Cooking Thursday~ honey ham

By 7am yesterday morning, I knew it would be a day where I did not want to make dinner.

My choices were...hire a personal chef, eat out, or turn to my good friend...my crockpot.

After I had decided on a crockpot meal, my son asked, "Mom can you pleassssssse make honey ham?

Since I had everything I needed I said sure!

I like to get the Farmland half hams to make this recipe. I had a pkg of turkey ham also and decided to make it all at once.

Place ham in bottom of crockpot.

Pour a can of thawed oj concentrate on top.

Add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the top.

Then pour maple syrup on top. I didn't measure, because I was using what was left in the bottle.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

This is sooo quick and easy and my kids love it!

I served this with rolls, mashed potatoes & gravy and steamed vegi's.

For more yummy recipes, head on over to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Cooking Thursday!

Cooking Thursday

Have I mentioned I have been CRAZY BUSY? Thursday is quickly coming to an end and I haven't posted a recipe.

When nights are just to crazy, one of our go to meals are nachos! You can dress them up...or down.

I simply cut up a pkg of Velveeta, add a can of Rotel tomatoes, a bit of milk, and warm in the crockpot. I put mine in for 1 hr. on high. Then turn my crockpot down to warm.

Yummy toppings:

**seasoned hamburger (I just get it out of the freezer!)

**refried beans

**tomatoes

**olives

**sour cream

**jalapenos

**pico de gallo

or simply just eat it with chips and cheese!!

I know this is not really a recipe per se, but that is all you are going to get out of me tonight! Luckily, there are plenty of links over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom! So head on over there now!

Cooking Thursday

(just a reminder to my kids!)

( I added brown vinyl to my cookie jar)

(doesn't the cookie jar look so much better full?!)

(the finished project!)

My 8yr old had had a rough morning. As we were walking to school, I noticed tears in his huge blue eyes. I gave him a big hug and asked him what I could do to turn his day around. It was a one word answer. Simple. Easy...COOKIES!

He wanted something with caramel. I decided on cake mix cookies.

I chopped up some Rolo's and threw them in also. Yum! Nice and chocolatey and ooey gooey!

I had just finished decorating the outside of my cookie jar, but it looked so lonely with nothing in there! These cookies filled it up very nicely!

Oh and that cute little blue eyed boy...he LOVED them too!

For more yummy recipes , head on over to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom!

Cooking Thursday

(picture taken from Kraft's website.)

OK, big confession. I did not do any cooking today...or yesterday!

I feel a **bit** behind the times but...I just started reading The Hunger Games. No not Mockingjay (the last in the series) but the first one. I read a chapter here and a chapter there...

...and then I spent my whole kid free morning reading. I am not done yet so no spoiling the ending!

Because of my just sitting around I don't have a recipe to share! :( But, I did get one of my favorite food magazines in the mail today! I love the Kraft Food & Family magazine. I loved it better when it was free, but what are you gonna do?!

So I am going to share a recipe that I WANT to make. Maybe tomorrow?

**Also, as a lover of recipes, I have started a new meme. Nobody joined last week :( So I am hoping to get some more people to come and link up! Every Sunday I will be posting a recipe that will make for a "Sweet Sunday" Please share your favorite treat recipe and link up!

Beef & Cheese Foldover
1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp A1 steak sauce
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups all purpose baking mix
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 tsp parsley flakes

***TIP*** If you wan to make it a little healthier, you can have lean ground beef, reduced fat baking mix, and a reduced fat cheese blend!

Heat oven to 375

Brown meat with onions in large skillet, drain. Stir in corn, ketchup and steak sauce. Set aside.

Add hot water to baking mix. Stir until it forms a dough. Shape into a ball. Place on lightly floured surface, knead 5 times or until smooth and no longer sticky. Roll into a 12 in. circle, transfer to baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Spoon meat mixture onto center of dough. Spread to within 2 in. of edge. Fold edge of dough over meat, leaving center uncovered.

Bake for 20 min. Top filling with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

**Recipe taken from Kraft**

I think it would also be yummy to top with sour cream and pico de gallo! Yum!

If you want to make this to go into the freezer...

Make double amount of meat mixture. Once it has cooled, put it in a labeled bag. Put desired amount of cheese into a smaller bag. Place the bag of cheese inside the bag with meat mixture. Freeze. Then when it comes time to making it, pull the bag of cheese out and let the meat mixture thaw in the fridge. At dinner time, all you have to do is make the dough!

Dinner idea:add a green salad, carrot sticks w/ dip, spanish rice, and tortilla chips.

For more cooking inspiration, head over to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom!

Cooking Thursday-No bake mints

(the main players)




(getting ready to chill)


(yum!)
Does it count as cooking if the recipe is no bake? Hmmm...well it is still a recipe right?

