Rolo Cookies!

These are fabulous cookies.... not only do they taste fabulous but they are fabulously easy.

1 Box Devil’s Food cake mix
½ cup oil
2 eggs
2 T. flour
1 bag Rolo candies

Mix first four ingredients in a bowl. Batter will be moist. Roll dough into balls. Wrap dough around each rolo. Roll in a bowl of sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Tomato Vegetable Casserole

I love this recipe. It's the one I always share when I get one of those chain recipe emails. This is a great side dish! The best part is you can take away/add ingredients according to what you have on hand/prefer. (BTW, mine has never turned out like the picture, although the picture looks good too!) Taken from the Food Network. Love Giada.

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

5 tablespoons olive oil 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings

2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces

Salt and pepper

2 large ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons dried Italian-style bread crumbs

Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. Spread vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Arrange the onion slices evenly over the vegetable mixture. Arrange the zucchini over the onion. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomato slices over the zucchini.

Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the Parmesan bread crumbs over the vegetables in the baking dish. Drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil.
Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender, and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies you have EVER had!!!

No really, they are! My husband told me the other day that he is glad that his (and my) future kids will be able to say that their mom makes the best chocolate cookies ever. They're that good! Anyway, here they are:

1 cup butter (only use butter and it's best if the butter is softened naturally not melted in the microwave)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 cups quick oats (ground them up in the osterizer so they are fine like flour)
1 pkg chocolate chips (or however many you want)
1/2 cup nuts (if you like nuts)

Cream butter and sugars
Add eggs and vanilla and beat
Sift dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture
Stir in oatmeal (ground up), chocolate chips and nuts
Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake at 350 for 11 - 12 minutes

I know, they don't look like much, but just try them!

Thanks giving for Yams!

Ingredients:
3-3 1/2 Lbs Yams/Sweet Potatoes (you may substitute the canned variety here)
1 C. Sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. Melted butter
2 eggs (beaten nicely)

Topping:
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. melted butter
1/2 C. flour
1 C. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first batch of ingredients until smooth. Put in a buttered 9 X 13 casserole dish (The shallower the dish, the more crispy bits)
blend topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves: only one if it's me!

Egg Salad

I made this for a baby shower and topped it with alfalfa sprouts. Was very yummy and got rave reviews!

• 8 hard-cooked eggs, diced or mashed (however you like it)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/2 c. mayo, 1/2 c. miracle whip for a little zing)
• 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 8 slices bread

In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, onion flakes, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, pepper, and dill. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight. To serve, spread equal amounts on 4 slices bread; top with remaining bread slices to make sandwiches. Or, for more of an appetizer, use a cookie cutter to cut our shapes from slices of bread , top with egg salad and serve open faced.

Another Dessert!

Chocolaty Cake Cookies

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1/3 Cup Oil
1 Egg


2 Symphony Bars (or 1 pk of Chocolate Chips)
1 Can Sweeten Condensed Milk

Carmel Topping


Combine cake mix, oil, and egg. Press half of mixture into the bottom of a cookie sheet, set the other half aside.

In a microwave bowl combine Chocolate and Sweeten Consensed Milk, put in the microwave until melted, stirring several times. When its melted, spread over the cake mix in the cookie sheet. Crumble the rest of the cake mix on top of the chocolate layer.

Bake 10-14 Min (you kind of just have to check on it after ten min, because sometimes it is done by then!)

Drizzle Carmel topping over the top of the cookies, cut and serve!

*** I haven't tried it but, I thought it would be good to use a devils food cake mix to make them extra chocolaty!!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

So yummy!

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Cheese
2 Cups of shredded (or) chunked chicken, (You can use ground beef, if you prefer it.)
Tortillas
Small container of Sour Cream
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup

Instructions:

Turn oven to 350 degrees.
Cook chicken or use the canned chicken. (I do always have some of that for emergency fast meals.)
Mix container of Sour Cream and can of Cream of Chicken Soup together, and add in the chicken.
Spread on tortilla and add black beans and cheese.
Roll the tortillas, and put them in casserole dish.
Smother the top of the enchiladas with the leftover mixture.
Cook for 20 minutes.

We really like these. They are easy to make and are easy to improvise with. We have put tomatos, salsa, and chiles inside the enchiladas. It always turns out well. :)

Macaroni and Cheese...on Crack

Hello Ladies! I am happy to be joining your recipe blog and hope I can contribute in a yummy way. I am mom to 3 kids ages 4, 2 1/2, and 6 months so many of my recipes will probably be kid-friendly...like this one! My husband travels all of the time and so I have little motivation to bake a casserole for my kids. That is how I stumbled upon this mac and cheese creation. Very healthy, kid friendly, and quite yummy if I do say so myself.

1 box mac and cheese (I use Annie's Organic mac and cheese)
3/4 c. butternut squash (pureed)
1 c. frozen peas, unthawed
1/2 c. diced ham, warmed (I use the microwave!)

