Just Like Grandma's

Macey's Polka Dot cake

2010-12-23T23:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been wanting to share all of my decorated cakes. I have tons of them to share, so maybe if I post just one a week, I can get caught up! This cake was so delicious! I started adding my secret ingredient to my cakes not too long before making this one. I'm sorry, I can't give that away, but I will show you what the inside looked like! The birthday girl loved it!

WINNER and Pound for Pound Challenge Results!!!

2010-07-21T09:06:00.000-04:00

I guess I should announce the winner of the $30 Kroger Gift Card just in case you're wondering! How about a big CONGRATS to VickyB from VickieB's Ramblings!! She said she likes Cheerios, so I'm sure she'll be using her gift card to get some!

I also want to proudly say that a whopping 6.2 Million Pounds of groceries were delivered to food banks across America! Thanks to everyone who participated in the Pound for Pound Challenge! I also hope that you are successfully meeting your weight loss goals! I pledged to lose eight pounds and I've only lost one so far. BUT, I'm eating healthier and working out, so I know I'll get there if I keep this up! The first few weeks are the most frustrating!! With that said, it's time to go eat some Cheerios and head to the gym! Have an awesome day!!!

Peace Love Dance Cake

2010-06-21T08:06:00.000-04:00

Here's a cake I made for a customer a couple of weeks ago...it's for her daughter's dance class. She said everyone loved it! This cake is a yellow butter cake with buttercream icing...a customer favorite!

Well, I made a few cakes this weekend, but unfortunately, I had a little mishap with my camera and I couldn't take any pictures! I'll be getting it fixed, but guess what my husband got for Father's Day?? A Nikon Coolpix S4000!! It's a really good compact camera, by the way! I may just have to borrow it until I get mine fixed ;)

Hope everyone has a fantabulous week!! Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY and enter the Pound for Pound Challenge!

Kroger $30 Gift Card Giveaway and Pound for Pound Challenge

2010-06-07T21:37:00.001-04:00

Ok everybody; it’s time to put away all the cakes, cookies, and other unhealthy foods. It’s time to start eating healthy, exercising, and shedding a few pounds. I know, easier said than done, huh?

Well, here’s a very good reason to do it. The Kroger Co. Family of Stores, General Mills, NBC's hit TV Show "The Biggest Loser" and other key sponsors are partnering to donate up to $1,080,000 to Feeding America this year. All you have to do is pledge to lose a few pounds. For every pound you pledge to lose by June 30, 2010, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Feeding America® - enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

Visit www.pfpchallenge.com/Kroger to make your pledge to lose weight and to get more information and to find tools to change your life for the better. It is free, easy and only takes a minute to make a change that can help you and help the hungry in your local community. Be sure you tell all your friends about this so they can pledge, too!

I personally pledged to lose 8 pounds. Exercising is on the top of my list right now. Of course, eating healthy is next. Fortunately, Kroger Co. Family of Stores has helped by providing me with a $30 gift card! I can’t wait to go shopping for some healthy General Mills products!

Now, here’s the good news! They are also providing one of my readers with a $30 gift card! Here’s what you can do to win:

Simply post a comment! This entry is required to participate in this giveaway. Make sure you include your e-mail address so that I may contact you.

Additional entries:

• Post another comment stating how many pounds you pledged to lose.
• Post another comment stating which General Mills product(s) you would like to purchase.
• Become a follower on Google Friend Connect and post a comment stating that you have done this.
• Follow me on Twitter by clicking here and post a comment including your Twitter ID.
• Tweet about my giveaway on Twitter (Tweet must link directly back to this post) and post a comment stating that you have done this.
• Blog about my giveaway and post 2 comments state that you have done this (that’s 2 additional entries!)

All entries must be received by Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at midnight. A winner will be selected randomly on Thursday, July 1, 2010. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. If winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be randomly selected.

The Kroger Family of Stores includes Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralph´s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillon's, Smith´s, Fry´s, QFC, Baker´s, Owen´s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott´s Food & Pharmacy.

This giveaway and information were provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

I hate to say it...

2010-04-29T10:18:00.000-04:00

I guess it's better to say it than to say nothing at all....

I'm (kind of) on a blogging break. This wasn't intended, but I just realized I haven't posted in over two weeks! I still love all my friends in the blogging world!! But, in an attempt to become healthy again and lose some weight, I've added "working out" to my already busy schedule. This leaves no time to blog right now. But, the good news is...my grad school classes are ending in a week! After that, my husband and I are taking a much-needed vacation. Then I'll have time to blog again...and cook decent meals again! I have so many recipes that I want to share, so I can't wait for the summer so I can share them! Stay tuned....I'll be back!!!

My Busy Self and Some Special K Protein Meal Bars

2010-04-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

Between now and the end of April, I have a gazillion things to do! I have 4 papers to write, 6 homework assignments, and an exam. Plus, I have cakes to bake. We are also giving my brother-in-law and his fiancé a shower this weekend. Then, Chase’s birthday is next week and I want to plan something special for him!

Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy because I have so much to do, but really….I wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s the way my life has been for about the last 4 years, and I’m getting used to it! Everything I do is rewarding and I love it!

With that said, I may not be able to blog as much as I’d like in the next few weeks, but I’m still here reading comments and occasionally visiting other blogs! I plan on posting a few more photos from our trip this week!

Now, I wanted to share my latest food addiction with you. I’m absolutely HOOKED on these Special K Protein Meal Bars! They have 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. And they are SO GOOD! Since I’ve been so busy lately, I’ve been eating these either for breakfast or for an afternoon snack...or sometimes both!! I just grab a couple as I go out the door every day! My favorite flavor so far is peanut butter, which is pictured here. They have several flavors and I haven’t tried them all yet! I’m looking forward to trying the strawberry flavor. I actually ate my last bar yesterday and thankfully my hubby got paid today so I can stock up on more!!

I'm Back and We have a Winner!

2010-04-11T10:42:00.003-04:00

Hope you all had a great week! I'm back from our road trip! We visited family in Kentucky and traveled up to Ohio as well! We had a great time and can't wait to go back! The land is very beautiful there! Much different from the flat land here where we live! I wanted to share a few pictures from our trip!

Here are the kids at the Ohio River. We were in Ohio. Kentucky was just across the bridge.

Here’s a view of the Ohio River from Maysville, Kentucky! We were standing at an old train station. The restaurant you see in the background is where George Clooney’s parents eat frequently.

And finally here’s a shot of downtown Maysville.

Now, here’s what you've been waiting for….our winner….I chose a winner using randomizer.org. I was surprised that it chose the 2nd comment!

Congratulations to Call Me Pretty for winning the Yoplait Yogurt “Nourish Your Inner Goddess” Giveaway!!

Hope everyone has an awesome week! Enjoy the warm weather!!

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-04T21:57:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter!! It was such a beautiful day today and I took lots of great pics of the kids! I love days like today. We had a nice dinner with the family tonight and now we are packing to take a little road trip! I've been extremely busy for the last week and I'm looking forward to things calming down at the beginning of May! I get a much needed 3-month break from grad school!

I will be posting a winner for the Nourish Your Inner Goodness Giveaway as soon as I get back! Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Enjoy your week!

Nourish Your Inner Goddess...Giveaway!!! - CLOSED!!

2010-03-26T18:20:00.002-04:00

Ok, I said I'd post about my giveaway this week, so here it is!! Do you need a little something to help you relax? If so, I have the perfect gift pack for you! I am excited to announce this really awesome giveaway! Yoplait Yogurt provided me with a wonderful "Nourish Your Inner Goddess" gift pack through MyBlogSpark! They are also providing the same gift pack to one of my lucky readers and that could be you!

The gift pack included 2 coupons for Yoplait's new Greek Yogurt.

"With 12 grams of protein -- twice that found in leading yogurts-- new Yoplait Greek nourishes from the inside out. Available in four delicious flavors, Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain, the brand´s newest offering has a unique thick and creamy texture with the unmatched taste expected of Yoplait."

I've never been much of a breakfast person, but in a recent attempt to eat healthier, I've been trying to make myself eat breakfast. I've been eating yogurt for breakfast lately, so when I received this gift pack, I was very excited that this yogurt included 12 grams of protein! I don't know of any other yogurt with that much protein in one serving! I tried Strawberry and Honey Vanilla. They were thick and creamy, not thin and smooth like their other yogurts. The flavor was great and once I got used to the thicker texture, I really enjoyed eating this yogurt! The best thing about it was that it filled me up until lunch! I didn't have a craving for a snack in between meals as usual! I will be purchasing this yogurt again! Strawberry is my personal favorite and Honey Vanilla is delicious when used as a fruit dip!

For those of you that want to try this yogurt right away, click here to download a coupon! (This coupon may not be valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee)

To celebrate its new Greek yogurt and to encourage women to nourish their inner goddess, Yoplait has teamed up with actress Izabella Miko, who plays Greek Goddess Athena in the epic adventure new Warner Bros. Pictures´ and Legendary Pictures´ film "Clash of the Titans," in theatres April 2 in 3D. Click here to check out the trailer for the movie!

How to Enter:

Post a comment to let me know which flavor of Yoplait Greek Yogurt you'd like to try the most! This entry is required.

Additional entries:

• Become a Follower on Google Friend Connect and post a comment stating that you have done this.

• Follow me on Twitter by clicking here or by clicking the link at the top of this page and post a comment including your Twitter ID.

• Tweet about my giveaway on Twitter (Tweet must link directly back to this post) and post a comment stating that you have done this.

• Blog about my giveaway and post 2 comments stating that you have done this (that’s 2 additional entries!)

Important: Include your e-mail address so I may contact you if you are a winner.

All entries must be received by Saturday April 3rd at midnight. A winner will be selected randomly and announced on Sunday April 4th. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. If winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be randomly selected.

Yoplait and MyBlogSpark provided both gift packs, coupons, and information.

