Menu Planning Monday

Happy Halloween!
Trying out 3 new recipes this week...so, far, the honey mustard chicken and pierogi casserole were a hit. 
Hope everyone has a great week. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday:  Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken with Pierogi Casserole
Monday:  Take Out Pizza
Tuesday: French Toast Casserole
Wednesday:  Pasta with Crusty bread
Thursday:  Sweet Kielbasa with some type of rice side dish
Friday:  Left-Overs

Link up at:  I'm an Organizing Junkie

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

Is it weird that I like honey mustard, but, hate mustard?  Oh course, honey mustard has well, honey. That's the beauty of it. MMM..Honey.
This glaze is sweet, tangy and will go great with chicken, pork or whatever you want to bathe in honey mustard.

Printable Version

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

2 TBSP mayo

1 tsp steak sauce( Worcestershire sauce will also work )

Directions:

Simply mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Can be used to marinate or baste chicken (or pork) on the grill.

I marinated ours for only about 2 hours with a portion of the glaze and then, with the remainder basted it while grilling it up.

Adapted from

Dirt Pudding

First and foremost, whoever came up with the combination of cream cheese and powdered sugar is a genius.   Would naming my next child after them be a bit much?  With my new found love of baking, this is becoming a favorite of mine.

Next,  you guessed it..this is not really dirt.  But, making this made my kitchen pretty dirty. It was a mess when it was finished.

This is family favorite that my sister usually makes.  She is very creative.  She puts it into a flower pot and mixes gummy worms into it...ok, not a stretch, but, it looks darn cute.   I am not that creative, but, since it is Halloween, I thought it had the potential to be spooky, scary or Halloween-ish.    I'm not sure that my initial idea was met, but, it does has a Halloween theme.

Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

3 1/2 cups col milk

2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix

12 oz whipped topping - thawed

16 oz Oreos or a similar creme filled sandwich cookie

Directions:

Crush Oreos in a food processor or blender until cookies are finely crushed.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until smooth.  In a separate bowl, whisk pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes.  Let it sit for a few minutes (2-3).  Slowly pour pudding into the cream cheese mixture.  Then, fold in whip topping.

The recipe is large enough to fill a 13 x9 baking dish, but, any type of dish can be used.  Layer the bottom of your dish with crushed oreos, then, spread pudding mixture on top.  Keep layering until your dish is filled.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving....then, dig in!

Adapted From

Printable Version

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake

I don't really like to call this coffee cake.  I don't drink coffee.  I do like tea though. But, calling this Peanut Butter Tea Cake may confuse people.  This is the first time that this coffee cake has been made in our house.   It comes from my Better Homes & Garden cookbook...circa 1996, maybe?  It was a very good cake, but, I would do two things different next time:  make it in a bundt pan and add something else too it.  Maybe chocolate chips? Walnuts?  It needed something.  Any ideas?

Have it with tea...or coffee....or even a big glass of milk.

Ingredients:
For topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 peanut butter
1/2 cup flour
3 TBSP butter

for cake:
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk

Directions:
the topping:
Mix brown sugar and flour in a bowl. Cut in peanut butter and butter till crumbly. Set aside

the cake:
Preheat oven to 375 degree. Spray 13x9 cake pan with non cooking spray.
Stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder & baking soda.   Add milk, peanut butter, eggs and butter.  Beat with mixer on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with topping mixture.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Facebook Page

Table for 7 is now on Facebook!  Just click the Facebook logo on the right column and it will take you right to the fan page...you can also click the below logo....

Thank you!
Erin

This Week's Menu Plan

I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday...but, figured today was still ok.  Busy week here, just trying to keep things simple:

Sunday: Pizza Meat Loaf with pasta
Monday: Chicken Tacos with rice
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Wednesday: Macaroni and Cheese
Thursday: Sub Sanwiches with chips
Friday: Baked Chicken Nuggets with homemade fries
Saturday: Leftovers or Take-out

Link up at : I'm an Organizing Junkie

Have a great week.
Thanks for stopping by!

Kids Cooking: Waffle Bear Breakfast

My kids have really enjoyed watching me make ( & eating ) the recipes that I have been blogging about.   They also all love to help in the kitchen.  So, each week, one of my kids will pick a recipe and they will get to make it themselves. With, my assistance, of course.  

                                                                       This week:

My official taste tester of many new recipes, my 4 year old.  Primarily, because, he will try just about anything and he is home with my a good part of the day.  He also loves to eat!  He picked "Waffle Bear Breakfast" for his recipe this week.  He had a great time making it and an even better time eating his bear.

Ingredients:

2 frozen round waffles

banana slices

chocolate chips (or blueberries for a healthier option)

strawberry or grape jelly

syrup (optional)

Directions:

Toast waffles in toaster, cut 2 triangles from one of the waffles.  Now, make your bear!  Use the banana slices for ears, eyes and nose.  Top off the bananas with chocolate chips. Use the chocolate chips to make a smiley face for your bear.  Spread jelly on the 2 triangle pieces and place under the bears head to make a bow ties.   If you like, drizzle syrup or honey before chowing down.  We ate our bear plain and it was yummy!

Our finished waffle bear!

Pizza Meat Loaf

Meatloaf. Pretty boring.  At least, at our house it can be and well, if meatloaf is boring at your house...this recipe may just change your life.  (Too dramatic?).   OK, ok..it  is a nice break from the norm of meatloaf though.   The onion soup gives it a little kick and the melted cheese is well, cheese..isn't almost anything with melted cheese awesome?  

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef ( or ground turkey)
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup chopped bell peppers (optional)
1/4 cup water
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
Shape mixture in to a loaf, place into a baking dish and top with remaining spaghetti sauce.
Bake for 50 minutes, then top with remaining cheese.  Put back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
Let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.   Goes great with a side of pasta!

Yay Mom! Pizza Meat Loaf!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Twice, this week...yes, twice. I came across a recipe for Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. The first was at The Baker Chick.  Next, it was at Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts.  Well, of course, this is a sign.  I must make them.  My kids are hard core cinnamon roll lovers.  If it was socially acceptable(and a bit healthier), I would let them eat them everyday.  OK, maybe, not everyday, but, alot. The only thing that I was bummed about this recipe was my not so fancy pictures. (I am practicing!).  I thought these would be complicated, but, they weren't too bad.  Alot to come together, but, sooooo worth it!  These are definitely a weekend only breakfast entree though.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
for Pancakes: ( or whatever pancake recipe works for you):
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 Tbls canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten

for Cinnamon Filing:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbls cinnamon

for Cream Cheese frosting:
4 Tbls butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Photo Courtesy of:  The Baker Chick

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour filling into a pastry bag with a small tip or what I did- a squeeze bottle with a small tip. Set aside You don't want this to remain super-liquidity. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.

3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside. *mine was not smooth. I ran it through the food processor to work through some cream cheese chunks.

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. When pancake has started to cook a little, swirl in the cinnamon filling. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Photo Courtesy of: Dinners,Dishes and Desserts

Our Cinnamon Roll Pancake..(ok, in my defense, my 9 year old prepared this one, I just snapped a picture)

Black Bean Brownies

When I first came across this recipe from Skinny Taste, I thought "ugh, that sounds disgusting".  But, I had tried a couple of recipes from the site and loved them.  So, I had faith and took the plunge.  Oh.My.Goodness...these are darn good.  Chewy, chocolaty and just yum, yum, yum.   You can not..I repeat...can not taste the beans in these.   My entire family inhales these and has no clue that there is black beans in them.  Try them..you are in for a surprise.

Oh...and if you run into my 6 year old son...let's keep this recipe between us.  This is the closet thing the kid eats to a vegetable right now.

Ingredients:
15 oz can of black beans
19 oz box of brownie mix
water

Directions:
Open beans and drain and rinse well.  Put beans back into can and fill with water.  Puree beans/water in blender or food processor.  Mix bean puree with brownie mix.  Pour into a  greased 13 x 9 inch pan.  Bake according to the directions on the brownie mix box.

Marie's Hershey Cake

I am a bad daughter in law.  No, I am.  I recently came across a recipe that my mother in law gave me.  At the top it says " Merry Christmas 12-24-2000".   That recipe?  It is for chocolate cake.  A cake, my mother in law, Marie(hence the name of the cake) makes all the time.   It is her cake.  It is referred to has "mom's cake" in my husband's family.  My husband loves it. My children love it.   Do you know how many times I have made this cake for my husband since 12-24-2000?   Um, once.   Just this week.  He was very happy.  Maybe, I am not a bad daughter in law after all, just, not a great wife.  oops. 

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 can Hershey's syrup ( note: pictured)
4 eggs
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 pan with non stick cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients together and pour into pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

I drizzled it with a powdered sugar glaze. It also tastes good with chocolate frosting!

The above is the only picture on a plate that I could get before my visitor showed up.....

Guess, I should think about making this again, huh?

                                                      

Easy French Toast

My family is simple. We live simple. We eat simple.  My husband, for example is the plainest eater ever.  No, really,..ever.  He does not like ketchup,mustard, BBQ sauce, mayo, syrup, salt...it took me almost 10 years into our marriage to get him to try spaghetti sauce.  Plain, regular spaghetti sauce.  He does eat it now, but, sparring ling.  That's OK though.  It does make cooking easy.  OK, a bit boring sometimes, but, easy.  That is probably why my recipes are plain, but, really easy to add a kick to to them if you wanted.  One of my easiest breakfast regulars is french toast.   It's quick and it's one of many things that I make a huge batch of and then freeze for a later day.  Now, with this recipe, I can make almost an entire loaf of bread's worth of french toast, so, it's easy to cut in half if needed.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
about 12-14 slices of bread of your liking

Directions:
Heat  frying pan or skillet to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray or use a tablespoon of butter to coat the pan.
Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl, than, transfer to a pie plate.   Dip 1 slice of bread at a time into egg mixture and coat.   Put coated bread on skillet and cook until both sides are light brown.  Usually only takes about a 2 minutes or so for each slice.

You can then dress up your french toast anyway you like. There are so many options!




Menu Planning Monday

It's that time again...
Here's to a great week!

Monday:  grilled cheese with chicken soup
Tuesday: Spaghetti with cheddar biscuits
Wednesday: Take Out
Thursday:  Hearty Potato Soup with crusty bread (never got to it last week!)
Friday:  Leftovers

Link up at:  I'm an Organizing Junkie

Homemade Pop Tarts

Ah, Pop tarts.  They have been around for years, right?  I am guilty of eating them and feeding them to my children.  Yes, I know, not great.   I did try an organic brand.  They were better, no dyes, nothing artificial.  But, of course, they were more costly.   What to do?? First, I tried not to panic. I could just not feed them to my kids, but, what fun is that?  So, after searching for a good recipe, I came across this item from Bake Me More.   You can do the quick route and use refrigerator pie crust (that is what I did) or make your own crust.  Either way, they are better than the boxed.  The thing I love about these is the options are endless...you can do fruit, cinnamon, chocolate fillings, icing, no icing.   The crust can also be whole wheat for a healthier switch.
For my first time making them, I filled them with grape and strawberry jelly.  I also drizzled some icing and a tossed a few sprinkles just for fun.  This is also another item that can be made in a large quanity and put in the freezer for a later day for breakfast or to snack on.

Ingredients:
Pie crust, refrigerated or homemade
Jam/Preserves or whatever you wish to fill them with
Glaze or Egg Wash

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Unroll one of the pie crusts and square the edges. Cut into rectangles. Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of a rectangle and top with another piece of crust. Crimp all four edges. Repeat until all of the pie crust is used.
Bake the pop-tarts for about 7 – 8 minutes or until slightly brown.
Once cool, pour glaze over or brush with a simple egg wash

Glaze:
1 cup powder sugar
milk to thin

Sloppy Joes

Whenever I make this recipe, I remember my childhood.  My mom made these on a pretty regular basis. Probably, because, she could feed our large family (7 total) and it wasn't too expensive to do it.  Honestly, whatever reason it was, it doesn't matter.  I love them.  With a side of fries or potato chips..these are great.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 TBSP vinegar
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
26 oz ketchup
3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/2 TBSP dry mustard
1 celery stalk, chopped or leave whole while simmering, then, remove

Directions:
Brown ground beef in skillet, then put into to large pot. Add all remaining ingredients to ground beef and simmer on low for an hour.  That's it! Enjoy!

Cheddar Biscuits

These biscuits are very versatile.  They are a great side for just about anything for dinner and also make a great addition to breakfast.  They are awesome warm with butter!

Ingredients:
2 cups biscuit mix ( I used Jiffy Baking Mix)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cups milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp dried parsley

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.
Mix your biscuit mix, cheese and garlic in a large bowl.  Stir in milk.   Drop mixture by the tablespoon onto the baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, then brush biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley.  Bake another 5 minutes of until they are lightly brown.

