Best chocolate chip cookies!

These chocolate chip cookies are the best I've ever tasted! My sister found them on a website. Here's the link! Enjoy! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Award-Winning-Soft-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Indian spiced grilled shrimp! sooo SIMPLE and delish!!

This is Sooo easy to make and really tasty! Fire up your grill and give these a try ! :)  I have never really used tumeric as the star in a dish but I'm glad I gave these a try! If you don't have tumeric you need to get it to make these or they will just taste like plain grilled shrimp- nothing special... Hope you like them as much as I do! :)

Ingredients:

1 lb. raw and deveined shrimp
1-2 teasp. Tumeric
1/4 teasp. salt (kosher)
2 Tables. cilantro
2 teasp. minced garlic (jar or fresh)

Heat grill to medium. Thread shrimp on metal or wooden skewers and grill for around 2-3 minutes per side or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Don't overcook!! They will taste like you're eating an eraser! :)

Lemon Angel Food cake

Ina Garten's Lemon Angel Food cake- Yum!! 

I will post the link below. One side note,  she doesn't have the glaze in her recipe. Here's the ingredients for that. You must incude! It makes the cake so good! :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-angel-food-cake-recipe/index.html

1/2 Cup confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoon  Fresh lemon juice
 mix together and drizzle over the cake (it doesn't cover like an icing- it's just a drizzle )
 Enjoy !

Sweet and Spicy Salsa

Sweet and Spicy Salsa

1 lb. (around 3 large tomatoes or 4-5 medium)
handful of FRESH basil
handful of FRESH cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. Sweet red chili garlic sauce (found in Asian section)
1/4 cup green onion (roughly chopped)
1  red onion- roughly chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers (depending on how hot you like it)  - I use one and take the seeds out of the pepper to help make it milder tasting.

Combine all ingredients in large food processor and pulse til the thickness of your liking. If you don't have a Food processor just chop everything up by hand to the chunkiness of your liking. We like t kind of thin and just a little chunky. ;)  Enjoy!!

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

Peach salad

Peachy salad

Ingredients:

2 summer peaches
Romaine lettuce
goat or feta cheese
red onion
thinly sliced cucumber

Poppy seed dressing- store bought or homemade

2 teasp. poppy seads
 1/4 C sour cream
2/3 cup oil
1/4 sugar
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 teasp. salt

combine all ingredients in a plastic or glass container and whisk or shake to combine.

Combine all salad ingredients and add dressing just before serving

Asian burgers

These  Asian burgers are soooo good  and good for you! It is a WW recipe that I have altered. Give them a try! I serve them with a salad with Boston lettuce, cucumbers, and cherry tomoatoes. The dressing recipe will follow the recipe below.

1 lb ground lean pork
1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp hoisen sauce
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 small head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Salad dressing: 1 T honey, 1 T lime juice, 1/4 sesame oil, 1/4 t ginger, and remaining 1 T hoisen sauce

Preheat the grill to medium-high or prepare a medium-high fire.

Combine the pork, bread crumbs, scallions, 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce, the soy sauce, lime, honey, and ginger in a medium bowl, mixing just until well combined. With damp hands, shape the mixture into 4 equal patties.

Grill on med. heat for around 4 - 5 minutes per side or until no pink in the center .

Meanwhile, whisk together the lime juice, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and the remaining 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce in a small bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing over and toss to coat evenly.


Enjoy!

Paula Deen's Avacado, corn and tomato "salsa"

Corn, Tomato and avacado salad

This is one of my famiy's favorite summer appetizer/snacks! It is so fresh and simple to make too!

Ingredients:

1 pint of cherry of grape tomatoes (halved)
1 avacado (diced)
4 ears of fresh corn (cut off the cob)
1 medium red onion (diced)

Dressing:

1 Tabls. fresh lime juice
1 teasp. lime zest
2 Tabls. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (cut up)
salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Boil corn until tender and crisp (I usually boil 10 minutes with lid off and then cover another 10 minutes.
 2. Mix all vegetables together in a glass dish. In a separate bowl combine all ingredients for the dressing and whisk together to combine all ing.
3. Add dressing to vegetables right before serving.

