Queso- Cheese Chili Dip like from Chili's ...EASY

So who else orders the Queso from Chile's because, even though the Salsa rocks..the Queso takes your chips to a totally different level!(Corrie your the bomb)
Hope you are sitting down , because the pure ease of this recipe left me feeling a little silly..and giddy.
Drum roll:

Nally's Jalapeno Hot Chili
1 8 oz bar of cream cheese

Directions:
Combine in a microwave safe bowl...heat until both are bubbly, mix well, sprinkle with cheese on top (boy your fancy now) ....and SERVE.
IT REALLY IS THAT EASY....and beyond yummy!

Watermelon, Pinapple , Nana smoothie...

First you take your Water melon and you cut-it, you cut-it...you cut it, cut , it cut it...Then you take your Nana and you peel-it you peel-it , you peel it peel it peel it...Smoothies, your making smoothies...your making smoothie-smoothie smoothies...

Annoying,however the song my kids were singing while we made these for breakfast.
Whats nice is both watermelon and Banana's are easy for kids to cut with butter knifes...so them can help in the kitchen.

Here goes the recipe:

3 cups Pineapple Juice
3 Cups Cut up Watermelon
2 banana's
2 cups ice...

Then you: blend it , you blend it ....you blend it blend it blend it...
Next you : Drink it...you...OK done being obnoxious for the day.

Homemade Churros

Homemade Churros

So I was reading this really fun book ( The Lost Recipe for Happiness by. Barbra O'Neal) and since it was about a chef, each chapter had a recipe at the beginning....and there was a Churro recipe.I was a little hesitant ...reading the recipe and thinking.."Really can it be THAT easy?" Well Sheesh my kids BEG for Churro's every time we go to the Costco..so I though lets give er' a whirl...and ya know what ...PRETTY-DANG-EASY! The dough reminds me of my mothers Cream Puff Recipe...)and yes I will promise that soon).
The thing that cracks me up in the book is at the bottom of this recipe it says in parenthesis "Makes Men and Boys your slaves for life"...I ran some hot churro's over to my neighbors..and five minutes later ...my male neighbor had sent his little 7 year old darling girl over for the recipe...Funny Stuff.

1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
Lard or Shortening for frying ( I use 2 cubs plain Crisco)

Sugar and Cinnamon for Sprinkling over churros

Directions:
It happens FAST so have your flour measured and eggs slightly beaten.(in separate containers)

In saucepan, heat water , butter and salt to boil then stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mix forms a ball, about a minute, then remove from heat and beat the eggs into the dough until everything is smooth (I used my Boshe for this).
Heat Lard or shortening (about 2 inches) in a heavy frying pan until a bit of dough sizzles.

Spoon dough into a Cake Decorating Bag or Tube with fat star tip…and 5 or 6 would be perfect ( I only had a 4). Squeeze out strips of dough about 4-5 inches long and fry three to four at a time 2 minutes or so on each side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle generously with Cinnamon and Sugar.

* Awesome with a Mango Smoothie after spicy Mexican Food!

~Alchohol free~ Banana-Pina-Colada

We have this for dinners drinks...or breakfast (like we did this morning)...It's easy and YUMMO!

Ingredients

* 2 cups ice
* 2 cups pineapple juice
* 1 can light coconut milk
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup fresh (or canned pineapple)
* 2 bananas

P.S. If you are lucky enough to find Coco Lopez (a blue can of Sweet Coconut milk found in the alcohol section)USE THAT!!!!

Directions

1. In an electric blender, blend ice, pineapple juice, milk, cream, and pinapple. Blend until smooth.

Homemade Fruit Leather

If your kids are anything like mine ....SNACKS are NOT optional...they are as important as the AIR they breath...please tell me I am not the ONLY mom whose life revolves around the short people needing to feed again.
String Cheese, baggies of Granola, Cut up fruit, Veggies...you name it they WILL eat it.
Well tired of the whole "fruit snack" movement...what the he%# are in those things anyway?...I found this recipe and thought "Ya Boss"...

So here goes...and I KNOW what they are putting in those beautiful busy bodies!
Thank you my "Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade Cool kids Cooking Book"!

Items Needed:
1 bag (16 oz) desired loose-pack frozen fruit, thawed*
Sugar (optional) * I use organic

Preheat oven to 140 degrees F or warm setting.Loosely line a 17x12 inch rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap,leaving extra plastic wrap draping over edges, set aside.

Place thawed fruit in a blender.
Blend up on Puree. Scrape side and make sure everything is completely blended up and smooth...

Next pour in pan...tilt pan back and forth until the bottom of pan is evenly covered.

Place baking pan in preheated oven. leave oven door open about 4-6 inches to allow moisture to escape.

Dry fruit for about 6 hours or until middle of puree is barley sticky...

Place on wire rack and cool completely.

To remove from pan, peel plastic wrap back back. Working from one of the short ends, roll fruit leather up, peeling back the plastic wrap as you go.

Cut up into single serving size with a sharp knife.

Store in Airtight container: or Gallon size baggie (hello am I the only person on earth whose Tupperware lids disappear?)they can stay at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, refrigerator, for two months..or freezer for three!

