Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Gosh, I love Pinterest. Seriously, how on earth did I ever survive without it?! Thank you Heather, for introducing me to the greatest time consuming, yet, most rewarding website ever. And I do mean EVER!

Side note: Today I discovered Swagbucks. Now my days are really shot. My poor neglected children.

I discovered this delicious dessert breakfast recipe last week as I was preparing for my cousin's visit. I needed something that I could prepare ahead of time, and was easy enough to trust the husband to tend, in case I got stuck at the airport, which I did, so success!

The picture does not do this yummy french toast justice. But I got distracted by the smell and once I tasted the topping, all bets were off...

The Overnight Part:
12 slices day old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes. I used a whole loaf of store bought french bread, which according to the recipe is too much bread, but I wanted my pan covered and full.
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes.
1 cup fresh blueberries

Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese (I used more like 1 & 1/2 cups, I had 2 pints and needed to use them up) Top with remaining bread cubes.

In a large bowl, mix 12 beaten eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/3 cup maple syrup.Pour over bread cubes and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning... remove pan from fridge 30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat oven to 350. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 25-30 minutes until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup white sugar, 2T cornstarch and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3-4 minutes. Mix in 1 cup blueberries. (So total you need 2 cups of berries, or more, if you're like me and really like blueberries) Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until blueberries burst. Stir in 1T of butter, and pour over the baked French toast. (Let sauce pan cool completely and lick clean)

Berry Breakfast Cake

Cake for breakfast?!Mmmm Hmmm! Yes, Please!

You know me, definitely a dessert girl, especially when it comes to breakfast! Crepes! Waffles! Muffins! Yum! I discovered this gem of a recipe on Pinterest, where else? And tried it out on the in-laws :) They were happy to be experimented on, especially my father-in-law. The recipe from Pinterest calls for 2 cups of blueberries. I didn't have enough, but I had strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Go figure, right? So I improvised and used an assortment, and I may have added another cup, or so, of them.

Preheat oven to 350, grease 9'' square baking pan
Toss 2, ahem, 3 cups of berries w/ 1/4 cup of flour. You can use fresh or frozen, I've used both, there's not a difference.

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp lemon zest
1 cup of sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, whisk:
1 & 3/4 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Add flour mixture and 1/2 cup buttermilk, alternately, to butter/sugar mixture until combined. Fold in berries (don't add in left over berry flour). Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle 1T sugar on top.

Bake for 35 minutes, or so, until golden brown. Eat, immediately, before everyone else is out of bed. :)

It's MAGIC!

It's just too good not to share... And it's wayyyy too good to wait to share!

Hi, by the way! I know I have a lot to share and update about but this just can't wait!

Today I discovered the secret to removing the sticky goop that labels leave behind! First I have to say I find this incredibly useful, since I've started up-cycling all my glass jars :) Freezer jam, Herb planters, snack storage, oh my, the list is endless... And I pin and try everything I've ever seen about removing the stick without much success. I've tried uber hot water. I've tried boiling. I've tried magic erasers. I've tried baby oil. Rubbing alcohol. Cleaning wipes. Every dishwasher cycle.... But nothing, nothing, nothing works! Nothing! Then I stumbled onto this post about making foaming baby wash from an empty Bath & Body Works soap dispenser. Lucky me, I saw this in time and managed to save my bottle before I threw it out. I thought this was a brilliant idea since I never get enough soap to begin with, then I always close the bottle (why, I don't know) then while trying to hold a slippery Joel with one hand I struggle to re-open the bottle and get more soap.GAH! A pump would make life EASY! Well... it'd make bath time a bit easier. And it's a money saver. The cost of soap isn't a killer, but hey, I like my money and I love finding ways to save it! So, sold! on the foaming bath wash!

