peanut blossoms

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. It's a favorite from HOME. Better late than never.

PB & Chocolate- a match made in heaven!

Peanut Blossoms 
Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. PB
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
2 t. vanilla
3 1/2 c. flour, sifted
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2- 10 oz. packages of chocolate kisses or stars (like my mom used)

Directions:
1. Cream sugars, butter, and PB. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.
2. Sift dry ingredients together than add to PB mixture.
3. Shape dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove from oven when golden brown, cool 2 minutes then top with a chocolate candy.

Yield: 6+ dozen

{mkc} orange sweet rolls

It is my family's Christmas morning tradition to have Orange Rolls as part of our breakfast. I generally use this recipe, but thought I'd give this one a try. They were yummy, although I didn't quite get the "twist" technique down.

Recipe & Photo from- Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Orange Sweet Rolls

Yield: Makes 12-14 rolls/twists

Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.

Ingredients

Dough:
• ¾ cup buttermilk, warm (I pour the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 3 large eggs
• 4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour
• ¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Orange Filling:
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• Grated orange rind/zest from two large oranges (reserving 1/2 teaspoon grated rind for the glaze below)
Orange Glaze:
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice from about 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind/zest reserved from the filling above

Directions

1. For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or electric handheld mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips. (See this tutorial for a visual.)
2. Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
3. For the filling, combine all the filling ingredients (reserving 1/2 teaspoon orange zest for the glaze) in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
4. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter (I use my trusty roul’pat for this step) and press it into about a 16 by 12-inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently brush the filling mixture over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula.
5. Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls,more or less. You can slice them thinner or thicker as you like. For a traditional cinnamon-roll-look, arrange the rolls cut side down on a lined or lightly greased baking pan. If you want to try the twist method (see the pictures below), one at a time grab each sliced roll and holding on to either end simultaneously pull and twist the roll into a figure eight and place it on the prepared pan. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
6. Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through. While the rolls are baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls.

italian sodas

These little drinks have become our family FAVORITE for any celebration (New Year's Eve, OF COURSE!), or for just no reason at all. :)

They're super simple and non-alcoholic so anybody can have one! My MOM taught me how to make these (not sure where she learned to make them), and now I'm teaching everyone else. :)

Picture from Our Best Bites

Here's how I do it: 
Italian Sodas


Ingredients:
Red Solo cup-type Cups
Bendy straws
Ice
Club Soda
Torani flavored syrup (near the coffee)
Half & Half
Readi Whip

Directions:
1. Fill your cup half full of ice. Pour club soda in to JUST ABOVE half full. Pour flavoring long enough for you to say "glug glug" (that's how I measure it JUST right). Give a splash of half & half (probably 1-2 T.). Stir.
2. Once it's all incorporated get out the Readi Whip and give it a swirl. Place your straw in the middle of the cream and serve to your eager guests. ENJOY!

I recently found this post from Our Best Bites of how to do your own Italian Soda Bar. Check it out! She also gives her own version of making Italian Sodas.

{obb} easy Reindeer cookies

Our Best Bites is one of my FAVORITE cooking blogs to follow. They posted this little treat and I thought it looked cute and simple, yet tasty, so we tried it out!

Easy Reindeer Cookies

Ingredients:
Nutter Butter cookies
M&Ms
Pretzels
Frosting or pre-made cookie icing, if you're taking the EASY way out ;)

Here's our "cookie making station". The big kids loved doing this ALL by themselves.

Looks good! Nice job!

Christmas playlists

I thought it'd be fun to document what WE are listening to this holiday season to help get us in the Christmas Spirit.

Here's whats playing on our playlists in the car and around our house-

PTXmas (digital download)- NEW FAVORITE!

Michael Buble-Let it Snow & MB Christmas albums

Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites

Chipmunks Christmas

The Polar Express (digital download)- a MUST for our new holiday tradition

These are some favorites from Christmases past-
Statler brothers Christmas- a MUST as Daddy was growing up ;)

Mariah Carey
Celine Dion

Harry Connick Jr.

O Christmas tree munch mix

I was excited to try this SUPER EASY snack mix. No melting chocolate or other toppings, just mix and done!

It has a nice mix of sweet and salty and the whole family really liked it!

(I couldn't find the Christmas tree candy corns so I used on Sweet Tart Gummy Trees instead. Still yummy!)

a couple of my new favorite apps

In an effort to be more thankful for ALL of the MANY blessings I am so richly blessed with, I downloaded the free version of "Gratitude365". I started back in August and I think after you use it for a month or put in a certain # of gratitudes you are prompted to buy the full version for a couple dollars if you'd like to continue using the app.  I have really enjoyed using it!  You can add a picture to your gratitudes and the write about it, which I really like! This is what my gratitudes from Sept looks like.

Or here's the list view of it.  As of today, I've  documented 44 days and 64 gratitudes. Pretty cool way to keep track of ALL your thankful for!

I've uploaded this Blogger app (which I use to write my blog) on a couple different occasions. I'm finally getting onboard with it. The reason I haven't stuck with it in the past is that I can't "do it all" from this app on my phone. But I'm now realizing I can get pieces of it done here and that helps my blog progress.

So my new system for blogging is this: upload my pictures directly from my phone to my blogger app. Then I use my Blogger app on my iPad to edit the post! Then when I have time I log in on y computer and finalize my posts, along with adding any hyperlinks (sadly this feature is not available for the phone or iPad versions) then I publish my post!

It may see like a drawn out process but for a busy mom, it works for me.  I usually only have a few spare moments here and there so this works out well.

Anyway I just wanted to post these apps I really like using so I document it in my upcoming blog book. (Yay for volume 4!)

Christmas cookies with Grandma

{12.14.13} Grandma invited all her grand kids over to make Christmas cookies together again this year!

Here is Alivia, Grandma and Jackson rolling out and cutting the sand tart cookies.

An overhead shot of Jackson and Grandma hard at work.

Here are the 5 big cousins rolling the peppermint patty balls in sugar. Looks like they're having fun!

Levi did a good job rolling his cookie out too! And look at this sweet face he gave me when I said "cheese!" ;)

Our tally at the end of our hard work was about 12 dozen various cookies and 7-8 dozen peppermint patties, which we split 4 ways, thankfully. ;)

We made:
Grandma's Sand Tarts
Peppermint Pinwheels
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Chocolate Chipper (M&M) Champs, and
Easy Christmas Peppermint Patties

We had such a fun morning together (grownups and kids alike) and we played and visited well into the afternoon. It was just so nice being together, then the snow started and broke our party up. Good thing Christmas is coming soon so we can get together again!

candy cane kiss cookies

I only post new recipes if I like them and will be making them again. This new recipe made the cut!

Recipe & Photo from Our Best Bites

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. real butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
optional: 1 tsp peppermint extract*
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 12 ounce bag dark chocolate chips
48 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped (one 10 ounce bag)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. To prevent cookies from flattening out, refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes.  Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just set, but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to cooling rack.  Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss.  Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

*Note: peppermint extract is NOT the same as peppermint OIL, which is MUCH stronger. We learned that the hard way when we made our Peppermint Patties and used 1 t. of oil  when it called for 1 t. of extract. BIG difference! We probably only needed a few drops of oil for the amount of extract needed. Don't make that mistake! Too much mint!

Snapshots of mommy

We live in a very technologically-savvy world these days and we feel it's important for our kids to have an early start in it.  One of the ways we encourage these skills is with cool learning games on our phones and iPad. One such feature that I LOVE is the camera built-into my phone and iPad.

Levi was playing with my phone one day and took these pictures of me. I'm happy he did! I'm usually the photographer, and the curse of being the photographer is that YOU aren't in the pictures, even if you WERE there too!

I must say he did a pretty good job. Thanks for the pictures Levi!

I like this one. A candid "working" moment.

A silly mommy moment, too rarely seen, but I think I'm getting better about it. :?

Cute abstract angle and shot. Daddy says he LOVES it when I make this face. "It's classic (me)."

A silly grumpy face.

Graham cracker houses

{11.30.13} Our cousins invited us up for some afternoon fun making graham cracker houses and just being together, which is always a fun time!

Check out their delicious confections! From left to right: Jackson's longhouse, Isaac & Elisabeth's, Levi's, Andrew's and Alivia's on the end with the gummy bear walls. ;) Tasty!

Here's a close-up of Jackson's & Alivia's. (Levi promptly started eating the candy off of his house almost as soon as he'd put it on, so there wasn't much of a house to photograph.)

orange chicken

I love chinese/oriental food, and especially orange chicken.

One night I was needing a quick dinner so I grabbed my almost-ready orange chicken box and egg rolls from the freezer and I thought I was in business. Sadly, I found out I'd used the sauce packet on a previous batch of orange chicken, so I had no ORANGE flavoring to add to my chicken.

Thank heavens for technology, cooking websites, pictures, and people's reviews. I found this sauce recipe. It had great flavor and really hit the spot. I hope to try the FULL version of this recipe very soon! The sauce was wonderful!

Spicy Orange Chicken
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Description

My Spicy Orange Chicken has the same flavor profile as its take-out counterpart, Orange Chicken: the sweet orange, the spicy chilies, and the Asian condiments. I make this without oil, making something much lighter and very tasty.

Ingredients

Sauce: 

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce didn't have any to use this time
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated (or 1/2 t. ground ginger)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (modified from 1 t.)

Chicken & veggies:

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, white parts and tops separated
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced into rings
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. Whisk orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in a large bowl.
2. Mix in chicken pieces and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Remove chicken from refrigerator and drain thoroughly in colander, reserving marinade.
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Cook and stir chicken for 2 minutes; spoon out any excess liquid.
5. Continue to cook and stir until chicken caramelizes, 6 to 7 minutes.
6. Stir in white portions of green onions, garlic, and orange zest; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Pour in half of reserved marinade. Simmer until reduced and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Stir in jalapeno pepper, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas; cook and stir until vegetables are warmed, about 2 minutes.
9. Stir in green portions of green onions; cook and stir 1 minute.
10. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

{our best bites} everyday cinnamon rolls

I love cinnamon rolls, and I think I always have. My mom made orange rolls & cinnamon rolls for our Christmas morning breakfasts for as long as I can remember; I continue to carry this tradition on with my family. :) I remember getting a Cinnabon at the mall as a special treat on our way home from the mall. Sometimes we'd take a WHOLE box home and I loved seeing Dad's face light up as we showed them to him. Anyway, I love cinnamon rolls and the happiness they bring to everyone!

My sweet mother-in-law celebrated her birthday and we kids, and grandkids met up at her house for a birthday breakfast. I tested out this new cinnamon roll recipe and IT.WAS.A.HUGE.HIT! They were fantastic! The birthday girl even commented that she hadn't had a GOOD cinnamon roll in a LONG time and it tasted so good! I guess that means I should write this recipe down and USE it some more!

{our best bites} Everyday Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted by Our Best Bites from Allrecipes
Yield: 12 rolls- which means you at least need to double this recipe ;)

Ingredients:
Dough

1 cup milk

4 Tbs butter, cut into chunks

3 1/4 – 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 (.25 ounce) package instant or ‘rapid rise’ yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg 

 

Filling

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened 

 

Icing (or use this cream cheese frosting recipe for your heavenly icing)
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 T melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbs milk 

 

Directions:

Dough: 

1.   Place milk and 4 Tbs butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside. 
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 C flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt. When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. 
3. (Switch to the dough hook now) Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. If you are not using a stand mixer, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand.  
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling: make sure butter is softened well. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Assembly:

1. Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick, you might have to “crumble” it) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around. 
2. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. 
3. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When rolls have finished rising bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. If desired spread with icing while still warm. Makes 12 rolls.

{cinnabon's frosting clone} cream cheese frosting

Thank you Pinterest! for helping me find this recipe! I LOVE cream cheese frosting and this is delicious! This recipe comes from allrecipes.com

Cream Cheese Frosting - for cinnamon rolls
Yield: frosting for 12 rolls, or a single batch

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/8. t salt

Directions:
1. Beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. 
2. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

*Note: When I make cinnamon rolls, which is possibly 2-3 times per year, I make them in large quantities, so I usually 2-3xs this recipe to have enough frosting. I even had some leftover- good thing I know where the spoons are. ;) YUMMY!

{family recipe} aunt karen's potato rolls

My Aunt Karen has always been a great baker. I fondly remember her family bringing in multiple trays of rolls as they'd walk into our house for our Christmas Eve celebration. Her rolls are wonderful, heavenly almost (much like her pear crumb pie). Somehow, my Mom got a hold of her roll recipe and she shared it with me! Hooray! (I love that it uses powdered milk and potato flakes from our food storage.) 

Ingredients:
2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk
1/2 c. instant potato flakes
1/4 c. shortening, melted or softened
1/4 c. butter, melted or softened
1/2 T. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 T. instant yeast (or other with warm water)
5 - 5 1/2 c. flour

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients & half the flour in mixer bowl until well mixed. 
2. Use dough hook and add other flour until soft dough (until a wooden spoon just stands up in center of dough).
3. Knead by hand or in mixer. Let rise until double. 
4. Punch down. Shape into rolls- crescents (2 circles, 16" each) or balls (32) or parker house style. 
5. Raise again until double.
6. Bake @ 375* for 15 minutes or 'til browned.

pb banana bread

I made this Reese's pb banana bread before, and it was good, but needed better overall flavor. (Don't get me wrong- the mini pb cups are wonderful! The bread was a little lacking, I thought.) 

