One Crazy Cookie

This is one of those recipes that is so simple, but looks as if you spent lots of time making them.  They are quick, simple and so delicious!! I took 3 different recipes to a recent event and these were the first to go!!  I made them for my preschool class today and they loved them!! Watch out they are addicting! Ooey Gooey Bars 1 cup corn syrup 1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup oatmeal 2 cups cornflakes 2 cups rice crispies 3/4 cup chocolate chips Cook corn syrup, sugar and salt in a saucepan on medium heat until it begins to boil.  Stir unitl the sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the oats and cereals.  Pour  and press into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. You can stop now or add the chocolate.   Melt chocolate chips in microwave and drizzled it over the bars.  Place pan in the freezer a few minutes to allow the chocolate to set up.  Cut and enjoy!!

This is a simple recipe, but to me it was a great feat. I have been trying to make oven fries for a long time and they have NEVER turned out before.  These turned out perfect and were so delicious!! You could not even tell they weren't fried.  Now I can get my french fry fix without all the guilt. Seasoned Oven Fries adapted from Food.com 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Put potatoes in a bowl and toss with the oil. Then combine all dry ingredients add to the potatoes and toss to coat.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. They were delicious dipped in Kay's Ultimate Fry Sauce . YUM!!

This is another FABULOUS recipe from my little sister! You can impress because it looks like they take forever to make, but they are pretty simple and quick.  They were so delicious! I made a double batch and we had no leftovers.  Even my picky eater loved it!! Baked Taco Cups adapted from Dashing Dish 3-4 large tortillas 1 cup lean ground beef, cooked 1/2 cup salsa 2 teaspoons taco seasoning 1/2 cup refried beans 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Optional toppings: sliced olives, lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes. Preheat oven to 424 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Lay each tortilla out individually and use a cup, can or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 circles out of each tortilla. Press each circle into a muffin tin with your fingers. Mix together the ground beef, salsa, taco seasoning and refried beans. Stir until well combined. Scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the mixture into each muffin. Top with shredded cheese and olives if desired. Bake for 12-

My family loves Muddy Buddies so when I saw this recipe I had to mix things up a bit and try it out. They were delicious and so simple to make!!  A nice change from a chocolate mixture.  It's like a lemon bar snack mix!! Lemon Buddies adapted from General Mills 9 cups Corn or Rice Chex Cereal 1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips 4 teaspoons grated lemon peel 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 cups powdered sugar In a large bowl measure out the cereal and set it aside.  In a microwavable bowl, microwave the chips, lemon peel, lemon juice uncovered on high for 1 minute.  Stir. Microwave about 30 seconds or longer or until the mixture can be stirred smooth.  Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into a gallon resealable bag.  Add powdered sugar to the mixture. Seal bag and gently shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container Watch out they are addicting!!

The other day I was short on groceries and running against a time crunch so I created this beauty.  It's so simple I almost feel lame posting it, but my kids LOVED it and told me it had to be posted.  Even the extremely picky neighbor raved about it!! So here's the best of both worlds SIMPLE and DELCIOUS!! Quicky Chicky BBQ Wraps chicken cooked and shredded tortillas barbecue sauce ( here's my favorite homemade version ) shredded cheese diced onions *optional ranch dressing Here's the simplicity: Mix the desired amount of barbecue sauce with the chicken and onions.  Place chicken mixture in the middle or the tortilla, top with cheese and a dash of ranch if desired. Roll and serve! Dinner is ready! Simply Delicious!!

Just in time for Easter and Spring, Crayola has come out with some great new products to help your children foster their creativity.  Who am I kidding, I must admit I am excited to try these awesome things out!!  About a week ago I shared with you the Crayola Inside the Crayon Box live chat with Lisa Loeb.  She has some fabulous ideas for helping your children develop their own creativity.  If you missed it here's the link: "Inside the Crayon Box": Live Chat Video Now the incredible news!!  One lucky reader will win this AWESOME  Crayola “Inside the Crayon Box” prize pack The prize pack will contain: *My First Crayola Washable Crayons , Markers & Stampers: just the right size and shape for little hands, toddlers can create bright and colorful designs with no caps to lose or no messy ink pads *Crayola Mess Free Color Wonder Tiny Tube : with over 10 ft of coloring, perforated activity pages, a carry-along handle and the ability to store markers inside,

The past couple weeks I have been asked if I had a good Sweet and Sour sauce recipe.  I then realized I could not find it on here.  So here it is!!  This is a simple and delicious recipe. It can be used as a dipping sauce over over chicken, rice or anything else.  In this picture it is shown as a dipping sauce for Chick Be Quicks  which are very delicious. Sweet & Sour Sauce 3/4 cup white sugar 2 Tbs. vinegar 3 Tbs. catsup 2 Tbs. cornstarch 3/4 cup pineapple juice. (Which I never have on hand so I squeeze all the juice I can out of canned pineapple pieces). Mix sugar and cornstarch. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thick and clear. Delicious!!

This is one of those very CrAzY weeks! Two birthdays. two track meets along with all the regular weekly things. This Week's Menu Monday: Sweet & Sour Chicken Tuesday: Out for Birthday Dinner #1 Wednesday: Cream Cheese Chicken Thursday: Creamy Burrito Casserole Friday:Lasagna Saturday:Birthday Dinner #2 Sunday: Balsamic BBQ Chicken Have a delicious week!! Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

I couldn't resist making this recipe with the preschool kids yesterday!  They are fun, festive and delicious!! The flavor of the pudding gave them an incredible taste.  If you are in need of a quick treat to impress this St. Patrick's Day this is a good one!! St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Chip Cookies from Creations by Kara 1 cup soft butter or margarine 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1 3oz box instant pistachio pudding 1 tsp vanilla Green food coloring (optional) 2 eggs 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups chocolate chips or white chips Cream butter, sugars, and pudding mix. Beat in vanilla and eggs (and food coloring if desired). Stir in dry ingredients and chips. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. *I should of put a little bit more coloring in them. When you bake them the color comes out lighter. These were a HUGE HIT!! Do you have your green on!

Since it been all about green here the past few days I thought it would be appropriate to revisit a family favorite and traditional holiday recipe. This is a recipe my Grandma McNee used to make for us each St. Patrick's Day  We always looked forward to having them. Not only are they so cool but taste delicious! It doesn't matter if I make the original or my lazy version they still bring back great memories of my incredible Grandma. So today I am reposting this recipe in honor of her!! She loved baking and especially being creative on the Holidays.  Grandma's Irish Cupcakes 2/3 cup sugar 1 package instant pudding (use pistachio if you want them green) 1/2 cup oil 1 1/4 cup milk 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 3/4 cup flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt Mix together sugar, oil, pudding and milk. Beat in eggs and add vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fill cupcake wrappers 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20

Tonight I'm wrapping up my 3 day Green Smoothie detox from The New Green Smoothie Diet.   I must admit I truly didn't think I would make it.  I wasn't perfect.  I added a little bit of soy protein to my smoothies and did eat 4 ravioli and some cashews during the time frame.  To my surprise I didn't find myself starving, more noticeable habitual eating for which I need to get into check anyway.  The basic detox recipe was good, but the skin detox was my favorite. WOW it's not green.  Amazing that the blackberries and strawberries over power the greens added!! Today I noticed that I had more energy and wasn't tired in the middle of the day.  I have not had any cravings and been sleeping better.  Both my boss and I had each lost about 4 pounds as of this morning.  The true test will be when we weigh in the morning.  Overall I was impressed and look forward to continuing my green smoothie journey.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win your own copy

A few weeks ago my boss got me started drinking green smoothies.  We didn't have any recipes and some turned out better than others.  I found myself not enjoying them very much and quit!  Then a little while later Hilary Greenleaf contacted me to look at her new book: The New Green Smoothie Diet has changed my whole opinion on green smoothies.  It is well written, easy to read and packed full of useful information and great recipes.  She includes simple recipes for Green Smoothies to help with various issues you might have such as: *Weight loss *Detox * Increse energy * Fight heart disease *Boost your immune system *Protect against diabetes *Make skin and hair beautiful Thanks to Hilary I am back on the Green Smoothie bandwagon and plan on sharing my journey and findings with you.  This week my boss and I are starting with the detox.  Yesterday was day one.  The basic detox recipe is delicious.  I will let you know how I feel after my three day detox!!

I was so excited a few weeks ago when I received an email from my good friend Kelly with this  recipe in it! It is simple and delicious! The crescent crust is a good change from regular pizza crust. The family loved it! No leftovers!! BBQ Crescent Chicken Pizza 2 cans Crescent Rolls 2 Boneless chicken breast cooked and cut up 4-6 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce 1 small tomato diced 1/2 cup onion diced (red or sweet) 1 cup Mozzarella cheese Pizza Sauce 1/2 cup Mayo (not miracle whip) 2 Tablespoons Ranch Roll out dough and bake as directed on crescent rolls. Mix mayo and ranch together until smooth.  Spread on top of crust.   Mix Chicken and BBQ sauce together and put on pizza sprinkle cheese, tomato and onion on top. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted. Delicious! Thanks Kelly!!

This is going to be a short and sweet post today!! The whole daylight savings thing has thown me for a loop.  Hope I adjust quickly because I do like the extra hour of light in the evening. This Week's Menu Monday: California Chowder Tuesday: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Wednesday: Goulosh Thursday: Scrambled Egg Nests Friday: Hawaiian Haystacks Saturday; Homemade Pizza Sunday: Baked Beef Stew Have a fabulous week!!

To end Meatball I week I have searched my favorite blogs  and some new great ones)  and found a few more great meatball ideas for us!! Enjoy!! Mini Meatball Subs @ Pioneer Woman Meatball Tortellini Soup @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen Swedish Meatballs @ Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker Maple Meatballs @ Happier Than a Pig in Mud I hope you enjoyed Meatball Week! If there is anything you would like to see me focus on next, please let me know! Thanks for your support and patience!