Tweaking your basic cookie Recipe

I enjoy baking and chocolate chip cookies are a staple.  Here are some easy to change up your basic recipe to get whole new variations with very little effort!

Basic Recipe:
     Cream in a mixer:
     2 sticks of butter with 
     3/4 cup of brown sugar
     3/4 cup of white sugar
add in    
     2 eggs
     1 t baking soda
     1 t salt
     1 T vanilla (see homemade recipe below!)
      2 1/2 cups flour
      2 cups of chocolate chips 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.

Variation 1:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
     Substitute 1/2 cup of peanut butter for one of the sticks of butter.  The flavor is amazing!

Variation 2:
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
     Add 1/2 cup of baking cocoa to your cookie mix before adding in the chocolate chips.  

Enjoy!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

I found this recipe on pinterest a few years ago and made a batch as an experiment.  I was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked and how easy it was to make.  We have 5 people in our house so our washing machine is running almost every day.  A batch of laundry soap will last approximately 9 months!   We have a HE washing machine and it's worked great for our family.  I've got three girls who play sports and a husband who works outside so we've got some pretty dirty laundry!

My ingredients.  The last time I bought detergent from the store, it came in the bucket shown in the picture.  It's the perfect size to hold this batch of detergent!  

1 76 oz. box of Borax  

1 4 lb box of Baking Soda 

1 55 oz box of Super Washing Soda

3 bars of Fels Naptha Soap

3.5 lbs of Oxiclean

1 package of laundry in wash scent booster (optional)

Approximate Total Cost:  $26.00

Directions:

1.  Grate the Fels-Naptha Soap (I bought a box grater at the dollar store that is used strictly for grating the soap.) (If you don't have a grater, use a large kitchen knife to break down the bar and then chop it up as small as you can get it.)

2.  Combine the remaining ingredients, mixing well.

3.  It's ready to use!  

1 TBS per load of laundry!!

The Finished Product!!

I wrote out the recipe on top of the lid, no hunting when it's time to make more!

A batch for our family lasts approximately 9 months....not too bad for $26.00 worth of ingredients!  

New School Year....This mom's getting her act together!

School starts tomorrow, and all of the fall activities just days after that.  My goal is to keep our family as organized as I can, so I'm trying to set ourselves up for success.   One of my biggest "ughs!" is planning dinner.  I don't mind the cooking, just the thinking about what to have and then figuring out if I have what I need to get it on the table.   I sat down and made a meal plan for September and October.  It took about 25 minutes or so, and viola!  Here's a peek...

Life happens, so I have some last minute staples...like frozen pizzas in the freezer!

I like the unscheduled life of summer, but it's time to get a daily routine for myself going again.  I came across a great challenge that focuses on exercise, daily devotions and healthy eating!  It starts 9/16 and I'm so excited!  For more info on Peak 313's 5 week challenge, check out http://peak313.com/featured/the-2nd-annual-living-and-active-challenge/

Happy New School Year!

Taquitos!

Taquitos!
This summer I had each of my daughters prepare dinner for our family.  We had quite the variety of recipes (which was great!) and it was nice to have new meals to put into the rotation.    One of the choices my daughter found online for taquitos.  I couldn't find the original recipe that she had so I found another one today and then tweaked it to accommodate the ingredients that I had in my pantry and fridge.  Feel free to experiment with what you have on hand!  I would have posted a picture, but there wasn't one left to photograph!

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 tbsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
1/3 cup light cream cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup of light sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
12 small flour tortillas (can also use corn tortillas)

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and break it up into crumbles as it cooks. Add the taco seasoning and cook the beef about 8 minutes until cooked through.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add salsa, sour cream, taco seasoning and cheese and stir to combine. Once the beef is browned, add the beef and combine well.

Place 2-3 tbsp of beef mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can. If your tortillas are cracking or breaking, you can microwave them for 10-20 seconds with a damp paper towel over top. Once rolled, place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

You can serve these with guacamole, sour cream or salsa.    The serving size is two taquitos per person which was very filling.  Put a salad on the table and you are good to go!

White Lasagna--YUM!

White Lasagne

This is a delicious make ahead dinner!    I put it together last night and then I just popped it in the oven when I got home from school this afternoon.  It was soooo good!!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 can of evaporated milk

½ cup of milk
2 small containers of ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup (8oz.) sour cream

1 T diced garlic

1 cup chopped broccoli (I used fresh, but frozen would be fine too.)
2 cups cubed cooked ham
½ a box of uncooked lasagna noodles (Aprox. 16)

·         Combine the eggs, evaporated milk, regular milk, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, sour cream, ham and broccoli into a mixing bowl.

·         Place 1/3 of the creamy ham mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

·         Cover with a layer of uncooked noodles on top of the ham mixture.

·         Repeat, creating two more layers. 

·         Cover the noodles with the remaining creamy ham sauce. Make sure that the noodles are not sticking out of the sauce. Push them down in so they're fully covered.  I added a layer of shredded cheddar cheese on top, but you could leave it out if you want.

·         Bake (covered) at 350 for 1 hour.  Let it rest for 15 before serving.

Chicken Wing Chili

Here are two promised recipes....sorry you had to wait, it's been a wild week at our house!


Chicken Wing Chili

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey)

1 large carrot finely chopped

1 medium onion chopped

3 ribs of celery chopped

5 cloves of garlic (or cheat like I do and use 5 tsp of prechopped garlic)

1T smoked paprika (This has the best flavor and smells delicious...it's worth the money!)

1 bay leaf

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 or more of hot sauce (depends on how hot you like it!)

1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes

1 package of crumbled blue cheese


In a Dutch oven, sautee the veggies until translucent.

Add the ground chicken and brown.

Then throw in the rest of the ingredients (except the blue cheese) and simmer for about 30 minutes.


Serve with crumbled blue cheese sprinkled on top and corn chips on the side.  This is soooooo good!  All of the flavor of chicken wings without the deep fried calories!