Buckeye Bars

As you can tell, we like peanut butter. I fell in love, that's right-L.O.V.E-with this recipe. Thanks to Kim Seifert for sharing!

Buckeye Bars

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter-softened
3/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
22 crushed Nilla Wafers
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 small tub of frozen cool whip (do not thaw)
3 squares of Baker's Semi Sweet Chocolate Bars

Line a 9x9 pan with foil. Leave the foil hanging over the edges for easy removal from the pan. In a large mixing bowl, use mixer to mix the softened butter and crunchy peanut butter until creamy. Add crushed Nilla Wafers. Mix well. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Press mixture into the foil lined pan. In a small microwavable safe bowl, microwave the frozen Cool Whip and 3 squares of chocolate on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir well until chocolate is melted. Microwave for additional 20 seconds if needed until frosting is smooth and creamy. Spread evenly over the bars. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

I would have taken a picture of the entire pan, but this was all that was left...until I ate it!

Buckeyes

It's an Ohio tradition to make Buckeyes for the Holidays. They are smooth and creamy!

Buckeyes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 c. Jif peanut butter
4 oz. cream cheese
6 c. powdered sugar
2 lbs. milk chocolate (I prefer Merkens or Ambrosia)

In a large bowl, mix softened butter and cream cheese. Mix on high until creamy. Add vanilla and peanut butter. Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing thoroughly. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet and place the balls into the freezer for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds to prevent burning. Use a toothpick to dip the balls into the chocolate leaving just the tops uncovered. Place them back on the same cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator until they are set.

This recipe makes approximately 80 buckeyes about the size of a large gumball.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Monday is our Christmas Cookie Exchange at work. I wanted to make something different and these are great. They taste like chewy brownies.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 sticks of butter
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. cocoa
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
white sugar for garnish

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until smooth. In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add slowly to the butter mixture. Mix well. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm. Roll dough into balls and roll the balls in sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes @ 350 degrees.

These cookies freeze well for up to 1 month.

Holiday Fudge-Yum!

This is the easiest fudge recipe. It melts in your mouth!

Holiday Fudge

Ingredients:
1 16oz. container of Marshmallow Fluff
5 c. sugar
2 cans of evaporated milk (5 oz. cans)
1/4 lb. butter
1 jar of fudge (16oz)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
24 oz. milk chocolate chips (or 2 small bags)

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat until blended. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Be careful not to mistake the air bubbles for a boil. Boil slowly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla (and optional walnuts) until chocolate is melted. Pour into buttered 9x13 pan or 2 9x9 pans. Cool completely.

To make peanut butter fudge, simply substitute peanut butter chips and a heaping tablespoon of Jif for the chocolate chips.

This recipe makes approximately 5 lbs. of fudge.

Homemade Taco Salad Bowls

These homemade bowls are quick and easy.

Makes Mexi-night even more delicious!

Ingredients:

3 large tortilla shells
3 arms length pieces of foil
Pam cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Loosely ball foil into softball sized balls. On a large cookie sheet, spray the tops of the balls with Pam cooking spray. Center the tortillas over the foil balls and gently press down in the center to prevent them from rolling. Spray the tortillas with a light coating of Pam before placing in the over. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Ideas for serving:

• Fill with lettuce, taco seasoned meat, cheese and ranch dressing for a delicious taco salad.
• While warm, lightly coat with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Drizzle chocolate over the bowl and service with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle extra cinnamon, sugar and chocolate on the ice cream and top with whipped cream and a cherry. Yum!
• Fill with steak, sauteed onions and peppers for a great steak bowl

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

This Thanksgiving, I decided to try and make homemade everything and pies were on that list. I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, but Kevin loves it. Oddly enough, these were the only items from scratch that I made. Who has the time, right?

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Again, I am not a person who likes Pumpkin Pie, but I can tell you that one pie went home with the in laws and the other has been eaten by Kevin. I have heard zero complaints. Maybe Kevin knows better...

Pumpkin Streusel

This recipe caught my eye in the Sunday paper coupon section. Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker.

Pumpkin Streusel

Cookie Base
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine

Filling
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 eggs

Toppings
1/3 cup chocolate topping
1/3 cup caramel topping

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, crushed cookies and pecans. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients; beat until well blended. Pour over warm cookie base. Sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.

Before serving, drizzle with chocolate and caramel toppings. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Dessert Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. If you do not like the consistency of pumpkin pie, this recipe is not for you. Kevin loved it.

Cocktail Meatballs - Only 3 yummy ingredients!

These have been around forever, but they are so easy and so yummy, how could I not include them here?

Cocktail Meatballs

1 bag of frozen pre-made meatballs
1 large jar of grape jelly
2 jars of chili sauce

Mix all ingredients in a slowcooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Stir well before serving.

That's it! So easy!

Olive, Onion and Cheese Appetizers. Yum!

This is an old family recipe that's easy to make!

Olive, Onion and Cheese Appetizers

2 cans chopped olives
1 chopped Spanish onion
3 tbsp Real Mayonnaise
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 rye party loaf

Preheat oven to 425. Line cookie sheet with rye loaf slices. In a medium bowl, mix olives, onion, cheese and mayo together. Spoon 1 tsp. of the olive, onion and cheese mixture onto the slices of rye. Spread evenly to cover each slice. Bake until cheese is melted and bread is toasted, approx. 8 minutes

Snicker Salad-Oh Yum!

Trick or Treat! This sure is a delicious treat! This is an old fall party favorite!

Amy, this is for you! I bet this will make you come and visit!

Snicker Salad
(or Apple Salad if you are going to Weight Watchers!)

6-8 Granny Smith Apples-cut into bite size pieces
6-8 Snickers Bars-cut into bite size pieces
1 can of salted Planters Peanuts
1 lg. tub of Cool Whip

In a large bowl, combine Snickers, peanuts, apples (cut the apples last to prevent browning) and Cool Whip. Mix thoroughly and chill for 2 hours before serving.

Meal Rating: 10 out of 5 stars! Yummy deliciousness!

Guinness Cupcakes - Beware, obscene amounts of yumminess inside!

Rich, moist, chocolate-y, Guinnessy goodness. These are obscenely yummy and addictive enough to quite possibly require an intervention.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Celebrations.com.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Guinness Vanilla-Bean Buttercream Frosting
(As written, the recipe makes 48 cupcakes.)

Cupcakes

2 Cup(s) Guinness Extra Stout (basically works out to one can)
3 Sticks Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 Cup(s) Unsweetened Chocolate Chunks (12 oz.)
4 Cup(s) All Purpose Flour
4 Cup(s) Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
4 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup(s) Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bring stout and butter to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil.

Add unsweetened chocolate chunks to hot stout/butter mixture. Whisk until chocolate melts. Turn heat off and let cool.

Add sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Sift flour, baking soda and salt.

In a stand-alone mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sour cream on medium speed. Add stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and combine on medium-low speed until encorporated.

Slowly add flour mixture in thirds to chocolate mixture with whisk attachment. Scrape the sides with your whisk to make sure you get all the dry ingredients combined.

Place cupcake papers in pan and divide batter into cups evenly. Fill about 2/3 of the cup.

Bake for 18-24 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cupcake.

Let cool on wire rack before frosting.

Frosting
2 Cup(s) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
5 Cup(s) Sifted Powder Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Whole Scraped Vanilla Bean (expensive but worth it - don't skip!!!)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cup(s) Guinness Extra Stout

In a sauce pan, simmer Guinness on low heat for 10-15 min, until it stout becomes reduced and thicker in consistency. Similar to a syrup. *Tip: keep your eye on the store, so stout does not over cook. Let cool.

In a stand alone mixer, cream your butter for 1 minute

Slowly add the powder sugar in thirds, alternating with a little milk each time till mixture is creamy. Add scraped vanilla bean and vanilla extract.

