Monster Cookie Balls Recipe!!!

...Okay blogland, once again, I've let my weight get out of control and I'm back needing to lose weight. My sister turns 40 in April so we've challenged each other to #40by40...to lose 40 pounds by her 40th birthday! I'll spare you all the details of how I plan on doing it because we all know I've been there and done that. BUT I did find an awesome new recipe that is super easy and super delicious so I wanted to share with you. Trust me, you won't want a sweet treat after this one!

Monster Cookie Balls
Mix 1 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1 scoop vanilla whey with mini M&Ms or dark chocolate chips.

I couldn't find mini M&M's or mini dark chocolate chips so I used the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. These took about ten minutes to make and were sooo good! Seriously, it was like eating cookie dough. I'm not a fan of honey but you can't even taste it. The only bad thing about these is not eating them all at once!

Homemade Almond Milk!!!

...Over the winter months, we switched AR to almond milk at home. She had this ongoing cough so we tried to eliminate dairy as best we could. I don't really think it made any difference but we've continued to just do almond milk at home and then she drinks regular milk everywhere else.

When I saw the opportunity to try out an Everyday Kitchen Essentials Nut Milk Bag, I thought it would be fun to try to make our own almond milk. Other than blowing up my blender (operator error!), it was fairly easy and tasted delicious!

First you need one cup almonds. I used this whole can.

Soak them overnight in a bowl of unfiltered water.

Other supplies needed (I improvised so just pretend): Cinnamon, sea salt, maple syrup, agave.

After the almonds soak overnight, strain and blend with 4 cups of filtered water on high for 5 minutes.

Eh...blender broken so we moved everything to the Magic Bullet which we just had to do in parts.

Once well blended, dump blender into nut bag and strain.

Squeeze nut bag like, well, like you're milking a cow. This was really easy but I feel like I should have done something with the leftover nut mess. Or maybe I wouldn't have had as much nut mess had I done it in a blender and blended longer...

Pour back into blender and mix with couple tablespoons of maple syrup, squeeze of agave, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Blend for one minute and enjoy! I got two large glasses out of it!

This was definitely sweeter than the almond milk AR was used to so of course she drank this down quickly! Overall the nut bag was super easy to use and did a great job keeping the nut mess out of our milk. The only thing was that I didn't know how to wash it??? I rinsed under sink water then put in a bowl to soak and laid out to dry. I doubt we'll be making our own almond milk on a regular basis but it was still a fun activity and something we'd do on special occasions.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

OvenArt Bakeware Silicone Muffin Pan Review...

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

...Get ready for stress-free baking and scrub-free cleaning with this wonderful silicone muffin pan by OvenArt Bakeware. I received the OvenArt Bakeware Silicone Muffin Pan and couldn't wait to try it out.

Neither could AR! And who could blame her when...

OvenArt Solves The Problems of Metal Muffin Pans As you probably know, metal muffin pans have frustrating drawbacks. Metal rusts, wraps, and wears down with use. Stuck-on food is annoying and a nightmare to clean. And then there are the chemical nonstick coatings that eventually scrape off and only leave you wondering if it all went into your food.

She was a fan of putting the liners in the cups.

A Nonstick Muffin Pan That's Worth It We make our much loved silicone muffin pan with an expensive grade of pure 100%, high quality European silicone. Soon, you'll be confidently turning even the stickiest and messiest recipes into delightful muffins, cupcakes, cornbread, egg muffins and more. Food will slide out effortlessly and bake perfectly every time using your safe, BPA-free, filler-free, and worry-free silicone bakeware.

We decided to try out the neon yellow cake mix I had purchased on a sale a couple weeks ago.

Cleanup Is A Breeze Isn't it annoying to have to soak and scrub a pan? You'll really appreciate how easy this muffin pan cleans up. The magic nonstick baking cups clean with a little detergent and water or you can toss the pan in the dishwasher. With such an easy cleanup, why stop at making muffins and cupcakes? Enjoy delicious non-muffin recipes such as taco cups, crab cakes, mini lasagnas, and frozen desserts (it's safe for the oven, freezer, microwave, and dishwasher).

