I can't believe how easy it was.

 

Every year we buy a few loaves of Irish Soda Bread even though I have heard how easy it is to make. This year we needed to cut a few corners so we decided to try making one ourselves. I was supposed to help but rest is what I am getting so my husband took over the process and it came out fantastic. The recipe was for one loaf and this loaf is about the size of 4 loaves you get from the store. The taste is terrific and even Dennis said it tastes better than what we get from the store.We followed the recipe found here.

Creamy Chicken and Tomatoes

 

Our family likes to try many recipes and even make some of our own. This one above was made from things we had on hand and that I thought would go well together. I hope you take the time to give it a whirl and let me know how you liked it or if something should be tweaked. 

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes drained (we used 4 tomatoes)

1 package of onion soup mix (we used recipe secrets onion)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Rice

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375

Cut the chicken into strips, place into a bowl, then toss with olive oil and tomatoes then pour in a package of onion soup mix and mix together. 

In a sprayed 9x13 pan place your cream cheese in the middle and then add your chicken and tomatoes mixed with olive oil and onion soup all around the cream cheese (make sure to scrap all the goodies out of the bowl). 

Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. My husband did stir a few times but you can also wait till you take it out to mix everything together. 

We served this over rice. 

There was nothing left which always lets me know it is a keeper. 

52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style Week 3 Chocolate Chip Cookies

52 Weeks of Cookies 

Marksville Style

I have been under the weather so my husband took over and made his favorite cookie which is Chocolate Chip cookies with Milk Chocolate Chips. I tell him all of the time he needs to enter a contest. He really just follows the directions but he must just put in extra love because his cookies always come out different then any other cookie I have had from anyone else even from myself when I make the cookies from the batter he has made. It just doesn't make any sense. 

So here is the recipe he follows from the back of the package. The only difference he says he does is that he pats each cookie down with what we call his big sausage fingers. So maybe that is the secret. 

Our changes are in Bold 

1 cup butter softened we used butter Crisco

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs 

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups of milk chocolate chips

preheat oven to 375

1. Beat butter, granulate sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs continue to beat. 

2. In separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. add flour mixture to butter mixture until well blended 

4. stir in chocolate chips 

5. drop by teaspoon onto silicone lined cookie sheets  and bake for 10 minutes for a crunchy cookie 8 minutes for chewy cookie.

Make sure to bookmark 52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style where you can go each week to see each new addition. 

MarksvilleandMe may have received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style Week 2 Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

52 Weeks of Cookies 

Marksville Style

Recipe below is from Just So Tasty 

Notes in Bold are from MarksvilleandMe

                                            Ingredients

• 1 and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon ,to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter ,melted and cooled to room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 and 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 and 1/4 cup chocolate chips , your favorite kind
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts , optional but recommended

 Directions

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda & salt. 
2. In a separate bowl beat together the melted butter and sugars using an electric mixer. Add in the honey, vanilla and egg and continue beating until combined. 
3. Turn the mixer down to low and beat in the flour mixer until almost combined.
4. Add in the oats and beat on medium speed until combined. 
5. Then turn off the mixer and stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts.
6. Form the dough into balls of about 1/4 cup . Flatten slightly, set on a plate and cover with clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I found cookies too large for my family so changed them up  and I made them by tablespoon size
7. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and place the cookies at least 2 inches apart. 
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the tops of the cookies look almost set. I baked for 12 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and dot the tops of the cookies with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
10. Allow to cool on the cookie tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Even with using Just So Tasty's tips and following directions my cookies were chewy but still fell apart easily so I am still looking for the perfect cookie for our family.

Directions in Grey are from Just So Tasty 

Make sure to bookmark 52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style where you can go each week to see each new addition. 

MarksvilleandMe may have received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style Week 1 Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies

52 Weeks

of Cookies 

Marksville Style

Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies 

Ingredients 

1 cup of butter flavored Crisco 

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

3/4 cup of packed brown sugar 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of milk chocolate chips I used one whole package of Hershey's chips

1 10oz package of Hershey's Sea Salt Caramel Baking chips or 1-2/3 cups of another seas salt caramel baking chip if you can find them. 

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Beat Butter, granulated, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until well blended, then stir in chips.  I scoop out with a a 1/2 tablespoon into balls onto baking sheets

3.Bake for 9 minutes for crunchy cookies and 8 minutes for chewy cookies. My batch made just shy of 6 dozen cookies. 

I hope you enjoyed our first batch of cookies for 2019 and will join us each week as we make a new batch. This cookie took a milk chocolate cookie mix my husband loves and added in Sea Salt Caramel Baking Chips to take it to another level. You can play with the Crisco and change it to butter of course omitting the salt or use unsalted and keep the salt, you can also add nuts if you like. 

We had 7 taste testers for this recipe and we had thumbs up all around and of course empty glasses of milk too. Let me know below if you will try this or have tried it and how it worked for you. Also if you have any cookie recipe suggestions please send me some ideas my email is at the bottom of the page. 

Make sure to bookmark 52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style where you can go each week to see each new addition. 

