feed me friday: spinach artichoke rolls

WARNING!  Mouth may water and appetite may increase after reading this post.  Good food ahead thanks to Krystal from Recipes Of A Cheapskate!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am SO EXCITED to be here guest posting on 12 Crafts Till Christmas.   My name is Krystal, and I write a little blog called Recipes Of A Cheapskate.  When I discovered 12 Crafts last year, it helped me so much in my desire to have homemade gifts for Christmas.  I got started right away!!

In my blogging efforts,  I have the support of my dear husband, Captain Jax, and two little kidlets--K-girl, who just turned 3, and Baby M, who is almost 11 months.  They put up with me trying new things in the kitchen, and usually eat what I make.  As long as there's no onions!!  You'll occasionally see me post things regarding Baby M, my preemie boy who was born 11 weeks early last year.

He's 100% tube-fed, and I'm finding it's very difficult being a mom who loves to cook, having a baby who doesn't know how to eat. 

On my blog, you can find all sorts of good recipes, that aren't going to break the bank.  I don't like spending an arm and a leg at the grocery store (who does?) so I often have recipes that use ingredients that I can store on my shelves, grow in my garden, or freeze.  I love being able to freeze a good meal for a busy day!!

I have some yummy appetizers you can cook up just in time for Super Bowl Sunday!

And some grilled recipes for when BBQ season kicks off!

And if you're a breakfast person, I have a lot of recipes using a Master Pancake Mix.  it's like a Bisquick mix, only better :)

As well as your every day dinners when you just need to pull stuff out of your fridge and pantry.  That's the type of recipe I'm going to share with you today, something quick and easy (and freeze-able) that you can make on a busy weekend night.

This recipe came about in my desire to have more meat-less meals.  Cutting the amount of meat you eat, cuts down on the money you spend at the grocery store.  Always a plus!  I have a chicken version, that Captain Jax loves, and he loved my spinach artichoke cups, so I thought I could combine the two of them into something wonderfully tasty!  And it was!!

The ingredients are things I keep on hand in my fridge and pantry--some shredded cheese, cream cheese, canned crescent rolls, spinach, and artichoke hearts.

The process is simple as well.  Combine the softened cream cheese, the shredded cheese, spinach, and chopped artichokes in a bowl.  Add your favorite seasonings (we like garlic, and Italian seasonings) and mix it all together.  Unroll your crescent rolls and divide them into the separate triangles.  Stretch the rolls out a little big, and add a spoon-full of the mixture.  Seal up the dough around the mixture.   Make sure you get everything sealed up good.  Even if you think you got it sealed though, it's probably NOT, and will ooze out during cooking.  Or maybe I just like to overfill everything.  :) When all your rolls are finished, dip them in some melted butter, and then roll in breadcrumbs.

Bake them up, and serve them with a nice green salad.  There ya go!  Dinner, quick as a wink.

I also wanted to share with you my weekly link-up called Saturday's Party that EVERYONE is invited to come LINK UP every week with your party ideas!!  I don't care if it's crafts, decor, gift ideas, or food, ANYTHING related to parties is welcome!!

SPINACH ARTICHOKE ROLLS
From: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com
Posted at: http://twelvecraftstillchristmas.blogspot.com

• 1/2 pkg (about 1 1/2 cups) thawed, drained spinach
• 3 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)
• 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 pkg crescent rolls
• melted butter and breadcrumbs for coating

Preheat oven to 350degs.  Mix together everything but the rolls, butter, and breadcrumbs.  Add your favorite seasonings (like garlic, Italian are very good).  Roll out your crescent rolls, and divide into the triangles.  Take each triangle, and kind of stretch it out with your fingers. Place a spoonful of the mixture on the roll, and wrap the roll up around it, sealing everything inside.  Things will still leak out when it's cooked, it's the nature of the beast. :)  Roll each bundle in melted butter, and then breadcrumbs.  Bake about 1-2" apart on a baking sheet (these spread a little bit).  Bake for about 25-30 minutes, and serve warm!


Thanks so much for letting me be a Guest Blogger Elizabeth!!  It was lots of fun to create something special for your readers.  Come on by and visit Recipes Of A Cheapskate! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No, thank you Krystal for this fabulous addition to my recipe box! 

