How to Eat an Ice Cream Cone (in 11 easy steps)

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This is the story of how to eat an ice cream cone by Naomi Evelyn Harper.

Step 1: Take a big bite out of the middle of the cone!  Yum.

Step 2: Keep gnawing the cone (ignoring the ice cream because it's too cold).

 Step 3: Contemplate what action to take next.

Step 4: Lick fingers. (I've got this!)

Step 5: Try new approach--eat cone upside down!

Step 6: Just keep eating! (think Dory voice "just keep swimming")

Step 7: Offer mommy some.

Step 8: Ice cream painting!

Step 9: Push ice cream out and peer through the empty cone.

Step 10: Discover a new way to eat ice cream via the dip method.

 Repeat.

Step 11: Place cone in empty bowl and declare "all done."  (She was actually doing the sign for "all done" not waving goodbye like it looks like.)

It's as simple as that folks.  Nomie "told" me it's how the kids eat their cones these days.  Oh, kids.  Every new generation trying to reinvent the wheel.

The End.

Soup's On!

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These are just a few of the soups I have made this cold (single-digit temps!), blustery, snowy, dirty-aired-Utah January.

I personally think they are all delicious, so pick the one you're in the mood for.  All photos are courtesy of the recipe provider.

Veggie Packed Minestrone Soup

from Our Best Bites  

Simple, hearty (even though it's meatless) and satisfying!  I love minestrone with lots of grated Parmesan on top and some yummy crackers!

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

from two peas & their pod

This was good "recovery" soup for Hylan when he was sick because of all of the healthful ingredients, especially the abundance of lemon!  He especially liked it because of the orzo--compared to theirs, I must have added a lot more orzo, or not as much broth to mine though, because it became almost a pasta dish instead of a soup the next day after the pasta absorbed all of the broth.  Equally as yummy, just less soupy.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

from Betty Crocker

I love, love, LOVE Split Pea Soup.  Seriously, I crave that and the Bean with Bacon soup made by Campbell's.  Well, this soup was so easy and so very cheap (because we all know dried beans/legumes are CHEAP!), and I'm assuming probably healthier, or at least filled with less sodium--not that I care about that, if anything, I have low blood pressure and need more salt.

Anyway, I had to substitute a ham steak and bacon for the ham hock because I couldn't find one in my local grocery stores (stupid Utah, I know Pennsylvania would not let me down in the pork department).  Perhaps, I didn't try hard enough, surely ham hocks exist in Utah.  Anyway, gosh if you love split pea soup, you must must make this soup and revel in the delicious aromas that will waft from your slow cooker!

Creamy Tomato Soup Without the Cream

from Mimi's Fit Foods

I loved how easy this recipe was and the fact that I had all of the ingredients in my pantry to make it within hours of seeing the post.  By the way, this is a great blog written by a friend from my former ward.  She tests  recipes and posts all about the nutritional content (because she's a Nutrition, Health, & Fitness Coach professionally), so it's just a fabulous resource!

The "cream" part of the soup is actually bread, and by happy coincidence, I had some leftover homemade oat bread that worked perfectly to thicken this soup.  I also ate mine with a topping of shredded pepper jack cheese and crackers.  Delicious and super nutrient-packed.  Love the antioxidant power of lycopene-enriched tomatoes, don't you?!   

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

from America's Test Kitchen

"The Best Simple Recipes"

This picture is actually from a variation of the recipe, but it looks exactly the same minus the herbs, which you could obviously add if you have them handy!

I have been craving Chicken and Dumplings since I was going to make it for a New Year's Day Party with my sister's family that never happened due to illness.  I really loved the simplicity of this version of the classic because it still packed delicious flavor without needing to simmer all day long, or needing to make your own broth, etc.

The only annoying part is picking the chicken off the bones of a store-bought rotisserie chicken.  I mean the convenience and flavors are fantastic, but picking chicken isn't my favorite task.  I always miss some tiny little  bone and it irks me, but seriously, that effort is worth it for the flavor the chicken adds to the soup.

The next time I make this recipe, I may add some cream at the end, or thicken it with a little roux in the beginning just because a hearty, creamy, chicken and dumpling soup sounds so good to me too.

Also, I think this was Hylan's favorite of all the soups I made.  He raved over it--he politely eats the other soups (and in the case of the minestrone, asks where's the meat?)--but this one he absolutely loved.  I especially know when he likes something if he will eat it as leftovers, which he has!  Winner, winner, chicken and dumplings dinner!

Here is the recipe.  I hope I'm not breaking copyright laws or something by publishing it for you.  Shh, our secret:

Quick Chicken and Dumplings Soup

(from America's Test Kitchen, "The Best Simple Recipes")

serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Salt and Pepper

  

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped fine

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 celery rib, sliced thin (I used more)

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth*

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)

1.  For dumplings, whisk flour, water, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in bowl, set aside.  

2.  Melt butter in Dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium-high heat.  Cook onion, carrots, and celery until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

3.  Stir chicken into pot, season with salt and pepper, and return to a simmer.  Working quickly, drop teaspoon sized pieces of dough into soup.  Simmer, covered, until dumplings are set, about 1-2 minutes.  

Serve and ENJOY! 

So, there you go for some yummy soup ideas. 

*By the way, of all the chicken broth/stocks I've tried, Swanson's Chicken Broth is the best tasting brand I've found.  I like the convenience of the 4 cup boxes, but I can get a case of the 30% reduced sodium 2 cup cans at Costco, so I'll use those too.  They have different varieties of their broth, like "Natural Goodness," "Certified Organic," etc, but since I trust their brand in general, I usually go for which kind is on sale or cheaper--and that is almost never the organic, free range, or "natural" kind, ya know what I mean?   

Eat Sweet! And the best Pumpkin Muffins recipe ever, for real.

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I haven't documented most of the delicious things I've been whipping up lately.  I haven't really even taken pictures of most of it, but here is a small sampling.

Healthy Raspberry Crumb Bars 

(A good way to use up raspberries that got smashed in transportation)

Fresh Corn Soup 

(so silky and sweet)

Pumpkin Pie 

(The Libby's recipe on the can has never let me down.  I made this one with a graham cracker crust.)

S'mores Cereal Treats

(Must have been a pregnancy craving).

I promise I don't only eat sweet things.  All of these goods were made when I got my baking/cooking mojo back after those "awesome" first 20 weeks or so of pregnancy.  Since then, I've been cooking more savory meal-type things, but I'm usually too hungry to bother with documentation.

Anyway, by far and away, the best thing I have made in the past month or two are these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins!

It is definitely blog-worthy, so I've published the recipe below, but first I have to add a few notes.  I didn't have whole-grain pastry flour, but I did have regular whole wheat flour so I used 2/3 cup to 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour.  This worked perfectly.  You could probably still do the 1:1 cup ratio, but I don't recommend going any heavier on the whole wheat flour, or you'll have dense, hockey-puck muffins.  And obviously, if you're using the whole grain pastry flour (which is lighter) you can stick with the recipe exactly.

I also didn't have buttermilk on hand, but I used the 1 Tbsp lemon juice trick added to regular milk (or you can use vinegar) to mimic the acidic effects of buttermilk. It helps with both flavor and the rise of the muffins. Just do this step first if you don't have real buttermilk and let it sit about five minutes.  Magical.

The molasses adds a slight sweet/smoky rich aroma and flavor that is an essential element to these muffins.  I highly recommend trying it.    

Lastly, and most importantly.  I didn't have pumpkin seeds, which I'm sure would have added a nice crunch, but I wanted chocolate anyway, so go for the chocolate.  Chocolate wins every time!

And by the way, these made more than 12 muffins, so I baked up about 8 or so mini muffins as well.  Just watch them because they will obviously bake up faster (about 12 minutes or so).

Ellie Krieger's Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-grain pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan withcooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

SACO Fudgy Cocoa Brownies (Mint and Rolo)

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If you haven't tried SACO's premium Cocoa, you just might want to!  Why?  Because it is specially formulated to a perfect pH level so that your cocoa baked goods leaven correctly but still retain a great color, texture, and flavor.  Read about it here.

Yes, I believe this stuff.  But if you're not into the science of baking, just trust me when I say to try the SACO Brownie recipe (featured below).  It is perfect.  In fact, I often use recipes found on the back of packages/boxes/bags etc. because they are specially created for their products (Nestle Toll House Cookies anyone?).  Anyway...

I'm not really a fan of boxed brownie mixes (except for Ghiradelli) because most seem to taste like well, boxed chemical concoctions that bake up with a weird thin chewy texture. 

My friends, scratch brownies are almost as easy: a few more ingredients, a few more measuring tools, and a few extra minutes.  Really, if you're going to bake brownies, it is worth the extra 3 minutes effort!

Case example #1.  Emily gets a craving for brownies.  She notices a very simple brownie recipe (recipe below) on the back of SACO Cocoa.  She mixes Andes mint pieces into the batter and spreads the rest on top of the warm freshly baked brownies to get a shiny glaze.

Perfectly baked.  Perfect blend of fudgy/cakey/not-to-thick-or-thin texture.  Delicious subtle minty-ness!  Beautiful clean cut.  Hylan approved.

Case example # 2.  One week later, we were craving more brownies (we share a lot, I promise). 

So, I mixed up a batch and poked Rolos in each square.  I was one short can you tell?  One of these things is not like the other.

This time I slightly under baked them.  This wasn't really purposeful, but it will be next time!  If you like even fudgier texture (think molten lava cake but contained, not overly oozy chocolate), then you will absolutely flip (or cartwheel) for these!

Again, I need a nice camera and photography lessons, but can you see the fudgy sheen on the corner.  Yum.  These just barely cut cleanly (not as well as the mint ones), but I definitely did the "happy dance" when I bit into one.

