Outrageous Cookie Bars

My idea for Christmas goods this past year was to do something that could be consumed. Well, time got away from me but my sister-in-law must've read my mind. In fact, I was going to make this gift and give it to others. What can I say except great minds think alike!

Ingredients:
1/2cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
1.5cups graham cracker crumbs
1can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
2cups (12oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1cup flaked coconut
1cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350degrees. Melt butter and add to graham cracker crumbs and combine. Add crumb mixture to a 13x9 baking dish and press firmly to the bottom. Next, add all other ingredients to the top of that. On top of that layer, add the can of sweetened condensed milk. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars and serve.

Now, in my picture below, Tammy added butterscotch morsels but I'm not a fan of them so I left them out for another recipe.
My husband hates nuts in anything and he hates coconut so I made him a tiny spot with just the graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips and milk. I think he'll like it that way.

Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

This is a great gift-giving idea, no matter the occasion!

Boiled Eggs

I know this may seem like a silly post, but 1) I'm working on bringing knowledge to you in case I know something you don't and 2) I'm working on my photography skills!

How to boil an egg without the yolk being runny or too crumbly.

I always start with cold eggs in a pot full of cold water. The water is just above the top of the egg and then I turn the heat on the stove to high. I let the eggs boil about 15 minutes and then turn the heat off and let them cool in the water for about 10 minutes.

Here's the trick to peeling your eggs without the mess and fuss. Dump out the water you boiled them in and put some cold water on them, in the same pot. Roll the egg around and crack it until the entire shell is soft. Then, with the egg in the water, peel the shell off.

If your egg is runny after this or the shell doesn't come off smoothly, well ... There's still hope for you pumpkin ;)

I already ate one of my eggs but here's some of my pretty little eggies to show you.

These are really good for you too!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

I recently had a baby named Owen. He is now a little over 6 months old and is such a joy! I have been on a personal journey to lose the baby weight in my belly, eat better, and serve better meals to my family.

I buy my meat on sale. Why? Why not! It's usually $4.00-$5.00 cheaper and my local store usually has tons of chicken on sale. I buy it up and save around $20.00 per bill doing it this way. I come home and clean it up and put it in freezer bags and when I need it, all I have to do is thaw it and cook. Saves me so much time!

Today, I marinated my chicken breast in caesar salad dressing and put it in the fridge for about an hour. Todd is the grill master so I let him grill the chicken. It took him a while before he grilled meats well but it was worth it! He does a great job now.

After he grilled it, he used more of the caesar dressing and cut the chicken up and placed it on top of our salads. Today was so easy and so good.

Unfortunately, the boys were in a bit of a rush to eat and get out the door that I wasn't able to take a picture so I found online to take it's place. You've got to try this!

Hey, who says grilling is just for summer meals? It's a year-round event in our family!

What you need:
Chicken
Lettuce
Caesar Dressing

What to do:
Marinate chicken in the dressing for at least 1 hour
Grill the chicken until it's not longer pink
Cut and serve on top of your lettuce

Enjoy!



Picture found here



Starbucks Cinnamon & Sugar Scones

I found a yummy recipe for Starbucks scones. I absolutely love Starbucks, especially since it's 45 minutes away from my house and I can't get it frequently. You know the saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder :)

I found the recipe for scones here at The Coupon Project. I am so excited to make more of these. You'll find the recipe and instructions there as well as some pictures. I included the recipe as well.. It's a little easier for me to read recipes/instructions if it's step by step without picture interruptions.

Ayden and Todd loved them. I love that it doesn't make a ton of food since we're all working on eating better. There's honey instead of sugar in the recipe (sugar on top) and I love that. I made mine with white flour but next time I will try it with wheat.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, separated
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup buttermilk (I used regular milk and it turns out just fine)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter until it looks crumbling, similar to sand. You can use your hands like I did, or a fork or food processor.
In a separate dish, combine the egg yolk, honey and milk. Stir this into the dry mixture until just combined. Roll or smooth it out to an 8" disk, about 1/4" thick and cut into whatever shape you like. You can also use cookie cutters or the rim of a glass to make circular ones if you want.
Scramble the reserved egg white and brush on top of each scone. Add sugar/cinnamon mixture to the top.
Place on baking sheet and bake at 400degrees for approximately 10 minutes.
If you want to make the glaze, add powdered sugar and a little tiny bit of milk to a bowl and combine. Too loose? Add more sugar. Too thick? Add a tiny bit more milk. Glaze and eat!

Here are my pictures...

Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells

This was my first time making stuffed shells. It was really easy and pretty fun. Just a few ingredients too. I think the total I spent on our dinner was maybe $10.00 at the most. We had tons of food; Todd said it was like Olive Garden. But guess what, OG, I didn't pay you $50.00 for our meals! IN YOUR FACE! :)

Ingredients:
Shells
Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (not grated)
Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded Cheese

Directions:
*Boil shells via directions on box - I did mine for 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 400degrees.
*In a bowl, combine a large carton of ricotta cheese and 1/4cup Parmesan cheese. While the noodles are boiling, grab 1/3cup of the pasta water and add to your cheese mix.
*Add salt/pepper to taste
*Once the shells are finished to Al-Dente (a little bit of a bite to it .. they have to cook in the oven still), drain and let cool.
*Add a little bit of spaghetti sauce to the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish
*Fill the shells with the ricotta mixture and add to the baking dish
*Once all are finished, put as much spaghetti sauce on top of the shells as you want
*Add as much shredded cheese as you want
*Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese melts all the way and everything is hot
*Broil for a few minutes to get the top brown
*EAT AND ENJOY!

We also had a salad and some crescent rolls.

Menu Planning - Week 1

Menu Planning.

I'll admit I never thought this idea would be a good idea until I actually tried it. I did it while I was working and it helped a ton, and then I had the baby, went on trips to FL/MI and basically quit doing it.

I started off by making columns with these headings: Meat, Bread, Veggies, Pasta. I realized once I broke it down that way and wrote down what was in my fridge/freezer/pantry, I could make an easy menu.

Here's how our food week will go, in no certain order:

~Chicken with rice-a-roni + a salad
~Shimp stir-fry with fried rice
~Stuffed shells + salad + bread
~BBQ pork tenderloin sandwiches + corn + green beans
~Chuck roast + red potatoes + carrots
~Leg of lamb + butter/garlic noodles + asparagus

Out of all of these dinners, the only things I need to purchase is asparagus and ricotta cheese. Can't wait to share my meals with you!

I am going to try to make artisan bread and hope it's as good as this pictures looks.

Do you do any type of menu planning?