Life as an Aced

These past weeks me and Eddie have tried quite a few new products here's our recap with a thumbs up or thumbs down rating Thumbs Down Spicy Buffalo Wheat Thins These just didn't have a good flavor at all - was going to toss them out but going to grind them up like bread crumbs and try them that way Thumbs Up Ultra Black Monster Really Good! Surprising Berry Flavor and Zero Calories :) Thumbs Down Spinach Artichoke Hummus I was really wanting this to be good but it wasn't :( Super under seasoned and lack of flavor. I added minced garlic and some salt to it which make it taste better but the spinach and artichoke was just pointless debating scooping that off and creating my own hummus flavor with what is remaining Thumbs Up Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and ID Light Caramel Macchiato I LOVED both of these. Granted i haven't tried them on their own but instead with a few shots of espresso but it takes my normal latte to a whole new level

I like Soup but Eddie doesn't so any time I make soup it comes from a can or is Top Ramen The other day I was reading an article online for difference ways to use Top Ramen and this one caught my eye Add Chicken to your Chicken Flavored Top Ramen Why have I never thought of this before? It turned out pretty good and definitely added something different to it I think I will try out a few more of these ideas

Anytime we have potatoes in the house Eddie wants me to make Bar Chips I have always baked them in the past but since the fryer was set up and ready to go I figured I would just throw them in. Plus Baked takes about 30-40 minutes and I knew frying would be a ton faster. Bar Chips Take 2  Ingredients: Potatoes cut up like thick chips Seasoning - Garlic Salt/ Seasoned Salt/ or Greek Seasoning Directions: 1) Heat up Fryer to 375 degrees 2) Fry for about 5 minutes or until edges are browned 3) Drain on Paper Towels and Season

I LOVE Baked Potatoes but hate having to make them. When I saw Crock Pot baked potatoes on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. I've done it a few ways following the directions (wrap each potato in foil and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours) However the other day I was out of foil I had potatoes I needed to use so i just threw them in the Crock-pot after a rinse and they turned out just as good. I did have to cook them a little bit longer but no difference other than that I'm totally making them this way from here on out!

Me and Eddie are trying to eat healthier but sometime you just crave your usual's The other day while I was shopping in the produce section I found Meatless Pepperoni and figured "Lets give this a try" I paired it with my stuffed crust pizza and hid the pepperoni under the cheese with a mix of low sodium pepperoni and you know what? It tasted great! You couldn't tell a difference between the two pepperonis and the meatless pepperoni added a spicy element that regular pepperoni just doesn't have With 1/3 the calories and a ton less fat I can totally see myself buying this again! Not sure if we will ever get to the point where we go straight meatless pepperoni but I definitely can see me doing a 50/50 mix again

Every since I made the first one me and Eddie have been OBSESSED with Monkey Bread It is the best appetizer ever - super easy to make - and tastes Dam Good thanks to all that butter Last Night I needed a quick and simple dinner. I always have pizza ingredients on hand and biscuits so rather than making pizza AND Monkey Bread I just combined the two together and Pizza Stuffed Monkey Bread was born Pizza Stuffed Monkey Bread Ingredients: Canned Biscuits Pepperoni (I used low sodium and meatless) String Cheese Olive Oil Italian Seasoning Garlic Powder Parmesan Cheese Directions: 1) Pre Heat Oven to 350 degrees 2) Cut String Cheese into small pieces so it equals the number of biscuits you have (EX: I cut 2 string cheeses into 10 pieces - 5 each) 3) Place some olive oil onto a dish 4) Roll out each biscuit and place pepperoni and String Cheese Inside 5) Fold Up Biscuit 6) Roll in Olive oil then place into a small baking dish (I used a small cast iron pan)

The other day I had a ton of potatoes and nothing to do with them so I just baked them up and figured I'd take them for lunch or something Last night however eddie had friends over and grilled up some burgers. I only had the baked potatoes but figured i'd fry them up anyways and what do you know . . .they were GREAT!! So hence Baked Potato Fries were born Baked Potato Fries Ingredients: Baked Potatoes Flour Oil for Frying Seasoned Salt Directions: 1) Pre Heat Oil to 375 degrees 2) Cut Potatoes into Fry form 3) Cover Fries with Flour 4) Fry for 6 minutes 5) Season with Seasoned Salt

