Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ahhhh!

I can finally breathe!!! This break is just starting but it is still going to be crazy. I was going to finish up Christmas shopping today but had a weird reaction to some medicine that I was taking. So needless to say I was up-chucking all last night. Feeling a lot better. The medicine says it can cause nausea but my body doesn't do so well with medicine. So I am going shopping next week since I don't work much and we are rescheduling our temple trip for sometime before the end of the year. I do have to say it is really nice to have a real relationship with Jake now that school is over. I finished my last classes and I am now onto student teaching. I will be at Spanish Fork High School and Elk Ridge Middle. I am really excited and ready to go. I will try to keep a little more updated now that I am swimming above the water :) Well that is all. Good night!!!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

1. THE INFAMOUS CHRISTMAS TREE CINNAMON ROLLS

1. THE INFAMOUS CHRISTMAS TREE CINNAMON ROLLS

2 C scalded milk
6 tbsp butter (salted) or shortening
2 tsp salt (a little less if using salted butter)
1/2 C sugar
1 tbsp yeast (add a tbsp or so of sugar to dissolve)
2 eggs
6-7 C flour

Scald milk, add butter to melt, then add eggs after it has cooled a bit, don't want to cook the eggs. Add sugar, salt and then beat. Then add flour slowly. You will mix dough with beaters until it starts to climb the beaters. It will be sticky but when it starts to peak and pull away you are just about done. It will be sticky but oh sooooo good. You then roll it out into a circle. Add melted butter and cinnamon sugar on top. You will then make small marks in the dough dividing it into 3rds if that helps. You will take the top two 3rds and fold them over then cut bottom to make a roll and look like a stump. Then cut parallel lines to make it look like branches and twist them. You have a Christmas tree now just bake at 350 for 22-30 mins. Then decorate with sprinkles, frosting, and our personal favorite, red hots.

This is a gift we give to the families in our ward who we are good friends with. It is funny because come Christmas time everyone starts asking my mom when she is doing trees. Practically every Sunday in December is dedicated to making these for friends. Dad and I would usually deliver them to the neighbors. Such great memories. Can't wait until FHE this Sunday to get some!

It doesn't look like this but this is the only picture I could find so hopefully it gives you an idea.

2. Macaroni Salad

2. Macaroni Salad

1 pkg. elbow macaroni (16 oz)
1/2 bottle Sandwich Spread
1/4 pkg mixed vegetables (optional)
6 boiled eggs
1/2 block or (4 oz) cheddar cheese, cubed

Boil macaroni. Cook mixed vegetables. Boil 6 eggs, peel, and cool. Add chilled macaroni, vegetables, and eggs together in a large bowl. Add cubed cheese to mixture. Mix and then add sandwich spread. Mix until evenly covered and chill for 1 hour.

I am not a fan of macaroni salad because it is all slimy and funky tasting but this recipe is awesome. My mom made this up and takes the largest bowl you could ever find and takes it to every function we have together. It is always one of the first things to go off the table. I also learned how to make this and did a demonstration for my FACS class at Utah State and everyone loved it. So easy and really fun!

3. Pizza Dough

3. Pizza Dough

1 1/4 C warm water
1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3-3 1/2 C flour
1/4 C butter or margarine melted

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water 
  2. Add sugar, salt and 2 1/2 C flour. Mix to form a dough.
  3. If more flour is needed add up to 1 C more. Mix about 3 minutes.
  4. Let dough rest for 10 mins
  5. Roll out into jelly roll pan make it how you want then let it rest for 10 mins.
  6. Bake at 375 for 20 mins.
I use this recipe for the two of us and make bread sticks with the other half of the dough in the pan.

I added this recipe because Jake and I love homemade pizza but also because it is a Pyne family tradition to make pizza on Christmas Eve. My husband says whatever to a lot of things but when it comes to Christmas he loves homemade pizza and all the other traditions that come with it, probably thanks to his mom. We have started to carry this tradition on when we are home for Christmas Eve.

4. Crepes

4. Crepes

1 1/3 C milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 C flour
strawberries, powdered sugar, syrup or other toppings

Directions:
Add all ingredients together. Add more milk or sugar to make the consistency you want. Mix in the blender. It should form a whirlpool in the blender.
For pan:
Use a non-stick pan and put butter in it just to make it flip easier. Pour mixture and swirl around until it covers the whole inside of the pan. Flip over when cooked and cook the other side for a few seconds. You will want just a light brown color on each side. Put in strawberries and whipped cream and roll them up.

I figured I had to do a tribute to my dad. My dad doesn't cook much but his specialty is breakfast. He used to always makes crepes on Saturdays. He has a nice crepe maker though which makes it so much nicer. One memory that we still joke about to today is when my dad made breakfast in Park City for us when we stayed the night. My mom got a free hotel room for something and it was supposed to sleep 8 or something so she invited all the kids and even my oldest sister who was married. There may have been a few kids I am not sure. So we get there come to find out it is a dinky little place smaller than the average size hotel. We didn't care we made the best of it. But my dad brought stuff to make breakfast because the ad said we had a kitchen, little did we know we had to fold away the bed to get to it. He started making crepes and we noticed they looked a little gray but didn't think much of it. Everybody said they tasted funny so dad and I just kept eating. Then we got to thinking about the mylar bag of flour was missing its silica packet. Oops! So to this day we ask my dad if he added his secret ingredient.




