Butterscotch Chip Cookie Cake

Happy Friday! :)

Do you have someone who loves cookies? Then you NEED to make them this Butterscotch Chip Cookie Cake from Bake Your Day.

Kenn likes butterscotch, and I enjoy spoiling him every now and then. :) I had been meaning to make this for him, but just got around to doing so about a week or so ago. He liked it so much that he bragged about it on Facebook. :D

It's SO easy, people! AND I love the fact that you can do just about anything with it - I suspect it will be getting chocolate chips and pecans at a future date. :) It IS very rich, so cut the pieces small. You could throw this together tonight, so the family ( :D ) has something to snack on all weekend!

OK, friend I am outta here! Have a wonderful weekend! Be BLESSED!

Double Butterscotch Cookies

HAPPY FRIDAY! :) Do you have big plans for the weekend? We're going up to Indiana for a few days, and we're both SO excited we can't stand it. :D We need a break. :)

So, anyway. I figured I might as well end the week with another cookie. :)

These are Double Butterscotch Cookies from Taste of Home.

Now, let me just tell you. Cookie recipes where I have to refrigerate the dough are SO not my favorites - and to have to roll them into logs?!? Yeah. I usually pass.

However, I was making these for a meeting, and others were bringing cookies, too, and I didn't want TOO much chocolate. Besides, Kenn loves butterscotch. :)

SO. I made this. And yes, I'm still awful at rolling ANYTHING round. I know how to do it in theory, but my execution is horrible. :::::sigh:::::: :D

HOWEVER. The recipe gets a YES, PLEASE! - I only baked 2 of the 3 rolls of dough for the meeting, and froze the third. It baked up just fine when I wanted to make Kenn a treat about 6 weeks later. They're crunchy and chewy, and just different enough to be special. :)

OK, my friend. I'm outta here! Have a wonderful weekend! BE BLESSED!

Overnight Yeast Waffles

It's FRIDAY! Are you ready for the weekend?!? :) Do you have big plans? I need to make sure I have some cookies baked by the end of day tomorrow; I need them for Sunday! :D

Today's recipe review is for these Overnight Yeast Waffles from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

This recipe really interested me; one of the things that stops me from doing more breakfast recipe reviews is that I just don't get going well in the mornings. :D By the time I'm able to think clearly, it's later in the morning and I'm HUNGRY, and it's easier to make a peanut butter sandwich than to take a long time making something else. With these waffles, you mix them up the night before and let them sit in the fridge until you're ready to cook. I LIKE that.

What I, personally, didn't like was that they tasted like bread. Waffle-iron-cooked, but yeast bread nonetheless. Kenn liked them - but he likes waffles, and he likes it when we get a chance to eat breakfast together. :D

SO. I am putting this into my category of "Good Recipes to Have", but I'm still on the lookout for a tasty waffle recipe that can sit in the fridge overnight! :D

Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy your day - and be BLESSED, my friend.

Fluffy Pancakes

Welcome to Wednesday!!!! I hope you're having a great week! It's BUSY here - and surprise company, two shows to work on, and a desk that isn't cleaning itself off no matter how much I let it have time to do so all add up to lots to do, not much motivation. :D

Speaking of which. I was moaning about wanting pancakes a couple of weeks ago, and my loving, darling husband told me, "If you will make them up, I will fry them for you." Well, I JUMPED at that - I am SOOOOO lazy in the mornings, I really do want the universe to just have my breakfast appear, hot and waiting, every morning. :D

So I turned to this recipe I had Pinned, for fluffy pancakes from allrecipes.com.

They were good!!! (Hubby fried them a bit hotter than I would have, so some of them got a bit darker than makes for a good photo. ;D) They were light and airy, just like a pancake called "fluffy" should be. They went together quickly, and it was really nice to have breakfast together. I have quite the guy; I'm very blessed by him, every day!!

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day, my friend. BE BLESSED!

Mexican Rainbow Salad

Happy FRIDAY! :) Got big plans for the weekend? Whirlwind. That's what life is - how can it be he last Friday of February 2014 already?!?!

SO. This is a Mexican Rainbow Salad from What2Cook.

There IS lettuce underneath all those toppings. :) This was a huge hit with our family; we have such different dietary needs and tastes! With this salad, though, we could choose which rainbow stripes we wanted more or less of. Kenn's a HUGE salad fan, period - he loves anything that tastes fresh. :) And he loves corn. :D The dressing is good, too - we left it on the side, because none of us are huge dressing lovers. I highly recommend this salad - leftovers are easy to get rid of, too! (Make fajitas! Eat more salad! :D )

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Be blessed - and thank you for reading my blog. :)

Sour Cream Waffles

Hi! Sorry I was gone so long; I went up to Indiana on a whirlwind trip, and had to fit it in between rehearsals. I wore myself OUT, and have just been able to breathe again the last few days. Never fear, though! I've been cooking up a storm to bring you reviews! :D (You'll notice several are breakfast over the next few weeks. :) )

And today's is Sour Cream Waffles, from 52 Kitchen Adventures.

I don't have any white whole wheat flour, so I did half whole wheat, half unbleached AP flour. I also used fat free Greek yogurt instead of regular. But that's all I did differently, I promise! :)

As you can tell, we have a Belgian waffle maker versus the square waffles. It makes BIG waffles. :D

I like this recipe - which makes it a YES, PLEASE! I like the fact you don't have to beat the egg white and then add it in - my mom's comment was, "They're really fluffy!" For a waffle with whole wheat flour in it, that's pretty impressive.

There is nothing fancy about these waffles. I think the recipe made six; Kenn ate one, I ate one, and the rest are in my freezer for mornings when I don't want to have to think about what to eat! :D

OK, I'm outta here! Rehearsals are really starting to heat up; we have less than a month before opening now, and time will fly! :)

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!

Doubletree Hotel Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Good morning! How are you today? I'm sorry it's Thursday, not Wednesday - the day just kind of ran away from me. :) (I had PILES of laundry to do!!!)

So I wanted to make Kenn some chocolate chip cookies. He's been working a LOT, and I like to have little treats for him when he comes home. He fell in love with my chocolate chip cookies before he fell for me, so I know I can make him happy with them. :) And I wanted to try a new recipe. So I tried these Doubletree Hotel Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Joyful Momma's Kitchen.

I've only stayed at a Doubletree once in the last few years; they don't tend to fit into our bargain-basement budget. :) I do remember the cookies, however - and these are definitely pretty darned close.

We gave them a YES, PLEASE! - I used my largest Pampered Chef cookie scoop, so the recipe made just over two dozen cookie balls. Because you chill them, I was able to only cook off a few - I don't need to be eating cookies, and I will if there are lots!!! - and froze the rest, to cook off as Kenn wants them.

Every bite has chocolate - if you look at the recipe, not only are there lots of regular chocolate chips, there are also mini chips. Yes, LOTS of chocolate. I might do this recipe with pecans next time, although they MIGHT make the cookie too rich.

OK, I'm outta here! It's flooding around us today; please pray for everyone's safety. Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!!!!

Southern Peach Cobbler

Good morning! It's MONDAY! And it's the last Monday of July. Where on EARTH did this year go?!?!? Soon, it'll be time to see pumpkins and changing leaves, then get ready for the open house, then Christmas! Augh! :D

My mom hates it when I do that to her. :D How are YOU feeling? LOL!

Anyway.

 

Today's recipe is for Southern Peach Cobbler, from allrecipes.com.

 This recipe is going to go into my "Good recipe to have" file. It truly is a classic Southern cobbler - but it's MUCH better straight out of the oven. Seriously. Eat it warm. Make a half-recipe - still enough for four people!!!! - and eat it all. That's Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream on top. Nice compliment. But I thought this was really, REALLY sweet. I would perhaps cut the sugar down that goes on the peaches. LOVED the cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top - is there ever too much cinnamon??? :D

I also used white peaches, because they were better than the normal ones I had to choose from. But it's also, I think, part of the sweetness issue I had. White peaches are good, but I think they're sweeter to begin with.

OK, I'm outta here! :D Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!

Review: Private Selection Items

Hi! Surprise, I'm here a bit early! :D But I wanted to write a review of some things that I received coupons for - some for free, some for money off. And those are Private Selection products, available only at Kroger's.

I've done a smaller Buzz Campaign for Private Selection before, so I knew to expect good quality products. But I was very disappointed; my Kroger's doesn't have a lot of the things available that I received coupons for. The things it DID have, however, did not dissapoint!

First, the beef. Goodness, is it GOOD beef. Tender, juicy, and nicely portioned - we can't afford a lot of high-priced meat, so eating a half an excellent steak is plenty! All I do is use sea salt, freshly-ground pepper, and a hint of garlic powder. Yum!

The other things I was able to get were the Strawberry Preserves, the panko breadcrumbs, and the maple syrup. Kenn LOVES strawberry preserves, and these are very good. Not too sweet, nice strawberry flavor - a real treat.

I haven't used the panko yet, because we don't use breadcrumbs too often - but their texture is really promising. And because of my diabetes, I don't use maple syrup, so I gave this to Dad. (Kenn likes Mrs. Buttersworth. LOL!!) It's a beautiful syrup, amber and thick. Dad loves it. :)

I did pick up a couple of other things from the Private Selection line today that weren't covered in the coupons - they were on sale, and I really do enjoy trying new things. I do know I already like their flatbread pizza, so I got their Margherita pizza to try. Also, I got their butternut squash ravioli to try later. I'm thinking a simple browned butter sauce will be beautiful with them! :D

Overall, I definitely give Private Selection a YES, PLEASE! They are a bit more expensive than things I normally purchase, but they are more unusual and tasty than a lot of those others, too. :) I'd love to know if you try them!

Todd's Famous Blueberry Pancakes

HAPPY MONDAY!

Did you think I might never blog again?!? :D It really feels like I haven't gotten into my groove since we've been back. Phew! But here I am, and I do have things to share with you, so let's get started!

These are Todd's Famous Blueberry Pancakes from Allrecipes.com.

I put off making these for a long time, because the recipe says to let sit for an hour. I mean, when I decide I want to make breakfast, I don't want to have to let something sit there! :D But I did. We had these Saturday for breakfast. I actually got up with plenty of time to let it sit!

Let's see. I think the only tweak to the recipe I did was that the original calls for "frozen blueberries." Well, if you look at their photo, and you know ANYTHING about frozen blueberries, you know they didn't use them in that pancake pictured. Letting the batter sit for an hour after you add frozen blueberries will give you a purple batter!!! Since I wanted mine to be pretty, I used fresh blueberries. It IS fresh berry season, after all. :D

They were good. I don't think I'd call them fluffy, because they did have some weight to them, but they were good pancakes. The serving size on the recipe says "six"; I got exactly nine pancakes out of the recipe, using a 1/4-cup measure, so I'm not sure what a "serving" would constitute - a pancake and a half?!??! So that's a little misleading. But I do now have blueberry pancakes in the freezer for a day I'm craving a pancake and don't want to cook! (Which is most days, these days.... <sigh> :D )

So it's a THUMBS UP, but give yourself lots of time. If you have a blueberry pancake recipe, I'd love to try it!

OK, I'm outta here! Busy week! Have a wonderful day - do come back Wednesday for another review! - and BE BLESSED!!!!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Good Wednesday Evening! :) I'm so glad you haven't given up on me. :) I'm sorry things are a little flaky right now; we're really strapped for cash, so what I'm making for dinner is cheap and not very exciting. :/ This, however, was not only relatively inexpensive, but easy. :D

This is Chicken Pot Pie Soup from SkinnyTaste.

Let's see. After looking at it, there are only two things I did to modify the recipe. First, instead of using the water it calls for, I used the stock from poaching the chicken breasts. It gave just a bit more flavor. Second, we just used regular sliced white mushrooms instead of portabellas - they were cheaper and easier to come by.

And this got a YES, PLEASE! from everyone who ate it! (I had to find SOMETHING to serve with some more of those yummy garlic cheese biscuits! :D ) The soup had a great flavor, was hearty and filling but not heavy - if that makes any sense. :D We'll definitely do this one again!

OK. It's late here, and even later at home :D, but I wanted to get something up! Let me know if you try this! Also, I've heard from ONE of my Biscoff recipients - did you other two get yours?!?!? I sent them before I left in MARCH!!

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!!!!!

Shepherd's Pie

Good Friday Morning!

Can you believe I've been gone for a whole month already? Cooking's been an issue, because I've not had my own tastes and place to please and cook in. But that will change - we just got a place! :) I posted all about it on my new blog.

Anyway! Today's recipe is one I got for shepherd's pie from SimpleRecipes.com.

I more used the method from the recipe than the recipe itself, because I wanted to use up some leftovers. I seasoned and browned up the ground beef, added some leftover corn and frozen veggies, made some packaged brown gravy and poured over top of that hot mess. :D I put it all into a loaf pan, then put the leftover mashed potatoes on top.

It was a hit with the two guys I was cooking for. :D It was not something I'm dying to eat again. But it was filling, and Kenn's friend loves food like this. :D So take those YES, PLEASE!es and NO, THANK YOU!s for what they're worth. :D

Copycat Recipe: Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Welcome to MONDAY! :D Did you have a good weekend? Are you ready for a new month?! Can you BELIEVE it's APRIL!?!? WOW. Hopefully, Kenn and I are in Oregon, perhaps at a friend's house. :) I'm hoping to have some pictures to show you of food we ate along the way, but I'm not promising anything - we're on a TIGHT budget.

