Try It Sunday: EASY Caramel Bars!

I'm sorry I haven't been updating this feature as frequently as I should, but I figured I'd come back with a great one for you!

Easy Caramel Bars

1 package of yellow cake mix

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

36 Rolo candies

 First things first, preheat your oven to 350, and while that's happening, cut your Rolos in half.

Next, you will need to get out a mixing bowl and get your ingredients together:

Everything EXCEPT your Rolos. The batter is super thick and sticky.

I highly recommend that you line your pan with foil and spray the HELL out of the foil with a non stick spray.

Put HALF of your batter in the pan.

Be super patient, this is time consuming because it is so thick and sticky. You'll bake this for about 10 minutes.

It will look puffy and set.

Put your candies on top. Now, the recipe calls for 36 but I didn't use all of them. I basically ate the rest, so I still think you should have all 36 handy.

Then you are going to cover your candies with the rest of your dough. Again, this is such a pain because it's so sticky.

Bake for another 25 minutes and cool on a wire rack and then cut. Even though I used foil and a ton of spray, my bars did stick a bit so I think I will use more spray on the sides of the pan.

These are addicting! I made these for a parent teacher conference dinner and they were all gone by the end of dinner with a note asking for the recipe. I love cake mix recipes the best, so easy and we always have one on hand! I bet you could even use any flavor of cake mix, I might try a chocolate next time to see if it works. But this is a GREAT option if you like bars, don't like lots of ingredients, and need a cheap option for dessert!

Try It Sunday: Chicken Tacos!

It's Sunday so that means I am playing along with Stacy Homemaker and her weekly Food Stars Link Up party! If you are looking for some fun new recipes to try I highly encourage you to visit her blog and see what the rest of us are cooking up.

This week I am making what is maybe my favorite meal as of late: chicken tacos in the crock pot! This is also probably the easiest recipe I have in my arsenal and it's so good to have as tacos but with the left overs you can have nachos for lunch the next day, use the chicken in a salad, use it in a lettuce wrap or in a pita pocket, it's so versatile even as leftovers.

 All you will need is:

• One pack of chicken boobs
• One pack of taco seasoning
• One jar of salsa, whatever kind you like
• Optional: black beans or corn if you want a little extra in your tacos

If you are short on time in the morning this is the recipe you need to have on your menu because it takes less than five minutes to make! All you have to do is place your chicken in the crock pot. Pour your salsa in as well as your taco seasoning, stir together so the salsa and seasoning are mixed but they also coat your chicken. If you want to add corn or beans to this, do that now but drain them! You don't want all of that extra juice all up in your chicken. 

Cook this on low in your crock pot for 6-8 hours. Once you get home and get everyone settled, take a couple of forks and shred your chicken. After you have it shredded, give it a good stir so all of your chicken has your salsa mixture on it. 

Serve your tacos however you like. Since Olivia has braces I pretty much only use the soft tortillas because it's easier for her. I took a picture of Jackson's taco, he only likes chicken and cheese because he's weird. But Matt's would have lettuce, sour cream, sometimes extra salsa and chopped raw onions. It's so delicious and it's so easy. It also heats up the next day really well!

Are you looking for more budget and kid friendly recipe ideas? Follow me on Bloglovin and join me again next Sunday. I'm going to be trying a Sweet & Sour Chicken Stir Fry. Shenanigans may ensue again, just like with my pasta salad.

Try It Sunday: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli

It's that time, friends! I'm linking up with Stacy Homemaker and her Food Stars Weekly Link party where we share what we're trying this week and hopefully you'll find a whole ton of new dinner ideas for yourself! Last week's party was so great and there were so many amazing recipes that I'm already adding to my next shopping menu.

This week we are making my Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli dinner and I make this in the crock pot. Anyone who stopped by my house a few days ago commented on how great my kitchen smelled. The nice thing about being home with it is I get used to it so I don't necessarily smell it.

That is until I take the baby for a walk and come back and it's torture because it smells so good.

There are quite a few variations of this recipe but this is the one that's the easiest to make, it's stuff you already have on hand and it's a dump and go recipe. I cannot emphasize enough how easy this is AND it's a one dish meal.

 You're going to need:

• Chicken
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 bag of shredded cheese (I used colby jack because that's what I had on hand)
• 2-3 cups of instant rice (I used white because again, it's what I had.)
• One large chopped onion
• Some frozen broccoli (I used like two handfuls)
• If you don't like broccoli, or don't have it on hand feel free to use whatever vegetable you want! Another good option is using a broccoli and cauliflower medley. 
• Salt and pepper to taste

First up, put your chicken in your crock pot. Toss in your onion and spoon the cream of chicken soup on top of it. Let this cook in your crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours or so.

