Avalanche Bars

It's been far too long since I've posted a sweet recipe on this blog.  I've definitely been enjoying sweets throughout this pregnancy but I haven't been baking as much.  I'm usually too tired to do anything after dinner.  

Tonight, I decided that needed to change.  I made a tasty dinner, but didn't have to spend too long cooking.  So, while the meal was baking I decided to whip up these bars from Cookies & Cups (one of my favorite sweet treat blogs).  They were ah-mazing.  I didn't make any changes to the recipe.  I'm looking forward to having them for dessert this week. Hubs said these taste exactly like a nutter butter.  Make sure to enjoy them after they've had some time to set. 

Avalanche Bars

Courtesy of Cookies & Cups

Ingredients: 

12 oz bag of White Chocolate Chips

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups Rice Krispies, or “Puffed Rice” if you’re buying generic

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp for garnish.

Lightly grease a 9×9 pan (or 8×8 if you prefer thicker bars)

Directions: 

1.  In microwave-safe bowl dump in white chips and heat on med power for 1 minute.  Stir and continue in 30 second increments until chips are melted.

2.  Combine the peanut butter with the melted chips

3.  Add the krispies.

4.  Let cool approx 15 – 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so to help cool.

5.  Add the marshmallows and the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

6.  Dump mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing lightly with the back of your spoon, but do not compact too much, otherwise they will get hard.

7.  Press the remaining chocolate chips into the top for garnish.

Skillet Glazed Pork Chops

Thank you to Pinterest for another tasty dinner recipe.  Hubs gets credit for putting this meal together.   I knew we had pork chops to make and not a lot of time to prepare dinner.  I think this entire recipe took 20 minutes total.  The only thing we will change next time is adding a little more dijon mustard to take the sweetness of the glaze down a notch.  Nonetheless, still a great dinner.                                                                

                                                               Skillet Glazed Pork Chops
                                                       Recipe Courtesy of Cooks Country


Serves 4

Be careful not to overreduce the glaze in step 3. If the glaze thickens to the correct consistency before the chops reach 140 degrees, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan. We prefer fresh thyme here, but dried can be substituted.

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless center-cut or loin chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
 Salt and pepper
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1tablespoon vegetable oil


INSTRUCTIONS
1. PREP CHOPS Trim chops and slash through fat and silver skin, making 2 cuts about 2 inches apart on sides of each chop (see Glaze Guidance, below). Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Combine maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, and thyme in bowl.

2. COOK CHOPS Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pork to skillet and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chops and add glaze mixture. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook until internal temperature registers 140 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove chops to plate and tent with foil.

3. REDUCE GLAZE Return any accumulated juices to skillet and simmer glaze over medium heat until thick and syrupy. Pour reduced glaze over chops. Serve.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Pasta

One of my all time favorite combinations is tomatoes and mozzarella.  Especially in the summer months.  I've been on a pasta and veggie kick lately.  I enjoy adding different veggies to pasta and have been on the search for more of these spring/ summer recipes.  I enjoyed this meal for dinner, served warm and also as a cook pasta salad for lunch the next day.  Enjoy!

Tomato Mozzarella Pasta 

Recipe Courtesy of Food and Wine 

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes (about 6), chopped
3/4 pound salted fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup halved and pitted black olives
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced


DIRECTIONS
In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes with the mozzarella, basil, olives, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain, add to the tomato mixture, and toss.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour the oil over the pasta and toss again.

Fish Tacos

I always make beef tacos but my MIL inspired me to make fish tacos this past week.  I had been loving fish and chips lately and hubs always orders fish tacos while were out.  I found the recipe below at All Recipes.  I really only used it for the sauce, but wanted to share the whole thing with you.  It has amazing reviews, I was just looking for a bit of a healthier version.  I cooked the fish in a skillet with a little bit of oil.  I used hard shells and topped with the sauce.  I served them with white rice but wish I had some black beans to add to it!  Enjoy.  

Fish Tacos

Courtesy of All Recipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer
 
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
 
1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely shredded
Directions

To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).
To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

Spring Linguini with Basil

With the plethora of recipes on Pinterest and getting daily emails from my favorite cooking magazines, I've decided that I no longer need most of the magazines I receive.  This recipe popped into my inbox from Cooking Light.  The email showcased a variety of spring pasta dishes.  Hubs and I usually make pasta once or twice a week.  I immediately added this recipe to our recipe menu for the upcoming week.  Hubs gets credit for making the dish, but it was as good as it looks.  It also provided a good amount of leftovers.  The only change I made was using shredded parmesan cheese instead of the shaved cheese.  

Spring Linguini with Basil 

Courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 9 ounces uncooked fresh linguine

• 1 cup shelled fresh green peas

• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

• 2 ounces shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add peas to pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup pasta liquid.

2. Heat oil and butter in pan over medium heat 1 minute or until butter melts. Remove from heat; stir in pasta mixture, reserved pasta water, juice, salt, and pepper; toss well.

3. Divide pasta mixture evenly among 4 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon basil and about 2 tablespoons cheese. Serve immediately.

Basil Pork Chops

Last week I took out pork chops for dinner.  Hubs offered to cook dinner, so I found him a  recipe to make.  Unfortunately, I didn't read the entire recipe and realize it took over an hour to make.  So I frantically searched for a quick recipe for him with good reviews.  Which brought me to the pan fried recipe found below. Hubs made it by the time I was out of the shower and it was pretty darn good.  He cooked it for only 7 minutes and it was a little well done.  He said he would cook it on a lower setting next time or for less time.  Overall...a dinner that is ready in 20 minutes is a 10 in my book! 

Basil Pork Chops

Courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, basil, salt and chili powder. Gradually stir in 1 tablespoon oil until crumbly. Rub over both sides of pork chops.
2. In a large skillet, cook pork in remaining oil over medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Gender Reveal Party

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, I knew I wanted to throw a gender reveal party.  I had seen so many cute ideas on Pinterest and thought it would be the perfect way to share with close friends and family what Baby Herring would be.  I started planning the party at about 14 weeks.  I used my time off for spring break to get most of the decorations done, most of which involved my Cricut.  I tried to use as many things as possible from my craft room to create things for the reveal.  Luckily I had a wreath, yarn, ribbon and tons of blue and pink paper.  I planned a small menu since the party was at 3 in the afternoon on a Sunday.  We served lemonade, water, sangria and little sandwiches, pasta salad, spinach dip and fruit.  It ended up being the perfect amount of food.  For the reveal we used an empty box we found at Office Depot and 8 balloons.  Since we already had found out what Baby Herring was 2 days before the party, we knew what color to buy and fill the box with.  As soon as everyone arrived for the party, we revealed outside in our front yard.  My parents and best friend were ready to rip the box open if they had to wait any longer.   Hubs cut the tape and I helped the balloons out of the box.  We let some into the air and taped the others to the box for pictures.  We had such a wonderful time at the party and can't wait to show Avery the pictures of when all her aunts and uncles found out she was a girl!

P.S. Most of our family and friends thought she would be a he! 

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Snickerdoodle Bread

Snickerdoodle Bread

Courtesy of Let's Dish

If you enjoy snickerdoodle cookies, you'll love this snickerdoodle bread!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips 
1 tablespoon flour

Topping:
2 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Coat the cinnamon chips with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir into the batter.  Spoon the batter into four or five greased mini loaf pans (or two 9x5 loaf pans). Combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and sprinkle over each loaf. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes for mini loaves (or 60-70 minutes for full-size loaves), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. 

Easter Jars

Easter is just around the corner.  I don't have a lot of Easter decorations, so I headed to Pinterest for a little pinspiration.  

After searching for seconds I found an idea that I could recreate with items I already had at home.  I used to large glass jars, plastic eggs, Easter grass and peeps.  

Here is my final creation...

Cornflake Ranch Chicken

We loved the ranch pork chops I made last week.  When I went to cook the chicken I took out this week, I decided to try something similar with the chicken.  

Instead of dipping the chicken in eggs, I dipped it in ranch dressing.  After that, I dipped the chicken in crushed cornflakes that were spread out on a plate.  From there, they went on a greased baking sheet.  I cooked them for about 25-30 minutes at 375. 

Enjoy! 

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Hubs decided to make us pancakes from scratch instead of our usual going out to breakfast last Saturday.  I think he...had a craving.  He found the recipe, did all the work and I sat on the couch relaxing with the pups.  Love him!  

Anyhow, I was very impressed with the pancakes and how quick he was able to make them.  I had to share the recipe with you all.  

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes 

Recipe Courtesy AllRecipes 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

The Best Pork Chops You Will Ever Taste

A few weeks back I picked up pork chops on sale.  I added them to the menu last week and found myself on Pinterest looking for a recipe.  I remembered pinning this one about a week or so ago and decided to visit the website to check it out.  I had all of the ingredients at home, which makes my wallet happy.  There wasn't much prep work and the reviews were positive.  Therefore I decided to give it a try.  Overall, a great recipe.  Definitely will be a go to when I don't want to run to the store to get ingredients I don't have on hand.  Mine didn't look as crispy as the ones in the picture, but they were still yummy.  Enjoy!

The Best Pork Chops You Will Ever Taste

Recipe Courtesy Pinterest

Ingredients: 

 Ranch Dressing In A Bottle (I used peppercorn ranch)

 3 Cups Fine Dry Italian Bread Crumbs.

1 Small Package Dry Italian Dressing Mix.

2 Tablespoons Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese.

1 Tablespoon Dry Powdered Garlic.

6 Large Loin Pork Chops.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix ingredients 2 - 5 in a large bowl and mix together very well. 

Pour a layer of ranch dressing out into a plate. 

Take one pork chop at a time and coat it on the plate with ranch dressing and then put the pork chop with the ranch dressing on it into the large bowl with the bread crumbs and coat it well on all sides. Add more ranch dressing to the plate if you need to.

Have your tin foil lined baking pan setting there ready. Spray the tinfoil with vegetable cooking spray. Place your breaded pork chops onto the tinfoil covered pan and once you have all your pork chops on the pan place it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the thick part of your pork chops reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. As soon as your pork chops are done remove from the pan and serve as soon as possible

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

My husband called me from work a few days ago and said he needed me to make cookies for the following day for his team.  I immediately went to my Pinterest cookie board, looking for a quick and cheap recipe.  I picked this one because of the few ingredients (I only had to buy the Reeses) and minimal time it would take to whip them up.  These cookies smelled so delicious when they were baking, I had to taste them when they were finished.  And they were as good as they smelled.  I will definitely be making these again!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Recipe Courtesy Cookies and Cups

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 oz) box chocolate cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 8 oz bag Reese's Minis

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. With your mixer, beat together cake mix, oil and eggs until combined.
3. Pour in entire bag of Reese's Minis.
4. Mix on low until Reese's are evenly incorporated.
5. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place n a parchment lined baking sheet about 2" apart. Cookies will spread.
6. Bake for 8-9 minutes.