A new recipe!

What's better than nice friendly neighbors?  Nice, friendly neighbors with a garden!  :)

Our neighbors kindly shared some of their pea's with me this past weekend.  I mentioned in conversation that I loved a good pea salad.  Well, the neighbor also loves a good pea salad so he told me to make one and share it with him.  Eekkk!  I had never actually MADE a pea salad, but that's a thing of the past now. I found a recipe online that sounded tasty so I gave it a whirl..  2 thumbs up!  Now go make some!

Picnic Pea Salad

Ingredients:
16 oz package frozen petite peas OR  2 cups of fresh garden pea's!
1 cup of cheddar cheese cut in cubes.
1 tablespoon crumbled bacon pieces.
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 green onion, finely minced.
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar

Place drained peas in a large bowl. Cut cheese into 1/4-inch cubes and add to peas.  Mix in bacon bits, celery, and onion.  In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, milk and sugar to make a dressing. then to peas and stir. Chill until ready to serve.
This recipe makes a very small batch 2-4 people.  Next time I make it I will be doubling or tripling it because it's that good!

Breakfast Food Recipes!

So this past weekend I was in charge of 2 warm breakfast dishes for my mother-in-laws bridal shower!  Eek.  I honestly had no clue what to make.  I think I made an egg bake several years ago that turned out horribly, so I never tried again.  I had a few friends come to the rescue and shared some easy recipes with me!  Both were so delicous! 

Egg Bake- Courtesy of Renae Elgersma

12 eggs
1 lb. sausage (browned), bacon (cooked) or cubed ham. (I used sausage)
4 c. shredded hashbrowns or potatoes o'brien.  (I used cubed potatoes o'brien with some red pepper & onions mixed in for extra flavor!)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 c. milk

1.  Thaw potatoes so they are not completely frozen. 
2.  Cook meat and mix with potatoes.  Spread on bottom of greased 9x13 pan.
3.  Beat eggs until frothy and add milk.  Mix thoroughly and pour evenly over mixture in pan.
4.  Bake at 350 for one hour, or until knife comes out clean!

I made this up the night before (threw the potatoes into the mixture frozen) and kept it in the fridge overnight.  It baked up great in one hour.  I love that you can get it together the night before!  Less work in the morning :)

Pecan Praline Baked French Toast- Courtesy of Sandra Wollman (originally found here)

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Slice French bread inch into 1 inch pieces.  Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. I had a few extra slices that didn't fit in the 9x13 so I also used a 8x8 dish.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350, and mix up the Praline Topping.

Praline Topping:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup. 

* I think I put too much egg mixture in between the slices, as some were a little moist when I served it.  The next time I make it I may not be as generous with the egg mixture and just dump what is left. 

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

I have a trend going..  another slow cooker recipe!  I found the recipe here.  Mama Loves Food might be a favorite site of mine!

The first word that came to my mind when Derek walked in the door from work was:  Redic!  I felt like I was eating a Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Chilli's.  No lie.  It was that good.  I couldn't even wait for him to get home from work before we started eating.  Brigham even loved it, and I can hardly get him to eat a thing!  The garnishments are a must!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

• 5 pounds russet potatoes.  Wash them, but do not peel.  Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
• 1 diced medium yellow onion
• 10 cloves of garlic, minced or 5 teaspoon's of jarred Garlic. *I used jarred.
• 64 ounces (8 cups) chicken stock or broth.  *I had to ask my friend Renae how I would buy this.  She kindly told me that I could buy it in a can, or just use Chicken Bouillon cubes and make my own.  Who knew those cube things in my cupboard made broth?!  I always just thought they were used for flavoring in recipes :)
• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt *I used Lawry's
• Garnishes: Crumbled Bacon, Shredded Cheddar & Green Onions

1.  Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning, and chicken broth to slow cooker.
2.  Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
3.  Add the softened cream cheese & puree about 1/3 of the soup.  *I used my upright blender and put both cream cheeses into the blender with 1/3 of the soup mixture.  It blended up nicely! 
4.  Add puree mixture back in the slow cooker & stir well.  Top with garnishes!

