pumpkin bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
15 oz can pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 cup oil
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until fluffy. Stir in all the other ingredients and mix well

Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes in a jelly roll pan.

Frosting...

3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup powder sugar

Cream cheese and butter together. Then mix in vanilla and powder sugar.
frost on cooled bars

Book Club

I am hosting book club on the 23rd of September. I need some good Ideas for some snacks/food/desserts.

I found one thing I will be making, avocado egg rolls from the cheesecake factory. Any other suggestions?

Meal Planning 9/21 - 9/27

Monday
L- Eat in Rexburg
D- Family Home Evening Dinner with Willson Family (taco soup)

Tuesday
L- Left overs
D- Chicken buffalo sandwiches (previous post, never made!)

Wednesday
L- Tacos
D-Pizza

Thursday
L- Mac & Cheese with Chicken nuggets
D- Potato bar

Friday
L- Sandwiches
D- Utah, eat out

Saturday
L- Tailgate BBQ at Utah
D- Eat out

Sunday
L- Utah?
D- On the road?

Meal planning is Back!!

Its Autumn and I am ready for more Meal planning. I have been planning, just not as good, and I have decided if I don't write it down or blog it, I do not stick with it.

Monday- Ground Beef Enchiladas
Tue- Baked Teriyaki Chicken
Wed- Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Thurs- Tacos
Fri- Spaghetti
Sat- Left overs/or Pizza
Sun- Roast and Potatoes

Summer Salads

I love summertime salads. I found some great looking salads that I'm going to make this summer. Click on a photo and it will take you to the link to find the recipe. Enjoy

Meal Planning [4]

This weeks meals include.

1. Monday. Sam's club Pizza
2. Tuesday. Leftovers
3. Wednesday. Grilled Chicken with this Citrus Salad
4. Thursday. Rice Bowls
5. Friday. Turkey Burgers
6. Saturday. Anniversary dinner:)
7. Sunday. Roast and Potatoes

Lunch Ideas Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini.

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits

Dough:

1 1/4 lbs. Bisquik

3 Oz. freshly shredded cheddar cheese

11 Oz. cold water

Garlic Spread:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teas. garlic powder

1/4 teas. salt

1/8 teas. onion powder

1/8 teas. dried parsley

To cold water, add Bisquik and cheese, blending in a mixing bowl.

Mix until dough is firm.

Using a small scoop, place the dough on a baking pan lined with

baking paper. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until

golden brown. While biscuits bake, combine spread ingredients.

Brush baked biscuits with the garlic topping.

Peanut Butter Bars

Remember the peanut butter bars they had at school? I'd buy one everyday:) I found a recipe in Taste of Home the magazine. They are just how I remembered.

• 3/4 cup butter


• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter


• 3/4 cup Sugar


• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar


• 2 tsp water


• 2 eggs


• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 1 1/2 cup flour


• 1 1/2 cup cooking oats


• 3/4 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix Peanut butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar and water together. 2. Beat in eggs and vanilla. 3. In a separate bowl add flour, oats, baking soda and salt. 4. Gradually add to the cream mixture. 5. Spread in 15 X 10 X 1 greased pan, bake for 325 for 18- 22 minutes or until lightly brown.

Glaze

• 1 1/4 cup Milk Chocolate chips


• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips


• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1. mix all glaze ingredients in a microwave safe dish. Micro wave in 30 second intervals until smooth. 2. Spread over warm bars.

Let bars cool and enjoy. Store in a sealed container.

Crayon Roll

I am going to attempt these Crayon Rolls! I think they are so cute and the kids will love them!

Aprons

I bought an apron pattern back in the fall of 2008. I looked at it and put it away, I have been wanting to make Xoey an apron for her Kitchen she got for Christmas. I found this tutorial and thought I might give this easy one a try first!

Goodie Bags

I found these cute little bags to make for goodie bags at a birthday part.

Great Dessert!

I made these on Friday and You should really try them, I posted a link for them a while back. Here it is again. Just try them!! They are so good:)

Meal Planning [3]

Meals for this week include

1. Monday- Super Burgers with homemade mac'n cheese
2. Tuesday- Hawaiian Haystacks
3. Wednesday- Tater Tot Casserole
4. Thursday- Home Made Pizza
5. Friday- Boys are camping! Free to eat cold cereal :)
6. Saturday- Cafe Rio Chicken Salad. (I know another Cafe Rio recipe, The burrito was so good, I thought I'd give this a try!)

Crunch Free Abs

@ Yahoo! Video

I am in need of a few ab suggestions, to help balance out the great food finds and desserts that I love to make! I found these two videos on Yahoo. I am trying to get in a habit of abs in the morning before the kids wake:) I will keep you posted on the progress.

Cindi Whitmarsh - Belly Bulge Blast @ Yahoo! Video

Jessica Smith - Core Class @ Yahoo! Video

Quick Meal Idea #1

In need of a quick meal?

Taco Soup

• 1 large Can of baked beans
• 1 can of corn (do not drain)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 can of chili
• 1 package taco seasoning

Stir all ingredients together in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil or until desired temp. I use my crock pot.

Toppings are endless.

