Lemon Bars

Base: 2 C all pupose Flour
         1/2 C powdered sugar
         1C butter(soft)

Filling: 4 eggs
           2C sugar
           1/4C flour
           1tsp baking powder
           1/4 C lemon juice

Glaze: 1 C powdered Sugar
          2-3 tbsp lemon juice

*Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spoonflour into measuring cups; level off. In a large bowl, combine all base ingredients, beat at low speed till crumbly. Press mixture evenly into bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

*In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients except lemon juice; blend well. Stir in 1/4C juice,remove pan from oven and pour filling over top. Return to oven and bake at 350 for an additonal 25-30 minutes or till the top is light brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cool.

*Mix glaze ingredients and glaze cooled bars. Cut into bars.

Rocky Road Fudge

This is a very simple and yummy fudge recipe. I have had this one for years now and it comes from a friend that we call "Ole Woman", she's not old at all and I adore her.

1 (12oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1C creamy peanut butter
3C mini marshmallows
1/2 C chopped nuts

Microwave chocolate chips and peanut butter in bowl on high for 2-3(takes me 2 1/2 minutes) till melted. Stir well until peanut butter is incorporated into the chocolate. Fold in marshmallows and nuts. Spoon into a greased 9" square pan and chill till firm and cut into small squares.

mmmmmm mmmmm good!

Crock Pot Candy

32 oz jar lightly salted peanuts
1 (12 oz) pack of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (4oz) bar of german chocolate
16oz white almond bark
16oz chocolate almond bark

Put peanuts in bottom of crack pot. Put in chocolates and almond bark on top of the peanuts. I used unsalted peanuts bc we don't need anymore sodium lol. Cook on low for about 2 hrs or until ur chocolate is all melted. Stir well then drop by spoonfuls on wax paper. They will set up on their own. If you want them to set up faster, put them in fridge. I used a little cookie scoop to drop these but you can just use a spoon. They are very tasty and I think ANY nut would do for this recipe. Enjoy!

*Chuck, I know it looks like poop on wax paper, but it's good, I promise LOL

Sweet Potato Casserole, a family favorite

3C mashed sweet potatoes
1C sugar
1tsp vanilla
1stick butter (melted)
1 egg

Topping:

1C brown sugar
1C chopped pecans
1/2C flour
1/3 stick butter(melted)

Grease casserole dish. Mix 1st 5 ingredients and put into a casserole dish. Mix topping. It will be a little mushy. Crumble on top of potatoes. Bake at 325 for 45min.

*I have to double this recipe for my family. This is a family favorite, especially for my uncle Jimmy. I hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do! Happy Thanksgiving.

Very Easy Beer Bread

This recipe is so quick to put together. It's very yummy and goes great w/stews or soups.

2 1/4 C all purpose flour
3tbsp sugar
1tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz beer(whatever you like and have is fine)
2tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, combine flour,sugar,baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center, pour in beer and olive oil and mix until well blended. Pour into greased laof pan and bake at 400F for 45min or until golden brown.

Enjoy :)

Monster Bread

This is what we call "monster bread" in our house. It's a great way to get Aiden to eat spinach. Yes, I know, I am tricky hehe.

Italian Bread-or whatever you like
Spinach, if frozen defrost and drain water
minced garlic
butter(or olive oil, whatever you like)
salt and pepper

In a blender or food processor, add spinach,garlic,butter,salt and pepper(I don't measure, just eyeball it. It needs to spread easily on bread). Process til ingredients are mixed together well and can spread onto bread.

Bake in oven til butter is melted and bread is light brown.

Very yummy and simple to make. :)

Swedish Apple Pie

SWEDISH APPLE PIE. It is a crustless pie, and therefore EXTRA simple to make. It is delicious!

* 2 1/2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon white sugar(I used Splenda)
* 1 cup white sugar(I used Splenda)
* 3/4 cup margarine, melted
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1 pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan with margarine.
2. Fill 2/3 of the pan with sliced apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon,nutmeg and 1 teaspoon sugar.
3. In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup sugar with the melted margarine. Stir in pecans, flour, egg and salt. Mix well. Spread mixture over the apples.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 65 minutes, or until golden brown. (it doesn't take this long in my oven, so watch it.)


This is so yummy. I got this recipe from a friend last year and it has quickly become a favorite in our house. It's super easy to make and the taste is amazing. If you like apple pie, do try this!

Pineapple Banana Bread

3C flour
2C sugar
3/4tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon
if you have some whole nutmeg you can ground up, add some of that too. Otherwise, leave out.

Combine all dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a mixer on low speed blend:

3 eggs
1C oil
5 bananas
16oz can Drained crushed pineapple(you will add 8oz to bread and use the rest to top the bread with)

Then add dry ingredients to mixture. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. On the top of each uncooked loaf add 4oz of the drained left over pineapple. Also you can add some brown sugar to top if desired. Bake at 350 for 80-90 min. The timing will depend on your oven. The loaves should be brown on top and done in middle.


This bread is so yummy. I got the recipe from a friend a few years ago and it's one of my favorite breads. Very moist and best part; it makes TWO loaves. SO keep one for yourself and share the other :) I'm sending the 2nd loaf to Joe's work :)

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

If you love Chicken and Dumplings but don't want to stand over a stove stirring the dumplings forever, then this is the recipe for you! It's very easy. I got a recipe similiar to this from a friend but added my own touch to make it taste like my Granny's Chicken and Dumplings that my family loves so much.

4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts
2cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 stick of butter(do NOT be a wimp, add the butter. It prevents dumplings from sticking and makes it taste good. STOP thinking about the added fat, It's chicken and dumplings for crying out loud)
1 onion chopped
3 (10 oz)cans refrigerated biscuits. Tear in half and roll into a ball.

Seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano, sage, poultry seasoning, celery seed or flakes(whichever you have is fine).

I do not measure the seasonings, I go by the way it looks and smells lol. I've been making Chicken and Dumplings for a while (Just like my Granny use to) so I don't need no stinkin' measuring spoon lol.

Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in the crock pot and fill w/enough water to cover the chicken. I usually add some of my seasonings here. Do not add all of them, just enough to start seasoning the chicken and broth that it will make.  Cover and cook for 4-5hrs. I start this at like 11AM. Remove chicken from broth and cut pieces or shred it w/fork. Whichever way you like it is fine. I do this around 3-3:30PM. Tear your biscuits in half and roll into balls. Add to broth and stir w/spoon. Add the rest of your seasonings here. Go by smell and taste the broth if you want. I just go by the way it smells and looks, but I have done this a few times ;)  Once all biscuits are in crock pot, stir every once in a while so biscuits will not stick together. Otherwise, you may be like my poor poor Aunt Katie. The very 1st time she made Chicken and Dumplings, she didn't stir(she did hers on the stove) and she had ONE BIG DUMPLING ;) So folks, point is, you will not have to stand over stove to stir these but you will need to stir once in a while. Cook for another 3-4 hrs. Dumplings need to be cooked and not doughy. When you first add them, they will swell up, this is totally normal. I have to say, that this is JUST AS GOOD as cooking them on the stove. We had them the other night and I baked some Sweet Potatoes w/it. It was lip smacking good y'all.

Wonderful Pasta Salad

This is very simple and so much better than any pasta salad you can buy. You can use any veggies you have. But these are our favorites to use :)

1 bag mini pepperoni or larger one cut up
1 green bell pepper
1 cucumber, seeded and peeled, then diced up
1 can black olives,drained
1 small (or half of a large one) red onion diced up (or even green onions)
2 tomatoes diced
Green olives, as much as you like
Cheese of choice, optional
Pasta of choice, EX: Spiral, bow tie, elbow
1 bottle light Italian dressing

Boil Pasta according to directions on box. Drain and rinse w/cold water. In the meantime, cut all veggies and add to a large bowl. Pour in the pasta and the other ingredients and mix well. Pour the bottle of dressing in bowl and mix together til pasta and veggies are coated w/the dressing. Serve cold.

