Tried and True Recipes #12

This week has flown by!  Welcome to those of you that were new to the Tried and True Recipe Party and thanks to those of you that keep coming back!

This week we have 2 co-hosts!  Please welcome and visit these great blogs!

       Lynn from Turnips 2 Tangerines

       Marly from This and That

The party is growing and I look forward to expanding the party.  I LOVE looking at all of the recipes posted each week.  Here are a few of my favorites this week:

Summertime Strawberry Pie from A Delightful Glow

Homemade Spinach Tortellini from Kreative Creationz

Smores-Brownie Ice Cream from Sugar Dish Me

Great job ladies!  Don't forget to grab a button!  If you are interested in being a co-host, drop me an email at rediscovermom@yahoo.com.

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

At the end of the week, I, along with each co-host, will pick out a few of my favorites! Spread the word - there are so many great blogs out there. Let's learn from each other!

This week, you will be able to vote for your favorite recipe!  Voting begins May 15th, 2013. 

I Love My Post Blog Hop!

I am so excited to have met some new friends from around the world! This blog hop allows those of us in the U.S. to find some great U.K. blogs!   Don't forget to check out the blogs and say hello!

On the look out for co-hosts! Give Sarah a shout if you would love to be one by emailing her at: sarah@lifeinabreakdown.com

 

Welcome to the I Love My Post blog hop where we invite you to link up your favourite post of the week, to show it off and hopefully receive some love from the others partaking in the hop!

If you are yet to participate in a hop they are really simple to get the hang of all you need to do is 'hop' around, hopefully finding some new great reads!

The Rules are simple.

1. Check out and follow the hosts and co-hosts. Leave them a comment if you would like them to follow back.
2. Choose at least 3 other blogs and hop on over and leave them some love, plus let them know how you found them - I'm sure they would love it if you followed as well!
3. Have Fun and come back next Saturday.

Please just don't link up and click off to make this successful everyone needs to hop around!

Your Host’s this week are: Sarah from Life in a Break Down Bex from Futures and our lovely co-hosts are: Jackie from Rediscover Mom Lena from Lena B, Actually Wendy from Daily Dose of Del Signore

I would love it if you would tweet, share on Facebook or place our button on your blog, the more sharing we can get happening the bigger this hop can become!

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This week's Featured Blog is: Travelling Cats!

If you are a cat lover you HAVE to check out this blog, run by a traveling cat lover who snaps away at kitties on her world travels she also excepts photographs from readers. So make sure you have your 'awwww' cap on before you click through to this weeks featured blog! ~ Sarah

If you have been featured grab our button!

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Strawberry Cake

My granddaughter Jossalyn turned 4 last week. She came by last weekend to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa. When she comes over I try to have some strawberries on hand. She is a
strawberry phene (is that even a word?)!

 Jossy, scarfing up strawberries at 1!

She also loves helping Grandma when she cooks. We decided to make a strawberry birthday cake together!

Cake Batter Ingredients:

2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla

Strawberry Filling:

3 cups strawberries, diced
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water

Strawberry Frosting:

2 sticks butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup heavy cream
 
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and lightly flour three cake pans.

Jossy loved getting her hands all buttery!

In your mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Continue mixing and add the salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add the vanilla and strawberry jam.  Continue mixing while you alternate between the flour and milk.  Divide the cake batter between the three cake pans.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the strawberry filling.  Cut your strawberries.  Add the strawberries to a saucepan and turn on medium heat.  Stir in the sugar and cornstarch.  Slowly add the water and cook until the sauce thickens.  Turn the heat off.  The strawberry filling will continue to thicken as it cools.


While the cake and the filling cools, make the frosting.  Cream together the butter and powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla, jam and cream.

When the cake and filling is completely cooled, start assembling the cake.

Decorate with strawberries

Kylie loved the cake!

Happy birthday Jossy!  We love you!

Cookie Cake

Jonah has always loved cookie cake.  It has become a tradition that for his birthday he wants a cookie cake, as opposed to a regular birthday cake.  This year, I decided to make it for him!

Here are the ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups M and M's

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each egg.  Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt.   Slowly add in the flour, mixing well.  Remove from the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips and M and M's.

Press into a tart pan or other oven proof pan.  You can decide how thick you want it but remember, the thickness will depend on the cooking time.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.  If your cookie cake is thinner, it will take less cooking time.

At this point in the blog, you will notice that I will NEVER become a cake decorator.  I needed some help so Maria gave me a hand.

