An Amazing Oppurtunity!!!

I recently found out that I was selected to go on a trip to Seattle to be in a cooking video for the McCormick spice company! Because I'm an Allrecipes Brand Ambassador, the Allrecipes staff submitted my info along with several other brand ambassadors, to the McCormick people. Then the McCormick staff chose me and three other ladies to particapate in their cooking video. We will all be flown to Seattle, that's one of the locations of Allrecipes.com, where we will then film a series of 3 videos. The first video will feature me cooking a specific recipe using McCormick's new spice product called 'Gourmet Recipe & Seasoning Mix'. I made the 'Sweet Basil & Oregano Bruschetta Chicken', served over spaghetti. I was sent a very generous amount of this new line of spices shown in the photo below, along with my finished dish!

 I'm so happy to say that it was DELICIOUS! I'm not just saying that because of my business endeavor! It was truly tasty...my family loved it! It tasted very much like a meal from a high end restaurant! Lots of robust flavors from this little spice packet! I loved the way my home smelled while it was cooking also! Everytime one of my family members walked in the door they said " Mmmmm...what's cooking!" What is also so great about these spice packets is that you just need to add a few common ingredients to have a great meal! For this dish I just had to add olive oil, tomatoes, chicken, balsamic vinegar and pasta! If I didn't like this product I would not blog about it! I would have just gone on my nice little trip and not mentioned a word! But this is most definitely worth mentioning! I will be buying many more of these gourmet spice packets in the future!



Update!

I recently found out that I'm a winner in the Chef Boyardee recipe contest! I mentioned that contest in this blog post...**click here** I almost gave up on that contest, thinking I would never win! Well, I'm so glad I didn't give up because I finally won in week #7 with my SloppyRoni Sliders recipe! I re-entered that recipe in that week and won a $500 Amex gift card and $75 worth of free food items from ConAgra foods! At the end of the 10 weeks, all 10 winners will be entered for a chance to win the grand prize...1 years worth of free groceries($100 per week) at the store of your choice! 

                                         

                              

Now the voting begins for the Chef Boyardee recipe contest!
I'm not going to be asking for votes because I feel like I won already just by making it into the finals! But I just wanted to show you what a great job the photographer did in recreating my original photo! Here's is the photo that they shot...



 Photo by Lillian



Photo by Pro Photographer



They did a much better job than I did, don't you think?

And by the way, here is the link to my winning recipe! It was delicious!

https://apps.facebook.com/conegrarecipecontest/contests/186874/voteable_entries/47316730

I Improved My Copycat Recipe!

I've been on a quest to copy my favorite BBQ sauce...'Sweet Baby Ray's', which I showed you in the blog post http://myrecipejourney-lillian.blogspot.com/2012/03/i-love-sweet-baby-rays-bbq-sauce-this.html 

Well, I made that recipe again last night and I think I've come even closer to to my goal! I think this is as close as I'm going to get! Here is my revised recipe that I call 'Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce'... 
                                            

INGREDIENTS;

1-6oz. can tomato paste

1 1/2 cups water

11/2 Tbls. canned pineapple juice

1/2 heaping tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 Tbls. fresh squeezed lemon juice

4 Tbls. molasses

3 Tbls. light corn syrup

3 Tbls. brown sugar

3 Tbls. cold water + 1 Tbls. corn starch - slurry to thicken sauce
DIRECTIONS;
In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, mix together all ingredients except for the slurry.

Cook and stir til well combined and heated through.

Allow mixture to boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then add in the slurry. Stir and cook about another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour into glass jar and refridgerate until ready to use.
 

This was so good that I decided to use it as a condiment for some nachos! I made BBQ Nachos with cheddar cheese! This was a delicious snack! All I did was spread some tortilla chips on a microwave safe dish and sprinkle them with a generous amount of my homemade BBQ sauce. Then I sprinkled on a generous amount of shredded cheddar cheese. I microwaved it on high for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese! My family was very happy with this quick little snack creation! 



BBQ Nachos

Am I the Only Person Who Never Heard of Tomato Pie?

