Nestle' Tollhouse Pie... An American Comfort food

Last night we were able to celebrate my dad's 69 birthday! Instead of making a cake I decided to make a pie. I didn't plan ahead like I normally do so I decided to see what I had in stock. I had all of the staple ingredients for a Nestle tollhouse pie! It's like taking America's favorite cookie and placing it into a pie. You mix all of the ingredients and then pour it into the pie crust. After baking it the ingredients split into several layers of ooey gooey goodness that is out of this world! After you have enjoyed this pie you can enjoy the leftovers by heating up a slice for 10 seconds in the microwave. 

NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® CHOCOLATE CHIP PIE

https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/28218/nestle-toll-house-chocolate-chip-pie/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 325° F.

BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

* If using frozen pie shell, use deep-dish style, thawed completely. Bake on baking sheet; increase baking time slightly.

When life gives you lemons... Make Lemonade (and clean the kitchen sink)!

Summertime is one of those times where you have to make essential summer time drinks like sweet iced tea, flavor infused waters, and my favorite - homemade lemonade!!! One of my favorite recipes is for a Lemonade Punch. We used to serve this every year at our annual 4th of July party! It was always a hit with everyone from the adults to the kids. Just plain summertime goodness in a glass! 

Best Ever Lemonade Punch

1 cup Countrytime Lemonade mix

2 cups cold water

1 can of chilled pineapple juice {46 oz}

2 cans chilled Sprite

Mix all of this together in a drink dispenser and you have a 

great summer time drink for all of your get togethers. I 

always cut up fresh lemons to float in the punch among the 

ice. 


After you have sliced up fresh?  lemons for your punch what do you do with the leftover slices?? Did you know that lemons are an amazing cleaning agent? If you rub lemons over the surfaces of your kitchen sink they will get rid of hard water residue. You can also slice them up and put them down your garbage disposal. The lemons will clean your garbage disposal as well as giving it a fresh lemon scent. 

This week after I used lemons on my sink I decided to go a step further. My drain wasn't draining like it usually did as it was going much slower. I took a 1/4 cup of baking soda and pour 1 cup of vinegar (my other favorite cleaning solution) over the top. If you plug the drain it will bubble and fizz. Scrub it all over your sink and let it it in your sink for 15 minutes. Then rinse with hot water. If I am primarily cleaning the drain I will boil a large pot of water then pour it down the sink to clean it out thoroughly.

Here is my final result....

My favorite slow cooker breakfast - Slow Cooker Oatmeal!

Breakfast..... The most important meal of the day! Well it should be anyways.... I always make breakfast for my kids but many times I forget myself. Many times I will make the kids' breakfast and then an hour later after I have had one LARGE cup of coffee to wake myself up I will make eggs or have some fruit. While I love breakfast foods I find it difficult to eat in the mornings.... hence why I LOVE breakfast for dinner. It may be the only time I will actually feel like eating it. 
Around our house I want to make sure both Jack and Lucy have had something they enjoy that is filling first thing in the morning. Breakfast is the only meal where I may make more than one thing just to make sure they both get a jump start in their day. Jack is my picky eater but will eat the majority of breakfast foods. In fact the only meat he will eat for me is bacon! Jack loves everything from eggs, waffles, pancakes, or cereal. Lucy will always choose oatmeal if given the choice. We usually make simple instant oatmeal packets in the microwave or I will have pre-made freezer oatmeal cups that I can heat up. Any way she can get it Lucy is absolutely obsessed with oatmeal! My favorite way to make oatmeal these days is in the slow cooker. There are two recipes that are my go-to slow cooker oatmeal recipes. You just add the ingredients before going to bed, set your crockpot on warm or low (depending on your slow cooker), and wake up to smell a delicious hearty breakfast waiting for you. When I make these...I eat breakfast right away because after smelling how delicious these are I just can't resist! You won't be able to either! 

Apple Cinnamon Slow Cooker Oatmeal

• 2 apples cut into slices
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 cups oatmeal (old fashioned or  steel cut oats are my preference)
• 4 cups water (or 2 cups milk of your choice and 2 cups water.... I use almond milk and water)

Stir apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. Place the covered apples at the bottom of your crockpot. Pour uncooked oatmeal over the top, followed by your water or milk. DO NOT STIR! Place the lid on your crockpot and set on low or warm overnight for 8-9 hours. In the morning ENJOY!

Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

• 1 1/2 cup of steel cut oats
  
• 4 1/2 cups of water depending on how thick or thin you want your oatmeal
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (I recommend Libby's)
• 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsps pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar depending on your taste

Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker and place on low for 6-8 hours. Season with more brown sugar in the morning if you like. I like to garnish my oatmeal with raisins, craisins, or pecans. It's like immersing yourself in fall with every bite! 

Freezing tomatoes (the easy way)

For the past 3 years I have utterly failed at growing a garden. I am not good at weeding (partially due to allergies), but I honestly just don't like it. So for the past few years I haven't had fresh garden tomatoes from my own garden. There is just something about knowing you grew your own produce... it just tastes better! 
Last year I purchased large quantities of tomatoes from one of our friend's local organic farms. Their tomatoes were delicious and had beautiful color. I decided to take an afternoon to freeze the tomatoes, however something didn't work because a month later when I went to get some diced tomatoes out of the freezer they had a white mold growing on them. So into the trash they went. 
This year I was bound and determined to freeze tomatoes and have them work so I can add them to soups and chili's this fall/winter. After searching on Pinterest and reading through several different methods this one sounded the easiest since there was no pre-boiling or removing of skins. It also came from a huge canning website - so hoping it will work for us. 
Yesterday I gathered a group of my tomatoes out of my garden and decided to give this new method a try! 

Step 1: Gather your tomatoes, a cutting board, good knife, food processor,  and muffin tins.

Step 2: Remove the core of the tomatoes and dice them up! Remove as many of the seeds as possible! 

Don't they look delicious!

Step 3: Add tomatoes in small groups to your food processor and puree to desired texture. I like a few chunks of tomatoes in mine. 

Yum! - Preparing for puree!

Step 4: Spray your muffin tins with a cooking spray. Pour pureed tomatoes into muffin tins. Freeze for 4 hours.

To remove tomatoes: Set muffin tins in warm water to loosen discs. Put discs into labeled freezer bags and place in freezer! ENJOY later! 

My Favorite Freezer Meal

Four years ago my husband and I were blessed with the adoption of our son Jack when he was just 3 days old. Three months later we found out we were pregnant with our daughter Lucy. They are just 11 months apart which made for a very busy beginning to motherhood! I discovered the art of making freezer meals. I even joined a freezer meal swap group. There were 10 families involved and each family made 10 of the same meal. Once a month the girls would get together at someone's house and we would enjoy snacks and swap meals. We came away with 10 different meals for the month! This was a huge relief for me once I had my daughter. Freezer meals were now a part of my normal monthly routine! 
As many of you know I am a HUGE fan of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She has so many great ideas for freezer meals but there is one meal she makes that is my absolute favorite. It's not healthy but it is the epitome of comfort food in one dish! I am talking about none other than Sour Cream Noodle Bake. While the name doesn't sound as appetizing as I would like the dish is absolutely amazing! I recently made this freezer meal for some friends of ours. She was put on bed rest for the next 8 weeks and her husband isn't a cook. They both loved the dish and the best part was they had the option to freeze it until they needed it or to cook it immediately. 
Freezer meals are something I usually start in August (making 3-5 a month) and I continue this trend through March or so. For our family freezer meals are best for fall when my husband works 12 hour days, 7 days a week for 4 months at the Libby Pumpkin plant. There are those days when I just am exhausted from the kiddos and have no desire to cook. Then once winter hits it's nice to have freezer meals available for my family in case I get sick which happens during the winter months. Most of the meals are no-brainers to cook. Usually my husband will have to thaw out the crock-pot meal (many of which he could just dump in frozen) and turn on the crock-pot. It's that easy!! A few of the meals like the Sour Cream Noodle Bake is one where you just have to thaw out and then put into the oven to bake. It's a complete meal in itself, but we typically add a side of vegetables or a side salad. Enjoy the deliciousness!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

PREP TIME:

10 Minutes

DIFFICULTY:

Easy

COOK TIME:

20 Minutes

SERVINGS:

8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir. 

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted. 

Serve with crusty French bread.

Recipe found at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sour-cream-noodle-bake/