Cleaning Checks

Once upon a last Saturday, we had cleaning checks. My favorite day of the month is definitely cleaning check day--because our entire apartment is clean and it smells like cleaning products.

This is Alena and she is cleaning the shower. Look at how good of a job she is doing. It seems like only last year I taught her how to clean a bathroom for the first time...oh wait. Let's just say, that without me as her roommate, Alena would have had a very difficult time learning to clean. And without Alean as my roommate, I would have a very difficult time eating because she makes most of my meals.

Pro Tip on cleaning showers: It's easier to clean the shower when you are actually taking a shower. That way, all the hot water loosens up the icky stuff that is on the walls and in the bath tub, and it's multitasking.

Chap Chae--Or Something Like It...

This is another one of those recipes that I kind of improvised on because I didn't have super legit noodles. What I'm trying to say is feel free to experiment. And for some reason I have this odd habit of cooking for eight people instead of just myself so this recipe makes A LOT. If you don't cut this recipe in half, consider investing in a very large wok. This is what is looks like:

12 oz. rice vermicelli noodles
1.5 lbs beef for stir fry
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 blue container thing of mushrooms
1 bag sugar snap peas
1-2 red peppers cut into not so thin matchsticks
1-2 handfuls mung bean sprouts
soy sauce
sugar
oil
black pepper
cornstarch
sesame oil
sesame seeds

As with all stir fries, make sure all your veggies and stuff are all cut up and your noodles are rehydrated before you start frying because once you start frying it goes very, very quickly.

Marinate the beef (cut into strips) in 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. corn starch, 2 Tbsp. oil, and black pepper for at least half an hour. Cook the beef in some oil until just barely done. Remove from pan. Stir fry the veggies in some oil starting with the ones that take the longest to cook (onions, garlic, and carrots then snap peas and peppers then mung beans at the very end). Once the veggies are very close to being done add in the noodles (cut into smaller pieces cause they're REALLY long) and the beef. Mix 4 Tbsp. soy sauce and 4 tsp. sugar. Pour over the noodles along with 2 Tbsp. sesame oil and mix it all together. Toss with some sesame seeds. Keep cooking until everything is heated through. DONE.

Blankets!!

For this blanket I just bought 1 yard of three different colors of polar fleece. I cut 9 inch squares and sewed them into a quilt-like pattern. I didn't want to sew on backing (or buy it) so I just cut slits in all the seam allowances on the back and around the edge to make it decorative. To do the name I just did a silk stitch (zig zag really close together).

For this blanket I did dark red granny squares with one row of double crochet in black or charcoal then another row of double crochet in purple or teal around each one of them. The trick to making them actually square is doing three double crochets in the corner loop so that the square will lie flat and not curl. Once I had all my squares I single crocheted them all together in an alternating pattern. Once they were all connected I did two rows of single crochet around the entire thing, one in purple and one in teal. This blanket is surprisingly warm considering all the holes it has in it.

Fried Rice

So for this lovely dish, I cooked lots of stuff and threw it all together. More specifically...

1 lb. ground beef

4 eggs

1 small bag frozen peas

1 small bag frozen corn

1 small bag frozen green beans

a few carrots, peeled and cut into this slices

1 small onion (or half a large onion), diced

6 cups cooked rice

oil

soy sauce

black pepper

salt

First brown the ground beef, then set it aside. Scramble the eggs in a bowl then fry them in a thin patty like thing (like a one layer omelet), take it out then cut into short strips. Saute the onion and the carrots with oil. When those are halfway done, add the peas, corn, and green beans. When that's pretty much done add the rice, beef, and egg. Fry and add soy sauce, pepper, and salt (not too much salt because the soy sauce is already salty).

This recipe is very flexible so if you have different vegetables you want to use or different meat (my mom uses cut up hot dog pieces) go for it. This recipe also makes a TON of fried rice, so play around with the proportions and stuff to make less (or more if you want).

Buttermilk Syrup

This Syrup is good on anything but I mainly use it on Pumpkin Waffles

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Use a large pot.
2. Bring butter, sugar, corn syrup and buttermilk to a boil and take off heat.
3. Add baking soda and vanilla. It will bubble quite a bit!

Pumpkin Waffles

These Pumpkin Waffles are one of my favorite breakfast foods!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS
1. In mixing bowl combine 1st 5 ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla). Mix well.
2. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well.
3. Cook in Waffle Iron.
4. Serve with Buttermilk Syrup.

I love eating bananas on top of the waffles and syrup!
****I just buy the 30-ounce pumpkin can and use the rest for pumpkin bread****

Pumpkin Bread

I love this bread! It's so easy and so good! Although they don't look super pretty in the picture, you can take the time to make it look pretty :)


INGREDIENTS
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1 cup of oil (I use 1/2 c. butter & 1/2c. oil)
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 c. pecans (optional)
CARMEL GLAZE
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream (I use canned milk)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS
1. In mixing bowl combine 1st 5 ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, water). Mix well.
2. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well.
3. Spoon into 8 greased mini-loaf pans (I used the bigger pans this time and it just took longer to cook).
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.


