Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Bars

Cake Mix (white, french vanilla, yellow, or one of your choice)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions: Add brown sugar, water, shortening, vanilla, and eggs (found on back of your cake mix box) to the cake mix and mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Western Potato Rounds

2 large unpeeled baking potatoes

Vegetable oil

1 cup shredded Co-Jack cheese

6 bacon slices, crisply cooked, drained, and crumbled (I cheated, and used real bacon bits)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 450. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Spray both sides of potato slices with oil; place on a baking stone (or I'm sure you could use any shallow pan, like a cookie sheet). Bake 20 minutes; remove from oven. In a bowl, combine cheese, bacon, and onion. Using a pastry brush, brush each potato slice with barbecue sauce; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Return potato slices to oven. Bake 5 minutes longer.

These were a fun and easy side dish to go with our grilled pork chops tonight, I will definitely be making them again!

Pasta Salad

12 oz. cooked tri-color pasta

1 small can black olives (optional)

1 cup chopped broccoli

small amount onion, chopped fine

16 oz. Italian dressing

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

cherry tomatoes

red, yellow, green peppers - chopped (whatever amount you prefer)

Mix all together, and enjoy! This is my new favorite pasta salad, so good!

Trail Mix Bars

2 and 1/2 cups pretzel sticks (broken in half)

4 cups either Corn Chex or Rice Chex

1 and 1/2 cups M & M's

Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl.

On stove, melt:

1 stick butter or margarine

1/3 cup peanut butter

5 cups mini marshmallows

After mixture comes to a boil, pour into dry ingredients and put into greased 9 x 13 pan.

Summer Smoothies

Who doesn't love a smoothie? Though this isn't a recipe, per se, I wanted to share a favorite snack idea for these hot summer months.

June brought lots of strawberries to our freezer from our berry picking day. I froze a lot on a baking sheet and then bagged them, and we've enjoyed them as a sweetener/cooler for oatmeal, but mostly they go into smoothies. I also picked up blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries when they were on a good sale. Our freezer is holding at least one over ripe banana, too.

On Simon's third birthday, we brought out the blender. I threw in some plain yogurt, berries, a banana, fresh pineapple I had in the fridge, and a dab of strawberry jam. I would have used honey if it would have come out of the container. I might have added a bit of milk to make it less thick. You don't need to add ice cubes since the berries are frozen. It's so easy to throw in whatever you have. A few things that make it easier to whip up smoothies for breakfast are:

1. Keep your blender in an easy place to reach, not the top shelf of the hall closet.
2. Our new dishwasher makes the mess much easier to clean up.
3. When the blender is empty, pour in a little water and blend that for a second to wash out the blade before it gets sticky.

For kids who are not great at drinking out of a "real" cup yet, smoothies are great practice! Here is Simon on his birthday morning:


With the leftovers in the blender (always make more than you need so you have leftovers!), pour into a popsicle mold (or yogurt cups or ice cube trays) and put them in the freezer. A few days later, we pulled out our smoothie-sicles and enjoyed yet another tasty treat. And it's one that I can feel good about giving them for a morning snack!

Glazed Peanut Butter Bars

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. water

2 eggs

1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 and 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Glaze:

1 and 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and water. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Spread into a greased 15 in x 10 in x 1 in baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned.

For glaze, in a microwave safe bowl, melt chips and peanut butter; pour over warm bars and spread evenly. Cool completely on a wire rack.

If you like chocolate and peanut butter you will love these!! I did end up adding just a bit more flour because I thought the dough wasn't quite stiff enough. I also stored them in the fridge, but they don't need to be.

Pina Colada Slush

3 small cans (6 oz. each) unsweetened pineapple juice

2 cups water

1 can (10 ounces) frozen nonalcoholic pina colada mix

1 Tblsp. lime juice

1/4 cup powdered lemonade drink mix

lemon lime soda

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple juice, water, pina colada mix, lime juice, and lemonade mix; stir until lemonade mix is dissolved. Transfer to a 2 qt. freezer container . Freeze for at least 6 hours. May be frozen for up to 2 months.

To use frozen slush: Remove from the freezer 45 minutes before serving. For each serving combine 1/2 cup slush mixture with 1/2 cup lemon lime soda.

I made this tonight for the upcoming 4th of July weekend, I had a little sample, though, and it is good stuff!

Tortilla Rollups

1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 TBLS mayo
1 TBLS chopped onion
1 TBLS chopped dill pickle
1 pkg dried beef, chopped
dash of worcestershire sauce
~~Mix and spread in thin layer on tortilla shells. Roll. Cut in 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices. Will cover 3 or 4 large shells. May also spinkle on shredded cheese before rolling.


With the 4th of July right around the corner I thought I would share the recipes we used for my sister's baby shower. The Tortilla Rollups and the Dessert Ball were the most requested and most popular food items at the shower--next to the candy buttons!

Dessert Ball

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter--no substitutes1 TBLS vanilla
~~blend together until well mixed

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBLS brown sugar
~~gradually add the sugars until well mixed

Stir in 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Chill for 2 hours
Form into ball & chill for one hour more

Mix together 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Roll ball into mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

BLT Dip

1/4 jar mayo
8 oz sour cream
6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
1 small tomatoe-diced
1 tsp. garlic salt
~~Mix ingredients together and serve with crackers

Cherry Limeade Punch

1 can frozed limeade concentrate
1 bottle sprite or 7-Up
1 jar marashino cherries
1 lime
~Put in limeade and then add sprite. Pour in the juice from the cherries. Then add the cherries and sliced up lime for looks and taste.

Party Sandwiches

24 party rolls or dinner rolls
1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 to 2 TBLS poppy seeds
4 TBLS mustard
4 TBLS worcestershire sauce
sliced ham
swiss cheese
~~Mix together butter, poppy seeds, mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Spread sauce on both sides of rolls and put a slice of ham and swiss cheese on each. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts. Best if served warm.