Blonde Brownies

This is the recipe that made my decision final to stop substituting applesauce for butter. I realize it saves fat and all, but I never realized what an effect it had on some recipes (like this one). The applesauce flavor really stood out in this recipe, so do yourself a favor and just use butter. Forget trying to save calories. Your tastebuds will thank me. Your hips may not, but they say that thing called exercise is actually good for us anyways ;)

I love blonde brownies. Especially ones with some sort of chocolate or white chocoalte chip in them (which this recipe is unfortunately lacking). I had never even heard of a blonde brownie before I was in junior high/high school, and the first time that I had one I was in awe with the "white brownie". Not only because it wasn't, well, brown, but because it was so good!!

Sadly, this is only the second blonde brownie recipe that I have ever tried to make myself. The first was one that included chocoalte chips and it was absolutely divine. This one is just your run of the mill blonde brownie with nothing exciting added in. It was submitted to our local hometown church cookbook by an old family friend, and just goes to prove that sometimes those little ol' church ladies just have no imagination ;) So if you would like this a little less on the bland side and a little more on the, um, how do I say this, CHOCOLATE!! side, then by all means add away! Add chocolate chips, nuts, coconut...whatever you think would be a tasty little addition to this brownie. Even a frosting on top! Be daring...but I expect to see you at the gym bright and early tomorrow morning!

Ingredients...

...3/4 butter
...3 c. brown sugar
...1 1/2 tsp. salt
...3 tsp. baking powder
...2 1/4 c. flour
...1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions....

Mix together butter and eggs. Beat in sugars and then blend in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in vanilla. Bake in a greased 9x13 pan at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

To see more great recipes, be sure to check out Mouthwatering Monday over at A Southern Fairytale!

Tuna and Biscuits Casserole

I don't know what it is about tuna recipes, but I just can't ever seem to get them to turn out how I want them to. Which is unfortunate, because I do enjoy tuna. This recipe would be amazingly good as long as you follow the changes that I made, because I followed the orginal recipe, which I found in one of my grandma's cookbooks, to a "t" and it didn't turn out so good.

I think it's because the orginal recipe called to put the biscuits on the bottom of the pan and then cover with the tuna mixture. Which was all fine and dandy, except that the biscuits didn't cook through then. They were still all doughy and gross because they didn't get the chance to bake up being all covered in goo. So as long as you put the biscuits on TOP of the tuna mixture, you should be golden!

Ingredients...

...1 tube refrigerator biscuits
...1 c. milk
...1 can tuna
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...1 can peas
...2 T. onion, chopped

Directions....

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the biscuits. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Place biscuits on top of the tuna mixture. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, until the biscuits are baked through and browned.

To see more great recipes, check out Foodie Fridays over at Designs by Gollum and Food on Fridays over at Anne Kroeker!

Porcupine Meatballs

I'm not gonna lie. I've never really understood the title of "porcupine" meatballs. I mean, what's "porcupine" about them? I suppose the rice is what is being referenced, but I don't understand how it qualifies as porcupine. I guess I'm just over analyzing the situation.

Imagine that...

I have another confession. I'm no good at making meatballs. Mostly because they don't turn out ball like at all. They always come out looking more square like. It's frustrating, really. One of these days I'll get the hang of it. Until then, we're just going to have to settle for Porcupine Meatsquares.

Overall though, these meat(squares)balls were very good! I made the mistake of trying to streamline my supper routine, and made the balls and sauce ahead of time, so all I had to do was throw them together in the pan when I got home from work and let simmer for an hour. Don't do that. The rice didn't cook through, so it came out a crunchy sort of meatball. Which made me understand where the whole porcupine thing might come into play, but I have a feeling it wasn't supposed to be that way, so I'm back to the confusion of square one.

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground meat
...1/2 c. uncooked long grain rice
...1/2 c. water
...1/3 c. onion, chopped

...1 tsp. salt
...1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
...1/8 tsp. garlic powder
...2 T. vegetable oil
...1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
...1 c. water
...2 T. brown sugar
...2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions...

In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Shape into balls and cook in oil in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over meatballs. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

To see more great recipes, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap going on over at Life as Mom!

