Crepes-Or Roll up pancakes

When I was a little girl my mom would make what we called "Roll Up Pancakes". 

I was much older before I discovered that the rest of the world called these tubes of goodness crepes. 

Crepe is a french word which means food that will make you think you have died and gone to heaven. 

I have passed the love of roll up pancakes/Crepes onto my kids too. They love them as much as I do!  

We have been known to eat these babies for dinner and they are occasionally requested as a birthday dinner. 

Yes. 

Seriously. 

This is one of those quadruple the recipe kinda recipes. 

The awesome thing is that they are very budget friendly and beautifully simple.  They are also a blank canvas waiting to be filled but we purest people here love just butter and powdered sugar. Its the way my mama filled them for me of course!!

Crepes

Makes 8 (but in our house we x4.)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

 1 1/3 cups milk

 2 tablespoons butter, melted

 1 cup all-purpose flour

 2 tablespoons white sugar

 1/2 teaspoon salt

In large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.

Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter. spoon 1/4 to 1/3 C of crepe batter into hot pan. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Fill as desired and serve immediately.

Loves 

Emily

Caramel Bits Rice Crispy Treats

This my friends was supposed to be a beautiful pink rice crispy treat. I added the pink food color gel to the melted marshmallows and it looked a beautiful bright pink but as you see above mixed with the brown rice crispies the pink did not translate well but Hey.. it still tastes great and I love the addition of the caramel bits so I call it mostly successful. Here is what I did...

Caramel Bits Rice Crispy treats

7 C rice crispy cereal

1 Cube of butter

1 10oz bag of mini marshmallows

1 Cup of Caramel bits

food color 

Spray your 9x13 pan. Measure the cereal into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and marshmallows over medium low heat. Add food coloring to desired color in the marshmallow mixture. Mix into the cereal until completely combine. Then add the bits and mix until incorporated. (be sure to add them last so they don't just melt into the mix. Press into your prepared pan. I like to butter the back of a spoon for the quickest and easiest way to press with not mess or fuss. Allow to cool before serving. 

Maxed Out Blondies! A semi homemade recipe

I will be the first to admit that I have a love of a good brownie. (or blondie in this case) Especially the fancy more than the norm brownie.  Here is a recipe that fits the bill! It has a cheesecake layer, a marshmallow layer and chocolate chips! How can one go wrong?? We served these babies at our superbowl party but the would be great for a Valentines Day dinner...who are we kidding they will be awesome for any occassion. RIGHT?? PS don't let the blondie word trick you...there is plenty of chocolate to be had in these wonderful bars!!

Maxed Out Blondies

Blondie base

1 pouch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies mix (approx 17.5 oz)

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons water

1 egg

Filling

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 cup milk chocolate chips (6 oz)

2 cups miniature marshmallows 

Chocolate Glaze

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/8 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

2 ½ tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or spray with non stick pan spray

2. Mix up your cookie mix according to the directions and smooth dough in bottom of pan. Set aside.

3. In large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, 1/4 cup butter, the flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cookie dough base. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

4. Bake 26 to 28 minutes or until filling is set. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows. Bake 2 minutes longer. Cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack.

5. In 2-quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and milk. Heat until starts to thicken. Remove from heat. With wire whisk, gradually stir in powdered sugar until well blended. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Immediately drizzle glaze over brownies.

6. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled before cutting and serving

Homemade Dry Skin lotion..IT really works!

This winter has been so rude to my skin!! It is more dry that I ever remember my poor skin being ever! So I have been searching for a great dry skin solution.  Here is what I have found....It is a lovely little lotion recipe and it has been working for me! Almost immediately too I might add. The only change I think I will be making is adding a little essential oil for smell and some added benefit. (hopefully it wont cause the mixture to break) I will let you all know how that works out when I make the next batch.

Here is what you will need... 

4oz of Vitamin E Skin cream

15 oz bottle of Johnsons baby lotion

1/4 to 1/2 C of vasaline (depending on you liking. To me less is more)

1 capfull of vitamin E oil.

