PIN: Chicken Chili Awesomeness

It has been over a year since I have posted -SO Sorry. Through the year I have done numerous pins and had most of them be a success. This recipe was originally a Pin, but all links have proven to be broken or worse. Therefore I'm making this my own :).

Chicken Chili

2-3 Frozen Chicken Breasts

1 Can of Corn (half drained or not drained)

1 Can of Black Beans (Rinsed and Drained)

1 Can of Rotel Tomatoes (I use mild or original, as my family doesn't like too spicy)

1 pkg. Ranch Dressing powder mix

1 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder (optional)

1 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese

I always use Crock Pot liners. This makes cleaning SO easy and left overs I just lift up the bag and place it in container for the refrigerator.

Place your FROZEN 2-3 chicken breasts in the bottom. Next add each can of ingredients listed above as instructed. Top with the Ranch mix, Cumin, Chili powder, & onion powder (optional). Place the block of cream cheese on top, last.  Place on low for 6 hours. After a couple of hours, if you are home, stir the mixture. An hour before you serve the chili, shred the chicken in the crockpot and stir. Serve over rice or with bread.

We serve over brown rice, as we are trying to watch our white flour/rice intake. Since we do not add any additional spices the chili is mild for the boys to love.  We serve it mixed with rice and topped with wonderful cheese. 

This PIN is such a success that we regularly make this recipe - I'm actually cooking it today in the crock pot as I type. I love having dinner cooking and getting ready before I'm even out of PJs.

Pin It, Did It! Success

PIN: Oreo Gooey Cake Bars

For those that have not read a previous post, you might not know that our family (especially my husband) are huge Oreo fans. Apparently this year is Oreo's 75th Anniversay. Our family is loving this celebration!

This PIN looked so promising to be a quick and awesome dessert. It was quite simple looking too. There are four main ingredients:

Devil Food Cake Mix
Oreos
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Chocolate Chips

While the instructions showed breaking the dough into pieces and then putting them together again in the pan, I just took the whole dough and flattened it out into the pan. It was very easy and I think saved a lot of time. The most time came in crashing the Oreos.  I didn't want them too fine, but chunks, so I didn't use my food processor. I used a metal spoon in the bowl I combined the dough (less items to wash). I might be able to save time by crushing them in a ziploc bag with a rolling bin or glass. At the time I was low on gallon ziploc bags.

It was so very easy to make - the kids helped!

They turned out specatular! My husband and I had one that night after it had cooled maybe 45-60 minutes.  It was still warm and extremely gooey. The next day they were in better/perfect bar form. They are still very gooey, but firm bar form.  They are VERY rich and awesome.

This PIN was a success! Pin It, Did It.

PIN: Glowing Bath

We purchased thin glow sticks awhile ago on amazon, it was a great deal for a large amount and I thought I could always add them to gifts throughout the year and give the boys a extra fun surprise. These are the same kind of glow sticks I've seen in the Target $1 section too.

I told the boys that they were going to have a special adventure at bath time. I went in and prepared the bath and then I added 6 small sticks (3 for each). I then closed the curtain and let them come in and get ready to get in the bath.  When they were ready I had them close their eyes and I turned off the lights. I pulled back the curtain and said they were taking a special futuristic spy path. (I know, lame, but my 4 and 2 year old love secret spy stuff). This later turned into a 80s rock band, as they played with the sticks like drumsticks in the water. They also loved using the sticks to stir in cups like a magic potion.

My husband and I came up with this on our own, but then I saw a pin and so decided to use the image. Overall, this was a huge success!

This PIN was a success. Pin It, Did It.

PIN: Pirate Preschool Sheets

Eldin and Ellis are crazy active! It is a miracle when I can get them to sit and do anything. For those moms that have boys...you know exactly what I mean :).

I found this PIN and honestly forgot about it for awhile.

I wanted an activity that would help focus the boys, be educational, and fun and exciting. I bought a pack of sheet protective from the Dollar Store and then printed out most of the Pirate Pack. Thankfully Over the Moon website provided all of this completely FREE! I then put the papers in the sheet protectors. The boys LOVED using markers and connecting the lines, counting, finding the different pictures, and many more activities.  Then all I did was wipe them off with a paper towels and the are set for the next time we go on a pirate excursion.

This PIN was a success! Pin It, Did It.

PIN: Million Dollar Spaghetti

Tony and I LOVE Italian food, so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I had to try it. Thankfully I had all the ingredients so I was able to make it immediately.

Million Dollar Spaghetti (instructions)

I actually did not have any butter, but I don't think it changed the recipe much, plus it was healthier.  I just used Canola Spray Oil in the bottom, so it could not stick to the pan.

The dish was a success! Everyone loved it, including my soon-to-be 2 year old who had 2 bowls. Tony and I agreed that it was a Spaghetti-Lasagna = Laghetti :). While it was very good, I think I used too much cottage cheese or not enough Spaghetti Sauce, so the ratio was a little too heavy on the cheese mixture. Therefore, next time (and YES there will definitely be a next time), I will decrease the cheese mixture. I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef (it is better on our stomachs).

This PIN was a success. Pin It, Did It.

Pin: Chocolate-Covered OREO Cookie Cake

On one of our adventures during the last year, we recently had our dear friends visit us here in Texas. We LOVED the visit so much that we decided to return to Searcy with them for another week to hang out and visit. While in Searcy, AR I was finally able to try out a very delicious looking pin:

Chocolate-Covered OREO Cookie Cake

My husband and friends are  HUGE fans of Oreos....I actually haven't met a person who does not love these amazing cookies. The cake seemed fairly simple and amazingly delicious. I knew I had to make it while with other families, as it would not be good for our waistbands if Tony and I were the only ones to eat it. Thankfully, this Pin was a huge success!

Kris was the first for a slice, as pictured. We had so much fun making this delicious cake. The recipe was very easy and fun to make.  We were all very surprised to see how massive this cake turned out to be, but we had NO problem finishing every piece within a few days.

If you have a function in need of a desert or if you want to bring a cake to a potluck, this is your recipe.

Pin Success....Pin It, Did It. :)

LONG Time

After about a year and a half of blogging about our crazy life, we are finally back.  I have plans to post about Pins from Pinterest I have done, "explain" how we are now living in Texas, update about our crazy family and crazy blessed life.