Apple Peanut Butter Dip

What You Need

1/2 c. apple butter

1/3 c. peanut butter

2 t. apple juice or apple cider

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What You Do

1.) Mix all ingredients until creamy.

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Serve with flatbread or other bready item.

Marshmallow Phantoms

What You Need

18 large marshmallows

6 wooden skewers (points cut off)

1 c. white chocolate chips

1 T. vegetable shortening

12 cinnamon Red Hots

black decorating gel

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What You Do

1.) For each ghost, push three marshmallows onto the end of a skewer; set aside.

2.) Melt white chocolate chips and shortening in microwave on medium-high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in 10 second intervals until smooth.

3.) Holding skewer, spoon melted mixture over marshmallows until covered. Place on wax paper.

4.) Place two Red Hots for eyes and decorating gel for mouths.

5.) Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened into a shell over marshmallows.

When To Toss Spices & Herbs

Just how long can you keep a spice or an herb before it "goes bad?" Here are some guidelines:

Ground Spices - 2-3 years

Whole Spices - 3-4 years

Herbs - 1-3 years

Extracts - 4 years (only vanilla can be kept indefinitely)

McCormick has a great tool available on their website for checking to see if your herbs, spices and seasonings are good to use or past their prime. You can view it by clicking here.

Grill Tips

Ever wonder how to get that steak just right on the grill? Here are some helpful tips I recieved in a guide from Omaha Steaks:

1. Preheat your grill, broiler or skillet. It should be hot but not smoking. Charcoal cloas should be ash gray and red hot.Lightly oil cooking surface. Cook steak longer on first side (juices should begin to bead up on surface). Be attentive to your steaks. Keep a good eye on them and watch for doneness. Steaks can cook rather quickly. Also, allow steaks to stand 2-3 minutes before serving to allow juices to flow back from the center of the meat to the surface (this makes for a moister and more juicy steak).

Steak Cooking Chart - click here to view Omaha Steak's suggestions for steak cooking times. They seem pretty accurate to me.

Quick Fixes

I don't always cook "from scratch." Sometime it's just not possible. I thought I would share some of the ready-made things we enjoy in our house. First up ...

Carnation Instant Breakfasts are a big hit with my husband. He is not a big breakfast person, so something quick and easy (and light) is more appealing to him as he rushes out the door in the morning. I enjoy one from time-to-time, too. If you like flavored milk (chocolate, strawberry, etc) then you would like these. They are high in protein and calcium as well as 8 vitamins and various antioxidants.

Although this is not a meal-in-a-box it virtually transforms any meat and chopped veggies into a mouth-watering dish. We love to toss chicken, veggies, a dash of garlic, a packet of onion soup mix and about 1/4 cup of oil together in the oven for about 30 minutes. It's easy but it tastes like I really spent some time on cooking.

This Macaroni Grill meal kit is a-maz-ing. It's normally pricey, so we don't eat it too terribly often. Luckily our local grocery store was having a good sale and I had some coupons so I was able to get them at a bargain. If you want something that is no-fuss but tastes like you put a lot of time and effort into it then you should try this sometime.


Because I am not too savvy in cooking Asian cuisine I love throwing some meat and veggies into this easy meal kit. The first time I made it I was preparing myself for a let-down because it didn't look like there was much sauce on anything but WOW! It was actually very tasty. One box usually feeds just me and my hubby, so if you have a large family you might want to get another box or two. Also, if you write the company that makes it and ask for coupons they will mail you several coupons for some of their products (one being this). I did this just about a month ago and was overwhelmed at some of the coupons (like FREE stuff).

Cheese Dip Italiano

What You Need
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (fat-free, full-fat ... it doesn't matter)
2-4 T pesto (depending on how pesto-y you want the taste, you can always add as you go)
optional garnishes (diced tomato, Parmesan cheese)

What You Do

1.) Place cream cheese in a bowl. Do not cut or stir ... yet.

2.) Add pesto to the top of the cream cheese.

3.) Microwave for about one minute or until warm (not hot).

4.) Remove from microwave. Stir.

5.) Add garnishes if desired.

6.) Serve with Triscuit crackers.

Apple Crisp

What You Need

5 c apples, sliced and peeled

2-4 T granulated sugar

1/2 c regular rolled oats

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c butter

What You Do

1.) Place apples in a 2-quart baking dish.

2.) Stir in granulated sugar.

3.) In medium bowl combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.

4.) Cut in butter until mixture resembled coarse crumbs.

5.) Sprinkle oat mixture over apples.

6.) Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden.

Optional sides: ice cream

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

What You Need

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 c salsa

1-2 c shredded cheddar cheese

3 c cooked chicken

3-6 c cooked rice, depending on how "ricy" you want it

What You Do

1.) In a bowl combine soups and salsa. Mix well.

2.) In a baking dish layer rice, sauce, chicken, rice, sauce, cheese.

3.) Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is lightly brown.

Shredded Apple Pie

What You Need

3 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded

3 sticks butter, melted

3 c sugar

3 eggs

4 unbaked pie shells

What You Do

1.) Pack peeled and shredded apples into pie shells.

2.) Mix butter, egg and sugar in a bowl. Pour over apples.

3.) Bake at 375 until lightly brown.

Makes 4 pies.

Optional sides: vanilla ice cream

Wild Rice Soup

What You Need

1 c wild rice

6 c water

1/2 c chopped onion

3/4 c butter or margarine

1 c flour

6 c chicken broth

2 c milk

1-2 c grated cheddar cheese

1 c chopped celery

1 c grated carrot

What You Do

1.) Combine rice and water. Bring to boil, then simmer 45 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

2.) Saute butter and onion in stock pot until tender (when the onion is translucent).

3.) Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute. Stir constantly.

4.) Add broth. Mix well. Cook until slightly thickened. Stir constantly (about 5-10 minutes).

5.) Add rice, milk, cheese, celery, carrot. Mix well.

6.) Simmer until desired consistency. Stir frequently.

7.) Turn heat down or finish in crock pot.

Makes 8 servings.