So I set out to find another pb banana bread recipe. I found this one and it turned out delicious!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Description

Classic banana bread with a generous helping of peanut butter makes this easy loaf a delicious breakfast treat or snack.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup mashed very ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1-2 c. chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 4x8-inch loaf pan.
2. Beat peanut butter and shortening in a bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat one egg into peanut butter mixture until completely blended before beating in the second egg. Stir in mashed banana.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing until batter is just blended. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

reese's pb banana bread

This recipe was flying around Pinterest when I first came into the Pinterest world, possibly 2+ years ago (?). It looked like it'd be an instant sucess, and it WAS very good, but the overall flavor of the bread was not all I'd hoped it'd be, and it kind of crumbled and fell apart.

But, it was in fact delicious so it earns a spot here on my blog.

Reese's pb banana bread

Recipe from cookiesandcups.com

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup Canola or Vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 oz bag of Reese’s Mini cups

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease your loaf pan (I used an 8 x 4 pan) with butter or shortening.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
4. In a large bowl stir together your bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.
5. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy. DO NOT OVER-STIR.
6. Fold in your Reese’s Mini cups and spread batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake for approx 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.

Author's Notes:

*I bake my breads in a stone loaf pan, but certainly you don’t have to. BUT if you notice the bread browning too fast, lower the temperature down to 325° and loosely tent it with foil.

**Also, some readers have noticed that if you over-stir the batter the texture will be crumbly, so make sure not to over-stir!

{our best bites} spaghetti & meatballs

I've been trying some new recipes in the cookbooks I love looking through here at my house. They always look so delicious and pretty.  I decided I'd try this spaghetti & meatballs recipe and see how it holds up to my old stand-by of Ultimate Spaghetti & Meatballs. This recipe was yummy and I think it had a few less ingredients than my other recipe. I'll definitely put this on on our list. ;)

Recipe & Pictures from Our Best Bites

Italian Meatballs:
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt*
*If you want, you could substitute all the Italicized ingredients with 3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning found here.

Directions: 

1. Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. 
2. Place on a broiler pan and broil until the meatballs start to brown–I actually use my toaster oven. Just because I can. ;) Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use).

Recipe & Picture from Our Best Bites

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 italian meatballs recipe, see above
 
Sauce
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Olive oil
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
16 oz. tomato sauce
1-2 Tbsp. sugar (to taste)
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of baking soda (to help neutralize the acid)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. 
2. Add remaining sauce ingredients and combine well. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. 
3. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached–about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that’s of medium consistency.
4. Serve over hot spaghetti (shhhhh…I used linguine!), maybe with some breadsticks and some freshly grated Parmesan on top. Serves a lot–like probably 12 regular people or 2 teenage boys.

FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare meatballs as directed, but divide the meatballs among two freezer-safe containers. 
2. Prepare sauce through adding all ingredients to the pan, but don’t simmer; rather, divide the sauce among the two containers. Freeze until ready to use. 
3. When ready to use, place in slow cooker and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, although you’ll want to keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it’s not burning if you go for the whole 6 hours.

{our best bites} hot fudge sauce

Our Alivia is not a big CAKE eater, so for her birthday, she requested my Mud Pie in place of cake. I did the same thing for my 8th birthday! Keeping the tradition alive. ;)

 I tried this Hot Fudge recipe from Our Best Bites for the hot fudge portion of my mud pie. It was PHENOMENAL!  I'm keeping this one!

Recipe & picture from Our Best Bites

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:
3oz semi-sweet chocolate* (3 squares of baking chocolate, or about 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 C butter
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

*I wouldn’t use milk chocolate for this, it’s way too sweet, however both dark and bittersweet are awesome.


Instructions:
1. If you’re using baking squares, chop them up into small pieces so they melt easier. I chop the butter up into small chunks too.
2. Okay, it’s not rocket science. Put everything in a pan on medium heat and melt it all together till it’s smooth, creamy, and just looking at it gives you happy thoughts.

3. If you have leftovers (but let’s be honest, you’ll have to quadruple the recipe to have leftovers) then put it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will harden into a soft, gooey fudge like consistency. Then keep a spoon handy on the counter and dip it in every time you pass by. This serves the same purpose as the always-open bags of chocolate chips that Kate and I both have in our pantries. Don’t deny it Kate. << These girls and I have so much in common. ;)

{our best bites} apple cider floats

I found this yummy new drink in my Savoring the Seasons cookbook. It has been added to our FALL foods rotation!