Spring is Here and Awards!!!

2010-03-22T10:55:00.001-04:00

I’m so excited that spring is here! Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the children are enjoying playing outside. Our family tends to stay cooped up in the house when it’s cold outside! Once it warms up, though, we just can’t get enough of the outdoors! And for the first time in my life, we have a garden! My husband has been working hard preparing the soil so we can grow our own vegetables this year! I’m so excited!!

Now, it’s AWARD TIME!!

The other day, I received not just one award, but FOUR AWARDS from Pam at A Love for New Recipes! Be sure to check out her awesome blog! Thank you so much Pam!!

Here are the awards:

BEAUTIFUL BLOGGER AWARD:

SPECIAL HAPPY BLOGGERS LOVE AWARD:

KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD:

HONEST SCRAP AWARD:

Now, I’m supposed to name seven things about myself and pass this award onto seven others, so here it goes: (Hope you enjoy!)

Seven things about myself:

1. I have a Bachelor’s Degree that I’m not even using right now. I guess you could say that I’m underemployed.

2. The closets in my house are color coded. I started this years ago when I worked at a department store and it has stuck with me ever since. It’s so much easier to find clothes this way.

3. When I was a little girl, I pretended to have my own cooking show, just like Julia Child.

4. My favorite fruit is pineapple.

5. I get distracted really easily. Really really easily. Just ask my husband.

6. I love to scrapbook, but haven’t really had time to do it in a few years. I spent $3,000 on scrapbook supplies the first year I started (Many of it still goes unused).

7. I just started a new blog, Bless Our Soles, where I plan to post about other family related things besides food. I did this so I could keep this blog purely food related! It will only take you a minute to check it out…there are only a few posts so far!

Seven bloggers I’d like to pass these awards to:

1. Megan at What Megan's Making

2. The Veggie Mom at My Veggie Table

3. Me, Myself, and Pie

4. Kitchen Koala

5. Pam at From my Motorhome to Yours

6. Kelli at Come Join Me In…

7. LeAnn at Dinner at the Osbornes

Congrats! If I had all day, I'd choose many more blogs, but unfortunately, I have work to do!

Also, keep checking back...I will be posting another Giveaway this week!

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Pot Pie

2010-03-22T08:50:00.000-04:00

After a successful shopping trip the other day, I scored some great deals on items that I probably wouldn’t have purchased otherwise. I picked up a few bags of Bird’s Eye Steamfresh Vegetables and some Pillsbury crescent rolls for almost free. I wanted to come up with a recipe that used these items, so I put my brain to work! I thought about doing a Chicken Pot Pie, but I wanted something different. So, I took the base that I use for my Chicken Pot Pie and simply added cheddar cheese to it. Then I decided to add bacon to kick the flavor up a little bit. And of course, the broccoli! I tasted the stuff before I had even baked it and couldn’t stop tasting it! It was SO GOOD! I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you! By the way, my husband said it was BETTER than the original Chicken Pot Pie! Let me know what you think!!

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Pot Pie

3 boneless chicken breasts
6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 (12 ounce) bag Bird’s Eye Steamfresh Broccoli Florets
½ cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups water and 3 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets (includes 2 sheets), thawed (If you do not do a lattice design, you can use only 1 sheet by just laying it on top) (See below for other options)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until almost done (just before becoming crisp). Remove from skillet and place in small bowl. (It’s up to you whether you discard the bacon grease or not. I saved some of it because it gave the chicken a nice flavor).
3. In same skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat until almost done (slightly pink in center). Remove from skillet and cut into small pieces.
4. Place chicken back into skillet. Add bacon and Creole seasoning and continue cooking until chicken is completely done. Set aside.
5. Meanwhile, cook broccoli florets according to package directions. Leave in microwave until ready to use.
6. In large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until melted. Stir in chicken broth and gradually whisk in the flour until thickened. Then add cheddar cheese and mix until cheese is completely melted.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in broccoli florets and chicken/bacon mixture. Pour mixture into a 9X9 casserole dish.
8. Place pastry sheet on top of the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pastry is done.

*If you don’t have puff pastry sheets on hand, or you are looking for a cheaper option, there are many out there! I recently purchased refrigerated crescent rolls that were on sale very cheap (with coupons) and used those as a topping. Pie crusts, biscuits, and of course homemade crusts can also be used. I can’t say that I have a personal favorite…they are all great! It’s the inside that counts :)

My Favorite Baked Ziti

2010-03-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

I’ve decided to start working out at least 5 days a week so I can squeeze into my clothes from last spring. I tried to start a month ago, but I was only managing to work out 2 days a week. I’ve also decided to work myself back up to a 5k and eventually a 10k to give me something to really work toward. So, I’m doing a “Couch-to-5k” program to get me ready! My husband asked me the question, “When are you going to have time for this?” He’s right. I’m already limited on time. But, it doesn’t hurt to set a goal and at least TRY, right. So far, I've already worked out 3 days this week!

Eating healthier has also been something I've been trying to do. It works for a while and then I start craving something like this delicious Baked Ziti. But, it’s ok as long as I don’t eat 3 platefuls, right? I did substitute ground turkey in this recipe last week, which cuts down on some of the fat, and it was still delicious!

This is my absolute favorite Baked Ziti recipe, and I sometimes use various cheeses, depending on what I have on hand! This recipe has been adapted from Allrecipes.com.

My Favorite Baked Ziti

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped OR 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey

1 (45 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 (6 ounce) package provolone cheese, sliced

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cottage cheese

1 (6 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded (I usually buy a larger bag and use more than it actually calls for, but if you don’t want any leftover mozzarella cheese, the 6 ounce bag will be fine)

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until tender. Add garlic or garlic powder. Transfer to a small bowl. (In order to shorten this recipe up a bit, I sometimes skip this step and put garlic powder directly into the meat mixture. It’s great with onions and fresh garlic, but our family really doesn’t miss them).

3. In skillet, cook ground beef (or ground turkey) on medium-high heat until evenly brown. Stir in the onion mixture and spaghetti sauce. Add salt, if desired.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In prepared dish, layer ½ of the cooked pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and ½ of the meat mixture. Then add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella cheese (reserving ½ cup for top), and remaining meat mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese are melted.

Important: I have tried layering this various ways, and it just wasn’t as good! This way, the cheeses melt onto the bottom layer of pasta nicely, while the meat, mozzarella, and pasta blend on top.

Also, you may not think everything is going to fit into the dish, and it definitely is a tight fit, but it will fit! You may want to put a pan on the bottom oven rack to catch spillovers, just in case!

We have a winner!!!

2010-03-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Brandy from The Windy {City} Wilsons!! She won the $25 Kroger Gift Card! Brandy said that she plans to stock up on cereal!

I used randomizer.org to select a winner. Brandy posted our 12th comment! Sorry for the poor photo, I didn't have my camera with me and my phone takes really terrible photos!

I also have another awesome giveaway coming soon (HINT: It's something to help you relax!)

Time to get back to posting more recipes :)

2 days left to enter my Giveaway!!

2010-03-12T09:27:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to visit Kroger or Kroger family of stores by Sunday March 14th to take advantage of the Cart Buster Savings Event! Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway so that you can win a $25 Kroger Gift Card! Click here to enter!!

Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....

Pink and Black Polka Dot Cake

2010-03-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

Ok guys, sorry for the poor photo here, but I forgot to take a final picture the morning after I finished the cake! I made this cake last weekend. Trust me, this cake was much cuter in person! It's all buttercream. Rather than pipe the polka dots directly onto the cake, I used the buttercream transfer method. It was so much easier, and I think I'm going to start using that method more often, especially when I have to draw very detailed images.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 Kroger Gift Card! It ends very soon!! Click here to enter!

Giveaway: $25 Kroger Gift Card!!! - CLOSED

2010-03-10T22:42:00.002-05:00

I’m so excited to announce my first giveaway!! I was fortunate enough to receive a $25 Kroger gift card from Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills through MyBlogSpark! The great news is that they are also offering another $25 Kroger gift card to one of my lucky readers!!

The Cart Buster Savings Event is going on now through Sunday March 14th at Kroger and the Kroger Family of Stores. Prices are so low that you can stock up on all your favorite name-brand products without breaking the bank (though you might bust your cart!)

Don’t miss this great event!! To find a Kroger store near you, click here!

How to enter:

Post a comment to let me know what you plan on stocking up on while prices are so low! This entry is required.

Additional entries:

• Become a follower on Google Friend Connect and post a comment stating that you have done this.

• Follow me on Twitter by clicking here or by clicking the link at the top of this page and post a comment including your Twitter ID.

• Tweet about my giveaway on Twitter (Tweet must link directly back to this post) and post a comment stating that you have done this.

• Blog about my giveaway and post 2 comments stating that you have done this (that’s 2 additional entries!)

Be sure to include your e-mail address so that I may contact you if you are a winner. All entries must be received by Sunday March 14th at midnight. A winner will be selected randomly and announced on Monday March 15th. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. If winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be randomly selected.

Thanks for entering and GOOD LUCK!!!

On TV tonight: Food Wars

2010-03-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

I’m always excited about new cooking shows on TV. Lucky for me, there’s a new one coming on and I don’t want to miss it! It’s Food Wars. It’s actually coming on in about 30 minutes on the Travel Channel. From the looks of it, it seems to be like Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay, which I thoroughly enjoy. They’re going all over the U.S. to settle debates of which restaurant makes the best dish in town. It looks like two episodes will be on tonight. They are “Chicago Italian Beef War” and “Buffalo Wing War.” I think they are airing the same episodes tomorrow night for those that can’t catch it tonight!

Click here to view a sneak peak of Food Wars

I'll let you know what I think of it after tonight's episodes!

