Orange Cake Recipe

Orange Cake

Ingredients:

1 zest of Whole Orange
Juice of 1 Orange
3 Eggs
3/4 cup of Honey
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tspn Vanilla
1/2 tspn Salt
1 tspn Baking Powder
1/2 cup Canola Oil
2 cups Flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare cake pan (13X9) with butter and flour.  Whisk or sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  In seperate bowl combine all other ingredients.  Pour over flour mixture and mix until completely combined.   Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into cake and comes out clean.  See directions below for frosting.

Orange Glaze Frosting

Place 1 box of powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add one tsp of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice and begin mixing.  Slowly add more orange juice teaspoon by teaspoon until the mixture has a frosting like thickness and texture.  Spread over cake evenly. 

Must Have Pantry Spices and Condiments

Below are my absolute must haves when it comes to spices and condiments. I combine my seasonings and condiments in all kinds of ways: to make salad dressings, marinades, rubs for meat, and of course to add wonderful flavors to my meals. 

If you want to start using your own seasonings rather than relying on packets of seasoning I really recommend stocking up on these go to spices first and then adding as you become more familiar with the spice world. Spices can be expensive, as a way to save money I like to buy my spices from my store's bulk section. Dollar stores also carry a variety of spices too so don't count them out. Seasonings can really turn something good into GREAT.

Again the condiment list below are items I keep regularly stocked in my pantry. I never buy salad dressings anymore as I prefer to make my own. I get to control my ingredients and sodium this way. All of the condiments are really inexpensive and last a really long time as you don't typically use a lot in one use. Try and experiment with making your own salad dressings. I recommend trying about 1 tsp of vinegar to 1/2 a cup of oil and add more if you need it. You know what the saying is...you can always add more, but you can't take it away. I like to add onion powder and a spice like thyme or oregano to my dressings, and also a little salt and pepper to taste. Combine your ingredients and whisk whisk whisk...or as I like to do put it in a small mason jar and shake shake shake! See below for my family's favorite vinaigrette.

Spices:

Garlic salt

Onion powder

oregano

cumin

chili powder

paprika

thyme
chicken bullion
beef bullion
brown sugar (not a spice but I use this a lot in rubs)

condiments:

balsamic vinegar
cider vinegar
worstecesire sauce
olive oil
canola oil
lime juice
lemon juice
grape or strawberry jelly (not jam)
honey

My Family's Favorite Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil
1 tsp jelly
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

combine all ingredients by whisking or shaking in closed container. Taste for seasoning and toss with salad.

Weekly Menu May 28th - June 3rd

I'm bringing weekly menus back!  Look for a list of my family's weekly menu with links and recipes included.  Very family friendly.  The menu has a blend of seven recipes for slow cookers, homemade, fast and easy, and what I like to call my cheat meals for busy nights. 
Stew Over Mashed Potatos / Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 to 2 lbs of chuck steak or other steak cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of carrots (baby or whole carrots peeled and sliced)
3 stalks of celery sliced
1 small onion diced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cubes of beef bullion
6 cups of water

2 tablespoons flour
6 cups of prepared mashed potatos
1 tablespoon oil

Instructions:
Pour oil into dutch oven then add carrots, onion, and celery. Sautee for about a minute then add steak and seasonings (exept bay leaf). Brown meat stirring frequently. After meat is browned add the water, beef bullion, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Afer stew has come to a full boil lower to a simmer and let simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. To thicken stew SLOWLY sprinkle flour into stew whisking to make sure there are no lumps...do not dump the flour in all at once or you will end up with big lumps of flour in your stew.

To serve place your prepared mashed potatos at the bottom of each bowl and serve stew over the top. Serves about 6 people.

Chili Dogs

Hamburger Helper / Green Beans

BBQ Ribs / Roasted Potatos / Salad (see my May 5th 2011 Blog link below for recipe)http://busymomstipsandideas.blogspot.com/2011/05/slow-roasted-ribs-with-spice-rub.html

Chicken Pot Pie

Sweet & Tangy Meatballs over Rice / Broccoli (pinned from the Six Sister Stuff blog)http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/06/slow-cooker-sweet-and-tangy-meatballs.html


Macaroni and cheese / Fish Sticks

Crescent Chicken - Recipe Review

comfyinthekitchen.com

Crescent Chicken

(serves 6-8 rolls)

1 (8 or 6 jumbo count) package refrigerator crescent rolls

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can of milk (using soup can)

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare soup using milk and set aside. Separate crescent rolls. Spoon chicken and cheese onto each crescent; roll and seal to enclose filling. Place in a 9×13 baking dish. Pour soup over rolls. Bake at 350 uncovered for 30 mins.

Made this a couple of weeks ago and my family liked it really well.  The chicken was nested in the crescent rolls alongside cheese (for my casserole I used motzerella cheese) and the gravy was very creamy but did not make the bread mushy.  Very tastey and filling.  I doubled the recipe because I have a larger family to feed, but I did have a few leftover.  This meal is also a frugal meal as it only took a couple of chicken breasts to fill all those crescent rolls.  This will definitely be a do over meal for us.  Check out comfyinthekitchen.com for lots of pics along side the directions.

UPDATED - 20 FREE things to do with your family

Updated!!!
I'm resending this out from last year and have added a few extra ideas because let's face it, we all need ideas on entertaining our kiddos during the long summer days.

School is out and the kids are starting to get bored. Try one or all of these FREE suggestions to entertain the kids or just you.

1. Check your city's recreation website for free movies in the park normally played during the summer months.

2. Get your digital camera and go on an alphabet hunt. Starting with the letter A take pictures beginning with that letter all the way to Z.

3. Camp in your own backyard. Set the tent up and roast some marshmallows.

4. Write a poem together as a family.

5. Have a WII Bowling tournament.

6. Bake cookies and take them to a neighbor.

7. Pick an object such as a hula hoop or stick and play object charades. Use the object to act out something and everyone guesses what you are doing.

8. Use magazines to make a collage of favorite things and places.

9. Make a couple of batches of play dough and have fun.

10. Find some mismatched socks, buttons, markers, yarn, and whatever else. Create puppets and have a puppet show.

11. Set out the good dinner ware, dress up and light a candle for dinner even if its just macaroni and cheese.

12. Act out your favorite Children's book

13. Turn on a family favorite movie and have a picnic on the floor while you watch.

14. Play tag in the front yard with the sprinklers on.

15. Play beauty shop. Hair, facials, manicures, and pedicures.

16. Check out a book about birds from the library and bird watch in your own neighborhood.

17. Pick a person to make a card for or write a letter to as a family, mail or hand deliver it.

18. Have a tea party, use cookie cutters to make pretty fancy sandwiches.

19. Turn on the radio and play freeze dance.

20. Make a family mural on the sidewalk with chalk.

A few More Ideas:

1. Have a serious water fight in the yard using water balloons, water guns, and/or sponges.

2. Using things found around the house create an obstacle course and hold your first annual family fun day race.

3. Save the seeds from your veggies and fruits and start a garden with them.

4. And an idea from ny sister in law....turn off the lights and play indoor hide and go seek in the dark.

Laundry and Dishes Tips - Save Time and $$$$$

Do you wash load after load of towels every week?  Do the dishes pile up in the blink of an eye?  If you have a large family the two answers to these questions are probably a dreaded yes.  I have four children and it is like pulling teeth to get the kids to reuse the same bath towel or cup more than once.  Towels normally end up somewhere in the house on the floor.  Just think four kids that shower daily using one towel each equals twenty-eight towels per week!!!  And think how many more towels your kids use during the summer for swimming and water activities. 
I have an easy solution to cut back on the towel usage in your household.  Buy each person in your household two towels for showering.  Each person gets the two towels in their assigned color.  Let your family know that you have assigned two days a week as laundry days for towels (Wednesday and Sunday for example) and they are responsible for getting them to the laundry room on those days or they don't get washed.  Also let them know it is up to them to hang their towels up after use because if they both end up on the floor they will not be washed till towel days.  If you have guests over I would consider buying a handful of white towels for them.  White is great because they can be bleached when needed to keep them bright.  Just make sure the rest of the household knows they are completely off limits.  Use this system and you'll cut back your towel washing from 28 towels to only 8 towels weekly.  WOW!!!
You can use this same system for swimming and water activities.  Buy one or two beach towels per child and again let them know when laundry day is for them and that they have to use the towels until that day.  Just a little money out of pocket to buy everyone new towels and you will be on your way to saving time, money, water, and energy.
If you dishes are piling up this same system can be applied.  Buy everyone one and I mean only one each of a matching plastic colored plate, cup, and bowl.  The bowl, cup, and plate can be used for breakfast and lunch.  Dinner is optional, but I prefer to set a table with regular dishes at dinner time.  Each child can reuse their cups all day long...if they switch their beverages during the day it only takes a minute to wash and rinse the cup.  It can be up to you if you want the kids to wash their bowl and plate or load them into the dishwasher.  If you choose not to, you're still saving yourself on tons of dishes because each child isn't pulling out several dishes each day to eat and drink out of.  Plus think of the added benefit...now when a cup is left on a table or somewhere else the color tells on who left it there.  No more kids denying responsibilty for leaving dishes out.
Hope these ideas help keep you sane.  Hopefully the only hard part in all of this is assigning who gets what color.

Got Leftovers???

Don't waste money by letting those leftovers sit in the fridge uneaten. Here are some ideas on how to use some of those leftovers up. As a matter of fact when I'm planning my meals I plan on using leftovers later in the week. Proteins are one of the most expensive items on my grocery bill so I'm saving money by making sure there is no waste. Also, by using a meat that has already been cooked, I'm saving time in the kitchen at least a couple of times a week, so many times I'll purposely make sure I have that leftover meat. These ideas will make completely different meals out of the leftovers and your family will love them.

Chicken - A little bit of chicken goes a long way in chicken and dumplings or even chicken noodle soup, my favorite thing to do is completely pick over a roasted chicken for meat to make these two family favorites. Use leftover chicken breasts to make a chicken salad (chicken, grapes,green onion, cilantro, nonfat yogurt, mayo, curry powder, salt and pepper) place on lettuce tossed with some lemon juice and olive oil. Try chicken quesadillas with your leftovers, change them up a bit by adding thinly sliced granny smith apples.

Mashed Potatos - Make a complete meal using those leftover mashed potatos. Spread mashed potatos in a baking dish and top with cooked seasoned ground beef, drained canned corn, and shredded cheddar cheese to make a yummy and easy shephard's pie (have leftover meatloaf along with your mashed potatos? Crumple it up and add it instead of cooking up more ground beef). Or you can make a completely different side dish by making mashed potato pancakes...try this link for a yummy recipe: http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/03/23/easy-mashed-potato-pancakes/.

Pork or Beef Roasts - Everyone knows that leftover roasts make a fabulous BBQ sandwich the next night, which my 7 year old loves, but you can try one of these ideas too. Shred up your roast like you normally would for sandwiches but instead of adding BBQ sauce add green chili salsa and warm up, add to your tacos or burritos. Make a soup by cooking egg noodles in beef broth and top with the shredded roast.

Pork Chops - Create breakfast for dinner by reheating those chops placing over hashbrowns and then placing a over medium fried egg on top.  Or cut pork chops up into to tiny bites and place in egg fried rice. Cook rice according to directions on package, in another pan scramble an egg up in some canola oil and remove from pan. Remove egg and add more oil...add some sliced green onion and garlic for about a minute, add rice and egg, add a little soy sauce.

Monthly To Do - May

Stock up on those summer supplies.  Stores are stocked up on summer supplies and there is lots to choose from, wait too long and you will lose your selection.  Things you might want to purchase:

Bathing suits
Floaties for kids
Sun Block
Bug Repellent
Beach towels
Sun Hats
Beach bags
Water Shoes