Silver Turtles: An easy summer meal!

My family has adopted this really fun grilling recipe that I have stolen from an ex boyfriend. I'm going to claim it as my own, though. This recipe originated as a horse ranch campfire meal and has evolved into a backyard grill out meal.

We love it! It is so easy, and clean up is pretty much a breeze. Not to mention the deliciousness of it all!

You can use any veggies you like. Our veggies of choice include 

(some, not all, and any combination in between)

Potatoes

Broccoli

Corn

Carrots 

Bell Peppers

Onions

Zucchini

Squash

To prep, you dice, slice, peel, and prep all your vegetables and set them up buffet style for all your guests to add to their silver turtle. I divi up the meat onto aluminum foil for everyone and let each person to choose their own.

Your guests create their own silver turtle with the combination of their favorite veggies. There is no science to it at all, you just pile it on!

This creation is called "silver turtle" for a reason. The intention is to make a shape of an animal of your choice so that you can easily identify your silver turtle in the campfire. Well, my family is super sophisticated (ahem, lazy) so we just fold them up and write our names on the bottom. When the kids get older, I imagine we will be more kid friendly and make fun shapes! 

Husband chose to identify mine for me this Mother's Day!

Place your Silver Turtle on the grill for about twenty to thirty minutes. 

The grease from the meat flavors and cooks the veggies to a superb grilled perfection. My favorite part is the charred vegetables  You can add BBQ sauce, steak sauce, or sprinkle some salt. You can also add the flavor before you grill. My family does both!

Talk about delicious? Yes. This is the best summer grillin' meal you've ever tasted!

I guess ex boyfriends are good for something!

My seconds ;)

My Dirty Microwave

The microwave is kind of a place that goes unnoticed in my house. The only time I notice it's dirty is when I'm putting something in/out of it. Which means I'm preparing a meal, which means I'm not thinking about cleaning. It's not like I randomly peek into my microwave just to make sure it's clean. Anywho, it get's pretty dirty. See...

Well, I knew those yuckies had been there for a while, and would be hard to get off. I decided to steam my microwave. I saturated a cloth diaper (what we use instead of paper towels) with water and sprayed it ten times with my organic disinfectant cleaner. Yes, I counted how many times I sprayed it.

I slapped it in the microwave for 3 minutes, grabbed it with another cloth so I wouldn't burn myself and went to town wiping her down. I still had to use a little elbow grease, but much less than anticipated :)

Just a little tiny cleaning tip from The Mrs!

Taco Ring {recipe}

This recipe is such a staple in our household. It's super easy, super cheap, and super yummy! Perfect combination, huh? My husband loves it, and so does everyone else that I have cooked it for.

 What you need:
3 packages of croissant rolls
1 package of taco seasoning
2 lbs of ground beef
shredded cheese
sour cream (optional for garnishment)
{serves 6-8}

First step, that I ALWAYS FORGET - preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Then you will brown your meat & drain the grease.

Add your taco seasoning and 2 teaspooons of water. Stir it up.

 Add shredded cheese to your liking. I usually add about a cup.

Open up your croissant rolls and lay them out with the short ends together and the pointy side facing outwards. Like this . Did you like that illustration? I thought so. If not, here's a picture.

Lay the seasoned meat to the middle.

Then wrap the croissants around the meat. Has anyone maid an apple braid? It's very similar. Except it doesn't have to be braided; just make sure you contain the meat.

Bake for 10-12 minutes {or just follow your croissant roll instructions}.

Serve with tortilla chips & salsa.

Garnish with cheese, sour cream, salsa, bell peppers, onions, etc :)

Enjoy!

// crotch pot \\

So, if you saw my goals post from a few weeks ago, you know that I'm trying to cook more often. I have been successful at cooking. I have NOT been successful at finding good recipes. I've cooked three new meals in the crock pot. Only one of them was a hit with the husband. And, to be honest, I really only enjoyed one of them as well, but ate them because I'll eat anything. I followed the recipes to a T, they just apparently weren't our style. Needless to say, I've found two recipes that I will not be trying again. Sweet and Sour Pork Chops in the Crock pot and Sunday Pork Chops (cant find the link). We did LOVE the Crockin Girls Bacon Chicken Pasta. It was fabulous.

I guess my goal should have been to find GOOD recipes and cook. HAHA! We have not had fast food for dinner in a while, unless you count Hamburger Helper! I've cooked my taco ring recipe, and we had leftovers for days! We also had breakfast for dinner once, too!

Share with me your crock pot meals. I totally prefer those. I have a roast... I need a roast recipe!

oh... and my Mamaw has called it a Crotch Pot all my life. I grew up calling them that.

Hardier Lime Lactation Cookies {Product Review}

"Now you can make Lactation Cookies yourself with just a few extra ingredients you already have in your kitchen, without running all over town to find the specialized ingredients, spending a lot for the small amounts needed for the recipe or taking the time to measure everything out. It’s all in one mix, from my kitchen to yours." 

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In the early stages of learning the ins and outs of breastfeeding, I began to doubt my body and it's ability to sustain my little one. I almost gave up breastfeeding totally because I felt like my little girl was not getting full enough.

I began to research ways to increase milk supply and found several suggestions. I also found great foods and herbs to consume that will help. Well here in Alabama, it was almost impossible to find all these wild ingredients. Not to mention, they were pricey. I did not want to spend a ton of money for a whole jar when I only needed a teaspoon. 

That's when I found Hardier Lime on etsy. What a brilliant idea? Premade mixes for lactation cookies! Wonderful! 

Are they easy to make?

These cookies were so simple to make! I ordered the oatmeal raisin mix, first. All you need on hand is eggs, butter, and vanilla (optional)! The baking instructions are included! It comes in a high quality sealed bag. All you have to do is cut it open and mix in your other ingredients. I didn't follow the baking instructions to a T, I didn't really do much except mix everything together and make sure my dough was mixed really well. I didn't want to get down my mixer because the baby was sleeping (read: I'm just lazy). I was also VERY GENEROUS with the vanilla. I think I added two whole tablespoons.
Ingredients in the mix include:

oats :: sugar :: flour :: organic raisins :: organic brewers yeast :: 

 :: organic flaxseed meal ::  baking soda :: salt

I only had to bake them for 8 minutes and they came out perfect! It certainly made a generous two dozen! Next time I will have to make smaller cookies so they last longer!

How did they taste?

They were WONDERFUL! I didn't feel like I was eating a healthy treat! I felt as if I was indulging. In fact, they were so good, I ate like five in one day! They were a little grainy, but I only noticed because I was paying real good attention for review purposes! I loved them, and I just ordered my second batch - this time I'm going for the chocolate mix!

Did they work?

Coupled with drinking lots of water and these tablets, I saw a significant increase in milk supply. I swear by these cookies! Not only are they a great, healthy snack for nursing mothers, they actually work! That day that I ate five cookies? Yeah, I saw a significant increase in my supply. I had that "full feeling" all day and was able to stock up for when I returned back to work!

Hardier Lime also offers a Milk Enhancing Blend that you can add to your own baking, yogurt, or whatever! Check it out here! I can't wait to try it! Only $3.25. Her prices are the cheapest on etsy. TRUST ME!  I looked through hundreds of listings. 

I have in no way been compensated by Hardier Lime. These opinions are 100% my own; I just love to share awesome products with you guys!

Holiday Recipe: Pecan Pie Trifle

This is by far the easiest thing to make.

The recipe says to "make a pecan pie"... 

I bought a frozen one. I mean c'mon, let Marie Calendars do her thing!

Here is what you need:

12oz (the large tub) of cool whip

8oz of cream cheese

1 frozen pecan pie

Caramel for drizzling (optional)

Trifle bowl

Mixing Bowl

Mixer

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Here is what you do:

Allow everything to thaw. This is a very VERY important step and will make this process much easier. You may even want to nuke the cream cheese in the microwave for like 10 seconds to get it soft.

First, take your cream cheese and cool whip and combine them into a mixing bowl. Beat the combination on medium until smooth and evenly mixed. (If you don't allow your cream cheese to thaw, this will be frustrating. Trust me, I know.)

Set this mixture to the side and grab your pecan pie. This part is messy, but it's pretty fun! Take your pecan pie and cut it in half. Take one half of it and crumble it up into the trifle bowl. Yes ma'am, crumble... Like you are at your first birthday party. Make sure it is pretty even, I even patted mine down just a wee bit to remove large gaps.

 

Then you will pour half of your cream cheese & cool whip onto the crumbled pecan pie. I accidentally added a little more than half, so my layers were a little uneven.

Then you simply repeat the layers crumbling the other half of the pie and then adding another layer of your cream cheese and cool whip. Be sure to set aside a small portion of the crust to garnish the top! I also drizzled my caramel on top and added a dollop of cool whip. Here is the finished product:

I ran out of Saran Wrap before realizing I needed it, so I had to get a little creative:

The best part about this recipe? It's cheap. The pecan pie was $5 and the cool whip and cream cheese were both about $3. I had to buy a trifle bowl too, and my total was only $17!! You have to try this!!

Linking up:

Taco Soup

Hey guess what? I cooked!!!!!! Finally. 
This recipe is SUPER DEE DUPER easy peasy lemon squeezy. 

What you need:

1 pound (or so) of ground beef  (or turkey)
3 cans of various beans
I used two cans of chili beans and one can of black beans
2 cans of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of rotel
1 package of ranch seasoning
1 package of taco seasoning
cheese
sour cream
fritos

Let's get cookin'

First you will brown and drain your ground beef. 

I totally did this in the very pot I planned on using for my soup.

Then you will open your chili bean cans, drain, 

and pour into pan. Add all other cans. Do not drain.

Next, add your ranch and taco seasoning. 

Use one of your empty cans and fill with water; add to mixture. 

Stir very very well.

Finally, bring to a boil and immediately turn down

and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Before boiling, it doesn't look very appetizing, but it gets better ;)

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See? Super easy and delicious one pot meal!
If you want to add a little spice, add jalepenos 
or grab some spicy rotel :)


Line the bottom of your bowl with fritos, pour the soup over top of it, and garnish with sour cream and cheese, this is obviously
optional, but not if you're me!

linking up here, too