Nestle Crunch Pie

Need a quick, easy, rich dessert?  This is it!  This little pie literally took me about 5 minutes to put together and was a crowd pleaser.  The recipe is from my sister-in-law.

Ingredients:

-6 Nestle Crunch bars or 18 miniature Nestle Crunch bars

-8 to 10 ounces of Cool Whip (I used an 8oz container but will use 10oz next time)

-1 graham cracker crust (can use store bought or my recipe for my crust is at the bottom)

Directions:

1.  Melt the Crunch bars in a double boiler or in the microwave until just melted.  Cool until just a bit warm.

2.  Add Cool Whip to melted Crunch bars.  My husband likes a little bit of the chunks in there too so I saved a few of the Crunch bars and broke them up into the Cool Whip also.

3.  Pour into crust.  Refrigerate until set.

Graham Cracker Crust:

-1/3 cup butter

-1/4 cup sugar

-1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers (equals one sleeve of the HoneyMaid crackers)

Melt butter, stir in sugar.  Add crushed crackers; toss to mix well.  Spread in pie plate.  Cook 4-5 minutes at 375 or until golden brown.  Let cool before filling.

Sorry that I don’t have a picture of the whole pie.  I put it in the fridge to set and when I went back to check on it, Mr. Naptime had already dug in!  If you use 10oz of Cool Whip, the pie will turn out lighter in color than this piece did.  So good!

Foodie Friday

Friday Favorites

Meal Planning Monday

Now that my pregnancy issues have cleared up some, I’m getting energy back and excited about cooking again!  Well, at least for today.  It’s a day-to-day thing.  :)  Some old favorites and lots of new yummies this week.  The Super Bowl is here in Dallas and with Mr. Naptime working at a hotel, it’s a little crazy these next couple weeks.  Lots of comfort foods for our weary bodies!

Meals for January 24 – February 6:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – Macaroni and Cheese with ham and broccoli (new – leftover from last week, never got around to making it), green salad

Thursday, Friday, Saturday – Pasta Fagioli (new), English Muffin Bread

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – Italian Pot Roast, Rice or Mashed Potatoes, Peas

Thursday, Friday – Mac & Cheese Spaghetti (new), green salad

Saturday (Pre-Super Bowl Celebration for us!) – Two-Way Nachos (new)

Dessert Request from Mr. Naptime – Nestle Crunch Pie (family favorite but new recipe to the blog)

BBQ Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas

This recipe is from a cookbook called “Quick, Easy, Cheap.”  But honestly, I made it a lot quicker by skipping a bunch of steps.  This meal ended up taking me all of 5 minutes to put together and another 5 minutes or so to cook.  You gotta love that!  This dish can be customized to add or subtract things that your family likes/dislikes.  Add bell peppers, onion, etc.  Make sure you have some sour cream or salsa on hand too!  This recipe made a total of 5 whole quesadillas (20 quarters once cut up).

Ingredients:

-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

-1/3 to 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

-1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained

-Shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese mix – the amount depends on what you like!

-Flour tortillas – 2 per quesadilla

Directions:

1.  Mix together chopped chicken and black beans, adding barbecue sauce last.  Add enough barbecue sauce so that everything sticks together well.

2.  Place a skillet or griddle on medium-high heat with a small pat of butter or light spray of vegetable oil.  Meanwhile, layer your quesadilla – flour tortilla, filling, cheese, tortilla.  We buttered the top tortilla’s top side so that when we flipped it, it would get golden brown.  The cheese acts as your “glue” so make sure you have enough to keep it all together once melted.

3.  Put your assembled quesadilla in the skillet.  When the bottom side is brown, flip over.  Cut into quarters.

 

Foodie Friday

Friday Favorites

Mom’s Beef and Vegetable Soup

Okay, so it’s cold in Texas.  Go ahead and laugh, those of you from the East Coast who are buried until feet of snow.  But 30 degree temperatures with wind chills in the single digits is cold to a Native Texan.  So it’s soup time!  This is my mother-in-law’s recipe and we first had it on vacation a few weeks ago.  It’s a great twist on a traditional soup.  Plus, anything where you just open a bunch of cans and throw it in a pot is a winner in my book.  This soup gets better over time so make it a day in advance!  Made a LARGE pot – fed 3 people for almost 4 days.

Ingredients:

-1 pound stew beef or beef roast, cut into bite size pieces

-1 quart water (4 cups)

-2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

-1.5 cups carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces (I used baby carrots – about half a small bag

-1 onion, chopped

-1 can diced tomatoes

-1 can green beans, drained

-1 can whole kernel corn, drained

-1 can creamed corn

-7 oz ketchup

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Cook meat and onion until tender and meat is browned; drain if needed.  Add all other ingredients.  Simmer 30 minutes.

Foodie Friday

Friday Favorites

Homemade Play Kitchen

If you’ve never stopped by Jess’ blog, Craftiness Is Not Optional, then you definitely need to.  Jess has so many inspiring ideas that are always quick and easy.  If you have little girls, then you MUST get there quickly.  Earlier this year her father built her little girl a play kitchen.  Seeing as how we have a little girl about the same age, I thought that it was definitely a project that we could undertake as well.  We used her basic “floor plan” (which you can read about in THIS post) and went to work! 

So, after two months of working his tail off, my husband finished the kitchen this weekend.  I am so amazingly proud of the work that he did.  It wouldn’t have taken him so long if he wasn’t a super perfectionist.  But that’s what I love about him.  :)

(Sorry for the pictures – I was taking them early this morning before it was very light out)

I love the oven.  The knobs turn and the little burner covers come off.  There are real oven grates inside and little cookie sheets that fit just perfectly.  The sign above the stove is from Hobby Lobby.

We decided to do the curtain instead of cabinets since I’m a little worried about slammed fingers these days.  I got this retro lemon print as a remnant at JoAnn’s for about $2 a long time ago.  Thankfully it was just the right size and is hung on a tension rod.  The cross stitch print of lemons above the sink is from my grandmother-in-law.  She went to be with the Lord last year and we found this at her house in a drawer when we were cleaning out her house.  I love having a little of her in the kitchen for the kids.

This is inside the pantry/fridge.  We only did shelves that are high enough for my daughter to reach at this point.  Some day we can add higher ones if we need to.  She’s getting a ton of play food and accessories for her birthday and Christmas so this will be full soon!

I couldn’t be more thrilled with this addition to my daughter’s room.  I know that once she moves to her ‘big girl bed’ all she'll do is play with this instead of sleep, but that’s okay.  Right now she’s more interested in pulling out all the food and putting it on her play table but once she gets older I know that this will be her favorite thing. 

Apartment Fish

Even if you don’t like fish, you’re probably at least wondering what is up with the name of this dish.  After I graduated from college, I moved back to Dallas and within a month had to start my first job with the hotel company I eventually worked at for 8 years.  I had a little 600 square foot apartment just 2 miles from the hotel.  I loved it.  I loved being independent, making my own money, decorating my own place, etc.  I worked a lot of night shifts but the nights I was home always involved dinner cooked on my single serve George Foreman grill.  This is a dish I came up with back in those days.  As I started to date my husband and have him over for dinner, this became a favorite.  It still brings back so many memories when we eat it today.

What I love about this dish is that it is SO easy.  4 ingredients, 20 minutes, one dish, done!  I hope you enjoy it too.  This should feed about 3-4 people – 1 fish fillet per person, just add another box of pasta if needed.

Ingredients:

-4 Tilapia Filets

-1 box of Pasta Roni Shells & White Cheddar

-1 can of peas, drained

-Your choice of seasoning on the fish (we like the Greek Seasoning, but use your favorite)

Directions:

1.  Season fish and cook until flaky.  Use whatever method you like best – bake in the oven, grill outside, sauté in a pan, etc.  I still use the George Foreman to cook my fish, but now it’s a lot bigger and fancier one!

2.  While fish is cooking, cook pasta to specifications on box.  Typically takes about 20 minutes by the time it finishes cooking and sits in the sauce to thicken.  Once thickened, add drained peas to pot and stir to heat through.

3.  On each plate, flake 1 tilapia filet into small pieces.  Divide pasta and pea mixture between plates and add on top of fish.  Mix together.

Here it is all mixed together and ready to enjoy!

Foodie Friday

Friday Favorites

Shepherd’s Pie

I first had this dish at my Mother-in-law’s several years ago.  My husband always raved about it so I got the recipe to make at home.  After a few tries, my husband officially announced that mine was better than his mother’s.  Is there really any better compliment from a Southern man?  Now, not sure if it’s true or he’s just being sweet but I’ll take it either way.  :)  This is a crowd pleaser – quick, easy, and customizable to your family’s tastes. 

Ingredients:

-1 pound ground beef

-1 can condensed tomato soup

-1 can green beans

-a couple handfuls of frozen mixed veggies (this is the part that you can customize – use your favorite veggies – peas if you don’t like green beans, etc.  Or use whatever is on hand)

-mashed potatoes – I use the instant from a pouch

-salt and pepper to taste

-1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown beef, drain and place in a mixing bowl.

2.  Add soup, veggies, and salt and pepper to the beef and mix well.  Pour into a lightly greased 1.5 to 2 quart casserole.  Prepare potatoes as per directions on pouch and spread on top of beef mixture.

3.  Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Add cheese; return to oven until cheese is melted.

Here it is in the casserole dish – so pretty!

All served up and ready to devour: