Happy New Year!

2015 is tomorrow!  Can you believe another year has gone by?  Honestly, I am glad to say good bye to 2014 and hello 2015.  It was a rough one financially, but I am hoping that 2015 is a prosperous one.  I should go out and by lotto tickets today.......

With any new year, you have lots of resolutions or goals for up coming year as I like to call them.  

So, its time to list my goals.  I am hoping I am successful at them this year.  I know my school load will be heavy but maybe just maybe I can get them done.   

1.) Purge a lot of crap in this house.  Lately I have just wanted to throw it all away, Im sick of looking at crap I haven't touched in forever.  So out it goes in 2015! 
2.) Pay off some debt.  Yeah, I say it every year, but I will make a conscience effort to do it this time.
3.) Cook more at home.  I hate leaving at night and having the hubs cook for the kid.  A co-worker of mine have decided to cook something new from a COOKBOOK (not pinterest) every week.  I already have my new item picked out for next week.  Ranch style chicken with twice baked potatoes.  Its from pioneer woman.  Sounds yummy! 
4.) Go to the gym 2-3 times a week. I was doing good this past year, but I got worn out with Zoe's birthday and school this last semester.  

I'm keeping it at four.  That way I am not too over whelmed.  

What are you resolutions or goals for 2015?

~Ally 

Pumpkin Donuts

You will never guess how easy these donuts are just by looking at them!  All you need is a can of biscuits!

If you have biscuit cutters you could use that to cut the middle hole out.  If not use a knife or a small cookie cutter.  A star shape would be cute. haha. 

I used about 2 cups of oil.  Heated it up on medium. I did not test the temp tho.  Just threw a donut hole in and when it was bubbling I knew it was ready.  Just throw your donuts in and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes. 

After you take it out of the oil throw it in your pumpkin glaze mixture.  Flip it, coat it and stick it on a drying rack.

Once the glaze hardens a bit, ENJOY! 

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

1 can biscuits

2 cups vegetable oil 

4 cups powdered sugar

4 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice ( I used less)

1 T. pumpkin 

3-4 T. half and half (I used more to thin out the glaze)

Mix up powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin and half and half.  It was a thick glaze, so I did add more half and half to thin it out.  Just use your judgement.  I didnt use all the pumpkin pie spice, because well I didnt have enough! haha.  

After you are done frying up your biscuits throw it in this yummy glaze and let it sit for a few minutes.  

These donuts were so tasty!  Perfect on a nice cool morning.  

Dont forget your donut holes!  Fry those suckers up and throw in the glaze.

~Allie 

Original recipe can be found on pillsbury.

Quick and Easy Apple "cobbler"

When I say quick and easy, I mean quick and easy!  Only 3 ingredients, no stiring, just dumping.  I love me some dump cake.  I usually make it with a can of cherry pie filling, a can of pineapple chunks (drained), a box of yellow cake and a stick of butter.  This time I changed it up. 

Easy Apple "Cobbler"

1 or 2 cans of apple pie filling (I used one, but I should have used two!)

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 stick of butter

Dump your apples in the bottom of a sprayed 9x13 baking pan.  Then sprinkle your cake mix on top.  Melt your stick of butter and then pour on top of cake mix.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve up warm with some yummy vanilla ice cream! 

You could go all fancy and add some chopped nuts on top before adding the butter.  I think that would make a nice addition. 

Anyone have their favorite dump cake recipe?  You can check out my yummy pumpkin one here.

~Allie 

  

Easy recipe for leftovers

I was lucky and got Saturday night off with the family, so I made a big dinner.  Chicken and eggplant parm, with meat sauce and spaghetti.  Well, we had lots left over.  I don't mix the sauce with the pasta because when my daughter turned two she decided to not like sauce on it anymore.  So, I can only butter her pasta.  Anywho, I decided to make something from those left overs so they don't go to waste. 

SPAGHETTI PIE!

It was sooooo good!  

Look at that melted cheesy goodness!!!!

I used up most of my left over pasta, all of my meat sauce and added some ricotta cheese.  I love me some ricotta cheese!  You can use cottage cheese if you prefer that, but I am not a fan of cottage cheese. I can eat ricotta out of the tub, its so yummy.  You know what else is good with ricotta?  If you mix fruit with it (like you would do with cottage cheese)  It was a ww snack I would have.  

Recipe for Spaghetti pie:

left over pasta (I did not measure mine, I just eyeballed how much would fit in a pie pan)

tomato sauce, about 1-1 1/2 cups

1 c. ricotta

1/2 c. parm cheese

2 eggs (beat before adding to the pasta, lesson learned)

salt and pepper

2 T. mayo

1-1 1/2 c. italian blend cheese (or shredded mozz)

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2.Mix your leftover spaghetti with the two eggs, parm cheese, mayo and salt and pepper.  Pour into a greased pie plate.  

3. Top spaghetti with your ricotta.  Then top with sauce.  

4.  Now you can either top with your cheese and bake, or bake and then add your cheese and put back in the oven for 10 minutes.  I added my cheese then baked it.  (I was hungry!)

5. Pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Keep an eye on it so the cheese doesn't get burnt.  Let sit before cutting into it.  

6. Lastly, ENJOY!

This really was yummy, I just had some for breakfast........

~Allie 

Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

It was the hubbies birthday last week and we had a feast at home, including a "homemade" cake.  His request for his birthday......strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.  Usually it is chocolate, (which I am NOT a fan of) so of course I jumped at the chance of making this cake for him.  It was super easy and oh, so yummy!

I found the recipe over here at southern plate.

I highly recommend this cake, if you are looking for something different, then this is the one you want to make! 

Don't mind my horrible hand writing on that cake! I bought the squeezable icing and it did not work well at all!

I hope you all enjoy the cake!!! 

~Allie 

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is teacher appreciation week.  Which means your child should give their teacher something to show how much they "appreciate" them.  Or, its another excuse for mom to get crafty, and also to say thank you for teaching my child.  I've talked to my teacher friends and they say its nice when they receive something, but they don't expect anything.  At least nothing extravagant, because lets face it, times are hard right now.  Lots of families live paycheck to paycheck with very little extra to get their child's teacher something expensive.  I for one cant afford a lot.  So I came up with something this time that was inexpensive but still fun.  The ideas are endless when choosing what to give their teachers.  

My daughter has two teachers, yes two.  I did gift baskets for Christmas.  Gourmet pasta, a jar of pasta sauce and a oil and seasonings packet for bread (which came with a nifty container to hold it).  I got it all from Aldi and it cost me like $10 a basket.  

This week I bought two cold ups from the dollar store, stuffed it with some tissue paper, threw in some jolly ranchers, a packet each of iced coffee and $5 gift card each to Starbucks.  Over all, each cup cost me under $7.  I already had the iced coffee in my pantry that I just bought.  There were three packets in the box so I threw one in each cup.  I searched online for cute sayings to put on top to say thanks and found: Thanks a "latte".  Cute, right!?! (I also had Zoe draw each teacher a pretty picture)

Final Product:

Super easy, and doesn't break the bank.

There are many ideas you can find on Pinterest for teacher gift ideas, plus sayings, and printable's!

Below are some cute ideas.

thehappyscraps

O-M-G this is so stinkin cute!  I cant wait until Zoe gets a little older, so I can do this for her teacher! 

pbjstories

This is another cute one!  I would probably put mine in a cute tea cup.  I'm always on the lookout for a nice vintage tea cups. 

one more.......

eighteen25

Who doesn't like smelly soups and lotions?!

Like I said the ideas are endless!

~Allie 

I found all these images and links on Pinterest (original source can be found thru the link below the picture) and edited my photos on picmonkey.com

Currents

Currents

Reading: Well, KA just came out with a new book to a new series.  So I gobbled that up and LOVED it!  The Will--Check it out! 

Laughing: Nothing as of yet, I'm still sippin on my coffee.   

Listening to: I love that song by two chains and jason something or other.  I don't know why, but I do.  Oh, and love is an open door and let it go.  Yeah,  Zoe and I are obsessed. 

Wearing: Breaking out the capris and shorts!  

Watching: Drop Dead Diva, Once Upon a Time, and resurrection 



Eating: I just made some yummy no flour, no oil banana muffins.   

Craving: another muffin! 

Getting ready for: School to be OVER!  I have two more tests and Im not worried about them.  One is online, and the other we can use our notes and old quizzes!

Working on: really trying hard to make an effort to work out. I bought a treadmill and I still have a gym membership I don't use. 

What's current with everyone else??

~Allie