Recipe & Pic from Our Best Bites

Apple Cider Floats
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup ginger ale
2 scoops vanilla ice cream, or any seasonal flavor such as cinnamon or apple pie
ground cinnamon and nutmeg for sprinkling
1-2 tablespoons jarred caramel sauce, optional

Directions:
Pour apple cider and ginger ale into a glass.  Add vanilla ice cream.  Sprinkle on nutmeg and cinnamon to taste and drizzle caramel sauce on top.  Serve immediately with a straw and a spoon.

Yield: one serving in a tall glass

*If you want a snack-size or smaller portion, here's the ratios I use:
1/2 c. apple cider
1/4 c. ginger ale
1 scoop vanilla ice cream

ENJOY!! Such a tasty treat to find!

best steak marinade in existence!

No foolin'! That's the name of this recipe we found on All Recipes. com. It.is.awesome! Write this one down and save it!

Picture & recipe found here.

Ingredients

1/3 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. worchestershire sauce
3 T. dried basil
1 1/2 T. garlic powder
1 1/2 T. dried parsley flakes
1 t. ground white pepper (we used black pepper)
1 t. dried minced garlic, optional
1/4 t. hot pepper sauce, optional

Directions

1. Place the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and pepper in a blender. Add hot pepper sauce and garlic, if desired. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until thoroughly mixed.
2. Pour marinade over desired type of meat. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cook meat as desired.

countdown to Disney World!

We've been anticipating our trip to Disney World for this WHOLE YEAR! The kids thought we were going in November or December, but after getting a GREAT DEAL we surprised them and went in September!

To make the waiting more fun, and get us all revved up to go I made this cute Disney World Countdown. I patterned it after this one I found on Pinterest. I think it turned out pretty cute.

 

 Inside each link, was at least 1 activity for the day. Some were questions, crafts, or games.  Here's a look at some of the links.

 

To keep my sanity, I wrote the day on each link, I took a picture of all the links and made a note so I'd know when we were doing what so I could have the necessary supplies ready. That was a GREAT IDEA and I was very glad I did.

I wrapped the Countdown in a box in 3 layers of wrapping paper and let each kiddo unwrap 1 layer. Then we opened it up together. I must admit I was a little disappointed with the reaction, but it was mostly because the boys didn't understand. Once Alivia realized we had moved up our trip to September then we got a great reaction from her, and that was awesome!

I know the kids, and even us grown-ups were excited to pull off the link for the next day. We all were getting excited.

 Here's a list of our countdown activities (in no particular order; many of them came from "A Little Tipsy"):

Sing your favorite Disney song

Make MickeyMousse for dessert

Make Disney characters out of playdoh

Make Mickey pancakes

Make Mickey Oreos

Find the hidden mickeys around the house for a prize

Play Disneygames on the computer

Which 3 characters do you most want to meet?

Name 3 rides you are most excited for.

Disney movie night

Color a Disney picture for your bedroom door.

Write a letter to your favorite Disney character.

Make Mickeynecklace

Hop around the house like Tigger.

What’s your favorite Disney movie?

Count your souvenir money

Play MickeyMemory Game

Play MickeyYahtzee

Make Disneyt-shirts

Play Red Light, Green Light with Disney songs

Read a Disney story

Play DisneyScene-it

Pack your bags! We leave tomorrow!

Here's a trip down memory lane of our last trip to Disney World.

Mickey Mousse

One of our Disney World Countdown activities was to "Make Mickey Mousse." I found this Pinterest idea on Craftin' in the Rain.

Photo courtesy of Craftin' in the Rain

She uses this yummy & simple recipe from Our Best Bites, then makes her own Mickey Ears out of milk chocolate melting chocolate.

Mickey Mousse

Mousse recipe from Our Best Bites "Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake"

Ingredients:

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1 Tbsp. cold water

2 Tbsp. boiling water (just heat it in a small bowl in your microwave)

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water and allow to stand for about 1 minute. While gelatin is softening, bring 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in the microwave. Whisk into the softened gelatin and allow to cool slightly.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix in gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Mickey Ears 

from Craftin' in the Rain 

Ingredients:

1 package melting milk chocolate

Directions:

1. To make the Mickeys, melt chocolate wafers in the microwave at half power then spoon into a plastic bag.  Snip a tiny hole in one corner and squeeze the chocolate Mickey shapes.  To keep them consistent, I printed some images off my computer and put the wax paper over the top so I could see through.  

2. I did the 2 ear circles, the head circle, and then just zig-zaggy lines to fill them in. 

3. Wait until they're completely cooled before trying to peel them off the paper.  And always make extras in case they break!  I would love to see these on top of cup cakes too :)  Top mousse with whipped cream and a chocolate Mickey.