Bahmi Goreng

Well hello again!! Sick of me yet??? I'm certainly enjoying my time here at the SEI Lifestyle blog...and I'm back to share another recipe...this time from my Dutch side of the family...here's a family favorite, a Dutch Indonesian Fried Noodle Dish called Bahmi Goreng.

Ingredients
4 cups medium egg noodles (mie noodles)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup lean ground chicken (or pork)
1 pound of crispy cooked bacon (crumbled)
4 eggs, fried and thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 leek, washed and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1 Tbsp ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce, if you can't locate it, there are online recipes based on soy sauce)
2 tsp sambal oelek (optional, may be substituted with your favorite hot sauce)
salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

Instructions:
1. Fry the bacon, drain the fat and crumble, put aside. Fry the eggs, slice thinly, put aside.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain, rinse and put aside.
3. Boil the cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts for 3 minutes. Drain and put aside.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Fry the ground chicken (or pork). Add the onion and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the bacon crumbles back to the meat and onion mixture.
6. Add the leek to the meat mixture. After 1 minute, add the boiled vegetables, stir well.
7. Add the spices, then the noodles and lastly the eggs, stir very well and serve warm.

Another recipe 'for the books'...I hope you enjoy!

Angela Ploegman
My Blog

Curried Fried Rice

Hi again, it's Angela Ploegman and I'm super excited to be back for Day 2 of my week on the SEI Lifestyle Blog.

This year I'm making a special effort to document my family recipes. I do this by first posting the recipe to my blog (already doing this part!) and then I'm planning to transfer them to a handmade recipe book/recipe stand. If things go well, I hope to make digital photo books for my immediate family as a Christmas present. As my husband is originally from India and all four of my Grandparents are from the Netherlands, there should be an interesting mix of recipes by year end!

So today, I'm sharing a recipe for Curried Fried Rice. All of my Indian recipes come from my sister in law...each time I visit, I try and pick up a new one...usually I modify them a bit for my husband's taste, but this dish is perfect the way it came!

Curried Fried Rice

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Oil
6-7 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
4-5 green cardamon pods, crushed open
1 cinnamon stick, crushed
1 Tbsp green fennel seeds
1/3 cup whole raw almonds
1 finely chopped onion
1-2 green chilies (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger garlic paste (if you can't find prepared, use equal parts of each mixed together)
mixed vegetables, 1 small package, frozen
3 cups basmati rice
1 can coconut milk + enough water to equal 5 cups
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp garum masala
salt to taste (usually about 2 tsps)

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter in oil over low heat in a heavy bottomed stock pot. You will end up with 6-8 cups cooked rice, so use an appropriate sized pot.
2. Add the cloves, bay leaves, cardamon pods, cinnamon stick and green fennel seeds.
3. When the aroma of the spices is noticeable, add the raw almonds. Stir occasionally until the almonds are lightly roasted.
4. Increase the heat to medium-low and add the onion and green chilies (if desired). Cook until the onions are translucent.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Increase the heat to medium and add the frozen mixed vegetables. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are warmed through.
7. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut milk with enough water to make a total of 5 cups of liquid. Add the salt until the liquid is obviously salty (this is OK as the rice will adsorb most of the saltiness), then add the sugar and the garum masala. Set aside.
8. Add the rice to the onion/vegetable/spice mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice kernels appear opaque.
9. Add the coconut/water mixture to the rice and bring to a full boil (stirring constantly and increasing the heat if necessary). The mixture will become thicker before it boils. Turn on a second element to 'simmer or low' to have ready for the next step.
10. When the rice mixture reaches a full boil, put the lid on the pot and transfer the pot to the alternate element (set on simmer or low).
11. Cook for 25 minutes, take off the stove and let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! It's one of my favorites!

