One Crazy Cookie

I must admit I was a little lazy at the end of grill season this year.  I guess I was hoping it would not end.  I had put off cleaning the grill and ended up moving it in to the garage during a rain storm.  Each time I went to the garage I would look at it and feel a little guilt about how dirty it was. Then I received the Cave Tools BBQ Grill Brush and decided it was time to tackle the mess.  I was shocked at how easy it was. It was quick and did an amazing job. 100% RUST PROOF DESIGN - Stainless Steel Wire Bristle with Strength Clip for Cleaning Char Broil Weber Porcelain and Infrared Barbecue Grates   Before the grill brush After using the grill brush . I am so excited and impressed with how clean my grill looks and best of all now I have no guilt when I look at it anymore!! You can purchase your own Cave Tools BBQ Grill Brush either over at the Cave Tools Website  for $11.99 . You can also find it over at Amazon  where it is on sale for $9.99 and wit

Chicken Lettuce Wraps 2 Tbsp oil 1 lb chicken 1/2 cup diced carrots 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and diced 1/2 cup minced onions 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped 1 head iceberg or butter lettuce, separated in to rounds Sauce: 1/4 cup Hoisen sauce 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar 1 teaspoon minced garlic Mix the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl and set aside. Cut the chicken into small pieces.  Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and stir-fry for about 3 minutes or until browned.  Add all the vegetables, 1/2 of the peanuts and the water chestnuts and stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes or until the veggies are cooked tender. Add the sauce and simmer until everything is hot.  Stir in the remaining peanuts.  Scoop the mixture onto a lettuce piece fold around and eat. *I cheated and used can chicken this time and it was perfect.  I prepped it all the night before.  I think it allowed the flavors to mix

My sister Tayler had recently made some Mexican Zucchini Boats and said how amazing they were, so it got me thinking.  I thought about it for a couple weeks and this is what I came up with.  It was a huge hit at my house and refreshing to have something a little different for dinner. Sausage Zucchini Boats 1 lb sausage 1/4 cup diced onion 1-2 tomatoes, diced 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (optional) 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 4 small Zucchini Preheat oven to 400 degrees Cut Zucchini in half horizontally and hollow out the middle of each strip. Dice up the Zucchini that you hollowed out and set aside. Place your Zucchini boats in a casserole dish and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown sausage and onion in a pan.  Add diced Zucchini flesh, garlic and tomatoes.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until sausage is fully cooked and veggies are soft. Remove from heat. Spoon meat mixture into the Zucchini boats. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mozza

One night I needed some garlic bread to add to a pasta meal I was serving for dinner.  I was out of bread but found a tube of biscuit in my fridge and started thinking.   It was a hot day so I decided to get out the waffle iron and these beauties were created: Garlic Cheese Waffle Biscuits Canned bicuits String Cheese or Mozzarella cheese cut into small chunks garlic (or garlic salt) butter Parmesan Cheese Melt about a Tablespoon of butter with a 1/2-1 teaspoon of minced garlic - Set aside Heat waffle iron and spray with cooking spray. Cut cheese into pieces about 1/2 inch slices. Flatten biscuits, place cheese inside the biscuits and wrap the dough around the cheese sealing it. Place in waffle iron and close the lid.  Do not force it shut. Wait a couple minutes (check on them)   I used my green light indicator on the waffle iron. Once they are golden brown, remove and brush with the garlic butter. I have made these several times and they

A few years ago my friend invited me over to lunch and served the best tasting salad I think I had ever had.  The lettuce was crisp, tasted fresh and was just perfect in the salad.  I asked her what her secret was and she pulled out something I was unfamiliar with..... a SALAD SPINNER.  I was instantly hooked and have been through several of them since then.  Each have been good, but have had some limitations until recently I got this one: It is the QUICK DRY SALAD SPINNER  made by Cave Tools . It is AMAZING!!! You can rinse, dry and serve all in the same bowl. It is lightweight, but sturdy.  I love the locking lid with the drain built right in. I rinsed my lettuce, then turned the nob a few times to spin it (to which my daughter commented on how fun that looked) and then I poured our the remaining water which was not much and the result was amazing. This was lettuce we were using for tacos and it was crisp and not one bit watery. It was perfect. I love that you can a

We have been having record high temperatures for our area.  So at almost 100 degrees I was craving soup.  This certainly filled the craving and was perfect for the lack of groceries in the house.  It was pure deliciousness and even better for lunch the next day. Easy Crockpot Baked Potato Soup 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 cup diced onion 2-3 celery stalks, diced 3 cup chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 cups cream or half n half 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled shredded cheese Place potatoes, garlic, onion, celery in the crockpot and pour the broth over the top.  Add salt and pepper and stir to mix.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours or until the potatoes are cooked. Then add the cream and 1/2 cup bacon to the soup. Stir and cook until soup is hot. Serve with the rest of the bacon bits and shredded cheese. *I was lacking one potato, so I added about a cup of tater tots as a substitute and they worked

As a single full time working mom who doesn't get home until around 7:00 pm each night  I have found dinner to be a huge challenge.  It takes planning and simplifying to get the kids fed quickly and to be able to put something decent on the table.  I hope to share some of the quick delicious meals that have become a staple in our house.  This first one is so easy and delicious that no one believes it when I tell them I am making sliders for dinner.  It is 30 minutes from start to the table.  The kids love them and bonus they freeze well. Simply Square Sliders Makes about 24 sliders 2 pounds ground beef 1 Tablespoon dehydrated onions seasoning salt pepper cheese slider buns or rolls Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour the onions in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish and spread evenly.  Add the ground beef to the pan and pat it down evenly into one big patty. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper (whatever you like to use to season hamburger)   Bake for 20 m