Cheese Cake Bites and RS Mad Hatter Birthday Party!

For our Relief Society activity we put together the Mad Hatter Theme. We had classes relating to the different hats we all wear and how to improve things in our life (Cleaning, Time Management, and Scripture Study). After classes we had lunch for them where we made chicken pockets and these amazingly easy cheese cake bites! These were so easy I made them again for a family activity! Here's all it entails,

Ingredients:
2 pkg (8oz each) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 Nilla Wafers
1 can cherry pie filling (or any pie filling)
12 cupcake wrappers

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; beat just until blended. Place cupcake wrappers in cupcake/muffin pan. Place 1 wafer on bottom of each of the cupcake wrappers. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over wafers. Bake 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with pie filling just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Also, check out those cute water bottles...it's done with duck tape! They were so freaking easy to do! I didn't even remove the label, I just placed the tape over top of them! They come in such cute colors that it could really go with anything!

To check out the rest of the decorations for the Mad Hatter Birthday Activity you can go here!

The Best Peanut Butter Fingers Ever!!

This is my mom's recipe and they are to die for! I love making these for big get togethers or a birthday treat!

Peanut Butter Fingers

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 tsp baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

Chocolate Frosting:
6 Tbsp margarine
2 2/3 c powdered sugar 
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup cocoa
3 ½ Tbsp milk (slowly)

Cream together sugars and butter. Add eggs, vanilla, peanut butter and mix. Add soda, salt, flour, oatmeal and mix well. Pat into well greased – large cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (put extra pans under to protect from spillage). Remove pan from oven and cool a few minutes; spread with thin layer of peanut butter. Top with frosting: blend the 5 ingredients (under the chocolate frosting) together until smooth and fluffy, then spread it over cooked base. Chill to set. Cut in strips to serve.

A Yummy Treat for Any Occasion

These are a great treat for any occasion you might have coming up or just for a after school snack. All it takes is pretzels, chocolate kisses, and M&M's. You could easily substitute the chocolate kisses for anything (give rolo's a shot...I hear they are amazing). Just place the pretzels down on a cookie sheet. Place on chocolate kiss on top and place into the oven on broil for only a minute or two (just enough time to melt the chocolate). Remove immediately and place one M&M on top. Let cool and enjoy!

Pull Aparts That Are To Die For!

 

These are so delicious that no picture could do it justice. You'll just have to try this out yourself. I'll warn you now it's not healthy at all :)

1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Now, I could only find sliced bread so I just sliced it the other direction as well. It doesn't work as good but taste just the same. 

Thanks Plain Chicken for the great recipe, we love it!

Homemade Ice Cream!

This is a fun treat that even the kids enjoy making!! All you need is:

2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup half & half (or light cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarse salt or table salt
ice
gallon-sized Ziploc bag
pint-sized Ziploc bag

Mix together the sugar, half and half and vanilla. Pour into the smaller bag (pint) and seal well. Add the ice to the gallon size bag making it half full (being optimistic! ), pour the salt on top of the ice and then add your pint size bag, seal well...start shaking! You'll shake for about 5-8 minutes. Open the bags and there you have it...homemade ice cream in a bag!!



(thanks 2 Little Hooligans for the recipe)

Homemade Fruit Snacks

I did it! I made them over the weekend and they turned out yummy. A few notes, they are very sticky after they're set up but I left mine out over night and they were much better. I had a hard time getting them out of my mold which I got at IKEA after just the 20 minutes like the recipe says so I waited longer and it was 10 times easier!! ( I'd say a couple of hours) Hope you enjoy them like we did!! Here's the link for ya!

Chocolate Waffles!! YUMMY (with a strawberry sauce)

These are so yummy they should be banded!! I made these for my husband for Father's Day and he was in heaven for sure!

They were really simple to put together and even the sauce wasn't to bad...for the waffles you'll need

2/3 c flour
1/3 c cornstarch
1/4 c cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 c milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chocolate chips (for topping)

In a bowl combine flour, cornstarch, cocoa power, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl whisk together sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. Slowly add the two bowls together making sure not to over mix. Batter will be pretty thin so don't panic...be sure to spray your waffle iron before, pour into iron and cook to iron directions. This made about 4 hole waffles for us.

The recipe calls for the chocolate chips to be added to the batter mix but we found it to work better if just topped with chocolate chips after pulling out of the iron.



For the strawberry sauce...

1 Pint strawberries (I just pulled out frozen strawberries out of the freezer the night before, they worked great)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cool just enough for you to be able to blend. I used my hand blender in the pan but you could transfer it to a blender. Blend until you get the consistence you like. I made it with a little bit of chunks which was perfect for us!!


