Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

In our house, we love anything sweet that involves peanut butter, and we especially love peanut butter and chocolate put together.  Who doesn't?  I found a recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies in Grandma's recipe box, so I made them on Tuesday....they have been devoured.  I made the first couple batches just plain, but then I couldn't resist adding chocolate chips to the last couple batches.  This was a nice, moist, chewy cookie, and they were still fresh the next day.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter (My grandma has a note to cut off 2 tbsp, but I added both sticks whole.)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup peanut butter (I used Peter Pan Honey Peanut Butter.)

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

Chocolate Chips (optional)

Cream butter and sugar.  Add beaten eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Sift flour and soda together, and add to mixture.  Mix well.  Roll into balls, and press with fork (My dough was too sticky to press with a fork; you might try chilling the dough, if you're not in a hurry).  Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Makes 4 1/2 dozen. 

Country Bob's Giveaways

Dan and I are always trying new things and adding new things to our cooking to make it even better.  When I had the opportunity to review Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce, I knew Dan was going to love it.  We had the opportunity to try it this last weekend, and I have to say, it was really good.

Country Bob's started as Country Bob Edson created a sauce that was perfect for grilling; he started out giving his sauce to friends and family and finally began to sell it in 1977, eventually becoming a full corporation in 1982.  He, along with three others, Terry Edson, Al Malekovic, and Reed Malekovic went into business together and have since become very successful.  You may have seen the sauce in stores around your area, but you may not know the legacy behind Country Bob's.  Here's what they have to say on Country Bob's website: It would be nice if we could claim responsibility for the success of the company, however, credit must be given where credit is due. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." We have placed true ownership of Country Bob, Inc. in the hands of God. "Christ is our CEO" and He is an Awesome Boss!  It's so awesome to know that these guys call Christ their CEO; I don't see a lot of companies with these kinds of values nowadays, so it's very refreshing.

We received two bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce, and we first tried it out in a chicken salad that I'd made up quick.  It gave a very zesty flavor to the chicken salad and really was delicious.  Next we tried the recipe for Country Bob's World's Greatest Hamburger. 

This hamburger has both onion soup mix and Country Bob's Sauce, and it was delicious!  Dan actually grilled the burgers, so they had not only the zesty, tangy, almost smoky flavor of the sauce, but they also had the charcoal effect.  Everything combined to truly make prize-winning burgers, at least to my tastebuds.  The sauce itself, in my opinion, is almost like a cross between a really great barbecue sauce and a steak sauce.  With the consistency of a steak sauce, it's great for adding extra flavor to your favorite dishes; however, it'd also be great for dipping your steak.  You can find even more great recipes on Country Bob's website.   If you come up with a new one, you can add it, as well. Country Bob's doesn't just sell all-purpose sauce, though; they also have Spicy All Purpose Sauce,  Barbecue Sauce, and Seasoning Salt. Country Bob's also has a new cookbook available, which is filled with recipes that use this sauce, as well as Inspiring scriptures for living an abundant life.  You can find Country Bob's on Facebook.  You can also sign up to get a bottle for free, and you'll receive a coupon good for one free bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce at a grocery store near you.

Now it's your turn to enter a giveaway; in fact, for this giveaway, 2 winners will be chosen to win 2 bottles each of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce.  If you'd like the chance to win this giveaway, you can enter in one or more of the following ways. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each way that you enter. I'll draw the 2 winners Tuesday, March 16, using Random.org.  Here's how you can enter:

1. Visit Country Bob's Recipes, and let me know which one you would like to try.

2. Visit Country Bob's blog, and leave them a comment.

3. Follow my blog, or you can subscribe to my posts.

4. Follow me on Twitter; you can tweet daily about this post and gain extra entries.

5. Blog about this giveaway, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints.

6. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs or Mom Blog Network (just click the buttons in sidebar).

7. Digg or Stumble this post.

8. Place my blog button somewhere on your blog.

Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

(Disclosure: I was provided 2 bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce, free of charge, by Country Bob's for the purposes of this review.)

Recipe Box: Miss Esther's Banana Bread

One of my Grandma Atkins' best friends and neighbors was Miss Esther.  Miss Esther lived just down a gravel road, not far from my grandma's house; she lived with her brother on their farm.  She sold eggs, and she weaved beautiful rugs.  My grandma used to take me with her to buy eggs, and we'd look through her rugs sometimes, oohing and aahing.  Miss Esther was a schoolteacher at one time; she taught in a one room schoolhouse, and she also wrote the local "gossip" column for the Bado community, the who was where and what they were doing column.  Our names were in that column several times....she would call Grandma to see who had come to visit that week, etc.  Times were definitely different back then; I miss them so much.  Anyway, this is one of Miss Esther's recipes, and wow, is it ever delicious.  The loaf even turned out perfectly in shape, color, and form.  It has become my new banana bread recipe.  Enjoy!

Miss Esther's Banana Bread

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 bananas

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Nuts (Optional; I left these out)

Mix shortening and sugar together; add eggs.  Mash up bananas, and add them.  Mix dry ingredients together; then add to mixture.  Grease a bread pan; this made one big loaf for us.  Scrape batter into bread pan; batter will be slightly thick.  Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes; it took our loaf an hour or more to get done in the middle.  

Have a wonderful day!

Recipe Box: Sour Cream Chocolate Layer Cake

There's a funny story behind this cake; as a somewhat experienced baker, you'd think I'd know better....but I guess not.:)  As I was making the cake, I noticed that my grandma had baking powder written in the ingredients and baking soda in the directions....so I wasn't sure which one to choose.  Of course, I did the baking powder, and my cake turned out a pancake.  Well, that went immediately into the trash, and I started over....goodness.  You have no idea how hard it was for me to throw that cake, with all those ingredients, in that trash can....

Anyway, my second cake turned out delicious after I finally got it right.:)  It's actually from my great grandma's kitchen; in fact, my grandma has written down, "From Mother, Winnie Melton."  I'm so sentimental that I had to share that.  Enjoy this recipe; it's truly delicious!

Sour Cream Chocolate Layer Cake

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

2 squares unsweetwened chocolate, melted

1/4 cup hot water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In bowl stir together flour, sugar, soda, and salt.  Add sour cream, butter, and eggs.  Beat at low speed just 'til blended.  Then beat at medium speed 2 minutes.  Stir in chocolate, and add water; stir 2 more minutes.  Stir in vanilla, and pour into pan.  Now, my grandma used one long glass pan for a one-layer cake, but I used 2 round pans for a round, layer cake.  Make sure to grease pans well, and bake at 350 degrees.  When cool, frost with the following frosting.

This frosting comes from the 1969 Betty Crocker's Cookbook that belonged to my grandma, as well.  I doubled this recipe to make a bit more for my layers.

Cocoa Butter Frosting

1/3 cup soft butter or margarine

1/3 cup cocoa

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

About 2 tbsp milk

Mix thoroughly butter and cocoa.  Blend in sugar.  Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.

Enjoy!  It's a decadent dessert that's filled with all kinds of chocolate happiness.

Recipe Box: Mel's Snowy Day Veggie Stew

My grandma used to make a killer vegetable soup, and I recently found a recipe in one of her cookbooks for a stew.  I don't think it was the exact one she made, but I kinda used it as a base to go off of.  My dad also makes a killer stew, his "son of a gun stew."  Oh, I love it when he makes that.  This recipe is completely my own, though, as I added things to mine just from what I can remember both my grandma and my dad adding, with a few of my own touches.  I hope you enjoy!

Mel's Snowy Day Veggie Stew

1 lb. of stew meat, browned well

46 oz. bottle of V8 Juice (my dad's idea from his stew)

1 can Italian diced tomatoes

Handful chopped carrots

3 potatoes, chopped

1 bag mixed vegetables

1/2 bag corn

1/2 onion (med. to large)

2 stalks celery, chopped

Dash of marjoram- Not too much as it could be overpowering.

