Living Life One Cheerio at a Time

Sooo.... I've not been happy with my chocolate chip recipe.   So I've been scouring Pinterest and experimenting.  Let's be honest the hubs and the kids haven't minded too much!  But I've finally come to a perfected cookie. The hubs likes a more cake like cookie. I on the other hand like a crispy one that holds up in a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk.  I will share this joy with you. I basically use the toll house chocolate chip recipe with a few changes. 2 1/4 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 1/2 cup crisco 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 large eggs 2 cups chocolate chips (or 1 cup chocolate chips/1 cup m & m's) Preheat oven to 375*. Add dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat sugars and butter/Crisco until creamy. Add eggs one at a time.  Gradually add dry ingredients .Stir in morsels. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minut...

WHAT?? Waffle sandwiches? Totally weird?! Yes....my kids love make your own sandwich night so I thought I'd throw a little twist on it tonight. Rachel Ray's recipe is the basic one I am going to use and then I am going to let my kids add their own toppings. She's also got a pizza waffle I'd like to try too....mmmm 4 eggs 1/2 cup milk salt/pepper 1 tsp of mustard topping choices: cooked bacon ham slices (left over and frozen from Easter) cheese (I have provolone, cheddar and mozzerella) tomato lettuce (to add after its cooked) Preheat waffle maker. Mix eggs, milk, salt/pepper and mustard together. Take 2 slices of bread and add choice of meat/cheese. Dip sandwich into egg mixture. Place on waffle maker and cook until golden brown.

Oh these are not healthy for you but as a once in awhile splurge they are pure yumminess! 8 oz cream cheese softened 1 1lb  jack cheese (or cheddar) 1 cup sour cream 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp garlic 1 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/3 cups cooked/shredded chicken a small bunch of  green onions chopped 8 flour tortillas Mix all ingredients. Spread evenly on half of a tortilla. Fold in half and warm until crispy in a pan/griddle. Serve with lettuce and salsa. Enjoy!!!!!!!

Well this is what we will be having this week! Husband tried some new recipes over Christmas break and here are a few that we liked. Japanese chicken Left over ham slices Beef stroganoff Mexican rice and enchilladas Pancakes and bacon I am gonna go over to org junkie and see what's on the menu....

My friend Kiana used to make this in college quite a bit. We lived off campus and needed a few hearty meals that would last a few days with our busy student teaching schedules. Love that girl! Preheat oven to 350 Meatloaf Mixture 1 1/2 lbs of ground round 3/4 cup bread crumbs 1 egg 1tsp salt 1tsp Italian seasoning 1/8 tsp garlic 1/8 tsp pepper Filling 1/2 mozzerella cheese 3 TBSP parmesean cheese 1 10 oz package of frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dried in a paper towel) Topping 3 Tbsp of Ketchup 1/4 mozzerella cheese Combine meatloaf ingredients. On wax paper roll meatloaf into a 14x10 rectangle. Combine filling mixture in a seperate bowl. Spread filling over rectangle. Leave a 1/4 inch around the edge. Roll up. Seal edges. Place loaf, seam side down on a cooking rack on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Add topping and bake for another 10 minutes. Even if you don't like spinach you need to try this one. Its so delicious.

My mom made this recipe over the weekend and it was sooo good. 1 cup packed brown sugar 6 cups (3# bag) apples sliced 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 2 eggs (lightly beaten) 2 sticks melted butter Preheat oven to 375. In a 13x9 pan pack the brown sugar on the bottom. Arrange the fruit on top. In a seperate bowl stir in flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add eggs and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit. Pour melted butter over top. Bake 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden.

This recipe has been a favorite since my friend Kiana made this in collge. My daughter likes my friend Kristin's recipe and lovingly refers to it as "Kristin's chicken." 4 whole chicken breast (split and skinned) 8 bacon slices 1 can of cream of mushroom 1 cup of sour cream 1 cup fresh mushrooms 2 TBSP apple juice Preheat oven 300 degrees. Wrap slices of bacon around each breast. Arrange in a 9x13 pan. Mix soup, sour cream, mushrooms and apple juice. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 2 hours. Oh and is it yummy!

Haven't tried them yet but they sound good so I'll share: Granola 3TBSP dark brown sugar 3TBSP pure maple syrup 2 TBSP honey 1TBSP canola or vegetable oil 1tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with dairy free non stick cooking spray. Place brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over ow heat, stirring constantly about 30 seconds, until sugar melts and sauce is well blended. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Spread mic evenly on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle fruit over granola mix; stir and spread out evenly. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes and then place in a heat proof bowl to cool completely. {Recipes from "What else is to Eat?" the dairy-egg and nut-free food allergy cookbook" Linda Marienhoff Coss} ...