Oh and I might add that we threw in some frozen cookie dough too!

Perfect For First-Time Silicone Bakers New silicone users love the results batch after batch. They enjoy healthy homemade treats and save on store-bought packaged goods. This high quality muffin pan is protected by the OvenArt "Better Muffin" Guarantee for lifetime assurance against defects and performance issues.

They turned out pretty delicious!

Review
I was excited to try this product out and I wasn't let down. It worked like a regular muffin pan except when it came time to clean up, all I had to do was wipe it out! The spills I made on the side were gone with a quick swipe. The only downfall is that it was a little difficult to get it out of the oven since it was so flexible, but nothing that two hands and potholders can't handle. This is going to be my go-to gift for a brides-to-be!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Bomb DOT Com Deviled Eggs...

...Seriously, ain't no joke, I made the BEST deviled eggs EVER! Last weekend, I finally read my Parents magazine. I ripped out the recipe for deviled eggs. I forgot about it until we unpacked from our trip to Cape when I pulled out the crumbled piece of paper. I glanced at the recipe and decided to mix it up and add my own touches. O...M...G-it turned out amazing. Okay, so now I'll stop teasing you and share the recipe with you.

Ingredients
Dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
Package of taco seasoning

First I boiled the eggs. I know everyone does it different. I put a pot of water the stove. When it starts boiling, I put the eggs in and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, I pour out the hot water and replace it with cold water. I let it set then started the peeling process.

After I peeled all the eggs, I cut them in half and put the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. Good thing I did this after bedtime, otherwise, AR would gobble all the whites up!

Then I mashed the egg yolks up in a bowl with a fork.

Mash, mash, mash...Matt walked in at this time and picked up the camera and started snapping pictures.

Next, I added the cheese, mayo, and sour cream to the mashed up egg yolks. Matt did that part, thanks for your help! After it was mixed up really well, I added about 1/4 package of the taco seasoning. Add more, use less...whatever you prefer. When you have it to your liking, fill the white egg part with the mixture then refrigerate until ready to serve.

I had no idea what to expect, just hoping for something edible. I have to be totally honest, Matt and I were eating the mixture straight from bowl it was so good! I was just hoping we had enough to take to Easter the next day.

And my husband enjoying one of the "bad" eggs. I'm sure you all know someone who insists on one egg that isn't pretty or looks "bad" so then they have to eat it. Yeah, that's totally my husband!

What are you waiting for? Go make them, you won't be disappointed!

Easy Nacho Bake...

...Lately nothing sounds good. This is always a sign that I need to start counting calories and working out because it means I've eaten everything that sounds delicious! When it comes time to menu plan each week, I always try to find an easy recipe via Pinterest. Last week, I found this recipe for Easy Nacho Bake. Unfortunately, I'm sorry I don't have a link to the pin!

Ingredients

1 small (7 oz) Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed
1 pound ground beef (or turkey, venison, etc...)
1 package taco seasoning
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup shredded lettace
1 small tomato, diced (I used a can, definitely recommend a fresh one if you have it)
Sour cream

Directions
1. Brown burger with taco seasoning (drain if needed).
2. In 9 x 13 dish, layer crushed chips, meat, 2/3 cheese, lettuce, tomato, and top with remaining cheese.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
4. Top with sour cream!

I thought this would be an excellent meal that AR could help with because she could crush the chips. Yeah, well my chip crusher turned into my chip thief as she kept sneaking them out of the pan!

Before...mmm! We wanted more cheese so I added some regular shredded Cheddar cheese. As stated above, I used diced canned tomatoes, definitely use a fresh tomato if you can.

After-mmm, this was so good! Super easy to make and quick. The directions didn't say to spray the pan but I did and it came out very easily.

What's your go-to quick, easy yet still delicious dinner recipe???

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe...

