Taking a little "Bloggy Vacation"

Happy Holidays to one and all!
With the Christmas Chaos in full swing, I will be taking a little break.
Hope everyone enjoys their time with family and friends, I will be back soon!

Chocolate Frosted Applesauce Cookies

When the girl child was a young'un, she ate applesauce every single day.
She wanted plain, cinnamon, fruit flavored...every form of applesauce, she wanted it.

Then she went and grew up.
Yeah, she doesn't eat it anymore. Maybe she O.D.ed on it as a little, but oh well, it is what it is.

I needed applesauce to make another recipe one day, when I went to the store they had no little containers. None! I ended up buying a decent sizes one, not huge...but big enough. That lone jar has been in my fridge taunting me.

While scanning other recipe blogs on a day off, I stumbled across this on jbeanrecipes. A quick scan of the ingredients and I was off the couch in a flash!

This recipe was "meant to be", it used up every last drop of that lonely jar of applesauce.
(and my sugar, and my flour...and the frosting used up all my confectioners' sugar)

Ingredients:

1 Cup shortening

2 Eggs

1 ½ Cups sugar

2 Cups applesauce

1 Tsp baking soda

1 Tsp cloves

1 Tsp cinnamon

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp Nutmeg

4 Cups flour

Directions:

1. Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs

2. Mix in remaining ingredients

3. Drop by tablespoonfulls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet

4. Cook at 400 for 10 minutes

5. Cool and frost with your favorite chocolate frosting

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Kitchen Table Art, A Southern Fairytale, The Modest Mom Blog, A Pinch of Joy, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Jambellish, The Chicken Chick, Uncommon Designs, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Memories by the Mile, Pint Sized Baker, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Hope in Every Season

Chocolate Frosting

I have a love/hate relationship with dishes.
I love, love, love when they are clean.
I hate, hate, hate to clean them.

Seriously hate to do dishes. I would rather scrub toilets.

In an effort to minimize my dishes after making this, I had the grand idea of just mixing my sugar and cocoa and not sifting it.

Don't be like me.

I got it all in a bowl and started stirring. There were little balls-o-ingredient in the mixture. Not the fine mixture I should be using.
So, I cave, I grab the sifter.

In trying to get everything from the bowl to the sifter I made a mess like you only read about. My counter, my nearby appliances, my shirt....covered.

I repeat, don't be like me.
Just do it right to begin with. I tried to outsmart the system and made a bigger mess for myself.

Ingredients:

3 Cups confectioners’ sugar

¾ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 stick butter (softened)

3-4 Tbsp heavy cream

1 Tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl

2. In another bowl, combine 1 cup sugar mix, butter, and 1 tbsp cream

3. Beat until smooth

4. Add another cup of sugar and tbsp cream

5. Beat until smooth

6. Repeat until all ingredients are used

7. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy

Print

Recipe adapted from Food Network

This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Pioneer Momma, Flour me with Love, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, Mom Favorites, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, All Things Fee, A Mama's Story, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Mom's Test Kitchen
Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker, Inside Bru Crew Life, Cornerstone Confessions, Memories by the Mile, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lou Lou Girls, Timewarp Wife, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope Studios, Mandy's Recipe Blog, Kathe with an E, Stone Gable Blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Hope in Every Season
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Someday Crafts, Milk and Cuddles, My Girlish Whims, Buns in my Oven, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Crafty Allie , A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Ivy and Elephants      
Thursday: Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Katherine's Corner, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change
Friday:  Happy and Blessed Home, The Grits Blog, Play Party Pin, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Country Cook, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Coffee with us 3
Saturday: Melanie Makes, Petite Allergy Treats, Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sister's Stuff, Beauty Through Imperfection, Raising Memories
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Denise Designed, 3 Little Greenwoods, Three Mango Seeds   

Hibachi Vegetables

I am not a fan of zucchini or squash.
The only real time you will see me eat them is at the Japanese hibachi restaurants. Something about the way it is cooked, and the simple flavors make them look enticing to me.

I had a "duh" moment when I realized I could make them at home!

So simple...yet, so tasty!
If I am feeling a little "wild and crazy" I might add some thinly sliced carrots.

Nothing more than that though, then it walks the fine line between being a neat copy-cat type side dish to being more of an every day stir fry.
We can't have that, it would be an identity crisis like we have never seen before!

Ingredients:

1 Zucchini

1 Yellow squash

Onion

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 Tsp ginger

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet over med/high heat

2. Slice veggies in long, thick strips

3. Saute veggies for about 5 minutes until cooked, yet firm with brown colors

4. Add soy sauce and sesame seeds.

5. Serve immediately

Print

Forgive my little bag-o-onion, I was using up leftovers

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Mom Favorites, Kitchen Table Art, The Chicken Chick, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love , I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom , Skip to my Lou, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Mom's Test Kitchen
Tuesday: The New Mrs Adventures, Pint Sized Baker, Cornerstone Confessions, My Joy Filled Life, Kathe with an E, Stone Gable Blog, Memories by the Mile, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Inside Bru Crew Life, Lou Lou Girls, Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios    
Wednesday: Someday Crafts, Crafty Allie, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, My Girlish Whims, Buns in my Oven, Raising Homemakers, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Ivy and Elephants
Thursday:  Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, Sweet Bella Roos, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, What's Cooking Love, Embracing Change, A Delightsome Life  
Friday: Love Bakes Good Cakes, Coffee with us 3, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Craft Dictator, Morsels of Life, Mommy on Demand, Lady Behind the Curtain, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, The Girl Creative
Saturday: Melanie Makes, Six Sister's Stuff, Cooking with Ruthie, Beauty Through Imperfection, Raising Memories 
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Three Mango Seeds, 3 Little Greenwoods            

Cucumber Dill Salad

This is made all the freaking time in my house.
It's so simple, and so insanely delicious.
It's probably not even a "real" recipe, but that's OK by me.

I call it cucumber dill for obvious reason, but sometimes I mix in some tomato and lettuce and call it a dill salad.

One year, on Thanksgiving, I was just craving it....so I made it to bring to my aunt and uncles.
My second oldest cousin happened to be sitting at the same table as me that year. He is out of the loop enough not to know who brought what (meaning: he is a guy, he just shows up to eat) .
He took a big bite, sat there for a second.,.then went in for another bite. Then, out of nowhere, I got one of the biggest compliments he could have given.

"This tastes like something Gram would have made"
Oh did my heart just flutter!!

Our great grandmother was the queen of comfort food! Nothing fancy, everything simple and perfect.

Thanks cousin. You made my year!

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber (diced)

¼ Cup sour cream

Salt

Dill

Optional: Lettuce, tomato

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients

2. Season with salt and dill to taste

Print

This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Flour me with Love, Homemaking with Style, Pioneer Momma, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor , Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, The Chicken Chick , Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom , Skip to my Lou, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Mom's Test Kitchen, All Things Fee , Mom Favorites, 21st Century Houseife, My Joy Filled Life
Tuesday: Pint Sized Baker , A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Lou Lou Girls, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos , Yesterfood, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope Studios, Kathe with an E, Hope in Every Season
Wednesday: Buns in my Oven, Gooseberry Patch, Lemoine Family Kitchen, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Crafty Allie, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Someday Crafts, Milk and Cuddles, Mostly Homemade Mom, Ivy and Elephants
Thursday: Katharine's Corner, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Sweet Bella Roos, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet, A Delightsome Life, The Pin Junkie
Friday: AKA Design, Happy and Blessed Home, Craft Dictator, Lady Behind the Curtain, Morsels of Life, The Grits Blog, The New Mrs Adventures, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Coffee with us 3, Pure Grace Farms
Saturday: Melanie Makes, Belle of the Kitchen, Cooking with Ruthie, Beauty Through Imperfection, Raising Memories, Six Sister's Stuff
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, 3 Little Greenwoods, Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds

BBQ Baked Onion Rings

I am headed out shopping with the girl child.
Know what is really great about her? I simply like her! Of course I love her, I am her mom...but she is a really good person inside.
She is fun to be with, always has interesting things to say. The girl has the ability to make me laugh like nobody else.
I am so incredibly fortunate to have my daughter be my BFF.

