Nickles and Dimes, Baby!

Since I moved into Vann's place, I have been trying to find as many ways to save money as humanly possible. Sharing a house is a money-saver in itself, but with it comes preparing meals for two....toiletries for two...and, well, everything for two. I absolutely love living here, but I have brought it upon myself to find as many deals as possible, especially in the grocery department. I will say that I have become especially good at checking out Kroger's weekly deals online. And the wonderful thing about Kroger is that they ALWAYS have great stuff on sale, even items that they don't advertise. Add some coupons to the mix, and you have yourself an even better deal! If you hate cutting out coupons, I would highly suggest checking out www.cellfire.com. They allow you to load their coupons onto your Kroger Plus Card, therefore cutting out the need to clip some coupons (no pun intended!).

I have also found that in order to save money, you have to spend a little money to get ahead. For example, if you check out eBay, you can search for grocery coupons that people are selling for cheap. I paid $1.35 the other day for over 100 coupons. It may seem silly to spend that kind of money for small pieces of paper, but it could also save us A LOT of cash... and in my opinion, it's worth a shot! And speaking of eBay, Vann and I have started an account on there in hopes that we can sell a few things that we no longer want....fingers crossed that we make a little bit of mulah!

If you are someone who enjoys getting samples in the mail, check out www.pgeverydaysolutions.com. You can sign up for free, and they have some great samples and coupons that they can send you in the mail. Not only are samples cool because you get to try them for FREE, they eliminate having to buy the full product just to find out that you HATE IT. Been there, done that...it's no picnic! Also, Dove is offering a sample of their conditioner right now. They give you two choices. I thought that I would be able to try both, but they make you choose. But it's free, so I'm not complaining!

Once things calm down at work, I am going to start working on a budget for us so that we can really save up some money. On top of that, I am going to start working on a binder that show the rotation of the items on sale at different stores. I saw this idea on Oprah I believe. She had a woman on her show who literally paid nothing for her groceries for a family of 6. And in some cases she got money back. Uh, yes please! My brother said that it takes a bit of time to get everything organized (per what one of his co-workers said), but once it's done, it's a breeze. I'm pretty sure I can put the time in to spend little to no money on groceries! My only issue is that I can't find the woman's website to save my life. If you know what I'm talking about, please let me know!

Thursday Date Night...At Home!

Ever since Vann and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, I have been wanting to try my hand at making some fish at home. I have only tried making fish one time, and it was a disaster. The fish wasn't as fresh as it should have been, and the cooking method was supposed to be on the grill. But considering at the time we did not have a grill to cook said fish on, I settled for cooking it in our toaster oven...DI-SAS-TER. It ended up taking forever to cook, and even after what seemed like a million years in that poor little oven, it was still all soggy and the coloring was more than a littly funky. I consider myself to be a pretty awesome cook, and usually will try a recipe more than once if I fail the first time (which is rare....haha! Cocky much?!?). But my fishy failure was more than enough to discourage me from making anything from the sea for years now. However, I have decided to put my big girl pants on and take a new recipe head on. So, below is our Thursday In House Date Night Dinner Menu...best of luck to me!

I would also like to mention that I am a little nervous about the banana daquiri. I have absolutely no recipe to go on, just a description from the Fudpucker's menu. A creamy vanilla milkshake infused with banana rum... yeah, it was delicious! So delicious that I am ready to come up with my own recipe to knock Vann's socks off. Let's hope it works :)

* Banana Daquiri
* Dijonnaise Tilapia
* Wild Rice
* Green Beans cooked with onion, chicken bouillion, and bacon
* Dinner Rolls

White Chicken Chili

2 lbs. chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 packets McCormick White Chicken Chili Mix
4 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern Beans, not drained
2 (11 oz.) cans White Shoepeg Corn, not drained
2 (10 oz.) cans Original Rotel
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Boil the chicken until done. Let cool and shred. In a large pot, combine all ingredients except for the sour cream and shredded cheese. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 30 minutes. Place in serving bowls, and top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Mix until thoroughly blended with the chili.

When Vann and I went to the beach, his sister and brother-in-law watched our two little fur babies for us. So, after I got off work on Friday, I headed to Birmingham with the pups in tow, and had a girls' night with the hopefully-one-day-sister-in-law :). For dinner, Michele made this, and it was love at first bite! I know that the picture doesn't look extremely appetizing...and I wish that I could take another one, but my camera has been quite the little turd lately and this is the only one I could get. Please do not judge this meal based on my poor picture taking. I couldn't resist going ahead and posting this recipe, so you will just have to deal with the picture I have given you :) I wasn't sure if Vann would like this, but he LOVED it, and has requested that it be added into our regular rotation. I love to put tons of sour cream and cheese in with mine, while Vann likes only a hint of sour cream in his, but tons of cheese. Either way it is absolutely incredible, even if you just want it as is! I would also like to note that the recipe above is double the original recipe given to me. This meal freezes amazingly well. It's the perfect dish to have on hand on a night you just don't feel like cooking. Pull it out of the freezer, stick it in the microwave and defrost, then cook to desired temperature. And, it goes great with a grilled cheese sandwich! There is nothing easier than boiling and shredding some chicken, and then opening a few cans and throwing everything into a pot! Thank you, Michele!

On a different note, I have not had a chance to work on the toilet paper holder as planned. With a meeting every day last week, along with 2 banquets, I never had the energy by the time I got home. And when I finally had a night off, I got to spend some quality time with my brother, which was much needed and thoroughly enjoyed! I'm hoping that I will have a chance to work on it this weekend, but again, I will see what work has in store for me before making any promises!

Project #2

Each September the Syrup Soppin' Festival is held in Loachapoka, AL, and it brings in a crowd of about 20,000 to the small little town. Anything that you can imagine is sold there. Purses, hot sauces, sweets, paintings, etc. You name it, they probably have a table set up with exactly what you are looking for. This past year we stopped by tent where an old man was selling different wooden crafts and furniture. He had dressers, rocking chairs, key holders, coat holders, everything!



We actually purchased a small rocking chair from him the year before last and painted it in Alabama colors to give to Vann's Dad for Christmas, because he LOVES rocking chairs. This year we were able to purchase an out house that is actually a toilet paper holder. When you open the door to the out house, you will find a place to store about 3 or 4 rolls of toilet paper, and on the top is where the roll that you are currently using is held.



I fell in love with this when we purchased the rocking chair, but I didn't bring enough money to buy both, and the rocking chair was top priority. So this past September when we returned, it was all I could think about on the drive to the festival. I just knew that he wouldn't have anymore left. But low and behold, when we walked up on his tent, there they were! I just have to put about 2 or 3 more coats of white paint on it (and finish painting a couple of things on there period...I ran out of white paint and it is too messy outside to go to Walmart!), and then Vann is going to do some outlines of the items I want to paint on it in pencil, and then once I paint it we just have to put a clear coat on it and it will be complete! I should be done in about a week or so, but I will just have to see what work has in store for me before I make any promises. However, once we are done, I will post the pictures on here so that you can see the finished product!!!

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!

Peanut Butter Balls

1 stick of butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup confectioners' sugar


Cream together the butter, vanilla, salt and peanut butter. Stir in 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Form the mixture by hand into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the remaining cup of confectioners' sugar. Set the balls in a single layer on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm. At this point the cookies may be dipped in melted chocolate or they can be left plain. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I came upon this recipe yesterday on http://www.allrecipes.com/, which is my favorite site to go to when it comes to finding a great recipe quick. These taste just like peanut butter cups! We just got a thing of chocolate that you can melt in the microwave and dip the balls in, and after a few minutes the chocolate forms a hard shell. Very simple and delicious! On the website it said that this recipe would make 100 peanut butter balls, but we ended up with about 50. And we were actually thinking about cutting the recipe in half, but I am so glad that we didn't! I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Touch of Heaven Ham Rolls

4 pkgs. Hawaiin Rolls
1 lb. deli Virginia Baked Ham
1 pkg. Swiss Cheese

Spread
2 sticks butter, softened
3 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 onion, grated
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Split rolls in half. Spread mixture on both sides of roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of swiss cheese on each roll. Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.

I had completely forgotten about these until Vann and I went to Nashville for Thanksgiving, and my Mom and made them for everyone to snack on Thanksgiving Day. I can promise you that you will not be able to eat just one of these little suckers! Of course, these weren't the only thing on the table. When I had talked to Mom that morning, she told us not to worry about bringing anything to eat because there was plenty of food there already. I was thinking that there would just be a few things on the table, but when we got to the house, the whole kitchen table was crammed full of food. Sausage balls, peanut butter and chocolate desserts, ham wrapped pickles (which sound odd, but they were absolutely delicious!), touch of heaven ham rolls, veggies and dip, etc.

Basically, when it came time to eat our Thanksgiving meal, it was rough! But not too rough. :) The meal was absolutely wonderful! I would definitely suggest doing what our parents did and get your meal catered by Kroger if you get a chance. The meat was juicy (they cook the turkey for you), and all of the sides were out of this world. And the stuffing....oh, the stuffing....no Thanksgiving meal is complete without it. I felt like I was about to be thrown into the oven to bake I was so full. But anyway, add this to your recipe collection, folks! You won't regret it one bit.

Chicken Rotel

1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1 stick butter
1 small can English Peas
2 cans Rotel, not drained
1 onion, chopped
1 box Angel Hair Pasta
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente. In a saucepan, saute onions in 3/4 stick of butter. Add Velveeta, Rotel, and peas. In a casserole dish, combine pasta, cheese sauce, and chicken. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

This is an AMAZING recipe that my friend Elisabeth gave me a while back. Now, her recipe is actually different from this one. This is the way that Vann and I make it, and everyone that has tried it has LOVED it. Heck, Vann's brother-in-law even called it "chicken heaven" when he tasted it. You can't beat that!

