Four Turtle Racers

Oven Ham Sammies

2012-02-04T06:54:00.002-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days or weeks where everything is a battle and you are just drained? This was me yesterday. I just felt like I had no more left in me to give. Thankfully I had this little number on the menu, or we would have been eating cereal for dinner, I am not saying that is bad, but that is often what we eat when I am tired or overwhelmed. These are super fast, easy, really cheesy and yummy! All great things in my book!

Oven Ham Sammies
Recipe found on Tasty Kitchen
Picture from Pinterest

16 ounces Thin Sliced Deli Ham
12 slices Swiss Cheese
1 package King Hawaiian Rolls, 12 Count
½ cups Butter, Melted
2 teaspoons Onion Flakes
1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ teaspoons Ground Mustard

Put ham and cheese in between sliced rolls. Mix all other ingredients and spoon over sandwiches. Let set overnight or several hours. Bake on 350F for 15 min before serving.
See, it really couldn't be any easier!

Popcorn Cake

2012-02-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

I am going to share a recipe that just about rocked my little world! (How is that for dramatic!) I adore popcorn. It is one of my desert island things that I would want.
When I saw a picture for a popcorn cake on Pinterest, I knew that I would be making it! I made it for my son's 10th birthday party. It was amazing! Try this recipe, it super simple. Try it even if you don't have a special occasion, you will thank me!

Popcorn Cake

Original recipe from Cookies & Cups

1 stick of butter

1 bag of mini marshmallows

2 bags of buttered popcorn

2 cups FROZEN M&Ms

1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks

Start by popping your popcorn. Once your popcorn is all popped, sift through and remove all the unpopped kernels. Place in a large bowl, and stir in the M&Ms and pretzels. Grease a Bundt pan and set aside. Melt your butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir in the entire bag of marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are all melted. Pour over the popcorn mixture and stir until everything is all coated in the marshmallow topping. Transfer to the pre-sprayed Bundt pan. Cover with foil and let it set up for an hour. Run a knife along the edges and invert on your serving platter.

Sloppy Joes

2012-01-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

This year I have volunteered my time working the mid-week meal ministry at church. There is one lady who does all the shopping, recipe picking, and most of the cooking. My part is to help with last minute needs, serving and cleaning up. But last week, she was sick, so my dear friend Cathy and I said that we would try to do what the main lady does. We made these Sloppy Joes. They came out wonderful! We had people say that they weren't big Sloppy Joe fans, but, these were so good! I hope that your family likes them as much as my church family did!

Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground beef
2 -3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, celery and onion, drain the fat.Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If Joes appear too soupy, leave cover off and let moisture evaporate. Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns.

Baked Chicken Fajitas

2012-01-27T18:08:00.001-07:00

My family has a little, ok, a big love affair with Mexican food! We love our enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, rellenos, quesadillas, and of course, fajitas! I have a fajita recipe (here) that I love, it is our standard. But, there is always room for one more awesome fajita recipe, right? This is for baked fajitas. I loved the idea of baking the fajitas, it was super easy. The results were delicious! The leftovers also made for really tasty quesadilla fillings!
Baked Chicken Fajitas
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
Tortillas
Grated cheese and assorted fajita toppings
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 13x 9 in. baking dish. Mix chicken, onion, chiles, bell pepper in the dish. Pour oil and lime juice over the top. In a small bowl, mix the spices together. sprinkle over the chicken mixture and toss lightly to coat. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve on tortillas with cheese and any other toppings that you want and have handy.

Taco Rice

2012-01-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I home school my boys. I love doing it, but sometimes having to make three meals a day is overwhelming! Taco Rice is a recipe that I discovered while blog hopping a couple of years ago. I found the original recipe here on The Picky Apple. It is a great recipe that I can make a batch of and keep in the fridge for the boys and I to reheat and throw into tortillas for a quick and easy lunch. One batch will last us for a couple of lunches.
Taco Rice
1 lb. ground beef
Taco seasoning to taste- the recipe I use is here or you can use whatever you like
1 can Rotel- we use mild, but if I were cooking for my husband and I, I would use hot- we like the spice!
2 cups cooked rice
Brown meat and drain. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve in tortillas with all the traditional taco toppings.

Beef Tips and Noodles

2012-01-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is such a simple recipe. This is pure comfort food to my family. Tender chunks of beef in a creamy gravy served over noodles. Yummy! This recipe rocks because it is one of those chop, drop and leave it alone recipes. It is perfect for all the busy people out there.

Beef Tips and Noodles
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut in chunks
3 can cream of chicken, mushroom, onion......whatever you have or feel like making
1 onion, diced
1 bag egg noodles, cooked and drained
Place 1 first 3 ingredients in a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve over noodles.

Homemade Chai Tea

2012-01-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Years ago, one of my oldest and dearest friends introduced me to Chai tea. I am so glad that she did. I love the fragrant spiciness of this tea. I have been faithfully buying chai flavored tea bags so that I can get my fix. But no longer. Another friend shared this from scratch Chai tea recipe that has really rocked my kitchen! I have made it every day since she gave me the recipe. It is amazing! I have great friends that introduce me to wonderful new recipes and experiences.....thank you Beth and Cathy for expanding my tea world!

Homemade Chai Tea
2 cups milk
2 cups water
4 cardamom pods, bruised (my friend showed me how to gently tap the pods with a blunt object, you don't want to crush the pod, just slightly bruise them so their flavor is released easier.)
1 whole cinnamon stick
2 whole black peppercorns
1-2 whole cloves
3 black tea bags (make sure it is straight black tea, not Earl Grey. This is important!)
1 tsp. vanilla
Honey or sugar to taste

Bring milk, water, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and cloves to a near boil. Turn off heat, add tea bags, stir and cover for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir again. Strain and add desired amount of honey or sugar.

Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

2012-01-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

We seem to eat a lot of chicken at this house. I am always on the look out for a new way to serve it. This recipe was so good! The garlic infused chicken is delightfully crisp because of the Panko bread crumbs. Have you ever used Panko before? This was my first time, and I must tell you, we became fast friends, the bread crumbs made the outside of the chicken nice and crispy! Everyone in my house cleaned their plates- so it is kid friendly, and husband approved! The real bonus of this recipe though, is in the leftovers. I threw them on my salad for lunch today, and they were amazing! The flavors had really had a chance to meld together. I am making this again, and making extra so I can have leftovers! I found this recipe here.
Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Pour garlic, olive oil and poultry seasoning in a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat for one to two minutes- you are just trying to infuse the oil, not cook the garlic. Let cool. Cut the chicken breasts into tenders, place in a large zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 425° . Pour Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in shallow bowl, mix well. Dip each piece of chicken into the bread crumb mixture , patting the bread crumbs onto each piece, and then place on a cookie sheet that has been pre-sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and the juices run clear.

Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot

2012-01-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

I like to make this dish when the grocery store puts pork tenderloins on sale. This is a simple, throw it into the crock pot, turn it on, and forget about it kind of meal. It smells so good as it cooks all day long. I serve it with steamed carrots and herbed garlic red potatoes.
Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot
1 pork tenderloin
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine or extra water (I have always done the extra water)
3 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp soy sauce
Pepper to taste
Place pork in crock pot with all ingredients except garlic. Spread the garlic over the tenderloin. Cover and cook low for 7-8 hours.

Almost a Meal Queso

2012-01-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

It is playoff time in the football world. We are Denver Bronco fans in this house, and we have really enjoyed watching Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to the playoffs this year. We usually like to eat things during the playoffs and the Superbowl that we can have in front of the TV and that is more like appetizers. This is one of my favorites because it is warm, easy and is made in the crock pot. That means I don't have to miss the game while cooking! It is already done and waiting for us!

Almost a Meal Queso

from Seasoned with Fun Cookbook

1 pound ground beef

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pkg. Kielbasa sausage, cubed

2 lbs. Velveeta, cubed

1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes, drain half the liquid

1- 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp chili powder

5-6 chipoltes en adobo, chopped (I have never added these)

Tortilla Chips

Cook ground beef, pepper, salt, onion, garlic and Kielbasa in skillet. Drain fat. Transfer to crock pot and add Velveeta, tomatoes, green chilies, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and chipoltes. Cook on high heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Turn heat setting to Keep warm or Low and serve with tortilla chips.

Beef and Cilantro Enchiladas

2012-01-03T12:27:00.001-07:00

Today is my wedding anniversary. I feel like I have won the lottery in the marriage department. My sweet husband is simply the best guy in the world for me. He is such an amazing husband. So instead of gifts or a card, I asked him what he would like for a special dinner, and these enchiladas were his answer. We laugh that these are the "love" enchiladas because they have multiple steps and they take a little bit extra love to make them. Try them out on someone you love...they will definitely feel all the love that you put into these delicious enchiladas!

Beef and Cilantro Enchiladas
recipe from Pioneer Woman
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
1/2 teaspoon Salt
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup Canola Oil
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside. Next, heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Heath Bar Cake

2011-12-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

This cake recipe is known as "The" Cake in my house. My oldest son requests this every time I am supposed to bring dessert to a gathering, and also for his birthday. Anytime I bring this to a gathering, I usually return with an empty pan. So if you are looking for a home run dessert, this is the cake for you!

Heath Bar Cake

1 package chocolate cake mix

Ingredients to make cake as indicated on box

1 container caramel sauce- found with the ice cream toppings, I like the one in a squeeze bottle best

1 tub Cool Whip, thawed

1 Heath Bar, a chocolate covered toffee bar

Bake cake according to package directions. Once you remove the cake from the oven, poke holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer, or some thin long object. Once you have enough holes, squeeze the caramel sauce all over the cake so that it can sink into all those holes that you have made. Let the cake cool completely. Once the cake is cool, spread with Cool Whip. Place your Heath bar in a zip lock baggie and then place that baggie into another baggie. Whack away at the candy bar until you have pulverized it into crumbly little bits. Sprinkle those bits all over the top of the cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Pleated Apron with built in hot pads

2011-12-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

I found this apron tutorial on Pinterest a few months ago, and I knew that I wanted to make several of these as Christmas presents this year. I found the tutorial to be very well written and the pictures helped when I was faced with trouble. This is a great project to make! I really liked the built in hot pads, because I am always setting mine down and loosing track of them when I need them!

