Shop Your Way Rewards & Sweepstakes - A New Adventure

Just recently I started to participate in the Sweepstakes on the Shop Your Way website. Just yesterday I was able to purchase a sock loom for FREE with the points I won in the past 2 days from the instant win games. So I'd like to recommend that you all should give it a go. If you already had a rewards card from Kmart or Sears, use it to your advantage. You can purchase anything off of the website search including craft supplies - yarn, thread, quilting rulers & other notions, sewing machines, kitchen gadgets, socks, etc. I promise to blog with you my items I get for free and help you to be a winner too. :-)

Boye Sock Loom Kit

I'm a newbie at this so hopefully I'll have more to show you as time goes by. I feel so blessed to be able to find another way to purchase craft supplies for my hobbies. 

No More Boring Drive Thru or Diner Biscuits and Gravy

I almost cruised through the drive thru at McDonalds this morning, but the line was a little TOO long for my liking. Then realized I had all the ingredients to make Biscuits & Gravy at home. Back in the old days I baked biscuits at Hardee's and learned the secret to good biscuit making. Although we used real buttermilk, I can make an awesome baking powder biscuit that is just as good and fluffy. Ditch those Grands biscuits, you know those flaky ones you pay out the ear for... you now have an awesome and quick recipe to make your own right here.

Take those and add some sausage gravy

And then get this lovely little concoction..

Gravy from McDs is frozen in sausage like packaging and warmed up and also their biscuits are frozen and nuked in a microwave. Do yourself a favor and make your own. No preservatives and you know exactly what is in your food. If you want that little McD's taste, add a little bit of sugar to your gravy. 

And now for your recipes:

Baking Powder Biscuits - 

2 C flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 to 1/3 C shortening (more makes the flakier biscuits)

3/4 C milk

1. Mix the dry ingredients together then add shortening. 

2. Use a pastry blender, a couple of knives, or just your clean hands to mix the shortening into the flour mixture until it is spread throughout.

3. Make a hole in the center of the bowl by moving the ingredients to the sides.

4. Add milk

5. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, but do NOT overmix it.

6. Roll out on a floured board to 1/2" in thickness and cut out the biscuits with a cutter or a drinking glass.

7. Put on an ungreased baking sheet/pan and bake at 425F for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges of the top of the biscuits

8. Remove from oven, then pan and put on a wire rack to cool. You can brush with butter on the tops if you want, but it isn't necessary.

9. Serve.

You can easily double this recipe if you have a hungry group to feed. I also use this recipe with the lesser amount of shortening to make dumplings for my chicken soup or beef stew.

Sausage Gravy

This is on you to suit your tastes, but this is the method to make this.

Brown 1/2 pound of sausage and reserve about 1/4 cup of drippings, add 1/2 to 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp sugar (optional) to the drippings and add a little more flour if needed if it doesn't 'sop' up the grease in the pan. Add 1 C milk and cook on medium heat until it begins to thicken. If it is too thick, add more milk until you get the right consistency a little at a time... maybe about 1/4 c at a time. Season to your preferences or dietary restrictions.

Just a good old comfort food that can be made for a few dollars and made up in advance to eat the next morning before work or school.

Cookie Baking Challenge - November

I'm going to make the last few days of the month into a challenge to bake as many cookie recipes I can. You all are more than welcome to join me. You may share your favorite cookie recipes or pictures of your cookies. This will be an online fun cookie recipe swap with a holiday flair. Let me know what you do with your cookies you do make. Do you participate in local cookie swaps or do you donate to a worthy cause?

My biggest challenge each year during the holidays are to keep everyone out of the cookie jar, so ideas on hiding cookies and other goodies are more than welcome.

So let's all gather up a few recipes and gather up our ingredients while the basics are on sale. Countdown to cookie baking in 10 days. If you start before I do, feel free to post a comment. :-)

Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

My first ever meringue pie was a lemon meringue that had a recipe posted on the crisco website. My feelings are that if I can do it, so can you. So basic and easy to make even with the few steps it takes to get it done. Maybe one day I'll get better at the crust, but you can cheat and use a store bought one instead if your crust shrinks too much from not putting the fork to it properly on the sides of the pan.

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

I've included the link above to the recipe. You can use any citrus you want for this recipe if you want. :-) Just give it a try and make something that will NOT last long. Do not be intimidated by the meringue making. It is actually easy to do if you follow the directions.

Getting Back To Blogging :-)

It's been forever since I posted my random blog entries, but I will be back and better than ever. One kink in my plan is getting a new laptop. My keyboard is angry so I have to use the on-screen keyboard to type about 30% of my letters :-(

So now I'm shopping for a new laptop and the #BlackFridayAds do not have any huge bargains to try to shoot for. Yay me!  NOT!!!

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH APPLE PIE

This is the BEST apple pie that I enjoy to make, bake, and eat. Pretty easy and straight forward that anyone can make this and serve at the holiday table. Practice with a homemade crust so you can keep your shopping costs down. :-) 

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH APPLE PIE

7-10 apples, peeled, cored and sliced Place sliced apples in 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Mix and sprinkle over apples: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cloves Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water (or fresh lemon juice if you have it) over top. CRUMB CRUST: 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup flour 1 stick butter Mix together sugar and flour. Cut the butter into the sugar and flour mixture using a fork, pastry blender or food processor.Sprinkle over top of pie. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes. If the pie begins to brown too rapidly, cover lightly with foil.

Lemon Bars Recipe Guaranteed not to Last on the plate

Lemon Bars
Crust:
2 Cups flour
1 C butter
1/2 C powdered sugar

Mix them together, pat into a 9X13 baking dish, and bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes or until slightly browned

Filling:
Sift together
2 Cups sugar
4 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder

Then add:
4 eggs beaten
6 Tbsp lemon juice
Grated lemon rind from 1 lemon

Mix together and pour onto crust. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars/squares when cooled.