Hylan, on the other hand, gave me the koala bear look (Big Bang Theory reference).  Translated: he had a food love moment that was not to be disturbed.  He consequently bragged to his co-workers about these and has been hoarding them (but so have I). 

Friends, they don't pay me to say this stuff.  Go bake up a batch of SACO Brownies NOW.  You will not regret it. 

SACO Fudgy Cocoa Brownies Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup SACO premium Cocoa

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup nuts* (optional)

*or chocolate chips, marshmallows, Rolos, Andes mints, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8x8x2-inch pan (or line with parchment paper).  In a medium saucepan (or microwave) melt butter.  Add cocoa and stir until well blended.  Add sugar an mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well.  Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt.  DO NOT OVERBEAT!  Fold in nuts*.  Spread in prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Nature's Candy: Oven Dried Strawberries

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More Strawberries!  I continue to delight and obsess over strawberries.  I think I blog about them every Spring.  Ha!

I recently tried this method for Oven Dried Strawberries and I'm now in love.

Since my berries were huge, I had to slice them down a bit.
 

This was after 3 hours in a 215 degree oven.

I let them continue to dry out for another hour or so!

I might not be the best photographer, but believe me when I tell you these are worth the effort!  In fact, I liked the ones that weren't completely dried out the best.  They had a sweet juicy burst kind of like a homemade fruit gusher.

Of course, since some weren't completely dried, they should be stored in the fridge, but if you take them all the way dried, you can store them in an airtight container.  The drying process concentrates the sweet strawberry flavor making them taste better than candy.  "Nature's Candy!"  Yum.

The possibilities are endless for their use but I like to snack on them plain or eat them in salads.  These would be delicious paired with fancy syrupy balsamic vinegar (but I don't know where to find that except for in expensive Italian restaurants). 

Gosh, I love strawberries.  And you'll love the way your house smells as these dry in the oven (or in your food dehydrator if you have one)! 

These berries also made me dream of making homemade Strawberry Fruit Leather.  Here's a fun tutorial if you're interested.  Someday I will own you Blendtec and you will make my life so much better!   

Luscious Strawberry Jam

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Freezer jam is one of the easiest most rewarding treat one can make!  All you need is fruit, sugar, pectin, and jars!

The funny thing about this picture is that it was after I had already made two batches (12, 8 oz jars) of jam.  So yeah, I like me some strawberries and kiwi!

On the left, Strawberry Kiwi Jam.  On the right, all luscious Strawberry Jam!  Doesn't this just bring happiness to your heart?

Officially, "Auntie Em's Strawberry (or Strawberry Kiwi) Jam" because I'm cool like that.

Happy Spring to us!  By the way, I do share. 

Homemade Granola Bars

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There are many ways to make granola.  In the past, I have loved using this Nutty Granola Recipe from Ellie Krieger.  It's a spoon granola that is great served over yogurt or under milk.  It's very nutritious and is lightly sweetened with maple syrup.  Delish! 

But more often than not, I find myself grabbing a ready-to-go more easily consumable fruit/granola/cereal/protein "bar" from such companies as Nature Valley, Kashi, and Larabar, all of which have great natural, tasty, and nutritious options in their product lines.

Those options are great, but a homemade snack filled with ingredients you love is better!  That's why I finally decided to try Homemade Granola Bars from Ina Garten.  I'm glad I did because these are dangerously good, so good that they are worthy of going in the "all-time favorites" recipe archives.

The great thing about granola is that you throw in the things you have in your pantry, or the things you love to eat the most.  I followed the recipe outline, but I also added brown rice krispies, some extra leftover roasted nuts, dried currants (like a little raisin, but cuter, sweeter, and more delicious) and craisins (dried cranberries = yummy) for the dried fruit, and even ground flaxseed and psyllium husks for a little added boost in nutrition and fiber (don't worry, it doesn't change the flavor) .  And of course, chocolate!  I like a gook dark chocolate because it balances the sweetness of the granola bar.

Here's how it breaks down.

 
Oatmeal, almonds, and coconut on a sheet pan to toast in the oven.  I know some don't love coconut and of course it can be omitted, but I've recently fallen in love with the nutty toasty sweet chewy texture and flavor it lends, so I would recommend giving it another try. 

This is wheat germ and I am toasting it separately. 

Now I am melting the delish goo that holds the bars together: butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt.  I recommend adding the vanilla after the mixture bubbles and is removed from the heat.  Click here for an interesting article on sweeteners.

I don't know what happened to my ingredients picture, but here are the bars pressed and ready to bake.

And now in all of it's toasty golden perfection!

Don't leave out the good dark chocolate!

Sprinkle on the warm bars and wait for the magic to happen. 

Oooh, melty and almost spreadable.



Spread the chocolate, allow the bars to cool completely, (will take several hours or pop in the fridge) and cut into beautiful bars.

All stacked up and ready to eat.  Delicious. 

Try this recipe featured below and experiment with your own ingredients:

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.