Ticket To Ride

Have y'all ever heard of the board game Ticket To Ride? It looks like it would be incredibly confusing, with 240 little plastic train cars, 110 paper train car cards, 30 destination cards and 5 scoring chips, but it's super quick and easy to learn. I promise! My 7 and 9 year old both love this game, and it's a fun way to hangout together and enjoy a family game night. Ticket To Ride is for 2-5 players, as there are only 5 different colored train cars. We play with 4 people most of the time, but my husband and son like to play together after school too.

In Ticket To Ride, you have gone back in time to October 1900 in the train-era. The goal is to conquer as many railway routes as you can, connecting them to create the specific route spelled out on your destination cards (say New York to Portland or Miami to Chicago).

You start the game with plastic train cars, several destination cards (which will show the paths you will try to connect your train cars through), and  several train car cards (which show the colored paths you can place your little train car on). On your turn you can either lay down the train car cards to conquer a route, select 2 new train car cards or select from up to 3 new destination cards. There are rules to each of these, but you must do one of these on each turn. The key is,you must have the specific number of train car cards to complete a specific line (say Boston to New York, or LA to San Fran), so you want to try and gather all the train car cards you can get in your possession so you can take control of the specific routes on your destination cards.

Clear as mud? Ticket To Ride is honestly very easy to begin playing, and it is not a fast-paced, trick each other type of game. We worked together the first few times to help the kids understand their best options to build their railways. Turns out, our youngest seems to win each time we play, and does much better figuring out his own paths!

We have the original Ticket To Ride, which is the United States version, But there's also Ticket To Ride Europe, Ticket To Ride UK, Ticket To Ride India, Ticket To Ride Asia, Ticket To Ride Nordic Countries and several others.

Ooey Gooey Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread is a favorite in our house. It's delicious straight from the oven, when you can pull apart the ooey gooey cinnamon sugary goodness and pop it right into your mouth. Yum-O! You all will love this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 4 cans refrigerated biscuits
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup raisins (these are optional, it's great with or without them)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.
2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl or medium sized plastic bag.
3. Cut the biscuits into halves or quarters.
4. Place 8-10 biscuit pieces in the cinnamon-sugar mix and shake well.
5. Arrange coated pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Continue coating and layering until all the biscuit pieces are in the pan. If you are using raisins, I usually layer them with the biscuit pieces.
6. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, then pour over the layered biscuits.
7. Toss in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until dough is fully cooked and the crust has caramelized. 
8. Let the monkey bread cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto a plate. 
9. Pull apart and enjoy!

Ski free in Pennsylvania with 4th grade ski passes

Updated 09/14/2019 - Did you know there are several ways your kids can ski for free in PA? If they are in 4th grade, they've can ski all season for free at Spring Mountain (in Spring Mount, PA) and they can also take advantage of 3 free lift tickets at each of 20 different ski resorts. This is a HUGE DEAL! If your child is in 5th grade they do not quality for the Spring Mountain free season pass, but they do qualify for the 3 free lift tickets at each of the 20 participating ski resorts.

1. The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association offers a Snowpass Program to 4th AND 5th graders. The following resorts are participating for the 2019-2020 season (subject to change): Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Big Boulder, Blue Knob Resort, Blue Mountain Resort, Camelback Resort, Elk Mountain, Hidden Valley Resort, Jack Frost Mountain, Laurel Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, Montage Mountain, Mount Pleasant, Mystic Mountain, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Shawnee Mountain, Ski Big Bear, Ski Sawmill Family Resort, Spring Mountain, Tussey Mountain and Whitetail Resort. Each resort has specific rules, check those out here. This also includes one free "Learn to ski/board" package (includes beginner lift, lesson & rental equipment).
1. Submit your application online, including a copy of your child's report card showing they are in 4th or 5th grade (last year's report card is valid to show they completed 3rd grade if going into 4th this year). Include a color photo of child.
2. You can also print and mail in your application. The form can be found here.


2. Spring Mountain offers a free season pass to local 4th graders. They are participating in the PA Ski Free Program above, but also allowing 4th graders to ski all season for free at their resort once you've signed up for the PA SKI pass above.

Remember, rentals are not included in either of the above deals (except for the "learn to ski package" at the participating PA ski resorts). And the cost of rentals add up, as well as uses up time while you stand in line to pick up skis from a resort (trust me, we've wasted 1.5 hours standing in the rental line... never again!). For kids under 12, they are $28 for a day at Spring Mountain and $35 for a day at Blue Mountain (our favorite). If you are signing your children up for one of these ski pass programs, I strongly encourage you to consider purchasing a season-long rental.

