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 Is it already the end of April!!??!! Seriously, what is happening. Anyway...this weekend one of my daughters is having a special day.  She is getting baptized, which means we get to have a Paarrrttaaayyy!!!  She is very excited.   Because it's her special day she gets to pick the menu.  For dessert she wants to have a chex mix bar.  Ahh, a child after my own heart.   So we have been trying different ones lately to see what she wants.  The " better than sex chex mix " was a hit and this beauty was too.  So far we have scored and of course we have to have the muddy buddies variety.  This version was absolute heaven. Every single one of us couldn't keep our hands out of the bowl.  We had the whole bowl downed within a day (which I tell myself is great self control since it lasted at least that long!).  This is so delicious and hopefully you might have some stay around long enough to let your friends have some. Cinnamon Roll Chex...

 Sometimes I am just not in the mood to make anything fancy for dinner.  Especially not something that is involved and takes several hours of prep work. This time of year our house gets a little crazy between end of the year projects, plays (mandatory participation from 3rd grade up at our school), showcases, recitals, and the list goes on.  Because of that I need some easy, yummy, delicious, fast go to meals. This is one of those.  I rarely take the time to make a "real" chicken pot pie, too much work and I usually don't feel like it, so this recipe is perfect.  You get the taste of a chicken pot pie, so delicious, but not all the work and in my opinion: the crumble is way tastier than a pie crust. So if you are in need of something quick and fast, this one is perfect. Chicken Pot Pie with Crumble Topping ( click here for printable version ) 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded ( I used this method ) 3 cups chicken broth 2 tbsp olive oil 1 ...

Have you seen these cakes around the internet? They seem to be all the rage so of course I had to participate and try it out. Plus the little girl who had a birthday a little while ago was convinced that this is what she wanted to give her friends to eat at her party.  Perfect excuse! I decided I really love this cake (it's not really a particular cake because you can do anything as the cake and then decorate with the kit kats).  It covers all the imperfections of decorating and every kid thinks it's awesome. I love that.  The presentation looks like you have spent hours on it but not the case.  The particular cake recipe I used was super easy, the frosting was delicious, and decorating it was a piece of cake (ha, ha no pun intended!!). Kit Kat Cake ( click here for printable version ) Cake: 2 cups sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup cocoa 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 eggs, room temperature 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 tsp vanil...

 Sometimes I just get sick of drinking water. It's not that I hate water (Tara :) because sometimes there is nothing better than a tall, ice cold drink of water.  Plus I am kind of a fanatic about making sure i get my water in everyday. Somewhere in the back of my mind I hear this little voice telling me that I have to make up for the diet coke I just drank so then I try to drink twice as much water to flush it out (maybe I should just stop drinking pop but...yep it's the but and I haven't conquered that non pop drinking demon yet!) But in the mean time when I am sick of water and I trying not to drink a pop I love drinking something with a little flavor!  Lemonades are so perfect on a hot day but this is perfect for a party or a bbq.  I got this fabulous recipe from a good friend and I have loved it since.  Just don't mind all the sugar in there, at least it's the real stuff, and it sure is tasty!! Raspberry Slush ( click here for printable version ) 3 Cherry o...

 I figured before it warms up too much I should make some more casseroles, soups, and winterish food before I can't do it for another 6 months. Okay it's not like I can't, I just hate turning the oven on in the middle of summer.  Totally makes me grumpy. Sometimes I just love casseroles.  It says "comfort food" all over it, especially on blustery days.  Which we seem to get so much in the spring. This casserole (which I have no idea is the real thing because I don't think I have ever had real greek food in my life) was a huge hit for my family.  How can you go wrong with cheese, noodles, sirloin, and creamy sauce!  See comfort food right there. Not to mention is was super easy and super fast.  Perfect! Delicious Greek Pastitsio ( click here for printable version ) 12 ounces penne pasta 1 pound ground turkey or ground sirloin 1 cup chopped yellow onion 5 garlic cloves, finely minced 3/4 tsp salt 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 8 ounces light cream cheese 2 cup...

 I mentioned that we got to celebrate a birthday last week.  I now have an 8 year old and she is quite excited about it.  It is so fun to see their happiness over their special day, especially because she got to turn 8 on the 8th so it's a magic year for her. This daughter of mine is my affectionate but tomboyish girl.  She loves to give hugs and kisses but she always has her hair in a ponytail and refuses to let me do it any other way, especially curling it. So I decided for her birthday I would do something simple and plain but a little girly.  These cupcakes were perfect.  I got the recipe from Ashton at Something Swanky .   Have you been to her blog ?  If not you should go check it out because she has awesome dessert recipes and I won some of her favorite things and I have been loving them.  This is her favorite vanilla cupcake recipe and she graciously sent it along to me. These cupcakes were delightful.  A moist, yummy, simple cupc...

