Tami's Kitchen Table Talk

December SRC - Chocolate Coconut Patties

2011-12-26T08:07:00.000-05:00

By the time our reveal for the Secret Recipe Club posts this month, Christmas will have come and gone. I hope that everyone had a joyous holiday!

I was assigned the blog Oh! You Cook to choose a recipe from this month. Dena's blog is full of wonderful recipes! My choice this month was simple - not much more than chocolate and coconut - but it was just what I was looking for to add to our Christmas treats. If you like Mounds bars, her recipes for Mounds Wannabees is spot on and so delicious! I changed the recipe up just a bit by mixing the chocolate and the coconut together, making patties instead of bars. Either way, the chocolate and coconut is an excellent combination!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Chocolate Coconut Patties

1 - 14 oz bag shredded sweetened coconut
8 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 - 15 oz bag melting chocolate

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.

Add coconut and corn syrup to a food processor. Pulse 8-10 times, or until corn syrup is evenly distributed and mixture clumps up.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Stir the coconut into the coconut and mix until thoroughly combined.

Shape into patties and lay on the baking sheet to harden. For quicker results, stick the pan into the frig. for 10 minutes.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Makes approx. 45 patties

SRC Group B - Gingerbread Cups

2011-12-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

As many of my readers know, I'm a hostess for the Secret Recipe Club. If you don't know what the SRC is all about, take a minute to check it out to see what fun you're missing out on!

There are 4 groups to the Secret Recipe Club and when one of the groups end up with an orphaned blog - a blog who didn't have a recipe chosen from and made for the month - the group hostesses try to jump in and help out. I did just that this month. I was happy to be able to lend a hand to Tina in Group B!

The blog that I baked from is named Six Kilos of Pumpkin. It full of great recipes. I especially enjoyed looking through her dessert recipes. I found the perfect recipe for the holidays...Gingerbread Cuffins with Cream Cheese Icing - nope, Cuffins is not a typo. She describes these treats as a mixture between cupcakes and muffins. After baking them, I can totally understand what she is describing. I decided to stray away from the usual cupcake or muffin this time and instead, I baked the batter in 4 oven-safe cups, perfect single serving desserts. Instead of cream cheese frosting, I'm topping ours with whipped cream. Sorry, no pictures of the whipped cream, we will be eating them for dessert later this evening.

How jealous are you that you can't smell the wonderful scents surrounding me in my little apartment?!?

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! :)

Gingerbread Cups

original recipe @ Six Kilos of Pumpkin

1 c plain flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

7 tbsp. butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp organic maple agave syrup

1 tsp molasses

Preheat oven to 350C.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients, up to and including the brown sugar.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix for 3 minutes with a hand mixer or until the batter is light and fluffy.

Spoon the batter into 4 large oven-safe baking cups. Bake for 20 - 23 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the middle of one cup comes out clean.

Serve warm or bring to room temp and top with whipped cream.

Delicious!

Please take a few minutes to visit Six Kilos of Pumpkin to let her know that she is not alone in bloggy land!

November SRC - Chicken with Rustic Balsamic Tomato Sauce

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it's the end of November already! That means that it's time once again for our reveal party for Group D of the Secret Recipe Club.

I was paired with Kathleen's blog, Gonna Want Seconds. I knew from the first couple of minutes of thumbing through her recipes, that I was going to find many, many favorites to try. Her recipe for Chicken with Rustic Balsamic Tomato Sauce is a perfect match for my ways of cooking so I decided that would be my choice for the SRC.

Like Kathleen, I do not peel nor seed tomatoes unless it's absolutely necessary - and then it better be for a worthwhile cause. hahaha! This is a one pan dish so full of flavor. I made a couple of changes - I couldn't find decent plum tomatoes anywhere so I subbed two containers of grape tomatoes, which worked perfectly fine. I also left out the Rosemary because I thought that I had some in my freezer but I didn't and I didn't feel like running back to the store before dinner. I'm sure that the fresh Rosemary would add even more wonderful flavor to this dish. I left out the shallots because my family doesn't care for them. I love balsamic vinegar and the reduction in this recipe is fantastic when cooked with the tomatoes.

I served the chicken over rice but egg noodles would work nicely, too. If you want a lighter meal, serve the chicken with a side salad.

Chicken with Rustic Balsamic Tomato Sauce

4 tsp olive oil-divided
4-5 skinless boneless chicken breast - I used a 2.5 bag
2 tbsp fresh rosemary-chopped - I omitted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 c. shallots-chopped - I omitted
3 tbps garlic-minced
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
6 plum tomatoes-diced - I used 2 pints of grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 c.chicken broth
1/4 tsp sugar - I added it
1/4 c. fresh basil-chopped

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large pan. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Add 2 tsp oil to the pan. Lower the heat and add garlic. Cook about two minutes, stirring often.

Add the vinegar, stirring to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the vinegar is almost evaporated.

Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add chicken back to pan, turn to cover with sauce. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in basil.

Serve over rice or egg noodles. For a lighter meal, serve the chicken with a side salad.

Here's how you can join us in the Secret Recipe Club!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2011-11-25T23:37:00.001-05:00

Looking to switch things up a bit for the holidays instead of the usual pumpkin pie? Try Paula Deen's recipe for pumpkin cheesecake.

This is one beautiful, creamy cheesecake! It's easy to make, too. I followed her directions, only adding more spices to it.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
From Paula's Home Cooking/Celebrates cookbook

Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon - I used 1 tbsp
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg - I used 1 tsp
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves - I used 1 tsp
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. I made our cheesecake the night before and refrigerated it. Set it on the counter for 15 minutes before cutting it for easier handling.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T01:10:00.001-05:00


Our Thanksgiving Tree

I hope that everyone will take some time today to stop and reflect on what they're really thankful for.

In our home, we have so much to be thankful for. You can read some of our "thankful" leaves on our Thanksgiving tree.

A Closer Look - Decorations by My Daughter, Alexis


A Closer Look - Decorations by Alexis

As much as I wish that we were still living in Pa., moving to this state has given me an opportunity to grow in many ways. I'm finding that I'm an independent woman with a strong voice and for that, I'm very thankful.

I'm so thankful for my husband and how hard he works to provide for us each and every day, through rain and snow, holidays and more...airports never sleep - and for that, I am thankful, too.

My kids. They fight like cats and dogs now most of time. For this, I'm thankful that they can scream and argue and chase each other around. They are happy, healthy, headstrong, witty, intelligent kids. The same, yet totally different.

I'm so thankful that my Mom made a full recovery from her health problems this past year. I'm thankful that she's strong-willed and a fighter and never gave up on things. I'm thankful for all of the doctors and nurses that were there to help through all of it and thankful to my sister for being there with her through all it, alone, because I couldn't be there to help out. Mom, we love you!

My Internet friends. I'm thankful for each and every person that I've met along the way. Friends, whether by face or keystroke, have a very special place in my heart.

However you choose to spend your day, I hope that it's wonderful!

My kids and I are cooking dinner. Afterwards, we have plans to bake some cookies and play board games (We're getting Dad involved this time!). Gotta sneak in some time for pumpkin cheesecake and football, too! (Hope those Dirty Birds get taken down!) And if we any energy left over after that, we might drag out a few Christmas decorations. To top things off, my son wants to go Black Friday shopping at Old Navy...let's see if I'm still awake for that one! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tami

Cookie Carnival - September & October Reveals

2011-11-13T22:00:00.001-05:00

It's that time again! Time to show you all of the delicious cookies baked for the Cookie Carnival for the months of September and October.

For September, there was a choice of baking:

Chewy Pecan Chocolate Bars
or
"Take the Cake Mix Cookie Challenge", in which the members could submit up to 3 recipes using cake mixes in the recipes.

Everyone chose to make take the cake mix cookie challenge!

Vivian @Let’s Try These made caramel corn cookies

Julie @ A Little Bit of Everything made chocolate chocolate chip cookies!

Katrina @ Baking and Boys For her first cookie, Katrina made devils food cake mix cookies

For her second cookies, she made pumpkin spice cake cookies

Christine @ Whimsical Bakery made cinnamon crinkles

Krista @ Meet the Swans made cinnamon spiced butter pecan cookies

~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What a wonderful round up! I love keeping cake mixes on hand to make cookies!

Please take a few minutes to visit these ladies' beautiful blogs!! They've been busy since making these cookies. Check 'em out to see what they've been up to!

For October, the two cookie choices were:

Danish Pastry Apple Bars

and
Fudgy Cats

This time of the year is busy for almost everyone. We only had a couple of people participate this month. THANK YOU, ladies, for baking with the Cookie Carnival this month!!

Michelle @ Chocolate Teapot made fudgy mummies

Vivian @ Let’s Try These made fudgy spiders

Give them some bloggie love by visiting them to see what they've been up to!

~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With the holidays upon us, I've decided to put the Cookie Carnival on hiatus until after the new year. Keep an eye out for it to debut again in February!

If you're looking for new cookie recipes for the holidays, checkout our Cookie Carnival Round Ups! There's 2 years worth of yummy recipes posted for you to choose from!

Wishing you Happy Holidays filled with lots of cookie baking!

Tami

Crockpot Italian Beef Roast with Potatoes & Carrots

2011-11-07T01:06:00.000-05:00

One of my all-time favorite meals is a beef roast with veggies cooked in a crockpot. It's a perfect meal for these chilly days we've been experiencing. This past Saturday was a busy day for us with indoor soccer practice, shopping and taking my daughter to a birthday bowling party... so coming home to a cooked dinner was so nice!

I cooked 2 - 2 1/2 lb beef roasts so that I would have enough meat left over to make beef noodle soup this week. Give a big cheer for a great 2 for 1 meal!

If you think that meat won't brown in a crockpot, just check this out.... MMM! Tender and juicy!

The potatoes and carrots soak up all of the beef juices, rounding out the meal and making it delicious!

Crockpot Italian Beef Roast with Potatoes & Carrots

2 - 2 1/2 lb beef roasts, thawed if frozen
7 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
5 large carrots, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 pkg. Grill Mates Italian Herb Seasonings & Marinade
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 c. beef broth

This recipe completely filled my 6 qt. crockpot so I wouldn't recommend using a smaller unit unless you decrease the amounts of this recipe.

Into the crockpot, layer potatoes and top with carrots. Sprinkle half of the Italian herb seasoning pkg. onto the vegetables. Pour 1 c. of beef broth over all.

Lay the beef roasts side by side on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining Italian herb seasonings and garlic powder. Pour remaining cup of beef broth over top of the meat and down the sides into the crock.

Cook on high for 5 - 5 1/2 hrs.

To Make Gravy

Remove the beef roast and the vegetables to a large platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Leave all of the broth and juices in the crockpot.

Stir 3 tbsp. cornstarch into 1/2 c. beef broth. Whisk this mixture into the broth that's left in the crockpot, stirring constantly until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes until the gravy starts to thicken.

Serve immediately with the roast and vegetables.

***Extra Meals***

Any leftover meat and potatoes can be made into beef noodle soup.

or

The potatoes and carrots can be whipped together for a great topping to shepard's pie or beef pot pie that's made from the left over beef and gravy.

Linking up to:

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

2011-11-07T00:21:00.000-05:00

I love gingerbread and I love pumpkin muffins. Combine the two and you have a wonderfully moist, delicious treat. Great for breakfast, packing into lunch bags or for dessert topped with a little whipped cream, applesauce or ice cream!

This recipe was posted at FamilyCorner.com by a friend of mine who goes by "cat lover" on the forums. She turned her recipe into a cake. I made muffins from the batter. The only thing that I changed was to add a little more spices to the batter. Either way, it's great!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

1 - 16 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light molasses
1/3 cup water
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, stopping to scrape the bowl often. Beat at medium speed 3 minutes, again stopping to scrape the bowl.

Line muffin tins with paper liners. Spoon into paper liners and fill to the top of the cup - I used a large ice cream scoop to fill the cups. Do not level off evenly. The muffins will round out when they are baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of a muffin comes out clean - check often so that you do not overbake.

For an extra sweet treat, top with whipped cream, warm apple sauce or ice cream.

Makes 30 muffins.

Linking up to:

Jane Deere Fusion Fridays

A Bowl Full of Lemons

SRC - Sausage Pizza Rolls

2011-10-31T07:55:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be hosting a group for the Secret Recipe Club!

I'm the hostess for Group D, the newest group of the club and today is our reveal day!!
I want to thank Amanda @ Amanda's Cookin for this wonderful opportunity to become
a hostess for this great club!

Even before I was assigned the wonderful blog, The Fantastical Sharing of Recipes, I knew that I would be searching for "snacking" foods instead of a main dish or dessert recipe because my whole family has been down with the flu this month. Yes, unfortunately, we share everything.

The recipe I chose to make was sausage pizza rolls. They were delicious and fit our needs for something hearty enough to fill us up but not weigh us down like a heavy meal. I apologize for the plain Jane pictures but I could barely see straight when we tried this recipe, let alone fancy things up for the picture. Don't judge by the pictures...whip up a batch that contains your favorite pizza toppings! Then you'll see what I'm taking about! YUM! Perfect for eating while lounging on the couch, covered in blankets, while watching Steelers football! (side note: Did ya happen to see that game yesterday?!?)

Ok, back to the sausage pizza rolls..... This is one of those recipes where I thought "Why didn't I think of that?" Very easy to put together and great for using up bits and pieces of leftovers that's stuck in the frig. Sarah's family prefers pepperoni in their rolls but my family prefers sausage, peppers and onions with the sauce and cheese, so that's what I ran with. Definitely a keeper! Just think of the many pizza combos out there that you could stuff into an egg roll wrapper. :)

Sausage Pizza Rolls

3/4 lb loose hot sausage - if using sause that's
in the casing, remove casings before frying and
crumble into small pieces
1 green pepper, diced into very small pieces
1/3 c. onion, diced into very small pieces
1/3 mushrooms, diced small
mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
pizza or spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
oil for frying
1/4 c. water for wetting egg roll wrappers

Fry sausage until brown and cooked completely through. Drain on paper towel.

Saute green peppers, onions and mushrooms until soft. Drain on paper towel, if necessary.

Into one bowl, stir together the hot sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms and 1 - 2 cups of sauce - enough to make the mixture wet but not sloppy and soggy.

To assemble:

Lay one egg roll wrapper onto the table. To the middle of each wrapper add approx. 1 tbsp. cheese, then top with 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp sausage and veggie mixture.

If you're not sure how to wrap the egg rolls for frying, there are directions inside the egg roll wrapper package.

Fry in hot oil until browned all over. Drain on paper towels.

Here's another version of egg rolls that I've made...my chicken egg rolls. This one includes step by step pictures.

I've had another wonderful month of cooking and blogging with the Secret Recipe Club! If you would like to learn how you join in on the fun, click here for more info.!

Spiced Apple Crumb Bars

2011-10-18T16:36:00.001-04:00

By this time of the year I'm ready for fall. I love the colors, the scents, picking apples and pumpkins, Halloween...every part of it. Still, even after 6 years of living in NC (borderline SC), I still can't get used to the fact that fall pretty much doesn't exist around us. The temps. during daylight are still in the 80s and the lows at night dip down into the 40s and 30s. It's nuts, I tell ya!

To keep from missing out on all of the fun of fall, I've filled my house with leaves (fake of course, I'm not that nuts!), cinnamon and pumpkin candle melts and I'm making time to head back into the kitchen ('bout time, huh?) to start baking some scrumptious desserts! I apologize ahead of time if I get carried away and bombard my blog for a little while with apple and pumpkin desserts. I can't help it, we love them!

Happy Fall Yinz!

(no disrespect to all of my southern friends and bloggers, but I can't say ya'll because I'm from Pittsburgh and that word just won't come out of my mouth.) ;)

Spiced Apple Crumb Bars

To make the bar part of the recipe:
1 box white or yellow cake mix
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (can use apple pie spice)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves, opitonal
6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 old fashioned oats 1 egg + 2 egg whites
1 tbsp. water

Filling:
5 - 6 Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (can use apple pie spice)

Extra for Crumb Topping:
1/8 c. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350*

Stir together cake mix and spices.

Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the cake mix until it resembles course crumbs.

Stir in oats. Reserve 1 c. of the mixture for the crumb topping on the bars.

Pat the remaining mixture into an ungreased 9 x 13 dish and set aside.

To make the filling: core, peel and thinly slice the Granny Smith apples. Add the apples and butter into a frying pan. Saute over medium heat until the apples are fork tender. Before removing the apples from the stove, stir in the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices.

Layer the cooked apples over the crumb crust in the pan.

Stir the brown sugar into the reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle it over the top of the apples.

Bake for 28 - 30 minutes, until the edges start to turn light brown.

Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before cutting into bars.

Itty Bitty Cinnamon Rolls

2011-10-07T09:36:00.000-04:00

My kids are not breakfast eaters first thing in the morning but I've found that if I make bite-sized versions of some breakfast treats, they will eat them. As a result, these itty bitty cinnamon rolls were born.

I took a short cut and used frozen bread dough so it really didn't take long at all to be able to serve hot, fresh cinnamon rolls instead of another cold breakfast. I'll be honest and tell you that I made these rolls on a weekend morning --I did not get up before the birds on a school day to roll out bread dough. I know that there are plenty of you out there who do get up in the wee morning hours to prepare breakfasts every morning and I commend you for doing so but that's not me. I'm NOT a morning person, no matter how hard I try to be. Had I been making these for a school morning, I would've prepared the rolls ahead of time the night before, stopping right before cutting them into pieces, and then I would've wrapped the long roll up tightly in plastic wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator. Then all that would have to been done the next morning would be to cut and bake the little rolls. Even the glaze could be made ahead of time but it really doesn't take much effort to whip it up while the rolls are baking.

The rolls are best if eaten hot, right out of the oven. I had just a few left over from the batch that I made and even after storing them in a tightly sealed container, they turned sort of rubbery and hard.

So there you have it...a simple yet very satisfying breakfast treat for days when you think that you don't have time to eat anything.

Itty Bitty Cinnamon Rolls

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter, room temperature

The directions are pretty simple:

Thaw frozen bread.

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

Roll out bread dough until flat and as close to a rectangle as possible - doesn't have to be perfect.

Spread butter over the entire area of the dough.

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and then sprinkle all of it over the buttered dough.

Starting on the long end, roll up the log, tucking in the short end edges as you go along.

To cut:

Slice the long log in half. Slice each half in half, giving you four mini logs. You should be able to cut 6-8 mini rolls from each of the 4 mini logs.

Lay each cinnamon roll into a mini muffin hole in the pan.

Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

Remove the hot rolls to a cooling rack. Drizzle with glaze (recipe below), if desired. Aren't they just the cutest little things?!?

Glaze for Itty Bitty Cinnamon Rolls

1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Stir all ingredients together until smooth. Generously drizzle the glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls.

Cookie Carnival - Raspberry Filled Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

2011-10-03T22:55:00.001-04:00

For my second Cookie Carnival submission this month, I choose another cake mix cookie recipe but this time, instead of a round cookie, I made bar cookies - Raspberry Filled Lemon Cream Cheese Bars. The original recipe is from Betty Crocker. Their recipe calls for strawberry preserves but since I already had raspberry preserves in the frig, I opted to use it instead. I loved the pairing of the slightly sweet raspberry preserves with the slightly sour lemon margarita filling.

Raspberry Filled Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
adapted from Betty Crocker.com

Bar Cookie Base:
1 box lemon cake mix
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c.p finely chopped almonds
1 c. low sugar raspberry preserves

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/4 c.bottled margarita mix
1/4 c. lemon juice

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan and set aside.

Place cake mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until crumbly. Add almonds; mix well. Reserve 1 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan.

Stir preserves until smooth; carefully spread over base.

In same bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, salt and egg with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add margarita mix and lemon juice; beat at low speed until blended. Carefully pour filling over base.

Sprinkle reserved base mixture over filling.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes or until edges begin to brown and center is set.

Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

My first Cookie Carnival cake mix cookie submission this month was: Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies!

Want to join in on the Cookie Carnival fun? It's easy! Click here to find out more info.

Cookie Carnival - Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

2011-10-03T12:55:00.001-04:00

One of the recipes for September's Cookie Carnival was cake mix cookies - any recipe of your choice as long as it was a new recipe that you were trying. We were allowed to submit 3 cookies recipes of this type.

My family loves cake mix cookies so I knew that this would be any easy choice for me. What I didn't realize until I started searching for new ideas was there there are hundreds of recipes out there for cake mix cookies and not just your ordinary round cookie either...there's bars, biscotti, squares, balls...so many to choose from.

The great thing about cake mix cookies is that you can clean out the leftover bits of this and that from your cupboards by dumping the stuff into your cookie recipe. Sounds like some sort of mad scientist experiment, huh?

I had several boxes of chocolate cake mix in my cupboard so it was a no brainer that my recipe was going to be a chocolate cookie. In the back of the cupboard, I found a bag with about a cup of chocolate chunks and on the same shelf, there was an almost empty jar of peanut butter. Who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter mixed together?

I started with a basic cake mix cookie recipe...one with water, oil, and eggs but then I made a few adjustments to the recipe. The results were delicious! You could taste just a slight hint of peanut butter through all of the chocolate. My husband is not a peanut butter cookie fan so this was just enough for him. The gooey chocolate chunks were awesome and added to the fun of eating these cookies while they were still warm.

Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

1 (18.25 oz) devils food cake mix
1/3 c. water
1 egg
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350*

Using a large bowl and a wooden spoon, mix together cake mix, water, egg and peanut butter until all ingredients are combined. Stir in chocolate chunks. (I used my hands to mix the chips into the cookie dough.)

Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls. Place the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet in 4 rows of 3 cookies, leaving plenty of room for the cookies to spread out. Using a fork, flatten the cookies in a criss-cross pattern.

Bake for 10 -12 minutes. The cookies will still be slightly soft in the middle. Watch carefully and do not overbake.

Cool the cookies on the pan for 1-2 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

These cookies will freeze well, too.

Want to bake with us in the Cookie Carnival? Here's what you need to know!

Secret Recipe Club: Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Rolls

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

This might not be a million dollar photo of pizza rolls but I wanted to show you what it looks like to accomplish a project that I have had a fear of trying for a long time - making homemade dough for breads and pizzas. I did it. Here they are in the raw without any pretty plates or fancy tablescapes.

Delicious! (and I made the dough!)

I was very fortunate to receive Babara Bakes for my SRC blog this month. Barbara has a beautiful blog. The pictures jump right out at you, almost demanding you to try each and every recipe. Her step-by-step instructions are easy to follow - which made my challenge of trying something new so much easier. I can handle the bread machine method, but I'm overcome with panic at the thought of trying to make homemade bread by hand. When I found Barbara's recipe for Whole Wheat Pizza Dough & Homemade Pizza Sauce, I bookmarked it and hid it for a few days before making it my final choice. I read through the instructions again and again, making sure I had everything that I needed to make this dough turn out right. The day came to make the pizza dough.... I followed her instructions step by step. Guess what? It wasn't that hard after all. The dough was easy to work with and baked tasted great.

I decided to make pizza rolls from this recipe instead of regular pizza. I added ground sausage, pepperoni, peppers & onion to her homemade pizza sauce. The sauce was fantastic. My whole family overwhelmingly loved the pizza rolls. This recipe is definitely a keeper! These will go over big for Sunday football games and school lunches!

Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Rolls
adapted from tamiskitchentabletalk: pizza roll ups

1 recipe for whole wheat pizza dough (below)
1 recipe for homemade pizza sauce (below)
3 c. shredded mixed mozzarella and cheddar cheese -
divided into (2) 1 1/2 c. servings
1 cup finely chopped turkey pepperoni - divided into (2) 1/2 c. servings

**Any changes that I've made to the original recipes below from Barbara Bakes, will appear in bold lettering.**

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
from Barbara Bakes

1 cup warm water (between 95º and 115º)
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 US package) instant yeast
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together the honey, warm water, and oil in a small bowl. The water should be about 95 to 115°. It should feel very warm, but not hot.

Mix 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour, yeast, wheat gluten, and salt in mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment, mix on low for about 30 seconds.

With the motor running on low, pour in the liquids. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough begins to form. Clean off paddle and switch to dough hook. Mix in the remaining cup of bread flour a little at a time, to make a moderately stiff dough. Adding more or less flour as needed.

Knead for eight minutes. The dough should completely clear the sides. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. You’ll find the dough wraps itself around the hook, so every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times by hand to be sure it’s tight and elastic. Form the dough into a tight ball.

Wash and dry your mixing bowl then mist it with oil. Place the dough, seam-side down, in the bowl and lightly mist top of dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size — 45 minutes to an hour.

Heat the oven to 375*.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal portions. Set one aside and cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Lightly flour the table. Using a rolling pin, roll the other portion of dough into a large, thin rectangle. Cover the entire area with sauce (recipe below), leaving a 1/4 in. border all the way around the edges.

Top with 1/2 c. of turkey pepperoni and sprinkle on 1 1/2 c. of the cheeses.

Roll up tightly, jelly roll style, starting with one of the short ends. Slice into 12 equal portions.

Lightly spray non-stick cooking spray on a baking sheet. Lay the 12 pizza rolls onto the baking pan in 4 rows of 3 rolls.

Bake for 20 minutes. Immediately remove the rolls from the baking sheet once they have finished baking to prevent them from sticking to the sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough and leftover ingredients

Leftovers can be frozen.

Homemade Pizza Sauce
adapted from Barbara Bakes

1/2 c. onion, diced very small
1/2 c. green pepper, diced very small
1 c. cooked, crumbled Italian sausage
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 (28 ounce) can crused tomatoes in rich puree
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a small saucepan, sauté onion and green pepper until tender. Add garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

August '11 Cookie Carnival Round Up!

2011-09-06T20:24:00.001-04:00

Welcome to our Cookie Carnival Round Up for August!

The cookie choices for this month were:

Spiced Hermits & Sweet Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

Here's what our Cookie Carnival bakers had to say:

Jackie @ foodwanderlust said " Decadent sandwiches of savory and sweet."

Christine @ Whimsical Bakery loves Anna Olsen's website and her cookies.

Katrina @ Baking and Boys! baked the peanut butter cookies but switched things up a bit when it came to the filling.

Stephanie @ Confessions of a City Eater said "You can't even taste the rum in the filling and once you eat the whole cookie sandwich, all you taste is the deliciousness of that banana-peanut butter combination."

Donna, one of our Cookie Carnival email bakers said "I made the hermit cookies today and loved them! They reminded me of the old Archway cookies I had in my lunch as a child.

Take a few minutes to check out all of their scrumptious cookies!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I threw a twist into the recipes this month!
To find out what I did, sign up to bake with us!

Lucky Charms & Golden Grahams Treat Bars Review & Giveaway!

2011-09-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

As a member of My Blog Spark, I was recently given the chance to try Betty Crocker's Lucky Charm & Golden Graham cereal bars. My kids were more than willing to jump right in with me to try them. Both kids chose the Lucky Charms cereal bars as their favorite. They loved the Lucky Charm cereal paired with the white chocolate, while I chose the chocolate and marshmallow combo of the Golden Graham cereal bar as my favorite.

With only 100 calories per Lucky Charm bar and 130 calories per Golden Graham bar, as a Mom, I feel just fine including one of these bars into my kids' lunch bags as a treat or handing one out to them with a glass of milk for an after school snack.

As a PTO board member in my daughter's school, I'm thrilled to see not just one, but two, Box Tops for Education included on every box of these cereal treat bars! That's double the money for the school with every purchase.

Included with the 2 boxes of cereal treat bars were these very cool back-to-school items:

a lunch bag
a locker white board
and a tube of colored pencils.

~*~*WE HAVE A WINNER! ~*~*

Congratulations!!

Post # 10

Mrs T said: "I would bring these along in the car to feed my granddaughters while traveling from one after-school activity to the next, or to give them after an activity when they are hungry."

You have 48 hrs. to contact me with your mailing info. or another winner will be chosen.

Check out Cereal Treats Bars online for great information and coupons for new products. Also, be sure to visit the Betty Crocker Facebook page and get involved in the conversation.

Now you have a chance to win one of the Cereal Bar Prize Packs of your own!

{Open to US & Canada entries only}

To enter this giveaway:

Mandatory first entry - Tell me how you would serve these cereal bars to your family.

Extra entries:

(2 entries) Sign up to follow me on Google Friends - if you are already a follower, just let me know (thank you!)

(2 entries) Sign up to follow me through email - if you are already receiving my emails, just let me know (thank you!)

Please make sure that your contact info. is included in each entry. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hrs. to respond.

~*~* Hurry! This giveaway ends on Monday, Sept 5, 2011. ~*~*

Disclosure: Cereal Treats Bars, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Menu Plan for 9/4 - 9/10

2011-09-05T19:44:00.001-04:00

We've certainly had our share of bad weather lately and tonight is no different. We had a down pour just a few minutes ago, paired with the threat of a tornado right in our neighborhood. Thankfully the funnel cloud never touch the ground. The rain is supposed to hang around all week.

Here's our menu for the week - again in no particular order:

steak salads (using this flank steak recipe) w/garlic bread
chicken parm rolls w/spaghetti
tuna wiggle
pork egg rolls w/ fried rice
johnny marzetti w/ salad
farmer's market chicken fettuccinni

Looking for some lunch box ideas? Here's a few!

hot & crispy chicken legs
pita pizza
lunch box fruit, meat & cheese kabobs
chili cheese dog tortilla sticks

I'm linking up to:

Menu Plan Monday

Rigatoni Florentine

2011-09-01T09:14:00.000-04:00

It feels like forever since I've posted anything to my blog. The status at our house is "back-to-normal" crazy with school back in session, soccer games and of course, a bout with the flu for me.

If you've followed my blog during the previous school years, you know that I'm all about quick and easy dinners that gets our family to the dinner table to eat together, no matter what's going on in our schedules. My recipe for Rigatoni Florentine a simple, colorful pasta dish that packs a whollop of flavors.

Rigatoni Florentine
1 lb box of rigatoni, cooked al dente
8 oz fresh button mushrooms, sliced
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained and sliced into small strips
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 lb hot sausage - I had to use link
hot sausage and remove it from the casings
1 container of Philadelphia Italian Cheese
Herb Cooking Creme
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350*

Cook rigatoni as directed on the box, drain and set aside.

In a large frying pan, saute button mushrooms in olive oil for 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and roasted red pepper strips. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Stir in minced garlic and Italian seasonings. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover to keep warm.

In the same frying pan, brown hot sausage in more olive oil. Drain off any grease, if necessary. Add the hot sausage back into the pan, along with the spinach mixture. Stir in the Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme. Mix well.

If your frying pan is big enough to hold all of it, mix together the rigatoni and Florentine cheese sauce. If not, use a large bowl to mix all of it.

Layer half of the rigatoni mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Spoon on the remaining rigatoni and top with the remaining cup of cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 minutes.

Serve with garlic cheese bread.

Making Dinner & Dessert with my SwagBucks and How You Can, Too!

2011-08-18T13:23:00.001-04:00

Have you joined Swagbucks yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

It's really takes no effort at all to earn "bucks" that you can use to purchase numerous items at the Swag Store, including the crock pot and ice cream maker, pictured below, that we have been enjoying all summer.

How did I earn the Swagbucks for it? I simply downloaded the Swagbucks tool bar and now every time I need to use a search engine, I use the SwagBucks search engine right there on the bar! The new tool bar not only includes a search engine box but also exclusive messages and swag codes from The Swag Guy, the official swagbucks.com homepage, social networks, merchandise stores, message boards and more!

Of course there are many more ways to win, including the Special Offers Section -a place on the Swagbucks site where users can complete offers from major brands and potentially earn themselves big time Swag Bucks. Offers can range from surveys, watching videos and playing games to subscribing to magazines and services, and whether you want to spend money completing an offer or not, there are always plenty of rewarding opportunities available.

Swagbucks is always looking for new ways for you to earn Reward Points, and this week they've got a promotion designed to help you get your free stuff faster!

For any qualifying Special Offer you complete from now through Sunday, August 21st, you’ll receive a 20% bonus on what you earn. That bonus will be applied no later than 4:00pm PDT on Monday, August 22nd.

Offers from the following providers qualify for the bonus:
Ad Rewards,Gambit,Trialpay (Offers & Daily Deals),RadiumOne,Paymentwall,Super Rewards,Peanut Labs (Surveys & Offers), and Sponsorpay.

If you haven’t done Special Offers before, you can choose from a variety of different offers (free, purchase required, games, surveys, watching videos, etc.), each of which pay you a Swag Bucks reward. Get started today and earn big!

SRC: Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffin Minis

2011-08-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

It's no fun to be left out. No, not at all. That's exactly what happened to Raina @ Connor's Cooking blog this month in the round up of recipes for the Secret Recipe Club.

Well, some members of SRC, including myself, are not going to allow her to be left out any longer! When I received an email from Amanda, our SRC leader, explaining what had happened and what she had in mind to fix the situation, I knew right away that I wanted in on the action! Anything to help out a fellow foodie blogger. :) You see, I've known Amanda for almost 10 yrs. and I know her well enough to know that just having one person left out of the round up would upset her, just like having one of kids left out of something. She has such a big heart that she would just have to do something to make it right. I think that her email affected all of us. We decided to shower Raina with lots and lots of secret recipe testing from her blog! So much so, that Amanda decided to set up a separate round up to show all of the news recipes that we've tested!

I was hunting through the recipes on Raina's blog, trying to pick just one recipe. If you haven't visited her blog before, do so. She has many wonderful recipes posted there. I thought that I had made my mind up on baking her smore's brownies but then I came across a recipe for sugar donut muffins. They spoke to me! haha! I just had to bake these donut muffins instead. Don't despair, smore's brownies, you are on my list to make very soon!

If you like sugar donuts, you will love this recipe. I changed my recipe up a bit by adding a little cinnamon to the batter and then to the sugar. I also made my donut muffins "minis". Delicious! Just like popping a cinnamon sugar donut hole right into your mouth! I will definitely play around with this recipe because they're are so many possibilities. Think of powdered sugar covered donut muffin minis with jelly inside! How about thick creamy custard in the middle and chocolate icing on the tops of each mini! My mind is running with ideas.

See my cute little apple basket? Such a deal at our thrift store for .49! It's going to be filled with mints and going to school to sit on the office desk. But doesn't it look so darn precious filled with these little donut muffin minis?!!

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffin Minis
adapted from Connor's Cooking

3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
4-6 tbsp. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon + to taste

Preheat oven to 325* - I used dark muffin tins.

Lightly grease mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar and the egg until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla & oil and then set aside. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the egg mixture into the flour, alternating with the milk. Beat until smooth.

Fill mini muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 13 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of a muffin, comes out clean.

Remove the muffins to a cooling rack. Once they've cooled off enough to handle, dip the entire mini muffin into the butter and then roll it into the cinnamon sugar. Continue until all of the minis have been coated with butter and cinnamon sugar.

Store in a sealed container.

Find out more about the Secret Recipe Club!

Please take a moment to comment on my Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffin Minis. I'll visit you back!

While you're at it, take few minutes (or lots of minutes!) to visit the other wonderful SRC bloggers below who came together with me to show that we won't allow any of our foodie friends to be left out!

Menu Plan for August 14-20

2011-08-17T00:02:00.002-04:00

We're back into the routine of soccer practices, getting ready for school and pretty much running around like crazy. lol!

From now on, I've decided to list my menu plan without any days attached to the meals. More often than not, I end up switching some meals around during the week so this is just easier for me. I figure that as long as I'm making a 7 day meal plan and sticking to it, I'm doing ok.

spicy shrimp pasta, salad & italian bread - ate it on Sunday

tex mex turkey pitas and spanish rice

red pepper and parmesan talapia, jasmine rice and carrots/spinach

crockpot beef & barley soup

sweet onion chicken teriyaki subs

baked ravioli and salad - ate it on Monday

pork souvlaki, pierogies and corn

Mother Nature's beauty after a recent storm. I took these pictures in our back yard:

SRC - Toffee Squares

2011-08-15T07:00:00.005-04:00

My mission for this moth from the Secret Recipe Club was to choose a recipe from Nicole's blog, The Cookaholic Wife. Let me just start off by saying that I had such a hard time choosing just one recipe to blog about. Nicole and I seem to enjoy the same types of cooking and food. I started browsing through her blog and within a couple of minutes, I'd picked out four recipes to try.

I settled on baking the Toffee Squares. The recipe looked pretty easy, which was great because I needed a quick dessert for that particular evening and the sound of toffee in a cookie made my mouth water. Nicole mentioned that her bars were a little dry so I made note of her suggestion to use a bigger cookie sheet so that the "bar" part of the cookie baked up thin. The cookies sheet that I used measures 13 1/2 x 18 1/2 and it worked perfectly. I used candied pecans instead of plain pecans and then I drizzled caramel ice cream topping over the top of the bars.

I couldn't wait until evening to eat these delicious little bars so I cut a small square to enjoy just for myself. I have to admit that even after all of the changes that I'd made, the first bite was just ok, nothing special - just like Nicole had described hers to be. I wrapped tin foil around the pan and decided that I would see what my family had to say about them later that night.

I'm not sure what happened between the time that I wrapped the bars and the time that I cut them to serve to my family but whatever it was, was surely a great thing. Now the cookies had softened a bit and the toppings seemed to have melded together. An awesome transformation. The bars were delicious. The nuts were sweet and gave a nice crunch to the bar part of the cookie and the chocolate and caramel topping just melted in my mouth. I'm not the only one who enjoyed these toffee squares, everyone in the house really liked them. They're addictive little suckers. None of them went to waste.

This recipe would work well for picnics, parties, reunions or school bake sales. I'm sure that they would travel well, too, if you like mailing treats.

My changes to the recipe are in bold below.

Toffee Squares
posted @ The Cookaholic Wife

2 sticks butter, room temp
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips
1 c. glazed pecans, finely chopped
caramel ice cream topping, drizzled to liking

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in the egg, vanilla and flour. Mix until well combined.

Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet until thin. (I used a 13 1/2 x 18 1/2 sheet)

Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over top of the baked cookie bar.

Return to the oven for 3 minutes. Remove and spread the melted chocolate over the cookie.

Sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Drizzle the caramel topping over the entire area.

Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into small squares.

** I recommend leaving the toffee squares in the pan and covering them with tin foil.
Leave covered for at least 3 hrs. before serving. Store leftovers covered with tin foil or
in a sealed container. **

If you would like to join us in the Secret Recipe Club, click here to find out more about it!

Amanda, our club leader, has broken our huge club down into smaller groups to allow for easier viewing of all of the recipes and to allow for more comments to be left on everyone's blogs! Each group will post at different times during the month. We love comments, so please take a moment to let us know what you think of our recipes! :)

Roasted Greek Chicken & Potatoes

2011-08-14T15:36:00.001-04:00

This dish is wonderful enough to serve double duty as an easy weeknight dinner or as a special holiday dinner.

The chicken stays juicy, while the potatoes roast up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Roasted Greek Chicken & Potatoes

I didn't measure any specific amounts for this recipe.
It can be made in small or large amounts, depending
on the number of people you are feeding.

thawed chicken pieces - I baked 8 leg & thigh pieces
red potatoes, cubed small - I used 8 medium potatoes
olive oil
lemon juice
Greek seasoning
minced garlic
oregano
lemon pepper seasoning (no salt added)

Use a roasting pan big enough to hold both the chicken and the potatoes.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces. Lay the chicken flat in one side of the pan, skin side up.

Cube potatoes (I left the skins on) and lay opposite of the chicken in the other side of the roasting pan.

Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and potatoes and then sprinkle both with lemon juice.

Sprinkle approx. 2 tbsp. greek seasoning and lemon pepper on top of the chicken and potatoes.

Sprinkle approx. 1 tbsp. oregano and minced garlic over top of both.

Stir the potatoes, making sure they're coated with the oil, lemon and herbs.

Preheat oven to 450*

Bake chicken and potatoes for 20 minutes.

Lower oven to 375*

Continue baking for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs longer, checking after 1 hour to see if the juice in the chicken are clear.

Once chicken is done roasting, remove it to a plate and keep warm.

Spread the potatoes out in a single layer in the pan. Stick the pan under the broiler for 3 -5 minutes or until the potatoes have browned a little bit.

Serve immediately.

Leftover chicken is delicious as chicken salad or on a sandwich. Leftover potatoes are great fried the next day.

Poor Man's Cookies

2011-08-13T16:00:00.002-04:00

This cookie recipe has been handed down generation to generation in my family. I can remember my grandmother baking these cookies for all of our family reunions, for Christmas dinner, for Easter dinner and any other time that she was asked to bring a dessert to an event.

With just a handful of basic pantry ingredients, I imagine that the recipes comes from the Depression Era. Baking them takes me back to my younger years and the memories make me smile.

Poor Man's Cookies

1 c. golden raisins
1 1/2 c. water
1 stick of butter
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
3/4 c. walnuts, finely crushed - I used
glazed pecans because that's what I had
on hand

Add raisins and water to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the stick of butter and stir until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool.

Mix together flour, sugar, salt. Stir in crushed nuts.

In a separate bowl, lightly whip the egg and vanilla, using a fork. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Add the raisins and all of the liquid in the pot. Stir until completely mixed together. Set aside and allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes.

Spray a small baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the cookie batter into the baking sheet. Spread the batter out evenly.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Start checking the cookies after 18 minutes. Mine were done in exactly 20 minutes.

Cool the cookies in the pan. Glaze while still warm to the touch.

Glaze Recipe

2 c. powdered sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 tbsp. butter, very soft or melted

Beat all ingredients together until smooth.

Linking up to:

Gooseberry Patch Round 'Em Up & Take 'Em To Go!

Try Dannon Activia Selects - Get Your Coupon!

2011-08-12T22:57:00.004-04:00

I'll admit it, I love trying new products and when the opportunity to try Dannon Activia Selects came along, I just couldn't wait to try them! My kids and I love yogurt! We like to make easy desserts by layering the yogurt with granola or the cereal bits that's left at the bottom of the bag.

There's 2 kinds of Dannon Activia Select to choose from:

French Style with bits of fruit on the bottom
OR

Greek Thick &amp;amp; Creamy with fruit

Now I'm passing this opportunity on to you!

GET YOUR COUPON by clicking on this link: Visit the Activia Selects Facebook page to get your FREE coupon now!

Hurry! The offer is only valid until 8/15/11

This sponsorship is brought to you by Activia Selects who we have partnered with for this promotion. FREE coupon offer good 8/3 /11 - 8/15/11, up to 1 million coupons, on any Activia Selects Single Serve, up to $3.00. One coupon per household. Offer valid in the U.S only. VOID IN LA, NJ, CA. Coupon valid until 8/15/11. Residents of LA, NJ, CA will be given a '$1 off 3 Activia Selects' coupon.

July '11 Cookie Carnival Round Up!

2011-08-04T01:58:00.001-04:00

Are you suffering in a heat wave in your area? Thank you for sticking it out to bake with us this month!

It's time again for our Cookie Carnival Round Up!

We baked two completely different cookies this month. One was filled with blueberries and oats and the other with coffee and chocolate! How's that for shaking things up a bit. (Maybe literally "shaking things up a bit" if you used extra espresso in the chocolate espresso cookies! hahaha!)

Wild Blue Energy Chews
Double-Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Once again, our Cookie Carnival bakers have done a superb job!

Just take a look.....

First up, we have our Wild Blue Energy Chew bakers:

Julie @ A Little Bit of Everything said " I chose The Wild Blueberry Chews because they seemed to be the healthier option, can you say that about cookies?"

Tessa @ The Cookin' Chemist said "We've recently found that we really enjoy dried blueberries, and the combination of them with the almonds and wheat germ really do give these a "healthier" vibe."

Next we have our Double Chocolate Espresso Cookie bakers:

Vivian@ Let's Try These said "You see, if I don't give the cookies away then I end up eating them... this is not good! Nope, its always best if I can give the goodies away!" :)

Christine@Whimsical Bakery said "Any cookie recipe that starts with melting chocolate & butter together is going to be fudgyyyyy and so gooey & rich!"

Katrina@Baking and Boys said "Even though I left the espresso out of these Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies, turns out they are a great base for a nice brownie-like chocolate cookie with all kinds of acceptable mix-ins!"

Juliana @ Horneando Algo made fabulous trifles with her cookies. Check out her blog to see the pictures of those trifles. Grab a napkin, you'll be drooling!

Julie@Someone's in the Kitchen kept adding different ingredients each time she made another batch. Check out her blog. All of her ideas sound delicious!

Now I have a confession to make.... I made the Wild Blue Energy Chews but they turned out to be the most awful gray-colored, hard-as-a-rock "cookie" that I have ever seen. I tried subbing my own oatmeal raisin recipe for the mix and it just went wrong from there, I guess. Anyway, I was so appalled by the way they turned out, I threw them away without even thinking of taking a picture of them. It's for the better. No one would want to look at my blog again after seeing such a disaster. So...moving on..... Everyone is entitled to a fail now and then, right?

I hope that you are enjoying the Cookie Carnival like I am! Everyone is invited to join us. You don't even have to be a blogger. **What you need to know in order to bake along with us!**

I'd hoped to reveal a few changes to the Cookie Carnival last month but it looks like it will be a bit longer before anything changes. Stay Tuned to see what happens!

Happy Baking!
Tami

Menu Plan for 7/31 - 8/6

2011-07-31T23:53:00.005-04:00

Here's our menu for this coming week:

Sunday - spaghetti

Monday - Mexican stuffed pepper casserole w/ cornbread

Tuesday - pizza buns w/ salad

Wednesday - grilled ham & turkey sandwiches w/ basil rice pilaf

Thursday - Greek roasted chicken w/ potatoes & carrots

Friday - margarita pork chops w/ fried noodles

Saturday - fish sandwiches

With school right around the corner, now's the time to start thinking about lunch box fillers.

Here's a few ideas that work well:

pizza roll-ups
trail mix brownies
fruit, meat & cheese kabobs
chili cheese dog tortilla sticks

Linking up with:

Menu Plan Monday

Honey Bun Cake

2011-07-27T16:15:00.009-04:00

I love recipes that can pull double duty as a sweet treat for breakfast or as a simple dessert. This recipe for honey bun cake does just that. It's a simple recipe that kids can help prepare. I found it posted at FamilyCorner.com by dyllpickle00. (Her username makes me smile!).

Huney Bun Cake
posted at FamilyCorner.com by dyllpickle00

For cake:

1 box yellow cake mix
3/4 c. oil
1 c. sour cream

In a lg. bowl, stir together dry cake mix, oil and sour cream. Batter will be thick.

Spread the batter into the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan.

Prepare brown sugar topping recipe (below) and swirl over cake batter.

Bake @ 350* for 40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Prepare glaze recipe (below) and pour on top of cake while hot.

Serve warm.

For brown sugar topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 1/2 tsp. evaporated milk

Stir together and swirl over cake.

For glaze:

Stir together 1 c. powdered sugar, 4 tbsp. evaporated milk and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Optional: melt 1/2 -1 cup chocolate chips and swirl over the top of the cake while it is still hot.

Linking up to:

Goose Berry Patch Cookout Favorites

The Ultimate Fudge Brownie Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookie Bars

2011-07-27T01:39:00.002-04:00

Is that title a mouthful or what?

This cookie certainly stands up to all of the hype that it's receiving all over the Internet. I first saw pictures of this decadent dessert at Betcha Can't Eat Just One. Katie was able to kick it up another notch by adding dulce de leche to her bars. The original recipe comes from Amanda@ Kevin and Amanda. I bow to their creativity. :)

At first I couldn't imagine even biting into something like this but then, I couldn't stop thinking about it. That's me, when something makes you say "Why would you do that?!?" to food, I just have to try it. It's a lot like the time I just had to try a Krispy Kreme hamburger when we took our kids to a baseball game here in town. haha!

This was a family-involved dessert. I mixed up the cookie batter, my son made the brownies and my daughter lined up the Oreos. We had a lot of fun assembling this dessert but even more fun eating it. :) I added the hot fudge into the brownie mix (from Amanda's recipe) plus the caramel (from Katie's recipe). The results were terrific. Even my husband liked this one.

I'm planning on freezing the leftovers to use in a trifle for another time.

The Ultimate Fudge Brownie Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookie Bars
adapted from Betch Can't Eat Just One & Kevin & Amanda

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreos - I used store brand
1/2 c. caramel sauce - I used ice cream topping
1 lg. pkg. brownie mix + ingredients on the box
1/4 c. hot fudge

Preheat oven to 350*.

Line a 9 x 13 dish with waxed paper. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and then set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Mix in vanilla.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Mix into the wet mixture until just combined.

Spread the cookie dough into the bottom of the 9 x 13 dish that you've lined with waxed paper.

Layer Oreos over the cookie dough.

Pour the caramel sauce over the Oreos.

Mix together brownies according to the directions on the box. Stir in 1/4 c. hot fudge and mix well.

Pour the brownie mixture over the Oreos. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cookie bars to a cooling rack and remove the waxed paper from around the edges of the bars.

Allow to finish cooling for at least another 15 minutes. Cut into small pieces for serving.

Store leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid. These bars can also be frozen. Thaw on counter.

Menu Plan for 7/24 - 7/30

2011-07-25T01:11:00.004-04:00

I have a busy week ahead of me so our menu isn't that complicated. I'm trying some new recipes so keep an eye out for a thumbs up or down for them.

