“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”

You can find this post on my new blog JessicaMWhite.com, click HERE.

What Inspires Your Menus?

I’ve gotten bored with our monthly menus. I kind of do the same things over and over, because I don’t know what each day is going to bring. I don’t know if on any given day how kids are going to be, what the weather will be (I do not want the oven on if it’s 80* in my house), or whether I’ll even feel up to trying a new recipe.
This creates a problem.

Or does it?

What about using our menu schedule not so much as a hard-and-fast-schedule, but as a suggestion?
What about creating a list of meals that you would like to try, but don’t know if/when you’ll have the time/desire?

That’s what I started doing.

Now, instead of feeling like we cook the same things day-in and month-out I can feel like there’s a bit of freedom. Of course this is obvious, but it’s so easy to just make up a meal plan and end up glued to it for the month, because you don’t have the time, you haven’t thought ahead, you don’t have the ingredients and there is no way in this world are you taking 4 kids to the grocery store….alone.

Please, allow me to present….




Everyone loves pinterest (or at least almost everyone loves pinterest): Let it work for you! I’m always seeing these fantastic meals that look awesome and think “Oh, I want to try that!” I pin it. And never look at it again.

I figured, why don’t I create a board of meals that are realistic to make and something we might actually have for a regular dinner. Maybe you’ve already figured this one out, but I’m a bit slow sometimes.
Now, when I’m feeling a bit adventurous, I can glance in one place and see a bunch of different recipes that might want to try and most likely have the ingredients for.

Another tip?

Don’t rely just on pinterest for your ideas. Add the “pin it” button to your browser toolbar. When a friend posts a delicious recipe…pin it! When you get that email list that you signed up for for healthy dinner ideas, look through it quickly. If you find a recipe….pin it!

And if you’re not into pinterest or don’t want to step on someone’s toes by using it, create a bookmark file on your computer for Dinner Ideas. Isn’t that what we used to do before pinterest?

What ideas do you have to help keep your menu from becoming boring?

Farm Fresh

It’s been months!  We’ve been {not-so} patiently waiting. You see, the farmer we get our milk from, their  cow was pregnant, and we’ve been waiting for the new calf to be born so that we can once again have milk!

We’re very excited about this.

In our house, we drink raw {aka unpasteurized} milk. Wait, waaa?! That’s right our milk is straight from the cow…no pasteurization (heating the milk to 161*F) or homogenization here.

I’m not going to tell you all the reasons why raw milk is better over grocery store {aka conventional} milk, or why grocery store milk is better than raw milk. Because it’s a ridiculous debate and is pretty much a matter of opinion and preference, although somewhat based on fact.

What I will tell you is why we drink raw milk, but first a little background.

Before Ave, I worked for 5 years in the conventional milk industry. The company I worked for is one of the LARGEST in the US and operates under several different names and with several hundred different products.

Working in the Biz gave me a lot of insight into milk. When I started, there was this whole craze about rBST FREE milk. We had to do a lot of paperwork showing where the rBST and NON-rBST milk was going. The entire facility was designed to ensure that there was no way that either of these products could be cross-contaminated or mistaken for each other. There were very few farms that were rBST FREE and most of them were organic.

Fast forward a few years, chances are the milk in your fridge is rBST and antibiotic FREE, whether you intentionally bought it that way or not. Most of the major milk companies realized that rBST milk was not a great thing, that they needed to move away from it. And they have.

Since that change, there is not really much difference between organic {still bought at your grocery store and pasteurized} and conventional milk. Yea, so that 1/2 gallon of organic milk that costs between $4 and $8 is probably the same thing as the stuff that’s $3.50 a gallon.

The cows are treated the same at both places…they’re still, most likely, sitting in a barn being fed grain {all though the grain may be organic}, neither of them is receiving antibiotics or rBST. Being “organic” is mostly a matter of licensing by the government; it’s expensive to bare that moniker. Yes, there are things that they have to do and commit to, but a vast majority of non-organic producers also adhere to those standard operation procedures (SOPs)…of course there are some who don’t and still give their cows antibiotics and rBST, but the majority don’t.

 
Why we drink raw milk.

