Adapting to a New Home

So, I have been gone from this for close to 7 months.  Let's just leave the reason at life happens and you have to adjust and deal with it, or as I learned from my husband who was in the Marine Corps, improvise, overcome and adapt.

With that said, we have recently moved.  My home is sporting that 'moving truck threw up decor'.  I have been cooking with limited space and "gear", but between working all day as a desk jockey, kids sports practices and games, unpacking boxes, I am flat wore out.

I never realized how much stuff I had in my kitchen! This has got me to needing to find some creative ways to store what I have already and make decisions on what to donate. I am scouring the Internet for cheap or inexpensive solutions for storage (when I can). 

I have found some of the organizing information so far redundant upon themselves. Then there are those that just think anyone can run out and purchase pre-made organizers. Then the ones that think everyone is stupid.  I can also see someone can use some of the information if they have NEVER been in a kitchen before, however, most people who cook, know it is easier to have your most used dishes (aka everyday dishes) in easier reach than your special occasion dishes or to put all your plastic wrap, parchment paper, wax paper, Al foil, and zip top baggies in a location together.

So, my quest has begun in finding quality information that hasn't been regurgitated from one website to the other.  If anyone reading this has an idea, post it in the comments because seeing  things that say "Color Code  your Kitchen because it doubles as artwork" apparently has mega bucks to spend to completely re-do their kitchen to get their appliances and dishes all the same color just so that it will fall under the writer's broad definition of the term ORGANIZATION!

Friday Top Five From New York!

It's been a super long time since any of us have posted to the blog, each for our own reasons. I recently moved cross country to New York and boy is it cold here! -25 degrees here in North Country. So, to stay warm I'm returning with the FRIDAY TOP FIVE! These are 5 things food and/or kitchen related that I absolutely love. 

#5- Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss in Sweet Cream 

and Dunkin' Donuts Bakery Series Coffees

We have enjoyed moving to Upstate New York and one of the perks is the number of Dunkin' Donuts within a 5 mile radius. My favorite treat from there is a small coffee with blueberry, cream and sugar and an Old Fashioned Donut. At home I treat myself to a cup of the delicious Blueberry Muffin flavored coffee with a splash of Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss in Sweet Cream or enjoy a cup of Old Fashioned Donut.

#4-Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares - 

Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree and 

Dark Chocolate with Strawberry Filling 

If you ever have a craving for chocolate, nibble on one of these from Ghiradelli! The Sea Salt Soiree is like a sophisticated grown up version of Hershey's Bar with Almonds. The limited edition Dark Chocolate with Strawberry Filling is like chocolate covered strawberry wrapped up in a tiny little package. These are the perfect size when you just want a "little bit" of chocolate. 

#3- Le Creuset Butter Crock and Honey Pot

I picked up these beauties on clearance right after Christmas. I have throughly enjoyed my honey pot and dipper when I need to add a drop or two of honey to a cup of Lady Grey Tea. The butter crock so far has been a display piece. I'm terribly worried that my youngest will climb on the counter and begin eating the butter straight out of the crock or completely forget to change the water in ever few days. Simple enough for daily use, just place a stick of butter inside the bell and fill cold tap water in the crock up to the fill line on the inside.Then change the water every few days. I'm planning on using it on our table for holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas rather than a traditional butter dish. 

#2- Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day 

Liquid Hand Soap in Basil Scent

Now I had been a faithful consumer of the SoftSoap Kitchen Fresh Hands for many years. However, when you can't find a refill jug or feel like you're shelling out almost $3-$4 for an 8.5 fl. oz. every 2 weeks, you feel an urge to try something new. I picked Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day hand soap up on sale a few weeks ago and have fallen in love with it for the kitchen. I was first worried  that the basil scent would be over powering, but it's a pleasant smell and gentle on my hands. I'm looking forward to switching out all my cleaning products to Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products and begin spring cleaning. Check out Mrs. Meyer's website for deals on gift sets, laundry detergent and candles, plus they're offering free shipping on orders over $50 right now. 