Cook on!

blog spa: tips for taking care of the inside

Don't miss out on our great Blog Spa giveaways and tutorials:
~a Basic Skin Care Set from Skin Journey
~a facial mask and headband
~a soothing prize pack from Barefoot Bath and Body

~eye care tips and an aromatherapy eye pillow
~a manicure set giveaway from Sparetime Crafts
~bath scrubbie and tea soak tutorials

~a Fabulous Feet Set giveaway from the Abbey James Co.
~a personalized spa body wrap tutorial
~a foot care package from O.C. Styles and Lemongrass Spa
~a tutorial for spa slippers
~a $25 shop credit to Elegant Rose Boutique

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What did you have for breakfast this morning? 

Nothing?
Some left over lasagna from dinner last night?
A couple of baby carrots while making your child's lunch for school?
Coffee?

This week Bev and I have been on a mission . . . Blog Spa: a week of taking care of yourself after a year of taking care of others.  But the realty is that taking care of yourself needs to be done more than just one week out of every year.  AND it involves taking care of your entire body . . . outside and INSIDE!  We've been focusing on the outside part of ourselves all week, so as we round out Blog Spa, we want to remind you to take care of the inside too!

Exercising and eating right are musts for busy women.  Both contribute the fuel and stamina we need to get through each day.

Now, I know what you are saying:

"I'm too busy to eat breakfast."

"I'm trying to lose a few pounds, so I don't eat breakfast."

"I do eat breakfast . . . kind of.  I eat whatever is left over in my kid's bowl."

"I'm really not a breakfast person."

And to all those excuses I say, "BLECH!" and "NONSENSE!" and"BOO!"

Eating a proper breakfast is the best way to give you energy for that busy day, to work towards losing those last few pounds, to eliminate the need to eat off your child's plate, to get yourself into a healthy eating pattern the rest of the day.

So on our last day of Blog Spa, I'm going to give you three quick, easy, nutrition-PACKED Spa-like breakfast options to start your day off right.

Veggie Scramble

This protein-packed breakfast will keep you feeling full until lunch (I've eating this breakfast 3 days this week, and I didn't need a mid-morning snack) plus you start your day off with a serving a veggies!  Woo hoo!  If you have seven minutes you can make this and jump start your morning.

Here's what you need:
~1 whole egg and 2 egg whites

~1/2 of a small green, yellow or red pepper chopped*

~1/4 a cup of fresh broccoli florets*

~3 - 4 cherry tomatoes cut in half (right now I'm loving sweet yellow tomatoes)*

~2 T. Parmesan cheese
*Right before you go to bed the night before, quickly chop the veggies up and put them back in the refrigerator. 

Here's what you do:
Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray and saute veggies while you whisk together egg and egg whites.  Pour whisked eggs into skillet and scramble together.  When eggs are properly cooked, dump them on to the plate, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

A Yummy Breakfast Treat

At first glance, this reads more like a dessert, but it's packed with good stuff to fuel your body . . . plus it's like dessert for breakfast.

Here's what you need:

~1 large banana

~2 T. peanut butter

~2 T. of nutella or 2 T. chocolate syrup

~1/2 cup vanilla soy milk or skim milk

~1/2 cup ice cube

Here's what you do:

Freeze banana overnight.  Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Drink!

The No-Excuses Egg Sandwich

Another good protein breakfast with a serving of whole grain some veggies and a sprinkling of calcium.  With the help of the microwave (yep, you can microwave eggs), this breakfast is a no-excuses breakfast option.

Here's what you need:

~1 egg

~1 T. water

~1 wedge if light Laughing Cow spreadable cheese

~1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes

~2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread

Here's what you do:

Crack egg into microwave safe bowl.  Whisk it together with 1 T. water.  Cover and microwave 1 minute.  In meantime, toast bread and use large biscuit cutter to cut bread slices into circles.  Spread Laughing Cow cheese onto each circle.  Slide egg omelet onto one circle.  Sprinkle tomatoes onto egg and place other circle on top.  Enjoy! 

Are you a breakfast eater?  What are your healthy breakfast ideas?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow morning to link up your Blog Spa contributions!

Blog Spa on!

