St. Patties Day

St. Patrick's Day was a normal crazy day at our house.  I was able to whip out some tasty pizza rolls shaped into a three leaf clover.

Irresistable

I'm not much of a dessert woman (eating or making) but I had something similar while in Philly and I just knew it was something that would be a huge hit with our Thanksgiving crowd.They really weren't that hard to make but were a bit time consuming. I altered the recipe and used Mint Oreo Cookies and added the crushed peppermint candy canes to the top.

Here's the recipe:

Some Sweet Love For Your Valentine

I am so excited to say I've found another jackpot winning recipe. I have been eying these on Bakerella's blog and finally got around to making them. She has done some amazing things with these if you haven't checked her site out yet, Yum!

These little gems are a must try! They look like a truffle but taste like a little Oreo Cheesecake. You can't go wrong with cookies, cream cheese and white chocolate! Your Valentine will be thrilled to take a bite out of these treats.

It's hard to believe something so incredibly easy to make tastes so yummy. I know I'll be making these often!

I tried the same recipe, but with Nutter Butter Cookies. Both are great, I can't decide which ones I like better. I'm going to try Chips Ahoy next time and maybe the mint Oreos.

Nutter Butter Cookie Truffles

1 Bag Nutter Butter Cookies
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 package Chocolate Bark (dipping chocolate in blocks)
1 square of the Almond Bark for drizzling (white chocolate blocks for dipping)

1. Mix ground oreos and cream cheese until well combined. Roll into 1 inch balls and place onto baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate overnight or until very firm.
2. Melt white chocolate according to package directions. Using 2 little spoons, dip balls into chocolate and place onto parchment paper to harden. Once dry, melt square of almond bark and spoon into the corner of a ziplock baggie. Snip the corner of the baggie and drizzle chocolate back and forth over the truffles. Let dry.
3. I enjoyed mine chilled in the refrigerator, but may be room temperature as well.

Oreo Cookie Truffles

1 bag Oreo Cookies, ground in blender or food processor (filling and all)
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 package Almond Bark (white chocolate candy coating)
1 square of the Chocolate Bark for drizzling

1. Mix ground oreos and cream cheese until well combined. Roll into 1 inch balls and place onto baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate overnight or until very firm.
2. Melt white chocolate according to package directions. Using 2 little spoons, dip balls into chocolate and place onto parchment paper to harden. Once dry, melt chocolate bark and spoon into the corner of a ziplock baggie. Snip a small corner and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry.
3. I enjoyed mine chilled in the refrigerator, but may be room temperature as well! Enjoy! Thanks for the great recipe Bakerella!

About 30 truffles each recipe

In a daze

I know that for many the event of your children eating a new menu item wouldn't be a huge deal...but at the Ditto house when four out of five children eat something new AND don't complain it is worth remembering.

Two nights ago I was in a quandary over what to make for dinner. I had some hamburger buns but we have already eaten our far share of hamburgers and BBQ chicken sandwiches in the past couple of weeks. Hum...sloppy joes came to my mind. What a crazy thought it was since I have never really liked them and have NEVER attempted or been tempted to make them. My kids LOVE tacos; so I went to google and typed in Taco Sloppy Joes. I whipped up a batch with a very simple recipe and called them Taco Burgers (I knew the "sloppy joe" part might be an immediate turn off). As I dished them up and I could already imagine the whines and comments I was going to hear. Lo and behold after prayer they all opened their mouths and began eating the Taco Burger only to say "Mom, these are really good." I sat eating in shock the whole meal especially as Tyler (my pickiest eater) ate one and half sandwiches.

So I am passing on this recipe to you. Maybe it will be a new favorite at your household too. (I am still wondering if I were to make them again today would I get the same result?)

TACO BURGERS

1 lb. ground beef (I used turkey burger)

1 pkt. (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix

1 can tomato soup

8 hamburger buns, split

BROWN meat; drain. Add seasoning mix and soup. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally.

FILL buns with the meat mixture.

I served them with salsa, lettuce, and cheese; though most of us just had the meat mix and cheese.


Here's another tasty muffin recipe that I made for dinner last night and served up with homemade Egg McMuffins and applesauce.

Banana Crumb Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup oil

TOPPING

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder , cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and oil. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Just in case you were wondering...I'm still pregnant. I had contractions all throughout the night that kept waking me up. A nap is sounding quite "tasty" today! Next Friday should be the BIG day unless the BIG day arrives earlier than planned. Can't wait to hold this little girl and introduce her to her family!

What's cookin' at the Ditto's Diner

Tonight I was having a hard time coming up with another dinner to serve at the Ditto's Diner. My choices of what the kids enjoy is limited to about five different things (top ramen, pizza, mac and cheese, tacos, or pancakes). Naturally, one can only handle those types of foods periodically. The following dish I altered from something I found online. Oh my, was it YUMMO!! The only draw back would be that it couldn't be filed in my healthy eating file. I am still in awe that I actually had all of the following ingredients in my kitchen.


Lemon-Pesto Cream Pasta with Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
2 boneless chicken breast halves sliced thinly
1 whole lemon
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) package pasta (I used bow tie noodles)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Pesto
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Steamed broccoli

DIRECTIONS:

1. Squeeze lemon on chicken breasts and add, garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Let sit for 1/2 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the remaining garlic and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Add more water if the noodles are not done and you run out of liquid.
3. In another pan, heat oil and quickly cook chicken. Add cream, pesto, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked noodles and steamed broccoli. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.