NOTE: you can add the corn while it is still hot and it will make the avacado kind of like a paste which I like a lot but you can also cool the corn and add once cool. Both ways are great! 

I serve this with tortilla chips but you can eat by itself too! :)

Ice Cream Sundae Dessert 

This is the PERFECT summer treat!! Absolutely delicious and takes minutes to make!! Hope you like it as much as my family does! Yummy!!! :)

Ingredients:
24 ice cream sandwiches ( I use the reduced fat kind and they are great)
1 CAN on Hershey's chocolate syrup
3/4 cup salted peanuts  (optional)
whipped topping ( 12 oz)
3/4 cup peanut butter

1. In a 13x9 dish layer half of the ice cream sandwiches ( may have to cut to fit one of them)
2. Pour the chocolate from the can into a microwave safe bowl and heat until hot (around 1-2 minutes)
3. Stir the peanut butter into the hot chocolate and set aside to cool.
4. On top of the ice cream sandwiches spread a layer of  half of the cool whip
5. Pour half of the cooled chocolate and PB mixture on top of the cool whip layer.
6. Sprinkle desired amt. of peanuts here if desired.
7. Repeat layers of ice cream sand, cool whip, chocolate mix and peanuts

Breakfast "Spanish Tortilla'" 

This recipe is my husband's creation! He combined two recipes he saw on tv recently. I must say it is quite tasty and it's always nice to be on the receiving end of a nice meal. :) 

Ingredients: (for 2) -

4 eggs
1 unpeeled white potato  (diced into uniformly SMALL squares)
1/3 of a white onion (diced )
olive oil (around 1 Tablespoon) 
2 dollups of sour cream (we used red. fat)
salt and pepper liberally

1.Saute the potatoes and onions in the olive oil for 10-15 minutes or until just shy of being tender on medium.high heat.
2.Meanwhile, beat the eggs, salt and pepper and sour cream by hand or with a mixer for 7-10 minutes  (sounds long         but that's what makes these taste unique).
3. Remove potatoes from heat for a minute or so.
4. Then, turn temperature down to LOW heat.
5.Be sure to make sure the potatoes are evenly spread across the pan. Then, pour egg mixture over top.
6. Cook on LOW until eggs are set (firm to the touch but look a little wet in the middle) -around 7-10 minutes or so.
7. TIP- Run spatula around the edge of the egg to loosen from the pan and lay a plate on top of the pan. Then, flip over on to a plate and enjoy!

Grilled Steak Salad

Grilled Steak Salad: This is the perfect summer meal! We are trying to cut down on white flour carbs for dinner so we made this salad. It is full of protein and fresh ingredients! Do yourself a big favor and fire up the grill to make this. You won't be disappointed! :)

Ingredients: (servings - 2)

-Small head of Romaine lettuce
- fresh cherry tomatoes (halved) - we used 5 tomatoes per salad)
- 2 soft or hard boiled eggs (halved)
- 1 ripe avocado (thinly sliced)
- 4 pieces of bacon - fried nice and crisp and then crumbled
- 10-12 oz. NY strip or Flank steak- grilled to medium doneness- then cut into around 1/2 inch think strips or however you like it!
- 1 cup sugar snap peas ( I cut them in half to make them smaller)
- 1/2 cup reduced fat fresh bleu cheese or gorgonzola
- your favorite low cal/low fat honey mustard dressing (we used Paula Deen's Vidalia onion, honey mustard dressing- believe it or not she has a low fat dressing! ( 60 cal. and 3.5 grams of fat per serving! ) :)

Divide all ingredients on to 2 separate plates. Keep all ingredients separate for a pretty presentation (see pic above) Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad and enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers with a little something extra!

