Pineapple Pecan Cheeseball

This is a really yummy cheeseball! I made this for my family on Christmas Eve and everyone loved it. So easy to make... if you're hosting a party or going to one for New Years, you should make this. :)

Ingredients: 2 (8oz.) blocks of cream cheese, softened a little bit
                   1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
                   2 T. chopped green onion
                   1/2 green pepper, chopped
                    1 tsp. seasoning salt
                   2 cups chopped pecans

Directions: Combine everything in a bowl except for 1 cup of the pecans. (It's really easier to mix it up with your hands like you would meatloaf...) Cover and chill in fridge overnight or at least for a couple hours. Then, form it into a ball and roll it in the cup of pecans you have leftover. Wrap it tightly in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
  *Serve with your favorite crackers  :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these stuffed mushrooms for one of my family Christmas get togethers and they disappeared fast! My husband doesn't even like mushrooms (what's wrong with him!!)  :) and he tried these and loved it. If you don't feel like messing with everything in one day, you can make the sausage and scrape the mushrooms out a day in advance.

Ingredients: 2 pkgs. of mushrooms (I got the brown ones...not the white ones) There is about 10 or so in each container.
                    1 "roll" of italian sausage (I got the Bob Evans mild kind)
                   8 oz. cream cheese
                    2 T. parsley (I didn't use fresh I used the kind from the spice aisle)
                   1 T. lemon juice
                   some minced garlic...I just threw about 2-3 tsp. worth or so.
                   A couple good shakes of pepper
                   Parmesan cheese
                 *You need a blender*

Directions: Cook the sausage and drain the grease. Set aside. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. I used a small spoon to really scrape it out good. If you have any baby spoons around they work perfect!
    In a blender, combine the cream cheese, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper.
  Cover and blend until smooth. *It will stay fairly firm...like the consistency of the cream cheese.*
Fill each cap with the cooked sausage first, then the cream cheese mixture. Place on greased sheet and sprinkle each one with a good amount of parmesan cheese.
 Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes or until browned a bit.

*Makes about 20 mushrooms.
                 

Veggie Pizza

This is a great appetizer dish! It's very tasty and easy to make too!

Ingredients: 2 cans of crescent rolls
                   1 pkg. of the dry ranch mix
                   sour cream (16oz)
                  veggies of your choice: I used broccoli, 1 red pepper,and some carrots
                  Pkg. of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Get your biggest cookie sheet and spread the crescent roll dough out onto it. Use your hands to really spread it out so it covers the whole bottom of the cookie sheet. Bake according to directions on the can of crescents. (It's like 12 minutes or so.....) Let it cool completely.
   Mix the sour cream with the dry ranch mix. Spread it over the crescents evenly. Chop up your veggies how you like them. I like to chop everything pretty small. Then, just spread on top of the sour cream mixture evenly. Then sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Refrigerate until serving and cut into little squares.

White Chocolate Christmas Coffee

I love coffee, but I'm the type of person who has to have it with lots of flavored creamer....to the point where it's not even really coffee! :) I know I'm not the only one who is crazy like that...so for all of you creamer people this is for you. I created this on my own when I discovered one morning we were all out of flavored creamer!! It's nothing fancy or anything, but it works! :)

Ingredients: 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
                   1 cup half and half (I know it's a lot...but seriously can't be any worse than Starbucks)
                    1 cup hot fresh brewed coffee
                  whip cream

Directions: Microwave the white choc. chips with the half and half in a bowl until melted smooth. I just kept hitting like 25 seconds and stirring it, then repeat until melted. Stir in coffee. Pour into large cups, and top with whipped cream. yummy!
 This makes 2 big cups....one for you and one for a friend. :) They won't be disappointed.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

These cookies are so good! It's something a little different than usual, which I love. Very chocolatey (is that a word?...it should be if it's not...)

Ingredients: 1 stick butter, softened
                    1 cup sugar
                   1 egg
                  1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
                  1 1/2 cups flour
                1/4 tsp. baking soda
                 1/4 tsp. baking powder
                  1/2 cup cocoa
                1 (10oz.) jar maraschino cherries
                1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
                1 cup semisweet choc. chips

Directions: Beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa and stir until smooth.
   Roll into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Drain the cherries but keep the juice! You use it later.
 Press center of each ball with your thumb. Place a cherry in the indentation.
 In a pan over the stove, heat the condensed milk and chocolate chips until melted. Stir in 4 tsp. of the cherry juice. Spoon a little of the mixture over each cookie covering the cherry.
  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Homemade Raspberry Lemonade

I found this recipe on pinterest and it's the same recipe as the Cheesecake Factory uses. If you've ever been to Cheesecake Factory then you should know how excited I was to find this, because everything there is so good!

Ingredients: 1 cup water
                    1 cup sugar
                    1 cup fresh lemon, squeezed (If I'm remembering right it took about 4 or 5 lemons)
                   1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries

Directions: Bring the water to a boil, then add the sugar and stir constantly for 1 minute until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add to a blender with the raspberries. Puree until smooth. Add to a 2 qt. container with the lemon juice and enough water to fill up 2 quarts worth.
   Let it refrigerate for awhile. Stir well before serving.

