Mommie Cooks!

Sometimes Simple, Sometimes Grand, Always Declicious

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Monet Shares her Favorite Recipe for Honey Yogurt Wheat Bread!

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Your host for today is Monet from Anecdotes and Apple Cores!  If you want to learn a bit more about her, be sure to check yesterday’s post where we asked Monet which dish she liked to cook for company.  I am now going to pass the spotlight over to Monet.  Let’s bake some bread!

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I am a relatively new blogger, but over the past six months, I’ve been introduced to one of the most supportive and encouraging communities I’ve ever been a part of.  My blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores, started out as a way for me to express myself in writing and to post some of my baking adventures.


My sweet grandmother first instilled a love of baking in me when I was 5 years old.  I remember coming over to her house and watching her knead dough, shape rolls and gently lather warm butter over their golden tops.  After years of watching her bake and enjoying the many desserts and breads she so lovingly created, I began to bake for my family and friends.

While I love icing three layer cakes or spreading warm chocolate ganache over a brownie, there is nothing better than baking a wholesome loaf of bread.  Baking bread is an elemental process, a daily need, and men and women have been kneading dough and watching it rise for centuries.  When I bake bread, I feel like I tap into the past, and then when I serve a warm loaf to my family, I feel like I am creating community.  We all tear off a piece of bread and share both food and laughter.

Below is one of my favorite recipes.  I’ve also included a few bread baking tips that I’ve picked up from my grandmother and other baking friends.  I hope that if you do bake, you take the time to enjoy the process, and I hope that if you never have, this post might encourage you to give it a try.

Honey Yogurt Wheat Bread


3.5-4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour (I use a combo of White Whole Wheat and Regular)
3/4 TBSP of Instant Yeast
3 TBSP Honey
2 TBSP Vital Wheat Gluten
1 tsp salt
1 Cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 Cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt or regular)


1.  In a large bowl, combine all of your ingredients.  Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer or a large wooden spoon, stir until all ingredients are combined.  Cover your bowl loosely with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.  (This allows the gluten to develop).

2.  Using the dough hook on your stand mixer, knead for 5-10 minutes, adding additional flour or water.  Your dough should come together in a ball and should be moist but not sticky.  (Determining if your dough needs more moisture or more flour takes practice!  You will have to experiment in order to learn what kind of dough will rise best in your particular climate.)

3.  Transfer your dough to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place. (I like to turn my oven to warm while I’m kneading the dough, shut the oven off, and then let my dough rise in the warm oven)  Allow for an hour of rising time.

4.  Transfer your dough to a lightly floured surface.  Punch down and form your dough into a loaf shape.  Place in a lightly greased loaf pan, cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough crests about 1 inch over the pan.  (Alternately, I like to take a produce bag, place my loaf pan inside, and inflate the bag like a balloon.  This creates a wonderful environment for your final rise).

5.  Bake your loaf in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until bread registers 190 degrees Fahrenheit with an instant read thermometer.


Goodbye Delaware, Hello Vermont

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First off, I’ve had some access to internet this week so I’ve been able to stop by the blog on and off and see what’s going on (No, I can’t stay away, even on vacation!) and it seems as though the party is in full swing since I left!  Anne and Sarah, thank you sooooo much for doing such a great job of hosting the past two days.  You all are welcome back anytime to my kitchen!

Second, to all those that have commented and visited even though I haven’t been around as much as I’d like to return the love, THANK YOU!  We survived Delaware and tomorrow we leave for Vermont.  So far the trip has been a blast!  The Delaware portion of the trip has become somewhat of a tradition for my kids and I these past couple years.  The destination, in case you’re wondering is one of my closest friends home, Camilla.  She and I met back in 2001 at the University of Chicago and haven’t looked back.  She’s the friend that tells it to you like it is, never forgets a birthday and has your back no matter what (and believe me, I’ve had a few “no matter whats” in my time).  We talk on the phone at least three times a week and make a point to visit every summer with our kids; of which we both have three.  There’s two of us and six children, so it’s always an adventure and never a dull moment, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Our next stop is Northern Vermont where I really will be unavailable through Saturday; there’s no internet where we’re going which is a good thing (at least that’s what I keep telling myself).  I promise to take lots of pictures though and will be sure to share them here once we back to Ocean City next weekend.


