Turtle Cheesecake Ball

Today we had Souper Bowl Thursday at school.  The teachers, that is. 

We had a sign up earlier this week for soups, salads, chips and dips, and desserts.

I signed up for dessert.

Then I did a quick search on my Pinterest Sweet Treats board to see what I wanted to make.

I wanted something easy that I could make ahead.  Something with chocolate (of course). 

And then I found it.

Turtle Cheesecake Ball.

I have made something similar but the word "Turtle" really got my heart racing.

I LOVE turtle desserts.  (As in the combination of caramels, nuts, and chocolate, not the animal)

So I did a quick grocery run (and totally did NOT count that for my January challenge since my family didn't get to enjoy any of it).

A few minutes of my time, and I had a turtle cheesecake ball chilling in the fridge. 

Then today, I took it to school, added some sliced apples and some chocolate graham crackers, and a few hours later, I had nothing but a plate full of crumbs.

It was good stuff.

(I won't say how much of the eating of it was done by me, but I did have others tell me it was good too...)

Ingredients:
 cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (I used unsalted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 package dry vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup caramel (ice cream topping)

Directions:
Cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer.

Add the caramel and mix together.

Add the brown sugar and powdered sugar.  Cream together.

Add the vanilla and pudding mix.

Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.

Pat into a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour.  (I used plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray to help form the ball, then wrapped the ball up for the fridge.)  By the way, I refrigerated it overnight.

One neat suggestion that the original website had was to drizzle caramel over the top.  And I think adding a few chopped pecans and chocolate chips on top would be nice too.

But I totally forgot to take any of that.

So mine was just plain and not very pretty.

But tasty.

It was very tasty.

I enjoyed each and every bite.

I want to make it again.  And I probably will.  But not until I exercise all of these calories off. :)

Happy cooking!

Reba

Garlic Herb Potato Wedges

Recently we had some "Crescent Burgers".  I thought, "We have to have fries with them..."

I usually make these fries. 

However, I was in the mood to try something else.

So I did my usual "stroll" through my Pinterest boards, in particular the Taters and Spuds board.

And I found this recipe.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

(What does that even mean anyway? :)

Easy and YUMMY.

There was not ONE fry left by the end of the evening.

Bummer for me.

But yeah for the recipe!

Ingredients:
4-6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp  dried thyme

(Original recipe called for 1/2 tsp paprika...I omitted)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into 4-6 identical potato wedges (kind of like steak fries).

Mix in a bowl with the ingredients listed above.

Line a sheet pan with foil.

Place the potato wedges on the foil, skin down.

Bake for 35-50 minutes or until well browned.

Enjoy!

The End of the Month Menu

I thought I would share our "end of the month" menu (this week and next week) as we finish up our January food challenge...

Sunday (the 20th):  Out of town

Monday (the 21st): On Your Own (coming back into town)

Tuesday (the 22nd):  Chicken and dumplins, green beans, homemade sandwich bread/butter

Wednesday (the 23rd):  Crescent burgers (new recipe), garlic and herb potato wedges (new recipe)

Thursday (the 24th): Panko-encrusted swai, wild rice, mini cheddar popovers (new recipe), carrots/Ranch

Friday (the 25th):  Sweet and sour chicken with fried rice...always a favorite around here!

Saturday (the 26th):  Shakes and Popcorn (the older kids were sad to miss that last week...)

Sunday (the 27th): Breakfast-  Crescent cinnamon buns
Dinner-  Roasted Ranch and Potatoes (new recipe), carrots

Monday (the 28th): Breakfast for dinner- Homemade waffles (new recipe) and bacon

Tuesday (the 29th): Beef Tips over noodles (new recipe)

Wednesday (the 30th): OYO (On Your Own)

Thursday (the 31st):  Taco Pasta Bake

I am sure there will be some cinnamon swirl bread in there too...it is a regular around here!

You will notice several "new" recipes. That is because I am having to explore a bit with new recipes using ingredients I have. :)

I think I have 8 dollars for the rest of the month.  Or six. I am not sure. I am going to have to buy some milk and bananas, but I THINK we are going to make it. By the skin of our teeth.  The kids have complained a time or two wishing I had done just a bit more for the challenge but overall they have handled it all well.  Most of the time. :)

What are you having to eat this week?

Reba

Baked Chicken and Dumplins

I saw this on Pinterest the other day.

Baked Chicken and Dumplins.

No, not dumplings.

You have to say it the Southern way.

Dumplins.

I LOVE Dumplins.

When I go to visit Mark's family in Mississippi, his mom often makes a big pan of chicken and dumplins.

I attempted it once.

It was NOT the same.

So that is why I found this recipe intriguing.

It is LIKE chicken and dumplins but not.

So this morning I popped out of bed and boiled the chicken.

Then I stuck it and the broth in the fridge.

After school, I rushed home and I threw it all together and stuck it in the oven before running kids around.

And about an hour and a half later, we sat down to eat.

I should mention that after only 20-30 minutes, the kids were saying, "What is that smell? It smells so good..."

Anyway, an hour and a half later, we sat down to eat.

And we loved it.

Well, five out of six.

One of out six was her usual "It's okay..."

She is picky that way.

Five out of six works for me.

We WILL be having this again.

Oh, and my hubby is not a big dumplin guy but he LOVED this.  He thought it tasted a lot like a pot pie minus the veggies.

We both agreed it was comfort food at its finest.

This recipe makes a large pan.  I had to scoop just a little bit for my lunch tomorrow or the teenager would have finished it off.  I thought we would have a lot left over.

No such luck.

Ingredients:
4-6 large chicken breasts, boneless. I had frozen tenderloins on hand so I used that.

1 1/2 sticks butter, divided.  I used to use "light" but due to one of my kiddo's sensitivities, I am using the real stuff these days.  YUM.

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (If I had to do it over again, I would have doubled the milk and flour)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups chicken broth (The original recipe called for 3.  I didn't use the third one and I still thought it was amazing.

1 can (or in my case, box) cream of chicken soup (The original recipe called for cream of celery. I didn't have any of that.

1/2 tsp savory (I didn't have that so I just sprinkled rosemary and thyme)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place the chicken breasts, 4 Tbsp of butter, salt, and pepper in a large pot.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Then simmer for about 30-45 minutes until tender.

Remove chicken from broth.  Let it cool a bit then shred it (I just used two forks).

If you do this ahead of time (I have to or I run out of time), put your shredded chicken in the fridge.  Also store that chicken broth.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees when ready to cook.

Melt the remaining stick of butter in a large dish. I used a 9 x 13.

Spread the shredded chicken all over the bottom of the dish.

Mix together the flour and the milk. (As I mentioned before, the one change I will make next time is to double the flour and the milk.)

Pour over the chicken and spread out as much is possible.

Mix together the broth (I just used the broth that remained after boiling the chicken), sour cream, the cream of chicken soup, and savory (or thyme and rosemary for me..).  Spread over the top of the chicken/flour mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Then let it cool for about 15 minutes.  At one point mine was getting a bit brown on top, so I stuck some aluminum foil over the top for the last 10 minutes or so...

Oh, you are supposed to pour one more cup of chicken broth over the top after it cooks but I didn't.

And know that it is never extra firm.  It will seem a bit runny.

But also know it is good stuff.

We had it with green beans and homemade bread.

It was SOOOO yummy.

I enjoyed every bite!

Happy cooking!

Reba

Pepperoni Roll

We rarely eat pizza "out" these days (though I do miss it like crazy!).

But about once a week, I still get an intense "pizza" craving that must be fixed.

I have grown to love homemade pizza. But I don't always have the time to make the crust or the pizza.

So I love finding quick pizza alternatives.

That is why when I saw THIS recipe on Pinterest, I knew we needed to try it. 

I mean, the base of it is Rhodes dough which we can eat almost any day around here. 

(I just got a Rhodes cookbook for Christmas...as a gift, not a "payment" for praising their products, though that would be nice.  A recipe similar to this is in there also...)

Ingredients:
1 Rhodes bread dough (I used two...I made a pepperoni version and a cheese version), thawed but not risen

olive oil (I didn't measure, I just used what I needed)

pepperoni (size and amount of your choice)

shredded mozzarella cheese

shredded cheddar cheese (if you wish)

Italian seasoning

freshly grated Parmesan

pizza sauce (for dipping)

Directions:
Thaw the Rhodes dough until it is pliable but hasn't started rising yet.

Preheat oven to 375.

Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle.  If it is too tough to roll, give it a few more minutes to thaw and "rest".  Then try again.

Brush the dough with olive oil.

Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the olive oil.

Lay the pepperoni (or other toppings of your choice) on the dough.

Sprinkle with mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese.  Then add some Parmesan.

Starting at one of the long sides of the rectangle, roll up the dough like you would for cinnamon rolls.

Place the "log" on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the "log" with melted butter.

I think I also sprinkled a little garlic salt and some more Parmesan on top but I am not positive.

Place the "log" on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the roll is a golden brown color.  Make sure the middle is cooked!

Let the roll cool.

Slice and enjoy. (And dip in sauce if you like)

Reba

Chicken and Bacon Wild Rice Soup

I really need to take some kind of food photography class.

Of course, the hard part is that I would have to have time to get things just right.

And usually when I make dinner, I have little people chomping at my heels, ready to eat.

Anyway, I made this one cold day last week.

It was everything I had hoped it would be...and more.

I know, you can't tell by looking at the picture.

Just trust me.

Chicken, bacon, half and half, wild rice.

A good hearty meal.  A stick to the ribs kind of meal.  A "I don't think I can eat another bite" kind of meal.

It was all good but I won't lie. The bacon just puts this over the top.  And even thought there wasn't that much bacon in it, the flavor just spread through the "soup" like wildfire.

This is technically a soup though mine was a VERY thick stew. That may be because I threw in some extra rice.  Or maybe it was just the way I cooked it.  Either way, it was thick.  But that didn't stop anyone from eating it.

I found the recipe here.  If I remember correctly, this was not a Pinterest recipe, though I think I have posted it since. It was a recipe I found during a search one night as I thought about chicken and wild rice.

Ingredients:
about 32 oz chicken broth (the original recipe calls for 3 cans but the chicken broth I use comes in large boxes :)

2 cups water

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed.  (Note:  I totally forgot the "rinsed" part.  Remember that part if you make this.  The "soup/stew" comes out kind of oddly colored otherwise.  Not to mention, with all of the news about tainted rice, it is better to rinse it first.  Another note:  I added about 1 cup of rice just because. I think that is why it was SOOO thick)

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (I didn't have any. I can't remember if I threw in a little bit of dried onion or not...probably)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning (I left this out)

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups half and half (gives it a VERY rich flavor)

8 slices bacon cooked/crumbled

1 1/2 cups diced or shredded chicken (I actually had some chicken left over from a "crockpot rotisserie" chicken I had made so I used that)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring the water and broth to a boil.  Add the rice (and onion if using), cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the rice is tender.  There will be extra broth. So don't worry.  That is supposed to be there. :)

In a different saucepan, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour and seasonings.

Cook 1 minute, stirring often until bubbly and smooth.

Gradually stir in the half and half to the butter mixture.  Stir often until it is slightly thickened.

Add the mixture into the large saucepan with the rice.

Add in the chicken and the bacon pieces.

Heat on low for at least half an hour (longer if possible).  Do NOT boil.

Enjoy!

Like I said, it was really good. And it was just as good re-heated.

A perfect winter meal.

Enjoy!
Reba

A Couple of Menus

I really have been making an effort to post a little more on my blogs.  And for the most part I have been successful.  At least on a couple of blogs. I somehow got "behind" on this one.

I still don't know how I did that.

Anyway, here is my menu for this past week as well as my menu for next week.  Just to keep me accountable.

Sunday (6th)-Bacon wrapped tenderloin, fingerling potatoes, Rhodes rolls, black-eye peas

Monday (7th)- Sausage and potatoes, French bread

Tuesday (8th)- Scrambled Eggs, bacon, toast (from homemade bread), fruit

Wednesday (9th)- On Your Own

Thursday (10th)- Lasagna (new recipe), garlic/cheese bread twists (new recipe)

Friday (11th)- Eating Out!  It was our first time to eat out in over 3 months!  Such a treat!

Saturday (12th)-  Breakfast:  donut holes
Dinner- Pizza roll (new recipe) and chips

Sunday (13th)- Baked potato soup, crusty bread (new recipe)

Monday (14th)- Panko encrusted swai, rice, mini cheddar popovers (new recipe), carrots/Ranch

Tuesday (15th)- Leftovers

Wednesday (16th)- On Your Own

Thursday (17th)- Crescent burgers (new recipe), garlic and herb potato wedges (new recipe)

Friday (18th)- Chicken spaghetti, garlic bread

Saturday (19th)- Shakes and popcorn night

There will also be some cinnamon swirl bread in there.  Strawberry smoothies.  And possibly even some homemade chocolate donuts (new recipe).  You just never know what I may get a hankering for...

What are you having this week?  (You can take that for last week or next week...your choice :)

Reba