Slowly add reduced Guinness a little at a time. Taste test to desired flavor. You may not use all the Guinness reduction.

Place buttercream in a piping bag with a #848 french star tip, frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Hot and Yummy Buffalo Chicken Dip!

This recipe and photo are courtesy of NunPunch via allrecipes.com. This recipe is easy, great and a party favorite!

Hot and Yummy Buffalo Chicken Dip

2-10oz cans of Tyson All White Chicken Breast (drained and rinsed!)
2-blocks of Cream Cheese
1 c. ranch dressing
3/4 c. hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot)
1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar Cheese

In a medium crock pot, add chicken and red hot on the highest setting. Mix together. Add cream cheese, ranch and cheddar cheese. Let it heat, stirring often. Once hot and all the cheese is melted, turn the temperature down to low and serve with chips and celery stalks.

Enjoy!

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! If you like it hot, then this recipe is great for you.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. And don't let Kim fool you - she's as busy as I am! Anyhow, here's one of our favorite dinners. Definitely "WOW, that's yummy!"

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

2-3 lb. beef roast - (I've used both flank steak and chuck roast with success)

1 pkt. italian dressing seasoning

1/2 jar pepperocini with juice (I like sliced)

Sub/hot dog buns

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Rub seasoning all over beef roast. Place in slow cooker that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour pepperocini with juice over top. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred beef with two forks. Drain excess liquid if desired.

Toast sub buns. Top with shredded beef and mozzarella cheese and broil until cheese melts. And ENJOY!

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5. Easy and tasty - no doubt about it!

Cherry Yum Fluff!

Sorry it's been so long since Amy and I posted anything. I have to be honest, I just have not been cooking. I wish I had worthy excuses like having 2 kids under 2 like Amy, but I don't.

This recipe is courtesy of Chris and Lisa Bors! Thanks for sharing with me.

Cherry Yum Fluff

1 large tub of Cool Whip
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 can of crushed pineapple
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2 sliced bananas
chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together except bananas with an electric mixer. Slice and fold in bananas.

Chill and serve.

Dessert Rating: 5 out of 5. It's easy, you can add any fruit you have laying around and it's still good. Great for cookouts!

Our first guest contributor - Crystal!

I must say, I find it ironic that our first guest contributor is Crystal. Don't get me wrong - Crystal is a great friend, a wonderful mother, and an all-around good person. However, I think she'd be the first to tell you, she's not a cook. So, for her to share this recipe with me, it must be worthy of posting.

There's only one other thing that I know Crystal likes to make, and I encourage everyone to beg her to share her infamous baked chicken recipe - you'll definitely love it! C'mon Crystal - please????

Toddler-Approved Chicken Nuggets
(Recipe courtesy of Huggies Baby Network)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (plain or Italian)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Combine chicken, melted margarine, and Worcestershire in a 1 quart freezer bag. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a second freezer bag.

Tape the two bags together. Label and freeze.

To prepare for serving, thaw and remove the chicken pieces from the marinade. Shake them in the bread crumb bag to coat, a few at a time.

Preheat oven to 450. Arrange chicken on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5. Quick, easy, and fairly healthy. And no fighting with toddlers - they'll actually eat this one!

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

I have to preface this recipe by letting anyone who doesn't know me know that I have chicken issues. We won't go into detail, but if it seems that my cooking time is overkill and you don't like dry chicken and you don't have chicken issues, then please adjust the cooking time accordingly. :)

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans (I ground the heck out of them in my rocket blender thingy)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

In a shallow dish, combine pecans, breadcrumbs, and salt.

Cut breasts in half and pound to 1/2" thickness (not necessary but I think it's worth the effort.)
Toss chicken breasts in a ziploc with maple syrup. Coat chicken breasts completely with nut mixture.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Add chicken, and here's where you can vary the recipe. You can either cook for 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is browned on each side, and finish in oven if you are cooking something else. (I put them in a 450F oven for 15 min with crash hot potatoes. It was a bit too much.) Or you can just cook them in the pan for 12-15 min until cooked through.

