Olive Garden Night

WE decided to have an olive Garden night a few weeks back. Makes it kind of nice to find these copy cat recipes and tweak them to be like you were at the restaurant. We made Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo and Salad Dressing.

 
Olive Garden Salad Dressing  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, or 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Sugar (optional)

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal taste, add a little extra sugar. You can enjoy your Olive Garden salad dressing for up to 10 days if you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

This can also be used as a marinade!

Recipe was found  at copykat.com

Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo

 Ingredients

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper (optional)

 Instructions


In a saucepan, combine the butter and heavy cream. Simmer until all is melted and mixed well. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes on low. You may wish to add a little salt and pepper.
Additional Notes
I have made this with half-and-half, but we prefer the heavy cream. I wouldn’t recommend trying it with plain milk.
Important: DO NOT use store-bought shredded or grated cheese. Preshredded and pregrated cheeses have an anticaking agent in them that can prevent the sauce from setting up.
Optional Cream Cheese Method
Use this if the sauce is a little thin. The sauce can be thin for a variety of reasons: not using heavy cream, not cooking at a high enough temperature, and using preshredded or pregrated cheese. If the finished sauce is still a little thin whisk in 2 tablespoons cream cheese until the sauce thickens. I have done with and without cream cheese. We also added oldbay and tasted yumm.
We just used leftover grilled chicken and fettuccine.

Homemade Cliff Bars

I am loving all these no bake snacks that are healthy to make for the kids and neighbor kids to eat for breakfast and after school. Not only healthy but money saver.

Homemade Cliff Bars
(Can be doubled in 13x9 pan that's what I did)

• 1 1/2 Cups rice Krispies
• 1 Cup uncooked quick oats
• 3 Tablespoons ground Flaxseed (or almond)
• 1/4 Cup finely chopped dried fruit (whatever you want like raisins, cherrys cranberries...)
• 1/4 Cup finely chopped nuts (roasted or toasted I used almonds)
• 1/3 Cup honey
• 2 Tablespoons Dark brown sugar ( I just used light brown cause that's what I had)
• 1/3 Cup of Peanut butter ( you can use almond, cashew or soy nut too)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked Cocunut

Directions

1. Grease (spray with nonstick spray) 8 inch square pan unless doubling recipe then 13x9
2. Combine cereal, oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit and nuts in large bowl 
3. Bring the honey and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat stiring constantly 
4. turn temp to low
5. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until blended and remove from heat
6. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until all ingredients are dry are coated
7. Press mixture into prepared pan using wax paper to make smooth
8. Cool in pan
9. Cut into whatever size bars you like
10. Wrap in wax paper, saran wrap, vacuum seal (whatever works best for your family. If going to be longer then a week store in the fridge. If storing in the fridge bring out to room temp to eat.

Still waiting to cut mine!!

Cinnamon roll cake

The kids devoured this. If it gets stale just toss a piece in the microwave for like 10-20 seconds and all good. You can half this recipe too think I will next time.
CINNAMON ROLL CAKE 
Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

I could only get a picture of a slice cause they cut into it too quick lol

Map of our family

Since we are in our final house I wanted new art. But stuff we create. I saw on Pinterest tons of ideas to make maps of love. We have so many states I decided to tweak it our own way. I may change the frame though to a floating frame later on. But I went to www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/reference.html to get my images I had to print AK horizontally and the others vertical for size. I then cut down with scissors. I didn't have simple states to cut. Lol. I also drew hearts in cities most important, Clevland where my husband was born, Baltimore where I was born, Eldersburg/Sykesville where I grew up, Anchorage/Elmendorf AFB where me met and lived, Statenville where we got married, Valdosta where we got engaged lived and Ellie was born, maysville where Gavin was born and brooksville where we live.  I'm pretty pleased with it though definitely think I'll get a floating frame for them. I'll take a picture of that once I'm done. 

I got a floating frame at target today. I have to say I like it a lot better now!! Now to find a wall for it :)