Chicken A La King

There are lots of recipes for chicken served over pasta, but one I had never heard of before was Chicken A La King. This title baffled me. What does "A La King" mean exactly? My only guess was "for the"...Chicken for the King? I could believe it. I decided I'd better translate it though, or curiosity was going to get the best of me. So I found an online translator and typed in "a la", which is apparently french for "with". Chicken with King? I still don't get it. At least with "a la" it sounds fancy and not confusing. Well...sort of not confusing.

I found this recipe in my Taste of Home Slow Cooker Favorites Cookbook. I strive to use my slow cooker two times a week, and to have chicken once or more per week. So I figured why not give this a shot. The slow cooker part of it is just for the chicken portion...and then was served a la (teehee...) rice.

Ingredients...

...1 can Cream of Chicken soup
...3 Tbsp. flour
...1/4 tsp. pepper
...dash cayenne pepper
...1 lb. chicken, cooked and cut into cubes
...1 celery rib, chopped
...1/2 c. chopped green and red peppers
...1/4 c. chopped onion
...1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas

Directions...

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours, until the mixture is bubbly and heated through. Serve over rice.

To see more great crockpot recipes, be sure to check out Crockpot Wednesday over at Dining with Debbie and the Crockpot Carnival going on over at Smockity Frocks!

Hidden Ingredient French Toast

I don't know about you, but I often find getting the proper servings of fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables) into my husband to be a challenge. He's just not that into his veggies. So I really feel for you with kids...because then you are nagging more than just one person at the dinner table to "eat your vegetables! pleeeaassseee!!". But at least you guys only have to nag at kids...I have to nag at a grown man!

In comes Jessica Seinfeld with her book Deceptively Delicious. I had heard wonderful things about this book, mostly when it was first realeased. I saw a segment she did on Oprah when the book was first released showing Jessica feeding kids all kinds of their favorite foods like brownies and macaroni and cheese that had the hidden vegetables like squash or cauliflower in them. And the kids were gobbling them up! Could it be true? 5 and 6 year olds eating broccoli....and liking it?!?!? I was enthralled!!

At the time I didn't give it much more thought than that. But when I stumbled upon her cookbook at the local library, I figured it couldn't hurt to try! Especially with my own munchkin on the way, I figured it's never to early to start practicing on how to sneak those vegetables that will inevitably be tagged as "yucky" into our diets. I started simple. With french toast. Who's hidden ingredient is bananas. And you know what?!? I couldn't even taste a hint of banana in my french toast. Nor did hubs...he just thought it was my everyday french toast recipe!

So now onto bigger and better things...like hiding that broccoli and those brussell sprouts!!

Ingredients...

...French bread, sliced into thick pieces
...4 eggs
...2 T. banana, pineapple, sweet potato, carrot or butternut squash puree. Or 2 T. canned pumpkin. (I, of course, used the banana puree)
...1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions...

In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, puree and cinnamon. Dip the bread slices into the puree, one at a time making sure to coat both sides. Let each side soak in the mixture for no longer than 30 seconds each. Cook the soaked bread slices in a greased skillet over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve warm with the toppings of your choice!

To see more great recipes, check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam!

I got an Award!

Thanks to Jenn over at A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home Mommy for the Beautiful Blogger Award! You are so sweet! Part of this award is to share 7 tips about myself, and then nominate 15 other blogs for the award.

My top 7 interesting facts...

...Of all the things you've seen me cook and bake on this site, you would think that I could cook/bake anything. Not so. I can't make a decent bowl of Jell-O to save my life. I also can't make a decent pan of Rice Krispie treats. They always turn out rock hard. It's sad that I can make complicated dishes, but when it comes to the simple stuff, I just can't do it ;)

...The bottom of my microwave stand is stuffed with cookbooks, Taste of Home magazines, folders full of recipes I've found in magazines and torn out, and two recipe card boxes full of recipes. And yet, I find myself wanting MORE cookbooks!! I also have quite a full favorites folder with recipes that I want to make. So I should really never have to buy another cookbook for as long as I live. But we all know that will never happen!

...Hubs and I have a white persian cat who is probably the craziest cat you'll ever meet! He likes to run hot laps around our house, and we find nothing funnier than when he shoots off the carpet during said laps onto the hardwood floor and completely loses his footing. He spins circles and gets so confused! But at the same time, he is the most cuddly cat, and is truly a "mommys kitty" :)

...I'm due to have our first child in May, and we are hoping that things will fall into place for us that I can quit my job and be a stay at home mom with our baby. That is my true hearts desire, and I want nothing more than that job of sahm!

