Fresh Orange Juice

Since this weekend is Mother's Day, I wanted to try out some recipes with my kids. Yes, this way I can hint at maybe some possible suggestions they may want to make this weekend. Now when I make recipes with them, I notice sometimes they want me to add weird combinations. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Well, we had a lot of oranges that I needed to use up. For some reason, my son thought there should be at least one lemon in there. It does taste good. I'm unsure if my husband or oldest daughter will make it this way but I would make it again. I didn't use any fancy kitchen equipment except a hand juicer. If you are going to hand juice anything, I highly recommend placing a paper towel under the cup. This way it will give it more stability. My cup slide which knocked over my cup. My son escaped being covered with juice but I wasn't so fortunate. Next time, I just hope I remember my lesson.

Fresh Orange Juice
9 oranges
1 lemon

Directions:

1. Squeeze the oranges and the lemon one at a time into a cup.
2. Remove any additional seeds from the cup before adding to a pitcher.
3. Serve or add a little water for a more diluted taste.

One year ago........................I made Dulce de Leche Rice Pudding.

Did you already know..........
-Some Valencia oranges are green due to the warm weather.   
-With Navel oranges, the bigger the navel is an indicator the sweeter the orange.
-In 1493, Christopher Columbus brought the first orange seed to the New World. 

Migas in a Taco Bowl

My family love eggs. I love them since they are a cheap, fast breakfast, brunch, or supper. When I added tortilla chips to the eggs, the kids thought this was the best thing ever. I thought they would even think it was more cool if they were served in Taco Bowls. I made my Taco Bowls from corn tortillas since they tied with the corn tortilla chips. They are really easy to make. I used these directions but there are even YouTube vidoes.

Migas in a Taco Bowl
4 large eggs
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp skim milk
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tsp butter

1 cup tortilla chips, crushed (I used blue corn tortilla chips)
1 cup Monterey Jack with Jalapeno Cheese
4 Taco Bowls
Optional garnish toppings:  guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa, salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, and skim milk. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
4. Add the whisked egg mixture to the skillet. Stir well. Turn the heat to medium low. 
5. Add the butter and cook until the eggs are fluffy. 
6. Add the crushed tortilla chips and fold in the cheese.
7. Serve the egg mixture into the center of the taco bowls.
8. Top with desired garnish.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago..........................I made Chicken Salad Roll Ups.

Did you already know............
-The Spanish word Migas translates into crumbs.
-Migas ordered in Spain or Portugal is a dish made with stale bread, olive oil, sausage, or pork.
-The Tex Mex version is just scrambled eggs with tortilla chips.

Guacamole

It is amazing how something so simple like guacamole can have so many variations. My son came home from school and told me how they served guacamole at lunch. My son loved it then my youngest daughter told me how much she loved it. I told them I would make it soon. Then I went to work and my friend was telling me how she had made guacamole. I asked for the recipe that she used. I knew the school recipe was different from the one my friend used so I adapted her recipe to be similar to the school one from my children's description. My children told me it tasted just like the one they had a school. I will admit they do love it. I had them help me make it so they can make it anytime.

Guacamole
1 ripe avocado
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In a bowl, mash the avocado until smooth.
2. Add the lemon juice with the salt and pepper to the dish. Mix well.
3. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

One year ago.....................I made Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheels.

Did you already know.......
-Avocados are a fruit.
-Another name for avocados are alligator pears.
-The average avocado tree can produce about 150 avocados a year.

Rest of the bag chocolate chip cookie bars

My children like to sneak some of my chocolate chips with any other type of chips they can find. I know this since I keep my opened chocolate chip bags in a large storage bag and somehow the bags slowly are reduce. Since I didn't have enough chips to bake one type of cookies, I decided to combine all the chips. I had on hand heath bar bits, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips. I thought this is the best way to use up all those chips. They did come out very good. I even left a couple in my husband's car so he would at least get one. If I hadn't sneaked a couple to him, he probably wouldn't have had any.

Rest of the bag chocolate chip cookie bars
2 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs 
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Heath English Toffee bits
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. 
4. Add the vanilla and the eggs to the sugar mixture. Mix well.
5. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips, Toffee bits, and peanut butter chips.
7. Spoon the cookie mixture evenly into the baking dish.
8. Place the dish into the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least one hour. (I allowed it to chill for 16 hours.)
9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
10. Place the chilled dough into the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. The cookie should be mostly cooked through but a little gooey still in the middle.
11. Allow the cookies to cool completely before slicing.

Recipe adapted from the Original Tollhouse Cookie recipe.

One year ago.........................I made Nuevo Texas Waldorf Salad.

Did you already know...........
-Heath English Toffee bits are owned by the Hershey Company.
-Hershey acquired the Heath brand in 1996.
-The Heath bar was created by the two Heath brothers in 1928. 

Softies Morning Rolls

Do you ever feel like you are always making the same thing for breakfast? I have lately so I started trying to make different things for breakfast. Don't get me wrong. I love eggs and pancakes. I even like french toast when my husband makes it. What is your favorite breakfast dish? I think my son would vote for pizza.

Softies Morning Rolls
4 cups all purpose flour 
2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
1 (1/4 oz.) package of active dry yeast  
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
3/4 cups lukewarm milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, add the yeast with the sugar to the warm water. Mix quickly and set aside for 5 minutes to proof.
2. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of all purpose flour with the 2 cups of bread flour.
3. Cut in the flour with your fingers, food processor, or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
4. Add the yeast water and the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture.
5. Mix until a soft dough forms. Add the last cup of flour in 1/4 cup intervals until the dough isn't too sticky or dry. 
6. Knead the dough for 10 minutes on a clean, lightly floured surface.
7. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Flip the dough and cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
8. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour until it has roughly doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough and knead a few times.
10. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and roll into a ball..
11. Place the dough onto parchment lined baking sheet about 4 inches apart. Cover and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
13. In a small bowl, add the egg with the 1 Tbsp water and beat well to make an egg wash. 
14. Brush each dough with the egg wash.
15. Bake immediately for 20 minutes or until golden brow.
16. Serve warm or allow to cool before serving. 

Recipe adapted from The Ultimate Bread & Baking Book.

One year ago....................I made Double Chocolate Cookies.

Did you already know......
-Softies rolls originate from Scotland.
-Scottish breakfasts vary from region to region.
-Some popular Scottish breakfast items are: eggs, toast, beans, fried haggis, sausage, kippers, tomatoes, potato wedges, black pudding and tea.