Cooking Up New Creations and Creating Fun Crafts

Picture editing is fun! I retouched this photo so the bag doesn't show under my eye and my pimples are gone :)

Yummy french fried onion rings!

I wanted to use my french-style green beans (because we're running low on options until the next grocery trip) so I looked up recipes for green bean casserole! Almost every single recipe asked for french fried onions. I was ready to substitute butter and bread crumbs when I remembered I had leftover oil from making homemade donuts (krispy kreme style!) and Joseph loves onion rings. So I decided to find a recipe, more simple then I expected and voila! French fried onion rings. They went atop a casserole of rice, chicken, cream of mushroom and my french-style green beans. I love food. It was a great way to break our fast :)

Dessert Pizza

For those in Provo, UT, you must go to the Pizza Pie Cafe.

For those in Rexburg, ID, you have to go to Craigo's Gourmet Pizza Co (Ammon, ID)

I went to the Pizza Pie Cafe and I fell in love. A buffet of gourmet pizzas, along with delicious sauces to go atop all kinds of noodles, a refreshing salad bar, and the most exquisite dessert pizzas I have ever enjoyed! (oreo, cookie dough, and peach were my favorite :) My favorite Pizzas were Spud-o-licious and buffalo chicken.

I was inspired to make pizza of my own. Joseph was worried. The last three times we've tried to make pizza, the proportions have been way off and the dough...disgusting.

So this time, I decided to make Emeril's pizza dough recipe, substituting butter for lard. I made a whole pizza (garlic butter, sauce, mozzarella/colby jack cheeses, green onions, and canadian bacon) then with less dough, I made my Dessert Pizza! I used jam, spices, brown sugar and vanilla chip frosting, Exciting!

Joseph is progressing on his model car! A '55 Chevy Bel Air. He completed the twenty teeny tiny-piece engine, painting and assembling, and the picture above shows pieces he is ready to paint!

The car will be Candy Apple Red, we're excited to see it all finished! He's getting really good at it.

Fat Girl Wants Cupcake

This is the title of my most recent painting lol. I usually like to paint flowers and scenes, but this time, I just wasn't feeling it, I knew I needed to paint something that really inspires me. Cupcakes.

I started with the cupcake, then the table, and I wanted someone to want that cupcake, what better then a chubby little girl! Then I painted the background to pull everything in together.

This little canvas board was less then $1 at the LDSBC Bookstore, I wanted to paint again, so after 2 months of waiting, this canvas finally got its painting.

NEXT TIME...Megan is coming to town!! We get her this weekend and I will definitely make sure to show pictures of her visit :)

1-Year Anniversary August 15, 2010

So this is a little backwards, but I wanted to post some of our most recent pictures, which are all the way from August.

We first visited my family for almost a full week, days of indulgence and nights of endless entertainment and no sleep, it was like being on a cruise and completely foreign to the days we had previously been spending, constantly working and going to school.

In Washington, we met up with Ryan and Kristen from Salt Lake, Ryan's family is from Washington and I indirectly hung out with his brother at certain stake activities and we met again at LDSBC and now he goes to the U with Joseph. Anyways, that was our first time hanging out together and now we've become good friends!

Then we went on our Anniversary trip! It was a secluded cabin, in the middle of the forest and we didn't have to talk to anyone the whole time. And there was a little town about 5 minutes away where we enjoyed some dinner and my absolute favorite soft served ice cream, we got apple pie flavor :)

Oh and yes, that is Joseph's flute!! We were at a little bead shop and I picked out some beads (still need to make those earrings and necklace!) and Joseph decided he wanted a flute and thought that would be a cool idea. And it was!

Then we were craving a real breakfast with pancakes, so we went to this restaurant that was a converted boxcar from a train. When we got there at 11 or 12, they had stopped serving breakfast! So we sat down and looked at the menu, one hamburger was like $12! And we talked about splitting a meal but both of us really wanted pancakes.

For Joseph's first time ever, we told them, sorry we don't want to eat hear and left!! So we headed up back home, and I saw that the road we were on led right to Tacoma (about 45 miles away) so I said, we've got several hours, let's go!

We found a Denny's Diner (where we learned the origin of Denny's) and we got 20% off our meal because our check came after 2 o'clock and that was their promotional. Those pancakes and omelettes were the best $7 we ever spent!! (as compared to $25 we could have spent on something we didn't want).

Then we made it to Ruston Pkwy in Tacoma, went to the spot where I had my senior pictures taken, and Joseph bought his first item from Starbucks. Strawberry Frappe :)

Bakery Title Idea: Almost Paradise..."Knocking on the Oven's Door" - get it?

Hello Friends!

So, I haven't updated my blog in...forever! And I hope I haven't lost all the interest from you that you once had.

Joseph- Is in the Accounting Major at the U of U for his Bachelors and will graduate by next summer, then on to Finance for his Masters! He also just bought a Level 3 Model Car Kit from Michael's, unfortunately we left it at Grandma's in Ogden.

Lindsey- I recently developed a recipe for the new fall season. My favorite time of year for food is definitely fall and winter, also my least favorite as far as exercise goes. I called my recipe Creamy Apple Pie Crunch, because when I first tried it, that's exactly what it tastes like!

Lindsey’s Creamy Apple Pie Crunch

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Crust requires no prior baking.

Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup granulated sugar (less sugar suggestion: 1/4 c)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted

Combine ingredients and press into pie pan. Sprinkle 1 tbs dry apple cider mix on top of crust (optional).

Pie Filling

One can/jar of apple pie filling

1/3 c of Sweetened condensed milk + 1 tsp cinnamon (less sugar suggestion: 1/3 cup)

1/2 lemon squeezed (1-2 1/2 tbs)

I prefer to halve the apple slices in a medium mixing bowl with a spoon or knife (for a balanced apple/cream ratio). Mix ingredients together, adding lemon last. Pour into prepared pie pan.

Topping

1 c graham cracker crumbs

3 tbs sugar

1 tbs apple cinnamon dry drink mix

4 tbs (1/2 stick butter) partially melted

2 tsp lemon juice (fresh preferred)

Mix together all ingredients. Squeeze graham mix into various size clumps for a crunch, or just smooth over top. If desired, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mix on top.

Put in oven for 20 minutes or until top is slightly brown. Comes out in a cobbler consistency.

Comments: This recipe is really sweet! If you prefer tartness, do the less sugar suggestion and double the lemon measurements.

This is easier to make then it looks! Usually you can use the same graham cracker mix, use half for the crust and the other half for the top adding the topping ingredients.

Also, I used a wide mouth mason jar to can my own apple pie filling and used that jar of filling for this recipe. But a regular sized can of apple pie filling in the baking section will work just as well (may need to use the less sugar suggestion)!

I love to develop recipes for classic desserts I'm not really fond of, like double-crust pie. I used to not like pumpkin pie, but after making it from fresh pumpkin and getting the right crust, give me some whipped cream and it is my new favorite desserts!

Let us know if you want to try any Paradis Pumpkin Pies this Holiday season :) That recipe will not be posted lol.