A big thanks to my wonderful apron models, Cathy and Megan!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T22:25:00.001-07:00

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Merry Christmas! God Bless you!

Peppermint Thin Mints

2011-12-23T09:31:00.002-07:00

The Thin Mint is the most popular cookie sold by the Girl Scouts. I have been guilty of buying these whenever I see a Girl Scout selling them. They are only sold once a year. But now, you can whip these treats up when you have a craving for a Thin Mint.

Peppermint Thin Mints

1 package almond bark

1 box Ritz crackers

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Candy Canes, crushed

Melt the almond bark and stir in the extract. Dip each cracker in the chocolate and shake off the excess. Place on waxed paper, and sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Allow to harden before you move them into your storage container. That is it, easy-peasy.

Cranberry Bliss Bars- a Starbucks knock off

2011-12-22T08:58:00.001-07:00

I can remember the first time I had a Cranberry Bliss Bar from Starbucks. They are so good! However, they are pricey. So instead of having sticker shock at Starbucks, you can whip these up at home and share them with your family as you wrap presents.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup diced dried cranberries

6 oz. white chocolate, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350°. Make cake by beating butter and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger and salt. Beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Mix in the cranberries and the white chocolate by hand. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese (softened)

4 tsp. lemon juice

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Combine all the above ingredients, except the cranberries. Mix until smooth. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle the cranberries on top of the frosting. Lastly, stir together the drizzled icing and drizzle on top of the cake.

Drizzled Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp vegetable shortening

Whisk together, and add more milk if needed to reach a thin consistency. Drizzle over cake. Allow cake to sit for several hours before you cut and serve. Store in the refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

2011-12-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

These little morsels remind me of a Reese's peanut butter cup. Yummy! The hardest part about this treat is waiting for them to freeze!

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 package almond bark

Mix peanut butter, butter and sugar together. Use hands if needed. The dough should be thick and stiff, not crumbly or sticky. Roll into 1 inch balls and freeze until firm. Dip in melted almond bark and freeze until set.

Triple Ginger Bars

2011-12-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things in the world is ginger. Anytime I can add a little ginger to a recipe, I will. This recipe is one of my very favorite recipes. It has ginger in three forms, ground ginger, fresh ginger and crystallized ginger. Yum, yum and yum!

Triple Ginger Bars

1 package white cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 Tbsp sugar

Heat oven to 350°. Grease bottom only of 13x9 inch baking dish. Mix cake mix, butter and eggs with spoon until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients, except sugar. Press dough in pan. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 18-23 minutes, or until the edges are a very light golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

Saltine Toffee aka Christmas Crack

2011-12-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Times are hard. People are looking for ways to stretch every penny. This is a very inexpensive treat to make to take to your Christmas potluck lunch at work or to make for your neighbors. The base of this toffee is made out of Saltine crackers. They make a yummy salty counterpoint to the sugary toffee and chocolate layers. This is so easy to throw together and as the name suggests, you won't be able to stop eating it- it is addictive!

Saltine Toffee aka Christmas Crack

1-2 sleeves saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 12 oz. package chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil. Lay crackers out in a single layer. In a saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar. Stir often and bring to a full rolling boil for exactly 3 minutes. Pour over saltines and bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top and spread them when they are soft and melty. Next, sprinkle the nuts evenly over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours and then break into pieces and store in an air tight container.

Simple Pretzel Turtles

2011-12-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am on a roll with all my Christmas baking. These candies are a staple in my house. I started making these a few years ago, and now they make the "must have" Christmas baking list every year. They are a variation on the Chocolate Pretzel Bites. The strategy is the same, but you will need pecan halves and Rolo candies. Rolo candies are chocolate covered caramels and are quite delightful all by themselves, but when you melt them slightly on to a salty pretzel and press a pecan half on top, the yummy factor sky rockets!

Simple Pretzel Turtles

Small pretzels

Rolo candies

Pecan halves

Lay out the desired amount of pretzels on a baking sheet lined with foil. Unwrap as many Rolo candies as you have pretzels and place each one on the center of a pretzel. Place in a preheated 275° oven for 3 minutes. Immediately press a pecan half into each Rolo candy. Let the chocolate harden in a cool place, I just stick them in my cold garage for half an a hour or so. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

2011-12-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

These little bites are super easy to make when you are looking for a quick little treat. They look so festive when they are sitting on a cookie tray or when placed in bags and given as a small token of your appreciation to your child's guitar teacher, or basketball coach.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

Small pretzels

Hershey Kisses

Holiday colored M&Ms

Lay the pretzels on a baking sheet that you have lined with foil. Place a single Hershey kiss on the center of the pretzel. Place in a preheated 275 ° oven for 3 minutes. Immediately press a single M&M in the center of the Hershey kiss. Chill until the chocolate has hardened

Oreo Truffles

2011-12-16T23:36:00.002-07:00

A few years ago, I came across a delightful treat that I am going to share with you. Anytime you take the humble little Oreo cookie and turn it into something else, you will have a winner, every time! These little balls of delight are super easy to make, almost embarrassingly easy, but that doesn't stop me, and it should not stop you! They make a great addition to cookie plates that you give to your neighbors or as a take along to a Christmas party!

Oreo Truffle

1 package Double Stuff Oreos

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 package white almond bark- found near the chocolate chips

1/2 tsp mint extract

Place oreos in a food processor and crush them into fine crumbs. Place in mixing bowl, and stir the cream cheese and the extract. Roll into walnut sized balls and chill for 1 hour. Dip in melted almond bark. Chill and let the chocolate harden.

Here are a few variations that I made this year. They turned out really tasty!

These are Coconut Oreo Truffles- in place of the mint extract, add 1/2 tsp. coconut extract. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top after dipping the truffles into the chocolate.

These are the Orange Chocolate Oreo Truffles. In place of the mint extract you would substitute 1/2 tsp orange extract.

There are so many variations that I am sure you could dream up. These really tasted good. The orange and coconut flavors were not over powering. They were just right.

Peppermint Cookies

2011-12-11T21:50:00.001-07:00

This week I am going to be baking up a storm. I bought 5 boxes of butter at the store today. I have never done that before. I will be making dozens upon dozens of cookies. This is one of the recipes that I will be making. It is a classic Christmas cookie studded with crushed candy canes. Simple and lovely.

Peppermint Cookies
2/3 cup butter flavored shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
Cream shortening and sugars, beat in egg. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in the candy canes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until cookie edges just begin to brown.

*Just a quick note about the shortening, I have tried butter in the past,substituting it for the shortening, but the texture was off. The shortening produced a better cookie, at least my family thought so!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2011-12-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

My friend shared a wonderful soup recipe with me from Dinner's On Me. As usual, I changed it a little due to personal taste preferences and also because I forgot to get heavy cream from the store. I used half-and-half instead. I added more carrots and onion, and also a teaspoon of thyme. This soup is super comforting on a cold winter day!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cooked & shredded
1 (4.3 oz) box Rice-a-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice (original flavor)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and saute for 7-8 minutes. Add chicken broth, water and shredded chicken. Bring to a boil and add rice (save seasoning packet!). Cover pot and remove from heat.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the seasoning packet and stir to combine. Slowly add the flour (in 1/4 cup increments) to form a roux and continue to stir. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in heavy cream and milk, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Cook and continue to stir until thickened - about 5 minutes.
Return broth/rice mixture to the heat and add cream mixture. Cook over medium heat until rice is softened and soup is thickened and heated through, about 10-15 minutes.

Cranberry Apple Pie

2011-11-28T10:34:00.001-07:00

I have two things to confess today. The first is that I LOVE pie. It just simply rocks my world! The second confession is that I am such an amateur about making pie crusts. They terrify me! My mom could make such wonderful tasting pie crusts that also looked so pretty. I have friends who have made amazing, flaky pie crusts, but not me! I am so intimidated by the whole crust thing. So this pie recipe is for what goes on the inside, not the crust. Use your amazing crust recipe, I just bought a pre-made crust which was just fine.

Cranberry Apple Pie
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/3 cup cranberry juice
3 firm apples sliced 1/4 in. thick
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 425°. In a saucepan, stir together cranberries, sugar, orange zest, flour and juice until slightly thickened. Place your bottom crust in your pie pan. Place your apples neatly in your pie pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and dot with butter. Pour cranberry mixture over the apples and cover with a latticed top. Brush the top of the pie crust with milk and sprinkle sugar on the crust. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Philly Cheese-Steak Sloppy Joes

2011-11-15T11:59:00.001-07:00

In the past two years, I have recently began to develop a strong feeling about Philly Cheese-Steaks. I love them! There is a restaurant here in Utah that makes the most amazing sandwiches, but they are a little pricey. So I started making them at home, but they are not as quick and easy as I thought they could be. I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest (original recipe here ), and knew I had to try it out. Both my husband and I really like it, and my friend did as well. My super picky boys didn't like it, but then again, they don't like cheese-steak sandwiches or sloppy joes, so no real big surprise there! I keep trying with them, I hope that someday they will out grow their picky habits!

