Sugar Cookies

April 24, 2019

These were fun to make and so cute! It makes three pans approximately so I made some plates for my friends and neighbors. Sometimes I just get a craving for a yummy sugar cookie & I HATE making the kind you roll out. So messy and frustrating. These are easy and yummy!




INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup butter (16 tablespoons), softened
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
FROSTING
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened (12 tablespoons)
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp cream or milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line several cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. In the bowl of stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter, oil, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Mix until combined
3. Add baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Sprinkle across top of sugars and then mix. This is done so no clumping occurs. Mix 2 minutes until well combined
4. Add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Mix 30 seconds.
5. Add the flour and mix until no dry streaks remain and well combined. No need to overmix. 
6. Using hands, make balls that are approximately 3-4 tablespoons. Place several inches apart on baking sheets. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a small dish.
7. Lightly spray the bottom of a flat bottomed glass with cooking spray and dip the bottom of the glass in the sugar. Press each cookie down into an even thickness dipping the glass in the sugar for each cookie.
8. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until just set. You do not want to brown them or they will crumble when eaten. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets before removing to cooling rack.

FROSTING
1. In a medium bowl or standing mixer, combine the butter, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until thick and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and cream(milk) and mix until well-combined. Add additional cream if needed. 
2. Frost the cooled cookies and decorate as desired.





Chicken & Dumplin Soup

April 24, 2019

This soup is so delicious. The process is super easy which is what I love about soups. You just throw everything in and let it cook. THE BEST.






INGREDIENTS
  • 1 rotisserie chicken shredded or boneless skinless chicken breast made to your liking (I made mine in the instant pot for 30 minutes and then shredded)
  • 6 small carrots
  • 3 ribs of celery off of one stock
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • Bisquick, or another biscuit recipe of your own that you prefer
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt the two tablespoons of butter and add the carrots, celery, onion, parsley and all of the seasonings. Cook until the vegetables are starting to soften.
2. Add the cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, and the shredded chicken. Stir well. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer
3. Let simmer and stir frequently for 10 minutes.
4. Make bisquick recipe that is on the back of the bisquick box! Super easy I love it!
5. Place small to medium sized dough balls on top of the soup all over the top. Let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Flip dough balls over to cook other side. Sit for 10 minutes.

*** Pictured are biscuits cooking the first side before flipping


BREAD!

April 24, 2019

I LOVE this bread! Whenever I make it it's a serious problem because then all I want for every meal is just bread. Oh well, I make it anyways! You can make this recipe using wheat or white flour. Both are delicious! 
*** Pictures are wheat bread! My favorite is white of course though. ;)


INGREDIENTS
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 2 1/4 cups warm water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 6 1/2 cups flour
  • butter for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast in the warm water with a pinch of sugar.
2. When the yeast is bubbly and foaming (literally), add the sugar, salt, oil, and 4 cups of flour and mix until smooth
3. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft smooth dough. The dough shoulder stick just slightly to your finger but not be over sticky. Knead with your hands for about 5 minutes and then roll into a giant ball.
4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn over once to coat the top of the dough and then cover the bowl in plastic. Let rise for one hour.
5. When the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide the ball in half. Roll each half of the dough into a long rectangle. Roll the dough up, starting at the short edge, to form a cylinder that is approximately 8 inches wide. Repeat with other half.
6. Place the dough, seam side down, into a lightly greased bread pans and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise one hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake 30-35 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Place on cooling rack to let cool.

** Pictured are bubbling and forming process and rising process



Asian Lettuce Wraps

April 24, 2019

These lettuce wraps are so yummy and easy to make! I usually avoid making Asian food because of the amount of ingredients I honestly don't want to go out and buy so these are a win in my book.







INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 tbls olive oil
  • 2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 tbls soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
  • 2 tbls rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1 can water chestnuts
  • salt and pepper
INGREDIENTS FOR Hoisin Glaze Topping (little spicy, these will still taste amazing if you don't want to make a glaze)
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
  • 2 tbls soy sauce
  • 1 tbls honey
DIRECTIONS
1. In a frying pan, add olive oil and chicken or turkey. Cook then drain fat.
2. Next add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and ginger.
3. Add water chestnuts and salt and pepper
4. Make glaze by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl.

SOFT & FLUFFY Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 12, 2019

My favorite kind of cookies are the soft and fluffy ones. My husband is the complete opposite and loves the flat ones! I wanted to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe that I could stick to because I was sick of making a different recipe every single time and hoping they turned out yummy. Follow this recipe if you love big fluffy cookies!

INGREDIENTS:
  • 16 tbls unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Chocolate chips of your choice (my favorite are Ghirardelli's milk chocolate chips)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Microwave the butter until melted
3. In a standing mixer or large bowl, beat butter with the sugars until blended. 
4. Add vanilla and eggs. Beat on low until incorporated. DO NOT OVERMIX THE EGGS.
5. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until it forms into a crumbly mass.
6. Use your hands to make a dough and turn in the chocolate chips. 
7. Use hands to roll out cookie ball sizes of your choice. (Remember bigger cookies will need a little bit longer time. I usually make small to medium sized balls)
8. Bake for 11-14 minutes until bottoms are slightly golden brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. (Larger cookies will need to bake for 18-22 minutes)
9. Let them sit on the heated pan for 30 minutes more before serving.
** makes two sheet pans of cookies. Pictured before is crumbly form.






Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

April 08, 2019

This recipe is SO easy. TWO INGREDIENTS! I love it because it's delicious, you can totally eat it by itself or you can add it to a meal. I personally added this (half eaten) chicken to a Mexican Bowl which included rice, beans, avocado, cheese, sour cream and cilantro. YUM. 

Ingredients:
  • Boneless Skinless chicken breasts
  • Your favorite salsa
Directions:
1. Place 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the instant pot with water almost covering chicken.
2. Turn on pressure cooker setting and set for 30 minutes. (perfect fall apart chicken)
3. When timer goes off, quick release instant pot
4. Drain water as best you can and then shred the chicken
5. Turn on the Saute option and pour in entire jar of salsa
6. Mix until well-cooked and blended together

ENJOY!

SHREDDED PORK & COLESLAW SANDWICH

April 05, 2019

This was a really yummy dinner! Even my brother told me it was good and he lives to say mean things to me :D Most of the ingredients are easy store bought. The most work goes into the coleslaw! Follow along with the easy recipe!



INGREDIENTS:
  • Any bun you want, easy start!
  • Del Sol Shredded Pork (I bought mine at Costco)
  • Your favorite BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's!)
COLESLAW INGREDIENTS:
  • 8 cups diced cabbage (or cabbage package already made at store)
  • 1 cup shredded carrot (unless its already in the ready made package)
  • 2 tablespoons grated onion
  • 1/3 cup sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoons white pepper
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl add the cabbage, carrot and onion
2. In a second bowl, whisk the rest of the ingredients together until combined and smooth
3. Toss together thoroughly and put in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours (longer the better)
4. When you are ready to make the sandwich, toast bun.
5. Layer with pork and Coleslaw and serve with chips on the side!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE & RASPBERRY MINI TARTS

March 30, 2019

GUYS... these were so delicious! I'm obsessed. As cute as they were, they were not a simple task. I dumped out TWO different tart shell starters because I was struggling to get the texture right when I was learning how to make these! Just goes to show everyone has a hard time with certain things. So take a look at this easy-to-follow recipe and just go for it! YUMMY! Feel free to message me with any questions you have.

For this recipe, I used semi-sweet and milk chocolate to see which one I liked better. I personally am a milk chocolate kind of gal, but that means the Ganache will be made differently so pay close attention to the recipe for which chocolate you will be using.



