Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Now...if you like peanut butter and chocolate...this is a dessert for you :) I made a few changes to it and it was still great, very rich, but very good...Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle. I used whipping cream in place of cool whip, I did not add the peanut butter that it called for (adding the peanut butter to the vanilla pudding). Also, when I made the brownies I used the peanut butter chocolate chips. As I said, it was rich...and my brother in law has a major sweet tooth for peanut butter so half of the dessert went home to him. Of course, he said it was great and not rich at all :)

I had pictures....but they are on my memory card that I am still having issues with!!

Ingredients

1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips
2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold 2% milk
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.

Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping.

Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled. Yield: 20 servings (1 cup each).

This is a Taste of Home recipe but I could not get the link to work.

Yummo Desserts

These Sweet Lemon Tarts are wonderful!! The phyllo dough is a bit treatise to work with but the final product is well worth it. My favorite part...wait, my favorite parts are the meringue and the chocolate :)

There is this wholesale produce place here in town and they had a great deal on strawberries. 8 lbs for $7....awesome!! So I made chocolate covered strawberries one night....Simple and big hit :)

Homemade Extracts and Sugars

Now...I have decided to make some homemade extracts and flavored sugars...and I am so glad that I have. The extracts can be used in anything that calls for vanilla extract of other flavors and the sugars can be used in baking, topping cookies or cupcakes. Basically anything you would normally use sugar in.

For the Sugars:

3 whole lemons or 2 large navel oranges

2 cups of white sugar

Grate the peels of the chosen fruit (I used the smaller grate on my grater). Add fruit gratings to 1 cup of sugar in a food processor. Process for a couple minutes until well blended and the grating has been well combinded. In a medium size mizing bowl add the fruit gratings to the other cup of sugar. Mix mell then our out onto a backing sheet to dry. I mix mine around several times during the drying process. I let mine sit for atleast 3 hours. After drying I store it in a mason jar, closed, in the fridge.

I pulled the lemon sugar out to use it on my blackberries and I decided to run it all back through the food processor to make it all fine. It turned out great and smells wonderful. I need to so the same to the orange sugar.

I still want to make cinnamon sugar as well as some vanilla sugar...but those are still to come :)

On to the extracts...I made lemon, orange, lime and coconut. Very simple and great tasting. Ten times better than the store bought stuff.

For the citrus extracts:
2 Limes, 1 Lemon or 1/2 Large Navel Orange Peel
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vodka

Roughly chop the peel, put in a clean jar. Add water and vodka. Place lid on and give it a good shake. Store 3 to 5 days in a dark, cool place. After about 10 days I removed the peels. They smell great :) These store for up to 1 year.

Here is the link to the Coconut Extract that I made. It smells really strong because it is straight vodka so I think I am going to only use half of what I normally would. Also, when I mixed it I placed it all in the blender to really combine the coconut and vodka. I also strained out the coconut about 1 week after making it.

Vanilla, Cinnamon, Mint, and Cinnamon Nutmeg extracts are still on my "to do" lists. One day I will get to them :)

Angel Food Cake

Well, after trying the Heavenly Coconut Cake I have become an Food Network - Alton Brown fan. So, before we moved to Elko, I was watching that show one night and seen him make an Angel Food Cake...OH YUMMMMMM was my exact thought. So, finally I have made it and I can tell you...I love Angel food cake but I will never buy another store bought one after making this one. I decided if I can master the coconut cake I can handle just about anything....YEP, I can handle this one.

Last week Smiths had blackberries on sale10/$10. I stocked up and I made lots of blackberry goodies. After making this Angel Food Cake I decided to use the lemon sugar that I had made and toss with the blackberries. Then I made up some whipping cream and used the homemade lemon extract that I had made. Oh, and in the cake I had used the homemade orange extract where extract was called for. Then I layered it all up and made blackberry short cake type things. They were really good :) A must try dessert!!

Oh yes....I almost for got...I used a bunt pan because believe it or not...I do not own a tube pan. That is something I need to invest it.

Recipes for the extracts and sugar coming very soon :)

Breakfast Recipes...

