Food: Manicotti

This Manicotti recipe is a fave in our house. If I'm pushed for time, I will sometimes use 1.5 jars of pasta sauce and simmer it for 10 minutes with the fresh basil (and add meat if we are making it a meat sauce) while I'm prepping the filling. These reheat really well the next day and you can freeze them before cooking them - just thaw 1-2 days in the refrigerator and then cook :)

Manicotti - adapted from Cook's Country

Tomato Sauce

2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional - gives the sauce "heat")

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 lb. ground beef (optional, sometimes we use beef to make a meat sauce, sometimes we keep it meatless)

Cheese Filling and Pasta

2 cups (15-16 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1.5 - 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 egg

1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

10-12 lasagna noodles

Pulse tomatoes in a food processor until chopped, about 4 or 5 pulses. Heat oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt, and basil and simmer about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and set each noodle on a dishtowel.

To make the filling: combine ricotta, 3/4 cup parmesan, mozzarella, egg, parsley, basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spoon onto each lasagna noodle (eyeball it to evenly distribute the mixture between all the noodles). Roll up each noodle.

Spoon and spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 7"x11" baking dish. Place rolled manicottis, seam side down, in the dish.

Spoon the rest of the sauce over top of the manicottis, making sure all edges of the pasta are covered.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese on top. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with crusty French bread and a fresh salad. Enjoy! :)

Food: Easy Cheese Danish Bars

I am always on the lookout for yummy recipes that yield a lot (and don't take that long to make), making them great to take to get-togethers. I found this recipe via pinterest the other day, and decided to give it a try for our women's bible study night. They were really, really good :) I usually only make sweets and such when I'm going to a get-together or we are having people over :) That way they get eaten (and not all by me ;)).

I adapted the recipe slightly and was fairly pleased with the results. The recipe calls for a fair amount of cheese filling to be made, and I halved it per the suggestion of the blogger (and used less sugar than called for, and more vanilla than called for). I think next time I will try the full amount (listed below, but sugar and vanilla amounts are my change), to add more of the cheese filling flavor.

Easy Cheese Danish Bars - adapted slightly from The Adventures of Kitchen Girl

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

2- 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg white

Glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9"x13" glass baking dish. Unroll one can of crescent rolls and line the bottom of the dish, pinching seams together.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and one egg, until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over the crescent roll layer in the dish.

Unroll the other can of crescent rolls, pinch the seams together and then place over top of the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Beat egg white slightly and brush over top of the crescent roll layer.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool for about 10-15 minutes. While cooling, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Drizzle over slightly cooled danish. Cut into 1"x 2" bars and serve warm. Enjoy!

Food: Lemon Bars

Happy Monday! These yummy lemon bars are a fave in our house :) Also great to take to get-togethers :)

Lemon Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter with pastry blender. Pat dough into a crust in prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly golden. While crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. When crust is finished, whisk lemon mixture once more and then pour over the hot crust.

Return to the preheated oven for 20 to 25 more minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

Food: Super Quick Cinnamon Rolls

I came across a recipe for "fastest ever" cinnamon rolls via pinterest awhile back and tried it recently. I was skeptical at first, as it didn't call for yeast in the dough. My, oh my, was I wrong. These are the BEST and fastest cinnamon rolls I've ever made. So, so good. SO good.

Super Quick Cinnamon Rolls - adapted slightly from Lick the Bowl Good
Dough:
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup cottage cheese
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Filling:
1-1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

Combine the milk and lemon juice and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Combine the milk mixture, cottage cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a food processor and process about 10 seconds, until smooth. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add mixture to milk mixture in the food processor. Process until a soft dough forms, about 10-20 pulses. The dough will be sticky. Do NOT over-process.

Place dough onto a lightly floured working surface and roll out to a 12"x15" rectangle. Top with melted butter. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Spread evenly over buttered dough.

Starting with the long edge, roll up the dough, jelly-roll style. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Place in a round, greased cake pan. Don't worry if the edges touch. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and let rolls rest 10 minutes while oven preheats.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp. cold milk (or enough to create desired glaze consistency)

Combine all glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls and serve. Enjoy! :)

Food: Katie's Scotcheroos

These are my mother-in-law's recipe- they are a fabulous dessert bar. They are super rich, so I don't make them unless we are having friends over or going to a get-together (because I'd probably eat them all. By myself. ;)). They are quick to make and make a bunch, so they are perfect for sharing :) Or not. :)

Katie's Scotcheroos
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
5½ cups Rice Krispies
1-6oz. pkg. chocolate morsels
1-6oz. pkg. butterscotch morsels

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture begins to bubble. remove from heat, stir in peanut butter. Mix well.

Pour over Rice Krispies and stir well until coated. Press mixture into a buttered pan.