Philly Cheese-Steak Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. steak sauce
3/4-1 cup of beef broth (depends upon how "wet" you like your sandwich)
Salt and pepper
Dinner Rolls
Provolone Cheese slices

In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Once your meat is cooked, stir in steak sauce and broth. Bring to a bubble and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Split open the rolls and remove some of the insides. Butter them and lightly toast them under the broiler. Scoop meat onto the bottom of the roll and add a slice of cheese (you can put them back under the broiler to melt if you desire) and top with the other half of the roll.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

2011-11-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago, and finally got around to making it last night.The recipe is was posted here. My husband and I LOVED it, my kids, however, did not. Two of them have a strange aversion to red sauce, poor kids, they miss out on a lot of yummyness. My third son, didn't care for the garlic flavor, but said if that had been toned down a bit, he would have liked it. The baby was being a two year old and was boycotting anything that I labeled "dinner". I will make this again and see if the results change, but I loved it! The croutons were wonderful- most of them stayed crunchy, but those that didn't were like a wonderful breading to the chicken. Try this recipe and let me know what your family thinks.

Chicken Parmesan Chicken
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
Hot Pepper flakes, to taste
Boneless Chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)
2 cups Marinara sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 5 oz. package Garlic Croutons

Spray a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish. Place oil, garlic and pepper flakes in the casserole. Lay chicken on top of the oil mixture. Pour marinara sauce over top of the chicken. Sprinkle with the basil, half the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Place croutons on top as evenly as you can and top with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes (check the temp of your chicken to make sure it is done- it could take longer depending upon the thickness of your chicken).

Chicken Fried Rice

2011-11-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

There are times when we have left overs and we just can't bring ourselves to eat it again. Not that it wasn't good, just that we were tired of it. One of my favorite things to do in cases like this, is to remake the ingredients into something new. If I have left over chicken or pork, rice and veggies, I will whip up this very tasty fried rice. This is one of my favorite lunches. I feel good that I am not wasting food. I just cringe every time I have to throw some thing out. This makes me feel better about our food usage.

Chicken Fried Rice
1 1/3 cup water, divided
1 1/3 cup minute rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup cooked chopped chicken
Veggies, chopped

Cook rice with one cup water, following the directions on the box. Meanwhile, cook egg in butter in a non-stick skillet until set. Add onion, veggies and rice and cook and stir over medium heat until rice and onion are lightly browned- about 5 minutes. Add chicken. Stir until warmed through. Stir remaining 1/3 cup water with soy sauce. Stir into rice and cook until the liquid is absorbed.

Fiesta Style Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-03T10:22:00.000-06:00

I love November! Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite days of the year. As soon as Halloween is over, my thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and all the yummy things that you can make. One of my favorites is a cranberry recipe that I got from my sister and her husband a couple of years ago, Before she made this recipe, we would always open the obligatory can of cranberry sauce, slide it into a bowl and nobody would touch it except for my nephew who LOVES canned cranberry sauce. Blech! This lovely sauce rocked my cranberry world. I am never going back. Give this a try. I even like to use the leftovers as a fruit spread on toast- it is that good!

Fiesta Style Cranberry Sauce
3 cups fresh cranberries
2 oranges, chopped
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Serrano chili, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. lime peel, grated
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Combine cranberries, oranges, sugar, and water and cook over medium low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium and boil until cranberries pop and start to thicken slightly. Stir in chili and lime peel. Cool completely. Stir in cilantro. Yield- 2 cups

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

2011-10-27T12:08:00.001-06:00

Every week our church puts on a mid-week fellowship meal before Awana and youth group. This was the cake that we served. It is perfect for fall. I have to tell you, by the response of all the people last night, this cake is killer! It is wonderful! My friend Kym found the recipe via Pinterest.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
1/3 cup water
1 can pureed pumpkin (15 oz)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix together the water, pumpkin, eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Add the dry cake mix and baking soda and mix until just combined. Grease a 9 x13 in. pan with butter and pour the batter into the pan. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, walnuts and melted butter. Use fingers to sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. While the cake is baking, make the glaze. Combine the other 1/2 cup of brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and the heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Once the the cake has finished baking, remove from the oven and poke holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick or a knife. Pour glaze over the cake, making sure to cover the entire surface. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Popcorn Balls

2011-10-24T14:24:00.000-06:00

I was looking through my mom's cookbook that she had pulled together years ago. It was like walking through the history of my family. She had uncovered recipes from many generations of our family and put them in one book. In a smaller way, it was a quick spin through the years that I was able to spend with her. She wrote her love on my life in so many ways. Now as a mom myself, I can see even more of the love that she gave unselfishly to my brother, sister and I. It showed in so many little ways. I have a memory of her making popcorn balls for one of our school Halloween parties when we were young. I am going to make these this week for my boys, remembering how loved I felt when my mom made them for me, and praying that my boys will feel the love I have for them.

Popcorn Balls

8 cups popped corn
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Food coloring, if desired
Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cook to soft ball stage * and then add butter, vanilla, and if desired, food coloring. Pour over corn, stirring with two forks. Butter hands and make into balls. Place on waxed paper.

*Soft-Ball Stage occurs at 235-245 degrees. This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water.

Green Chili Beef Burritos in the Crock Pot

2011-10-20T10:45:00.000-06:00

Double yum. That is what these burritos are. They are also easy and they make lots of leftovers! I am starting to look for recipes with bigger quantities because my teen and my pre-teen boys are eating anything that is not tied down! You can reduce the jalapeno or eliminate it if you choose- it is still super flavorful.

Green Chili Beef Burritos
2 boneless beef top sirloin roasts (I aim for 4-5 lbs. of meat)
4 cans diced green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Lawry's season salt
1 cup beef broth
24 flour tortillas
Sliced tomatoes, lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese

Trim fat from roasts, and cut meat into large chunks. Place in slow cooker. Top with chilies, onion, jalapenos, garlic, cumin, chili powder and season salt. Pour broth over all. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove beef and shred with two forks. Cool cooking liquid slightly and skim fat. In blender, process cooking liquid until smooth. Return to slow cooker with beef and heat through. Place 1/3 cup on each tortilla and top with desired toppings and fold up.

The Yummiest Granola Bars!!

2011-10-14T11:58:00.000-06:00

In my quest to fill my boys up, I try to have snacks that are easy to put together, fairly cheap, and most of all, tasty. These granola bars, shared by my friend Rhonda Teaford, are the best granola bars that I have ever had. We love them!! I know you will as well!
Granola Bars
2 1/2 cups Rice Crispies
2 cups old fashioned oats
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts, optional

In a large bowl, combine rice crispies and oats. Grease 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Mix brown sugar, honey and peanut butter in small saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour over cereal mixture. Mix well. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips. Press into prepared pan, and let then harden a little bit before serving.

Pumpkin Cookies

2011-10-13T10:42:00.000-06:00

One of the things that I love about Fall, is the use of pumpkin in recipes. Pumpkin pies, breads, cakes, and these tasty cookies! Several years ago, one of my Grandma's neighbors brought over these cookies. I have been loving these ever since! Maybe you should take some time this week and make these little gems and bring some to your neighbor, I promise you won't regret that you did!

Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
Cream together butter, sugar and pumpkin. Add egg. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly stir into moist ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookies sheet. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes.
Frost when cool.

Frosting-
3 Tbsp. butter
4 tsp. milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
Mix well and frost cookies when they are cool.

Crockpot Potato Chowder

2011-10-10T21:42:00.000-06:00

Today I have a recipe that is for the crock pot, and is my very favorite potato soup recipe. It really could not be any easier than this recipe. Simply delish.

Crock pot Potato Chowder
1 bag frozen cubed hash brown potatoes- or 8 cups fresh diced potatoes
3 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of onion soup
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 package bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
Chives- diced

Combine potatoes, broth and onion soup in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream cheese. Mash with potato masher for chowdery consistency. I don't know if that is even a real term of speech, but that is how I think about the consistency of the soup after I mash it for a bit! Stir in bacon. Top with chives before serving, or you can just stir them in with bacon., that is what we do!

Green Tortilla Chili

2011-10-03T10:08:00.000-06:00

Today I want to share with you a recipe that I found on Food.com. It is a recipe that was on Rachel Ray's TV show. I usually like her recipes. They always have lots of flavor and are easy to make rather quickly. This soup/chili is not an exception. It is really good. We love it because it is spicy, but you can tame the flame, so to speak by using a milder Salsa Verde, or by eliminating the jalapeno. Just don't tell me about it- we love, love, love the spice!

Green Tortilla Chili
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 (16 oz) jar of Salsa Verde
1 bottle of beer
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 bunch cilantro, rough chopped
2 limes, juiced

Heat oil over medium- high heat. Add onions, garlic and jalapeno and cook until soft. Toss in chili powder and cumin and cook and stir for one minute. Stir in Salsa Verde, chicken stock and beer. Bring to bubbling, then add chicken. Simmer for 10- 15 minutes. Stir in the crushed tortilla chips and cilantro and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and more tortilla chips.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

2011-09-29T11:05:00.001-06:00

A good friend and I were talking about how much we both like soups. We are both excited for fall to be here, so that we can make soup more often. That conversation stuck in my mind, and when I was planning this current weeks menu, I found myself looking in my recipe book at the soups. This is the one that we are having this week. It has some of my very favorite ingredients; cumin, red and green bell peppers, corn, green chilies and chicken. Yummy! It is a crock pot recipe, which I love! There is nothing better than coming home after a long day away to a delicious smelling dinner, just waiting to be devoured!

Southwestern Chicken Soup
1 1/4 lb. chicken breasts, roughly chopped (or to save time- use the meat from a deli rotisserie chicken)
1-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (you would skip this if using the rotisserie chicken)
2 cans chicken broth
1 - 16 oz. package frozen corn
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 can green chilies
1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Cilantro for topping

If using raw chicken, saute in oil until lightly browned. Transfer to crock pot. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Top with cilantro before serving, if desired.

Breakfast Burritos

2011-09-26T14:26:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I just love it! She has wonderful recipes for things like; Sangria, Pot roast, chicken fried steak, pizza, and jalapeno poppers, to name a few. The recipe that I made was her Breakfast burritos. Before you can make her burritos, you need to make her Basic Breakfast potatoes. They really make the burritos super yummy.

Basic Breakfast Potatoes
4-5 potatoes
1 onion cut into a large dice
Vegetable Oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Bake the potatoes in a 375° oven for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Carefully cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Heat skillet over medium heat and add some oil. Add your onion. Cook and stir your onion until it starts to get a brown and happy looking. Next, add your potatoes and carefully stir them until they are crispier and brown. Salt and pepper them well. Set aside for use in your breakfast burrito.

Breakfast Burrito
1 lb. breakfast sausage
One batch basic breakfast potatoes
2 red bell pepper, chopped
10 eggs
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
12 flour tortillas
Fry the breakfast sausage in the largest skillet you own. Cook until no pink remains, drain grease. Add the potatoes and red bell peppers. Cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk together your eggs, seasoned salt, pepper and half-and-half. Stir in the chives and the cheese. With the heat still on low, pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Gently stir and cook until the eggs are set. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Place a heaping spoonful onto your tortilla, sprinkle on a little extra cheese if you want, fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll it up. Wrap each little burrito in foil. I sometimes keep these warm in my crock pot, or if we are eating them right away, I will throw the extras in the freezer. These guys heat up nicely for a quick breakfast or snack!

Zesty Oven Baked French Fries

2011-09-23T12:25:00.000-06:00

I love french fries. They are so yummy! They are so bad for you though! So in an effort to have moderation in the diet of my family, I make these baked not fried fries. This is such a simple recipe, as all the best ones usually are. It is easily adapted to your preferences and how large (or small) of group you are serving. I originally found this recipe here, but I modified it, of course! Enjoy your healthier fries, I know that we will!

Zesty Oven Baked French Fries
5-6 large baking potatoes, cut into slices (I usually use russets and leave the skins on for a more rustic fry)
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. black pepper
Heat oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Arrange in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and they look crispy and golden brown enough to you. I also try to give them a stir about half way through.

Homemade Laundry Soap

2011-09-20T17:56:00.000-06:00

Today I took a step of faith. I made my own laundry detergent. It was a big decision for me because I was afraid that it would be a waste of money, wouldn't work, or make my kids into zombies, ok, not that last one, but I was scared to try. So today after seeing the price of laundry detergent go up, yet again, I decided to be brave. I found this recipe on Pinterest : http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html?m=0 . I found her directions to be clear and easy to follow. All the ingredients were near each other at Walmart. I made my first batch today, which only took about 10 minutes to mix together, and have done several loads. I have to say that I am relieved and excited that the clothes are coming out clean! Whew! It was also cheaper that the box of detergent that I had on my list! I think that I will try homemade dish detergent next! Stay tuned!

Cheesy Potato Soup

2011-09-19T11:33:00.001-06:00

We are back in the busy evening season. It seems like three or four nights of the week we are out of the house during the time when I would be preparing dinner. It is so easy to find myself in the drive through lane. I have several things that I do to help me not stop by the local burger joint. Sometimes I will have everything assembled and ready to pop in the oven. Other times, I will make dinner, usually sandwiches and bring them with us to the game or practice. My favorite thing to do on these time shortened evenings is to use my very favorite appliance- the Crock Pot. I love soups, roasts, and other comforting meals that I can just throw in the crock pot in the morning and it is ready for my hungry gang 8 hours later! Here is what is in my crock pot right this very minute, Cheesy Potato Soup. I will serve this with a green leafy salad and some fresh baked bread that I will throw together this afternoon. I hope you will try this soup- it is really filling and so comforting!

Cheesy Potato Soup
1 package frozen cubed hash browns
5 cups water
2 cups diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrot
4 tsp. or 4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 package bacon, diced and cooked
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups Velveeta cheese- cubed

Combine all ingredients in crock pot except milk and cheese. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Stir in milk and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

2011-09-12T10:39:00.000-06:00

Last night, we had homemade pizza. I went to the fridge and pulled out all the ingredients, but could not find my pizza sauce (that I know that I had bought at the store last week.) Don't you hate it when that happens? I am certain I bought it, I just wonder where it went between the store and home! We had to have pizza sauce for our pizza! In a fit if desperation~ a lovely garlic pizza sauce is born. I don't think I will buy pizza sauce again!

Homemade Pizza Sauce
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional for those who don't like heat)
2 fresh garlic cloves
Throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and combine well.

Chicken Asparagus or Sugar Snap Pea Risotto Skillet

2011-09-09T14:31:00.000-06:00

My style is very easy going. Relaxed and carefree. Every once in awhile, I like to be a little fancy. This recipe is both kinda fancy and also pretty easy, it is really tasty! Use whatever vegetable is on sale and in season, my personal favorite is sugar snap peas, but asparagus or broccoli work good as well.

Chicken and Asparagus Risotto Skillet
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 lemon- zested
2 cups milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb. fresh asparagus spears cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces
2 cups instant white rice
1/3 cup onion, chopped
Salt and pepper the chicken. Cook in oil over medium high heat until no longer pink. Remove chicken, keep warm. Add milk, soup, asparagus, onion, garlic, cheese, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp. salt to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in rice, top with chicken. Cover pan; remove from heat. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Italian Beef Au Jus- a crockpot recipe

2011-09-07T10:02:00.001-06:00

Summer is over here. We are a little sad, but to be honest, I am so ready for a scheduled life again! I am also ready for fall and for all the yummy things that can be made in a crock pot. This week we start back into Awana, youth group, soccer practices, and guitar practices. I will be getting out my trusty crock pot and putting it to good use these next months. This is a recipe that I like to make when beef roasts are on sale. It is simple and yummy- just what a busy mom needs on a very busy night!

Italian Beef Au Jus
1 3-5 lb. beef roast
1 pkg. beef au jus mix
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
1 can beef broth
half a can of water
Place meat in crock pot. Mix rest of ingredients and pour over beef. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. Serve on sandwich rolls with the juice on the side as a dip if desired.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

2011-09-04T07:36:00.001-06:00

Last week it was my turn to bring breakfast for our Sunday school class. I have been craving a really good blueberry muffin. My mother-in-law makes a great muffin, but we are living far from her at the moment, so I had to go and search out a recipe on-line. What I found was really, really yummy! Instead of a muffin, I found a recipe for a Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast cake. This breakfast cake was really simple to make, and it is tasty! The website that I found it at is : http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake , I am going to browse around some more there. It all looks yummy!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup + 1 T. sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

No Bake Cookies

2011-08-25T11:07:00.001-06:00

It has been so hot here lately. Everyday we seem to be in the upper nineties! Temps like that do not make turning on the oven very easy. I can stand the stove top, but only if it is for something like a No-bake cookie. My friend wrote out her recipe for me for her No-Bake Cookies and I have been searching the web for more cookie recipes to try. They are so wonderful! Here are some of the recipes that I have found. I haven't tried them out yet because my boys love my friends recipe, but I might mix it up a little here soon!

This is a recipe for Butterscotch No- Bake Cookies.
Here is the recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.
Caramel Golden No-Bake Cookies sounded really tasty.
I believe that I am going to try the recipe for No-Bake Cookie Dough Truffles very soon, who doesn't like chocolate chip cookie dough?
Chewy No-Bake Cookies and Cream Dessert looks like I would make it and hide it before my boys saw it- I would not want to share!
Peanut Butter Buckeyes - peanut butter and chocolate, do I need to say anything else?

Here is my friend's tried and true, two thumbs up from my boys, No-Bake Cookie recipe.

No-Bake Cookie
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick oats

In a large saucepan, bring butter, sugar, milk and cocoa to a rolling boil. Boil for at least 2 minutes or cookies will not set. Remove from from heat, stir in peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let it cool and set up for at least one hour.

Eclair Dessert

2011-08-19T15:29:00.001-06:00

I have started to eat healthier and track my food lately. Sigh. That means that I only want what I can't have! So I am posting something really yummy that I will probably not be eating, well, maybe tasting, but definitely not eating!

Eclair Dessert
One box of graham crackers
2 pkgs. instant french vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 9 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed
Line 13x9 in. baking pan with graham crackers. Mix pudding and milk and fold into the Cool Whip/ Spread half of the mixture over the graham crackers. Put another layer of crackers on top. Spread with the remaining pudding mixture.Add one last layer of graham crackers.Spread with chocolate topping.

Chocolate Topping
Melt 2 squares of baking chocolate in microwave with 3Tbsp. butter. Add 2 Tbsp corn syrup, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp. milk. Mix to a spreadable consistency. Spread over dessert. Refrigerate for at least 10 hours before serving.

All credit for this really yummy dessert goes to my friend Jeanette who shared it with me.

Overnight Carmel Sticky Buns

2011-08-12T08:27:00.000-06:00

This recipe is really good! Easy, yummy, and did I mention it is really good? I think that this would be a great thing to whip up when you have overnight guests, or in my case, you need to take a breakfasty dish to church. This is another Our Best Bites recipe- I really like them!

Overnight Carmel Sticky Buns
18 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls
1 small box cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1/3 cup melted butter

Spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray. Place the frozen dinner rolls evenly around the pan. Sprinkle the dry pudding mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon evenly over the top of the rolls. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Pour melted butter evenly over the top. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave at room temperature overnight. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then invert onto a serving platter.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2011-08-12T08:11:00.002-06:00

Every now and then I find a recipe that all my family enjoys. This is one of those recipes. These taquitos were easy to make and they were really yummy! They also made for good leftovers- another bonus!

Creamy Chicken Taqutios
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
Flour tortillas, soft taco size
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then stir in the cilantro, green onions, chicken, and pepper-jack cheese. Place 2-3 Tbsp of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, then roll it up. Place seam side down on your baking sheet. Once you have rolled all your taquitos, spray them lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to turn golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and then serve with salsa, guacamole, or whatever floats your boat!
All credit for this recipe goes to the ladies at Our Best Bites, they have a wonderful blog and great recipes!

Vertical Cake

2011-08-02T08:44:00.000-06:00

I love trying out new things. When I saw this tutorial for a vertical cake on I Am Baker, I knew I would be making one! I have been waiting for the right occasion, and this week, I found one! It was my friend's birthday!

I think that it turned out pretty good. I happened to pick the most humid day that I have ever tried baking in to attempt this, which made things difficult, but in the end, I made it work out. Here are a few notes about this well written tutorial. Don't skip any steps. Make sure that you freeze your cakes completely so they don't start falling apart on you when you are cutting them. Don't use to much of the simple syrup when you pour it on, it can make the cake soggy. Lastly, frosting can cover any errors- just pick a tasty one! I tried out a new butter cream frosting- White Chocolate Butter Cream frosting, recipe found here. It was really good! I hope that you will try this cake- it really looks cool when you cut into it!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

2011-07-25T12:06:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon a great blog called Recipe Shoebox. I have really enjoyed browsing through all the recipes posted there. I made the Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach a few weeks ago, and I loved it! It had a really strong garlic flavor because you infuse the olive oil with fresh garlic. I think that if you cut down on the garlic, it would still be tasty! I also added crumbled feta and Kalamata olives- just because I could! I am like that sometimes!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach
(From the Recipe Shoebox)

6 Tbs. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 box (1-lb) penne pasta
5-oz. fresh spinach, chopped
1 Tbs. dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh)
6 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small glass bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute to blend flavors. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the flavored oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper chicken and cook in the oil over medium high heat until chicken is browned and juices run clear. Add the chopped and spinach and saute with the cooked chicken for 1 minute (or until just barely wilted) and remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package; drain well. Add cooked chicken/spinach to pasta, along with basil, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Then stir in the remainder of the flavored olive oil. Toss lightly until all ingredients are well-combined. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.

Bryce Canyon Camping Trip

2011-07-16T08:28:00.000-06:00

We got back from camping at Bryce Canyon National Park a few days ago. The last load is in the washing machine as I type this post. I knew from word of mouth that we would be impressed by the beauty that Bryce offers. I had no idea just how beautiful, how jaw dropping amazing that little patch of Earth really was.

There are so many trees that have been struck by lightning, they are really kind of pretty.

At one point, we came across this raven. We weren't sure if he was injured, but he just sat there, allowing people to come really close to him. He was very regal.

We took many hikes, one lead us to this beautiful waterfall.

Our favorite hike was 4 miles long, it went down into the canyon, and then back up. We discovered several tunnels in the rock that were made for the trail. They were nice and shady!

The back up part was the most difficult part. It was also the best part. We climbed up through a narrow canyon/crevice. This is just before we got to the narrow canyon. It is actually right behind the center tree.

The next picture is taken about 3/4 of the way up, looking back down.

As a family, we have decided that we want to visit more National Parks. What park would you recommend?

Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad

2011-06-29T11:33:00.000-06:00

I found part of this recipe on the back of a Ranch salad dressing packet. The rest, I improvised with what was hanging around my kitchen and sounded like it would go well with the ranch flavors. I brought this to a BBQ recently and my neighbors loved it!

Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad
Half of package of bacon, diced and cooked
1 cup mayo
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
1 box pasta- I used rotini, cooked and drained
Grape tomatoes, halved
1 can slice black olives, drained
3 green onions, sliced
Any leftover veggies that you want to use up

Mix mayo, ranch mix, and garlic powder. Stir in milk until smooth. In large serving bowl, place pasta, tomatoes, olives, onions and any other veggies. Pour dressing over top and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill well before serving to let the flavors set up.

I think that you could easily make this into a main dish with some grilled chicken thrown in. I liked that it doesn't heat up the kitchen much, and you could always make it in the morning and have it in the fridge ready for dinner time!

The Races

2011-06-28T19:58:00.001-06:00

My boys are typical boys. They love cars, races, crashes, and I do too! We spent last Saturday night at the local race track. They were celebrating their 15th anniversary and let everyone in for free! It was hot. It was crowded, but we had such a great time.

This is my sweet baby, he was so hot! We kept spraying him with water, but he just looked like a cherry tomato!

Son#3 had so much fun sitting with his brothers, picking who he thought was the winning car and cheering them on!

My 2 year old LOVES the cars, the noise , but he really like the "Big crashes!!"

These next two pictures are of the Train cars. These were so ridiculous that they were the best race of the night! You have three cars chained together, the first car has the engine and is the one who steers the contraption around the figure 8 track. The middle car is empty, and the rear car has a "driver" whose only controls are the brakes. He is responsible for braking and stopping the crazy train!

Lastly, this is my oldest. He has loved race cars for years!

What do you do with your kids that is a little unusual?

Chocolate Swirled Banana Bread

2011-06-21T08:49:00.000-06:00

This Sunday I signed up to bring our Sunday School class breakfast. I was trying to think of something a little different than what has been brought in the past. We often have egg casseroles, fruit of some kind and many different coffee cakes. I think that I have decided to bring Chocolate Swirled Banana Bread- if my bananas make it to Saturday! I really like this recipe, because I love banana bread, and I LOVE chocolate!

Chocolate Swirled Banana Bread
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup mashed banana, 3-4 bananas
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add bananas, eggs and sour cream until just blended. Add flour mixture and beat until moistened. Microwave chocolate chips in a small bowl for 1 minute, stir until smooth and melted. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup plain batter to chocolate. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray. Pour plain batter in. Add chocolate batter and swirl with a knife. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Friendship Bread

2011-06-17T08:55:00.000-06:00

Today is Friday. On my street, that means trash day. My trash men come at the earliest hour that is legally allowed, I think. Son#4 loves all trucks, but he adores the trash truck. So at 5 am, he is up in his bed peeking through the blinds at the trash truck, yelling at the top of his lungs, "TRUCK, MAMA!! TRUCK, MAMA!" He will yell this until I drag myself out of bed to come and look at the truck with him. So that was the scene this morning, and since he is not willing to go back to bed after seeing his precious truck, we usually go in search of breakfast. This morning I knew I wanted to make Friendship bread. I went to get out all the ingredients, but it seems Son#1 has drank all the milk. Not an unusual occurrence. So, after I get to the store today, I might make this bread, then again, I might go take a nap and pray that the Recycling truck waits until my nap is over!.
I got this recipe from an Awana book that my son had- it is in one of the Trek books.

Friendship Bread
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 tsp flour
1 pkg. yeast

Combine and set aside for 10 minutes.
In a separate, large bowl combine the following:
2 cups milk
3 cups sugar
4 cups flour
2/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Add in milk mixture. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 4 loaf pans and divide dough between them. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown on top.

Don't let the quantity of loaves scare you, just wrap them up and throw them in the freezer. Or go bless your neighbor or a friend. It is called Friendship Bread after all!

Easy Summer Drinks

2011-06-07T15:54:00.000-06:00

When school ends for the year, I tend to let certain rules relax a bit. Instead of limiting my boys to a soda a week, I might let them have 2 or 3. We might make sun tea, Kool-Aid, or lemonade. I have even made Kool-Aid slushies before. I am on a quest to find cheap and not so bad for you drinks that my guys will grab before a soda. Here are some of the things that I make, and am considering making for the hot months ahead.

Cheap and Easy Lemonade
2 cups sugar
2 cups lemon concentrate- found in the juice aisle
14 cups of water

Mix well.

Raspberry Lemonade
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 pkg. frozen raspberries, partially thawed
3-4 Tbsp sugar
1 liter club soda, chilled
Ice cubes

In blender, combine lemonade, raspberries and sugar. Process until well blended. Strain to remove seeds. Transfer to a pitcher, combine raspberry mixture, club soda and ice. Mix well.

This recipe for Berry Mango Slush sounds really refreshing!
http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/recipe/drinks/berry-mango-slush/

I would love to try out this recipe for Mock Sangria.
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/drinks/mock-sangria/

Caramel Pecan Apple Dip

2011-06-05T13:38:00.000-06:00

Our friend brought this super yummy apple dip to our BBQ last weekend. It is so tasty- and super easy to make. She just whipped it up while we stood there talking. So I am going to keep this short so you can go make some for yourself. Better yet, come on over and I will stand there talking to you while you throw it together!

Caramel Pecan Apple Dip
1 block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix these two ingredients well. Then stir in 1/2-1 cup pecan pieces. Drizzle with caramel ice cream topping. Serve with sliced apples.

BLT Dip- Amazing!!

2011-06-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

We had a little Memorial weekend get-together last weekend. One of the things that I made for our party was a really good little dip that I found at Taste of Home I cut the recipe in half however, it seemed really large. This dip was so good. It went super fast. I served it with chips, but I think that you could serve it with little bread slices, crackers or even veggies. Here is the recipe (already halved for you):

BLT Dip
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 package real bacon bits (I found the Hormel brand in the salad dressing isle, near the croutons)
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 green onions, diced

Mix well. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Serve with chips, crackers, veggies or sliced mini breads.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2011-06-01T10:27:00.000-06:00

Today I am going to share with you a recipe that my son will be needing for a bet that he made this week. He owes a family friend Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, because his favorite baseball team lost to her favorite team. I am glad that she asked for this flavor- I haven't had a good Oatmeal cookie in awhile. Here is the recipe Megan- I will make sure he doesn't add any raisins or bugs or anything like that!!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp salt
1 Bag chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, mix well. Add water and vanilla and mix. Separately combine flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Gradually add to the sugar mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until light brown.

