Turning a winter warmer into a summer sipper!

This isn't a "bare cupboard" recipe, but this blog is also about my kitchen experiments.  Some go wrong, others, like this one go oh, so RIGHT!! :)

My absolute FAVORITE cold weather drink (other than coffee!!) is a hot buttered rum... like seriously... Its rummy, buttery goodness!!  I love to curl up on the couch, with a steamy mug of the stuff and watch football, or a good movie or TV show!!  And if you don't know what a hot buttered rum is, you are TOTALLY missing out!! 

I love it so much, I wanted to enjoy it when its 100 degrees outside...  but I don't like hot drinks on a hot day... (my Gran LOVED a cup of hot tea on a hot day... I've never understood it...)  Anyway... hot buttered rum is rum, sugar, butter and hot water... not too many ingredients to work with...  So, how was I going to get that flavor and make it iced?!  Well, I happened to be at my parents about a year ago, and saw they had Butterscotch schnapps... and a light went off in my head... if I mixed that with rum and some club soda, I might just get what I was after... and sure enough WHAM!!  I found my COLD buttered rum...  So, here's the recipe!  If you give it a try, lemme know what you think!!  I'll share my hot buttered rum recipe later in the fall when it gets cooler! :)

Summer Buttered Rum Cocktail

2 oz GOLD Rum (my favorite is Bacardi)
1 oz Butterscotch Schanpps
Club Soda
Ice

Mix rum and schnapps in a cocktail glass, add ice, and top off with club soda!  Enjoy! :)

Welcome Back!!

I mean me, not you... but welcome back (or for the first time!) to you too!!  I realize its been AGES since I've posted ANYTHING here... so let me get you caught up on life in the last, oh, SIX years!!  😖😕

In the fall of 2014, my husband and I welcomed baby #2 into our little family.  ITS A BOY!!  Lol!!  CW is the sweetest little boy (almost 5 now!!) and has quite a personality! Not long after he was born, we decided we needed to make a career change, so hubby applied for a job in Nevada... he got the job and we moved in June of 2015.  It was bittersweet, as we left both our families in Oregon, but it was JUST what we needed as a family!  We have been here for just over 4 years now and LOVE it!!  We get MUCH needed time as a family, and have less stress!

Then, in 2017, we found out we were expecting baby #3!!  The crazy part- my sister had gotten engaged in the spring and our little one was due just DAYS before her wedding!!  I mean, c'mon man!!  BUT- as usual, God worked it ALL out, and we were able to have the baby (Girl #2!!) in Oregon, AND be at my sisters wedding!!

So now, our family of 5 is happily living in our OWN house (we bought our FIRST home last November!), thriving and I am now a happy Brazilian jiu-jitsu mom!!  Both my older kids are LOVING their classes!

SO- now that we're all caught up (whew!), I want to share my reason for re-starting my blog!!  It hasn't been an easy decision, although it was a quick one... literally overnight, or rather at 5am when my brain wouldn't shut off!! 😜  So, I originally started this blog as a way to keep track of my crazy recipes I would come up with... and to hopefully help others in the same financial boat I was in- feeling your family healthily, but on a VERY strict budget!!  And while I don't have that same strictness in my grocery budget, we would all LOVE to spend less, right?!  So, I have challenged myself to a WEEK of cooking with pretty much nothing but what's already in my cupboard!  It won't be easy, and I will have to get REALLY creative, but I enjoy a good cooking challenge!  Its kinda like Chopped, right?!  Not sure what you have, but you have to make an amazing meal out of what's given to you?!  I will chronicle my journey here... and hopefully inspire and help you to find that next best dish that comes from a seemingly Bare Cupboard...

Until next time my friends!  Cheers and blessings!

SIMPLE Homemade Stock

My blog started as a way for me to keep track of my "experiments" with food and cooking with just what I have in my pantry.  It has since evolved into me posting whatever I make or strikes my fancy.  I still try to keep to bare cupboard cooking, or recipes I invent (or even tweak to suit our dietary needs), but sometimes I just HAVE to share someone else's recipe that I found particularly amazing or share a household tip or trick.  The following recipe falls into the "bare cupboard" portion, as well as household tips and tricks!

What do you do with your veggie scraps?  By scraps I mean onion and carrot ends, celery ends etc... veggies you would use in a stock.  How about your chicken and beef bones... do you toss them?    If so STOP- right now!!  This is actually a tip I learned from my mother in law- save all your veggie scraps and bones and make your own chicken or beef stock!!!  I know it sounds like lots of work, but it is very simple and MUCH better for you than store bought or powder stock!  And you're not "wasting" good veggies!  Besides- if all your ingredients are already frozen, the only work is putting everything into a pot and cooking it down!

Get all your ingredients out of the freezer (no need to defrost them!), put them in a large stock pot, cover them with water, season with salt and pepper (you can also add some fresh/dried herbs here if you'd like!), add a little apple cider vinegar (about 2-3 TBS per pot) and simmer it for 8-12 hours!!  Let it cool completely (I usually cover and let it sit over night), strain off veggies and bones and pour into freezer safe containers (I use plastic sparkling water bottles and freeze it in 4 cup portions) label (make sure to label how much is in your container!) and freeze!  It really is THAT simple!!  And it tastes AMAZING!!!

So- next time you're chopping veggies, instead of tossing the parts you don't eat- throw them in a sandwich bag in the freezer and save them for homemade stock!  Do the same with your chicken carcasses and beef bones... the veggies, water and apple cider vinegar is just the base for any kind of stock you want!  You can even make a plain veggie stock if you'd like (omit the vinegar)!  

