Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Hi everyone.... yes I know it's been a LONG time since I've posted on the blog,...... I don't know what has been taking up all my time- but I wanted to share a great, easy, healthy snack I made today.   The little boys are always asking for a snack, and I had these bananas in the freezer- so I decided to try to make a cookie with them.   They are really easy and only use 3 ingredients! 

First of all let me say- I know these look disgusting-  when I have bananas that are really ripe and are going to go bad- I put them in the freezer, peel and all. They turn this horrible black color- but they are so good to bake with.     So to make these cookies you will need 2 very ripe bananas

as you can see they get really gooey in the freezer- which is why they are so great to bake with... they make the best banana bread too.  The easiest way to open them is to slice them with a knife from end to end like this.....then they come out of the peel really easy- they need to be thawed before you do this, you can put them in the microwave for a couple of minutes on defrost or just sit them on the counter for an hour before you are going to use them.

so put your 2 bananas in a bowl, then I took 1 1/2 cups rolled oats and put them in the blendtec to grind them up a little bit. Mix the 2 ingredients together with a fork, mix in a handful of chocolate chips.  Scoop them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake them for 15 minutes @ 350 degrees.  

Take them out of the oven and enjoy a really healthy cookie- no sugar- no flour- no salt- just bananas, rolled oats and of course a little bit of chocolate!!!

Sneaky Sweet Tomato Soup

Your kids will never guess that there is sweet potatoes hiding in this yummy soup! They will think it's your old tomato soup recipe! Click the magic button for the full recipe!

Kid Approved Zuppa Toscana

Mix up your soup night with this tried and true recipe that your kids will just love! Click the magic button for the full recipe!

Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna Rolls

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Here is a great recipe to serve when you are having dinner guests. You can make it ahead of time, I have even made it the night before- put it in the refrigerator- then all you have to do is bake it.
Here's a few pictures to show you the steps to make it.......

Lay your cooked noodles flat & spread the cheese mixture on to each noodle it only takes about a heaping tablespoonful

Then roll the noodle up- starting at the narrow end like this....

Spread a cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan and layer each rolled noodle into the pan as shown.  Pour the remaining sauce on & top with the remaining cheese.



And...... dinner is served!!

Easter Oreo Bon Bon's

Looking for an easy Easter treat?  How about some Oreo Bon Bon's??  You can make some really yummy ones with all the different flavors of Oreo's these days. We made Peanut butter, Double Stuff original flavor and Berry.  

Click the magic   button to get the recipe!

Grandmas Sloppy Joes

Who doesn't like Sloppy Joes? I grew up eating them on a regular basis and now my kids are the ones that are demanding them more often on the dinner table!

I love the recipe that I grew up with so why should I alter my moms great recipe? Click magic button to grab it!

Fluffy Waffles

 FLUFFY WAFFLES
Serves 8-10. 1/2 cup is one serving.

These waffles are my families favorite. Click the button for the printable recipe.
They are so fluffy and delicious!!! They are healthy and low in calories.

I usually put peanut butter and sugar free maple syrup on my waffles!!! It is so YUMMY!!

Freezer Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

FREEZER CROCKPOT TERIYAKI CHICKEN
click the magic button for the printable recipe and more recipes from us!
Makes 2 one gallon freezer ziplock bags.

This recipe is really easy and very delicious. I love being able to throw this in the crockpot and not worry about cooking.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does!!!

Simple Rolls

We made some delicious rolls today and thought that you all should have the recipe too! Go Here to grab it! -----> 

How about some Breakfast??

For our St. Patrick's Day party this year we had breakfast food.  I tried a couple of new recipes, and we LOVED them.  This one's ham, egg, spinach & cheese cups.  They were so easy to make- you use the thin ham (really thin worked best) if you look at the picture above you can see the pan on the left has two rows of thicker ham, it worked - but didn't mold into the pan as well. 

I loved being able to cook 24 at a time- and then I put them into warming pans & they kept warm until we were ready to eat. They would be easy to make and store in the fridge for the week & heat up on busy mornings for the kids. To get the recipe- scroll down to the bottom and click on the magic button!!  You are going to love them!