Make mac and cheese as directed on package. Add butternut squash, peas, and diced ham. Voila!

The butternut squash adds a bit of a sweet flavor and the ham adds a little salt for a good combination. A good source of protein, veggies, and good ol' fashioned mac and cheese goodness.

Chicken Pot Pie

Mine looked kind of like this picture... This recipe comes from my sister Allison. It's almost all canned stuff so preparation is pretty quick.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 (16 oz) can mixed veggies, drained
3/4 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can peeled, sliced potatoes, drained
1 can sliced carrots, drained
2 pie shells for top and bottom (ready made ones work great)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Line a pie plate with 1 pie shell. Mix all ingredients and pour into pie plate. Cover with second pie crust. Seal edges. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Usually when i make this i end up with way more filling than can fit in the pie, so today I took out the extra can of sliced carrots and it worked out much better.

Ten Minute Tomato Soup

I am the LAST person you would get any type of cooking advice from!! I NEVER cook but decided to get a little creative the other night. I wanted something quick, easy and not FAST FOOD!! I love tomato soup and it was a little gloomy outside so it sounded perfect. I found that if you add just a few other ingredients to your soup, you can have a really yummy tomato soup. This literally takes no more than 10 minutes!! You really don't have to "cook", just be able to chop, heat, stir and serve. If I can do it...anyone can!! Enjoy...

Ingredients:


2-4 cans/bowls of Campbell's Creamy Tomato Soup
1/2-1 clove of garlic
1 package of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice
1 package of Kraft Shredded Cheese

1. Pour desired amounts of soup into a pot. (You can buy the soup that all you need to do is heat up or buy the actual cans of soup that you would add milk to)

2. Microwave the Ready Rice. (just takes 90 seconds!!)

3. Chop up some garlic. (I usually use at least a 1/2 clove, just depends on how much you like garlic)

4. When the rice is done, just pour it into the soup. Make sure to stir your soup!!

5. Add your garlic and continue to stir.

6. When the soup is at your desired temperature, add as much shredded cheese as you want. Stir after you add the cheese and allow it to melt.

7. Serve and enjoy!!! I sometimes add some more cheese once it is poured into my bowl!!!

"Hoppelpoppel"

I'm not totally sure why it's called this, but Ryan and I love it for a good easy breakfast!!!
You need:
4 red potatoes
1/4 lb of bacon (i sometimes use ham)
1/2 onion
4 eggs
2 Tblsp milk
Grated Cheese

1. Cook 4 medium red potatoes in microwave for 3 minutes on one side and then 4 minutes on the other. Take out and let cool
2. Fry bacon in pan, and take out to cool on a paper towel. Pour off all grease except for about 1 Tblsp.
3. Dice the cooled potatoes and cook in the hot pan. Add onion and cook 2 - 3 minutes, until onion is soft.
4. In a small bowl mix eggs and milk . Beat with a wire-wisk.
5. Crumble the cooked bacon over the potatoes. Pour the egg/milk over everything in the pan, tip pan side to side to cover everything with egg. Reduce heat to low and cover until eggs are almost set. Sprinkle cheese over mixture and cover again until eggs are completely set.
6. When eggs are completely set, remove from pan and cut into wedges.
7. Serve and Enjoy!!!!!

Green Bean Casserole

I love Thanksgiving food, especially the traditional dishes. I have been trying to think of some ways to revamp the old classics, and then I saw this episode of Food 911 with Tyler Florence on the Food Network Channel. I am definatley making this for my family for Thanksgiving dinner.

Green Bean Casserole
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
See this recipe on air Friday Nov. 16 at 3:30 PM ET/PT.

3 pounds green beans
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 loaf crusty Italian bread
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake), sliced
2 shallots, sliced
1 cup heavy cream

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp, they will be cooked more in the oven. Drain them and set aside. Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the green beans with 1 tablespoon butter and set aside.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Tear the bread into 2-inch pieces, put them into a bowl, and add 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well to coat and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake just until the bread starts to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream, add the remaining thyme and chives, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the green beans and stir well. Put the green bean mixture into the prepared baking dish, top with the croutons, and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan. Bake until everything is hot and bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are incredibly easy and over-the-top delicious. For fresh out-of-the-oven taste, place a cookie on a plate and microwave for about 15 seconds...YUMMY!

2 tubes of chocolate chip cookie dough
30 Snickers miniatures

Cut dough into 15 pieces. Place a Snickers bar in the middle of each piece and wrap dough around it, covering completely. Place on cookie sheets (I always put foil on my cookie sheet to prevent sticking, and I only bake one pan of cookies at a time). Bake at the temperature specified on the dough wrapper (I believe the temperature for Nestle dough is 375 degrees) for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy with milk, ice cream or by themselves!

Sorry, I don't have a picture of them too share. I've eaten too many and am trying to lose weight, so I haven't made them too much lately. The recipe is worth sharing though!

White Chicken Enchiladas

Our family loves enchiladas and this is a new recipe but has quickly become one of our favorites. It looks like a lot to do but it is actually really simple. We serve it with some spanish rice and it's great. Enjoy! (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.)

Mix in a bowl:
1 cup onion
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups chicken (I usually do 3 chicken breasts, shredded)
4 oz diced chilis
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

In a saucepan:
3 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour (add to melted butter)
1 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups chicken broth

*allow this mixture to come to a boil and thicken a little

Add to sauce pan mixture:
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese (more if you really like cheese)

Put about 1/2-1 cup of liquid in the chicken mixture
Wrap chicken mixture in flour tortillas(soft taco size) and line up in 9x13 pan. Cover tortillas with remaining sauce.
Bake @ 350 for about 20-25 minutes.

Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

If it says easy in front of it...I love it!

Sorry about the picture... I started eating, and remembered I wanted to take a picture. Disregard the bite marks... :)


Ingredients:

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 env. of Italian salad Dressing
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix cheese, salad dressing mix and garlic powder.
Moisten chicken with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking dish.
Bake 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170 F).

This was actually really good and it from start (prep time 5 minutes) to finish (cook 20 minutes) it took 25 minutes! i'm all about 5 minute prep time, and I love this recipe because I didn't have to go and buy random ingredients that we don't usually have. I just dug around in the cupboard till I found the ingredients.

The Deathly Dessert!

This is our new version of the best dessert ever! It is known to most people as Never on Sundae, The Cookie Monster or Cookie Skillet.... Here is How to make our version, as inspired by our friends Tim and Jessica!

Here are the Ingredients:
Brownie Mix, Cookie Dough, Whipped topping, Carmel and Chocolate Topping, and Ice cream.

Mix the Brownies according to directions and cook them for about 10 Min at 350. Then add the cookie dough, drop on top, throughout the entire pan of brownies, and cook for 20 more min. You don't want them cooked all way! The brownies and cookies should be warm and soft!

Scoop Ice Cream all over the top, then add the Whipped Cream, Carmel, and Chocolate across the top. Set it in the center of the table and pass out the spoons, we like to eat it right out of the pan!

Tater Tot Casserole

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 16oz can sliced carrots, drained
1 16oz pkg. tater tots

In saucepan cook onion and green pepper in butter til tender, not brown. Blend in soup and milk. Remove from heat; add cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Stir in chicken and carrots.

Pour chicken mixture into 9x13'' pan (i prefer 8x8''). Arrange tater tots atop casserole. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. Sprinkle additional cheese atop casserole and return to oven for two minutes.

My sister-in-law also has a variation of this with cooked ground beef, 2 cans cream of potato soup added to it, and tater tots topped with cheese. Both are pretty tasty.

Cornbread Chicken

This is an easy recipe from the Alamo Ward Cookbook. Eating is believing on this one. Sorry no picture.

Ingredients:
2 cans (16 oz) baked beans
3 chicken breasts (or whatever chicken you have uncooked)
1 cup bottled BBQ sauce
1 package jiffy cornbread mix

Directions:
Pour baked beans in bottom of baking dish. Lay chicken on top and pour BBQ sauce over it. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Make cornbread mixture and spread on top of casserole. Cook for another 20 minutes or until cornbread is full cooked.

Don't make the cornbread ahead of time. Mix right before adding to dish or it will overraise. You can use any cornbread recipe on top if you prefer.

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Orange Syrup and Pecans

I don't know where this recipe came from, but I grew up with it, and it is my kids' favorite breakfast. They are always so excited when I make it. Of course, you can make the pancakes with white flour, too, but I prefer the texture of the whole wheat pancakes with the pecans and orange syrup. The syrup is also great on waffles. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 ¼ c. flour (whole wheat is great!)
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
½ t. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
2 T. oil

Orange Syrup:
½ c. concentrated frozen orange juice
1 cube butter
1 c. sugar

Method:
1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. Mix together wet ingredients and add to flour mixture.
3. Mix just until moist.
4. (For buttermilk pancakes, add ½ t. baking soda, reduce baking powder to 2 t. and substitute buttermilk for milk.)
5. Cook on griddle

Method for Syrup:
1. Mix and stir all ingredients over heat until melted, but don't boil.
2. Serve warm with toasted chopped pecans

Chicken Tetrazzini

This goes out to those of you who think I only cook with Pilsbury dough... (it was on sale, so why not buy some!) :)
Sorry no picture.

Ingredients:

8 oz. Spaghetti
5 tbs. butter
6 tbs. flour
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken
1 cup light cream
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 cup fresh/canned mushrooms
5 tbs. minced green chiles
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until just tender. Do not overcook. Melt butter, blend in flour. Stir broth into flour mixture. Add cream. Cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add salt, chiles, and cooked chicken. Turn into 2 to 3 quat flat casserole. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.