a recipe: baked ravioli

back a few weeks ago, i had planned on making this simple, yet delicious looking meal. i found it on pinterest, much like the rest of my menu choices. and people say pinterest is bad. and this recipe can have quite the variety depending on the sauce or raviolis you choose to use.

when i made this, we definitely had cheese overload as i used cheese raviolis, but next time i'm thinking of using the spinach chicken ones i found at the store.

ingredients:
1 bag of frozen ravioli
1 jar of pasta sauce
1 bag of shredded cheese
parmasean cheese

how to:
preheat oven to 400 degrees. spray sides and bottom of 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

using 3/4 cup of pasta sauce, coat bottom of dish.
create layer of raviolis on top of sauce.
using half of remaining pasta sauce, spread over raviolis.
sprinkle sauce and raviolis with half of the shredded cheese.
repeat ravioli, sauce and cheese layer.
sprinkle top with parmasean cheese.

cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
remove foil & continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until middle of dish is hot and bubbly.

enjoy!
makes for great leftovers too!

thanks again pinterest for yet another delicious meal!

a dressing i could eat for the rest of my days



my aunt hosts an annual egg hunt / easter lunch every year. i've been going for as long as i can remember minus a few years. food is potluck but we can always count on the typical ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and a wealth of desserts that any fat camp or nutritionist would shake their head at.

but this year there was a nice surprise.  she made a simple salad consisting of just fresh cut strawberries and spinach. thats it. and i'm always down for strawberries and spinach in a salad. but this was too simple. the best part.... the dressing! she got the recipe from her son's nutritionist & it is beyond delectable.

simple honey vinegarette dressing:
1/3 cup vinegar - you can use regular or apple cider
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

mix all ingredients! then pour over salad.
its suggested to make just before serving as the ingredients will seperate if its left sitting.

hope everyone is having a fantastic friday! and continues on to have an awesome weekend. i start training tomorrow for my new parttime gig. i can't wait. eek!

and go rangers!

a recipe: crock pot beef tips

being a new mommy, meals have been out on the back burner. no pun intended. unless benjamin's feedings are scheduled to a tee then it will typically interfere with cooking.

so I go for simple yet delicious and wholesome meals until our routine smoothes and becomes more regular. thus my crock pot is my favorite. a new favorite recipe that I have discovered thanks to Pinterest is Beef Tips Over Butter Noodles.

Ingredients:
1-3 lbs stew meat
1 can sprite, 7up or other lemon lime soda (soda can be regular or diet)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package onion soup
1 package brown gravy mix
Mushroom pieces (optional)

Put all items in crock pot and mix thoroughly. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Before serving, prepare butter noodles as instructed on package. Serve. Enjoy!!

This was delicious! So delicious we ate it all! A modification that was thought of was serving over rice rather than noodles for a change or if you don't have noodles on hand.

I hope you and yours enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Want to follow along on Pinterest? Find me under cheersbethani.

a recipe: cheesy chicken enchilada soup

okay y'all..

*in my best paula deen voice*

now that its getting chilly in some parts and already cold in others (please send some snow or real cold), its the perfect time for soups and warm yummy things. last week during soup week one of the girls brought one of the simplest and yummiest soups ever!

 its so easy that anyone can do it. seriously!

cheesy chicken enchilada soup

2 cans drained chicken breast, 13 oz

1 can enchilada sauce, 15 oz

1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz

1 can pinto beans, 15 oz

1 can cream of chicken soup, 10.5 oz

1 can nacho cheese soup, 10.5 oz

1/2 cup chopped green pepper (optional)

1/2 cup chopped red pepper (optional)

1. combine all ingredients into a large sauce pan

2. heat on medium until soup is hot, stirring occasionally

3. serve with torilla chips, fritos, etc.

**our soup didnt have the chopped peppers and it was just as fantastic.**

That's it!

Told ya it was easy. 

 I guarantee you that you won't have any leftovers. & if you do, they won't last long.