*depending on the pasta you use, you may need more dressing. Some pastas seem to soak up the dressing more than others. My favorite pasta to use is the bow tie pasta. Spiral pasta,(shown in pic) used a little more than a bottle of dressing.

This is so good on a hot day :)

No bake cookies....

In the picture above, I made the No Bake Cookies and shaped them into POO lol, and put them in little napkin diapers. A friend of mine asked for the recipe to these cookies bc she lost hers.No bake cookies are one of the easiest cookies to make and HOLY COW are they good. I remember eating these as a kid. The school cafeteria ladies would make them and all the kids would be excited about these cookies. My little boy loves them as well. I don't think I know a person out there that doesn't like them! So enjoy.

No Bake Cookies aka Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies.....

2C sugar
1 stick butter
1/2C milk
3TBSP cocoa(use big serving spoons-not your cereal spoons but the larger ones-do not use a regular tbsp measure bc that isn't how the recipe was made. use heaping spoonfuls)

Put in pan and bring to boil. Boil for ONE MINUTE. Remove from heat and stir in:

1C peanut butter(creamy)
1 tsp vanilla
3C quick oats

stir together til it's mixed well and drop  by spoonful on wax paper. Let the cookies cool and "set". Remove from wax paper and store in container w/a lid. If your house is warm, you may want to refrigerate the cookies.


*on really humid days, it may take them a little while longer to set. If you're having trouble w/them setting where you live, try adding more peanut butter and oats. Experiment and see what works for you in your area.

The BEST Strawberry Lemonade ever

 On vacation, we had dinner at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co. and I ordered a strawberry lemonade drink with my meal. OMG it is sooooooooooooo good. I asked how they make it and was surprised that they kindly shared the recipe :)

1Can frozen lemonade
Sprite
Strawberries
water

Defrost the can of lemonade. Pour into gallon pitcher. Add half the bottle of sprite(liter bottle). You can use fresh strawberries or buy a bag of frozen ones, let them thaw and then I added them to my blender and gave them a whirl to chop them up some. Add this to the pitcher and stir. Add water to fill the pitcher up the rest of the way.

You can add some of this lemonade mixture to a blender w/some ice and make a frozen drink out of it. I made some yesterday and it's devine. I am in love LMAO. Thank you Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for the recipe and for the fantastic service. We prooved that we are the King and Queen of the Forrest Gump movie hahahahahaha.

Pulled Pork or BBQ as it's known here in the South :)

This is so so so easy. I highly recommend trying it, it's super good.

1 pork roast(I got mine at Sams)
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce(we like Jack Daniels)
1 can of Root Beer or soda of your choice(you can even use a can of beer)

Season Roast w/salt and pepper. Put it in your crockpot(slowcooker) and pour the root beer over roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove roast from pot, and shred w/a fork. Pour out the rootbeer from crockpot and add shredded pork to crockpot. Pour one bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce and stir.

OR you can do it like we do LOL. I shred the roast, and I add BBQ sauce to half of it and the other is "naked" bc we add Starns Sauce to it :)

This is super easy, and it's very juicy and tender. You can use any soda you like or even a beer. It keeps the roast from drying out and makes it super moist. Put some on a bun and enjoy every last bite :)

Blueberry Orange Muffins

1C whole wheat flour
1C All purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1tsp grated orange peel
1C orange juice
1 egg
1/3C oil
1 pint fresh blueberries
more sugar

In a large bowl combine flours,sugar,baking soda and salt. Mix together. Add egg,oil.orange juice and orange peel. Combine til lumpy wet. Add blueberries and turn slowly and mix in. Do not beat-this will crush your blueberries and ur batter will turn out blue. Plus, you never over beat muffins batter!

Spray muffin tin(12) and use ice cream scoop to spoon in muffin batter. Sprinkle tops w/some sugar. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or til muffins are brown and done in center.

Kool-Aid Pie

I know what you are thinking. EWWWW right? But no, it's actually pretty darn good. AND better yet....VERY EASY. Takes not even 5 minutes to put together. This would be a awesome pie for a church event or pot luck. A friend of mine, Holly, emailed the recipe to me. You can use a packet of any kool aid mix you have. I used Blastin' Berry Cherry for this pie. I'd love to try the Lemonade bc I hear it's awesome.

1 packet of Kool Aid (any flavor)
1 can 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 container Cool Whip
1 graham cracker pie crust

Mix all ingredients together and pour into shell. Refridgerate for at least one hour before serving. :) I had to share this recipe. I tried the "mix" before I poured it into pie shell.....YUMMY lol.

Polenta and Corn stuffed Peppers

I found this recipe in a magazine a while back and finally decided to give it a try. I had to share it bc they are just so pretty and it was such a simple recipe to make. Smells heavenly.

4-6 large peppers-red, yellow or green (seeded and membranes removed)
12 oz roll of polenta, cut into pieces
1 can mexican corn
3/4 cup shredded montery jack cheese
3/4 cup provolone cheese(I sliced some up)
salt and pepper
Sour Cream

Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix polenta,corn and half of cheeses together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into peppers.Sprinkle w/remaining cheese. Place peppers in ungreased baking dish and fill pan w/water about half way up. Spray some foil w/cooking spray and cover peppers. Bake 30 min. Romove foil and bake another 20min. Garnish w/sour cream.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

I love this casserole but hate the idea of using Cheese Whiz or Velveta. To me, Velveta is way too thick and well, I am just not that crazy about it.  A little bit of that stuff goes a longgggggggg way. So, I wanted to try using real shredded cheese. The original recipe for this, calls for cream of chicken, velveta or cheese whiz, frozen broccoli and lots and lots of  butter.This is what I have come up with.

A bunch of Broccoli-cut up and washed
2 cups of cooked rice-I used brown
shredded cheddar cheese, or you can use maybe monterey jack w/some cheddar
1 can cream of muchroom
1can cream of celery
1 small onion,diced
butter
Chop the onion and saute it in the butter, I used maybe 2 tbsp of butter. Cut up your broccoli and steam it. DO NOT boil ur broccoli. The vitamins in broccoli are water soluble and will just leach out in the water. Your broccoli should still be a bright green. Cook your rice. Add all these ingredients to a very large bowl. mix together. Add the soups. Mix together.  I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it's not. You can cut up your broccoli and onion ahead of time if you like. You can even put this casserole together ahead of time, and you can freeze it :)

Once you've mixed those ingredients together, add maybe a cup of shredded cheese to the bowl and mix together. I also added some garlic powder, red pepper,salt and cracked pepper to this. You can leave it out if you wish, but we like some spice lol. Spray a casserole dish, and pour mixture into dish. Add some more cheese on top and bake at 350. Original recipe says to bake this for an hour. BUT since I did not use frozen broccoli or processed cheese, it was done a lot quicker. You're just melting the cheese really good here, not heating up broccoli(bc I steamed it).

*if you do not want to use the "cream of soups" you can easily make ur own. I went into it a little bit in this blog post. 

http://roorooskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/homemade-cheese-sauce.html

next time, I may just add some shredded chicken to this and see how that turns out :) 


I can't tell you enough just how good this is! SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE VELVETA!!!!

Caramel French Toast

I put this together tonight and stuck it in the fridge to bake for tomorrow morning. Since some of my gals asked for this recipe, I am posting it on my blog :) 

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 loaf french bread
5 eggs
1 and 1/4 cup milk(I used soy milk)
1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Heat and stir until melted together. Pour into the bottom of a 9”x13” pan. Slice the loaf of French bread into 1” thick slices. Lay the bread slices on the syrup mixture in the pan, using most (if not all) of the loaf. You may need to squeeze some pieces in, or cut a couple pieces to fill in the holes, but you should be able to use most of the loaf.  mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Slowly pour the milk mixture over top of the bread, being sure to cover all the bread. AND I used bread that was already sliced-it was whole wheat but very hearty so I thought it would work just as well. :)

You can either freeze it or put it in fride for the next morning if you want. OR you can bake it
uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into serving-size pieces. Serve, syrup-side up, on a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar.

*I will post pic tomorrow after I bake it, but wanted to post the recipe before I went to bed incase y'all wanted to make it tomorrow lol.

One of my favorite blogs....

Some of you are a little new to my blog(you know who you are haha) and may not have checked out other blogs. This is one of my favorite blogs. If you like your crock pot like I do, you will love reading her blog and trying her recipes out. She's been on  "The Today Show" so if you think, "I know her from somewhere!" that may be where you've seen her. I am pretty excited to try out her newest recipe posted of her Peanut Butter Cup.

Stephanie

Steak Fajitas and Coconut Lime Rice

Steak Fajitas

3-4 Steaks(I used rib eyes)
1/2C extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP McCormick Fajita seasoning
1 1/2 TBSP Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning
1TBSP minced garlic
2 Limes
zest of one lime

In a small bowl, mix together EVOO,seasonings, lime juice, Zest, and garlic. Mix together really well. Pour over Steak and marinate for 30 min to one hour. Grill steaks til they are to your liking. We like Medium Well. Let steaks rest for 10 min. Slice steaks into strips and place them on a tortilla w/your choice of toppings.


also, I like to grill some Green Bell Peppers and Onions :)


Coconut Lime Rice

1 Can of COCONUT MILK(not cream of coconut)
1 Lime juice and 1/2 tsp of it's zest
2C quick rice
Dash of cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4C shredded coconut
In a measuring cup, pour can of coconut milk in it(u should have about 1 1/2 C of milk) then fill w/water til it reaches 3C of liquid. Pour into pot. Add two cups of rice and watch carefully. stir frequently and put lid on pot. After liquid is absorbed and rice is done, add lime juice and coconut. stir and serve. You can add a dash of cinnamon and sugar if you want it a bit sweeter and even add a can of pineapples :)

Shrimp Gumbo

Olive Oil
3Tbsp all purpose flour
10tbsp chicken broth
4oz smoke ham, chopped
1C chopped onion
1C chopped green bell pepper
2/3C cup diced celery
one small bag frozen corn
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 lbs fresh okra pods, sliced
1/4C water
1/2tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 (28oz)can diced tomatoes, Drained(I don't drain bc we like the juice from it)
1lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf(Italian) parsley

Heat some oil(I eyeball around a tbsp) in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook one minute til lightly browned. Stirring constantly whisk in chicken broth. Stir til thick. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel.
Heat more oil(again eyeball a tbsp or so) in pan over med. heat. Add onion and ham; cook 10min, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper,celery,corn,okra,dried thyme and garlic. Cook 5min til veggies are almost tender. Add broth mixture and water. Stir together. Add ground peppers,paprika,salt,allspice,and tomatoes. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 min til veggies are tender. Stir in shrimp. Cook til shrimp is pink, or til done. Sprinkle w/parsley and serve over Rice.

I serve this over Saffron Rice, but traditionally it's served over Grits. We do not like Grits. So use whatever you like.

Chicken Spaghetti

This recipe came from a friend a long time ago. It's really good. Smells like heaven as it cooks :)

4 chicken breast(or whole chicken) boiled and chopped
1 can of Ro*tel or diced tomatoes for those that can't handle the spice ;)
2 med. onion(I use one large onion)
16oz spaghetti noodles(boiled in chicken broth from boiling chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth(I just use 14oz of the chicken broth from boiling chicken)
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Boil your chicken, then chop it up. I like to use a whole chicken bc I think it's juicier and the broth is better. Either way is ok. If you are going to use some chicken broth from the chicken that you boiled, take that out of the pan now, and set aside. Then add noodles to the pan of broth and boil til done. Spray a 9x13 dish. Mix Rotel(or diced tomatoes w/juice),soup, broth together. Layer Spaghetti, chicken,onions,cheese, and pour 2/3 broth/soup mixture over top. Repeat layers except do not add the rest of cheese. Bake 350 for 1 hour uncovered. Last 10 minutes add cheese and bake for remaining time.

Love to serve this with crusty rolls but you serve with whatever you like. Really good and simple to make.

Homemade BBQ sauce

1 1/2C ketchup
1/2C cola or beer
1/2C honey
1TBSP butter
1/2tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2tsp chili powder
1/2+ TBSP minced garlic

Heat in pot for 10 min. That's it :)

Really good, I am pouring it over ribs.

Tandoori Chicken

I found this recipe in a magazine, Cooking Light. So, I wanted to try it out. I have to say it made the house smell heavenly. It had a really good flavor as well. It's an Indian dish that is usually cooked in a Tandoor oven but since I just have a regular oven, that's what I used LOL.

1 (6oz)container plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp garam masala
2tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon over 6 skinless chicken thighs (I used skinless,boneless chicken thighs)and under. Cover and marinate for 4 hrs. Bake chicken, uncovered at 400 for 40 minutes or til chicken is done(juice run clean internal temp of 160).

Next time, I am trying it w/Chicken breast. Recipe states that this is great on steaks :) so that may be on my list to try too. Grilling them of course ;)


The sauce:

Cookie Pizza

This is so fun to make and yummy. Very easy. I wouldn't put the fruit on til you're ready to eat it or take this where ever you are going. The juice from some of the fruits can water down the pizza.

One package of Sugar Cookie mix

Mix cookie together according to package directions. Then spread into a 9x13 baking dish. You can use a pizza pan, however, using the 9x13 dish will make it very easy to transport and store in fridge. Bake til the cookie is done, a light golden brown color. Cool.

1 (8oz)pk cream cheese
1Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and add on top of cooled cookie.

Then add assorted fruit. Try strawberries, kiwi, oranges,apples, grapes and you can even use things like raisins,dried cranberries or chocolate chips. If you add bananas, you may want to roll the slices in some lemon juice to keep them from browning so fast.

Make this one w/the kids!!!

Monkey Bread

This is a must on Christmas morning. My family has come to love this and it's now a tradition for us to have monkey bread every Christmas. Very easy to make and will make your whole house smell like heaven. If you've never had it before, you must give it a try. Also, contrary to what my son thinks, it's not made w/monkeys LOL, or does it have bananas in it. 4 year olds are funny huh? lol

4 cans (7.5 oz cans) biscuits
1 stick of butter(Jeannine that is 1/2C for my Aussie friend haha)
2C brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 C cream or half and half
1/2 C chopped pecans


In a small pot, combine butter,brown sugar,ground cinnamon,cream and pecans and bring to boil. In a greased bundt pan, layer biscuits(but in half then rolled into balls) and sauce, ending w/sauce. I use 2 cans on bottom, add half the sauce, then add the other 2 cans then add rest of sauce. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Invert onto serving plate and serve warm.

It's called Monkey Bread bc you can use your fingers to pull the bread apart. :) Try explaining this to a 4 yr old lol.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Once you master the technique of making this dish, you will be making it all the time. It's super yummy, cheap, and a quick meal. Craving pasta, try this recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bacon, chopped up
1 tbsp chopped garlic
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb spaghetti (or any pasta of choice really)
4 large eggs, beaten
salt
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1tsbp chopped parsley leaves
white wine

In a large pot, boil your spaghetti noodles til they are al dente. In another large pot, saute bacon until crispy, about 6 min.Remove bacon and set aside. Drain most fat except 3 tbsp. Add chopped garlic and pepper, saute for 30 sec. Add a splash of white wine to de-glaze pan.
Meanwhile, beat your eggs and add a ladle full of the pasta water to the eggs. This will temper the eggs to keep them from scrambling. Turn down the heat to the bacon pan, add bacon and pasta to that pan. Saute for 1 minute. Stir in the eggs. Keep stirring til sauce is thickening and then add cheese. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Then add the parsley. Stir and serve.

Now, when tempering eggs, what you're doing is heating the eggs up so they won't scramble. If you notice that your eggs are trying to scramble remove the pan from heat and keep stirring. Master this technique and you will LOVE cooking this dish bc of how fast it comes together. Enjoy. This is SOOOOOO good. AND please, do NOT burn your garlic. Burnt garlic isn't very good lol.

Beef and Parmesan Pasta

This is a recipe that I got our of one of my many cookbooks. It's a favorite bc it's very yummy and simple to make. You can use any veggie you like but we choose zucchini as the recipe calls for. I couldn't find any whole wheat bow tie pasta this time at the grocery so I substituted whole wheat rotini.

1 1/2 lbs of ground beef or ground turkey(guess which one I use lol)
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes
2C uncooked bow tie pasta
2C sliced zucchini (1/4 in thick)
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

In a large skillet (or pot) brown the ground beef and remove from drippings, drain grease from pan. Return the skillet to heat and add the beef broth,tomatoes,and pasta.Stir to coat all of the pasta. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes stirring frequently. Add zucchini and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until pasta is tender(zucchini too).
Return beef to skillet and stir in 1/2C cheese; heat through. Sprinkle w/remaining cheese over each serving.

This is recipe is from the cookbook All Recipes, Dinner Tonight.

Snow Cream

Don't knock it til you try it ;)

So easy to make, tastes like vanilla ice cream and kids LOVE it. You can add different flavoring to it by using different extracts(like banana,cherry,strawberry).

All you need:

Snow
Milk(for richer flavor use half and half or cream)
sugar
vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together til it's the consistency of ice cream or a slushy. Use about a TBSP of vanilla(or any other extract of choice). Serve immediately. mmmmmm there's nothing like it.


*you can sit a bowl outside while it's snowing to collect "clean" snow, please don't use the snow on the ground, you could get a bug or even snow that a bird has pooped on lol. That, wouldn't be good.

Granola Bars

Ok so I tried this recipe from Melanie and I have to say that everyone that's had them has LOVED them. I encourage anyone that likes granola bars to give this easy recipe a try. I don't know if I will ever buy granola bars again!!!

Granola Bars

2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup rice krispy cereal

1/4 cup coconut

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together until combined. Press into a square 8x8 pan.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars.

Let it set completely and then cut into bars. Enjoy!

Today, I made another batch. This time I added 1/2 C of chopped walnuts. mmmmm nuts lol.

Homemade cheese sauce

There are so many ways to make Mac and Cheese. I think EVERYONE should know how to make a "white sauce" bc w/this sauce, you can do so many things to it. This is the basic sauce that you add cheese to, to make mac and cheese or a cheese sauce for veggies. (basically ladies, this is like a white gravy that we Southerners like to put on our biscuits lol, only most will cook the sausage then use that fat instead of butter.....)



White sauce:

2 tbsp butter
2tbsp flour
1/2tsp salt
1C milk, cream or half and half (you can use 1/2C evaporated milk and 1/2 C water if you don't have enough milk)

Melt butter in saucepan then add salt and flour. Whisk til smooth and thick.

To make Cheese sauce, you will add shredded cheese of your choice and whisk together til the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. I like to add some pepper as well ;)



There are so many sauces you can make w/just the basic white sauce. You can saute garlic in that butter before you add flour and make a cheesy garlic sauce for pasta, you can add the cheese sauce to broccoli AND this is the basic sauce for all those "cream of" soups. ALL you do is add the celery,broccoli,mushroom or whatever to butter-saute then after sauce is thick and cool, use a hand blender to make smooth. SO EASY. Once you learn how to make this white sauce, the possibilities are endless. You can even use this to make chicken pot pies ;)

If you like your sauce thinner, add less flour. If you like it thicker, add more flour.

While you are making the Cheese sauce, boil your noodles(we like whole wheat shells) then drain water off of them. After your noodles and sauce is done, add the noodles to the cheese sauce and stir til well combined. Now, you can leave it like this,

OR you can pour into a casserole dish, add more cheese to top, even some bread crumbs, ritz crackers, whatever you like as a topping, and bake in oven til cheese is melted or top is golden brown. You can even add broccoli, chicken or whatever to this while it bakes, for a complete meal.
Just look at all that melty goodness!!! You know you wish you had some.....so go on, make some. :)

Have you seen me?

This Vegetable Supreme is SO good on asparagus. It has a buttery taste and I CAN'T FIND IT ANYMORE. It's a sad sad day in my house. I have to use something different on my asparagus. So if you see this, let me know. He's missing in action and I would like to have him back in my spice cabinet lol.

Has he been replaced by this:


If so, I would like to tell McCormick that this is NOT as good on veggies. It is a bit spicy and for kids, that may not be a good thing. I want my buttery seasoning back on my store shelves PLEASEEEEEEEE.

Thank you,

just another stay at home mom trying to please her kid......

Zucchini and Mushroom bake

4 zucchini's
a can of mushrooms(or fresh)
one onion cut into chunks
butter or EVOO
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the Zucchini any way you like it. Add mushrooms and onions. Add a little butter for flavor or use EVOO. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the veggies. Put in a 350 degree oven til veggies are tender.

*variations

I sometimes will add cheese to this, or even make a vinegar dressing for it. It's really yummy and so easy to make.

Taco Chili

2lbs of ground beef or turkey(I use turkey)
2 cans dark red kidney beans(drained)
2 cans light red kidney beans(drained)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
water

seasonings:
1 pack of ranch seasoning
1 pack of taco seasoning mix(or 1/4C)
3 TBSP minced dry onion
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder

In a large pot, brown your beef/turkey(you hunters could even use ground deer if you wanted..yuck btw haha) then add your drained beans and tomatoes. Mix together and then add can of tomato sauce. Stir and add water til the water is over the beans and tomatoes. Add all seasonings in and simmer.

You can now add topping of choice, the same ones you like on your tacos. We like:

green onions
black olives
sour cream(joe)
shredded cheese
avocado

This is so good. You can even substitute some of the beans for black beans if you like them. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we do.

Pineapple Casserole

Tonight, I had to use 3 slices of pineapple, just 3. I had tons left so I thought, "what am I going to do w/these little babies?" Then it hit me. Joe's cousin, Chuck(if you know him, you love him. He cracks us up) loves Pineapple Casserole. His wife made it for us one night and we all loved it. SO I decided to make this. SO thank you Chuck and Amy for giving us something new :)

Pineapple Casserole

1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks-drain liquid and reserve
1/2C sugar
3 tbsp flour
3tbsp pineapple juice
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1/3C butter(or less if you don't want to use that much)
1C crushed Ritz crackers(I just crushed a half of a bag and used that LOL)

Mix 1st five ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle the crushed crackers on top and then pour butter on top of the crackers. Bake at 350 for 20 min. VERY GOOD.

I know these ingredients don't sound like they would be good together. BUT they are very good. Try it and you will see :)

Fiesta Fish

3-4 Tilapia fillets(or any white fish)
2 lemons or limes
Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning blend
your favorite salsa

Jasmine Rice


In a 9x13 baking dish(not metal, I use glass) lay fish side by side. Squeeze lemon(or lime)juice all over fish and if desired sprinkle fish w/the zest. Then sprinkle fish w/the Mrs. Dash seasoning and add a spoonful of Salsa on top. Bake fish at 375 til fish flakes w/a fork.

Serve over Jasmine Rice. Very yummy and healthy!!!!

Tilapia is a very mild fish. It isn't "fishy" tasting at all. If you just are not a fish person, try this w/chicken. ;)