Philly Cheesesteak Bread bowl

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

inspired by Rachael Ray

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/lunch-recipes/philly-cheese-steak-stuffed-garlic-bread

Ingredients
4 bread bowls

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 medium onions, sliced as thin as possible and rings separated

1 package of philly cheesesteak meat
Salt and pepper

8 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

2 bell peppers (red and green recommended)

Directions
1. In a large frying pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and heat

2. Add onions and mushrooms, stir and cook until mushrooms darken and onions start to look transparent. Add steak slices and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until meat is lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of the bread; reserve. Scoop out the insides of the loaf, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell, and cut into cubes.

5. In a large skillet, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and rosemary for 2 minutes. Place the bread shell on a baking sheet; brush the inside with some of the seasoned oil.

6. Add 3 cups bread cubes to the skillet with the remaining seasoned oil and toss to coat; transfer to the baking sheet, surrounding the bread shell. Reserve the skillet. Place the bread top on the baking sheet cut side up. Bake until browned and toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, in the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden, 10 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add the steak to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions.

8. Spoon half of the steak-onion mixture into the bread bowl; top with half of the cheese, then half of the croutons. Layer with the remaining steak-onion mixture, croutons and cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with the bread lid. To serve, slice into wedges.

Grandma's Jello Fruit Salad

Submitted by Alisha Stamper

Ingredients:
one 3.5 oz strawberry jello

one 3.5 oz raspberry jello

one 16 oz frozen sliced strawberries with sugar

two cans fruit cocktail with cherry removed after opening

two bananas

Directions: 

1. Defrost strawberries and strain with a colander. 

2. Strain fruit cocktail on top of the strawberries. Remove cherries.

3. Empty both jello powder packets into one bowl. 

4. Boil two cups of water, add to powder, whisk to dissolve.

5. Add two cups cold water to jello mixture.

6. Put fruit in whatever contained you want jello to "Set" in.

7. Cut up bananas into fruit.

8. Pour jello mixture on top, push down fruit as needed. Let set overnight.

Oatmeal

Created by Lanni Brisson
Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oatmeal (quick oats)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tbsp. raisins or craisins
1 tbsp. flax seed
1 tbsp. wheat germ
Water
Milk

Directions:
Add dry ingredients to a microwave safe bowl and add enough water to just cover the mixture.  Heat on high for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.  When it is done, stir in milk to reach the desired consistency.  I like a lot of milk so I probably add 1/2 cup.

Notes:
I usually make about 10 packets ahead of time so breakfast is ready to go.  I just put them into Ziploc sandwich bags which I reuse.  Making this mixture every morning might work for some people but doing it ahead of time is a lot easier.  I also found that over time I stopped needing the brown sugar because the sweetness of the raisins was so good.

What Did the Peep Say?

Spring 2014

Marcia & Casey Van Camp

So...For many years I have wanted to enter the Washington Post's Peep Contest.  We had so much fun creating this BUT it was a lot of work.

Gingerbread men getting painted

I bought some moss at the craft store and we used spray glue to get it to stick.  We glued black paper to the sides of the box so it would be nice and dark.  We also added foam to the bottom so that we could stick the branches through and glue them down.  We used toothpicks to help the gingerbread men stand up.

For the main characters, I cut their ears so they would look more like foxes.  I bought some small pieces of felt and sewed them little outfits which was really fun.  I bent and cut a coat hanger to help them stand up straight and so I could adjust the way they were standing.  We had some little battery lights we stuck into the walls and some we put in the moss and I really like the way they look.

These pictures of course have the flash on so you can see things easier but the above photo is closer to what it really looked like.

Under the Sea Party

11/03/2015 
Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

Here are some pictures from Aurora's 1st birthday party. We love her so much!

Sandcastle cake! 

I used candy molds and candy melts for the seashells.  I made one cake mix in a 9 x 13 pan for the bottom.  Then I made another cake mix and split it between two smaller round glass pans I had.  I frosted with white frosting and used crushed up graham crackers for the sand. I looked at a lot of pictures online and some used marshmallows for the tops, and I used sugar cubes.  I also frosted beyond the cake onto the tray so it would spread out a little more.  I really like the way it turned out. 

Next time I would use white or a light brown cake mix since other colors show through easily...and perhaps a darker frosting as well.  I would also use less moisture in the cakes so they stack easier. For the frosting, I would not get extra whipped since it slides off the sides and can't handle the graham cracker.  

Star cookies!

I rolled out some Pillsbury ready to bake sugar cookies and used a star cookie cutter. I added some Wilton colors and eyes, and look how cute they are!

Sand dollar cookies!

I used some Pillsbury ready to bake sugar cookies for these.  I made a small bowl of light and dark brown sugar.  I put the bottom of a glass into the sugar and flattened out the cookies with it.  I bought a package of sliced almonds and tried to pick out a bunch that were not broken and had nice shapes.  I placed them on the cookies after they baked and some were easier than others.  I started getting them wet with water and that seemed to help them stick.  I think next time I would make these cookies just a little thicker.

Broken Glass Cupcakes / Cookies

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp, 10/31/2015

Inspired by http://easybaked.net/2013/10/09/creepy-broken-glass-cupcakes/

Here are some pictures of the cookies I made this Halloween.  I wanted to make cupcakes but ran out of time and energy SO I used the Pillsbury ready to bake sugar cookies I had in the fridge.  I like the attached recipe since you can microwave the glass concoction vs. using your pan.  I did find though that using cooking spray changed the color to more yellow glass...and the glass was kinda sticky.  I tried it without but then the glass just stuck to the wax paper.  Maybe next year I will try some different methods.  I was able to get enough glass though to break off, so it all worked out.

Also, I don't know that I would used sweet and condensed milk again.  I would probably try for something thicker.  My blood isn't quite as good because I didn't have any black dye, and I was trying to use brown.

Hippo Soup

Inspired by http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/healthy-hungry-hippo-soup-recipe/
Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

I saw this online and went out the same day to make little hippos because I though they were so cute. I am excited to try other animals like an octopus perhaps!

Ingredients:
1 package of frozen bread rolls (I used a generic brand that had 12 rolls)
Black eyed peas
Black beans
Butter
Soup of your choice

Directions:
1. Allow the dough to thaw.  I let mine thaw in the bag, but the link above shows another method

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. Make the hippos!  Basically, as I made each piece I would stick it onto the paper.  You could forma  complete hippo or do all the bodies, then all the heads, etc.

In general you want, 1 larger elongated shape for the body, a round ball for the head, 2 smaller round balls for the face, and 2 tiny balls for the ears.  I didn't measure anything exactly, I just tried to make them look somewhat proportional. You could decide to make small hippos or big hippos, mine were about 3 inches long from back to front.

If it gets sticky, use some flour.

4. Let the dough rise to able double it's size. I took a while making my hippos so some were on the rise while I was making the rest, but that is ok.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. At this point, I brushed them with butter but the original directions have you brush them after they bake.

and bake the hippos for about 15-20 minutes.  I ended up using 2 baking sheets because I wanted to have room and I was worried they would rise and stick together.

6. Allow them to cool and then cut slits for the eyes and nostrils.  Add the beans and voila!

Notes:
*I used La Madeleine's tomato basil soup because it is so tasty.

*I didn't feel like cooking the beans so I just used uncooked beans, and then we just took them out when we ate.

*If you decide to store them in the freezer or fridge, just don't set them on top of each other because they might come apart.