Chocolate Chip Oreo/canybar Sandwiches

The other day I saw these at Picky Palate. I knew I had to try them out especially with the candy bars because I have tons of fun sized candy bars left over from Christmas still. My kids love these and I may or may not of eating two of them and they are huge!!! I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. YOu can use you favorite recipe for them or if you are real lazy you can use store bought dough.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo/Candy Bar Sandwiches
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
4-5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 bag of chocolate chips
about 24 oreos or 24 fun size candy bars( I used twix, milky way, snickers)

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugars together till fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Take a hunk of dough and inclose an oreo or candy bar completely in the middle of the dough. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until done to you liking. Take out of the oven and let cool 5 minutes on the pan. Then enjoy!!!

Cookie with a twix in the middle!!!

Thai Chicken

I found this recipe for Thai Chicken Pasta over at Recipe Shoebox and wanted to try it out. I decided to eat it over rice and make it in the crockpot so it could be a quick fix meal. I love the crockpot cause you can put it in in the morning or at lunch time and leave it and then you have dinner in a few hours. Love it!! Anyway, this chicken was really tasty and easy to make. If you need an easy meal to make give this a try. I served it over Cocnut rice!!! So yummy!!!


Thai Chicken adapted from Recipe Shoebox
3 cups salsa
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup orange juice
4 T. honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 chicken breasts, cut in large chunks

Dump all in the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until the chicken can be shredded and is cooked. Serve over Rice or pasta.

Coconut Rice
3 cups rice or jasmine rice
2 cups cocnut milk (found in the asian aisle of grocery store)
1 3/4 cup water
2 T. shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil

Rub oil on bottom of saucepan. Place everything else in the pan and bring to a boil. Stir, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins

I made these muffins this morning for breakfast and they were a hit. My kids loved them and I thought they were pretty tasty as well. They will be added to my pile of recipes we love.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 T. Maple extract
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour(I used half whole wheat half all purpose)
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, maple, syrup, sour cream, butter, and eggs until well combined. Add the extracts. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix just until combined. Fill your greased or lined muffin tins 2/3 the way full with batter then sprinkle each with crumb topping(recipe below) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Crumb topping:
6 T. flour
6 T. sugar
4 T. nuts, chopped(i used pecans)
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T. butter

Mix all these together with two knives or a pastry blender until crumbly.

Italian Tortellini Soup

For a church activity I had to make some soup. I decide to make some tortellini soup. I found a few recipes for it but decide to make up my own. This turned out really well and I got asked for the recipe many times.

Italian Tortellini Soup

1 lb hamburger

2 T. garlic

1 onion chopped

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper or I used about 10 mini sweet peppers(yellow, red, and orange)

1-2 cups carrots, chopped

2-3 zucchini, chopped

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes

1 (6 0z) can tomatoe paste

8 cups beef broth(or 8 cups water and 10 tsp beef bouillon)

4 cubes beef bouillon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 1/2 T, parsley

1 tsp basil

1 pkg. Good Seasonings Italian dressing mix or Roasted red pepper and basil dip (if you can find it just use one or the other)

1 can tomato soup(normal size can)

1 to 2 cans Drained pinto beans

20 oz of cheese tortellini (cooked)

Brown your hamburger. Drain the grease. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrot, and peppers Saute until veggies are starting to get tender. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the tortellini and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until veggies are cooked all the way. (I simmered mine for about 1 hour) Then add the tortellini and serve with bread or rolls.

Chicken Florentine Soup

This soup is out of this world!!! I believe it is my new favorite!!! During the cold months there is definitely nothing better than warm soup with homemade bread or rolls.



Chicken Florentine Soup

3 chicken breast cooked and shredded

1 onion, chopped

2 T. garlice

2 sweet bell peppers(red, orange, or yellow)chopped

2 T. Butter

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

3 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped or 1 tsp dried and crushed

3 medium carrots, chopped

3-4 cups water

2 T. chicken bouillon

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup pesto

1 batch alfredo sauce (recipe below)

4-5 cups penne, cooked (i used whole wheat )

4 -6 cups chopped fresh spinach



Melt the butter in a large pot, add the onion, garlic, peppers , and carrots. Saute until they begin to get tender. Add shredded chicken and spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add the water, chicken bouillon, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the pesto & alfredo sauce & spinach and simmer till heated through. Add cooked pasta right before you serve it.



Alfredo Sauce

1 stick butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup milk

1tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)



In a saucepan, cook all ingredients on medium low heat until smooth and creamy. Add more milk if to thick for you. Use for soup above or over your choice of pasta.



Note: for the soup you may use store bought alfredo. you will need about 2 1/2 cups for the soup but i reccommend homemade it is way better tasting. I can't stand the store bought nasty stuff.

Herbed Dinner Rolls

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Having a new baby kind of makes doing things a little bit more diffucult. It is harder to find time to post things on my blog. Anyway, here is a great recipe for you to try.These rolls are so yummy and go so great with a bowl of soup. They would be great on your holiday dinner table as well. Give them a try you won't be disappointed believe me!!!