Mix it all up and add to your storage container of choice. I used little containers at first but finally resorted to a big 'un...

(sorry I forgot to get a picture of the finished product. Boo.)

I have been thrilled with the results!! 

Give it a try! You will love it too!

Butter Pecan Raisin Bread Pudding!

My Hubby and I have a favorite dessert that we may or may not sneak away to a certain Famous restaurant to order and share. It is their yummy  BREAD PUDDING! Now...I have had my share of bad bread puddings too. Some that are some slimy and so squishy that they are not enjoyable at all. I am happy to announce that this recipe is AWESOME!! Its nice firm but still soft if ya know what I mean...HAHA!!

BUTTER PECAN RAISIN BREAD PUDDING

 1/4 cup butter, melted
 2 cups half-and-half
 2 cups milk
 1 (1 pound) loaf soft raisin bread, torn into small pieces
 3 eggs, lightly beaten
 2 cups white sugar
 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 Butter Pecan Sauce
 1/2 pound unsalted butter
 1 cup heavy cream
 1 cup brown sugar
 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with 1/4 cup melted butter.
Pour half and half and milk over bread in a large mixing bowl; let soak for 10 minutes before gently stirring. Stir eggs into the bread mixture until incorporated. Add sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, stirring each addition into the mixture before adding the next. Spoon bread mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until bread mixture is firm and pudding-like, about 50 minutes or more until the bread appears firm.

BUTTER PECAN SAUCE
Stir 1/2 pound unsalted butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar together in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir pecans into the cream mixture, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes; pour over each serving or over entire pan depending on preference. Can be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream... ENJOY!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Chowder-AND Bonus Parm Garlic Toast Recipe

This soup is good! So good my family horked it down like they were human hoovers! Most had 2 bowls and some ate 3. Its REALLY good! 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Chowder

1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Flour
2 1/2 C Half and half
2 1.2 C milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes broken
8 oz cream cheese
3 lb boneless chicken cooked and chopped
1 pkg pre cooked bacon cut to bite size 
1 C diced ham
8 oz swiss cheese grated 

In a large pan melt butter and then add the flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute. Add the half and half, milk and the bouillon. Heat for a few minutes and then add the cream cheese. While continuously stirring, bring to a boil and add chicken, bacon. and ham. Take off heat and stir in Swiss cheese. Bring back to the stove on low heat and stir until cheese is melted.

BONUS RECIPE

This is a super quick alternative to garlic bread. Just broil and wah-la!!

PARM GARLIC TOAST
(All of the ingredients are to taste)

Bread
butter softened
garlic powder
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to broil. Line a pan (We used 10x15 jelly roll pan) with parchment if desired. Butter each piece of bread and cover the pan with it. Sprinkle the buttered bread with garlic powder and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil until browned and bubbly. YUMMY!!

NOTE!! Dont forget to enter our give away for a $50 amazon card! HERE!!

How to Brine and Roast a Turkey ONLY READ IF YOU LIKE MOIST AND JUICY TURKEY!!

My sweet husband roasts the best turkey in the universe...Seriously. It is always moist and tender. SO scrumptious and tastes of that traditional thanksgiving turkey we dream about the night before the big T-Day. This is how he does it.  Its a big secret so don't tell anyone. ;) 

