*** Warning: Unhealthy, sugary, super yummy recipe ahead. Proceed with caution. I'm eating healthier and running again. But I still have a house full of kids (and a husband) that love sugary sweets and snacks. I'm trying to healthify a lot of their foods, too, but I'm not going to throw the sugar out of the house completely.***
Emmett was bored the other day and decided to bake something. He wanted to make homemade Oreo cookies, but we didn't have any chocolate cake mixes. We did however have red velvet cake mixes...
Emmett suggested using them. It turned out to be a really awesome idea!
Things got a bit messy when he was mixing the cookies up. See all the red splatters on his shirt?
Be prepared to get your hands dyed a bit red from all the food coloring when you mix these bad boys up.
This kid was so proud of his cookies! He couldn't wait for everyone to have one (and neither could we!)
Red Velvet Oreo Cookies
2 boxes of Red Velvet cake mix
1 cup shortening
4 eggs, slightly beaten
Filling
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1//2 cup butter or margarine
4 cups of powdered sugar
Mix together the boxes of cake mix, eggs and shortening in a large bowl. The best way to get it nice and mixed is to use your hands. Yep, that's right, stick your hands into that gooey mess and get busy. Kids love this part!
Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 7-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan before moving them. They'll flatten as they cool.
Soften the cream cheese and butter and whip in the powdered sugar. Scoop some of the filling onto one cookie and top with the second cookie. Now try to refrain from consuming the entire batch of cookies yourself. It will be hard. But you can do it.
Maybe.
Wouldn't these make a fun Christmas cookie? Or for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? Or even a great 4th of July cookie?
And it makes me wonder...what other cake mixes would make great Oreo cookies? I think we're going to have to do some experimenting.
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Alright, here's what I thought/learned/tried this week....
#1: Buy new clothes.
So, after you've had a baby and your clothes don't fit...go buy some new ones! Years ago I was on a trip out of town with a fun friend. I'd just had my first daughter and my clothes weren't...erm...fitting too well, yet. One day I wore some black loungish pants. Looking back I realize how bad I must have looked! Clothes and losing weight, etc. came up. My sweet friend said something (very nicely) about buying jeans that fit even though I was trying to lose weight.
Yeah. I needed that advice. I didn't want to spend money on clothes that (I hoped) would only fit me for a short time. But it's so much easier to get truely motivated to change your life if you feel good about yourself! And wearing baggy clothes or too tight clothes is not going to help you feel better about yourself. At all.
#2: Getting healthy is about eating more.
Yep. It's true. It's about eating more...of the good-for-you-grub! I think a lot of us look at getting healthy as having to deprive ourselves of all the foods we love. But no! We shouldn't look at it like that. Instead of focusing on what you can't have, focus on what you CAN have. Yummy salads full of vibrant colors, juicy fruits, crunchy grains....healthy food does not have to mean rice cakes and water (yuck.)
#3: Bananas rock.
Once you start eating healthy, fruit becomes your candy. I love it when I get to the point that an apple sounds fantastic. Where as before, I wanted cookies, cake and other high-fat foods, once I cut those things out, I start wanting juicy fruits. I love it!
I love, love, love grapefruit!
#4: Pick an anthem.
Who doesn't love a good song that gets you all pumped and motivated and ready to take on the world? If you're like me and you're trying to get healthy, consider finding yourself an anthem to get you excited. Play it before you work out, while you work out, when you're feeling low or when you just want to smile and feel good!
Mine is Now is the Start by A Fine Frenzy. I love this song!
#5: I love to snack when I'm writing. In the past I might have had M&M's or maybe a bowl of dry cereal. That's not going to work anymore. This week I saw bags of snap peas at the store. I grabbed a couple. And they made an awesome snack while I was trying to outline my chapters for the week.
#6: My favorite breakfasts....
Grape-nuts, banana chunks and milk.
Scrambled eggs with fresh salsa, half a blueberry bagel with butter spray and milk.
I also like the salsa cooked right in the scrambled eggs.
#7: Favorite lunches...
Giant salad of spinach leaves, romaine lettuce, broccoli chunks, bits of roast beef, sliced green onions, garlic croutons and a small drizzle of poppyseed dressing. Yum!
Small salad of spinach and romaine, olives, shredded parmesan cheese, small amount of bacon bits and poppyseed dressing (love that stuff) and some white rice, ham and soy sauce. (I'm making myself hungry by writing this post!)
Medium salad of turkey, spinach, romaine, carots, croutons and more poppyseed dressing. And a roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pickles and mustard on one of those thin sandwich bread stuff.