In fact with all this yummy talk, I think I'm putting it down for either lunch or dinner Sunday during the football game.

Enjoy!

a dash of pinterest #2

even though our texas temperatures may not be showing it, fall is in full swing.

and that makes me going through the second and starting the third trimester of my pregnancy.

so i find myself eating everything. well except big chunky tomatoes & vomit inducing onions.

and stinky hamburgers, hot dogs and bbq.

and thanks to pinterest, i'm happily pinning away anything that looks slightly delicious.

here are just a few things from my "recipes" board that i find mouth-watering and will be trying soon.

inside out caramel apples

fire crackers

peppermint cheesecake

ten layer cookies

sweet ham and swiss sliders

if you want to follow along, find me here

apple cider anyone?

via

one of the main reasons i love autumn are the recipes. scores of pumpkin this & pecan that.  but apple cider is one of my most favorite and i look forward to when it hits store shelves late september, early october.

while shopping the other day, i saw it, apple cider, sitting there, looking beautiful, calling my name.  but then my eyes saw the price tag. 1 gallon... $5.99. yikes!

then i thought, why not make some?

heres where i need your help. 

i'm looking for some super delicious apple cider recipes.. non-alcoholic of course, so benjamin and i can enjoy..

start sharing! i will be forever grateful.

its an {what i consider} important friday + a recipe



via

 its friday may 25, 2012. you know what that means right?  today is the last day before a three day weekend. a three day weekend to celebrate all those heroes that arent recognized enough. the heroes who gave their lives and time to protect our country. those heroes who leave their families, friends, jobs behind to make our world a better place.. those heroes who should never be forgotten.

but this friday is also a day closer to my birthday.  a day more that i am married to my wonderful husband. a day closer to christmas.  a day more of living a more healthy lifestyle.  its friday. one of the best possible days of the week.  its also payday!!

also:

we have a bunch of awesome people coming over for a super grill out session sunday.  i cant say how bad i want a good ol home grilled hamburger.. sans bun of course.. 

i will try this for the first time.  its a terrific subsititute for chips, or anything fried potato.

monday, i'm making those super delicious looking avocado cucumber salad rolls from this post a couple days back..

i may finally get that movie night i've been craving the past couple weeks.  we've been trying to fit it in. we really have, but things like blue bloods, metalist and all our other awesome DVRed items trumped a movie.

the first group of snail mail social addresses went out to their respectable people yesterday! very excited about getting my package together, sending it out and having our link up party....

-------------------------------------------------------

and since its friday and for those participating or following along on the i am me series, here's a recipe i made last night.. great addition for pasta, salads, or anything needing a little protien.

simple low-fat turkey meatballs

ingredients
1/2 lb all white meat lean ground turkey

1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 egg
1/2 cup dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
olive oil (for browning meatballs, not in mixture)

how to:

Beat egg in large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients.Mush together well using your hands.
Form into 1/2 inch balls.Heat small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp to keep this recipe low-fat) in skillet.
Put half the balls into the skillet and cook until browned evenly on outside.
Remove and add remaining balls.

eat!

enjoy your weekend everyone!!

a dash of pinterest



red velvet cookies



english muffin pizza



cucumber avocado salad rolls





avocado olive quesadillas



buffalo chicken dip



blackberry margarita

want to follow along?

you can here!

a recipe: triple chocolate peanut butter pudding cake

who's feeling a little crae crae this morning?? oh dont know what crae crae is? oh thats like the new super hip, cool person slang for crazy apparently.  and that person who's feeling super crae crae, its me.  i dont know if its the lack of sleep catching up with me (thank you non stop, no reason at all barking puppy) or the amount of work at work thats not working that is causing this crae crae feeling, but i have this really bad gut feeling before the week is over (or even possibly today) someone will be crying. whether its me doing the crying or its me causing someone to cry, its gonna happen. and its not intentional at all. its just pure, raw & hard core frustration.

and what do you do when all those feelings are happening? bake something filled with ridiculous amount of chocolate & sugar. thats what!!! i found this recipe thanks to pinterest.  it wasnt actually on pinterest, but when i linked from another recipe on pinterest, it took me to bhg, which i love, which linked me over to this:

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup chocolate milk or regular milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter-flavor pieces

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Chocolate bar pieces (optional)

How to:

1. Lightly coat the inside of a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. (oh and when it says a specific size slow cooker, they have a reason for it.. i used a large one, and make cake was thinner than normal, but still delicious.)



