Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

These cookies are fast, easy, and oh so yummy! I also like to pretend that they are somewhat healthy since they have oatmeal in them (I can dream!).

Ingredients

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. milk
6 T. cocoa
3 c. quick oats
1 t. vanilla

Directions

1. Bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil for 1 minute.

2. Stir in cocoa, quick oats, and vanilla.

3. Mix well and drop on wax paper.

4. Enjoy the yummy gooey goodness!  These are always a favorite in my house!



Raisen Applesauce Mini Muffins

Last summer we were on the go a lot and I wanted to pack a snack that I knew my kids would love and that had some nutritional value. I found this recipe while thumbing through an old church cookbook that was given to me by my Grandma. The original recipe was for an average size muffin, but I wanted my muffins to be bite size and decided to make them in my mini muffin pan. Each batch makes approximately 48 mini muffins so I love to freeze them and take a few out here and there as we need them. They thaw out in minutes and stay tasting fresh for a couple of months after you bake them.

Ingredients

4 c. flour

1 T. cinnamon

1 T. ground all spice

2 t. baking soda

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. applesauce

2 t. vanilla

1 c. raisins

1. In bowl combine flour, cinnamon, all spice, and baking soda, set aside. In a mixing bowl cream butter & sugar. Beat in eggs, applesauce, and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raisins.

2. Grease muffin pan with cooking spray and scoop muffin mix into pan. I love using my handy cookie scoop I bought from a Pampered Chef party years ago.

3. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes (20-25 minutes for average muffins). You will be able to tell that the muffins are done when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Do you have a go to snack for kids that you would like to share?? I always love new ideas!

Taco Rolls

This simple recipe came from my mom. I love how easy it is and how each person can dress up their "tacos" however they please. I like mine with a little salsa, sour cream, and black olives. My kids like theirs with cheese on top.  I once made this for an afternoon candle party I hosted and it was a big hit with my guests.

Ingredients

2 packages of cresent rolls

1 lb. hamburger

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 package taco seasoning

Taco Toppings (lettuce, tomato, black olives, salsa, sour cream, etc.)

Directions.

1. Preheat oven according to cresent package directions.

2. Brown hamburger and drain. Return to pan and add taco seasoning. Cook according to taco seasoning package directions.

3. Add shredded cheddar cheese to hamburger mixture and set aside.

3. Open cresent packages and lay on cookie sheet as pictured.

4. Place 1-2 spoonfuls of the hamburger mixture in each cresent as pictured above. Fold the cresent dough over meat mixture and tuck under forming a wrap/roll.

5. Place in oven and bake according to cresent package directions.

6. Top with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

I usually serve this with a side of spanish rice. This is a quick and easy meal and does not usually last long in my house. I am definitely all about quick and easy this time of the year because the faster I can get dinner on the table the faster we can get outside to play!

Rollout Sugar Cookies

I have been afraid to make these cookies for quite some time. I think the reason that my mother is a baker extraordinaire has always sent me running from any type of baking. This recipe came from her and suprisingly it was very easy and pretty fool proof! Alivia had a blast making them and enjoyed sharing them with her cousins who were in town. Lucky for us the recipe only makes about 2 dozen medium sized cookies so they were gone in a couple of days.

Ingredients

1 c. oleo
1 c. sugar
1 egg
2 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour

Frosting - Powdered sugar, milk, food coloring

Instructions

Preheat oven 400 degrees. In large bowl cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be very stiff, blend last in by hand. Do not chill, divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface roll each ball flat. Bake until cookies are slightly brown on edges.

We did a simple frosting for the cookies. I mixed about 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of milk (want slightly runny), and food coloring of color choice. Once I had the frosting the color and consistency that I liked I put into a plastic baggy and snipped the end with scissors to create a frosting bag. It was messy....but fun! Enjoy!!!

Puppy Chow

This was the snack we made to fill Alivia's birthday treats. This snack is really easy and always seems to be a hit.

What You Need

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

9 cups Crispix/Chex Cereal

3 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a microve safe bowl. Microwave for 30 second increments. Stir every 30 seconds until all ingredients are blended thoroughly.

2. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir well.

3. Place the 9 cups of Crispix/Chex into a very large bowl.

4. Pour the chocolate/peanut butter mix over the cereal and toss evenly. Be sure the the cereal gets a good covering.

5. Place the powdered suger in a large zip-lock bag.

6. Add the chocolate/peanut butter mix to the bag. Be sure to leave enough room for the puppy chow to be shaken (we used two separate gallon size baggies for this).

7. Shake the bag until each piece is coated with powdered sugar.

8. Eat and enjoy!

This was always a favorite growing up. But seriously what is not to love. Peanut butter and chocolate are two of my favorite things.

WARNING: Hide the extras because there may be a temper tantrum in the morning when "Puppy Chow" is not on the menu.

PIZZA!!!

If your little one is anything like mine they are always wanting to help in the kitchen. Once I get home from work it seems like I am rushing to get dinner ready while Liv is at my feet asking to help. Most nights I turn on the TV as a distraction and feel terrible about it. I always have ingredients for homemade pizza on hand just in case and it is so cute how excited Liv is when everyone is eating the pizza that she made for dinner.

SUPPLIES

Refridgerated Pizza Dough

Small can of Tomato Sauce

Italian Seasoning

Pepperoni

Black Olives

Mushrooms

Cheese

ETC, ETC

DIRECTIONS

I usually roll the dough out on a pan, smear on some tomato sauce and let Liv do the rest. The Italian Seasoning usually ends up in one big blob and there are plenty of taste tests but it is a quick and easy and a lot of fun for my "Big Girl" to help with.

This is definitely not something I would serve company and it is not as good as delivery but Liv has so much fun when we make pizza that it is well worth it  :)