Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffles

I thought these sounded different and delicious while looking through my Taste of Home magazine! I did make homemade jam to go on top!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffles- adapted from Taste of Home
1 1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolks, milk, butter, and peanut butter. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ones just until moistened. Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Place on heated waffle iron. Serve with jelly as syrup.

**These were quite tasty and a different take on waffles. The only problem I had was that my waffle maker decided to be finicky and stop working...as in it wouldn't open or close! I didn't take a picture because they we not that exciting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

I don't remember how I found this recipe...it could be that I subscribe to the blog and get her updates, but I think another blog I frequent mentioned it. Either way, I found it and couldn't wait to try it. K's birthday was yesterday and he isn't usually a chocolate fan, but has lately been requesting choc/pb so I made this. It's cooking right now and smells wonderful...and its in the crock pot so no heating the house up!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake-shared from A Year of Slow Cooking
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar(divided)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp oil
1 cup boiling water
3 tbsp cocoa powder

Combine flour, powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix well. Soften peanut butter in microwave for 30 secs. Add to flour along with milk, vanilla, and oil. Stir well. Spread into bottom of greased slow cooker. Whisk together water, 1/2 cup sugar, and cocoa. Pour on top of batter. Cook on high for 2-4 hours until cake is cooked through.Start checking at 2 hours.

**I won't lie...I doubled this recipe. So we will see how long it takes to cook. It was delicous and so easy to make! Our dinner guest loved it and my mom did too. K couldn't really taste it due to his allergies, but rest assured it is good! Picture to come.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

So in preparation for cooking day and needing my freezer, I have been on a mission to clean it out. That meant I had to do something with 2 qts of strawberries. I also had on the menu pb and j waffles and I need jam for that! I also happen to have a box of pectin hanging out waiting to be used. Plus what is better than homemade jam and its EASY!

Homemade Strawberry Jam- from the SureJell box
1 pkg fruit pectin(I used surejell)
2 pints strawberries(2 cups crushed)
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup water

Wash, dry, and destem berries. Lightly crush with potato masher.(I did use frozen berries, I let them thaw and then crushed them). Mix berries with sugar and set aside for 10 mins. Stir occasionally.

Mix pectin and water together in a small sauce pan. Stir constantly while it comes to a boil and boil for 1 min. Remove from heat and add to strawberries. Mix for about 3 mins until sugar is dissolved, some crystals may still be around. Pour into containers within 1/8 in from the top, cover. Let cool for 24 hours. Store in freezer for up to 1 yr or in the fridge for 3 weeks.

**So far it has set up nicely...and I'm sure it tastes great, I'll let you know after breakfast tomorrow!

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese

I can't remember where I found this recipe, but its the second time I've made it and been successful with it! So apparently if we want mac and cheese this will be the way its made, until I get brave enough to try a white sauce again...its just as easy to make as the "blue box" even K could handle it.

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese
2 cups macaroni
2 cups broth
1/4-1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheese
pepper to taste
dash of dry mustard

Place macaroni and broth in rice cooker. Turn cooker on. Check after 15 mins to make sure you have enough liquid(esp if using whole wheat pasta). Check doneness of mac after 20 mins. Once done, stir in cheese and allow to melt. Turn to warm. slowly add milk, careful not to add to much. Season with pepper and dry mustard.

Berry Baked Oatmeal

After a busy weekend and a Monday that has no nap, I had no snacks/breakfasts in the house. Usually I'll get to something over the weekend, but not this weekend. I wanted to switch up my regular oatmeal breakfast and use up some of my frozen fruit. Need to get the freezer cleaned out before we have a freezer cooking day. I've made this recipe twice within the last week...once I used the oven and once in the crockpot. I do like it better in the oven, its purely a texture thing for me though. I was not about to turn the oven on when it was 90+ degrees out!

Berry Baked Oatmeal- shared from Finding Joy In My Kitchen
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 cups quick cook oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup frozen or fresh fruit(I used strawberries and blueberries)

Combine dry ingredients add in wet ingredients. Stir to combine. Fold in fruit. Place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan. Place in 350 degree oven for 40ish minutes until center is set.

Crock-pot method: Pour ingredients into greased crock pot. Turn on low for 4 hours or until center is set. I did put a towel over the crock pot between the lid and bowl the last hour to get some of the moisture out.

**Q absolutely loves this! That is why I had to make another batch he ate it all on me! I like it better in the oven because it dries it out a little more and you don't get the very dark edges like you do in the crock pot. The picture is from the crock pot version. I used a 5.5 qt crock pot.

Crockpot Boeuf Bourguignon

I had an unfortunate event that I had one extra cup of wine to use...I do not drink it. It's just not my thing...I prefer the girly drinks. Anyway, I came across this recipe a few months ago and I had everything on hand so I decided to toss it together for dinner! By the way, and I the only one who can't spell the title of this recipe, I have to thank SnoWhite as I copied it from her!

Crockpot Boeuf Bourguignon- shared from Finding Joy in my Kitchen
1-2 lbs stew beef, cubed
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef broth
4-5 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 tbsp bacon bits, or 6 strips of bacon, cooked/crumbled/drained
3 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb frozen pearl onions(omitted)
1 lb white mushrooms, sliced(omitted)
1/2 tsp butter

Leave some of the bacon fat in pan after its been cooked. Brown stew meat. (If using real bacon bits, brown meat first then add in bits). Once browned transfer to crock pot. Add in onion, garlic, and carrots. Sprinkle with flour and seasonings. Stir to combine well. Add in broth, wine, and pearl onions. Stir. Cover and let cook for 6-8 hrs on low. 1 hour prior to eating, melt butter in pan and saute mushrooms. Once liquids have evaporated add to crock pot and continue cooking for one hour. Serve over rice.

**K and I really enjoyed this and we will make it again. It did remind us a lot of beef stew. Oh and watch out for the bay leaf.

Blueberry and Cheese Rolls

I apologize for the lack of new recipes. We had a busy weekend and no nap yesterday so recipe writing didn't make the list, but they are coming I promise!

This recipe I saw on Kraft originally. I was too lazy to look up the recipe on saturday morning so I just made it up. These remind me of a blueberry and cheese danish but not so sugary or fattening for you! I did pretty well with the recipe without looking at it! These come together quickly and taste delicious next time I'll double the recipe so I have leftovers.

Blueberry and Cheese  Rolls- Kraftfoods.com
1 portion of crescent roll dough
4 oz cream cheese, softened(I used 1/3 less fat)
2 tbsp sugar(I used powdered)
1/2 cup blueberries(I did use frozen)

Mix together sugar and cream cheese. Roll out crescent dough into a rectangle if you can. Mine looked more like a circle. Cut into squares. Spread cheese on top and cover with blueberries. Fold up 2 corners and seal. Place on cookie sheet. Let rise for about 15 mins. Cook at 375 for 11-13 mins until golden brown.

**I'm sure the boys would have gobbled these up if I had actually made enough for them to have some. They LOVE blueberries. But I only got 4 out of my dough so K and I ate them while the boys had cereal.  I will admit that my cream cheese was not softened and I just whipped it using the electric mixer and it worked well.