Peaches and Cream Muffins are oh so good...

Muffins.... Do you know how many muffins there are? Tons... and they are so good. One of my favorite things to eat are muffins. I search for new recipes all the time. They are simple to make and wrap individually for a quick breakfast. They are always welcomed by neighbors as little tokens of kindness. I never have had anyone turn down muffins. When Taylor was in the hospital for that year (nearly a year) and I was raising money to take our family to a Southern California vacation for him when he got out... I would hold bake sales at work... where most of the money came from. Muffins were one of the best sellers. They are loved by many.

I recently ran across a new recipe from a fellow blogger at Never Enough Thyme. Her recipe was for Peaches and Cream muffins. PERFECT. I love peaches... and it sounded interesting, so I prepared them for a potluck I was going to. They were a hit. They were moist and wonderful. I actually doubled the recipe which you can find here... Peaches and Cream Muffins (check out her recipes. They will not disappoint you.) When I doubled the recipe... instead of doubling the sour cream, I actually used a container of peach yogurt. It tasted good as well. I also added a little bit of cinnamon to the batter to make it a little bit like a peach cobbler flavor.

Here is the recipe. Again, please go and visit her. I have her added as a favorite and am following her yumminess. The reason you don't see muffin papers on my muffins is I used a Demarle baking piece that you don't have to, they just slip out. I don't sell for them... just love their products.

Peaches and Cream Muffins

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 20 min | Total time: 30 min
Makes: 9 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup chopped, fresh peaches
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the egg, sour cream and oil.
3. Combine dry ingredients and sift into the wet ingredients. Stir together just until moistened.
4. Stir in the peaches.
5. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and place a paper liner in each cup.
6. Fill cups ¾ full with batter.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out nearly clean.

Nothing says heaven like Au Gratin Potatoes...

In my home... just know, if you make Au Gratin potatoes, and the whole family is here, there WILL NOT be any left overs. We like them just that much. My grandpa used to have a HUGE garden... he could have fed many, many families from his garden. He loved potatoes. He had an abundance of potatoes... always. I seem to just love SPUDS... love, love, love them. A part of my carb addiction I suppose. I look for different ways to serve them from time to time... but many of the dishes are my comfort foods, and you just don't mess with comfort foods.

I found a great recipe for Au Gratin potatoes here, at, Get Off Your Butt and Bake! I knew I must try it. I added a bit more salt and pepper to the recipe that was posted, as that is the way we like ours. These were so good though. Please visit the blog as she has some FANTASTIC recipes there. I could just wander from blog to blog reading all their recipes.... for days... just the way I role. SMILE....

Here is the recipe posted. It is good... enjoy... I did not add the ham, but will if I have it as a main dish.

Lionhouse Au Gratin Potatoes

• 4 large potatoes peeled and diced or sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped (opt) – use 1 tsp. Onion powder instead
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups cubed cooked ham (read notes below)
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes, onion and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. TURN OFF THE HEAT and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. DRAIN the water off the potato mixture and spread potatoes in a 9×13 inch glass baking pan; set aside.

Make a white sauce by melting margarine or butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the margarine or butter starts to foam, stir in flour to make a smooth roux. Cook and stir constantly until the roux is nice and smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix the milk, cream, salt and pepper together and slowly add the milk mixture to the roux. Stir this constantly until sauce has thickened nicely. Reduce heat to low and stir in cubed ham and half of the grated cheese. After the cheese has melted, pour sauce over the potatoes. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

NOTE: With either recipe, you can also make it a main dish. Just take 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless pork chops and dredge them in a dusting of flour. In a heavy skillet, melt margarine, butter, olive oil or Crisco oil and brown the meat on both sides, until it’s nice and golden brown. Just mingle those browned chops or breasts in the potatoes and Au gratin sauce or potatoes and whipping cream . . . before baking. The meat will be tender and delicious and it flavors the Au Gratin Potatoes perfectly!

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I am looking for more and more recipes for crock pots and slow cookers. I work full time and my job waiting tables is during the graveyard shift. This.... well... stinks. So it is easy for me to come home in the morning and throw it into the crock pot and go... I would love to say I then could sleep, but, that would be a lie. I don't sleep... ha... well like 4 to four hours a day... it is not a good thing. But, it is nice to have time to play with Carlie instead of cooking in the kitchen all of the time... unless she is with me helping. We love cooking together...

