ALL THINGS DELICIOUS

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

2012-02-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

It's almost Valentine's Day!! My preschooler needs to take a treat for her class and you know me now-a-days, I'm always looking for something quick and easy.

Now, a couple of weeks ago, I was at the grocery store and I saw heart-shaped marshmallows. My brain started churning and I was coming up with ways to use them for Valentine's day. I didn't get them at the time. I decided to wait until I came back.

Bad idea.

When I went back last week to pick up a couple of bags, I was so upset that I couldn't find them. Anywhere! So I had to settle for pink, strawberry flavored marshmallows. I was bummed.

But we moved forward with my plan anyway. Let me just tell you how much I LOVE them!!!!! Since we had a few extra marshmallows and chocolate, I decided to try one.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

Why didn't I think that chocolate and strawberries would be the perfect combination for Valentine's Day?!?! I really don't know where my brain was, but once I tasted it, I knew I was on to something.

Something good.

And something easy.

And something SO. STINKIN'. CUTE.

I'm so pleased with how they turned out and I can't wait for my daughter to take them to her class. And seriously, what preschool-aged child doesn't like marshmallows? They're sure to be a hit.

For Heaven's sake, I WOULD BE EXCITED TO GET THESE!

Here's what you'll need:

Lollipop sticks

Strawberry-flavored marshmallows

Milk Chocolate

Sprinkles

Poke lollipop sticks into marshmallows.

Dip into melted milk chocolate.

Sprinkle with some cute sprinkles. I placed mine into a square of styrofoam that I had pre-poked with holes about two inches apart.

I'll be able to use these squares for future projects. Yay!

Let them cool and set. You can even put them in the fridge for a little bit.

Cover these with some seran wrap, cut into squares, and tie with ribbon.

I made several in packages of two for teachers.

Are these not just the cutest little treats?!

LOVE!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Bacon Pancakes

2012-02-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

Are you a bacon lover? We sure like it around here, so when I saw this idea online, I knew we had to give it a whirl. It's SO simple and a fun change up to plain ol' pancakes!

I was also thinking that this might be our Valentine's breakfast using two slices of bacon in a V-shape and making the pancakes into a heart shape over the bacon. SO FUN!!!

Here's what you'll need:

Your favorite pancake batter (a pancake mix from a bag or your own from scratch - I used THIS one)
A package of bacon

Cook your bacon until almost done. It will cook more with the pancakes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up the grease.

We have monster bacon I tell you! Yours can be any size.

Mix up your pancake batter. Place however many slices of bacon you can fit on your griddle, leaving plenty of room for the pancake batter.

Pour some pancake batter around and over each slice of bacon.

When cooked on one side, carefully flip each pancake over. Mine were so big I had to use two spatulas.

I didn't think my kids could eat one of these whole pancakes above since they were so big. So I cut the rest of my bacon in half and made more normal sized bacon pancakes for them.

They were just the right size for the little ones.

Drizzle with syrup and enjoy!

We thought they were pretty fun! Enjoy!!

Winner, Winner

2012-02-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

And the winner of My Very First Giveaway is...

Michele E said...

I make some kind of cookie every year. Some for my hubby and some for my co-workers.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Michele E., email me at all-things-delicious@q.com the variety of sparkling cider you'd like from Sheffield Cider and also which chocolates from Florence's you'd prefer as well. As soon I get your preferences and a mailing address, I'll get them sent out!

A HUGE thank you to all of those that entered! I loved hearing all of your wonderful traditions and fantastic ideas of things you make and do for Valentine's Day. You've provided me MUCH inspiration!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2012-01-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

I want to start off by saying welcome to all of the new followers! I'm so excited to have you all be a part of my cooking adventures!!

I also wanted to give a little reminder that I'll be closing my giveaway on Wednesday. So if you haven't registered for it, do it soon so you'll be in the running for a special Valentine treat from me!

Winter has finally hit (not that I wasn't grateful for the dry weather we were having). Snow has blanketed everything in sight. When that happens, I don't like to go out. It's cold and the roads are slick. Instead, I much rather prefer to stay indoors and bake.

So that's what I've been doing lately. I tried a new recipe for banana bread and LOVED it! It comes from a cookbook I have called, "A Passion For Baking" by Marcy Goldman. I love this book! I have yet to try something that I haven't been impressed with. I've posted about her Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies, so try those if you haven't.

I love that this recipe for banana bread is tender and moist. And since we are chocoholics in this house, we love that it's studded with chocolate chips. But if you'd prefer to forego the chocolate, you can try raisins instead and you can always add nuts of course. They're just a no-go around here.

So on the next chilly day that you happen to have some ripe bananas to use, try this recipe out. It's quite delicious!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. unsalted butter, softened

2 C. sugar

4 large eggs

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 C. sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla

4 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. chopped pecans or walnuts (opt.)

1 C. chocolate chips (opt.)

1 C. raisins (opt.)

Generously spray two 9"x5" loaf pans with baking spray (that has flour in it) and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well blended.

Add eggs, banana, sour cream, and vanilla.

Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, scraping the bowl often.

Mix on low speed; then fold in nuts or chocolate chips or raisins, if desired.

Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 325 degrees and bake another 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Cool on a wire rack. Makes 2 loaves. I like to keep one loaf out for the kids to snack on and I'll put the other loaf in the freezer until we're ready for more banana bread.

Delicious!!

My Very First GIVEAWAY!!!

2012-01-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

**Giveaway is now closed.**

I've been working on so many changes to my food blog for this year. Yet another change would be to do GIVEAWAYS for my awesome followers!

So, for my very first giveaway, I wanted to give one very lucky person something special for Valentine's Day.

Two of my most FAVORITE things to have on Valentine's Day are 1.) Sheffield Sparkling Cider and 2.) Florence's Chocolates! So those are the two things I'll be sharing with one of you!!

Scheffield Cider makes the absolute BEST sparkling cider I have ever tasted! The lucky winner gets to choose one of their four varieties: Cherry Cider, Classic Sweet, Harvest Crush, or Vintage Dry. Check out their website for descriptions and details of each variety.

Florence's Exquisite Candies has some of the most amazing chocolates that may ever enter your mouth! Everyone on this side of Idaho knows that if you want to give something special, this is what you give. The lucky winner also gets an 8 oz. box of their choice of assorted creams in milk chocolate, assorted nuts and caramels in milk chocolate, or a combination of both - assorted milk chocolates. Checkout their website for details on each.

Okay, now for the rules...the winner must:

be a follower of ALL THINGS DELICIOUS,
like the ALL THINGS DELICIOUS Facebook page,
live in the 48 contiguous United States, and
leave me a comment below telling me your favorite thing to make on Valentine's Day

This giveaway will close on Wednesday, February 1st at 10pm MST. I want to make sure my winner gets these prizes in time for Valentine's Day! The winner will be announced the morning of Thursday, February 2nd.

Good luck, everyone!!!

Swiss Chicken

2012-01-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've got a bit of a problem. Well, if you ask my husband, I've got many problems. But we're not going to go there. The problem I'm talking about is my funny phobia of cooking the same thing twice in a relatively short period of time. I do NOT cook the same thing after a week of making it. I don't cook the same thing twice even in a month. I will RARELY cook the same thing even six months after the last time I've made it.

I prefer making a recipe once a year. Is that weird? I'm less weird about cooking the same breakfast foods. I rotate those recipes about every 4-6 months. But dinners? Yeah, I prefer at least a year between making them again. There are just so many options to try; why limit yourself to the same thing? That's how I see it.

Since I have that particular phobia, my kids completely forgot about today's recipe. It's actually been several years since I've made this one. It comes from my mother-in-law's good friend, Kathy Howard. I love trying her recipes! And my kids loved eating this one!!

What I like about this recipe most is that you don't have to pre-cook the chicken. So the prep time to assemble this recipe is very quick! I also like that it doesn't have to go right into the oven once it's put together. I assembled this the morning I needed it, covered it and put it into the fridge until I was ready to bake it that evening. It gave me plenty of time to work on homework with the kids after school and not have to worry about making dinner as well.

It'd also be nice to take to a family needing dinner, assembled and covered with baking instructions written right on top. Then they can bake it whenever they need it.

Or it'd be perfect to leave for a babysitter to pop in the oven.

So many possibilities!

Here's what you'll need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

8 slices of Swiss cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 soup can water

1 pkg. Stove Top stuffing

1/4 C. margarine

1 1/2 C. water

Cut chicken breasts in half or into small serving pieces. Season both sides well. Place in a greased baking dish.

Cover with cheese.

Mix cream of chicken soup and 1/2 soup can of water;

Pour over cheese and chicken.

Prepare the stuffing as directed on the box using the 1/4 C. margarine and 1 1/2 C. water.

Put stuffing on top of the soup.

Cover with foil. I like to write the instructions on the foil for a babysitter, husband, a friend in need, or if I make this in advance and put the recipe away.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour covered. Then uncover and bake another 30 minutes.

This is what it'll look like when it's done baking. Mmmmm...

Soooooooooooo delicious! My kids absolutely loved it!!

Check back soon. I'll be doing my first ever GIVEAWAY this week!! I'm so excited about it! So, make sure you come back and enter. Have a great day!

My Favorite Breakfast Casserole

2012-01-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

I LOOOOOOOOOVE breakfast foods! Especially this one with it's layers of hearty potatoes, cheesy eggs, and bacon. It's very simple, but I guess just the sheer combination of perfect breakfast foods makes this recipe fantastic! It's a perfect companion to muffins, or better yet, the Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring. Ooooooooohhh, Heaven help me. I'm salivating just typing this!

It comes from Taste of Home, way back in 2001. I regret not trying it as soon as I found it. But I guess that's just how I work. Apparently I like to think about recipes before trying them years later. Don't be like me. Try this soon!

Here's what you'll need:

1 (28 oz.) pkg. cubed frozen hash browns (O'Brien hash browns also work great in this)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 lb. sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

12 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2 C. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, prepare hash browns according to package directions. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with soup. Set aside 1/2 cup of bacon; sprinkle remaining bacon over soup.

In another skillet, scramble eggs in butter until nearly set. Spoon over bacon. Sprinkle with cheese and reserved bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is warmed through. Serves 10-12.

To make things easier, I cook and crumble the bacon and shred the cheese the night before. Then all you have to do the morning you want this is to cook the hash browns and the eggs, layer everything and pop it in the oven.

I may even try assembling the casserole and keeping it in the fridge overnight. Then the next morning I'll just bake it for a little while longer. That will give me time to throw together some sticky buns. Mmmmmmm...enjoy!

American Chili Casserole

2012-01-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hi! How do you like the new look? Another one of my goals for this blog this year was to improve the look of it. What do you think? I'm loving more room to write and for bigger pictures! I also like that I don't just have a tiny little column that everything squeezes into. So, yay for changes! I hope you like it too.

Today's recipe is another one of Jacie's. She's really got some good ones and I love it when they're quick and easy! My kids are big fans of chili as well as Fritos, so this casserole was a big hit around here! So, thanks again, Jacie, for another stellar recipe!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. hamburger

1-2 Tbsp. dried onion OR 1/2 onion, chopped

1 can chili

1 (10oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 can tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 bag Fritos

1 C. cheese

In a greased 9x13 inch pan, layer 1/2 the Fritos and half the cheese.

Brown the hamburger with the onion and salt and pepper.

When cooked, add the chili, cream of chicken soup, and tomato sauce to the hamburger. Combine well and simmer for 5 minutes.

For your next layer in your pan, add all of the meat and chili mixture.

Top that with the other half of Frito's...

...and then the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

So easy! I love it!!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2012-01-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and some fun for new year's. We sure did! But, I've missed blogging and I'm so happy to be back.

With it being a new year, I've made some goals and plans for my food blog. What I'm most excited about is to introduce you to my friend Nicole. I've mentioned her in several past posts, but I really wanted you to get to know her.

Nicole and I were best friends all through high school and roommates our freshman year of college. We did EVERYTHING together! We both got married just a few months apart and our lives separated us by where we lived, but as time has proven, nothing has come between the fact that we are soul sisters and always will be.

Nicole has gotten into photography over the years and she is good. REALLY good! Check out her PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG HERE. She has so graciously agreed to take some pictures of some of my recipes since my pictures are somewhat lacking in comparison to her amazing pictures. She really captures the beauty of cooking and delicious food!

So, please join me in welcoming my very good friend, Nicole!! And please enjoy some of her gorgeous photography!

Here's what you'll need:

3 (15 oz.) cans chicken broth or about 4 C. homemade chicken broth
2 T. dried onion OR 1 C. onion, diced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 3/4 - 2 C. thick and chunky salsa
1 C. frozen petite white corn
1 can black beans
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Tortilla strips or tortilla chips

Garnish for topping: cilantro, sour cream, avocado, lime juice, shredded cheese

Combine the first six ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Add chicken and heat through. Serve with tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips in the soup. Top with garnishes of your choice.

