I knew this day would come…I am officially a ma’am. I was at the grocery store yesterday and was having a nice little conversation with the young checkout guy. Then, I moved down to pick up my bags of groceries and the young kid bagging the groceries started up a conversation.

Him - "How are you today, ma’am?"

Me, always willing to chat with someone - "I’m good…how are you doing?"

Him - "Well…it is 6pm on a Saturday night, I’ve been working since 10 and have to work until 8pm."

Me - From somewhere deep inside me, comes the voice and wisdom of what must be a 90 year old woman…"Well, you have a job. That is a lot to be thankful for."

Him, looking at me like I am insane - "Ma’am…it is 6pm on a Saturday night. I am thankful for my job, but I am also 16 years old. Work is really one of the last places I want to be on a Saturday night."

End of conversation. 

I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago. I am now the ripe old age of 34. I’ve gone up in the survey age range (are you…age 21-33, 34-50, etc) which first kind of shocked me. Now, I’m getting called ma’am at the grocery store and telling teenagers that they should be thankful to be working, bagging groceries, on a Saturday night. Did I not remember what it was like to have all of my friends hanging out while I was stuck at work? Apparently not because here I am being all old and fogey and getting strange looks from 16 year olds. When did this happen? When did I start getting crows feet and varicose veins? When did I start hearing the words of my own mother coming out of my mouth…"Because I’m the mom and I said so!" Heck…when did going to the grocery store on a Saturday night become the highlight of my day?

Aging really is not that bad. There are just sometimes that it shocks me a bit that I have come to this point in my life. I love my boring, little life, crow’s feet and all (however, I could do without those varicose veins!). One thing I do know about myself now compared to myself even 10 years ago…I couldn’t bake a thing when I was younger. I had no desire to bake. I just didn’t see the point of going to all that trouble for something you could buy at the store, or pop out of a Pillsbury can.

As a tribute to my aging self, I have decided to share with you a recipe that I make on an almost weekly basis at our home. I haven’t shared this with you in the past because to be honest with you… it never lasts long enough for me to snap a photo for you. This bread is so incredibly soft and the flavor is fantastic. Easy enough for the old and the young to make. I hope you enjoy!

Written for Paper Palate on the Well Fed Network

Doesn’t it seem like Taste of Home magazine has been around forever? I believe the magazine is in its 15th year of publication. That is quite impressive for a magazine that is ad free and is simply a magazine full of reader submitted and test kitchen recipes.

The October/November 2007 issues of Taste of Home is a great example of why this magazine has been so successful through the years. With down home recipes like Honey Glazed Spiral Ham and Zippy Chicken Mushroom Soup, in every issue you find recipes that make you remember growing up and sitting around the dinner table after a hard day of school and play. The fall and winter issues of Taste of Home magazine are always my favorite. These issues are full of recipes packed with comfort. Do you find comfort in the yummy vegetables of autumn? Turn to one of the bonus cards on page 41 and you’ll find a tasty recipe for Rice-Stuffed Acorn Squash. Are you looking for a simple way to cook your turkey this year? Page 10 has a recipe for Turkey Breast with Vegetables that might just make my menu this year. Is soup your comfort food of choice? Apple Pumpkin soup, found on page 9, can be comforting and impressive. Serve it in a small hollowed-out pumpkin and you’ve brought autumn to your table in an impressive way!

Bread is one of my favorite cold weather staples, so in this issue of Taste of Home magazine I turned to the recipe for Soft Breadsticks. These breadsticks were incredibly simple to make and they had a nice, subtle flavor… a perfect accommpiment to the Baked Potato soup we had for dinner last night.

If you are looking for a great magazine full of comfort-food favorites and new recipes to try, pick up the October/Novemeber 2007 issue of Taste of Home magazine. Settle in and warm up your home with the delicious recipes.

Soft Breadsticks from Taste of Home Magazine

• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, Italian seasoning, coarse salt and/or shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Are any of you superstitious? Do you have certain socks you have to wear when you are watching or playing a sport or you are convinced that your team won’t win? When you spill salt, do you toss it over your left shoulder to ward off evil things from happening to you? Do you keep your fires roaring on New Years Eve so that you will have good luck in the new year? How about this one… do you cut your hair on Good Friday to prevent headaches in the coming year?

I have never been very superstitious. I have had black cats cross my path. I have spilled salt and forgotten to toss. I am sure I have walked under my share of ladders and have opened umbrellas indoors. Overall, I would say I haven’t had an unlucky life. Maybe I have had some unlucky things happen once or twice, but nothing horrible has crossed my path yet. Hopefully writing about my lack of misfortune won’t bring me misfortune!

