For me, it just isn’t Christmas unless there are numerous types of cookies littering my countertop. I love to bake and Christmas cookies help to give me the spirit of the season. I just wish I could hand it out on the street so I wouldn’t end up eating so much of it. Oh well, after Christmas I’m going “sugar-free” for a month – that is bound to be entertaining. Expect some pretty grumpy posts as I work through my sugar withdrawals.

On Sunday morning, the trio and I made numerous cookies to add to our sugar cookie adventure from last week. We made buttons (these have become traditional – and look how much Bo has grown! The girls are older than he was in that first post. Wow…), lemon cake cookies, M & M cookies, butterscotch haystacks, and peanut butter blossoms. We will be taking a tray of cookies to Bo’s preschool program tonight. Today, I’m sharing the two easiest recipes that originally came from my mom. These are fast to throw together and perfect for last minute holiday baking.

Lemon Cake Cookies

• 1/2 tub Cool Whip
• 1 egg
• 1 box lemon cake
• powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment. In a mixing bowl, combine Cool Whip, egg, and cake mix. Stir well. Roll into balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 8-11 minutes. Cool. Super easy and can be made with any flavor of cake mix. Mike prefers lemon. I prefer chocolate.

Haystacks

• 1 package butterscotch chips
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 large bag chow mien noodles

In a large bowl, microwave the butterscotch chips until melted, stirring every 20 to 25 seconds to prevent burning. Immediately stir in the chow mien noodles and peanuts and stir until well combined. Drop on waxed paper and allow to cool. These are also delicious with regular chocolate chips.

Seriously, it doesn’t get much easier!

Here are few photos of the kiddos making buttons. They all really seemed to enjoy it and were very good about not eating the candy.

We also plan to make gingerbread cookies, a gingerbread house (prepackaged – I’m not that crazy, yet), and candy cane cookies before Christmas.

What are you baking this year?

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Last week, I made these yummy refried beans on Monday and incorporated them into several meals and lunches throughout the week. On Monday evening, we had tacos, and these were served as a side. I made myself a bean/lettuce dip with chips one evening and the kiddos and I had bean quesadillas one day for lunch. I’ll definitely be adding these to our regular rotation.

Crockpot Refried Beans

• 1 bag pinto beans
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups chicken stock (I used homemade stock which added lots of flavor)
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp salt
• pepper (to taste)

Soak pinto beans in water overnight. In the morning, put the soaked beans, and all other ingredients into the Crockpot. Cook on high for 8 hours. When ready to serve, pour all ingredients into a food processor and puree. If you prefer chunky you can use a potato masher, but I prefer the smooth texture. Serve. Great refried beans at a fraction of the cost, with no weird chemicals, and they taste delicious. These also freeze well for more manageable portions if you don’t want to eat beans all week.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

If you ignore that I took this photo with my phone (no idea where my real camera was!) you’ll see that this salad is delicious! I first had this salad when I was in the hospital on bedrest with the girls and it was the first thing I ate after the girls were born. I wasn’t able to eat all day, and when the girls were born around 5:30, my first thought (besides thinking they were adorable) was FOOD! I made this for lunch last week and it was very good – Anna tried it and liked it too – but Bo and Clara were less than interested.

Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Spinach Salad

• 1 chicken breast, grilled and cut into cubes, hot or cold (I grilled mine on the stove-top)
• 4 cups spinach greens
• 4 large strawberries, halved and sliced
• 6 walnut halves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp bleu cheese crumbles
• 4 Tbsp red raspberry vinaigrette

Serves two. Layer ingredients on two salad plates – spinach, strawberries, walnuts, bleu cheese, and chicken. Top with vinaigrette. Serve.

I’m not sure I have any chicken, but I’m thinking this salad sounds pretty tasty today!

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

This recipe is the second meal Mike and I ever made together. Anything would have been better than our first meal… We found this recipe by flipping through Mike’s Betty Crocker cookbook at his house in Urbana and went to the store to buy the ingredients together. The yellow post-it note we used to mark the recipe 10 years ago is still in the book and I’m pretty sure the lemon pepper seasoning I used for this recipe is the original one we purchased 10 years ago as well. The seasoning doesn’t have an expiration, so I guess we’re okay. 😉

I made this for a quick and easy dinner last Tuesday night while Mike was putting Bo to bed. As I was cooking, I realized how far my culinary skills have come in the last 10 years – not to mention how much my life has changed! The first few times we made this it was quite the production. Looking back, I’m not quite sure what all of the fuss was about! This recipe is a delicious and easy week night meal that needs to find a more regular spot in our menu rotation so I can invest in some new lemon pepper. I’ve tweaked this recipe a bit – yet another benefit of becoming a better cook – I can adjust recipes to what we like. 😉

Mike and Jamie’s Dijon Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

onion powder

lemon pepper seasoning

2 Tbsp. butter

4 tsp flour

1/2 cup milk

4 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Melt the butter over medium/low heat. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with onion powder and lemon pepper seasoning on both sides to taste and pan fry in the butter. While the chicken is cooking, mix the flour, milk, and mustard in a small bowl or measuring cup until well combined and not lumpy. Once the chicken is cooked through, move to a plate and add the milk mixture to the pan drippings. Stir well until a sauce forms. Add more milk if needed, but the sauce should have a thick consistency. Serve the sauce over the chicken and pair with wild rice and a vegetable.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Our Sunday supper this week was this chili. We haven’t experimented with white chili much around here, but this was pretty tasty and will be something I make again. We fished a few pieces of the chicken out for part of the kids dinner and then Mike and I both had a bowl after the kiddos were all in bed. It’s not very spicy (if you like spice, I’d add Tabasco) but was filling with just a hint of Mexican flavor. Bo really liked the chicken and it did have a good flavor and texture.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 2 – 15 oz. cans great northern benas
• 1 – 15 oz can white corn
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 – 4 oz can green chilies
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• chopped green onions (optional)
• Monterey jack cheese shredded (optional)

In a large slow cooker, combine all ingredients except the sour cream, green onions, and shredded cheese. Chicken can be placed in the crock pot frozen. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Before serving, gently break up the chicken and stir in the sour cream. Serve topped with green onions and cheese.

This weekend, I attended the 49th Annual IMOTC (Illinois Mothers of Twins Clubs) Convention in Springfield. I left my SLR at home with the kiddos, so I copied these photos from one of my friends. (Thanks, Jody!) I baked several breakfast items – muffins, chocolate chunk biscotti, and almond biscotti to take to the convention. But the recipe that was a complete hit was also the easiest to make – vodka infused gummy bears.

I found these on Pinterest about a month ago and I knew they’d be perfect for the convention. They were a huge hit. And they’d be perfect for an adult Halloween party.

Vodka Infused Gummy Bears

• 1 bottle vodka
• 2 large bags of gummy bears

Fill a large Tupperware bowl with gummy bears. Pour vodka over the candy until it is just covered. Place in the refrigerator for two to three days to allow the vodka to absorb. Serve and enjoy the fruity burn.

Yes, that’s a gummy bear between Lori’s teeth. And yes, Tenille was feeding her one as well. We won’t talk about how many gummy bears had been consumed by this point! I’ll share more photos and details about my weekend at the convention tomorrow. I still haven’t recovered my voice and I probably won’t feel rested for a week!

Yesterday turned into a “lazy Sunday” at our house – or at least as lazy as it gets with three kids under the age of three!  We were supposed to go to a picnic, but the threat of rain canceled it and instead we spent the day at home in our pajamas watching movies, playing play-doh, coloring, and of course, cooking.  I’ve been craving the pulled pork we had when we went to Tara Point in Grafton.  This recipe is just as tasty and definitely satisfied my craving!  I threw the pulled pork in the crockpot early on Sunday morning so we’d have it to enjoy during the Bears v. Packers game.  Even Mike said that this was very good and adding the onion strings makes it extra delicious!

Crockpot Pulled Pork

• 1 3-4 lb. pork roast
• 1 large yellow onion – diced
• 4 cloves of garlic – minced
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 can diet cherry coke

Place roast and all other ingredients except for the coke in the crockpot.  Place on high for 8 hours. Stir occasionally while cooking to break up the meat.  Approximately 2 hours before serving, add the cherry coke.  Pile onto a fresh bun and add barbeque sauce and toppings of your choice.  I topped ours with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and the Pioneer Woman’s Onion Strings. This recipe makes a lot, but the pork freezes well.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family.  Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

My MIL sent us home with some fresh peaches from their trip to St. Louis when we were visiting last weekend.  Last Sunday, I threw these together for dessert and they were very tasty.  Definitely a great use of fresh peaches!  I ate some of the leftovers last week for breakfast – they are great with chai tea!

Fresh Peach Muffins

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp apple pie spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup fresh peaches, diced

Topping:

• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  In a small bowl, combine flax seed and water and stir.  Combine all wet ingredients (including flax) in a large bowl and stir well.  Add sugar, then flours, and baking soda and stir until just combined.  Fold in the diced peaches.  Scoop 3/4 full into 12 prepared muffin cups.  Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and distribute evenly over the muffins.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

All three kiddos approved!

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family.  Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!