Nutella Frosting

 What have you been doing with your time during this long cold winter?

Johnie and I decided to hibernate with a puzzle.

And CAKE! 

We have been spending the weekends working on this "Say Cheese" puzzle.

Last weekend Johnie said out loud.... "I want cake!"

So to the kitchen we went.

He also said, "I'll make the cake if you make the frosting,"

Because we work awesome as a team like that.

When Johnie makes his boxed cakes he always uses mayonnaise 

in place of the oil. 

And since we were both raised in Northwest Ohio

we eat cake in a bowl with milk over it.

 But what was I going to do for frosting?

I started searching the pantry.

No peanut butter.....

No tub of store bought frosting.....

But I found a container of Nutella.

I decided to see what I could create with Nutella.

Now when I make frosting I usually just dump.

But I'm going to do my best to get this into print for you.

You can make your own adjustments as you go.

Ignore the Christmas sprinkles. 

We just wanted to dress it up a bit.

Nutella Frosting

1/2 c. butter room temp
1/2 c. nutella
Place these two ingredients in a mixing bowl. With electric mixer and whip attachment, whip the two ingredients until creamy.
Slowly add 3-4 c. powdered sugar. Whip until combined. Slowly thin with chocolate milk (maybe 2-3 TBS) while mixer is running. This frosting turned out almost like a whipped cream frosting. It was so light and fluffy. And the nutella flavor was awesome on the cake.

See Ya'all Soon

Schwan's & Chicken Tikka Masala

 How many of you are Schwan's customers?

Do you have a favorite item that you buy every two weeks?

Schwan's is the perfect solution to the two member household.

Believe me, I KNOW.

Their delivery service is perfect for Johnie and I.

Since we work different shifts Schwan's makes the

meal planning perfect.

 I found this mix at our local grocery store.

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite Indian meals.

With the help of Schwan's fully cooked oven roasted chicken bites,

this meal came together quickly,

and deliciously.

 There is one full step that you can completely skip.

Which makes the seasoning packet a two step process.

You don't have to cook the chicken when you use Schwan's.

You just dump in the chicken and heat.

 All you need to make this perfect meal is:

Butter

Onion

15 oz. tomato sauce

1 seasoning packet

1/2 bag Schwan's oven roasted chicken bites

1/2 c. heavy cream

Cooked white rice.

Done in 20 minutes.....Start the rice and chicken dish at the same time.....

20 minutes folks!

Dinner to the table in 20 minutes!

That's it!

20 minutes!

Did I mention this meal only takes 20 minutes?

See Ya'all Soon!

And tell Schwan's I sent ya.....

Belgian Beef Stew

 Here is a recipe I have been wanting to share with you for while now.

Things have been quite hectic around here.

I had the worst scare of my life last week.

Well to be honest, it wasn't just last week.

My symptoms have been going on for a couple weeks. 

And last week, since things were not getting better, 

I thought it was time to see a doctor.

When you are requested forced to have tests done

you automatically assume the worst.

Right?

I know I do.

I'm sure when the doctor requests forces medical tests,

he/she is assuming the worst too.

But with my fear of being the next cancer patient put to rest

with the test results my life can get back to normal.

I was dealing with such a bad case of anxiety last week 

that I couldn't function normal.

 And being able to share this recipe with you is my healing way

of getting my life back on track.

And poor Johnie......

I'm sure he was assuming the worst too.

He was beside me every day during my testing and hospital stay.

I couldn't ask for a better man.

 With this recipe I'm just going to share the link and 

tell you about the changes I made. 

Above is the beer I chose to use in my stew.

But you can use any kind you like.

This is the perfect body warming stew.

Especially since temps are getting colder,

and colder,

and colder.

Here is the link to the actual recipe:
My Recipes

These are the changes I made:
I used about 8 of the Green Giant tri-colored mini potatoes (cut in half)
I omitted the bacon
I used celery in place of parsnips
One can whole button mushrooms
1 c. beef soup base according to package directions (found in the soup isle)
And I served it with garlic toast
No bay leaf
No caraway seed

This will definitely be made in my house again. It is an awesome rich tasting stew.

See Ya'all Soon