Empty Tomb Rolls

This morning, my kiddos and the neighbors' kiddos made one of our Easter favorites ... Empty Tomb Rolls.  Some folks call these Resurrection Rolls ... and, who knows, perhaps other folks call them other things, but we call them Empty Tomb Rolls.  My kids (ages 5 and 9), just LOVE to help with this project. The best part is that the recipe preparation reinforces the Resurrection story (in fact, last year - my Sunday School kiddos made this recipe during our Easter Celebration).

Here's the scoopedy-do-dah!

Empty Tomb Rolls

Ingredients:

• Crescent roll dough (I use 2 tubes which makes 16 rolls)
• Melted butter (I use 1/2 cup - but could probably get away with less)
• Large marshmallows (16, or 1 for each crescent roll)
• Cinnamon-Sugar (I mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 Tbsp. cinnamon)

The Process:

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Prep the ingredients in a little assembly line. My photo is backwards. Ideally, organize in this order: crescent roll dough (separated in triangles), marshmallows, melted butter, and cinnamon-sugar.

3)  Gather the kiddos!  The more, the merrier!!!  Start each kiddo with a marshmallow and a crescent roll triangle.  Tell them that the marshmallow represents Jesus, holy and pure.   The roll represents the linen wrapping that was placed about the body before burial.

4)  Set the marshmallow in center of crescent roll and wrap it inside, pinching to seal tightly.  The tighter it is sealed, the better it turns out.  If not sealed tightly, the marshmallow goo escapes all over the place.  :-)

5)  Drop wrapped marshmallow in melted butter and cover thoroughly.  This is representative of the embalming oils.

6)  Next roll the buttered roll in the cinnamon-sugar.  This represents the spices used to annoint the body.

7)  Place the rolls in a muffin pan to bake.  (Most recipes suggest a cookie sheet or bar pan, but I find that the muffin pan creates a nice, uniform shape.)

8)  Bake in oven for 12 minutes.  The oven represents the tomb in which you are placing Jesus' body.  Pretend that the baking period is three days in length.

9)  Remove rolls and cool slightly.  When the kiddos open the rolls (burial cloth), they will discover that the body is gone!  Christ is risen!!!  Praise God!!!

The best part of all of this is that Christ really IS alive, but a distant second best part is that these rolls are REALLY good!!! 

Enjoy ... and have a blessed Resurrection Day celebration.

love,

Kris Ann

PS - If you'd like to present this as more of a devotion, read Matthew 28:5-8 as you dine on your rolls.

Mama's MMMMMMoist Carrot Bars

Just over a week ago, I was reminded of my obsession (well, not too obsessed, I guess, if I needed reminding ...)  passion for my pal Jodi's Carrot Bars.  In a word - MMMMMMMah-velous!

You really cannot NOT love these!  The secret is that the recipe uses carrot baby food instead of grated carrots.  I swear, you'll be spoiled for all other carrot bars once you've sampled these.  (Hmmmm - I hope I'm not hyping this TOO much - would hate for you to be disappointed, but ... NAH! ... they really are that good!)

And, I've not even mentioned the "icing on the cake", the cream cheese frosting ... to-die-for!

Anyhoodle, show yourself a little love!  Whip up Mama's MMMMMoist Carrot Bars.  You can thank me later!

You're welcome!  ;-)

Mama's MMMMMMoist Carrot Bars

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
18-20 oz. baby food carrots (I generally go for the full 20 oz. - the more, the moister!)

Whisk dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl.  Mix in oil and then eggs (one at a time).  Spoon in carrots and stir just until mixed.  Bake 30-40 minutes in bar pan (15 1/2" x 10 1/2") at 350 degrees.  Cool.  Frost.  Enjoy!

Marvelous Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter (softened*)
8 oz. cream cheese (softened*)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together first 3 ingredients.  Beat in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.

*Note:  I either forget to soften the butter and cream cheese - or haven't the time, so I put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Turkey in a Flash (well, relatively ...)

I have hosted Thanksgiving at my home for 9 the past 10 years.   The exception was two years ago when my little sis, Vangie and her hubby, Kery opened their tiny home to the fam - Mom, Dad, John, Joel, Amy, and my family of 4.  The turkey was not done at the appointed time and my dad filled up the one little loveseat on the main floor (I'm not complaining - it was easy-peasy for me!).  The following week, I got a phone call from Vangie.  She was returning Thanksgiving.

So, this year, the whole of the family - plus my mom-in-law (and maybe her boyfriend - er, "friend") - will once again converge on our home ... and I'll LOVE it!!!

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday:  no gift strings attached - lots of delicious food - and my favorite people in the world, my family.  We eat and talk - sometimes simultaneously (to my hubby's great horror) - and lay around.  Weather permitting, we take a walk around the block in the afternoon to aid in digestion (must make room for the next round of feasting) - and most Thanksgiving evenings, we hit the theater and catch a new release.  LOVE, love, love this holiday!!!

The very first Thanksgiving we hosted, I think that I tried to purchase and prepare nearly EVERYTHING we ate all by myself.  It was exhausting, but I was also not a mommy yet, so I had plenty of time to recover later.  By Thanksgiving #2, I had wised up - and assigned a different dish to each guest ... and continue that tradition today!

My mom-in-law has been bringing the turkey for the past 4 or 5 years (SO lovely that this night owl need not drag herself out of bed in the wee hours of the a.m.!), so I'll not prepare one myself.  However, IF I were, I would try this suggestion that I found in my November 2009 issue of Marie Claire magazine (p. 93 by Sarah Z. Wexler).

• "Don't cook the bird all day.  Instead of the typical 275 degrees for 8 hours for a 12- to 16-pound turkey ... cook it at 500 degrees for 30 minutes to get some nice color, and then bring it down to 350 for 2 1/2 hours.  You'll have the perfect turkey."

How fabulous is that?!  You could sleep in and dine on turkey at noon!  I love it!!!  Odds are, I'll pick up a cheap-o turkey during the Thanksgiving sales - and give this a whirl after the holiday! 

I'll let you know how it goes!

Buy Some Bison

I made bison burgers for dinner tonight. Delicious!!!

1) Mix together 2 pounds bison & 1 envelope onion soup mix
2) Form 8 patties.
3) Season lightly with pepper & Lawry's seasoned salt.
4) Spray pan with cooking spray (I use olive oil spray).
5) Pan fry over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side.

I just LOVE bison! It satisfies my carnivorous farm girl cravings for a good, juicy burger, but without the fat and calories!!! I find this absolutely mind boggling, but bison has fewer calories and fat grams per ounce than skinless chicken breast!!!

Get the low-down at http://wildtbison.com/nutrition-facts/ .

And, oh yes, I can't eat bison without thinking back nine years. At that time, Jay and I were self-employed, running our little bead business for about six years, and - being the entrepreneurs that we were - we were always looking for the next big thing in self-employment. On a whim, we went to Baldwin, WI to check out Silver Bison Ranch (http://www.silverbison.com/). I loved their little gift shop - gifts were my "thang". Jay, however, was fascinated with the BISON!!! Bison?!

When we got home from our impromptu adventure, Jay could talk of nothing but of what an amazing business venture bison ranching would be. He read everything he could find on raising, eating, and selling bison. This floored me because me husband is very much the city boy. He hadn't even had a pet since he was about 8! (Oh - except for the ferrets, Digger and Lilly, that he had briefly when we were first dating - I almost forgot about them.) Since we'd been thinking of getting a dog anyway, his focus switched from looking for a family house dog to researching herding dogs so that we could buy the most appropriate breed for our bison ranch (I think the decision was the Australian Cattle Dog)!!

As Jay pursued all things bison, I was actively supportive. I was NOT a dream crusher!!! I was the cool wife - the one that all his friends wished were theirs because she did NOT stomp out dreams - even CRAZY dreams!!! Even dreams that were NOT her own!!! Besides, in the beginning, I was sure that Jay's obsession would quickly run its course, but a month later, when he headed off first, one weekend to a round-up at the Silver Bison where he "assisted" with vaccinating the bison, and then, another weekend to a bison auction to check out stock, I was seriously FREAKING OUT!!!

Now, as aforementioned, I was born and raised on a farm. I knew the "ins and outs" of the farm life, and for me, the "outs" outweighed the "ins". My dad raised exotic waterfowl, and we NEVER went on vacation - never ever - in large part because who else in the world, let alone our little town, knew how to care for a Siberian red breasted goose or a Trumpeter swan or a Rosy-billed pochard (yes, that's a real bird - look it up!!)? I could just about imagine how easy it would be to invite someone else to take the reins at the Riedmann Ranch so that we could take a little vacay. Never mind, that I could absolutely NOT picture my citified hubby living the life of a rancher, farmer, whatever. He liked dressing up and enjoying a fancy dinner, a bottle of wine, a Broadway show ... I KNEW this was not for him, but he was in deep ... deep in his fantasy world where we were sitting on our porch like Ted Turner surveying our vast prairie filled with bison a la "Dances With Wolves" and sipping warm Merlot and nibbling Brie. How cozy.

