The Benefit of Buying Store Brand...

I'm not a grocery snob! I'll totally try the store brand kind of something (of most things) if it's a better deal! Recently, I got the Kroger brand Graham Crackers. Not only were they good, but they came with a yummy looking recipe on the back! ...Irresistible Graham Cracker Cookies. And, after I made them, I couldn't stop talking about them! They are G.double O. D! I really may have finally found a recipe for cookies that I like better than my slice and bake! ... Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Irresistible Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Cookies
1 1/2 cups Honey Graham Crackers, finely crushed
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 (14 oz.) can  Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 cups Semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Crush graham crackers to make 1 1/2 cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk and softened butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Add crumb mixture and stir until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen.

Tips Worth Writing Down!

Here are some fun tips that I recently got in an email! ...Who knew?!?!...

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelettes rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt chocolate mint patties in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza:

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm.This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs:

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting:

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread:

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Get Rid of Ants:

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!