#8: I do not like zuchini. Until now...
I tried this recipe for zuchini fries from Budget Bytes (such a great site). And even though they aren't as pretty as hers...I was in a hurry and couldn't dip them one at a time. Instead all of them in the egg at once and then all in the panko coating. This is not the best way....But still...They were so good! And amazingly enough, a large portion of my kids even liked them (the rest managed to choke them down). We tried dipping them in spaghetto sauce. Yummo! I could have eaten the whole pan myself! We will definitely make these again.
#9: Week 2 of Couch to 5k done.
Sometimes I read during the walking parts. Sometimes I work on the shoppin list. But I always wear unmatched socks. Life with six kids does not lend itself to matching socks.
I grew up in the National Park Service. I was born in Ohio, moved to the swamps of sourthern Florida when I was two and lived there until the summer I turned 13 when we moved to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.
My mom loves to bake. Bread, cookies, cakes. You name it and she's probably whipped it up. And she not only loves to fill the bellies of those she loves with goodies, but she loves to give them away, too. I can't even begin to count how many plates of treats she asked us to deliver to our neighbors in those parks. Bachelor park rangers, friends who helped us with something or just because she thought they needed something sweet. And this is one thing (of many!) that I love about her. She has a beautiful, generous heart.
These Double Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies (aka lovely bits of yumminess) were one of her favorites to whip up. And still are!
Double Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 package (4 servings size) instant chocolate pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 (12 oz.) package chocolate chips
Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugar, pudding mix and vanilla in large mixer bowl; beat until smooth and cramy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture; then stir in chips. The batter will be very stiff. Drop tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
And then devour them.
Or, you know, you could give some away to a sweet neighbor or friend who needs a little love.
Isn't it beautiful? Oh! I love homemade bread. It makes my house smell glorious. It tastes fantastic. And an added bonus is I feel like a domestic goddess when I can serve this up to my family.
This bread is perfect for sandwiches, great for French Toast and regular toast, too.The original directions call for all white flour but I like to make it with half, or sometimes more, whole wheat flour.
The whole family loves this bread and some even think it's better than Great Harvest's. I'm not sure I completely agree with that. But I do love it quite a bit. And I definitely love the price tag more than Great Harvest's!
Last week I wanted to try a new crock pot recipe. And I decided to try this one for Slow Cooker Chicken, Potatoes & Broccoli. Only...I changed it so much it ended up not really being that recipe at all! First I didn't have any onion soup mix. Then I was going to add two condensed mushroom soups, but grabbed one chicken. And then I threw in a bunch of carrots, too.
So, yay! A new recipe....by accident.
Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggies
Chicken Breasts
Red Potatoes, chunked
Carrots, sliced or whole baby carrots
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1 can condensed chicken soup
1 cup milk
Broccoli, frozen or fresh
(Sorry! I don't have exact amounts.) Throw everything in the crock pot except the broccoli. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours. Add broccoli for the last 30 minutes.
And the best part? This was popular with the whole family. Sam said something like, "I didn't think the broccoli would taste good. But it actually does!"
Well, I put a lot of chicken and veggies in that pot. And after dinner was over....we were still left with a whole lot of chicken and veggies. But I didn't really want to have the same meal the next day. So, what to do...what to do?
Her tip for using parchment paper for the pie crust is spot on. (Only I used waxed paper since that's all I had!)
Then I filled that crust with the leftovers and stirred in some shredded mozzerella cheese (I was thinking of my mom's broccoli beef pie AND I had loads of this cheese I needed to use up).
Next I slapped that pie crust lid on (I am quite pleased with how that looks, just so you know. Wonky crust edge and all!) and brushed it with a bit of beaten egg.
Then I baked it until it was all golden and glorious. (Huzzah! Just go on and check out that flakey crust!)
And my kiddos raved and raved about it! They LOVED this pie! Which was awesome. I love it when things go right in the kitchen (because...um...they don't always turn out so well)
I served that yummy, scrumptious chicken pot pie with slow cooker mashed potatoes and a salad. And let me just say, the only thing better than that pie was those potatoes! Oh, Holy Hannah. They are FANTASTIC. In fact, there was a bit of a debate that night about which was better, the pie or the potatoes. I think I'm just going to have to call it a truce.
I grew up on these cookies. There were many afternoons, after school, that I got to come home to these yummy bits of yumminess. My mom is an incredible cook and she was always making us tasty treats for us.
I know. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.
I made these cookies the other day with Emmett after he got home from school. He gets home an hour before Sam and Zoe. At that time Rory and Molly are usually napping. And Weston is busy with cross country. So, I get to have some one on one time with him. It's great!
And since he adores these cookies, he was more than willing to give me a hand.
He was put in charge of mashing the bananas....
Which he really really enjoyed. (You might be thinking that is a lot of bananas...I doubled the recipe. There are a lot of mouths in this house. Plus my writing group was coming over that night. I love double-duty cooking!)
Emmett had the irrepressible need to make the lovely squished bananas into a volcano.
I love it when I get to spend some alone time with one of my kids. It's so nice to hear about their days, what they learned, who they sat by at lunch and the funny things they saw or heard. Cooking with them is a great time to chat and laugh together.
Banana Bread Cookies
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teasoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ok. Now this is a tricky recipe. Are you ready?
Throw all the ingredients into a bowl, mix together really good, drop by tablespoonfuls onto a pan making sure to not put too close (the batter is runny and thin and it spreads quite a bit) and bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges.
See? So. Hard.
Now, I feel the need to repeat one thing. The batter or dough is much thinner than regular cookie dough. I once gave this recipe to a good friend. When I asked her how she liked the cookies she said, "Well, the batter was really thin so I added more flour. So, they were kind of bland."
I thought that was pretty funny.
So, don't add more flour. They're supposed to be a flat pancake-like cookie. They're yummy and fantastic and an excellent way to use up those ripe bananas.
These are my very most favorite waffles in the whole entire universe.
Yummo! I love them just out of the waffle iron with a bit of butter on them. And I love them completely slathered with butter and dripping with syrup.
So, ya know, real healthy like.
I found this recipe (or rather the recipe that I would tweak and would then become this recipe) about eleven years ago. I loved it! Well, actually, the first attempt I liked but my husband thought they were too dense and too dry.
Well, maybe he had a good point there.
So, I fiddled with it a bit. Added some buttermilk and more butter (more butter...yep, that makes everything better, right?)
And came up with this recipe! I made it a few times and loved them. Then....I lost the recipe! I thought about these waffles every now and then. I tried finding the recipe on-line again. No luck.
But a few months ago as I was sorting through a stack of recipe books I didn't need anymore....I found it! Huzzah! I was thrilled!
Now I'm putting it on my blog and I will never lose it again! (cue heavenly chorus)
Apple Cinnamon Cake Waffles
2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup applesauce
Mix flour, sugar and spices until thoroughly blended. Add slightly beaten eggs to applesauce and then add to dry ingredients. Stir in melted butter and buttermilk. Bake in hot waffle iron until crisp and yummy!
I'm not sure how many waffles this makes, but I triple it for our huge famiily and then usually have leftovers for the next day.
It seems there is an unwritten law which requires waffles in blog photos
to be stacked, drizzled with syrup and patted with butter. Seems like a brilliant plan to me.
I love Snickerdoodles. Soft, chewy, cinnamon sugary sweet....yummo!
The other day I tried this Snickerdoodle recipe from My Mommy Style and as I was stirring them up, I realized I was out of vanilla (or so I thought! I found the missing bottle days later)
So, I decided to substitute almond flavoring. I love that stuff. It smells so incredibly good. But I wasn't sure how the snickerdoodles would be. Would they taste funny?
But...nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?
And it was such a great choice because the cookies were fantastic! (And let's all agree right now to not talk about the obscene number of these I consumed. Doubling the recipe is not always the best idea...)
I loved the cinnamon sugary taste with the smooth and yummy almond flavor. Hmmmmm....what other recipes could I use almond instead...
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***
Oh. My. This stuff is crazy good. I mean scream-and-giggle-like-a-tween-girl-at-a-sleepover-when-someone-mentions-that-your-crush-looked-at-you-today kind of good.
My mom made a big bowl of this for the luncheon after we blessed Rory. And it was all kinds of popular. I managed to steal the last bit though.
I snagged the recipe from her and made it for a church cookout last week. And I overheard people talking to each other about how good it was.
THEN at church on Sunday the girl who was giving the lesson asked if I made this salad for the cookout because she loved it so much and needed the recipe.
Yep. It's that good. And what makes it even better? It's super crazy easy, too.
Chicken Poppyseed Salad {a.k.a. Salad Crack}
Loads of lettuce (any kind...green leaf, romaine, iceberg...I used spinach and green leaf)
Shred or chunk up that chicken. Wash the lettuce. Chop the green onions. Grab your peas, noodles and dressing. Throw it all together in a big bowl. And then try to restrain yourself from shoving your head right into that bowl, devouring the whole blasted thing and licking it clean.
