Amy Houts Blog

Davy Crockett Bars

11/21/2015

Last Saturday, the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild partnered with the Maryville Public Library to host a presentation on "Researching the Historical Mystery," by Anna Loan-Wilsey, author of the historical mysteries featuring Hattie Davish, a private secretary to the late 19th century's rich and famous. The delicious chocolate chip bars baked by Irene Alexander were served at the reception after the author's presentation. Several people (including me) asked for the recipe, which Irene generously supplied. She adds an extra cup of chocolate chips. I added 1 cup of English walnuts. Irene said that the first time she made this recipe, she didn't have a jelly roll pan, so she used a 9x13-inch pan. The bars were thick and chewy. Everyone liked them so much, she always uses a 9x13-inch pan. Enjoy!

Davy Crockett Bars
from Irene Alexander

Sift together in large bowl:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix in:
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats

Add:
1 cup chocolate chips (Irene uses 2 cups, the secret to its decadence)
1 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Press into greased jelly roll pan. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Irene uses a 9x13 pan and bakes for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Test with toothpick and bake longer as needed.

Bake until lightly browned.

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Highest Marks for "What Do Moms Do?"

11/14/2015

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Houts & Home's picture book, WHAT DO MOMS DO?, by Amy Houts and Emily Bush, illustrated by Lisa Thiesing, earned the highest marks in the Writer's Digest 23rd Annual Self-Published Book Awards.The judge's comments were very positive. We are very proud! See following for rating and judge's comments:

Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 meaning “outstanding."

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5
Production Quality and Cover Design: 5
Plot and Story Appeal: 5
Character Appeal and Development: 5
Voice and Writing Style: 5

Judge’s Commentary (in entirety):

Great choice in colors, with the teal in the background providing the perfect contrast to all the detail shades. Well done.
Authors [editor's note: actually the illustrator, Lisa Thiesing] have made the characters ultra-cute, and have given the little characters realistic child attributes. It’s completely realistic that a child will dress herself creatively for school, and we see here that the little mouse is dressed up in a tutu and boa. Young readers will identify. It adds to the nice, modern narrative kids will relate to, and it does a wonderful job of letting young readers see themselves in the story, identify with the lesson of appreciating what moms do, many of which center on allowing the child some autonomy, and not having to be perfect to try many things. It’s a big topic, one the authors handle expertly and relatably. Well done.
Sentence structure and word choice are age-appropriate, and the narrative is paced well. Authors have decided on just the right number of entries for a book that holds this age group’s attention and plants a seed of acknowledging the many gifts and talents of their own moms. It’s a book about gratitude, stepping back from receiving to see the dedication and unconditional love there. Beautiful balance of big topic and lovely details.
All of the examples are relatable, with play in the tub and lets me cook being the top standouts.
A lovely book. Well done.

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Clean Your Microwave Without Chemicals

11/10/2015

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All you need is a lemon and a bowl.

Many people are talking about this simple way to clean your microwave. No chemicals used! No scrubbing—It’s very easy. All you need is a non-metal, microwave-safe bowl and a fresh lemon. The citric acid aids in breaking down all the food, grease and dirt that build up on the walls. That makes cleaning a breeze. Repeat this process once/month or whenever needed. Following are six simple steps to clean your microwave.

1. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice in a non-metal bowl.
2. Fill the bowl with water and toss in the two lemon halves.
3. Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on the highest setting.
4. Use hot pads to remove the bowl. (Be careful because it's hot!)
5. Leave the door of the microwave wide open for a few minutes.
6. Once the microwave cools, wipe down the inside of the appliance with a microfiber cloth or a clean rag.

Many thanks to Kathleen Crane of London Home Cleaning for this blog.

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Surprisingly Good Acorn Squash Muffins

11/4/2015

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When I visited my daughter, Emily, last week, we made these muffins for the first time. They were moist and flavorful, similar to pumpkin muffins. Emily's twin toddlers enjoyed them, too. I plan to make these muffins of part of my autumn recipe tradition.

Acorn Squash Muffins

1 acorn squash
2 ½ cups white whole-wheat flour
OR 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Plus ½ cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter margarine, melted
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse acorn squash. Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Bake, cut side down, on a cookie sheet for about an hour or until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool. Scoop out pulp; mash and measure 1 cup. Reserve the rest of the pulp for another recipe.

Leave oven on (or preheat to) 400 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Stir together white flour, wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Add eggs, 1 cup mashed acorn squash, melted butter or margarine. Stir with a wire whisk just until mixed. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about ¾ full.

Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin to a wire rack to cool. Best served warm. Before serving, position a small, wire-mesh strainer over muffin and add a small amount (about a 1/2 teaspoon) of powered sugar. Tap strainer to evenly distribute sugar. Surprisingly good! Yield: 12 muffins

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Davy Crockett Bars

Highest Marks for "What Do Moms Do?"

Clean Your Microwave Without Chemicals

Surprisingly Good Acorn Squash Muffins

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Davy Crockett Bars

Highest Marks for "What Do Moms Do?"

Clean Your Microwave Without Chemicals

Surprisingly Good ﻿Acorn Squash Muffins

Archives

Categories

Surprisingly Good Acorn Squash Muffins