Snow Day and Cinnamon Rolls

Yesterday was our first official snow day! Even though it was more of a dusting outside, the roads were too slick for buses to run and the temperatures were too cold for kids to stand outside waiting for buses. My kiddos don’t ride the bus, but we sure are glad it’s there in case we need it!

Burr! It was a freezing 8 degrees outside!

Even though school was canceled, we are still required to do school work. Our school district has implemented AMI days. AMI stands for Alternative Methods of Instruction. An AMI day is a day in which school is cancelled (e.g. in the case of inclement weather) but students do not have to make up the day because they will be provided the opportunity to complete “Weather Work” assignments over a specified period. I don't mind doing the AMI work at all. It keeps the kids busy, plus I get to see more of what they are learning in class. It teaches me too:)

Completing AMI school work

Over the weekend I knew we'd be stuck inside because I do not like the cold. I mean I really hate it. HATE it. Summer is my favorite. I'll admit, I'd probably hate summer if we didn't own a swimming pool. I LOVE our swimming pool and I have been known to spend all day in a swim suit, walking around like I'm on vacation at a fancy resort. Yea, Yea I'm spoiled, I don't you need to tell me that. ANYWAY, while we were inside, I thought I'd try out a few recipes from one of my favorite people Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions. And they are sooooo EASY! Thank you, Jenny!! First is her Cinnamon Pizza using store bought pizza dough. I just bought the Pillsbury pizza dough that you can ironically find by the cinnamon rolls. This recipe would be perfect for Christmas morning or for something quick to whip up when unexpected company arrives.

Cinnamon Pizza was sooooo easy to make!  

Cinnamon Pizza

Ingredients

1 store-bought pizza dough
2 tablespoons of butter, softened
brown sugar 
cinnamon

Butter Icing 

1 tablespoon of butter, melted
1 cup of powdered sugar
milk 

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.

Directions

Stretch the dough out onto a greased baking sheet.  Spread with softened butter.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Bake for 10 minutes. 

For the butter icing, mix together melted butter and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and small amounts of milk until it is to your desired thickness.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then drizzle icing over the dough.

Enjoy!!

Second is Jenny's incredibly easy cinnamon rolls. This was almost a duh moment for me with this one: She uses frozen bread dough. Duh, right? So much less work and so much less mess! The whole family loved these and I will keep this one in my list of favorites for sure! Especially when my son, Matt, wants homemade cinnamon rolls and I don't have enough time to make them from scratch. 

Easy and Delicious!

"Homemade" Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

3 loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed (it comes 3 to a bag)
8 tablespoons of butter, softened
1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of cinnamon
butter icing glaze (below)

Directions

Thaw three loaves of frozen bread dough in the refrigerator or on the counter (there are directions for thawing on the bag).  Allow the thaw dough to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm area covered with a damp cloth.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle onto a floured surface.  Spread softened butter on the rolled out dough.  Sprinkle sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough.  Roll up the dough into a log.  Slice into 2-inch thick rolls.  Place into a buttered pan, or one lined with parchment paper.

Cover with a warm damp towel and allow to rise 1-2 hours in a warm area.  If you are preparing the night before and baking in the morning, keep them in the refrigerator and let them rise about 1 hour before baking.  When the rolls have doubled in size, bake them at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until they begin to brown.  Top with Butter Icing Glaze.

Butter Icing Glaze

for cinnamon rolls

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of milk

powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter with milk in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla until the glaze is the right consistency - it should pour, but not be runny.  The heat from the cinnamon rolls will help the glaze to melt over them easily.  

Can't you just smell the coffee and taste the cinnamon? I hope you and your loved ones enjoy these yummy recipes on your next cold day or lazy weekend just as we did! And if you get a chance, visit Jenny's pages on Instagram and her blog!

https://www.instagram.com/jennysteffenshobick/

http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/

Memory Baker

I love handwritten recipes. I am currently in the process of handwriting all of our family recipes for all four of our children. I'm starting with my two oldest sons, Ryan an Matthew, since they are both out of the house living like adults. Like most of you, I grew up learning that feeding others is another way of saying "I love you." Food celebrates, it shows your love, gratitude, welcome and sorrow {They call it comfort food for a reason}. Anytime there is something big happening in our lives, food is a part of it.

{My recipe card box and recipe books I'm making for my oldest sons}

But what happens when we lose those people that made those recipes for all those moments? They are gone and we are left with only the memories of how much we miss them and miss their food.

