Check out the kid friendly recipe on page 7 for Quick Berry Jam!!! 

http://www.parenting.com/article/berry-berry-good?page=0,6

I read this article in Parenting Magazine 2 years ago and have wanted to take my kids to a berry patch ever since! 

Hope y'all enjoy! ~ Cooking With My Kidlets

Alec's cakes I made for his Pirate Party!

I couldn't help but show them off!!! 

Treasure Map cupcakes

Treasure Chest Cupcakes

Pirate!

Beware Bones!

Scull & Crossbones mini cupcakes

Treasure Chest cake!

 ~ Cooking With My Kidlets

What better day than a Monday for NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY?

I stick to our family recipe for my favorite chocolate sheet cake:

Thomas Cake

½ cup Shortening (Butter flavored)
1 stick Oleo
1 cup Water
¼ cup Cocoa
1 tsp Vanilla

boil, add to ingredients below, 

& set pot aside to use for frosting.

  2 cups Sugar
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
pinch of salt

mix boiled ingredients well with dry, then add eggs and mix thoroughly, pour into greased 11"X15" pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes till tooth pick inserted in middle comes out clean

While the cake is baking take the same pot from earlier and add

1 stick Oleo
¼ cup Cocoa
6 tbsp Milk
pinch of salt
1 tsp Vanilla

bring to a boil then add

1 box Powdered Sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

This cake is unique since you can pour the frosting on as soon as you take it out of the oven! Its a wonderful fast dessert for unexpected guests and/or you get that craving for CHOCOLATE!!! 

Hope y'all enjoy! ~ Cooking With My Kidlets

Here is my Mom's recipe for 

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk 

(since it costs so much now!)

1 ½ cup Powdered Milk (dry)
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Boiling Water
4 tbsp Butter or Margarine

mix all in a blender, keep refrigerated!
This recipe makes the equivalent of 1 can.

This is what I have going in my Crockpot today!

http://foodsofourlives.com/2013/09/crockpot-dump-and-cook-tortellini-soup/

Here is my take on it!

 Crockpot Tortellini Soup
{dump and cook}
Ingredients:1 bag Frozen Cheese Tortellini
1 bag Fresh Spinach
2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
4 cups Chicken Broth
1 block Cream Cheese (cut into chunks)
2 large sprigs Fresh Basil (chopped)
½ tsp Black Pepper
Directions:Set aside the fresh spinach, place all the other ingredients in your crockpot and stir them around to combine. Turn your crockpot on high and cook for 4-5 hours. Add the fresh spinach & stir again to mix up the melted cream cheese and serve.

Not very pretty to begin with!

still not very pretty...

ugly in a whole new way...

Much Better!

Delicious!!!

Hope y'all enjoy! ~ Cooking With My Kidlets

I have this going in the crockpot for supper tonight! 

I'm gonna serve it with warm corn tortillas! 

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

{dump and cook} 

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/slow-cooker-salsa-chicken-recipe

Soooo here's my version...

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

{dump and cook}

Ingredients:

2 lbs frozen Chicken Breasts (boneless and skinless)
1 cup Salsa
1 can Rotel
½ cup Water
2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
1 cup Onions (minced)
½ cup Celery (minced)
3 tbsp Sour Cream
½ cup Monterrey Jack (shredded)
½ cup Cheddar (shredded)
1 green onion (for garnish) 

Directions:
Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat then layer the onion, celery, salsa, & tomatoes on top. Pour ½ a cup of water over the mixture, set on low and cook for 6-8 hours. The meat is cooked when it shreds or reaches an internal temperature of 165°. When ready to serve, break up the chicken with two forks then stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle shredded cheese & top with green onion garnish!

 

Hope y'all enjoy! ~ Cooking With My Kidlets

Aley's Famous
Crockpot Syrian Stuffed 
Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

6-7 large Bell Peppers (I prefer orange, red, and/or yellow)

2 lbs Ground Chuck

1 ½ cups Rice (uncooked)

3 cups Water

5 cups Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp Cinnamon

1 tbsp Allspice

1 ½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

Directions:

Cut around and remove the stems out of peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Fill a 7-quart crockpot with 3 cups of water. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chuck, uncooked rice, cinnamon, allspice, salt, & black pepper. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture & place standing upright into crockpot. Pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers. Cook on High for 8 hours.

Hope y'all enjoy! ~ Cooking With My Kidlets

When I was little I would make my mom talk like Julia Child whenever we were cooking :)

She was one of my mom's favorite chef's and still is one of mine!

~ Cooking With My Kidlets

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

{dump & cook}

So I shared this recipe a while back but I'm finally getting around to trying it. 

I'll let y'all know how it turns out! ...

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/blow-your-mind-tomato-basil-pasta-2.html?p=60

...OK, here is my version

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

{dump & cook}

Ingredients:

1 lb Thin Spaghetti   
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 large Onion (cut in julienne strips)
6-8 Cloves Garlic (minced)
3 large sprigs basil, chopped
5 cups Chicken broth 
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Directions:

Just dump and cook on medium-high for 20-25 minutes.

Hope y'all enjoy! ~ Cooking With My Kidlets