Christmas Candy

It's been far to long since I've made a post. I guess for 2014 I want to try to post more frequently. Anyways I came across this recipe on Pinterest and it was called "Christmas crack." I can't find it (of course) so the credit goes to that person, not me. This treat is so sweet and delicious with the perfect amount of crunch. I like leaving it in the fridge and munching on it whenever I open the door....

Ingredients:
Saltines (I used a sleeve and a half)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 sticks butter, unsalted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Place tin foil on a cookie sheet and spray well with cooking spray.
Place a single layer of saltines, covering entire cookie sheet. Set aside
Melt butter and brown sugar on the stove over medium heat. Stir frequently and do not let it burn!
Once mixture is ready, remove from heat. Add vanilla and mix well.
Pour mixture over saltines covering all of them evenly.
Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. It should be pretty bubbly.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Pour chocolate chips over evenly. Let sit about 5 minutes. With a spatula spread the chocolate evenly across the saltines. Let cool, break and enjoy!!!
If you need to cool it quicker you could always freeze or refrigerate. I let mine sit on the counter for about an hour while I made other treats, then I broke it into pieces and kept in a container in the fridge.

Crock pot beef stroganoff

Whoops, it's been quite awhile since I've posted. I blame the holidays!!! However busy I've been we've still had time to try new recipes and not only eat out. This recipe was so easy and delicious I can't believe we haven't tried it before. It's definitely a make again dish and something I'll keep in mind to make with a newborn keeping us so busy!! Although it was very creamy next time I might try using cream of mushroom soup.

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 package (8oz) sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup onion sliced
1 cup sour cream
1 can vegetable broth
Salt and pepper and parsley to taste
1 package egg noodles

Directions:
In a large crock pot place mushrooms, onion and stew meat. Cover with beef broth. Add a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for four hours.  Since I'm at a high altitude I added a little extra water so it wouldn't be dry or burn.

About 30 mins before you serve cook the egg noodles. Ten minutes before make sure your crock pot is on low and add in the sour cream. Mix well and cover.

Add parsley. Serve beef and mushrooms over egg noodles.

Chicken frame soup-thanksgiving leftovers

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! We sure had quite the feast....

We had quite a bit of leftover chicken so why not go for some chicken frame soup!! You can also do this with leftover turkey.

Ingredients:
One chicken frame with some meat still on it. (I left a good amount on but took off the big pieces) also if it is large or you're using turkey you may have to use kitchen scissors to cut it in half.
One onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
Bouillon cubes (I used 8) or two boxes chicken broth
Thyme
Basil
Parsley
Pepper to taste
Carrots
Celery
Diced tomatoes (one can, drained)
One bag uncooked egg noodles

Directions:
Place chicken frame in a large pot. Cover with water (or vegetable broth)
Add garlic, onion, celery and bring to a boil
If you're using bouillon add it now
Then turn heat down to simmer. Let simmer for 1 hour 45mins
Remove chicken frame and take the chicken off (it falls off very easily)
Skim fat off the top of the broth.
Add the chicken back in, carrots (as many as you'd like),diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp each of thyme, basil and parsley, the bag of noodles and pepper.
Let cook on low for about 30 mins.
Enjoy!!!

We kept out the tomatoes and celery since my husband does not like it but overall was still delicious! Feel free to add more spices if you want more flavor. I kept it simple for us.

Simple pasta salad

I decided to make a cold dish to bring to a family whose mom is sick. They really enjoyed it and it was so easy to make. I decided to make another one for my husband to take to work for lunch. Again, super simple and easy to switch up ingredients. The first time I kept it really simple but the second time I added a little more adventure to it. This recipe is great because you can really do anything with it. Have leftover chicken? Toss it in! Hate olives but love red peppers? Go for it!!! It's perfect for a potluck, lunch or a quick meal to take with you.

Ingredients:
1 box rotini pasta
1 bottle Italian dressing (I used zesty)
2 or 3 small tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1 can olives halved
Parmesan cheese, grated 1/2 cup

Additional ingredients:
Onion
Mozzarella cheese, cubed
Sausage, cooked and sliced

Directions:
Boil pasta according to directions. Drain, set aside.
Chop tomatoes and cucumber into bite size pieces.
Drain olives.
In a large bowl put in all your veggies, pasta, cheese (and sausage if you want that.)
Add bottle of Italian dressing. Toss all together and mix well. Serve immediately. Keep chilled in the fridge
*if you are going to let it sit in the fridge awhile toss again before serving so dressing is mixed well.

Pumpkin Seeds Roasted Right

Whoops I'm a little late, I was hoping to post this for Halloween but hey...less than a week after and I still have tons of candy left! My husband and I carved pumpkins in anticipation of the holiday...cute right?

Well if you've ever carved a pumpkin you know how many seeds are inside. We set ours aside (most of them) in a big bowl. I rinsed them and dumped them in a colander. I continued rinsing them until all the pumpkin pieces were off.
Next I boiled water with a little salt (1tsp) with the pumpkin seeds. Once it's boiling turn the heat down to medium and allow it to cook for ten minutes.

Then drain the water. Set the oven to 350. 

Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel. On a cookie sheet spread 1tsp of olive oil. Spread the seeds out and toss them in the oil so they are covered.

 Sprinkle the seeds with your favorite seasoning (I did 1/3 of them with sea salt, 1/3 with garlic salt and the last third with Lowry's seasoning.) 

Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes depending on the size. Mine cooked for about 17 minutes but they were pretty decent sized.

Enjoy!!!!

Feel free to try different seasonings depending on personal preference. I had someone tell me she loves to make hers with cinnamon sugar. 

We ended our evening with an semi thanksgiving dinner: roast chicken with stuffing, green bean casserole and Pillsbury crescent rolls!

Tuesday Treats

Until Christmas is over I find it totally acceptable to indulge in all things pumpkin! I found Ben & Jerry's pumpkin cheesecake ice cream!! What an awesome idea. I also indulged in some Olive Garden pumpkin cheesecake which has amazing ginger crumbs sprinkled on top. I want to make some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in the near future so perhaps I'll share a recipe if it's good.

Saturday Sweets

I can't believe it's already November! Time really does fly fast. This week I made some delicious apple crisp along with some pumpkin muffins (courtesy of trader joes)

Apple crisp served hot with creme brûlée ice cream...heavenly!!!

This mix was so delicious my husband who "doesn't like pumpkin" still ate about 12.

You can't forget about the day after Halloween candy splurge. We should be all set for quite awhile. Maybe I can find a fun recipe using mini candy bars!!