(Thanks mom for the recipe for Our Best Bites)

Raspberry Slushy

It is so hot outside today that this is the perfect treat to come inside for!! These are Raspberry Lemonade Slushy and they are so so good! All it is...Lemonade, Raspberries and Ice (I used Simply Lemonade...it's really lemon juice not from concentrate!) and package of sweet and low (an artificially sweetener instead of sugar!) Blend together and yum yum yum!!!

(recipe found at make it and love it!)

Make your own Basil Pesto sauce

I LOVE pesto sauce on my sandwiches but it's so expensive at the store...so I wanted to see what it was like to make my own. All you need is

2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed into measuring cup)
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (choose a a flavorful olive oil for pesto)
1/2 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Now let me warn you the pine nuts are quite expensive but my mom said it's what makes the pesto taste good (cause I was trying to find a substitute). So I went for it anyways. You could try adding less and see if you notice a difference, just a thought. Also basil can be expensive as well but you could easily grow your own, I took some from my mom which helped in cost.

All you do is put the basil leaves and sliced garlic into food processor until basil and garlic is finely chopped, adding oil through the feed tube as you process. (You may need to take off the lid and scrape the sides with a rubber scraper if you have a hard time getting the basil all chopped.) (I don't have a food processor but I used my magic bullet, the best thing ever!!)

Add pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice to the chopped basil mixture and process 1-2 minutes more, until the pesto is mostly pureed and well mixed.

Let me know what you think if you make your own...we really love it and think it taste great!! It might just be worth it to me to make it by scratch! You can store it in your fridge for a few weeks or freeze it. I plan to put mine in an ice tray to freeze and then store in a zip lock!

(thanksKalyns Kitchen for the wonderful recipe w/ a little touch of me in it!)

Pot Roast

This roast is a family favorite and definitely a mommy favorite cause of how easy it is!! This is my go to recipe for those times I need a good meal with no time.

1 roast
1 pkg onion soup mix (dry pack)
1 cup water
carrots
potatoes

Brown the roast on each side in a skillet (this is optional, it's all for the color. I don't usually brown my meat). Place in crock pot and pour onion soup mix packet over top. Add the carrots ( I do baby carrots but you could use regular carrots and chop them). Clean and cut potatoes to bit size and add to crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

There's your perfect meal!! Enjoy

German Pancakes

Sorry this didn't make it up yesterday, it was a very busy day for us and we were able to get a lot done! Since we were so busy we resorted to a quick easy dinner - German Pancakes! These are wonderful and easy to pull together!!

German Pancakes

6 eggs

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons butter (I really don't use that much, I maybe use about 3-4 Tbsp)

In oven, heat butter in 9x13 pan. Whip eggs until lemon colored. Add milk, flour and salt. Pour batter into pan of melted butter. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with cinnamon-sugar, syrup, jam, or fruit. Serve immediately.

Our favorite to top with (well at least mine is cottage cheese and fruit, a great time of year for that!)

Spinach Salad

I hope you all enjoyed your Mother's Day as much as I did!! What a relaxing day it was...at least as much as possible :) My family got together for a BBQ and we were incharge of the salad, so my hubby made it! That just tells you how easy it is to throw together (you did a great job hubby:) )!!

Spinach Salad

1 10oz bag of Spinach

1 8oz bag of roman lettuce

Swiss cheese (grated)

2 cans mandarin oranges (drained well)

1 bag romaine noodles (crumbled)

Candied pecans (2 handfuls)

Mix above ingredients together. To make candied pecans - you can have whole or half pecans, 4 Tbsp sugar, cook over medium heat for about 5 mins stirring constantly. Cook just until sugar sticks to the pecans in liquid form. Poor onto plate.

Dressing:

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp prepared mustard

1 tsp chopped fine onions

2 tsp poppy seed

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1 cup light olive oil

Combine all but oil in a bowl, mix well. Slowly add oil in while mixing.

Pour dressing onto salad just before serving or place on the side to add to own plate!

Enjoy this nice spring salad!!

Breakfast Burritos

These breakfast burritos were easy to put together and great for freezing! You can just grab and throw into the microwave for a few minutes and they're ready to go!

All I did was cook the bacon and sausage first (use how much you'd like), then I through in the hash browns (about 1 lb bag) and then cooked the eggs (1 dozen eggs). I mixed all together and filled it in the tortillas ( warm up the tortillas so they're easier to work with, I use a wet paper towel over them to keep them moist in the microwave).