Food impacts our lives just like people do.

{My daughter, Mary Kate, learning all of Mama's recipes}

That's why I write it all down: the recipe, the year I received the recipe, who gave it to me and some recipes even contain a story. For example, the recipe that I'm sharing with you today, Pumpkin Crunch. Written on the recipe card I have, "this recipe is a fall favorite of mine. Given to me by my Mom when I was in my 20's living out on my own for the first time." You see, recipes don't have to be passed down because you're married or have children. Recipes should be passed down because you saw how it touched someone else.

{A treasure of family recipes}

These days, when I see people make over something I made, I write the recipe down on one of my own recipe cards and send it their way with a little note. It's the cheapest gift you can give, along with one of the most personal gifts you can give.

{Share you next recipe on a recipe card, not in an email}

Recipes are a part of family history and family tradition. Sharing recipes with family and friends, written in your hand, connects us in a way an email, text, blog or even a cookbook can't. So next time you go to a gathering and as you lovingly prepare your food for others, bring a piece of paper and pen, and make note of who complimented you on your recipe. When you get home write that recipe down for them with a little note and mail it as soon as possible. I promise you, you'll make someone feel loved. And there is no better way to say "I love you," when we run out of words, than to say it with food.

{Pumpkin Crunch}

Pumpkin Crunch

1 box yellow cake mix

3 large eggs

1 can {15oz}pumpkin

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 can {12oz}evaporated milk

1 cup melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

whipped topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans or chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 9x13 baking dish

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt

Mix well and pour into baking dish

Sprinkle evenly with dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture

Top with chopped pecans or chopped walnuts

Drizzle melted butter over nuts and cake

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown

Let cool and serve chilled

Top with whipped topping and sprinkle with remaining nuts

Enjoy!

Busy Days & Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Is it me or did summer just flown by? It feels like it just began and already its over. I miss the lazy days of summer and this summer has been anything but lazy.

We were very busy over the summer by making friends, playing a lot and taking some family time to do some traveling and camping. However, we have been so busy that dinner is usually late and quickly put together. I started thumbing through my cookbooks to find something quick and easy for dinner and something that I knew my family would chow down on and eat at a more normal time. Plus with school now session this recipe is great for the busy nights of after school activities!

In a new cookbook purchased at my favorite little shop, Euna Maes in Springdale, "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" by Jennifer Chandler is a simple recipe for "Slow Cooker Cola Chicken." The picture looked good and I just happened to have all the ingredients, so I gave it a try.

Y'all, this chicken was so tender, it kept falling off the bone as I was trying to put it on a serving plate. Hence, no pretty photo of my chicken. The chicken was moist and it had that smokey BBQ sauce flavor that we all love but at the end you could taste a little bit of the cola. So yummy!! Plus my family ate at a normal time, I barely had to do anything to make it, the ingredients are cheap and I didn't have to stand outside in this unbearable heat to grill or heat up my house to cook in the kitchen.

Enjoy!!

(Sorry I have no photo of my end result, again, it kept falling off the bone, so it didn't look as pretty)

Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Ingredients

4 split, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 pounds) or any cut of chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 lemon, quartered

1 (18oz) bottle barbecue sauce

1 (12oz) can cola (not diet)

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a slow cooker AKA crock pot. Add the onion and lemon. Pour the barbecue sauce and pop AKA soda over the top.

Cover and cook and low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.

*You will need at least a 3 1/2 quart slower cooker for this recipe.*

**Slow cookers cook best when the lid remains tightly in place. Opening the lid often will require additional cooking time.**

Enjoy!

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts with Candied Maple Bacon

Every now and then I get the urge to go completely outside of my comfort zone and try something new. This morning was one of those urge days. Over the weekend I bought a new cookbook and it has so many delicious recipes, y'all. So far I've tried 3 recipes in this cookbook and all have been very successful! The cook book is "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" and I can already tell it'll be a staple go to in my kitchen. I bought my locally, but you can order one at Amazon by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pantry-Cookbook-Recipes-Already/dp/1401605214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462978259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+southern+pantry+cookbook

 

This morning I made the homemade pop tarts and candied bacon, however, I used maple bacon. I had already made pie crust in my freezer I needed to use. So my crust is not from scratch but if you have the time, by all means shoot for the stars and make your own homemade pie crust. I hope you enjoy these as much as me and my family did! 

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Filling:

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Toaster Tarts:

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Ingredients for Egg Wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper

2. To make brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling: In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour.

3. To make icing: In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Drizzle over pop tarts, serve warm.

4. To make egg wash: lightly beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water

5. To make the pop tarts: Roll out the dough and stack on top of each other and cut into even squares, making sure to keep matching tops and bottoms together. 

6. Separate the top and bottom of each pastry and brush matching sides with egg wash.

7. Spoon one pastry with about 1 heaping tablespoon of the brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling

8. Place matching pastry on top and seal edges using the tines of a fork around all the edges to crimp the dough.

9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on cooling rack. Drizzle with icing and Enjoy!!

Candied Maple Bacon

Ingredients: 

Non Stick cooking spray

1/2 cup finely packed light brown sugar

12 slices center cut  maple bacon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Generously spray a wire baking rack with cooking spray and then place on top of a lined rimmed baking pan. {I used parchment paper for easy clean up.}

3. Place the brown sugar in a shallow baking dish and evenly dredge both sides of the maple bacon

4. Placed bacon on to the wire rack in a single layer with no overlapping pieces.

5. Bake until the bacon is crispy, 20-25 minutes.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've never been a cookie maker....or real baker for that matter. Although those are my passions, my favorites, I've always been much better at savory dishes. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, meatballs, sauce, gravy~I've got those down. But baking has always been my Achilles heel. And that's been heartbreaking for me. Homemade bread....never rises. Home baked cookies, flat and crunchy. Pie Crust, from a box because I still can't make it (did I mention I have a giant "How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust" print on my kitchen wall and I still can't get it right!). Cakes....lets not go there. {sigh}

So, I have a glass cookie jar. I've had it for nearly 20 years, before I ever of became mom. I always fill the cookie jar with home baked cookies. However, my cookies ALWAYS turned out flat, crunchy, crumbly and far from what I had hoped they'd turn out to be. Y'All it was embarrassing...

Until today....

The dear Lord has blessed me, yet again, with my saving grace of chocolate chip cookie recipes. These are the BEST cookies hands down, I'll never try another chocolate chip cookie recipe again, these will be my go to for the rest of my life and I'll pass this recipe down to my children and grandchildren....and sadly I've eaten like 6 so far; they are that good. So if you like soft batch cookies, the kind of cookies where the chocolate seems to melt with each bite, then you must give these a try!

But I have to say before you try this recipe, just know for the wanna be bakers like me out there, it isn't always our fault. I follow directions to the exact, but sometimes all it takes is a tiny tweak to make it work for me. There are so many ways people make recipes with their own little secrets and they have that secret to make it taste heavenly and flawless....so just know, the recipe books are not always 100%. So please don't give up, have fun trying and learning! 

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

14 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature

{notice how its not 2 sticks...don't use the whole 2 sticks!}

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

{this is not a typo, I promise}

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour 

2 tsp flour

{again, not a typo, trust me}

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
(if you are using salted butter, omit adding salt)

1 bag chocolate chips, any kind you like

Preheat your oven to 350

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and both sugars until creamy

Add eggs one at a time until well blended

Add vanilla and mix well

Add 2 1/2 cups flour, baking soda and salt all at once

Mix until well blended

Add your 2 TBSP flour and mix well

Fold in your chocolate chips

Using a cookie scoop or teaspoon, make a ball out of your chocolate chip cookie dough and place on your cookie sheet. Allow some room for the cookie to spread. The smaller the cookie
 (1 round tsp), the more airy and soft it'll be. The larger the cookie, the more it'll spread and you run the risk of crispy cookies!

Bake for 10 minutes, or longer if you need to. 

{all ovens vary, do what works best for you}

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

Happy Baking, Y'All!!!

This recipe was found and adapted from this link: 

http://www.thebakingchocolatess.com/omg-soft-batch-chocolate-chip-cookies-pure-nirvana/

Southern Sweet Iced Tea

I'm a sweet drinker. Doesn't have to be summer or a barbecue happening, I'll drink it all year long and with any meal y'all. My sons Matt and Will have recently joined me in my sweet tea fetish. Matthew went to California over the summer to visit his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin and much to his surprise they apparently don't serve sweet tea in California according to my sister in law. WHAT??!! 

I was even surprised by that. California, you don't know what you are missing.

Well, Matthew being a new sweet tea drinker himself, ordered a glass of regular ice tea and decided to pour packets-not a few packets but like a ton of packets onto his chilled tea. He couldn't figure out why it didn't have that sweet taste even after using a whole dish of sugar.  And why he felt like he just poured sand into his mouth. I later had to explain that when you make sweet tea you have to add the sugar when the tea is hot. It takes the grittiness out and it basically makes into a simple syrup. 

Also you MUST use good ol' Lipton ice tea bags. Nothing flavored, unless you want sweet Raspberry or  sweet Peach tea or even sweet Green tea. But outside of those, nothing else will do...in my opinion, at least. I'll take good ol' fashioned sweet tea. On really hot summer days I'll make sun tea when I want a tea without sugar. Tea without sugar is only good after mowing the yard and weed eating. Other than that pass me the sweet tea, please!

So enjoy a glass of sweet tea this week, sit outside, watch the kids play and thank Jesus for the little things....like this recipe for my Sweet Southern Iced Tea! 

Southern Sweet Iced Tea

1 gallon pitcher (I use a Rubbermaid pitcher)

Boil a gallons worth of water

4 Lipton family size tea bags

1 1/2 cups sugar

Feel free to add or more or less sugar, I like mine extra sweet!

**Water needs to be hot in order for sugar to become a simple syrup** 

Friends don't let friends drink gritty tea....yuck! 

Let tea bags seep for about 10 minutes or so in the hot sugar water

Stir well and put in refrigerator to chill.

I don't add ice to my pitcher as it water downs the sweet tea. I add ice to glass and pour in sweet tea after it has chilled for several hours.

Serve in a mason jar for more Southern flare:)

Add a sprig of mint to give it an even more Southern twist!

Cheers Y'all!

Blessings,

Welcome to Southern Sweetys

Hi and welcome to my blog!! I'm so glad you have stopped by! Please feel free to leave comments, questions and please Pin away to your hearts desire!

Okay so let me tell y'all about myself and my beautiful family...

My name is Katrina "Kat" Smith. I am originally from Keokuk, IA and moved to Springdale, AR when I was about 8 years old. I consider myself from Arkansas, since I have lived here most of my life. I know where my roots are and still consider Keokuk home to me as well. The South has definitely rubbed off on me and now I am all Arkansas with my southern drawl, love of sweet tea and consistent use of the word "y'all." And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll continue with more about little ol' me after I brag on those that make my story worth telling about first.....

I am married to my husband, Mark, of  almost 10 years now. We met on Match.com and he is the love of my life. I smile most when he is around and he is the most supportive, adoring, Godly, caring, sweetest, giving, loving and gorgeous man I have ever met. Saying he is the love of my life is clearly an understatement. I am your constant emotional screw-up, I deal daily with depression due to medication I was on to help heal my back after the birth of our 4 child & good ol' hypothyroid disease. My head is often in the clouds yet I am too insecure to try new things....crazy, I know. My husband is my best friend. Without him, I don't know where I'd be in my life. He is my knight in shining Armour who swooped in to rescued me from a life of loneliness. One word to best describe Mark would be Lifesaver. He the person that keeps our family afloat. Mark is an structural engineer, home brewer and lover of sports. This Spring he will be opening up a brewery {his life long dream}. Mark is braver than I will ever be and I am beyond proud and happy for him.  Mark is all things fall to me...warm and cozy and he smells good too:)
Mark is smart, talented, patient and

 just simply amazing. God blessed me ten-fold with this amazing man.

My husband, Mark and myself, Kat

Together Mark and I have 4 awesome children. We have Ryan (Ry) who is 21 years old and lives in Fayetteville, AR. Ryan has worked for Wal-Mart for about 3 years now & just bought his first car as a grown-up! Building that credit up, y'all.  Ryan has Asperger's Syndrome and has come so far in his life. He and we still struggle at many times with his AS, but we are always Ry's biggest supporters and cheerleaders. He is always making us proud and we are excited to see him grow and live the life he has only dreamed about. Best word to describe Ryan would be Determined.  With help from his Grandpa Glasgow he has learned how to play the guitar and everyday he practices the guitar looking to become better. Ryan loves music, writing and being creative. Ryan rarely gives up and when he finds something he is passionate about, he gives it his all. 

