Binoculars and safaris!

Since we have had a little bit of rain I have needed to come up with things that we can do inside and that won't make a big mess (rainy days are my cleaning/lazy days!).

I decided that we were going to do an indoor safari complete with binoculars.

Here is what you need!

Tp rolls

Construction paper

String

A cutter (or scissors)

Not shown: Stapler/glue/tape

Step 1. Cut the paper down to size (so it will completely cover both rolls).
Step 2. Staple (or glue/tape) one end of the tp roll to the paper.

Step 3. Put the other roll right next to it and staple it down.
Step 4. Roll The paper all the way around making sure you glue (or staple) it down along the way.
Step 5. Make holes on each side for string.
Step 6. Put string in holes and tie.

You could decorate it with stickers (Landon didn't want to. He said he just liked it green)

Then go looking for the animals!! I hid them all over the house but you could do it in just one room. It's hours of fun!

Vacation friendly pets!!

 Landon loves pets,  but we aren't home enough to add fish to the list of things people need to take care of when we are gone(not to mention the cats would eat them the first chance they got!). So Landon and I made him a fish tank today! It was super fun and really easy. And it only cost about $5!

Here is what you need!

* A glass jar (we got ours at wal-mart for $3)

* Glass stones (we got ours at wal-mart for $2-3)

* Floss

* Tape

* Cardboard

* Cardstock

* Scissors and/or exacto knife

I drew the castle freehand but printed out the fish since mine looked like crud. (I printed them out on carstock to make them easier to cut out)

Then we added a bit of the rocks.

I cut the cardboard to match the size of the top of the jar, then cut it out.

Then I took the fish, attached them to the floss, taped the floss to the cardboard top.

And that was it!

We now have our very own fish tank. We have a submarine turtle, a pretty lady fish and a sailor octopus. Landon loves it! I also printed out a thing of "fish food" for him.

Chicken Roll-ups

I wanted to share my favorite places to get recipes real quick then we will get to the recipe!

Favorite Cookbooks (the ones I LIVE by)

The Joy of Cooking

Campbell's (casseroles, one-dish meals and more)

Betty Crocker

Any of my Kraft Foods & Family magazines

Favorite Cooking Websites

Kraftfoods.com

Campbells.com

Tasteofhome.com

Allrecipes.com

Now the recipe!


Italian Chicken Roll-ups

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
8 thin slices (4 ounces) deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup milk
Cooking spray

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Place a slice of ham and half slice of provolone cheese on each piece of chicken. Roll up from a short side and tuck in ends; secure with a toothpick.


In a shallow bowl, combine the crumbs, Romano cheese and parsley. Pour milk into another bowl. Dip chicken rolls in milk, then roll in crumb mixture.

Place the roll-ups, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Spritz chicken with cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 25 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove toothpicks.

We also had Cesar salad and Texas toast with it.

Porkchops in Mushroom soup

Happy Tuesday! Click on the button to head on over to Andrea's blog to see who is joining in!

Today I have the recipe for Pork chops in Mushroom soup for you.

This is a recipe that I grew up eatting. I have always loved it. We don't have an exact recipe because my family kinda made it their own.

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Also just so you know I HATE MUSHROOMS but you can't taste them in the soup, It just gives it a little extra flavor.

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Ingredients

Boneless pork chops (4)

a cup or two of flour

Seasoning salt (I use Johnny's but anything would work)

Pepper

Lots of butter (salted)

Can of mushroom soup

Milk

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Cooked white rice (at the end)

(This is the seasoning salt we use. They don't have it on the East Coast so my parents buy the massive jug and send it to us every few years.)

Directions

1. Put flour and seasoning salt (a few shakes, also add pepper to taste) in large ziplock bag. Run pork chops under water to make sure you have no unwanted bones. Toss each pork chop to coat in flour mix.

2. Put a lot of butter (so the pan is coated) in the pan. Brown pork chops on both sides on med. heat. Make sure both sides are nice and brown.

3. After they are nice and brown, add mushroom soup and one can of milk (I like to mix the milk and soup in a different bowl first). And make sure you don't take the extra butter out of the pan it makes the sauce have a better taste.
4. Bring soup to a slow boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer on low for about 1-1 1/2 hours. Make sure you turn the pork chops a few times while they are cooking (just not too many times. I normally flip them every 20-25 min)
5. Serve over hot white rice.

The gravy is the best part!

Landon's plate.

My bowl.

You can also do this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cream of chicken soup. All of the directions are the same. But I wouldn't cook it for quite so long. Maybe 45 min to a hour.

I hope you enjoy!

Cocoa & Toast

Hello! It's time for Tuesday's at the Table! This week I'm sharing an old family favorite. We used to eat it all the time no matter what meal, Justin claims that it can only be for breakfast. It might seem a little gross to some but it's SOOO good I swear!

Click on the button to go see who else is sharing today!

What you need

1-4 slices of bread

peanut butter

milk

nesquick

Heat the milk in the microwave while the bread is in the toaster. Add as much cocoa powder as you like when the milk is done. let the bread cool a little bit before you put the PB on. Cut as shown above.

(don't mind my John Deere cups). Take one half and dunk it!

Then EAT!!! It's really good I promise! It kind of tastes like a big Reece's!

Popcorn!

Here are a few recipes for the popcorn seasoning we use on movie nights.

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Chocolate & Cinnamon!

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You need

1 package chocolate pudding

4 tsp cinnamon

Dump in bowl and mix! Lol.
Sprinkle on popcorn then give a little shake to get some down in the stuff that is hidden.
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Spicy Cheese
(what Landon calls it)
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You need
1 tsp Chili powder
1/8 tsp Garlic powder
2 Tbs Parm cheese

Dump and mix, then give a little shake. The cheese doesn't stick really well so we use air-pop popcorn and add butter and that works great!

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Parmesan Ranch!

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You need

1/4 C Parm cheese

1 envelope ranch mix

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Dump in a bowl and mix! Again with the cheese not sticking really well, for some reason it separates a little bit (you can still taste it, most of it just goes to the bottom).

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Pizza

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You need

1/2 C Parm cheese

2 Tbs Italian seasoning (crushed)

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Dump andmix. I don't need to tell you about the cheese again....do I? Butter.

Pumpkin Seeds

Taco Pumpkin Seeds! (these were the best!)

Ingredients
1 cup seeds from freshly cut pumpkin, washed and dried
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions
In a skillet, saute pumpkin seeds in oil for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer seeds to an ungreased baking sheet (if you have extra oil try to get as little of it as you can). Sprinkle with taco seasoning and garlic salt; stir/toss to coat. Spread into a single layer. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Remove to paper towels to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients
2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
5 teaspoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or chili pepper)

Directions
In a bowl, toss pumpkin seeds with butter and Worcestershire sauce. Combine the sugar, salt, garlic powder and cayenne; sprinkle over seeds and toss to coat.

Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with foil; coat foil with cooking spray. Spread seeds in pan. Bake at 250° for 45-60 minutes or until seeds are dry and lightly browned, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

S'More Tarts

On nights that Justin has duty I try to do fun things with Landon to keep him busy. Last night we made a "camp" out of blankets and chairs in the living room complete with a lantern, we watched A bugs life and made an indoor version of s'mores. We had a really fun time. These are really rich so I don't see us making them again anytime soon.

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12 Servings
Prep: 10 min. Bake: 25 min.
Ingredients
1 package fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size) We used a smaller box since I was only making 6 not 12
12 individual graham cracker shells
1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate chips
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Directions
Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Place graham cracker shells on a baking sheet and fill with brownie batter.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.

Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed and golden brown.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Recipe from Taste of home.

Almond Joy cookies!

These are SOOO good! I made a batch and only got 2 before the boys got to them and Justin took the rest to work with hin the next morning. I guess they were a hit because I have been asked to make more. Haha.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
INGREDIENTS3/4cup Fisher® Roasted and Salted Almonds1 1/2cups coconut1/2cup Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk (from 14-oz can)1package (16 oz) Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies (24 cookies)1/3cup Hershey’s® baking cocoa1/3cup Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips
DIRECTIONS1.Reserve 20 almonds; set aside. Chop remaining almonds. In medium bowl, stir chopped almonds, coconut and milk until well blended. Refrigerate mixture 25 minutes for easier handling. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.2.Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, knead cookie dough and cocoa with hands until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside.3.For each cookie, press 1 rounded tablespoon dough into 3-inch round. Place 1 tablespoon coconut mixture on center of each round. Wrap dough around filling, pressing edges to seal; shape into a ball. Place balls 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press each ball with fingers into 2 1/2-inch round. Press 1 whole almond on each cookie.4.Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until puffed and edges are set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5.In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 10 to 20 second, stirring every 10 seconds, until smooth. Place in resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut small tip from corner of bag. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Before storing, let cookies stand at room temperature until chocolate is set. Store in airtight container.

Recipes & bottom photo from Pilsbury.com

Cheesecake brownies!

I made these on a whim the other night. They were sooo good! It gave me a chance to use my new pan that my sister got me for Christmas! It worked perfect!

You need!
1 (20-23 oz.) pkg. brownie mix
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Directions!
Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Reserve 1/2 cup of batter.

Cream cream cheese and sugar. Add egg and vanilla.

Spread brownie batter (minus 1/2 cup) on bottom of a greased 13 x 9 inch pan.

Cover with cream cheese mixture. Spoon on 1/2 cup brownie batter and swirl. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Easy!

The pan looks like a normal pan...but the bottom lifts out. Once you put the batter in the pan you put the divider on top and bake.

They rise in perfect squares! So you don't have to cut them and get everything all funky looking.

After they are out of the oven you wait 5 min and slide the divider out. Perfect brownies! lol.

Then you put them on the special rack and they come out of the pan! Done!

Pirate cupcakes

These are the cupcakes I made for Landon to take to school for his Birthday!

Bandannas are fondant

Sprinkles for the beard

Rolled out tootsie rolls for the eye patch and the moustache

Reece's puff cereal for the nose

The eyes are sprinkles that I had from Halloween.

Then I used white frosting to put the dots on the bandannas.

These were easy!

Blue fondant for the water

White frosting for the Island

Crushed Reece's puffs for the sand

Colored frosting for the tree

Sprinkles for the X (frosting wouldn't stick and was getting messy)