Turkey Cookies!

For the past couple of years we have been making Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving! It's a WONDERFUL thing to do with a preschooler (this year Kye is four and could do them pretty much all by himself) and they look cute to display on Thanksgiving! I could NOT find my recipe for these this year and thankfully Kye remembered all of the steps for me!!! 

Ingredients:

• Whoppers (You only need one box, I bought two but didn't use one of them)
• One package of Double Stuffed Oreos (MUST be double stuffed!)
• Chocolate icing (I got the squeeze tube to make it easier)
• One bag of mini Reese's peanut butter cups
• One bag of candy corn
• One package of writing icing (you only need the yellow but make sure NOT to get the kind that isn't dark enough to show up...it was tricky for me to find! You also may want to use another color for the eyes)
• I have a container of blue small sprinkles I use for the eyes, but you could easily use something else or just use the writing icing

 Directions: (They sound WAY trickier than they are! Scrolling to the bottom of this post and seeing the finished cookies may make it easier to follow along with the instructions!)

1. Put a line of the chocolate icing along one edge of the cookie. Then place 5 candy corns into the icing. 

2. Put a dab of the chocolate icing (as you can tell the icing is your "glue" for this project!) on another cookie and place the candy corn one on top of the new one. This picture shows it well...see the ones on the left side? That's how yours should look at this point!

3. Open enough Reese's to have one per cookie (ours made 19 cookies which yours should too assuming you buy the brand name Oreos!). Cut a little sliver off one end of the Reese's cup. Of course, you totally have to eat the sliver as a taste test!

 

 Taste Test!

 4. Now turn the cookies so the candy corns are facing you (see the cookies on the right side of this picture!) Put a dab of the chocolate icing on the candy corn cookie, near the bottom where the two cookies connect. Next put the "top" side of the Reese's onto the icing (the cut side should be against the other cookie)! Have it so the "side" of the Reese's is facing you!

5. Keeping the cookie in the same position, put a dab of the chocolate icing on the candy corn cookie, directly above the Reese's and place a Whopper on the icing. This is the head of the turkey! 

6. Now turn the cookie where the candy corn is facing the ceiling. Cut the white portion of enough candy corns to have one per cookie and attach it to the front of the Whopper with a little of the icing (I used some yellow gel type icing I had bought on accident just to get it used and because it dried clear so it was less noticeable). Add some eyes with icing or sprinkles, whatever you chose to do!

7. Finally draw on some legs for the turkey using the yellow icing (since I couldn't find the correct yellow icing last year ours didn't have legs and were still cute!). 

 I let Kye do pretty much 100% of this project. I only did the cutting, the chocolate icing, and the legs! 

 Enjoy!!!

I was able to find the original recipe I used! I could NOT find it when we made them but I'm glad I can now b/c I like to give credit where it is due! Here is the original recipe (and of course hers turned out 10 times cuter haha) from Our Best Bites!

Beef Stroganoff

This is a great meal to prepare and freeze! All you have to do is unthaw and warm the mixture, heat up some noodles and you're good to go! I often will double this recipe...we eat what we want for dinner then freeze the rest :)

Ingredients:

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1/2 bag of wide egg noodles (we use whole wheat)
• 1 lb ground beef

Directions:

1. Brown meat
2. Let big pot of water come to a boil then add noodles
3. Boil noodles for 7 minutes then strain
4. Add soup and sour cream to meat, stir and allow to warm
5. Once it's warm, serve meat mixture over noodles!

Chicken Pockets

One to please the kids for sure and quick enough to make on those nights where dinner time seems like a rush! 

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast halves (I often use less)
• 1 can (8 oz) crescent rolls
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cook chicken and cut into pieces
3. Separate dough into four rectangles. Firmly press the perforations together to seal.
4. Pat out each rectangle and put chicken in the center of each.
5. Fill with cheese and fold dough over to close. Press edges firmly to seal completely.
6. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown

I often double this recipe (use two cans of the crescent rolls) as my family enjoys it so much we all gobble it up!

Crock Pot Pesto Ranch Chicken

A very yummy crock-pot meal...wonderful served with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta!

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 6 oz jar of pesto
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup chicken broth 

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in crock pot and mix together
2. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours

Usually I won't even defrost the chicken and will let it cook ALL day (9-11 hours). It will be falling apart and I will shred it in the crock pot about an hour before we eat so it can all soak in the chicken! 

Chicken Devine

This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law when my husband and I first started dating. Now he prefers my versions over his mamas! I call that a win! :)

Ingredients:

• 5-6 chicken breast halves
• 1 box ritz crackers
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Boil chicken for 20 minutes
3. Cool chicken in cold water with strainer
4. Mix sour cream and soup in a bowl then season with salt and pepper
5. Tear chicken into small pieces
6. Layer chicken, half of soup mix then lots of crushed crackers in the glass dish
7. Layer it all once more
8. Bake for 24 min or until bubbly

It's also GREAT as leftovers!

Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

For sure not the HEALTHIEST choice for a family dinner...but it's def a yummy one! And it's a crock pot meal so that makes it also an easy option :)

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 oz) bag of frozen tatar tots
• 1 (3 oz) bag of bacon pieces
• 1 lb chicken breasts, diced
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Spray crock pot with cooking spray
2. layer 1/2 tater tots on bottom
3. sprinkle with 1/3 of bacon pieces
4. top with 1/3 of shredded cheddar
5. add chicken (uncooked) on top then season with salt and pepper
6. add 1/3 bacon and 1/3 cheese
7. cover with the other half of the tater tots
8. finish with remaining 1/3 cheese and 1/3 bacon
9. pour milk over the top
10. cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours

This was actually a favorite meal of my daughter's when she wasn't even a year old yet!!! A guaranteed crowd pleaser!

Tasty Baked Potatoes

My husband is a typical "meat and potatoes" type guy so I like to find a variety of ways to serve up one of his favorite side dishes! This is a SIMPLE twist on the typical baked potato and he's in LOVE with it!

Ingredients

• Baking potatoes
• olive oil
• sea salt (or regular table salt is fine too)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wash potatoes and prick lightly with a fork 2-3 times
3. Cook in microwave for 8 minutes, turning after 4.
4. You want to be able to feel a little give in the skin but not so much that it breaks
5. Remove them from microwave and brush with olive oil and salt
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes

This recipe makes the skin SUPER yummy! I cook four potatoes...one for myself, one for the kids to split and two for Zach ;)

Broiler Corn

One of my personal favorite side dishes, and super quick and easy to whip up for the whole family!

Ingredients:

• frozen bag of corn kernels
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put oven on High Broil
2. Lay corn (still frozen) out on baking sheet. I have a family of four and typically only use 1/2 a bag at each meal as this isn't very good left over!
3. Drizzle olive oil over corn
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Heat for 5 minutes in oven

YES! It really is THAT SIMPLE!!! And it's delicious! 

Poppy Seed Chicken and Noodles

My sweet sister-in-law made this dish for me after I had surgery and it was SO GOOD I ate it for several meals while resting in the bed :) When I cooked it for the first time my son said it's his most favorite thing I've cooked yet!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
• 1 tsp poppy seeds or more if desired
• 12 oz sour cream (I used 1 and 1/2 of the 8 oz serving containers)
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 box fettuccine noodles (I used whole wheat)

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook 1/2 box of noodles, according to package
3. Boil chicken on high heat until boils then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and then shred.
4. Mix sour cream and soup in a bowl...I also seasoned with salt and pepper
5. Combine butter, crackers and seeds in a separate bowl
6. Pour 1/2 soup mix in baking dish then top with chicken, noodles, remaining half of soup mix, finally top with cracker mix
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes

When I made this I realized once I had already started preparing it that I had bought sesame seeds rather than poppy ones! Oops! I just didn't have seeds in it and it was still SUPER yummy! I can't wait to try it again with the seeds next time ;)

Garlic Green Beans

I don't like to use canned goods often but this is a quick way to eat some green vegetables when in a rush to get dinner on the table!

Ingredients

• Canned green beans (any type)
• Garlic (I buy the big container of it and keep it in the fridge to have on hand)

Directions

1. Pour green beans (including juice from can) in pot on stove
2. Add 1 tsp of minced garlic
3. Let cook on a low setting for 20 min or so (I just let it cook the entire time I'm making the rest of our dinner!)

Honey Carrots

None of my family really enjoys eating carrots...yet we ALL love this recipe!!! 

Ingredients

• Whole carrots (as many as you'd like...I usually do 4 or 5 carrots for our family)
• 3 Tbl olive oil
• 3 Tbl honey
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Clean and peel carrots then cut into sticks
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Place on baking sheet and toss in 1 Tbl olive oil along with salt and pepper
4. Roast in oven for 20 minutes
5. Drizzle with 2 Tbl olive oil, 3 Tbl honey and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
6. Put back in oven for 5 minutes

This is a wonderful side dish however I'm always mindful to only make enough for us to eat immediately as they aren't very good left over!

Butter Beans

I had NEVER heard of "butter beans" until I moved down to South Ga but now they are a staple in our home!

Ingredients

• Pressure cooker
• 1 bag of frozen baby lima beans
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 packet of Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate (found in the "ethnic food section" at the grocery store)

Directions

1. Put frozen limas in bottom of pressure cooker
2. Put water in pressure cooker and fill to just barely above the peas but so they are covered
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Add packet of seasoning
5. Lock pressure cooker lid and put on stove top on medium-high heat until whistles
6. Once it whistles turn heat down to one setting below medium and let cook for 9 minutes
7. Remove from heat and wait for lid to unlock to serve

They are great re-heated too! We eat them for dinner one night then have them as left overs another night later in the week!