Yes he is wearing my sister's headband!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

5. Lucy's Jello Salad

5. Lucy's Jello Salad

1 small carton Cool Whip
3 oz jello (dry, any flavor)
1 small can pineapple (crushed or tidbit), drained
1 can mandarin oranges, or fruit cocktail, drained
1 small carton of cottage cheese

Combine all ingredients and chill.

So this is the recipe from my sister Lucy who always makes this salad. When we have our big family dinners or FHE we all bring something. Leave it to Lucy to bring this awesome salad or a green salad with her homemade ranch dressing. It is so easy but yet so good. Love you sis!

6. Acini De Pepe

6. Acini De Pepe

Cook thoroughly one cup acini de pepe.

Drain the following fruit:
20 oz crushed pineapple
Mandarin oranges
20 oz tidbits pineapple
bananas are optional but it won't keep if you add them

Sauce:
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 3/4 C pineapple juice, thickened with 2 tbsp flour

Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring continually. When come to boil, pour over acini de pepe. Chill in fridge for several hours. Add mixture and 1 small package miniature marshmallows. Add 1 (9oz) Cool Whip. Mix well and it is ready to serve.

This is a family recipe but what makes it so great is that this was the first time I made it this year and took it to Thanksgiving dinner. It is a Pyne recipe but I took it to the Hofheins side. I always love sharing family traditions with the other side and vice versa. It seems to bring both families together without actually coming together.

This year we had a very fun Thanksgiving. It was also very memorable because we played basketball after and it was the first time that Jake has really played since his surgery in 2008!!! I was so excited!

7. Chicken Enchiladas

7. Chicken Enchiladas

3 Chicken Breasts
2 C cheese divided
1 C sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 small can of diced green chilies
10 tortillas

Mix cheese, sour cream, soup, and green chilies. Dice chicken into cubes and brown. Mix cooked chicken with 3/4ths of the mixture. Put the other 1/4th aside to put on the bottom and top. Spread a thin layer of the soup mixture on the bottom so that it doesn't burn. Take the tortillas and fill them with the chicken mixture. Lay them in the pan and then top with the rest of the soup mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins or until thoroughly heated.

This is a famous recipe from my mom and definitely a family favorite. My mom is a very good, but simple cook. She always takes all the fluff out of the food and makes it just simple good food. I love this recipe because I am not a fan of enchilada sauce and it has just the cream of chicken soup. This brings back memories of many family meals that brought us around the table.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

8. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 C Shortening
2/3 C Margarine
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar, packed
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 C Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 C Chopped Nuts (optional)
Chocolate Chips (takes a whole package)

Cream together wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.


I would have to say I get the most comments on these cookies out of almost all of my cooking. This is a family recipe that my sister-in-law Missy is known for. I have adopted this recipe but like to put white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. The key is to take it out before it is done cooking and let it finish cooking outside of the oven. These are some of the softest cookies you will ever taste. One of my favorite things is how it says that the chopped nuts are optional. In our family mom always makes half of everything with nuts. Dad loves walnuts and other nuts so they always put at least some nuts in every desert.

9. Pyne's Popcorn

Pyne Popcorn
1 C Popcorn (pop-it)
1 C Margarine
3/4 C Karo Syrup
1 C sugar
3/4 tsp. salt

Boil all the ingredients for 5 minutes. Add 3/4 tsp. salt. Pour over popcorn and bake for 30 minutes at 250 degrees.

A big part of our marriage is about making traditions for our family. We have really tried to take both of our families and make our own. One thing that I love about Jake's side of the family is the recipes and the stories. Even though I have only been apart of the family for a few years by cooking their recipes I feel even closer. Also I want my children to learn about these traditions. One of the infamous recipes in the Pyne family is Pyne Popcorn. This is a candied popcorn. Also I love making popcorn because it takes me back to the days of going to my aunt Chris's house where she would make a huge, I mean HUGE (she has 10 kids and I come from a family of 5) pot of popcorn and we would put butter and salt and watch a movie with all the kids. I love popcorn and love how this recipe has brought our two families together.

Recipes

So for my Family Meal Management class I have to compile 10 family recipes. I figured instead of putting them in a file which I will never see again I will put it on my blog to share with everyone. If you have other memories or recipes let me know! Hope you enjoy.

10.  Easy Teriyaki Bowls
3-4 C rice
2 Chicken Breasts
Teriyaki Sauce
Lite Soy Sauce
Mixed Vegetables (or your choice of vegetables)
Salt and Pepper

1. Cook rice in either a rice cooker or on the stovetop (best is sticky rice).
2. Cut chicken into cubes and cook in wok or large saucepan. Add teriyaki sauce, salt, and pepper to chicken and keep stirring until well cooked. Add water or teriyaki sauce to make the consistency that you want. I usually add more sauce because I like it to cover rice.
3. Cook vegetables in separate saucepan.
4. When all is cooked, add the rice, chicken, and top with vegetables, sauce, and soy sauce. Add any other toppings such as peppers, onions, or mushrooms.

I decided to add this recipe because it one of our go-to meals. Jake and I are very busy and this has become one of our signature dishes. Also since Jake served his mission in Korea we make a lot of things with rice. We adopted this recipe because it was cheap, fast, and gives some Asian flavor without being too Korean (I can't take it so much).