...Every now and then, Yahoo will display a recipe. I'll click on it, think it looks delicious and then forget all about it. I saw this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies and sent it to Nana. My email said: Can we make these? It had a link to the recipe and a picture of a craft project I needed her help on. She responded, Sure it looks easy enough. Was that a link to the pattern? I clicked it and a recipe for chocolate chip cookies showed up! Guess we should work on our communication, huh?

Anyways, I made these during our visit and hey turned out fab! I loved that you could freeze them although we didn't. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups regular semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup large bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Mix together chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Set aside.
4. All medium speed unless otherwise noted: In a standing mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until well mixed and light. Scrape down the sides. Add one egg. Mix for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides. Add second egg. Mix for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides. Add vanilla. Mix for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides.


Also important to let your helper to play with dirty dishes to keep from tossing the flour out of the bowl when you mix it all together.


5. You’re going to add the sifted flour mixture in 4 batches, stopping before adding the final batch. For the first 3 batches, mix at low speed just to combine, scraping down the sides between each addition. When you get to the final batch of flour, add the chocolate chip/nut mixture. They will get a bit crushed. That’s okay. Mix until there’s barely a trace of flour visible. Don’t over-mix. Sometimes, it’s better to be safe and do the final bit of mixing by hand.
6. Set up a sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake one tray at a time or they will all cook at different rates. Make them spherical, not flat. The cookie size is up to you. I find the bigger they are, the better ratio you have between gooey interior and crisp exterior. 2 ounces is about right for that.
7. Leave a few inches between the raw cookies. Place sheet pan in the oven. They cook very fast at this temp. I never set a timer. I just hang around the oven and drink tea. They’re done when they’re brown and crispy on the outer border and raw in the very middle (8 to 10 minutes). Remove sheet pan. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then, with a spatula, transfer cookies to a cookie rack to cool. If you’re not going to eat them right away, they should be frozen.
8. If you’re not baking them off right away, portion them out with an ice cream scoop, place them on a sheet pan, and freeze. Once firm, store them in a Ziploc bag. Works great to bake them off when they’re frozen.

We left out the walnuts and couldn't find bittersweet chocolate chips so we used semi-sweet chocolate chunks. We both agreed this recipe was a keeper! Mine turned out a little gooey because Nana's oven was acting weird so we turned it down to 350. But, hey, whose going to complain about gooey chocolate chip cookies???

Mattie's Meatloaf...

...Lately, I feel like every time I turn around meatloaf is in my life. People are pinning meatloaf recipes, asking for them on FB, or commenting on how awesome mine is. I have to admit, I think it's pretty awesome as does my husband, my stepsis and most people that sample it. Remember when I had my post-baby surgery, my mom and I had a meatloaf cook-off? Reading back on that post now, it was obvious I was on some major painkillers, why else would I write about dinner and BS in the same post???

Anyways, I found this recipe YEARS ago when Matt and I first got together. He was never a fan of meatloaf growing up, but he would always rave about this recipe. I copied it in my recipe book and titled it "Mattie's Meatloaf." My stepsis is also a huge fan so anytime she watches AR, I make it for dinner the night before so they can have leftovers.

The Loaf
1.5 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 onion chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 350F. In a bowl, mix all ingredients. Place mixture in loaf pan or form a loaf.

The Sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons mustard
1/3 cup ketchup

In a separate bowl, combine all three ingredients. Mix well and pour over meatloaf. Bake at 350F for one hour or until loaf is fully cooked.

My notes: Onions don't sit well with my husband so I only use a half if that much. I always use Italian bread crumbs, not plain. The sauce is what makes the dish in my opinion!

Happy Loaving!

Bath Bombs!!!

...A few weeks ago, I did a post on an ebook series I'd received called Soap Making Made Easy. Well, my supplies for my bath bombs FINALLY arrived. They were delivered last Sunday by FedEx, the driver told me it was a special Sunday delivery! I promptly tore into the box anxious to get started. So without further ado, I'll share the recipe with you!

