Cinnamon Bun Muffins

For this cooking swap, it was blogger's choice. I was assigned the fabulous blog, Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations. It was a blast trying to decide what to make mainly because there were so many great options! 

My list finally dwindled down to Salad Skewers, Ham and Cheese Pinwheels, and these muffins.

 Then I let the kids decide. And of course, like normal kids were completely split. 

Ultimately, my sister's decision won out!

The muffins were very easy to put together and very easily satisfied our cinnamon roll craving!

My big guy LOVES cinnamon rolls. We even had Hershey Cinnamon Rolls by Pillsbury (pillsbury has no clue who I am just saying we bought it!) on Sunday morning.

Even though he said he didn't want to help he ended up helping!! Love this guy! I also know to enjoy these moments because they don't happen often.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

adapted from this recipe at Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour plus 1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

**For Filling
4 tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

** For icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk or water
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk the 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking soda, salt and flour together in a bowl.
3. Combine the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
4. Slowly add into flour mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Take the 1/2 cup of flour and spread onto clean rolling surface.
6. Knead dough for 2 minutes.
7. Roll dough into 12x12 rectangle.
8. Combine mixture for filling.
9. Spread filling mixture onto dough.
10. Roll the dough into a log beginning with the wide side. Stretch slightly. 
11. Cut into two-inch pieces and put these pieces into greased muffin tins or cupcake liners.
12. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
13. Let cool for about 5 minutes and drizzle with glaze.
14. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake-- Secret Recipe Club

This month for Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned the blog A Spoonful of Thyme. My mom's birthday was a few weeks ago and I knew as soon as I saw this cake this would be my choice for the month!

I was debating on also doing this cake but considering how hot it is, I'm saving it for the fall!

I did try to make it as sugar free as I could because my mom is a diabetic! She also loves nuts and added some into the mix as well! She loves Chocolate and this was the perfect cake for her! I was able to find sugar free cake mix and sugar free chocolate chips!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

adapted from this recipe at A Spoonful of Thyme

1 chocolate cake mix (I used sugar free- Pillsbury makes sugar free cake mixes)
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (I used sugar free)
2 cups sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)
1 12 oz package chocolate chips (I used sugar free)
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup water 
1/3 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup Almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix either with a hand or stand mixer until well incorporated. This makes a very thick batter! 
3. Bake in a well greased Bundt pan for 60 to 70 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Weekly Menu Plan

Happy Monday!! I hope everyone had a good weekend! We went to the Amish Market again over the weekend and seem to be swimming in vegetables (which isn't a bad thing!). My mom is out of town this week so my sister and I are looking forward to some meals that mom would not really like.



Monday-- BLT's, fresh fruit, and chips

Tuesday-- This Chicken, Potato, and Green Bean dish from Pinterest (wish I could original source!)

Wednesday-- Zucchini Pie

Thursday-- Grilled Salmon, grilled corn (Roger is off and I can't grill for the life of me without burning everything so taking advantage of him being off!)

Friday-- Little Cesar's Pizza (Cam's favorite)

Saturday-- Cameron wants to go play in the water at the aquarium so I'm sure we will eat at Roger's restaurant again since it is downtown as well


For this menu and other great menus, check out Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday!

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

You know sometimes I feel really sorry for my family. I say this because I almost always want to make something new for dinner vs. having something normal like spaghetti or tacos. I am also the type of person that if I see something I want to make, I almost immediately put those things on a grocery list and set out to make them. :)   It drives my husband crazy.

Great example would be these sandwiches. I knew I wanted the new Kings Hawaiian Buns to go with them. Not the little rolls, the buns. Well, 3 stores later I find said buns only to see that it will cost around $6 for the at least six that I need. Oh well. I really wanted them so we got them. I would have to say that I also like the rolls better. The buns seemed to be a little dry. My grandmother even served them over the weekend with her famous BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and they seemed dry then too. (This is not sponsored or affiliated with Kings Hawaiian just a story!)

Anyway, some of my friends in an online group kept raving and raving about this sandwich and it definitely should be raved about! Super Simple and a great dinner!




Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches
recipe adapted from this recipe at So Tasty, So Yummy

2 large boneless skinless breast of chicken
1 can pineapple slices (rings)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Hamburger Buns 
 Sliced Cheese (provolone or monterrey jack would be great choices!)

1. Pound out the chicken breast and slice each breast into two pieces.
2.  Combine the juice from the pineapple can, soy sauce, brown sugar and mustard. 
3. Marinate the chicken 4 hours or overnight in the the juice mixture.
4.  Prepare your grill. 
5. Grill the chicken for 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Add the cheese with about 3 minutes left.
6.  While the chicken is grilling, add the pineapple rings halfway through, turning once.
7.  Serve on buns with two pineapple rings per sandwich.

Weekly Menu Plan

Happy Monday!! It has already been a interesting Monday around this house and hopefully yours hasn't been that bad! Cole is sick and Cam is unhappy about where he is during the day! Always something fun at this house!

We've also made a list of things we haven't done yet that we want to complete before Cam goes back to his dad's on August 4th. This list will probably be added to but all we could think about so far!

• Go play in the water at Coolidge Park
• Get a donut Sundae
• Finish the Harry Potter Movie Series-- we have about 30 mins left on movie 6 and then the last two parts of Deathly Hallows-- Roger cheated though and saw Deathly Hallows on HBO one night and I of course watched some of it and was very happy with the ending-- Cam doesn't know this yet though!
• Chattanooga Lookouts Game
• Dollywood-- don't know if this one will happen but we will try!

The menu for this week is:

Monday:  Tacos/Nachos night

Tuesday: Chick Fil A (I have some coupons for free kids meals) Family Night

Wednesday--Baked Ranch Chicken (carry over from a few weeks ago)

Thursday-- Chicken and Pizza Quesadillas (another carry over)

Friday-- Freezer Find Friday-- there are 3 bags!?!?!? of chicken nuggets in the freezer along with other things that we could eat!

Saturday-- out to eat at Roger's restaurant 

This is linked to Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie

BBQ Pot Roast with Cheddar Grits

I'm definitely all about using the slow cooker in the Summer. Something about heat just makes you not want to cook but yet you still have to eat! I actually made this a few weeks ago and it really surprised us on how great the flavors came together!

I also like that now I have another recipe that I can make with roast. This also made for great leftovers in the week!




BBQ Pot Roast over Cheddar Ranch Grits
adapted from this recipe at Plain Chicken



For the Roast:
2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 (4-5 lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1 (12 oz) can Coca Cola (Coke!)
1 (12 oz) bottle chili sauce
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp hot sauce
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup milk

Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper over roast. Place roast in 6-quart slow cooker.  Combine coke, chili sauce, worcestershire and hot sauce; pour over roast. Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours or on low 8-9 hours.

Remove roast from slow cooker, reserving juices in slow cooker; keep roast warm. 

Combine cornstarch and milk, stirring well; stir into slow cooker. Cook, uncovered on high 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce over roast.

For the Grits:
1 1/2 cup quick cook grits (not instant)
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 - 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium pan, bring chicken broth to a boil.  Slowly stir in grits.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally  Stir in cheese.  Cook until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately

Weekly Menu Plan

Did anyone else feel extremely off having a Holiday Mid-Week?  It would have been nice to have more days off or even a three day weekend but I am thankful for the day we did have!

We did have a great 4th though! We made these drinks which Cam decided to name Patriot Punch, Saw dueling firework shows twice, and even had some fun with our own fireworks (very carefully of course!)


Looking forward to another week with my boys! Hope you have a good week as well!



Monday--Spaghetti

Tuesday-- Parmesan Tilpia

Wednesday-- out to eat for mom's birthday!

Thursday-- Chicken and Basil Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes



Going to Nashville for the weekend! Looking forward to some time with family and a trip to Opry Mills as well!

Our Garden

Here are some pictures from last week! We are quite impressed considering we started about a month late!

Summer Spaghetti

Summer Produce. One of absolute favorite things about the summer. Even though  I make weekly menu plans, this heat has been killing us and I don't want to spend all night cooking something that might require the oven and the stovetop.

This meal was fabulous! It also came together really quickly and was a great way to use up a variety of summer vegetables we had on hand. I'm sure that you could use eggplant and squash with this as well. We had broccoli and zucchini on hand so that's what I used!

I honestly can't wait to make this recipe more over the summer!

Summer Spaghetti

• 8 oz. spaghetti noodles
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grilled zucchini and/or other summer veggies
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• Small handful fresh basil, torn
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Prepare spaghetti to al dente in a large pot of boiling water (about 9-10 minutes boiling time). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

In a large saute' pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the zucchini, tomatoes, and torn basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in the reserved pasta liquid and spaghetti into the vegetables in the skillet.


Heat thoroughly, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan.


 Transfer to large serving bowl and garnish with chopped basil.




Source:Adapted from Pennies on a Platter who Adapted from Better Homes and Garden Magazine, June 2012

Weekly Menu Plan

I finally have my Cameron!!! Which means simple easy suppers because he is pretty picky! It has definitely gotten better over the last few years but still it does hinder things a little having one kid who will everything and one who won't touch anything but chicken, ham, potatoes, corn and green beans :)..... I'm sure many of you can relate though!

Sunday-- Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches, grilled potatoes and grilled ceasar salads!

Monday-- sloppy joes, glazed carrots, and broccoli

Tuesday-- eating at the restaurant-- Pops in the Park is this night as well and his restaurant is across the street from the park! Fireworks are also this night!

Wednesday-- Ribs, Tomato and Cucumber salad, grilled corn, and baked beans

Thursday-- Chicken and Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas

Friday-- Freezer Find Fridays :)--- we've got pizza rolls, egg rolls, and tons of other things in the freezer that need to be eaten :)

Saturday-- Baked Ranch Chicken




I've been holding out on you. I have  a secret. And NO sorry not pregnant! The boys we have are plenty! But....

We're going to Disney!!!

I've been driving my family absolutely crazy and we've been planning since February!! Of course, if anyone has any tips I would love to hear them! It is very overwhelming planning this but fun at the same time!!

We are going in October and it will also be during the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween party will also be going on but with the ages of the boys neither one are really interested so we probably won't go. We also plan on taking a day to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as well as Sea World.

I haven't been to WDW since I was about 9 so I really don't remember anything and can't wait to share our trip with you guys!

Foodie Pen Pals June 2012

I'm honestly surprised my family allowed me to get a picture of the wonderful foodie pen pal box I received for June! They were digging into it before I even had time to snap a quick photo!

This month I was paired with Nicole who definitely tuned into my love of Trader Joe's!

I received:

Molasses Chew Cookies

Mango Butter 

Chocolate Raspberry Sticks

a cherry and a chocolate bar

White Tea and Pomegrante Tea

I love Foodie Penpals and it is a great way to meet new people as well as trade some great foodie items!!

And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!