No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Energy Bites

These are the best grab and go snacks if you want something a little healthier and homemade! If you're anything like our family, when we get busy, we eat terribly. Fast snacks, thrown together meals or takeout, and ultimately we feel awful. I am always on the hunt for easy snacks that we can keep on hand and added protein is always a bonus!

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips or mini m&m's

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:

-In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together well.

-Roll out teaspoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

-Freeze until set (about one hour).

-Enjoy and keep leftovers in an air tight container in fridge or freezer

*You could customize these with a variety of things-Dried fruit, nuts, Protein powders, etc. This is such a simple recipe and comes together in minutes!

 

Cheddar, Scallion, and Zucchini Waffles

I came across a picture online that was labeled "Cheddar and Scallion Waffles", and thought they sounded delicious, but there was no recipe. I took to searching and instead came across Zucchini and Cheddar Waffles and liked the sound of that, too...So, here ya go, I mixed together the parts of each recipe I thought made sense and came up with Cheddar, Scallion, and ZucchiniWaffles! These are delicious, dense, savory, cheesy waffles. They would be great served with some hashbrowns and bacon, but my husband has enjoyed just grabbing them "to go" in the morning as a handheld breakfast because otherwise he forgets to eat!

Cheddar, Scallion, and Zucchini Waffles:

Ingredients:

2 cups zucchini; grated(about 2 average size zucchini)

6 scallions thinly sliced

1 cup cheddar cheese; shredded(I shredded a block of cheese, it seems to melt better than pre-shredded)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese(the shaker bottle!)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3 Large eggs

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Grate zucchini and place in a lint-free kitchen towel or multiple paper towels. Press/wring out as much water as you can.

2. Thinly slice Green Onions and pat them dry with a paper towel(I just press down hard once or twice)

3. Preheat the waffle iron.

4. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. You may need to add a tad more flour depending on how watery the zucchini is. Let the waffle batter sit for 10 minutes.

5. Spray the heated waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray and place 1/4 cup of the waffle batter in the middle of the waffle iron(or 1/4 Cup in each waffle space if you have a large waffle iron that makes 4 at once) 

Cook according to your waffle machine; most take 2-4 minutes per waffle batch- the waffle will be golden brown when it's done cooking. Repeat until you run out of waffle batter. Be sure to spray the waffle iron in-between each batch. And sit on a cooling rack so they don't get soggy on the bottom on a plate. 

*Note: This mixture will not look like waffle batter, but I promise it works! 😆

It's Finally Soup Season!

 In our household, when Fall brings in the cooler temps, Soup Season begins! Cracking the kitchen windows to let the crisp, cool air in and the steamy hot air out strikes that perfect balance of cozy! We love a good soup in the Fall and Winter months and cheesy potato soup is just always a good idea. 

 I took a recipe my Step-Mom gave me and as I was making it I thought to myself, "Every good soup needs garlic, carrots, and celery!" So I made a few changes that fit my personal preferences, added some things, and BOOM our favorite soup was officially born. It became such a fast favorite that it was gone after dinner because everyone wanted seconds, so we had to double the recipe the second time we made it because who makes soup and doesn't want leftovers the next day??

Cheesy Potato and Ham Chowder

Ingredients:

1.5-2lbs fully cooked ham (cubed or my go-to, cut up leftovers of spiral ham)

4-6 yellow potatoes (peeled and diced)

2 cups of Half & Half

1-32oz Carton of Chicken Broth

1 Can(15.25oz) Whole Kernal Corn (drained)

1 Can(14.75oz) Cream Style Corn

1 Large Shallot (finely chopped)

4 Cloves Garlic(or measure minced garlic from the jar!)

4-5 Carrots(peeled+ sliced or diced, your preference)

2 Celery Stalks(Sliced thinly)

1.5 Cups shredded Gouda (or shred a block of Gouda yourself)

1-2TBSP Oil to Sauté vegetables

Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder to taste(you can add salt, but do so sparingly as the ham and cheese provide salt as well!)

Directions:

Heat 1-2 TBSP of olive oil in large dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots, stirring frequently, 3 minutes Add garlic and Ham and sauté another 2 minutes, keep stirring!(turn down the heat if it starts sticking) Stir in broth.

Add Potatoes, Half & Half, and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes, stirring as needed, until potatoes are tender. 

Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted

Serve with warm bread or rolls 

------------------------------------------------

*If doubling the recipe I recommend you do not double the cream style corn as the texture really takes over! (Lived and learned)

**You could mix this up and add different ingredients, I think bacon would be a great addition for some smoky flavor, but may add too much saltiness?? A green onion garnish would be good!

