Help With Candy Bar Pie

 

All ingredients are ready thanks to the Wammyville yahoos that shared their chocolate candy.

That's a bunch of wrappers.

And here are all of my happy helpers.

Trying out a new way to make pie crust thanks to Brenda Gantt.  It is mixed up right in the pie pan!  Check it out on YouTube.

Ready to prebake which I don't think I needed to do.

Candy Bar Pie is ready to go into the oven.

The house smells like a chocolate factory.

Once the little ones were down for a nap Jase and I made a few individual pies.

We were able to get in a few games of UNO while we were waiting to take them out of the oven.

Spending A Little More Time In The Kitchen

 

Does anybody want to guess what is going to be popping in the oven in a bit?

Two of the best loaves of Zucchini bread yet.  Allison Heitkamp came over to help me with a little computer problem and I sent her home with some "dessert bread".  Because they don'ts eat many veggies at their house.  She sent pictures.  They loved it!  Winner, winner, chicken dinner.  I also had time to clean out and straighten up the 'baking center'.

This go around with the cucumbers...refrigerator pickles that don't need to go in a water bath.  And I might have checked the dates on everything in the fridge and the freezer.  And Amanda came and got the rest of the things that they had put in the freezer when their power went off.  Ah, life is good.

Bakin', Cannin', and Cookin'

 It's been a very busy and productive day in the kitchen.

I made some of Jane Brownfield's zucchini bread.  I love this because you mix it in your blender.  But bad news...my glass part broke this evening when it slipped off the stand.  I don't know how but it did.  Bummer.

JANIE'S ZUCCHINI BREAD

Then Mark wanted some cucumber salad.  So the first recipe I made is what I call...

OLD SCHOOL CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS

Cut up two good size English cucumbers

Cut up a medium purple onion

Add a little bit of water.

Add some vinegar.

I add a little bit of sugar salt and pepper.

I have always just tasted the juice to get the right flavor.  That's how my mom and grandmother did it.

Oh but then I found a recipe for...

CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD

 2 long English cucumbers, peeled if you want

1/2 cup of sliced white onion

dressing

1/2 cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt

3 Tablespoons of mayonaise

1/4 cup fo fresh dill chopped

3 Tablespoons of white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon if white sugar

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving

We have cukes coming out our ears at the moment.  First batch were spicy pickles.

Next up some, Kosher dills.

I made Murph his own quart of spicy jalapeno pickles.

We Are Starting To Eat Our Way Through The Backyard

 The cucumbers are going nuts!  So the first canning was done on June 28.

I love the vinegar smell in the house.

The first quarts of pickles.

Tried Something

 I say something somewhere I don't know exactly where...two-ingredient bagels.  If you know anything about the Ellis family you know that when Cassie and crew are in town we always have at least one breakfast at Everything Bagel in Eastgate.  Our favorites are the cinnamon sugar, the Mexi-Melt, and my favorite, toasted sesame.

I tried my hand at poppyseed and sesame.

The recipe is so easy and so fast.  Click to go to the recipe.  You will be amazed.  But I don't think I will be able to talk anyone into having mine instead of going out for breakfast!

The Long-Awaited Visit

 I have been waiting for this day from the moment I hear that it was coming!

The House family has done so, so much for the community, they are such lovely people how could you not be a backer?  I recognize lots of names on that board.  Plenty of love going around our community.  Isn't that what we are to do...care for and love on each other?

Our small donation...every penny counts right?

Pappy finally getting to use his birthday gift card!  I wanted to go and have time to enjoy and savor every second of my breakfast so we planned to go on a day when we had nothing else pressing to get accomplished.  It was the coldest, wettest, windiest day so far in the spring I think.

Lemon blueberry pancakes, biscuit donuts with lemon sauce for me, and the Arlan Walker for Pappy.  And house-blend coffee.

Oh, my word these are amazing!

There was so much that we had enough leftovers to have at home for breakfast the next day.  Well, maybe not the donuts.

I enjoyed everything about my experience!  There has been lots of chatter on the Internet about the prices.  My take...yes it is somewhat pricey but what a special place to be able to bring someone for something special.  Everything is made from scratch!  And I did feel special.  The staff heated us as we walked in the door and had nothing but kind words.  The service was quick and they were very helpful us find everything we needed.

Thank you Josh and Nicole House and family and thank you good people of Milford for helping to make this happen.

Monday Night Blues

 The kids have all gone home and it is quiet and lonely around here.  We have so many leftovers that we were swimming in them.  Tomorrow will be interesting as to where the yahoos can find to put their lunches.  What is a girl to do but make soup?

There were lots of leftover black beans so I made my surprise version of Black Bean Soup.  I think t turned out pretty well but we will never be able to eat all of it.