For frosting, melt chocolate and butterscotch morsels over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over Rice Krispies. Cool until firm Cut into bars.

Food: Calzone Rolls

I made these super yummy calzone rolls this weekend. They were fabulous and fairly easy to make. I found this recipe via pinterest and adapted it a little, including making my own pizza dough and marinara sauce to dip them in.

Calzone Rolls

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough found here at Lauren's Latest - the BEST pizza dough recipe I've found. Ever (and her cheesesticks recipe is amazing too!). Or you can use a frozen bread loaf (thawed, of course ;)).

5 slices deli ham

5 slices deli salami

10 slices deli pepperoni

1-1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese (or plain mozzarella)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

1 recipe marinara sauce found at Skinny Taste (or use store-bought marinara)

Roll pizza dough out to 8 inches by 12 inches. Top with ham, salami, and pepperoni. Sprinkle cheese evenly over meat. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over cheese.

Fold short edges in about 1/2 inch. Starting with long side, roll the pizza dough up jelly-roll style, and pinch to seal edges. Place on a pizza stone or lightly greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush top of roll with egg white and sprinkle parmesan on top. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.

Food: No-Knead Loaf Bread

A couple months ago, I shared this recipe for Rosemary Bread. I make it a ton. I decided to try making it without the rosemary one day (because the rosemary wasn't really going to "go" with the dinner I was making), and also making it into two loaves (instead of two rounds). It turned out great and I am happy to have a relatively quick 2-loaf recipe! I have also been using half white bread flour and half whole wheat white flour - it turns out a little more dense, but still good. You could also make one loaf with the melted rosemary and butter mixture and one with just melted butter and have two different loaves, for two different meals :)

No-Knead Loaf Bread

1 packet yeast

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

4 cups bread flour (I sometimes use 2 cups bread flour, 2 cups whole wheat white flour)

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a measuring cup. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast and sugar mixture and stir to combine. I also used my hands at this point to make sure it was fully combined - do NOT knead.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (I put mine on the back burner of the stove, turn the oven on to warm for 5 minutes, then turn it off) for about an hour.

Divide dough into two equal rounds, shape into rectangular-ish loaves (I sprinkled a little bit of flour to make the dough easier to handle-- it's super sticky) and place each in a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Brush melted butter on each loaf. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place for an hour.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 10-15 more minutes.

Food: Christmas Sugar Cookies

The other day, our activity from our Advent Book was to make Christmas sugar cookies. My sweet Jimmy had been waiting for the day when "we get to make cookies and put icing and spwinkles on them!". So make them we did, decorate them we did. And it was so much fun. I typically use my parent's sugar cookie recipe but could not find it (fail!) so found one and adapted it a little. I also found a great icing recipe that dries all nice and shiny.

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies (adapted slightly from allrecipes.com)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in vanilla extract and then eggs, one at a time and mix thoroughly. Add baking powder and salt and mix. Then add flour, 1/4 cup at a time and mix well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters or a biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass) to cut out cookies. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until just beginning to brown (be careful, the edges brown... fast!).

Let cool completely before icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing (adapted slightly from allrecipes.com)
1 cup confectioner's sugar
4 tsp. milk
2 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Food coloring
Sprinkles, optional

Mix confectioner's sugar, milk, light corn syrup and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Add more milk 1/2 tsp. at a time if icing is too thick. Divide into different bowls and color each with food coloring. Use a pastry brush, spoon or butter knife to spread icing on cookies. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.

Food: Broccoli Cheese Soup

We have a really good broccoli cheddar soup recipe that is my "go-to" recipe, but I recently found this recipe via Pinterest and decided to try it. Man am I glad I did. I adapted the recipe (because I was out of milk - a sweet friend let me borrow some ;), and also almost out of cheddar), and wow was it good. The recipe calls for using a food processor to puree the broccoli, but next time I think I will puree half of it and leave the other half chopped to add to the soup.

Broccoli Cheese Soup - adapted from Jodi Picoult's Broccoli Cheddar Soup
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli, chopped (I used frozen)
Dash of garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
1-3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded gouda
Slices of crusty bread


In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock, water, broccoli, onion, garlic, garlic powder, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer about 8-10 minutes until vegetables are soft.


Remove the bay leaf. Using a food processor, process the mixture until smooth (about 30 seconds). Place in a bowl and set aside.


Using the large saucepan you just used, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk constantly until a paste forms. Add the milk and cream a little at a time, whisking constantly. Once combined, add the cheddar and gouda and stir until melted and combined.


Add the broccoli mixture and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a little bit of extra chicken stock to thin it out.


Top with shredded cheddar or gouda. Serve with warm crusty French bread. Enjoy! 

Food: Nutella Cereal Goodness

This yummy snack is sometimes called "Puppy Chow", but I decided to call it "Nutella Cereal Goodness" since it has Nutella (!!!) in it :) Quick and easy to make, this snack is great for upcoming holiday get-togethers. 

Nutella Cereal Goodness
9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1/4 cup Nutella
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, heat Nutella, chocolate chips and peanut butter, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.

Pour the 9 cups of cereal in a large bowl. Pour melted chocolate mixture over cereal and use a wooden spoon to stir to coat the cereal.

Adding 1/4 cup powdered sugar at a time, stir to coat the chocolate covered cereal. Continue adding sugar until completely coated.

Crockpot :: Meal Planning

Now that it's nice and chilly out, I've been cranking up the crockpot a lot recently. Love just putting all of the ingredients in and having a yummy hot meal at dinner time. Really helps on busy days full of school, appointments, errands, etc. when I don't have as much time to be in the kitchen.

I found this fabulous blog a little while ago - A Year of Slowcooking - where she used her crockpot every.single.day. for an entire year. I ended up ordering her first cookbook and it came yesterday. Yay! Most of the recipes can be found on her blog, but I love having a hard copy to thumb through and have a bunch of recipes in one place. And for not much $, I was all about it. The book is full of tons of different recipes, ranging from soups and stews, to fondues, to casseroles, to party mixes, to desserts, to how to do your own baby food (!!!). The recipes are easy to make, with inexpensive but yummy ingredients.

I am making Traditional Beef Stew for dinner tonight. We LOVE us some beef stew in our house, so we are excited to see how this particular recipe turns out. Pairing it with this bread that I made yesterday (recipe makes 2 loaves, perfect to have one one evening and use the second loaf the next day).

Jimmy was helping me plan this morning and wanted his mini-dinosaur to be in the picture :)

Food: Fall Eats and Treats

I love pinterest. One of my fave boards is my "Food" board where I pin recipes :) Some fave finds that I've found recently, perfect for Fall. Fall Eats and Treats. Definitely want to make all.of.these. :)

1. Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread
2. French Onion Soup
3. Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
4. Cinnamon Muffins
5. Sourdough Bread
6. Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpeas
7. Tomato Basil Soup
8. Quiche Lorraine
9. Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites
10. Slow Cooker Potato Soup
11. Veggie Soup and Pizza Bread
12. Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
13. Mini Meatball Sliders with Basil Pesto
14. Banana Bread Scones
15. Scarecrow Crunch

Food: Coconut Cake

My hubby's birthday was about a month ago. He loves, loves, loves coconut cake, so I decided to make him one. From scratch (!!!). I have not made many coconut cakes, and this one was absolutely fabulous. Very time consuming (for me), but fabulous. This recipe is by Paula Deen, so you know it has to be good :)

Food: Rosemary Bread

I found this bread recipe via Pinterest over at Make and Takes. I was a little skeptical at first since it looked so incredibly easy to make. Wow, was I wrong. This bread is fabulous. Ok fabulous doesn't even describe it ;) Which is why there was only half of a loaf left by the time I was ready to take a picture (the other one and a half loaves had been eaten. Quickly.).  This is by far one of the easiest yeast breads I've ever made - it doesn't require kneading, just stirring all of the ingredients together and letting it rise, then forming two loaves and letting those rise, then baking. :) Simple as that. The best part is that it makes 2 loaves (from one packet of yeast!). So keep one and give one to a friend :)

Rosemary Bread - adapted slightly from Make and Takes

1 packet yeast

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

4 cups flour

1-1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, divided

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a measuring cup. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, whisk to combine. Add yeast and sugar mixture and stir to combine. I also used my hands at this point to make sure it was fully combined - do NOT knead.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (I put mine on the back burner of the stove, turn the oven on to warm for 5 minutes, then turn it off) for about an hour.

Divide dough into two equal mounds (I sprinkled a little bit of flour to make the dough easier to handle-- it's super sticky) onto a greased cookie sheet. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place for an hour.

Combine melted butter and half a teaspoon rosemary, brush onto each loaf.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 10-15 more minutes.

Canning: Apple Butter

Hello, October! A few of my friends and I canned apple butter this weekend. Perfect timing, as the weather has suddenly become cool and crisp. We used this recipe and it turned out fabulous.

Just like the Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce, it is quite the process, and took several hours. I have never had apple butter before (I know, gasp!), but was quite excited to make it and try it. Definitely am a fan.

Food: Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

I made this fabulous dish the other night - Sesame Chicken with Broccoli. Am a fan. But then again, we love pretty much all Asian-type food :) Pair it with hot rice and maybe an egg roll and yummy :)

Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth, divided

1/4 cup soy sauce, divided

2 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium head of broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Whisk 1/2 cup broth, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and sesame oil in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Toss to coat. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken (about 5 minutes), transfer to plate and set aside.

Add broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth to skillet and cook, covered, until broccoli begins to soften. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add ginger and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Whisk sauce to recombine and add with chicken to broccoli in the skillet. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over hot rice. Enjoy :)

Adapted from Cook's Country Magazine.

Food: Potato Soup

If you are looking for a potato soup recipe, look no more (and even if you aren't, you've got to try this soup. It's that good!). This soup is out.of.this.world. After having it at a friend's house for dinner, it has become part of the monthly rotation on our menu. It's a perfect comfort food, and I am excited to make it more now that fall is approaching.

I think the secret is using fresh rosemary. I'm sure dried will do, but adding the fresh sprig gives it an extra kick.


Potato Soup - adapted from allrecipes.com
3 strips of bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
4 medium red potatoes, washed and diced into large chunks
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 small sprig fresh rosemary (about a 2" long sprig)
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Fresh parsley and chives, minced


In a large saucepan, boil potato chunks until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Chop bacon into pieces and set aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth and water, stirring constantly- this process takes several minutes. Bring to boil gradually; - if you rush it, the consistency of the soup will be grainy and blah. Softly boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add sprig of rosemary. Add potatoes, milk, sour cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Remove rosemary to serve. Garnish with bacon, cheese, chives and parsley.

Food: Chocolate Chip and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

We had a cookout last night with a bunch of our friends - lots of yummy food and of course, lots of fun :) It was also a friend's birthday, so we celebrated with cake and ice cream. 

I made this recipe- Chocolate Chip and Sour Cream Cake, per the request of the birthday-person, and was happy with how it turned out. 

 Chocolate Chip and Sour Cream Coffee Cake - adapted from smittenkitchen
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream (NOT light)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt


2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9"x13" glass baking dish with unsalted butter. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat together until well combined.


In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. "Sift" together with a wire whisk for about 20 seconds.


Alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks begin to form (1-2 minutes on medium-high speed). Gently fold in to batter. The batter will be super thick. At first I was kind of alarmed at how thick it was. But don't worry, it's fine.


Scoop half of the batter into the greased 9"x13" baking dish. Use a spatula to smooth out the batter evenly in the dish. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle half of the mixture over the batter in the baking dish. Then sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips evenly over the batter. Scoop the rest of the batter on top and smooth over the cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips (this part was tricky). Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips evenly on top and press gently into the batter.


Bake for 40-50 minutes until light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake.

Canning: Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

Some of my friends and I canned Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce this weekend. It was a great time of roasting garlic, chopping tons of tomatoes and basil, using 25 (not really :)) different pots and colanders to get the job done (tons of tomatoes + not enough large pots = hilarious-ness in the kitchen), lots of laughs, some pizza and cokes. Six (yes, 6) hours later, we had 13 lovely pints of Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce. We were proud that it only (haha) took 6 hours - none of us had canned before, besides jam. We used a recipe out of a special issue of Better Homes and Gardens - the recipe is located here - just add the garlic from 6 bulbs of roasted garlic to the tomatoes as you chop them in the food processor.

I think I am now addicted to canning. What fun it was to use super fresh produce (a lot from my backyard!) to create pasta sauce that can sit in the pantry. I spoke with one of my friends that was here canning with us and we were talking about how we seriously want to open up a jar and eat it now (we all tasted some last night, SO good), but it's so fun to just look at the cans of homemade tomato sauce that we all put time and effort into.

We are already planning on canning up some apple butter (maybe also peach butter before the season is finished?) as autumn approaches :)

Food: Lemon Loaf

I love pinterest. I found this Lemon Loaf recipe over at the fabulous food blog, Glorious Treats several weeks ago and just had to try it out. I made several modifications to the recipe - which can be good or bad - but I am super excited with how it turned out. Perfectly lemony, and perfectly wonderful for summer.

Lemon Loaf - Makes 2 loaves 9"x5"

Lemon Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups sugar

8 large eggs

2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1.5 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4-6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray sides and bottom of pans with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.

Blend the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice in large bowl and mix well. Slowly add the melted butter, while mixing. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined. Slowly add the flour mixture a little at a time, do not over mix!

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake another 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

Make the Lemon Glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture is too stiff, add up to another 2 tablespoons lemon juice (a little at a time) and whisk again. Pour the glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving. The glazed loaves will keep for up to 3 days, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

**The original recipe calls for lemon syrup. I made lemon syrup the first time and felt like the loaves were too moist for my taste. So I left it out the next time. If you are interested in covering the loaves with syrup:

Lemon Syrup

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

Make the syrup while the loaves are baking. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Invert the baked and (mostly) cooled loaves onto a large sheet pan. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves.

Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

(The soaked, but unglazed loaves will keep well, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen, for up to 6 weeks.)

Recipe adapted from Glorious Treats, originally found in Baked: New Frontiers in Baking