A Shout Out for Zucchini!

I love zucchini! Fried zucchini, grilled zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini fritters and especially these sweet zucchinin cupcakes!  My zucchini plants have been very productive this summer, despite the lack of moisture.

A shout out for blueberries!

I love summer and all the fresh fruits and veggies!  Blueberries, cherries, peaches, zucchini, squash, tomatoes.....and the list goes on and on.

Being a raised in Northern Indiana, I had the luxury of getting fresh fruit from Michigan.  Did you know that Michigan is the #1 producer of blueberries and cherries? 

The boys were visiting my parents over the weekend and knowing that blueberries are in season, I had my mom get me 10 lbs of blueberries from her local fresh produce retailer.  Guess we will be eating plenty of blueberries this week!

The first thing I fixed with my fresh blueberries were these yummy blueberry muffins! Trust me, they are nothing like a box and so much more delicious!

Best. Chicken. Marinade. Ever.

Best. Chicken. Marinade. Ever.

Saturday Cooking with the Kids

My kids love to cook....especially when it comes to cracking eggs and using measuring cups.  I take advantage of their enthusiasm and encourage them to help in the kitchen. Of course, I pay for it later because their mess is twice what mine would be. Oh well - it's worth every bit of mess!!

My kids love this recipe - Fluffy French Toast.

Rhubarb Season: Rhubarb Surprise Pie

I love rhubarb! I'll say it again.....I LOVE RHUBARB!!!

I could literally eat rhubarb in some form or another at every meal. In fact, I at a piece of this pie for breakfast this morning. Not gonna lie......I eat sweets for breakfast!

This recipe was given to me by my grandmother. She also gave me my first two rhubarb plants about ten years ago.  They are old plants that produce giant stalks of rhubarb each year.

Rhubarb Season: Raspberry Rhubarb Crunch

I love RHUBARB!

Of course, not everyone develops a taste for this tart and tangy morsel.  That's fine with me and my family. We love it!

Hunk of Meat Monday: Leftover Easter Ham

The joy of a holiday.

The hustle and bustle of preparing food and cleaning the house.

The conversation with family and friends.

The excitement of a child getting to see his cousins or search for Easter Eggs.

And the dreaded cleanup.

And the leftovers.

What do you do with the left over ham from Easter dinner? I have a solution: freeze your ham and save it for a later date.

Date Night: Flourless Chocolate Cake & Chasing Cows

The kids are at grandma's house, so the hubs and I decided to enjoy the evening to ourselves. A quick trip to Sam's Club and home for a movie - without any interruptions.

Yeah right!

The phone rings at 9:12 p.m., "You have cows out".

The fight or flight syndrome kicks in instantly. Shoes on, grab a coat, lock the door and bolt for the truck.

Race down the road, headlights pointing towards the fields.

Iron Chef Challenge: Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

WARNING: Recipe below will be loaded with calories.

LOTS of calories.

But I promise, for those of you that have a passion for peanut butter, it will fulfill your cravings like no other dessert.

Well, except for maybe a spoonful of PB right out of the jar!!

Just look at that slice of heaven!

Hunk of Meat Mondays: Texas Steak Rub

I love grilling season. Nothing tastes as good as a fresh piece of meat hot off the grill - especially a juicy steak!

Hunk of Meat Mondays: Honey BBQ Baked Chicken

So, Squirrel and Bugs are not huge fans of chicken or yard bird as they prefer to call it. However, I like to be a well rounded individual and support all aspects of livestock farming. Plus, there are only so many ways to fix a hamburger or ground beef!

This recipe was an instant hit. Simple, easy, and delicious. It will be fixed again! Especially now that April showers are upon us.

I love spring......but loathe this dreadful windy days and the stormy days!

Fruit Delight - So Delightful

Last summer, my family and I visited our wonderful Polish friend in Idaho. (She's really not polish, we just tease her about her last name.) We visited Yellowstone National Park and spent some wonderful days visiting the west. Squirrel and Bugs were speechless. They didn't know a country without corn fields but with beautiful mountains and wildlife existed.

Hunk of Meat Mondays: Pepsi Pork Chops

This is a great recipe for working mothers. Why? It calls for a slow cooker!

I'm not sure how my grandmother taught school for 35 years and functioned without a slow cooker!

 Pepsi Pork Chops - before cooking

Iron Chef Challenge: Canned Tomatoes

This is the first time I have participated in Ott A's Iron Chef Challenge. When I saw what the ingredient was, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Canned Tomatoes.

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

Yummy, delicious and delectable! That about sums these wonderful cinnamon rolls. Print this recipe off and make them for breakfast Saturday morning. You'll be a hit!

The ingredients couldn't get much easier than this.....a yellow cake mix, all purpose flour, warm H20, salt and yeast.

The filling is cinnamon, sugar, more sugar and butter.

Low calorie, I promise.

The icing is low cal too.....powdered sugar, water, maple flavoring and vanilla!

Look at that butter....just begging for the sugar and cinnamon. What ooey, gooey goodness!

Aahhhhh.......the sugar!

Look at these beauties.....just waiting to go rise for another hour!

The final product......mmmmmmm......my mouth can't stop watering!

I think I ate my weight in these with this batch!

Enjoy and let me know if you are the paid a million compliments.....but remember, you are the baker, so you get the first one.

Or the first ten. Who's counting?
Jill

Hunk of Meat Mondays

Cowboy Stew

I found this recipe while living in Montana. It's supposed to be cooked in a a cast iron pot, but I'm a working mother and don't have the time to babysit a cast iron pot on the stove. Althought I just imagine how much more flavor this dish would have with cast iron!

I love this recipe for it's simplicity. It's easy to fix. Minimal labor and a great way to use hamburger.

The ingredients all mixed together. We are ready to seal the lid and start the time.

Of course, I had to put in a slow cooker liner to minimize my cleaning. I would love to meet the person who created these little bags.....I'm sure it was a woman!!!

The finished product.....just looks like a meal fit for a hard-working livestock farmer!!

Cowboy Stew.....fix it for your farmers and enjoy!!

Jill

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

In honor of Valentine's Day, Bugs and Squirrel helped me make Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. Nothing is better then Whoopie Pies, just ask my boys!

Well, I can't argue either. Chocolate cake and filling....right up there with chocolate and peanut butter.

You'll need a variety of ingredients, but the most important thing to do is make sure you have plenty of red food coloring. This recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of red food coloring. That was more than I had on hand, so I made to make a quick trip to town.

The wet ingredients for the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. An important note, make sure to watch the red food coloring! If it splashes on your counter top or you, clean it up immediately! It can stain!

Also, I didn't have clear vanilla extract, so I used the regular dark liquid and my whoopie pies came out fine!

The dry ingredients for the whoopie pies.

The batter with the melted chocolate slightly stirred in. Does this not look absolutely delicious!! My mouth was watering at this point!

One baked whoopie pie, just waiting for it's buddy and some delicious filling!

Sorry, I have not pictures of the filling, but it's pretty easy to make!

The finished product. Heaven!

By this time, the drool was running down both sides of my mouth. I am a woman who LOVES sweets!

Yummo!!

Hunk of Meat Mondays

Chicken and Black Bean Stoup



My husband is not a big fan of chicken...unless it has a lot of flavor added to it! Actually, it's all poultry, yard bird, etc. - he just says chicken doesn't have the flavor of a good, juicy steak, grilled to perfection. What can I say...we like our red meat!

I found this recipe about a year ago and it was an instant hit! I highly recommend it to any working mother as it covers both meat and veggie, and even dairy.

It's really quite simple, two cans of black beans (note I was out of black beans and opted for pinto beans), frozen corn, salsa and four to five skinless chicken breasts. I can my own salsa, thanks to Mrs. Wages! For this recipe I used a jar of hot salsa.

Place the chicken breasts on the bottom and dump the rest of the ingredients in. Set your slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

I serve it with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. My family loves this and I am sure your's will too! Happy Cooking!!