Easy Chocolate Sauce

By Stephanie

This is SO simple.  And it isn’t your typical chocolate sauce.  It is a fudgy sauce, so I would say hot fudge sauce rather than chocolate sauce.  Once it hits the ice cream it gets that great fudge like quality.  Great as a gift too.  Or something your kids can make for you!

Hot Fudge Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 bag chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet but really any will work)

3 Tbsp light corn syrup

1 Tbsp butter

Put everything into large microwave proof bowl.  Put in microwave for one minute.  Stir.  Repeat until chocolate chips are melted.  Serve immediately or keep in fridge and reheat for one minute to serve. 

Correction

by Stephanie
Ok.  I guess my hubby heard it wrong.  It is 72 hours of summer that we have had, not 72 minutes.  But still…..

72 Minutes

by Stephanie

So if you are MELTING with heat…I am SO jealous.  Seriously.  Since March I have been missing Vegas and that wonderful heat.  I LOVE it when you come out of a movie theater or restaurant that has been blasting the air conditioning into the outdoors at 11 pm at night and you get that wave of heat.  You know that heat that has absorbed into the black top?  I LOVE that.  And half the county is having record heat waves.  Not us.  In fact we haven’t really had a summer. 

My husband came home and asked how much summer we have had this year.  I said “none”.  He gave me that look, no really, how much?  Okay, what do you consider summer I asked.  Above 80 degrees and sunny.  Okay.  One day I said…nope, 72 minutes.  We have had 72 minutes of summer this year.  No wonder I still have seasonal depression.  It’s hard to get over with 72 minutes of summer. 

And yes, it is raining again today.  And yes it probably won’t hit 70 degrees.  And yes, while I can still bake, that only means I will eat more and get more depressed because I am not loosing weight.  And yes, I do have a vacation planned.  And yes, if it rains there, I will drop the kids at my moms and go straight to Vegas.  At least for a few days of sunshine.  These pasty legs have got to go! 

We are not all created equal!

As I am training for my first 10k I have learned a lot more than just to run. The biggest thing I have learned is that we are not all created equal.  Let me give you a little history, I am the 4th sister of 5 with a brother thrown there in the middle. All of my family is pretty athletic and myself included so I thought I was in ok condition but I have, in the last few years, started to struggle with my weight. So I decided (after many failed attempts at dieting) to finally do it right. I was going to cut my calories and start really working out. I was so excited, I downloaded the my fitness pal app on my phone and started running each morning and, guess what, the first week I GAINED 4 pounds! I was livid, so I cut my calories more and started running more  thinking that’s what I needed and the next week I lost 1.5 of those pounds I had gained which was a start but still was not what I thought I would see. This pattern continued for the next 3 weeks. Then I found a friend who was willing to run with me and diet so I had a partner I could stick to this new lifestyle with and have someone to answer to and that helped a lot because it became more fun. but the weight issue still was a big problem. For the next several weeks I rode the same roller coaster every day I would lose a little and gain it back and then lose a little more then gain it all back. By the end of 13 weeks I had lost a total of 5 pounds and the worst part was my friend I was running with had lost 8 and she had only been running with me for less than 1/2 that time!

So frustrated and pissed off I called my sister in law who has done weight watchers for many years and is also a runner and just let her have all my frustrations out on a platter. Being the great sister in law she is she just listened as I complained and whined about how hard I had been training and dieting and not seeing any progress. when I was finished she told me the biggest problem I had was my self image, not the scale. she told me that I had to stop beating myself up and look at what I was doing and how far I had come athletically and the biggest advice she had was I needed to start measuring my body and not only the scale. I luckily had measured at the beginning  of my journey so I took a tape and went right in to measure my self and I had lost a total of 8.5 inches! That was huge! So if you are on a journey like my own and find yourself struggling with the scale or your progress being slow, stop and tell yourself its ok. We are all built different and you will never be someone else's size because your body is different and that’s ok.    

Banana Bread-two ways

By Stephanie

I have been making this banana bread since my first kido was a baby.  It was one of his favorite things growing up.  Still is. 

My friend Jami had some banana bread on a picnic with chocolate chips in it.  She asked “doesn’t everyone put chocolate chips in banana bread?”  Uhmmm…..no.  Not yet.  So I did and it was a hit.  Of course. 

The second loaf I made had almonds and coconut  added in.  My one kido has nut allergies so she couldn't have any.  Too bad, just more for me. 

Banana Bread Recipe

makes 2 loaves

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 butter, softened

2 eggs

3-4 medium bananas mashed (don’t wait until too brown, just tuning is perfect)

1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1/2 tsp vinegar added and let sit)

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped nuts, 1 cup coconut.

In medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.  In small bowl mash bananas with fork until no large clumps remain.  Mix eggs in with buttermilk and beat to combine.  In large mixing bowl mix sugar and butter with wooden spoon.  Add in eggs and milk mixture along with vanilla.  Stir till completely combined.  Add in everything else and mix just until flour is mixed in.  Pour into two greased bread pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Just until top cracks or is golden brown.  Let cool.  Slice and serve.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

by Stephanie
I don’t know about you but I have spent years, literally years, making dry and tasteless roasts.  Until about 2 years ago.  First I am not cooking it long enough.  It needs LONG and SLOW.  Crock pot is great for this.  Second, I was buying the wrong kind of roast.  My FAV is the chuck roast.  Bone in if possible.  Chuck steak works too, but for your crock pot to be effective you need to fill it over 1/2 full but not more than 3/4.  This freezes SO well.  Buy your roasts on sale and cook them all up.  Freeze enough for one or two more meals. 
This had a kido version and an adult version.  The adult version is a copy cat of one of my favs from Vegas.  If you ever get to Vegas or St. George, Ut look up Capriotti's.  The Slaw-be-jo is to DYE for.  But since I live at least 20 hours away…I had to make my own.  Pretty close if I do say so.
This is perfect for a hot summer day.  And if you are lucky enough to live in 100 degree + weather, here is tip from my friend Anna.   Put the crock pot outside.  That way it won’t heat up the house.  Obviously here, that isn’t applicable.  I don’t care if you heat my house from 69 degrees to 72.  Still not taking off my jacket.
Oh and did you know, your crock pot (aka slow cooker) uses 100th the energy of your oven?   Perfect for saving money on energy bill too.
Adult Version:

Kido Version:

Italian Beef Sandwiches
Serves 8
3 lb. Chuck Roast or Steak (if it is bone in 4 lb)
1 package Italian Dressing mix (just the mix-NOT make into dressing)
Put in crock pot for 10 hours on low.  Shred beef and take out any chucks of fat but leave juices in.  Toast 8 hoagie style buns.  Top with favorite Cole slaw, provolone cheese and  thousand island dressing for adult version.  For kidos just provolone and meat.  Take juices from pot and pour over meat or into bowl to dip sandwiches into. 

Vanilla Pudding Cake with Berries and Cream

By Stephanie

My husband likes to order Crème Brule when we go out. But it HAS to be with berries.  I think he likes that creamy and sweet with the tart of berries.  So I made something similar for fathers day.  I have to say..it was super yummy!! 

Sorry the pic is a bit messy, I didn’t think about taking a pic until AFTER I had taken a bite. 

Vanilla Pudding Cake

Serves 6-8

5 Tbsp softened butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

5 egg yolks

5 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups milk

6 egg whites at room temp

pinch cream of tarter

In clean VERY clean bowl whip egg whites with cream of tarter to stiff peaks.  Set aside.  take 1 Tbsp butter and grease 6 ramekins or bowls or a 9X9 pan.  In large mixing bowl, mix butter, salt and  sugar with wooden spoon.  Beat in yolks, flour and vanilla.  Slowly add in milk and stir until combined.  Slowly add in 1/3 of egg whites and fold to combine.  Add in another 1/3 and repeat until egg whites are all in.  There can be a few lumps of whites, but mostly incorporated.  Carefully ladle batter into pan or ramekins.  Put pan or ramekins into roasting pan and fill with hot water 1/2 way up side of pan.  Put into 325 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes until sides are set but middle is a bit wiggly still.  Take out and leave in water bath for 10 minutes.  Then remove and let cool.  Can be served warm, room temp or chilled.  (I prefer warm). 

Berry Topping

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 cups raspberries

2 cups strawberries (sliced)

Put sugar, water, and 1 cup of each berry into small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Simmer 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Put in other berries and stir to combine, but be careful not to break up berries.  Serve immediately or refrigerate to use later.  (GREAT on waffles!!)

Cream Topping

Makes about 22cups

1 cup whipping cream whipped

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Combine in small bowl.  Keep in fridge.  My FAVORITE thing on pies, berries, just about anything.