Oreo Bark: A Great Go-To

Do you have one of those recipes that you just "go to" when in need?

Yeah, I do too.  This is one of those for me.

I made some just today for our friend Ben who is graduating from high school this week (Congrats...and sorry for the spoiler! :)

But I honestly make this stuff often.  It's good.  It's simple.  And it's generally a big hit.  I'm down with all that.

There are, of course, a ton of bark recipes (and varities!) online and about a million ways to do this...but this is just my tried and true method that works for me:

1.  Crush your Oreos (I just do it in a bag with a rolling pin...but I know there are other ways...)
2.  Melt your chocolate in a microwaveable bowl for 30 seconds.  Stir, then microwave another ~20 seconds.  If you need to microwave it more, do so, but just make sure that it's liquid-y and not overdone...or it won't work!
3.  Add your crushed Oreos to the microwaveable bowl of chocolatey goodness and mix (note: this step needs to be done pretty quickly, if not, the chocolate will harden enough that it won't be usable)
4.  Pour on parchment paper and spread out.
5.  Add sprinkles...of course!!!
6.  Put in the refrigerator to harden up.  I like to leave mine overnight.
7.  Crack in to pieces and then box it up to share, or EAT it right then and there!

Oh, and don't forget to lick the bowl once you've got it all laid out...

Sure wouldn't want all that deliciousness to go to waste!!!

Do you have a favorite recipe that you use often?  I'd love to hear your "go-to's"!

Cheesy Chili: Our Fav!

It's getting pretty chilly here.  And chilly calls for chili (oh how I love cheesy play on words...ahhh I did it again.  Get it?  Cheesy chili...I crack myself up ;)

That's where this cheesy chili comes into play.  You see, our friend Tera, introduced us to this recipe and it's been one of our fall/winter favorites ever since.  So, Tera, THANKS!

What you'll need:
* one pound ground beef (in America, it's a pound, in Europe, I just used two small packages of ground beef.  Cook and drain.)
* one block of Velveeta cheese (in America...in Europe, you can just use several blocks of cheedar or any type of cheese you like.  Dice into blocks.)
* one can stewed tomatoes
* one can diced tomatoes
* one can tomatoes with green chiles (in America, Rotel works, in Europe, find some green chiles and chop 'em up!)
* one can whole kernel corn
* one can red kidney beans
* one package taco seasoning

What you do:
Combine everything either in a pot.  Don't drain any ingredients, except meat.  Turn your heat on medium and let it cook for a couple of hours.  Check and stir every so often.  Then, eat!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Meatball Zucchini Cream Pasta

We are major pasta eaters.  We Palmers know how to devour some pasta.

So at an attempt on creativity in the kitchen the other night, this is what I came up with...

Meatball Zucchini Cream Pasta

You need:

your favorite type of pasta 

one zucchini

meatballs (homemade = Giada de Laurentis style/frozen = Charity style)

one package garlic & herb cream cheese

a little blob of butter

garlic

oregano

shredded mozzarella cheese

salt

pepper

1.  Cut your zucchini into small chunks and start your water boiling.

2. Place meatballs in pan with a little oil on low to medium heat.  Let them get going for a couple minutes, then add zucchini chunks.

3. Meanwhile, boil your pasta according to package.

4. In another pan add your butter, cream cheese, garlic, and oregano over medium heat.  Let it all melt together, stirring often.  Add cheese.  Check consistency for how you like it (you can add flour to bulk it up or milk to make it thinner). 

5. Add cream sauce to meatballs and zucchini mix.

6. Drain pasta well.  Add a little salt and some pepper to pasta, then mix meatballs, zucchini, and cream sauce with pasta in large bowl.

Plate that yumminess and eat it up!

My Man the Chef

The other night Jas had a hankering for something sweet.  There were some apples that needed to be eaten soon, some granola (museli) left, and some packets of cinnamon sugar in the cabinet.

So he set to work making a baked apple granola dessert (I can't even think of what we call this normally!)

Anyway...he created a sugary version of maple syrup (I think it's nonexsistent here, or if it's found here it's costly) with the sugar and poured that over cut apples topped with museli.  He then popped it in the oven for close to thirty minutes and we waited as the heavenly smell overtook the room.

Seriously, it had my mouth watering.

Then we ate it.  And I must say, for a creative, resourceful dessert, it was DELICIOUS.

He's a lil chef in the making (ahem, I mean a manly chef in the making)...

See I told you so!  We almost ate the whole thing before I snapped a pic.

P.S. -- Check back in the next few days for another sweet treat having to do with BABY PALMER :)

One of Our Favorites

Lately we've really been into VEGGIE PIZZAS.

I found this recipe tucked inside a book the other day and wanted to make it, so I did.  Then I made it again.  And I'm sure I'll make it again really soon.

Oh and did I mention it's super easy and very tasty?

So here ya go...one of our favorites:
VEGGIE PIZZA (at its finest)

You need-
pizza crust (I use the kind you bake first)
Ranch dressing pack
1/2 cup of mayo
8 oz package of cream cheese
any veggies you want (we prefer them finely chopped)

1)  Bake your pizza dough according to package instructions.
2)  Meanwhile, chop all your veggies.

3)  Combine ranch, mayo, and cream cheese.  Mix well.
4) Spread mixture on pizza dough (let it cool first), then sprinkle on your veggies! (I use carrots, broccoli, and yellow pepper, but any will work...radishes, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, etc...)

5) Eat up the colorful yumminess!

What are you waiting for!?!? :)

Christmas Craft: Mosaic Jell-O

I guess this isn't really a craft by definition.  It's more of a recipe.  And a yummy one.  But it looks so much like a mosaic that I'll consider it part of craft week :)

I won't take credit for this by any means, I found it here.  Genius!

MOSAIC JELL-O

You will need:
2 packages of unflavored gelatin
4 (or 5) 3 oz. packages of different flavored/colored Jell-o
1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Here's what ya do:

1)  Prepare all your Jell-o according to the package, only use ONE cup of boiling water, instead of two.

2)  Allow your Jell-o to "chill out" in the fridge for AT LEAST 4 hours.

3)  Pour half a cup of cold water on top of the 2 packs of gelatin in a small bowl.  Allow it to sit for 4 to 5 minutes.  In the meantime, boil 1 cup of water.  When water has boiled, add to the sitting gelatin.  Then pour in your sweetened condensed milk.  Stir until it is all dissolved and more fluid like.  Let cool until room temperature.

4)  Precisely cut your Jell-o into cubes.  Combine all cubes in a glass dish.

5)  Once milk/gelatin mixture has become room temperature, pour over your Jell-o cubes.  Some will float to the top, and that's ok!  Just make sure they're not completely sticking out of the top.

6)  Let sit in the fridge overnight.

7)  Cut into squares.  Or use cookie cutters to cut out neat shapes!

Looks just like a mosaic, huh?  But a delicious, edible one.  Yum!

Punkin' Pie Puddin'

Thanksgiving is right around the corner!  That's exciting :)  And with that in mind, along with my love for all things pumpkin spice, I wanted to try a new recipe in preparation for next Thursday.

Enter Punkin' Pie Puddin' (found here).

I love pumpkin pie.  And pudding.  That makes this the perfect little fall treat!

Here's what ya need:
*1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
*1/2 cup canned pumpkin
*1 3/4 cup milk
*1 cup whipped topping (I used more)
*1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
*gingersnaps

Here's what ya need to do:
1) Mix milk and instant pudding together following package instructions.
2) Add in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.
3) Whisk in the whipped cream until all is creamy.
4) Serve it up! It's way cuter if they're served individually, but you can also just leave it in a big bowl, you know, family-style.
5) Crumble gingersnaps on top and stick one in there for delicious decoration.

Then, eat up!  It tastes just like a punkin' pie in your mouth only with a different texture.  Umm...

I think heaven might taste like pumpkin pie.  Or punkin' pie puddin'.  What about you? :)

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

O Pumpkin, I love thee.  Much like the rest of America around this time of year, you make my heart go thump-thump.  I needed a dessert recipe and stumbled upon this little gem--

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (from here)

You will need:
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
1 box carrot cake mix
1 can pure pumpkin
1 can cream cheese frosting
some candy pumpkins for the top

What ya do:
1)  Grease cookie sheets.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2)  Mix together in a large bowl butter, cake mix, egg, and pumpkin.  Combine thoroughly.
3)  Place tablespoons of mix on cookie sheets.  Bake 13-15 minutes, or until you can do the ole put-a-fork-in-me-I'm-done trick.
4)  Let cookies cool completely.
5)  Once cooled, top with cream cheese frosting and add a cute 'lil pumpkin!

THEN, enjoy these pillowy piles of spicy goodness :)

Meet These Meaty Empañadas

If I could choose one and only one magazine to read for the rest of my life it would be REAL SIMPLE.  Why?  Well, it's really simple...

It helps make life simple!  There are practical solutions to everyday problems, great ideas, money-saving tips, and wonderful, simple recipes.  And speaking of recipes, I often try their recipes.

Below is one such recipe that I tweaked to add meat for my carnivorous man:

Meaty Empañadas


You will need:
3-inch dough cutter (or a round circle of any sort that has a good edge)
two pie crusts
ground meat of your preference (you could use beef or turkey...)
fiesta corn in the can
Mexican cheese
garlic powder
salt
pepper

1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2)  Brown your beef in a pan.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the meat for flavor.
3)  Once meat is browned all the way, add corn (I eye-balled it, using about half a can) and cheese.
4)  Roll out dough and use circle cutter to create 3-inch circles.
5)  Place about a spoonful of meat mixture onto one half of circle cut outs.  Wet the edge of the dough.  Fold over into half-moon shape.
6)  Using fork, press edges together.
7)  Bake for 20 minutes.

Real simple, huh?  And simply delicioso ;)

I served these up with a side of Spanish rice and some salsa.  Go ahead, enjoy the fiesta in your mouth!

Potato Soup...Count me in!

Soup for lunch, soup for dinner was my husband's request the other day upon his stuffy, head cold sickness.

(image courtesy of:  http://kitchenscoop.com/recipes/baked-potato-soup/)

So, for lunch I warmed up Elton's yummy veggie soup.  Then I set out looking for a great potato soup recipe...you know, along the lines of O'Charley's wonderful loaded potato soup.

Enter Pat's Cream of Potato Soup recipe.  YUM!  I did alter it a bit, and here's what I did...

First, you'll need:

bacon bits (or chopped up slices of bacon)
1 onion, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
3 sliced or chunked potatoes
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1 cup half and half

Then, you can:

1)  Brown your onion and bacon bits on medium heat.
2)  Start your chicken broth in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.
3)  Add onion, bacon, potatoes, and instant mashed potato flakes to the boiling broth.
4)  Bring heat down to a simmer and keep it on for 30 minutes.
5)  Pour in half and half.  Stir and serve!

**you also could top it with cheese, or put it in a bread bowl.

We were both fans.  So, Pat, whoever you are, if you are reading this...THANK YOU for the start to a great potato soup :)

Stuffed Zucchini

Our recent trip to the Farmer's Market yielded a lot of veggies around here.   Which meant there were two zucchini's staring me in the face daily...something had to be done.

So I went to town making some stuffed zucchini.  It's an easy and delish dish (that has a nice ring to it :)

Here's the low down--

You'll need:

Zucchini to cut in half long-ways (depends on how many you're serving-- I used 4 zucchini and it made 8 servings)
1 package ground turkey
approx. 1/2 cup of salsa
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or to taste)
Brown rice (I used 2 minute ready cups)
1 cup shredded cheese (plus some for topping the zucchini)

Here's what ya do:
1)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2)  Wash your zucchini.  Cut them in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the inside leaving a little around the edge for your boat shape.
3)  Sautee the onion and garlic.  Then add your ground turkey.
4)  Once turkey and onion is finished, mix with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
5)  Line zucchini on a baking sheet and stuff with the mix.  Top with cheese.
6)  Bake for between 25-30 minutes.

Oh, and I think these would be "cuter" if we called them boats.  So I think I'll change the name to ZUCCHINI BOATS.  Wow, I'm a dork ;)

Enchiladas Verdes--on the skinny

Isn't every Spanish teacher supposed to know how to cook enchiladas?  (or as my not so very well accented husband says--who is part Cuban, might I add--"AHN-chiladas").  So then, this past week, I decided I needed to make some enchiladas.

I found a great recipe and tweaked it a bit.  Simple and delicious.  Here goes!

What you'll need (serves one hungry male and a female but can easily be doubled):

2 chicken breasts (boiled and shredded)
1 (15 oz) jar of green chili salsa
(about) 1 cup of regular salsa (I used mild)
Fresh lemon juice to taste
cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1 bag (reduced fat or skim) cheese
5-6 reduced fat tortillas

1)  Mix both types of salsa, garlic, lemon juice, and cilantro.  Blend well.

2)  In a bowl mix chicken, half of salsa mixture, and half of cheese.

3)  Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas, roll up, place in baking dish.

4)  Top with the rest of salsa mixture and the rest of cheese.

5)  Heat in oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

Finish with a sprinkle of cilantro and a side of multigrain chips.  And the best way to eat these guys?  Why, afuera, of course! (That means outside, just in case ;)

Ok, ahora, ahora, rapido, son deliciosas!

poached eggs on parmesan bread

If you follow this blog you know my love for breakfast.  I think on more than one occasion I have blogged about pancakes.  And really, if you don't know, then let me explain.  I could eat breakfast for ANY meal of the day.  That simple...haha.

So on Tuesday night, Jas and I had a different kind of breakfast for dinner.

We had poached eggs on toasted parmesan bread with kilbasa on the side.  It was GREAT!!!  I poached the eggs so that they were a little runny and we let the bread soak up all the runny yumminess.  The parmesan bread Jas made and it was the perfect base for our poached eggs.

Is your mouth watering yet?  Oh delish...we'll be making this meal again ;)

a little sampling

We received a sweet package of Slovak goodies from our future team members.

Item 1:  (the green package with a name I'm unsure how to pronounce still)....that's some kind of soup, I believe.  This one we haven't tried yet.
Item 2:  LEIBNIZ!  These are butter cookies.  We'll just say we're going to be eating these up...they're YUM!
Item 3:  Podravka is a spice (kind of like all spice) that they use on nearly everything (so we hear).  We've eaten it on mashed potatoes so far and we're already digging it, too!

Now to learn Slovak so we'll actually be able to cook and prepare food in our future home.  But this little sampling of foods sure makes us happy :)  Here we come, butter cookies!

Raviolis...Yes, please!

Saturday was my lovely mother-in-law's birthday.  She kindly requested raviolis be made in her honor.  There's kind of a story behind these raviolis...here goes:  Two years ago I made them as one of my first attempts to cook for Jason's family.  It was QUITE a messy process and it looked like the kitchen exploded.  I had never made homemade pasta dough before and I had never made a recipe that was so involved.  Everyone ate them and claimed to love them (though I think they were just trying to make me feel better ;)

All that to say, Ro requested I make them again.  I am glad to report this time I had far more success and without such mess!  I documented the process as a kind of visual step by step for me to look back at the next time I make them.  They're really great...you should try them too!

I started with 4 cups of flour, 4 eggs, and some salt.  This made enough dough for plenty of raviolis (there were 7 people to feed) and we still had a few left over!