The first time I ever heard of this dish was while looking through recipes on the Internet! I think it's a Southern thing! The ingredients sounded like something I would love, so I decided to give it a try! This recipe was posted by a food friend of mine named Donna Brown. I tried this recipe and loved it! The only problem I had with this recipe was that I couldn't bring myself to wait for the pie to set, after I took it out of the oven, so it was a little messy to cut!  But it was VERY tasty! The creamy basil sauce is to die for! Since then I've discovered other savory pies that I love! I'll post another one tomorrow! Here is the recipe for the Tomato Pie...

Tomato Pie

INGREDIENTS;
3 large tomatoes - I used beefsteak
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2-3 green onions, chopped, including green tops
1/2 cup mayo or lite sour cream
1 large clove garlic - minced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella or mix both
1 pie crust

DIRECTIONS;
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pie crust 8-10 minutes (you will finish baking later). Cool. NOTE: I use the rolled refrigerated pie crust. Before I put the dough in the pie pan, I will sprinkle a little flour in bottom of pan, put dough in pan and arrange, then sprinkle flour on the top of the crust and bake. This will help keep crust from being soggy. I do this when "blind baking" a pie shell for any kind of pie.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels, slice tomatoes and place in a single layer on the paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Drain 2 hours. This is an important step because the salt draws the liquid out of the tomatoes.

Heat oven to 350 to bake pie.

In bowl, chop basil and garlic, slice onions. Add mayo, sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese, saving the rest for the top of the pie. When tomatoes have drained well, place a layer of tomatoes in partially cooked pie shell, spread basil mixture over, layer the rest of the tomatoes and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake 45-60 minutes, depending on oven, until browned well. Remove from oven, let set about 20 minutes. Slice.

A Neater Sloppy Joe!

I love Sloppy Joe's except for the sloppy part! So I decided to make them into egg rolls! It worked great! It's less sloppy when it's wrapped up!

Just make your favorite Sloppy Joe Recipe (click on recipe title to see the recipe I used) and set it aside to cool. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a scoop of the cooled Sloppy Joe mixture in the center of each egg roll wrapper. Roll the wrapper while tucking in the sides. When you get to the end of the wrapper, brush the edge with water and place the egg rolls on a parchment lined cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush the tops of each egg roll with water and sprinkle with toasted (browned) sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Goes great with a side of fries and a salad!

A Soup From Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage

After St. Patty's Day I had lots of leftover corned beef and cabbage from this recipe...http://allrecipes.com/customrecipe/63140104/corned-beef-and-cabbage-i/detail.aspx  So I decided to make a soup for dinner! It turned out to be delicious! All I did was take about 8 cups of the leftovers (corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes) and sauteed 1/2 of a chopped onion with 1 chopped celery stalk in 1 tbls. of butter with 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. When the onions and celery were tender I added in the leftovers from my corned beef and cabbage recipe along with 2 cups of chicken broth. I just simmered it for about 30 minutes and it was done! YUM!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups of leftovers from corned beef and cabbage w/ potatoes & carrots

1 Tbls. butter

1/2 large onion - chopped

1 rib of celery - chopped

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

 2 cups low sodium chicken broth

 

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add salt. Then add leftover corned beef and cabbage along with chicken broth.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve warm.

A Delicious Fish Recipe with a Story!

Jim and his 47 lb. Striped Bass

This recipe and this bass were both given to me by my husbands co-worker named Jim Speer! When my husband told me that Jim had an amazing recipe for striped bass I said "Oh, that's nice"...never thinking he REALLY had an amazing recipe for striped bass! He works in an office. He's not a Chef! How good can it be? But he does LOVE to go fishing! So I knew at least the fish would be fresh! Well, I can honestly say that this is the best broiled fillet of fish I ever ate!!! The butter, the wine, the lemon zest and the Parmesan cheese, all go so well with this fish! And the fact that Jim caught the fish only hours earlier, was just the cherry ontop of the sundae! Thank you Jim Speer, for the fish and the recipe!

Butter Parmesan Striped Bass

INGREDIENTS;
1-2 lb striped bass fillet - trimmed and cut into serving size portions
kosher salt
black pepper
4 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. white wine, dry - not cooking wine
2 1/2 Tbls. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. paprika

DIRECTIONS;
Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper on both sides and set aside.

Place just the butter, in shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate all the fish.