Makes about 8-10 biscuits

Menu Planning Monday

Here's to another great week!  Happy Monday!

Monday: Sloppy Joes with homemade baked fries
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with rice
Wednesday: Baked Mac n Cheese
Thursday: Hearty Potato Soup with crusty bread
Friday:  Leftovers

Link up at:  I'm an Organizing Junkie

Honey-Cinnamon Spread

This morning, I came across a recipe that was shoved in the back of my files from long ago.  It is a recipe from Pampered Chef for Honey- Cinnamon Spread. It takes nothing to whip this up

Mix together 1-8oz package of cream cheese (softened),  2 tablespoons of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Use on bagels, toast or biscuits.  Store remainder in fridge in air tight container.

Try the spread with mini pretzel bagels...it tastes awesome!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

When I decided to start this blog, honesty was something that was important to me. I wanted to record the good and bad of my experiences.   I am not a professional cook or baker,  I am just a stay at home mom trying to make good stuff for my family.  Anyhoo,  today was not a good day in the baking kitchen.   After finding a recipe for Cookies and Cream Cupcakes, they were a must to make.   My son is a die hard Oreo fan, so, it was an easy decision to make.   Well....I made a mistake.   After realizing, that the white flour supply had vanished from our house,  I decided to use whole wheat instead.   I know, laugh.  Big mistake.   But, when, you have five small ones home from school and begging to make these, you go with it.    We did everything else right!:

Crushed the Oreos

Mixed all the proper ingredients

Ate pretty much all the Oreos that were not being used

Well, here is just an  example of how the majority of them turned out:

But, there were two good things:

The frosting rocks.  My son asked to eat a bowl of it by itself.

And, my youngest LOVED the cupcakes. (Can't speak for the other kids though)

For those unlike myself who follow recipes properly, here it is:

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup milk (not skim)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 egg whites
1 cup crushed Oreos, plus additional for sprinkling on top


Vanilla Frosting:
3 cups powder sugar
1/3 cup butter
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar. Add milk, butter and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites and beat for another 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of crushed cookies. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 20 to 25 min or until set. Place pans on wire racks and cool 10 min. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely.

(In the end, I learn 2 things to day....follow recipes correctly no matter how cute my children are and never, take a mess in the kitchen too seriously :)

Chocolate Mint Parfait Bars

This week, I decided to go back on Weight Watchers.  I did great over the summer, but, found myself sliding back into  some bad habits. Back I go.  I am strictly trying to maintain, not really lose anymore.  It is still tough.  Was this the best time to make mint parfait bars?  No.  But, I volunteered to make something for a teacher appreciation lunch at my children's school this week and my daughter asked me to make them.  These are incredibly fabulous and the remainder I have at home will vanish with thanks to my husband.   So, it's not too bad...I have only had 1 so far.....OK, 3.

This recipe can be a bit time consuming. The recipe consists of 3 different layers. I have separated them with some pictures to get a better idea of how to make it.  
These are great for parties and family get togethers.  That is the only time they get made in our house.  They are very rich and not exactly the healthiest item to snack on regularly. But, dang! They are awesome.

Ingredients:
1 pkg Chocolate Devil's Food Cake Mix with Pudding
1/3 c Butter softened
1 Egg
1 Envelope unflavored Gelatin Powder
1/4 c Boiling Water
4 c Powdered Sugar
1/2 c Butter softened
1/2 c Shortening
1/4 ts Peppermint Extract
3 drops Green Food Coloring (optional)
6 oz Chocolate Chips
3 Tbsp Butter

Directions:
 **Layer 1 **:
Heat oven to 35o degrees
Spray your 9 x13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/3 cup butter and egg. Beat at low speed until crumbly. Press evenly in bottom of greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Layer 1

Layer 2:

In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water; cool slightly. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar; blend well. Add 1/2 cup butter, shortening peppermint extract and food color. Beat 1 minute at medium speed or until smooth and creamy. Blend in remaining 2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Spread filling evenly over cooled base.

Layer 3:

In small saucepan over low heat, melt frosting ingredients: chocolate chips and 3 T. butter. Stir constantly until well blended.

Spoon frosting evenly over filling, carefully spreading to cover. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars. Let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving. Store any remaining bars in refrigerator.

Makes approx 48 bars