Baking for a Cause

For the last few years, as an employee of the Y, I have worked "Halloween at the Y" for some extra hours - and it's fun to watch all the kids come in their costumes to enjoy a safe and fun Halloween.  Well this year, we are invited to a Halloween party with friends instead... but still felt I wanted to contribute to the Y.  

Then I found this...

MY CALLING!!!

So tonight I decided to bake Oatmeal Raisin, Crisco recipe & Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Well apparently the cookie gods were not on my side tonight, because my oatmeal raisin cookies just weren't turning out.  The weirdest part is I have all new ingredients - which should make for an even better cookie!  So I'm not sure what it was, but only about half of them turned out.  Thankfully I got at least a dozen for the Y. 

I then decided to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies (because those always turn out for me)!  Tomorrow morning I am headed to donate 3 dozen cookies for the Halloween party!

Apple Pie Results

Let me put it this way... this Apple Pie was AMAZING.

Ryan and I each ate half... and not all in one day :)

I see another apple pie in our future!

Apple Pie-like Weather!

Oops!  It's been a few days since my last post.  It's been a busy week, but I actually managed to get three runs in this week (Tuesday, 3.1 miles; Friday, 2.5 miles; Saturday 3.1 miles).  Ryan & I are running the Fox Cities YMCA, Freaky 5k run next Saturday down in Appleton - so I am hoping to run 3 more times before Saturday comes.  My Nike+ tracker keeps yelling at me that I am not keeping up with my running goals!  Sometimes life gets in the way of working out, even though I know that's just an excuse and I should make time for it!

I do have to start looking into purchasing some running tights though, so far I have still been OK in capris & long sleeves, but I know that time is running short when I will be able to wear capris.  I don't want "not having the right clothes" to turn into my excuse for not running as it continues to get colder.  Oh Wisconsin winters... I have a love/hate relationship with you! :)

This year, I decided to refrain from turning on the heat in my house until November 1^st. Some people may think I am crazy – but I know it will go a long way to help the cost of the heating bills in winter. Plus it's an excuse to bundle up in sweatpants, sweatshirts and blankets :) 8 more days and the heat is on! (There is an exception: If my house drops below 55 degrees, the heat will go on).

After getting home from visiting Ryan's family in Wisconsin Rapids this weekend (we were celebrating two birthday's & saying goodbye to Ryan's grandma as she prepares to head back to Arizona for the winter)... I decided it was the perfect rainy, cold day to bake an Apple Pie! Since I normally bake Apple Crisp, I had to do a little searching for a yummy sounding recipe for pie. I found one on the Betty Crocker website, and modified it to make it my own :)  You can see the original recipe here.


Rachel's Apple Pie

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury Pie Crust
6 cups peeled & sliced apples
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. Ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place 1 pie crust unrolled into 9 inch pie plate. Place sugar, flour, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a bowl and mix together. Add apples and coat well. Once coated, place apples into pie plate. Cut up 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and place on top of pie (spread out). Unroll 2^nd pie crust and place on top, tucking the top edges under the bottom edges. Cut a few slits in the top. Brush with milk & sprinkle with sugar. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 8 Servings.

*Note: Careful edges don't get too brown, you can cover the edges with foil if necessary.

 

Sugar Cookies are the best!

As my previous post said, I helped out a few friends at work with a bake sale fundraiser.  It was hugely successful today at work!  All of my Peanut Butter eye-balls sold :)  My frosted sugar cookies only had a few left when I left work today!  WOOT!

Here's a few pictures of my glorious work... haha.  Homemade cookies & homemade frosting.  These recipes I'm keeping a secret in hopes of opening a business one day, I can't be sharing all my secret recipes!

... Halloween cookies... soon to be CHRISTMAS cookies!!

Pre-Frosting... they were delicious even plain!

Yummy Pumpkins with sprinkles!

I seriously ate cookies for dinner last night after spin class!  Not a healthy dinner, but I think I definitely at my dinner in cookie calories :) 

I hadn't worked out since last Tuesday because I have been so busy and out of town.  Sunday, Ryan & I took Colby for a nice long walk.  Monday night I went to my 45 min Indoor Cycling (Spin) class & tonight I fit in a 3.1 mile run before it got dark.  (It's getting tougher to get home and fit in a run before it gets dark... darn winter!)  I also have my first sand volleyball game tonight @ 10pm.  Some friends and I play in the fall & winter at a local establishment :)  I am very much looking forward to it... just not a start time of 10pm.

What workouts do you enjoy most?

-I have molded myself into a runner, and I actually enjoy it.  I really should run more than I do, but sometimes it's all about time of day!  I also love spinning class & my elliptical workouts.

Have you ever played volleyball (kickball, or softball) in a league setting?

-I've been playing bar league volleyball since 2009(?) I think!  I also used to play intramural softball & volleyball during freshman & sophomore years of college.

