French Vanilla Cookies with Heath Bits!

These cookies are ohhhhh so yummy!  I found this recipe the other day and didn't have any margerine thawed out, so I used shortening sticks (butter flavored).  Then I used French vanilla pudding (tastes SO good!), and added Heath bits instead of Chocolate Chips.  YUMMO!!

They turned out so soft and chewy, I am in Heaven!

We are heading to the Beach on Monday, so I made a bunch to munch on:)

Here's the recipe:

French Vanilla Cookies with Heath bar

1 cup Crisco Shortening + 2 tbsp water

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Sugar

1 (3.4 oz) instant French Vanilla pudding

2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

2-1/4 cups flour

1 8oz. bag of Heath bits

Preheat oven to 350F.  Stir together flour baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugars together.

Add in pudding package and beat until well incorporated.

Add heath bits.

Roll into 1" balls and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.

Devour them!! 

 

I am so impressed with how well these turned out with the shortening opposed to the butter.  They didn't go all flat and hard, like mine usually do.  

I may switch back to shortening instead of margerine when I bake!

Hope your having a fantastic weekend:)

Blueberry Cobbler

I love this time of year!  July means Blueberries.  My kids and I go over to my parents house and pick Blueberries:)  They are so yummy in cereal, smoothies, and I LOVE them in this cobbler.

This recipe is so easy and tastes great!

Add a dollop of Vanilla ice cream and you've got a fabulous dessert!  

This is what we are having for dessert tonight when my family comes over!

I am having a hard time with pictures today loading on my blog, so this is the only one for today. 

Here is the yummy recipe:

Blueberry Cobbler 

4 c. Blueberries (for a 9 x 13 pan)

3 1/2 c. (for a 8 x 11 pan)

Mix:

2 tsp. Lemon Juice

1/4-1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

1/3 c. water

then add berries

Mix:

1 c.  Sugar

1/4 c. flour

Mix with Blueberries

Topping:

Melt 1 cube of butter.  Add a white cake mix (the mix only).

Crumble on top of blueberry mixture.

Sprinkle with Sugar.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.  Cover with foil when top is Golden Brown.

Enjoy!!

PS. I have a stupid question.  How do I put recipes on my blog and make them so people can print them out?  I hate when I go to blogs and I have to cut and paste recipes.  If you have any ideas, please let me know!!

I am a Child of God Block

Sunday evenings are always nice, huh?  We just go done having Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and oh, boy were they good!!  This picture does NOT do them justice.  They are delicious!

 See that gravy?  It will make your mouth water.  I have never tasted such yummy gravy {and I am not really a gravy person!}.

You should try this recipe.  Even my kids LOVED it!

Now onto more crafty related things.  

The other day I had a crafty moment so I whipped this out:

 This probably took me a total of about 1/2 hour, including drying time.  I simply painted the block (from a 2 x 6), painted it with Wedding Cake from Martha Stewart, then Mod Podged the cute paper on. 

 I LOVE the look of this paper.  It was already distressed looking.  Cool, huh?  The brand of the paper is called CRATE PAPER.  Love it!

I think is a good reminder, don't you? 

I added the ribbon and I think it matches so well.  I love the little pop of purple and green together!

 

Hope your having a fabulous Sunday!  

Thanks so much for stopping by:)

Linking here:

Serendipity and Spice

Friday Frolic Top 5!

Last week's Friday Frolic was the best yet! I had such a blast looking through all your links!  So much talent ladies....

Here is what we have all been waiting for....the top 5 viewed links from last week!

My Heart's Desire:  Burlap Valentine's Wreath

 Queen Bee Creative Me:  Handmade Flower Brooch

Finding My Way in Texas:  Best Bread Ever!

Thrifty Crafty Girl:  Fluffy Felt Wreath

Takin' Time to Smell the Flowers:  DIY Cake Pan Tier

Feel free to grab a featured button on my sidebar!!

Thanks so much ladies!  You all had such wonderful crafts/recipes this week!  Be sure and come back Friday for another Friday Frolic!

Friday Frolic Features!

Wow!  There was some beautiful crafts and recipes linked up last week on Friday Frolic!  I really enjoyed looking at them all!  I realize there are A LOT of link parties out there and I appreciate you linking up here at FRIDAY FROLIC!

Now onto the features!  These are the top 5 viewed links last week:

If you haven't seen this already, you have been missing out!  This is Today's Fabulous Finds Marshmallow Wonderland Viganette.  Isn't it gorgeous?

These yummy neighborhood gift ideas is from Pumpkin and a Princess.

Keeping it Simple made this adorable ornament pillow.  Find out how to make it on her blog!

I love LOVE these Chocolate Candles Homespun with Love made.  They look edible!  Yum!!

Red Suit Pops from The Seven Year Cottage.  So dang cute!

Thanks to all of you who linked up!  They were all great and I wish I could feature all of you!!  

We will be taking this Friday of from Friday Frolic, but it will be back on the 30th!  Don't forget to come back and link up :)

Yummy Pumpkin Pancakes

Don't forget to link up your latest crafts at Friday Frolic here!

Do you see my NEW social buttons?------------------------------->

PLEASE follow and LIKE me!!

This morning I felt like making something with Pumpkin in it.  I found this recipe on Allrecipes.   It was sooooo yummy!  My kids even loved them:)  I liked them, because they didn't have a ton of sugar in them.  Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups milk 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 egg 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate

	bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2.	Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot. Enjoy!

Today's Guest: Literally Inspired

The winner of the Halloween Batty Pillow is Jessie!  Here's what she said: 

Jessie said...

I DEFINITELY already follow your blog!!!

jess.alora[@]gmail[.]com

I sent you an e-mail Jessie!  

well hey pocket full of pink readers! thanks for letting me come over and crash your bash. pink is my signature color so i am thrilled to be here today.

that's me with my son digging for treasure wearing a necklace - good times!

my name is ginger and i run the little blog literally inspired. it is a place where i can tell you stories about my growing family, learning as you go, and figuring out that i will probably never be martha stewart but it is still a lot of fun to try.



today we are going to make mummies. this is a quick and easy way to add a cute snack/decor item to your tablescape. if you are a party crasher like me, these mummies would be the perfect treat to bring. your friends will be impressed!

all you need are:

pears

candy melts

cookie sticks

not pictured: black icing (i used the pre-made gel icing)

step one: start by melting your chocolate according to the directions.



step two: while your chocolate is melting prepare your pears but putting them on the cookie sticks. 



step three: twirl your pear in the melted chocolate until it is completely covered and then set on parchment paper to dry.



step four: add two dots for eyes.

 

simple? that is kind of how i roll. i like to keep my things simple because life is complicated enough.



looking for more homemade halloween treats? come over to my blog today. i would love to have you!



you can also find me on facebook and twitter.



thanks again karen for having me over!

Those pears look YUMMY!   Thanks so much for stopping by Ginger.  Check out her blog.  She has some cute projects!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Thanks for the responses I have received for guest posts!  I still have some open spots!!  

If you are interest, see details in the previous post.  I would love to hear from you!!

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe with you before!  This is my FAVORITE healthy pancake recipe.  Your family will LOVE it.  I promise!  It has lots of healthy stuff in it:)

Ok....The picture is not so pretty (why is it so hard to make food look yummy in pictures?)  but trust me, they are delicious!  My SIL gave me the recipe.  Here it is:

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes 

(serves about 5)

2 Cups of whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. ground flax (I skip this)

2 Cups Sour milk or Buttermilk

1/4 Olive oil

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 eggs

Did you know you can make Buttermilk?  Here's how:

Milk (just under 1 cup)

1 Tbsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice

Place a Tbsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup

Add enough milk to bring the liquid to the one cup line.

It works great and I even use Soy milk instead of reg. milk!  

Mix all ingredients together and cook your pancakes.  Yummy!  They are sooooo good:)  

If you make these let me know how you liked them.  I would love to hear from you!!

I hope you can take the time to pause tomorrow and think of those who lost their lives on 9/11.  I can't believe it's been 10 years.  Here's a great post by Ellie from Less Cake {More Frosting}.  It was really touching.  I seriously got goosebumps when I read it:)

{Guest Bloggers Wanted}

Hey all you crafty bloggers out there!  I am starting school the end of this month and would like to schedule some guest bloggers for September and October.   For September I still have slots for the 26th, and 29th.  October is very open, so if you have a date you prefer, please let me know.   I would like to try and have a guest post about once a week.  

I am taking 12 credits and maybe that doesn't sound like a lot, but I am totally overwhelmed just thinking about it!  

I am not a picky blogger.  I am totally random in my posts.  Don't be afraid to send me your idea!  I won't bite...promise:)

I had over 8,000 page views last month and all time I have had over 101,000 page views.  I know there are a lot more popular blogs out there, but it should help get some extra traffic your way!

Requirements:
1) Must be a new post
2) Must be a tutorial
3) Can be anything you want, as long as it is DIY in nature, or a recipe would be fine too
4) Nice big photos
5) HTML emailed to me 3 days before your scheduled posting date


Interested?  Email me at kweight@byu.net with an idea to post about and a date you'd prefer.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

This is what we had for dinner tonight!  It was soooo yummy, and it was actually healthy.  I guess this is a Weight Watcher Recipe.  It was very filling and TASTY!

This is a keeper!  Find the recipe at SkinnyTaste.

Guest Blogger: Everyday Easy

Hi everyone! We are so happy to be guest posting while Karen is off on her vacay! Our names are Sarah and Laura and we're two sisters who blog over at Everyday Easy.
We started blogging as a way to keep ourselves focused on goals and to keep from "floating through life". Sarah is a busy teacher and Laura is a busy Mommy, and we are always looking for tips and tricks to make our day to day life easier!

On our blog, you will find super easy dinner ideas, like Ravioli Bake -

Or you also might want to try Crockpot BBQ Chicken or Easy Italian Beef!

New mommas will want to check out Laura's tips on being a "green mom" - she answers all your questions about cloth diapers and cloth wipes!

We also share updates around the home, like fast-fix organizing and crafts!
Thank you so much for having us Karen! We hope to see you all soon over at Everyday Easy, where we hope to make your everyday happenings a little happier!

4th of July Trifle

This is what I am bringing for dessert today to our family BBQ!  I can't wait to taste it!  

Here is where I got the recipe from.  YUMMY!

Happy 4th of JULY!

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Soup recipes

 Hi Uncommon readers!  My name is Karen and I am visiting from my blog Pocket Full of Pink, where I like to post about crafts I am working on, recipes, and a little bit of everything else!

This is one of my family's favorite meal!  I found these recipe's years ago in the Taste of Home Magazine.  If you haven't been on their website, you should go visit.  Lots of yummy recipes!  I tweaked this one just a bit, and I think it tastes fabulous.  Here it goes:

Personally I don't care for the chunks of diced tomato's in the soup.... soooooo I put the diced tomatoes in the blender first.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 medium onion, chopped (today I didn't have an onion, so I used dehydrated onions.  Tasted fine!)

2 TBSP Butter

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes undrained.  (if you don't like chunks, blend it first!)

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1-1/2 cups milk (evaporated milk works great)

1 tsp sugar

1/2-1tsp dried basil

1/2-1tsp paprika

1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed

In a saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender.  Stir in tomatoes, soup, milk, sugar, basil, paprika and garlic powder. Bring to a boil.  Reduce  heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in cream cheese until melted. I used a wire whip and stirred quickly to get any lumps out.  Serve immediately. 8 servings.

This is the best tomato soup I have EVER had! 

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened (you can use the lowfat kind!)

3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use the kind with olive oil)

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. seasoned salt

10 slices Italian bread (1/2 inch thick)

2 TBSP butter or margarine, softened

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.  Stir in cheeses, garlic powder, and seasoned salt.  Spread five slices of bread with the cheese mixture, about 1/3 cup on each.  Top with remaining bread.  Butter the outsides of sandwiches; cook in a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.  5 or more servings.

 

These sandwiches are YUMMY!  My family can't get enough of them.  Just try to forget how much fat is in each one.  Remember.....moderation:)

Thanks for letting me hang out with you all today!  Stop by my blog anytime!  I would love a visit:)

Homemade Yummy Tomato Soup

I got the recipe for this soup out of a book that I checked out of the library.  I changed the recipe quite a bit, and I think it turned out great!  I used lots of veges out of our garden.  Here it is:

Yummy Tomato Soup

1/2 cube of butter

1 TBSP flour

8-10 tomatoes pureed in the blender

3-4 small green peppers without seeds, chopped

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cans of chicken broth

Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown.  Remove from heat.  

Heat Chicken broth and milk.  Gradually add the roux mixture until it thickens.     Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest.  Add green peppers.  Mix and cook on stove until heated through or until peppers are soft. Serve with French bread!  Soooo yummy.  Your family will loooove it!

Last day for Giveaway and Italian Chicken Dinner

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY on My Giveaway Today! The giveaway ends at 10pm EST. See the previous post to see what you can win!

Now on to the delicious dinner I made tonight! I got this recipe from my friend Sharelle and my family LOVES it! I especially love this recipe because I can cook it in the crock pot and I hardly have to do anything! It always turns out perfect.

Italian Chicken

1/4 c. butter or margerine
3-5 Chicken breasts
1pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1-8oz. Cream Cheese

Put the first 3 ingredients in a crock pot for 3-5 hrs on high. After cooked, cut chicken into pieces.
Add: Soup and Cream Cheese- re-warm through. Serve over rice or pasta. YUM!

This turns out great and your family will think your an awesome cook:)

Thai Peanut Chicken recipe

I found this recipe online somewhere, so I didn't make it up, but it is sooooo good!
It is very simple and easy to make. I had to share it with you. Give it a try this week!

2-3 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 can coconut milk (approx. 2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
dry roasted peanuts
Hot cooked rice

If your chicken is raw, saute in a tablespoon of oil until opaque. If already cooked and cubed, skip the saute. Next stir in peanut butter, coconut milk and sugar and cook over medium heat until bubbly.
Serve immediately over hot cooked rice and garnish with dry roasted peanuts.

Tips: I use 2 cans of Coconut milk because my family doesn't like so much peanut butter. I also boil my chicken first, then cube it.

This is so fast and easy. My family LOVES it! Try it this week!!

New Recipe: Cheesy Tomato-Vegetable Soup

I have been trying out lots of new recipes lately and this one was sooooo yummy! It is from Perry's Plate. My family loved this Cheesy Vegetable Tomato Soup. You need to go to this site and try some of her recipes!

I also tried the Brethren Cheese Bread. It is yummy! I have to admit, I didn't really like the bread with the Tomato Vegetable soup, but I made Potato cheese soup last night with a recipe from Cooks.com and it was delicious with it! I know there are no pictures of the Potato Cheese Soup, because I totally spaced it and forgot to take pictures...but trust me, it is delicious!

I am including some pictures of the Tomato Soup and Brethren Bread. Here is the recipe for the Yummy Potato Cheese Soup:

Potato Cheese Soup

6-8 large baking potatoes
2 cups milk (I use Evaporated milk)
4 cups Chicken Broth
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup butter
8-12 stripes bacon, cooked
1 cup sour cream
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Bake potatoes until soft, then peel. Mash or cube the potatoes depending on the desired consistency for the soup. (I just peel my potatoes, then chop them in half and boil them until done).

In a large soup pot, combine butter and flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk the liquids.

Add salt and pepper, potatoes, cooked bacon, and cheese. At the last minute, stir in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
Soup will be thick. Add milk to reheat.

Each time the soup is reheated, it gets better!

This soup is WONDERFUL! Enjoy!