Here are a few pictures to date of our trip North to Delaware:

Cherry Picking with the Kids (Alex, my middle child is in the blue hat, Nicholas my oldest is in the orange hat, and Camilla with two of her three are in the lead):



Juliet (Camilla’s youngest), Nicholas and Camilla





A picture of the cherries for picking; aren’t they delicious looking?!


After picking cherries we headed back to the petting farm portion of the farm:



And a picture of all six kids after a fun day at the farm:


And I would be remiss if I didn’t include a few pictures from our trip to the beach.  We all managed to squeeze into one car for this one; yes the Honda Odyssey really does seat eight.  Here’s the group getting ready to head out:
And a few shots from the beach:
I couldn’t resist getting a shot of my four year old looking a bit “buff” (and yes his swimsuit is on backwards.  We’re in a phase, I can’t explain it other than that).
And lastly, I’m going to leave you with the after shot from the car.  I loved how different it looks from the first shot.  Definitely a sign of a successful beach day!


Tomorrow I’ll be showing off my Daring Baker’s Challenge and then on Monday I’ll welcome Monet over, so please be sure to give her a warm welcome.  Have a great week and I’ll be back to normally scheduled programming next week!





Buitoni Frozen Meals & Salad Pairing Party

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I few weeks back, I received an email from Foodbuzz asking is I was interested in hosting a Buitoni Frozen Meals and Salad pairing party.  My first thought, was ummmm…..let me consider it a minute…..YES!  Honestly, I jumped at the chance to participate.  I saw it as a great opportunity to try out some new foods, cook up some delicious accompaniments to go with it, and best of all, have a group of friends over to celebrate the entire process. So I submitted my proposal and waited to hear the result. Shortly after sending out the email I received the reply back that they liked my proposal and to get my party started.  Woohoo!

I immediately got to work putting together an event that would represent the eight different regions of Italy. I found an amazing cookbook that was my inspiration for the entire idea:

Buitoni sent us 10 coupons to use towards their Complete Frozen Meals so we decided to try five different flavors of pasta and pair it with five different salads from  each of the regions of Italy.  The pastas we chose were:

Grilled Chicken and Spinach Cannelloni
Braised Beef and Sausage Ravioli
Chicken and Mushroom Ravioli
Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli
Four Cheese and Spinach Ravioli

I love how easily these meals cooked up.  It really helped to bring the whole party together quickly.  All the choices were delicious and everyone loved trying the different flavors.  The two favorites of the evening were the Chicken and Mushroom Ravioli and the Grilled Chicken and Spinach Cannelloni.

The salad pairings were a huge hit as well.  We did warm salads in addition to cold and also threw a fruit salad in for the kids (there were seven of them there – never a dull moment!).

All in all it was a really fun experience and I can’t wait for the next opportunity to host another fun filled party!  Here are a few pictures from our evening:

Starting off the afternoon with a little antipasti:

The pasta dishes before being served up:
Looking down on the pastas:

The five different salad pairings:
And here’s the filled up plate of one lucky guest.  Can you say yummy??  This was definitely a feast fit for a Queen.
We finished the meal off with a couple delicious homemade desserts.  A peach tiramisu and some mandarin orange sorbet:
Finally, I thought I’d share a few pictures from the afternoon of everyone enjoying the party:
I wanted to thank Buitoni and Foodbuzz again for presenting me with the opportunity to throw this fun pasta celebration.   I also wanted to give a BIG thanks to Kate, who just happens to run her own blog; Daily Mama Overload, and to my mom.  Without these two amazing women at my side, this event wouldn’t have been the success it was.


Awards, a Vacation and My Very First Giveaway!

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There’s so much to talk about at Mommie Cooks today!  First up, multiple awards!  Yay!  I’m so excited and grateful to accept these gifts from my fellow women bloggers.

First up,  Drama Mama over at The Scoop on Poop presented me with the Sunshine Award!  I’m thrilled that she feels my site adds some sunshine to her day.  Be sure to drop by her blog and give her some blogger love back when you get a chance.  You won’t be disappointed!


It’s only fitting that I pass this award on to blogs that add some sunshine to my day as well.  So in the spirit of giving, here are some of my favorites:

Sinful Southern Sweets – If you have a sweet tooth, this is the blog for you.  She’s posts some truly amazing sweets!

