S'MORES COOKIE BARS

S'MORES COOKIE BARS

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2-4 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s.  You might need more depending on the size of the king-sized bar.  Basically you need enough to cover and 8x8 pan)
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

OMG These are amazing :)

Recipe came from this site

Lazy Day Chicken N Dumplins

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in small chunks.Cooked

(or 1 quart bag of the shredded chicken from the crockpot chicken recipe)

2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

2 cans of water

1 pkg. of grands biscuits

1 chicken bouillon cubes

 (I also sometimes add frozen cubes of chicken stock that i make in ice cube trays from crockpot chicken)

 Combine all ingredients except the biscuits, in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, 30 minutes before serving, tear biscuits into 1 inch pieces. (I just quarter them). Add to slow cooker, stir. Cover and cook on high for an additional 30 minutes or till biscuits are fluffed up and cooked through.

My favorite meal to make during a rainy cold day or the winter.

Apple roast sandwiches

 This is a great staple to have for freezer cooking, I can make this stretch to 4 meals. I use Quart size freezer bags, freeze flat and take out the night before for lunches. My kids love them.

One 4lb pork roast

1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. apple juice

1/2 tsp. salt

Place roast in crockpot,douse roast with Worcestershire sauce, all sides. Press down brown sugar on top and sides of roast. Pour apple juice into pot. ***NOT OVER ROAST*** cook on high for 2 hours then low for 6 hours..Or you can set it on low for 8-10 hours. Shred and cool down.

If freezing..thaw over night  and warm meat..SERVE  we use onion rolls and applesauce. or just make sandwiches..Anyway you eat it I guarantee you will love it.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

 ok..If you have ever eaten at Red Lobster before, Then you know the best part of your visit is those yummy garlic cheddar biscuits they serve, perfectly warmed before your meal is served.
These taste exactly the same!

 

 

 

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar
-----
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder


Heat oven to 450.

In a bowl, sift together flour, salt & baking powder. Cut in the softened butter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center & fill it with the cheese. Add the milk & stir well to combine.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, until they start to brown.

While biscuits bake, melt remaining butter & stir in garlic powder. Brush butter mix over hot biscuits

Frugal Cleaners

  Growing Up I remember every Saturday my mom would turn on the music(mostly Richard Marx) and we would have a family clean day..all the floors would get swept and moped, and every room would smell like pine sol. I have taken on that routine with my own children...Saturday is BIG clean day. 

I try any way I can to be frugal so here are a few things I do to save my family money.

 every saturday I clean all my drains out.

 * Baking soda and vinigar...I just sprinkle baking soda in my drain and around the drain cover it's self, then I just pour vinigar down the drain till it starts to fizz..saves money and keeps your drains clean. 

 * I got this recipe from the Duggar Family Recipes. I figured if anyone knows how to be frugal it's gotta be the Duggar Family.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar( You can also use Ivory,Dial,Irish Springs,Lever)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores  Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

 I have used this recipe and it works really good and saved me alot of money.

Cracker Breaded Pork Chops

I made these pork chops last night and everyone thought they were great.

Cracker Breaded Pork Chops

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• about a half packet saltine crackers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6  pork chops (I used boneless)

1. Preheat the oven to 375* F .
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs with garlic powder and onion powder. Place cracker crumbs on a separate plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip pork chops into the egg, then press in the cracker crumbs to coat. Fry in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side, just until golden brown. Remove to a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, turning once. Serve immediately.

*** I used saltines, I honestly think this recipe would be even more delicious with club crackers,Ritz or any kind if buttery cracker.***

Teenie Weenies

 Teenie Weenies

  

 This is so easy and my kids love these, there favorite side dish with this is mac & cheese. 
*1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce.
*2 packs of lil smokies

 Put some BBQ sauce on the bottom of the Crockpot

 If you know ahead of time your gonna make these, you can thaw the lil' smokies in the fridge over night. If I forget I put them in frozen. still works good..Put your weenies in the Crockpot on top of the sauce.Pour more BBQ sauce on top the of weenies just to coat.

 

Set your Crockpot on low for 6 -8 hours first thing in the morning. You can come home from work and there you go.Dinner is pretty much done.

Freezing for space

 When you are doing freezer cooking, Space is a big key..When you freeze a meal or what ever your freezing, you should freeze flat. If I have the space I use a cookie sheet to make sure they stay flat. You want to push out as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. I try to flatten as much as I can till the product is right at the lip of the ziplock seal.that way there ain't really much air to worry about.

LABELING: obviously you should label the bags to know whats in it.make sure you right the date and if the meal has special instructions, like heating instructions. Write that down to.especially if your partner also prepares meals when you cant be home. you know Men. They will look at the bag and ask what the hell are they suppose to do with it.

Casseroles are really great to have on hand and they freeze well. It's definitely a great winter and holiday meal to have on hand.

Hamburger: I make alot of hamburger helpers, cause there always on sale and easy to make. So I make sure I always have 1 lb. increments so I can just grab a pound the night before and put it in the fridge to thaw. If the stores meat counter has a great sale on hamburger I always ask for about 10-20 1 lb. increments.

Chicken: Chicken is a great staple and usually at cheap prices..If you find whole chickens or any chicken at reduced price because it needs to be used soon.I throw it my crockpot and it becomes chicken for quesadillas,chicken and dumplings,chicken soup,etc. which are all great winter meals and easy to freeze.If there is broth you want to keep. I freeze it in ice cube trays and bag the cubes to drop in soups and any meal I want to add flavor to.

Marinating: This is a great summer freezer meal to prepare. Steaks,Chicken, Pork Chops, anything...You can make your marinades in ziplock bags with the meat of choice, Take them out the night before and it will thaw in the fridge all day and marinade itself..then when its time to grill or cook. your all ready to go.

Once A Month Cooking

  I know it's called Once A Month Cooking, but after trying it one time I was so overwhelmed with the cooking and just didn't have enough space..So it's more like 3-4 times a month cooking. which come on, it's still good....So I'm just going to explain how I do this and save time and money. 

  
My needed tools

• Ziplock bags (quart and gallon size)
• permanent markers or labels
• cookie sheets
• crockpot
• mixer
• freezer space

  Once A Month Cooking helps you fill your freezer by creating monthly menus using freezable seasonal recipes. The idea is to sit down and make a list of the meals your family mostly eat. example:meatloaf, BBQ chops, baked chicken etc.. Make sure you also write what you will eat as a side or veggie also.then you can fill in everyday on a calender what you plan on eating for that month. 
 Example: Monday                           Tuesday
              Pork tenderloin                    Chicken Fajitas
              Garlic potatoes                     rice and beans
              Salad

 When your a first timer I would suggest just making a dinner plan menu, then if you feel you can handle it, make menus for breakfast and lunches too. If you have children it makes it so much easier to prepare there meals and gives you the opportunity to plan healthier options for them, rather than running for the pack of cookies because its just convenient.


I will be posting recipes with the label OAMC. My next post I want to walk you through how to pick the seasonal items and how I create my menu. I'm an organize freak and I have to write EVERYTHING down...I put it this way...If it's not on paper, it wont get done :)

Hope you get alot of whats to come

WELCOME

Hello and Welcome to my Blog....Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy!

   I host another Blog for my long distance family and friends to be able to watch my children grow. http://simply3mom.blogspot.com/. Friends and Family please feel free to visit.So I got the idea to start a seperate blog because a few friends and family members were interested in finding how I manage meal plans and savings. Being a mom of 3 young children who are also homeschooled. I try to find any way I can to make my life easier,organized and frugal. So I hope you enjoy my entries and I'm excited to share with you my ways.