Strawberry Cream Cheese Brownies

These brownies were a visual disaster for me!

Well, let's start with the fact that I couldn't find any strawberry extract. I used a tablespoon of strawberry preserves, and that seemed to work out aright.

Cooked my first layer of brownies...and went to add the second, strawberry layer.
Gah!
Instead of drizzing nicely and covering the top as a second layer, it all glumped to the middle and sunk!

I could have cried.
I sat there with a spoon and a butter knife scooping out strawberry mixture and trying to spread it to other parts of the brownie.
Eventually I gave in and cooked it.

But now, the middle had so much cheesecake mixture it wouldn't cook! The outside edges were cripsy, but the inside was gloopy.
I put tin foil around the edges and kept on cooking.

Sad to say, this batch was going to an aunt of mine.
I, tearfully, explained my failure.

Cousin, taking one for the team, cut into it and tried it.
I took a bite of his.

OK. It may have been a disaster cooking, it might not have been pretty, but it was delicious cooked!
I am SO making this again to get a better picture.

Ingredients:

1 (19.9 oz) Fudge family style boxed brownie mix

8 oz Cream cheese (softened)

1 Egg

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

½ Tsp strawberry extract

Red food coloring

Optional:

Fudge sauce

Whipped topping

Strawberries

NOTE: You will also need eggs and oil to make brownie mix

Directions:

1. Make brownie mix according to box directions

2. Bake for 20 minutes

3. Beat all other ingredients until well blended

4. Pour strawberry batter over basic brownie mixture

5. Cook for an additional 25 minutes

6. Optional: Cool topped brownies with drizzled fudge sauce. Dallop whipped topping and place strawberries for garnish.

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, The Chicken Chick  , Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, Uncommon Designs , Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage , I Should be Mopping the Floor, Mom Favorites, Skip to my Lou, Mom's the Word, A Southern Fairytale, 21st Century Housewife  , Sew Can Do      
Tuesday: Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Pint Sized Baker , The New Mrs Adventures, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cornerstone Confessions , Inside Bru Crew Life , Kathe with an E, Lou Lou Girls , Memories by the Mile , Our Table for Seven , Time Warp Wife , Mandy's Recipe Box , Mini Van Dreams , Hope Studios, Hope in Every Season , Stone Gable Blog, Sweet Silly Sara  
Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Crafty Allie, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Buns in my Oven, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, Gingersnap Crafts, A Peek into my Paradise, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom
Thursday: Play Party Pin, Sweet Haute, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: O Taste and See, Craft Dictator, Coffee with us 3, The Grits Blog, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Beauty Through Imperfection
Saturday: Six Sister's Stuff, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Simply Gloria, Weary Chef, Raising Memories, Sewlicious Home Decor
Sunday: Three Mango Seeds

Jordan's Mexican Lasagna

I have this friend from high school, we still keep in touch, but live too far away to see each other (which makes me sad. Yay for Facebook!)

She is an amazing mother. She has 4 babies and has one step son.
It's one of those amazing relationships where you would never know he was a step, she loves him as much as her own flesh and blood.
This does not surprise me though, she is good folk.

My friend is always playing around in the kitchen making super fun and healthy foods.
(no, I am not implying this recipe is "healthy"!)

The oldest sprout was there and told her he wanted her to make a certain meal. So, being awesome x's 100, she had him dictate...and she cooked.

Ingredients:

1 Lb ground beef

1 Pkg taco seasoning

1 Large onion (diced)

1 ½ Cup cooked rice

Corn tortillas

1 Can diced tomato with chilies

1 Cup cheddar cheese

1 Can cream of chicken soup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Brown hamburger with onions

3. Add taco seasoning

4. Mix rice with cream of chicken soup

5. Layer the bottom of a 9x13 pan with corn tortillas

6. Add layer of ground beef

7. Layer of rice

8. Layer of cheese

9. Layer of corn tortillas

10. Layer of ground beef

11. Layer of rice

12. Layer the remaining cheese

13. Top with diced tomatoes

14. Bake for 20 minutes

15. Serve with assorted toppings: Sour Cream, Cilantro, Lettuce, Etc

Print

I got to use up a few bags of cheese I had hanging around, BONUS!

This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Homemaking with Style, Flour me with Love , Pioneer Momma, Feeding Big, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, Mom Favorites, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, The Chicken Chick, Say Not Sweet Anne,  Skip to my Lou, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, 21st Century Housewife
Tuesday: Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life , Kathe with an E , Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Lou Lou Girls, Our Table for Seven, Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Hope in Every Season, Stone Gable, 
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Buns in my Oven, Crafty Allie, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Katherine's Corner, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: Coffee with us 3, Simple Nature Decor, Mommy on Demand, O Taste and See, Daily Dish, 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, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, A Little Claireification, The Girl Creative
Saturday: What's Cooking with Ruthie, Will Cook for Smiles, Six Sister's Stuff, Beauty Through Imperfection, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories, Weary Chef
Sunday:  A Peek into my Paradise, Denise Designed       

Chocolate Oatmeal Nut Cookies

This is yet another recipe from that old Digital Equipment Corp cookbook. It was simply titled "Chocolate Chip Cookies".
These are not simply chocolate chip! I feel the name should be reflective of what you are actually eating...so I changed it to Chocolate Oatmeal Nut cookies.
(I used pecans, but feel free to use whatever chopped nut you favor)

This is a pretty dry dough, I was uncertain that I had followed the recipe properly, but it is what it is I guess.
Also, the top of the cookies do not get brown. I used hubby as a "checker" to see if it was actually cooked on the inside.
:::whew::: happy to say it was.

So, these cookies try to be tricky tricky and fool you...but in the end, they are yummy and worth it!

Ingredients:

1 Cup butter (softened)

1 Cup brown sugar

1 Tsp vanilla

2 ½ Cup oatmeal

1 Tsp baking powder

4 oz Hershey bar (finely grated)

1 Cup sugar

2 Eggs

2 Cups flour

½ Tsp salt

1 Tsp baking soda

12 oz chocolate chips

1 ½ Cups chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Cream butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla

3. Add flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda

4. Mix well

5. Mix in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and chopped nuts

6. Drop teaspoonfulls onto baking pan

7. Bake 6-9 minutes

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, Uncommon Designs, Kitchen Table Art, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love , Jambellish, I Should be Mopping thee Floor, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick,Feeding Big, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Kathe with an E, Pint Sized Baker, The New Mrs. Adventures, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Memories by the Mile, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lou Lou Girls, Our Table for Seven, Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Milk and Cuddles, Buns in my Oven, Raising Homemakers, Recipes for our Daily Bread, White Lights on Wednesday, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Crafty Allie, A Peek into my Paradise, Ginger Snap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lady Behind the Curtain, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Sweet Haute, Lambert's Lately, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner
Friday: The Grits Blog, AKA Design, Coffee with us 3, O Taste and See Blog, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, 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, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Cooking with Curls
Saturday: Beauty through Inspiration, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sisters Stuff, Weary Chef
Sunday: Denise Designed , Three Mango Seeds       

Steak Pie

We are heading out as a threesome to go sneaker shopping.
Heaven help us!

Hubby is a horrible shopper. He is typical male...totally impatient.
He is the annoying person you run into at Supercenters...bouncing a ball he found in the toy section...all the way through the store.

It makes me feel like this

So, as we head to the mall, I pity the unsuspecting shoppers who happen to be at the same place at the same time.

Our mall has a couple of sports stores, maybe we can keep him entertained by popping in there at some point.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Med onion (chopped)

1 Med carrot (chopped)

2 Cloves garlic (minced)

2 Tbsp parsley

6 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 ½ Tsp Italian seasoning

1 ½ Tsp salt and pepper (mixed)

2 ½ Lbs beef tenderloin steak (1 ½ inch cubes)

¼ Cup dry red wine

One pie crust

Directions:

1. In large saute pan, melt butter over med low heat

2. Gently saute the onion, carrot, and garlic

3. Place flour and seasonings into a bowl.

4. Add meat to flour and mix until all is covered

5. Grease a 9 x 12 oval dish

6. Place floured meat into bottom of dish, add vegetables.

7. Preheat oven to 350

8. Add wine to meat and vegetable mixture, mix well

9. Fit crust over dish, vent

10. Bake about 30-40 minutes

Print

I know the plastic bag doesn't lend itself to pretty pictures, but the meat was messy!

This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Pioneer Momma, Mom Favorites, Homemaking with Style, Flour me with Love, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Say not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Feeding Big
Tuesday: The New Mrs Adventures, Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Lou Lou Girls, Kathe with an E, Our Table for Seven, Memories by the Mile, The Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Sweet Silly Sara, Hope in Every Season
Wednesday: Lady Behind the Curtain, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Milk and Cuddles, Buns in my Oven, Raising Homemakers, Recipes for our Daily Bread, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Crafty Allie, Lemoine Family Kitchen
Thursday:  Lambert's Lately , Sweet Haute , The Best Blog Recipes, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner
Friday: Happy and Blessed Home, Grits Blog, Coffee with us 3, Simple Nature Decor, Hungry Harps, 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, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom
Saturday:  Cooking with Ruthie , Six Sister's Stuff , Sewlicious Home Decor, Beauty Through Imperfection
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Three Mango Seeds, Denise Designed             

Macaroni Salad

I have a soft spot for side dishes.

They complete a meal, they brighten a plate, they tantalize your taste buds.

You can serve the same side with different meals and it seems brand new.

This macaroni salad was made to go with some grilled chicken. The next day, as we were visiting friends, I brought the leftovers to have with the pizza I knew we were ordering.

Two completely different meals, yet this salad paired perfectly. Love, love, love side dishes!

Ingredients:

½ Lb elbow macaroni (cooked and drained)

⅓  Cup green pepper (chopped)

½ Cup celery (chopped)

8 oz roasted red peppers (chopped)

¼ Cup parsley (chopped)

1 Small carrot (grated)

1 Small onion (chopped)

2 Hard boiled eggs (chopped)

1 Tsp sweet relish

Dressing Mixture:

½ Pint Miracle Whip dressing

½ Tsp Gulden’s mustard

Directions:

1. Mix dressing mixture

2. Add chopped vegetables to dressing mixture

3. Gradually add cooked elbow macaroni

Print

Yeah, I didn't have a small carrot. I got to grate baby carrots. It was awesome. 

This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love , Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, 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, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word, Feeding Big
Tuesday: Memories by the Mile , Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons, The New Mrs Adventures, Cornerstone Confessions. Inside Bru Crew Life, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Our Table for Seven, The Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Kathe with an E, Sweet Silly Sara, Hope Studios
Wednesday: Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Crafty Allie, Buns in my Oven , The Newlywed Pilgrimage , Milk and Cuddles, Wine and Glue, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lady Behind the Curtain, Mostly Homemade Mom, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six
Friday: O Taste and See Blog, Play Party Pin, A Little Claireification, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, City of Creative Dreams, Hungry Harps, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom, Blissful and Domestic
Saturday: Coffee with us 3, What's Cooking with Ruthie, The Weary Chef, Six Sister's Stuff
Sunday: Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds