A Super Easy Supper

Today was another busy day around here. I went over to help the couple from church this morning before I went to BSF at 9 a.m. and then ran errands afterwards. The brother has to fulfill his Cadet Counselor duties tonight, and we just needed a simple easy meal for supper. Let's face it, I really didn't feel much like cooking at ALL today! I have to say though, that I highly recommend this recipe, it was packed with some super yummy stuff and so easy to make!

BOWTIE BAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 Lb. Ground Beef

1 Large Onion, chopped

2 (8 ounce) Can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1/2 C. Green Pepper; chopped

1 (16 ounce) Package bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

2 (10.75 ounce) Can condensed tomato soup, undiluted

3 C. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

(I also added about 1 1/2 tsp. of Italian Seasoning & 1 Tbsp. of Worchestershire Sauce to the meat while cooking)

In a skillet, cook beef, onion, mushrooms and green pepper over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. In a greased 3-qt. baking dish, layer half of the pasta, half of the meat mixture, 1 can of the tomato soup and 1 cup of cheese. Top with the remaining pasta and meat mixture. Spread with the other can of tomato. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.

On another note, I found out today that there is a place around here to get some SOFT RUSK!!!! I haven't been there yet myself to investigate, but was told that the Zeeland Bakery has them and that they are pretty good! I'm sure that they probably don't live up to the ones that Casey's Bakery in NW Iowa makes and I'm sure that I will still be placing an order for some friends that are going to be in Iowa this summer to bring some back for us! But I will most certainly give them a try... ;-)

Hope that you all are having a great week my friends!

Had A Wonderful Supper!

I need to apologize for not posting in a few days. It has been very busy over here, and last week there were 2 nights that I didn't have to have supper made here. On Wednesday, the bro was sick and spent most of the day hanging out in his room, and it worked out pretty well since there was a Spaghetti Supper at our church to benefit the Senior High Youth Group in raising money for Conference this summer. GOOD JOB everyone, the food was delicious! Then on Friday night the bro and I went to our good friends S & E's house and had an awesome homemade Chicken Pizza, cheese bread, and salad supper with them and their adorable kiddos. "Aunt" Missie and "Uncle" J. then stayed and played and put the kiddos to bed, while their parents went out for a bit. It's always fun to play with the toys, be used as a human jungle-gym and laugh with B & G. The best part is getting all of the hugs and love from them! Can't beat it!!!!

I've also been keeping busy helping a couple from our church that were hit head-on by a drunk driver several weeks ago. They both spent time in a local hospital and at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, but are home now and require 24-hour caretakers to be at their home. It is hard to go from doing everything yourself to having to rely solely on someone (a stranger) to do those things in your own home! This dear couple is making the transition well and they are getting stronger everyday! To God Be The Glory!!!! They are both very lucky to still be alive, and to only have suffered broken bones and no internal injuries at all! Of course, it's no picnic waiting for broken bones to mend. I go over every morning and help them with their daily morning routine and answer any questions they have. I am so happy to be able to help in whatever capacity that I can! It is great to see the smiles on their faces and to do devotions with them each morning! They have really been a blessing to me, and I'm so thankful for that!!! :-)

Today I decided to make an interesting dish for supper! It turned out quite delicious!

BEANS & FRANKS APPLESAUCE BAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

1/4 C. Onion, chopped

6 Hot Dogs, sliced

1 (28 oz.) Can Baked Beans with Pork

1 C. Applesauce

1 Tbps. Prepared Mustard

2 Tbsp. Ketchup

1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger

3/4 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until starting to brown, then mix in the hot dogs. Fry until browned, then transfer hot dogs and onions to a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir in the baked beans, applesauce, mustard, ketchup and ginger. Top with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and cheese is melted and browned.

Here's how it turned out:

I hope that you will give this a try, it really was very tasty. The applesauce and mustard gave it just the right amount of sweet and tangy.

It's Not That I Haven't Been Cooking...

It has been a very busy week around here! I can hardly believe that Monday was my birthday and that it's only Thursday today. It has been an extremely busy week!

This is what my Momma posted on my Facebook Wall in honor of my birthday:

'I had issues with my internet Monday and Tuesday so I will post for your birthday today, Wednesday. I wished you a happy birthday(or tried to) and added that if your father had his way your birthday would have been the 22nd! He thought we should wait in the hospital parking lot until midnight so we wouldn't have to pay for less than an hour of actual time in the hospital on the 21st!?!?! However, you were born at 20 minutes to midnight on the 21stand not after midnight on the 22nd:)! By the way, the hospital bill we paid was for $6.00--for a phone in the room---I guess he needed golf money! I know you had a great day!'

