I am getting back on the weekly menu planning track.  It really helps me keep the grocery bills down and saves time and energy when dinner time rolls around.  I thought I would share my weekly menu plans here on the blog and at I'm An Organizing Junkie.  (Love!)  I generally do my meal planning on Saturday evening (woo-hoo, yeah I'm a party animal).  I get my grocery list in order and then I shop on Sunday morning, in the peaceful early morning bliss at the grocery store.  You all know I'm a hermit and can't stand a crowd, right?  If I have to shop later in the day, on a weekend, or (gasp!) during the week with my kids, forget it - we'll eat cereal for dinner!  No joke, folks.  So...weekend grocery shopping just works best for me right now.  Maybe that will change when the kids are both in school, as I understand one can find better "deals" during the week.  :)

Anywho!  Let's get to it.  I'm starting with Sunday, but I think other people generally start with Monday.  I'm a rebel, what can I say?  A rebel that makes grocery lists on Saturday night.  So sad.







Linked to Menu Plan Monday  at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

In the fall, I make apple crisp all the time.  I think I could prepare it with my eyes closed...seriously, I've got it down.  I've been wanting to find a great recipe for a crisp using berries though, instead of apples.  I've tried several recipes and none of them were what I was looking for.  Specifically, the problem was that the berries created so much juice while baking that the filling was mushy and too runny...eww.  Or!  The recipe called for flour or cornstarch to be stirred into the berries before baking, therefore creating a berry layer that was...slushy, too thick.  Eww, again.  I'm so hard to please, I know.   Sorry!

I'm happy to report that I've found the one!  The berry crisp recipe that I will use from now on, and learn to make with my eyes closed, until my family begs for something else.


I ran across this recipe on Allrecipes and was intrigued by the method...pressing 1/2 of the crisp topping mixture into the bottom of the pan before baking.  Genius!  That totally did the trick.  The layer on the bottom sort of mingles with the fruit and results in a perfectly delicious berry crisp, no slush or mush!  There is still plenty of buttery, crumbly topping to make it, well, a CRISP!  I am really happy with this recipe. I hope you give it a try!

Triple Berry Crisp
Source:  adapted from Allrecipes
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Ingredients:
4-4 1/2 cups mixed berries*
5 Tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease an 8x8 baking pan.  Stir together berries and sugar.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Add the butter and pulse until mixture forms a sandy, crumbly texture.  Press 1/2 of the mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.  Pour berries over the top.  Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the berries.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.  Let cool for about 20-30 minutes before serving.

*I used a frozen blend of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  I just let the fruit thaw before I added the sugar.


This post is linked to:   Mouthwatering Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Bake With Bizzy
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
and

Hello friends! I'm excited to tell you that I am featured as a guest blogger over on Home Savvy A to Z.  This sweet blog is run by a very nice lady named Erin.  She shares all sorts of great information on subjects like home maintenance, design, gardening and (my personal favorite) FOOD.  My post over at Erin's blog spotlights some of my favorite Cheesecake Bar recipes. Stop by and check it out!

Something simple and fabulous today...Cream Cheese Brownies. These little brownies are very fudgey and loaded with mini-chocolate chips and swirls of cheesecake.
See! Simple, but oh so wonderful.


Make some today!

Cream Cheese Brownies
Source:  Marcy Goldman's The New Best of Better Baking
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For the cream cheese layer:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp flour

For the brownie layer:
1/3 cup unsalted butter
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a 9x9 or 7x11 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2.  For the cream cheese layer, combine the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl.  Blend well.  Stir in the egg, vanilla, and flour until smooth.  Set aside.
3.  For the brownie layer, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir until smooth and let cool.
4.  Stir the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt into the chocolate mixture.  Slowly stir in flour until blended and smooth.
5.  Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.  Drop on dollops of the cream cheese batter.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips, then top with remaining brownie batter by placing small dollops on top of the cream cheese batter.  Using a knife, cut through the batters to marbleize.  Gently smooth the top.
6.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cream cheese swirl is just set.  Let cool on wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.

* These are best served slightly chilled, they have a denser texture and are much easier to cut.



This post is linked to:  Sweet Treats Thursday
Mouthwatering Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Fun With Food Friday
Friday Food
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Savory Sunday
and

I have two kids.
We eat a lot of pizza.
We just do.  I apologize.
I don't love the mucho pizza eating.  It just keeps the kids happy, and well, it's easy...therefore, I am more pleasant when hubs arrives home from.  And good heavens, sometimes I just need a break from the kitchen!  So..the pizza...it works.
The regular pizza establishments suffice, but I much prefer something other than cheese pizza (for my girl, but we have to call it "plain" because she doesn't like cheese!) or pepperoni (for my boy).
I knew right away when I saw this lovely pizza on The Pioneer Woman that it would be the perfect "something other" sort of pizza for me-and it was! 
(Yes, I know, again with PW?!  Sorry...I just love her so very much.  Sorry.) 

