Category Archives: Journey With Cookbooks

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Recipe.

August 27, 2023 emily2jane Leave a comment

What’s your favorite recipe?

Recipe for disaster…

No just kidding. Haha.

I think my recipe would be my apple pie.

Originally it was my great grandma’s recipe. Then I added some from a pioneer recipe. Then I added a Pinterest recipe. Betty Crocker recipe. And just some personal thoughts. And now I have an awesome pie that anyone likes.

But it has a lot of sugar. So the anti sugar people out there, maybe you can alter the recipe and make it with honey and maple syrup. I don’t know.

I’m not a big fan of apple pie. But I can eat Costco’s apple pie and mine. That’s it.

I know this recipe by heart. I made it enough. My husband loves the pie. It’s the food that has made him fat and happy. His words.

To start: 2days. This makes 2 pies. 6-8 green apples, peeled and sliced. In a large bowl. Add apples, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 4 shakes of cinnamon. I don’t measure the cinnamon….maybe 2-3 tsp. Depends on if you like cinnamon. Mix and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24hrs. This was my grandma’s secret. It helps the apples soften.

Next day. Make 2×9” Betty Crocker pie crust recipe. Plus 2 batches Betty Crocker biscuit dough made into cinnamon rolls. Let pie crust chill 30min in fridge.

Slice cinnamon rolls and place in pie pan. Push down and around to form a bottom crust. This is the Pinterest idea. (I think is was for mini pies with cinnamon roll cup. I just enlarged it.) It should fill the pie pan.

Scoop out apples and place in pie pans. Do not put the liquid in apples in pie pans; save juices. This next part is from a pioneer cookbook I got in Boston. Pour sugar juices into small sauce pot. Mix 1 TBsp flour with 2TBsp water. Whisk into sugar juice mixture. Turn heat to medium high. I personally add the butter now instead of putting butter with the apples. Let simmer until thickened. About 5min. I sometimes forget about it and then it’s always magically done. It should still run off the spoon. You don’t want it clumpy, but also not runny.

Pour new thickened juice mixture into apples. I usually use maybe 3/4 of it.

Next the pie crusts. Roll out dough. I usually do lattice crusts. it’s pretty. I add leaves or something pretty to top made from dough. That’s just personal touches.

1/4 cup of milk. Brush tops of pies. Also sprinkle white sugar on top of milk. This helps the crust have a nice crunch and color.

Cook @375 for 38min. This step depends on where you live. You will have to learn what amount of time works for you. But if you make the apples 1 day ahead you don’t have to cook the pie forever. I usually cook until I can really smell the apple pie then I check. I like the lattice to be golden. And to see the juices bubbling.

And you are done. Enjoy!! It is delicious. I love vanilla ice cream on it, but it’s delicious enough to just have it plain. My daughter who is picky likes it. My son already eats anything.

Well I hope you like this recipe. And I did just write it from heart. I didn’t get up from the couch. Haha 😂 It is a great pie for holidays. The cinnamon roll crust helps it be something new. And I’ve never had someone says they don’t like it. And if you are someone who can’t have dairy use non dairy milk and butter or just leave those steps out.

But this recipe I know I can’t take all the credit. I have morphed recipes together to create this one. But it is awesome!!

Have a wonderful Sunday!! ❤️

Adventures, Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks, Life As A Mama

Journey With Cookbooks #28

August 23, 2023 emily2jane Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I did one of these. I have been cooking, but I’ve been trying to figure out how to cook with a new tiny one at my feet.

Todays recipe is from….the mother in-law! Haha 😂 Our relationship was rocky at first but now we have found a common ground. Cooking. I share recipes and she does too. This recipe actually comes from one of my many cookbooks; she discovered it when she visited many years ago.

It’s called…Southwestern Rice Bake

This is the picture she sent me. I love getting recipes like this. Where you’ve changed things to be more delicious!! And I did make it the same as she wrote.

The ingredients. I was also making pickles at the same time. I’ll write about the pickles on a different post.

