Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

This recipe has a picture posted in yesterday's bacon wrapped mushrooms post.  I figured while I had the grill out and I had both mushrooms and asparagus in the fridge and BACON! that I would throw them both on the grill. I probably like my aparagus roasted in the oven the best with seasonings on it, but this is a great grill recipe.  I love the very simple and unique taste of asparagus, so wrapping bacon around it almost took that away...of course it is bacon, so there was nothing not to like..but, I think I do prefer to have my asparagus without it. The bacon does help the kiddos to eat asparagus! My parents told me that when I was a kid I would not eat asparagus because I told them I did not like to eat weeds! I had a point...they do look and grow like weeds, LOL! They usually made me eat atleast some of it before leaving the table, but then I would complain to them that when I peed that my pee smelled like the asparagus! It's true...it will make it do that!  But, as an adult, I have grown to love the taste of this vegetable and I look forward to each Spring when it starts going on sale and appearing in the stores.  I did plant some last year in the garden, but I don't think it liked my very acidic soil where I had it planted, which was right by a huge pine tree. The pine needles have a lot of acid and make your soil acidic, so only those foods that like that will grow in it. My potatoes love that soil!
I did find that taking two or three asparagus spears and wrapping the bacon around them makes it easier than just trying to wrap one spear. I would think next time to even take a serving amount, like around 5-6 spears and wrapping that many would be great.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
  Put asparagus spears in like a 13x9 size dish and sprinkle with olive oil and toss around to coat.  Sprinkle pepper on them and toss.  Take a half piece of bacon and wrap amount desired, I did 2-3, of asparagus and secure both ends with toothpicks.  Grill on med-high heat for 8-10 minutes turning as needed to cook the bacon.

Grilled bacon wrapped mushrooms and asparagus

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms

Oh My! I saw this recipe at the cute blog The Kitchen Cookie and I knew right away that I had to try this! It is only three ingredients and they are each yummy...mushrooms, bacon, bbq sauce! A little slice of heaven for sure! The sun finally came out today and temps got above 50 finally....seems like we have been stuck in the highs of 40 or 50 and at this time of year it has been depressing! So I am grilling tonight and making these yummy beauties.  Thank you Kitchen Cookie for sharing this little slice of heaven with us!
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms
white button mushrooms
bacon, cut in half
favorite bbq sauce
wooden skewers
Soak the wooden skewers in water for a bit so they don't scorch on the grill. Take the stem out of each mushroom and wrap a half piece of bacon around the mushroom and seal by placing on the wooden skewer...skewer, that is a strange word...after all the mushrooms are skewed! lol! then brush with your favorite bbq sauce....or if you have a husband like mine who doesn't care for bbq sauce(that is a sin in my book)then maybe try sprinkling with your favorite seasoning....but, my husband did try the ones with bbq sauce on them and he loved them. The bbq sauce takes on a different flavor after it cooks with the bacon and I wouldn't probably even make these without the bbq sauce, the sauce is what makes these!

These are the mushrooms before grilling

YUM! Look for the asparagus recipe tomorrow! 

Ham Casserole

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! What an amazing day we had...went to Sunday school and church and pondered on how our Lord died for us and what an amazing love He has for each of us.  It sure is wonderful to know that when I mess up that God still loves me and one day I will be in Heaven where there is no more pain and no more sadness! I can't wait!  This life down here is hard! Although I have been very blessed with a beautiful family and life.

These are my two awnry, but wonderful, kiddos

Brooke(5), Braedon(11), me and my hubby

Does anyone have a TON of Easter ham leftover??? I DO! And I planned it that way so I could put it in the freezer and make casseroles.  I found a ham recipe on the blog, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and it reminds me of my hamburger potato casserole here on my blog, but it uses ham.  I also have a recipe called Pasta Ham Dish on this blog that you could use up that leftover ham with!  Does anyone have any yummy ham recipes they like?
Ham Casserole
2pds sliced, cut up ham
1onion, chopped
1C peeled,chopped carrots
3C sliced potatoes
1can cream of mushroom soup
2 1/4tsp flour
1C milk
salt and pepper
Brown ham and onion in a greased pan.  Add flour, soup and milk and heat until it boils. Arrange carrots, potatoes, ham ,onion in bottom of greased 13x9dish.  Pour sauce over top and cover and bake at 350 for 1hour. Uncover and bake 15minutes more.

