Mandii's Muse

 Today's post is a breakfast casserole. I think this would be great for Christmas morning. I know that it is what I plan on making on December 25! The best part of this recipe is that you can make it the night before. So whip it up before you head to bed and you can wake up to breakfast already being prepared! Plus, if you do your heatless curls and prepare this casserole, Christmas morning will be a breeze! I am going to link the recipe here !  I omitted the pepper and the onion, but you can use the meat of your choice as well! I hope you enjoy this recipe, I know I have!

 This recipe is going to be perfect for Thanksgiving! It's called pumpkin butter, but there is no butter in it! It's very similar to apple butter, but equally delicious! I think this would be absolutely perfect on a Fall themed charcuterie board with pepitas, cheddar cheese, honey, and fancy crackers. Or on a piece of pastry wrapped brie cheese. Yum! This would also be great on an English muffin for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. If you are attending Thanksgiving somewhere and want to have a hostess gift ready, this would be absolutely perfect! If you need some jars, lids, or labels, here are a few on Amazon !  I don't think you will be disappointed if you make this!

This summer I decided that I was going to make a new recipe every Thursday. A lot of times we can get in a rut with our cooking, and this helps us break out of it. I tried this recipe as my very first one and it was surprisingly delicious! My mom was hesitant at first because of the name, but she ended up really enjoying it.  The sauce was really easy, and I can totally see this being put over pulled chicken and make sliders out of it, or even sandwiches!  Apricot Chicken 1 cup apricot jam 1/4 cup diced onions 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon honey 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I left these out because my mom doesn't like spice, but they would be good in there!) 4-6 chicken breasts Put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the jam is melted and heated through. I put my chicken breasts in a roast pan and spread the sauce over them. I put th...

If loving this is wrong, I don't want to be right! I have not made this dip in ages, but I wanted to make it for my Faith Group that I hosted! I could definitely eat this until I was sick, so I wanted to make it where other people were going to eat it with me! It's like a cannoli, only more sinful! Trust me, you'll want to make this! Chocolate Chip Dip Ingredients: 1 package cream cheese 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup powdered sugar 2 Tbls brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup mini chocolate chips Directions: Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. (I made this the night before to let all the flavors mesh together, and it turned out great!) Isn't this easy? I served mine with windowpane pretzels, but you could easily serve this with animal crackers or mini graham crackers. Just so you know, I take no responsibility for the 5 pounds you will gain while eating this dip...

I wanted to share with you some Christmas treats today that you might want to share with your family! I've blogged about these before, but I figured I would just post them all in one area so you can see them! I just made my Italian Butter yesterday. This is better as it sits a day or two. So make it today and it will have plenty of time to marinate and get delicious! If you want something sweet for breakfast, you can make these Cinnamon scones , or sticky buns ! If you are craving something sweet, go ahead and try my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pie ! Such a delicious combination! I hope that these recipes find themselves on your table this Christmas season! If you make one of these recipes, I'd love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment and let me know!!

This has strawberries, raspberries and blackberries in it! I recently got this new water bottle from Wal-Mart. It was $6, and has a built in infuser, the brand is Contigo. This water bottle holds 28 oz. Generally I love water, but sometimes it can get boring. So I thought this water bottle was perfect. I experimented with some recipes of my own. I like infusing my water because it is natural, and I know what is in my drink. Recipes: I squeezed 3 small lemon wedges into the infuser, and put about 6 mint leaves on top. I filled the bottle with water, and placed it in the fridge overnight. I loved this water because the mint gave it a nice smooth taste, and the lemons made it fresh. (I have also used just lemons, and it is good as well!) Here are a few recipes I found on Pinterest that I want to try as well! (Are you following me ?) Infuser from the top This one has several different varieties I can make with fruits and some herbs. I can't wait to make this orange ...

Image found here My aunt made this appetizer for a gathering and everyone except my uncle loved it! (He's not a big cucumber fan) When she told us the recipe, it was simple as can be! It is not overpowering and delicious! Ingredients: 1 block of cream cheese 1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix 1 loaf French Bread 1 cucumber cut into slices Dried Dill Mix the cream cheese and Good Seasons packet together. If you want add some salt and pepper to taste. Cut the French bread in 1 inch slices. Spread the cream cheese mix on top, place a cucumber slice, and sprinkle some dried dill on top! Enjoy! Can you see yourself making this easy appetizer? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Before I get started, I can't take full credit for this recipe. Lindsay or LaFemme5278 on YouTube posted an Instagram picture of "meadow tea." I thought to myself, "what the heck is that?" I scrolled down to the comments, and saw that it was just a simple mix of water, mint leaves, and sugar. Check, check, and check, I had all of the ingredients. My aunt had given us a mint plant several years ago. As mint does, it grew, and grew, and grew. I also picked up a chocolate mint plant, and a lemon balm plant at a local Amish house. All three plants are thriving, and I love adding mint to iced tea. Ah yes, the meadow tea recipe! The Recipe: 10 cups water Mint leaves (I can't say how many because I just grabbed enough to fill up a small colander) Sugar to taste Boil the water. Once it has reached a boil add the mint leaves and turn it off. (Enjoy the smell, because your kitchen will smell AMAZING!) Let it steep for at least 30 minutes, if not longer...

Does any one else feel like it has been forever since I did a recipe post? I do! So let's do one today!  We got a little excited to eat! That's why I'm showing you the pretty side! I love breakfast. On the days that I have to eat cereal or toast, I cringe. Now, I will warn you, this is not for the health nut. It's pretty caloric. I just love that it can be made ahead, and baked the morning of, for a delicious hot breakfast. French Toast Bake: 1 loaf Sourdough or Texas Toast bread 4 eggs 1 stick butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cup milk Melt butter and mix into brown sugar. Mix and pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Crack eggs and whisk. Add milk and vanilla to egg mixture. Add a layer of bread onto brown sugar mixture. Pour half of egg mixture onto bread. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, and a light coating of brown sugar on top. Add second layer of bread. Pour rest of egg mixture on top. Cover and put in fridge overnight. *Make sure you pull it out of ...

This is not your typical butter. I created this based on trying something similar at a local Italian restaurant. It is easy, a crowd pleaser, and you can judge how much you want to make. Here's the only problem, I eyeball everything. There are no set measurements. It all depends on your liking. Like it hotter? Add more red pepper flakes. More Italian flavor? Add more Italian seasoning. It's up to YOU! Ingredients: Canola Oil Olive Oil Garlic Salt Parsley Flakes Italian Seasoning Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Garlic clove Run garlic clove through the garlic press. Add as much of each seasoning as you would like in a small container. Then add a mixture of canola and olive oils. The Finished Product:  *This gets better as it sits, so make it ahead of time. I use this in place of butter.   If you make this, let me know how it is! Leave me a comment and tell me!   **I know the Lawn Logic series was supposed to end today. I want to film a video to g...

Here are the recipes as promised! If you forget why I'm posting them, check this post . All of these recipes came from Bobby's book called From Mama's Table to Mine . I had the chance to try the Black eyed Pea Salad, and the Sweet and Savory meatballs. Both were very delicious. I put my comments using an asterisk. (*) Black-eyed Pea Salad 2 cans black eyed peas, rinsed and drained 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 large yellow bell pepper, finely chopped 4 ounces low fat pepper Jack cheese, cut into pea sized cubes 1/2 cup coarsley chopped scallions (white and green parts only) 1/4 cup coarsley chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons coarsley chopped oregano Freshly ground black pepper to taste In a bowl, mix orange juice, red wine vinegar, oil, oregano, and pepper. Mix with whisk. Then add the black eyed peas, bell peppers, pepper Jack, scallions, parsley.  Mix all t...