Adorable

So isn't this adorable? I get home from work late on New Years Eve and my darling husband had a bunch of stuff planned out. First thing when I get home, I see the scrabble board set up on the couch and he's spelled out "Happy New Year's Eve" on it.

Isn't that freakin cute? Then he has a treat for both of us, some candy and some sparkling cider. We watched Teen Wolf and played scrabble for a couple hours. It was quite fun!

6 Layer Dip

This dip is great for parties. And I'm sure you could put it in a better looking dish... But here we go! This bean dip is great with Ranch Doritos or Tortilla Strips.
Here's what you will need:
1 pound 85% hamburger
1 package Guacamole
1 8 oz jar FRESH salsa (not the cooked kind. Pico De Gallo would work too!)
1 package shredded cheese of your choice
1 can refried beans
1 container sour cream

Now, you are going to cooke the hamburger. Add seasonings of your choice. I just used a hamburger seasoning, but you could use garlic salt, pepper or season salt. You decide! Cook it until all the pink is gone and drain the grease. Set aside.

Now, Mix the beans with about 1/4 cup sour cream and about 1/4 cup of salsa. It should be a creamy brown color when you are done. It tastes yummy!
Get a 13x9" pan and begin layering. Start with the bean dip and then add the salsa, sour cream and hamburger. Top with Guacamole and cheese and you have a YUMMY dip. You can melt the cheese if you wish in the oven, or you can eat it cold (I prefer it cold)

Easy Sandwich Amazingness

If you haven't ever added anything to a grilled cheese, you're missing out! I started by adding Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato to my grilled cheese. Well.... I have a new recipe for you! And it is AMAZING. You will need:

Yield 2 Sandwiches (and you will not want to share...)
4 slices white bread
2 tsp or so of Pesto
1 sliced tomato
1 sliced Avocado (or guacamole)
Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
Lettuce (Romaine does good)
Butter to cover the bread (room temperature)

Side note about the bread. IT IS IMPORTANT! Try to get the bread from the grocery bakery. It is delicious and works well for these sandwiches. English toasting bread would work as well. You don't want something too soft or thin.

Spread the butter on one side of the bread. Add ALL ingredients. Cook on griddle or pan med. heat until its toasted to perfection. ENJOY!

Flourless Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Okay, so these cookies are delicious, but I burned my beaters out on them. The original recipe was from divinebaking.com and I tried them out. NEXT TRY: I got better mixer (which is a Rival from Wal-Mart and is only $5 and it works AMAZING! The cookies took me less than 10 minutes to make!! WOOT

Now here's the recipe:
1 1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
3 egg whites
2 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar, divided
1/2 c. baking cocoa powder
1 tbls. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt 1 c. chocolate chips in microwave and stir. Set aside. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Make sure there is no yolk in them! Add 1 c. sugar. Blend until it is thick and shiny.

Now mix in cocoa and cornstarch in here. After it is mixed, add melted chocolate chips that have now cooled. Then, don't forget the 1/2 c. of chocolate chips at the end very end when they are all mixed and yummy. It now looks like double chocolate cookie dough and it should be thick like cookie dough. Spoon out into powdered sugar and roll ball around. Put on greased baking sheet. I used a pizza pan. (I don't have a cookie sheet right now okay!) Bake about 10 minutes till the tops crack. I cooked a bit longer and they weren't as shiny. If you read this, let me know what you think!!

Cheesecake Bowls

So I'm on a roll! First cheesecake balls and now cheesecake bowls! These were a huge hit at the church Christmas Party. Now there are two ways to make this particular dessert, and I'm sure you could think of more ways to make it as well! I got the balloon idea for the bowls HERE which is a cute blog called the Tum Tum Tree. (I found the recipe through Pinterest.) I made up the rest of the recipe, so no more credit due!
Okay here's some deliciousness in picture form:

Okay, If those don't make your mouth water you are CRAZY!

You know what's going to make this all even better? They are SUPER easy. I mean your husband could make these ladies. And they are fun to make too! Are you ready for the recipe? Well, for the balloon cups, go ahead and visit the blog I mentioned earlier. Basically, fill up a balloon to the size of bowl you want, dip in melted chocolate and let cool.

I used ALMOND BARK. Its found in the baker section of the store and its cheap, melts easy, and tastes nice. TIP: There will be a hole in the bottom of the bowl when you pull it up off the baking sheet after it is cooled. You can avoid this by dipping it again just on the bottom and letting it dry on its side, but honestly I just left the hole, because you can fill it with graham crackers! Also, use regular latex balloons, NOT tye dye. We used tye dye the first time and had issues! After bowl is dry, pop the balloon and peel it out of the bowl gently. Refrigerate.

For the filling:

1 package graham crackers (crushed)

1/2 stick butter (melted)

1 package of cheesecake flavored Jell-o Pudding

Milk

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter in a bowl. Put enough of this mixture on the bottom of the bowl to cover bottom and pat it down as best you can. Repeat with all chocolate bowls.

Prepare cheesecake Jell-o according to the package except, whip extra long with an electric mixer, and use whole milk. This gives the Jell-o a whipped cream texture. Let set in the fridge. Fill bowls with a scoop of this filling on top of the graham crackers. Use a cheese grater to grate some Almond Bark on top of the bowls for decoration. You can also play around with the melted chocolate and make a half moon shape to put into each bowl. The beauty of these bowls is that you can make it as simple or complicated as you like! Keep refrigerated.

For a different take on this same recipe, purchase a Jell-o cheesecake kit and prepare as directed. You can also try a homemade cheesecake that doesn't need to be baked.... I prefer the easy way :) 

Everyone thought they were cheesecake, little did they know they were actually eating pudding!

Cheesecake Balls

Okay Okay, You've heard of cake balls, and Oreo Balls, but have you heard of Cheesecake Balls? These are a little bit of heaven that I tried one day in Sunday school. I got the recipe from a girl at church. They are surprisingly simple and DE wait for it..... Lightful! So try them this way, or shake it up and add your own ingredients. But WARNING:You may eat them all!!!


Ingredients:
1 package Crushed Graham Crackers
1 package Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 block white Almond Bark (or other dipping chocolate)


So these are super simple! Mix the crushed graham crackers with the cream cheese until it is all crumbly and you don't see any chunks of cream cheese. Form into balls. Dip into melted chocolate. I melted the chocolate in the microwave. You can add more or less of any ingredient to your liking. Last night I tried adding melted semi-sweet chocolate chips to the graham cracker mixture and let me tell you: It was freakin amazing! Put them in the fridge and let them chill. When they are cold, they are the most delicious.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

So I'm gonna try and post a new recipe every week and get this blog off to a great start. I may post more often depending on how much love I get! So my first recipe will be a DELICIOUS pizza adapted from a french baguette bread recipe from my friend and a BBQ pizza recipe from another friend! Wanna see a picture of the finished product.... WELL your gonna have to look anyway, its too good to pass up!

Now doesn't that look tasty? So to start this off, we're gonna make the dough. Preheat your oven to 425 F and get rollin... Well, get rollin later! Here's the dough ingredients:

2 cups very warm water
1 packet yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups flour

Now mix the warm water, yeast and sugar together and whisk it. Place on top of warming oven (not in the oven mind you!) and let it set for 10 minutes. Then add the salt. Add the flour one cup at a time. If you need to add extra, go ahead (I needed 1 c. extra!) till the dough is soft, but not sticky. Now the fun part: Toss the dough into a pizza shape... Or for the less adventurous, roll it out on a floured surface and place on a greased pizza pan. If you want crust, leave a BUMP at the edges, or you can fold over the edges to form a crust. Now for the toppings.

