Mexican Tater Tot Casserole

I don't usually post recipes because I do not consider myself a cooking connoisseur. . . in the least! But, this is one of those recipes that friends and family both enjoy, so I thought I would share :)


Let me also add, this is a very simple meal that takes little time to make. It is often difficult to prepare a meal with 3 boys running around and a 1 yr. old tugging at my apron strings, so I appreciate meals that do not require lots of chopping and mixing ;)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground sausage or ground beef 
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter
1 c. milk
1 can of black beans (or really, any kind of bean you like)
1 can of corn
1 can chopped tomatoes & green chilis (Rotel)
Shredded cheese (any kind will work) I like Colby/Jack for this
Tater tots

In a skillet, cook ground sausage/beef and drain the fat. Put meat into a casserole dish and set aside. Preheat oven to 375. Wipe down skillet with a paper towel and then add flour and butter. Cook on medium until mixture starts to bubble (about 2 min). Add milk and stir until it becomes a think white sauce. Add in beans, corn, and tomatoes. Pour this mixture on top of the meat in the casserole dish. Add enough shredded cheese to cover the mixture, then add a layer of tater tots. Bake for about 20 min. until tater tots are browned and mixture is bubbling. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.

mmmmmm. . . cheese. . . 

                                                               

Sa-weeeeet Tea!

When my husband and I were first married, I gave my mother-in-law a call to get a recipe from her. Not a recipe for her mac and cheese or her moist chocolate cake, but her recipe for sweet tea.

You see, growing up in Massachusetts, sweet tea was not the drink of choice. People around me drank Moxie, Tab, and Root bear (also all known as tonic) along with other basics such as milk or juice. I do remember having ice tea, but it was sweetened with a few packs of Sweet and Low.

The tea on which my husband grew up was sweet - too sweet for me, but perfect for him! Over the years I took her recipe and tweaked it to my husband's taste. He recently told me that I should share the recipe. Each night he brings a whole gallon to work because his coworkers prefer it over anything they could bring themselves.

I know most everyone knows the process of making tea, so here I'll just list the measurements I use:

2 large tea bags (sometimes called "family size" or "ice tea blend")

1 1/2 cups of sugar

Simple enough! Just be sure you add the sugar to the hot tea and mix until it is completely dissolved! Enjoy!!

Mmmmmm. . . cookies. . .

Yesterday I started "30 Sugar Free Days." This means that for 30 days (Lord willing), I will not eat anything that contains sugar or acts like sugar in my body. It does seem a bit overwhelming, but not impossible! :)

OK, so you're wondering why I'm posting a cookie recipe?!? Because making goodies is fun for me! I just can't stop!!!!

These are good for many reasons. . .

- they contain peanut butter (and isn't anything with peanut butter yummy?!?)

- they can be made in one bowl (yay for less clean-up!)

- they can be made in less than 15 minutes (ahhh, efficiency!)

- they contain only 4 ingredients (cost-effective for sure!)

So, are you ready?!?

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies:

1 c light corn syrup

1 c white sugar

1 c peanut butter

3+ c Rice Krispies

In a medium saucepan, mix sugar and corn syrup and set stove to medium heat. When mixture starts to boil, let it boil for 1 min. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter. If you would like, you can also add some chocolate at this point (mmmmm!). Mix until smooth, then gradually add in Rice Krispies. I honestly don't measure out my cereal, so I'm guessing at 3 cups. Just add until all the peanut butter mixture is used up.

When all is mixed, drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper (I pat mine down a bit). When they have cooled, they are ready to eat! And oh, are they yummy!

Now, since I'm on this "Sugar Free" challenge, I did not eat any, but sent half to work with my hubby and wrapped half for the boys for a snack tomorrow. For some reason, just making them eased the stress in my day!

Easiest Cookies Eva (yes, "eva" is a word in New England) ;)

I tried these cookies last night and they lasted just a few hours. . .and the batch made 50 cookies!!! The recipe called for Spice cake mix, but all I had in the house was yellow mix. It turned out fine - I just added some cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

So, are you ready for this? All you need is a box of Spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and some chocolate chips. Yes, that is it! No eggs, no oil, no water!

Directions:

Mix together cake mix and can of pumpkin, then add in chocolate chips (I used half a bag).

Bake at 350 for 8-10 min.

Now, these cookies are very "cake-like" (can you imagine why), but I prefer that because it means less crumbs from my boys! I always bake cookies a little less than recommended, because they continue baking on the cookie sheet after removed from the oven, and I like moist cookies. Hope you enjoy!

C is for COOKIE!!!!

Good news: I have lost 4 lbs in the last 5 days! Bad news: I still have many more lbs to go. BUT it is encouraging to see the numbers go down, even if it's just a little at a time.

