Homemade Samoa Bars

For the shortbread crust:
Ingredients:
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Using the mixer, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Working at a low speed, gradually add in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly.

Pour crumbly dough into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes until base is set and edges are lightly browned.

Topping: Ingredients:
3 c. shredded coconut
12 oz. chewy caramels
1/4 tsp. salt
3 T. salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a cookie sheet. Toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes till golden.

Place caramels, milk and salt into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until melted. When smooth, fold in coconut.

Place dollops of topping onto shortbread base. Spread into an even layer using a spatula. Let topping set until cooled.

Once cooled, slice with a knife into bars.

Melt 10 oz. of chocolate chips. Dip the base of each bar into the melted chocolate and then place on clean sheet of parchment paper. Put remaining chocolate into a frosting bag and drizzle the tops of each bar.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Blessings,

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October Blessings

October has been a month full of many blessings. Fall has brought with it a pleasant change in weather and scenery. Fields have been harvested and turned into golden and black plains once again. Green leaves have changed color and many have already fallen. Warm weather has turned into breezy chilly days...well, most of the time. Occasionally Missouri shows her spunk with random spikes and drops in temperatures. :)

Our washer and dryer bit the dust, and we decided it was finally time to invest in decent machines! I was a little (ok, a lot) hesitant because I can be a bit cheap, I mean, frugal, when it comes to things like that. But, I'm so glad we bought a nice set! I'm amazed at the difference! We can wash about twice the amount in one load, and it's so much faster and quiet, too!

We took a little trip to the pumpkin patch and the boys loved being able to play on a combine. They love watching all of the farmers working around us, so it was an extra special treat for them.

October has been a busy month of sprucing up around the house. We have repainted the living room, dining room and master bedroom, as well as various rearranging and organizing projects all around. It has been so neat to see this old farmhouse really come to life!

Recently we were talking about what toys I had when I was little, and Jacob asked if I still had any of them. It occurred to me that my special Molly doll was in a box in the basement. I pulled it out to show him, and now she's become loved once again! Both and Jacob and Joshua thought she was the most beautiful of dolls and want to take special care of her. It's so sweet to see one of my most special childhood treasures being treasured by a second generation!

We've been enjoying the local library. Boys who love books tend to love the library! I think we could spend hours looking through the books. I'm so thankful for children who love to learn!

One of my favorite things about changing seasons is decorating! I love the colors and smells associated with Fall. Little touches make a house a home, and I love being able to create the little touches!
I think it'd be nearly impossible not to enjoy this Fall weather! It's not yet too cold to be outside most days, and there's an almost constant breeze. The air just smells like heaven! The sun's light reflects beautifully off of the golden fields. It just feels good to be outside!


Somehow we managed to go the entire Spring and Summer with only wearing "real" shoes to church! It's kind of embarrassing! When the weather changed we suddenly realized that we couldn't find shoes to fit the Bear! It was clear that we needed to sort through shoes and get organized! I can't believe Jacob and Joshua are only about a half size difference!

Yesterday we enjoyed a yummy Fall treat of caramel apples with our friend Linda. The cold windy day was a nice break from the fiercely hot salsa being canned in the kitchen!

All in all, October has been a busy month, but one full of blessings. I look forward to seeing what all the Lord has in store for us the rest of this year!

Love in Christ,

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Super Spicy Jalapeno Salsa

I still had quite a bit of peppers left over, even after making around 800 poppers, so I thought I'd try a batch of jalapeno salsa. I'm not sure if the salsa always turns out this spicy, or if these peppers were especially hot, but we ended up with the spiciest salsa I've ever tasted! It was quite good, if you could handle the heat!

Ingredients:
3 c. tomatoes, chopped, seeded, peeled and cored
3 c. jalapenos, chopped and seeded
1 c. chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T minced cilantro
2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 c. cider vinegar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace
Place lids and rings on the jars.
Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

***NOTE*** Definitely, definitely wear rubber gloves when chopping peppers! We wore double layers of rubber gloves and still had some burning!

