Ham and Cheese Biscuits

Ham and Cheese Biscuits recipe
2c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¾ c. diced ham
1/3 c. shredded cheese
1 ½ c. whipping cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and nutmeg to thoroughly mix. Toss in ham and cheese to flour mixture. Stir cream into flour mixture just until moistened.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently lift and fold the dough 4 or 5 times, making a quarter turn between each fold. Place dough on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Form dough into an 8-inch square, approximately 1-inch thick. Using a floured knife, score the dough making 12 biscuits, leaving biscuits intact. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cut to serve.

Rainbow Cupcakes

My boys (and their friends) always seem to devour cupcakes, so I love making them just to have them around for all those boys!
Here are the Rainbow Cupcakes I made this morning. It took a while longer than a regulare batch, but well worth it. They all thought they looked cool, and I thought it was a fun idea right before St. Patrick's Day.

Recipe:

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C yogurt
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Plus: food color and frosting

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. We used 5 colors, and then topped it off with purple frosting. Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity.
Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry. Approx. 18-22 minutes.
 I frosted these with white frosting that we colored purple.

Note: When adding a new layer of color, be careful not to mix them together. I just dropped the different colors on top of the previous and didn't bother to smooth it out.

Baked Brie

Thought I would share the recipe for one of my favorite things to nosh on...

BAKED BRIE WITH PUFF PASTRY
1 wheel of brie (7 inches or so)
3/4 C. apricot preserves
1/8 C. bacon, fried & chopped (about 3 pieces)
1/8 C. heavy cream or milk
1/2 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
kitchen string
Set oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the rind of the brie wheel, use a paring knife for ease. Roll out the puff pastry. It should be about 1/8 inch thick when rolled. Set your brie wheel in the center of pastry. Plop the apricot preserves on the brie, then the bacon on the preserves. Pull up corners of brie to create a “pouch” and tie a 10 inch or so piece of kitchen string around the neck of the pouch. Don’t pull too tightly as the string may cut through the pastry. Allow the dough to fall over the string, it will look loose and leafy. Set the pouch on cookie sheet. Brush the pastry with heavy cream or milk. You can also use an egg whipped with a tablespoon of water instead as your wash. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. The exterior should be golden brown and look puffed. If you are not baking immediately, refrigerate the brie pouch until ready. This dough should always be kept cool, as it will “puff” better. Let rest for about 8 minutes before serving.
Serve with ripe pear slices, apple slices and crackers.

My friend Gail makes this but uses ½ a jalapeno, finely chopped, rather than the bacon. This is super yummy also, if you like something with a little kick!
My next one is going to be made with cherry preserves and chopped almonds! Can't wait to try that yummy combo!

Bon Appetit

Chocolate Love

Ian discovered yesterday that we have a heart-shaped cookie sheet, and thought that something needed to be made on it, and soon! So today while the boys were at school I decided to make my special guys a little pre-Valentine's Day surprise. A super-yummy, super-unhealthy triple chocolate brownie. A little 'chocolate love' for my little loves!

This much I know is true

It occurred to me the other day just how much people rely on preconceived notions about other people. How we think we KNOW them because we know a few things about them. Normally we only let most people see just a small portion of us and our lives, we don’t allow the majority of people we know into our lives so deeply that they truly KNOW us. I have friends that see certain parts of me and my life, but most of them just don’t know that much about me. So, I started asking myself why, and the answer was pretty simple. If they really knew me, would they still love me?! Then, of course, I smiled! Because it was at that point that I remembered that no matter how great my sins (is number and in size) that God will always love me. He will always be there rooting for me, He knows each and every flaw, each and every sin, every dark corner that has been swept away from others view like dust under a rug, and He still loves me.

And Sometimes I Just Choose Silence

Wow! Where has the time gone? I cannot believe it has been so long since I have posted!
Right now I am trying so hard to stay focused on what I really want and need in my life. Sometimes it is very hard to distinguish between what we want and what we need, what is good for us and what is not, and what will lift us up and what will bring us down. When we are in the midst of a trial, and we feel like we can't escape, it is so important to remember that God is there for us. That He knows the outcome, and that if we seek Him, we will find the peace and the grace that we need to endure.
I am so thankful for a loving God that always wants the best for me!

Grace

Grace. Such a small word, yet it has so much meaning, so much depth.
Tonight at church we were told to take 60 seconds and write down our definition of grace. The first thing that came to mind was regeneration. I love that word, but honestly it never would have come to mind had someone not said the word recently. Yet, 'regeneration' seems lacking when you are defining grace in reference to God. So, on my way home I had a little more time to think about it. What came to mind was rather simple, yet it is so packed with meaning, so amazing, because we are all so unworthy of God's grace.
I guess now, if I were asked to put it into words, I would simply say grace is unmerited love and help for our regeneration or spiritual renewal.