Yack....Food!

Well only under certain circumstances do I despise food and the main one is when I am pregnant. Well lack of time hasn't been the real reason for the few and far between posts, it has been the dreaded pregnant sickness. It's not just in the morning or at noon or lunch, it is ALL DAY LONG! My poor husband the saint has had maybe 2 meals cooked for him by me in the past 13 weeks. He has been feeding himself and Molly. I don't just get nauseated but I vomit at least 2 times a day. I have been trying to loose weight...how about 25 pounds. I haven't really enjoyed the method however. Breakfast usually stays down, but anything after the noon hour I get to enjoy twice.
Today, however was the second meal I have cooked, not sure what really got into me. I guess I have felt a lot of guilt for being a terrible, unmotivated, and unproductive wife and mom. Molly has been soo good to me! "Mom are you going to puke?" is usually her response when I start to cough, then she runs to the bathroom and puts up the toilet seat for me. What a girl! I did disappoint her last week when we were at the Spaghetti Factory and I wasn't able to make it home and left a mess in the parking lot. She really reprimanded me and said mom "you aren't supposed to puke in the street!" We are so excited though, despite the trials for this new "little bundle" we are expecting.
Hope I didn't gross you out too much!
Of all the pungent things to make, why did I choose this????? Oh well Jeff and Molly liked it!

Chili Pasta Casserole Recipe

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 can (15 oz) vegetarian chili with beans
1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
8 oz. cooked pasta

Instructions: Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown beef until no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in chili, tomatoes with juice, 1 cup cheddar cheese, sour cream, chili powder and garlic powder.Add chili mixture to pasta and stir until pasta is coated. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and cook 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Who has time to blog???

Well I have obviously been way to busy to blog! Between scapbooking trips, work, studying, planning a Disneyland trip (yeah!) and keeping Miss Molly busy it just hasn't been the priority. Well I made this casserole last weekend at scrapbook get away. As always it was a hit. It works well for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner especially if there are leftovers.

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf french bread (cut into 1 inch cubes)
2 8oz cream cheese (cut into 1 inch cubes)
10 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Place half of the cubed bread and on cube of cubed cream cheese in a greased 9x13 pan.
Layer with a second layer of bread and cream cheese. Combine rest of ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Pour over top of bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees
Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 40 more minutes. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to let it set. Serve with syrup if desired.

The Derby weekend always provides a lot of food and fun! My favorite thing we had all weekend was this ice cream concotion...

Fruity Ice Cream

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1/2 gallon raspberry sherbert
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 bag frozen raspberries
2 large bananas

Let ice cream melt a bit and mix them together in a large bowl. Add in the fruits. Return to a large container and refreeze.

EASY but GOODY!

Kamas Demolition Derby/Cabin Weekend

MMMM.... Peanut Butter

I really really love just about anything with peanut butter, especially if chocolate is involved too. I am not a huge Martha Stewart fan, her stuff is usually too exotic, but in her August issue of Martha Stewart Living she had a yummy!

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BARS

vegetable cooking spray
9 ounces chocolate wafers (about 40 or 2 cups) finely ground
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted

1. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment, leaving a 2 inch overhang on the long sides
2. Combine wafer, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined.
4. Add peanut butter mixture to dry mixture stirring until combined. Press firmly into pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Pour melted semi-sweet chocolate over chilled mixture and spread in a thin layer over entire surface. Refrigerate until hard.
6. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of smooth PB until runny, drizzle over chocolate layer. Drizzle milk chocolate over PB. Refrigerate until hardened.
7. Use parchment to lift out chilled bars. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares. Let bars stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. (Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen up to 1 month.)

My Variation:
I didn't have chocolate wafers so I used graham crackers instead-super good!
I used all milk chocolate and all smooth PB because that is just what I had!

Everything's better with RAINBOW SPRINKLES!

RAINBOW SPRINKLES!



WELL, THE RECIPE I AM POSTING TODAY DOESN'T REALLY HAVE RAINBOW SPRINKLES IN IT BUT HOW CAN YOU RESIST THIS SWEETEST THING TELLING YOU "BUT MOM, IT REALLY NEEDS SPRINKLES!"



TODAY'S RECIPE IS A SWEET ONE. I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO BAKE THESE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS NOW AND DECIDED TODAY WAS THE DAY! THIS ONE IS FOR YOU SHAUNA!

PEANUT ROLL BARS

(THEY TASTE ALMOST LIKE NUTROLL CANDY BARS, JUST BETTER!)

1 CUP BUTTER (SOFTENED)

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

3 EGG YOLKS

1 1/2 TEASPOONS VANILLA

2 1/4 CUP FLOUR

3/4 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA

1/2 TEASPOON SALT

CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR, MIX IN EGGS AND VANILLA. MIX IN REMAINING INGREDIENTS. PRESS INTO A 17x12 INCH PAN. BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 12-15 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM OVEN AND SPREAD ON

5 CUPS MINI MARSHMALLOWS.

RETURN TO OVEN UNTIL MARSHMALLOWS HAVE SPREAD TOGETHER. COOL COMPLETELY.

IN SAUCEPAN MELT

1 1/2 CUPS LIGHT CORN SYRUP

5 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

3 TEASPOONS VANILLA

3 CUPS BUTTERSCOTCH CHIPS (AUNT HEIDI LIKES PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS BEST!)

STIR CONSTANTLY, BRING TO A BOIL AND BOIL FOR 1 MINUTE. LET COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE! POUR OVER COOLED MARSHMALLOWS, THEN PRESS ONTO MIXTURE..

2 CUPS RICE KRISPIES

2 CUPS PEANUTS

LET COOL AND STAND OVERNIGHT FOR BEST RESULTS. CUT INTO SMALL SQUARES.

VARIATION: ADD RAINBOW SPRINKLES OR USE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND MACADAMIA NUTS!

MOLLY'S
RAINBOW SPRINKLE
VARIATION!

It's a Baaffle!!!!!

What's a baaffle (pronounced bawful) you ask?? It is the name my neighbor came up with for the lunch he just happened to show up for.
+ +

These 3 ingredients among others combine to make a baaffle. I got this recipe at work from a friend who was telling us about the trouble she went to, to make these for her husband for Father's Day. Thanks Julia! I sure wish I had had this recipe last Sunday! I was sure they would be a hit at my house since bacon and cheese are among the favorites. It just so happened we had 2 neighbor's join us too! They were a HIT! I want to dedicate this recipe to all you bacon lovers out there!

Baaffle

2 cups Krusteaz Belgian Waffle Mix

1 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 Tablespoon melted butter

Mix together then stir into batter:

6-8 slices bacon crumbled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook on a waffle iron like a regular waffle.

Makes 3 - - 12 inch square waffles

Homemade Buttermilk Syrup

2 cubes butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add sugar and buttermilk. Bring to a boil. Stir constantly at a boil for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. (If your pot is more than 1/2 full you may want to add the vanilla and soda in the sink, it will almost double the volume.)

Serve syrup over hot waffle. MMMMM, these are sooo good.

Caution: Not to be used for dieters, may clog arteries!