Laurie's Food Files

Cookies and Cream Sammies

2010-09-01T05:31:00.001-07:00

{It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe, but I’m back! And now, I’ve folded Laurie’s Food Files into my main blog, Scene of the Grime, hence the new blog header. You can still access my recipes by going to http://lauriesfoodfiles.blogspot.com or you can go to http://sceneofthegrime.blogspot.com and click on the FOOD FILES button. Either way, I love to have you come visit me in my creative kitchen!}

Want a quick and easy idea for a fun family dessert? How about this:

What you need:

Ice cream (any flavor)

Cookies (homemade or store-bought soft cookies)

What you do:

1-Set your ice cream out for a few minutes and let it soften.

2-Scoop a small amount of ice cream out and place it on a cookie turned upside down.

3-Now place another cookie (right side up) on top and gently press down.

4-Wrap cookie in wax paper. Put all wrapped cookies in a freezer bag and store in freezer.

5-After dinner, take out your sammies and serve with a smile!

This recipe will be saved in my Food Files for your convenience. {This post may be linked to blog parties on my linkies page.}

Hugs and Yums, Laurie

Caramel-Glazed Peaches & Pineapple Cobbler

2010-08-06T19:13:00.001-07:00

Plato said this, and I have to agree!

Well, out of the “necessity” of my wish to make a dessert for my parents using only the contents I had on hand, the Caramel-Glazed Peaches & Pineapple Cobbler was “invented!”

Ingredients: 3/4 stick butter, 1-1/2 cup milk, 1-1/2 cup flour, and 1-1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 can pineapple chunks (drained), 1/2 can peach slices (not drained)

Directions: (1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) Place butter in casserole dish (9x13, 8x11, 9” round) and put in oven to melt. (3) Mix milk, flour and sugar in a separate bowl. There will be a few lumps. (4) Take dish out of oven. Pour mixture into dish. Do not mix with butter, just pour over it. (5) Now, put pineapple and peach slices into dish, again not stirring in. (6) I usually pour the peach “juice” in as well, again not mixing. (7) To “glaze” the cobbler, I drizzled caramel ice cream syrup over the top of the dish. I added some more caramel about 1/2 way through baking. (8) Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until top is starting to get brown and crusty.

The results? Yum-dilly-icious! It was a flavorful, scrumptious dessert! Oh cobblers, I love you, I do, I do. {This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}

Yums & Hugs, Laurie

So Easy Fuji Apple Cobbler (A 1-1-1 Recipe)

2010-07-14T14:45:00.001-07:00

Dollar General never ceases to amaze me! Today, I found the following:

I love, love Fuji apples – have you tried them? So, I was thrilled to find some Fuji apple pie filling for $1 at DoGen. They really have unique canned food items, check em out!

Anyway, I used a simple 1-1-1 recipe to make a cobbler using this yummy filling. I call it 1-1-1 because it helps me remember the ingredients:

1 can filling
3/4 stick butter/margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
cinnamon-sugar to taste

I microwaved the butter to melt it right in the 9-inch round glass casserole dish I used to bake the cobbler in. Then, I mixed up the sugar, flour, and milk in a separate bowl. Once it’s mixed (you’ll have some lumps, that’s okay), I poured the mixture into the casserole dish, right over the melted butter. Do not mix the mixture and butter together – just pour it in and leave it. Last, pour the apple filling in and, again, do NOT mix it in. Bake the dish in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the crust is browning on top. (Another thing you can do is, when the crust is starting to solidify in the over, you can pull the rack out and sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top, then push the dish back in to finish baking.)

Here’s the finished dish:

Oh, goodness, was it yummy!!!! You can use this recipe with any fruit or fruit filling and it is easy to double for a 9”x13” size dish/pan. I’ve made dozens of peach cobblers (using canned peach slices) using the 1-1-1 (or 2-2-2) recipe and people always love them!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Bountiful Bermuda!

2010-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a wonderful extended family adventure to Bermuda! What a blessing to travel together and get along and see new and different things!!! I wanted to give you an idea of some of the foods we enjoyed and observed on the island.
BRITISH INFLUENCE
We enjoyed visiting many pubs on our trip: Hog Penny, Flanagan’s and the famous Swizzle Inn!

FISH AND CHIPS BANGERS AND MASH

The kids lived on these:

CHICKEN TENDERS

BERMUDIAN SPECIALTIES
Bermuda is known for two special drinks: the Dark ‘n’ Stormy and the…

RUM SWIZZLE – I didn’t try this, but it is a verrry famous drink in Bermuda that some of the fam slurped up!

BLACK RUM CAKE

RUM AND GINGER ICE CREAM – I tried this and loved it! Ginger is almost as popular in Bermuda as rum. They even have Ginger Beer there.
An interesting food fact about Bermuda is that the food is un-be-liev-ably ex-pen-sive!!!!! A loaf of bread can cost $11!!!! Drinks cost $5. The average home is $1.6 million. We heard all this from a Bermudian citizen. Can you believe? Unreal!
So, we had a wonderful, memorable trip…but, in the end, foodwise it was great to get home to…

Yay for American food prices!!! Now I’ll be much more appreciative of them! Ha!
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Shades of Summer Cookies

2010-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi! I was making some dippy cookies the other day and I came up with a new twist! In the Wintertime, I’m planning to call them Cocoa & Cream Cookies, but since we’re in the midst of summer heat right now, I’m calling them Shades of Summer Cookies – as in the shades of no tan to a little tan to a dark and luscious tan! Heehee!
Vanilla or chocolate? You don’t have to choose with these delicious dessert cookies! I’ve taken storebought oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies (of course you could make your own!) and dipped one side in meltable vanilla candy coating and the other in chocolate candy coating - yummalectable!!
Now, you could also use food coloring to turn your vanilla coating different colors and dip them that way as well, to coordinate with an event, party decor, etc. There’s no limit to the possibilities! Have fun!
{This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Beach Buffet Boogie

2010-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Each year, we go on vacation to the beach with my extended family. We stay in a house on the beach and enjoy lots of good times and good food! In my attempt to relax some while we’re there, I like to cook ahead!