* You can sugar the rims of your glasses if you are feeling festive.  :)

Holly Crackles

These used to be my favorite Christmas treat when I was younger! I haven't had them in years, but I found a recipe for them and they are just as yummy as I remember.

Ingredients: 1 stick butter
                    1 bag of Large marshmallows (10 oz.)
                    1 1/2 tsp. green food color
                   1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
                    4 cups cornflakes cereal
                    Festive Sprinkles :)

Directions: In a medium saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. When melted, remove from heat and stir in the food coloring and the vanilla. Mix well, then stir in cornflakes.
   Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and immediately pour sprinkles on. Let stand until cool and firm.

*depending on how big you make them...this makes about 24-36.

Chocolate Butterscotch Nut Clusters

This recipe is from my mother in law Pam. They are SO addictive and easy to make you must try these!! :) I will definitely be keeping this recipe forever!!!!

Ingredients: 1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz.)
                    1 pkg. butterscotch chips (11 oz.)
                   16 oz. container of Planters salted peanuts

Directions: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the choc. chips and butterscotch chips together until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or foil. Let cool to harden.

*You can leave them out at room temperature or put them in the fridge for storing. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cream Layer Delight

My mom used to make this for me all the time for my birthday. She would make her own crust from scratch though....but we both forget how it was made...so I decided to substitute cookie dough, and it's delicious!!! We also both couldn't remember what it was called. So instead of "that layer thing you always make me for my birthday," I chose to name it "Chocolate Chip Cookie Cream Layer Delight."

Ingredients: 1 tube of choc. chip cookie dough
                    8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
                    1 cup of powdered sugar
                   12 oz. of cool whip, thawed
                    3 cups milk
                    1 pkg. of instant chocolate pudding mix (3.9 oz.)
                   1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz.)
                 *optional* Coconut and almonds

                   

Directions: Set the tube of cookie dough out at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften. Press it into an ungreased 9x13 pan. If the dough starts to get sticky on your fingers, you can wet your fingers a little bit with water and it helps to not stick! :)
     Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes or until golden brown. Take it out of oven and place the whole pan on a wire rack to cool.
   In a big bowl, beat the cream cheese, and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 3/4 cup cool whip. Spread over cooled crust.
      In another big bowl, whisk the milk and both the pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let it stand for another 2 minutes or until it's soft set.
   Spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip.
  Sprinkle coconut and almonds on top if desired!
  Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight until it's firm.

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

I love soups! Especially this time of year. This recipe is so so good! It's a creamy soup, which I usually prefer over broth ones. I made it in my crock pot which is even more awesome. Both my husband and father in law loved it.

Ingredients: 2 (14oz.) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
                   1 cup finely diced celery
                   1 cup finely diced carrots
                   1 cup finely diced onion
                   1 tsp. dried oregano
                   1 T. dried basil
                   4 cups chicken broth
                   1 bay leaf
                    1/2 cup flour
                   1 cup parmesan cheese
                    1/2 cup butter
                   2 cups half and half, warmed
                   1 tsp. salt
                    1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions: Put the tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, and bay leaf in your crockpot. Cook covered on low for about 5-6 hours. Next, you are gonna be a "fancy" chef and make a "roux." Don't be scared! It's super easy and it's purpose is to make the soup thicker and creamier.
   Get a big frying pan and melt the butter over low heat. Then, add the flour. Stir it CONSTANTLY for about 6 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the soup mixture from your crockpot. Then, stir in 3 more cups worth. Keep on stirring until smooth. Yay! You just made a roux. Feel fancy. :)
  Then, just add it back into the crock pot and stir it in. Add the oregano, basil, parmesan, warmed half and half and salt and pepper. Cover and cook another hour.

*helpful tip: To chop up the veggies I use a handy chopper tool I have. It's awesome! It makes them finely chopped, which I find hard to do on my own with just a knife!

*Serves about 8-10 people.

OMG! Bread

I am naming this amazing bread OMG bread, because when you take a bite it's guaranteed you will say OH MY GOSH! It's so good! It's got bacon, cheese, and buttery ranch on it....how could it not be good?! Must try this one!

Ingredients: 1 unsliced loaf of round sourdough bread
                   8-12 oz. of cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
                    3 oz. bag Hormel real crumbled bacon (I got the jalapeno kind...mmmmm)
                   1 stick of butter, melted
                   1 T. Dry Ranch Mix

Directions: Cut the bread going both directions, but don't cut through the bottom crust. (It will start to look like a bloomin' onion) Place slices of cheese in between the cuts. Sprinkle the bacon bits on next, making sure to get in between the cuts. Mix together the melted butter and the dry ranch mix (1 T. only) Pour it over the bread. Wrap the whole thing in foil and place on a baking sheet. (I found my round pizza sheet worked best) Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. Then, unwrap it and bake another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
*Serves about 6.

Garlic Knot Rolls

I found this recipe on pinterest and it's awesome! Who knew biscuits could be transformed into such cute little knot rolls. They taste so good!

