Bad vs Good

BAD ~

My computer Monitor seems to have gone the blink!?? I've had to resort to using hubby's laptop. It's fine BUT I have things on my computer. I'm going to try another monitor on my ever increasing finicky prehistoric computer before I go and purchase another monitor.

GOOD ~

I made these for dessert tonight!

Strawberry Chocolate Nachos

I made them just as the recipes says and they were good! Next time I don't think I'll do the Dark Chocolate as my family just didn't seem ready for "dry chocolate" as hubby called it!

Yummy Recipe

I just posted a new yummy, super easy recipe over on Bodydontfailmenow.blogspot.com

It's worth your click and time to make this!

Loving this product

I originally got this (a couple of months ago)
little handy dandy gadget for the blender
(for making smoothies) but I have since fell in
love for the 'chopper' bowl.

I just rough cut my veggies
(carrots, broccoli, cauliflower etc),
drop them in and press the button
and presto I have a chopped veggie
salad. I then just add dressing and it's a
perfect mixed veggie salad.

Spicey Honey Chicken .... mmmm mmmm!

I just sent this recipe to a friend that is making a recipe book and I realized that I'd never given it here! Shame on me, cuz it's mighty good!

Spicy Honey Chicken
2 T oil
rub ~
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander (I couldn't find this so I don't put it in)
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder
**for extra heat increase chipotle or add ground red pepper

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (can be made with chicken breast but not as good)

Glaze
1/2 c honey
1 T cider Vinegar

Use kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat from chicken. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub with your hands to make sure you lightly cover the entire piece. Then toss the chicken in the rub mixture (cover all of the chicken) Grill the chicken a few minutes on each side until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. (reserve 2T honey) Add vinegar and combine well and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final minutes of grilling. Brush with remaining honey before you serve!

** it's going to make a mess but it worth it! simply because you're putting honey on the grill not a mess anywhere else! **

I've also made this in the oven, it's tasty from there too!
oven at 400 and I bast the chicken about mid way through and then again at the end.

"I want what they're having!"

Yesterday when G came in after school he took one whiff of the wonderful aroma of the kitchen, and ask "What's that smell I smell?" I had to disappoint him by saying that I was fixing Roast, potatoes and carrots for the Moala family. They're mom had knee surgery and we taking supper to them.

He helped deliver the meal and enjoyed visiting with his friends (the kids).

Then I came home and started our supper, French Fried Onion Crusted Chicken and rice. A lovely meal, if I do say so myself.

As G sat down for supper, he looked a little forlorn and said "I wish I was eating with Moala's" I wasn't disappointed in this because I, too, wanted to eating roast, potatoes and carrots!

Tonight we're having that meal, plus homemade bread. I haven't made homemade bread in ages....I don't know if I've ever made homemade bread, now that I think of it.

I found this recipe for Miracle bread that sounded just too good to be true! Well, it's not. You could have homemade bread in just over an hour......well, I let mine rise for about an hour so it took a bit longer. If you have a warm house it would be an hour.

Did you look over the recipe? super simple, just dump it in the mixer bowl and mix! WOW! this could revolutionize my kitchen (and my diet)

Figure Friendly Taco!

Considering that I'm working my hiney off
at the gym I'm not blowing it at home
so here is tonight's recipe find ~

I thought it was really healthy, really, really easy and really good.

4 chicken breast
1 jar of salsa (whatever you like)
2 cans Black beans (drained)
1 (or 2) cans of Corn (drained and you could use frozen)

Put it all in a crockpot
turn the pot on (high 4-5 hours, low 6-8 hour)

about an hour before you're ready to serve shred the chicken.

Serve with warm tortillas (soft taco size), lettuce, tomatoes, onions and (Fat free) sour cream!

Another night another new recipe

I can't believe that I haven't told you about this Christmas present yet!

(I didn't get permission for this picture so look fast it might disappear)

As you already know I love the Pioneer Woman

and now I love her cookbook, too

Tonight's supper is from this cookbook

(which you should RUN out and buy)

Chicken Pot Pie

(I don't think it would be right to give out her recipe on this one, sorry)

Very Tasty

Thumbs up all the way around table.

Another Yummy new dish

Can you tell that I'm tired of all the old dishes I was making? It's almost scary around here at dinner time. Chances are it will be new and never tried in this house before dish! Thus far I've only had one that was a "no go".

This breakfast dish I had Saturday morning when G had a church primary activity. It is wonderful, plus gluten and yeast free (if you need to know that) and YUMMY.

This picture is the recipe halved

Today this is Manipulation Breakfast casserole.....W and some of his buddies are suppose to work in the barn. They spent the night, this is my tool to getting them up (somewhat) early.

Amish Breakfast Casserole
Serves 12
Ingredients

1 pound sliced bacon,
diced 1 medium sweet onion, chopped (optional in my house)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly.

Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Simple but oh so tasty ....

I found this super easy, super good recipe for Apricot Chicken .

After I shared/tried it with my family I knew I had to share it with you.