Ingredients
1 part citric acid
2 parts baking soda
Witch Hazel
Colorant
Fragrance
Dome-shaped mold (I used mini-cupcake tins)

Here's a pic of the ingredients plus the laptop to follow directions!

Directions
1. Blend citric acid and baking soda. Make sure there are no clumps. You may want to use a stick blender, but I just used a regular old whisk.

2. Add the colorant to the mixture. Don't add too much or it'll change your bath water colors. You only need a drizzle of the colorant.

3. Add desired amount of fragance. Note: A little goes a LONG way! As in our whole house smelled like a tropical paradise for a week.

4. Use a squirt bottle to spritz the witch hazel onto the surface of the mixture, while hand-stirring with the other hand.

5. Once the mixture starts to become sticky, it is ready to mold. Don't add too much witch hazel or the mixture will begin fizzing. Trust me, this happens-we ended up with a whole pan in the bathtub and our house smelling yummy. See, this is what happens when there's too much witch hazel and it just keeps GROWING and GROWING! AR took a nice, fizzy bubble bath in the middle of the afternoon.

6. Let the mixture sit in the tins/mold for 10 minutes. Then let them air dry for 3-4 hours (or overnight).

Here there are popped out. Then did flat and become a bit more round as they dried.

I went to the Dollar Store and bought this gift cartons which held two bath bombs and added them to gift cards I'd gotten for people.

Now, make your own and go enjoy a nice, long bath!

Cheesy Eggs in my new Ozeri Pan!!!

...Cheesy eggs, yum! It used to be the after-bar feast of choice back in college, but these days, it's a warm, filling Saturday morning breakfast for my girl and me. It's so simple yet so delicious! All you need are eggs, cheese, milk, and an amazing pan to cook these babies in.

I remember one of my post-college Christmas gift requests was a skillet so I could make cheesy eggs of my own. It was a great skillet that has served me well, but it was time for a new one which I recently received!

My new skillet of choice is the Ozeri  8” Green Earth Textured Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan, 100-Percent PTFE and PFOA Free. Highlights of this pan are:

• the Ozeri Green Earth Pan utilizes GREBLON - an ultra-safe ceramic coating from Germany which is 100% PTFE and PFOA free.
• Innovative textured pan surface delivers enhanced heat distribution and superior non-stick performance without ever releasing harmful fumes or toxins.
• Features a scratch-resistant 100 percent ceramic coating that is super easy to clean.
• Made out of durable heavy-gauge die-cast aluminum with no heavy metals or harmful chemicals.
• Boasts a comfortable heat resistant silicon coated handle
• Magnetized induction stove safe base for rapid heat transfer.

Next step for perfect cheesy eggs, crack eggs in pan. These days I have to sneakily do this or else my helper tends to get egg shells in the pan. Throw in as much cheese as you want and add a dash of milk. Cook on medium-high heat and wait for your delectable eggs to finish cooking.

I was amazed when my eggs were finished and they slide right out of the pan into the bowl. Usually, I'm having to scrape my skillet until I get every last bite, but not with the Ozeri pan.

AR heard the eggs crack and couldn't wait to get into her high chair for breakfast!

She was so excited to eat her yummy eggs which were fluffier than normal because of the new pan.

Bottom line, AR was happy with her eggs and I was happy with my pan. It definitely heated the eggs evenly, cooked them faster than normal, and I loved that they just slide right out of the pan without having to scrape the edges to get the last few bites. Clean-up on this pan was also super easy. Once it cooled, I rinsed it out and just wiped it clean! I can't wait to cook more in my new pan.

 

You can purchase your new Ozeri  8” Green Earth Textured Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan, 100-Percent PTFE and PFOA Free on Amazon, Atgstores.com, Sears.com and/or Homedepot.com. And you can also find them on Facebook.

 

*I received one Ozeri  8” Green Earth Textured Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan, 100-Percent PTFE and PFOA Free for free in exchange for my honest opinion.



Homemade Pumpkin Pie...