#1- Family Dinner Box of Questions 

by Melissa & Doug

I picked this up on Amazon this fall to help with our dinner conversation rut. Rather than asking my 6 & 8 year olds "How was your day?", we have tons of fun answering these family appropriate questions and taking turns at the dinner table. I have learned so many things about my boys and it's something they enjoy. We ended up ordering up the Thanksgiving box of questions to use for the month of November. Check out melissaanddoug.com for more versions like Christmas, Slumber Party, Road Trip and more. 

Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

MMMMmmmm....bacon. 

Recently on Facebook there has been an influx of "share this so it saves it on your timeline" recipes. I shake my head and wonder why these people don't use Pinterest for this purpose, so you're not scrolling through 8 days worth of posts for one recipe. Well, I'm not gonna lie, I got snagged by one my dear friend Jill shared and then posted a picture of her dinner that night. 

There it was "Bacon Wrapped, Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts" and it looked delicious. 

The great thing about this particular recipe is you can change the number of servings, swap the plain cream cheese for a flavored one, stuff with spinach, the possibilities are endless. Tonight I used the Philadelphia brand  jalapeño cream cheese spread. Dinner was delicious and it didn't disappoint. I served up the chicken alongside some Alexis brand roasted red potatoes. Hope you all enjoy this simple and versatile recipe. 

Bacon Wrapped, Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons cream cheese

1 tablespoon green onion, Chopped

2 pieces bacon, Partially Cooked

Directions:

Pound out Chicken breast so it is about 1/4" thick.

Mix together cream cheese and green onions and spread cheese mixture over 1 side of chicken breast.

Roll chicken breast up to conceal cream cheese.

Wrap partially cooked bacon around chicken breast and secure with toothpick.

Place on baking sheet and back for about 30 minutes at 375.

Broil for about 5 minute to crisp bacon.

Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Reduction

Saw the peaches at the Farmer's Market yesterday morning and grilled peaches entered my brain.

Fried Squash

This is now tied as my super #1 favorite way to eat squash!  It is quite easy to make and is a nice accompaniment to the country ham, stewed potatoes, fried okra, fresh sliced tomatoes and biscuits that made tonight's dinner.

1. Chop squash into bite size pieces and place in a bowl.
2.  Pour buttermilk onto squash - just enough to cover it.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto squash.
4. Mix well.
5. Heat veggie oil to frying temperature.
6. In a Zip-Loc baggie, add white corn meal (2 cups or so to start)
7. Grab a handful of squash, letting the excess buttermilk drip through your fingers.
8. Drop squash into baggie. 
9. Using your dry hand, toss the squash until it is covered in cornmeal then shake off excess cornmeal.
10. Drop into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
11. Repeat with rest of squash.

My arm is tired of whisking, but that's some dang good mayo!!

Yesterday, I got a wild hair and decided to make my own mayonnaise. I had everything to make it too. You see, I had went to the local market earlier in the day and bought some produce. I love some fresh, local produce and I came home with these purple potatoes. I had envisioned turning them into  a purple potato salad to go with the pork spareribs I had cooking in the crock-pot. I decided to make JC's mayo before I started on the potatoes, which in turn was a very wise decision. I began with with the food processor recipe in the book. It didn't work. I tried to save my turned mayo with a teaspoon of dry mustard as Julia describes in her book. I pulled out half of my kitchen gadgets to help the save this unappealing liquid. I used my immersion blender, used a Pampered Chef hand crank food processor and regular blender. And just my luck, nothing worked. Defeat! I was ready to raise the white flag and accept the fact that I COULD NOT make homemade mayo. 

I don't give up very easily, so I began again. This time I pulled out a metal bowl and wire whisk. In hindsight, this is a heck of a lot easier to wash versus all the  gadgets thrown in the sink. I'm forewarning you that you will get an arm workout, but it's worth it. So, here I am whisking the heck out of this egg yolk and oil concoction and it thickens. It's turning into mayo! AND then, just as I am almost finished with the entire process, the power goes off. 

REALLY? Here I have a crockpot of ribs, that I still need to brush with BBQ sauce and put under the broiler, but I have no potatoes cooked for the potato salad or any other sides ready. I also have room temp mayo that needs to go in the fridge and a pile of mayonnaise failed equipment in the sink. ARGH. Did I mention that it's 104* outside?  But I have a nice jar of mayo that  I made myself.

Apparently the almost the entire military installation I live on, is without power. 6 out of 7 neighborhoods are without power, barracks are out, it's dinner time and all the soldiers are returning home from work. Great. I shove the mayo in the fridge and pray the power comes back on soon. An hour later, we're still without power and we take the dog to stay downstairs in the cooler part of the house with 2 large bowls of water. My husband & I load up the kids and off the local pizzeria we go. The hubby & I enjoy a couple of cold beers and some delicious NY inspired pizza with our boys while hoping the power has been restored. 

We arrive back home and we're 3 hours in with no power. It's still 90-some degrees outside and public works is trying to fix the problem. Let me say, I am so glad we have a sprinkler, because that's where the kids played until around 9:30 when the street lights came on. I was one happy lady. I go downstairs to wash the dishes and accidentally knock my food processor bowl onto the floor  and it cracks straight up the side. Sigh. Out to the garbage it goes with all of it's accessories and I go to bed, leaving a sink full of dirty dishes. 

I awoke early this morning to wash dishes and taste test my mayo. It really made me wish that I had made it earlier in my culinary adventures. It is awesome.  

Hot Ham & Cheese

For dinner tonight I chose to make Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches.  These sandwiches are always good but vary on the bread I purchase -sourdough to ciabatta (the ciabatta being my fave) as well as the mustard we put on them.   

If all my money lines up as well as a trip to Trader Joe's, the sandwich is made from Ciabatta, Gruyere and Black Forest Ham. (shown on the right) Today, I never made it to TJ's, so we had Sourdough, Swiss and Black Forest Ham.

My Mom asked me what else I put on them, and I told her we have experimented with different types and flavors of mustard but I was plan on using Dijon.  She asked if I had ever used the sauce that is used on one of our large family's favorites - Ham Delights.  I said no, so we gave it a shot.  We gave it a shot. Let me tell you...I may not make my Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches any other way again!!!

To accompany the sandwich, I made beer battered onion rings. I have used other beers in the past but this time, I chose Papst Blue Ribbon.  The onion rings above were made using Coors Banquet.  I do think that using different beers gives the onion rings different flavors. All goods but different flavor.

All in all our dinner was very filling but labor intensive.

Hello? Is Anybody There???

I have become quite slacken in my duties to document our food adventures.  Why?  Mostly because of my kids schedules, school letting out for the summer, spontaneous beach trip, transmission going out in my car, planned beach trip, having to move, clutch going out in my husbands car, needing a new tire on my car before it can be drove from having the transmission fixed and that has made me tired, irritable and frustrated beyond belief.  
Beginning today I vow to do better.  Once I make a run to Trader Joe's to grab a couple items for dinner tonight I will begin anew.

Cookbook Confession Time Again!

Yesterday, I added 2 more cookbooks to my collection. The International Cookbook from 1929 and The British Belles from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, from 1972.   Both are in outstanding shape, The International Cookbook is VERY good condition for being 84 years old. One of my favorite things about this cookbook, is that it was a gift to Mrs. H. Goodfriend from Miriam Posenblume on 6/2/30.
I haven't had a moment to go through them yet, but the day is still young!

An Unlikely Move for a Food Blogger...

So here’s an unlikely move that a food blogger takes- 

subscribing to an online menu planning service. 

eMeals.com

BUT, WHY??

Like most of you, I’m busy most days, guilty of the 5 o’clock stare down inside the fridge and just wanting to spend a little extra time with my family. This subscription was a gift to myself for my birthday. First, let me tell you how I stumbled upon it. I recently was looking around on the Dave Ramsey website for some information on how to proceed on the next step in Financial Peace University (FPU). I had my workbook from the class, somewhere downstairs and knew I could find the information online just as easy. My husband and I took the class last fall and it was life changing. Here we are a year later and are almost finished with step 2. It’s been interesting to say the least, but we’ve learned so much. 

