April Fools!

Ingredients
Makes 6 cupcakes!

6 Vanilla Cupcakes, baked in silver foil liners

To make the drumstick cupcakes, first download and print the bone template

FOR THE DRUMSTICKS
1/4 cup white chocolate melting wafers, melted
1 cup Vanilla Frosting
3 plain store-bought doughnut holes
1 cup cornflake crumbs

FOR THE MASHED POTATOES
1 yellow fruit chew, such as Laffy Taffys or Starbursts, cut into a 1-inch square
3 tablespoons Vanilla Frosting
1/2 tablespoon store-bought caramel sauce, heated

FOR THE PEAS AND CARROTS
3 orange fruit chews, such as Tootsie Fruit Rolls or Starbursts, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons Vanilla Frosting
Green gel food coloring
2 tablespoons hard green candies, such as Runts

FOR THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING
3 tablespoons Chocolate Frosting
1 teaspoon colored sprinkles
Directions

To make the drumsticks:

Place the bone template on a baking sheet. Cover with parchment paper; set aside. Place melted chocolate into a resealable plastic bag and snip a 1/8-inch corner from the bag. Following the bone template, pipe an outline onto the parchment paper. Fill the bone in with chocolate and lightly tap pan to smooth top of chocolate. Repeat process 3 times. Refrigerate until firm, about 5 minutes.

Spread vanilla frosting on top of 3 cupcakes, mounding it slightly. Place 1 doughnut hole on top of each cupcake. Spread frosting over the doughnut hole until it is smooth and covered.

Place cornflake crumbs in a medium bowl. Gently press frosted cupcakes in crumbs to cover completely. Place cupcakes in a 6-cup disposable aluminum cupcake baking tray.

Using a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top of each crumbed doughnut hole. Carefully peel 1 chocolate bone from the parchment paper and insert the pointed end into one of the slits. Repeat with remaining 2 bones and cupcakes.

To make the mashed potatoes: Spread vanilla frosting on 1 cupcake, mounding it slightly. Use a small spoon to create a well in the center of the frosting. Place cupcake in aluminum baking tray. Place yellow fruit chew in the well at an angle. Drizzle caramel sauce on top of cupcake so that it fills the well and spills over like gravy.

To make the peas and carrots: Color vanilla frosting with green food coloring and spread on top of 1 cupcake. Arrange orange fruit chews and green candies on top of cupcake, pressing them into the frosting. Place cupcake in aluminum baking tray.

To make the chocolate pudding: Place chocolate frosting in a resealable plastic bag; press out all the excess air and seal to enclose. Snip a 1/4-inch corner from the bag. Pipe chocolate frosting into a spiral swirl onto the remaining cupcake. Top with sprinkles and place in aluminum baking tray. Serve.

Recipe from cookbook "Hello Cupcake" but gotten off Mathastuart.com picture from Cupcakes take the cake (Google image search).

MPM

Dinners

Slow cooker orange chicken (with green beans and white rice)

Cheesy rigatoni bake (with corn and salad)

Ribs (with homemade BBQ sauce) fries and Texas toast

Turkey and Tortellini (with bread sticks)

Presto Parmesan (with spaghetti and corn)

Lunches

Leftovers

Sandwiches

Poorbois

Pasta

Breakfasts

Waffles

Cereal

Eggs and Bacon

Sunday Breakfast

French Toast

Fresh fruit

Sausage

Build-a-Train

How to play:

You'll need several cardboard boxes large enough for a kid to sit inside.

Put out a variety of art supplies -- markers, stickers, construction paper, glue -- and tell each child to turn his or her box into a train car.

Once they've decorated the outside of their box with wheels, windows, and whatever else they can think of, help them arrange the cars one behind the other, then hop aboard for an imaginary choo-choo ride.

What it teaches:

Perseverance. Games that require team prep work give kids a sense of accomplishment, says clinical psychologist Sandra McLeod Humphrey, author of Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs. The positive payoff introduces children to the good feeling they get when they achieve their hard-earned goals.

Parent tip:

Be prepared to hang on to those boxes; the kids will want to get together and hit the track again and again.

From Parents.com

Rice Roll-ups

Rice Roll-Ups

Stir 2 tablespoons shredded carrot,

1 tablespoon sweet-and-sour sauce, and

1/8 teaspoon salt into

3/4 cup cooked brown rice.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of rice mixture onto a thin slice of deli roast beef.

Top with a slice each of red pepper and avocado; then roll up.

Cut rolls in half diagonally. Repeat steps to make 12 pieces.

Picture and Recipe from parents.com

Pulled Chicken sandwiches

Pulled Chicken sandwiches (kraftfoods.com)

What You Need
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 French bread baguette, 16 to 20-inches long (we used hamburger buns)
4 KRAFT Singles

Make It

COOK chicken and onions in skillet on medium-high heat 8 min., stirring occasionally.

ADD barbecue sauce, water and sugar; stir. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook an additional 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

REMOVE chicken from skillet. Shred chicken with fork or chop into small pieces. Return to skillet; stir until evenly coated with sauce.

Cut baguette crosswise into four pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise in half. Fill with chicken mixture and Singles.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 C. marinara sauce
1/3 C. mascarpone cheese
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley leaves (1/3 that amount if dried)
2 tsp thyme (1/3 that amount if dried)
1 lb cheese tortellini
2 oz thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly oil an 8x8 dish

Whisk sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl.

Cook tortellini in salted boiling water until just tender (about 2 min.) Drain.

Add tortellini to sauce and toss to coat.

Transfer to baking dish and top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese on top melts. (about 30 min)

Italian Chicken Roll-ups

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.

I made these for the first time last night and they were SO good! We also had Cesar salad and Texas toast with it. This is going to be a family favorite!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings (TATT)

Go to Andreas blog for other great recipes!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1-2/3 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix
2/3 cup fat-free milk

Directions:

In a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, saute celery and carrots for 5 minutes.

Stir in the broth, poultry seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered.

Add the chicken. For dumplings, combine biscuit mix and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering broth.

Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering).

MPM

Dinners
Italian Chicken roll-ups *
Baked Tortellini*
Tomato & spinach pasta toss with Texas toast *
Stuffing chicken bake*
Beef Stroganoff*

Lunches
Leftovers
Sandwiches
Mac & cheese
Chicken burgers

Breakfasts
Cereal
Waffles
French toast
Smoothies

Sunday Breakfast
Chocolate chip pancakes
Fruit salad

Fish (Tuna) Cakes

What You Need!

2 cans (6 oz. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup water
1 carrot, shredded or 1/2 a cup
1/3 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. CLAUSSEN Sweet Pickle Relish

Make It!

MIX all ingredients. Refrigerate 10 min.



HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Use ice cream scoop to add 1/3-cup portions of tuna mixture, in batches, to skillet.


FLATTEN into patties with back of spatula. Cook 6 min. or until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning patties over after 3 min.

We all really liked these. I didn't really know if we would. We had Cesar salad with it and I think it was perfect! It didn't look too pretty while I was making it but trust me it tasted good.

Substitutes. Switch to mozzarella cheese. Use crab, salmon or chicken meat.

MPM

Dinners
Pulled Chicken sandwiches with fries *
French dips with fries
Sloppy Joes (from scratch) * with new potatoes & corn
Fish cakes (with Cesar salad)*
Chicken and dumplings *

Lunches
Leftovers
Sandwiches
Chicken nuggets

Breakfast
Waffles
Pancakes
French Toast
Cereal

Sunday Breakfast
Cinnamon & Vanilla waffles
Bacon
Eggs
New potatoes

I didn't like this on my other blog so I'm going to keep it here. If you see anything you would like let me know and I will put the recipe up. If it has a * it means the recipe is on here already.

I make everything mostly from "scratch". Meaning I don't buy anything that I can easily make like sloppy joe mix (it's so east to just make it yourself!). But I don't make all my own bread or anything crazy like that...maybe one day. Lol.

I will try to post a few pictures of the dinners I make this week.

Weeknight Pizza Casserole

Weeknight Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 3 1/2 oz package sliced pepperoni
1 2 1.2 oz can sliced olives, drained
1 14 oz jar pizza sauce
1 8 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 C. biscuit mix (Bisquick)
1 C. milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Brown beef in large skillet over med-high heat; drain.

Stir in pepperoni and olives.Spoon into a lightly greased 8x8in baking dish.Top with sauce and cheese.

Combine biscuit mix, milk and eggs, stirring until smooth. Pour over cheese, spreading evenly.

Bake uncovered at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Let stand 5 min before serving.

You can make this with any toppings that you like. Sometimes I don't add the ground beef and I just use whatever kind of pizza toppings we are in the mood for.

Pecan Pie

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
2 cups pecan halves
3 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cover bottom of pie crust with pecans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and melted butter.

Add the corn syrup, sugar, and the chopped chocolate. Stir until all ingredients are combined.

Pour mixture into the pie shell over the pecans and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet.


Bake for 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes or until pie is set.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Crock Pot Chili

Crock pot Chili
makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lg onion, diced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 6oz cans tomato paste
1 16oz can refried beans
2 16oz cans chili beans
2 16oz cans black beans
1 4oz can diced green chillies
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C. water
2 T. mild chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper

Directions

In a skillet, brown beef and onion: drain.

Place meat mixture in crock pot on high and stir in remaining ingredients.

Cook on high for 30 min then reduce heat to low; cook 4-6 hours.

Top individual servings with grated cheese and chopped onion.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 large bag wide noodles, cooked

2 cans french onion soup

16 oz sour cream

Directions

Brown and drain ground beef.

Warm french onion soup. DO NOT BOIL!

Whisk sour cream into soup until blended together.

Add to beef; Simmer.

Add the noodles or pour over when ready to serve.

The total time is under 30 min. It's so easy to make and it tastes so good!

Beef Stir Fry

Beef Stir-Fry

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep/Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak OR beef top round steak, 3/4" thick*
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Beef Broth
2 tbsp. soy sauce (I add 1/4 spicy miso teriyaki sauce by Kikkoman also)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cups cut-up vegetables **
1/4 tsp. garlic powder OR 1 clove garlic, minced

Hot cooked rice

Directions:
SLICE beef into very thin strips. Mix cornstarch, broth and soy until smooth. Set aside.

HEAT oil in skillet. Add beef and stir-fry until browned and juices evaporate. Push beef to one side of skillet.

ADD vegetables and garlic powder and stir-fry until tender-crisp.

STIR cornstarch mixture and add. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Serve over rice.

TIP: *To make slicing beef easier, freeze beef 1 hr.

**Use broccoli flowerets, sliced carrots and green or red pepper strips. (we like broccoli, carrots, snap peas and water chestnuts)

cookie surprise cupcakes!

COOKIE SUPRISE CUPCAKES

These are the most amazing things in the world!

You take any kind of chocolate cake mix and mix according to the box




Fill muffin pans about half full and then take chocolate cookie dough (the pre made kind, about 1 TBP) and put down in the batter . I use my cookie scoop, I don't fill it all the way though.


Then bake for 18-20 (I did 18 and they were perfect!) minutes at 350 and when cooled - top with chocolate frosting (& mini chocolate chips!).

Things I want to do today 2/27

1. Fold laundry (again)
2. Do dishes
3. Put groceries away*
4. Tidy Living room*
5. Clean upstairs bathroom*

I have some really great recipes I have to post so I will try to do it over the weekend!

Supreme Pizza Pasta!

Here is the recipe for Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad

1 pound wagon wheel pasta. cook al dente, cool under cold water

Salad:2 plum tomatoes: seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion: chopped
8 fresh white button mushrooms: sliced (I don't put these in)
1 small green bell pepper: seeded and chopped
1 pepperoni stick, casing removed and cut into small dice
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese or fresh smoked mozzarella cheese shredded
20 leaves fresh basil: torn or thinly sliced

Dressing:1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves or Italian dried seasoning
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, pepperoni, mozzarella, basil and pasta in a big bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk garlic salt, oregano or Italian seasoning, tomato paste, and vinegar together.

Stream in olive oil while continuing to whisk. When oil is incorporated, pour dressing over pasta salad, add a few grinds of black pepper, then toss to coat evenly.

Adjust seasonings and serve.

Makes 8 servings as a side.

Things I want to do today. 2/20

I need to start making list of everything I want to get done in a day. And just maybe if everyone else sees it I will be more motivated to get it all done! hahaha yeah right! So here we go!

1. Finish doing dinner dishes from last night*
2. Start laundry*
3. Fold laundry
4. Clean laundry room*
5. Tidy up Landon's room*

I think if I do 5 things a day big or small I should be good. Its so great having my husband home from deployment but everything gets so messy so fast!