Baking Overload
J+M+J
Mom: “Sarah, what time do we need to leave for ballet?”
Me (after turning on the oven so I could bake a pie): “375.”
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From the Kitchen
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
J+M+J
I made this cheesecake for a cooking competition. I didn’t win, but the cake did turn out perfectly.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
J+M+J
I made this a couple weeks ago and it was scrumptious! Note the fact that there was only one piece left before I could take a picture.
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Adventures in Cooking: Maundy Thursday Lamb Dinner
J+M+J
Ever since my friend commented to me that her older sister was making lamb for supper on Maundy Thursday, in commemoration of the Passover Supper that Jesus ate, I have wanted to try it out. Last year I forgot about it, but this year I was on the ball, and we did eat a leg of lamb for supper. It turned out very tender, and even Maria (who had insisted she wouldn’t like it,) ate a good portion. Joseph must have really liked it, because he inhaled it even before he ate his bread and butter, usually the first to disappear off his plate.
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Adventures in Cooking: Crock Pot Yogurt
J+M+J
When I heard recently that you could make yogurt in a crock pot, I just had to do it. It was simple, just cook a half gallon milk on low for 2 1/2 to get it hot and kill any bad bacteria that would interfere with the growth of good bacteria (otherwise known as enzymes,) then turn the pot off and let it cool for three hours so good bacteria can grow. When the three hours are up, spoon out cup of the warm milk and add a half cup of plain, live active yogurt as your starter culture and mix it up. Next, add the yogurt-milk to the crock pot, wrap it in thick, heavy towels for insulation and leave it alone over night. In the morning, it will be yogurt! It won’t be as thick as yogurt from the store, and I am going to try out different ways to make it thicker,for example, adding gelatin, dry milk, etc. etc., and I will let you know if I am successful.
I like to add a little honey to my yogurt to sweeten it. Dad likes it with vanilla extract and sugar. I am going to try out different ways to make it thicker, i.e., adding gelatin, dry milk, etc. etc., and I will let you know if I am successful.
My Yogurt
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Adventures in Cooking: Turkey Triumph
J+M+J
A few nights ago, I prepared a turkey for supper. I brined it for two days, to see if it would make the turkey exceptionally tender. I watched it closely during cooking, and the result was a gorgeous looking bird.
The outer layers of skin were the juiciest pieces of turkey I had ever tasted, and the inside was good, though not as good as I had hoped. Alexander, however, thought it was good no matter where the meat was.
Alex enjoys his drumstick.
Alexander shows his approval.
I made delicious gravy with the drippings and cornstarch. I was surprised at how simple it was. We poured it over mashed potatoes and it was GOOD!
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Pie Business
J+M+J
I have loved baking things, especially pies, ever since I was little. Each and every time I made a pie I changed something just a little. Finally, one evening in early October, I was satisfied with the filling of three different pies: pumpkin, apple, and pecan. They were so delicious that they inspired me to go into a little pie selling business. I mentioned the idea to my Dad and he liked the idea. He even said he would help me make a website with pictures of my pies and an ordering system. It isn’t quite finished yet, but you can look at it at www.sarahskitchen.biz. So far, the pie business has been a lot of fun and I have sold eight pies. Here are some pictures of me making them.
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Belated Pictures
J+M+J
Everything has been pretty dull around here for the past few days. Aside from watching our friends dog, (post about that soon), the first mow of the season, last ballet classes of the season, and making meals for a few families we know that just had a baby, nothing has been happening. Just wait a few days, then I will have drama camp and dance recitals to post about. So, I was looking at pictures I have from a long time ago, and I found these from Dad’s Birthday on May second.
I made this fancy three layer coca-cola cake and frosting myself.
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My Cake
J+M+J
Mom had to go shopping, Joseph was asleep, Landon was in the bathtub, and the other kids were outside. I was all alone. On the spur of the moment, I decided to bake a cake. I went onto the internet, got a recipe, checked whether we had all the ingredients, and set to work. We had just enough cocoa powder for a chocolate cake. I set to work. When the kids came inside, Johnathan commented, “I smell hot chocolate.” Then he put on the face that to him says, ‘You’re hiding something, and I know what it is.’ “Did you make hot chocolate?” He asked. “You have a goofy nose.” I giggled. “Being in the cold must have made your nose smell things.” With a little more persuasion, I got them to go downstairs, and I finished baking the cake. When Mom came home, she declared, “Something smells good.” I then presented the cake to her. That night everyone had some. Everyone, including Dad, thought it was excellent, even without frosting! It is the first good homemade cake I have ever made, and it won’t be my last.
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Ash Wednesday
J+M+J
For Alexander, the topic of the morning was, “Getting atet from the peet.” “Ashes from the priest.” That was all he could talk of the whole morning. After mass, later in the afternoon, I made pretzels to eat for supper. This recipe was for the yummy, thick, mouthwatering pretzels you get at the mall. Mmm… I didn’t know what I was doing when I was kneading the dough, and so I hoped the would be good. The recipe said to get the pretzel dough three feet long and thinner than the width of a pencil, and then shape it. I don’t know what the person who wrote that recipe was thinking. I made the pretzels thinker than that and only 1 1/2 feet long, and some of them came out of the oven hard because they were to thin. Three or so of them did turn out good, but they were not made as thin as the rest. I am going to try those again.
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My Day with Alexander
J+M+J
Today I spent a lot of time with Alexander. I was getting afraid that he was having too much Star Wars play. So first I helped him get dressed, then I showed him how to fold his pajamas and put them away. Next I danced with him to music, which he really liked. Then I had him help me sort clothes by handing him some clothes and then telling him which pile to put it onto. After we had taken our piles of clothes and put them away, We started to make cookies. I took pictures and had Mom take pictures.
Mom making dinner.
After lunch I took Alexander downstairs and we looked at a book with pictures of birds and listened to my Identiflyer. He loves doing this and pressing the buttons. I am teaching him to know the names of common birds. He knows robin and blue jay well, but he sometimes calls cardinals ‘red jays’ and today he called a red-winged blackbird a ‘red blackbird’. Johnathan took these pictures, and he did fairly well.
I added this effect to this picture. I like it.
After he woke up from his nap, we peeled apart a chicken together.
After that we ate supper, and then I helped Alexander into his jammies and put him to bed. He was extremely tired from everything we had done that day.
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