THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #18 (KID-FRIENDLY) and Chicken Crescent Rolls

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #18

The Theme is: Kid-Friendly Recipes/Family Cooking

I can not even tell you the number of times my family has enjoyed this recipe. I've been making it since about 1991 or before. I made it long ago when I was single, I made it when I was newly married (the first time), then I made it time and time again after my twins were born, every kid loves it. And now my husband (yes, second marriage and my last) and my son who is 11 years old, enjoy this easy dinner, it's for sure one of my son's favorites (and he is a picky picky kid).  My mom makes it, my mother-in-law loves it, my nieces make it and so many more people that I have shared it with. This recipe has once again become a staple in our home. It's funny how this recipe, gets forgotten then comes back again and again through the years. It really it that good!

Chicken Crescent Rolls

I've been making this recipe since 1991, it's from an ole' friends grandma!

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1/2 cube of butter

1 pkg cream cheese

4 cups diced/shredded chicken, pre-cooked

1 pkg Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Sprinkle of Paprika

Chicken needs to be pre-cooked, diced and/or shredded first. This is a great way to use left-over chicken, make it with a fresh rotisserie chicken or just boil up a few chicken breast and shredded them before you begin.  Then mix all the ingredients together (except chicken) and put in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes just for the butter and cream cheese to melt, then add in shredded chicken. Put a spoonful of the chicken mixture into each roll and roll them up. Sprinkle with a little paprika (and/or a bit of Grandma's Salt), bake at 350 for approx 12-16 minutes.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! Today, this recipe is linked to the following linky parties: I Made It Monday, Homemaker Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Made by You Mondays, Making the World Cuter, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, mmmMonday, Motivate Me Monday, Creative Girl Blog Hop, FAB Friday, Family Friendly Fridays, Fat Camp Friday, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Food on Fridays, Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, Potluck Friday, Fun Food with Friday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Home & Family Friday, I'm Lovin' It Friday, Inspiration Friday, Simple Link Party and Mouthwatering Monday

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Please only link recipes with our theme!
This week's theme is: Kid-Friendly Recipes/Family Cooking

Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

If you are a regular PLEASE link-up, you know how this is done, so let's see what you have to share! (I am excited about each of your recipes) If you are new please read & follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder to add it. THANKS A MILLION!

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Please Grab Our Button!!!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

February 21 - Favorite Recipes with CHERRIES 

February 28 - Kid-Friendly Recipes/Cooking

March 7 - Romantic Dinner Recipes

March 14 - St. Patricks Celebration - GO GREEN!!!

March 21 - Chocolate - Chocolate and more Chocolate !!!

March 28 - "Surprise" Ingredient

April 4 - HUBBY COOKS (I can't wait to see what the husbands come up with)

This is a BLOG HOP Party so please visit other links
and meet some great BLOGGERS!

THANKS FOR VOTING FOR MY DAUGHTERS.....

I would also love to ask each and every one of my blog readers to PLEASE PLEASE VOTE for my twins to win a $2,000 college scholarship (just CLICK VOTE and that's all you have to do). We visited another school this weekend and we are IN LOVE with Point Loma University, but we have many other Christian schools to look at before we pick our favorite college. I am so excited about this journey and can't wait to watch my girls continue to grow into wonderful young ladies!

Reeses Peanut Butter Egg Cookies & VOTE FOR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP

My SWEET 17 year old daughters, Ashlyn & Kayley made this plate of cookies for me last year when I was put into the hospital for an emergency appendicitis (even though this was the last thing I wanted to eat, they new I had the recipe sitting on the counter and they made the cookies anyway and brought them to the hospital for the nurses to eat). I thought this recipe was so fitting to share today because I want to ASK all of you my faithful bloggers, to kindly push two SMALL buttons below and VOTE for both of my twin daughters (and every day you happen upon this post, please VOTE, contest ends March 21, 2011 and you can VOTE one time per day!!!).

They both excel very well in school, but every "A" they receive is very hard earned, school does not come easy for them and receiving an "A" in every class is extremely important to them and it shows in their hard work and dedication. (Kayley received her first 4.0 and Ashlyn a 3.9 last semester) This small contest is a chance to win a $2,000 College Scholarship from Brickfish. They will both be attending a 4-year college next year and each and every scholarship they have a chance to earn is equally important to them. No matter how big or how small, they are thankful for every opportunity that comes their way! So, PLEASE VOTE for Ashlyn and Kayley below! (Thanks a million, from their proud mama)!!!

VOTING HAS ENDED, MY DAUGHTERS WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO VOTED FOR THEM! THANKS FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!

Reeses Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

by Picky Palate

2 sticks softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp corn syrup
2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs, 12 total eggs (find them in the Easter Candy Section, quick! You can also use regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. And we even used my favorite the WHITE Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter, sugars and corn syrup until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs.  Mix only until just combined.  Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes until just turning golden brown. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! Today, this recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Creative Girl Blog Hop, FAB Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Food on Fridays, Food Trip Friday, Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, Potluck Friday, Fun Food with Friday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Home & Family Friday, I'm Lovin' It Friday, Inspiration Friday , Check Me Out Saturday, Saturday Swap, Show and Tell, Spotlight Saturday and Simple Link Party 

Today's Recipe was Featured Here!

Bennigan's Monte Cristo Sandwich

This is now the PERFECT Monte Cristo Sandwich, my search is over (please disregard the previous recipe posted on MOMS CRAZY COOKING, because this one takes the prize!). A few weekends ago I was cooking, baking and helping my sister-in-law make some homemade baby food. We were talking about recipes and we got on the subject of a Monte Cristo Sandwich, we searched the Internet and came up with the exact restaurant that we remembered having these at; Bennigan's. This too is my dad's ultimate favorite sandwich of all time. (I sure hope my mom reads this and makes it for him; my mom doesn't like to cook all that much)

Well, we ran to the store in the middle of our cooking extravaganza and bought what we needed to make this awesome sandwich. Not only did I agree this was a keeper recipe, so did my brother (who is pickier than all of my kids put together), my sister-in-law loved it and all the little boys we had running around the house that day (I think it was at least 3 or 4) loved it too. Now, my quest will be to try and make this gluten-free for my daughter. (no easy task, but I will try)

Bennigan's Monte Cristo Sandwich
from CopyKat Recipes

9 Slices Wheat Bread (we used white and you need to use the thin sliced , not thick bread)
3 Slices Turkey
3 Slices Ham
3 Slices American Cheese
3 Slices Swiss Cheese

Batter
1 Egg
1 to 1 1/4 cup Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 cup Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
Vegetable Oil (for deep frying)

Place turkey and Swiss cheese on one slice of bread and ham and American cheese on another slice of bread. Place third slice in-between and secure the triple decker sandwich in the corners with tooth picks.
Place egg in mixing bowl, add water and beat together. Add salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Beat batter until smooth.

Dip sandwich in batter and carefully cover all the sides and surface. Carefully place in hot oil (pan needs to be high enough so that the oil will cover the sandwich half-way up) and fry until golden on each side. When sandwich has turned a warm gold color remove from hot oil and place on paper towel. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the tooth picks. And before serving slice into fourths and sprinkle with powder sugar.

Serve with raspberry preserves.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! Today, this recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Transformation Thursday, Thrilling Thursday Linky Party, Try New Adventures Thursdays, Full Plate Thursday, Strut-Your-Stuff, Recipe Swap Thursday, Cooking Thursday, It's a Keeper and What's Cooking Thursday

Vegetable Fried Rice (GLUTEN-FREE & DAIRY-FREE)

We may never need to go to Panda Express again, SORRY PANDA! (well, except for my picky picky 11 year old, who turned his nose up at this homemade fresh & delicious rice). But, let me tell you this is WAY better then any store bought/ fast food Fried Rice. This is the real thing, it's better then the real thing and with GLUTEN-FREE soy sauce, it's just perfect for my daughter and the whole family loved it!

Vegetable Fried Rice

from Sparks Recipes

3 cups COOKED brown rice (we use white for Gluten-Free)

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen mixed vegetables (or 2 cups fresh vegetables, chopped)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp olive oil
3 tsp soy sauce (we use Gluten-Free)

In a large pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and rice (already cooked). Stir and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add vegetables to rice mixture. Cook 2 minutes for frozen vegetables and 5-7 minutes for fresh vegetables. Spread the mixture out to the sides of the pan, leaving space in the middle for the eggs. Add the eggs, and scramble until cooked firm. Mix the eggs with the rice and vegetables, then sprinkle with soy sauce.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Show & Tell, What's on Your Plate, Real Food Wednesday, Gold Star Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays, My Meatless Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday and Let's Do Brunch

Family Meal Plan (2-21-11)

Click here to see previous week's Family Meal Planning! 

