Beef Stew Recipe

Yesterday morning, I pulled out the crock pot to start my FAVORITE Beef Stew recipe for dinner because I knew I wouldn't have time to cook later in the day. But to my surprise, I'd forgotten to buy some of the main ingredients! I'd already opened the stewing beef and started cutting and cooking it, so I HAD to use it now. I rushed to my pantry and started digging around for something I could throw in. I ended up with a can of Cream of Mushroom soup and a packet of powdered Ranch! I let it cook for 10 hours hoping that it wouldn't be a  disaster and at the end of the day, when I sat down with my little family to eat dinner, my husband shouted from the table that it was THE BEST SOUP he had ever eaten! YAY! And since my attempt at dinner was a success, I thought I would share the recipe, along with the much healthier and also delicious ORIGINAL recipe (which happens to still be MY favorite beef stew recipe ever!)

(Picture credit and recipe from Movita Beaucoup)

Original Beef Stew Recipe from Movita Beaucoup:

Slow Cooker Beef Stew – inspired by many -

• 2 lbs of stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped into large pieces
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• about 20 mini-potatoes, cut large ones in half, leave smallest ones as is (I like to use a mix of yellow, red and blue, no need to peel)
• 1  28 oz. can whole tomatoes (I use plum tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 3 cups sodium reduced beef broth, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then lightly brown the meat in batches. Transfer browned beef to a plate and set aside.
Dump the tomatoes into the slow cooker (juice and all). Crush them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the vegetables and then add the beef and any accumulated drippings. Pour 2 1/2 cups of the beef broth over the beef and vegetables. Give the mixture a quick stir. Add the bay leaves.
Cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.
About 20 minutes before serving, add the peas (no need to defrost first), salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth, creating a smooth paste. Stir into the stew. Replace the slow cooker cover and cook until thickened (about 15-20 minutes).
Remove the bay leaves before serving.




My last minute recipe:

Less-than-healthy Beef Stew - inspired by necessity-

• 2 lbs stewing beef, cut into pieces about the size of your thumbnail (helps the little kids get it down easier)
• 4 carrots peeled and chopped
• 4 red potatoes, not peeled, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Family size can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• (refill the can with beef or vegetable stock and pour into crock pot)
• 1 packet of original Ranch powder

Lightly brown beef in a little olive oil in a pan over the stove. Throw it into the crock pot. Throw everything else in to the crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours! Easy Peasy!

Pumpkin Carving and Pumpkin Seed Recipes!

Last night for Family Home Evening we decorated PUMPKINS for our front porch! 

 We started out the night by getting the girls all geared up for some painting. They loved swirling colors all over their little orange friends... and then their hands, faces, and chairs! :) And while they were painting the town, Kevin and I started carving our own pumpkins.

Kevin carved this fantastic Cannibal Pumpkin (complements of Pinterest) and its accompanying victim. Lily had unfortunately become very attached to the little pumpkin and was very upset when she saw it being eaten!

I also stole some inspiration from Pinterest and carved this fun little Puking Pumpkin. Brooklyn and Lily both worked VERY hard with me to separate the seeds from the pumpkin puke so we could bake them today.

The girls' pumpkins both came out resembling "modern art" and they are both very proud of their creative efforts!

Side by side our pumpkins make a pretty fun scene. Our neighbor even took a moment to stop and complement them (which made me feel good since his porch is TOTALLY decked out for Halloween!)

l

Anyway, this is what our porch looks like right now. Not much when it comes to decorating, but it is enough to make my girls happy and to leave me with a little less stress and a little extra spending money!

As for those seeds... Brooklyn and I got them all seasoned up and baked today and they turned out great! In fact, I offered Brooklyn some cookie dough after lunch and she turned it down with a request for seeds instead! I didn't think that was possible.

When the seeds were all done, we sat down together on the couch and munched on them whilst reading Halloween books under a blanket. It was AWESOME!