Blog Spa is sponsored by these great shops:

Skin Journey

Abbey James

Barefoot Bath and Body

Elegant Rose Boutique

Amber's Lemongrass Spa Shop

O.C. Styles

Sparetime Crafts

feed me friday: pumpkin crunchiness

I'm in the use-everything-in your-cupboard stage of preparing to move.  The last time I moved I was single.  It is much easier to use everything in your cupboard and just force yourself to eat things like green bean, garbanzo bean, black olive salad (which actually isn't half bad when drizzled with a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt) when you are single.  When you have two children and a husband who aren't as easily appeased, it's much more difficult.

Right now I have enough things stored away in the cupboard to make a few appealing things . . . for a few days.  But by Monday or Tuesday we will be eating barley, stewed tomatoes and baked french fries for dinner . . . I may have a mutiny on my hands. 

I bought the ingredients for today's recipe for Christmas dinner, but I ended up with so many other sweets I decided not to make it.  So my trusty assistant and I drug out the ingredients on our day at home together to make this delicious recipe:

Pumpkin Crunchiness

Here's what you need:
~1 egg and 3 egg whites (This is my lame attempt at keeping it healthy . . . you can use 3 whole eggs.)
~3/4 c. of sugar
~1 c. of skim milk
~1 large can of pumpkin
~1 package of yellow cake mix
~1 stick of melted margarine
~1 tsp. of cinnamon
~1/8 tsp. of ginger
~1/8 tsp. of cloves 
~1/4 tsp. of salt
~1/2 cup of chopped pecans
~a trusty assistant in her best Christmas Eve dress

Here's what you do:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

2) Beat eggs lightly with a fork.  Then add sugar, milk and pumpkin and mix again.

3) Throw in cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt and stir together.

4) Pour mixture into 9 x 13 pan.

5) Spread cake mix out over pumpkin mixture.

6) Drizzle melted butter over the top of cake mix.

7) Bake for 40 minutes.

8) Pull out and sprinkle pecans on top.  Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

9) Drop on some whipped cream and enjoy sans shirt . . . well, you might want to keep your shirt on!

Cook on!

feed me friday: quick dips for new year's eve

If you are having people over tonight, it's not too late to whip something dippy up.  I love all things dip, so I thought I would share two of my favorites quick dips that you can stir together in a pinch. 

These are perfect because they require only three ingredients each, and they can literally be made in less than five minutes.  Woohoo!  My two favorite things: simple and quick.

Tex-Mex Quick Dip

Here's what you need:
~1 block of cream cheese (I always use neufchatel cheese because of the lower fat/calorie content.)
~1 - 8 ounce container of sour cream (Again, I use light . . . but when you put this much sour cream and cream cheese together, does it really matter?)
~1 cup of your favorite salsa (I'm a wimp so mild is the only kind I use.)

Here what you do:
1)  Not sure this needs explanation but . . . soft cream cheese and stir everything together. 

2)  Add your own twist by throwing in a tsp of garlic, a cup of corn, a cup of black beans or whatever ingredients you have a craving for at the time.

3)  Grab a bag of your favorite tortilla chips/pit chips or cut up some veggies and start munching!

Fresh Fruit Quick Dip

Here's what you need:

~1 tub of strawberry cream cheese  (You could use pineapple or almond too . . . just experiment!)

~1 container of marshmallow fluff

~1 tsp. of vanilla

Here's what you do:

1) Again, no real explanation needed . . . open everything, dump it in a bowl and mix by hand until blended.

2)  Cut up your fresh fruit and dig in!

See!  You can't get much easier than those two quick dip recipes!

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!  Be safe, have fun and . . .

cook on!

feed me friday: lentil soup

So . . . tell me the truth . . . you were expecting some sort of sweet holiday treat or fabulous addition to your holiday meal for the last feed me Friday before Christmas Eve . . . right?!  Well, guess what . . . brace yourselves . . . in fact, you might want to sit down for this one . . . I don't make a big Christmas Eve or Christmas Day feast.  Nope!  Not this girl!  Here's the deal . . . I make a BIG meal for Thanksgiving.  It's A LOT of work!  Grocery shopping, prepping, cooking, baking, cleaning . . . I can only do all that once a year.  Yep, I admit it . . . I have a low tolerance for big holiday meals.

So . . . three or four years ago I decided that everyone who comes for the big Thanksgiving meal is sure welcome to come for the Christmas meal, but they will be getting homemade soup, salad and warm bread . . . and that's that.  

I usually take pity on them and throw in some sort of sweet treat as well. 

I started doing this out of necessity . . . my sanity demanded it.  But I keep doing it because I LOVE this tradition. 

