Bacon Cheeseburger Rotini

This simple and satisfying recipe can be made quickly and is a favorite among children and adults. Bacon is good. Cheeseburgers are good. Pasta is good. So how could all three of those things mixed together not be?!

The recipe is very affordable, of course, with the following ingredient prices:

1 Box of Rotini – $1.19
1 pkg of Turkey Bacon (my preference) – $3.39
1 lb. Ground Beef (95% fat free) – $5.19
1 Can of Condensed Tomato Soup – $0.89
Ketchup – $1.99
American Cheese – $1.99

Altogether this meal that feeds roughly four people only costs $14.64! Who knew?!

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Rotini (½ package)
8 slices bacon
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
¼ cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. water
4 slices American cheese

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. 

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook bacon until crispy. Avoid burning it like I did (oops, oh well… I still ate it… BACON! Baconbaconbacon!). Remove cooked bacon a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble the slices and set aside.

3) In same skillet, over medium heat, brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked and drain.

4) Add in the crumbled bacon, soup, ketchup and water; stir to combine. Heat thoroughly.

5) Once heated, stir in pasta. The original recipe called to place the cheese slices on top (like a burger) but I like well mixed cheesy past so I broke the cheese slices apart and mixed it in with the pasta and meat and stirred it thoroughly.

6) Remove from heat, and serve with condiments and a pickle!

7) Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Oreo Brownie Bars

If you’re having trouble with the pronunciation of this recipe, I’ve obtained the phonetics for you: [hev-uhn]. This creation will be in no way kind to waistlines but it will be perfect if you’re a self loathing chocolate-glutton like myself ;P.

At my local Wegmans Grocery Store the ingredients are priced as follows:

Unsalted butter (4 sticks) - $2.49 
Nabisco Oreo Double Stuf - $3.19 
Ghirardelli Brownie Mix – $1.99 
Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips (11.5 oz.) - $2.99 
Smucker’s Caramel Topping (12.25 oz.) - $2.29
Large Eggs (Dozen) - $1.29 
All Purpose Flour (5 lbs.) - $1.99
Granulated Sugar (5 lbs.) - $2.99
Brown Sugar (32 oz.) - $1.59 
Imitation Vanilla Extract (2 fl. oz.) - $2.29 
Baking Soda (1 lb.) - $0.79



You may already have some of the ingredients and many of them you’ll have leftovers of, but even if you had to purchase all of these things to make this delicious wonder, you’d only be spending $23.89… quite the bargain for such a priceless recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips, semi sweet

1 package of Oreo cookies
Caramel Topping to taste

1 package of brownie mix
¼ cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

4. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined.

5. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Press cookie dough evenly into the pan.

7. Place the Oreos on top of the cookie dough, pushing down lightly. I used 20 Oreos in a 4x5 formation, but feel free to use more or less.

8. Drizzle the caramel topping over the Oreos as desired.

9. Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the box.

10. Pour the mix over the top of the cookie dough, Oreos and caramel, smoothing it around with the spatula. It is okay if you can sort of see some of the tops of the Oreos because the brownie will bake over them more evenly.

11. Bake for about 45-50 minutes. It is done when a tooth pick insert in the center comes out fairly clean with just a little crumb attached.

12. Remove from oven when done and let cool completely for a couple hours. Cut into squares and eat your heart out.

As Always: Enjoy!

Yummy Yoda Sundaes!

This recipe is one that was inspired by one of my good friends and her love for Star Wars, as seen in this picture.... She may not want to be friends after she sees this :P!

I am glad she sent me the idea though because it’s simple, easy, fun, affordable, and if yours turns out anything like mine did you’ll be laughing at your “not-so-good-looking” dessert! 

The original recipe is at http://family.go.com/food/recipe-1012433-yoda-green-sherbet-sundae-t/ and it called for green taffy for the ears, nose, and mouth, but I could only find green Peeps marshmallows. It ended up turning out fine and it was still a tasty treat. I got the following ingredients at these prices at my  local Wegmans grocery store:

Green Sherbet - $2.49

Green Bird Peeps  - $1.19
Mini Marshmallows - $0.99
Food Coloring Pens - $8.49

This recipe costs a grand total of $13.16 and I have tons of leftovers after I made 4 Yoda treats! It’s such a save and good fun for all ages.

Some other supplies you’ll need are scissors, an ice cream scoop, and bowls or glasses to put the Yodas in.

Directions:

1. Step one is to use the Peeps to cut out ears, a nose, and a mouth for the Yodas. The bird tails can be cut off for the ears, the top of the head for the nose, and a sliver from anywhere for a flat mouth. I have a knife in the photo because that's what I originally tried to use, only to find out scissors were much more effective!

2. Next, cut a plain mini marshmallow in half to make the eyes. Use the black food coloring pen to make the pupil for Yoda, leaving a little white mark in the upper right of each “eye.” Circle the black pupil with the yellow food coloring pen. 

3. Now take the sherbet out of the freezer and use an ice cream scoop to get very round helpings of sherbet into your bowls or glasses. Assemble the Yoda face.

4. ENJOY your creation, hopefully it comes out a little better than mine did ;P.

Tips: A friend of mine’s favorite animal is a pig, so I could always make little pig faces with pink raspberry sherbet and pink Peeps! Be creative and send pictures of your creations to our facebook page HERE .

If you're active online, you may be familiar with picture memes that are growing in popularity. My favorite memes are the funny "FAIL" ones you may have seen. Since I am always ready to laugh at myself I made this meme for this recipe's turnout and I hope it gives you a chuckle like it did for my Star Wars loving bff:

Turkey Breast, Pepper Jack Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers, and Edaname Hummus on Ciabatta

I would like to start off this post with a proclamation of my love for Wegmans Ciabatta bread! There are so many different sandwich recipes all delicious on this family-sized bread. With Wegmans' excellent deli and countless toppings and spreads, you'll never get bored coming up with your very own favorite sandwich. Here is (just one of) mine:

Ingredients:
1 Loaf Wegmans Ciabatta Bread (13 oz.) - $3.50
1 Jar Wegmans Roasted Red Peppers (13 oz.) - $4.49
*1 Container Wegmans Edaname Hummus(8 oz.) - $1.99
1 lb. Wegmans 98% Fat Free Turkey Breast - $5.99/lb.
1 Package Sargento Pepper Jack Cheese (7.5 oz.) - $3.19

*Contains Soy

Recipe Total Cost: $19.16 +Tax

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° and slice Ciabatta lengthwise in half.



2. Toast bread halves in the oven for just about 3 minutes on a cooking sheet. 

3. Remove bread from oven and spread one half with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the edaname hummus.

4. Lay enough roasted red peppers to cover the bread and top with about 8-10 slices of the turkey followed by about 4 slices of pepper jack cheese. 

5. Place the sandwich back in the oven open-faced for about 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven, top the sandwich with other bread half, cut in 8ths and…

Bruschetta Naan Bread Pizza

       Hello, all! Sorry for the late posting, but I promise I can make up for it with this affordable, very easy, and incredibly delicious recipe that will make you look like a gourmet chef!

Breakdown of product prices
(*At my local Wegmans, of course!):

Food You Feel Good About Baby Spinach (6 oz.) – $2.49
Wegmans Pure Olive Oil (16.9 fl. oz.) - $4.79
Food You Feel Good About Traditional Naan Bread Package (2 loaves) - $2.99
Wegmans Artichoke Asiago Dip (8 oz.) - $3.99
Wegmans Bruschetta Topping (8 oz.) - $3.99
Bocconcini Cheese Balls  - ~$3.25/lb. (you only need ½ lb.)

Altogether the recipe costs just $19.88, and most of these items you will not even use all of! For instance, the olive oil will last for tons of other recipes and you should consider using the leftover Artichoke Asiago Dip and Bruschetta Topping as a snack with crackers or on toasted Italian Bread for a delicious alternative to garlic bread with your next pasta dish. Yum!

Let’s Get Cookin’:

Ingredients:
1/4 (about 2 cups) of the Baby Spinach
1 tsp Pure Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 loaves of the Traditional Naan Bread
4 Tbsp Artichoke Asiago Dip
6 Tbsp Bruschetta
4 balls Bocconcini, sliced into fifths

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375° and spray a cooking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl toss spinach with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Next, place both Naans on the cooking sheet and spread each loaf with 2 tablespoons of the artichoke dip.

4. Top each Naan with ½ the spinach, 3 tablespoons of bruschetta, and 10 slices of the bocconcini. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

5. Put the sheet in the oven and cook for about 9-12 minutes. The edges should be toasted and the cheese should be melted. 

6. Cut pizzas and serve immediately.

Tip(s)/What I learned: 

-Be sure not to use too much oil on the spinach or too much dip on the Naans or the pizza can get soggy.
-For crispier pizza, use less oil and dip and preheat oven to 400°, but keep a closer watch.
-The pizza can be hard to cut so to make it easier I suggest using kitchen scissors.
-Next time I do the recipe I want to use a little less of everything and put the spinach and bruschetta on top of the cheese for aesthetic purposes. I want the finished product to look a little more like this:

...but that's what happens when you're learning new recipes, right? You learn better ways and new techniques for future cooking experiences!

My last tip: most of all, have fun with the recipe
and don’t be afraid to add your own favorite toppings, like olives or peppers!

Enjoy! ツ

Be My Valentine Funfetti Cookies

        For this first affordable recipe I decided I would start off with something simple and Valentine’s Day-related. What is cheaper, easier, and tastier than Pillsbury Funfetti cookies in the shape of hearts?! Nothing! Most people have experienced the deliciousness of funfetti cake or cupcakes, but not everyone has taken advantage of the extra recipe on the side of the box for the cookie-version. So whether you've tried this before or not, fall in love with this recipe this Valentine's Day!

        You need 1 box of Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix, vegetable oil, eggs, frosting, and sprinkles. Because I made them into heart-shaped cookies, I used the following additional products: flour and heart-shaped cookie-cutters.  You will also need a mixing bowl, a measuring cup, a spatula, cookie sheets, and a rolling pin. 

The following list is a breakdown of product prices (*Note: I shop at my local Wegmans grocery store):

Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix (18.9 oz.) - $1.09

Pillsbury Funfetti Vanilla frosting (15.6 oz.) - $1.79
Wilton’s Sprinkles Variety Pack (2.2 oz.) - $4.99
Wilton’s Ready-to-Decorate Icing (6.4 oz.) - $4.29
Plastic Heart-shaped Cookie Cutter - $0.49 ea.
*Vegetable Oil (48 fl. oz.) - $2.89
*Eggs (dozen) - $1.49
*Shortening (16 oz.) - $2.49
*All Purpose Flour (5 lb.) - $1.99

*Products like the vegetable oil, the eggs, the shortening, and the flour are all ones that most people already have and can use for a while in a variety of recipes. Even if you did not have these products before, however, this entire ingredient list would still only cost $21.51 +tax! Talk about a delicious bargain!


Ingredients:

1 pkg. Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 container Pillsbury Funfetti Vanilla Frosting
½ can Wilton’s Red Ready-to-Decorate Icing
Sprinkles


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° and grease baking sheet(s) 

lightly with the shortening.

2. In a bowl combine the cake mix, oil, and eggs. Use the spatula to thoroughly mix the ingredients.

3. Lightly flour a clean counter top and the rolling pin and place the ball of cookie dough down in the center. Roll the dough to approximately ⅛ to ¼ inch thickness and use the cookie cutter to cut out the hearts until you run out of space. Place those cookies on the baking sheet at least an inch apart. Re-roll the leftover dough over and over to utilize all of it.

4. Bake the filled cookie sheet(s) one at a time in the preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes each. 

5. After cooling for at least 5 minutes, remove cookies from the baking sheet and allow to completely cool before decorating as desired with the frosting, icing, and sprinkles. 

                                                                 Enjoy!

Decorating advice: You can also use food coloring to create different colored frosting and make the cookies look like conversation heart candies, or use the different tips included with the Wilton Ready-to-Decorate Icing to create little flowers on the hearts. Whatever you do, have a fun and love-filled Valentine's Day! 

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to Jacklyn's Good Lookin' Cookin' blog! My name is Jacklyn. I am a novice baker and chef and this is my first blog, so this is a new adventure for me in so many ways. My hopes are that this blog will give readers new cooking and baking ideas, as I learn new recipes and share favorites right along with them. Readers who, like myself, are just getting started in the kitchen will be able to use the recipes I post and give feedback. 

My first post will be coming soon and will involve simple, tasty Valentine's Cookies. This one should be easy so hopefully everything will go smoothly and I won't burn myself or the cookies!

Feel free to give tips on cooking, baking, and blogging anytime!