Butter, is there anything better?

Growing up I never knew the difference between butter or oleo/margarine. We had yellow sticks that went on the butter dish. After all there was no such thing as an oleo or margarine dish. We used margarine though and just called it butter. We used “butter” for baking, “butter” on our veggies “butter” in the scalloped potatoes. It just wasn’t butter, it was margarine. It wasn’t until many years after I married and had a family of my own that I bought butter instead of margarine because a recipe said butter only no substitutes. From that moment on I became a butter buyer. What type of southern girl had I been all these years buying margarine to bake, using the stuff in the tub for my mashed potatoes and what not. No more margarine in my cookies, butter only and nothing else will do. No subbing shortening in case i’m out either but then again that will not happen. I like to keep 3lbs in my freezer at all times. Butter is gold and really good stuff and makes everything better.
When I read that the brand sponsor with Allrecipes this month was Butter I was over joyed and could not wait to start the project for April. Dear Go Bold with Butter  this butter loving girl says THANK YOU! Simply I love butter and spreading the love of butter.
Anyways who doesn’t love some good real butter over that stuff made with oil? Really, what would you like something made with sweet cream or with vegetable oil and hydrogenated this and that. Even my dogs wont touch margarine but leave a couple of sticks of yummy sweet cream butter on the counter to soften while they are unsupevised. That butter will be gone. Butter is just good stuff. Try it you won’t be disappointed and become a butter lover too.

I made some beautiful and yummy recipes this month and I encourage anyone and everyone to try them! Check out the Go Bold with Butter webpage, their Facebook Page, Pinterest and Twitter.

Here are some of the yummy and beautiful things I made from the Go Bold With butter blog-
Cinnamon Toast Scones

Dark Chocolate-Sour Cherry Brownie

French Toast with Honey Butter

Did that make ya hungry? Yes, then go ditch the margarine and grab some butter and make something yummy!

Fiber One Haystacks

Do these look yum or what? Easy Peasy treat that is easy to make and is full of good stuff.

My kids love Haystacks but I never make them because of the chow mein noodles. While not horrible, you can read the nutrition info here about them and compare to Fiber One’s here. I am the sneaky mom so I choose Fiber One. My kids loved these haystacks too and had no clue they were eating something healthy.

Try them out for yourself!

Fiber One Haystacks

  • 1 (12 ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter
  • 3 3/4 cups Fiber One® original bran cereal

Directions

  1. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. In large microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and peanut butter uncovered on High 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute longer, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth.
  2. Stir in cereal until well coated. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm.

    Want something special for Easter?  Make haystacks look like nests and add jelly beans in the middle to look like eggs.
    Aren’t these cute-

Spicy Oven Fried Fiber One Chicken

This month with Allrecipes we had the pleasure of working with Fiber One! We were told to create a recipe with Fiber One Bran Cereal and my mind started to spin. I decided to play around with my fried chicken recipe. It was a hit in our house and no one knew it had Fiber One in it, what can I say I can be a sneaky mama sometimes.

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2cup milk
  • 1/4cup hot sauce
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 2cups Fiber One Bran Cereal
  • 1/2cup self rising flour
  • 1TB seasoned salt
  • 1TB chili powder
  • 1/2t ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/2t fresh ground black pepper
    1. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic and pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/2-1/4 inch.
    2. Whisk together eggs, milk and hot sauce in a bowl.
    3. Add chicken to the milk and egg mixture and soak a minimum of 1 hour.
    4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray a large cookie cooling rack that has been placed on a cookie sheet pan with cooking spray.
    5. Place Fiber one into a food processor; pulse until the cereal is finely crushed. The crushed cereal is equal to approximately 1 cup.
    6. Combine finely crushed cereal with self rising flour, chili powder, ground cayenne pepper and seasoned salt.
    7. Coat both sides of chicken breast with cereal mixture.
    8. Place chicken on pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and the meat is no longer pink in the center.

Berry Frostings and S’mores!

Raspberry Buttercream and White Cake

No artificial colors or flavors here.. Raspberry flavor and pink color come from Raspberries

Strawberry Frosting and Chocolate Cake

again no artificial strawberry flavor and the pink color comes from strawberries
chocolate cake is a vegan cake, so eggs or dairy.

S’mores Cupcake!

Italian Meringue Frosting tastes like marshmallow and is yum!

Chocolate cake and graham cracker bottom crust

Rainbow Cupcakes

Made these beauties for a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. They went fast!

These are a white Cupcake with a Vanilla American Buttercream and a rainbow sour candy.

Crockpot Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

I am a mom of 4, add on to that a mom of special needs kids so…. mornings in my house can be hectic and down right crazy but there is one thing we need every morning, a good breakfast.
I love giving my kids a good healthy hot breakfast and this recipe fit the bill along with being easy to make. French toast casserole in the crockpot! Who would have thought. I whipped this up way after my kids were asleep so no mommy I need this or that while i’m trying to create breakfast. I did wake up several times during the night to the yummy aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg. That may have been the hardest part. Then in the morning voila, breakfast was ready as soon as we woke up.

Try it for yourself!

Crockpot Pumpkin French Toast |Country Girl Gourmet

 

5.0 from 2 reviews
Crockpot Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
 
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, crockpot
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
No need to worry about not having enough time in the morning to make breakfast. Make breakfast in the crockpot and let it cook while you sleep.
Ingredients
  • 1 loaf sandwich bread (white or wheat), diced
  • 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cloves
Instructions
  1. Place cubed bread in a large bowl
  2. In another bowl, whisk eggs and then mix in milk. pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla and spices until well combined.
  3. Pour egg mixture over bread and mix until bread is well coated
  4. Pour bread mix into a well sprayed crockpot
  5. Cook on low 6-8 hours/ overnight.
  6. If needed allow to sit uncovered for up to 30minutes before serving if too moist (I live in the desert so I did not do this)
  7. Serve and enjoy. Top with maple syrup, whipped cream or powdered sugar
  8. Note- Some great add in's to this recipe would be chocolate chips or pecans;) I did not do this do to one kid with a chocolate allergy and my kid’s aren’t a big fan of nuts in cookies/muffins etc. they prefer to eat them plain.

This holiday season and everyday Remember our Troops

Remember, this Christmas, while you are eating your dinners and laughing, that in another house there is an empty chair where a hero should be sitting. They gave their life so that you can sit with your family. So light a candle this Christmas for our fallen heroes that did not make it back …and for those still serving in  Afghanistan and  elsewhere around the globe.

Christmas Cupcakes!

I made 8 dozen white and chocolate cupcakes for my kids school. A few of my decorating ideas did come from Pinterest. These cupcakes were a hit but I am finding out I am the cupcake lady at their school;)

Melted Snowman…. once on cookies now on cupcakes!

Hot Cocoa

Chocolate Cupcake Santa Hat…. Love this because it avoids using red frosting/ red dyes.

White Cupcake with Santa Hat

Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree

North Pole

I love baking what what I like more than baking is helping others. On December 10th Cookies Across America was held. During the event people are encouraged to bake cookies and donate to those who need or collect baked goods to donate to your local food shelter.
I baked over 19 dozen cookies to support the ASYMCA on Fort Bliss for their yearly holiday party where Santa comes for a visit needing lower enlisted families and brings them gifts. They just needed cookies to give each child. I was more than happy to help. I encourage everyone to help. Contact your local shelters, nursing homes, military installations even the guy on the corner you drive by everyday on your way to work. I doubt they will say no and they really will appreciate it. Who doesn’t like fresh baked yumminess when it comes from the heart?
All ready to be delivered!

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