I cleaned the bottle, poured in my inch of baby wash, filled it with water, put on the top, swished around and took off the soap label. I did this for a few reasons: 1. my husband can't find things staring him in the face, and come bath time, he's 2. not going to remember me showing him my latest pinterest gem and he's 3. not going to be able to find the soap and 4. gonna holler for me to come upstairs to find it in front of his face. I know I am not fighting this battle alone. Much to my dismay the labels left behind that goop residue. I had been thinking about trying finger nail polish remover so figured this was the time to experiment. It was ok, I had to use my finger nail to loosen it up and scrub hard, another bust. But then the baby oil was sitting right there, so I dabbed a little on a cotton pad and wiped down the sticky, then wiped again with the finger nail polish. Wouldn't you know, it worked! Minimal scrubbing, just a few wipes and all the sticky was GONE! And then heaven opened up and the angels started singing and... ok, but seriously it worked!

I figured, I should test this on glass, since I'm claiming it's magic. And it worked! AGAIN! Yesssss!!!! I did have to rub a bit longer, and switch back and forth 3 times between the oil and the polish remover but my jar is clean :) and I didn't have to scrub! On to clean some jars :)

Hair Bow Holder

It's FINALLY done! After two months or so of dragging my feet, I finally completed Kay's new hair bow holder! And not with a moment to spare! Frank comes home tonight so that means tomorrow we will be on the road, heading/moving to Colorado. I'm taking a momentary break from packing, as I'm exhausted and in pain and it's barely noon. It seems Baby Boy likes to push in one particular area on my stomach and has strained a few muscles, making it almost impossible for either of us to move without causing me to be in pain. So I'm extremely happy to share my finished project... and give you an update on the ECU T-shirt blanket. First the project at hand...

This project meant a lot of firsts for me... Like first time spray painting, using a glue gun, buying ribbon... Now that I think about it, the holder probably cost me a little more than I would have liked to spend, but I had nothing on hand since I'm a brand new crafter. Luckily, my mom had a hot glue gun so I didn't need to buy one, but I will be purchasing one in the very new future... They're awesome!

I purchased the frame at the local thrift store, on a half price day, $2

Spray paint & 2 packages of hooks at Home Depot (no coupons :/) $5

Ribbon and 4 flowers $6 at Hancock Fabrics - all on sale items :)

So I invested about $13 and a good hour overall. Not too bad...

Day 1 Mark off and screw in hooks. Sand frame (another first) a bit and wash

Day 2 Light coat of spray paint, let dry for 20 minutes. Coat 2, let dry overnight.

Day 3 Discovered a few missed or discolored spots, coat 3. 30 minutes later, noticed paint drying in crackly lines

Day 4 Sand again. Paint again (1 light coat), dry overnight.

Day 5 Discover great success with painting! Yay! Measure and mark for ribbon. Learn my dad's staple gun is broken. Again. Mom finds glue gun, so Plan B. Glue all tops down, let dry. Pull ribbon tight, glue bottoms. Glue 3 of 4 flowers onto frame. Glue 4th flower to pink plastic head band purchased at Target (2 pack, $1) instead of on frame because flower and frame are the same color. Happy Dance!

Officially this project was completed on Monday. :)

ECU T-shirt Blanket Update: Finished as of 1am today! Yeahhhh! Post to follow sometime in the near future!

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Josh came home for the weekend and so per his request we made my mom's famous enchiladas. As soon as we get to Denver and all my kitchen tools are unpacked, I'm making a HUGE batch for Frank and our freezer... Gotta start stockpiling meals for after this baby comes :)

*We are not big measure-ers, we just kind of throw whatever sounds good in, and make a lot. We started with 2 big chicken breasts, and had a lot of filling - so Saturday night's dinner was Stuffed Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas. The great thing about this recipe is that it's really easy to adjust. I'm going to attempt to scale it back, for a normal sized 9x13 pan.

2 small, or 1 medium chicken breast, cooked in water with salt and pepper - and celery tops, if you have some to spare.
Shred chicken, save broth.

1 medium sized onion, diced
about 3 stalks of celery, diced
Cook with oil, garlic and a little salt until soft. The celery takes longer, so give it about a 5 minutes head start.
You could also add fresh jalapenos, or peppers. Whatever sound good.