 I love all sorts of Chex mixes.  I love that they are sweet but crunchy or salty but crunchy or a little spicy but crunchy.   So when I saw this deliciousness I knew it had to go on my list, especially with that title. The funny thing is that my kids asked me what it was called and so to them it's "Better Than Anything Chex Mix".  I just wasn't ready to have that discussion with them at the party we took this to. Anyway...this chex mix is some of the best that I  have had.  It ALMOSTS beats out muddy buddies, almost!  But how could you go wrong with reese's peanut butter cups, chocolate, white chocolate, marshmallows (don't be tempted to leave those out--I am not a fan of marshmallows and they were awesome in this), caramel, and more caramel.  This was amazing, but just make sure you have some place to take it because you just might eat the whole bowl! Better Than Sex Chex Mix ( click here for printable version ) 8 cups Rice Chex cereal (you can ...

There was a restaurant just across the river from me growing up.  It was in a dumpy little town (the town is getting better now) but the restaurant was AMAZING! For very special occasions, we got to with my parents.  They were known for many things, including their homemade croutons, but another thing they were known for was there beef stew.   Now I was a child that hated beef stew growing up, mostly because of all the vegetables stuck in there.  But this stew was Heaven in a bowl.  The flavor was fantastic and the best part...it was pureed.  So all those vegetables were smooth and no textures issues from this girl. When I saw this recipe I knew I definitely had to get it made soon.  Tons of delicious vegetables loaded in a savory broth and all pureed so the kiddos have no idea all the yumminess they are eating.  It turned out fantastic and all my kids loved it.  This is totally a new favorite! Chicken Enchilada Soup (click here for printable...

 I decided after looking through my archives that I really, Really, REALLY need to update some of those first recipes I posted. Heck some of them don't even have pictures and lets face it, some that do, the pictures are horrible and look very unappetizing! So I decided every once in a while I will re-post some of those oldies, but goodies, and update the pictures and the recipes. These beauties are something that I grew up with.  Sometimes my mom would have these hot and waiting for us when we would come in off the bus.  I loved how they made the house smell and they were some of my favorites things to eat after school. Nothing gets much better than some ooey, gooey, cinnamony, buttery rolls.  These are still a favorite at our house and I love carrying on the traditions of my mom. Pull-Aparts ( click here for printable version ) Dough: 1/4 cup butter 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup water 1 cup milk 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp yeast 1 egg, beaten 4-5 cups flour Topping: 1 cube butter, me...

As I said the other day, since the almost 8 year old's birthday is on Sunday and it's almost Easter she gets to pick our dinner menu. That means I don't have to plan anything super elaborate which I love.  This year seems to fly by and every holiday has just snuck up on me (maybe it's because I am in charge of planning camp for 100 teenage girls this year and we are in the thick of planning right now!!) But in case you need any last minute ideas for your Easter festivities, here are some of our favorites from previous years. These Chinese Tea Eggs was a super fun thing to do with the kids.  They loved how they turned out  These Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes and Good Luck Potatoes have been favorites and they reappear in our menu frequently.  Ahhh....rolls.  No fancy dinner is complete without the rolls.  The Fancy Dinner Rolls (above) has been a favorite since childhood and these Garlic Knots are also always a huge hit.  And of course you have to have...

 We are in the middle of party planning mode at our house.  You see, Kathryn, is turning 8 (a very big, exciting, eventful birthday at our house) this Sunday. My kids get to have "friend" parties when they turn 8, 12, and 16.  Mostly because with 4 children that is a lot of party planning and craziness, not to mention, they are so excited for these years that I think it's awesome. Anyway, back to the almost 8 year old.  She has chosen "birds" for her theme this year.  No not Angry Birds, just plain birds.  She has found some fascinating books at the library lately and they are fictional stories about birds and she has been in love. Well this mother has never seen or been to a bird party before so I have spent hours combing Pinterest (of course :) and the internet coming up with 8 year old appropriate ideas.   Not to mention Easter is around the corner and I have not eaten one single cadbury mini egg yet (I know it makes me sad too, but my hips sure lov...

Oh my, OH my, O.H. M.Y.!!!! I have just found heaven. Not kidding at all!! I've told you before that I love candy bars so when I saw a recipe for this beauty I knew I had to try it especially because my 9 year old loves Butterfingers probably more than I do. This was amazing.  We all loved it and it is definitely a keeper and will be made over and over again.  My brother and his wife was visiting and we convinced them to have some because we just couldn't have it around anymore.  This sat in the freezer and called to me the entire time--it took all my self control to not eat more 3 pieces. Sad I know but so very true!  So do yourself a favor and make you tummy some and it will love you forever. Frozen Butterfinger Pie ( click here for printable version ) Chocolate or Oreo pre-made Crust 8 oz block cream cheese, softened 1/2 of a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup powdered sugar 8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed 3 full size Butterfinger candy...