Ingredients: Can of biscuits (my can made 8) -there's only 7 in the picture because I had to eat one!
                    1/4 c. canola oil
                   3 T. parmesan cheese
                   1/2 t. garlic powder
                   1 t. oregano
                     1 t. parsley
             You need a brush to glaze the stuff on!

Directions: Roll each piece of dough into a rope about 9-12 inches. *I used my rolling pin and also kinda stretched it out with my hands* Then just tie it in a knot and tuck the ends down.
  Place on a greased sheet at 400 for about 10-12 minutes.
 While they are cooking, combine the ingredients in a bowl. When they are done, immediately brush them with the mixture. Yum Yum!

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

I've been cooking with cream cheese a lot recently....it goes good in everything I have decided! :) My husband loved this dish and said it reminded him of "Bravo's" pasta. Soooo Good!

Ingredients: box of spaghetti noodles (It's like 13oz.)
                   BIG jar of spaghetti (about 30 oz. worth)
                   1 lb. beef
                   onion, chopped
                   1 t. italian seasoning
                    minced garlic
                   8 oz. cream cheese
                   Parmesan cheese

Directions: Brown the meat and drain the grease. Stir in chopped onion and sauce. Leave on stove on low heat, just to keep warm. Cook the spaghetti and drain, then place in a big bowl. Add the cream cheese, italian seasoning, and garlic (just throw a couple teaspoons in) Stir until the cream cheese is melted and covering the noodles evenly.
  Grease a 9x13 pan. Spread a little bit of the sauce mixture on the bottom. Then, pour the noodle mixture into pan. Next top with the remaining sauce and sprinkle as much parmesan as you like on top.
 Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

If you let it cool for a little bit allowing it to set before eating, it will make it easier to cut.
*serving size= 6-8 people

Breakfast Pizza

Pizza and breakfast....the best of both worlds. This is good.

Ingredients: 8 oz. can crescent rolls dough (I got garlic flavored...yum.)
                    1 lb. sausage (maybe even a little less for some people...but not me.)
                   1 cup shredded hash browns, thawed (I threw mine in the microwave for like 20 seconds)
                   1 cup shredded cheese
                  1/4 c. milk
                  1/2 t. salt
                    1/8 t. pepper
                   8-10 oz. of egg beaters

Directions: Brown the breakfast sausage and drain the grease. Grease a circle pizza pan. Press the dough out to form a circle. Make sure you press the triangles together good. Crimp the edges to form a rim. (Crimp it good too, because that's what's holding the egg, etc. in!) Then, just top with sausage, potatoes and cheese. Combine the milk, salt, pepper and egg beaters in a bowl. Pour over the sausage mixture.
   Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Servings is 4-6 people

Mexican Pasta Bowl

I love pasta dishes and I love mexican food, so I decided to combine them together. I normally top it with shredded cheese but I forgot it at the store, so I just threw whatever I had on there. (which happened to be feta cheese) Whatever works! :)

Ingredients: Box of Rotini Pasta
                   pkg. of taco seasoning
                   1 lb. of ground beef
                  1 onion, chopped
                   1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes in sauce
                 1 green pepper
                   Package of shredded cheese

It looks a lot prettier with shredded cheese!

Directions: Brown your meat and drain the grease. At the same time, cook the noodles until done. Once you've drained the grease, add  the onions, taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. Stir. Add tomatoes and green pepper. Simmer. Stir in with pasta and top with shredded cheese.

*This is awesome with cornbread!!

Servings is about 6 adults.

Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

This is a crock pot recipe. I love using my crock pot....makes life easier! It's really yummy as a sandwich and my husband and I also ate it as nachos for leftovers. We just dipped our tortilla chips in it. It was good. :)

Ingredients: 3 lbs. frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
                    1 Big bottle of Frank's wings buffalo sauce
                   1 packet of dry ranch dip mix
                    sliced cheese of your choice ( I did pepper jack and baby swiss)
                   Buns (or tortilla chips if you're eating it nacho style)

Directions: Put the chicken, wing sauce and ranch mix in your crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred the chicken and return to crock pot stirring it in good. Serve on buns with cheese or as nachos.

*Helpful tip: You can use your mixer to shred the chicken! I read that online somewhere and tried it and it works! It makes it so much easier than using forks! Just make sure you mix on "low" speed.

*This makes a lot! I would say about 8-10 people.

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies

 These cookies are so awesome and moist! It's from Paula Dean so it's naturally fat free......  ;)
   Who cares about calories these are worth it!

Ingredients: 1 (18oz) box moist chocolate cake mix * make sure it's 18oz. some boxes are only 14-15.
                   8 oz. cream cheese, softened
                   1 egg
                   1 stick butter, room temp.
                   1 t. vanilla
                  powdered sugar for rolling and dusting

Directions:  With a mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then add the vanilla. Beat in cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm it up so you can roll them into balls.
  After they have refrigerated roll them into balls and then roll into powdered sugar.
   Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Sift some more powdered sugar on them when they come out. So yummy!

