5 Weeks of Halloween Treats Week 2

Well I know i'm a week late but these eyeball cupcakes were made a week ago. I kept putting it off and off at least until Thursday. I baked the cakes before work and finished them after I got off work. I also had a bit of help from my sister!
 Here is the site that I got the idea for the Eyeball Cupcakes came from.
I followed the recipes to the T.

Cupcakes ready to be frosted 

Homemade frosting

Now for the rest of the eyes I used chocolate chips as the pupils and just frosting for the iris. I had some left over green frosting and then also made blue for the iris color. Then of course red. 

Chocolate chips in place! 

Time to decorate with the sister! 

I had so much fun even though I do this at work! 

The finished project! 

Well there you go. Lots of pictures for you to see every step of this really fun project. Also was a really fun bonding time with my sister.

I'm still debating about what the treat will be for this week. Not sure if we're going to have some strawberries   or rice krispie treats! 

Happy baking! 

Not so Loaded Baked Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Well everyone I totally have been oh so very lazy and have not posted this wonderful new recipe for you all to try. And for that I apologize, I think this is one of the best recipes I have made in a while. It comes from this site here.

NOW I did tweak the recipe....okay I kinda totally changed it. Here's my version for ya. 

Set oven to 500 F 

Cut potatoes in bowl and drizzle with veggie oil and a handful of garlic salt. Toss to coat. 

Place into a greased baking dish and put in oven for 50 minutes. 

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes and place in same bowl. 

Drizzle with veggie oil and a handful of garlic salt. Toss to coat and let sit. 

I had left the potatoes with D to take out after the 50 minutes since I had to leave the house. They cooled down enough to where I could pick them put with my fingers, I just had to taste them! 

Set oven to 400 F

Place chicken over cooked potatoes, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bacon bits. (feel free to change the cheese and add anything you like to add to a baked potato)

Cook for 20 minutes. 

Take out of the oven and enjoy! 

So as you can see I kinda didn't make buffalo chicken at all, one reason being I don't like anything being spicy and other being that all I had was garlic salt,lol. 

But this was like the most amazing dinner I have made in a long time. And I really liked that I could make it and let is sit for a while and not have to worry about it. 

Hope you all enjoy =)  

5 Weeks of Halloween Treats-Week 1

This week for my five weeks of Halloween treats I decided to start with something easy, well what I thought would be easy apple pops. You know kinda like cake pops, but with apples! I found them here with a bunch of other cool Halloween treat ideas. Also I made this treat this week because they are pretty cheap to make actually.
You need :
Apples, the site says you get about 8 per apple, I think I did just about. Also I got an extra apple just in case.
Instead of peanut butter chips I used chocolate chips.
Colored sugar or sprinkles or coconut
Melon baller
Lollipop sticks

So to save on money I made my own colored sugar and coconut. I just took a cup or so of sugar put it into a ziploc bag added some gel food coloring and shook it up until the color blended in. It did take a minute or two. So if you have kids I would suggest having them do this part, lol.
Same process was used with the coconut.

Purple sugar and coconut, Orange sugar and coconut and Red sugar.

I won't even being to bore you on my failed attempt at melting the chocolate in the microwave so I just used a steam method over the stove, takes so little time.
Now getting the apple pops was a whole different story. So apparently we don't have a melon baller so I had to use a small ice cream scoop, mom said it would even work better. My first few tries at this I had little flat things that were not even close to being round so I ate those.(Also another reason to get an extra apple) Then I figured out how to use it and get the most out of the apple. Still they came out looking like those spinning tops but close enough.
Now while my chocolate was failing in the microwave I was punching these little buys out, well once I realized that, that was failing I had to put the pops in lemon water so they wouldn't brown. I don't know about changing the flavor at all yet, i'll let you know.
Then my sticks were 20 in, instead of 4. So I cut them into thirds. THAT was a task, so hard.
Then I forgot you had to dry the apples with the paper towel so the chocolate didn't even stick to my apples and I just about cried. But i'm so happy I didn't give up!
In the end I feel that these little guys were worth it, they in the end are pretty easy and quick to make, it just took me an hour cause I had a few set backs. And they are really yummy, great for class parties or to give to your co workers for a little something. But be careful these go fast, so make sure you make plenty for waht ever occasion.

My finished apple pops!

Next week I will be making eye ball cupcakes, so make sure to tune in and we'll see just how well they come out! 

Happy October! 

Em

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Today I bring you a breakfast dish. We are normally never awake during breakfast hours so this really was a  brunch, seeing as we didn't eat it until 1pm!
For our enjoyment this morning I made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and if you are wondering yes, this is another recipe from pinterest. I've had this one pinned for a while but have just never gotten around to it.
In my opinion I didn't like this at all. D thought they were pretty good.
I think my flour is old, so that didn't help and the glaze was just too much cream cheese tasting for me. I HATE cream cheese. Okay well I guess HATE is to strong, since I do eat a 7 layer dip that has cream cheese in it. So I guess I dislike cream cheese in everything other than my mom's 7 layer dip.
So after those two setbacks I will call them, as a first impression I will not make this dish again.
So yes the flour i'm sure is old or just wheat I think. I don't know what my mom has cause it's in a container and I have no idea what kind it was. All I know is that it was not white. Which I guess would have been a clue as to not use it. But I really wanted to move ahead with the dish and see how it came out.
Well now let me rethink maybe I will make it again and this time get new flour or just use a bisquick mix and make it thick.
Then the cream cheese glaze was just a big no. At first I didn't have enough of the powdered sugar and I added more. Then I tasted it and was horribly disgusted, I was wondering what the heck was wrong or if it was just going to be that much cream cheese flavoring. Then I read the recipe and noticed I didn't add any vanilla extract. Well I added that and it did get better to an extent.
I tried a little piece of my pancake and it was just so old tasting I guess that I just was like well i'm going to smother it in the glaze and hope that helps. It did a little bit I guess. I ate one out of two. Plus all my bacon.
The cinnamon part came out well, I guess that would be hard to mess up.
But putting the cinnamon in the pancake is a tricky thing. Like the recipe says you have to put it in at the right time cause you don't want it to melt over the edge. This happened to me on two out of four pancakes.
D said he did like the dish so I guess I will try them again some time.
I won't be adding glaze to mine and I For sure will get new flour or just bisquick like I stated earlier.
So for me this was not such a great recipe, finally something I didn't like! But D likes them so if he does ask for them again I will make them.
But I do encourage you all to try them out. I think they are fun to make, and kind of a medium difficulty. So if you are trying to impress someone totally go for it! Also if you enjoy cream cheese frostings and other cream cheese what not then this will also be more enjoyable for you.
Please try this recipe out and let me know how you like it. Make me make it again. Prove to me that first impression are never the best impressions.
And look out for my post tomorrow night or Thursday. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to make risotto!!! Something I have never ever done before! I'm really excited. I know I will add onion to it, and probably mushrooms to my part. I have no idea what to add to D's part, also it will be with chicken stock. Have no idea what else will be added to it just yet. Also I may make it with orzo instead of the grain you are supposed to use, that totally escapes my mind right now.
Happy Eating
Em

Easy Calzone Rolls

 Tonight's dinner comes again from pinterest. It's my new obsession. Easy Calzone Rolls 
This was a fun and quick dinner to make. The most annoying part of this meal is having to wait for the bread to thaw out. It took pretty much 6 to 7 hours. But if you take it out before you leave for work then you should be all set to put it together and throw in the oven real quick when ya get home.
I didn't work today but D did so it was really nice for him to come home and be able to eat something as soon as he got in.
I was surprised at how much we loved this. I was wondering if I should put pepperoni in it instead of the salami. But I told myself I would try it the way it is supposed to be made and make changes for the next time I make them. Well needless to say no changes need to be mad. It was just perfect! And so so filling.
This recipe made two HUGE rolls!

I didn't have a rolling pin so I just had to use my hands to stretch and pound it out. Was a lot of fun! I haven't messed around with any kind of dough in a while. It made me feel like a kid again. 

The salami, ham and cheese combination is just perfect. D mentioned about adding bacon next time. But I think other than that I wouldn't add or change anything else. 

Okay I lied I would add one thing and that is a butter garlic crust. Just brush it over the top before it goes into the oven and the whole thing will be to die for. 

We didn't bother with the sauce cause we're not big fans. I dipped mine in ranch, like everything else I eat and D just ate his as is. 

Looks yummy doesn't it?

Also for my oven it cooked perfectly in 20 minutes. It had a nice hard crust on the outside and the bread in the middle was nice and soft.

Look at that gooey goodness 

So in the end I would like everyone to try this recipe. It is really really good. It's also quick and easy to throw together. 

Till tomorrow,

Em

I'm back!!!!!

Hey all! I know it's been forever!
In February we moved into a new place and then after that I had some horrible cooking habits....(well more like none at all)
We lived off of bacon sandwiches and fast food. It was horrible! I was so mad at myself almost everyday. So now I have promised myself to pick 5 to 6 recipes a week I saved one day for left overs and one day to eat fast food if we are in a rush.
I have the list in my computer with the big things that I would need to get from the store, like what kind of meat or sauces, or something that I would normally not have at home.
So everyday I have D pick a thing from the list and I make it. So far we have gone three days off the list.
First we had
Beef kabobs. Got some beef which I had no idea what kind to get so I asked the meat dude at Meijer and he totally made me pay a TON! But then I did some sweet onion green bell pepper and mushrooms. They were really amazing. I loved the sweet onion it just got sweeter and better on the grill. I thought D wouldn't eat any of the veggies so I was planning on stealing them, well he didn't eat the bell pepper and the mushrooms but he ate all of his onion! I was so sad =(
Tuesday was Mexican Lasagna. OMG! Can you say spicy! I make my own taco seasoning which is pretty good, but I put way to much in. Then the only kind of salsa I had was medium, mistake number 2. So when you mix it in the beef AND pour it over the top with the water that is just a no! Never do that....well unless you really like spicy. I should have just used it over the top or actually followed the recipe. The only other thing I had on hand at the time was the re fried beans and the cheese. So it was pretty plain. So I will make it again just make it different. D and I only ate one third of the whole thing. So I told my friend about it and he said he loves spicy food, so I stuck it in the freezer and i'll give it to him when I see him next. Hopefully it won't be to spicy for him.
Today I made Chicken Parmesan and Parmesan Potatoes. So this chicken parm is just magic instead of having to fry the chicken in breading or anything like that you have the croutons on top that give you that crunch factor which I think is amazing.  Now I don't like having to watch a video for a recipe so here is the recipe.
Take the olive oil and pour into the bottom of your 9x13. Crush and lightly chop the garlic and put in the bottom of the pan with the oil. Layer the chicken on top. Then the two cups of marinara sauce. Then sprinkle you basil over the top of that.Then you put half the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Layer the croutons on top and the last half of both your cheeses. Baked uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes. That is what the recipe says I had to cook mine for about an hour. This recipe is amazing! I love that I just have to layer everything and put it in the oven. All I had to do was chop the garlic and trim the chicken. I didn't have ten million dishes to do after! I am so going to make this again and again.
The Parmesan Potatoes were pretty yummy. I would make them again just I cut the recipe down and made them in a smaller dish. But when I did this sadly I did not cut the butter down so they were swimming the the butter and didn't get a nice crust like I would have liked. You live you learn.
The last two dishes on the food plan is a tator tot casserole and Stuffed shells! I've made the shells before so those will be easy and yummy. The tator tot casserole will be something totally new so i'm looking forward to it.
I'm really enjoying this challenge I have created for myself, because this is making me work with different meats, well meats in a different form. I usually only use ground beef and there is only so much you can do with that. So I am hoping that this will really expand my knowledge of food!
I'll update tomorrow about what is made next!
Thanks for reading
Em

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

So tonight for our sweet tooth I have made Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread. 

This is really really super yummy and very filling! The bread is so dense and heavy, I love it! I can eat one slice and it takes me a while to go back and get another one! 

I didn't have the mini reeses to use so I used the medium sized ones that come in a 12 oz. bag. I just used a handful or two. I did use a little more banana than the recipe says. I really wanted the flavors equal. I would say they are. The only thing is the recipe has no nuts, so if you want to add that factor like an original banana bread you could probably use a chunky peanut butter. Maybe then exclude the reeses. 

I sorta think you could have left out the reeses really. The peanut butter gives it all the peanut butter flavor you need. And the little bit of chocolate that the reeses has does not affect the taste that much.
I would for sure make this again probably not using the reeses. 

Garlic Chicken with Potatoes

Last nights super bowl meal for my boyfriend and I was 30 minute garlic chicken with potatoes. I decided to make this because I was going to just be getting off work and some days I really don't feel like doing a whole lot of cooking.
This recipe was so simple get the chicken, potatoes, and spices, add to bowl, toss, put in oven and enjoy!
The only thing is that I had to extend the cooking time about 15 minutes or so. I'm just so terrified of serving under cooked chicken. I always add 5 minutes just in case. But every time I cut a piece there was still pink.
Oh and one other thing. I think I will add more garlic and paprika next time. The potatoes had a nice wonderful flavor, but the chicken could use a little more. Or I will just rub that chicken with the garlic and paprika more.....
All and all I will be making this dish again.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

For a nice little dessert and surprise for my boyfriend I made him some of these Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites.
I made half of a recipe just because we don't need 80 of them!
I ended up not being able to roll the peanut butter mixture into balls, I just had to use two spoons and scoop it on to the pretzel.
These are very quick and easy to make.
My boyfriend said they would make a great party dish.
Really really hope you all enjoy them as much as we did!!!

Potato Bacon Casserole

Tonight I made a very delicious dinner. It was a Potato Bacon Casserole I found the link from Pinterest.
I made the recipe exactly how it is supposed to be made.
The only thing is I didn't have frozen hash browns so I had to julienne my own potatoes.
I used an 8x8 dish. Cut into 9 pieces very easily. My boyfriend ate about 2 pieces and I had 1 and a half.
This was a very easy and quick recipe to make. We had it for dinner, but for sure it can be made as a breakfast dish.
Hope you enjoy!!

Mini Personal Pizzas

The other night I was feeling a lot like pizza. These are a quick, fun, and cheap way of getting a good pizza.
 Pillsbury crescent rolls that I unrolled. I made four pizzas by keeping two triangles together to make one pizza. It will form a rectangle.
Then I took a little bit of pizza sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, mini pepperonis and some bacon.
Of course you can add any toppings that you like on your pizza.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes. Might need a little more if you like your crust to be a little more crispy.

An example of the rectangle pizzas

Yum yum!!! 

This is a great idea for kids to get them to help in the kitchen and see what goes into making their food. Also a great idea for kids parties or just adult parties in general. You can set up a topping bar and give everyone a rectangle to make their own pizza.

Rosemary Burgers and Cheesy Fries

I have a thing that with almost every meal I make I make some sort of potato, unless there is going to be pasta in the dish. 

So tonight we have cheesy fries, they were probably the best I have made so far. 

I took 3 potatoes ( I left the peel on) cut in half then cut length wise and cut each length in half again. You can make the fries any thickness you would like. 

I took one clove of garlic and minced it to bake with the fries. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spread fries on baking sheet lined with foil.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Bake ten minutes, take out of oven and flip. Sprinkle with more salt and add vegetable oil. Bake another ten minutes. Take out of oven and add what ever cheese you would like. Today I used  mild cheddar slices. I placed 3 on top of the fries, with of course more salt, then baked again for about 5 minutes, until your cheese is nice and melted. I also added a little bit of onion to the top. You can also add bacon bits, chives, or even chili! 

Rosemary burgers is a recipe I took from Giada Delaurentiis. She made them with chicken, but I decided to use beef instead. Now the recipe calls for mayo to bind everything together, it wasn't until after two times of making these burgers and having them fall apart on me that I don't need mayo with beef. 

So here is my form of the recipe. 

2 cloves garlic minced

Handful of rosemary, since it is winter I use dried. Also I chop the rosemary into smaller pieces. 

1 lb of beef

Mayo

Add garlic and rosemary to beef and mix together with hands. Form into 4 patties. 

Add to hot pan. 

Cook about 7 to 8 minutes aside. 

 

I like to toast my buns in the oven. Then I spread mayo on the bottom bun and sprinkle some rosemary over the mayo. 

My boyfriend likes to add cheese to his burger. 

Fried Chicken and Twice Baked Potatoes

Tonight I made some fried chicken that I found a recipe for online and totally made it my own. Sorry I don't know any measurements I just add it until it looks good. 

I took about 2 pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts and cut them into one and half inch strips. 

I heated some vegetable oil over high heat. 

For the coating I took two eggs and beat them with a little bit of water. 

Then I took a good amount of flour, added some salt, pepper and garlic salt. I make this mix just so I have enough to cover all my chicken. 

Once the oil is nice and hot I took the chicken and coated it with the egg wash and then covered it with the flour mixture. 

Cook in the oil about 5 minutes aside. Or until the inside is cooked through. 

Take out of oil and put onto paper towel, shake salt over the top, flip and salt again. 

For the Twice Baked Potatoes I took 3 large potatoes, pierced them with a knife all over. Then wrapped them in a damp paper towel and put in the microwave for 13 minutes. 

After letting cool for several minutes cut in half length wise and core out soft inside into a bowl. Leaving a little bit of potato left around the side. 

Mix the potato core with a fair amount of butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon. I usually cook my own bacon and crumble. Also you can add chives or anything else you might like on your baked potato. 

Fill each potato shell with the mixture and top with cheese. 

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.