Peanut Butter Bars

I made these for my sister's wedding reception. They make my mouth water just looking at them.

3/4 cup Margarine
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 3/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 1/2 cup Oatmeal

Cream together margarine, sugars and peanut butter. Add baking soda and eggs. Mix well. Add flour, salt and oatmeal. Spread in greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or till slightly browned.

When cooled completely spread a thin layer of PEANUT BUTTER over the top. Place pan in freezer for 10 minutes or until peanut butter is firm enough to spread chocolate frosting on.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup Margarine
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 cups Powder Sugar
2 Tbls Cocoa
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Cream together margarine, salt, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. The longer you whip it with the mixer the fluffier it gets and goes further when spreading it. If it seems dry mix in a few drops of water to make it smooth.

Herbed Lemon Chicken

12 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2 Tbls Generic Lemon Pepper Seasoning

1 Tbls Flour

1 Tbls Unsalted Butter

1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth

On a large plate, combine lemon pepper seasoning with flour. Rinse and trim chicken. Pat dry and roll in flour mixture. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet; add chicken and brown on both sides; about 3-5 minutes a side. Meanwhile, remove zest and juice from lemon and mix with chicken broth. Pour over chicken, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes or until juices run clear.

*Generic lemon pepper seasoning works best in this recipe (name brand seasoning is too strong). You can serve this chicken over egg noodles.

I LOVE LEMON CHICKEN! This recipe is easy and Yummy! I didn't have a fresh lemon on hand when I made it so I replaced it with 2 Tbls of Lemon Juice. And yes, this is a Kraft Foods recipe.

Peanut Butter Oreo's

I did it! I made cookies every week for the whole school year! I set a goal at the first of the school year to try and make cookies for my kids more often. That's when we decided on COOKIE MONDAY! It has also been a great time for Lexie and I to do something together. Lexie knows what ingredients are what and how to put them in the mixer. Brindley and Karissa even got to where they would walk in the door on COOKIE MONDAY, smell the air, then try and guess what kind of cookie we were making.....With that, here is this week's COOKIE MONDAY recipe.

Taken from Allrecipes.com

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons milk

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, 1 cup creamy peanut butter and white and brown sugars. Add vanilla and then eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add slowly to creamy mixture.
3.Shape into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten balls with a fork.
4.Bake for 7-8 minutes depending on size (I tend to keep a close eye on them and remove them as soon as they start to get golden. This helps to make them chewy.) Cool on wire racks.
5.To Make the filling: Combine 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a small bowl adding enough milk to make for a creamy, frosting like texture. Spread frosting on one cookie and top off to make "sandwich".

June Weekly Menu 1

Sunday: Homemade Corndogs/Fries
Monday: MEMORIAL DAY....We went out...
Tuesday: Ham/Micro Potatos/Veggies
Wednesday: Lemon Herb Chicken/Rice/Veggie
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Tatortot Casserole/Green Salad

I haven't been on the ball this week with planning the meals. With the holiday weekend it kinda through me off. But, back to the grind. Gotta do some cooking this week. Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend and ate some YUMMY FOOD!

Three Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

Yes, this is a Betty Crocker Recipe. I love stuffed pasta shells. This recipe was a hit with everyone in the family. When making it, make plenty so you can have leftovers. Kids will thank you!

24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 jar (26 oz) chunky tomato pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 container (8 oz) chive and onion cream cheese spread
1 1/2 cups shredded 6 cheese Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. In large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. In medium bowl, mix cheese spread, 1 cup of the Italian cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg and cooked ground beef. Spoon heaping tablespoon mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering shells completely. Cover with foil.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese filling is set. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F.

For the best results, cook the pasta shells just until al dente (still slightly firm). They are easier to stuff, and they won’t be overcooked during baking.
If you can’t find chive and onion cream cheese spread, just stir 1 tablespoon of each, finely chopped, into plain cream cheese spread.