Our New Little Monkey {Easy Canvas Prints}

On October 4, 2011 we welcomed a new baby girl into our bunch of monkeys.

Hailey Anne

Thank you to Easy Canvas Prints for making sure this little monkey is always reminded of how much she is loved.  Easy Canvas Prints will turn your photos to canvas with ease.  I am a HUGE fan of canvas prints & with a few clicks of the mouse I was able to order this beautiful piece of art to hang in her nursery.  The company is not only local (yay Austin!), but creates a fantastic product with great customer service & super fast shipping.  Check out their Facebook Page, for some great deals & "like" them to automatically receive 50% off of your next order (and free shipping...I LOVE free shipping)!


And a huge thank you to Brandie Lynn Photography for this awesome photo of our baby girl & her daddy who adores her.

We're Coming Back!!

It has been since late April that I posted a new recipe to this site.  A lot has happened since then...we moved, survived 4 long months of no internet & even had a baby :)  While it has been a crazy couple of months, we have began to settle in well.  We are making connections with friends & neighbors and we are anxiously awaiting a full nights sleep.  I will begin posting again soon, slowly but surely!

Sincerely,
Monkey Mama of 3!

Chicken Spaghetti

1-1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 microwave steamer bag broccoli
1 package thin spaghetti
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes & green chilis
1/2 cup mexican blend shredded cheese
salt & pepper

Prepare spaghetti & broccoli per package directions.  While they cook,combine mushroom soup, Rotel & mexican cheese in a small sauce pan on low heat until heated through.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl & add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve family style with french or garlic bread.

This recipe is a bit too spicy for the little ones!

Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Hot or Cold)

*Photo note: I made this for Easter for just my husband & me, so I only filled the bowl with half of the dip created by this recipe.  The full recipe will fill the bread bowl appropriately.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

• 
  
• 1 8oz package cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch-style dip mix
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 2 (16 ounce) loaves King's Hawaiian® Sweet Bread
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 
  
• Blend mayo, sour cream and dip; mix together in a large bowl. Add artichoke hearts, spinach and water chestnuts; mix well. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
• 
  
• Before serving, Carefully hollow 1 loaf, leaving 1-inch on sides and bottoms. Cube removed bread and additional loaf.

To serve hot: Stir in 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese; microwave on high 4-5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.

Transfer dip to bread bowl and serve with bread cubes.

Potato Salad

• 
  
• Adapted from allrecipes.com
• 
  
• 8 potatoes
• 8 eggs
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup sweet relish
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15-20 minutes; drain and chop.
• 
  
• Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; peel and chop.
• 
  
• In a large bowl, gently mash the potatoes.  Then combine the eggs, celery, sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Gently mix together and serve.

Taco Salad

1 lb. ground turkey or beef, browned & drained
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1/2 large head lettuce, cut into pieces
1 can light or dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into pieces
1 can sliced black olives, drained
1 package shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 - 1 - (8oz) bottle Creamy French or Catalina Salad Dressing
1/2 of bag Fritos corn chips or tortilla chips



Brown turkey or beef until cooked through.  Add taco seasoning and finish cooking as directed.  Allow meat to cool.


In a large bowl combine lettuce, beans, tomatoes, olives, cheese & meat.  Add 1/2 bottle of dressing & toss.  Add more dressing until desired amount is achieved based on personal preference.  Top with chips & enjoy!


For a fun variation, serve in a tortilla shell.  Spray both sides of a large flour tortilla with non-stick spray and place in a bowl suitable for the oven.  Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Baked BBQ or Hot Wings

adapted from foodnetwork.com

12+ whole chicken wings

desired sauce

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in an electric steamer for 15 minutes (or place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.  Add chicken and steam for 10 minutes). 

Remove the wings and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with non-stick foil or parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

When the chicken is almost finished roasting, pour sauce into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Light Chocolate Chip Cookies

 From allrecipes.com

 

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg white

3 tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
	In a medium bowl, cream the butter with the brown and white sugars. Stir in the vanilla, egg white, and water. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips.
	Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

 

I made these with Hickory Farms Mint Melt Away Mini Chips (so I would stop snacking on them) & chocolate chips...yumm!!

Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 packet or 8 grams yeast
2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese,softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place warm milk & yeast in the bowl of stand mixer and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.  Add eggs, margarine, flour, salt & white sugar.  Attach the dough hook and allow to mix & need for about 10 minutes (or until the dough is stretchy and not too sticky).  Remove bowl and cover, allowing the dough to rise in a warm dry place for about an hour.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Once complete, place a cookie sheet on top of your pan and turn the rolls out upside down and allow them to cool for a few minutes.  While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. 

To make the night before, complete recipe through step 3, then cover and refrigerate.  In the morning, allow rolls to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then complete step 4.

To freeze, complete through step 3, cover & freeze.  The day before you want to cook them, move them from the freezer to the fridge.  When ready to cook, allow rolls to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then complete step 4.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

 Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups white sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely & ice with sugar cookie icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

assorted food coloring

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

This icing is beautiful & a perfect pair with the rolled sugar cookies!

Christmas Dinner 2010

My parents (and a huge surprise...my sister) came from California to visit last week.  We decided to celebrate Christmas early, complete with a big meal together.  While I greatly prefer more of a Thanksgiving meal to anything else, I decided to try something different and try out a bunch of new recipes.  Here is what we enjoyed for our Christmas time together!

Cinnamon Rolls
I will post my version of this recipe soon.  I put them in the fridge overnight and missed the second rise on them so they didn't turn out quite right.  Also, since they were cold, they didn't cook correctly.  However, we still devoured them and I will be making them again as a special treat for Christmas day :)

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Brisket

covered with liquid smoke, wrapped in foil and cooked in a roaster on 225 for 10 hours

Watergate Salad

Crockpot Broccoli Casserole

Sour Cream Potato Casserole
Tangy Cole Slaw

Peppermint Chocolate Pie

Tangy Cole Slaw

from Shanna Nail

3/4 cup Splenda
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp oil
salt & pepper
One bag shredded cabbage & carrots,
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped

Wisk together Splenda, white vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.  Pour mixture over cabbage & carrots & bell peppers

Make at least 8 hours before serving it so that it has some time to marinate and chill. (Sometimes overnight) It works pretty well to place all ingredients in a large ziploc bag to mix and marinate. Before serving, pour off excess juices! 

It is very healthy, and for any Weight Watchers members counts as 0 points.

Crockpot Broccoli Casserole

from crockpot365

2 pounds of fresh broccoli, washed and trimmed (I only really like the florets) 
1/3 cup flour 
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 cup low fat or fat free milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded yummy white cheese (I used Montery Jack)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Wash and trim the broccoli.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and dried mustard. Toss the broccoli in the mixture. Dump the broccoli into the crockpot.

Cover with 1 cup of whatever shredded cheese you are going to use. Add the milk and the chicken broth.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for about 3-4. This is done when the broccoli reaches desired tenderness and begins to brown a bit around the edges.

Peppermint Chocolate Pie

From I heart naptime

1 chocolate pie crust
6 candy canes
2 cups cold milk
2 boxes (4 oz) instant pudding (1 chocolate and 1 vanilla)
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
crushed candy canes, mini candy canes, peppermint balls

Crush candy canes into small pieces and set aside. 

Pour 2 cups of milk into a bowl or measuring cup. Whisk in pudding about 2 minutes, mixture will be thick. Gently fold in 1/2 tub of Cool Whip and crushed candy canes, mix completely. Spoon into crust.

Place in fridge to set for at least 4 hours. Before serving, top with remaining Cool Whip & garnish with candy canes or peppermint balls.

Watergate Salad

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Drain pineapple reserving juice.  In a large bowl, mix together pudding mix, pineapple chunks, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, marshmallows, and nuts. Fold in whipped topping. Chill.

Sour Cream Potato Casserole

adapted from allrecipes.com

2 (28 ounce) package frozen cubed hash brown potatoes with onions & peppers, thawed

2 cups sour cream

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup French-fried onions

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Pour into an ungreased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Sprinkle with onions; return to the oven for 10 minutes.

We used the leftovers to make some pretty awesome breakfast tacos :)

Jalapeno Popper Dip

from allrecipes.com

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained

2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

French bread

Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes. Serve with warm french bread.

Holiday Pretzel Treats

From Family Fun

Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
M&M's candy

Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. If desired, place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

Reindeer Cookies

From Let's Explore

Cookie dough:  store bought or homemade, any flavor
Pretzel twists
Chocolate chips
Red M&Ms


Start with a round cookie shape and pinch the middle gently to create the face shape.  Add eyes, antlers, and Rudolph’s shining red nose.  Bake according to your recipe’s directions.