a pinterest winner

i love pinterest for several reasons but partly because of all the fabulous recipes that i have found. this cake appeared earlier in the week on my page and i knew it was a must pin kinda recipe! i whipped it up today making a few changes and oh my stars…….it is soooooo good!

layers of super moist chocolate cake, homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, chocolate chips and the ultimate mocha brownie mix in the center. it is rich and a little slice will conquer your chocolate craving. this is the where i found the original recipe. i chilled mine in the fridge for a few hours and it was easy to cut and held together well.

have a blessed day!
sarah

buttermilk pancakes

summer is officially here. the children are out of school and we are enjoying the days of being together. morning routines of sleepy children walking into the kitchen and asking the ever famous question, “what’s for breakfast” so today I share one of our favorite recipes. all compliments of the wonderful paula dean and her southern cooking. :) I love some southern style cooking. how ‘bout you?

grab your pretty bowl and get ready to whip up some of the tastiest buttermilk pancakes that you will ever feast on. be prepared to hear your children tell you just how wonderful of a mother you are. all because of buttermilk pancakes!

go ahead and grab your cute little kitchen helper as well. it’s good for children to be in the kitchen and learn how to cook and learn how to listen to instruction. this cute little helper was barely awake when he grabbed the favorite kitchen stool and climbed up to help.

buttermilk pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp. butter melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
maple syrup for drizzlin’

in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. in medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, eggs and vanilla until combined. fold the buttermilk into the flour mixture just until combined. a few lumps are fine. pour batter onto hot griddle to form pancakes the size that you desire. once tiny bubbles form on one side, flip the pancakes over and cook until lightly browned. slather with some peanut butter and maple syrup if your anything like our family.

enjoy your pancakes by the light of the morning sun gleaming through the kitchen window. yummy!

have a blessed day!
sarah

scrumptious cheesy chicken quesadillas

I had a hankerin’ today for a good ole’ quesadilla. I got busy in the kitchen and whipped up these and boy were they yummmo! Everyone gobbled them up and even my sweet momma stopped by and had a few slices. They are easy and they are good. What more could you ask for?

Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
14 oz can rotel with diced chilies, drained
11 oz can mexicorn
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
2-3 tsp cumin (adjust to your liking)
1/2 tsp sea salt
monterey jack cheese
tortillas
butter

Turn oven to broil. In large skillet combine softened cream cheese with rotel and mexicorn. Add chicken and seasonings and stir so that all ingredients are well combined. Allow to simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Take one tortilla and lay it on baking sheet. Layer a little bit of cheese and then the chicken mixture followed by a little more cheese. Top it all off with another tortilla. Spread a small amount of butter on the top tortilla and place the quesadilla in the oven. You must watch them closely as they brown very quickly. Once quesadilla has reached the level of crispness that you like take it out of the oven. Flip it over and butter the other tortilla. Place back in oven and allow to brown. Once that side has browned take quesadilla out of oven. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

Have a blessed day!
Sarah

05.07.2012 daily life

Woke to the sound of majestic rolling thunder and bright bolts of lightning flashing through the dark skies this morning. The sound of heavy rain pounding the concrete sidewalk was a welcoming sound. It doesn’t matter how many times I water my flowers or the garden area it just never gets the nutrients like it does from the rain. The day stayed pretty cloudy with the sun making an appearance every once in awhile. It wasn’t a day for hanging laundry on the line so I took a trip to the library where I loaded up on plenty of gardening books.

While I was get my library books scanned one of the librarians made the comment that I would never get any gardening done if I sat and read all of these books. I let her know that I was one of those people who skimmed the book taking the information that I felt I needed. There is such a wealth of gardening information out there and I have a feeling that no matter how much I read that I will learn more from just doing.

Around here we seem to eat the same vegetables day after day so I finally decided to try something new and thankfully it was a hit with almost the entire crew. The children are sensitive to spicy foods so they picked out the cayenne pepper taste right away. :) It was a super easy recipe and I like easy on busy days.

Cast Iron Skillet Black Eyed Peas
4-5 tbsp bacon grease
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
3 tbsp minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
2 cans black eyed peas

Heat bacon grease in skillet and add garlic and onion.
Allow to cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Drain black eyed peas and add to skillet.
Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Have a blessed day!
Sarah

the ultimate chocolate chip cookies

I love to bake and in my life time I have made many chocolate chip cookies. I guess you could say I am a chocolate chip cookie snob. I like them soft and chewy with just a bit of a crunch to the edge. Early this year I finally stumbled upon the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Seriously these are so good!! I often hold onto recipes and then when one comes along that I think might be better then I try it. If it is better then out goes the old recipe and in comes the new one. With this recipe I highly doubt that I will ever find a replacement. Around here they go quickly like as soon as they are cool enough to grab.

The other thing I love about these cookies is that if they last until the next day they are still soft. Rarely do they last more than two days in our home. They are devoured very quickly and I am okay with that. As a mother I love to hear, “mom these are the best cookies”. It just kinda makes my day! Now I wish I could credit the original source to these cookies but I don’t know where I found the recipe. So if you know please pass the information along and I will make sure to give the credit to the right person. In the mean time I am forever grateful that I found it.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

3/4 c. unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Using about a tablespoon size drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until barely golden brown around the edge. The tops will not brown but do not cook more then 10 minutes.

Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack. Makes about 3 dozen

no bake energy bites

I love healthy snacks for my children. I try really hard to make all of my childrens snack foods from scratch and by doing this I know exactly what they are consuming. So you can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe on pinterest that contained ingredients I would love for my children to eat. It was easy to put together and they are so delicious!

There is some variation to this recipe that can be followed but I am going to give you the directions exactly like I made them. The best thing about these is how easy they were to make and the fact that they are so nutritious. Some of you may think your child will not eat coconut or oats but don’t despair. I have a picky daughter who refuses oatmeal and a husband that doesn’t like coconut. Guess what? They both ate them and said they were good!

No Bake Energy Bites

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used all natural)
• 1/2 cup wheat germ*
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week although they probably will not last that long.

Slightly adapted from: Gimme Some Oven (please visit her recipe for other options for this recipe)

*I purchased wheat germ from my local bulk food source however I am sure you can find it at a health food store. It is very nutritious and packed full of vitamins.

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