Over the weekend we found out that my fiance is an excellent french toast maker. He made it for dinner on Thursday night and I think he has made it about 4 more times since then. He is so proud of this discovery that when I brought up the blog he wanted his food to be posted! When we went to the store last night he even bought cinnamon swirl bread for future french toast. I think it is so sweet of him to be so excited and want to cook for me. I am so thankful.

The recipe is just your traditional french toast. You have your white bread, eggs, milk and finally what he said was his secret ingredient...lots of cinnamon : )

I am starting this week actually feeling organized which doesn't happen to me all that often. Usually I try to pack too many things into too little time. I probably shouldn't say I feel organized because I will jinx it. So knock on wood I guess. This week I am still working on getting though food in our freezer and pantry. I didn't realize how much stuff we had until I actually started going through it and writing meal ideas. I hope everyone had a refreshing weekend and you are now ready to tackle a new week with enthusiasm.

Happy Eating!

Monday: Dinner at Mom and Dad's

Tuesday: Mexican Lasagna, corn bread, salad, jello

Wednesday: Spaghetti with red sauce, garlic bread, green beans and salad

Thursday: Potato Pizza Pie, salad, fruit,

Friday: French Dip Sandwiches (one of our favorite meals I will post the recipe this week), homemade fries, fruit, and since it is Friday a dessert....TBD

Saturday: Dinner Out?

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup, homemade bread (Yes this has been on my menu plan for 2 weeks and keeps getting bumped!)

Not sure when but sometime this week I plan to make: Upside Down Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake to use up cinnamon rolls and apples. I would also like to make Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie to use up two boxes of pudding. We will see if I can find time to do those two treats!

Do you ever have one of those nights when everything you make turns out good? I know you were expecting me to say bad and lets just say I have had many of those nights when everything I make isn't even worth eating but tonight was different, tonight was amazing!

I had two goals today with my plan for dinner 1) use stuff out of our freezer to help clear out older stuff 2) use up sour cream in our fridge which was on the verge of going bad. I ended up making Chili Con Queso Mac from an old Rachel Ray episode (I printed the recipe in 2007 so it has been a while) to use up Chili in my freezer. I also made Easy Homemade Cheese Bread from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures to use up the sour cream. I am always happy with the recipes I take from her site. She is a great cook/chef!

If you want a guaranteed success whip both of these dishes up ASAP!

Chili Con Queso Mac

1 Pound Corkscrew Pasta, cooked until al dente
1 Tablespoon Vegetable or Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
2 1/2 Cups Whole or 2% Milk (I used 2%)
3 Cups Yellow Cheddar Cheese, divided
1-2 Cups Leftover Chili

1) Preheat broiler on high or oven at 400 degrees.

2) Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 1 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk.

3) Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit then stir in 2 cups of cheese, a handful at a time.

4) Add 1-2 Cups of leftover chili, stir to combine thoroughly.

5) Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce.

6) Transfer to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a hot broiler and brown the cheddar cheese on top or place in the oven for a few minutes.

Sheena has been posting so much on here while I have been...oh so busy! Side note, if anyone visits the site and it doesn't quite look right, it is because I am doing a little behind the scenes work on our page. So please ignore it, the content will still be up and running. I am trying to find a new template for us. Anyways, today, I'm back at the cooking!

So whenever I am hungry but don't feel like really cooking I always end up making some sort of pasta. I saute a few cloves of garlic with olive oil for a couple minutes. Then I add red pepper flakes because I like a little bit of spice. And finally I mix in the pasta (today it was penne pasta) and add a little chopped basil on top. Sometimes, if I have it, I add a little lemon and Parmesan cheese shavings. What I have learned the most is that pasta can be great even without sauce!

I was wondering if there are any actual recipes that are out there like my little creation. So far, this link with Food Network is what I found. I know a lot of people like to stick to the recipes, but with pasta, almost anything goes. Have fun! If you are feeling really adventurous, add some leftovers. It's always a good time. What are some of your own pasta creations? I would love to hear them!!

Well this just doesn't photograph well but it taste delicious and it is super easy. This is another meal I make when I am pressed for time. Today it was a doctors appointment after work so I had very little time to make dinner. Give it a try next time you are in a hurry.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
1 Pouch Stove Top Chicken Stuffing (6oz)
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
1 Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup Milk

Mix contents of stuffing mix pouch and 1 2/3 cups water; set aside.

Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish or 2 quart casserole dish. Mix soup and milk; pour over chicken. Spoon stuffing evenly over top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Easy easy!

Back to Christmas Cookies for me in my quest to get all of the recipes posted to this blog. These cookies were so easy to make and look impressive. The people I was making these with sure seemed to love them. The recipe calls for store bought peanut butter cookie dough. I didn't see any at Winco so I just made a batch of dough. It would be even easier if you had the pre-made dough however. This recipe comes from a Better Homes and Garden's Special Interest Publication that I purchased just after I got married in 2006. What a great investment! I have used it every year since. I think they publish the same recipes with different covers from year to year. If you see something like it at the store next holiday season I highly recommend you pick up a copy and keep it on file.

Simple Fudge Tarts

Refrigerated Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
1/2 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cups Sweetened Condensed Milk

(that is it-3 ingredients! I told you this was going to be easy!)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with nonstick spray. Cut dough into six equal pieces. Cut each piece into four equal slices. Place each slice of dough into prepared cup.

2) Bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and dough is slightly firm but not set. Remove from oven. Gently press a shallow indentation in each tart shell with the back of a measuring spoon.

3) Bake 2 minutes or more until edges of tart shells are firm and light golden brown. Let tart shells cool in cups on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully remove tart shells from cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

4) For filling, in a saucepan combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate melts. Spoon a generous teaspoon of filling into each cooled tart shell. Cool until filling is set.

Makes 24

Can you believe it is time to start another week? The weekends just go so fast. I wish they could slow down so that I could truly have time to enjoy them. Last week's meals were all great with one exception we didn't really like the Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti. It was really rich and way too spicy for me. I actually couldn't eat it at all. My husband ate it but refused to eat any of the leftovers because of how spicy they were. If I was to ever make this again I would have to tone the spices back a bit to fit our preferences.

This week I started making my menu plan on Saturday night. I was quite proud of myself for being so organized.

Monday: Dinner at Mom and Dad's House

Tuesday: Chicken and Stuffing Casserole, salad, green beans

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner-Turkey Sausage Breakfast, Toast, fruit

Thursday: Chili Con Queso Mac, salad, fruit, jumbo chocolate banana muffins

Friday: Possibly friends for dinner or going out to eat

Saturday: Curried Beef Pies, salad, fruit, jello

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup, Italian breadsticks, salad (We never got around to having this last week.)

That's all for tonight! Have a super Monday!

This afternoon turned into a cooking/baking one even though is wasn't planned. I wanted to make the quiche which had been on my meal plan for the last two weeks and nothing was going to stop me. I also noticed yesterday as I was sorting through the contents of our fridge that we had buttermilk which had to be used ASAP. I decided a nice coffee cake to end our evening would be perfect.

So right when I walked in the door from work I went to another type of work in the kitchen. I started with the coffee cake which was quick and easy. I will post the recipe for it as long as my mom says it is OK because it is handed down from my Great Grandma. I always think of her when I make it especially now since we are living in her old house.

Next was the quiche. The directions said it would take 1 hour start to finish including baking time.....WRONG! That is assuming you already have pie crust made, bacon cooked and crumbled, onions chopped, and cheese grated. To start I made a pie crust using my mom's recipe. She makes amazing pies that melt in your mouth. The recipe makes enough for a top crust and a bottom crust though so I ended up with an extra crust.....what to do??? Yes I decided I should probably make an apple pie. That is what any reasonable person would do, right??

Anyway back to the quiche. While the crust was baking I cooked the bacon, chopped the onion, grated the cheese, and defrosted spinach. Once all the pieces were together for the quiche I assembled it and put it in the oven.

While the quiche was baking I searched for a crumb topping recipe for my apple pie since I didn't have enough for a top crust. Once that was found I assembled the pie and set it aside to go in the oven once the quiche was finished.

Then, 2 hours after starting, we sat down to dinner. The quiche was amazing! MMM good. Worth all the effort it took to make and put together. I left for the gym while the pie was still in the oven leaving my husband in charge. When I came home I was delightfully surprised at how good it looked. I took a picture, cut myself a piece of coffee cake and settled in for the night.

Now what am I going to do with all that food!?!?

Tonight I decided to surprise my fiance by having a fancy dinner ready when he got home from work. It was even better that it was so easy and took only about 30 minutes to make. I really thought about what types of food he would like so yes, I even made steak (way out of the ordinary for the almost vegetarian!). Here was the menu:

I just have to make your mouth water by seeing pictures of this amazing chocolate that my Sister in Law gave me for Christmas. It is from a place in Seattle called Theo Chocolates. When we went to visit her last summer we took a tour of Theo and sampled many different chocolates. My favorite is the BIG DADDY. It is the perfect little chocolate with a layer of graham cracker, caramel, and marshmallow all dipped in chocolate. Oooooh my mouth waters just thinking about it.

Well I am no Bakerella but here is my attempt at a cookie bouquet for my boss who just had surgery. I got the idea when I saw the 40% off coupon in the Sunday paper for Micheal's. I promptly drove in and purchased this fun flower pan and sticks to make the cookies. I am sure I will get better with time but I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself when I took pictures of the finished bouquet.

I made a simple spritz dough to fill the mold and then buttercream frosting. Obviously I need to work on my decorating skills but it is a start.

Hopefully her and her family enjoyed them!

There are not many cookies I make which I am tempted to eat. I know it is weird that I would spend all this time making Christmas cookies and not really eat any of them but there is something magical to me about making cookies at Christmas. I almost feel like I could never make enough.

Now back to these cookies...like I said there are very few cookies I am tempted to eat but this was one of them. When the chocolate caramel was coming off the stove top all warm and gooey I couldn't resist! They are VERY rich so I suggest cutting them small. I cut them much smaller than the picture I was going from. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart Magazine but I don't remember which issue.

For the Crust
4 1/2 Ounces (9 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, room temperature, plus more for parchment
1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Table Salt

For the Chocolate Caramel
10 1/2 Ounces Milk Chocolate, Chopped (2 Cups)
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
3 Ounces (6 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Teaspoon Table Salt
1 Tablesppon Sea Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides: butter parchment, excluding overhang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined.

2. Press dough evenly into pan, and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

3. Make the chocolate caramel: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pasty brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt (Mine looked really weird at this point because the butter and cream were so cold the sugar mixture froze in place. I didn't think it would work but I continued anyway and it turned out beautifully). Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes.

4. Pour mixture over crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Run a knife around the edges; lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Trim edges, and cut into 16 bars. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

UPDATE: Well it is only 10:15 so about an hour after I made this plan and it has already changed....not looking hopeful for the week to stay on track at this rate. We will be eating Tuesday's dinner tomorrow and eating at Mom and Dad's on Tuesday.

Well last week didn't go according to my Menu Plan almost at all. We ended up eating out more with friends and family and having people over. So most of this week is a carry over from what I never got to last week. We will be having a lot of salad this week because of the great deal at Fred Meyer. We absolutely love the Taco Salad in the bag so when it is this cheap we eat it a lot!

Monday: Mom and Dad's

Tuesday: Either Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings or Hoisin Chicken Wings from my favorite new cookbook Make it Fast, Cook it Slow. This will be with salad of course and most likely rice.

Wednesday: Gouda Spinach Quiche because it sounded good last week and we never got to it. I know this is going to sound boring but more salad and fruit.

Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti, Salad, and Bread

Friday: I think we will be having a friend for dinner so something special but I am not sure what yet.

Saturday: Macaroni and Cheese (keeping it simple)

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup, homemade bread, fruit and another bagged salad.

So this is my plan for the week. Crossing my fingers I get to actually follow it. Have a great week everyone!

I made these Caramel Apple Bars to take to a family party and they were a big hit. We served them with ice cream which made them almost like a cobbler. It was super easy to put together and something I would definitely make again.

Caramel Apple Bars II
From All Recipes.com

2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar (don't know why but I LOVE brown sugar)
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/4 Cups Butter, Melted
2 Cups Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I used a cool Pampered Chef tool)
1/2 Cups Chopped Walnuts (yes I hate nuts so I left these out)

1 1/2 Cups Caramel Ice Cream Topping
1/2 Cup Flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15x10 inch jellyroll pan

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, quick cooking oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Stir in the melted butter. Mix until crumbly. This is the crust. Press 1/2 of this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

3. In a small pan, over medium heat combine the caramel topping and the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. This is the caramel filling.

4. Spread apple slices evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle on the nuts (if using). Then pour the caramel filling over the apple layer. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the top of everything. Bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting into bars.

5. Prepare for all who eat to be impressed.

I had two tubs of plain low-fat yogurt in my fridge taking up valuable space so I needed a plan of what to do with them. I stumbled upon this recipe when I was looking for Menu Plan Monday ideas this week. I had all the ingredients on hand and the picture looked good so after the gym I whipped up a batch. I put them in my husbands lunch and also had some with dinner. The crunchy sugar topping is super.
Yogurt Streusel Muffins (From All You Magazine May 2008)

Streusel Topping:
2/3 Cup Nuts, finely chopped (I left this out because I do not like nuts!)
1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Muffins:
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Plain Low Fat Yogurt
2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1) Make streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine streusel ingredients and pinch together into large crumbs. Place bowl in freezer.
2) Make muffins: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cups of a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and yogurt. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt with a wooden spoon. Fill each muffin cup with batter. Scatter streusel topping over each muffin and press lightly on crumbs so they adhere to batter. Bake until tops are golden, 17 - 20 minutes, then remove muffins to rack to cool completely.

Eat and freeze the leftovers. They make a great breakfast on the go!

This is the pumpkin bread that my Mom and I made on Christmas morning. She made this recipe over Thanksgiving this year and I loved it so much that I wanted to eat it again at Christmas. It is from an old church cookbook compiled in 1984 by my great aunt. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin or sweet potato (fresh or canned)

Sift dry ingredients together. Mix pumpkin, water, oil, and eggs. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, 15 min., until toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from pans.

PS This recipe freezes really nicely and I just remembered that I still have some. I guess I am going to have to get some right now!! That's how good it is.

- Seanna

At the end of my baking this year my mom and I were both laughing so hard because it had become a little crazy. I had cookies covering the kitchen and we had to spill out into the dinning room. My mom said I need to go to cookie therapy. The final count of what we made was 26 different cookies not counting the things my mom made without my help. That is insane so next year I think I will try to tone it down a bit. Here is the list of what we made:

1) Spritz
2) Sugar Cookie Cutouts
3) Gingerbread Men
4) Gingersnaps
5) Yuletide Bars
6) Chocolate Crinkles
7) Simple Fudge Tarts
8) Mocha Logs
9) Candy Cane Cookies
10) Neapolitans
11) Homemade Marshmallows
12) Mint Brownie Bites
13) Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints
14) Chocolate Cherry Loaf
15) Cranberry Bread
16) Cherry Tassies
17) Linzer Cookies
18) Pecan Goody Cups
19) Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookie
20) Chocolate Caramel Cookies
21) Angel Food Cookies
22) Oreo Truffles
23) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
24) Cinnamon Spiced Hot Chocolate Cookie
25) Eggnog Truffles
26) Marshmallow Fudge

My plan it to post pictures, recipes, and reviews of all the cookies. Looking at the list I think it could take a while.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! For me the season always goes way too fast and I have a very hard time getting back in the mood to do regular things after it is over. For that reason my menu plan is late this week. Honestly I didn't want to even do it at all but I decided to force myself in an effort to come back to reality from my Christmas high. Also, whenever I leave a week up to chance I find we have terrible dinners that are late or we have to eat out. Neither of those options sounded great. So here is my minimal effort meal plan.

Monday: Dinner at Mom and Dad's House (thank heavens!)

Tuesday: Brown Sugar Chicken with rice and peas

Wednesday: Gouda Spinach Quiche (haven't tried this before but I have Gouda leftover from our party so I think I will give it a shot), fresh fruit

Thursday: Dinner out for New Years!

Friday: Family Christmas Party

Saturday: Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti, bread, salad

Sunday: I hope to re-start a family tradition and go out for pizza. We will see what everyone else thinks. If it is a no-go I will be making Crispy Yogurt Chicken, Oven Fries, and Green Beans. Mmmm that meal actually sounds really good. Maybe I will make it instead of pizza.

Looking at this list I think my side dishes could use some more creativity. Any ideas???

Wishing you luck on your weeks plan!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday! It is tradition for my Mom and I to make divinity on Christmas morning so I thought I would show you how pretty they turned out. It is a secret family recipe so I can't share (yes, I begged my mom to let me but no luck!). You will have to just have a feast for your eyes! We also made pumpkin bread. This is the best recipe ever. I will share this one on a day that I have more time.

Merry Christmas blog world! Hope you eat lots of great food today! And Merry Christmas Sheena! Wish I was there with you guys!!