MINI EGG COOKIES!!!!

I know I know do we really need to add more calories and carbs to our favorite Easter candy??? I just wanted to play with them a little but I have to tell you, when baking with these babies I learned they don't put out a strong chocolate flavor SO you need A LOT :) These cookies definitely need a cup of milk to go along with them that's for sure!!

1 cup butter or margarine softened (butter is always better in cooking)

3/4 c brown sugar, packed

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4-1/2 c. peanut butter

18 oz. pkg mini eggs, crushed up

Preheat oven to 375* Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add eggs then mix well. Add peanut butter. Combine flour, salt, & baking soda. Add to cookie mixture and mix well. Fold in mini eggs. Scoop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. May look a little doughy but remember most cookies will continue to cook on your cookie sheet while they cool.

Zuppa Toscano

Is your family like mine and have to have a REAL soup not just one you would find in a liquid diet?This is the perfect meat and potatoes soup. My hubby was drooling while I cooked this because this is a soup with lots of meat (which varies depending on taste) I didn't have one complaint!! The next day my hubby took this to work and all the other guys were oogling his dinner and wanting his! They were all loving the fact that there was soooo much meat in it!!!

1/2 a  (14oz) can beef broth
3 (14oz) cans chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
a pinch of red pepper flakes ( I did 2 cause we like spice)
dash of garlic salt
1 small onion diced and cooked with sausage
2 lbs Italian sausage cooked and degrease*
1/2 pkg. bacon cooked and chopped up *
8 potatoes scrubbed and chopped into 1/4" chunks
4 cups kale
* this made for A LOT of meat but that's how my hubby likes it! You can cut down on the meat by omitting the bacon or 1 lb sausage.
Start by cooking your sausage, onion and bacon  until fully cooked. While this is cooking cut up your potatoes. throw everything into a 5 qt crock pot including potatoes. Once the meat & onions are all cooked DEGREASE them then throw it all into the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours on high or until the potatoes are ready.

MINI EGGS!!!

I seen these the other day on a cooking website OurBestBites.com and since then we have bought 2 bags (no not this size lol) Is anyone else out there a HUGE fan of Easter candy ? I don't think you can find better chocolate than at Easter time!!!! I am a HUGE fan of the Mini Eggs by Cadbury!!!! SOOOO I am going to play with them a little (which means eating lots of them on the side too) and see what I can make with them!!! Anyone else want to experiment with them and then send me a blog post about them to my email and I will post all of them!!!!!

Seasoned Pork Tenderloin or Roast

So this week has been a little crazy with the holiday and the kids out of school. When life is sooo crazy I am so thankful for my crock pot!!!! I really think I have used it 4 times in the last week!!!!
Congrats to Mindy for winning the giveaway!!! She is going to be sending her recipe blog post to me soon so we can enjoy her recipe!!!!


3 lb pork tenderloin or roast
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. dried tarragon

Place pork in a crock pot. Combine all the seasonings. Add bouillon to water. Pour over roast then sprinkle seasonings over the pork. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or until at temperature.


Remember you don't want to keep taking the lid off when using the crock pot!! It will take about 30 minutes to an hour longer every time you take the lid off!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (pheMOMenon)

I think this is a little sweet HOWEVER my hubby that doesn't like sweet meat LOVED this!!! He said it was probably one of the best enchiladas he has tried! Now I want you to remember the honey is going to take away from some of the spice of the chili powder.  I also had company over when I made this and they loved it!!!  Thanks Jacki & Lori for sharing this with me!!!

•1/3 cup honey
•1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
•2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
•2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
•12 corn tortillas
•2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
•1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
•1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
•nonstick cooking spray
•1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.


Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.


Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.


Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.


Serves about 4

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes (The Giant Blog of Cooking) adapted by me!

Her picture turned out so pretty and mine wasnt so great but I cant get it to post.
Use your favorite chocolate cake mix for the cupcake.  Follow instructions according to box, or click on the link above for my favorite.

Frosting
1/2 c. fresh strawberries
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 (8 oz). pkg cream cheese
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
(she didn't use any cream cheese she just used 1 c. butter but I like my frosting a little creamier.)
Line your cupcake tin with liners.  Make cake according to instructions.  Cool cupcakes completely. 

For the frosting  place strawberries in a blender of a food processor and blend til it's liquid.  Beat butter and salt until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar slowly until combined.  Add vanilla and 4 Tbsp of strawberry liquid and mix until well combined.  Frost your cooled cupcakes.  I melted chocolate chips and drizzled the tops with it.  And I only used about 1/2 c. of chocolate chips.  If you use your microwave, do it in 20 second intervals and stir in between each until it's completely melted.  Make sure it's not too hot or it will melt the frosting.  Top with a fresh strawberry slice or a fanned out strawberry.

WINNER WINNER WINNER!!!

Thank you all for helping me get more followers and for trying out these recipes!!!! It makes me feel so good when I get a report back from people saying they liked?loved it!!!!!

 The Prize is full of ALOT of stuff!!!! I would like to thank my generous sponsors:
Stephanie Bodily - Spring blocks
Bits & Pieces - Recipe block
Thank you ladies for helping get my craft on !!!

