Apple Pinwheels

These little babies pair wonderfully with a large scoop of french vanilla ice-cream! Serve them warm with a little of the hot syrup drizzled over.

You'll need:

2 (8 ounce) containers refrigerated crescent rolls

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup sugar

3 cups finely chopped tart apples

1 t. apple pie spice

1/4 t. cinnamon

Start by washing and chopping your apples. Set these aside.

In a saucepan, combine water, butter, and the 1 cup of sugar.

Heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set this aside too.

Into your apples, dump the 1/3 cup of sugar, apple pie spice, and cinnamon. 

No matter how tempting it is to eat these little babies, resist!! (Yes they taste wonderful and no you can not ask me how I know this!)

Take the two tubes of crescent rolls and flatten them out on a large cleared surface. Pinch the seams together.

Spread the apple mixture over the dough to within 1 inch of the edges. 

Gently roll the dough and apples up like you would a log of cinnamon rolls. This is the tricky part as the dough keeps wanting to fall open if not pinched together enough!

Cut the log into 1-inch rolls and place in a large jelly roll pan.

Pour the syrup over the rolls. It will seem like ALOT of syrup, but trust me, it will turn out fine!

Bake at 350* for 40-55 minutes, it just depends on how soon they start turning a golden brown. 

Pull out and serve warm with a large scoop of french vanilla ice-cream. They will be rather syrupy, but  they will have expanded quite a bit during the baking process so it should be fine.

Enjoy!

Ashleigh

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Apple Pinwheels

(prairiegalcookin.blogspot.com)

You'll need:

2 (8 ounce) containers refrigerated crescent rolls

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup sugar

3 cups finely chopped tarts apples

1 t. apple pie spice

1/4 t. cinnamon

Bake at 350*

Start by chopping the apples, set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, 1 cup of sugar, and water. Heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Combine the apples, 1/3 cup of sugar, apple pie spice, and cinnamon together. 

Unroll crescent dough and pinch the seams together.

Spread the apple mixture to within 1-inch of the edge of the dough. 

Roll up the dough like you would a log of cinnamon rolls and then slice in 1-inch rolls.

Place in a large jelly roll pan and pour the syrup over them.

Bake for 40-55 minutes or until golden brown. 

Serve warm with a large scoop of french vanilla ice-cream.

Enjoy!

Small Town USA

I am so thankful that I live in rural America. I've been to some large cities in California, Alaska, Texas, etc; and I have to say that every time we go it makes me appreciate our quiet home in the country even more! The traffic, noise, and tight spaces have always bothered me. Some of my favorite little things about small towns are:

- You can go to an public auction and right before you buy something, the auctioneer tells you that someone will help you load the item, but today only. Not tomorrow, as it's Sunday and we will all be in church.

- Your neighbors are always willing to lend a helping hand. You know that you don't need to worry about your animals while on a trip, the neighbors are more than happy to take care of them for you!

- Everybody knows everybody. There is no such thing as a stranger in a small town. (This can be both good and bad!) When someone gets married; everyone knows. Someone is having a baby? Don't bother sending out announcement cards, they all already know!

- It's perfectly normal to see tractors and machinery driving down main street in town on any given day.

- When it's Sunday, it's Sunday. Don't go expecting businesses in town to be open; you'll just have to wait until tomorrow or drive 30 minutes until you get to a town big enough to have a Walmart.

- During harvest, it isn't unusual to see close to half of the vehicles on the roads are grain trucks. Most every field (of whatever is being harvested at that currant time) has a combine, trucks, and people in it.

- You can drive down a dirt road with the average small town farmer and he can tell you the name of every owner/farmer of every cow/calf and piece of land within a twenty mile radius.

- You can walk into a restaurant and know just how good or bad your service will be by seeing who is waiting on you.

- You can leave your keys in the car and the house unlocked at night, and wake up the next morning with everything still there!