Brined Roasted Turkey

14-16 pound thawed turkey

1 gallon of chicken broth

1 Cup of salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1 TBS whole pepper corns

1/2 TBS allspice berries

1/2 TBS candied ginger

1 gallon of heavily iced water

1 cinnamon stick

1 red apple sliced

1/2 and onion quartered

1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme

canola oil

brining bag or 5 gal bucket

Place the broth salt brown sugar, pepper corns allspice berries and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil stir to dissolve solids remove from heat and cool and refrigerate. About 8 hours before cooking put the turkey neck side down in a brining bag or 5 gal bucket. Pour in the chicken broth mixture then add the gallon of heavily iced water. At approx 4 hours rotate the bird so that the legs are down and the neck is up. When you are ready to roast remove the bird from the brine, rinse well and pat dry.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place on a roasting pan or a baking sheet with a cooling rack. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Put your cinnamon stick, apple slices and onion and 1-2 Cups of water and microwave for 4-5 minutes. Let steep for 1 minute. Drain the liquid and insert them into the cavity of the bird and add the rosemary and thyme into the cavity of the bird. Take a piece of aluminum foil appox the length of the bird and fold into a triangle. Mold around the breast and wing section of the bird. Remove mold and set aside keeping the shape intact. Liberally coat the outside of the bird with canola oil and place in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes add the foil tent to the turkey. insert a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast meat and set temp to 161 degrees. When the internal temp reaches 161 degrees remove the bird from the oven and let rest for atleast 15 minutes. Carve and Serve!

Enjoy!

 The turkey in the brining bag inside the 5 gal bucket. You only really need one or the other but he likes both.

The foil triangle used to shield the breast meat from over cooking after the first half an hour at 500 degrees. 

Yes this is a necessary step.

PS the 500 degree oven lends to the gold brown wonderfully appetizing color.

Molding the turkey foil triangle

The foil triangle after is has been removed but is still keeping it shape so it can be slipped back on quick and easy after the first half and hour.

oiling up the bird

After the first half and hour

Placing the foil back on the bird

Placing the thermometer 

SO JUICY AND MOIST!!!

MY

Quick Easy 25 min Homemade Chili

This is a go to recipe for our family! We love chili but just flat out don't have the time to do all that soaking the beans etc that a traditional chili would take. This recipe is adapted from a cooking genius friend of mine who taught me a lot of domestic things in my earlier years whom will forever be thankful for!! 

Quick and Easy 25 min Chili

3lbs ground meat 

(we used chicken we had ground ourselves but hamburger or turkey works great too!!)

1 onion diced

2 cloves diced garlic or to taste

4 cans of chili beans undrained

1 15oz can of tomato sauce

2 TBS cumin or to taste

1/2 TBS chili powder or to taste

2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp chipotole powder

6 drops Tabasco or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

grated cheese for garnish

Brown meat with onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink and onion is translucent. Drain if it is needed. Add chili beans and tomato sauce. Add all seasonings to taste. :) Serve with a little cheese on top. PS this makes a huge pot,  Feel free to adjust the amounts to fit your needs.

Black Bean and Yam Enchiladas-A great recipe for meatless monday!

I found this recipe from the wonderful shrinking kitchen! She has super duper, healthy recipes and you should totally check her blog out! Click here!! we love Black Bean Enchiladas at our house! Especially the homemade enchilada sauce! Wonderful and no stuff I can't pronounce in it! Yay! Totally meatless too. Sweet! 

Here's the recipe!!

Black Bean and Yam Enchiladas

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons chili powder
4 tablespoons flour
2 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce
3 cups lower sodium chicken broth 
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/ t2easpoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3 cups of the enchilada sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups yam, cooked and mashed
2 15 ounce can black beans, drained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
18 small corn tortillas

To make the Enchilada Sauce
In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chili powder and flour whisking constantly to combine. Mixture will be a thick paste (roux).
Slowly add in a small amount of tomato sauce whisking until the roux has dissolved.  Once the roux is combined, add the rest of the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Whisk to combine.
Add in the rest of the spices, stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and use in your enchilada recipe, or cool and divide into containers for storage.

For the Casserole
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions, saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove the onions from heat and throw in the beans and the yam. Mix well.
Measure out 3 cups of the enchilada sauce you just made. Set the rest aside - it freezes well. Save it for your next batch!
In a 9x13 baking dish, lay out six of the corn tortillas. You may need to tear one up - you just want to make sure you're covering the bottom of the dish.
Spoon some of the enchilada sauce onto the tortillas and spread around.
Dot 1/2 of the bean/yam mixture over the tortillas and sauce, then spread as evenly as possible.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese over the bean/yam mixture.
Repeat the layers EXCEPT the cheese.
To finish, do the final layer of tortillas, then pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
PS only 239 calories per serving!!

LOVES!!

Emily

Easy bread machine rolls

Our family really loves hot homemade rolls! I love that my bread machine does the dirty work while I go about other things. Win Win!! This recipe is faster than letting those freezer rolls thaw and much less expensive too and seriously there is nothing like butter on a hot roll! Its a feel good food regardless of the time of year but it is especially awesome on the cold fall and winter nights.

Easy bread machine rolls

1 cup warm milk

1/2 C of butter softened

1/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

4 1/2 C of flour

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

extra butter for brushing on the top of the hot rolls before serving (optional)

Add ingredients in the order list to your bread machine. Run on dough cycle. When dough is done, divide into 20-24 portions and shape into balls.

Place on a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. lightly brush with butter over the tops of the rolls (optional)


Yield: 20-24 rolls

Bean and cheese Burrito Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole! SO Easy!

This is one easy peasy casserole! It literally took me 11 minutes to get in the pan and cooking! Yes, I time myself. It took longer for the oven to preheat. Serious easiness here! It was actually requested by my now 17 year old son for his birthday dinner if that gives you any indication as to if it is as yummy as it sounds. Also for my gluten free friends and family I You can make it with corn chicken taquitos (please read the label to be sure if your brand is gluten free) and it is just as good if not better. I literally decided to try it while shopping for the ingredients for the bean burrito style and it was amazing! I think I like the taquito version better!!

Bean and Cheese Burrito Sour Cream enchilada Casserole

14 bean and cheese frozen burritos thawed (enough to cover the bottom of your pan)

1 family size cream of mushroom soup

16 oz sour cream

7oz green chilies

12.5 oz canned chicken un-drained(optional)

2 cups of cheese

Line the pan edge to edge with your burritos

Mix remaining ingredients except cheese together and pour over the burritos. Top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour in 350 degree oven. 

For the taquito version you will want to add a little sauce to the bottom of your pan first.

Sparkle Bottles, Time Out Bottles or as We know them by MAGIC FAIRY BOTTLES!!

(please forgive the pictures! This bottle is well loved and hard to photograph...:))

One of my jobs at church is to be a sunbeam teacher. For those of you who don't know what this means, I am a primary teacher (Sunday school teacher) to the 3 and 4 year old children of our ward. I love these little ones so much! They have huge personalities which is on par with the huge energy and wiggles they come with too. Needless to say I am always searching for ways to help them be reverent and behaved. I came across these sparkle bottles and have been very impressed with how well they are working.  I have told my kids that the glitter is little fairies flying around in the jar and if we can hold them still long enough they will float to the bottle and go to sleep. It is their job to help them fall asleep.  It is awesome to watch them watch "the fairies" float to the bottle still and as quiet as ever.  Some people use them as a way to gauge time out times etc. The surprising thing is how my older kids can be found watching the glitter fall also.  They have been really fun to have around. After trying many times to make these just right this is finally the recipe we finally figured out to work great! 

PS stay tuned for busy bag ideas coming soon!!   

1 TBS Glitter Glue

1/2 TBS Clear School Glue

1-2 TBS Fine flake glitter (as much or as little as you like)

Hot water

Clear plastic bottle (I used a 16.9 oz water bottle)

Food Coloring (optional)

Instructions

Clean any labels or sticky glue off your bottle.

 Heat the water.  It doesn't have to boil, but it should be steaming.  You want it to be hot enough to melt the glue but not so hot it melts the bottle.

Put glitter glue into the bottom of the bottle.

 Add Clear School Glue.

 Fill the bottle about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full with the hot water.

 Tighten the caps back onto the bottles and shake until the glues and water are thoroughly mixed.

 Remove the cap and pour in your glitter 

 Fill the remainder of the bottle with hot water and food coloring if desired for color.  

 Make sure the glue and water is well mixed.

 Put super glue in the threads of the cap and tighten it down.

 Shake and enjoy!

PS if you want the glitter to stay suspended for a longer time just add more glue.

Healthy Hummus...No Oil Here baby! With cucumber slices for dipping!

I am sure you know that garbanzo beans are healthy...RIGHT? But do you know why? Did you know garbanzo beans are a great source of protein, fiber and healthy fats, they increase energy, help stabilize blood sugar, lowers LDL cholesterol and risk of heart attack and because of their high fiber and low GI they are excellent for weight loss!! Plus the reduce the risk of colon cancer! Yippey!! Here is on of our families favorite ways to eat garbanzo beans..

NO OIL HUMMUS W CUCUMBER DIPPING SLICES

1 can of garbanzo beans drained
1 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS lemon juice
chicken broth as needed
sliced cucumber (as many as you like) :) 

Blend garbanzo beans, garlic and lemon juice in a blender adding chicken broth slowly as needed until the hummus reaches your desired consistency. Dip sliced cucumbers as if they were a chip or cracker. 

ENJOY!!

Award winning homemade Crock Pot Pasta Sauce

This sauce is GOOD! We use is as our sauce for lasagna, baked ziti, cheese ravioli etc. It makes a lot so its likely you will have left overs to throw in the freezer which is always nice.

Crock Pot Pasta Sauce

 1 pound sweet Italian sausage

 1 pound lean ground beef (we use ground turkey)

 1/2 cup minced onion

 2 cloves garlic, crushed

 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

 1 12oz can tomato paste

 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce

 1/2 cup water

 2 tablespoons white sugar

 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

 1 tablespoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned and place in your crock pot.

 Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning,salt, and pepper.

 Simmer in crock pot, for approx 3-4 hours on high, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!!

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

YUMMY! This is a tried and true recipe for potato salad. You and yours will love it!

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

2 C mayo

3/4 C green onion Sliced

1 lb bacon cooked and cut into bite size pieces (can use 12-16        slices of pre-cooked bacon)

5lbs red potatoes

	stir together the ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise and green onion. Cover, and refrigerate for about 2 hours to blend flavors Bring water to a boil. Add whole potatoes, and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and chop into 1 inch cubes and put in a large serving bowl. Stir the mayo mixture into the bowl of potatoes. Add the bacon and stir. Serve and Enjoy!

Crockpot Country Baked Beans

These are awesome! Give them a try!

 Great for all your summer barbecue needs!

2 cans pork and beans

1 large onion diced

1 cup ketchup

1 lb bacon cooked or 12-13 slices precooked bacon cut in bite       size pieces 

3/4 C brown sugar

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1 TBS horseradish sauce

1 1/2 TBS prepared mustard

1 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

Mix together in a crock pot. Cook on low for approx 6-8 hours

ENJOY! 

Taco Pizza!!

I love finding great recipes on pinterest! Especially when they end up being as good as they sound! My family really enjoys this recipe for taco pizza!  Especially my dear daughter Lindsay. This pan was actually made by her to take to a friend.  

Doesn't it look tasty?

Taco Pizza Serves 12

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
2 (8 oz.) cans crescent rolls
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans 
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
4 green onions, chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to the package directions.

Unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. Place in ungreased 11 1/2 inch x 16 1/2 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Press dough over the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust.  Bake at 375 oven for 11 to 13 minutes or just until golden brown.

  Carefully spread beans over warm crust creating a thin layer.
Top with cooked beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese followed by tomatoes, black olives and green onion.  Return to oven for 3-6 more minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.  Makes 12 main dish servings or 48 appetizers.

Italian Sodas-Yummy!

Have you had an Italian Soda? They are yummy!I have had them in fancy Italian restaurants before but when my Gabby came home from a manners dinner with her young woman's class and was raving  about the Italian Sodas they served she had to find the recipe and of course thanks to pinterest she was successful. Here is the one we found...my only change would be choosing to just use the half and half the recipe calls for instead of the fat free version I purchased. That being said even with the fat free half and half it was still So SO good!! 

Italian Sodas

You will need:

Torani flavors of your choice 

Half and half

club soda

and ice cubes

Add 3 ice cubes to your glass

Then add 1/2 C of club soda

followed by 3 TBS of flavorings and

1 TBS of half and half. 

Top with whipped cream (optional)

Stir and 

ENJOY!!

I think this would be so fun at a party! Make your own style!!