I absolutely LOVE to cook, when I have the time to really get into it. If I can't spend the time to really make a great meal, then I'm not that crazy about it. But cooking really is one of my passions. I like to come up with new ideas, and try lots of different recipes. Below are some sites that I've found have good recipes and/or ideas and products when I've needed something else. I have a ton of cookbooks, and use those too. Check back often for my featured recipe choice (below)! I will be posting recipes that are fairly easy for the busy parent. Also, if you're looking for the best all-purpose cake recipe for birthdays, weddings, showers and more, check out the recipe below!
And one of my favorites: Betty Crocker. Hope you've been saving those Betty Crocker points! You're going to want them when you see all these great products!
Featured Recipe:
Caramelized Baked Chicken
Prep: About 5 min, Cook time, 45 min.- 1 hour
Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken wings (but I used 1.5 pounds of chicken tenderloins and halved all these other ingredients); 2 tbs. olive oil; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 tbs. ketchup; 1 cup honey; 1 clove garlic, minced (I used a smaller clove when I halved this recipe); salt and pepper to taste
Grease 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in bottom of dish. Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken. Bake for one hour, or until sauce is caramelized. (It took about 45 minutes for the chicken tenderloins in a smaller amount.)
Add gradually and cream until light: 2 cups sifted sugar
Beat in, one at a time: 4 egg yolks
Add: 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, or 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extract (we're talking about PURE vanilla and almond extract) (I usually adjust this to my liking, using a little less than a tsp. of vanilla and a little more almond.)
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in about 3 parts, alternating with: 1 cup milk.
Stir the batter until smooth after each addition.
Whip until stiff, but not dry: 4 egg whites
Fold them lightly into the batter. Bake in greased layer pans from 30 to 35 minutes. Spread the layers, when cool, with frosting.
Here's where it can get fun: You can bake this recipe in a larger pan and then cut shapes out of it to make different styles of cake. It makes a lovely two or three layer round cake, as well. (You can freeze the third layer and save for later.) I make it easy by freezing each layer before trying to put the cake together and frost, it makes it easier to frost, as wel as stack the layers. I also make it easier by greasing the pans, as well as lining them with parchment paper and greasing the paper.
Buttercream frosting:
Sift: 1 lb. confectioners' sugar
Add to and mix well with electric mixer: 1/2 cup butter (real); 5 to 6 tablespoons milk or cream; 1 tsp. vanilla or 1/2 tsp. almond extract (again, we're talking about pure stuff, and I adjust to my liking with more almond flavoring coming out of it.) Continue beating until icing is evenly smooth. It will be slightly stiff, which is the proper consistency for making decorations. Add coloring to your liking. (I usually make a double batch of this stuff, and make about half or more of it uncolored for icing the whole cake and using between layers, and then coloring other bits of it for the decorations and writing). You can also thin some of it to do the initial crumb layer, and then spread a thicker layer on to cover the crumbs. Use a knife or spreader dipped in water to keep the icing clean and have less crumbs on the cake).
Any information or advice found from SAHMs n WAHMs is not intended in any way to replace that of your healthcare and/or legal professionals. Any views expressed in any forums affiliated with SAHMs n WAHMs are not necessarily the views of SAHMs n WAHMs.
