Salad in a Cup...Genius!

I just hate putting a salad together. Do you? When I'm hungry, I want food now! And more often than not I pass on all the gathering of ingredients, chopping, and assembling required and just skip it altogether in favor of something fast (handful of cookies).

But the other day I saw THIS VIDEO and was amazed at such a genius idea...salad in a mason jar! 

I was so happy to have found such a clever way to store ready made salads that you make one time a week. No more pulling out bags of veg and containers, etc. I can just grab it and go (kinda reminds me of those old Salad Shakers that McDonald's used to have...remember those?).

But alas, I don't have mason jars. Bummer.

However I do have those cups that go with my Magic Bullet (that's broken). I wasn't sure what to do with them and hated to throw them out and am happy to say they work perfectly!!!

So, I assembled my salad ingredients and began cutting and chopping and layering.

A the bottom of the cup you need to add your favorite salad dressing. 

Then I added a couple tablespoons of carrot, then onion, cheese, ham, cucumber and a cup of lettuce on top. I put a few tablespoons of croutons in a sandwich baggie and layered that on top of the lettuce (in a baggie so it wouldn't get soggy in the fridge). 

Aren't they pretty? Of course you can use any ingredients you want, but add your dressing and tomatoes at the bottom so that your lettuce doesn't get soggy and wilted. I'd also add my cheese close to the top. If it's down at the bottom near the dressing, it would get gummy. ICK.

Then I covered it all with a piece of plastic wrap and sealed it with the rings that came with the cups. I couldn't find all 4 rings, so I used one of the sealed caps for the last one,
and I just placed them in the fridge. I am at home all day, but I could totally see grabbing one of these in the morning before work and popping it in a lunch bag. So easy!

When you dump it out on a plate, it comes out looking like a perfect salad..lettuce on the bottom and the dressing on top. Unless you like your lettuce on top and all your fixins on the bottom, then this would be a disaster salad, not a perfect salad. (ha!)

My salad has 225 calories and 10 grams of fat (didn't use low fat dressing or cheese, but will probably do that next time).

I love this idea and know that I'll definitely be eating more salads.

Let me know if you try it!

Home Made Food Inspirations: Making Your Home Sing Monday Meme

I'm linking up with Nan at "Mom's the Word" for her "Making Your Home Sing Monday" Meme. Enjoy!

I love to make our family's meals and treats from scratch. Not only does it save us money on our tight grocery budget, but my home made goodies are just better if I do say so myself (wink).

A couple of weeks ago I made some oatmeal cookies from scratch and the recipe (sorry, I didn't save the recipe, it was off the box of the store brand oats) made like 4 dozen cookies. I sealed them up in a plastic bag and we ate on them for two weeks. They were so good!

So tonight when my daughter wanted warm milk with honey as a bedtime snack (an idea we got from the movie Ponyo...have you seen it? It's really good) and I discovered we were out of honey, I had to improvise a sweet treat. I decided to make her chocolate milk, but didn't have chocolate syrup. So I just made my own from simple items that I keep in my pantry. Basically, it's just water, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix it all together in a pot, boil it for a couple of minutes and it's done. I store it in a mason jar in the fridge.

You can find my favorite chocolate syrup recipe here.

Image taken from: http://www.seededatthetable.com/2012/07/18/diy-homemade-chocolate-syrup/

I also found this You Tube video from candidmommy who made home made waffles and then froze them just like Eggos. I loved how she served them simply, with a side a fresh blueberries. With all the berries in season right now, I was inspired to make these too! I actually have the same exact cookbook she uses in the video.

Check it out....

I'm also going to try my hand at making liquid laundry soap from scratch tomorrow too. I've made the powdered stuff many times, but never the big 5 gallon bucket of the liquid kind. I think I'll just use the Duggar's recipe (I have their book, but you can find the recipe here). I'll let you know how I like it in a future post.

So, that's how I'm making my home sing this week, by making frugal, home made goodies for my family and my home.

Have a great week everyone!

THE BOMB, MUST TRY! My Low-Carb Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Linking up with "Making Your Home Sing Monday" Meme)

I am making my home sing today by taking care of this house's CEO, ME!!!! And I'm linking up with Mom's the Word's "Making Your Home Sing" Meme.

Today I'm taking care of myself and my health by doing some home cookin' that is healthy, low-calorie and low-carb! 

I have been craving Chinese food for days, but wouldn't dare step into a Chinese restaurant right now.

