Who We Are



The past few years, the area where I live, Crawford County, Ohio, has seen a wonderful explosion of younger families who are embracing the joys and challenges of living off the land. Because of them, amazing things are happening which have been embraced by our community. Farmer’s markets have been created and on-farm stores have opened. Families dedicated to growing organic produce and naturally raised meats are meeting the public’s needs for locally raised foods. And at the heart of this movement are the women.



Ohio Country Journal is my attempt to share the essence of farm life, focusing on, but not limited to, women. My goal is to bring you into our circle of friendship by inviting you to share your stories and experiences with us. You don’t have to be a full time country woman to benefit from joining us; you just have to be you.





The full-time country women featured in Ohio Country Journal are an inspiration to anyone who dares to follow her dreams, whether it is to live in the country or to bring the country life-style to their urban neighborhoods.





Showing posts with label betty crocker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label betty crocker. Show all posts

Monday, December 30, 2013

Goals

A new year is a good time to set and work on goals. My goal for 2013 was this blog. My intention of posting daily fell by the wayside this fall, but still I feel successful. After all, a daily posting was an ambitious goal and I was not sure I could pull it off.
 
 
 
The project that I have chosen to work on for 2014 combines a new goal with an old one. I've been interested in making a few (simple!)cookbooks for a few years. Of course, I want the format to be consistent, but did want the process to be complicated. About three years ago I bought a software that I thought would be helpful, but even though it was a Windows platform, it did not play nice with my Windows OS. I gave up on publishing a cookbook, but continued to collect and tweak recipes to my liking.
 
For Christmas, Jim gave me a new software called Cook'n. I've spent the afternoon becoming familiar with it, and I think that I finally have the right tool at the right time of my life to achieve the goal.
 
The recipe today is one that I captured from the Betty Crocker website using the Cook'n software, which imported and formatted it for me. Then I was able to edit the recipe to fit the changes that I made.
 
The software has many themes, I chose this one because I thought it looked nice with the recipe.
 
What are your goals for 2014? A new project? Finishing an existing project? No projects? Travel? Whatever they are, I wish you much success.

Marcheta *let's do this!
 

Baked Butternut Squash with Apples




2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
2 to 3 large baking apples cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
1/4 cup real maple or maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted*



 
 
 Heat oven to 375°F. Place butter in 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; heat in oven 5 to 7 minutes or until melted.

 Stir cinnamon and nutmeg into melted butter. Add squash; toss to coat. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix apples, and syrup.

 Pour apple mixture over squash. Cover; bake 10 minutes. Stir; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until squash is tender. Stir before serving and sprinkle with pecans.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Betty Crocker's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Who doesn't like chocolate peanut butter cup candies?

No one?

Thought so!

I mean, how could they be any better? Well, the folks at Betty Crocker have pondered this question, too, and came up with ...


TA DA! Peanut butter cup BROWNIES!

Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!

And, just how do I know these things, you may be asking?

I simply popped over to Noel's blog, www.apronfreecooking.com to look over her newest recipe sharing.  I was not disappointed, because, as usual, Noel has been busy searching for yummy, quick and easy recipes. She found today's recipe at Betty Crocker's website (link is at the end of her post).

Thanks, Noel!

Marcheta *copycat baker



Noel writes:
 Copycat candy
Whip up a batch of these decadent Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, a dead-ringer for everyone’s favorite chocolate peanut butter cup. Also featured in Betty Crocker’s Red Hot Holiday Trends, these brownies feature gooey fudge and rich peanut butter, and are poised to be the hit of the holiday baking season.


Peanut Butter Cup Brownies


Ingredients

Brownie Mixture
  • 1 box Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 egg
  • Cookie Filling
  • 1 pouch Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Topping
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted, cooled
  • Preparation
    1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cut about 1/2 inch off around top of each of 48 regular-size foil baking cups. Place cup in each of 48 regular-size muffin cups.
    2. In large bowl, stir together brownie mixture ingredients until well blended. In another large bowl, stir together cookie filling ingredients until dough forms. Spoon and spread 1 measuring teaspoon brownie mixture evenly into bottom of each foil cup. Shape 1 measuring teaspoon cookie filling into a ball; flatten into 1-inch circle. Place on top of brownie mixture in each foil cup. Spoon and spread 1 measuring teaspoon brownie mixture over cookie filling in each cup.
    3. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until toothpick inserted into edge comes out clean. Spoon generous teaspoon melted chocolate on top of each, spreading chocolate to edge of foil cup. Remove cups from pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set chocolate.
    Serves
    Servings: 48

    Notes, Tips & Suggestions
    These little treats can be made ahead, placed in resealable freezer plastic bags, and stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

    These easy bites are also great for any dessert platter or cookie exchange and are especially nice as a gift. Layer them in a decorative tin with colored tissue paper, then include the recipe.
    Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

    Calories:150g Total Fat:8g
    Cholesterol:10mg Protein:2g
    Carbohydrates:16g Sodium:115mg


    Preparation Time:
    1 Hour 30 Minutes
    Start to Finish Time:
    2 Hours
    SOURCE:
    Betty Crocker