*If you don't have a sifter you can be creative! I used my cheese grater and it worked great! :)

Cream Cheese Baked Potato Soup

This is a crockpot recipe and it's really good! The cream cheese gives it a new twist :)

Ingredients: 5 lbs potatoes (I used Russet potatoes)
                   1 onion
                   minced garlic
                   8 cups chicken stock
                  16 oz. cream cheese
                  1 T. seasoned salt
For the garnish:  Bacon (I use an entire package)
                           shredded cheese
                           chives (I buy them already chopped for me)
   *you also need a blender*

 Directions: Dice the potatoes into small cubes (do not peel them). Put into crockpot, along with chopped onion, minced garlic (I don't measure this...just dump a couple teaspoons worth or so....), seasoning salt, and chicken broth.
   Cook on high for 6 hours. Remove about 1/2 of the soup and pour into blender. Puree until well blended. Pour it back into the crockpot. (it makes it really creamy...yum!) Then, stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt.
    Top with garnish!
*I just cook an entire package of bacon until nice and crispy, then crumble it up into pieces. I save it in a ziploc bag.  I made this for family before and they wanted more bacon...so make an extra package of bacon if you are cooking for bacon lovers! :)

Serving size: Makes a big crockpot full! I would say about 8-10 people

The Best Pumpkin Pie

Since Thanksgiving is this week I thought I should share my pumpkin pie recipe. I like to make my own crust and there is no better crust than my mom's recipe! (Thanks Mom!!) I can seriously have this ready for the oven in like 15 minutes, it's so easy and yummy!

Ingredients for the Crust:  1 3/4 c. flour
                                         1 t. salt
                                         1/2 c. veggie oil
                                        3-4 T. cold water

Ingredients for the Pie:  1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
                                     1 can sweetened condensed milk ( 14oz)
                                     2 eggs
                                     1 T. pumpkin pie spice

Directions for the crust: Combine all the crust ingredients and roll out onto floured surface. Or, if you have waxed paper you can roll it in between two pieces of the paper. Just roll it out into a big circle that will fit in your pie container. I always grease my pie pan lightly. Then, just press it into the pan making sure to get the sides and top edge for crust. Then, lightly poke a few holes throughout the dough crust (so it won't shrink)

Directions for Pie filling: Mix all the pie ingredients together and pour into crust! ( I told you it was easy!) Bake at 425 for 15 minutes ONLY. Then, REDUCE heat to 350 and bake another 35-40 minutes longer. (My oven tends to be closer to the 40 min. mark)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

mmmmm......breakfast food. You should make this soon, it's so good! My 14 month old eats it too!

Ingredients: 1 lb. of breakfast sausage
                   3 cups of frozen, shredded potatoes
                   1/4 c. butter, melted
                   12 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese
                    1 onion, chopped
                   1 (16oz) container Small Curd cottage cheese
                 6 jumbo eggs

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Cook the sausage in a frying pan until done. Drain grease and set aside. Pour the 3 cups of shredded potatoes into the 9x13 pan and pour the melted butter on top. Mix well into potatoes and press down, lining the bottom and sides of pan. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese and eggs. Pour over potato mixture. 

Bake for about 55-60 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

*Serving size is about 6-8 people. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Drop Cookies

This is a great recipe! These cookies are so super soft and moist. I love making these in the fall/winter. It goes perfect with a pumpkin spiced latte...haha...or any coffee for that matter.

Ingredients: 2 cups butter, softened
                   2 cups sugar
                1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
                2 eggs
                 4 cups flour
                 2 t. pumpkin pie spice
                1 t. baking powder
                1/2 t. baking soda
               1 (12 oz) package white choc. chips
               1 (16oz) tub of cream cheese frosting
             1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions: Preheat oven to 375.
           In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy with your electric mixer. Then, add pumpkin and eggs, beat until blended. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda until blended. Stir in white choc. chips. Drop dough by spoon onto GREASED cookie sheet. Bake for about 14-16 minutes or until set and bottoms are slightly browned. Cool for a minute on cookie sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool more.
   Combine the frosting and brown sugar in a bowl. Spread on warm cookies.

*The icing will dry after awhile so you are able to stack them on top of each other after awhile.
*I forget how much this makes...but if you know me and have seen any of my blogs you know I usually cook to feed A LOT. So.....if you don't want to hand out cookies to a few neighbors and friends then feel free to cut everything in half. :)

Cake Batter Cookies

If you are like me and like to bake the Duncan Hines cake mixes JUST so you can lick the spoon....you will LOVE these cookies. I found this on pinterest and am keeping this recipe forever!

Ingredients: 1 1/2 sticks of butter
                   3/4 c. brown sugar
                   1/4 c. sugar
                    1 (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding
                3/4 c. yellow cake mix
                  2 eggs
                  1 tsp. vanilla
                  1 tsp. baking soda
                  2 1/4 c. flour
                 1/2 tsp. salt
                 Sprinkles (get the bigger chunk ones...)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Stir the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
 In another bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat well.
    Add eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add everything to the flour mix. Then, stir in the sprinkles. Roll into balls and place on a greased sheet.
 Bake about 10-12 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

*Just a side note....The box of cake mix has enough in it to make these again. :)

Pizza Casserole

My good friend Jamie Hergott has been telling me about pizza casserole for awhile now and I don't know what took me so long to finally make one....but I did...and it's amazing!!! Awesome idea Jamie, I LOVE IT!!

Ingredients: 1 big bag of egg noodles
                   1 Huge jar of Ragu sauce (the biggest one they make)
                   2 bags of shredded mozzarella cheese
                   1 1/2- 2 lbs of ground beef (I'm sure it's good with less meat...but my husband is definitely one of those guys that likes an absurd amount of meat)
                   package of pepperonis
                    1 onion

Directions: Brown the meat and drain the grease. Chop the onion up and stir into meat. Set aside. Cook the egg noodles until done. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x13 pan.  Here is the order of layering the ingredients.....
     Layer #1 a THIN layer of sauce
     Layer #2 1/2 of the noodles
    Layer #3 1/2 of the meat/onion mixture
     Layer #4 Sauce (half of what is left)
    Layer #5 the rest of the noodles
    Layer #6 1/2 of the cheese
    Layer #7 rest of the meat
      Layer #8 Rest of the sauce
     Layer #9 Rest of the cheese
  Layer #10 Pepperonis

*Cook for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and pepperonis look done.
*Serving size is about 6-8 people
   

Coconut Chicken

I love this recipe because it's the easiest thing in the world to make and it's sweet and tasty.

Ingredients: Boneless, skinless chicken breast (3-4 pieces)
                   1/4 cup melted butter
                  1/2 cup coconut (I always make it an overflowing cup though!!)
                   1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. I always cut the fat off my chicken and wash it. Add the bread crumbs and coconut in a bowl, mix well. Then, brush the chicken with the melted butter. Next, roll the chicken in the mixture until covered well. Bake for about 40 minutes(my chicken breasts were pretty big) or until no longer pink inside.

Almond Joy Pie

This pie is just like the candy! So, if you like chocolate and you like coconut...this is the pie for you! Plus...there is no oven involved...yay!

Ingredients: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

                  1 cup cream of coconut (you find this in the alcohol section)

                   1 pkg. (3.9oz) of cheesecake flavored instant pudding

                 14 oz. sweetened flaked coconut (put in fridge when you get home)*it's important*

                  2 pkg. (8oz each) of cool whip

                 1 oreo pie crust

                  Hard shell chocolate ice cream topping (or some call it "magic shell")

                  6 pieces of almond joy candy

                  Directions:  Blend the softened cream cheese and cream of coconut until smooth and creamy. Add the pudding mix and beat until blended.

               Next, add 1/2 of the cold coconut. Mix well. Fold in one tub (8oz.) of cool whip.

             Pour 1/2 of the mixture into the oreo crust. Drizzle with the hard shell topping, then pour second half of mixture on top.

             Mix about 3/4 of the remaining coconut with the other tub of cool whip and spread on pie.

       Then, sprinkle the remaining coconut on top of pie and put the almond joy candy on top. Place in refrigerater for about 45 minutes to set.

Mini breakfast bake bites

I love making these! They are really easy and also if you have picky eaters it's nice because you can choose what toppings to put in each one.

Ingredients: 4 eggs
                    1/4 cup half and half
                  1/2 tsp. salt
        Mix ins: anything you like!
                 I used sausage(either buy it cooked or make sure to brown it first), spinach, shredded cheese, chopped onion and chopped mango with garlic (you can find it at walmart buy the carrots...it's already chopped and ready for you.) *But you can choose any toppings you like!
   *it fills 6 cupcakes worth in the pan....so you just need enough to your liking.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Grease cupcake pan pretty good. (you only need 6 spaces)
    Whisk the eggs and half n'half and salt in a bowl. Then, pour evenly into cupcake pan. It makes 6. Next, add whatever toppings you love to each spot. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Chicken and Noodles

Perfect time of year for soup. This is a really easy chicken and noodle soup recipe, and it's very good as leftovers. The more you save it, the less "soupy" it gets and the more creamy it gets....even better to me!

Ingredients: 80 oz. of chicken broth. ( I always get a a big one 48oz., and a medium one 32oz. of the swanson or rachel ray brand)
                    1 1/2 cups water
                   some minced garlic
                   carrots, chopped (I would say I used about 20-30 baby carrots cut up?...I never measure!)
                   1 onion
                   1 bag of FROZEN egg noodles (I get the Ramen brand....I might be spelling that wrong)
                    3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed.

Directions: Get a huge pot and pour in the chicken broth and water. Start heating it up on medium/high heat. While that's going, cut the fat off your chicken and wash it off, then throw it in the pot. :) Next, chop your carrots and onion. Then, add it to the pot along with the garlic. Then, throw in the frozen noodles. Cook at a low boil. After about 15-20 minutes check to see if the chicken is cooked all the way through. When it is, take the chicken out and cut it up into bite sized pieces, then put it back in pot. The noodles should be done at this point too, but test it to be sure.

*Also, you can add other stuff to it like celery...I've tried that before and it's good...just didn't have any this time.

* Serving size is A LOT!  I'd say about 10 people maybe? Don't forget the leftovers are even better!

Root Beer Pulled Pork

This is another Crock Pot recipe! I love these, they are so easy and delicious too!!

Ingredients: 1 (2lb.) pork tenderloin
                    1 (12oz.) can of root beer
                   1 (18-24 oz.) bottle of BBQ sauce
                   Hamburger buns

Directions: Place the pork tenderloin in a crock pot. Pour the can of root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. (or until pork easily shreds with a fork)
            Then, drain the root beer. Shred the pork with a fork and place back in crock pot. Pour BBQ sauce on top and mix well. Serve immediately or keep warm in crock pot until ready.
 
* servings are about 6-8 people.

The BEST salad dressing!

I got this recipe from my mother in law Pam. I am telling you it is the best salad dressing ever! It's a sesame- poppy seed dressing. It goes really well on a spinach salad with pecans, strawberries and feta cheese.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar
                    1/2 cider vinegar
                    1 T. minced onion
                   1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
                    1/4 tsp. salt
                   1 cup olive oil
                  1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted (you buy them toasted)
                   2 T. poppy seeds
                  1/4 tsp. paprika
           *A Blender!

Directions:   Pulse the first 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. While running, add the olive oil. STIR in seeds. Refrigerate for awhile, then you can leave it out. * Just make sure to shake the dressing good before each pour. :) So YUMMY!!!!

Boston Creme Cupcakes

These are very yummy cupcakes! Something different! :) I made them for my hubby's birthday.

Ingredients: Pkg. of yellow cake mix
                    pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding
                   1 cup milk
                   1 1/2 cups cool whip
                   4 squares of Baker's semi-sweet choc.
                 

Directions: Prepare cake batter as directed on box as cupcakes. Cool. Beat pudding mix with milk with a whisk.  Let it stand 5 min. Meanwhile, cut cupcakes in half (take the wrappers off)
         Then, add 1/2 cup only of cool whip to the pudding mix. Spoon a good spoonful on each bottom half of the cupcakes. Cover with tops.
         Microwave remaining cool whip and chocolate in a bowl. (about 60-90 seconds will do) Let stand for 15 minutes. Spread on cupcakes. Refrigerate.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

This is a CROCKPOT recipe! I love using my crockpot. It's so easy, and I'm telling you this recipe is so yummy! I actually got this from pinterest. (I'm addicted.) I changed just a few things as always....

 Ingredients:  2 lbs of boneless pork loin
                     1/2 tsp. salt
                     1/4 tsp. pepper
                     1 T. minced garlic
                    1/2 cup water

For the Glaze:  1/2 cup brown sugar
                         1 T. cornstarch
                        1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
                         1/2 cup water
                         2 T. soy sauce

Directions: Combine the salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in crockpot with water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before done, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a pan. Heat and stir until it thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2-3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side. (This glaze is SOOOO good!!)

*Serves about 4-5 hungry people. :)

My Grilled Cheese

Ok....so who doesn't love grilled cheese? This is just your simple grilled cheese sandwich, but I do it a little differently. Simple and yummy.

Ingredients:  2 pieces of bread
                    2 pieces of cheese (I just get the kraft singles...but it says for grilled cheese's on the pkg.)
                    2 slices of tomato, slightly salted (I use sea salt)
                    garden vegetable philadelphia cream cheese (you know how they have all different kinds of flavors....it's the veggie one)

Directions: Get your bread and butter one side of each slice. On the other side, spread a good amount of the garden veggie cream cheese. (I only do it to one piece of bread) Then, cut your tomato and lightly salt 2 slices. *Heat the skillet up before putting the bread on (I also spray a little of Pam on it)
     Place bread butter side on the skillet, then add the cheese and tomatoes and other piece of bread. * I feel silly explaining this because I realize everyone knows how to make a grilled cheese. :) A MUST try! So yummy.

Nolan's Favorite Smoothie!

I found this recipe in a magazine. It's called peanut butter, banana, agave smoothie....but since Nolan LOVES it I named it for him. :)

Ingredients: 1 banana
                   1/2 - 1 cup vanilla yogurt
                   2 T. Light Agave Nectar (you find it in baking aisle. I got Domino Organic brand....great alternative sweetener!)
                  1/2 cup milk
                   1/4 cup peanut butter
                 1/2 t. vanilla extract
                 4-6 ice cubes.

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth! Yummy!!!!

*This makes one big glass....so double it for 2 people. :)

Peanut Butter Choc. Kiss Cookies

I know most people already know how to make these popular cookies, but every recipe is a little different. This is the one I like! :)

Ingredients:  Bag of milk choc. Hershey Kisses
                     3/4 cup of peanut butter
                    1/2 cup shortening
                     1/3 cup sugar
                    1/3 cup brown sugar
                      1 egg
                    2 T. milk
                    1 t. vanilla extract
                     1 1/2 cups of flour
                   1 t. baking soda
                     1/2 t. salt
                   sugar for rolling

                   Directions: Heat oven to 375. Combine pnt. butter and shortening until mixed well. Add in sugar and brown sugar. Mix well. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir well.
                  In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually stir into pnt. butter mixture and mix well. Shape into balls and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
         While they're in the oven, you can unwrap the hershey kisses. As soon as cookies are done, top with a kiss. (I push down a little until cookie kinda cracks a little.)

*It depends on how big you make the balls....but this makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Breakfast Casserole

  Breakfast food is so yummy, even if served for dinner. This recipe will also help you finish the loaf of bread you have that never gets all the way used!  :)

  Ingredients:  8 eggs
                      2 cups milk
                     1 tsp. salt AND pepper
                     8 slices bread
                     2 cups of thawed frozen spinach
                    1 red pepper
                     1 onion
                     minced garlic (I had to Lisa! ....my sister says I put this in everything.....I do.)
                   Eckrich (did I spell that right?) smoked sausage
                    Shredded cheese

                 
                    Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 pan.
                               Beat eggs and milk together, then add the salt and pepper. Set aside.
            Tear the bread apart into pieces (about 1 inch) and toss in greased pan. In a seperate bowl add red pepper, onion, garlic, and spinach (make sure it's drained). Stir until mixed evenly. Pour over bread. Then, cut up the smoked sausage in circles and place on top. (use both of the sausages....it comes with 2) Next, pour the egg mixture over the top of everything and top with shredded cheese.
   Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover it and bake for 15 more minutes.

   I would say it serves about 6 people.

Choc. Chip, Walnut PUMPKIN cookies!

Yay, it's fall! Time to bust out all the pumpkin recipes! These are really good cookies! They are super moist and you are guaranteed to get addicted. :) 

Ingredients: 1 cup of canned pumpkin

                   1 cup of sugar

                  1/2 cup of veggie oil

                   1 egg

                 2 cups of flour

                2 tsp. baking powder

             2 tsp. cinnamon

              1/2 tsp. salt

              1 tsp. baking soda

            1 tsp. Milk

            1 Tbsp. of vanilla

             about 1 1/2 cups of choc. chips (use to your liking)

          about 1 cup of walnuts (again...to your liking)

Directions:  You're gonna need two medium/large bowls. In the biggest bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg. In the other bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda and milk and stir in flour mixture. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Then, add vanilla, choc. chips, and walnuts. Drop by spoon on greased sheet. 350 degrees, for about 10-12 minutes.

*just a little helpful note....since these are such moist cookies, they're not really gonna "crack" like other cookies to help you know when they are done. They won't really spread on the pan either, so you can really fill your pan up with dough. 

  *Also! Don't get me wrong these are so good hot out of the oven...but I think they are really good cold too! Feel free to stash in fridge, yummy! 

Chicken Salad Bundles

 This is a really quick recipe. I like making this for lunch.

Ingredients: 4 oz. of cream cheese, softened
                   Canned white chicken (13oz.)
                   Can Crescent Rolls
                   Chopped jalapeno's from a jar *optional, I don't measure...just throw some in to liking
                   Pineapple tidbits *optional...I never measure this either...just cut them in half though.

* Just a little note* You don't have to add the jalapeno or pineapple....it's just as good with just the chicken and cream cheese...or you can add whatever you would like. I bet chopped pecans would be good. :)

Directions:
           Drain the chicken and shred it up with a fork in a medium bowl. Add the softened cream cheese, jalapenos, and pineapple (or whatever you are adding) Open the can of dough and keep every 2 triangles together forming 4 rectangles. Pinch seams together in a large square. Put spoonfuls of mixture in each and pinch closed. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes.

*makes 4 bundles

PMS Cookies

 Ok so I found this recipe on pinterest, and it's awesome! ( I modified some of the measurements a little bit though...) It has choc. chips, peanut butter chips, pretzels and sea salt in it....it makes for a really good combo!! :)

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of flour
                    1/2 tsp. salt
                     1/4 tsp. baking soda
                   1/2 cup butter, softened
                    1/2 cup brown sugar
                    1/3 cup sugar
                     1 egg , beaten
                     1 tsp. vanilla
                    3/4 cup choc. chips
                   1/2 cup peanut butter chips
                   3/4 cup of broken up pretzel pieces
                   Sea salt
                   Parchment paper

Directions: In medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In larger bowl, beat butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy. Slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla. Beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix well. Stir in choc. chips, peanut butter chips, and pretzels.
   Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
   Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with the parchment paper. Scoop out round tablespoon size balls. Press it down just a little bit, and sprinkle each one with sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
  *makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Pizza in a Loaf

This recipe is awesome! A great twist on pizza. If you love pizza (honestly...who doesn't....) you will love this. It's baked in a loaf and served with pizza sauce to dip it in...yummy!

Ingredients: 16oz. of ground italian sausage
                  1  green pepper
                   1 onion
                  1 tsp. minced garlic
                  1 french bread dough (in the refrigerated section)
                  crushed red pepper
                  chilli powder
                  1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
                  2 T. butter, softened
                  1 tsp. garlic powder
                 Pizza sauce for dipping

        Directions:  Brown sausage. Then add onion, green pepper, and minced garlic until soft.
                       Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet.
                    Flour a surface and roll out dough into about a 12x8 rectangle. Sprinkle it with a little bit of chilli powder and crushed red pepper. Then, spoon the meat mixture onto the dough. *Layer it across the longest side of dough, and only take up about 1/3 of the space on the dough. Pile it "up" so you have room to roll it up. Then, layer the cheese next to the meat. Leave a little bit of room on each end so you can seal it.
     Roll it up starting with the meat side. Gently roll it into a tube shape, then seal the ends and place seam down on the greased sheet. Fold the ends under slightly to seal.
   Bake 25 minutes. Add garlic powder and butter and brush over top and return to oven for 5 more minutes. Serve it with pizza sauce.

Stuffed Peppers

I love stuffed peppers! Healthy and easy to make.

Ingredients: 6 bell peppers (any color you like)
                   olive oil
                   1 onion, chopped
                   1 T. minced garlic
                  pkg. of ground turkey (1 lb.)
                 2 cups of cooked brown rice *get the 90 second bag they sell to make this easier!*
                  1 1/2 t. ground cumin
                1 t. cinnamon
                   1 t. sea salt (regular salt is just fine too)
                  throw some pepper in there!...I don't measure...just a couple good shakes
                 1 (14oz. can) of italian stewed tomatoes (cut them up)
                 1/2 cup of craisins
                 1 (14oz. can) of mexican corn

Directions:  Preheat oven to 425.
         Heat some olive oil in a large pan. Add Garlic and onion and cook until soft. While that's going wash your peppers off and cut the top off and "gut" the inside. Cut a little of the bottom of the peppers too so they can stand up without falling.
         Then, add the ground turkey to the onions and garlic and cook until meat is done. Then, add cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, corn, tomatoes, craisins, and cooked rice. Stir until well combined. Remove from heat. Place peppers in a 9x13 baking dish. Stuff with meat mixture, mounding slightly. Drizzle tops and sides of each pepper with olive oil. Put tops back on peppers and cover tightly with foil.
     Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Beef and Veggie Soup

This is a hearty soup...packed with beef, potatoes and good veggies. I actually found the recipe in my hubby's muscle magazine (why I was reading that, I don't know...haha) but I just changed a few things to it.

Ingredients:
                    Package of stew meat (it comes chopped up)
                    About 7 red potatoes (the magazine calls them "new" potatoes...I have never heard this. But they are the small potatoes...you know what I'm talking about.)
                     1 onion
                    Carrots ( about 15 baby carrots, chopped)
                    Beef stock (32 oz)
                    Broccoli ( I cheat and get these frozen...just a small pkg.) You can also substitute this for peas...my husband hates pees, so I did broccoli.
                    1 1/2 cups water
                    salt n' pepper to taste
                    1 tsp. minced garlic (if you don't have this item...don't worry it's still good without it)

Directions: In a large pot brown the meat with olive oil until brown on all sides over medium heat. While it's browning, cut up your potatoes, carrots and onion into small/medium pieces. Then, when meat is browned add the beef stock, water, potatoes, carrots, salt n' pepper, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are soft. (about 15 minutes...) Then, add the onion. While all that's simmering microwave the broccoli and add to soup when done. :)

  Servings is about 8-10 people.

Taco Casserole

This is a great casserole! It's easy and kids love it too...I've fed this to my niece and nephews before. (I told them it was nachos....) They liked it!

Ingredients: 1 lb. of ground turkey
                    1 onion, chopped
                    2 packages of shredded cheese
                    1 can of mexican corn, drained
                    Jar of salsa - about 3 cups worth (I used the black bean and corn salsa, but you can choose your favorite)
                   1 bag of tortilla chips (8 oz. bag) I get the wheat ones
                   Foil

                   Directions: Brown the meat and drain. Then, take away from stove top and add the salsa, onion, and corn. (make sure you drain the corn) Stir it up until mixed well. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Layer half of the chips on the bottom of the greased pan. I crunch them up just a little bit, but keep them in big pieces for the most part. Then, put a layer of the meat mixture, and then cheese (I use an entire bag for each layer...I know some people may think that's an absurd amount of cheese....so use to your desire.) Then, do one more layer of chips, meat mixture and end with cheese. Then, cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

     * A handy tip! You can freeze this meal ahead of time! Just do everything the same, but after you cover with foil, put it in the freezer. Then, when ready to bake , do it at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

Breakfast Tacos

Who doesn't love tacos? These are really easy breakfast tacos that are good morning or night!

Ingredients:
                   Turkey sausage (I get the turkey sausage crumbles that are already crumbled for you...find it in any grocery store by the bacon)
                   1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
                   5 eggs
                   1 onion
                   shredded cheese
                   taco sauce
                   small soft tortillas

Directions:
                   Cook the turkey sausage in a pan with the beans (drained and rinsed) I always add a little touch of olive oil to it too. In another pan, cook the eggs until scrambled well. Get a tortilla and scoop in the meat/bean mixture, then add your eggs, then add all your toppings (onion, taco sauce, shredded cheese) How easy is that? And it's very good!
  *This makes about 6-8 pretty good sized tacos*