Oh my goodness! Popcorn

Day 84…

 

I have a sweet friend that is in the Mission Training Center getting ready to serve a mission and I miss her terribly.  SO…last night I decided to make a delicious treat to send to her.  I forget how much I love to bake.  Well…I guess…making Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, and Carmel Popcorn is not really baking…it is popping, melting and stirring.  HA HA!!! 

 

Want the recipe?

 

 

Oh my goodness!  Popcorn

1 cup popcorn kernels, popped

1 lb. Almond Bark

1lb. caramel

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl. Pour crushed candy canes over the top of the popcorn. Melt the almond bark according to the package.

Once the almond bark is melted.  Mix well. 

Pour over the popcorn.  Pour the popcorn out onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment or foil.  Spread it out into an even layer and leave it alone. 

Melt the caramel and drizzle over the popcorn.  Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the popcorn and caramel.  Leave it until the almond bark and chocolate has hardened. 

When chocolate is hardened, use your hands to break up popcorn into chunks.  Toss in a bowl and eat!!  So delicious!!!

 

 

~Michelle

Choose Tacos!

Day 68…

When someone asks me what I want to eat, my mind instantly goes to Mexican food.  I absolutely love tacos and anything about tacos.  If I had to choose one food that I had to eat every single day for the rest of my life…it would be TACOS.   If you really ponder this thought…tacos would be the best bet.  Just think of all the things that you could make with tacos-

 

Tacos

Chips & Salsa

Salad without the tortilla

Nachos

Taco Salad

All the veggies by themselves dipped in ranch dressing.

Hamburger (roll it up in the tortilla)

See…the possibilities are endless.  HA HA!!! 

If you have to choose a food…choose tacos!!  They truly will bring a smile to your face. J

If you would like to have a recipe for Sloppy Tacos…check out this website.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/sloppy-taco.  Delicious!!!

 

Happy eating!

~Michelle

Delicious cheesecake…

 

Day 62…

Have you ever had one of those moments when you want to bake something but you are not sure exactly what it is?  You peruse the many cookbooks in your cabinet, you go through every recipe in your recipe file and then you find it…  The recipe that makes your mouth water.  Well, that happened to me.  Very Yummy & Easy Cheesecake.  Aw…it is heavenly. 

I borrowed this picture from the web…I forgot to take a picture of it.

Very Yummy & Easy Cheesecake

Graham cracker crust:

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

3 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs

¾ cup sugar

Mix together and spread in a 13” x 9” pan.

Filling:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 ½ cups Sour cream

¾ cups Sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

12 oz. Cool whip

Mix thoroughly cream cheese, sour cream and sugar, vanilla. Fold Cool Whip into filling mixture. Pour onto graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

 

Try it…it is heavenly!!!

~Chelle!

Cookie Dough Brownies

I needed to make a treat for work and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make until one of my dearest friends suggested Cookie Dough Brownies.  They sounded delicious and since she was there to make them with me, we made them.  They were delicious! They tasted exactly like cookie dough. SO HEAVENLY!!  Plus…they are so easy. 

Picture taken from www.thehubofourhome.comIngredients

Brownies

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1 c. butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 T. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13-inch glass baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring until smooth and well-combined.
4. Add the sugars to the chocolate mixture, and whisk until well-combined.
5. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until sugars have melted.
6. Once sugars have melted, remove the chocolate mixture from heat, and let it cool to room temperature.
7. Once the chocolate mixture has reached room temperature, whisk in eggs one at a time until combined.
8. Add the vanilla and stir until combined.
9. Whisk in the flour mixture until just combined.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
11. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few fudgy crumbs.
12. Let the brownies cool in the pan to room temperature.

Cookie Dough Frosting
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 and 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
5 Tablespoons Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips(mini or regular)
Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add the flour and salt stir until combined.  Stir in the milk and beat until the frosting is fluffy.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips.  Spread on cooled brownies and frost.  Enjoy!

Happy Baking!!  Bake with a friend…it a lot more fun than baking alone!!

~Michelle

Salad Mason Jars…easy and delicious!

One thing that I absolutely love…it is finding new recipes and trying them out.  There is just something about the warm fuzzies that flood my whole body when I create something.  I just love it.  Well, I was chatting with a dear friend of mine and she mentioned that she was going to try a new idea for lunch.  Salad Mason Jars.  Have you heard of them?  I hadn’t but I definitely was intrigued. 