Dash of thyme- Not too much, as it could be overpowering, as well.

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

Take all of these ingredients, and add them to crockpot or slow cooker.  It will fill your slow cooker up.  Stir together, and let simmer all afternoon.  It'll fill your house with a wonderful snowy day coziness.  (Hint: I made Oatmeal Bread in the breadmaker to go with this, and the meal was complete.)  

I hope your family enjoys!  This is now a family favorite around here.

I Found a Treasure

I found a treasure today....I didn't even know I had it.  Well, I knew I had it, but I had no idea what it contained or the immense pleasure it would bring me in actually looking through it.  I recently got into one of my Grandma Atkins' old cookbooks, and it had a ton of her recipes in it.  Well, I dug out the recipe box I'd kept from her, and I could not believe my eyes when I started looking through the recipes.  

I wanted to cry, I miss her so much.  As I went through, I noticed she had names on several of the recipes; some of these recipes were from people I'd known growing up, who are now gone.  They were my grandma and grandpa's close friends, like Miss Esther, Stella, Ann, etc.  I just wanted to cry because I was so excited to have found this treasure.  

I mentioned sharing my grandma's recipes on here, as she was a phenomenal cook, and she loved it just from what I can remember and from what I can tell by what she has saved in this box and throughout the cookbook.  My grandma loved, loved, loved chocolate (a trait I inherited), and there are tons of recipes for different kinds of chocolate cake (I still haven't found her Mississippi Mud Cake recipe, though).  So, inspired by the movie Julie & Julia, I'm going to take it to a deeper, more personal level, and I'm going to try one or two of these recipes every week.  I will then share that recipe on here with you, so that you can try it out for yourself and your family.  I'm so excited about this.  This is a treasure I will never let go of....I just can't describe the memories that come flooding back from this.  I could kick myself for not keeping all of her recipes she'd ripped out of magazines or written down.  When we lived in our old house, we had a mouse get into them all, and instead of keeping some of them, I felt I had to get rid of them.  I know....I am kicking myself today.  But to find this, well, it just gives me joy, and it's almost as if I can feel my grandma here with me.  Stay tuned, as we made some extra good cookies from the recipe box today and some homemade veggie stew last night; I'll be sharing.:)

Love,

Split-Second Cookies

This recipe is one of my favorites; it's so delicious! I actually got the recipe from my Taste of Home cookbook, but I've tweaked it just a bit.  The recipe is for Split-Second Cookies; the link will take you to the recipe.  These cookies are even better because they don't take forever to make....

The only things I've done differently is I use blackberry jam instead of raspberry, and I also add powdered sugar at the end, when I take them out of the oven.  I sprinkle it on; it just gives a little extra to the cookies. 
 
Enjoy! 

Christmas Candy Recipe Swap

Christmas is well on its way now, with only 10 days left....I wish these 10 days could just drag by slowly because I love this season.  This past weekend, we came home from church, and I just decided to make some candy.  These two recipes I'm sharing are quick, easy recipes that only took me about an hour to make, and that's with doubling one of them.  So, enjoy, and link up your favorite Christmas candy recipes below!:)  

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers- I've made these, since I was a teenager.  Yum!

2-3 packs of Ritz-like crackers

Peanut butter

Chocolate Almond Bark

Shortening

Take your crackers, and make sandwiches out of 2 crackers and peanut butter.  Fill up 1-2 cookie sheets with these, however many you want to make.  Then melt your almond bark in a saucepan, adding just a tablespoon or so of shortening (we use butter shortening); the shortening just helps to stretch your chocolate and make it slightly thinner.  Make sure to stir your almond bark, so that it doesn't scorch.  Once it's melted, dip your peanut butter cracker sandwiches in the chocolate.  Then chill in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes or so.  Enjoy!  

FYI: I used one package of almond bark for both of these recipes, and I still had some left over....

Buckeyes

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 Tbsp. margarine, softened

1 lb. chocolate confectionary coating (like almond bark)

Mix first three ingredients well, and shape into balls.  Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.  Dip balls in chocolate coating, and chill for another 15-30 minutes.  Yield: 2 dozen.