Now this is sooooo good. I have made it for breakfast the last 2 Sunday mornings. Cinnamon Baked French Toast...it is so good and easy.....very, very good :)

For some reason I fealling like I needed to be a good, nice mom and make my kids Funnel Cakes for breakfast. They were a huge hit and there were none left over. I sprinkled them with powdered sugar and served them with warm raspberry preserves :) MMMMM....yummo!!

Now...a few weeks ago I was able to attend a Taste of Home cooking school here in Elko. It was a lot of fun and they gave everyone a Taste of Home Cooking School Magazine with lots of new recipes. This is one of them that I could not wait to try... Jimmy Dean Maple Breakfast Casserole.

1 package Maple Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
10 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (2 large) Golden Deliciouse apples, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups cubed bread
8 oz (2 cups) shredded mild cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until throughly cooked and no longer pink.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine beaten eggs with milk and vanilla; stir well. In a small bowl, toss apples with sugar and cinnamon.
3. Distribute half the bread evenly in buttered 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with half the sausage, half the apples and half the cheese. Repeat layering using remaining bread, sausage, apples, and cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly over the casserole.
4. Bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes, or until eggs are set. Tent with foil if top begins to brown too quickly.

Editor's Note: The casserole may be assembled ahead and refrigerated up to 12 hours before baking.

Oh yes...I also made Raspberry-Filled Poppyseed Muffins...they too are really yummy and kid approved (atleast in this house) :)

All these breakfast recipes have been tried and will defineately be made again, and again, and again :)

Oven Ham Sammies and Mac & Cheese

Last night I decided to make dinner easy and simple so we could have a picnic on the family room floor (cause it was raining outside) and we watched the 2 hour of American Idol. Yes...for 2 hours we sat and watched American Idol. It was fun and the food was good.

I made these Oven Ham Sammies....MMMMMMM!! Thats all I can say about them. They were really good!! When these came out of the oven I put horseradish on Tad's and my sandwiches.

I also made Macaroni and Cheese. Another yummy that I like to make often. I do the baked version.

Oh yes...and I got corn on the cob from Wal-mart yesterday for 19 cents so that was also included in our picnic. Our pincic was fund and the food was yummy.

Hot & Sweet Drumsticks, Roasted Potatoe Wedges, Blue Cheese Biscuits

Well, for some reason I have been trying out A LOT of new recipes and spending a lot of time in the kitchen...more than usual. Many have turned out rather well and of course I have had to make my own changes to a few of them :)

Oh yes...the other night I made these Hot & Sweet Drumsticks. They were sooooo good and drumsticks are rather inexpensive. The few simple changes I made: before I started baking the chicken, I first broiled it...turning it once and crisping up the skin. Then instead of pouring the sauce over the chicken, throughtout the baking process I kept basting the drumsticks with the sauce. Then when they were done baking, I once again broiled them again to crisp them up some more. Oh yes...and I doubled the sauce. They were really good. My sister is going to try grilling them and basting them along the way.

Along with these yummo drumsticks I served them with some simple Roasted Potatoe Wedges. When I pulled them out of the oven I sprinked them with parsely and shredded parmesan cheese. They were a good side to the drumpsticks.

Also, that same night I had tried these biscuits. The recipe came out of one of my World Wide Ward Cookbooks (I love them all). They are Blue Cheese Biscuits. The recipe calls for:
3 cans refrigerated biscuits
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup melted butter

Cut the biscuits in quarters. Melt butter, stir in blue cheese crumbles and mix until cheese is melted. Pour over biscuits and mix well. Then...bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Yeild: 15-20 servings.

The serving size scared me so I only used 1 can of biscuits, and 1/4 cup butter. I baked mine in a pie dish and stired half way through so I got alot of the biscuits browned.

I like them...not sure that the kids did. Well, TJ did, but her eats just about anything...

Finially Finished....

Well, a few weeks ago (before Mother's Day) I sat out to make a Mother's Day gift for my mother-in-law. I decided on an exploding box.   So I got it all cut out and layers placed and had my pictures sent to Walmart to be printed. Got to Walmart the next morning and got the pictures. Did a little shopping that needed to be done...all with 4 little ones. Then we finally got to the car, I opened up the pictures and they were TERRIBLE. I was so upset. This was like Wednesday before Mother's Day so I needed to get it out that afternoon, but not with these pictures. I was so bummed. I called  my Mother-In-Law and told her I was making her gift but it was going to be late and I explained what had happened with the whole picture mess. So...I sent the pictures to Winkflash and got them back and they were so much better. So...lastnight I got all my stuff out and sat down to get it done, but Kaylee was not having any part of it. I hit it again this morning and I finished it!! Thank goodness!! AND....I love it. I think it turned out great. Now, it will be sent out first thing in the morning :) Wooohooo!!!

Thanks for your help Kira :)

Tomorrow is a BIG day!!

Tomorrow is almost here and I could not be more excited!! Sweet.Bee.Bowtique is going to be featured on My Give Away Today. We are going to be giving away 6 bows and discounted shipping on two items. I could not be more excited!! So, tomorrow morning be sure to visit My Give Away Today to enter to win bows, bows, bows J You can also check out my Etsy store for special promotions happening only tomorrow, so be sure to take advantage of great deals J

Chunky Bling Party

Hello everyone!! It’s party time!! I am hosting a Chunky Bling Party. Talk about cute stuff and the great thing about this party is that it is all done online. Yep…you can check it all out from the comfort of your computer and comfy chair (no catalogs to flip through)!! So…to get started you can visit My Party Page and check out all the great stuff there is to offer, not to mention the prices are great too. My party starts today, Wednesday, May 12, 2010 and runs through Tuesday, May 19, 2010. When you shop online at My Party Page you can receive 15% off just for shopping during the great party week. Now what other party gives you that kind of deal…you shop and you save…just like that. So when you check out you want to make sure and enter Lacie15 in the promo code to get your 15% off. And…you don’t have to wait for me to deliver it to you…Chunky Bling sends it right to your door step!! Sweet, Right?? So make sure you check out MY PARTY PAGE and take a looksy. I recently purchased the Golden Skies Watch Band… Love it and talk about versatile. So have fun shopping and enjoy the 15% off at check out.

Thanks So Much!!

So much to do...

Ok...so as usual, the days seem to keep flying by. Before I know it, school will be out! Where does the time seem to go?? We spent the weekend doing yard work and then my allergies got me good. It pretty much stinks (oh wait...I can't smell cause my nose is plugged solid)! Mother's day was great. Tad made breakfast (he does every Saturday and Sunday) but yesterday it was more special because it was Mother's Day. He made biscuits and gravy and cilantro, mushroom and cheese omelets...YUMMY!! Then for dinner it was Chicken Marsala, potatoes and a ceasar salad...which I made the dressing for. It was so good. I will have to post the dressing recipe later today. Then I cleaned up the kitchen...usually how it works, but it was all really good.

So this week I have so much I want to get accomplished. I have a goal to have 20 new bows made by Friday and posted because Friday is the big day for Sweet.Bee.Bowtique to be featured on My Give Away Today. Very exciting!!

Then, I am going to make some extracts - You know....Vanilla, Lemon, Orange and maybe cinnamon. Along with the extracts I am going to try flavored sugars. I am excited to give it a shop.

I also have some new yummy sounding recipes I want to give a shot. One tonight is Sweet Lemon Tarts...they look great. Be sure to check back for the recipe and pics of those :)

Oh yea...can't forget that I have homework to keep on, too, and whatever else comes my way. So this is my week in a quick glance... How about yours??? Happy Monday Everyone :)

Chunky Bling…

Ok…So, I am going to be hosting a Chunky Bling online party. You have got to check this out…ChunkyBling.com. They specialize in interchangeable watches. I love them and I am always wanting more (of course I want more…I only have one). You have got to check out their selection of beaded jewelry like bead bracelets, Swarovski Pearl rings, and interchangeable charm necklaces. The price is great, too. Guess what…you can host an online jewelry party, too…and earn FREE jewelry. I have a few favorites…Love at First Sight (really cute interchangeable watch band) and cute, cute, cute chunky bracelet Fashion Passion Pink, Oh My!! Check it out and I bet you can find some favorites too J