Simple and delicious! Enjoy this warm bowl of soup sometime this cold winter. And, thank you, Nicole, for the fabulous pictures!!!

Orange Rolls

2011-12-11T10:02:00.001-08:00

I've got a super crazy week coming up this week. Like, super crazy! So, I'm being on the ball and posting a new recipe for you to try this week, since I'm sure I won't be posting again until closer to Christmas. Maybe even after. We'll see.

About a month ago, this blog has exploded all thanks to my super amazing and very talented friend, Nicole. She's an incredible photographer and she decided one day to take pictures of the Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring as she made them for her family. She posted her gorgeous pictures on her blog and on Pintrest. They spread like wildfire! Well, here's another version of those sticky buns.

I'm so excited to post another incredible recipe from my friend, Kolette. These are similar to the sticky buns that I posted earlier this year, but made with an orange syrup. These are really terrific!

Here's what you'll need:

2 tubes refrigerated biscuits (the smaller biscuits or the Grands biscuits)

1 cube (1/2 C.) butter or margarine

1 C. sugar

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Combine the butter or margarine, sugar, zest, and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, stirring frequently.

I really liked using these Pillsbury Grands! biscuits with the flaky layers. You didn't have to have a whole biscuit if you didn't want to. You could just peal off as many layers as you wanted. Fantastic!

But they really would work just fine with the smaller biscuits too.

Using a fork or tongs, dip each biscuit into the sauce, scooping some of the zest onto the biscuit. Place into a well-greased bundt pan.

Pour remaining sauce over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes.

When done, immediately turn onto a platter and serve. I place the platter on top of the rolls, then flip the whole thing over.

Amazing!

And so delicious!! I loved the orange flavor.

Enjoy!!!

Snickerdoodles

2011-12-08T13:44:00.001-08:00

After posting about the baby shower that I hosted, I had LOTS of people ask for my Snickerdoodle recipe, the only recipe I didn't post. So when I was co-hosting the annual cookie exchange, I decided to make these Snickerdoodles again, and this time, take some pictures of the process to share with all of you!

This recipe comes from one of my Lion House cookbooks, just like my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies do. Some of my friends who are true Snickerdoodle lovers say that these are some of the best they've had. I hope you like them too!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. sugar

1 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 C. butter, softened

2 1/2 C. sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 Tbsp. water

6 C. flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 C. sugar and cinnamon; set aside. (You can half this cinnamon sugar or you can make the full amount and save the extras for anything that could use some cinnamon sugar.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and 2 1/2 C. sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, vanilla, and water; beat until fluffy.

Add flour, cram of tartar, baking soda, and salt, turning mixer on and off in quick bursts at low speed until flour is nearly blended in. (This is to help not have a flour explosion all over your counter.) Continue mixing at medium speed until well mixed.

Shape dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (I used a medium cookie scoop and then rolled each ball in my hands).

Roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes or 9-10 minutes with a convection oven.

The cookies that I baked on convection turn out like these, thicker and puffier. When I bake them with my regular oven, they turn out a bit flatter with slightly more spread. Both ways were tender and delicious.

Christmas is nearing! What cookies do you like to make over the holiday season?

Soft Pretzels & An Announcement

2011-12-01T12:04:00.001-08:00

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine was WONDERFUL!!! I truly missed my hubby, but the kids and I had SO much fun visiting my family in Boise! I sure hope you all had as great of a Thanksgiving as we did.

Since the temperature has dropped considerably, I'm always in the mood to bake. So, one chilly Saturday, I decided to try a new recipe for homemade soft pretzels because my kids were being especially good that day and this is what I usually get them when we go to the mall if they're good for me.

They were SO excited that we were making our own big pretzels! And I was excited that they weren't nearly as hard to make as I had imagined. YAY!! That just means we'll be making these often!

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 C. hot water (about 110 degrees)

1/8 tsp. salt

3 1/2 C. bread flour (or you can use 3 1/4 C. all purpose flour, which is what I did)

1/2 C. butter, melted, used for after the pretzels have baked

Combine first three ingredients and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Stir flour and salt to mixture and knead for 5 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Divide dough into 8-12 equal size pieces (I went with 12), roll each piece into a rope, shape each rope into a pretzel or cut into bite sized pieces.

*To roll into a rope, I found it worked best to shape the dough into a 6-inch long rope, then starting from the center, using both of your hands, roll the dough back and forth, moving your hands in opposite directions out to the ends of the dough. Try not to break the dough. I ended up with a dough rope that was about 18 inches long.

Lay pretzel onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 550 degrees for about 8-10 minutes for pretzels or 6-8 minutes for the pretzel bites. Be careful when taking them out of the oven. I had a couple that slid right off the pan!

There are different ways to finish these pretzels:

1. Brush hot pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle with course salt. Serve with a cheese sauce or plain.

2. Combine melted butter with 2 Tbsp. honey; brush onto hot pretzels then sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. May serve with a thin icing for dipping or drizzling on top.

3. Prior to baking the pretzels, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, a little garlic salt, and top with pepperoni slices; bake, then serve with marinara sauce.

We made our pretzels using the first two options and they were OUTSTANDING!!! We all went a little crazy over them. Out of the 11 full-sized pretzels and the 16 bites, there was only one full-sized pretzel left for my hubby by the time he got home from work. Oops!

On to the announcement! Since I was posting on these fun little buns in the oven today, I wanted to let everyone know that I too have a little bun in the oven! We're so excited for our new addition on the way!!

Thanksgiving's Coming...

2011-11-22T11:23:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! Thanksgiving's almost here and there's excitement in the air around here! This year, my kids and I are heading to Boise to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and we cannot wait!! To make things easier on the host, my sister, Shauna (who just had her first baby and I can't wait to meet him), we've all been given food assignments for while we are there.

I'm in charge of the pies for Thanksgiving dinner and then the breakfast on Saturday. So, I just wanted to let you know what I'll be making...

Pie Crust

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie - 1 regular pecan pie and 1 chocolate pecan pie (mmmmmmm...)

Breakfast Burritos

I LOVE getting together with family because you know there will always be great company and wonderful food. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy cooking and, even more, happy eating!!!

Milk & Cookies Baby Shower

2011-11-14T20:38:00.001-08:00

I hosted a baby shower last weekend for my friend, Robyn. I went with the theme of Milk & Cookies, something very simple, but sweet at the same time. So, I thought I'd post some pictures from the shower to give others some ideas if they have a shower to give coming up...

I made six different kinds of cookies. I went with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oreo Truffles, Carrot Cookies, Fudge Cookies filled with Peppermint Frosting, and Snickerdoodles. We had milk, chocolate milk, and strawberry milk - the perfect pairings with cookies.

Everything was so much fun! I can't wait for my next party to host!!

Sliced Baked Potatoes

2011-10-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Living in Idaho and having in-laws who own a potato farm, I have lots of opportunities to use potatoes in my cooking.

Just last week, my in-laws finished harvesting all of their potatoes, a mighty feat every year! It sounds like this year they were very happy with how they turned out too.

My kids got to go and help with the harvest a few times and each time they brought home some real treasures.

Look at these spuds!!! They're both over 8 inches long!

So in celebration of a great harvest, I'm posting a way to use the wonderful potato. Today's recipe is a very simple, yet very elegant way to use potatoes. And there's hardly a "recipe" for it; just make it to how you would like it. Pretty easy.

Here's what you'll need:

Russet potatoes (however many you want)

Olive oil

Melted butter

Salt (table salt and/or course sea salt)

Pepper

Clean each potato and let dry completely. Slice each potato into thin slices, but don't cut completely through the potato. You'll want the bottom of the potato to stay in tact. Place on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter, then drizzle with oil, and finally season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely cooked through and tender.

So easy and such a beautiful presentation! You can serve them as is or top with a dollop of sour cream, chopped bacon, and sliced green onions. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples

2011-10-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween is in two weeks! Are you ready? I'm not. We've still got to figure out what costumes to get for the kids. But one thing I've done in anticipation for the Halloween season is make yummy caramel apples.

For some reason, I just can't eat caramel apples unless it's October. Weird, I know. But, wooo-hooooo for it being October now!! These treats are super delicious and easy too!

Here's what you'll need:

5 medium apples, washed and completely dry

One bag of caramels or caramel bits

2 T. water

1 C. chocolate chips

1 - 1 1/2 T. shortening

Any candy, chopped (opt.)

When I saw these at the store, I knew I had to try them. I LOVED that I didn't have to unwrap tons of caramels. So easy!!

Place the caramel and water into a medium pan.

Heat on Medium-Low until the caramel is melted and smooth.

You can push sticks into the apples before dipping them, but I didn't have any. So I just made sure the apples I used had stems to hang on to.

Dip the apples into the warm caramel. Set them on a parchment lined tray (you can spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray if desired).

You should have some caramel left over in your pan. Scoop it out and drizzle it over the apples. It may look funny at first, but don't worry. The caramel will slowly ooze down and cover the apple more smoothly after a while.

Place the caramel covered apples into the fridge and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While you're waiting, you can chop whatever candy you would like to cover the apples in. I went with Snickers. I used a whole bag of the fun-sized candy bars. Chop them small. Mine are a little bigger. I'd probably go smaller next time.

After the caramel has set on the apples, you'll notice that there's some at the bottom of each apple. No worries. Just mold the caramel back up onto the apple. Or if you'd rather, you can just cut it off and eat it.

Once you've got the caramel pressed back up, you're ready for dipping. I melted milk chocolate chips with the shortening in the microwave for 30 seconds on High, stirred it well, then microwaved it for another 15 seconds until the chocolate was smooth and the shortening was incorporated.

Holding on to the apples by the stick or the stem, dip the caramel apples into the chocolate, turning to cover it all. Or pour some chocolate over the top and let it run down the apple.

For the candy covered apples, I dipped the whole apple into the chocolate. And for the chocolate covered caramel apples, I drizzled chocolate over the top. You can do whatever you'd like.

If you want your apples covered with candy, roll the chocolate covered caramel apples into your chopped candy coating well.

Place back onto the parchment lined pan to set.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

I took these to a party and gave away two of the candy covered ones as gifts. Everyone loved them!

So I only had the chocolate covered caramel apples left to photograph. They were both VERY good!

Enjoy, my little pretties!

Oven Sprite Can Chicken

2011-10-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to say WELCOME to all of the new followers and people coming to check out my food blog!!! Can I just tell you how excited I am to have you?! I truly hope you find some recipes on here that you and your loved ones can enjoy. I'm so glad you're here!

On to today's recipe...I came across this recipe in our ward cookbook and I'd heard about cooking techniques like this, but never tried them. On this particular day, I happened to have everything I needed to make this dish. So I whipped it together with every intention of it turning out like most other roasted chickens - dry and not much flavor.

Once we tried this for dinner, I was blown away with the flavor and moistness of the meat! Oooooh, baby, I won't be cooking chicken any other way now!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. butter

2 T. garlic salt

2 T. paprika

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 (12 oz.) can Sprite (or anything similar)

1 (3.5-4 lb.) whole chicken, rinsed and patted completely dry

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small skillet, melt the butter, then add the garlic salt, paprika, salt (I probably used about 1/2 tsp.) and pepper (about 1/4 tsp.). Discard 1/2 the Sprite, leaving the remainder in the can.

**That's what the recipe says. I say pour half of it into another glass, add some Torani raspberry-flavored syrup and a couple of cubes of ice, and you'll have something yummy to sip as your making the rest of dinner.**

Using a funnel, very carefully and very SLOWLY pour half of the melted butter mixture into the Sprite can. If you pour it in too fast, it will bubble out all over your counter, just like it did to mine.

Place can on a rimmed baking sheet then set the chicken over the can, inserting the can into the cavity of the chicken. Try to keep all of the naked chicken jokes and narrations in your head at this point. Otherwise your children may think you're crazy.

Baste chicken with the remaining melted butter mixture.

Place baking sheet with the Sprite can and chicken carefully into the oven. Bake for about 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180 degrees.

This is seriously the best baked/roasted chicken that has ever come out of my kitchen. And though I rarely eat the skin, you MUST try a little of it with the meat. It's amazing.

Southern Peach Cobbler

2011-10-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Guess what I have. A big box of fresh peaches sitting on my counter. Peach season is here and I love it! So does the rest of my little family. I really should be canning them, but eating them fresh and baking with them are just way more fun for me!

