Pick-Me-Up in a Pot

Two things that we go through like crazy are apples and oranges! Owen can always be caught with an apple in his hand, usually straight from the fridge without us even knowing! As a family we love citrus fruits! I felt like there was more we could do with all these leftover rinds and cores, especially since they aren't safe for Charlie to eat.

I filled a medium sized pot with water. I added the rind of a few cuties (it's all I had at the time), a cored apple (the rest had been eaten), two-three drops of vanilla, a few dashes of cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg. I brought the whole pot to a simmer and left it for a few hours. When the water would get low I would simply add more! The smell was so inviting, yet subtle enough that we weren't left with a headache. This is my new go to for a pick me up. The added bonus is some moisture in the air for these dry winter days!

Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of the most versatile lunch creations out there. You can add or subtract just about any of the ingredients, with the exception of chicken, of course. I know most recipes call for shredded chicken, but that's simply not how I like it. This is the recipe I use to feed my family. We love to put it on croissants since they add a nice buttery complex!

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground mustard

Cook your chicken breast in the oven with your favorite seasoning (I just used salt and pepper). Meanwhile, dice the onion and celery and add them to a small bowl. Once the chicken is cooked and cooled slightly, dice it into chunks. Add the mayo, garlic salt, pepper and mustard. Mix together until everything is coated. Enjoy!

Christmas Chex Mix

I've seen this recipe running around for a few years now. Honestly, it's always sounded so amazing but incredibly sweet! My baby sister is in town this week and we felt like baking. So, off to Walmart we went in hopes of finding all the ingredients for this treat. I will not lie. This is INCREDIBLY sweet. But, it is always INCREDIBLY delicious! I couldn't sneak the bowl away from Haley (she's easily addicted). It's now clear why people recommend this for the holidays. I can imagine it's nothing short of a crowd pleaser and easily a gift. Oh and please don't let me forget, this is even easier to make than muddy buddy!

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Cooking Classy)

7 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Golden Grahams cereal
1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup butter

In a large bowl add the cereal, almonds and coconut. Set aside. Melt together the corn syrup, butter and sugar until it's bubbling. Pour slowly and evenly over the cereal mixture. Slowly fold it together, coating all the cereal. Store in a covered container. Enjoy!

Homemade Egg Nog

I use to turn my nose at egg nog. The word itself isn't that appealing to me, but the thought of consuming raw anything sends me over the edge. My husband, on the other hand, loves this stuff! He counts down the days after Halloween for it to hit the grocery store aisle, then we spend the next few weeks with a jug in the fridge. I, personally, HATE the store bought kind. And this version, my friends, taste far better than anything you can buy.

Now, let me be honest. Although this recipe doesn't take a lot of ingredients, it does require a lot of your time. You have to slow cook the egg mixture to kill any bacteria, but you can't allow it to simmer. You literally have to stand at the stove and mix it around and around and... well you get the point. This egg nog is worth it though. It's not overly sweet and it's so luscious!

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

12 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 cups milk
dash of cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
sprinkle of nutmeg

In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar and milk over a low heat. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks and place in a bowl. Once the milk is heated, slowly whisk it into the eggs (this is called tempering, you're warming the eggs slowly so they don't cook). Return the milk/egg mixture back to the saucepan and place over a slow heat. Cook for about 25 minutes to heat the mixture till it coats your spoon and becomes thick. BE SURE THE MIXTURE DOES NOT BOIL! (Did I make that clear?) Return to the bowl and stir in 1 cup of the heavy cream, cinnamon and vanilla. Place in the fridge.

Whip the other cup of cream on a high speed to create "whipped cream". Fold it into the cold egg nog and serve. (By adding the whipped cream, you're giving it a luscious and velvety texture.) This will last about 4 days in the fridge, if you can keep it around that long. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tomorrow the kids and I are getting up bright and early for a cookie swap at my good friend Amy's house. I wanted to branch out from the traditional types(though I still made oatmeal raisins), so I went with something rich and delicious. This recipe comes together very quick. These are soft and very decadent. I'm so excited to see what the other ladies bring, but I'm mostly excited for the conversation! Its fun to get together, gab and let the kids play. And well, Amy's breakfast she put together sounds pretty darn good too!

Ingredients:

2 sticks softened salted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Stir in the flour and cocoa powder until a thick dough forms. Fold in one cup of the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on a baking sheet, press them down slightly. Top them with a few chocolate chips and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. When they are finished cooking, leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes to firm up. Store in an airtight container (if they make them that long)! Enjoy!

Candied Pecans

We're all starting to get into the season of giving. I, for one, have been thinking about gifts for Christmas. Of course we don't want to forget the people that make everyday life functional, like the mailman or teachers. But, it's also a busy and expensive time of year where money gets squeezed a little tighter so we want to fit in everyone affordably. People, in general, love recieving homemade goods. A basket of fresh baked cookies, chocolates, or nuts. I found that these candied pecans are perfect for gift giving! I roasted these sweet treats in no time, filled a mason jar with them and added a little tulle (leftover from our Turkey Wreath). They were sweet, crunchy and very aromatic. I will proudly hand these jars out knowing that I added a little cheer while not breaking my bank.

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Gimme Some Oven)

4 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and salt. Mix it together until it's well combined. Whisk your egg white and vanilla extract together in a small bowl and pour over your pecans. Once the pecans are coated with egg, toss them into the dry ingredients. After coating the pecans, dump them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread them out evenly. Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir them up. Place back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before filling your jars or place them in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Turkey Wreath

On Saturdays we usually go out for breakfast, run our errands, and do what chores need to be done around the house. This is mostly because on Sunday we always do absolutely nothing (except watching Packer games and The Walking Dead). Today, we decided to do a fun little project. I found a tutorial on making a turkey wreath on Pinterest and off to Hobby Lobby we went. Now, anyone that knows me well, knows that I like organization. And that I have zero patience. Unfortunately, these two things usually cause me some sort of stress while working on crafts, so I don't do them often. On the other hand, my husband is the perfectionist. This creates chaos! Add in a nosey dog, curious cat, and two wild children, and you can imagine what goes into make anything more than dinner.

I'm not going to go through the motions of how this beautiful turkey came to be because we simply followed an awesome tutorial. We did change a few things though that I will make note of. For one, we painted his beak orange. Also his gobbler, (Adam and I are SERIOUSLY unsure of what this thing is called) is hot glued under the beak instead of hung over it. If I ever make another one I will also use a thicker string or ribbon because the yarn was extremely time consuming. Last but not least, we did half of him in yarn and half in tulle. You can add more tulle if you prefer. Overall the whole project took us two hours and he looks pretty darn cute hanging above our fireplace.

Awesome tutorial found here ---> Baby Rabies | Thom the Turkey 

"Extra" Muddy Buddies

I cannot believe it has been a month since I've blogged. After a much needed vacation to Puerto Rico, my family has been laying low. Adam and I sipped Pina Coladas on the beach under a nice big umbrella. The kids enjoyed time with my mom in Atlanta, going to the park and eating Owen's favorite, I-Hop. Owen has also been enjoying preschool! He had his first Halloween party and dressed up as Ironman. I've never in my life seen a kid so excited for school. He begs us to go! The mornings that he has school, he springs right out of bed! Haley is still her usual, happy, energetic self. Her little legs go as fast as they can across the house, all day long.

To kick off this holiday season we decided to make some muddy buddies. I think every American household has enjoyed this treat at some point. I know it's nothing new or special but we do make ours a little more "muddy". I love for the cereal to be well coated while still being crispy. I have found that not only do you have to make some extra coating, but you have to mix everything in small batches first.

I start by measuring out 8 cups of rice chex.

In a pot, melt down 5 tablespoons of salted butter.

Add in 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips and 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter.

Add 1/3 of the cereal to a large bowl and pour 1/3 of the chocolate mixture over the top.

 Mix it well and repeat with more cereal and chocolate until every piece is covered.

Add the coated cereal to a gallon size ziplock bag and pour a generous amount of powdered sugar to the bag. And then, as Owen would say, SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!

It's ready to munch once it's all powdered! Enjoy!

Better Than Box Brownies

Brownies don't last long in our house. Especially the corner pieces! It's usually a knock-down-drag-out fight for them. Boxed brownies tend to be so convenient and relatively cheap, but you would be surprised at how convenient it can be to make things from scratch. These brownies were made with ingredients I already had on hand (and usually do have on hand). It took me less than 10 minutes to mix them up. That just happens to be a mere two minutes longer than what a box would take and good news is, they take the same amount of time to bake in the oven. These brownies taste exponentially better too! I love a warm, gooey brownie, but hate how oily they can be. These are fudgey, firm and oh so good!

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup self rising flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

chocolate chips or walnuts if desired

In a pot melt together the butter and sugar till smooth. Remove from the heat and add in the salt and vanilla. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add in the eggs (if the mixture is too hot the eggs with cook so make sure you cool it down). Whisk in the flour and cocoa powder and pour into a prepared 8x8 baking dish or a brownie pan. I topped mine with a few semi-sweet chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Bites

After an eventful Saturday, to include me ending up with a sprained ankle on crutches, we are relaxing at home today. My mother-in-law, Becky, is in town visiting for a few weeks and we've been so busy, that's its nice to relax on the couch. Owen starts preschool tomorrow and finally started potty training! We're on day 4 of no diapers (and it's such a relief)!

Becky decided to make us some sweet and salty bites. I'm pretty sure most of you have had these as a treat because they are popular around the holidays. Owen had so much fun making these. He even unwrapped a few chocolates (and he ate them too...). Take a pan full of pretzels, and top them with some chocolates. Bake them for about 5 minutes. When you remove them from the oven quickly press in your toppings! Could they be any easier? We used dark chocolate Kisses, Rolos, pecans and M&Ms.

Now I've got to get back to the Packer game! GO PACK GO! BEARS STILL SUCK!

Easy No Bake Cookies

Why have I never made a no bake cookie before? Seriously! I don't think it gets any easier than these and from start to finish it took me 15 minutes. I will admit, they are more like a candy or fudge than a cookie, but we still really enjoyed them. Adam was so kind to run to the store and grab quick cooking oats (they are imperative to this recipe) and I'm sure he's glad he did. There were lots of sneaky hands in the cookie jar today! 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (sweetened)
5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cup quick cooking oats

Start by setting out a few pans lined with parchment paper. In a large pot, melt together the butter, milk, cocoa powder and sugar. Stirring frequently, bring the chocolate coating to a boil. Let the chocolate mixture boil rapidly for 1 minute and 30 seconds (okay okay, I know this seems silly but it's really important so your cookies set). Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter until melted. Fold in the oatmeal until its all coated. Drop spoonfuls of the cookies onto the prepared pans and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

Pretzel Bites

I love to take the kids to the mall, grab some pretzel bites and let them play on the indoor playground. Its like a little "me" time among the chaos. They are one of my favorite treats. I really wanted some today, but I surely wasn't making the forty-five minute drive to the mall. When I started looking up recipes I instantly became intimidated. I wasn't sure I was up for such a challenging recipe on a Monday afternoon. Let me assure you that once you the dough has risen and you have your station set up, it takes less than a half an hour to get these in the oven. They were soft and chewy with a little bite on the outside. Boiling them in baking soda helps to give them a nice fluff and beautiful color. I made simple salt covered ones and a batch of cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar I served with a side of sweet glaze, and they were the perfect dessert after our cheesesteaks.

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Smells Like Home)

1 packet dry active yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted butter
4 cups all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)

You'll also need olive oil, 2/3 cup baking soda, sea salt, melted butter and cinnamon sugar (I used a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar to 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon). For the glaze I used powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract.

In the bottom of your stand mixer combine the warm water, active yeast and sugar. Let sit until the yeast proofs and begins to foam. Add in the salt, melted butter and flour. With the dough hook knead dough until it's smooth and pulled completely from the sides. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with tin foil and set to the side for it to rise one hour.

Once the dough rises set up your station. You'll need two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, a large pot of boiling water with 2/3 cup baking soda, an oiled surface, and melted butter. Preheat your oven to 450.

Start by pulling off a large ball of the dough. Roll it into a log on the oiled surface. Cut of 1 inch pieces. Cover them with a moist paper towel while you do the remaining logs. Drop 10 bites into the boiling baking soda water and allow them to float to the top, stirring around for about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon remove them from the water and place on the lined baking sheets. Once you get all the pretzels on the sheets, coat them with the melted butter. If making salted pretzel bites, sprinkle them with salt. Place them in the oven to bake for about 12 minutes. They will turn a deep golden brown.

Brush them once more with melted butter. If you're making cinnamon sugar bites, throw them in the bowl of cinnamon sugar after you butter them out of the oven. Enjoy!

Inside Out Egg Roll Bowl

I, without a doubt, admit to having an obsession with one pot wonders. This meal may just be one of those new favorites meals. You can throw this meal together in less than 10 minutes. Its perfect for those nights when the kids have something going on, traffic was really bad, or you just don't feel like cooking. Since it's made with reduced fat sausage and a heaping pile of cabbage, it's a skinny form of take-out. Plus, who doesn't love Chinese food!?

Ingredients:
1 pound reduced fat bulk sausage
1 12 oz package dry shredded cole slaw mix
1/4 cup reduce sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

In a deep skillet, brown the sausage until cooked through. Pour the cooked sausage onto a paper towel lined plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add the dry cole slaw mix, garlic, teriyaki and soy sauce. Sauté long enough for the cabbage to soften and cook down. Add the sausage back in and stir together heating the sausage back up. Serve over white or brown rice and top with onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This zucchini bread is UNBELIEVABLE! Chocolate cake meets zucchini bread and it is certainly a match made in bakers heaven. I have multiple bags of fresh grated zucchini bread in the freezer and they worked perfect in this bread. And, for a bonus, most of the fat is replaced by unsweetened applesauce, so you won't have to worry about having a little bit bigger slice. The kids and I are hosting a big playdate tomorrow. Ten lovely ladies and their kiddos are coming to eat a late breakfast and play. It has taken me a long time to meet people here, but better late than never!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp light butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded zucchini

1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the eggs and applesauce until a smooth liquid has formed. Add the applesauce, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and flour. Once it's all formed a thick batter, stir in the zucchini. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into a prepared loaf pan and sprinkle on the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until the middle is done. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!

Cincinnati Zoo

Although we live in a somewhat small town, it is centrally located in the perfect area! Within two hours, in multiple directions, there are several zoos. Since Adam is in the midst of a four day weekend, we decided to take a road trip an hour and half north for a family fun day. This was our first time at the Cincinnati Zoo and I can assure you that it won't be our last. It was so clean, the "traffic" flowed well, and the botanical gardens were gorgeous. We really enjoyed our time seeing all the animals, (and bugs too).

We've made it our mission to check out all the zoos around us. We are in a lucky position to be able to live and visit so many wonderful and exciting places. Our children will never have a "home" that's in one solid place for their entire lives, so I want to build memories. They will know what it is like to travel, discover, and appreciate the sacrifice that it takes to live the Army life.

We ended with a little Dippin Dots! Next zoo on our list is the Louisville Zoo!