(L)Oven Monday – The Best Food Gifts from Your Kitchen

December 5, 2016November 29, 2022 RefreshHer2 Comments

As I make my preparations for a more “simple” Christmas this year, I’m reminded that giving gifts from what you love is the best kind of gift to share. If I do what I love – I bake and the receiver knows that it was prepared especially for them with lots of (L)oven from my oven!

I have many recipes on my blog that I have given away, and I’m going to compile a short list of some of my favorites for you today. These are simple to make and are LOVED by those that receive them. Let’s get shopping/baking…

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake – – This is a fancier form of Monkey Bread. It’s made from canned biscuits, cream cheese and cinnamon and sugar. It’s pretty, it’s easy to make and is so good it became a Christmas tradition for our breakfast!
Cranberry Crumble – Another great coffee cake that anyone would LOVE to receive!
French Bread Loaves – A good old crusty bread tied up in a linen kitchen towel is as lovely as it is delicious!
Homemade Granola – Gifted in a jar with a pretty ribbon, this granola is perfect for any breakfast lover!
Cream Cheese Coffee Cakes – These are more like Danishes and who doesn’t love a Cream Cheese Danish???? This recipe makes four, so it really makes great use of your time in the kitchen!
Deep Dish Hershey Brownies – This is my family’s favorite brownie recipe and I’ve made them for years. Any chocolate lover will be delighted to receive a plate of these!
Microwave Caramel Popcorn – This is the easiest caramel popcorn! It makes a nice pile of popcorn for the snacker on your list!

You can also go here for a list of some fabulous cookies to bake up and place in cellophane bags or pretty Christmas tins.

Food is a wonderful gift of love from your oven to the recipient. Get baking and finish your gift list!

Which of these recipes will you make and give away?

With love from my country kitchen,

baking · dessert · entertaining · Make-Ahead

(L)Oven Monday – Cutie Pies!

November 14, 2016November 14, 2016 RefreshHer11 Comments

Okay, so the title for these recipe Monday’s came into my head last week when I was writing my husband a note about his breakfast being in the (L)oven! You do get it, right, or is it just my crazy mind? I love to bake and cook, so I thought an appropriate title would be “(L)Oven Monday” =) My mind works words over like that. You can vote yes or no at the end of this post!

Anyway, while I was in the kitchen last week getting ready for my Apples of Gold ladies to come, I came across the adorable idea of baking pies in Mason Jar lids. How genius is that?

mason jar pie.jpg

They make individual pies that are so stinking cute! It’s the perfect size and they are so easy to put together. It’s much less intimidating to make a three-inch crust than an eight or ten inch one! You could make any number of fillings, of course. I made apple and Kentucky Derby pies with mine.

Here’s the Derby pie getting ready for the oven. How good does this look…

mason-pies

Here’s the baked pie…

pie-bite

The Mason jar lids make a little spring form pan! After they’re baked, you simply push up on the bottom of the lid and they pop right out. Like I said – GENIUS!

Here’s a picture tutorial on how I made them:

My Pampered Chef Crimper is a little larger than the lid, which is what you want. Find a bowl or glass that’s about a half inch bigger than the lids and cut circles in your crust. I made mine, but you could also purchase dough.

pie-collage

I sprayed the lids with cooking spray to ensure they’d pop out easily. Don’t over-fill the pie – two or three tablespoons of filling will do, especially if you top it with crumb topping or dough. I also sprinkle sugar over the crust to make it pretty and delicious!

These would be great for Thanksgiving! No need to slice pie! Everyone can help themselves to their own individual pie. Pumpkin, apple, peach – whatever kind you want – just portion the filling into the crusts.

I made up extras and put them in the freezer. All I have to do is take it out and bake it when I need a dessert. I also freeze my large pie crusts in Ziploc bags.

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I cover the crust with Syran wrap, then put it into the freezer bags.

I hope you’ll make up a whole bunch of these Cutie Pies for your Thanksgiving dinner. I think everyone will be talking about them and copying your idea!!! Bake up a cute little treat from your (L)oven!

What do you think…do you like”(L)Oven Monday” for these Monday posts? Or is it like, Huh???????????????????????

With love from my country kitchen,

Denise Signature 150 px

baking · cakes · Fall · Gifts · hospitality · outfits

Friday Favorites – OOTD video and Pie Workshop!

November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Happy Friday, friends! This has been a packed week, but filled with lots of fun blessings! Let me share some of them with you:

I held my first Apples of Gold Workshop last night. It was a class to teach how to make Pumpkin Rolls and Pies! We had eight ladies attend and we had SOOOO much fun!
The pictures below show

The calm after the (flour) storm! Every lady rolled out pie dough and we covered every inch of my island with our flour, dough and fillings. It was so great!
Cutie Pies as I call them, because aren’t they cute?! Each lady made a pie in a Mason Jar lid and everyone was so creative and did a fantastic job. They got to eat the fruit of their labors, of course!
I demonstrated the technique of making a sponge cake and rolling it up and filling it. Pumpkin Roll is loved by many and can be made ahead and frozen, making it a great dessert for Thanksgiving dinner!

I bought some little plastic silver coffee spoons at the Dollar Tree and turned them into Chocolate Spoons for coffee or hot chocolate for when you want to turn your beverage into a bit of a dessert. They would make great gifts, attached to hot chocolate packets and slid into seasonal bags!

I encouraged the ladies last night to use this holiday season to share the Gospel. Bake up something or fix these spoons up and give them to a neighbor or co-worker and tell them you trust this will be good, but one thing we can always count on is that God is good (Psalm 34:8) and share the Gospel with them!

Then lastly, I did a quick video of my OOTD (Outfit of the day) . You can check out my You tube channel under Denise Cunningham and subscribe so you’ll be notified each time I upload a video. You can just click on the You Tube Icon on the video below and it will take you to my channel. I’m thinking of adding some Christmas prep videos in the next few weeks, that you won’t want to miss!

I have a little video of the Chocolate Spoon tutorial that will be posted later today! I hope you’ll come check it out on my channel.

What have you been up to, what are you wearing and how are you experiencing the blessings of the Lord this week?

Stay refreshed!

Denise Signature 150 px

baking · dessert · Dinner · dinner in 30 minutes · Fall · home · Home making · Uncategorized

Fall/Winter Pantry Essentials

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

Last week I shared three of my Go-To meals when I’m in a pinch for time (and money!). I also shared the items I keep stocked so those meals can happen. I hope you’ll check out that post if you missed it. But when it turns cooler my menu changes, as I bet yours does too. We think about soups, stew, cobblers, and comfort foods to fill us when fall and winter approach. Since I know those are the kinds of foods we’re going to want for supper, there are certain items I know I need to keep on hand.

Let me share some of the essential items I like to keep in my pantry so I can cook and bake at a moment’s notice.

Chicken stock or broth – I love to make my own stock after I’ve roasted a chicken. You can find my method here. I’ve even updated my method by putting all the ingredients in the crock pot and letting it simmer all day. It’s so much easier than doing it on the stove! I freeze my broth in Ziplock bags (double-bagged for fear of leakage), lay them flat and stack them so they don’t take up much room.
Chicken stock is necessary for soups, but also many other dishes – enchilada sauce, and roasted chicken, for example. It’s great to have it on hand. This soup is a ten minute soup, and great for flu victims!
Minute Rice
Baking Mix (Like Bisquick). This mix can quickly be turned into pancakes, waffles, biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits, muffins, dumplings and more! Check out these recipes!
Here’s a homemade version you can make and keep on hand:
Homemade Baking Mix
6 cups All-purpose flour
3 tbl baking powder
1 tbl salt
1 cup shortening
Sift flour, baking powder and salt three times into a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Store mixture in airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 months.
Canned Goods – Right now is a good time to stock up as many stores have sales events going on for the holidays.
- Beans
- Tomatoes
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Pie fillings
- Pumpkin
- Cream Soups
- Pasta sauce
Pasta
Taco Seasoning – Here’s my homemade version
Olive oil
Vinegar – Balsamic, White, Apple Cider – I love making my own salad dressings and if I have a good olive oil and choices of vinegar, I can mix one up in a minute!
Sugars – White, Brown and Powdered
All-purpose Flour
Shortening
Baking chocolate – Cocoa and chocolate chips
Oatmeal
Cake Mixes – Again, I stock up three or four when they’re on sale and keep for the Quick Cakes or desserts.

Of course I keep potatoes, onions. fruits, etc., but I’m only mentioning the dry goods here on this list.

There were lots of years that I couldn’t stock up my pantry, but had to purchase only what I needed that week. If you can only add one or two extra items a week as you shop, keep an eye out for the sales and grab them when they’re marked down. It will truly save you in the long-run!

Did I miss an item that you try to keep in your pantry? What is it?

With love from my country kitchen,

baking · Bread · Fall

Oh-So Moist Pumpkin Muffins

October 24, 2016October 22, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

pumpkin-3

Saturday afternoon found me happily not busy after a very busy week. It was a very cool fall day, and I was home alone. My mind went to one of my favorite activities – baking. I needed to have something for Sunday breakfast, and also wanted to send something over to my neighbors. So, I decided to venture out and try a new Pumpkin Muffin recipe! I have my old standby that I still love, but, like anything else, I wanted to try something new!

The recipe I found calls for Coconut oil, which I’ve just started using this year. It doesn’t make the muffin taste like coconut – it just gives a great texture! Don’t be afraid to try it, but if you don’t have any or don’t want to use it, you can use vegetable oil instead. If you’ve ever had a dry muffin, you know you never want to go there. ever.again. But these are Oh-SO MOIST!

My husband came home when these had just cooled. When he’s home, he really watches his sweet/bread intake, but he ate four of the little ones I baked without blinking an eye! That’s when I knew I needed to share this recipe and my tweaks with you!

pumpkin-muffin-1

Oh-So Moist Pumpkin Muffins
Makes about 18 Regular sized muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
2 eggs
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coarse sugar crystals – optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
Measure out the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut oil and vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together. Do not over mix, just stir until all the dry ingredients are mixed in completely.

I use an ice cream scoop to distribute the batter into each muffin cup. They will be nearly full. This will help give your muffins a nice rounded top. Sprinkle with sugar crystals for a nice little crunch on top.
Bake your muffins for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

pumpkin-4 — I used autumn colored sugar crystals – that’s why there’s green and red dots on top!

I like putting these in the muffin tin, rather than papers because it also made the edges of the muffins a little crispy – which we love.

I hope you’ll try these if you get a little time in the kitchen this week (they don’t take long at all!). Like me, you may be replacing your “standby recipe” with this one!!!

With love from my country kitchen,