If you are looking for some good Pumpkin Seed Recipes, we borrowed THIS ONE from 100Cookbooks.com:

Curried Pumpkin Seeds

1 egg white
2 teaspoon curry powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grained sea salt
1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg white, curry powder and salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more curry powder when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Makes one cup.

And then we made our own by mixing 1 Cup of seeds with 2 Tablespoons of melted garlic butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, spreading it out on a pan, and baking at 375 for 14 minutes. YUMMO!

CHOCOLATE!!!

Yesterday I had one of those insane chocolate cravings that I FREQUENTLY get, but didn't have any chocolate in the house. So, I did what any desperate woman would do and hopped on PINTEREST to find a quick chocolatey recipe to save the day.

It didn't take long before I stumbled on THIS chocolate gem that just happens to be LOADED with chocolate, and at the same time, its gluten and lactose FREE! (But I assure you, it is NOT fat free!) Enjoy!

Flourless Fudge Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, I didn't use any and the cookies were still incredible)
• 1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch Process preferred (For darker, richer-looking cookies, substitute 1/4 cup black cocoa for 1/4 cup of the Dutch-process cocoa)
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Or line with parchment, and grease the parchment.

2) Stir together all of the ingredients till smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again till smooth.

3) Drop the soft, batter-like dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 1/2" circles; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

4) Bake the cookies for 8 minutes; they should spread, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops.

5) Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan.

6) Yield: 16 large (3") cookies.

Nutrition information

 

Serving Size: 1 cookie, 29g Servings Per Batch: 16 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 80 Calories from Fat: 10 Total Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g. Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 47mg Total Carbohydrate: 18g Dietary Fiber: 1g Sugars: 17g Protein: 1g. 

Hints: I read through the comment section of the original recipe and saw that tons of people had trouble with the batter being too thin. I did NOT have that problem. When I mixed the ingredients I used my Kitchen Aid at top speed with the whisk attachment. It made my batter stiff and sticky. The result? Instead of having flat cookies that spread, my cookies held their shape EXACTLY as I had placed them (so if you try this you might want to shape them better than I did) and had a crispy outer shell with a fudge-like interior. AMAZING!

Also, I had to cook my cookies for 12 minutes instead of 8, but I've found that I almost always have to cook longer than recipes call for in my oven, so I'm not sure how that will work out in another kitchen. Anyway, good luck and have a chocolate filled day!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

So... I'd heard of the movie, but even though my mom grew up in the South, I'd never had a fried green tomato until last month! Remember that GARDEN we planted for Family Home Evening a while back? Well, despite desperate attempts by the local chipmunks to falter our gardening plans, it grew! Most of the veggies were eaten, dug up, or destroyed by our fuzzy enemies, but the tomato plants, herbs, and carrots miraculously survived their efforts. However, once the tomatoes started to ripen, the chipmunks started to munch on them! So we had to find a way to use them while they were still green... BEFORE the chipmunks ate holes through them! Thus, we searched the internet until we found the perfect recipe for fried green tomatoes, and here it is:

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 4 large green tomatoes (I used some that were semi red and they were much harder to cook because they got soggy, and they didn't taste as good. So if you can, I would go green all the way!)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels and then enjoy them as they are or with your favorite sauce! (We used Ranch Dressing. Yummo!).  

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

So the other day I was looking for a fun cookie recipe to make for my Book of Mormon Book Club and I stumbled on THIS recipe on The Girl who ate Everything via Pinterest. The recipe was both simple and tasty, so I decided to share it with you all today. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used freshly ground whole wheat flour)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I used butter flavored Crisco in place of the butter because one of the ladies in our group is lactose intolerant)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest (for me that was the zest of 1 large orange)
2 cups Guitard Choc-Au-Lait Vanilla Chips (I used Ghirardelli white chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Whole Wheat and Oat Dinner Rolls (Yummo!)

My husband makes pretty good rolls, (or anything bread related for that matter) but the other night we just wanted to try something different. I did a search for dinner roll recipes online and discovered THIS recipe at cooks.com. It was really easy and the rolls tasted FANTASTIC! So if you're looking for a good dinner roll recipe, you have to give this one a try!

Whole Wheat and Oat Dinner Rolls

(From COOKS.COM)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 - 2 3/4 Cup plain flour

1/3 Cup oats

1/4 Cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 Cup milk

3 Tb butter

1 egg

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour

Topping:

1 egg white

1 Tb water

1 Tb oats

Instructions:

Grease 9 inch square pan. In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour and next 4 ingredients. Blend well.

In small saucepan, heat milk and butter to very warm (120-130 degrees). Add warm liquid and egg to flour mixture. Blend on low until moistened; beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in whole wheat flour and additional 1/2 - 1 1/4 cups plain flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.

On floured surface, knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cup plain flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down several times (my husband's favorite part) and divide into 16 pieces; shape into balls. Place in prepared pan and let rise again, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine egg white and water and brush tops of rolls, then sprinkle on oats. Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown and remove from pan immediately. Then enjoy the soft, tasty goodness!

Triple Berry Crisp (from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes)

I've realized by this point in my life, that no matter how I feel about my weight, I will always eat a dessert when it is offered to me (and sometimes even when it's not!) I just love the gooey sugary goodness that drips from every luxurious bite of sweetness. In fact, I love it so much that I can even ignore the sound of my arteries clogging long enough to eat a whole plate of goodies by MYSELF!

That being said, I've also reached a point in my life where I realize my metabolism isn't going to play nice anymore. When I wake up in the morning 2 pounds heavier than when I went to bed... those pounds are going to STAY. Let's just say, it ain't water weight!

Which brings us to today's recipe that I found on Skinnytaste.com. Yes, it IS a dessert, I DID make it, and I DID consume most of it by myself. But to make things a little better for my aging body, I also made sure it was fat free-er than most desserts I drown myself in :) and that has to count for something... right? Anyway, here it is:

(Gina's pictures are far more beautiful than mine... but I'm guessing my crisp tasted just as good!)

Triple Berry Crisp
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6
Calories: 210.5 • Fat: 6.9 g • Protein: 2.9 g • Carb: 40 g • Fiber: 5.1 g • Sugar: 23.3 g
Sodium: 11.5 mg

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries (I just used 2 bags of frozen mixed berries)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp lemon zest (I didn't have fresh lemons, so I used a splash of lemon juice instead)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar or agave nectar (I randomly had agave nectar... it was really good!)

For the topping:

• 1 cup Quaker quick oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, not packed
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, agave nectar or sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and lemon zest in large bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until fruit is coated. Place fruit in an ungreased pie dish.

Mix remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake about 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender. Remove and let cool or serve warm.

Once you are ready to eat, bust out a spoon and some vanilla ice cream and then ENJOY! Mmmmmmmmmm... drool... I sure did!

Fast, Easy, and (mostly) Healthy!

Lately I've been trying to find ways to eat a little healthier... but still enjoy what I'm eating! So today I'm going to share two of my recent discoveries with you. Zucchini Pasta and Single Serving Cookies!

The Pasta is REALLY simple. All you do is shred up some zucchini into noodle sized pieces, cover it with a half a cup of your favorite pasta sauce, and then sprinkle with cheese. I used Feta for this plate and some Organic Pasta sauce. If you are on Weight Watchers, this whole plate of "pasta" with sauce and cheese is only 3 points!

I also like to cut up zucchini and then sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. That combination is O points on Weight Watchers!

However, like any true "Foodie" I can't complete a meal without dessert. This concept has given me trouble in the past because I have a tendency to make a tray of cookies, eat 1/4 of the dough before I bake them, then accidentally eat half the cookies when they come out of the oven before deciding to put some aside to drop off at a friends, and then accidentally eating those before I can get out of the house! Yikes!

Which brings us to Single Serving Cookies. My friend Jennie (who knows about my marathon cookie eating problem) sent me a recipe last month to make just ONE cookie at a time! Thus, eliminating the need to eat platefuls of cookies in one sitting :) So without further ado, here it is:

Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar (or Splenda)
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of baking soda
• 5 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat flour)
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix and mash thoroughly with a fork (or your hands). It's easier if the butter is slightly softened rather than using a hard-brick. Add the mixture to the center of a greased cookie sheet. To make it easier to bake evenly, smooth the mixture out as a thin layer. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Bake for an additional 1-2 minutes if the cookie is too soft or gooey. Let cool on a plate and enjoy.