*****A Minty Memory*******

So I was looking at my friends' Facebook album, and she had pictures of cakes that she had decorated. While browsing her album, I also saw that she had some pictures of mints that she had made. It brought back fun memories of a childhood friend who made these. She always had some at church and we would line up to get some.

I looked up a recipe and got to making them. My 3 older kids LOVED them. My 5 yr old let me know, by spitting it out in the trash, and yelling "I am not eating anymore of this POISON!" I think that meant he wasn't a fan.

NO BAKE CREAM CHEESE MINTS:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
32 oz. of powdered sugar
mint extract
food coloring


In a large bowl, put your softened cream cheese. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. The more you add, the more thick it gets. Make sure you have some muscles...or a mixer! lol

Once sugar and cream cheese are fully mixed, add your mint extract. Remember the rule, that you can always add more, but you can't take it away. So do a little bit at a time until you reach your desired minty-ness.

Roll into balls and place on a tray. Chill these in the freezer or the fridge until cool. You can also press into molds if desired.

Store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks!

For more Cooking Thursday head on over to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

**Also, while you are here, please enter my giveaway. You can find all the info here

cooking Thursday

I can't believe how long it has been since I have participated! I am still trying to organize our home & lives after our big move. But I am getting there. Slowly but surely!

Last night I realized, that one of my favorite skillets has lost it's coating. How do I know this? Because EVERYTHING is sticking to it. *Big sigh*. So my dinner last night didn't turn otu what I had planned...but it turned out better. (:

OK I have a huge confession...I was making Hamburger Helper. I know, I know. But my honey was going to be late and my kids were STARVING. So I decided to feed them out of the pantry. Then I had EVERYTHING stick to the pan. Grrr...

I took the ground beef and rice (it was a Taco kind) that hadn't been scorched. I made some more spanish rice, added the hamburger to it. Then corn kernels. I placed corn chips on the bottom of the bowl and topped it with cheese. I also gave my kiddo's more tortilla chips to dip in.

They devoured it and my 5 yr. old told me that, "it's not gross, Mom!" I guess that is a compliment! Anyway I thought it turned out yummy!

Taco beef & rice:

Brown ground beef in skillet, drain.

Add taco seasoning and follow directions on pkg

Rice. You can cook it in a rice cooker and then add it. You can use a packaged kind of rice. Or brown, instant...whatever you like.

Put ground beef and rice in a bowl and mix.

Then add a can (or fresh/frozen) of corn.

Crush tortilla chips and put on the bottom of serving bowls.

Put mixture on top.

Top with sour cream and cheese.

**My kids like things simple but if you wanted to you could also add
*tomatoes
*onions
*black olives
* put more crushed tortilla chips on top
*roll it into a tortilla

Very easy and yummy. Also a great way to use up leftovers!

cooking Thursday and a GIVEAWAY

Today I am joining in Cooking Thursday over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. If you are interested in fun recipes, or want to join yourself go on over!

One of my family's favorite dinners is Chicken Divan. For some reason, I had it in my mind that this was hard to make. Hmmm, not sure where that came from because it is so easy it's scary!

My family loves it so much that I was not even able to get a picture of it cooked! It was GONE. (: So I have a picture of the ingredients and you will just have to imagine the cheesy yummy goodness for yourselves!

I love to buy rotisserie chickens when they go on clearance. I always check in the mornings for those that didn't sell the day before. I usually get them for at least 50% off.

So you can choose how you want to do your chicken. Cube boneless/skinless chicken breasts, use the meat from a whole chicken (that's what I do) or use pre-cooked chicken breast pieces. Layer this on the bottom of a 9x13 dish.

I use a 32 oz bag of frozen brocoli. Defrost in the microwave (in a bowl with a few tsp. of water). Since it is going in the oven it doesn't have to be completely defrosted.

Place brocoli on top of chicken and mix.

In a bowl combine, 1 cup of mayo, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 2 tsp. lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over top of broccoli and chicken.

Stir to combine.

Cover with 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.

If desired you can crush up potato chips, ritz etc. and place on top.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

** If you are using a precooked chicken, you don't need to cook as long. I baked mine for 30 minutes.

After this dish was dished up, my husband announced, " I don't think you can get away with making just one pan of this anymore!"

I am also having a GIVEAWAY celebrating my 100th post. You can go here

cooking Thursday

I have been visiting the sites of those who are participating and all I can say is yum! There are some yummy recipes being linked. I will definatley be trying the Beef & Brocoli and the Coconut pie this week! If you want to check them out, you can go to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

I had a request for my recipe for Caramel Apple Salad. It is such a quick and yummy fruit salad. My kids love it. So it is totally kid approved.

Funny story about the recipe, I was visiting my Mom right before we moved to Guam. I found the recipe in a magazine at her house. I got permission to rip it out. I did and carried it in my carry on all the way to Guam just so I could make it! (:

I originally posted this over a year ago, so I am just going to link to the recipe. If you make it let me know how you liked it! You can find the recipe here