Meal Rating: 4 out of 5. They were good, a bit dry, but they needed a bit of something. Garlic maybe? A dash of hotsauce? Some seasoned salt? I can't quite decide what would work with pecans.

Southwestern Wraps Bonus

Even Fred likes it! :)

Southwestern Wraps

This is an easy recipe. You can throw just about anything in there and it's still yummy!

Southwestern Wraps

Ingredients:

4 small flour tortillas
1 red pepper-sliced
1/3. c. chopped pecans
1/4 red onion-sliced
1 clove of garlic-pressed
1 tsp. Tastefully Simple Fiesta Party Mix
1/4 c. Ranch
Red Hot
8 slices of bacon (I use the microwavable kind)
1 chicken breast (cooked and cut into cubes-leftover chicken works well too)
1 tsp. butter
1/2 head of lettuce-chopped

In a small pan, sautee butter, red peppers, red onion, pecans, pressed garlic, Tastefully Simple Fiesta Party Mix, a few dashes of Red Hot. Sautee these until the onion and peppers are soft. Add cubed chicken and chopped up bacon to heat.

In a medium bowl, mix together lettuce, ranch and a few dashes of Red Hot. Add hot mixture into that bowl and mix together. Divide evenly over 4 flour tortillas and roll into a wrap.


Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This is a quick, easy meal that has a spicy kick. Yum!

Yummy Toffee Bars!

These taste just like Heath Bars. They are usually gone in 2.2 nanoseconds.


Toffee Bars

Ingredients:

1 c. butter (not margarine!
1 c. dark brown sugar
saltine crackers
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400.

Line cookie sheet with unbroken Saltine Crackers.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and dark brown sugar on low. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes constantly stirring to prevent burning. Immediately pour sugar mixture over saltine crackers and place in oven for 4-5 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chips evenly over the crackers. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts (optional). Chill in refrigerator or let sit overnight before serving.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. They speak for themselves.

Yummiest Potatoes EVER. (And that ain't no lie)

I am a big fan of The Pioneer Woman, so it's no surprise that my favorite potato dish is courtesy of Ree. My dear friend Tiffany was in town this weekend, and we liked them so much, we made them two nights in a row!

I'd highly recommend making enough for leftovers. They warm up great. We even turned them into hash for breakfast Sunday morning!

Crash Hot Potatoes

(adapted from here)

2-3 lbs. new potatoes

Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes. While potatoes are cooking, heat oven to 450 F. Drizzle a large cookie sheet with olive oil.

Boil potatoes until fork-tender.

Drain potatoes and place on cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a glass or a potato masher, gently smash each potato flat. Drizzle with more olive oil, and then generously sprinkle on the seasoned salt.

Bake for 25 min or until potatoes get brown and crispy on the edges.

Rating: 5 out of 5. No doubts about it!

Yummified Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This super easy recipe is from our Slow Cooker Cook Book.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

4 green bell peppers (fresh from the garden!!!!)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 c. medium salsa
1/2 c. corn
1/2 c. chopped green onions with tops
1/3 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
sour cream (optional)

Cut thin slice off top of each bell pepper. Carefully remove seeds, leaving pepper whole. Combine remaining ingredients except sour cream in a medium bowl. Spoon filling evenly into each pepper. Place peppers in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

I did not add the black beans just because I do not like them. We also used cheddar cheese rather than pepper jack because I was not making a special trip to the store for cheese. I did add a few dashes of hot sauce to take it up a notch.

Meal Rating: 4 1/4 out of 5 stars. They were good, but the pepper was too soft. We cooked these for 5 1/2 hours. Next time, we will only cook them 4 hours. This recipe is a keeper.

