Ed's macaroni casserole!

Grandpa Ed used to make the BEST macaroni casserole EVER!!  I still crave it...  It's mostly on cold winter days though...  So on this day I decided I wanted it, I bought the stuff to make it, and then I made it for dinner...  It was Yummy and Super easy...  You literally only need 3 ingredients!  ;)

What you'll need:

1 box of mac and cheese

1 package of kielbasa, I used the beef kielbasa...  but anyone works, Turkey's good if you're trying to save on calories

and a 1 or 2 tomatoes... enough to layer twice

we LOVE the sausage part here...  so I made 2...  ;)  and I like it with extra tomatoes... 

cook the mac and cheese according to the directions on the box, while that's cooking steam cook the sausage, I did it in about 4 tablespoons of water, in a skillet, for about 15 minutes....

when that's done, take them out of the skillet and let it cool, before  you slice the sausage...  It'll need to be sliced so you can layer it as well...

when the mac and cheese is cooked, layer some on the bottom, enough to cover the bottom, then layer the sausage and tomato slices, and repeat...

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown...  and enjoy!!  :)

A barrel of candy

I've mentioned before how much I LOVE to bake...  and I follow a lot of fun, and delicious blogs where I get my ideas from...  ;)  I'm still a little scared to "create" stuff on my own...  plus a lot of the time I have little helpers with me, so we need easy to follow and not really messy stuff to do!  :)  I LOVE my quality "baking" time with the kids....  I saw the idea for this cake on recipegirl's blog, I LOVED the idea, and REALLY, REALLY wanted to make it for someone, just wasn't sure who!!  Then Bobby had a birthday and I was hanging out with the kids, so I thought, "what a GREAT way to keep the children entertained for a little while!"  and baked goods always make for a good part of a b-day gift!  ;)  I went ahead and baked the cake ahead of time...  Yummy red velvet!  ;)

When I got to their house I frosted it and we started "putting it together!" Recipegirl said to use chocolate frosting and that TOTALLY makes sense...  BUT I wasn't sure how red velvet and chocolate would taste like...  I was afraid that it would be too much chocolate, so we went with cream cheese frosting!  ;)

The kids helped me "build" with the kit kats, they were funny, they would occasionally "accidentally" break one in half, so they HAD to eat it!!!  haha!

Then we poured in the M&M's...  see why the chocolate frosting would of made more sense?  ;)

.....and after discussing with the kids, we decided that we needed MORE M&M's, so we ran off to the store for another bag...  haha....  seeeeee.... much better, plus this way we had more left over to eat..  ;)  Then Miss Ella used her phenomenal writing skills, and wrote on the cake for me!  ;)

our finished product!  ;)  she was just as proud as she looked on the pic!!  ;)

..... one more of our fun, SUPER easy and yummy cake creation, it was so easy that EVERYONE got to help!!  ;)

Cinnamon roll pumpkin vanilla cake squares

Another one of Picky Palate's yummy recipes...  and sooooo easy to make...  the recipe can be found here.

This one is a personal favorite too, it contains pumpkin...  how could it not be??  ;)  and I think it was a fan favorite as well...  :)

You'll need,

1 box of yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 Cup of milk

3.4 oz box of instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup of sour cream

one small (15oz.) can of pumkin

1 stick, (8oz.) unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teqaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup powder sugar

and 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream start with 1/4 use 1/2 if you need it!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a jelly roll pan with non stick cooking spray.
2. Place cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, pudding, sour cream and pumpkin into a stand or electric mixer, beating until well combined. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
3. Place butter into a microwave safe bowl and melt, about 30-40 seconds. Add brown sugar and cinnamon to bowl, mixing until combined. Drizzle mixture evenly over cake then take a knife and run it through to swirl.
4. Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and remove. Place powdered sugar and cream into a large bowl and mix until creamy and smooth. Drizzle over warm cake then let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. After combining and cooking all of the ingredients, you get something yummy that looks like this!!  ;)

....and the final squares looked like this...  they were YUMMY!!!  and I suggest you eat them warm...  they're much more heavenly that way!!  ;) 

I had fun A LOT OF FUN sharing these goodies with friends!

.....and again, if you haven't visited her site....  you totally should now!!  ;)

A pie for mikey! 9-1-11

Once in a while I run into something on twitter or facebook that COMPLETELY takes my breath away!  There has been so much talk within my friend groups about both of these social media outlets that we/people use to communicate EVERYDAY!!  YES, people use them a lot to vent, to complain, TO CREATE some sort of jealousy within others...  BUT they are also used in amazingly good ways...  I LOVE them for communicating with family and friends who are far away, I also like them for recipes, and for sharing pictures, articles, recipes and what-nots going on in my life... Social Media is definitely what we take from it...  :) 
I stumbled upon injennieskitchen's blog, thru someone else I follow on twitter, I have followed her amazing story of grieving and survival ever since...  I am not married, BUT I feel like I can totally relate to her loss....  we all lose people close to us, and we all have to figure out how to pick up the pieces and move on, we have to figure out how to "survive" without our loved one...  jennie cooks to help her "move on,"  I LOVE her recipes, I have only tried this one of hers...  I made it and I shared it, I think they liked it, I'm not a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, so I didn't have any!  ;)  I LOVED the idea behind this "pie"....  on her blog she asked people to bake a peanut butter pie in memory of Mikey, her husband....  She said it was his favorite, and she always thought that she would make it for him "tomorrow", never thinking that tomorrow may be too late...  you can read her specific pie for Mikey blog here,  the outpour on the internet/twitter was OVERWHELMING...  they even ran an article on CNN, and it was on the 10 o'clock news...  WOW!!  I went ahead and joined this campaign...  I made the pie, wasn't sure who I would share it with, then brought it over to Jessica's...  I LOVED the idea behind the whole campaign.....  sometimes we get so involved in our everyday lives that we forget to tell and show those close to us how important they are to us...  It is my hope EVERYDAY that my loved ones will know how MUCH they mean to me ALWAYS...  and that they all know how much they have impacted my life... We never know when it will be too late...
Without further ado here is MY PIE FOR MIKEY!!  made with all of my LOVE....  :)
Homemade oreo cookie pie crust, and chocolate ganache!

mmmm... creamy peanut buttery filling!  ;)

..... almost ready for the fridge!!

....then it was time to deliver it...  I think miss Ella was the most excited to try it...  and she went ahead and gave it a good ol' lick!!  ;)  I think she approved! 

looks good.... no????  ;)

And with that, here's our reminder again.... that we should hug our loved ones tighter, and tell them we love them today....  Tomorrow is not guaranteed! 

here's Jennie's recipe that I used!!  :)

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

and enjoy!!!  :)

The dinner fairy....

My friend Rachelle had a baby girl two weeks ago, and we decided that it would be fun to have dinner delivered to them for 2 weeks, to help out the new mommy and daddy!!  :)  today was my day to be a dinner fairy!  :0  And it meant that I got to stop by and visit momma and cute littel baby Kristen!!  :)

I made chicken enchiladas in flour tortillas with red sauce..  YUMM!!  :)

with LOTS of cheese on top!  can't have enough cheese!!  ;)

.... and I tried a new recipe for dessert, I think it was a hit!  ;)

Doesn't it look yummy??  graham crackers, white chocolate chips....

....LOTS of marshmallows...

....and yellow cake....

...topped with condensed milk!!  it screams SUGAR goodness...  ;)  and let me tell you it was delicious!!  :)

....and here they are...  white chocolate smore bars...  mmmmmm...  :)

White chocolate smores's bars

I have found a FEW NEW FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS....  Picky palate is definitely one of them...  EVERY single one of the recipes of her's I have tried have been a HIT!!  :)  This one is made with white chocolate so it IS naturally one of MY favorites!!  The recipe is SUPER easy...  Brody and Jake helped me make the second batch, they're 4 and 2, so it goes to show how easy and kid friendly it was!!  ;) 

you can find the recipe here

what you'll need,

graham crackers

white chocolate chips

mini marshmallows

and a can of condensed milk

Step 1....  line the pan with aluminum foil cookie dough and graham crackers

...adding the chocolate chips

...and the marshmallows

...Then the condensed milk, and finally the 2nd half of the cookie dough layer!  ;)

...then it was time for the oven...  looks like I should of closed the drawers first!!  ;) look at how yummy and bubbly it looks!  ;)

I could hardly wait to get my hands on this yummy dessert!  ;)

....and they didn't dissapoint, they were just as good as their original picture showed...  ;)

If you haven't visited picky-palate's blog,  YOU TOTALLY SHOULD!!  ;)

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs

THIS is BY FAR my FAVORITE recipe...  I LOVE mozzarela and meatballs aren't bad...  ;)  I made some changes to this one, to cater to what I liked and had readily available...  :)  We ate these with spaghetti, and also in rolls as meatball sandwiches...  :)  the possibilities for this recipe are ENDLESS!!!  :)
The original recipe can be found here
I used
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 egg
ground beef, you can probably use ground turkey for these too!
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons of minced garlic
a little mustard
regular salt, a pinch
black pepper, a pinch
garlic salt, a pinch 
mozzarella balls, or 2/2 mozzarella squares, 10-15 should be enough
Mix all ingredients except the oil, and mozzarella, together make balls out of the meat and stuff them with the cheese...  make sure they are all covered and set on a 9/13 baking dish with a little sauce on the bottom, that was my personal preference!  ;)
and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes!  ENJOY!
I skipped a few ingredients from the original because I either didn't have them, or didn't know what they were or what they would taste like!!  ;)   
My "egg nest" meatballs.... 

....all closed up, and almost ready for the oven!

Her recipe doesn't call for putting sauce in the pyrex for cooking, but I added a little sauce to the bottom just for kicks, and because i didn't want them to burn or dry out..  and let me tell you that it added a little extra flavor to them that was AMAZING!!  :)

Ready to go in!!! 

look at that ozzing heavenly cheese...  ;)  in case you didn't know I LOVE cheese!!  ;)

...and the final product...  in a roll...  YUMM...  nothing like a good ol' meatball sandwich for dinner after a long day at work!  ;)

Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls

I ran across this YUMMY recipe for Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls on Cheekykitchen.com back in January...  I finally found a reason to make them, in February, and have made them a few more times since...  They are definitely one of my ALL TIME favorites....  ;)  It's not too late to share the reipe is it??  You can find the original recipe here

You'll need:

2 cups very warm water
2 tablespoons dry yeast
2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup butter
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Zest and juice of 6 Meyer Lemons
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese
6 cups powdered sugar

I LOVE nothing more than the smell of freshly zested lemon.....

....and I definitely got overly excited to watch the dough "rise"!  ;)

putting it all together!!  ;)

Directions!

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water and yeast. Allow the yeast to proof by setting is aside for about 5 minutes. If a foamy layer forms at the top of the water, your yeast is ready to go!

2. Whisk in the dry milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt. Add 1/2 cup of softened butter to the mixture, as well as the egg. Slowly begin stirring in the flour, one cup at a time. Add just enough flour to create a soft (but not sticky dough). Knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top of the dough, place it in in a large, clean bowl, cover lightly with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for one hour.

3. Cut the risen dough into thirds. Use a rolling pin to spread the dough into a long, thin rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick). Melt the 1 cup of butter and spread approximately one-third of the melted butter over the long rectangle of dough. Sprinkle the zest of two lemons across the butter (you can sprinkle more for a lot of lemon flavor), then sprinkle 1/3 cup of sugar across the melted butter. Roll the dough up tightly, then slice into 1 1/2 inch cinnamon rolls, and transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Allow the rolls to raise on top of your preheating oven for 20-30 minutes. Bake rolls in the oven for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are a light, golden brown. Remove and frost immediately with Lemon Meyer Cream Cheese Icing.

5. For the icing, beat together all of the fresh-squeezed juice from the lemons, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until very smooth. Spread over warm Lemon Meyer Sweet Rolls. Enjoy immediately.

YUMMMM!!!

I PROMISE if you make these you WONT be dissapointed!  thanks again for the recipe cheekykitchen!!  ;)

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.....

I ran across a recipe for red velvet whoopie pies on the the Brown-Eyed bakers blog...  If you haven't visited it, you should, I have tried a few of her recipes and  have yet to be dissappointed, everything i've had is pretty close to AMAZING. They looked delicious, but at my house they wouldn't of been eaten, so I decided to enlist the help of my 5 year old baker friend....  thank you Jessica for supplying the kitchen, and for supplying me with an assistant!  haha!  ;) 

getting started!

ALL DONE!!!  They were just as good as they looked here!!

just ask our official taste tester....  ;)

mmmmmm....  I will definitly be making these again...  and it should probably be sooner, rather, than later.... ;)

Girl's night in!

So Janelle had this great idea for a girl's night....  we all made a little something to share for dinner, and we all brought the recipe to share with whomever wanted it, I couldn't decide between chicken cheese rolls, or this tastylicious layered mexican bake thing that I had seen in a magazine...  the mexican bake won!!  :)  so here is the recipe and pictures, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did!!  :)

What you need:

1 lb of extra-lean ground beef

1 onion chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tbs. chili powder

1 small jar of salsa, I used albertsons southwest style salsa, I thought it'd b appropriate since it has corn and black beans

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn

4 high-fiber whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)  I used white ones, I wasn't sure how I felt about wheat ones

1/2 cup of light sour cream

cheese, the recipe called for a ridiculous amount something like 1/4 cup....  but I definitly used more!

Make it:

Heat:  oven to 375 F

Brown:  meat with onions and pepprs in large skillet on medium-high heat. stir in chili powder; cook 1 min.

Add salsa and corn; mix well. Simmer 5 min.

Spread:  1 cup of meat sauce onto botto of 8 or 9 inch square baking dish; top with layers of 1 tortilla, 1/2 cup of meat sauce, sor cream and cheese.  Cover with one , 1 cup of the remainig meat sauce and more cheese; top with remaining tortilla and meat sauce.  Cover with foil.

 Bake:  25 min. or until casserole is heated through  Top with more cheese, bake uncovered

 for 5 minutes or until melted.

Special extra:  garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions just before serving.

ENJOY!