Angela Ploegman
My Blog

Delicious Cuteness

Hello, hello! I’m so happy to be here at the SEI blog again today! I thought I’d share another random fact about myself with you. I LOVE cake. I love to bake cakes, and I love to decorate cakes (and of course, I most certainly love to EAT cake too!) When I was a little girl, my mom baked and decorated cakes. I was mesmerized by the amazing cakes in the Wilton Yearbooks she collected. Now that I have kids of my own, I have tried to create fun and memorable cakes for their birthdays. Getting creative with frosting is FUN!

I created this cake a few months ago for a bridal shower. It was a 12 inch, 2 layer cake. I covered it in a very pale blue buttercream frosting, and then went a little crazy, covering the whole thing in swirly white lines. I didn’t intend to cover the WHOLE cake in swirls. . . .but the more I swirled, the more I liked it, so I kept on goin’!

The next cake I created for my son Bryce’s sixth birthday. He had a superhero party, so I made him a Super B cake. I found a Superman logo online, printed it out, traced it onto tracing paper, and changed the “S” into a “B”. The cake was frosted in buttercream, and then I created the logo in red and yellow fondant. (You can buy premade fondant at the craft store. I don’t think I will ever be brave enough to make it from scratch!) The big surprise was inside the Super B cake . . . the cake was red, yellow, and blue! This is SO fun and simple to do. After making your cake batter (yellow or white cake mix works just fine), divide it into separate bowls, one for each color you want to have. Just add drops of food coloring until you have the color you want, and then drop it by spoonfuls into the cake pan! Last year we made rainbow cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day, but what about using your favorite sports team’s colors? (I know I’m late, but how fun would that be for a Superbowl Party!?) The possibilities are endless!

And now, for my favorite frosting recipe, from the October 2007 issue of Southern Living Magazine:
Ingredients
• 2 cups shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 cup evaporated milk

Preparation
1. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric mixer until blended. Add powdered sugar alternately with evaporated milk, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Beat at medium speed 8 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Note: Frosting may be stored in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. If using a handheld mixer, prepare frosting in 2 batches.

The only thing that I do differently is to add a few tablespoons of meringue powder to the recipe. You can find meringue powder on the cake decorating aisle at the craft store. It helps the frosting set and “dry” as it sits. I love frosting with a little sugary crunch to it!
I hope I’ve tempted you to bake, and decorate, (or at least run to the bakery and buy) a delicious and colorful cake for dessert! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Meet me here tomorrow to see a project I created with the brand new Corinne paper! XOXO Laura

Cupcakes

Hi! It's me Kathy Martin, excited to be your guest blogger this week at SEI Lifestyle! If you missed my introduction and want to know a little bit about me, just scroll down to Friday's post. After a lovely and restful weekend I'm ready to share some more projects from SEI's Moonrise line! Today I have a scrapbook page to show you of my son enjoying a pumpkin cupcake.


Look at that face! Can you tell the cupcakes were a hit? LOL I thought a round theme would work perfectly for a cupcake page so I used the entire corner of the 'quiescent' patterned paper as a template. I simply placed my patterned paper over a brown piece of card stock and pierced around the circles with an awl. Then with a pencil I drew a curved line where I wanted to cut out the corner of the patterned paper revealing the circles.


To mimic some circles of the patterned paper I used a piece of clear vellum to frame my son's photo. The look of the vellum is almost identical to the frosted circles of the patterned paper. I used the Wizard die cut machine and Nestabilities dies along with my Silhouette to cut all the scalloped circles.


What do you think of the title letters? Aren't they yummy? They are SEI's Dark Chocolate Puff Stickers! I used them and a Gleaming Pearl die cut accent for my title on and to double as a secret door for my journaling. The final touches are a few more Gleaming Pearl die cuts, some brads, a couple of the beautiful SEI Metal Filigree accents and a simple craft string bow.

Now how about a recipe for those pumpkin cupcakes? They are heavenly and if you like cream cheese frosting, you are going to love them! The recipe is from Ina Garten, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa.