I ran across a recipe for slow cooker lasagna at six sister's stuff. Please click the link and go visit them. They have a ton of great recipes.

As usual I had to alter their wonderful creation as there are just some things my family expects of me when cooking. I am sure that their recipe is wonderful just the way it is however. Below is the original recipe posted on their site, and then notes on the bottom telling what I did differently.

Again go and check their site out... you won't be sorry. And... who can resist the love and respect that sisters share. This will be no different.

Slow cooker lasagna It states that she found this on a kraft food box or package....

1 lb. lean ground beef (could be substituted for italian sausage)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 c. water
1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese (we used skim ricotta to save some unneccesary fat haha)
1 pkg. Kraft Italian Cheese (approx. 2 cups)
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp. parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

***(My adds... I also added four boiled eggs sliced... (used to be popular in the 50's when making lasagna. My mother in law still has a cut out box top in her recipes with this... and it has just become a habit not to add them when I make lasagna.) I added sliced mushrooms, and sliced zucchini in the layers. In my house, if these things aren't added I will have a war on my hands. I also added some drained canned tomatoes in the layers. It was so good... oh... and I added minced garlic and onions to the hamburger when I cooked it. )

Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cup mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. parmesan, egg and parsley.

Spoon 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles (3 noodles broken up per layer), broken to fit; and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

Cook on low 4-6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted. *

*Ours only cooked for about 3 1/2 hours because I had a hungry husband and it was fine! Plus the meat is cooked beforehand so it is safe. :)

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Pasta Shells

One thing that I love about blogging is finding new recipes. I found this recipe along the way. It is called Mexican Chicken Stuffed Pasta Shells. It can be found at Busy at Home. Please check out her blog and her wonderful cooking recipes. I found it through a secret recipe project that looks fun. I just need to hurry up so I can have 60 recipes posted so I may join. YEAH... just my type of thing....

First of all, I have a hard time following a recipe beginning to end. I have to find a way to make it mine. This recipe was fantastic how it was, but I needed to adapt it to my version and what my family would love and is used to... (me tinkering in the kitchen with recipes.)

This is the original recipe.... I will add at the bottom how I changed it to make it mine.

• 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 green onions, diced
• 1/2 each of red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers (or 2 whole bell peppers of your choice), diced
• 3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles (don’t drain) (Rotel or store brand, either works)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup of picante sauce
• 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente

My changes were as follows. I increased the cumin to 2 tsp. We love cumin. I added a can of green chilis. I added a can of sliced olives. I crushed up some frito chips and also added some drained, canned, sweet corn. I put enchilada sauce on top of the shells and just rested them on the bed of tomatoes and picante sauce. It was so good... this recipe is a winner the way it is... but feel free to add to it.

Instructions

1. Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them) If you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff, plus they will have additional cooking time, once they are stuffed. Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
2. Cook, drain and dice enough chicken breast to make 4 cups. I always have homemade chicken stock and pre-cooked diced chicken bagged in my freezer. You could use canned chicken broth if you prefer.
3. To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well. (If you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave.)
5. Spread 3/4 c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. (I used 13x18x2, but I’m guessing that two 9×13′s would also work.) Reserve the final 1/4 cup, for later.
6. Using a spoon, or your fingers, fill each of your cooked and cooled pasta shells, setting them into the picante covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pan.
7. When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/4 cup of picante and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
8. Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy and please stop by her blog and show her some love... very good site....

Mini Snickers Cheesecakes

If there has ever been proof that there is a higher power, in my mind it would be cheesecake. I adore cheesecakes. You could give me a list of 100 types and I would not scratch one of them off and I would love to try every single last one of them. Is it any wonder that my butt is so big? I think not! The smoothness in the texture... the sweetness, creamy and tasty.

I talked to Scott recently about a childhood memory of his grandmother. He wrote that he loved her cheesecake as it had extra butter in the graham cracker crust. I agree with him that there needs to be real butter used... and just enough sugar... not too much as it will spoil everything.

What is my favorite type of cheese cake? I am not sure... but I don't think that I have met it yet, as there are simply too many. I really like pumpkin cheese cake with a ginger snap crust. It is AMAZING... and different and a little bit of heaven in my mouth.

I recently discovered a Mini Snickers Cheesecakes at a blog called Six Sister's Stuff. Please join them there for a peek at all of their wonderful goodness that they share with their readers. They have some amazing recipes they share. I have spent a couple of hours there reading. Love it.

On to the dessert... here is the recipe. My family loved it. Mini servings that I baked in my Demarle cupcake pan. No liners needed. Mini means portion control to me as I seriously could eat three slices of cheesecake if people don't watch me. I would pay for it as it is too rich for my stomach in that much quantity... yet... the taste makes me driven for more. I was able to send some of these home with my son Taylor and my daughter Amanda. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Six Sister's ... you did good with this recipe. IT IS AMAZING!

Mini Snickers Cheesecakes Copy and pasted from their site. Please use link above to visit,

2 c. chopped Snickers Bars
2 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbl. granulated sugar
5 Tbl. melted butter
2 8oz packages softened cream cheese
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbl. pure vanilla
3 Tbl. caramel sauce

**The original recipe suggests making these in a muffin top pan but I used a regular muffin tin pan and they worked fine! If you are using a regular muffin tin, use a little bit less than 1/4 c. when you are pouring the filling into each tin so they don't overflow.**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place chopped Snickers Bars into a bowl, set aside for now. Place graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter into a mixing bowl to combine. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of crumbs into each section of the muffin pan and press down and up the sides. Bake for 5-6 minutes or just until browned. Remove from oven.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined, scraping sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in caramel sauce until well combined. Pour about 1/4 c. of cheesecake mixture over each baked crust then top evenly with chopped Snickers. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until cheesecake edges are just starting to brown and centers are nearly set. Remove and let cool completely. While still warm, loosen all edges with a plastic knife to make for easier removal from pan. Refrigerate once cooled then top with caramel sauce and whipped cream to serve!

12 individual cheesecakes

Corn and Black Bean Dip

If you only knew what we do on the 4th of July. It could get really ugly if we were all honest with each other, yet the word goes unspoken. Seriously... it does. I live in a very kind and sweet neighborhood. We have wonderful neighbors. They are caring for each other and we look out for each other. We watch each others homes when the other is away. We watch each others children to make sure they are safe when they are out and about on the street. Until a couple of months ago, our daughter was the youngest on the block, yet now there is a family across the street renting a home there, and their son is the same age, and a child even younger. However, we still make sure the teens are being safe. We are the neighborhood that bakes for each other during the holidays... and we gather several times a year to enjoy each others companies. HOWEVER, the 4th of July is all about... OUT COOKING OURSELVES from what we brought the year before. That is what I tell myself... as I am not the one that has to be reminded of what I brought the year before. My mind is a volt when it comes to food. SMILE! BUT... ME BEING THE HONEST ONE AROUND HERE, I must tell you that I am also the one that has to tell you a secret.... we are all really trying to out cook each other as well. Again, it is unspoken. When you put your dish on the table to share... it shows... it totally shows. We eye each others dish, like it is the shoot out at sunset from Gun Smoke!

This year, I think that the block party was bigger than any of the past. Each family welcomes other family and friends from all over the place to join in on the festivities as long as they... BRING FOOD!!!! I love seeing when people are carrying over a sliced watermelon... it should disqualify them of the secret contest that is going on.... and people that bring the same dish each year, no competition.... I.... uhm... I mean WE... have found something bigger and better from the year before. We wear that invisible crown, letting the world that we are warriors of the kitchen... but we do it with a little smile or grin and say we will get the recipe to share right away. They obviously don't know... I have a food blog... and that may or may not be kept a secret. I mean... I would hate someone else to win with MY RECIPE... right?