Sunday - grilled chicken legs, baked potatoes, and spinach/carrots

Monday - roasted chicken with wild rice soup (using leftover grilled chicken)

Tuesday - crockpot goulash (didn't make it last week)

Wednesday - blt pasta

Thursday - Mediterranean chicken salad with Asiago pepper bread (bread machine recipe)

Friday - rigatoni with new red sauce recipe and roasted pepper salad

Saturday - sloppy joes

Some delicious side dishes and desserts ideas:

bow tie pasta salad
four cheese and bacon mac n cheese
broiled tomato and goat cheese salad
lemon choc. chip cake mix cookie bites
toffee choc. chip pie

Have a great week, everyone!

Linking up with:

Menu Plan Monday

Chocolate Malted Brownies

2011-07-21T20:17:00.001-04:00

These chocolate malted brownies are an old timey recipe that will take some back to their younger days. One of the main ingredients is chocolate malt powder, aka Ovaltine. In some ways I feel like I missed out on something since we never drank Ovaltine as kids. We were strictly a Nesquik family. lol!

The recipe is from the cutest little cookbook called "Mary Engelbreit's Cookie Cookbook". I picked it up at our local thrift store a couple of weeks ago. In true Mary Engelbreit style, the cookbook is decorated with lots of colorful, playful pictures, along with real pictures of the recipes. To me, it was a nice find for 99 cents.

There's a nice, light, chocolately malt flavor throughout the brownies but it's the "icing" that really makes the brownies good. It's more of a thin sauce than an icing and it flows down into the nooks and crannies of the brownie almost turning it into a molten lava cake. The sprinkles are my daughter's touch. Everything just tastes better to her when there are sprinkles on it. :)

Chocolate Malted Brownies
from Mary Engelbreit's Cookies Cookbook

Brownies

1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. malt powder, such as Ovaltine
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 c. sugar
2 lg. eggs
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

Glaze

4 oz. milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. malt powder
1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350*

Line a 9 inch square pan with foil and grease the foil.

For Brownies:

In a med. bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together milk, malt powder and vanilla. Set aside

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs.

Slowly add in flour, alternating with the melted chocolate and milk mixture. Beat until well blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For glaze:

In a small saucepan, mix together chocolate, cream, malt powder and corn syrup. Stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and cool until thickened but still pourable. I did this step in the microwave.

Place a cutting board on top of the brownie pan, invert, remove the pan and carefully pull away the foil. Turn the brownies right side up. I skipped this step. Pour the glaze over and spread it evenly to cover the top of the brownies. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles, if desired. Let stand until set.

Brunswick Stew

2011-07-19T16:41:00.002-04:00

Being from the north, I had no idea what Brunswick Stew was until we moved to North Carolina. I saw it on a menu in a bbq place that was near where we lived at the time, in Kernersville. It's a "stew" of sorts that might or might not contain tomatoes. It usually contains lima beans, corn and at least one type of meat. I'm convinced that most places probably use leftovers to make this "stew" because it's never quite the same each time you order it. Nevertheless, I really like it.

Of course, I'm the only member of our family that will eat it...until now. I've adapted a recipe from a cookbook called "Quick Fixes with Mixes" from the editors of Southern Living. Their recipe calls for shredded pork + bbq sauce. Instead, I used leftovers from this over-the-top-delicious Jack Daniel's pulled pork bbq that we'd eaten earlier in the week. The pulled pork was made with homemade Jack Daniels bbq sauce. I bought frozen lima beans thinking that I would add them into my stew since I'm the only one who will eat them....I forget all about them until we were half way through the meal. That was a bummer but it didn't take away from this great-tasting "stoup" (if I can borrow that word from Rachel Ray because this wasn't a soup but it wasn't as thick as a stew, either.) But the biggest change that I made was to omit the cubed hashbrowns and instead, serve the soup over cooked elbow macaroni. I can't remember any of the Brunswick stew that I've eaten at different locations ever having any type of potatoes in it. We didn't miss the potatoes one bit.

We enjoyed this version of Brunswick stew. It was a great way to use up leftovers. The best part was that I cooked it all in my crockpot, staying nice and cool in during this heat wave!

Crockpot Brunswick Stew
adapted from Quick Fixes with Mixes
my version in bold text

3 lbs. shredded cooked pork - I used about 2 lbs from leftover my Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork (thaw if frozen)
4 c. frozen cubed hash brown potatoes - I omitted these and poured the stew over cooked elbow macaroni
3 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes wtih garlic and onions
1 (14 1/2 oz) can corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 oz) can cream-style corn
1/2 c. bbq sauce - I omitted this since my pork recipe already contained bbq sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt - I omitted
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c. frozen lima beans - I omitted but would make a great addition to the stew

The original recipe calls for mixing these ingredients together in a large stock pot. Bring the stew to a boil, and then simmering for 45 minutes, stirring often.

However, I stirred all of the ingredients together in my 6 qt. crockpot and cooked it for 2 hours on low and then for 2 hours on warm.

Serve with warm cornbread.

Jack Daniel's BBQ Pulled Pork

2011-07-19T16:39:00.004-04:00

The idea to create my own bbq pulled pork came from a trip to Sam's Club on our shopping trip for July 4th. Sam's was full of sample givers that day. My kids couldn't wait to get in there to sample all of the foods - funny how they will try foods during this time that they wouldn't normally try at all!

One stand was handing out bites of prepacked Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork. My kids and even my normally really picky husband all liked it. (maybe the samples work on husbands, too?). I thought that I was good but I couldn't get over the fact that the meat was minced beyond recognition. I cannot stand to eat bbq like this. I like to be able to recognize the meat that I am eating. My husband challenged me to find a recipe that would compare to the taste of the bbq on the minced meat sandwich bites that they were scarfing down.

I searched through many cookbooks at home and at the library, through magazines and on the Internet. I finally found a recipe called "Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce" on the Budget 101 forum by someone with the username BiggerPiggyBank. The recipe calls for simple ingredients cooked together to create a homemade bbq sauce. I think that double cooking it - once on the stove as called for in the recipe and then again in the crockpot on make the pulled pork, really deepens the flavors. I truly believe that this is one of the best bbq sauces that I have ever tasted. **Note** This sauce is on the sweeter side. If you like a vinegar based sauce, I wouldn't suggest this one.

Jack Daniels BBQ Pulled Pork

4-5 lb pork tenderloin, cut in half
1 c. chicken broth
1 recipe for Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce (below)
onion buns

You will need a large crockpot for this recipe. I used a 6 qt. oval crockpot.

Add the pork tenderloin to the crockpot.

Pour 1 c. of chicken broth into the crockpot.

Cover and cook for 3 - 4 hrs. on high. After 3 hrs,., check to see if the pork is done by using two forks to"pull" it apart. It should fall apart easily. If not, continue cooking until the pork has been cooked though. My tenderloin cooked for about 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the pork to a cutting board and shred the entire loin using two forks. My preference is to leave the pork in big pieces. You can also chop it into smaller bits if you prefer.

Drain the broth from the crockpot. Return the pulled pork to the crockpot. Cover with the Jack Daniels bbq sauce and stir to mix well. Cook on low for 2 hrs to blend the flavors. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve the bbq pulled pork on onion buns.

Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce
from user BiggerPiggyBank@Budget101 forums
my version in bold text

1/2 lg onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped - I used 4 tsp minced garlic
2 c ketchup
1/3 c vinegar
1/4 c worcestershire sauce
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 c molasses
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 c tomato paste
2 tsp liquid smoke - I used mesquite flavor
1/2 ts tabasco sauce, to taste - I used 2 tbsp
Burbon or whiskey -- to taste - I used 2 tbsp Jack Daniels Whiskey

(In my own words) Combine onion, garlic and whiskey frying pan. Saute onions and garlic.
Combine remaining ingredients, bring to boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This recipe makes 4 cups. I doubled this recipe and used all of it to cover the pulled pork.

Before serving, spoon approximately half of pulled pork into another container to use for another meal. It is delicious when used in this recipe for Brunswick Stew. Can be frozen in a tightly sealed container.

Our Menu for July 17 - 23

2011-07-18T23:02:00.004-04:00

Better late than never with a menu plan, right?

Sunday - stacked tortilla pie with a side of rice

Monday - ravioli and garlic bread

Tuesday - crockpot chicken tetrazinni and green beans

Wednesday - grilled turkey burgers, pierogies and corn

Thursday - my MIL's goulash (making in the crockpot)

Friday - margarita chicken, rice and spinach/carrots for those who don't like spinach

Saturday- manicotti, salad and garlic bread

** For a wonderful dessert at the end of the day, try these**

Orange Berry Cake

Blueberry Bliss Pudding

No Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate Chess Pie

Linking up to:

Menu Plan Monday

Secret Recipe Club: Orange Berry Cake

2011-07-18T08:00:00.005-04:00

I can't believe that another month has flown by so quickly. It's time for another round up for the Secret Recipe Club. I'm baking from Alessio's blog, Recipe Taster. His blog features beautiful pictures and recipes. Many of his recipes stem from his Sicilian background. Delizioso!

When I saw his recipe for Orange Cake, I knew right away that I wanted to try it because I love the fresh taste of oranges in cakes and pastries. I will admit that some worry and nervousness set in when it came time to convert the recipe from grams to the American equivalents. I don't own a kitchen scale so I knew that I was going to have to rely on any Internet findings to get me through this time. You can imagine my surprise when I realized that there were no exact conversions for this measurements in this recipe. I decided to wing it anyway and I must say, I'm so happy that I did. This was a truly delicious cake. It was very light and moist, showered with a wonderful orange flavoring. The orange zest hits it out of the park. Do not even be tempted to leave it out.

Alessio shows several different ways to decorate the cake on his blog but I choose to use a low sugar real berry jam as a glaze for the top of the cake, along with a sprinkling of orange zest on top.

So simple and pretty! It pairs perfectly with a cup of herbal tea. The recipe will definitely go into my "favorites" pile.

Orange Berry Cake
adapted from the blog: Recipe Taster

7 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
zest of 3 lg. oranges
1 lg. egg yolk
2 lg. eggs
1 3/4 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 c. 100% real orange juice
1 c. all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
4 heaping tbsp. low sugar real berry jam
zest of 1 orange for decoration

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9 inch or 10 inch spring form pan and set aside.

I would recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe, although it could be mixed with a hand mixer.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar to the butter and beat until no longer grainy and the mixture is light and fluffy.

Mix in the orange zest from 3 oranges.

Add egg yolk to the mixture and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until everything is mixed together and looks smooth and creamy.

With the beaters still running, stream in the canola oil. Mix well.

Alternate pouring the flour and the orange juice into the wet mixture in the bowl. Mix well after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the spring form pan. Tap the pan on the counter top to release the air bubbles in the batter.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. My cake was perfectly baked at 22 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cake platter.

Melt 4 heaping tbsp. low sugar real berry jam in the microwave or on the stove top. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the melted jam over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle the zest of 1 orange over top of the jam.

My husband and kids, as well as I, really enjoyed this cake so I can't tell you what to do with any leftovers. I would imagine that the cake tastes the best if eaten the same day it was baked.

Time to gear up for next month's Secret Recipe Club event! Click here from more info. on how you can join in on the fun!

You just can't help but to drool over all of these beauties below. We love comments! Let us know what you think!!

Blueberry Bliss Pudding

2011-07-15T17:35:00.001-04:00

I found this recipe while searching through some old issues of CBS WATCH magazine. It's a family recipe handed down in Sara Canning's (The Vampire Diaries) family. In her interview, she mentions that it's a family tradition to make the blueberry pudding during the holidays in Newfoundland.

It reminds me a lot of my MIL's recipe for apple pudding. Don't get it confused with bread pudding, it's not. It's more of a cake with fruit baked in it. One major difference between the apple pudding and the blueberry pudding is that the apple pudding doesn't have a sauce that gets poured over it. In the original recipe, the sauce calls for brandy and lemon extract. I made some changes adding more vanilla for the lemon extract and fresh squeezed orange juice for the brandy. I liked the sauce on the blueberry pudding but it would also be really delicious omitting the syrup and serving it with warmed, sweetened cream or topped with ice cream.

Blueberry Bliss Pudding
adapted from CBS Watch! Magazine

1/2 c. butter. softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1/2 c. water

Heat oven to 325*.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until fluffy.

Add flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt.

Stir in enough water (up to 1/2 c.) to make the batter fluffy. (I only used 1/4 c. water).

Fold in blueberries. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 9 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pudding comes out clean. While baking, prepare the sauce.

Sauce for Blueberry Bliss Pudding

3 tbsp. butter
2 c. hot water
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with a little cold water
1/8 tsp. vinegar
1/2 fresh blueberries

Stir all ingredients together in a pot. Bring to a boil. Using a potato masher or a fork, smash the blueberries into the sauce and continue cooking until it starts to thicken.

Using a the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the pudding.

Pour the sauce over the pudding. Serve warm.

No Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls & Our Weekly Menu Plan

2011-07-12T01:38:00.002-04:00

This summer seems to be flying by! We are in the middle of an incredible heat wave. I've been holed up in the house with the AC for a few days, finally dragging myself and the kids out to go grocery shopping.

My kids and husband have grown accustomed to eating some sort of dessert in the later evening, right before my husband leaves for work. While I love providing homemade desserts, I hate the thought of turning on the oven to heat it up in here. Thus, this batch of no bake peanut butter balls. Takes just 4 ingredients and a kid or two willing to get their hands messy and you're ready to go!

No Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

1-18 oz. jar of smooth or chunky peanut buter - I prefer smooth
1 - 16 oz. bag of confectioners sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
chocolate almond bark
or
chocolate candy melts
or
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips & 2 tsp. shortening

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, confectioners sugar and melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. For the next step, the best way that I've found to make a smooth filling is to use your hands to mix everything together.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll the peanut butter filling into 1 inch balls and line the baking sheet with rows of the balls. Set the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-7 minutes to chill the peanut butter balls for easier dipping.

While the peanut butter balls are chilling, melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl that is deep enough for dipping. I melted 6 blocks of chocolate almond bark at a time, stirring at 45 second intervals until smooth.

Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into a peanut butter ball and then dip it into the chocolate, turning quickly to cover the entire candy. Place onto a second baking tray that has also been lined with foil. Swirl the chocolate on the top of each candy for a pretty design. Refrigerate until the chocolate had completely dried.

Store the candies in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

**Warning** These little candies are very addictive!!

Weekly Menu Plan for July 10 - 16

Sunday - country chicken and vegetables in the crock pot

Monday - crock pot Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork sandwiches - homemade Jack Daniel's bbq sauce!

Tuesday - bacon, lettuce and tomato jam sandwiches, cottage cheese and cucumber salad

Wednesday - breakfast for dinner: pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuits

Thursday - Brunswick stew using leftover pulled pork and corn bread

Friday - grilled chicken and pasta with lemon basil sauce

Saturday - burrito pie and rice

Stay cool!

I'm linking up to:

Menu Plan Mondays
A Bowl Full of Lemons
The Goose Berry Patch Blog

Garlic Asiago Chicken and Noodle Casserole

2011-07-06T20:10:00.001-04:00

I've been doing some sorting and organizing of my huge stack of magazines that is taking up a lot of space in our little apartment. I'm sorting into 3 boxes - one for recipes that I want to keep, one for magazines that are full of too many recipes, tips and crafts to get rip apart the whole thing, and one box that holds that magazines that are going to be donated to our local thrift store. (Hopefully I will remember them and not buy them back!)

I'm going to be trying out some of these recipes for the next few weeks so that I can weed through the pages even more, keeping the ones that we like and ditching the rest.

The first recipe to be tested was the Chocolate Coconut Bars that I baked a couple of days ago. I will be keeping this one. It's moist and delicious with a great pairing of chocolate and coconut.

Next up is tonight's dinner, Garlic Asiago Chicken and Noodle Casserole. It's my take on Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Noodles from an April 2010 Better Homes and Garden magazine. Of course I made more of the recipe that what it said. The original recipe makes 4 servings but that's not enough for my hollow-legged son and the rest of us plus enough for leftovers for my husband's lunch.

I made some substitutions and changes to the recipes, the most obvious being the cheeses that I used. My version of this recipe is below.

Garlic Asiago Chicken and Noodle Casserole
adapted from an April 2010 Better Homes & Garden
magazine recipe

18 oz cooked egg noodles - keep warm after cooking
2 lb chicken, cut up into pieces - I cooked extra chicken
thighs and legs on July 4 so that I would have extra for
this meal
4 tbsp minced garlic
1 small can of diced mushrooms, drained
5 1/4 c. whole milk
2 c. shredded Asiago cheese
2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese + 1 c. shredded mozzarella
1 tbsp sage
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 450*

To a large pot, add chicken, mushrooms and milk. Cook on medium heat until heated through.

Stir in Asiago cheese and 2 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Stir until smooth. Add noodles and stir to coat - the sauce will be thin, not a cheese sauce consistancy.

Pour the chicken and noodles into a large baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the noodles.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the chicken and noodles start to lightly brown.

*****

My thoughts on this dish: Both of my kids liked this dish. They had no complaints about it. My husband and I thought that it was just ok. Just another noodle casserole and sort of bland at that. If you tend to like casseroles that contain a mild cheese flavor and don't contain a lot of spices, you would probably like this one. Would I make this again, probably not...at least not without add more flavor to it. At that point, it would be probably be another casserole completely. There's nothing wrong with this casserole. It just didn't excite my taste buds.

Chocolate Coconut Bars

2011-07-04T23:29:00.000-04:00

If you love the combination of coconut and chocolate, you must try Family Circle's latest recipe for Chocolate Coconut Bars. You can find it in the July issue of Family Circle or you can access the recipes on the website by signing up for their free newsletter.

The bars are sort of a cake/brownie combination. Of course, when it comes to spices and extracts, I often add more than what's called for in a recipe because I like a denser flavor. I did this with the icing recipe for these bars. The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp. of coconut extract. This left the icing with barely a hint of coconut flavor. I added 2 more tsp. of coconut extract, plus 1/4 of powdered sugar to soak up the added liquid. This amount was perfect. It's a nice coconut flavor but not overwhelming and paired nicely with the chocolate bars.

I would imagine that you could freeze the bars with no problem - they won't last long enough in our house. I have to add an * here, though. Instead of using a 9 x 13 pan as called for in the recipe, I used a smaller 8 x 10 pan, making the bars a littler thicker. I cut the bars into 15 pieces.

Chocolate Coconut Bars
adapted from Family Circle Magazine - July 2011

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, broken up
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
4 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 c. sweetened flake coconut
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 c. confectioners' sugar
2 1/4 tsp coconut extract

Heat oven to 350*.

Line a 8 x 10 baking pan with foil. (9 x 13 can be used). Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make Bars:

Combine butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave another minute and stir. Microwave for 30 seconds more and stir until smooth.

Stir in sugar, flour, eggs, baking soda, salt and coconut extract. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake for 30 minutes. Watch carefully and check often so that you do not over bake the bars.

Remove pan and sit on a cooking rack.

Prepare Topping:

Spread coconut on a baking sheet and bake at 350* for 10 minutes or until golden.

In a large bowl, combine butter and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Beat in coconut extract and 2 tbsp water. Stir in up to 1/4 c. extra powdered sugar to make a thick icing.

Spread over partially cooled bar and top with toasted coconut. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

Set the bars on the counter 15 - 30 minutes before serving . Cut into small squares.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

The pièce de résistance, however, was scooping up a bite of the coconut bars along with a bite of creamy, homemade chocolate ice cream. Heavenly! (chocolate ice cream recipe coming soon!)

June '11 Cookie Carnival Round Up

2011-07-02T03:47:00.003-04:00

Time again for our monthly Cookie Carnival Round Up!

June brought us these two different cookie recipes to choose from:

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies from Smucker's

and Lemon Tea Cookies from Betty Crocker

Both recipes went over big with our bakers this month!

Check out our bakers and what they had to say about the cookies....

Lisa@Gourmified made lemon tarts from the lemon cookie recipe. She said "I decided to use my mini tart pan and make some lemon tarts instead of cookies. They very very closely resemble a lemon bar, which I love, just with a slightly thicker crust."

Juliana@horneandoalgo made the lemon tea cookies of which she said "A delicious lemon cookie, very colorful and ideal for afternoon tea."

Christine@whimsicalbakery made key lime tea cookies. She said that her cookies really turned out tangy. Be sure to check out her new redesigned blog. It's pretty!

Vivian@Letstrythese made the lemon tea cookies. She said that although the cookies are somewhat fragile, they were still tasty. She gave a great tip of baking the cookie half way and then filling it, rather than doing it prebaking.

Julie@littlebitofeverything made the chewy peanut butter cookies. Like me, she has memories of crisscrossed peanut butter cookies. She loved this new recipe and said " You'll keep reaching in the cookie jar for more!"

Donna aka my friend "Trainlady" baked along with the Cookie Carnival this month. I've known Donna for several years through FamilyCorner.com. She baked both cookies and shared them with her neighbor Dorothy. Donna said "I made both cookie recipes this month. Dorothy, who loves anything sweet especially loved the lemon filled cookies. She is my dear neighbor who just turned 92 in May. I made the peanut butter cookies, too, and froze them to take on our camping trip. They held up real well after being frozen and were so yummy! The peanut butter cookies were MY favorite!"

Here's Donna and her peanut butter cookies!

This is the lovely Dorothy holding the lemon tea cookies.

Here are my cookies....

I baked the chewy peanut butter cookies. Even though my cookies spread out and didn't look so pretty, they tasted really good! We'll be making them again!

and rounding up this month's recipes is

Katrina@BakingandBoys made the chewy peanut butter cookies. She said "Loved these chewy peanut buttery coconutty oaty cookies!"

Thanks ladies for a GREAT round up this month! Thank you for baking along with me!

We love comments!! Please take a couple of minutes to let us know what you think of our cookies!

Want to join in on the fun? Here's what you need to know.

Cookie Carnival - Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-07-02T02:41:00.000-04:00

I grew up eating only one kind of peanut butter cookie - my mother's homemade recipe. She would make them for Christmas and Easter and any other family get-togethers we might have during the year. I remember helping her bake and scooping out the peanut butter - always JIF! I remember how she would take the time to criss cross each cookie with a fork so that the lines were just perfect - and I imagine that she still does the same thing. Mom, if you're reading this, your cookies have definitely left good memories!! Those cookies were sort of crisp on the outside, yet sort of soft on the inside. A perfect cookie for dunking in milk or coffee. I don't make those cookies here at my house because my dh and kids really don't like plain peanut butter cookies. But I can instantly snap back and remember what they tasted like when she tells me that she just baked a batch of them.

When I found this recipe called Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies and saw that it called for coconut and oats and that it was a soft, chewy cookie, I thought that I might be able to pass this off to my family. I thought that it would be the perfect cookie to try out in the Cookie Carnival. Since it was June, I knew that many kids, including mine, would be out of school so I was hoping that it might pique their interest into getting into the kitchen!

Well, it worked. My kids helped with baking these cookies and all of us ended up really liking them. I love Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter but I didn't have any on hand so I subbed regular creamy peanut butter. I think that using the regular peanut butter instead of natural added more oil to the mix, thus making them spread more. My cookies turned out to be really thin (and not too pretty) but they tasted great!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from Smucker's website

1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth, creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats
1 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350*.

Beat sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; stir in rolled oats and coconut. Add to peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed until well blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

I used a large ice cream scooper to drop mounds of the cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 15 - 17 minutes or until light brown around edges. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. If the cookies start to stick to the pan, return the pan to the oven for a minute to soften the cookies again. Remove from the pan immediately using a large, flat spatula.

Join the Cookie Carnival and bake along with me each month!

Sweet & Sour Grilled Chicken Tenders

2011-06-29T23:13:00.001-04:00

We love to grill. It's probably the most used appliance (is a grill technically an appliance? I should be!) at our house during the hot summer months. We don't stop after the summer is gone. Nope, we grill all year long. Even when the snow is falling.

I've never been a big fan of fruit being cooked with meat but I really do enjoy the sweetness that pineapple adds to chicken, pork and shrimp and the marinade in this recipe can be used on any of them.

Sweet & Sour Grilled Chicken Tenders

1- 2.5 lb bag of frozen chicken tenders, thawed

Marinade & Sauce (make 2 separate batches):

1/2 c. crushed pineapple with juice
1/4 c. bottled sweet & sour sauce
1/4 c. bottled spicy sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp. water

Pour 1 batch of the marinade/sauce ingredients into a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken tenders and shake to coat the chicken with the marinade.

Refrigerate chicken for 2 hours or up to overnight. Grill chicken tenders for 4 minutes on each side or until the insides of the tenders are no longer pink. Discard leftover marinade that was in the bag.

Warm second batch of marinade/sauce and pour it over chicken before serving.

Delicious served over rice.

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-28T00:34:00.002-04:00

Has there ever come a time when you're not in the mood for a chocolate chip cookie? For me...nope, never! My family prefers soft and chewy chocolate chippers so these cookies from the Goose Berry Patch, aptly named Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, fit the bill for a quick and easy cookie recipe.

I don't own a Kindle (hopefully one day!) but I've been enjoying the free downloads on Amazon through the Kindle for PC. I found this recipe in one of those free downloads called "The Goose Berry Patch Circle of Friends Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes".

The recipe uses instant vanilla pudding to keep the cookies soft and moist. I found the batter to be a little stiff so I added 2 tbsp. of milk at the very end of mixing. This thinned the batter out a bit, making it easier for the cookies to spread out just a bit.

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
from the Goose Berry Patch Circle of Friends
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cookbook
Kindle for PC edition

2-1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 c. margarine
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
packed
1 t. vanilla extract
5-1/4 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
2 tbsp milk (my addition)

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, margarine, sugars, vanilla and dry pudding mix; beat until smooth and creamy.

Beat in eggs; stir in chocolate chips.

Stir in milk and mix until creamy.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden. (I baked my cookies for 7 minutes on the middle rack and then moved the tray to the top level in the oven and continued baking for another 1 1/2 minutes.) Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

Linking up with:
Tuesday Time Out

Menu Plan - Week of June 26- July 2

2011-06-26T18:55:00.001-04:00

Let's see if I can get back on some sort of schedule this week. With my kids out of school, we seem to lose our ways around the house. I'm hoping to start back into a routine again.

Our menu for this coming week looks like this:

Sunday - Turkey & stuffing roll-ups with mashed potatoes and corn

Monday - Baked mastacolli

Tuesday - Ginger soy pork tenderloin with garlic roasted red potatoes and glazed carrots

Wednesday - Croissant pizza

Thursday - Rosemary Thyme chicken strips, rice & gravy, salad and green beans

Friday - southwestern mac and corn bread

Saturday - taco meat loaf and Spanish rice

My goal for this week is not to go out to eat anywhere. Wish me luck!

Linking up to:
Menu Plan Monday

Secret Recipe Club: Easy Oreo Truffles

2011-06-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have had such a sweet tooth lately. I decided ahead of time, before receiving my secret blog name, that I would search for something sweet to make for this round of the Secret Recipe Club.

I was totally thrilled to receive A Tale of One Foodie's Culinary Adventures as my secret name. Erin's blog is full of sweet treats with beautiful pictures accompanying her recipes. In fact, her pictures of the Easy Oreo Truffles is what drew me in to my recipe of choice to begin with!

With just 3 ingredients, you can't go wrong making these. It does take a little time if you want them to turn out as beautiful as Erin's did. Mine didn't look quite as nice but they are still pretty. One thing is for sure...these little gems are rich and chocolaty and absolutely delicious. I have 4 more recipes from Erin's blog bookmarked for me to add to my menus this summer!

Easy Oreo Truffles
original recipe from Kraft
my version adapted from A Tale of One Foodie's Culinary Adventures

1 regular-sized pkg of Oreos
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted
toppings: sprinkles, nuts or crushed Oreos

Add entire package of Oreos to a large food processor. Chop until the Oreos turn into coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/3 cup of crumbs for the topping on the truffles.

Add cream cheese to the cookie crumbs. Process until the crumbs and cream cheese are blended together.

Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Once the baking sheet if full, stick it into the freezer for 5-8 minutes (or you could stick the tray into the frig for a while longer). This step makes dipping the truffles so much easier. I tried dipping them without freezing them and the balls fell apart in the chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stove or by melting it in the microwave. Dip each truffle one by one, laying each one back onto the wax paper lined tray. Immediately sprinkle the candies or crushed Oreos on top of the truffles.

Refrigerate the truffles on the tray for at least 1 hour. Store in a tightly sealed container. For maximum flavor, refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

MMM! A prefect choice for those sweet tooth cravings.

I've enjoyed another month in the Secret Recipe Club. If you would like to join us, here's what you need to know.

Bow Tie Pasta Salad

2011-05-30T19:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day!

**My family and I would like to say THANK YOU to our military men & woman, past and present, for serving and protecting us!**

We had this Bow Tie Pasta Salad at our little family picnic today. It was 95 and very humid here so we ate inside in the AC. ;) We had a simple picnic of hot dogs, pasta salad, cake w/strawberries and iced tea.

Bring on summer!

Bow Tie Pasta Salad

2 -12oz boxes of bow tie pasta, cooked
2 medium tomatoes, diced into small pieces
1 large cucumber, diced into small pieces
1 can of black olives, drained and diced into small rings or pieces
12 oz Kraft Greek Vinaigrette salad dressing
6 oz Kraft Italian salad dressing
1/3 c. Salad Supreme

Cook pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again.

Stir in tomatoes, cucumber, and black olives.

Pour salad dressings and Salad Supreme over pasta. Stir to mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve cold.

Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookie Bites

2011-05-29T23:20:00.002-04:00

If you're looking for a cookie that will travel and hold up well for summer picnics, my Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookie Bites will work perfectly.

The tartness of the lemon cake mix balances well with the sweetness of the semi sweet chocolate chips. I used a mini cookie scoop so that you would end with just a bite or two of each cookie, making them easier to handle. These cookies are topped with a simple lemon glaze but they taste great leaving them unglazed, too. I loved the extra tang from the lemon in the glaze but my kids loved the cookies without the glaze.

I love how quickly cake mix cookies come together. I chose to use semi sweet chocolate chips this time but you could easily sub sprinkles, white chocolate chips, walnuts, macadamia nuts or even sunflower seeds would create a nice texture and taste. If you choose to let the cookies plain, roll the cookie balls into sugar before baking for a pretty crinkled look. You could also drizzle melted chocolate over top of the baked cookies. Versatility...another reason that I love cake mix cookies!

Lemon Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookie Bites
adapted from Duncan Hines

Cookies:

1 Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake mix
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. lemon juice (original calls for fresh lemon but I used bottled)
3/4 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice (original calls for fresh lemon but I used bottled and omitted the zest)

Preheat oven to 350*

Mix together cake mix, oil, eggs and lemon juice. The batter will be stiff.

Using a mini cookie scoop or a teaspoon, drop cookie batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the cookies start to turn brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool cookies on the sheet for 1-2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet to cooling racks to cool completely. If you are going to glaze the cookies with lemon glaze, do so while the cookies are still slightly warm.

To make glaze:

Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Set aside for 5 minutes. Spoon glaze over warm cookies.

Tuscany Pasta

2011-05-26T10:06:00.001-04:00

I haven't been inspired to try much of anything new lately but with all of the veggies and fruits coming into season right now, I don't want to miss out on them, either. My recipe for Tuscany Pasta came together rather quickly with some fresh ingredients that I had on hand. It's a light dish full packed full of flavor.

Tuscany Pasta

1 lb of shell pasta, cooked
2 cans of diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
3 tbsp Italian seasonings
olive oil for cooking vegetables
1 16 oz container of button mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp minced garlic in olive oil
1 bag of fresh spinach
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, pour the two cans of tomatoes into a large sauce pot. (big enough to hold cooked pasta). Stir in Italian seasoning and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large frying pan, drizzle two tbsp. of olive oil. Add mushrooms to the pan, along with the garlic and saute until the mushrooms start to soften. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl and keep warm.

In the same frying pan, drizzle in one more tbsp. of olive oil. Add entire bag of spinach to the pan. Toss the spinach to coat it with the olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the spinach just starts to wilt. This will happen very quickly so do not stop tossing the spinach while it is cooking. Spoon the spinach into the bowl with the mushrooms.

Once the tomatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, add the mushrooms and spinach to the sauce. Stir to mix well. Continue simmering for 5-10 minutes.

Pour the cooked shells into the pot of tomato sauce. Toss well to evenly coat the pasta.

To serve, spoon into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Happy 8th Birthday Alexis!

2011-05-25T22:52:00.000-04:00

My daughter and I celebrate our birthdays during the same week in May - her's on the 24th and mine on the 26th. I'm still finding it hard to believe that she turned 8 yrs. old yesterday. We took her on a shopping trip so that she could pick out some of her gifts - mostly clothes and shoes! She is a shoe fiend! The girl is madly obsessed with shoes!! She is at the point where she can wear girl's shoes or small sizes in ladies' shoes - lookout a whole new arena now. She has a great, quirky sense for fashion and needs little help when it comes to pulling whole outfits together. Plus, she is already loves searching for good sales, yard sales and thrift stores! Yay! Chalk one up for Mom for showing her the way!

She is growing up so quickly and becoming quite a little lady (and still partly tomboy, too). She cracks me up when she goes out the door wearing a dress and pretty shoes and is adorned from head to toe with earrings, a necklace, bracelets and a watch but then comes home with her hair pulled into a ponytail and her jewelry in her book bag. If you ask her why, she'll tell you that you can't play football the right way with the boys when you are wearing jewelry. Did you know that you can't beat the boys in relay races if you are wearing flip flops? That's why she will sneak out of her teacher's sight to kick them off to run in her bare feet so that she can win the races. ~ Ugh. ~ At least she is listening to part of what I've been telling her - absolutely no running around in flip flops because you will get hurt. I chose to ignore the latter part of her running around in bare feet. I know, bad Mom. But at that moment, I was ok with it.

She is loving and kind, lovable, stubborn, sometimes mouthy, rough yet gentle, smart, independent and already a leader. She is doing very well in school. She says that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. I think that children would greatly benefit from a teacher like her. She's a sports fanatic - she loves playing soccer, football, basketball and golf. Boys, watch out...she doesn't back down to challenges. She's also a die-hard Steelers fan!! (like her Mom - not like her Dad - he's a Jet's fan).

It took so long to bring her into this world and even though she drives us batty at times, we love each and every minute with her. We wouldn't change a thing.

Happy 8th Birthday Alexis!

We love you!!


Singing 'Happy Birthday' in the dark

Alexis' cupcake request - homemade Funfetti Cupcakes topped with Nerds

May all of your troubles.....

Go Up....

In Bubbles!

Pastitsio

2011-05-18T20:06:00.001-04:00

Pastitsio or "Greek lasagna" contains layers of pasta, meat sauce and bechamel sauce. Derived from the Italian word "pasticcio", it means mess or hodgepodge. There are many recipes out there for Pastitsio. Some of the recipes call for literally making everything from scratch. Since I don't usually have that kind of time, I opted to take some shortcuts to make this dish somewhat quicker and easier.

Once again I've used a recipe from Kraft as a base for my recipe. I added some spices and extra cheese into my recipe. It was also another opportunity for me to use some of my flourishing cinnamon basil.

Pastitsio
adapted from Kraft

1 1/2 lbs elbow macaroni, cooked al dente & drained well- (measured before cooking - I eyeballed pouring 1/2 a 3 lb box into a large pot of water. I used all but about 1 cup of the cooked mac in this recipe.)

Meat Sauce
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
24 oz spaghetti sauce (I used jarred sauce)

Bechamel Sauce
4 tbsp butter
2 1/2 c milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
16 oz Greek nonfat yogurt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 + 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. cinnamon basil, chopped

Directions:

Cook elbow macaroni. Drain well and set aside.

For meat sauce:

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain excess grease. Return ground beef to the skillet and stir in spices and spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally. Stir in cinnamon basil. Remove from heat.

For Bechamel Sauce:

In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stirring constantly, pour in milk and nutmeg, stirring to blend. Bring mixture to a boil and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken. Stir in 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.

Add macaroni and stir until it is well coated.

Preheat oven to 350*

To assemble:

Pour ground beef mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 dish. Spread the macaroni over the beef. Top with 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until warmed through and the top has browned lightly. Cool in pan for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

~*~* My thoughts *~

The dish was very tasty. All of the herbs and spices came shining through, especially the cinnamon basil and the nutmeg. If you don't like a heavy spice taste in your food, I would suggest cutting back on the spices or even leaving out the cinnamon basil.

This is a traditional Pastitsio by any means. As you can see in the pictures, it did not hold together in layers but it did hold true to the definition of it's name. All the same, it was really good.

If I were to make this recipe again, I would use penne pasta instead of the elbow macaroni. I would also add another layer of pasta to the bottom of the pan, and then add the beef in the middle and top with more pasta.

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bowls

2011-05-17T23:16:00.003-04:00

I've been searching the Internet for recipe ideas that would be outside our normal everyday meals. I found a recipe on Kraft.com for Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs. Instead of making this a kabob meal, I made it a "stir fry" of sorts. It turned out to be a quick 30 minute meal with tons of flavor.

I made some changes to the recipe and in the end I was very pleased at how it turned out. My happiest moments came as my kids took their first bites and both surprisingly said "I really like this!" You had to be here while I was preparing the meal. My daughter kept insisting that she hated shrimp and that she wasn't going to eat dinner ...and, of course, she said that I was going to starve her on purpose. She ended up eating more shrimp than anyone else. My son admitted that he thought that he would hate but that he really liked it.

What more could I ask for? :)

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bowls
adapted from Kraft.com

4 cups of cooked rice of your choice, kept warm
3/4 c. zesty Italian dressing
2 tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 - 4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 bags large size frozen shrimp, tails removed and thawed
3/4 can of unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/3 c. fresh basil, chopped

Prepare rice and keep it warm until ready to eat.

In a medium-sized frying pan, stir together Italian dressing, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce and pineapple juice. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and starts to thicken just a bit.

Stir in shrimp. Cook for 5- 6 minutes.

Add pineapple and basil. Continue cooking for 2 more minutes.

To Serve:

Scoop rice into individual bowls.

Spoon the pineapple shrimp sauce over the rice.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Linking to:

Tempt My Tummy

Tuesdays at the Table

Tasty Tuesdays

May Secret Recipe Club: Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream

2011-05-16T08:50:00.004-04:00

It's strawberry time here in NC. When I decided to participate in this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was hoping that my secret blogging buddy would have a strawberry recipe on her/his blog that would draw me in and convince me to make it.

I was in luck! I was matched up with Ruchi @ Ruchi's Simply Food. She has a delicious recipe for Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream that I just had to try. Her ice cream recipe has just a handful of ingredients and she made it into a no churn recipe.

I made a few changes to the recipe, plus I used my ice cream maker to make it smooth and cold. I did need to convert her recipe amounts. Once I converted the amounts, I rounded everything up for ease and also so that I didn't have bits of everything left over. The results were delicious. A thick and creamy strawberry ice cream that my whole family loved. Excellent in a dish or a cone!

You can view her original recipe here.

Here's my version:

Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream

14 ounces strawberry, diced into small chunks
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
8 ounces homemade mascarpone cheese* - recipe below
8 ounces heavy cream
1/2 c. powdered sugar - I added this to make the cream a bit sweeter

Mix chopped berries, powdered sugar and lemon juice together and set aside.

Using a hand mixer, mix together Mascarpone cheese* and heavy cream.

Mix in extra 1/2 c. of powdered sugar.

Mix in strawberries.

Pour mixture into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker.

Process according to manufacture's directions until ice cream is thick and creamy.

Serve in bowls or ice cream cones or freeze until ready to eat.The consistency will change from smooth and creamy to a hard ice cream texture if frozen. It is delicious either way.

To make homemade Mascarpone Cheese:

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp. sour cream

Mix together until smooth and creamy

If you would like to join us in the Secret Recipe Club, here's what you need to know.

Enjoy our blog hop! Comments are welcomed!

Linking to:

It's Berry Season! Gooseberry Patch

Menu for May 15 - 21

2011-05-15T15:40:00.001-04:00

This month seems to be flying by. We're not as busy this week as we were last week. My son has one game playoff soccer game scheduled for Tuesday if the weather holds out. Weather reports are conflicting right now. Some say rain, some say sun so we'll just have to wait and see. The end of grade tests are over so the kids can relax now. All reading points have been earned, too. It's just a matter of waiting it out 'til the end of the year. We are attending my son's honor roll awards ceremony on Thursday.

Can't wait until our tomato plants have tomatoes hanging on them. I've been craving fried green tomatoes. :) Haven't had them in so long. Yum.

On to this week's menu:

Sunday - meatloaf and mac n cheese - didn't have it last week

Monday - pineapple shrimp skewers with Asian noodles

Tuesday - blts and hashbrowns

Wednesday - pastitsio (Greek lasagna) with salad and bread

Thursday - Greek lemon roasted chicken with rice and corn

Friday - open

Saturday - Tuscany chicken and pasta with garlic bread

Enjoy the week! If you're reading this, stop by and say "hi!". I'll visit you back.

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza with Cheese, Mushrooms & Fresh Herbs

2011-05-15T01:19:00.000-04:00

Here's a more grown up version of our family's favorite pita pizzas. White pizza is one of my all time favorites. I like to change up the ingredients every time I make it for myself. This one gets lots of flavor from fresh oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme.

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza with Cheese, Mushrooms & Fresh Herbs
makes 2

2 whole wheat pita breads
2/3 cup shredded cheese. I used Sargento
Artisan Blends Mozzarella & Provolone &
Double Cheddar - 1/3 c. of each
1c. white button mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. ricotta cheese

Lay the 2 pita breads on a baking sheet. Divide and sprinkle 1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese over both pitas. Set aside.

Thoroughly wash the fresh herbs. Pat dry with paper towels. Finely chop herbs and set aside.

In a frying pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add mushrooms. Saute mushrooms in oil until soft, stirring in herbs and garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Divide the mushrooms mixture between the two pitas, covering both to the outer edges.

Divide and sprinkle 1/3 c. shredded mozzarella and provolone cheeses on top of the pitas.

Using a teaspoon, drop the ricotta into 6 small circles on each pita. I used a butter knife to lightly draw lines in the cheese, dividing the pitas into 6 pieces. The end point of each piece got a dollop of ricotta cheese.

Bake at 450* for 8-10 minutes.

Pineapple Sage Cupcakes

2011-05-14T13:28:00.008-04:00

I'm so happy that my little herb garden is in full bloom. I planted the regulars like basil and oregano but I also veered off the beaten path and bought some pineapple sage and cinnamon basil that day, mainly because they smelled so good. I figured that I would find something to do with them when the time came to use them.

I was looking through a new cookbook that I just received called "Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes". In it there's a recipe for Lemon Basil Cupcakes that convinced me that I could use my pineapple sage to flavor some cupcakes of my own.

The results were light, airy cupcakes with a hint of pineapple. I used pineapple in the cupcakes to add to the flavor of the pineapple basil since the flavor of the pineapple basil is so faint when you cook or bake with it. Whole wheat flour adds a bit of nuttiness to the cupcakes, too.

Pineapple Sage Cupcakes
inspired by Lemon Basil Cupcakes from
Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes

3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice, reserved from can of pineapples
1/3 c. unsweetend pineapple chunks, crushed or cut into very small pieces
4 tbsp. pineapple sage, chopped into small pieces
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350* Line cupcake pans with papers for 24 cupcakes and set aside.

Stir together milk and pineapple juice.

Crush pineapple chunks in a food processor or cut the chunks into very small pieces. Add to the milk and pineapple juice.

Cut pineapple sage into small pieces. Stir into the pineapple mixture and then set the bowl aside until you have finished mixing the dry ingredients.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined.

Combine flours, baking powder and salt. Mix in butter mixture, alternating with pineapple mixture, mixing just until everything comes together resembling a cake batter.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full - do not over fill. These cupcakes do not rise too high.

Bake for 14 - 15 minutes or until the edges of the cupcakes turn light brown.

Cool in pans for 2-3 minutes. Remove cupcakes to cooling racks to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Linking up with:

Cupcake Tuesday at Hoosier Homemade

Join Swagbucks.com in Donating to the United Way of Western Alabama Tornado Relief Fund!

2011-05-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

During the 24-hour period from 8 am April 27 to 8 am April 28, The National Weather Service estimates there were a total of 266 tornadoes causing over 340 deaths and countless miles of destruction in the Southern US. One of the hardest hit areas was Tuscaloosa, AL. Estimates indicated that the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa could have been on the ground for 176 miles, with winds between 167 and 200 mph.

Throughout the month of May, please consider donating your Swag Bucks to the United Way of Western Alabama for their Tornado Relief Fund. The United Way of Western Alabama has committed to giving 100% of these donations to go directly to the Tornado Relief Fund.

Please make all donations through this link .

Here's how the total Swag Bucks collected will be converted into a cash donation:

10,000,000 SB = $100,000.00
7,500,000 SB = $73,750.00
5,000,000 SB = $47,500.00
2,500,000 SB = $23,250.00
1,500,000 SB = $13,750.00
1,000,000 SB = $9,000.00
750,000 SB = $6,375.00
500,000 SB = $4,050.00
250,000 SB = $1,925.00
200,000 SB = $1,500.00
135,000 SB = $1,000.00
68,000 SB = $500.00

The deadline for donations is Tuesday May 31st at 12:00pm PDT.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Not a Swag Bucks member?!?

Join Today!

Earn 30 Swag Buck today just for joining!

It's easy and fun! Earn Swag Bucks and redeem them for prizes!

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Menu Plan for May 7 - 14

2011-05-09T00:50:00.001-04:00

Is it Monday already? Where did this weekend go so quickly?

I must admit, I felt sort of guilty for not blogging much for the last two weeks. But, in the same breath, I have to tell you that I truly enjoyed the first week with my kids while they were off from school on spring break....and then the ol' allergy/sinus infection caught up with me last week. I'm on the rebound and ready to blog again. :)

While the kids were on vacation, we planted containers full of herbs and flowers. We also filled our Topsy Turvys with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. So far, so good! (More about our planting coming soon!)

We have a busy week ahead of us - my son's soccer games wrap up this week. We're waiting to hear about playoff dates. He will be busy taking EOGs (end of grade tests) on Wed., Thurs. & Fri. and I will be proctoring at his school for the tests, too.

Good news that my husband will go back to having his usual days off - Thursday and Friday. We survived with him having Mondays & Tuesday off but his regular-to-us days are coming back none too soon. :)

On with the menu for this week!

Saturday - hot dogs and sweet potato fries

Sunday - out to dinner for Mother's Day

Monday - Mediterranean pasta and meat sauce and salad

Tuesday - Thai style pork kabobs, cooked potatoes and a side veggie

Wednesday - chicken nachos and taco rice

Thursday - Tuscany cavatelli and salad

Friday - grilled pork tenderloin, spinach parmesan risotto and side veggie

Saturday - meatloaf and macaroni & cheese

If you stop by to check out my menu, please take a minute to say "Hi"! I love meeting new friends!
I'll be sure to jump over and visit your blog, too!

Linking up to:

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T14:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that all Moms out there are enjoying their day!

Hugs,
Tami

April Cookie Carnival Round Up

2011-05-02T12:58:00.002-04:00

It's that time again! Time for another Cookie Carnival Round Up!

The two recipes chosen for this month were:

Iced Pink-Lemonade Cookie Pops
and
Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling

April was a busy month for everyone so only two of us participated in baking.

Tessa @ The Cookin' Chemist said "We had some friends over yesterday for the first barbecue in our newly finished backyard, and these cookies turned out to be the dessert hit of the party! I have to admit that the coconut-pineapple combination in these proved to be pretty awesome!"

Tami @ Tami's Kitchen Table Talk said "The shortbread cookies are stacked with pineapple cream filling in between and on top of the cookies. I could sit and eat the pineapple filling with a spoon! It's that good!"

If you're looking for a light and very tasty cookie for a party, shower, or a girls' get-together, I highly recommend these cookies! They are not only really pretty but delicious, too!

The Cookie Carnival is open to everyone who loves to bake! You don't even need to be a blogger to join in on the fun! Click here to find out more information on how you can bake with us starting this month!

Check out all of the gorgeous cookies from previous Cookie Carnival Round Up!

May Cookie Carnival - Guest Host

2011-05-02T12:23:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone!

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, I'm going to be busy, busy, busy working at both of my kids' schools. For that reason, Krista, from Meet the Swans has offered to fill in as a guest host for the Cookie Carnival this month. Thank you so much, Krista!!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me.

If you enjoy baking cookies, why not give the Cookie Carnival a try?!?

There are two different recipes to choose from each month. Pick one or both and bake along with us!

For more information on the Cookie Carnival, click here!

Happy Baking!
Tami

April Cookie Carnival - Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling

2011-04-22T15:27:00.001-04:00

One of the Cookie Carnival recipes this month is Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling by Anna Olson of the Food Network Canada.

I wasn't sure that I was going to find the time to make these cookies this month. Since it is raining today and we couldn't get out to clean and wash the car like I'd planned, I decided to make the cookies since I had everything on hand. I'm really happy that I did.

The shortbread cookies are stacked with pineapple cream filling in between and on top of the cookies. I could sit and eat the pineapple filling with a spoon! It's that good. The little cookie stacks would make a perfect Easter dessert served in single serving cups.

When reading the recipe, I thought that it might be a little more work that I really wanted to do but it ended up being a really simple recipe that came together quickly.

Toasted Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Filling
from Anna Olson on Food Network Canada

Ingredients:

Shortbread1/2 cup sweetened coconut, fine shred
1 cup and 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

Pineapple Cream
1/2 cup cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
pineapple slices (I omitted)

To make cookies:

Shortbread

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spread coconut on an ungreased baking tray and toast for 10 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool. (I did not toast the coconut first. I just added it to the dough out of the bag.)

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter in pieces and pulse just until dough is crumbly.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle toasted coconut over. Work coconut into dough until dough comes together.

Dust work surface again and roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/8 –inch thick, and cut into circles using a cookie cutter or small glass.

Use a spatula to lift cookies onto a parchment-lined baking tray and bake, on the center rack of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, just until edges of cookie color slightly.

Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Pineapple Cream

Beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Beat in icing sugar and vanilla. Stir in pineapple and fold into whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.

To assemble:

To plate, place a cookie on a plate with thinly sliced pineapple. Then spoon or pipe about 2 Tbsp of pineapple cream onto cookie and top with another cookie. Spoon or pipe another 2 Tbsp of cream and serve or refrigerate until ready to eat.

**Note** The recipe says it makes 12 cookies but I ended up with 14 cookies using a 3 inch cookie cutter. If you were to use a 4 or 5 inch cookie cutter to be able to hold the pineapple slice, you would most likely get 10 - 12 cookies.

Would you like to have fun baking with us in the Cookie Carnival? Click here to find out what it's all about!

Busy Beehive Cupcake Cones

2011-04-20T08:41:00.004-04:00

One of my kids' favorite desserts are cupcakes baked inside of ice cream cones. They are a fun grab-n-go treat. I like them because they are easy to make and they are not messy!

These busy beehive cones remind me of spring and the beautiful, sunny weather that we are experiencing now. Not too hot, not too cold. Let's get out and enjoy it while we can!

Busy Beehive Cupcake Cones

1 boxed yellow cake mix + ingredients listed
on the package
16- 18 ice cream cones
1 can of vanilla icing
1 can of chocolate icing
yellow food coloring
yellow M&Ms for decorating
milk chocolate melts

Preheat oven to 350*

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

To make the cones easier to handle, I used my 12 cupcake, cupcake pan and stood one cone in each cup. Fill each cone 3/4 full - do not be tempted to fill them any fuller. The batter will run over the tops of the cones and down the sides. (Geez...wonder how I know this?!?)

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cakes are light brown and a skewer stuck down into the middle of the cone comes out clean. Cool completely. Repeat the process until all of the cake batter has been used. Depending on the type of cake mix, I usually end up with 16 -18 cones.

Spread yellow M&Ms out on a piece of waxed paper. You will need 2-3 M&M "bees" for each cone. Melt 1/4 c. of chocolate candy melts in the microwave. Spoon the melted chocolate into a plastic baggie. Barely snip the tip off one corner of the baggie-just enough for a fine line of chocolate to flow through the hole. Draw the stripes and eyes on each M&M, creating the bees. Let dry before moving.

Tint the vanilla frosting bright yellow. Tip: I use paste food coloring. I've found that using the liquid food coloring with canned frosting tends to thin the frosting out too much, making it hard to use. Frost each cupcake with the yellow icing.

Using a small paring knife, cut out the beehive entrance in each cone. Frost the hole with yellow icing.

Spoon the chocolate frosting into a plastic baggie. Snip the tip of the baggie. Trace the entrance hole of the hive with chocolate frosting. Draw the swirls around the hive with the chocolate frosting.

Carefully remove the bees from the waxed paper and using the chocolate frosting as "glue", stick the bees on the cones.

Enjoy! The cupcakes are best when eaten the same day.

My spring bug cupcakes would pair up perfectly with these busy beehive cupcakes for a fun party theme!

Linking up to:
Cupcake Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays
Muffin Monday (includes cupcakes!)
Momtrends Friday Food

Peanut Butter Cupcakes Covered in Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

2011-04-18T13:35:00.007-04:00

Two words....sinfully delicious!

I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate in just about any form. I decided to mix them together and then wrap them up in one pretty little package.

Just one bite and you will be hooked!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes Covered in Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Cupcakes:

1/3 c. butter, room temp
1/3 c. good quality peanut butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk

Ganache:

1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. good quality peanut butter
1 tsp. butter
4 -5 tbsp milk

To make cupcakes:

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour into the peanut butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat for 2-3 minutes longer on medium-high, until the batter is light and fluffy.

Bake at 350* for 22 - 24 minutes. Cool completely before dipping the cupcakes into the ganache.

To make ganache:

Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 30 second intervals until the chocolate chips have melted. Stir in peanut butter. Whisk in milk, 1 tbsp. at a time, until smooth and creamy. If the ganache starts to harden, stick it back into the microwave for 20 seconds and then stir well.

Dip the top of each cupcake into the ganache. Set on cooling racks to dry.

Store the cupcakes in a sealed container.

Linking up to:
So Sweet Sunday
Cupcake Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays
Delectable Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
Foodie Friday

Garden Veggie Muffins

2011-04-18T11:59:00.006-04:00

These corn muffins would be perfect to serve up for an afternoon brunch. They would match perfectly with a bowl of soup, chili or some sliced ham.

You will find that kids are more willing to eat their veggies if they help to prepare the food they are eating. This is a simple recipe that will get the kids into the kitchen and cooking!

Garden Veggie Muffins

1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. California blend frozen veggie, thawed
2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. sour cream & onion chip dip

Stir together corn muffin mix, egg and milk until blended. - some tiny lumps are ok.

Squeeze the water out of of the California veggie mix by dumping the veggies into a piece of cheesecloth or 2 coffee filters. Squeeze to drain off the water. Stir the veggies into the muffin mixture.

Line 6 silicone muffin tins onto a baking sheet. Spoon the muffin mix evenly into the six cups.

Bake at 350* for 15 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick stuck in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

For herb spread:

Stir together the cream cheese and sour cream & onion dip. Top each muffin.

Vegetable decorations:

Thinly slice 5 rounds from a small English cucumber. Thinly slice a small radish for the middle round. Level off the top of a muffin. Spread a thin layer of the herb spread onto the muffin, using the spread a the "glue" to hold the cucumbers. Add another dot of the herb spread to the middle of the muffin and top with a radish disk.

You could also use thinly sliced radish for the flower petals and fill the middle with raisins or sunflower seeds.

Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Linking up to:

Mouthwatering Monday
My Meatless Monday
Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday
Made By You Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Tasty Tuesdays

The Secret Recipe Club - Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

2011-04-17T23:16:00.001-04:00

I'm participating in a new blogging challenge called The Secret Recipe Club. My friend, Amanda, from Amanda's Cookin' is the host. The object of this challenge is that each blogger is assigned the name of one of the other participating blogs. You then pick any recipe from that blog and make it. You don't reveal whose blog that you have until the round up on the chosen date. Click here to find out how you can join in on the fun!

My secret blog for this month was Megan's Cookin'. Megan has a beautiful blog with so many delicious recipes posted on it. I chose bake her Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars. I actually made these at the beginning of the month for my husband's birthday. I knew that they would go over big because love sweet pumpkin desserts. When you bite into the bars, it really is like eating a slice of pumpkin pie only in bar form. Very moist and delicious with lots of pumpkin flavor.

The only changes that I made were to add more pumpkin pie spice to the filling and more spices to the topping. I omitted the white chocolate drizzle topping. I topped the bars with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars
adapted from Megan's Cookin'

Snickerdoodle Layer

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tbls. vanilla

Pumpkin Pie Layer

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Topping

4 tbsp. white sugar
2 tsp.cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan and lay a piece of parchment paper across the pan, so that it extends the pan slightly. Don't skip using the parchment paper. It makes removing the bars from the pan so very easy.

To make snickerdoodle layer:

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be thick and cookiebatter-ish.)

To make pumpkin pie filling:

In a mixer bowl (you can use the same one you used to make the snickerdoodle batter) with a paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. This layer will be less thick and more pourable. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.

To make the topping:

Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Baking:

Bake for 33-40 minutes (maybe more depending on your oven) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.

Let the bars cool completely (about an hour). They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer. The bars that are closer to the edges of the pan will be more firm.

Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Store in a covered container.

Menu Plan for 4/17 - 4/23

2011-04-17T14:35:00.003-04:00

After all of the storms over the weekend, it's absolutely beautiful here today. The sun is shining and the temps are in the 70s.

My kids and I are heading to Sam's Club for their "Taste of Spring". It will probably be crazy with lots of people but my kids love to run around trying all of the samples. They are willing to try foods that they would never try at home. Funny how samples work that way.

Here's our menu for the week:

Sunday - hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes & gravy

Monday - ziti with hot sausage sauce

Tuesday - grilled pork chops with taco potato skins & a side of corn

Wednesday - Asian noodle bowls with chicken pot stickers

Thursday - breakfast for dinner...raisin bread French toast with turkey bacon

Friday - focaccia deli sandwiches with pasta salad

Saturday - chicken blt pizza

Enjoy the week!!

Linking up to:

Menu Plan Monday
Marvelous Menu

Crockpot Chuck Wagon Beef Sandwiches

2011-04-12T15:38:00.004-04:00

I love using my crock pot on busy days. Last Thursday, I had one of those days where I was lucky to spend 15 minutes at a time at home for the whole day.

I decided to try a new recipe called Chuck Wagon Beef Sandwiches from the cookbook Fix it and Forget It. The meat held up really well for the cooking and even for reheating that evening.

Chuck Wagon Beef Sandwiches

4 lb boneless chuck roast
1 tsp garlic salt ( I used garlic powder)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. oil
6 - 8 garlic cloves, minced
1 lg. onion, sliced
1 c. water
1 bouillon cube - (I used 1 c. beef broth for the water and bouillon)
2-3 tsp. instant coffee
1 bay leaf or 1 tbsp. Italian herbs (I used both)
3 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp cornstarch (I didn't use the water or cornstarch to thicken the broth)
sandwich buns
butter flavored non stick spray

Sprinkle roast with garlic powder and pepper. Brown on all sides in oil in pan. Place in slow cooker.

Saute garlic and onion in meat drippings. Add water, bouillon cube (in my case beef broth) and coffee. Cook over low heat for several minutes, stirring until drippings loosen. Pour over meat in cooker.

Add bay leaf or herbs. (I added both)

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. (I cooked it on high for 5 hours).

Remove bay leaf. Remove meat to a serving plate. Shred the meat using two forks. Cover and keep warm.

Lay sandwich buns on a baking sheet. Lightly spray the buns with butter flavored cooking spray. Stick the pan under the broiler until the buns are lightly toasted.

Linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday

What's on the Menu Wednesday

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-11T15:18:00.005-04:00

Last week went so fast and Monday is here already.

Nothing really fancy on our menu this week. My kids and I are suffering from allergies/colds so I figured that I would just take it easy and not make anything over the top.

Last week's storms left some damage in our immediate area. We were without electricity for about 15 hrs. Even so, that's nothing compared to the baseball-sized hail some people had to deal with from storms over the weekend. We were out grocery shopping in that area but when I realized that storms were moving in faster than the forecasters were predicting, we headed home. I'm so thankful that we decided to do so. We might have been caught right in the middle of it. Storm season is here rearing its ugly head.

Sunday - beef barley vegetable soup

Monday - 4 ingredient chicken casserole

Tuesday - chicken cacciatore over egg noodles

Wednesday - steak salad (didn't have it before) - using this marinade

Thursday - baked fish w/spinach & cheese, rice and green beans - this turned into southwest macaroni. So I think that I will move the fish to Friday and the ravioli to next week.

Friday - beef ravioli & salad

Saturday - Italian hoagies and antipasto salad

Have a wonderful week!!

Linking up to:

Ask Ms Recipe

Menu Plan Monday

Jumbo Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-04-07T09:36:00.000-04:00

Let me tell how quickly I decided to make this cook recipe.....

I'd just put my daughter into the tub to play in a bubble bath. About 5 minutes later I decided to sit down at the computer to check my blog. My husband and son were moaning about not having any dessert but I told them that it wasn't happening because I didn't have time to squeeze it in. I always check my "blogging buddies" list on my blog to see what my friends are cooking or baking. My friend, Amanda @ Amanda's Cookin', baked chocolate peanut butter cookies. MMM!!! Just what I was searching for....a quick, easy recipe that would satisfy their needs for dessert. Plus, how did she know that I'd been craving chocolate and peanut butter?

This recipe is very easy to whip up. The peanut butter definitely shines through. I had to add about 3 more tbsp. of milk to my cookies because the dough was a bit dry. I also used a large ice cream scoop to make the cookies jumbo sized. The truth is that I really didn't feel like standing in the kitchen scooping out multiple trays of cookies. I added 4 minutes to the baking time.

Here are the cookies right out of oven and still warm. So good!

The next time I make this recipe I'm going to add some chocolate chips. I might dip them into chocolate, too!

Jumbo Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from Amanda's Cookin'

1/2 cup shortening (or butter flavored shortening)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp milk + more if dough seems a little dry. I used 3 tbsp more
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375*.

Combine shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Drop by large tbsp (or use a large cookie scoop) 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake for 10- 12 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.

March Cookie Carnival Round Up - Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

2011-04-03T21:18:00.004-04:00

It's time for another Cookie Carnival Round Up!

There were two chocolate cookie recipes to choose from this month:

Choc. Mint Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

Everyone in this round up chose to make the Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal Cookies from Quaker Oats. I must say, these cookies are so good! My cookie monsters gobbled them up quickly. This recipe is a keeper for us.

Check out what everyone else had to say...

Katrina @ Baking and Boys made some healthy changes to her cookies. She said that they were really good.

Tessa @ The Cookin Chemist - Said that she's more of a vanilla girl than chocolate but you should check out what her hubby did with them!

Shonda @ The Knowlton Nest added wheat germ to her cookies to make them healthier.

Ana @ Anasbageri described her cookies "more like small cakes, very light, pleasant and sweet".

Barb @ Mom's Fridge said "With a name like that, how wrong could you go with this recipe? Answer: there's nothing wrong at all here--just plenty of deliciousness.".

Vivian @ Let's Try These said "I kid you not, this is one killer cookie recipe.".

and my cookies Tami @ Tami's Kitchen Table Talk said "These cookies are soft and chewy and down right delicious!".

WAIT!! We have 3 more bakers to include this month! The first two became victims of the Internet in outer space. Not sure if they just disappeared or if I'm having trouble with my email address again. For this reason, I am changing the email address connected with the Cookie Carnival - details to follow! I will email everyone about it and you will see the changes here on my blog. The last baker to be shown is Krista. Somehow I overlooked her entry. I apologize!! I have all of the entries for the month staring me in my face when I do the round up but I just skipped it and marked it "read". I'm a dork for doing this. I'm so sorry!!

Juliana @ Horneando Algo used mini M&Ms in place of the nuts. Oh yeah! A girl after my own heart!!

Tiffiny @ The Bake - Off Flunkie added chocolate chips to her recipe but that's not all...she froze the cookie dough and then bake them for a wonderful chewy cookie. Check out her results. Clever!

Krista @ Meet the Swans added peanut butter cups to her cookies. Who could resist these?

Please take a few minutes to check out the blogs from all of these great bakers. Share some bloggy love!!

Thanks for this AMAZING round up!!

If you would like to join us in baking with the Cookie Carnival, click here to read more about it.
Everyone is welcome here!!

Happy Baking!
Tami

Menu Plan Monday - April 3 - 9

2011-04-03T00:51:00.004-04:00

Can you believe that I've actually finished our menu for the week already? I have a lot to do in the next couple of days so I'm posting this now before I get busy and can't find the time to do it.

I managed to follow most of the menu last week, although I did switch out a couple of meals.

This week we're having:

Sunday - *new* southwestern pasta & cheese & salad

Monday - hubby's birthday dinner - we're grilling steaks

Tuesday - *new* grilled Asian pork burgers, grilled veggies, & French fries - we will have dessert at McD's for my daughter's school fundraiser. I'll be working there for the school.

Wednesday - beef barley vegetable soup & egg salad sandwiches (hubby requested egg salad)

Thursday - *new* crockpot chuck roast sandwiches, 3 cheese mashed potatoes and stuffing. (I'm ending up with a super busy day. We are catering dinner at the elem. school for the teacher's parent conferences. I have to be there for delivery and clean up. In between, I will need to go to the middle school to train for proctoring for the EOGs and then after clean up of the food, my son has a soccer game. What a long night)

Friday - *new* Pizza Cordon Bleu and salad

Saturday - open right now

Menu Plan Monday

If you're checking out my menu plan, stop by and say "hi!" I love to talk!!

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

2011-04-02T22:59:00.000-04:00

I found this wonderful recipe for Chinese chicken wings Wings on the blog Easy to be Gluten Free. Although we are not a gluten free family, there are many wonderful recipes on her blog that everyone can enjoy.

I decided to use the sauce portion of her recipe on the boneless chicken thighs that I had planned on making for dinner. I parboiled the chicken for 10 minutes and then broiled it in the oven for the remaining cooking time. I would've grilled it but my husband just cleaned the grill and he was not happy with the idea of me using a sugary glaze on it tonight. The next time I will grill it because I think that the caramelizing of the sauce will give it one more layer of flavor to enjoy!

My kids and husband raved about this dish. It's easy to make and definitely a keeper!

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. five spice powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

(I doubled the sauce recipe)

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Add chicken thighs to a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium-high to cook for 10 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl combine sauce ingredients. Toss the chicken thighs with the sauce mixture.

Place thighs on a foil lined cookie sheet. Pour any remaining sauce over the wings.

Broil until cooked through - about 8 minutes, turning and brushing every 3 minutes with the sauce.

Quick & Easy Strawberry Shortcake

2011-04-01T23:27:00.000-04:00

I ran into Aldi a couple of days ago to pick up a couple of things. They were having a sale on strawberries - large containers for .99. Great deal! I picked up 3 boxes with bright, juicy berries. For this time of year, these strawberries were surprisingly sweet. Still, I cleaned them, put them into a container and dumped some Splenda on them. There are foods that we like the taste of Splenda on better than sugar. They sat on the kitchen table for a couple of hours after dinner.

I had some biscuit mix in the cupboard so I whipped up some shortcakes to go along with the strawberries for an easy dessert.

Not a fancy recipe but it sure makes a pretty dessert.

Quick & Easy Strawberry Shortcake

strawberries, cleaned and sliced
sugar or Splenda for topping strawberries

Recipe from the back of the biscuit mix box:

2 c. baking mix
3 tbsp. Splenda
3 tbsp. margarine, melted
1/3 c. milk - I used 2/3 c.

Top strawberries with sugar or Splenda. If your berries aren't really juicy, sprinkle them with a little water, lemon or orange juice. Set aside to macerate.

For biscuits, stir together ingredients until well blended. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops with Splenda. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

To serve:

Split biscuits and cover with berries. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-04-01T22:51:00.003-04:00

There must be more than 100 recipes floating around right now for chicken tortilla soup. Everyone likes to put their own spin on it. My husband and I recently ate lunch at McAlister's Deli. He had their chicken tortilla soup and loved it. He asked me if I could duplicate it at home. A challenge indeed.

After a long search, I found this copycat recipe from Food.com.

Was it a dead ringer for the soup that my husband had eaten? No. However, it was very good. With a few tweaks, we will have it again. The taste was close to McAlister's but *something* was missing. This soup was not as thick as the tortilla soup from that day. You also couldn't see the chunks of salsa or chicken in the restaurant soup. None the less, the whole family liked it.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onions, chopped
3 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
4 cups half-and-half
1 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 (15 ounce) cans creamed corn
3 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons fajita seasoning mix
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
16 ounces tortilla chips
8 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1/8 cup green onions, chopped (I omitted)

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion in the butter or margarine for 5 minutes.

Add flour and stir well, cooking for 1 minute more.

Add the broth and half-and-half. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add the soup, salsa, corn, chicken, cumin, fajita seasoning and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Stir and continue to heat for 15 minutes.

Crumble tortilla chips into individual bowls, add 1/2 ounce shredded cheese to each bowl and ladle in soup. Top each bowl with more crumbled chips, remaining 1/2 ounce cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro, few chopped green onions and serve.

Linking up to:

Tuesday at the Table
Mangia Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Johnny Marzetti

2011-04-01T17:43:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Johnny Marzetti before? It's a dish that we ate for school lunches back when I was in school.

Where did the name come from? According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette website, Johnny Marzetti is a casserole created in the 1920s by the owner of the Marzetti Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Who was Johnny Marzetti? According to the "American Century Cookbook" by Jean Anderson, Johnny Marzetti was the brother of the owner of the Marzetti Restaurant.

Casseroles steamrolled into the kitchen in the 1940s and have remained popular staples to this day. The Johnny Marzetti casserole was popular in the mid '50s and early '60s. It consists of meat, pasta and either tomato sauce, soup or juice.

My husband and I were talking about school lunches and comparing them to what our kids eat in school now. I decided to look up a recipe for Johnny Marzetti to see if I could duplicate the school's recipe. Did I duplicate it? No, not exactly. But the dish that I created was delicious. Like chili, it tastes even better warmed up as leftovers. The recipe that I remember had more of a spaghetti sauce sort of taste with no onion and peppers showing in it. Some say the original recipe contains cheese but I don't ever remember cheese in what I ate. There's also a controversy over whether or not it was made with egg noodles or elbow macaroni. It was always elbows for us.

This was a nice trip down memory lane.

Johnny Marzetti

1 pound ground chuck
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 teaspoon oil
1 large can tomatoes (29 ounces)
1 large can tomato juice
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste

Brown meat, onion and green pepper in oil.

Drain, then add tomatoes, tomato juice and spices.

Add cooked macaroni to sauce. Simmer 10 minutes and serve.

Store any leftovers in a sealed container. It's even better the next day!

Turkey Meatball & Spinach Calzones

2011-03-31T09:43:00.005-04:00

We love calzones but to find a really good one around here at a restaurant is a big challenge, not to mention the price! It's not as hard as you might think to make your own. I took a big short cut and used frozen bread dough. If you're more inclined to make your own dough, here's an easy bread machine dough recipe that's delicious.

Either way, just add your favorite pizza toppings and bake. It's that simple.

Tonight's calzones have turkey meatballs, spinach, mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce in them. MMM! The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile. You can clean out the frig and stuff it into a calzone and your family will think that you are a 5-star chef! Get creative and get the kids into the kitchen. It will taste even better to them since they've helped to make it.

Turkey Meatball & Spinach Calzones

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed according to package directions. Let rise according to package directions
1 bag frozen turkey meatballs, thawed
1/2 bag frozen spinach, thawed
shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce

Sprinkle flour onto a large cutting board or onto the table. Divide each loaf of bread in half. Working with one piece of bread at a time, roll it out flat.

Cut the turkey meatballs in half. Lay 12- 14 pieces onto the bottom half of the dough. Spoon 2-3 tbsp. of pizza sauce over the meatballs.

Divide the spinach into 4 equal amounts. Sprinkle 1/4 of the spinach over the meatballs and sauce. Top with a generous sprinkling of cheese.

Fold the top half of the dough down over the filling. Wrap the dough into a rope form around the edges of the calzone, making sure the edges are sealed tightly. Refer to picture for help.

Lay the calzone on a baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size and ingredients. Bake until the calzones are a deep golden brown. Serve with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.

Linking up to:
Rock Your Recipes

Food on Fridays

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

2011-03-30T18:20:00.001-04:00

The lemon and rosemary in this chicken dish is very light and refreshing. It was a nice change. I love cooking with fresh herbs but they are few and far between around here right now. Once the farmers market starts up again, it should become a good source for me. This recipe was originally supposed to be made with basil but since I went to 3 stores looking for fresh basil and couldn't find it, I settled on dried rosemary and went home.

I will definitely try this recipe again using fresh rosemary or fresh basil.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
6 boneless chicken breast pounded out to 1/2 inch

In a small bowl, stir together the first 7 ingredients. Set aside

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a large frying pan. Add chicken breasts. Coat the top of each chicken breast liberally with the olive oil mixture. Flip the chicken over to the other side and coat that side liberally with the mixture, too.

Turn the heat to medium-high. Fry chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until it is browned on both sides. (It's ok if a little pink is still showing in the middle).

Removed chicken from the frying pan and place on a baking sheet. Little drizzle each piece of chicken with olive oil and a pinch of rosemary.

Place baking sheet under broiler set at 475*. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until nicely brown and just a little crispy around the edges. Watch the chicken carefully to make sure not to over cook it. There is nothing worse than dry chicken!

Remove from oven and drizzle lemon juice over all of the chicken. Serve immediately.

Linking up to:
Friday Potluck

Menu Plan Monday

2011-03-28T13:57:00.000-04:00

What happened to spring? All of a sudden we are drifting backwards into the cold, rainy (and sometimes snowy) weather again! I have beautiful sunny spring days on my mind, not these cold, dreary days that we've been having. It's only 45* here today! I did some major spring cleaning over the weekend and boy am I glad that I didn't pack the sweatshirts and heavy pants away.

Nothin' like soup to warm to warm us up. That's what's on the menu tonight. My daughter made a special request for this chicken noodle soup . I think that we will skip the grilled cheese tonight but I will fill it in with warm bread sticks.

Does anyone else have a hard time finding fresh herbs in the grocery stores around them? We have 3 major chains right in our area but none of them carry a good selection of fresh herbs and the ones that look decent cost a fortune. I've decided that I'm going to try growing some. I'm not much of a green thumb but since my kids and I were able to grow cherry tomatoes from seeds last year, I've caught the gardening bug. If anyone has any tips, I'd appreciate them!

On to this week's menu....

Monday - chicken and dumpling soup with breadsticks

Tuesday - tacos and Spanish rice. Trying a small side of chipotle potato salad

Wednesday - meatball and spinach calzones (didn't make them last week)

Thursday - chicken tortilla soup

Friday - breakfast for dinner: eggs benedict bagel sandwiches and fried potatoes

Saturday - homemade baked fish sandwiches and french fries or sweet potato fries

What's on your menu this week?

Menu Plan Monday

Pork & Beans Chili

2011-03-25T23:13:00.001-04:00

Tonight's meal was part 3 using the pork loin that I bought a while back. For $14.98 I was able to make 3 big delicious dinners - Lime-Glazed Pork Loin, Pork Soulvaki, and today's dinner Pork & Beans Chili.

Slowly but surely, I'm trying to get my family to try different types of beans. So far, they only types that any of the 3 of them will eat are green beans and black beans. I used one of my favorites, cannellini beans, in the chili tonight. The pork and beans blended with the tomatoes creating a yummy chili.

Pork & Beans Chili

1lb. boneless pork loin, cubed into small pieces
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c. water
1 palm full of chili powder
1/2 palm full of cumin
2 big pinches of garlic powder
2 big pinches of onion powder
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
(I apologize for the measurements but I didn't
plan on blogging about this meal until it turned
out so delicious.)
1 lg. can of canellini beans, drained well

In a large frying pan, brown the pork. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Mix together the tomatoes and the water. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the pureed tomatoes back into the large frying pan. Stir in the seasonings. Add the pork.

Stir well. Cover and cook on medium-low for 20 minutes. Stir in beans and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Serve with warm cornbread.

Linking to:

Frugal Follies Thursday

Hummingbird Cupcakes in the Buff

2011-03-24T16:16:00.006-04:00

The hummingbird cake seems to have deep roots in the south. There are many speculations as to where it originated. Some say it was a recipe submitted to Southern Living Magazine by a southern lady. While others say it originated in Jamaica...bananas and pineapple are from the area so these ingredients were use often in cakes. The cake is said to be named after Jamaica's national bird. N o matter where this cake originated, I'm glad that the recipe made it to our neck of the woods.

I had never heard of hummingbird cake before moving to the Charlotte area. It's very popular all around here. Since cupcakes go over way better than cake at our house, I decided to give them a whirl. Think banana bread filled with fruit and nuts. MMM! Bananas keep the cupcakes moist and delicious. The pineapple takes on a glazed, sugar-coated taste and the coconut and pecans give a nice little crunch. The sugars from the bananas and pineapple form a slightly sticky crust around the edges of each cupcake.

Traditional hummingbird cake is usually frosted with cream cheese frosting. My cupcakes were so sweet and moist and delicious that I decided to leave them plain. Why add more sugar if it's really not needed? My family agreed.

Take a look at those bananas peeking through. Don't you just want to stick your finger right into it?

I've done a lot of research on recipes for hummingbird cake. Most of the ingredients are the same - the only change, depending on which recipe you use, is choosing to use either oil or butter.

Hummingbird Cupcakes in the Buff

3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp cloves
2 sticks butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sugar
3 lg. eggs
2 c. ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 large bananas)
8 oz. crushed pineapple
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. sweetened coconut

Preheat over to 350* Line cupcake pan with liners or use silicone holders.

Wisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the next. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy.

Stir together banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, mixing until combined.

Stir the fruit mixture into the flour mixture.

I used a large ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners. Fill 2/3 full. Do not be tempted to fill to the rim. The cupcakes won't bake higher, they will just spill out onto the pan. (I proved it.)

Bake for 22-25 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.

Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

I'm linking up to:

House of Hempworths
Life As Mom
I'm Lovin' It
Sweet Tooth Friday
Muffin Monday

Menu Plan for March 20 - 26

2011-03-20T13:42:00.002-04:00

Our menu for this week is a mix of new recipes, along with some family favs. There should be no complaining from anyone. :)

Sunday - cheeseburgers and wacky mac pasta salad

Monday - whole baked chicken baked with potatoes & carrots and cottage cheese on the side (I will be using the spices from this Atkins recipe.)

Tuesday - chili and corn bread

Wednesday - grilled honey & soy chicken wings and Asian noodles

Thursday - school function - BBQ plate dinner PTA fundraiser- I will be working at the school all afternoon and evening. We will probably grab something to eat out either before or after my son's soccer practice that evening. Sadly none of us like NC BBQ so that won't work for our dinners.

Friday - lemon sage chicken with mushrooms, jasmine rice and a Greek salad

Saturday - meatball, spinach & cheese calzones

Menu Plan Monday

2011-03-13T22:17:00.001-04:00

Back to the busy schedule this week.

Short and sweet. Here's our menu for the week:

Sunday - lime-glazed pork loin, potatoes, green beans and cucumber salad

Monday - pasta with red or white sauce

Tuesday - pork soulvaki, rice and salad

Wednesday - meatloaf, "stuffed" mashed potatoes and carrots

Thursday - cobb salad

Friday - bbq jack chicken, noodles and gravy and corn (hopefully I get to finally make this recipe.)

Saturday - taco chicken quesadillas and fiesta rice.

Menu Plan Monday

Lime-Glazed Boneless Pork Loin

2011-03-13T19:08:00.001-04:00

I caught a good deal on boneless pork loin at Sam's Club last week - $14.98 for a huge loin. I forgot to take notice of how much it actually weight but put it this way, I cut it into 3 pieces to make 3 big meals out of it. :) 1/3 of it will become Pork Souvlaki this week, 1/3 will become some sort of stew or chili and the last 1/3 because tonight's dinner, Lime-Glazed Pork Loin.

This is another recipe from my Taste of Home Cookbook. They call it Lime-Glazed Pork Chops. I was really skeptical making this today. The whole time I was wondering whether or not my family would even try it because of the jalapeno peppers and orange rind on the showing on the meat. Things have been a little touch and go at our house lately because I've been trying new recipes and not sticking to the same old, same old. In fact, I went off on a bit of a rant because I got tired of my husband's griping before he had even tried any of the new recipes. That must have worked to open their eyes to not saying anything before trying it because today I didn't hear a peep before the cut into the pork. I didn't say anything, I just looked around awaiting the first comment. My daughter piped right up and said "MMM! Mommy, this is great!". My husband and son quickly added that they both liked it, too. Holy cow! A new recipe with "strange stuff" on the meat ....and they like it! Miracles never do cease, do they?

Besides using boneless pork loin cut into chops instead of regular bone-in chops, the only time I strayed was to double the amount of the glaze. It turned out to be a very tasty recipe. I would marinate the pork overnight in a citrus marinade the next time for a little more citrus flavor. This is definitely a keeper.

Lime-Glazed Boneless Pork Loin
adapted from Taste of Home

1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
4 bone-in pork loin chops (8 ounces each)
4 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the marmalade, jalapeno, lime juice and ginger. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until marmalade is melted. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill pork chops, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, brushing with glaze during the last 5 minutes.

** Notes** Keep a close eye on the pork as it's cooking. Do not overcook it.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.