I’ll never forget the first time I tried these Apple Dumplings at my Mother-in-Law’s house. She walked out of the kitchen wearing oven mitts holding the pan in her hands. She had a huge grin on her face and said I would never believe it- “Mountain Dew” was the *secret ingredient! “WHAT?!, who would ever think to put Mountain Dew in Apple Dumplings?!” I thought. Truly, I did not think they were going to be very good. But, I love my Mother-in-Law, so with a smile, my fork held high, and the silly comment “To my very FIRST caffeinated apple dumpling!” I dug in. “Mmmmm….WOW, are you serious!? Mountain Dew is in these?! These are delicious Kathy! Wohoo!” I said to her. I not only said it..I meant it…WOWSA! Alas, I have put aside my typical apple dumpling recipe (the kind that takes more time that I would like to admit) and showcase the most delicious EASY Apple Dumpling recipe you would ever stink you teeth into…enjoy ladies!
Peel, core and slice 3 Granny Smith apples (that is all you will need, honest).

Place one slice of apple onto one triangle of crescent roll. Start at the wide bottom side and roll up a bit, tuck in sides , then continue rolling.

Place in a buttered 9×13 pan

In a medium sauce pan add 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla. Heat on medium high heat until boiling.

Pour sauce over apple dumpling then add Mountain Dew to the sides.

Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for appx 35 mins.

Here they are fresh and piping hot out of the oven. Serve with vanilla ice cream. This recipe makes a GREAT conversation piece…ask everyone to guess the *secret ingredient…they never will, hehe.

EASY Apple Dumplings

#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews

Print

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 3 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2 (10 oz) cans pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls (I used Grands)
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon (for spinkling)
• 1 (12 oz ) can of Mountain Dew

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Butter a 9×13 dish and set aside
3. Peel, core and slice apples
4. Unroll crescent rolls
5. Take one crescent roll and place one piece of apple at the bottom of the triangle- roll up enclosing the sides. Make sure the apple is completely sealed and enclosed.
6. Continue doing this – if your apple slices are small, put a couple in.
7. Place your dumplings into your 9×13
8. Make your sauce by combining butter, sugars, and vanilla in a saucepan on medium high heat- bring to a slight boil.
9. Pour sauce over dumplings.
10. Add Mountain Dew to the sides.
11. Sprinkle with cinnamon
12. Bake uncovered for 35 mins.
13. Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Janelle is a Christian, a Wife, a Stay at Home Mom of 3 young children and a proud- to- claim- it “Foodie”. She absolutely loves to cook and typically has an audience of 3 children, pulled up on chairs, taking turns pouring ingredients into bowls. Her spiritual gifts are a mix of “hospitality and evangelism” and is here in the center of God’s will hoping to help you get a little more “comfy in your kitchen”! You can find her displaying step-by-step photos of her recipes, giving devotionals,and sharing meal ministry stories on her blog.

Easy Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

1.  Slow Cooker Beef Stew ~ doesn’t get any easier than this.  Just throw your ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning and you’re ready to go.  No browning your meat ahead of time because who really has time for such shinanigans!?

2.  Pizza Quesadillas ~ yum and just so super easy to slap together.  Add a bagged caesar salad and voila dinner is served.

3.  Pepperoni Pizza Pie ~ speaking of pizza, this is a slightly different take on it and it’s a nice change.  I use light evaporated milk and light cheese to reduce the fat count.  You could also use turkey pepperoni to lighten it up even more if you want.

4.  Applesauce Pancakes ~ breakfast for dinner is an excellent quick and simple meal.  Feel free to use whole wheat flour in this one as well.  I also bulk the meal up for my meat loving husband by cooking up a side of turkey sausage to go with them :)

5.  Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake ~what’s not to love about anything smothered in cheese?  (I use whole wheat pasta and light cheese).  Love this dish!

6.  Fuss-Free Ravioli and Cheese Bake ~this one really is a cinch because you don’t have to cook the ravioli first, my kind of meal!

7.  Italian Sausage and Potato Roast ~chop everything up, throw it onto your cookie sheet, add a few more ingredients and into the oven it goes.  Play a game of Uno with the kids while you wait.

8.  Skillet Tacos ~ in case you haven’t noticed I’m a huge fan of one pot meals…no fuss, no muss.  I use black beans and it’s awesome!

9.  Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Ham ~ another great one in the slow cooker that is so good.  My kids really enjoy this one.  PS:  Diet soda works fine.

10.  Slow Cooker 40 Clove Garlic Chicken ~ yep 40 cloves of garlic!  It’s dynamite, you’ve got to try it.  It’s great for company too!