Big Teeth and Clouds – Her beautiful writing style captured my attention from the moment I found her blog.  She never fails to add sunshine to my day.
Make it From Scratch – Another great recipe writer.  She has some very innovative dishes that I love to read about!

Next up, Cheri from Chego2 the Kitchen presented me with not one but two awards!  I love reading Cheri’s blog.  She’s a great writer who never fails to deliver an entertaining and interesting post. Thank you Cheri!


This award comes with some stipulations.  First you need to recognize the blogger that shared it with you, second you need to post seven things about yourself that your readers may not already know, and third, you need to pay it forward to some of your favorite blog reads.  I’ve written a few little known facts about myself before so I’ll bring them up from the depths of my blog for a rerun.

Seven Things to Share About Myself:

1.  I spent a summer researching Mexican Freetail bats and spelunking lava tubes in Northern California.

2.  As a teenager growing up with my parents, I had absolutely no desire to learn how to cook.  I could barely boil water.

3.  My only two celebrity encounters, as paltry as they are, were Nancy Kerrigan at a seafood restaurant in Boston and Jerry Springer at Chicago’s O’hare airport.  I couldn’t believe how much older he looks in person.

4.  I’ve always wanted to be on the Amazing Race.  My brother and I actually hiked to the bottom of Havasupi Falls in the Grand Canyon and made a video from there.  We have yet be welcomed to the show.

5.  I love the outdoors, hiking, and camping.  It’s a dream of mine to one day hike the entire Appalachian Trail.  Call me crazy, but I love to tackle a good challenge.

6.  A friend and I ran a baby carrier business for about a year and a half and then sold it off for a small profit. Yes, I’m a babywearing addict.

7.  I spent a semester during college studying abroad in The Netherlands.  At one point in time I was “this close” to being a fluent dutch speaker.  Now I’m lucky if I can ask for a sandwich.

A few fellow bloggers that I’d like to share these awards with include:

Ma What’s for Dinner Her blog rocks.  Enough said.  Love ya girl!
Belle of the Kitchen She has some great recipes and wonderful stories to boot!

The Sporadic Cook Stephanie is just plain awesome.  She so welcoming on her site and has an awesome blog hop every Thursday.

Weasel’s Journey Eloise is a fellow Texan.  Her blog is a little slice from my old life back in Dallas.  I love following her stories and I’m sure you will too!

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Next up, the family and I are headed out of town for a two week vacation extravaganza!  It’s Scott’s and my 10 year wedding anniversary and we’re going to welcome it with open arms.  We’ll be making stops in Delaware, Vermont, and Ocean City, Maryland along the way.  But don’t worry, things will still be plugging along at Mommie Cooks.  I’ve got five amazing guest posters to share with you.  Put your hands together for…

Anne from Anniebakes


Sarah from Mum in Bloom


Monet from Anecdotes and Apple Cores


Alex from Ma What’s for Dinner

and Bella from Cupy Cakey


You’ll get one day to learn a bit more about each of them and then one day where they’ll each share one of their delicious recipes with you.  Please be sure to stop by and show them some comment love!  I will also be featuring a Daring Baker’s Challenge on the 27th and hopefully one or two blog posts from the road.  So as you can see, there won’t be a dull moment while I’m gone.

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And now for the really exciting news.  Mommie Cooks is having our very first giveaway! One lucky follower will win a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble in addition to a mystery gift from our trip to Vermont! The contest runs from June 21st through July 5th and the winner will be drawn randomly and announced on July 7th. All you need to do is be a follower of Mommie Cooks and leave a meaningful comment daily between the above mentioned dates. Each comment will count as one entry. Only one comment per day please.
Good luck!


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And if that wasn’t enough news, we’ve also hit 100 followers!  Thank you so much too everyone that has come through the doors of my blog over the past months and stopped for a visit.  I can’t even begin to tell you what an amazing journey Mommie Cooks has been for me.  I’ve met so many amazing women (and men!) and found a piece of myself that I had lost as a stay at home mom. I love this blog and I hope it shows in the recipes and posts I share with you.
Have a great weekend and be sure to stop by on Monday to meet up with our first guest blogger Anne!


