Do you have a go-to cookie when you're craving something a little sweet, something a little chocolaty and something a little chewy? These cookies are just what you're looking for. This is the recipe on the lid of Quaker Oats but I added a few more things to make them even better (yes, it is possible).

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Hey all, I am getting so excited for Valentines Day mostly because I'm excited to give my valentines the cute gifts and treats I have been posting lately.

Stop the presses! Take a look at these printables...this is what I'm talking about. Simple, subtle and sweet for your valentines who are on a health kick. I wouldn't mind a basket of these from my valentine! You can download and print these for FREE here! All you need is sticker paper, a 1" craft punch and your favorite fruit.

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A little something for your Superbowl fans to nosh on. Here is how you make them:

Posted in appetizer , beans , beef , 0 Comments

I love breakfast. When we travel my only requirement of the hotel is to have a great breakfast buffet. I love eggs, pancakes, waffles, muffins, fruit, bacon...well, you get the idea. Sometimes my family gets breakfast for dinner. It is one of my kids' favorite dinners. I just came across a new breakfast recipe. Brace yourself for the...FRITTATA! It calls for a little of this and a little of that but the great thing about this recipe is you can customize your frittata. This is how I make mine:

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I have two picky kids (and one non-picky kid). This meal is very easy to make and I know my kids will eat it...hence the name "Favorite Chicken". If you have picky eaters, this may be just the recipe you're looking for.

Favorite Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

Place frozen (or thawed) chicken in Crock Pot. Sprinkle with Italian dressing packet. Pour soup over chicken. Cover and let cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours. During the last hour of cooking, add cream cheese. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

If serving with noodles, I like to add broccoli or zucchini slices to the noodles during the last 3 minutes of cooking. They will be cooked to perfection and add a little color and nutrition to your plate. Pour Favorite Chicken over drained noodles and vegetables. Printable recipe.

Start by placing your frozen chicken in the Crock Pot. Sprinkle with Italian dressing mix. Pour two cans Cream of Chicken soup on top and let it cook on low all day. Add cream cheese and shred cooked chicken with two forks.

Pour over noodles or rice. Enjoy!

Your kids plates will be empty in no time.

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Look what I made! I came across this blog and thought it might be false advertising. Really? An apron in an hour? We'll see about that! I went to my local fabric store and picked out some really cute fabric (fyi: cute fabric=cute apron). Then I came home and, get this, made an apron in an hour! I often like to host dinner or luncheons where I am still cooking when my guests arrive. I don't want them to see me in one of my well-worn aprons...I want to look put together so I thought this would work nicely. Plus, my sister's birthday is coming up (surprise Janette!) and I wanted to make her one. This is the perfect pattern if you are a little rusty on your sewing. Enjoy...you'll be surprised at how talented you are!

1 Hour Apron

Posted in cool idea , gifts , non-food , 1 Comment

The Superbowl is around the corner and I know you are all trying to decide what to feed the carnivorous men that will be watching the game in your home. I am going to be generous and post two recipes that I get requests for all of the time; in fact I had a request for the Bacon Swiss dip today. This is one of those recipes that I came across a few years ago. I got it from a caterer who swore by this recipe as a crowd pleaser. I thought I'd take her word for it and try it... it was delicious. I serve it at parties all of the time...it is a true friend that will never let me down. So many people requested this recipe that I thought I would share it with my awesome readers.

I realize you don't get the full impact of the Bacon Swiss dip with this picture but let me tell you...it is delicious on a corn chip or toasted baguette or Melba Toast etc. Truly a crowd pleaser.

Bacon Swiss Dip

12 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. horseradish (optional) I never use it!
3 green onions - chopped

Combine all ingredients and put in a shallow casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly and slightly brown - serve with corn chips or sliced baguette. Printable recipe.

The Sweet and Sour Meatballs speak for themselves. Another highly requested recipe in my recipe box. The great thing is you can put this baby together in the a.m., put it in the Crock Pot, and let it simmer all day...the flavors just blend beautifully. I hope you like these tried and true friends.



Sweet and Sour Meatballs (I double for big groups)

14 oz. canned crushed pineapple, with juice
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Cornstarch
Water
36 frozen meatballs

Put first 4 ingredients into saucepan on medium heat. Stir bringing to a boil.
Stir cornstarch and water together in small cup. Stir into boiling mixture until slightly thickened. Pour over three dozen meatballs (I buy mine frozen at Costco or any grocery store). Pour into Crock Pot and cover. Cook an low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours. Printable recipe.

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Today was Bountiful Basket day again. I love seeing what yummy produce we get to take home. Today in our basket we got:
1 green leaf lettuce,
5 apples
8 oranges
10 bananas
8 tomatoes
3 cucumbers
1 bunch asparagus
2 pomelos
1 large broccoli
1 cantaloupe
1 cauliflower
1 pkg strawberries...all for 15 bucks! What a deal! It encourages our family to try new things (ie the Cauliflower Gratin I'm making this week *wink*).

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Look how pretty these origami boxes are!


Hey all. Have you been thinking about Valentines Day? I have the perfect gift-wrapping idea. I came across origami boxes that are easy to make and dah-ling. All you need is two squares of paper (I used 12x12). You can choose paper for any occasion like Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day (filled with chocolate gold coins of course) Christmas, Birthday etc. Fold them a few times and you end up with a great way to present a gift, candies, cookies or a special note. I included a tutorial below...take a look:


Thanks to my 7-year-old son for filming...he's a rock star.

I just added doilies and ribbon to make them look Valentine-y.


This box has Oreo truffles in it. They look so festive in my little homemade box. If you haven't made homemade Oreo truffles, stay tuned and I will show you how to do it...three ingredients and BAM you're done! They are delicious.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg Oreo Sandwich cookies
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
candy melts, your color choice

1. Finely crush cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency.
2. Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.
3. Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate for an hour to make the truffles firm.
4. Melt candy melts as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. You can sprinkle the tops with cupcake sprinkles or decorations if desired.
5. Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy! Printable recipe.


Mix the crushed Oreos with softened cream cheese. You can mix it by hand or with a mixer.

Roll the "dough" into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate to make them firm.

Dip in candy melts and let dry. You can find candy melts in any cake decorating aisle at a party or grocery store. Walmart even carries them.

They are moist and delicious. Great to put in your (just-folded) origami box and ready to give as a thoughtful gift.


If you don't have the time or energy to make Oreo Truffles, make some of these:


With these: Oreo Cakesters and a 1 1/2 inch heart cookie cutter. The best thing about these is you get to eat the scraps. *our secret*

Posted in gifts , holiday , non-food , Valentines , 0 Comments

This cake is one of my favorites. It is the ugly step-sister of cakes because it isn't pretty to look at but when you take a bite a little love affair will start. It is very moist and a little dense which makes it a perfect dessert to have during the cold fall and winter months. We had company over last night so I wanted to make a cake that I knew would impress. It starts with a baked oatmeal cake and a caramel glaze. After the cake is baked you pour the glaze on top and broil it until the coconut browns ever so slightly. When the cake cools the topping is a little chewy. So good. Make this next time you want to impress guests. This recipe is a keeper.
This is what the cake looks like as you put it in the oven.

When there is 5 minutes of baking time left start on the caramel glaze. Pour the glaze on the hot cake.

Cake with caramel coconut topping ready to go into an oven set to broil.




Watch the cake while it is under the broiler. Do you see those yummy caramel bubbles? Let cake broil until the coconut is slightly browned and caramel is bubbly. Fantastic!

Oatmeal Cake
*Amy W.

1 1/2 c water
1 c. oatmeal
1 cube butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cinnamon

Directions:
1. Set oven to 350 degrees
2. Boil water and add oatmeal. Stir and let sit 15 min.
3. Mix together all other ingredients and add oatmeal. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 30 minutes (don't overbake). Turn oven to broil while preparing caramel glaze for cake.

Carmel Glaze
1 cube butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 c. coconut

1. Cook top three ingredients until boiling.
2. Add coconut and continue boiling 1 minute.
3. Pour over warm cake.
4. Place cake in oven (watching closely) until coconut is lightly browned.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream. Printable recipe.

Posted in cake , coconut , comfort food , dessert , 0 Comments

I love baked potatoes. I love mashed potatoes. When my husband and I go out to dinner I often have a hard time deciding between the two. This is the answer to all my potato problems. Twice Baked Potatoes...are they mashed? Yes! Are they baked? Yes! Whether you make them for Christmas Eve dinner or Easter brunch they will be fantastic! Give them a try.


Twice Baked Potatoes
*Pioneer Woman

8 baking potatoes, scrubbed clean
canola oil
8 slices bacon, fried
2 cubes butter, cut into slices
1 c sour cream
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 green onions sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. With a paper towel, rub the outside of the potatoes with canola oil.
3. Place the potatoes o a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked inside and the skins are slightly crisp. Turn the oven down to 300 F.
4. Dice the fried bacon into bits.
5. Throw the butter, sour cream, bacon, milk, seasoned salt, and pepper into a large bowl.
6. While the potatoes are still hot, hold each potato in a towel and cut in half lengthwise.
7. With a large spoon, scrape out the insides into the bowl with the other ingredients.
8. Repeat until all the potatoes have been scraped. Reserve the potato shells on a large baking sheet.
9. Use a potato masher to mix the ingredients together.
10.Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese.
11. Slice the green onions.
12. Add onions to the bowl. Stir, taste, and adjust the seasonings as necessary.
13. Fill each potato half with the potato mixture and return to the baking sheet.
14. Top with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are hot.
*If freezing these potatoes, omit the green onions...freezing makes them taste bitter.
Printable recipe.
This is the secret ingredient for these yummy potatoes. Love 'em!

Posted in comfort food , potatoes , side dish , 0 Comments

Hey y'all I am getting so excited for the Superbowl mainly because this year it will be played at Cowboys Stadium in good ol' Arlington Texas. My family and I lived in a suburb of Dallas for 8 years and believe me when you hear "everything is bigger in Texas" it is so true. Every sports arena in Dallas is spectacular. Whether you're a Steelers fan (fingers crossed) or a Packers fan the game will be a lot more fun to watch if you have some yummy snacks. Add a little panache to your Superbowl snacks with these recipes and invite your friends over for a Superbowl Par-tay. They will be impressed no matter who wins.

Butt Putty (I beg your pardon?)
*Jenny C.

2 bags Bugles
2 c salted peanuts (not dry roasted)
1 c Karo syrup
2 c brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c butter (2 cubes)

Mix Bugles and peanuts in a large bowl and set aside. Mix all other ingredients and cook to softball stage, stirring constantly. Pour over Bugle mixture. Toss to coat. Separate and let cool on cookie sheet. Printable recipe.

Mix Bugles and peanuts and set aside. This mixture is a great salty-crunchy flavor that mixes well with the sweetness of the carmel.

When sugars are incorporated and butter is melting.

Rolling boil (10+ minutes) stirring until you hit softball stage.

Pour over Bugle mix and let cool on cookie sheet. This mix is addicting...perfect for watching the big game.



Sausage Dip
*Teresa C.

2 16 oz. Jimmy Dean sausage (1 hot, 1 regular)
16 oz. sour cream
8 oz. Herdez Salsa Ranchera ( I find mine at Fred Meyer/Kroger)
1 can sliced olives

Brown and drain sausage. Put everything in crock pot on low all day or on high if you have only a few hours. Serve with corn chips or toasted baguette slices (or alone). Printable recipe
Hold the presses. This doesn't look very good...how about if I put it on a chip like this:


Much better! This sausage dip is fantastic.

Posted in appetizer , party , snack , superbowl , 0 Comments

Say this with me..."keen-wah". That is how "quinoa" is pronounced. Now that that's out of the way, may I present to you another healthy dish. It can be served warm or cold. I liked it with grilled chicken for a main dish. It is healthy and packed with protein. My kids looked at it and didn't want to touch it but with a little gentle coaxing *wink* they tasted it and decided just because it is healthy it doesn't have to be gross. If you feel like it's time to eat something a little healthy, try this recipe.

Black Bean and Sweet Corn Quinoa Salad
*Melskitchencafe.com

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you have picky kids)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the quinoa and cover with broth. Stir in cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).

Stir in the frozen corn and black beans. Cover and let the pot sit off the heat until the corn and beans are heated through, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve warm or cold. Printable recipe.


Calorie Count gave this recipe a grade A! (8 servings)
497 calories
5.2 g fat
1 g saturated fat
18.1 g fiber
33.6 g protien

Posted in healthy , main dish , salad , 0 Comments

I love making food with my family. Every Monday night we like to spend time together as a family. Last Monday I wanted to do a little activity with my peeps. I have been wanting to make this recipe for a long time so I thought it would be a perfect night to attempt. Let me start by saying that I didn't know doughnuts had yeast in them. I didn't know they had to rise for a few hours. Perhaps I've been relying on Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Doughnuts way too much. We thought we'd give it a try anyway. My family all participated. I cooked the doughnuts, my man glazed the doughnuts and my kids ate the doughnuts. A job for everyone! I'm thinking it would be great to serve these at a Halloween party or after a cold day of tubing...anytime a group of people congregate in your home. Start this recipe early because it needs to rise for a while. Enjoy! *Please don't be discouraged with the long recipe. These doughnuts are really easy to make.


Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
*Pioneer Woman

Ingredients for Doughnuts
1-⅛ cup Whole Milk, Warm
¼ cups Sugar
2-¼ teaspoons (one Package) Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Large Eggs, Beaten
1-¼ stick Unsalted Butter, melted
4 cups All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt
Canola Oil

Glaze
3 cups Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Vanilla
½ cups Cold Water Or Milk

Preparation Instructions:

To Make the Dough:

1. Make sure milk is nice and warm, but not overly hot.
2. Add sugar to milk. Stir to dissolve.
3. Add yeast into a small bowl.
4. Pour milk/sugar mixture over yeast. Stir gently, then let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Melt butter in separate bowl until butter is almost melted. Stir to finish melting so butter won’t be overly hot.
6. Add beaten eggs to melted butter, stirring constantly to make sure the butter’s not too hot for the eggs.
7. Add the egg/butter mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.
8. With the mixer on 3 or medium-low speed, pour in the yeast mixture.
9. Allow the dough hook to stir this mixture for a couple of minutes, making sure it’s thoroughly combined.
10. With the mixer still going, add helpings of the flour mixture in 1/4 to 1/2 cup increments until all the flour is gone.
11. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on the same speed for five whole minutes.
12. After five minutes, stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl.
13. Turn on the mixer for 30 seconds.
14. Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to sit in the bowl undisturbed for 10 minutes.
15. After 10 minutes, transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Toss the dough to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place straight in the fridge.
16. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

To Make the Doughnuts:

1. Remove bowl from fridge and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/3-inch thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can, etc.
4. Cut holes out of each round using a 1 1/2-inch cutter.
5. Place both doughnuts and holes on a floured baking sheet.
6. Cover with large tea towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen; my kitchen is very drafty, so I have to briefly warm the griddle, then turn it off and set the sheets on top to keep warm.
7. Allow doughnuts to rise undisturbed for at least 1 hour; 1 hour 15 minutes if necessary. Doughuts should be visibly puffier and appear to be airy.

To Fry the Dougnuts

1. Heat plenty of canola oil in a large pot until the temperature reaches 375 to 380 degrees—do not let it get hotter than 380 degrees! 375 is ideal; keep the thermometer in the pan to continually monitor.
2. One to two at a time, gently grab doughnuts and ease them into the hot oil. Allow them to cook 1 minute on each side; they will brown very quickly.
3. Remove doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, allowing all oil to drip off.
4. Place doughnut immediately on several layers of paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over onto a clean part of the paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over again; the purpose, obviously, is to drain as much grease as possible before it soaks into the doughnut.
5. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes. The holes will cook more quickly than the doughnuts; about 30 seconds per side.
6. Allow doughnuts to slightly cool.

To Glaze:

1. Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl until completely smooth.
2. One by one, dip doughnuts into the glaze until halfway submerged. (Note: completely submerge doughnut holes, then remove with slotted spoon.)
4. Remove from glaze, then turn right side up on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (to catch dripping glaze.)
5. Serve warm if possible, or room temperature. Printable recipe.

Cut dough set out to rise. Cover with a kitchen towel so they don't dry out.

I didn't have a doughnut cutter so I used a 3 inch biscuit cutter and a 1 1/2 inch flower cookie cutter.

Ready to fry.
Keep thermometer temperature at 375.

So good and worth the wait. My kids loved these doughnuts. They are light and fluffy.

Posted in activity , dessert , Doughnuts , 0 Comments

I love Valentines Day. It is such a fun day to show everyone how much you love them. I love to give little gifts to my kids, siblings, friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers you name it. As I was doing a little research I came across this blog and thought I'd died. The treat bags were so cute I thought I'd make some. The Farm Chicks has all of the cute bag templates available to download FREE. Make them this Valentines Day and impress the ones you love.


All you need are the downloaded templates printed and cut, glue, or double-sided tape, candy and Pinking shears (optional).
Download and print the template here.



After printing the template, cut around the edges of the bag leaving the top uncut.


Fold the sides in using the bottom of the bag as a guide. Glue. Actually I used the double-sided scrapbook tabs (glue didn't work out for me).


Then following the guide, cut the top of the bag. Pinking shears makes it a little more fancy.


Fill the bags with candies, cookies, rice crispy squares, brownies etc. Using the FarmChicks bags makes your Valentines gift extra special.

Posted in gift , non-food , Valentines , 0 Comments

Wow that was a tongue twister! I made these little pot pies when I realized I didn't have frozen pie crusts in the freezer for this recipe. I used the same recipe but poured the chicken mixture into six ramekins instead of a pie shell.

I pulled out my Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (any puff pastry will do), waited the required 10 minutes for it to thaw, rolled it out and cut it into squares with my pizza cutter. After I scooped the chicken mixture into individual ramekins, I placed a puff pastry square on top. Then I adorned them with little designs I cut with little cookie cutters.

Finally, I bushed them with a beaten egg, and cooked at 350 for about 20 minutes (or until the pastry looked golden brown. De-lish.

Posted in chicken , comfort food , dinner , 0 Comments

Today was like Christmas. I picked up my first order from Bountiful Baskets. It was so easy to order. I went online on Monday, ordered and paid for my basket (regular or organic) and picked it up Saturday morning. I wasn't sure what to expect but my friend has been doing it for a few weeks and she loves it. I was way impressed with the quality of the produce as well as the organization. We were in and out in about 5 minutes. Look what I came home with!
Contents of my first Bountiful Basket:
9 Bosc pears
7 Fuji apples
9 bananas
9 lemons
1 bunch asparagus
1 bunch broccoli
3 grapefruit
5 tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 pineapple
1 green leaf lettuce
1 kale
The best part of all is I only spent $15 ($25 for organic) plus tax. I'm looking forward to cooking with this yummy fresh produce. Try Bountiful Baskets. You will love them.

Posted in fruit , healthy , 0 Comments