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Tasty Treat Tuesday: Homemade Oreo Cookie Spiders

September 27, 2011 by 1 Comment

I am so excited that Halloween is almost here!  I love finding and making all the fun and yummy treats out there for the holiday.  This recipe is actually a spin on the traditional oreo cookies we make the rest of the year.  The best part about these cookies is that you can color the  frosting/filling to match any holiday.  We do red and green for Christmas, pink and yellow for easter, red and blue for Independence day… The possiblities really are endless.

Here is what you will need to make these Homemade Oreo Cookie Spiders:

1 Devil’s food cake mix

1/2 cup Shortening

2 Eggs

Black string licorice

Red decorating gel or small red candies

Here is what you need to make the frosting:

8 oz Cream Cheese

2 sticks of Butter

2 Tsp. Vanilla

2 to 4 cups Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)

Food coloring

Here is how you make the cookies:

Cookies:

Mix all cookie ingredients together (cake mix, shortening, eggs).   If dough is too sticky, refrigerate for a while.   Roll the dough into dime-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet.   Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.   Cool cookies.

Frosting:

Mix all frosting ingredients until smooth (cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar).   If it is too thick, thin with vanilla.   Once you have the desired consistency, mix in food coloring until you have reached your desired color.  Frost the backs of cookies and place them together to make sandwich cookies.  Then cut licorice into 1 inch pieces and place them into the frosting on the sides of the cookies to create spider legs.  Then, use decorating gel or red candies to create eyes on one side of the cookie.

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Slow cooker Mondays: Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf

September 26, 2011 by 36 Comments


I know what you’re thinking…meatloaf? Really? Give this one a chance, though! My entire family (including my two kids who are picky eaters) LOVES this recipe!  I got this recipe for “Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf” a few years ago from Allrecipes.com – it’s so easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 c. milk (we use skim)
2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 tsp dried, minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (we always make this with ground turkey instead and it’s yummy!)
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

NOTE:  I fold two pieces of aluminum foil in half and criss-cross them in the slow cooker (hanging over the sides) so that the meatloaf doesn’t stick to the sides of the slow cooker and it’s easy to get out because you just pull up on the pieces of foil and lift it out.  I was hoping to post a picture to show you, but my pictures came out too dark!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

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What’s for Breakfast? Sausage breakfast casserole

September 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Look what’s cooking in my oven right now!  It will be ready in an hour and I can’t wait!  This sausage breakfast casserole recipe is a family favorite and is super easy to throw together!  You can even make it the night before and store it in the refrigerator overnight!  I usually make this for Christmas morning at our house and for other special occasions like Father’s Day, but this morning I made it just because!

Here’s what you need to make this yummy recipe:
1 lb of Italian pork sausage, (then cooked, drained, crumbled)
1 bag diced potatoes
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 eggs slightly beaten
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup peeled, chopped tomatoes (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the sausage and crumble into smaller pieces. Set aside. Spray a 9X13 glass baking pan with non-stick spray. Place the bag of potatoes in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with some cheese. Beat the eggs slightly and then add the milk, dry mustard, salt, and onion powder, and mix together. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle the sausage over the top of the egg mixture. Cover with cheese.

Bake uncovered for approximately 1 hour until the egg mixture is well cooked.

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From the Freezer Friday: Chicken Taco Rice

September 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

As a working mom, if I didn’t make slow cooker meals and freezer meals, we’d probably be eating out constantly!  In addition to my slow cooker Monday posts, I’ll be bringing you From the Freezer Friday recipes, too!

I got this Chicken Taco rice recipe from a freezer swap group I used to belong to and our family absolutely loves it!  Plus, it makes a HUGE portion, so there’s enough to feed your family one night and freeze some for another night!  We usually make burritos using ours, but the nachos idea sounds yummy, too!

I throw the chicken in a slow cooker with a can of enchilada sauce all day and then shred it when I get home.  I do everything else following the recipe.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 cups Chicken broth
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1-1/2 Brown rice, uncooked
1/2 cup Red or Green Pepper
1 can of corn

On Hand:
Shredded cheddar cheese

Optional Ingredients:
Tortilla chips, flour tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, etc.

Assembly Directions:
Mix everything in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done (about 40-50 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Freezing Directions:
Allow rice mixture to cool. Place in appropriate sized containers. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave until warm. You can also reheat it in a saucepan if you add a little bit of water before heating. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve with tortilla chips.

YUM!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information. 

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Cooking with Kids Thursday: Pigs in a Blanket

September 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment


Here is a meal for those nights when you are short on time.  These pigs in a blanket are super easy to make and only take 10 minutes to bake.  My little ones love helping make this dish.  They are in charge of rolling the dough over the sausages… and occasionally sneaking bites of the cheese and sausages when they think I am not looking.

Here is what you need to make Pigs in a Blanket:

-1 package of Pillsbury or other brand crescent roll dough

-1 package of Lil’ Smokies Turkey Sausages or other brand

– 4 slices of American cheese

Here is how you make the Pigs in a Blanket:

-Preheat oven to 350.  Cover the bottom of a cookie sheet with foil (makes for easier clean-up).

-Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it into the precut 8 triangles.  Then cut each triangle into 4 smaller triangles.  You should have 32 smaller triangles in the end.

-Cut each slice of cheese into 8 smaller pieces.  You should have 32 pieces when you are done.

-Take one small triangle of dough and place a piece of cheese in the middle of it.  Then place a sausage on top of that.

-Now roll it all up.

-Place the rolled sausages on the foil covered cookie sheet.

-Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

-Remove from oven.  Let cool for a couple minutes then enjoy!

Yields 32 sausages.  I usually serve this with a nice green salad and some fruit.

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