Friday, August 16, 2013

Taking a little time to just…eat

Hey everyone! So after a lot of thought and contemplation I have decided to say farewell to my baking/cooking blog! Insert random picture of me here:

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I started it a few years ago to save my recipes…then I got excited about followers and became a little obsessed with trying to “make it big in the blogging world” You don’t have to look too hard at my followers or post views to see that, well, the blogging world might just not be for me. There have been random moments and random posts that blew up and tons of people looked at them…but even though 4 or 5 posts got hundreds of views I was missing something because those hundreds of people looked at that one post and then left…never to be seen again. Where did they all go?? Probably to some of the baking and cooking blogs that I stalk on a regular basis. IMG_8941

I would talk to Mark about it, try to change things (like the name, formatting, design), try to be more funny, try to be unique, post more regularly, try to take better pictures, try to constantly update twitter/facebook with posts, and I even tried having a giveaway (which was actually really fun and brought a ton of people to my blog….for that one post. People will go anywhere once in the blogging world for free stuff!) But even then I didn’t have the resources I needed to succeed in giving things away and I really probably should have invested in a .com for my blog…but I just never felt justified in spending that money when we needed it more for other things.

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Then I would talk to Mark some more and he saw that in the end all my food blog was really doing was bringing me down most of the time. So that is a big reason why I am leaving. I wasn’t blogging for the right reasons and I wasn’t baking and cooking for the right reasons either. I was worrying too much about what other people thought of me, my blog, my recipes and everything…and then I was letting that weigh on me. Feeling discouraged and frustrated because I wasn’t like all of the “other bloggers” out there who start a blog and have like 1,000 followers in a week.
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These last few weeks since I quit my baking blog I have had so much fun in the kitchen! It is liberating to be able to cook whatever I want, not take any pictures of our food, and even FOLLOW A RECIPE because I don’t feel like I have to make it unique or creative just so I can blog it. (normally I am always trying to change the recipes and sometimes the food ends up being a little interesting…)
Our food these last few weeks has been delicious! I am loving life and am off to find something new to learn…maybe photography, maybe web design (that might have helped my blog. ha.) maybe a new language…who knows! All I know is that it has been fun and for the few of you that did read my posts I appreciated every single view and I want you to know that!
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IMG_9019Hopefully people will still find my blog every now and then and enjoy the things that they make from it. Even though half of my posts are missing pictures now so those poor recipes will probably never make it onto anyone's table (Another thing I feel “free” from. Trying to replace the images on about 60 posts…that was such a daunting task)

And now all I have to say is “On Top O’ Spaghetti To Ya!” and have a great day!

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Cooked carrots. Just thinking of them makes me want to die. I don’t know how people eat them!! And to think I MARRIED one of those people. How irresponsible. Now I have to actually make them sometimes and watch him eat them for dinner. Then we had a baby. What do you know? He is just like his daddy! He doesn’t really like peanut butter, chocolate, dessert or any of the things I love but he adores cooked carrots and BEETS. Eeeew. (My hubby also loves beets…aren’t they both just crazy?)

Okay, so I get that other people like things I don’t like. I am a big girl! And because of this I make brown sugar carrots. My husband loves them and I like it because they don’t really smell like carrots so I can stand to make them! They kind of smell like Thanksgiving (sweet potatoes) Happiness all around. That is until Mark convinces me I should just try one because, “it really doesn’t even taste like a carrot!!” Turns out they taste like carrots, cooked, with a brown sugar glaze. haha not my idea of deliciousness.

On Top O' Spaghetti Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
If you are one of the many cooked carrot lovers in the world you will love these carrots. They are simple to prepare and you can pretty much just forget about them while they cook and then put them on the table like you just spent hours making them. I love those kind of recipes.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Baby Carrots
2 Tbsp Light Butter (Or regular)
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Melt the butter in a casserole dish in the microwave. Add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Then add carrots and make sure they are coated with the mixture.

Place saran wrap over the dish and microwave for 4-7 minutes depending on how cooked/crunchy you like your carrots to be.

