Oatmeal Cookies With Added Toffee & Coconut.

Good Monday night everyone! Ah, I've missed posting food recipes even though it has only been a week! It seems like forever ago. I am so glad to say that I can finally be back in the kitchen again.
I am also glad that spring decided to come back. Saturday we got around 3 inches of snow. It is almost all gone now and sunny weather is back, more snow would be pretty hard to take.
One thing I really enjoy about food is getting to try new dishes. I love eating at other people's houses to try new dishes. Sunday after church I had lunch with my friend and her Mom and boy, my friend's Mom can cook! We had this yummy oven-cooked glazed pork, Spud Mashed Potatoes, and salad. This was the first time I have ever had Mashed Potatoes out of a box and I fell in love. They are way better than homemade. Can't believe I am saying this! I was also introduced to putting Cinnamon-Sugar on top of Vanilla Ice-Cream. All I can say is wow, why I never tried that before I don't know.

Here is a twist to your average Oatmeal Cookie. The toffee bits and coconut made me love the Oatmeal Cookie even more. I undercooked them slightly and am glad I did. Because they still continued to cook after I took them out and turned out chewy and moist. Didn't last long here at all. And, the dough raw is not bad at all.

Oatmeal, Toffee, & Coconut Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 bag of Toffee Bits

1 cup coconut

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Beat butter, eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in oats, toffee bits, and coconut. Drop by rounded tablespoon 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool for 1 minute and then remove to wire rack. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

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Anna. The one of out us 6 you don't see too often on here. The camera and her don't get along very well. I can't blame her though, because when I was her age the camera and I weren't best buds either. I am still not the biggest fan of getting pictures taken. I enjoy being behind the camera. So does Anna. And she is pretty good at snaping pictures. Really good. And she is only 12. But her and a football get along really well.

I'll see you with a fun contest that involves something about you next. Have a great Monday night!

1st Guest Blogger.

Hi everyone! One of my favorite bloggers, Jessica over at Turkey Cookies is my guest blogger today. Thank you Jessica for helping me out!

I'm flattered to be hanging out in Priscilla's kitchen today. She always makes the most delicious goodies which become quick favorites in my house. I love to bake most anything but I have a particular weakness for cookies. Baking is my stress relief and there is no better way I would rather spend a weekend day than in the kitchen with some flour, butter, and sugar. I thought long and hard about what recipe to share here. Priscilla really does make some yummy treats and I wanted to share something just as tasty. On the most lovely spring day so far this year I thought meringues! Both are cookies that just scream springtime to me and are a nice break from the variations of chocolate chip cookies that I often make.
Meringues
INGREDIENTS:
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (or hot chocolate powder)
1 cup sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Whip the the first three ingredients together with an electric mixer on medium high speed until they increase in size and become frothy. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Mix the instant coffee and cocoa powder together with the vanilla in a small bowl until dissolved. Slowly add the sugar into the egg white mixture and mix on high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Add the coffee/cocoa/vanilla mixture until just combined. Put the mixture into a pastry bag (or ziploc bag with the end cut off, like me) and make small thumb-sized meringues about an inch apart. Bake in the oven for twenty minutes, rotate the pans, and bake another 10-20 minutes or until the meringues appear dry. Then let them cool in the oven until they are crispy for 30 to 40 minutes.
You really cannot eat just one of these meringues. Thanks for sharing your space with me today, Priscilla. I really enjoyed the chance to share one of my favorite recipes with you!

Hope you all enjoyed this new something and see you shortly with another post soon. Have a super Monday!

The Baseball Star Of Moscow.

Happy Friday everyone! I am super excited about this whole new blog look. What do you guys think? Like it or don't? Shannon at Eight Crazy Design re-did my whole blog for me. She is awesome to work with. I am still changing some things around, so it isn't all there just yet. My blog has been in need of a makeover for a while now.

Also, I joined the other foodie bloggers and got a twitter account, like I need to spend more time on the internet!

A congrats to the winner of the handcrafted necklace:

Garner5 who said: Taco Bell is my favorite fast food restaurant. Love the Chili Cheese Burrito!Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so you can receive your prize! On a side note, 1 inch of snow is forecasted for tomorrow. I sure hope the weatherman is wrong this time!

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I can safetly say my little brother Joe is one of the best baseball players in Moscow. Because Moscow, IA has a population of about 300 people. And out of those 300 people I can say there isn't too many 14 year old boys.
He wants to be a player on the St. Louis Cardinals one day.
Out of all the baseball teams there are he could have picked another team. Because the Cubs and the Cards don't get along that well.
If he happened to become a Cardinal, I'd cheer for him even when they play the Cubs (but still secretly root for the them). Because he is my baby brother.

