mom's meatloaf

It keeps snowing. It never stops. I have needed to go to the grocery store for days, but refuse to go in the snow. Luckily I'm a hoarder and we have a overloaded freezer and pantry. Lately, I have refused to make dinner meals focused on what Elle will eat. We have a standing rule in our house that if she won't eat dinner then she just doesn't eat. She doesn't get a snack before bedtime either. Last night I asked her if she wanted to come eat dinner. She responded, "No thank you." At least she was polite, I guess.

Meatloaf sounded so good tonight. A nice comfort food meal for a snowy day. As I was looking at the recipe I realized I didn't have some of the ingredients - that was not going to stop me. The nice thing about meatloaf is that it is really hard to mess up. As long as you have beef, and you make sure it is the right consistency you are probably good to go. Here's how much I deviated: we didn't have sausage, so I left it out. We didn't have eggs, so I substituted 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. We didn't have bread crumbs, so I ground up saltine crackers. We didn't have tomato sauce, so I used ketchup. I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder because I'm obsessed with garlic powder. Guess what, it still turned out great! Elle even ate tonight!

Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sausage
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs (finely ground)
small can of tomato sauce (divided)
3 Tbsp dried onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl combined beef, sausage, egg, half of the can of tomato sauce, onion, and seasonings (I use my hands). The mixture should stick together like you are making a giant meatball. If the mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs. If the mixture is too dry, add more tomato sauce. Press the meat mixture into a 5x9 bread pan. Pour a thin layer of left over tomato sauce on top of meat. Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Half way through remove foil and finish baking. I like to broil my meatloaf at the end for a bit to make sure the tomato sauce isn't liquidy (nice English, I know). If you choose to broil, make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

cookie "salad"

Asked to bring a salad or dessert? You could just bring both. We jokingly refer to this recipe as a salad because it has fruit in it, but let's be real. It will put you in the  creamiest coma you've ever known. It is a fan favorite, and I always leave with an empty bowl. You better believe it will make its appearance at Thanksgiving dinner.

Cookie Salad 

Ingredients 

1 package fudge striped shortbread cookies (broken into large chunks)

1 lb strawberries (sliced)

2-3 bananas (sliced)

1 small can Mandarin oranges

1 cup buttermilk 

1 small package vanilla pudding 

1-16 oz container Cool Whip 

Instructions 

Whisk the buttermilk and dry pudding mix together. Fold in the Cool Whip. Slice up strawberries and bananas, and add to  creamy mixture. Drain the can of Mandarin oranges and crush the cookies with your hands (you'll want big chunks). Add the oranges and cookies to the salad and carefully mix it all together. Enjoy!

pita pizzas

Elle loves pizza, or ask she would say, "za-pee." To be honest, Mister and I love za-pee also. These pita pizzas are the perfect solution for those nights that you don't want to make homemade pizza, or spend the money on ordering out. The nice thing about these pizzas is that everyone can make their pizza to their specifications. Mister always wants white sauce, and Elle wants red. I bounce back and forth on which sauce I want.

Pita Pizzas

Ingredients

Pita bread
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pitas on a baking sheet and create your desired pizzas. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted. I like to broil ours for a few minutes after to brown the crust and cheese. Enjoy!

garlic knots

The other night I offered to bring a neighbor dinner since she broke her leg, and was having a hard time getting around. I made my lasagna recipe, garlic knots, and Caesar salad. I decided to make double, so we could have the same meal. While you're making a mess you might as well get the most out of it, right? As I was working on the meal I received a text message from a friend saying her sweet three-year-old broke her leg clean through. It had been quite a day for them, so I decided to make our dinner their dinner. It was a quesadilla night for our family. The next day my friend informed me that the garlic knots were the only thing she could get her daughter to eat, and asked for the recipe. These garlic knots are the easiest and most delicious side to any pasta dinner. All you need is Rhodes rolls, melted butter or oil, and garlic seasoning. My absolute favorite garlic seasoning is  Johnny's garlic spread that you can get at Costco. It is the perfect blend!

Garlic Knots

Ingredients

12 Rhodes rolls

1/4 cup melted butter

Garlic seasoning

Garlic salt (optional)

Instructions

Set out the desired amount of frozen roll dough, and allow to defrost. You just need them to be soft enough that you can mold them. When the dough is soft, mold each roll into a breadstick and then tie into a knot. Place each knot on a nonstick or greased baking sheet. Let them rise for about a half hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Brush half of the butter on the dough, and save the rest for when they come out of the oven. Bake the knots for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after removing them out the oven brush remaining butter on top and sprinkle desired amount of garlic seasoning and salt. Enjoy!

meatball sandwich and garlic fries

We love meatball sandwiches at our house. They are messy, but delicious. This recipe is easy, and the cream cheese spread makes them out of this world! The garlic fries are a nod to the garlic fries you can get at Safeway Field in Seattle, Washington. I was introduced to them at my first Mariners game, and I fell in love. We love to dip our garlic fries in ranch or honey mustard.

Meatball Sandwich

Ingredients

Hoagie buns

Meatballs

Marinara sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Cream Cheese Spread (for 2 sandwiches):

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a saucepan, heat marinara sauce and meatballs until they are heated through. In a small bowl combine cream cheese, mayo, and seasoning. Stir until completely combined. On a cookie sheet, place hoagie buns open and insides up. Bake for a couple minutes until the bread in just starting to toast. They won't even be golden brown, just toasted enough that the bread is starting to crisp (this will keep the sandwich from getting soggy. Pull buns out of the oven, and spread cream cheese mixture on both sides of the sandwich, add meatballs and close up the sandwich. I usually use toothpicks to hold the sandwich together until I am ready to serve. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Place in oven again and broil until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is a toasty, golden brown color. Serve immediately and Enjoy!

Garlic Fries

Ingredients

Frozen fries (unseasoned)

Minced garlic

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Place fries on a cookie sheet. Make sure to keep the fries to one layer so they cook evenly. Spoon minced garlic on top of fries. I usually do a half teaspoon over every couple of fries. The more garlic you use the more flavor you'll get. You can always take some of the garlic off the fries before you eat them if you don't want to eat the garlic straight. Coat with salt and pepper. Bake according to your fries' directions. I like to broil my fries for a bit after they are done cooking to make them a little more crispy and golden brown. Enjoy!

cream cheese chicken roll-ups

These chicken roll-ups are the perfect dinner for a fall evening. They are warm, comforting, and delish. I can't wait to use our Thanksgiving leftovers to make these with turkey. This recipe is simple, and only has five ingredients. For my small family, I half the recipe, and heat up the extra soup with some milk to make a gravy to top the roll-ups with. If your family is too large for that you can always just get a gravy packet and mix it with some milk or water. This recipe is from Six Sisters' Stuff. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Cream Cheese Chicken Roll-ups

Ingredients

4 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
2 packages of crescent rolls
1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (I use fat free)
1-2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 small can of cream of chicken soup

Instructions

Head over to Six Sisters' Stuff for baking directions. Enjoy!

meatball mummies

I can't  believe how quickly Halloween is sneaking up on us. I feel like it was just the Fourth of July! I really wanted to make this year special for Elle because she's finally at the age where she gets excited about things. Tonight I made meatball sandwiches for Mister and me, and I decided to make something special for Elle. They were really easy to make, and she loved eating them.

Meatball Mummies

Ingredients - per one mummy

3 meatballs

1 Rhodes roll

1 uncooked spaghetti noodle or wooden skewer

Marinara sauce

Instructions

Defrost the Rhodes roll and meatballs (if they are frozen). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stick the three meatballs on the spaghetti noodle or skewer. With your hands form the dough into a very thin rope (about 1/4 inch). Wrap the dough around the meatballs to make it look like a mummy. Carefully take out the noodle or skewer and place the "mummy" on a baking sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce on the side. Enjoy!

taco pizza - copycat bajio mexican pizza

Life has been a little crazy lately. I haven't even had time for grocery shopping. Normally I use Walmart's grocery pickup. Let me tell you, that program is a lifesaver. I promise I am not affiliated with Walmart in any way. I just like to share with my friends things that make my life easier. 

Grocery pickup helps me meal plan and save money. It keeps me from wandering the aisles looking for new things to buy and try. It also helps my dinners go smoother because I know what I'm making each night. Also, the service is free. FREE! The cons, if you can even call them that, are that you have to order a day in advance if you want a specific time slot, and if they don't have something that you order they substitute it. When they substitute they find something equal or better than you ordered and you don't have to pay the difference. For example, one week I ordered a 20ish ounce bottle of Great Value brand ketchup. They didn't have any in stock, so instead I received a 40ish ounce bottle of Hienz ketchup at no additional cost to me. 

Before they load your car, they tell you any substitutions or omissions there are from your order. If you don't approve of they substitution they will take it back and refund you for the item you originally ordered. You also can select "no substitutions" when you order, and they will omit anything that isn't in stock.

The only problem I've ever had with this service is once I received some fairly under ripe tomatoes. I mentioned this in my review and the next day I received an email from Walmart apologizing and refunding me for the tomatoes. I'm telling you, grocery pickup is heaven sent.

Anyway... sorry for the detour.  We were low on groceries, and I needed to figure out something for dinner. Inspiration hit and I remembered a recipe I made a few months back from the website Barbara Bakes. I was delicious, and I had all the ingredients (minus some tomatoes for a topping). These taco pizzas are so good, and so filling. Elle even ate a slice! 

Taco Pizza

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

Taco seasoning

1 - 16 oz refried beans

Soft taco sized tortillas

Salsa

Shredded cheese

Green onions

Tomatoes

Jalepenos

Sour cream

Instructions

Head over to Barbara Bakes for cooking directions. Enjoy!

creamy penne

Today was Elle's 2 year checkup. When we got there Elle was thrilled that they had a tank full of "feesh" and a "show" playing for her to watch. When we arrived at the room for her checkup she immediately backtracked and refused to walk in on her own. The rest was meltdown city. Little did she know that the worst was saved for the end of her appointment. After she was pricked in her legs and she calmed down, we were on our way. She was very melancholy in the backseat until the song "Can't Stop the Feeling!" came on. She immediately asked me to ""nance" with her, so we jammed together on our way to the post office. I just love my little dancer. She's got quite the moves. If you're lucky I'll record it and share it with you some day.

We found a new show that Elle likes to watch on Netflix. Bless Curious George's Boofest for keeping her busy while I cooked dinner. Tonight's dinner was a simple pasta. We tried ground turkey in it, and it wasn't to shabby. This pasta recipe is my go-to when I don't want to think about meal planning. I always have the ingredients in the pantry, and if I don't have any meat I make it meatless. This meal can't fail you. Throw in some quick bread sticks and a salad, and you're good to go.

Creamy Penne

Ingredients

1 jar marinara sauce
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 pkg penne (or any type of noodle)
1 lb ground beef (optional)
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Italian Seasoning

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the noodles according to their package's directions. After draining the noodles, pour them into a 9x13 pan. Pour both sauces on top and stir together. Sprinkle desired amount of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I always add a bit of Italian seasoning on top for a bit of flavor. Throw in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes - until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

ice cream cake: circus animal cookie cake

In our family we have a tradition of making ice cream cakes for birthdays. We've done all sorts of concoctions. For Elle's birthday I wanted to do something fun. For you Utahans, if you haven't tried Red Button ice cream you are missing out. One of our favorite flavors is  Sprinkled Animal Cookie. Mister and I decided to get creative and use that as the base for Elle's cake. It was quite delightful, and absolutely perfect for a sweet little girl's birthday party. 

Circus Animal Cookie Ice Cream Cake 

Ingredients

1 bag of Circus Animal Cookies, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 cups butter, melted 

1 container of Red Button's Sprinkled Animal Cookie ice cream 

1 jar of marshmallow cream (I used Smuckers)

1 - 8 oz bag white chocolate mini Kit Kats (roughly chopped)

Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Finely chop the Circus Animal cookies. Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter, and press to the bottom of a greased spring-form pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Once the crust has cooled, warm up the marshmallow cream in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Spead marshmallow cream over the crust and top with the chopped Kit Kats. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Scoop ice cream on top and spread with a spoon to evenly disperse. Top with sprinkles. You'll need to lightly press the sprinkles down with your fingers to get them to stay put. Freeze for at least one hour before serving. Serve with leftover marshmallow cream. Enjoy!

baked chicken flautas

Feeding a toddler is hard. Let me rephrase that, feeding a toddler actual food is hard. Elle loves cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, crackers, and apple sauce (sometimes). Getting her to eat the dinner placed in front of her is a marathon. I was thrilled when I tried this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff and she SCARFED it. She.asked.for.more (#miracle). These flautas are delicioso. The combination of spicy, creamy, and sweet is enough to die for. Enough chit-chat, here's the goods.

Baked Chicken Flautas

Ingredients

4 cups cooked & shredded chicken

1 cup salsa verde

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz) can black beans, rised and drained

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained (I used Trader Joe's frozen grilled corn and it was the best!)

1 1/2 cups cheese, divided (we used cheddar)

12-14 tortilla shells (soft taco size)

Directions

Head to Six Sisters' Stuff for the baking instructions. Enjoy!

easy homemade pizza crust: papa murphy's copy cat pizza crust

We love having homemade pizza at our house. It's cheap and delicious. The hard part about making pizza is finding the right crust. After many attempts at different recipes, I finally found the perfect crust. Leave it to Six Sisters' Stuff to have the best recipe of all time. It's easy to make, has simple ingredients, and doesn't take a long time to raise. From starting the crust to taking the pizza out of the oven, it takes me about an hour. That's pretty darn good! We have all sorts of pizza concoctions in this household, but our favorite is alfredo with chicken, bacon, onion, and tomato. It is quite delightful. This recipe make 3 medium pizzas. That is a lot for my little family, so I half the recipe and make one medium size pizza and one small pizza or cheese bread.

Papa Murphy's Copy Cat Pizza Crust

Ingredients

8 cups flour

6 Tbsp sugar

6 3/4 tsp fast rising yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 cups very warm water

6 Tbsp oil

Directions

Head to Six Sisters' Stuff for the baking instructions. Enjoy!

twix cookies

Shortbread cookies are Mister's absolute favorite. For me, they are probably a one on a scale from 1 to 100. I want my cookies soft; I want them chewy. I found this recipe for Twix cookies on Chef in Training. Since I had all of the ingredient in the pantry, I decided to give them a go. I needed a last minute treat for the youth activity I was in charge of and I thought I'd get some brownie points from my husband for making shortbread cookies. I had no idea I was forming a new love connection.

These cookies are heaven sent. They taste exactly like a Twix candy bar, and they are incredibly easy to make. The girls in my youth group raved about them all night, and I saw Mister sneaking some to work this morning. I'm telling you, once you make these cookies your life will never be the same.

Twix Cookies

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Caramel Layer

15 oz caramel (use directions on packaging for melting)

Chocolate Layer

2 cups of chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)

2 teaspoons shortening

Instructions

Head to Chef in Training for the baking instructions. Enjoy!

creamy pesto grilled cheese

Being a wife and a mom is the best. Some days, though, being a wife and a mom isn't so great. Sometimes I long for the days where my biggest worry was taking care of myself. Now, I feel like I rarely have time to take care of myself because I'm so busy with everyone else. I only have one kiddo. I have know idea how the rest of you moms do it with multiples. One thing constantly weighing on the back of my mind is what I am going to pull together for dinner. We don't eat out a lot because we would rather spend the money on other things. Also, eating out with a toddler isn't always the smoothest experience.

I don't have the time to make big, elaborate meals; Elle won't allow it. The second I head to the kitchen to start dinner she is tugging at my legs wanting all of my attention. I have learned that simple meals are the best way to go for us. One of my favorite fall and winter recipes is grilled cheese and soup. I get a little bored with the typical cheddar, bread, and butter though. We've found a new and exciting way to make grilled cheese, and we are in love! Because I like you, I'll share our secret. If you have some deep, dark grilled cheese secrets you better share!

Creamy Pesto Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

Bread

Provolone or munster cheese

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup basil pesto 

Sliced tomatoes (optional)

Butter

Instructions

Warm up a skillet or griddle to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together mayo and pesto until smooth. Spread some butter on one side of a slice of bread and place on griddle, butter side down. Spread desired amount of pesto mixture on the bread on the griddle. Top with cheese and tomatoes. Place another slice of buttered bread on top, butter side up. Grill until both side of the sandwich are golden brown (a couple minutes on both sides). Serve with some soup on the side. (We love the creamy tomato basil soup at Costco). Enjoy!

pumpkin cookies with white chocolate, caramel, & cinnamon spice

Have I mentioned that we have a cat? Meet Atlas. She joined our family about a month ago when our brother-in-law went to school and couldn't take her with him. She is the sweetest little kitty that loves cuddling. I mention this cutie because she deserves the credit for these delicious cookies being made. We had to run to the store to get canned pumpkin to help her with a little.. ahem... constipation. Since I couldn't let the rest of the pumpkin go to waste, I got on Pinterest and made the first delicious pumpkin cookie recipe that came up. I've never made pumpkin cookies before, so I don't have the cook time down, but these cookies were delightful. I made a spin off of the recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron. I'll share the ingredients I used, but follow the link to get the baking instructions.

White Chocolate, Caramel, Cinnamon Spice Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 cup white chocolate chips

3/4 cup cinnamon chips

3/4 cup caramel bits

Instructions:

Check out Chelsea's Messy Apron for baking instructions.

italian lasagna with an american twist

Friends! I have the best lasagna recipe for you!  I have gotten so many compliments from this simple dish. I love this dinner idea because it can be a pantry staple, and you don't have to go buy a ton of ingredients to make it.  Here's the recipe:

Americanized Italian Lasagna

2 bottles of marinara sauce
5 T butter
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
dash of salt
oven ready lasagna noodles
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

White Sauce Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add in the flour and stir to combined with the butter. Slowly add in the milk. Salt to taste. Continuously whisk to keep the white sauce from burning. Once it starts to boil, turn it down to a simmer and stir for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Assembly Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put a thin layer of marinara sauce at the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan. Lay a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Keep the noodles all going the same way. I like to use the oven ready noodles so I don't have to boil them, but any type of lasagna noodles will work. Break or cut noodles to fit in the pan.

Spread another layer of marinara sauce on top of the noodles. Then, drizzle a layer of white sauce on top of the marinara sauce. Sprinkle some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top of that, then prepare for your next layer.

Lay your noodles facing the other way, then continue with your sauce layering (marinara, white, mozzarella, Parmesan-- keep alternating directions with lasagna noodles).

Once you run out of space, or sauce make sure that your final layer is the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake it in the oven for 40-45 minutes or so until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with a fresh green salad and bread sticks. Enjoy!