And the Winner is...

Miranda

Congratulations!

*Please email me at adoxeymeals@gmail.com to make arrangements

Give Away

I decided it is time to have a give-away on my blog and what a better to day to share the love, right? I will be giving away...

One custom three-month menu calendar with the corresponding shopping lists

If you would like to enter, please leave a comment with your name and the type of cook you are; spur of the moment, what ever is in your pantry, do you purchase the same things every week and make the same things, plan weekly, plan at the grocery store, or completely organized?

You can receive extra entries if you

• Post this on your blog
• Share a link on facebook

just comment with a link to your post.

*The winner will be announced on Tuesday, Feb 21.

Crafty Sprinkles

Some holidays I make a variety of treats, some easy and some difficult.
This year our Valentine's Day is looking pretty basic. Frosted sugar cookies and cupcakes.
Here's a little tip to fancy up the basic.

Place a cookie cutter on the frosted cookie or cupcake and fill with sprinkles. Remove cookie cutter. Easy and just a bit more festive.

Become an organized cook- Step 2

So now you should have a list of all the meals you make and rotate through.

Step Two
-Divide your meals into different categories.

For example, I divide my meals into these categories:

• Soups
• Salads
• Sandwich
• Chicken
• Mexican
• Asian
• Italian
• Other meats
  

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

These might just be the perfect treat to give to someone you love this Valentine season.
The best part is this makes a ton so you can throw a bag of them in the freezer and have one, or two, or more for the yourself the rest of the month.

I think they taste like Recess if you use milk chocolate.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons
Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3 cups peanut butter
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 medium box (12 oz) Rice Krispies,
  
• Chocolate to dip, can use almond bark, chocolate chips with shortening, candy melts, etc.

Cooking Directions
Melt butter in large sauce pan. Add peanut butter and sugar until well blended. Remove from heat. Stir in Rice Krispies- this will be difficult so you may need to use your hands. Roll into small balls. Set on cookie sheet lines with wax paper and freeze about an hour.

Melt chocolate. Dip balls into chocolate using a fork so the excess chocolate drips through. Place back on cold cookie sheet until dry.

Optional: Drizzle chocolate on top using fork.

Become an organized cook- Step 1

I've had many inquires as to how I go about making my three-month calendar. I think I'm a pretty good cook, I like all my food but more importantly, my family and husband like it too. But a lot of people are good cooks. My strong point is the organized part. The whole point of me starting this blog was to help others become more organized with meal planning. I know a lot of people really dislike doing this.

So over the next month or so I'm going to give you tips or steps to follow to creating a meal plan. Once you get the hang of it, its actually quite easy.

First step:

• Write down a list of all the meals your family enjoys eating. The ones you cook regularly, and the ones you might not use so regularly. Don't include any that you want to try or that you haven't cooked by yourself.
  

Oatmel Cookies

I've learned that cookies are very delicate, in order to bake the perfect cookies, you have to know your oven and be able to eye the dough for the right consistency. With every new house, I've made adjustments to my cookies recipes or baking times.
To be honest my chocolate chip cookies are pretty dang good- I get a lot of compliments on them. I had a few people email me after I posted the recipe saying the cookies didn't turn out. I think it's just a learning process.

These oatmeal cookies have thus far been fool-proof. It could be the hint I received from my sister-in-law to mix the baking soda with water...I don't know.
They are especially good with a mixture of white and milk chocolate chips, yum...so good.

*If you try them and they don't turn out, please let me know.

Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:

• 1 c. shortening
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar + 1-2 Tbsp
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (if you don't like cinnamon, don't add)
  
• 1 tsp hot water mixed with 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
• Chocolate chips- as many as you can handle
  

Cooking Directions:
Mix shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix. Mix in water and soda mixture. Mix in oats, then chocolate chips. Loosely roll into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 for 8-9 min, or until no longer shiny. Drop cookie sheet on counter to flatten cookies. Remove to cooling racks.