Cheeseburgers

So as I was going through my Blogger account, I realized I sent this photo to myself, but never did the actual blog post for it. I figure, what the hell? Might as well finish something I already started.

To be honest, I have no recollection of making this, however I can barely remember yesterday, so there's nothing new there! Regardless, I love this burger recipe - it makes the most basic burger (don't expect anything fancy or flavorful), but it's juicy and doesn't have that "freezer taste" some store bought burgers have.

Hamburgers
Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients and form into 6 burgers.
2. Grill over medium heat or pan-fry on the stove.

Pampers GTG Codes

It's been SO long since I've posted any Gifts to Grow Codes, so I thought I'd add all the latest ones I've used. Not sure which are still active, but give it a shot! This first one does expire on June 24th at 11:59 p.m.

FXHMWY4WKHU47JD = 10 Points

10PTSFREECODE4U = 10 Points
CAREFORNEWBORNS = 10 Points
CONGRATS2NEWMOM = 10 Points
GETSTARTEDNOW10 = 10 Points
GTGCOUPONPOINTS = 10 Points
GTGWELCOME10PTS = 10 Points
PAMPERS4MOMSOND = 10 Points
Pampersgtg10pts = 10 Points
PUNTOSPARAMI123 = 10 Points
WELCOME2VILLAGE = 10 Points
2BEGINEARNING50 = 50 Points
JOINNOW4REWARDS = 50 Points
GIFTSTOGROW4MOM = 50 Points
WELCOME2PAMPERS = 50 Points
GTGREWARDS4MOMS = 10 Points
WELCOMEGTGPTS10 = 10 Points


 

Diaper Deals

I came across some great deals from Diaper.com and thought I'd pass them along! Any orders over $49 ship for free :)

These are good through the end of September:
$10 off your first order, plus $5 off every subsequent case of diapers. Plus FREE shipping! Code: "FIVEAFF" (expires 9/30)

$5 off a case of diapers with Code FIVEAFF For All Existing Diapers.com Customers

These are running out in the near future:
Save $1.50 On ONE Pampers Cruisers, Swaddler Sensitive or Extra Protection Diapers. (expires 7/2)

Save $2.00 on Any ONE package of HUGGIES Snug & Dry Diapers (no code needed) - exp 6/20

Save $2.00 on Any ONE package of HUGGIES Little Movers Diapers (no code needed) - exp 6/20

DEAL IDEA:
But one giant case of Huggies Snug & Dry and one giant case of Huggies Little Movers and with coupons and discount codes, your total will be $55.98 - enough for free shipping! Depending what size you get, you'll be paying roughly 20 cents/diaper - not a bad deal! Happy shopping, mamas and dad :)

Ribs

Finally made the ribs I've been planning on Tuesday night...I've been soooo hungry for them (as have the rest of the family). Between the four of us, we polished off almost 3 lbs. NICE! The recipe is super easy and are just as good as you can get at any restaurant (claims the boy, who is picky about his ribs). A friend of mine just asked for the recipe, too, so Lisa will have to chime in!


Slow Cooker Ribs
Ingredients
4 lbs. pork baby back ribs
salt, pepper, minced onion and garlic powder to taste
2 cups Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup (only Heinz in this household!)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 dash of hot sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Season ribs with salt, pepper, minced onion and garlic powder. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.
4. Cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
5. About 30 minutes before serving, place back in baking pan at 400 degrees F and the sauce will caramelize to the meat and finish them to perfection.

Oreo Pudding Pie

I forgot to add this to the ziti post, so I figured I'd do it separately! This was what I sent over with the ziti, garlic crescent rolls and salad. It was DELISH (I didn't get a full piece, but I sure did lick the bowl ;-) hehe).

Oreo Pudding Pie
Ingredients
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each)JELL-O OREO Flavor Instant Pudding
2-1/2 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.)COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)
5 OREO Cookies, cut in half

Directions

1. Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. 
2. Stir in half the COOL WHIP and pour into crust. 
3. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. 
4. Top with remaining COOL WHIP and cookies just before serving.

Baked Ziti

When a good friend of mine has a baby, loses a loved one, falls ill, moves, or otherwise is in need of an extra hand, the first thing that comes to mind is, "let me make you dinner!" I'm not sure why food is ingrained in my mind as the solution to any need...my guess is that it is my mom's influence (she's the same way - show someone you care with a big ol' casserole or dish of pasta!). Regardless, all of the people in my life know that when the going gets tough, Erica gets cooking :)

When a new, but dear pal suffered with some health issues, I insisted on bringing her and her men some food (she's married with two of the kindest, most respectful sons I've ever met). Rachele is a wonderfully special person to me and has, on several occasions, made me realize how much more capable of things I really am. Food still doesn't seem like enough, but it's what I do.

I decided to put together my baked ziti and tossed in some salad, garlic crescent rolls and an Oreo pudding pie. I'm not gonna lie - I *almost* "forgot" that pie when I went to her place ;-) It looked SO good! Sorry to my veggie friends...this is definitely not a recipe I can adapt and still give the same effect. The meat is what makes it!

Baked Ziti
Ingredients
1 lb ziti noodles
1 lb ground sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
3 cups mozzarella cheese
3 cups marinara/spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cook ziti in boiling water; drain.
3. Brown meats; drain off fat.
4. In a large baking dish, layer ziti, meat, cheese and sauce; repeat until everything has been used.
5. Top with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake about 30 - 40 minutes until bubbly.

Cornbread Enchilada Casserole

Wow, so no gold star for keeping the blog up-to-date for me! Hehe - it's officially summer now that preschool is over and you all know how great a job I do at maintaining a cooking routine when there's no "normalcy" in my schedule. Between Luke's birthday, the kiddos' nights over with my parents and the boy's parents, and all the other craziness our schedule has endured the past two weeks, we've barely eaten at home. And when we have, it's junky quick food - nuggets, mac-n-cheese, PB&Js, burgers, hot dogs, etc.

I did manage to cook once last week and was so super excited - cornbread chicken enchilada casserole! This recipe was the most read post from the blog last year (thank you Mrs. Katie Brumbelow!) and one of my personal favorites. I was stoked to make it, seeing as I had a fresh jar of salsa from the farm with which we're doing our crop share, and at 5:00 when I opened up the crockpot, I was ready to eat it straight out of the pot. I took the first big bite and after I burnt half my mouth, I realized that it would never fly with the kiddos. The salsa, while absolutely PERFECT for me and the boy, would be just a bit too spicy for them. Linds took one sniff and said, "whoa - that is like, a hundred million thousand, seventy-hundred, sixty-two" spicy." (Yes, she is into numbers lately and strings together as many as possible to exaggerate her assuredness of something.)

Now, as I'm writing the update, I've been back and forth with Katie, and it seems as if we're planning to repeat our cooking extravaganza next week - and if so, look for some photos and a post of all the yummy stuff we're going to make! So, here's a repost of the casserole recipe, and a little tease for what's to come! ;-)

Cornbread Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
1 small can diced green chiles (4 oz)
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
3 to 4 chopped scallions (or 1/4 cup onion)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (or a box of Perdue chicken shortcuts)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn with red & green peppers, drained
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
1 (8.5 oz) package corn muffin mix
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Mexican cheese
for garnish - sour cream, fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Place salsa, scallions, chicken, beans, corn, half the chilies, and enchilada sauce into the cooker; stir well. Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
2. Combine the other half of the chiles, corn muffin mix, and egg in a bowl. Spoon batter evenly over the bean mixture in the cooker. Cover and cook 1 hour until the crust is done.
3. Sprinkle the cheese over the corn bread, turn off the crockpot and let it sit 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Top each serving with a tablespoon of sour cream and additional cilantro. Makes about 6 servings (unless you're me, then it's like 3...haha!).

And, while I'm at it, I realize I have a few veggie friends who don't eat meat, and I wouldn't mind expanding my "meat-free" wings here and there. I'm pretty sure this would be just as delish without the chicken, so perhaps next time around I'll use mild salsa and go meat-free!