Picnic Success!

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A few days back I blogged about the upcoming Hebrew National Better than a Picnic Picnic.  The event took place this past Sunday and I was one of four local bloggers chosen by Emily and Cooper of The Motherhood to help host the event.

The other three Charlotte Bloggers that participated in the event were:


Rebecca from Letters From Crazyville

Maricris from Zen Mama Ventures

and Brittany from Mommywords

I still can’t believe I was chosen to help out with such an amazing event!  Our main goal was to promote a local charity; Birthday Blessings.


If you haven’t heard of the charity before, you need to head over to their site and learn about them now.  Their main objective is to help provide birthday parties to homeless children who wouldn’t otherwise have a party.  It doesn’t get much more real than that.  Many of the guests that came brought an unwrapped gift to donate and we had tables set up for all the kids to make birthday cards for the sponsored children.   Did you know that Birthday Blessings helps 60 children a month celebrate their birthday?  I don’t think we could have picked a more deserving charity for this event.

Here are some shots of the kids making cards and the donated gifts.  Thank you so much to all those that donated!


Hebrew National was also there serving up their delicious hot dogs, along with fruit and drinks.  They were the main sponsors of this event and I know that we all want to give them a HUGE thank you for helping to make these picnics possible!  Here are a couple shots of the Hebrew National hot dog presence at the picnic:


The Hebrew crew gearing up before the start of the picnic:


The hot dog truck and the mechanical bull with Nicholas and one of my fellow blog hosts, Brittany:



Yep, you heard me right.  A mechanical bull.  And I tell ya, aside from the charity, he was definitely the star of the show.  The kids and adults alike had a blast riding (and attempting not to get bucked off!) the Hebrew National bull.

Three local tv stations showed up in addition to 96.9 Country so we had some amazing publicity to help out the cause as well.

Finally, I just have to mention, that one of the best parts about this whole experience for me, was getting to meet so many other amazing local bloggers!  This was the first time since I became a blogger that I was able to put faces to writers.  And let me tell ya, it put blogging on a whole new level for me.  These women are amazing!  Not just in their blogs but outside of them as well.  I feel like doors are opening all around for new friendships, new networking opportunities and new blogging opportunities alike.  I came home with a renewed excitement for the adventure I’ve started myself on and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!

Thanks again to Cooper, Emily, Rebecca, Maricris, Brittany and Hebrew National for helping to make Charlotte’s Hebrew National Better than a Picnic Picnic a huge success!

Disclosure:  I worked in conjunction with Hebrew National and TheMotherhood as a host for this event and  received a stipend.

The Versatile Bloggers Award

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The Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.
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A special thanks to Melissa over at Bons Vivants this morning for this generous award!  If you haven’t checked out Melissa’s blog yet, you need to head over and see what you’re missing.  Melissa is an amazing writer and I’m honored to showcase her this upcoming week as my very first Guest Blogger! Be sure to stop by and hear what Melissa has to say about her memories of berry picking with her grandma here at Mommie Cooks.
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Seven Things to Share About Myself:

1.  I spent a summer researching Mexican Freetail bats and spelunking lava tubes in Northern California.

2.  As a teenager growing up with my parents, I had absolutely no desire to learn how to cook.  I could barely boil water.
3.  My only two celebrity encounters, as paltry as they are, were Nancy Kerrigan at a seafood restaurant in Boston and Jerry Springer at Chicago’s O’hare airport.  I couldn’t believe how much older he looks in person.
4.  I’ve always wanted to be on the Amazing Race.  My brother and I actually hiked to the bottom of Havasupi Falls in the Grand Canyon and made a video from there.  We have yet be welcomed to the show.
5.  I love the outdoors, hiking, and camping.  It’s a dream of mine to one day hike the entire Appalachian Trail.  Call me crazy, but I love to tackle a good challenge.
6.  A friend and I ran a baby carrier business for about a year and a half and then sold it off for a small profit. Yes, I’m a babywearing addict.
7.  I spent a semester during college studying abroad in The Netherlands.  At one point in time I was “this close” to being a fluent dutch speaker.  Now I’m lucky if I can ask for a sandwich.
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15 Blogs Worthy of Sharing this Award With
Happy Mother’s Day to all those mom’s out there!