{Log Cabin} Cookies

{Log Cabin}

Cookies

{ingredients}

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups choco. chips

4 cups oatmeal

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

{instructions}

in large bowl...

mix: butter brown sugar and white sugar until creamy

add: eggs

add: vanilla milk and maple syrup

{mix}

meanwhile in another bowl...

mix: flour cinnamon nutmeg baking soda baking powder and salt

slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients

add: oatmeal

add: choco. chips

bake: 8-12 min @ 325

eat:

yummmmm

{ "No Soup" Tuna Casserole }

::Ingredients::

8oz. Rotini noodles

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

5 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 cups milk

8oz. cream cheese

peas

cheddar cheese

1 can tuna

::Directions::

1. Cook Rotini noodles according to the directions on the box

2. In a medium sized sauce pan melt butter

3. Add salt, pepper and flour to the melted butter

4. Once butter mixture is boiling slowly add milk

5. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens

6.Add cream cheese and stir until blended

7.Mix together cooked noodles, sauce, peas (as much as you like) and tuna

8.Pour half of mixture into buttered 3quart baking dish

9.Sprinkle with cheddar cheese

10.Top with remaining half of tuna/noodle mixture

11.Sprinkle with more cheddar cheese

12.Bake @ 350 for 30min or until bubblin

{ Guilty Pleasure Pancakes }

Guilty Pleasure Pancakes



Here is the recipe for my loaded and delicious pancakes....



::Ingredients::

2 cups Bisquick

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup (mashed) bananas

2 tbs peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 egg (lightly beaten)

::Directions::

1. In a large bowl mix bisquick with cinnamon.

2. Mix in milk, bananas, peanut butter, egg, milk and vanilla.

3. Fold in half of the chocolate chips (use other half for garnish)

{ Cheesy Chicken-y Casserole }

Cheesy Chicken-y Casserole

Soooo I think I need to get a better camera LOL the pictures don't even look edible! Yuck! But, I swear to you that it is yummy...

::Ingredients::

Noodles ( I used maccaroni noodles but you can use whatever you have in your cupboard... )

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)

2 tbs butter

2 tbs flour

salt

pepper

garlic salt

1 cup peas

1/2 cup corn ( I use frozen veggies but you can also use canned or fresh )

1 cup milk

::Instructions::

Grease a 3qt casserole dish

TIP: I grease my pans with butter. Take a paper towel and dip it into the butter container. Then use the paper towel to spread the butter on the casserole dish.

Cook noodles according to directions on box/bag.

Season chicken with salt/pepper and garlic salt... then cook in frying pan.

Once cooked place chicken on cutting board and shred.

TIP: I cut the chicken into pieces and then use 2 forks to pull it apart (shred)

In small sauce pan, melt the butter then add flour one tbs at a time... add salt (i use around a tsp but you can use more or less depending on your taste) add cheese... slowly stir in milk (i use a whisk so break up any clumps)

Bring sauce to a boil so that it will thicken.

Drain noodles and then return them to the pan... add chicken, peas, corn, and sauce... stir to combine.

Transfer to casserole dish and bake for 30 min @ 350 degrees (or until top is golden brown)

Hope you like it :)

{ Portuguese Update }

Portuguese Update



I am learning soooo much from http://www.livemocha.com ... I am struggling with ideas on how to blog about learning to speak Portuguese... I can't really post what I'm learning because if you don't speak it then you won't know what I'm writing... so I would appreciate any suggestions???

So far I have learned allot of discriptive words and gone over how to say negatives (example: I am NOT short... Eu nao sou baixa.) My two years of Spanish in High School are helping and hurting at the same time... it is helping me in the sense that my mind is already used to learning a new language but hurting me because so many Portuguese words are spelled the same as Spanish words and even mean the same thing but the pronounciation is soooo different... so that makes it hard for me because I automatically want to say it with a Spanish accent... but I am having so much fun doing this!!! I have wanted to learn to speak this language since FOREVER! ... so this is HUGE for me :)

I'll update again soooon...

{ Homemade Home Fries }

Homemade Home Fries



I cannot believe I forgot to post my recipe for Home Fries with the Turkey Burger recipe... Can't have a burger without Home Fries lol... I had never made fries before and one night just decided to make my own. They are suprisingly easy to make and much cheaper and tastier than the frozen ones from the grocery store.


::Ingredients::


Russett Potatoes
Garlic Salt
Salt & Pepper
Veggie Oil



::Instructions::


Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise then slice each half widthwise (will end up looking like potatoe wedges)



I bake my fries on my pampered chef large bar pan ... the large bar pan is part of their line of stoneware... if you don't own any stoneware then you are missing out!!! pampered chefs stoneware is made from the highest-quality natural, gray clay. Anything baked on stoneware turns out crispy and delicious.... another great benefit is that there is no need to flip food that is baked on stoneware because stoneware bakes everything evenly... if you are interested in purchasing your first piece of stoneware or adding some more pieces to your current collection then contact me at branheathty@yahoo.com ... I am a pampered chef consultant and would be more than happy to place an order for you!

Line bar pan with potatoe slices.

Lightly coat with veggie oil and roll the slices in the oil to evenly coat.

Sprinkle with garlic salt (also good with seasoning salt) salt, and pepper and roll slices around again to evenly coat with seasonings.

Bake @ 400 degrees for around 20min or until golden and crispy

Enjoy :)

{ Apple Maple Turkey Burgers }

Apple Maple Turkey Burgers



This recipe is courtesy of one my all time favorite Food Network Chef's.... Sandra Lee! I love her cooking show entitled "Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee". The reason why is in the title... semi-homemade. All of her recipes taste and look like they are made from scratch but most of the ingredients are store made or boxed so it cuts your cooking time in 1/2. Gotta love that especially as a mom... These are a favorite in our house...









::Ingredients::

For Maple Dijon Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1tbs Dijon mustard (or yellow... whatever you have)
2tbs REAL maple syrup

For Burgers:
1 1/4lb ground turkey
1/4 cup real bacon bits (optional)
1/2 cup chunky applesauce
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2tbs real maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

hamburger buns

condiments



::Instructions::

Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat. (I use an indoor grill and they turn out great) Oil grate when ready to start cooking.

For Maple Dijon Sauce: stir all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl

For Burgers: In medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape into patties. TIP: wet your hands before shaping patties and the meat won't stick to your hands

Put Burgers on the oiled grill... cook about 5 min per side.

Serve on buns with sauce and condiments.

Seriously the BEST burger I have EVER had...

If you don't like the idea of a "turkey burger" you should still give this a try... soooo good and healthier than beef.

{ Heather Farias }

{ Italian Chicken Fettuccine }

Italian Chicken Fettuccine

Last night I was craving some Italian food. However, I had NO desire to cook a meal. UGH... normally cooking dinner is my favorite part of the day because my husband watches the babes and I get some ME time. It's my time to just unwind and relax. My time to just zone out. My time to pray (may sound weird but with 2 kids needing every second of my time I have to take advantage of every prayer opportunity I have)... buuuut... last night I stared into the kitchen with dismay and dread at the thought of cooking ANYTHING... partly because I am no longer following the recipes of other people so I have to actually put some thought into what I am making and how I will make it... but mainly because my wisdom tooth has been coming in and wreaking havoc on my whole mouth :/ ... this is why the thought of putting effort into an original recipe was uninspiring to say the least. But, I powered through LOL so this recipe may not be the most creative one I have ever come up with and almost no part of it is actually from scratch but it was super delicious! like WOW delicious! That's the only reason I'm sharing it with you guys :) So don't grade me on creativity on this one but give it a "taste" drive, if you will, and I guarantee you will LOVE it.

::Ingredients::

OK before i list ingredients i have to warn you that i never measure as i cook so these measurements are a guesstimation ;)

2tbs olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 egg

water

1cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup Parmesan cheese divided (or any Italian cheeses.. i actually used an Italian 3 cheese blend)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (i only used 2 but i ended up with TONS of breading left over so i suggest using 4)

fettuccine noodles

spaghetti sauce of choice ( my favorite is prego... but i really want to experiment with creating my own from scratch... one thing at time lol)

::Instructions::

1. Add olive oil to frying pan. Press garlic into the olive oil and fry until garlic becomes fragrant.

2. Crack egg into medium sized bowl, lightly scramble the egg, and add water to egg ( amount is up to you... i just add enough to water down the egg)

3. Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 of the cheese in another bowl.

4. Dip chicken in egg mixture then dip in breading mixture. TIP: repeat this step! anytime I'm coating chicken i always "double dip" :)

5. Transfer chicken to frying pan. Cook through. (about 10-15min a side depending on the heat of your pan... i cook mine on medium heat) TIP: if you like a little crunch (which i do) then once cooked through turn the heat on the oven to HIGH and burn each side a little bit mmmm

6. Heat spaghetti sauce in sauce pan.

7. Cook fettuccine noodles according the directions on the box.

8. I top the noodles with one chicken breast then top that with spaghetti sauce then sprinkle with some of the remaining cheese so it melts on top... so so so yummy

I also made biscuits... I just make Bisquick drop biscuits (the recipe is on the box) but once they come out of the oven I drizzle a garlic butter over them (my step mother taught me this trick and it makes such a difference... you can also add cheddar cheese to them before baking too) to make the garlic butter just put some butter in a microwavable dish then sprinkle with garlic salt... then put in the microwave until butter is completely melted... then you can either use a spoon to pour over biscuits or i like to use a basting brush.{ Heather Farias }

{ June Cleaver at Heart }

#1 Make up my own recipe book

Those of you who know me know that I LOVE to cook! It's definetly a passion of mine so no wonder making my own cook book was #1 on my "bucket list". The idea that I have is to make a scrapbook style cook book that can be handed down to my daughter one day.

