Lifesaver Candy Canes

 A great project for kids

 

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Arrange the eight lifesavers into the shape of a candy cane, alternating between the two colors.

3. Bake for 3 to 6 minutes, until candies are melted.

4. Remove from oven.

5. (if desired) Make a hole in the "top most" candy by pressing the drinking straw piece into the ornament, leaving it there until the candy has cooled.

6. After the candy is completely cool, gently remove the straw and thread the ribbon or yarn through the hole to hang the ornament.

Puff Paint

 Kids activity...

 

This is really cool and super quick/easy.  Combine the following in a little bowl:

• 1 tablespoon **self-raising flour
• a few little drops of food coloring
• 1 tablespoon salt

Then add some water to make a nice smooth paste.
Paint away (if you don't have enough paint brushes use cotton buds - they work really well).
Microwave the design on high for 10 - 30 seconds until the paint puffs and it's all nice and dry.  We did ours for 15 seconds.

**Making your own 'self-raising' flour:

1. Using a dry measure, measure the desired amount of flour into a separate container.
2. For each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
3. Mix to combine.

Peanut Butter Pie

This recipe is a family favorite & if you like peanut butter you'll love this pie. It isn't to rich but it's is like & sweet but in a peanut better way. I believe this is the kind of food they serve in heaven, it’s that good.

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. cool whip

Graham Cracker crust

Blend Peanut butter, powdered sugar & cream cheese together.

Add cool whip & mix ingredients together. (Careful not to over due it, to much mixing of the cool whip will make it flat.)

Pour into graham cracker crust. Total time on this pie is about 5 minutes, it's so simple.

Chill in fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

I haven’t tried this yet but I think an Oreo crust would put this over the top, which could prove to be dangerous.

Chili (with cocoa)

My kids call this chocolate chili but it doesn't taste like chocolate at all but it is delicious!
If you have never added cocoa to your chili then you should, it will change your life in a way chili never has.

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons of cocoa

1 can (16 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (15-16 ounces) kidney beans

2 cans (15-16 ounces) red beans

Combine all ingredients and simmer for one hour.

This chili is delicious by it’s self but one of my favorite meals is to add chips, cheese, tomatoes & spinach over the top of the chili.Think taco salad but not really.

Cranberry Pie

This pie is unbelievably good! The recipe came from Suzanne Reynolds who claims that she doesn't cook, however, THIS is something she CAN make. So, with that said....it's so easy even Suzanne can make it.

Love ya, Suzanne!

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This recipe makes 2 delicious pies.

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Topping:

1 pkg. (3 oz.) raspberry jell-o

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup cranberry juice

1 can (8 oz.) cranberry sauce (jellied)

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In a bowl combine jell-o with sugar and set aside. In a saucepan (or in the microwave) boil the cranberry juice. Pour over jell-o mixture, stir to dissolve. Whisk in cranberry sauce until cranberries are nearly dissolved. Chill to thicken (about an hour or so.)

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Filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup cool whip, thawed

2 Graham cracker pie crusts

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Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla then fold in cool whip. Spread into pie crusts. Beat jell-o until foamy, pour over filling and chill overnight.

Almost Snow Cream

Such a simple recipe

for an amazing drink that's not overly sweet.

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Recipe from Southern Living Kids Cookbook

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4 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Combine all ingredients in a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl, stirring gently until sugar dissolves. Microwave for 5 minutes on high or until hot, stirring once. Pour into mugs and top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Makes 4 servings.

Pork Potato Dinner

Ok.  Sorry for no pictures... But they ate it up before I could snap.  I mean, seriously, how many times do you have NO leftovers on a crockpot meal?!?!  Usually, we have tons of leftovers.  Not last night.  I LOVE crockpot cooking and this recipe made the family happy!

Pork-Potato Dinner

• Pork Tenderloin
• Potatoes
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted (or whatever you have on hand - I used cream of chicken)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Season tenderlon and put in crockpot.  Cut potatoes in halves and put in crockpot. Combine cream soup, milk, sour cream and seasonings.  Pour on top of tenderloin and potatoes.  Cool for about 5 hours on low and viola!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Okay, I bet a lot of people already know about these cookies, but they are SO easy to make and SO yummy. I got this from Shanell who got it from Weight Watchers.

1 Spice Cake mix

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*. Mix ingredients together and drop by teaspoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. WAH-LA!

Southwestern Turkey Soup

This is probably my all-time favorite soup. I found the recipe a year or two ago in a Taste of Home magazine. The picture doesn't do it justice--yeah, I'm not a photographer. I'll give you the original recipe and also write the alterations I make. It's really versatile, so you can do whatever you want with it.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth (I use water and chicken bouillion)
2-3 T. diced jalapeno pepper (I omit this since I have small kids and I don't do spicy very well)
3 tsp. ground cumin (LOVE this spice!)
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I just do a dash or two)
3 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained (I also add an extra can of beans, usually pinto or kidney)
1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (I just use a can of diced tomatoes and a can of chilies and tonight I chopped up a fresh tomato and threw it in)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn

Sour cream, coarsely crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and sliced ripe olives, optional--it's good with or without this stuff

*I also add about half a bell pepper and some garlic and fry it up with the onion*

In a large saucepan, saute onion (and peppers and garlic, if desired) in oil until tender. Stir in the broth, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Add the turkey, beans, tomatoes and corn. I have to add a bit of extra water since I put extra beans in. Just make sure you add a little extra salt, too.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with sour cream, tortilla chips, cheese and olives if desired. Yield: 7 servings. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli

I've had this recipe bookmarked for awhile now. It was super easy and yummy. The soup itself is pretty sweet with a little kick from the cayenne. The cheese ravioli totally balances out the sweetness perfectly. I loved it!
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2 lbs butternut squash

2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)

1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 24-ounce package of cheese-filled ravioli

1 tablespoon molasses

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Peel squash. Cut it lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut squash into 1-inch pieces.

In a large pot combine squash, broth and pepper. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in batches. Return to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Add your butter.

Meanwhile, prepare the ravioli according to the package directions; drain. Add to soup and serve with a little molasses drizzled over the top.

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I have a hard time peeling squash and I was in a hurry so.....I cut it in half, removed seeds and slime then put the squash in a casserole pan with 1/4 inch of water. I then microwaved it for 8-12 minutes, let it cool, then scooped out the squash with a spoon. I only had to boil it for 5 minutes before putting it into the blender. So much easier!

Homemade Hamburger Buns

My second post ever and it even has pictures! Are you impressed? Don't mind the deformities. My kids like to help shape the dough and I'm lazy when it comes to making my food look pretty. So, you probably think I'm weird for making my own buns, but they really are fast and easy. I don't always make them, but it's worth it. Use whole wheat flour and they are much healthier than the lifeless things you purchase in the store. They taste so good, too! Don't be intimidated, they are easy even for a novice bread maker. Here's the recipe (it makes a ton, so I cut it in half and I get about 1 1/2 dozen):

3 1/2 cups warm water

6 T. yeast

1 c. oil

3/4 c. sugar or 1/2 c. honey (I use honey and add extra cuz I like it sweet)

1 T. salt

3 eggs (I use 2 in the 1/2 recipe and it's just fine)

10 1/2 c. whole-wheat or white flour, or combination of both (I usually add a cup or so of white flour at the end)

Mix and set aside for 15 minutes the water, yeast, oil and sugar or honey. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. The recipe says to shape the dough right away, butI like to let it rise awhile in the bowl. I think they turn out better that way. Shape dough into rolls, cinnamon rolls or hamburger buns. I make a ball with the dough and pat it down a bit on the pan for the buns. One cookie sheet holds about a dozen buns. Let rise about 10 minutes. Bake 9-10 minutes at 425 degrees. You can use less yeast, but you'll have to let it rise longer. Freeze and leftover buns for next time.

There you have it. Hope you enjoy!

Stuffed Artichokes

Okay so I forgot to take a picture, but they looked and tasted so YUMMY! and they are super easy, really!

3 artichokes (we used 4 and just doubled the recipe and had plenty of stuffing, so if you want to just make one or 2 that is fine!)
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 c celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c butter (we used more...)
1/2 c chopped mushrooms

To prepare the artichokes: Remove coarse lower leaves. Trim off the tops of the artichokes 1 inch. Cut stems off so artichokes will sit. Boil artichokes in a large sauce pan for 30 mins, or until tender. Remove center and dig out fuzz with spoon.

In butter, saute onions, celery, galic, crumbs, mushrooms. Remove from heat and add cheese. Mix and stuff the three artichokes. (Stuff the middle by the heart, and in between the leaves.) After stuffing, sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese. Bake on a metal or glass pan at 350 degrees until hot. ENJOY!

Chicken 'N Dumplings (Crockpot)

3-4 chicken breast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 can's water
4 TB all-purpose flour
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (cut in cubes)

Combine all ingredients in CROCKPOT.  Add cubed buttermilk biscuits, make sure they are covered in liquid.  Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until chicken is cooked and ENJOY!!!

Made this for Sunday dinner tonight.  The picture doesn't do this meal justice, the green goop on the side is green bean casserole.  This is super yummy!!!

Rainbow Jell-O!

I made this fun Jell-O for book club this week.
The girls from my book club wanted the recipe for the Jell-O,
so I decided to make a little picture tutorial.

You'll need FIVE 6oz boxes of Jell-O.
I used 5 different colors.

TWO boxes of Knox Gelatin

One can sweetened condensed milk

Step One
Mix 3 packages of Knox gelatin in 1 1/2 cups boiling water.
Mix until dissolved.
Add sweetened condensed milk to Knox gelatin mixture.
Set aside.

Step 2
Mix 3 packages of Knox gelatin with 1 1/4 cups boiling water.
Mix until dissolved.
Set aside.

Step Three
Dissolve 1 box of Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water.
I started with blue because I wanted it on the bottom.
You can start with whatever color you'd like :)

Step Four
Add 1/4 cup of the Knox gelatin mixture to the Jell-O.
Pour into a 9x13 glass dish.

Step Five
Now the waiting begins!
Let set in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
I did 20 minutes and my layers were perfectly set.

Step Six
Pour 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk mixture over the Jell-O layer.

Step 7
Let sweetened condensed milk layer set up in refrigerator.
I let mine set 10 minutes and it was golden.
While I waited, I repeated Step 3 with the next color.
That way I was ready to add the next Jell-O
when the milk layer was set.

Repeat Steps 3-7 with the remaining four flavors.
Do not try to be speedy and use the freezer :)
My layer order was: blue, milk, green, milk, yellow, milk, orange, milk, redAnd VOILA!
You now have a beautiful rainbow Jell-O
to wow your friends and children :)

It can sit out of the refrigerator for up to three hours.
You can dig in with one big bite.

Or you can pull it apart and eat the layers separately like my Boy :)

Enjoy!

ETA: Because the process takes a couple hours to complete,
your milk mixture and your Knox gelatin mixture
might solidify during the process.
Don't panic!
You can just pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds
and VOILA! back to liquid form.

Homemade BBQ sauce

Easy and Yummy

1/2 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c water

In a saucepan combine ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, vinegar and water. Boil until sauce is thick. Pour over chicken and make BBQ chicken sandwhiches or use for BBQ chicken pizza.

[This sauce is tangy, but not hot. For those of you who like your BBQ sauce super spicy, you can experiment. My husband added crushed red peppers to his.]