Barbecue Country Style Pork Ribs and Rice

2010-03-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else enjoying warmer weather? I love it! I’m already dreaming of relaxing in the pool or going to the beach and feeling the sand between my toes! Then, when school gets out, I can stay home with the kids every day and feel like I’m a stay-at-home-mom for a little while! I can’t wait!

This recipe is great for a lazy day when you want a good meal, but don’t feel like slaving in the kitchen. It’s a crock pot recipe, but requires some boiling first, so it’s not really something you can prepare on a workday.

Boiling these country style ribs first makes them so tender! Plus, you are left with a wonderfully seasoned broth for rice. Add some veggies, and you’re done!

Barbecue Country Style Ribs

6-8 Country Style Ribs

8 cups water (approximately – I usually just make sure the ribs are covered)

1 bottle of barbecue sauce

½ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1. In large pot, bring water to boil. Add ribs, reduce heat to medium, and boil for about one hour.

2. Remove ribs from water. Place ribs in crock pot.

3. Add barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and Creole seasoning.

4. Cook for 3 hours on high setting or 6 hours on low setting.

Pork Seasoned Rice

4 cups broth left over from above recipe

2 cups white rice

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1. Bring broth to a boil. Add bouillon cube.

2. Once bouillon cube is dissolved, add rice and reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until rice is done and all juice is absorbed.

Exam results and Warm Cinnamon Apples

2010-03-02T11:02:00.006-05:00

Well, I got my Economics Exam results back and…I made a B. A low B. I’m not happy about that since I’m trying super hard to make straight A’s, but I realize that this is grad school and not like undergrad, so it’s a little bit harder. Well a lot harder. Plus, I have many more responsibilities now than I had before, including a husband and children and a full-time job and a cake business and a blog and I could go on….Ok, so I guess I should be satisfied with a B, but I’m still going to try to pull my grade up to an A!

I’ve always loved those yummy Cinnamon Apples that most country restaurants, like Cracker Barrel, serve. I ran across this recipe at Recipezaar.com and figured I’d give it a try. Of course, I adapted the recipe to our liking.

Cinnamon Apples

10 apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin (I used Granny Smith Apples – they are best for baking)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice (this is optional, and I didn’t add it because I didn’t have any, but I will definitely add it next time)
1 dash salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, mix all ingredients. (You can mix in the baking dish for less clean-up, but I like mixing in a bowl).
3. Put apples into a 9x13 baking dish that has been covered in aluminum foil. (Use double layers of foil, just in case. It can be messy to clean if it happens to get onto the baking dish!)
4. Bake in oven for about one hour. Stir about every 15 minutes to ensure that they are evenly cooked. They are done when all apple slices are tender and the juice has thickened.

I really enjoy eating these cinnamon apples alone, but they are also very good served with ice cream. Eaten alone, they are like a healthier version of an apple pie!

Or you can top an oatmeal bar with cinnamon apples, top that with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle with caramel! YUM!

Gadget of the Week: Paula Deen 3-Piece Chef Set

2010-02-28T23:16:00.001-05:00

Life has been so busy lately! I just took another exam Thursday night for my Economics course and boy, am I GLAD it’s over. I’ve fallen asleep with my book and notes open on my lap every night this past week! My husband was also out of town for 3 days, so it’s been really chaotic in my house! The house is a complete wreck and I spent all day today trying to catch up on laundry! I was hoping to spend this weekend cleaning, but Chase had a derby car race yesterday morning for cub scouts and I baked cakes all day after that!

I haven’t featured a Gadget of the Week in a few weeks, and I’ve been debating on what I wanted to feature next. I wanted to choose something smaller since I’ve been featuring larger electronic gadgets. I also wanted to feature something that I used often.

So, here it is….my 3-piece chef set from the Paula Deen Collection. I am so in love with these knives! They are non-stick and feature a non-slip handle. The set comes with an 8” Chef knife, 6” utility knife, and 3.5” paring knife. I love that they come in the red color because it matches my kitchen – even the blade is red! They also come with a protective sheath, which is very nice when storing the knives. From now on, I will not purchase a knife unless it does have a protective sheath. In fact, I’m loving these knives so much that I probably won’t be purchasing another knife any time soon! The blades are made from high-carbon Japanese steel. So far, I haven’t had to sharpen the knives and I’ve had them for 7 months. Cutting a pineapple is still as easy as cutting butter, and I’ve cut quite a few pineapples!

These knives are available at Walmart.com for $24.97. I think this exact set may be exclusive to Wal-Mart because I haven’t seen it anywhere else. There are similar Paul Deen knife sets at other locations, but the prices were a little higher.

I can’t say anything bad about these knives, and if you happen to be in the market for a new set of chef knives, I think you’d be happy if you purchased these!

Oatmeal Bars

2010-02-26T12:06:00.000-05:00

These oatmeal bars are soft and chewy and full of deliciousness! The first time I baked these, the kids wouldn't even taste them because they had oatmeal in them. I finally convinced the kids to give them a try and they loved them. They even asked for another batch about a week later! If you are a chocolate lover, I recommend adding the chocolate chips, but they are fabulous both ways!

My stepmom gave me this recipe when I was looking for something different to bake at Christmastime. Thanks for sharing, Renee!

Oatmeal Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups oatmeal
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional: 2 cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large mixer bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar.
3. Add eggs, oatmeal, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Stir in chocolate chips, if desired.
5. Spread evenly into greased 13x9 inch pan. (I spray Baker’s Joy into pan).
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven off and leave in for 3 more minutes. (It is done when edges begin to turn a little brown. Middle will be very soft until completely cooled).
7. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Happy 101 Blog Award!!

2010-02-26T10:21:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago, I received my very first blog award!! I was so excited and am so honored to have received this award!! It was given to me by JDaniel4’s Mom. Take a minute to visit her blog and check out her latest giveaways!

The rules for accepting this award are to list 10 things that make me happy and to pass this award onto 10 other bloggers. So, here it goes:

Ten things that make me happy (In no particular order):

1. Comments totally make my DAY!

2. I never knew how it felt before, but I now know that blog awards make me very happy!!

3. My readers, whether you comment or not, I ♥ U!

5. My husband, especially for trying all my recipes and being patient as I blog!

6. My children, for being my little guinea pigs!

7. When my husband sends me a sweet text message during the day saying how much he loves me (he just sent one and I started smiling immediately – I ♥ him)

8. The rest of my family! Love them all!

9. My loyal cake customers!

10. Food (of course!!)

Wow, I had a very hard time choosing just 10 blogs, but the following 10 are really awesome, so you should check them out!

Steph Chows

A Love for New Recipes

Chey Can Cook

Fresh Local and Best

Jamie Cooks It Up

Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

Spiderman Cake

2010-02-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

You can probably guess what I've been doing lately. I promise to post more recipes soon, but meanwhile, I'll keep sharing my cakes with you. I got the order for this cake on Wednesday and had to make it Thursday. Since time was limited, I used a cake kit for this one. I usually buy cake kits from Wal-mart. Yesterday, they charged me $6.50 for the kit, but they JUST went up. They used to charge $5! But, that's still cheaper than ordering one online and paying shipping. When I buy kits, I simply add the price of the kit to the normal price of the cake.

For this cake, I used the Spiderman Cake Kit, which included the Spiderman figure on the top left and the web ornament on the bottom right. The rest was buttercream.

Carolina Panthers Cake

2010-02-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!

I hope you all have had a great day! Jason surprised me with a sweet card and a gift certificate for a 60 minute massage! I REALLY need that! I don't know when I'll have time to get it, but I can't wait! I cooked him dinner last night before he went to work...salmon and baked veggies. He said it was very good, so I'll be posting the recipe soon! By the way, I have such a wonderful husband! I really think I love him 100 times more today than I did when I married him!!

Ok, now I'll share a cake I made last weekend for a Carolina Panthers fan. I drew the logo onto the cake with buttercream.

GO PANTHERS!!

Black Lab and Flowers Cake

2010-02-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

I had an order last weekend for a chocolate buttercream cake with a lab and flowers on it. It's always challenging to get orders like that. How can a dog and flowers go together? And how can I make it look nice on chocolate buttercream? So, I put my brain and my keyboard to work! I found a cake that was made by LetThereBeCake07, a member of CakeCentral.com that had a couple of labs on it. I copied her black lab because I liked it so much and because I couldn't really remember how a lab looked. I added the rest of the details, and this is what I ended up with!

Mama Dip's Peach Cobbler

2010-02-12T21:21:00.003-05:00

I’ve often been asked what my favorite dessert is, and I've never been able to decide. How in the world can you choose just one when there are thousands of delicious desserts?? Well, after all these years, I think I have finally made a decision! One dessert that I could eat and eat and NEVER get tired of is PEACH COBBLER!

I’ve made peach cobblers before, but just haven’t found the “perfect” recipe. I was determined to find that recipe the other day and I think I found it! It’s actually been in a cookbook right in my own kitchen for years. It’s perfect to me, but it really depends on how you like your peach cobbler. Some people like them sweeter, some like them spicier, and some like them cakeier! This recipe is an excellent recipe to start out with and then adapt it to your liking! Personally, I could have eaten the entire pan of cobbler as it was. But, my husband said it needed to be sweeter and my mom said it needed to be spicier. So, like I said, it REALLY depends on how YOU like it!

This recipe comes from the cookbook, Mama Dip’s Kitchen. Mildred Council, or “Mama Dip,” is the wonderful lady behind these recipes. She’s from Chatham County, North Carolina and now has a restaurant in Chapel Hill. Twenty-seven pages of this cookbook are dedicated to the story of her life of cooking. It’s definitely interesting to read. And the recipes…oh, the recipes!! If you love southern cooking, I recommend this cookbook!

Cobbler Crust (Makes top and bottom crust)

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup shortening

¼ cup cold water (I ended up needing more water here – probably more like 1/3 cup)

2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In large bowl, sift flour, salt, and sugar.
3. Add shortening and mix together well until crumbly.
4. Add water and mix to form a moist ball of dough.
5. On a floured surface, roll out half of the dough so that it will fit in the bottom of the pan. (I used 9X13 casserole dish). Press into bottom of pan and prick with a fork several times. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until done. It should look done but not brown. Cool for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Add fruit mixture (SEE BELOW).
7. Roll out the rest of the dough and place on top of fruit. Prick with a fork several times. Or roll it out, cut into strips, and make a lattice design over the fruit.
8. Brush the top crust with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Bake cobbler for 35 to 40 minutes.

Fresh Peach Cobbler (This is her exact recipe, but I doubled it for one cobbler, keeping the crust recipe the same).
2 tablespoons self-rising flour
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 cup sugar
6 cups sliced fresh ripe peaches (OR substitute canned peaches, drained)
¾ stick butter

1. Mix flour, ginger, and sugar together. Add peaches and mix well.
2. Spread onto bottom cobbler crust (See #6 above).
3. Cut butter into small pieces and dot on top fruit mixture.
4. Place top crust over the peaches and continue with #7 above.

Refrigerator Yeast Rolls

2010-01-31T10:13:00.002-05:00

Last week was one of the BUSIEST weeks of grad school so far. I had 3 homework assignments to do, an exam to take, and a paper to write. I managed to get it all done, BUT unfortunately I wasn’t able to cook for the family like I normally do. And the saddest part…I wasn’t able to blog!!!

A couple of weeks ago, my mom gave me this recipe for Refrigerator Rolls. She received this recipe in home economics class in high school...that would be about 30-something years ago. You can tell from the picture that the recipe has been used! She said she used to make these rolls all the time. I decided to try them, and I really enjoyed them. She recommended rolling the dough into small balls and using a muffin tin to bake them in. I put three balls in each one, which made for some nice looking rolls! These rolls are pretty dense, not light and fluffy as I was expecting them to be, but the flavor is great!

Refrigerator Rolls

½ cup boiling water

½ cup shortening

½ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 package dry yeast

½ cup lukewarm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Combine boiling water, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend well and cool. (I combine in same pot that I boil the water).

2. Add egg.

3. In large bowl, sprinkle yeast into lukewarm water and stir until dissolved.

4. Add egg mixture.

5. Blend in flour. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

6. Shape into rolls or small balls as described above. Place on greased pan (or muffin pan) and let rise for about 3 hours in a warm location.

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. (The directions say to bake for 12-15 minutes, but I found that this was too long).

Gadget of the Week: Rotisserie/Convection Oven

2010-01-20T23:47:00.000-05:00

This rotisserie/convection oven is a great gadget to have in the kitchen. It does take up counter space, but luckily I have an unused corner that I could put it in. The one I have is made by Euro Pro. It was a gift from my father-in-law, but from my research, they run somewhere around $100. This is something I would have never purchased myself, but I’m very glad that I have one now!! So, what are the pros and cons of this gadget? Here you go…

Pros:

The rotisserie function is awesome. The chicken is so moist and juicy and full of flavor! We simply sprinkled some Creole seasoning on the chicken before cooking. That’s all it needed!
The oven function is wonderful. You have 2 bake racks, so you can fit about 8 pork chops in it. Again, they are very moist and juicy! Actually nothing that I’ve baked in this oven has been even the least bit dry!
It has a lot of settings which include warm, bake, broil, toast, and of course convection and rotisserie. I’ve also heard they bake cakes very well, but I haven’t tried this yet!
There is a crumb tray at the bottom as well as a basking tray. Between those two trays, all of the grease or crumbs are caught and it makes clean-up super easy!
Did I mention that clean-up is super easy!?
It has a 60 minute timer and also has a stay-on mode. (I usually use the stay-on mode).

Cons:

It gets very hot! The handle stays pretty cool, but the rest of the oven it too hot to touch. I always make sure I don’t have anything on it or close to it.
The words around the dials are very hard to read. This seems to be a common complaint about this oven, from the research I’ve done. I have to get pretty close to it to read it, and I don’t have vision problems at all. It would probably be very hard for someone with vision problems to read.
It’s definitely bigger than a regular toaster! It does take up a more counter space, but it’s not so big that you can’t leave it on the counter all the time.

OVERALL, I think this oven is a great buy. It works great for us when I’m cooking things like pork chops or chicken and we have a family of 5. Instead of having to fire up the big oven, this oven can be used to save on electricity! Another way to be green!

Crock Pot Roast

2010-01-20T22:48:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite way to cook a roast, and it’s in the crock pot, so that’s even better! You can prepare it in about 5 minutes and then leave it to cook all day. It’s so tender and perfect served over rice or mashed potatoes! Sometimes I throw in some potatoes (chopped) a couple of hours before serving. Good stuff!

I apologize for not getting any plated photos of this dish...everyone was so eager to eat, and we didn't have any leftovers!

Crock Pot Roast

2-3 pound roast (I used round roast this time but my favorite roast to use is chuck)
1 onion
1 package onion mushroom soup mix (I used Lipton brand)
1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 ½ cup water

1. Place roast in crock pot.
2. Chop onion and place in crop pot on top of and around roast.
3. In a separate bowl, mix onion mushroom soup mix and water. Then add cream of mushroom soup and mix well. Pour over roast.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Free Everlast Energy Bar at GNC

2010-01-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Click the link below to get your printable coupon and head to GNC to get a free Everlast Energy Bar! Unfortunately I don't have a GNC here, but I wanted to post this so that others can take advantage of it! Expires January 31, 2010.

Printable Coupon

This Week's Menu - Jan 17-23

2010-01-19T02:29:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s actually Monday night for me since I haven’t made it to bed yet! I’ve been working on some Economics homework that’s due tomorrow night. And now I’m thinking that I’m pretty dedicated to this blog since I’m posting at 2 a.m. AND I have to work tomorrow!

I wanted to post this week’s menu so that I can hold myself accountable! It’s been working very well so far! I’m leaving Saturday night open because I’m thinking of inviting some friends over and I want to take a little more time to plan just in case! Also, I skipped yesterday because Jason had to work and Chase and Macey were with their Grandmother. Since it was just Madison and me, we ate leftover soup and cake!

Monday – Chicken and pastry*, lima beans, biscuits*

Tuesday – Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn

Wednesday – Chicken enchiladas* & Spanish rice*

Thursday – Country Style ribs in crock pot*, green beans, & macaroni & cheese

Friday – Hamburgers & Fries

Saturday – Lunch – Sandwiches
Dinner - ???

* Recipes coming soon!!!

Rich Chocolate Icing

2010-01-17T02:30:00.003-05:00

This cake was requested by my husband a few nights ago, and I finally had a chance to make it last night. The icing is rich…so rich in fact that it knocked me off my feet last night! It seriously did...but that’s only because I have to avoid caffeine and this icing is loaded with chocolate, which means it’s loaded with caffeine! It caused my heart to race and I went straight to bed! Yes, I knew better, but I couldn’t resist :)

My husband took the cake to work tonight and everyone enjoyed it. They really liked the icing. It's not the smoothest icing to decorate with, but it did ok with the little bit of piping I did.

Rich Chocolate Icing

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup Crisco shortening

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

5 cups powdered sugar, unsifted (This is equal to 2 pounds minus 2 1/2 cups OR 1 pound plus 1 ¼ cups. If you wish to sift, do so after measuring)

1/2 cup milk (you may need to add a little more, depending on the desired consistency)

1. In small saucepan, melt baking chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly (until it is warm)

2. In mixer bowl, mix butter and shortening until blended.

3. Pour chocolate into butter mixture and mix well.

4. Add vanilla.
5. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture.
6. Gradually add milk and mix well. (You may want to alternate milk with powdered sugar because the mixture will become dry as the powdered sugar is added.)

Fun at One First Birthday Cake

2010-01-17T00:43:00.002-05:00

I made this cake for a customer to coordinate with the “Fun at One” theme. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish this cake! I had to make it Thursday night, and my daughter had a ton of homework to catch up on that night. So, at 11 pm, I was decorating this cake and calling her spelling words out to her at the same time! I was so tired, my hand was literally shaking! Not good when you’re decorating a cake! It's not one of my best cakes, but they liked it when they picked it up Friday, and hopefully the birthday girl liked it too! That’s really all that matters!!

Seven-Layer Salad

2010-01-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

The end of the week is almost here and I’ve only posted one recipe (well two if you include the pizza sauce)! Don’t worry…I’ve been cooking up some good stuff; I just haven’t had a chance to post! Grad school does that to me! I have some assignments that I’ve been working on this week. I started doing some research for my hospitality management class today and kept running into food, which caused me to forget what I was supposed to be searching for…event planning. Food is definitely part of it, but that’s not the part I should have been focusing on today!

Oh well, I did learn that Pastry Chef Alain Roby released a new cookbook. He is the chef at Hyatt Regency Chicago and has been featured on Food Network many times. He’s donating a portion of the proceeds to the Saving Tiny Hearts Society. His recipes are supposed to be fairly easy, but elegant at the same time. I’d love to get my hands on a copy! You can go to the website at http://www.chefroby.com/ to order the book. You can actually view 3 pages from the cookbook on that website. If you have very good eyes or a magnifying glass, you can read the recipes :)

* (I am in no way affiliated with this cookbook)

Ok, back to MY recipes! I know a lot of people are trying to eat healthy now that it’s a brand new year, so here’s a healthy recipe….a seven-layer salad! There are so many variations to this recipe and of course you can adjust it depending on what you like, but for some reason I always feel like I HAVE to have 7 layers! Well, you'd have to change the name if there weren't 7, right!

Seven-Layer Salad

1 head of Iceberg lettuce, shredded or broken up into pieces
1 bunch of broccoli, stems removed
1/3 red onion, finely chopped (I personally don't like raw onion, but I really enjoyed the flavor this onion adds to the salad! Probably the first time I've enjoyed eating raw onion!)
1 bag frozen peas (Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before prep) (I substituted 4 boiled eggs this time, because I did not have peas).
Bacon, fried and broken up into pieces (Or store-bought REAL bacon bits)
¼ cup mayonnaise (or light mayo)
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (I used mild and sharp)

1. In a 9 X 13 baking dish, layer lettuce on bottom.
2. Next, layer broccoli.
3. Layer red onion.
4. Layer peas.
5. Layer bacon.
6. Mix mayo, sugar, and parmesan cheese. Spread evenly over other layers.
7. Layer cheddar cheese on top.

Must-have Kitchen Gadget: The Electric Griddle

2010-01-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Out of all the things in my house, (besides my husband and kids of course) I really love my kitchen gadgets! Some of them I just can't live without! Well, there are some I COULD live without, but I just don't want to!! I have been thinking about featuring one gadget a week on my blog, so I figured there is no better time to start than now!! Most of my "reviews" will probably be positive ones, but I will be sure to post any negative experiences as well!

Electric Griddle

The first gadget I'm featuring is the electric griddle! I don't know how I survived for so many years without this piece of equipment! If you make pancakes, this is a MUST-HAVE! You can easily fit 8 pancakes on this bad boy! It's also wonderful for bacon, sausage, grilled sandwiches, eggs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and so much more. Stovetop griddles can be used, but they use 2 burners. This can be used anywhere you have an outlet! You also have a temperature control dial on the electric griddle, which usually ranges from 100 to 450 degrees. This griddle also features a nonstick surface which makes for easy cleanup. Just make sure you use utensils that will not scratch the surface. Most electric griddles feature a drain try that can easily be removed and cleaned. The griddles come in various sizes, but the smallest I have seen will still hold 6 pancakes. I've seen prices ranging from $17.99 and up.

The electric griddle that I own is from Cooks and I've been extremely pleased with it. The only recommendation that I would make is to take some time to become familiar with your temperature settings. DON'T follow the recommended settings that are included in the pamphlet because they are too hot. My griddle was a gift, but I'm pretty sure that the price was just below $30. It was definitely worth every penny!!

In the book, Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen, Alton Brown recommends Rival and Toastmaster brands because of their accurate thermostats.

Homeade Pizza & Breadsticks!!

2010-01-11T12:20:00.004-05:00

One of my meal projects last week was to make homemade pizza crust. I normally use store-bought crust, but I had some bread flour on hand, so I decided to put it to use! I think my yeast had lost some of its activeness because it didn’t bubble as much as it should and of course my dough didn’t rise as much as IT should! It was still very good and I even made a batch of it for breadsticks. I will be attempting to make these breadsticks again soon with new yeast! These weren’t as soft as I like, but I’m blaming the yeast!!

And….you can’t make homemade pizza without homemade PIZZA SAUCE!! This pizza sauce is very good with just the right amount of herbs…I used it on the pizza and for dipping the breadsticks in. Yum, Yum, Yum!!!

Pizza Crust or Breadsticks (Makes 1 crust or about 10 breadsticks)

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

2 ½ cups bread flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Add yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder.

4. Sift flour into yeast mixture. Add oil mixture and beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and pat into circle. Transfer to a greased pizza pan.

6. Bake for 8 minutes. Then, remove from oven and spread with desired toppings. Return to oven for another 8-10 minutes. (This helps the crust to bake more evenly and prevents the possibility of having a gooey crust).

7. For Breadsticks, form into ball, and then roll out into sticks. Place on greased pan and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Pizza Sauce

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients until blended well. (If you like your sauce thin as our family does, this will cover 2 pizzas).

Can you tell that I LOVE mushrooms???

This Week's Menu

2010-01-11T10:38:00.003-05:00

Time to meal plan again! Last week went well until Saturday at lunch. The kids ended up taking lunch to school all week and used up all the bread! So, our plan for sandwiches went down the drain!! LUCKILY, Madison asked for some Ramen noodles during our last grocery store trip and we still had those on hand! This is a really good item to keep in the pantry in case of unexpected changes to your plan! And they are super cheap! You can’t beat 10 cents a pack!

Has anyone else noticed the OUTRAGEOUS price of ground beef? While shopping for groceries, I skipped purchasing ground beef because of the high price. It seems that this used to be one of the cheapest meats to purchase, but now it's one of the most expensive! I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up and go by the store today and buy some. Or I may just have to talk the kiddos out of having spaghetti and hamburger helper this week....

Anyway, hope everyone has a great week! Here's the menu....

Sunday – Breakfast – Pancakes and Bacon
Dinner – BBQ Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, 7-layer salad
Monday – Spaghetti (Spaghetti tacos for the kids)
Tuesday – Hamburger Helper
Wednesday – Crock Pot Roast, rice, lima beans
Thursday – Cube Steak, macaroni and cheese, corn
Friday – Vegetable Beef Soup
Saturday – Leftover Vegetable Beef Soup

More Chocolate Chip Cookies...with a little crunch this time!

2010-01-09T00:06:00.002-05:00

Well, today was the official first day of classes for the spring semester of grad school!! I’ve been reading over the syllabus for my Economics class and trying to get back in the studying mood! I already have a homework assignment due next week! I’m already starting to stress!!! I’m also taking a Hospitality Management class (which I’m excited about), but haven’t received my info for that class yet.

The schools were on a two hour delay today because they were forecasting snow. It didn’t snow as I expected, but it was nice to sleep in a little this morning! Maybe we’ll see some snow before winter ends!

Since I totally had it together tonight, (we had eaten, kids were ready for bed, the kitchen was clean, and it was only 7 pm….GO ME!!) I decided to bake cookies. Tonight, I baked yummy chocolate chip cookies using my 2nd favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I shared my favorite recipe recently. It really just depends on how you like your cookies. These cookies aren’t as soft and chewy as the others…they are crunchier on the outside, but soft on the inside. The instant pudding adds a nice flavor to them.

Don't you think my husband will be delighted to come home from work to this huge plate of cookies? Hmm...I hope so.

Chocolate Chip Cookies that Crunch

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (I either use vanilla or French vanilla)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, sift flour and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.

4. Beat in instant pudding mix.

5. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

6. Add flour mixture and stir well.

7. Stir in chocolate chips and drop dough onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (Or ungreased cookie sheet if you don’t have parchment paper).

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes in preheated oven.

By the way, Macey usually helps me when I bake cookies. She BEGS to help me in the kitchen. I have to say no when I’m baking for a customer, but I let her help when we are eating it! Her favorite job is sifting flour! She wanted to pose with the cookie dough tonight!! :)

...And she insisted that I take a close-up shot of her hands holding some of the dough! She has been watching me way too much...she's going to be a food blogger when she grows up :)

Paula Deen's Sour Cream Biscuits: Don't try these at home!

2010-01-07T15:26:00.002-05:00

Most of the time, I can look at a recipe and determine whether it's going to be good or not. And if it isn't, then I usually know how to tweak it next time so that it will be good. But, I’m sorry; I don’t think tweaking is going to mend this recipe! I think I’ll just stick to using my Grandma’s simple biscuit recipe!

Let me add that I LOVE Paula Deen. She’s amazing and I have tried several of her recipes and they were delicious. By watching her shows, I have picked up a few of her tips and ideas that have been very helpful to me in the kitchen. I found this recipe in the book, Christmas with Paula Deen.

The recipe is simple: 2 cups self-rising flour, 1 cup sour cream, and 1 cup butter. It’s really gooey once it’s mixed, more like cookies than biscuits. My youngest daughter, Macey, said it looked like chicken salad! She was right…it did!

First of all, the suggested temperature of 400 degrees was too hot. They were barely cooking on the inside after 8 minutes. And it was recommended to bake them for 8-10 minutes. So, I dropped the temperature to 350 degrees and kept baking. I took them out after about 12 minutes. I tasted them while they were hot…BIG MISTAKE! They were disgusting! So, I let them cool and they were better, but still not good. I ate 2 or 3….mainly because I was trying to figure out what they tasted like! Chase and Macey tasted them and spit them out! My husband and Madison wouldn't even try them.

Then, I decided to add shredded cheddar cheese to the remaining dough, thinking there may be hope! I baked those and let them cool before tasting…They were…well, a little cheesier tasting, but still BLAH!! I am now forcing myself to eat these dry floury tasting balls because I ended up with about 30 of them and I HATE to waste ingredients! I just have to remember to have something to drink nearby to get these things down...they kind of tend to get stuck in my throat! Hmmm...I may end up using them in place of bread crumbs in meatloaf next week. Any more ideas?

Sour Cream Pork Chops

2010-01-07T12:23:00.001-05:00

I love sour cream! I mean I REALLY LOVE sour cream!! It's what makes some of my cakes moist, my cornbread soft, my tacos tasty, and now my pork chops delicious! I found this recipe and just had to try it! Along with some biscuits that I'll post about later (a disappointing experience). But, anyway, here's the recipe and it was especially great because it involved the crock pot! There is nothing better than coming home from a tiring day of work to the smell of dinner cooking. Whoever invented the crock pot was a genius!

Sour Cream Pork Chops

6-8 boneless pork chops (best if they are at least one inch thick)

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups water

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1. Place pork chops in crock pot on lowest setting (mine was set on Low – 10 hours).
2. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add chicken bouillon cubes and stir until melted. Remove from heat and pour over pork chops.
3. Add Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper and stir until pork chops are mostly covered by liquid.
4. After about 7-8 hours, turn oven on to about 150 degrees. Remove pork chops from crock pot, put in a baking dish, and place in oven. (This is just to keep pork chops warm. They should be pretty tender at this point. Most of mine fell apart when attempting to move them to the baking dish, so be careful).
5. Turn crock pot onto highest setting (I set mine on High – 4 hours). Add sour cream and flour to the liquid remaining in the crock pot. Stir well (I used whisk) and let simmer for about 30 minutes. (This is when I prepared my side dishes – rice and corn).
6. When serving, just spoon sour cream “gravy” onto pork chops. If your pork is falling apart too much, you can just put pork back into the crock pot with the gravy. It’s not as pretty, but it’s perfect over rice or potatoes.

Tips:

1. You may need to add more salt and pepper if you omit the Creole seasoning. You may have noticed that I use this seasoning in a LOT of dishes, and the Creole seasoning I use also contains salt and pepper. (It also contains red pepper, garlic, and probably a few other spices).
2. After I made the gravy, I was afraid I didn’t have enough, so I added 2 cups of chicken broth, ½ cup sour cream, and ¼ cup flour and mixed well. Perfect!

Planning Ahead and Saving Money!

2010-01-05T11:22:00.001-05:00

School’s back in and we are trying to get back into the same old routine. I thoroughly enjoyed staying home with the kids during the holidays (and my husband when he was off). I finally felt like I had it together! Now, I’m looking forward to the summer break!

I planned our meals for the week and I am saving so much money by doing that. I used to stop by the grocery store every day when I got out of school. I would spend $20 or $30 a day! It was getting totally ridiculous! Now, I’m only shopping on the weekend, after my meals are planned for the next week.

When I picked the kids up yesterday, Chase asked if we were going to the grocery store. I proudly said “Nope! There will be no more after-school grocery store trips! Grocery shopping will be done only on the weekend!” Then he asked if we could have Hamburger Helper for supper. Again, my reply was “Nope.” I told him he’d have to put in a request for next week since this week’s meals are already planned :)

I know I'm already a couple of days into the week, but here's this week's menu:

Sunday – Roasted 2 chickens. (We ate part of one that night and put leftovers in the fridge).
Monday – Chicken Pot Pie (made with leftover chicken)
Tuesday – Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Wednesday – Sour Cream Pork Chops, rice, green beans.
Thursday – Pizza (I’m making homemade crust for the first time). I’m also making homemade hot dog buns for Friday night.
Friday – Hot Dogs (homemade hot dog buns) and fries made from fresh cut potatoes.
Saturday – Breakfast: Pancakes (and sausage if I can get around to making some before Saturday).
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Fish (spots that we have in freezer) and fries made from fresh cut potatoes.

Little Prince Birthday Cake

2010-01-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

I mentioned before that I run a little cake business out of my home. I occasionally get an order for a decorated cake. I enjoy decorating cakes, but it's very time consuming because it takes so much time to clean the mess. Today I had blue, black, and yellow icing all over my kitchen cabinets, the floor, and me (mostly me)!! This cake is for Gabriel's first birthday! The cake on top is a 1/4 sheet cake and the bottom cake is a 6" round, just for the birthday boy! I hope he enjoys his little cake!

These are the party supplies for the Little Prince:

Quick and Easy Chili

2010-01-02T11:42:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope 2010 is a ~~great~~ fantastic year for everyone!! It seems like everyone is making their new year's resolutions. I've never been that crazy about making resolutions. I think it's because I feel guilty when I make a resolution and don't follow through with it! I've had "work out and get in shape" on my list for years, and it works for a while, but then I gradually quit! It's not because I don't like to work out, I just get tired of trying to fit one more thing into my already busy schedule! I'll keep it on my list this year, but I can't make any promises!

There is one resolution that I'd like to make this year that I really think I can follow through with! Since I haven't been blogging long and I have tons of recipes that I want to post, my resolution is to post 150 recipes this year. That's about 3 a week, so I think it's manageable!

The first recipe I'll post for the new year is one I tried on New Year's Eve. It's also the first time I've ever made chili! It was really good. My husband said he liked more "stuff" in his chili, but he said it was still good. This chili was quick and easy, so I'll definitely be making it again!

Quick and Easy Chili

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

24 ounces tomato sauce

8 ounces salsa

2 packets of chili seasoning mix (I used original, but will probably use 1 hot and 1 original next time for more heat)

1 (16 ounce) can light red kidney beans

1 (16 ounce) can dark red kidney beans

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used Zesty Chili Style)

1 cup water

1. In large skillet, combine ground beef, chopped onion, black pepper, and garlic powder. Cook on medium-high heat until ground beef is brown.

2. In large pot, combine beef mixture and all other ingredients. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour.

Zesty Italian Pork Chops and Beefy Rice

2009-12-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

Jason and I actually got to eat out tonight with ADULTS! Every Christmas, a group of our friends gets together to exchange gifts and to eat. This year, everyone seemed to be too busy so we weren’t able to get together before Christmas. We decided to meet at a local Mexican restaurant tonight and it was so nice to get everyone together, even if it was only for an hour! I actually missed cooking tonight, but I didn’t miss cleaning up the mess! It was nice to be able to just come home and relax. I’ve been cleaning the house like crazy this week, so I’m pretty tired of cleaning!

Since I haven’t posted last night’s meal yet, I’ll go ahead and post it now! I am still trying to use what we have in the house, so I took some pork chops out of the freezer. This is what I ended up making and it turned out pretty good. Our son, Chase, wasn’t too crazy about the rice, but everyone else liked it. I used to make it years ago by adding mushrooms and onions, but I didn’t have those two things on hand. By the way, I know beef and pork normally don't go together too well, but this was very good together in my opinion!

Zesty Italian Pork Chops

6-8 Pork Chops
1 bottle Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

1. In a large bowl or large Ziploc bag, pour bottle of salad dressing over pork chops. Add Worcestershire sauce and Creole seasoning and mix well. Marinate for at least one hour.

2. Preheat oven and bake at 350 degrees. (I used a convection oven on the broil setting, which I recommend because you can put the pork chops on racks instead of in a pan. I guess you could use a broiler pan if using your regular oven. Actually, they are best on the outdoor grill, but I don’t like grilling when it’s cold outside…I will leave that to my husband when he is home ;)

Tips: About half way through baking, I sprinkled a little more Creole seasoning on them. My husband said they had a little kick to them, so if you don’t like your foods too spicy, I’d leave that out, but if you want a little kick, I say go ahead and sprinkle away!

Beefy Rice

1 can beef broth
1 can beef consommé
1 cup rice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in casserole dish.
3. Bake for about one hour, or until rice is done.

Tips: If adding onion and mushrooms, chop onion and mushrooms first and cook over medium heat before adding to casserole dish with other ingredients. Also, canned mushrooms work just fine!

Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-12-30T00:46:00.000-05:00

I am really enjoying these days off! The kids have been enjoying their Christmas gifts, especially the Nintendo Wii. I have been catching up on some much-needed cleaning and organizing! It’s also very nice to be able to take my time cooking supper instead of having to rush in order to get it on the table before bedtime! And best of all, I get to cook breakfast! That’s not something I do when I have to leave for work at 7:30 in the morning! I’m not a morning person at all! I'll have to admit that when I do cook breakfast, I normally use store-bought pancake mix because it’s really quick and easy, but this morning I was out of it. I came across a recipe for some buttermilk pancakes the other day on another blog that looked very good. You can check them out at Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi. Thanks for sharing these, Heidi! I'll post the recipe here also with my added comments. I will have to agree with her that they are almost as easy as using a store-bought mix! Since my husband was working today, I didn’t get his opinion of the pancakes, but the kids loved them. I thought they were very good, also! I'll definitely be making these again!

Easy Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 1/8 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I was still out of butter, so I used spreadable margarine. I'm sure they will taste even better with butter!)

1. Preheat and lightly grease a large skillet or electric griddle. (I used an electric griddle and did not grease it. I didn't have any problems with them sticking. I set it to about 275 degrees. If you are using a skillet, the temperature should be set on medium-low. I used to be notorious for burning pancakes in a skillet until I finally figured out what the correct temperature should be!!!)
2. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add the egg, buttermilk, and butter; stir together lightly, but keep it lumpy. The batter should look thick, spongy, and puffy.
3. Drop 1/3 cup of the batter onto the cooking surface, spreading lightly with the bottom of the cup. Cook until lightly-browned on each side, 1 to 2 minutes per side. (I think it's a great idea to measure the amount of batter you drop onto the surface. I never do, and my pancakes are always about 10 different sizes! The kids always want the smallest ones!)

Meatloaf

2009-12-28T23:42:00.000-05:00

My challenge this week is to use only foods that I have in the house without having to go to the grocery store. Today, I took 2 pounds of ground beef out of the freezer and decided to make some meatloaf. I have never been a very big meatloaf eater, because it has always been rather plain to me. So, I decided to sweeten this meatloaf up a bit and it turned out great! Once again, the family was pleased! I’ll definitely be making this recipe again and again!

Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons onion powder
½ cup ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, black pepper, Creole seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and ketchup. Mix together and place into a loaf pan or casserole dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Now for the sweet part (the sauce):

½ cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4. In a small saucepan, combine ketchup, brown sugar, white sugar and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Remove from heat.
5. Remove meatloaf from oven after it has cooked for 40 minutes and drain grease. Then pour sauce over meatloaf.
6. Return to oven and bake for 20 more minutes or until completely done.

Don't forget the mashed potatoes and corn! I think it's a requirement to serve meatloaf with those two sides! At least I think it is here in North Carolina!!

Hope you Enjoy!!

Celebrate with Chocolate!!

2009-12-27T22:35:00.001-05:00

Today was an exciting day! I found out the other day that my blog was accepted to the Foodie BlogRoll!! It’s exciting for me because I can connect with other food bloggers around the world. It was also pretty exciting to be featured on the Foodie BlogRoll Widget today as 1 of the most recent 5 blogs! I had a lot of traffic and so far today, I have received 8 comments! WooHoo! Some of you may think I’m being a little silly, but my fellow food bloggers may understand how exciting this is! Since I started blogging a few weeks ago, I have felt like I was talking to myself and maybe a couple of stray visitors that happened to land upon my blog. Today I actually felt like people might be interested in my blog, so I am now motivated to post more often!

