Resurrection Rolls

  We used to make these Resurrection Cookies every Easter, but honestly, even though I love the process, and how verse by verse you add ingredients, no one loved the cookies in the end.   If you are looking for a …

Fun Mommy Lunches Part 2: Red Pepper Wraps

Today I continue on our quest to make lunch time “FUN” for SAHM’s out there.  I don’t know about you, but when Dale comes home and tells me about the AMAAAAAZING Chinese he had at Hu Hot.  I get a little grumpy about the PB&J I ate while standing at the sink doing dishes.  🙂

  I went on a quest to make lunch more exciting, besides the ones I listed yesterday, this one is also one of my favorites:

Red Pepper Wraps

{click title to print}

Ingredients

• 2 whole Chicken Breasts, Thawed
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Combo Of Mexican Seasonings: Southwest, Cumin, Chili Powder Or Even Taco Seasoning
• 1 whole Red Pepper, Cut Into Thin Strips
• 1 package {12 Oz} Mexican Blend Cheese
• 1 whole Lime
• 1 package Whole-wheat Tortillas
• Sour Cream Or Guacamole

Preparation Instructions

In a small pot, cover chicken in water, add a couple of dashes of salt, then boil chicken for 10-20 minutes, or until fully cooked.
Place chicken in small bowl and shred. Add listed salt and pepper, plus your choice of 2 T. Mexican seasonings. Allow to cool a bit.
Spread sour cream, guacamole or a combo on a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle with Mexican cheese and 1/4 cup of your shredded chicken.
Top with strips of red pepper and squeeze some fresh lime juice over all. Wrap and eat! Delicious.

Save leftovers for another yummy lunch another day.

Happy Lunch Making!

Another recipe coming your way tomorrow….
~T

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Marinated Ham & Swiss Rolls

  I LOVE funky recipes and this one given to me by a family friend, totally fits the bill!

  Take a regular ol’ ham and swiss sandwich dump on a bunch of seasonings and 2, yes I said TWO sticks of butter, throw some french fried onions on top for crunch and bake until melty. 

OH MY YUMMY GOODNESS!

(click for easy printable)

Ingredients

• 8 whole Large Potato Bread Buns
• 1 pound Ham Slices
• ½ pounds Sliced Swiss Cheese
• 2 sticks Of Butter  (you can do one if this freaks you out to much, there was a lot of butter liquid on the bottom)
• 3 teaspoons Ground Mustard
• 3 teaspoons Poppy Or Sesame Seeds
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 teaspoons Diced Onions
• 1 6 oz. container French’s French Fried Onions

Split the rolls in half and layer the bottom halves in a baking dish. Top with ham and swiss cheese. Put the top half of the roll on. Bring butter, mustard, poppy seeds, onion and worcestershire sauce to near boil. Pour evenly over rolls. Sprinkle with french fried onions.
Bake at 350* for 15 minutes or slightly browned and heated through.

Serve with raw veggies and fruit.

Y-U-M!

~T

Savory Garden Spaghetti Sauce

  Straight from the garden to your stock pot, bet you’ll never want to eat jarred spaghetti sauce again!

  A big thank you to Connie for inspiring this dish by posting photos of hers simmering on the stove on Facebook! I don’t know why I haven’t thought to try this before.  I took careful notes while I made our sauce, but you change the proportions per your families taste buds!

{click title to print}

Ingredients

• 30 whole Medium Tomatoes (more Or Less Depending On The Size)
• 2 whole Peppers, Any Color
• 8 ounces, weight Mushrooms (optional)
• 3 whole Onions, White Or Yellow
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 24 cloves Of Peeled Garlic
• 2+ T. each total, divided use, of Oregano, Rosemary, Parsley (fresh If You Have It, Dried If You Don’t!)
• 2 pinches of Thyme
• Kosher Salt & Cracked Pepper, to taste
• 20 leaves Of Fresh Basil (more To Taste)

Wash and rough chop all veggies. Saute onion pieces in butter in the bottom of a large stock pot, add in garlic cloves and mushrooms, saute a few minutes more. Add in all veggies. Season WELL with all listed seasonings, per your taste buds. Simmer on the stove, covered, for 45 minutes.
Stir and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 hours. {Your house is going to smell AMAAAAZING!!!}
Right before serving, throw in fresh basil, and blend with an immersion blender.  You will want to taste and check seasonings. I was surprised how much I needed to add again at this point.
{The tomatoes really bland everything down}
Serve hot and fresh over pasta or place in jars, 3/4 full, cool and freeze.