I have not really altered my diet, but I have started keeping track of the calories I eat each day, and that seems to be a great help. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who will grab a cookie when I'm not even hungry or finish my sons bowl of cereal because I don't want to "waste" it! Keeping track of my caloric intake has kept me from doing those things. And for any of you that would like to keep track of calories and exercise, I suggest checking out this website: http://www.loseit.com (if you do like it, you can add me on there as your friend).

Well, anyway, I wanted to add a recipe to my blog that is low fat and yummy! I know, those two don't usually go together, but my husband and sons agree - these are gooooood cookies. I mean, you can't expect to stay away from ALL desserts while dieting, right? These are oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and the only change I made was that I used whole wheat flour. They call for dark chocolate chips, which are my favorite, but not my hubby's. The good thing is, he couldn't even tell! And I made a double batch, hoping they would last all week, but in one weekend, all but about 10 are gone!

I am not going to write out the recipe, but instead, put a link to another blog. I don't want to get in trouble for "stealing" someone else's good idea ;) Try them and enjoy!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/low-fat-chewy-chocolate-chip-oatmeal.html

Easy Homemade Fondant

Since my boys are outside playing on this beautiful fall day, I have time to post my recipe for homemade fondant.It's very simple and easy to work with as well! Now, once I get more practice, it may even look good ;)

The only items needed for this project are as follows: a large bowl and spatula, some Crisco, a bag

of marshmallows, a 2lb bag of powdered sugar, and a Tbs of water.

First, you grease your large bowl with Crisco, then you pour in your entire bag of marshmallows. Add 1 Tbs of water then microwave in increments of 30 sec.until melted. If you only need one color of fondant, it is easiest to add the coloring now. Otherwise, you will knead in

your colors at the end.

You will then add about half a bag of powdered sugar into your melted marshmallows and mix together with your spatula. When the mixture starts to form a ball, you are ready for the next step.Your next step is to grease your work surface.

That's right. . .smear a big glob of Crisco onto your sanitized table, and your good to go!

Now, dump some more powdered sugar onto your ball of dough and knead until it has the consistency of play-do. Form into a ball and coat with some more Crisco (aren't your hands feeling soft now?).

Wrap with saran wrap and let it "rest." I have read that it needs to rest from 10 min up until 8 hrs.! I let it rest for about 4 hrs this last time and it worked fine :)

After it "rests," you are ready to roll it out. Again, you need to grease and

powder your table. Now, roll away until it is about 1/8 in. thick.

The other thing about using fondant to cover a cake, is that you need to prep the cake first. I cover it with a thin layer of frosting, but recently was told that a layer of jelly will also do the trick (and that sounds yummy!).

I had always been intimidated by fondant, but this process is really quite simple. Just think of it as play-do, and have some fun! Cut out shapes, letters, or roll to make a border. The possibilities are endless!

Oh, and this is my finished product: a yellow dump truck :)

After the turkey. . .

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my guys at home this year! We have had a "rocky" year, so it was good to have a day where we could relax, watch movies, and just spend time together. So, after some wonderful holiday food, I thought tonight I would make something that did not include pumpkin, apple, or cinnamon! LOL :)

So what do you make after eating turkey, potatoes, green beans, homemade noodles, dressing, gravy, homemade rolls, pecan pie, and pumpkin trifle? Why, CHOCOLATE, of course!

I found this recipe in a magazine and tried it about a month ago. Tonight I "tweaked" it a bit and thought it was very rich and satisfying. My plan is to share them with my adult Sunday school class tomorrow. . . we'll see if they last that long!


MOCHA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


Preheat oven to 375

*Dissolve 2 Tbs instant coffee into 1 Tbs half-and-half
*In a large bowl, cream together:
1 c butter
2/3 c sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
1 egg
*After well mixed, add the coffee mixture
*In a smaller bowl, mix together:
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt


Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet, then add 1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips. Dough will be a bit sticky. Roll dough into small balls and pat down a bit as you place them on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 min.

Breakfast on the go!

How many of you moms feel rushed in the morning (even after preparing the night before) and grab a granola bar or pop tart to give the kids as you head out the door? I found and modified a muffin recipe that my boys LOVE! They will ask for them morning, noon, and night! And because they are so moist, there are few crumbs, which makes them great for eating "on the go." Thought I'd share my recipe :)

Yummy Healthy Muffins
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
3 Tbs flax seed
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

4 Tbs Smart Start butter blend
1 whole egg & 2 egg whites
1 c plain yogurt
3 Tbs honey
1 c brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Mix dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, blend butter and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. According to your likes, add chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, etc.
Grease muffin pans. Fill half way with batter (this yields 18 child-size muffins). Bake 15-18 min or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.