...I did it! I made a pumpkin pie from scratch! Well, not technically from scratch because I used two Pillsbury pie crusts. Close enough, ok? Surprisingly, it was REALLY easy! You can find the original recipe here.

First things first, we got out all the ingredients.

AR had to check out the spices. She was wondering what the heck allspice was!

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin puree
1.5 cans evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 deep dish pie crusts

After we had all the ingredients out, we put everything into a bowl and started mixing. AR was a bigger helper with this. Thank goodness these were only for my family!

Directions
Mix well using a hand blender or mixer.
Pour into pie crust (don't overfill like I did!)
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Turn temperature down to 350 and bake for another 45-60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
Cool and gobble up deliciousness!

Well, I wasn't paying attention as I was scooping in the final little bite of pie filling into the crust and I overflowed the pan on the left-oops!

While we put the pies in to bake, I started putting things away and cleaning up. I looked over and saw my daughter literally licking the bowl...she is so my child.

Ta-da! The finished pie, oh and I made a pecan pie too. Just go ahead and call me Betty!

I Cooked a Turkey!!!

...It was purely by accident. I'm lucky it was a turkey and not a chicken and I'm not even sure I can really say I cooked it since I put it in a crockpot. Either way, I'm taking credit for it and it turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

 

Last Friday, I was at the grocery store looking for a four pound turkey breast to cook for Toddler Thanksgiving. I'm hanging out in the freezer section, trying to find the smallest one I can. I hold up what I think is a turkey and ask the guy stocking turkeys, "Do you have any smaller turkeys?" He looks at me and says, "That's a chicken." Oops!

 

I move to the section he tells me is turkey breasts. I'm digging through them looking for a 4 pounder and all I can find is eight. Sigh, well, I guess we'll go an entire week eating turkey. I get home, leave it in the sink to thaw and right before bed, around 9:30pm, I open what I think is just a turkey breast to discover it's a full on turkey with a bag of innards and everything!

 

I fill the bottom of my crockpot with water. Salt and pepper the monster, sprinkle French onion soup mix on top and dump on a stick of melted butter. I tried to put the lid on, but the turkey was too big so it just sat on top. I went to bed and hoped for the best.

 

I woke up at 4am to the aroma of Thanksgiving morning. I laid in bed and thought, hey, this might actually work out. When AR and I got up at 6:30am, I went in and we saw the juiciest bird sitting in our crockpot.

We turned it off around 8am (so 9:30pm-8am on low). Then around 10:30am, I pulled all the meat off the bird, put it back in the juices and let it warm until lunchtime at noon. It was ah-muh-zing! So juicy and moist, it was all that AR ate.

So there you have it folks, I cooked a turkey, on accident, and it turned out GREAT! Now here's a bonus recipe for you so you have a dish to go with it.

 

Crockpot Corn

Ingredients

2 large bags frozen corn

1 (8 oz) cream cheese

2 T. sugar

6 T. water

1 stick butter

Directions

Cook in crockpot 4 hours n low.  Stir and cook on high for 2 hours.

 

Gobble, gobble and enjoy!

 



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies...

...As I prepared last Friday for the big Toddler Thanksgiving, I had thawed an entire gallon bag of pumpkin puree. I only needed two cups for two loaves of pumpkin bread so I made another two loaves (that's four total). I was tired of washing the pans so I jumped on Pinterest to find another way to use up the last of the pumpkin. I came across this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies over at What's Gaby Cooking. The recipe called for Greek yogurt, which is my new cooking ingredient so I started the batter ASAP. They turned out delicious! Very dense because of the Greek yogurt and not too pumpkinish, probably because I didn't have exactly a cup left, but I added a little pumpkin pie spice. Oh, and I also added Brewer's yeast, because I always add that to anything I bake.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. Set aside.
3. In a mixer combine the eggs and sugar and whisk for 3 minutes until it doubles in volume. Add the yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla and blend until fully combined. Mix in the flour and then add the chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
4. Once chilled scoop 3 tbsp scoops of the dough onto the baking sheets, 12 cookies per sheet. Bake for 16 minutes and remove from the oven. Let the cookies cool for a few moments on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat the process with any remaining dough.