We drink raw milk because it does have some things that conventional milk does not:
*It has bacteria, because it’s not pasteurized, but it’s good bacteria, bacteria that aids in digestion (if your milk is coming from a CLEAN, reputable farm, there is little-to-no-worry about listeria). 
*It has a lot more nutrients and vitamins in it. Our milk is from a grass fed {pastured} cow. What does that mean? It means that all of the vitamins etc that is in the grass is in our milk, making it a much more nutritious milk.
*Higher fat content. The fat is in the milk (as opposed to drinking skim). Our society has been brain-washed to deem ALL fat as a bad thing. There are good kinds and there are bad kinds, but our bodies and brains NEED {the good} fat. Of course we need to limit just how much milk we drink because it does have a higher caloric value.
*The taste…oh my goodness. I’ve always been a devout skim milk drinker. I can polish off two full glasses of milk at dinner, without any problems (remember I don’t like beer, wine, soda, juices…I drink milk and water). It took me a bit to get used to the taste, but there is nothing quite as delicious as a creamy, ice-cold cup of milk.
*Matt’s lactose intolerant and for some reason raw milk doesn’t bother him.
*We’re supporting a local farmer, rather than giving our money to the big corporations (since even conventional/organic farmers don’t make much money on their milk).

Now, I don’t suggest you go to just any farm and get raw milk. Most farmers are not going to give it to you, because of the recent illegalization in many states to sell raw milk, they don’t want to risk you turning them in to the USDA or FDA or any other alphabet soup agency for selling you milk, particularly if you do get sick.

The milk we get is from a friend, we know their animals, we know how their animals are kept and treated, we know what they are fed {grass}, we know that they’re not forcing production with different drugs or giving antibiotics etc, we know that that calf is not starving because of the milk being given to us (the same supply/demand that happens with human breastfeeding works in cows too).

What I do suggest, if you’re willing and able, try some raw milk. Not sure how to find a place to get some…read this. Try some raw milk cheeses. It’s different, it’s an acquired taste, but it is so much better for you (in my opinion). And, where else can you get milk that was “milked” today?

*Disclaimer: I am in no way a scientist or dietician or any number of other things. I’m only a person with a tiny-bit of first hand experience who knows what they like and prefer (it is just my opinion and our preference) to drink.

Revamping Dinner Time

With the store now closed I've been forced to return to life without my own personal grocery store; meaning, I have to plan ahead. I can't just call Matt up and ask him to bring home steak or ground beef or chicken for dinner, because there isn't any, unless I want to start dealing with frozen stuff.For this I will miss the store.

Before we had the store I had started writing up a monthly meal plan, which was really helpful, because I knew what I needed and what was coming up on the calendar. Sometimes we deviated from it, but for the most part it really helped me to keep tabs on what we had in inventory, what we've eaten a lot of, and what would be a treat.

I created a section in my Home Management Binder specific to cooking: I'm actually now using it. I've created an entire list of meals that I can cook, both with and without recipes. There's about 50 or so recipes in my arsenal ranging from meals for company to throw-togethers. Now I can plan menus for the entire month within 10 minutes.

Matt and I sit down with the list of prospective meals and what we have in the house that needs to get used up and we fill out the calendar with significant things that are going on and then plan the meals accordingly.

I can't tell you how much easier it is to not sit there every day and think "What am I going to cook tonight?" Matt always jokes that I call him for two things during the day, to see how he's doing and what he wants for dinner.

Oh, and there's a little trick I want to share with you: Plastic page protectors and wet-erase markers! I print the current months calendar from word, slip it into the sheet protector and go to town with the marker. It doesn't just wipe off, but I can easily make some changes with a damp tissue (I don't recommend your thumb with spit, it doesn't come off of skin so easily, that's just what I've heard ;-).

The other thing that planning ahead really helps me with is that I can make sure I have the groceries I need on hand. Obviously, I don't get out much: 1) The grocery stores are now 45 minutes away and 2) there is no way I can take 4 kids grocery shopping with me (I can't pull 2 carts full of kids, while filling a 3rd cart). I have to plan for someone to come over and stay with the kids for the day so that I can go out and restock.


If you're really interested in trying to plan ahead it will save you lots of time and actually some money too, because when I go shopping now it's with a mission and I only go once, so there's less chance of me buying things we don't need (like peanut butter Oreos and jars of Nutella). There's also a great book to help you with figuring out the best way to create a monthly meal plan and shopping trip.

