smc cooks with the pioneer woman again! cinnamon toast-who would have thunk it?

i am going to be posting this at 11th heavens homemaking haven for homemaker monday-check it out for tons of cool ideas.

i did not grow up on cinnamon toast. not sure why my mother never made it-maybe i should ask her why she deprived her oldest and arguably her best child of this yummy goodness?
i was an adult the first time i ever made it(the absolute WRONG way according to the pioneer woman. toast, butter, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix on after)for myself. i liked it well enough,but would only eat it occasionally, sometimes going years without even thinking about it.
after the pioneer posted her recipe i doubt i will ever go years without thinking about cinnamon toast again. it is DELICIOUS. and simple. you just have to modify the technique a little. the recipe calls for a bunch of bread, but it easy to figure out how to cut it down just to make a couple of slices. i can only eat two, but i never make less than 4, because either one of my taste testers or my 4 year old niece(who can eat 4 herself)will want some. I have used homemade white bread and store bought whole wheat and both were fantastic. also-i have an electric stove and have found that the low broil setting is better than the high for this recipe, but ovens vary, so their might be some trial and error. i didnt use the nutmeg, but i think it would be good and i will try it next time.
Cinnamon Toast
adapted from the pioneer woman

Ingredients

* 16 slices Bread (whole Wheat Is Great!)
* 2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
* 1 cup Sugar (more To Taste)
* 3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)
* ⅛ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally.

yummy, yummy, and YUMMY!

i dont love making frosting,but i HATE the fake, gross and canned grocery store stuff, so i make it even though i think its a pain. its not that its difficult, but just....annoying. i know. weird, but thats my story and i am sticking to it. this recipe TOTALLY took the annoying aspect out of making yummy frosting. this is so easy, but the pay off is big.

THATS THE BEST FROSTING I HAVE EVER HAD
adapted from Tasty Kitchen by missydew

1 cup Milk
5 Tablespoons Flour
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)


Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool. cupcakes LOVE this frosting. i know because i have made 3 batches!

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
note: i have found its better to start with softened butter. you can make it work with cold butter, but its more difficult.

Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake. Cut yourself a piece and put it on a pretty plate. Grab a fork and prepare to experience the most divine pairing you can imagine. This frosting on chocolate cake is to die for. Sure, the recipe sounds strange — it has flour in it — but it’s sublime. Try it, you’ll see. You’ll love it so much you won’t go back.

smc cooks- LEMONS!

my sister from az brought me a ton of lemons the other day. i zested and juiced them all and so far i have made 2 delicious lemon recipes. the first is from the tasty kitchen .


fresh lemonade.

adapted from tasty kitchen
by thatssoyummy


6 whole Lemons
1 cup Granulated Sugar
6 cups Cold Water

Juice the lemons. This should give you 1 cup of lemon juice. Remember you can get the most juice by firmly rolling the lemons between your hand and the counter.

In a gallon pitcher, combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir, and adjust water to taste-i added a little more sugar, i am sweet like that.

Chill and serve over ice.
i love this stuff-very easy. so easy i have made it three times this weekend.

next....lemon bars. possibly my favorite lemon treat.
lemon bars
adapted from the better homes and gardens new cook book.

1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbs flour
2tsp lemon zest
3 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking powder
powdered sugar(optional)
beat butter on med-high for 30 seconds
add 1/4 c sugar, then 1 c flour(will be crumbly)
press into ungreased 8x8 pan. bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
for the filling, combine eggs, 3/4 c sugar, 2 tbs flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and baking powder. beat 2 minutes.
pour filling over baked layer. bake 20 min. once cool, sift powdered sugar over top if desired.
delicious and so very easy. you can whip these up really fast and they seem to really impress people. thats what i call working smart, not hard.

single mormon chick crafts-yeah right

i do. or i did. i used to be quite the scrapbooker and paper crafter, but i have gotten away from it. life is different now and it doesnt fit in like it used to, but when i see a cute(and easy)project like an adorable little hand bag made from an old book, i start to feel that itch to create. i found remodelaholic's tutorial while posting over at 11th heavens homemaking haven for homemaking monday. two really cool blogs to check out. i am definitely going to make one of those purses!

smc has a bun in the oven

no, i am not announcing my hypocrisy and almost certain ex communication. there is literally a bun(actually 2 loaves) in the oven. so glad my mom doesnt read(or even know i write)this blog. they would be calling the emts, and probably her bishop for spiritual guidance and support. my name would be on the prayer roll of every temple in the world before sundown.
back to the bread.
i love to make bread. the whole process just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and pioneer like. i have lots experience baking all different kinds of bread, but right now i have a surplus of whole wheat flour, so i have been focusing on the more rustic and hearty breads. there is nothing like a good loaf of wheat bread, but some dont care for the heft of the whole wheat. i love it, but for those who dont, there is a little something called vital wheat gluten.
i had never heard of it before until i saw it in a recipe over at 11th heavens homemaking haven(love the alliteration of that title). she explains in her recipe how the vital wheat gluten will improve the texture of wheat breads, making it a little lighter. it was a little hard to find in my grocery store. i assumed that it would be in the baking aisle, but i had to hunt for it in the health food section. its a little pricey(i think it was $5 for a 1lb 6oz), but you only have to use a few tablespoons for each recipe, so it will last for quite a few loaves. i was going to start off with one of 11th heavens recipes, but the bobs red mill vital wheat gluten flour bag had a recipe right on it:
honey oatmeal bread.

4 1/2 - 4 3/4 cups whle wheat flour
2 tbs vital wheat gluen
3 pkgs active dry yeast
2 cups mild
1/3 cup honey(i used a little extra)
1/4 cup oil(i used canola)
1 tbs salt
1/2 cup scottish oats(i used the bobs red mill steel cut oats)
In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a sauce pan heat milk, honey, oil and salt just till warm (115 degrees). Add to dry mixture in mixing bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed.

By hand, stir in oats, gluten and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Shape in a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 45 minutes).

Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Shape into two loaves; place in two greased 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" x 2-1/2" bread pans. Cover and let rise in warm place till double (about 30 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 loaves (13 slices each).
this bread is AMAZING. it smells wonderful and my taste testers devoured an entire loaf almost immediately. i planned on giving the other loaf to my home teachers, so i had to hide it to save it from the ravenous beasts. try it with butter and honey. TO DIE FOR.