March 2014 – Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts

Cooking in Disney World

Posted on March 26, 2014March 27, 2014 by lmc

The often unpredictable price of eating out while on vacation can be quite costly. My advice to friends is always the same when choosing a hotel for a family vacation; choose one that offers, at the very least, an efficiency kitchen to cook basic meals for the family while enjoying time away. Sure, it sounds great to spend a week away from the daily grind of preparing meals and cleaning up the kitchen, but a week’s worth of family meals eaten out can be mighty costly. And its always disappointing to find that when my family is ready to eat, the chosen restaurant has a line out the door that seems to be a mile long. Once inside and finally seated, the food never seems to measure up for the cost put out. Don’t get me wrong, we have our favorite restaurants in Disney World and we always make reservations at ‘Ohana, in the Polynesian Resort and the Hollywood Brown Derby. We absolutely wouldn’t miss the Polynesian inspired foods served throughout ‘Ohana’s Dinner Show and the incredible combination of flavors carefully mixed together in the Cobb Salad served at the Brown Derby. But, my oh my, things certainly add up quickly. I remember a time when it was common practice to have a soup or salad accompany a main dish or a basket of bread was given before the meal. Nowadays, everything seems to come with an added cost.
This week, our family spent our spring break vacation in Disney World. We are Disney Vacation Club Members and have ownership in Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Purchasing this property over twenty years ago certainly has been a great vacation savings for us. I thought I would take this opportunity to explain how I manage the food budget while on vacation. While we have a few favorite restaurants that we always visit while in Disney, for the most part, we really try to commit to eating “in” for the majority of our meals throughout the week. The vacation home that we stay in comes equipped with a sizable kitchen so I can prepare anything from the basic peanut-butter and jelly sandwich to a delicious pork roast dinner for the family. As mentioned earlier, finding a hotel room or suite with a small efficiency kitchen can really save money in the long run. You may have to pay a little more for the room up front but the food savings can be incredible for a family.
Here are some of the basic meals that I usually prepare when traveling with the family. They’re often prepared with convenience mixes or prepackaged ingredients but they fit the bill for a week away from home on a budget.

On day one, I usually buy groceries for the week. (I also bring from home lots of commonly used dry spices.)

Some of our favorite vacation meals include…

Spaghetti with meat sauce, crescent rolls and Caesar salad,

Cheeseburgers with crispy pickles and chips,

Tacos with homemade salsa and guacamole,

And finally, pork roast with corn and mashed potatoes,

It’s a great idea to look at the online weekly sale flyer for the local grocery store where you intend to shop. This way, you can plan ahead to shop for deals. This week, as I grabbed my shopping cart and sale flyer at the front of the store, I noticed pork roast and ground beef were on sale for a great price. I picked up both for separate meals. The ground beef was used for the tacos, spaghetti, and hamburgers. The pork roast was used for the pork roast dinner and pulled pork sandwiches. (I shredded the left over pork and slathered it with barbecue sauce, then topped the extra hamburger buns with the tender shredded meat.)

Now, a vacation wouldn’t be a vacation without some sweet treats…

J and I will be celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary tomorrow so I made a Mickey cake for our after dinner dessert.

Some of the other food items purchased for the week include:
Old Fashioned Oatmeal
Greek Yogurt
Breakfast Cereal
Milk
Orange juice
Fruit
Peanut Butter
Bread
Jelly

For Dinners, I purchased:
Ground Beef
Pasta
Ragu- Chunky Garden Style Sauce
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Taco Shells
Taco Seasoning Packets
Tomatoes
Onions
Shredded Cheese
Cilantro
Lime juice
Avocados
Pork Roast
Barbecue Sauce
Instant Potatoes
Frozen Corn
Romaine Lettuce
Caesar Salad Dressing
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Hamburger Buns
Pickles
Doritos
Chocolate Cake Mix
Ice Cream
Chocolate Frosting Mix

I paid a little over $150.00 for a week’s worth of food and was really able to stretch my food dollars.
Each of these basic meals can be prepared quickly with very little effort. Convenience mixes and prepackaged food items help to cut down on time spent in the kitchen. Paper plates and disposable tableware can certainly save time on clean up. Thankfully, our vacation kitchen is well equipped with a set of dishes, a full fridge and a dish washer.

I’ve been cooking in Disney World for years and these meal ideas have been long standing family favorites. My crew seems to enjoy staying away from crowded restaurants and having a few home cooked meals while enjoying our time with Mickey Mouse in the bright Florida sunshine.

Baked goods, Baking, Cake

St. Patty’s Day Pistachio Pudding Cake

Posted on March 16, 2014March 16, 2014 by lmc

This weekend we celebrated the holiday with the South Side Irish, St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago. We attended the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon/Carry In and celebrated the holiday with family, friends and neighbors. Every year, I bring along a big tray of Mary’s Irish Scones and this delicious Pistachio Pudding Cake. It’s oh so easy to make and it’s beautiful light green color makes for a festive addition to any spring table.

Pistachio Pudding Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 10″ tube pan.In a large bowl mix together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, water, oil, and almond extract. Blend ingredients, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Ice with Powdered Sugar Glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Baked goods, Baking, Chocolate, Desserts

Crazy Delicious Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

Posted on March 13, 2014March 13, 2014 by lmc

We celebrated J’s birthday with this wonderfully delicious Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake. After the birthday boy blew out the candles, the cake received rave reviews from the birthday crowd. This rich, chocolatey cake served along with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream makes for a delicious birthday treat. With just a few convenient ingredients, this outstanding dessert can be assembled in no time at all. It will disappear quite quickly so be sure to keep the basic ingredients on hand for another round of deliciousness!

Crazy Delicious Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

1 box Devil’s Food Chocolate cake mix
(Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box)
1 box milk chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix (4 serving size)
2 cups cold milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray, a 13×9″pan. Mix and bake cake according to package directions; cool completely. With the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the cake every 1/2″. In a medium bowl, beat instant pudding mix and cold milk with a whisk as directed on package. Pour pudding evenly over cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Uncategorized

Just Like Grandma’s Irish Brown Bread

Posted on March 12, 2014 by lmc

Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts

When I was a young girl, my family used to travel to Ireland every year for our summer holiday. My father worked for TWA (Trans World Airlines) and we had a great travel benefit that we regularly used. My mother was born and raised in County Clare and my father from County Kerry. Our wonderful trips into Milltown Malbay, Spanish Point or visiting Ballybunion always bring the fondest of memories.
Oh, the stories I could tell of the laughs we shared as a family. We would load our tiny rental car up with 8 kids, two adults, and lots of luggage. Relatives would meet us at Shannon Airport and take on a portion of our luggage as we headed toward Milltown.
One of my most vivid memories relates to my grandmother, my mother’s mom. She would get up early to milk the cows and feed the chickens. Then, she would…

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Baked goods, Baking, breakfast, Homemade Mixes

Rita’s Oat and Raisin Breakfast Cereal

Posted on March 9, 2014March 9, 2014 by lmc

I bumped into an old friend the other day. She and I used to work together. Our paths would often cross as we headed in and out of the office. Most of our work was done in the field so we weren’t able to see one another on a regular basis. Whenever we had the opportunity to stop and catch up for a bit, she would always share her latest recipe find. The recipes that she enjoyed most, were those that were simple, healthy, and inexpensive.
Well, I have since moved up in rank and our paths really don’t cross any longer. But to my delight, she sent an email the other day, with an invitation to lunch. I was thrilled to hear from her so we met for a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant. The minutes passed as we shared stories of kids, husbands, work, and the daily grind. It was so great to see her. Without fail, she slipped me a piece of paper as we parted ways. On it was printed her latest recipe find. She calls it Peanut Butter Granola but after making it this morning, I’m calling it Rita’s Oat and Raisin Breakfast Cereal. The texture is softer and less crunchy as compared to a traditional granola. My daughter, M ate it as a breakfast cereal this morning and raved about the texture and taste. I hope you enjoy it…Thanks, Rita!

Rita’s Oat and Raisin Breakfast Cereal

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins
2 1/2 cup rice cereal
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Stir together in a mixing bowl, whole oats, rice cereal, and raisins. In a saucepan, bring to a boil the apple juice and brown sugar. Remove from the stove and suit in vanilla and peanut butter. When peanut butter has dissolved, pour over cereal mixture in the bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture onto a jelly roll pan and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Baked goods, Baking, Bread, Food, Uncategorized

Mary’s Irish Scones

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014 by lmc

Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts

My family has been making these scones for as long as I can remember. As a young girl, I used to watch my mom make batches of these buttermilk scones without having to use a recipe. She would mix everything up by hand, then swiftly kneed and cut triangular shapes from the rolled dough. During the Lenten season, Mom would make several batches as we would have scones and tea for Friday dinner.
These days, I regularly make scones for my family. I, too, can make them without the recipe but I use a biscuit cutter to uniformly cut the soft dough into circular shapes. We often top the baked scones with homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam.(Although, J and M prefer to top them with gobs of peanut butter.) After removing a batch from the oven, it isn’t long before they’ve all been eaten and everyone is asking for more.

Mary’s Irish…

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Baked goods, Baking, breakfast, Brunch, Cake, Desserts

Yogurt and Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

Posted on March 3, 2014 by lmc

I really like using up the last of the yogurt container by slipping the contents into a smoothie, a parfait, or a muffin/cake mix. Last summer, I opened a large container of vanilla yogurt and as I pulled back the lid, I found a recipe for delicious muffins that included a bit of yogurt in the recipe. After making the first batch of the muffins, I knew that I would use yogurt to substitute for some of the added fat in many of my treasured recipes. The yogurt helps to moisten and lighten up the cake’s consistency and is certainly a healthier alternative to sour cream or added oil/butter.
This coffee cake recipe is a perfect example. Omitting sour cream and adding apples to the original recipe makes for a flavorful moist morning treat. In fact, enjoy this comfort food anytime. Add a piping hot cup of tea or coffee and a good book…and you will be set for a lazy winter weekend afternoon.

Yogurt and Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 small tart apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray with cooking spray, a 9×13″ baking pan. Mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in chopped apples. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir into liquid ingredients just until no lumps remain.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon with the brown sugar and butter.
Pour half of the batter into the cake pan. Sprinkle the batter with half of the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture. Spread the rest of the batter over top, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-brown sugar mixture. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, cool before cutting cake.

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