"TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE" CAKE

This recipe is called "TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE CAKE," but I don't think there is ANY such thing as too much chocolate!
I actually have never made this cake, but my husband's Gram brought some over earlier this week for our Labor Day dinner. I had to ask for the recipe because it was so rich but it just melts in your mouth! It was phenomenal and she claimed it was really easy.

All you need:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 box instant chocolate pudding
1 bag chocolate chunks
1 cup sour cream
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup water

Simply:
Bake @ 350 for 50-55 minutes in a well-greased bundt pan. Allow 60-90 minutes for the cake to cool before trying to turn over and remove from pan.

Although this cake has absolutely no healthy ingredients (do eggs count??), the redemptive quality here is taste. What a hit!

Organic Baby Food-- Homemade is Cheaper!

I'm going to preface this post by saying that my sister-in-law Jillian has turned me on to so many things in life that I enjoy, and making homemade baby food is one of them. I do this in an effort to a) be stingy, b) provide organic baby food to my son. Unfortunately, I would say that a definitely comes before b in this case (I mean, how bad can baby food from the jars really be?)

But I have decided that if it is easier and cheaper then I will do it myself. For example, mashing a banana (or ten for the freezer) and mixing it with formula is not only an excellent source of nutrition for little Rylan, but it is also a tasty treat that can last three or four meals that only cost me $.20. That will be forever the cheapest that I ever feed him! And super easy :)

Look at that mischevious little face! I cannot resist it, even with avocados all over it!

Jillian and I got together a few weeks back and made baby food out of the following produce:

Bananas: Mush then puree. Easy as 1-2-3. Actually there are only two steps there so it would be easy as 1-2. just proving to you all that I can count. And I do it well. All the way to three. Anyways, Rylan loves them-- he sucks bananas RIGHT off the spoon. Hilarious!
Squash: Some of babies' first foods can be squash. It must be cooked first (in the microwave is fine), and it can then be put in the food processor, sans the seeds and skins. Squash doesn't go very far though, and it will be one of the more expensive ones you may try.
Sweet Potatoes: Bake. Deskin. Puree. Freeze. Vwala!
Avocado: Scoop out the insides and mash well.

All of these foods can be frozen except the avocados. Apparently you need to freeze avocado WITH other things in it to prevent it from going bad, like lemon juice, which I'm pretty sure the little ones should not have yet. But you can just scoop and mash the day of and keep the remainder in an airtight jar-- the top may go brown, but you can remove it with a spoon and still serve what's underneath.
*Never freeze formula. If you need to thin out your baby food, you can freeze it thick and ass formula later.

Then in Colorado about two weeks ago, my aunt had peaches FALLING off her trees-- and we all know how delectable Colorado peaches are! So I pitted and deskinned about ten of those and made at least 15 meals out of the pureed form, depending on how well the little man likes them, but they are in the freezer for now.

To thaw: Use the refrigerator or micowave, not the countertop. For some reason that's bad. I find that 2 oz of bananas defrosts in the microwave in less than ten seconds, but you are going to want to make sure your container is microwave safe (I bought some the other day that I discovered are not).

A source that we used was: Wholesome Baby
They provide awesome recipes, nutritional facts, scientific research, and even menus for your baby's age! This was perfect for me since I'm an amatuer mom!

Thanks for reading!

Freezer Meals!

The first time I heard of "freezer meals," I was a little disgusted. I mean, I had never been able to put anything in the freezer without it becoming frostbitten or covered with those little icicle things. Ew!But when my sister-in-law Jillian suggested making freezer meals back in January when we were expecting our babies (who ended up being born within 9 hours of one another! SO much fun!) I was in no position to argue.

Here, less than six months later, I am hooked! I feel that my kitchen is revolutionized! I am a post-modern chef! Well, that's what make-ahead meals make me feel like, anyway. Tangible proof of this excitement was witnessed by my husband, as I broke out into a song with my own kitchen-esque lyrics to the tune of Little Mermaid theme song. His reply: "Nice job, Ariel."

I was honestly so energized by the massive amonts of time that I had (more to spend with baby and husband!) that I could not resist delving into researching this new and exciting "field." Now, to clarify, I don't think I can be one of those "Once A Month Moms," simply because I enjoy cooking, so I'll plan on fresh meals weekly, supplemented by the pantry inside my freezer. These will come in especially handy when I am watching Nick's basketball or football games in the evening, or as our children grow up and we become busier with each succeeding day!

Anyhoo, I spent all last week searching for golden recipes, planning my grocery trip, shopping for said groceries, and preparing meals from those groceries.

This isn't all of it! Just what we didn't have yet. Thought my husband hates it, I love grocery shopping! hahah

 

Monster cookies! Fourth of July style!

I'm not above making cookies in large batches and then freezing them ahead. This is  how I do!

Before beginning the cooking, pop some potatoes in the oven, at 350 for an hour.
They only freeze well cooked-- I've heard they turn black if you freeze them raw!

This post  will have two parts: freezer meals tips that I've learned along the way and easy make ahead recipes. I am by no means a professional-- none of this is my original idea, but instead I have done online research and collborated it here.







PART I: TIPS FOR FREEZING STUFF
1. Gather recipes that require limited ingredients. If you see a recipe that calls for just tons of ingredients you don't have, your grocery bill will stack up quickly. This is all about using what you have well and living on a budget!
2. Make sure you make a list of the meals you plan on making with the groceries you buy. I know this sounds obvious, but you don't want to get home and be like, "What was this onion for again???" Waste of money and time!
3. Start with plenty of materials. Ziploc bags, aluminum trays, aluminum foil, Saran wrap. If you are low on any of these things, add it to the grocery list.
4. If you have kids, any number of any age, don't expect to do everything in one day. In fact, don't even try. Startegically plan to do 1-2 meals per day for say, a week, or whatever works for your schedule.
5. A very easy way to make freezer meals without taking up too much time is to simply double your recipe and freeze half!
6. When freezing Ziploc bags full of freezer meal, use a cookie tray to freeze first. This will help the meal to freeze flat so it takes up less space in your freezer.
7. Freeze entire cooked chickens to have on hand for recipes that require cooked chicken, namingly casseroles. This will save lots of time in the long run!
8. Feeze outside the box! Things besides just meals freeze well also! Like I mentioned before, cooked chicken can make life a lot easier. Also freeze fresh vegetables that come in great quantities (like the GINORMOUS zucchini I recently got from my aunt Bekka), breads (banana bread keeps awhile in the freezer so you can make double!), smoothie packets (just add the fruit and other ingredients to bags and cut them open in the day of!), and even pancake mix (just thaw before use).
9. Do your research to keep track of what can go in the freezer and for how long-- you don't want meals to spoil and your hard work and money down the drain!
10. Last, make some sort of spread sheet or Word document that tracks the meals you make so that you always know waht's in the freezer and nothing's forgotten! Also, this makes you feel accomplished as the meals rack up! YAY!

PART II: RECIPES THAT YOU CAN FREEZE
Once again, most of these are not my recipes, so instead of typing out the entire recipe, I'll provide the link, and therefore, the credit.  Here are a few I tried last week:
1.When the Dinner Bell Rings
2. Excellent Book: Dinner's in the Freezer
3. Freezer Meals for Us
4. Once a Month Mom
5. A Turtle's Life for Me

AND there are plenty of other resources out there! Simply google 'freezer meals,' 'make-ahead meals,' or 'dump meals.'
I have really enjoyed being organized, prepared, and discovering new recipes! I hope you guys can take some of my advice and have some organized fun with this!

GINGER PORK LETTUCE WRAPS (like P.F. Changs!)

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMm.................. These are savory indeed!

My mom introduced this recipe to me when she came out to Kansas to take care of us after Rylan was born. I hesitated to make such a "gourmet" restaurant knockoff because it seems so complicated!

BUT
             IT
                         IS
                                    EASY
                                                    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gather:
1 head lettuce
1 pound ground pork (chicken works as well, but I would not recommend beef because I feel like that's for tacos)
1/4 cup Thai peanut sauce
3 T (or less) sweet chili sauce
2 T olive oil (other oils may substitute)
1 T minced ginger
1/2 t crushed red pepper (to taste)
1 clove garlic

OK, are you ready for this easiness?
1. Wash lettuce. Peel apart the head so that the leaves function as a tortilla would in a burrito.

2. Olive oil in skillet.
3. Pork in skillet.
4. Rest of ingredients in skillet. Mix thoroughly. Heat medium-high, until pork is cooked through.
5. Simmer on low for a few minutes to get the pork a little crispy and the oil and flavors will sort of seep into the meat.

