Campfire Potatoes

Campfire Potatoes.  We've had these a lot over the years, especially in the summer time.  They're delicious (well . . . obviously . . there's BACON in them:)) and fairly simple to make . . . probably especially if you don't have a huge family you're making them for!  We serve these potatoes with BBQ chicken a lot of the time (as we did this time).

Start by cutting up the bacon into small pieces and cooking it up in a frying pan. (Keep all that bacon grease in there!!)

Once the bacon is all cooked up, add potatoes cut up into small cubes, along with a bit of garlic powder and salt, and also season salt.  

Cook and stir as needed over medium heat until potatoes are tender.  Add any more seasoning if the potatoes need it.  You can also cover the frying pan between stirring it.

And finally, enjoy!! 

Have a wonderful day, everyone!!

Cinnamon Roll Bites

These turned out really good!  They were best fresh, but they didn't really taste like a cinnamon roll if that's what you wanted.  Leftovers, they actually tasted like a cinnamon roll as a bite sized piece!  They were good just room temperature, or warmed up for a few seconds in the microwave.

Cinnamon Roll Bites

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 & 1/2 cups hot water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup {1 stick} salted butter, melted

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar and let sit until frothy.  Add the salt and vegetable oil and mix well.  In a large bowl, mix yeast mixture and about 2 cups of flour.  Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough starts to pull away from sides and is no longer sticky.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise for one hour, until doubled in size. {Or if you're doing this the night before, just place it in the refrigerator and go to bed.}

Preheat oven to 375°F. Punch down dough and knead on a floured surface until smooth again; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon.  Place butter in another small bowl.
Rip off small pieces of dough {I used like a quarter size} and roll into a ball.  Dip the ball in the butter and then roll it around in the sugar mixture; place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat steps 12 & 13 until you fill your cookie sheet up and then bake for 10-12 minutes.  Do this until all the dough is gone.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla until smooth.  Use a spoon to drizzle your frosting over the cinnamon roll bites.  Serve warm.

Homemade Nutter Butters

Homemade Nutter Butters

Cookies:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
approx 1/3 cup extra sugar for rolling 

Filling:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

Cookies:
In a large bowl with mixer beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds on medium-high speed. Lower mixer to medium and add eggs and vanilla continuing to mix until combined. Turn mixer to low and add in flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°
Form chilled dough first into 1 inch balls and then form into a log shape. Roll the log-shaped dough in extra granulated sugar and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a fork press down on cookie creating a criss-cross pattern. Pinch the center to create the peanut shape.
Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 2-3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.

Filling:
In a large bowl beat butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Slowly add in your powdered sugar and turn mixer speed up to medium and beat until filling is smooth. Add your milk, one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling onto the bottom of one of the peanut butter cookies and then top with another cookie to create sandwich.

*******

These were quite delicious:)

Spring Blog Sale!!

Email me at ajcrazies@gmail.com or comment on this post if you'd like any of these things, which I have left from our spring bazaar.  Shipping will be extra.

Diaper Bag - $35

Diaper Bag - $35

Cross-Body Bag - $16

Little Girl Ruched Center Bag - $8

Tea-dyed Long sleeve baby onesies w/ Lace - size 3-6 months - $5.25 each

Hot Pad - $4.00

Hot Pad - $4.00

Hot Pad - $4.00

Hot Pad - $4.00

Hot Pad - $4.00

(Camera SOLD) Bird Key Chains - $3.00 each

"Good-bye" is not Forever

Pappa & Grandma w/ Hunter in May of 2008 - they looked so happy in this picture:)



Memories pouring back.  Pappa coming out to the van after Saturday night sauna to knock on our window's, telling us good-bye.  Grandma always feeding us with her yummy treats and giving us juice after sauna.  Of staying the night and making our very own package of jello and perhaps going to the book store.  Going for supper and eating a delicious meal Grandma had prepared.  Playing "stiff" with Pappa - it was hard, but so much fun!  Pappa doing stuff out in the woods, keeping the trails we ran around and played on nice and clean.  Bringing Pappa & Grandma to Centerville on Sunday morning's so he could preach there.  What a beautiful testimony of earthly love they have left us - they had a love that lasted for many years and grew - and you could see the love they had for each other!  And the testimony they left of our Heavenly Father's love - and now they are both together in Heaven, kneeling at the feet of Jesus, at the the throne of God.  Together forever with each other and God, and with many who have gone on before.  And all the pains and cares of this world are gone - they are no longer in physical pain and are enjoying the peace that surrounds them there, all earthly cares forgotten and singing forever with Jesus!  How beautiful it is!  Grandma can see again - her eyes have been made whole.  Pappa no longer needs dialysis - he is made whole.  They are both made whole - all their frailness and hardships are gone.  And while it yet is hard for us here left below - "Good-bye" is not forever . . . Someday we can join them on the eternal shore's of glory and we will never have to say "Good-bye" again.  How beautiful it is!

Grandma joined Pappa in eternal glory early this morning.

Baked Mini Cake Donut (Holes) w/ Maple Glaze

Baked Mini Cake Doughnuts

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice, mixed and set aside)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425*F.  Spray mini doughnut pan or mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together (or stir with a whisk), flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add buttermilk, egg, and butter and stir until just combined.

Fill each doughnut cup or muffin cup approximately 1/3- 1/2 full.  The batter will rise quite a bit during baking.

Bake 4-6 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring back when touched.

 Cool in pan 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Maple Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure maple extract

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, milk and extract until sugar is completely dissolved.  Use immediately to glaze doughnuts.  Dip each doughnut in glaze.  If there's extra glaze, you can dribble it over the top.



These were pretty good when I had them fresh, but the next morning they were better.  I suppose sitting in a closed up container with frosting on them probably moistened them up a little bit.

Have a wonderful day!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

 

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Sweet Dough

3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature

Apple Filling

2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter

 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Caramel Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup half -and-half or evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, cubed

 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Attach dough hook to stand mixer and in the mixer bowl combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Heat milk in the microwave until lukewarm.  Add the warm milk, 1/4 cup butter, and egg to the flour mixture and mix at low speed until ingredients are combined, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Continue to add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and elastic.  Spray bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl, turning once to bring greased side of dough up.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).  Punch down dough, pull edges into center, and turn over in the bowl; let rise again until almost double in size (about 20 - 30 minutes).  While dough is rising, in a large saucepan combine filling ingredients and cook on medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes or until apples are tender; set aside and allow to cool.  Roll dough into 9" x 15" rectangle; spread filling over dough. Roll up tightly beginning at wide side and seal well by pinching edges of roll together.12. Spray 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray; cut rolls into 1" slices using a knife and place rolls in pan a little apart from each other.  Cover pan and let rise until double in bulk (about 20 - 30 minutes).  Bake at 375°F for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown and completely baked through.  To make caramel sauce, combine brown sugar and corn starch in a saucepan; add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Stirring continually cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Drizzle warm caramel sauce over warm rolls and serve.

 

They were delicious, but definitely best fresh and warm!  So have same family and friends over to enjoy some fresh caramel apple cinnamon rolls with you!

Have a wonderful day!