Spiced Apple Banana Muffins

The truth is I wanted to make pumpkin bread for the kids but since there is a shortage on pumpkin I had to make due with what I had available.  I combined the spices from my pumpkin bread recipe with my banana bread recipe.  I also didn't have enough bananas on hand so I added apple sauce to fill the void.  To my surprise they turned out pretty stinkin' good.    

1 C White Flour
3/4 C Whole Wheat Flour (You can use all white flour, I just like to sneak in whole wheat whenever I can)
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 C Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Cloves
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 C Mashed Banana
1/4 C Apple Sauce
1/2 C Milk

Preheat oven to 350* and line a muffin tin.  Sift together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate medium sized bowl, combine egg, banana, apple sauce and milk.  Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix until just blended.  Spoon into muffin tin and bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Let cool, then enjoy with a little butter...or a lot!

Cornflake Cream Chicken

I found this recipe on the What's for Dinner? blog and it sounded too yummy not to try.  I was right....it was D-licious!  Everyone in my family devoured it, which says a lot since my kids can be rather finicky. I served it with roasted garlic asparagus since it is not the healthiest dish but it would have been amazing with a cheesy vegetable casserole.  Maybe next time?!

4-6 Chicken Breasts

2 C Crushed Cornflakes (I used 1C Cornflakes and 1C Corn/Rice Chex because that is what I had on hand and it tasted wonderful)

16 0z Container Sour Cream

1/2 C Parmesan Cheese

1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

1/2 Tbs Garlic Salt

1 stick melted butter

Put cornflakes/chex cereal in a zip lock bag and roll with rolling pin till crumbs.  Your kiddos can help with this part, they will love it!  Mine did!

Mix together cornflakes, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. (I mixed these together in the morning so we would be ready roll at dinner time.)  Dip chicken in sour cream, make sure to coat it thick. Then dip chicken in the cornflake mixture.  Place in greased baking pan, and drizzle melted butter all over. (I am going to cut back on the butter next time at least by a quarter, maybe half.)  Bake in 400F oven for about 30-45 minutes, or until golden, and done in the center.  Enjoy!

June Bug

I made these for my kiddos, served in frozen mugs with bendy straws, as an after dinner drink/dessert last night.  They downed them in seconds!  I also made Justin and I each one with a shot of Malibu added.  I thought they were a little too sweet but the kids thought they were amazing.  

3 C Ginger Ale
4 Tbs Grenadine
4 Tbs Orange Juice
3 Scoops of Orange Sherbet

Blend together!  I think next time I will use 7-Up and lime sherbet in hopes of adding a little tartness.  Sorry no picture but I promise they serve up pretty.

Easy Toffee

This is a recipe that my Mom makes during the Christmas season and I can never get enough. This is an ultra-easy, quick and yummy treat. 

1 Sleeve of Saltine Crackers

3/4 C Brown Sugar

1 C Butter

2 C Chocolate Chips

3/4 C Chopped Nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400* and prepare cookie sheet by lightly spraying with cooking spray.  Cover cookie sheet with a single layer of saltine crackers.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan.  Stir in brown sugar and bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Pour mixture over crackers and spread evenly.  Bake at 400* for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Bake again for 1 minute.  Remove from oven and spread melted chips with a spatula.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts. (I used pecans and only put them on half since one of my kiddos doesn't love nuts)  Cut on a diagonal immediately and then place in fridge/freezer to cool.  Remove from pan and store in the fridge.  Be careful when eating....it is nearly impossible to have just one!

Shrimp Herb Fettuccine

This recipe is one of my dear 'ol Mom's and it is rich and super delish.  Tonight was my first attempt at this meal and it was much easier than I had thought.  I did prep all the herbs and garlic in the morning so all I had to do was dump which helped a ton. Next time I would cut back on the shrimp, 2lbs was a little too much, and  I plan on adding sauteed mushrooms...just cuz' I love them. 

1 1/2 -2 Lbs Shrimp (would be great with grilled chicken also or meatless)

1/2 C Butter, divided

3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 C White Zinfandel Wine

1 C Whipping Cream

1 C Parmesan Cheese, Shredded

1/4 C Fresh Parsley

1/4 C Fresh Basil

1/4 C Fresh Chives

8oz Fettuccine

*If you are using dried spices, use half the amount*

While the fettuccine is cooking, melt 3Tbs butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat;  add shrimp and saute 3-4 minutes.  Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Melt remaining butter in skillet over medium-high heat;  add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes.  Add wine and cook until mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in whipping cream, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Add shrimp, cheese, and herbs.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is melted.  Serve over fettuccine.

Fruity Krispy Treats

Okay, I know that rice crispy treats are one the easiest things to make....for most people.  I, however, am not one of those people.  Every time I try to whip up a quick batch they either turn out hard as a rock or so gooey that they have to be eaten with a spoon.  Well, I am excited to announce that the cruse has been broken!  I finally was able to successfully make the easiest treat on Earth!

This recipe is from the Post Cereal website.  The only difference is that I made mine on the stove, not the microwave as they suggested.

1/4 C (1/2 stick) Butter

1 pkg. (10-1/2 oz.) Miniature Marshmallows 

 1 pkg. (13 oz.) Fruity Pebbles Cereal 

Spray an 8x10-inch pan with cooking spray. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Gently stir the marshmallows into the butter, and allow to fully melt. Stir until the butter and marshmallows are blended, remove pan from heat, and stir in the breakfast cereal until the cereal is completely coated with the melted marshmallows. Spread the mixture out into the prepared pan, refrigerate for 1 hour to set, and cut into bars. TA-DA! It is that EASY!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I needed a quick and easy meal for dinner tonight so I hit up my neighbor Jamie's blog for a little help.  I found a recipe for creamy chicken noodle soup, one of my favorites, so I gave it a whirl.  It was a huge hit all around.  It was super, duper easy, as well as quick AND everyone loved it.  I did make a few adjustments to work with what I had on hand but still fantastic.

1 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
6 C Chicken Broth
1 C Chopped Carrots
1 C Chopped Celery
1 C Frozen Corn
1 C Frozen Peas
½ C Chopped Onion
1 Large Can Cream of Chicken Soup
5oz Can of Evaporated Milk or ½ C Whole Milk
8oz No Yolk Noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

Shred chicken. Heat broth in a large pot, then add veggies and noodles. Simmer until veggies and noodles are tender. Add cream of chicken soup, milk, salt, pepper and shredded chicken. Simmer until heated through and ready to serve. Makes enough for 6-8 people.

Broccoli Salad

We love a good salad around here so when I saw this one I just had to give it a try.  The measurements are just a guideline, I just kinda eyeballed it.  It was soooo yummy and my two little girls gobbled it up too.  

   
1 Bunch Broccoli
1 C Grapes,cut in half
1/2 C Cashews
Red Onion (I didn't add onions to ours since my hubby HATES them but it was still tasty)
1/4 C Dried Cherries

DRESSING

3/4 C Olive Oil
2 Tbs Vinegar
2 Tbs Agava Nectar
4 or 5 Splashes of Tamari

BBQ Chicken

This is a super easy and delicious recipe that I found while blog surfing the other day.  It was originally intended for spare ribs but I opted for chicken since I am not a huge fan of eating meat on the bone. I served it with fresh corn on the cob and watermelon....YUMMY! 

BBQ Chicken

2-3lbs Chicken Breast (My crockpot is not large enough to hold this much chicken so I only used 6 breast)
1 onion, chopped
2 T butter
1 1/4 C ketchup
1 C packed brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 C barbecue sauce

To make sauce, saute onion in butter until tender. Combine sauteed onion with remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken in crock pot.  Bake in crockpot for 6-7 hours. Enjoy!