"H is for Hoosier" An Indiana Alphabet

Written by: Author Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

Illustrator: Bruce Langton

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

 

 

Love love LOVE this book!  I got it for Christmas from (I think) my little sister a few years ago.  I am from Indiana, so that makes this book all the more special.  The illustrations are just perfect, and have a way of capturing the feel and beauty of Indiana.  It also is perfect for any "school" aged group.  There is a short easy read on each page, as well as a  more indepth page.  And I know there aren't as many people out there who share the same love for Indiana as I do, which is why I decided on this book to post about because there is a book for EVERY STATE!  Your favorite, least favorite, whatever.  There is also an Alphabet book about Moms, Golf, Basketball, fishing, Halloween, horses....there are just sooo many!  Check them out here!  This is honestly one of my most favorites, if you are a teacher, it is perfect for the classroom!  And if you aren't, it is just as perfect for the home.

Cowboy Easter Cookies (or any other Holiday)

I found this recipe here while looking at pictures of these cookies.  I had these in college and made the husband make them once.  So I was craving them pretty badly.  I LOVE coconut and I think the cinnamon and coconut combination in these cookies is divine!

Ingredients: (I did a half batch and made the cookies smaller-still gave me a decent amount of cookies)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened flake coconut

2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

(I also added Chocolate eggs to mine, left over from Easter.  You can pretty much add anything to these cookies and they will still be fantastic)

Directions:

1.Heat oven to 350 F.

2.Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

3.In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes.

4.Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla.

5.Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

6.For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. (I did heaping tablespoon sizes)

7.Bake in 350 F oven 17 to 29 minutes (I baked mine for 12-13 min), until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool. 

Another Banana Bread Recipe

I found this recipe here a little while ago, and have wanted to try it, and since we had bananas that were ripe enough yesterday, I did.  It is a pretty good one!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
Opt. Nuts


Directions:
Cream shortening, add salt. Add sugar and then eggs. Sift flour and soda. Alternately mix in bananas and flour mix to the egg mixture. Pour into greased bread pan. Bake at 350 for one hour.  Makes 1 loaf.

Best Ever Banana Cream Pie (according to me)

The is a recipe that my Mom would use (so if you are a Kohl and are reading this, you already have this recipe, move onto another post :) ).  I love it, and decided it was Eastery enough to have as dessert after our Easter dinner on Sunday.  It is very yummy.  It is more custardy than pudding like, good either way!

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup flour or 3 TBLS. cornstarch ( I use cornstarch)

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups milk

3 slightly beaten egg yolk

2 TBLS. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2-3 bananas

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour or cornstarch, and salt; gradually stir in milk, Cook and stir over medium high heat till bubbly. Cook and sir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir a moderate amount or hot mixture into yolks; immediately return to hot mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Slice bananas into cooled baked pie crust or graham cracker crust (I use graham cracker) and pour filling on top. Refrigerate.  Serve with whipped cream/cool whip.

Pumpkin Choclate Chip Cookies

Who said you could only eat these in the fall!

Super easy, super good!

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1 cup Chocolate Chips

opt. Nuts

Directions:

Mix ingredients till well combined.  Drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 min (I had to let them cook for atleast 12-I would do 8 min, then check, then add more time if needed).  And done!  Eat and enjoy the low low fat cookies!!!

Oriental Chicken & Festive Cupcakes

Oriental Chicken

( I got this recipe from a Cookbook my Mom gave to all of her kids Christmas of 2008-best cookbook EVAH!)

Ingredients
3-4 chicken breasts
1 egg, slightly beaten with a little water
Flour
Oil

Sauce:
3 TBLS. soy sauce
3 TBLS water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
dash of salt

Directions
1. Cut chicken into cubes or strips (whichever you prefer).
2. Heat oil in frying pan.
3. Dip chicken in egg, then flour. Fry until chicken is lightly browned and crispy.
4. Mix sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until sugar is all dissolved. Add chicken and gently stir until pieces are well coated. Pour into 10 x 13 pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes--every 10 minutes turn all the chicken pieces over.

Serve with rice.
*If you want more sauce, or use more chicken, double the sauce recipe.

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Cupcakes

I made these little cuties this morning for St. Patrick's Day.  All I did was make cake mix from a box, then seperated the mix into 6 different bowls.  I then colored each bowl with food coloring GEL (it gives brighter, stronger colors than the liquid food coloring).  Next you layer the colors of cake mix batter.  Then cook according to box, frost, decorate, and enjoy! 

Chocolate Cookies with a Peanut Butter Surprise

All purpose flour	1½ cups
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder	½ cup
Baking Soda	½ tsp
Unsalted Butter, softened	½ cup or 1 stick
Sugar	½ cup
Brown sugar, packed	½ cup
Peanut butter,	¼ cup
	½ cup for the filling
Egg	1 large
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
Powder sugar, sifted	¾ cup

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, lightly grease cookie sheets. 

2.  Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. 

3.  Cream butter using an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Gradually beat in granulated sugar, then brown sugar and finally ¼ cup peanut butter until everything is well combined. 

4.  Add egg, vanilla extract and continue beating until well blended. 

5.  Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir in the flour mixture. Shape dough into ¼-inch balls and place them on prepared cookie sheets. 

6.  For peanut butter filling, stir together powder sugar and ½ cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into ¾-inch balls. 

7.  Flatten each chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Wrap chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling so that it completely covers the filling. Roll dough into balls, then slightly flatted them again, and sprinkle the top with some granulated sugar. 

8.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until just set and surface is slightly cracked. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 1 minute before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely

Recipe found here

(Sorry the Ingredients are a little unaligned....)