Memorial Day BBQ

2011-05-26T17:30:00.002-06:00

Memorial day is the weekend that kicks off summer. What better way to get it started right, than to get out and grill. If you are like me, you keep things pretty standard, right? Hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, maybe chicken? Well, I want you (and I) to get brave and try some new things out there on the grill. Seafood, vegetables, ribs? You bet- we can do it!! Here are some recipes that I have book-marked to try, along with a recipe for some really easy and super yummy chicken kabobs which I make often.

First, this Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon looks amazing!
http://www.food.com/recipe/honey-ginger-grilled-salmon-13982

Grilled salmon with jalapeno butter sounds really good.
http://www.food.com/recipe/grilled-salmon-with-jalapeno-butter-235029

BBQ Bacon Wrapped Shrimp sounds like a great appetizer- or just a nice light dinner.
http://www.food.com/recipe/bbq-bacon-wrapped-shrimp-64137

Speaking of bacon, this recipe has you wrapping it around fresh corn on the cob and then grilling the corn.
http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-grilled-corn-on-the-cob-116926

Marinated and Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash look really tasty.
http://www.food.com/recipe/marinated-and-grilled-zucchini-and-summer-squash-102237

These ribs sound fairly simple- which is good when grilling ribs is a little scary!
http://www.food.com/recipe/ribs-my-way-67063

I hope to try these recipes this summer. I will let you know how it works out. You should try this recipe- it works out to a tasty dinner!

Chicken Kabobs
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Tbsp. Soy sauce
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinate 1-2 lbs. chicken breasts that you have cut up into large chunks. Try to make all the pieces the same size- they will cook more evenly. After they have completed the marinating time, thread onto skewers. We like to cook bell pepper and onions, cut into large chunks and threaded onto their own skewers. Grill over medium heat until the chicken's juices run clear.

Make your own taco seasoning

2011-05-25T16:55:00.000-06:00

We eat a lot of tacos in our house. They are fast, easy and we usually have everything on hand. Last year, I started to search for a homemade taco seasoning. I looked all over the web and I found a few I liked a little. So I combined them into one really good recipe. I double this and keep it on hand for all my taco feasts.

Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 pinch cayenne
(Before we moved to Utah I used to add 1/4 tsp. chipolte chili powder, but I can't find it here, so I leave it out. It still tastes awesome!)
Combine. Add 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp to 1 pound ground beef. You can also add 1/2 cup water, but we like ours a little more on the dry side, it works for what your tastes like.

Lottie's Chicken Enchiladas

2011-05-23T13:25:00.001-06:00

My husband has a birthday this week. I asked him what he would like for his birthday dinner, and he almost always chooses these enchiladas. My favorite part of this dish is the fresh ingredients that you pile on top at the end. They make these enchiladas over the top yummy! I got this recipe from my great Aunt Lottie. I am not sure where she first got it, as she loves to clip recipes out of newspapers and magazines (seems to run in the family.)

Lottie's Chicken Enchiladas

3 -15 oz cans green enchilada sauce, divided
3 cups cooked chopped chicken
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can chopped green chilies, drained
8-10 large flour tortillas
1- 8oz container sour cream
1 bottle green taco sauce
Toppings: diced tomato, sliced black olives, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, and lettuce

Using one can of the green enchilada sauce, stir together the first 5 ingredients. Spoon mixture in each flour tortilla and roll up. Place in a 13x9-inch casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour remaining two cans of enchilada sauce over top of the prepared enchiladas. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. Stir together taco sauce and the 8 oz. container of sour cream. To serve, place enchilada on plate, spoon green taco sauce mixture over top and sprinkle with desired toppings.

Today I am sharing this recipe at Skip to My Lou- who hosts Made By You Monday.

Check out this post

2011-05-21T09:25:00.000-06:00

I have never posted a link to another blog post that didn't include a recipe or a craft tutorial. Until today. Please go read what this lovely lady had to say about being real with people. Let's just say this post really spoke to me.
I am going to try to get over myself and start letting more people be "Upstairs friends". I know I will be glad that I did.
http://asoftplace.net/2011/05/on-upstairs-friends/

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

2011-05-21T09:10:00.003-06:00

It has been rainy for days here. I wish that I could say that I was exaggerating, but I am not. This morning when I woke up, I could not believe my eyes. The sun was shining! I don't know how long it will shine today, but for now, I am thankful for a beautiful morning full of sunshine!
This cake recipe is pure sunshine. Anything lemon makes me feel lighter and brighter. Perhaps it is because it is my favorite color? Or that lemons smell so fresh and clean? Regardless, this cake is awesome and a nice light ending to a meal.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

1 package lemon cake mix
1 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 12 cup bundt cake pan with shortening and lightly flour. Beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and zest. Stir in poppy seeds. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for ten minutes. Turn pan upside down on wire rack and gently shake to remove cake. Cool completely. Spread lemon glaze over top of cake, allowing some glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Lemon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 - 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon zest

Mix powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir in additional lemon juice, one teaspoon at a time, until smooth and has the consistency of a thick syrup.

Have a beautiful day.......Enjoy the sunshine!

Dinosaurs

2011-05-18T12:56:00.000-06:00

Most boys really like dinosaurs, mine are not an exception. Son #4 is entering into a really fun awareness about dinosaurs. We took an afternoon recently and brought the whole family to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point here in town. This is not your average dusty boring museum. This place is built for hands on exploring.

This is a replica of some large dinosaur bones, but you could touch these ones,. They have things like this all over the place. Buttons to push, things to feel, and fun activities to try out.

This was a station where you could build a dinosaur. All the pieces attached to the base either by heavy duty Velcro or by hooks and eyelets. This "creation" was what my kids came up with.

But by far, the best thing in this museum is the water table room. They have these huge water tables that have sand in them and the water is pumped and circulated through out.. Son #4 loved playing with the plastic dinos in the water.

The older boys built dams and rivers and islands for over an hour.

Daddy even got his fair share of playing in the water and sand.

This is such a great place to go for an afternoon. We had such a great time.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

2011-05-17T16:23:00.000-06:00

Tacos and spaghetti are frequent dinners around here because they are kid friendly, fairly cheap and easy to make. I found this recipe online that combines the idea of tacos with spaghetti (just the pasta part of spaghetti). It really intrigued me, so I had to try it. It is really yummy, and it reheats well. An added bonus to this recipe is that you can freeze it. I will often double what I make to be able to throw an extra batch in the freezer. There is something very satisfying about not having to really "cook" on a super busy day. Throwing it in the oven for a little bit doesn't really count as cooking in my book!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

12-18 large pasta shells, cooked and drained
1 lb. ground beef
3 Tbsp taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 tsp. chili powder
Brown ground beef. Add seasoning, water, onion, 1/2 cup salsa, and 1/4 cup cheese. Mix together remaining salsa, tomato sauce and chili powder. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Fill each shell with a large spoon full of ground beef and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top of the shells. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. * Bake at 350 ° for 30 minutes.

*At this point you could cover tightly and freeze. When you want to eat, defrost in freezer for at least one day and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

You can find the original recipe here,

The best Coconut cake recipe- ever!

2011-05-10T09:57:00.003-06:00

We had to make a very quick trip back to Colorado this past weekend. Family emergency stuff- but we are back and all is good. While we were there, my sister-in-law shared a Coconut cake recipe that one of her customers had given her. It is so wonderful. It is such a light dessert, and very easy to throw together.

Coconut Cake

1 white cake mix and ingredients needed to make cake
1 small box of instant coconut pudding and ingredients to make pudding
1 can coconut cream milk (found in the liquor store)
1 tub cool whip- defrosted
Half a bag of coconut- toasted

Bake cake according to the directions given on box. While the cake is baking, mix pudding and chill. When cake is done baking, poke holes all over top- the more holes the better. Open coconut cream milk and stir well. Spread over top of warm cake. Let cake cool completely. Spread with pudding, then top with Cool whip. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

*How to toast coconut- Spread coconut on a piece of parchment paper. Place on cookie sheet and put under the broiler. Watch very closely, it will toast in just a minute or two. Remove when the edges start to get toasty brown.

What to do with Cube Steak?

2011-05-03T10:32:00.000-06:00

I get tired of always eating ground beef and chicken breasts. They are so good and super versatile, but I like to also use other cuts of meat from time to time. One of my favorite cuts is the humble Cube Steak. What exactly is cube steak, you might ask? I googled cube steak and found a website dedicated to this yummy piece of beef- http://cubesteak.com/ . They explain that cube steak is round steak, that has been tenderized. All I know is that it is tasty and can be used in many recipes. Here are some of my favorites:
This is a recipe for one of the most tasty sandwiches ever. My family loves these. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/marlboro_mans_f/

This recipe is for Chicken Fried Steak- classic comfort food.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/chicken-fried-steak/

This recipe looked good and will be tried out soon at my home- Cube Steak Parmigiana.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cubed-Steaks-Parmigiana

Another recipe that I have marked to try is this- Budget friendly Beef Stroganoff.
http://debradaytoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/budget-friendly-beef-stroganoff.html

This salad recipe looks really good as well- Cube Steak Milanese.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cube_steak_milanese.html

My personal favorite way to use Cube Steak is Queso Steak. I don't know where my mom got the recipe, but it has been made in our family for years. I put the recipe at the end of this post: http://fourturtleracers.blogspot.com/2009/12/menu-plan-for-week-of-12-5-09.html .

Menu Board

2011-04-27T13:50:00.000-06:00

If you are like me, you like lists. You like to know what is going to happen at certain times. Our weekly menu is something that I really like to do. I would faithfully write up our weeks menu plan and invariably, I would loose the piece of paper that I had written the menu plan on. I graduated to putting our menu plan on my blog, but it isn't the most handy of spots for when you are doing seven things at once and your son asks you what we are having for dinner. I came up with our menu board. I took a metal board that I found in the clearance bin at our local craft store, letter stickers, clothes pins and squares of cardboard. After a good 40 minutes of work, this is what I came up with. I really like that the boys and my honey can see what they are going to eat, and it satisfies the list maker in me that I have a list proudly displayed in my kitchen!

