butter cake bars

omg these are amazing!you should make these for christmas!- those were the exact words that came out of my hubbys mouth. the best way to describe the taste of these is cake batter and cheesecake had a baby ... ummm delicious much?!

this recipe is quite easy and definitely worth it. you have to let it cool completely though to get the full amazingness of them (if that makes sense lol).

 the picture i took of these does not do them justice (all my pics are taken on my phone and i have recently scratched the lens and there is a little black dot in all the pics that i take)

anyways, if you want to take a look at mouth watering pics go to the website i got this recipe from.

butter cake bars
from http://somekitchenstories.com/2012/01/17/momofukus-butter-cake-bars/

1 box of yellow cake mix (1 pound)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla extract

 Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with foil or parchment paper.

 Make the base first: mix together cake mix, butter and 1 egg.

 Pat into pan, create an even layer.

 Cream together the cream cheese, 2 eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour over cake layer, spread to edges.

Bake for 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown- center should be a creamy yet solid consistency like cheesecake.

 Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

cleaning the grout in my kitchen

so lately i havent been posting much... i have said before that i have been recycling alot of my recipes lately and focusing on diy stuff around the house. i am proud to say that i am in the process of staining cabinets in my bathroom and it has turned out awesome so far. but this post isnt about that lol. this post is about cleaning my grout. i have ceramic tile throughout most of my house and i hate it! (dont get me wrong, its beautiful tile and it looks great... i am just a fan of hardwood floors)

anyways, i searched pinterest for a way to clean grout. and i found this website http://homekeepingforall.blogspot.com/

so i mixed two cups Vinegar, two cups Water and 3 Tablespoons Baking Soda in a bucket and used a bristle brush (purchased at the dollar store) and went at it. it was super easy and i think the results turned out great! obviously there is some elbow grease involved but it didnt take me long at all and i didnt have to scrub hard.

 

before

after

 

crockpot shredded beef tacos

my husband was skeptical when he opened the lid of the crockpot and peeked inside to see this.... but he was pleasantly surprised by these tacos and has already said that he would like them again soon!

crockpot shredded beef tacos
from http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/01/shredded-beef-tacos.html

1 2.5 lb chuck roast
14 oz beef broth
3 tbsp taco seasoning1 tsp garlic powder
Juice of 1 lime
corn tortillas
any toppings you like on your tacos (we used cheese and lettuce)

Place roast in a slow cooker, pour beef broth over it and squeeze with fresh lime juice.  Sprinkle roast with taco seasoning.  Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Remove roast from slow cooker, shred beef, removing all fat and return shredded beef to slow cooker.  Cover with lid and cook additional 30 minutes.   Use slotted spoon to serve beef or drain into colander. Serve with any toppings you would like!

thankful tree

i know that i have told you in an earlier post that i have been recycling recipes alot lately so i havent been sharing much. well i have also been spending alot of time browsing pinterest to get ready for the holidays (I am super excited!) anyways, pinterest has caused me to redecorate my front room (i painted and hung curtains... im working up the nerve to try my hands at restaining my cabinets an espresso color::wish me luck- i plan on attempting this after the holidays:: and i've been looking for all kinds of new crafts to do with my kiddos and i came across this and thought it was a great idea. well when it came to craft time today i knew this was perfect.... so here is my kids thankful tree...

thankful tree
from http://bargainbound.blogspot.com/2011/11/thankful-tree.html

construction paper
leaf stamp
scissors

first i drew a tree on a piece of brown construction paper and had my 5 year old, Oliver (oli) cut it out with scissors. When he was done, i taped it to my kitchen wall.

meanwhile, my 2 year old daughter anabelle (aj) stamped leaves onto different colored papers. When she was done with that, oli cut those out too.

When he was done with those, i asked what they were thankful for and wrote it on the leaves (9 of them to be exact since today is the 9th and i plan to do one a day) and then taped them to the thankful tree.

italian sausage and tortellini soup

the other day i posted my recipe for homemade chicken broth. this is a perfect recipe to use it for!

italian sausage and tortellini soup
from http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/10/tortellini-sausage-soup/

2 links al fresco Italian chicken sausage (you can use raw sausage if you would like- this is what i had on hand)
2 cloves pressed garlic
1/2 onion, diced
½ c. water
4 cups chicken broth
½ c. apple cider
1 16-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. shredded carrots
3 basil leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 cup half and half

Remove casing from chicken sausage by using a knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.and cut into tiny pieces. Add to large saucepan. (If you’re using raw link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large saucepan)

Chop onion and add to pot with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is warmed/cooked.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, cider, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano and basil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Add the half and half and tortellini and cook until tender- about 10 minutes more.

homemade chicken broth in your crockpot

with fall in full swing and winter fast aproaching i have found myself making lots of soups and chilis.... so of course i have been using lots of chicken broth. i figured it was about time that i started making my own! my local grocery store had chicken breasts on sale for only $1.49/lb so i stocked up. the only problem with these chicken breasts is that they aren't cleaned very well (as a former vegetarian this still grosses me out and i am very picky about any fat or veins in my chicken breasts). the first thing i do when i buy packages of chicken breasts is clean them and freeze them individually. i figured that since i cut off alot of good pieces of chicken while cleaning the breasts that i might as well use it to make chicken broth.

homemade chicken broth in your crockpot
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/homemade-chicken-stock-from-your-crock.html

leftover chicken pieces from cleaning or 3 chicken breast halves
1 onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 celery stalks
2 cloves garlic
handful of cilantro
pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into crock pot and cover with water. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

When it's done, strain the liquid into a container and discard vegetables and chicken pieces . if you used chicken breasts, remove and store for later use.

If you're not using the stock right away you can store it in containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for several months. When the stock is chilled, the fat will rise to the top and harden and you can easily remove it.