I hope you enjoyed today's project and can return tomorrow for another. Until we meet again, have a fantastic day! :) Kathy

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Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my very favorite cookies!! Perfect mix of coconut and chocolate--and they aren't overly coconutty.....just a nice hint of coconut flavor, and they have the BEST chewy texture!!

As soon as we get a cooler day around here....this is what I'll be doing!


Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks of butter (1c), at room temp
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 lb chocolate chips/chunks

Cream the butter and the sugars until light. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk, stir to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula fold in the chocolate and coconut.

Drop by spoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° for 11-13 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.

enjoy!

--
sheena

Freezer Jam

It was mentioned in my brief introduction that I love food.....and I really do! I love REAL foods. Whole foods. I love to make something from scratch any chance I can get. There is no better feeling than starting with a few simple ingredients, and creating something so tasty to share with your family!

Freezer jam is SO easy to make. Too many people are intimidated by it--for no reason at all! I dare you to make it this week--do it!! You will be so happy you did!
All you need is:
-Your favorite fruit
-clean jars
-food processer/blender,
-a box of pectin (I think the box I used had a total of 4 instructions....FOUR! So easy!)
-optional: small children to lick the spoon.
-lots and lots of bread for all the toast you will be eating.

Admire (and photograph) beautiful berries. Wash.


Core berries. Give them a few good pulses in the food processor. (I like bigger bits of fruit in my jam so I make sure not to puree it)


You'll follow the directions on your pectin box--some freezer jams call for cooking. Some don't. Add the fruit, sugar and pectin to your clean jars.


You did it!! Take a step back and bask in the glory of making jam from scratch. Pause for a quick photo-op, and then enjoy your toast!

--
sheena

On the 4th Day...

On the fourth day of Christmas SEI gave to you four recipes + a cute little apron to hold them in! This apron is perfect for holding cooking supplies, tools, or crafting supplies. It could also make a great personalized gift.





Michelle made this project using paper for the recipes, an apron, buttons, ribbon, and iron-on sheets. These sheets come in different colors. To use them, cut a shape out of the sheet and iron it onto your project following the instructions on the package. Michelle chose to cut circles to look like ornaments.



Here are Michelle's Recipes.

A Wee bit of Sweetness

The best thing about October is the feeling of fall. Contrary to popular belief, Los Angeles does indeed have a fall. It may not be as showy as some, but after days and weeks of hot, hot heat, the brisk chill and the breezy days are a welcome relief.



For me, the best thing about fall though is that the tiny casa is finally cool enough to bake in. And what better fall ingredient to bake with than pumpkin? I have to admit I get my pumpkin from a can. But that’s okay because it is a very big can that allows me to make my favorite pumpkin squares, pumpkin bread and pumpkin pancakes. Plus, there is a nifty can leftover that can be covered in pretty paper and used for gift giving or pen corralling.



Mixing it up a tiny bit, I decided to kick off this fall with a wee batch of pumpkin cakes. I used this square recipe and cut the sugar by ¼ cup and added a healthy dose of black pepper. Instead of baking as squares, I greased up a small cupcake tin and added a small dollop of batter to each cup.



After fifteen minutes in the oven, I pulled out the happy cakes to cool. While they were cooling I decided that the best way to celebrate fall baking was to add a bit of pizzazz by way of toppers so I pulled out some pretty paper, toothpicks, glue, scissors and stickers and went to town. While the glue dried on my toppers, I whipped up some cream with just a smidge of sugar.



When everything was cooled and dried, I added a dollop of cream to six small cakes and then topped them each with another small cake. I now had wee happy topsy-turvy towers, all they needed were the toppers. So I graciously obliged…

Let the party begin!

Beginning the Day with Pretty (aka 3 cheers for oats!)