If you are using fruits that tend to brown such as peaches...add a table spoon of lemon juice to Blender...

Fruit idea's:

Strawberry
Blueberry
Mango/Strawberry
Peach/Blueberry
Apple/Strawberry
Plum/Cherry

Glazed Spiced Pumpkin Bars ~healthy

Found these one Fiber One Recipe's....we make these when we all need a lil' more fiber in our diet (If ya'll know what I mean)

Ingredients:
2 cups Fiber One® original bran cereal
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons orange juice

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray, or grease and flour pan. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).
In large bowl, beat oil, 1/2 cup orange juice, the pumpkin and eggs with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Stir in crushed cereal; let stand 10 minutes.
Beat in remaining bar ingredients except walnuts on low speed until well blended. Stir in walnuts. Spread evenly in pan.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough of the 4 to 6 teaspoons orange juice for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bars. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

Crunchy Granola ~ Our summer vesion of Oatmeal !!!

Ingredients
• 6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
• 2 cups chopped almonds (I use Costco raw almonds kind and chop them with my Boche)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or MUCH more to taste
• Dash salt
• 1/2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
* 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit, optional, I LOVE me some Craisens or dehydrated blueberries


Directions
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.





2. On slightly oiled cookie sheet pour oats and pre chopped nuts, mix well.
 3.In a glass pourable bowl, melt cinnamon, salt and sweetener, and coconut oil for 45 seconds in the microwave or stove top. Pour and mix into Oats and Mix on a sheet pan making sure you flip and scrape the bottom and put in oven. Bake for 30-50 minutes or a little longer, stirring every 10-12 minutes. Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.
• 2. Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.

* Soooo YUMMY with Almond Milk , In a Baggie for snacks...or over Yogurt!

*Yield About 8 cups (at least 16 servings)
Time 40 minutes

Cinnamon Sugar Almonds

Cinnamon Sugar Almonds

What you will Need:
4 cups Raw Whole Almonds
½ cup White Sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 Egg white
1 teaspoon cold water

Preheat oven to 250’. Lightly grease a metal 10x15 pan.In bowl
Lightly beat egg white; add water, and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts and stir until well coated.
In a cup mix together salt, sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over nuts. Toss to coat, and spread evenly on pan.
Bake for one hour in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden…. Allow to cool and store nuts in an air tight container.

HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS....YUMMY & EASY ...I not kidding!!!!

I found thos resipe on the net ...and was AMAZED how great they turned out!!! These potato chips are very easy to make in the microwave. Also, they are healthier for you as they are not cooked in any oils. This method has intrigued so many people that have tasted them and then made them for themselves. Kids just love them.
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Ingredients:

4 large potatoes (russet, yellow gold, white or red potatoes)

your choice spices (granulated garlic powder, seasoning salt, cayenne pepper, dried dill weed, granulated garlic powder)

Olive oil, for microwave bacon tray or use a paper plate on top of a Mirowave safe plate.

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Directions:
If potatoes are old, peel and slice thin, less than 1/16" in thickness (paper thin), slicing across the potato. If the potatoes are new or good skins, DO NOT PEEL, just scrub well, then slice them less than 1/16" in thickness (paper thin), slicing across the potato. ( I use a kitchen aid peeler and it works perfect for the chips.Place potato slices in a bowl, sprinkle with some salt (if desired) cover with cold water and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove potato slices in batches onto paper toweling and pat dry. If you have a microwave bacon tray, rub the tray with a vegetable oil, then place the sliced potatoes flat on the tray in a single layer. Sprinkle with your choice of herbs or spices or just leave them plain. Cover with a microwaveable, round heavy plastic cover. Microwave on HIGH (full power) for 5 to 5 1/2 minutes or until they curl slightly and are a very light brown in color. (watch them ...some were done in four minutes)Cooking time could vary slightly, depending on the wattage of your microwave and the thickness of the slices. The thinner the slices, the quicker they cook and the tastier they are. You do not have to turn the sliced potatoes over. Rub the inside of the dish with some olive oil for the first batch of potato chips. I do not know why, but I find that if you do not rub oil the first time, some chips will tend to stick to the dish. After the first batch is done, you do not have to rub the dish again. Continue to microwave the remainder of sliced potatoes as noted above. If using a bacon tray, after the first batch is cooked, you can reduce the microwaving time to 4 1/2 minutes and even less as you continue to microwave each batch. You can also use PARCHMENT PAPER to microwave the potato slices. Lightly spray or rub the parchment paper with some vegetable oil or a Pam spray. Place your potato slices on the parchment paper, then sprinkle them with whatever you like and then place another piece of parchment paper on top. This will help microwave the potatoes more evenly and they should turn out nice and crisp.

Microwaving time should be between 4 and 6 minutes.
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ADDITIONAL IDEAS:. Granulated garlic powder with parsley. Cracked black pepper, grated parmesan and sea salt sprinkled after removing from microwave. Another, after removing chips from microwave, sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese, zap for a few seconds to melt the cheese, then add a dab of sour cream.