Enjoy! :)

The BEST oven roasted squash EVER

I don't know how many of you ever oven roast squash, but I LOVE roasted acorn squash and butternut squash.  I usually roast my acorn squash with butter and brown sugar and butternut squash with salt and pepper or Montreal steak seasoning.  However, I wanted to try something different to go with our Oven Roasted Mayo Chicken (see previous post for recipe) and decided to try something that I had seen Rachael Ray do awhile back on her tv show.  It was a HUGE hit with my family, especially my 3 year old who has decided she doesn't like squash (she GOBBLED this up like she hadn't eaten in days!!).  This is a keeper and you can bet I'll be making it again soon!!  Oh, it also is a teaser for Thanksgiving dinner, and I think I'll be serving it this year for Thanksgiving!!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples and Onions

1 butternut squash (could use any kind of squash!), peeled, seeds removed and cubed
1-2 small apples (I used Jonagolds), large diced
1 small onion, rough diced
Salt
Pepper
Sage (I used dried, but will definitely try fresh next time!)
Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place squash in a roasting pan (I used my Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan), drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and bake until semi-tender, stirring every 10-15 minutes.  Turn oven down to 400 and add apple, onion and sage and continue to cook until squash and apples are fork tender (don't over cook as the squash and apples will get mushy!).  Make sure to stir every so often so it doesn't stick to the pan and burn.

Enjoy!!

Oven Roasted Chicken

Ok- so this post may gross some of you out (it does use LOTS of mayonnaise), but this makes the best, most moist chicken ever!!  I saw a Best Foods mayo commercial a year or so ago that suggested using mayo to make Parmesan crusted chicken breasts... I had forgotten about it until I saw the commercial again a couple days ago.  I knew we were having roast chicken for Friday night dinner, and since I was using one of the chickens we raised, that has no skin, I decided to try it.  It was the most amazing chicken!!  Moist, delicious and flavorful!  I love how the mayo acts as a "skin" on the chicken and keeps all the moisture in.

So- here's my recipe for oven roasted chicken!

Oven Roasted Mayo Chicken

1 whole roasting chicken (preferable without the skin, but you could use one with skin on too)
1 C (more or less depending on the size of the chicken) mayonnaise
Seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano (you can add or substitute other spices if you'd like)
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3-4 sprigs fresh oregano
Olive Oil

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together the mayo and spices in a bowl.  Drizzle a small about of olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan or 9x13 pan (if you use a roasting pan with a rack, the olive oil is not necessary).  Place chicken in pan and stuff fresh rosemary and oregano into body cavity of chicken.  Using your hand or a spatula, slather the mayo mix all over the outside of the chicken, making sure to cover every exposed part.  Place chicken in oven and turn oven down to 375-400 degrees.  Bake for 1-2 hours or until juices run clear (cook to 165 degrees internal temp).  When done, remove from oven and place a foil tent over and let sit for at least 15-20 minutes to let juices settle.   Serve with roasted Butternut Squash and apples and broccoli salad (recipes to follow).

Enjoy! :)

Easiest Enchiladas EVER!!!

So- I don't usually resort to "pre-cooked" foods, but when you're in the middle of moving, easy and simple are the best and easiest ways to cook!  Not to mention that honestly, these are some of my favorite enchiladas ever... (I know, I know- I need to expand my taste horizons!)... BUT, they are quick, easy and tasty!!

Quick and Easy Enchiladas

1 pkg frozen burritos (your favorite "flavor"- I like beef and bean!)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package beef gravy, made according to package directions (I ALWAYS make my own gravy though!!)
Grated cheddar cheese

Place burritos in a 13x9 pan.  In a sauce pan make gravy then add enchilada sauce and cream of mushroom soup.  Combine well and heat through.  Pour soup mix over burritos and top with cheese.  Bake according to burrito package directions and until sauce and cheese are bubbly.

Enjoy!!

Blackberry Gin Soda

So- this morning we got the chance to head about 35 miles from home to pick wild blackberries- I was in HEAVEN!!  It was SO much fun!!  Hubby and little A enjoyed it too... was so fun to take a 3 year old berry picking (incidentally- every time I hear or think of "berry picking" I think of the way Marta says it in The Sound Of Music when they are talking to their father about where they were all day....).  We found about a gallon and a half or so, and are planning to make another trip up next weekend.  I made 3 pints of freezer jam and froze several cups as well, but wanted to keep some for eating fresh.  Or, as in this case, for making "adult beverages"...  Here is the recipe I came up with using fresh blackberries, and fresh mint and basil from my garden!  I'm sure it would be just as refreshing without the gin, however, I like a little "kick" to my drinks! ;) :)  There are a couple things I would change, for instance, I would add a hint of lime juice (maybe the juice of 1/2 a small lime) and maybe more basil and mint.

Enjoy! :)

Blackberry Gin Soda
(makes 1 serving)
Several fresh blackberries- the sweeter the better, use as many as you'd like, I think I used 8-10
2-3 sprigs fresh mint
3-4 leaves fresh basil
1/2-1 oz simple syrup
2 oz gin
club soda
ice

Muddle berries, simple syrup, mint and basil (also lime juice if you choose to use it) in a low ball glass.  Add gin, a couple ice cubes and top off with club soda.  Garnish with mint and/or basil sprigs if you desire!