Easy Five Minute Fudge

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is bake. I much prefer baking to cooking and when I'm in the baking groove, I can do it all day long. Cookies, muffins, you name it. I love it all. Fudge isn't technically baking, but I put it in that category because it's sweet and finicky. This Christmas fudge recipe is easy to make and it also happens to be the best fudge I've ever tasted!

Low-Carb Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Bowl

What!? A gluten-free, sugar-free, low-carb cookie? That's done in 5 minutes? Tell me more! At least that's what I hope you're saying, right?

A few months ago, we found out that we were eating too many carbs. Seriously, we ate pasta at least a couple times a week and I love baking so we always had muffins and bread around. Everything was from scratch and whole grain so I figured we were golden.

Nope.

Per doctor's orders, I started looking for ways to make our old dishes low-carb friendly. I stopped making muffins every week and pancakes every weekend. Guys, I've started using zucchini in my lasagna. It's been an adjustment but we've gotten used to it. We'll still splurge randomly and on holidays but our everyday menu looks very different.

But desserts?

Triple Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

Everything's better with Nutella, right? Right. This triple chocolate Nutella mug cake is my go to for the quiet moments that I savor after the kids go to bed. It's a perfect little serving of moist chocolate cake that goes great with a big glass of milk.

I originally found this recipe at Table for Two. I'd tried a couple other mug cakes before and wasn't impressed. The texture was always weird. Until I found this one. It was so good! The texture is more cake-like since it's made without eggs.

I made a few changes but the recipe is mostly the same. If you hop over to Table for Two, Julie has a few suggestions for subbing out the Nutella AND more mug cake recipes! And her pictures are way prettier.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Streusel Topping

I know, guys. Y'all are pumpkined out already and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. I don't think you will mind so much though once you try these whole wheat pumpkin muffins! The streusel topping makes them even more amazing!

A while back, I stumbled upon this pumpkin muffin recipe by Smitten Kitchen. I loved them and have made them many times since. It is my go-to fall recipe! I've made a few healthier tweaks to them by using whole wheat flour and coconut oil, and a not so healthy tweak by adding a yummy streusel topping. Eh, you win some, you lose some. 

And when winners lose, they eat streusel topping.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

It's been a long time since I shared a recipe on here. I do cook food around here. Usually we are all too hungry to take pictures of it though. But this recipe...it's so good. I had to share it.

I first became acquainted with these crock pot chicken fajitas at a friend's house. She found them on Pinterest, that great saver of busy moms' dinnertimes everywhere. So I went and stalked her Pinterest boards until I found them. I'm not creepy at all, right?

These are so easy, so good, and so messy. It's worth it. You can find the original recipe here at Stacy Makes Cents.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 sweet peppers, sliced
• 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth(optional)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• Squirt of lime juice(I use the bottled kind)
• Tortillas or rice
• Toppings(sour cream, cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, all that good stuff!)

1. Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot.
2. Lay chicken on top of veggies.
3. Pour chicken broth over top.
4. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder.
5. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top.
6. Cover and cook on low for 4-8 hours (or on High for 4 hours) or until meat is shreddable.
7. When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. 
8.  Serve on tortillas or over rice with your choice of toppings.

Enjoy the messy goodness!

A Tale of Two Soups

I could have put a really corny line like "It was the best of soups" or "worst of soups" right here. But I didn't. You're welcome.

And really the worst of soups line would only refer to my husband's opinion. I thought they were both pretty good. Both are new soups that I had never made before. And I knew I was taking a chance on Soup A...

Soup A: Butternut Squash Apple Soup - A friend shared this recipe on Facebook. I'm not a big fan of squash, but I can eat roasted Butternut Squash so I thought I'd try it. It was healthy and the addition of the apple got me curious.

Now, I knew Hubby was not a fan of squash. I did not know that he was not a fan of cooked apples either. This soup made history in our house because, in the 4+ years we have been married, Hubby has boasted that I've never made him a meal he didn't like. There goes my spotless record.

Conclusion: Good soup to me, bad soup to everyone else. Even Little Man made a face at the first bite. And that is not a normal response for him.

I thought it tasted better the next day. I probably won't make it again because I would be the only one eating it. It took a lot of work and time to peel and chop all those veggies. Not worth it for one person.

And now for Soup B...

Soup B: Slow Cooker Cheesy Hashbrown Soup - I figured this soup would go over well. Really, how can you go wrong with potatoes, cheese, and bacon? Probably not the healthiest option but great comfort food!

