Easy Peasy Lemon Bars

I got this recipe from the link below. It is super duper easy and I can vouch for it as I have made it twice now! It is super duper lemony so be prepared!!  I pinned it on my pintrest board but I wanted to make sure it got out there! I will be adding my own commentary and instructions but the recipe itself is all hers :)

http://biggiantfoodbasket.blogspot.com/2013/05/easy-bake-lemon-bars.html

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 18 oz. roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
3 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon extract
the zest of one lemon
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

 

 

Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. If you ever wonder what type of spray to use, I always use the baking kind, it helps so much. You can always use butter or shortening as well but it may not work as well.  Now put the cookie dough into prepared dish and smush it evenly onto the bottom.
 (here is where a picture would go but I can't find it AAAHHHHH!!!!

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-25 minutes. The original recipe said 15-20 minutes, and I cooked mine for 20 and when the timer beeped I checked and the dough was bubbling up and wasn't done.  I popped the bubbles and put it in for another 5 minutes and that was perfect.  Just cook it on 15 minutes and decide from there. You know your oven and how it cooks!

 While this is cooking mix together eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder.

In a a separate bowl mix the lemon juice, extract, and zest.

 Now put the whole lemony concoction over the baked cookie crust. 

 Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

 Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

AND DONE!! Its a super easy recipe and so good! I hope you enjoy it!!

Shepherds Piiiiiie!!!

Tonight is comfort food night. I can't think of another recipe that is more comfort foodie than shepherds pie (maybe meat loaf).  This dish has everything though!  Taters, hamburger, veggies, all under a biscuit topping!! YUM!!!  There are a lot of versions of this recipe, this one is my favorite!  Also there are plenty of variations of this particular recipe to what kind of taters to use and what order to put the layers in.  In this particular version I used instant mash ( I know, I know) and put meat mixture on the bottom (sacrilege to some I am sure). Hope you enjoy it!!! MUAH!!

Pandora music channel listened to, Desperado Radio.

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion
1 1/2 lbs. hamburger
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
6 tbsp. butter
1 12oz bag frozen veggies (pick whatever kind of veg you like!)
2 packets Idahoan instant potatoes. (again pick what kind you like!)
1 1/2 C. milk
2 C. instant biscuit mix (I use Bisquick)

Directions

As usual preheat oven to 350degrees!!!

Beef Layer:   Chop onion and saute onions in 2 tbsp. of butter.

 

 

Add hambuger and brown.

 

 

Add tomato sauce and mix

 

 

mix in veggies, still frozen so as they cook they don't get mushy.

While this lovely concoction is cooking you can mix up your potato layer and biscuit layer.

Potato Layer:  do your instant mash according to directions.  You can totally do regular mashed potatoes and the dish will turn out fantastic but I forgot to get potatoes so instant it was!!

Biscuit layer: combine bisquick(or variation thereof) and 1 1/2 C. of milk.  You want it slightly runnier than normal biscuit mix, but not too runny. 

Butter or spray a large casserole dish, mine is about 13x9 in.  Put in meat mixture first.  Then cover with potatoes.

 

Next put biscuit layer over that.

lastly melt the remaining 4 tbsp. of butter and pour over the top.

Now bake at 350 (as chewy said above) for 35-45 minutes.  I went with 40 minutes.

and voila after a short 40 minutes (where dishes were cleaned and this blog was mostly written).

YUM!!!!!!!

 

 

Peach Cobbler

About a year ago I posted a healthier peach cobbler recipe, it was pretty good.  Today I am going to put up just a regular peach cobbler, just in case you don't happen to have whole wheat flour laying around!  In this recipe there are 3 sets of ingredients; for the peaches, for the breading, and for the sugary topping over the breading.  So before you start make sure you have enough for all 3.  This just makes it easier when doing the directions!  HERE WE GO!!!!  ALSO.. I got this recipe originally from Allrecipes.com. However  I wrote it down and added a few new things so I am not sure who to credit for sure. If you see it and it is yours let me know and I will credit you!!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredient list 1 peach mixture
6-8 peaches, try to get ones that are firm but ripe!
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg (if you don't have a 1/8 tsp a few shakes of the nutmeg should do)
2 tsp cornstarch

Peel, pit and thinly slice your peaches and put into a med sized bowl.
Add all of the above ingredients and mix up until it looks like all the peaches are coated.

put above mixture into oven dish a 2 qt dish. Though if you have no idea how big your dish is, smaller than a big casserole dish but maybe a bit bigger than a brownie pan :)
cook at the preheated 425 for about 10 minutes.

Ingredient list 2 (breading mix)

1 c. flour
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp. butter (chilled and cut into pieces)
1/4 c. boiling water.

While the peachy mix is cookin, put almost all of the ingredients above into a large bowl, EXCEPT THE BOILING WATER.

 So the flour, sugars, baking powder and the butter. After you get everything but the boiling water in the bowl. Wash your hands!  you need to mix the dry stuff with the butter.  squish and mix the butter with the dry stuff until it looks more like little pebbles or a heavy corn meal look. After that add the 1/4 c. boiling water. and mix it just enough to combine it.

By this time the peachy mix should be done so after you take it out of the oven scoop the batter by the spoonful and drop onto the peachy mix.  No need to spread it out, just drop it on!


Now for the last ingredient list

Ingredient list 3

3 tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle this over the top of the cobbler before baking!!

 

Now throw the whole thang into the oven and bake (still at 425) for 30 minutes or until the top is a Purdy brown.

 

 

 

ENJOY!!!!

 

 

 

 

Peel a Peach

A lot of peach treat recipes (cobbler, pie, crisp) ask for peeled peaches.  I don't know about you but I had NO idea how to do this for the longest time, and if I didn't know how to do it... well I never tried the recipe.  I have learned how to peel peaches since then and I will now pass that knowledge on to you my grasshoppah. 

Step 1: get a pan and boil water enough to cover a peach

Step 2:  get another bowl, put ice in with water, enough to cover a peach

Step 3: after water has boiled put a peach (or 3) into the boiling water for about 45 seconds.

Step 4: remove peach from boiling water and place in icy water (stops the peach from cooking).

Step 5: slice a bit of the peach skin with a paring knife and peel! SO EASY!

Smoked Sausage casserole

After my last jello frosting post I remembered how much I loved putting recipes on here!!  That means I am doing it again. Only for stuff that I think I may like though.  This recipe I found on pinterest, but I didn't have potatoes so I used noodles instead, looks dang tasty though! Here we go!

Smoked Sausage cheesy casserole

4 C. Egg noodles
4Tbsp of butter
4Tbsp of flour
2 C. milk
1/2 lb Velveeta, chunked up
1/2 C. shredded cheese ( I would recommend sharp cheddar but I used a Mexican blend)
1lb smoked sausage
paprika to sprinkle on top

 Preheat oven to 350, because chewy and the doctor said so!

 cut up smoked sausage into half moons and cook in skillet until somewhat brown and put into a 2 qt casserole dish. Cook up noodles.

 In a med sauce pan put the rest of your ingredients and cook until all melted.  I used medium heat and it took a while. Make sure you keep stirring or it may burn to the bottom of your pan. Burnt cheesy goodness isn't okay. :)

 while your cheesiness is melting put your cooked noodles into the dish with the sausage and mix it up a little

 This is what your cheese mixture should look like.  all melty and good!

pour it over your noodles and sausage, mix it up and put your shredded cheese and paprika on top.

cook for 35-40 minuets until bubbly!

MMMM looks good!!  Enjoy!!!

Jello Frosting

So I know when I post fun happy recipes I usually post pictures. This time I kinda forgot in my excitement of trying out something new.  I found how to make a wonderful jello frosting!!  I came across this marvel of modern moderness when I found myself with a baked lemon cake and no frosting in my house.  Seriously?!  I cook a lot and try to keep something on hand but I had no powdered sugar or anything, or so I thought!  I found a package of lemon jello. What to do with it though?  I can do pudding and such for frosting but never just regular gel like jello.  I searched online and found one that seemed to look good and would work! (Thanks cook.com)  I was going to pin it to my pinterest board but it wouldn't let me so I will share it this way!! YAY!!!! Its super easy and I will be using it again on my next cake!!

Jello Frosting

1 egg white
2/3 C. white sugar
1 pkg. Jello (any flavor or color will work!)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. boiling water

Mix together egg white, sugar, Jello & vanilla.

Mix in boiling water

Beat on high speek until stiff peaks form.  It took me a little over 5 minutes of beatin'.

hope you enjoy!!!

08/06/13- So it kinda turns runny the next day!  I would recommend keeping it in the bowl like cool whip and using it as a dollop instead of a straight cake frosting.  Keep a lid on it and keep it cool. may have to rewhip each time you use it but it only takes a minute.  Will be good for up to 3 weeks.  I will do it this way next time!!

keep on keepin on.

It has been a while since I did my last blog.  I kind of fell off the weightloss wagon much to my chagrin.  My motivation last time was small and insignificant compared to the fire burning in my belly now!! (or is it indigestion?)  I started on the new or continuation of this lifestyle/weightloss/crazy journey about a month ago. This time I wanted to make sure or at least try it before I started blogging about it again.  I am now going to the gym 3-4 days a week. I cut back my portions, and calorie intake.  I am drinking skim milk and have cut out soda (after a looong weaning process so I wouldn't get the headaches).  Adding apples, and veg to meals is another part of the plan.
  I didn't weigh myself when I started because I was afraid I would see the dreaded number on the scale and be afraid and overwhelmed with the journey and not continue.  Its so easy to hide in my hole and tune out everything, even my health. 
   Honestly I don't know what my trigger to do it now was. Maybe it was, when I looked in the mirror I hated what I saw.  Maybe it was getting winded walking up a flight of stairs, or not being able to sit comfortably in a chair at the movie theatre.  More than likely it was a combination of everything.
   I always thought that if I was happy with my life I would be happy with my weight.  I have a fantastic boyfriend who loves me no matter what.  I am going to school to (hopefully) start a career in a profession I think I will be good at, I have great friends and a wonderful family.  I still felt as if I was being judged by my weight.  I realized though that a lot of that judgement I put on myself. So now I am changing it.  If you don't like something change it, right?
  Here I am a month later, still on target.  When I weighed myself on Tuesday I was 265lbs.  Like I said earlier I did not weigh at the beginning but I am guessing I was about 275lbs. 
 
I am going on this journey again, please give support and follow along or share your stories of your journey and what inspires you!!!