BBQ sauce (about 1/2 a bottle)

1 package shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)

2-3 cooked and cubed chicken breasts (I seasoned them with garlic salt)

1 small diced and peeled purple onion

Spread your sauce as thick as you like around the pizza. I tend to use a bit less, because I like the topping flavor the best. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over the top. Top it with the chicken and diced onion. Then add the remainder of the cheese. Place in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown, the cheese is bubbly and slightly golden too. (It should look somewhat like the picture when you pull it out!) 

Let me know what you thought of this recipe... Send me some love!

Death By Chocolate!

 Here is one of my all time favorite recipes that my husband and I call "Death by Chocolate". It is a rich tempting cake full of dark chocolate and raspberries. It's the perfect recipe to give to you SO on Valentine's Day!

To Start Out:

Bake the Cake

2        C.   flour
1 3/4  C.   sugar
3/4     C.   unsweetened cocoa powder
2        tsp. baking soda
1/4     tsp.  salt
1        C.   water
3/4     C.   buttermilk
3/4     C.   vegetable oil
3        Lrg. eggs

Mix the dry ingredients and the add the wet ingredients. Mix until well blended. Pour into two 9" round baking pans that have been sprayed and floured to prevent sticking. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until tester inserted near middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in fridge. (Can be made a day ahead)

Second Step:

Ganache

18      oz.  bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
2 1/4  C.   heavy whipping cream
6        Tbs seedless raspberry jam, stirred to loosen, divided
2        containers fresh raspberries
Powdered sugar

Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Pour over bittersweet chocolate that has been chopped and put into a heat resistant bowl. Allow to sit for 2 minutes. Stir until creamy and smooth. Reserve 1 1/4 C. of Ganache in a bowl set on the counter to cool at room temperature. Put remaining Ganache in freezer until thick and cool stirring occasionally.

Remove cakes from baking pan carefully and invert on your cake plate. Spread 2 Tbls. of raspberry preserves over cake. Drop a few tbls. of cold Ganache on top of the jelly and spread evenly. Place second cake on top of the first. Repeat Jelly and cold ganache. Pour half of luke warm ganache over the cake. Use a frosting spatula to spread over the cake. Freeze to set ganache. Pour second half over the cake. Freeze to set. Top the cake with Raspberries in concentric circles and lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Easy Tips: Use chocolate chips instead of bittersweet chocolate. 

Baby Kisses

What is the cutest sight you have ever seen? Most mothers will probably think of their children doing something they deem spectacular. Well, I too think of my children. My beautiful daughter has such a big heart, my son is so patient. The cutest sight I have ever seen would be something insignificant to most, but awe inspiring to me. Picture this, the sun angling through the window, just bright enough to light up the room. My two children playing on the floor together. I see this every day. This is heaven. Well, my daughter who is almost two is very motherly towards her brother. She kisses him and tries her best to hold him. But he is 19 pounds and she is only 23. So it is quite comical to see her grab his arms and try to lift him up off the floor, or to see her roll him over and over trying to play with him! The other day she decided that she wanted to "share" with him, so she gives him a cracker. Now mind you, he does not eat food yet, only mama's milk. I hear him coughing and choking, then smacking his lips. I check in and she is feeding him crackers. Luckily they were small cracker pieces and he actually sucked on them till they were dissolved. But I had to calmly explain to her that her brother does not eat crackers. That these crackers are hers only.

Really though, the most precious moments I have every day are when my children are kind to each other. I can see the love of Christ in my children's eyes when they care for each other. I don't know what my husband and I did to deserve such wonderful children. I don't think we could be more blessed.

Innocence In the Eyes Of a Child

I do believe that one of the best times in a parents life, besides the birth of a child, is when you can see the innocence shining through your child's eyes. When I hear the phrase "eyes are a window to the soul" it reminds me of children. When they see a baby animal for the first time or when they go outside to the first snow of winter. Their eyes light up and you can see pure innocence behind their excited gaze. I got to see this the other day when my daughter saw baby bunnies for the first time and got so excited. Her eyes lit up and got so big. She stared at those little bunnies and you could see bliss in her eyes. Maybe when Heavenly Father tells us we need to become as little children, he is talking about that moment when their spirit lights up and shines through. If we could see the world in their eyes, we would never hurt another creature.

A New Car Named Alice

So yesterday we purchased our first car as a couple. My husband and I were so excited. Now our old car.. Bless his soul.. was named Haggard. His driver door did not open, we replaced: the starter (twice), the serpentine belt (twice), the alternator, wiper blades, filter, battery, cables.... ETC ETC. He was falling apart and we did not have enough to get a new car. Plus we loved Haggard. He has been so good to us. Even though he has died multiple times, he has been miraculously resurrected time after time! We finally decided about three months ago that it was time to get a new car. Problem 1: We have no money. Problem 2: we have no credit history. See banks are funny that way. They want you to get credit history, but they will not give you any loans to build your history unless you have credit history. Kinda like the employer that will only hire someone with experience, but you cannot get experience unless you get hired! So we found an amazing bank who finally allowed us a loan, and we purchased the car we have wanted. It is BEAUTIFUL! So my husband picks me up from work last night and we start to drive around in our brand new car.... And there was nowhere to go. See we live in a small town where everything closes early. So off at 11 and surprise surprise, there's nowhere for us to drive our beautiful new car to. (well new USED car!) So we just drove up and down the streets, enjoying the NO NOISE that does not come from the engine, the brakes that actually brake when you step on it, the car that actually drives when you put it in reverse and the wheels that actually grip the road! What a wonderful life...

Eerie Affair

Went to get my in state driver's license yesterday. You would not believe what happened. No really you wouldn't believe what happened! My license was suspended a few years ago. I have not had a ticket/accident or any other incident since I was younger when I got a couple speeding tickets. So boy was I surprised when my drivers license showed an unpaid speeding ticket! And it was in a county I had never been to! So here I am stuck in the DMV trying to deal with this through the state and come to find out the ticket was given to a man! I most definately am not a man... Don't got the spare parts. So, after an hour of being on the phone I finally got it all straightened out. "Mam, I got it all figured out. It should pull up okay now," I tell the lady at the desk. "Oh so sorry sweetie, we stopped testing 20 minutes ago!" BLAH. So gotta go back today (hopefully) and take my test and get my license. But don't worry. I'm legal now. Didn't know it wasn't in the first place. Stupid computer error.

Poop Boogers and Vomit

 This winter we have been sick almost every other week thanks to others who take their sick kids to the store, church or even to our house! My little ones are sick again! Now don't get me wrong, I love taking care of my kids, but the absolute worst thing when they are sick is all the bodily fluids. I didn't know a baby could produce that much sticky poop. Or that my daughter could slime that much snot. When they are sick, I just cringe sometimes when my daughter wipes her boogery hands all over me or when my son explodes and it gets all over my lap. Lovely images, right? Well then add in the coughing and the sprays of slobber every time they sneeze and you may begin to cringe a bit too! Then five minutes after you have gagged over some obscene amount of boogers, you get the most precious smile that fills your heart to bursting with an overwhelming sense of love and happiness. Kids come with ups and downs. Some days more downs, but one thing I can always count on is the happiness I feel when I look into their eyes and see joyful innocence brimming from within them.

Figuring out Surprises

So hubby just asked me if he could buy me a present ( we have a rule that if its over $50 we have to ask each other because of our tight budget.) He said it was over three hundred and I would love it. Other than that he didn't say anything. I of course agreed, but this morning as I was lying in bed waiting for my little goobers to wake up I realized I had figured out the surprise. Already. I hate how my brain works. Well, the other day at Walmart, I saw my husband looking at cameras. I thought nothing of it and honestly forgot about it until this morning. Now I am stuck wondering why I figured it out, feeling guilty and wondering if I should tell him, or just keep it a secret and pretend to be surprised. I can't believe I figured it out and I wasn't even trying. And he didn't even give any hints!