Bacon Covered Pancakes

Pancake Covered Bacon

I found this idea on Pinterest (chicagoist.com) and thought it would be a sure hit with my children. It was.

To make it a quick morning breakfast, I bought the pre-cooked bacon. Then I made a batter using 1/2 white flour mix and 1/2 whole grain mix. After warming up the bacon on the grill, I patted the oil off and poured the batter on top. Cook and flip like normally.





I had a few extra, so I popped them in a ziplock and will save them for another day :)
Love having ready to go food for those busy mornings. Not to mention, this is such an easy snack on the go if your in a hurry!

Non Traditional Homemade Chicken Soup

Non Traditional Homemade Chicken Soup

The day was looking like this:



And so I thought, "perfect day for some homemade chicken soup". I started making my stock with a whole roasted chicken covered in water. I added all the good stuff: onions, carrots, bay leafs, celery and asparagus ends. I let it simmer for a couple of hours.



The finished product was this beautiful, rich, flavorful stock.



To the stock, I added:
* 1 can of fire toasted tomatoes and juice
* 2 cups of chopped carrots
* 1 diced yellow pepper
* 2 cans of cannellini beans (I try to add beans anytime I can)
* 1 cup of whole wheat noodles
* A dash of worcestershire
* A spoonful of chicken base
* 1 tsp. of basil
* 1 tsp. of oregano
* 2 cups of shredded chicken
* Two big handfuls of spinach

Look how gorgeous!


Throw on a little parmesan on top and... voila! A delicious, healthy, filling way to enjoy a cold, snowy day.


Non Traditional Homemade Chicken Soup

Start with 8 - 10 cups of your favorite stock
Add:
* 1 can of fire toasted tomatoes and juice
* 2 cups of chopped carrots
* 1 diced yellow pepper
* 2 cans of cannellini beans (I try to add beans anytime I can)
* 1 cup of whole wheat noodles
* A dash of worcestershire
* A spoonful of chicken base
* 1 tsp. of basil
* 1 tsp. of oregano
* 2 cups of shredded chicken
* Two big handfuls of spinach

Cook until noodles are done and vegetables are tender. Enjoy!

Homemade Strawberry Sherbert

Homemade Strawberry Sherbert

When it came time for Big B's turn to choose a recipe to make for our Summer Cooking Day, he knew EXACTLY what he wanted to make. Homemade Strawberry Sherbert. He went online and researched a few recipes and came up with one to try. He found this recipe on Gettingwell.com. We had fun trying something new and the end result was delicious! I think he was pretty pleased.

Homemade Strawberry Sherbert

2 cups chopped fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup half and half

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Combine berries and sugar in a small bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally until the sugar has begun to dissolve. About 30 minutes. Transfer the berry mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Meanwhile, combine buttermilk, half-and-half, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Press the strawberry mixture through a fine sieve into the bowl. Stir mixtures together, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day. Whisk the sherbert mixture and pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Once frozen, dish up and enjoy a nice bowl of cold sherbert. Perfect for a summer day!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Today was our "cooking day" at home. It was fun to spend time together creating something delicious! Big "C" has been begging to make this recipe for a couple of weeks now and finally we made the time. Who knew summer could be so busy? This recipe is so simple and so fun. It is pretty much like a big lava cake where the bottom of it turns into chocolate pudding. YUM! This recipe was in my grandmother's collections and is definitely an oldy but goodie! Add some whipped cream or cream to this chocolately surprise and give it a whirl!

Mmmmm. See the pudding on the bottom?

Warm cake and pudding with cold whipped cream. Delicious!

Wha La!

(I know I SERIOUSLY need some new hot pads!)

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Stir together in a bowl:

1 c. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 Tbsp. cocoa, 1/4 tsp. salt

Stir in:

1/2 c. milk, 2 Tbsp. melted shortening, 1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Topping:

1 c. brown sugar, 4 Tbsp. cocoa, 1 3/4 c HOT water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread batter in 9 inch square pan; sprinkle with mixture of brown sugar and cocoa. Pour hot water over entire batter. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!

Hearty Summer Soup

Hearty Summer Soup

Just because it's summer doesn't mean you have to skip out on a yummy bowl of soup. Especially when it is packed with fresh vegetables. This soup is hearty, delicious and satisfying. AND, a great way to use up some of those garden veggies!

Hearty Summer Soup

2 - 2 1/2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
3 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 Russet potatoe, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped large
6 - 8 cups of Chicken Stock
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup mini farfalle or your favorite pasta
Kosher salt and pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onions and saute. Add chopped carrots, celery and potatoe. Add a large pinch of salt. Saute for 10 - 15 minutes to soften. Add minced garlic. Add zucchini and squash and saute for about 5 more minutes. Add another pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Once all the veggies are softened, add chicken stock to cover all of the vegetables by about a 1/2 an inch. Stir in diced tomatoes and pasta and cover with a lid until veggies cook through all the way and pasta is cooked.
Dish up and add freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley on top. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Scones... Thursday Cooking Day

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Scones...
Thursday Cooking Day!

Thursday's are our official cooking day for the summer. We had so much fun today spending time together in the kitchen. My little girl chose the recipe for today which came out of the "Pink Princess Cookbook" ... of course.
These scones were perfect for my little people to help make and they loved using different shaped cookie cutters. Plate these up with a big glass of milk, OR if you are in the mood, you could have a big hot cup of cocoa like my son did. It was just way to tempting for him. Luckily, we had a massive hail and rain storm right while we were enjoying our snack, so it seemed very appropriate. Try having a cooking day with your children... I promise it is time well spent!




Chocolate Chip Peppermint Scones


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. whipping cream
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined. Add chocolate chips and toss to coat. Pour 1 cup whipping cream into mixture, stirring just until ingredients are moistened. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until soft dough forms (about 2 minutes). Pat dough out to about 1" thick. Cut into shapes.
Place scones 1 inch apart on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush each scone with the remaining 2 tbsp. whpping cream and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Serve warm and dusted with powdered sugar.

Yields 12 scones

Steamed Vegetable Medley

Steamed Vegetable Medley

When I was a young girl, my mom would make this with a variety of veggies. I loved it and still do! I needed a side dish for dinner and had several zucchini's that needed to be used, so I came up with my own combo. It was the perfect addition and was so good that it almost became the main dish!


Steamed Vegetable Medley

1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 medium zucchini's, sliced
A large handful of Cherub tomatoes, whole
Mozzeralla Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste.

Melt butter and oil in pan on medium heat. Add onion and saute until it starts to caramelize. Add zucchini and tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup water and put lid on to steam. After veggies are cooked, top with a handful of mozzerella cheese and replace lid. Turn heat off and let sit for a few minutes to let the cheese melt and get oooey gooey. Delicious!

Cute Baby Burp Cloths

I just love these baby burp cloths. They are not only practical, but they are CUTE! I don't know a single mother who could have too many of these.

I was just invited to attend a baby shower for my new neighbors daughter. I thought this would make a great gift ...

Buy a pack of burp clothes. I like the kind that has padding in the center.

Choose your fabric. This is fun! You can get really creative here. Themes, Colors, Holiday ...

Cut strips of fabric into 15" x 3" (the sizes can vary depending on how thick you want the end product).

Cut all fabric the same size.

After all of your fabric is cut into strips, then comes the ironing. This is the longest part of the whole process. First, iron the ends in to fit the width of your burp cloth. Approx 1/2" - 3/4". Then iron the long part of your fabric about 1/4" in on both sides. Lastly, fold in half evenly and iron. This should make your strip of fabric fit perfectly on your burp cloth.

Phew! All ironed.

Put your burp cloth inside your strip so that the strip is equal on both sides and pin down. Sew across. You can use a zig zig if you'd like. I just used a straight stitch. Do this on each end of the burp cloth.

I just couldn't resist this cute little puppy.

Wha La! Give this a whirl, your expecting Mom's will love them!

Kitchen Island Make-Over - Project #1

Kitchen Island Make-Over - House Project #1

We just bought a new home :) and we are slowly starting to up-date portions of it. We started in the kitchen. The kitchen was all light maple with brass hardware. First we changed out all of the hardware to a dark venetian bronze. We love it and that alone made a big difference. The island in the kitchen is large and has a beautiful piece of granite, however, with all of the light wood, the granite basically disappeared. We thought it would be fun to paint the island black for a little contrast with the cabinets and help the granite POP out. It worked. Before we started, we added some molding around the bottom and on the sides to add texture and depth. It made a big difference in the over all look of the island. We removed all of the gloss with a deglosser and painted the cabinets with Behr Premium Plus. Here is our new look. What do you think?
We still have more to do in the kitchen: paint, add new appliances and hang a chandelier, but I think we are off to a great start!

Hootenanny Pancakes - A Real Kid/Crowd Pleaser

Hootenanny Pancake

I love this recipe! It takes me back to my childhood when on special occasions, my mom would make this for us. It was always so exciting to see the pancake puff up in the oven... and there were always dibs on the corner pieces with all the yummy, buttery crusts. Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree as this is one of my children's favorite breakfast now. Anytime we have a birthday or holiday, a Hootenanny Pancake is what they want to wake up to.

Hootenanny Pancake

In blender, beat

10 eggs

1 C. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

Whip about 9 - 10 minutes

While the egg mixture is blending, place 1/2 cube butter in a 9x13 inch baking dish in a 425 degree oven until the butter bubbles and sputters up.

After waiting about 10 minutes for the egg mixture, gradually add 1 1/2 cup flour and continue to beat another 3 -4 minutes.

Pour the batter into the butter. Bake 25 minutes at 425 degrees. Remove and serve! The outside edges will rise up like a large souffle. Use syrup, jam or your favorite fruit topping and enjoy!

Penne with Creamy Roasted Vegetable Sauce and Bacon

Penne with Creamy Roasted Vegetable Sauce and Bacon

I always look forward to lighting up the grill when summer hits. I love being outside with my family and I love the smokey flavor the grill adds to the food. However, by the end of summer, if I see one more grilled burger, hot dog or vegetable, I (almost) want to turn away, run in the house and grab a good ol fashion bowl of cereal. So, recently, when we had a ton of grilled veggies left over in the fridge, I had to think of something different to do with them so they wouldn't go to waste. My children were NOT about to eat re-heated veggies ... and frankly neither was I. So, I came up with this recipe. Not only did we not waste a drop of the veggies, we inhaled them and wished for more. Actually, my children had NO idea what they were eating, they just knew it was delicious. Make good use of YOUR extra grilled vegetables by giving this recipe a whirl. You'll be glad you did!

Penne with Creamy Roasted Vegetable Sauce and Bacon

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. cooked penne

Roasted Vegetables. I used zucchini, onions, red and yellow bell peppers, and yellow squash

2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes

Splash of heavy cream.

Salt and pepper to taste

Mozzerella cheese

5 - 7 pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drizzle with a splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to prevent sticking.

In a sauce pan, add your vegetables and two cans of fire roasted tomatoes. Blend together with a hand blender and bring to a simmer. Add cream and salt and pepper. Blend until everything is incorporated. You can either make this a thick and chunky sauce or blend it until it is smooth. I blended my sauce to be fairly smooth.

Add sauce to noodles and toss together. Spray a casserole dish with a little cooking spray and add noodles and sauce. Top with Mozzerella cheese. Cook in 350 degree oven for about 20 - 30 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble and brown. mmmmm yummy. Add crumbled bacon on top and serve. Enjoy!

Chopin

Prelude in C Minor

Op. 28, NO. 20

Chopin

I love music. It touches me to the core. When I am listening to something - whether it is an instrument, somebody singing or a beautiful string of notes, I stop in my tracks, close my eyes and embrace it. It fills me, almost like air. I breath deeper, I smile more, I feel at peace... and I feel renewed and grateful for others that share their talents. I am not a concert pianist, but I love this song and wanted to share it. I just learned how to play this piece and I am glad that I got outside of my "regulars" and learned something new. Find something that you love and learn something new. It feels great!

Chocolate Cake Balls

Chocolate Cake Balls

I have been wanting to make these delicious little morsels since the first moment that I saw them on Bakerella. I just didn't have the time UNTIL .... I recently drove down to Texas with my mom and children to visit my sister and her family. My cute niece, "S" loves to cook and she whipped out the ingredients to make these Cake Balls. I was so excited. They do take a little bit of time, but they are simple and worth the wait. These little bite size pieces of heaven will cheer anybody up.. and a little goes a long way. One cake mix makes about 70 cake balls, so package some up and give to a neighbor or throw them in the freezer ... OR you will eat them ALL!

Bake a cake (any flavor)

After it has cooked and cooled some, smash it with a fork into cake crumbs.

1 bowl of cooked cake crumbs :)

Add one container of frosting (again, any flavor.... You can get really creative with combinations)

Mix the cake crumbs and frosting together

With your hand, roll crumbs and frosting into 1" balls and chill for a couple of hours

In a double broiler, melt some chocolate and dunk chilled cake balls in and coat.

After you cover the with the chocolate, place on a parchment lined pan and top with your favorite toppings. We used sprinkles, toffee, and white chocolate

Wha La! Enjoy!

My neice takes all of the ingredients babysitting and does this as an activity with the kids. They love it and everyone can participate.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Today was a great day. My mom, sister and I had a day of being pampered. Pedicures, hair cuts, girl time. It was so much fun. Later on while we were thinking about what to make for dinner, I noticed a large pile of very ripe bananas. Hmmmm. So, first I thought I would make my sister-in-laws Banana Cake, but there was no yellow cake mix to be found. HOWEVER, there was chocolate! I started thinking.... I love chocolate covered bananas and I love Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, so I was pretty sure chocolate would fit nicely into the equation. I mean, really, what does chocolate not go with? I was right! This cake is moist, flavorful and delicious - especially with the vanilla glaze. It really adds a nice sweetness to the cake! It was a perfect way to end our day of pampering. After all, any day that invovles being pampered wouldn't be complete without a little chocolate ... right?

Next time you have a pile of ripe bananas and don't want to make MORE Banana Bread.... Give this recipe a whirl. You'll love it!

Chocolate Banana Cake

4-5 ripe bananas
1 box chocolate cake
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup water

Vanilla Glaze

1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. melted butter
about 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Mash the bananas in a medium size bowl. Add the baking soda. Add the cake mix, eggs, oil and water. Mix together with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Cook in the oven on 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until baked through.

Mix glaze ingredients together and pour over a cooled cake.

** I put my glaze on while the cake was hot because I was ready to taste it, but it will look prettier if you wait until it is cooled... IF you can wait!