Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

A few days ago, I stumbled upon an amazing-looking recipe ... Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. One word... mouthwatering. Two words... definitely delicious. Three words... YOU MUST MAKE!


Of course, I made the pie to our tastes, creating an oatmeal pie crust (because I LOVE oatmeal chocolate chip cookies)... and used a bit of whole wheat flour to make it a tad-bit healthier....

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie- Modified from Your Home Based Mom

3-4 T butter, melted and cooled
1/2 C packed brown sugar (a little overflowing)
1/2 C flour (whole wheat is fine)
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 C dark chocolate chips
9″ unbaked pie shell (I made my own oatmeal pie crust)

Cream together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Add in flour.


Then, stir in chocolate chips and pour into pie shell.




Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. It will still be nice and gooey.
Serve warm (with ice cream for a real treat)!


Serves 12... easily (or, makes 12 slices, I'll let you decide how many people get to eat it!)



This post is linked to ...

and, Grocery Cart Challenge's - Friday Recipe Swap!

Oatmeal Pie Crust

Fruit pies are always best when paired with oatmeal... in my opinion. And, sometimes, I'm lazy and don't like to make "real" pie crusts because I haven't perfected the technique yet and easily get annoyed at the dough.

So, I came across a really easy pie crust, and it uses oatmeal!! It was love at first sight.

Oatmeal Pie Crust

3/4 C flour (you can mix white and whole wheat)
1/2 C quick cook oats
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T oil
4 T ice cold water

Combine flour, oats and salt in a mixing bowl.


Slowly drizzle in the oil, mixing with a fork until crumbly.


Add ice water and continue stirring until dough gets sticky. Pour dough into a 9-inch pie plate, and press to form a crust.



To pre-bake the shell, prick with a fork several times and bake at 400 for 10 minutes until light golden brown.

Otherwise, fill according to pie directions.

Sleezy Chicken...

Not sure why this delicious dish has this name... a college joke, perhaps, but, it didn't keep Frog Prince from making these tasty chops for dinner! Frog Prince even took the great pictures to go with :)


Parmesan Cheesy Chicken (aka Sleezy Chicken) - Modified from Lana
(this recipe is for 2 chicken breasts, but Lana has directions for more)

2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C bread crumbs (we used heals from our homemade bread)
1/2 C grated cheddar cheese, divided
2-4 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, finely blend about 1-2 slices of day-old bread. When finely crumbed, add in Italian seasoning (we use salt-free), pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

Prepare grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and add about 1/4 C to the bread crumb mixture.



Add cheddar cheese to the bread crumb mixture.



Meanwhile, heat 2 T butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in 2 garlic cloves, minced, and allow the garlic to cook as the butter melts.



Dip the chicken into the butter/garlic mix, and then coat thoroughly with the bread crumb mix. [Lana says that you can freeze the chicken for later use at this point]




Place chicken in a large baking dish.

Drizzle any remaining butter/garlic sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with any remaining crumbs. Frog Prince also topped the chicken with additional Parmesan cheese... (or so I learned through the photographic evidence).


Bake chicken until juices run clear and internal temps reach 180; about 45-60 minutes.


About 5 minutes before serving, remove chicken from the oven and add the remaining 1/4 C cheese to the top.


Cook until cheese is melted.


Serve with green veggies for a delicious meal.


This was absolutely delicious and a rather "light" breaded chicken. Frog Prince and I both really enjoyed it. I think Lana's idea of preparing the chicken and then freezing them is great -- just pop 'em out of the freezer and into the oven... makes for a great quick and easy meal.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

My grandma has this amazing recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake -- but, since Frog Prince can't have strawberries, we modified it to be a cherry pineapple dump cake. Since I posted that recipe, many folks have been interested in grandma's original recipe, so without further ado, I present...

Grandma's Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

4 C rhubarb
1 C sugar
3 T corn strach
1 box (4 servings) Strawberry Jello
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 box dry yellow cake mix
1/2 C butter
1/2 C coconut

Combine rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch in a pan and heat until warm; stirring frequently as rhubarb cooks and becomes thick. When thicken, pour rhubarb into a 9x13 glass pan. Sprinkle with strawberry jello and 1 can of crushed pineapple (do not drain, use the juice!).

Meanwhile, mix together cake mix and butter until crumbly. Stir in coconut. Sprinkle over the rhubarb mixture.

Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes.

*If you wish to make a bottom crust, place 1/2 of the cake mixture over the bottom of the cake pan and press to form. Bake crust for 10 minutes at 350. Then pour cooked rhubarb over the top and follow the directions above.

If you want more fruit filling, feel free to add fresh (or frozen) strawberries to the rhubarb mix while thickening with sugar and corn starch.

Dump cake is such an easy and crowd-pleasing dessert that I bring it when there is a crowd to feed.  Making 2 batches the same amount of time and it feeds double the people! 

Linked to: URS: Feeding a Crowd Edition; Ingredient Spotlight,

Meatless Main Dishes

Frog Prince and I eat most of our meals sans meat. In fact, almost any of our recipes can be adapted to be meat free. If we do eat meat, we eat way less than the recipe specifies; we don't really need that much meat, and then it stretches for multiple meals. One reason we do it -- it's healthier. Another reason, eating lower on the food chain is better for the environment.

For some of our meatless main dishes, check out our vegetarian tab.


The recipe I'm going to share with you today is one we recently found and greatly enjoyed....

Mushroom Mozzarella Pasta (click for recipe)



For more meatless meal ideas, stop by Ultimate Recipe Swap!

Baked Chicken/Turkey Tortillas

My mom created this recipe when I was in high school... just the smell of it baking in the oven brings back memories of coming home to this delicious dish after 4 hours in the pool :)

Baked Chicken Tortillas - Mom

1 C salsa, divided
1 (8oz) carton fat free sour cream (I use less, since Frog Prince isn't a huge fan)
6-8 tortillas
1 1/2 C cooked, shredded (or chopped) turkey or chicken (this works out to about 3/4 of a pound)
1/3 C fresh tomatoes, diced
1/3 C red and green bell peppers, diced
1/4 C onion, diced
1/2 - 3/4 C extra sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine 1/2 C salsa and sour cream in a small bowl and stir to combine.


Spread mixture evenly over all tortillas. Divide chicken, peppers and onion evenly and place down the center of each tortilla.


*I also sprinkle with cheese :)

Roll tortillas up and place rolls, seam side down in a glass pan (9x13) coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/2 C salsa. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.




Enjoy with a big green salad!

For more yummy recipes, check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday!

Busy Day Soup

This is Frog Prince's most requested soup! The flavor here is wonderful, and it's great for a busy day {hence the name} because it simmers in the crockpot all day long.  This is a tried and true recipe; one I'm sure you'll love too.

Busy Day Soup - Mom

2 T olive oil
1 lb. boneless pork loin, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 lb. Italian sausage, browned
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 C diced red bell pepper
1/2 C diced green bell pepper
1 C chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15oz) cans cannellini (or great northern) beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 C chicken or veggie broth
1/2 C white wine, or additional broth
1 T minced parsley
2 tsp. Herbs de Provence seasoning (you can make your own, see below*)

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned. Transfer to a plate topped with a paper towel to absorb extra grease.

Add pork loin in small batches and brown well on all sides.

Transfer meats into a 6 quart crockpot. Add carrots, peppers, garlic, beans and tomatoes. Stir to mix. Combine broth and seasoning and add to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 2-4 hours. Serve warm with a crusty French Bread!

*To make your own Herbs de Provence Seasoning...
5 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons dried savory
1 tablespoon dried oregano
5 tablespoons dried rosemary

This seasoning mixture can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container in a dark place.

This recipe is linked up at Slow Cooking Thursday and Tasty Tuesday.

Sweet Potato Fries

Everyone has been talking about sweet potato fries lately. And, are they ever good. Delicious blend of sweet and salty... excellent.


Sweet Potato Fries
1-4 large sweet potatoes (depending on how many fries you want)
~ 1 T olive oil (enough to lightly coat the fries)
Salt, to taste


Wash, peel and cut the sweet potatoes into "fries". Mine always end up different shapes and sizes, but they still taste great :)


Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil until lightly coated. Add a bit of salt too.


Place sweet potatoes in a pan (ungreased is fine if you have enough oil on the potatoes), and spread them out so they are not overlapping.


Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, then flip over. Fries get mushy first, but keep cooking to crisp up. I often turn down the heat to 400 or less and continue cooking for an additional 10-20 minutes until desired crispness is reached. Keep checking the fries until you know your oven, how you like your fries, and to prevent from burning! The bottom sides burn really quickly with the oil...


Enjoy warm, sprinkled with a little salt.


For more yummy frugal recipes, stop by Grocery Cart Challenge's Friday Recipe Swap!  This post is linked to Tammy's In-Season Recipe Swap: Sweet Potatoes.