Place the dish with the butter in a 375 degree oven til the butter browns.

Then dip both sides of the fish in this browned butter and bake for 10 minutes, uncovered, on middle rack.

Sprinkle with lemon zest, wine, parmesan cheese and paprika. Broil on top rack at 500 degrees for 2-3 minutes or til parmesan cheese starts to bubble and brown.

To serve spoon butter/wine sauce over fish.

Unique Custard Filled Dutch Baby!

This is a unique Dutch Baby recipe because of the custard that forms in the center of this cake. I found this recipe on 'The Recipe Diva' cooking website. Posted by a member named Sweet Potato. I compared it to other Dutch Babies recipes. This recipe is the only one I found that had a custard center! It was delicious! It's suppose to serve 4 but I almost ate the entire thing myself! I added my own photo!

INGREDIENTS;
2Tbls.butter
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk - I used 1%
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar

 DIRECTIONS;
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the butter in a 9 inch round baking dish and put in the oven.
Put all the other ingredients into a blender and blend on high for about a minute.
When butter has melted in the baking dish, remove from oven a whirl butter in dish to coat.
Then pour in the blended egg mixture and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Slice and serve warm with maple syrup.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I'm always willing to try these kinds of unique and interesting recipes! If anyone has some tried and true recipes like these, I would love to see them! Please send them to me! I would love to try them and add them to this blog!
Thank you!

 

Calling All Cooks!



I'm in a recipe slump!!! I'm looking for a recipe that is interesting, unique and delicious, all in one! Those recipes are so hard to find, but when they do come along it's such a thrill! I truly treasure these kinds of recipes! Foodies are a gracious and helpful group of people, who love to share their recipes, so I'm hoping to get alot of help with this! Please show me what you have that you consider interesting, unique and delicious, and I will pick a recipe to make and post on my blog! I will give total credit, as I always do, to the person who sends me the recipe! I will photograph and post my review of the recipe also! Please leave the recipe link in the comment section below! Thank you so much!

*~*~*~*~*~*

Aren't these the cutest cupcakes for Springtime?

Here's is the link to that recipe!
http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/3481/lamb-cupcakes



A Crab Delight!

I was asked to make this recipe as one of my tasks for the Allrecipes.com Brand Ambassador Program. I knew I would love it because I love all things crab! This tasted like a really good crab cake! And I love the crunchy fresh breadcrumb/butter topping! This was very easy to make and is perfect as an appetizer! Here is the link to the recipe, along with my photo! I only made 2 changes to the recipe. I used imitation crab meat ( gasp! I know thats so wrong but I needed to use it or toss it) and I accidently used the fresh breadcrumbs IN the crab mixture AND ontop of the mixture! It turned out to be a delicious mistake, so I'll make it like that from now on!

Crab Imperial II
**Click Here for Recipe**

Sweet and Sour Chops!

I love pork chops and I'm always looking for delicious ways to prepare them! A food friend of mine named Joan Klimkowski showed me her recipe! She knows how much I love sweet and savory foods, so she knew her recipe is something I would love...she was SO right! I'm posting her recipe the way I made it! This is my photo...

Sweet and Sour Chops

INGREDIENTS;
8 bone-in pork chops - seasoned with salt & pepper
3 Tbls. Olive Oil
4 Tbls. butter
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
3 large cloves garlic - crushed
3 green onions - chopped

DIRECTIONS;
In a large skillet on med/high heat, add olive oil and sear both sides of the seasoned pork chops til very brown.
Remove from skillet and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter, vinegar, honey, garlic and green onions. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add back the pork chops and cover with the sauce. Simmer for another 20 minutes or til pork chops are cooked through.
I served mine with couscous. My whole family loved this!

Unfried Ice Cream

I made this recipe and it is amazingly good! I found this on a cooking site! It was posted by a cook named Donna Sherwood. I'm so glad I tried this because it tasted alot like the the fried ice cream that I always order from my favorite Mexican restaurant! But this is NOT fried, so it's easy to make! This is my photo!



Unfried Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS;
6 flour tortillas - fajita size
butter - to spread on tortillas
cinnamon sugar - to sprinkle on tortillas
6 scoops of your favorite ice cream
cornflakes(crushed) - to sprinkle ontop of ice cream
caramel or chocolate syrup - topping
honey - as a topping
whipped cream - topping
6 marachino cherries

DIRECTIONS;
•Brush butter on one side of each tortilla
 •Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over buttered side of each tortilla
 •Press each tortilla into buttered muffin cups
 •Bake at 400* for about 8 minutes
 •When cooled, remove from muffin cups and place a scoop of ice cream in each tortilla
 •Sprinkle with corn flakes and drizzle with syrup and honey
 •Top with whipped cream and a cherry
 •The best way to eat this is to just pick up the entire thing and just chomp away!!!
 

 

A Healthier Easter Treat!

This cute little candy birds nest is made from 'Fiber One'  original bran cereal and melted chocolate. These are so easy to make! Just melt 12 ounces of chocolate chips and toss in

 3 1/2 cups of the bran cereal. Coat the cereal completely, then form little mounds of the coated cereal into nest shapes and place on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Place 2 candy coated chocolate eggs in the center of each nest and chill til chocolate is set. My kids thought these were cute and tasty! This recipe makes about 8-10 nests.

Copycat!

I love Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce! This is my attempt to copy it...my family said I came VERY close!

Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS;

1-6oz. can tomato paste

2 cups water

3 Tbls. canned crushed pineapple

1/2 heaping tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 Tbls. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbls. molasses

4 Tbls. light corn syrup

1 Tbls. sugar

3 Tbls. cold water + 1 Tbls. corn starch - slurry to thicken sauce

DIRECTIONS;

In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, mix together all ingredients except for the slurry.

Cook and stir til well combined and heated through. With an immersion blender, puree the mixture til smooth.

Allow mixture to boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then add in the slurry. Stir and cook about another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour into glass jar and refridgerate until ready to use.

Luna Whole Nutrition Bars for Women

I was sent one of these bars by Luna...it's their new flavor 'Peanut Honey Pretzel'. So I made a cup of coffee and sat down to taste this! I must say that it was VERY good! It was crunchy and nutty, but not too sweet! YUM! I think these bars are supposed to be used in place of a meal, but I always eat them as a snack! lol!

Check out their Facebook page!

Luna on Facebook **click here**

My Ode to St. Patrick's Day!

Why not serve a delicious pasta salad to go with your corned beef on St. Patrick's Day....especially if it's green! I came up with this one...



       St. Pat's Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS;

1/2 lb. green pasta - cooked, drained and cooled

1/2 cup chopped spanish green olives

1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini-mild

1-14 oz. can chopped asparagus-drained

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

DIRECTIONS;

Mix all ingredients together and chill til ready to serve.

Toss before serving.





I think it turned out perfectly! You can add your favorite green ingredients! I used green olives, marinated artichoke hearts, pepperoncinis and asparagus! Along with my homemade salad dressing and some grated parmesan cheese!

Below is my salad dressing recipe that I always use for all my pasta salads! 

 

Lite Italian Salad Dressing
INGREDIENTS;

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 fluid ounces corn oil

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS;

Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, corn oil, salt, sugar, pepper, and oregano in a bowl. Pour into a carafe and use as needed on salads! 





The Easiest Bread Ever...



The main reason why this bread is the EASIEST is because you don't knead the dough at all! This recipe has been called  'Dump Bread'...'No Knead Bread'...'Easiest Ciabatta Bread' and 'One Minute Bread'. So call it what ever you want, but you should really try it! This is a bread I've made at least 20 times since finding it! I always top mine with garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese before baking it! I love to slice into it while it's still warm to take a taste! This bread is perfect for making sandwiches or for soaking up gravy and soups...and for dipping in flavored olive oil!

INGREDIENTS;

1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups luke warm water

4 cups flour

parchment lined cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal

olive oil, garlic powder, grated parmesan cheese, herbs - optional toppings

DIRECTIONS;

In a large bowl mix yeast and luke warm water with the salt.

Add flour and stir til flour absorbes all the water. The batter will be very sticky and lumpy, but thats perfect!

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temp with no drafts. I keep mine in my oven, with the oven light on. Its the perfect place because its warm and draft free.

Let rise for 12 hours. It can be left to rise for up to 16 hours.

