Sweetheart M&M Cookies

This Tuesday is super duper special and probably the most fitting day for a SWEET TOOTH TUESDAY! What sweeter day that Valentine’s Day?!?! I had been meaning to share my special Valentine’s day blogs prior to the holiday but that obviously wasn’t the way things turned out. Even though these desserts are Valentine’s day inspired, there is no reason they can’t be made year round.

The prettiest looking cookies were staring me in the face when I walked into my grandma’s kitchen yesterday. I wasn’t shy about requesting that I help her eat them. I was willing to do my part and give her a hand with the eating process….it was a tough job but someone had to do it. One bite and I knew that the rest of the cookies also belonged to me too. I soon found out that Aunt Sharon had made those delicious treats. It wasn’t long before I was asking her for the recipe….and she happily obliged. She shared her secret baking tips but despite all the help in the world my cookies weren’t going to be as pretty, moist and fluffy as the ones that were waiting at grandma’s house. Alas, I’ll just have to keep making batch after batch to perfect my baking skills. ;) As long as I have tasters around I’ll keep popping them in the oven. It just so happens that these cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day. Loaded with red, pink and white M&Ms, chocolate chips and nuts….. not to mention they are monster-sized. Oh yeah, and they're PINK! I LOVE PINK!!!!

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soad
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 c butter flavor crisco
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 pkg M&Ms (set a couple handfulls aside to put on top of each cookie before baking)
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1) Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
2) In another bowl, cream both sugars and crisco. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3) Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add M&Ms, chocolate chips and nuts.

4) Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes (remove from the oven when they begin to turn golden brown around the edges.)

A whole lotta bakin' goin' on

Make sure to put some extra M&Ms on top before you put them in the oven!!!

Since we had big plans for these cookies I made sure to make plenty by doubling the recipe. We had lots of Valentines to share with today after all. We (I’m including my daughter in this process…it was all her idea...I swear) found some cute heart shaped paper plates to put the cookies on and ended up just covering them with plastic wrap and tying some ribbon around the plate. After searching all over town for some pretty cellophane we decided that it wasn’t meant to be so Saran wrap it would be! Not quite the cuteness that I’d pictured but as my husband said, “does it really matter, Ashley?”  He still couldn’t figure out why I’d been in the kitchen from 7:00- 11:00 and still had the mixer going strong when he went to bed…..my kitchen looked like a war zone by that time. But I was quite proud as I looked around and saw the five pans of cookies and my second dessert cooling on the counter. Multi-tasking in the kitchen is getting easier all the time. After the baking process was finished up the packaging assembly line and "helped" write the Valentine cards we slipped under each ribbon.

I'm shipping all of these out of my house! They are just too good. Too easily accessible. Far to easy to grab and chow down before I can even comprehend what I'm doing. It's for the best. They could be very dangerous in the hands of a sweet addict like me. You have been warned. ;) But despite the addiction to such goodness I already find myself excited to try these each holiday with the holiday themed M&M colors! Bring on the Easter M&Ms! Oh yeah, one more thing.....ENJOY!!!!

New Recipe Night: Momma's Hamburger Casserole

This recipe is a meal I grew up on. One that takes me right back to my dining room table at home. It is most definitely a comfort food for me. It's my mom's recipe. She must've gotten tired of having to relay over the phone every time I wanted to make certain recipes that I remembered and loved. She gathered up my favorite, most requested recipes and gave me a stack of index cards. There's no way I'm ever parting with them. And yep, you guessed it....I'm going to spend the next month cooking my way through her index cards.

I'm a self-proclaimed leftover addict. I've been known to daydream about certain leftovers sitting in my fridge all day while I'm working. I've even been known to make a special trip way out of my way during my workday to come home for lunch to polish off some leftovers. Why do I love this recipe so much? Not only is it one of my most favorite meals to eat hot out of the oven, but it just so happens to be my most favorite leftover meal. Well, that is when there is any to save. This is precisely why I made an executive decision to DOUBLE the recipe I made tonight. If my calculations are correct then I will eating this for quite some time. Of course I do have leftover standards. Two days old and you're tossed. Sorry casserole, guess we'll just have to be quick and eat you up as fast as possible.

Ingredients:

* 1 lb lean ground beef

* 1 package extra wide egg noddles (uncooked)

* 1 can diced tomatoes

* 1/4 cup onion

* 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

* 3 tsp chili powder

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 pkg frozen mixed veggies

* 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients (except cheese) in a large bowl.

2) Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish and cover with foil or lid

3) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, remove cover and sprinkle cheese on top, continue cooking for 30 minutes

If we are talking about ease then it doesn't get much easiser than this. Throw some yummy stuff in a bowl and let the smell overtake your home until you are literally drooling. The combo of the chili powder with the tomatoes and Worcestershire is just plain ridiculous. I love this recipe because I can pretend that we are getting a well balanced meal...we've got our veggies, our "bread", our dairy and our protein. Hehe. Let's not talk about calories, mkay? I now have enough casserole to serve an entire football team. Come join me for leftovers!!! Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!

Valentine Cupcake Tower

Ok, this is sad. I've stooped so low as to post about box cupcakes and packaged frosting. Call me lazy, call me what you will.....but I just plain forget about Sweet Tooth Tuesday. It's Monday night as I type this and I will be gone all day tomorrow thus leaving no time to prepare a treat for you (I have no excuse for last week's absence though). My eyes scanned the kitchen for options, ingredients, ANYTHING that might form a dessert worth eating. My eyes fell on the pretty red cupcake tower I'd picked up at Walmart the day before. It seemed to pair nicely with the box of cake mix and package of frosting in the pantry. VIOLA! Here we have Sweet Tooth Tuesday....the lazy version! Ok, I'm not going to demean your talents and tell you how to make cupcakes from cake mix.....but I would like to show you my pretty cupcake display. It would be a great idea for a classroom Vday party or to take to the office for all of your coworker Valentine friends!

While I would've loved to whip up some homemade strawberry cupcakes it just wasn't in the cards for this momma who didn't feel like making a late-night run to the store and spending all night making a mess in the kitchen. I solemnly swear to make the tastiest Vday treat you could ever dream of next week to make up for my shortcomings this week (and last week.) But for now, bare with me as I show you how our cupcake making process went. I usually bake during my daughter's naptime but tonight was a little different. I had a baking assistant.....

I guess I should've seen that coming but she always surprises me with how quickly she can create a giant mess. At least it's a cute mess though.....

Oh and I can't forget to give props to my second assistant. He needed some help figuring out what the "red swirly thing" was sitting on the counter....

I remember promising that I'd never make a box cupcake ever again after making my first from scratch cupcakes. I made my promise here. And I broke it tonight. But don't they look mighty pretty though......

I've got to get busy planning next week's Valentine's Day treat!

Building my Bucket List

Like most busy moms I've found that I'm really great at dreaming up plans in my head that never come to fruition. Partly because it's impossible to be a parent and fulfill all of these dreams and plans while still caring for a child....and partly because we are terrified of taking time off of work and leaving everything behind for some relaxation. This is sad to me. I truly believe that Riley and I are the exact same person when it comes to work. Missing work just seems almost like a crime and for the life of me I can't figure out this mindset. I spend many a night sitting on the couch perusing Expedia and putting in specific dates and planning vacations. Vacations that seem so wonderful and reasonable. We always say how great we are at planning vacations.....just never actually taking them. This always gets me to thinking....I jump up on my soapbox and the hubby runs and hides. Why are we paralyzed when it comes to doing new things, traveling and just plain having fun??? I don't know the answer to this but I'm constantly in search of it......


.....which brings me to this post. If I put half as much energy into adventurous endeavors as I do blogging we'd be crossing things the list left and right. "The list" is something that only exists in my head. Little by little I mentally make note of things to add to it. It hasn't grown a lot but I'm working on it. Oh, you better believe I'm working on it. Ya see, I did very little traveling while growing up. There is so much I want to see....so many things I want to experience....so many opportunities out there. I'm not sure how many times I've dropped hints to the hubs about desperately wanting to stay in one of those over-water huts in Bora Bora....or my strange obsession with hanging out in a pub in Ireland and listening to an Irish band like the one in the movie "P.S. I Love You".....or my overwhelming desire to take a long run in Central Park and eat lunch on the grass and read a book. These are things I can vividly picture in my head.....and I would love to actually capture them through photos someday....


......so I'm gonna make an official list. Little by little. Week by week. And I'm gonna share it for the world (or at least my Pink Dishers) to see. Because what are dreams if they aren't shared? Just thoughts in my busy head. Without further ado, in no particular order, no rhyme or reason, some of little and some of great significance, some that are just plain selfish and some that are silly......


......here is my bucket list.


#1 Go on a 10 year anniversary trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora


#2 Conquer my fear of public speaking


#3 Complete the Marine Corp Marathon in D.C. with my other half by my side


#4 Sit in the audience at SNL (preferably when Justin Timberlake is hosting but I won't be too picky)


#5 Take a family camping trip to Yellowstone


#6 Have six pack abs even if it's just for a moment in time (I better hurry up if this is going to ever happen)


#7 Understand the rules of tennis


#8 Be referred to someday as "a good cook"


#9 Start a book club


#10 See Garth Brooks in concert




That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I almost feel a sense of nervousness sharing my list. I kinda feel naked right now. Eh, I'll get over it....give it a couple more weeks. I'm gonna slowly and methodically work my way towards #100. Building a bucket list is mentally exhausting...I think I'll go grab a bowl of the dessert I made yesterday. On second that that won't get me anywhere close to #6. And it sure won't get me in a swimsuit for #1. See that, the list is already working. ;)


Do you have a bucket list? Have you written it down? Let me know.....I'm curious to see how many people out there have an official list!

Crock Pot Jambalaya

Big, big fan of cajun food. Do I ever eat it? Nope, not really. I always picture that Zatarian's commercial in my head when I think about jambalaya or gumbo. So here's a little bit of NOLA in a bowl for ya......

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups green peppers , chopped
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 2 celery ribs , sliced
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb shrimp , shelled
• 3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.
2. Put all ingredients (EXCEPT shrimp and rice) in crock pot.
3. Cover; cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Add shrimp the last 20 minutes of cooking.
5. Cut up whole tomatoes and add back to crockpot. Stir in rice before serving.

Sadly I left out a very big part of this recipe I've just shared. THE SHRIMP!!! Why?, you ask. Well, the hubby is not a fan of anything that lives in the sea. I made a bonehead move by not thinking to substitute sausage for the shrimp but maybe next time.

Before the cooking began

I found myself craving these leftovers all day today. I can tell there will be a leftover war going on over this! I think I went light on the Tabasco for hubby's sake.....next time I'm gonna go crazy with the hot sauce. It could handle a little more HOTness than what the recipe calls for.

It's good. It's a winner. Definitely one to put on the "hey babe, can you make that again" list. Oh yeah, one more thing.....ENJOY!!

Chocolate Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

Had it not been for my mother-in-law asking me about this week's treat, there may not have been one. These past few days have been busy and cooking was not even on my radar. But I thought for the love of Tuesday I ought to kick it into gear and find a recipe for SWEET TOOTH DAY! Sticking with January's healthy eating theme I have found a heart smart recipe. These are similar to the cookies I made two weeks ago. I guess I'm on a cookie with dried fruit and chocolate chunks kick. But it's no secret that I'm always on a cookie kick. Let's see if these puppies can top my recent favorite...golden oreos. Curse those darned cookies with creme. Get out of my pantry! Someone (that being me) keeps buying them. Looks like a have some new and healthier cookie to munch on for the next few days. And the best part is these good-sized cookies only have 95 calories!

Lord bless my pantry! I'm slowly getting stocked up on the staples of baking. I actually didn't leave any ingredients out of this recipe. Ha! I think that's a first. This recipe was super simple, super fast.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup dried cherries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add cherries, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Fold in chocolate.
4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

My favorite thing about these cookies....they are so soft and gooey when you bite into them straight out of the oven. Well, maybe not straight out of the oven...please don't burn your mouth. But whatever you do....dunk them in a glass of milk. This lil guy had the right idea all along...

If you give a mouse a cookie.

I wonder if Mr. Mouse would be able to tell the difference between a cookie with white sugar and a cookie without white sugar. Because I can. Not a huge difference, but guess what? The chocolate, cherries and oats in this cookie give plenty of flavor to make up for it lacking my favorite ingredient. ;) Oh yeah, one more thing.....ENJOY!!

So about that whole challenge thing.....

I'd like to go back to November 12th and give myself a big swift kick in the booty. November 12th was the day I committed myself to the Insanity 60 Challenge.....


......ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.


Sorry, it's hard to stop laughing. You can listen to me babble on right here.


I'm still trying to figure out what kind of special day I was having when I thought it would be a good idea to commit myself to anything right smack dab in the middle of a move and the holidays. If I'm being completely honest, I think I lasted nine days. So if we do the math on that.....calculating......well let's just say that I failed big time. I'm pretty prone to setting myself up for failure by taking on too much. I wish I could just do it all. Be a good mom, work a full time job, be the perfect wife who suprises her husband with a lunch date every now and again and has a fancy meal on the table every night, keep the canines happy and healthy by taking them for regular walks, go to the store, have a spotless house ready at any moment for a drop in guest to see, fit in a 60 minute workout every evening, have time to blog, oh yeah and I can't forget relax. Which brings me to my confession: sometimes when I'm driving around I like to pretend that I'm an SUV soccer mom who has ten arms and ten hands with perfectly manicured nails and toes with a high metabolism and a 5 a.m. workout group and a stylish wardrobe and time to volunteer at the church and have mommy/baby playdates and all the while having a bubbly personality...not to mention a perfectly happy family. Oh yeah, and I don't have a hair out of place.

Ok, not this stylish outfit though. ;)

Sometimes I pretend that's me. Am I happy with my life and myself? Yes, yes I am (most of the time). Would I like to create a better version of me? Yes, yes I would. Even though my ridiculous 60 day challenge nonsense was a big fat fail I'm gonna keep on keepin' on to my next ridiculous goal........

.......a half-marathon. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Ok, well I admitted that I have an addiction to setting overwhelming goals. I guess now it's time to follow through with this one. ;)