Smore Brownie Balls

Ingredients:
Your favorite brownie mix ( I used Betty Crocker Triple Chunk)
1/4-1/2 cup hershey's syrup
1 pkg Candy Melts in the color of your choice or almond bark (I used red because I forgot to buy chocolate almond bark)
4 graham crackers (smashed up into crumbs)
1 cup mini marshmallows (two for each ball)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I used some leftover easter candy...fyi)

Cook brownies according to the package.

Once cool, crumble up into a bowl and add 1/4-1/2 cup hershey's syrup and stir until mixture can be rolled into balls easily.

Start with a small amount in your hand and roll into a ball.

Press mixture into a "nest" and add two marshmallows.

Fold the "nest" in on itself and pinch to close. Add more mixture if needed.

Roll into a ball and make sure marshmallows aren't sticking out.

Stick balls into the freezer for about 15 minutes. While your balls are hardening, melt your chocolate or candy melts in a double broiler. Keep on low-medium heat to keep it from over heating.

Put your graham crackers into a bag and crush into crumbs.

Take your brownie balls out of the freezer. Doing one ball at a time, drop into the melted candy coating. With a spoon, roll the ball around until covered.

Once covered, use a fork and carefully tap the excess coating off the ball. Once it's no longer dripping, place the ball on a parchment lined plate.

While still hot, sprinkle the brownie balls with graham cracker crumbs.

Repeat the process until all balls are done. In a small cup, Melt the milk chocolate. Once melted, place into a bag and drizzle the balls with chocolate. BE CAREFUL! The bag will be very hot. Do not use a thin sandwich bag for this, but instead use a thicker quart bag. If you don't have a bag, just dip a fork into the chocolate and drizzle on.

Place in the fridge until the coating hardens. Then serve!

Savory Crock Pot Chops

This recipe is from a friend of a friend, so by the time it got to me, it got changed a bit, but here's my take on savory crock pot pork chops.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs Dry Onion Soup Mix

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 32 oz box low sodium chicken broth

2 pkgs low sodium brown gravy mix

2 pkgs thick cut pork chops

Throw all ingredients into the crock pot and cook on high five hours or low six to eight hours. Pork chops will be tender and moist. Enjoy.

Mama's Pot Roast

Mama's Pot Roast

Normally it can take me a while to make pot roast. Usually I start by cutting it up, rolling it in flour, frying it so that the outside is nice and crisp and then making my own gravy....just like mom taught me. But, while searching for a new recipe, I came across Budget Savvy Diva's pot roast recipe and tweaked it to my taste. I was so shocked at how it tasted just like my mom's recipe from when I was growing up. This one is a keeper!!

Ingedients:
2-3 lb Arm Roast
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 packet dry onion/mushroom soup mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 32 oz box of beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4-6 yukon gold potatoes cut up into chunks skin left on
2 cans cut carrots

Except for the roast and carrots, combine all ingredients in your crock pot. Mix until well blended and then add your roast (don't cut up yet, just put it in whole).

Cook on high for 4 hours. After the fourth hour, take the roast out and cut into small chunks. Put back into the crock pot. Add the two cans of cut carrots. Stir and recover.

Cook on high for one more hour. Serve and enjoy.

Yummy Beans

So, one night I made some beans for one of our potluck meals at work and snuck in some ground pork and didn't tell anyone cause I thought they'd be grossed out. As it turned out, everyone loved the beans and I've made this recipe tons of times before and it never tasted this good, so pork has to be the secret. Anyhow, I thought I'd put the recipe up so that I wouldn't forget it and be able to share it with others. Trust me, you'll love it and it's so simple. This would be a great crock pot recipe if you wanted to do dry beans instead of canned ones. :) Enjoy.

You will need:
2 cans Bush's pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 pkt ranch seasoning ( I buy it in bulk, so just measure accordingly....don't worry, if you add too much, it will only add to the flavor)
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 32 ounce low sodium chicken broth
2 cups seasoning blend (or 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, bell pepper, and cellery)
1 lb ground pork
1/2 tsp Slap ya Mama seasoning (I really think this is one of the things that made the flavor so good too because a friend left it out and it didn't taste as good...I found mine at Super 1 Foods)
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Seasoning to taste

*see below for crock pot version

Begin by scrambling the ground pork and seasoning blend on hi heat. Cook until done. Drain if you want, but I like to keep my grease to add to the flavoring. Actually there wasn't that much grease believe it or not.  Add in the packet of Ranch once it's all cooked and stir. Lower your heat to medium.

The mixture will kinda get a thickness to it...thisis normal. (It's just the ranch thickening the juices up).

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and simmer on medium to low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Cook some corn muffins up and serve! The juice in this picture looks a little odd, but believe me, it's the most awesome juice ever.

*Crock Pot Version of Yummy Beans

For the crock pot version, I'd use 1 lb pinto beans and 1/2 pound kidney beans. Sort and clean the beans and throw in crock pot with the rest of the ingredients. I might add 2 cups of water or 2 cups chicken broth to compensate for the beans soaking up the juice. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until tender.

If you want to use can beans but put it all on the crock pot, cook on low for 4 hours.

Bunny Bait

 For daycare, I decided to try a friend's recipe for bunny bait. I was supposed to use Chex Mix instead of Kix, but I had that on hand and the kids like Kix more. Here's the ingredient list:

Kix

White Popcorn

1/2 bag Pink Candy Wafers (found at Walmart or Hobby Lobby)

1/2 bag White Candy Wafers

Marshmallows

Pretzel Sticks

Easter Sprinkles

Tin Foil

Bunny Bags

Ribbon or twistie ties

Scrapbook Paper

So first things first, you pop your corn and then on a foil lined cookie sheet, combine the popcorn, kix, and pretzels. 

 

Melt your white candy wafers first and evenly pour over the mix.

 

I then put gloves on (because this gets messy!!!) and mixed it up until it was all coated.

 

 Melt the pink candy wafers and pour over the top (use a spoon so you get it all over nice and evenly...you're not going to mix this up). And then add the M&Ms and sprinkles while it is still hot so that they stick.

Once Cooled, break the bait apart and put into bags. Tie with a ribbon and add the bunny Bait Tag.

To make the tags, I used scrapbook paper and found some bunny clipart on the internet. I added a box to make it look like the bunny was holding a sign and put "From: Olivia M and From: Noah M" to make it a little more special. Then I simply copied/pasted several to a page and printed them out. I used craft scissors to add a decorative look, then hole punched the tag and tied them with a twistie tie. Ribbon will work too.

Pootie was none too happy to wear her easter outfit to daycare...poor baby.