French Dip Sandwiches and the New Adventure

2 lbs. rump roast
2 beef bouillion cubes
1 packet onion soup mix
1 (12 ounce) can dark beer
6 French rolls
2 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. provolone slices
Horseradish mustard

Trim excess fat from the roast and place in a slow cooker. Add bouillion cubes, onion soup mix, and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split rolls, and spread with butter, mustard, and provolone slices. Bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through. Slice the meat on the diagonal and place on the rolls. Serve the au jus for dipping.

So for my birthday, I had originally requested to go out for dinner, considering it is rare that Vann and I get a chance to go out on a date. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while I could! But the more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to try this recipe that my sister gave me. So plans changed, and I am SO glad that I decided to stay in to celebrate the big day. This is the best French Dip Sandwich that I have ever had, besides Phillipe's in Los Angeles. Given the fact, however, that we are nowhere near Phillipe's, this comes in a very close second, and I'll take it! I apologize for not having a picture. We were so excited to eat when the meat was ready that I didn't even think about taking a picture...we do have one more serving leftover, so I will try to remember to take a good picture so that everyone can see. Stay tuned for another dog treat recipe! And Vann, thank you so much for such an amazing dinner, and a wonderful 23rd birthday! :)

Now then, for the New Adventure! Yesterday was so incredibly boring at work that I decided to go to Hobby Lobby (I could spend all day in that store!) and get some yarn and a crochet needle to occupy my time. Big beautiful blanket, here I come! I love to crochet, but I just never think about doing it. There is a picture of the yarn below. Plus, when I crochet, I only do a few rows, and then I get distracted and forget about it. Not this time! I am just loving the yarn that I got, and I am thinking that it is going to turn out to be really cute. I can't wait to show off the finished product...if it looks good.

Doggie Treats, Take One

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
2 beef bouillon cubes, dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water
2-3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Combine all ingredients well. Knead for about one minute. Roll out dough to 1/4" thick. Cut into desired shapes. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.

I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com. I actually had another recipe that I wanted to try, but since I was at work yesterday before I went to the store, I went ahead and found another recipe to try out last night. The dogs LOVED these. I actually only baked them for about 20 minutes so that they would be soft and chewy. Roo is extremely picky, and tends to eat things better when they are in small bites. So with them being soft, I can break the treat into smaller pieces. Now Squirt doesn't care. As long as it's a treat, she'll take it! I would still like to try the other dog treat recipe that I had. Although they loved these treats, I have a feeling that they might get tired of them quickly.

Yay!!!

I am so excited that I have been added to the Foodie Blogroll! Definitely go to the website and check it out! There are thousands of food blogs on there, just like mine, that have amazing recipes to take a look at!

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup smooth peanut butter.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, butter, and peanut butter together until well blended. Press mixture into a 9x13 dish. Melt chocolate chips in microwave until smooth. Spread melted chocolate over peanut butter layer with a spatula. Allow the chocolate to cool for a while, then cut into squares before chocolate hardens completely. (I put the bars in the refrigerator for a little while to speed up the process. It worked very nicely!)

I have started compiling my Recipes To Try folder on my computer, and this is the first recipe that I tried from that file. I forget whose website I found it on, but I will research it a little bit further and put it on here. Vann and I had chicken rotel the other night, and I wanted to make a fun dessert to try after dinner. This just looked so simple, and we never pass up trying a recipe with chocolate and peanut butter! We were absolutely stuffed after eating dinner, but we managed to save enough room to try these suckers out. They were great! I bought cinnamon graham crackers to go in them, but I think when I make these next time I will try them with just plain graham crackers. This recipe has definitely made its way into our permanent collection!

Tea Punch

2 Family Size Tea Bags
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 ounces frozen orange juice
6 ounces frozen lemonade

Bring tea to a boil in a small pot of water. In a gallon container, mix together hot tea, sugar, frozen lemonade, and frozen orange juice. Fill the rest of container up with water. Mix together well. Serve over ice.

This is my Mom's recipe that she has been making for years. To be honest, I have no idea where she got it from, but it is incredible! It is so refreshing, especially in this summer heat! I usually don't serve this in a margarita glass. However, it is the only thing that I had that actually shows you what it looks like. This goes great with dinner, or would even be nice to sip on while sitting on the porch watching the sun set...whichever you prefer. You may even put a little vodka or rum in it if you would like to make it even more refreshing ;)

Cookie School

The very first batch!!!


Smile!


The whole gang


It must be love...




So a couple of weeks ago I started getting into cookie baking. Since I have lived at my place, I have not made cookies one time (I've been here for almost 2 years!). Mainly because I do not have an oven to cook in, and neither does Vann, so I have depended on my little toaster oven to get me through. Knowing the task that it would be to make any type of cookies is really what has kept me away from baking. That, and the fact that my kitchen is incredibly small (my dryer is in my kitchen, and my kitchen table doubles as a place where I fold my laundry...).

