S'mores Brownies: Perfect for Your Summer BBQ

S'mores are definitely one of those tastes of summer!  Why not take brownies which are amazing anyways and give them a bit of summer flavor?  Summer bbqs are coming up quickly!  Time to start planning...

Smores Brownies

family-size brownie mix, plus ingredients to make
mini chocolate chips
jar marshmallow cream
graham crackers
1/2 tub extra creamy Cool Whip

Mix brownie mix as directed on package and pour batter into a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Bake as directed on package until done, being careful to not overcook. Cool slightly, but not all the way. Spread the marshmallow cream across the top of the semi-warm brownies. Place full and half graham crackers over the marshmallow cream. Spread the cool whip over the graham crackers. Refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight before serving to soften graham crackers. Store in fridge.  Delish!

WWII Cake

I used to make this a lot, but I realized I hadn't made it for a couple of years and decided it was time again!  It's so delightful!  You can use muffin pans, loaf pans or a cake pan.  The cake is great leftover and it's even good for breakfast!  

WWII Cake

1 c. dried fruit (I use a mix of dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries & raisins)
1 1/2 c. cold water

Put raisins and/or dried fruit into a pot with the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Keep covered and cool for 30 minutes or so.

 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix:
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 c. walnuts (if desired)

Set aside. In a large bowl, mix:
1 egg
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. margarine, melted

Add the raisin mixture and the flour mixture. Pour into greased pan(s). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan.

Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie and Glazed Carrots... Oh My

My last cooking class topic was "comfort foods".  I really enjoy teaching.  Sometimes I feel like I'm just rambling on for an hour and people can't even keep up with my hopping from one story to the next, but I think it's really fun.  I demonstrated four recipes last time and I think it went well.  I made Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Glazed Carrots and Oatmeal Fudge.  All turned out delicious!

Chicken Pot Pie
You can double this and bake it in a 9x13 for a larger family.

1 lb boneless chicken, cooked and cubed
frozen veggies (I use peas & corn)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c biscuit mix (I just buy the Walmart brand)
1/2 c milk
1 egg

 Heat oven to 400. Mix the chicken, veggies & soup in an ungreased 9" round pan. I like to microwave mine for a couple of minutes just to thaw the veggies and speed up cooking time, but it's not necessary. In a bowl, combine biscuit mix, milk and egg with a fork until combined. Pour over chicken/veggie mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Shepherd's Pie
This is one of my favorite dinners!  I make it a lot when my monkeys are gone for the weekend.

1 lb hamburger, browned & drained
1 can tomato soup
1 can green beans, drained
mashed potatoes
cheese

Mix the hamburger, soup and green beans together. Place in a 9x13 pan. Top with mashed potatoes and cover with cheese. Bake at 350 until hot.

Glazed Carrots
This has been our stand-by cooked carrots recipe for years and years!

1 (16 oz) pkg baby carrots
1/4 c butter
1/4 c brown sugar
1 env ranch dressing mix

Place carrots in a saucepan; add 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Add butter, brown sugar and ranch mix. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until glazed.

Don't forget about the Simplify Your Life Ebook Sale going on now through April 20th!

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Simplify Your Family Life Sale

Corey from Simple Marriage and Mandi from Life...Your Way have brought together some of the top authors in the family life space with 38 ebooks covering a variety of topics related to family life. When purchased separately, these ebooks are worth $375, but for four days only, you can purchase the entire collection for just $29!

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Cooking it Up on Vacation: Saving Money by Eating in Your Hotel Room

Our spring break Las Vegas trip was so much fun!  I will be posting bits and pieces about it over the next week.  One thing that worked out really well for us financially since we had a large group was not eating out during our vacation.

Even fast fooding it we would have spent a minimum of $30 at each meal, which adds up fast over five days! Our room had a kitchenette with a small fridge, microwave and sink.  All of our "cooking" was done with only those appliances.  I shopped at home to be sure I got the best deals available instead of paying Vegas grocery store prices.  When the kids and I went to San Diego two years ago we just bought our food at a grocery store there since we didn't have much car space.  This trip we had more space so I saved even more money by hitting sales and couponing.

