Mummy Juice

I signed up to bring juice for Abby's Halloween Party at daycare. I wanted something cute that went along with the theme. Here's what I came up with:

I got the idea from One Charming Party. They used small individual juice containers, but with Abby's class still using sippy cups, I had to take a different route.

I used the large, square Juicy Juice containers and large googly eyes. They worked out great for her toddler class. :o)

Happy Halloween!

Freezer Meals

I haven't written any posts this week because...well...I haven't been cooking. Bad..I know. We've had a crazy busy week. Luckily, I've had a few meals in my freezer that I could simply warm up this week.

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Do you like to freeze meals to have handy for nights you just don't feel like cooking? What are some of your favorite recipes to freeze? Be sure to check out Southern Living's article on tips and recipes for freezer meals.

Oatmeal Cookies-Halloween Style

I made some oatmeal cookies for one of my neighbors this weekend. I love oatmeal cookies! I decided to spice it up a lil bit and add some M&M's instead of raisins.

Quaker Oats Oatmeal Cookies 

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup raisins

1.  Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

 

Baking Wishlist

I don't do a lot of baking, but I love to make cookies. I've made several batches of oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies the past few weeks and I've decided I need some new 'tools' for my kitchen. Here's what is on my wishlist:

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Where have Silpats been my whole life?!?

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A cookie scoop would make my life so much easier!

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Finally, new large cookie sheets.

I think I would be a happy girl if I had these in my kitchen right now. It sure would make baking cookies a breeze.

What's on your wishlist??

Menu Planning Monday

We're busy this week with parent/teacher conferences, football games, and practices. Easy peasy this week!

Monday: Lasagna (from the freezer)
Tuesday: Southern Plate: Chicken-n-Dumplings
Wednesday: Steaks, baked potatoes, and salad
Thursday: Crockpot Salsa Chicken (didn't make this a few weeks ago)
Friday: Grilled hamburger and chips
Saturday: Wedding Celebration for my cousin :o)
Sunday: Spaghetti-n-meatballs

Southern Plate: Chicken Planks & Butterfinger Cake

My little man made all A's on his report card this week. He's in two advanced classes, has been swamped with homework and football, he's missed school due to two funerals, AND he hasn't brought home a B on a report card in two years...and even then it was only one and it was an 89. To say that I'm proud of him is an understatement. :o) As his reward for having such good work ethic, my husband vowed to take out the trash and unload the dishwasher (both chores that Nate despises) for two weeks and I made him his favorite meal with his favorite dessert.

We've never paid for good grades. They are just something that is expected in our house. It's not actually about the specific grade, it's about doing the work and trying his hardest. We knew he worked extra hard these past 9 weeks and we wanted him to know that it hadn't gone unnoticed. He was much happier with his reward than any money we could've given him.

If I ever ask for ideas for supper for the week from the guys, Nate always asks for chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, and mac-n-cheese. I decided to try Christy's recipe for chicken planks. I was hesitant because I've always used bread crumbs or flour for my breading. I couldn't figure out how crackers were going to make this work. Let me just say, I will not be making chicken fingers any other way now. I loved the cracker breading. It had just the right amount of crispiness. I also decided to make the comeback sauce. It's very similar to a sauce we buy at the grocery store. I was so excited to find a recipe for it, so I can save my money! :)

We finished our meal with a butterfinger cake. Nate had asked me to make him one for his birthday, but with my grandmother's funeral, I just didn't have time. I've made butterfinger cakes before, but they never turned out just right. This one must've been perfect because both Nate and Chad loved it!

I've had fun picking out recipes from my new book this week. I'm sure I'll have many more Southern Plate recipes to post. Be sure to enter in our GIVEAWAY to win your very own Southern Plate Cookbook!!

Southern Plate: Texas Caviar

I made Christy's Texas Caviar for the football game this past Saturday. It was really good. I think it would be great for a Summer picnic. Here's the recipe from Southern Plate:

Texas Caviar

2 green onions
1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cans black eyed peas (with jalapeno if available)
1 large can petite diced tomatoes
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 small bottle zesty italian dressing

Drain cans well and pour contents into large mixing bowl or dishpan. Add chopped parsley. Cut onions and add. Pour dressing over all and stir well. Refrigerate. Sever with tortilla or corn chips.

Southern Plate: Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I made slow cooker cheesy chicken and rice this Sunday and hosted my side of the family for lunch. I just love big Sunday meals. The only complaint I have is that I wasn’t able to get any pictures….it was gone before I knew it! Therefore, I’ll use Christy’s so you get an idea of how yummy this is.

 

I put my chicken in the Crockpot at around 9:30a and cooked it on high for 3.5 hours. The chicken was sooo tender. I shredded it up before I added my corn, cheese, and rice. Everyone loved this meal. It was a nice change to the tradition chicken and rice I usually make (white rice, chicken, and cream of mushroom soup). It was flavorful and very filling. I was able to feed five adults and two kids with her exact recipe. I do wish I would’ve doubled the recipe so that we all could’ve had leftovers. I’ll definitely make this meal over and over again. Here's her recipe:

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken And Rice

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)
• 1 -8 ounce box Zatarain’s Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
• 1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

 

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Southern Plate Review

I wrote my review on the Southern Plate cookbook today on our homepage. I love the cookbook so much I decided to feature a different Southern Plate recipe every day this week. Good old fashioned southern cooking at it's best. After a fun week of yummy recipes we'll host a GIVEAWAY on Friday that you won't want to miss!!

Beanie Weenies

I grew up on beanie weenies. Maybe it's just a southern thing....or maybe it's just a poor thing. Either way, I love 'em. My sweet, but picky husband on the other hand, had no clue what they were! I stumbled upon this recipe for beanie weenie casserole and I decided to give it a try.

Here are a few modifications I made:

1. I cooked this on the cooktop instead of a campfire...wasn't feeling that pioneer-ish after work. ;)
2. I cooked my onions and hot dogs on med heat before I added the other ingredients (I'm not a fan of crunchy onions).

I served with some yummy rolls. This is a quick, one-pot dish that's perfect for busy weeknights....and most importantly, it was a hit with everyone. Hope you like it, too. :o)

Recipe Swap: Alisha's Lasagna

I've been trying to make this recipe for what seems like forever. I knew it was going to feed a crowd so I was trying to plan it on a Sunday when my family is usually at our house. This Sunday I finally made the lasagna. I don't have a lasagna pan, so I had to use my 9x13 baking dish. Somehow, I ended up with enough lasagna for TWO baking dishes. I'm sure I screwed something up along the way, but it worked out great for me. I ended up freezing the entire second baking dish. There's nothing better than having a home cooked meal during the week with no work involved (or dishes to clean). Simply pop in the oven and you're ready to go! If you don't want to make as much I'm sure you can half the recipe and be just fine.

Alisha's Lasagna
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What you'll need:

• 1/2 onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• olive oil
• can of tomato paste
• big can of tomato sauce
• two cans of diced tomatoes
• spices-oregano, basil, Italian Seasoning, salt, pepper, sugar
• pack of lasagna noodles
• bag of mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• two small containers of ricotta cheese
• two pounds lean ground beef

What you'll do:

1. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a large pot. Dice your onion, and mince the garlic, then saute them in the olive oil until onions are transparent.
2. Then put tomato paste in the pot and stir into the onion and garlic. You almost want the paste to burn in the pan, it gives the sauce a nice flavor.
3. Then add in the sauce, and fill the sauce can up with water and put that in too (I only added half a can of water...I like my sauce a little on the thick side).
4. Then add the diced tomatoes, and spices...I just do about a teaspoon of each...oregano, basil, lots of Italian Seasoning, salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Season to taste. Let simmer for at LEAST 30 minutes...the longer it simmers, the tastier :)
5. In the meantime, go ahead and brown your ground beef. Drain, and mix into simmering sauce.
6. Now go ahead and boil your noodles, about 8-10 minutes, or until they are al dente. Make sure to salt your pasta water to give flavor to the noodles.
7. Drain the noodles, and you are ready to start layering. Get a lasagna pan, and put meat sauce on the bottom, then noodles, sauce, cheese (I do dollops of ricotta with mozzarella on top), and keep layering until you end up with cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes with foil on top so the cheese won't burn (I took my foil off about 8 minutes before serving so that my cheese would get really melted and gooey...yummm). Pull out of oven and let set a few minutes before serving.

I served with garlic cheese bread because it just seemed like the right thing to do. This is a good, hearty meal that makes you just want to gather your entire family around the table.

Thank you, Alisha, for sharing this wonderful recipe!!

Menu Planning Monday

This weeks menu is all about budget living. We're saving all of our pennies for our vacation to the mountains in November. I tried really hard to gather meals that included similar ingredients so I could buy in bulk. Here's what we're having this week.

Sunday: Alisha's Lasagna & garlic bread

Monday: Beanie Weenies & rolls; This should be interesting. My husband has never had them-which is always scary for him to try something new. I grew up on them, so I happen to like them. We'll see how it goes. :o)

Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken-n-rice

Wednesday: Dinner out to celebrate a friend's birthday

Thursday: Crockpot Chicken-n-salso

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Game day food-TBD

What's on your menu for the week??