Roasted Veggies!

So, you may have noticed a little lapse in posting since I got back from vacation. I can attribute that lapse to the fact that I have pretty much hated NOT being on vacation and have been wallowing in self pity for the last few weeks! On top of that, My sister Erin who does the Outdoor Adventure posts, has been in Russia for the past few weeks and hasn't been able to post either.

But enough with excuses! I am starting to see the wastefulness that self pity causes and am slowly dragging myself out of depression and back into reality. And luckily for YOU, part of this re-awakening has caused me to cook healthier foods, and thus, share the recipes on this blog! But don't worry... to all the sugarholics who occasionally drop by, the previously mentioned depression also caused me to bake a ridiculous amount of fattening foods that I will be sharing with you later on. Until then, here is a FANTASTICALLY easy and healthy recipe for you to enjoy:

Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

4 small red potatoes, chopped
3 handfuls of baby carrots
2 chopped onions
3 handfuls of halved mushrooms
3 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1-2 chopped zucchini
( You can really use just about any vegetables you have around. Other commonly used veggies are peppers, butternut squash, broccoli, red onions, and asparagus. Just use whatever it takes to cover the bottom of your pan!)

1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon Thyme
2 tablespoons Rosemary
Salt and Pepper to taste
(Most recipes only call for oil, salt, and pepper. I personally just like the extra oomph that you get from the herbs and vinegar.)

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Chop your veggies into 1 inch cubes (roughly...meaning just chop it up super fast, however you feel. Just make sure its small enough to get soft in 40 minutes). Spread the veggies out onto a large baking sheet. Spread oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme across the top. Toss the veggies until everything is coated in oil. Place in the oven on middle rack and bake for 30-40 minutes (until your veggies are tender when poked with a fork), stirring every 10 minutes.

When baking is complete, remove the baking sheet from your oven and serve as is, or with feta cheese or ranch dressing on top (or whatever else floats your boat! That's just what my husband and kiddos like.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this family favorite healthy recipe, and that you will keep checking back for the not so healthy foods I'll be posting later on!

Homemade Oreo Cookies!!!

Although I am a lover of all things sweet and chocolaty, there has always been a special place in my heart for the cream filled celestial cookies we call Oreos! Not only do I love the Original cookie (especially if it is double stuffed) but I've found that I quite enjoy homemade versions as well. Most commonly I've seen them made with a cake mix cookie recipe and cream cheese frosting, but the other day I discovered Deb's recipe on The Smitten Kitchen and it is by far the BEST Oreo recipe I have EVER tasted!!!

So naturally, I decided to share the recipe with YOU! However, I'm hoping that this will be one of the last calorie ridden posts I share (as I am now attempting to lose some of my well earned summer vacation fat rolls and need to STOP eating cookies by the tray!) Never-the-less, these were too good to pass by, so here you go:

Homemade Oreo Cookies: by Deb Perelman of The Smitten Kitchen

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies (24 if you accidentally eat some cookies before frosting them!)

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [Less if you want it to be more like the original cookie, more if you like things sweet! We used 1 1/4 cups]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Once you are finished assembling all of your cookies I HIGHLY recommend taking half of the Oreos over to a friends house because once you start eating them, you won't be able to stop! Also, a glass of milk for dunking finishes these off with perfection!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did (but perhaps with a little more self control) Happy Baking!

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

Today I thought I'd skip my regular calorie-packed-recipe and give you one of my FAVORITE healthy recipes instead. I found this Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes recipe by Laura Zapalowski on the My Recipes website and it is AMAZING! So here goes:

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese (I used twice as much!)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

• Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

(Personal note: I cut up my asparagus before cooking and then added it to the tomato mixture when the heat was off to get more flavor. I also added pine nuts to the tomatoes and it really added a nice touch to the meal. Then, I served it with Parmesan and butter rice. YUMMO!)

Hope you all get a chance to try this out. HAPPY COOKING!

Outdoor Adventures: Backyard Camping by Erin Uda

Today we’re setting up camp – city style!

(click here to find image source on: The Reed Life)

Put up a tent in your backyard (or garage/living room if the weather doesn’t cooperate). Pack it full of blankets, pillows, flashlights and camp snacks. Set up a picnic or craft table nearby, and make a ‘campfire’ out of colored cellophane and toilet paper rolls. Put a flashlight or small electric lantern in the middle to simulate real fire. If you want a more realistic effect, place a small fan at the bottom to make the cellophane move and crackle.

(click here to find image source and tutorial on: Ape 2 Zebra)

You could keep things simple by reading and playing in your tent for as long as you choose to leave it up, but here are some fun activities to try:

• Inflate an air mattress or pool float and put it on the grass. Have your children lie on it and pretend to be Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. What do they see as they float down the river? What kind of adventures do they have? This can be altered to fit any storyline.
• Put two ‘rafts’ next to each other and give each raft a supply of water balloons. Tell the children they’re pirates and see who can take over the enemy ship. If you don’t want to use water balloons, blow up some beach balls and use them as cannons for a unique version of dodgeball.
• Pool noodle wars are always fun. Use the noodle as a sword and see who wins the battle.

(click here to find image source and tutorial on: Dandee)

• Go on a trail ride using stick horses. Take turns being the lead rider.
• Learn some camp craft together – my favorite is the plastic lanyard key chain, but there are a ton of kits out there. Check out Oriental Trading Company or Tandy Leather for ideas. Try making dream catchers, friendship bracelets, bookmarks, wallets, and more. One of my favorite sites is DuckBrand.com, which shows you how to make amazing things like roses and wallets with Duck Tape.
• Go fishing! Use a toddler/wading pool and fill it with water. Place some fish (made out of duck tape, with a magnet in the center) in the pool. Hang a piece of string from a stick and put another magnet at the end of the string. Let the kids see how many fish they can catch. Another option is to give them all a specific color to catch, and use a few different colors of duck tape for your fish.

It’s always a good idea to learn camp skills. Try working on a few of the following while you’re outside:

• Learn how to tie some basic knots. The square knot and slip knots are the easiest, but knots like the half-hitch and the sheep-shank are relatively easy to learn and very useful. Grab some rope or cord from the garage, or use shoelaces as a last resort. Once they’ve learned a few, hold a knot relay race, or create some fun situations where they can use their new knot-tying skills.
• Go on another nature walk and collect a bunch of flowers, leaves and other items. Set up a station at the picnic table where the children can create rubbings, pressed flowers, or collages. If you don’t have much nature nearby, grab some Popsicle sticks and glue them together to make fun camp items like a jewelry box or a bird cage. Or just pick some grass and try to make whistles.
• Make a flag for your camp out of some fabric and markers or paint. If you don’t have material handy, use a plain-colored pillowcase. Once you’re finished, tie it to a tall stick and fix it in the ground near your tent. You may need to use a pot or a few large stones to make sure it stays upright.

Camp isn’t camp without the food, and who doesn’t want a night without dishes? Try a few of the following ideas when it’s time to feed your campers:

• Tin foil dinners are easy and can be done in your oven. Check out THIS LINK for a few starter tips, then have dinner outside around the campfire together. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ingredients; it’s like a single-serving casserole!

• Grill hotdogs on your ‘fire,’ by putting some pre-cooked dogs on skewers and having your children hold them over the fire until they cool.Then doctor them up with your favorite condiments.

• Trail mix is a great snack; make it even more fun by telling the children they have to eat it while hiking around the yard. I recently tried some trail mix cookies and they were incredible!We used peanut butter cookies as the base and added in ¼ cup each oats, raisins and mini chocolate chips, plus ½ cup of regular size M&Ms.

