Dark Chocolate Cherry Balls

Working a full time job and taking classes at night leaves me constantly on the lookout for quick snack options.  I recently came across a recipe for Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites and thought something similar would be a great go-to when I'm short on time. 

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup Cinnamon Sugar Land O' Lakes

2 handfles dried cherries

1 handful pumpkin seeds

1 handful flax seeds

1 handful dark chocolate morsels

Directions:

Mix all ingredients.  Unfortunately, I don't have a food processor (yet); so with some patience, we used the blender to mix and chop the ingredients.  Once mixed, roll into balls.  Refrigerate. 

Corn Salsa

In need of a simple, yet flavorful party recipe?  Think Corn Salsa!  Its fresh, vibrant and healthy - can't beat that!

Ingredients:

1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Corn, drained

4 Roma Tomatos, seeded and chopped

1 medium Avocado, peeled and chopped
1/8-1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
3-4 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Prepare all ingredents.  Mix together in large bowl.  Cover and chill.  Add more salt, pepper, lime juice and vinegar to taste.  Serve with Tortilla chips. 

Broccoli Chicken Mac & Cheese

Sometimes we all need some comfort food.  And who wouldn't choose Mac & Cheese?  I love it!  But I like to add texture and variety to the sometimes simple meal.  Broccoli Chicken Mac is a great solution! 

Ingredients:
1 box Elbow Noodles
6 tbsp Light Sour Cream
1 cup Reduced Fat Mild Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
3 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, Finely Shredded
1 can Chicken in Water
4 tbsp Evaporated Milk
5 tbsp Bread Crumbs, Plain
1 head Broccoli, uncooked and chopped quarter size

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Cook pasta according to package directions without salt or added fat.  Drain and add Sour Cream and Chicken (drained).  Set aside.

Heat milk in a small sauce pan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges.  Reduce to low.  Add Cheddar Cheese and Broccoli.  Simmer and stir with whisk until cheese melts.  Once cheese is melted, add Mustard, Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg. 

Add cheese mixture to noodle mixture and mix.  Transfer to a 3 quart casserole dish.  Top with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs.

Bake until top is golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. 

Serve.  Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Melted Crayon Field of Flowers

Pinterest has a ton of beautiful pieces of artwork including melted crayon art.  I've seen several designs, but this one by JKCreate is one of my favorites.  I spent some time looking over the piece and decided I would try to recreate the design. 

Supplies:

Art Canvas - I used 16X20.

Crayons - I bought a box of 144 but only used the greens, browns, and yellows.  I also had to add in a few from a box of 12 and a box of 24 to cover edge to edge.

Hair Dryer

Splatter Protection

Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Flower Embellishments

Directions:

First, I pulled all of the greens, browns and yellows from the box of Crayons. 

Next, I used the glue gun and glued each crayon onto the bottom of the canvas with the point towards the top.

After gluing all of the crayons to the canvas, I was ready to set up my melting station.  As the crayons heat, they will splatter, so you want to be sure to protect the area you're working in.  I leaned the canvas against an old box so the crayon would drip down the canvas as the wax melted.  I also used old boxes on either side to catch any of the splatter.  Once I had everything set up, I was ready to start melting the crayons. 

I used high heat and held the hair dryer 3-5 inches away from the crayons.  I started getting results within just a few minutes.

Continue this process until you have the amount of melted crayon you'd like.  Once the crayon is dry, you can flip your canvas over to add the embellished flowers.

Use the hot glue to attach as few or as many flowers as you'd like to your artwork.  Once completed, you can frame or hang as is!

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

I love, love, love desserts!  I came across a few apple crisp desserts on All Recipes and mixed and matched to make the following:

Ingredients:
6 medium apples - I used half red, half green - cored and sliced
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar - I used Splenda
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

Directions:

First, grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker.  Next, arrange apple slices in pot.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, spices and butter.  Pour over mixture ensuring that the mixture sifts to the apples at the bottom of the bowl.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Serve with frozen vanilla yogurt.  Delish!

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Kansas is crazy.  We've had such a weird winter without snow and mostly semi-warm temperatures.  Its been delightful!  Last week the weather decided to break its streak and brought some pretty cold temperatures.  To fight the cold, I decided to make Chicken Noodle Soup in the slow cooker.  I came across a delicious looking recipe here at the Creatively Domestic website and decided to alter it slightly. 

Ingredients:

5 cans of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken
1/2 cup white onion
5 celery ribs
5 carrots
1/2 cup green onions
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 package frozen peas
3 packages Ream's egg noodles
2 cans cooked chicken, drained
1 tbsp parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leafs
1 tbsp poultry seasoning

Directions:
First, chop the white onion, green onions, celery and carrots.  Put them into the slow cooker.  Add peas, corn, cream of chicken, chicken broth, and seasonings to pot. 

Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  An hour or so before eating, added chicken and noodles.  Turn temperature to high.  Once your soup is ready, remove the bay leaves and serve. 

You can certainly cook chicken instead of using canned.  I like to set up my slow cooker during my lunch hour, so I opted for canned chicken to save time.  Also, feel free to add extra vegetables and seasonings - whatever works for you and your family. 

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Ribbon Wreath

My recent discovery of Pinterest has resulted in a strong desire to experiment with crafting and cooking.  What better way to explore these new finds than through blogging! 

My first project was inspired by Tator Tots and Jello's Halloween Ribbon Wreath.  I loved the variety of ribbon and the prospect of experimenting with the different textures.  First stop, Hobby Lobby!

Supplies Needed:

Ribbon - I bought 6 varieties to go with the 3 I already had.  Hobby Lobby runs a sale on ribbon quite often.

Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Wreath - I chose a heart, but any shape will do.

Felt - This is optional.  I used it to hide the wreath form, so use your judgement.

Instructions:

First, I laid out all of my supplies to make sure I wasn't missing anything.  Then, I wrapped my wreath form in pink felt to hide the wreath form. 

After the wreath form is wrapped, you're ready to prep the ribbon.  I cut the ribbon around 4-6". 

Next fold the ribbon in half and hot glue the ends together. 

Once you've looped your ribbon, you're ready to glue it to your wreath form.  Mix and match the ribbon and try not to overthink it.  Make sure to cover the top, outside and inside of your wreath form. 

Once I finished gluing all of the loops to the wreath, I glued a long ribbon to either side of the back of the wreath for hanging.  And voila!