homemade bbq sauce

Wow. I've been MIA on Mommy Diaries for a long time! Life sort of gets in the way when things get busy, hectic, and stressful. But I couldn't resist posting my mom's homemade bbq sauce! It is the best. It makes a big batch, but it will keep in your fridge for a long time and you can also freeze it! :) I know those of you who know me are laughing right now..... I freeze everything!

Here goes:

1 32 oz bottle of ketchup

1 cup water

1/4 c. prepared mustard (any kind, dijon, regular, doesn't matter)

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. dried minced onion

2 T. liquid smoke (you can find this by the other sauces and marinades and it also stays good for a really long time!)

Mix all together in a medium sized pan. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes. You'll notice the color will start to change a little, more like bbq sauce brown than red. Take it off the heat and put it in your container! That's it! It is yummy with chicken ( like to cook chicken with this in the crockpot and then have bbq chicken sandwiches), pork, beef, hamburgers, and even baked beans!

Amazingness~~~~

1/2 c. sugar
16 oz. cream cheese
2 rolls chocolate chip refrigerated cookie dough
2 eggs
2 tsp. lemon juice
Thinly slice rolls of cookie dough. Press 1 roll of dough onto the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Mix sugar, cream cheese, lemon juice and eggs; pour onto dough in pan; cover with second roll of cookie dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Slice when cool and refrigerate.

Optional: Put 1/3 cup chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler); the water should not touch the bowl. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth.Use a teaspoon to gently drizzle thin lines of melted chocolate over the top of the bars. The chocolate topping will be set when the bars are cool.



All I can say is sweetness! Or my daughters favorite word...... scrumdiddlyumptious!!!!!!

O'Henry Bars

My favorite recipe with sugar! My dad is completely obsessed with these! They are easy, creamy, sweet, and oh so rich!

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 oz. butterscotch chips
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup white karo syrup
1 cup chopped blanched peanuts
3 cups rice krispies

Bring sugar and syrup to a boil. Stir in peanut butter, peanuts, and rice krispies. Press into a buttered 9X13 pan. Melt chips and spread on peanut mixture. Let chocolate set and cut into squares.

Gratitude

This morning my 3 year old asked my 1 year old what he was thankful for, and he said, "Mom". I don't think he knew what she was talking about at all. But, it still made my day! I am thankful that my children love me. What are you thankful for?

Raspberry Lemon Lime Deliciousness

Now that we are dealing with temperatures in the 100s my husband informed me that he needs something to really quench his thirst when he gets home from work. Water is just not cutting it. So I decided to try to find a drink similar to one that we had at Cafe Rio the other night...a raspberry lemon limeade. This drink isn't the same but it is equally as delicious! My kids loved to help me juice the lemons and limes and I couldn't help but think how beautiful it would look in a punch bowl served at a shower or open house (and when I mentioned that to my husband he remarked that we would need to buy a punch bowl before that dream became a reality.) Baby steps.

You will need:

6 lemons, juiced

2 limes, juiced

1 cup sugar (oh my, I know!)

6 cups water

1 cup fresh raspberries

Combine the liquids and the sugar until it dissolves and then add the raspberries. Let it sit several hours or overnight.

Glad to be here!

Hi Everyone! My name is Brianne Ralston. I am so excited to be a new member of this blog. I heard about it from Cassi. (Her baby sister just married my baby brother! Yay!) I have loved reading the fun stories and good advice from other moms here! I can't wait to read more!

25 Things About Me...
1. When I am sick or sad the only things that make me feel better are baths and scrambled egg sandwiches.
2. I love to read. If I really like a book I've probably read it 10-20 times.
3. All 5 of my best friends live within a block of my house.
4. My husband knew right away that we were going to get married. It took me a while longer to decide. But, it was the best decision I ever made. We just celebrated our 5th anniversary!
5. Kevin (the hubster) and I figured out we were in the same place at the same time a few times years before we met. We even both have notes from the same institute class.
6. I taught 4th grade before I was a mommy. I loved it! Someday I want to go back and be a librarian. I now teach preschool out of my home. I love every minute of it!
7. I am awesome at Math.
8. I am horrible at Spelling. (Sorry!)
9. My very best friend died 5 years ago. My grandma. I think about her everyday.
10. I am in love with my son’s smile. It brightens everyday!
11. I am working everyday to become better friends with vegetables.
12. When I was little I aspired to be a country singer/actress.
13. I was recruited by a talent agent in high school. But, in my wisdom I decided Hollywood was not for me.
14. I was an EFY counselor for 4 years. I loved it so much!
15. I love to color! (No I am not too old!)
16. I got laughed out of a college interview because I told the interviewer I wanted to be a mom.
17. I have 2 gorgeous little ones. Taryn is 3 & 1/2 and Beck is 1 & 1/2. They are pretty much miracle babies. Don't know how many more we will be able to have. So grateful that we got such good ones!
18. I absolutely love my calling right now. (ward humanitarian specialist)
19. One of my favorite pass times-plucking my eyebrows.
20. I love my husband's family as much as my own.
21. My daughter is just like me. She never shuts up either.
22. I would pay big bucks for some extra sleep right now!
23. When I grow up I want to be just like my little sisters.
24. I love reality shows. If I watch one episode I have to watch them all. I even watched the last few episodes of one on animal planet about dog groomers. Yuck. Boring!
25. I wish I lived at the beach.