In a large bowl combine:
1 can cream of chicken (I buy low-sodium, low fat)
1 can cream of celery
a bit more than 8 oz of sour cream
& mexican seasoning... we used (about) 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper - no salt-

Place 1/2 cup or so of the above mixture into another bowl/measuring cup - add about 3/4 cup of milk, stir well with soup mixture. You want about 1 1/2 cups of sauce for the top.

In the large bowl of soup mixture add... (these are all optional, use what you like)
chopped jalapenos
chopped black olives
cooked onion & celery mixture
shredded chicken
(Next time, I'm adding a can of black beans)
Mix well.
Stir in at least a cup of shredded cheese. We used a mixture of Pepper Jack and Colby Jack.
Add chicken broth, if filling is dry. We added some broth.

Lay out all the tortillas, divide filling up among tortillas. When all the filling is divided up evenly, roll and place in a buttered 9x13. Pour sauce over rolled tortillas. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Remove pan from oven, top with another cup, or so of cheese and black olives (if desired), bake another 10 minutes. Top with green onions (if desired).

Lemon Blueberry Trifle

Lemon Blueberry Trifle
1 frozen prepared pound cake (16 oz) (I can never find this size, the Sara Lee cakes are something around 10 oz, so I get 2, and use everything I don't snack on)
2 lemons
1 & 1/2 cups milk
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cool whip
2 pkgs. (3.4 oz each) lemon instant pudding
1 pint fresh blueberries (2 cups), washed
1 square (1 oz) white chocolate for baking (I hardly have white chocolate on hand so I usually omit this)

Cut pound cake into 1-in cubes; place in bowl. (I think it's easier to cut the cake when still frozen)
Make several lengthwise scores in one lemon, top to bottom. Slice into 6 slices; cut each slice in half, set aside for garnish. (I score my lemons, but you really don't have to. It hardly shows up)
Zest remaining lemon using short strokes; set aside.
Juice lemon over pound cake, tossing gently.
In a bowl combine milk, sour cream, half of the cool whip and reserved lemon zest; whisk until smooth.
Add pudding mixes; whisk until mixture begins to thicken.
Set aside 12 blueberries for garnish.

To assemble trifle: Place 1/3 of the cake cubes into bottom of trifle bowl, top with 1/3 of blueberries, grate 1/4 of the chocolate over blueberries, top with 1/3 of pudding mixture, pressing lightly. Repeat layers 2 more times.

Decorate top with cool whip, lemon slices, blueberries and remaining chocolate as desired.

Like most everything I make, I prepare this the night before so all the flavors have a chance to soak in, but you could serve this right away.

Baked Spaghetti

Per request. No pictures, sorry.

I always cook entrees for an army, so you may have to adjust.

1 pound of sausage (Italian, sage, or hot)
1 pound of ground beef
Cook together, until done, drain, set aside.

At least 1 of the following, some times more, depending on what I have to use up.
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
(1 yellow pepper - if I have one to use, or they're on sale)
(Mushrooms - fresh or canned, depending on what I have or what's on sale)
garlic
Use oil, and cook together until soft.

To make my own sauce I then add...
a bunch of diced tomatoes, I like to buy fresh, but sometimes for time or if it's cheaper I buy canned.
So at least...
12 Roma tomatoes, or 2 big cans of diced
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato soup (if I have some in the pantry)
a little water or V8 spicy tomato juice
a bit more olive oil
basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, sugar, other Italian seasonings - whatever I have on hand or sounds good.
Add meat and simmer. For.ever.

If I'm pressed for time, or cash, I will use prepared spaghetti sauce. Of course, I doctor it up. I still cook my onions, and peppers, add at least a can of diced tomatoes, because I like chunks, and add the jar of prepared sauce, meat, and more spices. Simmer.

I boil my spaghetti, I like to use the very thin spaghetti noodles, or angel hair, because that's what I like. For kids it's better to use penne, or rotini (easier to pick up and cut). I cook my noodles al dente, just a bit hard still, they'll finish cooking in the oven. I drain my noodles, add butter, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt. (I learned this from my friend Jessica, it's sooo good!)

Then layer up my spaghetti. Noodles, sauce, cheese and repeat. I use a mixture of Parmesan and mozzarella. I wait to add my last layer of cheese the last 10 minutes of baking. So, spaghetti, sauce, cheese, spaghetti, sauce. I bake covered with foil 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 until bubbly. If all your ingredients are hot, you bake less time. When it's bubbly and your house smells like an Italian joint, add the last layer of cheese, bake uncovered 5-10 minutes until cheese is melty.

When I take dinner to a family, I typically do not bake this for them. Since I'm living in the boonies now, and it would be cold by the time I delivered it. So I add the last layer of cheese, but stress to cook it covered, otherwise the cheese gets too done.

I always think it tastes better the next day too, so typically I prepare the day before, then bake for dinner the next night.

Raspberry Cake

We met the brothers in Greenville last night for dinner. We accomplished a lot.
First, and most important, I got the final t-shirts for the ECU quilt! I washed last night, and provided I get some time today, I will start cutting my squares out. And I hope to make some good progress over the weekend! :)
2. We met Maggie, Matt's girlfriend. She's super sweet and she can stand my brother, so she's ok in my book.
3. We celebrated Josh's upcoming birthday. Hence the Raspberry Cake. We arrived with said cake, but left with none. Not a happy Mama.
4. We delivered; phones, Matt's suit, cookies, cheese, 40 pounds of potatoes (seriously), and mail.
5. My grandparents got to see the boys before they left this morning.

When my mom asked me to make the cake, I figured she would put it together and decorate it, no such luck. I got 'stuck' doing the whole thing. I actually love practicing my piping so it wasn't a chore by any means.

So here you go....

Unfortunately, I was not able to take a picture of the cut cake, it was demolished before I even thought about it. It's pretty important though that you make a white cake, and follow the directions about using egg whites. Otherwise it doesn't look as pretty.

So you make your white cake. I used Dunkin Hines. I added a little vanilla, mine is clear; I would not add any if your vanilla is dark brown.

I'm a cake mix kinda girl for a few reasons;

1. It's way easy.

2. It saves time.

3. It's really important to have the correct amount of flour/soda/powder, yada yada, and since I'm not a good measure-er, a mix is way better.

4. No one can really tell the difference between a box cake or a cake made from scratch.

5. Did I mention that it's easy and less time consuming?

I don't buy icing for a few reasons.

1. It's not very good.

2. Butter cream is way better.

3. I enjoy making it.

4. You can tell a difference in canned and homemade.

So of course I made my own.

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 huge bag of powdered sugar

vanilla & almond extracts

milk

Cream butter, extracts and sugar. Add a little milk, and more sugar, and more milk, and more sugar... And repeat until you use almost a whole bag of powdered sugar. I pray there are no Amelia Bedila types trying to follow along. Stop when 1. you think you have made enough to ice your cake and 2. when it's the right consistency (not too soft, otherwise your cake will look like it's sagging. And not too stiff that you can't spread it on without tearing up the cake. It's a fine line.)

So your cake is baked, cooled, and trimmed (the rounded portion from the top is cut off). Now, you need to cut your cake into layers. Typically, I cut 1 cake into 3 layers. But if you have never done this, aim for 2 layers from each - so a 4 layer cake. And assemble. Put a dab of icing on your cake plate to keep your cake from sliding around. Press the 1st layer down firmly. Ice cake, only use a little icing. I pipe a barrier at the edge of the cake so the Raspberry jam doesn't come out the side, making your cake look pink. And fill in with a very small amount of jam. The more you use, the less stable your cake will be...

Repeat until your cake is completely layered. Ice sides and top of cake.



The top doesn't have to be perfect since you are going to cover it with jam. Then I put the cake in the fridge to set up before decorating. About 15-30 minutes. I then pipe lattice, and borders. And refrigerate again, especially if you are transporting the cake. It's best to keep this cake cold until serving time, otherwise it kind of shifts around.



Reese's Peanut Buttercup Banana Bread

This is the absolute best banana bread I have ever. ever. eaten. Actually, I do not like banana bread, it's a Frank food. I make it for him and Kay, and am glad when it's gone. I scoured blogs, and recipe sites for hours, literally hours to find a recipe worthy enough for Frank's care package. This one is a keeper, and one I can't keep my fingers off of!

Reese's Peanut Buttercup Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup peanut butter (of course, I didn't measure, but I used about a cup)
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Mix all those together, batter will be lumpy.
Add...
1 & 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp soda
1 & 1/2 tsp powder
1/2 tsp salt

Stir in 8oz bag, yes the whole thing of Reese's Mini Cups. I did this, and it didn't look like enough peanut butter cups, so I also used the leftover cups I had gotten for the  Peanut-Peanut Buttercup-Cupcakes. So a bag and a half.

Today I used a metal loaf pan, greased well. I split the batter, and used most of it in the loaf pan, then made 10 cupcake sized breads. Obviously I needed to taste test these before I sent them all the way to Texas. I ate 3, as soon as they cooled.
Bake at 325 ish for about an hour. The cupcakes only baked about 20-30 minutes. And they didn't brown up as good as the above picture.

I found the said, best banana bread recipe here.

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

8 slices of bacon

1 cup diced yellow onion

2/3 cup flour

6 cups hot chicken stock

4 cups diced, baked potatoes (I leave the skins on)

1 cup half & half

milk

garlic

1 & 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp. hot sauce

black pepper

cream cheese

1 cup grated cheese (plus some for garnish)

3 green onions, diced (garnish)

additional chopped bacon



Fry bacon until crisp. Chop bacon and reserve drippings. Cook onions & garlic in remaining drippings over medium heat until transparent. Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps. Cook 3-5 minutes until golden. Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps, until liquid thickens. Reduce heat to simmer, add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, salt, pepper, hot sauce. Add milk, enough for desired consistency, at least 1 cup. Simmer 10 minutes, Do Not Allow to Boil! Add grated cheese and a few slices of cream cheese.
Heat until cheeses are melted. Garnish.

To Die for Cheese Dip

To Die for Cheese Dip
1 cup mayo
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
3 green onions, sliced
5 slices of bacon cooked crisp & chopped (You can also use Real Bacon Pieces in a jar)
8-10 Ritz crackers crushed

Soften cream cheese, add mayo & cheese. Add sliced onions and cooked bacon (duh) to mixture. Sprinkle top with Ritz crackers, cook in microwave for about 5 minutes or until bubbly. I cooked this one in the oven, since it was already hot.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

 

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

4 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup bar-be-que sauce

1/4 cup of hot sauce

water

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup ranch dressing

6 stalks of celery finely chopped

Cook chicken, bar-be-que sauce, hot sauce and water on medium heat, I let these simmer for like 30 minutes, but you could serve them after heated through.

Mix mayo, dressing, and celery together.





German Chocolate Cupcakes

German Chocolate Cupcakes

1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix (Yes, I know. But it's way less time consuming)
3 large eggs
1 (8oz) container of sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Bake at 350. 18 minutes for cupcakes.

Coconut-Pecan Filling
1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 & 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 8 to 10 minutes (10). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, coconut and pecans. Cool completely.

Chocolate Butter cream
I wing it. I don't measure. But I'll guess.
1 cup butter
bit of vanilla
cocoa powder, less than a 1/4 of a cup.
1 cup melted chocolate
Mix well, and right away after adding melted chocolate.
powdered sugar & milk. I add until I have the right consistency. 1/2 big bag of powdered sugar, tablespoon at a time of milk, probably a 1/4 of a cup, or less. (ha.)

Turtle Cheesecake

So as I type this, I just want to share that I am enjoying a piece of said cheesecake. It's so very rich, and I have to take very small bites....so delicious.

Turtle Cheesecake

Crust:

1 & 3/4 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

Combine crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom and sides of prepared pan.

Filling:

3 pkgs. (8oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 Tbs. lime juice (yes, you read that right)

1 Tbs. vanilla

1 & 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice, and vanilla; beat until combined. Microwave chips until melted. Stir 2 cups of cheesecake batter into melted chips; mix well.

