What is on your menu this week?

Hi there!  Can you believe January is almost over?  Craziness!  It's been a while since I've done a Bits & Pieces post (post totally about random things).  I have lots of things to share with you.  So here goes! 1.  My three big kids ("big" meaning school aged) are playing basketball.  This means that our Saturdays are full of lots of basketball games.  And the week is pretty busy with six different practices.  They are loving it though, so it's worth it!  Here's my free-throw shooting 9 year old! 2.  I hosted a baby shower (girls night) for my friend that is having baby #4.  My friend is gluten-free, so it was fun to think of gluten free food to have.  I made a few treats and had some cucumber lemon water ready and everyone else brought other yummy food.  I made some churro chex mix and white chocolate popcorn w/chocolate peanuts.  Yum!   4.  Last week for dinner I tried a new s...

I saw this recipe on Picky Palate the other day and thought it would be fun to try.  They are kind of like rice krispie treats with oreo crumbs instead of rice krispies.  Can't go wrong there. Mine didn't work out as well as they should have.  I used mini marshmallows and I don't think I used enough of them because I had a lot of extra cookie crumbs.  My kids loved them though and gave me two thumbs up!

I'm always on the lookout for a new and improved chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I already have a post on my blog about my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe , so I had to name this post my other favorite chocolate chip cookies. This recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe uses melted butter, which kind of reminds me of making congo squares , but in cookie form.  I loved the way the cookies turned out.  And will make them again.  Who knows, maybe they'll stay my favorite recipe.

Over Christmas break I had some of this creamy corn chowder made by my sister.  It was really good, so I put it on my mental list of things to make.  I made it tonight and was very impressed.  I usually struggle at making soups creamy, but I followed all the steps in the recipe on Our Best Bites and it turned out perfectly.  I will be making this again...

I made these peanut butter cup brownies the other day using my new whisk.  It was fun whisking in lots of peanut butter and chocolate.  These brownies and yummy, but very, very rich.  So, whip up a batch, cut them in little squares and share them with your friends and family. I got the recipe from Becky Bakes .  Give it a try!

I love salsa!  I've been wanting to try this roasted tomatillo salsa  on Our Best Bites .  I finally bought some tomatillos and made some.  I loved it!  My 6 year old gave me a thumbs up!

I saw these cookies on Stephanie's Kitchen a few weeks ago and added it to my TO MAKE list.  I was excited to see that they have chocolate pudding mix in them.  I love cookies with pudding mixes in them, especially this recipe  that uses vanilla pudding. I made these today and was very impressed.  I was so impressed that I ate wayyyy to many of them.  Maybe I'll exercise twice today. :) You should make them too!  Find the recipe here .

I made these muffins yesterday for an afternoon school snack for my kids and their friends that they had over for play dates.  They loved them and so did I.  We ate them for breakfast this morning too. This recipe is pretty similar to the applesauce muffins that I love from Jessica Seinfield's Deceptively Delicious cookbook .  I got this recipe from  Two Peas and Their Pod .  I added a few things that I had on hand that I thought would be yummy.  And luckily, the muffins turned out great with my additions.  (I added a little flaxseed, a handful of oats, and 1/2 c. of buttermilk .)

I cooked with leeks for the first time.  I made this Potato and Leek soup .  It was delicious.  I would have taken a picture, but I got a little carried away with my immersion blender, so it didn't look very pretty, but it sure tasted good.  My six year old gobbled it up (it didn't hurt that she got to top it with bacon and cheese).  I'll definitely make it again. (I didn't make it in the crockpot like the recipe said.  I sauteed the leeks in butter, then cooked the rest of the ingredients in my dutch oven pot.) Aren't those pretty leeks?  Now onto my menu for the week: Monday: who knows?  it's a holiday today, so we'll wing it. Tuesday:  taco soup Wednesday:  chicken broccoli stovetop casserole Thursday: Pizza Friday: Chicken Poppyseed Salad Saturday: Chupe de pollo con chipotle Sunday:  Chicken tortellini soup What's on your menu this week?   Thanks for sharing and have a great week!

I made these Busy Day Beef Tips today since I needed dinner to be ready in the crockpot when we got home from gymnastics.  It was super easy (except that I cut up a roast instead of buying stew meat or beef tips).  I got my rice ready to cook in my rice cooker while we were gone.  Dinner was ready when we got home with very little preperation.  Gotta love that! I used the leftover beef and sauce to make beef pot pie the next day.  Just added some steamed potatoes and carrots and covered it with a pie crust and baked it.  Yum! Busy Day Beef Tips recipe from The Recipe Room 2 lbs. beef tips (stew meat, or cut up roast) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of celery soup ½ c water 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix Mix all ingredients in casserole dish. Cover and bake for 3 hours at 300 degrees. Serve over rice. (May also be cooked in the crock pot on low for 8-12 hours).

I made had some of this spicy honey chicken at a friend's house the other day and was really excited to try it at home.  The recipe is from Our Best Bites and is so easy.  It's just chicken that you rub yummy spices on and grill, then drizzle with honey/vinegar.  Yum!  My 6 year old gave it a thumbs up and asked for some in her lunch tomorrow.  That says a lot!  I'll definitely be making it again. The original recipe says to use chicken thighs, but I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts since that's all I had on hand.  Next time I might use chicken thighs. I bought some chipotle chili powder to use in this dish.  It was a little pricey, (about $5 for a jar) and I was a little nervous about how hot it would make the chicken.  I used 1/4 tsp. instead of 1/2 tsp like the recipe said and it was great.  I loved the chipotle flavor.  I told my kids that it tasted like BBQ flavored potato chips and they gobbled it up.

I tried these Cheesecake Bars that I saw on the Sisters' Cafe today.  They were yummy and pretty easy to make.  If you've got a craving for cheesecake, you should give these a try.

My daughter and I made these blondies the other night for our girls' night treat while the boys were at the high school Homecoming Game.  My little girl made this almost by herself.  These bars are very similar to my recipe for Congo Squares that we usually make.  We liked them, but next time I'll make them when I need to take a bunch of treats somewhere, so I don't eat the whole pan myself.  Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated 2 1/8 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly 1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups chocolate chips ( any kind -- we used semi sweet and white chocolate ) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Grease 9x13 pan or line with foil (spray foil...

Tonight I made a mini version of the teriyaki burger that I blogged about a week or two ago.  The recipe is from the Sisters' Cafe .  To make it a mini burger I made tiny patties (the size of meatballs) and then grilled them.  I made homemade buns with my one hour roll recipe .  I spread a little mayo/miracle whip on the bun and added some tomato and lettuce to the burger.  It got a thumbs up from my six year old (minus the tomato and lettuce). Teriyaki Burgers recipe from the Sisters' Cafe 2 lbs ground beef ( I use a combo of ground turkey and ground beef) 1/2 c bread crumbs 1/2 large onion, finely diced 1/2 c soy sauce 1/4 c sugar 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 egg Mix the meat, bread crumbs and onion. Mix together the remaining ingredients then add to meat mixture. Form into patties and grill over medium heat until cooked through. Great served on sesame buns.

I have a great hamburger for you to try for your Labor Day BBQ tomorrow.  It's a teriyaki burger found on the Sisters' Cafe blog.  I made these this week and we enjoyed them.  I made them with a combination of ground turkey and hamburger and served them on a bun w/a little mayo, tomato and lettuce.  My kids even gobbled them up. I love all the recipes I've tried on  the Sisters' Cafe .  I love their blog.  That being said, here's my menu for this week: Monday:  grill something, maybe Rosemary Ranch Chicken Tuesday: tinfoil dinners Wednesday: Orange chicken w/rice Thursday: making broiled tilapia parmesan again Friday: easy Saturday: easy Sunday: easy Have a great Labor Day weekend!  If you've planned your menu for this week, go ahead and share it in the comment section.  Or you can post what you made last week .  Have a good one!

I made these baked chicken taquitos last night and my family loved them.  And, I discovered that I love the tomatillo salsa that is used in the recipe.  My family gobbled these up (except my four year old, but he doesn't gobble much of anything up).  Give these a try!  I found the recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe and Our Best Bites . These would be great to make ahead and bake when it's dinnertime.

I saw this recipe on Real Mom Kitchen the other day and gave it a try last night. I really liked it. My husband prefers our tried-and-true chicken marinade , but this one is a little sweeter and something different.  The recipe calls for Coke or Pepsi, but I happened to have some Sprite on hand, so I used that instead. Grilled Chicken Cola Marinade recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up   2  C (16 oz) Coke or Pepsi 1/3 C soy sauce 1 T minced garlic 1/2 C brown sugar 1 T balsamic vinegar 1 T lime juice 6 chicken breasts 1. Combine all ingredients but the chicken in a medium sized bowl. Stir to incorporate well. 2. Place chicken in a large gallon sized Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over the chicken. Seal tightly and store in the fridge for 4-24 hours. 3. Discard marinade and grill until cooked through.

Happy Independence Day!  We celebrated the 4th of July yesterday a little, but today I thought I'd make some apple pie.  What's more American than an apple pie?  I tried this recipe from the Sister's Cafe .  We've been talking as a family about what that means to live in a free country.  Two of my husband's brothers have recently served in the army and were deployed in Iraq for a while.  After seeing the sacrifices that they made to go to Iraq and how it affected their families I have a deepened appreciation for those that serve to keep our country free.  I got a little choked up today at church watching a guy wearing his army uniform a few rows up while we were singing The Star Spangled Banner .  That being said, time for my menu.  It'll be a busy week with swimming lessons and soccer camp every day.  And my baby is turning one this week! Monday:  crockpot roast, potatoes and carrots Tuesday:  french dip, if I have ti...

These cinnamon rolls have a secret ingredient.  Would you have guessed they have cottage cheese in them?  They don't have any yeast in them, so they don't have to rise.  I used this recipe from Our Best Bites (who got it from Fine Cooking ).  The recipe is for orange rolls or for cinnamon rolls.  Since I didn't have any oranges, I made cinnamon rolls instead.  They are a little different than traditional cinnamon rolls, but they're yummy and fast!

I found this recipe on This Week for Dinner who found it somewhere else, who found it somewhere else, etc., so I thought it would be okay to post the actual recipe on my blog too.  I made these cookies tonight since we were feeding the missionaries.  They disappeared pretty fast (the cookies, not the missionaries).  Even though I vowed last weekend that I wouldn't turn the oven on this summer, these cookies were worth heating up the kitchen. Magic Peanut Butter Middle Cookies recipe from several blogs, originally traced back to all-recipes  (if you want to make pretty cookies, check out this site for better directions) 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, softenened 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar ( I only used 1/2 c.) 3/4 cup peanut butter ( I used 1/2 c.) In small bowl blend flour, coc...