I usually do one or two of the same soup recipes every year and then add a new one.   This lentil soup recipe is a must have . . . even if you don't think you like lentils . . . or don't have a clue what lentils are . . . you should try it sometime this winter!

Recipe is below, but first I had to show off my super cute assistant chef.  Don't worry . . . no child was left unattended by the stove while cooking soup.

 

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots in coins
2 stalks celery, chopped into slivers
1 small red sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water or veggie broth
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and red sweet pepper.  Cook and stir until onion is tender.

2.  Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano and basil.  Cook for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour.

4.  In the last five minutes of cooking, stir in spinach and vinegar

5.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add a chunk of warm bread and ENJOY!

Cook on!

feed me friday: little bars of absolute deliciousness

I've had a hankerin' . . . yes, I just said "hankerin'" . . . for these little bars of absolute deliciousness all week.  

source - Although I think this particular pic is for a recipe that includes nuts, my recipe doesn't.

I first had Oatmeal Carmelitas in college.  It's the one thing (besides cereal) that I actually liked in our college cafeteria.  But I didn't know they were called Oatmeal Carmelitas at the time . . . I just referred to them as "little bars of absolute deliciousness" - it's cumbersome but accurate. 

Anyway, for years following college . . . yes, I said "years" - pathetic right?! . . . I tried like crazy to find a comparable recipe, but it's hard to find a recipe when you don't know the name.  So I would just describe these little bars of absolute deliciousness to everyone I knew who baked.  Those conversations went something like this:

Me: You know those little bars of deliciousness with something kind of crunchy but sweet on top and some melted chocolate and maybe a few other things.
Someone who baked:  blank look
Me:  Come on.  You know . . . crunchy stuff and chocolate and other stuff all in a bar-type thing.
Someone who baked:  walks away

Finally after years of searching, I gave up . . . assuming that these little bars of absolute deliciousness were some sort of magical concoction mysteriously whipped up in the secret depths of my college cafeteria.

Then about three years ago, I was at a meeting and I picked up one of the desserts on the break table.  I bit into it and . . . (take a moment and listen to the choir of angels signing) . . . yes, although not EXACTLY the same, that dessert bar was very close to those little bars of absolute deliciousness from my college days.  I hunted down the person who brought them, (I may or may not have shouted at the top of my lungs for all to hear, "WHO MADE THESE BARS?  TELL ME RIGHT NOW!"), and found out these bars were called . . .

Oatmeal Carmelitas  

After tweaking her recipe, I think I've pretty much mastered them . . . but I still like to refer to them primarily as little bars of absolute deliciousness.    

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one 8x8 inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine the 1 cup flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix to combine, mixture will be very crumbly. Press firmly half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

4. Let cool slightly then sprinkle over the crust the chocolate chips.

5. Mix the caramel ice cream topping with the 3 tablespoons of flour and drizzle over the chocolate chips.

6. Top with the remaining oatmeal mixture.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let bars cool a bit before cutting so that the melted chocolate will harden a bit.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to make these yet, but they are HIGH on my to-do list for the weekend.  My mouth is sooooo watering right now.

Cook on! 

twelve (plus) days of traditions: family baking

Today, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed to welome Jen from Tatertots and Jello.  I'm pretty sure you all hang out regularly on her blog just like me! 
She hosts one of my favoritest (yes, that's a word) parties. 

I love the family pics that she is willing to share with us today.  She is literally giving us a sneak peak into her home and family!  So cool!

  Don't forget to . . .
check out the 4 Advent Calendar giveaways that end tonight at 10 PM.
Party & Cake - Peace On Earth Printable Party Collection
CopyCraft - CHRISTmas Advent Calendar Tree ePattern
Julie Marie - Mod Tree Advent Calendar
happythought - Advent Calendar Garland pdf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi there!

I'm Jen from Tatertots and Jello. I love this Holiday Traditions party idea! It's so fun to read what everyone else does with their families during the holidays.

I thought it might be fun to share one of our favorite family activities. Making cookies!! I usually am so busy crafting and working on projects that I don't have a lot of time to create in the kitchen. But at Christmas-time I love to gather my family around and bake!

My sister Wenderful was in town last weekend and caught our cookie making and I thought I would share it with you along with one of my favorite recipes -- Snickerdoodles!