Day 1:
Breakfast- (in the car) muffins, bagels w/cream cheese, bananas

Lunch- (stopped at a park) leftover turkey, rolls, jello salad & potato salad from Easter dinner, cheese puffs

Dinner- peanut butter & jelly, chips

Day 2:
Breakfast- muffins, yogurt, bananas

Lunch- meat & cheese sandwiches on hoagie buns with all the fixings, pickles, chips

Dinner- chicken patty, ham & swiss sandwiches on hamburger buns, instant cheesy mashed potatoes, green beans (all cooked in the microwave), pickles

Day 3:
Breakfast- cold cereal w/milk, yogurt

Lunch- polish dogs w/ff vegetarian chili, fruit cocktail, bbq beans, pickles, chips

Dinner- Easy Mac, Cup O Noodles, chips, leftovers for the kids... Eric & I had date night and tried out the hotel restaurant!

Day 4:
Breakfast- scrambled eggs, sausage, tortillas, bananas, orange juice

Scrambled eggs are very easy to cook in the microwave!  Grease your microwave-safe dish well and add 1 tablespoon of milk for every egg.  I did 18 eggs for our large group, so I didn't measure the milk, just tossed in what looked good to me. Whisk well.  Microwave on high stirring after every minute for less than six eggs or every two minutes for a larger batch until they are almost done.  Continue to stir until the heat of the eggs finishes cooking the rest and you're done!  Perfectly pretty and delicious scrambled eggs in the microwave!  

Lunch- meat & cheese sandwiches on bread or hoagies, chips, pickles, leftover beans, applesauce

Dinner- bean enchiladas, loaded nachos, olives

Bean enchiladas are a quick and easy dinner idea that can be cooked either in the oven or the microwave.  You simply fill the tortillas with canned refried beans (I use fat free) and shredded cheese, roll them up and top with canned enchilada sauce and more cheese.  Heat until the center is hot and the cheese is melted.  You can garnish with sour cream, chopped lettuce, tomatoes & olives, if desired!

Day 5:
Breakfast- cold cereal w/milk, yogurt

Lunch- (in the car) variety of sandwiches, chips, applesauce, pickles

We were back home at dinner time!

By purchasing food ahead of time and cooking in our room we not only saved money, but even though a lot of what we ate was "processed" we still ate healthier than we would have eating out every meal.

I also made sure to have lots of snacks and drinks on hand for both the car ride AND in the room for starving bellies after swimming! 

My meal planning had to be creative knowing there was no stove or oven to use.  If you prefer to be less creative you can pack an electric griddle, crockpot or toaster oven for additional cooking sources.

Everything we ate was delicious and kid-friendly!  Our vacation menu was a success!

Vacationing with Kids: Guest Blogger #3

Hi I'm Arya, mother to four lovely and highly active children, wife, photographer and blogger. I have a few tips that make my vacations a little less crazy and stressful that might be helpful to anyone else with kids.

Snacks - Bring a cooler packed with healthy snacks and foods that are easy to eat while in the car. Example of what I bring: sliced carrots in snack baggies, cut up melons in snack size tupperware, sandwich fixings (lunch meat, lettuce, mayo, sliced tomato, mustard and bread), granola bars, yogurt, string cheese, grapes, sliced apples, water, ect. Don’t forget the utensils! At any rest stop you can pull out whatever is needed for snacks or lunch. Bringing your own snacks and lunch stuff will save time and money too!

Self Entertainment - Bring plain paper, coloring/activity books, colored pencils, crayons, pens and pencils and books. Lap Desks are the easiest way to go for kids too and there are some neat ones out there that hold the items or can have a cup holder.  When the kids get bored I ask them to pull out some blank paper and start drawing the scenery and animals they may be seeing along the road as we drive. You could also get portable DVD players with headphones and let the kids watch movies. Oh and you can’t forget toys. I let each child bring a small backpack full of their favorite toys and stuffies. I also pack a small box of toys for the baby too and hide it behind the driver seat for easy access for which ever parent isn’t driving.

Music – have fun upbeat music that you and your kids enjoy, it will make your trip go by faster and smoother if you like what is being played too.

Be organized. Have a place for your kids to put their stuff in the car, this will make for less fights if each child has a place to put their own stuff while traveling.

Stop at all rest stops. No matter what happens you stop at each and every one and let everyone out to use the potty and at every other rest stop let the kids play in the grass and get out some energy. Sure this adds more time to your drive but really how much fun are you going to have with kids fighting and screaming because they have too much energy to hold in? At each rest stop where the kids got to run around at I would have them look for unique plants, bugs and birds and tell me about what they found and saw. The kids found a cool birds nest in-between the guys and girls bathroom and it had three baby birds in it chirping for their mama. The kids loved it!

  
Check out local attractions on your route. Your drive doesn’t always have to be about getting from point A to point B but the fun you can have in-between. When we were driving from our home in Idaho to the Oregon Coast we stopped in at Multnomah Falls to let the kids see the beautiful falls, it was fun for all! You don’t have to spend money to have a good time – the Falls didn’t cost anything to visit and the kids learned some great stuff from the staff who had little booths set up talking about local wildlife. Free fun is always the best!

Destination – have fun, relax and enjoy because if you don’t you won’t have any fun at all and the whole point of a vacation is to make wonderful memories that you will cherish and enjoy!

10 Ways to Save Money at Amusement Parks:Guest Blogger #2

My name is Marie. I am a homeschooling, coupon cutting, organizing wannabe, diet Mt. Dew drinking military wife, blogger and mother of five. I have so many things that I want to be, but am not there yet! You know that phrase, “jack of all trades, master of none” ? Well that is me!

As a resident of Southern California, I am close to quite a few amusement parks.  While our family loves to go and play, I think we can all agree that they are not cheap. Because I have a lot of kids, I have to be really careful or I could spend their college tuition at the park!

Here are my top 10 ways (in no particular order) to save money at amusement parks:

1) Go online before you get to the park! Do not buy your tickets at the gate. Look for discounts through your work, the government, teachers association, homeschooler discounts…there are so many ways to get a discount.

2) Since we live within driving distance of parks, we rarely stay at a hotel. However, when we do, we always stay a bit away from the park. Rates are usually lower. I always look for a place that offers rewards points,  a government discount and a continental breakfast. If I am going to stay there, I am going to try and get something more for my money! Once again, pay attention to any discounts that may be available to you.

3) Go in the off season. I know that this doesn’t always work for everyone, but even pushing your vacation off a week or two can make a difference. We went to Universal Studios over Christmas break and could barely get through the crowds. Two weeks later we practically had the place to ourselves!

4) While I don’t know any park that allows outside food, most have to allow water. So don’t pay for an overpriced water bottle. Bring a refillable bottle in with you and refill through the day. You can also grab drink packets (like Kool Aid, Crystal Light…) from the dollar store and keep those with you.

 5) Don’t forget batteries! I think digital cameras are notorious for sucking up batteries. If you want to capture those moments, make sure to have plenty of extras. I like to go to a warehouse club and grab a nice big pack before I go.

6) When our family went to Legoland, our plan was to go to a fast food place close to the park for lunch. However, it turned out we would have to pay our parking fee again. We had to decide whether it was worth it or not.  There are a few things that we do, to help curb costs. Water only. From OUR water bottles. Just because you may not be able to leave the park, doesn’t mean you can’t go to your car. Keep a cooler filled with snacks and have a picnic at your car. You can have crackers, juice boxes, fruit, sandwiches etc. When we do eat in the park, if there is an all you can eat option, we take it. Our family is big, and we can eat a lot! If there isn’t an all you can eat, we look to see if there is a pizza place. Instead of buying individual meals, we can buy one that is a family size. Have two kids with similar tastes share one adult meal instead of two kids’ meals. 

7) My kids have never met a gift shop that they didn’t  like. Before we go inside, they are told whether or not they have an amount to spend.  Do not make up your mind in the store! Have it set in your mind what is acceptable. We do not go over it. Our family always buys a magnet for our  fridge, it is a great way to see all the places we have been.

8) Our family rule is, “if you can buy it at Target or Wal Mart, you are not buying it here”. I can’t count how many times my kids have brought me an item that they could easily get somewhere else. I also do not allow them to use their budgeted money on candy, food or drinks. Nope, not gonna happen!

9) Just because you are at an amusement park, you can still  find deals in their gift shops. At Six Flags I found my son a Scooby Doo pillow on clearance for $2. It is his “car seat pillow” and he uses it in the car all the time. Look in back corners for items on clearance.

10) Relax and have fun. Do not throw your budget out the window in the name of fun. It isn’t about what you buy, but the experiences shared.

Road Trips with Young Kids: Guest Blogger #1

I am not really one for road trips. When I was young, before the days of iPads (or any type of entertainment, for that matter) my family would make our annual drive from California to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit my grandparents. I hated the monotony and boredom and nausea brought on my being crammed into a van with four brothers and a sister.

Recently, I had a friend visiting from England that wanted a tour of the West Coast, so I promised her a road trip from my current home in Salt Lake City, Utah out to Northern California, down to Southern California, on to Las Vegas, and back to Utah again. And then I remembered that I have two toddlers. As the panic began to set in, I decided to do whatever I could to make the trip easy on my children (and myself) by being prepared and making the time in the car something that would be fun rather than something to be endured.

I knew that to keep my kids happy and entertained in the car for such a long time, I’d need to be prepared with snacks, activities and distractions. Below is a list of some of the things that kept my kids (ages 18 months and 3.5) happy throughout our trip.

1. Snacks 
Driving the car is boring. For everyone. I know when I’m tired of being in the car, having something to munch on is a great distraction. I don’t necessarily want my kids eating candy the whole trip, so I bring a variety of healthy snacks. Some of the best things for the car (and least messy!) are:

a. String Cheese
b. Sliced Apples
c. Goldfish Crackers
d. Applesauce GoGo SqueeZ (single serve applesauce packs that don’t require a spoon – kids can squeeze the pouch right into their mouth! Genius!)
e. Carrots (for kids old enough to eat them)
f. Rice Krispy Treats
g. Nilla Wafers h. Plenty of Water (Sippy cups work great to prevent spills, even for my 3 year old)

2. Surprise Activity Bag 
I put together an activity bag for each of my kids with fun new things in it. Having new things to play with will keep kids happy for quite a while. I use a Ziploc bag and include some of the following as a fun surprise for my children.

 a. Coloring Book
b. New Crayons
c. Stickers
d. Inexpensive toys such as Matchbox cars, My Little Pony, stuffed animal, etc.

3. Games
Depending on how old your children are, there are plenty of travel games that are perfect for road trips. Some of my favorite are:

a. Melissa & Doug Flip to Win Memory Game
b. Melissa & Doug License Plate Game
c. Car Travel Bingo

4. Books
 My children aren’t old enough to read to themselves yet, but they do love looking at books. I gathered a pile of their favorite books and kept them in a bag between their car seats. They could reach them and look through them as much as they wanted (and of course throw them when they were done…) I stuck with board books so no pages would get torn. They loved being able to grab the books they wanted to read.

5. iPad/Movie Player
Ok, I don’t recommend going out and buying an iPad for your kids just because you’re going on a road trip. But we do happen to have one, and it really is a godsend when you’re at your wits’ end and are trying to keep kids happy in the car. I use it as my last resort – I let them use it after they had grown bored of everything else. (We spent about 30 hours total in the car, and I think the iPad was used for about 2 or 3 hours of that time.)

In addition to all of the in-car activities, we made sure that we stopped every hour or two to let the kids get out, run around and let out some of their pent-up energy. The breaks from the car were just as important as activities for helping the kids enjoy the trip.