- And lastly, the stars. You can see every star from your front porch! I bet you can't do that in the big city....

Ashleigh

Pizza

This is one of my family's favorite meals. We like to use the Chef Boyardee pizza box mixes and then fill the pizza with our favorite toppings. You don't have to use a box mix, but we find it quicker. If you want to make it from scratch, you can substitute a homemade pizza crust and a 8 ounce can of tomato sauce with some Italian seasoning and salt stirred in for the pizza sauce in the kit.

You'll need:

1 Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit

1 lb. ground beef, browned

1 lb. ground sausage, browned

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 of a (7 ounce) package pepperoni

1/2 of a (7 ounce) package Canadian bacon

Make your crust on a pizza pan.

Smother the crust with the pizza sauce (or tomato sauce).

Brown the sausage, ground beef, and onion in a large cast iron skillet.

Evenly spread the meat over the pizza crust. In my family, the guys complain when the meats and veggies don't reach clear to the edges and corners!

Sprinkle the green pepper over the pizza. I would have used red too, but we ran out! (Imagine that!)

Smother the pizza with the cheese. Never be skimpy on cheese or meats!

Layer on the pepperoni. You don't have to use the Canadian bacon and the pepperoni, but it really seems to add to the pizza.

Bake according to the pizza crust instructions and serve in large pieces alongside buttered corn and fresh salad.

Enjoy!

Ashleigh

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Pizza

(prairiegalcookin.blogspot.com)

You'll need:

1 Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit

1 lb. ground beef, browned

1 lb. ground sausage, browned

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 of a (7 ounce) package pepperoni

1/2 of a (7 ounce) package Canadian bacon

Start by making your crust and then smothering it with the pizza sauce (or tomato sauce).

Brown the sausage, ground beef, and onion together in a large cast iron skillet.
Spread the meat over the crust and top with the peppers, cheeses, and pepperoni/bacon.
Bake according to crust instructions and serve alongside buttered corn and a fresh salad.
Enjoy!

In Search of the Nest

The other day we noticed that one of our turkey hens was missing. We usually pen the turkeys up in their pen around sunset so that they won't fly into the trees and roost. She showed up outside the pen a while after penning up the other birds. 

The next day we decided to let the turkeys out and wait until one of them left the group and then follow it. While I stood there watching them I noticed that one of the females would wander away from the others and then start calling loudly. She finally took off on her own towards a neighboring field. I followed her quietly and watched as she settled down under a pile of brush. She picked around a bit and then I walked over to see if she had lead me to her nest. 

 Here's where she decided to nest! We gently lifted her up and went to work uncovering the eggs.

 There were eight eggs! None of them broken. I put the eggs in my pockets and my mom gathered the hen in her flannel shirt. Then we headed back to the pens.

 The hen had some issues with us taking her from her nest and started going loco when we put her and the eggs in the turkey pen. She wouldn't accept the eggs as her own, so we gathered some sticks and leaves from the earlier nest and made a little version of it in their building.

It worked! She was happy with the eggs! Her she is covering them before heading out for a drink. 

Ashleigh

Sausage Gravy

Sausage gravy is a staple around our place, it's quick to whip together and it really fills people up!

You'll need:

1 lb sausage

1/3 cup flour

3 cups milk 

1/2 t. seasoned salt

1/2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

Brown the sausage and onion together.

Stir in the flour.

Slowly add the milk and stir constantly. It will gradually thicken. (About 10 minutes.)

Add the salts and pepper and stir!

Serve with hot biscuits and fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Ashleigh

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Sausage Gravy

(prairiegalcookin.blogspot.com)

You'll need:

1 lb sausage

1/3 cup flour

3 cups milk 

1/2 t. seasoned salt

1/2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

Start by browning the sausage and onions in a large cast iron skillet.

Once browned, stir in the flour.

Slowly pour in the milk and stir constantly until it thickens up (about 10 minutes).

Once thicken, stir in the salts and pepper.

Serve with hot biscuits and fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

It's Spring!!!

It was finally warm enough today that we could work the garden and clean up around the place. The ladybugs were out and the baby dill is finally starting to peek its head out of the ground. 

Ashleigh

A Bird's Eye View

This afternoon we were in the process of cleaning up around our farm and we found that our zip-line needed some tightening. So we tightened it and then my brother and I hitched a ride on the forks of the forklift. Before long, we were 20 feet above the ground… then 30… and finally 42 feet above the earth. If you want to get technical, my camera was approximately 48 feet above the third planet from the sun… AKA, Earth. Thankfully, I had my camera strapped around my neck and so I snapped a few pics.

On a side note, if it hadn't been for the fact that I wanted pictures so badly, I'm sure I would have passed out… Ugh, I've found that heights (that include standing on a pallet on two forks almost 50 above the ground) and I do not get along!

On the bright side, it's amazing how far you can see!

Ashleigh

Free Recipe Booklets and Cookbooks

Okay, this will be a favorite page for some of us die-hard recipe/cookbook collectors... Here is a list I've compiled of free recipe booklets. Some are entire cookbooks, not just booklets. You should be able to download them once you click on the links. I was going to put a little description under each link, but decided the titles were pretty much self explanatory. Enjoy!

1. Family Favorites - Gooseberry Patch

2. A New Taste of Tradition - SunMaid 
This booklet is full of 45 different yummy recipes.

3. Jiffy Recipes - Jiffy

4. Fall Favorites - Gooseberry Patch

5. SunMaid 100th Anniversary Cookbook - SunMaid

6. Kid-Friendly Recipes - Gooseberry Patch

7. 20 Years Circle Of Friends Cookbook - Gooseberry Patch

8. Recipe Scrapbook Meals in Minutes - Gooseberry Patch

9. Holiday Helper - Gooseberry Patch

10. Best Ever Cookies - Gooseberry Patch

11. Sweet Shoppe - Gooseberry Patch
This link isn't to recipes, these are recipe cards and little labels and tags.

12. Circle Of Friends Cookbook - Gooseberry Patch
So this may be my favorite link on here... An ENTIRE cookbook from Gooseberry Patch for free!! You can download every single chapter from the cookbook here.

Hope this helps some!

Ashleigh



Cherry Limeade

I am obsessed with cherry limeade! I love the Sonic version and then I found that the Pioneer Woman has one that taste exactly like Sonic's. I've been making it for awhile now and every time it's a hit.

You'll need:

2 liter bottle lemon-lime pop (Sprite)

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 - 6 limes)

1 cup sugar

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries

Thin lime slices

Start by chilling all of the ingredients. Squeeze the limes and pour into a large pitcher.

Pour in the cherries.

Add the sugar and stir together.

Pour in the pop.

Slice a lime into thin slices and add to the pitcher.

Chill.

Serve in glasses with a lime slice and a cherry. 

Enjoy!

Ashleigh

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Cherry Limeade

(prairiegalcookin.blogspot.com)

You'll need:

2 liter bottle lemon-lime pop (Sprite)

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 - 6 limes)

1 cup sugar

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries

Thin lime slices

Start by chilling all of the ingredients.

Combine the lime juice, sugar, and cherries in a large pitcher.

Pour in the pop and garnish with the lime slices.

Chill and enjoy!

Cake Cookies

These cookies are beyond easy and require only three ingredients. Which is why we love 'em so much!

You'll need:

1 funfetti cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

Whisk together the oil and eggs in a large bowl.

Add the cake mix.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 8 - 12 minutes.

Cool and store in an air tight container… If they last that long!

Enjoy!

Ashleigh

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Cake Cookies

(prairiegalcookin.blogspot.com)

You'll need:

1 funfetti cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

Preheat the oven to 350*

Whisk together the eggs and oil.

Add the cake mix and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake for 8 - 12 minutes.

Cool and store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!