Chex Party Mix Bowl (well kind of)

A couple of weeks I went to a patio party at my friends Kim and John's place. They built a new patio in their yard and had a party to break it in. I saw this recipe for a Chex Party Mix Bowl in a magazine and thought I would give it a try. It really wasn't that difficult to make; although, mine fell apart. :)You just take a bag of Chex Party Mix (you use 8 cups).

Then take 2 egg whites

and beat until stiff peaks form. I love the little egg separator utensil I have. I use it all the time. It's just plastic and you can find it in any kitchen section of any store really.

Then mix the egg whites with the Chex Party Mix.

Put it into an oven safe bowl. Take a piece of aluminum foil and place in the bowl on top of the Chex Party Mix. You can use the foil to push the Chex Party Mix up the sides of the bowl.

Put the bowl in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then remove the foil. Wait until completely cool and then turn the bowl upside down and remove from the Chex Party Mix. What you should have is a nice round bowl.

Instead, this is what I had. Ha! I think I didn't make the Chex Party Mix thick enough up the sides of the bowl. Just make sure it is THICK. Plus, I think I needed a wide bowl and one that wasn't so deep; gravity was not our friend that day. :)

Hey, it's a work in progress. Haven't you ever made something and the first time you made it, it didn't turn out correctly? Next time it will turn out better I'm sure.

My Grandma Reed's Stuffed Peppers

These are not like your average stuffed green peppers. There is no hamburger, no rice and no tomato sauce. I had actually never heard of stuffed green peppers made with hamburger, rice and tomato sauce until a couple of years ago. I was at a restaurant and ordered the stuffed peppers and when they came to the table I looked down at my plate and wondered if they mixed up my order with someone else's. They said no. Hmmmm, strange. You see, the stuffed green peppers I always had growing up were made with bread, cheese and butter and then cooked in chicken noodle soup. Yep! It is fab-u-lous!!! So so good!!!!! And it is how my grandma Reed always made them and how my mom made them too.

First you cut off the top of some green peppers so they can sit upright on their own.

Then you dice up some bread or you can tear it apart. How much you use really depends on how many green peppers you have. I had eight and I used about half a loaf of bread.

You then dice up some sharp cheddar cheese. I just buy a block of the Kraft Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Then melt some butter. Again, how much you need depends on many peppers you have. I like mine cheesy too. :)

Mix everything together in a bowl and add in some salt and pepper. Stuff the green peppers with the stuffing mixture. I also add a piece of cheese to the top of each pepper.

Next, in a large on pot on top of the stove, cook a can of chicken noodle soup with one can of water. Set the stuffed green peppers down in the chicken noodle soup so they are sitting upright. Cover with a lid. Cook for about 15 minutes or so. The peppers should be somewhat soft and the cheese on top should be melted.

Put on a plate and pour some chicken noodle soup over the top. OMG!!!! It is sooooooo good!! You've got to try them like this. Seriously, tell me you're going to make them tomorrow night because you know it sounds so good, right?

Strawberry Fields Forever

No, this isn't a Beatles tribute. :) This is a fab-u-lous Strawberry cake. It is actually out of Paula Deen's magazine and y'all know how fantastic her recipes and foods are. Well, this was no different and it most definitely did not disappoint.

You first just take a white cake mix.

A box of Strawberry Jell-O.

Frozen Strawberries in Syrup (thawed and pureed).

And eggs.

Mix the box of white cake mix with the box of Strawberry Jello, 4 eggs and the 10-ounce package of pureed strawberries and 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of water.

Pour into two 8-inch round cake pans. I used 9-inch because that's what I had, but the 8-inch make a higher layered cake.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes (mine actually took more like 35 minutes until a toothpick came out clean).

Cool completely on a cooling rack before icing the cakes.

I made my own Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. This is really simple and really so much better than the store bought kind.

For the frosting, you combine 1/4 cup of softened butter, 1 8-oz package of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of pureed frozen strawberries in syrup, 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry extract and 7 cups of confections' sugar. Just mix this all up and that's it! See, it is really, really easy and oh so good! Seriously, you will DEFINITELY be licking this bowl!!! Ha!

I then decorated it with some sliced strawberries. It is so pretty right? Everyone loved it! It was soooooo moist!! You've got to make this today. Let it be the last hurrah for the summer!! :)

P B & B

No, not P B & J, but P B & B, which stands for Peanut Butter and Banana. Elvis had it goin on man because this combination is outstanding. I don't put mine on bread though. Instead, I use the Quaker Fat Free Caramel Cakes. OMG!!! These are sooooo good. I mean, really folks, they are caramel and fat free. Totally a win win right?

So, I just take two caramel cakes and slather on (yes, I really do slather it on and the word slather is a funny word, it reminds me of Slytherin from Harry Potter, but anywho. Man, do I ever digress. Ha!) Better N' Peanut Butter (one of the best peanut butters out there) and then slice up some bananas on top. Mmmmmmm, sooooooo good!!! And soooooo good for you too!!! It is only about 4 WW points and so it is the perfect snack. This is definitely one of my go to staples. Seriously I have this snack at least 2-3 or more times per week. It is fab-u-lous!!!! Your kids will love them. heck, your adults will love them too! :)

Do you use rice or corn cakes and if so which do you like and what do you put on them?

Mellow Mushroom = Goooooood

I felt like I had to put the goooooood like that because it is supposed to be a mellow place and so that means talking slowly right? Ha! What the heck am I talking about right? Well, when my mom and I were in Tennessee and in Pigeon Forge we ate one night at this pizza place called the Mellow Mushroom! The outside is so cool looking and so we needed to check it out. The inside was so cool too. Very mellow indeed. Lots of tie-dye and lava lamps. Ha! Makes me wonder what the owners were thinking (or not thinking at all) when they designed the place. :)

We started out with cheese garlic bread, which is always one of my favorites. If it's on the menu and I am at a pizza place I am 100% guaranteed to order it for an appetizer! It is just so good. This was OMG!!!! so gooey and cheesy and fab-u-lous!!! And there was a ton of it. Yep, my mom and I ate the whole thing too!!!

Then we ordered a pizza. Man, I tell there was a ton to choose from. You could order a pizza and add on your own toppings, but that can get pricey especially if you are like me and love a ton of pizza toppings. So, we choose the white pizza, which is a favorite of mine. It had olive oil, goat cheese, another kind of cheese I cannot remember now, tomatoes, and roasted red peppers. OMG!!! really, really good!! We each had two pieces of pizza and took the two other pieces along with us and then had them in the car on the way home the next day. I love cold pizza the next day. Seriously, it has been my go to staple for breakfast many many times.

I think the Mellow Mushroom is a chain in the south right? Have you ever heard of it or been there?

Double Chocolate What???

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread that's what!! Yep, double chocolate zucchini bread. It is FAB-U-LOUS!!!!!!!! Seriously, you've got to try this. You know you always have so many zucchinis in your garden and so what do you do, make zucchini bread, zucchini pancakes, grill it, etc. Who would've thunk it that you could add chocolate and even double chocolate? OMG!!! Soooo incredible. And it is so simple!

First you take 2 zucchinis and peel them. You can leave the skin on (it won't change the taste), but I always peel mine.

Next, grate the zucchini. I just use a box grater.

Then, in one bowl mix together 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of cocoa (I use Hershey's powdered kind), 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 3/4 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of oil, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of milk, and 2 tsp. vanilla.

At intervals add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until it is fully mixed.

Then add in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the pans and cool completely.

DELICIOUS!!!!! You will never even know this has zucchini in it! C'mon your kids will love this and you will get them to eat some vegetables too! Plus!

Poppy Seed Chicken for the 91st!

Yesterday we had our 91st family reunion! yep, you read correctly, my father's side of the family has been getting together every summer for 91 years now!! What a feat it will be at 100 years!!!

We always do potluck and I am always thinking weeks in advance of what I would like to make. And now because of this blog a few family members are looking forward to it. Ha! :) Well, I decided to make Poppy Seed Chicken. I got the recipe out of some magazine. I cannot remember which one though. It was really good and super simple to make. It would be perfect for a potluck dinner or to make for someone who has fallen ill or for your own family. It is quick too and so it should be a go-to dinner for your family on nights when you are beat but still want something hot and filling.

First you boil enough chicken for 7 cups. I used 6 good-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I always boil my chicken when I'm using it in a casserole. It's just so much easier. Once it was cooled off I just diced it up. Well, actually it was more like pulling it apart than dicing. :)

While the chicken was boiling I sliced two 8-oz packages of Portabello mushrooms.

Cook the sliced mushrooms in a skillet with 1 tbsp. of butter until browned.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the chicken in a large bowl.

1 tbsp. of Poppy Seeds.

Next, to the bowl I added 2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup.

2 cups of Sour Cream.

1 cup of Slivered Almonds.

Mix this all up really well and then put in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Finally, mix together 2 tbsp. of melted butter with 1 cup of crushed butter crackers (like Ritz Crackers). Sprinkle these over the chicken dish. Cover with foil.

Bake in a 375 degree for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bubbling.

OMG!! Seriously this is really good and I cannot believe it doesn't have any cheese in it. I swear there is no good casserole without cheese, but I have proven myself wrong because here is one! It is so easy and quick. Your family will love it. I did have to add some salt to taste before eating.