Tips from Kj:

You can use this same recipe with diced sweet potatoes and it is really delicious!

Try adding a little nutmeg or honey to jazz up the flavors!

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Monday, July 29, 2013

Norwegian Crepes (Norske Pannekakers)

All growing up I would love when my dad would make us Norske Pannekakers! Or in English Norwegian Pancakes. He served a mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) in Norway. That is where I got my name! He likes to make us yummy things from there. Like my birthday cake every year! It is a Blit Kaker which I am probably spelling wrong and he will tell me later. I grew up saying other fun Norwegian words like: Jeg Elsker Deg (I love you)

Once I got asked while I was a cashier “what brings you to this country?” because my married name is Kjersti Helberg which sounds very foreign and I even found a Kjersti Helberg that lives in Norway!
On Top O Spaghetti Norwegian Crepes

These pretty much can be treated like a normal crepe. You still fill them with yummy goodness and everything but I love them even more than regular crepes. I normally eat 1 or 2 while I’m making them with nothing on them and then when I’m done I eat 3-4 more!

You need:

1 cup Milk
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour

Mix until there aren’t any more lumps in the batter. Pour about 1/4 cup into a 10-12 inch skillet/frying pan over medium heat and swirl the pan around until you have a crepe about 6 inches in diameter.

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Cook for 2-3 minutes just until bubbles start to form and check the bottom it should be a light golden brown. Flip with a spatula and leave on the heat for another 2-3 minutes the bottom again should just be light golden brown.

Watch these closely! They cook pretty quickly and you can have a casualty if you aren’t careful!

Fill them with deliciousness…strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, bananas, caramel etc.

Or for a more savory crepe you can also fill them with chicken, lettuce, ranch etc. and make it more of a wrap/sandwich.

Tips from Kj:

I love to make these a little thicker than a normal crepe. It is so yummy! Just don’t swirl the pan quite as much to make a crepe that is a little smaller but thicker. Seriously. These are my favorite ones to eat plain with nothing on them!

Invite over your friends and serve this warm with some ice cream and fun toppings! Crepe Party!

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Ranch Chicken (For Tacos, burritos, tostadas, enchiladas….)

I love a good taco, burrito, enchilada…etc. you get the idea! I love going to Mexican restaurants and getting a plate full of enchiladas, cheese, beans, rice and sauce covered in more cheese. Combining it all in one big bite is soooo yummy! Oh Cheese…it could be the reason that in a matter of 4 months I have gotten back up to my pre-pregnancy weight when I was about 10 pounds below it while I was still nursing/dieting for Jayden. I sometimes miss that diet. Forced willpower is awesome people! (I guess I should love myself more since I could do it for my baby but can’t seem to do it for myself)

But cheese exists! And it is good. And I will eat it.

This ranch chicken is the PERFECT addition to any taco sort of dish you are making. I loved it so much that I just ate it by the forkful on its own. It is also one of those meals that practically make itself which always makes me happy.

You might wonder  how this is different from other ranch chicken recipes you have seen...the trick is you have to COOK THE CHICKEN in the ranch/taco seasoning. Don't give in and buy pre-cooked chicken. It makes such a delicious difference if you are willing to let it bake...I promise! (Plus you can just mix it in the dish stick it in the oven and walk away...so easy!)

On Top O Spaghetti Ranch Chicken
Here is what you need:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
Half Package Taco Seasoning
1/4 cup ranch dressing

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the above ingredients in a casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour in the oven. Save 1/4 cup of the juices and drain the rest. Add the 1/4 cup back in and get two forks. Shred the chicken to whatever amount of shred that you desire for your tacos.

