Cashew Coleslaw Salad

Is this week over yet so we can have a long weekend? It's a whirlwind of a week around my house and I can't wait till it's over. I looked at the hubby last night and asked when did life get so busy? Something has got to go. He informed me his life isn't so busy he just works a lot. I can't say he doesn't. He's a carpenter and owns his own business along with his older brother and living in the great land of Minnesota you have to make the days count when you have good weather! It's so busy that I'm eating lunch and posting this over my noon hour because I knew you had to have this recipe in case you are looking for a great salad for the holiday weekend. Tonight we have a "cook-out" fundraiser for our Relay for Life team. Relay for Life is near and dear to our hearts. My hubby's mother passed away from cancer a few years ago and my grandpa passed away from cancer. We have a Relay for Life team every summer and I also serve on the county Relay for Life committee. If you would like to donated to our team please follow this link. I would appreciate any help that you give in the fight against cancer! On to the recipe that I am sharing with you. This is one of my favorites and also my wonderful mother's favorite. We were just talking about how we wait for special events so we can make this and eat it too. It's a little bit of a twist on just plain coleslaw and it adds a special crunch to it. I'm all about the crunch! This would make a perfect salad to bring to your 4th of July picnics this weekend! Enjoy!

Cashew Coleslaw Salad
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Ingredients

1/3 c. sugar
2 c. Miracle Whip
1/2 head cauliflower, cut up
1 bag coleslaw
1 c. cashews
Bacos

1. Mix sugar and Miracle Whip. Add coleslaw and cauliflower.

2. Right before serving add cashews and Bacos.

Frosted Banana Bars

I think my hubby has been asking for these for about two months now. After church about a month ago they served them so I rationalized the fact that he had them and that held him over for a bit but he kept asking for me to make these. I kept telling him I would but I kept eating the bananas and never had any left at the end of the week to make them. I got an extra large bunch of bananas at the grocery store last week and had three just perfectly ripe bananas waiting for me yesterday so I could make these bars. I teased him for the last few days telling him that I would make these and he kept asking when Julie when. Today was the day and they are sooo good. I could go grab a fork and just start at one end of the pan and keep going, but oh that just doesn't sound like a smart thing to do. I think I've been pushing off making these too because they seem more like a winter food to me for some reason, but they still taste good in the summer too I found out. We had a little bon fire last night and invited my parents over for some s'mores. Oh how I love a good s'more. I put a little peanut butter on my instead of chocolate since I can't have it and it gets oh so gooey and yummy. Anyways totally off subject, but I also brought these bars out because my hubby isn't a 'mallow fan. My parents dug into them too and they went over great. So much for that thing in my head it's a winter recipe. They go over well anytime of the year! So if you have a few over ripe bananas laying around I highly recommend trying this recipe out. Enjoy!

Frosted Banana Bars
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Ingredients
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3 medium bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Frosting
1/4 c. butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.

2. Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla.

3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4. Pour into greased 15 x 10 x 1 in baking pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bars test done.

6. Cool.

7. For the frosting cream butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat well. If you want it thicker add a littler more confectioners' sugar. Spread over bars.

Salted Nut Roll Bar

Remember that crazy girl in the grocery store I wrote about yesterday? Well she requested I finally post this recipe. She says her husband's favorite candy bar is the Salted Nut Roll and I guarantee if he likes those he'll love these bars even more. For the record she's really not crazy and she's one of the most amazing chicks I've ever met! I've been teasing her with this recipe for oh about a month and I just haven't got around to posting it. Sometimes I have a stash of recipes waiting around for a rainy day when I don't know what to write about and this one just got tucked away in that stash. Actually it's a stash for when I lose my mojo in the kitchen and I need a few back up recipes that I can post because nothing has been turning out for several days, maybe even weeks. Yes I have those moments too. Things can look or sound so amazing and get raving reviews from others and then I make them and think what on earth happened? In fact this happened the other night and I literally read that recipe about fifty times trying to figure out what step I missed and messed up. I never did find out what went wrong and the bars and recipe went into the garbage. What can I say our taste buds are all different. In fact you might find this out about one or two of my recipes you try. *Gasp* I know who would have thought! I will try not to take to much offense if I ever hear this! This recipe comes from my aunt and like I said before is amazing, even more amazing than a Nut Roll. The crust is the key ingredient. It's soft and chewy and buttery and oh so good. I could probably just eat that part of the bar. Enjoy!