Enjoy with a salad and bread sticks!

~T

 

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 Back for Seconds

Gooey S’Mores Cake

  If you haven’t figured it out yet, S’Mores are one {of many!} of my food weaknesses.

  I have made I Want S’More Bars:

Fluffy S’mores Cake

And just plain ol’ S’mores over the open fire.

I guess I just can’t resist a good S’Mores Recipe, because now I have another one to share with you.  It’s got this great sticky, shiny marshmallow-esque frosting that you smear all over it! 

{click title for easy printable}

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• ½ cups Shortening
• ¼ cups Softened Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 3 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2-¾ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 12 ounces, fluid Evaporated Milk

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 4 whole Egg Whites
• 1 cup Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Cream Of Tartar
• 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Chocolate Chips
• Marshmallows, Graham Cracker Crumbs & Hershey Bars For Garnish

Spray and flour 2 – 9 inch pans, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
Add cracker crumbs and baking powder, alternating with the entire can of milk, continually beating mixture.
Divide between 2 pans and bake at 350* for 18-22 minutes or until done. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool.
For the frosting:
In a large saucepan, combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Heat over low heat. Using an immersion or hand blender, beat on low until frosting reaches 160* or is steaming but not boiling yet. (about 8-10 minutes) Pour into a large bowl, add vanilla and beat on high until stiff peaks form. (5-7 minutes)
Place 1st cake on cake plate and smear 2/3 cup frosting over the top of it. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before topping with 2nd cake. Use the remaining frosting to cover top and sides of both cakes.
Garnish as you desire with marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs and Hershey bars.

Dig in!

~T

Spring Break! & Dreamy Orange Cheesecake Dip

   The kids are outta school for the WHOLE WEEK for Spring Break! I am so so excited and have plans to………..are you ready for it?

DO NOTHING!

  I want to keep our week free and let them play outside ALL day long!  I want them to run and imagine until their hearts are content, coming in filthy and exhausted for supper and baths.     I want to read with the kids out on a quilt every afternoon, I want to grill Hamburgers and eat out on the picnic table, I have an Easter craft I’ve been wanting to do from Pinterest, and I want to start planting our garden.  But mostly, I don’t want to be busy, I just want to be a stay at home family and enjoy our time together.  🙂   

Now on to the foodie part of all this, fruit dip!  A yummy one!

  This recipe comes from Brandy’s Baking, and it just screams SPRING IS HERE!!!!!!!!!  Which makes me very VERY happy!

Dreamy Orange Cheesecake Dip

from Brandy’s Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (or less, if you don’t like it as sweet)

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients together and stir until mixture is well blended and smooth.

Serve with fruit or spread on graham crackers.

Enjoy!

  Gotta go play with my 4 favorite little Ferguson’s now!

Happy Monday!

~ T

Dip Dilemma

  I have a Dip Dilemma and I need your help!

This is the dip I made for Super Bowl Sunday.  It is missing a KEY flavor or taste and I can’t for the life of me, figure out just what that taste should be!  So here I am asking for your help!  And, so that I could have helpers that had actually TASTED the dip, I handed out samples to some of my foodie friends.

First of all, they all said they LOVED it and agreed it had the potential to be amazing.

Here are their suggestions:

~Less sugar. I TOTALLy agree, I’d say 3 T. instead of 6, is a good place to start.

~3 people suggested the addition of Cilantro (or as Ty’s teacher said in her darling accent: “CEEElantrooo”) {be sure to roll your r’s in your head when you read that part}

~Another friend suggested, chopped Mangos.  Mmmm!

~A more flavorful cheese like Herb and Garlic goat cheese or Mediterranean Feta

This has the potential to be reallyreally good!  If you come up with something clever, comment away, I want to hear it!

Chunky Black Eyed Pea Dip

• 16 oz. dry black-eyed peas, soaked and cooked according to package directions
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups fresh corn (I used fresh-frozen from this summer)
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (this was the perfect amount of heat for me, but add more if you like it hot)
• 3 T. Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 oz. feta or goat cheese

Mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolves, then make the following dressing:

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 6 T. sugar (VERY sweet, I’ll do less next time!)

Pour over dip and stir very well.  Serve cold with chips.

  It’s good, its hearty, its healthy, but it is MISSING SOMETHING! Help!!!!!

——————————————————————————————————————

    Now, this next dip got RAVE reviews! It’s my Aunt Regena’s recipe and it was a DELICIOUS!!!!  I will make it again as soon as possible! It is mild with a hint of sweet and is all kinds of good.

And look how pretty it is!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

(click title for easy printable)

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14 Oz Each) Shoepeg Corn
• 1 can (15 Oz.) Black Beans, Rinsed And Drained
• 1 bunch Green Onions, Chopped
• 5 ounces, weight Feta Cheese
• ¼ cups Sugar
• ¼ cups Apple Cider Vinegar
• ¼ cups Olive Oil

Rinse and Drain beans. Wash and chop green onions. Mix in large bowl with shoepeg corn and feta cheese. Combine sugar, vinegar and oil before pouring over everything. Let marinade several hours before serving with Tostitos scoops.

Delicious!

  Ok Dip Connoisseur’s, time for you to weigh in about Dip #1, I am listening!!!!

~T

Foodie Cravings & Holiday Baking

  We’ve established I’m a Foodie, right?!  Cooking, sharing and eating food just makes me happy!!!!!  Guess it’s fitting then, that my most popular boards on Pinterest are 4 little Fergusons Food & Proud to be a Foodie. 

Come see me: http://pinterest.com/4littleferguson/

  So, here are my latest Foodie Cravings: 

(And no, I am NOT pregnant, when you are a Foodie you have cravings pregnant or not.)   🙂

Manchego Cheese:

  At $8 a package, this craving will have to be far and few between, but thanks to the generosity of Dale’s momma, I have a whole block to enjoy and savor.  This cheese is salty, a bit dry and tastes amazing on crackers or shredded over a salad. YUMMMMMMM!

Blue Bell Ice Cream:

Christmas Cookie

Hello beautiful

Tiramisu

  This is Dale’s bucket, but it sure is good.  Tastes JUST like the dessert!I have to be careful with this one though, because I don’t do well with caffeine.  Like bounce off the walls, jitter all night kind of problems. 

Which brings me to THIS, may latest Foodie Favorite:

My friend Lori swears up and down she doesn’t like to cook. You’ve met Lori recently in THIS photo session with her sweet twin boys and hubby. She is ALSO the Lori that shared the “Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone Bars” with us. For not liking to cook, she sure comes up with some amazing recipes to bring to our Sunday school functions!

Cheddar Bacon Dip a.k.a “Crack Dip”

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Sour Cream
• 1 packet (1 Oz.) Ranch Dip & Dressing Mix
• 3 ounces, weight Real Bacon Bits
• 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate 24 hours. Serve with chips and PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  So we are starting our Holiday baking this week and will continue into next week, getting ready to give out Goodie Platters to friends and teachers. The kids LOVE to help!  We make things after school, or when daddy is home & supper is in the oven.  This year we are making:

Christmas Kisses

Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies-maybe

Spritz Christmas Tree Cookies

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Spiced Crackers (Dale’s favorite, so we do these every year)

AND last but not least……………………..

a batch of Coyote Poo! 

  And man, was it DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELICIOUS!

 This last one wasn’t necessarily for our Christmas goodie platters, but I HAD to try this recipe I found from Mama Bennie……

Now, if any are left by next week, they WILL be gracing our Goodie Platters, because they are THAT good!  Savory and sweet, crazy and will be the unique pop, or poop, I guess, on the platter.  Poo poo platter.  tee-hee  🙂  That’s so gross.

I will be posting this recipe soon, as well as the others, IF they get the stamp of approval!

Hugs & Happy Snacking!

~T

Creamy Colorful Ham & Veggie Soup

Welcome to Post 2 for today:  It is all I can do to keep from typing how SOUPER- delicious this recipe is…..

Haha.  I crack myself up sometimes.  🙂

Moving on.

I was looking for something hardy to feed my extended family, as we all got together over the weekend, and my best friend, Kasey, suggested this.  I am not a fan of veggie soup really, but when I heard it had a cup of cream in it, I was a bit more convinced that I needed to give ‘er a go.  Not only was it delicious, but it was colorful and pretty too. AND every one gobbled it up!  A keeper for sure, this one will make the rotation again!!!!!

  Here is the trick, this recipe calls for “real” ham cubed and I’d throw in the ham hock too if I had it! Not the processed boneless stuff. Unfortunately for me, I only had the cubed stuff on hand, so I made it work, I will give you the 2 variations below so you can decide which one to make based on your meat status……

Ingredients

• 6 cups Water
• 2 cubes Chicken Bouillon
• 1-½ pound Cooked Ham Cubes
• 6 whole Medium Potatoes, Peeled And Cubed
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• ½ pounds Frozen Peas
• 2 cups Fresh Corn, Off The Cob (canned If You Have To, But Fresh Is SO Much Better!)
• 1 can (14 Oz. Size) Green Beans
• 2 cups Frozen Sliced Carrots
• Salt And Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Or More Parsley Flakes
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Size) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup Cream
• Basil
• Garlic Powder

Boil water with bouillon cubes and ham cubes for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and cube potatoes and cut onion; add to the pot along with frozen peas and corn. Cook 10 more minutes. Add drained green beans, carrots, generously add salt and pepper and parsley. Cook 10 minutes more. Add tomatoes and cream, bring to barely a boil just to heat through. Taste and season with basil, garlic powder and more salt and pepper to taste.  I was very surprised at how much I used to season this, but the end result? Amazing!

It was a huge hit at our family function!

Option 2 goes like this: if you have the ham hock leftover from your holiday function, throw it along with 1 1/2 pounds of ham, cubed, in 6 cups of water; simmer 30 minutes.  Continue as above, eliminating chicken boullion cubes.  You also will not need as many seasonings.

Dig In! It is SOOO good!

~T

P.S.  My Easy Bierocks made Top 3 at Lark’s Country Heart today! Check it out!  www.larkscountryheart.com

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On the Menu Monday

Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Tuesday Talent Show

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Made It On Monday

Wonka Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Amazing 7 Layer Dip

I had planned to share Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes today, but guess what? I started getting comments on it the 15th, which totally made me scratch my head since I hadn’t posted it yet….had I?! I was shocked to realize it already got posted on a random Saturday at the beginning of September.   WHAT?! I never post on weekends.  And why is it just NOW getting comments?!?!?!?!  All I can figure is it was a scheduling mix up and I didn’t even notice it in time to quick pull it.  I hate when I do brainless stuff like that!   So here is the link: Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes go check ’em out, they are really yummy and perfect for fall! 

Moving on….

  I know this isn’t my first rodeo, but it seriously still AMAZES me when a 1-year-old little boy brings a little truck to the desk, rolls it back and forth and knows to make a “RRrrrrr-rrrrrr” noise. (with voice going up and down like gears shifting)  I’m telling you, this stuff is HARD WIRED into them! Sorta like stretching and tooting each morning!  🙂

Check out this little cutie….

    On to my FAVORITE dip:

  Oh man, I LIVED on this stuff when I was pregnant and super nauseous!  It sounded good when nothing else did.  I also loved it after baby was born, I’d make a batch of this and eat on it all week.  Usually while I nursed, again.  It had the protein, veggies and healthy fat we both needed, plus, I could eat it one-handed and not bloop on my sweet baby. It was a WIN WIN WIN! 🙂

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Refried Beans (+ 1/2 A Cup Of Salsa)
• 3 whole Avocados (+lime Juice And Salt To Taste)
• 8 ounces, weight Sour Cream (+1/2 Packet Of Taco Seasoning)
• 2 cups Shredded Mexican Fiesta Cheese
• 2 ounces Alfalfa Sprouts
• Grape tomatoes 
• Chips

Season 8 oz of sour cream with 1/2 a packet of taco seasoning, stirring well. Let sit in the fridge a while for flavors to meld.
Open canned refried beans, stirring in 1/2 cup or more of your favorite salsa, to make a softer, more dippable texture.
Spread into a 9×13 Pyrex dish.
Cube and mash avocados, stir in salt and lime juice to taste.
Spread on top of bean layer.
Next, spread seasoned sour cream, followed by shredded cheese, alfalfa sprouts then tomatoes on top.
Can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for the next day.

Serve with your favorite chip.

This is SOOOOO flavorful, healthy and good! I was hesitant to do the sprouts on top, but seriously, you have to try it! They are really good, soo good for you, and taste a bit like lettuce I think.

~T