We put some frosting in a Pampered Chef decorating set.

And then I decided to try and write a sweet message to Jonah...........

I'll stick with the cooking part, and avoid the decorating part..............yes, go ahead and make fun of me................

Maria had to squeeze some straight into her mouth

(after we were finished of course)

Happy Birthday Jonah!

Oreo Cake

I love Oreos.  I was intrigued by a recipe that I found on Pinterest, but if you know me at all, I can't just follow a recipe.  I have to tweak it and make it my own!

I made this cake for an extra dessert for Jonah's birthday dinner.  My niece Maria already asked if she could have this cake for her birthday!

Here are the ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla  
1/2 cup coffee
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup cocoa

Filling and frosting:

3 packages cream cheese (8 oz)
6 cups whipped cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
36 Oreos, crushed

To begin, cream together the butter and sugars for the cake.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Mix well.  Add the salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix well.  Add the cocoa, vanilla and coffee.  Mix well.  Alternate between adding the flour and buttermilk.

Divide the cake batter into two well buttered, well floured cake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, crush the Oreos in your food processor

In your mixer, cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Stir in the whipped cream and crushed Oreos.

This serves as your cake filling and frosting.

Decorate the cake with Oreos.

YUM!  Enjoy!

Tried and True Recipes #11

Hello to all of you!  I hope you have had a WONDERFUL week.  School is winding down (I'm a school principal in my spare time - hahaha) and I am ready for summer!

Last week we had some great recipes linked up!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Disappearing Double Strawberry Cookies by A Handful of Everything

Big Mac Salad by Love Bakes Good Cakes

Spicy Rhubarb Jam by Turnips 2 Tangerines

Thanks for linking up everyone!  If anyone would like to co-host the party with me, that would be great!  If we can share our readers, maybe we can expand the party a little bit.  I don't want it to get too big, but a few more recipes would help us all!  Email me at:  rediscovermom@yahoo.com if you want to co-host.

Don't forget to grab a button and spread the news of the blog hop!

Remember the rules:

1. Link up a family recipe or craft
2. Please follow my blog - I'll follow you back
3. Please link to this post in your blogs-there is a button on my sidebar to make it easy
4. No spam, contests or giveaways please
5. Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving me permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on my social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts
6. Visit at least two of the links and comment on the page so the blogger knows you visited

At the end of the week, I will pick out a few of my favorites! Spread the word - there are so many great blogs out there. Let's learn from each other!

 Loading InLinkz ...

Stuffed Artichokes

One of my favorite things to eat are stuffed artichokes!  I grew up eating this unusual treat - mom always made artichokes!

 

  An artichoke is a leafy vegetable that is tough and unusual to eat.

 

 Mom always steamed her artichokes before stuffing them, allowing the leaves to soften.  When the artichoke is steamed, she stuffs the leaves with breadcrumbs, cheese, olive oil and garlic.

Begin by snipping off the pointy tips of the artichoke leaves.  Cut off the stem.  Put the artichoke in a pot with salted water and boil for 45 minutes or so, or until the artichoke softens.

While the artichoke is cooking, put 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl.  Remove the peel from 3 cloves of garlic and allow the garlic to sit in the oil.  This will allow the garlic flavor to infuse with the oil, not giving you an overbearing garlic taste.  

When the artichokes are soft, remove from the water and stuff with pieces of mozzarella cheese and provel.  If you do not have access to provel cheese, you can use provolone or fontina.  Add parmesan cheese and Italian style breadcrumbs.  Remove the garlic from the oil and drizzle over the artichokes.

Put the artichokes in a 250 degree oven, just hot enough to melt the cheese and brown the bread crumbs.

Now comes the fun part!  Remove one leaf, which is full of cheesy goodness.............and scrape it on your teeth!  Yes, as you scrape the goodness off of the leaf and with the cheese and breadcrumbs, a little artichoke pulp will be removed from the leaf.  Do not ingest the whole leaf.  Discard the leaf after scraping off the goodness!

Mom is showing Mai how to eat the artichoke leaf

Tonette and Jerry scarfing them down!

Artichokes have a treat inside......once you have eaten the leaves, you can cut the artichoke open to get the artichoke heart.  Beware, artichokes have thistles, or sharp fibers that should not be ingested.  Cut those out and inside, you will find the heart.  Artichoke hearts are frequently found in pasta, salads and other goodies.

Tonette is cutting out the artichoke heart

Mangia!