Life as an Aced

I've made Pizza Dough now for Years!!!! but never ventured into Bread. However, this weekend Eddie has been feeling sick and that only thing that sounded good to him was bread so when I came across a recipe for homemade bread that was done from start to finish in around 90 minutes figured I'd try it for Breakfast and see what happens.  Thank You Cooking with Karli because this bread is DELICIOUS! I made a few adjustments because my instant pot didn't have the yogurt button but even with my oven method timing was the same. We have been eating this bread all weekend - soooooo good! Homemade Bread Ingredients 1 1/2 tbsp rapid rise yeast 2 1/2 cup very warm water 1 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp sugar, divided 2 tbsp oil, divided 2 1/4 tsp salt 6 cups flour Instructions 1) Using the dough hook, combine all ingredients. Once 'dough' has formed, turn the mixer's speed up and knead for 5 minutes. 2) Put dough into a bowl or instant pot pot and top w...

For my New Years Resolution This Year I decided that I wanted to try 1 new Recipe each week I also Haven't blogged in a while . . . so figured this was also a great time to start this site back up again So lets get to it and start with week 1 2019 New Recipe of the Week Week 1 Fried Mozzarella Bites Ingredients String Cheese Flour 2 Eggs Salt Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs Italian Bread Crumbs Oil to Fry in Directions 1) Heat Fryer or Oil to 375 Degrees 2) Cut each String Cheese into 5 pieces, put flour in a bowl, egg + salt and pepper mixed in a second bowl, and bread crumbs into a 3rd 3) Dip Each Piece in Flour 4) Then into Egg Mixture 5) Then into the Bread Crumbs 6) Fry for 1-2 minutes 7) Enjoy! Our Rating Sabrina: Thumbs UP Eddie: Thumbs UP Ezra: wouldn't try it What did you think? Let me know in the comments

Made this yesterday for the first time for Ezra for Lunch – not sure if I’ll make pasta any other way. Was so easy and no boil over lol Mac and Cheese: Ingredients: Pasta Water Pinch of Salt Jar of Cheese Sauce  Shredded Cheese Directions: 1)  Place as much Pasta as you want into the pot and add enough water so its close to but NOT covering the pasta 2) Put on top and make sure the steamer is Sealed 3) Cook on manual for half the time in instructions on the box/bag 4) Release steam as soon as its done 5) Most of the water should be absorbed but it not let it sit for a bit then add sauce and shredded cheese 6) Serve as is or throw into a baking dish top with extra cheese and bread crumbs and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes then broil the top

Cold Season is going around and nothing beats it like a warm bowl of comfort food. This Chowder is basically a loaded baked potato in a cup/mug/bowl  Serve in a bread bowl or with a side of bread Potato Chowder I ngredients: 5-6 Potatoes peeled and diced Small Bag of Frozen Veggies 3 cups chicken broth 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 2 tbsp flour 1 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup Parmesan TOPPINGS: Bacon – cheddar cheese – sour cream - etc Directions: 1) Place first 8 ingredients into the pot 2) Put on top and make sure the steamer is Sealed 3) Cook on manual for 15 minutes 4) Release steam as soon as its done and remove top 5) Pressure the Sauté Button then mix in flour – cream – and parm 6) Cook and stir until desired thickness then serve with optional toppings

The Pressure Cooker from my Aunt was one of the best gifts we have ever gotten. The fact that it can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes is just crazy!! I also love that it doubles or triples as a rice cooker AND slow cooker as well. Seriously AMAZING. For dinner the other night I used it twice (first to make rice) then this yummy chicken and still had dinner cooked in less than and hour AND before Eddie was home from work . . . WIN WIN Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Teriyaki Chicken is in the Blue Bowl -- Served along side Trader Joe's Orange Chicken and Rice (also made in the pressure cooker) Ingredients: 1 pack of chicken tenders (or 2-3 chicken breast cut into strips) Soyaki Marinade 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tsp ginger powder 5 cloves of garlic chopped 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce a few shakes of black pepper and red pepper flakes Directions: 1) Marinate Chicken Tenders in Soyaki Marinade and place in fridge until ready to cook 2) Remove c...

WOW! I can't even remember the last time I made homemade Cookies - so for Valentines I decided to do something special and made some cookies from scratch INCLUDING the frosting!! All Super easy too btw and DELICIOUS :) Homemade Loft House Sugar Cookies FOR THE COOKIES Ingredients: 2 Sticks of butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract 3 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Directions 1) Beat together butter and sugar --- Add in egg and extracts --- Add in flour, baking powder and salt (1 cup at a time) 2) Form Dough into a Ball then cool in fridge for at least 1 hour 3) Pre Heat Over to 350 Degrees 4) Cut Dough into 1 inch squares then roll into balls and smoosh 5) Cook about 10 at a time on a cookie sheet for about 9 minutes or until tops are set FOR THE FROSTING Ingredients: 1 Stick of butter 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar splash of Vanilla a few drops of food coloring (if you want) Directions Beat together but...

I have made a TON of homemade pizza. On a Pizza Stone - stuffed crust - whole wheat - gluten free - pan pizza, etc Lately I have been combining a few different styles together in a Stuffed Crust Pan Pizza. I coat the pan in Garlic Butter, Stuff the Crust, then heavily sprinkle on some Parmesan Cheese . . . soooooooooo good Stuffed Crust Pan Pizza Ingredients:  Pizza Crust (use my homemade crust recipe found here ) Garlic Butter (we use Chef Shamy's) String Cheese Red Sauce Mozzarella Pizza Toppings Directions 1) Pre Heat Oven to 515 degrees 2) Melt a few spoonfuls of garlic butter and pour into a cast iron pan (you want enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan) 3) Roll out pizza dough and place into pan so its dripping over the edge 4) Add String Cheese to the edge of the pan and cover with the over hanging dough 5) Add Sauce - Cheese - and Toppings 6) Bake for 15 minutes

Eddie needed Corn Bread for a work Charity Event so we cooked up these Corn Bread Muffins and they were a hit! We made a test Batch for Easter and they got Rave Reviews so we quadrupled it to feed 60 - on Easter we also served it with a honey butter I've included the recipe for too :) Corn Bread Muffins   Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 cup cornmeal 2/3 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsps baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup buttermilk 2/3 cup oil 1 egg Directions: 1) Pre Heat oven to 400 degrees 2) Throw everything in a bowl and mix together 3) Line Muffin Tin with liners and fill 1/2 to 3/4 way full 4) Bake for 15 minutes Serve on their own or with Honey Butter (1 stick butter + 3-4 big squeezes of honey mashed together with a fork) Makes 16-17 Muffins

We do Mexican Food A LOT!!! The fridge was full of leftovers and I wanted to do something different with them and when I came across this recipe for Tortilla Soup I knew it would be perfect - its a pressure cooker recipe but with a few tweeks we made it for the stove top and used all the leftovers in the fridge :) Spicy Tortilla Soup Ingredients  2 cans Chicken Broth + 1 can water 1/4 cup Flour 2 Tbsp Tomato Sauce 2 Tbsp Paprika 1 Tbsp Cumin 2 tsp Chili Powder 1 tsp Garlic Power 1 tsp Cayenne 1/2 tsp Salt Shredded Chicken Breast Cooked Ground Beef Can of Beans Can of Corn Chopped Jalapenos Directions 1) Over Medium Heat combine Broth, Water, Flour, and Spices until well mixed 2) Add Remaining Ingredients and Bring to a Boil 3) Serve Topped with Avocado and Tortilla Chips

