Sixteen Months

 

 

 

The best sixteen months of our lives. 

(thanks Haute Photography)

1/14/2012

Its Saturday.  I was thinking about all of my blessings big and small just now.  Here are a few of them.  Just little things that make my day.

Things that I love less than God, My Hubby, My Little Guy, Family and Friends, but a lot:

coffee w/ Italian Sweet Cream creamer

the beach

mint tea w/ honey

Jeremiah 29:11

Bones (the show)

pretty green grass

white lillies

California Baby Soap

new recipes

organizing

To Kill A Mockingbird

my Grandmother's cabbage rolls

holding hands with My Hubby

sorbet (especially Mango)

rocking my baby

downtown Little Rock, AR

my bed

Smith's minted rose lip balm

daily devotional

nap time

instagram

when every piece of laundry is done

pretzels and french onion dip



Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

This is my comfort food.  I have a thing for Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken and Dumplings.  They warm me up when I am not feeling so good.  I made these this week as it started to get cold down here and man they hit the spot.  The Hubby actually ate some of the leftovers for breakfast:)  They were perfect and will be making our regular rotation.  What is not to love about easy comfort food?

Chicken Pot Pie Muffins

Printable Version

adapted from http://www.between3sisters.com Ingredients: - 1 can of Pillsbury butter tastin biscuits Jumbo (8 per can) - 1 cup cooked chicken breast (I used rotisserie chicken and it added awesome flavor) - 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup - 2/3 cup shredded cheddar - 1 cup of frozen mixed veggies - 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes - 1 teaspoon of onion powder - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Separate biscuits and use about 2/3 of each biscuit (these are the big jumbo biscuits) per cup. Use the leftover sections and add two together to fill another cup. This will fill all 12 muffin cups. 3. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, chicken soup, veggies, cheddar cheese, onion powder, parsley flakes, and black pepper. Mix well to combine. 4. Evenly spoon chicken mixture into prepared biscuit cups. 5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. 6. Remove from oven. Place muffin pan on a wire rack and let set for 2-3 minutes. Serve at once. Enjoy:) The Mom

Crockpot Potato Soup

It is cold in Texas.  My car said 43 last time I got out of it... and we dont see that often down here.  I have the little man in 4 layers of clothing and I am in flannel pajamas about to curl up next to the fire place and watch a movie with The Hubby.  I wanted to share this very yummy recipe in case you need an easy Crockpot meal for a cold night too.  The recipe is a pinterest find, of course, originally from Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour.  I tweaked it a bit for our tastes and we ate this right out of our big soup mugs....

Crockpot Potato Soup
adapted from http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/2011/03/outback-aint-got-nothin-on-me.html

Printable Version

Ingredients:

1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 T pepper

1 package of diced ham (I use John Morrell)

1 pkg. cream cheese (do not use fat free, it wont melt)

Directions:

In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese. Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat. About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and keep heated until thoroughly melted.

Garnish with your favorite toppings. We added some shredded cheddar and green onions. Yummy!

Enjoy:)

The Mom

Rolo Brownie Bites

We had our friends over for dinner... and to play my  new favorite game, Blokus.  The Hubby and I are big game people.  Usually cards (usually with his family who converted me) but we are always up for something new.  Blokus is different and its fun.  A lot less strategy than people try to play with.  Maybe I like it because I have one several times?  Either way I am glad my little brother and family got it for The Hubby for Christmas... it will be well used! 
So what sounds better than Rolo Brownie Bites to go along with a game of Blokus?  Nothing, Right:)
The Hubby had been begging for these...I found them on pinterest, and I bought all the ingredients about a month or so ago and then realized, to my dismay, that I did not have a mini muffin pan.  So the mini muffin pan went on the Christmas Wish List and the brownies were put on hold.  They were worth the wait.  I would have never assumed this... but the icing made them something special.  It was fabulous.  If you have a sweet tooth... Give these a try!  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Rolo Brownie Bites with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
originally from Cook Lisa Cook

Printable Version


Ingredients:
1 box fudge brownie mix plus necessary eggs, oil & water per package instructions (or your favorite homemade recipe)
24 Rolo candies plus extras for the cook's snack
4 TBS. butter, softened at room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 TBS. caramel sauce
1 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:
Remove all the wrappers and refrigerate the Rolo candies. Pre-heat oven to 325F. Prepare brownies according to package directions. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each cup 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately press a Rolo, smaller side down, into the center of each brownie bite until the top of the Rolo is even with the top of the brownie bite. Cool for a couple of minutes then carefully remove the brownie bites from the pan to a cooking rack. Allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting, whip the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the caramel sauce and blend. Add the confectioners sugar and whip until creamy and smooth. Using a pastry or plastic bag with a piping tip, pipe the frosting onto the top of each brownie bite. Chill in the refrigerator to set the frosting a bit before serving.

Enjoy:)
The Mom

P.S. I have no idea why my pictures are rotated wrong tonight and I have no time to figure out how to adjust them... So hope you dont mind:)

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

We had a very yummy dinner last night.  Nothing like some good home cooking to wrap up the weekend.  This was a Rachael Ray Magazine recipe.  I find a couple recipes to save every issue.  This one made such a big serving that I followed the recipe, and in the end I made two seperate meatloafs and sent one down the road to our sweet friends/neighbors/photographers.  The potatoes were amazing.  Nothing makes my Hubby happy like some roasted potatoes.... With cheesy meatloaf and he wanted seconds.  The vegetables are ground down to mush in the food processor so if you have any picky people in the house they will never know! 

Cheeseburger Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes
originally from Rachael Ray Magazine

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup italian bread crumbs

1 carrot

1 celery rib

1 onion

2 lbs. ground chuck

2 eggs

1/4 cup ketchup

Salt and pepper

6 colby-jack cheese sticks

1 1/2 lbs. red-skinned potatoes

olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Cut 1 carrot, 1 celery rib and 1 onion into 1-inch pieces. Using a food processor, finely chop the vegetables
3. Add the vegetables to a bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add 2 lbs. ground chuck, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
4. Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until just blended.
5. Transfer the mixture to a 10-by-15-inch baking dish; pat the meat into a 9-by-13-inch rectangle.
6. Arrange 6 colby-jack cheese sticks lengthwise on top; fold the meat over the cheese.
7. Pat well into a loaf that is about 4 by 12 inches, pressing to seal the seams.
8. Scatter 1 1/2 lbs. quartered red-skinned potatoes around the loaf. Drizzle lightly with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
9. Bake until the potatoes are tender and the cheese begins to ooze, about one hour.

Enjoy:)

The Mom

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Playing a little catch up here.  We have been very busy bees.  Tons of holiday festivities and traveling and packing and unpacking and smiles and full stomachs. 

This was a little Christmas baking we did.  Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cakes for some dear friends of ours.  I made them in little portable square casserole dishes for ease of transport, but just used the same recipe as below and split it. 

I found this originally at The Kitchenarian.  Is that not the best blog name ever? 

We love our coffee around here so why not something sweet to go along with it, and I love anything to requires me to use my mixer!  Hope our friends liked it just as much, and since they want the recipe I am thinking so:) 

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

originally from TheKitchenarian.com

printable version

Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ – ½ cup extra chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine ½ cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
 Add one cup of chocolate chips and set aside.
In a stand mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Mix on low speed until well combined.
Add butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes.
Pour half the batter into a greased 9 x 11 pan.
Sprinkle half the topping over the batter.
Pour remaining batter on top.
Sprinkle with the remaining topping.
Add extra chocolate chips to the top.
Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy:)
The Mom