Dessert again

I swear I don't make desserts every night....okay you got me, about every other night. But here is one that I could believe! It has mountain dew in it - yes mountain dew. Don't be shy and try it, I think you will be so surprised that it will knock your socks off!


Apple Dumplings
(see pictures on her website if needed)by pioneer woman
Prep Time: 10 Minutes. Cook Time: 40 Minutes. Difficulty: Easy. Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 whole Granny Smith Apples
• 2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Sugar (it originally asks for 1 and 1/2 cups and I cut this down, I think you will want to too)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Cinnamon, To Taste
• 1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Preparation Instructions:
Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40-43 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.

Rice Pudding

I know I don't have pictures with my recipes and I am sorry. I don't have my camera with me when I cook up at the main house and so no pictures - but this one I hope you know how it is suppose to look like.

Rice pudding. We (my sis, mom and niece) have tried many recipes. None have turned out. They were gross - so for my sister's and her husbands 20th (yes that is correct!) 20th Anniversary, we made Steve's favorite dessert. I was a little worried, but I went to a recipe blog I have used and everything has turned out great (my kitchen cafe). And found one to try, it just took a lot longer to cook here in Oregon than wherever the blog-lady is from. But it turned out so good, I wish I make more. Add, vanilla ice cream or cream or chocolate shavings on top - yum!

Rice Pudding
adapted from Martha Stewart and my kitchen cafe

3/4 cup Arborio rice, rinsed
6 cups whole milk (didn't have and used 3 cups 2% and 3 cups half-n-half)
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (as we all know, vanilla beans are pricey so if you don’t want to splurge, you can substitute 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (used half -n-half)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, milk, vanilla bean and seeds, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until rice is tender and liquid has absorbed, about 45-60 minutes.

2. Remove vanilla bean if using; stir in heavy cream. Rice pudding may be served warm, at room temperature or chilled (personally I prefer it slightly warmed).

New Pictures!

Here is my big 4 year old - 42.6 lbs and 3'11" tall! Yes, huge and 100% adorable.

(Piper is so fluffy - and looks very nervous in this picture!)

Our 6th year anniversary picture. We got the WHOLE night to ourselves. We dropped the kids off with the grandparents and went to sushi and dessert. Rented a movie and enjoyed our night free of responsibility. Loved every minute!

6 years and loving it!

Today is my 6 year anniversary! I am so lucky and blessed to be in love with my best friend. John has been my comfort, my love, my everything. I love him with all that I have and can't image my life without him. I love this gospel so much to know that I have him and my family forever. Happy Anniversary John!

Every year we take a picture of us to document what we did and how we look like, so in 10, 20 + years we can look back and see us age, but also remember what we did. I have an Anniversary Photo Album/Book to keep all this in.

Year 6: Picture to come!

This is year 5 - Activity: Dinner and Temple.

This is year 4 - Activity: Dinner and Movie and hugely pregnant with Izzie.

This is year 3 - Activity: Dinner and a Las Vegas Show (we almost forgot to take 'the' picture so this is right before bedtime.)

Year 2 - Activity: Having a baby -Matthew

Year 1 - Activity: Dinner and a Las Vegas Show.
This isn't the picture on that day - We took that picture on film and not digital, but here is a picture of us that year.

Marriage date March 12, 2004 - Portland Oregon Temple for time and all eternity.

One of our Engagment Photos:

Matthew is now 4!

March 11th is my boys birthday. I can't believe he is 4. It seems like yesterday I was huge and pregnant and heading to the hospital to have this almost 10 lb baby. He has been my sunshine and loving boy. And he is still my big boy always bigger than normal - 44 lbs and the same size as most 5 year olds. He is so happy all the time and so willing to forgive and tell you he loves you. Since he is my first born, I dare say he gets all the experimental ways to raise a child, sorry Matthew! However, I am grateful to be his mommy.

For this 4th Birthday we had an at home party with family and my BFF family. Spider Man was the theme and Matthew couldn't have been happier. Pizza, three cakes and ice cream later, he told me he was glad it was his birthday. Happy Birthday my boy!

Recipes

I have some new recipes that I have tried and loved! I am going to post each one separately. With the chicken, my sister loved it so much she wanted me to make it again the next night. I told her, maybe the end of the week! I hope you enjoy them!

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate
{AKA Cinnamon Bun Popcorn!} (from Best Bites)

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*
1 C roughly chopped pecans (I left this out for the kids)
1 C brown sugar
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)
1 stick real butter (1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 squares almond bark

*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a "natural" flavor that's low in butter and salt.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Again, use a bowl larger than you think you need to avoid scorching hot caramel. It's really important to incorporate the cinnamon into the brown sugar at this point. For some reason, if you don't it does crazy things. I don't know why.

Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

By this point it should be nice and bubbly.

If it doesn't quite look like that you can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you over cook it, it will reach the hard candy stage and you'll end up with a giant clump of tasty concrete-like substance with little popcorn pieces stuck to it.

Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.

The vanilla makes it bubble and pop and the baking soda makes it foam up. SO COOL!

Now take that foamy science project and pour it right over the popcorn and pecans-if using. Stir right away, and stir lots. Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.

And yeah, go ahead and pop some in your mouth, you know you want to. It will be kinda chewy and stick-to-your-teeth-like. But we're gonna change that. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. "Sample." If it's not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes. "Sample" again. This will not be the end of "sampling."

When it's done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions) If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil. I always do this because sometimes it sticks to the hot foil if I leave it on the original pan. I'm kind of a clean control freak and I like to have it on a nice, fresh surface.

Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.

When it's hardened (pop it in the fridge to speed that process along) break into chunks and enjoy!