The other day Browsing Facebook I found a post for 3 ingredient Desserts Eddie LOVES Mint Chocolate so when I saw these little bites I knew I had to try them I mixed up the recipe a little bit using Mint Oreos instead of Regular and even with my fear of mint overload they were delicious and EVERYONE that has tried them so far has LOVED them :) Mint Oreo Cheesecake Bites Ingredients 2 Bags of Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips 18-20 Oreos 4oz (1/2 block) of Cream Cheese Sprinkles (optional) Directions 1) Place Oreos in a bag and smash them up 2) In a bowl mix together Oreos and Cream Cheese until blended and thick 3) Place mixture into Fridge for about 30 minutes 4) Melt 1 bag of Chocolate in Microwave (30 second increments) 5) Place Cupcake liners into a mini cupcake tray 6) Cover the bottom of each liner with melted chocolate 7) Place in Fridge to Harden Chocolate (about 5 minutes) 8) Top Chocolate with a spoonful of the Oreo mixture 9) Top Oreo Mixture wit...

Last night I had left over pizza dough in the fridge that I needed to use up Usually I'll make a mini pizza or pizza roll ups but I didn't have pepperoni and knew just cheese wouldn't impress the boys (husband and brother-in-law) so i decided to jazzy up the cheese with some garlic and see what happens These ended up being Eddies favorite thing ever AKA "Fire" (in his words) and a recipe that will be sticking around for a while Cheesy Garlic Bread Rolls Ingredients Pizza Dough Butter Minced Garlic Parmesan Cheese Mozzarella Cheese Directions 1) Roll Out Dough 2) Top with Butter - Garlic - and Cheeses 3) Roll Up and place in Fridge for 15 minutes 4) Slice Up 5) Bake on Pizza 2 for 20 minutes (about 400-425 degrees)

Today is Labor Day!! Since me and Eddie have been gone all week for his Friend Joe's Wedding we are going over to Eddies Mom's instead of hosting ourselves so I decided to make a Broccoli Salad to bring along. Broccoli Salads are one of my favorites so when I found this recipe on Cooking Light and how easy it was to make from scratch I couldn't resist - as always I adapted a little based on our tastes and what I had on hand Ingredients 1/3 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted 1/2 cup reduced-sugar dried cranberries 1 cup Grapes Directions 1. In a Large Bowl Combine mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) 2. Stir in broccoli, and remaining ingredients. 3. Transfer to a serving bowl then Cover and chill 1 hour before serving.

Facebook Food Videos are how i have been finding a majority of my new recipes lately. When a recipe popped up for Copycat Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers I knew I had to try it as these are one of Eddie's Favorites from the restaurant. The Original Recipe comes from  Delish  but I have adapted it based on what I had on hand and our love of extra spice :) INGREDIENTS Sauce 3/4 c. Agave 1/4 c. Water 2 tbsp. Sriracha ketchup 2 tsp. Adobo (from a can of Chiptole Pepper in Adobo) 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar Chicken 3/4 c. Flour 1/4 tsp. Salt 1/4 tsp. Pepper 1 tsp. Garlic powder 2 Eggs 1 1/2 c. Panko 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips Oil for Frying Dried Ghost Pepper DIRECTIONS 1) Make the Honey-Chipotle Sauce by combining all ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a boil for about 2-3 minutes, letting it reduce. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 2) In a Ziplock Bag, combine flo...

As much as I love it I have never made Banana Bread before but I had a few bananas I left go too long and I found a really easy recipe on  Favorite Family Recipes  so I figured I'd give it a shot and soooo happy I did Banana Bread Ingredients: 1 cup Sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup butter 3 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup Nuts 1 1/2 cups flour 3 bananas Directions: 1) Pre Heat Oven to 325 degrees 2) Mix together everything but the flour and bananas 3) Slowly Add in Flour 1/2 cup at a time 4) Add in Bananas (mix only a little if you want chunks - a lot if no chunks) 5) Pour into a bread pan 6) Bake for about 1 hour or until knife in middle comes out clean