MarksvilleandMe may have received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

52 Weeks of Cookies Marksville Style

52 Weeks of Cookies 

Marksville Style

We have decided to do something a little different in 2019. OK a big something since it will take the whole year. We are going to take on making a different cookie each week for a whole year. We will be making or in most cases baking a different cookie each week. We will have the recipe available, pictures during, after, and if they are new or an old favorite to our family, as well as any changes we have made to it to make it our own. You can check back on this very link to see each weeks addition below.

Please feel free to share, pin, etc and comment below with anything you might like us to try as we will be adding recipes along the way to get to that 52 cookie mark. Stay tuned for our first cookie the week of January 1-7.

Week 1 January 1-7 2019  Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies 

Week 2 January 8-14 2019 Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Week 3 January 9-21 Chocolate Chip Cookies












MarksvilleandMe may have received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Hocus Pocus

 

Double, double, toil and trouble! Time to revisit your favorite Halloween modern classic…HOCUS POCUS! And why not watch it this time while munching on some delicious Sanderson Sisters Caramel Apples? We’ve got the recipe for you right here! http://bit.ly/HocusPocusRecipe #HocusPocus

Hocus Pocus is one of our all time favorite Halloween movies to watch during the fall months. Our DVD's are still in storage so I used some of my online cash to purchase the digital version so we could enjoy it this year. 

I love the recipe for the Sander Sisters Caramel Apples sure to make your family squeal with excitement and goes great while watching Hocus Pocus together for nice scary treat everyone is sure to love.

DISC SPECIFICATIONS:

Product SKUs:                    Multi-Screen Edition (Blu-ray, Digital Code, Digital HD/SD, DVD) and DVD

Feature Run Time:              Approximately 96 minutes

Rating:                                   PG in U.S.

Aspect Ratio:                      Blu-ray Feature Film = 1080p High Definition / 1.85:1

                                              DVD Feature Film = 1.85:1

Audio:                                    Blu-ray = English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks

           DVD = English, Spanish, and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks

Subtitles:                              English Line 21, English SDH, Spanish, French

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook:                          Facebook.com/DisneyHocusPocus

Website:                            Movies.Disney.com/Hocus-Pocus

Disclosure: MarksvilleandMe may have received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation. If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Root Beer Float Ice Pops

Root Beer Float Ice Pops

You are going to need

Root beer

softened vanilla ice cream

maraschino cherries (stems removed)

ice pop molds

First you want to place cherries in the bottom middle of ice pop mold.

Then you want to pour a bit of root beer on top.

At this time you want to freeze. 

Next you want to put in some softened vanilla ice cream.

I placed softened ice cream in a frosting bag, cut off tip and piped in ice cream so it was neat and tidy.

Use gloves if you have children helping, ice cream is cold on hands.

At this point I placed in freezer to set.

 Once vanilla ice cream is set. Add more root beer until ice pop mold is full.

Return to freezer.

During freeze time you can see some of the mixture mixed but I can attest they taste just like root beer floats with a cherry on top.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Splenda Zero

One of my favorite ways to start a busy day is with a smoothie. One quick smoothie to make is by using frozen bananas, frozen plain yogurt, a splash of milk, and a few drops of Splenda Zero. Swirl it all together in your blender of choice and enjoy a nice cool refreshing drink. 

Another recipe I like to make is made with frozen bananas, frozen yogurt, a splash of milk, some peanut butter, and sometimes if I want a chocolate fix I put in some cocoa. I finish is off with a few drops of Splenda Zero before blending. 

Super yummy and no extra calories thanks to Splenda Zero. I am in love. No aftertaste, and tastes great in cold or hot beverages. When you are on the go Splenda Zero has you covered. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to try Splenda Zero through Crowdtap. 

You can find Splenda Zero in the bigger containers on my affiliate link below.

You can find out more about Splenda Zero on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

Pinterest

#crowdtap

#splendazero

#gotitfree

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion Crowdtap and Splenda Zero. This post was sponsored by the Splenda Zero brand as part of a sampling activation for Crowdtap. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

Pizza Dip Marksville Style

I know others have posted pizza dip recipes, and I looked up a bunch till I found out more about how to prepare and then did it up Marksville style. Some use crock pots, microwaves, stove top, or even ovens. I chose oven.

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup pizza sauce
2 ounces sliced Hormel pepperoni

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Top with  ½ cup of the shredded mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.

3. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cheeses, and then top with the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.

4. Top with pepperoni slices.

5. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

You can always add olives, green peppers, ham, pineapple or anything else you might like on your pizza on top. Use your imagination. All I can say is that my family gobbled this up and have been asking for me to make it again.

Splenda Naturals

Being apart of Crowdtap is awesome because I get to try out new products and tell my readers about my experience with the products. This time I was able to try out Splenda Naturals.

My favorite way to enjoy Splenda Naturals is in my hot tea when I am relaxing. I also like it in my iced tea and lemonade.

Not only can you use this in your drinks but you can also use this is cooking and baking. You can check out some of the recipes here. They have a coupons available as well on this page but this could change at any time.

Splenda Naturals is made form Stevia Extract which is a natural way to sweeten your day. Oh and it is non GMO.

You can find out more about Splenda on:

Website

Facebook

Google+

Twitter

YouTube

Tumblr

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Crowdtap and Splenda, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Jif™ Peanut Butter Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread recipes Marksvillestyle

 Recently as a part of crowdtap I was able to try out Jif™ Peanut Butter Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread with my family. The first thing we did was smell the product and it was awesome. The Cinnamon is not overwhelming which was surprising. Then we got out some granola and and apple and made Peanut Butter apple stackers for a snack.

We cored and sliced the apples like chips, then spread the Jif™ Peanut Butter Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread on the slices and topped with granola. A healthy filling snack for everyone in the family.


Now my 13 year old was skeptical and tried a tiny bite but found that she loves it and asked if we can buy more when we are finished with this jar. This means it has passed our pickiest eater in the family, so it will most definatly go on the stock up list.

The next dish I wanted to try the Jif™ Peanut Butter Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread on was in our Pancakes. We just used a instant pancake mix then mixed in granola, some of the peanut butter, with some mini chocolate chips, Once made we topped them with sliced bananas and syrup. We served ours with sausage patties and orange juice too. This is a great Breakfast for dinner recipe.

Like many of our pancake recipes these were gone in no time flat. Peanut butter is very easy to implement in meals of all kinds. It can be eaten as is, made into a sandwich, used with other items to make meals, or even snacks. You can even mix this into smoothies and brownie batter. 

Our family was very impressed with the Jif™ Peanut Butter Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread and hope to see more flavors added in the future. The Cinnamon does not overpower the flavor of the peanut butter, it gives it a pleasantness that can be enjoyed in many ways. Our family gives Jif™ Peanut Butter Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread a thumbs up all the way around.

You can find out more about Jif on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

YouTube

#Jif 

#TeamJif

#peanutbutterhappy

#crowdtap

#crowdtappers

#gotitfree

#crowdtapmission

#crowdkit

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Crowdtap and Jif. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Herbalife

A friend and ex coworker Elizabeth has been using Herbalife products. She has loved using them so much that she is now selling them. She does not go into things lightly. She does her research and wouldn't be pushing anything she hadn't tried herself.

I know her personally and have seen her grow from a teenager into a wonder mother who also continues her journey in learning, while helping others.

I will be getting a sample in the mail from her to try out for myself but I want those who might be interested to take a look at what she has to offer over on her site Herbalife.

Below is a recipe that got me interested and one I would like to make when the sample comes in.

Pina Colada Macaroons
4 cups dried shredded coconut
6 scoops Pina Colada Formula 1
¼ cup coconut milk (in a can)
¼ cup coconut milk powder
¼ cup raw honey
¼ cups coconut oil
2 Tbsp. cashew butter Sift and mix dry ingredients together: coconut, formula 1, coconut milk power. Set aside. In a small sauce pan, on low/medium heat, melt coconut oil, honey, cashew butter, and coconut milk until smooth. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and form into any shape. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 or more minutes. Enjoy!

You can find out more about Herbalife on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Instagram

Google+

#Herbalife

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above for helping out a friend with her business. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

Graham Cracker Eclair Pudding Marksville Style

You will need a box of graham crackers
2 packages for vanilla instant pudding (we used french vanilla)
3 1/2 cups of milk
1 12 oz tub of Cool Whip
1 can of milk chocolate frosting

You will need a 9 by 13 pan, bowl, whisk, and spatula.

Mix 2 packages of vanilla instant pudding with 3 1/2 cups of milk  in bowl with whisk then fold in cool whip with spatula.

While this is setting put a layer of graham crackers in the glass pan. Add half of the pudding mixture, another layer of graham crackers, then the rest of the pudding mixture, then the last layer of graham crackers.

Stick your chocolate frosting in the microwave and in small increments cook until it is pourable. I stir mine before pouring over graham cracker top. After you have spread the chocolate evenly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cut and serve, can be sprinkled with powdered sugar if you like.

Wild Sweet Nibs

Love sweet nibs and these sweet nibs are sweet. Other nibs I have tried in the past were just bitter and unless you mixed them into recipes they weren't that good, but these Nibs are delicious.

I was also sent some wild chocolate that I mixed up with other ingredients for homemade hot chocolate. Yummy!

Sweet Nibs are a great item to add to your baking supplies and while you are at it you can snack on a handful while preparing your recipes.

Wild Foods has a whole bunch of vegan, non GMO, Fair trade items to choose from.




You can find Wild Sweet Nibs here and Wild Chocolate here.

What Wild Foods has to say about their product.

A Unique Superfood Treat!

Wild Foods is a fast-growing startup located in Austin, Texas. We specialize in real food ingredients for health and performance. 

We are obsessed with ingredients; where they come from, how they are made and how they fuel us.

These are a delicious snack right out of the bag or adding a healthy "crunch" to your favorite recipes! Wild Sweet Nibs are also a great substitute for chocolate chips in any recipe!

You can find out more about Wild Foods on :

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

#wildnibs

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Wild Foods. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.