Ryan

Then there is Matthew who is 18 years old (AKA Sweets).  Matt earned the nickname Sweets for his love affair with all things sweet. Matthew is a Freshman at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is majoring in Science and he just landed the job of Track Manager at the UofA for the Razorback Track team. Matt is a former State winning runner and our family athlete. Matt is your constant perfectionist. He is a rule follower and hardest working kid you'll ever meet. He is loving, caring, kind, sweet and a hugger. He hugs, a lot, and I love that he hugs. He'll be like his Dad when he grows up-a very loving & attentive husband.  There's a lucky woman out there waiting to meet this prince charming one day. Matt is literally tall, dark and handsome. A word to best describe Matt would be Honorable. He is a man of his word and there is nothing that he wouldn't do for his fellow man. He's always got your back and would never turn his back on you. Matt will always be a kid at heart. He loves to build  Legos, video games, reading and singing. 

Matthew

Next is our only girl, Mary Kate (AKA MK or Kitten), who is 8 years old. Named after two of her Great-Grandma's, she is a pleasant mix of all girl and a little tom boy too. She loves hanging out with the guys playing basketball and baseball and loves dressing in pink with bows and pretty sparkles. She is the sweetest kid ever. She cares about others so much. Every morning we pray in the van on the way to school for her classmates. Is she knows someone is struggling, she keeps them in her thoughts and prayers. She is seriously just the sweetest. Mary Kate is an observer, she is a lover of animals, music, cooking shows and she is simply beautiful. Mary Kate is swimmer and singer, and she works very hard at both. But more than anything, she makes me smile, laugh and most of all she makes me proud.  She always leaves me silly messages on my phone and it just makes my day. Mary Kate is in the 2nd year grade and she is an amazing reader for age. One word to best describe Mary Kate is Talented. She sings, swims, draws, writes stories, reads a lot, and she loves performing made up songs outside for our two dogs. 

Mary Kathryn

Last but certainly not least is William, (AKA Will, The Wills, Will-Will, Little Man). Will is almost 7 years old. He is our little miracle baby that we nearly lost during pregnancy due to an infection and surgeries I had at 13 weeks gestation. Will was also born with 3 knots in his umbilical cord that could have cost him his life or could have given him brain damage. Will was born perfectly healthy. I often say that Will is perfect name for him because he had the Will to live and boy is he strong-willed too. Will is sweet, cuddly and always making us laugh. He is the comedian of the family for sure. There is never a dull moment with Will around. He is a quick witted mama's boy, who I REALLY wish would stop growing up!  Will is so much like his Daddy it's crazy. He loves to build things and take things apart, he loves staying busy. He loves Legos, baseball, drawing, playing tricks on me, board games and helping me in the kitchen. A word to describe Will would be Curious. He loves to touch everything and try to figure things out on his own. He is independent, he likes to work with his hands and I can easily see him becoming an 

Engineer like his Daddy one day. 

Will

So that's it....wait, oh there's more about me....

 I am a Catholic Wife and Mom. As mentioned above, I do suffer from depression and anxiety but have chosen to not be on medication. Medication & hypothyroid disease is why I struggle with it like I do. Instead I deal with it by praying, reading scripture, exercise, being present with my family, baking, and trying to talk myself up from my downs. Depression has caused me to have severe anxiety around other adults and so that leaves me with few friends.  I'm learning to be excepting of that, but it's hard. We all needs friends. Outside of that mess in my life, I do have lots of scattered ambitions and I love to cook, craft, photograph and laugh. Even though depression and anxiety are in my life I am a  happy person-if that makes sense at all. I am most happy when I'm together with my whole family hanging out in our back yard cooking out, swimming, tossing the football, sitting by the fire pit, date nights with my husband, sipping on a Mommy drink and holding my husband's hand. I love taking pictures of my family and I love anything kitchen, Hobby Lobby, Kirkland's and Euna Mea's.  I was saying "I Love You More" before it was cool to say. I'm your typical Southern lady; I love manners, big bows, lipstick, hairspray, sweet tea and Jesus. A word to describe me would be Blessed. Yes, Blessed. I'm hoping my blog over time will help others who are dealing with depression and anxiety due mainly to hypothyroid disease. I obviously don't want it to be my sole focus, because it's important to focus on what makes us happy. 

Okay so that is it. This is us.  These are my "Southern Sweetys." I hope you enjoy this blog. Again, please feel free to comment, message and pass it on. 

Blessings,