Go ahead! Try it! You won't know if it works for you unless you do.

Do you have any tips or advice that you follow to help with the "what's for dinner" hum-drums?

Do you want to eat healthier....{and a Giveaway!}

.... without having to spend your life in the kitchen? Are you overwhelmed by the daily decision of what to eat? Thrown together with trying to eat healthier, real food?

I know I am. With 4 kids, that I don't want to have face the same struggles as I do with my weight, food is always stressing me out. Gluten or no gluten? Which kinds of fats? Dairy or no?


I have a solution, actually I have several solutions: From the "What's for dinner?" question to "How do we eat the way God intended us to?" : Real {Fast} Food! A fantastic book, written by my friend, Trina, that helps you make life a bit easier and whole lot healthier!


Trina covers it all! Monthly menu planning, once a month grocery shopping, how to alter your favorite family recipes so that they're healthier. Her book gives you fantastic ideas on healthy substitutes as well as some of her own tried and true recipes. She not only tells you how to make meals that are better and more nutritious, she tells you how she fits it in to her own busy schedule (she's a mama of 3 little ones).




The best part is, she's real about it, this is how she cooks, how she nourishes her family day in and out, even when they're on the road. She has a great website and facebook page to support you in your goals; always willing to answer any questions.

Since I think this book is so great in helping you on the road to getting your kitchen and eating habits in order, I'll be giving away one PDF copy of the book. Or if you don't want to wait and just want to get your hands on it NOW, visit Real {Fast} Food and get your copy instantly, for Kindle or Nook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway PS.This is my first time using rafflecopter, it seemed pretty cool, if you can't get it to work for you, for whatever reason. Just leave a comment in the comments below for each of the entries.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

I love me some spicy food: Good spicy, not make you run for a fire hydrant spicy. The kind of spicy that stays with you for a bit. Almost everyone loves buffalo wings, except me. I don't like them. I don't like wings to begin with; it just seems like so much work for a little bit of meat.

At the county fair my MIL serves Buffalo Wings, with her own secret sauce. I've been working the fairs for 12 years now and keep meaning to try it with chicken breasts (my preferred cut of chicken)...I still haven't tried it.

I saw the idea on pinterest a couple of weeks ago for Buffalo Chicken Wraps. The other night I tried to make them, but my own way.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
Hot Wing Sauce

Got that? Easy right.
Throw it all in a pot (or crockpot), with enough sauce to almost cover the breasts, and cook it low and slow, until chicken can be shredded. I did mine on the stove top on low for about 3 hours.

This is the part that makes this so deliciously awesome, my MIL's {secret} wing sauce recipe. Now, I could swear you all to secrecy, but honestly this is online, I don't think that's going to happen.

1lb butter
1/3 cup flour
3 T granulated garlic
3 T sugar
15 ounce tomato sauce
3 cups hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot or something along those lines)

Melt butter on stove top in medium sized pan. Add in flour, garlic, sugar, tomato sauce and hot sauce. Stir until all mixed together (it doesn't have to boil or anything). It makes a lot: I froze some of it, but my MIL just keeps it in her fridge, it's been there for 9 months and hasn't gone bad.

What we did? Took a tortilla wrap, put some lettuce in, the shredded buffalo chicken, a bit of the wing sauce, some blue cheese dressing and crumbled blue cheese. Roll it all up and voila! Instant and delicious meal!

Recipes

Back in the days before Pinterest I had this habit of clothes “pinning” recipes to our pot rack hanging above the kitchen counter. It’s where all the favorite recipes and new found goodness went; recipes hung crinkled and messy, easily lost, easily ruined, sometimes never to be found again, but usually not before I had pretty much committed them to use.

If you want to see what deliciousness I pin you can visit my 2 food boards on Pinterest: All Things Savory & All Things Sweet. {Recipes with a * will take you directly to the original source of the recipe.}


~*~Breads~*~

Growing up we made our own breads quite frequently: It was a particular treat when my dad would make his award winning bread (top prize at the County Fair), or my mom would make homemade rolls for sloppy joes. Matt is also a wonderful bread maker. So as you've probably guessed bread is a basic mainstay in our house.

No-Knead Bread * (make ahead 24 hours)
Molasses Brown Bread *
Biscuits
Orange Cranberry Scones *Irish Soda Bread
Honey Whole Wheat Rolls
Pop-overs
Pretzel Rolls

~*~ Dinners & Sides~*~

Who isn't looking for something delicious, easy, and something EVERYONE will like!

Pizza (make ahead 24 hours)Remy's Ratatouille
Honey-Glazed Chicken
Curry Chicken Salad
Crockpot Pot Roast *Maple Glazed Squash
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Creamy Chicken with Rice and Spinach
Sloppy Joes
My Oma's Spaetzle and Goulash
Spinach Quiche
Corn Pudding Burgundy Beef Stew
Pork Loin with Fig Sauce
Buffalo Chicken Wrap - with Secret Wing Sauce

~*~Desserts & Sweets~*~

I don't know of many people who don't like the magic that occurs when you add butter to sugar. These are some of my go-to recipes when we're having company or I need to bring something special to share

Apple (or Pear) Galette
Swedish Creme
Best Ever Chocolate Cake {and frosting} *Fudge Brownies *Oat-RAGEOUS Chocolate Chip Cookies
Maple Bread Pudding *Concoction
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Mom's Lemon Squares
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Yummy Beef Stew and Popovers!

I've been looking around the internet for different crock pot recipes. I honestly don't use my crock pot much, because it's still a lot of work to make anything with a crock pot, especially when I have to pull it out of the cabinet and then use pliers to turn the knob (mine broke off and cuis.inart doesn't carry replacement knobs).

Anyways....

I got an email the other day from BHG that had a bunch of slow cooker recipes. They had a recipe for Burgundy Beef Stew which sounded pretty good. Of course I couldn't follow a recipe and had to do my own thing.

I took 2 lbs of stew beef and floured it, along with salt and pepper, browned it in some olive oil, then threw it in the crock pot. Then I chunked a large onion into 1/2" segments (about the size of my fist) and cooked that until it was soft and golden in some butter, tossed in 4 cloves of minced garlic. Then threw all that in the crock pot.

I added in 1 cup of Cab Sauv wine, that Matt had made in 2008, and about a cup and a half of beef broth.

Set that all to cook on low for 4 or 5 hours, then about an hour and a half before we were ready to eat I cut up carrots and threw them in, and some small new potatoes.

While that was going I put a couple of slices of bacon in the toaster oven (I hate the smell and mess of bacon on the stove) then crumbled that in the stew, and poured the drained fat in as well.

Then an hour before we were ready to eat I made popovers (aka Yorkshire Pudding) to go with our stew: 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 2 cups flour, and a 1/2 tsp salt. Beat it all together and pour into 16 greased muffin tins, bake for 25 minutes at 450* then bump it down to 350* for 15 minutes (or golden brown).

Oh my goodness, this was such a yummy stew. I do think I could've added more water and a little less beef broth, especially since I had added bacon fat, because it was a touch on the salty side. We had enough to put in the freezer for another dinner!

Ave's Second Birthday Party

She's almost two, TWO!

The party went really well: We kept it very small (well small for us, 20 people) and low key. Nothing like last year's harvest feast for 40. We had some snacks and appetizers and cupcakes and fruit for dessert. She got some pretty cool gifts, and fortunately no one went crazy over the top!

The high scoring gifts were her easel and recliner (I'm VERY jealous of this recliner, VERY JEALOUS!)

My sister was put in charge of the cupcakes for dessert: I baked chocolate and vanilla and then she made fondant characters for the cupcakes....KIPPER! and friends!

And here's the link to all of the pictures!

Making Wine in the White House

Matt brought in several cases of different types of grapes to make some wine, from scratch, this year. However, all of those grapes needed to be somehow crushed. Enter Lucy.....for inspiration!

We had Miss Avelyn!
We did shower her well before putting those adorable tootsies into the clusters of grapes.

Taste testing the grapes prior to the stomping

It was a toe curling good time

Then it started to get a bit cold....the grapes had been on the refrigerated truck all day

Avelyn had fun before her feet got cold, she wasn't quite sure what it was she was supposed to be doing, but with a little help and guidance from Daddy she soon figured it out. Matt commented on how I chose a white diaper for her to stomp grapes in....not my finest selection, but she never sat down in the grapes.

After the novelty of stomping wore off, Matt was reduced to having to hand squeeze 40lbs of grapes, but he did it! Everything is now percolating away in our basement awaiting the day for it to be "drunked".

First Recreated Pin!

I keep pinning things on Pinterest but have yet to actually DO any of the thing's I have pinned. Until yesterday......

There was this pin, which I thought was awesome! I love making sugar cookies, but never have any creative ideas to do with them, besides icing them and then they're too sweet to actually enjoy.

Unfortunately, the original pinner did not pin the actual project, but a website. I looked for a while, found what they were talking about, but there were no instructions on how to do this, or a recipe. Obviously the HOW is pretty simple, you color some of the dough different shades and use leaf cookie cutters.

I'm always looking for a sugar cookie recipe, I've had lots of good ones, but never seem to be able to keep track of them long enough to say "this is the recipe I use". I found this recipe, which gave a really nice, not super sweet cookie, but it made 5 dozen cookies. I don't know about you, but I seriously don't want 5 dozen sugar cookies in the house with me and a 2 year old. I halved it to this:

Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe
* 3/4 cup butter (softened)
* 1 cup white sugar (or xylitol)
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely

Here's our dough all set and ready to roll out. I made small little balls of dough on the counter and kind of mushed them together by hand (they weren't rolling together with a pin the way they should). I rolled it to my desired thickness, about 1/4", then we used our leaf cookie cutters to cut them out.

Some of the people who commented on the original post for the cookies were worried about the colors becoming muddled over progressive rollings; I actually liked the dough BETTER the more mixed up it got, because the leaves began to have more variations in them.

I also managed to make these with Ave helping, my trick: I did all the dough while she was napping. Honestly, she was more interested in playing with the dough and cookie cutters than she would have been in any of the prep work. Oh, I also use gel food coloring: I bought an 8 pack of different colors (blues, oranges, browns and purples already mixed).

These were fun cookies to make, definitely something to do again...maybe red and white for candy canes at Christmas.

That day.....

Today is that day, that is so hard for so many, and for so many reasons too.

After church we did pictures out front with all of Matt's family in attendance, and we got some great pictures of the girls in their matching dresses. We got home from church and I proceeded to pull everything together for brunch for both of our families. Today also happened to be my mom's birthday, so I wanted to have her over to lunch.

I baked quiches yesterday and we had fruit salad, green salad, my MIL made french toast casserole, we also had key lime bars for dessert. I tried something new: I took slices of smoked ham and put them into oiled cupcake tins, then cracked an egg in them and baked them for 12 minutes....they were so good and so much easier than taking orders! I also made a strawberry-rhubarb pie which ended up not being cool enough to serve before everyone left, but now I have it all to myself!

It was nice. Matt took a nap on the couch (he enjoyed his Mother's Day) while I cleaned up from brunch. Then we had dinner and put Ave in bed. After that we worked in our bedroom for a bit painting...and soon I am going to sleep, because tomorrow I drive to Albany....again :-P

Irish Soda Bread - My Favorite Recipe

You can find this post on my new site JessicaMWhite.com, click HERE.

Pork Loin with Fig Sauce

In trying to keep with my new recipe a month thing, that I started back here, last night we had Pork Loin with Fig Sauce, a la Giada De Laurentiis. I just have to mention....I know that Sophia Loren declared "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti" and Giada has about the same motto...but seriously?! If I ate pasta constantly and ate the way she cooks I'd look more like this woman (which, now that I look at that picture....I already do).

Anyways.....this was super easy and super delicious. The fig sauce would be great in anything...particularly cookies.

I didn't have any port, but Matt had a bit of his concord mead left so I used that and made up the difference with a bit extra water.

Here it is: Mange!

I served it with roasted asparagus and acorn squash with honey: Yum!

Corn Pudding

This recipe was introduced to us, by our sister in law, at our Thanksgiving day rehearsal dinner (6 years ago). None of us had ever had something like this...so yummy and delicious! Seriously, try it!

1 can cream corn

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

2 eggs beaten

1 box jiffy mix corn bread mix

1c. buttermilk

1 stick butter, melted

Combine and put in greased casserole dish. Bake at 350F for ~30 min.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! It wasn't anything special here, but we did go to my parents for dinner. My sister cooked an awesome dinner with an even more spectacular display of sweets to follow!