DIRECTIONS FOR GLAZE
1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT powdered sugar and vanilla in a saucepan.
2. Cook until sugar is dissolved.
3. Cool for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar.
5. Drizzle over cooled loaves
6. ENJOY!


****I just buy the 30-ounce can of pumpkin and use the extra to make pumpkin waffles****

My Favorite Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas (these are sooo good)

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
• 1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Serves 4 to 6

http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/gtu/story/Honey-Lime-Chicken-Enchiladas/pmH5108uSUOibyxk-tNsgg.cspx

Crayon Art

Ok so this craft is super easy and it looks way cool! All you need is a box of crayons, a canvas, a blow dryer, and a hot glue gun.

1st: Choose your colors and then line them up in whatever order you desire.

2nd: Warm up your hot glue gun and glue each crayon to the top of the canvas

3rd: Turn your blow dryer on low and hold it close to the crayons. They will start to melt (yes it may take a while). Blow them until they drip as much as you would like.

4th: Allow the wax to dry and "TADA!!" you have a beautiful piece of artwork!

Completely-Holiday-Unrelated Deer Cookies

So these came from a box. They're Pillsbury. And they're delicious.

White Chicken Chili

This is super easy and pretty much everyone's favorite chili/soup/stoup. Especially Alyssa's.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2" cubes
1 med. onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 (15-oz.) cans great northern beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth
2 (4-oz.) cans chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. whipping cream (I use milk)

Saute chicken, onion, and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet (I do it in the pot so I only use one dish) until chicken is no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients except the dairy. Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and temper the sour cream and milk/whipping cream. Once the dairy is warm, add it to the chili. Serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast
2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic salt
Corn starch

Directions
1. Mix and bring it to a boil
2. Dredge chicken in corn starch and place in a 9x13 pan
3. Pour sweet & sour sauce over chicken in a 9x13 pan
4. Cook at 350 for 1 hour
5. Serve with rice
6. ENJOY!

Cleaning with Kaylee

When I was little I used to clean my house and pretend like I was on a TV show called "Cleaning with Kaylee." I was cute. Had that TV show gone to HGTV if they had realized my talent (and I'm sure they regret that now) I imagine I'd be something of a TV star today, and I would be on magazine covers looking like this:

So this weekend I had a minor panic attack about how dirty our apartment was. It grossed me out to no end. So in a cleaning frenzy with Sam and Chelsie's help, our apartment is clean again.

Pro tip One: Cleaning mirrors and windows with newspaper doesn't leave streaks or lint behind.

Pro tip Two: Never use generic cleaning products. If you are ever going to splurge on anything, have it be cleaning products. They do a better job, and overall smell better.

Pro tip Three: It's easier to maintain than it is to clean.

That is all.

Knit headbands

Knit headbands

Here's the link to the pattern I followed:

http://knitting.craftgossip.com/free-pattern-headbandearwarmers/2010/02/21/

I used the bulky yarn pattern without the trim, and for button holes I crocheted the end yarn into a loop. Be creative with buttons and flowers and you have your own unique headband!

Blueberry Oven French Toast

Blueberry Oven French Toast

butter
loaf of bread
tblsp flour
maple syrup (optional)
cinnamon (optional)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk/cream/sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 cup blueberries

Directions: Heat oven to 375. Sprinkle butter flakes on bottom of dish, line with bread. Mix eggs, whip, add sugar (and cinnamon), flour and milk, sprinkle blueberries on top of bread, pour 1/2 mixture over, add one more layer bread. Sprinkle butter flakes on top, pour rest of mixture and maple syrup- generously. Cook for 30-40 minutes and enjoy!

Nutella Cream Puffs

Ingredients for Nutella Cream Puffs

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs

Directions

1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the nutella mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

These delicious cream puffs were filled with Nutella whipped cream! Just find a simple cream puff recipe on line, and after whipping the cream whip it a bit more with all the nutella you desire. They're quite a yummy treat, very refreshing after a day of school :)

The Amazing Taco Soup!

The Amazing Taco Soup!

1 can tomato soup
2 cans water
1 cupish chicken
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning

This delicious soup is best served with chips, sour cream and cheese sprinkled on top. It is very open, the more the better! So if you are feeling adventurous add more beans or veggies!

Cook's Favorite Chocolate Cookies

Cook's Favorite Chocolate Cookies
1 Cup butter, softened... NOT melted
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 box instant vanilla pudding (we used banana :)
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut, optional
1/2 to 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
(can use white chocolate chips and craisins for variety)

Directions: Cream butter, sugars, and eggs
Add in other ingredients
Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes

Chelsie and Kaylee baked these delectable cookies for our ward activity and they were loved! The banana pudding was a hit for those banana lovers out there :) Best of luck cooking!

A Brief Introduction to "The Three C's"

In every young woman's life, there are a few things one must be accomplished in before one can enter into sacred, holy matrimony. These abilities are what we lovingly call "The Three C's of Engagement," namely, Cooking, Cleaning, and Crafting. This blog is dedicated to the progression and eventual accomplishment of said abilities in the lives of the lovely ladies of apartment B-38. On to marriage!