Stuffed S'mores Cookie

I think I have died and found cookie heaven. Does it get any better than this?????? I may have to make these today. You can click on the link below that will take you to the picky-palate.com to get the recipe. YUM!!!

Source: picky-palate.com via Debie on Pinterest

What She Had/What We Had

As many of you know the Scout is highly allergic to milk and eggs so I am always trying to find new recipes for her that will replicate what we are having for dinner. So here is what I fixed last night. My husband and the Peanut tried it out and said it tasted just like the Kraft Mac and Cheese.

So here is the recipe. I got a lot of ideas off of the Internet and then changed it up a bit to suit the Scout's likes:

Scout's Vegan Mac and Cheese

2 cups plain soy milk ( I use Silk)
1 tablespoon of dairy free margarine ( I use Nucoa)
10 oz. of vegan-soy cheddar cheese ( I use Follow Your Heart - available at Whole Foods)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound of macaroni

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine soymilk, margarine, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
When sauce comes to a boil, keep stirring for about a minute or two. Turn heat to low and stir in the cheese. You can grate the cheese, but I just sliced it up really thin. It will slowly start to turn from yellow to orange. It will also thicken up quite a bit.

Put noodles into a 1.5 quart casserole dish and pour cheese sauce over the top. Stir to coat all noodles. Bake uncovered for 10 - 12 minutes.

Scout is about as picky as they come (I wonder where she gets that from) and she took two bites and said it was too sour. That's the breaks. So she ended up eating chicken nuggets instead. She is a challenge when it comes to eating, but I still have to keep trying to expand her food horizons. The husband the Peanut loved it, so at least I know it will get eaten. Since I am allergic to soy I also made another more grown-up version of mac and cheese which was also well taken by 3/4 of the Crew:

Cheddar Mac Beef Casserole
courtesy of Kraft Food Magazine

1 pkg. Kraft Mac and Cheese (The original - gotta love this stuff)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or dried basil (I used oregano)
1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare mac and cheese as directed on package, omitting butter.

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

Add tomatoes and oregano, mix well and bring to a boil.

Add meat mixture to mac and cheese and transfer into 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

It was pretty yummy. I also served it with a nice bottle of "Red Truck" wine. My new favorite table wine that you can find at Costco. Good stuff.

What Have I Been Busy Doing?

I know, no blog for weeks, but I do have a good excuse. I was creating a new blog. What? Another blog, you say? Yes, but this one is different then Pink Petunia Designs. This blog is called: Cowgirls and Cupcakes. It is written by yours truly and my BFF Kim. We have been in the plannings for this blog now for awhile and were able to finally launch it about a week ago. The premise for Cowgirls and Cupcakes is: Recipe sharing as well as tips and tricks for people that have food allergies or feeding a special needs child. We came up with the idea after getting frustrated with our same old meal routines. Our families get bored of eating the same old stuff night after night so we decided to do something about it. Kim and I have both been a part of recipe swaps online with our friends and family and we thought we would take it to the next level and post it on a site for everyone to share. Right now, Kim and I are both posting our own "tried and true" recipes but very soon (like this week) we will be opening it up to the public to send us your best recipes old or new and maybe a little history behind them or even a picture and a link to your site or blog if you have one. So please, please, check out the new site and I will try to be better about posting to little Pinky here.

Cooking Mayhem

A little while back I had finally succumbed to the fact that my bread maker was going to continue gathering dust in the cupboard and I really wasn't going to be making tons of bread for my family. I decided to ask my sister-in-law if she would like to have it. She said, "sure." So the bread maker went to her house. She baked us up some fabulous french bread a while back in my old bread maker and then I kinda got the urge to have a bread maker again so I could make my own yummy bread. I also thought it was a great alternative for the Scout. I am always looking for breads that have no milk or egg products, and this way I could totally control the contents. I was telling my Aunt Sharon of my longing to again be the owner of a bread maker and she said that she had one that she would give me because she never uses it anymore. Score! I was pumped this afternoon to bust out a loaf of french bread. I made a pot of soup and a key lime pie for dessert. We will be headed to the Jazz Jubilee tomorrow and thought this would be the perfect thing for when we got home late and I didn't feel like cooking. I followed the recipe that my sister-in-law had given me. It was easy. I followed the directions on the bread maker. O.k., no problem, good. I hit the button to start, and the bread maker took off kneading the dough. Excellent, I am three hours away from my hot french bread. And then I heard a loud knocking sound and suddenly the thing shut off. Hmmm. Maybe its starting to rise. No, the book says it has to knead the dough for 18 minutes and its only been 7. Uh oh, I smell the motor burning. Uh oh, its not working. Drat!!!!! So I call up my Uncle Tom and Aunt Sharon and shared my dilemma with them. Not like they would have been able to fix it when they are all the way in Napa, but I needed a consult. They said they didn't know what it could be, but that it was probably something that could be fixed. Now my Uncle Tom has been a fabulous baker most all of his adult life. He started working at Napa City Bakery when he was 14 sweeping the floors and eventually moved to Buttercream Bakery where he decorated beautiful cakes for everyone, and I mean everyone in Napa. His cake decorating was well known wherever he went. He told me "Punkin," this is what he has called me since I was born, "just throw it in your Kitchen-Aid and put the bread hook on and let it knead it for awhile. Then just let it raise where its warm and throw it in the oven." O.k. I will try it. I really had my doubts, not in his abilities, because I know his would turn out good, but I was worried about my ability to follow his directions properly. So I kneaded it with the bread hook in the Kitchen-Aid and then let it raise for about 45 minutes and then I threw it into the oven at 350 for about an hour. This was a total guess on my part. I just sat by and watched it. In the meantime I went to work on my key lime pie and the recipe called for me to whip the mixture until it formed soft peaks. I have made my own whip cream on several occasions and know it takes a while for it to form the soft peaks, but I whipped this thing with my mixer for over 20 minutes and then got frustrated and threw it in my Kitchen-Aid for another 10 and no soft peaks. It got a little bit foamy, but there was no peaks. My brother popped by at this time and I was so frustrated with cooking I was about to cry. The kitchen was a mess and the poor guy was trying to tell me about his day and all I could think about was my stupid bread maker not working and the dumb key lime pie not making those foamy peaks. Sorry bro, next time I promise to be a better listener, I was a little to preoccupied with my many mishaps. To make a long story short, the key lime pie came out o.k. minus the peaks and the bread came out of the oven and was "done to a T" as my Uncle Tom likes to say. Thanks Uncle Tom, you really helped me out with your great tutelage! The girls dug into the bread like it was the last thing on Earth to eat and I thought it was pretty great too!

Another Yummy Recipe

I am always looking for good alternatives for foods that I love, but now have to avoid due to food allergies. I found out a little over a year ago that I am allergic to soy. A lot of people with heavy duty peanut allergies (such as myself) are allergic to soy. I was lucky, because I got away with 30 years of being able to eat it without incident. I have found through researching labels, that it is in literally everything processed or store bought. So goes my quest for finding soy-free, but still yummy products. With that said, I was deeply saddened by the fact that I could not have my favorite ranch dressing anymore. You see, ranch dressing in the bottle is full of mayonaisse, which is made with vegetable oil, which is soybean oil, which is what I have to try to avoid. I can eat it, but then I begin paying for it with losing my voice and trouble breathing and heaviness in my throat. As much as I love it, its just not worth the feeling.



I happened to turn on Rachel Ray today, which is the Peanuts favorite show, (the girl loves to cook) and she was making homemade ranch. I was sure it was going to be loaded with mayonaisse, but then to my delight it didn't contain any soy products at all. Hallelujah! It is made with lots of buttermilk, which I thought was always heavier than cream, but found out it is made from skim milk and has way less calories than cream. Could that news get any better? So here is the recipe to make your own. I am hoping it turns out as good as it sounds.

Ranch-O-Rama

1cup buttermilk


1/4 cup sour cream (you can use light)


1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar


1 clove garlic, grated


2 tablespoons (about a palmful ) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped


2 tablespoons (about a palmful) fresh dill, chopped


1 tablespoon (a small palmful) fresh chives, chopped


Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Yields 6 servings


In a medium-size bowl, mix together the buttermilk, sour cream, white wine vinegar, garlic, hot sauce, parsley, dill and chives. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix in any of your favorite ingredients to make it special

Secret Indulgences

I know the picture looks kinda gross, but let me tell you how good these sweet potato french fries are that I made last night. They are so good, that I might even give up chocolate for them. What?!? Yes, they are that good. Here is how I made them:

I purchased two sweet potatoes (not the yams but the sweet potatoes) at the store. They are both sweet potatoes of sorts, but the ones that you want are white in the middle, not the orange. Sweet potatoes have been found to be one of the most nutritious vegetables out there. They are super high in fiber, beta carotene, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C.

Peel them or leave the skins on whichever you prefer. I peeled them, because you know how kids get with skins or crusts left on anything.

Cut them however you prefer your fries. I cut them in about 1/2" layers and then cut them into skinny fries and laid them out on a cookie sheet.

Next, I drizzled a little bit of extra light virgin olive oil over the top. I learned with the oil that less is more - see oil in picture.

Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper over the top to your liking.

Pop them into a 450 degree pre-heated oven for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes use a spatula or tongs and flip them over and let them bake for another fifteen minutes. When you pull them out they should be pretty well done. If you want them a little more brown just pop them back in for a few more minutes.

They don't come out especially crispy, but Wowee, I ended up eating almost the whole cookie sheet.

While we are on the subject of secret indulgences, I have a confession to make - I snuck out of the house this afternoon while the hubby was still at home watching the kids play and cruised over to get my daily Starbucks vanilla latte and they had one of my favorite cookies of all time in the display case - Snickerdoodles!

I looked around and made sure there was nobody watching and when the barista asked me if I would like to have anything else, I smiled and did a jig and said, "One Snickerdoodle Please." I really would have preferred to order the whole case, but one will have to do for today. I couldn't go home with my huge delicious cookie in hand (there would have been some hurt feelings and big lips mainly from my husband for not getting him one) so I decided to indulge even further and eat the whole thing in my car in the parking lot. It tasted so good especially with my iced vanilla latte. Even though it was like 100 degrees in my car, I enjoyed every second of it. Its amazing how secret little indulgences like these can make a person so happy. Tomorrow I meet my personal trainer Jenn and there will be no more secret indulgences for awhile. Just thought I would get that little confession off my chest. Man, that cookie was good!

Orange Marmalade-Ricotta Cupcakes with Yummy Frosting

CUPCAKES ARE BACK! They are back with a vengence! Who doesn't love a itsy bitsy treat of heavenly goodness? I love to try out new recipes whenever I get a chance, especially ones that involve frosting. I know a lot of people may have an aversion to ricotta cheese but just try it, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised. This recipe is one that I have found in my travels (or my Cottage Living magazine) that can't be beat. Every time I make them, I get rave reviews!

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz.) package of plan white or yellow cake mix. ( I always use white cake mix - Duncan Hines)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice, divided

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup orange marmalade (I like Smuckers)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I actually use Extra Light Olive Oil - I know it sounds strange, but I like it and its good for your heart)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons of orange zest

Yummy Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1 tablespoon of orange marmalade

1 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest

2 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons of orange juice

Yummy Frosting Directions:

Beat first three ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Gradually add orange juice, beating at medium speed 30 seconds or until frosting is spreadable. Beat at medium-high 30 seconds or until fluffy.

Cupcake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert paper liners into 20 muffin cups; set aside.

Beat cake mix, 1 cup of orange juice and next five ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Scrape side of bowl with spatula, and beat at medium speed 2 minutes or until batter is thick and well combined. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each liner.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Brush tops of warm cupcakes evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Let cool in pans on wire racks for five minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of Yummy Frosting on each cupcake. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, up to a week in refrigerator or (unfrosted) up to six months in freezer.

Kids and adults love these!

If you love cupcakes, you may want to check out these cool blogs:

Everyday is a Holiday - Fantastic artist and great blog to read!

All Things Cupcake - If you really love cupcakes this is the place to check out!

Handmade & Homebaked - Peptogirl (Amy) is also one of my Craft Mafia sisters and super talented at everything she does!

P.S. The restaurant in the pic is in NYC. I so want to try it out!

Quick! Fix It! Stove Top Casserole

I love quick fix dinners. I depend on them. I especially love casseroles that incorporate all of the basic food groups. I got this recipe out of a magazine and tried it because it was so easy and I had all the fixins right in my pantry. You can fix this up before you go somewhere and pop it in the oven for 40-45 min and voila dinner in a dish and very kid friendly (all except my youngest who can't have milk and eggs. I will share some vegan recipes next week. So stay tuned my vegetarian and allergy ridden friends.). So try it and tell me if you like it!

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVETOP Stuffing Mix - The recipe calls for the chicken type but I prefer turkey.
1-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces. I use Foster Farms frozen breasts. I use two and it seems to be plenty.
1 can (10- 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup of sour cream
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained. Now here you can experiment a little. The first time I made it all I had were frozen peas and carrots and it was great. The second time, I tried the mix with corn, peas and carrots. My oldest had recently let us know of her huge dislike of green beans so I avoided the mix with those in them. But try it, whatever you like best. I didn't really care for the one with corn myself.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in a 13x9 inch baking dish; top with stuffing.
The recipe says to bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. I am paranoid when it comes to meat not being done, so I cooked it for 40-45 minutes and it was perfect. I have a new oven and for some reason it doesn't ever seem to be hot enough for whatever I cook. So experiment. Its good, its easy and its quick. Hope you like it!