Easter Magnolia Cupcakes

Check them outo on my food blog. Refer to last post.

I made a recipe blog

I am slowly going to add all the recipes I have tried onto the blog. It will be much easier for viewing purposes. Check out what I have so far by clicking HERE

What I have been up to lately

My mother-in-law was in town last week and the week before to help Rachel (my sister-in-law) out during her pregnancy (Its been ruff to say the least). I was able to spend some quality time with her and Rachel, and it was great. We went on a shopping trip to Kohls and got lunch at Panera one of the days, and hung out all afternoon with Jared and Cameron(nephews) a different day. This included a nice walk down to Cameron's secret spot (a creek where he likes to build a bridge and cross to the other side). It SO green here in Texas, and I just LOVE looking at all the trees and bright green grass. Adam and I hung out over at Rachel's house a few nights and had yummy home cooked meals compliments of Sheila (my mother-in-law). We also watched the Sunday sessions of conference over there. Its so nice to have family here in Texas. It's been so fun to get to know Adam's family better. I just LOVE all y'all! he he

Vampire Diaries started back up :) Memory, Gina, and I watched last weeks episode together.

I started looking for jobs at the end of last week. I had an interview Monday(seems promising and I loved everything about the job, and loved the people I could potentially work for), and I also had an interview today. Both for a chiropractic office. I interviewed for their chiropractic assistant position. One of the offices listed that they were having open interviews Thursday in the afternoon starting at 12:45. I showed up at 12:45 and there were like 50 people filling out applications. There was no way any interviewing was taking place that day. I almost walked out, because there was not place to sit and almost no place to stand. There was a girl wearing the exact same outfit as me, and she even kinda looked like me. Kinda weird. People just kept coming and leaving. Who knows how many people ended up applying, because they had open interviews later that evening as well. Needless to say, I was shocked when they called me in today for an interview and said they had narrowed it down to six people, and  that I was one of them. I am not getting my hopes up by thinking I will get either job, but was just excited to be considered. Its nice to know people want me! The first two jobs I applied for gave me an interview. Not too shabby. Should hear back from the first office by the end of this week. The other office said the end of next week. Back to looking again if it doesn't work out, but it was definitely worth my time. I meet some wonderful people, and learned some questions to consider for my next interview. Can I just say that my least favorite question is, "Tell me about yourself!" Maybe its because I don't like to talk about myself in a way that states, "Hey look at me I am so great!" I did fine, but man that question gets me everytime.

Here is some new recipes I've tried:

Donut Muffins (Allrecipes)

Chicken Casserol (Christine's Recipe)

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie (allrecipes)

As you can see only 4 fit on a plate

Strawberry Muffins (Allrecipes)

Bacon and Chicken Wraps (Dad gave me the recipe)

The rest of March

Recipes listed First. Life updates listed second.


I don't have to cook that often, so maybe thats why I enjoy doing it. My husband is really only home on the weekends which means I only have to plan a few meals each week. With traveling to CA and Adam's birthday this month, my oven didn't get much lovin'. Here are the new recipes I tried:


Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

2 Whole Chicken Breasts
1 12oz bottle Buffalo Sauce
1lb Elbow Macaroni
1 Cup Sour Cream
8 Ounces Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 Ounces Montery Jack
4 Ounces Blue Cheese (not a huge fan so unless you like it I would recommend leaving this out)
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Breadcrumbs

Prep ahead of time:


Cut chicken breasts into very small pieces. Toss in a bowl with enough buffalo sauce to coat plus a little extra, and let sit for at least an hour. Stir it every now and then. The chicken will start to look like it’s just slightly cooked; that’s the acid denaturing the proteins. It’s normal.

Cooking:

Simmer the whole bowlful in a pan, sauce and all, on medium heat until the chicken is cooked. Drain the cooked sauce/chicken liquid from the chicken and toss the chicken bits with a little more buffalo sauce. Set this aside to cool some while you do the sauce and pasta.
Shred the extra sharp cheddar, Monterey jack and crumble the blue cheese into a big mixing bowl. Set aside about a half cup of the cheeses in a separate bowl to make the topping later. Stir the rest in the big bowl together with sour cream and some black pepper to taste.

Heat the oven to 350F. Start a pot of boiling salted water for the pasta.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and when melted, whisk in the flour. Keep whisking while it cooks and bubbles for about 2 minutes. (This is called a roux.) Whisk the milk into this mixture and stir often.
When the mixture is starting to get hot, put the pasta in the boiling pot to cook for about 8 minutes. During this time, keep whisking the milk sauce until it’s thickened. (At this point, you’ve now made a bechamel sauce!)