Peanut Butter Eyeballs

Two of my coworkers are hosting a bake sale at work on Tuesday to raise money for Victory over Violence, a fundraiser that supports a local domestic abuse shelter in Green Bay, Golden House.  This is their 5th year doing it, and have raised $45,000 over the last 4 years.  I am excited to be able to help them out... by baking!   I decided to try to a few fun Halloween treats, since it's almost that time of year!  I chose frosted cut-out cookies & peanut butter eyeballs. I was playing around on Pintrest (as usual) and stumbled across someone who made doughnut hole eye-balls.  I figured I could make it work with peanut butter balls too!!

Peanut Butter Eye-Balls:

2 c. Powdered Sugar

2 c. Creamy Peanut Butter

2 c. Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 lb. White chocolate

1 tsp. Oil

1 single serving package of Reese's pieces or M&M's candies

writing gel

Mix powdered sugar, creamy peanut butter, and graham cracker crumbs together and chill for ½ hour. Remove and form into 1 inch ball shapes. Place balls on wax paper cookie sheet, and chill for 1 hour. Melt 1 lb. White chocolate & 1 tsp. Oil – until smooth & creamy. Dip peanut butter balls into melted white chocolate and place on wax papered cookie sheet. Set 1 candy piece on top. Once cooled & hardened, make squiggly lines like you see on an eyeball.

My cut-out cookie post will come tomorrow after they are all frosted!!

Coupons are A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

I have always tried to be as thrifty of a shopper as possible, but using coupons and finding sales can be a lot of work. Lately though, with rising prices at the grocery store, I have really started to focus on shopping smart, trying not to waste food that I buy – which sometime means going to the store more often, and buying less each time. I also have started looking for coupons online & in the newspaper.

 

Now, I am not saying that I am going to become one of those crazy Extreme Coupon-ers, but when used right, coupons can save you big time! I love Target, it's one of my favorite stores. I also love that Target has coupons you can print directly from their website. They also send me Target Coupon books every two months or so, which always have surprisingly useful items in them.  I wish we had a super-Target in Green Bay, but since we don't, I try to purchase as much as possible there and then use the grocery store for my remaining items.

I spent some time today figuring out what I was in need of at home, as well as what coupons were available online. I also looked through the coupons that I had previously cut out. I then figured out which ones were set to expire in the next week, put together my list, and off I went!

Well, almost every item I bought was on sale to begin with (major bonus)! Then, I had a coupon for all but 3 of my items. In one purchase, I saved $16.00 by using coupons!! I also bring my own bag, which gives me an extra 5 cents off :)

Here are my purchases:

And the best savings of all... Milk Bone Dog Treats. The box was $3.54 and I had a $3 off coupon... final cost.. $0.54, and Colby loved them :)

Can't you see his smile??

"What?!!?  That's all you bought me!"

Stay tuned for Peanut Butter Eyeballs :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I had three bananas sitting on my counter... looking to the point of needing to be used in bread or needing to be tossed. So in the interest of NOT wasting food, it was time to make some bread :)  I am headed down to my brother's place in Madison tomorrow to stay there while I am at a conference... so I will bring it with me for them to enjoy as well!

I decided to use my grandma's banana bread recipe, but because hers calls for a larger quantity of banana bread, I decided to cut it in half and modified it to make it my own!

The Batter Bowl :)

Ready for the oven :)

Hot and Fresh right outta the oven :)

And here's the recipe...

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine applesauce and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and beat until mixed completely. Blend in dry ingredients and mashed bananas. Add chocolate chips and mix. Pour into 2 greased and floured bread pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire rack and cool.

Freezes well if you want to save some for later!

Soup warms the heart & soul

I had chicken breasts from the freezer that needed to be used, so I decided tonight was soup night in this house!  I like to start with a pre-mix soup sometimes to save time on busy nights.  Plus Ryan is a HUGE fan of any kind of soup... brownie points!! :)

Some of my favorite pre-mix soups are "Bear Creek", and I usually purchase them at Fleet Farm of all places!  Tonight I used their Creamy Wild Rice soup mix, 8 cups water, 1/2 lb chicken breasts (cooked ahead of time & cut into 1 in. pieces), and 2 cans of mushroom pieces.  Just follow the directions on the back of the soup mix!  It's such an easy and good soup to enjoy.

 

The Biggest Loser is at weigh in... time to pay attention, it's my favorite part of the show!!

Homemade Applesauce

I know, two posts, back-to-back... but this one is quite exciting!  For the first time ever, I got to experience making homemade applesauce :)  It was a very simple and easy process.  My dad invited me over to make it at his house, so this afternoon, Colby & I headed over and got to work.

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the FULL BOX of apples, but I didn't think about it until there were only a few left in the box.  But we cut all the bad parts off the apples and let them soak. 

From there, my dad transferred the apples to the stove.  He allowed them to heat up and get soft, while mashing them periodically. 

After they were good and soft, they headed into the "grinder" machine... where we would turn the crank and watch the applesauce fall into the bowl.  The machine would separate the peels from the good apple parts. 

We ended up canning 12 jars of sauce! 

I have six at home with me... which means that it will be a wonderful applesauce winter :)  And my favorite part is that the sauce is pink!

Question: How do you like your applesauce?

-My favorite is adding cinnamon to it and warming a bowl up in the microwave before eating!

A weekend full of new recipes...

