Back to school (and work) slow cooker cooking

Did your kids go back to school yet? Mine did. And along with them going back to school I went back to work. After being a stay-at-home mom for six years I'm not sure I was really prepared for what I was about to do. But I survived my first week and am looking forward to going back next week. I am the Director of Afternoons at my kids school. I get to be home with my little girls in the morning and then spend my afternoons with my big two and their classmates (and a bunch of other kids). So, since I needed a job this really is the best job possible for me and our family! 

If your family is anything like mine...they like to eat. And well, it's good to eat. We need energy in the form of food in order to function properly. When we eat the right food we function even better! So, it's important with me working now that I find a way for my family to eat well while being easy and simple to prepare. Enter the slow cooker!! We use the slow cooker a LOT around here and I'm so grateful for the many recipes floating around in the web-o-sphere. I'm also grateful for the Fix-It and Forget-It 5 ingredient favorites: Comforting slow cooker recipes book that a lady from church gave me. This book has been used many many times and I plan to keep using it until we decide to stop using the slow cooker to make dinner (and with me working that won't be anytime soon). To only need 5 ingredients saves me a ton of time and money. These recipes are easy to throw together in the morning when I'm hanging out with my little ladies before I head to work. Then when we get home all we have to do is fix a simple side, of which I plan to stock the fridge with on the weekends...like rice and noodles or whatever. If you haven't started using  your crock-pot as a way to save you time and money (you won't have to eat out as much) then let me encourage you to do so. It's really rather simple and doesn't take too much prep work.

Case in point, I was able to prepare 8 freezer slow cooker recipes this week in the mornings while I was home with my little girls. Granted I did have the help of grandma to watch the girls but still these meals are easy to put together and could be done on a Saturday or Sunday while someone is able to watch the kids, or get them involved with the chopping and throwing things into the bags if they're old enough. I love this freezer slow cooker cook book from Stephanie Cornais. The recipes that we've already tried were delicious and had lots of flavor. They are easy to prepare and it's SO nice to know that my freezer is stocked in case I forget to get things for one of my other slow cooker meals. It's also great to have on hand in case someone has a baby or if a family member is in the hospital, these would be easy to take for them as well. The other great thing is the Stephanie only uses whole REAL foods. No cans of cream of whatever in these recipes. I've even branched out and tried some new things because of this cookbook. I'm really excited to try to the Peanut Stew that I prepared last week!! Check out Stephanie's blog and she has a new mini eCookbook called Back to school slow cooker freezer recipes. She also has a gluten-free, grain-free dessert cookbook!!

We have three freezers...a little excessive, yeah maybe. But one is a chest freezer because we get a whole hog worth of meat each year. The other came with the house and we have ours that we purchased when we bought our first house. So now my hubby has his "beer" fridge in the garage which has lots of space for me to store my slow cooker freezer meals!!!

One little trick that I like to do (and feel I can do since this is just in the garage) is write what freezer meals are in the freezer with a white board erasable marker on the outside of the freezer. Then it's super easy to see what I have to put in my rotation when meal planning!!

Do you have a favorite slow cooker meal? I'd love to try it. You can also see more meals that I've found and pinned here. Enjoy your back to school time and prep some slow cooker meals so you don't have to worry about dinner!!

And just in case you were wondering how cute my kids looked on their first day of school...here you go ;)

 These first day of school printable came from Paper Coterie!!

Our Birthday Cake...

Apples, Peaches, Pears & Plums....

Tell Me when Your birthday comes?

That's OUR Birthday Cake!

*(I have made this cake for years, minus the Tequila. Either in a Cake or Cobbler form. The Name of the Cake came from a childhood jump rope song, that I would sing to my children, hence the name of MY CAKE recipe).

An easy cake to make with some prep time involved...

I have lots of photos for the cake & icing...worth the long post!

This cake is very moist & full of flavor! First response was mumbled ewww's & ahhh's, followed by a belly groan of "OH Ya!!!" Then when the piece of cake was done gone.....two hearty thumbs up!

*(And that was just ME...No, just kidding!)

SO....I think my new (secret) ingredient was the key to the cakes hearty responses!

 The recipe: A. P, P & P Tell Me when Your Birthday Comes Cake!

1 yellow cake mix....I used sugar free...

*make according to directions, mine called for 3 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil and *1 cup of water-**I used juice instead of water

**1 cup of mixed fruit juices, including tequila (SECRET) juice from plums, see below

1 instant vanilla pudding mix, add dry to the cake mix 

1 1/2 ounces of gold tequila, *(Secret ingredient) pour over 1/4 cup of dried plums and let soak...drain after about 15 minutes and *reserve plum/tequila juice for later

1/2 cup of chopped apples, canned or fresh

1/2 cup diced peaches, drain juice reserve *1/2 cup of the juice for cake

1/2 cup diced pears, fresh or canned, reserve *1/2 cup of the juice, add to the peach juice, equals 1 cup.

1 cup of mixed fruit juice plus 1 1/2 ounces of the reserved plum/tequila juice...*use this mixture instead of the water called for on the Cake box

Add the fruit and juice to the dry cake mix, oil, eggs and pudding mix. Blend well.

Place blended cake mix in a greased/sugared bundt pan. *I like to sugar the pan instead of using flour...makes a sweet & awesome finish to the cake :)

**Additional tequila/juice mixture equaling 1 1/2 ounces for use later, see below.

Set the oven to 350 degrees and cook cake for 40-45 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure the cake is fully cooked. Let rest for 15-20 minutes before turning out on to a plate.

**When cake is done, poke random holes around the bottom of the cake with a skewer or a knife. Mix together tequila and reserved fruit juice to equal 1 1/2 ounces. Pour over the bottom of the warm cake while still in the pan. Let rest another 5-10 minutes while it soaks into the cake

Then turn cake out of the pan and add the glaze.

See the glaze recipe below...

 Sorry the photo wasn't better....

First...Pour the tequila over the dried plums and let set about 15 minutes to soften

Pour juices from the other fruit to equal 1 cup; *use this juice in place of plain water the cake mix recommends. Next, add the reserved plum/tequila juice, drained from soaking the prunes. Set aside...

Mix the cake mix as directed, also add the dry pudding mix. Blend well, it will be stiff...next, you add juice, see below. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 Add the mix juice/tequila; it will equal 1 cup, 1 1/2 ounces.

Blend well. (I freeze any left over juices to use in other recipes)

 Photo shows adding the juice/tequila mixture to the cake batter.

Add the diced fruit to the cake batter and blend gently.

Place in the prepared, sugared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until done. Let rest for 15-20 minutes.

While cake is baking, mix reserved fruit juice & tequila to equal 1 1/2 ounces, set aside until cake is done baking.

 After 15-20 minutes of cooling, randomly poke holes in the cake with a skewer or knife, then pour the 1 1/2 ounce additional tequila/juice mixture over the cake while still in the pan. Let rest another 5-10 minutes while liquid soaks into the cake.

Turn the cake out of the pan....

 Here's the finished Cake....YUMMY!

The icing recipe is next.... We are almost done...this cake is worth the wait! :)

Brown Sugar Glaze

 1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar, I used Splenda brand

A healthy pinch of Sea Salt

1 tablespoon of softened butter

3/4 to 1 cup of powder sugar

1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1/2 cup of pecans, chopped and toasted with a scant of olive oil and Sea Salt to taste. 

 Mix well, reserve the pecans for last. Drizzle glaze onto the cake.

Then sprinkle on the toasted pecans.

Mmmm, Where's MY FORK???

Serving Our Birthday Cake with Style...

PS... We lost my Dad 2 months ago yesterday...Today would have been his Non-Birthday...

He was a leap year baby :)

Happy Birthday Dad...this cake is for You! I miss you so much, I'll love you forever...xoxo

Does Heaven have Birthday Party's Dad? 

I made this Cake for YOU.... xoxo, NeeCee

*Update...

Happy Birthday to Our Son, and his Wife Rae this weekend!!!

Love...Mama NeeCee

Peanut Butter Oreo Brownies

Warning: this post contains junk food. no real food...well, except for...well, no real food really. So just forgive me and enjoy the sweets! I've had a huge sweet tooth lately. I made some peach cobbler for Greg the other day because I know he loves fruit-filled desserts but then I needed something for me...CHOCOLATE is more my speed. So when I saw a certain pin on pinterest that included oreos, peanut butter and brownies that I thought I'd give it a try. The pin doesn't go anywhere it's just a photo but have no fear the photo had enough information in it for me to give it a go.

Put some muffin/cupcake liners in a muffin tin (spray them or use parchment liners). You first make an oreo peanut butter sandwich (and don't use double stuff oreos or they won't fit) then put more peanut butter on top of the top oreo. Then pour some brownie batter right over the top of the cookies so it covers them. I usually use this homemade brownie batter  and it is pretty thick so it didn't exactly "pour" but I just put a spoonful on top of the cookie and then it "melted" down the sides when it was in the oven. Bake it according to the brownie directions but a little less time since they aren't as thick as they would be in the pan. So, I baked mine at 350 for 20minutes. They came out perfect and are SOOOO delicious! Healthy...not a chance. But sometimes that's okay!!

What looks like an unsuspecting brownie...

Is really something much more delicious than a plain brownie...

This was when it was warm out of the oven. I really feel the taste is better once they were cooled off a bit.
Let me know if you make these...you won't be disappointed. But please share some with your friends, otherwise you may end up eating them all by yourself and that's probably not a good idea! Enjoy!!