Smoky Barbecue Sliders...

I love a good cheeseburger!  The messier the better!  Pizza and cheeseburger are my two favorite foods and if you know me well, you know that I never pass up a chance to eat at our local Pizza King, and we can be found there most Sundays after church, or at the chance to eat at any "hole in the wall" restaurant because those are the ones that serve the best cheeseburgers!

I also never pass up the opportunity to have those two foods at home, so when I saw this recipe for Smoky Barbecue Sliders I knew that I had to try it.  As a bonus, they also include my second most favorite food...bacon.  Oh.My.Goodness.  So delicious!  These were probably the best cheeseburgers I have ever grilled!  I made these a couple weeks ago and Brad asked tonight when we were going to have them again.  And the girls loved the mini sandwiches.  This would make the perfect burger for Father's Day.

Smoky Barbecue Sliders

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 Cup onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons powdered garlic
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
• 3 Tbsp. Sweet Baby Rays original BBQ sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Paprika
• salt and pepper
• 3 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 16 hamburger slider buns

Cooking Directions

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and let cool and crumble. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon bacon grease from skillet; saute onion for about 3 minutes. Add garlic powder and stir into bacon. Saute for an additional minute. Let cool.
2. Mix ground beef, paprika, barbecue sauce, salt, pepper, and reserved bacon and onion.
3. Form into 3-inch patties.
4. Grill over medium heat for 6-10 minutes per side.
5. Top half of them with shredded cheese and allow to melt for a minute or so.
6. Top with another patty and serve on buns.

Hawaiian Pinwheels...

My husband loves ham sandwiches.  When he is in the fields and I'm busy and am unable to deliver lunch to him, he is perfectly content with a ham sandwich.  I thought the recipe for Hawaiian Pinwheels in Gooseberry Patch's cookbook,Mom Knows Best would be a nice twist on the traditional ham sandwich.  I sliced them because I made them for a party I was hosting, but you could easily leave them whole.

The recipe called for pineapple cream cheese spread.  I wasn't able to find it.  I don't know if it is my location or if it really is that difficult to find, so I mixed 8-oz cream cheese with 1/4 cup crushed pineapple and juice.  I also didn't add the lettuce.

Hawaiian Pinwheels

Ingredients

• 4 6-inch flour tortillas
• ¼ Cup pineapple cream cheese spread
• 12 slices deli ham
• 4 slices Colby Jack cheese
• 1 Cup romaine lettuce, shredded

Cooking Directions

1. Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate; microwave for 30 seconds.  
2. Spread each tortilla with one Tablespoon cream cheese; top each with 3 slices ham, once cheese slice and ¼ cup lettuce.
3. Roll up tortillas; refrigerate for 2 hours then slice into one-inch pinwheels.

Banana-Orange Yogurt Pops...

One of the girls' favorite "recipes" to make in the summertime...or anytime rather...is lemonade Popsicle.  The recipe is pretty difficult;).  You make a pitcher of lemonade and then pour the lemonade into ice cube trays, or if you're fancy, Popsicle molds and freeze.  So, when Gooseberry Patch sent me a copy of their new Mom Knows Best Cookbook and saw the recipe for these Banana-Orange Yogurt Pops, I knew this would be a recipe we would have to try.  Actually, B saw the recipe while I was skimming the opposite page.  It adds a nice twist to our traditional recipe..and they're healthy too!

 All you do is add the yogurt, orange juice, and bananas to the blender and process until combined.  As you can see below, some might prefer ear protection when working with a blender;)  Seriously, why do those things have to be so loud?!

Pour the liquid into the Popsicle molds or plastic cups.  Freeze for an hour, insert Popsicle sticks, then freeze some more until completely frozen.  Enjoy!

 

Banana-Orange Yogurt Pops

Ingredients

• 16 oz. vanilla or plain yogurt
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 ripe bananas sliced
• 8 5 oz. freezer treat molds or paper cups
• Popsicle sticks

Cooking Directions

1. In a blender, combine yogurt, orange juice concentrate and bananas.
2. Process on medium speed until smooth.
3. Pour into molds or paper cups.
4. Freeze one hour and then insert sticks.
5. Continue to freeze until completely frozen.
6. To remove, dip into warm water for a few seconds.

Mac and Cheese Lasagna...

It's almost planting time which means I will be busy taking meals to the field.  Casseroles are probably my favorite food to take because they stay warm for a long time.  My family loves spaghetti and lasagna and a few of us love mac n cheese;)  I'm not a huge fan of macaroni and cheese, but I do like it in this recipe.  This pairs great with a fresh green salad and garlic bread!

