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Ruth & Todd Cataldo

Ranch Dressing Mix

I love ranch dressing, but I don't really like store-bought dressings with all their preservatives so I was determined to find one I could make and know exactly what is in it.

This has many ingredients you may already have in your spice rack, if not they are readily available at most grocery stores.

This recipe is for the seasoning mix, so you can make it and store it, and just make up a small amount using the fresh ingredients when you need it.

Bare in mind that this is fresh ranch dressing, so it does not taste exactly the same as any store bought ranch.......preservatives do change the taste!  However, this is fresh and you know exactly what is in it! 

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 cup

1/3 cup dry buttermilk (optional)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dried onion flakes
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. salt

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Bacon & Broccoli Pasta

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided it would make a great and fast dinner. 

It contains many ingredients that you will already have in the house, so unlike some recipes you will not have to go shopping with a specific grocery list. 

I adapted the original recipe quite substantially and I was delighted with the results.

Want a quick, easy dinner tonight......this is it!

Enjoy!

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Captain America & His English Rose....why we do what we do!

Captain America & His English Rose is about so much more than cooking, baking and recipes. 

I know that's mainly what I blog about for now, but if this was just a food blog I would have called it something very different!

This blog is about our life together.

It's not a cheesy, cringe fest from two smug marrieds bragging about how great their life is...our life is great but it is far from perfect, believe me!

It's a place to share who we are, what we do, why we do what we do, the ups, the downs, the challenges, the mistakes, the joys, the heartache, the motivation, the calling, the passion and much, much more.

In the future, you will see more posts like Valentine's Day, musings, thoughts, inspirations, deliberations.

As I mentioned in About Us, Captain America is also a Pastor of New Nation Church International. Our church is international, we currently have congregations in South Sudan, Uganda and California. We will be traveling much more in the future and you will be able to read all about it here. In addition, we will be sharing more about what our faith means to us, how it guides us and leads us on a daily basis.

As I am not a California native, I will regularly talk about what it's like being a foreigner and permenantely lost in translation.  I have already mentioned that Captain America is Sicilian.....just a few times.......and you will hear much more about what it is like being part of a huge extended family!

We hope that this blog inspires you, motivates you, challenges you, makes you laugh and makes you cry (hopefully not from the poor content!)

We hope you want to join us on this journey called life,

See you soon

Ruth & Todd Cataldo

Hot Cross Buns

Since moving to California there are a few British foods that I really miss, many of them are seasonal delicacies, which to British people is standard fare, but here in the US, they are often impossible to find.  It is one of my aims to try and recreate these delicacies, so as not to miss out an some of my favorite British traditions.

Hot Cross Buns are one of those traditions!

In England, you an find these everywhere from about the middle of February until just after Easter.  They come on various 'flavors', but are all basically the same-delightful buns which when toasted and dripping in butter on a usually cold day with a cup of tea make the world seem like a better (and warmer!) place!  Click here for more information about Hot Cross Buns.

I have really missed these over the past few years, and although not one of the most common British foods, is a a hidden and often neglected delights!

My one issue with making these is yeast.  Yeast and I are not friends.  We do not get on!  Whenever i have tried to make anything in the past with yeast it has been a disaster.....mainly because the yeast did not 'activate' and rise when it was supposed to and I have been left with slightly hard, small, yeasty tasting buns that were generally very disappointing!

I was determined not to be beaten (but to be honest I totally expected the same to happen again!), so I decided to follow a trusted recipe from an exceptional cook to the letter (well almost!) and pray for the best results! AND IT WORKED!!!! I was so excited I actually did a happy dance in the kitchen.....Captain America was a little bewildered by my delight but he has missed all my prior mishaps! Thank you Pioneer Woman - you saved the day and the war against yeast was won!

The changes I made were as follows:

I wanted proper crosses on my buns....in the UK, the crosses are made out a dough and are white so they stand out significantly from the rest of the bun, highlighting the cross.  All the recipes I found in the US, seem to use icing to make the crosses....but I wanted mine to be as genuinely British as possible.

The second change was I added different kinds of dried fruit.  I added dried blueberries and cranberries just to add a new dimension to the flavor. I love raisins, but Captain America despises them, so I made a few without raisins too!

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Chocolate & Banana Bran Muffins

These delicious muffins were created by my great friend, Jillian!  She is an amazing cook and loves to bake!
For more information about Jillian check out her blog: The Violet Paige

When I first moved to California and tried to bake using my recipes from England, Jillian was the person that came to my rescue and helped me adapt my recipes, learn US measurements, temperatures, different ingredients etc.

This was one of the original recipes she taught me - and I have been using it regularly ever since!

These muffins are so good either for breakfast or just a healthy snack.  They are incredibly low in fat and sugar as all fat that would usually be used in a muffin is replaced with applesauce and yoghurt.

I made these with my wonderful helper, Jayden who chose to make these as he loves banana!

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St Patrick's Day Special: Lucky Charms Treats

I decided to make these with one of our kids from church! He had a day off school so I was looking after him and wanted something fun we could both make together.  In celebration of St Patrick's Day, I wanted to find something kid friendly, quick, easy and fun....and this was it!

These are so simple, you can make them with your kids BEFORE St Patrick's Day!

We used rice krispies and lucky charms in ours, but you can just use lucky charms!

Measure out the cereal

Pick out the marshmallows from the lucky charms cereal and set aside for later.

Put the measured out cereal into a bowl.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter.

Then add the marshmallows, stirring constantly until they are completely melted.

Add the melted marshmallows and butter to the cereal.

Stir until completely mixed.

Add half the lucky charms marshmallows and stir.

Put half the mixture in each of the greased dishes and, using your hands, pack the mixture firmly into the pan, making sure it is evenly distributed.

Chill for at least 30 minutes, then turn out of the pan and cut into squares.

..........and serve!

 Delicious!!

Ingredients:
Yield: around 30 squares

6 Tbsp. butter
8 C marshmallows
10 C Lucky Charms and rice krispie cereal
Cooking spray

Directions:

1) Pick out all the lucky charms marshmallows from the cereal, put in a bowl and set aside.

2) In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and then add the marshmallows, stirring constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted.

3) Once melted, pour in cereal and mix until well-coated.

4) Press cereal mixture into a greased two 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with reserved Lucky Charms marshmallows, pressing them firmly into the mixture so they are not loose.

5) Once set, cut into squares and serve.

Adapted from : momspark.net