While Eddie was gone on a work trip I decided to be lazy and not go grocery shopping but instead eat all the food we had in the house - surprisingly we had a TON and i was able to make some yummy meals including this takeout copy cat fried rice Takeout Copy Cat - Fried Rice Ingredients:  3 Tbsp Oil 2 eggs 1/4 cup shredded Carrot 1 clove garlic (chopped) 1 tsp Onion Powder Red Chile Pepper Flakes 1 tsp Ground Ginger 3 cups cooked rice 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 tsp sesame oil salt and pepper Directions: 1) Add 1 tbsp of oil to a pan and scramble eggs seasoning with salt and pepper 2) Remove Egg and wipe out pan 3) Add 2 more tbsp of oil into the pan with the carrots, garlic, onion powder, red chile flakes and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes on medium high heat 4) Add Rice, soy sauce and sesame oil and cook for about 3 more minutes on medium stirring to combine all ingredients 5) Taste and season with extra salt and peeper if needed

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a Rice Crispy Treat they call Avalanche Bark. If you haven't tried it they are AMAZING!!! Their Website describes them as a mixture of creamy peanut butter, white confection, crisp rice cereal, chewy mini-marshmallows and topped with semi-sweet chocolate chips. It's crunchy, chewy, chocolatey and sweet! While searching for recipes to make for the Academy Awards i came across Avalanche Popcorn on  Chef in Training  so I decided to give it at try . . .I thought I had mini marshmallows but ended up being out however the Recipe really doesn't need them and tasted great without them Avalanche Popcorn Ingredients 8 Cups of Popped Popcorn 1 Cup White Chocolate Chips 3 Spoonfuls of Peanut Butter 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips Directions 1) Melt White Chocolate and Peanut Butter in the microwave until smooth (30 second increments) 2) Pour Mixture over Popcorn and Mix until popcorn is fully coated 3) Spread popcorn out onto a baking she...

After a long workout at the gym it was time to make lunch - I've had a package of ground sausage sitting in the fridge that I could decide what to do with - so I asked the boys and meatballs it was!! Ended up making meat ball sub paninis to be exact but served the extra meatballs on the side and they were just as good on their own as in the sandwich :) Sausage Meatballs Ingredients 1 package of ground sausage ⅓ cup bread crumbs 1 tsp Onion Powder ¼ cup Parmesan cheese 1 egg ground black pepper Directions 1) Preheat oven to 375°F. 2)Mix ingredients just until blended. 3)Shape into meatballs 4) Bake in mini muffin tin or on a baking sheet for 18-20 minutes

Pinterest is full of a ton of Crock Pot Mashed Potato Recipes and what better day to try them then over Thanksgiving Ingredients:  9 Potatoes 1 Package of Cream Cheese 1 Cup Sour Cream 1 stick of Butter 1/4 Cup Milk 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 16oz Cheddar Cheese 1 pound of bacon - cooked and crumbled Directions: 1) Peel Potatoes and Cook in CrockPot on low for about 8 hours 2) Transfer Potatoes to a Kitchen Aid and blend until smooth 3) Blend in Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, Milk, Onion Power, Garlic Powder, and half the cheese 4) Put mixture Back into Crock Pot and keep on warm until ready to serve 5) Top with a little bacon and cheese leaving extra cheese - bacon - and sour cream for each portion

For Thanksgiving I had the idea of making mini cheese-balls but with Eddie Rushing me out the door we scratched that idea and just through it all in a dish instead . . . same flavor but OMG so much easier and faster Ingredients: 2 Packages Cream Cheese 8 oz Shredded Cheddar 1 tsp Onion Powder 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp cayenne pepper Chopped Pecans Directions 1) Beat together all ingredients but Pecans until well blended 2) Spread into a serving dish and top with Pecans Serve with Pretzels - Crackers - Bread - really anything :)

Eddie and His Brothers all LOVE chocolate and since today is one of his brothers birthday I decided to go all in with the chocolate and make a chocolate chip like cookie with chocolate batter and throw in some caramel because why not? :) Double Chocolate and Caramel Cookies Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 eggs 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4-1/2 cup Baking Cocoa 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips 1/2 Cup Caramel Bites Directions: 1) Pre Heat Oven to 350 degrees 2) Cream Butter and Sugars 3) Add in Egg and Vanilla 4) Add Flour, Baking Soda, and Cocoa 5) Add in your Mix Ins 6) Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your cookies