Avacado Hummus

1 can Garbanzo Beans, reserve some liquid
1 ripe Avacado
1 small clove Garlic, peeled
1 lime Juiced
2 Tbsp. Tahini
1 tsp. Salt

Blend all together until smooth, adding bean liquid as needed to get nice consistency. Serve with chips.

Best Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. (Don't overbeat or it will go cakey) Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

From: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-brownies/

Breakfast Casserole - Crock Pot Style

So Andrea mentioned this and I can't wait to try it. Don't know if this is the best recipe, but it's worth a shot.

Ready in over 5 hours; serves 6 or more. For large crock pot add 25% to the recipe and tips suggest adding extra cheese and salt; Serve with Salsa and Sour Cream.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag (32 ounce size) frozen southern style hashbrown potatoes
1 pound bacon cut into pieces, fried and drained
1 pound sausage, crumbled, browned and drained
1/2 cup diced onions
1 green bell pepper diced
3/4 pound cheddar cheese diced
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
salt & pepper

PREPARATION:

Layer the frozen potatoes, bacon, onions, green pepper and cheese in the crock pot in two or three layers. Finish up with cheese.

Beat the eggs, milk and mustard, salt and pepper together. Pour over the whole mixture. Cook on low for ten to twelve hours.

NUTRITION:

1288 calories, 99 grams fat, 34 grams carbohydrates, 63 grams protein per serving.

Show full nutritional data (including Weight Watcher's Points ®, cholesterol, sodium, vitamins, and diabetic exchanges)

Recipe came from:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/41/Breakfast_Casserole55552.shtml

Vegas, California

doing our Manaquin poses in Muir Woods

foggy San Fran

aww

you cant see the Golden Gate Bridge behind us because of all the fog but it is there

Sunset Beach in Cali, its funny cuz Trav and i went to a Sunset Beach in Hawaii

our hike to the Pinnacles

Christmas morning

My 22nd birthday, don't judge my appearance we got up at 4 am and drove 8 hours. :)

for some stupid reason it wont let me place my pictures after my post so here they are first...

Sorry it has taken me so long to get on here. Lots has happened since my last post but I'm only going to sum it all up and post pictures, i mean everyone just likes to look at pictures anyways, am i right? :)

Well we ended up leaving the day on the 22nd of December down to Vegas, we stayed at Prim Valley hotel and casino and it was nice, but the roller coaster at Buffalo Bills was down so we were pretty sad about that. We were so excited to get to California that we just stayed that night in Vegas, got our 75 min massages which were much needed, had dinner and went to bed. We woke up real early to head to California so my whole birthday wasnt spent in the car. We got to my parents house around... 11:30 or so. It was so good to see them again and it was awesome my mom and dad made my favorite dinner for my birthday, Tostadas with Mexican rice, and lots of guacamole!!! They even made me a Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing yum!!!! We had so much fun while in Cali. Christmas was great, we had fires in the back yard went on a hike up to the Pinnacles, went to San Fransisco, china town, ate at Bubba Gump, went to Muir Woods, went to the Mission in San Jose and had lots of fun just being with family it was a great trip!!

Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnabon Style

1/2 cup warm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 3 1/2 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1+ cup sugar
1/4+ cup good quality cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions. Add butter, eggs, and salt; mix well. Add the yeast mixture; blend. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth and elastic.

Place in very large greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Punch down and let rise again (45 minutes).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out to a 1/4 inch thick rectangle, 21 inches in its smaller dimension. Note: you may wish to divide the dough in halves and roll out two rectangles. You may have to partially roll it out, then cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest before finishing. Spread 1/2 cup melted butter over surface. Mix cinnamon and sugar together, and spread evenly over surface, leaving a 1-inch margin along one of the long edges. Roll up tightly, starting from a long side. Press together along the edge not covered with cinnamon sugar.

Slice at ~1 1/4 inch intervals. Place on greased baking pan, ~2 inches apart. Cover and let rise until double again.

Bake at 350oF for 15-20 minutes. Remove as soon as they turn golden. Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Combine all ingredients, mix until smooth.

Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies

3 c. all-purpose Flour
2 t. Baking powder
½ t. Salt
1 – 11oz jar Nutella
¼ c. Shortening
1 1/3 c. Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
2 large Eggs
1/3 c. Milk
½ c. Hazelnuts, toasted/chopped
2 c. Hazelnuts, toasted/finely chopped
3 T. Powdered Sugar

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine Nutella and shortening; beat with electric mixer on med/med-high speed until combined. Add Sugar; beat medium speed until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat until combined.

3. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to creamed mixture, beating on medium speed just until combined. Use a spoon to stir in the ½ cup chopped hazelnuts. Cover and chill at least 4 hours until firm.

4. Shape dough into 1- or 2-inch balls. Roll in finely chopped hazelnuts; Roll in powdered sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. (The cookies will spread and crinkle as they bake.) Bake in 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 min or until surface is cracked and cookies are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 72 cookies.

Lofthouse Cookies

You know those lovely cookies at all the grocery stores with all the fluffy colored frosting?... ya, these are the ones :)

Ingredients:

* 1 cup butter
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups sour cream
* 5 -6 cups flour (until desired consistency for rolling)

Directions

1. Cream together butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
3. Mix in dry ingredients.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or 6-8 hours).
5. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
6. Roll out dough to a 1/4 to 3/8 inch thickness using a generous amount of flour.
(I took 2 3/8" dowels and put them to the sides of the dough so the rolling pin spanned across to both dowels making the dough a perfect consistency once rolled out)
7. Cut out shapes and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes.
8. Cool on wire rack.
9. Frost and decorate as desired.


Frosting

4 c. Confectioners Sugar
1/2 c. Shortening
5 T. Milk
1 t. Vanilla
Food Coloring (optional)

Combine all the ingredients together and mix with mixer until combined and fluffy.
(I ended up adding an extra Tbsp of Milk to make it easier to spread).

Thin Pizza Crust from So Living

1 c. Warm Water (105 to 115)
2 T. Veg Oil
2 t. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 t.)
3 c. all-purpose Flour

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; sprinkle yeast over mixture, stir until dissolved. Gradually add flour, mixing well.

Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Make a ball and place in greased bowl, turn to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85) for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down; divide in half. Lightly grease hands and shape into two lightly greased 12 inch pizza pans. (Do not let dough rise).

Bake at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes. Top with toppings and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

(I made it extra thin and did 1-12" pizza and 6 individual sized pizzas)

Pad Thai

8 oz. Thai Rice Sticks (dry - find them in the asian section of your regular grocery store)
3 T. Veg Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
3 Eggs
4 T. Fish Sauce
1 Green Onion, cut into 1" lengths
2 T. Sugar
1 t. Paprika
1 c. Bean Sprouts
1/4 c. ground Peanuts

In a large bowl, soak rice sticks in warm water for 30-45 minutes until tender but firm. Heat oil in a large frying pan, then add garlic. Add egg and scramble until done; reduce temperature. Drain rice sticks well and add to egg mixture. Increase temperature and stir fry noodles until they are translucent, adding up to 1/4 c. water if needed. When rice sticks begin to stick together, add fish sauce, sugar, paprika and green onions. Continue to cook mixture until dry. Garnish with bean sprouts and peanuts. You can also add tofu, pork, chicken or beef.

Pampered Chef Apple Crisp

(Actually called Quick Apple Crisp)

5 Granny Smith Apples (I used whatever I had and I used 9 because I didn't think 5 was enough apple for all the topping it has)
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar (which I omit)
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c. chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350. Peel, core and slice apples. Place in prepared dish.
2. Combine cake mix, sugar, cinnamon, butter and nuts. Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake 35-40 min
Enjoy!!

Chicken Marinade

This is another allrecipes.com find that got even my kids to eat their meat!

1/4 c. Soy Sauce
3 T. Honey
2 T. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 t. Onion Powder
2 large cloves Garlic, pressed
1 1/2 t. ground Ginger
3/4 c. Vegetable Oil
1/2 t. Pepper

Mix all together in a bag or deep dish and place meat in it. Marinade in fridge for about 4 hours or more. (We did it less and it was still amazing for chicken on the grill.)

Great Meat Marinade or Glaze

This comes from the Herb Roasted Pork recipe on allrecipes.com and we loved it on Pork and on Chicken to grill.

1/2 c. Sugar
1 T. Cornstarch
1/4 c. Rice Vinegar
1/4 c. Water
2 T. Soy Sauce

In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch so there are no lumps then add in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil until thickened and pour over Pork roast in the last 15 minutes of baking, or use as marinade for chicken or fish, and set some aside for dipping. Great served with rice.

Berry Pie

This is unbelievably easy and so delicious!

30 oz. Frozen Mixed Berries, thawed
3/4 c. Sugar
3 T. Cornstarch
1/4 t. Salt
Few drops of Red Food Coloring
Pastry for 2 pie Crusts (I'll admit, I switched to Pillsbury and won't ever go back!)

Drain berry syrup into a pan. Blend in sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in Red coloring. Cook an stir over low heat until thickened. Stir in Berries. Put one pie crust in the pie dish. Pour in berry filling. Cover with the other pie crust. Bake in preheated oven at 425 for 30 minutes.

Wendy's Red Jello Salad

2 sm. or 1 lg. pkg. Strawberry Jello
20 oz. Frozen Strawberries
2 Bananas, sliced
1 can crushed Pineapple, drained well
1 small container Sour Cream
2 c. Boiling Water

Dissolve Jello in Water and add Strawberries, bananas and pineapple. Divide in 2 and set half in a 9x13 glass dish while the other half keeps warm in water. Layer sour cream & pour other layer on top and chill to set.

Yams & Apples

This is a sweet and tangy take on your traditional yams.

6 or 8 yams
5 or 6 Roman Beauty apples (if you can't find that, green granny smith or other baking apple will work)
1 scant cup Sugar
5 Tbs. Cornstarch
2 c. Orange Juice
1/2 c. Butter
1 t. Salt

Boil the yams in a large pot of water for about 20 minutes. Yams should be soft but not mushy. Remove from water and after they've cooled, peel and slice into 1/2" rounds. Peel and core the apple cutting into 1/2" rings about the same shape as the yam circles. Layer them in a lightly buttered glass baking dish alternating yams and apples up on their sides. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch then add in Juice, Butter and Salt. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Pour over yams and apples and bake at 350 for 1 hour or more. (Note: Can be made ahead and reheated, also, you may want to double the sauce.)

Cranberry Stuffing

Thanks to Andrea, this is a yummy twist to your box dressings!

3 c. Apple Juice
1/4 c. Butter
2 small apples, chopped
1 c. dried Cranberries
2 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix
1/2 c. Pecans, toasted & chopped

Bring juice and butter to boil on high in medium saucepan. Stir in the rest, except nuts, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes then stir in pecans.

Cranberry Relish

1 pkg. Cranberries
2 c. Sugar
2 Oranges, peel and clean off all the white you can
1 qt. Crushed Pineapple
Red Food Coloring

In a food processor or blender, grind the berries and oranges until their about the consistency of the crushed pineapple, then add the rest, adding as much color as you want to get it to a shade you like.

Jalapeno Jelly

1 c. chopped Bell Peppers (red makes it an amber color, I'm going to try green next time to see if I can keep the color a nice green)
1/2 c. chopped jalapeno pepper (I did a 1/2 c. and there was no heat at all, you might want to do more or keep the seeds in)
5 c. white sugar
1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 (6oz) container liquid pectin
additional peppers for garnish, chopped finely

1. Combine peppers in food processor or blender until finely chopped.

2. Transfer to a large saucepan and stir in apple cider vinegar. Bring to boil and let simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Strain through at least 2 layers of cheese cloth and discard pulp. Should have at least 1 c. liquid.

(This is a good time to warm the jars... either time it to come out of a hot dishwasher when you're ready to pour or you can place them on a cloth in a large pan and warm in a 200 degree oven.)

3. Return liquid to saucepan and stir in salt and sugar until dissolved. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. When it comes to a rolling boil that can't be stirred down, boil for one minute, then stir in liquid pectin.

4. Stir in remaining peppers for garnish and ladle into warmed, sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Cover with sterile lids and rings and let cool slowly, creating a vacuum seal. Refrigerate jelly after seal is broken.

(Disclaimer.. I wasn't too happy with how this turned out, so I'm trying again today. I'll let you know if I can figure it out better the second time around)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 lb. Chicken - cut into bite-sized pieces
coat with:
1 egg - beaten

Mix these together and coat chicken with it:
1/4 t. ground Ginger
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Onion Powder
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
1/4 c. Flour

3 T. Olive Oil - Heat to medium-high and brown coated chicken.

Chop and cook these to a tender-crisp:
Green Peppers
Carrots
Onions

Add to chicken with this:
1 can Pineapple chunks, set aside juice

Mix juice with:
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T. Soy Sauce
2 T. Corn Starch

Add to chicken mixture and cook until thickened. Serve over rice.

Curry Chicken Salad w/ Canteloupe

1 c. Chicken breast, cooked, diced
1/2 c. Celery, sliced
1/2 c. Red Seedless Grapes, halved
2 T. Slivered Almonds, toasted
1/2 c. Mayo
1/2 c. Sour Cream
1 t. Soy Sauce
1/2 t. Curry Powder
1 Large Cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and halved

Combine mayo, sour cream, soy sauce and curry and mix well. Stir in the rest (except the cantaloupe). Serve salad in cantaloupe bowl and enjoy.