Jelly Doughnut Challah

I am so excited to tell you about something yummy I made Yesterday it's Tastes like a jelly doughnut and it  is way less fattening.I love to make challah as it is my families favorite bread.
 I had seen through various blogs the idea of making a sufganiyot(Jelly doughnut) challah.Since it is Chanukah and sufganiyot are tradition. I thought I would make this challah and see if it  turned out as yummy as the original doughnuts.
 I made the challah dough with one small change I doubled the sugar. I rolled my snakes and then rolled them flat with my rolling pin. Next I used a light egg white was on the flat snakes. I Then put small amount of strawberry jam in the center of my flattened snakes and pinched the two sides together enclosing the jam inside the snakes.When braiding make sure the crease is on the inside of the braid so you limit the escape of the jam and  the mess. Then you bake as normal checking for doneness by tapping your challah and seeing if you hear the hollow sound. Allow the challah to cool on a wire rack.When cooled slice and sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Enjoy!

Challah recipe:

Makes 2 challahs

1 cup water

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 packet yeast

4 cups flour

1. Put all ingredients in your bread machine pan. If you don't have a bread machine, buy one, they are the best thing ever. Put pan in the machine. Set the machine to the dough cycle. Press start.

At the end of the cycle (about 90 minutes)...

2. Remove dough from bread machine. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.

(Note: keep flour on hand to make the dough easier to work with)

3. Separate dough into 2 balls. Form the first ball into three strands. Place strands on the cookie sheet and join them at the top.

4. Braid! Join at bottom.

5. Form second ball into three. Braid your second challah!

6. Let braided loaves rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (30 minutes if using rapid rise yeast).

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make an egg wash out of 1 beaten egg and about 1 TBS water. Use a pastry brush to cover challahs with egg wash.

8. Bake 25-30 minutes. When challahs are done they should be golden brown and make a hollow sound when tapped.

9. Let cool.

Coupons = Money

I am not a super couponer by any means. I use coupons when I remember I have them or I print them for specific deals but most the time I forget my coupons and then am bummed I don't save the money I could have.
I have had shopping trips where they owed me money back before but obviously not every trip is that wonderful. Most of the time I try to save about half. Obviously I don't find coupons for all the things I need to buy .When there isn't a coupon I just try to get the best deal I can to save money where I can .I like to spend less get more when shopping . I would like to share some of my favorite coupon helpers with you and hope you find them helpful.

Target.com has great coupons.
kroger.com has e-coupons you can put on your store card.
savingstar.com   uses e-coupons sent to your store card as well but sends  you your savings to use later .
Southernsavers.com  has many tool for saving through coupons,shopping lists,buy price lists and more.
faithfulprovisions.com is some what like Southern Savers but they have a great meal planning section which can really help with saving money since you aren't buy what you are not going to eat.

One thing that is important is to have a budget and stick to it. If you go under budget it is good to use the money left to stock up on item you use often when they are on sale .

I also follow some great money saving blog/sites on facebook.com

Money Saving Mom
Couponing for 4
Hip2Save
MojoSavings

I am sure There are more tips and sites to share.I think for today this is quite a bit of information to share and for you to digest so I will share more in future posts. I hope this post is helpful in saving you money and  in some cases making money for you.

Busy Time of Year

Its that time of year where there are tons of parties and get-togethers. I love all there is to do for a party. It so much fun going to parties or hosting them . I had two this week.
The girls were excited, they love parties too . The home school party was fun for them they got to play with a lot of kids and tag along with older kids which really made them feel special.
I made a lot of candy this week of course mostly well all including chocolate whether in bark form or covering something else. I love chocolate and well things just taste better with chocolate or covered in it.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows With a twist 


Things you will need:
candy canes
semi sweet chocolate chips
marshmallows
double boiler/microwave
wax paper or silicon mat
cooling rack or sheet pan

How you do it:
 melt chocolate slowly in my double boiler or in microwave
dip marshmallows in chocolate
place dipped marshmallows on  wax paper or silicon mat
silicon mat should be laid on a baking sheet or cooling rack to help with mobility
sprinkle crushed candy canes on dipped marshmallows
let set in cool place until firm
enjoy!

Just few things to share

First, I am glad to be done with all my shopping for the Holidays.Thanks to Restaurant.com and Amazon.com for having amazing products that I can send as gifts! I love how simple it is to shop with both companies.

I am also glad to have gotten my first seed catalog of the season I am so excited for the spring! I got my D. Landreth Seed Company Catalog it is one of the oldest seed companies in the U.S. The catalog is so beautiful and well put together.

I am also excited for holiday cookies! I am a big fan of cookies with a bit of spice like gingerbread and molasses spice cookies.I like this simple recipe I found on Allrecipes.com a great recipe for those who don't like rolling sticky dough and  for those who don't like molasses.

No Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

1 3.5oz packet of cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon


Directions:

Cream together pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth .
Stir in egg.
Combine flour ,baking soda,cinnamon,and ginger in a separate bowl .
Stir in pudding mixture.
Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350
Grease baking sheets or use silicon mat
Roll dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick.
Cut out in desired shapes
Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets

Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the pre heated oven until golden on the edges
Do not over bake
Cool on wire cooling racks
Decorate when cool ore enjoy as is

Note: Can be used as drop cookies as well.

I would like to let you all know about a program I love!!
The program is called swagbuck.com. I use the search bar and have gotten a few gift cards free just searching through it. If you don't know I love to get things for free.
I love getting deals on things I am going to buy anyway. here is a referral   Link  to swagbucks.
I love that you get points for referrals.  I hope you will take the opportunity to sign up after all it makes you point toward free stuff for doing what you are already going to do.