Back in the days when my socks were longer than my skirts and my heroes were ElectraWoman & DynaGirl, early morning happiness came in a tan & green colored pouch. Unlike most kids who were kookoo for cocoa puffs, I was all about the oatmeal. It was probably because my mom wouldn’t buy me Coco Puffs but we won’t tell my seven-year old self that. Seriously though, I adored my apples and cinnamon instant oats and for decades I gobbled up those wee packs of instant goodness while doing my happy dance. Sadly, it never occurred to me that homemade oatmeal was almost as easy and even tastier than what came in those packs. Lucky for me, I figured it all out…and then some.



You may be thinking I’m a bit nutty for writing an ode to oatmeal but have you ever tried it a-la-jek? From the way you cook it to how you sweeten or even top it, oatmeal has an infinite amount of possibilities. Stick with me and you’ll see.

I enjoy my oatmeal a tiny bit on the chewy side so it is rolled oats for me. When the mister and I whip up a batch, we add a sprinkle or two of black pepper and cinnamon. The tiny hint of spice is delightful, plus it’s pretty to look at. Even prettier is the ½ teaspoon of turmeric we add to the mix. Turmeric is a wonder spice. Not only is its color bee-yoo-tee-ful, it’s heart happy as well. Really, you should try it!



Once the oats are all simmery-cooked and in my bowl, I add a squeeze of honey and mix it all in. Next comes a dash of milk (or if I am feeling decadent, half and half) and the toppers. If there is fresh fruit such as blueberries or tangerines (once I even added the remains of an apple pie), I add that, if not, I go for the dried cherries or cranberries. Next, I add nuts. The type of nut is determined by the color of the fruit. This is about creating the prettiest (and tastiest) bowl of oatmeal ever. From sunflower seeds to pine nuts to spiced pecans…I’m not very picky, I add a few that I know will taste well together. Once my bowl is assembled I take a step back and assess its prettiness.

Now, don’t you think that is one pretty bowl of happy?

Hi again!! Want to join me for dessert?!!

Panna Cotta is quite possibly one of my favorite desserts to make because it's so simple and yet elegant all at the same time! It's a very easy and quick recipe, my Grandma would say it needs a pinch of salt, but I've never added it (shhh... don't tell on me!) and I still think it tastes perfect every time!

Panna Cotta
Ingredients:
• 3 T. milk (I use whatever I have in the fridge.)
• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
optional* raspberries, blueberries and almonds

Directions:
1.Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, add the milk/gelatin mixture and set over medium heat. Stir until gelatin has completely dissolved. Bring to a full boil, stirring consistently, and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
4.Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.
5. Spoon the berries and almonds on top of the panna cotta and serve.

It's the most wonderful dessert! Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Generous Giveaway!

Hurray! I finally have a pretty recipe file like I've always wanted!
It was a lot of fun to make and the Poppy Collection is so great. I love it!!


I used these cute tabs to mark my favorite recipes.


Rubber stamps are one of my favorite things. You can beautify
any plain paper in seconds with these stamps
from the Windsor Collection!


This picture is from a recipe card that I picked up from Target.



I love how these die-cut accents aren't your ordinary recipe cards.
They're perfect for short recipes and guaranteed to make you
happy every time you pull one out!

Since my box was so big, I thought that another good way to fill it up would be to make recipe cards out of photos. Then while you're cooking, you can be reminiscing at the same time!


I made my box, but there are plenty of boxes out there that would work great for this project. My cards are approximately 3"x5" and the cards that separate them in to categories are .25" taller. I haven't labeled my dividers yet, but you can label them main dish, desserts, etc.

I liked using the Poppy 6"x6" Paper Pad for my cards because the backs are blank. This makes it easy to read the recipes. If you want to print your recipes on the back, I suggest you do it before you cut them. You can do it when they're small, but it can be tricky if you have a stubborn printer.

I love to see all of the pretty patterns, but I need to know what recipe is written on the back. To solve this problem, I made these mini labels. If you would like to use them too, you can download them FREE here.

Just print them on sticker paper, cut them out and you're ready to go!

Here are some cards I designed just for all of you. You can download them for FREE here!
I hope you enjoyed! Have a great day and good luck!

Wow! We want to thank Lisa for all the hard work she put into making this past week spectacular. The free click and prints are such a plus and we hope you all enjoy them. From Lisa to you there is one more gift. We want you all to be able to make these recipe boxes but we can only give away 1 kit that includes all the supplies Lisa used (except the box). All you need to do is leave a comment telling us what post you found to be the most inspirational, by Monday June 15th. (Please only 1 entry per person.)The winner will be announced June 16th. Here are the goodies that could be yours:

- Windsor Clear Stamps
- Stamp Block
- Poppy 6x6 Paper Pad
- Poppy Brads
- Poppy Die-Cut Accents
- Poppy Cardstock Stickers
- Poppy Foil Die Cut Sheet
- Moss Ink Block
- White Ink Block

DIY Housewarming Gifts

I love making treats look pretty and then giving them away. The process and assembly of projects like this are very therapeutic to me, and also extremely satisfying. And who doesn't like to get cute treats? I've compiled some of my favorite DIY projects so hopefully you'll get into the giving spirit and make something for that neighbor that you haven't met yet!

• Homemade Bread and Jam



• Chocolate Bark and Candied Pecans




• Planted Banana Nut Bread

Breakfast in Bed...?

Mother's Day is coming up... yay! It's such a beautiful day to thank our Mother's for the sacrifices they have made for us. No mother's perfect but I think they're pretty close. Not to mention that they have the most important jobs in the universe, really. I know most of you readers are mama's and so here are some recipe ideas you could print out and leave around the house. Maybe the kiddies and husband will pick up the hint and make these breakfast ideas that don't take all morning. Here are some Mother's Day recipes I found on the Food Network.
The Deep-Dish Ham Quiche is for the savory taste budded viewer. Then for the sweet toothed viewer, I thought this Strawberry Rhubarb Tart looked divine (minus the rhubarb, for me). Whatever it is that you get for breakfast, it's made with love!

Peanut Butter Cups

This recipe came from my sister’s in-laws. They are amazing cooks so watch out these peanut butter cups are addicting! My husband is always begging me to make them. Mandi and Josh gave made me a couple of fun ideas on how to package them as gifts. Mandi made some boxes out of Alpine Frost papers. Here are her instructions for the short box and the tall box. Josh used a simple bag that you could buy or make and added some of his favorite Alpine Frost embellishments. Here are his instructions.

Peanut Butter Cups
From: Grandma Nona

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar
chocolate

To make the peanut butter centers mix all of the ingredients together except the chocolate. Add enough powdered sugar for desired consistency. We like ours solid enough to form but not too crumbly & dry. Roll into balls and flatten into a size that will fit nicely into your baking cups.

Melt chocolate on very low heat. Stir often. Spoon some chocolate into the bottom of each baking cup (make sure to save half for the top). Then press peanut butter center into each cup (there should be room around the edges for chocolate). Cover top and sides of the peanut butter center with chocolate. Let cool. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.

Enjoy!
Maria

Caramel Recipe

Here is the recipe that was requested from the last post. Before you take on this project I have a couple of warnings. First, you need a really big kettle to do this. I usually do a half batch because I have had it boil over before since my largest kettles aren't big enough after I add the milk. Second, the last step (reaching the firm ball stage) takes a while so be patient. I am not very patient so I just keep turning the heat up until I end up burning them and I have little dark specks in them. They still taste good though. These caramels are definitely worth the trouble but don't say I didn't warn you.

Caramels

from: Krista Magleby

1 cup real butter

2 cups light corn syrup

4 cups sugar

2 cans evaporated milk

On medium, in large kettle, melt butter, add corn syrup and sugar. Cook until boiling, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Add milk a little at a time so candy doesn't stop boiling. Continue to stir to firm ball stage (240 degrees).

Put in buttered 9 x 13 pan. When cool, cut into squares and wrap in wax paper. Makes 117 (1 inch squares).