Make it yourself Monday....Pea Salad

I found this idea at the local Fred Meyer Deli and because I couldn't justify paying $5.99/lb I concocted this version of the recipe by myself. I found it to be YUMMY! My MIL liked it as well. DH said it was a bit to pea-ey for his taste and suggested I add more bacon. But, who doensn't like more bacon? Here you go: PEA SALAD

* 1 bag of frozen peas thawed (tip: open the bag into your collander and run hot water over them while shaking, this will thaw them nicely)
* 1/2 pound of bacon, browned, drained and crumbled. (tip: I cut the bacon up into small pieces with kitchen shears while it's still raw, then I brown the bits)
* 2 Tbsp of diced dehydrated onion, you could also use fresh if you like
* 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
* 1/8 - 1/4 cup ranch salad dressing to taste
* 1 tsp black pepper

Mix up all the ingredients and let chill for about an hour before serving.

This is super YUMMY! Now go make it yourself!

Super duper easy fudge!

I found the BEST recipe for EASY fudge! I didn't think it was possible to find an easy fudge recipe, but it is and I have!

Here's what you do. Are you ready? Do you have 5 minutes (literally) to spare? Here you go.

1 16 - 18 oz container of peanut butter smooth or crunchy, you choose.
1 16 oz container of chocolate frosting.

Dump both items into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for ONE minute! Mix well and pour into a lightly greased 8x8 pan. Put in the refrigerator until set. Viola! That's it!

The finished product resembles that of a peanut butter cup candy!! YUUUUMMMMY!

If you want even easier clean up, line your 8x8 pan with aluminum foil before pouring the fudge in, then all you have to do is lift out the foil/fudge and the pan is still clean!

I hope your family loves it as much as mine does.

Make it yourself Monday...Cosmopolitan!

In honor of a tiring day yesterday and a loooong day ahead today, I thought many might enjoy a lovely little coctail!

Behold....the Cosmopolitan!

This little lovely is a favorite of mine. Hopefully you will enjoy it as well.

1 ounce Vodka
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1/2 ounce Lime Juice
1/2 ounce Cranberry Juice

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve.

Enjoy! Go...make it yourself!

Make it yourself Monday...Banana Raisin Bread

I'm snack mom at preschool this week so I decided to make a banana bread. And just for fun, I thought I'd add raisins. The kids love them and we can't serve them alone as they are "a choking hazard". I personally don't know too many almost 5 year olds that can't chew, but hey...whatever. I'll cook the little guys. So, here you go...here's the recipe. Go make it yourself...

Photo coming soon...

Banana Raisin Bread

1/3 cup butter softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease loaf or muffin pan.

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add milk; beat until blended.

3. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add alternatly with banana to butter mixture beating until smooth after each addition. Gently fold in raisins (or chocolate chips). Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake 60-65 minutes until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan to wire cooling rack. For easier slicing; wrap in foil and store overnight.

If you do decide to try this recipe, let me know what you think! Thanks!

Make it yourself Monday. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Let me start by saying that DH is LOVING my new Monday feature. He gets home from work and the house smells of baked goods. He's in heaven! So here's today's recipe. Go...make it yourself!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
About 24 Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Heat oven to 375 degrees F

Combine butter, shortening, peanut butter, sugars and egg in large bowl, mix until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture until blended.

Shape into balls placing two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the back of a spoon and place a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup upside down in the middle of each cookie.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.

ENJOY! With a huge glass of milk of course!

Notes: I use Pampered Chef cooking stones to bake my cookies and they took a bit longer. It was about 13 minutes for me. You just want them to be golden and pretty.

Make it yourself Monday. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

I thought I might try a new feature to my blog. I noticed that a lot of bloggers have topics of the day that they reuse weekly. I thought I would start small with one for Monday morning.

Today's very first "Make it yourself Monday" item is a GREAT recipe I have developed over the past couple of years with trial and error and it's finally perfect! If I do say so myself...hehe.

I present you:

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin cups or line with paper cups
2. Cream together butter and sugars. Add oats, applesauce, egg, and vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon and mix well until completely blended. Gently fold in chocolate chips or chunks.
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 20-23 minutes until golden and set.

These are a family favorite! What I have been using for the chocolate is Hershey's Bilss candies. I unwrap them and cut them into 12 pieces each. It works great and the fact that the chocolate was a freebie is nice too. This would be a great recipe to hold onto until after halloween and you could steal some of the kiddos' chocolate to use.