 At first I thought a whole medium sized onion would be too much, but I didn't think it was too 'onion-y' at all!

 The blender still works!  It hadn't been used in 5+ years.

 Oh. My. Goodness.  So delicious!

 Brigham was so crabby today, but Boston managed to get him to stop crying/screaming for a few minutes while I got all the goodies in the slow cooker!  Brigs loves playing 'Where's Brother!?'

 They just giggled at each other! 

 And after a few minutes of the game, he was back to crying/screaming.  He perked up after I fed him the soup though :)

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwhiches

It's been awhile since I have posted a recipe, and since January is over, I figured I better get at it!  It's my goal to post at least 1 new recipe a month in 2012!  I have tried a few new recipe's in the last month, but they were both a complete FLOP-OLA! I pouted about it awhile, but am over it now.  Let me just say, it is super-de-duper depressing when you spend money on groceries for a new recipe that you can't even choke down.  And to make it even worse, one of the recipes made enough food for one meal to eat, and one meal to freeze.   Anyway, on with the Chicken Caesar :)

My mouth waters anytime I see Chicken Caesar on a menu.  If they have a Chicken Caesar Salad, or a Chicken Caesar wrap, 9 times out of 10, that's what I order.  I found this Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwich recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago.  I prayed it wouldn't be another recipe disaster.  Prayers answered! 

YUM!  I loved it, and so did Derek and Boston!  Brigham, not so much, but he isn't eating anything lately.  However, he did manage to shovel more cheeto's in his mouth than it could hold.  That made for a cheesy mess, but a happy baby, so we went with it!

Next time I make this we are going to try it on a wrap!  ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwhiches

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs  (I used breasts because that's what I had on hand!)
1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley (I used dried)

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

• Place chicken in a slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
• Remove chicken and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.
• Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top.  Stir until mixed evenly. If you think it's a little dry, add some more dressing!  Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.
• Put the mixture on your buns and top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve.

And this my friends, was one delicious supper!

FYI:  If you ever need to reference a recipe from my blog, just click on Cooking 101 on the right hand side of the blog.  That will take you to ALL of my recipes! 

* Updated 2/28: We tried the wraps and they were delicious!  I bought 2 bags of Mission wraps.  The Garden Spinach Herb & Sun Dried Tomato Basil flavors and we added chopped tomato, lettuce and Caesar or Ranch Dressing to the wrap.  YUMMY!

 

Chubby Hubby Bars

And I've got one word to sum this recipe up, FLOP. 

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and my mouth watered for them.  I was SO excited for them! 
An oooey- gooey, carmely & chocolately bar that I wanted so badly to master.  They were a complete FLOP!  The name of the bar was just to cute to pass up, and I knew it would be a bar that Derek would love.  If you are interested in giving them a whirl yourself, here is the recipe.  Good luck, and if they turn out deliciously for you, please drop some by our house. :)

Chubby Hubby Bars- courtesy of Pinterest
Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pretzels
• 1 (8oz) bag of Reese’s Mini cups (or 2 cups coarsely chopped full sized Reese’s)
• 1 (14 oz) bag of caramels, unwrapped
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray a 9×13 pan lightly with cooking spray.
3. Beat together your butter and sugars until light and fluffy, approx 1 min.
4. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until incorporated.
5. On low speed add in your salt, baking soda and flour, mixing until just combined.
6. Slowly add in your Reese's and Pretzels, mixing until evenly distributed.
7. Spread in your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.
8. Let cool completely. Approx 30 minutes to an hour.
9. When cooled, melt your caramels and 1 Tbsp water in a microwave safe bowl stirring every minute until melted.
10. Pour over your bars.
11. Chill in fridge for 15 minutes to set caramel.
12. Melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave and spread over caramel.
13. Put back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
14. Cut into squares when ready to serve.

