Friday Favorites

I am ready for Fall!  Today the weather is supposed to be more 'fall like'.  Bring it. 

String Beane has been talking about Fall in kindergarten.  He is wondering why the leaves have not changed colors - out loud - a lot. 

I have been noticing a lot of Fall recipes online.  Mostly Halloween type things.  I love to decorate for Fall.  I love to cook Fall food.  Here are some sweet treats that I found around the web this week.  I am linking up with Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  Go check out what has caught everyone else's eye.



Homemade Butterfingers

Wow!  I can't wait to try these out. 

Candy Corn Rice Krispies

I am thinking that I can dip the tips in melted white icing instead of white chocolate.  That way it would be safe for my String Beane to eat.  What do you think?

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Easy directions and super cute presentation!

Jack-O-Lantern in a jar

I am definitely going to try this out for the little Beanes.  So cute!

Pumpkin Pizzas
This one might even impress String Beane!

Now that I have that Fall teaser out of my system, I can focus on some other things.  Like cleaning my house.  We are having Jelly Beane's birthday party here tomorrow.  Lots to do! 

What have you bookmarked this week? 

Halloween Snake Sandwich

Several years ago there was an episode of Paula Deen that featured some Halloween recipes.  This snake sandwich was one of the featured recipes.

I can't remember exactly what the sandwich fillings were that Paula used.  This is totally customizable to suit your tastes. 

We use things that do not contain milk (like cheese) in our snake sandwich so my String Beane can eat it.  Before he was born I made one of these for a Halloween Party that contained a couple different types of cheeses.  It was yummy!

I am going to list the directions for how we made the Snake Sandwich for our family.  You take it and run with it however you want to.

This snake is super easy to make.  You just start with one roll of Crescent dough.  I used Pillsbury.  Roll it out slightly, on a floured surface.  Transfer it to a cookie sheet.  Spread some Dijon honey mustard on it.

Now, layer your sandwich fillings down the middle.  I used some honey ham and smoked turkey.  I also sprinkled some Daiya Cheese on it. 

Now it is time to roll it up.  Fold the long sides over the middle.  Then give it a little roll up.

Next, shape the dough into a snake shape and squeeze one end into a tip for the tail.  Shape the other end into the head.  

Now it is time to decorate the snake.  Beat an egg with about a tablespoon of water.  Divide the egg wash into different bowls and add a few drops of food coloring.  My boys wanted to do green, blue and red.  Not  very authentic looking snake colors for the snakes we see here but whatev.

Let them at it with some little paint brushes and get some stripes on that snake!

Once you get your snake all decorated, pop it in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-23 minutes.  

Let it cool slightly and then transfer it to a serving tray.  This is when you get to finish the snake off.  Add some eyes and a tongue.  It is cutest when you put some green olives with the pimentos on tooth picks and stick on the snake for the eyes.  But I hate olives and I am too cheap frugal to pay for olives just for decoration.  So I used some chocolate chips.  I just sort of pressed them into the snake head.  Then make a small slit for the tongue.  I used some fruit roll up that I just cut into a slit and then made a fork in the tongue.  I have also used a strip of red pepper before.  Your call.

My little Beanes loved making this and eating it.  We pretended to be scared.

Go ahead and make you a snake sandwich and then slice it up for dinner.  

Just a note:  Butter Beane does not normally have a mohawk.  He had just gotten his haircut that afternoon and we were coming straight home.  So he got a spike do. 

I am linking up this week at Metamorphasis Monday
and these other Awesome Parties!  Go check them out to see what other people have come up with.

Menu Monday September 26

Last week ended with my baby turning one!  Where did the time go?  It just flies by.  I am now blessed to have three beautiful and healthy children.  They are truly a gift from God.  

Last week's meals went well.  The Pizza Bread and the Tutti Fruity Chicken Kabobs are a family favorite.  My mom's Chicken Pot Pie is always a great meal.  I tried two new recipes last week.  The Navajo tacos and the Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup have both been moved to Family Favorites.  They were both out of this world.  I loved the Navajo bread to eat the tacos on.  My little beanes still eat tacos best with Frito Scoops.  It is just sort of a messy meal I guess.  But all three ate the meat mixture and they all three ate some of the bread.  They just ate it separately.   String Beane helped roll out the Navajo bread and he was very excited to have me and Mr. Homegrown eat his cooking. 