When ready to bake, cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle the paper with a very thin layer of cornmeal. This will keep the bread from sticking.

Take the dough out of the oven, if thats where you put it to rise, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Now just dump the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, scraping it out of the bowl with a wooden spoon. Do not punch down the dough. The less you handle the dough the more airy it will be...which is just what you want.

Now gently rub some olive oil over the top and sides of the dough. Then sprinkle with desired seasonings...I used garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese.

Place on middle rack and bake for 25 minutes or til VERY brown, as in my photo.Then remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 mintues. Then slice and serve warm. I love to serve this with herbed olive oil for dipping or I serve this with stew to soak up the gravy!

And this is a delicious dipping oil that I love to serve with this bread!

Bread Dipping Oil

INGREDIENTS;

 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper 
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS;

Mix all ingredients together.  To use, put 1 tablespoon of this seasoning mixture into a small bowl and pour about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil over it.  Mix and dip warm slices of your favorite bread into it!

Store the remaining seasoning mixture in the fridge because it has fresh garlic in it!
This recipe can easily be cut in half or in quarters.



Have You Tried These Yet?

I just tried the Entenmann's Mini Cakes because I won a free coupon on their Facebook page...http://www.facebook.com/Entenmanns?ref=ts  Go enter for your chance to win too! I decided to get the chocolate cake variety! They were VERY good! A perfect cure for my chocolate craving! They're just the right size and only 7 total grams of fat! Thank you Entenmann's!

Calamata Couscous

I'm really loving couscous lately and I was trying to think of a flavorful way to prepare it! Well, this is just what I was looking for! I created this by combining all the flavors I knew I would love with couscous! It worked perfectly! I hope you'll try it next time your craving couscous!

Calamata Couscous

INGREDIENTS;

1 (14-ounce) can of low sodium chicken broth 
1 cup couscous
1 large clove of garlic, crushed 
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 tablsepoons olive oil, extra virgin
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded 
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS;

Heat chicken broth in a microwave safe dish on high for about 2 minutes or until boiling.

 Remove from microwave and add couscous.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.

In the mean time, saute garlic and onion in a small skillet with the olive oil.  Saute for a few minutes until softened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the sauteed onions and garlic, the remaining ingredients, and the couscous.  Stir together and serve warm.

A Pioneer Woman Recipe!

I found this recipe on the Pioneer Womans cooking site! I loved it as soon as I saw the title!  Then I tried it and I was right...I loved it! I tweaked it slightly to make it less fattening and to make the sauce thicker! And I used white wine instead of brandy! I also added parsley for color! I think I'll try it with the brandy next time...and there will be MANY 'next times'...YUM! Using the white wine made it tastes VERY similar to chicken picatta! The photo is my own, as usual! I'm posting the recipe with my tweaks!

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS;

4 whole boneless skinless chicken cutlets 
2 tbls. olive oil
2 tbls. butter
3 large cloves garlic - minced
1 cup brandy or dry white wine
1 heaping tbls. dijon mustard
1 heaping tbls. grainy mustard
1/2 cup lite cream
1/2 cup chicken broth with 2 tbls. cornstarch mixed in
salt & pepper
chopped parsley - garnish

DIRECTIONS;

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have 8 thinner cutlets. Salt and pepper both sides of each cutlet.
Heat oil and butter in a large skillet on med/high heat.
Cook cutlets on both sides til nice and golden brown and cooked through.
Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add garlic to the skillet. Saute and stir for only a minute making sure not to burn the garlic. Then pour in the brandy or wine and stir well, scraping the bottom of the skillet. Let it simmer til reduced by half. Add in both mustards and stir well again. Then add the cream and chicken broth with the corn starch. Cook and stir til thickened, then add back in the cooked chicken. Coat the chicken with the cream sauce and heat through. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Serve with potatoes and green veggies!
Serves 6

Here's the link to the website where I got the original recipe...http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/02/chicken-with-mustard-cream-sauce/

Super Mom of the Month...

