Mason Jar Lasagna

Mason Jar Lasagna is a fun way to easily take a favorite dish picnic style for date night or a family dinner at the park!

There is something about mason jars that make me giddy. They are so incredibly useful; they are cute and come in so many shapes and sizes, and they are perfect for taking delicious things just about anywhere! 

There is also something about lasagna that makes me swoon. The layers, the cheesy dreamy textures, the sauce. Sigh, now that folks, is what dinner is all about the euphoria the mention of a food, like lasagna, can give you!

I brought these 2 favorite things together to create an awesome dish to take along with us, while we enjoyed this unseasonably nice Ohio winter weather! Mason Jar Lasagna keeps warm during the transport, is so easy to eat, where ever and it adds so many amazing layers to the dish that who could resist it?

My recipe is a little better than anyone else's because of my secret ingredient cream sauce, but I am going to share it with you because anything this yummy should be shared with a smile!

Ingredients:

1 pound of Ground Beef, browned

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

8 lasagna noodles broken into chunks to fit into a mason jar

2 cups of mozzarella or Italian Cheese

1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 cup of diced onions and green peppers

Secret Cream Sauce {see below}

Directions

Begin layering all ingredients into jars until they are almost full. 

Seal the jars and submerge them in a pot of boiling water for about 10-12 minutes until the noodles are cooked and the layers are thoroughly heated. 

Carefully remove them and wrap them in towels to transport, or pop the lids off and enjoy right away. These jars will stay piping hot for about 25 to 30 minutes!

Secret Recipe Cream Sauce for Lasagna

1 block of cream cheese

2 ounces of milk

garlic powder

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cream cheese is completely melted

This is such an easy recipe for a yummy dinner that is packed full of veggies and cheese, not to mention meat and sauce!

Do you have a favorite mason jar recipe? I would love to hear about it!

Let Goldfish Lend a Helping Hand to Family Fun Time

                             

Being a mom means I wear many hats; from the schedule coordinator to the sorter of socks; the head chef and the chief smile officer. I also fill in a lot of supporting roles for my family; I am the activity coordinator we are always up for a creative project on my tour of duty which is otherwise known as being a Mom.

Not long ago, I got to wear a few of those hats I juggle all at the same time. My son came home from school and he felt glum. I assessed the situation and worked up a plan to make him smile while spending time together and having a snack.

We love Goldfish, it is a snack I feel good about offering my growing kids. Not only are they a tasty snack, but they are also baked with real cheese and they are free of artificial flavors and colors! Goldfish are the perfect snack when someone feels blue.

On this day, we went with Goldfish Colors, to brighten the day. Mr. SayCheese was looking a little happier, but I knew we could do better than that. We took snack time to a whole new level and made this fun stop motion video together.






It took a while, we munched many Goldfish as we brainstormed, but when it was finished, my son was smiling, he had snacked in style, and a few encouraging words helped his mood. After all, it was Quality Time, Spent Like a Couple of Bosses!

Guess what you guys?! You can visit this awesome Goldfish Smiles site to get inspired and learn more about the Goldfish Tales Animation Xperience! While you are there, visit the GoldfishTales page to submit your stop motion for a chance to win $5,000!

Salsa Steak Kebabs

The  weather is turning colder, but there is still time to fire up your grill and make something amazing like Salsa Steak Kebabs for dinner!

I don't know much about steak you guys. I really only eat it every few years. Sometimes I feel bad for my husband, who happens to love steak. So, a few weeks ago I made him something yummy, spicy and meaty! He was most pleased with the results and assured me anyone who likes meat will like this recipe!

Ingredients:

bacon pieces

green pepper

onion

steak cut into small rounds

salsa

salsa verde

skewers, presoaked in water

tortilla shells, soft

Directions:

Cut your onion and green pepper into small chunks

Make a few thin slits into your steak rounds, so that the salsa can soak into the meat.

Place salsa verde directly onto the meat, 

Place bacon bits on the salsa then add a chunk of pepper and a chunk of onion, wrap the meat around the veggies and salsa and thread it on to the skewer.

Add a chunk of onion and pepper to the skewer.

Repeat until you run out of veggies and meat.

Grill for 6-8 minutes, flipping half way through. Adjust cooking time to reflect what is recommended for the cut of meat you are using.

Place a skewer on a tortilla shell and slide the kebab off of the skewer.

Top with additional salsa, sour cream or ranch dressing.

Wrap and enjoy.

This was an easy to make and even easier to eat dinner. My husband loved it and has been asking me to make it again with chicken! 

How do you like to make your steak a little spicier? Tell me about it in a comment.

Grape Nuts Bark

The holidays are here and it is time to savor the moments with family! My family has been crafting, decorating, watching Christmas cartoons and movies and of course, eating all of the yummy holiday goodies we can get our hands on!

We can't help but be a little excited, thanks to all the peeks we have been getting of the trailer for the new film hitting theaters, SING©. My kids think this should be one of the films we head to see this holiday season, and I can't agree more. Taking in a few movies as a family is one of our many holiday traditions!

I can't help but agree with them. We have to go see SING© and I have made a treat that the kids are singing in delight for. The adults I know also sang with pleasure and appreciation for their waistlines. With the help of Grape Nuts© at my local Kroger I was able to make an incredible and easy snack that indulges the sweet tooth while packing a wholesome punch that is downright crunchy crave-able!

To make your holiday traditions a little sweeter, head out and grab a box of Grape Nuts so you can try this yummy Grape Nuts recipe. It is so easy, all you will need is chocolate candy coating and Grape Nuts.

First, melt your candy coating in the microwave or in a double boiler. Stirring often.
Second, line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Third, spread your melted chocolate on the wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Last, sprinkle Grape Nuts over the melted chocolate. Place the cookie sheet into the fridge and allow to harden, it will take about 20-30 minutes. When the chocolate is hard, break it into small chunks for an incredibly delicious and wholesome Grape Nuts Bark!

If you are excited to see SING© starting on 12/21, you are going to want to  redeem this coupon on your purchase participating Post Cereal Brands and enter the SING© Sweepstakes for a chance to win the $100,000 grand prize plus the chance to instantly win lots of prizes including movie tickets, speakers and more.



NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Promotion starts 11/1/16 at 12:00 PM (noon) ET and ends 3/31/2017 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18 years of age or older. See Official Rules for instructions on how to enter, how to obtain codes without purchase, prize details, restrictions, odds of winning, etc. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor:  Post Consumer Brands, LLC.

Best Dinner Rolls Recipe

There is nothing like homemade bread. This recipe is simple but yields big flavorful results!

Baking bread is my passion. I do it often and lose myself in the process, letting my stress melt away as I work the dough. It is a magical process for me.

I make bread all the time, but I have never shared this with you guys. Why is that? I have no idea! So today I want to share my best dinner roll recipe with you. It also makes lovely loaves of fresh white bread.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 stick of real butter, softened
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1 egg
1 teaspoons of butter flavored crisco 
2 tablespoons of melted butter

Directions
Take a large mixing bowl, 'grease' it with Crisco and set it aside.
Add warm milk, sugar and yeast to a medium size mixing bowl. Stir it up and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Add butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the milk mixture, stir to break up butter and egg.
When those ingredients are incorporated add remaining flour.
As the mixture begins to form dough begin mixing with your hands, let that turn to kneading.
Knead the dough for about 3 minutes or until it is soft and pliable in your hands.

Transfer the dough to the greased mixing bowl and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
You can tell the dough is ready when you press a finger into it and the dough rises to fill in the indentation.

Next, liberally butter the loaf pan or baking dish you are going to bake in.
Split the dough into handful size portions for dinner rolls or 2 large rounds for a loaves allow to rest and rise a second time for about an hour.

Brush tops of rolls or loaves with melted butter and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The tops will be a lovely golden color when the bread is done.

You can find more easy recipes here

You can make rolls in a slow cooker too!