Oatmeal M&M Raisin Cookies

 

 

When I was a kid my mom used to make oatmeal raisin cookies with peanut M & M's.  I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world when she would make those cookies.  So when I got out on my own I had to make these cookies for my husband, who up until this point in this life had never had such a cookie!  He always says that he is a simple man with simple taste, so I toned it down for him and used plain M & M's.  I hope you enjoy! 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked

1 cup raisins

1 cup plain or peanut M & Ms

 

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.  Add oats and raisins; mix well.

2.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Store tightly covered.

 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies



 

Tropical Fusion Popsicles

 

 

 

 

This is our first summer living in Florida and let me tell you, it is hot and humid all day!  I definitely was not prepared for life on the sun!  IF the kids go outside during the day it's only for a few minutes or after dinner.  They alternate their liquid intake with water and popsicles.  So instead of buying popsicles full of sugar and artificial flavors we made our own.  

 

Ingredients:

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple

1 banana

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup ice

1/2 cup pineapple juice

 

Directions:

Blend everything together, pour into molds, and freeze!

 

Salted-Caramel Pretzel and Aloha Coconut Chicken Strips

 

 

With three crazy kids running around you will always find chicken nuggets in my freezer.  If they had it their way they would probably eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So when I have the time I love to make homemade chicken strips and nuggets.  I found this recipe while flipping through one of my magazines and it was definitely a hit.  The salted caramel sauce with the pretzel strips sends them over the top and I love the pineapple salsa with the coconut strips!  So let's get started!

 

Both chicken strips start with the same basic recipe:

With a paper towel, pat dry chicken breasts cut into strips; coat with flour, dip in lightly beaten egg, then roll in preferred coating.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turn half way through baking time. 

 

Pretzel topping:

Mix crushed pretzels and panko crumbs together and mix coated chicken into mixture.  Dip into salted caramel sauce!!!

 

Aloha Coconut topping:

Dip coated chicken into shredded coconut.  Use pineapple salsa or orange marmalade for dipping!

Baked Crab Rangoons

 

 

 I love Chinese food!  I love the way it smells and the way it taste!  But I know the things that I like to eat are not good for me and there is always that moment of regret afterwards.  So I'm always looking for ways that I can make it at home taste good and be good for me. 

I've had this recipe for a long time but I've never made it.  After my husband ate like four in a row, I will definitely be making this again!  Besides being healthy, it was soo easy to make!

 

Ingredients:

1 can (6 oz.) white crabmeat, drained, flaked

4 oz. fat-free cream cheese

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

12 won ton wrappers

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

 

Mix first 4 ingredients.

 

Place 1 won ton wrapper in each of 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray, extending edges of wrappers over sides of cups.  Fill with crab mixture.

 

Bake 18 to 20 min. or until edges of cups are golden brown and filling is heated through.

 

*If you would like a crispier Rangoon bake won ton wrappers in muffin cups at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 min. or until lightly browned.  Fill with crabmeat mixture and bake 6 to 8 min. or until filling is heated through. 

  

 

 

Spencer Running in garage

Spencer is at it again, after he was time warped somehow he managed to shrink down to the size of a baseball and we caught up with him running out of the garage.



Subscribe to our Youtube Channel to keep up with his latest adventures @ www.youtube.com/aarongrubbworm

Cheerwine Cake

 

If you are from the south or ever visited the South then you have heard of the iconic Southern soda, Cheerwine.  If you are a Southerner and have moved away, like we once did, then you beg and plead for friends and family members to send you Cheerwine.  There is just something about it that we love! 

When I was little I had the fortune to spend my summers at my Grandparent's house in the mountains of North Carolina.  That is where I was first introduced to this insanely simple yet incredibly delicious Cheerwine Cake!  After that summer I begged my Grandmother to make this cake for me again and again.  After she passed, I had to keep the tradition going and now my daughter I get to make it for my daughter. 

 



 

Ingredients:

1 box of Devil's Food cake mix

1 tsp. almond extract

1 cup of Cheerwine (which will replace the water called for in the cake mix)

Oil and eggs (read the back of the back to find out how much you need)

Frosting:

1/3 cup Cheerwine

1/2 cup of butter

1/4 cup cocoa

2 1/2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

 

Follow the directions on the back of the box and cook the cake according to the box.  Make sure you substitute the Cheerwine in place of the water and add the almond extract.  Couldn't be easier!

 

Now to make the frosting!  You can do this while the cake is cooking. 

1.  Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  When the butter is melted add the Cheerwine and cocoa, heat together until the mixture comes to a boil.

2.  Pour the mixture over the powdered sugar and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. 

3.  Stir in almond extract.

4.  Cool completely and spread over cool cake.  (I put my frosting in the refrigerator to cool while the cake was baking and cooling.  Then when I was ready to use the frosting I ran it through the mixer again.  If you are using nuts this might be a good time to add them to the frosting, or sprinkle them over the top of the cake.)