VACATION

Cade Baking: Mystery Muffins

Cade has been enjoying to bake a few things all by himself. He has been using a 4-H pamphlet called Six Easy Bites. Next his is going to try a cookie recipe from the book. I like how it gives instruction to clean up the pans after baking. The information/instuctions allows for learning and experimenting.



You Need:

1 egg

1/2½ cup milk

1/4 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups flour

½1/2 cup sugar

2 teasp. Baking powder

1/2 teasp. Salt

Your favorite jam or jelly

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of six muffin cups in a 12-cup pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the “dry” ingredients: the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the “wet” ingredients: the egg., milk, and vegetable oil. Set aside.

4. Make a well with the dry ingredients by pushing them up the sides of the bowl.

5. Pour the “wet” ingredients into the “dry” well all at once. Stir just until the dry ingredients are wet (about 24 strokes) Don’t over mix. The batter is supposed to be lumpy.

6. Fill the six prepared muffin cups ½ full. Drop 1 tsp. of jam or jelly into the center of each muffin. Add more batter to fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

7. Fill the empty muffin cups with water to make sure the pan is evenly heated.

8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove the muffins from the pan as soon as you take them out of the oven, so they won’t get soggy. Cool muffins on a wire rack.

9. Let the pan cool down. Then wash, rinse, and dry the muffin pan.

A Favorite Garden Visitor

Lessons in Photography

Cade has been working on 4-H projects the past few days. -Nothing like waiting to the last minute. We spent an afternoon together trying to get some good photos from our backyard. It took great patience!! However it was kind of fun also. Could not have been done without a digital camera. These are a few photos that he took.

My Favorite Chocolate Pudding made by Quinn

A perfectly simple recipe for Chocolate Pudding from Luscious Chocolate Desserts Cook Book. Quinn did all the careful stirring and mixing for this chocolate Pudding. It turned out very good and very rich and full of chocolate.




1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 T granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups Whole Milk - we used skim and it turned out fine

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt with a fork in a large heavy saucepan until the brown sugar is broken up and the mixture is well blended. Add 1 cup of the milk and the chocolate and heat over medium heat, whisking, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Whisk in the remaining cup of milk and cook, whisking frequently, for 6 to 8 minutes, until large bubbles pop on the surface and the pudding is thick and smooth. remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, them immediately transfer the pudding to a large bowl or 4 serving bowls or stemmed glasses.

Serve the pudding hot, warm, at room temperature, or chilled. If not serving immediately, whisk occasionally to keep a skin from forming as it cools.

Cooking: Summer Chicken

Here is another Great recipe from the Silver Palate Cook Book. I will be making this again. The Mustard and Basil made an interesting combination in the sauce.

1 roasting chicken (3 1/2 pounds)
1 bunch of fresh basil, washed carefully
51/2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onions
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 parsley sprigs
salt and pepper to taste
4 small white onions
4 new potatoes, scrubbed
4 medium sized carrots, peeled and cut inot 2 inch lengths
3/4 pounds fresh green beans, cleaned and tipped
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup creme Frache or heavy cream
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Wash the chicken, pull off all the fat that can be removed, stuff the cavity with the basil, and truss. Set the chicken, breast side up, in a heavy saucepan just large enough to hold it comfortably. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a moderate boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and skim any accumulated fat or scum.

2. Add the chopped onion, chopped carrots, and parsley sprigs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Partially cover, reduce heat, and cook at a gentle simmer until the chicken juices run a clear yellow when the thigh is pricked with a fork., 40 minutes.

3. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the white onions. Simmer for 10 seconds, lift out with a slotted spoon, and drop into a large bowl of ice water. Next, add the potatoes and cook until tender but crisp, and then with the green beans. Reserve all the vegetables in the ice water.

4. When the chicken is done, remove it from its broth with a slotted spoon, cover and keep warm.

5. Measure out 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring it to a boil in a smaller saucepan. In another small pan melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, sprinkle in the flour, Cook without browning, stirring constantly. for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour in the boiling chicken broth all at once. The sauce will bubble furiously for a minute. Whisk the sauce as it bubbles and subsides and then return it to low heat. Bring the sauce up to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Remove the basil from the chicken's cavity and chop it fine. Whisk in the basil, mustard, and creme frache or whipping cream into the sauce, remove the sauce from heat, cover, and keep warm.

7. Melt the remaining butter ( 4 Tablespoons ) in a skillet over low heat. Drain the blanched vegetables and warm them generously in the butter until hot through, no more than 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

8. Carve the chicken into serving pieces and arrange on a platter. Surround the chicken with the warmed vegetables, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, and offer the remaining sauce on the side. serve immediately.

4 portions