Pepperoncini Beef

2011-04-26T09:47:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite ways to get new recipes is from my friends. This is a recipe my friend Rhonda found on All Recipes. She tried it out on her family and was overwhelmed by the praise for it. I knew that I had to try it our for my bunch. This is so easy and smells AMAZING as it cooks all day. Here is the link to the original recipe post, and below is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pepperoncini-Beef/Detail.aspx .

Pepperoncini Beef
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (16 oz jar) pepperoncini

Make small cuts in roast, and insert garlic slices in cuts. Place roast in the slow cooker, and pour the entire contents of the jar of pepperoncini, including liquid, over meat.

Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

My friend toasted her sandwich rolls and melted cheese on top of the meat. Super yummy!

Chicken Enchiladas

2011-04-21T10:24:00.000-06:00

This Sunday is Easter Sunday. A day that my family normally gets together and enjoys watching the kids look for Easter eggs, and eat. For the past several years, my family does what we call "Mexican Easter". My brother would make my mom's Chicken Enchiladas, Red Beef Enchiladas, homemade tortilla chips and the biggest bowl of guacamole that you can imagine. My brother and his wife have this meal down to a perfection. It is beyond sublime. I look forward to it every year. Even this year, when I know that we won't be able to go to their home after church because we live 600 miles from them. I still crave it! We have different plans this year for Easter, but you can bet that next week, I will be having some Chicken Enchiladas, Red Beef enchiladas, chips and guac. - it just won't be as good as it is in my memory! This recipe was my mom's. On her recipe card, she says to layer the tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese, but I like them rolled.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 rotisserie chicken- shredded, or any chicken that has been cooked and chopped up
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken broth
1 can diced green chilies
1 1/2 dozen corn tortillas
Oil
Shredded cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp butter or margarine

Melt butter, saute onion. Add soups, broth, and chilies. Heat through. Heat oil. Place tortillas in oil to soften them- just a few seconds on each side. Place chicken and cheese on tortilla. Roll up and place in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over top and top with more cheese. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Carmel Corn

2011-04-15T17:43:00.000-06:00

We were guests at a friends home the other night, and my friend whipped up a huge bowl of this amazing wonderfulness. It took ALL my self control to not grab the bowl and run away down the street. It was that yummy! Thankfully, she shared the recipe, which I believe was given to her by her hairdresser. Thank you Cathy for sharing!!

Carmel Corn

3-4 cups popped popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1 stick of butter (no wonder it was so good!)
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Melt together the butter, brown sugar and the Karo syrup. Boil for two minutes. Add baking soda and stir until it foams. Pour over popcorn and mix well.

Strawberry Pie

2011-04-12T15:01:00.002-06:00

I have been watching the prices drop on strawberries, and this week they hit a decent price, and they looked really good. I am so excited because that means Strawberry Pie time!! This recipe was my mom's and it is the best recipe in the world. I look forward to this every year! My sister-in-law has perfected this recipe, and I usually just wait until we have some at her home, but this year, her home is to far for me to go and grab some pie! I had to give it a try. Go grab some strawberries and give yourself a treat tonight! You will be so glad that you did!

Strawberry Pie

1 baked pie shell
Sliced strawberries to fill pie shell
3 TBSP strawberry jello
3 TBSP cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

Combine jello, cornstarch and sugar. Add boiling water, stir well. Bring to a boil. Set aside to cool, then chill well after pouring over strawberries in pie crust. Chill for 2-3 hours and serve with whipped cream.

Date night with my teen

2011-04-11T16:03:00.000-06:00

This past week Son #1 and I ventured out in a snow storm and went to a Utah Jazz game. We were so excited to go. Both of us love basketball and we were so happy to go with each other.

Son #1 earned these tickets by playing on a Jr. Jazz team. His whole team was there along with one parent for each boy. We laughed that I was the only mom who was there from the team, but I felt thankful that my teen boy would still invite his mama. I know that these days are dwindling, it was a precious time for me.

Back at it .........

2011-04-11T15:45:00.000-06:00

I have been on a self imposed break. I distanced myself from attending to this blog to see if I missed it. I did, so I am back. As a reward for anyone who still checks in on my little corner of the blog world, I will share an awesome recipe. This is one that you will want to make several times a month.

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

1 garlic clove minced
1 1/2 tsp minced onion
3/4 - 1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP fresh minced cilantro
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
2 TBSP olive oil

Mix the above ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup. Place 1-2 lbs. thinly slice chicken breasts in the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer. Cook and stir chicken until lightly browned, Remove from skillet. Add 1 green bell pepper (thinly sliced), 1 red pepper and 1 onion (thinly sliced), and the 1/4 cup reserved marinade. Cook and stir until veggies are tender. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Serve on warmed flour tortillas with shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, lettuce and any other toppings that make you smile.

*I discovered this recipe on the back of a McCormick recipe inspirations but I tweaked it a bit to my families tastes. I hope you will give it a go!

Menu Plan for Week of 1-23-11

2011-01-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

I am busy organizing things this week. My trunk is full of things to donate, and I am itching to go through more closets! One thing that I have really come to rely on, being organized with my weekly menu plan. It has saved me money and time just knowing what we will be eating each night. It also helps to plan out where I will have leftovers for my husband to take to work. Here is what we will be eating this week.

Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner
Monday: Spaghetti, salad and garlic toast
Tuesday: Calzones and leftover spaghetti sauce
Wednesday: French Dip
Thursday: Pasta Fagioli with homemade bread sticks- this is a new soup recipe for us
Friday: Poppy Seed Chicken with roasted asparagus
Saturday: Asian Pork Tenderloin with Simple sesame noodles - both of these sounded yummy and different, can't wait to try them out!

What new recipes are you going to try this week?

Menu for Week of January 16, 2011

2011-01-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Better late than never- here is what we are eating this busy birthday filled week! Can't believe that my oldest will be a teenager!

Sunday: Lemon-Pepper Chicken Sandwich (this was bumped from last week)
Monday: Spicy Tuscan Soup with homemade bread sticks (Both of these recipes were new to us, and they were both wonderful!)
Tuesday: Whole Roasted Chicken in Crock pot with mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Mac-n- Cheese with pan roasted ham steak
Thursday: Grilled Steak with Butter Herb Potatoes (Oldest Son's birthday dinner choice)
Friday: Lemon Pepper Shrimp (Son #3 birthday dinner choice)
Saturday: BBQ Chip chicken

I hope you have a great week!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls aka Homemade Pizza Bites

2011-01-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

I discovered one of the best websites for recipes- http://www.ourbestbites.com/ . I have been drooling over these ladies' recipes. I tried my first one last night -Stuffed Pizza Rolls. It is the exact same recipe for my Pepperoni Bread, but the preparation is different. We really liked the end result! I can't wait to try more from this web site!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Recipe from OurBestBites.com

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough
marinara/pizza sauce Fro dipping the finished product in
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". Cut the dough into 24 squares. Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan or in mini muffin tins.
Brush the tops of the dough balls with melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.
Cook them in a 400° oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2011-01-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

It has been bitter cold here this winter. I am not used to the humidity plus the cold. It seems to seep into my bones. We have been going through hot chocolate powder mix like wildfire lately, so I decided to whip up some homemade hot chocolate instead. This is the hybrid of many recipes that I saw online- it uses what I had in my pantry! Mix some up for your next super cold day.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Stir all ingredients until well combined. cook over medium heat until hot. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Bread Machine Sweet Butter Rolls

2011-01-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

My boys absolutely love these rolls. We rarely have leftovers, but when we do they are so good smothered in homemade jam!

Bread Machine Sweet Butter Rolls

1 cup warm milk (70°-80°)
1/2 cup better, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Add ingredients to bread machine in the order your manufacturer suggests. Run dough cycle. When cycle is complete, divide into golf ball sized balls. Place in buttered 13"x9" pan, make sure they do not touch. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter when removed from the oven.

Potato - Cheddar Cheese Soup

2011-01-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

I love cooking warm filling comfort food. It really is a satisfying experience for me! Soups are so easy and economical. I had originally planned to make a Crock pot potato soup, but when I got out my potatoes yesterday, they had gone bad, so after a trip to the store to get new potatoes, and I made this version instead.

Potato- Cheddar Cheese Soup

2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash of paprika
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large pot over med-high heat , melt butter; saute the celery and onion until soft. Add broth and potatoes, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Puree potato mixture in sauce pan with an immersion blender or if you are very careful with your hand mixer. Please be careful, it will splatter and the mixture is very HOT!! (Don't ask how I know this!) Turn heat down to low. Stir in milk and seasonings. Add cheese, but heat only until cheese is melted. Garnish with croutons, chopped green onions, diced bacon or whatever makes you happy.

Menu for Week of January 9, 2011

2011-01-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone! I had to stay home with a sick boy today, so I was able to put my menu together today rather than tomorrow. We did great last week- we ate everything that I had planned- even the leftovers! Here is what we are eating this week:

Sunday: Homemade Stroganoff, steamed green beans and bread machine rolls
Monday: Breakfast Night- Pancakes with bacon
Tuesday: Crockpot Potato Soup- I will post the recipe this week
Wednesday: Pepperoni Bread
Thursday: Spicy Pulled Pork
Friday: Homemade Pizza Night
Saturday: Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwich

Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes

2011-01-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes

5-7 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg. Kielbasa, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup Canola oil

Preheat oven to 425°. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Pour into 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake for one hour. You can stir after 30 minutes, but if you forget like me, it still turns out tasty!

Chicken Monterrey

2011-01-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Chicken Monterrey
6 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 jar BBQ sauce of your choice- we LOVE Sweet Baby Ray's
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and rough chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions trimmed and sliced
1 small tomato, chopped
Heat oven to 350°. Place chicken in a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. pour on the BBQ sauce. Bake for 25 minutes. Top each breast with bacon, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top each serving with green onions and tomato before serving.

My family loves this dish. It is very kid friendly because they can order their customized version. I have one boy who doesn't like the cheese, one who likes his plain and one who likes it all!

Menu Plan for Week of Jan. 2, 2011

2011-01-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

We have finally taken down the tree, caught up with laundry and jumped back into schooling. I am restarting old habits that work for us as a family- menu planning is such a great tool. It really helps us to stay within a budget, avoid eating out and keeps my stress about filling these boys up to a minimum. Why don't you give it a try?

Sunday: Grilled Cheese
Monday: Anniversary night- we ate out
Tuesday- Grilled Cheeseburgers
Wednesday: Fettuccine Alfredo and a large salad for me.
Thursday: Chicken Monterrey
Friday: Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes
Saturday: Fish and Chips

I will post the recipes for the Chicken Monterrey and the Roasted Kielbasa and Potatoes separately. Those are excellent recipes that are very well received around this house.

Have a great first week of this new year!

It is the most wonderful time of the year ... really?

2010-12-17T09:14:00.001-07:00

I have been super busy this past month. Try to stretch my dollars to get Christmas gifts is time consuming! But I am nearly done- just one or two last things to go and track down.

I have been baking like a mad woman! Here is what we have cranked out of our humble kitchen:
-Peanut Clusters
-Sugar Cookies
-Ginger Bars
-Peanut Blossoms
-Soft Ginger cookies
-Turtles
-Peppermint Popcorn
-Christmas Crack
-Buckeyes
I know that I am forgetting something, but at least you get the idea! To make up for my absence, I will post the top secret (not really, it just sounds cooler that way) recipe for Peanut Clusters.

Peanut Clusters

2 jars salted roasted peanuts
1 package almond bark
2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
2/3 cup chunky peanut butter

Melt the almond bark over very low heat, stirring often to avoid scorching. Stir in sifted powdered sugar and then the peanut butter until smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat. Stir in all the peanuts until they are well coated. Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper. Let the candies sit until the chocolate has set up. Remove and store in air tight container.

Chicken Taco Soup

2010-11-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

For dinner tonight, we had a really good recipe. This one is a keeper! It was made of just a few items and was wonderful on this cold windy day.
I found this recipe in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook, but I could not resist adding in a few things that I knew my family would like. I hope you try it.

Chicken Taco Soup
1TBSP butter
1 onion diced
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa verde
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese
In large saucepan, melt butter and the add onion. Stir and cook until soft and starting to caramelize. Add chicken, broth, salsa verde, cilantro, salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat for 15- 20 minutes. Serve with chips and shredded cheese.

Menu Plan for Week of 11-14-10

2010-11-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here is our menu plan for this week. I am posting this in between math questions and grammar dilemmas so it will be short and sweet.
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Chicken Taco Soup - this is new I will post recipe if we like it
Tuesday: Pepperoni Bread
Wednesday: Cheesy Potato Soup- Crock pot
Thursday: Lemon Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich
Friday: French Toast and Bacon
Saturday: Mexican Stuffed shells

Son #4 turns two!

2010-11-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

The older that I get, the faster time seems to fly. I can remember being 6 and feeling like a month to Christmas was equal to 10 years! Now it seems that I can't get it to slow down so I can savor the time I get with my boys.

Two years ago our fourth son was born. Now look at the sweet little boy. My heart melts every time I look at him!

This was the funniest thing- we sang him Happy Birthday and he started to cry and say " No! No! Stop!" He is definitely two!

I am so blessed to be mama to these guys.

Menu Plan for week of November 7

2010-11-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am having one of those weeks where you never seem to catch up. I feel as though I am stuck in slow motion and the rest of the world is in hyper speed. Or maybe it is just my soon to be two-year old? Regardless, here is what we are eating here this week.

Sunday: Leftovers Buffet
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie from Ree Drummond's (Pioneer Woman) cookbook
Tuesday: Queso Steak
Wednesday: Mac -n- Cheese and Skillet-fried Ham Steak
Thursday: Pioneer Woman Enchiladas
Friday: BBQ Chip chicken
Saturday: Pepperoni Bread

Beef Barley Soup

2010-11-03T21:46:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful soup for dinner tonight. It was so flavorful and yummy! One of the best parts was that it is a crock pot recipe!

Crock pot Beef Barley Soup
1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, sliced thin
3/4 cups bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 can beef broth
3/4 tsp dried basil
2 TBSP catsup
5 cups water

Place vegetables and meat in bottom of crock pot. then add the barley, the beef broth and the spices. Last, add the water. DO NOT STIR. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
We had ours with big hunks of Peasant bread to soak up all the yummy broth. This will be added to our menu rotation!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T10:02:00.000-06:00

I like to make the boys Halloween costumes. However, this year, I simply did not have the time to sew them costumes. They boys looked over all the costumes in the store and decided that they would be aliens and ninjas. I think that they looked great! We had a great time trick or treating despite the rainy cold night. Son#4 REALLY liked the whole experience! He would faithfully say "Thank you" to each person. He was so sweet!

This is Sons #3 and 4- they made really good ninjas!

My oldest two sons- I kept wanting them to smile!

My little guy- he wore his bat sweatshirt all weekend lond. He would hold his arms out to make the wings and declare "Fly!!" So precious!

We had a great Halloween! Now off to hide some candy where the boys can't find it!

Corn Maze + Family = Fun!

2010-10-26T16:42:00.000-06:00

We spent last Saturday at a corn maze near Denver. I have not figured out how they do these amazing mazes, nor have I figured out how to not get lost while in one! We had a great time tromping through the corn fields.

We also let loose with these "grown up" tricycles! Here is Son #3 with his Uncle!

We also shot corn out of cannons.

And we could not resist shooting the pumpkin cannon!

Even Son #4 had a blast! He looked so cute in his vest!

My new nephew

2010-10-26T16:17:00.000-06:00

We were able to home to Colorado this past weekend and we got to have a great visit with family. I am always excited to get together with family. This visit we got to meet our newest family member .... Baby Ethan. He is such a sweet little guy! There is no way that any of my boys were this little, right?!!?

Menu for Week of October 10

2010-10-11T09:29:00.000-06:00

As usual we have a busy week laid out in front of us. Soccer, music lessons, Awana, and a camp out for Son#1. To help out with the time crunch, this week's menu has some great things to help me out. Two crock pot recipes, a dish that will be used for one meal and the leftovers will be featured in another night's dinner, and several easy on the wallet meals. I hope that you have a great week!
Sunday: Taco Bar-bumped from last week
Monday: Spaghetti - I will post this recipe this week.
Tuesday: Rice a Roni Chicken- Cook diced chicken breasts in a little olive oil on top of the stove. Meanwhile, mix up two boxes of chicken flavored rice-a -roni. Scoop the rice and the chicken into a crock pot and set to low for 3-4 hours.
Wednesday: Baked Potato Bar
Thursday: Foil Wrapped Tilapia
Friday: Calzones with leftover spaghetti sauce for smothering
Saturday: Hamburgers and Homemade Fries

Crock Pot Roast Beef

2010-10-07T09:44:00.000-06:00

Who ever invented the crock pot was a genius! I am so thankful for my trusty crock pot. It is such a relief after a long evening of running kids to practice to have a nice hot meal waiting for me at home. It eliminates the temptation to hit the drive through! This is one of our favorite recipes. Whenever the grocery store has a good sale on beef roasts, I will grab a couple and throw them in the freezer. I hope you give this delicious roast a try.

Crock Pot Roast Beef
1 beef roast
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of brewed coffee
1/2 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
Place all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours or until tender. Transfer roast to a platter. Measure drippings after straining onions. Whisk together 1/4 cup water and 1 TBSP flour for every cup of drippings. Whisk flour mixture into drippings and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.

This makes the best gravy! So flavorful!

Beautiful Fall

2010-10-06T21:48:00.000-06:00

Are the leaves turning where you live? They sure are in the mountains of Utah. We went for a drive after church this past weekend and saw God's amazing hand all over his creations!

We drove by a lake that had dozens of these brave people doing this. It was mesmerizing to watch!

We stumbled across Bridal Veil Falls. It was so pretty! We are going to go back soon when we all have appropriate shoes on and get a closer look!

Menu Plan Monday Week of 10-3-2010

2010-10-04T10:04:00.000-06:00

The weather is starting to turn fall-ish. At least for part of this week, anyways. I am craving soups, roasts and baking treats! I got a couple of them in the plan for this week. I just discovered that on Wednesday nights, our church offers a very cheap meal for anyone right before Awana, so the boys and I are going to give that a try before all the soccer and Awana madness of Wednesday nights. Here is what we will be eating this week:
Sunday: Yo Yo- You are on your own night- we had leftovers stacking up, so we made a dent in those.
Monday: Breakfast for dinner night- Pancakes and Bacon
Tuesday: Crock Pot Roast Beef- I will post recipe this week.
Wednesday: Trying out meal served at church
Thursday: Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Friday: Oven Ham Sammies - a new recipe to us, but the reviews sounded good
Saturday: Taco Night with Pioneer Woman's Pico De Gallo and Guacamole

Fall Soccer for Son#3

2010-09-27T09:57:00.000-06:00

My third son is totally a scrapper. He is rough and tumble, and he LOVES soccer! He gets a total thrill from kicking and passing and running. We really enjoy watching him play.

He is such a great 8 year old!