Salted Nut Roll Bar
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Ingredients

1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
3/4 c. melted butter (divided)
3 c. miniature marshmallows
12 oz peanut butter chips
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. peanuts
2 c. Rice Krispies

1. Mix the cake mix, egg and 1/4 c. butter. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

2. Put the marshmallows on top of the hot crust. Return to oven for 3 minutes or until puffed up.

3. Melt the peanut butter chips, corn syrup and 1/2 c. butter. Add vanilla and mix. Then add the peanuts and Rice Krispies. Mix well.

4. Pour over marshmallows. Refrigerate, but make sure to cut before they get to hard!

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Hugs & Cookies XOXO

Spasanga

I ran to the grocery store after work to get a pound of hamburger for this recipe. I'm chilling out in the meat department minding my own business standing next to a gentleman and staring at the shelf. All of a sudden there is someone on the other side of me. I mean RIGHT on the other side of me.

I'm standing there thinking wow she's really in my bubble, do I dare take a glance to see who this crazy person is or are they going to totally know I'm slightly annoyed?

Well I took the chance. I'm turning my head and I see this girl grinning from ear to ear. Oh I should have known I live in small town USA of course it's someone I know! It was actually a really close friend and we had a good laugh over it. Then she told me she was going to follow me around the grocery store and see what I was making tonight. I giggled.

Now that's a lot of pressure for a new recipe to turn out! She went on to tell me that her husband asks nightly what Julie is making. She's one of my biggest readers and I love hearing feedback from her and all the rest of you.

As I didn't want to leave her hanging until tomorrow to read up on my blog about my recipe and I just happened to have it in my purse, I whipped it out and shared it with her. I told her that if you see it on the blog tomorrow it's a success but if you don't it was a flop!

Since I'm posting it you obviously have figured out it was a success! It blends the best of both worlds incorporating Alfredo sauce and tomato sauce in the same dish.

 It was great and we decided it was a "keeper". My husband then asked where all the keepers actually went because he rarely gets the same recipe twice. I'm a bit adventurous like that. I giggled and pointed to my over flowing recipe box. He just rolled his eyes at me. True love I tell ya. Enjoy!

Spasanga
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Ingredients

1 pound Spaghetti Noodles
1 jar (24 Oz. Size or 1 lb) Garlic Alfredo Sauce
3 cups Shredded Mozzarella, divided
½ cups Milk
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
1 pound Ground Beef
1 jar (24 Oz. Size or 1 lb) Spaghetti Sauce

1.Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.

3. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Rinse cooked noodles under cold water and drain very well.

4. In a large bowl, combine Alfredo sauce, 2 c. mozzarella, milk, oregano and parsley. Stir well to combine. Add cooked spaghetti noodles and toss to coat them completely. Place entire mixture into the baking dish.

5. Brown beef, drain well to remove excess grease. Over low heat, add spaghetti sauce and mix. Pour mixture over the noodle mixture in the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

6. Remove aluminum foil, sprinkle with 1 c. mozzarella cheese and bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Adapted from: The Country Cook

Strawberry Cake

Another Monday is over with and it's onto the rest of the week! I totally think Monday's are the worst day of the week by far. I suppose skipping them wouldn't do me much good because then I'd just hate Tuesdays. The recipe I'm sharing with you tonight was another Father's day dessert I made. This time it was for my family at supper. I have fallen in love with this cake. I could go over to the leftovers with my fork and eat the whole dang thing. It's dangerous. Good thing I've tucked it out of sight and am trying to avoid it. The cake is moist and the icing actually gets a little hard which I absolutely love. The strawberry flavor is so refreshing. I'm not saying I don't like the good 'ol white or chocolate cake but I'm always up for mixing things up a little. The recipe takes a regular old box cake and dresses it up a bit, but it's still super easy and doesn't take to much time. The result is a dessert that people will think you slaved all day over, but I won't tell them the truth if you don't! This is the perfect summertime treat when served with a scoop of ice cream of course. Enjoy!

Strawberry Cake
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Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
1 package sugar-free strawberry jello
4 egg whites
1/3 c. canola oil
1 c. frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 1/3 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Grease & flour two 9 in. round pans. In a large bowl combine cake mix & gelatin. Add egg whites, & oil; beat until well blended.

2. In a small bowl or food processor, mash strawberries in their juice. Set aside 3 Tbsp for icing. Add water & remaining berries to batter and mix. Pour into pans.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack and cool completely.

4. For icing combine butter and reserved strawberries in small bowl. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until light & fluffy (I added extra confectioners' sugar to make the icing a little thicker). Place on cake on serving platter. Top with half of the icing. Repeat layers.

Adapted from: Taste of Home

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 Gooseberry Patch 

Ice Cream Crunch

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there on this special day! I'm definitely a Daddy's girl just ask my two brothers and they will fully support this statement. I remember my mom when I was growing up coming and asking me to ask my dad for something because she new that if I asked he'd go for it, but if she did he wouldn't. We didn't do this many times, only when we found that it was completely necessary of course! My dad has always been there for me and supported me in life with everything so I can't wait to have him over for supper tonight to say "thanks" for everything he has gave me in life. For Father's Day I temporarily lost my sanity and volunteered to not only host the hubby's family for the noon meal but then my family for supper. Actually it turns out it hasn't been that bad. Well, my hubby might not agree as yesterday I may have lost it a few times when I was trying to clean and cook. We got through it though! I even seem to have found enough of a break in between the hosting to write up this blog post. Luckily I picked two fairly simple meal plans that allowed me to prepare most of the food ahead of time and I've got the hubby on grill duty tonight for my family. The recipe I'm sharing with you is what I made for dessert at noon. It was incredibly yummy, which I'm not sure is surprising because with the list of ingredients like this how can you really go wrong? I think this dessert screams summertime and it's the perfect summer day for it. I adapted it to make it chocolate free but you can change it back to chocolate if you like. If you are feeling really crazy you could do one jar of caramel sauce and one jar of chocolate sauce! Now if I could have chocolate that would be the way I would go for sure. Enjoy!

Ice Cream Crunch
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Ingredients

2 c. flour
1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped nuts - any kind (I omitted)
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 gallon ice cream, softened
2 jars caramel or chocolate sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut butter into all crust ingredients (flour, quick oats, brown sugar & nuts) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. A dough blender works great for this. If you don't have one I highly recommend pursing one. Pat into a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Crumble while still warm.

3. Spread 2/3 of the crumbs onto the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Heat 1 jar of caramel or chocolate topping in the microwave until pourable. Drizzle warm topping onto the crumb mixture.

4. Spread softened ice cream on top of crumbs and chocolate. Spread to smooth. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 of crumbs over ice cream. Warm 2nd jar of topping in microwave until pourable. Drizzle topping over ice cream and crumbs.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze several hours or overnight. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before cutting.

Adapted from: Simple Fair, Fairly Simple

BBQ Pulled Pork Quesdillas

Well we obviously didn't eat all of the BBQ Pulled Pork I made the other night although it was so good it was tempting that's for sure. I was planning on having sandwiches again for supper the next night because I was going to be short on time. I ended up not being short on time because my nieces softball game got cancelled due to the rain. Speaking of the weather what is up with this? I'm just going to go off on this quick. We have two supper hot and humid days at the beginning of last week and then it cools off quickly and now it can't even hardly get past 75 degrees and all it does is rain. I mean is it asking to much for a simple day with 80 degree weather and it's clear and not gail force winds? Obviously mother nature does think this is to much to ask for. Hopefully sometime this summer it will bless us with good weather. Ok enough of that little tangent, but honestly we are all thinking it aren't we? Back to the recipe I was talking about earlier. I was thinking sandwiches and then in the middle of the day it hit me. BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadillas! My hubby has an obsession with quesadillas ever after we got our quesadilla maker for our wedding. He calls it his Sunday night ritual to make one so I thought he'd be just jazzed about my concoction. Turns out he was! Even better when my plan works out that's for sure. If you don't want to even start with sandwiches be a rebel and make the quesadillas the first time around! Enjoy!

BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadillas
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Ingredients

BBQ Pulled Pork
Shredded Cheese
Burrito Sized Tortillas
BBQ Sauce

1. Put first tortilla on Quesadilla Maker (if you don't have one just use a pan on the stove) although I highly recommend getting one!

2. Top with BBQ pulled pork, cheese and extra BBQ Sauce if you'd like. Otherwise just dip the quesadilla in BBQ Sauce.

3. Put another tortilla on top of the mixture.

Pretty dang simple I don't even know if this counts as a recipe!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Do you have those foods that you know you want to make but you never really get there? This is one of them for me. I have bookmarked, cut out, highlighted etc. None of this ever helped me actually make BBQ Pulled Pork. I knew it couldn't be that hard but all the recipes I found had all sorts of rubs, homemade sauce, etc. I knew I wanted simple recipe that I could throw in the crock-pot and go to work and when I got home it would almost be done. Then I came across this recipe and it had rave reviews on Tasty Kitchen and I knew I had to make it. Another motivating factor was I'm trying to find recipes that I can make and not heat up the entire kitchen which made me think of the crock-pot, but all the recipes I have reminded me of winter. This is a summer recipe in my opinion so I gave it a whirl. I can not say enough about it. It's super duper easy, incredibly good, and the meat literally fell apart when I was trying to take it out the crock-pot. It got rave reviews from my hubby also, which is good because I truly have been striking out lately as you all read in the last post. This totally redeemed me and I'm sure he thinks I'm the best wife in the world again! Try this recipe even if you have a different one you usually use. The secret ingredient is the hickory flavored smoke so make sure you use it. I used a 4 lb bone-in pork shoulder because the local grocery store didn't have boneless and it still turned out great although I cut back on the BBQ sauce a little. We had leftovers so stay tuned for what I used them for the next night! Enjoy!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
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Ingredients

4 lbs boneless pork shoulder or pork loin
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 c. water
1 Tbsp hickory-flavored smoke
2 c. barbecue sauce
Buns

1. Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper over the pork and place in a crock-pot.

2. Add water and liquid smoke. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is very tender.

3. Remove the pork from the crock-pot and discard the remaining liquid. Shred the pork using a couple of forks.

4. Place the meat back in the crock-pot along with the barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the pork is hot again. Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce.

Recipe adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Zucchini Bread

The hubby has been begging for this recipe for a good two months now. I finally remembered to look for zucchini at the grocery store and he was ecstatic when he walked in the door and there was fresh zucchini bread! This recipe comes from my Aunt Cheryl and it is moist, easy and tastes amazing. I remember making this for one of my cooking classes in college. We had to prepare a meal for 40 people during this class and it was my night to be "manager" which included coming up with a seven course meal and I included this for my bread. I had several classmates question me about "zucchini bread"??? I said don't knock it until you try it! After the meal was done and we were doing out taste testing and review my classmates single heartedly agreed that the recipe was all I had talked it up to be. Luckily this recipe turned out last night because I have been on a roll of things not going so great. For examps - As the hubby was tossing out a half pan of bars that didn't turn out he yelled from the kitchen "Julie you sure are striking out on this cooking thing lately." Then added, "Want to take a picture of me throwing away your bars?" How helpful of him! Supper tonight looks like it's redeeming me also, well it smells like it is so hopefully it will. Can't wait to share it with you! Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread
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Ingredients
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. zucchini
1/2 c. milk
3 c. flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c. raisins (optional

Toppings
1 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix oil, sugar, eggs (one at a time), and zucchini

2. Mix in a different bowl; flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Add second mixture to first alternating with milk.

4. Put in two greased loaf pans.

5. Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of bread. You can half the topping as it makes a lot if you wish!

6. Bake for 1 hr at 325 degrees.

Pizza Panini

I came across this recipe today after church while I was trying to figure out what to make for meals this week. I mentioned the ingredients to hubby, knowing he would love this combo. In fact he decided the recipe sounded so good he wanted it tonight. So after our nieces birthday party it was off to the grocery store to grab a few ingredients we didn't have for the recipe. There is nothing fancy, schmancy about this meal and I'm not sure I should even call it a recipe or write about it because it is so dang easy. I always need a few recipes like this for a quick dinner when you are tight for time or just feeling lazy (not that I ever feel lazy!!!). Plus it's very kid friendly too! It calls for a panini press but I didn't have one so I did it the old fashioned, make it like a grilled cheese way. Now I want a panini press though, along with many many other kitchen gadgets. I could use an addition to the house just for kitchen supplies! Enjoy!

Pizza Paninis
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Ingredients

Texas Toast
Pizza Sauce
Shredded Cheese (I used a pizza blend)
Pepperoni (or what ever topping you prefer)

1. Bake Texas Toast (you will need 2 per sandwich) according to package directions.

2. Take out of oven and top a piece of texas toast with shredded cheese and pepperoni. Place another piece of texas toast on top of the toppings. Grill in the panini press or on the stove in a pan.

3. Serve with warmed pizza sauce.

Adapted from: Cassie Craves

Caramel Oatmeal Bars

This recipe was a mistake. Well not a mistake but a dire attempt to save the night after my first pan of bars was a flop. I first made Salted Nut Roll bars and I had been looking forward to these bars for a few weeks so I couldn't wait until the next day to sample one so I dug in. Oh wow was I disappointed when I tasted them. My peanuts went bad! I didn't even know they could do this. They tasted, well, dirty I guess is what I would describe it as. I was in panic mode. I was hosting a Tupperware Party the next night and about everything possible had went wrong last night when I was getting ready. I grabbed my go to cookbook from a local church and whipped it open praying that the good Lord above would have some kind of bar in there I had all the ingredients on had for. He did. This cookbook had never let me down as it was tried and true local recipes made with love for generations. Luckily this recipe came through for me. I had rave reviews on them at the party and my husband couldn't wait till after the party so he could eat the rest of them. He would have been disappointed if they were gone! As for my Salted Nut Roll bars...the recipe will be appearing soon as I am still craving them! Enjoy!

Caramel Oatmeal Bars
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Ingredients

1 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Melt:
32 caramels
1/3 c. half & half (The recipe says you can use milk if you don't have half & half)
1/2 c. chocolate chips

1. Blend the first 6 ingredients and pat firmly in a well-greased 9x13 inch pan.

2. Melt 32 caramels in 1/3 cup half & half. Pour caramel over crumb mixture and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

3. Bake for 20-25 min at 325 degrees.

Tempting Tortellini & Ham

Wow it's a toasty one today! We go from cold to HOT and we never seem to get that perfect summer weather do we? Ahhh just never happy am I? We enjoyed the weekend weather, that actually was pretty nice, by camping for the weekend as I mentioned in my last few posts. My hubby was the main "chef" this weekend so I thought I'd treat him to supper tonight. So thoughtful aren't I? In fact a lady walked past our camper while he was slaving over the grill and commented he must be the cook all weekend. At that given moment I thought I might be taking advantage of the situation if someone else noticed, but then I realized she doesn't see me slaving in the kitchen all week so I continued to take advantage of him grilling this weekend! I assure you he was not the only one that cooked. In fact I grilled my very first chicken breasts this weekend. I didn't even burn them and we didn't get salmonella either. Success in my opinion! This recipe I'm sharing with you comes together in a flash which is great for a week night meal. My hubby saw all the cheese laying on the counter when I was making it and his eyes lit up as he commented "wow if it has that much cheese it's gotta be good". He loves anything with cheese that's for sure! Enjoy!

 
Tempting Tortellini & Ham
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Ingredients

9 oz cheese tortellini
1 c. peas
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. half and half cream
1 1/2 c. cubed, fully cooked lean ham
4 ounces fat free cream cheese, cubed
1/2 c. grated Romano cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

1. In a large saucepan, cook tortellini according to package directions.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.

3. Add the ham, peas, basil, garlic powder, and pepper; cook and stir until cream cheese is melted. Drain tortellini; add to pan and heat through.

Monster Cookie Bars

I think we are pretty much ready to take off and go camping! The food is made, the clothes are packed, the camper is cleaned and of course there are adult beverages that have been bought. The weather looks to be absolutely amazing and we are ready for a good time. Camping I have decided is actually a lot of work for a woman. I don't think men actually realize this. I was just having this conversation with my sister-in-law, who has been camping a little bit longer than me. I have only been at it a year. For those of you that don't know me camping is not tenting it for this girl. I put down my foot and told my hubby that we will be camping in a camper, not a pop-up either. Don't get me wrong we do not have a oh so fabulous, nicer than our house camper, but it is a camper and I don't sleep on the ground and it has air conditioning. Last year for our wedding we got a really nice portable grill that I am very excited to grill on this weekend. Well my hubby will be grilling and I'll be there for moral support. I bough him griddle plates to put on it so we are going to try making our pancakes, eggs and sausage on there for breakfast. I'll let you know how it goes! I made a pan of bars for the weekend, which has already been broken into by hubby. He reports "oh these are soooo awesome". If you don't have time to make cookies this recipe is much less time consuming and tastes just as good. It makes a big pan of bars so it's perfect for going somewhere like camping where others will be sharing! I did alter the recipe to not include chocolate which I have noted. I don't know if I have told you this but I'm allergic to chocolate so if you see this as a repeating theme...it's because I want to eat what I make! Hopefully I'll catch some rays over the weekend and come back a sun tanned goddess...well probably just sun tanned. I don't think the sun can turn me into a goddess! ENJOY!

Monster Cookie Bars
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Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, softened
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp corn syrup
2 tsp baking soda
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
4 1/2 c. quick oatmeal
6 oz. chocolate chips (I used peanut butter chips)
6 oz M&M's (I used Reese's Pieces)

1. Mix butter and sugars together.

2. Add eggs, vanilla, corn syrup, and baking soda. Sir in peanut butter. Stir in oatmeal. Add chocolate chips and M&M's.

3. Bake in a greased 13x18 inch pan at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for a soft, chewy bar. They will not look done, but will cook as they set.

Baked Meatballs

It's already Wednesday! I could really get used to this four day week thing. Not that the week hasn't been crazy busy or anything. Tonight I got out of work a bit late and knew I had to clean the camper and get it ready for our first camping trip of the season this weekend and the weather looks like its going to hold out. Doing a little dance for that! I called my wonderful hubby on the way home and he informed me he was making burgers on the grill along with green beans and potatoes. I about swooned and went to heaven. He's the best grill master. I try making up the potatoes and green beans ahead of time for him and they never ever taste as good as his. He's got it mastered. When you think about it doesn't everything always taste better when someone else treats you to it though? It was already going to be 6 when I got home and I wasn't feeling overly ambitious so thank goodness he was craving a burger. Isn't he just the best? The camper is cleaned and ready to go, so tomorrow night I just have to grab a few groceries and bake/make/prepare food. It will be another busy evening. The recipe I'm sharing with you tonight is a oldie but a goodie. My mom frequently made these when we were growing up and it's definitely stand by for both of us now. Sometimes you just have to go back to a staple meat and potatoes supper and this definitely fits the bill. The recipe actually got passed down from my Aunt Pam. It has ingredients that you will find in your cupboards more than likely so you won't have to even go to the grocery store. Gotta love family recipes being passed around! Enjoy!

Baked Meatballs
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Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 sm onion, minced
1/2 c. raw rice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c. fine bread crumbs
1/2 tsp allspice
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. water
Dash of salt and pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Mix first 9 ingredients.

2. Shape into meatballs.

3. Place in a 2 qt casserole dish.

4. Mix soup, water, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

5. Pour over meatballs and cover.

6. Bake 1 1/4 hours at 350 degrees.