St Patrick's Day Dinner!

We officially have a new St Patrick's Day Dinner tradition!  Everything we made was soooo good!  I wanted to do something along the lines of "green eggs and ham," so I searched some egg casseroles and came across this "Egg and Spinach Casserole" from allrecipes.com, and it was perfect!  Because the spinach made it green!  And it was sooooo good.  Here's the recipe I used:

6 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (16 oz) package small curd cottage cheese
1 (16 oz) package shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl with the onion and flour until the flour is no longer lumpy, then stir in all the other ingredients.  Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes, in a 9x13 pan (don't forget to spray it with Pam!)

Here's a picture- seriously, it's so good!

Then, I made shamrock pancakes!  I just used a mix that you add water to, but I added green food coloring!!  Then I heated up the frying pan and sprayed it, and just kinda moved the mix around to make shamrocks!  So cute!  And tasty :)

Then we had green Kool Aid, and green cookie bark for dessert!  I had seen this "Oreo Cookie Bark" on Pinterest last week, and it gave me an idea for St Patrick's Day, to just add green food coloring!!  I bet you could also use green mint oreos and give it a minty flavor, but I just used this recipe and it was sooooooo unbelievably delicious!!

11 oz Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
16 regular size Oreos

It said to melt the chocolate in a double boiler, but I don't have one, so I just boiled a small pot of water and put the chocolate chips in a glass bowl over it.  The steam does the trick so you don't burn the chocolate, and it works just as well!  So get the chocolate all the way melted into a creamy deliciousness- then put in the food coloring :)  Mash up the oreos, we used a freezer bag and just smashed them.  Then mix the oreos into the melted chocolate, and pour the mixture into a small (8x8 or 8x10) baking dish that is covered in wax paper.

Let the chocolate harden, we put it in the fridge for like 15 minutes.  Then lift it all off with the wax paper, and break it apart!  It was amazing and super easy and festive!

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

3-4 chicken breasts
3 cans Great Northern White beans
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (I just get the "original" flavor)
1 can Chicken Broth
1 Tbl Oil
3 cloves minced garlic
4 oz chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 onion (I just sprinkle a bunch of minced onion)

Cook & dice chicken.  Saute onions in oil (unless you take my easy route- minced!)

Combine all ingredients in pot and boil softly for about 15 minutes.  (You can also use a crock pot- 6 hours on high).  Stir it up good!

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream!

Yum!!! :)

Spooky Brownies

Someone posted this on Facebook and I had to share it here!  So CUTE!  I love Halloween!!!

From "The Wisdom of Witches"


Spooky Brownies
Brownies 
Just use any fun brownie recipe :)  They used:
1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box


Decorations
-1 1/4 cups creamy white frosting (from 16 oz container) 
-Green, pink and blue neon gel food color 
-16 large marshmallows 
-Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits 
-Black decorating gel (from 0.68-oz tube) 
-1 roll fruit roll ups (any red variety) 
-Gummy worms candies 

1. Make brownies as directed on box/whatever recipe you're using. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows, making 16 brownies.

2. Divide frosting among 3 small microwavable bowls. Heat frosting as needed: microwave 1 bowl uncovered on High about 10 seconds until frosting can be stirred smooth. If frosting becomes too firm while decorating, microwave on High an additional 5 seconds; stir.

3. Decorate as directed below, using 5 or 6 brownies for each bowl of frosting.

-Franken-Brownies: Add 3 drops green food color to frosting in 1 bowl; mix well. Top each of 6 brownies with 1 large marshmallow. Spoon 1 tablespoon green frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Decorate with green baking bits for eyes and ears. Use black gel for mouths and centers of eyes. Cut fruit snack to use for hair.

-Boo-Brownies: Top each of 5 brownies with 1 large marshmallow. Spoon 1 tablespoon white frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Use black gel for eyes and mouths.

-Spider Brownies: Add 2 drops pink food color and 1 drop blue food color to frosting in 1 bowl; mix well. Top each of 5 brownies with 1 large marshmallow. Tuck gummy worms candies under each marshmallow for legs. Spoon 1 tablespoon purple frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Use orange baking bits for eyes. Use black gel for mouths, centers of eyes and eyebrows

Homemade Apple Fritters

As long as I have known him, Brock has loved Apple Fritters!  They are one of his very favorite treats of all time!  So for Father's Day, I decided to try making him home made ones!  Aaaand, they were DELICIOUS!

Here's the recipe I used (I got it from seeminglygreek.com, but as always, added my own twist and adapted it to how I like it):

Homemade Apple Fritters Recipe:
1 heaping cup All purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. butter, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup milk + plus more if needed
1 apple, chopped into peanut size pieces (I used Gala, but just use your favorite kind)

oil for frying
powdered sugar for dusting (mix powdered sugar with melted butter if you want to make a glaze)

Mix dry ingredients together, then slowly add the wet ingredients, minus the apples.  When the batter is kind of a cake-mix texture, fold in the apples.  Heat up the oil in a frying pan, medium heat or lower, and deep enough to cover a little more than half of a scoop of batter.

Using an ice cream scoop, carefully place about 4 scoops of batter into the oil at a time and let them brown.  You can make them as big or small as you want, but a heaping ice cream scoop worked great for me.  Use tongs to grab the sides and flip them over when they are ready.  We dusted them with powdered sugar and ate them while they were still warm.  SO delicious!!!

This is the picture from the recipe blog I used; mine didn't look quite that good (first time around- I'm sure next time they will look much better!  Ha ha)

Try it!  Not super healthy, but very delicious :)  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Ribs

So, in my post about my Super Bowl Meal a while back, I mentioned that I made baby back ribs.  But I never told you how!  Secret- it is the EASIEST thing in the world and they are so so so good.

Crock Pot Ribs


Get some raw pork ribs from the grocery store.  I prefer baby back.  But rib tips are also really good.  Put a little bit of oil in the crock pot, just enough to cover the bottom completely.  Then put your ribs in.  Then, fill the crock pot with coke.  Yes, just regular old coke!  Until the ribs are submersed.  Then pour a bunch of BBQ sauce in as well!  Depending on how many ribs you have, it usually needs to cook about 4 hours.  They are ready when they are nice and juicy and tender- easy to cut, but not quite falling off the bone.

Put them on a platter and drown them in more BBQ sauce.  My favorite- Chipotle sauce!  My 2nd favorite- Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy.  You can buy both of those sauces at Wal Mart.

They are so easy and so delicious!  Now go try it and enjoy!!!

Caramel Brownies

These are the most deliciously moist, perfectly flavorful brownies you will ever eat!  Made from scratch, and SO easy!!!!

I got the recipe from allrecipes.com, but, instead of frosting, I decided to try caramel.  And it was perfect :)

Caramel Brownies


- 1/2 cup butter/margarine
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Caramel flavored Ice Cream topping

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Then beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder.  Spread batter into greased 8 inch square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Do not overcook.

Immediately after removing brownies from the oven, generously drizzle the caramel topping all over them.  It will seep into the wholes and, when it cools, give you the most delicious dessert ever!

Pretty sure I ate the whole pan by myself in like 2 days.  Awesome :)    

The Bagel Sandwich

Let me teach you how to make a sandwich that has breathtaking deliciousness :)

Toast a SaraLee Plain Bagel.

Fold two pieces of Bar S smoked ham lunch meat and place them on the bottom portion of the bagel.

Spread the top portion with 1/3 fat Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese.

Put it together, and enjoy!

It really is so so so good :)  And quite nutritious!!!