Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Thursday, January 9, 2014

What's Cookin'? Chili

I made chili tonight for the first time.  I've always wanted to make chili but really didn't know how.  I've collected recipes, everyone's best practice and still nothing.

Love makes you do things.  He wanted chili and I've always wanted to make chili soooo why not!

He said he liked it so I hope he did.  I really liked it and I'm not a big chili fan.  My favorite is from Wendy's.  Don't judge me.


    

He made cornbread to go with the chili.  Which that was too funny in itself.  Moments like tonight is why I fall in love with him every time I'm around him.  I love that he can make me laugh even when I'm trying not too.  Let me say, the cornbread was really good.  And I'm not a big cornbread fan either.  

Lord thank you for the time I got to spend with him tonight.  I pray that your will be done.  Amen.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Day 2: Thankful

I'm thankful that I can go out to eat when I want.  Even though times are hard at times, I'm blessed to be able to stop by a fast food restaurant or sit down at an eating establishment.  Not everyone is able to do that.  Thank you Lord for always providing.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Cookie Exchange: No Bake Cake Batter Truffles & Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

 Yesterday, I participated in my first ever cookie exchange.  I was so excited.  There was only two rules.  We had to bring 3 dozen of cookies and they must be homemade (No store bought or pre-made dough).

A hunting I went to look for something "easy".  I don't consider myself an expert my any means but I do loke to try new recipes and have other people try them.

Thanks to Pinterest, I found my two recipes.
          1. No Bake Cake Batter Truffles courtesy of Chef in Training  and
          2. Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar courtesy of Kevin and Amanda

This is also my first virtual cookie exchange.  You too can link up.  

NO BAKE CAKE BATTER TRUFFLES
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 cup yellow cake mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 Tablespoons sprinkles
Truffle Coating:
  • 16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark (or white candy melts)
  • 4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix
  • sprinkles
Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Blend in vanilla.

First time I used this mixer my mother gave me.  I had always wanted one a mixer and it came with a bowl and everything.  I was super excited.
 Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency.

I had meatballs in the little crockpot cookin'
Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely.

Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles.

 

Repeat with remaining balls until finished. {Note: for smoother looking truffles, don't add cake mix to melted chocolate, just leave it by itself}


Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo
Fudge Brownie Bar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos.


When it's just you cooking, you can lick the bowl all by yourself.  It was nice!

Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix (I did not do this step). Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes.


I didn't get a real good picture of the finished product.  You can go to my friend's page to see the finished product when we made at her house.  Pam at It's My Life.

Christmas Cookie Countdown  Also linking to Branson's Cookie Countdown at My Reflection of Something.


Crockpot Chicken Lettuce Wrap

I have a new best friend and her name is "CP", short for crockpot.  We have been doing alot of activities together and some more than once because it's so fun!

One of the things we can't do together is go out to eat, so....I bring the recipes to her and we try'em out.  I love me some chinese food and really like P.F. Chang but maybe go once a year if I'm lucky.

They have alot of tummy yummy's but something they are known for are their "Lettuce wraps".  I came across a recipe...wait, not just any recipe but a crockpot recipe for making these tummy fav's.  Stephanie @ A year of slow cooking [click for original recipe]is one of my new blog friends (well not new anymore, I've known her for a year now) but she doesn't know but we are like this...X.

I've made this recipe twice and would do it more but don't want to burn myself out.

Crockpot Chicken Lettuce Wrap

What you need:

Not pictured: Lettuce and rice

10-15 Boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (I used frozen)
3 Tbsp of minced garlic
4 Tbsp of dried onion flakes (or 1/2 chopped onion)
1/4 Cup soy sauce
1/4 Cup white cooking wine
1/2 Tsp ginger
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dash of allspice

Directions:
  • Put chicken in crockpot topped with garlic and onion. 
  • In a mixing bowl, mix the liquid and spices.  Pour over chicken. 
  • Cover and cook on high for 6-8hrs.  I did stir a couple of times as chicken wanted to stick together.
  • Once done, you can chop chicken up inside crockpot or take out and chop, then put back in.
  • Serve over lettuce leaves.  I used a head of lettuce and chopped up but rumor has it that Trader Joe's sells them already separated (I haven't made it there yet).  I also added rice because they give you rice at PF Changs.


Enjoy, I sure did.  I would say it serves at least a family 4.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

What's Your Poison?

Poison according to Dictionary.com is a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.

With that being said, FOOD and Sweet Tea (according to my doctor's nurse).  I love to eat all the wrong things at all the wrong places at all the wrong times.  Point blank!  However, it has taken over my happiness for a VERY long time.  I can say without hesitation that I'm not a fan of dieting, exercising, or healthy people that don't understand why I'm not a fan.  I'm one of a few people who have tried dieting, invented their own dieting efforts, exercised until it felt like a leg fell off and still battling the IH syndrome (impaired health).

I was reading my good friend Pam's page.  You should read her blog, she has an amazing testimony.  She is an amazing friend, a super social worker, an excellent wife and mom, a perfect scrapbooker (who got me started) and a survivor of cancer. While talking about her steps in moving forward, she mentioned a website called myfitnesspal.  Usually when I see anything about fitness or being healthy, I blackout in the mind (if that makes sense).  It doesn't register and I keep going BUT something drew me into the website.  Maybe the word Free, maybe the word support group...I really don't know.   So I signed up and started Monday.  If you decide to join, look me up at Heavenseyes3 and let's start encouraging each other.  We are all in this race called life together and we need each other, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

I'm still not healthy nor do I like to keep a food diary.  I haven't wrapped my mind around the concept yet because I don't want to set myself up to fail like before so I've been trying to keep this non-chalant attitude of "If I lose weight, great/super or if I don't, cool".  Overall, I know that I know that I know that you know and everyone knows that I need to lose weight, get healthy but MOST important, see myself as God see's me and love me for who God has made me.

My food diary (my mom gave me) and inputting items at myfitness pal while cooking dinner.  Shocker I know!

So let's get this party started...Go exercise kitty!
Now with it just being me, I don't cook alot but I really enjoying cooking.  I know weird huh?  I usually get my food fast on the way home at one of the many fast food places on Food Lane America.  When it's just you, it seems so pointless alot of times to spend so much time in the kitchen and dirty up dishes.  I used to invite my aunt and the family over for dinner and play games and loved it.  I was always trying new recipes on them.  

 But I'm worthy to treat myself to a home cooked meal and need to start doing it more often.  I would probably save a ton of money.  So on my first night of watching what I'm eating--No not the "see-food" diet as I would call it but really being conscience of what goes in my tummy.  I fixed, Salmon over white rice (with a little spray butter) and steamed broccoli.  It was great!


I worked out on the Wii for almost 30 mins last night-26 mins.  I waited so late to start moving that I was ready to go to bed.

There is a song that we used to sing in church (I had a solo back in elementary) and the words say...
Please be patient with me, God is not through with me yet
Please be patient with me, God is not through with me yet
When God get's through with me, When God get's through with me
I shall come forth, I shall come forth as pure gold.

Oh, wait, youtube it, duh...