Herbed Dinner Rolls
2 cups warm water
4 T. butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp. each of dried basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary, crushed
6 1/2 cups flour
2 T. yeast

Place the warm water in a bowl, add the yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes or until yeast is activated and bubbly. Add the butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and spices and mix. Then add the flour a little at a time until forms a soft dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead a few minutes. Place in a oiled boil, cover and let rise till double in size. Punch dough down and roll into rolls and place in a greased pan, cover and let raise until doulble in size. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. If desired brush with butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Caramel Apple Cake

I found this yummy cake over at Your Home based Mom. Let me tell you it was delicious!! I can't get enough of it!! It is such a great fall treat especially if you have some too ripe apples you need to use up. I always use my over ripe apples to bake with because I can't stand eating a soft apple mine have to be crisp and then that way I don't waste them and they work great for apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, ect. If you love caramel and apples give this cake a try.

Caramel Apple Cake adapted from Your Home Based mom
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup oil
1T. vanilla
3 cups cake flour(I used regular all purpose flour and it worked great)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3-4 cups peeled chopped apples (i used about 4 cups about 4 apples)
1/2 -1 cup pecans(optional)
1(3.4oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix or pumpkin spice pudding mix(if you can find it)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt cake pan well. Set aside. Beat eggs and sugar till foamy. Add the butter, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Add the pudding mix and mix well. Mix in flour, soda, and salt till combined. Stir in the apples and pecans. Your batter will be pretty thick. Don't be alarmed as the apples cook they add moisture to the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Take out of oven and turn over onto a platter and let cool 10 minutes before taking the pan off the cake.

Caramel Sauce(I doubled this because I like a lot of caramel)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pole holes in the cake with a bamboo skewer and then pour the caramel over the top of the cake. Eat nice and warm or let cool a little bit before serving. I think it taste great both ways.

US Military Tribute - Far Away - Nickleback

Saw this and thought it was a wonderful thing for us to remember this Veteran's Day. I am so thankful for the country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy and that wouldn't be possible without the US Armed Forces. Thank you to all who have served and do serve still and their families who make a sacrifice as well. Even if you don't all agree with the war remember one of the reasons we enjoy all the things that we do!!!

Green Bean Chicken/Fried Rice

We love Chinese food around our house but I have a hard time finding recipes that are really tasty. I did find a good sweet and sour chicken one and now I have found this one. It was suppose to be General Tso's chicken but I don't think it taste like the General Tso's chicken at Chinese restaurants. It was good non the less and you can add lost of red pepper flakes to it to make it a little spicer and redder in color but I didn't because I knew my kids wouldn't eat it if I did so I just added Siracha Chili sauce to mine right before I ate it. My kids gobbled this up. So if you like chinese food give it a try.

Green Bean Chicken
2 T. Cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 lb green beans or snow peas, washed,trimmed and cut
1 T. minced garlic
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced or 1 tsp ground ginger
6 T. brown sugar
6 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes(optional I didn't use because of my kids)
3 large egg whites
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
3 T. cornstarch
1 lb, boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1inch or smaller pieces

In a large bowl stir together the 2 T. cornstarch and the cold water until smooth and cornstarch is dissolved. Add the green beans or snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes;toss to coat and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs whites, 3 T. cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

In a large skillet, heat 2 T. of oil Lift half of the chicken mixture(shaking off excess coating) and add to the skillet. Cook, turning occasionally until golden and chicken is cooked through(8-10 min) Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken. Set aside. Add the green bean mixture to the skillet. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the beans are desired tenderness and sauce has thickened. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Serve over steamed rice or Fried Rice.

Fried Rice
2 T. oil
1 onion
1 T. minced garlic
6 cups cooked white rice or basmati rice(cold or day old rice works best)
6 T. soy sauce or enough to taste
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
5 cooked eggs(scrambled)

Heat oil in a large pan or wok, add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender.Add the rice and cook stirring occasionally. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, chicken bouillon and cook a few minutes more. Add the frozen corn and peas and the cooked eggs and heat through.

Chocolate Granola

If you haven't noticed by now I love granola. I love how versatile homemade granola is. It is so easy to change it or to add what you like and you don't really have to follow a recipe to the T. Plus homemade granola is healthier for you and way cheaper than buying it in the store. If you haven't ever made your own granola I highly recommend that you give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Chocolate Granola
8 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ or wheat bran
1 cup flax seeds
1-2 cups chopped almonds or pecans
1 cup coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds

Mix these all together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan bring these ingredients to a boil:
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Honey or agave nectar
2 T. vanilla
2 T. Cinnamon
2 T. maple syrup

Once it boils, take it off the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Mix until well combined. Spread mixture onto two greased large cookie sheets. Bake at 250 for 45 minutes stirring halfway through the baking time. Take out of the oven and let granola set on cookie sheets for 1 hour undisturbed. Then add in 2 cups dark or semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips and 1 cup raisins and mix well. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bags. Keeps for months!!