Nutella Crescent

The BIG love day is tomorrow! Do all of you moms have all the school Valentine's cards filled out?!! That is what my kids did on our snow day off from school. It is so nice that they both are old enough now to write them out and do them on their own. And they love doing it, well, until about the 15th one and then they get tired of writing their name. Do you have big plans with your love? It is hard to have a date with your love when you also have kids, but I usually embrace the whole idea and involve the kids. I usually make a special supper of spaghetti and salad and garlic bread(which is super simple, but everyone wants it)and a special chocolate dessert. I am the worse morning person I know of, I'm not always cranky, I'm just out of it and can't "think" until atleast one cup of coffee.....so, this means a special Valentine breakfast is always a BIG maybe. That is why I for sure make the supper extra special..(I'm awake by then!). I have bunco this week with the girls and the host is doing a dessert bar, YUMMY! I plan on making these cute little jewels. Is it croissants, or crescents?
Nutella Crescents
1pkg pillsbury crescents
nutella chocolate spread
powdered sugar
Unroll the crescents into 8 triangles and place 1T nutella mixture in the middle and roll up. Bake at 375 for 11-13minutes on a greased baking sheet. Let cool and sprinkle well with powdered sugar.

Hello Dollies

Here is a quick and easy dessert. It has coconut and nuts in it and I don't like coconut and I can't taste either. It just all blends together to gooey goodness!
Hello Dollies
melt one stick of butter in a 13x9, crush up 10 graham crackers very fine and sprinkle over the melted butter. Layer 1C coconut on top, then 1C chocolate chips, then 1C finely crushed pecans or walnuts. Over the top drizzle one regular size can of sweetened condensed milk. Do NOT stir. Bake at 350 for 25min or until browned on bottom.

Cheerio Treats

Sorry I have not posted in a few days...the stomach bug seems to be filtering through our house, UGH! Today was another snow day and school was out, but my son didn't have a fun snow day with the stomach bug, poor thing. It only seemed to last about 5 hours though, so that is the good part. I usually cook on cold, snowy days, but I too, am recovering from the "bug" and so I haven't been cooking much. I do have a fun recipe that would be great to make for Valentines snacks at school for the kiddos. Whatever holiday/season it is you can adjust the color of the m&m's. Valentine's is such a fun day to show those you love how important they are. I love to find unique ways, I'm not the kind of red roses and candy kinda gal. I'm more the in-laws watch the kiddos and we have a picnic inside on a blanket in front of the fire(or candle)and have a spaghetti dinner with a salad and wine and cuddle up and watch a movie kinda gal! I love to be romanced...I guess it shows me that I am worthy enough to have "thought" put into, not just the typical roses and chocolate...I know, I should just appreciate the roses and chocolate...and I do, but wild flowers and chocolate dipped strawberries just "tell" me more. There is more thought behind that...to stop and pick the wild flowers(during the winter!) and take the time to dip strawberries in chocolate. Valentine's should never be out of ritual or habit or "have to" it should be all out of what your heart says about this wonderful person in your life that makes you twitterpated and if you follow that then it should be anything but ordinary. I do believe women are naturally better at this, this thinking of different ways of being romantic...but, if we show him enough then maybe, just maybe, he will catch on!! Being in love is about the other person and what they like and want and desire, love is a gift from our God and it is to be treasured and nurtured. Give your man compliments and encourage him and don't be negative to him and just see what happens...he will thrive and come alive! On that note, here is a yummy recipe to make for your Valentine's!
Cheerio Treats
1C sugar
1C corn syrup
1C creamy peanut butter
1tsp vanilla
5C cheerios
seasonal m&m's 1-2C
In large pan combine corn syrup and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Allow mixture to boil one minute and remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add cheerios and m&m's and mix until coated. Drop onto waxed paper and allow to cool.

OOOEY GOOEY SLIME

Instead of a recipe today I'm going to write directions to make Slime. My kids love this stuff and it is so fun to make with them. I recently gave this recipe to my three nieces and I guess they played with it the whole night and then got up an hour early before school, just so they could play with it before they left!! Now my kids would have never got up an hour before school to play with it, but they do love it and it does keep them busy on a cold winter day. It is so fun to watch a child's face as they discover something new and especially when they get to make this slime and it starts to harden, they just get so excited! We take cookie cutters and make fun shapes with it, we use a straw and wrap it around the bottom and blow bubbles with it, we put a coin in it and watch is slowly disappear, it can do lots of fun things! Have fun!
SLIME
1(4oz) bottle of Elmer's glue
1/2C water
1/4C water and 1tsp borax
food coloring,optional
Stir 1/2C water, glue and food coloring in pan on stove(or you could use the microwave). In another small bowl, mix borax and 1/4C water together. Add the borax solution 1T at a time into the glue mixture, while stirring, until it forms a ball. Store in a ziploc bag.

Hamburger Casserole

I don't know what else this casserole is called, except EXTREME comfort food! This is one of the first recipes I got from my mother-n-law when I got married almost 12 years ago and it is my favorite go to recipe. My MIL has the best collection of recipes and is a wonderful cook. I want this casserole whenever I had a baby, or a surgery, or just didn't feel well...it is bland, but flavorful and very good for you. Kids love it and can't get enough of it...so that makes this a real winner! I have changed it just a bit, but only to make it healthier. This recipe is one that we have to have cottage cheese with and mix it in before eating, makes it so much better...for some reason. I hope your family enjoys this for years to come like mine has....and it makes a ton too! I could see putting this is in the crockpot before church and coming home to it being done, I haven't tried that, but if you put it on high it should work(atleast with my beast of a crockpot!).

Hamburger Casserole

1-2pds cooked ground beef

3 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

4-5large carrots, sliced

1C brown rice, uncooked

1can diced tomatoes, don't drain

1/2can hot water

Cook beef and drain and place in a 2qt dish. Layer sliced potatoes on top of beef. Layer carrots on top of this and then layer the uncooked rice. Dump the can of diced tomatoes on top and carefully spread around to cover the rice. Take the 1/2can hot water and pour over any rice that didn't get wet and take a knife and run around the pan, letting the water run down into the food. This will also help to steam, or cook, the food. Place foil on top and bake at 325 for two hours. Sometimes liquid will remain at the bottom, just use a slotted spoon. The original recipe calls for white rice and also to add chopped raw onion on top of the beef. YUMMY!

SuperBowl Smokies

A lot of you probably have had this before, but I thought it was a good time for a reminder on these yummy goodies for SuperBowl parties. This is one of those "all in moderation" foods!! Or maybe, "only once a year foods!" After baking them, keep them warm in a crockpot set on "warm" not on low.
bacon/brown sugar/smokies...oh my!
1 (16oz)pkg bacon
1(14oz)pkg little beef smokies
1C brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 and line a 10x15 pan with foil and spray with pam. Cut the whole slab of bacon at once into three sections. Wrap 1/3 of each piece of bacon around a smokie and secure with a toothpick, repeat until finished and place on the pan and sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of each smokie. Bake 40-45min or until bacon is crisp and brown sugar is melted. Serve quickly or keep in crockpot on "warm" serves around 48 smokies

Kielbasa Casserole

This is a dish that I got from a Taste of Home cookbook years ago that my hubby has to have atleast once a month. I have altered the recipe to our family's likings. The kids mostly just pick out the sausage and eat it, but I have found that adding cottage cheese to their plates(I know this is extremely strange!) they mix it in with the casserole and it helps them to eat this better. I think it tones down the distinct sauerkraut taste. At our house we add cottage cheese to most casseroles and soups....this all started from my husband and his family. I thought that was so strange when we first married, but then I tried it with several meals and it actually made it better! Now, my son won't eat anything without it. I guess it's a good way to get your calcium!

Kielbasa Casserole

2C elbow macaroni, cook and drain

1 can diced tomatoes, don't drain

1 can sauerkraut, drain

1pd kielbasa, I use turkey sausage

2C cheese

*Cook and drain the pasta. Cut up sausage into bite size pieces. Spray a 2qt dish with Pam and heat oven to 350. After draining the pasta, add the sausage, sauerkraut, and diced tomatoes to the pan and stir well. Put in a 2qt dish and add cheese to the top. Bake for 30-35min or until bubbly.

Before adding the cheese