SO here it goes! I used random generator to help me pick a number but couldn't figure out how to send it to my blog so I took a picture! # 25 said: I shared your link on facebook. :o)

The WINNER is MINDY!!!!!!! Congrats Mindy I hope you enjoy your prize!!! Mindy also gets to guest blog her favorite recipe if she chooses to do so!

Now for everyone else I have already contacted new sponsors to do another one when we hit 100 so keep them coming!!! Thank you!!!!

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean soup (Make it Fast Cook it Slow)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces
4 c. chicken broth
1 ( 16 oz.) jar prepared salsa
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 c. sour cream
OPTIONAL GARNISHES: shredded cheese, avocado slices, fresh cilantro

Put the beans in a 4 qt crock pot. Add the chicken, broth, and salsa, then add the corn, mushrooms, and cumin. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 5-6 hours. If you'd like to thicken the broth ( I didn't), you can use an immersion or traditional blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken (about 2 cups) Stir the mixture back in the soup. Mix in the sour cream before serving, and garnish with the cheese, avocado, and cilantro.

 LAST DAY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

French Bread Rolls (PheMOMenon.blogspot.com)

Ok so this recipe takes A LOT of time to make BUT when its all done its very good!! I made mine into french bread too and then split it in half and spread garlic butter over it and toasted it for a minute then put mozzarella cheese on it and cooked it until the cheese was melted and WOW I have never had better cheesy french bread!!! This takes about 4 1/2 hours to make but a lot of the time is just waiting for it to rise over and over again!!! This rolls are heavy!

2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/4 c. water + up to 1/3 c more, as needed
3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Put the 1 1/4 c. water into a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Set aside and let dissolve for 5 minutes, then stir. Meanwhile, mix the flour, and salt, in a large bowl, make a well in the center. Pour in the dissolved yeast, then stir enough of the flour in from the sides to make a thick paste. Cover the bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. ( when covering spray some wax paper or saran wrap with cooking spray then lay it over your bowl then put a towel over that)

Mix the remaining flour into the wet mixture and add a little of the extra water at a time to make a soft sticky dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is soft, smooth, and slightly elastic. Try not to add to much flour into this when kneading or it will be tougher. You will knead this about 10 minutes by hand or 6 minutes in a mixer that has a kneading attachment.

Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover again. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled, then deflate the dough by punching it down, cover and let rise again for 45 minutes more then punch down again, cover and rise 45 minutes again. This process seems long but it lets the dough develop a really good flavor and helps get the right crust.

Deflate the dough gently one last time and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, you could do 12 smaller rolls if you want and its still enough for 1 per person. Roll the dough pieces out into tight balls and place them on a lines baking sheet, or sprinkle a little cornmeal onto the baking sheet. The rolls shouldn't be touching, so leave a couple inches between the dough.
Using the handle of a clean wooden spoon, push a 'split' down the center of each dough ball, going all the way down to the bottom, but not hard enough to cut the dough in half, just to leave a huge indentation. It will soring up anyways on the last rise. Cover and let them rise for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees f and bake the rolls 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Truffles

I made this recipe for the first time almost a year ago for my baby girls birthday party! SO when I was trying to come up with something fun, easy and yummy for Valentines day I thought I would try this again but with a twist.

1 cake mix (chocolate is best but I tried strawberry for Valentines)
1 tub (16 oz.) cream cheese frosting
2 bags (12 oz) chocolate chips

Mix and bake cake according to directions on box. Allow cake to cool completely. Crumble cake or process in a food processor so it is just crumbs. Add frosting to crumbs and mix well. I found it is best to just do this with your hands. Roll cake into bite size balls (now you can do 2 different things here, 1-stick a sucker stick in them, or 2 just leave as balls) and place them on a baking sheet for several hours to set up for easier handling.
Once the balls are ready melt chocolate in a microwave bowl and cook for 30 seconds. Check and stir. Continue to microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted completely. BE VERY CAREFUL this is really easy to over cook if you don't watch it (the directions for melting are also found on the chocolate). Gently roll each ball in the chocolate covering completely. Place balls on baking sheet or on wax paper until chocolate is hard. I also melted a little bit of white chocolate and drizzled it over the top of the chocolate and let it set up too.

For my baby girls bday we made them into Minnie Mouse and used oreos as ears and then dipped them in chocolate so they all got covered then I decorated her face and put a bow in her hair!!! (sorry cant find the pic of it)

DONT FORGET TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR A GREAT GIVEAWAY WE ARE DOING ON FEB. 17, 2011. Follow the YAAAA hit 50 post below to enter!!

YAAAA We Hit 50!!!!!

Ok so this is how its going to go!!! Make sure your entries are not all together they each have to be posted separate so they have there own #

entry #1 if your a follower and have tried any of my recipes and can tell me which one and what you thought!

entry #2  if you shared my link and can prove it! If it was on facebook I should have liked it or commented on it!

entry #3 if you got your friends to follow and they write who sent them!

Good Luck we will be drawing on  February 17 !!!! Please make sure you leave your email if you don't have a public profile!!!!

Thanks!!!

I just want to thank all you guys for following me!!! I am planning on doing a giveaway once we meet 50 followers so please tell your friends about my blog and spread the love :)

Cowboy Toast

This is a super easy recipe and kids love the change.

Bread
eggs
butter
jam

Take a slice of bread and butter both sides then cut a circle in the center of each slice using a small cup. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and then place bread in skillet. Crack an egg and place the egg in the hole of the bread. Cook until egg is set up enough to flip the bread and egg. Cook on other side until done. Serve with jam.

Sweet and Spicy Beef Ribs (unknown, adapted by me!)

8-10 Beef Ribs (boiled in water until slightly brown)
creole seasoning

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. liquid smoke
Kraft BBQ sauce (or whatever kind you have)

Combine all ingredients for the sauce into a large bowl. Combine bbq sauce to create a batter like consistently. Sprinkle each rib lightly with creole seasoning. Dip each rib into the sauce until coated thick. Spray cookie sheet with pam then place ribs on cookie sheet .Cover with tinfoil lightly. Bake at 200 for 3-4 hours or until almost at temperature.  Basting ribs about every hour. Then take off tinfoil and broil each side for about 3 minutes. Basting when you turn over.

Jareds Salsa - Favfamilyrecipes.com (adapted by me)

Ok so I thought that Mexican salsa recipe was good but personally  I think this was by far so much better!!!

1 can (15oz.) corn
1 (10 oz) can extra hot Rotel tomatoes (I couldn't find these at the grocery store so I improvised and used a can of tomatoes with green chilies in them then added a small can diced jalapenos)
3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 can (small) diced olives
6-8 oz. zesty Italian dressing ( I made my own with a 1 oz packet of the dressing mix, vinegar, oil, and water -directions on back of one of the packets)
1 medium chopped onion
juice from 2 limes ( I recently made this salsa for a family get together and had no limes on hand but I had a bunch of lemons so I tried that out using I whole lemon and it was sooooo good the whole double batch was eaten that day)
2 tsp. minced garlic

Mix all ingredients together and let sit overnight. When ready to serve you can also add avocados.

Horseradish Scalloped Potatoes (Make it Fast, Cook it Slow)

Ok Ok so this doesn't sound very good right! Especially to those that don't like horseradish HOWEVER you don't really taste the horseradish. This is a very creamy potato and every time I have served it I have had rave reviews and people have no idea what is in it!!! It calls for extra hot and it was not hot when done but you can use any prepared horseradish.

3 lbs. red potatoes (washed and sliced no need to peel)* I have used brown potatoes too
cooking spray
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. prepared extra hot horseradish (regular not the creamy kind)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Use a 4 quart crock pot. Scrub the potatoes well and cut into 1/4" slices. Layer into a removable stoneware you sprayed with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, horseradish, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over the top of potatoes. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hour, high for 4 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Garnish with shredded Parmesan.

Yields: about 6 adult servings

Breadsticks (Our Best Bites)

I know you have all been waiting for this one after I face booked how good they were!!!  Lets just say they were so good I had some of the leftover ones for breakfast and my kids came home from school and fought over what was left of them!!!

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour


In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. 

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

 Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes(VERY IMPORTANT TO DO THIS!!). When there's 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning (recipe below) or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. I sprinkled the garlic bread seasoning then more Parmesan cheese and a little garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. I actually put mozzarella inside mine before I twisted them up and it was sooo good!!!

Garlic bread seasoning:
1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil

2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsley

Combine ingredients in a jar (preferably one with a sprinkle top) and shake.  Sprinkle on top of breadsticks or combine 1 1/2 Tbsp. seasoning with 1/2 c. of softened real butter and spread on a loaf of French bread (cut in 1/2 lengthwise). Wrap in foil and bake at 375 until butter's melted. If you want, you could also pop it open-faced under the broiler for a few minutes so it gets brownish and crispy.

Meatballs & Gravy over Noodles (From Cupboard to Cupboard)

This is a very good recipe that uses stuff that you usually have on hand !!
Meatballs:
2 lbs hamburger thawed
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
2/3 c. milk

Mix all and form into balls. Season with salt & pepper. Brown meatballs in skillet. When browned place on a paper towel drain grease out of pan. Rinse well to remove grease. Place meatballs back in pan and cover with gravy mixture below

Gravy:
2 cans cream of mushroom
1 can water (soup can)
2/3 c. milk
sprinkle of garlic salt
2 packets brown gravy mix

Mix together and cover meatballs. Simmer on low until ready to eat.

Cook a package of wide egg noodles as directed. Serve the meatballs and gravy over noodles.

Tuscan Pork Roast (Taste of Home)

I don't know about you but I can never have enough roast recipes!!! I also think that pork roasts are my FAVORITE because they cook faster and are more tender!!!

5-8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3-4 lbs)

In a food processor, combine garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and salt. Cover and process until mixture becomes a paste. Rub over the roast. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
Place roast fat side up on a greased baking rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake uncovered at 350* for  1 1/4 hours or until pork is at temperature (160). Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
You can also do this in a bake and serve bag or in the crockpot.
Yields: 10 servings