Mac and Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

• 2 7.5 oz packages Kraft Thick and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 Cup mozzarella cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare the macaroni and cheese according to package directions.
2. While the macaroni cooks, brown the beef and drain. Add the spaghetti sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper to the beef. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In a 9x13 pan, spread half the meat mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Follow with a layer of half the macaroni and cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
4. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the layers and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Paper Bag Popcorn...

Four out of the five of us in our house are popcorn lovers.  Nothing beats the taste of movie theater popcorn in my book.  Sometimes we pop the bagged popcorn, other times it's stove top.  I would rather have the stove top method, but strongly dislike doing the dishes after especially since it's usually an after supper snack while watching a movie and once supper is over, I am done in the kitchen.  When I ran across this recipe for Paper Bag Popcorn in Gooseberry Patch's new cookbook, Mom Knows Best , I knew it was perfect!  The taste of stove top popcorn without the mess!

Begin by mixing the oil, popcorn and salt together in a bowl...

Then pour the popcorn in a paper lunch bag and fold three times...

Place in microwave for about 2 minutes...microwaves vary so listen for the magical popping sound;)  So simple and so yummy!  Enjoy!!

Paper Bag Popcorn

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Popcorn kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon peanut or canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 brown paper lunch bag
• spray butter, additional salt, optional

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the popcorn, salt, and oil.
2. Transfer to a bag;fold over 3 to 4 times to close.
3. Set bag on a microwave safe plant. Microwave on high until kernels stop popping, about 2 minutes. Season with spray butter and more salt, if desired.

Crockpot Mac & Cheese...

I was never a fan of mac & cheese.  I know, I know!  I live in America and I don't really like the stuff, how can that be?  But it's true!  I would still make it for my family( except B. she inherited my dislike for the stuff.) and I will admit, most of the time it was the box stuff.  Occasionally I would make it from scratch, but it still wasn't my favorite until I found this recipe in Gooseberry Patch's  303 Simple & Satisfying Recipes !.  This book is a collection of favorites from their other cook books.  This cook book is amazing and definitely filled with lots of yumminess.  Now, I can actually say I like mac & cheese...even if it is only this mac & cheese.  This is the creamiest and cheesiest mac & cheese I have ever had!  My family definitely approves, even B!  And the best part?  It can be made in the crockpot!

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 oz. package elbow macaroni, cooked
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 oz. evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups Velveeta, cubed
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tablespoons onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Combine cooked macaroni and oil in slow cooker, toss to coat.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. 
   

Mini Pizzas...Where Does My Food Come From?....

As a mom of  three girls and after reading countless books with them, I have noticed that farming in kid's books isn't very realistic anymore.  Very few farmers have two chickens, a goat, a horse, a cow, a pig and a duck or two!  The average consumer is 2-3 generations removed from the farm which leads to a lot of unanswered questions about where our food comes from.  As odd as it seems, a lot of kids today think that food comes from the grocery store.  They are unaware of the farmer who raised that food to get it into the grocery store.  

I guess I wasn't alone in noticing this because fellow blogger, Crystal at Mom for Less also noticed the problem.  I am excited to be partnering with her and Indiana's Family of Farmers to bring you a little segment on my blog to help teach kids about farming.  Whether it be where food comes from, what crops need to grow..whatever.  Crystal will be sharing an educational lesson on Ag and I will be doing a craft every month relating to Ag.  They will both be on the same topic.  Since February 8th was National Pizza Day, the topic for this month is pizza.  Do your kids know where all those toppings come from?  They all came from some type of farm!  To find out visit Crystal's blog.

This month I'm not exactly sharing a craft, but it still got the girls involved.  One of the girls' favorite foods are mini pizzas!  Lucky for me they are so easy to make and the girls like helping me make them.  In fact, they can make them on their own which is an additional plus!  I don't argue when someone else agrees to cook!

Begin by browning your sausage, if using.  (I forgot to take a picture of this step!  Sorry!)

Next, separate the English Muffins into halves and place on a baking sheet...

Add the pizza sauce!  We like a lot of sauce, so I always have to remind my helpers to be generous;)

Now, pile on the toppings...

We have a lot of cheese pizza lovers in our family!  As you are doing all these steps, you can talk about where each ingredient comes from.

Bake and enjoy!!

Mini Pizzas

Ingredients

• English muffins
• Pizza Sauce
• shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, onions

Cooking Directions

1. Brown sausage (if using) and drain.
2. Separate the English Muffins into halves and place on baking sheet.
3. Spread desired amount of pizza sauce onto English Muffins.
4. Add desired amount of Mozzarella cheese.
5. Pile on the toppings of your choice!
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.