...I'm kind of a Goodwill and garage sale junkie! I love to find that "diamond in the rough" and bring it into my home. I also love to take the ugly pieces that have potential and then bring them home, fix them up and have a real gem on my hands! Plus, the prices can't be beat!

...I love to coupon! All of my groceries are purchased via coupon, and the amount of money that I save is phenomenal!

...My husband is my whole world! I love him more than life itself, and could never imagine my life without him!

Instead of nominating 15 other blogs, I'm just going to give a shout out to all the great blogs that I read, follow and have in my sidebar! If you aren't in my sidebar, that doesn't mean I don't read your blog, I have TONS more that I have in my favorites folder that I visit daily! If you have a blog you want me to check out, leave a comment, I'd love to see what you've got! And thanks again Jenn for the award!

Ranger Cookies

My grandma had the best cookie jar ever. I don't really know what constitutes a cookie jar as being the best, but I just loved hers. Maybe it was easy access. And that it was always full. It's a tough call. Anyways, since I was at her house pretty much daily growing up, I often got to make the decision on what cookie would fill the beloved cookie jar next.

These cookies, were never one of my suggestions.

Not because I didn't like them. That wasn't the case at all. I just preferred cookies with chocolate in them. And these were lacking that one detail. But whenever Grandma got tired of making the requested Chocolate Chip Cookies or Peanut Butter Cookies, she would sneak these in.

So I decided it was high time to make these myself, to fill the absouletly identical-to-Grandma's-Cookie-Jar that I recieved as a gift. I found the recipe in one of my copies of Taste of Home, which is no doubt where my Grandma originally got the recipe. She had every issue ever printed of Taste of Home. However, Grandma's version was (of course) better than what mine turned out. Her's were drier, which is a quality that I'm pretty sure that only this cookie wears well. I'm pretty sure that had I not substituted applesauce for butter, mine would have been dry as well. The applesauce, which is usually a hidden flavor when substituted in baking, actually stood out in this recipe, causing the cookies to taste slightly apple-y, which I didn't appreciate. So I'm still learning on the whole substitution thing...

Ingredients...

...1 c. shortening (as I mentioned, I substituted applesauce)
...1 c. sugar
...1 c. brown sugar
...2 eggs
...1 tsp. vanilla
...2 c. flour
...1 tsp. baking soda
...1/2 tsp. baking powder
...1/2 tsp. salt
...2 c. quick cooking oats
...2 c. Rice Krispies
...1 c. flaked cocounut (optional)

Directions...

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well. Add in oats and Rice Krispies (and coconut if you choose to use it). Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.

To see more great recipes, be sure to check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesday over at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free!

Pasta Carbonara

I have always been a lover of pasta dishes. Whenever hubs and I go out to eat, I can almost guarantee that I will order off of the pasta menu over a sandwich or cut of meat. So it's pretty safe to say that I love experimenting with new pasta recipes at home as well. So when I found this recipe for Carbonara over at Cooking During Stolen Moments, I knew I had to give it a try. Mostly because I've never had Carbonara before, so I was eager to learn what all the fuss is about!

This was really good! I love bacon, so it was a great addition to this meal, and a much appreciated difference from the typical chicken found in pasta dishes. It adds a whole new dimension of flavor!

Ingredients...

...1/2 lb bacon, diced
...1 onion, diced
...1/2 tsp. garlic powder
...1/2 c. chicken broth
...1/2 c. milk
...1/2 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
...2 eggs, slightly beaten
...1/2 tsp. black pepper
...1/2 lb. fetuccine noodles or spaghetti noodles

Directions...

In a skillet, cook onions and garlic powder in a small amount of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Cook bacon to your liking in microwave or oven until crispy, and then break or cut into piece.s Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook noodles according to package directions. To the onions and garlic powder, add chicken broth and milk and cook until it just starts to boil. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Then, whisking continuously, add in beaten eggs. Remove from heat and add bacon. Pour sauce over cooked noodles, and stir to coat all the noodles well.

To check out more delicious recipes, check out Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum and Food on Fridays over at Ann Kroeker!