If you want a detailed, step by step guide, click here!  I don't have a picture of one of my adorable blue eyed boy's indulging in the bar like the website has.  Instead, I have this for you.  A picture of my attempt at removing the bars from the pan.  Like I said, totally embarrassing, but I didn't promise I would succeed at every new recipe I tried :)

I don't own a 9x13 pan, so could it be that I used a casserole dish?  Thank goodness my mom is buying me a new pan for Christmas!  I never would have thought I would be listing kitchen items, or crocheting supplies on my Christmas wish list.  You'd like I was a retired lady :)
 

Broccoli, Grape & Pasta Salad

I always volunteer to bring a salad when their is a family gathering because I have mastered a few that everyone seem to love.  This year though I figured it was about time I change it up.  It's usually a given that I am either bringing Broccoli Salad or 7 Layer Salad, and I didn't want everyone getting bored with my food!  I found this Broccoli, Grape & Pasta Salad recipe on Pinterest.  It said 'If you're a broccoli salad fan, you'll love the combination of these colorful ingredients,' so I gave it a whirl!

Broccoli, Grape & Pasta Salad-courtesy of Pinterest

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 (16-oz.) package bow-tie pasta
• 1 pound fresh broccoli
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar
  Click to see savings
  
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
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• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.  Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.  Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

It was definitely a nice change, but when I make it again I am going to double the 'sauce' as it seemed a bit dry.  Very tasty, but as my cousin Nick said 'I would pick the regular Broccoli Salad over this one'.  Sorry I don't have my own picture to share, but if you click on the link you'll see a picture of the salad ready to serve! 

Last week I also tried this Cheddar Beer Chicken recipe that I also found on Pinterest.  I saw the word 'beer' and assumed it would be super delicious.  :)  It was edible, but it was not a favorite for anyone in the family, so it's not officially making the blog.  It reminded me of a stew, but with chicken instead of beef. 

Zesty Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

I'm going to give y'all a few seconds to guess where I stumbled across this fantastic, 'dummy recipe'..  Ok, think.. one, one thousand, two, one thousand, three, one thousand, four..

Ok times up.  You guessed it!  Pinterest!  I told you I needed help..

Zesty Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken- courtesy of Pinterest

6 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1-12oz. bottle of BBQ sauce  (I used Famous Dave's Devil's Spit BBQ sauce because I knew my husband would love it!)
1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Put chicken in crock pot.  In bowl, mix BBQ sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar & Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over chicken.  Cover & cook 3-4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low.  When it's all cooked, shred it up and serve it on buns.  To be honest I had no idea how to 'shred it up', but it was so tender it literally fell apart!  I just used 2 forks to help it along and it took just a few minutes!

O-H  M-Y G-O-S-H!  This was fantastic.  It felt like we had Famous Dave's delivered for supper!  This would be awesome for a birthday party or family get together when you are stumped on what to serve and don't want to have the same ole' BBQ sandwiches or hamburgers & brats!   Seriously, you have to try this!

Mexican Casserole/Enchilada's

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback about the 'Dinner For Dummies' portion of my blog, and have even gotten requests for more recipes!  I am so flattered!  My Menu Board is working out quite well!  I love knowing what's for supper all week, and then grocery shopping accordingly! 

This is a recipe I have had for a few years, but it's a good one!  It's called Easy Mexican Casserole... I think it was the word 'easy' that lured me in :)

Easy Mexican Casserole-courtesy of Lisa Liston
1 lb. hamberger
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 can refried beans
soft taco shells 

Mix all four ingrediants together & fill taco shells.  Place in a greased baking dish.

 Combine the following and pour over the top of the taco shells.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Top with grated cheese and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly.. then enjoy!

It's a family favorite for us! Boston's comment tonight as we were eating supper was:

 'They are really really good Mom.  That means super good! What did you all put in these?'

If you would like me to try a recipe that is a family favorite of your's, please share!  Casserole, Soup or Desserts.  Anything is welcome!  It just might make the blog :)



Chilli = Success!

Derek LOVES a good Chili, and he absolutely LOVES this Chili recipe, so I wanted to share it!

Chili- Courtesy of Renae Elgersma

Brown 2 lb's hamburger with diced onion.  Drain & add to large pot. 
(I used the largest pot I had and it was almost over flowing!  'Larger Pot' is on my Christmas Wish List :)  The second time I made it in the crock pot and that worked great!)
2- 15 oz. cans diced tomato, not drained  (I went with plain diced tomato's the first time, and the second time I bought diced tomato with chilie's & green peppers.  Whatever floats your boat, but Derek loved the spiced up version!)
1 large Mrs. Grimes Chili Beans, not drained
46 oz. Veg. Juice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder (add more to spice it up!)
3 Tbsp brown sugar

Simmer on stove for 1 hour.  When I made in the crock pot I cooked it on low for an entire afternoon, and it was just as delicious!  I also added in some left over green onion's the second time and Derek commented several times how awesome my chili was!  I grinned from ear to ear!

A good bowl of chili is not complete without some shredded cheese & a 'dollop of daisy'.

 Or jalepeno's.  Derek puts jalepeno's on everything I make.  Not sure if he just likes that added spice, or if he's trying to add to the blah flavor?!

And if your looking for something to make with the chili, try this bread!  Buy a loaf of french bread (The 'Everything' seasoned bread is FABULOUS!), slice it up and one one half spread butter and garlic, and on the other side spread cheese whiz.  Put the loaf back together, wrap in foil and bake at 325 for 15 minutes, or until toasted.  Trust me on this, you will not be disappointed!
Rhodes cinnamon rolls are also a great addition to a chili day!   

 

Having a party?! Serve this!

Out of the 4 new recipes I tried for the party, this was my favorite!

Cucumber Party Sandwiches-  Found this in a magazine my neighbor borrowed me!

1 pkg 8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp mayo
2 tsp Italian Salad Dressing Mix
30 slices snack rye bread (I LOVE that you can buy this already all sliced up! I had no idea!)
30 thin slices cucumber

Fresh dill sprigs & chive blossoms  (I had NO clue what these things were, or where to find them at the grocery store.  Thankfully, I have a friend who is more knowledgeable about these things than I am!  HyVee doesn't carry chive blossoms so I just bought chive and diced it up.)

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, mayo, and dressing mix until blended.  Let stand 30 minutes.  Spread on rye bread.  Top each with a cucumber slice, dill sprig & chive blossom.  Cover & refrigerate until serving.

Marshmallow Fruit Dip-  Cut this recipe out of a magazine about 4 years ago.  Had never made it!

1 pkg 8 oz. cream cheese softened  (My cream cheese wasn't as soft as it should have been so when I mixed it all up, it was lumpy.  It looked kind of gross but tasted fabulous!)
1 carton 6 oz. cherry yogurt
1 carton 8 oz. whipped topping thawed
1 jar 7 oz. marshmallow creme
Assorted fresh fruit

Beat cream cheese & yogurt until blended.  Fold in whipped topping & marshmallow creme.  Serve with fruit.  Makes 5 cups.  I even got to use the new pampered chef tray that has been shoved in my cupboard for almost a year!

Cheddar Bacon Dip-  Found this recipe on Pinterest!

16 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
3 oz. bacon bits (in a bag)
1 cup shredded cheddar

Mix together & refrigerate 24 hours.  Serve with chips or veggies.  (I served it with chips & triscuits.  Very tasty!  I liked it best with the crackers.)

Veggie Tortilla Pin Wheels- Another recipe I found in my neighbors magazine!

1 pkg 8 oz. cream cheese softened

4 tsp. Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

1 pkg (2.5 oz) chopped up dried beef

1/2 c. chopped up fresh broccoli

1/2 c. chopped up fresh cauliflower

1/4 c. chopped up green onion

1/4 c. sliced pimiento stuff olives

5 flour tortillas (8 in.)- room temp.

Salsa optional.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese & salad dressing mix until blended.  Stir in beef, broccoli, cauliflower, onions & olives.  Spread over tortilla's.  Roll up tightly & wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Unwrap and cut in 1/2 in. slices.  Serve with salsa if desired.  

Who would have ever thought that these delicious goodies could be made by me?!  

Birthday Dessert = Delicious!

Derek's birthday is on the 6th so we celebrated with his birthday dessert last night since it's a busy week.  I texted him mid-afternoon and said 'I have a surprise for you when you get home.'.  I am positive Derek's eyes lit up, and he probably thought about it all afternoon because he kept texting me asking me for hints.  The only hint I gave was 'I hope it's something you and I can both enjoy!'.  I am pretty sure he was NOT expecting the surprise to be warm Applecrisp and ice cream...but he loved it anyway. :)

Apple Crisp- courtesy of my Grandma Marty Johnson

Peal and slice (thinly) 6-8 red apples 
*I had no idea how time consuming this was!  I was horrible at it too.. definetely need to get myself a fancy apple pealer!
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all of these items together and put in the bottom of an 8x8 pan.

Then mix up the following for the topping:

3/4 cup quick oatmeal
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter (stick butter that is soft)

Put the crubly mixture over the top of the apples.  Mine wasn't as crumbly as I was expecting, so after it cooked for awhile I pulled it out and spread it more evenly over all of the apples. 

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until real bubbly and brown!

And here ya have it!  Delicious Apple Crisp!  Perfect with ice cream and caramel topping!

Happy 31st Birthday Derek!  We love you more than words can express!

P.S.  This was my first time ever making Apple Crisp.  I had no idea how simple it was..well, except for peeling the apples!  Yum!!

Drief Beef & Bacon Baked Chicken Breasts

This recipe is called 'Baked Chicken Breasts' but I thought that was a boring title so I spiced it up a bit :)  I have made this a few times now and it's one of our favorites so wanted to share it since it's super simple.

1 package (2.5 oz) dried beef
4-6 thawed chicken breasts (skinned and boneless)
6 slices of bacon
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup sour cream


Place chicken over drief beef and top with bacon.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Combine soup and sour cream and pour over chicken, and bake another 50-60 minutes, unconvered.

Derek has kindly mentioned that he really likes onion in a lot of his hotdishes, so I did add some onion on top of the dried beef, chicken and bacon and it added some good flavor. 

And for those of you on the diet wagon like me.. the chicken breast can be eaten without the bacon or dried beef to spare yourself some fat and calories, and if you use fat free sour cream that makes it even better! :)  10 down, 10 to go!! 

Next on the agenda:  Apple Crisp! (YUM!!)  Derek's birthday is Thursday and he hinted about craving some apple crisp and ice cream.  I called my Grandma Marty today for her recipe!  Check back later in the week for the results.  I probably need more help in the dessert department than with the main dish, so wish me luck! 

I may be getting the hang of this!

I titled this section of my blog 'Dinner for Dummies' for a few reasons.
#1:  Most of these recipes are going to be boring for many of you, but a rookie has to start somewhere!
#2:  There will be times I screw up one of these 'dummy recipes' and all of you reading will laugh hysterically or mumble to yourself 'what is wrong with her!'

The following recipe was a success!  It made so much food that I couldn't even fit it all in one casserole dish, so I put some of it in the freezer (minus the crackers on top) for another meal!  What could be better than trying out a new recipe that you and your family love?  Getting 2 meals out of 1!   I really think i'm getting the hang of these casseroles!  For future reference, if you are looking for a particular post about one of the recipe's I've blogged about, you can click on the 'Dinner for Dummies' page at the top and it will take you to those posts!

Potato Ham Casserole- courtesy of Leah Doom

2 lb frozen hashbrowns
2-3 cups diced ham
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp dried onion  ~Confession:  I stood in front of the spices at HyVee for 20 minutes looking for dried onion.  Maybe it's not even a spice..I honestly have no idea, but I went with minced onion and it tasted delicious!
2 cans cream of mushroom
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 cup crushed ritz crackers

Put ham over hashbrowns in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Mix remaining ingredients (except crackers) in large bowl and pour over top.  Cover with crushed crackers.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

'Just like mom's'

You all know the kitchen and I are not friends.  On top of that, i'm on a diet so there is nothing 'good' to eat in our cubboards or fridge.  Today, Derek got this wild hair to bake his own chocolate chip cookies.  It was hilarious listening to him talk to his mom on the phone about his mouth watering craving for cookies 'just like moms'.  He wanted her recipe, and also wanted her opinion on whether or not he should bake them on a stone or a cookie sheet.  I think he about fell over dead when he realized we had all of the ingrediants in the cubboards (he was 1 cup short on chocolate chips so I quickly ran to the store for him..what a good wife!).  Just because I can't bake doesn't mean I don't try to look good when i'm grocery shopping.. filling my cart with all of the fun things that the other mom's are shopping for!  You see, I have made Derek cookies before but they always end up in the garbage because no one ever eats them.  He say's it's not that they weren't tasty enough, it's just that they weren't plain ole chocolate chips ones.  So, since i'm on this fun diet (insert sarcasm!), I haven't tasted the finished product, but they sure smell delicious!  Derek has eaten half of what he's baked so far.  He say's 'they are just like i remember as a kid'. 

I love the 'mixing bowl' he chose :)

 Oops, a little on the cubboard and he's dutch, so he's trying to save every last bit! 

 He realized the bowl he chose wasn't going to be big enough to mix it all together so he chose a tupperware container instead.  We DO have mixing bowls :)

 He said 'Oh a few of them are kissing'.

 Does he look proud?!

Derek was so excited about his cookies, but even more excited that an entire blog post was going to be about him!  He feels left out when I don't mention him in my other ramblings.  Way to go honey!  Proud of ya.  Now no more whining because I can't cook or bake...you do a fine job so I think you should just take over! 

It's the toasters fault!

It never fails.  Every time I make something in the toaster it burns.  Poor Boston.  The look on his face in the mornings when I serve him blackened waffles or blackened pop-tarts is just pathetic.  He just looks at me with those big blue eyes like "MOM!  You did it again!".  I wish I had the time to hover over the toaster for 2-4 minutes, patiently watching it warm and toast the food so it didn't burn, but usually Brigham is needing his bottle about that same time, or the dog is scratching at his food and water dish trying to get our attention to feed him.  So because I am a failure at using the toaster I just say it was the toasters fault.

The waffles were still edible!

I have never been good in the kitchen.  I am a master at Tator-tot Casserole but who isn't?!  I can make cornflake bars, but Derek always whines because there isn't chocolate on the top.  Sorry honey, but I don't know how to put that fancy chocolate on the top! I am sure it's not hard, but you see anytime someone tells me 'Oh i have this really easy recipe for you' I screw it up.  We were so blessed when Brigham was born, as friends from church brought over delicious meals for us so that we didn't have to worry about cooking meals as we were trying to adjust to life with a newborn.  It was seriously the best baby gift ever, especially for a mom/wife who can't cook!  A few of the meals that were brought over even came with a recipe card so you knew what was all in the dish and how to make it yourself if you liked it.  A friend from church brought over these to-die-for bars.  I seriously ate the entire plate full of bars within 8 hours of them being in our house.  A few weeks later I was craving them again so I dug out the neat little recipe card she had included.  I went to the store, got everything I needed, and then went to work in the kitchen.  Half way through making the bars I was thinking 'What is wrong with them?!'  I even called her to ask her what I was doing wrong because they were just not looking edible.  To make a long story short the bars were awful and I've never tried making them again.  Failure! 

My goal this winter is to try a new recipe once a week.  Derek loves having food on the table when he comes home from work and this summer it has only happened a handful of times.  I either can't figure out what to make, or I am still stewing about the fact that the few times I did make a meal he had to eat it cold because he was 'tied up at work' and couldn't get home in time. (gotta love business of car sales!) So if you are reading my blog and have any step-by-step recipe's for dummy's, send them my way!  And please include your phone number so you can be reached if the rookie chef has any questions as she is experimenting! 

Brigham kicking and squealing this morning at Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the TV!

P.S.  And to show how little I bake...I don't even own a 9x13 pan!  If/when I bake bars I put them in a casserole dish!  It's going on my Christmas List this year.