Funday Sunday: Jalapeno Bacon Poppers

These things are simply sinful. I actually had them for the first time down in New Mexico for Thanksgiving. Someone brought them as an appetizer and I sat there and inhaled them since I was starving. They are a bit spicy but if you pop em in your mouth without letting them touch your lips then you avoid the burning lips. They are oh so good. Give them a try especially, if like me, you have a ton of jalapenos hanging out in the garden. If I get a hankering for these I'll run out and grab 4 or 5 jalapenos and make enough for a snack. You can also make a huge amount for a BBQ. Tasty little suckers.

Jalapeno Bacon Poppers

Ingredients

• 20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
• 2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds (or you can use the already cooked bacon for small batches, just place it flat on top)

Preparation Instructions

If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep... Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). 
Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.
Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.
Yum!

Funday Sunday: Zucchini Brownies

Yep, I'm aware that it is not Sunday. I don't care, I had to share this awesome recipe for zucchini brownies. You see I am drowning in zucchini. I've won my battle against the squash beetle (well still battling I guess) and I am left with more zucchini than I know what to do with. It's a wonderful thing to have this problem. So I've raided the internet in hopes of finding something new and exciting to make. I've burnt everyone out on zucchini bread and sauteing it, so the newest thing is zucchini brownies. They are moist and so delicious. Please give em a try if you too find yourself with a zucchini or two to spare. Best thing? The kids don't know they are plowing into something packed full of shredded veggies! I even got Wesley to eat the batter (no egg in it) and he came back wanting more. If a 13x9 inch pan of these is too much you can successfully halve the recipe and put it in a round 8 or 9 inch pan.

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Frosting

• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares. 

Funday Sunday: Lemon Delight

I was on the hunt for a unique lemon cake recipe when I ran across this gem. My mom loves lemon and this fit the bill for her Birthday cake.  It's called Lemon Delight and it's simple and delicious for a summer cake. Try it out!

Lemon Delight

Ingredients: 

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, with juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs

Topping:

• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant French vanilla pudding
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, sour cream and eggs until smooth and creamy then mix in the mandarin oranges with juice. Beat well to break up the oranges.  Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
4. To make the topping, stir together the pineapple and instant pudding mix in a medium bowl. Fold in whipped topping. Frost cooled cake.

Funday Sunday: Apple Fritters

My husband loves apple fritters. When we were young and childless I'd run into the store and buy donuts on special occasions (or any occasion) and he'd always get apple fritters. Yesterday I decided I needed to make them, and make them I did...this morning. Oh how very yummy they were. You should try them, they were sinful little nuggets of future cellulite.

Apple Fritters

-1 1/2 C. Flour
-1 T. Sugar (I used 2)
-2 t. baking powder
-1 t. pumpkin pie spice (substitute cinnamon if you don't have this)
-1/2 t. salt
-2/3 C. milk
-2 eggs - beaten
-1 T. oil
-3 C. apples- peeled, and chopped
-vegetable oil for frying
-glaze (I used powdered sugar and orange juice)

Heat  and inch of vegetable oil in small sauce pan over medium heat. While it's heating mix flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie seasoning and salt in a bowl. Pour in milk, eggs and oil. Stir until combined. Add apples and stir until evenly distributed. Drop by spoonfuls into oil. Cook about 4 minutes a side. Make sure they are nice and brown before turning them.....the insides need time to cook. Glaze and devour. Yum!

 

Funday Sunday: Crockpot Yogurt!

Yes you read that correctly. I just made yogurt in the crockpot. Isn't that awesome?! I really feel all Suzy Homemaker like right now. It's a good feeling. I ran across this idea on another blog and felt the need to try it myself. You see I've been have a mini battle with the yogurt producers of America. I stand in the yogurt isle for at least five minutes just searching. What do I search for? The perfect yogurt. I look for a yogurt that is low fat, low sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no artificial colors (and possibly organic). It doesn't exist. Really it doesn't. Trust me. So I'm making my own. You know what? It's super easy and I'm mad at myself for not doing this earlier. Especially after buying all those Yo Baby Organic yogurts for the kids when they were babies. Oh how much money I could have saved had I made my own whole milk organic yogurt.....in my crockpot. Oh well. On to the recipe!

Crockpot Yogurt

Use a 4 quart crockpot. Plug in your crockpot and place it on low. Add half a gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2.5 hours.

Unplug the crockpot and leave covered for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, scoop out two cups of milk and place in a bowl. Add half a cup of plain yogurt (purchased from the grocery store....this is your starter). Whisk the milk and yogurt and pour back into crockpot. Whisk it all together.

Put the lid back on, keep it unplugged and wrap the crockpot in a heavy towel or two for insulation. Let it sit overnight or for 8 hours.

After 8 hours you have yogurt! Just mix in frozen fruit, fresh fruit, jam, honey, whatever you want.

Notes: I used 2% Organic milk and it came out fairly thin. I like thicker yogurt so next time I'll use whole milk just to experiment with. Also you can add a packet of unflavored gelatin when you whisk in the yogurt starter to help thicken it up. Some people also experiment with fat free powdered milk to thicken. I'm going to try this next as well. Enjoy!