Ground Beef Macaroni Casserole

I don't know what it is that draws me to the goulash type recipes. Because I hate goulash. But yet, here I sit once again sharing a recipe with you for a goulash dish.

*sigh* when will I ever learn...

To be fair to this particular goulash recipe, which I found in a hometown church cookbook, was actually was pretty good. I think it was the addition of the cheddar cheese soup... it made it creamier and added some flavor. However, I only liked this recipe the first time around. When it came time to reheat it for leftovers, it was the same as any old goulash recipe I've made, and I didn't like it. So only make enough of this to last for one meal!!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
...1 can tomato soup
...1 can cheddar cheese soup
...1 T. instant chopped onion
...1 c. macaroni, cooked
...1/2 tsp. sugar
...3/4 tsp. salt
...1/2 c. celery, diced
...1/4 tsp. basil
...dash of pepper

Directions...

Combine all ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

To see other great potluck worthy recipes be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap going on over at Life as Mom!

Grandma's Pot Roast

This was how I grew up on pot roast. Nothing fancy. Pretty plain and simple. But super delicious to me because it's how I know it. I remember the first time I saw my grandma pour a bottle of Pepsi into this and almost gagging because of my severe dislike for Pepsi (and Coke. and Dr. Pepper.), but Grandma just hushed me and told me it's how she always makes it and that I won't even know it's in there.

Well obviously so, since that's how she's been making it for decades and I never noticed before...

Ingredients...

...1 pot roast
...1 packet dry onion soup mix
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...1 bottle Pepsi

Directions...

Place roast in slowcooker and top with remaining ingredients, making sure to combine everything well. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

For more great crockpot recipes, be sure to check out Crockpot Wednesday over at Dining with Debbie!

Breakfast Pizza

I love breakfast pizza! It's an illness, really...but I just can't help it...it's love! In college, I worked at a convenience store as an assistant manager, and one of my duties was kitchen duty during the breakfast and lunch times. One of our claims to fame was our pizza...and our breakfast pizza just couldn't be beat! I would sneak a thin slice here and "accidentally" mess up a small section there, just so I could eat some (and if my former boss is reading this right now, there's my confession for ya!).

So I finally decided that it was high time to try and recreate this breakfast pizza on my own. I was very happy with how it turned out, this recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients...

...Pizza Dough to make crust
...scrambled eggs (I used about 4 eggs and some skim milk to whip some up)
...cheese sauce
...ground sausage
...mozzerella cheese
...cheddar cheese

Directions...

Form pizza crust with dough to desired size. Spread cheese sauce over the dough, following with a sprinkling of ground sausage and the scrambled eggs. Top with mozzerella cheese until toppings are covered. Sprinkle a small amount of cheddar cheese on top of the mozzerella cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Note: You can also use crumbled bacon in place of or with the ground sausage.

For more great recipes be sure to check out Mouthwatering Monday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday!

Eclair Torte

Let's talk delicious for a moment. I don't mean just run of the mill "oh those cookies were delicious" delicious...I mean roll your eyes to the back of your head with each bite delicious. If you haven't decided what kind of sweet to make for your sweet on Valentines day, this MUST be the recipe that you choose. It's just too good to pass up! Plus, you'll get mega brownie points for having made this from scratch as well!

I usually shy away from desserts like this, that have a "complex" sounding name. I get worried that since the name sounds like it would be a complicated recipe, then it just must be. That is soooo not the case here. Not only was this recipe mouthwatering, can't get enough...no I seriously just CAN'T GET ENOUGH good...it was really easy. Which could be both a good and bad thing. Good, because then you can make something elegant and delicious whenever the occaison calls. Bad, for the very same reason (but with the whole calorie factor thrown in there!)

I found this recipe over at Real Mom Kitchen. She has an obsession with eclairs, and I even debated going for the real thing...but decided maybe I'd go the way of ease this time around and save all the piping and TIME for another day by making the torte version. I promise, you will not be disappointed. I've never had a real eclair before, but if they are anything like this Eclair Torte, then I can promise you that they will be the number one new favorite on my list (although perhaps coiming in second to this recipe...)!

Ingredients...

...1 c. water
...1/2 c. butter
...1/4 tsp. salt
...1 c. flour
...4 eggs
...1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
...2 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix (not pictured)
...3 c. cold milk
...1 carton (8 or 12 oz.) whipped topping
...Chocolate Syrup

Directions...