Makes one 9-inch tart, 6 medium tarts, or 12 mini tarts

TOOLS YOU'LL NEED:
  • Food Processor
  • Parchment Paper
  • Rolling Pin
  • Blender
  • Tart Pan with removable bottom <-- if you do not have one then be creative!
INGREDIENTS:

For the Tart:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
  • Dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, one bag
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Other Toppings:
  • Cool Whip
  • Raspberries, 2 packs
INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor.
2. Slice the stick of butter into small cubes and place in food processor. Pulse the blender until the mixture moderately blended.
3. Add the egg yolk, heavy cream, and vanilla and process until a dough is created and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl and rolled out. **IF it is still too crumbly, you will want to add more heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the correct consistency. 
4. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and flour the surface. Place dough on parchment paper and roll out slightly. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top to finish rolling the dough out flat. You will want to roll from the inside out. 
5. Grease whatever tart pan/pans you will be using. Mold dough to each tart pan moderately thin. Tart Shells are best slightly thin compared to a thick shell that may be hard to cut into. Tart Shells do not shrink if made correctly so don't worry too much about that aspect. 
6. After tart shells are ready, poke a few holes in the bottom to prevent bloating while cooking then place in the freezer for 30 minutes. 
7. After 30 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Cook for 17-20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

While shells are finishing cooking and cooling, time to make the Ganache and Raspberry filling!!

FOR DARK OR SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE:
1. Boil 1 cup heavy cream. (I like to microwave cream in big glass measuring cup so at the end I can just pour it into the tart shells)
2. Pour 1 cup chocolate chips into the hot cream and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir mixture for multiple minutes until it is reached correct texture and consistency. 

FOR MILK CHOCOLATE:
1. Boil 3/4 cup heavy cream
2. Pour 1 whole bag of milk chocolate chips into the hot cream
3. Stir mixture for multiple minutes until it is reached correct texture and consistency. 
FOR RASPBERRY FILLING:
1. Puree whole package of raspberries in the blender to make a sauce. Add water if needed. 

* continued instruction
9. Take each tart and pour a small layer of raspberry filling on the bottom. Place in fridge for 5 minutes.
10. Pour chocolate layer almost to the top of the tart shell. Place in fridge for 15 minutes
11. Place swirl of cool whip in the center of the tart. (I put cool whip in a zip lock bag and piped it on the tart to make it easier)
12. Cool in fridge for one hour before eating.
13. Finish by topping with raspberries.

ALL DONE! Sorry that was forever long. I just wanted to make it detailed and easy to follow so no one gets lost. It's worth it in the end for a fancy dessert! Enjoy! 




sunday morning biscuits

March 28, 2019







I occasionally get an insane craving for biscuits. I always have one with strawberry jam and one with gravy... best of both worlds. Here is my recipe and tips on how I made these biscuits with simple, easy to follow instructions.

What you'll need:
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 sticks of salted butter, cold
  • 2 large eggs, plus 1 extra for brushing
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, plus 1 extra tablespoon for brushing
  • Strawberry jam or Country gravy

Instructions:
  •  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter by using a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are even and about the size of peas. (<< tips regarding cutting butter at the end of this recipe!).
  • Stir in the beaten eggs with a wood spoon until combined. Stir in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk just 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until it reaches the right consistency. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I also sprayed the paper with cooking spray).
  • Use a floured round cutter (use anything you can find) to cut out about 20 biscuits. If necessary, collect and patch out the scraps to cut out more biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them so that they are all touching.
  • In a small dish, beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Brush the mixture on the top of the biscuits. Baking until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Biscuits are best the day they are made or fresh out of the oven! Serve with Strawberry Jam or Country Gravy!

*** Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.***

Cutting Butter Tips: When I first read about "cutting" the butter into my product.. I was honestly confused. Good thing it turned out to be simple! I personally did not have a pastry blender my first time making these biscuits, but if you have one it will be a lot easier. WITHOUT pastry blender: I used a cheese grater to slice the butter, then placed it into the flour mixture & then used a fork to cut it up even more into pebble sized pieces.

