White Bread

1 cup warm Water
2 tbsp Butter, softened
1 tsp Salt
3 1/4 cup Flour
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup Honey
3 tsp yeast


Put ingredients into bread machine in the order listed above. Set machine for the dough cycle. When cycle is done remove dough from the machine. Cut dough into two loaves and place into two greased bread pans. Heat oven to 350*. Let the dough rise for about 20-30 minutes.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Rainy Day

We have had very interesting weather since 7pm last night. Interesting in the fact that we spent time in our downstairs bathroom due to tornado warnings. Of course I ran out of bread. And of course we needed bread for dinner tonight. We had BLTs.

So, I pulled out my bread machine put it on the counter and then stood there looking at it. You see, I have yet to find a white bread recipe for the bread machine that I like. After staring at the machine for a second, I looked outside to see if the weather was really that bad. It was, so I sat down, turned on my laptop and started looking for a recipe. Then I went to my cookbooks and looked in them. I took a little bit from different recipes and made my own recipe.

I put the ingredients in the machine and turned it to the dough cycle. I don't like the square loves that the machine makes so I make the dough in the machine then bake it in the oven. The dough cycle finished and I cut the dough in half and put each half into a bread pan. I let it rise and then popped them into the oven for about a half hour. Between the sound of the rain and the smell of fresh bread baking my home felt very homey and comforting.

By the time the loaves had cooled it was time to make dinner. I sliced the bread and made the BLTs and served my family dinner. They LOVED the bread and so did I. Here is the recipe for the bread

4th of July Giveaway!!!

I am very excited to have my first giveaway!!! I am giving away a set of Pampered Chef Patriotic Kitchen Towels and a Pampered Chef Patriotic Table Cloth.

To enter, leave a comment here on this blog, or on my Facebook page, with your favorite 4th of July recipe tradition and a little bit about why it is your favorite. You may enter on both sites and double your chances to win. Not only will you automatically be entered to win one prize, but my favorite recipe will also receive a prize and your recipe will be posted on the blog! Leave your comment by noon (EST) Saturday, June 25th.

The first giveaway that you can win, just by entering, is a set of Pampered Chef Patriotic Towels ( the winner will be chosen randomly)


For the second giveaway I will choose my favorite recipe. Your recipe will be posted on the blog and you will receive a beautiful Pampered Chef Patriotic Tablecloth.

Product Review: Oscar Mayer Carving Board Turkey

I discovered this product a couple months ago. I love it! There are countless ways to use this product. You can make a turkey sandwich. Or you can chop it up and make turkey salad. You can put it in casseroles. I like to heat it up and pair it with stuffing and corn and make a hot lunch for my kids.

Homemade Pizza

I have gotten so tired of ordering pizza or buying the frozen pizza so I tried my hand at making homemade pizza tonight. I used this recipe. I did change one thing. Instead of using sugar, I used honey. The pizza came out great!

Cowboy Cookies

Here is a classic recipe for you...

1 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Rolled Oats, uncooked
1 cup Flaked Coconut
6 oz Chocolate Chips
6 oz Butterscotch Chips

Cream butter and sugars.
Add eggs and beat well.
Mix in remaining ingredients.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1 Egg
1 cup Buttermilk*
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup Butter, softened
1 cup quick-cooking Oats
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Blueberries**

Beat egg in a medium mixing bowl.
Stir in buttermilk, brown sugar and butter and beat well. Mix in oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until batter becomes lumpy.
Fold in blueberries.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake in a 400* oven 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from pan.

* Here is a substitute for buttermilk:
Take a 1 cup measuring cup and put 1 tbsp lemon juice in it.
Add regular milk to the lemon juice until it measures 1 cup.
Stir together and let stand for 3 minutes.

** You can use any kind of fresh or frozen berry.


I used mixed berries for these.

Creamy Tortellini

5 cups Cheese Tortellini, cooked according to package directions.
2 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

Sauce:
1/2 cup Butter
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 tbsp Flour + 1 cup cold Water
1-2 Tomatoes
1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Saute garlic in butter with Italian seasoning.
Add cream. Cook 4 minutes over medium heat.
Whisk in flour mixture, bring to a simmer, until starts to thicken.
Turn to med-low heat and add tomatoes, cook 5 minutes.
Take off heat and mix in cheese.
Toss tortellini and chicken in sauce.