Now, I actually put the onion in a food processor until it's almost mush, or until each piece is about the size of a McDonald's onion since Vann doesn't really like onions (I'm working on it....). Now, this recipe is good for about 6 people or so. This is great for us because we love leftovers, and this is DEFINITELY great leftover. In fact, I think it tastes even better the next day. This is an easy dish that I guarantee everyone will enjoy. :)

Pizza Biscuits

1 can biscuits
1 cup Kroger Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
Dried onions
Oregano
Pizza Seasoning
Desired Toppings

Roll each biscuit into 6 inch rounds. Spread 1-2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce onto dough. Sprinkle with oregano, pizza seasoning, and dried onions. Spread cheese on top, then add desired toppings. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until bottom of pizzas are golden-brown.

I ran across this recipe after my sister told me that she uses Pillsbury.com to get some of her recipes. I was looking around and happened to come across this recipe. Luckily, Vann and I already had all of the ingredients, so we thought we would give them a try. Since we only have a toaster oven to cook in at each of our places, we ended up burning the first one. Vann loved it, but I thought it was kind of gross. However, we had 8 of these to play around with, and by the 3rd one we were making them exactly how we wanted them. These would be great to bring to a tailgate or a party. They are so easy to make, and extremely delicious!

Jalapeno Poppers

Fresh jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
Cream cheese, softened
Thin bacon, sliced into halves

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane. Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapenos with bacon piece (1/2 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in at 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much that it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish them off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it.

Mmmmm....these were so good. We ended up buying 12 jalapenos, but only used 6 just to try them out. They were so incredibly easy to make, and SOOOOO good to eat. We didn't have a wire rack to put these on, so they were just a tid-bit soggy on the bottom. Oh, but it didn't matter. They were delicious! I would definitely recommend making these for a party. And make TONS of them! Also, I got this recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com. I would definitely suggest going to her website and checking out her recipes. Everything that we have made so far from her has been wonderful. Just thought I would let you know :) Now, go try these out!!! You will thank me for this recipe, I promise.

Guthrie's Sauce

1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Worcestshire sauce
lots of pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Let chill for at least 2 hours to allow all flavors to mingle.

So yesterday I made the parmesan-dijon chicken again. However, this time we wanted something a little bit different. Vann picked up some hoagie buns at the store, and we still had some provolone left in the fridge from who knows what. I thought that it would be fun to try throwing some Guthrie's sauce onto the sandwich. So I went online and did a little research and found this recipe. It's ingredients that we already had in the refrigerator (even though I asked him to pick up more mayo because my luck would have been that when we got home there would have only been a smidgen left in the bottle).

These measurements are just something to go by. I ended up doubling the recipe because I know one helping would not last with the both of us. The first time I measured perfectly. The second time I made it I just threw everything together, and it was actually much better (not saying the first batch was bad.... it was actually delicious! but the second batch was closer to how we wanted it). This isn't going to taste exactly like Guthrie's sauce, but it's close. It actually tastes exactly like what my Dad used to make, though. Yum!

I highly suggest making you some parmesan-dijon chicken, melting some provolone on top, throwing it on a hoagie bun, and smothering it with this sauce. I promise you won't regret it :) And by the way, that was absolutely the best sandwich I have ever put in my mouth. No lie...

Brownie Pizza

1 (20-ounce) box fudge brownie mix
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tablespoons sugar
2 banana, sliced
1 cup fresh strawberries sliced
Maraschino cherries
Chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare brownie mix according to directions on box. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven and cool. Beat cream cheese while adding pineapple and sugar together in a bowl. Spread mixture over brownie crust. Arrange banana, strawberry slices, and cherries over cream cheese mixture. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add whipped cream on top and mint for garnish. To serve, slice as you would a pizza and enjoy!

I made this for Vann's sister's recipe shower she had this past Sunday, and it went over quite well! Vann picked up a Papa John's pizza box for us to put it in so it looked like we just scooped something up from there, but when everyone opened the box I think they were pleasantly surprised :) The icing for this was so incredibly easy, but it is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten. I had a hard time getting the icing to cover the whole pizza, but that's only because I kept on eating it when I was making it. The only real issue I had was getting the brownie out of the pan. Luckily Vann and his Mom were there to save the day (they are actually the ones that did all of the work to get it out of the pan. I just stood there and watched). That's what I get for actually thinking my non-stick pan would work. You know, I could have "the best non-stick pan in the world", and it still wouldn't work for me? I would get the only one that would have stuff stick to it...go figure. Sorry, I'm done ranting. But it's true... Anyway, by the time the shower was over, there was only a little bit left, which I take as a wonderful compliment. This is definitely a dessert that needs to be tried. And it has fruit on it which means you don't have to feel too guilty when you're on your 3rd or 4th piece, hehe!