No Bake "Cow Pie" Cookies

These Cow Pie Cookies are my go to sweet treat when I'm short on time in the middle of a big ole chocolate craving.  If you are not a great baker, I guarantee you can make these.  Well, that is if you can boil water....or the ingredients in this case.

2 Cups Sugar

4 Tbsp Cocoa

1 Stick Butter

1/2 Cup Milk

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

3 Cups Quick Oats

In a saucepan bring to boil the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk.  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Then add the vanilla and peanut butter and stir until peanut butter is melted.  In a large bowl combine the oatmeal and chocolate mixture.  On a sheet pan line with wax paper, drop by spoonfuls and allow to harden.   I've been known to stick them in the refrigerator or freezer to speed up the that process....remember, I crave chocolate.

{{{HUGS}}}

A Calf Being Born

The hubs called me tonight and asked if myself and my daughter could come help pull a calf.  Like a nice wife, I agreed to head over to help.  He told me he was going to go to the shop and grab the pullers.  I told him I had to change my clothes and we would head right over.  I had to take off my comfy yoga pants and put on a pair of jeans.  I considered wearing my yoga pants, but then I didn't want to ruin a perfectly good pair of yoga pants.  Don't you love yoga pants?!?

When my daughter and I got to the farm my hubs was watching the heifer {meaning she has not had a calf yet in her lifetime}.  She was laying down and pushing with all her might.  When we approached the heifer she got up and pushed.  And then....well, watch.....

The heifer seemed a little confused at first, but she made her way over to her newborn calf to clean him {or her} up.  Sometimes, first calf heifers aren't so loving and won't claim the calf.  If that happens, it means I would have a bottle baby calf.  So far, we haven't had any bottle babies this year.  We did bottle feed one calf, but after a while the heifer decided she liked the little guy and decided to let him nurse.   

  I love seeing baby calves born and this gal was kind enough to let me stand 10 feet away and watch.  The other heifers would come over and sniff the calf, but eventually leave.  I'll tell ya, it takes a village to raise a calf or maybe I should say herd!

So we did not have to pull calf which is always a plus!  Guess I should have left those yoga pants on!

  

{{{HUGS}}}

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

Do you ever go to your pantry and look for something to make and you can't decide on anything?  Yeah, I was at a loss the other day so I decided to throw some stuff together in hopes that it turned out.

I grabbed the following:

1 box of corn muffin mix

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes

Worcestershire sauce

Chili powder

1 package of Ranch dip

1 small onion

1 green pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 pound of hamburger

Then later I grabbed:

1 8oz. can of tomato sauce

1 cup of shredded cheese

I diced the green pepper and onion and minced the garlic.  I browned the hamburger with onion and green pepper and then added the garlic when the meat was almost done.  Then I added the tomatoes, drained pinto beans, a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of chili powder, and the dry Ranch packet.  It seemed to be a little dry, so I added a small can of tomato sauce and allowed the mixture to simmer about 5 minutes.

Next, I transferred the mixture into a sprayed baking dish.  Topped it with cheese and the topped it with the prepared corn muffin mix and baked at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

The cornbread will look nice and golden brown when it is finished.

Sorry for the horrible picture, but this is what I ended up with.

My hubs described it as thick chili with corn bread on top.  It had a little kick to it and wasn't too bad for my latest concoction!!!  

{{{HUGS}}}

The Herd....well a few of them!

I thought I would share some pictures of the mama cows and their adorable babies during a recent winter storm. Yeah, that's all!!

It was so cute watching the baby calves pounce around in the snow.  I think they really wanted to build a snowman!!!  Maybe, they wanted to make snow angels.  It was hard to tell for sure.

And this lady was trying to sport her best camouflage trying to blend in with the scenery, but I have an eye and spotted her anyway!!!  

Oh, then there is this gal, not to be confused with the prior camo mama!!!  She was clearly upset that I shot the picture from her bad side.  I'm sure when I show it to her she is going to go on a crash diet.  Pictures do that to us ladies!!!

As much as I have an itch for spring to arrive, I am grateful for the moisture in whatever form God decided to give us.  It was a beautiful wet snow and made for moments like these a few days later...

  

Yep, the glorious sight I get to admire living in the country!!!

{{{HUGS}}}

Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

During the winter storm the other day I posted a picture of some cinnamon rolls on my Facebook page.  I have had several requests for the recipe so I thought I would share it!!!  There is nothing better than fresh warm cinnamon rolls with a gooey caramel topping to comfort you during a cold blizzard...oh, and sweatpants!!!

You will need:

2 loaves of frozen bread dough {YEP, I cheated}

Cinnamon

3 Sticks of Butter {hope you are not worried about your diet}

Brown Sugar

White Sugar

Vanilla Ice Cream

Thaw your bread according to the package directions.  With a rolling pin, roll the dough out about 1/4 of an inch thick in an oval shape on a floured surface.  I use 2 loaves so I do all of these steps twice or in twos...make sense.  Take one stick of softened butter and smear over the dough {using half on each loaf}.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the butter {about 2 TBSP per loaf}.  Then lightly sprinkle some brown sugar over the cinnamon.  You will probably use about 1/2 cup of brown sugar per loaf.  Roll the dough up so you have a long tube.  Cut the rolls so they are about 3/4 of an inch thick.  You should get 12 rolls per loaf.  Transfer the rolls to a greased 9x13 pan {so 2 pans}.

For the gooey goodness....

In a sauce pan, melt 2 sticks of butter and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of ice cream.  Add 1 cup each of brown sugar and white sugar.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Pour mixture evenly over the 2 pans of cinnamon rolls.  Allow the rolls to rise at room temperature until they are almost double in size.   I set mine on top of my stove while my oven preheats which helps them rise. 

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  When rolls are finished allow them to cool a few minutes then flip them out on a cookie sheet and allow to cool completely {ah, who am I kidding...allow them to cool until they won't burn your mouth}.  ENJOY!!!

If you want to prepare these the evening before you can.  Just don't let them rise at room temperature, but instead cover them with saran wrap sprayed with cooking spray and place in the refrigerator overnight.  They will slowly rise overnight and will be ready to pop in the oven in the morning.  

{{{HUGS}}}