Wedding Potatoes

Forgive me for the lack of posts, I have a terrible cold and have not done much cooking.  I figured even though I am not making some of these dishes, that I could still post them and then come back and post the pictures later on when I actually make them.  I've made them all before, just  not this week.  This is a great recipe to use for that Easter ham, it works great with any meat as a side dish.
This is a recipe I got from my SIL that just passed away from breast cancer.  What a wonderful woman she was.  My daughter has a lot of her aunt in her.  A strong, independent woman who can do anything, yet has a heart of gold that is so caring and giving towards others.  I watched my SIL grow in her faith in God over the last several years and she was such an inspiration to me and so many others, it was truly a blessing to watch how God used her for His work and His glory...she was a good and faithful servant and now she is dancing with the angels and in no more pain. We love you Kim!
We went to visit her and her husband several years ago and she served salmon and these wonderful wedding potatoes...I had to have the recipe that night! There are many versions of this recipe, but this is my favorite and I have adjusted it just a bit over the years.  It isn't the healthiest, but just serve it with salmon or some other food that is healthy and it will make you feel better!
Wedding Potatoes-recipe from my SIL
#2bag of frozen hashbrowns, shredded
2C shredded cheddar cheese
2C sour cream, use light, I only use 1C. and it works fine
1pkg onion soup mix
1can cream of chicken soup(I use cream of mushroom)
1stick of butter, melted(I use more like 1/2stick and it works)
1/2t each salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together and put in a greased 13x9pan.  Bake at 350 for 45-60min.  I like my potatoes crispier, so I use a 15x10x1 pan and they spread out more and bake to the texture I like.

Brownie Covered Oreos

OK, this is just a genious idea! Why in the world didn't I think to do this? Two of my favorite sweets are oreo cookies and brownies....combine the two and it is a pure masterpiece! The blog, Picky Palate had these little jewels and I knew when I saw them I had to make them...how could you go wrong with these two combined? So easy to make and so yummy! Fabulous! And what is even cuter is you can use the seasonal oreos that have colored frosting to make them festive!
Brownie Covered Oreos
1box of your favorite brownie mix
eggs,water, oil as indicated on brownie mix
1package oreos

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare the brownies according to the box directions.  Generously grease 2 regular size muffin tins.  Drop the oreos in the prepared brownie mix and put into the greased muffin tins, one oreo per muffin cup.  Repeat with the whole package of oreos.  Bake for 12-15minutes, or until the brownie is done.  After removing from the oven, immediately run a knife around the edge of each muffin tin to loosen the brownie batter so the cookies will come out.  After you do this, let the brownies rest a few minutes.  Then take a fork to help the cookie release from the pan.  Try not to eat all of them in one sitting!



Pure Delight!



Spinach and Tortellini Salad

Are you ready to try the best pasta salad you will ever have? We love this stuff and it is a perfect summer salad! Especially when my garden has some of the ingredients!  I love to try new pasta salads and potato and jello and really any kind of salad.  This is full of color and flavor and it is good for you too!  It would be easy to change it up if you don't like one of the ingredients.  Each time I make this I have to write the recipe out for someone, I hope you enjoy it!
Spinach and Tortellini Salad
1(19oz)bag frozen cheese filled tortellini
1pkg fresh baby spinach, or around 4-6Cups(really just eyeball it!)
2C cherry tomatoes, halved
(you can use big tomatoes, but they are almost too juicy, so the cherry tomatoes work better)
1(2oz)can sliced black olives, drain well
1(16oz) bottle italian-style salad dressing
1/3C grated parmesan cheese, optional
1small pkg medium or sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
red onion, diced very tiny, optional

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook tortellini per pkg directions and drain well and rinse under cold water.  In a large bowl, combine the tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, olives, cubed cheese, and parmesan cheese and red onion(if using).  Add half the bottle of dressing and stir well to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for atleast one hour.  Before serving add the rest of the bottle of dressing and stir well.  It seems like this salad tastes better if you add half the bottle of dressing and let it marinate in the fridge for an hour and then before serving add the rest of the bottle. But, if you are in a hurry, just make it and add the whole bottle at once and make sure to stir often because it will settle at the bottom.



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A good day

My baby girl lost her first tooth today! She is SO excited for that tooth fairy she's been hearing about from her older brother to come tonight while she is asleep.  She keeps asking me what she looks like and how big she is and what will happen if she wakes up and sees her...on and on and on! It is so sweet to listen to the innocence of a child and the thoughts that go on inside their sweet heads.  They grow up so fast and this mommy was just thinking last night how I only have about 4 weeks left with just her and I and then her brother will be home for the summer and then they both go off to school together come fall......ugh, stab the knife in my heart now! Motherhood is SO bittersweet!  It just doesn't seem right to spend all day with your child for 5-6yrs and then one day they go to school and are gone all day and you have no clue what they do all day and how they are acting and if they are ok....isn't that just cruel?! I would homeschool, trust me, I've thought about it for hours on end before my son went off to kindergarten 6yrs ago, but I figured I want to continue to love my children and enjoy them....neither child likes to learn from me.... and well, we would fight and butt heads all day if I homeschooled them. So, to save each of our sanity I will let trained professionals who know how to teach 20 kids and not lose their minds teach them.....teachers truly are amazing!

I had a thoughtful friend make supper for our family tonight after the loss of my husband's sister.  It was so nice to not have to worry about supper tonight, or dessert!  Then my dear elderly neighbor just brought over meatballs for a supper and donuts and juice for breakfast....people are so thoughtful and it is such a blessing to have friends.



My 1yr old Forsythia bush...I'm so excited it got so big!



Banana Pudding Cake

I have been preparing a few things for when family gets here, so I thought I would post a few days before taking the few days off with the funeral and family.  This is a very easy cake, it literally took minutes to prepare before baking it.  I found it over on the blog One Crazy Cookie, go check that blog out it is full of yummy recipes! In this banana pudding cake she uses instant banana pudding, but I did not have any so I used instant vanilla pudding instead.  If you go to her site she also includes a wonderful glaze to drizzle on top, I however chose not to do this since we are having it for a breakfast item.
Banana Pudding Cake
1box yellow cake mix
1small box instant banana cream pudding(I used vanilla)
4 eggs
1C water
1/4C oil
1C mashed banana, I used 3 large
2C mini chocolate chips, optional
Visit the blog above for a yummy glaze if you wish
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt pan.  Combine cake mix and pudding mix, I used my kitchen aid mixer.  Add eggs, water, oil and mashed banana.  Mix on low until combined and then turn to medium and mix for 4minutes.  Add chocolate chips if desired and stir. Pour into greased bundt and bake 50-55minutes or until cake springs back and toothpick is clear.  Let cake cool in pan for 10minutes before inverting onto wire rack.  Make sure to go around the outside and inside edges of the bundt cake with a long spatula, or knife, so it will release fully. 

Cheeseburger Macaroni

This is a twist on a Krafts Food recipe.  My 11yr old son loves this stuff and can't get enough of it. He told me tonight that if he were a king he would request his servants to serve him this every night! I guess I am his servant....although I already knew this!  He would eat this stuff until he popped if I let him, he is in that stage of growing where he can never get enough...just as I sit down from doing dinner dishes he comes to me asking for a snack and I'm like, what?!!! He is gonna be tall I have a feeling, he only has a few inches to go to catch up with ol mom and I'm almost 5'7" but, he is only 11!  Anyways, you can do a lot to this recipe to adapt it to your likings by adding more veggies. Use 100% whole grain noodles to up the fiber,etc. This dish is SO nice because it is a one dish meal, the noodles cook in the same pan! BONUS!  We also like to add a can of diced tomatoes to this!
Cheeseburger Macaroni
1pound ground beef
2 3/4 C water
1/4C ketchup
1tsp onion powder, optional
2C elbow macaroni, uncooked
8oz velveeta, cubed
1can corn, drained, or 1-2C frozen corn
Brown meat and drain.  Add water, ketchup, onion powder;mix well.  Bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni and cover.  Simmer on med-low heat 8-10minutes or until tender. Stir in corn and velveeta and cook until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.  My family likes to stir in cottage cheese to this dish.