We've been eating them in our crepes with a fresh strawberry sauce. We've eaten them sliced, sugared, and drenched with milk (like peaches and cream). And, of course, we've been chowing down on them as they are. But my favorite way to eat these juicy, sweet globes is as peach cobbler.

Did you know that I'm originally from Georgia? That's right, I'm an official Georgia Peach! Maybe that's why I like peaches so much. And, maybe that's why this recipe for Southern Peach Cobbler spoke to me, cuz I really am a Southern Belle (that last part was totally meant to be read with a Southern accent). ;)

Anyway, I got the original recipe from allrecipes, but changed it a touch, as usual. I really do hope you get a chance to try this recipe out. It may seem a little daunting at first, but once you make it, you'll see how easy it really is. And it is so good!

Here's what you'll need:

Peach Mixture:

8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into wedges

1/4 C. white granulated sugar

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. cornstarch

Pastry Mixture:

1 C. flour

1/4 C. white granulated sugar

1/4 C. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed

1/4 C. boiling water

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:

1 1/2 Tbsp. white granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry Peach Mixture ingredients, then add the sliced peaches. Toss evenly to coat.

My little Aubree wanted to be the photographer for me.

Pour the peaches and juices into a 7 1/2" x 11" baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

While the peaches are baking, in a medium bowl, combine the dry pastry ingredients. Blend in the butter with a pastry blender, or two knives, until you get lots of pea-sized portions. Stir in the water until just combined. Don't over mix this.

In a very small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

After the peaches have baked for 10 minutes, pull them out of the oven and sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the peaches. Then glob the pastry mixture over the top of the peaches. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar.

Continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Enjoy with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! YUM-MMMY!!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches

2011-09-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

Are you hooked on Pintrest like I am? What a wonderful place to go to get great ideas and so many different kinds of yummy recipes! Today's recipe is one that I've seen floating around as other's pins. It's one that I've been making for a while, given to me by my aunt Janell. Talk about DELICIOUS!!

On all of the recipes that I've seen on Pintrest and other food blogs, those recipes call for brown sugar. I remember Janell advising me to use all powdered sugar and no brown sugar in the recipe. The first time that I tried it, I thought I'd stick to the original recipe. So I used brown sugar. BLAH!! It gives the filling a grainy texture, not like the smooth and creamy filling I had tried at my aunt's house.

Ever since then, I only make this recipe using powdered sugar - NO BROWN SUGAR. It makes a world of difference!

Another change I'd recommend is using pretzel snaps (square pretzels) rather than these mini twisted pretzels. The filling stays in much better.

Finally, on to the recipe...

Here's what you'll need:

2 C. creamy peanut butter

4 T. softened butter

3 C. powdered sugar

1 bag of pretzel snaps (not butter snaps, pretzel snaps) (or mini twisted pretzels if you must)

1-2 bags of chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, I prefer semi-sweet)

Beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Make a 1-inch ball of the peanut butter mixture and press between two pretzels. Place on a cookie sheet. When the sheet is filled, place it in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes to firm. Dip peanut butter/pretzel sandwiches halfway into some melted chocolate. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze or refrigerate again until firm. Then they're ready to eat!

Peanut Butter + Chocolate + Sweet + Salty + Crunchy + Creamy = The Perfect Munchies

Enjoy!!

Chicken Penne Pasta

2011-09-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my mom on the phone the other night and she was telling me that she most enjoys the main dish recipes I post on here. And I think she's much like most people - you just like to try new things for dinner. It's an extra bonus when it's a quick, easy, and YUMMY dinner!

I got this recipe from my friend, Kolette, who got it from our friend, Heidi. Both wonderful cooks who I trust entirely. So I was looking forward to giving this recipe a try. I love how simple it is to make and even more, how delicious it tastes.

Here's what you'll need:

1 (16 oz.) package penne pasta (or other pasta, I used bowtie)

1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce

1 jar Alfredo sauce

3 C. shredded Mozzarella cheese

3 C. cubed chicken, cooked

Place 1/2 the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. (I used 4 ramakins and a 7 1/2x11 inch pan since I needed individual servings for a special dinner I did.) Layer 1/2 the pasta then 1/2 the Alfredo sauce, all the chicken, and 1/2 the cheese. Repeat layers without the chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

See how easy that is?! LOVE IT! I might even try replacing the chicken with a sweet Italian sausage next time. Mmmmmm...

Sorry I didn't get any after pictures. It was gone in no time flat. I hope you enjoy it like we did!!

Apple Muffins

2011-09-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

What a fun summer we've had!! It was filled with picnics, parks, friends, birthday parties, bike rides, family, evening walks, campfires, gardening, water parks, and an awesome trip to Jackson, WY. I really didn't want all the fun to end. But, alas, all good things must come to an end, I guess. So, thanks for letting me take a vacation, but now I'm back and ready to start blogging once again.

One bad part about my summer was that my computer crashed. Again. But this time, zero of my pictures were saved. So all those fifty-something recipe pictures I had ready to post? They're gone. All gone. Bummer. I guess I have some major cooking to do so that I can keep updating. Shucks. ;)

About a week ago, we were up at my in-law's having Sunday dinner. My mother-in-law asked if I wanted any apples from her very well producing apple tree. YES, PLEASE! So, we took home a grocery sack filled to the brim with these DELICIOUS apples! And as I said on Facebook today, they've been sitting on my counter begging me to bake with them. So I now have a whole list of things I'd like to make using these yummy apples.

First on my list that I made today are apple muffins. This recipe came from a roommate, Becky, my Freshman year of college. I was always so impressed with Becky because when she cooked, she made some pretty amazing food. Well, it looked pretty amazing compared to what I ate. She used the oven to make things. I usually ate carrot sticks and PB&J sandwiches. I was very impressed.

These muffins were one of the things Becky made. And she actually let me eat one (I believe it was because we were moving out and she wasn't taking them with her and she didn't want them to go to waste). I thoroughly enjoyed it and asked for the recipe.

When I made these today, my kids have been snarfing them down. SNARFING.

Here's what you'll need:

3C. flour

1 C. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

1 C. milk

1/2 C. oil

2 C. grated apples

Combine the first 5 ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and oil. Beat well. Set aside. Get your apples ready. I like to use my apple slicer, that way you cut out the core and you have small, manageable slices to peel. Peel the skins then shred or dice. Which ever you prefer. I have an old Salad Shooter that I use to make shredding a breeze.

It's okay if your apples brown; they'er going into a brown batter. No big deal.

Combine your wet and dry ingredients only until moistened, then gently stir in your apples. You don't want to over mix the batter or else you'll end up with tough muffins. You want them to be nice and tender.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins (I like to use the baking spray with flour). Scoop the muffin batter into the tins filling them 2/3 - 3/4 of the way full. I just use one large cookie scoop per muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, the recipe says. I baked my on convection for 14 minutes. So, just keep an eye on them and take them out when they start to turn golden brown. Remove from the pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Then watch your kids snarf them all. Next time I'll be doubling the batch!

Caramel Fruit Dip / Stuffed Strawberries

2011-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hi there! It's been a while, hasn't it? Can you believe that we're already more than half way through June?! I can't. I hope you all have been enjoying your summer.

It hardly feels like summer here. We've only had a few days that have been over seventy degrees. It still feels like spring. But, hey, I'll take it. At least it doesn't feel like winter!

Since it's supposed to be summer, I have a yummy fruit dip that I'd like to share with ya. It's SUPER simple and way good!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

1/4 C. caramel ice cream topping

Toffee bits (opt.)

Assorted fresh fruit

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, and caramel topping until smooth.

You can add toffee bits sprinkled on top or mixed in. Serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

I decided to pipe it into strawberries rather than leave it in a bowl as a dip. They turned out way cute and super yummy!

I also decided to sprinkle the tops with toffee bits.

SO GOOD!!!!

Enjoy these some time this summer!

Spring Craft Show

2011-05-05T18:48:00.001-07:00

I've been busy, busy around here lately! We've got cheesecakes galore as I'm preparing for a Spring craft show this weekend. So, I wanted to get the word out in case any of you would like to get a so-amazingly-delicious mini cheesecake or my one-of-a-kind Cheesecake Truffles for a Mother's Day gift. Here are all of the details:

Spring Craft Show

Shilo Inn Convention Center

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Saturday, May 7th

8am-4pm

There will be demonstrations, prizes, and best of all -

my cheesecakes!! ;)

So, if you live in or around Idaho Falls, come see me for a free sample (while they last) and get some yummy cheesecake just in time for Mother's Day!

Here are some pictures to tempt you!!!

Brownie Cheesecake

Turtle Cheesecake

Original with Fudge (or Caramel)

Plain Original

And my most popular item:

Cheesecake Truffles

(Each item is only $5!)

I hope to see you on Saturday!!

Creamy Lemon Bars

2011-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

The snow has FINALLY melted! This is definitely reason to celebrate!! So, in honor of Spring actually arriving in this part of Idaho, I'm posting a super yummy, spring-y treat.

This recipe comes from Our Best Bites food blog. And the way they describe these is right on the money. They're more like lemon cheesecake bars - not your average lemon bars. They are oh-so-good!!

Here's what you'll need:

20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed OR 3/4 C. Nilla Wafer or graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold real butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. grated lemon peel, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking powder
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides of the pan. (I doubled this and made it in a 9x13-inch pan.) Spray with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the Nilla wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar. Chop butter into small pieces and then cut into the crumb mixture with a pastry blender.

Press crumb mixture firmly onto the bottom of your prepared pan.

Bake 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 2 Tablespoons flour, and baking powder; mix well. Blend in 1 Tablespoon lemon zest and lemon juice, then pour mixture over crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 Tablespoons of grated lemon peel just before cutting and serving.

Store leftovers in the fridge.

A perfect way to welcome Spring!!

Poppy Seed Chicken

2011-03-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

My friend, Heidi, was so sweet to bring us a meal after we had our last baby (which was almost two years ago - didn't I say something about me having a problem with thinking about a recipe for years and then finally trying it?). It was so delicious! When I got her recipe, I knew I had to try it.

Want to know the best part about it? IT'S SO EASY!!!!!! My kind of recipe! So, thank you, Heidi for making my life easier and taste so much better!!

Here's what you'll need:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 C. sour cream

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 1/2 pkgs. Townhouse crackers OR 1 pkg. Ritz crackers

1 T. poppy seeds

4 T. melted butter

Cooked Rice

Mix together the soup and sour cream.

Add the chicken and place in a 9x13 inch pan.

Crush the crackers and spread on top of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle poppy seeds over all, then pour melted butter over crackers.

(The next time I make this, I'm going to combine the crushed crackers, poppy seeds, and butter. Then sprinkle it over the chicken mixture.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve over cooked rice.

See how easy that was?! LOVE IT!!!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

2011-03-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

Editor's Note: If you liked these sticky buns, you can find an orange variation HERE.

Do you ever try a new food and fall so in love with it that it is always on your mind, but you just don't make it? Then a few years later, you finally give in and make it and you wonder why on earth you didn't make it sooner? It happens to me all the time.

This recipe is one of those. My friend, Kolette, made these sticky buns for a recipe exchange I hosted either three or four years ago. I remember them being soooooooooooooooooooooo good and sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo easy to make.

So, I made them this morning and everyone was in love! They are super easy and SUPER yummy. You must, MUST make them! ASAP!! Don't wait a few years only thinking about these like I did. Make them. You'll be glad you did.

Here's what you'll need:

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt.

1/4 C. chopped almonds, opt.

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.

I used two tubes of Pillsbury Grands biscuits this morning, but won't do that again. I'll either use the smaller biscuits or one tube of the grands, as stated in the recipe list above. These had to bake for about 30 minutes. Still amazing, but I'll be doing it the other way from now on (the way they're supposed to be made).

Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Look at that!

SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!

You really need to try these soon!! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Topper Cookies

2011-03-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

Funny name, I know. I found this recipe in my file of my mom's recipes years ago. I don't ever remember her making them as I was growing up, but after reading the recipe, I was curious to see if I would like them, with a few changes.

Sure enough, I did. But, who can blame me? What's not to like about chocolate chip cookies with melted marshmallows and a chocolate drizzle on top? There's nothing to not like about them. It's just plain yumminess (I think I've just created a word)! They're super easy and I love it when I get requests for something so simple that people absolutely rave about!

Here's what you'll need:

Your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, I like THIS one or if you want a chocolate cookie then THIS one

Lots of large marshmallows, cut in half

Some melted chocolate chips

Mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Bake cookies, but take out of the oven a minute before they're done.

Top each cookie with a marshmallow half and put back in the oven to bake for an additional minute or until the marshmallow is puffed but not browned.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Place parchment paper under the wire rack then drizzle the melted chocolate chips (or a chocolate icing) over the cookies.

My, oh my we love these cookies!!!

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

2011-03-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from my next door neighbor's mother-in-law. It's one of my friends most favorite salad recipes. I was so excited to try it out and I'm so glad I did, but I just have to give one warning about it: it makes your fridge super stinky! I'd never made a broccoli-cauliflower salad before and was shocked when I'd open my fridge and get hit by the smell.

My best advice, make it for a barbecue or a potluck - something where a lot of people will be and have it eaten by the time you have to go home so that you don't have to store the leftovers.

But aside from the smell, it is a very delicious and healthy salad.

Here's what you'll need:

1 bunch broccoli

1 bunch cauliflower

8 strips cooked & crumbled bacon

1/3 C. chopped onion

1 C. chopped tomatoes

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 C. miracle whip

1/3 C. sugar

2 Tbsp. vinegar

Combine the broccoli, cauliflower, bacon, onion, tomatoes, and eggs in a large bowl.

In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the miracle whip, sugar, and vinegar; mix well.

Add to the broccoli combination and combine well.

Salt and pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated.

Beef Roast Stroganoff

2011-03-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

I LOVE easy recipes! Especially ones that involve a crockpot. I love that I can just put a few ingredients together and turn the crockpot on and not even give it another thought. Well, that is until you can smell the delicious aroma of what you have cooking. Then that's all you can think about and you're salivating constantly until your husband FINALLY comes home from work and you can sit down and enjoy the meal you've put so little time into making.

Today's recipe is one of those. So good and so easy!

Here's what you'll need:

3-5 lb. beef roast

1 C. water

1/2 pkg. dry onion soup mix

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1/2 C. sour cream (opt.)

2 tsp. beef bouillon

1/4 tsp. pepper

All of the broth left over from the crockpot

Place roast in crockpot. Mix water and onion soup mix and pour over the top of roast.

Water does not need to cover the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. When roast is done, take out of crockpot and shred meat; set aside.

In a saucepan, combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream (if desired), bouillon, pepper, and the leftover broth from the crockpot. Bring to a boil. Add shredded beef.

(Just a note, when I took these pictures I used more sour cream that I specified in this recipe, which I won't do again. Your gravy will look darker and be more delicious than this.)

Serve over egg noodles or potatoes.

So easy, so good. Enjoy a good meal without much work!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2011-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

My friend, Jacie, she's hilarious. I mean so totally funny! I love being around her. We're a lot alike, well, not humor-wise, but we're both young moms with super busy kids, and when it comes to cooking, we like it easy. This recipe is Jacie's. I've changed it just a smidgen to make it work for what I had in my fridge and to make it a little quicker. But I'll give you both ways to make it so you can have some options. Having options is always nice.

Here's what you'll need:

2 pre-made pie crusts, room temp - Jacie's way

1 tube of refrigerated biscuits - my way

1 (14 oz.) can chicken

1 (8-10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas and carrots (or veggies of choice)

2-3 C. frozen cube hash browns

4 oz. cream cheese (half a cube)

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4 C. water

1/4 C. Italian dressing

Salt & pepper

In a large pan, on medium heat, heat chicken in Italian dressing and salt and pepper to taste.

Add cream cheese. After it has melted, add water and cream of chicken soup and mix until combined.

Add veggies and potatoes.

Now, here's where your options come into play.

Jacie, using pie crust, will put one crust in a pie pan, fill it with the chicken mixture, then top it with another pie crust. Make sure to make vent holes in the top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting into. This is how you make chicken pot pie to it's true form.

I like bending the rules a little.

I use six ramekins, spray them well with non-stick spray, fill 3/4 full with the chicken mixture,

and top with a rolled out biscuit.

Place on a baking tray

and bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until the biscuit is golden. Brush with butter to make it look prettier. Then dive right in!

Don't they look so cute?! They're pretty good to eat too!

Breakfast Casserole

2011-01-22T12:11:00.001-08:00

This recipe is my sister, Lynae's recipe. Oh, it's so good and it's so easy! I can still remember having it for the first time at her house and falling in love. I got the recipe as soon as I finished eating. Yum, yum! I think you'll like it too!

Here's what you'll need:

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

7 eggs

1-2 T. dried, chopped onion

1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled (or bacon or ham)

1 1/2 C. shredded cheese, any cheese you want

1/2 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, opt. (if you decide to use chilies, just put the other half in a little baggy and toss them in the freezer to use another time)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out crescent rolls flat in a 9x13 inch baking pan, generously sprayed with non-stick spray; press the seams together.

Or you can buy those crescent sheets that are the crescent rolls in one full sheet - no seams. Super handy and there are so many things you could do with them!

Whisk eggs and mix in onion, sausage, cheese, and chilies.

Pour egg mixture over crescent dough and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Allow to cool, cut and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Bread

2010-10-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law just bought a Bosch and was asking me for a good whole wheat bread recipe. I immediately knew just the one!

I got this recipe from my aunt, Janell (the one who's a fabulous cook and I get lots of recipes from). I love how this recipe doesn't have the same texture and heaviness that most homemade whole wheat bread recipes have. And if you have a Bosch, it's a BREEZE to make!

Here's what you'll need:

3 1/2 C. hot water

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

3 T. instant yeast

2/3 C. oil

1 C. honey

1 C. all purpose white flour

3 T. gluten

2 T. dough enhancer

12 C. whole wheat flour (I grind my own using white wheat)

1 1/2 T. salt

For best results, grind your own wheat to make your own whole wheat flour. (If you have any flour remaining after making this recipe, place in a Ziploc bag and freeze. That will help to preserve the nutrients and help to make it stay fresh for longer.)

Using a Bosch mixer, combine ingredients in the order given; mixing well after half the flour, then add the other half of the flour and salt.

Add a little extra white flour if dough is too sticky. Knead in mixer for 8 minutes. Divide into 5-6 loaves. Place into greased loaf pans and rise in a warm spot for about 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing (if you can stand it).

It is so delicious and light and tender! Give this healthier recipe a try!!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2010-10-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

Would you like to know what pure joy looks like? Let me show you...

PURE JOY!!!!!

And lucky for you, I'm sharing the recipe.

I have no idea where I got this recipe, other than from my blue recipe box. I made them for all of the hard workers digging potatoes up at my in-law's farm, my hubby being one of them. When he came home from working all day and trying one of these morsels of pure joy, he told me that they were the best cupcakes I'd ever made.

Now, just so you understand the magnitude of this, getting a compliment out of him is like having a meteorite crash in your backyard. It RARELY happens. And for me to not even ask him what he thought of them or try to coax it out of him, it's just so incredible. So, for him to just come right out and tell me something was that good, that means it really is that good.

Black Bottom Cupcakes are like a combination of chocolate cupcake and chocolate chip cheesecake. A winning combination in my book! You really must try them, and as you eat them, bask in pure joy.

Here's what you'll need:

Black:

1 1/2 C. flour

1 C. sugar

1/4 C. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. water

1/3 C. oil

1 T. white vinegar

White:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1 egg

1/3 C. sugar

1 C. mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin pans with paper baking cups. In a large bowl (I used my Bosch), combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. (Give it a few good spins in your mixer.)

Pour in water, oil, and vinegar; mix until blended.

In a small separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in egg and sugar, then stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop chocolate batter into prepared muffin pans, dividing evenly.

Spoon a heaping Tablespoon of cream cheese mixture onto center of batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the chocolate cake part comes out clean. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in pans, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Makes 18 of these morsels of pure joy.

If you'd like an easier option, you can just make up any chocolate cake mix and use the same cream cheese recipe for the filling. The one time I've done that, the white part gets nearly completely submerged by the chocolate, which makes for a fun surprise.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-09-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Since getting our computer back, fixed and no files lost, I decided I'd better go through my pictures and make a list of what's on my computer waiting to be put on my food blog. Guess how many I found.....65!!! I believe I did this not too long ago and even finished those recipes. Now I have 65 more! I guess that's what I get for taking the summer off.

In an effort to catch up, I've posted four recipes today. So keep reading to see what else has been cooking around here.

Almost every Sunday, my hubby and I like to try a new recipe for some kind of cookies. When we tried this recipe from my friend, Marcel, we both agreed, this is why we keep trying new recipes. We find gem recipes that are definite keepers, like this one. Thanks, Marcel!!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. butter

2 C. sugar

3 eggs

2 medium mashed ripe bananas

4 C. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

chocolate chips

chopped walnuts (if desired)

Cream butter. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with mashed bananas.

(If I remember correctly, I added the bananas and then the flour. They turned out just fine.)

Add chocolate chips and walnuts, if desired.

Drop on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 9 minutes with a regular oven or 7 minutes with a convection oven.

Aaahhhhh...perfection!!!

Do you think I added enough chocolate chips???

Mini Meatloaves

2010-09-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

My kids thoroughly enjoy this recipe! They think it's so fun to get their very own mini sized meatloaf. And even better than that, they love the surprise that's inside of them!! I love how easy these are to make. Thanks to Kraft for the recipe!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef

1 (6 oz.) pkg. Stove Top Stuffing mix

1 C. water

2 T. A-1 sauce (opt.)

1 tsp. garlic powder

favorite BBQ sauce

shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, A-1 sauce (if desired), and garlic powder until well combined. (And as usual, I doubled this recipe in the pictures.)

Press into 12 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray; make an indentation in the center of each with the back of a spoon.

Fill with BBQ sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked through. Top with shredded cheese and continue to bake until the cheese is melted.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Another fun reason why I like this recipe is because you can totally change up the flavors! Here are some variations you should try as well:

Italian - instead of the garlic powder, substitute it with 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Instead of the BBQ sauce, fill the meatloaves with spaghetti sauce. And instead of the shredded cheddar cheese, substitute it with Mozzarella.

Fiesta - substitute the garlic for 2 tsp. chili powder, sub the BBQ sauce for salsa, and substitute the cheddar for Mexican style cheese.

Mediterranean - sub the garlic for 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, the BBQ sauce for chopped, roasted red peppers, and the cheddar for traditional crumbled Feta cheese.

Enjoy!!!

Microwaved Corn on the Cob

2010-09-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

We planted a garden this year. We even tried two varieties of corn - a super sweet yellow and a super sweet red. We were so excited about it! But thanks to the weather this summer, our garden didn't turn out very well. We had four corn stalks that made it out of the ROWS that we planted. And of the four stalks, we got about eight tiny ears. Bummer, cuz we like corn on the cob!

So, the following pictures are of corn we got at the store. But this technique of cooking it is wonderful since it is quick and easy - and that's how I like things!

Here's what you'll need:

however many ears of corn you want

butter

salt

pepper

Shuck the corn, but still leaving a thin layer of the husk still on. Pull off any excess "hair".

Place however many ears can fit into your microwave in a single layer. I can fit four in mine. Microwave on High power for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave (be careful, they'll be hot!). Shuck the rest of the way.

If you'd like, and most people do, smear it down with butter, add some shakes of salt and pepper, then chow down. But if you're like me, just enjoy the natural sweetness of corn on the cob without all the extras.

Egg Salad with Avocado

2010-09-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I decided to cook out of my sister's cookbook for an entire month. One of the recipes I tried, we LOVED! But there are two requirements for one to enjoy this recipe: 1. you have to like egg salad, and 2. you have to like avocado. If you fit these requirements, I think you'll love this recipe like we do.

Here's what you'll need:

10 hard boiled eggs

3 T. mayo or Miracle Whip

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 avocado, mashed, and 1/2 avocado, chopped

salt and pepper

lettuce

tomato slices

Using a pastry blender or fork, mash together hard boiled eggs and half an avocado.

Stir in mayo or Miracle Whip, mustard, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

Carefully fold in chopped avocado.

Divide egg salad among toasted bread. Top with tomato slices and lettuce.

Yum, yum, yum!!!

Cruise Food

2010-09-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I got back a few days ago from a cruise we took to the Western Caribbean with some friends of ours to celebrate our 10 year anniversaries. We had such a great time!

Before our cruise, we had heard so much about the food you constantly eat on a cruise. Well, I was amazed at how BEAUTIFUL everything looked! I don't take the time to make my food look good, so I thoroughly enjoyed the extra work those on the cruise went to to make our food look spectacular.

Here's a taste of some of the delicious dishes we had...

Chilled Strawberry Soup

Crab Cakes

Ice Cream Pie (to celebrate our anniversary - they even sang to us too!)

Escargot (I was so proud of myself to trying it and I actually quite liked it)

Herbed Chicken Fingers with Melon and Cucumber scrolls

Fresh Fruit Cheesecakes

Black Forest Cake

Tuxedo Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Prime Rib and Au Jus with Onion Rings and Baked Potato

Lobster and Shrimp (my FAVORITE meal)

Stuffed Mushrooms

Assorted Fresh Fruit with Mango Coulis

So much fun!!! I may go on another cruise just to admire the food!

Hearty Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-09-22T09:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I hosted a playdate for some friends of mine and their kids. Everyone was to bring something to munch on, so I decided to make these hearty chocolate chip cookies. Most kids like chocolate chip cookies and I like that these cookies are actually quite good for you.

None of the kids (or the ladies) guessed that they have healthy ingredients. Hee, hee, hee. I feel so sneaky!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. shortening
1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. powdered milk
2 C. all purpose flour
1 C. whole wheat flour
1/4 C. ground flaxseed
2 C. rolled oats
2 C. chocolate chips or raisins

Mix shortening, butter, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time. With the mixer still running, add soda, salt, and vanilla. Turn off mixer and add powdered milk, all flour, and flaxseed. Dough will be stiff. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. You can chill the dough until you're ready to use it, or just use it immediately. It can be refrigerated for up to three days.

Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 T. dough), scoop balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. You can freeze them at this point. When frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to a month. Or bake at 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes, depending on if you want them chewy or more firm. If you're baking with a convection oven, only bake for 8-10 minutes.

Yummy!! And you don't have to feel guilty if you and the kids eat a few. Enjoy!

Just so you know...

2010-08-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

My computer crashed. It sounds like I've lost everything I had on there - pictures of recipes and all. I'm currently using our dinosaur of a computer that is so incredibly slow. So, I won't be posting any new recipes until we get our computer fixed or replaced. Until then, enjoy the recipes that are already on here! Hopefully I'll be back soon!!

New Things

2010-08-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I've been thinking about some changes I'd like to make with this food blog. And, now, with my sister-in-law's help, I'm making them! One big change - I now have a button!! I'm so excited about it! So, please feel free to add a button to your own blog. If you have questions, let me know and I'll try to help you out.

Thanks!!

Hannah

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

2010-08-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

Before summer is over, I wanted to post this recipe I tried for lemonade. It was DELICIOUS!!! We made it for Father's Day for my hubby and my father-in-law. I'm not sure what my father-in-law thought of it, but we LOVED it!!

Here's what you'll need:

2 C. sugar
1 C. water
2 C. fresh lemon juice
1 gallon cold water
1 lemon, sliced (0pt.)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. This is called a simple syrup. Allow to cool and refrigerate until chilled. When you're ready to juice your lemons, roll them against the counter with your hand pressed on top to get the most juice out of your lemons. I happen to be using a lime in this picture since we were making both Lemonade and Limeade. We made the syrup and juiced our lemons the night before and let them chill in the fridge overnight, along with our gallon of water. Then when you're ready to serve it, combine the syrup, the lemon juice, and the gallon of water.

Serve cold in nice tall glasses with a wedge of lemon, if desired.

Sip it nice and slow and enjoy what's remaining of the last summer days.

Homemade Raspberry Jam

2010-08-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm new at this. I've never made jam before - like REAL jam. Not that super easy and not very good freezer jam. I rarely will even eat that. I mean the real deal raspberry jam, cooked and canned, and soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious!!!

So, I was a little nervous to say the least. I don't do a lot of canning, nor do I know a lot about it. As I was preparing to make this, I was wishing my mother-in-law was right next to me to help me through it. She's a PRO at canning. I'm a total rookie.

But it worked out! Yay!! I took some pictures to walk you through the basic steps of making jam. Now, one thing you should know is that depending on what pectin you purchase, the recipes vary. FOLLOW THE RECIPES THEY GIVE YOU INSIDE THE PACKAGE. Since the recipes are different, I'll just walk you through how to do it - no recipe included.

Here's what you do:

Bring a boiling-water canner, a little more than half full with water, to a simmer.

Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. I keep the flat lids in the hot water as well. Drain well and dry off just before filling.

Prepare fruit as directed. Whatever you do, do not puree the fruit! You want the jam to have fruit bits. So, crush with a potato masher or pulse in a food processor.

Measure exact amount of sugar in a separate bowl and set aside.

Measure exact amount of prepared fruit into a 6 or 8 quart saucepan. Stir in pectin and a 1/2 teaspoon of margarine or butter to reduce the foaming. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (it doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat; stirring constantly.

Stir in the sugar quickly, all at once. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 4 minutes; stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Remove approximately 3/4 of the seeds then ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads clean. Cover with lids and screw band tightly.

Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover; bring water to a gentle boil. Process jams according to instructions. Make any adjustments for your altitude if needed.

Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If the lid springs back, it is not sealed and will need to be refrigerated immediately.

Let stand at room temp for 24 hours. Store unopened jams in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jam for up to 3 weeks.

But if you're anything like us, the jam won't last for three weeks in the fridge. As you can see, one batch made only four pint sized jars and I MUST have more! So my next attempt will be Huckleberry Raspberry Jam. Mmmmmmm!!!!

My Busy-ness

2010-08-13T11:19:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of my projects that have kept me busy this summer...

My son's pirate ship b-day cake

My baby's Choo-choo train b-day cake

My daughter's purse b-day cake

I catered the desserts at my sister's wedding reception. She had a beach theme, so these lemon raspberry cupcakes had crushed graham crackers to resemble sand and a white chocolate sea shell on top.

These dark chocolate Bavarian cupcakes had sugar pearls and white chocolate sea shells on them.

My new brother-in-law loves cheesecake, so we had to have them as well!

Talk about FUN!!!

Oreo Fudge Pops

2010-08-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

Hello, my friends!!! It's been a while and I'm so sorry for it. I've been busy. Really busy. Since the last time I posted (which was the end of April - that's so, so sad), I've been busy with end of school activities, birthdays, a garage sale, catering, having fun with the kids, bottle-feeding calves, traveling, a Carrie Underwood concert, family reunions, more catering, bike rides, tending a garden, walks, BBQ's, camping, family, a wedding reception, and getting ready for school to start again. I even got a new job this summer too. I'm now a Dessert Specialist and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about it!!!

Like I said, I've been busy. But today I have some free time and really wanted to post a sweet treat that I recently made with the kids. They loved it and it was super

easy and nice and cold for these hot summer days.

Here's what you'll need:

1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding

2 C. milk

6 Oreo cookies (or about 1/2 C. crushed Oreo's - or more if you want, like I did)

1/2 C. thawed Cool Whip

Beat pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with a whisk for 2 minutes.

Place cookies in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add cookies and Cool Whip to pudding; stir just until blended.

Spoon into 9 (3 oz. - those mini bathroom paper cups) paper cups.

Insert wooden pop sticks or plastic spoons into each for a handle.

Place on a tray and freeze for 5 hours or until firm.

When ready to eat, let sit for 10-15 minutes, then gently pull out of the cups.

A perfect treat for a hot summer day!

Enjoy and I hope to be back soon!!

Twice Baked Potatoes

2010-04-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've been making lunches for the guys that my husband works with over the last several Saturdays. One thing they mentioned that they REALLY like are twice baked potatoes. So, this last weekend, I made some for them and I think they turned out Heavenly!!

This recipe comes from one of my mom's closest friends (and my good friend, Amy's mom), Janet. I found the recipe in a ward cookbook my mom gave me several years ago and have loved it ever since! Janet calls them "Jailbreak Potatoes" and I can see why. Anyone would break out of jail for these taters!!

Here's what you'll need:

4 lg. potatoes
2 T. butter, melted
1/2 C. whipping cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 C. shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub and prick each potato. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until flaky. Remove from oven and cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, place butter, cream, salt, pepper, and cheese. Cut an oval of skin off of the tops of each potato and scrape out most of the potato's interior and put into the bowl with the other ingredients.

As you can see, I was making these for a crowd and used more than 4 potatoes.

Whip the potato mixture until smooth. Spoon the mixture back into the skins. Place the stuffed potatoes on a buttered, rimmed baking sheet and bake an additional 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

I didn't get an after shot since I whisked them off to Brett's work. But the looked very similar to the picture above, but they had several golden peaks on them. Gorgeous and delicious!! Love them!!!!

B.L.T. w/ A.

2010-04-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

I loooooooooooooooooooooove B.L.T.'s!!! I also looooooooooooooooooooove avocados. So, yesterday for lunch, I made B.L.T.'s with avocado and I was in HEAVEN!!!!! It's one of those simple pleasures in life. Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need:

Toasted Multi-Grain bread (or any bread)
cooked bacon slices
washed lettuce leaves
sliced tomato
sliced avocado

Slather your toast on one side with mayo or Miracle Whip. Place bacon on one piece of toast and top with lettuce, tomato, and avocado. If desired, season avocado with a dash or two of salt and pepper. Top with the other piece of toast. Cut in half and devour.

So good!!!

Breakfast Pockets

2010-04-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

One Saturday morning, I had an itch to make something new and different for breakfast. After the wheels in my head were turning for a while, I decided to make my own breakfast pockets. It was so much fun to create something new for us.

Here's what you'll need:

10 eggs
1 lb. sausage, cooked & crumbled
2 C. shredded cheese
4 (7.5 oz) tubes refrigerated biscuits

Cook the sausage and set aside. Scramble the eggs and cook in the same pan that you cooked your sausage in, scraping the bottom to get all of the yummy sausage bits in your scrambled eggs. Cook until creamy and still wet. Add sausage and combine. Roll out biscuits into thin circles. Put a mound of the sausage and egg mixture on the center of half of the rolled out biscuits. Sprinkle cheese over the egg mixture. Place another rolled-out biscuit on top and press the edges to seal. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack and brush with butter. Serve warm. Makes about 20 pockets.

The kids and I really liked these. I also liked that we could just grab some out of the fridge, warm them up, and eat them on the run. But next time I'm going to try them with some country gravy or a cheese sauce to eat with a fork. Yummmmm!!!!

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2010-04-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Shannon, introduced me to the Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake, but made with dark chocolate. It's WONDERFUL!!! She made the same recipe, while here visiting, but used regular cocoa powder as the recipe calls for. We all agreed that it's nothing special with regular cocoa. But using dark cocoa really does make it divine!!!!!!

Here's what you'll need:

2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C. butter

4 heaping T. dark cocoa

1 C. boiling water

1/2 C. buttermilk

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. In a saucepan, melt the butter then add the dark cocoa. Stir to combine. Add boiling water and boil for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Pour over the flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla and beat well.

(I didn't have any buttermilk on hand, so I just got a little less than a 1/2 cup of milk and added enough vinegar to make a 1/2 cup.)

Beat the buttermilk mixture into the flour/chocolate mixture and pour into a sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the dark chocolate icing:

1 3/4 sticks (14 T.) butter

4 heaping T. dark cocoa

6 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. minus 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1/2 C. chopped pecans, opt.

In a microwavable bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and add the cocoa. Stir to combine. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add pecans, if desired.

My fork sinks down slowly - it doesn't drop right down and it doesn't stay in place - it sinks down slowly. If yours drops straight down, add a little more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, microwave it or add a little more milk.

It's runny, but allow it to sit and set up slightly until the cake is finished baking and cooled slightly. Pour over warm (not hot) cake.

This is sheer chocolate bliss!!!!!

Chicken Puffs

2010-04-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

I'm BACK!!! I'm finally back! And let me just tell you, the two hardest things about having kids are teething and potty training. Lucky for me, I was dealing with BOTH at the same time! But we are through the potty training. It took three long weeks, but she's finally got the hang of it now. THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've also had family visiting and then I was sicker than a dog and then the kids got it too. Good times, I'll tell you what! But now I'm back and I'm so happy to be back!!! So I am dedicating my day to updating. I am so excited cuz I've got LOTS of good recipes for you!

This recipe is my oldest sister's recipe (I've got lots of sisters, 5 in fact and three brothers too). She helped to put together a cookbook recently and I've been cooking out of it this month. But this recipe is one that I've had for years and we LOVE it!! It's usually saved for special occasions like our wedding anniversary, Valentine's Day, or birthdays since they are so good.

I've come to learn that there are actually many names that this recipe has. For instance, these are also known as Chicken Pillows or Chicken Rolls. Different names, but basically the same recipe. Now on to the recipe...

Here's what you'll need:

1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 C. softened butter

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 C. uncooked diced chicken (my mom always cooks hers, but I don't; you can do what you want)

3 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1-2 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 C. sour cream

Cream together the cream cheese, butter, garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Add chicken to creamed mixture. Roll out crescent rolls. Place a large Tablespoon or chicken filling in the middle of each roll. Roll crescents until all sides are sealed. Dip each crescent roll into melted butter and then roll in bread crumbs. Place rolls on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden. Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream in a bowl and heat in the microwave until warmed. Serve over chicken puffs.

Oh boy, do we ever love these!! Try them out!

What's Goin' On...

2010-03-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

Hey! So, I thought I'd just let you know why I haven't updated the blog with any new recipes lately. I've been potty training my two year old. You would think that I would have oodles of time to post as I stay at home and do nothing but ask my little girl if she has to go potty. But no.

The good news - she's done REALLY well today. So I'm crossing my fingers that she'll be done soon and I can get back to posting yummy recipes! But for now, wish me luck.

Favorite Mashed Potatoes

2010-03-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm giving you my favorite mashed potato recipe. I've had it for years and everyone that's ever tried it loves it as well. I like that it's seasoned perfectly and they're moist and rich. Mmmmmmmmm!!

I also like that you can make these ahead of time, put them in the fridge until you're ready for them, then pop 'em in the oven just before you need them.

It's very convenient when you're entertaining. Mix everything together in the morning or the night before and you don't even have to worry about them until you're ready to warm them up. Try it out and see what you think!

Here's what you'll need:

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 C. sour cream
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. butter, divided
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons of butter, salt, onion salt, and pepper; beat until fluffy. (You can just mash the potatoes with a masher and then mix in the other ingredients really well with a fork. But they won't be as light and fluffy if you do it that way.) Transfer to a 2 quart (9x13 inch) baking dish. (I doubled the recipe when I made them last for a dinner party. It doesn't really make two pans.) Dot with the remaining Tablespoon of butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serves 8.

Chocolate, Chocolate Cake

2010-03-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

I had a FABULOUS weekend!!! I hosted a Girl's Night at my house on Saturday and spent Sunday evening with my hubby's family. Both nights were filled with great food and fantastic company! Like I said, it was a great weekend!!

Sunday evening, I was in charge of bringing dessert (my favorite thing to make). So I took a look through my new cookbook and found a super simple and yummy sounding recipe and gave it a try. I got rave reviews on it!

So, thanks to my friend, Mandy, for submitting this recipe. It's so easy. Just dump the ingredients together, mix it up, bake it, dust with powdered sugar, and serve. It took me about ten minutes to get all of the ingredients out, put together, mixed, poured in the bundt pan, and into the oven, and get cleaned up. Then you let is bake for almost an hour. It's so easy!! And sooooooooooooooo delicious!!!! Very moist and chocolaty!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 chocolate cake mix

1 more egg than called for on box instructions

1 (3.9 oz) pkg. chocolate pudding mix, dry

1 C. sour cream

1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, dump the cake mix and any ingredients called for on the box instructions plus one more egg, the dry chocolate pudding mix, and the sour cream. Beat for about 2 minutes then stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into a well greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn over onto a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar. This is fantastic served warm with a scoop of ice cream!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! If you like a chocolaty cake, you're gonna love this one! Try it out. You'll be glad you did!!

Peppermint Frosted Brownies

2010-03-16T06:31:00.001-07:00

I'm posting early today so that you will be ready to make this yummy St. Patrick's Day treat for tomorrow. It's combination of chocolate and mint really does make this treat the gold at the end of the rainbow!

Here's what you'll need:

Fudge Brownies - either MY RECIPE or a box mix, mixed, baked, and cooled
Peppermint Frosting:

1/4 C. butter
2 1/2 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
2-3 T. milk

1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening

Beat butter for 30 seconds, add powdered sugar, mint extract and enough milk to make a good spreading consistency. Tint green with a few drops of food coloring. Spread over cooled brownies. Melt the chocolate chips and the shortening together and mix until smooth. Drizzle over the brownies and frosting. I frosted the brownies first, then cut them, and drizzled them with chocolate once they were on a plate to give away. But you can do it either way!

A PERFECT St. Patrick's Day treat! Enjoy!!!

Busy, busy, busy!!

2010-03-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

This happens every time! I say I'm going to post all week and I only post twice. Nice. I'm sorry! My week last week ended up getting really full of things to do. So, today I've added four new recipes from my new cookbook to make up for my slacking to do so last week. Enjoy!!!

Steak Fajitas

2010-03-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

My neighbor, Janette, submitted this recipe. She's a good friend of mine. And you know she's a good friend when she comes to your house, days after you've had a baby, lets herself in very quietly as my kids and I nap, and stocks my fridge full of good food to eat so I don't have to worry about cooking. AND she didn't even mind that my house was a disaster! She's a VERY good friend!!! And a very good cook too!

When making her fajitas, you have to make sure to plan ahead, since the meat has to marinate overnight. But it's worth it! I love the flavor the marinade gives to the whole meal. Very good!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. soy sauce
1/4 C. honey
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 C. water
2lb. sirloin or flank steak

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, and water. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade in the fridge and pour the rest into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and place the the steak into the bag as well. Marinate in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to get cooking, remove the steak from the marinade and discard the bag. Slice the steak into thin strips.

Combine the strips of steak with the sliced veggies in a heated skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry until the meat is cooked and the veggies are tender, using the reserved marinade to keep the meat from sticking to the pan. Or you can do what I did and just toss in all of the reserved marinade in the pan with the steak and veggies and let them cook in it. Serve with warmed tortillas and sour cream.

Yum, yum!!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2010-03-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

I keep hearing from my friends that I HAVE to try Tanyss' recipes. (Tanyss is a sweet friend of mine.) So one day, I did. I love to eat Chicken Cordon Bleu, but I think it's a pain in the neck to put together. Seeing this recipe of Tanyss', I knew I had to try it. Let me tell you, it was SOOOOOOOO good!! Now I have a whole list of recipes of hers to try.

Here's what you'll need:

2 C. chicken, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 C. Swiss cheese, shredded
2 C. ham, cubed (you can use lunch meat)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C. sour cream
1/2 a tube of Ritz crackers, crushed
2 T. melted butter

In a greased 8x8 inch baking dish, layer the chicken, Swiss cheese, and ham. Combine the cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Spread over the ham layer. Then combine the crushed crackers with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve over cooked rice.

Oh my, very, very good!!! Try it out!

Hot & Hearty Loaf

2010-03-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from my friend, and super great cook, Kolette. It is very similar to my mom's Submarine Pizza, but this has more meat and the meat mixture has a lot more flavor. It is quite delicious!! And easy to put together too!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 C. finely chopped onion OR 1 T. dried, chopped onion
1/4 C. chopped olives
1/3 C. Parmesan cheese
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 C. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 loaf French bread (unsliced)
6 slices of cheese, whatever you like
10-12 slices tomato

Brown beef with onion. Drain excess fat. Add remaning ingredients. Warm through. Mixture should be thick enough to mound well. Slice loaf of bread horizontally into 2 equal pieces. (I had to cut my bread in half first since I had frozen it and that was the only way I could get it to fit in the freezer bag.) Divide meat mixture in half and spread onto bread halves. Preheat broiler. Top beef mixture with tomato slices and then cheese. Broil until cheese is melted. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Great flavor and quick and easy!! Love it!!!!

Barbeque Chicken

2010-03-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

My whole family LOVED this recipe. My oldest would say with every bite he took, "Oh my gosh, this is soooooooooooooo good!" Or, "Wow, this is amazing!" Or, "This is the best dinner EVER!" Or, "Mmmmmmmmmm, WOW!!!" With every single bite. It was great to hear! And he was right, it was very good chicken!

Here's what you'll need:

3 - 4 lbs. chicken
Seasoned salt
1 T. dried onion
3/4 C. ketchup
1/3 C. vinegar
1/2 C. water
3 T. brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. honey

Season chicken with seasoned salt, then cook through. I used my George Foreman grill (which I LOVE, by the way). Place chicken into a 9x13 inch pan. While the meat is cooking, in small sauce pan, combine the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over the cooked chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with rice or a baked potato. We REALLY enjoyed this!!!

Baked Beans

2010-03-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is called, "Original Ranch House Baked Beans" in my new cookbook. Now, I've never heard of Ranch House before, but by looking at the ingredients, I thought this recipe sounded good. Well, it was. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!! It has such a wonderful flavor to it and is very hearty. Served with my breadsticks, it's a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

Here's what you'll need:

2 (16 oz) cans pork and beans
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can butter beans, drained
1 C. ketchup
1 C. brown sugar
1 T. liquid smoke
3 scant T. vinegar
1/2 onion, chopped OR 4 T. dried, chopped onion
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. hamburger

Brown hamburger, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (a few shakes of each). Cook bacon; cut into 1 inch chunks. Drain all grease. Mix all ingredients together in a pot. Simmer for 1 hour (I only had 30 minutes and it was still great). Or use a crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours.

You really should try this. Especially if you live in Southeast Idaho where it's snowing right now. This will warm you right up!!

Garlic Cream Sauce

2010-03-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

I have been going HOG WILD with the new community cookbook I helped put together last year. For the last two months I have been cooking with this book almost exclusively and have found that many of my neighbors are terrific cooks! So this week, hopefully everyday, I'll be posting a yummy recipe from my cookbook.

Today's recipe comes from my neighbor, Donna. In the cookbook she has a recipe called "Chicken Pasta" and it's a casserole. But when I made it, I didn't make it into a casserole. Instead, I made the pasta sauce and served it over Penne and a chicken breast. Oh my good heavens, the sauce was SPECTACULAR!!!

I'll give you the instructions on how to make the casserole too. But no matter what way you make this, you MUST try it!!!!!!!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. sweet butter
2 garlic cloves, minced OR 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 C. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 C. mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring it to a simmer. Stir often. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and is smooth. When sauce has thickened, add the mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth.

As I said earlier, I served it like this...

To make it as a casserole:

Cook a package of Penne pasta. In the mean time, cook chicken (probably 3 chicken breasts), seasoned with Italian seasoning and Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Cube once cooked through. Cube enough ham to make two cups. Saute ham with sliced, fresh mushrooms and sliced green onions (as many mushrooms and onions as you'd like).

Combine the cooked pasta, chicken, and the sauce above. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Top with the ham and mushroom mixture. Then sprinkle with shredded Swiss cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

It sounds delicious and I'll definitely be making this some day. But if you don't want to hassle with a casserole, definitely make the sauce to serve as I did! It is absolutely divine!!!

Oh, and just a note, if you have leftover sauce for the next day, it will separate. All you have to do is warm it up and whisk until it combines. Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Steak

2010-03-03T14:14:00.001-08:00

On Sunday afternoons, we like to make a dinner that might take a little more time than what I might spend on a weeknight. A couple of Sundays ago, my hubby and I decided to make chicken fried steak since I have a TON of cube steaks in the freezer. So I started looking through recipes online. I found one on allrecipes that had a really good rating and wrote it down. Then I remembered watching Bobby Flay make some as I was laying in a hospital bed just after I had my baby. It looked good. So I looked it up too and compared the two recipes.

I couldn't decide which one would be better just by looking at the ingredients. I decided to make them both and have a taste-test. That was a lot of fun and my husband was so excited. After getting everything cooked, we sat down to eat. Brett said that the allrecipes CFS tasted like what you get at restaurants. But I never order it at restaurants because it's nothing special - bland really, which is what I thought of the allrecipes recipe.

Bobby Flay's, on the other hand, was VERY flavorful. I loved it! And I will take better tasting food than restaurants around here can make any day!! So, today I am sharing my version of Bobby Flay's Chicken Fried Steak. To see the original, click HERE. Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. cubed steak, cut into four sections

1 1/2 C. buttermilk (or milk, but buttermilk is better)

2 1/2 C. flour

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

1 T. paprika

1 tsp. cayenne pepper, opt.

oil for frying

2 T. (heaping) flour

2 C. milk

2 T. heavy cream

salt, pepper, and thyme to taste

Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish and set aside. In another shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper, if desired.

Dredge the cube steak in the flour mixture and then into the buttermilk and then again in the flour mixture.
Fry in heated oil and cook over medium-low heat until golden brown on the outside and the meat is cooked through.
Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate.

For the country gravy, pour off most of the oil from the frying pan, but keeping a little still in the pan. Add the flour and cook for one minute. Slowly add the milk, cream, and seasonings. Cook until thickened. Serve over the steaks and mashed potatoes.

Mmmmmmmmm!!! Much better than what you get at the restaurant!

French Breakfast Puffs

2010-02-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

I so love breakfast foods! If I had the time to make breakfast everyday, I would. My whole family gets so excited when we all get to spend time making and eating a hot breakfast together. We love, love, love it!!!

Today's recipe was brought to my attention by one of my roommates in college, Rita. She had told me about a really good muffin recipe that her sister had made from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (which was the only cookbook I owned at the time). And I am a HUGE sucker for muffins. I see them as a cross between a roll and a cupcake - both things I am tickled pink to eat. Anyhow, she found it for me and we made it. It was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!! Thanks to Rita, I've been making it since.