Here's to another week of living on a $150 grocery budget and becoming debt free. We are "living like no one else, so later we can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE" (Dave Ramsey).

Last week was a little slower and a little less stressful in my life. I hope all of you had an easy week too! The $150 did not stretch so much at the store this weekend, so I will reach back in the freezer once again, good thing I have a good stock pile going. I went just to Costco and the Farmer's Market and the money was GONE. Yep, that quick and all I got was the MUCH needed items. Butter, Water, Eggs, Fruits & Veggies and a few essentials.

But, as you can see from my menu below, we are not eating poor. We have some GREAT meals lined up this week and a few of everyone's favorites. G'ma's Simple Spaghetti (we always have hamburger meat and noodles on hand); Poor Man's Garlic Bread (buns from the freezer); Loyd's BBQ Ribs (bought on sale and stored in the freezer for a raining day, like today); and yep, a HOMEMADE Turkey coming this weekend (I got this for $5 bucks, around the holiday's and now it's a perfect time to cook it up). We will be sure to have a Turkey sandwiches next week and a few other meals like a Homemade Turkey Pot Pie; absolutely scrumptious.

Here is our Family Meal Planning for this week. I'd love to hear if you have any short cuts, tricks or tips.

Check back and we will link the actual recipe!

(not all recipes will become reality so if there is not a link, we haven't made it yet)

 G'ma's Simple Spaghetti & Poor Man's Garlic Bread
Eggnog Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins (from the freezer)
My Mom's Birthday Dinner Cooked by me: Lasagna & Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Bird's Nest (Eggs & Potatoes)
Turkey with Apples & Butter

Click for Lasagna Recipe



This post is linked to: I'm an Organizing Junkie: Meal Plan Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, It's a Blog Party, Made from Scratch, Get Your Craft On, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Midweek Motivation, Tasty Tidbits, Works for Me Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, Homemaking Link-Up, Crock-Pot Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Ultimate Recipe Swap and Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday 

Also don't forget our weekly linky party

this week is "CHERRY" Recipes

"THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS"

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS LINKY PARTY #17 (Cherries) and Cherry Coke Chocolate Cake

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #17

The Theme is: Cherries


Cherries... Cherries.... Cherries.... This is actually a fruit I LOVE but don't ever buy or ever cook with for that matter! (I wonder why this fruit is so often passed by?) When it came time to get a recipe ready for THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS I was stumped. I have never made anything with cherries, (I guess I made cookies once White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies), but I usually never even have cherries around. So, finding a recipe was equally as challenging.

I first went to a few of my favorite cookbooks, and NO recipes with cherries, then a few more cookbooks and still no cherry recipes. I then hit the Internet searching for something, anything with a cherry in it, and really I only came across a few recipes I was even half interested in. But, in sticking with my $150 dollar grocery budget and continuing to clean out the pantry, I decided to use a recipe that called for maraschino cherries (only because I had 3 jars in the cupboard that I originally bought to make my White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies).

Well, I just served up the recipe I did come across and I have happy faces on everyone, including a friend of my daughters. She is a foreign exchange student from Finland and she loved it too! If I can please the kids in America and in Findland, I guess I can report that this cake was amazing. And if it is amazing it's a keeper and when it's a keeper it gets transferred into my scrapbook/cookbook and will be passed on down to my children and hopefully these recipes will be made for many generations to come.

Cherry Coke Chocolate Cake

original recipe found on Tasty Kitchen

1 jar (8 -10 oz) Maraschino Cherries (drained, reserve 1/2 cup juice)

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 box Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup Diet Cherry Coke

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

3 eggs

Drain the jar of cherries, and reserve 1/4 cup of the juice. Chop the cherries into fourths. In a large bowl, mix the cake, cherry coke, oil, eggs and the cherry juice. Stir in the chopped cherries and the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a bundt pan, that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Cook cake completely for at least 1 hour.

Vanilla Marshmallow Frosting

1 (12 oz) container Vanilla Frosting

1 cup Marshmallow Creme or (15 marshmallows, melted) 

Mix together frosting and marshmallow creme to frost cake. Top cake with chocolate sprinkles or some mini chocolate chips. For an extra special touch melt a little chocolate and dip a few cherries in the chocolate, decorate the top of the cake with these chocolate covered cherries.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This post also linked to: My Meatless Mondays, Made by You Monday, Market Yourself Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Homemaker Monday, I Made It Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, MMMmonday, GCC Recipe Swap, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday

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Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

<a href=" http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/search/label/THIS%20WEEKS%20CRAVINGS" target="_blank "><img src="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k498/Hudgens6/Buttons/ThisWeeksCravingsButton.jpg" /></a>

Please only link recipes with this theme!
This week's theme is: Cherries

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

1. Please stick to the THEME and only link up recipes that go with our theme for the week. 

2. Add our button and/or a DIRECT link back to this post, inside of your post (not just on a wall of linky parties, this doesn't allow YOUR readers to come back to the linky party and see all the fun recipes! Which this is the intent of a linky party in the first place).

3. Also we'd love for you to hop around and visit the other link-ups! After all it's a BLOG PARTY and it's not fun for everyone linking up if you don't hop around and say Hello!!!


PLEASE follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder to add it, before we delete your post! THANKS A MILLION!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

February 14 - Sweet Potatoes and Favorite Potato Recipes

February 21 - Favorite Recipes with CHERRIES

February 28 - Kid-Friendly Recipes

March 7 - Romantic Dinner Recipes

March 14 - St. Patricks Celebration - GO GREEN!!!

This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around

and read some GREAT recipes!

Double Chocolate Bars

If you are craving some chocolate then this is the recipe for you. This recipe is unlike any other, it does NOT taste like a brownie or a cake, it's more like a thick piece of chocolate. with an oreo cookie crunch. And in keeping with our cleaning out the pantry I used the Christmas red centered oreos we had left over. 

Double Chocolate Bars

recipe author unknown

1 pkg (16 oz) cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided 

Combine cookie crumbs and butter; pat onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan.  In a microwave, melt milk and 1 cup chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining chips.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until chips begin to melt but do not lose their shape. Cool/Harden overnight before serving. 

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Check me out Saturday, Saturday Swap, Show & Tell Saturday, and Saturday Spotlight Blog Hop

Sweet Omelet

Friday's on MOMS CRAZY COOKING is "recipe only"
Enjoy this delicious breakfast recipe I made for my twins last week for the first time, they LOVED IT!

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This recipe is linked to the following linky parties: I'm Lovin It Fridays, Friday Potluck, Family Friendly Fridays, Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Food Trip Friday , Mom Trends Recipe Swap and Simply Link Party

Breakfast Bake

My daughters got me a few new cookbooks for Christmas and this is the first one we've used. I have SOOOO many cookbooks and I want to cook everything in all of them. Just ask my family we NEVER EVER eat the same thing twice! Is that a good thing or a bad thing? My girls LOVE it, my boys NOT so much! My little guy HATES everything new, so trying to find that balance is very hard. (usually I am a short-order cook and whip him up something that's familiar along with a fancy recipe) But, onto this fabulous new cookbook. Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes that Are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod. Kinda of a weird name for a cookbook, but the goal is to give you lessons in "bitchifying" your kitchen and chucking the crap and choosing the right ingredients for your body and for the environment.

We made this recipe, but with our own taste and comfortability in mind. We didn't go for vegan cheddar, tempeh or fresh spices. But I believe the outcome was still delicious and if you are a health-freak, then by all means go with the original recipe. We do truly love the cookbook, so do NOT let the "healthy" stuff stop you from enjoying this wonderful book: Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes that Are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod

Breakfast Bake

original recipe from Skinny Bitch, but changed for our taste (and what we had on hand)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion

2 tsp garlic, minced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

12 oz sausage (we used Jimmy Dean)

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat oil in large saute pan. Add the onion and cook over medium-heat. Add in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the potatoes, sausage and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes or until sausage is cooked. Add in the rosemary, salt, and pepper, continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.

Pour mixture into 9x13 baking dish. Bake 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. During the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle the cheese over the potato mixture and bake until cheese melts.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Transformation Thursday, Thrilling Thursday, Try New Adventures Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Strut-Your-Stuff, Prairie Story Recipe Swap, Cooking Thursday, Pennywise Platter, and Stockpiling Moms Recipe Spree

Pumpkin Crunch Cake: Its the Great Pumpkin Cake, Charlie Brown

I am so excited that this cake turned out absolutely gorgeous (oh and delicious too)!! It was a huge under taking on my part. I am NOT a professional baker, nore a professional anything when it comes to the kitchen. I am just a recipe collector (and that's an understatement...check out my book of all the recipes I've cut out to make) and a recipe maker. So, when I came across this recipe on this wonderful blog More Than A Mount Full - A Culinary Journey, I just knew that I had to make it (or at least attempt to make it). And to my surprise (and my mother-in-law's too) it came out just perfect.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Its the Great Pumpkin Cake, Charlie Brown from More Than A Mount Full

Crunch Topping adapted from Good House Keeping

3 Cups Walnuts, finely chopped
3 Cups Vanilla Wafers (about 75 cookies)
3 Cups Brown Sugar
3 Sticks Butter, melted

In a food processor, pulse cookies to a fine crumb, then pulse walnuts finely. Add in Brown Sugar and mix well. Add in Melted Butter and blend together. Divide mixture into 4 round sprayed Cake Pans, pressing into bottom and spreading it evenly into each cake pans.  Makes about 10 cups; 2 cups for each cake pan and reserve about 2 cups of the mixture which will be baked to use on the sides of the cake. Set pans aside and begin cake.

Pre-heat Oven to 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
1 1/4 cup Sugar
1 1/2 sticks of Softened Butter
1 (16 oz) can Solid Pack Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla
1 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3 Large Eggs

In your mixer beat sugar and butter for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy, scrapping down the bowl frequently. Add In Pumpkin and all the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs. Mix just until blended. Add in the Eggs, one at a time just until blended. Divide batter equally into your 4 prepared cake pans (about 1-1/2 cups per cake pan), smooth it out and make it as even as possible in the pan.  Place remaining crunch mixture in another cake pan or pie dish and allow to bake for the same amount of time as the cakes.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25  minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  If you use 2 racks to bake on in the oven, at the halfway mark rotate the pans. Allow pans to cool about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire racks and allow to completely cool. Break up the extra crunch mix to very small bits to use to decorate the cake with.

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 (8 oz) packs Cream Cheese
1 (16 oz)  Marscapone (or use 2 more 8oz pkg of Cream Cheese, if you wish)
2 sticks Softened Butter
1 lb  Powdered Sugar
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla

Whip the cream cheese, marscapone, and butter till very smooth and creamy. Slowly add in the powdered

sugar while mixer is on low setting. Add in Vanilla and mix well.  Set aside till needed.

After your cake is completely cooled (you can even refrigerate for a few hours) begin frosting the layers and putting the cake together.  After you have assembled all the layers with some frosting between them, start to spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top.  When finished frosting, coat sides and top with your extra crunch mixture.

The cake should be allowed to chill for a few hours before cutting, it will help firm up this cake.

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This recipe is linked to the following linky parties: Show & Tell Linky Party, Gold Star Wednesday, Works for me Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, Make it Yours Day, and Midweek Motivation

Family Meal Planning (2-13-11)

Click here to see previous week's Family Meal Planning! 

Here's to another week of living on a $150 grocery budget, becoming debt free and "living like no one else, so later we can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE" (Dave Ramsey).

WOW, what a week and if I didn't go over budget on food, I went WAY over budget on debt withdrawals at the doctor's office. This I did not account for: Twin A: strep throat & tension headache (1 doctor visit and 2 prescriptions later); Little Boy: Sick and Home from school one day (another missed day of work); Twin B: another doctors visit for celiac testing and then just when I thought the worse was yet to be. My husband was drivin' home from work by his boss suffering from severe headache pain (doctors office visit and and emergency room visit with more tests to come this week)! Okay, did I have enough or did I have enough! Good thing my freezer is full, my cupboards are over flowing and I have a back-up plan for dinners, meals and more!

I started today with my grocery shopping for the week; already hit Target and Vons for their deals and have a little bit left in my wallet for those things I run out of and/or forget (like MILK, it never fails)!!! I am thinking of making a spread sheet because, I never know if that Tide on sale in the small bottle is sometimes a BETTER deal then the big bottle using multiple coupons etc. This week I am gonna start a list of things I always buy, no matter what and try and figure out the LOWEST cost and at least send the spread sheet to my Blackberry, so I will have it at whatever store I may be at. (I will let you know if this works or not)!

Here is our Family Meal Planning for this week. I'd love to hear if you have any short cuts, tricks or tips.

Check back and we will link the actual recipe!

(not all recipes will become reality so if there is not a link, we haven't made it yet)

"Heart" Steak Dinner (with everyone's favorite recipes) - Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Marinated Steak, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Salad, Frozen Corn & Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Homemade Pot Pie
Berry Smoothie
Crock-Pot Beef Roast (GLUTEN-FREE)
Magic Sweet Potato Muffins
Dinner at G'ma's: G'ma's Simple Spaghetti & Poor Man's Garlic Bread
Blueberry Muffin Tops
Eggs & Potatoes (GLUTEN-FREE)
Salsa Chicken

 


This post is linked to: I'm an Organizing Junkie: Meal Plan Monday, Frugal Fridays and GCC Round Up

Also don't forget our weekly linky party

this week is "SWEET" Potatoes and Favorite Potato Recipes

"THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS"

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #16 (Sweet Potatoes & Favorite Potatoes) and Shepherds Pie

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #16

The Theme is: "Sweet" Potatoes & Favorite Potato Recipes



Happy Valentine's Day to one and all! I hope you find your day as SWEET as can be and surround yourself with people you LOVE! Today our theme for THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS is SWEET potatoes or any favorite potato recipe.

If you are looking for a last minute fun dessert to create for your loved ones, these are quick and taste so delicious. I made this for my girls after-party for their Junior Winter-Formal dance this weekend (all of the kids loved them, plus I saved a few for our Valentine's Dinner tomorrow night). We are going to enjoy a homemade dinner at home. I am very excited about shopping tomorrow and coming home to make my family a special meal filled with LOVE and just a few of their favorite things.




Red Velvet Call Balls (click here for recipe)

The potato recipe I am sharing for today is Shepherd's Pie. This is a new recipe to my family and it was more then perfect. I was actually quite surprised, it wasn't really from a recipe at all, except for it was from a ton of different recipes all put together that I was reading when trying to find a Shepherd's Pie using left-overs. I am SUPER DUPER late in posting this (as we made this with our left over Turkey at Christmas time). But this recipe would be GREAT with left-over chicken too and I just happened to have ONE more Turkey in my freezer that needs cooked. I think I will be pulling that out this week and posting a few more Turkey recipes in the middle of February. Why not? Turkey is delish any time of year! I am going to also make this recipe again and try to make it GLUTEN-FREE. 

Shepherd's Pie

1 tbsp butter

2 carrots, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 to 1 cup left-over gravy

2 cups diced left-over Turkey (or chicken)

1/2 to 1 cup broth (chicken or turkey)

1 tbsp parsley

2 cups left-over mashed potatoes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Heat the 1 tbsp of butter in skillet and saute the carrots, celery and onion until soft.  Add in the gravy, broth and parsley; heat through. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper if desired. Pour into 9x13 Pam sprayed baking dish. Heat up the left over mashed potatoes slightly or you will have a hard time spreading them on top the casserole. I use my wonderful scooper's that I love so much (see photo to the right). I LOVE these things and use them for everything. 

I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers! This post also linked to: Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, It's a Blog Party Delicious Dishes, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, mmmonday, Homemaker Monday , Mouthwatering Monday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Foodie Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Fun with Food Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Fab Friday, Feature Yourself Friday , Hodgepodge Friday and Get Your Craft On

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Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

<a href=" http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/search/label/THIS%20WEEKS%20CRAVINGS" target="_blank "><img src="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k498/Hudgens6/Buttons/ThisWeeksCravingsButton.jpg" /></a>

Please only link recipes with this theme!
This week's theme is: "SWEET" Potatoes & Favorite Potatoes

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

1. Please stick to the THEME and only link up recipes that go with our theme for the week. 

2. Add our button and/or a DIRECT link back to this post, inside of your post (not just on a wall of linky parties, this doesn't allow YOUR readers to come back to the linky party and see all the fun recipes! Which this is the intent of a linky party in the first place).

3. Also we'd love for you to hop around and visit the other link-ups! After all it's a BLOG PARTY and it's not fun for everyone linking up if you don't hop around and say Hello!!!


PLEASE follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder to add it, before we delete your post! THANKS A MILLION!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

January 10 - Pizza - Pizza - Pizza

January 17 - Pies (Dessert or Dinner)

January 24 - Soup

January 31 - Potluck Item for Super Bowl Sunday

February 7 - Valentine's Cookie & Treats

February 14 - Sweet Potatoes & Other Favorite Potato Recipes

This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around

and read some GREAT recipes!