Oreo Fudge

This is one of the simplest fudge recipes I've ever seen!  I was skeptical b/c of the use of frosting in the recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised! 

I made this fudge on a day off from work when my girls were at school.  By the time they were home, the fudge was ready to cut.  I did just that as they played outside with friends in the neighborhood.  Once I had it cut up, I placed it all on a plate and headed outside!  It was a hit! 

Ingredients:

- 24 Double Stuffed Oreos (or the store brand...that's what I did!)
- 1 canister Fudge Frosting
- 1 bag of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips


Directions:

1.  Line a pie plate (or if you have a square pan, use that...mine is missing, lol)  with foil, going over the sides of the pan for easy removal later.

2.  Place your cookies in a freezer bag and pound them with a mallet or rolling pin to crush into pieces.  This is a fun job for kiddos if you're willing to have them in the kitchen with you!

3.  Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave.  Once they're melted, give it a good stir.

 4.  Combine your melted chocolate chips with the frosting and crushed cookies.

5.  Spread into your dish as evenly as possible.  It doesn't have to be beautiful here!  It's fudge, not art!

6.  Refrigerate uncovered for AT LEAST 1 hour.  I did for almost 3.

7.  Remove from fridge, pull out of pan using the handles of foil.  Peel off foil, place chunk of fudge on a cutting board.  Using a very sharp knife, cut the fudge into chunks. 

Here's the final project.....

It's a sweet one so enjoy!! 

 

No Brainer! "Grilled" Hot Dogs

So I thought I would start a segment called "No Brainer!"  It's ideas/ways about how to prepare food that simply takes limited time and thought, but taste soooo good! 

Today's No Brainer is "Grilled" hot dogs.  I put grilled into quotations b/c though the hot dogs look like they've been cooked on a charcoal grill, and though they taste like they've been cooked on a charcoal grill, they have not at all!  Here is how you do it....

1.  Place a skillet on medium high heat and add in a few pats of butter.  Then open your hot dogs (we use the chicken ones) and toss 'em in!

2.  Let them cook and get all brown and a bit burnt.  Kinda how they would look on a grill.  Keep rolling them around in the pan every few minutes. 

3.  When your hot dogs have reached the level of burnt you prefer, remove and then assemble, using your favorite hot dog toppings!  Here, I have one with a tomato slice, mustard, and red onions.  The other has mustard, red onions, and pickled jalapeno slices.  Buns are preferable, but I did not have any so eh, what are ya gonna do?  ;-)

See, super simple and brainless to prepare!  Perfect for a busy Monday night dinner!  Enjoy! 

Bagel, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

This breakfast has zero health benefits, but it is filling and delicious!  You can barely eat one!  Check it out!

Ingredients:


- 1 bagel, toasted
- 2 eggs, fried
- 2 slices cheese
- deli or lunch meat
- Pepper and Red pepper flakes to taste

 Directions:

1.  Toast bagel normally.

2.  Remove from toaster and place a slice of cheese on each half.

3.  Fry two eggs in skillet, making sure to break the yolks.  Season with the pepper and the red pepper flakes.

4.  Place meat on one side of the bagel.  Here I used 2 slices of thin cut ham and two slices of hard salami.  In the past, I've used honey ham, turkey, etc.  Use what you like and what you have on hand!

5.  Flip egg when it's firm.  Once you flip it, press down on the eggs with your spatula.

6.  When egg is fully cooked, fold in half and place it on one side of your bagel.

7.  Put the top of the bagel over the other, making a sandwich.  Be sure to press down hard so the heat of the eggs will begin melting the cheese.

8.  Serve with some fruit if you prefer!

Here's the final project.....

See, even my 5 year old wanted to try it.....

Yep, she enjoyed it, lol!  Hope you do too! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

*Sigh*  Is there anything better than pie?  Yep!  Chocolate chip cookie pie!  Here is a simple, delicious recipe for just that!  This is a great dessert to whip up when you're in a hurry and you just don't know what else to make.  I promise you....EVERYONE will be pleased!

Ingredients:

- 2 tubes of Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Garnishes:  Vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce

Directions:

1.  Cut open your cookie dough and mash a full tube into the bottom of a pie plate. 

2.  Sprinkle a couple of small handfuls of the semi sweet chips around the cookie dough.

3.  Use half of the other tube of cookie dough and crumble it on top. 

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Remove and allow to set for AT LEAST 10 minutes.  We allowed ours to sit for an hour or so.  It cut better, but if you want it warm with your ice cream, you won't want to wait as long.

And here's the final product.....

Yep, it was just as tasty as it looks!  Enjoy! 

Kitchen Tips

I always love hearing kitchen tips from others.  Here are a few of mine.

1.  Instead of buying salad in a bag, make your own!  I buy a package of romaine hearts and a bag of spinach and chop it all up.  You could also shave in some carrots or add some purple cabbage if you prefer.  You get more for your money and it seems to last longer.

2.  Keep your knives sharp!  Also, invest in some good ones!  This will make cooking a lot easier!

3.  When buying produce, wash it all right away, so when your family wants to eat some of it, it's all readily available.  With strawberries, I rinse them in the handy plastic container, remove them and dry them, and then line that same plastic container with a couple of paper towels.  I then transfer them right back into their original package.  Saving me a dish and some room in the fridge!