ANYWAY. :D This copycat recipe is from one of my favorite bloggers, Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.

I can't wait. These are DEFINITELY a YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, were these WONDERFUL! And the amazing thing is there's no garlic IN them. Just in the buttery blend you put on top after they bake - and man, are they good. Kenn's still mentioning them to me! :D

I halved the recipe, because I figured a)we didn't need more than a half batch, and b)we'd eat them all if we had more, and c)they'd be best fresh.

Oh, my friend. Were they ever WONDERFUL. And so inexpensive - the most expensive thing was the CHEESE!!! Warm, melty, garlicky, crusty on the outside and so incredibly tender on the inside, and NO CHEMICALS. No Bisquick. Everything's from the pantry.

Plan these into your menus, folks. I am not even kidding. These are DEFINITELY going on my FAVORITE RECIPES board, and will get served a lot when we're on the beach. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! Try something new!

Italian Meatball Soup

Welcome to yet another Wednesday. :) Are you having a good week?

Here's another soup from the week I cooked while Dad was gone. It's Italian Meatball Soup from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.

I'm going to give this one a YES, PLEASE! The meatballs were really good, VERY tender - but next time, I'm going to BAKE these, too - I just cannot fry a meatball to save my life. <sigh> They turn out more like meatbits!

It was another healthy soup, with lots of veggies - especially spinach! It was easy, and reheats well. Let me check the recipe to see if I did any tweaking.... :D

Nope, followed it pretty much exactly. I'm not REALLY crazy about all the Italian seasoning that floats in the broth, so I might cut that down next time. But it's Italian soup, right? :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new?

This review is for Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp from SkinnyTaste.

YES, PLEASE! Wow, was this good! At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it - but it's got a nice taste to it, just a little spice - and I've been taught how to cook shrimp perfectly. :) And although it's simply awful for me, I LOVE rice - and since Asian dishes usually have rice or noodles, they're usually things I like. LOL!

Don't skip the cilantro. I know some people don't like it - and you can cut down on the amount if you need to - but it adds a bit of brightness and freshness that I think this dish needs.

I got my light coconut milk at Trader Joe's for 99 cents for the can - and have over a half can left for something else. :)

OK. I'm out of here. We're starting on our adventure today, after having been with my family for a reunion the last week! Please pray for us! :) Have a BLESSED day!!

Savory Bean & Spinach Soup

You made it! It's FRIDAY again! :)

Today, I've got a Savory Bean & Spinach Soup to share with you, from Fitness.com.

Now, then. I am not a huge soup fan. There's just something about it that will never make soup my favorite thing - and part of that, I'm sure, is how messy and noisy it can be to eat. :D

But I took a week, when my dad was traveling, to cook some soups for Kenn for meals. Dad came home early - it was the week the first big blizzard hit Kansas City, but I went ahead and did that cooking. And this was one of the two soup recipes.

This one got a definite YES, PLEASE! from Kenn. It was OK - and it was vegetarian, easily made vegan if you don't add the cheese. :)

I was a bit disappointed that mine looked so much more tomato-based than the picture on the website. But I loved the fact it had such healthy ingredients! Of course, I used organic vegetable broth. :)

And yes, that's a piece of the Amish bread behind the bowl. Oh, gosh, that bread made the meal. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful weekend!! :)

Tamale Pie

Happy Monday Morning! Did you enjoy your weekend? Did you spend time with people you love - or did you get to rest and relax in the quiet? :D We were at our last church service at Springhouse Worship & Arts Center until we come back in the fall. Happy and sad - they are REAL family.

Anyway. :)

Today's recipe under review is for Tamale Pie from Brown Eyed Baker.

I didn't change a thing on this recipe. :) Oh, wait. Yes I did, by accident. :D But I also cut it in half. I accidentally used organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes versus diced tomatoes. And when you dice the jalapeno, be sure to get all the ribs and seeds out - I use a knife to make sure!

The heat on this, for me, was perfect. It wasn't too spicy at all, but flavorful. I'm thinking about changing it up next time - what a shock, right? :D - by either doubling the filling and keeping the amount of cornbread topping the same, or adding a can of black beans. Kenn's only criticism was that the bread was too thick on the bite he had - and it did get thicker in one corner. I put out guacamole and sour cream to top with.

I'm definitely giving this a YES, PLEASE - even my dad said, "That'll eat!" and he doesn't like spicy. :D The leftovers warm up beautifully. DO let it sit for the 15 minutes it calls for, and it will slice up beautifully.

OK, I'm outta here! :) Have a wonderful, BLESSED day!

Almost time for the giveaway! :D

Not too long now until the Biscoff Giveaway ends! Have YOU entered? Go do it - on that post! Just click the link! Hurry! :D

I decided to share what our Valentine's Day table looked like today. My mom pulled it together - isn't it beautiful? We ate out on the sun porch; Kenn had to go shoot a basketball game, so we ate early. The flowers are ones Mom uses for Fourth of July centerpieces; the chargers were some we used for Christmas, as were the battery-operated candles.

It's a small table, but it was quite lovely!!! What do you think??

Friday, I'll share the cake I made for our dessert - that's the part I was in charge of. :) And if you've left a message on the Biscoff Giveaway, PLEASE either email me or leave another message with your address! :D

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!

Tex-Mex Chicken and Tortilla Stack

Good Monday midday! :D I've been busy this weekend, and not in the mood to really blog today, but here I am anyway! :D

Dad was gone last week, but Kenn also had a really bad infection in his tooth. So I wasn't sure I was going to get to make this - but I did. On Tuesday night, I tried this Tex-Mex Chicken and Tortilla Stack from Recipe.com.

First of all, I will admit: I took the METHOD of this recipe more than the recipe itself. Every place I looked for jicama, it was sold out. So we didn't have jicama in ours.

And I don't like precooked chicken, unless it's in a can (and I still don't LOVE it, then!); it almost always gives me heartburn, and I don't care for the chemicals they use. So, I used two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and poached them in water with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried minced onion. When they were done, I shredded the chicken and let it cool.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this recipe; it's served cold, and I tend to like COOKED Mexican food. :D You know, HOT and a little spicy. :D But we really did like it! It got a YES, PLEASE! from both of us! And of course, I personalized it. :D

For instance, I made our guacamole. Doing it myself saved at least a dollar - and it's not a CHEAP recipe, although it's not too bad. Part of the cost for US, though, is that I need to use low-carb tortillas. To cut down on the whopping cost of my favorite white flour LC tortillas, I alternated them with whole wheat ones. (I tend to not like those at all because of texture and flavor. It's a personal thing! :D) I would say this, by itself, serves 4 - it makes 8 pieces, if you cut it like a cake. :D but we didn't have anything WITH it.

I also didn't put red peppers in it - again, they don't like me. I also added cilantro to the cheese layers - did you know it's one of the top 5 nutrient-dense foods on the planet?!? - because Kenn LOVES it, and I like it. My mom says its flavor is too "loud" - it overpowers everything else. :D

I used fat free regular refried beans. Kenn doesn't tend to like things too spicy, so no jalapeno, either. And his system is sometimes intolerant of the colors they use in cheeses, so I used Velveeta queso blanco shredded cheese. I also added tomato to the top!

I guess what I'm trying to express is this: don't be afraid to play! :D I wouldn't have tried a "stack" if I hadn't found this recipe. I'd have loved to have had the jicama for the recipe, but oh, well. :D I know what we like, and if I can get things that are good for us into a recipe, I'm gonna! :D

OK, I'm outta here. LOTS to do! :D Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!!!!

English Toffee

Good Wednesday morning! I hope you're enjoying your week! Tomorrow ENDS January - can you believe it? Wasn't last week Christmas? :D

Today's recipe is one that I usually only make at Christmas, but I highly recommend it - it's inexpensive to make, relatively, and if your love likes toffee, this one is sure to please. And gain you points - I always split this into two batches. You can hide one in the freezer, if you want.... :D Kenn LOVES this toffee!

The base recipe is from Christmas-cookies.com. Here's how I change it!

The main toffee, I do NOTHING to - I will tell you to stir forever and watch that thermometer! It goes from good to burnt in no time at all!!!!

I use a Silpat (actually, a knock-off) to pour my candy onto; I also, as I mentioned, split the batch into two ROUNDS. It's easy, and I think it's easier to handle that way.

After it cools for about 5 minutes, I pour about 1/2 cup of semisweet (or MILK!) chocolate chips on top of each round, and let them sit for about 3 minutes until they're easy to spread. I spread them around, and just let the candy sit for a few hours until it's completely cooled. Then, if I'm going to be serving it soon, I break one of the rounds apart.

If I'm not, then they stack - with waxed paper in between! - in a gallon plastic bag in the fridge until I want them. :) If you want to freeze them and don't want the chocolate to whiten (like mine in the picture!), you can do the chocolate as in the recipe whenever you want, or melt the chips in the microwave.

Easy! Inexpensive! Loved by millions! :D What else could you ask for?!? :D

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED!