I received my first graze package in the mail about a week ago.
Graze offers healthy snacks delivered to your doorstep by surveying your tastes in snacks. They offer services as much as every two weeks for 6$.
My snacks were delicious.
Want one? The first and fifth box is free.
1 Go to www.graze.com and enter my friend code: NYKIAH12E
2. Say thanks to Nykiah
I also made these muffins this week.
What did you do this week?
Well Hello!
I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve actually posted about food and it has. Being a blogger is hard work! There are constant changes that need keeping up, constant pulls in different directions to build audience, stay unique and give readers something they want to read.
What do you want to read? About food? I know! Food is all to relevant and when I am in a crunch for time, I need it to be easy to put together and good. You want easy recipes right? You want good easy recipes right? Well, I’m not a chef or well-known cook but I do know that I love food and have awesome taste buds! So here’s a recipe of mine that fits this description.
Ingredients:
1 cup of honey
3 Tbsp of soy sauce
1 clove of minced garlic (1 tsp)
parsley to garnish
Wing dings ( I usually do about 40 wings)
Directions:
Thaw chicken wings and pat them dry. Bake wings on a cookie sheet ( cover cookie sheet with foil) till cooked through. Mix ingredients for sauce. When wings are done to your liking pour sauce all over them, making sure to cover both sides. Broil for a few minutes until chicken browns and sauce is bubbly. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
I’ve never heard of these before I made them and I have to say I’m pretty much against store bought biscuits. However, since I am always eager to try new recipes, I went ahead and made these for my guys.
I’ve stated before, I don’t think I ever make the same thing twice and I’m always up for variety plus a little bit of change. I’m sure that contributes to the fact that leftovers in my house are never left and when they are they’re not eaten often. Sad but true. I’m trying. These were the perfect new thing to try and I would recommend them if you are looking for something quick.
My sister has asked me countless times to make a meal plan for her. I considered it and came up with “Meal Plan Monday.” I’ve been thinking of doing a test run on the site by posting a monthly meal plan to see if you all like it. In my house we usually have leftovers from Sunday to Monday, a quick meal Tuesday and I cook a full meal Wednesday and Thursday and then there are leftovers Friday and take out on Saturday or quick meals on Saturday. I also have a breakfast and lunch meal plan. Can you tell that I like to plan?
Anyways, I made this on a Wednesday one week. My Guys slopped it up and called me blessed. So let me know what you think!
I originally got this recipe from The Jones Way but saw it here not too long ago. Apparently these babies touch lives or meal plans wherever they go. I should tell you though, I used cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken.
Chicken Pillows
Ingredients:
Have you ever used a can of (fat-free) evaporated milk and thought, I wonder how they make this? Ever looked at the back of the ingredients? It’s non-fat milk and dipotassium phosphate (water-soluble salt additive often used as an buffering agent, emulsifier and preservative. It’s used in evaporated milk to thicken it).
Skip the salt and make your own either by simmer it or buying non-fat dry milk powder.
Since I make my own condensed soup I buy a big box of non-fat dry milk, Wal-Mart’s brand.
Here’s how you can make your own:
2/3 cup non-fat dry milk powder
3/4 cup water
Mix milk and water (makes 1 cup)
or
simmer 2 1/4 cups of regular whole milk until it reduces to 1 cup
Use it anywhere that calls for evaporated milk!
There you have it!
Stay tuned for more Meal Plan Monday’s and as always, with every recipe I post, I do hope you love it!
Linking up with: thebettermom
I can smell it now. Warm Pumpkin pie coming from my oven, courtesy of taste of home. Dipped in my homemade pumpkin pie spice and homemade evaporated milk. (we’ll talk about that later)
There are two things I love, saving my time and saving my money, so that I have more to give and less to think of.
Every homemaker is overjoyed when they find a good foodie that is quick, easy and yummy to add to their favorite’s. Well my friends, I can almost always count on taste of home to bring home my bacon. (Hmm??)
I stumbled across this recipe while doing my meal plan for the month. (I don’t think I ever make the same dessert twice!) And let me tell you! The results are well worth it!
My children gobbled it up and asked for more….I should have given them more, but you know I didn’t. LOL
I was a good girl…kudos to me.
Anyway. Today on Meal Plan Monday’s I’d like to share one of my favorite fall recipe’s so far. I think I’d make this over and over again. It was just the right flavor and my hubby kept saying, “It taste like candy!!!”
Well there is one confession I should make. I never really fully follow a recipe. There I said it. This recipe called for walnuts and I used peanuts, because it’s what I had. But I should tell you that it’s good with walnuts, peanuts or nothing. I also made the cake upright and then decided it was better upside down. And the recipe called for yellow cake but I used french vanilla, because that’s what I had. I also used my own frozen pumpkin, but you have permission to use the can. LOL
Another confession: I hate boxed cake. I have no clue why I bought it and why I still have it. It honestly has moved with me this year! Ugh! But as I said, I HATE to waste my money. I like the bang that I can get for my buck. 😉
I literally just looked at this box of cake mix and saw that it expired this month! So I whipped me up some boxed cake dessert! HA!
I hope you enjoy this and share. SHARE!
Great Pumpkin Pie Dessert:
Adapted from Taste of Home
Ingredients:
I can pumpkin (15 oz-a little under 2 cups)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz) (Stayed tuned in next Monday! We will make our own!)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (Stayed tuned in next Monday! We will make our own!)
I box of yellow cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or whatever you like
and ice cream to top it off!
1. In a large bowl, Mix the first five ingredients together until creamy.
2. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 baking pan.( I used Baker’s Joy)
3. Sprinkle cake mix on top
4. Drizzle melted butter on top and then walnuts.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour or until knife in the middle comes out clean.
Serve with ice cream.
*This dessert comes out like pie, very soft texture. To make it upside down, sprinkle cake mix on the bottom of the pan and then drizzle the butter.Top the cake mix with walnuts and then pour the pie batter on top. Serve warm and with ice cream! Enjoy!
Do come back and tell me thoughts! And as always, with every recipe I post, I hope you’ll tuck this one away somewhere safe. Let me know how you love it!
Linking up with: thebettermom and wedded wednesdays
As I finish packing up the last batch of my homemade pumpkin puree, I can’t help but think about these yummy recipe’s that I have found. It’s pumpkin season!! That means bloggers, homemakers, sons, daughters and friends have found all different kinds of ways to put pumpkin into their dishes and I must say that people have become pretty creative with their recipe’s.
I’ve never really liked pumpkin…well at least I thought. I can remember when I was younger I had someone make a pumpkin pie for me and it was by far thee worst thing I’ve ever tasted. So you can imagine my remorse when fall came around. I was reluctant to try anything pumpkin, thinking that it would taste like my sore childhood memory. LOL
Anyways, I’ve found a new place for pumpkin in my heart and I’m happy to share with you some recipe’s I think you’ll love. Now these are secret weapons so use them wisely. Only whip them on your husband when his selective hearing kicks in. Haha! Or bake them for yourself and watch chick flicks all day. However you do it, do it all to the glory of God! 🙂
Like any recipe that I post, I hope you tuck these away somewhere safe. Let me know how you love them!
Pumpkin pancakes via highheelsandgrills
Pumpkin butter via skinnytaste
Pumpkin swirl cheesecake via ThisSillyGirl’sLife (Can’t wait to try!!)
via minimalist baker
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls via thegirlwhoateeverything
Pumpkin scones via browneyedbaker
Pumpkin zucchini bread via Taste of home
via supergluemom (would be great with brown butter icing)
Pumpkin bars via Betty Crocker (My mother in-love made these! Delish!)
Happy Baking!
Linking up with: thebettermom.com and wedded wednesdays
It’s rare anymore that I blog about food. Since getting married, becoming a stay at home mom and the little’s in school. There is so much going on in my life right now but I’ve managed to spit this post out for you!
Fall is here and it’s my most favoritest time of the year (Yes I said favoritest). Chilly weather, fall colors, pumpkin everything and comfort food. It’s officially time to say good-bye to summer and I can’t wait to welcome fall and its wonderful scents.
What I love most about fall are the warm rich desserts fresh from the oven that are devoured by my hungry esophagus. I rarely think my digestive tract minds either.
I’ve decided to start a series of post where I share an item, “favorite” from my meal plan, for yours.
These Oreo cookie bars can be made many ways. However, I argue that my way is best. Just kidding.
I do hope you try these. Tuck them away at least. For that obnoxious moment when people invite themselves over. Arrgh. You know you have them.
OREO CHEESECAKE BARS
Ingredients:
1 package of cookie dough enough to cover the bottom of your pan (8 oz)
1 package of Oreo cookies
12 oz. Cream Cheese, thawed
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil
Spray your baking sheet with cooking spray
Spread the cookie dough on the bottom of your pan and bake in the oven for 10-15 mins or until fluffy and golden
Remove from the oven and cool. Place Oreo’s on top of cookie dough while cooling (when firm enough) and press a little for the cookie to push down into the dough.
Prepare filling by mixing the creamed cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg and pour on top of the cooled cookie crust.
sprinkle on top some crushed Oreo’s and a few chunks of Oreo’s and bake for 35-45 mins.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Please Let me know how these turned out for you!
The end of the summer is here. Need I say it? I’m so ready for fall my friend. All in the three-month lay over I resigned from my job, moved, and got married. I got married!!!!!
I’d been looking for something light and refreshing to get us through the heat in the mid summer days. I stumbled upon this recipe while searching for something to do with my strawberries. You could easily do this with peaches or watermelon. Whatever you do, do it! The summer is ending. Treat yourself!
Anyways, Summer is never complete without the lush taste of something cold and the summer get’s even better if you don’t have to pay for it; now or later. This has got to be my most favorite summer recipe to make. It’s so simple! My heart bounces bountifully when the rush of cold strawberries touches my lips. Not to sweet, not too bitter but perfect for those hot summer nights or cold winters near the fire. (Somebody buy me fire!!)
Enough with this.
Strawberry Sorbet: Adapted from CafeJohnsonia
1 Cup Water
1 1/4 cups sugar
16 oz package of strawberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
small pinch of salt
In a small saucepan, bring to a boil the sugar and water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
(I cut my strawberries in quarters and mashed them with a potato masher before putting them in the blender. Add the lemon juice and salt if you do this.)
Puree strawberries, water/sugar mixture, lemon juice and the pinch of salt in a blender or food processor. If your food processor isn’t big enough, puree the strawberries, lemon and salt and mix in the water mixture.
Chill the mixture overnight or a day in a flat container being sure to stir occasionally every few hours or so. ( I found that a metal loaf pan works great!)
Enjoy the fruity goodness! 🙂
This Post starts a serious of posts on my blog that will invite you to explore your dinner options. You all know that I am a working mom. No it doesn’t matter but there is more strain on my life in areas of homemaking. It’s harder to do it. I work long hours but I love to cook. Unfortunately when I come home I just want to throw something in the microwave and let it rip!! LOL ( Beyblade for all who don’ t know)
Any who, My days are never really days off. I’m always running around somewhere…me and my hunney. So on a day like that, easy is what I order. Put this on your meal plan schedule. It’s too easy not too. Try to let the cheese melt all the way though. LOL! Told ya I’m pressed for time! 🙂
This made enough for 6 mini rolls
What you’ll need:
Sauteed your veggies until soft. Throw in your ground turkey and your spices. Throw your cheese on top of the meat mix for one sandwich. Scoop it up with a spatula and onto the bread. Cheese side down or up. Add some chips or a pickle and go watch a movie. Perfect family night dinner. YUM!
Please do let me know how it turns out.
I’m a bit weird when it comes to what goes into my children. They don’t eat a lot of candy if any at all. NO juices with dyes, occasional takeout, chips, or things with sugary contents. I try to always provide vegetables as a snack…try. I’m so glad they love them! My sister tells them that their eyes will grow big and makes a big bug-eyed face O.O.
I recently discovered that my big little is lactose intolerant. It would be so embarrassing how bad he’d get gas. “Boys are boys,” I thought. Farting is apart of them growing into men. And then their would be bad stomach aches following.
I started to buy lactaid milk and cut down cooking with different things that bothered him. It helped a little but there were still things left that gave him bad gas and stomach aches, like yogurt and cheeses.
I’m a stickler for homemade. That means I know what goes in and am not surprised by what could possibly come out. LOL
Any way. I’ve seen a few posts like these floating around on pinterest. So that’s originally where the idea came from. I had a hard time finding answers to my lactose free questions though. I saw that you could make ricotta cheese lactose-free from this lady so I thought I’d give the yogurt a go.
I used a gallon of whole lactaid milk
a half cup of Chobani plain Greek yogurt
a sieve
and two paper towels to strain
I also used a meat thermometer to read the temps
First, I set my 5 qt crockpot to high and poured a gallon of whole lactaid milk inside for 3 hours or until the temp read 180 degrees
After 3 hours I turned it off and let it sit for another 3 hours on the counter until the crockpot was warm to 115 degrees
I scooped out 1 cup of the yogurt into a measuring cup and added the half cup of plain Greek yogurt
(when buying a starter yogurt make sure it says active and live cultures in the ingredients)
I chose Greek yogurt because it had little to nothing in it. I wanted my yogurt as close to natural without any chemicals as much as possible.
I didn’t cover the crockpot until it was cooled to 115 degrees
I then wrapped it in a towel and put it in the oven (not turned on) to incubate (with the light on )
The live cultures in the yogurt need the warmth from the light to be able to do their thing
(Please forgive my dirty oven)
I’m a working mom. So what. lol
I put my crockpot in the oven for 8 hours
I chose to put it in the oven to ensure warmth because my kitchen gets drafty
otherwise you can put it wherever
**Note: The crockpot should not be hot or cold. When you touch it should be warm. Too warm will mean the cultures die, too cold will mean they don’t work.
When I took it out I was so excited to see that it worked!
I’ve heard that the less yogurt you use to start it the thicker it gets and you won’t have to strain it
Mine was thick enough for me but I know my children like it thicker
I didn’t have cheesecloth so I lined a sieve with paper towel and dumped the yogurt in it for 30 minutes
You can see it it thickening as it sits. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets. (you could even go all the way and make yogurt cheese)
This was all the whey I got from half of the yogurt
In the end I sweetened it with honey to taste and two tsp of vanilla extract
I plan on cooking down some berries with honey and mixing it in the other batch I have.
(You also don’t have to use a crockpot. You can warm the milk in a pot and follow the rest of the steps. I think you would definitely want to use a thermometer if you do.)
I thought it was delicious and will make it forever! 🙂
So tell me? What would you add in to make it yummy?
Growing in Grace 