Super Easy Doughnut Holes

Sorry I haven't posted much lately...to be honest I have been sitting around being pregnant...haha And a little sick. Having a sinus infections while pregnant is not fun!

This is something my brother used to make all the time. If I was lucky he would share! So I learned how to make them :) They are pretty darn easy!!

Ingredients
Shortening (to cook in)
1 Can of biscuits
Powdered sugar

Directions
Put shortening in pot and heat until hot enough to cook, I put a tiny piece in so I know when it's ready. While it is heating cut/rip biscuits into 4ths. When your shortening is hot enough, put 8-10 pieces of biscuits in the pot. They will usually turn themselves over when one side is done, if not its easy to do :) When they look done put them on a paper towel and let them cool a couple minutes. Then roll them in powdered sugar and they are done!! Easy right?

I hope you all enjoy these as much as my family does!!

Julia's Banana Bread

I had some banana's that were just right for banana bread. I have a recipe I usually use but had pinned one recently so I thought I would give it a try. I love banana bread!!! I was excited for it :)

http://cannella-vita.blogspot.com/2013/03/julias-banana-bread.html

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
3/4 cup vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

When making this...my pregnant brain happened. I was measuring the flour and meant to grab the 1 cup and the half cup...I was doubling the recipe..I realized after I had started mixing it in that I had grabbed the 3/4 cup and the 2/3 cup instead. Being pregnant the last thing I wanted to do was math...so I added another 2/3 cup and called it good. The bread was good as far as banana bread goes. My husband didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Then I told him what I had done and he laughed. It wasn't a bad recipe, but I like my usual one better. I will have to do it one day and post it on here :)

Cookie Pie

I want sweets all the time. So I found this one and it looked good. It is supposed to be like a cookie cake....just in a pie pan. I have never made one of these before. So I thought it would be a good one to try.

http://www.thefoodette.com/2012/03/m-cookie-pie.html

M&M Cookie Pie
1cup + 1 tbs AP Flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter softened (I used "light" country spread)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Texas shaped container of M&M's- OR- 1-ish cup.

Preheat oven to 325*
Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg and extract and blend. The combine flour and baking soda- mix until completely incorporated. Fold in the M&M's. Dump into a greased 9.5" pie pan and bake for 25-30 mins. You know the drill, when a toothpick/ridiculously small pairing knife comes out clean it's donzo.
Cool, cut into cookie pie slices and enjoy!

Well I thought it was pretty good :) I have only had a cookie cake a few times and it was better then ones I had. It was nice and soft and AMAZING warm! However, I liked my blondies quite a bit more than this.

Baked Zucchini Fries

I needed something for lunch today, and I had no time to go to the store. I went to pinterest :) I had a few zucchini's in the fridge so figured this sounded good.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/07/baked-zucchini-fries/

Ingredients
1 lb. zucchini squash $1.69
¼ cup all-purpose flour $0.04
⅛ tsp salt $0.01
1 cup panko bread crumbs $0.35
¼ cup parmesan cheese $0.24
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend $0.15
1 large egg $0.25
Instructions
Rinse and dry the zucchini. Cut the ends off and then cut each one into strips, approximately ⅓ inch thick.
Place the zucchini strips on a large zip top bag and add the flour and salt. Shake the bag to coat the zucchini in flour. In a wide, shallow bowl combine the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. In a second wide, shallow bowl, whisk a raw egg with about 1 Tbsp of water until fairly smooth.
Begin to preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then place two wire cooling racks over top. One by one, take the flour coated zucchini strips and dip them in the egg and then the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place the breaded zucchini on the wire cooling racks. The wire racks keep the zucchini up off of the baking sheet and allows hot air to circulate underneath, which will prevent soggy bottoms. Also make sure there is a small amount of space between each strip to allow circulation.
Once all of the zucchini strips are breaded, bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until they are a medium golden brown color. Cooking time will vary with the thickness of your zucchini strips, so keep a close eye.

Well they were pretty good! My 15 month old even ate them! We dipped them in spaghetti sauce and had some pasta roni with it. I will for sure be making these again. YUM!!

Pepperoni Rigatoni

Pepperoni Rigatoni is a dish FOR pinterest. My mom used to make this all the time! I always liked it. I like it a lot more now, because of how easy it is to make!! I am all for yummy and easy :) I will tell you, this isn't an exact recipe...because well, I just do it as I go.

Ingredients
Penne noodles, I used about a half of a bag
Spaghetti sauce, I used a jar
A can of sliced olives, drained
Shredded Cheese
Pepperoni's cut in half, I honestly have no idea how much I used, maybe 30ish? but you can do as much or as little as you want :)

Preheat oven to 350. Boil noodles until cooked. Drain noodles. Put them back in the pot you used to cook them. Add the rest of the ingredients(not all the cheese). Stir and put in a 9x9 pan. Cover with cheese and bake 20-25 minutes.

Easy right? I know I was a little vague with measurements, but really it is all on how you like it. I like to use a lot of sauce. Not everyone likes it as saucy as I do. I usually put more cheese in the mixture then I showed, but I didn't have anymore :) Hope you enjoy!!

Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls

I had really been wanting cinnamon rolls. So a friend gave me this recipe she found on Pinterest :) I was a little nervous...I had never made cinnamon rolls before, but I didn't care...I REALLY wanted some!

http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/breads/cinnabons-cinnamon-rolls/

Ingredients:

Dough
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine (I used butter)
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour
Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened
1 tbsp of flour
Cream cheese icing
6 tbsp margarine (I used butter)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
See Kid-Friendly Halloween Desserts
Instructions:

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour to the bowl of a mixer and mix well.
Pour the milk/yeast mixture in the bowl and using the dough hook, mix well until well incorporated.
Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 16 inches long by 12 inches wide.
It should be approx 1/4 thick.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make filling, combine the butter, brown sugar, margarine and cinnamon in a bowl.
Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.
Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cooking time can vary greatly!
While the rolls are baking make the icing but mixing all ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

Well I loved them!! I doubled the recipe and it made 21. My husband helped take pictures....I only posted one of the ones he took, and it is his face. Haha. Everyone seemed to like them. My mother in law said they had too much cinnamon, but no one else thought so :) I can't wait to make them again!!

8 Can Taco Soup

Well....Rain outside, a little cold. SOUP WEATHER!!! WAHOO!! I love soup! It is the best time of the year. So I went to Pinterest to find a recipe. This is one I had almost everything for.

http://www.highheelsandgrills.com/2012/09/8-can-taco-soup.html

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15.25 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken breast, drained
1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large pot.
Heat until warm, stirring occasionally.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Sounds easy right? RIGHT! I didn't have a can of tomatoes, so I got some from the garden and blended them a little bit. I also didn't have enchilada sauce, so I added about 2/3 cup water and some chili powder and garlic salt. We both thought it was great! It was a little bit spicey, I might have done a little too much chili powder. I still loved it! So easy!! I will be following this one again! Maybe I will even have everything it calls for :)

Brown Sugar Blondies

I love sweets right now, I thought this one looked yummy :)

http://www.cupcakediariesblog.com/2012_01_01_archive.html


Valentine's Day Brown Sugar Blondies
Baked Perfection
makes a 9x9 pan
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 c. Valentine's Day M&M's (Or however much you want. If I had it my way I'd dump the whole bag in!)
Directions

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Melt 1/3 c. butter. Place it in a mixing bowl then add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar; mix well and cool slightly. Add egg and vanilla and blend well.
Add the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing well. Mix in about 2/3 c. of the M&M's.
Spread in a greased 9x9 pan. Sprinkle more M&M's on top (about 2/3 c. more, or desired amount).
Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. *Double the recipe if you would like to make it in a 9x13 pan.*

As you can see, I used chocolate chips not M $ M's. Its what I had and it was YUMMY! I am pretty sure that everyone like them. I cooked them in my 9 x 13 for 25 minutes, they were still pretty gooey....not that I minded. I would suggest if doubling the recipe like I did, that you add some extra cooking time. I am sure that 5 more minutes would be great! I can't wait until I can make these again! I might have to do it today!