So basically this is like a glorified stir-fry. And I love it! This batch makes about six lettuce wraps, which may be enough for two people for dinner. We just served with a fruit salad-- what an easy night! (Plus only one skillet to wash!)

Dinner Menu Printable

Sometimes I feel like dinner occurs at the wrong time of day. Nick gets home, it's time to feed Rylan, and all the sudden I have to make dinner! Sometimes it's a scramble, but I think I've come up with a decent system for planning and organizing meals. Below is an image (that you can download, copy and paste into a Word document, and use at your leisure) that has really helped me manage that chaos.

I usually know what's for dinner a week in advance because seeing the layout visually helps me understand what else is going on in the week. For example, I know that Tuesdays are our dinner group with friends from church, but on Monday I sometimes accidentally panic, thinking, What's for dinner tomorrow?!!?!? Maybe that's just me, but this just helps me. Plus, I can plan out what groceries I need to buy in my limited trips to Manhattan by writing down the ingredients I don't yet have in the groceries column.

Maybe this can help others too! Happy cooking!

Grasshoppa Pie!

I'm gon teach you folks how to make easy grasshoppa pie! (Ok, that was just for effect, I felt like talking like that for a minute.)

This dessert is one of my all-time favorites, and VERY easy. It's just the right time of year for a nice GREEN dessert that will cool you off as you sit on the porch outside! (Having the time to do that is always a fantasy of mine...) I think I like this dessert so much because sometimes I just feel like a good old fashioned break from cookies and brownies for dessert, but some desserts are SO complicated!

This recipes only calls for four ingredients:
1 gallon mint chocolate chip ice cream
3 tbsp. butter
1 pkg. Oreos (you might have leftovers!) or chocolate cracker things (like Teddy Grahams)
1 jar hot fudge sauce





Leave your ice cream on the counter so it softens. Crush the Oreos or cookies. I put them in a plastic storage Ziploc bag and use the back of a glass cup. Melt the butter in a medium-large bowl and mix the crushed cookies in, stirring until all cookies are moist. Press the cookie mixture into the bottom of a glass pan (for a thicker ice cream bar, use 8x11, for thinner use 9x13). Bake at 350 for ten minutes. Allow the crust to cool before scooping the softened ice cream into the dish. This is where you can get creative- layer the ice cream with hot fudge, alternating however you like. Use the entire gallon of ice cream and then top with a final drizzle of hot fudge. Stick it in your freezer then to allow everything to stick together, and you got yourself some grasshopper pie!

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Fun!

My mom is the best. Every one says that, but mine really is. Not only is she an excellent mother and wife (as if being those two are any small task...), she is also a great interior decorator, scrapbooker, and COOK! Oh my word. Coming home for Spring break was the best decision I have ever made- my Mom's cooking can't be beat!

She is always so creative with holidays, like they are an excuse to treat her family extra special. Growing up she would throw a Valentine's Day celebration, complete with steak and equally delicious side dishes. We loved getting sparkling cider or sparkling jello- so much fun!

Anyways, this year while Nick and I were in town, my Mom did a "Shamrock Shindig," a smorgasbord of delicious corned beef and cabbage (which I love) and other green festive eats!

Left, you'll see corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots, cabbage salad, Lucky Charms salad (I named it that because it's green and has marshmallows in it and is delicious), animal crackers dipped in green almond bark, sparkling apple cider, and even green plates and napkins. My mom is such a trooper!

Needless to say, my dear husband was not thrilled about wearing the hat for this photo, but he did it because he loves me. Also, PS, I woke up that morning NOT EVEN REMEMBERING IT WAS ST. PATTY's and I STILL WORE A BRIGHT GREEN SHIRT! What are the odds? I mean, c'mon. That's amazing!

What a fun way for Nick and I to spend our mini vacation away from Kansas- with my family who is awesome and  absolutely in LOVE with our son (free babysitting!! haha) We don't get to see them very often so that was a real treat!

Another word about Spring break: We have such a flexible baby and I am so thankful! At only a month old, we have not only driven eight hours to Colorado, we have also dragged him shopping (pretty much every day- I love civilization!), to many coffee dates with old friends, and even to the movies! He grunted a little, but never made a fuss. What a sweetie!

Cake Mix Cookies

Cake mix cookies are DA BOMB.
If you don't know what that means, ask a middle schooler. You won't regret it! haha

The reason I like cake mix cookies so much is the simple idea of adding limited ingredients to a box of premade powder, resulting in a dense, rich cookie. It's miraculous!!