Real. Life. Together from wendy vonsosen on Vimeo.

And here's one of our favorite Family Recipes -- Snickerdoodles.

So simple and easy to make!

Snickerdoodles

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Here's the secret -- bake for EXACTLY 8 Minutes!! Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Thanks for letting me come by Elizabeth!!!

I just love Christmas -- here are a few Christmas projects that I have done if you want to come over and check them out.

{Christmas Subway Art Pillow}

{Painted Ornament Pillows}

{Chalkboard Chargers}

{Lump of Coal Gift Boxes}

Have a Wonderful Day!

Thank you Jen!  I'm so ready to go bake some cookies!  Mmm mmm good! 

Tradition on!

Don't forget to enter add your own tradition below.

If reading through subscription, click over here to add your own tradition post.

favorite recipes . . . because it's tradition

I'm definitely ready to make some sweet treats.  I have my favorites . . . ones I make every year . . . you know . . . because it's tradition! 

But I'm also ready to add a few new recipes to my traditional ones.

Check out these three that were linked up to the tradition linky. 

Butterflies

Gingerbread Cookies . . . My mom makes these every year!

M & M Nativity Legend

What's your favorite sweet treat . . . you know . . . the treat you make every year because it's tradition?

Tradition on!

This post is sponsored by Arise Shine Design!  Check this shop out for unique jewelry gifts.

twelve (plus) days of traditions: films and fondue

Today's tradition post is full of yumminess.  I'm so glad Bev from Flamingo Toes was willing to contribute to twelve (plus) days of traditions.  She has a fabulous blog full of her fabulous talent . . . plus she is sooo fabulously kind. 

Let's find out more about how her family spends Christmas Eve.

Hello Twelve Crafts Till Christmas Readers!! I am so excited to be here today!

My name is Bev and I blog over at Flamingo Toes.

I have so enjoyed reading everyone's traditions. I can't wait to share one of ours with you!

When our kids were little we didn't really establish any traditions of our own, but when we moved to California about 6 years ago, we wanted to be more intentional about creating traditions that the kids would love and remember especially because we weren't near any family. I was worried that at 12 and 9 they might be too old to really establish family traditions - but after only a couple of years, the traditions were important to them, they looked forward to each thing we'd established and planned for them.

Here is one of our favorites:

We usually go to Christmas Eve service - at our church there are several service times so we attend an early one. After we get home everyone puts on their pj's. We pick two movies - one is a kid's pick and one is a grownup's pick. The last couple of years we've gotten stuck on the same two movies.

Kids Pick:

Grownup's Pick:

We set up lots of blankets and a low beach picnic table and we have a Fondue dinner while we're watching movies.

It's so fun - we can all munch and lay around and relax and enjoy the movies together. There's something about sitting on the floor and eating that makes it more fun. :)

For the dinner, we usually have two different Fondues - and a variety of things to dip. French Bread, Ham, Meatballs and lots of veggies. The fondues are usually quick fixes, and you can prep all your dipping items earlier in the day - so it's not a lot of work.

Here is a Recipe for one of our favorite Cheese Fondues.
(adapted from The Book Of Fondues by Lorna Rhodes)

Cheese and Onion Fondue

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan, add onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes until soft but not brown.

Stir in flour; add sour cream and cook 2 minutes.

Add cheeses and continue to cook, stirring until mixture is smooth.

Add heavy cream and mix well.

Add chives and season with salt and pepper.

Pour into fondue pot or individual serving bowls. Dip away!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season!

Thanks so much Elizabeth for including me in the 12+ Days of Traditions!

And thank you Bev!!  You've got me craving veggies and fondue . . . I don't think I'm going to be able to wait until Christmas Eve to try this!

Tradition on!

feed me friday: milk dud cookies

If you "like" twelve crafts on Facebook, you know that someone from my real life secretly left me a gift bag full of Milk Duds and Whoppers after my confession on Tuesday. 

It was an exciting moment . . . yes, I have pretty low standards for excitement.  ;)  But seriously, I still don't have a clue who did it, and I've been on the case since Wednesday night.  I might have to hire Matlock . . . oh, wait that makes me sound like a dork who really likes 80s and 90s mystery shows like Matlock and Murder She Wrote and Remington Steele and . . . I better stop now before I embarrass myself.  Too late?