One of those somewhat painstaking, but definitely worth it experiences---making handmade dough.  The above picture is the well you create in the middle and where you place your eggs.  Then you work the flour in.

After 15 minutes of mixing, kneading, turning, flipping...voila!  A ball of pasta dough!

Dice your chicken, mushrooms, and onions.  This will make the filling.

Add red chili pepper flakes and salt to the 'shroom/onions mix.  Saute both the chicken and the veggies.

Marianne brought over her pasta machine, which really helps in thinning the dough.  When I made them the time before, the dough was too thick!

Spoon your mixture on one half of the dough and fold the other half over.  Create pockets of mix and use a fork to press down the edges (after cutting your squares).

For the sauce you'll need:  cream (about 3 cups), 2 cups of cheese, salt, and red chili pepper flakes again.  Keep it over low to medium heat and add your raviolis (after they've been boiled for 5 minutes).

Put in dish.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Eat and be filled!

There you have it.  The far less messy process of making delish mushroom chicken raviolis.

And of course, a picture of the birthday girl showing off her age ;)  Happy Birthday Mama Palmer...we love you!

Tie-Dye Stars!

Have you ever seen stars that are tie-dyed?  Well, because I love color, and I love cookies, and I love the youth in our youth group...I decided to make tie-dyed/swirly star cookies for youth last week.

I just took regular ole sugar cookie dough and added some food coloring (not enough to saturate the dough, just to streak it).  I then took my trusty star cookie cutter and cut out the shapes.  They turned out colorful and yummy--just the way I like food!

I know, I know, it's a complicated recipe.  And I really SHOULD open a bakery with my mad baking skills ;)

Drumettes...YUM!

Before this past weekend I had never made wings before!  Now I can say that I have made them and that they were yummy.  Thanks totally to Giada de Laurentis.

I followed her recipe for Balsamic Chicken Drumettes.  Here's what you do:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey  (I use local honey to help with warding off allergies...or so they say!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 sprigs rosemary
5 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 cup chopped parsley
sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
10-12 chicken drumettes

Combine all ingredients except parsley and sesame seeds in a resealable bag.  Let the drumettes marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours (at least--I let mine sit for longer). 

Take out of refrigerator and place on foil lined baking sheet.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 450 degrees.

In the mean time, take marinade left over and put in a pot.  Bowl, then reduce to medium heat for about 15 minutes.  This will thicken up and make a sauce to cover your wings.

Take wings out of oven, spread sauce on wings.  Then sprinkle the wings with parsley and sesame seeds.

Don't even worry about a plate, just go ahead and eat them right there.  They're GOOD!

Or, if you don't want to make them, you can just look at them below :)

GREEN stuff

I do not remember where or why I thought about this the other day, but suddenly I was overcome with the desire to make "GREEN STUFF."  If you don't know green stuff, then you should.  As in like, HAVE to know what it is.  It is THAT good.

So, you ask, what IS green stuff?  I was first introduced to it through my college roomie, Erin, who made some from a recipe her mom had.  Green stuff is a dessert/side dish that is absolutely delicious, light, fluffy, and tasty. 

Since I was strongly desiring this green goodness, I decided to look up a recipe and make it.  There are many recipes for green stuff, but I actually kind of made my own adaptation.

Here's the recipe I put together:

1 carton of Cool Whip Free
1 package of Jell-o pistachio pudding mix
1 can of mandarin oranges
1 can of crushed pineapple (drain off some of the juice)
8 big handfuls of tiny marshmallows

1. Make the pistachio pudding according to the box (you will need two cups of milk).
2. Mix in all the other ingredients.
3. EAT UP!

How easy is that!?  And it's super delicious to boot.  When you're finished mixing it's a very light green color, perfect for St. Patrick's day (haha, even though I really don't care much for or do much with St. Patty's day), that just happened to work out!

Ok, now go to the grocery store and get the above ingredients and combine them!  You won't be sorry.  Palmer promise :)