Easiest fudge ever

Who doesn't love fudge? I could eat the whole tin of it (I always find people bring fudge in tins)! Here's the recipe, and when I make some this holiday season, I'll post a picture. I wish I had taken pictures of everything I've ever made at this point;) I remember at my bachelorette party at Mohegan Sun in CT, I took a picture of my meal from the restaurant we dined at there to start out our night. A member of the staff there asked if I was a chef, which I am not of course. I answered no, just that I wanted to remember what I ate during this occasion, and also the next day in case I had too much to drink, which I did not;) He stated that alot of chefs take pictures of their food - now I know why, for blogging!!

Fudge:

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz bag of semi sweet choc chips
1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
1.5 cups of chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Grease an 8x8 pan with either a Pam-type butter spray or crisco (I prefer spray). Heat milk, choc chips, and unsweetened choc in a pot on low heat on the stove, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove the pot from the heat, add the vanilla and nuts, and anything else you may want to add, maybe some cherry sauce or peppermint bites, and pour the mixture into the greased pan. Refrigerate for atleast 1.5 hours, then cut and enjoy:)

Baking rocks

Here you go Jill and everyone else:)

My cookie secret? The recipe on the bag of Nestle chocolate chips;)

Copied from www.verybestbaking.com - NOTE - my changes are marked in italics

* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels - ***I only use about 1.5 cups b/c of the added coconut***
* 1 cup chopped nuts
****1 cup of shredded coconut****

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy (I just use a wooden spoon, I don't find the need to get out either my hand mixer of Kitchenaid my lovely bridal party got me for this type of batter). Add eggs, one at a time, beating/mixing well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, coconut, and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

***WATCH the cookies - you literally have to stay by the oven and check on them, as baking times listed on things are rarely correct. Baking times all depend on the oven type, how many cookies you fit on the baking sheet, etc. I find with this batter I can usually get b/w 35-40 normal sized cookies. I usually bring 30 to work b/c I eat 5 here (and some of the batter haha). You want to remove the cookies from the oven just as the tops are becoming slightly golden - they will continue to cook even when you remove them from the oven and nobody wants a burnt cookie.

I am thinking of selling my cookies around the holidays to raise money for an undecided upon a charity, so I will let everyone know if I do:)

Thanks!!

I just want to say thank you to my 4 followers and everyone else that has been reading!! I'm so excited that you've taken the time to read my blog!!! THANK YOU!!! :)

A couple more scraps

Scrapbooking pages that is - I hope to get alot of them done today while the cacciatore cooks :) Also on the list, catch up on the other blogs I read/post at, check my figure skating fantasy league, watch Say Yes to the Dress on the DVR, read US Weekly, go for a walk, and oh yeah, clean the kitchen;)

Crockpot Sunday, but this week it's on Saturday:)

So tonight my parents and brother are coming over to have dinner with the husband and I, and probably for some cribbage or some other game they want to teach me. Usually I do a crockpot meal every Sunday, but this weekend it will be Saturday, just for them:)

One of our fave crockpot meals is chicken cacciatore. I find anything chicken comes out best in the crockpot b/c it stays so moist. So, I'm off to get that started as it takes about 9 hours to cook on low; I'll post the full recipe and pics later or tomorrow. Enjoy your Saturday, and post your fave crockpot meals!

It's okay to make New Year's Resolutions in November, right?

So, from the one entry I did in September, you can tell I was sick. Thankfully, a new pill I've been put on and a lot of rest, bloodwork, specialist visits, etc has helped with the dizziness/tiredness/nausea I was (am still rarely) having (not pregnant everyone!). But all that time on the island I called our living room couch gave me a lot of time to think, which is both good and bad. I mostly thought about how wonderful my husband has turned out to be - taking care of me, putting me on "bed rest" and pretty much doing everything I usually do besides working full time - cooking, errands, cleaning, the usual running the household type stuff - I like that we are old-fashioned like that:) I couldn't have asked for a better best friend and he knows it:)

I also have thought a lot about healthy living. Nothing I did or didn't do made me this sick, just a case of bad luck and being around germs, just like everyone else is all day long. But it really has opened my eyes to eating healthy - I never ate "unhealthy" per say, but instead of having a lunch of chips one day just because I feel like it, that will no longer happen; things as little as going out in the morning to work with wet hair, that will no longer happen. So I guess I'm going to turn into this maniac about doing everything I can to make sure I don't get this sick ever again.

So healthy eating, exercise (think cardio pilates, training for 5k's, and Zumba in the winter I hope), and positive thinking. A vacation wouldn't hurt either....;) Also, more time for me. Before I got sick, I was spending a good 9-10 hours a day at work, by my own choice, to help out others. I'm not saying I'm not going to help others. But when my life consisted of getting up early to get to work early, working all day (and thru lunch most of the time, oops), and after everyone else left, driving home in traffic, making dinner, helping to clean up dinner, etc, it was 8pm and I was E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D - there no time for me. Yes, I know 8pm means there is still time for me, but really how much after you've worked that many hours in sometimes stressful situations? I need to really make sure I leave time for me - scrapbooking this week has been great; I love going to the movies or dinners with my girlfriends which I haven't had time to do in awhile, a walk with my ipod after work, things like this.

My "creative" hours are going to be between 8-10, somehow, whether it be simpler dinner some nights, working not as much overtime at my very busy job, etc, to make this happen. Of course I'll be watching DWTS, SYTYCD, Project Runway (did anyone else see tonight's?!?) during this time, but it's still my creative time. TV off by 10 (my DVR will be busy after 10pm a couple of nights!), online time, then reading, then sleep - it sounds regimented and boring, but I think it's what I need. If it's regimented it gives me the next thing to look forward to:)

So, oops, this wasn't a cooking post, but more of a "me" post that just everyone can see who stumbles across my blog:) If you read this and know me and see me out with wet hair, yell at me!

Happy New Year;)

OH WAIT - I can relate this to cooking. On the island couch, I had plenty of time to peruse my cookbooks, magazines (not just US Weekly), and many helpful online websites and blogs for recipes, so there will be some good ones coming, just maybe not every night;)

Quesadillas are not just snacks! (When you eat 4)

Thanks to lilbitofange for the photo!!

Mine looked similar (before eaten of course hehe), but I have to get better at remembering to take a photo before we chomp on in! Quesadillas, atleast how I make them, are soooo easy and can be a quick snack or a meal if you make enough of them. There are many ways to make them, in a fry pan, even in the oven, but for me, I like to use the good ole Georgie Foreman grill because I love seeing those grill lines;)

All you have to do is cook about 1 lb of chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cut them into very small pieces, or even shreds. While that is cooking, cut up some scallions or any type of onion you prefer and some avocado; you could even use lettuce and tomato inside as well, but just make sure anything you want to put inside is cut very small and that the whole inside isn't taken up - you don't want things falling out. Different from the picture above, I wasn't up to making guacamole, so I just cut up some avocados. When the chicken has been cooked and cut up/shredded, and the Georgie has been heated up and sprayed with Pam spray, take one soft tortilla, burrito size, and spread around your "stuff" - for the husband's, I did chicken, scallions, nacho cheese (you can use any type of cheese you would like), and good ole crushed red pepper, his second favorite thing next to ketchup. I placed another soft tortilla on top, put it onto the Georgie, put the lid down, and in 4 minutes we have a perfectly melted together quesadilla of fantastic-ness. He dolloped his with salsa and sour cream, but you could make your own salsa to put on top or anything else you usually like with Mexican food. Make sure inbetween everyone you make that you spray the Georgie so that none stick.

For mine, I used chicken, cheese, and avocado, and was in heaven. I could eat these everyday! We paired them with some spanish rice and Ole!, had a fabulous dinner together:)

I'm hoping to come up with or find some kind of fruit "quesadilla" where I would use the tortillas, but cut up some fruit and put that inside instead of the meat, and some kind of nice cheese, like a soft cranberry flavored cheese or some melted brie or something, and some nuts! I'll let you know if this happens and how it goes:)

It's almost supper time, but I'll be back later for some non-cheycancook talk - think Itunes suggestions, things to "work" on, etc etc. Enjoy your dinners!

Wish I was here

My husband taught me this one!

The husband raved and raved about chicken caesar wraps for a long long long time...what's so great about them? It's like a salad in a wrap - so? SO! So it's healthy, quick, and can be made with variation, which I like. Cook up about 1 lb of chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, in a fry pan. While the chicken is cooking, take out the other ingredients - any size/kind wraps (we usually use plain or wheat, but I bet tomato basil would be good), caesar dressing, croutons (crushed or not crushed, I dont bother crushing them), chopped up lettuce, and parmesan cheese, fresh and grated or just from the normal store container. Now because I do not like salad dressing, for my "sauce" I cut up an avocado for myself. Take all ingredients, put them in the wrap, roll it up, and enjoy! Easy, healthy, and yummy! You all can thank Ron for this one:)

Chey can also scrapbook!

I haven't scrapbooked for a really long time - between wedding planning, being sick, etc etc, I just haven't had the time or inspiration. After a nice day Saturday with some girlfriends, and laughing over some old high school photos, I started to feel some inspiration. Scrapbooking, like cooking, is just another way to express your creativity. I hope you enjoy these pics! I am not a master scrapper like others, but I enjoy it :) And yes, that is a pillow/pillowcase behind the pics - any suggestions for a backdrop for next time??? ;)

Food, keep me warm!

So fall in New England is awesome - the leaves, fall sports, and finally the warm comfort food recipes come out of hiding! It was another casserole for Friday evening the 30th. It happened to be the evening that the kids in the development we live in were coming around trick-or-treating, so it was something easy to keep watch over while we awaited them with our big bag of candy thing:)

This casserole is definitely something you could pull together on a busy night, as most ingredients are probably those you'd have in your fridge or freezer. Think of it as a larger chicken pot pie but with cheese - warm, melty cheese.

In a large bowl I combined 1 can, 10 3/4 oz condensed cream of potato soup (love the chunks), 1 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups of cooked chicken, cut into small pieces, and 1 16oz bag of frozen, but thawed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. To this mixture I added 1/2 cup shredded orange cheese and a half cup of those can fried onions that are always so very hard to find at the grocery store - they put them in odd places, and never in the same place at different chains. Anyways, I mixed this all up and put it into a 9x13 pan, covered that with foil, and baked it at 350 for 25 minutes (preheated the oven first of course). After the 25 minutes, I took the foil off and popped open a can of crescent rolls. I rolled them all out, not forming them into cresent shapes, but cutting them into strips to make a lattice over the mixture. I then baked the casserole 15 minutes longer, uncovered, and after those 15 minutes added more cheese and fried onions on top and cooked it again uncovered about 4 more minutes, until the cheese melted and the onions browned a bit. Let me say = yum yum yum! I think the parents traveling with the trick-or-treaters wanted some! Maybe next year;) Anyways, this recipe was adapted from cooks.com, and it was the perfect chilly fall night meal. Will definitely be making this again, and maybe next time adding just a bit of spice (the husband that loves spice added hot sauce to his). It was the perfect amount and combo of veggies, meat, sauce, yummy bread, and the crunch - you always need some crunch in your meals - helps you stay away from those vending machines!

Next time - a meal that I DON'T have to follow a recipe for, which is not common :) Till then, enjoy eating!