Music Monday Test

Starting August 4th, I will be hosting a link-up along with Teh Megan & Emmy!  This is my test post to figure out how to actually code the link-up.

Chocolate Crack

Again, I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe before!  I love making this, and tend to do it a lot during the fall.  Not that it's particularly fall-y, just chocolate and peanut butter.  I just found it around Thanksgiving so I start thinking of it around this time of the year.

Ingredients

• 1 box graham crackers (I used cinnamon ones on accident, but they were delish)
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray with Pam/nonstick cooking spray.
3. Line the pan completely with a layer of graham crackers.
4. Combine butter with brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat: STIR CONSTANTLY for 5 minutes.
5. Pour the mixture over the graham crackers as evenly as possible.
6. Put in oven & bake for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from pan & sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers. Give them a minute or two to melt and then spread them out with a spoon/spatula/etc.

My tips

• I didn’t boil the sugar/butter, just warmed it on medium & let it melt together.
• Also I didn’t use the entire bag of chocolate chips, just kind of sprinkled them on there & spread.
• I think you can use less butter & brown sugar (3/4 of a cup of each, maybe even just 1/2 cup).  I also made it with white sugar when I ran out of brown (not quite as good as using the brown sugar, but I still liked it).  Last night I had a stroke of pure brilliance and added a tablespoon or two of peanut butter to the butter/(white) sugar combo and it was AMAZING.
• The original recipe said to let it chill before eating…this is REALLY hard for me to do.  I did like the one with white sugar (& no PB) better cooled, but it’s really yummy warm too so I don’t think you can really go wrong either way.
• Several people have heard of a similar version using saltines (so you have a salty/sweet combo) and love it.

French Toast

French Toast is one of those foods that I always wanted to make, but for some reason I was afraid to try it.  I'm really glad I got over that, because it was awesome.

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• Teaspoon of cinnamon (can add/subtract to suit personal preference)
• Teaspoon of vanilla (again, can adjust to personal preference)
• Sliced bread (with the above ingredients, I was able to make 6 slices)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except bread.  
2. Dip bread into egg mixture, thoroughly coating.
3. Place bread in lightly buttered pan, on medium heat.  
4. Cook until each side starts to look a little dry (not too dry or burnt, but definitely not soggy anymore).  Flip as needed (think of it like cooking a grilled cheese).
5. Serve, preferably with syrup and milk.  

The Beauty of Rice

As I stated in my last post, the hubs & I are trying to cut down on some grocery bills and are being a bit creative with our menu lately.  One thing we have discovered?  The beauty of rice.  I know rice is one of those foods that's getting a really bad rap lately, with all the carbs and whatever other problems it has.  But it's great for getting a filling meal on the cheap, and hey, everyone keeps talking about this crappy economy so sometimes affordable food is more of a priority than healthy food (not saying it's right, saying it's a reality for many). 

Here are some of the ways we have been using rice lately:

• Served with some canned beef stew.  Yes, I stole this idea off of a commercial.  But it was surpisingly good (the hubs loved it, and he was really skeptical of the idea to start with).  Meat, veggies, and rice all in one swoop.  And cost less than $5.
• With veggies.  There is a brand that does canned okra and tomatoes, pre-seasoned, and it's so freakin' good.  I poured some over some rice and took it to work the other day for lunch- amazeballs.  I usually am not a big fan of many canned foods, at least not without adding my own seasonings, but I really like this.
• My dad reminded me that rice with cream of chicken soup is also good, he used to make it pretty often when I was a kid.  Add some mushrooms and shredded chicken to really amp up the meal.

Parmesan Pasta

The hubs & I have been trying to cut down our grocery budget lately.  Some things have been a success, some have not.  This one, however, I really enjoyed.  I've heard it before but never tried it, but it's it's definitely going to be fairly common around here from now on!

I found this through Favorite Meals for $5 or Less.  It's been several years since this topic started so some prices have risen, but it's still a good place to go for inspiration on the cheap.

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta
• Butter (to personal preference, probably 1/2 cup or less)
• Parmesan cheese (the grated kind to put on pizza) (again, to personal preference, maybe 1/4 cup?)
• Veggies (optional)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Stir in butter (can melt if desired).
3. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

My notes

• The plain butter & cheese mix is surprisingly good, and keeps the cost down.  However, some complaints were made in the link about these meals being unhealthy (mainly because it uses a lot of pre-made/pre-mixed things or were low on veggies).  So I steamed some broccoli and roasted some tomatoes to add in there.
• You could also shake things up with seasonings, I know we added garlic powder but I think some Italian seasoning could also be good.  
• The main point- this is a great cheap dinner but can easily be adapted to increase nutritional content.  Honestly I prefer this over Alfredo sauces so who knows what I'll be doing with this simple, plain base in the future.

Kool Aid Pie

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this recipe here before.  It's one I was introduced to through a Southern Culture class, shockingly enough.  We had a whole chapter about food (y'all know Southerners like to eat) and someone brought this as a family recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 graham cracker crust
• 1 can Eaglebrand milk
• 1 tub Cool Whip
• 1 packet Kool Aid 

Directions

1. Mix the condensed milk, Kool Aid, and Cool Whip together until thoroughly mixed.
2.  Spoon into graham cracker crust.
3. Refrigerate (I'd recommend at least 1.5 hours). 

My notes

• Easy peasy, right?  
• I personally like more tangy flavors of Kool Aid for this, so I use lemon/lime mixes to balance out the extreme sweetness of the other ingredients (Pink Lemonade is my favorite).  I know others who have used Fruit Punch, etc though so play around with it as you see fit.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Crescet Rolls

I found this idea on Pinterest (which is really to blame for my lack of updates here, I've started going to my many "Food" boards rather than blogs for recipes).  It's simple, nothing fancy, but a good recipe to have in your arsenal. 

Okay, apparently the pin/link has been taken down so no links or credit given.  If this was your original idea, please let me know & I will credit you.

Ingredients

• One can crescent rolls
• Peanut Butter (about a cup, I guess, I just always take directly from the jar)
• Chocolate Chips (1/2-3/4 of a cup, I just take from bag & sprinkle in)

Directions

1. Preheat oven according to directions on crescent roll package.
2. Spread out crescent rolls on buttered cookie sheet.
3. Using a butter knife or spoon, spread peanut butter onto crescent rolls.
4. Take the chocolate chips and sprinkle onto peanut butter.
5. Roll up crescent rolls and bake as directed on package.

 My notes

• As I stated, this recipe isn't particularly amazing but considering it gets a high rating from me based on the facts that  it's both cheap and really easy.  Also it's fairly easy to proportion (just make less & save the extra crescent rolls for another day/recipe).  It's been enjoyed by several people, especially those who see me prepare it and marveled at the ease of it.