Today is Father’s Day! Well, at least as far as Italy is concerned
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Family
Today is Father’s Day! Well, at least as far as Italy is concerned. The way I see it , the 19th of March is one more day to celebrate the man that made me the person I am today. Mom, don’t worry, I still think that you are the best mom out there, but it’s Father’s Day, so Dad is going to be in the spot light today. I have always been a daddy’s girl, I don’t have a problem admitting that! I’m actually very proud of that! I’m very much like my dad. Mom loves to point that out every time she sees my feet! I don’t know if I should be worried that I have man feet, or if my dad should be the one concerned with his girlish feet. Among other things that I take from my dad, besides my big brown eyes and the allergies, is the love for cars. I loved going around to car dealerships, to the point that at 3 I could name most car dealerships in Pisa and surrounding areas! If that is not love, I don’t know what it is! My dad is the kind of person that has always tried to do the best he could to make sure that myself and siblings would always have what we wanted and needed. Huge example of that was when my little sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He and Mom literally packed our family, sold things, closed a business, in 3 weeks and moved across the ocean just so Melissa, my little sister, could have a bit longer life here on Earth with us, in the best condition and with the best medical attention possible. I think that is just amazing, to say the least! I’m grateful for a father that tought me that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always there for me, and that learning about the Gospel as a family and as individuals is important. I must be honest, family home evening was a boring activity growing up except when we played games. As I got older and looking back now, I’m very happy to say that thanks to Dad and his endurance in never once missing family home evening, I was able to learn and grow in the Gospel, even at home, thanks to that. I’m grateful to my dad that was always there for me when I needed a blessing, a hug or just needed to laugh. The man can make me cry from laughter! I hope I can make him proud of me as much as I’m proud of him! I know that he has given me everything he could. Even as much as letting his little girl get married to the wonderful man that I was blessed to be sealed to in the temple, and not keeping me locked up in a room until I was 50, like his original plan. 
Buona Festa del Papa’ Babbino mio! Grazie di tutto! Ti Voglio Tanto Bene!
Tags: Babbo, Family, Italian Father's Day
Chicken Enchiladas
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Chicken
- 1 Can Campbell’s cream of chicken
- 8 Ounce of sour cream
- 1 Medium size onion sautéed
- 2 Cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 Cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 10 Small flour tortillas
Directions:
Mix cream of chicken, sour cream.
Add to the cream mixture chicken and cheese.
Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Pour remaining mixture over enchiladas.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until hot.
Level Of Difficulty – Easy
Tags: Cheese, Chicken, Difficulty- Easy, Enchiladas, Food, Onion, Sour Cream, Tortillas
Yogurt Face Mask
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Home Remedies
Yogurt Face Mask
- 1 Cup of Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon turmeric powder
Cleanse face and remove all makeup Combine yogurt and turmeric, and brush an even coating on face, neck and chest using a clean makeup brush or paintbrush. Leave on for five to 10 min., then rinse off and follow with a moisturizer.
Tags: Face Mask, Home Remedies, Turmeric, Yogurt
Solution to Shrunken Clothing
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Clothing Care
I ran across this article on real simple magazine and I thought it was great for two reasons. 1 Apparently I’m not the only one that shrinks clothing. 2 I found a solution to my shrinking clothing. So readers arm yourself with baby shampoo or conditioner, and lets get rid of our shrunken clothing. Add 1 tablespoon of baby shampoo or conditioner to 1 quart of water, then immerse a machine or hand washable garment in the solution to relax the fibers. While the shrunken garment is soaking, trace an outline of a similarly sized piece of clothing onto a piece of clothing onto a piece of parchment paper. Lightly squeeze the excess water from the garment, then lay it on the paper. Gently stretch the item so that it fits the traced outline. If there is a little stiffness, use a steamer or the steam from an iron to make the garment more malleable. Finally secure the edges with a heavy object and let it dry.
Tags: Baby Shampoo, Clothing Care, Conditioner, Real Simple Magazine, Shrunken Clothing, water
Pizza Dough & Focaccia Dough
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Dough
Ingredients:
1 Cup 2 Tablespoons of Warm Water
2 Tablespoons of Oil
2 Teaspoons of Yeast
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
3 Cups of Flour
Toppings of Choice
Directions:
In a mixing bow add water, oil, yeast, salt and sugar and mix together with a spoon until yeast is activated.
Add to the liquid mixture the flour and mix together. Live the dough in the mixing bowl and cover with a clean towel and let it rise for about 1 hr.
When the dough is done rising divide in two pieces and flatten to make the pizza. After you added the topping cook in a preheated oven at 375 for about 15 min.