I would like to clarify that Vann and I do both have ovens in our places, but they are gas, and my place is so old that I am not comfortable at all with getting my gas turned on...and Vann really doesn't do that much cooking or baking at his place, so he doesn't need it...at least not right now.

The first picture is the very first batch of cookies that Vann and I made. Cute, aren't they? I thought so :) Vann decorated the top 3, and I decorated the bottom 3. The smiley faces are the second batch that I made. And the hearts are the third batch that I made yesterday for Vann to take to work with him last night for everyone to try. According to him, the cookies got rave reviews!

I have had an absolute blast making these cookies! And I finally found the BEST sugar cookie recipe and icing recipe! The only issue that I am having is that I cannot get my flood icing to dry smooth like it is supposed to. I am thinking this is because I'm not getting all of the air bubbles out (even though it always looks like all of them are out when I put the icing in the squeeze bottle, but who knows?), but that's not the definite reason. Only practice and time will tell I suppose!

It Must Be Love

Remember how Johnny Carson had that old lady on his show that found different potato chips that were shaped like different things? Well, a while ago I had purchased a sack of potatoes from Kroger. (This is when Vann and I were really on our baked potato kick.) Anyway, while searching for a potato one night for us to have for dinner, I came across this one. Shaped in a perfect heart. Cute, huh? As soon as I saw it, I put it in the freezer so that it would keep. Vann wanted to eat it, but I just couldn't bring myself to cosume that little potato!

The Best Alfredo

1/2 cup butter
8 ounces garlic and herb cream cheese
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt
Black pepper
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound linguini noodles, prepared as directed

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Next add cream cheese. Once the cream cheese has melted, add heavy cream and half and half. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes (or until sauce begins to thicken) over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve over hot linguini noodles.

I have finally been able to add pictures on here, and I cannot tell you how excited I am about that! Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all of the recipes that I have on here, but I'm sure that I can have that taken care of soon :) This is a recipe that I found on www.recipezaar.com a few weeks ago. I have always been afraid to try alfredo recipes just because I am VERY picky when it comes to the way the sauce tastes, and I have tried alfredo in several different restaurants and have always managed to be disappointed. However, when I saw this recipe I knew that I had to try it. I am so glad that I did! As soon as Vann and I sat down and tasted this, it was love.

I actually followed some of the suggestions that people had made on the website, and it turned out perfectly. Needless to say this is a staple in our house now. It is extremely easy to make, and if you double it, you will have leftovers coming out of your butt. I took this to work the next day the first time that I made it and let all of my co-workers try it, and everyone wanted the recipe and said that it was better than anything they had ever had in a restaurant. Give it a try and enjoy!

Olive Garden's Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno

FOR THE ZITI SAUCE
4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups alfredo sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mozarella cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons Fontina Cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlice powder

FOR THE ZITI TOPPING
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons romano cheese, grated
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
REMAINING INGREDIENTS
1 lb dry ziti pasta
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

PREPARE THE ZITI SAUCE:
Combine all ingredients for the Ziti Sauce in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

PREPARE THE ZITI TOPPING:
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients for the Ziti Topping.
Add the garlic, oil, and parsley and mix until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

WHEN READY TO PREPARE THE WHOLE DISH:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or large casserole with non-stick spray.
Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
Pour 1/2 cup of prepared ziti sauce into the prepared dish, and spread it evenly over the bottom using a spoon.
When pasta has finished cooking, drain the water and pour the hot pasta into the bowl of remaining sauce. Mix thoroughly; pour into the baking dish.
Spread 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over the pasta and sauce mixture.
Top the mozzarella with the prepared Ziti Topping, spreading evenly.
Place pan on center oven rack and bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove and serve immediately.

So last week my brother and I went to Olive Garden for lunch, and this is what I ordered. I thought that it was absolutely amazing, so I wanted to find a recipe that I could use at home. Luckily I went to www.recipezaar.com and stumbled upon this recipe, and I knew that I had to try it. And I am so glad that I did! It took me a little while to make it, but that was because it was my first time, and I wanted to make sure that it was perfect. I used a little more bread crumbs than it called for to add a little more crunch, and I just eyeballed all of the cheeses instead of measuring them out. The flavors of this dish are absolutely incredible!!! The ingredients were a little costly, but when you figure how many meals we get out of just one dish, it was actually very cheap (we calculated that it is only about $2.00 per serving for Vann and myself...not bad, huh?). Anyway, if you have a little time on your hands to make this meal, I would definitely suggest trying it!