It's baking Season

Goodness where has the month of October go...

I know it has been quiet here on my blog..

Sorry about that y'all

I had planned to do a crockpot recipe for every day of the month, but you know what they say...

About best laid plans...

The truth is I just haven't had the time.

I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the last 2.5weeks

  But Fall season doesn't just mean busy...it means baking

We haven't even carved pumpkins yet (gasp!!!)

The kids have been sick and my schedule has been packed.

But alas it's coming to the end of my busy season for Work 

So yesterday I made some time to bake chocolate chip cookies :)

I happen to have the best recipe for Chocolate chip cookies out there ;)

 They turn out soft and gooey and oh so good :) 

If you want to enjoy a little fun with your kiddos and get a sweet treat out of it 

I highly suggest making these :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Cream Together: 

Real Butter 1 cup 

Granulated or Raw Sugar 3/4 cup 

Brown Sugar Packed 3/4 cup

Mix In:

Salt 1 tsp 

Baking Soda 1 1/4 tsp 

Beat In:

Vanilla 1 tsp 

Eggs* 2 large 

*If mixing by hand beat eggs before adding.

Gradually Mix In:

Flour 2 3/4 cups

Stir In:

Semi-Sweet Real 2 1/2 cups 

Chocolate Chips

(2 cups = 12 oz)

Optional:

Chopped Nuts 1 cup 

(walnuts, pecans)

Preheat oven to 375˚ F.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375˚ for 13 minutes** cookies should be light golden brown.

Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

**Pampered Chef Stone Cookie Sheet works the very best. If you are using a metal cookie sheet you will need to watch and time for your oven and cookie sheet.

*The Benson Bunch loves cooking and baking together and we hope you will enjoy this recipe for years to come and make many memories with it as we have <3

And please share the love ;) cookies are made to be shared

(PS Don't mind my messy house and half dressed kids..remember I said they've been sick ;) the cookies were a get better treat :P )

A lazy Fall day

                   Today is a Friday...and usually I would be doing 50million things today while the kids were at school and such...But today the kids don't have school :P and so...we are doing nothing. We are being couch potatoes and cuddling and giggling. Because sometimes we need days like that to refresh and recharge. And that means it's another easy crockpot meal for dinner :) Happy Crocktober

Lemon Cilantro Chicken

Ingridents
2-3 chicken breasts 
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cilantro chopped 
2tblsp miced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine every thing except the chicken then place chicken in the crock pot and pour the liquid over the chicken. Cook on low 4-6hrs. Shred Chicken and Serve with Rice and tortillas. 

3 Ingrident Crockpot chicken taco's

3chicken breasts
1cup salsa
1/4cup taco seasoning

Put everything into the crockpot, cook on low 4-6hours and then shred chicken and mix it into the liquid in the crock pot. Serve on tortilla's with your favorite toppings.  

Crocktober...a little summer lovin..recipes

         We all love fall... Beautiful colors, cute clothes for the cold weather, pumpkin foods and coffee, and crockpot meals...but right about now we all think...I almost wish I could go swimming...or BBQ...because when the weather gets to icky your cabin fever starts in...and lasts approximately 9months lol...no we all love fall...but a little summer lovin once in awhile doesn't hurt...so today I am going to share two crockpot summer meals :) I hope you enjoy them

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken

you will need:
3 pounds chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
generous amount of salt & pepper
1 bottle of beer (we like a good lager)
32 ounces of your favorite barbecue sauce (I use longhorn BBQ)

Rinse and dry your chicken breasts.  Season with the onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Put in crockpot, then pour in the beer and 3/4 of the barbecue sauce.  Put on the lid and set to low for 8 hours.  You can stir a few times while cooking, but you don’t need to.

Shred the chicken breasts and add in the remaining barbecue sauce.  Stir it all up and then serve.

This makes a great sandwich or wrap, pair with a nice coleslaw on top some baked beans and corn bread :) Hello yummy summer inspired dinner 

Crockpot Peach Cobbler

           Ingredients
 4cups fresh or frozen sliced peeled peaches    
 1/4 cup sugar
   1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix         
1/2 cup sugar
1  cup milk
Ice cream or whipped cream ( if  desired)
Directions 
1Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl, gently toss peaches and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Turn into slow cooker.

• 2In medium bowl, gently beat Bisquick mix, sugar and milk with whisk until blended. Pour over peaches in slow cooker.
• 3Cover; cook on low heat setting 3 hours or until cobbler is set in center.
• 4Serve cobbler with ice cream.