After baking tons of cookies, several cakes, seven pumpkin rolls, and cooking lots of food over the last week for Christmas (which I will post more on later), I wanted to take a break from baking for a few days. Ok, my break didn’t last long, because I had a craving for some Chocolate Chip Cookies and so did my husband. The kids were delighted that we had this craving, too! Tonight I decided to try a different recipe, which you can find here. After I started dumping in the ingredients, I realized I didn’t have enough butter, so I substituted 6 tablespoons of spreadable margarine, and they still turned out great! In the reviews, some people recommended chilling the dough in the refrigerator first, but I had wonderful results without taking that extra step. I must say, these were probably the most beautiful chocolate chip cookies that I’ve ever made! I took over a dozen pictures and it was difficult to choose just a few to share with you! By the way, they were absolutely delicious, too!!! My family loved them. The kids already asked me if they could eat them for breakfast in the morning!

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. (I sprayed the cookie sheets with Bakers’ Joy).
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. (I saved some chocolate chips to add them to the top of the dough after dropping onto the cookie sheet. This makes for a better presentation since the chips are visible on top instead of just baked within the cookie).
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (I baked for 15 minutes. They were still light on top, but the bottoms of the cookies were light golden brown...PERFECT!!).

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-12-18T12:06:00.002-05:00

This is a delicious, quick, and easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe! It's the perfect way to use leftover chicken. It tastes just like something that Grandma would have baked!

We roasted two chickens a couple of night ago. We had some leftover, so yesterday, I went through my fridge, freezer, and pantry to see what we had that needed to be used. And this is what I came up with! I did get some ideas from other recipes, including this one which was very helpful, but I'll share my version here.

Chicken Pot Pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
2-3 cups of potatoes, chopped into small cubes
1 (15 oz) can whole kernal corn, drained
2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets (includes 2 sheets), thawed (If you do not do the lattice, you can use only 1 sheet by just laying it on top)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x9 casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Boil potatoes in water for about ten minutes, or until done. Drain and set aside.
2. In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in chicken broth, and whisk in the flour. Add onion powder, pepper, salt and seasoning. (This creates a wonderful base. Taste it now and add more seasoning if desired).
3. Stir potatoes, corn, and chicken into base until mixed well.
4. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Place puff pastry on top (I cut pastry into strips and weaved - very pretty this way).
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pastry is done and inside is bubbling. (You can turn oven off and let it sit for up to an hour before serving - it will still be nice and warm).

TIPS:
1. Instead of a can of corn, add a can of mixed vegetables. We don't care for carrots and celery, so I chose to just use corn. You can also substitute a cup of the potatoes for a cup of fresh carrots. There are so many variations!
2. I had fresh potatoes on hand, but if you do not and would like to save time, a can of potatoes can be used.
3. Refrigerate chicken before shredding. It shreds so easily when it's cold!

This was thoroughly enjoyed by the entire family, as you can see!! This should feed 8 people alone, but it would probably feed about 15 if served with other dishes.

Christmas break is almost here!

2009-12-18T10:19:00.005-05:00

I am so excited!!! After today, I have a two week break from work (one good thing about working with the school system)! YAY!!! I've been very busy lately with my MBA classes, work, activities with the children, baking, and so on. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

MBA Classes...I took my last final exam Monday night and I must say that I was extremely proud of myself when I checked my grades last night to see that I received an A in both classes. I feel like all I have done in the last few weeks is study and write papers! I'm actually very excited about beginning my classes for next semester because I'm taking my first Hospitality Management course. It has something to do with event planning. It should be interesting and hopefully more enjoyable that some of the other courses I am required to take!

The children...They been very busy lately doing Christmas activities. All three children are in the choir at church and my daughter, Madison, is in chorus at school. They have been singing everywhere! The chorus' last performance is this morning and it is for the school. Our son, Chase, is in scouts and we had a pizza party Tuesday night. And of course, I've been preparing for their school parties. Those things are fun, but it’s nice to have a little break from those too!

Baking…I had ten orders for Thanksgiving and I’ve had a few since then. I have one cake to make tonight, and then I’m going to start working on Christmas orders. I’m also baking several things to give as gifts, so I will definitely be busy between now and Christmas (only one week to go)!

Catching up my blog…I have a ton of pictures and recipes that I need to post. I took pictures of all the food at Thanksgiving. After we set the table, I grabbed my camera and started snapping shots before everyone could dig in! They totally got a kick out of me taking these pictures! I realized later that I took more pictures of food than I did people and I am thinking that’s a sign that I’m getting very addicted to food blogging!

This break will be very nice, but I have already planned out almost every day...and I need to fit "clean the house" in there somewhere! I get to fight the Christmas crowds tomorrow. We’ve only bought two gifts so far! If I'm lucky, I'll find everything we need tomorrow so I can focus on my baking! Wish me luck!!

Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy Baking!!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

2009-12-17T14:01:00.008-05:00

These are the other cookies that I made for the teachers. These are so good! They have Andes mints melted on top, which leaves a nice swirled effect! These were to die for when they were warm, but were still good and soft once they cooled! My husband loved them as well, so I'm sure I'll be making these time and time again!!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package thin mint candy, unwrapped and cut in half

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook butter, brown sugar, and water until melted.
2. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Mix until chips are melted. Set aside and cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
4. Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Beat the eggs into the mixture. Add flour mixture and mix well.
5. Put dough into refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (I rolled it into a log and covered it with plastic wrap, so that it can be easily sliced - see photo below).
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Slice dough or roll into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper as I did).
8. Bake 8-10 minutes in preheated oven.
9. Take cookies out of oven and place one half of a mint on each cookie. Let them sit for about 5 minutes. Then, take spoon and swirl mint around on top of the cookie until melted all the way. Put cookies on a cooling rack and refrigerate for about 5 minutes so that chocolate hardens quickly. (Or you can eat them right out of the oven! YUM!)

Tips:
Some people use a whole mint on each cookie. I think one half of a mint is enough. Also, in the photo above, I rolled my cookies into balls before placing on cookie sheet. I think they looked a little better, but it's much easier just to cut them from the log and place them directly onto the cookie sheet. The cookies are a little flatter this way, but you don't have to cook them quite as long. As you can see below, they still look great and taste great!

Dough rolled into a log and cut into slices:

These cookies were baked after being cut from the log:

Great Teacher Gifts.....Lemon Cookies

2009-12-17T10:59:00.006-05:00

Last night, I made some goodies for the kids to take to their teachers as Christmas gifts. I was very brave! I tried three recipes that I've never tried before and just prayed that they would turn out to be good enough to give away! The two cookie recipes I tried were fabulous! I have given them their very own spot in my recipe book! The first cookies I tried were these Lemon cookies. This was the easiest recipe I've made in a long time because it uses a box of cake mix! If you like lemon, try these! You won't be disappointed!

Lemon Cookies

1 box of lemon cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Sift box of lemon cake mix into large bowl (sifting is optional, but I highly recommend).
3. Add eggs, oil, and lemon extract. Mix Well.
4. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for about an hour if desired. While this is not necessary, I had good results with this. If not refrigerating, continue to next step.
5. Roll dough into tablespoon size balls. Drop balls of dough into confectioners' sugar and roll around until lightly covered.
6. Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper).
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes in preheated oven. The bottoms should be golden brown, but the insides should be soft.

Blueberry Banana Pudding

2009-12-15T11:06:00.005-05:00

My husband requested this dessert after seeing it on a local television station. I found the recipe on their website, which is located here. Everyone loved this dessert and it's so easy!

Since I have a banana allergy, I usually make a little on the side for myself without the bananas! I personally love the traditional cooked banana pudding recipe that my Grandmother made, but then again, my serving never had bananas in it, so I guess it wasn't really a "banana" pudding! The blueberries in this recipe give it a nice "POP!" If I can ever find my Grandmother's recipe, I plan to add blueberries to it! For now, my family and I will enjoy this delicious and easy recipe and I hope you enjoy it too!

Blueberry Banana Pudding

1 (5.1 ounce) box instant vanilla flavored pudding mix
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant banana cream flavored pudding mix
2 1/2 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 ripe bananas
3-4 cups fresh blueberries
1 (12 ounce ) box vanilla wafers
Garnish: crushed vanilla wafers and blueberries

1. In a large bowl, combine pudding mixes and milk; whisk until smooth.
2. Add sour cream; stir until smooth.
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Fold in 1 cup blueberries.
5. In a trifle dish, layer one-third of pudding/berry mixture, half of the vanilla wafers, half bananas and half of remaining blueberries. Repeat layer.
6. Top with remaining one-third pudding mixture. Garnish with additional crushed vanilla wafers and blueberries.

Make Sausage at Home!

2009-11-12T10:27:00.006-05:00

My mother asked me recently if I still had the grinder attachment that she gave me to use with my KitchenAid Mixer. I looked, and found it in the bottom of my pantry - the same place I put it when she gave it to me! So, I decided that I needed to use it, but wasn't sure what for. So, my search began and I finally decided that I wanted to make sausage! I found a recipe online that had rave reviews and decided to try it. I purchased an 8 pound pork shoulder on sale for 78 cents a pound. I had read that they are the best cut to use for sausage because it has a good amount of fat content. You can also use turkey or venison, which I'd like to try next! I had to purchase a couple of the spices as well because I didn't have them.

I woke up Sunday morning in the mood to make the sausage! I hooked the grinder attachment up to the KitchenAid, which was very easy even though there were several different parts. Then I called my dear husband into the kitchen to cut the pork into pieces. We ground the pieces coarsely, and in a matter of minutes, we had about 8 pounds of ground pork. I mixed the spices in a bowl while the sausage was grinding. I then spread all the ground pork out onto a cookie sheet and sprinkled the spice mixture on the pork and mixed very well.

Since we were planning to freeze this sausage, we decided to roll the sausage into "logs" so that we can just easily cut slices when we are ready to cook it. I rolled it in wax paper and then placed it in a freezer bag. Each log was about 1 1/3 pounds. It would take a little more time, but you could go ahead and make patties and freeze those. I cooked some of the sausage yesterday morning, and it was delicious! The kids loved it, too! The flavor is perfect...not too bland, not too spicy. If you like spicier sausage, which I sometimes do, you can add a little more red pepper. So, here's the recipe for this fabulous sausage...

2 lbs ground pork, venison, or turkey
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground cloves

First Class Food - The beginning of our Jamaica experience

2009-11-04T14:08:00.008-05:00

Why is it that food makes everything better?

In August, I finally conquered my biggest fear – flying on an airplane. I always said that if I flew, it would be because someone knocked me out and drug me on the plane! Well, I’ve also always wanted to go to Jamaica. So, when my husband told me that I could choose anywhere I wanted to go for our honeymoon, I began pondering the idea of going to Jamaica. First of all, I considered sticking to a boat and cruising there, but once I started looking at the beautiful resorts in Jamaica, I realized that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I would have to be brave and get on that plane. So, we booked a week-long stay at Sunset at the Palms in Negril, Jamaica. At this point, I knew there was no turning back!!

I was so stressed up until the day of our wedding, I barely even thought about flying. (Details about our wedding will come later.) So, on the morning of August 2nd, I woke up and reality hit. I grew very nervous as I realized that I was actually going to get on a plane in a couple of hours. My husband comforted me (it was his first time on a plane, too) and we headed to the airport. I knew that our first flight was only a commuter flight and wouldn’t last very long, so I got through that flight pretty easily. The next flight was from Atlanta, Georgia to Montego Bay, Jamaica. This time, I knew we’d be flying over the ocean and it would be a longer flight. As we lined up to board the plane, we handed the lady our boarding passes and she shredded them and handed us each another one. We didn’t pay it very much attention and proceeded to board the plane. This plane was much larger than the small commuter plane we were on before. As we stepped onto the plane, the flight attendant directed us to the left. We were a little confused, so we looked down at our passes. We were in seats 1C and 1D in First Class! This was much nicer than being at the back of the plane. I felt a little less nervous because I was so close to the pilot.

After the plane took off, the flight attendants started making their way down the aisle. They closed the curtain behind us and started asking if we would like any mimosa, champagne, or orange juice. (We had never heard of mimosa, so we opted for the orange juice, but we found out later on in the week what it was). Once the drinks were served, to our surprise, breakfast was served! Wow! This just made our day! Any nervousness that I had was gone because I was so excited over the food! This food wasn’t spectacular, but when you are thousands of feet above the ground and nervous because you are braving your biggest fear, it’s the best thing since fried chicken! I’m sure everyone thought we were a little strange because we took pictures of our food, each one of us holding it, pictures of us together holding it, and so on! We didn’t care what they thought; we were having the times of our lives!

I’m posting one of our photos of the breakfast. As you can see, we were served a bagel with cream cheese, jelly, and butter, cheerios and milk, a bowl of fruit, and yogurt. I really enjoyed the fruit dipped in the yogurt. My husband seemed to enjoy his Cheerios.

We still can’t figure out how we were bumped up to first class, but we have already decided that it’s worth paying a little more for a first class ticket!

Baby, it's cold outside!

2009-11-04T08:25:00.003-05:00

There is something about the transition from warm weather to cold weather that gives me a craving for nice, hot vegetable soup! We don't really have a fall here in the Carolinas. It might be 80 degrees one day and 30 the next! It started getting colder on Sunday, so my craving for Vegetable soup began! Monday night, I decided to cook it, and we ate it for two days! I also had enough to fill a quart size freezer bag and put it in the freezer. This soup freezes very well. When you are ready to eat it, just thaw it, place it in a pot, add a little chicken broth (or vegetable broth), and heat it up! I always get compliments on my vegetable soup, and it’s easy-peasy because I use all canned vegetables! If I’m trying to impress and have more time (and money) on my hands, I’ll use fresh vegetables, but this is my quick and easy vegetable soup recipe! Served alone, it will feed at least 8 people, but it would probably serve about 15 if served with sandwiches. The entire pot will cost you about $15, so for less that $2 a person, this is definitely a low budget meal! Hope you enjoy!

Vegetable Soup

2 lbs. ground beef (or more if desired)
2-28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
3-11 oz. cans of tomato soup
2-15 oz. cans of mixed vegetables (potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, lima beans)
1-15 oz. can of whole kernel corn
1-15 oz. can of cut green beans
Basil (about 1 Tbsp)
Onion Powder (about 1 tsp)
Salt
Pepper
Sugar (about 3 Tbsp)
Seasoning (I use a Creole seasoning that I use in almost everything)

Directions:
1. Place ground beef in stock pot and begin to brown.
2. Add Basil, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder to the ground beef and continue to brown. (When time isn’t an issue, I use fresh onion and garlic instead, but it needs to be sautéed before being added to ground beef)
3. Drain ground beef if desired. (I usually use at least 85% ground beef and I don’t always drain it)
4. The fun part…Open the cans and dump all of the ingredients into the pot with the meat (don't drain).
5. Add the sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper. (I usually just add these to taste. Don’t leave out the sugar (unless you need to omit sugar from your diet)…it really offsets the bitterness of the tomato soup and it’s what makes this soup so delicious!)
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. The longer, the better. I use a crock pot whenever possible.
7. Enjoy!

Welcome home recipe trial: Marble Cream Cheese Cake

2009-11-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Welcome Home Hubby...

My husband was out of town last week, and since we missed him so much, I decided to bake a cake for him and have the children draw pictures for him so that he would be surprised when he got home. I also planned to have the house entirely clean, but with all the halloween parties and scouts and church, I didn't quite accomplish that goal! I decided to try a recipe that I recently found on the food blog, House of Annie. It looked delicious, and since we love chocolate and cream cheese, I decided to give it a try.

Annie's recipe actually came from another website, which is linked from her blog. The measurements are given in grams, which I attempted to convert to U.S. measurements. With that said, the recipe is not exact, but I will share my converted version.

Marble Cream Cheese Cake

6 oz. butter

1 cup granulated sugar (it calls for castor sugar but my results were good with granulated)

3 eggs

1/4 cup cocoa powder (I added more than the original recipe called for)
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (This was not included in the original recipe, but I added them to one half of the cake batter and it turned out very good)

For the cream cheese layer:

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/3 cup powdered sugar (Annie recommends not using powder sugar, but it worked well for this layer)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg

Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs one at a time.
3. Add sifted cocoa, flour, and baking powder. (she didn't mention sifting, but I think it's important that it is sifted)
4. Divide this batter if half.
5. Add chocolate chips to half of the batter if desired.
6. Prepare Cream Cheese Layer: Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and egg. Beat well.
7. Pour 1/2 of the chocolate mixture in greased 8" round pan. (I poured the half with the chocolate chips in first)
8. Pour Cream Cheese layer on top of that layer.
9. Pour remaing 1/2 of the chocolate mixture on top, covering all of the cream cheese layer.
10. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. (I reduced the temperature because I bake most of my cakes at 325, and it worked perfectly)

This recipe makes one 8" round layer.

What we thought....

Five people ended up tasting this cake and this is what we thought of it...

The cake was good and very moist. We are big time chocolate lovers, and this cake didn't have enough chocolate in it, even with the chocolate chips added. Next time I will try adding 1/3 cup of cocoa powder. I may even try adding the chips to all of the chocolate mixture. However, we all agreed that this cake would be perfect with a cup of coffee or even hot chocolate just the way it is. You wouldn't need the extra chocolate in it then. If you like eating something sweet in the morning...this is for you! It's just sweet enough...I don't like a very sweet cake and the sweetness factor was perfect! This recipe is a keeper!!

First Post: For the love of food!!!

2009-10-29T14:11:00.000-04:00

I know I'm a little late in this game, but I recently discovered food blogs and fell in love! Since I have such a tremendous passion for food, as well as a love for photography and writing, I decided that I needed to jump on the bandwagon and join these other food bloggers!

A little about me...

I am happily married and we have three children - two 8-year-olds and a 5-year-old. If that isn't enough to keep me busy, I also work full-time, run a small cake business out of my home part-time, and I am working on my master's degree part-time. I also manage to prepare a home-cooked meal every night of the week. I am constantly trying to find ways to cut costs with our meals. I usually purchase meats that are on sale and create something with those. Fortunately, my husband also enjoys cooking, especially when it involves the outdoor grill! He's not so much into baking, but he loves eating the cakes and other sweets that I prepare!

How I got started (My Grandmother)...

My grandmother was a wonderful lady. I also thought she was such a perfect lady. She always dressed so nicely. Her outfit always matched to a T. Her hair was always styled perfectly. She was polite, caring, and loved her family, friends, and her church. She was also one of the best cooks and bakers I ever knew. She could go into the kitchen and throw something together in no time. She had been cooking so long that she knew "what was what" and "what did what." I watched her cook, bake, and decorate cakes for as long as I could remember. My mom also bakes cakes, but I am going to save the story about her for it's own post! As you can see, I couldn't help but to love food. When I was a teenager, I would create recipes, mostly desserts. Some of those are long gone now, and I sure wish I had them.

My grandmother fought a long battle with cancer. She continued baking cakes until the end, but she also made sure she showed me how to make her specialty cakes. She typed most of her famous recipes, placed them in a recipe book, and gave it to me. Before she passed away, in 2005, she told her customers to call me if they needed a cake - and some of them are still calling! I use a lot of her original recipes, I created some of my own, and I've tweeked some of hers. This blog is dedicated to her...my loving Grandmother! I miss you Grandma!!!