If you plan on freezing them make sure to freeze them separate, I would wrap them in saran wrap first them put them in a zip lock bag! (I learned the hard way!) Enjoy

Pizza Bites!

We tried and tested these with different cheese and different dough, I'll let you know that we enjoyed the Bisquick rolls from Pillsbury and the Cobby jack cheese better then the crescent rolls and the string cheese. Just know you could really do any type of mixture that you would like and I'm sure they would taste just as great, the best part, they're way easy to throw together and the kids enjoyed them! I had a good friend over who though of doing pineapple and ham! Let your creativity shine here!

Just roll out the dough into a circle if you're using the Bisquick rolls, (it works with the crescent rolls but I didn't roll into a circle I just filled and cover it the best I could) fill the center with pepperoni and cheese. Fold over all the ends and place face down so it doesn't open when cooking. Place in the oven at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes (I'd follow the dough directions if using a different dough, this is the the Bisquick rolls!). Serve warm. We'd also recommend a dipping sauce, marinara would work good, I'm just not a fan of it so my dipping choice...ranch:)

(Thanks to The Gunny Sack for the the wonderful idea!)

Home Made Chicken Nuggets

These are so wonderful and so much better then store/fast food!! I prefer them over any other kind!

4 each chicken breast halves, skinner and boned (I buy mine already like this in the frozen section

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

cut chicken in to 1-inch pieces. Melt margarine; remove from heat. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Dip chicken pieces first in margarine, then in bread crumb mixture coat well. Spread on cookie sheet that has been covered with foil and greased. (A non-stick spray would be fine). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve while warm.

These would be great to make ahead and put in the freezer as well, so make sure to double the recipe so you have some on hand ready to go for those days when cooking isn't going to happen!

Pull Aparts

I made these a few weeks ago and they were pretty good. I'm not a fan of biscuits so I'll be trying it with a different bread but the topping was wonderful!! (plus they were very easy to put together!)

• 2 cans (7.5 oz each) refrigerated Homestyle Biscuits
• 3 tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried Minced Onion
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Mozzerella Cheese

In a small bowl mix together the butter, garlic powder, dried parsley, minced onion and parmesan cheese. Spread mixture into the bottom of a pie plate (9 inch). Sprinkle the shredded mozzerella cheese over the top of the mixture in pan. Place biscuits close together over the top of the cheese and butter mixture (I ended up only using one can of biscuits cause I didn't squish them all together but they still worked just fine). Place in the oven at 435 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for 3 minutes, turn pan upside down onto a plate...best if served warm!

Indoor S'mores

As you can see I'm not the glorified cook but these tasted pretty good. All you do (and you can make them look cutier like...here) is brake your gram crackers into 8 pieces then lay down your marshmallows. The site I followed said to cut large marshmallows in half but I was using up some Halloween marshmallows and they fit just fine as a whole. Then you place them in your oven. Broil on low for maybe a minute...it goes fast. We added chocolate to mine and my husbands but just put a gram cracker on top for the kids! We all loved them!!

Crescent Rolls

Here's a fun little snack/treat for you to try this weekend. All you do is open some crescent rolls and spread peanut butter on the inside, then sprinkle chocolate chips and roll. Bake at 375 for about 10-12 minutes! The kids loved them and so did I!

Just imagine the other things you could try using this same idea...maybe some bananas and peanut butter, or adding some nutella in there!! What do you think sounds good?

Childhood Bread Sticks

These were my childhood bread sticks and they are so yummy (although nothings likes mom's cooking!)! They are pretty easy it's just the waiting for the yeast to rise is no fun!

1 pkg yeast

1 cup water

2 Tbsp sugar

3 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic salt

Mix together yeast, sugar, water and flour until well blended. Knead about 10-20 times, let rise. Roll into sticks about the size of your index finger. Combine butter and garlic salt together roll the dough into the butter and garlic. Sprinkle (or roll like I do cause I want to whole thing covered:) ) in the parmesan cheese. Place on a cookies sheet that has either been sprayed or lined. Let rise until 1/2 their size. Bake in 350 degree oven until brown (about 8 minutes for me).





Chicken, Ham & Cheese

This was a great quick chicken recipe that my mom use to make all the time...yummy! We had it with some friends over and it turned out great...

6 chicken breast
6 slices of ham
6 slices of cheese (I use provolone)
1/2 cup crackers smashed - I used saltines
water

Trim chicken of any fat. Place chicken in water and then coat with crackers. Cook at 275 for 1 hour (mine only took about 45 minutes). Place ham and then cheese slice on top of each chicken, place back in oven until cheese is melted. It goes great with mayo and mustard dip! (1 cup mayo 1/3 cup mustard)