Green Beans with Saute'd Garlic and Slivered Almonds

I didn't use a recipe for this one... but oh it was so incredibly good! I'm making a 'garlic lover' out of my husband - who, when we were first married wouldn't have touched onions, garlic, peppers or anything remotely close!

This was simply using fresh garlic, sauteing it in butter in a pan, adding some slivered almonds and steamed organic green beans. Seasoned with a little salt and fresh cracked black pepper... amazing.

Never Be Too Busy to Make Cookies

When I was pregnant with my third child I had two other children that were age 4 and 2. I cannot recall how many people said something to the effect of "Boy you're going to be busy!" but it's certainly more than I could count off the top of my head.

However, I honestly have to say that having three under the age of 5 really wasn't that 'busy'. They were all little. They were easy to entertain. It was easy to pick up after them. I was a Mommy and wife but also found time to cook, clean, do laundry, run errands, do crafts and household project and repairs, pay the bills, do our taxes and even be the Daisy Girl Scout Leader. It was only after they hit the 9-4 year old group that life started to get busy. By the time I could say I had three kids ages 14-10 it was crazy-head-spinning-busy.

But yet... I still find time to cook, clean, do laundry, do projects, crafts, household repairs and decor and yes, do our taxes and plan vacations.

And I've learned over the years... never, ever be too busy to make your family cookies.


This week is yet another crazy, busy week but when I made the chocolate chocolate chip cookies last week I mixed up the cookie dough for sugar cookies at the same time and just wrapped it in Saran wrap and kept it in the refrigerator. Today or Sunday I hope to get our Annual Valentines Day cookies made... you know the ones; the ANTI-Valentine Day cookies that I'm becoming famous for. LOL.

Although I'm happily married and my daughter is happily dating her boyfriend of 1 & 1/2 years, we all love these cookies! She and my son hand them out to their friends on Valentine's Day and everyone gets a good laugh.

Cream Cheese Chive Sauce... Use it on Your Chicken Too

My husband isn't a big fan of pork chops. I think this is because he grew up in rural Iowa as a child and had them... often. And apparently always the same way. After we were married I would make them my favorite way, which was baked in a mushroom sauce, which our kids love, but my husband would rather have his pork chops plain and dry. I sometimes use a spicy dry rub on them, or one of our all time favorites is to grill them, but in the winter time when it's -30 below zero windchills and our grill wouldn't be able to heat up, this is one sauce that he will eat.

Since it's one of my three kids favorite sauces to go over meat I tried it on chicken about 9 years ago and it was a hit. Since then I make it a couple times a year. If you've tried it on my pork chop recipes, give it a try over chicken. See what you think.

4 chicken breasts
fresh ground black pepper
canola or olive oil
1/2 c chicken broth
4 oz. cream cheese with chives
or plain cream cheese with 2 t chopped chives


Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt fresh ground pepper. Brown in a skillet in a little oil until just done and not pink in the center - don't overcook as the heat will continue to cook them as well and you don't want them dried out. Remove from pan and keep warm on a serving platter. Immediately pour the broth in the hot skillet and deglaze the pan. Add the cream cheese, cut in cubes, and whisk over medium high until melted and smooth. If you are using plain cream cheese, add the chives to the sauce. When smooth, serve over the chicken breasts.

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today's recipe is the cookies I mentioned I was making yesterday. They are huge, thick, rich chocolate cookies with mini chocolate chips. The cocoa in them keeps them moist (as long as you don't over cook them!) and will stay moist a few days if they can last that long in your home!





Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c real butter
2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
1 baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 c mini chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Don't over mix. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt all at once and slowly start the beater to mix it in together. Stir in the chips. Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. They will be puffy and moist when they come out of the oven. Let them set for 1-2 minutes, remove from the pan to cool completely. They will flatten as they cool. If you like a crisp cookie, bake them 1-2 minutes longer.

Starting to incorporate the flour and cocoa to the butter and sugar

Before adding the chocolate chips -
I think the dough looks like
chocolate ice cream!

Mini Buffet Burgers (mini cheeseburgers)

How about some 'real time' photos? Loaded and posted as I take them! LOL. Today is the Super Bowl and although I don't care about football and my family all happens to be gone tonight and won't even BE here to watch it, they all have asked me what I'm going to make for the the Super Bowl? You see, we have what is called "Football Food" (better known as finger foods and appetizers) and it's some of my crews favorite foods. They LOVE fooball Sundays in part because of the foods.

Sure enough I've even got text messages from some of them that aren't home right now; "What are you making for superbowl foods?".

I'm not completely sure what's on the menu but as they will all be coming home at different times and will all be hungry, I'm making sure we have a variety of yummy things on hand 'buffet style'. One of those is the Mini Cheeseburgers I make that are just amazingly good.

I make them using my own homemade rolls; made easy because I put the ingredients into the bread machine to mix and knead for me. (I never actually bake my bread in the machine... just knead it).


The bread is now rising and time to mix the cheeseburger meat mixture;

Mini Buffet Burgers

2 lbs. ground beef
1 c soft bread crumbs
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1-2 T mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 t garlic salt
1 t italian seasoning
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese mix
20 tiny buns or rolls (mini size from store or homemade)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, mayo, egg and seasoning. Mix well by hand. Press into a jelly roll style pan with a lip on the edge. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the cheese mixture. Bake 8-10 minutes longer. Remove, cut into about 20 squares and place inside the split rolls. Serve with condiments. Great for buffets and crowds and parties.

Mix the first ingredients
in a large bowl
with your hands

Pat into a pan.
Ultimately I use a bigger pan than this and allow 1 inch
around the entire edge for grease to run off.
Today I'm using this pan and putting a large drip pan
under it while it cooks.