If you would like to make Focaccia after you have flatted the dough spread some oil, then add salt to taste.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Tags: Difficulty- Easy, Dough, Flour, Focaccia, Pizza, Yeast
Pavlova
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Desserts
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Sugar
Fresh Whipping 
Cream
Fresh fruit of your choice
Directions:
Whisk the whites until stiff and dry. Gradually whisk in half the sugar and then fold in the remainder.
Prepare your template, draw the outline of the shape you require clearly on baking parchment and turn it over. Pile the meringue into the middle of the shape, then spread it with the back of a metal spoon. Hollow out the middle to create a nest-shape.
Preheat oven to 210 and let meringue bake for 1 to 3 hrs. To maintain a very low temp for a long period of time, wedge the oven door jam with a wooden spoon handle if possible. Place the meringue in baking sheets lined with parchment paper for cooking.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Tags: Cream, Dessert, Difficulty- Easy, Eggs, Fruit, Meringue, Valentine's day Dessert
Creamy Tomato Soup
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Soup
Ingredients: (serves 6)
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 Cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth or
one can of cream of chicken and one can of water
2 Cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in juice (with basil if available)
8 Baby carrots cut small
Directions:
In a 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat; add oil and onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
To saucepan, add thyme, broth, and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with your fingers. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 30 minutes. (Remove thyme sprigs before blending.)
Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot, leaving a fair amount of the tomatoes in chunks. Or, working in several batches, puree half (5 cups) of the soup in a conventional blender until smooth; return to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature before dividing among airtight containers (leaving 1 inch of space at the top) and freezing.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Tags: Carrots, Chicken Broth, Cream Of Chicken, Difficulty- Easy, Freezing Directions, Onion, Soup, Thyme, Tomato
Roast Asparagus with Crispy Prosciutto
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Prosciutto
Ingredients: (4 servings)
20 Fine Asparagus Spears Trimmed
4 Prosciutto Slices
1 Small Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Put the asparagus in a roasting pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle over the basil and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir to coat in the oil, then spread the asparagus in a single layer.
Lay the slices of prosciutto on top of the asparagus and cook for 10 to 15 min., or until the prosciutto is crisp and the asparagus are tender. Serve immediately.
I like to serve a small prosciutto and fresh mozzarella sandwich. I use fresh bread and after adding the mozzarella and prosciutto, I let it broil in the oven on high for about 3 min. After I take sandwich out of the oven, I let it cool. I then add lettuce and tomatoes.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Tags: Asparagus, Basil, Cheese, Difficulty- Easy, Fresh Bread, Lettuce, Prosciutto, Sandwich, Tomatoes
What’s for Dinner?
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Chicken
Do you ever feel like you always end up eating the same few thinks? Some times it feels that way for me. I wanted to change up a little bit, so I went in search for a chicken recipe that could be some what interesting or new. As I was browsing the internet I came a cross a recipe for Hawaiian Haystacks. We hadn’t had them for a while so I figure I make that for dinner. So I wanted to share this simple recipe with you. They turned out great!
Main Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of Cooked Rice per Person. (I use the 5 min rice.)
- 1/2 Cup per Person Cooked Chopped Chicken Meat. (You can cook it with a bit of oil and chopped onion to add a bit of flavor to the chicken)
- 1/2-1 Cup per Person of Chicken Gravy, or Cream of Chicken Soup Diluted with Milk (I Prefer the cream of chicken with a bit of milk, it’s thicker and I think it covers the chicken and rice much better.)
Toppings:
- Chopped Celery
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Pine Apple
- Chow Mein Noodles
- Shred Cocoanut
Level Of Difficulty – Easy
Tags: Celery, Chicken, Chow Mein, Difficulty- Easy, Hawaiian Haystacks, Main Dish, Onions, Rice
Gaining Control Of Our Garage Freezer
Posted by Rebecca Baldwin | Filed under Organizing
I have become one of Costco’s biggest fans since last spring! I have been able to cut down our food budged, have some food storage in the house and only need to go grocery shopping every 2 weeks or so because of Costco. When I first started shopping there, I was super happy that I had a food saver so that I could repackage the purchased food into the right portions for us. Soon after we realized that our freezer was becoming to small for us. If by chance we need to buy a bag of ice we wouldn’t know where to put it! For my birthday I was given a small freezer, that I could put in the garage to store things that we didn’t use as often and meats. So we got the freezer up and running, and put most of the frozen things in there. The only problem that I had with this new freezer is that every time I had to grab something I would be digging around. Also keep track of things that we needed was not working out well. I then decided to take another of my mom’s suggestions and take everything out and put the meats in boxes and give everything a place, instead of just opening the freezer and putting stuff in. After giving everything it’s place I was able to take an inventory, and make sure that everything was dated so that I would know when the repackaged things where frozen. Once again, thanks mom! 
Before
After
Tags: Costco Shopper, Food Storage, Freezer, Martha Stewart Freezer Labels, Organizing, Repackaging Dates