Traveling with children can seem like a daunting experience, but it can be a fun and enjoyable way to travel with just a little bit of preparation. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to keep kids happy and entertained in the car.

Jennifer is wife to Preston and mom to 3 year old Ethan and 18 month-old Grace. Preston travels extensively for business and Jen and the kids love to tag along on his trips. Jen has gained experience in many areas of travel including surviving the security lines with toddlers, changing diapers on an airplane, and most recently, staying sane a road trip with young children

Vegas, Baby!

Spring break is here and we're on our way to Las Vegas to lounge next to a pool!  I found an awesome deal on a hotel a couple of months ago and we've been anxiously waiting!  Eric is coming along with his two oldest boys and this is their first family vacation... ever!  My girls really like Austin and my Caleb loves his Caleb so it should be a super good time!  I promise to take lots of pics!  You'll be entertained by a couple of guest posters while I'm gone, so make them feel welcome!

Happy Easter!

"He breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory"

Alma 22:14

Blogging for Fishes: Cookbook Giveaway

I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Blogging for Fishes cookbook that you may have seen floating around the internet!  If you aren't familiar with the Fish family's touching story, please check out their blog.

When I received my cookbook in the mail I was blown away by the quality and the design.  It really is a great little book!  The pictures are fantastic and it's a really nice laminated design.

These cookbooks are only $15 and they have e-book and pdf versions available as well.  The proceeds go to a great cause and they make a fabulous gift!  Check out Lemon Poppy Cake for more info on how to purchase this fun book!

I also received a copy to give away to one of my awesome blog readers!  To enter please leave a comment on this posting.  For an additional entry you can become a fan of The American Homemaker on facebook or send me a facebook friend request!  If we're already connected on facebook let me know that in your comment!

The winner will be drawn on Saturday, April 14th.

Bringing me chocolate will not increase your chances of winning, but it will make me like you more *grin*

And the winner is...

Barbara! 

An Eggstra Special Family Home Evening (yes, I'm a dork)

Monday night we had our very first family home evening with all seven kids... It was bumpy at first, but actually quite great once we really got going.  Blending two families is never easy and this dating period is wonderful not only for Eric and I to get to know each other better, but for all of the kids to get their feel for things.  We had a great lesson focused on the Savior by my girlies and then we colored Easter eggs!

When I told Eric I was planning Easter egg coloring for the activity, his response was, "That sounds messy"... and it was!  But it was messy fun!

Here are a couple of tips for great Easter eggs:

1- The trick to boiling eggs that will be easy to peel is to cover the bottom of the saucepan completely with eggs.  Don't stack them up, but don't leave much wiggle room either.  Cover them with water by about 1".  Bring to a full rolling boil and then turn off the burner.  Let the eggs sit on the burner in the hot water for about 20-25 minutes then rinse with cold water.

2- You don't need to buy fancy (or non fancy) dye kits for eggs.  1/2 cup of cold water with food coloring and about 1 TBSP of vinegar work great!  If you add a bit of oil to a couple of the colors, the eggs come out fabulously marbled!

3- It's super fun to color on the eggs with crayons before coloring them.  The wax repels the dye so the coloring shows up perfectly.  I discovered Eric doesn't own crayons, but he improvised with wax pieces and the kids still had fun making designs.

4- Let everyone know how many eggs they'll have to color right up front.  The littlest ones may still complain when they run out, but if the limit is set at the start it's easier to deal with melt-downs.  It worked out well for us because Clark whipped through his eggs in no time but one of the other boys decided he only wanted to do half his eggs, so Clark got to do a few more than anyone else.

I love coloring eggs!  It's such a fun Easter tradition... plus then there are leftovers for yumminess like egg salad sandwiches and deviled eggs!  Delish!

We survived our first family home evening/egg decorating! *grin*

Delicious Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of my favorite parts of Easter.

We always color a dozen boiled eggs for each person in our family to color, so deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches are a MUST to use up all those eggs. 

I use a dill mix along with dry mustard and mayo in my deviled eggs.  Simple, yet delicious!

