Buffalo Chicken Bites

My absolute fave: (if you make these you WILL get asked for the recipe…so be prepared!! )  I wish I could remember where I got this recipe…I just have it copied and pasted into a folder…but thank you to whoever created these!!  The seasoning in the cream cheese is what makes them.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

 8 ounces softened cream cheese

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp old bay seasoning

12 jalapenos halved and seeded

24 six inch pieces of bacon uncooked

 Preheat oven to 350

 Combine cream cheese and spices in a small bowl.  Spoon mixture into each pepper half, until level.  Wrap each in bacon and place in on a baking sheet.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Remove and enjoy!

(from: the girl who ate everything)

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Jalapeno Dip

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 cup pineapple preserves
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

Combine lime juice, jalapeno pepper, and pineapple preserves in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl beat egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.

Place cornstarch and coconut on two separate plates. Hold shrimp by the tail and dip and coat the shrimp with cornstarch. Next, dip the shrimp in the egg whites and finally in the coconut coating well.

Place shrimp on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until coconut is a golden brown. Make sure to turn it once halfway through (around 8 minutes into cooking time) to make sure both sides brown.

Serve with pineapple dipping sauce.

I haven’t made this recipe before, but I LOVE potato skins and these have more of a twice baked potato vibe to them which I love too!!

Potato Skins with Cheddar, Bacon and Shallots
Makes 8 servings
printable recipe here on The Comfort of Cooking
Ingredients
8 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed
8 strips bacon
3 shallots, finely chopped
3/4 cups milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley, optional
2 scallions, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick the potato skins all over with a fork. Bake in the oven for about 45–50 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat about 4 minutes, until golden. Remove from pan, chop into small pieces and set aside. Add the shallots and cook until they soften, about 1 minute more.

Slice off the top third of each potato, horizontally. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Reserve the hollowed-out skins and place in a lightly oiled baking dish.

Mash the potato with a potato masher. Add the milk and butter, and beat until smooth. Stir in the cheddar, bacon and shallots and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the mixture back into the potato skins and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and golden on top. Serve hot with extra chopped parsley, cheddar or scallions sprinkled on top, if desired.

I’m definitely making these on mini slider buns…

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Makes 4-8 servings
Ingredients

MARINADE:

Place desired amount of chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls and a few tablespoons of sauce. Top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half.

Are you hungry yet??  I’ll also be making my chili dip…no pictures, but it’s super easy!

one can of chili

1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

1 brick of cream cheese

heat and mix together either in a crock pot or the microwave.  Serve with fritos scoops…REALLY healthy!!

AND who can forget the sweets???

The Perfect Lemon Bars

Pizookie in a Jar (I love that you can re-heat these and top with ice cream as people are ready to eat)

Ice Cream Sundae Brownies

Whew…I’m feeling like I need to go to the gym just for writing this post!!!

I hope you have a wonderful Super Bowl Weekend!!

tammy

Well…..I feel like a who today!   I feel like I want to shout “it is here, it is here, it is here!!!”  This is a project that I am honored to be a part of and I think it is an amazing thing for families.  An uplifiting publication full of real stories, real people…just inspiring us all.  The first issue debuts today and I am SO excited!!!

You know how I love beautiful photography, well this magazine is chalk full of it.  It is amazing.  Here’s a little more about the sandbucket from it’s founder and publisher Sandi…

Join us for the debut issue of The Sandbucket.  This issue is chalked full of fun articles.  Come be inspired to get reading with your children.  Gather new recipes that you’ll want to try out for yourself.  Throw a fun Valentine Party with ideas from Tammy Mitchell.  Get to know Denise Demarchis of Matilda Jane a bit better.  Read of the giving adventures of families in Atlanta as they went out to feed the homeless.  All this and many more articles that touch upon raising and teaching our children.  There is even a fun teen section where we meet some real teens and talk about their talents as well as some fun DIY projects.  Each page of the magazine is filled with beautiful and useful content, never being interrupted with ads.  Only useful content that can strengthen you and your families. 

The Sandbucket is available as both a digital download and a printed copy.  (bonus…if you buy the printed copy you receive a free digital copy too!!!)  Would you like to win your very own digital copy of the Sandbucket???  I have ONE to giveaway to a lucky reader.  Please leave a comment in the comments section for your chance to win.  The winner will be randomly selected and drawn on Wednesday….good luck!!!

Here’s more information on where to grab your own copy….

The Sandbucket

Have a great day!
tammy

Aren’t they adorable??  I can’t get enough of them!!   Here’s the good news…you can make these with a few molds from Michaels, some chocolate melts in your chosen color, and a few minutes.  Save up your 40% off coupons.  All you’ll need is a microwave to make them.  The instructions are on the back of the chocolate melts packages.  Happy sucker making!!

Have a great day!
tammy

oh…and for those of you that ordered boxes…they have arrived!! I am packaging and shipping this week!

have a great day!
tammy

and the back…

or you can do it without the boom box handle… 

A funny side note…when I asked Andy if he knew what a stereo was he said  “nope.”  Feeling a little dated here!!   Anyways, he loved them and thinks they are totally fun…even if he does have to explain to all the kids what a stereo is. lol!! 

Would you like to create these yourself?  Here’s what you’ll need:

-large (movie theater box size) box of sweetarts  (Walmart or the Dollar Store are the cheapest I’ve found)

2 small boxes of lemonheads or similar

2 large chocolate coins

2 medium chocolate coins (you can find all these coins in bags at party city in their candy section)

1 small box of nerds

2 rolos

if you want to create the handle you’ll need about 6″ of ribbon.  Tie a knot at each end and then glue the handles at the knots to the top of your stereo. 

You’ll also need this free printable message for the back of your stereo.    You know I love you guys!!   Cut them to about 3.5x 5.5 size.

Download your free copy here:

Free Stereo Valentine Printable

And…if you’re in the mood to listen to the song, here you go! 

 have a great day!
tammy

You can download it here:

If you need the frosted pillow boxes to create these valentines I am now offering a limited number of them here in quantities of 10 I will be receiving my shipment by mid-late next week and will ship them out to you as soon as they arrive in plenty of time to create your valentines.
BOXES ARE NOW SOLD OUT

Have a great day!
tammy

Project #2 is going to be the party of the year!!  One of my darling little clients is turning the big O-N-E and we are going to CELEBRATE!!!  Here’s a  little sneak of some of the images dancing in my head that are serving as inspiration for this shindig…

oh!  I can’t wait!!!

have a great day!
tammy

Happy 2012!!!

tammy

A little Santa’s Workshop party for Ashley:

Then a little reindeer games party for Andy: (I’ll go into more detail on these parties with activities, more pictures and the party printable collections later)

A trip to the nutcracker:

gingerbread houses:

 and dance recitals:

Whew!  And that doesn’t include caroling, live nativities, choir concerts, holiday baking, special dinners with carolers, trips to visit the gingerbread house at the Ritz, entertaining and cooking for 12 on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 3 birthday parties, shopping, sending letters to Santa at Macy’s, spending three days out of town, and a whole bunch of other crazy fun things!   Now it’s on to new year’s activities and then valentines!    Yes, I already made some Valentine purchases BEFORE Christmas!!   YIKES!!!

I hope you have a great day!
tammy

I had never been able to make my own up until two years ago.  You see, these are special vintage cookie cutters.  My grandma had them, and when my mom was a young mother, she bought sets for my mom and my aunts.  Well, fast forward 30 years and they are a little harder to find!   Two years ago my grandma FOUND the sets again and gave them to me and my cousins.  How cool is that??  So, now we can ll make our own Santa cookies and continue the tradition. 

Good news…I searched high and low and found them for you too!!  If you want a set you can find them here:

Once you have your very own set you can make some of these with them: 

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE:The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

Best Ever Rolled Sugar Cookies

Original Recipe Yield 5 dozen

#2 if you have trouble transfering your cookies to your pan after you cut them out, roll out and cut your shapes on parchment paper.  Then remove the excess dough from the paper, transfer the whole sheet of parchment to your pan and bake!