What's up Wednesday--Oreo Salad edition

My very dear friend Angie made this Oreo salad for our Easter potluck lunch.  I had to use every ounce of will power I had not to lick the bowl in front of my company.  It is that good.  It is called a salad, but it is mainly a dessert, but, man, no matter what you call it, it is good!  I meant to have a bigger bowl to show you a picture of, but my kids devoured it when I made it, and I barely saved this little bit to snap a picture.  So good!  It calls for buttermilk, and I had the real stuff when I made this, but Angie always uses this. . .

Angie also makes hers the night before, but I tried to do that and when I went to get the bowl out of the fridge the next morning, 3/4 of the salad was gone, so beware. . . it disappears really fast!

Oreo Salad

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

1 cup buttermilk

 Beat together with a whisk and let set a few minutes until soft set.

Fold in:

8 oz container of Cool Whip

1/2 package of Oreo cookies chopped into small pieces

15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

Let set in the fridge at least 2 hours before serving (if you can keep your kids away from it)

Enjoy!

Some other yum we have had this week. . .

Make ahead unstuffed shells is a new recipe I tried for our Easter pot luck.  It was a big hit.  I have made it again since then, and everyone--even my non-pasta loving hubby--loved it.  My small town's one grocery store does not carry the Philadelphia Italian Herb cooking cream, so both times I have made it I have just used softened cream cheese, and it is really good!  If you live in a place big enough that your grocery store actually carries the cooking cream, consider yourself very luck and make it with that :)  we we love it our way too.

I made my easiest roast ever which is a staple at my house.  I keep those 3 cans of soup constantly stocked in my cupboards.  So easy and so yum!  

Another staple and favorite at our house is this slow cooker Italian beef for sandwiches.  It makes your house smell so good and tastes even better!  Enjoy!

Happy eating!

Our new favorite summer drink

I have a confession to make---I love cookbooks.  Totally love them.  I collect them.  It must be a girl thing--some girls have tons of shoes, some have tons of clothes,  I have tons of cookbooks, and I am okay with that.  I got this new cookbook about a month ago, and we love it!

This is Our Best Bites:  Mormon Moms in the Kitchen by Sara Wells and Kate Jones.  And did you notice what my 9 year old did to it?  Did you notice all the little torn yellow post-it notes sticking out?  I think my daughter is taking after me.  I think she marked every other recipe.  She was just as excited as I was when it came in the mail.  Train up a child when they are young. . .

Anyway, we have tried several recipes from it in the last month, but one recipe has definitely stood out--their Brazilian Lemonade  It is amazing!  Check out the link and be prepared to LOVE it!  It is our new favorite summer drink.

Anyone else out there have a cookbook problem like me? :)

Chocolate Chip pancakes

In honor of the long weekend, wanted to share one of our favorite weekend pancake recipes.  Of course, they are Mr. J's favorite, and he is very good at helping to make them.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 Tbl baking powder

1/2 tes salt

1 3/4 cups milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

In a large bowl combine the flour, chocolate chips, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl combine milk, eggs, oil, and brown sugar and mix well.  Add milk mix to flour mix and stir until just moistened (batter will be lumpy)  Pour using 1/4 cup onto hot griddle.  These don't really need syrup--they are sweet enough, but they are good with vanilla yogurt or powdered sugar and strawberries on top--yum! 

Happy long weekend!

A change of plans and Our Favorite Banana Recipes

Do you ever have those days that just do not turn out like you planned, not necessarily in a bad way, just not what you had planned?  Yesterday was one of those for me.  Yesterday I got up and thought I knew what my schedule would be.  It was a Tuesday.  Tuesdays are my school volunteer days.  I am at the school almost all day in my different kids' classes.  I love it.  Well, Miss E had been sick with just a fever since Saturday night.  I stayed home with her Sunday, and Monday, but Monday evening she didn't have a fever, and Tuesday morning she was 98.6, so I sent her to school and then I followed not too long after.  I was in Mr. J's class about 9 when I hear over the intercom "Jen if you are in the building, will you please come to the office."  Now even though I am 30 something, being called to the office still makes me feel nervous!  Anyway, Miss E's fever was back up, so we headed home.  Now I had a whole day at home I was not planning on.  Got Miss E some Tylenol, and she just wanted to lay on the couch and watch Star Wars.  I had a bunch of bananas that were getting pretty ugly, so I got to work and baked up a storm.  We love bananas at our house and banana bread and especially these banana muffins.  Mr J asks for them at least twice a week, "Mom, can you make me some banana muffins?"  Yum, yes!  These all freeze very well.  Enjoy!

Dearie's Banana Bread--this recipe is my Great-Grandma's who we all called Dearie

2 c. flour

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter (soft)

1 tes. soda

1 tes. salt

1 tes. vanilla

1/2 c. nuts (optional, we never put them in, we aren't nut people)

3 medium, ripe bananas mashed

Cream together sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well.  Add all other ingredients and bananas and mix well.  Bake 350 for 1 hour if doing one large loaf, bake 35-40 minutes if making 4 small loaves (like above).  Check with toothpick in middle to see if done.  

These are our favorite mini-chocolate chip banana muffins.  I always double the recipe (doubling will make about 48 mini-muffins), and if there are any left after we are done, they freeze really well.  I got this recipe from Family Fun years ago.  It is a staple at our house. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tes baking powder

1/4 tes salt

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas

1 large egg

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup fat free or light sour cream

2 tes. vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Blend in the dry ingredients, but do not over mix.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Spoon into greased mini muffin tins and bake 350 for 12-15 minutes or until top bounces back when touched. 

So sometimes I think it is good when your days do not turn out exactly like you planned.  Sometimes they turn out better and much yummier!   Enjoy!

Gingerbread men cookies

My kids love decorating anything with frosting, especially when they can use the frosting bags and all the different tips.  Gingerbread men were on our Christmas countdown chain the other day.  So they got busy.

Miss O shows lots of concentration.  She was working hard.

I think the cookies tasted pretty good too-YUM!  This poor guy already lost a leg.

Everyone decorated some.  They looked really cute.

I think Mr J did about 10.  He was whipping them out like you wouldn't believe.  Here is the recipe I used.  I got it off of allrecipes.com, and it was good.  Not too overpowering--a more mellow gingerbread cookie. 

Gingerbread Men

1 small box butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tes baking soda

1 1/2 tes ground ginger

1 tes cinnamon

Cream together dry pudding mix, butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add egg.  Combine the rest of the dry ingredients and then add into the pudding mix.  Mix well.  Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until firm.  Roll out, cut shapes and bake 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Cool before frosting.  Enjoy!

A favorite snack recipe

As I was making this recipe for the 4th time this month I thought, we love this, and I need to share. It is from my awesome friend Rhonda M. Thanks for sharing with us Rhonda! This works well for Halloween, but also at other times of the year too. Just leave out the candy corn and add more of whatever you like. Warning: it is very addicting!

Halloween Party Mix

1 bag microwave popcorn
2 cups pretzels
1 cup plain or peanut M&Ms ** you can make this in different seasons by using seasonal colored M&Ms
1 cup candy corn
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup Corn Pops cereal
1 bag white chocolate chips
2 Tbls oil

* Mix dry ingredients in one large bowl
*Melt chocolate chips and oil in a microwave for about 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth and pour over dry mix.
*Stir until evenly coated and spread on wax paper to dry (if you can wait that long because sometimes we can't :)