It’s that time of year again, vacay time, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite make-to-take recipes with you (a couple recipes I’ve shared before, but I’ll link to them here – links have red/maroon text).
►BAKED SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE – So easy to build an “Italian Night” around!
►BLONDE CHICKEN PARMESAN – A light basic dish that can be dressed up quickly with a couple sides (like my spicy green beans) and hot buttered rolls.
►CHILI DE LAURIE – Good to have on hand for the first night there when all are tired from travelling and for quick soup and sandwich lunches.
I’ve combined ingredients and directions here – you just throw all these items into a large stockpot and simmer, simmer, simmer..til you’re ready to eat! I serve this chili with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and scallions. Here you go:
1-2 lbs. lean ground meat (browned & drained), 1 onion + 1 green pepper + garlic (diced and sauteed til browning), 1 large jar salsa, 2-3 cans diced tomatoes, 4 small cans tomato sauce, 1 large can light red kidney beans (drained), 1 can chili beans, chili powder + cumin (sprinkled in to taste) – feel free to adjust ingredient amounts per your preference
►CREAM CHEESE DANISH CASSEROLE – Soooo yummy with hot coffee or tea in the sunny morning.
►FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE – Absolutely sinful for breakfast or dessert and a big hit with kids. You can also provide various toppings such as fruit, powdered sugar, syrup, preserves, even chocolate sauce and whipped cream!
Ingredients: French bread (I have also used hoagies rolls before) to make 5 cups bread chunks/cubes, 4 eggs, 1-1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla flavoring, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp cinnamon/sugar
Directions: Butter a 9x13 casserole dish/pan. Put about half of bread chunks/cubes on bottom of dish. Mix eggs, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla together. Pour about half of egg mixture over bread in dish. Sprinkle 1/2 of cinnamon/sugar over this layer. Use the rest of the bread to make another layer in dish. Pour remainder of egg misture over top bread layer. Sprinkle rest of cinnamon/sugar all over the top layer of bread. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until top layer of bread it starting to brown around the edges.
►ASSORTED SWEET GOODIES – Oh, c’mon, you know these will be scarfed.
I’ll take a large Tupperware box full of cookies, brownies, etc to include:

Peanut Butter Crunch Dippy Cookies And More!

Hope you can use some of these ideas, they are def tried-and-true and never fail to be gobbled up quickly! Happy travelling this season! Be safe and eat well!
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Kitchen Kids: Creativity and Learning ~ Part 2

2010-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

This post is the conclusion to my last post, Part 1! More great ideas and information about taking time this Summer to enjoy the kitchen, the grill and any other cooking area with your kids…
(~continued~)

4-TRAVEL TREATS are a fun vacation activity to pursue, or even in your own hometown! It always enhances a visit to a new place or part of town to try a food or meal you’ve never tried before, one native to the geographical area. Involving the taste and smell senses makes the memories so much sweeter!

5-JUNIOR CHEFS can lighten your load in the kitchen this Summer! Okay, okay, the mess may be worse…but planning, preparing and serving a meal to their families gives children a big boost in creativity, confidence and caring! Messes can always be cleaned, so let ‘em at it, mom and dad!

6-USE YOUR RESOURCES and there are lots out there! Kids’ cookbooks, picture books and storybooks about food, fun baking/cooking TV shows, the list goes one. Here are a few info-filled links you may enjoy:
Highlights for Parents
Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen
Rachael Ray Kids
Williams-Sonoma Tweens/Teens in the Kitchen
I’m sure you have many other wonderful ideas for having summer fun in the kitchen with your kids – I’d love to hear them!!!
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Kitchen Kids: Creativity and Learning ~ Part 1

2010-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Summer season is an awesome to spend some time in the kitchen with your children! Your family can experience many fun activities unique to summertime that don’t usually happen at other, busier times of the year. This post is separated into two parts.
Check out these ideas:

1-MATH COUNTS in the kitchen! Most children in elementary, middle and even high school have school-created math learning objectives during the summer. (Your child may have brought some guidelines home or their school may provide them online. Even if they don’t, you can find many math-related family activities on the internet.) Loads of opportunities exist in the kitchen/cooking zone to use and create with mathematics! From baking measurements to comparing ingredient prices in the supermarket, math is everywhere in meal and food preparation.

2-ORGANIC OPPORTUNITIES abound in your cucina, your garden, your local farmer’s market or produce stand and even in the grocery these days! Summer is the perfect time to get to know your fruits and veggies, up close and personal. You will be able to stress the benefits of eating organically or naturally. Last summer, my kids and I frequented a produce stand close to our home and they are STILL talking about how awesome it was – fun to visit and delicious to eat nature’s bounty when we got home! They have even said that first lunch from the stand was the yummiest food they’d ever had! Yay!

3-EDIBLE ART is so much fun to design, make and then eat! Summer is a great time to let your children (and yourself) get creative and artistic with food! If weather permits, you can enjoy a fun cookie decorating session outside on the picnic table (or inside, of course, if it’s too hot). Or encourage your kids to make art objects from cut fruit – you help with the cutting, and make sure their hands are extra-clean. Food creativity like this really jazzes up a light summer lunch or supper!
We’ll have more ideas next time!
(~to be continued~)
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Come See Me at Attempting Creative – We’re Having a Cupcake Carnival!

2010-06-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

Kimberly at Attempting Creative is hosting a wonderful Cupcake Carnival from June 14-25, 2010! She’ll be sharing cupcake-related guest posts and creative ideas. Kimberly was so thoughtful to ask me to submit an idea for the carnival. I have two ideas to share! Here’s the link to my guest post, and I’ve posted it below as well, but you must go see all the other guest bloggers’ awesome ideas.

POSH PLATTER ►

My materials included:

large clear glass platter, metallic cupcake liners, spray paint, spray clear protective coating, modgepodge, foam paintbrush, scissors

The steps I took:
1-Cut cupcake liners into shapes, designs, words, whatever you like and arrange on table. Set clear platter face-up on top of design. Work on layout until you’re pleased with the look of the platter.
2-Now, turn clean platter over face-down and modgepodge cupcake liner design piece into place – important: glue them face-down onto back of clear platter! This way, when you turn the platter right-side-up, the metallic side of the design will show through the platter.
3-Make sure and modgepodge the entire back of the platter, over the design pieces and over the clear parts as well.
4-Keep the platter face-down and let it dry thoroughly overnight.
5-The next day, take the dry platter outside (or wherever you spray paint) and lightly spray paint the color you’ve selected over the back side of the platter. Let that layer dry, then add another. You just don’t want to spray it so heavily it affects the appearance of the foil design.
6-Once you’re satisfied with you platter background color and it is dry, finish it off by spraying the back of the platter with a layer of clear protective coating.
7-When it’s all dry, you can turn over, admire it, and feel proud of yourself!!! Now for something yummy to put on the platter…
WATERCOLOR CUPCAKES ►
Here’s a quick way I dressed up some store-bought cupcakes and made them special for the summer season:
Ingredients/Supplies:

cupcakes (store-bought or homemade), almond bark/meltable white chocolate (on baking aisle), food coloring, cupcake topper decorations, knife, bowls, microwave oven

Steps:
1-Purchase store-bought cupcakes (or make your own plain cupcakes). Scrape icing off store cupcakes. Set aside for kids to use to frost cookies or something – you can’t let good icing go to waste!
2-Melt almond bark (or meltable white chocolate) in microwave until smooth and creamy. I divided melted almond bark into 3-4 small bowls.
3-I put 2-3 drops of food coloring into each bowl. Leave one bowl just white. Carefully swirl the color through the melted white chocolate, not mixing together completely. I use the tip of a knife to swirl it, leaving streaks of the color showing. This creates the watercolor effect.
4-Dip the top of each cupcake into the white melted chocolate. Let harden a little.
5-Use a knife to gently scoop out a bit of swirled, colored melted chocolate, then gently spread into a circle on the top of each cupcake. I mad sure to leave some white showing around the edges.
6-I used real seashells to top the cupcakes because I wanted to create a summery, coastal look. You could use any type of edible or other decoration to suit your look. Just make sure to alert folks if the toppers are inedible!