Love in Christ,

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Jalapeno Poppers

We were blessed with the excess peppers from a friend's garden this week. She had called to ask if I'd like two gallons of peppers...it ended up being several very full grocery bags worth! So, what to do with all of these peppers? We had already made hot pepper jelly, and thought making poppers for the freezer sounded like just the right idea.

My friend Linda shared her recipe with me. They are delightfully yummy, and easy to freeze for a great snack to have on hand.

Ingredients:
1 lb. jalapenos
1 pkg. cream cheese
2 c. shredded cheese
6 strips of bacon, fried and crumbled
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt

cracker crumbs for rolling

Directions:
Slice jalapenos lengthwise and remove seeds.

Mix together cream cheese, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and seasonings. Fill jalapenos with cream cheese mixture.

To freeze:
Place on baking sheet and put in freezer. Once they have frozen individually you can place them in a freezer bag to store.

When ready to cook: defrost and then roll in crushed cracker crumbs. (the crumbs really only stick to the top part)

Bake at 300 degrees.
20 minutes for hot poppers
30 minutes for medium poppers
40 minutes for mild poppers

In His Precious Name,

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Hot Pepper Jelly

My dear friend Hannah gave me a gallon of hot peppers from her garden, so I thought I'd make a batch of hot pepper jelly.

The jelly was so pretty. It turned out mild and the children really liked the taste.

Jacob enjoyed helping me chop the bell peppers.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. red bell peppers, chopped and seeded
1 1/4 c. green bell peppers, chopped and seeded
1/4 c. hot peppers, chopped and seeded
1 c. apple cider vinegar
2 pkg. pectin (or 1 pkg. if runnier spread is desired)
5 c. white sugar

Directions:
Place peppers, vinegar, and pectin in large sauce pan over high heat. Stir constantly. Bring to a full boil. Quickly stir in sugar, return to a full boil. Boil for exactly one minute. Ladle off foam and put into hot jars. Leave 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and place lids and rings onto the jars. Process in boiling water canner for 5 minutes.

In His Name,

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Picnic at the Eicher's

The church had a picnic gathering at the Eicher's home yesterday. There was grilled chicken and green beans and lots and lots of yummy pies!

The children ran and played and the youth played volleyball. Once the sun went down we all sat around the fire. It was cold, but the fire felt nice. The children enjoyed roasting marshmallows over the fire, and we sipped coffee to keep warm.

What a nice evening of fellowship!

Blessings Abound,

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Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

A friend of mine had mentioned making pumpkin pie oatmeal and I thought it sounded like a breakfast treat that my little clan would enjoy. The result was a warm and delicious Fall breakfast!

Here's what I put together:
6 c. water
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. pumpkin puree
6 T brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

It was taste-tested by all of the Goodman men, and they approve!

With Love in Christ,

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James is TWO!

I can't believe my baby boy is two years old today! He has grown from our 8lb preemie who loved the cuddles of his brothers to a determined little boy who wants to do everything they do! It's such a joy to watch him blossom into his own personality.

It was especially sweet to watch his excitement over his birthday. This year he understood that this was a special day all about him! As soon as he woke up, his brothers showered him with attention and birthday blessings. He excitedly chattered all morning "It my burtday!" He was very excited as we put up birthday decorations and kept singing Happy Birthday to himself.

James' favorite thing to do is play outside, so we spent a big part of the day doing just that! We were blessed with perfect Fall weather, and a bounty of colorful leaves on the ground to enjoy!

What could be more fun than a tractor cake for a boy who loves to watch tractors?

He quickly figured out that opening presents is not only fun, but rather rewarding as well! Such fun to pull brightly colored paper from the bags! It was also really neat to see his brothers excited to give him their presents. Joshua picked a special bear from his bear collection and Jacob a dog from his dog collection. Joseph gave him "nannies" with monkeys (because Joseph loves monkeys!).

Happy birthday little James!

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