Carbs, carbs everywhere!

I'm on a VERY restricted carbohydrate regimen (read more here) and I'm doing GREAT (down 9 lbs in 8 days on the Induction Phase of the Atkin's Diet).

So I decided that lettuce wraps with an Asian inspired chicken filling would satisfy my craving AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! And the peanut dipping sauce I made took it to a whole 'nother level honey! 

I'm not kidding...this recipe is THE BOMB!!!! You HAVE TO try it!!!

The carb count for the ENTIRE recipe, including the peanut dipping sauce is 10-11 carbs. And the recipe makes 8-10 lettuce wraps. So each wrap is between 1- 1.5 carbs each. INCREDIBLE! I  had 4 for lunch! :)

To make the peanut dipping sauce mix together...

1 tablespoon regular peanut butter (3.5 carbs)
1 teaspoon Pampered Chef Asian Seasoning Mix
1 green onion (whites only) finely minced
1 tablespoon cilantro finely minced (don't even make this if you're not going to use cilantro...it makes the recipe!)
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce (3 carbs per tablespoon)
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar (4 carbs per every 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 packet of Splenda
2 tablespoons of hot water

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Be sure to use hot water so that it melts the peanut butter and makes the sauce smooth and creamy. If you don't have seasoned rice vinegar, use lime juice to give it a Thai kick. I was weirded out by using Splenda in a savory recipe, but I can't even taste that it's faux sweetener...it tastes like sugar to me!

Now for the chicken filling....lots of veg here!

Asian chicken filling recipe....

1 baked chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper (I used one I had already prepared in advance)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cabbage
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro (again...don't skip this! It makes the dish!)
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon Pampered Chef Asian Seasoning Mix
1 packet of Splenda
1 tablespoon of veg oil
salt and pepper to taste
*But, if you can spare the carbs, I recommend you use soy sauce. It is 3 grams of carbs per tablespoon, so go easy!

Add oil to a hot pan and add all prepared ingredients. Since the chicken is already cooked, you'll only need to stir fry for a few minutes until the cabbage is crisp/tender and everything is warmed through.

So sad. I used up all my Pampered Chef seasoning. :(

Next, carefully pull off ice-berg lettuce leaves, add a tablespoon or so of the chicken filling and wrap. It won't be perfect, but who cares! It will taste amazing!

These were so good, I even took a minute from stuffing my face to make a video, messy hair and all! ha! Check it out....

I really hope you try this recipe...for real. It's so good! :) Enjoy!

Another Pantry Challenge!

Since we'll be moving in a few weeks, I decided to clean out my pantry and toss the things that just needed to go and use up everything else. There won't be any "buying in bulk" this month, I'm just going to grocery shop for what we need and leave it at that. Who wants to move a bunch of canned goods and boxed cereal? Not me.

So here is my menu for the week using up what we have. I will need to get a few perishables like eggs, milk and butter, but other than that, I'm getting creative and looking online for inspiration!

The breakfasts and lunches will be pretty much the same every day.

For breakfast we usually have the same few things every day which are...

*scrambled eggs, toast, egg in a hole (an egg and slice of bread cooked together in a pan), oatmeal, french toast, pancakes.

and for lunch we usually have...

*soup, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese, or sandwiches made with lunch meat (in this case, I need to use up a package of ham), and green salads

But for dinner, we always have something different.

Sunday (tonight):

Dinner: Baked Pork Chops (leftovers from a large pack that I froze), pinto beans, corn bread (this is the kind of food I grew up with!)

Monday:

Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers (recipe HERE), crinkle cut fries

Tuesday:

Crockpot Super Garlic Chicken Legs (we have a giant pack of these, so some I will bake for a recipe later in the week and the rest I will use for this crockpot recipe... HERE), cornbread dressing, sweet corn

Wednesday:

Thin spaghetti with tomato sauce, green salad, garlic toast

Thursday:

Lemon Chicken,  Rice, Stir Fried Vegetables

Friday:

Eat Out!

Saturday (grocery shopping):

Cheese burgers w/ fries

Sunday:

Roast Chicken w/ mashed potatoes w/ gravy, green beans, corn on the cob and rolls

(If I remember, I will try to post pics of our dinners this week. :)

Ode to Generic Handsoap

Dear $.88 bottle of generic hand soap, you have served me well!

I bought you because I had two empty bottles from Bath and Body Works that make the foamy soap and I knew that I didn't have to throw them out because I could fill them with 2 thirds water and one third soap and they would be as good as new! Thanks to you, dear generic hand soap,
I was able to refill those bottles 4 times!


You were such a good value and saved my family a lot of $$$!

Now you are gone and I have to replace you, but I just wanted you to know that you were the first and I will always remember you!

(I LOVE this money saving trick!)

10 Things I Hate About Walmart

I hate going to Walmart. And here are a few reasons why...

10. The prepackaged "fresh fruit" has some sort of additive on it that renders it completely inedible! I bought fruit salad in a container the other day and there was some sort of chemical on there (I'm guessing to keep the fruit from turning brown) and it was so harsh that it burned my mouth! It wasn't lemon juice, that's for sure. But whatever it was, it made the fruit so disgusting that I couldn't even finish one chunk of melon. I threw the whole thing away, essentially throwing close to 3 bucks into the trash. Not cool.

9. They often don't have some of the grocery items I'm looking for.

8. When you need assistance, tracking someone down is nearly impossible. Why? Because you have to trek all over the gigantic store to find someone and by the time you've hauled yourself over to customer service, you forget why you even needed help in the first place.

7. None of the associates, except for the greeter at the front, even speak to you (for the most part. If you are that exceptional cashier or customer service rep. that is friendly, kudos to you...we notice!). Managers are especially unfriendly (and unavailable) in my experience.

6. The aisle (at my Walmart) that says "calendars and planners" has nothing but notebooks and Crayola paraphernalia and not one calendar or planner is to be found. In fact, I couldn't find a daily planner anywhere in the whole store!

5. Trying to dodge the plethora of people in motorized shopping carts. I'm not talking about those of you who truly need them...the handicapped, the disabled, the elderly. But in my experience, it looks like there are quite a few that do not and could actually use the exercise of walking around Walmart!

4. I hate that they now have an entire room, right by the door no less, full of those brightly colored rides and games. When I was a kid, there was like, one gum ball machine and one mechanical pony ride. Now they have whole rooms of "Chuckie Cheese-esque" rides and games? As if we didn't spend enough money on worthless crap? Now you want us to plunk quarters into those stupid machines? And the shameless part is you position it right by the door so mothers with children HAVE to pass it as they walk out. You know they just call out to little children, "Look how fun it is in here! Scream, NOW, as loud as you can, then throw yourself on the ground because you're not going to take another step until your mother agrees to bring you in here! She'll be so embarrassed, she'll do it just to shut you up! Do it NOW!!" Like I said, SHAMELESS!

3. Items are often not placed in a spot that would make sense to the customer. For instance in my Walmart (and all of these complaints are generally related to this particular Walmart) the cleaning supplies are not located in the grocery section. They are a few aisles over, where the household items are. You'd think they'd make life easier for us, the customer, by putting the cleaning supplies in an aisle that is convenient to get to while we're doing our grocery shopping. But no. Again, we're not fooled by the shameless ploy to lure us over into another section of the store to entice us to buy something over there.

2. It's too big!

1. You can never leave without spending more than you intended to!

A Great 200 Calorie Breakfast (My Favorite!)

I first saw Paula Deen make this on Food Network. She told the story of how she would make this for her sons as they were growing up and that it was one of their favorites. I tried it myself, and decided that oh my gosh, it was incredible! She called it "toad in a hole" or "frog in a hole" or something. But I've also heard it called "eggs in a basket." Whatever it's called, it's my absolute favorite breakfast and can you believe, only 225 calories!

My favorite thing is sopping up the runny yellow center with the surrounding bread. The weird thing is, if I'm eating a fried egg by itself, it has to be well done. I hate the runny yolk. But for some reason, I love it runny this way. Go figure?

I also take the cut out piece of bread and toast that in the pan as well and smear a little bit of strawberry jam on it (about 25 calories) for the perfect little breakfast! Try it...for you and for your kids!!!

How I make this... (and I looked up the calories on all the ingredients I used and it came out to be 225 cal.)

-Spray pan with cooking spray
-Butter both sides of a slice of bread
-Cut out a circle or heart shape with a cookie cutter (or whatever...I use a drinking glass most of the time)
-Place the slice of bread with the hole in the pan.
-Break an egg into the hole (salt and pepper to taste)
-Turn bread and egg once the egg has set
-Continue to cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes.
-Turn onto a plate
-Place the cut out piece of bread in the pan to toast on both sides
-Smear with a teaspoon of strawberry jam and serve with the egg and toast.

ENJOY!

My Perfect Vegetable Soup

Although I know many of our ideas of "perfect" are going to vary, this recipe suits me and my family just fine! I also would have probably used a few ribs of celery when I made this, but I didn't have it on hand. And you know what? I didn't even miss it. So, I may just leave it out from now on.


Vegetable Soup

1 bag of frozen veg. (green beans, peas, carrots, corn)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can of corn, drained (we like corn)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of Campbell's Tomato Soup (plus one can of water)
1 box of beef broth
2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste


Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil until potatoes are tender. Turn to low and let simmer for 30 minutes (we like our veg. really tender).

We serve it with oyster crackers, peanut butter sandwiches and big glass of cold milk!!!

Perfect on this, a cold, freezing, foggy day!

Our New Favorite Lunch

We were eating out at Applebees a few weeks ago and I decided to order GG some pizza from the kid's menu. When they brought out the pizza, it was just a flour tortilla with sauce and cheese on it. I was a little disappointed in it, but she gobbled it up! I was able to cut into bite size pieces right at the table and the thin crust was easy for her to chew. I thought that this would be something really easy for me to do at home because I really hate making her those greasy frozen pizzas and I'm always looking for something new to make. We get tired of ravioli, mac and cheese and ham and cheese sandwiches!

I bought some whole wheat tortillas, a jar of sauce that I keep in the fridge and a bag of pizza cheese (that $5 bucks will make a ton of pizzas!). I also thought that to bump up the healthiness factor, you could buy those tortillas made with spinach. I think I will try that when I run out of these.

So, I preheat the oven to 400, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, lay down the tortilla, spread on a big tablespoon of sauce and then sprinkle on some cheese. I bake it for 10 minutes and then cut it into bite size pieces. She loves it!

Wilton Castle Cake Tutorial

I had a LOT of comments here and on facebook about this cake and a lot of disbelief that "I" actually made it. Yes, I did make it...TWICE! The first one wasn't seen or enjoyed by anyone because the party had to be canceled due to widespread flooding in the area. But the second was seen and loved and enjoyed...and that made me feel sooo good! I think the birthday girl was sneaking a taste here in this pic!!!

This cake is doable and isn't really super hard. You'll see once you start reading how I did it. I didn't even use a piping bag for heaven's sake! It will take time and a LOT of patience...but you too can do it just like I did!

First you will need the Wilton Romantic Castle Cake Kit. I purchased mine at Walmart and it was $18. It comes with plastic castle pieces and specific instructions on how to put it together, as well as an icing and cake recipe. You will also need to purchase a 10" and a 6" round cake pan. The instructions called for you to make like 200 royal icing forget-me-nots, but there was no way in hades I was doing that! haha. But I did go to a cake decorating specialty store and I purchased 100 of them for 10 cents a piece, so $10 for all of them. And they really add a lot to the cake, so I encourage you to find some. Or of course, make them yourself if you have the patience. Instructions are in there.

I also purchased a sturdy piece of cardboard and purple foil to wrap it with for the base of the cake. I think it added a lot and was really pretty. Also, at the cake store, I bought purple sanding sugar. Since I used almost all of it on the first cake last year, I had to buy more. All I could find was a coarse purple sugar at Walmart, but it ended up working just fine. And of course, you will need to make butter cream icing. I noticed that Walmart also carries Wilton butter cream frosting in tubs. I made two batches and it was the perfect amount to do a crumb coat and the final coat on the cake.

For the decorations, I used...get this....frosting in those squirty cans!!! I'm not kidding! I didn't have a piping bag or tips, so in the 11th hour I decided to use those cupcake icing cans. One, because they came with different tips and 2 because they came in different colors. And I'm actually REALLY glad I did. They were sooo easy to use and I didn't have to fool with tinting icing and and piping from a bag. My only regret is that I assembled the cake with the towers before I added the green borders, etc. And it was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get those cans in the tight spot. Oh well, you live and you learn.



Ok, so here are the steps.

This is the hardest most time consuming part! Trying to ice and sugar all of the plastic pieces! That's why I did this the day before and allowed them to set in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the cake completely.

Again, follow the instructions and look at the pictures and you'll be fine. For the towers, windows and doors I used white cookie icing in a tube with just a plain round tip to act as glue for the sugar. Then I spooned the sugar from a paper plate over the icing. I then added the green canned frosting using the star tip and pressed on the little flowers and placed them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet to dry and set.

This is the worst part by far...icing and sugaring the turrets! I guess it's the cone shape that makes them difficult to roll around. Not to mention that you can't touch it...yeah...not fun. But I just used spooned sugar on the parts that didn't get enough. I also tinted the icing for the turrets purple so that if the sugar didn't adhere completely, that you wouldn't see a stark white and purple contrast! So first, ice the turrets with your purple frosting in a thin, even coat. Then roll them around in the sanding sugar. That's pretty much it...but like I said...not easy!

The next day (or the same day...but freezing them overnight), bake your cakes (hey...don't tell, but I just used a boxed yellow cake mix...but with an extra egg per cake mix, so the cake would be a little more dense) with a piece of parchment at the bottom so that it will come out easily and allow them to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, level off the rounded parts so that they're flat. Place small pieces of wax paper on your cake base (this is so that when you ice the cake you won't get icing on your pretty foil base! You will slide them out from under your cake when you are finished icing it), then stack your cakes, layering them with icing in between. Then pile on your frosting and ice the cake as smooth as you can. This first coat is called a "crumb coat." It's not meant to be perfect and it's not meant to be really thick. It's meant to give you a smoother base when you go to really frost it. After you apply the crumb coat, put the cake in the fridge for a little while, to sort of chill and set. While the cake is chillin', you can either take a breather and chill yourself or you can make another batch of frosting for the final layer of frosting. I will admit that my final layer was not smooth perfection, but it was pretty good. I just figured that since so much of the cake is covered by the plastic towers and little plastic windows and flowers and green icing, that a perfectly smooth white layer of frosting was not necessary. So, I iced it as best I could and that was that. When you're finished pull out the wax paper from underneath the cake...and voila! Your base is clean and beautiful!

After the cake is iced, and the plastic pieces are decorated and sugared and beautiful, then it's time for the fun stuff...putting it all together!!!! YAY. You're on the home stretch!!!!

Once you get your cake frosted, then you can start putting you plastic pieces around it. I didn't use any sticks to anchor the cakes together or extra frosting to anchor the plastic towers to the cakes. You can of course, I just didn't because I found that they stuck pretty well without extra frosting. The only thing I had to do that was a little hard was I had to stick the 3 towers on the top layer quite far down into the cake to get them to stay and to keep them straight.

Then you need to add your green "grass" around the base and the edges. Like I said, you may want to do some of that before you add the towers, but don't stress...I didn't. Also add your reserved sugar forget-me-nots around the cake as you choose...make it pretty. I just looked at the picture on the box and tried my best to replicate it.

I promise that when you go to add the turrets, you'll smoosh the sugar at the top and knock off your sugar, but you can just add a little bit of frosting and a bit more sugar, gingerly, with a spoon once you get them in place.

So, here's the finished pic again.

I was soooo proud of it! But I won't be attempting this beast of a cake again for a LONG time...maybe EVER! haha
Time to start planning for next year.!

Sin in a Cup

So I was perusing Heather's blog at Want What You Have, and saw this cool looking recipe for a chocolate cake made in a coffee cup, baked in the microwave. I thought I would give it a try (if you want the recipe, go here) because it only took 3 minutes to make and I had all the ingredients on hand.

I found my prettiest (and biggest) mug; a fun, pink and white polka dot one that makes me smile every time I use it. So, I thought it would be just awesome if there was a great chocolate cake baked inside! Well, it was fun watching the cake rise up in the microwave.


And it tasted really good! Maybe a little dryer than what I'm used from a box cake mix, but great if you want a good chocolate fix, which is just what I needed (three letters, PMS). But the cake was just too plain. I thought it needed a little something. As I scrounged the cabinets and the fridge, I began adding more and more and more to that simple chocolate cake-in-a-cup began to morph into something altogether different.





It became this chocolaty, fudgy, caramely, nutty, ice creamy THING that just OOZED sinful decadence. Way over the top!

But I ate it anyway!

I mean come on...could you resist?

I also wanted to mention a fun little giveaway at Creative Home Expressions. She's giving away items from her sister's ETSY shop. Check it out!

Does Anyone Have a Great Mini Muffin Recipe?

These are too expensive, but I want the same softness and texture...can anyone help?

Basically what I'm looking for is a muffin recipe that is as moist and soft as the mini muffins you buy in the little packages. I've tried making them myself but they are either too crunchy on the outside or they're too crumbly and make a mess.

I love feeding these to my daughter for a quick breakfast or snack, but just can't get the same kind of softness and texture as the expensive packaged ones. Does anyone out there have a great mini muffin recipe or any tips on how to make them soft and moist? Thanks!!!

Pig Lickin'

I'm not sure if anyone other than those up the holler in my tiny neck of the Appalachian Mountains knows what "Pig Lickin" even is? I'm not sure how it got it's name either. Some folks call it "Pig Lickin' Good" cake, but whatever you call it, it's just that...GOOD! All I do know is if this cake is anywhere near a potluck or a church social, it will be gobbled up in no time flat!

It's a really easy cake to make with a yellow cake mix, pineapple, mandarin oranges, french vanilla pudding and cool whip. I'm making two for the Christmas dinners that I'll be attending.

Mmmmm, I can't wait!

Pig Lickin' Cake

1 yellow cake mix 4 eggs 3/4 c. oil 1 can mandarin orange segments Mix cake mix, eggs and oil. Add chopped orange segments and juice. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. TOPPING FOR PIG LICKIN' CAKE 9 oz. Cool Whip Sm. instant french vanilla pudding (add dry) 1 sm. crushed pineapple Mix all ingredients and spread over cooled cake.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

I saw Martha make these one year on her show. She was sending them to her nephew in college for the holidays (mmm hmmm). I tried them and they became one of my very favorite cookie recipes. And they really do hold up very well if you're planning on giving them as a gift.

The name really says it all. You can add (or omit) just about anything from this recipe and it will still taste great (well, anything that belongs in a cookie...you know what I mean). For instance, I usually take out the raisins and some of the chocolate chips and add toffee chips. I buy the Heath bar kind that's already crushed up in a bag. And most of the time, I have pecans on hand instead of walnuts, so I use those. You could add different dried fruits, nuts, white chocolate...everything but the kitchen sink! I've been wanting a little something sweet in the evenings lately, so I decided to pull out this favorite of mine and my husband's and have them for the weekend.

I hope you try them and tell me what you think! Enjoy.

Makes about 4 dozen

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add oats, chips, coconut, raisins, and walnuts, and stir until well blended.
4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons or with a 1 ounce ice-cream scoop onto silpat about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.

Soup Magic

Today I had no idea what to make for dinner. With my DH out of town, I haven't been doing a whole lotta home cookin, just heating up leftovers or eating a frozen pizza or a can of soup and a sandwich. But another frozen entree just did not sound appetizing, so I started scrounging around the pantry for all the ingredients needed to whip up culinary magic (mmm hmm!). I found this bag of lentil and veggie soup mix that only had about a cup left in it, but I thought for me and the baby, that would be plenty. Then I remembered that I had some celery and onion in the fridge and a half eaten chicken (I used the other half this weekend for chicken and dumplins for my hubby), so I thought, "Bingo! That would make a great soup!" And I thought that one cup of the lentils and dried veggies would just make a little, but it ended up making a whole pot of soup! So the rest will go in the freezer for another night!

See, that's one of the awesome things about making soup. You can throw in whatever veggies, whatever meat, pasta or beans and seasonings you have on hand, and it will almost always come out tasting pretty good! And it's so economical because the ingredients are cheap (or already on hand) and it goes a long way. It's like magic!

I've included my recipe below.

This is the veggie soup mix I used. It's called "Bob's Red Mill" and the ingredients are: Green spit peas, yellow split peas, barley, lentils and vegetable pasta (containing whole wheat flour, dehydrated spinach, tomato, celery, beets, onion and garlic). Sounds healthy huh?

Lentil and Veggie Soup a-la Angie

1 cup of Bob's Red Mill Veggie Soup Mix

4 cups of water (plus more to thin down the soup as the lentils soak up the water)

1 can of chicken broth

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 of a large onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, pressed

3 T of tomato paste

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 t dried thyme

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Stir together the soup mix, water, chicken broth, fresh vegetables, and seasonings together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for approximately one hour, until all veggies and the lentils are soft, adding water along the way. After veggies have softened, stir in tomato paste until dissolved and add chicken. Simmer for another 10 or 15 minutes to heat the chicken through. Remove the bay leaf and serve with a sandwich or a side salad (I'm having grilled cheese).

Enjoy!