Cheryl's Chocolate Chip Blonde Brownies

Good Friday Morning! I hope you've had a great week, and are looking forward to your weekend. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Michael and Haley, our groom and bride tomorrow. :)

Anyway. Today's another share that I learned to only make around Christmas, because I absolutely LOVE these. They're fantastic, soft and chewy. They're from BettyCrocker.com, and are called Cheryl's Chocolate Chip Blonde Brownies.

Well, I'll admit it: part of my reasoning for posting these is so I have the link to the recipe while we're in Oregon. :D They're SO simple to make, but would be wonderful to have on-hand for weekend guests.... :D

I don't tweak these at all. I accidentally added too much brown sugar one time, and don't recommend doing that if you can help it. :D These kind of taste like chocolate chip cookies, but a little different, and a lot easier. :D

I can't think of anything else to tell you about them, except you won't regret making them! :D

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!! Be BLESSED - and try something new!

"Raspberry" Blintz Casserole

Good Friday Morning! How are you today? Have you had a great week? Got fantastic plans for this weekend? Going to try something new?!? :D

Here's one of the things we tried this week: Raspberry Blintz Casserole from Recipe.com.

First, those of you who are observant will notice that this is definitely NOT raspberry! :D Although the recipe calls for using them, Kenn couldn't find ANY in the frozen section. And so I used what I had - blueberries we'd purchased and frozen earlier this year.

Now, then. The casserole itself is the recipe I used - and I halved it. I think I've mentioned how we try not to have too much hanging around at one time? Yeah. :) This fell in that category - and if Kenn didn't like it, I didn't want to have to figure out what to do with all that casserole. So I baked it in a two-quart casserole dish - which I *think* is a 7"x11", but I'm too lazy to go measure it. :D

Anyway. The casserole gets a YES, PLEASE! My dad got a taste, and decided he needed to have it sometime soon. :D It uses orange, instead of lemon, which gives it a stronger but sweeter taste.

I cannot recommend that you make the raspberry sauce, however; there are NO measurements whatsoever on it. So please come up with another sauce recipe before you try this casserole! I can tell you what I did - and I should have doubled the sauce!

I used a glass measuring cup and thawed 1 cup of berries, then gave them a whirl in the food processor (since it's already out for the casserole recipe!). I heated them in a saucepan, and added 1 heaping teaspoon of corn starch before they got warm - it mixes in MUCH better if your ingredients are cold! I added about 2 tablespoons of additional orange juice I had left from squeezing my orange for the casserole. I should have added about that much water, too, so it wouldn't thicken up quite so much when it sat. :)

That's it! Pretty easy, and it was yummy. I liked the edges of this one better than the middle, just because there was some texture variation there. :) It's very soft, light, and yummy!

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Let me know what YOU try new! Be BLESSED!!!!

Italian Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Onions

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!!!! Have you enjoyed your holiday season? Are you really stressed during the Christmas season? Wish you had it more together? Well, I recommend my friend Krisann, the Christmas coach, and our site at ChristmasOrganizing.com if you need help. Seriously - I've been working with her for 10 years, and she has so much to offer you!

ANYWAY. :D Today's recipe is one my sister found at Pillsbury, for Italian Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Onions.

I fixed this for dinner one night when she had to work a little later than normal; she'd already gotten the ingredients, and had the recipe on her computer. So I followed the recipe - although I didn't MEASURE anything, I stuck to the recipe. I wasn't sure how I'd like the sweet potatoes with the Italian herbs, but decided I did like them.

The pork was really good, too - I played with the time a bit, because I started it too high, but it turned out perfectly. ;D I'm blessed that way sometimes! LOL! I'm going to give this a YES, PLEASE! for its ease and pleasing flavor in a short time. Not a lot of prep work, either, which I am beginning to really appreciate. :D Thanks, Kelli! :)

OK, I'm outta here. The year is ending just as crazily as it began! :) Happy New Year, dear friends. Thank you for being on this adventure with me!

Butter Rum Fudge

Good Wednesday Morning!

Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite tried-n-true (TNT) recipes with you.I think I got the original from Food.com; this recipe is almost exactly it (there's a typo; there should be 12 ounces of chocolate chips!).

DO NOT TRY TO FIT THIS IN A 9x9 PAN! Gravy. The first time I did this recipe, I followed to the letter - well, as far as that goes. ;D It was so thick, I had to cut the piece in half width-wise! It's perfect - like my photo above - in a 13x9.

Now, then. My tweaks: I don't add walnuts and pecans. I add walnuts and a cup of raisins that I've soaked in hot water with a teaspoon of rum flavoring added. It plumps the raisins and gives them a boost of flavor. I also add just a bit more rum flavoring.

This fudge is one of Kenn's favorites. I only make it once a year, for the open house. This year, I added a few mini marshmallows, too, by accident - but it's still yummy. :D

I'm gone. Hopefully not crazy.... :D Have a wonderful, BLESSED day!

Sour Cream Pancakes

Good Monday Morning! Welcome to SEPTEMBER - and Happy Labor Day! Are you planning something special?

Today's review is another recipe, this time from Friday Delights, for sour cream pancakes.

 This recipe had me a little concerned. First, there's an ingredient that's listed but not in the instructions. Then, there was the way the batter came together - it was THICK, not like regular pancake batter. When I put it into the pan, it didn't SPREAD.

But it *did* puff. Oh, MY, did they rise.

Then I took the first one cooked, and tore a piece with my fingers. It felt lighter than I thought it was going to - I mean, it has more fat than flour in it! Then I took a bite.

This is DEFINITELY a YES, PLEASE!!!! Oh, my. Not overly sweet, because there's only a tablespoon of honey to sweeten the batter. But so fluffy and soft. They were almost delicate.

My husband loves pancakes. And he loves when I make him breakfast. :D So this was a win-win; and he even thanked me again the next day for making this breakfast for him. LOL!

They are a little more time-consuming than the mix-in-the-bottle type. I'm definitely keeping this recipe for those lazy mornings when we want a special breakfast. Add a little salt air to the whole picture, and it would be a perfect morning! :D

Please let me know if you try these. I think your whole family would love them. If you have more than three people eating, however, you might want to double the recipe. I got eight pancakes using a 1/4-cup measure.

Have a BLESSED day!

"Rotisserie" Chicken Revisited

Good morning! :) I hope you had a great weekend. Did you try anything NEW???? :D

I wanted to fill you in on that chicken that I gave a NO, THANKS to when I did it in the crockpot. We tried it a different way. We cooked it over a bundt pan in a conventional oven, with root veggies in it.

I'm glad to report that it was MUCH better, very juicy and still tender. The dry rub's got a really great flavor, and I think it helps the chicken stay moist. I would recommend it now, with a YES, PLEASE! :)

OK, I'm outta here. I'm making a recipe to review for Wednesday! Stay tuned! And have a BLESSED day!

Cream Puff Cake

 

Good Monday Morning! How are you today? Did you have a good weekend? We just got home yesterday; it feels good to be in our own room again, even though the time with my sister, BIL, and all their children was good. (I hope I'll get a chance to share decorating those cupcakes with you, eventually! :D )

Today's recipe comes to you courtesy of Lil' Luna, for Cream Puff Cake.  No way of putting off my rating on this. Oh. My. Goodness. YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!

If you've never done any kind of choux pastry, please know it's very easy - and this couldn't get much easier! The only suggestion I'd make is that you keep a mixer going in it while you add the eggs. (I put the cooked batter into my Kitchen Aid with the whisk attachment.)

For the filling, I used sugar-free white chocolate pudding, with Hood® Calorie Countdown milk - I really love this stuff, because it's only got 3 grams of carbs per 8 ounces! The filling was a LITTLE loose, even though I used less milk. I'm not sure if it's because of the SF pudding or what, but it didn't keep its form as beautifully as the recipe's photos.

This was GONE in less than 24 hours. My husband LOVED it; he doesn't like a lot of sweet stuff - I think I've mentioned that - but he sure helped eat it! :)

OK, I'm off. Have a WONDERFUL day! Be sure to let me know if you try this - or anything else I've reviewed! :) Or if you find something you'd like me to try. But be warned: I may tweak it. :D

Almond Joy Bars

It's FRIDAY! Have you had a great week? Looking forward to the weekend? Trying anything new tonight? :D

Today's recipe is from Just a Pinch recipe club, and for Almond Joy Bars.

I have to say: these are COOKIE bars. They're rich, and the chocolate on top is incredibly thick. The coconut and cookie layer are yummy, but I found the name misleading. I pried the chocolate off my bar, because it was just too overpowering. I did put almonds on mine, but you couldn't taste them because of the chocolate layer.

My dad doesn't like chocolate, so he pried off the chocolate, too. :) Mom LOVED them! :D Kenn liked them, too. But I'm the one who bakes desserts around here.

So, because there's SO much other stuff to try out there, and because these bars were a bit labor-intensive, and because the chocolate was just too much, I'm going to give these a NO, THANK YOU. Tasty, yes. Going back to? No.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Try something new! :) And be BLESSED!

Pampered Chef Pasta Cutter

Good Wednesday morning! Are you having a good week?

Since I gave you my experience with the pasta on Monday, I wanted to share a tool that I love. :D

I really do love Pampered Chef tools. No, I don't use the stones - you won't see any of them here, because my mom can't stand the thought of cooking on something that's not completely washed and sterilized. :D

This is my PC pasta cutter; it comes with three different edging blades, and all of them are cutters, as well. I really enjoyed using this tool; I'm a lefty, and had no problems using it. It's quick and easy - and stores in the case, so there's no blade exposed. It's a YES, PLEASE!!! Especially if you make pasta. LOL!

Have a WONDERFUL day! Want to send me something to review? Leave your email in a comment, and I'll get right to you! :) BE BLESSED!

Lazy Sushi Bowls

Good Friday Morning!!!! Have you had a good week? It's been more like two really short weeks, right, since you had Wednesday as a break? :D

Today, I want to share a Foodie With Family recipe; some of her recipes are incredible, and she's really fun to read. I hope you'll follow her blog. :)



Let me tell you, off the bat, this is totally and completely a YES, PLEASE! for both of us, but especially for Kenn. We've already decided that the fixings for this will be in our fridge at the beach on a consistent basis. :)

There's a LOT of prep work involved at the beginning - chopping, slicing, shopping. However, once you have the basics, this comes together really easily! Since everyone assembles their own, with their own favorite ingredients, it's simple to put out. The ingredients are as fresh as you prep them to be, so YUM. :D

I have to be careful with rice, as y'all know, but we used brown rice for this first one. It's still rice, but it's a more complex carbohydrate. This dish really appealed to both of us because we could use what we each wanted. Our tastes differ quite a bit, so the ability to have the same type of food without having to compromise on what it contained was quite fun! :)

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Why not try this one this weekend? Enjoy yourself! :D And let me know if you try something I've recommended (or not!) how you liked it - or find something you'd like me to try! :)

Ham n Egg Cups

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

So, to proclaim some independence from breakfast - as a diabetic, I *have* to eat breakfast, and I HATE it. <sigh> - I bring you this recipe from Just a Pinch - it's a great recipe community. HOPEFULLY, I'll have gotten to go to the get-together Tuesday. (I'm pre-posting, so you're sure to get a post today! :D)

These got a YES, PLEASE! from both Kenn and I. I have to tell you: they're SALTY. The first time, I added a little more salt. The second, none - and the ham was salty! Kenn says it concentrates the salt, and I guess that's probable. The only tweak I did was to use a few fresh spinach leaves instead of frozen; we try to keep fresh spinach around, to use in place of lettuce on sandwiches, etc.

Well, OK, I fibbed. :D I just went and looked at the original recipe again. I used COOKED ham, not SMOKED. We don't like smoked meats much. And I also used 1/4 piece of an American cheese slice instead of shredded cheese. It's still cheese, right? :D I threw in a piece of high-fiber, lower carb toast, and it was a really nice meal!

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day - and try something NEW! :)

Copycat Recipe for Cracker Barrel's Hash Brown Casserole

Good morning! How was your weekend? Did you make anything new? Or did you make as little as possible, to not add any more heat to your world? MAN, has it been hot! :) I'm SO grateful for air conditioning!

I did make the Meatball Bubbles again, for a friend's family with three little ones. I haven't heard how they liked them, but they sure turned out wonderfully again. I would DEFINITELY have eaten them! :D

ANYWAY. You can find the recipe for this at Budget Savvy Diva; she's got a great blog! I follow her on FaceBook, too. :D

I made this recipe on the beach, when we had the house in February. I don't remember what main dish I served it with. Hmmm. Let me go see if I can find it.... No, I found which day I made it, but not what I served it with. :D I DO know we ate it for two different meals.

I didn't tweak a thing on it! :D It's DEFINITELY a YES, PLEASE! rating; really simple to make, gooey cheesy goodness. I actually think it was better the second time; I warmed it up in the oven, not in the microwave, because I had plenty of time. I don't eat the Cracker Barrel version enough to say whether it's a true copycat recipe or not - my favorite things at Cracker Barrel are all carb-heavy, so I try not to eat them all together. :D But it is a wonderful side dish, full of comfort and flavor. And it makes a LOT.

Have you found something you'd like me to try? Or have you found a recipe that's wonderful, and you think I should try, too? Let me know! I'd love to! :) And let me know if you try anything I've reviewed! I'd love to know your thoughts.

Have a wonderful day! Be blessed!

Lemon Brownies

It's FRIDAY! You MADE it! And tomorrow is my sister's birthday, so let's all sing to her!

♫HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR KELLI!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!♫

:D

Thank you! :D

Anyway! LOL! Today's recipe is brought to you from Rita's Recipes, for Lemon Brownies.

This does, indeed, make up a small pan of brownies - but they're so full of flavor, you don't need a huge brownie to get the lemon!

These are a definite YES, PLEASE around here; we all really like the refreshing taste of lemon. And these are really, really good. :) The only critique I heard was from my dad, who doesn't like chocolate and insisted these weren't brownies, they were "lemonies". :D

The only tweak I did was add just a touch of lemon extract to the brownie recipe, but I'm not sure it was necessary; the glaze's liquid is all lemon juice, so it's very lemony. :) I'm not sorry I added it, however, and might do so again when I make these again. Because it's a given - they were easy! Need something for a treat this weekend? Try these! :) And then let me know what you thought.

OK, I'm off! Enjoy your weekend! Be BLESSED!!!

Peach Strawberry Jam

Good Friday morning! :) I hope you're doing well today! Have you had a good week? Eaten or tried anything new lately? :)

Today's recipe review is from Jen's Happy Spot. We tried this first last year, and then I couldn't find the blog I'd copied-and-pasted from. When we made more jam this week, I had to search for it so I could share with you! :D

 Obviously, if we've made it twice, it gets a YES, PLEASE! from us. :D It's a wonderful jam, full of fruit and summer flavor. It's also a beautiful jam!

Mom did the fruit prep this year; the peaches weren't quite ripe, so they didn't break down as far this time. So the fruit chunks in the jam are quite large. Never a *really* bad thing, in my opinion. :D

It makes a beautiful gift, too! The jars are just out of the processor, cooling before going on the shelf. This is one of those jams that I love to have around in the dark or winter; just one taste, and it's like being in summer again. What could be better than fresh peach and strawberries?

We used regular peaches, not white ones. We also used all-natural pectin, purchased from an Amish store in Indiana. I WILL tell you that this jam is super-sweet, but it doesn't take much to get a jam taste. :) I use maybe 1/2 teaspoon on toast or PB&J! (That's because I'm being super careful of my carbs, NOT because I don't want more! :D )

You can also use strawberries you've put into the freezer! Now's a great time for strawberries; peaches really don't hit their peak for another three weeks. Get the berries now, and freeze them in measured amounts. If you like more peach than strawberry, then make sure your fruit mix has more of them. :D

OK, I'm off! Enjoy your weekend, try to stay cool, and try something new! If you try something I've reviewed, please let me know what you thought!!!! Hey, anyone made any of the meatball bubbles? I'm taking some to a family next week. :D

Be blessed!

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

My goodness, the day's passing me by! Sorry I'm a bit later than usual. :)

Today's review is of these rolls at Eat Cake For Dinner. :D Now, the first thing I need to tell you is Mom made them. That's right. That means she followed the recipe to the letter. My dad formed the rolls, because Mom says she doesn't do it right. :D We also baked them together, because I don't like crusty bread. I know. I'm strange. But there you go. :D

These were for my birthday celebration on Friday night. They rate a YES, PLEASE!

If you're not going to use them all - it makes a HUGE batch! - then I'd either form and freeze the dough, or give rolls away. But do it quickly; these rolls didn't like being saved for very long. They were beautiful; my parents did a wonderful job on them! :)

Be sure and let me know if you try them - or anything else I've reviewed! :) Have a WONDERFUL day! Eat something GOOD! :) Be blessed....

Strawberry Napoleons

Good afternoon! Did you have a good weekend? I'm still trying to recuperate from my busy week last week. Oooh, LA! :D

Today's review is for Strawberry Napoleons from Six Sisters' Stuff. I chose this for my celebration with my family, obviously for dessert. My dad doesn't like anything chocolate, so I chose this so he could enjoy it, too. :D

YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Ok, so I can't make ANYTHING without tweaking the recipe; my mom made most of this, so she followed the recipe *almost* exactly. We had discussed the type of pudding earlier, so she did use sugar-free cheesecake pudding. However, she also used straight milk instead of half and half lower-carb milk, and almond extract when I wished for vanilla. <sigh> :D

This was SO good. I baked off the puff pastry in the morning before going to get my hair cut and run errands, and left them on the cooling rack until we used them. (You can put baked puff pastry in a container for about 24 hours, and then it really starts to get soggy again.) Each person assembled their own; this one's MINE. :D

The puff pastry is a crispy, flaky compliment to the creamy pudding filling. And fresh strawberries just take it to heavenly! :D

Please let me know if you try the recipe, and if you tweak it. Next time, I'm changing the vanilla and milks! :D

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Check out my review on my other blog!

:D OK, so I've been known to give my opinion on recipes before. This one deserves being brought to your attention (again?) - it's really good! Just click on this sentence to go check it out - and enjoy your weekend! I'd love to hear from you, if you're trying something new or just enjoy visiting me! :)
BE BLESSED!

Papa Murphy's Pizza!

Hi, y'all! I'm setting up all of the reviews ahead of time; yesterday was my birthday, and I'm being whisked away by my husband. :D So! I've got a bunch of stuff set back, but I need to keep SOMETHING in reserve! :D

Today, I bring you a review of Papa Murphy's Pizza!

Before we got married, I had never heard of PMP. There weren't any in the areas in which I'd lived - but when we moved to Florence, Oregon, we lived right next door to one!

What makes them unique is that they bake nothing in-house. They make pizzas (and now cookies, and breads, and salads!) that you take home and bake. You get fresh, hot pizza in a fraction of the time it would take you to put everything together yourself, on FRESH crust.

Can you tell this gets a YES, PLEASE! from me?!? :D If you go to the website, you can also print coupons - this large pizza (if you click this link, it will take you right to the description!) was only $8.

Talk about a happy camper. :D Fresh veggies, melted cheese, and a super-thin crust, so I don't have to worry *too* much about the carbs. I LOVE pizza, but Kenn's not much of a fan. However, he really like this one - it was his idea to get it! :D

Maybe someday PMP will want me to review another kind, so I'll get to do so. ;D In the meantime, I'm quite happy with this. (The pizza in the picture on their site looks like it's got a lot more toppings than this one....)

Dang, now I want a piece! :D Let me know if there are Papa Murphy's around you - and if you have a favorite kind, what it is!

Have a BLESSED day! Go try something new! :D

Make-Your-Own Rotisserie Chicken

Hello, one and all - or all of one, if that's all who's here! :D I hope you're enjoying my blog; I am really enjoying doing it. I love to try things out! :D

Today's recipe I'm reviewing is from Busy-Mommy.com, and it's on how to make your own chicken that tastes like a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

I love rotisserie chicken; it's versatile and easy to use, tender and juicy. HOWEVER. This recipe makes it in your crock pot.

I'm a huge fan of the IDEA of cooking meals in a crock pot; what could be better than sticking ingredients in in the morning, and having dinner ready later?

In practice, however, I have to tell you: I think the crock pot dries meat out. It LOOKS wonderful, and if tenderness is your game, it wins, hands-down. But JUICY? Nope. Not in my experience.

So, as it stands, I have to give this recipe a NO, THANK YOU. The flavor was great, so I think I'll try it in the OVEN next time, and I think that will change the whole thing for me. But even in my second-day meal, which is sauced with olive oil, the chicken was dry. I'll let you know when I do it in the oven!

OK, I'm outta here! :D Have a WONDERFUL, BLESSED day - and let me know if you've had the same experience with your crock pot, or if I'm doing something wrong. :D

Oreo Poke Cake

Good morning! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new? :D

Today's recipe review is an Oreo® poke cake I found at The Country Cook. Now, remember when I promised that I'd tell you when I made substitutions? I had to do that with this one - but just the pudding.

Even though this cake was for a Stampin' Up!® event, I *knew* it would be around the house for a while. :D I mean, unless a whole lot more people showed up for my open house than I thought were going to! :D So, I decided to save the carbs and calories wherever I could. I did use milk for the pudding; I've been known to use almond milk and another low-carb milk, but didn't want to bother anyone's taste buds or tummies. :D

So, instead of the Oreo® pudding which *only* comes in fully-loaded sugar, I used sugar-free cheesecake pudding. Now, we make poke cakes all the time around here; a Jell-o® poke cake has been known to be my birthday cake. :D I have to tell you, this pudding set up faster than any I've done a poke cake with before, and I'm not sure WHY. As you can see, it didn't go all the way down into the channels I poked into the cake, but there was LOTS on top. :D

Because my pudding wasn't Oreo®, I decided to go ahead with the optional cookies on top. I only used about 10-12, and they were regular, so it wasn't a WHOLE lot more carbs. :D

Overall, I give this recipe a YES, PLEASE! It was yummy, and several people at the event commented on it - calling it "great" and "refreshing". :) Things that are GOOD to hear about your cake!

Try making this for some event where chocolate will score you points! :D Because it's made in two steps, you can bake off the cake one day and do the topping(s) the next. Let me know if you try this one! Have a wonderful, BLESSED day!