Quick and Easy Mason Jar Frittata

Happy Monday! Thanks for stumbling across my blog today! :)

Today I'm reviewing this review for Quick and Easy Mason Jar Frittatas from Target.com - who knew they had recipes?!?!

I made these a few months ago for our Bible study; I use that and my turn at hostessing Stampin' Up! parties to try out new recipes, since most of the ones I want to try aren't things we can eat around here. :D But these ARE something I can eat - and they earn a YES, PLEASE!!!

These frittatas are SUPER easy; I made them up the night before, and just cooked them off that morning. They were TASTY!!! Everyone oohed and aahhed over them - and who doesn't like something in a cute mason jar? :D I loved being able to make them ahead. Perfect for entertaining, OR for regular family!

These also reheated well enough that I could make up a batch and keep them in the fridge for a week's worth of breakfasts.

Let me know if you decide to try them! Have a wonderful day - BE BLESSED!!!

Perfect Pizza Crust

Happy Monday!! I don't know about y'all, but we've been cooking in SOOO much the last week, with the ice and snow! I made this early last week for lunch, and was in the process of making it again on Saturday to put two crusts in the freezer - and ended up using them that night. Do you know how crazy expensive ordering pizza is?!?!??! Kenn likes mine better, anyway. :D

SO. This is Perfect Pizza Crust, from Carlsbad Cravings.

I will tell you right off: this is a YES, PLEASE!!!! - from me and my family. Crispy and chewy - and I made the dough in my bread machine. Oh, yeah I did. :D I halved the recipe the first time; we were only doing it for one meal, and my dad is gluten-free, so he wasn't going to share this one. :) This is half veggie, half mushroom, onion, and ground beef.

I will also tell you this: do NOT cook two pizas at the same time. That's what I did the second time, and the top one ended up almost steamed on the bottom, not with the crunch we expected - but the bottom pizza was perfect. I do recommend the broiling step, to brown up the cheese; we don't tend to use our broiler much, and I'm not sure why. It added the perfect touch to this lovely pizza! :)

I can't tell you if the dough freezes well yet; I have yet to be able to get a batch made and in the freezer! :) (Yes, it's because I'm lazy, and I know it. :D )

I really hope you'll try this recipe - either the long way by hand, or short-cutting with your bread machine. :D

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED, dear friend!

Baked Vanilla Donuts with Chocolate Frosting

Happy weekend! :) I hope you're staying warm and DRY - things around here are getting interesting, with another round of snow and ice followed by RAIN all day Saturday. It's going to be a MESS. I haven't left the house since last Sunday, so we've been doing lots of baking and cooking. :)

These Vanilla Donuts with Chocolate Frosting are one of the things I've made, brought to you from Call Me PMC,

Now, because it's snow/ice, there is no running to the store to get one or two things, as you well know. :) So I didn't have any Greek yogurt; I used lemon juice in my milk, as the recipe says you can. And I didn't use any canned frosting - YUCK! - but some chocolate frosting I've been saving from a past cake recipe to use. :)

I don't think any of us were knocked out with the TEXTURE of these. They were a LOT like sponge cake, which is okay when that's what I'm EXPECTING in my donut. :) And Kenn said they were very filling. :D I'm keeping the recipe in my "Good Recipes to Have" file, but it probably won't be one I go back to. (I'm trying another baked donut recipe this weekend, I THINK, so I'm excited about it. :D )

OK, I'm leaving you alone now. :) Have a WONDERFUL weekend, and may you be richly blessed!

Hearty Chicken Soup

Good Monday Morning! :)

I thought, since many of us are in this ice/snow belt, chicken soup would be a great thing to share today. :)

This recipe for Hearty Chicken Soup is from Recipe.com.

Now, I will tell you right away that I more used the METHOD than the direct recipe, because I didn't HAVE everything the recipe called for. :D For instance, my chicken thighs were boneless, so the stock wasn't as good for us as it could have been. <sigh> I made this for Kenn when he first started coming down with this respiratory stuff, and we all know chicken soup is good for the soul, healthy or ill though the person may be, correct? :D

With that said, this was good soup. I tend to not like soups too much, because they're SO liquidy. :D I'd rather have a stew or a chowder any day of the week! (Or something with lots of cheese in it... :D ) But I think it was a comfort to Kenn, and it said, "I love you" to him, and we ate it for dinner. :D I'm saving it in my "Good Recipes to Have" folder.

OK, everyone! Stay safe and warm, and enjoy your day! :) Be BLESSED!

Double Fudge Brownies

Welcome to Wednesday! Having a great week? I hope so! Today's been really pretty and sunny; tomorrow's high is 30. :D Ahhh, weather in the South...

Anyway. Today's recipe review is for these Double Fudge Brownies from Crazy for Crust.

First of all, there's a link in the recipe for homemade brownie mix. It's the easiest mix EVER, and it was fun to have it on hand. (Actually, I'm keeping some on hand! :D )

Then there's the fact that I made a batch of these brownies one day when I wanted a taste of chocolate, and wanted to try a new recipe - and Kenn and Mom benefited from my desire, too. :) I did NOT frost them the first time I made them, and they stored easily, were easy to get out of the pan, and didn't last too long. :D

I made THIS batch to take to a friend who'd been in the hospital - actually, the brownies went for her husband and kids. :D She's not supposed to be eating a bunch of sugar, either!

I loved the unfrosted brownies. I really thought the frosting was way too dark chocolate, and took the brownies to a level where I didn't want to eat them. Some people thought they were wonderful, but some really thought they were too dark, too. If you LOVE dark chocolate, try them frosted. If you're looking for a great brownie, try them unfrosted. :D

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

Baked Apple French Toast

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Are you staying warm? Today's recipe might help; it's Baked Apple French Toast from Work It, Mom!

I made this for breakfast with a friend. We had a great time, and I liked this because it was ready to throw in the oven early when I wasn't up to thinking very clearly. :D Plus, it was good - not too sweet, which I appreciate. I added extra cinnamon to the apples. :) The crusts on the baguette were a little difficult to cut through, so if I want to do a bit more prep work, I MIGHT cube all the bread, instead of just slicing it.

I served some bacon on the side, and it was a warming, comforting, easy breakfast! :)

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

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!

Cheese Sticks (aka Cheese Straws)

Happy Wednesday (night :D )!!! Have you had a good week? Sorry I am having trouble getting into the habit of blogging again; I'm staying really busy. Kenn has turned in his two-week notice, so we're doing lots of "What if..." planning, etc., right now. :)

ANYWAY. This is a "How To Make Cheese Sticks" from allrecipes.com - and I know them as Cheese Straws. :)

I wasn't really thrilled with this recipe, but it turned out pretty good. :) First of all, it says to do this as soon as the dough is thawed enough to unfold; I really think the toppings/ingredients would do better if it came further up to temperature for maybe 15 minutes.

These are really good the first day, and pretty good the second day, and then forget about it. :) Also, think of doing something else - like using a different cheese, or maybe doing a sweet one like cinnamon sugar with butter instead of oil. :D

So I'm saying this is a YES, PLEASE, even though I'd tweak things a bit. LOL - like you never hear that from me.... :D

OK, I'm outta here. :D Have a WONDERFUL evening/day! Be BLESSED, dear friend!

Snickerdoodle Brownies

It's FRIDAY! Have you had a good week?  Do you have big plans for the weekend? I do - I'll be representing doTERRA at a HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS fair tomorrow at Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet, TN. If you're in the area, come see me!

Today, I'm sharing these Snickerdoodle Brownies from My Own Sweet Thyme.

These are really good - and SO much easier than regular snickerdoodles! They take hardly any time, and are soft, cinnamony, and cravable. :D

This is also another recipe from when I was in Oregon; I've made them a couple more times since then, but the photo was on my laptop... :D

They freeze well, they travel well, and they make a great gift for someone who loves snickerdoodles. :) I hope you'll try them - snickerdoodles are pretty popular around the holidays... :)

Have a wonderful weekend! Be BLESSED, friend!

Crossover: Hostess Appreciation Luncheon, part TWO

Happy Friday! :) I'm glad you came back today! Time to show you the rice and squash/cauliflower casserole from my Hostess Appreciation Luncheon for my Stampin' Up! hostesses!

First up: Becky's Easy Cliantro Lime Rice from allrecipes.com:

It's easy, and it's good, and the flavor is great with Mexican food. I get tired of Spanish rice with Mexican food ALL the time. Of course, I made my "refried" beans, and the two together were really nice.

Next up is this Low Carb Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Casserole from All Day Long I Dream About Food!

As Donna said, they know it's fall when they come eat squash at my house. :D I wanted to make sure that we had a vegetable, in case someone wasn't too crazy about all the Mexican food I made. I USUALLY make squash on the sweet side, like acorn squash with brown sugar and butter - but this is definitely savory, with Parmesan cheese. It was good - I halved the recipe, and used frozen cauliflower instead of fresh. It was good!

For dessert, I made this flan again. :) It's easy, Mexican, and good - everyone had a second piece! :D

Well, now you know one of the reasons my hostesses have been with me for so long: our Hostess Appreciation Luncheon is FULLY homemade. I do all I can to serve them a wonderful meal; all they have to do is host a qualifying Stampin' Up! party once a year. If you'd like to do so, please contact me! We have a BLAST! (And we can do it ONLINE, too!!) And if you'd like to see the projects we made this year, please visit Lori's Stamping Spot and look for today's post. :)

Have a wonderful day and a wonderful weekend, my friend. BE BLESSED!

Crossover: Hostess Appreciation Luncheon, part ONE

Welcome to Wednesday! :D For today and Friday, I'd like to share with you a few recipes I made for my annual Stampin' Up!'s Hostess Appreciation Luncheon; it's a crossover post because I'll be linking you to my Stampin' Up! page and vice versa, so you can see what our projects were, too. :)

We went Mexican Fiesta this year. :) I'll post the main dish and salsa today, and the two sides I'll share on Friday.

These are Simply Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas from Food.com.

Of course I didn't do it quite like the recipe! :D I poached the chicken in water, onion, cumin, salt, and pepper. Then I shredded it, saute'd the onions and added it to my shredded chicken, and proceeded from there.

The sauce was really easy and yummy; my mom "snacked" on the leftovers for a couple days. :D These were simple to make, not overly spicy, baked well, and were pretty impressive. :D

Now, then. On to the salsa!

Honestly? I'm a little leery of salsa recipes. I LOVE pico de gallo, but it's SO labor-intensive!!! I decided to try this, however, and I'm SO glad I did! :D

Everyone LOVED this salsa from Curved Promises on tumblr.


It REALLY doesn't get much simpler than this! However, the longer it sat, the hotter it became - which is unusual, because it didn't have anything hotter than green chilies in it! But it was good on ANYTHING one desired to put it on. :D

OK, that's all for today! If you'd like to see the table setting, invitation, and table favor, please visit me at Lori's Stamping Spot and look for today's post. :)

Have a wonderful day, friends! Be BLESSED!

Eggs in Hash Brown Nests

Happy Monday! It's NOVEMBER! Where has this YEAR gone, people?!?! I mean...!!!!

Let me just warn you: I'm about to head in to open house preparations full tilt; I will continue to share things as I get a chance, but most of my open house recipes are ones you've seen, or ones I've done for years, so there won't be much new to show you from that. I'll do what I can to try new products and recipes, and read new books, but the next month will be TOTALLY nutso. :D

OK. You've been warned. :D Now, on to today's share: Eggs in Hash Brown Nests, from none other than The Pioneer Woman.

I love watching Ree on the Food Network. She makes me feel like a friend. :) I came across this recipe a while ago, and decided to give it a try last month.

I did NOT make my own hash browns. I like Simply Potatoes for this kind of thing, so that's what I used. I needed to season them more than I did. Also, mine didn't get very crisp on the outside - because I don't LIKE my eggs to get brown. I think, if and when I do this recipe again, I might bake the nests even more than I did.

These reheated OK; I didn't even heat a few of them, just ate them cold - because I didn't want my eggs to be able to bounce. :D And I can see, definitely, serving them with a big ham for brunch - that would be really yummy!

I guess I really can't make up my mind on these; YOU try them and tell me what YOU think! :)

Have a wonderful day, my friend. Be BLESSED! :)

Cream Cheese Apple Bread

It's FRIDAY!!!! We're home, trying to get back into the swing of things. :D BUSY time ahead of us, for SURE!

Today's recipe is for Cream Cheese Apple bread, from Today's Creative Blog.

Let me just say that Mom put this one together for me. So I don't know if the cream cheese vanished into the dough, or what happened - but it doesn't look like the one on the blog.

It IS a YES, PLEASE, recipe however! I made this for a Stampin' Up! class, and everyone loved it. It's incredibly moist and flavorful.

I think I'll keep the recipe, and maybe double the cream cheese part. I mean, I love cream cheese, so it can't HURT... :D

OK, I'm outta here. :D Have a WONDERFUL weekend. Be blessed, my friend!

Copycat IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes

Welcome to Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Kenn and I are gone for a bit, but you don't have to miss out on my reviews this time. You're on my TO DO list before I leave! :D

Today's review is this recipe for Copycat IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes from Raining Hot Coupons.

This is definitely a YES, PLEASE! recipe. I used pumpkin puree that I made from a sugar pumpkin; it was a little funny that it only needed a little for the recipe, but I did it, anyway. :D

They were really nicely spiced, and VERY fluffy. I halved the recipe because Kenn was gone - and because he refuses to believe he actually likes things with pumpkin in it (although he does! :D). Mom had one, and she really liked them!

I probably put a little more cinnamon in than it called for. (OK. I KNOW I did. :D ) They were REALLY good, and very easy. I think you should put these on the menu for sometime soon! :D Ooooh, how fun to do these for breakfast, then go to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard! It would be a perfect fall day!

OK, I'm outta here. :D Have a wonderful day, dear friend. 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!

Sugar Cookie Bars

Welcome to Wednesday!! :) Have you had a good week so far?

Today, I want to share this recipe that I've made several times since I found it, but always gave away before I could shoot a photo! This recipe is for Sugar Cookie Bars from High Heels & Grills. :D

So, this is obviously a YES, PLEASE! recipe, since I continue to make it. :D They're rich, sugary cookies with a wonderful frosting; as you can see here, I jazzed the latest batch up with fall sprinkles. They're easy to dress up or down, and SO easy to transport!!! That's the best part - taking them to someone who needs a meal means they'll have something sweet to grab and go for a while.

I didn't change the recipe in any way, shape, or form. :) Isn't that amazing?? :D

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

Amish Potato Rolls

HAPPY FRIDAY! :)

Welcome back! I know you came back JUST to see what I served with that Cabbage Roll Soup. :) Here they are, without any further words - Amish Potato Rolls by Baked by Rachel.

Oh, my. Heaven will have rolls like these. :) They're light, fluffy, a tiny bit sweet, and just about too good for words. I guess that makes them a YES, PLEASE! recipe. :D I have a little over half of the batch in the freezer, just waiting for another soup day... :D

The second rising didn't take nearly as long as the time says. I set the timer, but as you can see, they were about to overflow my pan! :D I also mashed up a large potato, didn't use instant - although you could. :)

Have a wonderful weekend, friend! MANY blessings!

Cabbage Roll Soup

Welcome to Wednesday! :)

It's finally feeling a bit fall-ish around Middle Tennessee, so soup is allowed on the menu. :D (Sorry, but I cannot BEAR to eat soup when it's freakishly hot outside...) Kenn loves cabbage, and cabbage rolls, so this is what I made him: Cabbage Roll Soup from Hey! That Tastes Good!

I was surprised at how much I actually liked this soup. I don't tend to enjoy too many tomato-based soups; I think perhaps it's the texture. I used the tomato sauce, NOT the diced tomatoes in here, and that just might have made the difference!

I probably should have made my cabbage ribbons just a tad smaller, but that would have been an aesthetic thing. :D The recipe says it serves FOUR. When I told Kenn that, he looked at me and said, "Four WHAT?!" - it made a HUGE pot of soup. We ate these big bowls, AND I have several jars in the freezer! It's a YES, PLEASE! recipe - easy, healthy, gluten-free, and hearty.

Come back on Friday and see the rolls I made to serve with it. BOY, HOWDY. :D

Have a WONDERFUL day, friend. Be BLESSED!

German Pancake

Good Monday Morning! Welcome to October! What better time for a German breakfast recipe, right?!? :D (Don't ask me why...) Here's one - German Pancake from 365 Days of Baking & More.

This was pretty darned easy. :) Let me check the recipe to see if I "tweaked" anything... :D Nope, I didn't.

This is a YES, PLEASE! recipe, although it's not a strong flavor by itself. We used maple syrup on top, but it tastes a LOT like an eclaire, so I could see some Nutella or chocolate sauce drizzled over instead. (Oh, YUM!!) You can serve it with jams and jellies, too.

If you're looking for a relatively easy recipe that's not too filling, a little bit of a treat, this is your recipe. It serves four, but it's NOT a heavy dish. You'll probably want to serve SOMETHING else with it - fruit, breakfast meat, etc.

OK, peeps, I'm outta here! TONS on my to-do list today! :) Have a wonderful day. BE BLESSED!!!

Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Fried Egg

Happy Wednesday! :) Didn't autumn come in nicely? I do wish it was cooler - mid-80s is hot in the sun! - but it's going to be a lovely fall!

So, today's recipe review is for Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Fried Egg from Simply Cooking.

Let's see. I always cut my bacon package in half; it helps us eat less - but I do use thick-cut bacon. :D I used 2 full strips - three halves on my sandwich, and one to munch. :DI used my low-carb bread, and was a little apprehensive about how it would hold up to the substantial sandwich. But it did great! :) Oh, and I used 2% American instead of cheddar. With the butter, I didn't want the extra fat cheddar gives off. :D

This was a YUMMY breakfast. I had some hash browns to finish up, so I just made them and threw 'em on my plate. :D That SANDWICH!!!! Oh, my. I've made myself rather hungry... :D

OK, my friend. I'm going to post this now! Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!