I do have one minor superstition and it has to do with baking. I have a cookie sheet that is very, very old. It is a clean cookie sheet, but it does not look clean. It is discolored, warped and not pretty at all. The thing is, this cookie sheet… I’m sure of it… is the reason my cookies always turn out so good. I think it is seasoned just perfectly, which results in the most perfectly baked cookies every time I use it. My husband, who apparently was disgusted with the cookie sheet, went to Bed Bath and Beyond awhile back and purchased the exact same cookie sheet for me, yet in a new version. I refuse to use it. I know that my beloved cookie sheet works wonders and I know that the new cookie sheet couldn’t possibly achieve the same results! 

Take these yummy Soft & Chewy Vanilla Butter Cookies for example. They are the simplest of cookies, but having them baked through for the perfect amount of time is why they are so delicious. One minute over or one minute under…or using the wrong cookie sheet… and you have a cookie that did not live up to its fullest potential. I tried these on a different cookie sheet one time and I got crispy, crunchy cookies instead of the soft and chewy cookies this recipe typically yields. See? My superstition is true.  

Grab your favorite cookie sheet and give these deliciously simple cookies a try. They can’t promise to bring good luck, but share them with others and good fortune is sure to come your way.

First of all, I have to chuckle a bit this morning as I sit down to write my first blog entry since October 9th. My first blog entry since the blog entry in which I wrote that I would put writing on my blog and visiting your blogs back up on my list of things to keep in priority, because I so enjoy doing it. It is now October 21st (can you believe that??) and I am finally taking some time to write an entry. The truth of the matter is, I haven’t been cooking, so I haven’t had a whole lot to blog about. My parents came into town from south Texas on October 1st and left this past Thursday. My husband and I went on vacation during that time, then we all went to Chicago for a long 4 day weekend and then back to life…back to reality…back to the craziness that is our life. I loved having my parents here and my kids loved it too. A day hasn’t gone by since they have left that someone in the family hasn’t asked where Grandma and Grandpa are. So, now we are trying to find our routines again and to settle back into…LIFE.

For those of you in the US and who have the four seasons, can you believe that we are knee deep into Fall now? Where in the world does the time go? As much as I love all the summertime flavors, with fresh veggies and cool treats, I do love the comforting flavors of Fall. The spices, the root veggies, the simmering pots of stew on the stove, the outdoor firepits, the hot chocolate…all of these things I love. Oh - and if I had the time…the snuggling up on the couch with a good book and my favorite quilt.

One of my favorite fall flavors is pumpkin. It is one of those flavors that I didn’t like as a child, but as I have grown and ended up marrying a man who loves pumpkin, I have learned to appreciate it as well. Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting has become a favorite of mine over the years. I first had a pumpkin bar several years ago at a work bake sale. I had one bite and knew I needed to find a recipe similar to it. I tried to find the person who made the bars, but no one knew who it was. I can’t remember exactly where I ended up getting this recipe, but it is one of those that gets made many, many times during the cool season at our home. Rich with flavor and topped with a generous amount of frosting, you will love tasting every last calorie in this delicious recipe. Try this recipe out and fall into the flavors of Fall.

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

12-24 servings

45 min 20 min prep

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease and flour one glass 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin.
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; add to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Spread into prepared pan.
6. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. For the frosting: beat together the cream cheese, butter and confectioner’s sugar.
9. Evenly spread over bars after they have cooled.

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful kid-free vacation getaway with some of our very best friends. Several days of sunshine, good restaurants, great scenery, yummy beverages, beautiful company, and as always when we get together with these friends…fun and memorable times. Jan, Rob, Stacy and Bryon…we love you guys and miss you already!

While we were traveling to see some sites one day, we got to chatting and someone asked the question "If you could change one thing about yourself right now, what would it be?". My answer was that I wish I could find my ability to focus again. I know I keep rambling on about this throughout my blog lately, but I feel like I am doing a ton of things but really not accomplishing any one thing well. I’m not complaining… I love everything I am doing. Of course, I LOVE being a mom and everything involved with that. I also really enjoy the recruiting I am doing…it is such a nice change of pace from my old recruiting job. Writing for the magazine (which, by the way, published its first issue this past week! If you want a pdf copy, e-mail me) is a dream come true and I love it as well. I love it all, but feel like I am going in a thousand different directions. I completely lack focus. For the first time in my life, I have a stack of library books sitting on my island that are way overdue at the library.  I have piles of folded laundry in my room that I cannot seem to find the time to put away. I have e-mails to send, late birthday cards to get out, bills to pay, groceries to shop for, friends to call, budgeting to do, projects to complete, etc….and nothing is getting done.