Face mask

First I must let you know I love Pinterest.com.I have the app on my phone and have a few thousand pins. I have been trying some of my pins lately. The other day I tried a recipe for a pore cleansing face mask I saw on Pinterest.com.
The post says it is supposed to work in the same way as the pore strips in the store.
I would like to let you know it does. Though I might add some essential oils next time for a little aroma therapy.

Pore cleansing mask

1Tblsp gelatin powder
1-1/2 Tblsp milk

- stir together.
-  warm the two ingredients for 12 seconds in the microwave to melt gelatin
- stir together
- smooth on your face like you would any other mask
- allow to dry
- peel off
Enjoy your renewed glowing skin!!

Chinese Almond Cookies

I am a part of a small group that meets on Sunday evenings .
We choose a different type of food each week. This week is Chinese, so I have chosen a real Chinese cookie the almond cookie. Unlike the fortune cookie the almond cookie is a traditional Chinese cookie. I think they are yummy so I am sharing them with you.

ALMOND COOKIE

Ingredients:

1cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1tblsp almond extract
2-1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup blanched almond halves
1 egg beaten

Directions:
 
In a bowl  with electric beaters, cream shortening and sugar.Beat in the eggs,one at a time,and mix well.Add almond extract.
In another bowl sift together flour,baking soda, and salt.With a wooden spoon gradually stir the flour mixture in to the shortening mixture.The dough should be fairly firm.Divide dough in half and roll in to a log 1- 1/2 inch diameter.Wrap in waxed paper and refridgerate 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 .Cut dough in 1/4 in slices. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet or silpat.Top cookies with an almond halve.Brush cookie lightly with beaten egg.Bake for about 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

Note:
1. A great way to mix ingredient instead of sifting together is to use a wisk.
2. I am going to try this recipe with butter next time and will update when I do : )

Chocolate cake .

I wanted to share a recipe that I really like to make. I have made this when I have a crowd for dessert.The left overs freeze nicely too.

Here is what I do to freeze:

I freeze it on a sheet pan uncovered. I like to make sure the slices are separated so they don't stick together. When the cake is frozen I place the slices in a large zip lock bag for future use. This cake thaws beautifully in the microwave .I try ten seconds at a time until it is thawed to my liking. I hope you enjoy this Cake as much as I do .It is great for a crowd or frozen for a sweet treat when needed.

Here is the recipe I got it from The Pioneer Woman's Blog Love her site.here is a link to her page.

The Pioneer Woman's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• _____
• FOR FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-3/4 stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Great way to give

I would like to share something with you guys that I think is a wonderful way to give .
I found it through my various travels on the web.
It's Restaurant.com's feed it forward.


Feed It Forward." a celebration of the gift of giving, was started in 2008 by Restaurant.com, as a result of the economic downturn. Feed It Forward enables individuals to give FREE $10 Restaurant.com eGift Cards to friends, family or anonymously send random acts of kindness to the Restaurant.com community. Over the past three holiday seasons, Feed It Forward participants nationwide have gifted more than $32 million in dining experiences. It's free to give and free to receive."

Restaurant.com." helps deepen relationships and create lasting memories one dining experience at a time. The company offers savings at more than 18,000 restaurants nationwide with more than 45,000 gift certificate options. Based in Arlington Heights, Ill., Restaurant.com has helped customers save more than $500 million since it was founded in 1999. Giving back to the community is an integral part of Restaurant.com's culture to be a socially responsible organization."

Cool things I want to share today!

1. The Frugal Girl's New e-book  Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose here is the Link.I got it today and it is full of wonderful ideas!
2. Rouxbe online video Cooking School here is the  Link to their site. I love their lessons they are so easy to understand and the site is great!

Thanksgiving

This time of year I often think of the many things I have to be thankful for. My family and I have all we need. I am thankful to have had my husband home for the majority of this year and that is more than I can say for a lot of people.

Thanksgiving was spent here at home just the four of us this year.The meal turned out wonderful one of my best meals. I brined a turkey for the first time this year and it turned out juicy and flavorful and cooked in half the time. I also made a pumpkin pie totally from scratch even the pumpkin puree was homemade from a delicious puree of roast pumpkin. I was very thankful that the new recipes were a hit with the whole family.

Honey Brine for Turkey
(This recipe was borrowed from another blog though edited slightly)

Ingredients:
12 cups water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 lb honey
peppercorns
 2-3 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
Turkey
Large stock pot with cover or othe food safe container large enough to contain Turkey and brine.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients other than turkey in a pot  heat the water mixture until honey and salt are dissolved completely. Remove the pot from the heat  and add ice to cool down the brine. Make sure it is cold. Add the brine to desired container and add turkey make  sure the turkey is totally covered. If needed add a little more water if the turkey floats place a plate or lid on top to allow it to be completely submerged. Allow to brine for 1 hour per pound in the refrigerator.
when brining is complete  remove Turkey from brine and discard brine.Rinsing the turkey is optional.To help dry out the skin pat dry with paper towels.Another option is to put in the refrigerator for and hour or so uncovered  to allow skin to dry.This will help skin to crisp better when roasted.


Roasted Pumpkin

Ingredients/supplies:
Whole pumpkin
Baking sheet
oven

Directions:
preheat oven to 450
cut up pumpkin
place on a baking sheet
bake in a 450 degree oven
bake for 45 minutes to 1hr or until fork tender
baking time will vary 
take pumpkin out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature
remove skin
puree pumpkin
place in clean jars with lids
leave proper head space if freezing.
allow to cool in refrigerator
freeze if you do not  plan to use in the following couple of days 
Pumpkin puree can be used in the same way you would canned "pumpkin" from the store.