I had completely forgotten about stuffed peppers until my sister mentioned that she had made them for dinner recently. So, I decided to try them out again and what a nice and easy weeknight meal! You can even make the filling ahead of time and stuff them the night you want to have them and proceed from there. :)

Ingredients

• 4 large green peppers
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic
  
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce, divided
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Adobo seasoning (1 teasp.)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesean cheese (sprinkle kind)
  
• 1/3 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or regular breadcrumbs
  

Directions

1. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Place peppers in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place in ice water; invert on paper towels.
2. In a small skillet, cook beef, garlic and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup tomato sauce, rice, salt, garlic powder, Adobo seasoning and pepper. Spoon into peppers.
3. Mix Panko breadcrumbs and parmesean cheese in a small dish.
   
4. Place stuffed peppers in an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Drizzle remaining tomato sauce on top of peppers. Then, sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender.
5. Enjoy!
   

Summer Tomatoes with Mozzarella and Fresh Basil: Need a SUPER easy appetizer in the summer time? This is delicious! It is healthy, fresh, and easy to prepare. :)

Ingredients:

1 ball on LOW- MOISTURE mozzarella (we like Trader Joe's best but whatever you like is fine)
1 large fresh tomato - (best to get from a garden or a farm stand nearby if not get the fresh vine ripened from the grocery store)
1 bunch of fresh basil
drizzle of olive oil (around 2 tablespoons)
salt and pepper

Layer your cheese, and tomato alternating the two. Then , tear up basil and sprinkle all over the plate and on the tomatoes and cheese. Finally, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Does it get any easier than that? :) Enjoy!

Hummingbird Cake (or as we call it Todd's birthday cake ;) ) - My husband request this every year for his birthday (hence the candles on the cake! ;) They say it is called "Hummingbird Cake" because when you eat it you say " emmm emmm" as you eat it. I have to say, it will make you say "emm emm" bc it is delicious! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple WITH JUICE
  
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 medium mashed ripe bananas
• 
  
• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 12-14 oz of confectioners' sugar (I use 12 oz.)
  
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• around 3 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  
• 1/2 Cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Sift or mix (if you don't have a sifter) flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together into mixing bowl. Add eggs and oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple and 1 cup pecans. Stir in the bananas. Spoon the batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes,or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Slowly, addd powdered sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Frost each layer (tops only) . Sprinkle top evenly with the 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans.

Enjoy! :)

Want to try something that's easy, simple and delish? Try this one out! Looks fattening right?? WRONG! :) It's made with red. fat cream cheese and chicken broth to make that yummy creamy sauce so you can eat it and not feel badly about it! :) Here's the link for the recipe. http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/creamy-tomato-basil-pasta-shrimp-116626.aspx.
Go check out Hillary's site at the other mama.com for more Friday Favorites!

My Friday Favorite this week is my annual "Mother's Day Brunch". I started this around 3 years ago and the tradition has continued!! ( one of the dishes is not in the pic! too much for the lens lOl) Paula Deen Recipes are a big star in this spread, plus a few other recipes I added this year! :) Everyone loves breakfast food so we decided what a better way to celebrate our wonderful mothers!

The recipe on the left is Paula Deen's tomato pie, a returning favorite 3 years running! yum!! I do use reduced fat mayo to make it a little better but hey we have it once a year so why not indulge?? ;) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/tomato-pie-recipe/index.html

TIP: Salt the tomatoes liberally, and lay on paper towels to absorb some of the liquid in the tomatoes.

The recipe on the right are Paula Deen's sausage balls. So easy and yummy! I use reduced fat Bisquick and you also want to add around 1/2 cup of milk to make the mixture easier to blend. Finally, only use 2 cups of the Bisquick ! Enjoy!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/sausage-balls-recipe/index.html

I hope you will try some of these recipes for your next brunch or breakfast get together!! you won't be disapointed! :)

Go check out www.theothermama.com for more Friday Favorites!! You will be glad you did! ;)

grilled chicken pesto pizza

This pizza is so yummy!! It is simple enough to make on a weeknight and special enough for a weekend! :)

Ingredients:
2 large handfuls of fresh basil leaves (or buy the packaged kind at the grocery store- the larger sized packages ( you would need two 3.5 oz. pkgs. )
olive oil (enough to make the pesto the consistency you like)
2 t of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
your favorite pizza crust (you can get dough from a pizza place or storebought- I used "Mama Mary's" thin crust for this one)
1 - 8 oz. bag of shredded reduced fat mozzarella or other white Italian cheese
1 piece of boneless skinless chicken breast (I butterfly mine and get 2 thin pieces from one thick piece)

1. In a food processor pulse the basil , garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil until desired consistency. Take a few tablespoons of the pesto out of the food processor.
2. Brush the chicken breast with the pesto you removed .
3. Grill the chicken on a grill or grill pan. Let the chicken set for around 5 minutes once cooked to seal in the juices. Then cut into pieces for your pizza.
4. Spread the reserved pesto "sauce"evenly onto the pizza crust. (Do not use the pesto you basted your chicken with!! )
5. Add your favorite cheese (I used shredded Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian- Sargento brand )
6. Top with chicken and bake 7-10 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
7. Follow directions on your crust for the baking temperature.

For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the Friday Favorite button on this post. :( so I am putting the site here :) www.theothermama.com (check out Hillary's blog and other Friday Favorites!!)

lemon-raspberry mousse dessert = delish! :)

Sorry, this is not the greatest pic.. It doesn't do the dessert justice! You can see a better pic on the link below.


This is a dessert I found in a Kraft magazine. It is sooo yummy, light and fresh tasting! Give it a try! :) These are my substitutions to make it lighter: I used low fat cream cheese, light cool whip, and reduced fat Nilla wafers. You can also use sugar free Jell-o, and raspberry jam, which I will add to my substitutions next time I make this. Enjoy! :)

Here's the link: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/lemon-raspberry-mousse-squares-115432.aspx#

A Taste of SPRING!

Darn the tuna, OR maybe not... My husband and I have not touched a tuna steak in a few years because we got tired of spending the money and time only to sit down to a tuna steak that is as dry as an eraser!! ;) YUCK! So today I decided to try one of my Cooking Light magazine recipes for tuna steak. We cooked the tuna for 2 1/2 minutes per side and they were perfect! So I guess tuna is back in our good graces ;) .

"These meal tastes like spring! Healthy and lemony fresh!" (These are my hubby's words. He is well known in small circles for his food critiques. Throughout this meal he told me several times that this was one of the best meals he's had. So he was a fan to say the least! ;) LOL )

Here's the recipe link: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1611734

Enjoy! and don't forget to cook the tuna for only 2-2/2 minutes per side on high grill heat! (the recipe does not specify the temp. but high was what we found in another grill cookbook) You also WANT it to be nice and pink in the middle (medium pink like a medium steak or dark pink). If you let the tuna cook until it is white and there is no pink , it will be dry.

chicken quesidillas and guacamole

These are simple enough to make on a weeknight when you are in the mood for some Mexican! While I was making these tonight my husband reminds me (as he does every time I make something with cheese), that he "really likes cheese so when I put on the amt. of  cheese I think is enough... to triple that!!" LOL He says this and he is thin!!! so jealous!! :) Anyway here's the recipe. Quesidillas are very forgiving, so you can add or omit whatever ingredients you like.

Ingredients for chicken quesadillas: (for 2)

2 large pieces of boneless skinless chicken (cooked on the grill, stove or you can even buy it already cooked at the grocery store)
2 burrito size flour tortillas
?? shredded reduced fat cheese (we used cheddar and mozzarella, you can also use goat cheese, ricotta or whatever you like! )
half of a package of sliced mushrooms (around 3/4 cup)
1/2 red onion (chopped)

1. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray.
2. Saute the mushrooms and onions til onions are caramelized and the mushrooms are tender.
3. Remove from the pan and set aside , then add chicken to this mixture.
4. Lay one tortilla in the pan and add around 1/2 cup or so of the chicken mixture on HALF of the tortilla.
5. Sprinkle as much cheese as you like on top of the chicken mixture. 
6. Fold over the tortilla and cook on each side for around 3 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly crispy on both sides.
7. Remove from the pan and cut in half using a pizza cutter.
8. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole (recipe follows) if desired.


Guacamole:

Ingredients-
3  diced  ripe avacadoes- (make sure they are slightly soft when you push on them)
2 teasp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tblsp. chopped red onion
2 Tblsp. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper
minced garlic (1 clove)

Mix all ingredients together with a fork to help give the avacadoes a nice consistency.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips

 Tip: Keep one of the avacado pits in the guacamole in case you have left overs. This will keep the guacamole from turning brown. You can also cover with a piece of plastic wrap making sure the wrap touches the guacamole all across the top of it. This prevents the air from getting to it and keeps it green. 
Enjoy!

"Chicken Saltimboca"

I put this recipe title in quotes bc it is actually NOT chicken saltimboca!!  LOL ;) My husband and I call it this bc the first time I made this  creation, I was in fact setting out to make chicken saltimboca. When I started making the recipe I realized it did not sound like something my hubby and I would like so as I was making it, I changed the recipe to something I thought we would like. I was right! :) So the chicken actually starts out by making a roll up with chicken, cheese and prociutto just like you would for the CS but that is where the similarities end. This is now one of my husband's favorite dishes and it is pretty simple to make too! Don't let the length of the recipe intimidate you, it really is quite simple to make. :)

Ingredients: (4 servings)
4 boneless skinless pieces of chicken (cut in hald like you are butterflying it but actually cut it in half to make 2 thinner pieces out of one thick piece)
8 slices of think prociutto (get from the deli)
8 slices of provolone cheese (sliced medium) - you can get low fat in the packaged lunchmeat and cheese section)
1/2 cup seasoned panko or regular breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesean cheese (the sprinkle kind)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of water

1. Prepare the egg by beating one egg and add a little water together.
2. Prepare the breadcrumb mixture by mixing the breadcrumbs, parm. cheese and salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. After cutting chicken into 8 thin pieces pound out to make a little thinner (if you'd like or leave it how it is)
4. Layer the prociutto and cheese on each piece of chicken.
5. Roll each piece long ways so that they look like thick roll ups (add a toothpick to keep together while you are rolling the rest)
6. (optional) you can throw in the freezer for around 15-20 minutes or so to make the chicken roll ups easier to cut into thin roll slices (kind of like you would cut a pumpkin roll or cinnamon rolls).  If you don't put in freezer it will still work just fine but they won't look as pretty (mine were not put in the freezer- that's why they look like shrimp LOL  but they still taste just as good).
7. Use a sharp knife to cut each roll up into thin roll ups (each piece of chicken should give you around 4 roll ups,  and if you used toothpicks take them out on this step.
8. Dip each roll up into egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Be sure to coat both sides.
9. Bake in a baking pan or pyrex dish for around 30 minutes or until lightly browned and chicken is cooked through.
10. Enjoy! :)

Simple weeknight meal- pork tenderloin with homemade sweet potato fries

Short on time?? Some nights you just don't feel like doing a lot of fancy cooking, and on nights like this I like to make part of the meal and use the K.I.S.S.  (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID) method for the rest! ;) I went to one of my favorite stops (Trader Joes) and bought a roasted garlic and peppercorn pork tenderloin, and some of their fancy frozen veggies. I grilled the pork (takes about 20 min.), threw the green bean mixture on the stove and made the sweet potato fries. Here's the recipe for the sweet potatoes.  TIP: Make sure you let the tenderloin rest around 10 minutes before slicing or you will lose all of your juiciness and that just wouldn't be good ;) (keep it covered in foil so it doesn't get cold while it is resting)

 Ingredients for sweet potato fries:

2 sweet potatoes - peeled and cut into"fries"
olive oil- a few swirls
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

Toss the potatoes in the olive oil
Add salt and pepper
bake at 450 degrees for around 40 minutes or until browned a little.
Enjoy!

Rachael sandwiches

I had this "deliciousness" in a restaurant one time and they called it a "Rachael". If you've never heard of them, they are basically a Ruben except with turkey instead of the corned beef and cole slaw instead of the saur kraut. I LOVE these!! The great thing is I made them low-fat!! Here's the recipe...

Ingredients for 1 Rachael

2 slices of Rye bread

low fat spray butter

your favorite cole slaw ( I just bought summer slaw from the deli)

Fat free thousand island dressing

turkey lunchmeat (I use around 5 thin slices)

low fat swiss cheese (sliced)

1. Make a sandwich of the turkey and cheese on the rye bread.

2. Spray the outside of the sandwich with the butter.

3. Grill until golden brown on both sides.

4. Remove from the pan and open the sandwich.

5. Add the cole slaw and salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Paula's Party Punch

This is a yummy punch I made for my sister's bridal shower. It was sooo much fun planning out all of the food for this special occassion! My sister laughs at me bc once she got married, I was sad bc I missed all of the party planning! :) It is a recipe from one of my favs, Paula Dean!! :) She is my go to gal anytime I need a recipe that is delicious and calories don't matter! ;) I just had to make the mold the night before. I used a bundt pan to make the mold. Then, just before using it you will need to dip it in warm water to loosen it enough for it to unmold from the pan. Here's the link for the punch! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/fruit-punch-recipe/index.html NOTE: ( I cut the sugar in half for the simple syrup and I also added blueberries for color! )

Emm Emm Eclairs!!

I made these eclairs for my mother-in-law's birthday. It was the first time I made them but I have to say they were not difficult to make. They were a bit time consuming but the taste was worth the time! One of the most time consuming parts of the recipe was the time my VERY PATIENT husband and I spent in Michaels trying to figure out what size tip to use on the pastry bag!! The recipe does not specify, which caused a problem for a pastry bag virgin like myself! :) Thank God my husband has internet access on his phone, bc we ended up downloading several youtube videos to find out what sort of tip to use. Eventally we found a video of someone using the coupler piece which is the piece that you attach the actual tip to. So in summary... Don't use a tip on these eclairs, just use the plastic ring (coupler), and always carry a phone with internet access for emergencies such as these! :) BTW, I used the large size coupler. Here's a link for the recipe! Enjoy! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/chocolate-eclairs-recipe/index.html

If you love it Do it!!

So I had a thought the other day while having lunch with Todd (my husband) . The thought was to start a blog about one of the things I LOVE doing, which is cooking! A little about me...My name is Melanie, I am 33 years old (geesh I am getting old!! sigh...). I have been married for almost 13 years to the love of my life, Todd. :) We have a dog, Brockton who is a 7 year old boxer and we love him like he is our child! ;) I am second grade teacher, and have been for going on 10 years. I love my job as a teacher but what I love even more is cooking!!! I started to enjoy cooking when my husband and I were dating and I realized how much he LOVED to eat. Not only does he love to eat but he loves to talk about what he eats and really analyze it. :) Over time I really grew to love finding recipes and cooking them for everyone! Today when I sit and plan out out meals for the week I always look for at least one or two new recipes to try. So with this blog I hope to share some of my favs and maybe not so favs with all of you! I hope you visit regularly to find some new recipes for you to try in your own kitchen! :)