Oreo Pie

This is a recipe my husband created when he was about 9 years old, and it has become a staple at our Thanksgiving dinners! It's also been used as birthday treats and for other occasions!

1 9inch pie crust (he uses a pre-made one from the store, you can make your own)
1 package of oreos
1 chocolate mousse mix
1 small tub of cool whip

Allow the cool whip to thaw completely. Bake pie crust and set aside to cool. Blend oreos in food processor until they are crumbs- cream filling and all. You will need to grind up about half the package, or more if you'd like. Mix the mousse according to the directions on the package, but beat the mousse with a wire whisk longer than is recommended to give it extra volume.

Once the crust has cooled completely, sprinkle a generous amount of oreo crumbs all over the bottom of the crust, making the first layer. Then take about half the mousse and spread nearly smooth on top of the oreo crumbs. Spread about 1/2 inch layer of cool whip on that, and spread smooth. Next, put down another generous layer of oreo crumbs, but save about a handful to top the pie with. Use the remainder of the mousse for the next layer, except about 1 1/2 tbsp worth (again for topping). Spread a second layer of cool whip on the top. Now swirl the last bit of mousse in with the top cool whip for a nice, rich, brown swirled look. Sprinkle the final handful of oreo crumbs on top. Decorate with half cut oreos if you want.

Chill at least an hour before serving.

Cauliflower Soup!

Tonight, I mixed up my potato soup recipe and created this:

1 head cauliflower
4 small potatoes
3 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups milk
4 cups water
granulated garlic
black pepper
1/3 cup dehydrated onion 
When the veggies were soft I pureed it all together using my stick blender...

Then added 1/3 cup crumbled bacon
chives
frozen carrots
frozen corn
1 can cheese sauce
handful parmesan cheese

and served it with french bread. YUM!!
*My husband thinks it needed some shredded cheddar or other cheese to make it smoother, but the kids ate it just fine.

Dark Chocolate Caramel Apple Crisp

I mean, with a title like that, what's not to love?!
I found THIS recipe in a Betty Crocker email last year...or maybe the year before that? and I finally got to make it tonight!

This is what * I * used tho, because apparently I'm learning to be a little more creative in the kitchen, haha!
5 granny smith apples
1 golden delicious apple
cored and sliced, and put into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Sprinkled the flour and cinnamon the recipe states, and mixed it all up.
Chopped 12 caramels into quarters and not so much sprinkled as placed them throughout the apples.

Melted 1/2 cup butter and mixed it in a bowl with the Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix. I used my mini food chopper to turn a bunch of almonds into crumbs and mixed in 1/2 a cup of that, and added then closer to 1/2 a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, because that was the end of the bag. Sprinkled that mixture all over the apples and stuck it in the oven for 35 minutes to bake.

my house smells SOOO good.....
and it is DELICIOUS!