DIY Tortillas

Maxwells’ Tortillas

• 10 cups flour
• 1 TB. plus 1 tsp. salt
• 1 and 1/3 cups oil
• 4 cups water

Combine the flour and a salt in a large bowl. Cut in the oil (or butter). Using a large spoon, add the water until the dough is soft and sticky. Let the dough sit on the counter anywhere from 1-3 hours. Then, portion the dough into golf-size balls or 2 ounce size (or, just figure out what size your family wants). Flour a surface such as a pastry mat or cloth. Heat fry pans. Cook each tortilla until lightly cooked. It could be anywhere from less than a minute to a minute and a half, depending on your heat settings and the thickness of the tortilla. You don’t want the tortilla to be doughy, but you don’t want it overcooked, otherwise, the tortilla will be tough.

Use a spatula to flip the tortillas. Place the cooked tortillas on a plate and cover with a towel. ENJOY! (Refrigerate tortillas after the first use. You can also freeze tortillas to make them last longer. When ready to use tortillas that have been refrigerated, you’ll want to warm them up in the microwave for a little bit to soften them.)

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Sarah

“And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4).

Chocolate Mousse Cake

How to Make Chocolate Mousse by Teri Maxwell

In 1989 when Nathan was 13 years old, our homeschool group hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the seniors in our church. Served at that meal was chocolate mousse cake, and Nathan thought it was so delicious that he asked me to get the recipe and make it for his birthday dessert the next month. He has requested chocolate mousse cake for his birthday dessert ever since. Nathan had his 42nd birthday in December so that’s been 29 years of chocolate mousse cake. He’s the only one in our family who has been so consistent with his birthday dessert. At this point, we can’t imagine him requesting anything else!

Be warned: there are raw eggs in the recipe. If you don't want to use uncooked eggs, there are pasteurized egg products such as egg beaters you could use, but the results will probably end up different. Make sure the product you choose doesn't have any spices included. Onion flavored eggs would make this quite a concoction!

We like the mousse over chocolate cake. We use a traditional Betty Crocker cake mix and then make sure the cake is cool before putting the mousse on.

Below you'll find step-by-step pictures for Chocolate Mousse with the recipe following.

Start with unsweetened chocolate.

Place chocolate in double broiler and add water.

After chocolate is melted, add sugar and salt.

Cook until completely dissolved.

Beat egg yolks.

Add chocolate mixture slowly to egg yolks.

Stir in vanilla.

After chocolate mixture is thoroughly cooled (we placed ours in the refrigerator), add Cool Whip.

With everything combined, it turns into a creamy mousse.

Spread on chocolate cake.

The finished product.

Chocolate Mousse

• 3 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 c. water
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 egg yolks, well beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups Cool Whip

Heat chocolate and water over a double broiler until chocolate is melted. Add granulated sugar and salt; cook until completely dissolved (about 3 minutes). Add slowly to egg yolks, blending well. Stir in vanilla; cool thoroughly. Fold Cool Whip into chocolate mixture. Spread on cake.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the
house of the LORD for ever."
Psalm 23:6

Christmas Cookies

Anna Marie’s Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe by Teri Maxwell Y'all, I think we're officially in the Christmas season! I'm excited to share with you Anna Marie's favorite cookie recipe. It's simple to make and easy to include littles.  Vanilla Butter Cookies 1 cup butter 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt 2 cups flour Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and mix well. Add salt and flour (1 cup at a time). Form 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Stamp with cookie stamp. Bake at 350° about 8 minutes or until edges are barely turning golden. Enjoy about 3 dozen cookies. (Note: Anna Marie's cookie stamps are Rycraft brand.)

Cherry Tart

Cherry Tart by Teri Maxwell

Do remember our Austrian blog friend who sent us a cherry stoner (see this post)? She also sent us her favorite cherry tart recipe, which we wanted to try out with the cherries we stoned and froze. We usually make pies, cobblers, and crisps with fruit, but we hadn’t made a tart before so it was fun to try something new.

We served this dessert recently when we had weekend guests. We all agreed. It is delicious.

Cherry Tart

1/2 cup butter, room temperature1 cup all purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder3/4 cup sugar3 eggs, room temperature1 lb. cherries

Beat butter with hand mixer until fluffy. Then beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in sugar. Continue until everything is really fluffy. Then fold in flour with baking powder. Mix only until everything is combined.

Pour into baking dish. ( I use a round one about 9 inch diameter). Then let the cherries sink in. You can use even more than 1 pound of cherries. Bake at 350° until golden brown. Serve warm or cold, with or without vanilla ice cream. It's delicious!

Titus 2 Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

Yields: 20-22 cookies

3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg (room temperature)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°. Beat room temperature butter for 1 min. Then add brown sugar and cream with butter until light and fluffy. Then add milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl and then mix into butter-sugar mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 7-12 minutes until the desired doneness. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Enjoy!