Today I made Pumpkin Puree with no plan of what to do with it. My mom sent me over a recipe that she found on Pinterest for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and I thought why not? Plus I already had all the ingredients so total PLUS The recipe came together super quick which is always nice. I was a little worried at first because the cookie dough was watery but I followed the directions that included letting it sit for 15 minutes before scooping and that totally did the job Super Yummy, Fluffy, and Moist - these cookies definitely taste like Fall Original Recipe can be found here  on two twenty-one and below you will find my take Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients: 1/2 cup oil 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp milk 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups flour 1 bag chocolate chips Directions:  1) Mix Together Oil, Pumpkin, Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla 2) Add in Baking Soda and Mix and stir again

Today while at the store I finally gave in and bought 2 pumpkins to make pumpkin seeds! I prefer buying the smaller pumpkins because they have just as many seeds if not more than the larger ones and when I got them home I found out they were pie pumpkins. Without thinking I decided to make Homemade Pumpkin Puree with them. I don't like Pumpkin Pie so not sure what I was thinking but figured I could find something to do with them with the thousands of pumpkin recipes I've been coming across lately So if you ever wondered what it takes to make Homemade Pumpkin Puree here ya go STEP 1 : Cut off stem, Cut Pumpkin in Half STEP 2 : Take out all the guts (Save the Seeds for Pumpkin Seeds) STEP 3 : Pre Heat Oven to 350 degree and Place Pumpkin Cut side down on a greased baking sheet STEP 4 : Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes STEP 5 : Let cool then scoop out the pumpkin into a blender and puree until smooth

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I LOVE Chipotle Garlic Everything So when it came time to make pumpkin seeds today I knew exactly how to flavor them :) I used my favorite little seasoning cubes for the job - crushed them up and sprinkled them over the seeds before cooking with a little olive oil Chipotle Garlic Pumpkin Seeds Ingredients: Pumpkin Seeds Olive Oil 1-2 Chipotle Cubes (crushed) 1-2 Garlic Cubes (crushed) Directions: 1) Pre Heat oven to 350 2) Drizzle Pumpkin Seeds with oil and seasoning 3) Spread out into a single layer on a baking sheet 4) Bake for 10-15 minutes

I haven't made pulled pork in a while but when I saw the Pork on Sale Last week I knew exactly what I was going to make. I'm not sure where I originally found this recipe but I've been using it for years and it couldn't be any easier Crock Pot Pulled Pork Ingredients: -Pork (any section works) -Dr Pepper (I used diet) -BBQ Sauce Directions 1) Place Pork and Dr.Pepper in the Crock Pot on Low for 8 hours 2) Drain Dr Pepper and Shred Pork 3) Add BBQ Sauce and set Crock to Warm until ready to serve

When we visited Chile earlier this year me and Eddie were introduced to Empinadas While we weren't too impressed with the fillings we tried there we did love the crust - they were basically hot pockets/ calzones . . . whats not to love (other than the filling - - still can't get over the random hard boiled egg and olive) When Josh was here a few months ago I made some with real empinada crust - last night I got lazy and instead made a pizza crust and filled it with left over pulled pork we had from earlier in the week . . . more hot pocket style but just as good (and way easier) as the empinada dough Pulled Pork Hot Pockets Ingredients: Pizza Crust BBQ Pulled Pork Cheese Directions 1) Pre Heat oven to 375 2) Roll out Pizza Crust into a square/ rectangle 3) Cut into 4-6 equal sized pieces 4) Fill each section with a large spoonful of Pulled Pork 5) Top Pork with Cheese 6) Fold each section in half then fold the seam over or seal with fork 7) Bake for 2

Chipotle and Garlic are one of my favorite flavor combos so when I saw Chipotle Cheddar in my Fridge and Eddie wanted Monkey Bread I knew exactly what I was going to make. . . Chipotle Garlic Monkey Bread Most of it was already gone before I had a chance to take a photo . . . yeah its that good!!! Ingredients: 1 Can Biscuits cut into quarters 1/2 stick of butter 1 cup shredded Chipotle Cheddar Cheese 1 spoonful crushed Garlic Directions 1) Pre Heat Oven to 350 2) Mix Everything Together 3) Place in Baking Pan 4) Cook for 25 minutes