Baked Potato

When I first was married to my husband, I decided to serve baked potatoes for supper. I made all these toppings for a potato bar. All the toppings were in little dishes so we could specialize our own meal. The problem was I hadn't cooked the potatoes all the way. I even tried to cook the potatoes longer but it seemed like they were never going to cook. The potatoes tasted raw. The toppings weren't going to make dinner any better. Since that terrible meal, my husband would say I can cook anything but a baked potato. He thought it was a funny joke. Mashed potatoes? No, problem. Hash Browns? No, problem. Even fries were no problem. I hadn't attempted a baked potato again. Well, now my husband said I redeemed myself. I can make a baked potato and it was good! The potato was fluffy and fully cooked. Now, he will have to find something else to give me a hard time about like maybe always being late.

Baked Potato
4 large russet potatoes
Vegetable oil for coating
Toppings: bacon, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, green onions, chives, broccoli, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes. 
3. Dry thoroughly. 
4. With a fork, poke 10 holes all over the potato.
5. Coat the potatoes with the vegetable oil.
6. Place the potatoes on a middle rack.
7. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the skin feels crisp but the flesh inside the potato is soft.
8. Serve hot but be careful of the steam when splitting the potato open.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.

One year ago.........................I made Four Chip Cookies.
Two years ago.......................I made Peaches and Cream Cake.
Three years ago.....................I made White Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins.
Four years ago......................I made Ultimate Streusel Cake.

Did you already know..........................
-In the world, the potato is the 4th largest food crop.
-In Peru, the Inca Indians were the first to cultivate the potato.
-The Inca Indians used potatoes for medicinal remedies from toothaches to promote the healing of broken bones. 

Banana Oat Snack Cake

Alright, you can judge me. Yes, I served this cake for breakfast. I figured it was close enough to banana bread. The kids liked it. It is moist and taste very similar to banana bread. My husband liked it. He prefers banana bread but he said it needed less oats. I had even decreased the oats from the original recipe. I think the oats would have tasted better toasted but I liked the recipe. It did make a nice breakfast and the kids didn't complain.

Banana Oat Snack Cake
6 oz. unsalted butter
1 cup old fashion oats
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 ripe banana, smashed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute. Set aside. 
4. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. 
6. Mix the melted butter into the brown sugar mixture. Whisk together until incorporated.
7. Add the bananas and mix well. 
8. Add the sugar mixture to the flour mixture. Whisk until incorporated.
9. Add the batter to the prepared dish.
10. Bake the cake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
11. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

One year ago...........................I made Basil and Tomato Pasta.
Two years ago.........................I made Corn Salsa.
Three years ago.......................I made Mussels.

Did you already know......................
-Since 7,000 B.C., ancient China have been eating oats.
-The ancient Greeks were the first known to make porridge from oats.
-In the U.S., 75% households have oatmeal in their kitchen.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes plus a giveaway

Last year, I was preparing to move from Maine to North Carolina. What a hectic time! I was nervous about changing locations. I was sad to leave my friends and family. I was thankful my husband was ready to move. Also, my kids didn't complain much. They did like the warmer weather. We had to pack up a whole household in a crazy amount of time. Even with the move, we have seen our family often. We keep in touch with our friends back home. We still like the weather here.

To celebrate my daughters birthday, I made her some peanut butter cupcakes. They are moist and my husband loved them. My daughter requested chocolate frosting for the peanut butter cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut powder
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
4. Add the honey. Mix until well incorporated.
5. Add the 2 eggs and mix until incorporated.
6. Add the baking soda, salt, peanut powder, and flour. Mix until just incorporated.
7. Add the milk and mix until incorporated.
8. Evenly distribute the batter between the dozen muffin tins. 
9. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago................................I made Almond Chocolate Tart.
Two years ago.............................I made  Green Smoothies.
Three years ago...........................I made Peanut Butter Brownies.

Did you already know....................
-The average person moves eleven times in their life.
-Less than fifty percent of moves occur during the summer.
-A typical household move weighs about 6,000 lbs.

Contest closed.

summer

Having to say good bye to another summer is hard. Being in North Carolina, summer lasts a little longer than when we were in Maine. I know there is always a surprise Indian Summer.In celebration to a fun summer, I wanted to share another post of our summer trip. These photos are our trip to New Hampshire.

Since I was a little girl, we have been visiting this pond. I remember doggie paddling out to the dock. I remember many attempt to learn how to water ski. I remember being at the pond for many 4th of July celebrations.The best part of always visiting the pond is spending the time with family.

The girls enjoying the paddle boat.

My sister and my niece taking a quick rest before swimming back to the dock.

A retired boat turned into a planter.

We were lucky to visit with our oldest daughter. Unfortunately, our oldest son couldn't make it due to work but we did get to see him.

Our very wet daughter giving my husband a nice hug! Isn't she so nice. He must have looked hot and needed to get wet. As you can tell, my husband wasn't expecting it.

All the kids having fun on the dock! 

 Did you already know....................
-Ponds are smaller and not as deep as lakes.
-A pond is shallow enough that sunlight can reach the plants at the bottom where plants grow.
-Some ponds are home to fish, leeches, and frogs.

Good bye summer until we meet again next year. 

Raspberry Almond Bundt Cake

My daughter told me the raspberries were soft. Upon my review, the raspberries weren't soft but I knew she wasn't going to eat anymore. Since my raspberries were going "soft", I figured I better bake something with it. A cake was the perfect solution. My daughter liked my solution. The cake received nice reviews from my two guys. Anything with raspberries and almonds are great to me.

Raspberry Almond Bundt Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
powder sugar, for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and coat with flour. Sprinkle half the almonds into the pan. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, Cream the sugar and butter until fluffy.
5. Add one egg at a time and mix to incorporate.
6. Add the almond extract and vanilla extract. Mix to incorporate.
7. Add a little flour mixture and then mix in some buttermilk. Mix until just incorporated.
8. Gently fold in the raspberries. 
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. 
10. Sprinkle the remaining toasted almonds on top.
11. Bake the cake for 1 hour or until an inserter inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. 
12. Allow the cake to cook for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. 
13. Sift powdered sugar over top before serving. 

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

One year ago........................I made Mabel Sandwich.
Two years ago......................I made Peach Scones.
Three years ago....................I made Shortbread Cookies.

Did you already know...................
-Raspberries are native to Europe.
-In North America, black and golden raspberries are found in addition to the red raspberries.
-Raspberries belong to the rose family.