While he is most unlikely to become a baseball player, that doesn't matter to me. In my mind he'll always be the best little brother baseball player I could ask for.

Have a great weekend guys, hopefully there will be some good weather in store for us! See you with a guest blogger Monday!

Beautiful Necklace Giveaway!

Contest is now closed! Wow, thank you readers for your get well wishes and even prayers. Thank you for caring that much. I know I've said this but you guys are amazing. Here is a giveaway you'll love. Erin at ErinBowe makes some of the prettiest jewlery and necklaces. Some of her necklaces are colorful while others have these neat desgins on them. I especially like the above necklace, where you get your initial stamped in the necklace. Erin also has some pretty earrings and rings in her store, make sure to check her out!

The prize....the above necklace valued at $50!

To enter....tell me what your absolute favorite fast food restaurant to eat at is. It doesn't have to be good for you, but we all enjoy splurging once in a while! I have 2 favorites, I love love In-N-Out and Green Burito. But since the state of IA lacks in that area, I'd say Taco Bell is my favorite here in the Midwest.

The deadline....Friday at 1 PM CST.

Get 2 extra chances by....suscribing to my blog.

Get 3 extra chances by....following my blog.

Leave me an extra comment for each extra chance you do.

Ouch!

Hi everyone. Hope your week has been treating you well. Monday was a rough day for me, I smashed my right hand pretty bad. I was closing a door and the wind (which was blowing really hard that day) shut the door on my hand. I've never felt such pain before and hopefully will never smash my hand like this again. So, currently I am not able to use my right hand except for my thumb. Which means baking/cooking is on hold for a little while. I wish I knew how to bake with 6 fingers. But, that doesn't mean I am going to stop blogging....no way. I am going to be having some guest bloggers posting for me for some fabulous food recipes. And, there will be some giveaways coming up. There is also something new coming to my blog, so stay tuned.
Thanks for understanding, I wish I could still be posting food recipes for you amazing readers!

Soft, Chewy, & Gooey Breadsticks.

Good Monday everyone! Doesn't feel like a spring day today, we are having cloudy, cool, and windy weather. 2 of my brothers and I recently signed up for our church's softball league this summer. I've never played on one before, so I am hoping I am not too much of a embaresement! I am really excited about it too, I love playing sports. There are of course more guys than girls on the team, but one of my friends signed up as well so I am glad I'm not the only girl on the team. There should be some pictures soon from playing on here. For me, the most important thing is to remind myself this is all simply for fun. This isn't the big leauges!

These are some of the best breadsticks I have ever had. They are soft, chewy, and best warm straight from the oven. I like taking them out of the oven when still slightly white on top, because they are so much better that way. Some of my favorite breadsticks I like to eat at restaurants would be Pizza Hut's or Olive Gardens. I also enjoy a breadstick and a salad together for a meal, it isn't much but appetizing. The pictures you see of the salad will be showing up in a post soon. It does look similar to the Texas Salsa recipe I posted a while back but it is much different. We all adore this salad. And everyone we introduce it to loves it as well.

Soft And Gooey Breadsticks

Ingredients:
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/2 cup Sugar, divided
2 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 cup warm water. Add the oil, egg, salt, 2 cups flour, and remaining sugar and water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes. Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide into 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a 6-in. rope. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Yield: 3 dozen breadsticks.

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Spring means baseball season. Baseball season means my brothers spending countles hours playing it every evening. Trying to imitate the professionals. And it can be amsuing at times, because well, my brothers aren't professionals. Although they do amazingly well for 3 boys who live in the middle of nowhere. I'd have to say the oldest is the best at baseball. Andrew has always been the best out of all of us at sports. But that means that us younger kids have always tried to be better than Andrew, because in our family if you could beat Andrew in anything....that meant you were pretty good. In our family.

I'll see you shortly with a tasty dessert, have a great Monday!

Brownies With Peanut Butter, Vanilla Pudding, & Cool Whip.

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Winner of the 2 mugs picked by random.org is:

BrittWilk who said: this week I'm going to start getting us organized for moving logistics!

Congrats Britt! Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net.

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Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all are enjoying some beautiful spring weather this weekend. House cleaning was in full swing this morning and afternoon. While I'm not the biggest fan of cleaning, I love being in a clean house. Friday we hopped to the theater and saw Knowing. I really liked that movie, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. My Dad was telling my little 14 year old brother he had a shocked and frozen look on his face during the movie. My other little brother walked out of the theater hating it. Today he says it wasn't too bad after all. I personally liked it. It had lots and lots of action. I like action movies. Another movie with not many language issues at all. My favorite character is the little boy Caleb, John's (Nicholas Cage) son.

If you are a big peanut butter fan, I know you will love these brownies. The peanut butter is mixed with vanilla pudding and spread inbetween the brownie and the cool whip chocolate topping. The cool whip topping is light and fluffy but yummy on top of the peanut butter mixture and brownie. They taste best when the brownie are still chewy, so it is important not to overbake them.

Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (19 to 20 oz) brownie mix, prepared in 13x9 inch pan
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip Topping, thawed
6 squares Semi-sweet baking chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare brownies according to box directions. Whisk milk and pudding mix 2 min. while brownies are cooling. Add peanut butter and sugar, mix well. Cover and refrigerate pudding mixture until brownies are completely cooled. Spread pudding mixture over brownies. Melt chocolate squares and combine with cool whip. Spread over pudding. Refrigerate 1 hour.

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My friend sent me a link to this youtube video, I wanted to share it you guys. I was laughing so hard at this, what a funny movie.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you with a dinner recipe next!

Welcoming Spring With A Giveaway!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Happy Spring everyone! Ah, it is finally here. Sunny skies, big fluffy clouds, nice weather, longer evening hours, BBQ's, friends over. Welcome spring. You have been missed.

Jean Ann at Little Pig Pottery is helping us welcome spring. Jean Ann has beautiful pottery ranging from vases, mugs, plates, and bowls. Her work is so pretty, some of the best pottery I have ever seen. I love the dragonflies she puts on her pottery. If you are looking for some pottery, be sure to check her store out!

"Win These 2 Mugs"

The prize....Win the above 2 handcrafted mugs.

To enter.....tell me what you have planned this weekend. Are you going to be enjoying this nice spring weather outside at the park? Maybe spring cleaning? I am attacking the house tomorrow, it is in need of much cleaning.

Deadline is....Saturday at 3 PM CST.

Get extra chances by....Following my blog (under Who's In The Kitchen) OR Suscribing to my blog. Leave me an extra comment if you do any of the above.

Classic Crunchy Choc. Chip Cookie W/Brownie Mix.

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A big conrats to the winner of the purse picked by random.org:

A who said: I'm wearing a green shirt--no pinching for me!!!

Congrats A! Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so I can get your prize out to you!

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Good Wednesday everyone! This week is flying by, I can't believe we are already halfway thru March! It seems like yesterday was March 1st. I recently learned how to play "Apples to Apples" (lame that I only learned recently) and I absolutely love that game! I like it when you get cards like when the red card is "frightening" and someone throws in a green card that says "Brad Pitt". I also love playing when you play only with the green cards, where you describe everyone with the adjectives. I've got some pretty mean cards that way. Lets say I'm glad it is all in fun! But why do brothers find great pleasure in giving their sisters cards that say things like insane, painful, or frightening? I am still trying to figure that out.

I took this recipe from the King Arthur Flour, Cookie Companion book and tweaked it. Yum, the addition of a brownie mix adds great flavor and a bit of a brownie like cookie. This recipe is one of my favorite ways to make Chocolate Chip cookies with the addition of vinegar and shortening. I also enjoy all the chocolate chips in this cookie, a whole 3 cups. I personally think the more chips the better.

Classic Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookie With Brownie Mix

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp. vanila extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp. white vinegar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 - 1/4 cup brownie mix, dry (staright from the box)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt, and vinegar. Beat in the eggs, then the baking soda and flour. Stir in the brownie mix and chips. Drop the dough by a small tablespoonful onto baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

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Little brothers. I've got 2 of them. They definitely keep my life exciting. They are opposites of each other but keep each other in tact. They are full of energy when it comes to sports. And yes, they are way better than me at the whole sports thing. Although that doesn't keep me from still trying to be okay in their books at it.

Have a fabulous rest of your week and I'll see you next with a tasty recipe!

Celebrating St. Pattys Day With A Giveaway!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Good Tuesday afternoon everyone & Happy St. Patricks Day! We are having marvelous and beautiful weather. Spring weather. I forgot how much I missed this , I am glad to say winter appears to be gone. I am hoping it doesn't snow in April like it did a couple years ago. To celebrate spring weather and St. Pattys Day, I am having this great giveaway. Ally at AllyBu is letting me give 1 of her handmade purses away to 1 of my readers. She makes some pretty colorful purses that are perfect for spring. Her purses are also big and roomy, which is a must for a purse for me. Be sure to check her store out, you will like her purses.

-Win This Purse-

The prize....Win the above brand new handmade purse.

To enter.....tell me are you wearing green since today is St. Patricks Day? I'm not, and my Mom already pinched me. Thanks Mom!

Deadline is....Wednesday at nine o'clock PM CST.

Get extra chances by....Following my blog (under Who's In The Kitchen) OR Suscribing to my blog. Leave me an extra comment if you do any of the above.

Wow, You Look Exactly Like Your Mom....No Like Your Dad!

People say all us kids look alike. They also will say so and so looks like your Dad or like your Mom! I nod and say oh really? Because I don't really see any of us looking alike. My oldest sister is always told she resembles our Mom. My little brother looks like my Dad did when my Dad was little. The other 4 of us are a mix between our Dad and Mom. One common feature is we all have the dark brown hair and dark eyes. But that is all I see. What do you guys think, who looks like our Dad or Mom? And, please excuse my freaky expression. I love to make faces.

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Here's to a great rest of your Monday and see you with a dessert soon!

Chicken Breasts Topped With Mushrooms, Cheese, & Green Onions.

Happy Sunday everyone! My Mom took some of us kids to spend the day snowboarding yesterday for the last time this season. It is sad to think we won't be going anymore until next season but waving winter goodbye beans saying hello to warm weather. And I know, next winter will be upon us before I know it. I am always amazed at the little 3-4 year olds that ski on the slopes, they do so well and look so cute so close to the ground. Falling wouldn't hurt for them as nearly as much as it does for me. Being taller than them has made me pay by the big bruises I have gotten from falling snowboarding.

We saw Race To Witch Mountain on Friday and it was such an amazing film! I loved the whole thing. Lots of action and humor. No bad language either, which makes me happy. I love that Disney films keep that out of their movies. I personally think this is a great family movie, I can't wait to go see it again.

Absolutely delicious food makes me happy. Eating something delicious can all of a sudden make the whole day brighter. It is weird, and my brothers give me the "you are crazy look". This chicken is the best I have ever tasted. With mushrooms cooked in chicken broth, salt, and pepper and then spilled on top the chicken and sprinkled cheese and green onions on top of that....makes this one out-of-this-world recipe.

Baked Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4-in. thickness. Place flour in a resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

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I am a huge Princess Diaries fan. I love love that movie. Anne Hathaway does a super job playing Mia Thermopolis and Maria from The Sound Of Music plays her grandmother. Her best friend Lilly is very entertaining and Lilly's brother Michael is my favorite. One of my favorite films.

Have a great Sunday and see you next with a little something fun!

Decal Winner.

Wow, lots of combos I've never heard that you guys like to mix together. Winner picked by random.org is:

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Susan who said: I love fries and mustard & mayo.. yummy!

Congrats Susan! Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so I can get your prize out to you.

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Stay tuned for a tasty tasty recipe coming tomorrow! Have a good night guys!

Brighten Up Your Home Giveaway!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

I love decals. Whether they are for your house, your folder, car, or whatever you put them on. I love brightening things up. VinylLettering has some pretty neat and creative decals that can really add a touch to your home. I'd love all these decals, mmm aren't they amazing? I especially love "Loved you yesterday, Love you still, Always have, Always will". I can imagine quite a few of these decals in the house.

--Win This Decal--

The prize....the above decal. Personalize it any way you want.

To enter.....tell me what kind of foods you like to pair together that are odd. What kind of food do you like together that people say "yuck" about? I love love love fries and shakes together. Throwing my fries in my shakes and eating them that way is one of my favorite ways to eat fries. Now I am hungary.

Deadline is....Friday at 9 o'clock PM CST.

Get extra chances by....Following my blog (under Who's In The Kitchen) OR Suscribing to my blog. Leave me an extra comment if you do any of the above.

French Toast Made With Vanilla, Cinnamon, And Milk.

Good Wednesday everyone! I hope you all have been having a good week so far. We have been having lots of rain this week and cloudy skies. Makes you want to take naps and watch movies all day. This Friday I am excited about seeing Race To Witch Mountain. I love Disney Films. What I am really excited about seeing is the Hannah Montana movie and 17 Again in April. 17 Again reminds me of Back To The Future, but maybe more comical. I haven't seen a good movie in the theater for a while. Heres to hoping I like these films.