7-Now, just put ‘em on your posh platter and prepare to impress your guests! Cupcake-inspired from top to bottom!

I’d love for you to go visit Attempting Creative during the great Cupcake Carnival or anytime! Kimberly is a sweetheart and she has tons of terrific ideas for making life more creative!
{This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Dried, Not Fried ~ Nature’s Candy!

2010-06-12T06:14:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite (healthy?) snacks is dried fruit.

I’m not sure it’s always health food exactly, but it’s got to be healthiER than snack cakes and chips, right?!

Dried fruit/fruit mixes can be expensive, but I find it to be very affordable at Dollar General and even Dollar Tree. And, I got the.most.scrumptious dried fruit at WalMart a couple weeks ago – it had dried cantaloupe and kiwi in it! Unbelievably good! Who knew? Go try it!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Building a Soup the Quick and Easy Way

2010-06-08T16:40:00.001-07:00

Homemade soups are wonderful ~ I’d probably eat soup at least once a day if it was on hand! Lately, I’ve been experimenting with building homemade-like soup from store-bought ingredients, leftovers and resources already in the kitchen cab – kinda like a Sandra Lee Semi-Homeade approach!

►For example, I’m serving chicken soup and buttered bread this evening. Here’s what I’m combining for the soup:

leftover baked chicken breasts and rice

32 oz container chicken broth + one 32 oz can water

26 oz can cream of chicken soup

1 can kernel corn, with juices

12 or so baby carrots, diced

►Now what? Just put it all in a big stockpot and heat til boiling. Butter your bread and there ya go!

Do you like to make soup? Any other shortcut ideas for me?

{This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Super Source for Grocery Staples!

2010-06-05T05:31:00.001-07:00

Y’all know I loves my good deals, in the kitchen and anywhere else, too. One of my great resources for certain grocery staples is…

Dollar General, or as I call it, DoGen! We have one less than 2 minutes from my home, it is small but very well-stocked, and the prices are suh-weet!

For example, I just bought an 8 oz. bottle of vanilla flavoring (store brand) for around $1! That’ll last a while and whatta good price! I priced a similar bottle online and it was $9.99! That’s a 90% savings!

DoGen also typically has a great variety of canned vegatables (20 oz) with a twist – like jalapeno-infused blackeyed peas! I think I bought a can of those for 69 cents! And my Jets Fan loved them. I’m now a loyal purchaser.

DoGen’s selections of spices and condiments is impressive and def more affordable than the supermarket. And those are the grocery staple items that can really add up, so every little bit of savings helps, right?!

I could go on and on, but I know you want to get down to DoGen, so I’ll let you go! Oh! Check out DoGen’s website here – it’s great – they have all kinds of useful and interesting online tools to help you!

{This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Lunchroom Rewind: Peanut Butter Crunch!

2010-06-01T05:23:00.001-07:00

I was always thrilled to go through the cafeteria line in elementary school and see we were having PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH for dessert! Yum! I’m sure a school would never serve it now due to all the peanut allergies around, but we don’t have those at our house, so I can make it every now and again. Have you tried it?

Ingredients: 4 cups Corn Flakes, 1/2 cup light corn syrup (Karo), 1 cup sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter

Directions: Crush Corn Flakes in large bowl. Heat corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan on the stove until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and add peanut butter to saucepan. Stir until completely mixed. Take off stove and stir in crushed Corn Flakes. At this point, mixture will be thick and solid-ish. Immediately spread mixture in a 9x13 pan/dish and flatten out on top. Immediately use a sharp knife to cut PBC mix into squares. Refrigerate to harden to solid, chewy texture.

Hope your family can enjoy this cool, retro recipe! {This post may be linked to blog parties in sidebar.}

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Extra-Tasty Taco Salad Buffet

2010-05-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

I made taco salad fixins' for supper the other night and, rather than do the usual routine set-up, I came up with a couple ways to boost its appeal a bit, not that tacos need any help with that!

Taco Meat – In addition to taco seasoning, I also use about 1/2 jar of salsa and this time, I sprinkled in some seasoning salts (my new fave go-to spice) and some chili seasoning as well. When I salted the pan before browning the meat, I used the seasoning salts rather than table salt. Adds a little extra flavor.

Sour Cream - Instead of plain sour cream (truly awesome on its own), I spiced the sour cream up with taco and chili seasoning. Doing this extends the flavor a little further and also looks more interesting (to me!).

Dip - This time, I served queso cheese dip in addition to salsa and taco sauce. Now this takes no genius on my part, just the willingness to spend a little more money to treat the fam! We loves our cheese.

Here’s the finished taco buffet. I love it - easy, colorful and delicious! By the way, I know these ideas are very simple – you probably do twice as much to your tacos already! – it just takes moi a while to catch on and experiment! Just my 2 cents of ideas for the day!

Hope you’re eating well and enjoying life! God bless! {This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Bread

2010-05-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

We made banana bread from a mix last week and the whole family enjoyed it. My Quirky Girl and I decided to snaz it up with some extra ingredients this time! You know we like snazzy!

Here’s what we did ~

Ingredients:

Banana bread mix, Water as called for in recipe, 1 jar strawberries, drained (reserve all juice from jar/can), 1 tub strawberry cream cheese (reserve a couple teaspoons)

Directions:

1-Mix banana bread mixture as directed on box

2-Pour 1/2 bread mix into loaf pan (I made up two batches at one time)

3-Mix softened cream cheese and strawberries together and carefully spoon on top of bread mix in pan, spooning it lengthwise but not all the way to the end edges of the loaf pan.

4-Carefully pour remainder of banana bread mix over top of cream cheese layer.

5-Bake as directed on banana bread package.