...that's me!!! lol! I was just awarded this wonderful honor by a website called 'Average Mom's Wear Capes'! Check out their Facebook page here...http://www.facebook.com/AverageMomsWearCapes?ref=ts...it's a fun place to find lots of interesting Mom stuff, like recipes, human interest stories, funny quotes and just average Moms sharing their daily life! Join in and add yourself to the Super Mom list or nominate a Super Mom that you know! A cute article was written about me on their wall today and they will be sending me a Super Mom cape...I'll post pics when I receive it! Here's the article from their website with a short summary of my life as a Mom! http://averagemomswearcapes.com/2012/03/march-super-mom-of-the-month-2/

Pasta Tortilla

I found this recipe on the Internet. It was posted by a cook named Amanani. It sounded so interesting that I just had to try it! It was VERY good! It's a great way to turn plain Ramen noodles into something more unique and tasty! My family loved this!

Add the pasta mixture to the center of the skillet and spread out to about a 5 1/2 inch diameter and about 1/2 inch thick.

Cook til bottom is browned, then flip and brown the other side.



 Pasta Tortillas

INGREDIENTS;

.3 pks. of Ramen noodles - chicken flavored
8 large eggs
8 slices of crispy cooked bacon, crumbled - I used turkey bacon
3 tbls. butter - for frying the pasta mixture
2 large cloves garlic - crushed
2 tbls. dried parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS;

Cook the Ramen noodles according to package directions, then drain and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl mix together all the remaining ingredients, except for the butter.
When pasta has cooled completely, add it to the bowl with the other ingredients.
Heat a non stick skillet over medium/low heat.
Add the pasta mixture to the center of the skillet and spread out to about a 5 1/2 inch diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. Cook til bottom is browned, then flip and brown the other side. Serve warm.
This recipe makes about 8 Pasta Tortillas.

This Snack is 'to die for'...

This recipe was created by a foodie named CrazyCooker. I have made this recipe MANY times! This is one of those snacks that you just can't stop eating til it's all gone...and then you'll probably lick the plate clean!

Caramel Apple Nachos

INGREDIENTS;

5 flour tortillas 
2 granny smith apples 
cinnamon 
sugar 
caramel sauce, jarred or homemade

DIRECTIONS; 

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.  Cut tortillas into wedges and put on a baking pan.
2. Spray with fat free cooking spray or water and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

3. Bake until crisp, 3-5 minutes.

5. Peel, core, and grate apples.  Generously sprinkle apples onto tortillas and drizzle caramel sauce all over.

(there really aren't exact amounts just "eyeball" everything to your own personal tastes...hope you enjoy!)

Serves 2

Hot From My Oven...

...is this delicious and unique bread that I just tried! It's a recipe that a food friend named Lori McLain posted to this contest...http://www.reciperiot.com/recipes/submission/18 This tasty little loaf is called 'Sweet-n-Salty Topped Oatmeal Bread'. I made it as written except I tripled the brown sugar in the topping!  I love the nutty flavor from the oats and the buttery, salty, crunchy topping! I will be making this often!  Here's my photo of the bread...

By the way...check out that contest! It's a good one with large cash prizes! I think I'll be entering the Karo contest on there! Now I'm going to go have another piece of that yummy bread!

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites!

This was a recipe I found on a blog called Never Homemaker! I tried it and loved it! So easy to make and eat! I used milk chocolate chips instead of vegan chips!  Sorry, but I don't even know what vegan chips are! This is what my banana bites looked like.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites

INGREDIENTS;
2 large bananas
1/4 to 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips - I used milk choc. chips
1/4 to 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
Unsweetened coconut flakes - I used sweetened

DIRECTIONS;
Set out a large plate with a piece of parchment or wax paper on it.
Cut up the bananas into good-sized chunks. Each banana should give you around 5 to 6 pieces.
Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about a minute. Then stir until smooth.
Dip the banana pieces in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Lay them out leaving some space between them on the parchment/wax paper. Then when you've "covered" them all, use the remaining mixture to spoon over the tops (for even more chocolate-y goodness).
Then sprinkle the unsweetened coconut flakes on top. Transfer to the freezer for about an hour until hardened.
You can enjoy them like this (but they really aren't frozen yet -- and when they're frozen, the banana tastes like vanilla ice cream) . . . I suggest then covering with some plastic wrap (or really you can do all of this in some kind of Rubbermaid container) and let freeze overnight.