Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Bars

Have you ever had a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie at the Great American Cookie Company? Or one from Subway? They are so yummy! I adore macadamia nuts, but they're expensive and I rarely use them in baking.

Once Charles brought me some honey roasted macadamias from Hawaii after a business trip. I ate the whole can myself. I think I might have grudgingly offered him one or two, but he gallantly turned me down. He didn't want to deprive me of any of the bliss that is honey roasted macadamias!

If you don't want to splurge on macadamia nuts, then you can substitute walnuts in this recipe. But my advice is to splurge.

Here's what you need:

1 pkg sugar cookie mix - I used Betty Crocker
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut

In a bowl, combine the cookie mix, butter and egg.


Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.



Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.



Cool and cut into bars.


Charles told me he didn't like these very much. Because once he started eating one, he wanted another. And another. Ha! Hope he doesn't like the rest of my cooking just as much.

For more yummy recipes, visit Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Saving Time in the Kitchen - bake your pancakes!

My family loves to eat pancakes. We rarely have them for breakfast. Mostly just for lunch or dinner!

I don't love standing over the griddle waiting for them to cook. My griddle is big enough to hold 3 pancakes at a time, but it seems like it takes forever to cook them.

My solution to cut the cooking time in half - bake them!

Mix up your favorite pancake recipe. You don't have to add anything special to it, just mix it up as if you were using a griddle. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and spread it out evenly.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve with butter and syrup or whatever pancake toppings you like.


The pancakes will be fluffier, almost cake-like - which my kids adore! It is so much easier and quicker, too. When serving a crowd, double your recipe and use two pans. In no time, you'll be sitting down to eat with your family instead of flipping pancakes all morning. That definitely works for me!

To find more helpful hints and tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday over at We are THAT Family.

Tasty Meatloaf

I was never a lover of meatloaf growing up. I don't know why. But my husband liked it, so I tried making it. And it turned out okay. I used a very simple recipe that included a packet of onion soup mix, so there was a lot of flavor. Unfortunately, there was a lot of MSG and other unpronounceable ingredients, too!

So I started trying to recreate the flavors of the onion soup mix without the yucky stuff. This recipe is the closest I've come to it.

Here's what you need:

1 small onion, diced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 teas garlic salt
1/2 teas sea salt
1/2 teas black pepper
1 TBSP worchestershire sauce or steak sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey

For the glaze:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 TBSP mustard
1 TBSP honey

In a skillet, melt about a tablespoon of butter. You can use olive oil instead. Fry the onions until brown and soft. While the onions are frying, mix the egg, breadcrumbs, milk, seasonings and worchestershire sauce in a large bowl. Add the fried onions.


Crumble the ground beef and turkey over the crumb mixture. Using your hands, combine everything until well mixed.


Pat into a greased loaf pan.


Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Combine the glaze ingredients while the meatloaf bakes.

After 30 minutes, remove from the oven. Using a turkey baster, drain off as much grease as possible. Spread the glaze over the top of the meatloaf and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.


Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the loaf pan onto a serving plate. I do this by using two spatulas, one at either end.

Use a serrated knife to slice.


It might seem strange to bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes, then put the glaze on top. I do this because I found if I glazed it and left it in the oven for an hour, the fat bubbling up from the meatloaf made the glaze runny and it slid off the top. By draining some of the grease halfway through baking and then glazing, the yummy stuff stays on the top where it belongs!

If your crew doesn't like ketchup or mustard, you can use barbecue sauce or steak sauce as a glaze. It's equally tasty! Customize it to fit your family's preferences.

Mother's Day Tragedy

I just received word that my cousin Tracie lost her 14-year-old son today in a motorcycle accident. I haven't seen Tracie for years. We drifted apart as we grew older and our lifestyles really didn't have much in common.

But what we did have in common was our deep love for our children. Tracie tried for years to have a baby before Tanner came along. He was her world. I can't even imagine the depth of her grief. Please pray for her and her family. Pray that God will give me words to speak and write to her. As far as I know, she does not share my faith, though we've had many discussions about it especially when we were younger. My heart is just breaking for her right now.

Menu Plan May 8-14

Last week was spent getting to meet my newest nephew, who is an absolute angel. He's the youngest of six and already loved beyond belief. And though it was a blessing to spend time with family, including my lovely mom, it is good to be home.

Now back to some meal planning!

Sunday
Outback - we ordered online before we left for church, then picked it up on the way home! Beats waiting for a table on Mother's Day!

Monday
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Tuesday
Sesame chicken over rice, broccoli

Wednesday
Sausage veggie calzones

Thursday
Girls' Night Out - pizza for the men and kids

Friday
Savory roast, herbed potatoes

Saturday
Lemon garlic tilapia, roasted garlic cauliflower

Please visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday for more meal planning ideas.

Newest Member of the Family!

We are thrilled to welcome my newest nephew born May 4, 2011. He weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Aren't those chubby cheeks and double chin just adorable? His five older siblings are in love, as are his parents, grandma, cousins and Aunt Marsha!

Plan for the Week

I haven't posted a menu plan for this week because the kids and I are traveling to South Carolina tomorrow to await the arrival of our newest family member. My sis-in-law is going to be induced on Wednesday with baby #6. You can read more here on her blog.

Of course, we're all very excited, especially the kids. They love spending time with their cousins and best of all, Grandma will be there too! I'll stay with all the kiddos when it's time for the hospital so Grandma can be there for the baby's arrival. Of the 10 grandchildren so far, she's only been able to present at the hospital with the Princess who was a scheduled c-section. With all of the others, she was either too far away to get there in time or she was watching the older siblings. Since it's very likely this baby is the last grandchild, I really want her to be there for the birth.

We spent most of Saturday helping our dear friends with some clean-up of their property. They are still without electricity but have been able to get low-pressure water service back. Here's a picture of what used to be their children's play house.


The devastation in this area is great. It hasn't received a lot of news coverage because it's a rural area, but I can say firsthand that I've witnessed a spirit of kindness and compassion from strangers that is truly heartwarming. The communities have banded together to help one another with no government funding, no expectation of anything in return. That's loving your neighbor.

Hope y'all have a great week!