When I started thinking about my focus, one thing that I really began to realize that I missed doing was cooking and blogging like I used to. I have not been the best at keeping up on my blog and I have been horrible about planning and cooking our meals lately. I have also found zero time to visit my favorite blogs out there and to comment on your comments left here, and I hate that. I don’t think of blogging as an obligation. I think of it as something I enjoy doing and come hell or high water, I’ve decided to put blogging and visiting your blogs near the top of the list. It is a stress reliever for me…just like cooking.  I am determined to find my focus again. It may take a little time and some schedule/priority changes, but I will be the organized, focused individual I once was.

Speaking of lack of focus…while on vacation, Nick and I decided to make dinner for our friends one night. We had the menu all planned out and then at the last minute, right before heading to the grocery store, the cover of the October 2007 issue of Family Circle magazine caught my eye and my plans changed for dessert. On the front cover was a picture of a delicious looking triple layer cake. The chocolate-glazed maple spice cake seemed like the perfect dessert for a fall day (even though it was 90 some degrees where we were at). Our friends agreed to be the guinea pigs for this recipe and I set out to make the cake. Due to lack of tools, we only made a double layer cake. Taking it out of the oven, it smelled fantastic and I couldn’t wait to get it frosted and to give it a try. By the time dinner was over and we had made some room for dessert, I was practically salivating. Salivating to taste a bite of this cake, only to taste it and to be completely disappointed. Yep…this cake did absolutely nothing for me and my taste buds. I believe, in all honesty, that the problem with this recipe was the lack of focus. It had so many flavor combinations going on with the chocolate, the maple and the pumpkin that it just missed the mark. I will make this again, but next time instead of adding the additional maple flavoring, I will skip that piece and add vanilla instead.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think. There are people out there who rave about this cake, so don’t just take my word for it. Also, if you have any tips on staying/keeping/gaining focus, please, oh please, pass them on!

Choclate-Glazed Maple Spice Cake

Makes: 12 servings. PREP: 20 minutes. BAKE: at 350 degrees for 28 minutes. REFRIGERATE: 15 minutes.

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup
3 eggs
1 teaspoon imitation maple flavor
3/4 cup milk

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon imitation maple flavor
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Frosting:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Whole walnuts, to garnish

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat three 8 x 2-inch round layer-cake pans with shortening; dust with flour, discarding excess.
2. Cake: Whisk flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in bowl.
3. Beat shortening in second bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in sugar and maple syrup. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add maple flavor; beat until smooth. On low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture, then milk, then remaining flour mixture. Spread batter in prepared pans, dividing evenly.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 28 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes directly to rack to cool completely.
5. Filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and maple flavor in bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat until good spreading consistency. Place cake layer on serving dish. Top with 1 1/4 cups filling. Place second cake layer on top, then remaining 1 1/4 cups filling. Top with third layer.
6. Frosting: In saucepan, heat cream just to a simmer. Pour over chocolate in a small bowl; whisk until smooth. Cool 5 minutes, until thicker but still pourable. Pour over cake, spreading to allow some to dribble down sides. Top with walnuts. Refrigerate 15 minutes before serving.

Written for Paper Palate on the Well Fed Network

Like most mom’s out there, I am in awe each and every day of how fast time seems to slip by. I wake up in the morning and between the three kids, their school, my work, housecleaning, post-school activities, time with hubby, I am one busy woman. By the time I get the chance to sit down and breathe for a moment, the day is done. This is why Simple and Delicious magazine by Taste of Home is on my list of top magazines that I subscribe too. I love to cook, but I do not always have time for a meal that will keep me in the kitchen for hours. Simple and Delicious magazine offers recipes that can be put together in 30 minutes or less with simple ingredients that I usually have on hand. A subscription to Simple and Delicious magazine is one gift that I include in all new bride presents and new mom presents.
The October 2007 issue of Simple and Delicious magazine is full of wonderful recipes that fit their simple and delicious criteria. I have several recipes dog eared for future use, but the one recipe I had to try the day the magazine arrived in the mail was for Smoked Sausage Primavera. Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand and I was able to put a wonderful meal on the table in less than 25 minutes. The family gobbled this meal up, and because I was able to spend such a small amount of time in the kitchen and the meal required minimal cleanup, we were able to spend some quality time together in the evening as a family.

We are all busy and unfortunately we cannot stop time. With Simple and Delicious magazine in our arsenal, we can at least better manage the time we do have in order to spend the most time on what is really important to us… our family.

Smoked Sausage Primavera

· 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

· 1-1/2 cups frozen broccoli cuts

· 1/2 cup julienned sweet red, yellow and/or green pepper

· 1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion

· 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices

· 1/4 cup water

· 3/4 cup evaporated milk

· 2 tablespoons butter

· 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large stock pot, cook spaghetti according to package directions, adding broccoli, pepper and onion during the last 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring sausage and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until heated through. Add milk, butter and Italian seasoning; cook and stir until butter is melted.
Drain spaghetti and vegetables; return to the pan. Add Parmesan cheese and sausage mixture; toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.