Posts Tagged ‘kitchen’

You may remember several years ago there was a commercial about making Rice Krispie Treats. In the commercial the woman making the treats was out in the kitchen reading a novel after making the treats while her family was in the dining room asking if they were ready yet. After she yells "These things take time," she finally puts down the novel, throws some flour on her face, and enters the dining room with a platter of the treats, much to the delight of the family.

Rice KrispieTreats are quick and easy to make in the microwave and they are very tasty. Here's a recipe for my favorite version:

Marshmallow Treats

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
4 cups of mini marshmallows
5 cups chocolate krispies (I got these at Aldi -- most stores have their own brand)

In a large bowl or measuring cup (I use a 6 cup measure) melt the butter and peanut butter on high for 35-45 seconds. Add the marshmallows and microwave for 1 minute at 70% power. Stir in the krispies and coat throughly. Press into a buttered 9" x 13" pan. Cool and cut into squares. Enjoy your quick and easy treat!

While Drew has been with us this week he has been helping with a variety of chores around the house. Here he is washing the bench from our front porch:

Here he is rolling out some dough for Gorditas with his mom. He said he was "doughing." We've been having fun.

Becka

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Today at work someone asked me if I was feeling all right--she said "You look really tired." I had to reply that I was pretty tired--we've had a busy week. We helped DD, Nora, move one evening (she's becoming a live-in nanny) and we've been finishing up the final phase of the kitchen project this week. We had new counter tops and a new kitchen sink installed.

Here are the before and after pictures:

Old Sink (rather shallow stainless steel):

New Sink (deeper, almond-colored Kohler smart divide porcelain) :

Old Counter (beige laminate):

New Counter (granite patterned laminate):

We had first seen this counter top material earlier this summer when we were up in Ohio visiting DSIL and DBIL, Deb and Dan in Ohio. They are re-doing their kitchen and had chosen this exact same material. We really liked it and decided to put it in our kitchen if it was available down here.

This was the first time I have ever chosen a new sink or new counter tops. I had seen a smart divide sink when we visited our friends Cathy and David in North Carolina. I debated whether to get a two compartment sink or one large one and this option (the smart divide has a lower center partition) seemed like the best of both options.

We still have a bit of touch-up work to finish up and a few things to put away, but hopefully we are finished with big projects for the summer. We are thankful that the Lord provided this opportunity to redo the kitchen and look forward to using it for many years to come.

Becka

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Our new floor is finally finished and I wanted to post some before and after pictures.

Here is the old, dingy, stained white vinyl floor:

Here is our friend Bill installing the new tile:

Here is the finished look:

We are very thankful for the opportunity to replace the old vinyl linoleum and are very happy with the new look.

Becka

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We have plans for several projects around the house this summer. One big one is underway this week -- we are having a new kitchen floor installed. We moved into this house six years ago and have been eagerly anticipating the day when we could finally replace the white vinyl floor in our kitchen. I've been keeping busy emptying out the kitchen and preparing a few things ahead for us to eat while the kitchen is off-limits.

Here's one of the recipes I made up and stuck in the freezer:

Pizza Sub Rolls

6 sub rolls
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jar pizza sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain off accumulated fat and then add green peppers and onion and cook until tender. Add pizza sauce and Italian seasoning. Let cool a bit and then stir in about half of the cheese. Spoon into the sub buns and then top with additional cheese. Wrap each one individually.

I wrapped each one in foil since I will be heating them in a toaster oven in our temporary kitchen in the bathroom. Heat in the oven for about 10-15 mins. If you want to heat them in the microwave wrap them in plastic wrap and microwave for about a minute.

Stay tuned for before and after pictures of our new kitchen floor!

Becka

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I first became acquainted with White Lily Flour over a quarter of a century ago when we moved to South Carolina. At the time I was teaching home economics and we had a video in the department extolling the virtues of this specially blended soft wheat flour. It is especially recommended for quick breads such as biscuits, muffins, pancakes, etc.

For a couple of years the company ran an advertising campaign about "flowers of the South". White Lily included its flour among those "flowers." As part of that campaign you could order posters for a nominal fee. I ordered this one which Rob had framed for me and it is now hanging in my kitchen.

DD Nora found me the little decorative plates on either side of the poster and made me the kitchen curtains which also have a floral theme.

Four or five years ago White Lily even sponsored a free baking seminar here in town which I attended and where I won this lovely tee shirt.

Imagine my shock and surprise when I read this link on Betty's Blog and found that White Lily Flour company had moved from its southern home of over 100 years in Knoxville, Tennessee, to, of all places, Toledo, Ohio! Rob and I grew up just south of Toledo and we know the wheat in that area is not soft wheat. What were they thinking?

When we moved here to Greenville in 1984 from Michigan I had to adapt many of my recipes to compensate for the difference in the flour. The soft wheat is great for cakes and quick breads but I found for most cookies I have to use 2 Tbsps. extra flour per cup called for in the recipe to make a nice firm, chewy cookie that does not run all over the cookie sheet. (This was for recipes formulated for "northern" flours.) Now when I bake a new cookie recipe for the first time if I suspect the dough looks a little soft I will bake a test cookie to see if I need to add the additional flour to make the cookie dough the right consistency. It has saved a lot of frustration.

Have you discovered differences in baking ingredients in different areas of the country or from country to country for those who live outside the U.S.?

Becka

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