Give it a taste test. If you want to add a little more ranch you totally can! (I just like putting more ranch onto the tacos when I make them)

Tips from Kj:

Like I said above use this meat for any kind of Mexican dish you desire! It is even great with just some rice and black beans. Pin It

Strawberry Banana Bread Bars

Is that a mouthful of a title or what? This morning my hubby was getting ready to head to work and he said, “did we run out of bagels?” and that is when I said “nooooo!” because I just went grocery shopping and YES we did run out of bagels and I was supposed to buy more yesterday(this is why I’m working on making grocery lists more diligently). Bagels are pretty much his top favorite…he has one like every single day and he actually has me hooked on them. Except for the fact that they are so delicious I avoid them at all costs because they have so many many calories and then you have to spread inches of cream cheese on top to make them even more heavenly…not so friendly for my efforts to lose a few pounds before our anniversary. Just sayin.

Anyway so I felt bad no breakfast was available and I really didn’t want to go back to the store again this week. One store trip with my little guy is good for the week, and not because he isn’t the most awesome baby in the world who laughs and smiles at every stranger he sees. I would just rather spend countless hours digging in the dirt and splashing in puddles with him, hello! (Can I sadly/happily say he will always be my baby but he is most definitely a toddler now because he officially started to toddle assistance free about 5 days ago!)

If I can stay off of another tangent I will share with you what I made. I only had 1.5 overripe bananas…not enough to make banana bread. Plus the fact that we live in corporate housing and they apparently don’t think bread pans are necessary. So I had to do something else and I did something wonderful! Introducing:
On Top O Spaghetti Strawberry Banana Bread Bars
Ingredients:

6 oz Lite Strawberry Yogurt
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
pinch salt
Pre-Heat oven to 350
Mix above ingredients together with no rhyme or reason about it. Then grease a cookie sheet or cake pan (Mine was a 9x13) Spread your batter evenly in the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

This makes about 24 bars. Watch out because they are so yummy you might eat all of them! My little guy and I each had 2 right after they were born. He loves them!

Tips from Kj:

Try this with different kinds of yogurt. (you don't have to use light yogurt)

Add other fresh fruits like strawberries or blueberries (with blueberry yogurt) to the mix! Pin It

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Honey Mustard Salmon (2 ways)

On Sunday’s after church normally we eat whatever we cooked for dinner Saturday for lunch. Yesterday we ate Lunch at 4 because we were in Kirtland being tourists during lunch and then each had half of a leftover steak at 8:30 followed by popcorn and then ice cream cones. Yes we are healthy. Thank you. No leftovers of any of that for lunch. So we popped this in the oven when we got home and had it with some delicious minute rice. Yum.
On Top O Spaghetti Honey Mustard Salmon

This is “two way” salmon because you can either grill it or bake it depending on time or weather or preference or status of grill ownership or…okay there are no more “or’s”! We have grilled it and now we don’t have a grill so we baked it…both delicious.

You need:

1-2 pounds of filleted Salmon

First mix all of these ingredients in a bowl to make a Marinade:

2/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 large clove garlic grated/or minced finely
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper

Put Salmon in a zip lock bag and add the marinade. Massage it into the salmon and refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hours.

Once your meat is marinated it is now time to cook it!

Grilling Instructions:
Meanwhile heat up your grill to medium high.

Place your salmon skin side down on the grill. If your salmon has no skin place it on some aluminum foil. Grill for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon. When it is finished it should flake easily with a fork.

Baking Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 450. Place salmon skin side down on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes also depending on thickness of the salmon. Once again it will be flaky when done.

Tips from Kj:

I like to put this in the broiler for about a minute after its done baking because the sauce gets caramelized and delicious!

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Friday, July 19, 2013

Parmesan Alaskan Halibut

So we just moved to Ohio…we drove across the entire country in two days with our 1 year old. We were here for 3 days and then we went on an awesome vacation flying back across the country to Seattle. From Seattle we left on a cruise to Alaska. I grew up in Utah. Hunting, fishing, camping etc were my life! So I love to fish. My husband caught right on when he started dating me and we decided we just had to go fishing while we were in Alaska. Oh yeah!! hahaIMG_9867

We found a company that would allow us to go halibut and salmon fishing while we were in port. We fished for Salmon for a while and caught all of these bad boys:

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The ugly fish in the middle is my pride and joy!