Mix the sauce into the cheese and sour cream in the big bowl and stir well to get the cheese mostly mixed into the sauce. Stir in the pasta. Fold in the chicken. Pour into a 13×9 casserole pan.
Using a fork, mix the breadcrumbs, the small bowl of cheese and a drizzle of buffalo sauce, adding more sauce as needed until it has a crumbly texture. Sprinkle this topping over the macaroni and cheese.
Bake for about a half hour or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the topping is starting to get browned.



Chicken Crescent Rolls ( Definitely going to make these again! My huband loved them)

2 Whole Chicken Breasts

1 Can (8 oz) Crescent Rolls

1 Cup Colby Montery Jack Cheese

3 Ounces Cream Cheese

1/4 Cups Diced White Onion

2 Tablespoons Milk

3 Tablespoons Butter

1/4 Teaspoon Seasoned Salt

Pepper to taste

Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the chicken, either by baking or boiling it, and cut it into cubes. Combine the cream cheese, onion, milk, 1 tablespoon of butter, and seasoned salt and mix well. Add the chicken and shredded cheese and mix until chicken is well coated. Add pepper to taste.
Prepare the crescent rolls to make four squares. Fill each square with the chicken-cheese mixture. Bring all four corners together over chicken-cheese mixture and pinch until closed.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and spread over the crescents rolls. Sprinkle with paprika
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.


Bow-tie Lasagna  (failed to take a pic)

1 Pound Ground Chuck
5 Cups bow-tie noodles
3 Cups spaghetti Sauce (used Prego with sausage)
1 Tablespoon Oliv Oil
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cups Sour Cream

Fry ground chuck in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

Can't believe tomorrow is April!  I think I will try out our pool. It is suppose to be 90 degrees :)
After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce. (I can’t guarantee your results on this, because I’m spoiled; I am a “home canner” and have the BEST sauce on my shelf, a home canned marinara sauce that I use for lots of stuff—pizza, spaghetti, and of course, THIS.)



Add your fried hamburger, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.


Easy Mexican Crockpot Meal

2 Cans Black Beans
2 Cans Whole Kernel Corn
1 Jar Salsa of Choice
3 Pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Dump everything in and place chicken on top. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Add sour cream, avocado, chips, cheese, etc and you can turn it into tortilla soup.

Chocolate Silk Pie

Ingredients:



Dough for 1 9-inch pie crust
For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

3 large eggs

¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp. water
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and cut into 8 pieces

Freshly whipped cream, for serving


Directions:


Roll the chilled pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Trim, fold and crimp the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F and adjust an oven rack to low-middle position. Line the chilled pie shell with parchment paper so that it lays over the edges of the dough. Fill with pie weights and bake until the surface of the dough no longer looks wet, 20-25 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and return the pie crust to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 10-12 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

To make the filling, add the cream to the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate.

Combine the eggs, sugar and water in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the water should not touch the bowl). With a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until the egg mixture is thickened and reads 160˚ F on an instant read thermometer, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to beat until the egg mixture is fluffy and cooled to room temperature, about 6-8 minutes.

Add the melted chocolate and the vanilla to the cooled egg mixture and beat until well blended. Beat in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until well combined. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chilled whipped cream until no streaks remain. Transfer the filling to the baked pie shell. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Slice and serve with freshly whipped cream as desired.


Life Updates:

Adam is planning on going back to school. He is thinking about studying Criminal Law. We just talked about it the other day, and think that would be a great fit. I am pregnant! Well, I just thought I would throw that out there for fun. I really am not, but I am getting more comfortable with the idea. I actually just quit my job on Tuesday. It was an okay job, but the responsiblities just kept piling on. The atmosphere was pretty stressful at times, especially when I was left by myself to cover everything (my job+ my boss's job). When I was told that I could no longer plan church things or anything else on my days off that could keep me from filling in last min for my boss, I threw in the towel. This was just a part time job for me, not a career. I was told this after I covered everything myself Monday b/c my boss couldn't come in. Instead of a thank you, I got scolded b/c I handled a stituation differently than my boss would have (even though it was a more efficient choice). I couldn't come in the next day b/c I had visiting teaching (couldn't reschedule b/c it was the end of the month) and my mother in law was in town (we had made plans). The other girl who has the same position as I use to came into work (b/c it was her day), but wasn't up to speed on how to run everything. My boss had been leaning on me, instead of training her. When she called me after the work shift had already started and found out I couldn't come in, I was lectured. Needless to say, I am relieved I don't have to work there anymore. Glad I don't have to deal with the stress anymore. Plus, my boss was a nice person in general, but got upset really easily. When she was mad, she would say things that were hurtful in a condescending way to customers or whoever upset her. I really liked her, but the pattern of blow ups were hard to deal with. Especially when she took her frustrations out on me. I think she is a great a person, and that this job is just too stressful for her too.