After asking a bazillion questions, I decided to try to create them on my own.  SUCCESS!!! 

If you haven’t heard about this amazing delicious goodness…let me share.  It is a salad in a Mason jar.  Seriously, in a Mason jar.  You can chop up all your veggies and layer them in a jar and they stay fresh all week long.  Do you think I am teasing?  I am not.  This is incredible.  In fact, I am so excited about it that it makes me giggle.

Ok…so the key to pack the jars is to pack from wet to dry, bottom to top.  I started chopping the vegetables that were wetter than the others and went from there.   I started chopping and chopping.  (I wished I would have taken a picture of my cutting boards that were on my counter.  It definitely was colorful and pleasing to the eye).  After I chopped all of the veggies that I wanted in my salad this week, I started to layer them in the Mason jar.  I started with the dressing and ended with the lettuce.  The key to keeping the lettuce crispy…it needs to be at the top away from the dressing. Oh…one thing that is important is to pack your veggies and lettuce.  You don’t want to add any extra condensation from open spots.  Does that make sense?

Bottom layer:  Spicy Ranch Dressing

1^st layer:  shredded cheese

2^nd layer:  green peppers

3^rd layer:  Olives

4^th layer:  Garbanzo beans

5^th layer:  shredded carrots

6^th layer:  lettuce

I am on my third day and the veggies are just as crispy as on day one.  I love this new concept (well, at least for me it is new).   I grab it out of the refrigerator in the morning and take it to work.  I don’t have to think about what I am going to have for lunch.  It is already for me.  At lunchtime, I grab my little Mason jar and dump out the ingredients. 

Isn’t this awesome?!  Aw…this just makes me smile.

Let me know if you try it, I would love to know what you put in your Mason jar. 

~Michelle

A recipe…The Food I Had Today!

I was sitting with Vieve as we were eating our lunch and reading our books.  I looked over at what she was eating and it looked DELICIOUS. I asked her to send me the recipe.  I love trying new recipes and this looked like one that I would want.

Excited to make this delicious meal, I opened up my email to receive the following:

Food I Had Today

Rice
Meat that was seasoned with taco seasoning
Corn
Beans
I cooked them all, and then I mixed them together, and I mixed in some
cheese with it too. I used Mexican cheese. And then that was a little
blandy still, so I mixed in just a smidge of salsa. I used Pace, but
that's because its my favorite, it's not too spicy for me. That's it,
that's the whole recipe. So boring.

Huh?  I was a tad bit confused.  There wasn’t a name for the recipe.  She entitled it “Food I Had Today”.  Where are the measurements? How was I supposed to create this scrumptious meal without measurements?  Guess what?  I did it.  I just added some rice, hamburger, corn, pinto and black beans…exactly how she wrote it.  So, I mixed them together and…

enjoyed “The Food I Had Today”. 

Happy Eating!

~Michelle

P.S.  I am grateful for food to eat. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pizzookies!

It seems like when Autumn time arrives, I crave pumpkin.  Pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin ice cream. Pumpkin bread.  Pumpkin waffles.  Pumpkin shakes.  Aw…I love pumpkin.  I am not sure why I don’t crave it any other time of the year. It doesn’t make sense? 

Anyway, I needed to make a treat for some friends that were coming to my home.  As I looked through my recipe file, I didn’t find anything that was exciting.  I wanted to make something delicious.  After pondering for quite sometime, I decided to make PIZZOOKIES!!!   I love this delicious dessert.  It is so gooey and delightful.  But…this time I decided to use pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough and pumpkin ice cream.   As I tasted this divine creation, I felt like I was in pumpkin heaven.  AW….DELICIOUSNESS!!!

Pizzookies

Pumpkin chip cookie dough

Pumpkin ice cream

Chocolate sauce

Preheat oven to  350 degrees.  Fill ramekins about 1/2 full of cookie dough.

Bake in preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes or until golden around the edges. They will still be soft in the middle.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Top with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Enjoy!!

~Michelle

P.S.  I am grateful that I love to bake!! 

Cinnamon Roll Heaven

I love waffles.  I love the smell of waffles baking.   I love the scrumptious taste of a waffle covered in delicious syrup.  I love waffles.  Waffles are definitely a comfort food for me. 