I hope you find these recipes help save you some time in the kitchen so you can focus on the million other things you’ve got going on during this time of the year :)  Meal times don’t need to be stressful!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

10 Quick & Easy Dinner Recipes is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

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After literally MONTHS of creating, the “50+ Top Blogs All Time Favorite Recipes” cookbook is HERE!!! You may have seen a sneak peek of this gorgeous recipe book this past month. We hope you have been anxiously awaiting it. :) Now, until the end of August, it’s available for purchase. But wait, scratch that, it’s not a purchase. The best part is…

it’s a donation!

100% of your donation will go to the American Red Cross to help the many people who have been affected by recent natural disasters around the world.

After seeing the devastation in Japan, several top blogs teamed together wanting to somehow make a difference. More than 50 blogs donated one of their favorite recipes to be compiled into an incredible cookbook designed by chickabug (design talent was 100% donated as well). Basically a lot of people worked really hard to make something extraordinary. Now, it’s in your hands to make a difference.

This one-of-a-kind cookbook was originally only going to be offered as an E-book for a $10 donation. But after receiving feedback from readers, we realized that many of you want a physical copy. We approached our favorite publisher, Paper Coterie, who was willing to donate 100% of the supplies, and 100% of the cost of printing for this amazing cause. Are you feeling the warm tinglies yet?! We are!!! This started out as one person having an idea. Now over 50 blogs and an amazing publisher are involved and now it’s YOUR turn.

Together we can will make a difference.

The E-book is for sale here for a $10 donation. If you have a computer in your kitchen or an electronic reader, (ipad, kindle,etc.) this is the copy for you. You can just click on the recipe you want from the table of contents and it will take you right there. It’s sweet.

The hard cover cookbook is also available, (wait for it…) for only $10.

You will be amazed at the quality of this book. The only extra expense you will have will be for shipping ($4 or more depending on where you live and how many copies you order).

Both versions are available for sale from now through to August 31, 2011.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You can smile knowing you made a difference to someone, somewhere. And you can smile because you will have a beautiful full color recipe book with gorgeous pictures and delicious recipes to try. We truly hope you love the cookbook. We think you will. You might just want to buy one for your mom, sister, and mother-in-law for Christmas. ;)

Please share this post with your friends and family on your blog, facebook, and twitter. Let’s make this go VIRAL! How cool would that be?

Here is a button to put on your blog:

and the link:

http://recipestohelp.bigcartel.com/

Remember 100% of the proceeds will be benefiting the American Red Cross.

*The American Red Cross name is used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, individual or political position. For more information about the American Red Cross, please call 1-800-HELP NOW or email info@usa.redcross.org.

50+ Top Blogs All Time Favorite Recipes is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I cannot make an omelet.  Seriously every time I try it turns into scrambled eggs instead.  Thankfully my brother in law is a chef so when I was visiting this last time in Ontario he showed me how it’s done.  And guess what?  There is a trick!  I just knew it couldn’t be my cooking ability…ha!

So first thing you do is assemble your ingredients.  Love all these beautiful colors:

Add any kind of veggies or meat you want.  It’s up to you!  We’ve got peppers, ham, mushroom, asparagus, tomatoes and onion here.  Yum!

Add your combination to a skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil.  Saute on medium to medium high heat for two minutes:

Crack two eggs in a small bowl and give it a light whisk and, are you ready, here is the trick…give it a quick stir….it’s as easy as that!

and then flatten it back out again across bottom of pan:

Add cheese and let melt:

Once cooked through get ready to fold in half:

Once folded, cook for a minute and then flip to other side and cook for another minute or so.

Serve and enjoy!

Perfect Omelet

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Veggies/meat of any kind, diced
2 eggs, lightly whisked
Handful of shredded cheese (or more)

Add oil to skillet on medium to medium high heat, once hot add veggies/meat and saute for two minutes.  In a small bowl, lightly whisk two eggs together.  Add eggs to skillet and give them a quick stir to set and then flatten them again across bottom of pan.  Add cheese, let melt.  Fold omelet in half.  Let cook for another minute. Flip, cook for another minute or two and serve.

Yummy and great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

How to Cook the Perfect Omelet is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

image credit: shutterstock

Today’s an exciting day around here because I finally get to unveil a feature that I’ve been wanting to offer my readers for so long but never could quite figure out how to do it.  You see I have a pretty extensive recipe index but because the majority of those recipes links are from other sites I couldn’t  provide a printable grocery list to go with them.  Until today!  And you can do it too if you want!  It’s super easy to do.

Say Mmm

Say Mmm is a fairly new company that offers a menu planning service with tools to help you plan meals, organize recipes, and shop for groceries.  Many of the tools, including the printable grocery list feature are FREE!  Who doesn’t like free?

