Menu Plan Monday - March 31, 2014

For the past two weeks, we've had very few scheduled events away from home - but all of that's about to change.  For the next few weeks, we're back in the saddle schedule-wise and keeping ourselves very, very busy with some great events.  Our menu this week will be reflecting that.

Breakfast: 

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars, fruit






- Perfectly Pumpkin Pancakes & oranges

- scrambled eggs, juice, bananas

- 

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit

Dinner:

- Tacos, salad, chips 'n' salsa

- Smoked Sausage Foil Babies, applesauce

- Cheese & broccoli quiche, fruit

- Beef & Bean Burritos, chips & salsa

 

- Dinner at church

 

- Parmesan Potato Veggie Soup, breadsticks

- Leftovers

 

A friend might be coming over to visit on Wednesday, so I think we'll bake some brownies then.  :-)  We'll be ready for some fun chocolate mid-week, anyway.

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Menu Plan Monday - March 10, 2014

Breakfast: 

- Perfectly Pumpkin Waffles, fruit

- cinnamon bagels & oranges

- scrambled eggs, juice, bananas

- 

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit

Dinner:

- Grilled turkey sausages with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli

- dinner out at a banquet with friends

- Cheese & broccoli quiche, fruit

- Beef & Bean Burritos, chips & salsa

- Lasagna, salad, garlic bread

 

- Nacho bar - beans, chili, grilled onions & peppers, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa

- Leftovers

 

With birthday stuff galore happening this weekend, we'll probably have some kind of cookie happening for portable, quick desserts and then a 'landscape' cake for the big event.  For our happiness this week, we'll be dessert-ing on pumpkin cake.

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Super Quick Tortilla Pizza

Sometimes you just don't have time to cook.

I like to cook.  Sometimes I even love to cook.  But since I seem to be surrounded by people who want to join sports teams and work hard at big projects and start their own businesses bi-weekly, I don't always have time to cook.

And yet everyone insists on eating many times each day.  Go figure.

So when schedules get really crazy, I look for something simple - and this is one of those simple meals.

It may not be the most gourmet of meals, but it's surprisingly tasty.  It's also easy to customize, quick to come together, and pretty healthy, too.  I serve this with whatever finger foods I have on hand - carrot sticks, grapes, sliced veggies, apples, etc.  With all that fiber on the side, it fills you up without leaving you as thirsty as take-out pizza would.

Here's how to make your own Super Quick Tortilla Pizza.

Ingredients:

• tortillas (flour or wheat)
• your favorite jarred pizza/spaghetti sauce
• shredded cheese, any type - mozzarella, Mexican blend, Muenster, cheddar - be creative!
• pizza toppings - pepperoni, onions, green peppers, etc.
• powdered garlic
• Italian seasoning
• dried oregano
• dried basil
• crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Spread sauce on top of each tortilla.
2. Sprinkle each pizza with basil.
3. Top the sauce with cheese.
4. Top the cheese with the remaining herbs and your choice of toppings.
5. Bake in a hot oven, about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, until cheese is melted and tortilla begins to crisp.
6. Serve immediately.

What's your favorite in-a-hurry meal?

Inspired Wednesday - Smoked Sausage Foil Babies

A few weeks ago we made our favorite Foil Babies a new way - with smoked sausage - and it was definitely a winner here.  It's tasty but comes together in just minutes, and then you can hang out with your family while the grill does all the work.  

I'm looking forward to serving this when we have company or when there's a big game on TV.  It's hearty enough to please hard-working people but fresh enough for even the pickiest eaters.

And when dinner's over?  Throw away your foil packet, and voila! the dishes are done!

Here's how to make Smoked Sausage Foil Babies:

Ingredients: 

• 1 package of smoked sausage, cut into thirds
• 4-6 potatoes, washed and cubed
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 c. frozen lima beans
• 1 c. frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 1/2 c. carrots, washed and chopped
• ice
• 3 T. butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking spray or additional butter

Directions:

1. Tear two long sheets of foil.
2. Spray foil sheets with cooking spray or coat with butter.
3. Place half of the above ingredients on each piece of foil.  Be sure to add 2-4 ice cubes to each packet.
4. Slice the butter and put a few pats on top of the veggies in each packet.
5. Tear two more sheets of foil. 
6. Line up the edges and fold them over twice to create a good seal on all sides.
7. Grill at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
8. Remove from the grill and serve immediately.  Yum!

What's your favorite grilling meal?

Last week Nancy at There Is Grace shared a guest post about ways to involve your children in abstract art - and ways to teach them about famous artists, too!  To find out more, visit There Is Grace  - and Nancy, please visit our Inspired Wednesday page and take the "I was featured on Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays' button back with you.  

Be sure to check out Stephanie's Inspired Wednesday post over at The Multi Taskin' Mom!

<center> <a href="http://anestintherocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Nest in the Rocks" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_9UXxvpHihP2_LX14wtPFiUPHRfXtxSHNJodSzTZt0lgD04c9FszjMkaqaez4_hN2Up8YHkAmCaJGRSlhH6e1lEmHKSX4QdlcQAsCFRHjHRbg6S30CYSoJpTfnFA2o55xEhOj-_hEihC/s1600/Button+2.jpg" imageanchor=""/></a></center>
 

An InLinkz Link-up

GratiTuesday - A Chocolate Cake Date

Way back at the beginning of our public school days, My Little Man and I were inseparable.  We did everything together - and we did a lot of baking.  He liked to make what he called 'earthways' out of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowls. He would push them around with a spoon, stirring and mixing until it was time to add the wet.

We still bake together, but it happens less frequently now - and My Big Helper usually wants in on the action, too.

This summer has been particularly, which caught us all off guard, and while we've spent lots of quality time as a family, it's been different from our usual routine.

So I wasn't too surprised one day last week when My Little Man asked to make a cake.  He was asking for dessert, I get that; but he was also asking for time just with me, time to push around the flour and sugar and do something together.

I couldn't wait.

My Little Man wanted to try a new recipe, so we pulled out a cookbook and found one that sounded good.  He chose a chocolate cake recipe and wanted it in round pans, so we worked together to read and measure. 

He was able to do more than ever before and was determined to run the mixer all by himself.

Hours later, after baking and cooling, we mixed up my grandmother's Peanut Butter Icing recipe and spread it on the cake.  The layers didn't want to come out of the pan and crumbled just a bit, but that didn't phase My Little Man in the least.  He popped a chunk in his mouth and just kept on spreading, eyes twinkling secretively.  Together we ate up the crumbles and pretended that the fanciest of cakes resided on the cake plate.

That night, it did.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Old-fashioned Orangeade

My Big Helper sold orangeades at her lemonade stand for missions.  

She sold a lot of orangeades.

This drink is deceptively simple - but surprisingly delicious.  

We watched as delight lit up people's eyes - one customer after another.  My Big Helper and my husband agreed to let me share their recipe with you.  I hope, if you try this, that you'll let us know what you think.

We'd love to know if your eyes lit up, too.

Here's how to make your very own old-fashioned orangeade.

Ingredients:

• 1 orange
• simple syrup (recipe below)
• crushed ice

Directions:

1. Juice one orange.  Be sure to get every last drop of juicy goodness out of it.
2. Pour the juice into a 16-oz cup over crushed ice.
3. Fill with simple syrup.

How to make your own simple syrup:  Cook three cups sugar with one quart of water until all the sugar is dissolved.  Pour into a pitcher and fill to the three quart line.  Chill.

So, go, have a party, and serve your very own old-fashioned orangeades.  Watch your guests' eyes light up!

Layered Nacho Taco Salad

Sometimes it's just too hot to cook.

While the temps haven't really soared yet, it definitely feels hotter here in the Carolinas than it did just last week.  The humidity level has shot up and we've had lots of outdoor commitments - and most of them have been all day and in the sun.  I feel as if I've spent the past week in a sauna.

So when it came time to cook dinner, I really didn't want anything warm. Something simple and cool but filling and fun seemed right, and so My Big Helper and I made this Layered Nacho Taco Salad.

We ended up with a spicy and (mostly) healthy salad that had some fun crunch, too.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground meat - chicken, turkey, or beef (in the picture above, I used chicken)
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 t. cumin
• 1 t. ground black pepper
• 1/4 t. ground red pepper
• 1 c. shredded Monterey Jack and Colby Jack blend
• 2 heads of romaine lettuce
• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1 small cucumber
• carrots to suit, sliced
• Salad dressing - Catalina or Chipotle Ranch are great
• 1 bag of Nacho Doritos

Directions:

1. Combine the meat, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet with the Worcestershire sauce.
2. Brown until cooked through.
3. Drain as necessary.
4. Add seasonings and stir well.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Assemble the salad veggies on plates.
7. Place a layer of Doritos on top of the veggies.  Top that with cheese and then with the meat mixture.
8. Crown the whole salad with tomatoes and your favorite salad dressing.

What's your go-to meal when the temperatures rise??

The BECW (or, The Bacon Egg Cheddar Waffle)

You hit snooze a few too many times.  Now you're rushing to get breakfast and out the door while stepping on Legos and trying to avoid the dog's tail, which seems to be everywhere you try to put your foot.

Familiar?  

Well, in my house it might be more like packing lunches, figuring out breakfast, braiding hair, grabbing printables and trying to get kids dressed who would rather be reading - and then finding missing shoes on your way out the door.

Either way, mornings can be hectic, but I've found a make-ahead breakfast that doesn't have to be.

Think egg sandwich meets a waffle.  It's sweet.  It's savory.  It's whole grains and proteins, and if you add some spinach or tomatoes, it'll even have veggies.

Yum.

Here's how to make your own Bacon Egg Cheddar Waffle.

Ingredients & Directions:

• 3 1/2  c. white wheat flour
• 4 eggs
• 3 c. sour milk
• 4 T. butter, melted
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt

Whisk above ingredients together.  Begin making your waffles ...

• 1 lb. of bacon, fried/baked/crispy  :-)
• 8 eggs + milk for mixing
• 1/2 c. cheddar
• butter for pan prep

Now ...

1. Whisk your eggs and milk together.  In a warm pan, prepare the eggs omelet-style. I like to use a pan that's about the same size as my waffle will be, so I sometimes cook the eggs in batches for easier assembly later.
2. Add the cheese to the eggs when they're almost cooked.
3. Cook the waffles to your desired crispness.
4. Slide one omelet between two waffles and top with several strips of bacon.
5. Slice along the divider lines in your waffle (In my waffle maker, each waffle is divided into four sections, so each complete waffle sandwich divides into four smaller pieces for me).
6. Serve immediately, or wrap with waxed paper and place into a zip-seal bag.  Freeze for later use.

What's your favorite to-go breakfast?

{Man-Friendly} Grilled Steak Salad

A few days ago I tried to figure out how to combine my husband's love of steak with my desire for a good salad.  This {Man-Friendly} Grilled Steak Salad is the result.

I foresee us grilling this salad often this summer.  It's a quick and easy dinner that keeps all the heat out of the kitchen, but it's also colorful, hearty, and full of flavor.  

This could even be a fun Father's Day option!

So here's how to make your own {Man-Friendly} Grilled Steak salads.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of thin steak
• 3/4 t. Montreal steak seasoning
• 4 T. Worcester sauce
• 2 T. olive oil + oil for the grill pan
• 1-2 heads of romaine lettuce
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 c. shredded sharp white cheddar
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 c. frozen kernel corn

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill to about 350.
2. Toss the onions and peppers with olive oil and steak seasoning.  
3. Oil the grill pan and place on the grill to heat.
4. Chop lettuce, carrots, cheese, and tomato.  Assemble salads on 4 plates.
5. Put the peppers and onions in the hot grill pan to caramelize.   Stir occasionally.
6. Place the steaks on the grill and top with Worcester sauce.  Grill until they reach your preferred level of doneness.
7. When finished, remove steaks and veggies from the grill.  Allow steak to rest, then slice into strips.
8. Add veggies and steak to the top of the salad.
9. Serve with your favorite salad dressing and enjoy!

How do you celebrate Father's Day?

Homestyle Grilled Chicken Salad

It feels like forever since I've been able to share a recipe, so I'm especially happy to share this one. This simple salad reminds me of home - of the kinds of yummy salads you'll find in a Pennsylvania pub.

When I first started trying to eat healthier, I always looked at the salad menu cautiously.  There were lots of things listed that I didn't like, but how can you go wrong when your salad has French fries on top?  

This particular salad is one of my favorites.  With only a few ingredients, it's full of bold and simple flavors.  You won't leave the table hungry, but there's lots of nutrition hidden under those few fries.

Here's how to make it:

• 1-2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 lb. of chicken tenders
• your favorite barbecue sauce
• 1/2 c. of shredded monterey jack cheese
• a handful of carrots
• 1 tomato, diced
• Oreida crispy French fries
• honey mustard salad dressing
• 1/2 c. prepared bacon crumbles (I bake bacon ahead, crumble it, and keep it in my freezer for these types of recipes.)
• sliced onion (optional)

Directions:

1. Grill the chicken tenders.  Coat with your favorite barbecue sauce just before they're done.
2. Bake French fries according to package directions.  Add crumbled bacon to the fries during the last 5 minutes of baking time.
3. Arrange romaine lettuce on plates.
4. Top with carrots and onions.
5. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes after removing from heat.  Slice into strips.
6. Arrange the chicken slices on top of the lettuce beds.  
7. Top with fries, bacon, and tomatoes.
8. Serve with honey mustard dressing and fresh fruit slices.
9. Serves four.

What's your favorite kind of salad??

Pink Lemonade (Baked) Doughnuts

I made these doughnuts just before my Big Helper's birthday a few weeks ago, and she was super excited.  A huge lemonade fan, she loved the tartness of these doughnuts - and their pretty pink color didn't hurt, either! 

I loved how quick and easy these doughnuts are to make.  If you pipe the batter into the doughnut pans, it's even easier.

Here's how to make your own Pink Lemonade Doughnuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Pink Lemonade cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. water
• 6 oz. strawberry Greek yogurt
• 1 c. 10X sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1-3 T. milk

Directions:

1. Mix eggs, water, cake mix, and yogurt in a large bowl.
2. Transfer batter to a bag for piping.
3. Butter doughnut pan.
4. Bake doughnuts at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until springy (in texture, not color).
5. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
6. While cooling, make the glaze by stirring 10X sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk together until it resembles a gravy-like consistency.
7. Dip each doughnut into the glaze.
8. Enjoy!

What's your favorite kind of doughnut?

Circus-Inspired Snack Mix

As we prepared for our recent trip to the circus, we talked food.  Who could leave out a discussion of the food found at the circus?  

Since we were allowed to take our own food, we decided to mix up our own treat that would incorporate the best aspects of the circus.  I gathered up all of the ingredients and then gave the kids large bags so that they could scoop as much of each in as they wanted.  

The kids loved mixing up their own "Circus Mix" and happily munched away all through the show - and much of the afternoon.  Since most of the ingredients are fairly healthy, I didn't mind them eating a larger-than-usual portion.  The wide variety of ingredients made it an especially fun treat for a very fun day!

Ingredients:

• popcorn
• peanuts (elephant food)
• chocolate chips (circus tents)
• mini marshmallows (cotton candy)
• M & Ms (clown noses)
• pretzels
• animal cookies

Directions:

1. Put desired ingredients into a container.
2. Stir gently to combine.
3. Seal until facing the elephants.
4. Snack away!

What's your favorite kind of snack mix?

PS - It's not to late to link your fun post up to Inspired Wednesday OR to enter our latest giveaway!  

Blueberry Biscuits

Recently my Little Man commented about how much he would like to eat a local fast food restaurant's blueberry biscuit.  This treat tastes fantastic, but is no doubt quite unhealthy, so it's not something that he's had more than a few times.

And then I wondered:  why couldn't WE make blueberry biscuits?   

I couldn't think of a good reason not to, and so our experimentation began.  

The first batch came out beautifully, and they were all eaten before I could get a picture of them.  The most recent batch is somewhat less pretty to look at, but the biscuits taste amazing.

So if you're looking to add a little variety to your biscuits, here's how!  These couldn't be simpler to make, but they definitely have a higher fun factor than an ordinary biscuit.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour (both white and white-wheat work well - you can use either one)
• 4 T. softened butter
• 4 t. baking powder
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 c. blueberries - I used frozen ones that we picked last summer

Directions:

1. Measure dry ingredients and stir together.
2. Cut in the softened butter.
3. Add the blueberries.
4. Add the milk all at once.
5. Stir rapidly for a few seconds, then turn out on a lightly floured board.  
6. Knead vigorously for 30 seconds.
7. Pat or roll to 1/2" or 3/4" thickness.
8. Cut out and place onto a greased cookie sheet.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10  minutes or until the tops begin to brown.
10. Mix a basic vanilla glaze with 1 c. 10X sugar, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and about 1 T. of milk (or enough to make a gravy-like consistency).  
11. Drizzle the glaze over the biscuits.
12. Serve warm.

How do you like to eat YOUR biscuits??

Whole Wheat Pinch-Me Cake

I remember helping my mom make Pinch-Me Cake as a little girl.  I loved rolling the yeasty dough into balls and covering it with cinnamon and sugar.  It smelled wonderful while it was baking and tasted even better later when we ate it.

There was something special about the eating of it, too.  Once, for a special family celebration, we made it and when the women had settled down at the table to talk, the Pinch-Me Cake went in the middle.  Everyone pinched off pieces as they caught up with what was happening in each other's lives.  It was, at least for me, the social centerpiece of the party, and I've never forgotten it.

I don't think my kids are likely to forget it, either.  They LOVED making this cake - every aspect of it.  We made it for a special breakfast, served with fresh fruit, and we sat around the table on an icy Saturday morning enjoying a breakfast together.  With only four of us, we had leftovers the next day, which made everyone happy again.

This cake's specialness doesn't happen in the blink of an eye, though.  It takes time to put together - not just concentrated time, but slow, take-a-big-part-of-your-day time.  The bread needs to rise and roll and rise again and bake, so this is a great project for an at-home day.  It does most of the work itself, but it does require frequent checks - and kids love to help make it.

Pinch-Me Cake is worth the effort, though.  It's definitely one of those meals that makes people appreciate something done well.  If, however, you really want to speed up the process, you can use frozen bread dough, and that will allow you to skip several steps.

We chose to make this now as part of our Amish studies unit - for in central Pennsylvania where I'm from, you often see a treat of this sort at Amish roadside stands.  We've lightened it up a bit here with a yummy whole wheat dough, but there's still plenty of cinnamony sweetness. Amish or not, this makes a fun treat for the whole family.

Ingredients:

• 5 3/4 - 6 1/4 c. white-wheat flour
• 2 1/4 c. milk
• 2 T. honey
• 2 1/4 t. active dry yeast
• 2 t. salt
• 1 T. butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
• 1 c. brown sugar + handful

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and yeast.
2. In a small saucepan, heat milk, honey, butter, and salt until just warm, stirring constantly.
3. Add to dry mixture and beat at low speed for 1/2 minute.
4. Scrape sides of bowl.
5. Beat for 3 more minutes at high speed.
6. Slowly stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
7. Knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
8. Shape into a ball.
9. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.
10. Cover; let rise in a warm place 'til double, about 1 1/4 hours.
11. Punch dough down.
12. Divide dough in half.
13. Combine 1/2 c. sugar with enough cinnamon to become a warm brown color in a small bowl.
14. Pull off dough the size of a walnut and roll gently into a ball.  Roll in the cinnamon-  sugar mixture.  Place into a buttered Bundt pan.  Repeat until you have used half the dough.
15. Sprinkle a handful of brown sugar over the dough balls in the Bundt pan.
16. Repeat rolling process with second half of the dough.
17. Cover and let rise in a warm place until 1 inch from the top of the pan, about 30 - 45 minutes.
18. In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of butter and stir in the brown sugar to make a 'goo.'
19. Pour 'goo' over the dough in the Bundt pan.
20. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes.
21. Turn out onto a foil-covered pan.
22. Serve warm.

The picture of only a partial cake above?  That's because people started eating it as soon as I flipped it over - there was never a whole cake to photograh.  Pinch-Me Cake is always a hit.

What's your favorite special occasion dish?

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

Our favorite Sunday morning breakfast is homemade cinnamon rolls.  I can mix these up on a Saturday afternoon, throw everything into the bread machine, and then have them rolled out and assembled in minutes.  With some fruit on the side, we can have a special breakfast without too much fuss.

So if you'd like to make your own whole wheat bread machine cinnamon rolls, here's what you do.

Dough Ingredients:

• 1 c. + 2 T. warm milk
• 3 T. melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 c. white-wheat flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. yeast

Filling:

• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 T. softened butter
• sprinkling of cinnamon

Icing:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. milk
• dash of salt
• 1 t. vanilla

Directions:

1. Put ingredients into bread machine pan in order listed.
2. Select the 'dough' cycle.
3. When the dough is mixed, roll out into a large rectangle.
4. Spread the softened butter onto the dough.
5. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon (to your liking) over the butter.
6. Roll tightly.
7. Slice into 3/4" rolls and place on a buttered cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.
9. Drizzle icing over the rolls immediately.
10. Serve warm.

What's your favorite Sunday morning breakfast?

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

When I was a kid in Pennsylvania these were my favorite treat.  My mom used to make big batches, wrap them individually in waxed paper, and hide them in tins all over the house.  When she was at work, Dad and I would hunt for them.  I distinctly remember finding a tin of whoopie pies waaayyyy in the back of their closet - and another deep in the freezer.  Those we ate even before they thawed - just let them hang out beside the wood stove for a bit and then ate them frozen.  Yum!

While Mom didn't make them nearly as often as I would've liked - I wouldn't have, either, at the rate we went through them - whoopie pies can be found at every Amish stand, market, or store at home in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania (home of the Belleville, the purest white top community in the world).  Some markets even have them in different flavors, but the basic chocolate remains my favorite.

Since my Big Helper's book club is meeting this week to discuss Suzanne Woods Fisher's Life with Lily, we decided to study Amish culture this month.  Today we made my great-grandmother's Chocolate Whoopie Pies.

These whoopie pies are chocolatey and moist.  They don't rise up super high, but they definitely grow in the oven, and that's good - a tiny one just wouldn't cut it.

Here's how to make your own Chocolate Whoopie Pies.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. sugar
• 1 c. shortening
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 c. flour
• 1 c. cocoa or a little less
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 c. sour milk
• 3/4 c. hot water

Icing Ingredients:

• 3 c. powdered sugar
• 2/3 c. shortening
• 2 t. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 5 T. milk

Directions:

1. Cream sugar and shortening.
2. Add egg yolks and beat well.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend slowly.  (If you don't have any sour milk, you can put 1 T. of milk into a liquid measuring cup and then fill to the one-cup line with milk.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, stir, and add.)
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  
5. Drop batter onto the parchment by the tablespoon.  Leave 2 inches between each dollop - this batter will spread!
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.
7. Remove from tray onto a tea towel or cooling rack.
8. When pies are completely cool, match them up with others their same size and shape.
9. Fill each pair with icing.  (To make the icing, cream all ingredients.)  One batch of icing should be enough for one batch of whoopie pies.
10. Store in an air-tight container.
11. Try to keep some in that container.  Go ahead- I dare you!

I couldn't get a picture of the actual mixing process - they were so excited that it flew by.  They were even happier to get their fingers into the icing, though!

Our finished product.