From My Kitchen To Yours

Our Airman

2011-07-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

In honor of the 4th of July, and Independence, I want to tell you a little bit about our son, Skyler's, Air Force Journey. Skyler left home on December 28, 2010 for Basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX.

Over the following eight weeks, he was pretty isolated. We were not allowed a lot of time to talk with him. We got random phone calls, that lasted any where from two minutes to 20 minutes. While he was there we wrote letters, tons of letters, information about all the little things going on in the real world. During that time I found a wonderful on line group who helped me keep my sanity. Some of those ladies have turned into amazing friends.

Skyler is in the first row, the last fast you can see.

Basic Training graduation took place the weekend of February 25, 26, and 27. The trip to San Antonio was an amazing time for our family. We were ecstatic to see Skyler and all that he had accomplished. I am sure some of you recall my excitement about that trip. It was also an opportunity to meet some of those lovely ladies from online and get to know them and their families a little better. Kathleen Giebler and Heather Parsons, you are both amazing women, and true friends in my heart! Congrats to all the families of the 322/164 who survived basic training. GO EAGLES!!

Our Family during graduation weekend; Caroline, Patrick, Austin, Myself, Skyler, and Win.

Fast forward another 3 months and Skyler was graduating again, this time from Tech School at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX. Another road trip our family anxiously anticipated and greatly enjoyed. While we were in Wichita Falls, we got to visit with another Airman from Skyler's Basic Training, was wonderful to see him, and catch up on what he has been doing since Basic.

Skyler and his Tech School class mates on the wing of their plane.

We were able to bring Skyler home, and he was here 14 days, During that time Caroline had a birthday, Patrick had a Band camp concert and we were able to spend time with my Mom and Poppa Jim.

On June 13 we put Skyler on an air plane headed to his very first duty station in North Carolina. We miss him like crazy. Today I just want to say, " Thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedoms, son. WE love you!"

Time Flies

2011-06-27T11:55:00.001-05:00

When you are having fun!

So much going on my week break turned into a month and a half. All sorts of good things to catch you guys up on, and those posts will come.

Arkansas Thunder Drum Corp is up and marching along. All the school wrap up is over and summer break is upon us!! Caroline's Birthday was celebrated in style with the Kicking Daisies and Allstar Weekend concert. Can't believe she is 10!

The BIGGEST news, Skyler was home from the Air Force for 14 days!! We loved having him here with us, and tried to pack in as much famaily time as possible. We celebrated Skyler's Birthday the night before he left for his new base, He is 19 now. WOW! We all miss him like crazy!

Kids with Skyler one the wing of a KC 135

I have still been doing my menus, just not getting them posted. MY BAD!!

Menu for June 26- July 2

Grilled Chicken, zucchini and squash, with wild rice
Mexican lasagna, Tomato and Avocado Salad with cilantro lime dressing
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans

Shrimp Fried Rice, salad with ginger dressing

Grilled Chicken Sausage Dogs, baked beans, and cole slaw

Grilled Tenderloin salad with blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette

I want to share the recipe for this super easy Tomato and Avocado Salad. All the flavors of Guacamole but you eat it with a fork. Our Farmers Market had AMAZING tomatoes this week. I love summer!

Tomato & Avacado Salad

3 nice fresh garden Tomatoes; cut into bite size pieces
2 good Avocado; cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup chopped Red Onion

Put into a glass bowl and chill while you make the dressing

Lime Cilantro Dressing

1 serrano pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put the pepper and garlic into a food processor and chop until finely ground. Add lime juice, honey, vinegar, salt, and cilanto; pulse a few times to blend. Turn on and slowly add olive oil to incorperate. Add to bowl and toss gently.

Hope you are enjoying your first week of summer. Stay cool and enjoy those memories made around the kitchen table.

Just Hang On.

2011-04-27T11:08:00.001-05:00

Tornadeos and a whirl wind of fund raising going on in my world this week.

Just leaving a quick little howdy and I will be back to myself next week.

Happy Spring!!!

Cut It Out!

2011-04-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

I love cookie cutters! I have close to 100 of them. Some were my Grandma's, some came from my Mom, others I have collected on trips. Some I see at the craft store and just can not resist.

Sea Turtle from Savannah, GA. ice cream cone, turkey, snowflake, Christmas trees, circles, hearts, snowmen, fish, dinosaurs and so much more to play with.

Growing up we did Christmas cookies, but I like making them at Halloween and Easter too.

Halloween/ Fall Cookie cutters- bat, moon, leaves, pumpkin, cat, apple, ghost & acorn

Easter/ Spring cookie cutters- bunnies, egg, carrot, duck, flowers, umbrella, & butterflies

I have tried several recipes over the years, looking for one that suites my taste. This is the one I am putting in my cookbook.

Cut-Out Cookies

12 TBSP of Butter (1 & 1/2 sticks) at room temp
1 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
3 c Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp of Salt

Preheat oven to 350*

Cream the butter and sugar together until super fluffy (5-7minutes.) Add the eggs and extracts and blend well. Add the dry ingredients and mix slowly, but make sure it all mixes well.

Make two discs of dough and put into fridge for at least one hour.

Working with one disc at a time, sprinkle surface with flour and roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out the shapes you want, and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 8 - 12 minutes, you want them to be just barely golden. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. Decorate with icing.

Cookie Icing

1 c Powdered Sugar
2 TBSP Water or Milk
Food coloring of your choice

Mix the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. It will be a little thick. Add a couple drops of food coloring to get the desired colors. If if gets to thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

When I reach 100 followers I will be doing a cookie cutter give away so spread the word!!

Knock Your Socks Off Cookies

2011-04-14T12:28:00.001-05:00

Like me, you maybe a little skeptical when you hear the name of these cookies. However, my family and I will all vouche for them. They were AMAZING!

I was doing my blog surf one day and ran across Cornmeal Lime Cookies over at Meet Me in the Kitchen, hosted by Mary.

I had everything we would need except the limes so off we went to get them.

(photo from wiki)

Cornmeal Lime Cookies

(Makes 26)

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest (about 4 limes)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup medium-coarse yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Lime Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Zest from one lime

Preheat oven to 350*. If you have a stand mixer I recommend using it, if not, they are still pretty simple. Cream together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until it is super light and fluffy. (With a hand mixer we went for 7 minutes.) Be sure to scrape down the sides a couple of times during this process. Add the zest and blend for 1 minute to release the oils. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium for about 2 minutes.

Add in the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda, and with your mixer on low speed slowly incorperate the dry ingredients. Mix for a couple of minutes until everything is well blended.

Drop dough onto cookie sheet, using about 1 & 1/2 TBSP per cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes until the bottom edges are just starting to brown. Remove to a rack for cooling.

Mix the Glaze ingredients and gently spread over the cooled cookies. These cookies will stay fresh upto 3 day in an airtight container (GOOD LUCK keepin your family out of them that long!!)

I hope you will all give them a try. Next time I plan to use orange in place of the lime, I would imagine lemon and grapefruit would be really good too.

Meatless Monday

2011-04-11T21:22:00.001-05:00

A while back my husband and I decided that we were giong to have a vegetarian night each week. I have searched and searched for filling, family friendly, meatless meals and now we are doing it on Mondays to make it easy to remember.

This weeks Meatless Monday was so tasty that I wanted to share it.

Pasta & Vegetable Toss

3 cups of fresh chopped vegetables (I used a zucchini, half an onion, 1 yellow bell pepper, broccoli, and cauliflower, the great thing is you can use what every your family likes)
2 TBSP Olive oil
1/4 tsp or less crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
7 oz whole wheat pasta; cooked
1 TBSP Lemon juice, you can add the zest if you like a little more lemon flavor
1/2 c parmesan cheese

Saute the vegetables in 1 TBSP of olive oil. Sprinkle in all seasonings & toss until tender. Add the noodles and remaining 1 TBSP of oil. Toss until noodles are coated with seasonings. Add lemon juice, zest, and cheese toss and serve.

That's What A Weekends For!

2011-04-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend was so sunny and beautiful. We enjoyed a ton family time, it was a BLAST. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing and the pollen was intense! Lunch was the first order of business Saturday and Chinese food is what we all wanted.

(Cell phone pictures never turn out good. Sorry!)

We visited our favorite junktique store and the used bookstore. The used bookstore provides hours of amusement for our family. We love going through all the books and finding new stuff to read. I enjoy buying a huge bag of books and spending less than 20 dollars.

Then we saw Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. It was hilarious. Good clean fun even the party scene didn't have anything inappropriate. I love the lesson of your brother will always be your friend.

(picture from FilmoFilia)

After the movie, the kids talked us into Monopoly, not just any Monopoly though. MY American Idol Monopoly, which allows you to pick anyone from season 1 through 5 and place them were you like on the board. We cracked open the box and set it up on the dining room table. Eight hours of family fun spread over two days with lots of laughs, crazy stories about past seasons, and good snacks. Two hours after eliminating Caroline and Win, Patrick and I finally called a tie and put it away.

(photo from USAopoly)

Our last adventure for the weekend was a new recipe. We made Cornmeal Lime Cookies. Found the recipe over at Meet Me in the Kitchen and they were fabulous! I will be back and share the recipe tomorrow.

We made 26 cookies and by the time we went to bed last night 10 were left. Yes, they are THAT GOOD!

How was your weekend? Are you soaking up as much family time as possible with the longer, sunnier days? Have a great week.

Birthdays

2011-04-05T10:40:00.000-05:00

Every family has different birthday traditions, and being the nosy person I am, I want to know all about them. I have lots of questions.

Is birthday breakfast part of your tradition?

In our family we always have banana chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and sausage. Started it for my sons second birthday and it just stuck. Think they look forward to each others birthdays for this reason alone.

Do you plan a party with all their friends or is it a small family affair?

Most of the time we do a party with all the friends. The great thing about my kids friends is they all come in pairs. Patrick's friends all have sisters who are Caroline's age. Makes things super easy for planning.

Do you let your children pick their birthday dinner?

We let them choose. We either go out as a family or I will cook their favorite at home.

If you have a big party do you also give lots of gifts?

We have the big party and give one or two small gifts. We do not want them to focus on what they are getting, instead we want them to focus on the time spent with people they love and having fun.

Your turn, tell me all about your birthday party style.

The Things We Do For Love

2011-04-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

I love music!

I really do.

However, I am tone deaf, I can not mark time, and I have never played a musical insturment, unless you count the radio.

My husband on the other hand is an old pro. He has played with several different Drum Corps (way before I was in the picture) and recently he has become involved with a new Corps. Arkansas Thunder is a baby Corps, just starting their first marching season. He is ecstatic!

I do have to admit it has been fun learning about the Corps, watching the rehearsals, and seeing him get in contact with old friends. If you have never heard of DCI or DCA do me a favor and visit their links, watch a few of the competiton videos. These shows totally blew me away.

So, that thing I am doing for love? Doing my very best to support him through this process, to learn all I can about it, and spread that knowledge to others who may have never been exposed to DCI or DCA. I wish him and his fellow Corps members an inspired and amazing inaugural season.

Around Our Table

2011-03-15T23:00:00.009-05:00

House renovations are moving right along. Wood floors, tile floors, front bath, and flower beds are all in progress. The downstairs bathroom and bedroom renovation is a slow painful process, but we are working there too. With all the activity dinner has to be quick and light enough for us to continue working when we are finished eating.

Monday- Vegetable Barley Soup, Grilled Cheese
Tuesday- Dinner out with the kids
Wednesday- Chicken Sausage Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries
Thursday- St Patrick's Day Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots
Friday- Omelets, toast, fruit salad
Saturday-Orange Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein (Austin's Birthday pick)

Any Spring projects going on around your house? What are your quick-easy-go-to meals when you are busy?

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies

2011-03-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Crispy, chewy, and full of flavor these oatmeal cookies are a family favorite. They are the perfect oatmeal cookie for dipping in milk.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

(24 cookies)

1/4 c shortening

1/4 c butter; softened

3/4 c white sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda, baking powder, and salt

3/4 c oats**

1/2 c coconut

1/2 c butterscotch chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream shortening, butter, and sugars in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients. Stir in oatmeal, coconut, and chips.
Form into 1 inch balls and lay on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes until the edges just start to brown. Let cool 2 minutes and remove to a cooling rack.

** I put 1/2 of the oats in my seasoning coffee grinder and pulse them a couple of times. I prefer the texture.**

A word of warning, these are dangerous. I am talking highly addictive!! Enjoy.

Party Like It's Mardi Gras

2011-03-08T10:53:00.002-06:00

Today is Mardi Gras, pull out the beads and stir up a big batch of Jambalaya then Party until you just can't party anymore.

No Party is complete with out a good drink. These were made famous by Pat O'Briens on Bourbon Street.

photo from flicker

Hurricanes

12 oz light rum
12 oz dark rum
10 oz orange juice
10 oz grenadine
10 oz lime juice
1/4 c super fine sugar

For Garnish:

1 orange or lime cut into slices
maraschino cherries

Mix all of the drink ingredients in a large pitcher and chill for a couple of hours. Serve over ice with pretty garnishes

Hope everyone has a wonderful Mardi Gras!

Beads, Masks, and Hurricanes... Oh MY!!

2011-03-07T12:16:00.001-06:00

Saturday was my Birthday. 33 this year! Hubby made sure it was a good time with Awesome food, family, and friends.

We celebrated Mardi Gras style.

Jambalaya, Shrimp Boil, Crusty French Bread, and Salad. The drink of choice.... Hurricanes of course. Made famous by Pat O'Brien's on Bourbon Street in N'Awlins.

Jambalaya and Salad.

Shrimp boil. So tasty. The pretty flowers are from Papa Jim.

We listened to Zydeco music, tossed beads, wore masks.

With Patrick and Caroline

My wonderful hubby, Win.

Even our pets got in on the fun.

Kimmy, Charlie, and Caroline

To top of the night, My Mom made a Lemon Raspberry Cake that tasted amazing!

Do you have a birthday that really sticks out as fun in your mind? This one will definitely make the memory books for me.

Food from the Road

2011-03-02T15:07:00.003-06:00

Any time we travel we try to find fun, different places to eat. Our trip to San Antonio for Skyler's Air Force Graduation was no exception. Before leaving, we did a lot of research. We had a list of places to try. Sad to say we did not make it to all of them.

Our first taste of Texas came Thursday morning at our hotel. Literally a taste of "Texas." The waffles were so good.

Waffle with Strawberries and whipped cream. YUM!

Friday was our first town pass and we headed to Big Lou's, home of the 42" pizza. It was mammoth. With 12 in our group we were able to polish it off.

Kathleen's hand (in the top center) lets you know just how big this pizza really was.

We stopped at Ben and Jerry's on the river walk for ice cream, and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe on the river walk too. Bill Miller's Bar B Que was also a huge hit. We fed the entire family Bar B Que with all the trimmings and peach cobbler for only $30.00.

Our last morning we visited Lulu's. They are known for their 3.5 lb cinnamon rolls and also a humongous Chicken Fried Steak. Several in our group tried the chicken fried steak and it was excellent. The cinnamon roll was yummy!

Skyler and Barry with 3.5 lbs of cinnamon goodness

Lulu's knows how to do cinnamon rolls.

It was all good. I do not think we had a bad meal the entire trip! Do you plan out fun places to eat on family trips? Tell me about a cool place you have visited. Who knows, maybe we will have a chance to stop there someday too.

Around Our Table

2011-03-01T11:25:00.001-06:00

After a week of travel and eating out I am so ready for home cooked meals. We are finally having some lovely Spring like days and the menu is starting to fill up with vegetables and fresh fruit.

Monday- Pizza
Tuesday- Teriyaki Mango Pork Bowl (recipe from Good Eating Magazine)
Wednesday- Baked Chicken, Squash & Zucchini, Sweet Potato
Thursday- Stuffed Bell Peppers and Salad
Friday- Stuffed French Toast, Pepper Bacon, Fruit Salad
Saturday- My Birthday, not sure what my husband has planned.

I will be back with photos and all the amazing food from San Antonio soon. Have a great week.

Looking Forward

2011-02-17T19:16:00.001-06:00

After 7 long weeks we are making our final plans for San Antonio. Skyler is one week shy of finishing basic training and we will be there to see him graduate. We have made lots of plans and spent a couple of weeks preparing for the trip.

We ordered a banner through a fantastic online service. http://www.buildasign.com/troops They give military families free banners. All we paid was shipping. They have several options to chose from, the wording, colors, and photos can all be customized. This is the sign we ended up going with.

proof from buildasign.com

We made shirts to wear to the Airman's run, we searched online for restaurants and found an awesome Thai place. The kids could not be more excited. If you know us, you know we all L-O-V-E Thai food. We also found a great Mexican place, can't go to San Antonio with out eating Mexican food. There is also a place called Lulu's Bakery that has a 3 lb cinnamon roll, think we might have to swing by there for a snack.

We plan to visit the Alamo, the River Walk, Tower of Americas, and the zoo. Of course we will spend a lot of time on the Air Force base too. I can not wait to share this with my kiddos. I have not been to San Antonio in years and I am so excited to be going back.

not my photograph

Have any of you visited San Antonio? Are there any places you think we should make sure to see? Have a wonderful week.

Not Your Momma's Chicken

2011-02-16T09:47:00.000-06:00

I hear so many people complain that chicken is boring. I have to disagree. Chicken is such a wide open palette for anything you want to do to it.

I love the combination of Chicken and Balsamic Vinegar and I have played around with it a lot. This is where I ended up.

Amazing Balsamic Chicken

(Serves 6)

Olive oil
6 chicken thighs ( you could use breasts if you prefer)
tarragon, salt, pepper
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 gloves garlic
1 can of tomatoes (petite diced, crushed, whatever texture you prefer)
2 -4 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar(depends on your taste)
Chicken broth
Cooked Basmati rice

Put the olive oil in a large skillet and get it HOT!! Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and tarragon and lay in skin side down. Cook 5 minutes and turn over. Cook another 5 minutes.

Remove from pan to a plate and add extra olive oil to skillet. Saute onions until tender and add garlic. Add tomatoes, vinegar and broth. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper and 1 tsp of tarragon. Bring to a boil and put chicken back in pan. Cover with a lid, reduce to simmer and let cook until chicken is done.

To serve scoop the rice into the middle of a large round plate. place chicken around the edge and pour sauce over the entire dish. Sinmple, elegant and full of flavor.

Love Songs

2011-02-12T15:33:00.000-06:00

I stumbeld across this idea in another blog and it brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful idea. With Valentine's Day just around the corner it made me think.....

What song would I dedicate to my loved ones?

For my wonderful husband this was the hands down choice. The first song we danced to at our wedding. So beautiful. I love you, Win.

Every time I hear this I smile.

Chinese New Year and 12

2011-02-08T11:09:00.004-06:00

I am not sure where the time has gone, but all the sudden I find myself the mother of a handsome, smart, sensitive 12 year old man child.

Patrick and Caroline with the cake.

His birthday this year fell on Chinese New year so that is the theme he wanted. It was a lot of fun to plan. The decorating was fun too. This table scape was so easy and colorful.

We set a low table up in the living room and let them all sit on pillows for dinner. The all had a blast learning to use their chopsticks. Patrick and Caroline tried to help with lessons, but we ended up giving forks to some.

All of the kids waiting on their Chinese dinner.

Patrick's favorite part, Sushi. This boy is nuts for it. We also served Japanese sodas to the kids(pictured below.) The were a lot of fun. The top of the bottle is sealed with a marble and it comes with a cap that helps you push the marble into the bottle. So cool!

Each box contained chopsticks, Chinese yoyo, Chinese candy, finger locks, and a fortune cookie.

This is Patrick with his boys. Some of them have been friends since second grade! I still can not believe these kids are 12 & 13. Amazing how the time just flies by.

Ben, Austin, Mike, Patrick, and Drew

* Please excuse the messed up date in the bottom corner. My camera is on the fritz!*

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!

2011-02-05T09:02:00.000-06:00

In this house we love some

Hubby, Patrick, and Skyler are all fans of the Pittsburgh

Caroline and I root for

This year we will be heading to a party at our dear friends house. They too are a house divided between the Steeler's and Cowboy's.

When we were invited the hostess asked for Hubby's special Salsa. It is super simple, but we get a lot of requests for it so I decided to share the recipe here. This is by far Caroline's favorite salsa in the world!

Simple Salsa

2 medium tomatoes
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 serano pepper
handful of fresh cilantro; stems removed
1 can rotel
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1tsp salt
1 tbsp lime juice

Cut the tomoatoes and onion into quarters. Remove them stem and seed the pepper for a less hot batch. Remove the skin from the garlic and lightly chop. Put everything into a food processor and let pulse until it is a consistancy you like. Serve with tortilla chips or any mexican food. SO tasty and fresh.

I guess all I can say is GO

Oh Sunny DAY!

2011-02-04T10:15:00.001-06:00

After a really nasty week of coughing, and sneezing, and sleeping, I finally feel like a human being again! Thank you to all who sent emails checking on me.

The weekend was beautiful. We went out to the farm on Saturday morning. The kids jumped hay bales. We stomped around in the sunshine, sat by the pond, and dug crystals.

Patrick, Caroline, Kimmy and Austin at the Farm. This is the end of the old barn that I would love to turn into a home for our family. Win thinks I am crazy, but I think he also sees the appeal. Guess time will tell.

Hay bales are F-U-N!!!! The kids spent more than 30 minutes jumping around then begged to go back after we walked out to the ponds. I never knew they would love something so simple so much!

I swear Caroline has no fear, she is the first to try anything! She was all for jumping from row to row. Austin caught on pretty quick and Patrick and Kimmy were the last to give it a go.

We so enjoyed our day in the sun!! After the farm we went to the park, then had a driveway party with the neighbors.

Oh SUNNY DAYS, how I love thee!!

*as I post this we have 3 inches of snow and more coming down, how wonderful is that?*

For the Love of Spring

2011-02-02T20:37:00.000-06:00

Today my Spring Pier One catalogue arrived. So a few of my favorite items must be shared.

I have been eyeing this chair for a while. Every time I show it to hubby, he softens just a little. One of these days love, you will be mine. Actually, I am hoping two of you will be mine.

This lamp is gorgeous. No other way to put it, I have the spot already picked out.

All three of my favorite colors, and it is milk glass, who could ask for more? Not me!

I love Pier One, I love Spring. Color me happy! Happy to Serve dinner off of these every day.I think I would like a solid color salad plate, maybe a golden yellow.

Speaking of colors, my design colors are every where this spring. Last year in April, when I started decorating this house I used turquoise, apple green, and orange. I am seeing them every, every, everywhere this Spring. So happy!

Weekly Menu

2011-02-02T15:11:00.000-06:00

This week the menu is simple. It is a transition time in my meal planning process. I am trying to work in as many healthy items as I can. I am trying to cut out over processed foods and do even more from scratch cooking.

Sunday-grilled pork chops, steamed broccoli, and simple pasta
Monday- white bean Florentine with focaccai
Tuesday-grilled chicken sausage on buns with root vegetable chips and fruit
Wednesday-vegetable quesadillas, salad
Thursday- omelets, biscuits, fruit
Friday- turkey and black bean chili
Saturday- Patrick's Chinese New Year Birthday party-- Chinese food.

It is also a transition in my blog process. I want my blog to be more than just simple menus and recipes. When I started it was suppose to be everything family. I have let it slip and I will get it back on track.
Hope everyone has a wonderful week around the dinner table.

6 Weeks of Fitness

2011-01-11T13:21:00.000-06:00

Like most people, I made a New Year’s promise to myself that I would get healthier this year. My friend Melissa and I have been talking about getting in shape for a while now so we took the plunge this week. We joined a 6 week fitness challenge. We were placed in small groups for accountability. We have group challenges, daily points sheets, calorie counting, weekly diet restrictions, and group exercise. Yesterday was the first day.

I am looking forward to completing this program because it is not a diet. It is not about taking away food, instead it focuses on making smart food choices, being physically active, and overall taking care of my body. They recommend healthy eating 90% of the time and indulging 10%. I do not plan to drastically change my menus, just cut back on my portion, and add more vegetables and fruit. I will not be baking as much until I am able to find healthier options.

• Monday- Clam Chowder
• Tuesday- Pork Chop, Wild Rice Blend, Salad with light dressing
• Wednesday-Vegetable Scramble, Bacon, fruit salad
• Thursday-Grilled Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
• Friday- Homemade Pizza and Salad with light dressing
• Saturday- Chicken & Black Bean Soup

The food plan they went over with us should include breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner along with 64 oz of water. My first day went pretty smooth.

• Breakfast- whole wheat toast, 1 tsp honey, apple, water
• Snack- yogurt
• Lunch- 1/2 c whole wheat pasta, 1/2 c broccoli, 1 Roma tomato chopped, 1 green onion, 1 oz cheese, and 2 TBSP Italian dressing
• Snack- banana & 2 Tbsp Peanut butter
• Dinner- Clam chowder

I did get all my water in yesterday. I will be putting up a before and after picture at the end of the challenge. If you have any questions or would like a copy of the points sheet and information, just drop me a line.
Did you make a "get healthy" New Years resolution? How is it going so far?

A Party Fit for Kids

2010-12-30T23:44:00.001-06:00

Our New Year's Eve party will be extremely kid friendly. We picked easy, fun, finger foods with a Mexican theme. A bubbly drink and ice cream sundae bar will round out the food.

Nacho Dip with chips- refried beans mixed with taco seasoning in a pretty pan, cover with cheese, cook until hot, add lettuce, tomato, and olives, we put jalapenos in a bowl on the side for those who like them.
Empanadas- a simple meat and cheese fried pie.
Chicken Quesadillas- we put out large bowls of sour cream and salsa for dipping.
Beef taquitos- we purchase these and cook them in the oven

We will be serving a fruity non alcoholic punch for the kids, wine and beer for the adults and then champagne at midnight.

Strawberry Fizz contains 20 oz of frozen strawberries, 12 oz of frozen lemonade concentrate, 1 can of strawberry nectar and 1 liter of ginger ale. Mix the strawberries, lemonade, and nectar in the blender. Put in the freezer and chill about three hours. Mix with the ginger ale at the last minute, serve in a pretty glass with strawberry garnish.

After dinner there will be board games, lots of great music, and waiting for the ball to drop.

Hope you and your family enjoy welcoming the New Year together. Will you be going out or staying in? Do you stay up and watch the ball drop? Happy New Year and all the best for 2011 to you and your family.

Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo

2010-12-22T10:23:00.000-06:00

I had never tasted real gumbo until I was in New Orleans about 12 years ago. It was love at first bite. Once home I started searching for a recipe and ended up blending several of them to achieve the taste I enjoy. The family loves it too. It looks like a lot of steps, but do not let it scare you off. It really is simple. So here it is, my recipe for Gumbo.

Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo

6 TBSP Butter
1/3 c Flour

In a large stock pot over medium heat melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over and whisk until the combination turns dark reddish brown. It should be about the color of a penny and will take 3-5 minutes.

1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne

Add to the roux and stir until the vegetable are soft, 5-7 minutes.

1 can (28) oz tomatoes ( I have used crushed, petite diced, or diced depending on what I had in the pantry at that time.)
3 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1 pound smoked sausage
1 lb of shrimp (If you do not eat shrimp, you could easily substitute cooked chicken here.)
2 cups of frozen okra
8 cups of cooked rice

Add tomatoes and broth to the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil and add the sausage. Reduce heat and let simmer about 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and the okra and cook 4-6 minutes. Serve over the rice with a good crunchy French Bread.

Around the Table

2010-12-20T11:43:00.002-06:00

Our oldest, Skyler, leaves for Air Force basic training on Monday the 27th so this week is full of his favorites along with the holiday meals. We will be doing an Italian Christmas Eve dinner for a change of pace this year.

Sunday-Chicken & Rice, Green Beans, Glazed Carrots
Monday-Shepard's Pie with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Salad
Tuesday-Gumbo, Crunchy French Bread
Wednesday-Tacos, Yellow Rice, Salad
Thursday-Stuffed French Toast Strata, Bacon, Fruit Salad
Friday- Christmas Eve-Italian White Bean & Sausage Soup, Bruschetta, Spiced Olives, Olive Oil Cranberry & Orange Cake
Saturday-Christmas at My Mom and Papa Jim's
Sunday- Christmas Dinner

What is your Food tradition for Christmas Eve?

Hot Chocolate Eggnog

2010-12-17T19:47:00.000-06:00

With all the special holiday food recipes floating about I wanted to share a holiday drink recipe. If you are not an eggnog fan, please don't let that scare you away. When mixed with the hot chocolate it retains its creaminess, but is not so thick.

Hot Chocolate Eggnog

2 scoops hot cocoa powder
4 oz hot water
4 oz warm eggnog

Stir all ingredients in your mug and enjoy. The best of both worlds.

Sweet, Salty, Simple Holiday Treat

2010-12-14T13:14:00.001-06:00

This is my favorite holiday treat hands down. It fills my craving for sweet and salty in two or three little bites. It is also one of the easiest to make. However, it gets a little messy!

Not my photograph.

Peanut Butter Snack Crackers

White Almond Bark or Dipping Chocolate

Red and/ or green sugar

Melt the almond bark in the microwave according to the package directions. Dip the crackers and shake of excess chocolate. Lay on wax paper to set. Smooth top with your finger to cover the whole left from holding it. Sprinkle with red and/or green sugar.

So easy, so tasty. Ready to consume about 5 minutes after you sprinkle.

Spiced Pretzels

2010-12-13T21:32:00.003-06:00

A family, (and Friend) favorite for several years now, this simple and savory treat is a nice change from the holiday sweet overload.

Seasoned Pretzels

6 cups of pretzel sticks or twists
1 tsp dill*
3 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (optional)
1 tbsp worstershire sauce
1 pack of Ranch Dip mix
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c melted butter

Mix everything but the pretzels in a large bowl. Add pretzels and toss lightly. Bake at 250* for 60 minutes tossing every 15 minutes. Let cool.

* I use a freeze dried dill by Litehouse that can be purchased in the produce section.*

Holiday Rush!

2010-12-12T20:46:00.000-06:00

These past few weeks have been a blur of Christmas decorations,

Birthday Party,

Gift buying,

and baking.

I am a total cheater when it comes to making these cookies. I buy the Peanut Butter Cookie Mix instead of mixing a batch myself. The kids love these.

12 days until the big day is upon us. Are you ready?

*None of the photos are mine! I was just to tired to upload and mess with it tonight.*

Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-23T15:01:00.002-06:00

I think of all the holidays we celebrate, THANKSGIVING is a top contender for my favorite. I love the family time. The cool fall air, Dallas Cowboys football, and of course the extravagant meal. My family has a neat little tradition that started when I was about 15. My parents decided to move us to Arkansas the winter I was 13 but Mom still wanted to host some family holidays. We lived in the country with no hotels close by and home would not hold our extended family, so my parents got creative.

GO BOYS!!!!

We lived down the road from a Methodist youth camp. That year we rented the lodge and most of the family (about 30 people) camped, cooked, and lived as a family unit for 3 wonderful days. Roaring camp fires, huge family meals, football on the radio ( NO TV!). Traditional Thanksgiving feast. Card games, board games, made up plays, hiking in the woods, shopping and a trip to the movies on Friday.

Some of the Cousins at the last camp out in 2004.
(BR: Christina, Nick, Georgia, Brian)
(MR: Julia, Megan, Cassidy, Me, Katelyn)
(Patrick and Caroline in laps.)

We did this every other year for several years. The last time we did Caroline was 3, she is 9 now. This year we are doing it again!! Some of the family can't be there and they will be missed. New members of the family will be experiencing it for the first time. I am looking forward to sharing this tradition with the kids now that they are older.

Caroline at the last Thanksgiving camp out.

I digress. The Feast this year is a blend of old traditional dishes and new favorites.

Mom's Roasted Turkey with Cornbread dressing
Smoked Turkey
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts in Sage Butter
Spinach Salad
Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Casserole
Dinner Rolls
Relish tray/ Deviled Eggs
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Fruit Salad
Pumpkin pie
Pecan Pie

I think we will all be stuffed! What one item do you just have to eat at your Thanksgiving feast? I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Feasting All Week

2010-11-22T12:21:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving week! I am so glad it is finally here. The menu this week is hectic because life this week is hectic. Our family will be at Camp Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I am really looking forward to restarting this tradition.We will be making huge meals to feed approximately twenty people. The meals need to be simple and appeal to all age groups.

Grilled Chicken, New Potatoes, Steamed Vegetables, and Salad
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Veggie Burgers, Chips, Fruit
Southwest Chicken Soup, Mexican Cornbread
Turkey and all the trimings. My family does it somewhat potluck style so we always have wonderful food.
Chili and fixins

What is your favortie dish at Thanksgiving? I love the homemade cranberry sauce. The recipe is super simple. I will never do canned again.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

(Make the day ahead and let chill.)

4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, diced
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 small lemon; slice into thin rings. Remove all seeds.
1 c sugar
1/2 c water
3/4 c dried cranberries

Mix first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, until the cranberries pop and the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the dried cranberries. Let this cool completely, put into a flat container and chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy your week around the family table!

Around the Dinner Table

2010-11-15T17:30:00.001-06:00

With all of the holiday prep starting to come together at my house this week, our menu is short and sweet. Warm, simple, filling dinners to keep us moving.

Meatloaf, Mac-N-Cheese, Peas & Corn (bumped from last weeks menu)
Pork Chops, Wild Rice, Edemame
Ham & Vegetable Breakfast Casserole
Beef Fried Rice and Salad with Ginger Dressing
Herb Crusted Flounder, New Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas
Pizza at a Birthday Party!
Italian Wedding Soup and Homemade Bread

Herb Crusted Flounder

(Serves 6)

6 pieces of Flounder or any mild white fish

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 egg whites and 2 tsp water, mixed

2 c panko bread crumbs, regular work in a pinch

2 TBSP garlic powder

1 TBSP Italian Seasoning Blend

Pat your fish dry. Sprinkle salt and pepper on fish. Mix panko crumbs with garlic and Italian seasoning. Dip fish in egg mix and then into bread crumb mix. Lay in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cook at 425* for about 20 minutes.

We boil new potatoes and add 1 TBSP butter, 1 TBSP olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley to them after we drain the water off. Use the back of a large metal spoon and slightly smash the potatoes so they can absorb the flavors.

Have a wonderful week around your dinner table.

Back to Life, Back to Reality...

2010-11-09T21:34:00.001-06:00

After a full week of traveling I find myself settling back into daily routines and looking forward to these up coming months and esp the holidays. Mom and I departed Arkansas last Sunday for a whirl wind trip of Savannah, Georgia and the surrounding areas.

Sunday we made it to Nashville, TN and enjoyed an evening along Broadway street. We had dinner at a magnificent little spot and then strolled up and down the road listening to all the live music. The lights, the music, the food, it was all intoxicating and I hope to return very soon to spend more than just one night.

Early Monday we departed our comfortable hotel beds and headed south. Along the way we stopped in Calhoun, Georgia for lunch at the Red Door Cafe. Mr. Marshall and his family were amazing, but the food was even better. Thirty-six enthusiastic thumbs up from our group! I called about an hour ahead of our arrival and they did an amazing job. While in Calhoun we visited the Art Gallery and were the first to view the holiday tree display. It was gorgeous. If ever I travel any where close to Calhoun again I will be stopping to visit.

Stop by the Red Door Cafe for amazing food and hospitality.

Savannah was breath taking. We spent three days exploring. The first day we were downtown, in the historic area. We shopped along the river and had lunch. I tried a Fried Green Tomato BLT with sweet potato fries. So tasty. Just imagine, or try, a BLT with two thick slices of fried green tomato. Then we toured beautiful historic homes. The trees were bigger than any I have ever seen personally and covered in hanging Spanish moss.

The second day was lovely St. Simon's Island. The beaches were pristine, we even saw a jelly fish on the beach. I had "she" crab soup at lunch and I am hooked!!

Our last day was spent in Beaufort, SC and on Hilton Head Island. While in Beaufort I found a wonderful little wine shop, Lowcountry Winery. They make and bottle everything on site with grapes and other fruit from South Carolina. For a mere $3 you can taste up to five of their wines.

So much good food. So much good SEA FOOD! I had crab, shrimp, flounder, more shrimp, more crab, and salmon cakes. I can't do the food justice with my words. I have to admit the best thing I put into my mouth on the trip was a Caramel Mocha Crunch Cake. The richness, the texture, the sheer amount I was served blew me away.

Caramel Mocha Crunch Cake!

I am enjoying the return to my daily routine, but I am anticipating my next trip to the Low Country area and all of its charms.

Out of all your vacations do you have one that sticks out for the amazing food? Where was it?

Around the Dinner Table This Week

2010-11-08T20:04:00.000-06:00

I am so Thankful to be home and cooking again. Don't get me wrong, vacation is wonderful but home is better. We had seafood every day of the trip and I never knew I could get my fill of shrimp, crab, flounder, salmon, and scallops but this past week I accomplished it. More on my beautiful week in Savannah, Georgia to come later. This weeks menu is full of cold weather favorites in our house.

Pork Roast, Sweet Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli
Bean Soup and Corn Muffins
Chicken Spaghetti, Green Beans, Garlic Bread
Cinnamon Swirl French Toast, Sausage, and Fruit
Tortellini Soup and Salad
Homemade Pizza for Pizza & Movie Night
Meatloaf, Peas & Corn, Mac-n-Cheese

We started making homemade pizza during our $100 a week challenge and we enjoyed it so much we made it a tradition. I was always intimidated by the prospect of making pizza dough. After doing it a couple of times I really enjoy it. You can use what ever toppings you prefer. We make two. The little kids like pepperoni and black olives and the big kids prefer a supreme version.

Simple Pizza Dough

(makes 2- 15 inch crusts)

(I did not take this photo. It just looks so good I had to use it.)

1 c warm water
2 pkgs yeast
2 TBSP oil
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
3 and 1/2 c flour (approximately)

Mix water, yeast, oil, and sugar together in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. Add flour and salt and stir together. Let rise about 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface and put into pizza pan or on a baking sheet.

We drizzle the crust with olive oil, then sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning over it before adding our sauce and toppings. When ready, we bake it at 425* for 25 minutes our until the cheese is perfectly gooey.

Do you and your family make homemade pizza? What is your favorite Pizza topping?

This Weeks Menu

2010-10-19T16:14:00.000-05:00

The crazy life of a Mom with two jobs and 5 kids to get here and there. Late this week, but here it is. Hope this week is flying by for you like it is for me.

Grilled chicken sausage dogs, chips, fruit
Carry out dinner
Loaded Vegetable Soup, homemade bread
Dirty Rice, salad, spiced peaches
Pork Roast, roasted root vegetables, steamed broccoli
Grandma Beth's Noodle Bake, green beans, garlic bread
Chili, corn muffins, caramel apples

I want to share my Grandma Beth's Noodle Bake recipe with y'all this week. Anytime we were at Grandma's house for a family night dinner this was what she served. I like to think it was because we all loved it so much. I still love it, because it is so rich and full of flavor. Please be sure to read through the recipe for all the ingredients. I gave it to you just like Grandma gave it to.

Grandma Beth's Noodle Bake

(serves 6) Heat oven to 350*

1 16 oz package of egg noodles; cooked and drained
1 lb ground beef
1 onion; chopped

Brown beef and onion together. Add:

1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp of sugar
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

Let this cook about ten minutes. Reduce the heat and add:

4 oz of cream cheese
4 oz sour cream

Do not let this boil. Heat through and mix with the noddles. Stir in two chopped green onions and pour into a greased casserole dish. Cover with sharp cheddar cheese and bake at 350* until bubbly. About 20 minutes.

This is a family favorite for 4 generations now. My kids eat it up and ask for more. I hope you and your kids have a wonderful, filling week around the table.

I wanted to link this up with the Tuesday Night Supper Club but the linky system seems to be having issues. However, I hope you will stop on over and see all the recipes that were shared this week.

This Week in Food 10/10 - 10/16

2010-10-10T22:47:00.000-05:00

This week is going to cool off again so we have several dishes to warm us up. Only one is vegetarian this week, and we have breakfast again.

Sunday--Win cooked!! -- Grilled pork chops, roasted potatoes, peas & corn
Monday--Nana's crazy Nachos(football night)
Tuesday--Vegetarian Pot Pie, baked apples
Wednesday--Chicken Florentine over rice, garlic bread
Thursday--Ham & Vegetable breakfast bake, salsa, fruit salad
Friday--Herb Crusted Tilapia, boiled new potatoes, steamed broccoli & carrots
Saturday--Sausage & bean soup, corn muffins

The Sausage and Bean Soup was my Mom's recipe. I changed it a bit since she shared it with me during my first year of marriage so very long ago. I am not big on pinto beans, and this is the only way I actually eat them.

Sausage & Bean Soup

2 lbs dry pinto beans
1 lb ground sausage
1 onion; chopped
2 potatoes; cubed
1 can petite diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 TBSP Garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Rinse, soak, and cook beans with all seasonings. When the beans have 45 minutes left to cook, brown the sausage and onion together. Add sausage mix, potatoes, and tomatoes to the beans. Finish cooking and serve with Corn Muffins, or your favorite corn bread recipe.

*side note* My family thinks I am totally crazy, but after I ladle the soup into my bowl I add about 2 tsps of ketchup. I like the creaminess and extra kick.

Are you a bean eater? Do you have a favorite? One that you don't really like? Hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful week around your dinner table.

Corn Muffin Goodness

2010-10-06T16:59:00.000-05:00

This weeks muffin is a savory corn muffin. We serve this with chili and soup at our house. The muffins are super moist and cake-like. For my Southern friends, you might want to up the sugar just a bit, as I do not like them super sweet.

Best Ever Corn Muffins (Makes 12)

1/2 c shortening
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c honey
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c cornmeal
2/3 c milk
1 can corn; drained

Preheat oven to 400*. In a large bowl cream the shortening, sugar, honey, and eggs. Sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the cornmeal and milk and mix well. Add the corn and stir gently. Pour into 12 muffin cups and bake 20 - 22 minutes.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-10-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

I think my husbands simple act of love and thoughtfulness tops the list this morning.

A little back story. I love hot tea. I drink a lot of it in the fall and winter. Somewhere in the move this past spring my "sippy cup" disappeared. I have been whining about it for a couple of weeks now and even looked at a few while in T.J. Maxx last week. Knowing that I planned on a long bus ride this morning and would be miserable with out said sippy cup, Hubby surprised me with not just one, but two new cups. They are both ADORABLE! Thank you Win!

Now to my list:

Fall- No surprise there
Time with good Friends
Hot Tea in an Adult sippy cup

These are just three of my favorite things. This morning I enjoyed all of them. My friend, Melissa, and I walked and talked in the beautiful, but chilly, fall air. I came home and made one of my favorite new finds. Spice Chai Latte in my new polka dot "Sippy Cup." Super simple. Magnificent taste.

Homemade Spice Chai Latte

2 Chai tea bags (STASH is my favorite brand, but Lipton also makes an awesome Chai tea bag.)
14 oz HOT water
Sugar to your taste
1-2 oz Coffemate Vanilla Caramel Creamer, depends on how milky you like your chai.

Steep your tea bags for 3-5 minutes. The longer you let them sit, the spicier your tea will be. Stir in sugar and creamer. You can cut this in half if you use a small coffee cup for your tea.

See, super simple. Now let's do a little price comparison. This 16 oz Latte at a chain coffee shop is about $4.

To make it at home and get 20 cups costs less than $10. I bought two boxes of tea bags and one huge container of creamer. Each box of tea was $2.54 and the creamer was about $3. That breaks down to about 40 cents per cup. What a huge mark up!

What is your favorite hot beverage for cold weather? Happy Tuesday!

This is linked to Tuesday Night Supper Club. If you haven't already, stop by and check out all the amazing recipes.

This Week in Food 10/3-10/9

2010-10-04T12:47:00.001-05:00

Another beautiful Fall week ahead. Football on Monday, Airshow on Saturday, and cool nights in between. We have two vegetarian nights, and one of them is also our breakfast night.

Three Bean Chili with Corn Muffins

Sunday-- Three Bean Chili & Cornbread Muffins
Monday-- Dinner out (football game out of town)
Tuesday-- Veggie Burritos and Salad
Wednesday--Spinach & Mushroom Omelets, Biscuits, and Fruit
Thursday--Italian Style Flounder, Sugar Snap Peas, and Cous Cous
Friday--Orange Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mien
Saturday-- Dinner at the Airshow on Little Rock Air Force Base.

Orange Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mien is one of the kids favorites. The prep work is a little time consuming, but the pay off is worth it. With 5 people to feed it is an inexpensive alternative to Chinese take out. This recipe has three separate steps. I will do my best to make it easy to follow, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Orange Chicken(Serves 6)

Step 1

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into bite size pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TBSP oil
1/2 c cornstarch
1/4 c flour

In a large bowl combine chicken, egg, salt, pepper and oil. Mix well. Mix cornstarch and flour, sprinkle over chicken and toss to coat. Cook pieces in oil at 375* for 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper bag to drain.

Orange Sauce

Step 2

1/4 c sugar
1/4 c rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 TBSP soy sauce (I use low sodium)
2 TBSP orange juice
Zest of one orange

Combine all ingredients and whisk until sugar is dissolved.

Stir-fry

Step 3

1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c chopped green onions
1/4 c water
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP sesame oil (or peanut or vegetable)

In a wok (or skillet) heat the oil and stir fry the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and onions. Add the sauce from step 2 and bring to a boil. Add cooked chicken and stir to cover. Combine the cornstarch and water until smooth; add to skillet and heat until thickened. Serve over rice. (Or, as in our case with Vegetable Lo Mien.)

Do you like Chinese food? Do you cook Ethnic foods at home? Enjoy your (lovely fall) week around the dinner table.

Our Favorite Pumpkin Muffins

2010-09-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Every Fall my husband and I buy sugar pumpkins, a lot of sugar pumpkins. We bring them home, scoop out the insides, chunk them up, steam them, mash them, and then separate them into freezer bags. Some have 1 cup, others have 2 cups. We use them for baking from September to January. Want to know the difference between sugar (or pie) pumpkins and the larger pumpkins people use to decorate? Click here.

One of the first treats we make with our pumpkin is muffins. Everyone loves muffins. These have been a family staple for several years now. Full of flavor, these have an amazing texture and color.

Pumpkin Harvest Muffins

Makes 12 large and 12 mini muffins

2 Eggs
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
1 c pumpkin
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 c white flour
3/4 c wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c dried cranberries
1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl mix the eggs and sugars. Add the pumpkin and oil and blend well. Sift the flours, soda, salt, and pumpkin spices into the pumpkin mix and stir until just moistened. Stir in the cranberries and nuts. Put in muffin cups and bake at 400* for 20-22 minutes.

What is your favorite muffin? Happy Fall Y'all!

Menu 9/27-10/3

2010-09-28T13:25:00.003-05:00

Warm... Cool... Warm... Cool. The weather can't make up it's mind, but I am so grateful for the cooler weather. Fall, as you probably have read by now, is my absolute favorite time of the year. Growing up in Texas we really didn't get to see much change. Since moving to Arkansas I am constantly amazed at the beauty of changing leaves. Fall also means football and soccer for the kids, which keeps us running all week between practice and games.

During the busy fall weeks we try to keep the menu simple but filling. Quick menus for nights that we have little time to do prep and cooking before we head off to the next activity.

Monday--Frito Chili Pie (football game night)
Tuesday--Hamburger Steak with grilled mushrooms & onions, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Wednesday--Breakfast-- Ham & Egg A Luxe with Honey & Lime Fruit Salad
Thursday--Hot Dog Roast, sliced veggies, and chips at the park
Friday--Baked Fish, Sugar Snaps with lemon & mint, and wild rice
Saturday--Football Jamboree all day- Crock pot Vegetable Soup with Grilled Provolone Cheese & Spinach Sandwiches
Sunday-- Vegetable Lasagna and garlic bread

Normally we try to have breakfast for dinner one night a week , and I try to include fruit salad. I find it is an easy, inexpensive option for us. We love fritatta, stuffed french toast, and any thing with biscuits is a hit. This weeks breakfast is my husbands favorite from the Bed & Breakfast.

Ham &Egg A Luxe (Serves 6)

6 English Muffins
Butter, melted (optional)
12 slices of your favorite ham
Shredded Cheese, or you can use sliced
6 eggs, we poach them but however you prefer
White Sauce (recipe follows)

Toast English muffins and lay on a cookie sheet. Smear a tiny amount of melted butter on each one. Lay a slice of ham on top and then add cheese. Broil under high heat until cheese is melted. Add white sauce and enjoy the goodness.

White Sauce

4 TBSP Butter
4 TBSP Flour
Milk and/ or Cream (I use a combination)
Paprika, Salt, & Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add flour and whisk until absorbed. Let cook a minute and slowly add 1 c of cream while whisking. Add milk until you have a thin sauce then add spices. Let simmer for 5 minutes or so, it will thicken as it cooks. Do not let this boil! Just before serving stir in cheese.

Does your family have breakfast for dinner? Do you have a favorite breakfast? Hope you have a fantastic fall week around your dinner table!

This Week in Food 9/19-9/25

2010-09-20T10:25:00.003-05:00

Indian Summer is here. We went from lovely weather to HOT again. It makes planning a menu a little harder for me. I am riding the fence between summer foods and fall foods. Camping is on our agenda for the weekend, so the Friday and Saturday Menus reflect that.

We tried chicken sausage dogs for the first time this week. We found them at Sam's and they are amazing. 5 different flavors to choose from. Our first pick was Spinach and Asagio Cheese. AMAZING!

Sunday--Pork Chops & Mediterranean Pasta Toss
Monday-- Chicken Sausage Dogs with Chips & Cantaloupe
Tuesday--Sweet & Spicy Meatballs Subs, Potato Wedges, Carrot & Cucumber w/ dip
Wednesday-- Pork loin, Sweet Potatoes & Apples, with Salad
Thursday--Stuffed Shells, Green beans, & Garlic Bread (vegetarian)
Friday-- Campfire Beef Noodle Bake & Salad.
Saturday-- Campfire Chicken & Veggie Packs with Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

Wanted to share the stuffed shells recipe this week. I was intimidated by this dish for a long time... then I made it. I was astonished how easy it was. The kids love the cheese and don't even mind the spinach this way. If you do not want the vegetarian variety you can easily add 1 lb of ground Italian sausage or ground beef that has been browned.

Stuffed Shells

1 box large shells
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thaw and drain
1 container ricotta cheese
1 container small curd cottage cheese
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 TBSP garlic powder, 2tsp Italian Seasoning
1 container of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Mix Spinach, ricotta, cottage cheese, and seasonings. Let the flavors blend while you boil the noodles. When the shells are al dente gently remove and fill with cheese mixture. In a 9x13 pan smooth a thin layer of sauce. Lay the shells in the pan. Drizzle the sauce over the top, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake at 400* for 20-30 minutes.

Anything new on your menu this week? Share it, please. Enjoy your time around the table.

This Week in Food 9/12-9/18

2010-09-15T12:09:00.002-05:00

It is getting darker earlier and earlier each day and the fall feeling has me pulling out cookbooks and recipe cards for inspiration this week. We are striving for one or two vegetarian meals each week and so far we have had some great food. The Chickpeas with Spinach over Basmati rice recipe was a huge hit.

Sunday--Ham, Pea and Noodle Frittata with toast
Monday-- Tacos, chips, guacamole and salsa
Tuesday--Fettuccini Verdura (Vegetable in Italian) and peach spice cake
Wednesday--Chinese Hot Pot Soup (Vegetarian)
Thursday-- Dinner out after soccer practice
Friday--Nana's Crazy Nachos
Saturday--Muffaletta, chips, fruit

Fettuccini Verdura is a recipe we have had many times It is so simple and tasty I want to share that recipe with y'all this week.

Fettuccini Verdura (Serves 6)

1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 TBSP Olive oil
1/2 c reserved pasta water
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tsp chicken bouillon or two cubes
2 c broccoli in bite size pieces
1 c sliced zucchini
1 c sliced yellow squash
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup carrot slivers
1 lb of fettuccini fully cooked
1/2 c Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large skillet saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add reserved water, all seasonings, and vegetables. Cook 5 - 7 minutes until vegetables are tender crisp. Toss with fettuccini and cheese.

Hope you and your family enjoy time around the table this week.

A Muffin A Day...

2010-09-08T13:04:00.003-05:00

Makes my children very happy. Sitting around the breakfast table the last weekend, I talked with my family about new things I could add to the blog that we all enjoy. My daughter stuffed a huge bite of muffin into her little mouth which prompted my son, Patrick, to ask if muffins would be a good topic.

Well, I don't know about y'all, but we love muffins. So here we go, the first of many muffin posts. Some will be healthy, some will be sinful, some will be breakfast oriented, some will be afternoon snack varieties. However, I promise they will ALL be taste tested and approved by this family.

Banana Crunch Muffins (makes 18)

Muffin Ingredients

1/2 c butter
1/2 c shortening
1 c sugar
2 c self rising flour
4 eggs
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c mashed ripe bananas

Topping Ingredients

3 TBSP brown Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP softened butter
4 TBSP rolled oats
1 TBSP flour

Preheat oven to 350*. Arrange muffin cups in pans and spray lightly. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and nutmeg in a large bowl and beat with mixer until smooth(2-3 minutes). Stir in the mashed bananas until well combined. Spoon the batter into the cups. Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over muffins, gently pat down. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove pans from oven and let cool 5 minutes, remove muffins from pan to finish cooling.

This Week in Food. 9/5-9/11

2010-09-06T23:46:00.008-05:00

This week will be lots of fun for my family. We started with Labor Day and we'll end it at the County Fair. We are moving slowly away from summer foods and into the fall flavors I love so much with this menu. Hearty dinners that warm you from the inside.

In the Fall we switch from Pizza & Movie Night to some kind of Football fair before the game. Chili Dogs, Burgers, Frito Chili Pie, Nana's Crazy Nachos. Something different that the kids enjoy just as much as our traditional Friday night routine.

Sunday-- Grilled Pork Chops, Corn on the cob, with Roasted Broccoli & Carrots (Last of the summer meals for a while.)
Monday-- Penne Vodka with Italian Sausage and Green Beans
Tuesday--Chick Peas and Spinach over Basmati rice with Flat Bread
Wednesday--Roasted Chicken with potatoes, carrots, onions, & mushrooms, Tossed Salad
Thursday--Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, crusty rolls, and Fruit Salad
Friday--Chili Dogs, Chips, Fruit
Saturday-- Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries before the fair. Candy Apples for dessert!

Again there are a couple of Vegetarian nights, they are going over pretty well with the entire family. I am enjoying the challenge to find new recipes and I want to share one of my favorite finds so far. Chickpeas and Spinach over Basmati Rice. I was not a fan of chick peas in any form except hummus but this recipe has changed my mind.

Chickpeas and Spinach (Serves 6)

3 tsp Olive Oil
1& 1/2 c yellow onion, chopped
3 tsp ground fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c water
6 TBSP tomato paste
6 c chopped spinach
3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drain and rinse
3 tsp lemon juice
3 c cooked rice, we used Basmati
lemon zest

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add onion, ginger and garlic cooking 3-5 minutes until soft. Add water and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates. Stir in spinach, chili powder, salt, red pepper flakes and chickpeas; cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes until the spinach wilts and everything is hot. Stir in lemon juice and serve over rice with zest as garnish. To round out the meal I purchased Indian Flat bread at my local supermarket in the deli department.

I hope you and your family enjoy many meals around the table this week. I am looking forward to ours.

The Last of Summer

2010-09-01T10:29:00.005-05:00

Our family, along with some great friends, and both family's dogs took a camping trip this weekend. The lake, the cool night breeze, the good food, were so relaxing. We enjoyed some time out on the boat letting everyone tube, played Guesstures, and did the traditional smore's. All in all a great weekend.

All the kids with Charlie (the dog) after we packed up to come home.

Austin, Patrick, Caroline, Alex, Skyler, Hannah, & Mike.

Beautiful Butterfly that Alex caught just before we left.

PJ & Win make dinner.

Our Menu for the trip was simple. Friday, when we all got there, we cooked hot dogs, had chips, watermelon and made smore's. For breakfast we had pancakes and bacon and PJ made some amazing hash browns. Lunches were sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies. The best meal for me was Saturday night. Steak, salad, and corn on the cob. We tossed our Steaks in a marinade around lunch time, let them sit all day. Then grilled them! So juicy and tender.

Balsamic Steak Marinade

3 TBSP Mrs. Dash Steak rub
1/4 c good balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Mix all in a large Ziploc and add steaks. Let sit at least 3 hours. This marinade made 6 yummy steaks.

Hope you are enjoying the last of the summer days. I am so looking forward to fall. The cooler days, pumpkin pie, football, wood smoke. It is my favorite time of year.

Menu 8/29-9/4

2010-08-30T11:11:00.005-05:00

I am off the $100 a week budget, but I still try to keep the meals reasonably priced. Our new approach this school year is at least one meal a week with no meat. We are not going to become total vegetarians, but we have been reading up on the health benefits of less meat. The difference is huge, especially in a kids diet. This week we have 2 meatless meals. Here is our menu. Quick and tasty is always my plan.

Sunday--Curried Chicken and Cabbage
Monday--Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas with Simple Salad
Tuesday--Sausage and Peppers Rustica, Green Beans
Wednesday--Pork Pot Stickers with Asian Slaw
Thursday--Pasta Crab Salad, Fruit
Friday--Veggie Lasagna, Salad, garlic Bread
Saturday-- Eat out or Order Pizza

I want to share the recipe for the Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas with Simple Salad because the entire dinner was ready in about 20 minutes. Can't beat that.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup of frozen corn or 1 can drained
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 TBSP of Cumin
8 tortillas
shredded cheese

Mix the beans, corn, salsa, and cumin. Lay out 1/2 the tortillas, divide the mix between them and cover with cheese. Top with tortillas. Lay on griddle to brown. Turn once. While they are browning, make your salad.

Simple Salad

Green leaf lettuce torn
1/2 c cilantro leaves
1 avocado
handful of cherry tomatoes split in half
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/4 cup Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In the bottom of your serving bowl mix the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add lettuce, cilantro, avocado and tomato. Toss to coat with dressing.

Back on Track

2010-08-24T14:26:00.012-05:00

Summer is officially over at my house. The kids are back in school and the fall routine is taking shape. Now I can get back to my blog and the relaxation it brings. Hope everyone has had an amazing summer, I can not wait to catch up with all of you.

Our summer was busy and scorching hot! We did out best to stay cool by visiting the library, participating in the kids bowl free program, doing art projects and working on the house. The kids enjoyed most of it, I think.

We also took a little mini vacation to Kansas to visit one of my Aunts. This was the first summer the kids got to stay with her all by themselves and they loved it. She took them to an amazing animal experience. We visited the Farmer's Market there, and took her to eat Thai food. Exploration Place, as always kept us in the cool and busy for an entire afternoon.

Caroline turned 9, Skyler turned 18, and Win turned 39. Three parties that were full of fun. Caroline had a spa party and we made homemade oatmeal face mask and did pedicures. We ate "spa food," lite smell good candles and listened to relaxing music. The girls were in heaven. Skyler and his buddies did an all night video game marathon. Super easy on me, just had to call the pizzas in. The kids all teased Win mercilessly for weeks before his. As a final jab they used an old wooden can and attached fiber pills, a hearing tube, and an air horn to it. We all had a good laugh, and now we have to come up with something REALLY good for the big 4-0 next year.

Caroline relaxing with her oatmeal face mask and chilled cucumber rings

Hannah, Caroline, and Rachel soaking their feet for pedicures.

Skyler, Patrick, and Caroline out for her Birthday dinner.

I plan to have a menu and recipe up this week, hope everyone has a blessed week!

Simple Summer Supper

2010-05-08T20:37:00.003-05:00

My family loves simple cool dinners when the weather starts warming up. One of our favorites is Pasta Salad. I have about 4 different variations. Last week I made the Italian version and wanted to share that recipe.

Italian Pasta Salad

16 oz tricolor rotini
8 oz chopped ham
3 green onions chopped
1 can black olives sliced
4 oz green Spanish olives
8 oz mozzarella or provolone cheese chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
2 Roma tomatoes chopped
broccoli chopped
1/2 cucumber seeded and chopped
3 carrots cut in coins
garlic powder, salt, pepper
1/2 bottle Wishbone Romano Basil dressing

Boil Pasta in salted water. Add all other ingredients and toss. Chill for a couple of hours. Serve with fruit and chocolate chip cookies for a simple summer supper.

Can I just take a minute to tell you how amazing this dressing is? I normally make my own, but when I need something quick and loaded with tons of flavors I always grab WishBone. This is one of our favorite flavors, but there are a lot of really great ones to choose from.

Hope everyone has an awesome Mother's Day.

Cinco De Mayo

2010-05-06T14:05:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Cinco De Mayo, but it was also my friend Melissa's Birthday. Last year we had a girls night out to celebrate and this year we went with our husbands and her kiddos. Hope everyone had a wonderful Cinco De Mayo.

Melissa and her Husband P.J.

The Mariachi band after singing Happy Birthday to Melissa

Dancers.

Cheers my Friend, to another year.

We are still in the moving process, so I do not have a real menu. I did make a simple Pasta Salad the other day. I will be back with that recipe tomorrow.

Curtains, and Tiles, and Pillows OH MY!

2010-04-27T20:41:00.005-05:00

Well, the moving is still going. We are packing boxes in the old house, while we measure floors and windows in the new house. Our new home has been empty for over a year and the elderly lady who lived there prior to that was not able to care for it so the carpet and vinyl flooring have to be replaced and we would really like to get it done before we start moving furniture in. We have decided to put wood floors in the living room, hall, dining room and entry. The kitchen and laundry room will be getting tile. As soon as I can get a few pictures I will post them.

The curtains that are there just are not me. As a matter of fact, anyone who really knows me will tell you how much I dislike curtains. The house we live in now only has them in two rooms. With the move we will be on a city block. Neighbors in front and behind will be able to see in so curtains are a must. I am leaning toward a bold black and white print to tie my apple green and seascape blue together. Now I realize this is a shower curtain, but this is kinda what I had in mind.

As for the pillow part. My living room furniture could use replacing, but since other things have to take priority, I have decided to give them a face life by simply replacing the pillows. I should have some pictures of before and after by next week. Until then, happy days and much love.

Moving Menu

2010-04-19T20:56:00.003-05:00

This weeks menu is a bit sparse. We are in the process of moving and we are packing up a lot of the dishes and things so sandwiches, salads, and Take Out are this weeks choices. I do not really have a recipe from this weeks menu to share, so I thought I would share the Hawaiian Lime Chicken recipe from last weeks menu.

Hawaiian Lime Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c lime juice
1/2 c pineapple juice
1/2 c tequila (you can use vinegar in place of the tequila)
1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
1 Serrano pepper minced
salt, pepper
fresh pineapple cut into spears, or rings from the cans

Marinate the chicken for two hours in a ziplock bag with all the ingredients except the pineapple. Put it onto the grill over medium heat until cooked through. Add the pineapple the last three minutes of cooking. I love it with baked sweet potatoes and a big salad.

The menu, if you can call it that, goes like this.

make your own sandwiches, chips, fruit
Buffalo Wild Wings all you can eat Wings night
Chef Salad, garlic bread
sandwiches, chips, fruit
Pizza while we clean the new place

That is honestly as far as I have made it this week. Sorry there is not much to inspire y'all. :( Hope you all have a wonderful week around your table.

Wonderful Wednesday

2010-04-14T12:09:00.008-05:00

It is a beautiful Wednesday! The sun is shining, the breeze is cool and I have some pictures to share. Our town is a huge tourist area and there are so many great places we enjoy visiting over and over. One of those places is the promenade in the Historic District. We went hiking there with all three kids about two weeks ago. I turned them each loose with my camera to take a few shots, then I took some shots of them. We learned all three kids have very different photography styles and I think they got some wonderful shots.

All three kids at the end of the hike. Skyler, Caroline, and Patrick.

Caroline enjoys a brief rest stop.

Patrick along the trail.

Caroline took this picture of some flowers along the way. She likes to take forever lining up her shot, then the likes to take atleast 3 more to make sure she got it right.

Patrick loved the way the water was flowing over the rocks. He is his Momma's child point, shoot, move on.

Skyler was all about the trees in bloom, he got some really great shots.

Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them together.

Menu Monday

2010-04-12T21:00:00.005-05:00

Spring has sprung and my Menus have become, lighter, quicker, and easier. When the sun is shining and the frogs are chirping the last two things I want to do are spend time in the kitchen, and heat up the house with the oven. This weeks menu reflects that. I am still trying my best to stick to a $100 budget. I would say that I have an 85% success rate.

Mexican Pasta Toss and Green Beans
Hawaiian Lime chicken, grilled pineapple, salad, New potatoes
Roasted Fish, Asparagus, brown rice
Omelets, toast, fruit salad
Roasted Vegetable Paella, crusty French bread
Chicken Salad, Croissant, Fruit

I want to share the recipe for Mexican Pasta Toss which is simple, tasty, and filling. It was a huge hit with my family.

Mexican Pasta Toss

1 lb ground beef
1 onion; chopped
1 Serrano pepper; diced
1 cup (or can) of black beans
1 cup (or can) of corn
1 cup of salsa
4 oz of cream cheese
12 oz of you favorite shaped noddles cooked
4 oz cheese
salt, pepper, garlic

In a skillet over medium high heat cook the onion in a bit of olive oil, add the beef and brown. Season with salt pepper and garlic. Turn the heat to low and add the Serrano pepper, beans, salsa, corn, and cream cheese. Simmer gently until warm all the way through. Toss with the noodles and cover with the cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Hope your family enjoys their time around the table this week.

April Fool's Day Antics.

2010-04-05T15:48:00.004-05:00

We have a teenage boy in the house, well two actually, and they were all about April Fools Day this year. We woke up to a house full of pranks. One was awesome, one was funny, one was lame! I will start with the weakest and work my way up. LOL It gives my faithful readers a bit of anticipation.

So the first, and lamest, prank consisted of the boys going through the entire first level of the house and turning any thing framed upside down. All the pictures, all the art, everything in a frame on a table or wall was upside down. Let me tell you, I was running late for school that morning and did not notice it, so my husband had the joy of correcting that mess. He played it off well though. When they came in from school and started asking about the pictures, he acted like he knew nothing about it. I honestly knew nothing about it so when they asked, I in all innocence said I had not fixed them. He later told me about the debacle.

I found the second prank slightly more amusing. Skyler took all of Caroline's Barbie dolls, stripped the clothes off, and tucked them into odd places in the house. One in the potted plant, one in the fridge door, there was even one in the oven. I think there were seven in all. After about the third find we made him go around, collect the rest of them and redress them. I took pictures of him redressing them, but since he begged so pretty I promised not to post any of those pictures. I do still have them for blackmailing purposes. :(

This last one is a doozy that some of you might enjoy trying next year. When it happened it was so unexpected that I laughed until my sides hurt. Let me give you a little back story before I tell you what he pulled off.

Every morning Win stumbles down stairs, barely awake, still in his PJs to start coffee. One the sink we have a separate sprayer. Skyler took packing tape, pushed the lever down, and wrapped it up. The minute Win flipped on the water to fill his coffee pot he got soaked!! His entire front was dripping. I have to give it to him, he got Win good. I laughed loud and long. Now, had it been me in Win's place I probably would not have found it so amusing, but what can I say?? It was funny.

Food Revolution...

2010-03-29T18:27:00.007-05:00

Jamie Oliver Style!

Okay, I am super excited!!! Like, dance out of my seat excited!! Two of my favorite things are now teamed up. Jamie Oliver, the AMAZING British Chef and a revolution against the "American diet". I put it in quotations because I know not every American eats like the people on his show, but it is the main stream idea of how Americans eat. His new show, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" is FANTASTIC.

I love the fact that he is bringing this to the American public, that he is willing to push and fight for a better way. He is standing up and saying, " They deserve better." The first two episodes had me laughing, crying, and outraged. I could not believe how resistant to change, healthy change the people on the show were. Those lunch ladies. Man OH Man, I could have strangled them with my bare hands. Seeing those kids eat pizza for breakfast with chocolate or strawberry milk made me want to yank them up and feed them a real breakfast. Then they had chicken nuggets for lunch. All that processed food! It makes me sad.

When did lunch ladies become nothing more than reheaters?I have pretty fond memories of good cooked lunches from my school days. Homemade yeast rolls, meatloaf, mashed potatoes that actually came from real potatoes, cinnamon rolls (they were always my favorite), chili. I could go on and one, but I think you see where I am going with this.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution comes on ABC Friday evening and Saturday afternoons. This is just a bit of what he has to say about it, "I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food! You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future." You can click on the link and go to website to learn more. There is also a petition there to sign. He plans to take it the President and First Lady when he has enough signatures. Wouldn't you love to help your kids receive the best food possible at school. Stop by and check it out.

Changing of the Seasons Menu Planning

2010-03-28T14:01:00.002-05:00

I am a huge seasonal cooker. I love warm comfort foods, soup, and chili in the Fall & Winter, tons of fresh vegetables and grilled meat in the spring and summer. Some menus make it through all four seasons, but not many. This week’s menu was the last time for some winter favorites and the first time we have seen some spring favorite since last year.

Meat Loaf, Mac-n-cheese, peas and corn
Pork Loin, fried okra, salad
Chicken Enchiladas, yellow rice, black beans, homemade chips and salsa
Salmon cakes, asparagus, cous cous
Black bean soft tacos, Spanish rice
Dinner out (this week was Spring Break, so instead of our regular pizza night we went out as a treat)
Chopped pork sandwiches, chips & fruit

We bought a nice large pork loin and used half for the sandwiches. I also cooked a 1 lb bag of dried black beans and used it in both recipes that called for them.
The Black Bean Soft Tacos are a staple in our family in the warm months. They are super easy and there are never any complaints when I say tacos for dinner. My recipe is pretty simple loaded with tasty spices.

Black Bean Soft Tacos

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup of frozen corn
1 cup of cooked black beans (you can use one can)
½ of an onion chopped
1 TBSP chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, salt, garlic, and paprika, ½ tsp pepper

Brown the onion, and meats in a skillet until cooked through, add the corn, beans and seasonings. Let simmer until the corn is done. We serve them in flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream and salsa. I make homemade Spanish rice to go with it. My neighbor, Maria, taught me when I was about 12.

Homemade Spanish Rice

2 TBSP Olive oil
½ an onion chopped
2 cups of white rice
1 can crushed or petite diced tomatoes
3 cups of water
2 tsp of cumin, salt, garlic, and ½ tsp of pepper

In a large skillet (that has a lid) drizzle the olive oil. Cook the onions until they are soft, add the rice and let it brown. Stir to avoid burning the grains. When they are lightly browned add the tomato and water. Stir gently and add seasoning. Reduce heat and cover. Let cook about 20 minutes until the rice is done.

Happy eating, from my kitchen to yours.

Brunch Pour Deux

2010-03-18T19:03:00.004-05:00

Pour Duex = for two. Sorry but I must use my high school French occasionally or I will totally forget it. This post is coming to you really late but I still want to share it. If you want an alternative to lunch out with friends, boy do I have just the thing. Invite a couple of friends over for brunch. Sitting at home in comfortable chairs, chatting with out a server hovering for you to leave, and the smell of fresh baked bread make this a very appealing change of scene.

A couple of weeks ago I did just that. When they accepted, I started planning. The menu was simple and tasty. One friend had to cancel at the last minute and though we missed her, my hubby was so happy to have her servings(in the front room, clear away from the "girl talk.")

We had Sausage and Potato Skewers, Fruit, and Orange Crunch Bread. The skewers were super simple. I used smoked sausage and sliced potatoes. After they were threaded I sprinkled them with a bit of fresh ground pepper & put them into the oven at 350* until the potatoes were soft (30- 40 minutes).

Hope you and your girlfriends can get together soon for a relaxing brunch and chat session.

Not Even $100

2010-03-12T16:05:00.006-06:00

This week I was able to keep my grocery budget really under control. I came in under $93. The menus were pretty simple and tasty.

Clean out the fridge night- We had a lot of company, my birthday and tons of weekend leftovers, everyone was happy
Spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread
Spanish Frittata, toast
Chicken Cacciatore, salad
Cuban Black Beans and Rice

The recipe I want to share is for the Black Beans and Rice. We just had this a couple of weeks ago, but it was requested again. Super easy, and super inexpensive.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

3 C cooked black beans( you can use 2 cans, but I just put them in the crock pot)
6 oz ham chopped up
1 Anaheim pepper, I remove the seeds because they are to spicy for us
1/2 red onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 tsp cumin
lime and cilantro garnish
2 cups rice, cooked

Saute the ham, garlic, onion and pepper in a skillet with a bit of olive oil. Add to cooked beans. Add vinegar, salt, pepper and cumin. Let simmer until warmed through. Serve over rice with a lime wedge and sprinkle of cilantro. The kids really love it.

Water Works

2010-03-04T13:04:00.004-06:00

What a week! We have a major water leak and I did not know it until our water bill arrived. We usually have a bill between $80 and $90 a month. This month it was over $230. I about cried. Instead I decided to see what needs to be done to correct the problem. So I called the water department.

The nice lady says she will send someone out today. I ask that they call before they come because our house is up a long drive and I can not see the meter to know if any one is there. I get a call, and head out down the drive. Meet "Bubba" the water guy. He says, "looks like a purty good leak seeins how that meter is moving so fast like." FAN-TAS-TIC!!

So we start walking up the line trying to find anything wet. Boy oh Boy do we find it. "Hubby will not be pleased to dig this up," I think to myself as "Bubba" tells me what the process is to get the leak fixed and have the bill reduced. Then he rolls out with the really good news. "Gotta have a bill from a "cert-o-fied plummer man" to be considered for a reduction. FAB-U-LOUS!

Now I really do want to cry. Guess I should start calling some plumbers. So ready for the end of this week.

Less Than $100 on Some Great Food

2010-03-03T13:35:00.004-06:00

This weeks menu was so fun. I tried a couple of new things again, both with pretty good reviews from the family. I am really enjoying digging for wholesome, inexpensive recipes. I have been really surprised to find so many cookbooks related to my personal challenge.

Tuna and Broccoli Bake. Super simple. Pretty tasty one dish meal. Egg noodles; cooked according to package directions, a can of tuna, a bag of broccoli, and homemade cheese sauce.
Mushroom and Provolone Burgers, Baked French Fries
Chicken Enchiladas, Black Beans, Yellow Rice
Sausage, Cabbage, Potatoes
Sloppy Joe's, Homemade Sweet Potato Chips
Chicken and Pasta Bowl

The Tuna and Broccoli Bake and the Chicken Enchiladas were both new recipes. Both were super easy and with the addition of a few spices tasted really good. I decided to share two recipes this week because both were so simple.

Homemade Sloppy Joe's

1.5 pounds ground beef, turkey, chicken, or what ever mix you prefer
1 c of pepper blend (Kroger sells a frozen blend of red, green, & yellow peppers and onion) I use it in a lot of recipes so I stock up on it.
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 can tomato soup
3 TBSP Ketchup
3 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Add olive oil to a hot skillet and saute the pepper blend. Remove from pan and brown the meat. Drain most of the juices from the meat and return the peppers to the pan. Add all of the other ingredients and bring to a simmer. Serve on toasted buns.

I found this Chicken Enchilada recipe in a book at my local library. My family loves Mexican food, and this was a huge hit.

Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

2 c cooked shredded chicken
1 c sliced mushrooms; sauteed(If your family does not like mushrooms leave them out. The recipe will make 10 enchiladas)
16 oz sour cream
1 c chicken stock
4 oz diced green chilies
salt, pepper, garlic, cumin
12 corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350*. In a sauce pan mix the sour cream, chicken stock, and chilies. Heat until tiny bubbles start to form, but do not let it boil. Remove 2 cups of the mixture and set it aside. Stir in the chicken and mushrooms.

Heat 12 corn tortillas to make them flexible. Add a heaping spoon of the chicken mix to each tortilla, roll it up, and lay it seam side down in a 9X13 pan. When all 12 are in the pan cover with the reserved sauce. I shredded a little sharp cheddar over the top and baked them in the oven for 20 minutes.

With my Birthday being this weekend, we will be skipping family Pizza and Movie Night and treating the whole family to dinner out. My pick! We do not eat out often, so with all the great restaurants in town I am having a hard time picking just one. Hope you have a blessed week around your kitchen table!

Back to the Good Stuff!

2010-02-23T09:57:00.006-06:00

First I must apologize for the randomness lately. I have had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life, and not much time to just sit and write, or take pictures. Alas, I am still working on the craft station in the kitchen, so I will keep that updated.

The Birthday Party was a huge hit. The Harry Potter theme was really fun to pull off. I think the kids favorite part was the "Potion Station." We bought flavored sodas, (pineapple, grape, strawberry, peach, lemon-lime, and orange) pulled the labels off and gave them appropriately wizardish names. (pineapple=liverwort, grape=newt's eye, strawberry=bat's blood, peach= weeping willow sap...you get the idea.)The Birthday Boy along with his sister came up with most the names, they did pretty good. The kids then got to mix their own drinks to go with their pizza. Some were adventurous and mixed a lot, others were cautious and only had two flavors.

The Gang's All Here!! Back Row: Ben, Drew, Alli, Michael

Front Row: Blake, Patrick, Caroline, Hannah

Potion Mixing Station. This was so inexpensive and fun.

They each made their own pizza, we played Harry Potter Scene IT, and had a Harry Potter scavenger hunt. Patrick received the last DVD for his birthday so when it was bed time we snuggled the boys into sleeping bags, put the movie in, and let them fall asleep watching it. They all took home a package of Bertie Bott's Beans and a couple of homemade chocolate frogs as party favors.

The girls had their own fun that included Tinker Bell and all things Fairy related.

Back on track I go. Menus... I promise I have still been planning, I have also done a good job of sticking pretty close to my $100 budget. This weeks menu had two new items on it, and I can not take credit for either of them. They actually came from Woman's Day magazine, both were instant family hits.

Chicken and Vegetable Curry(WD find), cous cous, and Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Meat loaf, Potatoey Goodness (the kids named this dish), Peas & Corn
Spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread
Black Beans and Rice (WD find)
Stuffed Omelets, Fruit Salad, Toast
Balsamic Chicken, Brown Rice, Salad

I want to share the Chicken and Vegetable Curry recipe but I want to start by saying, "Please do not be scared of curry, as I was for a long time." I have used it in four different recipes now, and the kids have truly enjoyed three of them. This recipe got rave reviews from the entire family. Turkey Curry Burgers are always a hit with them, and a traditional Chicken Curry and Rice Casserole was a hit too.

Chicken and Vegetable Curry

8 chicken thighs
1 gala apple
2 sweet potatoes
1 head of cauliflower
4 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp of curry
1 tbsp of parsley

Trim excess skin from chicken and put into the bottom of a jelly roll pan. Preheat oven to 450*, Slice the apple into 12 pieces, cut each potato into about 12 pieces, break the cauliflower up into bite size pieces and toss around the chicken. Sprinkle all with a bit of salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Evenly sprinkle the curry powder over the entire pan and roast for 15 minutes. Toss vegetables and cook another 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Just before serving sprinkle the entire pan with the parsley.

Awards?!?!?!

2010-02-16T12:28:00.005-06:00

I have been away for about a week doing some much needed family issue resolving, but I came back this morning to a beautiful and wonderful surprise. I have been given a Beautiful Blogger award. Not just one, but two of them as a matter of fact.

I would like to say a huge, "Thank YOU!" to Jenn at South of Sheridan and also to Morgan at Becoming Homegrown. Both of these ladies have inspired me to try and be a better blogger.

Instructions for the award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Paste the award on your blog

3. Link the person who nominated you for the award

4. Tell 7 interesting things about yourself

5. Nominate 7 bloggers or less

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominated.

Seven somewhat interesting things about me:

I have never really been into Sci Fi/Fantasy/Horror, but my step son introduced me to the Twilight books and now I can not seem to get enough of "Vampires!!"
I want goats and chickens! We moved to a rural area last spring. I have been trying to convince hubby that we now need a few little farm animals. I think I am making some progress.
I met my husband online. A lot of people still have an image in their heads of some weirdo behind a screen. In this case, they may have been right! :D J/K I love you, Win.
I read cookbooks. I will pick up a cookbook, curl up on the couch with hot chocolate and actually read the recipes. New cook books, old cook books, bring them all on!
I am a huge Simon Baker fan! He plays Patrick James on the Mentalist, but he has been in several different programs. I never miss an episode.
I am an IK girl! The women there totally rock. It feels like have 100 sisters out there all over the world caring for me. Weather I am super excited or totally down, I know the IK ladies have my back. I <3>
To me true friendship is a fading trend and if I had my way people would go back to being good friends. Caring about each other and showing it by actions. It is easy to say so and so is my friend, but when was the last time so and so knew by my actions that I was a true friend? I try to be a genuine good friend to those in my life.

Now for my awards: Click on the name of each blog to be connected to it! You ladies all do such a fantastic job. Thank you.

Sasha at Lemonade Makin' Mama was one of the very first blogs I stumbled across. I fell in love with her wit, story telling, and sense of humor. Like me she loves home projects and I am enjoying seeing her finish up different areas of her home. Her son's story is touching and she is a wonderful Mom to both her kids.
Heather at Acting Balanced. Heather's courage and strength raising a son with Autism is inspiring. Stop by and check out all of her blogs.
NaomiG is a cook book junkie like me. I love reading about "losting" with her family. Drop by Diaries of the Happy Sanitarium and visit her.
Mrs. Montoya who blogs at One Foot in Front of the Other is sweet and funny and her kids, and the stories she shares about them make me laugh and touch my heart.
The Robin's Nest by Robin Beck is so neat. She always has great ideas, and wonderful photos.
Jennifer at Goats in the Garden is my next pick. I am actually using her blog and the experiences she shares there to help me convince hubby that we really do need goats in our garden too!
I know there are so many more I should name, but since I only have one space left I would like to invite you to take a look at the list I follow and pick out a blog that sounds interesting to you. Thank you to all the ladies who have inspired me to be a better blogger.

Where does the time go?

2010-02-04T10:28:00.006-06:00

Wow, this past month has flown by. So busy with new projects, Patrick turning 11, and subbing at the middle school that I let my blog fall behind. Shame on me! Time to get it back on track.

My big new project is in my kitchen. I am taking some space beside the fridge to make a communication and craft center. It has two nice big drawers below the counter top and it had a cabinet with an open space for a microwave up top. The microwave found a new home and the shelf has been removed. The wall had a tile back splash which has been removed too. The joint compound went up to cover all the little divets and holes, and if the rain would stop, maybe it would finish drying. I will keep you all updated as to the progress I am making.

The area that will be turned into my craft and communication center before I started.

My Baby boy turned 11 yesterday! I can not believe it, I am officially the Mom of a tween. The boy amazes me. He is so smart, and caring. So loving and compassionate. My little boy is becoming a man. The party and hoooooooorah will take place this weekend so I will be back with pictures. We planned a Harry Potter Theme. I will be making a cake with the Griffindor symbol on it, maron and gold here I come. Games, including a treasure hunt and potion making station, will be played. Then a sleep over. Fun times!

My handsome boy!!

Try It, You Just Might Like It.

2010-01-22T12:23:00.007-06:00

Something off the beaten path for me today. I ran across a blog that has peaked my curiosity. A post card exchange.

Momma's Playground and several others are participating. As I understand it, the basic concept is exchanging postcards to help introduce our children to different parts of the country and our world. How fun is that? You send out post cards, others send them to you. What a concept. Some of the other participants are:

I can not wait to get started. I will be sending post cards from beautiful Hot Springs, Arkansas. If you would like to participate in this exchange please leave a response with your email so we can exchange addresses.

Another week. Another $100.

2010-01-21T11:33:00.000-06:00

I did pretty good this week. Spent just over $100, was over by less than $5. I had to restock a lot of staples this week since I am cooking at home more often. I also failed to have a meatless night this week, but will get back on track next week. My goal as always healthy, nutritious meals that my family will enjoy. Saturday Night is our Pizza and movie night, so this Menu runs from Sunday to Friday.

Sunday-Sloppy Joes, home fries

Monday- Italian Sausage and Potato Soup, 7 grain bread

Tuesday-Chicken Kabobs, brown rice, roasted mushroom, tomatoes, zucchini, green pepper, and red onion (roast 2 extra zucchini and 1/2 a red onion for Thursday)

Wednesday-Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, and steamed green beans, chocolate chip bread pudding

Thursday-Talapia, cous cous with roasted zucchini and red onion, sugar snap peas

Friday-Pork chops, roasted sweet potatoes, steamed cabbage and apples

The recipe I want to share today is Italian Sausage and potato soup. My entire family loves Olive Garden. However, feeding 5 people there can be a bit pricey so we do not do it often. My girlfriends also love the Olive Garden so occasionally I sneak off with one or two of them and do lunch there. On those rare occasions I order the soup and salad. The inspiration for this recipe came from their menu.

Italian Sausage and Potato Soup

4 slices of bacon, chop
1 lb of Italian Sausage, slice
1 large onion, chop
1 carrot, thinly slice
2 gloves garlic, minced
7 cups chicken broth
4 medium size baking potatoes, peel and chop
salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to your taste)
1 (15 oz) can white beans, rinse and drain (I use Great Northern)
2 cups chopped frozen spinach
1 can evaporated milk

In a soup pot saute the bacon and Italian Sausage in 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove the meat and saute the onion, carrots, and garlic until soft and the onions are lightly brown. Add the chicken broth, potatoes and seasoning. Let them cook for 20 - 25 minutes. Add the spinach, beans, milk and let come to a gentle simmer. Serve with a nice hearty bread.

I was not financially or otherwise compensated by Olive Garden to mention them in this blog.

Simply Scrumptious Lemon Cups

2010-01-19T22:44:00.002-06:00

"Light, fluffy, fresh, lemony, amazing, MORE!!" These were the comments from my family when I made my new favorite dessert.

I love lemon.

Even more I love simple, inexpensive desserts. I stumbled across this recipe while reading through a Christmas gift titled "New Southern Kitchen," by Damon Lee Fowler. To my great pleasure I already had all the ingredients I would need in the house. These individual little treats had a light, fluffy cake on top and a smooth rich pudding underneath. AMAZING.

Lillie's Little Lemon Puddings

2 Large Eggs
1Lemon
2 TBSP All Purpose Flour
1 c Sugar
Salt
1 c Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Position rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350*. Put on a a teakettle full of water to boil. Separate the yolks and keep the whites in a big glass or metal bowl. Lightly beat the yolks until they are smooth. Grate the zest from the lemon and then juice the lemon into the yolks and mix until smooth.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, and a small pinch of salt together. Gradually beat this into the yolk mixture until smooth, then slowly stir in the milk and vanilla.

3. Beat the egg whites with a whisk or electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add them to the batter. Set 6 - 6oz custard cups into a pan that has 2 inch sides. Pour the batter into the cups, then carefully pour the water around the cups until it is half way up the sides of the cups. Bake the puddings until they are lightly brown on top 30-35 minutes. Serve warm.

We add a light dusting of powdered sugar to the top. The kids have asked for these 3 times in the week since I made them. I think they may become a Sunday dinner staple in our house.

I Want That Cuteness

2010-01-17T14:22:00.002-06:00

A lot of the blogs I am following have nifty little signatures. I have asked around, looked around, played with it some, so I figured I would just ask. How do you get a great little personalized signature for your blog? I appreciate any and all help you girls can provide.

Jamie

$100 A Week is the Goal

2010-01-14T13:24:00.007-06:00

If you read my last blog you know I am trying to keep the food budget for a family of 5 + an extra teenager to under a hundred dollars a week. I want to let you all know that with coupons I probably could have done better, I am just not much of a coupon clipper. I am hoping to get started on that in June, but first things first. It has taken some stretching, but I think I did okay this week.

This weeks menu started on Sunday and runs through Friday. Saturday night is our family Pizza and Movie night. One of the teenagers works as a Pizza delivery boy and as a treat for the family brings home a couple pizzas each Saturday night. I do not count that in my budget.

Sunday: Fried Shrimp, salad with Asian ginger dressing, Lil' lemon delights
Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Peach and Apple Cobbler
Tuesday: Unstuffed Cabbage and Corn Bread
Wednesday: Tortellini Soup, Cheese Bread
Thursday: Sausage and Peppers Rustica, Steamed Green Beans, Garlic Bread
Friday:Spinach Frittata, biscuits, fruit salad

I bought the majority of the ingredients for these meals plus milk, bread, eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit and the basics for $97.84. I did not count into that total shampoo, napkins, pet food, or other non food items. I had some items in my pantry or fridge. I know I will have to purchase more milk and a few other items before the week is over.

Since it is Thursday, I will share tonight's recipes and costs with you.

Sausage and Peppers Rustica

3 Italian Sausages ; sliced diagonally ($1.50)
1- 12 oz bag of three pepper and onion blend (Kroger's $ 1.00)
1- 26 oz can of your family's favorite sauce ($1.00)
1- 16 oz box of Penne Rigate (1.00)
3 oz shredded cheese ($ .75)

Start water to boil noodles. Slice sausage and heat about 1 Tbsp of oil in a skillet. Saute sausage and add the pepper and onion blend. When the sausage is fully cooked add the sauce. Add 2 tsp of salt to warer and boil noodles.

I add garlic powder (2 tsp), crushed red pepper (1/2 tsp), and Italian Seasonings blend (1 Tbsp) to my sauce for extra flavor. When the noodles are tender drain and toss with the sauce. Put into a casserole dish and cover with cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Steamed Green Beans

1- 16 oz bag frozen green beans ($1.00)
2 tsp butter
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

I have a microwave steam basket from Tupperware that I love. Have had it for years, use it almost daily. Put the green beans in the top, 1/2 an inch of water in the bottom and steam for about 4 minutes. Toss them and cook again for 3-4 minutes depending on your microwave. Steamed vegetables hold on to the nutrients better than veggies cooked down in water. While they are cooking add thin slices of butter and seasonings to the bottom of a bowl. Pour hot green beans, no water, into the bowl and toss.

Garlic Bread

A hearty slice of french bread for each family member ($ .50)
a smear of butter
garlic, paprika, Italian seasonings.

I buy a large loaf or two of french bread from the bakery and keep it in the fridge. I use it all week for different meals. I pay $ .99 a loaf. Since the broiler is already on this is super simple, slather some butter on each slice, sprinkle with the seasoning and broil until your desired level of crispness is reached. Less than 5 minutes.

$6.75 plus butter and seasonings. Less than $8.00. Serves 6 a healthy, tasty, homemade meal.

Get it Together

2010-01-03T21:32:00.008-06:00

Now that the holiday fun is over, I want to get serious about blogging. I want to set goals for my blog and see if I can expand my followers. I want to get it on track to being the blog I imagined when I started.

The first thing will be sharing recipes. Simple, inexpensive meals for feeding a family on a budget. I am trying to get the grocery budget for my family to $100 a week. I want that to include healthy meals, snacks, and desserts occasionally. I want the majority of it to be made from scratch in my kitchen.

So with out further ado, the first recipe.

Fried Rice

2 cups brown rice; cooked
1 c frozen peas and carrots (we were out of peas and carrots so I used 1/2 c of peas and 1/2 c of corn)
1/2 lb chicken diced or shrimp
2 eggs; slightly beaten
1/4 c onion; finely chopped
2 Tbsp hot Chinese mustard
1/4 c + soy sauce
Peanut and Sesame oil for cooking (can use vegetable oil)

Cook your rice ahead of time according to the package directions. The last 10 minutes of the cook time stir in your frozen vegetables.

To a hot wok or on a hot griddle add 1 tsp of peanut oil and 1/2 tsp of sesame oil. Add meat that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and cook until done. Chicken will take 10 or more minutes, shrimp will take about 5 minutes total. Remove it and put on a plate. Add a little more oil and put the onions on. When they are about 1/2 done add the eggs. Let them cook and when they are almost done use a spatula to chop them up. Remove and add to plate with meat.

Wipe your cooking surface clean and then add 2 Tbsp of peanut oil and 1 Tbsp of sesame oil. Put your rice and veggie mix in and let it sit. The trick to this recipe is not over stirring. To much stirring causes it to be sticky. Toss it gently after a minute or two. When the rice is toasted, about 7 minutes, add your soy sauce, and hot mustard. Toss the rice again and add the meat, eggs, and onions to it until warm.

I sprinkled some chopped green onions over just to make it pretty. Tasty, quick, and inexpensive. Serves 4 with generous portions.

New Year, New Approach

2009-12-28T20:43:00.003-06:00

As the new year looms, I have decided to try a new approach to my daily life. I have always gone through phases, tried new things, but this time I need to figure out a way to center myself. Keep myself balanced in all the juggling I do. I have spent the last few days trying to figure out what might help bring that peace and balance to me. I have come up with a short list. I am putting it down here so I am accountable in some small way to others.

Getting fit. I am not going to attempt a major exercise overhaul. I already do yoga but I would like to learn more moves and get better at it. I also want to swim more.

Take 15 minutes a day to be quiet. To truly sit and open my mind and heart to what the world around me is offering. First thing in the morning, middle of the day, or just before bed I will sit and absorb the quiet.

Expand my hobbies. I would like to branch out and try new ingredients in my cooking. Learn more about different styles of cooking. Learn more about wine. Try new flavors and blends. Figure out exactly what it is I like in a wine. Attempt to plant more of my own herbs for cooking and making soap. Take more photographs, maybe even find a class to help better my skills. Do better with my blog. Figure out a nitch and try to stay inside it.

Get better with sticking to a budget. I am not talking crazy tightwad fanatic, I am talking make a budget and be reasonable.

Last, but probably most importantly, try to take it a little easier on the people around. Say "I Love You" more often. Be more generous with my hugs and kisses and praise.

These are the 5 things I hope to focus on in 2010. What are your goals and hopes for the New Year? What ever they are, I hope you have a beautiful and happy 2010!!

Winter Solstice

2009-12-22T09:54:00.007-06:00

December 21st is Winter Solstice. This year hubby and I dug through all the information we could find about it and decided to celebrate (mostly the nature and family time parts). It was so much fun! My family spent about an hour stomping around our property looking for mistletoe. We finally spotted some way up high in a tree. Hubby spent about 20 minutes throwing rocks and sticks to knock a piece down. He finally managed to knock a small piece down and we were all so happy. My HERO!!

After that we planned out our Winter Solstice Feast. The kids chose to do snack foods this year. Win and Caroline made some meatballs, I made pinwheels, and we had pigs in a blanket. We had a veggie tray, with olives of course. A fruit tray with the most amazing dip. We fried up some mushrooms and mozzarella sticks too. The kids love snack food night!

Fruit Dip

1 (8oz) package cream cheese softened

1 (6oz) container yogurt; we use raspberry but

strawberry works well too

1 (70z) jar marshmallow fluff

Mix together and serve with cut fruit. So simple so yummy!

We also spent some time out doors feeding all our little animal friends. We put out bird seed for the winged creatures and corn for the deers, squirrels, and raccoons. Not sure what the foxes will eat but I will look into that more before next year. Hannah, Alex and Caroline put bird food on the deck rails. (Hannah, Alex, and Michael are my friend Melissa's kiddos. They are so fun!)

Michael and Patrick covered the windowsills.

We spent the evening playing games as a family. What a fabulous start to the winter season. I think we may have a new tradition to add to our list.

Winter Favorite

2009-12-19T20:26:00.004-06:00

Seeing the Schwans man pull up my drive always makes me happy. When I saw him coming a couple of days after Thanksgiving it made me giddy!! I knew exactly what I wanted. Peppermint Ice Cream!! I love peppermint ice cream. I have tried every brand I can find, but I always go back to the Schwans brand. I like that it does not have crunchy bits like some brands, I like that it is so smooth.

I have finished off one 1/2 gallon and I am working on my second. It is just that good. I sometimes wish we could get it year round, but then I guess it would not be a winter favorite.
Tonight I am enjoying two favorites. Peppermint Ice Cream and Dallas Cowboys football. What more could a girl ask for a on a cold winter night? Well besides a cute hubby to snuggle up with. Make that 3 winter favorites I am enjoying this evening!

Do you like peppermint ice cream? Do you like ice cream in the winter? What is your favorite?

Throwback Thursday.

2009-12-10T08:47:00.001-06:00

My daughter Caroline is 8 and she loves Barbies. Every year for Christmas she puts the holiday Barbie on her list. I was looking through some of her Barbies last night. They are shiney and pretty up on their shelf. Again the year, the Barbie is on her list.

I was never a Barbie girl and did not have any holiday Barbies so I got curious and started looking for older Barbies. Some of them are pretty, some of them are just funny. I discovered the first year they did the Holiday Barbies was 1988. They released 4 Holiday Barbies that year. WOW! I was only 10, how did I miss that craze. So my Throwback Thursday is a Barbie from the 1988 collection. Were you a Barbie girl, did you collect the holiday Barbies?

Fantastic Fudge

2009-12-09T17:07:00.000-06:00

To me, fudge is a staple of the holidays. Today I made my first two batches. Now normally I use the one on the back of the marshmallow cream jar. This year I wanted to try something different, so I started looking. I came across a recipe that really piqued my interest. It is FANTASTIC! I like that it has less sugar than traditional fudge. Be sure you only use 5 oz of milk! The big can is TOO much.

FANTASTIC FUDGE

1/2 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
10 large marshmallows

Put the butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla into a bowl and set aside. I recommend a metal bowl as the first batch I did in a glass bowl set up really fast. Next mix the sugar, evaporated milk, and marshmallows in a large sauce pan. Put it over medium heat and stir until it boils. Reduce the temp and boil for 6 minutes stirring constantly. Pour the sugar mixture over the chocolate mixture and whip for about 2-3 minutes. Pour into a buttered 8X8 pan and let chill on the counter about 2 hours. The second batch we used peppermint extract and mixed in candy cane pieces. You could put nuts into the plain chocolate if you like.

This new recipe was a huge hit with my family! I hope your family enjoys it just as much.

Tropical Christmas Treat

2009-12-08T22:06:00.001-06:00

Another day of Christmas prep. Even though I feel YUCK! I knew I had to get some stuff done. So today I filled out Christmas cards, while sipping hot chocolate curled up in my blanket. I love sending a variety of cards, makes it feel more personable to me.

Then I spent a little time baking. Made some Tropical Banana bread, thought I would share the recipe, it came out fantastic!

The final product. Notice there are only 4 loaves, we already finished off the 5th! LOL

Hope y'all enjoy!

Merry Sitsmas!

2009-12-08T19:21:00.000-06:00

So here it is my very first attempt at making a Christmas card on the computer. After struggling for what seemed like forever, I looked at the clock and realized it had only been about an hour and a half. I know, to you pros that probably seems like a rediculously long time, but for a novice, I am pretty proud of myself.

I would not have even tried if not for the Merry SITSmas program on the new site I found today. I would highly recommend it to all the bloggers out there. Very informative, great give aways, and networking like you can only imagine. So Merry Christmas and Thank you to all the lovely people at "The Secret is in the Sauce."

Toddler Days.

2009-12-07T12:39:00.000-06:00

I have had two sweet little girls with me for the past two days. Madison and McKayla are my friends toddlers. Madison is 3, will be 4 on Valentine's Day. Mc Kayla will be 2 in May. Stephanie, my friend, had a new baby just before Thanksgiving. Right now baby Ellie, Mom, and Dad are at Children's hospital in Little rock trying to get baby Ellie healthy and home again. If you are the praying sort, please say a prayer for the Wall family.

This blog, however, is about Madison and McKayla. They are so full of life. Makes me miss having toddlers of my own. Then again other times, makes me glad my toddlers are big kids now. They are good girls, and we have had a lot of fun these last two days.

Their favorite breakfast is oatmeal. The love when I make it with cinnamon, apple pie spice and raisins. So this morning we hung out in jammies and had Oatmeal. McKayla looks thrilled to be having her picture taken so early in the morning. Can not say I really blame her.

After breakfast I got brave and decided to do a Christmas craft with them. OH MY! McKayla stuck her crayon directly in her mouth, while Madison seemed to get really excited. We got to use crayons, fun scissors, glue, glitter, rhinestones, cotton balls, and construction paper. SO Fun! Here is Madison working very hard on her Christmas card. McKayla, while not real impressed with crafting, did enjoy her lunch tremendously.

Now that it is nap time, the house is so quite. I am going to turn on some Christmas music and bake some Banana Bread. Have a beautiful day.

St. Nicholas Night

2009-12-06T18:49:00.001-06:00

No, I do not mean Christmas Eve. Tonight, December 6th is St. Nicholas Night. Children in Holland, England and Germany celebrate tonight to set the mood for a wonderful Holiday season. Since we have a nontraditional family, and 2 of my kids are with their Dad this weekend we will celebrate next weekend when they are here. (I just never pushed a concrete date into the kids minds.)

So what is St. Nicholas Night all about you ask?

Well... St. Nicholas was a Bishop in Asia Minor around 325 A.D. He was well loved for his generosity and compassion. He provided warm clothing, food, and even small bags of gold for those in need. Legend has it that St. Nicholas, comes down from heaven on his white horse on the the eve of his birthday to help children prepare their hearts for the coming of the Christ Child.

Before my children go to bed we put out a carrot for St. Nicholas' horse, and all of the old hats, mittens, and scarves we no longer use by the fire place. While the kids are sleeping St. Nicholas comes and collects all the things we left for him and in their place he leaves a new hat and gloves for each child. They also get a small bag of gold (chocolate coins.)

In the morning when they wake up we will have cinnamon rolls, and milk while we ohhh and ahhhh over the lovely new hats and mittens, and how amazing it is that St. Nicholas new just what colors to get to match the jackets they have. I will be back with pictures of all their fun when we celebrate.

Here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

Giving it a go!

2009-12-06T15:43:00.000-06:00

Well, this is my first blog, so welcome to you all! My focus for this blog is sharing a traditional way of raising an nontraditional family. I believe a lot of old fashioned family fun and time is very important. With both my husband and myself working, we came to the realization that creating family time had to be a priority.

Everything in moderation makes for a happy Mom and a happy family. In today's never ending rush, a lot of people forget to carve out time for those special family moments. What we pass on to our kids they will pass on to theirs. Making memories will help carry them on to being more than productive, it will encourage them to build strong family bonds with the people they are close to.

An important part of any family is time around the kitchen table. Time spent sharing meals lovingly prepared. Time spent talking and going over our day, playing cards, doing homework, working on crafts, all of these things, and so many more, happen around our kitchen table. I hope to provide some easy, inexpensive ways to help facilitate this for your family too.

One of my favorite book's is Mrs. Sharp's Traditions.I picked this fantastic book up on the clearance rack at a book store several years back for $3.97. I have used it for different occasions since then to the wonder and amazement of myself and family. I will share some of her ideas as we continue through this blog.

For now, welcome and enjoy!