Crocktober a girls best friend...recipes

    So it's official now and I can announce. Hubby got a new job which he starts tomorrow. This new job means set days and hours, as well as a good sized pay raise, and less stress for my awesome hubby. I am so excited because it also means, a easier schedule for our family :D So we are pretty stoked about that. I just had to share before getting to the recipes ;) the first recipe I am going to share is one of my families favorites...we have a lot of those lol. And then I will share a dessert :) happy Crocktober

Creamy Crockpot Chicken 

-Ingredients-
2chicken breasts
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1cup sour cream
1can of cream of chicken OR cream of mushroom soup
1package of Italian or ranch seasoning

Directions-
Mix all the ingredients except the chicken together and then place the chicken in the crockpot and pour mixture over chicken. Cook on low 4-6hrs Pull chicken and shred and mix into sauce. Serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. This is great served with a side of corn (or you can even add it to the recipe) and a side salad. This recipe is also very adaptable, sometimes I don't use creamed soup an it turns out great :) and a couple times I haven't had cream cheese and it was still yummy :) hope you enjoy 

Crockpot Apple Crisp Apples

Ingredients:

§  4-6 Apples (I like Granny smith so it helps cut the sweetness just a little)

§  1 cup Brown Sugar

§  1 cup Butter

§  3/4 cup Chopped Pecans

§  1 cup Instant Oats

§  1 teaspoon Cinnamon

 

Directions:

1. First, wash and core your apples.

2. Next, mix up your apple crisp ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

3.  Stuff your apples with your apple crisp mixture.

4. Spray your crockpot/slow cooker with a non-stick spray, then gently place your apples inside.

5. Sprinkle the rest of the apple crisp topping over the apples, letting the rest fall to the bottom of the pot.

6. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready, the apples should be very soft to the touch/poke.

7. Serve by cutting in half and topping with ice cream (if desired) (personally I like to eat it with a pecan praline...but you could always just do vanilla to :P )

Please help this family...

7weeks ago I gave birth to my gorgeous daughter..one week before this mama did to..only now I get to hold my sweet A and this poor mama has to bury her baby girl. That breaks my heart more then words can express. And I am currently holding A and bawling like a baby... I warn you this will be heart breaking, as it is for this family...but please help if you can..even if it's only sharing or sending prayers to their family. Even a dollar helps if you can because it all adds up. Thank you 

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/wn06/sophia-lee-gets-her-angel-wings