French Toast. My favorite breakfast food ever. The addition of cinnamon, vanilla, and milk to the egg mixture adds flavor that you wouldn't believe. I can't imagine making French Toast without these extra flavorings. I like making extra French Toast egg mixture because whatever I have left I use to make eggs. Yum, they are tasty. I love this meal on Saturday mornings.


French Toast Dressed Up

Ingredients:

6 slices bread

8 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 tbsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. cinnamon

Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Mix eggs. Add milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Coat bread very well with egg mixture. Place in buttered pan. Cook on stove flipping once. Top the side of the bread you won't flip again with butter and cinnamon. Keep warm. Pour syrup over.

Whatever egg mixture I have left I like to use to make eggs with the French Toast.

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Enjoy your Wednesday and see you next with a giveaway!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza Topped With Toffee.

Monday. I am glad to say school is done and so is work. Mondays are such busy days, and they also happen to be my dinner night. Tonight, I felt like making something quick and easy so I cooked up some French Toast and eggs. I will be sharing our recipe for French Toast soon here, it is out-of-this-world good. I love having breakfast for dinner. Yum.

I am a big pizza lover. I love big slices of cheesy goodness. I also love dessert pizza. The apple pizza at Pizza Hut is one of my favorites. I haven't made homemade dessert pizza much, so I made some. I like the chocolate chip cookie dough crust and the chocolate pudding mixture on top the best. The chocolate pudding mixture is lip-smaking good.

Chocolate Chip And Toffee Cookie Pizza
Ingredients:
1 tube (18 ounces) chocolate chip cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups cold half-and-half cream
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup toffee bits

DIRECTIONS:
Press cookie dough onto an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 13-16 minutes or until center is set and cookie is lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes; gently run a flexible metal spatula under crust to loosen. Cool completely. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Spread over crust. In a large bowl, whisk cream and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Spread over cream cheese mixture; sprinkle with toffee. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 14-16 slices.



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Seeing funny animal pictures is something I love doing. They make me laugh hard. Couldn't not share these with you guys.

Have yourself a good week and I'll see you with a tasty way to make French Toast soon!

Sloppy Joe's With Red Kidney Beans.

Sorry for getting this announced so late, I was gone all day with a friend. Okay, the winner picked by random.org is:

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Courtney who said: I'm looking forward to it getting darker later!

Congrats Courtney! Please e-mail me at: priscilla91@iowatelecom.net.

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Good Saturday everyone! Hope you are enjoying your days off work and school. We have all been dealing with colds this past week. It seems that this is the time that everyone gets sick, at the end of winter. I found out that when I have a cold I can sing better than when I don't have a cold (you wouldn't want to hear me either way). Weird, I know. But, I'll still take a cold any day over the flu. As a matter of fact, I like simply being healthy! Don't we all.

I like to fix this for dinner on my dinner night. It is so easy and sloppy joes paired with fries are a hard meal to beat. I love the addition of kidney beans in this mixture, they add lots of flavor. I also like to dump more chili powder than the recipe calls for, chili powder is one of my favorite seasonings. Mrs. Butler, I know you said you were looking for a good Sloppy Joe recipe, hopefully you'll like this one.

Kidney Bean Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 can of dark red kidney beans, drained
6 hamburger buns, split

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, pepper, cayenne, and kidney beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until mixture reaches desired thickness. Top each hamburger bun with mixture.

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Lewis. I like to say he is half-human, even though I know he isn't. His personality is beyond any dog I've had or any dog I've come in contact with. He thinks he owns the house. He loves refried beans, tomatoes, vegetables, fruit, gum, chocolate, paper, shoes, and anything he isn't supposed to put in his mouth. Loves to chase and scare to death my sister's cat. Has nightmares and shakes when sleeping. He has huge paws. And yes, he snores when he sleeps too. (The extra collor you see on him is his shocking collor.) If I was asked to describe Lewis, there is only one word....weird.

Hope you have a great weekend and I'll see you with a dessert recipe soon!

I Am A Hat Lover, Are You?

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

I love hats. Not really baseball caps but newsboys and the more girly caps. When I saw these handmade crocheted caps, I got so excited. They are gorgeous. They are chic. And they look so stunning. Jenel at SimplyJCrochet makes these adorable caps. Seriously, how cute are these....especially for that little girl/boy in your life? And, how amazing is this adult woman's cap?

The prize....1 of my readers will get to win 1 of the above caps. You get to pick, which ever one you'd like.

To enter....

tell me what you are looking forward to the most this summer. Yes, I currently preoccupied with summer and all the fun it brings. I am longing for a pool to jump in and Cubs baseball games. I love summertime.

Deadline is....

Sunday at 3 o'clock PM CST. A winner will be announced later that evening.

Get extra chances by....Following my blog (under Who's In The Kitchen) OR Suscribing to my blog. Leave me an extra comment if you do any of the above.

Have fun!

Greek Salad With Crumbled Feta Cheese.

Good Wednesday everyone! Already half-way thru the week? I used to never believe people when they said: "life gets faster as you get older". I always though yeah, sure it does. But, now that I am getting older I have come to realize that life really does speed up. Weeks really fly by now. Forget about weeks....you blink and your weekends are gone. I feel telling the clock to sloooow down.

I love Greek food. I love Middle Eastern food. I also love Feta Cheese. My sister says it stinks and refuses to eat it. Yes, you do have to get past the smell to be able to eat it. This Greek Salad has Feta Cheese in it and boy, does it taste ever better. The parsley, olives, red onions, tomatoes, and the lemon/oil dressing makes this healthy salad something you won't be able to stop eating. The dressing is made mostly to your taste buds, some people like more oil or more lemon juice than called for. I like mine with that tart taste to it.

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium red onions, sliced

2 cucumbers, cut into chunks

1 1/2 tomatoes, cut into chunks

3 cups parsley, chopped

3 cans olives

2 (4 oz.) pkg. feta cheese, crumbled

DRESSING:

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, olives, and feta cheese. Mix well. Mix dressing ingredients together. Pour over salad and mix together until salad is coated in dressing.


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Lisa. The oldest out of us kids. 10 years older than the youngest. The most gentle and calm out of our bunch. Out of us girls, Lisa is the one who would rather stay inside and knit, read, or even bake. My little sister Anna and I have been heavily influenced with 3 outdoor brothers. She's also the one who has lots of clothes and shoes....Anna and I due to being extremely picky about everything lack in that area. When it comes to knitting, she does a fantastic job. I am still trying to figure out how in the world she makes clothing for herself, I also lack in that area.

Have a super rest of your Wednesday and I'll see you with a another fabulous giveaway next!

German Chocolate Cheesecake And The Purse Winner.

Good Monday everyone! This weekend we had more spring like weather....it even rained pretty good last Friday. All our snow has disappeared and you can finally see grass again, even if it is brown. I am having trouble believing it is already March. It felt like February had just started. But no complaints, because March means warm weather. Leaving those frigid temps and too cold days behind is not a problem for me. The word summer sounds so inviting these days.

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A big congrats to the winner of the purse giveaway, picked by random.org:

Misty, who said: Target.... it has everything!

Please contact me Misty at: priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so I can get your purse out to you!

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I am a big fan of German Chocolate anything. I love the cake, but I also love German Chocolate Cookies and this delicious German Chocolate Cheesecake. It is very simple to make, starting out with a boxed cake mix. It does take some time to cook and chill so I like to make it either early morning or night time. The pecan-coconut topping is one of my favorite parts, the more the better. And, get this cheesecake as cold as possible because it makes all the calories you are eating worthwile.

German Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) German Chocolate cake mix
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
FROSTING:
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, cubed
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flaked coconut
1-1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare cake batter according to package directions; set aside. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Gently spoon remaining batter over top; spread to edge of pan. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. For frosting, in a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans. Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings.

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You don't see many pictures of all 6 of us together on here. We don't take many pictures together. Because it is kinda hard to get all 6 of us together and looking at the camera or maybe because some boys I know raise their voices about "picture taking." But, because we are related (I'm still tring to figure if this is true) and our parents say to, we take pics together....even though 2 of your brothers faces aren't convincing anyone they are enjoying having their picture taken. I've come to love these kind of pictures more than when they are smiling because they make me laugh. Seriously, those 2 brothers of mine can brake out the funniest faces. People say we look alike, I can't see that. What do you guys think?

And I assure you, I really do have hair in that last picture. Really I do.

Have a super Monday and I'll see you with a yummy and amazingly healthy recipe next! I also want to say a big thank you to my readers who read my blog and for commenting on my giveaways or food blog posts....they mean a lot to me! You guys are the best!