So!  The Taco Pizza...it was really very good!  So many tasty things going on: a homemade crust, black bean & salsa base, and a drizzle of sour cream and hot sauce topping the whole affair!  Mmmmm...mmm...mmm!



Give it a try.  I made my favorite pizza crust using my bread machine, but I've made PW's crust before and it's really good.  Check out her post if you want to try her crust recipe.

Taco Pizza
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups bread flour

For the pizza:
1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup salsa
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 cups grated cheese (Monterey Jack and/or Cheddar)
1 head green leaf lettuce, shredded thin
2 whole ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cups chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cups sour cream
3 Tbsp hot sauce (or more! I used Frank's Red Hot)

Prepare the crust:
Bread machine: Put all of the ingredients for the pizza dough into your bread machine, in the order directed by the manufacturer, put it on the "dough" cycle and let it go. :)

In a mixer: In a mixer bowl, hand whisk water and yeast and let stand 2-3 minutes to dissolve and bloom yeast. Briskly whisk in sugar, salt, oil and 2 cups flour and mix to make a very soft dough. Knead with dough hook, dusting in remaining flour as required to form a soft, elastic dough, about 5-8 minutes. Place dough in a large, well greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Prepare the pizza:
Preheat the oven to 500F.  Let the oven heat for 20-30 minutes.
In a small sauce pan, stir together the black beans, salsa and seasoning.  Warm over medium-low heat and use a potato masher to mash the beans to desired texture. Continue heating beans, stirring occasionally, until no longer runny (should be the texture of refried beans). Set aside.
Remove half the pizza dough from the bowl (or bread machine). Save the other half to use later (you can wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it.) With hands, spread pizza dough on an oiled baking sheet, making sure it’s relatively thin. Spread layer of bean mixture all over pizza crust. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Place pan in the oven and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Watch it to make sure crust doesn’t burn.
Remove pizza from oven. Sprinkle on shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cilantro.
Mix together sour cream and hot sauce, adding enough hot sauce to make the mixture pourable. With a spoon (or you can put it in a pastry bag) drizzle mixture over finished pizza.
Cut into squares and serve immediately with good quality salsa.
 

This post is linked to:  Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Mouthwatering Monday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Fun With Food Friday
Friday Food
Savory Sunday
and

So...I cranked out some super-fabulous cupcakes a little while ago.
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes.
I'll share them with you soon. They were so good!

Anyway...I made the cupcakes and proudly presented them to my husband.
Me: "Look! Do you waaaaant one of these delicious cupcakes?"
Him: "No thanks, I'm just on my way to work out?"
Me: "What!? Don't you want a cupcake to give you a little sugar boost, so you'll have the energy to lift all those heavy weights?"
Him: "Why yes, the weights I lift are really very heavy, but no thanks, I don't want a cupcake."
Me: "Why? Don't you love me?"
Him: "Yes, but I just don't like chocolate that much. See ya!"

Why? Why, I ask! Why does he wound me so? I've tried and tried to bring the joys of chocolate to his attention, he just won't bite (literally). Blast!

What's the point here? Did I just hear you ask that? Well, the point is that I made these cupcakes for my husband...the chocolate disliker. To tempt him.  I'm a cupcake temptress.
Or not.
Behold...
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Though he claims to not like chocolate, the man does love a chocolate chip cookie. I think he'll like these cupcakes. He won't reject THESE cupcakes...he better NOT reject these cupcakes. We'll see! He'll be home soon.



See ya!
Here's the recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes
Source for the cupcakes:  Tidy Mom
Yield:  24 cupcakes
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Ingredients:
For the cupcakes
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the frosting
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
5-6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line 2 standard cupcake pans with paper liners.  Set aside.
2.  Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar. Cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approx 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3.  Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
4.  Alternating add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl with the milk on low speed, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla and fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
5.  Divide the batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6.  Prepare the frosting:   In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.  Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
7.  Frost the cupcakes and decorate with mini-chocolate chip cookies and mini-chocolate chips and/or sprinkles.



This post is linked to:  These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Mouthwatering Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Fun With Food Friday
Friday Food
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday
So Sweet Sunday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
and

Hello friends!  May I tell you something?
Since we're friends...
I have cravings.  Powerful cravings.
No, not preggers, not I.  I just crave...
Mostly these cravings hit about 9:30pm, and are generally for things like nachos and (forgive me) Toaster Strudel.  These cravings usually lose out to the fact that I am fairly cozy in my bed and much too lazy to get up.  Cozy and lazy vs. getting up to operate the toaster oven.  Mmmm...what to do?  Zzzzzz...Snore.  (That's me forgetting the craving and falling asleep.)

