S'mores

Over the long holiday weekend I made these little gems TWICE! The kids were begging to have a fire in the fire pit and roast marshmallows for s'mores, but with it being in the 90's, I opted for s'mores in the pan instead. They were a huge hit and the kids gobbled them up at both BBQ's this weekend! Super easy and hard to resist....even as an adult.

s'mores:

1-12oz. box of Golden Grahams
3/4 C. karo syrup
1 bag chocolate chips
3 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 C. mini marshmallows

1. Pour Golden Grahams into a big bowl.
2. Melt chocolate chips, karo syrup & butter in pan until boiling, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat stir in 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over golden grahams in bowl and stir with spatula until well coated.
4. After grahams are well coated with chocolate mixture in bowl, add mini marshmallows 1 C. at a time and stir in.
5. Once mixed well, pour mixture into a greased 9x13 cake pan and let sit for about 1 hour. Cut with knife into bars and serve!

Peach Cobbler

Super easy, super delicious! Similar to a recipe my grandma makes called "Dump Cake" (coming soon) but I LOVE peaches so this version is extra delightful! Very rich!

peach cobbler:

2 cans peach pie filling
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1 cube butter
1/2-3/4 C. chopped walnuts
lemon juice

1. Dump peach pie filling into 9x13 glass pan.
2. Top with dry cake mix.
3. Sprinkle nuts over the top.
4. Slice cube of butter into and lay evenly over the nuts, sprinkle lemon juice over top.
5. Bake 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, top with whip cream or vanilla ice cream!

Favorite Pasta Salad

Welcome, welcome to our first timer guest chef....CHARLENE! Charlene is a recent Utahn after many years of making us smile in Arizona. We miss her & her funny jokes. She is a mother to 3 bouncing boys & likes to make pasta salad in her spare time (hehehe)! Lucky for us she decided to share! Now that it's offically hit the 100's here, pasta salad and grilled anything sounds delicious! Thanks for stopping by Char, hope to see you in AZ soon!

I love pasta salads, especially in the summer time. This recipe is one that I got from my sister-in-law and it is by far my favorite! Hope you like it :)

favorite pasta salad:

1 pkg 16 oz Cooked Penne pasta (or whatever you have on hand)

1 small Can sliced black olives

1 Chopped green pepper

1 Chopped red pepper

1 Can Marinated artichoke hearts, drained

2 C Broccoli florets

1 can Baby corn, drained and chopped (usually in the Oriental/Japanese food section)

6-8 oz Feta cheese

1/2 Red onion, finely chopped

1 T Salt

1 T Dry mustard

1/3 C Apple Cider vinegar

3/4 C Vegetable oil

3/4 C Sugar

1 T Poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Mix all salad ingredients in large bowl.

2. Whisk salt, mustard, vinegar, oil, sugar and poppy seeds.

3. Pour over salad. Toss and refrigerate.

*Serves probably 8-10 people

your guest chef,

Charlene

Rolled Up Chicken Dinner

Can you say YUMMY?? I can & did! My family LOOOOOVED this dinner!! Loved with a capital L-O-V-E-D. It is a little messy to make, but totally worth it! It's dinner all wrapped up in a chicken breast. Stuffed with mashed potatoes, broccoli & cheese! After they're each rolled in panko bread crumbs, they're drizzled with a yummy gravy! Told you it was delicious! I say go for it & take this recipe for a spin!

rolled up chicken dinner:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
1 1/2 C. prepared mashed potatoes, on the thick side (I used the frozen steamer kind of potatoes that you make in the microwave)
2 C. steamed broccoli, chopped into very small pieces, almost minced
1/2-1 C. shredded cheddar

1. Pound chicken breasts out flat (I used my rolling pin), then place on cookie sheet that's been sprayed with non-stick spray or line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread a thin layer of mashed potatoes on chicken breast, then sprinkle broccoli bits on, then add cheese on top.

3. Fold chicken breast in half (long ways) as much as you can securing with 3-4 toothpicks.

coating:

1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 beaten egg

1 1/2 C. panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 T. dry ranch dressing mix

4. Mix flour, salt & pepper in one shallow bowl.

5. Put beaten egg in another shallow bowl.

6. Mix panko bread crumbs & ranch dressing mix in 3rd shallow bowl.

7. Dip/roll/sprinkle chicken carefully in flour mixture, then in egg, then in panko bread crumb mix. Use your fingers to spread egg onto chicken & sprinkle bread crumbs onto chicken. This will get MESSY & stuff starts falling out, but don't fret, it will taste wonderful regardless!

8. After you've dipped/rolled/sprinkled your chicken rolls in the 3 mixtures, place back on cookie sheet lined w parchment paper (or sprayed with non-stick spray). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 C. milk

approx. 1/4-1/2 C. finely chopped broccoli (whatever is left from filling the chicken rolls)

2 dollops of sour cream (optional....I just added it to thicken up my sauce).

1. Heat soup, milk, chopped broccoli (& sour cream if you want) in a small sauce pan until warmed. Pour spoonfuls of sauce over each chicken roll before you serve.

MMMMMMMM! Sooooo good! Butter a roll, toss a salad and WALLA, you've gotta a dinner from heaven my friends! Let me know if you loved this dish as much as we did.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

It's my wonderful little sister Kallie guest chefing again! She's days away from delivering her 2nd baby but is whipping up masterpieces in the kitchen to share with us! Hope these mexican food dishes chuck you into labor K, and you have little baby Brooks before the 21st!

(My pictures are not the best, but you get the idea)

I found this amazing Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe with all the sides at Favorite Family Recipes. We tried it for our Mother's Day dinner and everyone LOVED it! My hubby told me several times with a huge smile that it was exactly like the real thing. Even my 2 year old said it was really good.

It's a little time consuming but worth it. You could make everything the day before and warm it up to serve and it would be fantastic. I personally liked the rice better the second day because it wasn't as sticky. The beans have a lot of juice so serve them with a slotted spoon. We used the Costco uncooked flour tortillas to serve everything in. It was great as a burrito or salad! Enjoy!

sweet pork:
2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork roast)
3 cans Coke (36oz.) (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

1. Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add 1 ½ cans of coke (18oz.) and 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

2. Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

3. In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

4. Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!
for the sauce (burritos):
1 small can diced chilies
1 7 oz. can Salsa Verde
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt


cilantro-lime rice:
1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

1. In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

black beans:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

1. In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

your guest chef,

Kallie

Melt in Your Mouth Dessert

In honor of Mother's Day, I made this wonderful recipe from my mother for us to enjoy since she would've wanted me to have it! It's a family favorite, one Scott & Owen request for their birthday "cakes". It's easy, quick & it literally melts in your mouth ladies.....it's a must taste. I made it at bunco at my house one time & lets just say it was a real crowd pleaser! Mom's always give us the best recipes don't they? Love you Mom.

melt in your mouth dessert:

1st layer:
1/2 C. finely chopped walnuts
1 C. flour
1 C. melted butter or margarine

*Mix together in bowl, spread evenly into bottom of 9x13 pan pressing down with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

2nd layer:
8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 C. cool whip
1 C. powdered sugar

* Beat until fluffy, spread evenly on top of crust.

3rd layer:
2 small pkgs. instant coconut cream pudding
(if you don't like coconut, I'm assuming you could use another flavor)

*Mix as directed on box, spread onto 2nd layer. I then allow the pudding to set up for a few minutes in the fridge before adding the 4th layer, so they don't mix.

4th layer:
*Top with 1 C. cool whip, sprinkle with chopped nuts (optional). Chill in fridge for 4 hours, then grab a fork & let the melting in your mouth begin!

Chocolate Chip Whoopies w Marshmallow Filling

I knew these would be a HIT with my kiddos & I couldn't resist the cuteness of them, so we whipped up a batch. Can't hurt to feed them treats the day before Mother's Day right? Personally I loved the cookies alone, minus the marshmallow filling....super soft & delicious. Obviously my kids devoured the filling. We had 3 extra kids over here playing all day today so each & every child was drooling until the cookies were ready to eat & then I had 7 happy kids sitting at the bar licking, biting, mmmm-ing and smiling.

chocolate chip whoopies:

4 T. unsalted butter at room temp.
4 T. shortening
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C. buttermilk
2 T. milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 C. flour
1 C. mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together the butter, shortening, sugars until light and creamy.
3. Add the eggs & buttermilk, blend.
4. Add milk, baking soda, vinegar, vanilla in and blend, then add baking powder, salt & flour.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet approx 2 inches apart. Bake for approx 11 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove from oven let cool for 3 minutes then remove from cookie sheet onto cooling rack to cool completely.

*Makes approx 18 whoopie pies (36 cookies).

marshmallow filling:

1 1/2 C. Marshmallow creme
1 1/4 C. shortening
1 C. powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla

1. Beat marshmallow creme & shortening until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla & powdered sugar and blend until fluffy.
3. Spoon onto flat side of cookie and top with another cookie.
4. Roll the edges in sprinkles if desired.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

Shocker! Another guest chef came willingly! Welcome Ms. Talia & her divine recipe! Talia is a mother to 2 little boys & a baby girl fresh from the oven! She has somehow found the time to contribute a recipe for some delightfullness for the rest of us, maybe a good dessert idea for Mother's Day this Sunday! Thanks for sharing Talia!

not yo mama's banana pudding:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies

6 to 8 bananas sliced

2 C. milk

1 (5 0z) box instant french vanilla pudding

1 (8oz) cream cheese softened

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12oz) whipped topping thawed or or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

1. Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cookies and a layer of bananas.

2. In a bowl, combine the milk & the pudding mix and blend with a electric mixer.
3. In another bowl, combine the cream cheese & sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
4. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until blended.
6. Pour the mixture over the cookies and the bananas & then add another layer of cookies.

7. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*This is a Paula Dean recipe so you know it's gonna be DELISH! ENJOY!

your guest chef,

Talia