I had to wake him up!!! We had been married four years - we someday wanted kids - a bison herd takes at least 7 years to build up and turn a profit (and that's when you actually know what you're doing!); it would be like starting all over financially - we had the means right now to start a family - seriously, if he needed some excitement in his life, something new, something crazy, then maybe - just maybe - it was time to take the plunge - not into bison ranching - but into parenthood!

So that's what we did ...

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie (Makes 2! One 2 Eat, One 2 Share!)

A dessert to Bless a New Mommy, an Old Mommy or Your Kids' Mommy!!!


I just love a brand-new baby, don't you?! I have all sorts of friends who are popping - or very nearly ready to pop - out beautiful new babies. My hubby has been under the knife - so I guess we've done what we could to prevent future popping!! But just because I'm finished with reproduction, doesn't mean I don't enjoy carrying around a soft, sweet-smelling wee one in my arms. Nothing quite like it!!
I also love the opportunity to bless a new mommy with a meal that she doesn't have to make herself. This in turn is a blessing for me AND for my family - blessings all over the place! Let me explain. When I commit to bless another family with a home-cooked meal, I aim for something that appeals to old and young taste buds alike, but is still special and not run-of-the-mill. I always double the meal - one for my fam - and one for the other. This blesses my fam because ... though I enjoy cooking (and am not too shabby at it) ... they don't always get such a thoughtful well-rounded feast (So sad that I find it worthwhile for someone else's family, but not mine - I mean, not on a regular basis. Sorry family!!!). It also blesses me as I get a chance to sneak a peak at that brand-new baby blessing - and, as Proverbs 11:25 tells us, "He [or she!] who refreshes others will him[her]self be refreshed." So, you see, my giving is really rather selfish - I hold a baby; my family is happy; and I'm refreshed!

Speaking of Refreshing ... Back to the recipe!!! This is my recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Pie. It is perfect for these blessing-others-with-food moments because the recipe makes 2 pies (1 for our fam, 1 for the other fam). Plus, the recipe calls for prepared graham cracker crusts so that the other fam doesn't have to concern themselves with returning pie dishes AND because it is a freezer dessert, they (and we) can wait until ready to eat it (that day, the next, the following week ... whatever!). However, I guarantee that they - and we - will NOT let this scrumptious peanut butter lover's dream sit untouched for very long!!!

YUMMY, YUM, YUM!!! :-)


NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Prep Time: 20 min.
Ready in: 20 min. + 2 Hours (to freeze)
Yields: 16 servings (8 per pie)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky - I use creamy)
1 cup milk
16 oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
Chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

Directions:

1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip.
2. Divide and spoon into two 9-inch pie crusts.
3. (Optional) - Put chocolate chip in cheese grater and grate over top of pie. Garnish with chips or chunks.
4. Freeze until Firm (about 2 hours).
5. Set out about 20 minutes before serving and dig in!!!

Best EVER Fruit Pizza

I just made the BEST (not kidding, folks) fruit pizza EVER.

To be fair, it is actually titled "White Chocolate Fruit Tart" by Taste of Home - the world's leading food media publishing magazines, recipe collections and cookbooks. I found this particular recipe at http://www.allrecipes.com/ which is my absolute "go-to" favorite site when searching for new recipes (which is ALL the time! I love trying new things - and, thank God, so does my family - even the little ones). If you've not been to this site - you must! I dare you!!! (They're not even paying me to say this - I should look into that! teehee) I particularly like their ingredient search engine. We buy a 1/2 cow and stick it in our freezer. When I pull out a chuck roast, I think, "Hmmm - what to do with this?" Then, I go right to allrecipes - type "chuck roast" into the ingredient search - and voila' - I've got all sorts of choices AND they are rated by those who've already tried them (love that, too!).

Anyway - back to the pizza/tart. Yum-O! Click on the link http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=white%20chocolate%20fruit%20tart

for the recipe BUT make one itty bitty alteration. Are you ready? Here it is - to the filling, add 1/2 tsp. almond extract! MMM - MMM -MMM. I imagine the tart is delish without (it did recieve 5 out of 5 stars after 101 reviews) - but I think the almond drives it into the sublime (5+ stars!).

I test-drove this at SAMmy's on Thursday night - and my hubby is feeding the guys at work today with tart #2 (I'll gather feedback this evening!).

Enjoy!