2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add chocolate milk, oil, and vanilla; stir just until moistened. Stir in peanut butter pieces, chocolate pieces, and peanuts. Spread batter evenly in the prepared cooker.


3. In another medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Gradually stir in boiling water. Carefully pour cocoa mixture over batter in cooker.


4. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.


5. Remove liner from cooker, if possible, or turn off cooker. Let stand, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly. To serve, spoon pudding cake into dessert dishes. If desired, top with ice cream and chocolate bar pieces.


I dont dare add the nutrional information for this, because I mean if you really want to make this, then you really dont have concern for calorie count, I promise.  But if you still insist, you can find it here.

Thanks bhg for filling my chocolate needs!Enjoy!

a recipe - french dip crescents

if you dont already know, french dips are absolutely one of my most favorite foods and things that exist on this planet.  i dont know what it is about them that i love so much but they make me salivate just thinking about them.  it possibly could be the jus-jus juice. 

and since im such a die-hard pinterest & recipe fan, i thought it was about time i found my own recipe to make these little wonders at home. and boy did i find a recipe.  not only are they beyond easy to make, they made me wish i had bought more roast beef to make more. but then i would have really made myself look like a hoglette.




courtesy of

i actually was so excited about my cute little french dips, i didnt even take pictures of them or think about it til they were gone.  fail on that note.. next time i will, because there will be many more next times of this recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced

4 slices provolone cheese

4 tsp horseradish sauce or Ranch dressing

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 packet Au Jus Gravy mix

How to:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Spread 1/2 teaspoon horseradish sauce or Ranch dressing on each crescent. Top each crescent with 1/2 slice provolone cheese and roast beef. Roll up crescents and place on baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.

While crescents are baking, make Au Jus according to directions on packet.

Serve with french fries or chips.

This recipe was superb!!!!  Alot of people talked about how they are slightly soggy, but typically french dips get that way with the cheese and au-jus, so yeah I'm not complaining at all. & husband totally loved the recipe as well, so thumbs up from us!

hump day happiness

a few things i'm loving on this 18th day of april.  

food pins on pinterest

rainbow fruit skewers

cheeseburger eggrolls

i must say i have a healthy addiction to pinterest.  mainly the food section.  it makes finding recipes and meal ideas more exciting than just coming up with them on your own or googling for hours on end.  plus theres pictures. yummy pictures.  these two items are just a couple of the recipes i've added to my must do list. 

have pinterest? lets be friends!!

you can find me here

pallet garden

via

really hoping to accomplish this little project in the next couple of weeks for our backyard.  rather than leaving natural wood brown, i plan on adding some color to mine.  thanks to my brother who has pallets readily available to him.

scenic drives

driving home in the afternoons has been rather refreshing once i get past the city.  all the trees, natural vegetation and animals that i get to see on my route makes for a very relaxing drive, giving me time just to soak up all God's natural beauty on the Earth.  plus lots of just thinking time - reflecting on the day i just had + things ahead of me.  some days i just want to pull over and take pictures of everything, but i probably could spend hours doing that, so maybe that will be a weekend activity. 

what items on todays happiness list?

a recipe: slow cooker barbeque beef

this past weekend was such an awesome weekend! 

husband and i got so much yard work accomplished that we couldnt top high-fiving one another. another post will reveal a few of our little projects that we completed. i must say being a homeowner has been a pretty rocking feeling with all the fun things we get to put our skills towards.

my brother, wife and their two kids came over and helped us out tremendously!!  so in true bethani fashion, i decided to cook something super delicious to:

1.) feed our super hungry bellies after a long hardworking day

&

2.) a way to say thanks for all their help.

i thought and thought and finally decided on:

slow cooker barbeque beef

i found this recipe through my mom on pinterest. she has made this once before and i love, love, loved it. so did husband.  and not only does the recipe leave you with tons of leftovers, but it also can be used in a bunch of different ways.

Ingredients:

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Makes enough meat to stuff 30 tacos

4 chipotle peppers (from a can) plus all the adobo sauce it sits in

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 head garlic, peeled and cloves smashed

5 dry bay leaves

2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Juice of 4 limes

1/2 cup cider vinegar

5 to 7 pounds beef brisket

4 to 6 cups beef or chicken stock

How to:

Stir together chipotle peppers and sauce, cilantro, red onion, garlic, clove, salt, lime juice, and cider vinegar in the insert of a slow cooker (if you have a food processor, pulse till combined first before adding). Place the brisket on top of this mixture. (I like to cut my brisket in two pieces so it fits better in the slow cooker.) Add stock to cover the meat and place bay leaves on top. Use tongs to move the meat around gently to combine everything and put the lid on.

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Once finished, turn crock pot to WARM and let sit for 6 to 8 hours.

 

Remove meat from slow cooker and place on rimmed baking sheet. Use two forks to pull the meat apart. Discard the fat, if desired. If you plan on frying it again before use, the small fat bits are extra tasty and should be kept! Place shredded beef in large bowl and ladle cooking liquid over the top a few scoops at a time. You want the meat to hold the liquid but not swim in it.

To keep it warm for guests you can return it to your slow cooker after you have removed the remaining liquid. That liquid is extra tasty and can be frozen into ice cube-sized portions to be used in other dishes later, if you so desire. Serve with fresh tortillas, onion, cilantro, and salsa.

Ours made enough for everyone plus I have a whole brisket left for leftovers throughout the week!! Last night, I decided to make something else with some of the brisket as a quick meal for husband and i so we went with:

brisket egg scramble

i hope everyone had a super awesome weekend!! 

stay tuned this week for part 1 of our yard's overhaul

plus some other fun stuff!

a recipe: super simple monkey bread

last week husband got a hankering for monkey bread.  if you've never had monkey bread you are definitely missing out.  its super yummy & gooey, but most of all super easy!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar **
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

** i discovered super early sunday morning that i didnt have any sugar (seriously!!) and so i subsituted splenda. and it worked delicious!!! to substitute splenda, 12 packets of splenda equate to 1/2 cup sugar.

How to:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease fluted tube pan, aka bundt pan, with shortening or cooking spray. 

2. In large plastic zipper bag, mix granulated sugar (or splenda) and cinnamon.

3. Seperate dough into 16 biscuits.  Quarter each biscuit into four pieces.

4. Place biscuit quarters into zipper bag with sugar and cinnamon.

4. Close bag and shake well to even coat all pieces. 

5. Arrange covered biscuit pieces in bundt pan.  If you are adding walnuts and/or raisins, this is where you would mix them, while adding pieces.

6. Combine melted butter and brown sugar in bowl.  Pour/drizzle evenly over biscuit pieces.

7.Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center.

8. Turn upside down on serving plate. Pull apart to serve..

Note: very very hot when first served.. be careful!

Enjoy!

a recipe - sweet potato casserole

this is one of my favorite holiday dishes of all time! say goodbye to the yams with marshmellows on top.

you can see some of my other favorite recipes here.

gobble your little hearts out.

if anyone knows me, they know i love food.  so it wouldn't be surprising for me to absolutely love the holidays for that reason alone. that excuse to eat more than the food pyramid is comprised of or what all the foodie, know it all, dieticians recommend for a daily, weekly or possibly monthly intake. thankgiving is also about giving thanks, which i started here, but this post is an ode to some of my thanksgiving and/or holiday favorites.  i mean christmas is only a few weeks away, where i will happily repeat this cycle of overeating in an order to please the inner over eating fool thats aching to get out.

below is one of my favorite recipes for the holidays - which i usually end up making and taking to our family meals.

the next four days of mine are going to be jammed packed of holiday meals, family visits, black friday shopping (heck yeas!) & just some nice relaxtion.  i will be back next monday with a recipe for yummy sweet potato casserole!

from the husband and i, we hope you have an extremely blessed & loving Thanksgiving with the ones you love. eat lots, drink some, watch some terrific turkey day football, sleep plenty, shop your hearts out & enjoy the holiday!

love you all.

a recipe - sweetheart cherry cheese danish

so i promised a few days ago that i would start sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes with everyone. 

here's one of my absolute favorites!

its perfect for any holiday, but we love it for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

i dont like cherry that much, but this treat is sure to be a hit around the dinner table, even with non-cherry lovers like me. and the best part, its super simple & can even be eaten for breakfast!

Sweetheart Cherry Cheese Danish

Ingredients:

• 2 8-ounce tubes refrigerated crescent roll sheets or dinner rolls
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 21-ounce can LUCKY LEAF Regular or Premium Cherry Pie Filling
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

How-to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Unroll 1 package of crescent rolls and fit into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes
3. In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar & vanilla. Spread mixture over hot dough in baking dish.
4. Next, spread a layer of LUCKY LEAF cherry pie filling over the cream cheese mixture. Unroll remaining crescent roll dough & lay on top of the pie filling.
5. Combine 1Tbsp sugar, almonds and melted butter. Sprinkle over top of dough.
6. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 servings.

Enjoy!  

Few tips

- they say not to grease the pan, but I experienced extreme frustration when I didn't, so I suggest lightly greasing it.
- i actually make a little more topping (sugar, butter, almonds) so we have lots of nutty crunchiness on top.
- you can experiment with our pie fillings, like blueberry.. its pretty awesome too!

ode to peppermint + a recipe

this past weekend was full of whirlwind excitement.  not really, but when i say it, sometimes it feels that way.  it was busy to say the least, but we definitely took advantage of the extra hour and got a few things accomplished.

the step father in law is now on the extended stay program at the hospital where he can receive much love and TLC.

we ate some super terrific pizza here, while playing in downtown fort worth. can i recommend the mediterranean thin crust pizza?  

after stuffing our faces, we continued our fat kid marathon with some amazing cupcakes.

we also tickled our funny bones with this cinema feature.  you've got to see it in 3D for full effect.  can i say i want a waffle bot for christmas?

i went on a small ode to peppermint craze, where i managed to find these. but it was actually Nabisco brand Oreos! and they were heavenly!

finalized our weekend with grocery shopping & football.  oh and taco soup! (recipe below)

Taco Soup

1.5 lbs extra lean ground beef - (I actually used ground turkey and it turned out amazing!)

1 can ranch style beans

1 can pinto beans with jalapenos

1 can hominy - (I didn't add this - neither of us are huge fans)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 can Rotel mild (use extra hot for a really spicy soup - that's what I did)

1 can whole kernel corn

1 package dry taco seasoning mix

1 package dry hidden valley ranch dressing mix

Directions

Brown ground beef (or turkey).  Drain.

Combine meat with remaining ingredients in a large pot.  (I used my crock pot for this)

*I also filled up the diced tomato can twice with water and poured in for more broth.

Simmer until flavors are well blended & hot.

Top with cheese and enjoy with tortilla chips.

Recipe can be doubled easily. 

Also freezes well!

The mister and I really love this soup.  I actually have another variation of taco soup, but I prefer the one above more because it was soupier than the previous. The previous one is actually a stoup, so if you want something stewier, then thats perfect for you.

What did you and your loved ones do this past weekend??

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