On a happier note, here is the pretty flower Adam got me for Valentines day. We bought it after our CA trip b/c we weren't sure what plant we would end up with, and didn't want to worry about it while we were gone. We could have got this Orchid beforehand though, because they don't need much care.

How have I not made these before?

CAKE BALLS

Well, probably because I do not like cake. I have never, EVER been a fan of cake. At birthday parties, I was the kid who asked for extra ice cream, and didn't want any cake to go with it. I LOVE cheesecake, as all of you know. Regular cake is not my thing.

Cake Balls are a differen't story!
 These my friends are delicious, even if you are not a cake fan like myself. The center is SO moist and strangely addictive! I kept poping them in my mouth thinking, "Oh I shoudn't." I couldn't eat that many when I first made them, because I had eaten too many chocolate covered strawberries, and Cadbury mini eggs. SO I was already on a sugar high, but after that sugar buzz killed over, I really was poping them in my mouth.

Its a messy process, but worth the effort. I am definitely no chocolatier! I really didn't have the patience or skill to make these cake balls look gorgeous. I know they don't look very good, but they do taste very good. That is all the matters to me :)

I used a strawberry cake mix, with cream cheese frosting for the center. It was a good choice. You could do Red Velvet, Chocolate, Carrot Cake, Yellow, or whatever with either regular chocolate or white chocolate coating. I brought some to work and they were devoured. My boss suggested a peanut butter/chocolate mixture for the center. YUM!

French toast with blueberries,caramelized bananas, and whipped cream & Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

So have I ever mentioned how much I love french toast? Well, I think that is an understatement. When I was a kid, my mom would make a yummy breakfast most Saturday mornings. We had a choice between french toast, waffles, puff pancakes, regular pancakes, or cream of wheat with brown sugar. I always wanted french toast. I didn't even have to think twice. It was my favorite breakfast food until I met the d' Huarts. I still can't remember if you capitilize the D or the H in their last name. Anyways, their traditional Saturday breakfast food was crepes. As soon as they introduced me to those scrumptious things, I became indecisive about what I wanted for breakfast.  As Brian Regan would say, "Both Favorites." And to this day they are both still my favorite breakfast foods. Sometimes I crave one over the other, but usually they both sound good.

Sunday Morning I took french toast to a new level for me. I made carmalized bananas to go on top. I would have to thank Norma's (one of the restaurants we went to during our N.Y. trip) because their Wazza Waffle inspired me, but I will have to most definitely thank  Mr. Harding  because I got my recipe from her.

Needless to say, we had a very good Sunday brunch. My husband doesn't usually eat anything in the morning, but he ate a lot of this!

I am a pasta addict. No, but seriously! If I could only eat one genre of food the rest of my life, I would choose Italian. I could not live without pasta. I love that you can do so much with it. However, it is a real shame that it makes you fat!!! There is no way I will ever be super skinny. I love food way too much. I barely maintain my weight now, because I love food way more than I should. I will eat when I am still full. I just enjoy it. I do have self control though. Its not like I uncontrollably stuff myself. I just choose to eat way more than I should (most of the time). With that said, here is a new pasta recipe:

Bacon and Parmesean Pasta

1 lb Bacon

1 lb Penne Pasta

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup cream cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Fry or bake Bacon - Sprinkle w/ Red Pepper Flakes. When done, Remove bacon until cool enough to handle and roughly chop.

Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling salted water- I always add some olive oil

Place cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Add parmesan cheese, eggs, and pepper and whisk until blended.

Drain Pasta and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and enjoy!!!

Valentines Day Weekend, and Stake Conference weekend with our favorite pals

Last weekend consisted of Stake Conference and hanging out with some of our favorite people out here in Texas.

BJ's before the Saturday Adult session of Conference. We love their Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Its our fav.