6-Mix remaining cream cheese and strawberry juice and heat for 30 sec in microwave.

7-Pour resulting glaze over loaf after removing from pain, let drip down the sides…yummmmm! My glaze turned out a little thin and lumpy, but the bread still tasted awesome!

{This post may be linked to blog parties in my sidebar.}

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Stoup

2010-05-24T17:31:00.001-07:00

I adapted this simple recipe from one an IRL mom friend last week and it is so easy and so tasty, my favorite way to cook! The way mine turned out (by including the juices etc) was a little thinner than a stew, leading me to borrow the term “stoup” from Rachael Ray!

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs. stew meat

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 cans water

1 large can whole potatoes, cut each potato in 1/2 (with juice)

2 small cans sliced carrots (with juice)

1 can whole kernel corn (with juice)

6 servings converted rice

Directions:

1-Put stew meat in slow cooker.

2-Layer in soups, water, and vegetables with juice.

3-Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

4-Serve over converted rice in bowls.

Eat up! Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Sugar & Spice Sweet Potatoes

2010-05-20T10:28:00.001-07:00

So, the baked sweet potatoes I made last time didn’t tempt the kids enough! Time to try something different! Here’s what I did:

I drained a large can of sweet potatoes, put them in a pie pan and smooshed them up good! Next, I seasoned the taters with both cinnamon-sugar and seasoning salts to provide a unique taste of both sweet and savory/spicy.

Then, I added lots of mini-marshmallows and, to top it all off, I crumbled up a couple cinnamon graham crackers to put on the dish – hey, it’s a free-for-all around here!

I baked it in the oven at 250 degrees for 10-15 minutes – obviously, I should’ve pulled it out a minute or two earlier – but I convinced the kids the marshmallows were supposed to be almost black in places, like roasting them over a campfire – ha! Actually, I don’t mind them that way!

This post finishes up the description of the quick and simple brown sugar ham grill and veggies dinner I started a couple of posts ago. It didn’t take much time at all and was oh so tasty and good! And the kids? They ate more sweet potatoes this time than the time before! Progress! I’ll continue on my quest…..

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Brown Sugar Ham Grill

2010-05-18T20:02:00.001-07:00

We love ham at our house (especially Ninja Kitty!), so last week I tried yet another little twist. I took baked ham, sliced it, put it on the trusty Foreman, and here’s the small twist – covered the tops of each slice with plain brown sugar, then grilled away!!

Yum-dilly-icious! Def doing this again, so easy and supremely tasty! We had this with our jazzed up BE peas and sweet potatoes, which I’ll explain another time…there’s a story there…

Try it, you’ll love it! Linking up to the fab foodie parties in the sidebar!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

♪It’s Gonna Be a Good, Good (Black-Eyed Peas) Ni-igh-ght…♫

2010-05-16T20:28:00.001-07:00

Last week, I jazzed up some black-eyed peas for the fam – they loved them! In fact, my 2 youngest kept asking for more for days afterward! Yay – I got them to like another veggie!

You can see what I did above – just took a can of peas and added hot sauce and bacon bits to it! That’s it!

Yummy, bacon seems to make everything better! It was a perfect complement to our ham/peas/sweet potato dinner (more on those recipes another time)! By the way, I know the white plate is small – that’s one of the tricks I use (for myself, not the kids!) to keep my portions under control – ha!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Cheeseburger Salad

2010-05-13T06:35:00.001-07:00

In an effort to make the good ol’ cheeseburger healthier (and less carb-y), I came up with the idea of CHEESEBURGER SALAD for my hubby and me! I thought all three kids would want regular cheeseburgers, but 2 of the 3 wanted the salad as well!
We grilled our burgers and added American cheese slices to melt a bit. We prepped the salad separately (lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, shredded cheddar cheese – of course, you could add in whatever you like). At the last minute, we diced up the cheeseburger patties and added them to the salads. Yummy! We had pretzels on the side.
Also, I must note that I tried a new salad dressing with this meal:

I purchased this dressing at Kroger and it was very good, with a definite sweet and savory taste of cucumber. It would also make a great addition to a traditional cucumber salad.
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Cheddar Garlic Mini-Puff Muffins

2010-05-10T17:06:00.001-07:00

Our family enjoyed a Dinner Italiano this evening: spaghetti with seasoned marinara, extra cheesy pizza pie and cheddar garlic mini-puff muffins! The meal was a success!

The muffins were so quick and easy to make!

Ingredients – 2 cups Bisquick/biscuit mix, 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 forkful minced garlic, couple sprinkles of seasoned salts and Italian seasoning

Directions – Mix all ingredients together. Butter a mini muffin pan. Place a generous amount of dough mixture (about 2/3-3/4 of the muffin cup opening) in each muffin pan cup. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-14 minutes or until starting to brown on top. These muffins will rise up fairly high creating the puff muffin effect.

This recipe can be served with Italian meals as well as many other types of meals (seafood, chicken, soup/salad, etc) and could be customized to taste with other seasoning ingredients.

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Toffee Times Two

2010-05-05T19:38:00.001-07:00

Didja know there are 2 versions of toffee – one real and one fake?! I’ve made both and I like both, but I have to say the 2nd version is a little easier on the teeth! Now, I can’t take any credit for these recipes, just passing along the info and my culinary stamp of approval :)!

TRADITIONAL TOFFEE:

Ingredients

2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

In a large pan, combine the butter and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes the color of a brown paper bag. Stir occasionally.
While the toffee is cooking, cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
As soon as the toffee reaches the proper color, pour it onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate.
Chill in the fridge until set. Break into pieces and get to servin’!

FAUX TOFFEE:

Have you ever made faux saltine toffee? Here’s a fun recipe to try that will amaze others when you tell them (if you tell them) how you did it:

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (10 ounce) package saltine crackers
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter with brown sugar; bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Arrange crackers (salt side up) on the bottom of a casserole pan/dish. Pour butter mixture over crackers.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers. Bake for another 5 minutes.

One thing I love about both types of toffee is they are made with ingredients you are likely to have on hand in the kitchen! Gotta love not having to wait for a grocery run to make a sweet goody!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Juiced Up Ham & Green Beans Dinner

2010-05-03T16:51:00.001-07:00

We had a rather normal dinner of ham, green beans and rolls this evening. But! I added a couple creative twists!

HAM – I cut slices of ham, then halved them. I grilled them for a little while on my trusty George Foreman grill (LOVE it!) which thoroughly heated them, enhanced their tastiness and marked them with appetizing grill marks. Next, I put some pineapple slices on the grill to serve with the ham. Yum! Pineapple and ham go together so well!

GREEN BEANS – I wanted to make a green bean casserole, but didn’t have the cream of mushroom soup or the french fried onion bits. So, I brainstormed and used what I had – cream of chicken soup (1 can) and Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing mixed in with 2 cans of green beans (I also included the juice from one of the cans of beans), topped it all with more stuffing and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. It was yummy!

ROLLS – No creativity per se here, just wise enough to buy some always scrumptious crescent rolls!

All in all, a very affordable, easy-to-make, balanced, delicious dinner for my sweeties and me! Even Waffles the Hungry Cat got his share of ham (he looooves any kind of pork meat!).

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Have You Tried Turkey Tea?

2010-05-01T06:22:00.001-07:00

I’m putting the spotlight on one of my new favorite food/beverage products today! TURKEY HILL TEA – have you tried it yet?

We buy it at Kroger and they offer several delicious flavors, including this one – my very favorite Mojito Green Tea – yum!!

You can visit Turkey Hill’s website here to see all the awesome flavors they offer. If you like iced tea, I highly recommend you go get you some Turkey Tea today!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

DELISH CORN PUDDING/PIE

2010-04-27T17:22:00.001-07:00

This is a dish I’ve made for years, thanks to my sister-in-law sharing her recipe with me! Thanks, H! Some folks call it Corn Pudding, others Corn Pie. Either way, it’s a lovely bread/side dish that your guests/fellow diners will always enjoy and gobble up!

This evening, I served green beans and corn pie (left) as sides for my bacon-wrapped pork chops (right)!

Ingredients: 1 can kernel corn, 1 can cream corn, 1 box cornbread mix, 8 oz. sour cream, 1 stick butter (melted), 2 eggs (beaten)

Directions: Mix all ingredients together. Pour into ungreased 9x13” dish/pan (I made two smaller pans this time, thus the heart-shaped pan you see above). Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

There ya go, easy to make, yummy to eat and sure to impress! My favorite kind of recipe! This one is always a hit at family events, special meals, etc.

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Bringing Home the Bacon (Brownies)!

2010-04-24T15:14:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of baking brownies with bacon? Seeing that dessert a few times on the internet had me intrigued. So today, we went for it!

All you do is make up the brownie batter as directed, pour 1/2 the batter into your pan, crumble up lightly cooked bacon and sprinkle over the batter, then pour the remaining batter on top of the bacon layer. Bake as directed…
Try really hard to be patient…
Start jumping up and down in anticipation when they come out of the oven… (by the way, I’ve had my perfect brownie pan since December and really like it!)

Let em cool, just a little, then remove from pan and serve to sounds of appreciation muffled by chewing and mmmmmming!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

Brown Rice “Boyfriend” Casserole

2010-04-22T04:58:00.001-07:00

I was introduced to this wonderful dish when my hubby and I were dating. He made dinner for me one evening and Brown Rice Casserole was one of the side dishes. Yum! I was so impressed and touched that he went to so much trouble to make me something so nice.
Fortunately, he and his mother have shared the recipe with me!

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup Uncle Ben’s converted rice, 1 can french onion soup, 1 can beef consomme, 1/2 stick butter
DIRECTIONS: Pour uncooked rice into a 9” round glass casserole dish. Pour both cans of soup/consomme over the rice. Cut small slices of butter and drop over top of rice/soup in dish, making sure to drop butter pieces in different areas. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

SMASH DOGS & HOME CHEESE FRIES

2010-04-19T15:40:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday nights, we always plan to have a quick & easy meal because of the kids’ church activities. Usually it’s not too interesting, but this week I decided to infuse some creativity!
The original menu was Hot Dogs and Steak Fries (the kind from the frozen food aisle). My kids like their hot dog wieners grilled on our George Foreman. This time, after grilling the dogs, I opened the buns and added the preferred condiments, but the dogs in, then put them back in the grill. I firmly mashed the top of the grill closed on them. One to two minutes later, I pulled out my new invention…

SMASH DOGS!

The kids went crazy for them!
What about the Steak Fries? I woke up in migraineville today and didn’t feel like doing much shopping. Hmmm, I had a bag of red new potatoes I needed to use up (the buds were starting) so I decided to try and make my own fries! I chopped them up, leaving some skin on and spread them out over a cookie sheet. I drizzled a little olive oil, then generously sprinkled seasoning salts over them. Baked them at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring them around and turning them over ever little while. Then, because my teenage son looooooved cheese fries, I added shredded cheddar cheese and heating them for a minute or so in the microwave. I also added bacon bits and light sour cream. The kids were mucho excited!

HOME CHEESE FRIES

Guess what I found in the freezer when I was cleaning up? Yep, a 1/2 bag of steak fries! Oh well, I’m glad I “forced” myself to try to make them on my own….they turned out even better! I guess necessity (or is it a headache + hunger?) is the mother of invention!
See you next time – have a delicious week!
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

2010-04-18T17:18:00.001-07:00

I’d never eaten Pineapple Casserole until I met my sweet, sweet mother-in-law and boy, had I been missing a treat! I love pineapple, most fruits in fact, and this recipe combines tasty sweet and savory ingredients that truly please the palate!
INGREDIENTS: 2-20 oz. cans of pineapple chunks, 1 cup sugar, 5 tsp. self-rising flour, 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, 1 stick butter
DIRECTIONS: Drain pineapple chunks well. Place pineapple on bottom of 9x13 glass casserole dish. Mix sugar and flour together. Sprinkle sugar/flour mixture over pineapple chunks. Crush sleeve of crackers (I do this by beating the heck out of it!). Sprinkle crushed cracker crumbs over top of pineapple. Melt butter and pour it on top of the crushed cracker layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Every time I’ve made one of these casseroles, folks have raved about it and I never have much in the way of leftovers! It’s fun to serve something a little unexpected and fun. This dish food for holiday meals to summery lunches and everything in between! Not to mention you’re getting at least one daily serving of fruit! Ha! Hope you enjoy trying it!
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

COOL CUSTOMIZED COOKIE CAKE (for my C!)

2010-04-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

My youngest son’s birthday is coming up tomorrow and I wanted to do something a little different to personalize his birthday cake. He is a HUUUUUGE NY Jets and Dallas Mavericks fan, so I went in that direction.
I lucked out and found a large cookie cake with no writing on it yet on discount at Kroger for $2.49 (regular price $9.99, I guess it got a little smudged thus the markdown).

Before (an example) After

I made stencils of the team logos by looking them up on the internet and hand-drawing the letters on paper plates. I cut the letters out and laid them on the cookie cake. I did 1/2 of the cake at a time. I spray painted over each 1/2 with the appropriate team colors using a cake decoration tool called color mist spray (like airbrush). When I lifted the letters, I had impressions of the logos left in white on the team color backgrounds. I also used paper over the other 1/2 of the cake when i was spraying to get a clean dividing line.

Then, I hot glued tiny segments of a drinking straw to the back of small wooden sports balls I got at Michael’s for 25 cents each. Once the glue set, I pushed the straws down into the cake so it looked like the balls were kind of hovering over the cake.

I also cut a “C” (my son’s initial) from red cardstock paper and floated it above the center of the cake using the same technique. Added an “8” candle and I was done! I didn’t want to just trash the stencil letters that are now airbrushed, so I hot glued them to the top of the cake holder lid for extra pizzazz.

Now I just have to cover the entire holder with foil or something and hide it somewhere until the big day!!! Hope my sweet boy is surprised and happy! I love him so. (Don’t ya love his green eyes?)
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

BLONDE CHICKEN PARMESAN!

2010-04-14T19:21:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am a blonde but no, there is no hair in this dish!!! I call it “blonde”
because this version of chicken parm does not have any red/tomato sauce!
This main dish is soooo easy and soooo delish! Here are the before & after shots:

I decided to use my grandmother’s old heavy casserole pan, it is so dependable!
Here’s what you do:
1-Spray bottom of casserole dish/pan with non-stick spray.
2-Wash boneless chicken breasts and cut each in 1/2. I start with 3 of the large chicken breasts from ALDI. Place chicken breasts in dish. Since I used this round dish, this time I placed the breast pieces in a pretty spiral pattern.
3-Combine 1/2 cup mayo (can be low-fat) and 1/2 cup sour cream (can also be low-fat) and mix together. Spread this mixture over the top of the chicken.
4-Sprinkle the top with either shredded or grated parmesan cheese.
5-This time, I also added some herb flavored stuffing crumbs and seasoned salt on top of that.
6-Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until chicken pieces are done in the middle and the top is starting to brown/look a little crispy.
7-Sit back and enjoy all the “This is great!”(s) you can get!
THIS DISH FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY! I usually do the prep, then freeze, then thaw and bake.
Hugs & Yums,

LEFTOVER PIZZA BECOMES FANCY ITALIAN SIDE!

2010-04-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

Planning to serve spaghetti with marinara, salad and some sort of garlic bread tonight, I surveyed my fridge for ingredients. Oh! A Domino’s box! With 3-4 pizza slices left over from last night’s lazy dinner splurge! Hmmm, pizza’s Italian like spaghetti… maybe I can dress up the normal ho-hum spaghetti dinner?!

Enter my cookie cutters. I ended up using a flower cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the pizza slices, topping them with a little extra Italian spices and grated parm cheese and baking them in the over at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. I also cut some flower leaves out of the extra pizza bits. Springtime Italian, mangia!

Yes, the fam was impressed (at least til they figured out what I did!). Adding something new and unexpected to a routinely served meal keeps the kiddoes on their toes and, most importantly, keeps them from noticing the same ol’, same ol’!

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

SCRUMPTIOUS BROWN SUGAR HAM (slow cooker recipe)

2010-04-08T15:42:00.001-07:00

I am loving the slow cooker these days! I may have mentioned before that I have chronic migraines. So, many afternoons (a/k/a supper prep time) find me clutching a heat pack to my head and definitely NOT feeling like getting in the kitchen and being creative! So, the crock pot = my BFF! Today was time to learn how to do ham in the slow cooker!

Our mouths are watering over here. Here’s how I did it:
Ingredients ► boneless ham roast, 1 cup brown sugar, 8 oz. pineapple juice
Directions ► 1) Spread 3/4 c. brown sugar over bottom of crock pot; 2) Put ham roast on top of brown sugar layer, flat side down; 3) Rub remaining 1/4 c. brown sugar all over ham roast; 4) Gently pour pineapple juice around ham (pouring a little bit over it, but you don’t want to wash all the brown sugar off!) 5) You can cook it on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2 hours (that’s what I did).
I’m pairing this with creamy whole kernel corn (I combine 1 can cream corn and 1 can kernel corn), jalapeno black-eyed peas with bacon and angel biscuits (frozen). Plus, my daughter insisted on making chocolate fudge brownies (she made me let her – ha!). All in all, a very yummy dinner shared with my fam – what a blessing!
Hugs & Yums,

CANDY CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE (w/magic ingredient!!!)

2010-04-06T23:14:00.001-07:00

{How on earth did I manage to get so many goodies into one dessert name? You can’t tell I like sweets, can you?! }

A couple months ago, I discovered an interesting way to use canned pumpkin (no, not that interesting!). Anyhoo, apparently you can mix canned pumpkin with any boxed dry cake mix in place of all the other ingredients you usually have to add (eggs, oil, etc.). Who knew? I have done it a couple times with yummy-good results, both with yellow and chocolate cake mix. With the yellow, it looks/tastes a little pumpkin-y, but ultra-moist. With chocolate, it’s just rich chocolate goodness!
This weekend, I noticed a can of pumpkin I needed to use. By the way, I can’t find it year-round, so I buy extra during the holidays. This time, I added the canned pumpkin to a box of fudge brownie mix, iced it with chocolate frosting and topped it with M&Ms (you could sub in any icing, candy you like). Lookie here!

Oh.my.goodness. Combining the dry brownie mix with the canned pumpkin resulted in a super decadent baked-pudding-consistency chocolate cake! The frosting and candy just added more sinfulness to it all! We are all thoroughly enjoying it! If you wonder what I mean by pudding-consistency, this cake reminds me of the chocolate molten-center cakes, but a little more solid.
It’s so much fun to experiment in the kitchen with new ideas! And how can you go wrong with chocolate and candy involved?!
Hugs & Yums,

FRUITY BOUQUET

2010-04-04T16:18:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter, everyone! Hope you all had a blessed holiday and enjoyed a wonderful Easter dinner! We spent the day with my hubby’s family and had a delicious midday meal. We brought three contributions to the feast: the swirly sugar cookies I posted about a couple days ago, brown rice casserole and this fruity beauty:

We used a hand-sculpted and glazed vase (a $2 thrift store find), accented with springy ribbons and filled it with fruit “flower” kabobs for a fresh seasonal side/dessert! We had lots of fun presenting the goodies in a creative way. So now that we have a fruit turkey and a fruit bouquet under our belts, what’s next?! Fruit fireworks? Hmmm…
Hugs & Yums,

SWIRLY SUGAR COOKIES

2010-04-02T16:15:00.001-07:00

My daughter and I came up with a way to “fancify” store-bought sugar cookie dough –> SWIRLS!

We put a couple drops of food coloring on a paper plate, lightly dabbed a small ball of dough in it, then gently kneaded the dough JUST A LITTLE until the color was swirled through the dough. You must stop kneading before the color completely mixes into the dough if you want the swirl effect.

I think they turned out really pretty and much more impressive than plain cookies. We did four different color combinations.

Pink swirl/purple sugar sprinkles; purple swirl/green sugar; green swirl/pink sugar; and yellow swirl/green sugar. They looked very festive and Easter-y!

I love dressing up a simple bought food item! Easy + Impressive = Baking/Cooking Fun for Me!

Hugs & Yums,

FRESH CHICKEN & VEGGIE BAKE

2010-04-01T16:14:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, I found a recipe for a chicken/vegetable dish on Kelly’s Korner blog. I have enjoyed starting with the basics of her recipe, then adding my own touches. I call it “Fresh Chicken & Veggie Bake” or “Lemony Chick-ables.”
PREP SHOT:

The key to the FRESHness is LEMON!
1-Slice a two lemons into thin slices and line bottom of casserole dish with slices. I hold out a large chunk of the lemon to juice/squeeze over the final dish before baking.
2-Place boneless chicken breasts (I get the bag of LARGE breasts from ALDI and cut each in 1/2) on top of lemon slices, leaving an open border the edge of the casserole dish.
3-Arrange green beans around the border of the chicken and sprinkle some in between the breasts as well.
4-Cut red new potatoes into chunks and place on top of green beans throughout the dish.
5-I also added some diced baby carrots this time because I had a part of a bag on hand I wanted to finish. You could changed to your taste.
6-Squeeze reserved lemon chunk so juice runs over chicken in dish.
7-Mix a small amount of olive oil and diced garlic together and pour lightly over chicken.
8-I finish it off by sprinkling seasoned salt over the entire dish.
9-Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (until chicken starts to brown a little and the breasts are done in the middle).

10-Serve your family this health, delicious, fresh-tasting meal and they will enjoy!!! I promise! Sorry I didn’t get a pic of the full finished casserole dish! My family was snatching at it left and right, so I had to make do with a photo of someone’s plate!
Hugs & Yums,

SAUCY LASAGNA ROLLS

2010-03-30T16:18:00.001-07:00

I LOVE ALDI FOODS! Do you shop there, too? One day, I’m gonna post about all my favorite items there. Today, however, an Italian dinner idea!

Aldi sells these pasta rolls for less than $5 The rolls are large and stuffed with delicious cheese. No sauce, though. Hey! An opportunity to provide OPTIONS for my family (especially my teenage son, the pickiest of the bunch!). This time, I whisked up a creamy pesto sauce (from a packet I got at ALDI!) and also served a spicy marinara with diced tomatoes. But, you could easily add an alfredo sauce to the menu as well. I made 1/2 with each sauce. The result?

I added a simple salad and another recent DELICIOUS Bi-Lo find, GARLIC MONKEY BREAD(gonna have to learn how to make this – a huge hit at our house)! Sorry, the pic is of the cinnamon (only one I could find), but the garlic parmesan flavor is in the same type box.

This easy-to-make supper resulted in a very happy (& full) family!
Hugs & Yums,

PS You know I’m gonna try the cinnamon flavor, too!

SPICY GREEN BEANS

2010-03-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

Okay, I admit it…I like canned green beans better than garden fresh. I know, I know, it’s awful! But, it’s been this way since I was a kid and my dad had a garden. Anyway, I’ve found a way to make even canned beans unique, tasty and “high-end.”

Ingredients:
2 cans green beans (any style, I usually do 1 cut and 1 French cut mixed)
Slivered almonds
Cavender’s All-Purpose Greek Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Heat beans on stovetop. Add about 1/3 small bag of slivered almonds, several generous shakes of Greek seasoning, and dashes of S&P to the pot. Continue heating til bubbling, then reduce heat to simmer. Serve and enjoy the compliments!
My father-in-law absolutely LOVES these and, no matter what other (more impressive) dishes I am serving, he goes on about the beans!
Hope you can put this green bean cooking “trick” up your sleeve, too!
Hugs & Yums,

EASTER KABOBS?

2010-03-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last Thanksgiving, my Quirky Girl (my 10 year old) and I made an awesome Fruit Kabob Turkey to take to the big family dinner. Boy, was the gobbler a hit!

I wanted to show you this because now I'm pondering if the same idea could be applied to an Easter creation?! Maybe a flower pot or vase with spring flower kabobs? Or short grass kabobs with Easter eggs hidden among them? What are your thoughts?

By the way, if you decide to make turkey next Thanksgiving, you'll be the most popular girl (or guy) at the party - ha!

Hugs & Yums,

AppleBerry Glazed Pork Loin

2010-03-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

The Crock Pot strikes again! We tried this recipe at our house last week and it was a hit! I served it with sides of alfredo pasta (to please the kids) and spicy green beans.

I adapted this recipe from one in Fix It and Forget It Lightly - meaning I added and subtracted ingredients according to our tastes. Here goes:

Here's the finished product in a serving dish + I had another small serving bowl of extra apple-cranberry sauce.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork tenderloin, fat trimmed

2 Tbsp. canola oil

3 cups apple juice

3 Granny Smith apples, cut into chunks

2 cups cranberries (I used whole canned)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

NEXT TIME, I'm going to added something to give it a little spicy heat, too!

Directions:

1-Brown pork on all sides in skillet in canola oil. Place in slow cooker.

2-Add remaining ingredients.

3-Cover. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

4-Enjoy this yummy tenderloin!

Hope you'll try this one day soon - it's a keeper!

Hugs & Yums,

WAFFLES THE CAT

2010-03-16T14:31:00.001-07:00

This is our kitty. He is 2-1/2 years old. He’s a biter. But, he’s mellowing in his older (teen?) age and loving on us more, especially in the mornings. His actual name is Westen. He is named after Michael Westen, a spy character on Burn Notice. Lately, though, a new nickname has caught on…

Is it any wonder we’re calling him “Waffles” these days?! Every morning, when the 2 younger kiddoes are eating their breakfast waffles, he has to be right in the middle of everything. He likes to rub heads with the kids and just wait for them to finish and lay their plates down. Yep! He likes to lick the syrup! It’s probably terrible for him, so I don’t let that go on for long. Waffles is quite the culinary sophisticate. He’ll come back to the blog another time and tell you more about his foodie tastes! Ha! Enjoy your day and happy snacking!
Hugs & Yums,

DIPPY COOKIES, HIPPY HOORAY!

2010-03-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

This is a "recipe" I came up with a few months ago that is EASY, CUSTOMIZABLE (to event/time of year) and YUMMY! Even though it's soooo simple, people are always delighted and impressed by these cookies! Today we made some Dippy Cookies for my 2nd grade son's class St. Patrick's Day treat:

So! You take (your choice of) COOKIES (baked or bought), (white or chocolate) ALMOND BARK (you can also tint another color) and (your choice of) SPRINKLES/COLORED SUGAR/TOPPING; customize them to what you like and what holiday/event you're celebrating. See...easy and delicious! Here's one last tip that makes life easier:

Save the plastic cookie tray (if you bought your cookies) and use it to store the cookies for transport. You can cut and rearrange the trays however you need, than display them once you get to your event. Enjoy!!

These are also easy to make ahead and freeze! Linking to: Tasty Tuesday, Foodie Friday and Freezer Foods Friday .

Hugs & Yums,

CREAM CHEESE & FRUIT DANISH CASSEROLE

2010-03-05T04:23:00.000-08:00

My family loves this breakfast treat and I often make it for holiday mornings for larger groups. Here's what you need:

2 cans crescent rolls

2 8oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 jar fruit preserves, I usually use Polaner's Seedless Raspberry All Fruit Spread

All you do is:

1-In 9x13 glass casserole dish, spread out dough from 1 can of crescent rolls as your bottom "crust."

2-Mix together softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk (save egg white for later).

3-Spread cream cheese filling over layer of dough in casserole dish.

4-Heat jar of fruit preserves in microwave (w/o metal lid!) for about 1 minute to thin it.

5-Carefully pour heated fruit preserves over cream cheese filling.

6-Spread remaining can of crescent roll dough over top of the filling/preserves layer.

7-Brush egg white over the top layer of dough. This will allow top crust to turn golden brown in oven.

8-Bake in oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Top should be golden brown.

9-Allow to cool, even refrigerate overnight; then cut into squares and enjoy!

Linking to Tasty Tuesday, Foodie Friday and Freezer Foods Friday.

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

YUMMY CHEESEBURGER SOUP

2010-02-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my daughter (Quirky Girl) and I decided to create a Cheeseburger Soup. We looked up recipes online, used a couple hints and added ingredients of our own. It turned out great!

Ingredients: 1-1/2 pounds lean ground meat (browned & drained), 1 large can diced tomatoes, 2 stalks celery (diced), 20 baby carrots (diced), 3-4 green onions (diced), 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 stick butter/margarine, 1/2 cup milk, 16 oz. Velveeta cheese, 1 cup sour cream

Directions: Prep meat, raw veggies. Heat and mix flour and butter/margarine until it becomes a paste-like consistency. Melt Velveeta cheese in stock pot. Once melted, add milk, sour cream and flour/butter mixture. Stir until mixed well. Add diced tomatoes, meat, celery, carrots and green onions. Heat until boiling, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Then, take off heat - it will thicken a little on standing. Our soup was a little on the thin side, if you want it thicker, add more of the flour mixture. Enjoy! I served with garlic parmesan monkey bread (found at BiLo) and all the family loved it!

Linking to Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, Foodie Friday @ DesignsbyGollum and Freezer Foods Friday @SweetJeanette

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

MICROWAVE BAKED SPAGHETTI PIE

2010-02-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

This WONDERFUL and easy-to-make/freeze/bake spaghetti casserole was shared with me by my cousin Judy who lives in Maine. You can easily adjust to your taste (spices, etc). I always make at least 2 or even more, so I'm making more than one dinner at once.

The 1st pic was this morning - I put together 2 pies, 1 to freeze + 1 to eat tonight! The 2nd pic shows tonight's pie, just out of the microwave. Add a crispy salad and crunchy garlic bread and you're golden! ALL my family members love this one! It's also popular at gatherings & on trips.

Ingredients: 1 pound spaghetti noodles, 1 pound lean ground meat, 1 Tbsp. butter, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 2 jars spaghetti sauce, 1 large container cottage cheese, 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Boil 1 pound spaghetti noodles, then drain. Brown 1 pound lean ground meat, then drain.

2. Add a little butter to noodles and stir through.

3. Mix 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese into the noodles.

4. Transfer about 1/4 of the noodles to the bottom of one dish, and another 1/4 to the other dish (you should've used about 1/2 the total noodles at this point).

5. Now add ground meat to each dish on top of noodles (use about 1/4 of meat in each dish).

6. Pour about 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce over top of noodles and meat in each dish (1/2 jar in each dish, you've used 1 full jar at this point).

7. Now, repeat the same layers (remaining noodles, then remaining meat, then remaining sauce - other jar).

8. Add 1/2 container of cottage cheese (large container) on top of one dish, then add the other 1/2 cottage cheese on top of the other.

9. Lastly, add shredded mozzarella cheese as top layer of each spaghetti pie.

10. At this point, you can store in freezer (wrapped properly), store in refrigerator (to use w/in next day or two), OR immediately bake in microwave.

11.When you bake spaghetti pie, first loosely cover it, then heat at 50% power for about 12 minutes. Then, take off cover and heat at 100% power for another 12 minutes.

12. Enjoy digging in!

Hope you enjoy sharing this dish with your family and friends! It's made me quite popular at times - ha!

Linking to blog parties in sidebar

Hugs & Yums, Laurie

SAUSAGE-PANCAKE STRATA ("McGRIDDLE" CASSEROLE)

2010-02-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

This breakfast casserole is wonderful! It tastes very similar to a McDonald's Sausage McGriddle sandwich, which is yummy, by the way, if you've never tried one! I think I got this recipe originally from a Woman's World magazine, gotta give them credit!

SAUSAGE-PANCAKE STRATA

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. (14.5 oz.) frozen mini pancakes
1 pkg. (7 oz.) frozen maple-flavored brown-n-serve sausage patties (8)
Maple syrup, optional

Directions:
1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2-Coat rectangular (11"x7" or so) baking dish w/cooking spray
3-Beat eggs w/milk. Stir in cheese and salt; reserve.
4-Arrange half of pancakes in bottom of dish. Top w/sausage patties.
5-Pour egg mixture over sausage. Top w/remaining pancakes.
6-Gently press pancakes into egg mixture to partially coat.
7-Cover w/foil. Bake 30 minutes.
8-Uncover. Bake until set, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
9-If desired, drizzle w/maple syrup.
10-Enjoy the casserole and the compliments!

(Note: I couldn't find mini pancakes this time, so I just used regular size and cut them into 1/4s.)

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Hugs and Yums, Laurie

WELCOME!

2010-02-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Laurie, and this is my recipe blog. I'm so glad you're here! I'll be sharing some of my family's and friends' best-loved dishes that I enjoy making. My favorite recipes are fun, easy, and tasty! Hope you find something you want to try, now let's eat up!

Hugs and Yums, Laurie