The truth about being a SAHM/WAHM

                 When you're a stay at home mom you always hear the same thing ...must be nice to spend all your time with your kids...you're so lucky...I bet you have lots of time to do the things you enjoy...
and my all time favorite..what do you do all day??? When you work from home you hear all that and more!!! You are so lucky to work from home, it's so much easier. Apparently these people have never taken care of children....So let me give you a little break down...
Every morning I am awoken by my sweet little children climbing into bed with me between 5-6am
where they promptly try to get comfy in my queen sized bed...all six of them..suddenly there are cold feet where cold feet should NEVER be lol then I get up and I change Two butts and remind all the other kids to go potty. I let the dog out and juggle keeping a cranky A happy while I get her bottle made and get the other kids breakfast.
Then while the kids eat breakfast I feed A and try to get her back asleep...most of the time this is unsuccessful but alas I keep trying. I then either put her down for belly time or put her in her swing.
I now let the dog back in.
I run down stairs and start a load of laundry I then run up and down between the three floors to gather outfits for all 6 kids. (while doing this I also have to keep tabs on the five eating breakfast to make sure they are eating and not playing or fighting, as well as keeping A calm)
Then I have to clean up all the kids and get them dressed, sometimes there is another diaper change in there and then I remind the kids to feed the animals and Cherry to brush her hair.
I then have the kids grab their coats and backpacks and shoes...and help them all get them all on.
Then I get Jay his meds and double check that I have all the kiddos and then we all load up to take Cherry and Jaydon to school. Unless it's Wed., Thur., or Friday when Jaydon has therapy...yeah that's fun...
Drop The kids off at school and bring the younger four back home and unload them.
Bring the kids inside and get them settled in with a show and snack.
I make A another bottle and feed her. Hopefully I get her to sleep but usually I snuggle her for 20-30minutes
Then I get her in her swing and I go and clean up the breakfast mess and do the dishes. Sometimes I also get dinner in the crockpot depending on what we are having. Then I change butts again.
Then I get the kids another snack and get them playing with their toys. Sometimes if they are really good they get to play on their "ipads" ( learning tablets).
Sometimes if I am lucky the kids (Emmit and Gracie and A although less and less with Emmit lately) take naps now and if I am REALLY lucky daddy gets home from work before I have to take Mack to school. Otherwise I then have to load up all the kids, including the sleeping ones who haven't finished their naps. Then I take Mack to school where I unload all the kids to take Mack in and then reload the younger three.
Sometimes I now have to run errands and sometimes I get to go home...
Where I spend from 12:30-2:30 Doing marketing, client responses, editing, feeding the younger three lunch, changing more butts.
Now for me editing, marketing and client responses is done in the living room while I manage the kiddos and keep them happy and change butts and get them snacks, sometimes there are crying breaks, or dancing breaks. usually all 2hrs are spent with A on my lap and the other two kids also climbing on me. Because you know they want nothing to do with me until I sit down to work and suddenly they need my undivided attention. If Daddy is home I get to do this until 4 because he goes to pick up the kids. Otherwise at 2:30 I load up the three younger kids and pick up the older two from school at 3 and then I drive down and pick up Mack at 3:45.
Now we all come home and unload. Where it's time to do homework and check off papers for the kids. Also more butt changes and again snack. Usually another bottle as well. Then I either have shoots or it's time to do lunch dishes. Then After I am done with whichever of those I have to do It's about a half and hour of down time with hubby and the kids. Where I listen to hubby either talk about something funny that happened at work or complain about his day and he does the same for me. Then I realize...I have yet to eat...hubby gets upset at me and then it's time for dinner. Sometimes we eat at 5, sometimes 5:30 but on nights I don't have shoots and their is no Girl Scouts our regular dinner time is 6:30. I have also been doing laundry on and off all day.
We eat Dinner and then it's pick up time for the kids.
Then we bathe, vitamins and teeth brush the kids and daddy puts them to bed while I feed A.
Then once we get the kids to bed we have about a hour before A goes down for the night.
We watch one or two shows cuddling on the couch because at this point we are both to tired to care about dinner dishes and the 10 loads of clean clothes that need to be folded and put away. Eh at least they are clean. Then it's another bottle for A and a diaper change.
We then climb into bed...with A and cuddle and pass out.
This is usually between 9:30-11pm
A wakes up at 12-1pm for a bottle
A wake up again at 3-4 am (this is usually when Emmit...Mack..or both, sometimes also Jaydon...seem to end up in our bed)
and then again A wakes up at about 5-6am for a bottle and we start the day all over again....
Please do tell me again how it's so easy to be a work from home or stay at home mom....?!?!?!
Now mind you I love it, I love my husband...I love my kids...I love my life...
This is what I signed up for...but it's still work..
It's long hours, it's screaming fits, and bloody noses, and blowout diapers, it's grocery shopping with three kids while the other three are at school.
It's falling in bed exhausted to tired to care the dishes aren't done...
It's NEVER EVER having all the laundry done or ever putting it away..
It's also...endless giggles, fun art projects, silly moments, funny stories, endless cuddles and kisses..
It's priceless and it's my life...
So no as a matter of fact...it Is NOT EASY to be a SAHM or a WAHM but it is so very worth it...most days lol
But just like any other job...sometimes I don't like my co-worker (but I still love him)...or my customers...they whine a lot :P ( I mean my kids not my clients lol) but my pay is way higher then yours...So easy...nope...but oh so worth it

Oh and the other comment I hear is how do you ever get anything done...The answer is I have a amazing husband who always help (90% of the time anyway..but hey we all need down days) and my kids are actually really pretty amazing and also help by cleaning their own messes a lot of the time. And the honest truth is...sometimes..I don't...Sometimes I sit on the couch and cuddle the baby... for hours..and I dance and play and do crafts..and the dishes sit unwashed, the clients wait a little longer for a response and the laundry piles up...Just like anyone else I have off days...bad days..sick days...and I play hookie...but my kids don't suffer for it...because the job gets done...just maybe not in the way worthy of bragging about... Breakfast might be cereal instead of pancakes...Lunch might be a lunchable....dinner pizza..butts get changed but the kids might just stay 90% naked most of the day...and that's okay...because I am human...and it happens to us all :)

So now you have it...the easy life of a stay at home/work from home mom...hope I didn't make you to tired with that easy life of mine ;)

P.S. This doesn't include days there are other things to be done, like Dr. Appt....and yes Coffee is my best friend...and yes sometimes I am up all night editing clients sessions ;)

Crocktober...how could I forget...two recipes

      I am frequently called the queen of the crockpot...with six kids it is my best friend after all...and I may possibly be guilty of just buying a brand new crockpot...cause you know you can never have to many :P but with everthing on my plate this month I also forgot it is CROCKTOBER!!!! I have no idea how I forgot that but I plan to rectify that mistake right away. In honor of Crocktober I will be sharing 31 of my favorite crockpot recipes... I already shared one so I am six behind so for the next three days I will be sharing two recipes instead of one :) so let's get started with those awesome crockpot meals :) First off we have one of my personal Favorites.. White chicken Chili.. Because fall and winter and the best time for soups of course :) and to stick with that theme I am also sharing my home style chicken and rice soup :) Enjoy

White Chicken Chili
2 T. olive oil
1 T corn starch
1 medium onion chopped
1 can chopped green chili's, drained
2 cans white beans (drained)
2 t. cumin
2 t. chili powder
1 lb chicken tenders
2 cups chicken stock
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
Place all ingredients except chicken stock and cornstarch in large freezer bag, toss to coat and freeze.  When ready, place ingredients in slow cooker, add chicken stock and corn starch, cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Remove chicken, shred & return to crockpot.  Serve with warm cornbread. (To make this fresh just take out the freezer instructions and add everything straight to the crockpot) (when making fresh I suggest mixing everything together except the chicken and then placing the chicken and the mixture in the crockpot)

Home style Chicken & Rice Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. chopped chicken breast

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, beans, peas)

4T. butter

1 box chicken stock

1 cup rice( I prefer wild grain brown rice) (add last 20-30 minutes of cooking)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add chicken and mixed vegetables and butter to freezer bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, thaw slightly and place in crockpot.  Add the box of chicken stock and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Add rice last 20-30 minutes of cooking. ( To make this fresh simply add everything straight to the crockpot)

Happy October (Recipe included)

                       Yesterday was the 1st day of October and what says October more then pumpkin?Nothing...and coincidentally I happen to have my pumpkin pork roast freezer meal on my menu. Yesterday was a very busy day for us. I had my 6week postpartum check up, as promised we took Mack to get his new booster seat, and then we had multiple other errands to run and I had a shoot at 5pm. Therefore a freezer meal was a necessity...or at least a crockpot meal ;) So I thawed it out the night before and started it before leaving in the morning to head out. When we got home at 4pm from our long day the house smelled amazing :)

                   Of course you can't just have a main course and no sides...but I had to go to a shoot, so off I went and left Devon with the menu which said corn and roasted baby reds for the sides. Well My hubby decided that he was in the mood for mashed taters...but that he was going to mix it up a little bit...so he made pumpkin mashed potatoes. Yes you read that right! And let me just tell you...
YUMMY!!!! So today I will be sharing both recipes with you ;) and omg do they go amazing together, (you could also do a pumpkin stuffing). P.S. I had a Redds with it and that went pretty amazing with it to, although Devon preferred his pumpkin lager ;) So without further ado here are our pumpkin themed yummy foods...

Pumpkin Pork Chops or Roast 

·         4 -5 pork chops, center-cut thin bone-in or A 2lb pork Roast

·         1 cup canned pumpkin 

·         2 tablespoons honey, pref. raw-thick type

·         1/4 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt

·         1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·         1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

·         1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

·         2 tablespoons chicken broth

      Mix all ingredients together and pour a thin layer of the pumpkin mixture on the bottom of your crockpot then place your pork in the crock pot and top with the rest of the pumpkin mixture. Cook on low 6-8hrs. To make a freezer meal just mix as directed but place in a gallon sized freezer bag with the pork. Slice and Serve 

  Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes

     6-8 Golden Yukon Potatoes (hubby also suggests trying this with sweet potatoes, I will let you know when we do)

     1/2cup pumpkin puree

     2tbls butter 

     1cup half and half 

     1/4tsp ground cloves

     1tsp pumpkin pie spice

     1/4 white pepper 

     1-2tblsp (to taste) maple syrup

     1/4cup brown sugar

     Salt and pepper to taste

     Peel, cut and boil potatoes as usual, Mix all other ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring just to a boil then lower temperature and continue to stir while potatoes boil. After potatoes are cooked then mash them and mix the creamed pumpkin sauce with the mashed potatoes (we use our stand mixer for this step). Serve and enjoy.

    These are Benson Bunch original recipes and we hope you love them as much as we do <3