Now, it's your turn to link up your family's favorite Christmas candy recipes, using Mr. Linky.  Be sure to link back to Real Heart Prints on your own blog.  Most of all, have A Very Merry Heart Prints Christmas!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays: Cinnamon Biscuits

Last week I got a craving for Hardees' cinnamon raisin biscuits, so I made my own variation, adding cinnamon sugar to a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  They were so good....

Mel's Cinnamon Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/3-1/2 cup cinnamon sugar mixture (whichever amount seems right to you)
1/3 cup butter shortening
3/4-1 cup milk

Stir together all dry ingredients; then cut shortening in with a pastry blender.  Make a well in the center, and add all of the milk at once.  Use a fork to stir just until moistened.  Now at this point, you can either roll out the dough, and cut out your biscuits; or you can do like me and drop the biscuits from a spoon onto your baking sheet.  Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden.  

Meanwhile, while biscuits are baking, mix up your frosting for them.  A basic cream cheese frosting is even better, but the following powdered sugar recipe is easy and quick. You'll need the following:

2-3 tbsp butter or margarine

powdered sugar
milk

Mix up the preceding ingredients until you have a slightly thinner frosting that will pour over your biscuits, and pour onto your biscuits while they are warm out of the oven.  Mmmmmm.....enjoy!:)

For more great recipes, visit BlessedwithGrace.

Giveaway: Potluck Survival Guide-Autographed Copy

Five Star Publications recently sent me an autographed copy of the book, Potluck Survival Guide, by Cherie Kimmons.  This book is such a handy resource for anyone who needs meal ideas for their kids' soccer team or football team or for a church function.  The book is meant to help those who are frazzled by the thought of providing just the right food for a potluck meal, especially when it comes to kids.  The author tries to help us make healthy choices when it comes to preparing those meals by educating her readers throughout the book.  There are tips for feeding athletes before a game and after a game.  There are menus and recipes included in this book.  There are even snippets on feeding larger crowds.  Here are some of the recipes included in Potluck Survival Guide:

• Roasted Chicken Thighs
• Divine Deviled Eggs
• Guacamole With Tomatillos
• Sweet and Hot Bacon
• Layered Hamburger Casserole
• Texas Shepherd's Pie
• Cheesy Meatballs
• Baked Hot Wings
• Pizza Sandwiches
• Overnight Company Potatoes
• Easy Italian Spinach
• Pink Lady Frozen Salad
• Bok Choy Salad
• Creamy New York Cheesecake
• Congo Brownies

....and many more.  I love how the author covers certain aspects to cooking certain things and tries to educate the reader or brainstorm with the reader on the best choices and options.  She gives information on ingredients and her favorite sites for finding some of those ingredients.  This book also gives decorating tips for those occasions for which you are cooking. 

If you'd like to win this book, you can enter in one or more ways listed below. Be sure to enter a separate comment for each way that you enter. I will draw the winner using Random.org on Friday, November 27.  Here are the following ways you can enter:

1) Leave me a comment on this post, telling me how you would use this cookbook.

2) Head over to Five Star Publications, and check out their bookstore; then come back, and let me know which item you found that was your favorite.

3) Follow my blog (only if you want to); or subscribe to my posts.

4) Follow me on Twitter; tweet about this giveaway.

5) Digg or Stumble this post.

6) Blog about this giveaway on your own blog, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints.

7) Leave me an additional comment, letting me know how you found out about this giveaway.

8) Place my blog button (located in my sidebar) on your blog/site (only if you want to).

Good luck!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(Disclosure: I was provided with this product, free of charge, by Five Star Publications.)

Bread in 5 Minutes: Giveaway & Review

Recently, I heard about a couple of books that were supposed to help a person learn to make bread in just five minutes a day; it was supposed to not only help the budget, but the bread would be made from my own hands, which meant that I would know every ingredient that was going into that bread.  So, I decided to reserve the books at my library....I waited, and I waited, but still no books; there were actually 16 holds on one of them.  Was I ever happy when I received both books in the mail from St. Martin's Press.  My goal with the book was to be able to make my own bread, without having to buy it in the store, which can get quite expensive. 

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois, seeks to help the reader make their own bread in, literally, five minutes every day.  It is a no-knead concept....so, that long and messy step is completely eliminated in the bread making process.  By pre-mixing high-moisture dough (without kneading) and then storing it, daily bread baking becomes an easy activity.  Most of the recipes in the book call for only a small portion of the dough that you are mixing up, and the rest is stored in the refrigerator for other days through the week.  That dough can usually be refrigerated for up to 12-14 days, which gives you time to use it without the hassle of mixing.  

I actually tried The Master Recipe in the book yesterday; it's a recipe for a French boule.  It was the absolute quickest I have ever made bread.  With only 5 ingredients, it was super easy to mix up (no sifting involved either), and then I actually shaped a loaf and baked it, storing the rest of the dough in the refrigerator.  This batch of dough will actually make four 1-pound loaves.  After I mixed the dough, I just had to let that dough rise for about 2 hours.  Then I took my portion of dough out (about a grapefruit-sized piece), and shaped it, leaving that to rise for just a little bit (the book says to let rise for 40 minutes, but I let it go longer because I got busy with other things).  Then all that was left was baking.  Once it was baked, I forgot to take a picture of the finished loaf (I could kick myself), but it was delicious.  It was also really pretty....there's a small decorative step in the recipe to make it look even more professional.  My husband and I always have a hard time making bread that isn't completely dense all the way through, but this was actually really light and good.  It had a great texture to it; he even commented on that last night.  I don't know about you, but there's nothing quite like having the smell of fresh baked bread waft through the house on a cold winter's day, so I'm pretty excited about this book.  It can actually help me to make bread in very little time, which is important to us, as we are so super busy.... 

With recipes for all kinds of professional looking breads, this book is a great find.  There are a few pictures throughout the book, with a section of colored pictures in the very middle.  Here are just a few of the recipes included in this book: 

• Crusty White Sandwich Loaf
• Bruschetta
• Onion Rye
• Pumpernickel Bread
• 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
• Vermont Cheddar Bread
• Bagels
• Pita Bread
• Pecan Caramel Rolls
• Chocolate Bread
• Braided Raspberry Almond Cream Pastry

Another book I received, with the same concept, was Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois.  This book takes the focus and places it on more healthy breads for a healthy lifestyle....but still recipes that you can make in just a short time every day.  It has a section on breads with hidden fruits and vegetables, as well a section for gluten-free recipes.  In front of each book are chapters on ingredients and equipment you will need, as well as a chapter on some of the different techniques that are used throughout the book.  This gives you time to see how it all works before you even start to make a recipe.  It also allows you to see if you need anything before you dive headfirst into a new recipe.  I found, though, that I could use what I had in my kitchen, with just a little improvisation. 

You will find more healthy recipes in this book, including the following:

• Wreath Bread
• Cinnamon-Raisin Whole Wheat Bagels
• Red Beet Buns
• Zucchini Flatbread
• Grissini (Olive Oil Bread Sticks)
• Indian Spiced Whole Grain Doughnuts
• 100% Whole Wheat Christmas Stollen
• Pear Tarte Tatin
• Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
• Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
• 100% Whole Wheat Bread

....and many more.  You can read more about these books on the Artisan Bread website.

You can actually win this copy of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day!  Believe me, I had a hard time choosing which book to give away because both of them are wonderful!  To enter, you can do one or more of the following, below.  Just be sure to enter a separate comment for each thing that you do.  I will choose the winner on Thursday, November 12, using Random.org.  Check out the following ways to enter:

1) Leave me a comment letting me know what you think about this book and which recipe from above you might try first if you were to win.

2) Blog about this giveaway on your blog, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints. 

3) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

4) Follow my blog, or subscribe to my posts (only if you like it).

5) Be sure to check out the Artisan Bread website, find a post that is very interesting to you, and leave them a comment.

6) Digg or Stumble Real Heart Prints; Digg or Stumble Artisan Bread.

7) Place my blog button on your site (only if you really want to); it's located in my sidebar.

Most of all, have a wonderful day, and be ready for wonderful, fresh-baked bread, easily made, if you're our winner!

(Disclosure: These books were provided to me, free of charge, by St. Martin's Press.)

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays: Tina's Vegetarian Chili

When I worked as a nurse, I had a good friend, Tina, who gave me this recipe for Vegetarian Chili.  She was a vegetarian herself, and she brought in this chili one day for an office potluck.  To be honest, when I pictured vegetarian chili in my mind, I pictured some sort of white, pastey chili with veggies plopped in it.....not so! LOL  I was hooked from that day on, and I have made this my main chili recipe now.  It's so nice because I can just plop it into the crockpot, stir it up good, and supper's basically made for me.  We like to serve it with sour cream and either Fritos or cornbread.  It's wonderful!  Thanks, Tina!:) 

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

1lb of meat or ground soy meat (We actually use the Morningstar soy crumbles that are found in the freezer section at any grocery store.)
1 can of red beans (not Kidney)
1 can of refried beans
1 can of diced tomatoes (w/ juice)
1 little can of tomatoe sauce
3T chilli powder
1tea garlic powder
1T molasses or brown sugar
1tea crushed red pepper
1/4tea cayenne
Salt & Pepper

Put all of these ingredients into your crockpot or slow cooker, and stir together well.  Then let cook for the afternoon or until done. 

For more great recipes, visit Lisa at BlessedwithGrace.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays: Almond Bark Popcorn

With fall coming on, the air is getting a chill, and there's likely to be more Friday nights spent indoors with the family and a good movie, decked out with a couple of good snacks. This recipe is from my Aunt Nancy's kitchen, and it's a yummy snack that is sure to hit the spot. Enjoy!

Almond Bark Popcorn

2 bags microwave popcorn
3 cups rice crispies
2 cups nuts (I'm thinking this will be optional, in our case) :)
1 pkg. vanilla almond bark
3 Tbsp. peanut butter

Pop popcorn. Mix next 2 ingredients. Melt almond bark, and add peanut butter. Mix with popcorn mix. Cool on wax paper.

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, link up with BlessedwithGrace.

Things I Love Thursday: My Favorite Dr.

Ok, I have a confession to make. No, I don't drink coffee; blech! I love the smell but hate the taste....but I love me some good ole Dr. Pepper.:) There is nothing like it, except for water, of course, but sometimes ya just need something with a kick. Now if I could, I'd be drinking Dr. Pepper all the time (as in, have it hooked up to my arm through an IV), but we hardly ever buy soda, seeing as how much money it wastes and how bad it is for us. Plus, I'm not supposed to have caffeine (doctor's orders a while back; a heart thing).

Anyway, look what my Dan brought home to me last night! Yep, he brought me a whole 12-pack of it too! And it's caffeine free!!! Who could ask for more? He was thinking of everything. (I love you, Honey!) Anyway, this is something that I love....I can live without it most of the time, but there are days when that craving is soooooo strong. Mmmmm.....:) I've often envisioned a commercial for Dr. Pepper, where a mom is finally done with grocery shopping, the kids are screaming in the back seat, and she opens up her Dr. Pepper and takes one sip and is whisked away to a paradise-like setting.....yep, that's what it does for me.:)

What do you love? Head over to Diaper Diaries, and share!

Things I Love Thursday: Minis

Michael's has to be one of my favorite all-time stops....it's one store I could spend hours in, truly, especially right now with all the fall decor and crafts out. I don't know what it is about fall, but it makes me want to go to the craft store and smell all the yummy holiday scented candles and ooohhh and awwww....LOL. The other night I was able to make a quick stop there, and I found the cutest little mini loaf pans in all different colors. They had Thanksgiving colors and Halloween colors, so I mixed and matched. They even had them in the shapes of bats or pumpkins. Then they had some that were white with painted designs on the outside for fall. The best part is that they were only $1. I scooped four of them up, one for each of us; that way, we could each have our very own mini loaf of whatever kind of bread.:)

Then this morning, I made my Aunt Betty's recipe for Banana Bread, and it was delicious....
Banana Nut Bread (I make it without nuts, though.:))
From the kitchen of: Aunt Betty

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
4 tbsp. sour milk (add just a little vinegar to milk, and let set for about 5 minutes)
1 tsp. vanilla
Chopped Nuts

1. Sour milk.
2. Sift flour and soda together.
3. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs together.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Add mashed bananas.
6. Add dry ingredients with sour milk.
7. Add nuts.
8. Pour into two greased loaf pans (or 4-5 mini loaf pans). You can use Pam or Crisco spray.
9. Bake at 375 degrees until toothpick comes out a little moist with crumbs. Around an hour.

Turn out on towel covered rack to cool.

For more Things I Love Thursday, link up with The Diaper Diaries.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

Our family loves Mexican food, so I'm always on the lookout for healthy recipes. We especially love enchiladas. I used to make an enchilada casserole that had cream cheese and a can of soup and a host of other unhealthy things....sometimes still do. Recently, though, I've found a new recipe for chicken enchiladas. This recipe is so delicious, especially with sour cream added to the side; not so sure how healthy it is by the time I add all my sour cream (my husband might say, "You want some enchiladas with your sour cream?").:) Anyway, enjoy!

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, link up with Blessed with Grace!

Frugal Fridays: Homemade Jellies & Jams

Lately, I've been really trying to cut corners in order to save money, and I've been thinking of more ways that I can be more frugal when it comes to grocery shopping. It's such a struggle right now with the price of food on those grocery store shelves. Last week, I made a batch of homemade peach freezer jam, and I got to thinking about that a little more. If I were to buy a jar of specialty flavor jam like that in the store, it would probably be $3-4 for just that one jar. So, I got my pen and paper and started doing some figuring.

Our family is a family of 4 right now, meaning with jelly, we don't go through it that fast. I bought one carton of a dozen jars for $7. Sugar is about $2 a bag right now, depending on sales. The Sure Jell is about $1.45 for one box. The fruit or juice I would use to flavor my jelly would probably be between $2-4, also depending on sales. That comes out to about $8 for 6 jars of jam/jelly. Now, if you use bigger jars, each jar will last longer as well. The price comes out to a little over a dollar for one jar of jelly. That's a savings of around $10 for 6 jars of jelly.

Hope I didn't confuse you there....but I just wanted to show how much could be saved by actually getting in there and making your own jelly, not to mention you wouldn't be feeding your children all those yucky preservatives in so many of our foods today. You could reuse the same jars over and over, so you wouldn't have to buy more, depending, of course, on the size of your family. Plus, you can make just about any flavor you want (no need to stick with grape, since it's usually the cheapest). Freezer jam/jelly is super easy to make. I think it took me maybe 30-40 minutes to make my first batch. That's because I had to peel the peaches. If you're using juice, voila, it's easy as pie.

For more Frugal Friday, link up with Life as Mom.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays- Peach Freezer Jam

This weekend, the boys and I headed to the orchard to get some grapes and apples, and while there, we spotted peaches. So, of course, I decided to make some jam. I was dreading it all day because I thought it would take forever....but actually, it was so much easier than what I thought. In fact, I want to make some more.:) Can't wait to try it after it's all set up! You can find the recipe on SureJell's website. Yummo!:)

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, link up with BlessedwithGrace.

Mmmmm.....Peanut Butter and Chocolate

Yesterday I got the urge to make something sweet; it was either that or snack on the bag of chocolate chips I had.:) So, I made peanut butter cookies, only I added some chocolate chips into the recipe....after all, can't leave the chocolate out.Mmmmm....they are so delicious! You might just want to make some yourself. They are Crisco's Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies....and don't forget the most important ingredient, chocolate! Enjoy!