Bring the water, salt and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once brought to a boil, add the flour all at once and stir until a soft ball forms. Once the ball forms, remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating the dough with each egg addition with a spoon. Beat until smooth, and then spread into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely (I let it cool overnight before moving on).

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Add in one cup of milk at a time, beating in between each addition to ensure no lumps. After all 3 cups of milk and the block of cream cheese are beaten until smooth, add both packages of pudding mix, and beat once more until smooth. Spread over the pastry puff. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before topping the pudding mixture with the carton of cream cheese. Garnish with chocolate as desired right before serving.

Buttery Peas with Thyme

Day 3, the side dish!

I don't have a picture for this one quite yet -- which makes me feel like a bad food blogger. Pictures are coming. But for right now my computer has (yet another. yes. ANOTHER) virus. Hopefully this time we'll be back up and running in a week or so, but until then I am blogging from the local library. Which doesn't have a spot for plugging in memory cards that I'm aware of. Luckily, thanks to some extreme organization on my part, I had already uploaded pictures for other recipes into the day I wanted to share each one with you for the next few weeks, so today SHOULD be the only photo-less day! And HOPEFULLY we'll have our computer back FOR GOOD in a week or so!

Anyways. I'm not gonna lie to y'all. I'm getting tired of just plain old veggies. I want something different. No. I need something different. Something to add a little zest, so to speak. So when I found this recipe over at my Kitchen Cafe, I knew it was a must try! I'm glad that I decided to start with peas. They are the one veggie that I have the hardest time getting hubs to eat. One time he took a bite of canned peas and gagged. Yes, he literally gagged. That is the last I've gotten him to eat canned peas. Which is fine by me, I prefer the frozen variety anyways. I still had to fight him though. I found, through this recipe, however, that dolling up the peas really works! Hubs loved these!

I think I need to find new ways to doll up other veggies. Except for the whole butter and brown sugar laden method...I've been there done that. I can't seem to find any healthful benefits to vegetables dolled up with loads of BUTTER...

Here's the recipe. As soon as I get my computer back, I will share photos with you!

Ingredients...

...2 tablespoons butter
...1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 medium onion)
...2 teaspoons sugar
...1/4 teaspoon salt
...1/4 tsp. garlic powder
...3 cups frozen peas
...1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
...1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions...

In a skillet, melt the butter and add the onion, sugar and 1/4 tsp. of salt. Cook for about two minutes (the onion should be softened). Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds to one minute. Stir in the peas and thyme. Continue stirring while cooking until the peas are heated through. This should take around 3-5 minutes. Season with black pepper and salt as desired.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Fettuccine

And now for the main dish of the night...Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Fettuccine. I thought long and hard about what would make a good main dish recipe for your big night in, and chose this one for a multitude of reasons.

a) For some reason pasta dishes speak "elegance" to me. And after all, elegance is what we're going for on this romantical night.

b) It's in the slow cooker. Which means you don't have to slave over the stove all day to prepare this meal. Instead you can slave away in front of the mirror getting all dolled up for your lovey.

c) Pasta dishes can be paired with a lot of sides very easily. So even if this is the only thing you make off of my "menu" for Valentines Night...then at least you can rest assured it will pair easily with any number of side dishes.

Okay, that's it. I don't quite know if three reasons qualifies as a "multitude" of reasons. But it'll just have to do.

I found this recipe in my trusty copy of Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I originally purchased this cookbook during their annual $5 cookbook sale with the intentions of giving it as a Christmas gift. And then I flipped through it upon recieving it in the mail. Well, let's just say that I gave myself a Christmas gift this year :)

Ingredients...

...1 1/2 lb. chicken, cut into chunks
...1/2 tsp. garlic powder
...1/2 tsp. onion powder
...1/8 tsp. pepper
...1 can cream of chicken soup
...1 can cream of mushroom soup
...4 oz. process cheese (I used American cheese slices, but Velveeta works nicely as well)
...1 can olives
...1 pkg. fettuccine or spaghetti noodles

Directions...

Place all ingredients except for the pasta in a slow cooker. Stir until well combined. Cook on low for 3 hours. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain, and serve with sauce.

Crockpot Spinach Dip

Day 2 of your Valentines Day Dinner...the appetizer, yuuummm!!