7 (Yummy!) Layer Salad

This delicious summertime favorite salad is easy to make. You can substitute any of the layers for a change. I have had this with celery, peppers, snap peas, broccoli and egg (you will never have mine with egg!). You can also leave off the bacon for the vegetarians in your life!

7 Layer Salad

Ingredients:

1 large head of iceberg lettuce-rinsed and chopped
1/2 bag of shredded carrots or 2 large carrots shredded
1/2 red small red onion-diced
1/2 c. frozen peas
2 c. Hellman's Mayo (no Miracle Whip!)
3 tbsp. sugar
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
8 strips of bacon

Cover the bottom of your dish (approx. 4x8) with the lettuce. This layer should be approx. 1 inch thick. Layer carrots, peas and onion on top of the lettuce. In a large measuring cup, mix mayo and sugar together. Mix until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly over the salad. Cover dressing with cheese. Crumble bacon on top of the cheese. Refrigerate until serving.


Meal rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. This is a crowd pleaser, but I took off a 1/2 star due to the cost. The veggies and the bacon can get expensive if you have to make this for a large group of people. This is best if serving 8-10 people. Enjoy!

p.s. Happy Birthday Madison and Chris Bors. Hope you like this salad (and your presents!)

Yumminess in sandwich form - Monte Cristo

This is not a typical Monte Cristo; since I don't really care for turkey, I opted to double the ham. Whatever you add on the inside is up to you, but the batter for this is just about perfect!

Enjoy!


Amy's Monte Cristo
(adapted from here)

INGREDIENTS

oil for frying
2/3 cup water
1 egg
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 slices white bread
4 slices Swiss cheese (I used mozzarella as that's what we had!)
8 slices ham
4 T. honey mustard dressing
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting, optional

DIRECTIONS
Heat 1-2 inches of oil in high-sided frying pan.

While oil is heating, whisk together the egg and water. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk until smooth.

Assemble sandwiches by spreading honey mustard on 4 of the slices of bread. Place one slice of ham on one slice of bread, a slice of ham on another, then sandwich them with the cheese in the middle. Cut sandwiches in halves.

Dip each sandwich half in the batter so that all sides are coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5. Quick, easy, cheap, and while not at all healthy, totally tasty!

Slow-cooked Creamy Pork - Oh. My. Yumminess.

You have a job today. Go get the ingredients and make this. Now. Go. Why are you still sitting there? Just go! You can thank me later, when your belly is full.

Slow-cooked Creamy Pork

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. water
1 healthy pinch garlic powder
3 T. vegetable oil
3 pounds pork cube steaks
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 T. butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a shallow dish, stir together eggs and water. In another shallow dish, mix together bread crumbs and garlic powder.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip pork steaks into egg mixture, and coat with bread crumbs; brown pork 5 minutes on each side.

Layer in a medium crockpot.

In the same skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then stir in chicken broth and milk and bring to a soft boil. Turn off heat and stir in sour cream until thoroughly incorporated.

Pour mixture over pork, and cook on low for 4 hours.

If you like lots of sauce and gravy, I'd suggest doubling the gravy. It's THAT good.

Serve with Kim's Hungarian Nokedli. (I'll repost the recipe here for you, just because I'm nice like that. And I want to save you time from having to search for the recipe, so you'll have more time to EAT this great dish!)


Kim's Hungarian Nokedli
(otherwise known as spaetzle)

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
3/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. all purpose flour
1 large pot of salted boiling water

DIRECTIONS
Combine eggs, water and salt. Whisk thoroughly. Add flour a little at a time. Whisk well. Let stand for 10 minutes. Beat well again.

Now here's how I did it. Scoop the mixture into a large plastic bag. Twist the top closed and snip off a small corner. Holding the bag above the pot of boiling water, gently squeeze as you snip off small amounts of the dough.

The noodles are done when they float to the top of the water, about 3 minutes. Remove from water with slotted spoon and place in a collander. Rinse with cold water.

Not So Yummy Chicken Paprikash

I was so excited to make this recipe I found online. It received rave reviews! Unfortunately, it tastes like hot sour cream and is very bland. Please add any suggestions on how to improve in the comments.

Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients:
1/2 c. flour
3 tbsp. Hungarian Paprika
dash of salt
dash of pepper
2 chicken breasts
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. chopped onion
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. sour cream

Combine flour, 2 tbsp. paprika, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture. Reserve extra flour mixture. Add oil to large dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and brown chicken on both sides, approx 8 minutes. Remove chicken from pot. Add a little extra oil to the pot if it looks dry. Add onion, Cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. paprika and salt. Sautee onion until tender. Return chicken to pot and add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove from heat and let cool down. Combine reserve flour and 1/2 c. sour cream. Add a small amount of liquid from pot into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add mixture to pot, stirring constantly. Simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool down again and add remaining sour cream, stirring constantly. Sauce should be a very pale orange. Heat again for about 1 minute. Serve over Hungarian nokedli.

Hungarian Nokedli

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. all purpose flour
1 large pot of salted boiling water

Combine eggs, water and salt. Whisk thoroughly. Add flour a little at a time. Whisk well. Let stand for 10 minutes. Beat well again. Spoon small amounts of dough into the boiling water. The noodles are done when they float to the top of the water. Remove from water with slotted spoon and place in a collander. Rinse with cold water.

Meal rating: This one is a tough one. I gave it 1 out of 5 stars. Mostly because I labored all day on it. Kevin gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars. He said it's just missing something. He ate 2 bowls of it, but that does not say much. He will eat almost anything. I guess hot sour cream over homemade dumplings is one of them. :)

Please feel free to forward your edible Chicken Paprikash recipes to be posted. I am still looking a keeper. This was not it.

Yummy Banana Bread

Brown bananas equal only one thing - Banana Bread! Guess what I'll be having for breakfast tomorrow?

Banana Bread

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only 1 large loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt just until moistened. Pour into pan.

Bake 75 min. YUMMY!
Rating: 5 out of 5. I love banana bread!

Post Edit by Kim: I just made this yummy banana bread and added 3/4 c. of chocolate chips (per request from Kevin). It was awesome and yummy!!!!

Deliciously Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I entered (but did not win) this recipe into the annual Christmas Cookie Contest by Ladies Home Journal. I did, proudly, rank 24th out of the top 100 entries. Enjoy!

My Not-So-Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingrediants:

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. salted butter (not margarine!)
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, melt butter. Add brown sugar and whisk. Yes, whisk. These cookies are mixed using elbow grease! Add vanilla and egg. Whisk thoroughly. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in another bowl. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and whisk. Wash your hands and dry. Add the other half of the flour mixture and mix by hand. The dough is a stickier dough. Add the chocolate chips. Mix thoroughly.

Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper (this will keep your cookies soft for days!). Roll dough into balls and bake for 8-9 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. This cookie is should be a dark blonde color not brown.
Let cool for 5 minutes before moving from the cookie sheet.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! People request these all the time. They are a sure hit!

Cucumber Onion Salad-Yum!

This is one of my favorite summertime salad recipes.

Cucumber Onion Salad

1 large cucumber

1 large sweet onion

3 tbsp. sour cream

salt

pepper

Thinly slice the cucumber and onion. The thinner the better. In a medium bowl mix cucumbers, onions, sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. I prefer fresh coarsely ground pepper.

Chill for an hour and enjoy!

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This is a great side dish that is easy to make.

Yummy Crispy Orange Chicken w/ Rice

I love the Orange Chicken Bowl @ Applebee's so I thought I would give this a try.

Crispy Orange Chicken with Rice

2 whole chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces, fried and cooked (or you can cheat like me and use Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips. Who has time after work to fry chicken?)
1 box of Chicken Flavored Rice
4 big chunks of broccoli, steamed and cut
2 carrots, steamed and cut
1 bottle of Iron Chef Orange Chicken Glaze with Ginger
1 can of Chinese Rice Noodles

In a medium pan, heat orange glaze. Toss with cooked chicken and veggies. Serve over rice.

Goes great with Veggie Egg Rolls.

Meal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It's quick and easy. Has a good flavor but it's very sweet.

Hint: Don't forget to turn on the rice cooker when trying to steam veggies. Lesson learned.

A yummy dinner even your husband can make!

I hope everyone is sitting down. Are you sitting? I don't want any lawsuits over injuries resulting from shock over a blog entry.

OK, here goes.

My husband cooked dinner last night. And it was good.

I know, I know. I shouldn't say such shocking things, but it's entirely true. And he did it without me having to ask and had it ready when I got home from work with the kids in tow. And it was entirely worthy of an entry here.

Meatloaf Muffins

1.5 lbs lean ground beef (turkey or chicken would probably work as well, I just don't like ground fowl)
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 package Stove Top
Ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Your hands will work the best! Divide mixture evenly into 12 muffin tins. Drizzle each muffin with ketchup (A-1 or a mix of the two is good as well). Bake for 30 min or until muffins are done.

We had it with mac n cheese.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (and not just because he cooked!) Easy, relatively healthy, great leftovers.

Yummy Summertime Veggie Pizza

I decided this would be my very first recipe post for 2 reasons. 1. All my veggies are ready to be picked from the garden. It's the perfect time to make this. 2. I am tired of writing it down for my co-workers.

Veggie Dip:

2 c. Sour Cream
2 c. Real Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!)
4 tsp. dill weed
2 tsp. Accent Salt
2 tsp. Beau Monde (by Island Spice)
2 tsp. Minced Onion
Mix together in a medium bowl and chill for 1 hour. If you are making this just for a dip, chill for 2 hours.

Veggie Pizza:

2 rolls of Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Crescent Rolls
2 c. Fancy Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 carrots shredded
1 red onion-chopped
1 green pepper-chopped
1 red pepper-chopped
1 medium stalk of broccoli-chopped

Lightly spray one large cookie sheet with Pam. Roll out both crescent rolls and piece together until the entire sheet is covered. Bake as directed on the Pillsbury Crescent rolls package or until a light golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes.

Spread a generous amount of the Veggie Dip over the crust. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the dip. Add the shredded carrots, chopped onion, peppers and broccoli. Chill for 1 hour.

Cut into squares and enjoy! You will have some dip leftover so cute some fresh veggies and have a healthy snack.

Appetizer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This is an easy potluck appetizer that is a crowd pleaser!

Wow, that was a yummy dinner!

For my first post, I thought I'd share what we had for dinner last night - slow-cooked asian pork, steamed broccoli, and rice. It's tried-and-true in our household and was a good go-to meal after a disastrous dinner the night before (note to self, you do not like chicken on the bone, no matter how good the recipe sounds.) I also love the fact that it is essentially ready as soon as we get home.

I got this recipe off the internet but failed to note from where, so if I owe you credit, just let me know!

Slow-cooked Asian Pork

2 lbs. boneless pork (just about any cut will do - I used country-style boneless ribs last night)
1/2 c. soy sauce (I'd recommend low-sodium unless you think cankles are hot)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. ketchup
1 t. ground ginger (or if you are feeling fancy, fresh ginger)
2-4 cloves minced garlic
2 T. cornstarch, optional

Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray. Lay pork in bottom. Mix other ingredients (except cornstarch) together in a small bowl. Pour over pork. Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours.

To thicken sauce, mix cornstarch with a small amount of water and add to slowcooker. Or pour sauce into a small sauce pan and boil until thickens slightly.

Again, I served it with steamed broccoli and rice. Sugar snap peas also go really well with it as would stir-fried veggies or any other asian-inspired side dish.

Meal Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars - easy to make, few ingredients, tasty, healthy.