I also tried Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla soup.  Wonderful!  I had no expectations of this one.  I mostly made it because I had all the ingredients on hand.  It is a thinner soup than I normally am drawn to.  I was so surprised when I took a taste.  It is the best soup I have ever made.  Everyone loved it.  I mostly just served up the 'stuff' from the soup to the little Beanes.  They all ate it.  I was so surprised. The only adjustment to the original recipe that I made was that I cut my tortillas in strips and fried them.  Those were a hit too.  I highly recommend this soup!

On to this week!

Monday

Breakfast for supper

Sausage

Grits

Scrambled eggs

Toast and jelly

Tuesday

Crock Pot Saucy Chicken Thighs

Corn Bread Casserole

Butter Beans

Wednesday

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwich

French Fries

Some kind of veggie

Thursday

Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

Chicken Pot Stickers

Friday
Left Over Buffet

I am trying a lot of new recipes this week again.  Do you like to try new recipes or stick to the tried and true?

I am linking up again at

Menu Plan Monday.  Click over and check out what everyone else has on their menu plans.  There are a ton of great ideas there.  I hope you have a great week. 

Happy Birthday to my Jelly Beane

I just wanted to take a quick minute to say today is my baby's first birthday!

What a special joy she is.  

Happy Birthday sweet Jelly Beane!

Biscoff Buttercream - You're Welcome!

I am kind of a frugal gal.  I cut coupons and try to save money where I can.  Not so much so we can 'save' money.  More so I can squeeze the occasional pedicure out of our budget.  I also like to buy clothes and stuff.

There are not many things in this world I think are under priced.  Only two things pop in my head as being not only worth the money, but incredibly under priced.  

An epidural is the first thing.  Wow.  I totally don't care how much they cost.  What ever the total bill came out to be I don't think they charge enough for those wonderful things.  We are still getting the monthly bill for the epidural I had with Jelly Beane.  I sort of smile to myself whenever I get that bill out of the mail.  Totally worth every penny and more.  There is a special place in heaven for the inventor of the epidural.

The second thing and last thing in this world that is under priced is Biscoff Spread.  Have you tried this stuff?  Holy Moses!  I ordered some from Amazon and was a little miffed at how much I was having to pay for two jars of the mystery spread I had read about in Blog land.  As soon as I opened the box, I knew I would not be disappointed.  It is mostly made up of Biscoff cookies.  I ordered it for String Beane.  He has a peanut and milk allergy.  Biscoff Spread doesn't have either in it.  It looks like peanut butter so I thought he would like it.

Home run!  This stuff is incredible.  Order you some and remember that how much ever you have to pay, you will be willing to pay more when you taste it.

I love making desserts in jars.  So I wanted to make something tasty to show off this wonderful Biscoff Buttercream.  

Start by making a Spice cake from a mix.  I used Duncan Hines Spice Cake and mixed it just as the box said.  I poured it in to some 4 oz jars that I had prayed with cooking spray.  Fill them to just a little over half way.

Bake them at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes.  Check them with a tooth pick to make sure they are done.  Let them cool completely.

While they are cooling it is time to make a little bit of heaven the Biscoff Buttercream.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
1 stick (1/2 cup) of softened butter.  I used Flieshman's unsalted margarine so my dairy allergic son could eat this.
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat all of the above with a mixer until fluffy.  Try not to eat all of it before you frost your little jar cakes.

When the cupcakes have cooled, run a knife alone the side of the jar and slide the cakes out of the jar.
Cut the cakes in half horizontally.  Put one half back in the jar.  Pipe some of the Biscoff Buttercream on top.
Put the other half of the spice cake on top of the Biscoff Buttercream.  Pipe on some more Biscoff Buttercream.  I sprinkled a little ground cloves on top just for some decoration.

Store these bad boys in the refrigerator.  I only had enough butter cream to make about 6 little jar cakes.  Just double the recipe to give you as much as you need.  This is one of those rare times in life that money is no object when it comes to a treat for yourself!  Treat yourself.  You won't be sorry.  Eat one and smile when you look at your little ones running around and remember your epidural too.  It will make you happy.

I am linking up at  Metamorphasis Monday and
these Awesome Parties.

Friday Favorites

I love Fridays!  My favorite thing is that we don't have anywhere to go.  Mr. Homegrown takes String Beane to kindergarten and Butter Beane and Jelly Beane and I don't have to be anywhere until we need to pick String Beane up at 2:30.  

To make things even better today, it is rainy.  I feel better about drinking 3 cups of coffee in my pajamas when it is raining. 

I also love searching Pinterest for really cool things to make and bake.  Here are my top 5 favorite finds for this week.



Sugar Crumb Crispy

I think you can do just about anything with cresent roll dough.

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cobbler

Fall is in the air with this recipe!  Bring it.

Grilled Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

It's the other white meat.

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwich

The French Dip is one of my favorites!  Can't wait to try this one.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

I am so ready for Fall!  These look like a great fall dessert or meal.  Whatever.

I am linking up again at Finding Joy in my Kithchen.  Go check out what everyone else has book marked this week.  Have a great weekend!

Picnic Potato Salad

Potato Salad is one of those picnic foods that sort of goes with everything.  I had never really tried to make it before.  I have always loved eating it, but had never tried to make it.

Mr. Homegrown has a major sweet tooth and is a lover of food.  That is why I married him.  We have a lot in common and all.  This potato salad is a sweet version.  You will love it.

He loves this potato salad.  I do too.  The big key ingredient in here is SUPER sweet pickles.  I always find them at our Church's bazaar.  These are the pickles that always look sort of blueish green.  Fall is the time that most church's will have their bazaars so now is the time to stock up on the super sweet pickles.  These pickles are way too sweet for me to eat by themselves, but they are the necessary ingredient in my chicken, tuna and now potato salads.  Go get you some.

Ingredients

2 cups of potatoes (I used Yukon gold) cubed and boiled until tender

1/2 cup of onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup of diced Super Sweet pickles

1/4 cup diced celery

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1-2 Tablespoons of the super sweet pickle juice

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Mix up everything but the potatoes in a bowl.  Whisk the dressing until smooth.  Add the potatoes and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.  Potato salad is best cold.

Now fry up some chicken and put some potato salad beside it and have one last picnic before fall!

I am linking up with Metamorphosis Monday 

and these other Awesome Par-tays!

Menu Monday Sept. 19

We made it through another week.  We had some great dinners and some mediocre dinners, in my opinion.  I think I went a little heavy on the 'kid-friendly' side of things.  This week I am going to try to balance that out a little bit better.

The Honey-Garlic Meatballs were one of the 'too kid-friendly' foods for me.  My little Beanes at them up.  I did not think they were that great.  They were way too honey tasting for me.  I will use a different meatball recipe from now on.  But, the little Beanes ate them very well.  So no harm, no foul.  The Snake sandwich was a huge hit.  I will post that recipe soon.  Another kid-friendly recipe though.  We did not get around to the ham steak.  My  mom invited us over to dinner, so it stayed in the freezer for another time.  The huge hit of the week was the Balsamic Strawberry Pizza with chicken.  This is incredible!  It totally made up for the overly kid-friendly meals.  I LOVED this. Mr Homegrown loved it too.  I am moving it to our family favorites.  If you get a chance, make you one.  You will not regret it!

On to this week's menu.

Monday

Pizza Bread

Corn
Some kind of fruit

Tuesday
Navajo Tacos
Salad

Wednesday

Tutti Fruity Chicken Kabobs
Rice

Thursday
My Mom's Chicken Pot Pie
Broccoli

Friday

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Bread

That is my week's plan.  I hope you have some yummy meals planned for your family.  I am linking up again at Menu Plan Monday.  Go check out all of the other wonderful recipes and menus.

Friday Favorites

Here are my favorite things from this week.  I bookmarked what caught my eye and my taste buds!  I am linking up at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  Go check out what everyone else bookmarked this week.

Frogmore Stew

My mom would call this a low country boil.  I call it YUMMY!

Banana Pudding cake with Caramel Rum Glaze

This just sounds like it would be the best cake in the world.



Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

When two rights (cake batter + Rice Krispie treats) make it righter!

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies

I am all over this Biscoff spread!  I ordered two jars and am excited to make these cookies!

Boo-tiful Ghost Cake

This is about the cutest thing I think I have ever seen!  I would love to make this for Halloween this year.

What have you bookmarked this week?  Go on over to Finding Joy in My Kitchen and check out what has made everyone's list.

Easy Egg Rolls

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook soon after I married Mr. Homegrown.  It quickly became a favorite of his.  These egg rolls are really easy to make and they are very frugal!  It was a win, win in the early days of our marriage.

The recipe calls for ground beef.  I have used ground pork before and they are just as delicious.  This is a recipe that can be used as just a "guide".  Customize it to suit the stuff you have in your freezer  likes of your family.  I think they will thank you for a Delicious meal.  String Beane calls this "china food". 

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and drained

1 8 oz package of coleslaw mix

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Onion powder to taste

1 16 oz package refrigerated egg roll wrappers

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well.  Place a heaping tablespoonful of beef mixture in the center of one egg roll wrapper.  Fold bottom corner over filling.  Fold sides toward center over filling.  Dip your finger in some water and dampen the edge of the remaining corner.  Roll up tightly to seal.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  You should get around 20 egg rolls.  Give or take.  

In an electric skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees.  Fry egg rolls for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.  

I serve these with some store bought sweet and sour sauce.  Mr. Homegrown can throw down on several of these. The little Beanes eat them okay.  I like them very much.  They also freeze will and can be heated in the toaster oven for a quick meal or snack.

Linking up at Metamorphasis Monday
and these Awesome Par-tays!

Menu Monday Sept 12

Well, hello to the new week!  I think that kindergarten is going to kill me.  I used to teach kindergarten and I do not remember being this tired.  I do remember thinking that 2:30 marked the end of the day.  Now, that I have three little Beanes, I know that 2:30 is the middle of the day!  Right smack in the middle of nap time.  

I feel like I am running from one place to the next with not much time in between.  By the time I get String Beane off to school, it is time to take Butter beane to preschool.  Jelly beane and I run errands for a few hours and then go back to get Butter Beane.  We come home eat lunch and try to do something productive.  Then it is time to go get String beane from school.  Butter and Jelly sleep in the car.  Then when String Beane gets home from school we are into the homework, dinner, bath/bedtime rat race.  I am slowly getting used to it and getting our routines down.  I will get there.  Enough of my pity party on to the menu!

Last week's meals went some hot and some not!  The Honey Spice Pork Kabobs were a big hit with everyone.  They are a family favorite and a freezer meal - so a mom favorite!  The spaghetti is an old faithful standby.  The turkey tostadas are a family favorite and were liked by everyone.  Especially Jelly beane!  Watching her eat cracks me up.  The BBQ stir-fry was not liked by Butter beane.  He did not want to eat it nor the egg rolls.  Mr. Homegrown loves the egg rolls and I will post  the recipe later.  String beane likes the stir fry but not so much the egg rolls.  I like them both so they are keepers.  The Cavatelli with sausage and broccoli was a great meal for the little beanes.  String beane ate it up.  Jelly beane ate it up and Butter beane gave mixed reviews.  It was a little bland for my taste.  

Here is this week's plan:

Monday

Honey Garlic Meatballs

Rice and
Corn on the cob

Tuesday

Snake Sandwich (recipe to come)

Chips

Fruit

Wednesday

Ham steak with brown sugar and Pineapple

Potato salad

Asparagus

Thursday

Balsamic strawberry pizza with chicken, onion and bacon

I will make a "regular pizza" for the little beanes.

Salad

Friday

County fair!  We will be eating fair food.  Woot! Woot!

I hope you have a great week and your meals are a pleasure.  I am linking up again at Menu Plan Monday. 
Go check out all of the great menu plans there.

Friday Favorites

I have searched high and low on Pinterest this week for some yummy inspiration.  Here are my top 5 picks to bookmark and try.  

I am linking up again at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  Go check out what everyone has bookmarked.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

I am feeling a little like fall looking at these cute things.

 

Breakfast Bread Pudding Cups

These sound like mini breakfast casseroles to me. Yum!

 

Stir-Fried Shrimp with snow peas

We love stir-fry here. This one looks so good.

 

 

Cupcakes with Biscoff spread frosting

I just ordered two jars of this spread.  I cannot wait for it to come so I can give this a try.

 

Churros con Chocolate

This looks too good not to try.

What's on your list to try?