One Crazy Cookie

This week begins another truly busy time for our family.  Concerts, dances, tests, track season and ect.  I am sure you all can understand.  I am also embarking on a weighloss journey......OK I said it out loud so I must follow through.  I have tried to lighten up this week's menu a bit.  Small steps...right!! This Week's Menu  Monday: Stir Fry Tuesday: Shrimp Fried Rice Wednesday: Veggie Soup Thursday: Picnic Night Friday: Hamburgers (Hubby cooking & I am working late.) Saturday: Submarine Sandwiches & veggie tray Sunday: BBQ Balsamic Chicken If anyone has some great low cal recipes, please pass them along!!   Thank You!! Have a delicious week!! Linked to Menu Plan Monday .

After the snow storm and cold weather we received this week. (Snow is not normal here) I could really use a hint of Spring! and PINK!! Happy Pink Saturday!! Check out all the pink over at How Sweet the Sound ! A huge thanks to my wonderful friends for the flowers!!

Friday Favorites from your blogs to my table!! Easy Spinach Calzones Il Dolce Bacio Yogart Chicken Culinary Flavors Taco Fettucine and Chicken Dinner Time Ideas Chief Wilson's Cheesecake The Country Cook Oh Henry Bars Making Memories..One Fun Thing After Another Oven Barbequed Chicken Apples and Twinkies Milk Chocolate De Creme Pots The Fajdich Times I am linking up with Finding Joy in My Kitchen for Friday Favorites !!

This is a little bit different twist to a potpie.  It is a good twist and you can changed it up to fit your tastes.  It is a dish with options. Chicken in a Potato Basket 4-1/2 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed 6 Tablespoons melted butter Filling: 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 2 cups milk 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed 1/2 cup peas 3/4 cup diced carrots Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine the potatoes and butter together.  Press into a lightly greased pie pan, casserole dish or custard cups. In a saucepan, saute the onion in butter.  Add the flour, bouillon, Worcstershire sauce and basil.  Stir in the milk.  Bring to a boil and cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, peas and carrots.  If  desired add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into the prepared crust. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.   **Now here is where the option comes in. 

We love sugar cookies at my house!! I hate rolling and cutting them out.  So when I saw this recipe over at Its SEW for YOU , I had to try it out.  They were amazing! I took half the pan to a Valentine's Party at work and left the other half at home.  Needless to say I did not bring any home and at home they ate what was left. Everyone thought they were AWESOME!  The perfect dessert, quick, easy and oh so delicious!  Just talking about them makes me want some right now!! YUM!! Cream Cheese Cookie Bars from Its SEW For YOU 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup butter, softened 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1 egg 1/2 t almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2  teaspoon baking powder 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour Beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and egg until nice and frothy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat for 1 minute more. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the bu

Start your engines with Big G in the morning! Big G cereals have teamed up with Hot Wheels ® to make family time at the breakfast table fun, offering collectible Hot Wheels ® pullback racers inside specially marked boxes along with a unique access code to the Hot Wheels ® Racing Circuit Starting January 24th, inside each participating cereal box (Cheerios® 14 oz, Cinnamon Toast Crunch® 17 oz, Lucky Charms® 16 oz, Reese’s Puffs® 18 oz, and Cookie Crisp® 15.6 oz), you’ll be able to “gas and go” with one of four custom-designed collectable Hot Wheels® pullback racers. Each car contains a code to unlock an exciting online racing game. When it comes to meals, breakfast is important in helping kids fuel up for the day and Big G cereals provides a healthy breakfast choice for parents to offer their families. You can feel good about giving your kids a bowl of Big G cereal and they’ll be thanking you for a breakfast that is as tasty as it is fun! This is the ULTIMATE giveaway according to

I have been searching for a better snack option for my family. Atleast with this one I know exactly what is in it and it is much healthier than what we all have been grabbing lately.  The big plus: It is DELICIOUS!! Honey Nut Granola 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds 1 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut Preheat oven to 325 degrees In a small saucepan heat the honey, brown sugar and vanilla over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds and coconut. Add the sugar mixture and toss until everything is well coated. Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir mixture twice during this time. Remove granola from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on the pan. Break in to chunks and store in a sealed bag or airtight container. *You can also add some dried fruit

Last week for Valentine's Day I attempted to make a romantic dinner for 7.  It didn't end up romantic, but it did taste delicious! I guess that is what counts..right??   We had a good family fun dinner. Here is  a look at my heart shaped addition: Atleast I tried! Now on to this week!! This Week's Menu Monday: Soup and Grilled Cheese Tuesday: Beef Noodle Bake Wednesday: California Chowder Thursday: Picnic Night Friday: Italian Shrimp Saturday: Mongolian Noodle Bowls Sunday: BBQ Chicken Happy Eating!! Linked to: Menu Plan Monday 

This is pure comfort food, saved for times when you don't think about the calories,  but just enjoy the pure taste!! This is hubby's creation.  We only have it once and a great while and it is so delicious!! Hubby's Homemade White Mac & Cheese 1 (16 oz.) package penne pasta 3 Tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon paprika 1/4 pound processed cheese (like Velveeta) cubed. 1/4 pound provolone slices or cubes Prepare pasta according to directions on package.  Drain and set aside. In a large pan on medium heat, melt butter. Add flour, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add milk, salt, paprika and cheese.  Stir constantly until the sauce thickens but is smooth. (The cheese sauce should resemble and extra-thick cream) If mixture is too thick, a little more milk can be added.  Pour the drained pasta into the sauce and gently stir.  The sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve and Enjoy!! Linked to:

Wow! This week went really fast! Time for some of your recipes that I can't wait to try out on my table!! Cream Cheese Cookie Bars It's Sew for You Rosemary Foccacia Alli n Son Easy Italian Shrimp This is What I Do.. Chocolate and Strawberry Dessert Pizza An 'A' for Effort Roasted Veggies Healthy Eating for Ordinary People Italian Sausage Stromboli Finding Joy in My Kitchen Rustic Cabbage Soup Happier Than a Pig in the Mud White Chocolate Blueberry Blondies Monster Mama Caramel Bars Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker Linked to Friday Favorites over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen , where you can check out other faves! Have a GREAT Weekend!!

A little while ago I came across this recipe over at Gracious Rain  and I wanted to make them immediately!! My husband's favorite chocolate of all time is a Symphony bar. So when I saw this was the main ingredient, I knew it had to be a good one and it did not disappoint.  It was easy and oh so EVIL, because once you have one, you have to have another and another..... They are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! Evil Fudge Balls recipe from Gracious Rain 3 large Symphony chocolate bars (about 16 oz.) I used the one with toffee and almond bits. 4 oz. frozen whipped topping Vanilla Wafers–crushed Melt chocolate in the microwave until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Spoon the frozen cool whip into the chocolate and mix until well blended. It will most likely be way too soft to roll, but if you have a small scoop you could still do it. If not, refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the chocolate is firm enough to spoon and roll into balls. Drop in crushed Vanilla Wafers and coat thoroughly.

I LOVE smoothies, but must admit I do not take the the time to make them very often.  Now thanks to Yoplait they have made it so simple, nutricious and delcious! Perfect for anytime.  I come home from work every day famished..lately I have been grabbing what ever I can find to eat (it usually is not healthy food).  I am now going to try one of these smoothies to tie me over. Much more healthy!! Including Yoplait Frozen Smoothies in your diet is a quick and easy way to help you get important nutrients, like vitamin C or calcium your body needs. And with seven out of every ten Americans not eating the recommended two to four servings of fruit per day, Yoplait Frozen Smoothies could help you reach that goal. Each package of Yoplait Frozen Smoothies contains one full serving of fruit (1/2 cup) and 110 to 120 calories per serving. Not only does Yoplait yogurt contain live and active cultures, but when prepared with skim milk and made according to package directions, Yoplait Frozen Smoot

This is one of those recipes that I posted when I first started this blog.  It is such a GREAT  and EASY recipe.  I have taken it to many people for dinner and always receive a call wanting the recipe.  This is probably one of my very favorite comfort food dishes!! Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie Original post here  1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 1/2 cups water 2/3 cup milk 2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules or 2 cubes. 1 cup chicken, cooked and diced 2 cups cooked diced vegetables (I use potatoes, carrots and peas. You can also use frozen mixed veggies) 2 pie crusts Cook vegetables until tender. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in water, milk and bouillon. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and boil for 2 minutes. (It should be like gravy). Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Put bottom crust into pie pan. Pour filling into crust. Place 2nd crust over filling. T

Wishing you all a day filled with love and happiness !! This Week's Menu Monday: Beef Stroganoff Tueday: Chicken Baskets Wednesday: Chili Thursday: Cheese Enchiladas Friday: Girls Night Out Saturday: Pizza Sunday: Baked Stew Wishing you all a great week!! Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Pink Saturday is all about Valentines's this week and with money tight this year, I still wanted to do something special for my husband.  I must admit I was a bit lost.... Luckily, a good friend came to my rescue.  She taught a little class this week on "Dating Your Husband".  Something I really need help with.  It was great!! She was so candid and gave us "real" ideas!! I loved it! So I asked her if I could share the couple things that she had us make to take home and a few other ideas she had "for that someone special". These ideas are good for any day not just Valentine's Day. You make my heart POP! Me...You..Movie..Tonight Little jars filled with candy and decorated cute!! "I am FORTUNATE to have YOU!" "Love Pills Take one Tablet Daily as needed" I filled this one with Hershey's Kisses. A few more cute ideas: *Give your husband a bag of Hugs and Kisses, secretly place them where he will find them.  Attach a note say