Chocolate Cookie Dough Brownies

I ran across this recipe and I just had to try it and now share it they are Delicious!!! And as you can see it's a good way to get the kids in the kitchen to help!

Ingredients: 1box Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup water 2 eggs 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip cookie mix 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 egg

1.Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan. Make brownie mix as directed on box, using oil, water and 2 eggs. Spread in pan.2.Make cookie mix as directed on pouch, using butter and 1 egg. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter; press down lightly.3.Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean.

Garrett helping clean up! {His favorite part of the whole cooking process!}

All finished and ready to enjoy! I hope ya'll enjoy them as much as my family has!

POTATO NACHOS

I found a little twist on nachos! basically with out the hard tortilla chips we used potatos cut into circles as the chips and it was amazing I'll never go back! Now this recipe can be made to taste. Top the nachos as you like the ONLY difference is the potatoes! Plus great for the vegetarian in the family....my sister-n-law is so when she comes over I have something she can enjoy too!

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt.
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
1/4 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons canned diced green chile's
TO SERVE:
Salsa, guacamole and sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Place potatoes into a medium size bowl with the oil, garlic salt . Stir well to coat potatoes with oil and seasonings. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread into a single layer.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring several times, until crisp and golden brown.

Top with cheese, beans, tomatoes, olives, onions and chile's.

Bake for 5 minutes more to melt cheese.

Serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Salsa

Adam & I deciede to spice up our normal chicken dinner with some mild salsa and covered in cheese....very simple but amazing!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of chicken breasts, and pour salsa over all.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and its juices run clear.
Sprinkle chicken evenly with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired, and serve.

Pumpkin seeds & Boo-rrific cookies

We decided to have a big cooking day yesterday! Garrett & I roasted our pumpkin seeds.... 2 big batches! One with Cinnamon and sugar and one with garlic, seasoned salt, and paprika....They turned out great!

We let ours dry over night!

So we recommend you don't throw away those pumpkin seeds!
Preheat oven to 300º F. clean off any major chunks.
Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and seasonings of your choice. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. (or spray with cooking spray).
Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

These are the Cinnamon ones....Don't they just look yummy!?!


Now Garrett helped me so much I felt bad because he can't eat the pumpkin seeds so we found a great little recipe for Boo-rrific cookies (with only 15 calories!) from one of my blogger friends.



Ingredients: 2 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/8 teaspoon cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, Orange food coloring, optional,
1-1/2 teaspoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Place egg whites in a small mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add extracts and vinegar; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Beat in food coloring if desired.
Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a #10 round pastry tip. Fill bag with egg white mixture. Pipe 1-1/2-in.-diameter ghosts onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Add two chips on each for eyes.
Bake at 250° for 40-45 minutes or until set and dry. Turn oven off; leave cookies in oven for 1 hour. Carefully remove from parchment paper. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Here's one of the Boo-rrific cookies up close!

Adam helped me makes these goody bags full of the different kinds of pumpkin seeds and Boo-rrific cookies for my in laws for Halloween!

And of course I can't have a post without pictures of Garrett!

Garrett loves these cookies!!!!

Chocolate covered strawberries

Yesterday I decided to make a special desert last night for my boys and since strawberries were buy one get on free at our Harris Teeter I decided on chocolate cover strawberries & chocolate cover strawberries with crushed almonds! I have to say they were delicious....since I'm watching what I eat for my new years resolution I may not be making these to often! {grin}

1.Melt the chocolate. You can use any kind of chocolate chips; just whatever you think will work best with the strawberries. Use a double boiler to make sure you don't burn the chocolate. If you don't have a double boiler, you can make one by filling a medium saucepan 3/4 full with water. Then rest a smaller saucepan or a heat-proof bowl inside of it and fill it with your chocolate chips. Turn the stove on low heat. Stir occasionally.

2. Rinse and dry the strawberries. You don't have to be extremely delicate with them, since the chocolate will cover most of the strawberry, but make sure to check for bruises and dark spots. Make sure to leave the stems and leaves, as they make the berries easier to grip and look nicer than if you cut them off. After rinsing each one, dry them well; the chocolate won't stick if they're wet.

3. Line a cooking sheet with wax paper. Parchment paper works just as well; whichever you have in the kitchen is fine. Make sure the cooking sheet is large enough to place all the strawberries on the sheet, as well as giving each a few inches of room for after dipping.

4. Check the chocolate. When all but a few pieces have melted, turn off the stove; you don't want to burn the chocolate, or have it boil over. Stir the last few pieces a bit to melt them. Your chocolate will be smooth and creamy.

5.Take a strawberry, and dip it completely into the chocolate. Twirl it around to get it completely coated. Put it on the cookie sheet to cool. Just prior to cooling, roll the strawberries in sprinkles or crushed peanuts or almonds!

I'm pretty sure Garrett enjoyed them!