Every year my family comes together to celebrate Fall & Halloween.  We spend one last weekend together at my parents summer cottage, spend time with family & go through the annual haunted house.  This year, I used it as a weekend to showcase some new recipes I found through blogs.  Well... the results were amazing!  Everyone loved the recipes :)

Let's start with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread... found at Lick the Bowl Good.  Mine didn't turn out exactly like the pictures looked, but it was still loved by all!!

Then I set out to make a pasta salad to share at one of our meals.  I very much enjoy using the Kraft recipes website, so I started searching around, and found Pizza Pasta Salad.  I adjusted this recipe by

1) Using an entire package of pepperoni (cutting them in quarters)
2) Skipped the fresh basil and added McCormick Italian Seasoning instead (about 1 tsp).
3) Used a pint of cherry tomatoes cut in half rather than whole tomatoes
4) Added extra dressing, as I felt it was too dry with only a 1/2 cup.

Results:  Everyone loved this one too!!

Then it was dessert time... I found another great recipe at Lick the Bowl Good, S'more Bars!  SO awesome, and so easy :)

GIANT HERSHEY BARS :)

Marshmallow Cream

Final graham layer

The only change I made to this recipe, is instead of getting regular or king size candy bars, I went right for the "giant" as they were on sale at Target (bought 2), and they fit perfectly side by side in the 8x8 pan.  Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take a "final product" picture, as we were up north and I didn't have my camera on me the whole time.  But take my word they were good, and I was asked for the recipe three times.

Combating the Cookies

So even though I love to bake and.... EAT all kinds of sweet treats, I have to combat the calories somehow!  I have lost 20lbs since June, and would like to continue to lose more.  That means running, spinning & strength training is in order.  I am currently running 5k & 10k races, but I have a goal of running a half marathon in May 2012!

Here is me at the end of my last 5k, in September, the race I had a personal record at (34:53)!!  P.S. I don't normally look like I am dying, they caught me at a "catching my breath moment at the finish line".

I don't have excellent metabolism, so I must watch what I eat and workout consistently to see results... and to maintain my weight loss.  It also helps that I have Colby to walk daily... and trust me, he lets me know if he didn't get walked on any given day!  Meet Colby, the fearless ruler & occasional cookie-sneaker of the house... 

Each week, on Sunday,  I will provide a round-up of my daily workouts.

Typically I try to make healthy versions of my recipes at home, but occasionally you just want the real thing!  Some typical substitutions for me include using egg beaters, natural applesauce, whole wheat flour & cutting the sugar amounts in recipes.  Sometimes making substitutions comes with challenges, like taste, texture and shelf-life.  It can take some trial and error to get it right!!

One day, as my dreams become reality, I would like to be able to offer healthy baked-good options as well as the original!

My Favorite....

Happy Baking Sunday!  Watching the Packer game today, I got the urge to make chocolate chip cookies... I have always been interested in learning more about the history of chocolate chip cookies, why there are so many variations of recipes and what the taste and texture differences are between using butter or shortening.

Let's start with the history.  Apparently the history of the chocolate chip cookie is a widely searched topic! But here is what I learned...

"The first chocolate chip cookies was invented in 1937 by Ruth Graves Wakefield (1905-1977), of Whitman, Massachusetts, who ran the Toll House Restaurant. The Toll House Restaurant site was once a real toll house built in 1709, where stage coach passengers ate a meal while horses were changed and a toll was taken for use of the highway between Boston and New Bedford, a prosperous whaling town. The Wakefields sold the restaurant in 1966. It burned down on New Year's Eve in 1984.

One of Ruth's favorite recipes was an old recipe for "Butter Drop Do" cookies that dated back to colonial times. The recipe called for the use of baker's chocolate. One day Ruth found herself without a needed ingredient. Having a bar of semisweet chocolate on hand, she chopped it into pieces and stirred the chunks of chocolate into the cookie dough. She assumed that the chocolate would melt and spread throughout each cookie. Instead the chocolate bits held their shape and created a sensation. She called her new creation the Toll House Crunch Cookies. The Toll House Crunch Cookies became very popular with guests at the inn, and soon her recipe was published in a Boston newspaper, as well as other papers in the New England area. Word of the cookie spread and it became popular." Source

Today there are so many different kinds of chocolate chips than just Nestle Toll House, but those are still my favorite semi-sweet chips to use! I usually prefer cookies made with shortening rather than butter because of their dense look and taste. Sometimes cookies made with butter come out with a flatter appearance and can be greasy.  After researching why that is... I found out that cookies made with shortening hold their shape more because shortening melts at a higher temperature.  When you use butter, the cookies tend to spread out more because butter melts much quicker, and doesn't give the rest of hte cookie time to set.

Today I decided to use the “Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies” Recipe found on the Crisco website! These cookies never fail me. Just look at the batter...

Ready for the Oven....

Baking Away...

And ready to eat, all warm and gooey out of the oven :)

The other reason I like this recipe is because it's a smaller recipe, and only calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips, as opposed to some recipes which call for the entire bag... I love chocolate, but sometimes too much of a good thing is bad :)