Granola Bites.

Okay so we {Ryan and I} have been trying to eat a little healthier. Slowly working in new things and trying different recipes. After one failed attempt to make some granola Cynthia sent me this recipe for no bake energy bites. I was trying to find a nice little snack for Ryan to take in his lunch.  I was a little afraid he wouldn't like them but to my surprise he LOVES them. It's just too bad the kids don't like them...they won't even try them. 
I think Cynthia got this recipe from Pinterest but I do not have the link. She sent it to me via a picture so that's all I have to go by:)

 Granola Bites

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter {or other nut butter}
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 ground flaxseed 
1/2 mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

mix everything in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed in. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled I used a melon ball scooper to make little one inch half circles. I had to press the granola into the scoop but this size was better than rolling into 1 inch balls like the original recipe. They are the perfect size when using melon ball scooper. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to one week. 

 These were the first ones I made that I rolled into balls. 

 There's my little melon scooper:)

Seriously give these a try! You will love them. And your kids will too if they are not super picky like my crazies. 

Buffalo Cauliflower

So on my last day of my blog challenge I will be sharing a recipe I found on Pinterest that Ryan and i love. It's a great side dish. I am always looking for new side dish recipes. I was thrilled when we tried this out and it was a keeper. It's great dipped in some ranch....YUMMY!!!

We actually just had this the other night with some grilled chicken and baked potato. 

 This is what it looks like after you coat with the batter. 

 And this is after the first 15 minutes after it hardens.

 Then you coat with your sauce. 

 Then put back in the oven and coat again with the sauce. 

Here is the recipe I got from Persnickety Plates

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower

For the batter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
dash of Frank's Wing Sauce (or Frank's Original Hot Sauce)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried onion - I have used this recipe with and without dried onion and it still taste just as yummy without. 
For the buffalo sauce
1/4 cup Frank's Wing Sauce
3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
Wash your head of cauliflower and cut into pieces.
In a medium bowl, mix together the batter ingredients. It will be pretty thick.
Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter until fully and evenly coated. Place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the batter hardens.

In a small bowl, mix together the buffalo sauce ingredients.
Once the cauliflower are done, remove from the oven and brush with the buffalo sauce. And once again, fully and evenly coat each piece.
Put back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes about 5-7 minutes or until  the sauce has mostly dried and the cauliflower is crispy.
Remove from the oven and cool.

I hope you give this a try. It's a different way to eat cauliflower, much more exciting than the usual steamed cauliflower. I am always looking for new ways to cook our veggies:)

Ryan's Jalapeno Poppers.

A couple months ago Ryan went golfing {like he does every other Wednesday} with his homies {that's what I call his golf buddies}.  And one of his home boys was raging about these little thingys he had at a party. So Ryan came  home and talked about how good these stuffed bacon wrapped jalapeno's sounded.  So come Forth of July he decided he wants to give them a try. We were having the family over so he thought this was the perfect little snacky snack. 
He didn't really have a recipe to go off of. He just knew the ingredients. He knew they were stuffed with cream cheese and lil smokies....YUMMY!!! He did some googling and didn't really find anything so he just went with it. 

What you will need: 

Bacon
Jalapenos
cream cheese
lil smokies

This is very simple and you cannot mess it up. Wash and slice jalapenos lengthwise and remove seeds and membrane. Fill with a little cream cheese and place a lil smokie with in the middle. 
Then you take your bacon and cut in half and wrap it around the jalapeno, hold together with a toothpick. 
Place on a baking sheet {foil lined if you would like}. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or so until bacon is crispy {maybe a few minute longer} then broil on low for about 5 more minutes. 

Let them cool {if you can wait} and EAT!!!!!

                      

You could always wrap the bacon around the other way. This was his little recipe so I just let him be:) Of course they were a big hit and everyone enjoyed them. 

Great Job honey!!!!

Tator Tot Casserole.

I found this great new recipe from Pinterest....who doesn't love Pinterest?! This might not be a new recipe to some of you but to me it was new and I had to try it. It's super easy and I am all about an easy meal:)

This recipe is from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary, click here to view the orginal recipe.

 

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 chopped medium onion
3 chopped cloves garlic
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots
You can either let the tator tots sit out for a little bit before you cook the cassorole or put them in frozen. I always forget to let mine sit out so I haven't tried it that way yet.

In a large skillet cook the onion until translucent and then add and cook garlic for a couple minutes. Add and cook beef, drain and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Mix until smooth, Add to hamburger mixture and stir. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Mix together.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the tator tots on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over top and then layer with the rest of tator tots. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

We just had this the other night for dinner. I have made this several times since first discovering the recipe a couple months ago:) Give it a try and ENJOY!!!!!

What's for Dinner?

The other night for dinner I needed something easy and something new to cook for dinner. I was at the grocery store getting some food to stock up the new place and came across this...............

So I thought I would give it a try. And to my surprise it was pretty good and even Ryan liked it. The kids not so much but that doesn't surprise me. They are so picky these days.
I think there are 3 different types of cooking creme, I will for sure be trying out the others. I don't know why I hadn't noticed these sooner. I am always getting cream cheese and they are right next to eachother.


Chicken Primavera with Pasta

1.5 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 package {16oz} frozen stir-fry vegetables {broccoli, carrots, red peppers, snow peas}
1 tub {15 oz} Philadelphia Italian Cheese & Herb  Cooking Creme
4 cups of cooked fettuccine


I had just went to Costco and just bought a huge bag of broccoli, so instead of using frozen veggies I used fresh. I just steamed the broccoli and added it at the very end. I cooked the red peppers and onions {of course I add onions to everything} with the chicken but waited until chicken was just about done.

Cut up chicken into bite size pieces and cook in a nonstick skillet on medium heat, about 10 minutes.

Then add your veggies and cook another 4 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Next add your cooking creme, cook and stir 3-4 minutes, then add your pasta {and broccoli if using the steamed fresh stuff}

It made so much we had leftovers last night. I reheated it on the stove top, added a little water until heated through, then added some more cooking creme because the pasta was a little dry. It tasted just as good.

Thank goodness for my iPhone. I haven't downloaded our photos or our photo software on the new computer yet so it was just easier taking these pics with the phone. Hopefully I will get around to downloading our programs on the computer soon. I need to clear off our memory card to the camera.

Give it a try and ENJOY! 

Warm Artichoke Dip.

Here is a super delicious dip you have to try. It's quick and easy. This is the dip I took over to Cynthia's for Pie Day. Thanks to my BIL and SIL I have a new dip.

Spread out evenly, I used a 1 1/2 quart dish.  

Artichoke Dip

1 block of cream cheese
Medium size jar or can of Artichoke hearts quartered {probably the size of a soup can} more or less if you want.
small can of diced green chiles
2 heaping scoops of mayonnaise
garlic salt to taste
Three cheese blend {we use the Raley's brand that comes in a tub, maybe 6 oz.}

Mix everything together and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes then turn on the broiler for 5 minutes to melt and brown cheese on top.

You can serve this dip with slices of sourdough bread, tortilla chips, or any type of crackers. It's so yummy when it comes straight from the oven. Usually if you make right before it stays pretty warm in the dish for awhile.

You must try this one out. It's so good, you won't be disappointed. My BIL and SIL bring it to all our family functions. I am not sure where they got it from. Give it a try and let me know what you think:) Please let me know if you have any questions. I know sometimes my descriptions can be a little vague.

Pie Day.

This years Pie Day didn't turn out so good for myself. My apple pies didn't quite turn out the way I wanted them to. The poor little tops got a little roasted. I think next year I am going to try another recipe and go with the traditional crust instead of the crumbly crust I usually do. They still tasted good but with just a little crunchy top:) Other than that Pie Day was GREAT. It was a good day hanging out and eating. Lots of snacky foods to go around.

The boys I guess were fairly good. They were a little crazy the last half we were there, that's probably because Easton fell asleep on the way there and stayed asleep once we got there for about an hour. They have issues with listening but what 2 and 4 year old don't?!

 Cynthia and Rebecca.

 Vicky {Cynthia's Mom}, Shari {Cynthia's Step-Mom}, Bob {Cynthia's Dad}

 Easton passed out. No pictures of Cameron of this time. He wouldn't sit still long enough for me to take a picture.

 Food.....YUM.

 A super yummy dip I made. I stole the recipe from my BIL and SIL.......so good. I will post it hopefully tomorrow.

 Pies

 More Pies

 Cynthia and her cookies

 Rebecca and Joe watching Monsters Inc.

Cynthia made some Pumpkin Pie Bites she got from Pinterest. I thought they were good but she said they weren't sweet enough. For the recipe click here.

I think maybe next year I might try and mix it up and make something new. I am not sure what, maybe a new pie I have never made before. Who knows, we shall see. With two toddlers and a new baby around I am not sure what I will be able to get done:)

Slow Cooker Pork Chops.

Don't you just love crock pot meals?! For this recipe you have to do a couple extra steps, you just don't throw it in there but it's still easy and of course super good. I love cooking in the crock pot because the meat always comes out so tender and juicy. This recipe I got from a scrapbooking buddy and I am so glad she shared it.

Ingredients:

6 pork chops
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion sliced
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups boiling water
2 Tbsp flour
1 8 oz container of sour cream

Season the pork chops with salt,{You also get a lot of salt from the bouillon cubes so be careful you don't want it too salty} pepper, and garlic powder and then dredge in 1/2 flour. In a skillet over medium heat lightly brown the pork chops in a small amount of oil. Place chops in the crock pot and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water and pour over chops. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. After the pork chops have cooked carefully transfer to the oven to keep warm {they will be so tender they will fall apart}. In a small bowl combine flour and sour cream and mix into meat juices. Turn crock pot to high for 15-30 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens. Serve sauce over pork chops with rice or egg noodles.

I usually add an extra bouillon cube and an extra cup of water as it doesn't make enough sauce for us. Then I will add an extra tbsp of flour and a couple extra big scoops of sour cream. I have also tried this with chicken and it taste just as good.

Yes....those are paper plates you see!!! Don't judge me. We eat off paper plates probably 90% of the time. I do not need any more dishes to wash and take up room in the dishwasher.


On a side note.....as you can tell Wednesday's Wine will have to be put on hold for a few months. I do miss my wine, especially when those boys of mine are driving me nuts, but it's only for a little bit and in the end I will have a sweet new baby. I already have some bottles waiting for me to open....hehehe.

Ok now I am off to finish getting ready and then head to store to pick up a couple things for a dip I am making to take to pie day.

Have a great day everyone!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup.

The other night I finally made my Mother-in-law's Chicken and Dumpling Soup. This has been one of my favorites for years and I just now got around to asking her the recipe. I am not sure why I didn't ask her sooner. The last time I had it was after Easton was born, so almost 2 years ago. It's super easy and super yummy.

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

1 whole young chicken
2-4 cans of refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits
3-4 chicken bouillon cubes

First boil the chicken, about an hour. Strain your chicken broth and bring back to a boil. Add some water and chicken bouillon cubes, this just depends how much your making and how much liquid you want. Cut up biscuits, you can cut them into quarters or smaller depending how big you like them. They will expand when cooking. After the chicken has cooled a little started ripping it apart. take off all the chicken. Let the biscuits cook for awhile and then add your chicken and let cook for about 10 minutes or so. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is really simple and easy to make. You cannot really mess it up.

Super Yummy Gooey Cheese Bread.

I have been meaning to post this for awhile now. It's so good I had to share it with you all. I got this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, So Wonderful, So Marvelous. I have already made it a few times, Ryan and the boys love it!!!!! I call my version the Gooey Cheese Bread.

1 loaf of Italian bread or sourdough
1 stick butter
2 cloves of garlic {1 heaping teaspoon of the pre-minced stuff}
2 teaspoons of poppy seeds
16 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the loaf length wise about 3 times, then slice in thick slices width wise and you will have big chunky squares. Do not slice all the way through.

Put butter, poppy seeds, and garlic in a microwaveable bowl and heat until butter is melted. Stir.
Then your going to stuff all that cheese between each and every slice.
Then pour the butter mixture all over the top. Cover and bake 10-15 minutes, then bake for another 10 minutes uncovered.

 

Michelle calls her recipe, Emily's Party Bread {named after her friend Emily, who came up with it} click here to see Michelle's recipe.
Give it a try. It's super easy and super yummy.

Saturday Sweetness.

These are the easiest peanut butter cookies you will ever make, heck they are probably the easiest cookie you will ever make. And they are so good!

 I like to line my baking sheets with parchment paper. It makes for an easy clean up and you don't have to worry about greasing.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Form 1" inch balls and arrange on baking sheet. I like to flattened mine out with a fork to make the little criss cross design {or whatever it's called}. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown, about 10-12 minutes.
I have had this recipe forever and the recipe says it can make 30 cookies but I can usually only get about 20.
I hope you get a chance to try out this recipe and hope everyone has a great weekend!