Funday Sunday: Key Lime Pie

I don't have many resolutions this year. Just two really. First one is to get more organized. I want to de-clutter  the house, and put what's left in it's place. Second resolution is to be more creative in my cooking. To achieve this goal I plan to incorporate at least one new recipe a week into my meal menu. I've started subscribing to a new cooking magazine and can't wait to jump right in. Hopefully I'll get to share some winning recipes here on the blog over the next year. I thought I'd start with a recipe I discovered before the Holidays. Key lime pie sounded delicious and I ran across this one and had to give it a try. It got five star, glowing reviews on allrecipe.com and it only has three ingredients (besides the crust): two cans of sweetened condensed milk, half a cup of sour cream and key lime juice (and zest). That's it, that's all. I'm actually eating the last piece as I write this, the pie disappeared in less than a day. Way too good to not try.

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice (they are out of season right now so I used three limes....worked great)
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired.

 Enjoy!

Funday Sunday: Pulled Pork

My mom introduced me to the tasty deliciousness of pulled pork sandwiches this summer and we've been making them ever since (well twice anyways). It's great for company as it's made in the crock pot and feeds a lot of people. Try it this fall, you won't be disappointed.

Perfect Pulled Pork

-5 lbs, boneless pork butt shoulder

-1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (mom found this finally at Target)

-2 tsp. black pepper

-1 tsp. cayenne pepper ( I omit this)

-1 tsp. dried thyme

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 c. water

buns

Combine all seasonings in a small bowl and rub evenly over roast. Place meant in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add water. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours or until pork is very tender.

Plce pork on large cutting board or platter and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Pull, slice or chop to serve. Serve in buns with your favorite barbecue sauce on top. Yum!

Serves 16-20

Funday Sunday: Pumpkin Custard

I don't know about you but the best part of Fall for me is the food. When the weather changes and the temperatures drop out come the stews, chili and comfort foods. Nothing beats the smells of Fall. Cinnamon, pumpkin and apple....yum. I quite often have a pot of spiced cider on the stove simmering away just for the heavenly smell that fills the house. My other favorite? Pumpkin. I stock my pantry with canned pumpkin just so I can whip up some pumpkin custard at the drop of a hat. I've been making this for years and made some last night so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's basically just pumpkin pie without the crust (which I usually don't eat anyways). Hope you like it as much as our family does.

Pumpkin Custard

- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups evaporated skim milk (one 12-ounce can)
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, milk, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cornstarch, spices, and salt and sift into the pumpkin mixture. Stir the batter until combined well and pour into four 3/4-cup custard cups.

3. Place the cups in a 9 X 11-inch baking pan and add enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake for 50 minutes, or until set and browned lightly. Transfer the custards to a wire rack to cool. Top with whipping cream.

Funday Sunday

I haul the bread machine out occasionally and today I thought I'd share one of my favorite dough recipes. I found this herb pizza dough recipe online about a year ago and make it once every few months. It's a winner. It is super easy and the smell that radiates from your oven when it is baking is simply divine. I make it into a deep dish pizza in a 13 X 9 pan but I'm sure you could roll it out onto a standard pizza pan. Yum!

Easy Bread Machine Herb Pizza Dough

* 1 1/2 cups warm water

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 cups flour (all purpose or bread)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
* 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add ingredients in order to your bread machine. Select dough cycle. After cycle is complete roll or press into pan, no need to let dough rest again. *I oil my pan with olive oil so that it doesn't stick. Load up with sauce and toppings. *I also rub the dough with olive oil before baking so the crust is crispy and delicious. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Didn't I say it was easy?

Funday Sunday

Wesley has never been a "cold cereal" kind of kid. I've tried all sorts of different boxed cereals for breakfast but he never shows any interest. This is fine since they aren't exactly packed full of nutrition. I also figure since I'm home with the kid I can manage to make him a hot meal every morning. There lies the challenge. He quickly tires of the same meal every day (don't we all?). So I thought I'd share some of the breakfast meals he enjoys at this age (2.5 yrs).

Toddler Breakfast 101

Banana Bites:
This simple idea was plucked from one of the baby food recipe books I own.

• 1 Banana
• Boxed pancake mix (I use a whole wheat blend)

Just slice up the banana into coins. Mix up small bowl of pancake mix according to box directions. Pour a small amount of oil into a skillet and heat over medium heat. Dip the bananas into the batter and place into skillet and brown on each side.
These are the perfect little finger foods. The banana melts inside of the batter and they are delicious.


Strawberry Oatmeal:
Pretty self explanatory. Make a small pan of oatmeal (the real stuff, not from a box). While its still boiling add a few whole frozen strawberries. Pour into a bowl a smush up the strawberries with a fork. Add cinnamon and brown sugar.

My kid refused to eat oatmeal until Jessica suggested topping it with some sprinkles. Sure enough, once he tried it he decided he liked it. Now we don't need the sprinkles anymore.
The sprinkle idea works with almost anything, just to get them to try it....well maybe not meatloaf but who knows.


Chocolate Cereal:
Just make a serving of Malt-O-Meal (forget that toddler serving nonsense on the box, my kid can eat a normal serving, sometimes two) and squeeze in a little chocolate syrup (the light stuff is tasty). The kid eats this at least twice a week and is always the first thing requested when I ask him what wants (besides ice cream, of course).


Other Favorites:

• Chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Cheesy Scrambled eggs
• Muffins (any and all)

Just thought I'd share in case anyone out there is looking for some alternatives to cold breakfast cereal for their youngins, I know I'm always looking for ideas.

Funday Sunday

We're going to take a break from recipe sharing this Funday Sunday. This week I'm going to share a fun art project I ran across. Change it up a little. It's called Cornstarch Clay Handprints. This is great to do when kids are young and have those adorable little hands and feet. I made some of this dough yesterday for Greta's hand and foot prints and took some pictures of the process. It's super easy and when it's done you have a great keepsake to remember those precious little hands that grow way too fast.



Cornstarch Clay Handprints

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup warm water
Couple of drops of food coloring, optional

Mix baking soda and cornstarch in a saucepan; add water and food coloring and stir until
smooth.
Over medium heat, continue to stir until the mixture is like mashed potatoes.



Pour onto board to cool.



When cool knead.

Make a ball of clay, press into a flat circle and press hand into clay.

Enjoy!

Funday Sunday

We make a whole lot of chicken breasts in our house. I thought I'd share one of the many recipes for dressing up a chicken breast. This one is super easy with four ingredients, you probably have everything in your pantry as you are reading this. It's called Honey Mustard Baked Chicken.

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

- 2-4 Chicken Breasts
-1/3. C. Butter, melted
-1/3 C. Honey
-2 T. Mustard

First off, melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave and stir in the honey and mustard. Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce mixture over the chicken. Place it, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for an hour, basting it every 15 minutes. Super easy. Serve it with a salad and some rolls and it's a tasty, easy, inexpensive meal.
Happy eating!

Funday Sunday

This week I'd like to share an all time favorite dish in our family. By "our family" I mean my parents and grandparents. Homemade macaroni and cheese is like the mother ship of all comfort food and my family likes to make this any chance they can. My mother has perfected the dish over the years and I'm still trying to make it as well as she does. I'm posting the version that I use that Wesley loves. I call it Mandy's Macaroni and Cheese: Toddler Style.

Mandy's Macaroni and Cheese: Toddler Style

-2 C. uncooked pasta
-3 T. Butter
-3 T. Flour
-1.5 C. Milk
-1.5 C. Shredded Cheese

First off, cook the pasta according to directions on the package. You can use the traditional elbow macaroni but my favorite is a pasta called fusilli, it's just a basic corkscrew style pasta. It's perfect for little toddler fingers and there is more surface area to be covered in sauce.

While the pasta is cooking make the sauce. In a small sauce pan melt the butter over low/medium low heat. Add the flour and stir it up, let it bubble and cook a little. Slowly whisk in the milk a half a cup at a time until it thickens up, this may take a few minutes. Then add the shredded cheese and stir it up until it's melted and smooth. Pour it over the cooked, drained pasta and stir. To make the perfect portions for Wesley, I grease up a muffin tin and divide up the mac and cheese into it. Cover it and place it in the freezer. Once frozen pop out each chunk and place in a freezer bag. Then just defrost a portion for lunch or an easy dinner for a toddler. They've come in handy and the kid gobbles it up. Happy eating!

Funday Sunday

My friend Jessica started this theme as a way of changing it up and offering a fun recipe on Sundays. I asked if I could join in and this is my first post. I'm going to offer easy, mostly nutritious recipes that my family loves and can usually be made while holding a baby. That might tell you how easy they are.

This recipe is for Chicken Tortilla Crock Pot Soup. It's a long name and it's super tasty. I love using the Crock Pot and have done so a lot since Greta was born. I have to add that I don't think this recipe belongs in the "soup" category at all, it's maybe more the consistency of a chili I think. But you be the judge!

Chicken Tortilla Crock Pot Soup

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use two, can be frozen)
One can black beans (drained and rinsed)
One can Rotel tomatoes
Two cans Ranch Style Beans
One can Corn (drained)
One cup Salsa
Taco seasonings (half a packet, I use the low sodium version)

That's it. Open all the cans and pour them into your crock pot along with the taco seasonings, stir. Place the chicken breasts on top. You can even use frozen chicken breasts (have I said how super easy this recipe is?). Cook over low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours. Half and hour before you eat take the chicken breasts out and shred them. I do this by taking two forks, piercing the chicken with one and using the other to shred. Place the shredded chicken back in the crock pot and stir it up. Serve it up over tortilla chips and topped with shredded cheese. Super delicious!
*hint: if you like a creamier soup, just stir in a scoop of cream cheese or sour cream into the crock pot a few minutes before it's served. Yum!