• Shredded cheese
• Frito chips/or type of corn chip
• Sour cream
• salsa
• fresh tomatoes
• fresh cilantro
• fresh avocado
• Olives
• Hot sauce

Meal Planning [2]

This weeks Meals
Week of May 11th - May 17th

1. Monday- Homemade Pizza
2. Tuesday- Cafe Rio Burritos
3. Wednesday- Grilled Chicken & Vegi Kabobs
4. Thursday- Chicken Stir-fry
5. Friday- Pull Pork Sandwiches (using left-over pork from burritos) With this salad
6. Saturday- Nachos
7. Sunday- Roast

*Some dessert and breakfast items include....
Orange Rolls, Oatmeal Carmelitas,

Burrito Bake

Burrito Bake

• 1 can Crescent dough
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or Colby jack, I usually use what I have on hand!)
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
• sour cream for topping
• salsa for topping

1. Brown your ground beef, once browned add refried beans over low heat, mix until pasty. 2. in a 9 X13 inch pan press down the crescent dough. 3 spoon meat/bean mixture over crescent dough. 4. Top off with shredded cheese. 5. Bake 375 for 15 minutes, or until the bottom is slightly brown and the cheese is melted. Top off with tomato, lettuce, sour cream. and salsa.

Meal Planning

Meal Planning for the week of April 20th..

1. Monday- Burrito Bake

2 Tuesday- Layered Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas Casserole

3 Wednesday- Loaded Baked Potato Soup

4 Thursday- Lasagna

5 Friday- Tater tot Casserole.

6 Saturday- Hamburgers

7 Sunday- Roast and Potatoes

This will be a dessert for one of the nights. -Bread Pudding

Janell's Cocoa Sheet Cake

This is from my sister-in-law Janell, I don't know where she got the recipe. It's the bomb!!

• 2 cubes margarine
• 4 table spoons cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp vanilla

1.Mix dry ingredients all together (except the coco)2. in a sauce pan boil margarine, coco, and water, pour over dry ingredients, stir. 3. Add sour cream, eggs and vanilla, mix well. 4. put in a greased and floured pan (cookie sheet.) Bake for 20 minutes at 350'

FROSTING

• 1 cube margarine
• 4 tbs cocoa
• 6 tbs milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. In a sauce pan bring coco, milk and butter to a boil stirring constantly. Pour over powdered sugar, add vanilla. 2 Frost while the cake is still hot.

Peach Jello Dessert

Jennifer you ask for it, so here it is! I hope these directions are good. It is so yummy, I might have to go get the ingreadents to make it too!! Hey you can use any other fresh fruit; I have used fresh strawberries and did strawberry jell-o too. If you use a different fruit, I'd just use the same flavor of Jell-O.

• 3 oz box of peach Jell-O
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 2 tbs corn starch
• 1 cup sugar

Boil above ingredients together until it is thick. Freeze or refrigerator until jello starts to set, yet not set all the way.

• 4 cups diced fresh peaches
• 11 oz cream cheese
• 4 tbs powder sugar
• 12 oz cool whip
• gram cracker crust (make for bottom of 9X13 pan and enough to sprinkle on top)

Mix cream cheese and powder sugar together, add cool whip and blend until smooth and well mixed.

once jello is ready add the fresh fruit and mix. Prepare crust for the 9X 13 bottom, spread half of the cream cheese mixture over crust, layer fruit and jello mixture, then add the remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle gram cracker crust to top it off. Let set in refrigerator for about an hour.

Play dough cookies

I want to make these! They look so colorful and fun.

Food Finds

I made these yummy-eat-them-all-up treats. They were oh so good. Easy too!

I've also tried these Cookies, they were so good. There is vanilla pudding in the recipe. Very good and soft. I added white chocolate chips and craisins(dried crainberries) to some of the batch in place of the chocolate chips. Very good!

Rice Bowl

• white rice
• stir fry vegetables (frozen Package)
• Kikoman Teriyaki baste and glaze
• boneless skinless chicken breast
• caned (8oz) or fresh pineapple chunks (if using can, use juice too!)

1. Cut chicken into chunks, place in a baking dish (I usually use a 8 X 8 pan), drizzle teriyaki baste on top of chicken (about 1/8 cup.) Add pineapple and juice to chicken and mix. Place covered chicken pan in 350' oven for 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink
2. Make rice according to package, I use my great rice cooker! (make as much rice as needed per serving.)
3. Prepare vegetables per package directions
4. once chicken, rice and vegi's are done, place rice in serving bowls, top with chicken and drained vegis, top with more glaze.

This is easy to add any other options as well. It is an easy to do recipe. Nothing complicated here!


Cooked Chicken

Rice Cooker

Frozen Vegetables in Microwave.

The finished product:)

Southwestern Chicken Pie

• 1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• 9 oz cooked chicken
  
• 1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice
• 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 can Green Giant Mexicorn whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
• 1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup old El Paso Thick 'n Chunky salsa
• 2 cups shredded colby-monterey Jack Cheese blend (80z)
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• Chopped parsley, if desired

1. Heat oven to 400'F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for two-crust pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.
2. Shred Chicken, place in bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except egg and parsley. Pour into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Brush top with beaten egg; sprinkle with parsley.
3. Bake 38-48 minutes or until golden brown, covering crust edge with strips of foil after 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley. Store in refrigerator.

I usually put my chicken in a crock pot in the morning and cook it with 1/2 cup of salsa, then it is great to shred.