Stacy, Author at Humorous Homemaking

Cake Mix Cookies

***UPDATE: See this post about our new eating habits. (7/10/11)

These are about the simplest cookie you can ever make……well, except for those you get at the store and place on the cookie sheet to bake. Those are good too – but these, THESE are homemade. Doesn’t it make you feel like Suzy Homemaker when you tell your friends, “Here are some homemade cookies I made you.” Then they feel really special…..and you feel special knowing you didn’t waste all day making them. Let me just tell you that when I made these cookies, I was having a bad day. A very, very bad day. First thing in the morning I couldn’t get my computer to work. Then Annie locked herself in the car at the post office and it was raining. Then the cashier at Walgreens wouldn’t take my coupons. At CVS I left my coupon binder in the buggy and didn’t realize it until I got home (Don’t worry! It’s safe…..I know the manager there….thanks Tammy!) I came home only to let Annie fall butt first down into the clothes hamper. So, as you can tell I really needed some cookies. Actually, I made these cookies to say “Thanks!” to those who helped me get back into my car and also to take to Tammy at CVS. I like telling people I appreciate them. It always seems to pack an extra punch when you say it with cookies. So, to kill two birds with one marshmallow (or something like that) I decided to say thanks AND show you how to make them. You’ll love me forever. [Read more…]

Homemade Breadcrumbs

I know I’m not the only one out there with a lousy bag boy….am I? The bag “boy” at my Kroger thinks he’s Elvis. He wears his collar up and his hair greased back. I have not heard him sing……but I have seen him high tail it! Apparently he doesn’t like me anymore because when he sees me coming, he tries to find something else to do – get buggies…..sweep……clean up the broken pickle jar in aisle 4. Well, that’s just fine with me because I hate getting home to find my bread smashed and all my frozen stuff in individual bags instead of together. Is this rocket science? That being said, we all end up with smashed bread sometimes. I will usually make homemade croutons (https://www.humoroushomemaking.com/?p=205), but this time I decided to make breadcrumbs. You can buy these at the store, but it’s usually cheaper to make your own. Plus, they just taste a lot better. If you can get some reduced bread, even better! Any kind of bread will work. Also, sometimes it’s just nice to pulverize something to smithereens. You know you want to.

My favorite way to make breadcrumbs is using my food processor. I love this kitchen appliance! If you don’t have one, you should really consider getting one……I see them at yard sales all the time. It’s such a great tool to have – it makes a lot of kitchen tasks a LOT easier. I think it does lots of cool stuff, but I haven’t read the manual yet. Manuals intimidate me. I need appliance manual therapy. [Read more…]

How to Make an Omelet

It’s so easy to make an omelet. I make them regularly for Barry…..especially when I have stuff in the refrigerator that I want to get rid of. You can put ANYTHING in an omelet – cheese, salsa, taco meat, bacon, ham, peppers, onions, steak, hot dogs, chicken nuggets. I’d say most people who don’t make omelets don’t do it because they think it’s hard. I’m here to shed light on the subject! If I can do it, you can do it! Now, this omelet turns out a little rough because I got in a hurry…..it split open. Guess what? It still tastes delicious. Did you know that they make a special pan just for making omelets? Good grief! What normal person has room in their cabinets for all these contraptions? I had to get rid of my dishwasher in order to store more cake pans, so I really don’t have room for a special omelet pan. Good thing we don’t need it. So, let’s clean out the fridge and make an omelet!

All you need to make an omelet are eggs, water, salt, pepper, and cooking spray. Of course you need your fillings, but that will vary each time you’re making one. The omelet I make the most is just salsa and cheese for a filling. We like to keep things simple in the Myers household. [Read more…]

Homemade Kettle Corn

*****We’ve adapted this recipe to fit our Whole Foods lifestyle by using coconut oil and sucanat.*****

I love fall! It means festivals…….festivals mean Kettle Corn! I might be a tad bit obsessed with Kettle Corn. Sure, I go to see the crafts and decorations, but if they weren’t there I’d still go just to get Kettle Corn. Whew! I don’t like to share it either. My husband might get a few bites there and there, but if he’s not careful I might just bite his hand off. There’s just something about the sweet/salty mixture and the crunch of the popcorn that just makes me wanna dance! You’re craving it right now because I said crunchy aren’t you? At the last festival I went to, I got the biggest bag available….yes, I ate it all myself. Over the course of a few days though because I learned in the past that if you eat too much at once you’ll get a tummy ache. Too much = entire bag. I thought to myself, “Self, YOU could make your own Kettle Corn!” Then I could have it all year long! This was something I was definitely going to try, so I came home and found the recipe on the internet. Verdict? There is DEFINITELY a learning curve. We burned some on our first batch, so we made another pot full while I ate the burned ones. Hey! They had sugar on them so they weren’t THAT bad. Hopefully I’ve made all the mistakes that can be made, so that you can make it without mishap. I’m just here to help. Let’s make a pot, shall we? [Read more…]

Swedish Apple Pie

*UPDATE – See this post about our new eating habits.(7/10/11)

I declare this The Year of the Apple! Who cares that every year is The Year of the Apple at my house? I’m an apple lover. You’re going to continue seeing apple recipes here. If I see an apple recipe, I have to make it. It calls to me. I dream about it until I make it. I’m a slave to the apple!!!!! When I saw this super easy Apple Pie recipe that didn’t have a crust, I knew I had to make it. It exceeded my expectations….so much so, that I made it yesterday and it’s gone today. Oops. Don’t subscribe to Taste of Home magazines. They’ll just make your butt expand. [Read more…]

Make Your Own Granola Bars

***We’ve adapted this recipe to fit our Whole Foods lifestyle by using rolled oats and sucanat. See printable recipe below.***I love granola bars! I buy them when I can get them really cheap (which is this time of year). But if you’ve had homemade granola bars; you’ll know the ones from the store can’t hold a candle to them. Embrace the love of granola! It’s ok to admit it. It doesn’t mean that you’ll have to sell your house, go live in a tree and never shave again. Let’s make them, shall we? [Read more…]

How to Make Stuffed Burgers

In honor of the Labor Day holiday, Barry said I should post something that was made on the grill. I guess most of you are going to pull out your grill and give a last hurrah for the summer. Although around here, if the heat keeps up, we’ll be having sweaty buns for most of the winter months. Yesterday, it was so hot, spit would have evaporated before it hit the ground. Stupid Global Warming. I blame it on Al Gore. Anyway, I thought I would show you how to make stuffed burgers. It’s more of a method than a recipe, so no recipe will be included at the bottom. You can take this idea and run with it. Run like the wind! Happy Labor Day!

For these burgers, you’ll need ground meat, garlic powder, salt, fresh pepper, bacon bits, feta cheese, and cream cheese. Now, you can use any type of ground meat that you want – beef, veal (too expensive for my blood), turkey, chicken, or just about anything you can think up. As far as the cheeses go, I used these because that’s what I had. You could use ANY type of cheese – bleu cheese, goat cheese (YUM!), cheddar, mozzarella – let your imagination run wild. Try to pair things together. I used bacon, but you could use pepperoni, or anything else you think might pair well with the cheese you’re using. To make a pizza burger, use mozzarella and chopped pepperoni. The burger is your canvas! [Read more…]

You Cut Me Deep

Knives can make or break your experience in the kitchen. If you have a great knife, you won’t dread the chore of chopping vegetables or meat. A great knife will slice through your vegetables as though they were butter. It took me a while to figure out that I needed to quit using cheap, dull knives. When I changed this part of my cooking, my world came alive! Please, in the name of all that is good and holy, DO NOT use a dull knife. It will make you want to cuss and lose your religion. However, when you have a good, sharp knife you will sing songs of praise. “When I die, hallelujah I’ll take my knife! I’ll fly away.”

Here are my favorite knives. I use each of them regularly, and I consider them essential in my kitchen. However, I know of some cooks who only have one knife and use it for everything. I like variety. It’s the spice of life, along with cumin. You’ll need to keep several factors in mind when narrowing down on a specific knife, visit wetheknives.com to learn more about these factors. [Read more…]

Roasted Green Beans

Ahhhhh, fall. It brings an abundance of fresh produce. I love green beans! I could be happy with an entire pot of green beans all to myself. Sometimes I’m not very good at sharing. Taste of Home put out a recipe for how to roast green beans in the oven, so I decided to try it. I’m always looking for a different way to prepare things, especially when we have an abundance. These were so good that Barry and I ate the entire batch….which was supposed to be enough for 6 people. Oops. We were popping them like M&Ms. I think it was a contest to see who could eat more.

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How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

Martha Stewart isn’t the only one who can do it. You can do it too! YOU can fold a fitted sheet. Come on, I’ll show ya! It’s a little hard to explain, but I’ll try to do it using pictures. I hope my cousin Ben is reading because he asked me how to do this……..you’re welcome Ben!

This is my husband’s idea of a folded fitted sheet. When Ben asked him how to do it, Barry said “wad it up.” It’s ok if this is your idea too. You can come into the light! Or you can just read this and continue to wad your sheets up and put them back in the closet. It’s dark in there and no one can see…….so it’s really ok if you do that. I give you permission. Although I’m convinced if we can fold a fitted sheet surely we can find world peace.

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