On Friday night my husband and I were going to go see Inception but he talked me out of it at the last moment because he thought it would be too scary for me. I have an over active imagination and any type of scary movie always gets to me.

Anyway since we didn't go to the movie I had time to experiment in the kitchen. I had candy bars in the cupboard that I have been wanting to use in something so I thought why not chop them up and stir into cookie dough? I used one of my favorite chocolate chip recipes and divided the batter into fourth.

In the first fourth I chopped up a Twix bar and stirred it in. The cookies turned out delicious with the melted caramel, chocolate, and crunchy pieces. The ones that didn't get wrapped in batter were a little messy but worth it. My husband said these were his favorite.

The next fourth was Crunch Bar. They were much lighter than the Twix version and also very good. The chocolate was soft and creamy and crispy pieces were still light and crunchy.

The third fourth I mixed in M&M's and regular chocolate chips. Who couldn't like those? All perfect and delicious looking. M&M's just make everything better.

The last batch I mixed in.....chocolate chips! I know not very original but after all the mixing and testing I needed a regular cookie to compare them all to. Nothing unique but always delicious.

So after the cookie experiment I think we have a new favorite Twix Cookies! Next time you make a batch of cookie dough try some experiments and see what you think of Twix Cookies.

In September of 2009 I saw this recipe on Making Dough and thought I would have to try it sometime. I didn't realize "sometime" would be almost a year later!

I happened to have almost all the ingredients on Friday night and like it has been lately, the house was too hot to cook. I made a big batch for my husband and I. Together we ate the WHOLE BOWL!

It was so good and perfectly refreshing for a hot summer night. I am thinking of making it again this weekend and adding fresh pineapple. The great thing about this recipe is you can really experiment with anything that sounds good to you.

Perfect side dish, appetizer or if you are like us, a main dish!

Over the weekend the weather was hot and our house was hot. I didn't want to heat anything up so I decided to make crepes. It has been a while since I made crepes but they are one of my favorite breakfast foods. I have an old Better Homes and Gardens Crepes Cookbook from 1976 that I got my recipe from. The recipe started with pancake mix....super easy! They turned out delicious and the leftovers have held up in the fridge well. I served leftover crepes with jam for breakfast this morning.

Pancake Mix Crepes

1 Cup Pancake Mix
1 1/4 Cups Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil

Combine all ingredients in bowl and beat with a rotary beater till blended. Heat a lightly greased 6-inch skillet. Remove from heat. Spoon in 2 tablespoons batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread batter evenly. Return to heat and brown. The cookbook says to only brown once side but I ended up doing both sides. I also found it worked best when I used cooking spray between each batch.

We ate ours with sliced mango, strawberries, and powdered sugar. Yum!

Last week I was having a hard time coming up with a menu plan and this week I have so many recipes I want to try that 7 days isn't enough! I think it is because I have actually had some free time this weekend to read magazine and they were full of wonderful ideas. Our garden also produced a great number of zucchini and I hit most of the grocery stores in town yesterday with my mom for all the produce sales. So with a fridge full of fresh ingredients and my mind swirling with ideas here goes my plan.

Dinner

Monday: Mom and Dad's

Tuesday: Fresh Basil Noodles in Garden Fresh Fettuccine, salad, cantaloupe

Wednesday: Corn Chowder, Veggie Focaccia, cantaloupe

Thursday: Turkey Stuffed Peppers, fresh pineapple, salad

Friday: Zucchini Bisque, pineapple, Italian Breadsticks

Saturday: Shredded Beef Nachos, fruit

Sunday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, coleslaw, fruit, oven fries or tater tots (never got to this last week)

Instead of breakfast this week I am just going to list all the things I want to make if I have time. You will see most of them are sweet :)

Blueberry Muffin Squares
Berry Baked Oatmeal
Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Any chance I am going to have time or stomach space for all of that???

See more menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I am just about 3 months from being married to Sheena's brother and I am getting so excited! I am making wedding decisions left and right! It is a lot of fun. I am just about to pick out our wedding cake. We have already picked out the flavor (Strawberry shortcake-see previous post) and now need to decide what it will look like. Do you have any ideas? My wedding colors are pink, peach, and red.

This is a picture from a family wedding that we recently went to. The cake was absolutely beautiful. I loved all the real flowers on the cake. And it was yummy too! I just thought everyone would like to see this. I think all girls love weddings and all girls love desserts. It's a perfect combination of the two!! MMMmmmm.

As I am settling in to my new work schedule, I am learning what there is to eat around my office for lunch. I work downtown and have several fun places to go. Today, I took a walk over to an area they call the "International Food Court". First stop, Mexican. I was so surprised with how great it was and will definitely be back. I ordered two small chicken soft tacos and they started making them fresh right away. It was a very simple mix of corn tortillas, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and salsa out of a ketchup bottle. I am thinking of going to each place and giving a review. Check back for Day 2! It is so fun to live in a big city!

Just a quick note before I sign off for the night....I finally got an awesome looking loaf from my bread machine. I came home from the gym to find the most perfect looking little loaf waiting for me. I was so excited! I am thinking of trying another recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Bread Machine Baking cookbook tomorrow just to see if I have more success. At this rate I am going to need to buy bread flour in Costco size bags!

This little appetizer is so easy to put together and looks like you got it from somewhere fancy. I also like it because it is very light and refreshing. Pick a cool platter and you are set.

Red, Orange, and Yellow Peppers
Hummus
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Cucumbers
Rice Crackers

Chop the peppers into bite size square or rectangle pieces then set aside. Slice cucumber into bite size round pieces and set aside. Fill a zip lock bag with hummus and cut one of the bottom corners off of the bag to create a tip. Pipe the hummus onto some of the crackers and cucumbers. Top hummus with a piece of pepper.

On the remaining crackers and cucumbers pipe the spinach artichoke dip on just like you did with the hummus.

There is really no way to go wrong with this and you could easily use other toppers and other bases. The possibilities are endless!

It happens every so often that a menu plan is hard for me to put together. I don't know why I can go so many weeks in a row with all kinds of ideas for my menu and then all of a sudden just loose all inspiration. This was one of those nights. I spent so long trying to decide what sounded good enough to be made for dinner this week.

I have finally put together a plan I think will work. I am also still trying to find the best recipes for my bread machine. Does anyone have a great recipe I should try? The last few loafs I have made the top sinks down so I know I am not a pro yet. I need some experts advise!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic week!

Dinner

Monday: Mom and Dad's

Tuesday: Light Fettuccine Alfredo, salad, cantaloupe, Italian bread (never go to this last week)

Wednesday: Roasted Garlic Steak, salad, sweet potato fries

Thursday: Family Picnic

Friday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, homemade buns, coleslaw, fruit

Saturday: Crepes, eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit

Sunday: Easy Turkey Bake, veggies, fruit


Breakfast

Monday: Blueberry Muffin

Tuesday: Oatmeal

Wednesday: Peanut Butter Snack Bread (also never got to this last week)

Thursday: Scone

Friday: Leftover Peanut Butter Snack Bread

Tonight I thought I would share with everyone my new dinner obsession. Couscous! Couscous is a perfect side dish especially for the summer because you can add goodies to it such as carrots and parsely, or feta, cucumber and lemon, or even dried cranberries and almonds. It is always refreshing and always great to have with leftovers. The only thing is that it is a little addicting so its not so great as I am trying to watch my figure for my wedding dress! Hope you enjoy as much as I do!


Buy a couscous package and read instructions to see how much boiling water you will need. Place couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over top, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove cover, add dried cranberries and toasted almonds (or whatever you think might be good), and fluff with a fork until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. It's that easy!

As usual our week hasn't gone according to my menu plan but it has been fun! Last night instead of making Gingery Chicken Tikka Kabobs with Minted Yogurt Sauce we ended up going to my in-laws for dinner.

It was so nice to have the night off from cooking and get to relax with family. My Husband's Sister just returned from a work assignment that kept her away since May. It was very nice to all be together and she brought us some amazing looking maple syrup which I am very excited to try.

Now back to the reason I titled this post delish. I ended up making the Gingery Chicken Tikka Kabobs with Minted Yogurt Sauce tonight and it was SO SO good! This will definitely be making an appearance at our house again.

I decided not to make the original pita recipe I linked to because I wasn't going to have enough time to do all the rising it needed. I ended up finding this recipe for pitas on All Recipes.com and they turned out beautifully. I would still like to try the other recipe when I have time. I also want to try this recipe but we will see. Do you have the best pita recipe?? If so please share!

Also if you try this Gingery Chicken Tikka Kabobs with Minted Yogurt Sauce please let me know what you think. I think it is amazing but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Gingery Chicken Tikka Kabobs with Minted Yogurt Sauce
from Working Mother Magazine June/July 2010

Marinade
2 Cups Plain thick Greek Style Yogurt (I used just regular plain yogurt because that is what I had)
1 (2-inch) Piece fresh ginger, peeled and pounded to a pulp
2-3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder (optional)
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 Teaspoon Ground Cardamon
Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper to taste
Freshly Squeezed Juice of 1 Lemon

Yogurt Sauce
6 Tablesppons Plain Thick Greek-Style Yogurt (again I used regular plain yogurt)
Freshly Squeezed Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Mint (I know this is a huge difference but I used basil because that is what I had. Still super good!)

2 Pounds Chicken Breasts cut into bite size pieces

In a small bowl, whisk together marinate ingredient. In a large zip close bag toss chicken in the marinade making sure pieces are thoroughly coated. Seal bag, refrigerate and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I did overnight and then some since we grilled this at 9:00 PM the next day.

To prepare the yogurt sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in mint; set aside.

Drain chicken pieces, discarding any remaining marinade. Thread chicken onto prepared skewers and brush with melted butter. (We grilled ours without skewers since I was going to put them in pita bread anyway.)

Prepare a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Cook kabobs about 3 minutes on each side, until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through. Serve with minted yogurt sauce on the side for dipping.

I served mine with grilled veggies in a pita with the sauce on top. A perfect mid-summer meal!

A couple weeks ago I had on my menu plan an experiment with pasta and sausage. It ended up being one of the easiest and tastiest meals of the week. Very summery too!

There really isn't even a recipe to it but I will share what I did in hopes that it inspires you to whip some up for dinner. I took a bag of frozen tortellini and cooked it according to the packaged directions. While the pasta was cooking, I fried the sausage on the stove top. When the pasta was done and the sausage sufficiently warmed I tossed them both together with some homemade pesto sauce and fresh Parmesan cheese.

My husband thought I made an A+ dinner and I was only in the kitchen for about 15 minutes. A perfect night!

We had such a fun and busy weekend it is hard to get myself in the mindset to be organized for another week. I think that is what summer does to you. I am happy to see that it wont be quite so hot in the coming week. A few of my planned meals for last week had to be scrapped when the weather heated up.

I am excited about menu planning as the garden begins to produce yummy veggies, fruit is all so cheap, and I went blueberry picking. You will notice from my menu plan that our lettuce is ready to be picked and eaten. We will be having a lot of salads this week.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are all set to start another great week of summer!

Dinner

Monday: Dinner at Mom and Dad's House (I am bringing the best dessert ever)

Tuesday: Gingery Chicken Tikka Kabobs with Minted Yogurt Sauce (if they are good then recipe to come), Fresh Pitas, and salad

Wednesday: Tex Mex Veggie Wraps (again recipe to come if it is good-I am trying lots of new things this week), Homemade Tortillas, Salad

Thursday: Yogurt Marinated Chicken (can you guess?! Recipe to come if it is good), Sweet Potato Fries, Salad

Friday: Mexican Lasagna, Cornbread, fruit

Saturday: Family Dinner for Dad's B-Day

Sunday: Light Alfredo, homemade pasta, Italian bread, salad

Breakfast

Monday: Toast-really exciting right?!?!

Tuesday: Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Wednesday: Peanut Butter Snack Bread (yes I am trying to use up some peanut butter)

Thursday: Leftover Baked Oatmeal

Friday: Leftover Snack Bread


I also want to make a Blueberry Crumb Cake this week. I have a bag or maybe two of frozen blueberries left from last year and I want to get them out before I freeze the new ones I picked on Saturday.

See more menus at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Tonight my fiance and I had fish tacos! I have been seeing this on the menu at a lot of the restaurants so I decided to give it a try at home. I cooked halibut in the oven for about 10 minutes drizzled in olive oil and then shredded it. Then made a salsa mixture of avocados, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime, and jalapeno. I served the tacos with a side of corn and black beans. We also had chips and salsa before dinner to set the Mexican mood. The lime really made the meal. I would definitely make this one again. And it was so easy! The whole thing only took about 20 minutes.

3 cups baby spinach

I have to share the fun idea I did on Sunday for our 4th of July family BBQ. I know this is a little late for this year but the idea can be used for any holiday by changing the jello colors. I took our little set of shot glasses and made mini jello trifles.

I love making little finger foods in these glasses. It makes anything look fancier and for some reason stuff in little servings tastes better to me. For another party I had made mini chocolate trifles with Oreos but now back to the 4th of July.

I made blue jello using the quick set method and poured it into mini shot glasses half way up. I let that chill for 2 hours and then I mixed up red jello using the quick set method. I poured the red jello over the blue and then let that chill until it was firm.

Once the jello was set I piped Cool Whip on the top, sprinkled them with holiday sprinkles and finished with a 4th of July themed marshmallow. They turned out super cute and were very refreshing. I almost feel silly sharing this recipe because it is so easy to make.

I am a day late in getting this published but I was having too much fun on the 4th of July to sit at the computer and come up with a menu plan. Also I don't have to work today so yesterday really felt like a Saturday...far too early to make my plan.

This week I am going to try to jump back into using up stuff from the freezer. As our garden gets bigger and bigger I worry I will not have the freezer emptied out in time to fill it back up. I have been trying for several weeks to use up all my pumpkin stash and I still have a few more bags to go. I also have lots of frozen fruits and veggies still. Time for smoothies!

I wish you a great week!!

Dinner

Monday: Eating at in-laws

Tuesday: Garlic Lime Grilled Chicken, Homemade Cheese Bread, pasta salad, peas

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Ranch Pizza, salad

Thursday: Minute Turkey Shortcake, Angel Biscuits, salad

Friday: Mexican Lasagna, fruit, salad, and brownies because it is Friday!

Saturday: Pork Fried Rice

Sunday: Chili Con Queso Mac, homemade bread, green beans

Breakfast

Monday: On your own

Tuesday: Oatmeal at work

Wednesday: French Toast

Thursday: Egg and biscuit sandwich, smoothie

Friday: Pumpkin Pancakes

See more menu plans at I'm An Organizing Junkie

The first time I made these was in 2007. It was just after I got married, I wasn't working, and I liked to make a nice sit down breakfast on Saturday mornings to share with my new hubby. I saw this on an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network and it looked so good.

Fast forward to today I still make these and I love them because I can mix them up the day before and make them in the morning while I get ready. I even timed it right so I can make them on a work day! Can you believe it?!? Warm, fresh cinnamon rolls before heading to work! It makes for a great day.

The only adjustment I make to Alton Brown's perfection is I cook mine 5 minutes less than he says. I like my cinnamon rolls to be a little doughy on the inside.

Next on my list to try is copycat Cinnabon rolls. Yum-O!