Hubs and I have an unnatural obsession with Totinos Creamy Spinach chip dip. We luurrrve the stuff! I figured that there has to be a way to make this stuff at home so we can enjoy it more regularly.

Which could be a bad thing, but I'm choosing not to look at it in that light. I keep telling myself that since I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and light mayo that it's not that heavy in the calorie area. It would probably be best if I hit the gym tomorrow anyways, just in case ;)

I was pleasantly surprised at how close to the real thing this came. Hubs said he thinks it's still missing something, but I'm 100% content with how it turned out! I've already decided that the Totinos dip will be no more. Hubs can take it or leave it. I'm pretty sure he'll take it.

Ingredients...

...1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen, chopped spinach
...1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese
...1/2 c. mayonnaise
...8 oz. cheddar cheese
...1/2 tsp. Tabasco Sauce

Directions...

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high until melted, creamy and heated through. Place slow cooker on a lower setting to keep the dip warm for serving purposes. Serve with tortilla chips, bread, bagel chips or crackers.

To see more great recipes, check out Crockpot Wednesday over at Dining with Debbie!!

Spritzy Punch

Whenever I have a fancy pants dinner at my house, I like to serve a fancy pants drink to go with it. Having just plain old water or milk just doesn't seem to do justice to all of the decadant food I've made. I want something a little fancier to accompany the fancy food. This is my go to "fancy pants" on a budget drink. There's only two ingredients and it's easy. And good. I've also been known to buy the two simple ingredients for this drink so that I can enjoy a fancy pants drink in my jammies on a Saturday night. Wine glass and all.

Be jealous...

Ingredients...

...Lemon Lime Soda

...Fruit Punch (I use Crystal Light. You can use whatever you please. Hawaiin Punch, KoolAid, anything!)

Directions...

Mix three parts juice to one part soda. Serve cold.

Yep, that's seriously it....I kinda feel silly for sharing such a simple and "well duh" recipe...

Other Super Bowl Worthy Recipes...

Okay, so I know I promised yesterday over on MoneySavinDiva that I was going to share a recipe for Gridiron Brownies today, but we've had a death in the family and I just haven't had the time to whip these up. So if you are really interested in this recipe then here it is, over at Allrecipes. If you do decide to make this then please let me know how they turned out!!

In lieu of a recipe today (I am soooo sorry!!) I wanted to share recipes that I've posted in the past (besides the ones I've been sharing all week) that would make perfectly acceptable Super Bowl fare as well!

...Tortilla Pinwheels
...Mini Sliders
...Bacon Quesadillas
...Pizza Dip
...BLT Dip
...Crockpot Chili
...Golden Potato Rounds
...Crockpot Meatballs in BBQ Cranberry Sauce
...BLT Pizza
...BBQ Chicken Pizza


I hope that this will give you some ideas for your Super Bowl Party spread...if you have any recipes that you would like to see me feature on this blog then please email them to me! My email is moneysavingdiva at gmail dot com. This goes for any recipe as well, not just appetizer and Super Bowl Recipes! I love to try new recipes, so send away!!

Cheesy Sausage Tidbits

Sausage. Cheese. Biscuit. This sounds more like a breakfast food than an appetizer...and I suppose it could go both ways, but a note of warning to those of you planning on turning this appetizer into breakfast...this is in no way healthy! I found this recipe over at Allrecipes and figured that no football loving man would turn away sausage wrapped in biscuit and cheese, so it made the final cut into my Super Bowl spread.

The dough portion of this recipe, as written, is pretty dry. I discovered that there was no way it was going to stick around the sausage being so dry, so I added about a 1/4 cup of water to the dough mixture. I'm letting you know this because the amount of water you want to add is completely up to you. I just added until the dough felt to be a good consistency to form around the sausage. So you'll have to play with it a little bit.

Otherwise, this recipe was great! These little sausage tidbits were quite tasty, and we enjoyed them dipped in some ketchup. I think they'd be mighty divine dipped in some syrup as well! But I'm not so sure how sticky syrup sitting on an appetizer plate in your living room on your couch would go over...

Ingredients...

...1 pkg. sausage links
...1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
...1/2 c. butter
...1 tsp. garlic salt
...1 1/4 c. flour
...water

Directions...

Cook sausages according to package directions. When cool, cut each link into thirds. In a large bowl, combine the cheese, butter, garlic salt and flour until a dough forms. Add water until the dough has reached a consistency appropriate for wrapping around the sausage bits. Roll each sausage piece into a small chunk of dough, forming a ball. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Pizza Pinwheels

There is only one word to describe this recipe. Delicious. Seriously, amazingly delicious! These will make a great addition to your big game day spread this Sunday, and I guarantee there will be none left when the game is over (or even the first half for that matter).

I found this recipe in an old issue of Taste of Home. I have over 50 old issues of Taste of Home sitting in my cookbook cupboard dated everywhere from the early 90's to present day. I love them! They are just as fun as a hometown cookbook, written by church ladies and farm wives, because it is just good old down home cooking...which is what I like! Nothing too fancy, nothing that calls for ingredients you can't find anywhere...just basic ingredients in a delicious and simple recipe that anyone can pull off! This recipe was no exception. This is probably one of the easiest things you will ever make in your cooking lifetime. Seriously.

Ingredients...

...2 tubes crescent rolls
...pepperoni
...Pizza Sauce
...Shredded Cheese

Directions...

Unroll crescent dough and pinch together perforations to form one large sheet of dough. Spread pizza sauce over dough, and then layer pepperoni slices to cover. Roll up dough, and slice into rolls. Place on baking sheet, and sprinkle shredded cheese over each individual roll. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

To see more great Super Bowl recipes, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap going on over at Life as Mom!

Creamy Sausage Dip

This is a surefire crowd pleaser. Men and women alike will be gobbling up this dip faster than you can blink an eye. I don't know why it tastes so good. One look at the ingredients list, and I thought to myself, "what?!? This can't be good!" But it is. I recently took it to a family function to test out before the big game, and I was thanked...yes thanked...for bringing it. Simply because it was so good. Not because they had ever had it before and it was a favorite. Just because it. is. that. good.

I found this recipe over at A Year of Slowcooking, where Stephanie lovingly refers to this dip as Mommy Crack. I've tried recipes that are loosely similar to this one, but never with these ingredients, so I was eager to give it a go. Plus, the tag of "Mommy Crack" just had me interested...

Ingredients...

(no picture, sorry!)

...1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese

...1 lb. ground sausage, browned and drained

...1 can tomatoes and green chiles, drained

...Tortilla Chips

Directions...

Plop it all into a slow cooker (if you have a mini slow cooker, that is the perfect size!) and cook until melted and heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

To see more great recipes, check out Crockpot Wednesday over at Dining with Debbie!

Taco Salad

For some reason, foods like taco salad just scream party food to me. I don't know why, but this recipe especially just seems very Super Bowl Party appropriate. Not only that, but it's also a great way to get a more "healthy" food into your loved ones systems than just plain chips and dips.

I love making taco salads this way, all mixed up in one bowl. All you have to do is just scoop and serve. Usually, I just lay out a buffet of taco salad makings, but then we end up with people who put almost all meat on their plates, leaving only lettuce and tomatoes for the rest. This way, when it's all mixed together, at least everyone has fair game for every ingredient!!

This recipe was originally printed in a hometown church cookbook, but the ingredients called for are a little different than what I list. I remember once, when I was 12, we had a church picnic one Sunday evening to celebrate the beginning of summer. As farmers, I believe we had been baling hay all afternoon, so when it came time to get ready for the potluck picnic, my mom got worked up because she didn't have anything to take! She took a quick glance at this recipe and then started pulling things from the cupboard and refrigerator to make it work, while still loosely following the recipe. This was the first time I had eaten a taco salad like this (growing up, we did them like previously mentioned, as a build your own) and I remember that I loved it!! So when I was making this recipe, I used the changes that we made in that particular rushed church potluck salad (yes. I still remember!) and still loved it!!

Ingredients...

...1 lb. ground beef
...1 pkg. taco seasoning
...8 oz. catalina dressing
...1 T. taco sauce
...1 head lettuce, broken up
...1 onion, chopped
...3-4 medium potatoes, chunked
...1 green pepper, chopped
...6 oz. shredded cheese
...Taco Chips (Doritos)

Directions...

Brown ground beef with onion and taco seasoning. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until everything is well covered and combined. Can be served cold, but is better when taco meat is still warm.

To see more delicious recipes, check out Tempt my Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam!