Ducky Dinner Rolls

Aren't these just the cutest things? I saw this idea over at the Rhodes Bake and Serve website. These would be perfect at an Easter dinner, or any Springtime get-together!

Ducky Dinner Rolls

16 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1 egg, beaten
sliced almonds

Directions:

Slightly flatten 12 rolls and form them each into a teardrop shape. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Pinch the pointed ends to make tails and press your finger into the rounded end of each teardrop to make a deep hole. Cut the remaining 4 rolls into thirds. Shape each third into a ball with a pointed end. Dip pointed ends in water and insert into the finger hole on the body for the head. Brush well with beaten egg. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Remove wrap and pinch tails again. Bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven. Make a small slit with a sharp knife and insert a sliced almond for the duck bill.

Serves 12.

Lemon Glazed Butter Cookies

So, these are the cookies that my friend and RS President, Holly, brought to a recent RS event. They are melt-in-your-mouth good, and perfect for Spring! Enjoy!

Lemon-Glazed Butter Cookies

1 c unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c confectioners' sugar
1 c flour
2/3 c cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter and confectioners sugar with electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Sift together flour and cornstarch. Add to butter and sugar mixture. Blend until dough is soft, about 1 minute. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.

Glaze (make half a recipe)

2 1/2 c confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 c butter, melted
2 T fresh lemon juice

Combine 2 1/2 c confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and lemon juice. While cookies are still warm, mound 1/2 t icing on each. Icing will melt. Cool cookies. Makes 3 dozen 

image credit

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

I made this recipe for St. Patrick's Day. I was a little worried that the little boys wouldn't like it. Boy was I wrong! Matthew has asked me to never make red cabbage again. He wants Green Cabbage Wedges from now on. He wants it today, tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. I found this recipe on line-- see the link at the bottom.

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 medium head green cabbage
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Put the oven rack to the upper middle position. Place a cookie sheet on the rack and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl. Quarter the cabbage through the core and cut each quarter into 1 inch wedges, leaving the core intact. (There will be about 16 wedges.) Brush the cabbage wedges all over with the oil and then sprinkle them with the salt mixture.

Arrange the cabbage wedges on the hot cookie sheet. Roast until the cabbage is tender and lightly browned around the edges-- about 20-25 minutes. Drizzle the cabbage with the balsamic vinegar. And then enjoy!



http://www.grouprecipes.com/101842/roasted-cabbage-wedges.html/print

I ♥ E-mealz

So, I've gone and whined to John (more than once -- right, Honey?) how time-consuming and tedious menu planning and grocery shopping are for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm always really glad when it's done and my pantry's full, and my family knows what's for dinner. But it comes at a cost. And, that's IF I can find time to bite the bullet and do it! Oh, how I wish I could hire a personal chef...

Here were my criteria --

• Please come up with healthy meal ideas for my family.
• Quick, easy recipes. I'm busy.
• Oh, and we're a small family -- so not a lot of servings.
• AND -- I have picky eaters at my house, so no "foofy" food, please.
• Oh -- and I'm a Weight Watchers gal, so I need points figured out.
• Yeah...and I'm not doing the new points system they just came up with, so...could you please do the old point system?
• Oh, and I'll need a prepared shopping list, so I can just take it and go.
• Please organize that shopping list by section, k?
• Um, would it be too much to ask if you tally up the cost of the shopping list before I go, too? I'm a Dave Ramsey girl, too and budgets are big with me.
• Oh, one final thing. I really do like to cook, so you let me do that part and you do all the other tedious work.
• Oh yeah, one more final thing. I don't really want to pay you a big, honkin' salary for doing this.

Yeah, anyone looking at a list like that would say, "See ya, lady!"

But I did find someone that would do ALL of that for me. I was messing around on Dave Ramsey's site and saw link to E-mealz and clicked on it. I looked around and starting hearing angels singing in my head!  This is a group who believe in Dave Ramsey principles-- they believe in saving families money and time; truly helping them.

They have specific, prepared lists for anybody. They can be diet specific and use current grocery sales. (be still my heart!) Here are some examples they offer:

• Point-System Meal Plans
• Low-Carb Meal Plans
• Vegetarian Meal Plans
• Couples-Only Meal Plans
• Low Fat Meal Plans
• Gluten-Free Meal Plans

• Kroger Meal Plans
• Publix Meal Plans
• Wal-Mart Meal Plans
• ALDI Meal Plans
• RALPHS Meal Plans
• Any-Store Meal Plans

Healthy, family friendly recipes with sides already figured out. Cost of food tallied. Big family, small family and just couples, whatever -- it's figured out for you.  Love it!

John and I have been trying it out this week, and we're in love! The recipes have been great, the pantry's full and dinner's figured out for the week. Not a lot of money, time or effort on my part, and no guilt. I'm a good mom, feeding my family healthy, yummy foods.

The best part? I pay $1.25 a week for this. I put it as part of my grocery budget.

I GOT MY PERSONAL CHEF!!! He works for 1.25 a week! Bwahahaha!

Sorry if I sound like a commercial in this post. We really love this service; it's made our life easier, and I wanted to let you know about it.

I put an E-mealz button in the sidebar if you want to take a look at their website...tell me what you think!

P.S  If you decide to sign on, you can find coupon codes on line. :-)

Death By Chocolate

(Yeah, I'm all over the name of this recipe. What a way to go!)  This recipe got raves at a recent RS Christmas Dinner here. I am now sharing it with you. Because I refuse to be the only one with a big butt.

Death By Chocolate

1 Devils Food cake mix (bake per directions)
2 small boxes Jello instant pudding
1 12 ounce carton Cool Whip
6 Skor candy bars - crushed (Heath bars can be substituted)
1 Hershey chocolate bar - grated

This is enough to make three layers in your container.

♥  Make the cake - let it cool
♥  Mix the pudding.
♥  Crumble part of the cake into the bottom of the bowl.
♥  Pour a layer of pudding over the top
♥  Put a layer of Cool Whip on top - sprinkle some of the Skor candy bits.
♥  Repeat these layers 2 or 3 times - depending on the size of the dish.
♥  Sprinkle crushed Skor bar and grated chocolate on top.
♥  Refrigerate.

It looks pretty in a clear glass dish where you can see the layers. Use a trifle bowl if you have one.

picture credit

Pumpkin Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebekah reminded me that I haven't posted this recipe here yet. This one is a favorite at my house.  I'm already a big fan of pumpkin cookies, but this recipe makes me sing! Fast, easy, take the ingredients right out of the pantry, and yummy!  But, best of all - a ONE point treat!!

 

Pumpkin Cookies

1 box spice cake mix
1 (15 oz. ) can pumpkin
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Combine together. Drop by spoonful on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies. 1 point each. (woo-hoo!)

*Hints:

I have found that using name-brand ingredients counts here. I made these once using generic brands, and I'm sorry...they just weren't as good! Here's what I use:

♦  Libby's canned pumpkin
♦  Guittard milk chocolate chips
♦  Duncan Hines (or any of the other name-brands) cake mix

Cookies and Cream Dessert

WARNING: This dessert may contain substances of an addictive nature. Eat responsibly.

This is the dessert my friend, Katie K. brought to Isaac's Baby Blessing. The whole family stood around the bowl, taking a spoonful and smacking it on their tongues to determine the ingredients. "Hmmm...there's a hint of vanilla....and yet the creamy texture would suggest...." I actually saw someone drinking a cupful! Well, here's the recipe. Thanks Katie!

Cookies and Cream Dessert

2 small (3.4 oz) packages vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
2 (8 oz) containers extra creamy whipping cream or 1 lb. whipped cream frosting from the supermarket bakery
1 pkg Oreo cookies, crushed

Wisk vanilla pudding and milk together. Stir in whipping cream then add crushed oreos and stir. Refrigerate.

If you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, the cookies get nice and soft.