I thought that it was pretty amusing! My comment back to her was that I'm so glad that she won out over my ever frugal Father! He wanted to save a few bucks! hahaha But I will say that he reminds me all the time just how happy he was that he had a little girl on March 21st! He tells me that he drove home singing. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with these wonderful Christian parents, and of course my older and younger brothers as well! Life wouldn't be the same without them! All in all I had a FANTASTIC Birthday and I had fun doing the GiveAway's here on my site as well! Congratulations to all who won! :-)

So, it's not that I haven't been cooking this week...because I have been. It's just that some of the recipes I've been using are ones that I've already posted, such as tonight, we had Beef Stew.                                               
You can find the recipe for that under the Main Dish tab on the sidebar. It is a really tasty meal and I highly recommend it. It is so simple and easy to make. Last night we attended the Young People's Spaghetti Supper from church, and supported them in their efforts to raise money for convention this summer. It was delicious---thanks to all that were there and cooked!!!

I hope that all of you are having a great week!

A Hearty Supper For a Cold/Rainy Spring Day!

I found this recipe and wanted to make it for a while now, but had other things in the house that I needed to make first. Tonight, though I was able to make it!!! It turned out great and really was delicious!!!

We were able to share this deliciousness with our friends S & E's friends B & G, as their Mommy and Daddy had something they needed to go and do tonight. Shortly after they were dropped off it was time for supper and I would have to say that dinner was pretty good because the kiddos ate it all up, and didn't need any prodding to do so! I consider that a successful, kiddo friendly meal! Yay!!!

CORNY HAM & POTATO SCALLOP

INGREDIENTS:

5 Potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 C. Cooked Ham; cubed

1 (15 ounce) Can Whole Kernel Corn, drained

2 tsp. Minced Onion

1 (10.75 ounce) Can Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup

1/2 C. Milk

3 Tbsp. Flour

In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, ham, corn, green pepper, and onion. In a small bowl, stir together soup, milk, and flour until smooth. Pour soup mixture over ham and vegetables, and stir gently to coat. Cover, and cook on Low for about 8 hours, or until potatoes are tender. You can also turn the crockpot on High and cook for 4 hours.

The brother made the comment that this was a great supper and he is looking forward to eating the leftovers! SUCCESS!!!!

THE WINNER IS.......

HUGE DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The winner of the 6-pack of cupcakes from Cupcake By Design is:

EMILY!!!!  I have emailed Cupcake By Design and given them your name...I hope that you and your family enjoy this yummy goodness! You know you really should share with them, it's nice to share! hahaha

Thank you to everyone who entered and for keeping up with my blog! I am really enjoying the land of blogging and posting recipes for others to try!

A Great Recipe!

This recipe is something that is so simple and easy, and yet so yummy! It utilizes the yummy goodness of cheese! It is a favorite out in Northwest Iowa, and this recipe is courtesy of my Aunt B.

CHEESE SPREAD:

INGREDIENTS:
1 Lb. Velveeta Cheese
1 Can (13 oz) Evaporated Milk
1 Egg; slightly beaten
12-14 Slices Dried Beef; cut into small pieces

Melt the cheese in a double boiler or heavy sauce pan with the evaporated milk. Once melted add the egg and the cut up beef. Cool and then store in the fridge before serving. Serve on rolls open-faced.

I hope that you will try this recipe!!!

ANOTHER GiveAway Announcement!!!!

I just received an email from the owner of Cupcakes By Design and I now have ONE more 6-pack of cupcakes Gift Certificate to GiveAway!!!!! They are so generous over there and I can't thank them enough! Again, these cupcakes and cookies for that matter, are so DELICIOUS!!!! Please check out their website: http://cupcakebydesign.com/  and find them on Facebook as well!

Being that this store is located in the Grand Rapids area, if you are a friend or family member that I can call and ask what kinds you want and bring them to you, your are eligible...If not I'm sorry! Unless you make trips this way I have to limit it to that as they do not ship the cupcakes out.

So, since I've already given away the Heart Dish and some cupcakes, those that commented on the original post that didn't win will be entered for this drawing...but for those that haven't you now have a chance to leave me a comment on this post to be entered! The winner will be drawn later today/this evening!

In your comment, please tell me what your favorite dessert is! Good Luck!!!

It's Officially My BIRTHDAY!!!! Time To Do A GiveAway!!!

On this day many years ago my parents had their first and only daughter! They named her Melissa Beth! I was born in Ridgewood, NJ and have moved quite a bit since then. On this day I'm so thankful for a new day and year of life, thankful for the wonderful Godly parents that the Lord blessed me with, and thankful for wonderful friends and family! I'm looking forward to all that God has in store for me in this new year of life and can't wait to start on the journey!!!

So, as I promised I have a GiveAway to do today!!!! YAY!!! Actually I have not one prize but TWO to give away!!!! I'm so excited about this....The 2nd prize for today is a Gift Certificate from Cookies/Cupcakes By Design. They are located in the the Grand Rapids area and have the BEST cupcakes I have ever tasted in my life!!!!! Check out their website: http://cupcakebydesign.com/ and their Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/cupcakebydesign  The gift certificate is good for 6 gourmet cupcakes! Good Luck!

AND THE WINNER OF THIS HEART DISH IS:

SARAH VW!!!!!

I will get this to you at church! I hope that you enjoy it!

DRUMROLL PLEASE......THE WINNER OF THE CUPAKES BY DESIGN GIFT CERTIFICATE IS:

KATHY!!!!!  I will get your certificate to you!

Thanks so much to everyone who commented on the post and entered to win! I had a lot of fun, and am glad that I can give two of you a present on my birthday!!!!

A PRE-BIRTHDAY/BIRTHDAY DINNER WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS!

I can't believe that tomorrow is my birthday again already! A lot has been accomplished since last years birthday. This time last year I was just getting ready to get out of a back brace after having a Spinal Fusion surgery done on December 29, 2009, was still moving slowly and not really thinking much about cooking. Just looking forward to the next day and feeling a bit better! I'm happy to report that I do feel better, MUCH better and that each day is something new. My back is healing nicely and I look forward to each new day! The Lord has truly blessed me!

This year I decided that I wanted to have a nice birthday dinner with family and a few close friends! My brother and sister-in-law are out of town with my nieces so they couldn't come, but my Mom & Dad and my friends S & E and their two kiddos B & G were able to! It was really nice to have them all here. I love to be surrounded by those that I love and hold dear! :-) Gives this girl a warm heart!!!!

I made the dinner we had, and had a lot fun trying out new recipes! See the two posts below for Side Dish and Dessert ideas!

This is what I made for today:

APRICOT CHICKEN:

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
8 skinned chicken breast halves
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 c. nonfat yogurt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter and oil in shallow pan. Shake chicken in plastic bag with flour and salt until chicken is coated. Place in single layer in baking pan and bake 25 minutes.
Combine apricot preserves, mustard and yogurt. Spread on chicken and bake 30 more minutes or until done.

This was delicious! I highly recommend it! Give it a try and tell me what you thought of it! I look forward to another year of my life and all of the things that the Lord has in store for me! Can't wait to start the adventure!

Birthday Dinner Side Dish!

I made this as a veggie to go along with our dinner today. I also made the sweet potato casserole that I had posted on here earlier this month! I am really impressed with this recipe and will definitely make it again! My Momma and I LOVE Brussel Sprouts...Her more than me, but I would've never thought to do them this way. They turned out fantastically.

(I must apologize for not having pictures of what you need. My camera decided to quit working all together this weekend!) :-)

GLAZED BABY CARROTS & BRUSSEL SPROUTS:

INGREDIENTS:

2 Lbs. baby carrots

2 Lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and scored

1 1/2 C. Chicken broth

6 Tbsp. Butter

1/3 C. Packed Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Black Pepper

Blanch carrots in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer carrots to bowl of ice water using slotted spoon. Return water to boil. Add sprouts and blanch until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to another bowl of ice water. Drain vegetables, and refrigerate if making ahead. Bring stock, butter or margarine, and brown sugar to a boil in a heavy large skillet. Stir until sugar dissolves. Boil until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; return to boil before continuing. Add carrots. Cook until almost tender and sauce begins to coat, shaking pan occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and pepper. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.

I did blanch the veggies last night and kept them in the fridge to complete the process after church this morning. I WILL make these again!!!

BIRTHDAY DESSERT!

So I decided that I was going to get a pie from Maisy's Pie Company here in the GR area for part of the dessert for my birthday dinner today. I decided on a Raspberry Cream Pie, and it was delivered to my doorstep yesterday afternoon! It really was good and a nice addition to the Pumpkin Cream Pie that I made, courtesy of a recipe from none other than The Pioneer Woman herself!

Here's the pie from Maisy's:

YUMMY

I also made a pie!

PUMPKIN CREAM PIE:

The cast of characters:

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CRUST:

1-½ Pkg. Graham Crackers (about 15 Cookie Sheets)
½ C. Powdered Sugar
1 Stick Butter, Melted
FOR THE FILLING:
1 box (3 Oz. Box) Vanilla Pudding (Cook And Serve Variety)
1 C. Half-and-half
½ C. Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
½ C. (plus 3 Tablespoons) Pumpkin Puree
½ C. (additional) Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp.  Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Grind graham crackers in a food processor (or, if you don’t have a food processor, place them in a large ziploc and pound ‘em with a rolling pin.) Add powdered sugar and melted butter and process until totally combined. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan until nice and firm. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warm and “set.” Remove from oven and allow crust to cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, mix dry pudding mix with half-and-half and cream. Add spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly and thick. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey, if using. Add pumpkin and stir to combine. Place lid on pot and set aside to cool. When cool enough, place pot in the fridge to cool completely.
When mixture is cool, remove from the fridge. In a mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and brown sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy. Fold in pumpkin cream mixture until combined. Pour into cooled crust.
Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.