Korean Beef Using Ground Beef

I have only ever had Korean beef once. I remembered it being good. I figured hey, why not try this one out. I had been waiting to make it for when I had time...Tonight at the inlaws my mother in law started looking to cook dinner. She asked what I thought about spaghetti....In that house they have spaghetti 3-5 times a month...I kindly said let me look on pinterest and see if I can find something different. Thats when I remembered this one!

http://www.food.com/recipe/korean-beef-using-ground-beef-494491

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
crushed red pepper, to desired spiciness
ground pepper
6 green onions, diced

Directions:

1
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger with garlic in the sesame oil.
2
Drain fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper and ground pepper.
3
Simmer for a few minutes to blend flavors.
4
Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/korean-beef-using-ground-beef-494491?oc=linkback

Well as you can see, we didn't have any green onion. I used a little veggie oil instead of sesame. We also didn't have ginger. We added a little chili powder, onion powder, and vinegar to help make up for this. Once it was done it started smelling yummy! I LOVED it! My hubbie had thirds...I think that means he enjoyed it as well. My mother in law said that it was a little spicy, but we like it! The hubbie says that you should add the crushed red pepper in when you are cooking the meat instead of after. We also decided that adding potatoes, carrots, or broccoli would taste great! That is the only thing we will be changing next time we make this! :)

Lazy Cake Cookies

I was in the mood for something sweet earlier today, so I went to Pinterest :) I found this and was excited because I had everything I needed to make it!

http://www.imalazymom.com/recipes/lazy-cake-cookies/

Lazy Cake Cookies:

1 box yellow or white cake mix
2 eggs beaten
5 T melted butter
2 C M&M’s or mini chocolate chips

Mix together, put in a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 min!

As you can see I used a chocolate cake mix. It's what I had :) Also I used medium eggs and I put in an extra because it didn't look wet enough. I also added a splash of water, because the entire cake mix still wasn't wet. I cooked about 23 minutes...should had done a little longer. Other then that, it was yummy and easy! A little gooey in the middle, but that didn't stop me from eating it! The only thing that did stop me was the fact that I ran out of milk....that will be fixed in the morning :) I am glad I did a chocolate cake it was yum! I will have to try it with a yellow or white some other time and let you know how it is.

Orange Julius

Pregnant craving!!! I used to have these as a kid an loved them! When I figured out thats what I wanted I found a recipe.

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/75/d7/99/75d799df6b5f416ea7ce98bcb1e7f175.jpg

Copycat Recipes: Orange Julis
INGREDIENTS
1 can 6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 ice cubes
DIRECTIONS
In a blender, combine the orange juice, milk, water, sugar and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth. with blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time, through the opening in the lid. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Well i just added everything at once. It was just what i wanted. Yes...the bigger glass was mine, and yes i finished mine before my hubbie :) YUM

Cookie Dough Brownies

Is your mouth watering too? Mine sure was after I saw this one. I knew that it was something that I would make! Being pregnant...I have been wanting sweet! Mostly I have been wanting cookie dough.

http://www.thehubofourhome.com/2013/05/cookie-dough-brownies.html

Cookie Dough Brownies
Brownie Batter
1 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 Cup Cocoa
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Flour
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In your mixer add the butter and sugars. Mix until completely combined. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. Spread the batter in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Cool completely before frosting. Enjoy!
Cookie Dough Frosting
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 and 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
5 Tablespoons Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips(mini or regular)
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the flour and salt stir until combined. Stir in the milk and beat until the frosting is fluffy. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Spread on cooled brownies and frost. Enjoy!

Well, they were awesome!!! There was a downside....I HAD to have milk!! My cute 14 month old daughter was licking the plate after. I took some in to my husbands work and it seemed that everyone liked them. They are pretty rich, you really only need one...or two :) Make these! So worth it!