Growing up I had absolutley ZERO interest in cooking! But once I became pregnant with my son, Tyler, that all changed. I was terrified to begin cooking. Afraid I would make something inedible or burn the house down... *I'm also severly accident prone so burning down the house was a completely legitimate fear* So, with a few starter recipes from my step mother, I began to stumble into cooking. I quickly discovered that I loved to cook. Before I knew it I was taping cooking shows and buying every cookbook I could find! I think my husband gained a good 15lbs during this time...

I'm finally ready to start experimenting and discovering my very own recipes. I started doing this about a month ago and so far I have 3 recipes (which I will post soon). I will also post some of my all time favorite recipes from famous and not so famous chefs. As well as tips and tricks I have picked up along the way... then I can use this blog to put together my very own "scrap-cook-book".

More than cooking... i LOVE baking!!! Mostly cookies... but I will be sharing my recipes for baking too on here!

I look forward to sharing this adventure with you!

{ Heather Farias }

{ European Portuguese }

European Portuguese vs. Brazilian Portuguese

Okay... So in my last post I shared that I was going to buy Rosetta Stone. But, I have now discovered that they only offer Brazilian Portuguese. I knew they spoke Portuguese in Brazil but I did not realize that it was an entirely different type of "Portuguese" than they speak in Portugal. Considering my Portuguese heritage is from Portugal and not Brazil I would prefer to learn the Portuguese that is used in Portugal. So... after searching around I found this awesome website and the best part: ITS FREE!!!!!

http://www.livemocha.com/

This site is awesome so far! I am already learning soooo much...

Eu sou baixa... I am short

My favorite part of this site is that you can submit "audio clips" and "written exercises" to other members that are fluent in the language you are learning and they will grade you! I still can't believe this is FREE!

More to come....

{ Heather Farias }

{ Estou Aprendendo }

#7 Learn to speak Portuguese

Took some time to decide which goal I wanted to accomplish first off my list. I have decided I will most likely start and blog about more than one goal at a time. But, my first step is going to be ordering Rosetta Stone. I am insanely excited to start learning this beautiful language!!!

You may be thinking "Why Portuguese of all languages?". Well, the answer to that is simple. I am partly Portuguese. Portuguese and Norwegian to be exact... "Porwegian" if you will (my dad's word) I picked Portuguese over Norwegian to learn because I personally think it is the most beautiful language to listen to. It's so exotic and romantic. Who knows.. maybe if I master Portuguese I can learn Norwegian next. Anything seems possible at this point.

I can't believe I am ACTUALLY going to do this! No more putting off dreams and goals for that far off future date. No more telling myself "I'll get to it someday" or "I just don't have enough time right now". No more selling my life short! Can't wait to blog about my progress.

What are some of your personal goals in life and how could you start accomplishing them?? I would love to hear from YOU!

{ Heather Farias }

{ A Blog Inspired }

The Bucket Blog

This is a blog dedicated to completing my "bucket list". The inspiration came from another blog. http://www.simplymodernmom.com/ <---- Simply Modern Mom, Tiffany Bird, inspired me with her "Project 52: Date Nights" blog. In which, she gives ideas for one in-home date a week. My husband, Brandon, and I absolutely LOVE these dates. One of her date night ideas was for you and your spouse to create your own "bucket list". In case you are asking yourself "what is this bucket list thing you speak of?". Urban Dictionary defines a "bucket list" as the following: a list of things to do before you die... coming from the term "kicked the bucket".

So the husband and I both made our "bucket lists". #14 on my very own list was .... "learn to blog". I have always admired blogs of others and longed to have one of my very own. But, I am nearly computer illiterate. Therefore, blogs seemed out of my reach. Until now!! I have made this blog to journal my journey on actually completing this "bucket list"! I mean what good is a list if you can't cross things off of said list? I am so excited to get started on this journey. My hope is that others will be inspired to not only make their own "bucket lists" but to also accomplish the goals on that list.

Brandon is so supportive of this idea and he came up with the name for this blog :) Had to give credit where credit is due... lol I love this man so much and look forward to his input as I go venture into the unknown. I hope you enjoy my blog.

{ Heather Farias }