But skiing together as a family has been so fun! We've logged many hours together out there, although now the boys in our family snowboard, while the girls ski. 

Staying in the White Mountains of New Hampshire - a review of Attitash Mountain Village

Last week my husband and I celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary and being the outdoorsy family we are, we wanted to go to the mountains where we could hike, kayak and swim in lakes and rivers. My parents so generously offered us a week of their timeshare so we researched and booked a place at Attitash Mountain Village.

The timeshare resort sits at the base of the Attitash Mountain and along the Saco River. The Conway Scenic Railroad crosses through the resort, but don't worry, it only runs from 10:30am until 6pm, so you won't be bothered by the train whistles all night long.

Our room was considered a one bedroom, but slept eight people. There was a first floor kitchen, full bathroom and family room with a queen sleeper-sofa and a queen murphy bed. You know the fun beds that flip up/down from the wall? We knew the kids would love this! And then there was an upstairs bedroom with a queen bed and queen sleeper-sofa, as well as another full bathroom and a washer/dryer. The unit apparently is set up to be listed as two individual units, but was combined by two doors when you first entered the room. The doors could be locked or kept open so you can access each section.

We enjoyed the outdoor pool and hot tub during the day and also in the evening. There's an indoor pool and exercise room, however we didn't spend much time at the resort to check these out. Our kids enjoyed the tennis courts, ping pong table, playgrounds, exercise stations around the grounds and the basketball court. The front desk provided tennis rackets, ping pong paddles and balls for all the sports, at no additional change! There was also no time limit for the sports equipment, you just check it out when you need it and return it when you're done. We held onto the basketball for a few days, as our son played it each afternoon when we came home, but the rest we picked up and dropped back off when we wanted to play.

The Saco River runs behind the resort so we walked around the small lake and over to the river a few times during our stay. There's a lot of small rocks to play on, and the river itself is relatively shallow so the kids enjoyed walking and playing in the water.

The staff was very friendly and courteous, offered suggestions on restaurants, directions for grocery stores and attractions, and answered all of my questions. Check-in was a breeze - they even let us in an hour early. Some things to note, we found our room did not have pot holders upon arrival and the front desk sent someone over with them immediately. We also found the upstairs sink did not drain, and called the front desk to let them know (and also let them know it was not an emergency to send someone at 8pm). The very next morning someone was at our door to fix it before we even left for our hike. So very small problems were promptly addressed and resolved - that's what I call amazing customer service.

More posts to follow on our activities during the week - we checked out a mountain adventure park, took several hikes and kayaked on the Saco River. Our son wants to go back in two years to climb Mt. Washington so we know we will be back!

This is not a sponsored post; we paid for our vacation rental using timeshare points and our own money for the trade. I will not be compensated by any of the links within the post - they are just for ease of reference for you!

Camping in French Creek State Park

Camping - who doesn't love it? We've gone camping as a family a few times, exploring different parks in Pennsylvania, and no matter where we go, it's always a blast.

In the spring we went to French Creek State Park just the four of us. Other tips we've gone with friends, but this was the first time the four of us went alone. We always find the hardest part of camping is choosing your lot. We try to find a large one so we have space to spread out, but also we want to be close to the bath houses for the countless trips we make back and forth all day and night. 

This trip we chose site B-11, as it was diagonally across the street from the bath house. It was in the RV section so there was plenty of parking space, but there was also a great flat area for the tent. And with the car blocking the entrance, we really had a lot of privacy here. 

Our tent is an eight person tent, which is honestly perfect for our family. It's a Coleman Red Canyon and I highly recommend it if you're camping with a family. There are room dividers for each side, so the kids can have their own little rooms, and my husband and I can sleep in the main larger room. The kids like to sleep in sleeping bags, and both have Eureka! Youth 15 degree bags. These bags kept them warm when the weather dropped to about 45 degrees one night, so if you're looking for a sleeping bag for a child, this is excellent. My husband and I like a little more comfort when we camp, so we use this air mattress. But we didn't go out and spend a lot of money on it, it was less than $20!

We have several bins we pack for camping, and usually keep them stocked when we get back home so that it's easy to grab and go the next time. One bin has arts and crafts, which for my daughter is her favorite thing. She collects rocks to paint and sticks to wrap washi tape around the ends. Each of us gets an assigned "marshmallow roasting" stick, marked by specific colored tape on one end. 

We also like to bring several sports activities - a football, frisbee, a soccer ball. Any type of ball that will keep our son busy. And it's a great way to move around while not really going too far out of our sight. Have y'all ever seen the Nerf Fire Vision Ignite football? What a great idea to insert a glowing light into a football, so you can continue to play as it gets dark outside. The ball glows when you throw it in the air! Then if you happen to drop it, it blinks off and on when it lands on the ground. My son received it as a gift for his birthday and we love it so much, it's become the gift we give to the other boys when he's invited to parties.

Food is another big consideration when we pack for camping, but it's my favorite thing to plan. For one night trips we usually make hotdogs and hot sausage or chicken sausage on the firepit. The kids love to use their sticks for their dogs, but we place the sausages on a piece of foil over the fire. Note - sausage on a stick is not a good idea. The high fat content lends itself to sliding off said stick and burning away in the flames. Not that we know this from experience or anything :)

Breakfast consists of fruit and bagels cooked over the fire also. Everything tastes better with a little smoke flavor.

We did a lot of hiking while we were at French Creek, but really just enjoyed escaping our everyday, crazy, hectic life. Thankfully the weather was beautiful and we had a fabulous time. I highly recommend camping if you haven't gone before. Such a great family trip where you'll make memories of a lifetime. 

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

My girlfriend Eileen makes the most delicious cinnamon coffee cake. And it's not just a breakfast treat, she brings it to family get-togethers, picnics and football games. This cake is a breakfast or a dessert!

Delicious right out of the oven - trust me, little noses can smell this cooking from outside the house. It also keeps for a few days, so if you somehow don't manage to eat it all in one sitting (what's wrong with you?!), it will be fine to cover with foil and store on the counter.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb unsalted butter (1 stick) 
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping: 

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 
3. Cream butter, then add sugar and eggs.   
4. Sift dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
5. Alternately pour the dry ingredients and the sour cream to the wet mixture. Add vanilla and gently mix.
6. Pour half of the batter to the greased pan, then sprinkle with half of the topping mixture. Pour the remaining batter on top and cover with remaining topping. The dough is thick here, so I often just sort of scoop and dump the remaining batter, working with my spatula to try and spread it out.
7. Bake 350 for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on oven. Mine bakes for about 35 minutes usually. Just test it with a toothpick and you'll know it's ready when the toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold. It's you're not going to serve it right away, cover with aluminum foil once it's cooled. It can sit on the counter for a few days if it lasts that long!

An afternoon at Morris Arboretum

Have you been to Morris Arboretum before? We've driven by dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the years, but had never been there until a few weeks ago. I wasn't quite sure what to expect other than plants, trees, sculptures and more plants, so I was happily surprised when we spent over 3 hours exploring the grounds.

With two elementary aged children, the first thing that caught my eye (and theirs!) was the Out on a Limb exhibit. You walk out on a platform that extends 50 feet above the ground and can bounce across hammock-like nets like little squirrels. My kids thought this was the greatest part of the day, and definitely one of the neatest things they've ever done.

Morris Arboretum has an amazing collection of miniature train cars that weave in and out of adorable mini replicas of Philadelphia landmarks and statues, like the LOVE statue and the highly-debated Rocky statue. There are also lighthouses, log cabins, bridges and tunnels that are all made out of twigs, leaves, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones. We even spied a gondola making it's way up a mini mountain. My son enjoyed searching around for the buildings, landmarks and other highlights listed on the map they provided when we first walked into the train display.

The grounds alone are beautiful, as there are trees, plants and flowers from all over the world. Of course the kids were most excited running around and exploring little trails and buildings. Here's a few pictures of other areas we explored:

This hawk was tormenting the smaller birds, who made quite a scene as they flew around him and pecked at his head and back

There was a couple posing for pictures on this bridge, so we waited until they were gone to run over and take a few shots

Stickwork sculptures titled "A Waltz in the Woods" by Patrick Dougherty  

Build your own log cabin out of Lincoln logs. Each child that came through added another layer or two to the cabins

an old log cabin from the 1800's

megaphones allowed you to hear nature as the birds, bugs and other small animals would

We highly recommend checking out Morris Arboretum if you haven't been there already. And if you have, check it out again. Sculptures, exhibits, trains, plants and flowers change often, so the place looks completely different in the spring when things begin to bloom than it does in the fall as the colors begin to change on the leaves. A fun afternoon for the family indeed!

