Super "D" Brownies

Before you decide to make these, I must pass on the following warnings:

• Do NOT make these if you have little or no self-control as they can be highly addictive. 
• Do NOT make these if you are on a diet. 
• Do NOT make these if you are the only person home for the next 24 hours.
• Do NOT make these unless you plan to take them to or serve them at some sort of get together or party.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dip

Apparently, the kids enjoyed it. :)

I love "dessert" type dips with my apple slices (or celery), but a lot of them are high in sugar and thus high in carbohydrates. A couple of months ago I attended a meeting with a dietitian and she suggested this as a good low carb substitute to caramel dip. This dip is low carb, gluten free, and can be made sugar free. Plus, it helps that it's delicious.

[No sugar added] Tropical Yorbet

The other day I was cleaning the kitchen and came to the realization that my pineapple and two
mangoes were getting dangerously close to overripe. I didn't want a smoothie because I prefer my smoothies with banana in them and I was out of bananas. A fruit salad wasn't sounding terribly appealing to me either. I decided to grab my blender and ice cream machine from the cupboard and play. I tossed in the mangoes, half the pineapple (I let the kids munch on the rest), a cup or so of coconut milk, and 16 oz. of plain Greek yogurt (although vanilla would go nicely as well).

Pigs in a Blanket

My kids love pigs in a blanket and, well, I guess I do, too. I mean who wouldn't - a hot dog (turkey, pork, or beef) and cheese encased in a crescent roll "bun". No more hot dog falling out of the bun or the bun breaking apart. :)

The Laundry Monster is tamed!

There's a monster who lives in our house and I never seem to be able to keep it under control. It haunts me on regular basis but especially at night. It's at it's meanest when I just want to fall into bed and sleep. It's name, you may ask...

Clean Laundry!

With 2 adults and 4 children, we almost have enough dirty clothes for a large load by the end of the day, which means I go through roughly 7 loads off laundry a week. Now that doesn't include soiled bedding and towels. I used to have 1 set laundry day a week but since we moved my schedule just doesn't allow for that. I now try to do a couple of loads every other day, which has helped a bit with taming the dirty laundry monster. We also use a laundry sorter and that helps even more. 

Now our biggest problem has been the clean laundry. I struggled with getting it all folded right away and many times the clean clothes would pile up unfolded in the laundry baskets till they all needed to be ironed, but who has time to iron every piece of "visible" clothing? Not me! So I started folding the clothes as I took them out of the dryer. It did help but then I ran into another problem...I sorted the laundry on our bed (usually during naptime when the house is, for the most part, still) but I didn't always find time to put the sorted laundry away before we put the kids to bed. This was when the clean laundry monster reared its nasty head. I'd be so tired and frustrated that all the nice, clean, folded, sorted laundry had to go back in the laundry baskets to be put away another day. It made me feel like I wasn't really finishing my task (and it took up a lot of space in our bedroom since we currently have 6 people crammed into a 3 bedroom, 850 sq. ft. house).

I'm sure you've seen the amazing pictures of laundry rooms that people have shared on Pinterest and wished your laundry room could be so neat and organized. Yes, I'll admit that I have. However, the Lord provided a way of escape from my temptation to covet, and this escape came in the shape of 4 dollar store "mini" laundry baskets. I found them by "accident" really, I was looking for some little plastic boxes for sort small items when I saw them. I figured that for $1 each, we could swing it. I am so glad that I did. I still struggle with getting all the hanging clothes put away but now the kids can easily put their own folded laundry away.

Carrot Cake Waffles

I love finding new recipes on Pinterest, but the best part is that moment when I actually get the chance to try them out. My family loves waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, etc. and we enjoy doing "breakfast for dinner" once or twice a month so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest for Carrot cake waffles a few weeks back I just had to repin it. I am so glad I did because this recipe is truly a keeper. It's delicious and fairly healthy. I made a few modifications and then topped them with maple syrup and spiced cream cheese whip.

Butter Braid: Savory or Sweet

Sweet - Strawberry Mango Braid

A few years back, my sister introduced me to butter braids. The school my nieces attend was selling them as a fundraiser and they were delicious! But...they made for an expensive breakfast. My sister decided there had to be an alternative and came up with her own recipe. I wanted to try her recipe but she was out of town so I just winged it. This recipe make 3 loaves (each loaf cuts nicely into 8-10 pieces) and my sister usually freezes 1 or 2 of them but I still need to get her freezer instructions...

Multi-Grain Pretzel Dogs

Mutli-grain Pretzel Dog

I LOVE soft pretzels (they are one of my favorite foods), so when the hubby told me that I should try to make "pig's in a blanket but with pretzel dough" he didn't need to ask twice. I looked at all my soft pretzel recipes and picked one that I thought would work. Then I just jumped in head first (I generally don't fight my creative urges when it comes to cooking). I was glad that I did because these were DELISH! The kids loved them and we did, too. They are better than hot dogs in a bun and you could do a lot of playing around with dipping sauces, such as cheese, queso, ketchup, mustard, or chili. They take less than an hour to make and I think I may attempt freezing them (like their store-bought cousins by Super Pretzel but cheaper and hopefully better).

Tater Tot Casserole Skillet

One dish version with NO cream of mushroom soup

There's so much to like about tater tot casserole. It's fast, easy, comforting, and most of all, there is no fuss from the kiddos as they usually eat 1-2 full helpings without any complaints! I know it's nothing fancy but our family enjoys it. Most people don't even need a recipe as I'm fairly sure they've eaten it at least once in there lifetime. However, I decided to attempt something different when I made it this time and thus the following recipe.

Valentine Caroling, maybe a new family tradition?

At Christmas, Mr. R was so excited about caroling to our neighbors, but alas, we all got sick and stayed sick through New Years. He was quite disappointed over missing out on caroling. Fast forward to Valentine's Day... I decided that we were going to make up Red Velvet Brownies, cut them into large hearts and deliver them to our neighbors along with homemade Valentines. When I told the kids about the idea, Mr. R got a big smile and said, "We're going Valentine caroling." I told him that I wasn't really thinking about singing to the neighbors (since that is what caroling is all about, singing). He declared that they could sing as they delivered their valentines. I asked what song and they unanimously decided on "Jesus Loves Me". So that's what we did.

First, I took some white cardstock and I printed our Valentine message on it. Here is a link to the PDF that I made. Then, I cut the cardstock in half and had the kids glue heart shaped foil paper doilies to the front. They wrote their names on the back.

Finally, we cut our brownies into large hearts (they look small because I forgot to pick up little paper plates so we had to use large paper plates), and placed them on plates covered with plastic wrap.

The kids LOVED visiting each of our neighbors, delivering a Valentine, treat, and song to them. I think our neighbors enjoyed it as well. 

Dutch Apple Pie Muffins

With the streusel and some butter, yummy!

I really enjoy apple pie but don't make it often as it can be time consuming. With that in mind, I saw a special for $2 Dutch Apple Pies (the good kind in the freezer aisle) so I cheated and bought one to have when our company was here yesterday. This morning I was struggling with what to make for our usual "take along Sunday breakfast". Then I thought to myself, I bet I could make a muffin with flavors similar to Dutch Apple Pie. They turned out really well (Jared even told me that they are his new 2nd favorite). I would have added a streusel topping but I ran out of time, so I've added the recipe for it in case you have time to try it. Enjoy!

Shape up, Mr. Biscuit!

Biscuit Cars with Mixed Berry Jam

There are days when I know that the kids want need me to turn the mundane into something special and lunch is usually my ticket. It was time to think outside the [recipe] box... Sometimes I get the cookie cutters out and we make PB&J shapes but today needed something just a tad more interactive. Hmmm...pancakes?  No, we just had French toast... Biscuit pizzas? Nope, not enough cheese... Aha! I had it, biscuit shapes with  homemade mixed berry jam!

Miss E. and I made up the dough (just your standard fluffy, flaky biscuit recipe) and rolled it out. Then Mr. R., Miss A. and Miss E. picked out cookie cutters and cut out some shapes. We baked them according to the recipe and then ate them warm with some mixed berry jam. There were footballs, stars, cars, and circles to enjoy. And enjoy they did for they didn't leave even one to share with daddy! Poor daddy will have to wait till next time!

Stars, circles, cars, and footballs make for a fun lunch!

Restaurant-Style Chicken Wings

Our family really enjoys chicken wings. In fact, before we started really pinching our pennies BWW was one of our "go to" Sunday lunch options. We've tried wing recipes in the past and they've turned out pretty good but never had that restaurant-style taste, until now. Once a month our college/career's group meets after the Sunday evening service for a time of food and fellowship. Each month we do a different theme (subs, tacos, nachos, salads, etc.). This month we did sweet or savory snacks/appetizers and we made chicken wings. I did change up the recipe a little because I am a huge fan of seasonings.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your personal taste)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 20 wings
• oil for frying
• dipping sauce or sauce for coating (if you use a prepared sauce I suggest Sweet Baby Ray's creamy buffalo wing sauce, honey chipotle BBQ sauce, or signature sauce, but then, I am a HUGE fan of anything Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions

1. In a small bowl mix together everything but the chicken and oil. ;o) Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. 
3. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown (12 minutes seemed about perfect when I made them). Remove from heat, place wings on a paper towel to remove some of the excess oil. If coating prior to serving, toss in your sauce. If not, place them on a serving dish along side your dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Permanent Marker Mugs

Right before turning the oven on

Since adding homeschooling Mr. R. and Miss E. to my list of jobs, I have struggled with including more of the extracurricular activities (art, music, etc.) into their school week. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for me to get everything done, so when I do fit some such activity into the day I want it to be a little big and definitely memorable. This was one week where I really wanted to do a fun art (well, more craft than art) project with the kids.

Fingerprint Fall Trees

This Fall I embarked on a new adventure...homeschooling Mr. R. (K5) and Miss E. (K4). This new adventure brings many joys and struggles. It is a continual learning process for me - learning how to teach each child (as they are VERY different in learning styles as well as personalities), learning how to balance family, school, work, church, and hobbies, and learning how to lean and depend more fully on God for wisdom and strength. Anyway, today after finishing up all our books for the day I decided to do something fun (and messy because to children the level of fun is directly related to the amount of potential for mess). So I got out the brown permanent marker, some cardstock, and the red, green, and yellow finger paints.

Draw a wispy tree on the cardstock with your brown marker

Then pour a puddle each of the red, yellow, and green finger paint into styrofoam bowls or onto paper plates.
Show the kids how they can get different colors, a marbled affect, etc. by combining the paints.

Let them create a fall scene of falling leaves using the paint and their fingertips :o)

Miss A (3), Mr. R (5), Miss E (4), and my pictures (in order from top left to bottom right)

There are lots of things that you can do with these pictures.

1. You can laminate them and use them for place mats during the fall season.
2. You can frame them.
3. You can make a smaller one on folded cardstock and write a note to someone on the inside. 

Banana Pancakes

I needed to use up a bunch of VERY ripe bananas and decided to try my hand at banana pancakes. I happened upon a great (and healthy) recipe at Shef Shanan's. They were a huge success and the kids ate them up faster than I could dish them up! I did triple the original recipe as I was hoping to have extras to freeze.

TOH 3-Book Set + Free 1-yr Subscription + Free Shipping

I follow a few "Deal" blogs and happened to see a post yesterday on Pocket Your Dollars that made my heart beat a little faster...a Taste of Home deal.I am slightly "addicted" to cookbooks and foodie magazines (yes, I have more than I could ever find time to read through in their entirety).

Now through 4/29 you can get TOH's Family Meals & Church Suppers 3-Book Set for 19.93 (74% savings). Along with each purchase you also get a free 1-yr. subscription to Taste of Home. Plus, you'll snag free shipping if you use code LST82 at checkout. It's a GREAT deal for yourself or for a gift (Mother's Day, Wedding, Birthday, Housewarming, etc.).

So who are you going to buy one for?

"Trail Mix" Cookies

Jared promised the kids a treat if they finished their supper last night. I had a few different things that I could make so it wasn't a problem until the kids couldn't agree on which treat to make. Their options were trail mix, granola bites, or chocolate chip cookies and they all wanted something different. Then I had an idea, why not try to combine the flavors from all three into one - chocolate chip cookie dough with the addition of oats, coconut flakes, craisins, and crushed peanuts. The kids named this creation "trail mix cookies".

Microwave Blueberry Oat "Muffins"

My 1st Attempt

I am always up for quick, easy, and healthy dishes for breakfast or snacks so when I happened upon a recipe for 1 Minute Berrylicious Microwave Muffin I decided to try it.

Egg "Pizza"

A couple of months ago, I decided to try something special for my kiddos for breakfast - Egg "Pizza". They thoroughly enjoyed them then so I decided to do it again for Valentines. I let the kids add the "toppings" and cheese. Here's how they work:

In a small bowl whisk together eggs (2/person) and milk (a couple of teaspoons for each set of 2 eggs).