Cheese, rice, beef, garlic, cilantro, etc. What could go wrong.

First comes the tomatoes.

This lone tomato came from our garden. 😎

Chopping tomatoes, chopping tomatoes, chopping, chopping, chopping. I’m making the salsa for the top first. She wrote that you should let it sit and stew I. The fridge while you make the other part. (My new spiffy knife!! That thing awesome.)

Super easy to make. Just Tomatoes, onion, green chilies, cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic, and fat. I didn’t know about the fat, but she insisted it would taste good. I might just use oil next time. I don’t need to eat extra fat.

The meat! Definitely going to drain off the fat. I’m always looking for ways to be healthier. I’m not too old; my body shouldn’t be hurting.

The gathering…

Mixing!! Mix, mix, mix the stuff up. (I don’t know why I’ve got the shake my wiggles out song stuck in my head… but I do.

Well I did it again. I forgot to take a before picture. I was doing the pickles, the casserole, and the dishes all at once. Ignore the ugliness of my oven. Ewww….I’m going to need a day of scrubbing.

The smaller casserole dish was just left half plain. But look at that delicious salsa. 🤤

Finished! And I must say that mother in law recipe looks amazing. Let’s taste it…!

Taste: 10/10!! I’m happy I did one extra tomato. The salsa makes this dish!!

Easiness: 10! It’s actually not too hard. I just started making dinner a little too late. Took me about 2hrs total. But I also had a baby on my ankles for maybe 30min.

Overall: 10! I will be definitely making this again. So all you daughter-in-laws out there. This is mother-in-law approved. If you want to try it out. My daughter loved it without the salsa. And my son ate maybe a 1/8 cup. He is a hungry thing.

Hope this recipe works for you. Have a good Wednesday.

Adventures, Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #27

April 27, 2022 emily2jane Leave a comment

I have been craving corn dogs. Must be a pregnancy thing. Because it’s usually my husband who is. But I decided to try making them myself.

I am now someone who will attempt to make it myself first. It’s cheaper!

Watching food videos with my daughter before bedtime has some perks. Even though it is evil to have to see delicious food before sleeping.

But first I had to gather all the ingredients…

Also the hubby wanted fries to go along with the dinner. Since I was already going to fry the corn dogs it wasn’t too much extra work.

I boil the fries 7min before starting the frying process. It gives them that soft inside and crunchy shell. 😍

The normal pot was for boiling. Big Red is my new best frying friend!! 😎

Pat the hotdogs dry and skewer them! Death to the hotdogs!! Mwahahahahahaha!!

I just noticed my socks…they match….! The weather is going to change. 😳

I double fry the fries. First round is for 6min. I did all the groups of fries. Since I use the bare minimum oil I have to do several rounds.

Let’s start the corn dogs!!

Oh so cute and chubby!!! Hopefully they taste good. The baking powder is what makes them fluff up.

I had to add about 1 cup of oil…it seemed so wasteful…I think the most I used nowadays is 1/3 of a cup.

The recipe said I could do up to 3 at a time, but since it’s my first time; I decided to do 1.

Yummy! The husband did the taste test… he said it was miserable as he gobbled it down. 😏

Even I got input from the opinionated daughter…

Next was another round of fries. Then my own opinion…

I like the mixture of ketchup and mustard…I’m all alone in my small family…

Looks like Photo: maybe 8. The pictures make theirs look picture perfect. Mine were imperfect, but the taste was…

Taste: 10! At first… Then after one corn dog, my husband and I discovered they are extremely greasy. We don’t really eat super greasy foods anymore. They are too heavy. My fries are probably our limit. I’ll be trying an air frying recipe next time.

Easiness: 10! It was a super easy recipe. I’m bummed that I won’t be making it again, but if your stomach is not as sensitive; this is a perfect recipe. Hopefully the air fryer recipe is just as easy.

I’m currently munching on carrots to help settle my stomach. 😞

Overall: It was delicious as we ate it! Just the aftermath is hitting us. Elizabeth liked it though. Even though she probably would have filled herself up on carrots and ranch if we let her. Haha 😂

Enjoy your day!

Adventures, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #26

September 30, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

I’ve been on vacation. Blog posts were put on the back burner to fully enjoy my time off.

But…Another Pinterest recipe with a repetitive recipe. Onion rings and orange chicken.

Since I was already going to be frying the chicken, I decided to make some onion rings. The hubby has been craving onion rings for a while now.

The picture for the recipe on Pinterest.

I had high hopes for them. Since I’m picky about onion rings too.

I didn’t realize how much that would make…I cut up way too many. And I used sweet onions. It’s the bag that was opened in the cabinet.

Why does it always want to auto correct panko to Pablo…very annoying.

Yes. There is chocolate cake there too. The hubby wanted something chocolate at work the other day so I made some cake.

Don’t forget that the real dinner is orange chicken…

That’s only three chicken breast. I decided to do three so that there would be leftovers for the hubby’s next shifts.

I don’t know if I have stated this before…

But my sister gave me this thermometer for my birthday. This is my forever one!

The chicken will have to wait until the onion rings are done. I guess the onion rings are more of an appetizer to the orange chicken. Weird mix…

I turned to do something quickly. As I turned back to the cutting board I saw my baby climbing up towards it! I yelled for the hubby, and baby got startled and ran away. Better than her mess with raw chicken.

This is already: dip onions in flour mixture, smother in egg mixture, another flour dusting, and now the second dipping of egg mixture.

A rather sticky process but it is looking delicious!

The oil was heated to 350. It only took about 2min to completely cook the onion rings. They came out golden brown and crispy.

I had called the hubby that the first batch was done…

He devoured most of these onion rings. Haha! He said I’ve ruined another food for him. He will no longer be able to eat onion rings out. Mwahahahaha!

Before the last two rounds are done…these lonely two onion rings are left.

The hubby did feed my a couple bites as he eat the onion rings. I’m amazed…He shared his food. Haha

The chicken takes more time so I have moments to eat the onion rings.

I don’t think I am going to be hungry for the orange chicken…

The oil was already filled with burnt panko crumbs from the onion rings. So occasionally as I pulled the chicken out I would get some burnt crumbs. Just some extra flavor!

About half my normal amount of orange chicken.

I wish onion rings could be a meal!

The green beans must have been freezer burnt. None of us ate our greens. They were nasty.

It seemed never ending. But I decided to wait until after dinner to do the dishes. The hubby and baby would go watch a movie; while I do the dishes and listen to my book.

But first cake. Cake is always comes first. Yummy!!

Look like photo: 10! They look identical to the picture. Crispy golden brown!

Taste: 10! The onion rings are awesome!! If I could rate it 1,000 I would!!!

Easiness: 9! I think because of the stickiness it is more difficult than fries, but the time quantity is way shorter than fries.

Overall… a definite yes to the recipe! Will try again soon. Maybe tomorrow! Also the cake gets a 10!

Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #25

August 29, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

So this time I did several different recipes. But a few of them, I’ve done before so I didn’t think to take pictures of the whole process…but I’ll post what I did!

Okay so first I made pizza dough, and I had it rising in the fridge. The recipe I use works wonders if you refrigerate the dough.

I don’t have a photo of the pizza I made, because I made it for the hubby. And I only had 4min to cut it, put it on the pan, get the baby in the car, and drive it to him at work. 😮‍💨

I was only 3min late. 😎 (I drove the speed limit) We just live only 1mile away.

But then I made bread rolls with the other half of the dough.

I doused them in butter and sprinkled our pizza seasoning over them.

So delicious. I had about 3 of them!

Then I decided I should make the marinara meatball idea. The hubby had wanted to go to Subway for lunch, but instead I made him a lunch meat sandwich at home.

Still…I made the food he really wanted to help us save money.

This was a new recipe. But it’s just put everything in a bowl, then form the meatballs.

I used my new favorite marinara sauce recipe. I had that going. I let it simmer for about 30min, while I made the meatballs.

Times this by two and you will know how many meatballs I rolled…😮‍💨

While the meatballs cooked I did the dishes…

Our buttermilk was going to expire in 12 days. Since it’s not cheap I decided to use it up and make delicious donuts. Not that we need them or anything.

Baby chose the color for the glaze. Pink! It made about 24 donuts!!🤤 I tested them for poison. Baby did too…

I forgot to take a picture when I poured them all in the sauce…since I wasn’t eating them tonight I wanted to get them in containers sooner than later so that they would cool off.

We are going to be eating this for a while…hope the hubby is ready to eat the sandwich beyond his heart’s desire.

The hubby had gone to store and gotten some chips and salsa, that was on sale. But sadly the salsa tasted more like pizza sauce…so I was tasked with the mission of making it taste better.

So I chopped some onion, jalapeño, and added some minced garlic. Stir!

I added too much stuff, so I had to add more tomatoes.

I also added some salt. Yummy!! When in doubt, add onion, jalapeño, garlic, and salt. And if you need more tomatoes, I used a can of diced tomatoes. I just chopped them a bit more before adding them.

I about double the amount we had from the start.

Hopefully the hubby approves!

Dishes once again. This is my second load in the sink and also my second load in the dishwasher.

I can’t really rate this blog post, since I did a few recipes randomly. But also the new one I won’t be eating until later today.

But just know easiness of all the recipes I did, would be a 10!! Because I did…1, 2, 3,…6! I did six different recipes from 3:30pm-8pm.

I was pooped yesterday. Today I’m just going to enjoy my Sunday! ❤️

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #24

August 17, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Today’s recipe is Costco’s Chicken Bakes.

The bacon is done already from breakfast; and I have almost all the correct ingredients!

I’m actually not listening to music this time. I’ve been listening to DryBar YouTube comedy videos. They are my kind of humor. 😆

I’ve been wanting to snack all day…so I decided to have a yummy food for dinner. Also in the high hopes that my daughter would eat it.

I’ve become picky with pizza dough. Mine is delicious and I know what’s in it!

The recipe says ranch or Caesar dressing. I have ranch. I shall use ranch.

I’ve been trying to use less chicken in recipes and only make a smaller amount. I’ve come to find out I can stretch two chicken breasts pretty far.

You are probably wondering why I’m pointing out this amazing paper covered pan…because I didn’t read the next step and it said to oil the pan…😑

I’m saving that paper. Not so much for the being frugal… but because one day I’m going to use it correctly and when it is needed and I shall do a wonderful maniacal laugh!! Mwahahahahahaha!!

Back on topic…

I’ve always cooked chicken a solid 20min. No matter how it is chopped…so my chicken has been pretty dry, 8 times out of 10. So I looked up How long to cook cubed chicken? Google says 15min…I shall trust google…

Not the bowl of bacon…but the bowl of death… usually you only see about 1-2 TBSP in a salad… but not the cup amount in that bowl.

I always drain the chicken. Only when it is being added to something else.

Plop!

Best part! I would totally sample some but I wouldn’t have enough.

Even though I’m using less chicken, I don’t skimp out of the serving size of the chicken!

Sandwich/ burrito…I now know how wraps were discovered…

Stupid greased pan…

I ran out of mozzarella cheese…like in the entire house. We just went to Costco too.

The recipe said to make 6…but let’s be honest I wanted a big one for dinner. Don’t worry I’ll be eating some celery later…

So that is an egg/ lite ranch/ pizza seasoning topping wash. It smells delicious!

I of course had let the kitchen go a little crazy because I’ve been drawing and painting. Moms out there… you understand, you give yourself some you time and the house falls apart…

For mine I used less ranch. I wanted to keep it a little healthier, but I wanted to eat all the delicious dough! So realistically not that much healthier…

Look Like Photo: 8. But who really cares about this part…you want to know about the taste…

Taste: 10!! So delicious! I will definitely be making this again. But probably not often because of the amount of calories I just devoured.

Easiness: 9. It wasn’t really hard. Quite simple if you have all the ingredients. Just the prep, before the oven, is what takes most of the time.

Overall a keeper!!

DryBar Video to watch:

Your Dumb Friend – Cam Bertrand

This was the video I watched. My hubby kept looking at me funny, as I busted up in laughter. Only I could hear it. Haha, I probably looked insane.

Enjoy your Tuesday! 🤤

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #23

August 3, 2021 emily2jane 1 Comment

Well as I scrolled through Pinterest and I found this recipe!! Wow! I showed the hubby and it was decided that we should have this for dinner.

Since we decided upon this we had to go to the grocery store to get buttermilk, sriracha sauce, coleslaw, and buns. Yummy here I come!!

My luck of spicy is not the greatest so I decided to only do half the desired cayenne pepper. Hopefully it was still be yummy and not burn my face off.

The bacon will be cooked later. First I must deal with the chicken.

I decided to cut the breasts in half and do six smaller chickens. The recipe said to do a full breast for four breasts. I did three and made it into six-ish servings.

When doing the smashing I got out the smaller of my two rollers. The hubby was next to me and he said, “Use the bigger one.”

I said, “I want to use this smaller one, in case it breaks.”

Him: “You don’t have to worry about that, you won’t have that much force…”

Me: “SMASH! Smash! Smash!” -the hubby walked off. Since one of my hits, broke off a piece of chicken from its whole. 😂 haha!

All the chicken has been beaten! Mwahahahaha!!

We have gotten to the point that one pizza can feed all three of us. It should be able to feed another person but the hubby was hungry…one piece for Eli, two for me, and the rest to the crazy eating machine!

The recipe said to let it marinate for at least four hours. So I will be back in a bit to complete this blog…

Prepare the coleslaw and let it sit for a bit in the fridge.

We got a prepackaged bag of the shredded coleslaw. I found a secondary recipe for the dressing.

I know some people are not a fan…I wasn’t either, but now I love it on certain foods!

I’ve been adding more songs to my favorites list!!

🥵 wow! That sauce is killer…as in melt my head off!! I split the concoction in half and added way more honey!!

We got this pot from someone who was moving…best pot ever! Sturdy and free!!

Baaaaaccccccon…..!!! Mwahahahaha!!

That’s a lie!! Coat that chicken with the flour mixture, until you think it can no longer take anymore…then add more!!

That is for one sandwich… maybe next time I’ll cut the chicken breasts into thirds…

I also found out, that you should never place fried chicken on paper towels; it ruins the crunch. So I used my cookie rack.

Tunes are key to a successful dinner!! 😎

I know this is strange, but as I’m writing this post, the song, “Let’s Get It On,” came to my brain…haha 😅

It will be a challenge, but somehow this sandwich is going to fit in my mouth. 🤨

Looks Like Photo: 10! My sandwich is taller but that perfectly fine. Bigger is better!!

Taste: 10!!! 100!! Wow! It was amazing! Worth the wait and time! But for my sandwich I put the coleslaw on top of the chicken and bacon. My bun was not soggy!!

Easiness: 8…since there was lots to do and it did take some time. But I will say…it was easier than making orange chicken. Will definitely be making this again!!

I’m currently in a food coma… Enjoy your day! I will be trying to move…in the next hour…or more…🥱

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #22

July 29, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Ramen… I was craving ramen and we did not have any of the prepackaged kind…I love that kind!!……..

Sorry. Just got distracted thinking of ramen, and the many ways to eat it!! So I decided to attempt to make some from scratch. I already am expecting this to be a fail, but I’m trying it anyways!!

Well I am just going to admit early. It will probably taste strange since I don’t have several of the ingredients. I will say, this recipe does not call for the many authentic ingredients…but I want ramen so I’m still going to make some!!

It called for green onions. I don’t have any. I was going to use a yellow onion…but I don’t have that either…so red onion it is…

At this point it is smelling similar to the instant ramen…maybe it will work!!?

Again a fail…it called for ramen noodles…I had egg noddles. I thought that would be better than spaghetti noodles…

Can you feel my uncertainty and lack of confidence as you read…haha! I know I can!

The recipe didn’t call for celery, but me, with my “extensive knowledge”, decide to try it. Probably since I thought this was going to be a flop I decided to go with the flow…

It smells delicious! I’m sure it would have been better with the right ingredients, but I must say it smells alright!

It said to garnish with some steak and green onions. I at least have the steak! I’m not a complete failure. I only was going to use a few pieces for my dinner. I’ll cook the rest up when I make leftover servings.

Still smells good. I’m not going to try it until it’s complete.

At least I know one part of the meal is going to be edible.

It would look prettier with the green onion garnish…but alas the time has come to see if it is a fail or not…

…

Wow! 🥵 Spicy! I only added 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes…maybe when you cook red pepper flakes they increase in spiciness…well that’s a bummer.

The overall taste is not too bad, but the spiciness really hits you. The steak is a nice addition.

Look like photo: 2. Let’s be honest it looks nothing like the photo. I gave it a two: since there is broth, meat, and noodles…

Taste: …? 3…wow that’s a sad, sad score. Reading these scores you are going to be turned away. But I gave it a three because I could taste the instant ramen flavor under the the spiciness… 🥵 the spicy…wow. But I think it would have been better if I had the right ingredients.

Easiness: 9. It was pretty easy. It consisted of putting everything in a pot and cooking it. I just wish I had done a better job.

Thankfully the hubby was on a night shift. Meaning my complete failure was not for both of us… and Eli had Mac n cheese.

Well…I might try this again in the future…but I think I will just bite the bullet and buy the instant ramen when I want some! Ramen………❤️

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks

Journey With Cookbooks #21

July 19, 2021 emily2jane Leave a comment

Duh duh dunnnnnnnm!

We bought apple cider for a slab of meat on the fourth and we had loads of it left. So I went on a hunt to find apple cider recipes. And found…

Baked not fried…all thanks to stressbaking.com

The first picture is the start. I measured out 1 1/2 cups of cider and had to cook it down until there was only 1/2 cup remaining.

The dough looks way better than when I tried to make churros…I’ll have to try that recipe again…

Well my first mistake…I used one of our cheaper ziplock bags thinking I was being thrifty. But instead figured out too late that the bottom edge is not to a single point but to two…so when I cut the hole I made two smaller holes…😑

I don’t have a muffin pan. So I made one!! Mwhahahaha! I used tin foil and made the holes for the donuts. We shall see of it works…

It works…I think…

No! Be positive and confident!! It will work!!!

Did not fill the entire pan. So instead I pour a small amount of water into the extra spots.

Well Eli put this hat on me when I was making dinner…and I am still wearing it!! I am the coolest mama ever!

The hubby couldn’t take it any longer and came to see what the delicious smell was…he helped me take all the foil inserts out.

The holes did not go through on each donut, but in a pinch the foil inserts did work!

Butter and a sugar cinnamon combination. What could be better?

If you can see a few are already missing…

Well another recipe finished!!

Look like photo: 10! Even without the muffin pan they look similar!

Taste: 9.9! Wow! They were so delicious and worth the wait!! I think I had two, Eli had two, but I have no idea how many the hubby had… I gave it a 9.9 because I think next time I am going to make a glaze frosting. I think it will go better with the texture of the muffin.

Easiness: hmm….maybe an 9! The longest part was waiting for the reduction of the cider…the recipe said it would take 30min, but for me it was closer to an hour.

Well hopefully this has helped you find another recipe to try!! It was so delicious! The recipe says they will last up to three days….I don’t think there will be any left by then…haha!

Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks