Crock Pot Baked Ziti

Hi everyone!  Today I want to share this recipe I found over on Mr. Food's website.  They are featuring a new crockpot cookbook and I wanted to share the link with all of you!  Doesn't this look YUMMY?!  An and added bonus, you don't have to heat up your kitchen to make it either!

HERE is the link to this yummy recipe and you can also sign up for a chance to win a signed copy of the new crockpot cookbook too!  The sign up is in the NOTES area at the bottom of the post.

Mary

Cheddar Bacon Dip

Hi everyone!  It's been awhile since I've shared a recipe with you so I thought I would share this recipe that my daughter tried and she and her friends just went wild for it!  It is so easy as you can see by the picture above, just four ingredients and 24 hours and you have delicious dip!

First put your sour cream in the fanciest dish you can find, hey people this is how regular, everyday people cook in my house, lol!  Now dump in the Ranch dressing mix and mix well.

Now open your package of bacon bits and add to your sour cream and Ranch dressing mixture, mix it up some.

 

I decided to go fancy with this recipe and bought a block of Cheddar cheese and use my flat grater to shredded my cheese with.

Ok, here is the finished dip, nothing really fancy to look at but it is very good to eat!  Serve with chips and vegetables.

Cheddar Bacon Dip

16 ounces sour cream
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
3 ounces bacon bits (in a bag, not jar)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Mix together and refrigerate 24 hours.  Serve with chips and/or vegetables.  Refrigerate any left-overs.

I  found the recipe on Plain Chicken HERE.

Well I hope you all are staying cool and I hope you have a safe, fun fourth of July too!     Mary

How to Prevent Moldy Berries

I received this e-mail this morning and thought I would share it with all of you.  Disclaimer, I have not had time to try this for myself but it sure makes good sense!

Berries are delicious, but they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides. Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you how to keep them fresh! Here’s a tip I’m sharing on how to prevent them from getting mold in the first place: Wash them with vinegar. When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them. you're so berry velcome!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Hmm....doesn't this look YUMMY!! It sure was yummy to eat!

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com. It has been years since I've had it and it is still just as good as I remember it. Now some people serve this as a sweet salad and some as a dessert. Either way, it's just plain GOOD!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted (this equal to 12 Tablespoons)
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 - 8 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed
2 - 3 oz. packages strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 - 10 oz. cartons frozen strawberries ( I use the sweetened ones), don't thaw
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 Tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in the Cool Whip; combine well. Spread mixture onto cooled crust. In another mixing bowl, dissolve Jell-O in the boiling water. Stir until Jell-O has dissolved, than add the still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
Serves 12

Now the next time I make this, I'm going to halve the recipe, as this makes too much for just two people to eat.

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Try it and see for yourself how delicious this is and than you can decide, is it a salad or a dessert.

Thanks for dropping by......Mary

No-Bake Salad Pizza

With the days starting to get hotter, I thought this would be a good recipe to share, as you don't need the oven to make this pizza, perfect for the summer months!  So easy, especially if you pick up pre-chopped vegetable off the grocery store salad bar, which I do sometimes.

I found this recipe clear back in 1996 in a Fast and Healthy recipe book. You know the ones that you look at when you are standing in line at the check-out lane at the grocery store. I use to make this recipe alot when my girls were younger and they really, really like this, well we all did! I always had to make sure and cut the pizza so that we each had two pieces.

NO-BAKE SALAD PIZZA

1 cup (8 oz.) purchased spinach dip, I use ranch dip, use your families favorite*
1 (10 oz.) thin crust Italian bread shell, I've always use Boboli
1 cup chopped broccoli, or your favorite
1 cup cubed cooked chicken or turkey, in a pinch I use the canned chicken breast
1/3 cup sliced green onions, purple adds a nice color to this too
1 small tomato, seeded, chopped, you can use grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Spread spinach dip evenly over bread shell to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with remaining ingredients. To serve, cut into 8 wedges.

*Most of the time I don't use all of the dip, I just spread until I feel that it has cover the crust nicely.

