Ice Cream Cake!

Ready for the easiest but tastiest ice cream dessert ever? I've made this a handful of times and it always gets rave reviews. My mom found it somewhere and I was skeptical but I love it!

Ingredients

2 boxes ice cream sandwiches

2 reg. sized tubs of cool whip

choc. syrup caramel syrup

in a 9x13 pan open and lay out 1 box of ice cream sandwiches. I cut up 1 to fit the sides. Then put 1 tub of cool whip on top, spreading around. You don't have to use the whole tub if you don't want to. Drizzle choc on top of cool whip (or caramel, or both, whatever)

Lay second box of ice cream sandwiches on top of cool whip. Smooth cool whip on top and then top with caramel and choc. You can also add crushed candy bar (any flavor) on top. Put in fridge and serve frozen. YUM!

No bake energy bites (there must be a better name?!)

Energy Bites

makes approximately 2 dozen depending on size NOTE-This is the recipe copied from the website. I'll put my changes in blue. LOVED these!

• 1/2 C nut butter(almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter. Anything will work here) I used natural PB once, and regular once. Both were great.
• 1/3 C honey(I believe brown rice syrup would also work. I’m not sure of thinner sweeteners such as maple syrup and agave though as they may not hold together as well) used honey
• 1 C old fashioned rolled oats(you can toast for a nuttier flavor at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes)
• 1 C shredded unsweetened coconut(you can substitute any dry ingredients for this, wheat bran or germ, oat bran, some ground flax seed(I wouldn’t recommending using an entire cup!), any kind of ground nuts or seeds. For a cookie dough type bite try adding a few tablespoon of your favorite whole grain flour) used 1/2 cup coconut (we only have sweetened, but oh well) and 1/4 cup ground flax seed, and 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1-2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of sea salt if using a natural nut butter with no added salt
• 1-2 tsp your favorite spices or spice combinations(optional) cinnamon
• 1/2 C other addins(any kind of whole or roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, good quality chocolate chips, etc) choc. chips (mini, or I also chopped a few dove dark choc. pieces) and poppy seeds. :)

In a large bowl add the nut butter, honey or other sweetener, vanilla and salt if needed. Use less vanilla if yours is very strong or more if you really enjoy the vanilla flavor and don’t buy an alcohol based kind. If all your ingredients are room temperature you should be able to stir to combine. If this is difficult you can warm in the microwave for a few seconds or even place the bowl in an inch or two hot water for a few minutes to soften everything. Once this is combined add the remaining ingredients.

In this case I used almond butter and for my addins I used equal parts sesame seeds, poppy seeds and mini chocolate chips. Mix well. Once it’s all combined place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Then remove from the fridge, scoop out some dough and roll into a ball. I find it’s much easier, and works better to squeeze the handful together to compact it and then roll it into a ball.

If yours are too sticky you can considering adding more dry ingredients into them or rolling them in something like ground nuts, coconut, etc so they aren’t as sticky. Place the balls in an airtight container either in the fridge or freezer for quick and easy snacks.

Molasses Choc. Chip Cookies-YUM!

I got these from this website. I don't know how I found it, but I LOVE these! I'm in search of the perfect choc. chip cookie. I have my friend Jo's, my friend Jodi's, my friend Minda's and now this one. So far I love all of them but this one ranks up to the top. What is your all time favorite choc. chip cookie recipe?

PS- the key to these? Let them sit in the fridge overnight. And I used choc. chunks. :)

Ingredients 4 cups flour (18 ounces) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 sticks butter, softened (8 ounces) 2 cups sugar (15 ounces) 2 tablespoons molasses 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate discs

Directions 1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. 2. Beat butter, sugar and molasses until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. 3. Beat until well mixed. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate discs. 4. Let sit in refrigerator overnight before baking, and may be stored this way for up to two days. Yes, I realize this is the very hard part. 5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper. 6. Gently form dough into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls and place 2 to 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes on middle rack. 7. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 2 more minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely if you have any will power left.

Lentil Casserole

We are having meatless Mondays at our house. (well, that's the goal, with Shane being gone, we had a lot of PB &J Mondays! I found this recipe here . Just go to the lijit search and type Lentil Casserole. This picture is after the cheese had cooled but guess what it was good! And guess what else? My WHOLE family ate it (even Graham, even Shane!) It was good as leftovers and also super easy to make.

Lentil Casserole

Ingredients
¾ cup lentils
½ cup rice
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp oregano
¾ tsp garlic powder
3 cup chicken broth (can use water)

Directions
Mix all ingredients in casserole dish. Cover and bake on 300* for 1hr. 45 minutes to 2 hrs. (I stir after 30 minutes to mix in the seasoning.)

Serve over salad and top w/ sour cream. Goes well with tortilla chips. Or serve as a dip w/ tortilla chips and a with salad.

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/03/lentil-casserole.html#ixzz1NNP5rIB1

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

I got this recipe from here . I really liked them and felt like they were a bit more healthy since they are filled with good things. Ok so I did add chocolate chips and butterscotch chips- but that balances things out to zero right?

My only thing about these cookies is that they were really dry. I read the comments on Elizatbeth's post and someone said the same thing so they added an extra egg. I did too. The results were still good but I'm wondering if they would have been better if I didn't do that? I had to cook them about 2 minutes longer (didn't use a silpat either, but I'd love to have one- they are on my amazon wish list!) If you try them let me know what you did about how dry they are. :)

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup rolled, old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter with sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until well combined, scraping sides of bowl at least once. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add flour and stir in oats, flaxseed meal and wheat germ. Stir in butterscotch and chocolate chips.

Drop dough onto cookie sheets (I like using Silpats) and bake for 9 minutes.

Shan's Enchiladas and hummus!

I had friends over on Tuesday night and made enchiladas and hummus! It was so very good. This is my plate for leftovers on Wednesday, but they are still great as leftovers (served with a good ole box of spanish rice and veggies)

The original recipe of the enchiladas can be found on cooks.com under "Charlotte's sour cream enchiladas". We had it for my birthday with my girlfriends years ago but we changed it so much that I have it in my recipe book as Shane's birthday Enchiladas. :) The original calls for beef and red enchilada sauce. I use chicken and green sauce and mix the sour cream in. I'll give you the way I make it

2 Tbs veg oil

2 cups cooked and cubed or shredded chicken (I had this cooked before)

1 med. onion chopped ( I like it chopped fine)

1 can, 16 oz. black beans, drained

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic salt

1/3 cup mild taco sauce

1 c. pitted black olives, quartered (omitted them this time, Jo doesn't love olives :) )

2 cans, 10 oz each, mild enchilada sauce,(I used green)

12 flour tortillas (mine works out to be like 9 or 10 in the pan)

3 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese (used a two cup package and it was fine)

1 cup sour cream

I also add chopped peppers (whatever I have, red, green, yellow) and sometimes green chilis- just a little for flavor)

In large skillet, brown onions and peppers in oil. Add chicken, then beans, salts, and taco sauce and olives. Heat until bubbly. Add chilis if using

IN separate pan, heat enchilada sauce. Pour half of the sauce into a 9x13 casserole dish. Spoon 1/3 cup filling onto each torilla (I use like 1/2 cup) roll like a crepe.

Pleace tortillas, seam side down, in casserole. Mix 1 cup sour cream with remaining enchilada sauce. Pour over top making sure sauce covers all tortillas. Top with cheese. Garnish with sliced olives if you wish. Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot. Serve with more sour cream if desired.

YUM!

Here's the hummus recipe. My friend Eva gave it to me. I LOVE it! I use my large food processor and used less oil but then added a little more and also a little more garlic. Once in the bowl to serve I sprinkled more cumin on top. So good!

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)

1/2 c. olive oil (I often just do 1/3 and add more tahini)

1/4 (or 1/3 c) c tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 large cloves of minced garlic

cumin (to taste - I do about 1/2 T.)

Salt (to taste)

Mix in food processor. Great to dip tortilla chips, veggies or pita in!

Blueberry Dutch Baby~

I go blueberry picking every year with some great friends. While I love the fun of the picking, I have to admit that my family doesn't yet have a blueberry LOVE. So we have lots frozen still. I do like making this however. We first made it with my friends two years ago and it's been a blueberry tradition ever since. The recipe came from Tasty Kitchen. I usually just grab a handful of blueberries (maybe a cup) and stick them in. The inside doesn't set up completely, but that's how it's supposed to be. It's great served with powdered sugar!

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup milk

2 whole eggs

2/3 cup flour

1 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt (omit if butter is salted)

1/2 cup blueberries

• (omit If Butter Is Salted)½

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in a glass pyrex pie plate and put it in the oven. Allow the butter to melt. While the butter is melting, whisk together the milk, eggs, flour, sugar and salt. When the butter has melted, remove the pie plate from the oven. Pour in the batter and then sprinkle it with a healthy handful of berries. Place back into the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

The pancake will be very puffy and beautiful. It will collapse slightly as it cools, so if you want a photo, take one quickly!

Fudge Babies

My friend Eva is visiting this week from California and we've made all kinds of fun/delicious/new to me foods!

This is one of our new finds. They are called fudge babies. Now... hang with me here... they are easy and SO good and GOOD FOR YOU! And... healthy! (stay with me...) Here are the ingredients from this blog

1 cup raw walnuts (120 grams)
1 1/2 cups pitted dates (230 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Chop/blend all ingredients in a food processor. Roll into little balls. Makes 24. (ours made 20)

You still with me? We didn't use raw walnuts and for all you nearby, Martins in Warsaw has dates (the whole bag is 230 grams) When you process them they are v. crumbly but they roll together well. We ate a ton plain then got an idea to dip some in coconut- YUM!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chewy Granola Bars

dry ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (I used old fashioned and quick)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 c. chocolate chips

wet ingredients:

1/2 c. honey (I am going to use a little less than this next time I make them)

1 egg

1 Tbs oil

2 t. vanilla extract (I use 1 real and 1 imitation)

1/4 c. peanut butter

1) Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and chocolate chips in a bowl. Stir to remove any chunks

2) Combine egg, oil, honey, and vanilla in a bowl and mix together

3) Mix wet and dry ingredients together, then add peanut butter

4) Place into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and used a greased spatula to spread out, making an even layer

5) Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 15-18 minutes (until the edges start to look brown)

Once cool, you can cut them up and put them in a storage container (but you really should try them warm too - delicious!) I cut them into three parts then into long bars like the quaker bars. These granola bars will keep out on the counter for a few days, or wrap them up and put them in the freezer then take out what you want/need. It will keep you from eating them all too!

I also substituted 1/8 cup wheat germ for part of the flour. A little extra added goodness. Got this from somewhere.. can't remember now, I'll look and then come back and link it. Try it. YUM!

this recipe came from Tasty Kitchen. I marinated the chicken all day- it was definitely dark. The soy sauce is strong in it as is the peanut butter. I'd do a little less. I also doubled the sauce recipe and it was plenty thick. I served cilantro over top, with rice, broccoli and corn. I loved it!

Shane- didn't like the smell (ha!) but said it tasted very good. :)

I used regular jif peanut butter, skipped the sesame seeds (ours were OLD- yuck) and added cilantro at the end.

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

Added by spygirl on January 12, 2010 in Main Courses, Poultry

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 10 Minutes

Servings 3

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pound Chicken, In Chunks
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic (approximately 1 Large Clove)
• 1 Tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter (heaping Tablespoon Even Better)
• ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Mix ingredients and marinate chicken for 2-3 hours.

Cook chicken in the sauce over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is done. Reduce heat to medium-low and add precooked veggies if desired. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

To thicken sauce if needed: reduce heat to medium-low and add a cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water).

Substitutions: replace chicken with tofu; replace peanut butter with tahini or another nut butter; if using regular peanut butter (i.e. Skippy) instead of natural peanut butter, reduce honey by 1 tablespoon.

2

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 10 Minutes

Servings 3

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pound Chicken, In Chunks
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic (approximately 1 Large Clove)
• 1 Tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter (heaping Tablespoon Even Better)
• ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Mix ingredients and marinate chicken for 2-3 hours.

Cook chicken in the sauce over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is done. Reduce heat to medium-low and add precooked veggies if desired. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

To thicken sauce if needed: reduce heat to medium-low and add a cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water).

Substitutions: replace chicken with tofu; replace peanut butter with tahini or another nut butter; if using regular peanut butter (i.e. Skippy) instead of natural peanut butter, reduce honey by 1 tablespoon.

3

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 10 Minutes

Servings 3

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pound Chicken, In Chunks
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic (approximately 1 Large Clove)
• 1 Tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter (heaping Tablespoon Even Better)
• ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Mix ingredients and marinate chicken for 2-3 hours.

Cook chicken in the sauce over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is done. Reduce heat to medium-low and add precooked veggies if desired. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

To thicken sauce if needed: reduce heat to medium-low and add a cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water).

Substitutions: replace chicken with tofu; replace peanut butter with tahini or another nut butter; if using regular peanut butter (i.e. Skippy) instead of natural peanut butter, reduce honey by 1 tablespoon.