Oh my GOODness!!!

Talk about perfection!!! I finally found a cookie recipe that I love. These are fabulous in taste, color, appearance, and touch (not too greasy). Thanks to my COUSIN...I am now in heaven along with my 3 boys!

the best chocolate chip cookies EVER

cream together 1 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

sift together separately 3 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture; add in desired amount of chocolate chips. drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet; bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.
*we prefer Hershey's Milk Chocolate chips...yummy

Hearty Black Bean Soup

We had this for dinner tonight (along with some quesadillas) and it was so YUMMY!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup tomato salsa
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream (optional)

1. Heat the salsa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the soup, covered, for 15 minutes. 2. Let the soup cool slightly, then ladle half of it into a food processor or blender and puree it. Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro and heat the mixture through. Serve the soup warm, topped with a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
Thanks to www.FamilyFun.com

Creamy Tomato Soup

Tried this the other night and I have to say that it is the best tomato soup I have ever had.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans (14.5) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (10 3/4) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

In large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in tomatoes, soup, milk, sugar, basil, paprika and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Some Fun!

I helped Ev's mom put this blanket together...didn't it turn out so cute. I love the finished product. These blankets always looks so cute after they are snipped and washed. I love them. My favorite part is picking out the matching fabric.

And today I made this! Yes, homemade bread. All from scratch! Pretty amazing, huh? I didn't know I had it in me. Special thanks to Ev's mom for assisting me. I can't wait to try it again. Oh...and it tasted so yummy. We had hot bread with some great new soup recipe for dinner tonight. Even Brampton ate a whole piece and a half as he said "mmm" (along with the famous head roll) after each bite!

And because the soup was so yummy, I am going to share it with you!

Best-Ever Potato Soup

6 bacon strips, diced

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 small carrot, grated

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon each celery seed, salt and pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

8 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

2 green onions, thinly sliced, optional

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; drain. Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery see, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and the soup is heated through. Garnish with green onions if desired. Yields 8 servings.

Special thanks to Coleen Morrissey (Taste of Home:Heartwarming Soups)

Three Cheese Manicotti

Here's a new recipe to try! We had it the other night and really loved it.
1 box manicotti, uncooked
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups (15 0z) ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 32 oz jar spaghetti sauce

Cook manicotti according to package directions. Cool manicotti in single layer on wax paper or foil to prevent from sticking. Combine cheeses, parsley, salt, and pepper for filling. Spoon into manicotti. Spread thin layer of sauce on bottom of baking dish. Arrange manicotti in single layer over sauce. Cover with remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes.

Spanish Rice and Bean Burritos

I thought I might share another recipe. We had this for dinner tonight...we liked it. Super easy and you can pretty much add whatever you want to it.

1 pkg. spanish rice
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
onion/green onions (optional)
flour tortillas (warmed)
shredded cheese
salsa
sour cream

Prepare rice according to directions. Stir in beans (if using onion add as well). Spoon rice and bean mixture into center of warmed tortilla and top with cheese, salsa and sour cream.

Crock-Pot Creamy Italian Chicken

I posted this in the other blog I'm apart of and thought you all might like to try it out as well! We liked it. I love crock pot meals for Sundays!!!! If you have any you want to share, let me know!!

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup + a bit more Italian salad dressing
1/3 cup water
8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 4-oz can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
Hot cooked rice or noodles

Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salad dressing and water and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours. Later, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Cook one hour longer or until juices run clear. Serve over rice or noodles.

Reader's Digest voted it the best!!!

So I found this recipe in the Reader's Digest a few months ago and I had to try it out. They said that it was the best gotta-have-it brownie. Well...I made it and sure enough...they are pretty good!! I thought you might like to try it out. It's pretty easy too. Credits go to Katie Barker of Layton, Utah.

Mix 1 cup of soft butter, 2 cups sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa. Stir in 4 eggs; add 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional). Stir; pour into greased, 1-inch-deep baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until done. Cover with 1 lb. mini marshmallows; bake for 3 minutes. Add frosting: 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/3 cup canned evaporated milk. Pure decadence.

***I thought I would let you know that I actually used a deep 9x13 metal casserole dish. It seemed to work better. Also, it would probably be better to use half of the 1 lb bag of marshmallows. At least it seemed that way to me. But test it out if you dare!!!!!

Something fun...

I made this for dinner tonight and I thought I would post this recipe...just for fun! I figure it's nice to get new things to try...especially meals that are pretty good. This is actually a meal my mom would make while growing up...it's a favorite of ours.
We always called it Bean Casserole, but after making it tonight I am not so sure why. It's nothing like a bean casserole. Well...here it goes...
(if you do end up making this let me know what you think)

Bean Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 green pepper (finely chopped)
2 slices of onion (finely chopped)
2 stalks of celery (finely chopped)
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 small can of green chilies
1 can red beans
1 tsp chili powder
3 TBSP brown sugar
2 tsp vinegar

Brown meat. Add green pepper, onion and celery. Blend stewed tomatoes and green chilies together. Add to meat mixture. Rinse red beans. Combine rest of ingredients. Simmer for 5 min. Serve over rice.

Saucy Stir-Fried Pork

This is one yummy meal that we love!!! We are actually having it tonight for dinner. Try it out!!!

Saucy Stir-Fried Pork

2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
1 cup thin red pepper strips (about 1 medium)
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas or snow pea pods (about 6 oz.)
3/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions (about 3 medium)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

COOK rice as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat; cook and stir 2 min. Add peppers and peas; cook 3 min., stirring frequently. Add onions; cook and stir 1 min.
MIX soy sauce, cornstarch and ginger until well blended. Add to meat mixture in skillet; cook 1 min. or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Serve over the rice.

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

We had this for dinner last night and it was delish. I thought I would share it with you all. Brampton even ate a whole bowl full (and he's picky)!!!

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
2 cups spaghetti sauce
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK spaghetti as directed on package.

Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min. Add zucchini; cook an additional 2 min., stirring frequently. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Bring just to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Add Neufchatel cheese; cook 1 min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN spaghetti; place on serving plate. Top with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Jazz it up:
Sprinkle spaghetti with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or parsley along with Parmesan cheese.