Snickers Caramel Corn

Holy Popcorn Batman!!! We have a winner!! You know what bugs me?  I went to the store to get some snickers bars the other day, and the 8 pack of fun size are now a 6 pack.  Ugh! Remember when it used to be a 10 pack for a dollar?  And on sale, you could really get a smokin deal. Now we are getting 4 less candy bars and paying more money.  Whats this world coming to!

I found this recipe on my dear friend's blog. I've been so excited to try it.  I tell you what... you want to host the party of the year?  Serve this popcorn!  Just beware that it will go fast, so make sure to keep it comin'.

Snickers Caramel Corn

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 cups air-popped popcorn

12 fun size Snickers

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Slice candy bars in half lengthwise, then into thirds.

In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in sugar and corn syrup, whisking until dissolved, then let simmer (without mixing) until mixture begins to bubble – about 4 minutes. Cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes more until caramel is amber in color, this time stirring every 30 seconds or so in order for the sugar to not burn.

Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, add popcorn.  Drizzle sauce all over and stir well, to coat. Fold in candy bars, then spread popcorn on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping every few minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool completely, if you dare.  

You can also top with more snickers pieces.  It was a little too much for me. I just enjoyed the popcorn by itself.

Variation:  I mindlessly added white sugar instead of brown. So I just also added 1 tsp of molasses to the pot to cook with the other ingredients.  It tasted great!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Well its Super Bowl Week here at Mommy's Kitchen Creations! You are in for some serious fun this week.  Tonight we have Baked Jalapeno Poppers.  Much healthier than the deep fried ones, and they taste better too!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

15 Large Jalapenos

2 cups finely shredded Cheddar Cheese

2.5 oz package Cooked Chopped Bacon (1/2 cup)

2 (8 oz) bricks Cream Cheese (at room temp)

1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

Slice Jalapenos lengthwise.  Make sure to remove all stems, seeds and ribs.  Is a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, bacon and cheese.  Mix well.  Scoop mixture into jalapeno halves and roll in bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for about 30 min, or until skin starts to bubble a little bit.



My Apologies

I have been trying to earn a little extra cash to help cover some of my food costs, by having some advertisements on here.  There have been some that have been very inappropriate and offensive.  I tried getting in contact with the company to get them to take them off.  The truth is, I gave them too long of a chance to get it taken care of, in hopes they would take the offensive ones off and leave the coupons.  I should have just dropped them the second I saw them on there... I apologize for not doing that!  I am so sorry for those that have been offended by them.  I have removed them.  I do have two ads still on there from google.  I have not yet seen those be offensive, but confess that I don't look at them often, as I am not allowed to click on them.  So if you see anything offensive or inappropriate, please let me know!

Again I am so sorry.  I'll just have to find another way to make different recipes on a budget.  Thanks everyone for your comments and for viewing my blog.  I really enjoy doing it.  I've tried replying to your comments, I hope I have caught them all. So if you ask a question or anything, make sure to check back at the comments for my reply. 

Love to all and hope you have a fabulous day!!!

Thrifty Week day 5- Thrush

For all of you nursing mothers out there that deal with chronic thrush, never fear... relief is here! Thrush is basically yeast overgrowth.  I don't claim to know how all of this yeast stuff works... but I do know that it has haunted me the last 3 babies and its no fun! 

It doesn't just effect nursing mothers.  It effects all kinds of people.  Nursing just seems to be when it's at its worse because you and the baby can pass it back and forth over and over and over.  So here is a few simple tips that I have found to work... the only problem is... you have to keep it up for about 2 weeks after the symptoms are gone.  I'm the kind that once I start feeling better... it drops to the bottom of the priority list! Hence the reason I haven't fully gotten rid of it after 3 children.

The first thing to remember is a healthy diet!  Stay away from the sugar!!!  I know its easier said than done.  I am a serious junk food junky!  Eat lots of spinach and other really green veggies.  Not sure why, but it helps! I know it has something to do with building back up your immune system.  Oh and garlic.. Eat lots of garlic.  It helps to build your immune system too.

You'll also want to take a good probiotic. Ask you Dr or pharmacist which one they recommend. 

Here's the great part though.  If you have ever tried nursing a baby when you have an advanced stage of thrush, you know it's one of the most painful things EVER!  I won't go into details but if you are cracked and bleeding or even scabbed over, you know that those wounds do not heal very easy. And it's not always thrush that causes that just fyi. Sometimes its the latch.  Either way, try these recipes. They are awesome!!!!

Salt Water Soak

(to heal cracked nipples and other wounds)

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

rinse "troubled" areas with solution. I like to use those squirt bottles you get from the hospital for both of these. A lactation specialist told me you could soak up the water into two wods of paper towel and hold them on the breast or other infected areas for 10 minutes.  I like to just rinse them, its faster and doesn't waist paper towel.  I use the entire recipe each rinse. Pat dry with a clean towel.  Do this about 3 times a day. (if you can)

Vinegar Soak

(just for yeast)

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 cup hot water (as hot as you can stand)

rinse "troubled" areas with solution.  3 times daily (as impossible as that is for a mommy to do) You can also use the solution to rinse the babies diaper area with (ONLY USE LUKE WARM WATER FOR THIS) We don't want a burnt bottom for that little one!  Pat dry with a clean towel.  The hot water and the vinegar will kill the yeast.  Unfortunately it grows back rapidly, so that is why you have to do it frequently and do all of the other things above, so that you can get it out all the way. I use the entire recipe each rinse.

Thrifty Week day 4- All Purpose Cleaner

I have got some seriously awesome all purpose cleaner recipes for you today!!!  I found a site called

Organized Home. They are awesome with information.  Check it out!All but the first recipe comes from their site. They also have some amazing things to do with baking soda and ammonia.

I absolutely love working with vinegar.  For those of you that are nursing mothers dealing with thrush, or if you have chronic yeast issues, stay tuned to tomorrow post!!!!  Vinegar is awesome for cleaning.  It's a strong smell at first, but as it evaporates, the smell goes away.  Along with the other smells in the room. Its a natural deodorizer along with about a million other things. 

Vinegar

Homemade Mopping Solution for Floors:

Mix a solution of 1 to 1 vinegar and water to mop your floors.  It works awesome.  I often just dump some vinegar into a sink full of water. It doesn't have to be that exact ratio if you don't want to.

Homemade Spray Cleaner Recipe

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

In the kitchen, use vinegar-and-water spray to clean counter tops, lightly soiled range surfaces and back splash areas.

In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean counter tops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet.

For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave until barely hot.

Spray shower walls with the warmed solution generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.

Undiluted white vinegar--straight from the jug--makes quick work of tougher cleaning problems involving hard water deposits or soap scum.
Uses: 

to scrub the inside of the toilet bowl-  Before you begin, dump a bucket of water into the toilet to force water out of the bowl and allow access to the sides. Pour undiluted white vinegar around the bowl and scrub with a toilet brush to remove stains and odor. Use a pumice stone to remove any remaining hard water rings.

shower heads that have been clogged with mineral deposits- Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar in a plastic food storage bag, and secure the bag to the shower head with a rubber band. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then rinse and buff the fixture to a shiny finish.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

As a little disclaimer:  I haven't tried this recipe yet.  I got too lazy a couple of weeks ago and just bought a Costco sized detergent.  In an effort not to spend more money than I needed to this week, I decided just to share it and see how you like it.  I have used these ingredients before in cleaning, so I'm pretty confident that it's a good one.

We are stepping out of the laundry room and into the kitchen today.  Tomorrow, I'll share an all purpose cleaner recipe for the kitchen/bathrooms etc.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 Cup Lemishine or citric acid (double for hard water)

1/2 Cup Kosher Salt

Fill rinse agent compartment with white vinegar or lemon juice.

Each batch yields 24 ounces. Make sure to store in a disposable container.   You can double, or triple etc. the batch as desired. 

Fill container with ingredients. Seal with a lid. Shake really well.  Label your container and store.

Each load will only need 1 tbsp of the mixture.

Notes:  I found Lemishine at Fry's. I'm sure Wal Mart carries it as well.  Citric acid is a little harder to find.  If you decide to use citric acid, it will make the detergent clumpy.  Just leave it out and stir it several times for the first day or two.

For savings and other tips visit DIY Natural.

Thrifty Week day 2- Fabric Softener

We have been potty training this week.  The absolute worst part about potty training for me, is the clean up.  The laundry that never seems to get that smell out, no matter how many times you wash them.  I put my daughter down for a nap today and she left me a present.  Nope not a wet present.  Yeah, you know what I'm talking about!  Those smells never seem to come out, with my old washer and dryer! The sheets and clothes always seem to smell stale or something after I wash them. 

Or don't you love those weeks where the laundry piles up and is the last thing on your list?  Then you remember that you have wet towels in the pile from mopping the floor, or bath time. Then all of the clothes wreak. Well Never Fear, relief is on the way.

Vinegar has got to be the greatest cleaner known to man!  I'll be sharing many vinegar tips the next few days.  I use it for canning, cleaning, and even yeast overgrowth. This stuff is amazing!

My mom told me about using vinegar in my rinse cycle of the washing machine.  It works as a fabric softener. It helps keep the washing machine and the hoses clean. My favorite part is that it takes out odors. Who would have thought that nasty smelling vinegar, takes out odors.  I challenge anyone who doesn't believe me, to come take a whiff of the sheets I just washed.  You'll never know what was on them. :) 

1 Cup vinegar

Add to your rinse cycle to reduce odors, and soften fabrics. 
You can also do this and run an empty cycle, for a good washing machine clean.  (same with the dishwasher)

The Duggar family also suggests this as another fabric softener suggestion, to stretch the budget.

1  Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4  Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet. 

picture taken from Here

Thrifty Week Day 1- Homemade Laundry Soap

Its Thrifty Week here on Mommy's Kitchen Creations! My husband has recently started his own landscaping/tree trimming business.  It has been a very exciting thing for our little family.  The one downfall to being self employed is that the steady paycheck isn't always there. I've really learned some awesome tricks to saving money.  Of course, there are always coupons, but have you ever tried price matching using coupons and shopping with 5 kids?  Yeah right, ain't happening!

So, this week I want to focus on some seriously awesome things that you can make from scratch to save money, and gain a better sense of accomplishment.  With just a few items, you can make your own laundry soaps, cleaning supplies and even bath and beauty products.
Today's recipe is for laundry soap.  It comes from the Duggar's. I really like them and their family values. I am a huge fan of their show and really admire all of the things they do to same money and become self sufficient.

Normal baking soda will not work in these recipes. You must use Washing Soda.
 

Homemade Laundry Soap

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar

1  Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

½  Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

Here is their liquid soap recipe.  It's a far greater value than the powdered stuff.  I haven't made it yet myself, because I'm just too lazy, but I really should.  The nice thing about this one is that you can use it for top or front loader machines.  The other is just for top loader machines.

4  Cups - hot tap water

1  Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

This picture is not my own picture.  It was taken from Here.  These are the 3 ingredients that you will be looking for. Wal Mart has them.  The Borax does look a little different than this one now. So don't stress if it doesn't look like the one in the picture. It's all the same.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

I found this recipe on a friends blog and couldn't wait to try it! I'm so glad I did.  Its super yummy.  I want to try it with a few different flavors.  I think it would make a super yummy crust for Cheese Cake too.  



Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Crust:

2 2/3 cups pretzel sticks, finely chopped (1 bag)

3 Tbsp. sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

Cream sugar and butter together. Add pretzels. Mix well and Press into a 9X13 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Middle Layer:

1 (8 oz.) container cool whip

1 cup sugar

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

Mix together and carefully spread on cooled crust. (don't lift spatula, or it will pull up the pretzel crust)

Top Layer:

1 (6 oz.) package strawberry jello

2 cups boiling water

1 pint frozen (or fresh) strawberries, thawed and chopped

Dissolve jello in water. Chill until partially set. Add strawberries. Pour on top and chill until firm

Mini Daddy

I'm sure you are saying "what the what is a Mini Daddy?" For those of you Gila valley fans, you know exactlly what I am talking about, don't ya?  There are a few restaurants in Safford/Thatcher, that have these gargantuous tostades, called Big Daddy's.  At least they seemed gargantuous when I was a kid.  They also have some smaller ones called "Little Daddy's".  I made my version of a "Mini" Big Daddy tonight for dinner.  Can you say yummo?

I tell you what, anything deep fried, and I mean anything... is delicious!  Even ice cream!  ooohh that give me an idea of something else to post in the future! Anyway, I love their deep fried huge tortillas on those Big Daddy's.  They are so yummy!  /they totally make the dish.  So those of you tryibg to eat healthy... better find a different post to try,

Mini Daddy

Small flour tortillas
oil for frying

Toppings (as desired)

Green Chile Meat or taco meat

Refried Beans

shredded cheese

sour cream

diced tomatoes

shredded lettuce

Deep fry tortilla on medium high heat until golden brown and crisp.  Top with beans, meat and desired toppings. 

Savory Cheese Ball

There is something about cheese balls that just warms my heart.  They are so good!  I haven't met a cheese ball that I haven't liked.  This one is by far my favorite though.  My former neighbor used to make this for me every Christmas.  I looked forward to it every year!

Savory Cheese Ball

2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese (softened)

1/2 green bell pepper chopped

1/2 small yellow onion chopped

1 (2 oz) package of corned beef (deli meat) chopped

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.  Separate mixture into two balls and roll into crushed pecans or walnuts. Serve with crackers.

Hearty Beef Stew

This is my mom's recipe.  It is so good!  We will often can a bunch of jars at a time,  It makes to the fastest meal in the west.  And one of the best I might add.  I've also split this recipe into two freezer bags and just frozen them.  It makes for a fabulous crock pot freezer meal.  This recipe, makes quite a bit of stew.

Hearty Beef Stew

1 (5 lb) roast, cubed

6 large carrots sliced

4 large baking potatoes

1 large can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 (46 oz) can V-8

1 tsp Parsley

salt and pepper to taste

 For all methods of cooking:  Stir soup, V-8 and seasonings into a large pitcher. 

Crock pot: toss meat and vegetabless into a large crock pot. Pour over the liquid mixture.  Cook on low for 8 hours. (or on high for 4 hours)

For a crock pot freezer meal- toss all ingredients (raw) into two (gallon) freezer bags. Pour liquid mixture into both bags evenly.  Freeze. When ready to eat, toss in the crock pot and cook for 9-10 hours on low and 5-6 hours on high.  

For canning:  Put desired amount of vegetables and meat into each jar.  Pour liquid mixture into the jars leaving a half inch of head space.  Process in a pressure canner for 75 min (pints) or 90 min (quarts)  Remove and allow them to cool on a towel on the counter. 

Better Than Sweet Rolls

I volunteered to make some bread for our Relief Society activity night this month.  I decided to experiment a little and make some yummy sweet rolls.  Not the best time to experiment, but I'm so excited that it was a huge success!

When we lived in Provo, my all time favorite place to go was good ol' Chuckarama.  Seriously, what kind of name is that?  We used to call it "Up-Chuckarama". Really though, the food was great. We just liked to call it that.  You know like "Snot in the Box" or "Tomatobees" (that one is actually 2 different restaurants. My kids get them both mixed up). Anyway... you didn't come here to read about my random quirks. Back to Chuckarama.  I absolutely loved their rolls.  And their honey butter... HEAVEN!!!

Not to toot my own horn (Toot Toot). All I could say when I first tried these rolls was "Eat your heart out Chuckarama!" They we SO good!!!  I took my Cinnamon Rolls recipe and played with it a little.  Try them, you'll love em!



Better Than Sweet Rolls 

2 tbsp, saf instant yeast. 

2 1/2 C. Warm Water

1/2 C. Canola oil

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 tsp Salt

9 c. flour approx

Mix 4 cups flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.  Add Water, oil, milk and eggs.  Mix thoroughly and add flour just until it pulls away from the sides of the mixer.  Knead/Mix on Medium speed for 6-8 minutes. Lightly grease a large bowl.  Move dough to the bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, then punch down dough.

Roll into balls and place next to each other on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 2-3 dozen

Tip:  You may need more or less flour depending on humidity and other factors.  You'll want the dough to be a sticky as possible but still able to handle.  I coat my hands with a little flour, so that I can handle it easier. The less you add, the lighter the rolls will be..

Cheese Crisp Tacos

The quote "Cheddar makes everything better" comes to mind on this one.  Cheese crisps, mean two different things to me and my husband, at least they used to.  My cheese crisps are a crunchy tortilla with cheese melted on it.  His is crispy cheese.  Go figure.

I'm now a sucker for a nice cheese crisp, Trever style! The secret to making these delectable snacks of scrumptiousness, is Dixie. No no, not the good ol land of Dixie, but the paper plates.  There is something about the Dixie plates that allows the cheese to melt without sticking to the plate. I'm sure its the waxie surface. 

My husband was experimenting with these one day, and in the words of Emerill... "BAM" this crunchy, cheesy sensation was born.

Cheese Crisp Tacos

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)

1/2 medium onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic

cheddar cheese

toppings of your choice

Brown meat and onion together until no longer pink.  Add garlic. Stir well and cook one minute.  Remove from heat.  Using a Dixie plate (whichever size you like) cover the bottom of the plate with a layer of cheese.  Microwave on high for about1-1 1/2 minutes. Checking on it every 30 seconds. It's done when the cheese is still soft but no longer gooey.

Dab a paper towel onto the cheese to remove excess grease.  Remove cheese (quickly) and fill with desired meat and toppings. Fold over. The cheese will harden as it cools. 

Giveaway!!

It's about that time for another Giveaway!!  This time I have a real treat for you.  The prize is a free pass to our next cooking class!!!  We are doing some amazing dishes.  Lasagna, Macaroni and Cheese and Bagel Bite Pizzas.  The class costs $35.  If you win this giveaway, it's yours for FREE!!! 

This giveaway is just for the locals. Sorry. Unless you are willing to travel :)  Or fly me and my family to you for a one on one class.  hehehe

There are two ways to win this prize...

1) leave a comment telling me 2 new dishes that you would like me to post a recipe for.

2) email me at jennieplastow@gmail.com with YOUR favorite recipe that you would like me to try. Then leave a comment with the name of the recipe, for others to see.

This giveaway ends at Midnight Wednesday night.  Check back Thursday morning for the results.

Easy Homemade Applesauce

When I started this blog, my goal was to share easy recipes that a mommy could make on a mommy schedule.  I'm a huge believer of taking one day out of the week/month/or year and stock up on a bunch of the same things.  Who has time to make applesauce from scratch every time your kids want it. 

Another goal of mine, is to make recipes dishes using tools that are usually found in a mommy's kitchen. When I think of making applesauce, I think of using that big machine and a sticky mess everywhere. I don't have one of those, nor do I know anyone that does.  So, here is a simple way to make it in your very own kitchen, and your kids can help! All you need is a pot and a blender.  If you have one of those apple peeler gadgets, those are wicked awesome and will speed up the process by leaps and bounds!