This is the first recipe I've ever found that is exactly what it calls for. My cookies baked for exactly 16 minute and made almost exactly 24 cookies (I ended up with 27). 

Ta-da! The finished product. I thought they were pretty tasty and DH got to sample at least one.

Happy baking!

Cranberry Salad...

...it seems as though cranberry is one of those must have dishes at Thanksgiving. I remember years of having a blob of canned cranberry sitting on a plate at the dinner table while everyone turned their nose up. When I was in college, one of my mom's friends brought over a delicious cranberry salad that has taken the place of the blobbed cranberry at the table. Now, we're fighting over who gets the last bite, because there's never any leftovers. I figured I'd share the recipe with you in case you, too, had a blob that sat on your table. I made some this past weekend for Toddler Thanksgiving and I'll make it again for actual Turkey Day. Note: This is an overnight recipe!

 

Ingredients 



16 oz. pkg. cranberries, frozen

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 pint whipping cream

1 cup mini marshmallow

1 1/2 cup apples, diced (I use Granny Smith)

1 cup white grapes, halved

1 cup nuts, chopped

 

Directions

Rinse frozen cranberries under cold running water to wash off any loose stems.

 

Grind or chop frozen cranberries using a food process or BLENDER! I use my Magic Bullet.

 

Put chopped cranberries in a large bowl and add sugar.  Thoroughly mix by hand and refrigerate OVERNIGHT!

 

Before serving, whip the 1/2 pint of whipping cream in a separate bowl until peaks form. Usually Matt is in charge of this, but he was gone hunting so I pulled out the 'ole Kitchenade.

 

Here we are waiting for peaks to form. AR was sampling the grapes as we waited. I was lucky there were enough grapes to put in the salad!

Fold whipped cream into the cranberry-sugar mixture.

Add the marshmallows, apples, grapes, and nuts.

I mix the fruits first.

Then I add the nuts and marshmallows. I had the 'mallows sitting on the table the night before and AR saw them. I had to hide them, because she kept bringing them to me wanting to open them. She was so excited when I got them out to put in. She was a big helper though and stirring in the nuts before devouring the stack of marshmallows I put on the counter for her.

Finished product!

I let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours, but it's fine if you don't have time to do that. Serve and enjoy!

Painting with a Twist: Busch Stadium Style!!!

...this past Sunday, a group of sorority sisters, blog friends and co-workers met me at Painting with a Twist. It's a B.Y.O.B. art studio. They offer classes to the public but after I saw the Busch Stadium painting, I knew I had to do it for my dad for Christmas. They weren't planning on offering that painting again until spring training unless I wanted to do a private party. I sent out a mass FB message and the party was planned. Since I'm not a big drinker, I brought beer dip to share and one Angry Orchard Hard Cider then made my way to the big event!

 

If you see the finished product, it's very intimidating but they break it down section by section. At first, I was super stressed just by the sky but it got easier once we got the hang of what we were doing. Here's Q with her skyline and buildings.

April showing off her talent. The picture on the right was originally mine. I traded paintings with the instructor because my buildings were too close together and I wanted a bigger Arch. Apparently, I thought I was in NY or something since I had drawn a massive skyscraper. 

See, it's a process. Here's Danielle showing off half the infield painted and the stands. She is a perfectionist so hers turned out really awesome!

Ta-da! Here is my finished product!

Here's the entire group with their masterpiece! I suggested we add fireworks in the sky because that would signify a Cards win. I was too chicken to attempt it but a few others did and it turned out great.

Me with Q and Durb, my college gal pals! It was awesome to see everyone and feel like a real Van Gogh while we're at it. I hope my dad is surprised when he opens it and hangs it in his office. I would love to do more classes here but then I ask myself, what would I do with all the paintings???