Not that we always get along, we are so similar, we butt heads....frequently.
Love conquers all though, and soon we are back to our happy ways!

I should totally buy her this for Christmas:

Ingredients:

1 Cup barbecue sauce

2 Large eggs (lightly beaten)

4 Tbsp all purpose flour

3 Cups panko bread crumbs

2 Large sweet onions (sliced into ½ inch rings)

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place two baking sheets in the oven and allow them to preheat

3. Place bread crumbs in a bowl

4. In medium bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, eggs, and flour

5. Dip onion slice in the barbecue sauce mixture, shake off excess

6. Dip coated onion into bread crumbs, covering totally

7. Lay on a cool baking sheet.

8. Repeat until all onions are coated

9. Remove hot baking sheets from oven and spray lightly with cooking spray

10. Move coated onions to hot baking sheets

11. Spray coated onions lightly with cooking spray

12. Bake for about 6 minutes, or until golden

13. Turn each onion ring over.

14. Spray the other side with cooking spray

15. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes

Print

Recipe adapted from here

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Uncommon Designs      
Tuesday:     
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday: 
Saturday:
Sunday:

16 Minute Beef and Bean Burritos

The girl who sat next to me at work has moved on to a different job, in a totally different field. I wish her well!!
I had a new (temporary, while they played musical desks) neighbor, she happened to say something and my response was "oh, that happened when we had our flood".

She looked at me like I had 10 heads (one would think I would be used to such a thing by now).

So the story goes...
I sit in the middle right cube in a section of 6.
We had contractors everywhere building a new section of our office.
My neighbor to my right yelled over one day and said "do you hear dripping?"
Next thing we knew it was Niagra Falls

Gah!

A pipe burst over our heads! 

People came running like ants...it was chaos! We were trying to get all of our computers unplugged and out of the line of fire. Then someone remembered the printers. It was madness I tell you!

My neighbor got the worst of it. My desk got some, but the majority landed in a small lake under my desk.

Oh it was something to behold.

We then became other people's temporary neighbors while our desks and ceilings were repaired.

Nights like that, I am more than happy to make a quick, easy meal. 

Running around trying not to get shocked by office equipment is hard work!

Ingredients:

2 Lbs ground beef

½ Medium onion

1 (7 oz) can Mexican tomato sauce or Enchilada sauce

Salt and Pepper

Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder

1 (28 oz) can refried beans

¾ Cups grated cheddar cheese

Sour Cream and Salsa to top

12 Burrito sized flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef with onion and season to taste

2. Pour in sauce and simmer (reserve a little sauce to top the burritos)

3. Heat refried beans in a sauce pan

4. Heat tortillas in the microwave for one minute

5. Spread small amount of beans on each tortilla

6. Add seasoned meat

7. Fold over ends and then roll up

8. Place two burritos on microwave safe plate

9. Drizzle read sauce over burritos and sprinkle with grated cheddar

10. Microwave for one minute until cheese is melted

Print

Adapted from here

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Uncommon Designs, Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Mom's Test Kitchen
Tuesday: Cornerstone Confessions , Inside Bru Crew Life, Kathe with an E, Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, The New Mrs Adventures, Hope in Every Season, My Joy Filled Life, Timewarp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, My Journey Back
Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread , Dizzy Busy and Hungry , Buns in my Oven, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Crafty Allie, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mostly Homemade Mom, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Ivy and Elephants
Thursday: Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, Katherine's Corner, A Delightsome Life, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Stacey Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: The Grits Blog, O Taste and See, Play Party Pin, Lady Behind the Curtain, Daily Dish, The New Mrs Adventures, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Coffee with us 3, Love Bakes Good Cakes\, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Pin Junkie, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Pure Grace Farms, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom
Saturday: Belle of the Kitchen, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Beauty Through Imperfections, Raising Memories
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, 3 Little Greenwoods