Several weeks ago,  I had a strong desire to taste this sweet goodness.  I asked my dear friends at work if they would be interested in having waffles for breakfast.   They did!!  As we were eating our waffles, someone said…”Hey, it is Waffle Wednesday!”  Since that day, we have eaten  waffles every Wednesday morning.  I love it.  Deliciousness!! 

The other day, I came across a delicious post on Pinterest.  It was Cinnamon Roll Waffles.  I suggested that we try this scrumptious idea.  Oh my goodness, I felt like we were Cinnamon Roll Heaven.  I loved them.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles:

1 can of store bought cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting

Spray waffle iron, place 4 cinnamon rolls on a preheated waffle iron and close to cook.  (We used our Belgium Waffle maker so we only placed 2 cinnamon rolls in the waffle maker)

Cook.  Don’t rely on the light…your waffles might be done before the light goes off.

 

Cream Cheese Syrup Recipe:

Cream cheese frosting (the one from the cinnamon roll can)

1 Tablespoon Karo Syrup

1 Tablespoon water

Mix the frosting and the Karo Syrup together.  Add water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is met.  Drizzle over hot waffles.

Delicious!!  I love Waffle Wednesday!!

~Michelle

P.S.  I am grateful for new ideas.

Chicken & Stuffing Recipe

I love to bake!  I love to cook!  I don’t do it very often because whatever I make…stays around forever.  I love leftovers but leftovers that last a week…just loses its excitement.

I love to find new recipes and try them out.  Well, I found one and I can say that it is definitely a keeper. It only has 4 ingredients and it was so easy. 

Chicken and Stuffing Recipe

4 Chicken breasts

6 oz. Stove Top Stuffing Mix.

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup.

Place chicken breasts on the bottom of the crockpot.  The recipe suggested that they be thawed. I forgot to thaw the chicken breasts so I used frozen ones.  It did take a little longer to cook but…it was worth the wait.

 

Mix the sour cream and soup together and pour over the chicken breasts.

Pour Stove Top Stuffing over the top of the soup mixture.

Cook for 4 hours.  Fluff with fork.  Serve with yummy veggies!

Delicious!!!

Happy eating!!

~Michelle

**When I make it again. I am going to pour the Stove Top Stuffing over the chicken and then add the Sour Cream and Cream of Chicken soup mixture. **

 

P.S. Today, I am grateful for snuggle time with my sweet niece, Brylie.  We snuggled and read books together.She brings so much joy into my life.  

Chili Dog Casserole

Do you like chili?  Do you like hot dogs?  Do you like cheese?  Are you busy?  If you happened to say “yes” to all of these questions, my dear friend, you need to try this delicious recipe.  The other day, Abbey brought this delicious meal for lunch.  I tasted it and knew that I needed to have the recipe.  It is so easy and delicious!!

Chili Dog Casserole

3 (15 ounce) cans of chili with beans

1 (16 ounce) package beef frankfurters

10 (8 inch) flour tortillas

2 cups of Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spread 1 1/2 cans of chili in the bottom of a 9 x13 inch baking dish.

Sprinkle cheese on tortilla and roll up hot dogs inside tortillas.

Place in baking dish, seam side down, on top of the bed of chili.

Top with the remaining 1 1/2 cans of chili.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the chili. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

DELICIOUS!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Michelle

Sweet & Sour Chicken and Lo Mein

I think that I have expressed the love of trying out new recipes. Late one night as I was browsing the many fun websites on Pini, I came across a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken. I knew that I needed to try this recipe. Oh my goodness…it was so delicious and so easy!!!

  Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

 

Then…I had received this recipe from Gabby and had to try it. Let me just say…IT WAS DELCIOUS!!!!

Lo Mein

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil-sesame or peanut oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin slices
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger or 1 teaspoon powder
1 3-ounce package chicken flavor ramen noodle soup
1 1-lb bag frozen mixed oriental vegetables
1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.
2. Add vegetables and lid. Cook until vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. In the meantime, cook the noodles (without the flavoring packet) according to package directions. Drain.
4. Add soy sauce, garlic, ginger and seasoning packet to water. Mix well. Pour over chicken and vegetables, add noodles and toss to mix.

SO DELICIOUS!!!!

~Michelle

Fruit Pizza…a delightful treat!

Each month in our department at work, we have a birthday party. My dear friend, Gabby and I have placed ourselves in charge of this type of festivity. If anyone else was in charge, there wouldn’t be any celebrating. This month as we were discussing the delicious treats that we might provide for the birthday celebrations, the thought popped into my head…FRUIT PIZZA!!

I had been visiting with my dear friend, Pini. Pini is my new best friend that keeps me company on my insomnia nights. We visit quite frequently with each other. She is amazing. She provides so much insight and entertainment. I am so glad that I have gotten to know her. She has been a true lifesaver. While I was visiting with her, I came upon a delicious recipe for fruit dip. Along with this recipe, came the most amazing idea…A Fruit Pizza Bar.

Sorry…I get side-tracked sometimes.  Back to the story….for March birthdays, we had the most delectable treat. A sugar cookie covered with a delicious spread (cream cheese and marshmallow crème), bananas, blueberries, strawberries and pineapple. They were simply divine.

My creation.  I really wanted to add bananas but a trip the hospital was not in the plan today. 

This is Wade’s creation…sugar cookie, cream cheese spread, sugar cookie and fresh fruit. 

It was a lot of fun.  Everyone was able to pick and choose their own toppings.  What a fabulous birthday celebration!!

~Michelle

Orange cupcakes.

I overheard some ladies talk about orange cupcakes.  (SHH…I was eavesdropping.) They sounded scrumptious (and easy) so I decided to try out the recipe.   I wasn’t disappointed at all.  Hmm…maybe I should eavesdrop more often. 

Orange Cupcakes

1 pkg of French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 can of Diet Orange Crush

¾ cup powdered sugar

Whipped Topping

Orange candy slice (just to make it look cute)

Mix the cake mix with 3/4 can of Diet Orange Crush.  Spoon into muffin liners.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mix powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Diet Orange Crush.  Pour over cupcakes. 

Top with whipped topping.  Add orange slice.

Enjoy!!!

~Michelle

S’mores Cookie Cracker Bars…so simple!

Aw…I love to find and try out new recipes.  I know that I have said that many times but it is the simple truth.  I have a passion for it. So, when I was given this recipe, I needed to try it.  (Thanks Gabby!) They looked so delicious and the recipe seemed so simple.  Let me just say…I wasn’t disappointed.

S’mores Cookie Cracker Bars

12 (5x2 1/2 –inch) graham crackers
¾ cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar
3 cups miniature marshmallows
4 milk chocolate candy bars, broken into pieces
(1 cup chocolate chips)

Heat oven to 350⁰F. Line 15x10x1 inch jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil leaving a 1-inch overhang on ends; spray foil with cooking spray. Place graham crackers onto foil so that sides touch.

Melt butter and brown sugar in medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture just comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Pour evenly over crackers.  Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven; sprinkle with marshmallow and candy bar pieces. Continue baking until marshmallows begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil. Cut into bars.

They were so simple to make!!

Happy baking!

~Michelle

soup 101

My sweet friend, Kristyn, is celebrating her 101st post on her blog. YEAH Kristyn!!! Since it is her celebration blog entry, her goal is to find 101 delicious soup recipes. She is gathering 101 delicious soup recipes so that she will never run out of soup to fill her awesome tureen. She is requesting soup recipes from friends, family, and blog lurkers to share. So, I am inviting each of you to email her your favorite soup recipes. This is going to be fabulous!!! In return, you will get a PDF of all of these wonderful soup recipes. Kristyn's email address is onebrillantgirl@gmail.com. Go Kristyn!!!

Happy soup hunting,

new recipe blog...check it out!

I got a phone call from my SIL, Jessica today. She asked if it would be silly to start a blog on recipes. I thought that it would be a fabulous idea. I love to cook & bake--so, I am excited about this blog. If any of you would like to share your favorite recipe....or if you want to try a new recipe...check out gotarecipeletsshare.blogspot.com

Oh, Gerb--I sent your recipes that you shared over to Jessica to add to the blog. They sound absolutely delicious!!! I hope that is a-okay.




P.S. I am grateful for new & fun recipes, google, and the new season of Grey's Anatomy (SHH!! Don't tell anyone that I am addicted)