Make Your Own Funnel Cakes

Confession: until now, I've never had a funnel cake, much less made one.

Today was the last day of winter vacation for the kids, so we headed out for a day at the zoo.  It was a lot of fun - but you know how it is places like this - the yummy food smells are really tempting.

My son started begging me for a funnel cake - so I did what any good mama would do.

"Are you kidding me!?" I exclaimed, " Those are like $4!"

I swore to make him some when we got home.

We found a good-rated recipe from food.com and went to work. 

Momma's Fair Funnel Cake

The lovely daughter frying the cakes

Servings: 6

    3 eggs
    1/4 cup sugar
    2 cups milk
    3 2/3 cups flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    vegetable oil , for frying

Directions:

• Beat eggs and sugar together and then add the milk slowly--beat. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.
• Pour batter into a funnel and at the same time, use your finger to plug the hole. In a large cast iron pot, add 2 inches of oil to the bottom. **We didn't have a funnel so we used a large plastic bag, and cut a small corner off.
• When the oil becomes hot, move your hand over the pot and slowly release your finger so the batter can start cooking.
• Move the funnel around to make designs.
• Brown on both sides--then immediately remove and drain extremely well.
• Top with brown sugar, or honey, or cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar as a topping.
• BE CAREFUL AND DO NOT GET BURNED!

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/mommas-fair-funnel-cake-916#ixzz1iMMVFlLQ

The kids approved this recipe!!! PLUS it cost a lot less than the cakes at the zoo.

Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit

Hello!   My family had a busy holiday as usual, trying to do the last minute Christmas details. 

My son loves Burger King's Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit sandwiches, and asked me to make him some.  

First, I made some strips of bacon, and set it aside.  Save a little bacon grease. 

Then, I made biscuits using a heart-shaped cookie cutter - the kids love it when I do that, using
this recipe from www.allrecipes.com 

The only modification I made was to add a teaspoon of the bacon grease.

Never Fail Biscuits Recipe


Ingredients

    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    4 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
    2 teaspoons white sugar
    1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
    3/4 cup milk
    1 teaspoon of bacon grease

Directions

    Preheat oven to 450.

    In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the milk and bacon grease. Stir until dough begins to pull together then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
    Press dough together and then roll out until 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch round biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
    Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until golden.

While biscuits are baking, make some eggs for the sandwiches.  Basically, make a flat omelet so that you can cut a flat piece of egg to put on the biscuit.

When the biscuits are done, split them in half, place a piece of egg, a slice or two of bacon, and top with some cheddar or american cheese & enjoy!

Try this - Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash - what the heck do you do with it?

As I found out, it is super easy to prepare!

First, stab about 5 holes randomly in the spaghetti squash.  Put it on a microwave safe plate and cook on high in the microwave for 10 minutes, turning it 3 times.  The squash is done when the skin gives a little when pressed. Add more time, if needed.






Cut squash in half, and let cool a little.  Scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Using a fork, scrape out the squash.  It will look like spaghetti!








Melt a little butter in a skillet and add the squash, some salt & pepper and a sprinkling of basil.  Saute for a couple minutes and serve.




See how easy that was?  Enjoy!

Maple Apple Pork Tenderloin

I was looking for something different to do with my boneless pork tenderloins, and found this recipe from Delight's Bites, Apple & Maple Glazed Pork Chops.  It was so good I wanted to share, too! 

    1/2 large apple, diced
    1 tsp Butter
    2 Tablespoons chopped Walnuts
    3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (REAL maple)
    2 teaspoons Cider Vinegar
    1/4 teaspoon fresh Lemon Zest (I used lemon juice)
    1/4 cup fat free, low sodium Chicken Broth
    2 Pork Chops, approximately 1 1/2  inches thick
    1 Tablespoon Canola Oil (I used more buttah!!!)

The first thing you want to do, is saute your apples in butter for about ten minutes.

Now add cider vinegar, walnuts, lemon and maple syrup.  Let it simmer about 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth and simmer until the glaze thickens.

Now season and brown both sides of the pork tenderloins in your cooking oil (I used butter).

Put the tenderloins in a baking pan on some foil, top with the glaze, then bake them, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes.

I made a quick cucumber and tomato salad and had some apple sauce on the side.

Blackened Salmon - Easy!

Salmon Filets
Butter
Cajun Seasoning

Pour some melted butter on one plate, then pour a generous amount of Cajun seasoning on another plate.   Coat each side of the Salmon in butter, then dip each side in the cajun seasoning.

Cook over med-high heat in a nonstick skillet for about 3-5 minutes each side until blackened.

Cold Green Bean Salad

 
12 oz frozen or fresh green beans
1 small red onion, sliced
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 TSP salt
Pepper






Blanch green beans (Place in boiling water for 3 minutes, then remove from stove and add cold water to stop cooking).








In a separate bowl, combine garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt.  Add sliced onions and green beans, and toss with pepper, to taste.  Refrigerate overnight.

Cook'N Easy Tip:

An easy version of this is to substitute 4 TBSP of bottled Italian dressing for the other ingredients & toss with the green beans and onion & enjoy!

Bacon Mushroom Frittata

 Bacon Mushroom Frittata
Serves 4

5 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 eggs
1/2 cup cheese (optional)
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until lightly crisp.

Drain most of the grease, reserving about 2 tablespoons.  Add the mushroom and onion, and saute until soft. 

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Pour the bacon and vegetables into a small 8x8 baking dish and pour the eggs over.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a little cheese.

 Bake for about 30 minutes.

 The frittata will look "puffy" when it's done.
Enjoy!

Layered Salad

My stepmom, Kathy, has been making this salad for years.  It's a hit at potlucks or holiday dinners.

Layered Salad

1 bag of romaine lettuce salad
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 thawed bag of frozen peas
2 Cups Miracle Whip + 2 Tablespoons ranch dressing, mixed together
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2 boiled eggs, sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Chinese Noodles
Bacon Bits

In a clear glass salad bowl, layer ingredients in the order listed.  Serve.

Cake Mix Extender Recipe

Are you going to make a cake but you only have one mix in the pantry?  You can always bake a cake from scratch, but here's a way to E X T E N D that one mix to make enough batter for a 9x13 pan, or the extra cupcakes you need.

Add the following ingredients to your box mix to make a total of 1 1/2 mixes.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Bake as directed, but please note this may increase your baking time by about 5 minutes.