The next one is one of our favorite things to eat for breakfast-- German Pancakes.  I usually make them in a 9x13 pan, but it doesn't feed very many, and I always have to make more!!  So this time I poured the batter into muffin tin pans and I could bake 24 single servings at a time!! So much easier. Serve with butter, syrup or jam- YUMM  The Recipe card is below click on it and it will enlarge so you can read it better.   Give them a try-- I know you'll LOVE them too.



CLICK MAGIC BUTTON FOR PRINTABLE VERSION AND MORE GREAT RECIPES!

Sea Foam Salad

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Do you have an event coming up you need a yummy salad for?  Or you could make it for dinner tonight-- We had a family dinner this last week-end and I made one of our family FAVORITES!!  I got this recipe from my Mother- in- law when I was first married....32 yrs ago, and it's still one of my go to salads.  It works up pretty fast, and is always a hit with everyone.  Here's what you'll need.....

1 quart of pears- lrg. box Jell-O- cream cheese & whipped cream.  You can use cool-whip, but you all know how I feel about that!  I always use cream & whip my own- it's just BETTER!!  You can use any flavor of Jell-o, our favorites are lime (so it looks like sea-foam) or strawberry. 

And this is what it looks like...

I hope this becomes one of your Family Favorites too!!

* Note when it says "blend" in the recipe it means put them in the blender to mix together! :)



Cheese Soup

 Click on the magic button for the printable version of this recipe  ---->

It's so cold outside!!! I love soup on any day- but it is really good on a cold day. This cheese soup recipe is one of the first soup recipes I made as a young Mom... and it is still one of my favorite ones!!



It's easy and fills you up on a cold day- just add a slice of homemade bread & you're set! Enjoy!



Cinnamon Spiced Pecans

I have a "Clique" of friends - and we get together once a month for dinner. We started our monthly get togethers YEARS ago when my kids were in elementary school, they were all teachers at the school, and I was the PTA Pres. Over the years we have seen each other through the happiest & hardest of times.  Oh how I LOVE these wonderful friends!!!  They are truly the salt of the earth type people, whom I adore!!  We all took a vote this last year & allowed another person to enter the "clique"  Haha  And she is a wonderful cook.  Lastnight she brought us some lovely spiced nuts! 

of course we all wanted to know how to make them, and she was kind enough to give me the recipe... so that is what I am sharing with you today!!  They sound really easy- and I can tell you they are delish!  So cook some up for your Christmas Parties-- they will be a hit!!!   Thanks Shirley!!!

click on the recipe to enlarge it, and as always if you want the file- leave me a message with your email address & I will send it to you!   ~Karen 

Make your own Buttermilk or Sour Cream

Have you ever needed Buttermilk or Sour Cream- but when you went to the fridge.... you realized you didn't have any?   Yeah I've been there, and it usually happens when I'm making something and need it that very minute!!

Well it's your lucky day.. here's all you need!

Click on the recipe card and it will enlarge it so you can read it better... and as always if you would like the file for the card so you can print it, just leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send it to you.

                                                                                                                ~Karen

Pumpkin Rolls

I have amazing- talented friends!!  These are some rolls my friend Julie made and posted on her FB page.  We have known each other since we were 5..... and let me just that is a VERY long time!  She is an amazing cook, and I am so excited to show you what she's making for Thanksgiving. 

Rolls that look like pumpkins!! How festive is that.

Click the  button for the full recipe

I think they are adorable!!! If I was making the rolls this year I would try them... but this year one of my cute Daughter's in law is making the rolls!!  But she's crafty enough she could probably pull this off!!   I LOVE them!!  Thanks Julie, I think you're Amazing.

Simmering Sents

I was peeling an orange for breakfast this mornng- and it made me remember something I used to do years ago when the boys were young.  I would put things into a saucepan on the stove & simmer them to make the house smell good!  You can use whatever you have on hand.  This morning I used the orange peel from my orange, added a few drops of Almond & Vanilla extracts and a Cinnamon stick.  Put everything in a saucepan with some water and bring it to a boil, boil it for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer & continue to cook it on the stove for as long as you want... oh the smell is WONDERFUL.  Just keep adding water to it as it boils down, every 1/2 hr or so. I have put it into a sm crock pot before too.  It's great, except when Clair comes in and says umm are you making an apple pie?  LOL  I don't know where he got the apple from- but you can use an apple in it too!!  So get those pans out and start simmering away!!! Your noses will be glad you did.

Peppermint Chex-Mix

Hi!! It's been a few days since you've heard from me, I wish I could say it's because I've been away on a SUNNY WARM island!!  But it's just been a busy, crazy week... I want to be done with all my Christmas shopping by the 30th of November- and I'm almost there-  

 A few posts ago I showed you some pictures from our Christmas Party last year, and this was one of the things I said I would share the "how to's" on.  It's our favorite!  Peppermint Chex-mix... so here you go, it's very easy and oh so good!  

I like to embellish it a bit for presentation, so in the recipe when you add the last 1/2 of the peppermint- I also add some red & green sprinkles too. Then when you put it in your serving dish- put a few red & green gum drops & round peppermints on top... and you have a great little treat that says ENJOY!!

Scary Peanut Butter Blossoms!

Such a cute and SIMPLE cookie to make.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
* Skull Shaped Chocolates (I made my own using a mold from dollar tree... Yes Dollar Tree)
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl. Add 1/3 cup granulated and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate skull into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. (I put them in the freezer because the chocolate skulls continue to melt and you don't want that!!!)

Here is a picture of the mold I used



Simple instructions on how to use chocolate molds!

Tomato Basil Soup

I LOVE soups!! I could eat soup even on a hot day.... but oh how yummy they are on a crisp cool fall day.

This is one of my favorite ones to make- Tomatoe Basil!  Not only is it really good, but it is really easy too.   

click on the magic button to get the printable version!

I use my bottled stewed tomatoes-- the recipe calls for 2- 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes, but I use 2 quarts of my homemade- so it's more than 28 oz. each. I use fresh basil in the summer- but in the winter I use frozen basil. I have a tutorial on how to freeze basil on the blog- so check it out if you haven't already. So click on the magic button to get the recipe... add a grilled cheese sandwich and you have a GREAT dinner--- hope you enjoy it!!!



Making Spaghetti Sauce

I've been making Spaghetti Sauce- so I thought I would show you how it's done.  I called my friend Anita and she gave me her recipe-- I made a couple of adjustments to it & found the PERFECT taste for us!!  First get all your produce- I was excited we had everthing I needed in the garden this year except the onions.   Here's what you'll need to get started.....

Tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, anaheim peppers, garlic, basil, oregano & parsley

Pick a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes- wash & core them.  I don't peel them, just remove the core and any bad spots that may be on the skin.

then blend them up in your blender, and pour into a lrg. stock pot

next blend up 3 T. fresh oregano, 4 T. fresh basil, 3 anaheim peppers, 3 bell peppers, 5 yellow onions & 3 whole cloves of garlic. Add that mixture to the tomatoes in the stock pot.

then add 1 1/2 C. sugar- 1 C. olive oil, 1/4 C. salt and I added 1 more Tablespoon each of dried basil & dried oregano- stir everything together well.

then cook it down for 3 1/2 hrs.  stirring it every now and again so it doesn't burn.

when the sauce has cooked for 3 1/2 hrs. add 4 large or 8 small cans of tomatoes paste and about 1 C. fresh chopped parsley and blend well. Make sure you stir the paste in really good, this will thicken it up a little bit more.

pour the sauce into your jars, wipe the tops with a cloth-



 boil the lids in a small amoount of water and put one lid & one ring on each jar.  Process them for 20 minutes.  Each batch makes 12 quarts.  Oh YUM this makes the best Spaghetti Sauce, I know you will LOVE it.