Anywho . . . I have my own stash of my favorite candies now . . . although it's getting smaller by the minute . . . I can't stop eating these sweet little pieces of serenity.  I figured I better do something with the small bit left before I guzzle them all down, so I found this recipe.  I can't wait to try it!!!  I'm hoping that my stash makes it long enough for me to whip these together tomorrow because nothing says moderation like adding peanut butter, regular butter, sugar and brown sugar to Milk Duds!  

MILK DUD COOKIES

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lg. box Milk Dud candy


1)  Beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy.

2)  Add eggs.

3)  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to mix.

4)  Chill thoroughly.

5)  Roll mix into 1 inch balls. Press Milk Dud into center and roll dough around candy.

6)  Roll in sugar and bake on ungreased cookie sheet.

7)  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies start to crack on top.

8)  Eat at least four right away . . . well, wait until they cool a bit first silly!

Cook on!

feed-me friday: smorelicious brownies

Truth?  Truth!  I call these brownies because in my mind brownies are way easier to make and less time intensive than cake.  However, these delightfully yummy little bars can't be eaten with fingers . . . well, they could be eaten with fingers, but you will have a sticky sweet mess on your hands . .  . literally!

So grab a fork and get ready to dig in!!!!

Smorelicious Brownies

There are two different ways to make these:
1) Use the recipe below for dairy-free, egg-free cake brownies.
2) Buy a box of fudge brownie mix throw in a 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips while mixing the ingredients together and jump down to step

Here's what you need for the brownies:
~3/4 cup all-purpose flour
~3/4 cup whole wheat flour
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1 cup white sugar
~1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
~1 teaspoon baking soda
~1/4 cup of vegetable oil
~1/4 cup of applesauce
~1 tablespoon white vinegar
~1 teaspoon vanilla extract
~1/2 cup water
~1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips


Here's what you need for topping:
~2 cups of marshmallows
~1 cup of chocolate chips
~caramel ice cream topping as desired
~2 cups crushed graham crackers
~1 cup of peanuts (optional . . . I love peanuts and put them on everything I can . . . but leave them off if you want.)


Here's what you do:
1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.  (I usually double the recipe above and bake in a 9 x 13 pan when we have company or a party to make this for.)


2)  In a large bowl, combine both flours, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix well with a fork, then stir in oil, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla extract. When dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened, pour in water and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan.

3)  Bake in preheated oven. Bake the recipe above for about 25 minutes or until knife inserted into middle comes out almost clean but not completely clean.  Bake the brownie mix according to package directions but pull out five minutes early or when knife inserted into middle comes out almost clean.
 
4)  Sprinkle marshmallows, chocolate chips, peanuts, broken graham crackers over brownies.  Drizzle with caramel topping.  Bake an additional 5 minutes.

 
5)  Cool for a few minutes.  Cut.  Enjoy!
 
Cook on!

feed me friday: butternut squash soup

Remember how I had a plethora of squash?  (These four plus three more on the porch.)

Well, we did this with a few of them.

And you passed on some great recipes for a few others.  (Thank you so much!)

And now I'm going to pass on a recipe to you.

A non-bloggy friend (yes, I do have those) passed this one on to me, and after tweaking it a tad bit, I've turned it into a vegetarian's delight!  Don't worry though . . . even if you aren't a vegetarian, I'm pretty sure you will LOVE it!  I hope to make this for a first course to begin our Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.

Butternut Squash Soup

Here's what you need:
~1/4 cup chopped onions
~4 T. margarine or butter
~6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
~3 cups of veggie broth or vegetable stock
~1/2 tsp dried marjoram
~1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
~a pinch or two of cayenne pepper
~1 1/4 package of neufachatel cheese or light cream cheese

Here's what you do:
1) Saute onions in margarine until tender.  

2) Add squash, veggie broth, marjoram, black pepper, cayenne pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until squash is tender.

3) Add squash mixture and neufachatel or cream cheese to blender.  (I would have loved to add these two things to my food processor . . . if I had one . . . I can always dream.)  Blend until smooth

4)  Return soup to original pan and heat until warm but do not boil.

Enjoy with a batch of homemade bread!  Yummy!