Crockpot Carnitas [Best Carnitas/Favorite Cooking Method]

Our family LOVES Carnitas... My husband used to smoke the pork on his Weber kettle smoker and we thought it was amazing, but then one day when he was at work(unable to stand at a smoker for hours) so I decided to try a different method and completely fell in love with it! I found a couple of different crockpot Carnitas recipes and combined two of them, but over the years kept changing it up and adding things that made the flavor better each time, so I think I finally have a solid recipe and wanted to share! Feel free to share/change it up/make it your own! I just love sharing food and recipes, not looking for credit! (I blog like once a year or every 3 years, definitely not sharing for exposure 😆

Crockpot Carnitas

Ingredients:

4 lb Boneless Pork Shoulder/Butt

1 1/2 TBSP Ground Cumin

Dried Oregano (1/2 to 1 TBSP, I am not a big fan of oregano so I go lighter)

2 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Garlic

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 Large Shallot, diced (2 if they are small)

4 cloves of garlic, minced (I just use the jarred minced garlic)

2 Jalapenos, de-seeded and finely diced

2 Oranges, juiced

1 Lemon, juiced

2 Limes, juiced 

Directions:

In a small bowl mix together cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and chili powder

Trim excess fat from the pork shoulder (some fat is good, so don't cut it all off!), pat dry, then rub the spice mixture generously on the entire pork shoulder and place in the slow cooker.

Add the shallots, garlic, jalapeno and juice of your Oranges, lemon, and limes in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Keep the liquid as you will be using it later.

Crisp in the oven before serving:

Place the shredded pork on a baking sheet. Pour 1 cup of the reserved liquid over the pork to keep it moist and tender while broiling. Broil 5-10 minutes or until the meat becomes golden brown and crispy on the edges

We love to make street tacos, "Chipotle" style burritos, or nachos with our carnitas

**Note**

Even though this is a more Mexican style flavor, the flavor is mild enough that leftover shredded pork can be used to turn into BBQ pulled pork! 

Cowboy Beans and Jalapeño Cornbread Casserole

My cousins introduced us to an amazing recipe for "Cowboy Beans" (a regular recipe made in the firehouse my cousin works at) with cornbread and it instantly became a new staple in our meal rotation. Hearty, a little spice, the perfect Winter comfort food! This is an awesome savory dish that pairs well with a sweet jalapeño cornbread casserole!

Cowboy Beans

Ingredients:

-1 Can Black Beans (Drained)

-1 Can Pinto Beans (Drained)

-1 Can Light Red Kidney Beans (Drained)

-1 Can Great Northern Beans (DO NOT DRAIN)

-14 oz. Kielbasa

-1 lb Hamburger

-1 lb Ground Pork Sausage (Hot, we used Bob Evans Zesty Hot)

-1/2 yellow onion (Diced)

-1/4 C yellow mustard

-1/2 C Ketchup

-3/4 C Bbq sauce(We used KC Masterpiece hickory brown sugar)

Optional:
-A few spoonfuls of diced jalapeños plus a splash of the juice from the jalapeño jar

*Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder to taste, I added a little while browning the meat and then seasoned the beans when I combined all the ingredients!*

Directions:

-Add drained Black beans, Pinto beans and Kidney beans to Dutch Oven or Crock Pot

-Add can of Great Northern Beans, with liquid, to Dutch Oven or Crock Pot

-Brown Hamburger, Ground Pork Sausage, Onion(and jalapenos, if you choose) in skillet together and then add to beans

-Cut Kielbasa into slices and then quarter those into bite size pieces and add to Dutch Oven or Crock Pot

-Add Mustard, Ketchup, Bbq Sauce(and jalapeño juice, if you choose)

-Stir until combined

-Place in oven at 300 for 2-2.5 hours (This can be made at 375 for 1 hour, but our kiddos prefer the texture of beans when they have been cooked to death, so we cook them lower and longer!)

-OR-

-Cook in Crock Pot 6-8 hours 

-Stir Occasionally

*Serve with warm cornbread or jalapeño cornbread casserole (Recipe posted below)

*We love to put a little yellow mustard on top of our Cowboy Beans! Give it a shot!*

Jalapeño Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients: 

-1 Box Jiffy Cornbread Mix

-1 Stick Butter (Melted)

-1 Can Whole Kernel Corn

-1 Can Cream Style Corn

-1 Cup Sour Cream
-2 Eggs

-1 fresh jalapeño (Diced)

Directions:

*Heat oven to 375*

-Grease 9x13 Casserole Dish

-Beat eggs in small bowl

-Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix together, I add the jiffy mix and jalapeños last

-Pour into baking dish in even layer and bake 35-40 Minutes or until center is firm

*The top will be slightly firm, but the texture of the cornbread as a whole will have more of a soft/loose casserole texture, not like cornbread where you can pick it up with your hands and eat it!*

You can't go wrong with cheese, potatoes or soup...