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Then we decided to switch to halibut. We had NO LUCK. We tried so many spots and finally our guide was like this is the last spot we can try before we have to get you back to your ship. It was do or die. I got a bite and was so excited! But lo and behold I caught my big ugly fish from above. My brother in law Cesar got a bite though and as a team he and my husband Mark took turns reeling in this 60 pound 45 inch long halibut! It was so awesome probably one of the coolest things ever just to see it in the water and how huge it was. Biggest fish I’ve ever seen caught in my life.
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Needless to say we could not just give up all that yummy fish so we had it packed up and shipped to us when we got home. We got it two days ago and last night I whipped up some delicious halibut. Oh my it was so good! Here is the recipe for you:

On Top O' Spaghetti Parmesan Alaskan Halibut

1lb of halibut fillets (they don’t have to be Alaskan don’t worry!)

Coating #1:
2 tb parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tbsp brown mustard
4 tb mayo
2 cloves garlic minced

Coating #2:
4 Tbsp melted butter
5Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp parsley

Pre-heat oven to 350

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place your fillets on the foil. (You will probably have 3-4 fillets if you have 1 pound)

Mix the coating #1 together, divide equally, and spread over the top of each halibut fillet. You will probably have to use your fingers to press it down and make sure it is evenly coated.

Mix coating #2 together and dump/spread over the fillets again dividing it equally.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes and then place in broiler until the top is nice and golden. We actually have a real broiler now! Yahoo! Tonight I am broiling some steaks and I am really excited. Anyway so if you don’t have a broiler just put your oven on broil. Either way don’t take your eyes off of it because you don’t want it to burn.

Serve with rice, broccoli or any other sides you like.

Tips from Kj:

Use Kraft Olive Oil Mayonnaise and Blue Bonnet Light Butter to cut out some of the calories in this dish! You won’t lose any flavor at all. I promise I am not being sponsored to say that either. Me having a sponsor? Ha! That is still in my dreams…maybe one day though!

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Cream Cheese (Cookies and Cream) Cookies

Cream Cheese frosting is my arch nemesis. Like Batman and Joker, Superman and Lex Luthor, Thor and Loki….you get the idea. Unlike in the movies though cream cheese frosting normally wins. Spread that on a graham cracker and give me a glass of milk and I am in HEAVEN. Spread it all over a “blue velvet cake” (my husbands signature birthday cake for me) and well…you’ve never seen me happier. So when I figured out how to make a cookie out of a cream cheese frosting like base it was the best day of my life. Then I added in one of my favorite candy bars and it turned into one of my best creations. I think this could be one of those recipes that I go down in history for in my family. “No one made cookies like grandma’s cream cheese cookies and cream cookies” my grandkids will say.

Cream Cheese {cookies and cream} Cookies (On Top O' Spaghetti)

Now before I age myself let’s get on to this recipe. While I type I might just eat one or five more of these.

Ingredients:
3 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup flour
3 Hershey’s Cookies and Crème Bars Broken into Chunks

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and cream until well blended (this is the frosting like base for your cookies and what gives them the awesome cream cheese flavor) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until they are doughy. Stick the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This is an important step! Don’t skip it no matter how tempted or impatient you are. If it helps just eat a spoonful of dough while you wait (I know raw eggs…naughty naughty…but YUMMY!)

Roll into one inch balls and slightly press down with a glass before baking. The cookies don’t spread much so press them down to the approximate thickness you want.

Bake at 375 for about 8-10 minutes until the cookies are just golden brown on the bottom.

Tips from Kj:

If you don’t have powdered sugar on hand…never fear!! I found out that you can put regular granulated sugar into your blender (at a 1:1 ratio to the powdered sugar needed) then you just blend away until a powder forms. This was so cool to try and it really does turn into perfectly powdery sugar!  :D Pin It

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Parmesan Butternut Squash

My husband loves butternut squash like our baby loves….dogs, cars, cookies, coconut milk…and the list goes on and on. Pretty much he loves it maybe more than he loves me. He’d marry it if he could. Good thing he can’t or it might be banned from our home.

