Crockpot and Cookie Butter

Hello everyone!  It is getting SO hot here in Arizona.  It is hot enough to bake cookies on the dashboard of the car.  We are going to try it this week and if it is a success I will post it on my blog next week!  Izzy is tired of this heat and would rather be outside playing.  It will be almost 115*! 

 

 

Because it so hot, crockpot recipes are the way to go!  It is very simple, especially when you know you have a busy day, to throw something in the crockpot!  I chose three crockpot recipes this week that are simple and healthy.  The first recipe I made was a slow cooker chicken tortilla soup.  My family loves my recipe for tortilla soup without the chicken, so I decided to try a different recipe with the chicken.  All you have to do for this recipe is throw ingredients in the pot.  It says in the directions that you should take the chicken out prior to serving to shred it and that is up to you whether you do it or not.  I chose not to shred the chicken and my family loved it!  Here is the recipe for the chicken tortilla soup: http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/.

 

The next slow cooker/crockpot recipe was crockpot pizza casserole.  DO NOT forget to spray the crockpot before cooking.  Trust me it is not fun to clean out.  I know from experience...  After spraying all you do is throw in your ingredients and let cook for 5-6 hours.  My brother thought it was the best thing ever.  After all he loves everything pizza!  Here is the recipe for the pizza casserole: http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/12/pinterest-pin-of-the-day-crockpot-pizza-casserole/.

 

 

My last crockpot recipe was for easy crockpot pulled pork.  For this recipe you need to have one 4-6 pound pork shoulder.  It was very tricky to find, however I ended up finding two 2 pound pork shoulders at Wal-Mart.  If you choose to try this recipe know that you will have to wake up early to get it started.  It has to cook in the crockpot for at least ten hours.  I was up cooking at 7:30 am to have it done at 6:00pm.  It was definitely worth it though.  You can eat it as it is or you can put it in a sandwich.  My family chose to eat it in a sandwich, and although it is not the prettiest presentation...it was delicious!!  I placed it in two pieces of bread with a little bit of smoked cheese and ketchup!  Here is the recipe for the pulled pork: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/easy-crockpot-pulled-pork-recipe/. 

 

 

Last week I mentioned that I would be making some recipes with a special ingredient called Cookie Butter.  For those of you who don't know what it is, Cookie Butter is a creamy spread kind of like peanut butter bought at Trader Joes.  My family says it has a taste somewhat like graham crackers!  Here is an article that tells a little bit about it: http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/10/cookie-butter-spreads-across-so-cal.

 

The first recipe we made with the cookie butter was a milkshake.  It was very good but there was a lot of oats that sat at the bottom of the jar.  It is very healthy and delicious, but too many oats for me!  I will definitely reduce the amount of oats I use the next time I make it!  Here is the recipe for the milkshake: http://hello-homebody.com/2014/01/21/speculoos-cookie-butter-smoothie-recipe/.

The next recipe made with cookie butter was another milkshake but without oats this time.  This one was much creamier but just as delicious.  Here is the recipe for the second cookie butter milkshake: http://www.thedomesticgeekblog.com/2013/04/cookie-butter-milkshake.html.

 

 

Another cookie butter recipe was cookies.  These cookies are very delicious and easy to make!  However, you want to prepare ahead of time because they are in the fridge for about three hours before you can bake them.  The recipe also is very thick and only makes about thirteen cookies.  It is perfect for an afternoon snack, but beware they may be gone before the next day... Here is the recipe for the cookie butter cookies: http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/09/softbatch-cookie-butter-brown-sugar-cookies.html.

 

 

The last cookie butter recipe was for cookie butter bars!  These delightful treats are perfect for breakfast or an after school snack!  This recipe was super easy to make.  When making this recipe, don't forget to let them cool all the way before frosting because you will want the frosting to be thick rather than thin.  I believe that the frosting was the best part!  Here is the recipe for the cookie butter bars: http://buttermeupbrooklyn.com/2012/09/frosted-speculoos-cookie-butter-bars/.

 

 

That is it for this week!  I will be on vacation until August 4th.  So my post will be sometime that week.  I hope you enjoy the recipes and can try them out!  Don't forget to check out my Etsy business: https://www.etsy.com/shop/IzzabelesCreations.  I have a variety of different handmade headbands up including this one-a converse tennis shoe print!  Have a great week!!

 

 

 

Finger Foods

This week I am starting off with finger foods! My family loves finger foods because they are easy to pick and grab on busy nights.  All of the meals this week are inspired by recipes I found online but tweaked to make them my own.  The first recipe is for nachos.  My family loves to visit the Rainforest Café for their famous Lava Nachos, so I decided to make my own to see if I could even come close to making a recipe like theirs.  I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website.  In her recipes she uses pinto beans however I used black beans because it is more preferable by my family.  Here is the recipe for the nachos: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/05/loaded-nachos/.  This is the final product.  My family said they almost beat the Rainforest Café recipe.  I'd say that one is a hit!

 

I also found a queso recipe from foodsweet.com.  I had never made a queso recipe so it was something new to try.  It was super easy and I am definitely making it again.  Here is the recipe for the queso: http://foodsweet.com/the-best-queso-cheese-sauce/.  The Pico de Gallo  is attached to the pioneer woman's recipe.  For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a mild salsa.  It is best made with fresh garden vegetables. 

 

 

Another one of my family's favorite finger food recipes is veggie and fruit pizza.  We have had this recipe so long that it can not be tracked back to the original, but all I know is that it is the first recipe my mom ever cooked for my dad.  The veggie pizza is a crescent roll crust with a ranch filling, made with an 8 ounces cream cheese, half a cup of sour cream, and one dry packet of ranch dressing.  It is than topped with an assortment of vegetables and cheese.  Some of our favorite toppings include broccoli, cauliflower,   onions, tomatoes, and carrots.

 

 

Along with veggie pizza my family loves fruit pizza.  This recipe can be made with homemade or store bought sugar cookies. (I prefer store bought because it is just as good and simpler to make.) We then use a homemade or store bought cream cheese frosting.  Then it is topped with an assortment of fruit.  We prefer blueberries, oranges, strawberries, and pineapple. Last but not least, a drizzle of white chocolate! 

 

 

Another fun way to add a creative twist to your meals is to have breakfast for dinner.  It is a big hit in my family.  Tonight we created potato pancakes, fruit crepes, and a spinach and feta crepe.  You may remember our trip to The French Crepe a few weeks ago in Caliornia.  My family enjoyed their crepes so much I decided to create my own. My first crepe was a fruit crepe.  For the crepe I used a recipe from Martha Stewart.  It was tricky at first but with my mom's help I was able to figure it out.  Here is the recipe for the crepe: http://www.marthastewart.com/335089/simple-crepes. For the filling I actually used a recipe from another crepe.  It was SO good. I also opted for cherry pie filling on top instead of strawberries, but you could use any you like!  Here is the recipe for the filling: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-creme-crepes.

 

 

Did I mention I also had help from Izzy? :)

The next crepe was a more savory recipe.  It is a spinach and feta crepe.  My mom had something similar at one of our local restaurants and recreated it at home. You can either make it with whole eggs or egg whites - basically create an omelet by scrambling eggs with a bit of milk and salt and pepper to taste.  Add sautéed onions and spinach, and finally some feta cheese.  Fold over and tuck in a folded crepe.  They actually serve it at the restaurant with a side of poppy seed dressing and mom says it tastes very good!

My last entrée for the breakfast for dinner meal is a potato pancake.  Let me tell you these are not as easy as they make them sound.  I made a mashed potato recipe so of course first I had to make the mashed potatoes.  The recipe I used was another of the Pioneer Woman's.  Here is the link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/.  I then had to make the actual potato pancakes.  I only ended up making a few because they are kind of tough.  In order to keep them stuck together I had to add a few more eggs to the recipe and about a bit of butter to the pan before cooking each pancake.  Although they are tough they are very delicious!! Here is the link to the potato pancake recipe: http://fooddoodles.com/2011/03/24/mashed-potato-pancakes/.

I also made a fruit salad with some of our fresh fruits.  I used a few melons I had found that farmers market last weekend.  They were very unique and very good. 

 

For all my Trader Joe's fans, don't forget to check out next week's post for a variety of Cookie Butter recipes! Here is a sneak peek at the Cookie Butter Milkshake! YUM.

 

 

That's it for this week! Have a good week! Don't forget to check out my Etsy business for more perfectly posh clothing for you and your pet!  Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/IzzabelesCreations.

 

 

 

 

Fourth of July Weekend

It was a wonderful fourth of July weekend and our week was very busy preparing for the holiday.  We had planned on visiting friends in the afternoon for a homemade meal and fireworks but before we headed out I prepared an all American lunch for the family. 

 

The cupcakes on the left were created for the cookout as we had promised to bring dessert.  The recipe and more images are below.  I love chalkboards and for the Fourth I decided to find a quote and write it on a little chalkboard from Michaels.  I found the design and quote on Pinterest.  My family loves lemonade and I decided to make a strawberry lemonade.  It was gone it seconds!  This is the recipe for the Strawberry Lemonade: http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/07/homemade-strawberry-lemonade-recipe.html.

 

Another idea I found on Pinterest was the fruit American Flag.  I used strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and skewers of course!  The lunch meal include baked beans, homemade coleslaw, and Cowboy hotdogs.  My mom is a tough coleslaw critic and she said it was very good so it must be!  The recipe for the coleslaw is: http://www.seededatthetable.com/2012/03/21/memphis-style-coleslaw/.  The hotdog recipe was already a hit in our family so I decided to bring it back for the Fourth.  Here is the recipe for the Cowboy Hotdogs: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/the-cowboy-hot-dog-50400000121902/.

 

 

The friends we were planning to visit in the afternoon on the Fourth had asked us to bring a dessert, so we decided to bring cupcakes.  I had originally seen this idea on Pinterest and honestly didn't think I could pull it off but decided to give it a shot!  I was surprised at how easy it was.  It took a lot of patience and food coloring but turned out better than I had expected.  The original recipe said it would only make about 16 cupcakes so I bought a box of cake mix and canned frosting just in case.  However I was able to get 24 cupcakes out of it!  I ended up making the box mix as well and had a total of 48 cupcakes to share with our friends and neighbors!  It was cupcake overload! Truth be told, the box cupcakes are good in a pinch but nothing beats homemade!!

 

 

 The decorating took the most patience but it was well worth it in the end!  Here is the recipe for the cupcakes: http://www.bakerella.com/snow-cones/.

 

 

We love to support our local farmers market and purchase some of the fresh veggies the local farms have to offer.  This weekend we decided to try a few new markets and this is what we purchased and what it became.

 

I used the fresh strawberries to make a homemade jam from allrecipes.com.  My family and I love to put it on toast and my frozen waffles.  Here is the recipe for the Strawberry Jam: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Jam/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=strawberry%20jam&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i1.

 

My dad loves HOT peppers, so I bought some jalapeno peppers.  In order to make them less spicy we took out the seeds and stuffed them with cream cheese and cheese.  It is very simple to make and my family loves them!  Here is the recipe for the stuffed peppers: http://www.marthastewart.com/317501/stuffed-jalapenos.

 

I chose a Vegetable soup recipe to use up some of our fresh veggies. Once again it was a big hit for our family.  Here is the Martha Stewart recipe for the vegetable soup: http://www.marthastewart.com/318100/big-batch-vegetable-soup.

 

 

I love to go out to eat at some of the local restaurants to get some inspiration.  We went out to breakfast on Saturday morning to the Breakfast Club in Scottsdale.  Every thing was amazing from the spicy biscuits and gravy to the Bananas Foster Pancakes!

 

The Breakfast Grilled Cheese sandwich was also a delight.  It had every element of breakfast, like eggs, bacon, hash browns, and cheese!

 

 

My last recipe of the night is a "Quick and Easy" recipe.  Sometimes I just whip things up with thing we have at home and this week I made a chicken Alfredo.  I found the recipe for the Alfredo sauce at allrecipes.com.  Here is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alfredo-Sauce-2/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=alfredo%20sauce&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i1.

 

That is it for this week!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend and you, too, try out some of these recipes yourself!  Check in next week to see what is cookin!

 

Also check out my Etsy business, IzzabelesCreations, for puppy tutus and handmade headbands. Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/IzzabelesCreations .