Jenny's Journey

I made these little individual pies Sunday afternoon, and had they not burned...because I did not use parchment paper they would have been completely irresistible!  The filling was once I ripped off all the burnt edges!  The original recipe expects you to make the pie crust.  Pie crust is one of few things I have noooo desire to even try to make in my kitchen.  Don't get me wrong, my Mom makes one awesome homemade cherry pie (with homemade crust).  But crust making is just not for me. Jenny's Lots of Love Cherry Pies adapted from Taste of Home- Lots of Love Cherry Pies 2 boxes (2 pie crusts each) of pre-made pie crusts 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed, halved 1/8 teaspoon almond extract 1 egg, lightly beaten Coarse sugar Directions •In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth. Add cherries. Bring to ...

The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.  ~Frederick L. Knowles Recently my Mom told me about a happening at Pike Lake, so I put it on my calendar because it sounded like a cool thing to check out.  I LOVE to hike, though I never get to do it as often as I like these days.  Those kids with those short little legs can't seem to keep up with me or they want to be carried or they whine alot! Hiking at Devils Lake to Holy Hill or even up north at my in laws hunting land, I love to get out there with nature.  Hiking in snow...sounded like something I would like...maybe...if it wasn't too cold and windy. Wow, am I glad I did!  The weather could not have been more perfect.  No wind, freshly fallen snow from days before and it wasn't too cold. Luminaries lit the way for 2 -  3/4 mile hikes through the Pike Lake woods.   Perfect.  The stars were bright in the winter sky. ...

I got this recipe from a work email regarding women's heart health.  It called for a bunch of low sodium foods, which I only found 1 of.  But I made it anyways, and boy was it tasty, easy and it made tons!(my slow cooker was full to the brim) The leftovers were excellent, and I don't usually like leftovers all that much.   Chicken Taco Soup 1 med onion, chopped 2 15oz cans of chili beans in sauce 2 15oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed. 16 oz bag of frozen corn 16 oz tomato sauce 2 10oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies 12oz low sodium chicken broth 2-3 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning (or use the store bought pkgs) 3 boneless chicken breasts Optional ingredients:  Shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream, Jalapenos, lime juice, baked tortilla chips In a slow cooker add the first 8 ingredients,.  Place chicken breasts on top and cover with lid and cook on low for at least 7 hours (I cooked mine for...

A while back I bought some Chia Seeds(found at health food stores).  I had heard great things about them.  Good to put in smoothies, something I have been really into lately...green ones!  And another new favorite of mine, overnight oats!  Anyways, here is a little info on Chia seeds(the food of the Aztecs!): • have more Omega 3 fatty acids than flax seed (important for heart health) • are the richest non-marine whole food source of Omega-3 (better than salmon) • absorb 10 times their weight in water and transform into a gel-like substance--great for athletes for maintaining hydration and helps with weight loss by making you feel full longer • are as high in protein as quinoa • are loaded with calcium, potassium, Vitamin B, and anti-oxidants • help balance blood sugar via the gelling action of the seed and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber that slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars • have a neutral taste so they w...

We seriously just finished up having these for dinner tonight, and everyone raved about them.  This is not a new recipe in our household, just I haven't made these in like forever!  Seriously I cannot remember the last time we had these! They are originally from a family friend, Marge, but I have given this recipe out to so many people I have named it my own.  Most don't know Marge anyways! So here it is.  The only reason I don't like to make it often, even though it is a dumb reason is because of all the chopping of veggies.  I don't even chop them, I use my food processor!!  So why do I complain about it....I don't know.  Jenny’s Sloppy Joes  1 lb ground beef ½ c onion ¼ c green pepper ¼ c celery 1 8oz tomato sauce ¼ c ketchup 1 T vinegar 1 T sugar 1 ¼ t Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper Brown beef, then add finely diced veggies and cook till tender. Drain fat. Add rest of the ingredients and simmer cove...

Now that all my homemade gifts are delivered to the lucky 12 people I made them for, I can finally post about them!  Don't they look like a display you would find at a cute little boutique?!  I think I did mention in a post a while back that I was gonna quit my day job and make these for a living.  Well, OK maybe not... but I did enjoy making them and was just as excited to give them to the people I care about most!   I hope they all find them as nice to use as I do.   I seriously love these things and look forward to my showers(even more then I usually do)!  A simple way to do something nice for your body and soul.  Exfoliating (the sugar) and moisturizing (the almond oil) for your skin.  For information on benefits of the essential oil of Bergamot  Click here.    and for Lavender essential oil information Click here. I made the labels on vistaprint.com, and I think they turned out fabulous! I know tha...

If you are anything like myself, you like love chocolate!  Chocolate desserts are a must, right?  There are not many chocolate of anything I have passed up in my life.  O.K.  I do not like chocolate flavored candles or lip gloss(that is just fake and gross...uck!  I also do not like chocolate chip pancakes) ....but the real things can't be passed up!  I made the following hot fudge sauce and brownie recipe for Christmas Eve at the in-laws.  The Triple Brownie Pie is a recipe my Mom has made for us many many times!  Excellent for sure!  Easy too.  I always am wanting to try something new so I attempted to make some hot fudge sauce to top the brownie and ice cream.  It turned out very very good! Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Makes about 2 cups Ingredients: ¾ cup heavy cream ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa ½ cup light corn syrup 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 3 ounces go...