Yesterday we went up to Matt's parents for dinner and his sister cooked a really delicious dinner too. It's really a terrible thing that we have so many good cooks/bakers in our family: Certainly doesn't help any of us to lose weight :-)
Even A thoroughly enjoyed herself!

Honey Glazed Chicken Breast

I'm not even sure where I found this recipe anymore....all I know is that I have a beat up copy that I printed out from my email several years ago. This is such an easy and tasty meal! What's great is that it can be served with anything!

6 chicken breasts or leg with thigh
1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil

In 1 gallon resealable bag combine combine all ingredients, but the chicken. Seal bag mixing up ingredients. Add chicken parts and seal bag; turn to coat all surfaces of chicken. Place in fridge and allow to marinate for 1hour.

Heat grill 45 minutes before cooking. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess.

Grill skin side down, about 15-18 minutes. Turn and baste cooked side with marinade. Grill other side 6 to 10 minutes longer.

Heat remaining marinade in small pan, until boils. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon over chicken before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Lemonade Bars

Growing up my mom made these for almost every occasion, and I didn’t like them. No idea why, other than I was a foolish child who didn’t know any better. Now, these are one of my Spring/Summer go-to desserts: There is so little involved in making them! The slightly tart filling is balanced by the sweetness of the cookie crust, sheer Summer perfection!
Lemonade Bars

For the Crust:
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Confectionery Sugar
1 cup Butter
Mix all ingredients and press into 9x13 pan
Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown

For the Filling:
4 slightly beaten Eggs
2 cups Sugar
6 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Combine filling ingredients and pour over baked crust {no need to let the crust cool}. Bake until filling is set and golden around edges. Once cool dust with confectionery sugar.

Enjoy!

Farmer’s Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes: It is very dense, but moist and so many delicious flavors. It just says SPRING! to me. It’s also happens to be one of my father in law’s favorites. I have no idea why it’s called Farmer’s Cake, but it’s also know as the traditional Carrot Cake.

 

Farmer’s Cake {AKA Carrot Cake}
1/2 cup Oil {I use melted coconut oil} *
1 cup Sugar *
3 Eggs
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Nutmeg
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups Flour
1 cup Chopped Nuts
2 cups Shredded Carrots
1/2 cup Crushed Pineapple

 

Mix first 3 ingredients until combined; add in remaining ingredients. Pour into greased {I also line the bottom with parchment paper} pans. You can do this as a thick 9x13”, 2 – 8” rounds, or a bundt cake…just be sure to adjust your time and check frequently toward the end.

Bake at 350* for 50 minutes…check periodically.

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 (8 ounce) packages Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Butter, softened
3 cups sifted Confectioners' Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

 

Assemble and frost cake, as desired, when cool.

 

*The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil and 2 cups of sugar, but after baking this numerous times I decided it was a touch greasy and very sweet. You can safely add in as much or as a little of sugar and oil {whichever oil you prefer}, within my measurements and the original recipe’s measurements without any issues.

Concoction

Monday night we had friends of our's over to dinner before they head back to school. Dinner was the same as Sunday (steak, potatoes, and salad), but I made cheddar biscuits (recipe to follow) to go with dinner and "Concoction" for dessert.

Concoction?! What's that, you ask? Concoction is my "own" creation (it's not original, but the name is!). It's delicious and it's beyond easy!
Recipe
1 Box Brownie mix
1 Package of Instant Chocolate Pudding
1 Pint of whipping (Heavy) cream

Prepare brownies as per directions, baking in a large pan (9x13) so that brownies are no more than 1/2" deep. Allow to cool.

Prepare Chocolate Pudding according to directions on box:
Whip cream until the consistency of whipped cream, soft peaks.

I used a trifle bowl to assemble the Concoction. You can use anything: You can even leave the brownies in your pan and just top with pudding and cream.

Cut brownies into 2 or 3" squares. Line the bottom of your dish. Pour 1/3 of the pudding over top of the single layer of brownies, make sure to get the pudding between the brownies and all over them! Dollop 1/3 of the whipped cream on top of the pudding: Carefully spread around, you don't want to mix the chocolate into your whipped cream. Repeat until all the brownies, pudding, and cream are gone. Top with some chocolate shavings. Serve chilled. .
Enjoy!