A quick trip...

This last week, Doug, Jonah and I headed to Destin, Florida for a little R & R. We had some great beach time and some fun nights out for dinner. Our favorite was the night we went to the small community of Seaside for pizza. The restaurant is so charming with seating outside and a great view of the water. We had been there 2 years ago with the whole family so we thought it would be worth the 20 mile drive to get there....and it was! Here's what we ate...

Margarita pizza and Prosciutto Di Parma. It was soooo good.

This little community is so sweet. Kids everywhere, people riding bicycles, beautiful houses to rent and a feeling of stepping back in time. 

Some day we would like to stay there...and eat this pizza everyday!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae

I saw this idea on Plain Chicken, a blog I have been getting to know. Check it out for some fun, easy recipes. This isn't so much a recipe as a way to make a special dessert, with very simple ingredients.  Here's what you"ll need:

Refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

small oven proof glass bowls or ramekins

vanilla ice cream

chocolate or caramel syrup, optional

I got this big tub at Sam's, but you could use the tubes from your regular store.

First I used my small cookie dough scoop ( like a mini ice cream scoop) to scoop 2 heaping scoops of cookie dough into bowls. I think one regular ice cream scoop would be about right too. But really, can you go wrong with too much cookie dough? I think not...

 

Next I used a small drinking glass to press the cookie dough down in the bowls.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 10- 15 minutes or until almost done, you want them to be just a little underdone, soft and gooey. Mine turned out soft on the inside and a little crispy on the outside...perfect!

While cookie is still warm (pop 'em in the microwave for a few seconds if you make them in advance), top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This is how I ate mine.....unadorned!

This one's for my hubby....big scoop of ice cream and caramel!

Drew requested chocolate syrup and seconds!

Great thing about the pre-made cookie dough is you can make just what you need....even though the boys thought they "needed" more than I made! 
You could totally use your own homemade cookie dough, but with all the cooking I'm doing this summer, the pre-made stuff is a lifesaver!

Cinnamon Rolls = Comfort Food

This past weekend, our parish/school community lost a beautiful young soul.
Tyler Jeck was Drew's age, just finished his first year of college and was home for the summer. Tyler was our neighbor when the boys were younger. His older brother and he would come over to play with Drew and Caleb and Jonah. We carpooled with them for the first few years of school. Tyler was a parents dream. He was an easy going kid, always nice to everyone, a good example to others as a student and an athlete, but more importantly as a person. Tyler drowned in an accident at the lake this weekend. He dove in to cool off and never resurfaced. To make this story even more heartbreaking, the authorities are still searching for him, 3 days later.  His parents are as good as gold, and I wish they didn't have to endure this.
When Dave, Debbie, Stuart and Tyler were our neighbors, we would exchange a little Christmas gift to each other.  I always made them a big pan of cinnamon rolls and some homemade hot chocolate mix. Dave in particular loved it. So today as I wondered what I could do to try to lessen the pain, I thought of the rolls. I  made them and have them ready to deliver. I hope they can find some comfort in knowing they are loved and their Tyler was loved as well by so many others. So I wanted to share this story and the recipe...maybe you know someone who could use a little comfort.

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm milk.

Add the rest of the ingredients in order and mix well until a nice dough ball forms.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size.

When dough is ready cover your surface with flour and roll dough to about a 1/4 inch thick, in a rectangle.

Spread with filling:

1/4 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons cinnamon

I spread the butter on the entire surface,  then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a long log.

Slice in 1 inch slices.

Place on greased pan.

Let rise.

Bake in 400* oven for 10 minutes.

Frost when rolls are hot:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 oz cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Beat until fluffy, spread on hot rolls.

Rest in peace Tyler...

Copy Cat!

I love looking for new recipes, whether it is surfing the web, checking out cookbooks from the library or scouring my own collection of books and magazines. So when I saw Kristen at Three in the Nest had a new recipe on her blog, I just had to give it a try. (go ahead, call me a Copy Cat!) Her pictures are beautiful and she is much more creative in her post than I am. We had it for our main dish as a dip with tortilla chips. And I have  leftovers to make wraps for lunch in a day or two. I wish I would have picked up some fresh corn on the cob from the truck parked up town, I think that would have been a great summer accompaniment.

Here's how it looked after I got put together....my house already smells good and I haven't even baked it!

And here's how it looked right before I devoured it!

You can find her easy recipe here .

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Thanks to Kristen for sharing!

Chicken Enchiladas

3 or 4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
1 can cream of chicken, I use less fat/reduced sodium
1 1/2 cups sour cream, I use light
1 package taco seasoning
8 -10 flour tortillas, can use corn tortillas if you like
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Boil and then dice/shred chicken.

Combine chicken, taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water in skillet, cook until most of the liquid evaporates.

Place chicken on tortillas, roll up and place in a casserole dish.

Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup in same skillet, stirring to combine leftover seasoning. 

 

Heat through.

 

Pour over top of rolled tortillas.

Sprinkle cheese on top. 

Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Jello Poke Cake

One of our 4th of July desserts.....cool and yummy!

Super simple ingredients and yes, I use a lot of store brands!

  

1 box white cake mix

eggs

oil

water

1 small box jello

1 bowl whipped topping, I use light

Using the eggs, oil and water according to package directions, make cake as directed. 

Bake cake as usual. 

During the last few minutes of the baking time, dissolve jello in 1 cup boiling water.

When cake is done, remove from oven and poke holes all over the top using a fork. Do this when the cake is hot out of the oven.

Pour hot jello mixture over cake .

Let cake cool to room temp then refrigerate to cool completely.

After cake gets cold in refrigerator, remove and "frost" with cool whip.

Good summer time dessert. Light and cool. Change the flavor/color of the jello for different occasions. Or go crazy and use 2 colors!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Caleb loves it when these get kind of crispy on top...

Russet Potatoes, how ever many you need

Butter

Sour Cream

Milk

Cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Soak potatoes in warm water, then scrub clean.

Poke several holes in potatoes with fork, then microwave for 6 to 10 minutes or until done.

Let potatoes cool slightly so they are easier to handle.

When cool enough to handle, slice off a thin slice of the top of the potato.

Scoop out potato pulp, leaving the potato shell intact.

                                                          

Combine all the potato pulp, butter, sour cream, and milk.

Amounts for ingredients just depend on how many you are making and how much butter, sour cream, milk and cheddar cheese you like. Start by adding a little of each then more as desired/necessary.

Either mash with a potato masher or use a mixer to make a smoother potato filling. We like it smooth, so I use my cheap-o hand mixer.

Mix in cheddar cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on top, and salt and pepper to taste.

Re-stuff shells.

Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with extra cheese.

Bake in 350* oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are heated through and tops are beginning to brown.

Serve these to hungry people in your house. 

They will love you for it!