Easy Homemade Applesauce

15-20 Fuji Apples (or other sweet apple)

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp salt

4 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 cup water

Peel, core and slice apples.  pour into a pot with one cup water.  Over medium heat, steam the apples until soft and tender.  Allow apples to cool so that you don't have This happen. Transfer apples, reserving the liquid, to a blender. Add in sugar, salt, lemon juice and cinnamon if desired. Blend until creamy, adding liquid to the desired consistency.  Eat right away or pour into a quart jar for preserving.

To preserve: pour applesauce into a quart jar. Wipe down rim and put on lids. Boil in a Water Bath for 20 minutes.  The time is the same for pints and quarts.  Remove the jars from the Water Bath and allow them to cool on a towel for up to 24 hours. 

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

I know that all of you are just aching to see another one of the fabulous dishes that my Mother in law made for me while in recovery.  Yeah, I get pretty spoiled when she cooks! The thing I like about this one, is that it is a crock pot recipe.  I have to thanks my sweet Stephanie for taking the picture for me. 

We served this over Coconut Rice.  Though I liked this dish better fresh, it freezes quite nicely. So double your batch and just freeze the leftovers. Thaw, then warm it in the microwave. Yummo!

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips

garlic powder to taste

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cube beef bouillon

1/4 cup hot water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.

Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

This recipe taken from All recipes

 

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

I was sitting on the couch, recovering from a c-section and enjoying being pampered, when my mother-in-law brought be a plate of this dish. I seriously considered asking her to move in with us!  My house was so clean and every meal was absolutely divine!  This dish was so good.  The great part was, we froze the leftovers and ate them the other night.  They were even better the second time around.  Probably because I was off of the pain pills and had my senses back to full power. You can double the batch and freeze one, or toss the leftovers in a freezer bag and freeze it that way.  Either way, Fabulous!

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

8 oz. penne or bow tie pasta

1 jar Alfredo sauce or 1 recipe Alfredo Sauce

1/2 rotisserie chicken pulled apart into pieces (or 2 chicken breasts cubes and grilled)

6 oz. (1/2 package) bacon, cooked and chopped

1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is done, drain and stir in Alfredo sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

 

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Tortilla Roll-Ups

It's just about time to start planning that super bowl party.  Well I think it is anyway.  I am so NOT a football fan! At least for pro sports.  No clue when it is, or who is playing.  All I know is that its a time to eat! So if you are throwing a super bowl party... here is one to add to your list.  They will be a huge hit.

I have to apologize for the picture.  I'm having some serious camera issues.  And then when I go to edit the pictures, they seem fine in the program I edit them in, then I post them and they look terrible.  They really are so much better than they look.  I should seriously set up a pay pal account to try to raise money for a better camera!  It's amazing how much better the recipe looks when you have a fabulous picture with it.  Oh well, some day, my blog will be booming with fabulous pictures and amazing dishes.  For now, you get to read mommy on a budget posts. hehehe

Tortilla Roll-Ups



1 (8 oz.) Cream Cheese

2 (4 oz.) cans green chilies

3 C. Grated Cheese

1 C. chopped olives

1 C. Chopped green onions

1 (8 oz.) tub sour cream can be used to make it creamier and easier to spread

Mix all ingredients and spread onto 6 or 7 flour tortillas. Roll up each tortilla and slice about every ½ inch.

Spinach Apple Salad

Have you ever seen an almost two year old scarf down spinach?  No lie, we ate this for dinner tonight... My little one ate two adult sized helpings of it.  She wanted this salad over the Pizza that we had.  I got this recipe from my aunt a couple of weeks ago.  I've made it at least 3 times a week since I got it.  I don't know what it is about the dressing, but its addictive. 

One confession... I don't spend the time to fry up the bacon. I just buy the already cooked and chopped stuff for this salad. It makes it quick and easy to throw together. 

If you use the honey roasted slivered almonds, it gives it an even better flavor!  I also make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in the fridge for a week or two. Depending on the color of your purple onion, some dressings will be really pink and others will be more white. 

Spinach Apple Salad 

1 (10-oz) bag fresh baby spinach

1 med. Granny Smith apple, cored, and diced

1/2 lb. crumbled, fried bacon

3/4 C toasted, slivered almonds

Dressing:

1/4 C granulated sugar

1/3 C oil

1/4 tsp. salt

3T. cider vinegar

1/8 small red onion

Toss salad ingredients together. For dressing, place ingredients in blender. Blend until onion is very fine and mixture is well blended. Dress salad and serve immediately. Garnish with apple slices.

Not sure how to measure 1/8 of an onion... easiest way... cut it in half, then that half in half, then that half in half. There you have it.

Gingerbread Pancakes

Hi Mommy's Kitchen Creations daily readers! I'm Megan, from Pickle Boat Recipes. I'm honored to be a guest blogger on my dear friend, Jennie's blog. It's so great to have a friend who shares the love of amazing foods! That way, every get together can center around what we get to eat! Or, if our husbands plan it, it centers around what they get to shoot... which I suppose relates to what we get to eat. Hopefully, right? Luckily for the Bambi lovers more faint of stomach, I will not be featuring anything related to hunting, shooting, or really anything man-related (although your man will definitely LOVE this dish!).

Instead, we will focus more on a sweet and flavorful breakfast dish: Gingerbread Pancakes! If you've ever had the chance to visit my blog, you know I am a lover of all things breakfast-y. This is a family favorite, usually made during the Holiday season, but we also make it many times throughout the year. There are three parts, but don't be intimidated. We take a few shortcuts and it ends up looking like you put a lot more work into it than you really did. Plus it tastes amazing!

Gingerbread Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups buttermilk pancake mix

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon ginger

1/2 cup Molasses

1 1/2 cup water

3 cups unsweetened applesauce

1-2 peeled apples, cut into 1/2" chunks

1/4 cup red hots candies

1/4 cup water

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Pancakes:

Preheat griddle or skillet on medium heat.

Combine pancake mix, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add Molasses and water. Stir together just until combined. Lightly grease griddle and pour 1/4 cupfuls of pancake batter onto the griddle. Cook until edges are slightly dry looking and top begins to bubble. Flip with a spatula and cook until other side is lightly browned and pancake is cooked through. Continue with remaining dough.

Applesauce Topping:

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat (we're feeling rather medium today!) heat applesauce, apples, red hots, and water. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until apple chunks are soft; approximately 20 minutes. This step can be done ahead of time and reheated just before serving.

Maple Cream Topping:

In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in a regular bowl with a hand mixer) add heavy cream and syrup. Mix until slightly stiff - whipped cream texture.

Top warm pancakes with applesauce topping and then whipped cream. You can also garnish it with some leftover red hots for fun!



Rocky Road Fudge

Today's recipe came from my mother. It's super easy! It only takes a couple of minutes to make.  I apologize for not having a picture.  I made it so many times over the holidays and for some reason, never took a picture! But I guess no picture is better than no post right? 

When I first made this, I was thinking the chocolate would melt the marshmellows a little but,  It doesn't. This is a very chunky fudge.  But super yummy! Enjoy!

Rocky Road Fudge

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 12 oz pkg

1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups mini marshmellows

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped nuts (almonds )

Line 13x9 baking pan with foil and grease lightly

Microwave chips and milk in a large microwave safe bowl (uncovered)

On high for 1 minute. Stir. Chips may retain shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-15 secind intervals, stirring until smooth.  Stir in vanilla. Fold in marshmallows and nuts

Press mixture into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift from pan. Remove foil. Cut into pieces.