Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

I needed something for my teenage son to snack on when he got home from school... Pepperoni Pizza Muffins are great !!

Makes 24

Ingredients:

• 2c Bisquick
• 8 Eggs
• 2c Milk
• 2 packages Hormel Pepperoni Minis
• 8oz Finely Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• No stick cooking spray 
• Contadina Squeeze Pizza Sauce or any kind you like for dipping

Heat oven to 375

Spray muffin tins with non stick cooking spray

Combine Bisquick, eggs and milk. Whisk until well blended.

Place 1tbs of baking mixture in bottom of muffin tin.

Add about 1/4c total pepperoni and cheese.

Place 1tbs baking mixture on top making sure to cover evenly.

Bake for 20 minuets or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and tops are golden brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack. 

Let cool for 10 minuets and serve with pizza dipping sauce!!!

After completely cooling I freeze 4 in a Ziploc bag to have for after school snacks...

Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets

These are very very close to the real thing YUM!

Ingredients: serves 4

• 4 large chicken breasts, diced into bite size pieces 
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cups pickle juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flower
• 5 tbs powder sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs pepper
• oil for frying chicken
• large ziplock bag

Instructions:

• Whisk together milk, egg and pickle juice. Pour into large bowl, add cutup chicken pieces to mixture and marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours
• Combine all dry ingredients in ziplock bag seal and shake well
• Remove chicken from marinade and add a few pieces at a time to the bag shake well to coat completely
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Gently place chicken into oil with tongs. Do this in several batches changing oil when needed. Cook chicken for 4 min on each side or until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from pan and place on a paper-towel lined plate.

If you are going to make my Family Chicken Mashed Potato Bowls tomorrow then remember to make extra chicken nuggets :)

Family Chicken Mashed Potato Bowls

Chicken Mashed Potato Bowls Family Style

I just love KFC's mashed potato bowls so I decided to create my own.

serves 4-6

Ingredient's: 

• Mashed potatoes homemade or flakes
• 1 can of corn
• 1tbs pepper
• 1tbs garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic pressed
• 2c shredded colby jack cheese
• Bacon bits homemade or Oscar Mayer real bacon bits (don't use imitation)
• 1 can chicken gravy 
• Fried chicken (about 16 small nuggets) or any leftover chicken I use leftovers from my copycat chick-fil-a recipe 

I usually make this the day after I make my copycat chick-fil-a fried chicken nuggets they are to die for :) but you could always use any type of left over chicken or even chicken nuggets but please make sure you use cooked chicken in this.

Directions:

Heat oven to 425

Prepare 6 servings of mashed potatoes adding the pepper and garlic to give them zip. A little tip I use chicken broth instead of water when making mashed potatoes from flakes.

Spread 1/2 the prepared potatoes in the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish

Sprinkle 1c cheese over potatoes

Place chicken in one layer over the cheese

Sprinkle 1/2 bacon bits over chicken

Drain corn and place evenly over chicken and bacon

Spread the remaining potatoes over the top

Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bacon bits over the potatoes 

Bake for 20 min 

Heat Chicken gravy and serve on the side for your family to use as they like.

Serve in bowls :)

Year by Year School Keepsake Box

One of the hardest things to do is organize and store your child's school memories over the years.

This is one of my favorite ways and a very popular one.

Year by Year School Keepsake Box

What you will need:

• 1 hanging file folder bin per child with lid. It can be see through or colored and if you want to get really fancy you can get wicker ones from Amazon for about $25 here.
• 1 pack tabbed or untabbed hanging file folders letter size.
• 1 pack tabbed file folders. 
• 1 pack printable address lables.
• 1 pack card stock
• 1 pack photo corners. Used to secure photos

Step 1
Assemble your box.
Hang 13 file folders (k-12).
Place one tabbed file folder in each
Print each year on the printable address lables and place on the tabbed file folder

Step 2
Create your main page in each year.
It should have the essentials on it a place for a photo or two, grade, teacher, and school.
Print on card stock

I like everything to be uniform from year to year so I make a template on my computer and use it for every year. Just print out 13 of them (k-12) and pop them into their year and your ready to go.
If you do not want to make your own here is one I snagged from the net. (not my creation).

Step 3
Fill your folders up and enjoy!
Store your photo corners in the back of the box.

Things to keep:
Awards
Certificates
Report Cards
Photos of favorite art work
A few pieces of art
Copies of schedules (middle and highschool years)
Photos of events mounted on cardstock with photo corners

Pink Lemonade Bars

Adapted from Fluffy Pink Lemonade Dessert

Pink Lemonade Bars 

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups broken pretzels

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup butter melted

Topping

1 package 8oz cream cheese

2 boxes 4 serving size white chocolate instant pudding

12oz frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

3 drops red food coloring

8oz container of whipped topping

Step 1:

Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor bowl with metal blade, place pretzels and sugar. Cover; process 15 to 20 seconds or until finely crushed. With food processor running, drizzle melted butter through feed tube, pulsing to mix well.

Step 2:

Press crust mixture in bottom of ungreased 11x7-inch pan or glass baking dish. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool completely, about 45 minutes

Step 3:

Remove foil wrapper from cream cheese package, place cream cheese in large microwavable bowl; microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) 45 seconds to 1 minute or until well softened. Stir until smooth. Beat dry pudding mix into cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well incorporated. Add lemonade concentrate and food color. Beat on low speed until mixed. *** Transfer to a blender and blend on high about 2 minutes until fluffy. Transfer back to mixing bowl and stir in 2 cups of the whipped topping until smooth. Spread over crust. Spread remaining whipped topping over lemonade mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.

This dessert was so YUMMY my family LOVED it ! (even the picky ones)

*** This is what I needed to do to get the mixture fluffy, the mixer just didn't do it but the blender did.

Quote of the Day

Glow In The Dark Bubble Fun

What you will need for your glow in the dark fun

*Non Toxic Glow Sticks*

Clear Plastic Cups

Scissors

Clear Bubble Liquid

Bubble Blowing Wands

Paper Towels

Part 1:

Break a glow stick so that it is activated and cut the ends off. It is easier to get the liquid out if you cut both ends of the glow stick, but be careful and lay out some paper towels since the liquid might splatter

Part 2:

Empty the liquid from the glow stick into a clear plastic cup. Use about 6 glow sticks for each cup of bubbles.

Part 3:

Pour in clear bubble liquid and mix the solution together well. You should have a brightly glowing glass of bubbles. Have fun with your glow in the dark bubbles !!

*Please use non toxic glow sticks*