The finished product:

This was simple, easy and DELICIOUS!



The PERFECT Spring Supper

I was so excited to see the sunshine here again today, not so excited about the cooler temperatures! I really think that Spring might finally have sprung in the GR Michigan area!!!! YAY!!!!

Since it has been so nice, I decided that there was no better time to break the good ol' grill out and put it to use. I found the recipe I made for supper tonight on the Pioneer's Woman's site, boy can that lady cook! I have to say that anything that used FRESH Pineapple is alright in my book! YUM

GRILLED CHICKEN & PINEAPPLE QUESADILLA'S

Here's what you need:

INGREDIENTS:

8 whole Flour Tortillas
Butter Or Margarine
2 C. Pineapple, Sliced; Grilled
3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt And Pepper, to taste
3 C. Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Cilantro
6 Tbsp. Barbecue Sauce

This is what I used to peel and slice my Pineapple. It's a wonderful tool called a Pineapple Wedger from The Pampered Chef! You just hack off the top and bottom of your pineapple and then this handy-dandy tool does the rest!

It cuts it in half/cores it. All I had to do was cut it up into chunks!

Here it is on the grill:



(To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.)
(To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness.)
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Spice of your choice. Grill until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.
Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.
To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You’ll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)
Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, and pico de gallo. (I made my own!)

Browning/melting the cheese:

And here's the finished product:

These were really simple and easy, and so good! I used a Smoky Barbecue Rub on the chicken before it was grilled and then the bro brushed on some Sweet Baby Rays!

I hope that you will give these a try! Enjoy!

A St. Patrick's Day Treat!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!! I know that there are a lot of people that are out and about enjoying some corned beef and cabbage and green beer around here in the GR area, but that would not be the bro and I. For those of you that are out enjoying the days festivities, have fun and be safe!

We LOVE sauerkraut in this house, but I don't make/use it too much. Today was an exception! Today I put the Slow Cooker to good use and made what was needed for this recipe. It turned out great and was a wonderful supper.

SLOW COOKER REUBEN SANDWICHES

What's needed:

Gotta love a recipe with very few ingredients!! :-)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pkg. (2 lbs.) Refrigerated Sauerkraut

1 Pkg. (2 to 3 lbs.) Corned Beef Brisket

1 C. Thousand Island Dressing

16 Slices Pumpernickel/Rye Bread; toasted

8 Slices Swiss Cheese

Place Sauerkraut in the bottom of a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker. Place Beef Brisket on top of Sauerkraut (if it contains a seasoning packet, season the brisket with that). Cover and cook on low for 9 to 11 hours. Remove beef from slow cooker and cut the corned beef into slices. Using a slotted spoon place a 1/2 cup of sauerkraut on a slice of bread, top with corned beef slices. Top with Swiss Cheese slice. Spread 1 Tbsp. Thousand Island on top slice of bread, and make a sandwich. Serve.

This was quite tasty and hit the spot:

Even if you're not Irish, this truly is a delicious meal! I will make this one again, J. really liked it and I know he would be happy to eat it again, and again!!!

An Easy Day In The Kitchen On A Beautiful Michigan Day!

It has been a busy day around here. The brother and I had a great time this morning taking care of our two adorable nieces, here at our house. They arrived around lunch time, at their lunch that their Mommy picked up for them and then made some cookies with Aunt Melissa! They so enjoyed being able to put all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and each got a turn to switch the mixer on. The best part was that they had cookies to take home and share with Mommy and Daddy and tell them that they made them with love!

It was a gorgeous sunny, semi-warm day here and I LOVED it! I have Spring Fever so bad after today, and hope that Mr. Sunshine decides to stick around for a while. After the girls left the bro and I steam cleaned our carpets, I finished cleaning the house, doing laundry and running a few errands. It was nice to have the front door and the windows open and air out the house a bit! I decided that I didn't want to heat the house up too much tonight, so I opted for an easy supper. It worked out quite well with this recipe, courtesy of the Family Cookbook and my cousin J.! I put the beans (see post below) in the oven and while that baked for the first 40 minutes, I went outside and cleaned the deck and the overhang! I feel so accomplished!

CHICKEN BUNS

Here are the characters (minus the celery and water chestnuts)

I like a recipe with very few ingredients!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cans Swanson Chicken

1/2 C. Celery, diced

1/3 C. Water Chestnuts; diced

3/4 tsp. Dried Minced Onion

1/2 C. Mayonnaise

1 (10 oz.) Biscuits (I used 1 1/2 Rolls of the above)

2 1/2 Slices American Cheese; cut in triangles (I used 6 slices cut in 1/2, a 1/2 for each Bun)

Mix first 5 ingredients. Place single biscuit in a muffin cup of muffin pan. Top each with 1/4 C. of mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 for 17 to 21 minutes.

Here's the finished meal:

This was a delicious meal, and oh so easy! THE BEST!!!

This is really a good meal to make if you are on a schedule or in a hurry! I highly recommend it.

Don't forget to check out my Post: It's My Birthday & I'll Party If I Want To! and leave a comment for your chance to win a prize! Thanks for reading!

Oh, I broke things up on these posts as a suggestion from a friend. I also added Labels so that it will be easier to go through my blog and find things that you might be looking for. This may mean more posts on any given day, but should make things easier if I keep it to 1 recipe per post. Don't know why I didn't think of that, but I have some pretty awesome friends that look out for me! :-)

Tonight's Side Dish

This is the dish that I served along with supper tonight! It is one of my favorites, and I LOVE to make it! I have to make mention that this recipe came from a wonderful friend, who I call my Step-Momma...She and I used to work together at Bronson Hospital and she is like a 2nd Mother to me. So, thanks so much for this recipe Momma S.!

APPLE BAKED BEANS:

What you need:

INGREDIENTS:
1 (48 oz.) Randall's Great Northern Beans; drained (I only made 1/2 the recipe, so I used a smaller jar)
4 Tbsp. Butter
3 C. Granny Smith Apples; cubed
1/2 C. Onion; chopped
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Catsup
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter in large skillet. Add Apples and Onions; cook for 10 minutes, or until apples are tender.

The apple peels will lighten up considerably and should look like this:

Add Brown Sugar:

Stir until dissolved. Blend in the Catsup, Cinnamon and Salt. Place beans in a 2 Quart casserole dish and pour apple mixture over the top and mix well. Bake in oven for 1 hour.

This is what it should look like:

These are so delicious! Who would've thought to add apples, catsup and brown sugar to make some tasty baked beans! I love to make these. I hope that you will try them and enjoy them as much as we do.

Better Than Subway's Subs!

We just finished another yummo dinner here at our house. The discussion over the supper table was about the food we had growing up. The bro made the comment that we always knew what we were going to have from week to week, sometimes many of the same things each week....He said that he liked that. My reply was something to the effect that I could gladly go back to that and not make so many yummy new things! To which he promptly recanted and told me that he has enjoyed all the new stuff that I've been making and to PLEASE continue doing so! Hmmmm

As you could probably guess from the title of this post, we had subs for supper tonight. Subway has a meatball sub, that I will admit is pretty good but I found a recipe for Mini Meatball Sliders, and thought I would try it out, except I used mini sub buns instead of dinner rolls.

MINI MEATBALL SUBS

Here is the cast of characters (minus the bread):

INGREDIENTS:
1 Lb. Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef
½ C. Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
½ tsp. Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ C. Milk
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
½ Medium Onion, Diced
1 Jar (large) Marinara Sauce
12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Sub Rolls)
Provolone Cheese Slices


Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized rolls. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for one minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. (You might have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.) Pour in jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. Put on lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. Spoon a meatball into bun (if using dinner rolls), or several onto sub buns.

Serve immediately!

Yesterday, in anticipation of tonights dinner I made a side dish to go along with. I doctored it up a bit, and it turned out fabulously!

AMERICAN POTATO SALAD:

Items needed:

INGREDIENTS:

5 Lb. Red Potatoes (I used Russet)

6 Eggs

2 C. Mayonnaise

1 Onion, diced

1 Small Green Bell Pepper, seeded and diced

3 Stalks Celery, thinly sliced

2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

***NOTE*** I added 3 Tbsp. prepared Yellow Mustard, 2 1/2 tsp. Dill Weed, & some Paprika on top.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender but still firm. Drain, cool and cut into cubes. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. In a large bowl, combine chopped potatoes and eggs. Mix together mayonnaise, chopped onion, green onion, green pepper, and celery. (And any other add-in's you use) Season with salt and pepper, then mix well. Cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Here's how mine turned out:

I could hardly wait to try it tonight!

Here's the completed picture:

Tomorrow is Wednesday, which means that it's Bible Study Fellowship day for me! I am really enjoying our study through the book of Isaiah this year, and have really learned a lot! I can't believe that it's almost May and that BSF is almost over. :-( I hope that my schedule is open enough next year that I am able to participate again. As I've mentioned in other posts, every few months we have an All Group Fellowship after the main meeting. This is the time when the small group of ladies that I meet with get together at someone's house for a time of food and fellowship. Well, tomorrow is one of those days. I decided to make something simple, but that sounded so good to me! I have been craving Raspberries lately so this is what I decided to make:

EASY RASPBERRY CREAM PIE:

The cast:

INGREDIENTS:

25 Whole Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
4 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
1 C.  (generous) Raspberries
3 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Containers (6 Ounce Each) Raspberry Yogurt
1 Pkg. (3.4 oz.) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
Extra Raspberries For Garnish

To make the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crust cookies in a food processor (or smash in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin). Stir in melted butter until all combined. Pour into a regular pie pan and press crumbs all over the pan and up the sides. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes—just long enough for it to set. Cool crust completely.
Place raspberries on a plate or in an empty pan. Smash them with a fork, then sprinkle on 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir together and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine raspberry yogurt with the instant vanilla pudding mix (just the powder itself.) Beat on low until combined, about 1 minute. Pour in heavy cream and whip on low for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn mixer on medium-high speed and beat for two minutes, or until mixture is thick.
Turn off mixer, then fold in raspberries until just combined. Pour into cooled pie pan and spread evenly. Freeze for two hours, or until very firm. Cut into slices and top each slice with cookie crumbs, dollops of whipped cream, and extra raspberries. Keep in freezer, allowing time to thaw before serving.


Now before I go on and show you the pictures of the finished product, I have to show you the COOL NEW gadget that I have, that I used for the cookies! It is a MANUAL FOOD PROCESSOR!!!! What is that you ask? It is a food processor that you DON'T have to plug into the wall, and it is FABULOUS!!!!! This thing is truly amazing! It is a New item that The Pampered Chef just came out with, and it is a HUGE hit! I have used mine for so many things and it has become a favorite in my kitchen.

Here it is:

You pump the handle (that round thing on the top) to chop items. Mine is in the locked position.

It has a round rubber grip on the bottom to hold it in place.

I threw the Oreo's in 6 at a time and this is what it did, with very little effort!

The best part is, that this whole little beauty is dishwasher safe...all except the lid which you just want to wipe off with a soapy rag, not submerge it in water. The blades are SUPER sharp as well, and considering how much I've put mine to use in the few weeks that I've had, they've stayed that way. AMAZING!!!!!

And here's the pie right before going into the freezer:

I can't wait to dive into this tomorrow!

Both the Meatball Sub Recipe and the Pie are courtesy of the Pioneer Woman! Boy does that lady have some tasty recipes!

I hope that you all are having a great week so far! Don't forget to check out my Birthday GiveAway post for your chance to win!

A Lazy Sunday

This morning I woke up with a terrible migraine, and I just crawled back under the covers and went back to sleep. I was bummed that I missed church, but figured that if it was better by the afternoon I would be able to attend this evening. I am happy to say that the headache is at a dull roar and that I was able to go to church tonight, and even to hang out with friends after for a bit! I'm home now and relaxing before I go to bed. Have to be up early in the morning to take care of the little ones at the BSF Leaders meeting.

We had a very easy lunch today of premade Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breasts, but in my defense I did make the side dish to go along with it.

AWESOME BROCCOLI-CHEESE CASSEROLE

Here is what you will need:

INGREDIENTS:

1 (10.75 ounce) Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 C. Mayonnaise

1 Egg, beaten

1/4 C. Onion, finely chopped

3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli

8 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

2 pinches paprika

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together condensed cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, egg and onion. Place frozen broccoli into a very large mixing bowl. Break up the frozen broccoli. Using a rubber spatula, scrape soup-mayonnaise mixture on top of broccoli, and mix well. Sprinkle on cheese and mix well. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish, and smooth top of casserole. Season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the preheated oven.

This is the yummy dish after baking:

It really was delicious!

So since I really wanted to go and hang out with friends after church I had to come up with something to take along. I needed to do this even if I didn't go, because J. would have went without me, and he would need something to contribute. Ironically after I had already made this dessert I saw on a friends Facebook Page that it is National Coconut Tart Day!

COCONUT-LIME TART

The cast:

INGREDIENTS:
1 Bag Sweetened Flake Coconut (about 5 1/3 Cups)
2 Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp. Sugar

FILLING: (This is a Pampered Chef Recipe---So if you don't have some of these items I will give you some substitution ideas)
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
4 oz. Cream Cheese; softened
1/3 C. Powdered Sugar
1/2 C. Coconut Lime Sauce; divided
1 Lime
***NOTE*** You could subsitute Lime Juice from an extra Lime squeezed for the Sauce.

Prehat oven to 375. Spray torte pan with cooking spray. Cut out a circle of Parchment Paper to fit center of tart pan. For the crust set aside 1 Cup of the coconut. Place the rest in a microwave safe bowl and heat on High for 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute for the first 3 minutes, then every 30 seconds for the remaining until coconut is golden brown. Combine toasted coconut, reserved coconut, eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Spoon mixture into tart pan, spread crust evenly. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edge is slightly crisp. Remove pan from oven. Invert crust onto Cooling Rack or serving plate. (I put the plate on the tart pan and then flipped it.) Cool for 5 minutes.
Put 1 C. Cool Whip in plastic bag and set aside. For filling combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/3 C. sauce (or Lime Juice), whisk until smooth. Add remaining Cool Whip and mix until stiff. Slice the lime into 6 slices; slice each piece in half.
Spread filling over crust; spreading evenly. Trim corner of bag with Cool Whip and squirt dollops around outside edge. Garnish with Lime pieces. (If you have the sauce you can drizzle it over the cake) Refrigerate before serving.

Here are a few views of the finished product:

Isn't it pretty?

This was a HUGE hit tonight! I also brought along some of the cinnamon bread with a little honey butter and that was GONE!! There were only a few pieces of the tart left to take home, the bro was happy to have some left! ;-) This really is an easy recipe to make despite the steps! I will definitely make it again.

Don't forget to scroll down the the It's My Birthday & I'll Party If I Want To post for a chance at a GiveAway!

A Tasty Bread Recipe

I was searching the internet for some bread recipes, as the though of homemade bread has alway appealed to me. The only problem is that I don't own a bread machine. I found this recipe from the Pioneer Woman and I decided to give it a try. As I type this the bread is cooling as it just came out of the oven, and my house smells DIVINE! I will warn you that this a very time intensive recipe, not labor intensive though.

CINNAMON BREAD

Here's what you will need:

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. Milk
6 Tbsp. Butter
2-½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Eggs
⅓ C. Sugar
3-½ C. All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
⅓ C. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam

down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Here it is after all the rising that it needed:

And here it is right out of the oven and pan:

This smells so fantastic! I also sprinkled a little cinnamon and sugar on top before baking!

Please don't mind the few imperfections on my bread, I had a litte bit of a struggle getting it out of the pan. I recommend greasing it EXTRA well! The top is also very crispy, but from what I can tell about the inside due to it having pulled apart a bit, the inside is very moist, and that's all I'm concerned about!

I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning before church!!! YUMMMMM

Also, don't forget to read the post about my Birthday for a GiveAway! 

It's My Birthday & I'll Party If I Want To!

It's NOT my birthday today, but it will be my birthday on March 21st! In honor of this milestone I thought that it would be nice if I gave out a present to one of you!!! YAY for all of you.... :-) Isn't it nice to reap the benefits of someone else's birthday? As I get older (no need to insert my age here. And yes I'm WELL aware that some of you know the number!), I find joy in the simple things of just a nice dinner with family and friends, nothing too spectacular. So this year my parents are coming into town on the 20th and I am having them and our friends S. & E. and their two kiddos over for dinner! I invited the older brother and sister-in-law with the girls as well, but they have a prior engagement...didn't want you to think that I had left them out! I am going to be cooking, and am really happy to be making dinner. I will announce the recipe for that as the time gets closer.

BUT, in the meantime I thought that I would share this with you. So, without further a-do I announce my gift to giveaway to one lucky winner!


Here is what I will send to you:

It is a very cute Heart shaped glass dish. You may use it for whatever you would like. It is from Pampered Chef!

Now for the conditions of this giveaway. You didn't just think I was going to give this away and not make you work for it, did you? What fun would that be? I will randomly select one winner from those that leave comments HERE on this post. What I would like you to tell me in your post is What is the BEST Birthday present that you have ever received?

All names of those that have posted will go into a drawing to win this dish! I will draw and announce the winner on my actual birthday on Monday March 21st! If you post annonymously please leave me either your initials or your first name, so that I know who you are! Thanks!

Thanks so much for checking out my blog, and Good Luck!!!!   :-) 

A Treat For My Daddy!

My Mom has been in town since Tuesday of this week to take care of my nieces as my brother and sister-in-law went out of town. She spent most of Tuesday here with the bro and I, and we spent the day looking for a new washer and dryer-as ours went on the fritz. We spent several hours checking out different stores, and finally we went to look at a set that I had found on Monday night on Craigslist. That is the set that we finally decided on! It is only a few years old, and was WAY cheaper than buying a brand spanking new set...this one is new to us and that's good enough for me! Craigslist is a beautiful thing! :-) We owe a HUGE thanks to my Mom for shopping with us, to our friend S. for coming over last night to help the bro remove the old set and put it on the porch for pick-up today, and to one of the bro's old bosses B. for going with his truck to pick up the new set today and installing them here in the house. We couldn't have done it without all of you!!!!

Now on to today's special item! Since my Mom has been in town all week and Dad had to be at work I thought that it might be nice if his daughter made him a treat with one of his favorite things....APRICOT!!!!

APRICOT BARS

Here are some of the cast of characters:

I forgot to put the flour in for this picture!

INGREDIENTS:

1-½ C. Flour
1-½ C. Oats
1 C. Packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
1-¾ Stick Butter, Cut Into Pieces (Make sure butter isn't ice cold and very soft)
1 Jar (10-12 Ounce) Apricot Preserves
***NOTE*** I doubled the recipe to fit into a 9x13 pan. Otherwise the above uses and 8 inch square pan. You may also use any other Fruit Preserves you would like.

Mix together all ingredients except apricot preserves. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8” square (or small rectangular) pan. Spread with a 10-12 ounce jar of apricot preserves. Sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares.

Here it is before I put the top layer on:

YUM!

Here is the finished product:

I HAD to taste test a little piece that crumbled when I pulled them out of the pan....You know I needed to make sure they weren't going to poison him or anything...WINK, WINK!!!! They sure are tasty! I sent home most of the pan with my Mom, but kept a few for us to savor as well. After all, all of the oatmeal in there makes them healthy, right?!?!



Lots Of Activity In My Kitchen

I have been spending a lot of time in my kitchen lately...I'm not complaining about it at all. I have made some pretty yummy stuff as of late and have a lot that I want to share with all of you today!

Earlier this week a site that I like on Facebook posted a picture of a Lemon Tart that they had made, and it looked delicious!!!! It had me drooling, and got me thinking....I had a large lemon in the house that I needed to use up and thought that instead of using it in my drinking water I would bake something with it...GOOD IDEA!!!! :-) Another friend of mine had commented on the Facebook picture and since I was going to be seeing her at BSF on Wednesday morning I thought it would be nice to share! She was thrilled, and I was glad to make her smile!

THE BEST LEMON BARS:

Here's what you will need:

The Lemon is larger than it appears!!!

INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:

1 C. Butter; softened

1/2 C. Sugar

2 C. Flour 

FILLING:

4 Eggs

1 1/2 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Flour

2 Medium Lemons or 1 Large Lemon; juiced (I zested half of the lemon before juicing it)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice (and zest if you so desire a little extra flavor). Pour over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. I sifted powdered sugar over the top of mine.

***NOTE*** You could also substitute Limes for the Lemons and make Lime Bars this way as well! MMMM The crust is a bit thick in the pan when pressed in, but it does thin out during the baking with the lemon filling.

Here they are cut and ready to take to Bible Study to give to E VT:

Yummy!

Look at that Lemony goodness!

I did take some and share them with my Momma tonight, as she is in town taking care of two of the cutest girls I know! Mom loves lemon as much as I do, so I think she was pretty happy to have the treat! And since Dad had to stay home because he has to work, I will be making a special treat for Mom to take home with her to him on Saturday...Doesn't he have such a nice daughter?!?! Hahaha ;-)

This next recipe was something that we NEVER would've had at our house growing up because Dad despises this with all that is in him! Even if this were the last possible meal on earth, he would PASS in a heartbeat and starve...I'm being serious here people. Even the meer mention of this makes him visibly cringe...Wowza!!!

HOMEMADE MACARONI & CHEESE

Here's what you will need for this oh so yummy comfort food:

INGREDIENTS:
4 C. Dried Macaroni
1  Egg; beaten
¼ C. (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
¼ C. Flour
2-½ C. 2% Milk
2 tsp. (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired (I used the recommended, but would use probably only 1 tsp. next time)
1 Lb. Cheese, Grated (I used Sharp Cheddar)
½ tsp. Salt, More To Taste
½ tsp. Seasoned Salt, More To Taste (I used Lawry's)
½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme (I sprinkled Paprika on the top)

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni SHOULD BE too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt. YOU MAY TURN THE STOVE OFF AT THIS POINT) Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. You may serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

I chose to bake mine. Here it is ready for the oven:

All bubbly after baking:

I could almost taste this when I took this picture! YUMMY

It gets a little crunchy on the top, but that just hides the creamy, smooth goodness underneath:

This was last nights dinner.

So today I ventured on over to my friend E's house to deliver some items to her, and we also sat down and made the Menu Board for my house. I'm so excited about it, and it turned out great! We used her Cricut to cut out the letters, and it was so smooth and easy. It looks so much better than the one that I made as a template!!!

Here is the finished product:

What do you think?

Last week on Saturday E. and her husband S. had a function they needed to go to, so I went over to stay with their adorable little ones while they took their naps and then we ventured out to go see their Mommy & Daddy when they woke up. Well, E. had made some seriously DELICIOUS bars and she sent me home with some. I may have had something to do with the fact that I brought some homemade salsa over there that day....No, I think it's just because she is such a great friend! I am not a huge chocolate fan, but I will say that I could eat these ANY day, they are that good! So, when I was over there today I asked her if she would share the recipe with me and if she minded if I posted it here on the blog...she happily obliged. So this next recipe is thanks to E. and ALL of the credit goes to her.

MISSISSIPPI MUD BARS

INGREDIENTS:

1 (12 oz.) Pkg. Chocolate Chips

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 tsp. Salt

Melt the above ingredients together in the microwave and set aside.

1 C. Butter

2 C. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

Cream these ingredients together. Then add:

2 1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

3 C. Oatmeal

Put 3/4 of the dough mixture in a jellyroll pan and then pour the chocolate mixture on top and spread it out. Then drop the rest of the dough mixture onto it. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Here is what they should look like:

This is the last one in our house from her, glad it survived so you could see it. It won't be around much longer!

I have a special announcement coming by the beginning of next week. Keep checking back for it, it's something you won't want to miss!