I love it too and come to find out so does our little guy. I guess butternut squash will have to be a permanent member of our family. Maybe like a second cousin or something. I like to have this with Swedish meatballs. (You can see them peeking in the picture) Tonight we had them with lasagna and it was a perfect accent to our dinner.

Parmesan Butternut Squash (On Top O' Spaghetti)
Here is what you need to make this beautifully delicious side dish for any meal. I promise you your taste buds will thank you. I literally had someone say “I don’t know what you did to this but I am glad you did it!” as he asked for seconds. Yum. O.

Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees

Peel and dice 1 butternut squash into 2 inch strips, or cubes, or however you like it. Place in a baking dish.

Melt 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp butter in a small dish
Mix the following ingredients into the melted butter:
2 minced garlic cloves
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon parsley

Pour the butter mixture all over the butternut squash and be sure to stir it up so it is all coated.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the squash is perfectly soft and delicious.

Tips from Kj:

If you put your squash in a smaller baking dish and it is overlapping you will probably need to leave it in for the full 40 minutes. If the squash is in a single layer it will probably only take about 30 minutes.

I like a single layer better because everything is more evenly coated with the topping!

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Friday, June 14, 2013

Who Needs Pinterest? How to Separate an Egg White and Yolk the Easy Way

I was at my mom's house. She is pretty much the nicest mom in the world. Evidence:

She was making pancakes for my brother who is 16 at 11:30 when he should have been eating lunch or at least pouring himself a bowl of cereal or something. But alas he requested pancakes and she delivered. As she was making them she needed to separate the egg yolk and the white. I got excited and said "You should do the water bottle trick from pinterest!" She was like "Why?" And then did this:


It was epic. It cracked me up. And the best part about it was that it worked! haha She shook the yolk a little to get the white off and ta da a perfectly separated egg white and yolk.

This is one of the million reasons I love my mom. She is just awesome!

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Pizza Roll Ups

My mom gave my little dude a fruit roll up the other day. He had no idea what to do with it. It was sticking to his fingers and his 4 adorable teeth just couldn’t seem to rip a piece off. He might have to try fruit roll ups again later if he ever gets any more teeth. If not he’ll just have to stick with pizza roll ups! ( He doesn’t really like sweet as much as savory anyway so he might be okay with this…he is my “husbands son” tear. I am determined to help him learn to love chocolate and peanut butter if it is the last thing I do! But that is another story)
pizza roll ups
If you want a fast and easy dinner that everyone will love I would suggest these little pizza roll ups! They are so easy to make, everyone can personalize their own bites…and they are fun to make if you have little helpers in the kitchen. Right now my little helper plays with my pots and pans on the kitchen floor while I bake but soon he will be rolling up his own pizza creations! 

Here is what you need for your basic roll ups:

4 Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (Cut in half and in Half again so you have 4 smaller strips for each cheese stick…see pictures below if you are confused)
2 Crescent Roll Tubes
1 Package Pepperoni
1 Jar Pizza Sauce

Pre-heat your oven to 375

Unroll your crescent roll and spread some pizza sauce on it. Add your pepperoni and any other ingredients followed by your cheese. Roll from the wide end to the small end and place in your baking dish.

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Continue until all of your pizza rolls are happy and smashed together.

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Then make your buttery delicious herb topping:

2 tbsp butter melted
¾ tsp dill weed
¾ tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Mix everything in with the melted butter and then spread it all over the rolls.

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Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until the dough is golden and cooked through.

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Tips from Kj:

Add parmesan cheese to your butter topping. We were out but I love putting this topping on any and every kind of roll I make. It adds an extra pop of flavor to every bite!

The sky is the limit with your filling options. Think of your favorite pizza and put it in your roll! Pin It

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

My Mama’s Sweet Corn on the Cob

(or that is what I would call it if I was from the South?)

Today I took my baby boy swimming for the second day in a row. He is my little fish. He likes to sit on the edge of the pool and lunge into my arms with a huge grin on his face. He is so cute. I love summer. One of my favorite parts of summer is going to the store and seeing corn on the cob that is like 10 for a dollar. Okay not really but it is cheap! I love it. And this recipe is easy and delicious and comes from my awesome mom. I watched her make corn like this for years and years and I think it will always be my favorite way to have it.  

corn on the cob

I am telling you this corn on the cob is to die for. I love it. I could eat 3 or 4 or all of them at dinner. I’d let everyone else eat the steak and salad and potatoes and just eat the corn. That is if they would let me…but pretty much this is a selfish recipe. Because you will want to keep yours all to yourself! This recipe is also great if you like to cut your corn off the cob and then eat it. Still Awesome.

Get a big pot of water-big enough for however much corn you are boiling.
Add about 1/4 cup milk. Add a small handful (about 1/4 cup of sugar). That’s right…stick your *clean hand in the sugar and just grab it and drop it into the pan! Then add your corn and boil. I like to watch the corn…when it changes from light yellow to a very sunshiny happy yellow it is ready!  (To me this takes about 6-8 minutes)

Tips from KJ:

I like to just turn the burner off and let the corn soak in the water getting yummy and sweet for a minute or two after it finishes boiling. 

This corn is so good it doesn’t even need anything on it! But if you have to know salt and butter are my favorite things to put on corn on the cob…yum! Pin It

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A Little Kiss…Beijinos de Coco (Aka: The best Brazilian dessert)

Hello! I am BACK! We have moved, we are settled and we are making GOOD food in our new kitchen! I have so much counter and cabinet space I am so happy. I also have a dishwasher. This helps decrease the dread I feel when I am making something that uses like 3 pans and 6 bowls. I know that I don’t have to hand wash all those dishes!

On to the little kiss.  I love when Mark gives me a kiss…haha but that has nothing to do with this recipe. I really just love when he introduces me to delicious Brazilian food. We were at a ward BBQ and he started talking with another girl from Brazil about these Beijinos. They were ranting and raving about how delicious they were and I decided we just had to try them! (P.S. this is a whole different post but my baby boy and I are OFF OF OUR CRAZY DIET! Yay! More to come on that later but it means I could eat these)

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These are made with sweetened condensed milk, butter, and coconut. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I love sweetened condensed milk. I like to just eat it straight from the can. Mark and I were actually fighting over who got to have the last bits of milk left over in the can. Yum.

Here is what you need:

1 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup dried coconut (sweetened or unsweetened either one works)
1 Tablespoon Butter

(extra coconut, sugar, and cocoa powder later for dipping)

First mix the sweetened condensed milk, butter, and 1/2 cup coconut in a skillet pan.

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For about 15 minutes stir this over medium heat. 

It will start to thicken to more of a paste.

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Take it off the heat and spread it onto a greased pan or plate.
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Once it has cooled for about 15 minutes grease your hands (I used cooking spray) and roll into about 1 inch balls.

Then dip your balls into either sugar, more coconut or cocoa powder! They are so yummy! The ball is so sweet that the cocoa powder is such a nice contrast. It doesn’t taste bitter just deliciously chocolaty. The sugar is awesome and the extra coconut is great if you like coconut!

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Now you are ready to take a bite of your “little kiss”. Beware you might eat all of them in one sitting!

Tips from Kj:

Marks friend told me how she made hers and then we looked up tons and tons of recipes. They are all the same except for 1 difference:

Some people don’t add the coconut while you are mixing the milk and butter together. Some people (like us) do. It will work either way it just depends on how much you like coconut! If you don’t like it at all you can still make these and roll them in sugar, cocoa powder or even experiment with other things like chocolate chips etc! The sky is the limit with these little kisses!

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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Blog Issues....and a party with cookie dough cupcakes!

So I do plan on blogging again. PROMISE. Most likely at the end of this month once we are all moved and settled and aren't re-eating everything that is super easy and fast to make.

I guess when you neglect your blog for a while it decides to let you know how it feels about that. All of my pictures are disappearing. There are "!" everywhere and I can't figure out what is going on. Most of the recipes with "!" are old and I don't have those pictures anymore. So I guess I know what recipes I am going to be making soon all of the ones with missing pictures.

My blog is rebelling against me. It is making me sad. Oh well. Gotta dust off my pants and just make it better right? I already have a lot to do to make some improvements so I can just add these ! pictures to my list :)

In the meantime check out the pictures of my baby boys party and the cake he smashed. And some pictures of him smashing it. I thought it was pretty cute. There is also a "recipe" at the bottom. Enjoy.




Gotta chug a lug some milk!  



This is when he really started going for it! 


Soccer Birthday Cake (Dairy, Egg, and Soy free!) 


My attempt at cool decorations! haha This was definitely NOT a Pinterest party that is for sure. Simple and easy going. We just had a lot of fun letting baby boy do everything he normally does every day. He was happy, we were happy and it was awesome! 


We did have these yummy cookie dough cupcakes that I saw re-pinned a million times. I didn't really follow any recipe though but they are super easy to make...Just make cupcake batter. And make cookie dough without the eggs and freeze it. Put cupcake batter in your pan and drop a ball of frozen cookie dough into the middle.

 Bake according to cupcake directions. When you bake it the cookie dough will de-thaw but not cook so you have cookie dough in the middle of your cupcake. YUM!

Tips from Kj:

Don't neglect your blog.

Don't eat all the leftover cupcakes the day after the party...on your own...unless you plan to go running ever day. (Oh wait I did plan to go running every day...oops! haha add that to the list of things being neglected)



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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Chinese Honey Chicken

My baby boy loves chicken. He will stuff his cheeks with it like a squirrel and then chew and chew and chew with his little gums just trying to swallow it all. Then he decides he is thirsty and spits out everything he couldn’t swallow to take a drink. Because he doesn’t want to waste his precious chicken he normally fishes everything he spit out from his lap (where it falls because of the gap between him and his tray) and he continues to eat it. It always makes me laugh when I see his little arms disappear down to his sides and I know he is trying to find some more food to eat. Funny baby.

This is a quick and easy Chinese dish that is sweet and goes perfectly over white rice. The chicken ends up being very moist and practically melts in your  mouth.

On Top O' Spaghetti Chinese Honey Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 C Honey
1/2 C Water
4 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 tsp Rice Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Cubed

Combine all ingredients in a large skillet. Simmer for 15 Minutes.
Let Sit for 15 Minutes.

Tips from Kj:

Alternatively you can cook this in a crock pot on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6.
Add a drained can of pineapple chunks, sliced onion, mushrooms, and diced bell peppers for a nice Chinese meal!

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Bowls

I have been off the map. I might be popping in and out for a bit. I know this isn’t helping me get more followers but I have kinda decided that for now at this point in my life this blog just has to be for me. Not for my followers (even though I LOVE YOU ALL!) I just have to blog when I can and not beat myself up if I am not posting regularly. Life is crazy we are at a full rolling boil right now! I know eventually we will get back to our light simmer and then you will be seeing a lot of me!

For now we are getting ready for family to come, for my husbands graduation, we are packing, we have an almost 1 year old who is having a party this weekend,we have family pictures, zoo trips, did I mention packing to move (but really packing our stuff to store and trying to figure out how to live out of suitcases)? On top of that trying to sell every single thing we own. (Pretty much) Yikes. Wish me luck and don’t worry. I’ll  be back and better than ever soon! 

Good news is that I have a super easy dinner that practically makes itself for you. Just in case you are very busy too :) IMG_7541
Make a marinade of:

1/2 C Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 C Baking Soda
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp minced Garlic

Pre-Heat Oven to 400 Degrees
Cut 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts into strips and place in marinade in baking pan.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile while baking make some pasta. Your favorite kind. We used rotini pasta. Delicious curly noodles! Our baby loves them too.

When finished baking pour some of the sauce and chicken over pasta and enjoy!
Tips from Kj:
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I put some diced mushrooms and zucchini in the oven while the chicken was cooking. I seasoned them with Olive Oil, salt, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash. We put this on top of the chicken on the pasta and had pasta bowls. They were so good! Pin It

Monday, April 15, 2013

I’d only eat this if….

This is what my husband said about dinner last night, “This is something you would eat if you were starving in a barren wasteland and you needed something to eat to generate saliva”

I giggle every single time I read that. Seriously I do. And I was the chef! You know that dinner was bad when your husband says something like that about the food you made and all you can do is burst into hysteric giggles.

This post is a true testament to the fact that almost every recipe you see on here is a creation of my own mind inspired by something I heard about or saw. Sometimes the creations are epic failures.

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Last night I tried to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi. We have made Gnocchi before with regular potatoes and it was good, delicious, great and wonderful. One day I’ll post a recipe for it. I decided to try using the same recipe for sweet potato gnocchi. I should work the same right? Potato=potato I thought. NOT TRUE. I added more and more and more flour to the sweet potatoes and they were just not turning into dough. Finally we decided to try to just drop balls of the sticky “dough” into the boiling water and maybe we could have Sweet Potato Gnocchi Balls. ha
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We covered them in a yummy butter sauce and started eating. Then we started talking about them. I was trying VERY HARD to decide they were good. I had spent so much time making them. I wanted them to be good. I was even telling my husband they were good. And then all at once my hubby was like these are just not good. It is like eating raw dough with butter sauce. I finally admitted that I agreed. He laughed at how I was trying to make them sound good. Even our baby agreed that they were gross. His high chair was full of spit out “gnocchi”.

We threw it away. We ate the asparagus it was super good. A while later we had homemade Orange Julius and muffins for post dinner dinner.

Tips from Kj:

Don’t ever make these.

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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Smore’s Birthday Cake

So I have some pretty excellent baking help sometimes. My mom and Mark were in on this one and it turned out awesome! It was my dad’s birthday. We had no idea what kind of cake to make him but we had all of the ingredients for smore’s so we decided to invent a cake. It was so much fun!
On Top O Spaghetti-Smore's Cake
Here is how to make this smore’s cake:
You need-
1 chocolate cake mix
1 1/2 cups melted chocolate chips
10 crushed graham crackers
1 Recipe marshmallow chocolate glaze (recipe below)
Bag of Small Marshmallows
1. Bake a chocolate cake. Flip out of the pan when finished baking and let cool.
2. Take your melted chocolate chips and spread over the cooled cake.
3. Sprinkle 2/3 of the crushed graham cracker over the top of the chocolate chips
4. Make the marshmallow glaze frosting stuff (below…and a total invention but it was so good!) and pour over the cake.

Glaze Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
6 large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup plus
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Then place the marshmallows, butter, and milk in a medium-size pan over low heat. Stir until the marshmallows are melted remove the pan from the heat. Pour the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture over the marshmallow mixture. Add the vanilla and stir until the frosting is smooth and shiny….and yummy!! :)
After we had finished the above steps making the chocolate cake even more chocolaty and delicious than it started out as we added one more thing:
MARSHMALLOWS!

We stuck them under the broiler so they could get nice and toasty!

We ended up calling it the Chocolate Smore’s cake.
On Top O' Spaghetti-Chocolate Smore's Cake
DELICIOUS! :) (if you like chocolate anyways…Mark helped create this but it was not his favorite because it was a chocolate dream and he doesn’t really like chocolate) My dad on the other hand loved it because he loves chocolate and doesn’t like frosting so the chocolate glaze was just what he needed!

Tips from Kj:
Add some melted marshmallows or marshmallow fluff to the melted chocolate chip layer in step #2 to make it more Smore Like

Adding caramel to step 2 is also delicious!

Instead of chocolate chips use chunks of your favorite candy bar. Sprinkle them on top too!













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