$65 a Week Challenge, Week 5

 Welcome to week 5 of my $65 a week challenge!  To read how and why I'm doing this, you can read week one's post, here.

The first week of a new month always brings new promise, and this month is my birthday month, which is always more fun!  I did my weekly shopping on Monday this week, right before we got a nice layer of snow on the ground.  I'm not the fondest of driving in the snow, so I was especially happy that I did my shopping yesterday when I woke up this morning. 

 I've been trying to be a bit more strict with what I've been eating and trying not to think too much about it.  Since we're going to Disneyland in late April, I want to be comfortable walking around the parks for 3 days straight, so I've been eating a bit differently lately.  I swear, I'm the queen of always eating a different diet.  Whatever...  I guess I get bored with things and need to change it up?  So, I've been eating Special K in the mornings with fat free milk and fruit and then vegetable soup for lunch and a regular dinner.  I'll eat a couple of snacks during the day, either yogurt, fruit or a protein shake, usually trying to keep it around 100-150 calories for snacks.  So, the things I've been making and buying are a bit different, but that's okay.  

Here's what I bought for this week's groceries:

2 boxes Special K, 4 gallons milk, 3 two liter sodas, 14 yoplait yogurts, 2 boxes sugar free jello, 2 boxes sugar free pudding, 2 bottles taco bell hot sauce, 1 box graham crackers, 

1 bottle peanuts, 3 packages cheese, Nature's Season, 2 avocados, 1.4 lbs roma tomatoes, 2 lbs strawberries, 1 package mini pepperoni, 1 tub light cool whip, 3 lbs halo mandarin oranges, 1 package mini marshmallows, 1 package sugar snap peas, 1 bunch bananas, 3 lbs apples, 1 package mushrooms, 1 head cabbage, 1 bunch asparagus, 8 oz light sour cream, 2 lbs carrots, 12 oz package bologna, 2 zucchinis and 2 dozen eggs.

I have been shopping at Walmart for the past few trips and have been plugging in my receipt into their Savings Catcher  which scans your receipt to see if there was a lower price on anything at local stores.  I racked up a whopping $5.54, which I redeemed for a gift card and took that in to use on some of my groceries.  I also checked coupons.com and Kellogg's Family Rewards before leaving my house and found a few coupons that I used.  I had also heard on a money saving facebook page that Albertson's had asparagus on sale his week for .98 cents a pound.  I forgot to check the ad before I left, but the cashier still let me price match! 

My total spent out of pocket for all of the groceries pictured above was $69.20

I guess I got a little carried away with my coupons and whatnot and wasn't paying as close of attention as I should have been.  Oh well.  Since my monthly budget is $275, it actually leaves me with a little more than $65 a week, more like $68.75 a week.  In the end, everything will even itself out and $69.20 is much better than I was doing.  

Here's What I've been cooking this past week:

On Saturday I roasted a turkey that someone gave us around Thanksgiving time.  I injected it with some Creole Butter that my husband got from his work for free.  I then roasted it according to the turkey wrapper directions.  

This gave us lots of leftovers, which I love!  On Sunday night, I made an enchilada casserole, that I forgot to get a picture of.  I made the enchilada sauce homemade.  I found a recipe on Pinterest that we like, but of course I've tweaked it a little.  You can find the original recipe over at Gimme some Oven.  I basically make it the same way, but substitute one of the cups of chicken broth for 8 oz of tomato sauce.  This give me the traditional enchilada sauce flavor that I was looking for. I've made this recipe a few times and we really like it!

Last night I made roasted broccoli and a creamy gnocchi bake.  I created this recipe myself and I'll be sharing that with you soon, so come back and check for that!

Right now, as I type this, I'm using up the rest of the leftover turkey, making two big pots of soup.  One is a traditional turkey noodle and the other is a variation of this recipe, with turkey added.  I also have whole wheat rolls rising.  If those turn out well, I'll share that recipe later this week!