Try it out for breakfast tomorrow. You'll be glad you did!

Here's what you'll need:

1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 C. flour
1 C. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 C. milk
2/3 C. butter or margarine, melted

Combine the 1/4 C. sugar and the 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a small dish and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 C. sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and butter or margarine. Add to the flour mixture and whisk by hand only until just combined. It will still be lumpy.

Using the Pam baking spray with flour, grease muffin tins or line with paper baking cups and fill until almost full (I like mine nice and big).

(I doubled the recipe for this picture and ended up with 12 regular sized muffins and 6 Jumbo muffins)

Any unused muffin cups, fill halfway with water. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and immediately dip the tops in 4 T. melted butter or margarine and then in the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

I like doubling the recipe so that I can put half in the freezer for another time.

Yum, yum, YUM!!!

Quick & Easy Recipes

2010-02-25T14:58:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have added a label to the right and down below for Quick and Easy recipes. These are for when you need to make dinner QUICK. And just so you know, I totally consider breakfast foods allowable for dinner!

I hope this helps!! Oh, and read on for the recipe I posted today.

Hannah

Beef Taco Skillet

2010-02-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

Yet another quick and easy dinner for when you are in a pinch.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 C. salsa
1 can corn, drained
1/2 C. water
4 flour tortillas, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook beef in a skillet until browned. Pour off the fat. Add soup, salsa, corn, water, tortillas, and 1/2 the cheese. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and serve.

How easy was that?! Quick and easy - I LOVE 'em!!

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

2010-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

The first time I tried a Monte Cristo sandwich was when my friend from home/old roommate, Nicole, and I went out to lunch after we both had gotten married. She told me I had to try this sandwich she had found that was so good. So I did, and it was so yummy! I loved the french toast-like exterior and the melted cheese and ham interior. It was served with raspberry jam on the side for dipping, but I wasn't too fond of that, so I just ate it plain and it was good.

Well, I came across a recipe from The Prepared Pantry for a Honey Ham Monte Cristo sandwich. The fond memories of that yummy sandwich with Nicole came flooding back to me. I decided to try it. The result wasn't quite the same, but still good none-the-less, so my hubby and I thought. My kids, not so much. But this really isn't a kids sandwich.

Give it a try and see what you think.

Here's what you'll need:

8 slices of bread
3 eggs
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. white pepper
8 slices of provolone or Swiss cheese
1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli ham (or you can use half ham and half turkey)
1/4 C. honey
2 T. prepared mustard

Mix the eggs, milk, salt, dry mustard, and white pepper together in a shallow bowl. Make the honey spread by mixing the honey and the prepared mustard. Set aside.

Spread honey mustard onto one or two pieces of bread. Top with ham, then cheese, and more ham.
Heat a griddle. Dip each sandwich lightly into the egg mixture on both sides of the sandwich. Place on the griddle and fry as you would french toast or a grilled cheese sandwich, turning when one side is golden brown.

Serve hot. You can serve it with seedless raspberry jam or honey, which is what I ate mine with. Yum!!

Poppy Seed Bread

2010-02-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, I did one of those chain mailing things that asked people to send so many recipes to the two people on the list, then put your name in this spot and mail it to this many people. Well, I really like trying new recipes, so this fun game was just up my alley. So I did just what I was supposed to do. Now if every person participated how they were supposed to, I was supposed to get like 64 recipes. I didn't think I would and I didn't. But I did get some from my sister-in-law, Kasi.

One of the recipes she sent me was for a Poppy Seed Bundt Cake. It sounded really easy and I thought I'd try it. It was very easy and sooooooooooooooo good!! Now-a-days, I usually make the recipe into loaves rather than a bundt cake. But either way you make it, it's really great! So to my sister-in-law, Kasi, who thinks she can't cook, thank you for this great recipe. We love it!!!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 yellow cake mix
1 (3 1/4 oz) pkg. French Vanilla pudding mix, dry
4 eggs
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. water
1/2 C. butter
1 tsp. almond flavoring/extract
1 1/2 - 2 T. poppy seeds

Mix everything together. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes in a bundt pan or 2 loaf pans for 45-50 minutes or 8 mini loaf pans for 25-30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

And here's a little trick for you. If you use a towel or paper towel and wipe down the top inch of your sprayed pans, removing the non-stick spray, you'll get a loaf with a pretty rounded top. Not like these ones that turned out pretty flat. = )

These loaves are always so flavorful and moist. Like I said, we LOVE them!!

Herb Roasted Pork

2010-02-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

Today's recipe comes from allrecipes. We had just had our pig butchered and so I had LOTS of pork in my freezer and I wanted to try something new. So I hopped on their trusty website and found this recipe. We tried it out and fell in love! It makes a soooooooooo delicious, juicy, flavorful pork roast with an incredible sauce to boot. I LOVE it!!!! And it's nice enough to serve for company too.

Here's what you'll need:

2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed OR 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 (5 lb) pork roast

Sauce:
1 C. brown sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 C. vinegar
1/2 C. water
1/4 C. soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Rub all over the roast. Place roast in a roasting pan. Cover loosely and bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until your roast reaches and internal temperature of 150 degrees.

For the sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Brush roast with the glaze 3-4 times during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Pour remaining glaze over roast and serve. Or reserve the remaining glaze to drizzle over the sliced roast, like I did here. And drizzle a little more over some mashed potatoes or rice. Then keep some glaze to dunk everything in while you're eating. It's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!!!

Breakfast Burritos

2010-02-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

My next door neighbor, Cortney, made our family dinner after I had our third baby. She made us a breakfast casserole that we ate as breakfast burritos. We LOVED it!! When I was asked to make our neighborhood's cookbook, I called Cortney and told her to include the recipe she made for us so I could have it. She did and we love to make and eat it!!! THANK YOU CORTNEY!!!!!!!!!!

Here's what you'll need:

3 C. cooked sausage or ham

1 pkg. frozen hash browns

3 C. grated cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8-9 eggs

Mix hash browns, cheese, soup, and meat together. Spread out in 2 9x13 inch pans (or one bigger pan, like a big roasting pan). Beat eggs together and pour over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of pan you use, or until cooked through. Remove from oven and give it a good stir. Place in tortilla shells and top with Tabasco sauce or salsa and devour!

Very simple and very good!!

Hot Dogs with Mashed Potatoes and Cheese

2010-02-19T11:11:00.001-08:00

I am so bad about having a variety of choices for lunch. Almost everyday, the options are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or macaroni and cheese. Whenever I venture out and really make something for the kids, I am so proud of myself. Today's recipe was one of those times I ventured. It's something I grew up on and it's so easy. I don't know why I don't make it more often. My poor kids.

Here's what you'll need:

Hot dogs
Mashed potatoes
Cheese

Make some mashed potatoes. Since I make these for my kids, they don't care if I use the instant mashed potatoes. So that's what I use. Or if you have some left over from dinner the night before, use them.

Slice your hot dogs in half lengthwise.

Top with mashed potatoes and top the taters with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with ketchup to dip in.

Make 'em! You're kids will be so happy!!

Banana Bars with Browned Butter Frosting

2010-02-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

I have a friend named Kolette. She's one of my exercise buddies and she's a fantastic cook! When the two of us get together, you know we're going to be talking about food. One day, she told me how much her family loves her banana bar recipe. So I looked it up in our neighborhood cookbook and gave it a whirl. And guess what, she was right. They were wonderful, very moist, tender, and so tasty!

Then I remembered a recipe my mother-in-law gave me for browned butter frosting and thought it would be a perfect pairing of flavors. I whipped it up and slathered it on my banana bars and then I was in Heaven!!! Oh my, let me tell you how good it was! The frosting has kind of a toffee flavor to it, I think, and it was soooooooooooo perfect for the banana bars.

There are two ways you can make this recipe. Either bake the bars in a 9x13 inch pan for thicker bars or in a large, rimmed cookie sheet, doubling the frosting recipe, for thinner bars. Either way, they are so very good. You must, MUST try them.

Here's what you'll need:

Banana Bars

1/2 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 C. sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and bananas. Follow with dry ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan or a large, rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow bars to cool.

Browned Butter Frosting

1/3 C. butter

3 C. powdered sugar

3 T. cream (or milk)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Brown butter in a saucepan over medium heat until delicate brown in color.

Remove from the heat and add everything else. Combine well.

Frost cooled bars.

If you make your bars in a cookie sheet, make sure to double this frosting recipe.

Be careful, they disappear quickly!!!

Speedy Stroganoff

2010-02-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

I love recipes that you can throw together in no time at all! That's how this recipe is today - quick, easy, and yummy. My whole family loves this one!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef
2 T. dried, chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C. sour cream

Cook the ground beef with salt and pepper and the dried, chopped onion. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Serve over cooked egg noodles, tri-color noodles, or baked potatoes.

See how easy that was?! It's great for one of those nights where you've been so busy that you haven't had a chance to work on dinner until 20 minutes before it needs to be served. Try it out!

Dark Chocolate Covered Heart-Shaped Brownies

2010-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the kids and I started working on Valentine goodies for their teachers. I wanted something easy, cute, and yummy, so I made a variation to what we did last year for Valentine's day. The changes? Using dark chocolate and covering them with a thin frosting. Oooooooooh boy, they're GOOD!!!

I have my sister-in-law, Shannon, to thank for converting me to the dark side, of chocolate that is. It's a new love of mine!

Here's what you'll need:

Cookie Sheet Brownies

3 C. sugar
6 eggs
3 1/2 C. flour
3 1/2 cubes margarine (I used to make this with butter, but found that margarine is better in this recipe)
1 C. dark cocoa
1/2 C. corn syrup
1 T. vanilla

Dump everything together and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured large, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter (mine was a mini one). Place on a cooling rack. Put the heart filled rack on top of either wax paper or aluminum foil. Drizzle each brownie heart with frosting. Place in the fridge to set the frosting. Scrape the frosting underneath the cooling rack and put it back into your frosting bowl to reuse.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

4 heaping T. dark cocoa powder
1 3/4 cubes butter
8 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Melt the butter in a large, microwavable bowl. Add the cocoa powder and stir well. Then add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Whisk together until smooth.
You'll want this quite runny, so I put my frosting in the microwave for about 15 seconds on High to melt it a little. Then with a spoon, I poured some frosting on top of each of the brownie hearts until they were mostly covered, if not completely.

Try this out; they are oh, so yummy and so adorable!!

Or if you don't want to worry about the frosting, then just dust them with powdered sugar.

Multi-Grain Bread

2010-02-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

I look up to my aunt, Janell, in so many ways. She has the most fun personality, she is absolutely beautiful, and SHE CAN COOK!! Today's recipe came from her.

I hosted a family reunion at my home last year and as a hostess gift, Janell gave me the ingredients that I would need to make this bread. She even ground the flour for me! Did I not tell you how amazing she is?!

So while my mom was here visiting me after I had my baby (yes, this is one of those recipes that I've had waiting on my computer to be posted), we decided to make it. I wasn't quite sure of what to expect since most multi-grain breads are really heavy and dry, but I knew that if this recipe was from Janell, it probably wouldn't turn out like that. And, yep, I was right. It was light and tender and even a little sweet. It smelled terrific while baking and tasted just as good to eat!

There are some steps to this recipe. It's not quite as easy as my Potato Bread, but it's much healthier and so delicious. So try it out!

Here's what you'll need:

1/4 C. sesame seeds
1/4 C. millet
1/8 C. flaxseed
1/4 C. sunflower seeds
1 C. 9 grain (or 7 grain or 11 grain or whatever number of grain you want)
3 C. very hot water

1/4 C. oil
3 T. molasses
1/4 C. honey
1 (heaping) T. instant yeast (My mom uses 3 leveled T. instant yeast, so take your pick or anywhere in between)

1/2 C. gluten
1 T. dough enhancer
1 T. salt
1 C. whole wheat flour

4-5 C. additional whole wheat flour

Combine the first 5 ingredients (the seeds) and let them soak in the very hot water for 15 minutes. Then combine the oil, molasses, honey, and instant yeast and add it to the soaked seeds and water. To this mixture, add the gluten, dough enhancer, salt, and 1 C. whole wheat flour; mix well for 1 minute. Then add 4-5 more cups of whole wheat flour, enough until the sides of the bowl are clean. Mix with a Bosch on speed 2 (medium speed) for 8 minutes with a dough hook.

As I've explained before about using a Bosch mixer versus any other stand mixer, with a Bosch, you only have to let the dough rise once when it is formed into loaves. If you are using any other type of stand mixer, you will have to let it rise until doubled before you shape the dough into loaves and then let rise again after they are shaped.

**Just a note, if you are thinking about investing in a stand mixer, go with a Bosch**

Once the loaves have risen for an hour, bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

And voila! You get a very tender, very delicious, and very nutritious multi-grain bread. Enjoy!!

Orange Julius

2010-02-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

My friend, Alicia, is a great cook! I am always so excited to try anything that she makes because I know it'll be good. Well, today's recipe is hers. And it's TERRIFIC!!!

Now, I've never been to Orange Julius before, but apparently it tastes just like their orange julius. All I have to say is that my four-year-old DEVOURED this stuff! I liked how easy it was to make, how yummy it tasted, and that it's relatively good for you.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate (I went with the pulp free)
1 C. milk
1 C. water
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 1 1/2 trays of ice cubes (12-18 cubes)

Blend all ingredients into a blender until smooth and enjoy!

See, I told you it was easy! Now just try it for yourself and see how yummy it is!!

Twix Bars

2010-02-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Twix candy bars! They've been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. When my exercising friends recommended this recipe to me (yes, almost every time we get together to exercise, we talk about food - ironic, I know, but I love it!), I knew I had to try it!!

It's a very simple recipe, just like the candy bar itself - a shortbread crust, caramel center, and topped with chocolate. The only tricky part about it is the caramel. You make a simple, homemade caramel. What's tricky about it is not letting it scorch. Mine did a smidgen, but it was still divine! So, try it out!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. butter
1/2 C. sugar
2 C. flour

1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C. corn syrup

1 1/2 C. chocolate chips
2 T. shortening

Mix and press the first three ingredients in a 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. (I think I did mine for 18 minutes.)

In a medium sized saucepan, mix together the butter, brown sugar, condensed milk, and corn syrup.

Slowly bring to a boil then boil for 5 minutes. VERY IMPORTANT: You MUST stir it constantly or else it will scorch and it takes about 20 minutes to get the caramel mixture to boil. So working on the caramel takes a good thirty minutes.

Okay, moving on... Pour caramel over the crust (it doesn't have to be cooled).

In a microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips and the shortening. Stir until smooth. Then pour over the caramel layer and use a spatula to carefully spread, covering all of the caramel. Now this is the hardest part - allow to chill. Yep, that's right, you have to wait for it to set up before you can try it. TORTURE!! But when it's cool, cut that baby up and share the love!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Just ask my sister-in-law, Valerie. She even asked for the recipe! : )

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches with Sweet Coleslaw

2010-02-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

Have you been thinking about what to make for your Super Bowl party? In case you have, I have an idea for you. And if you could care less about the Super Bowl, then just enjoy today's recipes, cuz they're GOOD!!!

I saw this idea once on one of my BHG emails I get, for pulled-pork sandwiches with coleslaw on top. I thought it looked interesting. I thought to myself, I have a good pulled-pork recipe, but I don't like coleslaw. And then I remembered eating coleslaw once at my mother-in-law's house and it was so good! But all I could remember about it was that it was sweet. So I did a search online for a sweet coleslaw recipe and I found one that my whole family (myself included) fell in LOVE with!!

Now I made one sandwich slathered in BBQ sauce and no slaw; it was good. The next sandwich I made was with the sweet slaw on top and it was AMAZING!!!!!! The tangy, chewy pork combined with the sweet, crunchy slaw - it is a PERFECT combination! That was all I ate for the next couple of days until it was gone. Trust me when I say, "It was AMAZING!!!"

Here's what you'll need:

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

3 lbs. pork roast, cut into equal pieces
1/4 C. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 C. cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. water
8 soft sandwich rolls, split (I used my soft and tender rolls)
BBQ sauce for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cover pork pieces with the sugar mixture. Place into a roasting pan.
Now, let me just say this, this is how my butcher cut my pork roast. But I prefer to have bigger chunks rather than slices of meat so that when you shred it, you'll have longer shreds. I ended up with little tidbits of pork rather than shreds.

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 C. water. Pour into roasting pan. Let me also say this, I should have used my biggest roasting pan and covered it with foil, since it doesn't have a lid. Cover your pan and place in the oven. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily. For me, it took between 1 to 1 1/2 hours to cook. The recipe says to let it cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I would suggest checking it after an hour or so and go from there.

Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. Shred the meat. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with some of the pan juices to moisten.

And now for the next recipe:

Sweet Coleslaw

1 bag of coleslaw mix (just the shredded cabbage, carrots, and radishes - don't use the sauce mix if it comes with one)
2/3 C. Miracle Whip
3 T. oil
1/2 C. sugar
1 T. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

Put the cabbage into a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, oil, sugar, white vinegar, and salt. Mix well until creamy and mostly smooth. Pour over the cabbage; mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 2-5 hours. Now that is VERY important to get the best flavor without making the slaw go soggy. After it sits for a couple/few hours, it'll be nice and moist and ready for sandwiches.

To assemble:

Take your sliced sandwich roll and on the bottom half, slather a little BBQ sauce. Place however much pulled-pork on the sauce, then top with however much coleslaw you want. Put the top half of the roll on and CHOW DOWN!!

If you would rather fore go the slaw on top, then just eat it with your favorite BBQ sauce.
But, for me, just try it with the coleslaw. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it!

Update

2010-01-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

I felt really bad when I posted about the soft and tender rolls and had so few pictures. Making rolls can be kinda tricky and I wanted more pictures to make things a little easier for you. So I made lots of rolls last night and took lots of pictures to help you out. Below is my updated version of Soft & Tender Rolls.

Hope it helps!

Soft & Tender Rolls

2010-01-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

I love bread. I really, really love bread. I would never be able to do one of those diets that cut out any bread intake. I would fail and fail miserably. If it weren't for my mom's voice in my head as I prepare every meal, saying, "Is this a healthy, well balanced meal?" I would be so happy just to eat bread and nothing else. As would my kids.

And today's recipe makes the thought all the more tempting. I love this recipe! It comes from my neighbor down the street, Nina. She's an amazing cook. I took a bread making class from her and got her bread recipe, which she is famous for around here. And this is it.

Though, as I made her bread into loaves, it was so tender and wonderful, but didn't stand up to what I'm looking for in a loaf bread recipe. When I tried it as rolls, however, they were AMAZING!!! Just perfect for rolls!

Here's what you'll need:

3 C. milk
1 C. water
3/4 C. butter
4 T. yeast
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 C. sugar
4 tsp. salt
10 C. flour

Put the milk and water in a large microwaveable bowl and add the butter. Microwave until the butter is mostly melted, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes.

Put the yeast, eggs, sugar, 6 cups of flour, and salt into a large bowl or stand mixer, preferably a Bosch (stand mixers are NOT created equal - Bosch's are the best for breads). Pour in the milk, water, butter mixture and mix well. Add enough of the remaining flour to make the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still leaving some on the sides.

Now, here's where the difference in stand mixers come in. If you are using a Bosch (not a Kitchenaid or any other stand mixer - I mean BOSCH), you just have to let it mix on high for about 10 minutes. That will do the kneading for you. So easy. So wonderful. I love my Bosch.
The dough will be sticky, that's what makes it really tender. You don't want stiff dough!

Okay! Moving on...if you are using a Kitchenaid or other stand mixer, mix as well as you can, for about 5-10 minutes. If you are making these by hand, use those muscles and knead, knead, knead for at least 5 minutes, longer is better.

If you do not use a Bosch, let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. If you are using a Bosch, you can skip this step. You don't have to let it rise the first time. (Have I told you how much I love that machine?)

If you let the dough rise, punch it down and start forming your rolls.

Now, there are several ways that you can make rolls. There's the classic dinner roll, 1/2 cup or 4-inch sized ball (or whatever size you want to make them) that you line in a greased baking dish.

This is what they look like after they have risen

Or you can make cloverleaf rolls, where you make three little balls (approximately 2 inches in diameter), dunk 'em in melted butter and place them in a muffin tin - three balls to one muffin cup.

Also after they have risen.

Then there's Parker House rolls. To make this style, roll out dough approximately 1/2-inch thick. Cut circles with a biscuit cutter or a cup. Put a little dab of butter in the centers of your dough circles, fold in half, and pinch to make it stay. Then place on a greased baking sheet. (Sorry, no pictures of these. You'll have to use your imagination!)

Or you could make Butterhorn rolls by rolling the dough, onto a very well flourerd surface, into a couple of 12 inch circles, brush with melted butter, and slice into wedges (like a pizza).

Roll each wedge, starting from the wide end, rolling to the point, like a crescent roll.

(I made mine a little big. Next time I'll cut them into 12 rolls rather than 8!)

Place on a greased baking sheet.

And the last method that I'm going to talk about (there are sooooooo many ways to form rolls) is the Lion House method. Roll out your dough into a long rectangle, approximately 18 inches long; brush with melted butter, then slice with a pizza cutter, making several small rectangles measuring approximately 3 inches by 5 inches. That sounds a little confusing. Take a look at the picture below...
Roll up each rectangle, starting at the short end, keeping the butter on the inside. Place into a greased baking sheet.

And with any way that you mixed your dough or formed your rolls, cover your rolls lightly with plastic wrap and let them rise until until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and the time will fluctuate depending on how your rolls are formed. So use the 20 minutes as a guide, but keep an eye on your rolls. (More exact times are listed below.) They are done when they are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Best when served warm.

The dinner rolls baked for 25-30 minutes.

Brushed with butter

So light and tender!

The cloverleaf rolls baked for 15-18 minutes.

The butterhorn baked for about 25-30 minutes.

And the Lion House rolls baked for about 20-25 minutes.

I hope I didn't confuse you too much. Give them a try because they are really worth it! And don't give up if your rolls don't turn out perfectly. It takes practice!! Heck, I'm still practicing. But again, they are so worth it!!!!

Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

2010-01-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

Yay!! Recipes, finally!!! This recipe is one that we love and for three reasons: 1-it's really yummy; 2-it's super easy; and 3-it can feed a lot of people. About six months ago, when my baby was only a few weeks old, I hosted a luncheon at my house after church for lots of family members. As I pondered what I would serve for it, this is what I chose for the three reasons I love it. It was perfect!

Try it out; and even if you don't need to feed a houseful, size it down to what you need. Or you can make a lot of this and freeze it for future use. You can't beat a really good dinner, ready-made and homemade, that you just pull from the freezer and warm up!

Here's what you'll need:

Beef roast, whatever size you want - I went with a 4 lb. and a 2 lb. (6 lbs total) since I was feeding LOTS

Your favorite dry rub or seasoning - I like McCormick's GrillMates Montreal Steak Seasoning, but my favorite is the Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning that you can find at Costco

Your favorite BBQ sauce - I like KC Masterpiece

Cover your roast with your favorite dry rub or seasoning. Cook it in the crockpot until it's done (the length of time will vary with the size of roast you use - you could cook it overnight on low).

When it's done, remove the meat from the crockpot and discard the juices. Shred the roast and place back in the crockpot. Smother with BBQ sauce until you've reached your desired moistness. For the six pounds of meat that I used, we used an entire 45 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce. Let warm in the crockpot. Serve in buns or rolls or between two pieces of sliced bread. Like I said, super easy, really yummy, and can feed a lot of people.

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do!!

2010-01-11T11:34:00.001-08:00

I was going through my pictures on my computer today and took an inventory on how many different recipes I have pictures for that I haven't posted yet. Want to know how many I have waiting? 25!! There are 25 recipes that I have pictures of that are just waiting to be posted. Holy moly!!! I have some serious catching up to do! I'll be getting started on them shortly.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-12-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

This chocolate chip recipe is our absolutely favorite, so far (I'm always up for trying new recipes), and trust me, I've tried many recipes. It comes from one of the Lion House cookbooks. I've tried adjusting it to make it better and nothing I've done surpasses the original recipe other than adding more chocolate than it calls for.

This recipe makes a BIG batch, about 6 dozen regular-sized cookies. But I like to use my big cookie scoop and with that I usually get about 4 dozen.

We made these today for Santa to enjoy tonight. And I KNOW he will!

Here's what you'll need:

1 3/4 C. softened butter (not melted at all)
1 3/4 C. brown sugar
1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
4 eggs
5 1/2 T. water (strange, I know, but don't leave it out or substitute it with anything else)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 C. chocolate chips (2-12 oz. bags)

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, water, and vanilla; mix until creamy. Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix well. Gently fold in chocolate chips, mixing only until chips are evenly distributed.

In these pictures I used a combiniation of semi-sweet, milk, and white chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If using the large cookie scoop you'll need to cook them for about 12 or 13 minutes. If using a convection oven, take two minutes off of the cooking time.

So, so very good!

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!!