Seriously though, we are very blessed to live in a neighborhood where we can join together and love each other and share our food. We are blessed to live in America. We are blessed to have each other and call each other friends... and we are blessed to be FREE, thanks to the men and women that keep our country safe. Yes that refers to soldiers... and their families, as that is obvious to me. However, we need to also think outside the box, as to the police, ambulance and fire in the area. We need to think of the neighbors that look out for each others home and belongings... to the teachers that go above and beyond for our kids... the daycare and pre school teachers that watch our children and keep them safe as we work. There are smaller scales her too that go without notice... but... AGAIN... on a big scale... people serving in our Armed Forces... I appreciate you.

For the recipe. I found it at this site and I adapted it to our needs. The name is Some Kind of Delicious. She has some great recipes that I saw over there... that I will be trying again very soon. It was the first time I had been to the site, yet I knew I had to try this. And that I did.

Corn and Black Bean Dip

2/3 c. sour cream
½ c. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (15-oz.) can corn, drained and rinsed
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice & zest of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste
Tortilla chips

In a bowl combine the sour cream, cilantro, cumin, cayenne pepper, and lime. Stir in corn & black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.

I increased the sour cream to 1 1/3 cups. I added some tapitio to add some zip, and some carne asada seasoning to it. I also added an extra can of corn and a small onion. Her way was divine, yet, I like a lot of extra spice to my food most often. I also increased the the cumin to 2 tsp. and added some green chilis that were diced in a can. I think next time I will add an extra can of black beans and a can of cheddar cheese soup or shredded cheddar cheese. We shall see what wild hair I get that day. All in all her recipe was fantastic... I always tweek... the way I am made.

I hope you try this... it is super easy. Ooooooohhhh... as I am sitting here and my mind wanders yet again, I am thinking it would be fantastic with Mexican sour cream as well. It is so very yummy.... hmmmmmm..... thinking, thinking, thinking.

I also hope you go over and visit her site. It is a keeper for sure.

Another blog that I have looked at for hours...

Getting started. Carlie always wears a tshirt when she cooks to keep her clothes clean. I really wish I knew how to sew well as I would make her a cute little apron with frills, whistles and bells for Christmas or her birthday. For now, she loves the tshirt. She always says she is cookin with Dr King. LOL


Carlie making a batch for her brother to take back to his home. She loves cooking for others as well. Wonder where she gets that behavior from.

She is always so pleased with herself when she completes things in the kitchen. She did a great job. Now the mess she made... she did a great job at that too... 100% or nothing with this little girl.


I go to some of the cooking or foodie blogs and when I have the time I could stay there forever... so very fun for me. People surely must think I am crazy. That is okay... they won't be the first. I have so many posts to catch up on with things I have been cooking here for my family... but... I will start with this one.

I found Mommy's Kitchen in the first couple of days I was on blogging this go around. I saw this particular recipe right away and knew I was going to make it for the 4th of July. Each year our neighborhood gets together for the 4th and we eat and laugh and talk and enjoy each other. Everyone brings fireworks and we let those off when it gets dark. We also live near the golf course and they have a larger fireworks show that we can watch from the street. It is fun for everyone. The deal with the potluck is... everyone brings their own meat to grill. Some people opt to share, but in reality it is for your family. They then bring one side dish. So... not yo mama's banana pudding was on my bucket list of to makes. Something cool for a hot day. Something I knew not anyone else would make. I also try to incorporate Carlie helping me in the kitchen as she loves to cook. So... we did... and it was fun. We had a great time. She was a little bossy with me... but that is nothing unusual when we are cooking as she wants to take over. I may have a future chef on my hands. So... we did this recipe together. We doubled the batch however, so I could send an 8x8 back home with my son Taylor... (but he is a nilla wafer fan so he got that in his... with his autism, sometimes you are better off leaving well enough alone on some of the things he likes...) and I took an 8x8 to work for the people that had to work swing on 4th and had to miss out on festivities. This had raves... and it was wonderful... so try it... you will like it....

We never bring one side dish... it just isn't me... and those that know me know it isn't me. So.... we also brought some corn on the cob... some limeade punch... a taco salad, and an enchilada casserole. We had carne asada for our meat. It was sooooooo very good.

And visit her blog... she has a lot going on over there and you will love her site...

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6-8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 - 5-ounce box instant French vanilla pudding
1 - 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 -14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 - 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping thawed
or equal amounts sweetened whip cream.

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 12 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Kid Easy
Adapted from: Let's Celebrat