Plus they look absolutely adorable on my vintage milk glass egg trays... hehehe
 

Today I'm linking to The Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday!

Gentleman Homemaker

This year has been one filled with a lot of ups and downs already.  It has been surprise after surprise, some good and some not so good.  One thing I've felt impressed to do this year is start dating again.  Last year I slowed down my dating a lot.  It wasn't just my dating that slowed down, it was my social life in general.  I was enjoying staying home quite a bit, even on the weekends when my kids were gone.  Jammies and scary movies became my norm on weekends.  At the first of the year I started to have a strong desire to date again.  It seemed like an odd time because I was also feeling inspired to look towards a move out of state, but when I'm prompted to do something, I do it.  I'm a firm believer in things happening for a reason AND I know that Heavenly Father sees the bigger pictures while we're stuck only seeing what's happening right now.

One night at about 1am I was tossing and turning for no apparent reason and out of the blue I was struck with the thought that I needed to change my dating profile.  My profiles are always fun and creative and get a lot of attention, but this idea was so unique it was quite amazing.  It was a very detailed job posting for the position of being my boyfriend.  It spelled out the qualifications someone one would need, the duties the job would entail, must haves and benefits of the position.  I got more messages and interest and compliments on it than I ever imagined.  I started going on dates and opening myself up to the idea of being in a relationship again, which is something I hadn't had a desire for in a year. 

My favorite response came from a cute local guy telling me he was "overqualified" in every aspect for the job and that he'd like to schedule a phone interview to further discuss the position.  Being very confident myself, his confidence was drawing to me.  Eric and I talked for a couple of weeks over the phone, had Sunday dinner together with my three kids and his four, spent a lot of time talking, texting, bouncing ideas off of each other, spending time with each others kids and then we decided to stop dating other people and get to know each other better exclusively.

I am amazed by this incredible man so I thought I'd introduce him to you.  Eric is a full time father to four boys who are 4, 6, 10 and 13.  He has had some amazing successes and some pretty intense set-backs in his life and especially over the last year, but his cheerful attitude and endless positive energy are infectious.  We are alike in a way that is complimentary to each other... We really balance each other out.  I want you to get to know him and his boys as my children and I get to know them.  I've never done this before on my blog, but he is really special.  Eric has started a blog that I will be co-authoring with him.  It's called the Gentleman Homemaker and I encourage you to check it out.

I spent a lot of time over this past weekend with Eric and his boys while my kids were at their dad's house.  We laughed, we cried, we plotted and planned and it was an fantastic couple of days.  I thought I'd share a couple of pics I took over the weekend so you can put faces to names.

Clark

Ian

Caleb 

(yes, we BOTH have 10 year old Calebs!)

and Austin

My blogland friends are like family to me so if you have any questions for Eric, feel free to post them and he will be more than happy to answer them (((hugs)))

Broccoli Salad

Mmmmm...  I love salads!  Broccoli salad is something I first tried at a "Daughters of Utah Pioneers" luncheon years and years ago.  It had such a unique flavor that I had to go home and recreate it.  If you aren't familiar with broccoli coleslaw, which is used in this recipe, you should be!  It's found in the produce section of the grocery store, but not near the salads or cabbage coleslaw.  I've found it near veggie trays or strawberries or "gourmet" produce depending on the store.  Most stores do carry it.  You just may have to ask where they're hiding it.  Broccoli coleslaw has a fantastic crunch that cabbage coleslaw doesn't and it can be used in a lot of recipes.  It's fairly inexpensive and you can find it on sale often.

This is the perfect recipe to make for Easter dinner OR Easter picnics!  YUMMY!!!

Broccoli Salad 

1 pkg real bacon bits (or cooked bacon pieces)
1 12 oz pkg broccoli coleslaw
½ c dried cranberries
1 c sunflower seeds
3 TBSP white (or red) wine vinegar
2 TBSP sugar
1 c mayo

In a large bowl combine the broccoli slaw, bacon bits, sunflower seeds and cranberries. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and mayo. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Today I'm linking to the Mommy Club! Enjoy!