Candy Bar Apple Salad

1 1/2 cups Milk
1 pkg. (3.4oz) instant Vanilla Pudding mix
1 (8oz.)carton frozen Whipped Topping, thawed
4 large Apples, chopped
4 Snickers candy bars,cut into 1/2 inch pieces

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping. Fold in apples and candy bars. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Why I Started This Blog

When I was first married I felt the need to make very fancy meals. I would watch cooking shows and then try and make the meals. You know the kind of meals that require you to go to several stores just to hunt down one ingredient that you will only use for the one dish. The kind of meals that take three days to make. Yes, I exagerate a bit but some of those meals feel like they take three days to make.

After I had my children I did not have the time or energy to go "hunting" anymore. I also did not have time to spend hours on end in the kitchen to make one meal. I knew there had to be other moms out there that felt the same way. So here ya go. Meals that don't take three days to make and you don't have to go "hunting" to find the ingredients.

Peanut Butter Muffins

1 3/4 cup Flour
1 tbsp. Baking Soda
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Honey
1/3 cup Oil
1 Egg
1/4 cup chopped Peanuts
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

In a bowl combine flour and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, peanut butter, honey, oil and egg until smooth.
Slowly add the flour mixture until all mixed together.
Fold in the peanuts and chocolate chips.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes

Jenni Penni's Meatloaf

1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Egg
1 lb. Ground Beef
3/4 cup stuffing
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients.
Put meat mixture in loaf pan.
Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

8oz Linguine
2 cups Broccoli Flowerets
2 tbsp. Butter
1 lb. boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 (10 3/4oz) can Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup Milk
l/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

Cook linguine according to package directions; add broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain; set aside.

Heat butter in a 12" skillet; add chicken, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork; reduce heat. Stir in soup, milk, cheese and linguine mixture; heat through.

Honey Peanut Chews

1 1/2 cups Flour
2/3 cup firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Butter, softened
2 Egg yolks
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 cups Mini Marshmallows
1 (10oz) package Peanut Butter Chips
2/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup Butter
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups Crisp Rice Cereal
2 cups Salted Peanuts

Preheat oven to 350*
In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, egg yolks, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder,and salt. Beat the mixture with and electric mixer on low speed until crumbly.

Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

Immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over the surface. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes more or just until the marshmallows begin to puff. Remove from the oven; cool while preparing the topping.

In a large saucepan, stir together the peanut butter chips, honey, the 1/4 cup butter, and vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in the rice cereal and peanuts. Immediately spread the cereal mixture over the marshmallow layer.

Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Cut into bars. Store in a covered container.

Blueberry Pound Cake

1 cup Butter (no substitutes), softened
3 cups Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract
6 Eggs
3 cups Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 cup Sour Cream
3 cups Fresh Blueberries

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.
Fold in blueberries.

Spray 2 9x5x3 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10-15 before removing from pans to wire racks.

Easy Crock Pot Chili

1 lb. Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
1 cup Onion, diced
2 (16oz) cans Diced Tomatoes
1 (15oz)can Chili Beans
1 cup Salsa
1 tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin

Heat large skillet over medium heat.
Add beef and onion; cook until beef is browned and onion is tender.
Drain.
Place all ingredients into crock pot.
Cook on low 5-6 hours.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

4 Breaded Chicken Patties
1 24oz Pasta Sauce
8oz Spaghetti
8oz Italian Blend Cheese

Cook chicken patties and pasta according to package directions.
On low heat, warm pasta sauce.

To plate the meal:
Place pasta on plate
Place chicken on pasta
Cover with sauce
Sprinkle with cheese

I like to serve this meal with garlic bread and steamed broccoli

Baked Mostaccioli

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb Mostaccioli
2 cups Italian Blend Cheese

Brown ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Make pasta according to package directions, drain. In large bowl combine meat mixture, pasta, sauce and 1 cup of the cheese. Pour into a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Biscuit Topped Beefy Casserole

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 cup chopped Onions
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) Tomato soup or Sloppy Joe mix
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed Vegetables
1 Egg
3/4 cup Milk
1 cup of shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup chopped Green Onions
1 1/2 cups Bisquick

Preheat oven to 400*.
Brown meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
Return meat to skillet. Add onions and mixed vegetables; cook and stir 5 min.
Stir in soup; cook 3 min. or until heated through.
Spoon into 8x8 pan.

Beat egg and milk with wire whisk in medium bowl.
Add cheese and green onions; mix well.
Add Bisquick; stir just until moistened.
Spred batter over meat mixture.

Bake 30-35 min. or until biscuit topping is golden brown and cooked through.

Chicken Soup

1 Chicken, I get the one that is already cut up.
32 oz. Chicken Broth
2 Celery stalks, chopped into large pieces
1 medium Onion, chopped into large pieces
salt and pepper
3 medium Potatoes, peeled and chopped
16 oz. frozen Mixed Vegetables

Put chicken, onion, celery, salt and pepper into soup pot.
Pour in chicken broth.
Add water until chicken is covered, about 3 cups

Bring to boil.
Lower heat to med-low.
Simmer for 2 hours or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from pan and let cool for 1 hour.
After chicken is cooled remove the meat.
Add chicken, potatoes and vegetables to broth.
Bring to a boil.
Lower heat to med-low.
Soup is done when potatoes are fork tender.

*When I remove the chicken I also remove the onion and celery. My kids do not like the onion and celery but I like the flavor that it gives the broth.

Peanut Butter Bars

6 cups Rice Chex Cereal
1/2 cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw
1/2 cup creamy Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Grease 9 or 8 inch square pan or a 12 cup muffin tin.

In large bowl, mix cereal and peanuts; set aside.

In 3 quart saucepan, heat honey and sugar just to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture in bowl; stir gently until evenly coated.

Press firmly in pan. Cool 15 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on high 30-60 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over top of bars. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes until chocolate is set.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

1 Spaghetti Squash
Olive Oil
Favorite Pasta Sauce

Pre heat oven to 350.
Cut squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds.
Brush with olive oil.
Place rind side up on cookie sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes

Remove strands with a fork.
Place strands in bowl and toss with your favorite pasta sauce.

Mexican Goulosh

1 lb. Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
15 oz. can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
11 oz. can Mexi Corn, drained
15.5 oz. jar Salsa
2 cups of cooked Rice
8 oz. Mexican blend cheese
Sour Cream
Corn Chips


Season meat to taste and brown ground meat.
Add beans, corn and salsa to meat. Heat through.
Put rice on plate, then the corn chips, then the meat mixture, cheese, sour cream.
Enjoy.

Easter Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter with your child or children !!


1 cup Whole Pecans
3 Egg Whites
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vinegar
pinch of Salt
Zip lock bag
Wooden Spoon
Wax Paper
Tape
Bible


1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Place the pecans in a zip lock bag and let the child beat the bag with a wood spoon to break up the pecans into small pieces. Explain to the child that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. ( Read John 19:1-3)

3. Let the child smell the vinegar. Put the vinegar into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. (Read John 19:28-30)

4. Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain the Jesus gave His life to give us life. (Read John 10:10-11)

5. Sprinkle a little salt into the child's hand. Let them taste it and then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that the salt represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. ( Read Luke 23:27)

6. So far the ingredients are not very appetising. Add the sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. (Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16)

7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleanse by Jesus. (Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3)

8. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. ( Read Matthew 27:57-60)

9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give the child a piece of tape and "seal" the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. (Read Matthew 27:65-66)

10. Now GO TO BED!! Explain to the child that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. ( Read John 16:20 and 22)

11. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are HOLLOW!!! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. ( Read Matthew 28:1-9)

Irish Potato Bread

1/2 cup warm Water
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Honey
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Mashed Potatoes
3 cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 1/2 tsp. Yeast

In order listed put ingredients in bread machine.
This makes a 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Enjoy!!