There are other times though, that a craving hits me in the middle of the day, and I think about that particular food all day, for days on end, until I finally make the blasted business!  These strawberry buns are a result of LE CRAVE!  Madness! 


They are delightful, friends!  I love them...buttery and tender, with pretty swirls of strawberry preserves.  Eeek!  I need another one...now!
You all have cravings too though, right?  I'm not the only one...right?  What do you crave?
Tell me all about it.  I'm here for you.

Strawberry Breakfast Buns
Source:  Magnolia Bakery
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Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry preserves*

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 9 large muffin cups.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and beat well.  Add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.  Drop 3-4 small dollops of strawberry preserves onto the top of each bun and, using the tip of a sharp knife, swirl the preserves into the batter.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a bun comes out clean.  Allow the buns to cool for 8-10 minutes in the muffin pans and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

*I usually use strawberry preserves, but you can use another other fruit preserve. 



This post is linked to:  Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday
Melt In Your Mouth Monday
Muffin Monday
Mouthwatering Monday
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday
What I Ate Wednesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Fun With Food Friday
Friday Food
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday
So Sweet Sunday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Sharing Sunday
and

Can I take a moment to complain?  Only a moment, I swear.
My kids drive me crazy with their never-ending arguing!
Grrrrr...
They have 752,861 toys to play with, stacks of books to read, a dog to chase--endless forms of entertainment, and yet...they torment one another.  All.  Freakin'.  Day.
WHY?!
Does anyone else have this problem?
Sometimes I just cannot listen to anymore, referee anymore, re-direct anymore and then...then I hide from them.
I fix myself an iced coffee, find a baking book, and hunker down in a corner of my closet.  I credit this iced coffee with saving the tattered remains of my sanity...no joke.  I sip this sweet beverage, flip through my book and find the strength to get back in the middle of the battle (literally).  My iced coffee...it saves me.


K.  The moment is over.
Back to the important thing here:  Iced Coffee.
Divine!
Until I saw The Pioneer Woman's post about iced coffee, I had been making mine with freshly brewed coffee over lots of ice.  Simple and tasty, but...but...but now I've seen the light and know the truth!
Amen.
I tried it PW's way and I'm converted...forever. 

I've scaled down her recipe to fit my iced coffee needs.  Yes, you read that correctly, I said needs...iced coffee needs.  A 2-quart pitcher has been lasting me about a week.
Again--Amen.
Make some for yourself and you'll see the light too!

Iced Coffee

1.  Get some cold filtered/purified water, about 2 quarts (1/2 a gallon).
2.  Get some good quality ground coffee, about 1/4 lb.
3.  Mix the two together and let the mixture sit for about 8 hours or overnight.
4.  Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth or paper-towels and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.
5. Put the coffee mixture in the refrigerator and let it chill until you're ready to use it.

Here is how I usually prepare my iced coffee:
I fill a glass full of ice, pour in the chilled coffee (about 2/3 full) and then add in some milk or half and half.  At this point, it needs a little something to sweeten it up.  Sometimes I just add a little sugar, sometimes I add some sweetened ground chocolate and call it an iced mocha. :)  I've also got some caramel sauce that really puts it over the top.  Just add what you like and make it your own!  Hiding from your children is optional at this point. 



This post is linked to:  These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Fun With Food Friday
Food Friday-Momtrends
Sweets for a Saturday
Savory Sunday

I had an especially yummy key lime tart during my stay in Florida a couple weeks ago.  I've been daydreaming about it ever since.  It was so creamy and luscious! 
I really, really wanted to re-create that sweet treat at home. 

Lime Bars
Source: very slightly adapted from Evil Shenanigans
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For the crust:
1 1/4 sleeves of graham crackers
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one lime

For the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice

1.  Heat the oven to 350F.  Line an 8″ square pan with parchment paper that hangs over the edge of the pan by a few inches (so you can remove the bars from the pan more easily).  Grease the parchment paper.
2.  Place the graham crackers, sugar, and lime zest in a food processor.  Pulse until the graham crackers are reduced to fine crumbs and the mixture is well combined.  Turn on the food processor and slowly stream in melted butter until all crumbs are coated.  Press crumb mixture evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
3.  Once the crust is cooled, combine the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lime juice and combine. It will begin to thicken slightly.  Pour the filling into the crust, making sure the filling reaches the edges. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.
4.  Cool to room temperature, then chill for several hours or overnight.  Pull the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares with a sharp knife, wiping the knife clean with a damp cloth between cuts.  Store in the refrigerator. 


This recipe is linked to:   Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday
Mouthwatering Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Sweet Treats Thursday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Fun With Food Friday
Food Friday-Momtrends
Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Savory Sunday