A Few More Good Ones…

Gotta try this…Lemon Water. It is really good…

Big Batch	Small Batch
5 Quarts Water	2 Quarts Water
3 Cups Sugar or Splenda	1-1/4 Cups Sugar or Splenda
1 Tbsp Citric Acid	1 Heaping Tsp. Citric Acid
1 Tbsp Lemon Extract	1 Heaping Tsp. Lemon Extract

Boil 1 quart water (or really hot water), add sugar or Splenda; dissolve. Add citric acid, lemon extract and remaining water. Chill. Add lemon slices to garnish.
This is really good water. I was able to find the lemon extract at the dollar store. The citric acid I borrowed some from my sister and I sweeten mine with Splenda. Also..I have to add a little more cold water because I don't like it too sweet….subtle is good for me J


These next few recipes I was planning on making for our Friday night movie night…BUT, my sister and brother-in-law asked Tad and I if we wanted to go on a double date and they would provide the babysitting (my nephew and niece). Of course we accepted the offer (eagerly)…we ate at Toki Ona's…and boy oh boy…it was so good. So then I decided I was going to make these Saturday night, but we ate a late lunch at this Mexican restaurant downtown and we were too full for dinner. So…this ended up being our Sunday dinner. It was good…just not what we usually plan for Sunday dinner JThe Ultimate Chicken Wings (of course it is a Kraft recipe) and I made Pepperoni Pizza's on Flatout Bread. Those were really good…I made these the other night too and they were really good with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and fresh cilantro. Oh My!! Oh yea…back to what was supposed to be a movie night dinner…Sangria Punch and Creamy Carmel-Peanut Dip. All perfect movie night goodies.

Tuesday night I was very fortunate to attend the Taste of Home Cooking School with my sister and a couple of her friends. It was here in Elko…and it was sooo much fun. I cannot wait to go again next year. I will be posting a lot of yummo recipes as I try them out. I can't wait!!

And now…I have been working on a Mother's Day gift for 3 days now and it is still not done. Better luck tomorrow I hope J I hope someone enjoys all these recipes!

Lots of Yummy Recipes…

Well, I had a lot of pictures to go along but I am having serious camera issues!! I have tried A LOT of new recipes these past few weeks and all have turned out well and are worth repeating!

Hot Cocoa Mix
10-2/3 Cups Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk
6 oz. Powdered Non-Fat Dairy Creamer
2-1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Cups Nesquik

Mix it all together and store in airtight container. Make adjustments as needed. Makes about 3 quarts and is a BIG hit in this house. Goes great with these homemade marshmallows (next recipe).

Ok…I have tried several different homemade marshmallow recipes and this one by for is my favorite!! You gotta try these… Homemade Marshmallows.

I made Tate this cool Motorcross Cake for his birthday (I have pictures, but the whole camera issue…not going there) and this is the chocolate cake and chocolate frosting recipe that I used. It was really good too… Hershey's "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Frosting.

Here is what the cake was like…very similar, and hopefully one day I can retrieve the pictures and share them J Family Fun Motorcross Cake. Perfect cake since he got a 150 for his birthday…big jump from a 50. He loves it, too!!

These are the cupcakes I made for Tate's class, but I made the homemade Hershey's Cake above…way good J Mini OREO Surprise Cupcakes.

Since moving I have been busy trying to get the house together and unpacked and our storage container is 30 miles away I go out there and sort through stuff to bring in and then having 4 helpers with me makes it take a while so I had to come-up with some quick meals…therefore, I turned to Kraft Recipes.

Easy Chinese Stir-Fry… This was good... and the hubby and kids liked it. It was quick and easy too. I served it with these green beans that I found in a recent Taste of Home.

Sesame Green Beans2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
2/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion (I think I used green onions cause I had them on hand)
3 Tbsp. canola oil
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 4-7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately place beans in ice water. Drain and pat dry. In a large skillet, sauté beans and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in soy sauce and pepper. Transfer to serving dish; sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

As my sister and I were unpacking my food storage/pantry items, I was checking out expiration dates on the cans. I noticed I needed to start using up some tuna. Again, I turned to Kraft Recipes. I found Fish Cakes… I did the tuna one and replaces the carrots with green onions. I served them with potatoes and a salad. TJ loved them. He had at least 3.

I have tried a couple new  breakfast recipes. I have posed a few recipes from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook that I love so much but there is a new one out...Worldwide Ward Cookbook - Mom's Best Recipes. From there I have tried these recipes and they are good too.

Bilini (a crepe-like pancake)
1/2 Cup milk
4 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 Cup sifted flour
Dash of salt
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1-1/2 Cup milk
1/2 Cup flour
Powdered sugar for garnish

Combine milk, sugar, flour, salt and eggs. Add melted butter, and remaining flour. Mix well and fry in butter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with jelly or fruit.

I like to take cool whip or whipped cream (whatever I have in the fridge) and add strawberry preseves to it and serve these cakes like an omlet. I fold it over and have the cream mixture in the middle and then I slice fresh strawberries to go on top.

Budin de Pan
8 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 Cup milk
1 Cup sugar (By accident I used 1-1/2 cups...whats a little sugar for breakfast?)
1/2 Cup raisins
1/2 Cup flour
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and pour into greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Allow to cool, cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

This is not breakfast but out of the same cookbook...this falls into the easy category!
Chinese Noodle Hamburger Casserole1 10.75 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 10.75 oz. can cream of  chicken soup
1-1/2 Cup water
1 lbs. ground beef, browned
1 medium onion chopped
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 Cup uncooked rice
1 Cup peas
1 Cup chow mein noodles.

Combine soups and water. Stir in all remaining ingredients except chow mein noodles, and pour into greased casserole dish. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 additional minutes. Stir in chow mein noodles, cover and continue baking for 15 additional minutes.

I am making a Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle tonight and will post the recipe tomorrow with a picture of the finished product.
Happy Eats!!

Where to begin…

These past few weeks have kinda been a blur. With the whole move, getting Tate in school, now tryin' to get moved into the house, and the kids….oh my, the KIDS!! I am not kidding or even exaggerating when I say that since I have been here it has snowed at least 10 days. It's been great!! So today it is nice out, all the snow is melted and the sun is shining and birds are chirping, it really is a nice day! Well, I got the kids bikes out and scooters out and do you think I can get them to go outside and play. Heck No!!! PLEASE….I need them to go out for just an hour and I could get so much done inside…especially while Kaylee is napping. So, I am going to try again after lunch. While they were outside a short 5 minutes Tad Jr. managed to climb over the fence in between us and the neighbor's house. So I got him back over the fence and headed in to shower and luckily I was turning the water off when Shaelee and Emilee came into tell me that TJ was in the car. I proceeded to ask what car and they said "Your Car"!! I freaked!! I told Shaelee to stand by the front door and watch him while I got dressed. Then I rushed out to get him. So, he unlocked the door, climbed up on the bench in the dining room and undid the chain and walked his happy bottom out to my car. When he seen me he knew he was in big trouble. Of course I lectured him all the way to the front door. Not sure it did any good!!

The kiddos have said some funny things lately and I would like to share themJ

• The other day I was putting wood on the fire and Shaelee asked where the toy room was and I told her we did not have one. From now on the toy room was the bedrooms and they would have to be cleaned up daily. She did not like that idea.
  
• Yesterday morning I had Kaylee in the bath tub and TJ climbed up on the toilet and leaned over the tub and said "Hello Fatty"!! It was so stinkin' cute! I had to let him know she was not fat, she is just chubby J
  
• We were at my sister's house yesterday and my nephew Dallin was talking about Grandma Candy…Shaelee says, "Hey, I have a Grandma Candy too." Then Dallin explained to her that they had the same Grandma.
  
• Then today, once I got my son in the house I headed back to the bathroom to blow dry my hair and TJ comes in and says, in the cutest voice I might add, "I am sorry for getting in your car". So maybe the lecture on the way to the door did do some good.
  

So, the boxes are slowly but surely getting unpacked, beds are getting assembled and my husband is working his tail off. So far Elko has not been too bad…even if we did hunt Easter eggs in the snow. I know it could be a lot worse. I am still enjoying every minute being closer to my sister and having my kids around their cousins. I am tired of eating on paper and plastic so I am off to get a set of dishes. Our are still packed far away in the front of the trailer. It could be a while before we see them.