Hey, when I say simple, super easy, that's what I mean PLUS the ingredients are things you can keep in your pantry (aka always on hand)

My kind of meal!

Yummy Dinner

Tonight I tried 2 new recipes ... yea, I'm livin' risky these days.

Shredded Roast Beef Sandwiches ~
3-4 lb. lean rump roast (ask them to trim fat off, or if packaged, you can trim yourself)
2 tsp. salt, divided
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp. Parmesan cheese, divided
12 oz. can beef broth
1 tsp. dried oregano

1. Place roast in slow cooker. Cut 4 slits in top of roast. Fill each slit with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 garlic clove and 1/2 tsp. of Parmesan.
2. Pour broth over meat and sprinkle with oregano.
3. Cover. Cook on low (preferred) for 10-12 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
4. Remove meat and shred. Serve on buns with meat juices on the side (I just put some of the juices on top of the meat on the sandwich. I also like it with thinly sliced cheddar cheese.

Also, I sometimes cut the meat into chunks and/or begin shredding it an hour or 2 before it's done cooking so it can continue cooking in the juices).

CrockPot Baked Potatoes ~

Scrub potatoes
Soak potatoes overnight in water with sea salt
Poke holes in potatoes
Coat potatoes with olive oil
Stand potatoes up in crock pot on their ends
DO NOT ADD WATER to the crock pot
Put lid on crock pot
Cook on high for four hours

OK, I'm not sure why you'd have to cook your baked potatoes in the crockpot in the first place but I suppose if you were going to be gone for just 4 hours this would be great. I also have a setting on my oven that would turn itself on and I could do Potatoes that way also. AND then there's the fact that I already had a smaller crockpot so 4 baker Potatoes fit perfectly on their ends. Well, at least if you find yourself in need of cooking Baked Potatoes in your crockpot you now know how.

November Blessing #19

I'm feeling blessed by Pork Chops today!

or I will once supper is done!

I love these pork chops

they're really nothing

I just pound out the chops with seasonings

then either grill them or fry them in a bit a olive oil

Slap'em on a bun with dill pickles

maybe some onions

and I'm BLESSED!

Love Love Love them!

The last time we had them W came home and

almost jumped for joy that there were left chops in the frig!

November Blessing #15B

For supper (or lunch it's the only meal I'm fixing today) we had these

 baked apples. 

 Actually, these aren't the exact baked apples that I saw Rachel cook yesterday.  They are basically the same, except she used a Kashi (cold) cereal.  She said we could pick our own cereal.  So I picked one with raisins, dates and pecans.  Then I added more walnuts. 

I couldn't find either kinds of apples and now I've forgotten what I used but I think they could have cooked a little longer.

Goodness they were good

and I felt Blessed!

Saturday Morning

What a busy little morning.

I was awaken by the phone ringing at 8:20 (yes, I was enjoying being in bed at 8:20). G got the phone (he certainly wouldn't want to miss answering the phone around here), it was the neighbor asking if he would like to go fishing. WOW things got lively around here then!

After I got him out the door I started in making brownies. I had made these wonderful cookie bars (2 pans actually). I'd really like to take credit for them but I just can't. They are WAY rich so I don't think I could ever make a pan just for my little family. These cookie bars and the brownies are going to a funeral dinner at church so there will be plenty of others to help eat them.

Then for the rest of this morning (all of 2 hours of it) I've been putter around.

What's for Supper?

It's more like What's for the Grad Party?
Here are the recipes of those popular items from yesterday!

the Potato Salad ...
or as Kim calls it
"so good that if you put it on the top of your head your tongue would smack your brains out to get" Potato Salad

I love this blog (and think you will to) Kim Wheeler is the perfect example of having a talent and a family, juggling it, making it work (with little sleep) and using that talent to making money. A HUGE plus is that she is SOOOO funny, I love to read her blog, it just oozes with her southerness (including her accent)

Potato Salad
5 lbs of red potatoes
4 celery, sliced
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
2 Tbs of dill weed
2 tsp of salt
2 cups of (real) Mayonnaise
1 16oz bottle of Kraft Cucumber Ranch Salad Dressing

Place Potatoes in a large pot ~ cover with water. Bring to boil. reduce heat: cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes (or until Tender)
Drain and cool (cooling take time, you can always put them in frig to speed cooling up) Cut Potatoes into small cubes.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, celery, onions, dill and salt. In a smaller bowl whisk mayo and dressing until well blended. Pour over potato mixture and stir gently to coat.

Cover ~ Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.


Smitty's Sticky Pickles
(see I did give Big Bro credit)

1 Gallon of whole dill pickles
4 pounds of sugar
2 oz of red pepper sauce (as in Tabasco)
1 ~ 12 oz can of Jalapenos (or green chillies) if you like it spicier you can increase

Drain pickles and discard the pickle juice
cut the pickles into slices or spears or whatever suits you

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, red pepper sauce and the jalapenos.

Alternately spoon sugar mixture and pickles back into the jar (or other sealed container).

During the next couple of hours turn the jar over every few minutes to agitate the sugar and help it dissolve.

The Pickles will give up enough new brine to totally dissolve the sugar over the next couple of hours. Stick'em in the frig and in a few days they'll be ready to eat.

Mashed or Smashed?

As I've been sitting here getting you up to date on our week, Good Morning America has been on in the background. Diane Sawyer keeps saying something about Smashed Potatoes! Smashed, really? I've always called them Mashed Potatoes.
It was a several years ago that first heard them called Smashed Potatoes, from some friends transplanted from AZ. More recently my ears perked up when I heard Rachel Raye say Smashed Potatoes ... but really I'd expect it from her ..really... she says Sammie for Sandwiches, why would expect Mashed?

I grew up with most of you and know that you're a MASHED person, or do I just think that? Is there a SMASHED person in the group?

Goodness it's Good, What's for supper?

A few weeks I found this website on how to make $5 Dollar Dinners.

Then I found this recipe. Well, in reality I thought this recipe sounded good, but it was a little over the top for my family. OK, the truth, I forgot the recipe when I went to the grocery store, so I got what I could remember which just were the highlights of the dish for me.

I really LOVE what turned out ~

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
wrap with enough bacon to have one layer (mine used 2 strips of bacon)
BBQ sauce ~ whatever you have is fine, but I watered mine down so it wasn't so thick.
salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in a 375 oven for about 35 to 40 minutes

Maybe could have used a bit more BBQ sauce or maybe to brush more on half way through. Not too late 'cuz then it won't get all glazey.... that's the best part.

I served this with a version of this recipe, this time I sliced the potatoes.

What's for dinner

It was house full of boys, my boys, the missionaries, then a couple of other boys.

I served Breakfast Casserole

(I'll post that recipe some other time) with this.....

Baked French Toast with Pralines
Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.
Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

VERY GOOD!

Sweets for your sweets Recipe!

Years ago I made a bazillion of these as Christmas gifts! I nibbled and nibbled as I made them so by the time I was finished I swore I'd NEVER eat one again. This year a friend of mine made these and gave them out for Valentine's! I was so blessed to get a bag! They are scrumptious!

Wait, what about a picture? you say!
I say.... OH, that's funny they're already gone!

Here is the recipe anyway.....

Candied Pecans
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cold water
1 pound pecan halves

Mix sugar, cinnamon and salt until well blended.
Beat egg white and water with fork until frothy.
Pour over pecans and stir well until all pecans are covered.
Pour sugar mixture over pecans and stir until all the sugar
has coated the pecans.
Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 225 for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Makes one pound.

Wait is that PEE-can or pee-KON? I once heard a cooking instructor say.... a PEE-can is something you pee in so we should always say pee-KON! Well, if that didn't teach you something it certainly gave you a visual when you hear someone say PEE-can!

Enjoy!

3rd annual Cookie Exchange

This morning was the

3rd Annual

Stephanie & Shelly

Cookie Exchange

We had 10 ladies join us

each bringing 5 dozen of the same cookies.

We eat, we chat, we play games, we laugh,

and all leave with a variety of 5 dozen cookies!

Some people share their cookies with their neighbors,

some have them at family gatherings, and

some just enjoy the different cookies with their family.

This year I took.....

Lemon Stars

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp grated lemon peel

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and extract.

Stir in sour cream and lemon peel.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt.

Gradually add to cream mixture and mix well.

Divide dough into 3 balls, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Remove one portion of dough from frig at a time.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness;

cut with a floured 2 in star cookie cutter.

Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove and cool.

Frosting ~

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

6 Tbsp butter

3/4 lemon extract

3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

3 to 4 Tbsp Milk

In a bowl combine powdered sugar, butter, extract, food coloring and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.

Yields 9 dozen.

New Recipes to share ~

My sister in law, Marcia is a great cook
and I got some new recipes last night.

This first recipe reminds me of my grandma Hazel's freezer slaw, sort of! This recipe makes tons (so have a crowd) but it keeps in the frig for a couple of weeks AND it's super simple.



Sweet and Sour Bean Salad ~
1 can Green beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 can Yellow beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 large green pepper, sliced
1 4oz jar Pimentos
1 Large red onion, sliced
1/2 cup salad oil
2 cups celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can tomato soup, undiluted

Drain all the veggies, place in a bowl, and add the oil and celery
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and tomato soup.
Bring to a boil and pour over veggies.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.


OK the reality of the recipe~Marcia doesn't put in the oil and substitutes the celery for water chestnuts for crunch!
I was surprised to find out there was tomato soup in this! Can just barely see it and certainly can't taste it!



Orange Jello ~

My family loves Mandarin oranges, really just out of the can but they thought this was a good thing!



1 Large Box of Orange Jello
2 cups boiling water
2 cups orange sherbet
1 can Mandarin oranges

Boil water
Mix Jello until dissolved
Stir in Sherbet
Add oranges