I love Tiramisu and have always wanted to make my own, but it always seemed so time intensive. I came across this recipe while flipping through a magazine. I'm not completely sure, but I think it is an ad for Cool Whip-so I'll just credit Kraft foods with this recipe.
Tiramisu Bowl
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
3 cups cold milk
2 (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
8 oz tub cool whip
48 vanilla wafers
1/2 cup coffee, divided
2 squares baker's semi sweet chocolate, grated
1 cup fresh raspberries
Beat cream cheese in mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk and pudding mixes. Stir in 2 cups cool whip.
Line 2 1/2 qt. bowl with 24 wafers. (I didn't count-I just put layer of cookies down) Drizzle with 1/4 cup of coffee.
Top with half the pudding mixture and half the chocolate. Repeat layers, starting with wafers.
Top with remaining cool whip and raspberries. refrigerate for 2 hours.
I am not being paid by Kettle-I just really like their chips.
I am not really a potato chip fan, but Kettle chips are really good! Usually, I get the ranch flavor, but today I tried the Buffalo Bleu and it was amazing! The chips aren't too greasy or salty, and the thick crinkle cuts are extra crunchy.
I heard that the strawberries were ready over at Froberg's, and I am always looking for something new and different to get the kids out of the house to do. Strawberry pickin'. That's different. Ethan was not too happy to be going, but he went anyway, without too much fuss.
We got our buckets and we were off! Ethan has never been a strawberry fan, but somehow he took a liking to this activity and said several times he LOVED picking strawberries now. Imagine that.
Em had a wonderful time too. She had to lug her bounty to the weighing station, She would not let anyone else touch it.
We had a fun morning picking strawberries and we will be going back next year!
We have the best little restaurant here in Pearland. The waitstaff is wonderful and kind, they have fresh flowers on all the tables, the restaurant is clean, and the food is consistently good. Think I'm talking about an undiscovered mom and pop establishment? Nope. I'm talking about Chick-fil-A!
I saw that our local Chick-fil-A had a 'Mini Moo Playgroup' on Wednesday mornings. I decided to take Em.
We ate some yogurt and hash browns....
Then we listened to a book being read to us....
Then we played a little on the playground....
Then we played with erector sets and colored!
Em had a great time and we will be going back soon.
West Pearland Chik-fil-A supports local schools holding spirit nights where part of the money taken in that particular evening is donated to the school. They often let little ones (i.e. girl scouts, band, baseball) have their fundraisers there at the restaurant. I have also seen where they have random things like overnight camp outs in the parking lot.
I was grocery shopping at HEB in the yogurt aisle and I see a coupon for a buy one get one So Delicious yogurt. I am trying to eat healthier, this looks healthy right? It has lots of fiber and it is made from coconut milk, that same stuff I make smoothies out of. It's chocolate too, what's not to love?
Em and I get home and we were excited to try this with our lunch. I opened the container (which was a chore), and looked inside. It looked kind of yucky. Grainy. Gelatin like. Eeew.
I sniffed and it was not pleasing whatsoever. Against my better judgement, I tasted this strange substance. It was horrid. It had a sandy texture, with a red wine aftertaste. That's right-I said red wine. It didn't even taste chocolaty. Em wanted a bit of it, so I let her taste. I didn't think to take pictures of her reaction, but remember those old Keystone Light commercials? Bitter beer face? Imagine a 2 year old making that face and that's what she did.
Naming this yogurt So Delicious was a huge lie. Even better, I have a strawberry flavor in the fridge too! Will So Delicious yogurt redeem itself? Stay tuned....
This is a subject near and dear to my son's heart. The Lego Store.
Last month, I realized there was a Lego store at one of the malls in our area. I read they had Lego 'builds' each month and called to try to get my son in one, to no avail. The first chance I got, I got him into the build last weekend. We had a blast!
You go in and get your name tag and shirt.
Do a little bit of playing and looking around.....
The kids are divided into groups and they dump out their bucket of Legos and start building! The theme this month was Lego City Firefighters.
When they were done they put their creations up on the counter and told the other kids what they made. (audio is super bad-sorry)
All the kids got a goodie bag after the meeting. It contained a small Lego set and some stickers and what not.
The employees there were awesome and worked very well with the kids. You could really tell they had been playing with and had a true love of Legos since they were kids!
I was amazed at all the Legos out there on the market. Your local Target doesn't have near the selection of course, and the cost was comparable to discount stores and amazon. Toys R Us still holds the crown for being the most expensive. Also, being a member of the VIP club helps as well, as you can earn discounts and free Legos.
The Lego Store has builds once a month. The cost is $25. Next month is Star Wars, and yes, we are already signed up! They have a free mini figure build on the first Tuesday of every month from 5-7 pm at our local store. If you have a child that is into Legos, this place is the place for them to be!
So I was in the cheese area of Kroger looking for some cheese and happened upon this:
It is Authentic HISPANIC Blend cheese. Formerly, MEXICAN. I know quite a few people of the Hispanic heritage, and I can safely say that I have never heard a one say , 'Did you see that racist Kroger cheese?' This is just weird to me.
One of Hubby's favorite dinners is Frito Pie. You'll need a bag of Fritos and some good chili. After some trial and error, I have perfected my chili recipe. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but putting it all together is quick!
Chili
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground hamburger or turkey meat
4-5 ribs celery, chopped (optional-I stick veggies in for the little ones)
2-3 chopped carrots (optional-just for extra veggies)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups water (or less depending on how soupy you like your chili)
14 oz diced tomatoes
can of Rotel
6 oz can of tomato paste
can of kidney beans, drained, rinsed, and smashed
1 Tbl minced garlic
2 Tbl chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (this is what makes the chili hot-add more or less to your taste)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Cook the meat and veggies
After the meat is browned, throw all the ingredients into a crock pot
Leave it in the crock pot on low for about 3-4 hours. You can also speed things up and simmer it for 30 minutes on the stove.
Put the chili over a bed of Fritos and in a bowl and top with cheddar cheese.
So I was shopping at Target yesterday looking for some coffee for a recipe I am planning on making. I have a Keurig, so I'm looking at all the boxes and flavors and what do I find?
That's right! Golden. French. Toast. I snatched up a box and Hubby had a cup with me as soon as I got home. This coffee tastes like sweet maple syrup with a bit of cinnamon. It is amazing!
I have an OCD. I am a constant list maker. I schedule most everything. If my day isn't nicely scheduled hour by hour, I am just not productive and I have no focus. I like writing things down and forgetting about them until I need to think about it. I also make lists for family members. Getting ready for school? There's a list for that. Need a reminder that you need to change a filter monthly? That's on my Outlook calender. Or was -- until Cozi came into our lives.
From the website:
'Cozi is a FREE online organizer and mobile
app that helps you manage the family schedule, organize shopping lists and to do
lists, and capture favorite memories—all in one place. Especially designed for
busy families, Cozi is accessible from any computer, mobile phone or tablet. All
you need to get started is a FREE account and because Cozi is shared, you only
need one account for the whole family.'
Em and Ethan both have activities that we have to shuttle them to. Cozi keeps track of when we need to be somewhere. I can email Ethan his 'ToDo List' each day. Hubby doesn't get mad at me when he didn't know about the Boy Scout meeting on Thursday. Cozi automatically emails him about it the day before. Its more than a calendar too. You can make recipe plans, shopping lists, to do lists. We can access Cozi from our computer or our phone app and see whats going on any old time. I love Cozi.
I am still trying to use all this Homemade Gourmet stuff I have in the pantry. This mix came with a steamer bag, but I didn't use it. I threw everything into the crock pot.
Ingredients:
1 Homemade Gourmet® Simply Simmer
Cacciatore Mix
1 15-ounce can stewed
tomatoes
1
1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
tenderloins or chicken breasts cut into strips (fresh or frozen)
Pasta of choice, prepared according to package
instructions
Shredded Parmesan cheese,
optional
I add in an onion and a bell pepper
1. Place mix and tomatoes into crock pot; stir to combine.
2. Add chicken and stir until all
pieces are coated.
3. Cook on high 4 hours or low
6 hours.
4. Pour chicken over pasta and
serve warm.Garnish with shredded
Parmesan as desired.
I also added about 2 cups of leftover cooked broccoli and carrots right before serving.
This is my favorite Homemade Gourmet dinner. I am often put off by the saltiness of these mixes, but this one is just right.
Today we went to Star Cinema Grill in Missouri City, TX. We love that place. Every time we get a groupon for them we snatch up as many as we can. Usually, the Groupon is $5 for a movie and a medium popcorn. Their medium popcorn is in a tub too.
Seriously, it's huge! I highly suggest getting that groupon deal.
From the outside, it doesn't look all that great. Just a normal place in a strip mall... Then you walk in and there is marble everywhere and it is worlds apart from walking into an AMC or Cinemark. You buy your movie tickets and pass the bar on the way...
Then off you go to the theatre. They have leather seats to sit in with tables in front of them.
Inside the tables are menus, paper, and pencils.
You write down your order and then push the button located on your table.
This summons your waitress and you order just like at any old restaurant. They have pitchers of beer, mixed drinks, and sodas to drink. Then they have everything from bruscetta and pasta to nachos and burgers to eat. The food is awesome too! Everything there just tastes out of this world-even the popcorn and Dr. Pepper is tastier. Not sure how they do it.
15-20 minutes before the end of the movie they have what is called 'Last Call', and that's when you can order something else or just get your bill. You pay your bill via the waitress, and off you go after the movie is over.
I was flipping through the recent People Magazine and see what looks to be a yummy cake pictured. This of course piqued my interest. It is called Monkey Bread. I have heard of monkey bread, but I don't think I have had it before and I wasn't sure what it was. Apparently, a celebrity named Hillary Scott makes it. I have no idea who she is (upon further reading I see she is the singer for Lady Antebellum), but she makes a delicious cake!
Monkey Bread
Ingredients:
4 (7.5 oz) cans refrigerated biscuits
2 cups sugar, divided
3 tbsp cinnamon, divided
1 1/2 sticks butter
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine 1 cup sugar and 2 tbsp cinnamon in a Ziploc bag. Then cut the biscuits into quarters, put them in the bag and shake until all they are all coated. (I threw in 4 mini boxes of raisins. Walnuts or pecans would probably be good too, but Hubby doesn't care for them.)
Transfer biscuits to greased 12 inch bundt pan.
Melt the butter and one cup sugar and one tbsp cinnamon.
Bring it to boiling then pour it over the biscuits. Bake until the biscuits are puffed and the liquid is caramelized, 35-40 minutes.
Cool it completely then invert onto a plate, allowing people to pull apart.