So go have a look at my new and improved Family Favorites Recipe Index.  Isn’t that swanky!  You’ll notice that when you click on “print grocery list” beside the recipe you like you’ll be taken to the Say Mmm site where you can either edit the grocery list or print it off.  But the fun doesn’t end there because once you have one recipe added you can keep adding recipes to it.  They’ll all just continue to add to your list, oh yes they will.  When you are done, you simply print the full list off and away you go to the grocery store.   You even have the option to play around with the format or save your list for another time.   However if you do want to save your list you will need an account, otherwise you don’t.  It’s so easy to use and I’m thrilled to offer this menu planning feature to my readers.

If you like what you see, you too can add this feature to the recipes and index on your own site.  To help you do that I’m collaborating today with Say Mmm and some of my favorite bloggers, to help you give this awesome Say Mmm  feature a try, win some fabulous prizes AND help us to create another awesome collection of recipes for everyone to enjoy!

Prizes

• 44 SIGNED copies of my book Clutter Rehab!  (24 here and 4 on each of the 5 blogs listed below) courtesy of Say Mmm
• 3 copies of the Heavenly Homemaker’s Do The Funky Kitchen ebook to help you get your kitchen organized
• 10 6-month Say Mmm Plus subscriptions – this premium option provides some neat extra features including price tracking and calorie counting

How to Enter

4 copies of my book will be given away to 4 random readers who leave a comment on this post.

PLUS

20 copies of my book will go to 20 random bloggers who create a grocery list and share it. Keep reading for details.

Here’s what you need to do:

Be part of the first-ever collaborative meal planning resource of recipes with dynamic shopping lists. Its free, and only takes a few minutes.

Basically we are going to create one big linky list with recipes that include the Say Mmm printable grocery list feature!

1.  Create a grocery list – Open up a free Say Mmm account.  Click on the tab “cook”, then “add a recipe”.  Add the name of your recipe then copy and paste the recipe LINK from your site (doesn’t have to be a new recipe) into the space provided.  Next click on save and add your grocery items.  When you are done, click finish.  At this time you’ll see a “publish list” link in the Say Mmm right hand sidebar.  Click on that and follow the directions to copy and paste the link to your recipe post.

2.  Share it – Once you’ve added a “print grocery list” link to the recipe post on your site, come back here and link up this recipe to the linky list below (similar to how you do for Menu Plan Monday).

3.  Win – Not only will you get traffic from this great linky list below but signed copies of Clutter Rehab and other prizes as well!

This may sound confusing but I promise you it isn’t.  Brian from Say Mmm has created an excellent short video tutorial that walks you through each of the steps.  Also if you have any questions, just leave a comment for me here.

Click here to watch the video and get started.

Now for everyone else who wants to participate I encourage you to visit some of my friends.  They are each posting about organization today and giving away copies of my book.  To win you’ll only have to leave a comment.  Visit and comment on each site to increase your chances (be patient, some of the links might not be active yet)!

Organizing My Kitchen {and Yours Too!} from Finding Joy in My Kitchen
Breakfast Organization from Heavenly Homemakers
Getting Organized:  Menu Planning from Home Ec 101
Say Goodbye to Disorganized Meal Planning from Once a Month Mom
Organize With Less from The Happy Housewife
Help Getting Organized from Say Mmm (no prizes on this one)

Some of my favorite recipes come from these fabulous bloggers.  Check them out!

From Home Ec 101: Garlic and Soy Chicken Thighs | Grocery List

From The Happy Housewife: Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Grocery List

From Heavenly Homemakers Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Bread and Muffins | Grocery List

From Once a Month Mom: Chicken Macaroni Bake | Grocery List

From Joy in my Kitchen: Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake | Grocery List

For more menu planning inspiration all of the bloggers above {myself included} have put together sample weekly menu plans WITH printable grocery lists here.

Can’t wait to see which recipes you link up!  To increase your chances feel free to link up multiple recipes BUT they must all include the Say Mmm printable grocery list link.

Prize cutoff will be Thursday, February 10th at 3:00 pm PST.  Prizes awarded at random from the linky list numbers.

Have fun with it everyone!

New Feature – Printable Grocery Lists + Giveaways! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

image credit: shutterstock

I love finding recipes on blogs because they are usually ones that have been tried and come highly recommended.  I love knowing someone else’s thoughts on a recipe.  What makes it especially helpful to search through the recipes on your blog is a recipe index.  Many of you have one and I so appreciate that you do.  For those that aren’t sure what one is….it’s basically a collection of links on your site (on one page or post) to all your favorite recipes organized by food category.  Think of it as an online recipe box :)

Today I’d like to invite you to link your recipe index page/post up to the linky list below and share it with all of us.

Please link up directly to a recipe index that is on ONE page or post and not to your recipe archives which lists multiple posts that need to be scrolled through to find a recipe. To get an idea of what I mean by ONE page please visit my own Family Favorites Recipe Index.

Please do not link to individual recipes, recipe indexes only please.