Fellowship Salad

from Titus 2 - Maxwell Fam

Teri’s Favorite Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce
1 head romaine lettuce
1/2 to 3/4 12 ounce package frozen baby peas (uncooked)
6 hard boiled eggs
1 lb. bacon (crisp/crumbled)
1 small bunch green onions
2 small packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing*
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
*We like to buy Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix in a container at SAMS or Costco. You’ll still use the sour cream and mayonnaise, but it’s much more cost effective to buy a container of the dry mix instead of packets.
Ahead of time: Cook bacon and crumble into small pieces. Hard boil eggs and then peel and cut.

Wash both kinds of lettuce and chop into edible sizes. Put in two bowls. Wash green onions and chop into small pieces. Put bacon, eggs, green onions, and peas in separate bowls next to the lettuce.

Mix Hidden Valley Dressing, sour cream, and mayonnaise together and set aside.

Grab a 9×13 size pan or tupperware container. You’re going to make a total of 2 layers, with the dressing on the very top.

Spread the lettuce evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle one half peas, eggs, bacon, and green onions evenly on top of lettuce. Then, layer the last half of lettuce, and again follow up with the remaining peas, eggs, bacon, and green onions. Next, carefully spread the dressing over the top. It will be thick. Refrigerate preferably for a day before serving. Enjoy!

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD,
and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.”
Psalm 91:1

Chocolate Syrup

I want to share with you this super easy homemade syrup that I use in my mochas.

It’s simple. 1 cup cocoa, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, a little salt, and vanilla

Add cocoa.

Sugar.

Stir.

Salt.

We use this baking cocoa purchased from either SAMS or Costco.

Heat to boiling and then let boil (still stirring).

The finished product: oh so good!

Store in a glass jar.

Drizzle on top of your mocha too!

Chocolate Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 cup water
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla (or a little more)

Turn burner on medium heat, and combine cocoa and sugar in saucepan. Immediately add water and whisk. Add salt. Stir occasionally until mixture boils. Keep stirring as it boils, and allow it to boil for at least 1 minute. This will help the sauce to thicken. Remove from heat, and add vanilla. This rich chocolate syrup is perfect for homemade mochas or any type of hot (or cold!) drink. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
How much should you add to your mocha? It depends if this is the only sugar and how sweet you like it. I, for one, like my drinks sweet!
Enjoy!

“My meditation of him shall be sweet:
I will be glad in the Lord.”
Psalm 104:34

Titus 2 Green Smoothie

Green Smoothie Recipe

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
16 ounces apple, sliced (we use fuji)
10 (approx.) ounces frozen spinach (frozen or fresh)
2 scoops (1/2 cup) vanilla flavored whey protein powder (We use Swanson’s.)
1/4 cup golden ground flax seeds (We use Bob’s Red Mill.)
9-10 ounces frozen banana
3/4 cup frozen wild blueberries
2 cups ice

Blend almond milk and apple. Add spinach and blend. Once spinach is incorporated, add protein powder and flax seed; blend. Add banana and blueberries, and let rest a few minutes; blend. Add ice until container is filled. Blend until smooth. Note: you have to be careful not to overheat your blender. With so much of the smoothie ingredients being frozen, it is easy to do! I just keep an eye on it and make sure that I’m not adding too much frozen too quickly! Also, we buy our spinach in big bags at Costco and then divide each big bag into four smaller bags and then freeze it.
Yields approximately 5 sixteen ounce glasses

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Titus 2 Rolls

Light and Fluffy Rolls
Yield: 38 rolls

3 Tablespoons (heaping) yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110º)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs room temperature (Put eggs in bowl with hot water to warm them for a couple minutes.)
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons dough enhancer (optional)
8 3/4 cups flour – white or wheat or a mixture (This is measured by scooping the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. I’ve found that the most consistent.)

Step #1: Heat water to 100-110º. Pour warm water into a mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Gently mix together with a spatula and let proof for 5 minutes.

Step #2: In saucepan, melt better. Then add milk and honey until warm.

Step #3: Pour the milk+honey+butter mixture into the yeast mixture.

Step #4: Turn mixer on, and add eggs, salt, dough enhancer, and several cups of flour. Finish adding the rest of the flour and knead for 7 minutes.

Step #5: Place dough in oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, then put in oven at 120º to rise for an hour. I heat the oven up to 180º and then leave the door open until the temperature drops.

Let rise until doubled (about an hour). Lightly flour hands and top of dough as often as needed. The dough might be slightly sticky. 

Step #6: Punch dough down. Spray muffin pans. Put two 1.5″ balls in each muffin cup. Cover. Let rise for a 1/2 hour or until doubled. Bake at 375º until golden brown (around 20 minutes). Do not over bake! Pull one roll a part to make sure it’s not doughy but just past. That makes them really soft. 

Enjoy!

“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11