This same recipe also works great for ford-hooks and queen zipper peas as well!

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I love crock pot recipes! Super easy to prepare and always very yummy! 

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 8oz box of yellow rice - cooked (I can't ever find it sold in 8 oz portions so I've used both 5 oz and 10 oz size and it turns out great either way)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (15 oz) can whole kerneled corn, drained

Directions

1. Place chicken in crock pot
2. Spoon gallops of soup on top (I also sprinkle with salt and pepper)
3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours
4. Before serving add rice, corn and cheese. Stir to combine then serve hot!

I usually don't even defrost the chicken first. I stick the breasts in the crockpot first thing in the morning with the soup and just let it cook all day. Then I shred the chicken up once I am ready to add the rice and corn!

Lemon Butter Potatoes

I first had this recipe at my son's thanksgiving celebration at school. It was so good I went back for seconds and asked for the recipe! I now make this as a side dish for our family at least a couple times a month, it's one of my personal favorites for sure. 

Ingredients

• 1 bag dutch baby potatoes or honey gold potatoes (I use the honey gold)
• 2 Tbl water
• 4 Tbs butter
• Juice of 1 lemon (I used the lemon juice concentrate and 3 Tbl of that equals one lemon)
• 1 tsp Everglades Seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray
3. Clean potatoes and cut in half 
4. Place in a bowl with the water. Cover and microwave for 7-8 Minutes
5. Cut butter into small pieces over the bowl then add lemon juice and seasoning and stir until well mixed with potatoes
6. Spread in single layer on baking dish and bake for 10-12 minutes

I usually will go ahead and clean potatoes and put them in the bowl earlier in the day so they are ready to cook in microwave when I'm ready to prepare dinner!

Green Bean Cover-Up

This is a simple recipe that can be thrown together quickly but make a big impression! I've been making this for years and it's always a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

• 1 can french style green beans
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can of onion toppers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Open beans and drain then place in shallow baking dish
3. Stir in soup and cheese
4. Sprinkle onions on top
5. Bake for 25-30 min

I typically go ahead and mix the beans, soup, and cheese in the dish earlier in the day and keep it in the fridge then just add the onion toppers before putting in the oven closer to dinner time!

Chocolate Egg Nests

This is a SUPER simple recipe. Perfect for a preschooler to help make them and a wonderful treat around Easter time and Spring!

Ingredients:

• Chocolate Flavored Almond Bark
• Chow Mein Noodles (Kinda tricky to locate at the store...I found them at Publix in the ethnic food aisle)
• Jelly Beans

Directions:

1. Use a double broiler to melt half of the chocolate (or you can melt in the microwave)
2. Pour melted chocolate over 1/2 the bag of chow mein noodles. Stir really well to coat the noodles with the chocolate
3. Grab handfulls and put on wax paper then place three jelly beans on each "nest"
4. Repeat the process with the other half of the chocolate and noodles
5. Once dry transfer to serving platter

The kids all LOVED these as well as many of the adults! Simple, inexpensive and cute!

DIY Fruit Snacks

This is a GREAT preschooler activity and results in a decently healthy snack too!

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 oz) box of any flavor of Jello (Kye and I did orange bc I happened to already have a box of it in the pantry!)
• 2 (0.25) envelopes of unflavored gelatin (this was a tad tricky to find...it was on the VERY top shelf of the Jello aisle!)
• 1/3 cup juice (I used V8 Fushion for added nutrition) or water
• Ice Cube Tray (I've had these since I lived in a house with no ice maker in college)

Directions:

1. Put juice or water in a small saucepan and pour in all the gelatin packets (pouring in all the ingredients makes a great task for a small child)
2. Have burner on medium and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved (I did let Kye do the stirring!)
3. Pour into ice cube tray and let sit for at least 20 minutes

Result:

• This entire recipe cost hardly anything, was simple to do, took like 5 minutes to make and ended up being a yummy treat! I did not try one but Kye LOVED them as did his little sister :) We stored them in a ziploc baggie and they lasted a couple days, after that they got REALLY hard so this is something you want to make and eat pretty quickly. We will for sure be doing this again in the future!

Original Source: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/06/homemade-jello-fruit-snacks-recipe.html

Ultimate Sugar Cookie Recipe!!!

This is my favorite homemade cookie recipe! I learned the recipe in my foods class in high school and it still remains a favorite even 10 years later :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup pancake syrup (it's the "secret" ingredient!)
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 tea baking soda
• 1/2 tea salt
• Sprinkles or other decorations if desired

Not the prettiest picture, they are MUCH tastier than they appear haha

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine sugar and shortening in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with mixer.
3. Add eggs, syrup and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl
5. Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix until well blended
6. Bake one baking sheet at a time for 6 minutes, makes roughly 40 cookies

Tip: I like to flatten mine with the back of a spoon prior to baking...it makes them extra soft :)