• My favorite camp treats are s’mores. Naomi posted an incredible recipe for BAKED S'MORES earlier, but if you want a few more unique takes on this treat, check out THIS LINK.

Once you’ve eaten, you may be tempted to go inside, but there are so many things about camp that are unique to the dark. Try a few of these ideas before you hit the sleeping bag:

• Play flashlight tag. Same rules as regular tag, only you ‘tag’ someone by turning on your flashlight and hitting them with the beam. Note: only play this in a safe area, since you’ll be running around in the dark.
• Tell ghost stories to each other. You can do this sitting around the fire or cuddled up in the tent. Either way, you should have something fun to do afterward or your little ones may not be able to sleep.
• Take some time to look at the night sky. Being in the city, the stars won’t be nearly as bright as they are in the woods, but you can still find the big dipper, the north star, and a few of the more famous constellations.
• Watch a movie projected on the wall. If you don’t have a projector, hang a blanket on a clothes line and use a bright flashlight or lantern to make a shadow puppet show.
• Sing songs around the campfire. There are a ton of songs to choose from, but THIS SITE has all the ones I remember from my years at camp, plus tons more!
• If you’re worried about losing your little one in the dark, try putting a light stick around his neck. He’ll love the ‘light saber’ and you’ll love knowing exactly where he is. If you’re looking for a light-related craft, try combining a button cell battery, and an LED diode (one wire on each side; there is a right and wrong side) and taping them together with electric tape. Add a magnet if you want to attach it to something. It will work for hours.

Suggested Reading:

• Cam Jansen and the summer camp mysteries, David A. Adler (Call #: J Adler; ISBN: 9780142407424)
• The Berenstain Bears Go to Camp, Stan and Jan Berenstain (Call #: P Berenstein; ISBN: 0394851315)
  
• Curious George Goes Camping, Margaret and H.A. Rey (Call #: P Rey; ISBN: 9780395978351)
• S is for S’mores, A Camping Alphabet, Helen Foster James (Call #: P James; ISBN: 9781585363025)
• The Morrow Guide to Knots (Call #: 623; ISBN: 9780688012267)
• The Art of Hand Shadows, Albert Almoznino (Call # 791.5; ISBN: 9780486418766)
• Duck Tents, Lynne Berry (Call #: P Berry; ISBN: 9780805086966)

Thousand Dollar Bars and a Guilty Confession

So, I'm obviously not doing great at only blogging in the evening these last few weeks. As it turns out, I'm helping to put on a big Luau with my church, for the community. Dance lessons and costume making have taken over my evenings and due to the large amount of people I am working with, I've been forced to check my email several times a day to keep things coordinated... which in turn, has caused me to become re-addicted to the computer, and to blog during my mornings. THERE! I confessed! And that's the first step, right?! RIGHT?!

Anyway, if you are in the Chicago area, you are welcome to attend. It is F-R-E-E to all and there will be great food and fun entertainment!

But if you're just feeling like being a homebody this weekend, you might want to try this Thousand Dollar Bar recipe that I found on the King Arthur Flour blog instead. As always, my creation doesn't look anywhere near as wonderful as the picture that accompanied the recipe, but putting that aside, these tasted AMAZING!!!

Thousand Dollar Bars:

Shortbread layer

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2 cups flour

Carmel Layer

• 2 cups Carmel cut into small chunks
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Layer

• 3 cups chopped milk chocolate or dark chocolate, melted (I used chocolate chips)
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (optional)

Directions

1) FOR THE CRUST: Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a 9" x 13" pan lightly with cooking spray, or line with parchment, and set aside.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. At first the mixture may seem dry, but will come together as you continue to beat at medium speed.

3) Take the dough (it will be somewhat stiff) and press it evenly into the pan. Lightly flouring your fingertips will help with any sticking.

4) Prick the crust all over with a fork. The holes will allow steam to escape and the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles.

5) Bake the crust until it's lightly golden brown on top and the edges are deeper golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set it aside to cool completely.

6) FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER: Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

7) FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER: Melt the milk or dark chocolate slowly in a double boiler or over very low heat. If it seems very thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it. Pour evenly over the chilled caramel layer and spread to cover all of the caramel. Return to the fridge until the chocolate is well set. Cut into 2" x 2" squares to serve. It's best to store these bars in the refrigerator.

8) These bars can also be cut and dipped in milk chocolate to resemble Twix ® bars. After the caramel layer has chilled firm, cut down the length of the pan, splitting the bars into two long, narrow bars. Then cut each long strip into "fingers". Dip the chilled bars into melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set for several hours.

I made them for Kevin for Father's Day and they were a HUGE hit. So give it a try if you get the chance, you'll love them. Enjoy!

Graham Cracker S'MORE Cookies!!!

Yesterday Kevin was feeling a little blue, so I promised him a fantastically gooey treat when he finally returned home from work. I knew just the thing for this time of year and quickly went to my computer to pull up THIS recipe from Always with Butter.


That's right! The gooey goodness of S'mores combined with chocolate chip cookie dough! Doesn't get much better than that!


I followed the recipe pretty closely, minus two small adjustments. The recipe said to make your dough with chocolate chips in it and then halfway through cooking, to add Hershey's bars to the top. It was a little too much chocolate for me so I took out the chocolate chips. Also, the recipe said to place your dough on top of graham crackers, but I decided to make a graham cracker crust instead!


So here's the recipe as I made it: Graham Cracker S'more Cookies

Crust:

• 1 1/2 Cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 Cup melted butter

Cookie:

• 2/3 Cup butter, softened
• 1 Cup brown sugar
• 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 1/2 Cups flour
• 1 Cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 bag of Hershey's Drops

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter.
Firmly press into bottom of pan. (I used a cake pan but it took way longer to cook through once I added the cookie dough, so I would recommend using a regular cookie sheet)
Bake crust for about 8 minutes.

While crust is cooling, cream softened butter and sugars together, then add eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, Cinnamon, and salt.
Combine four mixture with butter mixture and then fold in marshmallows.

Roll finished dough into cookie sized balls and place on top of crust.
Bake for 5 minutes, then remove and press Hershey's Drops into the top.
Replace in oven and cook for 5-7 minutes longer. (I had to cook it for 10 more minutes to get it cooked all the way through.)
Remove cookies from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Then serve to your "blue" husband and ENJOY the happiness that spreads across his face!!

As a random aside: I will be running the Chicago Ragnar Relay this weekend so I won't be around to post about our Good Friday, or anything else for that matter! Hopefully you still get the chance to get out and do a good deed. Until then, I will see you back here on Sunday night!

Black Bean Salad (or Corn Salsa)

As usual, I made another delicious recipe and accidentally ate ALL of it before I remembered to take a picture. DOH! So you will just have to believe me when I say that this recipe is both tasty and beautiful!

Anyway, a few years back when I worked at the Women's Services and Resources department at Brigham Young University, we had a little healthy cooking demonstration. Lisa Williams and her daughter Kristi were presenting and they made this fantastic Black Bean Salad and served it like a salsa. I remembered it yesterday and dug it up for a little shin-dig I was going to... and it turned out great! So without further ado, here it is for your making and tasting pleasure:

Black Bean Salad

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro ( I only use 1/2 cup cause I'm not a huge fan)
• 1 lime, juiced ( or 2 tablespoons from the bottle)
• 1/2 cup fat free or light Italian salad dressing ( I like Light done right!)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix together. Grab some tortilla chips, and DIG IN!

Sauteed Zucchini with Oregano and Feta

About a year ago, a friend of mine gave me a ton of zucchini! After several loaves of zucchini bread, I ran out of ideas of what to do with it. So, I did a Google search for zucchini recipes and came up with this:

Sauteed Zucchini with Oregano and Feta

• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbs parsley, fresh, chopped
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and oregano, saute until zucchini is golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and add parsley, toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta cheese over top just before serving.

Serving size is 1/2 cup.

We gave the recipe a try and Kevin and I both LOVED it! We make it all the time now and even throw in squash, mushrooms, and onions when we have them around. My girls love it too (because of the cheese I think) and it fills us all up without anything extra. I will, however, throw some chicken on the grill for my husband sometimes just in case! Hope you get the chance to give it a try. Enjoy!

P.S. I don't actually remember where I got the recipe. If you happen to know, please tell me so I can give them the credit!

Two of my favorite things... when I'm trying to be healthy

One thing I simply can NOT do without is comfort food. I LOVE the experience of eating! I love the flavors, colors, textures, and smells associated with food. I love the company and social atmosphere food can help to create. I love to eat when I'm sad, depressed, angry, happy, excited, lonely, and bored! Food is my friend, my filler, and my addiction.

Obviously, I need to tone down my codependency with all-things-tasty if I don't want to end up loosing my lifestyle to obesity, but that's easier said then done. You see, food is meant to taste WONDERFUL, and ofttimes when I'm trying to be "good" I just can't find any healthy food that satisfies my cravings. However, as I've tried to make better choices and increase my chances of a long and fulfilling life, I've also discovered a few things I can do to create a balance between delicious and sustaining foods. Here are two of my favorites (this week):

The Breakfast of Champions!

A few weeks ago I saw a commercial for oatmeal on the McDonald's breakfast menu. True to my nature, I immediately believed that I couldn't live without it. I didn't have money or a car at the time so I decided to make do with what I had at home and tried to recreate the oatmeal to match the advertisement. This is what I came up with: 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, two tablespoons of brown sugar, a half of an apple cut up, and 1/4 cup of Craisins. It tastes SO good and is really quite healthy. It even keeps me full long enough to make it through a 9 mile run without needing to stop and eat :)

The MAN Salad!

I actually really like salads (because I really like dressing) so its not like I'm compromising much when I eat one. That being said, I never get full enough when I eat salad, which usually results in me binging on less healthy food items later on. That was, until I created this little guy. I simply load up my plate with romaine lettuce of spinach (whatever I have around), and then dice up some tomatoes and any other vegetables I think will be good at the time. After that, I grill up some mushrooms and onions in a little olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. Throw that on top of the salad and top it with 2 tablespoons of ranch (or your favorite dressing) and you're set! When I'm really hungry, I also add some grilled chicken and/or crumbled crispy bacon! YUMMO! (Kevin even likes the salad that way and can get full on it too!)

Obviously, both of these meal ideas have unhealthy parts to them (i.e. brown sugar or salad dressing) but the bones of the meals are mostly healthy and I find it is a fantastic compromise for my taste buds. So... what are your favorite semi-healthy meals? I'd LOVE to hear about them!

Lunch Time Ideas

Last week I put out a post asking for lunch time meal ideas. Because there was hardly a response, I'm guessing many of you are riding the same Macaroni and Cheese Train that I'm on! So, I decided to share the two comments I DID get with all of you in post form. Hopefully the ideas that my fantastic Mom and Sister-in-law gave will help the rest of you out as much as they helped me! Here they are:

1. Pigs in a blanket (Crescent roll with a hot dog rolled up inside. You can add a slice of cheese too.)
2. Tuna Melt (Tuna on toast with a slice of cheese melted on top)
3. Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup
4. Fish sticks, tater tots, and carrot sticks (Kids LOVE a meal they can DIP!)
5. Butter noodles with broccoli
6. Bologna sandwiches with chips, and celery with peanut butter and raisins on top
7. Tortilla pizza (Flour tortilla with leftover spaghetti sauce, cheese and whatever toppings you want)
8. You can also do mini pizzas on English muffins
9. Tuna in a pita
10. Hard-boiled eggs or egg salad sandwiches
11. Quesadillas
12. Plain cheese and butter on bread (un-melted)
13. Peanut butter and banana sandwich or just straight up
14. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches
15. Pasta with butter and parmesan cheese
16. Leftovers from dinner

Well, there you have it! I hope this gives you some great ideas when you're making lunch for your little ones. And THANK YOU again to Cindy Uda and Natalie Hanks for your terrific lunch ideas.