I made something new for dinner and dessert


Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package. Recipe from Pioneer Woman.

Chocolate melting cake. The recipe is from Carnival Cruise. I baked it too long though. The middle should be more runny. It was still good though.

This weekend we celebrated Valentines Day because Adam is leaving early tomorrow morning for Pennsylvania.

We went to Logan's Roadhouse for dinner. It was a lot like Texas Roadhouse.

Yummy honey butter rolls

Appitizer: some cheese dip

Dinner: Filet Mignon, Salmon, baked potato, mac and cheese, ceasar salad

I was trying out the camera settings. I like Candid shots sometimes. No poses, just us in the moment.

Adam got me back by snapping this shot of me. I sported one of my spring scarfs that night. I am so happy this next week is going to be 70 degrees. I am glad that the snow/ice didn't last long.

Dessert: Cinnamon Roll Sundae. I ate all of it. I am such a pig sometimes!


After dinner we went to the movies and saw Just Go With It, and really enjoyed it. It's really cute, funny, and entertaining the whole way through the movie. It's a chick flick that the boys will enjoy too. I like the tradition of Adam taking me to a chick flick every Valentines Day.

The next day Adam made brunch

Vanilla Crepes (my fav)

Then we finished up the second season of Friday Night Lights. We are SOO into this show. We have put 24, Heroes, Castle, and everything else on hold.

Then my hubby took me to get my eye brows threaded, to get my Seven For All Mankind jeans hemmed at the tailors, and to the nail salon to get a pedicure and manicure. I have the best Valentine!

Afterwards we went to the Stake Valentines Dinner and Dance. I got to slow dance with my Valentine while we exchanged kisses. We had a good Valentines weekend. We had lots of sugar!

Didn't have any other paper besides the pink and white, and all I had were pens and a highlighter. I made this card before Adam got out of bed. I had to be quick. I think it turned out alright.

Thanks for the Valentines Package Mom :)

Oh so I had to speak in Church today! It was on Service in the Church. I talked a lot about the good samaritan and why its important we follow the example of the good samaritan. I got a lot of compliments, so I think it went well. People actually recited back things that I said that touched them. I was just happy that people actually paid attention. Someone told my husband that my talk really helped him, so its good to know that I at least effected one person. I get so nervous before I speak, but once I get up there I am all confident. It is totally weird, but its better than being nervous while giving the talk. Anywho, I hope you all have a fabulous Valentines Day tomorrow! Going to get back to watching the Grammy's now.

Lazy breakfast that will make you feel special

Saturdays are our lazy days. This Saturday was filled with finishing another season of 24, cleaning the church, and feeding the missionaries.

We had this rise-and-shine favorite for dinner:

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Picture taken without the yummy blueberry syrup drizzled on top

I made it Friday night, before we went to the Watervue BBQ with the Schaffers. They served yummy steak, baked potatoes, salad, yummy rolls, and cookies. These apartment complexes are way nice. They cook for us once a month. Its always a delicious free meal.

Okay so back to the "make you feel special" meal. This french toast casserole is super easy, and really delicous. Y'all should definitely try it. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients


12 slices ITALIAN BREAD, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

10 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup



1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1.Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.

2.In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

3.Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4.Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.

5.In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast



Adapted from Allrecipes.com - I made some changes suggested in the comments.

Recipes

                                                                 Sloppy Joe Turnovers

I took pictures when I made it last, but that was when my camera was stolen. It looks similar to the picture above. I am making it this week because it is scrumptious.

• 1/3 diced green pepper

• 1/3 diced white onion

• 2 celery stalks, trimmed

• 1 lb chopped beef

• 1 15 oz can Manwich

• 1 tbsp flour

• 1 can pre-made biscuit dough

• Munster cheese, to taste (or your favorite kind)


1. Finely chop pepper, onion, and celery.
2. Add a dollop of oil to a large skillet. Add meat and stir in vegetables, cook until meat is brown.
3. Place cooked meat and vegetables into a new pan. Add Manwich and simmer for 3-5 min.
4. Dust wax paper with flour, and roll out dough thin and round. Add 2 spoonfuls of meat mixture to middle of dough. Fold dough over and press sides of pocket with fork.
5. Place turnovers on a baking pan, and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
6. Garnish with cheese, and top with leftover Manwhich.

                                                     
                                                          Creamy Chicken Enchilladas

 

I am in the process of making this for dinner for tonight. I already have a good chicken enchilada recipe, but its always good to try new recipes. This is my visiting teachers recipe. Christine is a good cook, so I know these will be good.


1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 1/4 cups green salsa

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

8-10 (12in.) tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese, divided


1. In a medium bowl combine sour cream and salsa. Stir to combine. Spread a small amount of mixture in the bottom of a 8x12in. baking dish. Measure out 1 cup of the remaining sauce and set aside.
2. Add chicken, onion, cumin, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese to sauce in bowl. Mix well.
3. Spoon heaping 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish. Spread reserved 1 cup of sauce onto the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with reamaining 1 cup of cheese.
4. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 4-6




Something else that is on the list to make this week because I have all the ingredients, and my new friend just tried it recently. Have I mentioned that a new family moved into our ward, and our apartment complex here at Watervue!?!? Well, I am totally excited to have neighbors that are our age!! We had them over for dinner Saturday night, and think they are totally fun.


                                                  Burrito Pie adapted from allrecipes.com

1 pound ground beef


1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 (2.25 oz) can black olives, sliced

1 (10.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1/2 cup taco sauce (I used Taco Bell brand)

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

6 (8 in) flour tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or colby jack


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, tomatoes, taco sauce, and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 2-3 quart round casserole dish. Cover with 2 tortillas followed by 1/3 of meat mixture, then 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.
4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Serves 4-6

                                                         
                                                        Cilantro Ranch Dressing
 
On Saturday I served Cafe Rio Pork Salad/Burritos this time with the the dressing!!! Erica thanks for the recipe! The Schaffer's ended up making it, while I finished up the rice. They threw everything into our vitamix and it turned out so good! Now we can have the complete Cafe Rio experience anytime in our own kitchen.

1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup of Mayonnaise
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Small bunch of Cilantro
1/2 Sweet Onion
2 Small garlic cloves, chopped
1 tomatillo, quartered
1/2 t. salt
1 Ranch Dip powder mix packet

Blend all together in blender. Erica recommended to half this recipe because it makes a lot of sauce.


Last night I was invited over to my Zumba Instructors house!! How cool is that?!!? She invited 10 of her favorite classmates over and had us each bring a healthyish snack to enjoy after our workout. She gave us a biggest looser style workout. We did a lot of running, and I am not a runner. It was good for me. Anyways, I had a lot of fun meeting the girls there, and learned the secret to getting the gender you want when you have kids. ha. I had no idea you could control that, but it has worked for her everytime. After our workout we enjoyed so much good food. I brought fruit and fruit dip.

Fruit Dip:


1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 7 oz jar marshmallow cream
3 tablespoons orange juice

or

1 8oz tub strawberry cream cheese
1 7 oz jar marshmallow cream
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon jucie

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Sore in refrigerator before serving. Makes 2 cups.

I really liked April's (my zumba teachers) Red Pepper Hummus:


2 (15-ounce) cans chick peas (garbanzos), one drained, one with liquid

2 teaspoons tahini sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

Roasted Red Pepper (I canned, 1 fresh)

Cayenne Pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Put the fresh bell pepper in the oven on broil and char It up a little bit

Put everything else in the blender (VitaMix on high speed is what I use) except the salt and blend for 1 minute

Add the Fresh Red Pepper and Salt and blend another 30 seconds

You can add 1 garlic clove and 1 teaspoon cumin if you like the flavor. Also you can replace tahini with ¼ cup of raw sesame seeds


                                                  Not like any cookie you have seen before
                                                                         SPREADS

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

I made this a while back during the time when my camera was stolen. I thought I would add this to my collection of recipes on here, because we enjoyed them.

Ingredients


■1 cup Brown Sugar

■1 cup Margarine

■1 whole Egg

■2 cups Flour

■½ teaspoons Salt

■1 teaspoon Vanilla

■6 ounces, weight ( To 8 Ounces) Chocolate Chips

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Mix together brown sugar and margarine. Add egg and mix together. Add flour, salt, and vanilla, and mix together well.

Spread dough onto cookie sheet to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch.



Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly brown. At this point, pull out of the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Return to oven for 1 minute. Remove and spread melted chips over the top. Cut into squares.

Last but not least, the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Recipe. You can use Rolo's too if you are more of a carmel person.

1 package Betty Crocker Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
30 mini Reeses cups unwrapped
1 box Reynolds aluminum cups, or mini cups

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place foil liners on baking sheet - 30 if mini - 18 if regular size
3. Combine brownie mix, contents from fudge packet in mix, eggs, water and oil
4. Stir with spoon until well blended (about 50 strokes)
5. Fill each liner about half way with batter
6. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and remove from oven
7. Push Reeses in center of each "brownie cupcake" until even with surface of the batter
8. Bake 7 minutes longer for mini, and about 14 minutes longer for regular.
9. Cool 5-10 minutes in pan and then you can move them to cooling rack to cool completely.

Easy as 1, 2, 3!

I made broiled grapefruit last night. It was really good! My husband doesn't like grapefruit, but I know he would like it this way. Thanks Redhead recipes! I'll have to get my husband to try it when he is home.

Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3!!!

I tried out the BIGGEST LOSER Bootcamp here at Watervue last night. Boy was it intense!! It was A LOT harder than I thought it would be, and I am in pretty good shape. I had never done most of the things required of us. There were times where I wanted to give up, and thought I couldn't possibly do one more set. My legs were shaking, and almost gave out a few times, but I did everything! I am so proud of myself. I completed the workout. I don't know if I will be going back though. lol I told my husband what we did, and he will never try it now. Most people who come on a Monday end up quitting, according to the trainer. Thursdays are suppose to be easier, so maybe I will just go those days. I already go to the gym enough during the week as it is. I am really sore today. The girl that invited me said she would never go back. haha. She is in shape too! She works out with her husband every morning. It really was a hardcore workout. We got our butts kicked! The trainer guessed my weight before I got on the scale. They have you weigh in every week. I was surprised, but I guess he does this for a living. I haven't gained too much weight since High School. I was 100-105 lbs in High School. I weighed in at 108 last night. I fluctuate between 104-110. It just depends on what I eat, and how much I work out. I haven't weighed myself since CA, so I had no idea how much I weighed. I like that I have gained muscle! Id much rather weight more and be in good shape, then weigh less and just look skinny. On our trip to Hawaii I weighed 104 lbs, and last summer (before I started going to the gym regularly) I was around that too. I look at those pictures now and think wow I was pretty skinny, but definitely not toned. A few pounds makes a difference on someone who is 5'2". I have no room to hide fat, so I am trying to maintain right now.  I will look rediculous as a pregnant lady. lol. I haven't been doing weights since CA, because I don't want to get ripped. I have the body structure for that. Thanks dad. lol.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

I bought some cranberries a while back because they were on sale. I put them in the freezer, and pulled them out today to make this yummy cranberry cream cheese dip. It was a perfect snack during our football watching. My visiting teacher sure has good recipes! I ate most of it before Adam got around to trying it. I couldn't help myself. Its really easy to make, so I thought I would share Christine's recipe.

I haven't been cooking anything new lately. This week, during the days Adam was home, we had things such as Roast, Chicken Alfredo, Cafe Rio Pork, Chicken Tortellini, etc. I need to get some new recipes to try. Hopefully I will have some new recipes to post soon!

Tis the season for LIGHTS

I love Christmas lights. Last weekend we drove down to Sundance Square.

We stopped at Starbuck's for some yummy carmel apple cider to help us warm up. It was a windy night on Saturday.

We ate at this yummy Cajun restuarant, and I enjoyed it very much.

Of course, I had to take a picture of my food. It was goood! (First cajun restaurant experience = success)

Check out the angel people on this building

We had a good time exploring dowtown. I definitely want to go back and go to a show sometime. They have a lot of different things going on. We got there around 8 on Saturday, which was too late to see anything. We even missed Santa. My co-worker, Anthony, said its best to go on Friday. Too bad my hubby doesn't get home early enough on Fridays to do anything.

We enjoyed some good food this weekend. Here are the fixins:

1) Shrimp Scampi for two

3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chicken broth/stock
20 pieces of shrimp
1/2 of lemon juice
fettuccine pasta noodles for two
parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan (besides parmesan cheese). Cook till done. Mix in the pieces of Shrimp and pour over noodles when ready.

2) Beef Stroganoff

Tastes a lot better than it looks. haha

1 - 1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 10.75 ounce cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion

Combine and cook everything in slow cooker besides cream cheese. Set low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving.

3) Meatloaf - serve with mashed potatoes

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 onion
1 cup milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs ( I use club crackers)
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl combine everything but sugar, mustard, and ketchup. Place in greased pan. Mix the sugar, mustard, and ketchup, and pour on top. Bake for 1 hour.