I also decided to try out the new isABelt. It's a thin plastic belt that adjusts for almost all waist sizes, so no matter how much weight you gain or lose, you can still use the same belt. It has a magnetic clasp which sticks to your pants button to help keep it in place. I loved it because it didn't have any gap between my belt and pants, in fact, I forgot I even had it on! If you click on this picture to make it larger, you can see how much bulk is gone when you use the isABelt vs a regular belt and hey, who doesn't love to look skinnier?

Check out the giveaway to get one of your own!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake...

...since I'm on a pumpkin kick, of course, I've been searching Pinterest for pumpkin recipes. I now have four gallon-Ziplock bags in the freezer. While I was baking and pureeing the pumpkins, I decided to make some Pumpkin Coffee Cake.

 

First, I got out all the ingredients for the cake: pumpkin puree (represented by the bottom half of the pumpkin I hadn't baked yet), salt, flour, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, sugar, baking powder, milk, and Greek yogurt. Lately, I'm a fan of any recipe that I can use Greek yogurt.

You mix everything together and the batter is REALLY thick.

Next, I got out all the ingredients for the streusel: butter, flour, cinnamon, pecans and brown sugar.

Whip it all together-yum!!!

Then sprinkle over the top of the batter and bake it!

Ta-da-finished product!

Full Recipe from Crazy for Crust

Ingredients

For the Cake:

*2 cups flour, divided

*3/4 cup sugar

*2 teaspoons baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

*3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree

*1/4 cup non-fat vanilla or plain Greek Yogurt

*1 teaspoon vanilla

*1/2 cup milk

For the Streusel

*2 tablespoons butter, melted

*1/2 cup brown sugar

*1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

*2 tablespoons flour

*1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Whisk in pumpkin, greek yogurt, vanilla and milk in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Whisk in sugar, then baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. Batter will be thick. Pour into prepared pan.
3. In a small bowl, stir butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of flour with a fork. Stir in pecans. Spread on top of pumpkin cake layer.
4. Bake about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted 2” from the side of the pan comes out clean. Cool until you can’t stand it anymore, then cut into squares and serve. It can take up to 30 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. Take it out as soon as a toothpick comes out clean along the edges. Remember, the yogurt will change the texture of the cake. It will be chewier.

Note

If you prefer to use oil, you can substitute vegetable oil for the Greek yogurt.

 

I took it out to the farm for us to enjoy for breakfast. Everyone said it tasted great but I didn't think it really had much pumpkin flavor. If I made it again, I would probably do a whole cup of pumpkin puree.

 

It was also really hard to tell if the toothpick was coming out clean because of the streusel. Everyone was a fan though so I'm sure I'll be making it again!

Homemade Pumpkin Bread...

...every year, Matt's mom and sister always make a homemade pumpkin pie and it tastes delicious! Every year, I say that I'm going to do it too...and I never do. Once pumpkin season started this year, I again, swore I was going to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. I've found the recipe I'm going to use, we've got 4 pumpkins on the porch so the weekend after Halloween, watch out-it's pie time!

 

I decided I better start small though and decided I'd try some homemade pumpkin bread first. I used the pumpkin AR decorated at Liz's party. Don't worry, we peeled off the decorations and moved them to another pumpkin.

 

By the time I thought to get the camera out, this was where I was in the process. The pumpkin had already been baked and the batter poured into the bread pans.

About an hour and a couple bites later, this is what we had!

AR sampling...

"Yah, Mommy! Good job!" Clapping for mommy before signing more!

Matt was also a big fan and luckily, between the two of them, they ate it fast enough that it didn't mess up my diet too much! I followed the directions from here. Now on to the recipe!

 

Ingredients

3.5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

3 cups sugar (or Stevia or Splenda)

1.5 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

2 cups fresh cooked pumpkin or one 16 oz canned pumpkin

Water Note: 1/2 cup if you are using fresh cooked pumpkin or 2/3 cup water if you are using canned

4 eggs (note for vegans (or really anyone): Each egg can be replaced by 1 tablespoon of flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. Bread takes about 15 minutes longer and is a bit more dense.