Lullabies

Sorry that my question is late, but I would love to know some of your favorite lullabies. We sing a lot of the primary songs, which I love, but lately one of my favorite has been this beautiful song by Billy Joel. The lyrics are just perfect for me and my kids. Please let me know some of the songs you like to sing or listen to that remind you of your kids because we're always looking for more great music!

Olive Garden's Caprese Flatbread

If you've ever had Caprese Flatbread at Olive Garden you know how good it is. I was pleasantly surprised to find this recipe on Olive Garden's website. I've been making over the last two years when my Father-In-Law's delicious tomatoes are ready for harvest. It's always a hit....even with my Italian chef father. That's saying something!

Go to the Olive Garden recipe here.

Computer Time!

My kids have never played video games but recently they have become more and more interested in playing games on the computer. So far my daughter has stuck to playing Princess games on Disney's web page and my son prefers games from the Little People web page. My daughter also thinks it's fun to play on Starfall...and I appreciate this as well since it's more educational.

How do you feel about your kids having "Computer Time?" How much time is appropriate for children? What Web sites do you use? Do you let them at it on their own or do you sit down and play along with them?

Garden Cake

DH's grandpa turned 80 last week and grandma asked me & my sister-in-law to make a garden cake that had bunnies & chickens. This is what we came up with:

The chicken coop and the fence were made by my sister-in-law and the vegetables and animals as well as the cake itself were made by yours truly.

Talents

We love getting to know our readers and contributors better every month. This month we want to know what you are good at! What are your talents or skills? What do people complement you on? Is it your cooking? Your smile? Are you good at sports? Are you musical? Leave a quick comment so we can get to know you better!

Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Can you tell that I LOVE sour cream?!?!

This is another favorite. It's really like coffee cake. It's can be a dessert and it's also great for brunch.

1 box butter recipe cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 heaping cup sour cream
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans or walnuts)
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine cake mix, sugar, eggs, oil & sour cream in mixer. Fold in nuts.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar & cinnamon.

Grease bundt pan with butter then line with flour. Put 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture in the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 the cake batter. Layer another 1/3 of the sugar mixture. Add the remaining cake batter. Top with remaining sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes.

White Almond Sour Cream Cake

I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but as a hobby, my SIL & I decorate cakes.

Our favorite cake isa White Almond Sour Cream (WASC) cake that we usually pair it with a Mexican Vanilla buttercream. This cake stays really moist, but at the same time it's sturdy enough to carve and shape.

2 boxes white cake mix

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teas. salt

8 egg whites

2 2/3 cups water

4 Tbls. vegetable oil

2 cups (16oz carton) sour cream

2 teaspoon clear vanilla flavor

2 teaspoons almond extract

View full recipe

Mix all dry ingredients by hand using a whisk in a very large mixing bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low speed for 2 minutes.

Bake at 325 degrees

(This is a wedding cake we made for our Aunt's wedding at the Botanical Gardens. It was an outdoor wedding with a dutch oven dinner so we displayed the cakes in dutch ovens.)

Spinach 'n Sour Cream

I love sour cream. I find reasons to use it. The first recipe that came to my mind when I saw the weekly ingredient was Spinach 'n Sour Cream. A lot of people are grossed out by creamed spinach, but this has a great onion flavor behind it and it's definitely worth a try.

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen, chopped spinach

¾ cup white sauce (see below)

1 heaping cup sour cream

¾ TBSP. onion powder

1 tsp. chicken bouillon

½ tsp. salt

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

WHITE SAUCE

1 TBSP. butter

2 TBSP. flour

2/4 cup milk

Melt butter; add flour and milk. Stir until thick.

View full recipe

Spinach in Sour Cream

Cook spinach according to directions and drain well. Blend together white sauce, sour cream, onion powder, bouillon, and salt. Combine with spinach and combine in casserole dish. Cover with cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

The Road Trip Fairy

My family of 5 just made the longest road trip of our lives as we moved from one hot place to an even hotter one. Our kids are 5yrs old, 3yrs old, and 5 weeks old. I was mostly worried about how the 5 week old would manage his car seat for the week but I knew if I could keep the older two content I could focus more on the baby. Aside from frequent stops, nightly swimming and licorice...a new fairy was born. The Road Trip Fairy definitely got us through our trip. Each morning the Road Trip Fairy magically left a fun new toy on their seat (big thanks to Grandma for supplying most of these toys for us!) My kids were always very excited to get back into the car to see what they would find...there were never any tears spilt because they were sick of the car. The Road Trip Fairy has become a new part of our family and will come with us on any future trip without a doubt. Feel free to adopt her...it will save your vacation!!