

Pour into an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan. Cover pan with foil. Place pan in the freezer and freeze about 6 hours or until mixture is firm.

Remove pan from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Use an ice-cream scoop or spoon to scoop or scrape ice into serving bowls.

Makes 6 servings

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare the mixture as above. Freeze the mixture up to 3 days.

Creamy Peach Sherbet

2 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices partly thawed
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

In food processor or blender, pulse/ chop peaches. Add remaining ingredients' blend until creamy.

May be served immediately or stored in the freezer until serving time.

Yield: 4 servings.

Other frozen fruits may be substituted for the peaches.

Banana-Pineapple Tropical Sorbet

1 pineapple
2 chopped bananas
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon honey

Roughly chop the pineapple flesh and put it into the bowl with the reserved juice.

Puree pineapple flesh and juice with bananas in food processor, gradually adding the sugar, yogurt and honey.

Transfer to ice cream maker and process according to directions.

Vanilla Gelato

5 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 cup light cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine egg yolks and sugar in mixing bowl. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow in color.

In medium saucepan, heat milk to a simmer. Add half of the milk to the egg yolk mixture; whisk until blended. Stir in remaining milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats back of spoon.

Remove from heat; stir in the cream. Pass mixture through a fine strainer into medium bowl set over an ice bath to chill. Stir in vanilla.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Italian Strawberry Water Ice

2 C. sugar

1 C. water

4 pints fresh ripe strawberries, rinsed and hulled

1/3 C. orange juice

1/4 C lemon juice

Combine sugar and water in saucepan; stir and bring to boiling. Boil 5 minutes. Let cool.

Puree berries in electric blender or force through sieve. Add juices to mixture of the cooked syrup and berries. Mix well.

Turn into refrigerator trays, cover tightly and freeze.

About 45 minutes before serving time, remove trays from freezer to refrigerate to allow the ice to soften slightly.

Spoon into sherbet glasses.

Raspberry Cream Sherbet

1 cup sugar

3 pack frozen raspberries

3 cups half and half

4 egg whites, beaten stiff

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add the sugar to the frozen berries and mash. Put through sieve.

Freeze cream, salt and egg whites to a mush; add the berries and finish freezing.

I hope you all enjoy these!

To all you moms out there, Happy Mother's Day!

'The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world'!

BLESS YOU ALL!!!

Bye 'til next week - - Mother Hen - Barbara

Cupcake Cones

My sweet little baby turned 1 this last Sunday!

Did you throw a huge birthday party for your kiddos first birthday? I know we did with our first, but by the time we got to our third, we realized that she wasn't going to remember it anyway. We decided just to invite family this time, and I think it was just fine. We made a #1 cake for her to make a mess with, but I needed something for the cousins that were coming to the party. Have you seen these before?

Cupcake Cones!! I can't believe I've never thought of this before!! While searching online for different treats, I found multiple pictures of these awesome creations! One lady was saying her mom made these for her when she was little, and I've never even heard of them! I made these for the party, and they were a hit! I have to say that the cleanup was the best part! No cupcake wrapper?! No bowl or plate to wash?! Fantastic!

Here's how I made them!

First of all, you have to find a way to keep the cones from falling over while you take them in and out of the oven! I covered a muffin tin with aluminum foil, cut an x in the middle of each hole, and gently put the cones in.

I put my fresh from the box cake mix in a plastic bag and cut the corner so I wouldn't make such a mess when filling the cones. It actually worked out pretty well!

*don't mind the dirty oven and horrible pics!!

I followed the directions from the box recipe as to what temperature to cook them at. I set the timer for 17 minutes, which was the time for cupcakes, but they weren't even close to being done. I think I ended up cooking them for 25-30 minutes. They brown on the top, just like regular cake, and that's when I knew they were done. Make sure to let them cool before you frost them. I put my can of frosting in a ziploc baggie, cut the corner, and piped on the frosting. They were a hit with the kids, and even some of the adults! I thought they were good, but the texture of the cone took some getting used to! I will definitely make them again since they have such an easy cleanup! I think next time I'll put less batter in them so maybe I can scoop some ice cream on top when I serve them! Mmmm! Ice cream cupcake cones!! Sounds delicious to me!!

"Play Dough" Lollipop Cookies

It's raining, it's pouring, Jacki is BORING!

Yep, that's how I've felt the last couple of days. It has been raining nonstop and
pretty soon I should start making my ark like Noah or the flood
waters are going to take me away.
I have really been missing the sun and wanted something cheery.


I saw these cookies over at The Idea Room and have been
trying to make them since February.
I figured now was the time, since they're so bright and happy. :)

"Play Dough Lollipop Cookies"

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Assorted food coloring (paste works best)
24 lollipop sticks

Directions:
In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms.
Divide dough into fourths. Color each with different food color.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grab a little of each color and roll each into a ball.
Put one of each color together to form one big ball.
Now start rolling it between your palms into a snake like rope about 12 inches long.
Starting at one end coil the rope into a round cookie.
Place cookies on a greased baking sheet about 3 inches apart.
Carefully insert a lollipop stick into the bottom of the cookie.

Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool and store in an airtight container.

We enjoyed these cookies and I really felt like I was playing with play dough. Next time I think I will let my boys make different designs out of the dough instead of doing the lollipops.
Hope your family enjoys making them as well.
Hope Spring comes SOON!