A fabulous fairy garden and pancake party

My daughter turned nine and decided she wanted to have a pancake party for her birthday. When I asked her what she'd like to do with her friends, she wasn't too sure. She has a mixed group of friends, some from when she was younger in daycare and others she goes to school with now. So after much discussion, we came up with the idea to have a "fairy garden planting and pancake party". Sounds fabulous and fun, right?

We shopped and picked out small birdhouses at the craft stores in various shapes and sizes. Michaels and AC Moore have them for $1 each, and we used 50% off coupons to get them for just $0.53 each after tax. We also picked up special acrylic paint and a spray polyurethane to keep the paint from washing away in the rain.

In the weeks leading up to the party, we collected small twigs from the yard, clipped them into even smaller pieces and hot-glued them into little fairy benches and chairs. We realized we wouldn't have too much time during the party for everyone to build their own chairs, and goodness gracious I couldn't imagine working with a hot glue gun during the chaos, I mean party. So it was nice to lay out all the designs we hand-crafted and let each of the girls select their own.

The morning of the party, Mr O. worked as our chef on the griddle, in charge of making chocolate chip, blueberry, a mix of both and "just plain" pancakes. We created a pancake toppings bar in the middle of the table, complete with butter, fresh strawberries and blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles and syrup.

For a cake we stacked sprinkle-filled pancakes, poured a glaze on top and then placed 9 candles on top. This ended up being gobbled up by Mr. O., myself and my awesome partner-in-crime, Karyn. She's incredibly crafty and so very helpful when planning parties.

Here's a few pictures of the girls' masterpieces. They painted and drew on rocks, used blue glass stones as water - some created ponds, while others made streams, and then painted their houses and selected different flowers and plants to include in their gardens.

The girls had so much fun and then got to take their gardens home to plant in their real gardens. I loved doing this craft with them, and loved even more just watching their creativity come out while they worked on theirs.

Black bean, corn and tomato salsa

My good friend Carol shared this black bean, corn and tomato salsa recipe with me years ago and it's been one of our favorites ever since the first bite. We like to make this a lot in the summer when tomatoes are fresh and delicious.

The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, and you can also remove any ingredients you don't like. A friend of ours does not like cucumbers, so they add a diced avocado instead. Still tastes delicious, just a little creamery than this version. And this calls for basil, but you could just as easily substitute cilantro for a more Mexican flavor. Go with whatever tastes you prefer. Just be sure to have enough Fritos Scoops or Tostitos Scoops - this salsa is addictive and you'll be licking the bowl once it's done!

Ingredients:

• 1 can corn kernels
• 1 can black beans
• 3-4 large tomatoes or ~8 roma tomatoes
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cucumber
• 15-20 basil leaves
• 1/4 cup (upwards to 1/2 cup) balsamic vinaigrette
• 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Grab a medium sized bowl and an apron, the tomatoes make a mess. 
2. Drain cans of corn and black beans and add to the bowl.
3. Remove seeds from tomatoes as best you can. We like to use roma tomatoes, also called plum tomatoes, as they are easy to slice 1/4 inch thick and then cut a circle around the seeds in the middle. Then dice your slices about the size of the corn kernels and beans. 
4. Mince or finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and add them to the bowl. If you've got large cloves, go with 2. If they're small, use 3.
5. Slice and then dice the cucumber and add it to the bowl.
6. Julienne the basil leaves. Don't know how to julienne basil? It's easy. Just stack the basil leaves on top of each other, roll up the pile and then slice across to make very small strips. Toss these in the bowl also.
7. Give it all a good mix and then stir in 1/4 cup of the best balsamic vinaigrette you can find. We like Newman's Own, as it's relatively inexpensive and tastes great. 
8. If you really like the taste of balsamic, add 2-3 tablespoons of a good balsamic vinegar and mix well. If you aren't a fan of the taste, omit this step. 
9. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for the flavors to marry for an hour or two (or can sit overnight if you have to make it in advance... just leave the basil leaves out until ready to serve).
10. Serve cold or room temperature with Tostitos Scoops or Fritos Scoops. 

We love to bring this salsa to BBQs and friends houses when we are invited to swim because it's an easy snack that doesn't have to stay refrigerated. Hope you enjoy!

Fajitas in the oven

We've been making fajitas in the oven for a while now and have blended a few recipes together to come up with what suites our taste. This is a super easy meal to throw together in under 10 minutes, then bake for 30 minutes while you're helping the kids with homework, tidying up, folding laundry, paying bills or whatever else you can cram in while dinner cooks.

We've even made this dish for a big group one year when we went to the Outer Banks. Side story - each family is in charge of making one meal/week while we're away (we go with 3-4 other families in the summer). We try to plan ahead and get most of the prep work done before we leave for the trip, so we can spend more time on the beach than up in the room cooking for a group 20. This meal is super easy to do just that. Chop, slice and marinate in a freezer bag, then freeze solid before your trip. You can even pick up all the fixins before your trip so you don't have to run out to the store as soon as you get there (if you are the lucky one to make dinner the night you arrive).

You can make this with whatever color bell peppers you have on hand. We like the look of red, orange and yellow peppers, but you could certainly add green to the mix, use all of one color, or mix it up to incorporate and mix of two whole peppers. And if you are organized (yay you!), you can cover the dish with saran wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours. But if you're like me and never know what you're doing for dinner until you walk in the door from work, it tastes perfectly delicious even when it doesn't have a second to marinate.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips (around 2 pounds)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 2 -3 teaspoons of chili powder (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Fixins for on top - sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese, salsa, avocado, etc
• Soft taco shells - we prefer Wegmans Tortillas, Fajita style

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients into a 9x13 casserole dish, tossing around the spices, chicken and vegetables to make sure everything gets coated with the yummy flavor.
3. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes to steam the peppers. Then uncover and bake another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 
4. Serve with sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese, salsa, avocado or anything else you like on your fajitas.

Sun-dried tomato hummus

I've become obsessed with hummus the past few months, and I've finally tweaked my recipe enough to call this one my favorite. It all starts with a good quality jar of sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (~1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 15 ounce can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed; I like to remove the shells by simply squeezing them gently.
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained of oil)
• 2 tablespoons water (to add "as needed")
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. In a food processor, whip the tahini, garlic and lemon juice for a minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
2. Add the EVOO and chickpeas and give it a whirl for another minute to fully mix everything together. You'll have to pause and scrape the sides about halfway through.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and process for another 30 seconds, or until you can no longer see the chunks of tomatoes. If it gets too thick (cannot whirl around), add a tablespoon or two of water. I tend to add a little too much water at this step, but the hummus will set-up some in the refrigerator.
4. Taste your masterpiece, and then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper, to taste. 
5. Pour it into a container and refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to meld together. I like to pour 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO on top before I refrigerate it, but that's personal preference. It's not necessary at all.
6. Enjoy with pita chips, carrot slices or any other dippin-chip you have on hand! 

Big Daddy Ribs

Tonight we're having Big Daddy Ribs to celebrate Labor Day, and while they take a while to cook, this is one meal you don't want to rush. The ribs are first coated in a dry rub, then simmered in the oven in a mixture of Coca-Cola and water. Let them cool a bit, break apart the individual ribs, then slap them with an apple cider sauce and toast up on the grill for a few minutes to make the outside nice and crispy sweet. Mmm mmm good!

We've loved these since the first time we made them years ago, and have even celebrated our wedding anniversary with them. Please don't let the long recipe scare you away from trying these - it all comes together quickly.

Also, we never have buttermilk in the house, so we mix together 1/4 cup milk with 1/4 tbsp lemon juice and let it sit for a few minutes. Easy substitution.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds St. Louis style ribs
• 2 cups Big Daddy Rub, recipe below
• 2 liters Coca-Cola
• 4 cups water
• Apple Cider Buttermilk Dipping Sauce, recipe below

Big Daddy Rub (this recipe makes enough for an extra batch, so store 2 cups in a ziploc bag in the pantry):

• 3 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons hot chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cayenne
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

Apple Cider Buttermilk Dipping Sauce:

• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all of the "Big Daddy Rub" ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Rub ribs with 1 cup Big Daddy Rub until evenly coated on both sides. Allow ribs to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Place ribs in 2 large roasting pans and cover with the Coca-Cola and water. Cover with foil and cook in oven for 1 and 1/2 hours. Remove ribs from oven and allow to cool. 
5. Slice ribs into individual-size pieces.
6. Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
7. Place ribs on the grill. Brush on "apple cider buttermilk sauce" (see below)  and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. In a large bowl, toss ribs with another 1 cup of "Big Daddy Rub" until well coated. Spread ribs out on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for an additional 20 minutes until caramelized.
9. Serve alongside the apple cider sauce.