Cook on!

feed me friday: potato bake

I'm a lazy cooker . . . so I'm a fan of recipes that cover a lot of bases.  If all I have to do to complete the meal is throw a bowl of fruit on the table, I consider the recipe a winner!  Potato Bake is one of my family's go-to meals.  My husband claims he could eat this every night.  I should try that for a week . . . just to mess with him.  ;)

Potato Bake

Here's what you need:
-2 potatoes per person cut up into small cubes (I use whatever is on hand, but golden potatoes are our fav.)
-1 to 2 red/orange/yellow peppers cut up
-1 container of pre-sliced mushrooms
-olive oil
-2 cloves of garlic (I'm lazy so I used pre-minced garlic in a jar.)
-1/2 cup of chopped onion (optional)
-1 cup of broccoli florets per person
-salt, pepper and Lawry's Seasoning
-2 to 3 cups of your favorite shredded cheese (Our fav is sharp cheddar!)

Here's what you do:
1)  Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in saute pan. 

2)  Add garlic, potatoes, onion, peppers and mushrooms.  Saute until tender.  Add seasoning to taste.

3)  While potato mixture is sauteing, steam broccoli until just tender.

4)  Add sauteed potatoes and steamed broccoli to 9 x 13 pan sprayed with oil.** 

5)  Sprinkle 1 to 2 cups of cheese on top and mix cheese into potatoes and broccoli.  Then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

6)  Place in 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

**As you know by now, three people in our house are vegetarians.  However, if you prefer to have meat in your meals, you can add add it.  My husband sometimes adds Canadian bacon from the pizza isle at the grocery store to his side of the potato bake.

Cook on!

 

feed-me friday: mini-bagel pizzas

If you read my post from last Thursday, you know that I lost half of the food in my fridge and freezer in a few short hours!  Okay, I didn't actually lose it.  I know where it went . . . in the garbage/recycle bin.  If you've ever had one of those nights, you need a go-to meal that's ready in minutes.     

Today's Feed Me Friday is one of those meal ideas to file away for a rainy day or, in my case, a day that the fridge decides to stop working.   It's an "in-a-pinch" meal that is healthy, simple and on the table in minutes.

Mini Bagel Pizzas - Tapas Style

Here's what you need:
-mini whole wheat bagels - I use mini bagels because you can make such a wide-variety and everyone can try multiple bagel toppings.  You could use regular bagels though.
-pizza sauce
-Italian seasoning
-cheese
-a variety of toppings

Here's what you do:
1) Separate mini bagels and put them face up on your tin foil covered cookie sheet.  (Of course, covering your cookie sheet with tin foil makes the clean up just as quick as the cooking.)
2)  Spread pizza sauce on each mini-bagel.
3)  Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over sauce.
4)  Cover sauce with cheese.
5)  Place toppings on pizzas.

5)  Place in oven until cheese melts and bagels brown.
6)  Serve with a quick fresh veggie saute and cut fresh fruit.

So whether you have to drive the kids three places in one night, run off to church, attend a late meeting or deal with a broken fridge, you have a simple go-to meal. 

Cook on!  

Weekend - a little lovely, Craft Envy, Under the Table and Dreaming, Be Different Act Normal, A Vision to Remember, 504 Main - Tickled Pink, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots and Jello, I heart naptime

Monday - Keeping it Simple, Craft-O-Maniac, The Girl Creative, The Trendy Treehouse, CRAFT, Making the World Cuter, Mad in Crafts, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Between Naps on the Porch, Tools Are For Women,  It's So Very Cheri, Skip to My Lou, Sew Can Do

Tuesday - All Thingz Related, Sugar Bee, New Nostalgia, Creative Itch, Lucky Star Lane, Hope Studios, These Creative Juices, My Delicious Ambiguity, Today's Creative Blog-Get Your Craft On!, Tasty Tuesdays at Housewife Eclectic

Wednesday - It's So Very Cheri, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blue Cricket Design, Trendy Treehouse, Tea Rose Home, Someday Crafts, My Backyard Eden, Sew Much Ado, Night Owl Crafting

Thursday -  Fireflies and Jellybeans, Life As Lori, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Seven Thirty Three, The Train to Crazy, PonyTails and FishScales, Black Kat's Design

Friday - The Sabby Nest, A Little Knick Knack, Fingerprints on the Fridge, It's Fun to Craft!, It's a Hodgepodge Life, Kojo Designs, Amy Lou Who, A Few of My Favorite Things, Simply Sweet Home, Frou Frou Decor, Remodelaholic, Foodie Friday at The Speckled Dog