The recipe follows.
You'll need:
1 box of cake mix (any flavor, any brand-- I prefer Devil's Food, but I've had Strawberry and Yellow batter as well!)
1/3 cup veg. oil
2 eggs
Optional mix-ins (chopped nuts, chopped Reece's, chocolate chips, mint chips, raisins, coconut, oatmeal, anything you can think of or all of the above!)

To Bake:
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease two baking sheets.
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl.
Form into 1" balls using a cookie scoop...or your hands...
Bake 10-12 minutes.

Nothing glamorous, but oh so delicious!!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Pineapple Upside-down Pancakes

Do pancakes sound delicious? Try these!!!

 Explore the Snooze Experience!

After breakfast at Snooze, a Colorado-based breakfast restaurant (whose dishes are TO DIE FOR!) I just had to mimic the pineapple upside-down pancakes that we tried there. Nick LOVES pineapple so this is a special "I love you, dear" treat. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for this recipe, as I've scoured the internet and combined multiple recipes to come up with the (hopefully) perfect Pineapple Upside-down Pancake recipe!

Here is the result:

 



Pancake Batter: I (admittedly) did not make from scratch, but instead used Krusteaz from Sam's Club! I love buying in bulk :) To the batter I added a tsp. of nutmeg and tbsp. of cinnamon sugar per 6-7 pancakes, just for extra kicks :)






 




Cinnamon Butter (to the right): You'll need to mix 5 tbsp softened (not melted!!!) butter, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon. I found that doing this with a knife and repeatedly folding the mixture was the best method. Refrigerate to harden.

Vanilla Cream: Combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small saucepan over med heat. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved and cream thickens slightly.

Caramelized Pineapple (below): Melt 4 tbsp. butter over med-high heat.  Add 1/2 cup (packed tightly) brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon, stirring until mixture bubbles.  Add one large can crushed or diced (I prefer crushed, but if you like it chunkier, be my guest!!!) pineapple and cook additional 3-5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.

Now it's time to combine all these tasty ingredients together!

Scoop (I used a measuring cup) your pancake batter onto a mediumly-heated skillet. Then scoop your caramelized pineapple mixture on top of the pancake batter that's already on the skillet, and, when the pancakes begin to bubble, flip 'em! Cook until they are done, and if you are making many, then keep them in a warm oven while you finish.

Our Saturday morning breakfast table :)

Serve with the cinnamon butter and vanilla cream. Enjoy!

I can't take credit for this beautiful photo-- See http://chasingsomebluesky.blogspot.com/search/label/Breakfast for my inspiration!

 Thanks for checking it out!
P.S.-- I got a cute signature :)

Super Simple Cheesecake Brownies

These cheesecake brownies are simply to-die-for and so so easy!

1. Using a package of powdered brownie mix, prepare according to package directions. I used Duncan Hines, but anything goes! I also added chocolate chips! Pour the brownie batter into a 9x13 pan.

2. In the same mixing bowl you used for the brownie batter, mix 4 oz. of softened (not melted) cream cheese (1/2 the regular package), 1/4 cup sugar, an egg and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Then spread this mixture over the top of the brownie batter, using a knife to "marble," or spread the white batter around in a swirly pattern.

3. Bake according to package directions and ENJOY!

Drizzle with hot fudge or chocolate syrup to get this look!

French Bread Pizza!

On today's menu-- French bread pizza! Admittedly, the easiest recipe that I'll ever present you with. But it's also quality and cheap!

What you'll need:
1 (+) loaf of fresh French bread
1 jar pasta sauce (I use Ragu roasted garlic)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Toppings

Personalize with:
Pineapple
Sausage or beef
Pepperoni
Bacon or ham
Other cheeses (cream cheese! Colby jack! Cheddar! mmmmm....)
Spices (crushed red pepper! basil!

You know the pizza drill:
1. Cut French bread in half and place both halves, inside up, on a greased cookie sheet (or better yet, tin foil for easy cleanup!)
2. Spread the sauce (I've found that using a spoon is easiest) on each half. I am usually pretty generous but still end up using only half the jar.

3. Top with your cheeses and toppings-- the fun stuff!
4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is golden delicious!
5. Allow to cool before eating-- it can be disastrous and painful as we found out!

Enjoy :)