Directions for Apple Cider Buttermilk Dipping Sauce:

1. In a medium pot add apple cider, sugar and red pepper on medium high heat. Reduce by half. 
2. Pour mixture into a separate bowl. 
3. Add buttermilk and mix.
4. Add lemon juice and zest and mix thoroughly.

Parmesan Encrusted Chicken

My new favorite, super-easy and fast chicken parm recipe comes from Hellmann's. My father-in-law made this for us down the shore last week and it was delicious. You can whip this up in no time (great now that school's back in session!), and it takes about 30 minutes to bake if you leave the breasts whole. I prefer to slice them in half, making them a bit thinner, which in turn helps them cook faster. Also, don't try to cut calories and use light mayo, it's not the same and won't cook up nearly as tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine mayonnaise with cheese in a bowl. 
3. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish. Coat with the mayo mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
4. Pop in the oven and bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

*This recipe is straight from the Hellmann's website. I do not claim to have concocted this myself, it is 100% their recipe.

Candy cake

My son has requested a candy cake for his 5th birthday tomorrow. This boy loves desserts, candy, ice cream... Any kind of dessert really. But he only really eats a few bites and then has had enough. We looked at a bunch of cakes in Pinterest, and when he came across this one, he immediately decided that's what he wanted.

I started with a doctored up 1,2,3,4 cake, following Paula Deen's recipe at a base. Then I added in some sour cream and a box of vanilla pudding. 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs 
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. 
3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. 
4. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. 
5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 
6. Add pudding and sour cream, amd beat until combined. 
7. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. 
8. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. 
9. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. 
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. 
11. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.

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I used Hershey's chocolate icing for the layers and outside of the cake. Then we covered the sides with kit kats, and poured an entire bag of M&Ms on the top. To.Die.For. This was a huge hit with not just our son, but the entire family!

Carol's dreamy sun-dried tomato sauce

My girlfriend Carol makes this sauce and trust me when I tell you it's to-die-for. You'll be licking the bowl clean, soaking up every last drop of goodness with pasta and bread. Perhaps even lapping it with a spoon straight from the pot. Not that I'll ever admit to doing that. 

We like to make this for parties and special dinners. I've even frozen a bunch in containers and taken it to our grandparents for Christmas with a wrapped box of pastas and other Italian goodies. Try it, I promise you'll love it! Just know that it's definitely not light on the calories, so go easy. You've been warned.

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 pound of unsalted butter
• 4 chopped basil leaves (fresh)
• 5 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil and chopped (reserve oil)
• 1 cup of white wine
• Crushed red pepper (depending on how spicy you like your sauce - I sometimes skip this)
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 jar of tomato basil sauce (I use Wegmans brand)



Directions:

1. Melt butter, and saute basil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes. Let these get hot for a few minutes.
2. Add the white wine and crushed red pepper to your taste. Bring to a simmer and let bubble.
3. Add heavy cream- cook a bit more until hot again.
4. Slowly stir in red sauce until a light pink color.
5. Cook for about 20 more minutes. Serve or let cool and freeze.


While the sauce is cooking, I like to cook up pasta to serve with it - penne or tortellini are our favorites. I also like to saute a few chicken breasts in the reserved sun-dried tomato oil, then add them into the sauce in the end. And to add in something healthy here, I throw in some asparagus. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Voila - the best sun-dried tomato sauce you'll ever have!


This sauce freezes perfectly, and honestly tastes best the next day, or when frozen and reheated. We always double or triple the recipe, then freeze in old spreadable butter containers. 

Our favorite meatballs

We've made this meatball recipe dozens of times over the past few years and it's always a winner. I usually triple or quadruple the recipe and bake everything, then toss the extras in a big freezer bag. My suggestion is to either freeze flat on a tray before placing into a bag, or place them in a single layer in the bag in the freezer, so they don't stick together.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef with 80-85% fat content

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

• 6 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup 2% milk

• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Knead everything together with clean hands. You want to feel for the right texture -- It should be soft, but not sopping wet. If it's not soft enough, add 1 more tablespoon of milk.
3. Once all ingredients are combined, form balls the size of an egg by pushing them into the shape softly in your hands.
4. Place meatballs on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, remove and gently toss into your favorite sauce.

Our favorite meatball recipe comes from Teresa Giudice when she appeared on the Rachael Ray show. I cannot take any credit for this recipe, as this is 100% straight from Teresa Giudice.