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Have a nice day....Mary

P.S.  You may have noticed that I'm not doing step by step pictures right now, I found that I was running out of time and actually would not remember to take pictures of every recipe, so on some of my post you will see just the finished dish.  Eventually, after the wedding, I should have more time to take pictures, so don't give up on me yet!  I still wanted to share some of the great recipes I've used over the years, some are too good not to share!

Basic Deviled Eggs

Hmmm..your thinking, deviled eggs, everyone knows how to make deviled eggs, but you would be suprised had how many people do not know how to make this simple dish that seems to always be well received when you take them to a gathering. I found this recipe at Southern Living Magazine back in 2002 and everyone really seems to like the way they taste. I like them just plain and simple, no fancy ingredients for me!

Basic Deviled Eggs
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, no salad dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard, think French's
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
paprika for garnish, optional

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; add water to depth of 3 inches. Bring to a boil; cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Drain immediately and fill the saucepan with cold tap water. Tap each egg firmly on the counter until cracks form all over the shell. Peel under cold running water. Slice eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks; sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss yolks; add mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and mustard; stir very well, you want it to be a smooth texture. Spoon yolk mixture into the egg white. Garnish, if desired.

Now it is important that you make the deviled eggs while your eggs are still warm, the yolks absorb the flavors better while they are warm, they will not taste as good if you hard-boil the eggs one day and devil them the next day.

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I hope you give this recipe a try, you will not be disappointed!     Mary

3-2-1 Cake

Hi everyone, did you think I had fallen off the face of the earth?! Sorry about not posting for so long, just haven't had time to take pictures and post to the blog. Hopefully things around here will calm down and I can share some recipes again and some crafts too! Today I want to share with you a recipe my friend Chanda from So NOT Betty! sent to me. She wasn't going to use it on her blog, so I will share it with all of you now!
First you start with an Angel Food cake mix and a regular cake mix, doesn't matter what favor BUT one of them has to be Angel Food, that's because there are dried egg whites in it and that is important.

Before I poured my angel food cake mix in, I wrote the cooking directions on the bag so I don't need to keep the recipe with it. Now pour in your Angel Food cake mix,

then add your cake mix of choice, and mix both together well. That's it!! Now you are ready to make yourself a individual cake!

I used a restaurant side dish that came home with us one time by accident and it worked perfect for this. I did measure and it holds 1/2 cup of liquid, so a little Pyrex dish would work well too. No, you don't have to grease it.

Measure out 3 tablespoons of mix (can do this right in the dish you are going to microwave it in).

Now add 2 tablespoons of water and mix it until well combined.

Pour into your baking dish.

Here it is before....

Here it is after.

Still hot.....

Oops, sorry its blurry.

Let it cool for 15 minutes before eating, taste way better after it has cooled, don't ask how I know this one! Here it is with some Reddi-Whip and some fresh raspberries on it, YUMMM!!!

It is very moist, which really surprised me, even hubby commented on this.

Well, I hope you give this a try, they are low in calories, if you don't add Reddi-Whip, lol!

3, 2, 1 Cake

1 box Angel Food cake mix

1 box cake mix, any flavor

In a zip-loc bag, combine the two cake mixes together, mixing well. For each individual cake serving, take out 3 tablespoons of the cake mix combination and mix it with 2 tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe container.

Keep remaining cake mixture stored in the zip-loc bag and use whenever you feel like a treat! You can top each cake with a dollop of whipped topping and/or fresh fruit.

Try various flavors of cake mix like carrot, red velvet, pineapple, lemon, orange, strawberry, spice, etc. Just remember that one of the mixes has to be the angel food cake mix, the other is your choice.

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Thanks for stopping by!    Mary

Sweet Potato Medalions

Do you have trouble coming up with an easy side dish for your evening meals? Boy, I sure do. The other week I got this recipe in my e-mail box and decided to give it a try as we all like sweet potatoes and they are so good for you and making them this way does not make them too fattening either! This recipe is from Me and My Pink Mixer

I poured about 2 teaspoons of olive oil on a small plate and using my fingers (yes, I washed my hands first), I just rubbed some on both sides and than sprinkled each side with salt and pepper, you could add your favorite herb(s) too.

Please be careful when you are slicing your raw sweet potatoes, they are hard to slice! This is one large one sliced up.

I placed mine on the same foil lined cookie sheet as the chicken tenderloins I was baking, saved alot of clean up time and lucky me, they needed to be cooked at the same temperature and time too!

Here they are after they have roasted! I peel mine before I eat them, but hubby just eats them, peel and all! They are so good this way and I've been buying more sweet potatoes and roasting them this way!

Sweet Potato Medalions

1 large sweet potato, washed and slice about 1/4 inch thick

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt and pepper

your favorite herbs, optional

Line your cookie sheet with foil. Rub olive oil and both sides of your potato slice, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Serve.

I can't remember if she said to turn them half way thru the baking time, but there is really no need to do that.

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Well, I hope you give these a try, I think you will find that they are very good! Mary

No Rinse Body Bath

Hi! Hope you are having a good day today, I'm having a great one, got our taxes all done, so that is a huge relief!
Now as you all know hubby had surgery in December, well he was not allowed to take a bath or shower for TWO WEEKS, eeeewwwww! Well it wasn't that bad because we found this great stuff to use to help keep him smelling good, lol! To use this liquid you fill your sink basin or use one of those pretty little pink tubs that they give you in the hospital, you put 4 capfuls in 32 ounces of water. Take your wash cloth and get it wet with your solution and wipe your skin with it, repeat until you are all finish. Than just towel dry! Now you will feel refresh and feeling human again!! The only place I could find this was at a pharmacy that is next to or by a hospital, sorry can't get it at Wal-Mart, CVS or Walgreen.

It only cost $5.88 and it makes 16 baths! I did have to take hubby to the barber shop so that he could get his hair washed! After words, he as so thankful for both, it really improved his whole attitude for the rest of the day and evening!

Have a great day and hope you found this information helpful..................Mary

Traditional Chex Party Mix

Hi everyone, hope you all have doing well. It has been busy here with hubby and PT, we just found out he will have his back surgery on March 8th, so I'm still going to be busy playing nurse for awhile longer yet, but his back surgery should go really well and only be down for two weeks. Well I had good intentions of posting this closer to Christmas and than for New Year's and than for the Super Bowl, but, sigh, I just didn't get it done. This is a recipe that I got from my Mom, in fact, this is the only chex mix my youngest daughter will eat! She always ask, "is that Grandma's recipe" before she will even take any! It's an old recipe from the 1970's, I'm guessing it may be the original recipe for Chex Mix. My Mom did make a few changes to it, she increased the seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce amounts and she substitute Cheerios for some of the Chex, but we like it her way the best, so that is what I'll put down.

See that red bowl? I have a green one just like it, it is huge and I found these one year at Wal-Mart, they hold alot, which is great for mixing up this recipe! Melt your butter (I do this in a small saucepan); then add the seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce and stir until well combined.
Pour over your cereal/nut/pretzels and gentle stir and toss until everything looks like it is coated with the melted butter mixture.

Bake in the oven for one hour and let it cool on your pan. After it has cooled, eat or I put mine in a gallon Zip-Lock bag to keep it fresh. Will hold for a long time sitting on the counter, that is unless you eat it all, lol!

Traditional Chex Party Mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, original recipe called for 1 1/4 teaspoon

6 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, original recipe called for 4 1/2 teaspoons

2 2/3 cups Cheerios, original recipe called for Wheat Chex cereal

2 2/3 cups Rice Chex cereal

2 2/3 cups Corn Chex cereal

2 2/3 cups pretzel sticks, optional but we add1 cup salted mixed nuts, I use cocktail peanuts and I always use 2 cups, you could add cashews.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat butter in a large shallow roasting pan (about 15 x 10 x 2-inches) in oven until melted. Remove. Stir in seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce. Add cereals, nuts and pretzels. Mix until all pieces are coated. Heat in oven 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool ( I don't do this, I just let it cool on my sided cookie sheet).

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Well this is it for this post, I hope you enjoy this recipe! It seems like alot of work, but it is really very easy to make. Thanks for stopping in to see me! Mary