I’m going to be reviewing the links pretty diligently and will delete the ones that don’t comply with this. I want this to be a great resource of easy to access recipes to help people with their weekly menu planning. If you don’t have a recipe index I highly recommend creating one as it not only is a huge benefit to your readers but it also makes menu planning super easy if you have all your family favorites listed in one place.

If your recipes fall in a specific category like gluten free, vegetarian, low fat, simple, etc.  please don’t hesitate to include that in your linky name to help people narrow their search.

This link up will be an ongoing post that can be added to anytime and can be accessed from my MPM tab above.

Thanks for sharing your recipes, I can’t wait to check them all out!!!

Recipe Index Round-Up is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Click on the button below to come on over and say hi. I’d love to hear what your favorite quick and easy recipe is.

Top 10 Easy Dinner Ideas is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Bread Machine Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water, 8o-90 degrees F (27-32 degrees C)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons of salt
4 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine

Place all ingredients, in the order listed, in the bread pan fitted with the kneading paddle.  Place the bread pan in the maker.  Select Dough/Pizza Dough setting and dough size (large-2 pounds).  Press start to mix, knead and rise.  When cycle is completed remove dough from pan, punch to deflate and let rest 10 minutes before continuing.

Brush a pizza pan with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal (cornmeal is optional). After dough has rested, place on pizza pan and spread out with hands to fit pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until about doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (235 degrees C).

Ingredients for topping:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons garlic salt (depending on taste)
1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary (crushed between fingers)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

With oiled fingertips, press indentations into the dough all over about 1/2 inch deep. Brush dough with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with remaining ingredients. Place in preheated oven and bake until golden and puffed with a crispy crust, about 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Related post:

Pizza Dough Recipe for the Bread Machine

Bread Machine Focaccia Bread is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I love to cook and bake and I make it a priority to serve my family healthy home cooked meals, but I am busy like everyone else. My schedule does not always allow me to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

So, how do I make my love of cooking fit into my busy life? I keep it simple.

There are days when I spend all afternoon baking bread or making cookies, and I love to do that, but the reality is that most of the time I need quick and easy recipes.

Not only do I need quick and easy recipes, I want them to contain everyday ingredients.

This recipe for skillet tacos is a perfect example of both those things. It is quick and easy and contains ingredients that most of us have in our kitchen.

What I love about this recipe is that it is just a basic idea. You can easily add some corn to this, or change it up by using a different kind of bean. If you like things a little spicy, serve this with hot sauce or salsa. You can really take this basic recipe and make it your own.

What are your tips for keeping things simple in the kitchen?

Skillet Tacos

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
10 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (8 ounces) taco sauce (or use my homemade version for taco sauce)
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 ¼ cups shredded cheese, divided

In a skillet cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain the fat off the meat and return to the pan. Add tortilla pieces, taco sauce, and beans. Combine and cook over medium low heat until heated through. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve and enjoy!

Printable Grocery List

Lynn loves to cook and try new recipes. She lives in Oklahoma on 43 acres with her husband and three children. She blogs at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures, sharing recipes, tips, and ideas to help you me blend a love of cooking with a busy life. She also blogs at Lynn’s Recipe Adventures where she writes about the challenges of food allergies.

Skillet Tacos Recipe is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

The idea of green smoothies first came to me after reading many blogs on the subject.  I had already been making myself a fruit smoothie everyday to get my required fruits in, so it really appealed to me that I could add some veggies at the same time and be done with it.  So that’s what I do.

Every day for lunch I make myself a big tall glass of yummy green smoothie otherwise known as hulk juice to my kids.  They are absolutely delicious and believe it or not I actually crave them now if I don’t have one.  You can’t really taste the spinach at all and the fruit adds a nice touch of sweetness.  This is how I make mine but there are many different varieties and combinations you could try.

Org Junkie’s Daily Green Smoothie

One blender full of baby spinach (or a combination of any type of greens)

Approx 1 1/2 cups of cold water

Pulse and puree first two ingredients for a couple of minutes until well blended

(Note: because I don’t have a fancy blender, blending the spinach and water FIRST is the one step that made the biggest difference for me towards creating a green smoothie that was nice and creamy instead of thick and pasty)

Add to blender two to three cups of frozen fruit (any kind you like, I usually use the mixed fruit from M&M’s)

One banana

Blend until mixed and creamy

Add a couple of tablespoons of ground flax

Blend again

Drink up and enjoy!

(equals two servings)

Now if you are a bit reluctant to go all in at first you might want to start with a higher ratio of fruit to greens until you get use to it.  There really are no rules.  It’s just such a great way to get in a whole bunch of fruits and veggies in a really easy and delicious way.

If you have trouble eating your veggies, drinking them is a great alternative!

Yummy Green Smoothie Recipe is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie