The Winner & #7.

Good Saturday evening everyone! Thanks to everyone for entering my contest. Using Random.org....the winner is: Megan. Please e-mail me Megan at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so you can get your prize!

Hope your weekend is going well so far. Last night I went with my Mom and some of my brothers and sisters to see "The Day The Earth Stood Still". I'd have to say it would rank in the top 5 for loopiest movies ever for me. It seemed creepy to me, very weird. What do guys think of that movie? I am so looking forward to seeing "Bedtime Stories" on Christmas Day!

Anyway, #7 is one quick and ever delicious dip. It has 3 ingredients and literally takes 10 minutes to make. Great way to use those apples up too sitting on your counter. Mmm, I think these would be a hit at any party.

Cheesecake Dip

Ingredients:

2 pkg. cream cheese

1 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all together. Serve with apples. I received the Uber Amazing Blog award from Rebecca at Adventure Creations. Thanks so much Rebecca! I am going to pass this onto:

• Sara at Sara's Kitchen
• Teresa at A Blog About Food
• Melissa at Schweet N' Savory
• Bridgett at La Bella Cook
• Colleen at Cooking This And That
• Sarah at Mrs. JY Cooking

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My brother, Steven and I are almost twins. We are 13 months apart. While I don't think we look at all alike, I think it would have been loads of fun to have a twin brother. Steven thinks otherwise.

See you with #6 next!

Mini Pizzas And 3 Ingredient Cookies.

Happy Thursday everyone! Hope your week is going well. I've been busy with school, work, & music lessons. Baking/cooking hasn't been showing up lately, mostly due to school and music lessons. But, I hope to get some done this weekend. Did I mention I am really looking forward to the weekend?? We might get to go snowboarding on Saturday....I am really hoping we get to.

These little pizzas are so good that come in at #8. The recipe orginally called for only a pesto sauce on the dough but I decided to make it more like a real pizza. I spread some pasta/tomatoe sauce on the dough and then topped with a tomatoe and mozarella cheese. The pesto was suprisngly good. The variations for these could be endless.

"Mini Pizzas"

1 can refrigerated classic pizza crust or 1 can refrigerated thin pizza crust
1/3 cup basil pesto
20 slices plum (Roma) tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
DIRECTIONS:
If using classic crust: Heat oven to 425°F. If using thin crust: Heat oven to 400°F.
Spray or grease cookie sheet. Unroll dough on work surface. Press dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. With round cutter, cut dough into 20 rounds; place rounds 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Spread each with pesto. Top each with 1 tomato slice. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake classic crust 10 to 12 minutes, thin crust 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

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If you guys need a quick and yummy dessert, try these. Guaranteed easy with 3 ingredients. Who doesn't love that??

"Easy Peanut Butter Cookies" (thanks Jade)!

1 Egg

1 Cup of peanut butter

1 Cup of sugar

Hersheys Chocolates
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix egg, peanut butter, and sugar in large bowl. Roll into balls and flatten with fork. Bake for 9 minutes. Cool slightly and top with chocolates.

The birthday week is officaly over. But we did have some amazing good cakes. And amazing presents. No more birthdays until next month, my little brother is turning 16!

L to R: Joe, Mom, Me

No #8, But Something Special.

Good Monday evening everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. One of my favorite things to do on a weekend during winter is chill out on the sofa watching The Waltons. I love that show! How about you guys, any of my readers Walton fans?

As you can tell my #8 appetizer isn't in this post. When I thought about cooking or baking this weekend, I couldn't pull myself to do it. Although today I did get to bake some yummy cookies (scroll down). So, instead I am giving you recipes my readers have taken and made themselves. And seeing others make my recipes, I seriously love it.

"Sour Cream Sugar Cookies" made by Jody. I love her blog. Jody is a Momma to 6, ages 9 and under. I love finding families with 6 kids since there are 6 kids in my family too.

"Corn Dip" made by Allie. We make this dip fairly often during summer time here and Allie got to make it for an autumn party she had....doesn't it look scrumptious? "Giant Ginger Cookies" made by Jessica. These are my favorite fall cookies and Jessica got to make them for her sister as a going away snack to college. "Won Over Coffee Cake" made by Joan. I love love this coffee cake and Joan thought so too. Seriously, it is sooo good."Big Brownie Cookies" made by Lisa. Such easy cookies and yet amazingly delicious. Lisa baked these up for her PTA meeting and everyone there loved them and her family did too. Yummo."Ooey Gooey Cookies" made by Katherine. Katherine baked these up for her girls and neighborhood and they loved them. She's already made these 4 times!

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"Correcting Those Lighting Issues"
I'm sure most of you guys deal with lighting issues when taking your food pictures, I sure do! I found a solution. It is a free download called Picasa which is available thru Google. Google "Picasa 3" and click on the first link that comes up. See the below picture? That is before editing. The next picture is after editing. This software isn't hard to figure out either.

After editing.

"Oatmeal S'more Cookies"
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 - 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1-2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 6 dozen.

See you next with #8 in appetizers!

Warm Bacon Cheese Spread & Award Time!

Happy Friday everyone! I'm sure you all are looking forward to the weekend. This week has been crazy with 3 birthdays. Mine on the 2nd, my Mom's on the 4th, and my brother Joe's is today. By the end of the week everyone is completely caked out. It gets kinda crazy with all the presents & everything, but it is still fun!

This Bacon Spread at #9 is so delicious. My family loves this appetizer and I know it would be perfect for a Holiday Party. Mmm, you won't be dissapointed.

"Warm Bacon Cheese Spread"

Ingredients:
1 round loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Assorted crackers

DIRECTIONS:
Cut the top fourth off the loaf of bread; carefully hollow out the bottom, leaving a 1-in. shell. Cut the removed bread and top of loaf into cubes; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese and Worcestershire sauce until blended; stir in bacon and onions. Spoon into bread shell. Wrap in a piece of heavy-duty foil (about 24 in. x 17 in.). Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until heated through. Serve with cracker and reserved bread cubes. Yield: 4 cups.

Katherine at Smoky Mountain Cafe gave me the Uber amazing blog award. Thanks so much Katherine! I am so glad you and your girls enjoyed the Ooey Gooey Cookies. I am going to pass this onto:

• Jenny at Picky Palate. I think we all love Jenny's blog, her food, pictures, and the way she writes is the best!
• Cristine at Cristine Cooks. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I love Cristine's blog.
• Cara at Cara's Creature Comforts. Cara makes "comfort" food and she is getting an adorable puppy soon, photos on her blog!
• Jessica at Turkey Cookies. Jessica's daily posts are something I look forward to and she can sew and bake/cook wonderfully!
• Megan at Megan's Munchies. Megan gets some delicious looking recipes and her Smore's creations are the cutest!
• Allie at Finding Inspiration In Food. Allie has some an amazing Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip on her blog and I am going to make those soon!

Happy 14th Birthday Baby Brother!

Here We Go!

Good Wednesday night everyone! Hope your week is going well, it is already almost Thursday?! How did that happen?! I would like to say thank you very much to each of my readers for leaving me a birthday greeting. I really appreciate getting all those birthday comments. I had a fun day which ended with my Mom making me Lasagna for dinner (special request), birthday presents, & a Tres Leches Cake. I still don't feel like I am 17. =)

Okay, starting with my Top Ten Appetizers, here is #10. A simple and easy but yummy dip. These pretzels are something new our Sam's Club is carrying. I thought they were pretty neat!

"Party Dip"

16 oz. sour cream

16 oz. sm. curd cottage cheese

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 pkg. Ranch Dip

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together. Chill before serving. Best if prepared 4-8 hours ahead.

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These little treats are quite tasty and don't take that much time to make. If you're a fan of Reese, you'll be sure to love these!

"Miniature Peanut Butter Cheesecakes"

Ingredients:
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
5 teaspoons butter, melted
FILLING:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons beaten egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 miniature peanut butter cups

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom of six paper-lined muffin cups; set aside. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat on low speed just until combined. Place a peanut butter cup in the center of each muffin cup; fill with cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until center is set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 6 servings.

My head is cut out beacuase you wouldn't want to see the face I am making. =)

17.

I am 17 today. Such an odd number for me. I feel like I am getting old....most of you guys probably think I am crazy. But, I still think it.

I am grateful for 17 years of a healthy life. I am grateful for parents who love me, 3 brothers & 2 sisters, my friends, music, my dogs Lewis & Clark, laughter, smiles, sunshine, snow, that I can bake, blogging, my blog readers, a roof to live under, clothes, & most important - that Jesus is my Lord & Savior.

Come with me down memory lane.....

I was born in Whittier, CA on December 2, 1991. I think my older sister Lisa and older brother Andrew were pretty excited about getting a baby sister. =)

A couple days after I was born with my sister Lisa. The not long lived family of three, soon three more would come. And yes, I was a very chubby baby, all around. In 1992, now I've got a baby brother. And there are now "4" of us. Joe & I with our baby goat kids we used to raise in 2001. Man, how I loved those baby goats. With my friend, Jocelyn in 2008. We've been friends for 17 years.
With my bunch in 2008, anniversary pictures for our parents.

Hope you've enjoyed this and be back soon with my Top Ten Appetizers!!