4.  Storage containers!  I bought the ones you see here at the Dollar Tree for a dollar each!  I made simple labels on the computer and taped them on there.  I use them for Rice, Potato flakes, Pancake mix, sugar, flour, brown sugar, powdered sugar, etc.  They're wonderful and easily stored.

5.  Freeze your bread!  If you can get a deal on bread but you know your family won't eat it all before it goes moldy, freeze it!  Make sure it sits correctly in your freezer so the bread doesn't freeze incorrectly and get squashed.  Also, I've found that the more expensive brands un-freeze the best.

6.  Buy in bulk!  But only when it makes sense for YOUR family!  I buy all my ground beef and chicken breasts in bulk and separate it into freezer bags.  I press down on the bags to keep all the air I can out of them, eliminating freezer burn.  I also buy some condiments in bulk.  We go through Frank's Red Hot sauce like water so buying it in the large container and transferring it to the smaller one we have is a lot cheaper, letting you get more for your money.  Here, I paid $14 for 6lbs of good ground beef.  I was able to separate it into 3 1 1/2 lb pkgs, making 3 meals plus leftovers.  So I ended up paying approx. $4.66 per meal.  Not bad for a family of 4!  Again, though....it only makes sense to buy in bulk the items that will work for your family.  If you don't use it, it's not worth paying the money for it. 

7.  To keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh and to keep it sharp, I use lemons or oranges.  The acid in both keep it clean (lemons are best!) and it makes it smell like citrus! 

These are just a few of the tips that work for me.  They're all pretty obvious, but they can end up saving time and money.  Hope some can work for you!  

Peanut Butter (or Chocolate Chip) Brownie Cupcakes

Brownie Cupcakes....doesn't that just sound like perfection?  Pairing two wonderful desserts together is genius!  I can't take credit for the genius that is Brownie Cupcakes, since I stole the recipe from Paula Deen, but I do have to say I make a mean copycat! 

Ingredients:
- 1 box Brownie Mix
- Vegetable Oil (follow box directions for measurement)
- Water (follow box directions for measurement)
- 3 Eggs (this is for a cake-like brownie)
- Chocolate or Peanut Butter Chips
- Cupcake Liners

Directions:

1.  Mix brownies together following the directions on the box except add the 3 eggs vs. the two it tells you to add.

2.  Using a tablespoon, fill the cupcake liners half way full with the brownie mix.


3.  Drop a few chocolate or peanut butter chips into the cupcake liner on top of the mix you already poured in there.  Now add on more mixture until you have almost full cupcake liner.

4.  Place in oven at 350 Degrees for 18-20 minutes.  Test with toothpick and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Now, don't be like me and get everything going then realize you have no cupcake liners.  It was a bitch trying to remove these, even with using cooking spray.  They didn't look pretty, but, they sure did taste yummy!  So, even though I messed up, I still consider an empty plate a success!  ;-)

*Note:  You could also make these by making the brownies from scratch, which I've done and they're even better!  However, using the mix is just easier, and sometimes, that's all a working mother (or any mother, really!) really needs, is a tasty, and EASY dessert! *

Chicken Enchiladas....MY Way!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Today I made Chicken Enchiladas with what I had on hand in the house and it turned out pretty delicious!  Check 'em out!

Ingredients:

- Shredded Chicken
- Shredded Cheese
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 cans of Enchilada Sauce
- 1 can of Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Cup of White Rice
- 1 small can of Green Chilies, undrained
- Chili Powder
- Garlic Salt
- Cayenne Pepper
- Tortillas

Directions:

1. Season your chicken breasts with the Chili powder, garlic salt, and cayenne.  Bake it until it's done.  When it's cooked through, use two forks to shred the chicken.  I shred it while it's in the pan so it soaks up all the juices and flavor.  When you're done shredding the chicken, remove it to a bowl so it can cool a bit.

2.  Cook rice.  When rice is cooked, add in the beans, and green chilies.  Season with some chili powder, garlic salt, and cayenne just like we did with the chicken.

3.  Chop your onion.  It doesn't have to be perfectly chopped.  We like large chunks.  We also like the raw onion.  If your palette can't handle the raw onion flavor, you can saute it before adding it to your enchiladas.

4.  Now you can assemble!  Take a tortilla and add a layer of the rice/bean mixture.  Now some onion.  Then the chicken and then a sprinkle of cheese.  Don't go overboard on the cheese because you'll be adding more on top later.  Roll up the tortilla and place in the same pan you used to cook the chicken in.  Do this until you have a full pan of enchiladas.

5.  Now pour the sauce over the pan of enchiladas.  One can gives you a lot of sauce, but we like our enchiladas saucy so we add two cans.  Go with your preference here!  Sprinkle some cheese on top and you're ready to bake!

6.  Bake your enchiladas on 400 Degrees for about 15 minutes.  Remove and let sit for about 5 minutes.   Serve and enjoy!  I added some pickled Jalapenos on mine.  But cilantro and sour cream would be great too! 

Obviously, these are HUGE enchiladas.  Almost like a burrito!  One will you do you, if you can even eat all of that!  But the leftovers are perfect!