Conclusion: Everyone was VERY happy with this soup! I think I redeemed myself. And I think potatoes will always win in our house.

It was just about the easiest soup you could make. The most work I did for this soup was cooking the bacon and grating the cheese. I dare you to mess this one up.

I hope you try at least one! Which one do you think would win in your house?

Top 10 Posts of 2013

Hello to 2014! Can't believe it's here already! This year is going to be crazy full, especially with the arrival of a new little guy in a couple months.

As I am looking forward to 2014 and all that it has to hold, today I am looking back on 2013. I've rounded up my top 10 posts of 2013 based on popularity. If you missed some of them, here is your opportunity to catch up!

Let's start off, shall we?

Paper Napkins Become Bathroom Art

How NOT to Paint a Ceramic Lamp

Summery Herbed Tomato Pie

DIY Jewelry Organizer From Shutters

Decorating with Navy Blue

DIY Duvet Cover

Our Master Bedroom

The BEST Spaghetti Sauce

A Few of My Favorite Things

Fall Vignette

Goodbye 2013, hello 2014!

I may link up to some of these link parties here.

September Review

So, I know I promised my fall mantel today. It has been postponed because of technical difficulties{basically, I stink at using spray paint}. Next week it will be up for sure! Now on to the September Review!

Here are some of last month's posts:

Our Pennsylvania Road Trip.

The BEST Spaghetti Sauce EVER!

My first fall vignette.

The complete source list for our master bedroom makeover.

Why I've been quiet around here lately.

A fall mantel roundup!

An iPhone update{no, not THAT iPhone update...}.

I am looking forward to October! I think I may give myself a challenge for the month: to only do projects that don't involve me buying anything to finish. Hubby's job is caught up in all this government shut down mess so for now I really have to watch our budget! Good thing I already bought all that paint for the nursery!

Inspired Fridays

Can I get a yum right here?

Pretty blue door.

Pretty green dresser.

Hiding electrical cords

Great roundup of neutral fall decor!

Tutorial for cute stenciled burlap pillows

Lovely quote

Inspired Friday

It's Friday! Time for my favorite links post! 

Carissa Miss

Autumn Printable-Jones Design Company

Special Occasion Mac & Cheese-Deep South Dish

Between You and Me Signs-Etsy

Life in Grace

Inspired Friday

DIY Canvas Art: The Hankful House

Dining Room Makeover: Amanda Carol At Home

Comic Book Letters: Imperfect and Fabulous

Easy Tortellini Bake: This Gal Cooks

DIY burlap and dropcloth pillows: Two It Yourself

German Chocolate Cheesecake: Healthy Meal Time

Lisa Congden

The Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever

Yes. The best spaghetti sauce ever. I use this sauce over pasta, in lasagna, even on pizza. No lie, I have even observed others who shall remain nameless eat it cold out of the fridge as a chip dip. I do not suggest this but, hey, whatever floats your boat.

My mom makes the best spaghetti sauce and, of course, when I got married, I asked for the recipe. Thing is, she never uses one. That's how you know something is good. So she did the best she could to give me a basic base sauce that I could take and just run with like she does. This recipe is the result of that and me experimenting with different amounts and ingredients.

I never measure either so I had to actually figure out how I make it for this post.

So without further ado...

The Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever

Ingredients:

• 1lb Italian sausage{or lean ground beef}
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 {14.5-15oz} cans petite diced tomatoes
• 4 {14.5-15oz} cans tomato sauce
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 bay leaves

Brown meat with onion in a stock pot. When meat is browned and onion is tender, add Italian seasoning and minced garlic. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Turn to medium-high heat and add everything else. Cover until sauce is completely hot and heated through. Once the sauce is hot, uncover, turn to low heat and simmer for an hour. Letting it cook uncovered helps to get rid of some of the liquid, making a thicker sauce. If you like a thinner, more watery sauce, keep it covered the entire cook time.

Remove the bay leaves{good luck finding them!} and serve any way your heart desires!

This recipe makes an almost full stockpot of sauce. I can usually get a few meals out of it for the week. It freezes well too which is nice for a busy day. Just pop the container of sauce out of the freezer and thaw for a bit{or run under water} to loosen it and than plop it in a pan to continue heating it up.

Yum! I love it coated with a thick layer of Parmesan cheese and served with garlic bread. So good and great comfort food!

Enjoy!

Linking up to some of these great link parties!