I don'the know about you, but to me cold weather just screams, "Eat Soup!" It's funny, Mother Nature decides what's for dinner in our household quite often! I don't like to cook when it's hot outside because it makes the house hot, and I despise being hot unless I am laying by the pool and have a quick means to cool off, so we grill a lot and order our fair share of pizza over the Summer! I figure it all evens out since I cook the majority of our meals during the other 3 Seasons! Cheesy Potato Soup is one of our Fall/Winter family favorites, I like to serve it with fresh baked French Bread(Okay, so it's a Take and Bake Loaf from Kroger) My FAVORITE pairing with this soup is actually a recipe my best friend makes-Pretzel rolls! They are delish! I believe she got the recipe from pinterest, but I haven't made them myself, yet! Luckily, there is plenty more cold weather to come...maybe next time I will try to make them! (Or wrangle my best friend back from Atlanta, bribe her with soup and convince her to make rolls...hmm)

Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6-7 Red or Yellow Potatoes, peeled and diced into bite size pieces

1 stalk of celery, chopped or minced(I prefer minced in a creamy soup)

1 small onion, chopped or minced

1 32oz. carton of Chicken Broth(4 Cups)

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup(I used Cream of Chicken and herbs)

1 tsp. garlic powder(or more or less to taste)

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2-3 Tbsp. Real Bacon Bits or Pieces

12 oz.(3 Cups) Finely shredded Cheddar Cheese(I used 1 Cup Sharp and 2 Cups Mild, you can use whichever kind you like)

2 1/2 cups Milk, warmed up (2 minutes in the microwave)

5 Tbsp. flour

*Optional: 2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

Directions:

Add the first 9 ingredients to the Slow Cooker, stir and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, bacon bits and cheese and stir.

Warm up the milk, sprinkle and stir in the flour until smooth. Add mixture to the Slow Cooker and stir.

Cook on HIGH and additional 30-45 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkle of cheese, green onions, and bacon bits.

The easiest Chicken Tacos ever!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

Taco Seasoning (I use a local spice mix called Sazon, but any taco-like seasoning will do!)

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts(thawed, if frozen)

1 16-ounce jar Salsa (My favorite is Chi-Chi's Original Recipe Medium Salsa)

*Optional: ½ can of whole kernel corn and Can of black beans-drained*

Directions:

Lay chicken in bottom of crock pot, pour all other ingredients in on top of it, place lid on crockpot and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

Serve with taco shells, on taco salad or burritos. We like to top them with cheese and sour cream, but you can add any toppings you prefer!

(Any leftover chicken and the leftover ½ can of corn is great to use in Tortilla soup!)

These are a family favorite in our household, and definitely my "go-to" meal for an easy dinner! On days that I know I will be out running errands/volunteering at the kids' school, etc. it's great to just toss this in the crockpot and it is done when we get home, no fuss-no muss! 

The World's Greatest Hot Cocoa Mix (Seriously!)

The World's Greatest Hot Cocoa Mix
(Hands down, no lie, THE greatest.)
yields 60+ servings

Ingredients:
1 25.6 oz. container powdered milk
1 21.8 oz container of Nesquik Original Mix
1 15oz container French Vanilla Coffee Mate Non-Dairy Creamer
3 C. powdered sugar

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients in a very large bowl. Store in airtight container or package individually as gifts with a handful of marshmallows. To Serve: Add 5 TBSP of Hot Cocoa Mix to 8oz. hot milk or water(I prefer milk!) Sip and enjoy!

*Story behind it: My husband and I were engaged in the coziest, most quaint little coffee shop in town...Harvest Moon. It was picture perfect, comfy couches, jazz music, local art and a very "Central Perk" Friends vibe to it...and best of all, they had the greatest hot chocolate known to man! Well, someone new bought out the little coffee shop and turned it into an Organic, Garden Herb Shop/Restaurant and, quite cruelly, kept the "Harvest Moon" name...One day I went in, seeing the new look and thought, "Oh well, time marches on..." and went inside to order my favorite drink...the young girl at the counter goes to make my hot cocoa and realizes the mix container is empty. No biggie, she'll just go mix up some more..."Ms. Deville(we'll just use that name because it sounds nice and cruel) where did the hot cocoa mix go? I need to mix up some more." Ms. Deville, "Ugh, we aren't serving that anymore, go grab a box of dirt(okay, maybe she said, "organic hot cocoa") if you KNEW what was IN that stuff you wouldn't WANT to drink it!" Me, wide eyed and on the brink of smacking Ms. Deville: "When I go to a coffee shop and order a LARGE hot cocoa, I'm obviously not shooting for 'healthy'..." Ms. Deville: "Sorry, we won't be serving that anymore." Me, after trying said dirt in cup: "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, this stuff tastes horrific. I won't be back." And the wonderful saint of a young woman who saw the slight glimmer of a tear in my eye, reminiscing on the wonderful memories that were and joy of a good cup of hot cocoa, slipped me a tiny slip of paper she had torn off of a piece of a to-go menu and on it she had scribbled the Recipe. ♥ After a few years, I changed it up just a little, the original recipe called for Original Coffee Mate Creamer, however I liked the creaminess of the french vanilla much better, so that is what I've stuck with! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! It is fantastic topped with whipped cream topping! 

Deliciousness...

I don't know about anyone else, but every year around the holidays, walking through festivals or the mall my husband and I always get sucked in by that amazing cinnamon-sugary aroma that makes you smile and drool a little...it draws you in and you can't help but follow it to see where it's coming from, well-we know where it's coming from...the amazing roasted-candied almond/pecan stand! My husband lived in Germany with his family as a child and they had a Christmas market every year called Striezelmarkt, he recalls the sights, smells, and tastes-and the candied almonds were his favorite, so every year at Christmastime we always buy them when they are being made fresh at an event.
The bad thing is, come January-they are nowhere to be found! Sad day! Well, now you don't have to be so sad...this recipe is perfect! Not only is it perfect, but it makes your house smell ahh-mazing. I promise-you will be one drooling, happy fool just waiting on them to cool so you can eat them up! They are delicious to chow down yourself, but they also make for fantastic gifts for neighbors, teachers, or anyone else you can think of! 

Picture Perfect (and oh-so soft and delicious) Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Please forgive the delayed posting of this recipe, I very wrongfully assumed(yeah, yeah, we all know the saying...) life would slow down after Christmas and I'd be able to catch up my blog with all the great recipes I've been dying to share...but I'm here now, and I'm updating, so enjoy!! :)
A few great friends and myself wanted to get together and do something "festive" at Christmas time, so we decided on baking and decorating sugar cookie cutouts! Abbey and Katie offered to provide the dough, claiming it was perfect for cutouts...boy, were they right!! It was beautiful, it rolled out nicely, was not sticky, didn't tear easily, and baked to perfection in 10 minutes exactly. Abbey was kind enough to share the recipe from her friend over at "Food, Friends, and Fun!" http://foodfriendsandfun.blogspot.com/2008/07/sugar-cookies.html and Beth was kind enough to let us invade her kitchen(and spread the powdered sugar love! Haha!) I provided the Fluffy Buttercream recipe(shared below) that paired with cookie decorating perfectly!(Also great for anything else that needs frosting, but that's for another post!) These recipes are not just for Christmas! Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Spring, Easter, Fall, Halloween, all great excuses...err-opportunities, to make some awesome cutouts! Enjoy!

Perfect Sugar Cookie Cutouts

1 lb.(4 sticks) Margarine

2 Cups Sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

6 Cups Sifted Flour 

*Make sure you sift first, that way they don't get hard during rolling and re-rolling

Cream margarine and sugar. Mix well. Add eggs and vanilla. Add baking soda to flour and then add 1 cup at a time to the sugar and margarine mixture. Wrap dough in waxed paper (I separate into 2 halves), then refrigerate for at least an hour (I do overnight). Roll out on floured surface, cut into shapes.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes- exactly. Let cool completely on cookie sheet! Transfer when cooled and frost and decorate with buttercream frosting(recipe to follow) 

Enjoy! Seriously, these are the easiest to make, and our family and anyone we have made them for just love them. They turn out to be a softer cookie, so sometimes they break when you frost them, but it is worth it!

This makes about 6 dozen or more, depending on the size of your cutter. I have halved this recipe before, and used 2 eggs (everything else divides evenly). Cute and easy!

Fluffy buttercream:

*Roughly....* (I say this because sometimes my TBSP's are heaping and not just a true TBSP but close)

4 TBSP butter(we used salted)

4 TBSP Crisco

1tsp vanilla

2-3 TBSP Milk

Powdered sugar until you get the consistency you want(Probably 3-4 cups?)

In a mixer, cream butter, crisco, vanilla. Add milk, then slowly add powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.

The Betty Crocker Momsters, sporting our awesome new, coordinating aprons, made with love by Katie!