Sunday, July 31, 2011

Fresh Eggs

Growing up in the city, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to walk out my back door and collect fresh eggs....

 I stopped by my friend, Linda's, house Friday.  She lives in the middle of the city but you walk out her back door and this is what you see.
 She has two Silkie chickens they are so cute and funny.  While I'm not quite ready to get my own chickens, but I'll be happy to visit her's.  Maybe she'll share more with me:)

 They lay beautiful small ivory eggs, which she so graciously (because that's just the way she is) sent some home with me.  

Thank you darling Linda!!
Renee'
 


Monday, July 25, 2011

Campstove Nachos

Aaarrrgggg....We Have No Tortillas!!
My plan was to make Chicken Quesadillas...Here is how I turned a major food crisis into a major food win!!
 
 
One of my favorite quick things to do is to put chicken breasts, enchilada sauce and some taco mix into my crock pot and let it cook for a few hours (this also works if the chicken is still frozen!!!). It is then easy to shred.  We make quesadillas, nachos, tacos, taco salads etc.   I had the chicken cooked and ready to go, but with camping and camping near a city, I hadn't got my poop in a group and brought or bought tortillas...sooooo...NACHOS!!  

I always bring disposable aluminum pans, we use them to keep things warm and occasionally cook in them.  I took one, sprayed vegetable spray on the bottom and started layering chips, chicken and cheese just like normal.  I then covered it and let it "bake" in the camp stove.   Easy, yummy, crisis averted!!  We now have another meal to add to our camping menu!! 

Easy, yummy, crisis averted!!  We now have another meal to add to our camping menu!! 
 Renee'

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Ventura Invasion of 2011

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our vacation!

My Charming Son
 

This picture was taken just as a "big" cold wave hit us!!


Photo Bombed

My Smokin' Hot Hubby and I

I thought it would be a cool picture of the five of us laying on the grass...obviously, not everyone was cooperating.

     Renee'
 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

On Vacation

Hey ohhh...
Dear California, how do I love thee???
We're on vacation in Ventura, California.  I love this place...close enough to L.A. but far enough away!
It's cooler less crowded and the shops and restaurants are amazing!!
Here are a couple of pictures...
My Smokin' Hot Hubby Boogie Boarding
 OK...one, we're camping and my internet connection is NOT the best.
 
More about our vacation and some of my favorite things coming soon.
 
What are some of your favorite vacation things???
 
 
Renee'

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Camping...Here We Come!!

Every year our family takes a camping trip for our family vacation (more about that later), this year is no exception.  There are a few food traditions we have. One of them is homemade Oatmeal Scotchie cookies.  This year has been a little harder to get ready for so I decided to try making my cookies into bar cookies and to use more organic and healthy (snicker, snicker) ingredients.

So here goes.



This recipe is adapted from the Nestle's Butterscotch Morsels Package.

Oatmeal Scotchies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, oil large jelly roll pan.
1 cup Butter
3/4 cup Brown Sugar ( I used organic)
3/4 cup White Sugar ( again organic, see how healthy :)
2 large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanila Bean Paste (my favorite!)
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Almond Flour (yes, I know, healthy again!) 
{You only want to substitute this for half of the required flour!}
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. cinnamon I don't put that in.
3 cups Oatmeal
11 ounces (1 package) Butterscotch Morsels

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla, cream together until light and fluffy.

Add in the flours, salt and baking soda until well mixed. 
Add in oats and morsels.
Spread into pan (gets a little messy!)

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.  
Cool cut into serving size pieces (your choice on the serving size).


These are all products I purchased and prefer to use.  I was not paid or compensated for this post.

Renee'

Saturday, July 2, 2011

In Door S'Mores!!

Indoor S'Mores Bars!! 


Today it is suppose to be 115 in Phoenix and we have wildfires raging in Arizona...not a good time for a campfire.  But S'mores sound so good!!  A couple of weeks ago, I came across a recipe for S'mores bars and just had to try them!!
S'mores Cookie Bars
 
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla, I used my favorite Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
1 1/3 c. all purpose flour, I used Spelt Flour  (less gluten)
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 t. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 regular size Hershey bars
7 ounce jar marshmallow Fluff (not melted marshmallows because they harden when they cool)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and/or line an 8 inch square pan. I lined mine with parchment paper. It's amazing how easy even the sticky marshmallow comes off.

2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.  Add to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined.
 4. Press half of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of your pan.

5. Line with chocolate bars, you will need to break some to make them fit.
6. Gently spread the marshmallow fluff onto the chocolate.

7. Then you can either pat out sections of the graham cracker mixture and lay it on the marshmallow, or crumble it across the top and press together.
 
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned.  The pan that was more "crumbled" had Fluff that puffed up and turned a little brown and crunchy....Yum!!  

Cool completely before cutting into bars (I put mine in the fridge on a rack after cooling on the counter for a while.  I live in Phoenix).  If you do refrigerate them, let them sit for a bit at room temperature before serving.  The marshmallow gets gooey :) That's if you can wait that long!! Makes 16 to 20 bars.

  P.S. I did buy some glassine paper cups to put mine in.  They make it much easier for people to grab one without getting goo all over them.

I'm sure this will become a favorite in our family!

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Renee'