Once that's done, add your cheese, rice, and veggies. If you feel like it's not liquid enough to cook your rice then add a splash of chicken stock. I didn't have any issues with mine, but my chicken was also partially frozen so perhaps the moisture from that helped out.

Put the lid back on and let it cook another 20-30 minutes, just enough that your rice and veggies are cooked.

And THAT'S IT! Seriously! It's so delicious, your chicken is moist, and honestly, I thought cream of chicken soup and cheese would be a gross combination but it's really delicious. The best part? Both of my kids ate it, including Olivia who hates melted cheese. No, I have no idea what's wrong with her either.

Did you love this? Check back next week and I'll be sharing my Chicken Taco recipe that again, is so easy even a moron can do it. Seriously. You really cannot screw that one up! Follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss a post!

Try It Sunday: Pizza Pasta Bake

If you are like me, you have a couple of picky eaters (myself included) and dinner time can be... a struggle. I'm also on a budget and don't like to make things that require a lot of ingredients or time so that narrows down my cookbook, for sure. This week I'll share one of our favorites, and a favorites of the kids I've watched this summer, pizza pasta bake!

 So my ingredients vary depending on what I actually have. But ideally, this is what I use:

1 package of sliced pepperoni
1 1/2 pound of italian sausage  (or ground beef, but Matt prefers sausage)
1 diced green pepper
1 large diced onion
1 bag of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 package of pasta (any kind you like, I prefer a short cut, but I'm using a long cut today)
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 jar of tomato sauce (kind of optional, I use that to stretch the sauce out a bit)
favorite pizza/pasta seasonings

*basically whatever you like on your pizza, throw it in. I've done different peppers, olives, mushrooms, etc- it's a great "dump" recipe with no real measurements, just whatever you want to add.

I cook my sausage and pepperoni together. You don't have to cook the pepperoni, but I kind of like mine cooked up a bit. 

Drain that out, return to your skillet. 

Start adding your veggies to soften them up a bit. Add some salt and pepper, and I sometimes throw in a little of this Italian seasoning blend I got at a kitchen store. 

Add your sauce. This is where I add more veggies if I feel like it isn't chunky enough. 

Let that simmer and get warm. Meanwhile, cook your pasta HALF WAY through. Don't cook it fully because we are baking this and you don't want your pasta to get mushy. 

Once your pasta is done and you've drained it, mix your meat and veggie sauce with the noodles. Give it a good toss. 

Spread it into a 9x13 pan. 

Layer with mozzarella cheese. You can pretty much use any kind of cheese. I've been known to use up anything I've got, mixing cheeses as I go. I don't feel like you can ever have too much cheese. 

Bake at 350 until it's bubbly. Remember, everything is basically already cooked, you're just warming it up and letting cheese melt. So maybe 20 minutes tops. 

And devour! 

This is so good as a leftover dish, and I'm not even a fan of leftovers! 

If you loved this, share it! Also follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss anything. Next week I'll share a new favorite, cheesy chicken and rice. MMM. 

 

Try It Sunday: Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Tomorrow is Matt's 35th birthday and because we are low on funds, I've opted to make him a birthday cake. Now admittedly, I am not the best baker and cakes are very much not my specialty. I almost don't want to admit I've gone through two sessions of a cake decorating class because truly, you'd expect more of me and I have learned this is not where my talents are. It is always a success if I can get the cake out of the damn pan, if it's edible it's just a bonus. But what I am good at is making frosting. I make a damn good frosting, folks.

Now before I go on, I will admit to you that I have done this recipe so many times I just eyeball and taste my ingredients as I go. BUT, if you are a person who needs measurements, all of my absolute favorite baking recipes come from the Glorious Treats blog. Not one of my sugar cookies has ever come out like hers but dammit if I don't try every Christmas. But if you are looking for a really easy, very versatile frosting recipe, she makes a great American Buttercream Frosting and has a whole bunch of variations listed. I am making that, but made my chocolate. My favorite is the cream cheese buttercream but would you believe me I had no cream cheese? It feels wrong and I am ashamed. 

So you need two sticks of soft butter. It's buttercream, obviously it's not healthy. Beat that until it's smooth. 

I add a pinch of salt and about... 2 cups of powdered sugar. 

It should be nice and creamy. 

Add about another 2-3 cups of powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract. 

It does get pretty thick, so feel free to add a splash of milk if your mixer smells like it's going to start on fire. (True story, my cheap little mixer was always on the verge of fire with this. But my friend Amy got me a GREAT Kitchen Aid hand mixer and I am in love with it.)

