Category Archives: recipes

Busy Bakers Making Brownies

Georgia is a really busy girl. I’ve told you all before that she is full of spunk and attitude. She is too smart for her own good and is a little mischief maker. She can really keep a mom (or a grandma) on their toes. By far, she ranks high on the list of kiddos that need lots of attention…and I took care of Carver so that is saying a lot.

We all love her just the way she is but we all often find ourselves saying, “That’s just Georgia”.

On the other hand, she can be as sweet as can be. She’s very concerned and thoughful. We just never never know if we’re going to get sweetness or spunk and that’s what makes taking care of her always interesting.

Kelli has taken to baking with Georgia a lot. It’s hard with the twins to have a lot of time with her as there and the household tasks that need to get done and the boys to take care of too.

As part of a way to spend time with her, keep her out of trouble and get some household chores done, Kelli has started involving Georgie in making supper as often as she is interested.

I think they make a great cooking duo.

Today they are making my brownie recipe. You can see that Kelli has written recipes that are family favorites in the inside of her big Betty Crocker cookbook.

The recipe has a long family history.

Long about 1988 Kramer was chosen as a “Minnesota Young Farmer”. We were living in Minnesota then and milking cows. That seems like a lifetime ago. We were so excited as with the distinction they sent us to a conference in the Twin Cities. I went with and enjoyed some alone time while he was attending meetings.

One night spouses were invited to come and they had a big catered meal. Gift bags were handed out and in my gift bag was this recipe book.

I took that book home and have made many things from the book. Several of the recipes have stuck with our family…the brownies have been made likely about 2-3 times a month since I got the book. Many childcare kiddos have ate many of my brownies.

This is the original recipe from the book. I’ve come to modify it slightly…21 minutes is it for cooking time. They will seem a little soft, but stick with the 21 minutes in a PRE HEATED oven.

Now it’s Georgie’s turn to be making the brownies.

She is great with the scoop.

I make lots of modifications to this recipe some I’ve already told you about…but those are all a little fancier and take more time to make. Fruit Brownie Pizza, Brownie Delight, and Smores brownies..all use this basic brownie recipe…and ALL are excellent family favorites.

What I make most often with the recipe are these….brownies in silicone cupcake liners.

All I do is mix up the recipe above making sure to use BUTTER. Then fill the cups and bake them in a PRE HEATED oven for 20 minutes. Them may not seem done but trust me, they are.

I highly recommend silicone cupcake liners like I have. I think it’s what makes them even more yummy. A friend of mine had given them to me after she didn’t use them. She was taking them to Goodwill and I said sure. I use these ALL THE TIME for any cupcakes I make. I like them WAY better than regular paper liners and cupcake pans. Amazon has many varieties to choose from. If you are buying them I recommend getting more than 12 in a set. I have 24 and that covers most any cupcake/muffin/brownie recipe that I have.

I will admit that the liners are a bit of a pain to wash. I’ve learned to toss them into the dishwasher. It does a pretty good job.

If a recipe has stuck with our family for over 30 years, and moving on to the next generation, you can bet it’s a keeper.

What Kelli’s Making: Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

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Kelli called me the other day and said, “Mom, I tried a new recipe.” I asked her if it was good and she said she hadn’t tasted it yet. I told her to quickly snap some pictures and if I was good send them to me and I’d write a blog post about it.

She ended up sending pictures so I’m going to assume it’s good. I laughed when I saw the picture of the recipe. I immediately knew what recipe book it was from as I make the recipe at the top of the picture all of the time…the Barbecued Green Beans. They are so good.

This recipe comes from an Amish recipe book we both have and love.

The recipe Kelli made was the Chicken and Dumpling Casserole.

Kelli said that she used a rotisserie chicken for the meat.

Here is how it looks all finished and ready to eat. I think it looks yummy but the true test is will Georgia eat it.

Kelli took some really cute pictures of her trying it…

The verdict is she ate it.

That has to mean it’s pretty good as this little spitfire can be a bit of a picky eater. I take that back, she’s a moody eater. One day she’ll eat everything. The next day we can serve her the exact same food and she won’t touch it. Oh Georgie. The only thing she will consistently eat every time…cottage cheese.

So if you’re looking for some good food that feels a little more like a fall, comfort food type meal, you might have to give this a try…after all, it’s is Georgia approved.

What Kelli’s Making: Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders

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I was writing blog posts when my inbox started to ting. I ignored it as I was trying to get a post written and didn’t know how much time I had. I finished it up and then checked to see what all the tings were.

It was Kelli and she was sharing a recipe that they love Hawaiian Roll Ham Sliders. It’s a recipe from Pinterest and you can find it HERE.

She also wrote that she was getting Georgie to help with the cooking…The pictures are so cute and I thought I would share them with you… Continue reading →

What Kelli’s Cooking…Seasoned Black-Eyed Pea Mash-Up

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Kelli is the worst at grabbing chips or something unhealthy to eat. I think it’s especially hard for nurses who work 12 hour overnight shifts as she does. There really isn’t a good time to eat. Then after she works the weekend, she gets thrown back into a normal schedule and is sleeping at night again. It totally screws up her body clock. Add in three kids all two and under and it makes it even harder.

She has made it a goal to try to eat better on the weekends when she is working…less take out…less chips…less junk food in general. I’m so proud of her and it’s hard to make new habits and eat better.

She messaged me the other day all excited as she made something new to her that she could pack with and take to work. It really doesn’t have a name so I’m calling it Seasoned Black-Eyed Pea Mash Up.

She’s eating it in our favorite Pioneer Woman Pasta Bowls. Find them HERE. We laugh and say only good things are eaten in these bowls. Karl has dubbed them “the comfort food bowls”. I’d agree with both statements. 90% of the food I eat is eaten from these bowls.