Another thing I made today are these Faux Ice Cream Sandwiches.  They are a great low calorie sweet treat that helps with my sweet tooth.  To make these I mixed together 1 key lime yolpait yogurt and about 1/3 of a tub of light cool whip.  I then put a spoonful of the mixture between graham cracker halves.  Then wrapped them up in plastic wrap and froze them.  Now they are in the freezer waiting for a late night snack!  You could use any flavor yogurt and any variety of graham crackers to mix it up.  I'll be looking for chocolate graham crackers next time I'm in the store.  I didn't find them at walmart yesterdy.  

Early last week I made a big pot of Weight Watchers Zero Point Soup.  I don't really follow a recipe, but that one is similar.  I just throw in whatever veggies I have in the fridge and then cook until tender.  I also added a can of kidney beans for more protein.  This has provided me with a week's worth of lunch!  I actually just ate my last bowl of this soup for lunch today.  This week I'll be eating the soup I spoke of earlier and when that runs out I'll make another type.  Soups that are low calorie are always a good option for a quick lunch.  

So, there you have it.  That's what's been cooking at my house!  

What did you cook this past week?  

Were you able to stick to your grocery budget this week?

Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares

So, I was looking through my recipes and I noticed that I haven't posted my recipe for Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares! Duh.... This is a recipe that I came up with a few years ago when I entered the Pillsbury Cook-Off contest. It didn't get chosen, but everyone that has ever tried it has said that these are the best brownies ever! These would be great to take to a pot luck during the holiday months. Enjoy!

Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares

1 box fudge brownie mix plus ingredients to make

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13 in baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare brownies as package states, pour into baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. While brownie layer bakes, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. When brownie comes out of oven, spoon cheesecake mixture over brownies, spread as evenly as possible. Dot with jam and swirl with knife. Top with chocolate chips and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake looks set but still a little wiggly. Cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from pan using aluminum foil, peel away and place brownie on cutting board. Cut into 24 squares, making sure to wipe knife between each cut. Place on serving tray and enjoy! Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers! Serves 24.

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

I was over at Picky Palate today looking at the recipes that I hadn't seen because I've been in this rut of not wanting to cook for so long, when I came across this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies! I knew right when I saw it that I HAD to make them!! I love cinnamon rolls and I love cookies, which you probably already knew since I have so many cookie recipes! These cookies did not disappoint! They taste just like a cinnamon roll, but in a sugar cookie form!

I made my frosting with heavy cream that I had in my fridge, so it took a lot more then the original recipe states. And my frosting was a lot thicker still, but I think I prefer it this way because I was able to pipe it onto the cookies in a cute little design. And so far I haven't been able to try them out of the fridge, like Jenny says to eat them because I've been too impatient and couldn't wait for them to sit in the fridge for the 30 minutes! But they are awesome even if not refrigerated! The recipe does make a TON, so make sure you have a lot of people to share them with! The guys at my hubby's work are going to be the recipients of lots of cookies tomorrow!

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

2 C. sugar
1 C. butter, softened
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

8 T. butter, softened and divided
1 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon, divided

Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 C. powdered sugar
2-4 T. milk or 1/4-1/3 C. cream, to thin icing

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.

2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.

3. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

4. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes at least 6 dozen

Coconut Cake

Hi everyone! I haven't posted on here in so long! I honestly don't have a very good excuse, except for the fact that I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant with my third child, it's a girl!! Her two brothers are looking forward to having a sister and I'm looking forward to having a girl! Anyhow, I haven't been up to much cooking lately, which my husband is less then thrilled about. But, cooking just hasn't been my thing lately. I do however, want to share this recipe for yummy coconut cake with you. It's so yummy!! If you choose to use chocolate cake, it will taste like a mounds bar! And if you choose to use white cake, it will taste like a heavenly coconut cake. This cake is a poke cake, so it is pretty messy, but it's way yummy! I'll have to make this when I get a chance and take some pictures of it, but for now, here is the recipe! I hope you all enjoy it! And I'll try my best to start posting more often.

Coconut Cake

1 box white or chocolate cake mix plus ingredients to make the cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 can coconut milk
1 small tub cool whip
½ cup flaked coconut

Bake cake according to directions on box for a 9x13 cake. While cake is still warm, poke holes it it with the end of a skinny wooden spoon. Mix the sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk together and pour over warm cake. Let cool completely and then top with cool whip and coconut. Refrigerate and Enjoy! Serves 8-12.

Apple Fritters

Yum!! Apple fritters are one of my all time favorite donuts to get at bakeries. Who knew that I could make them at home, so easily!! I got this recipe from an Amish cookbook that I have, added the cinnamon and the glaze and had an awesome end result! With is being Fall right now, apples are cheap (or free if you can find them) so it's a great time to make these babies! Have fun!

Apple Fritters

1 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on how much you want)
1 egg, beaten
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 ½ cups (about 3) apples, peeled and diced
oil for frying

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl with a wire whisk. Add egg and milk to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add apples to the batter and blend well. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and fry until dark golden brown, about two minutes per side. Once done frying, let cool on paper towels. Dunk in glaze (recipe follows), covering fritters liberally. Place fritters on a wire wrack with parchment paper underneath it, for easy cleanup. Let glaze harden and enjoy! Makes 12 small fritters.

Fritter Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (or more to desired consistency)

Mix all ingredients together until desired consistency is acquired, adding more powdered sugar or milk if need be.

After they were all made we were looking at them and saw some animal shapes!! My kids loved trying to find animals in the apple fritters.

Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

As promised, here is my winning oatmeal cookie recipe from this year's fair. Sorry it's taken me so long to get it up!! This cookie has to be one of my all time favorites, it's crunchy and chewy at the same time. Has some of my favorite ingredients in them and they are just so yummy!! I was kind of worried when I entered it in the fair as an oatmeal cookie that it wouldn't win anything, because it's not your ordinary oatmeal cookie, but luckily the judges liked it! I'm sure you'll love them too!

Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

½ c. butter (no substitutes)
½ c. shortening (no substitutes)
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 c. old fashioned oats
½ cup coconut
1 c. macadamia nut pieces
1 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Cream the butter and shortening together in an electric mixer. Add sugars and continue mixing until nice and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gradually add flour, a little at a time, mix well but not too much! Add baking soda and salt. Add all of the oats, and mix well. Add the coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips and mix. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. I bake mine for 10. Let cool on sheet for at least 4 minutes and then transfer to a rack. Store in bags or an air tight container. Enjoy! Makes about 3 dozen.

Loaded Brownie Chipper Cookies

I came up with the idea for this cookie one afternoon while looking at a plate of brownies on my counter. I'm sure that my kids would have eaten the last 4 brownies, but I wanted to see how a cookie with leftover brownies inside of it would turn out. So, I set out to make these cookies. They turned out pretty good!! With the peanut butter and chocolate chips inside, it gives for a nice flavor. And the chunks of brownie inside the cookie are nice and crispy and chocolaty. I'll be making these again for sure if I have any leftover brownies!

Loaded Brownie Chipper Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups pre-made brownie chunks, cut into ¼” pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a stand or electric mixer, cream together the butter and shortening. Add the sugars and mix until well combined and creamy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt, making sure that the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add in the peanut butter and chocolate chips, mix until combined. Lastly, add in the brownie bits, only mixing until just combined. Do not over mix with the brownie bits inside of the dough. Place dough onto ungreased cookie sheets with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, or equivalent. Make sure the cookies are about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Hillbilly Donuts

Looks good, doesn't it? I bet you can't figure out what they are made out of. Go ahead, take a guess, I'll wait... Nope, you're wrong. Okay okay, I'll tell you. You're gonna laugh. Biscuit dough, you know, the kind that you buy at the store in the can? Yeah, I know. Doesn't it look like a real donut that you'd get from a bakery? These are so easy to make. And how fun would it be to surprise your family with donuts on a Saturday morning?! If you're like me and you live out in the country, the chances of you going out to get donuts and bring them home are slim-to-none. But now you can have easy yummy donuts, right at home! Without having to make the dough! Yay!

Hillbilly Donuts

1 can of homestyle biscuits
oil for frying
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make a hole in each biscuit by sticking your finger through the biscuit and stretching it out, until it resembles a donut with a rather large hole. Heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Drop biscuits into hot oil and fry until golden brown on each side, approximately 2 minutes per side. Drain and cool slightly on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla with a whisk to form a glaze, making it thicker or thinner by adding more milk or powdered sugar, according to your likings. Dip each donut in the glaze, place on a wire rack to harden slightly and enjoy!

Coconut S'mores Cookies

The other day I was at the store and bought some coconut marshmallows. I was thinking about making some s'mores cookies and once I saw those marshmallows, I knew I had to make coconut s'mores cookies! I looked online to see if anyone else had ever made s'mores cookies and how they went about dealing with the marshmallows and came across Cookie Madness' version of s'mores cookies. She said that it was best to put the marshmallows on towards the end of cooking, so that is what I did. These cookies turned out so good! If you are looking to make some cookies, please try these! You won't be sorry! I made two different sized cookies. Some really big ones that I used a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop and then I used my 2 tablespoon cookie scoop for the smaller ones. I like the size of the big ones, they are really impressive, but you only get about 12 cookies out of the whole batch.





Coconut S'mores Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 ¼ cups coarsely crushed graham cracker crumbs
3 regular sized Hershey's bars, coarsely chopped and divided
12 large toasted coconut marshmallows, cut with kitchen shears into 8 pieces each

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Mix in flour, salt and baking soda until combined. Add the flaked coconut, graham cracker crumbs and 1 ½ chopped Hershey bars, until combined well. To make large cookies, use a ¼ measuring cup to scoop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies look almost all of the way baked. Take cookies out of oven and then evenly divide the marshmallows and the remaining Hershey's bars among the cookies. Bake for another 1 to 3 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and the chocolate and marshmallow has begun to melt. Do not over bake. To make smaller cookies use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes, or until the cookies are almost all of the way baked. Take the cookies out of the oven and evenly distribute the marshmallows and chocolate bars and then bake for another 1 to 3 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the chocolate and marshmallows have started to melt. Do not over bake. Remove onto a cooling rack to cool and enjoy!



Here is a picture of the smaller version of these cookies, I couldn't fit as much stuff on the top of them, but they were still really yummy!

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

I don't make cake or cupcakes very often, simply because I like baking cookies a lot better because you get more out of them and they are easier to share and store. So, you probably won't see too many cake or cupcake recipes here. But the other day I was looking in my cupboard at a box of cake mix and part of a package of Oreos that needed to be used and came up with this recipe. I know there are lots of recipes for cookies & cream cupcakes out there, but I threw this one together and I think it turned out pretty good. My favorite part was the frosting and crushed Oreos on top! My kids also absolutely loved these!


Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

1 (18 ounce) white cake mix
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
12 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
chocolate buttercream frosting (recipe follows)
6 Oreo cookies, crushed for topping

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Mix together the cake mix, buttermilk, oil and eggs in an electric mixer. Once it has been combined mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the chopped Oreos and mix until combined. Pour into a muffin pan that has been lined with cupcake papers. Be sure not to overfill them, about 2/3 of the way is good. Bake in preheated oven for 12-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure not to over cook them. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan and then take them out and let cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting and sprinkle crushed oreos on top.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the cocoa powder, mixing well. Stir in milk and vanilla extract and beat on high for 2 minutes, or until the frosting has lightened slightly. Frost your favorite cake and enjoy!

Banana Pecan Crumb Bread

This bread is my new favorite banana bread recipe. Seriously, this stuff is so good! Too good for words! I got the idea for this bread from Southern Plate, if you haven't heard of Southern Plate yet, be sure to check out Christy's website, she's got lots of yummy recipes! This banana bread is rich, full of banana flavor and don't even get me started on the pecans. I love pecans! They are my all time favorite nut to be baked with. You must make this bread with the pecans, the only people that shouldn't are the ones that absolutely can't eat nuts. Trust me, don't leave them out unless you have to! A tip when buying nuts is to look over in the produce section, the nuts in the produce section are usually cheaper than the ones that you'll find over by the baking things. This way you can make the bread with the pecans and save a bit of money too! Okay, enough about pecans...

Everyone that tried this bread after I made it thought that it was the best banana bread that they had ever eaten. I'll be entering this one into the fair this year, hoping for a blue ribbon! Try it out, you won't be sorry.

Banana Pecan Crumb Bread

3 large bananas
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans

Crumb Topping

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer mix together bananas and sugar until the banana is completely mashed. Add in the butter, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well creamed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Mix in the buttermilk and then finally add in the pecans and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the crumb toppings with a pastry cutter or fork. It should form a nice crumb. Pour half of the bread batter into two greased bread pans. Then layer half of the crumb topping on top of that bread batter. Pour remaining batter over the crumb mixture and then top with the rest of the crumb topping. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes in the 350° F preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe won me a blue ribbon at the state fair a few years ago, so if your searching for a winner of an oatmeal cookie, you've found it right here! When I entered it into the fair, I didn't put in the chocolate chips and added a bit more raisins so that it was just a pure oatmeal raisin cookie. I encourage you to try it like that, but with the chocolate chips it takes this cookie over the top! Be sure to use both butter (never use margarine) and shortening in this recipe. It makes the cookie crunchy and soft at the same time, trust me they are killer good. The guys at my husband's work request these babies often and these are always a great cookie to take over to a neighbor's house. Have fun baking!

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ c. butter (no substitutes)

½ c. shortening (no substitutes)

1 c. packed brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

3 c. old fashioned oats {can use quick cooking or mix the two kinds}

1 c. raisins

1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Cream the butter and shortening together in an electric mixer. Add sugars and continue mixing until nice and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gradually add flour, a little at a time, mix well but not too much! Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add all of the oats, and mix well. Add the raisins and the chocolate chips and mix. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. I bake mine for 10. Let cool on sheet for at least 4 minutes and then transfer to a rack. Store in bags or an air tight container. Enjoy! Makes about 3 dozen.

Pistachio Cookies

These delicate green goodies are too yummy to pass up! If you love pistachio ice cream or pudding, your gonna love these cookies! These would be a fun cookie to add to a Christmas cookie platter or to serve on St. Patrick's Day, since they have a nice green color to them. If you want a brighter green color, just add a couple of drops of green food coloring. While these cookies aren't too sweet, they are addictive! I hope you love them!

Pistachio Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar, for rolling

In an electric mixer blend butter, shortening and powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract, eggs and pudding mix and mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving about two inches between each cookie. Press down on each cookie with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Bake in the 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies just start to turn golden in color. Remove from oven and transfer to a cookie rack immediately.

Surprise Cupcakes

My original idea for these surprise cupcakes was to make a hostess-like cupcake at home. But then after making the filling, I realized that I had way too much of it and I didn't want to waste it. So, instead of making a ganache for the topping, I added a couple of baker's chocolate squares to the filling and made my frosting. I still decorated them to look like hostess cupcakes and they sure do taste yummy!! But the surprise about these cupcakes is not that they are filled with a creamy center. It's that they are made with yellow squash puree!! So, if you've got lots of yellow squash in your garden, I highly recommend pureeing some of it and making these super moist cupcakes! Your family will have no idea that these are made with some of your garden vegetables!! You could even try making these with zucchini puree if you don't have any yellow squash, I'm sure they will still turn out delectable!


Surprise Cupcakes

1box devil's food cake mix
1 cup yellow squash puree
½ cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
½ cup plain yogurt (I used fat free Greek)

filling & frosting

½ cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 squares bittersweet baking chocolate, melted (for the frosting)

Preheat oven to 350° F.
To make the cupcake batter, mix together the cake mix, squash puree, water and vegetable oil. Mix until combined and then add the eggs, mixing between each addition. Finally add the yogurt and mix until the batter is light and fluffy. Pour batter into paper-lined cupcake pans, filling to 2/3 full and bake according to cake mix directions, about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once done baking, remove from oven and let sit in pans for ten minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the filling, beat together the butter and cream cheese until soft. Add powdered sugar, being sure to add a little at a time, until combined. Add milk and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, put about 1 ½ cups of the filling into a pastry bag with a medium sized tip. Pipe the filling into the cupcakes, going in through the tops of the cupcakes and filling until you can't put anymore in. It will be about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of filling per cupcake. Once all of the cupcakes are filled, reserve some of the white frosting to decorate the tops of the cupcakes, about 1 cup. With the remaining frosting, melt the baking chocolate in the microwave, according to the package directions. Mix the chocolate into the frosting and beat until well combined. Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting and then take the reserved white frosting and decorate the tops of the cupcakes with a swirly design, using a small tip or putting into a small ziploc bad and then cutting a small hole in the tip. Refrigerate the cupcakes for at least an hour before enjoying for best taste. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Here's tip, if you don't have a pastry bag and medium sized tip to fill the cupcakes, make a hole in the top of each cupcake with the end of a wooden spoon and then place the filling inside of a Ziploc bag and cut the tip off of the bag. Then use the bag to pipe the frosting into the hole to fill the cupcakes. This is what I had to do because I couldn't find my tips. Also, to make the design on the top of the cupcakes, simply make a smaller cut in the tip of the bag and pipe on the top of the cupcakes! Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

If I wasn't the one that just baked this, I would tell you that this bread absolutely does not have zucchini in it. But, I did just bake this and guess what? There are 3 cups of zucchini in this recipe!! So, if your still looking for recipes to use up all of your zucchini, this is the bread for you! Trust me, don't tell your family that it has zucchini in it, they will gobble it up and not even notice!! My husband told me that I could make this bread every day and he wouldn't be sick of it. It's that good! I got this recipe from Tasty Kitchen, but I didn't add in the spices like the original baker did. I wanted a pure chocolate flavor in mine. Please do try this, it's so good!!




Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups zucchini, shredded
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Once combined add in zucchini and mix well. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix well. Mix in the chocolate chips and then pour into two greased bread pans (I use baker's joy). The batter will be very thin, this is how you want it to look. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Dutch Apple Pie

Apple pie is truly an American favorite! We have an apple tree on our property that produces apples almost every year, one way for us to use up some of those apples is by making this delish pie! Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, your family will be in heaven!! To make this pie even easier, you could use a can or two of apple pie filling and just use the crumb topping on top! Enjoy!

Dutch Apple Pie

pie:
1 pie shell, store bought or made with your favorite recipe
6 cups apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a large bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well and pour into a pie shell. To make crumb topping, mix flour and brown sugar until it is a fine mix in a separate bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle mixture over pie and bake for 40 minutes. Check and if it needs to be covered with foil, do so and bake another 10-20 minutes. Makes one pie.

Sneaky Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars

I made these sneaky chocolate chip zucchini bars yesterday to use up some of my surplus of garden fresh zucchini. I got the recipe over at 2 Kids and Tired Cooks. I'm happy to report that my kids ate these without even thinking twice about the fact that there was a vegetable in it! They couldn't even tell! I think they kind of got distracted by all of the gooey chocolate in them! My husband got home after work and ate some dinner and then asked what was for dessert, I pulled these out and he ate 3 huge squares of them. So, they are tasty! He even asked if I put any in his lunch this morning. I did make a bit of a change to the original recipe, I added a bit more sugar than the recipe called for, simply because I thought that 1/2 cup for the entire recipe wouldn't be sweet enough. I think that they turned out great the way I made them! Be sure to peel your zucchini before you grate it, this way your end product won't be green and it will be easier to get picky eaters to eat them!

Sneaky Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars

¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
1 ¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and eggs together. Add the vanilla and zucchini and mix well. Add the flour, salt and baking powder mixing well. Finally add in the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Pour into a 9x13 inch cake pan that has been greased. Bake in preheated 350° F for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!

The Yummiest Peach Cobbler

This peach cobbler is by far THE best I have ever tried in my life. Truly. My mom first made this recipe while visiting us one year and since then, this is the only peach cobbler recipe I'll use. The crust of this cobbler has a wonderful lemon flavor and it's just too good for words! You must try this while the fresh peaches are plentiful this year! If you are craving peach cobbler in the dead of winter, you can sub frozen or canned in this recipe too, but you must try it with fresh, you won't be disappointed. Oh, and vanilla ice cream is a must!!

The Yummiest Peach Cobbler

2 pounds ripe peaches
¾ cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Peel, halve, and pit the peaches. Slice each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Combine the peaches, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Let the fruit stand, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Make the dough: Cream together the butter and remaining ½ cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined. Transfer the peaches to an 8-inch square-baking pan. Drop the dough in rounded tablespoonfuls over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden, 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cobbler cool slightly and serve it warm.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

I bet that you don't look at that picture and think that this gourmet looking popcorn is a food storage recipe, but guess what? It is!! Everything in the recipe is completely shelf stable, which equals food storage! Wouldn't your family be delighted to eat this if you had to live off of your food storage? I know mine would! Food storage doesn't have to be all wheat, rice and beans. Although those things are really good to have in your food storage, you should have a variety of things, like popcorn, peanut butter and chocolate!

I love peanut butter and chocolate combined, those two together is probably my all time favorite flavor combo. If you're like me, then you'll love this tasty popcorn treat! Not to mention that it looks so gourmet that you'll impress your family and friends!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

¾ cup light corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 cups popped popcorn
1 cup chocolate chips

Make the popcorn either with an air popper or on the stove top according to the directions on the bag, set aside in a large roasting pan or two large cookie sheets. In a saucepan over medium heat mix together the corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla. Bring to a boil stirring constantly, once it has reached a boil, cook for one minute. Take off heat and pour over popped corn, working fast stir in all of the peanut butter coating, mixing well so that all of the popcorn is evenly coated. Let popcorn sit for about 10 minutes and then mix again to break up the pieces. In a bowl melt the chocolate for 20 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring in between each 20 second cooking, until the chocolate is melted through. Be sure not to burn the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn either with a spoon or by spooning the chocolate into a small zip loc bag and then cutting a small hole at one of the tips and then drizzling over by squeezing the bag over the popcorn. Let set for 30 minutes and then break up the popcorn! If the chocolate isn't setting you can put your cookie sheets or roasting pan into the fridge for 15 minutes and then you should be good to go! Enjoy!

Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

One thing that I'm pretty well known for is my cookies. I've been baking cookies ever since I was a kid, every weekend growing up that's what I did. My uncle Ruben would come over just for some of my chocolate chip cookies, which at the time was just the Toll House recipe on the bag. But, he loved them. Today the guys at my husband's work always ask when more cookies are coming and they even request certain kinds! I'm kind of known as the cookie lady, which I'm perfectly fine with! I was actually talking to my mom the other day about how it would be fun to open up a little shop that just sells treats like cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls... stuff like that, but then when I think about it, that would take the fun out of baking for me. So, I'll just stick to what I'm doing and share my recipes with you instead so that you can make them for yourselves!

This cookie is a new favorite in our house and everyone that has tried them has loved them. With the combination of Oreos and chocolate chips, you can't really go wrong! One thing that I've noticed with these cookies is that if you cut the Oreos up into big chunks, your cookies will turn out to be a higher cookie and if you crush the Oreos your cookies will be flatter. The picture here is of the Oreos being crushed, I'll have to make them again with the cookies cut and take a picture of them that way. They also look a lot more grey when you crush them, since little bits of crumbs are being distributed throughout the dough. I actually prefer them with the Oreos cut up instead of crushed, but they are yummy either way!

Edited to add picture of cookies with cut up Oreos instead of crushed Oreos.

Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips
20 Oreo cookies, cut up or crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F.
With an electric mixer cream butter and sugars until nice and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and mix. Slowly add flour, a little at a time. Add baking soda and salt and mix well, add chocolate chips and oreo cookies and mix well. Scoop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet; make sure they aren’t too close though! Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rack and enjoy!