Layer batter into crust, starting and ending with white batter. (I just scoop and swirl the chocolate batter, not spread out, it's much thicker than the white batter, and way too hard to smooth out.)
Bake for 1 hour 10 -15 minutes at 300 until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely.
Topping
Hot fudge ice cream topping
Caramel syrup or ice cream topping
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup mini chips
Drizzle syrups and sprinkle with nuts and chips. Refrigerate for several hours, or over night. Remove side of pan.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

My friend Danielle brought these amazing cookies to lunch one day, since they've became our favorite cookie. She got the recipe from Money Saving Mom. Yesterday I made a batch to take to some friends, and with all my recipes packed away in storage some place between Virgina and Colorado, I had to hunt Danielle's blog, and google before I finally texted Danielle to ask where I could find it. So for my own personal convenience, I'm posting the recipe on my own blog. But wanted to give credit, where credit is due.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used at least a cup)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt (I didn't use this much, I don't like to use salt in cookies, so I reduced to a pinch)
2 cups oats (Any kind)
12 oz chocolate chips
Cream first 6 ingredients together.
Add flour/soda/salt mixture.
Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

I'm thinking the next time I make these cookies - this week, for Frank's care package- I'm going to add nuts as well.

Peanut-Peanut Butter Cup-Cupcakes

What can I say? It all started with a craving; peanut butter cupcakes, with rich chocolate icing. Fueled by a riveting episode of Cupcake Wars, and armed with a new idea of topping the pre-baked cupcakes with chopped peanuts, I entered the kitchen yesterday afternoon. Here are the results...

Nothing hard about making these... I used a Dunkin Hines cake mix - I know it's sacrilegious- but I wanted cupcakes, and I wanted them now. My capacity for standing long periods of time have diminished considerably, especially after a full morning of shopping and foregoing a nap to get dinner started. According to true form I doctored the mix a bit and added a cup or more of creamy peanut butter. Scoop, sprinkle (with said peanuts), bake, cool.

Not matter how lazy I feel, I can always muster up enough energy to make my own icing. So that's what I did... butter, vanilla, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, powdered sugar, cream, and Voila! Bag, pipe, sprinkle and top with the new mini Reese's. Best part was sharing with some very dear friends at our prayer meeting last night :)

Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad

Yea, sounds a bit beyond weird, right? I was skeptical the first time I had this salad at a Pampered Chef training event. But it's soooo good. It's been a little while since I made this last, but was organizing pictures last night, and found this one. This is pretty popular when Frank is back on the low carb diet, I just eat his croutons.

Deluxe Cheesburger Salad
4 sesame seed hamburger bun tops - I usually use the bottoms too... I love all toasted bread, so...
1 small red onion, divided
2 plum tomatoes
3/4 pound ground beef - I use a whole pound, or whole package.
1/2 cup sliced dill pickles -  If I feel lazy, which is almost always, I use relish.
3/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
8 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce - I use spinach, or mixed greens.
1 cup (ha!) shredded cheddar cheese - You can never have enough cheese.

I don't measure when I make this recipe... I just mix and taste. I love mustard and don't really like ketchup, so adjust according to your preferences. The above measurements are from Pampered Chef.

Preheat over to 425. Slice bun tops into 1/4 inch strips, arrange a single layer on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and cool.
Cut onion in half crosswise; slice one half of onion into thin rings, dice remaining half. Set aside.
Cut tomatoes lengthwise into quarters and slice crosswise. Set aside.
Cook beef until no longer pink.
Dice pickles, or use relish. ;)
Combine chopped onion, pickles (relish), ketchup and mustard. Add cooked beef, mix well.
Assemble as pictured. I assemble on individual plates. That way I can store any leftover lettuce and beef mixture separate, in case I want to eat the beef mixture hot. Frank likes to eat the leftover salad cold, so I make his containers with meat.

Cranberry Cake

This morning before church, my domesticated self, whipped up Cranberry Cake. This was a first time recipe for me to prepare, although my mom has been making it since we moved south of the Mason Dixon.

Cranberry Cake
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 & 1/2 cups cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
almonds

Beat eggs with sugar for 5 minutes.
Add butter and extracts.
Stir in flour, then cranberries and pecans. Today I used walnuts. Also we use a whole bag of cranberries - no sense in saving leftover berries to rot in the fridge.
Top with slivered almonds.
Bake at 350 for 55 minutes - 1 hour.

Becoming Domesticated One Project at a Time

I am by no means a crafty person. I do not recover furniture. I don't know how to use a hot glue gun. I have never spray painted. I don't scrapbook, and I do not anticipate I ever will. My skills with a hammer are minimal, at best. But ever since I stumbled upon Pinterest I have become somewhat obsessed. It started with a wanting a sewing machine for Christmas... My mom told me, "Rachel, I'm not your Santa anymore. You need to tell Frank." A lot of good that would do. Then Christmas morning I got a surprise... A Singer! (From my momma) There was only one slight problem, I didn't know how to sew. I can hand stitch enough to get by and I can sew on buttons, my skills were limited to that. Thus began the past 2 week journey of learning how to thread my machine, thread a bobbin and so on. I visited the local fabric store and I have never been so lost. After wandering the store for more than an hour, I emerged with 4 scrap pieces of fabric, 3 spools of thread and an angry toddler... She was mine to begin with. Turns out my fabric was enough to make a purse for me and Kay (said toddler). Another visit back to the fabric store, with mom in tow, resulted in material for handles and some buttons. I got my pattern from Pinterest. Although, I altered the pattern and made my purse bigger. Because face it, purses are never big enough. I finished my purse before my trip to Texas, I wanted to surprise Frank, he had no idea I was using my machine, let alone that it was out of the box. He was beside himself, "what do you mean, you made it?" "I know you bought this, where'd you get it, and how much did it cost me..." And so on. This morning I finished Kay's purse. And here are the results...

Here is where I got the pattern and instructions... 

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/01/1-hour-bag-tutorial.html

My purse has two pockets, because I'm a bit obsessed with organization, and Kay's has one. I also put a magnetic snap type thing in mine.

Next sewing project will be an ECU (my Alma Mater) T-shirt quilt...

The. Brownie Trifle

1 pkg. (18.25) brownie mix - it makes a difference. Get the right size!
ingredients for brownies... you need 2 eggs, oil and water for the Betty Crocker mix.
3 tsp. instant coffee granules
1 & 3/4 cups cold milk
2 cups cool whip, thawed
2 pkgs. white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling (This is a challenge, I can only ever find the sugar free white chocolate pudding, and I never buy sugar free, because what would be the point of having a sugar free dessert? You can use cheesecake, vanilla, chocolate... Whatever your heart desires...)
3 toffee bars
1/4 cup warm water

I always take this dessert somewhere, so I always make a double batch. I do this for 2 reasons.
1. A full batch doesn't quite fill my trifle bowl, and kind of looks like I'm bringing a half finished dessert.
and 2. I like to have leftovers. And if you take this dessert somewhere, the chances of you bringing some home are not good.

So I use about a batch and a half for the party and layer up the rest for my family. :) It's a win-win.

Bake brownies according to package in a 9x13. Use cake-like directions.
Cool completely.
Dissolve coffee granules in warm water.
Whisk milk into pudding mix until mixture begins to thicken. Add coffee to pudding, mix well.
Fold in cool whip. I use the whole container.
Why? 1. It's ridiculous to measure 2 cups out. It's close enough. and 2. You can never have too much cool whip.
Cut brownies into 1 inch cubes. I'm very particular about my layers, so I section the pan off for my 3 layers.
Chop toffee bars. I do this one at a time, so I know how much to use on each layer.
Layer 1/3 of brownie cubes onto bottom of trifle bowl.
Top with 1/3 of pudding, pressing lightly, and 1/3 of toffee bars. If you're like me, 1 bar.
And. Repeat. Then repeat again.
Chill 30 minutes.

The longer it sits, the better. I usually make this first thing in the morning for an evening event. I would do it the night before but the later it gets, the lazier I get.

Enjoy :)