LONG TIME NO SEE!

March 27, 2019

Hey guys! Life caught up with me and I have not been able to sit down and document ANYTHING! So much has happened since my last post. Me & Jared started our family and had a little boy named Roman. He is now 10 months old and the energy level is always high. I am now a stay-at-home mama to be with my little and I love it. I have more time for the things I really enjoy in life such as baking! I plan to post most of my recipes here for your reference and also our future travels. Here is a pic of my cute family. Feel free to message me with any questions you ever have on any future posts. Thanks everyone!

DIY Headboard!

July 03, 2017

♥Wow this was such a fun project!
Sorry the pictures are a little blurry for right now! I am figuring it out. Thanks :)

p.s. Pictures don't even do it justice, it actually looks super good in person and is comfy to lay your head against it when watching TV!




Here is what you will need:


- Plywood (I used OSB)
- Slabs of wood for legs and back
- Staple Gun
- Wood Glue
- Mattress foam or roll out foam
- Nail heads or nail trim
- Fabric of choice
- Batting (enough to cover the whole thing)
- Spray Adhesive
- Wood Nails


INSTRUCTIONS:


- I started by getting the exact dimensions I would need for my King sized bed, width, length and actual headboard size, minus legs, by going to Home Depot to get the OSB and wood slabs. Home Depot will cut the exact dimensions you need and give you the extra slabs, which was nice. They do not do décor edges or rounds, just the basic square or rectangle dimensions. We chose OSB because it was the cheaper choice. I was nervous because I heard it could smell etc., but we smelled ours and it honestly was not bad and it is still very strong wood.
(NOTE: When we measured for the headboard we measured down below the first mattress so the finished headboard would go down further and not show any wood or excess fabric.)


- We took the wood home and cut off the top corners using a smaller saw, a table saw works too, because that is the design we wanted for our bed. (Internet has tons of ideas!)
- I went to Joanne's and picked out the fabric I wanted (make sure its something strong, and not see through!), nail trim and batting. They usually have good sales, download the app and check them out before you go!!
- We glued and nailed down the slabs to the corners all around to create the same thickness all the way around for cleanliness so that it would be easier when it came time to start wrapping the fabric around. Picture down below!








- On the front side, we then cut our cheap looking (yes cheap looking because I didn't care for the inner most layer to be the most beautiful thing ever) to fit the inside portion of the wood front. I measured 4 inches in all the way around (besides bottom cause I didn't care) and used the spray adhesive to attach the $10 mattress pad to the wood. (A twin size pad worked great for my king headboard) and make sure you do this process outside and then you can bring it back inside. Picture below.






- Then it was time to start adding on the batting and fabric and start stapling away. We decided to lay the fabric down on the floor, then the batting on top, and then the wood headboard down. Making it easier to stretch and staple on that back side. It worked really well! We made sure we had enough to wrap around to give it extra security. We used plenty of staples because I did not want this baby to ever fall apart in any way. Staple side, side, top, bottom. We had excess bottom area of the headboard so we didn't worry about making it the prettiest thing down there. (as you can sort of see in the picture).
We personally took some of the bulge out of the corners before wrapping the corners because I did not want them to look bulgy or out of shape, so feel free to play around in this portion.




-When you are all done, flip it back over to reveal the fabric. YAY!


- Last step is the nail trim. We bought the nail heads that were already in a straight trim from Joanne's which was amazing!! We still measured it out but helped it to be straight. We measured 3 inches from the edge in this time, that way the middle would have a sort of puff out look when we put the nails in.






- You can choose to drill holes in the legs to attach to your frame if you would like, but I didn't. We actually just squished ours against the wall with our purple mattress bed and it holds tight.






I am so happy we decided to go ahead and try this out. I was nervous at first, but it turned out awesome and I love the satisfaction of making something myself (plus husband duh).


Please comment if you have any questions on what products I used or how much I used. I am totally open to going into detail on things.




From my world to yours, Taryn.

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