Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Disaster Area Scrapbook Page

I am pretty caught up in my scrapbooking so while I was browsing through one of my Cricut cartridge handbooks, I noticed a "Disaster Area" sign (from the Locker Talk cartridge).  This gave me the idea for a page based on my daughter's room!  Sometimes the fun things to look back on are not necessarily the ones you are taking photos of - unless you make a point of doing just that!

The layout looks pretty wild and colourful using the Creative Memories Cheerful Designer Print paper but it is more muted once the photos are on the layout (sorry, but DD would not be pleased to have her mess posted for you lovely readers to see!).  If you could see the colours she has in her room you would understand how this paper choice, and the layout itself, are just right to commemorate her teenage zone!

Take a look around at the more 'everyday' parts of your life and you just might be inspired to preserve a simple moment you may have over-looked! 

Bran Graham Muffins

When you make muffins as often as I do, you're always searching for a new recipe to try.  This one is a variation of a bran muffin, and has the addition of graham crumbs in the dry ingredients.  They are so tasty, all warm and fresh from the oven...you almost forget they are 'healthy'!

Bran Graham Muffins

1 cup all-bran cereal

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins

1 egg

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp vanilla

375 degrees F, 20-25 mins.

Laminator

It was a sad day when my pancake page finally fell out of my (very beat up) cook book.  But no fear, I simply used my GL-9 home laminator to preserve the most-used recipe forever.  I've had my laminator for years and it is so handy to encase stuff in plastic right in my home office.  This page sizzled a little bit as it made its journey through the hot rollers (probably from the splatters all over it) but it survived and now my kids can refer to 'mom's pancake recipe' and remember the countless Sunday's I made them for breakfast. 

Cinnamon Coconut Loaf

I've never made a quick bread in a loaf pan that had marbled effect...until now.  The boys were at baseball and the girls were busy so I stirred up a loaf while I had a quiet moment.  The recipe I picked is a cross between a quick loaf and a coffee cake, in that the brown sugar-spice topping is layered between the batter and then cut through with a knife to make a marbled presentation when it's sliced.  The house smelled so sweet and cinnamon-y as it baked!  The loaf sliced perfectly and inside was a pretty (and scrumptious) ribbon of swirly cinnamon-sugar.  DH sure liked coming home to that!

Cinnamon Coconut Loaf

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup medium coconut

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

 

9x5 greased loaf pan, 350 degree F oven, 1 hour until tester comes out clean.

Mix eggs, oil & sugar. Mix in sour cream.  Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt.  Add to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Combine coconut, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread 1/2 the batter into bottom of greased loaf pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 the cinnamon mixture.  Top with 2nd half of batter and then sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.  Cut through with a knife to give marbled effect.  Bake at 350 for one hour.  Cool 10 minutes in pan and then remove and cool completely before wrapping.

Softball Scrapbook Layout

This 2-page scrapbook spread doesn't really look like too much without the photos but I was pleased with it for a few reasons.  First of all, the layout is for my DH's softball tournament from 3 months ago - obviously not a subject I was just dying to scrap, so I'm glad it's done!  Secondly, I finished up the last of the paper from the Rugged Additions pack (Creative Memories).  I love the "Additions" packages because they are theme-specific and contain 4 sheets of paper, 8 photo mats, design stickers and title stickers.  There's enough product to get several layouts done without a lot of leftovers or waste.  There's always something new around the corner so I'm excited to finish up with one pack and move on to the next.  So, I had just enough to complete these 2 pages - I arranged the photos to give the illusion of lots of paper layering, but really I just used scraps behind the photos, peeking out in strips.  I cut my title from the Sports Mania Cricut cartridge with my last 2 photo mats, and added a few popped-up stickers for embellishment on the opposite page.  

The challenge I set forth for you today is to use up the scraps of one particular pack of paper in your stash to complete a layout.  See what you can come up with...you just might surprise yourself!  (And when you're done you can justify buying some new, fun stuff - the third reason I like this page!  It's also the last layout in my album so I get to pick out a new one of those, too!)  

Seven Minute Frosting

I originally posted this recipe for Seven Minute Frosting in August of last year but had to remove the video because of copywritten music.  I made the Mocha Spice Cake again this year for DH so had a chance to re-film the frosting vid.  Here once again: Seven Minute Frosting!

"Here is the wonderful, fluffy frosting that reminds me of marshmallows. I use this on my Mocha Spice Cake (see video) but you can use it on any cake. It makes a generous amount for filling and covering a 2-layer cake...and enough to lick the bowl! You will need to use a double-boiler to cook the frosting, but a heavy bowl set over a pan of water will work as well."  (You can pour the hot water from the double-boiler into your empty sauce pan for easier clean up!)  

Seven Minute Frosting
2 egg whites
1-1/2 cup sugar
dash salt
1/3 cup water
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Pizza Macaroni Bake

This is one of those family-friendly casserole recipes that's hardly gourmet, but it gets dinner on the table, isn't too expensive or complicated to make, and the kids love it.  It starts with a box of standard macaroni and cheese dinner and layers pizza ingredients on top - sort of like a pizza-flavoured lasagna.

While the noodles are boiling, simply saute ground beef with chopped onion and green pepper.  When both are cooked and drained, and the macaroni is prepared with the cheese sauce, layer the pasta, cheddar, and meat in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  That's followed by pizza sauce, pepperoni, and a final layer of mozzarella. 
The whole casserole is baked at 350 degrees F for about 1/2 an hour.

I'm not suggesting you serve this dish for company, but I still think it can find its place in the dinner rotation - perfect for when it's the teenagers' turn to cook the family meal!

Pizza Macaroni Bake

1 package  (7-1/4 oz.) macaroni and cheese dinner mix

6 cups water

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 jar (14 oz.) pizza sauce

1 package (3-1/2 oz) sliced pepperoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil macaroni noodles and prepared according to directions.  Meanwhile, saute ground beef, onion & green pepper over med. heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Place macaroni in greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Top with beef mixture, pizza sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella.  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees F for 25 mins. or until heated through.

Summer Flower Happy Birthday Card

This little 3x3" birthday card uses the new Stampin' Up In Colours Poppy Parade and Pear Pizzazz.  The stamp is from the Flower for All Seasons set and I coloured it with an aqua painter and inks.  I added some Glossy Accents to the centre of the sunflowers and on the clay pot.  There's no way I could have got the sentiment positioned without the Stamp-a-ma-jig (click on the link to watch a video on how it works).  I also used my new 1-3/4" extra large circle punch.  I seem to have depleted all the birthday cards in my stash so I need to make a few more of these! 

Lemon Coffee Cake

Today's video shows you how to make this scrumptious Lemon Coffee Cake.  It makes a nice alternative to ordinary coffee cake and is so easy to prepare.  My family had no problem eating two of them in a weekend!  Enjoy....

Lemon Coffee Cake

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 Tbsp lemon zest

9x9" greased pan, 350 degrees F, 30-35 minutes.

Just a Sliver

I started this card by colouring in the cakes from the Birthday Bakery stamp set (a Stampin' Up hostess set) with my Copic markers.  I then layered pieces of card stock from the Cherry Delicious stack on a square card base.  I inked the edges with new chalk inks from Creative Memories.  The sentiment is a stamp from the same set.