Imaginary....What?

Some kids have imaginary friends, some have imaginary pets but Tyler, well, he has an imaginary "sweetie."

The other day at the store he pulls off a seriously expensive bottle of "Fiji" water and puts it in the cart. Reflexively I put it back on the shelf without saying a word( just like blinking or taking a breath, two boys have forced me to develop the new reflex of removing all their little treats from the cart.) "Momma, I need that!" "Ummm nope, you don't "NEED" a five dollar bottle of water." "Momma, it's fow my sweetie." "Your who?" "My Sweetie, needs dis..."

This scene was repeated over and over, he would pick up something luxurious, and by luxurious I mean the name brand cheese crackers or Sara Lee bread and tell me that his sweetie needed it. Yikes...girlfriends have already started demanding things!

Treats...Day 9 & 10

Super Busy Weekend...we went to the nursery this morning and bought trees and shrubs for the back yard. Halleujah! I love it already! I'll post pics tomorrow.

So anyway, I didn't post a recipe yesterday so today I'll post a good one. This is one of my favorite banana bread recipes and the streusel at the end is what makes it REALLY good!

BANANA BREAD

1 1/4	cups sugar
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
2	eggs
1 1/2	cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2	cup buttermilk
1	teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2	cups all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon salt
1	cup chopped nuts, if desired

1.	Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
2.	Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
3.	Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

STREUSEL
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 cup Flour
1/3 cup butter

Blend all ingredients together and sprinkle on top of unbaked loaves before putting in oven.

If I don't make the struesel I sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar before I bake them. They come out with a yummy crunchy crust on top.

Treats...Day Eight

Here is a picture from the magazine I discovered this in.

So here's another cheesecake for you...and it's a good one. I would hate to call it my favorite because that would be like picking my favorite child. I wouldn't want the cheesecakes to get their feelings hurt... But I'll whisper it, hopefully they won't hear, "This Cheesecake is my favorite!" It's good, oh so so so good!

Chocolate Layered Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• FILLING:
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
• GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. In a small bowl, combine water and cinnamon; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir water/cinnamon mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer.
Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 16 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Place in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with coffee beans if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings

And here is my picture...obviously I'm no food photographer...a bit scary!

Treats...Day Seven

I think I will dedicate the next few days to Cheesecakes. They are so so so good and I make them so rarely that when I finally do make one every 4 or 5 months I appreciate them all the more. Lynsey requested this one...and the thing I love about these little Cheesecake Bites - they look so good and are so easy to create. They are perfect for parties or just to keep them in your freezer and pull one out when you need it....like if your kids were to rip the filling out of your couch, you might "need" one then. Or if for some reason you found paper towels soaked in chocolate milk thrown all over your walls, ceiling, furniture and floor...you probably would want to pull one out right about then...

Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients:

* 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* FILLING:
* 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* COATING:
* 24 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate
* 3 tablespoons shortening

Directions:
Line a 9-in. square baking pan with foil and grease the foil. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and butter. Press into prepared pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust.
Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. Freeze overnight.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Cool slightly. Using foil, lift cheesecake out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut into 49 squares. Remove a few pieces at a time for dipping; keep remaining squares refrigerated until ready to dip.
Using a toothpick, completely dip squares, one at a time, in melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; spoon about 1 teaspoon chocolate over each. (Reheat chocolate if needed to finish dipping.) Let stand for 20 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Yield: 49 servings.

Treats...Day Five

Preston loves this stuff, it tastes just like the overpriced Kettle Corn from the fair, it's so cheap, and ready in minutes...my kind of recipe!


Kettle Corn
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

I woke up this morning and my thermostat read 63 degrees!! YES!!!! We've finally arrived.

PS. To my Arizona Blood, 63 degrees feels like -12. I am freezing!

Treats...Day Four.

This next recipe is the gift that keeps on giving. First off, I would like to ask, where have I been the last 25 years? I mean, how have I lived on planet Earth for a quarter of a century and never heard of BRIOCHE!! This stuff is amazing! Imagine a croissant, doughnut, Lion House Roll, Heaven and 1,000,000 dollars all rolled into one recipe. "She's exaggerating," you think to yourself. No, doubting Thomas, I am not exaggerating. This stuff is good, better than good, this stuff is downright DIVINE!! And the best part about it...you can make so many Heavenly Things out of it. In Dorrie Greenspan's new cookbook she gives you three things you can make with it but the sky is the limit. It is my new best friend!

I made it into golden loaves and cinnamon rolls. I plan on making it into French Toast and rolls soon too!

Golden Brioche Loaves
(Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” pages 48-50)

2 packets active dry yeast
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For The Glaze
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you’re doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you’ll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.

Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)

Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Treats...Day Three

In Dorrie Greenspans's Cookbook, "Baking From My Home To Yours" she includes 12 different brownie recipes and the ones I've tried so far have been SPECTACULAR, this woman knows her chocolate!! I made these for the first time last night and she didn't disappoint...so great. I think all of her brownies are better the next day and at room temperature...so no matter how tempted you are, wait and eat them after they've cooled. These brownies are a tribute to Katherine Hepburn's famous brownies...and they are famous for a reason!!

Katherine Hepburn Brownies
from Dorie Greenspan

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs, pref. room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup broken walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325 and center a rack inside. Butter an 8-inch square pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Butter the paper and dust with flour; shake out the excess.
2. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Heat the butter over low heat. When the butter starts melting, add the cocoa and stir to blend. Remove from the heat and cool for 3 minutes.
4. Beat the eggs into the saucepan one at a time. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, followed by dry ingredients, chopped chocolate, and walnuts.
5. Scrape the batter into the pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at which point brownies will be gooey but with a crisp top crust. Transfer to a rack and let cool at least 30 minutes.
7. Turn the brownies onto the rack, peel away the paper, and invert onto cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares.

PS. I promise something "non-chocolate" is coming tomorrow!

I'm Sorry

Little Ethan got turned to yellow...in Kindergarten terms that means he was talking to the new "girwl" who was sitting next to him and got a warning. I didn't know if I should jump for joy or be upset. I mean, one of my biggest nightmares as a parent is having the "crazy" kid....you remember him, the crazy boy in your class who drove the teacher insane... But at the same time during parent teacher conferences his teacher said that he "never" talked and when ever I ask about his friends he always informs me, " Mom!! I don't have any yet!" So I have to admit when he told me he was talking I was kinda happy. BUT the next day he came home with a yellow slip again...apparently this little gal is irresistible and he was talking once again. So...here was his idea of how he could "fix" it. It seems to have worked, he hasn't had a yellow since! Pretty darn adorable.

Treats...Day Two

Peanut Butter Munchies

Our first Christmas together Preston bought me a Christmas Cookie magazine, we were in college and so so so broke and something as simple as a magazine was a big deal. I found these cookies then, and to be honest I am not sure why they were in a Christmas magazine. With Chocolate and Peanut Butter as the main ingredients, they make perfect year round cookies. So Good!

Peanut Butter Munchies

1½ c. flour

½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ c. butter softened

½ c. sugar

½ c. brown sugar

¼ c. peanut butter

1 egg

1TB. Milk

1tsp. Vanilla

¾ c. powdered sugar

1/2c. Peanut butter

2 TB sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside
2. Beat in large bowl- butter, ½ c. sugar, brown sugar, and ¼ c peanut butter until combined. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat Well. Add flour mixture. . Form 32 small balls out of the chocolate dough. Ser Aside.
3. FOR THE FILLING: Combine powdered sugar& ½ cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 small balls.
4. Slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball; top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate around the peanut butter dough and roll back into smooth ball.
5. place balls two in. apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with a glass dipped in the 2TB sugar.
6. bake cookies for 8 min. or until just set and surface slightly cracks. Let stand 1 min. Transfer to a wire rack.

I love to Bake. I know that must sound so boring and lame to about 98% of the world. But for me something about baking relaxes me. Now, I am not talking cooking. I can pass on meat and potatoes, I mean, they are tasty but just not my favorite to cook. But breads and pastries, cookies and cakes, bars and brownies, well that's my kind of heaven. And now that Fall is here I have the Baking Bug. I need to bake...my oven is calling my name. So to increase my gratitude and hopefully yours, I will be posting a new treat everyday!

Orange Rolls

Dough

2 packages dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

3 eggs well beaten

1 cup room temperature milk

½ cup shortening or butter

½ sugar

2 tsp salt

4-5 cups flour

Filling

½ cup butter( softened)

½ cup sugar

rind of 2 oranges- finely grated

1. Soften yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Add ¼ cup sugar. Let sit for 10min.
2. Beat eggs VERY well
3. Combine yeast mixture, eggs, warm milk, shortening (or butter), the rest of the sugar, and salt into very large bowl.
4. Add flour a cup at a time until soft dough forms. (No longer sticky)
5. Cover and let rise until double in size.
6. Divide dough in half and roll out.
7. Spread half of orange filling on each half and roll up cinnamon roll style
8. Cut with dental floss and place in a greased 9x13 in pan.
9. Let them rise a second time until doubled.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 min- until lightly browned

Filling

1. Mix butter, sugar, and orange rind. Cool in refrigerator so it will stay in rolls easier

Frosting

8oZ cream cheese

4 Tbl. Butter softened

2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp lemon juice\

½ bag white chocolate chips

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients
2. Melt the white chocolate and combine the two. SPREAD ON ROLLS IMMEDIANTLY.

The secret is in the frosting...Divine!!!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Either records have been broken in Arizona. We've had the first Blizzard in 100 years...it snowed so hard that it filled our house!

OR...

Two mischievous little boys pulled EVERY OUNCE of FLUFF out of the couch.

YOU DECIDE FOR YOURSELF!

Ethan's Vote

Ok...my house is in shambles, we had a big yard sale today, and this week has been nuts and so I can't justify anymore blogging today, well until I get it back into liveable conditions, I'd hate for the place to be condemned...but I just had to relay this...

Ethan came into my room earlier and this is how it went down

E: Momma did you know we have a new President?
A: No...ummm...who is it?
E: Barrack Obama
A: (Stunned. I didn't even know he knew the name Barrack Obama....where did he learn that...hmmm...maybe he overheard us talking politics...)
E: We voted in school and he won. I'm kinda like a grown up aren't I? My class picks the President every time, momma. One kid voted for that John guy but everybody else voted for Barrack Obama...
A: Well, who did you vote for?
E: Duh...Barrack Obama. He's the winner. I always vote for the winner.
A: Well, how did you know he was gonna be the winner?
E: (looks at me like I am an idiot) Mom! Everybody knows he's gonna be the winner!
A: I then tell him who "dad" and I voted for...
E: Well it looks like you guys lost cause Barrack Obama is going to be the President...

I'm still getting used to the fact that my 5 year old has just said Barrack Obama 15 times...where the heck did he learn that. The funniest part is how perfectly he said it, like this little guy still calls gloves "glubs" and an eraser is an "mraser" but he says Barrack Obama with perfect diction! And it was the strangest moment when I was talking to this boy about who should be President, it reminded me of when I was in Kindergarten and the 1988 election happened that year between Dukakis and Bush Sr. My parents were telling me to vote for Bush in my Kindergarten election and I remember so clearly as if it were yesterday, not 20 years ago, that I checked the box next to Dukakis, feeling very sneaky and rebellious. I guess the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree...

What Does Every Cowboy Need....



HIS HORSE!


And what does every horse need.....



HIS GUN!!!

Tyler felt so shafted, Ethan got a cool gun, and he got a bag of oats...so after much begging. The horse got his gun!


Here is a slideshow with all this weeks Halloween Events!!