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

 

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350 F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and sugar.

3. Add the eggs, water, oil and pumpkin.

4. Stir until blended. Then add raisins/nuts.

5. Pour into two lightly greased and floured loaf pans. Or, use muffin pans if you want muffins.

6. Bake about 1 hour.

7. Remove from oven and cool.

9. Take loaves out of pans to cool.

10. Devour!!!

 

Notes

*I guess I should tell you about the pumpkin, huh? It was super easy! I cut it in half, cleaned out the seeds and put the cut side down on a baking sheet. Then I covered it with aluminum foil, popped it in the oven at 350 and cooked for about an hour. When it was done, I let it cool then scooped out the insides. You were supposed to puree it but I forgot so I just mixed it in. It didn't make a difference but when I make the pie, I'll definitely puree.

*I think I used too much allspice. I only had whole allspice so I had to smash it up. It was just a bit strong in the bread but not too strong that it ruined it.

*I only used 2 eggs then I did 2 tablespoons of flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. It did take a few minutes longer but you couldn't tell a difference in taste.

*I poured the batter into the pans then added nuts to one loaf.

 

Definitely a keeper recipe and baking pumpkin isn't nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be! Now, let's hope the pie goes as well! Happy Halloween!!!

Crockpot Stuffed Shells...

...Each week, I plan dinner for every night. This helps us 1. save money and 2. not eat out so much. I also try to make one new meal, typically from my Get In My Belly board. This week I decided to try out Crockpot Stuffed Pasta Shells.

 

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of crockpot meals where you have to do a lot of prep work. I much prefer a crockpot meal where I just dump everything in the crockpot and 5-8 hours later dinner is done. I also prefer crockpot meals to be 8-10 hours because I'm a working mom & wife so a 4-6 hour meal doesn't work for us unless it's on the weekend.

 

I decided I'd split the work so the night before I did all the preparation. First, I browned the burger and cooked the shells. I got out the other ingredients as well: one egg, ricotta cheese, breadcrumbs and a jar of spaghetti sauce.

I mixed together the burger, ricotta, egg and breadcrumbs.

I poured the jar of sauce on the bottom of the crock then I started stuffing. Here are all the shells in the crockpot. I had a few shells leftover which I put in the fridge. I'm sure my daughter and I will have them for lunch the next couple of days.

After I stuffed the shells, I put the lid on and set the crockpot in the fridge until I was ready to cook them the next day.

The next day, I turned the crockpot on. Added the second bottle of spaghetti sauce and some Parmesan cheese and let the crockpot do it's magic! About 4.5 hours later, this is what I had:

I was so excited to eat dinner that we actually ate about 30 minutes early!

Here's AR tasting...

She likes it! Here she is clapping for mommy telling me, "good job!"

AR kept signing "more, more" and I couldn't get it on her plate fast enough. Matt went back for seconds...and thirds while I was licking my plate clean. It made a lot, as in we'll be eating it all weekend. This is definitely an easy and delicious recipe to make for when the whole family comes over! Happy crocking!

Updated: On Sunday, Matt went hunting. I started making AR's breakfast and noticed a big empty spot in the fridge, the crockpot with the leftovers was gone. I look in the dishwasher, not there. I text Matt. He had taken ALL of them with him to eat while hunting!!!

 

Ingredients

1 box of jumbo pasta shells

1 pound lean ground beef

1 clove garlic

1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. parsley flakes

1 egg, beaten

2 jars meatless spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bunch of fresh basil

 

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells according to directions.

2. Brown the beef, garlic and parsley then drain.

3. Add ricotta, breadcrumbs and egg.

4. Pour 1 jar of sauce into crockpot.

5. Stuff shells and arrange them in sauce.

6. Top with other jar of sauce and Parmesan cheese.

7. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours.

8. Top with more Parmesan and fresh basil.

9. Serve with your choice of veggies and garlic bread.

10. Stop drooling and start enjoying this delicious meal!