Be back next week

Just to let everyone know, I am taking a week or so off from my food blog.  My dear sister-n-law has lost her fight with breast cancer and passed away this morning.  My grandma found out last week she has breast cancer and will have her surgery this week as well.  So I will be busy with family this week and will come back next week with some yummy recipes. Thank you to all who comment and follow my blog, I sure enjoy your comments!

Asian Noodles

These noodles were awesome and easy! Please forgive me, I can not remember which blog I got this recipe from, however I did switch it up a bit to make it our own. The kids even loved this dish! We were so hungry I forgot to take a picture of this pretty dish, rats! We will definitley have this again, it was quick and easy and it fixed our Chinese craving!
Asian Noodles
2T vegetable oil
1bag preshredded coleslaw mix
4T soy sauce
1/2C green onions, optional, but they are really good in this! and the kids didn't notice them!
8oz angel hair pasta, I didn't have any, so I used thin spaghetti
4ounces cooked chicken, optional
1can bean sprouts, drained
1can water chestnuts, drained, optional, we love the crunch of these in this dish!
Cook pasta and drain. In skillet, heat oil and add coleslaw, green onions, and can of bean sprouts and water chestnuts and cook until slaw is wilted, around 5-10minutes.  Add chicken, soy sauce and cooked pasta and stir well and heat through.  I added more soy sauce to my dish, everyone else liked the amount as is.

Monster Cookie Bars

Here is another "goodie" mom made today while she is in town visiting...oh goodness, I can feel the weight attaching itself to my hips!  Three days of nonstop cooking stuff and mom is finally down and resting her back on ice, her back gets to hurting her when she lifts or stands too much....maybe this means that I won't gain 10pounds...only 5!! I'm sure after a bit of resting she will be back at it again! Nothing can stop a loving mommy and grandma from cooking and making her kiddos happy!  This recipe is adapted from my mom's monster cookies and made into bars, so it is a bit easier in the long run.  It comes from the blog You Go Girl, but it has all the same ingredients as my mom's monster cookies, so she was excited to try the bar version.  There is nothing quite like the combination of peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate....this makes me a very happy girl! Mom doubled this recipe, so my son is taking some to his class at school(they love when his grandma comes to town!) and I have tons to put in the freezer so I can enjoy these long after mom goes home(which I think is the reason she doubled them...so I will think of my mommy every time I eat one!....those mom's know what they are doing!)
Monster Cookie Bars
Cream together: 1/2C soft butter, 1C brown sugar, 1C white sugar
Mix in: 3 eggs, 11/2C creamy peanut butter
Then add: 1tsp vanilla, 2tsp baking soda, 41/2C quick cooking oats
Stir in: 11/2C chocolate chips, 1C mini M&Ms
Spray a 10inch jelly roll pan with Pam. Spread mixture into pan. Bake at 350 for only 15-18minutes, don't overbake them. Bars will set up as they cool.
Use m&m's according to what holiday it is!


This batch does not have M&M's, but double the chocolate chips



Applesauce

Did I ever score! My mom is in town and we went to the store to find $0.99 bags of granny smith apples! Mom got 7 or 8 bags and her and my 5yr old got busy and made applesauce....yeah for me! Now, I have tons of yummy applesauce in the freezer! It's so great when my mom comes to town, I get all kinds of yummy cookin! And she keeps my kids entertained when I am too tired to play!
Today is my hubby's birthday, he is 36...that is now officially closer to 40 than 30.....wow! That sounds strange! Not old, just strange! I love you Kyle and I am SO glad you are my bestest friend and partner in life! I will not post his favorite supper of all time, which I'm making tonight for his birthday, because well, um, it's Spaghetti! Not much to it, but he loves the stuff and can't get enough of it! Makes it easy on me I guess! But, I will post the yummy applesauce my mom and daughter made that we will serve with it....I should also post the peach pie and grape pie she made too, and then her awesome monster cookies I can't get enough of, but that will be for another day(I gain like 5pounds when my mom visits!).
Applesauce
6pds granny smith apples
1tsp lemon juice
1C sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/8tsp nutmeg
Peel, core and chop apples. Add the apples to a big stockpot and put 1C water in the pot and bring to a boil. After it starts to boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 25minutes, COVERED,stirring every so often. After this is done simmering, stir well enough to get the consistency you want. It will look watery, but the longer you stir the more it sets up and the smoother it will become. I made one batch very smooth and it took about 5-10minutes of constant stirring. The other batch I made somewhat chunky..I love both ways.  After stirring add in 1tsp lemon juice and stir. Then add 1C sugar, 1tsp cinnamon and 1/8tsp nutmeg and stir well.  Let cool and ladle into mason jars or ziploc bags and freeze. Or you can process them in a hot water bath and can them.  You can also adapt this recipe to the slow cooker!



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The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever!

A few years ago I heard about this recipe for pumpkin muffins, it only requires two ingredients so I just had to try it and see for myself if they were any good. That would just be too good to be true for them to actually have taste and only have two ingredients....but, I was wrong, they are wonderful and so easy! And pumpkin is very healthy for you!  What is neat is you can use any flavor of cake mix to mix with the can of pumpkin, my favorites are chocolate and spice cake mix. When I use spice mix I even add in raisins and I always add in chocolate chips to any flavor cake mix! You do have to watch these muffins when they bake and see how your pan and oven respond to how long to bake them, I think with just the two ingredients it makes them prone to burn easier. I burned several batches when I first started making these a few years ago until I figured out the exact time. Be creative and try different cake flavors and add ins!
The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever
One can pumpkin
one box cake mix
Do NOT use anything else, no oil, eggs, or water! Combine the two and stir, it will be very thick and strange! Fill muffin tins and bake 15-20minutes at 350

Triple Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are from yet another Taste of Home cookbook that I own...not sure which one....why you ask? Well..... because I have waaaaay tooooooo many of them(shhh...don't tell my husband)! These brownies are super easy and fast and for the chocolate lovers only.  They make a bunch, so they are perfect for those potlucks or school functions. Kids very easily help with these!
1small pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1box chocolate cake mix
2C semisweet chocolate chips, make them Ghiradelli for extra richness!

Prepare the pudding according to package directions.  Stir in the cake mix.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Spread mixture into a greased 15x10x1 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30min. Check with toothpick and let it pull back a bit from the sides. Right before serving dust with powdered sugar.  If you dust them way before serving, then when you go to serve them the powdered sugar will be gone and you will wonder where in the world did it go?  It's magic.... it will soak into the brownies and then you will have to redust....which isn't always a bad thing either!
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This is before the dusting of powdered sugar



Crockpot Baked Potatoes

What an easy way to cook baked potatoes! It is so funny, I've never even thought of doing potatoes this way until I was reading through one of my very favorite blogs, Finding Joy In My Kitchen, and she had this potato recipe.  This will be on my menu for next week while my mom is in town visiting.  She is a hard one to cook for because she is always on some new diet. She has been doing weight watchers for some time now and having lots of luck with it.  I don't know if it this or the fact that she hasn't ate sugar or flour for I think almost two years now, but she has lost too much weight I think.  I could NOT imagine not eating sugar or flour, I honestly don't know how she does it. I wouldn't do it, I wouldn't even try! I love my breads too much! Bread is like dessert for me.  I believe all things in moderation and to make your choices as healthy as possible a majority of the time. Like eat bread, but make it 100%whole grain and not white. Anyways, I think she will eat baked potatoes....they are actually healthy for you and if you eat the skin, then you get more fiber and nutrients. And if you top them with broccoli and not just cheese, sour cream and bacon bits, then they can be healthy! I've got to have my sour cream, I just use light and I can't tell a difference at all. Enjoy!
Crockpot Baked Potatoes
4-5 Russett potatoes
1/2T-1T olive oil
sea salt
Wash the potatoes and pat dry. Spray the crockpot with olive oil spray and coat each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and cook potatoes on high for 4 hours. During this time rotate potatoes a couple times so that each potato has a turn touching the bottom or side of crockpot. Serve with desired toppings. We like steamed broccoli, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheese and also we like to top them sometimes with homemade chili and shredded cheese.


I think my husband likes a bit of cheese on his potato!