Now I think the measurement is a 1/2 cup of cocoa, but I used a couple of spoons. It ended up being a little more than I should have. 

So I added some more powdered sugar. The great thing about this recipe is you can make as much or as little as you want just by adding butter and sugar as needed. 

Trust me, it took everything in me to not eat this by the spoonful. I mean, I did have a cake to frost after all. 

This is maybe the best thing I learned from cake class. That and that box mixes are your friend, just add an extra egg. But this spatula is my best friend. I love you, spatula. 

Do I have a a cake picture for you? No, I don't. We ate it. 

Burp. 

Next week? 

Pizza Pasta Bake, folks! GET READY TO GET FAT. 

Try It Sunday: The saddest little summer salad you ever did see.

I feel like I have to start this off by telling you I'm not actually a bad cook and I'm usually far more prepared than I was when I set out to make this salad for Matt.

This isn't actually a "recipe" per say, it's more of a "dump what I have and call it good" salad because that's essentially what I do. 

Ingredients:

- a meat (I'm using diced ham here, but I usually use tuna because that's what Matt prefers)

- a pasta of your choice (I usually use rings or elbow macaroni, but this week I had bow ties)

- mayo

- mustard

- onion 

- carrots (I didn't have any. Whoops!)

- peas

- Ranch dressing

- some kind of shredded cheese (totally optional, and I'm only using it because I used ham)

Now, I consulted Edward before I decided to cook and he assured me that I did indeed have peas. 

It turns out Edward was wrong. But I found these and I thought maybe I could make these work. Except then I realized, I had no recollection of buying these. Where did these come from? Oh yes, they were from my brother's freezer from when he moved. Over a year ago. 

Turns out, things can go bad in a freezer so these weren't smelling great as I cooked them and they looked vaguely like spinach. So I threw them out and went with plan B. Just wait till you see what that was. 

Anyways.  

So while I was chastising Edward over his absolute screw up, I got everything else ready. My pasta was cooked, I chopped my onion, I got everything all ready while my veggies cooked and then cooled.

Yeah that's right, I went with mixed vegetables. Don't judge, people, don't judge. It's what I had and I wasn't trying to run to the store for peas only. But it also solved my carrot problem so really, this was a win.

Dump everything into your bowl and mix. There aren't any measurements on the mayo, mustard, or dressing because it's kind of to your taste.

Matt likes it so it isn't goopy, but you can still taste all of the different things in it. I don't eat any of this because I hate basically everything in this aside from the noodles and cheese.

Edward was feeling pleased because somehow, I was able to not make this ridiculously ghetto. Matt ate the entire huge container for breakfast at work because he is gross and weird.

Try It Sunday: Lemon Bars

I'm the first one to tell you I love to bake, but I kind of suck at it. I shouldn't say that. There are some things I can make and make well. Other things... not so much. Don't ever ask me to make a bundt cake because it'll come to you still in the pan. It's just the truth.

That means I basically stick to super easy baking recipes you cannot screw up. Once upon a time I was in Barnes & Noble looking through the bargain and clearance books and I found this cookbook.

It's not very big, but it's amazing. It's seriously the most used and best cookbook I own. If you can't bake without starting a fire, you need this book in your life.

Also, we'll be cooking with Edward today.

So one of my favorite things ever are lemon bars. Unfortunately, lemon bars from scratch are a pain in the ass and I don't think they ever really taste lemon enough. But these bars? DELISH. And lemony.

You need: one box of lemon cake mix, 2 eggs, and a 1/3 cup of oil. That's it. 

Go preheat your oven to 350 while you mix. 

Dump it all into a bowl and mix. It's super thick, so just make sure you mix it well. 

It is super thick. 

Now, it says this will fit a 9x13 pan that you've greased. It does not. Well, I've never gotten it to spread into a 9x13, so go for an 8x8 pan. Unless you really like lemon bars, then you'll do a double batch of this and get it into a 9x13. 

Like me. 

Bake this baby for about 20 minutes if you do a double batch. Otherwise it's 13-15 minutes. Basically you want it to be golden brown on the top. 

Like this. 

It does rise (it IS a cake mix, after all), so mine basically looks like a weird sheet cake. But who cares because it's delicious. 

I cannot emphasize this enough! 

Now, if you aren't a total loser and actually have powder sugar, sprinkle that on top. If you are like me, you ran out and assumed you had some because you usually do but it turns out you don't, so you don't get powder sugar on your yummy bars. 

But this is a GREAT recipe to bring if you are going to a potluck. I'll bring this with a little container of raspberries and blueberries to have on the side. Yummy.