I promise this is food related so bare with me. 

If you’ve ever heard or knew someone who’s followed Dave Ramsey, enrolled in his FPU class or even picked up one of his books, you might grow tired of the phrase,

“Well, Dave says”.

Well, Dave recommends eMeals.com. I found a link to eMeals on his website and was slightly interested in what eMeals was all about. Basically, meal planning made simple. You pick what menu plan suits you and your family best and then they email you a weekly menu and shopping list. Ingredients used in one meal are used in others, so no wasted money on random ingredients you may never cook with again. If you pair your menu plan with a grocery store listed, they customize it based on your local store’s sales ad with that week’s dinners. It actually saves you money and time. 

When my husband is home, I spend Sunday afternoons, pursuing cookbooks, food websites and magazines. I compile a list of meals for the week and make a grocery list. It takes HOURS of planning. But with my husband due home from deployment after the first of the year, I realized that cereal, corndogs and pb&j’s are no longer an option for nightly dinners. I know how precious our time is together as a family and rather than spend hours planning, why not let someone do it for me?

I searched the web for honest reviews of the program, followed them on Pinterest and liked their Facebook page. I wanted to know if this was right for our family. Other than endorsements from bloggers reviewing their service for compensation or a subscription giveaway, the reviews I had been searching for were few and far between. It was a hard decision to make, with little info from real people like me. So, hence my review. eMeals boasts 10 different meal plans to choose from, a lunch plan and there’s a new breakfast plan available. They have sample menus to look at and help you decide which plan suits your family. 

Gluten free, Paleo, Vegetarian, Low Fat, Low Carb, 

Classic Meals, Simple Gourmet, Portion Control, 

Natural & Organic and Clean Eating.

They’ve got everyone covered and you can change your meal plan monthly if you aren’t satisfied with the one you’re currently on. I went with my gut and took the plunge. I took part on their cyber Monday sale for 30% off all orders. I subscribed to a 6 month classic family meal plan and lunch plan for about $40.   All the shopping lists and menus are in pdf format and emailed to you weekly. Just print and go shopping, easy as that. 

So, I’ve officially been on the program for a week. I’ve made a few of the dinners and of course shared them on Instagram. 

Classic Family Dinner plan: So- Good Turkey Enchiladas and 

Family Favorite Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Peas

Lunch plan: Cheesy Bacon and Ranch Twists and Turkey & Cheese Roll-Ups

So far I’ve enjoyed this meal planning service. I’ve gone to the store with a list and left with everything I needed to prepare a weeks worth of lunches & dinners for my family. Now, my boys are picky and since for now it’s just the three of us, I decided the Classic family meal plan would work for us when I signed up for eMeals. I like how we can look at the week’s menu and cross off which one’s don’t fit our taste or if we have been invited over for dinner with friends. Here’s an important tip: be flexible. If your meat or food item expires on day 3, but it’s for meal 7, freeze it or cook it on day 3. I will say that  only problem I have encountered is that we have had a ton of leftovers on the family plan and they’re a little on the heavy side. My kids eat the equivalent of one serving together and my one serving and it leaves another 3-4 servings of leftovers. I hate to waste food and I feel like I’m freezing a ton of leftovers or end up throwing it away. I’ve decided to switch to a 2 person meal plan for clean eating next week and see how that goes. I hope for those of you that are busy, but love to cook, give this a try. 

I’m still having adventures in my kitchen, just a bit planned out now. 

*I have not received any compensation from eMeals.com for my honest review of their meal planning service. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Raspberry Tea Battle

Honestly, I REALLY don't know how much thanks and love I could pour my awesome sister's - Nikki -way.   

One of my MOST favorite drinks on the planet -just behind Cheerwine, is Raspberry Tea. Only I am super picky on the taste of the raspberry tea.  Longhorn Steakhouse had the best (until I made the recipe below). My Mom & other sister, Julie even laugh at me when I order it because they call me a "Raspberry Tea Snob". Which could be true since I order 1/2 sweet, 1/2 unsweet tea, 3 pumps of raspberry syrup and a lemon wedge. I have even told wait staff that the amount of their tip weighs heavily if they make it right or not.

So to feed my addition, she emails me a recipe for Raspberry Tea she found in a cookbook by Taste of Home which you can also find here on their website.  She titled the email "You'll Love Me Forever". Well, I will. I really will.  This raspberry tea is the BEST I have ever tasted. It is nice and tart. It does have to be made in advance as the flavor gets better the longer it sits.  We even tried the idea somone else had about making it into ice cubes because we experienced the 'watered down taste' normal ice cubes were giving it. Which the picture shows in the Bugs Bunny glass.  Even my kids agree that this is better than what we get from Longhorn. The only downside to the recipe is that the gallon plus amount it makes runs through our house in no time flat.  The only ingredient I have to go out & purchase is frozen raspberries when I want to make it.

Last week, I get another email with a Raspberry Tea Recipe from one of her friends, likes to drink.  The recipe is pretty simple and makes a gallon.  
Steep 4 regular tea bags (=2 family sized) & 4 Celestial Raspberry Zinger tea bags. In a gallon pitcher add 1 cup sugar & juice of 1 lemon. Mix in cooled down tea, then fill up pitcher with water and chill.  This recipe makes a very refreshing tea. It's not too tart nor too sweet and is nice to sit and sip.

So, who won the Raspberry Tea Battle in our home?????

It was a tie. Depends on what you want.  I can whip up the refreshing version in an afternoon to serve at dinner, or I can prepare the super stuff the evening before I want to serve it, because it needs time to hang out.  I highly suggest for you to try both if you are raspberry lover like I am!

Pre-Thanksgiving Planning...

So, my parents have confirmed that they will be traveling to Kansas to visit over Thanksgiving. Since my husband is still deployed overseas, this visit is  a welcomed one. I'm super excited about Nana & Papa coming here and I'm also kind of glad I won't be spending this holiday or my birthday  alone or just with my boys. 
The announcement of their arrival has spawned a pre-Thanksgiving planning on my part. I've been tossing around the idea of deviating from our traditional menu and doing things a bit different in Kansas. I love turkey as much as the next person, but I found a slow roasted duck recipe that I've been wanting to try. Or how about fixing a Turducken? If that idea doesn't fly with my parents, I'm at least planning on these side dishes and dessert recipes.

For sides, I'm thinking:
Stuffing Balls (this takes you back to last year's post) This recipe incorporates cranberry sauce and it helps avoid the random plate of can shaped sauce on the table.
Classic Green Bean Casserole The Campbell's classic.
Sweet Potato Casserole This recipe my friend made last Thanksgiving, I believe it had pineapple tidbits, pecans and coconut in it. I'm waiting on a reply from her, but if not, I have a back up recipe from McCormick. ~ Roasted Sweet Potato Casserole with a Cinnamon Pecan Crunch

And for dessert -
Pumpkin Pie a la Paula Deen. A friend of ours made this last year, but instead of using the regular  pie crust he used a graham cracker crust. It was simply delicious. 


I hope this inspires you all to do some pre-planning of your own. Enjoy!

All things Fall...

Fall is in full swing, even though it's feels like Winter here in Kansas. We just had our first frost, it's only 39* degrees right now with a high of 55* and northwest Kansas just had 3 inches of the white stuff dumped on them yesterday. Fall is a time for.... 

PUMPKINS and HALLOWEEN 

and FOOTBALL!

 We've done a few get togethers with our friends and had some amazing eats! My friend Jill made a Baked Asparagus dip, Sausage-Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers, grilled Maui Chicken and a ton of other good food one night we got together. The dip and the poppers are both from a Taste of Home cookbook her mom had given her. But, luck us, both recipes are on their website and are super simple appetizers to make for a group of people. While browsing their site I came across a neat pumpkin recipe - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Carmel Frosting. Let me just say, they were amazing! I'm flash freezing the remaining rolls so we can enjoy them all month long. They were simple enough to make, just remember to use dental floss to cut the roll. Just place the floss underneath the roll, pull both sides up, cross over and pull tight. Your roll comes out perfect each time. 

 While the rolls were rising and baking, I started cooking a ham so we could have ham sandwiches this week. Here's my Mom's recipe that never fails. I used a 9lb hickory smoked shank, boil for 1-2 hours on the stove top, turning occasionally,  then score it and cover it with cherries and pineapple rings in foil lined roasting pan. Mix up pineapple juice, mustard and brown sugar to taste and pour over the ham. Cover with foil, bake at 350* for 2 1/2 - 3 hours until done. 

Here's the ham before it went in the oven.

It smells amazing in my house and I can't wait for you all to try one of these awesome recipes! Enjoy!

Just for Joey

On one of my recent trip into Pinterest, I pinned this 'idea' - Coffee Ice Cubes!
Joey LOVES  Starbucks Bottled  Mocha Frappuccino Coffee Drinks - I mean LOVES them. However, being a lover of certain things Starbucks, it's not an everyday thing that I can afford. Plus, there isn't one in my sad, lost town. Even then those bottled drinks are a luxury at the local Food Lion - unless they are on sale, but still, they aren't cheap. So, he knows he has to wait. That makes it all the better. (Kinda like I have to wait to get my Pumpkin Spice Latte. That's when I know fall is here and I get my annual post card from them telling me it's time to get my free birthday drink!)  Anyways, back to Joey.
So, yesterday morning when I made my coffee, I made an entire pot, even though I only wanted a cup, to attempt the 'idea' that I pinned. First, I poured plain coffee into some extra ice cube trays and froze them til solid then moved them to a bowl in the freezer (the one with the lid in the picture). Then I added some milk and sugar to the rest and mixed it up really good and poured it in the trays again for those to freeze. (Yes, I know that is a glue stick in the back of the picture. I have no idea why one of my children put a glue stick in my freezer, I left it so I would remember to ask them.)

Once they are nice and frozen (or in my case the day after I started because Joey was running a fever last night) they are ready to be added to a glass of milk of your choice.

Joey chose 2% milk, because that is what we drink - but I am sure that you can use what you like.  In this glass there are 6 of the cubes that have milk and sugar mixed in and 2 straight coffee.  I think there was about 1/3 of glass of milk or so there before he started adding the coffee cubes. 

Once the coffee cubes begin to melt some and most of the milk was drunk, he grabbed a fork and began "stabbing" it to break it up into a cold coffee slushy. His review: "This is great. I like it better than the store bought stuff."  All I can do was smile as I walked away. Yay me!

Baked Sketty

This afternoon I attempted to make Baked Spaghetti.  I figured "How hard is it to do what I normally do to make spaghetti but then put it in a dish and cover it in cheese and then bake it?" 
Well, it wasn't that hard.  I am thinking it would make it easier for my kids when they make Spaghetti Sandwiches. Wondering what those are?  That is when my kids take the garlic bread I normally serve with spaghetti and mound the noodles and sauce on a slice then top it with another slice. It makes them happy, why would I complain. Spaghetti sauce is so very easy to hide veggies in. My kids like most veggies, but it's still fun to serve them extra ones when they aren't looking.
Here is what I did on this creation that is awaiting the rating once my kids are home from practices and games today.
Ingredients:
1 lb 85/15 ground beef
1 lb ground Italian sausage (I make my own.)
2 Jars of spaghetti sauce (Today I used Ragu, Mama's Garden Special Garden Sauce)
Handful of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
8 oz  bag of finely shredded Mozzarella Cheese
16 oz box of Angel Hair Pasta

Cook pasta until al dente, drain, season with a little garlic, butter and Parmesan cheese to your liking
Brown ground beef and sausage. 
Add sauce to meat mixture.
Add handful of Parmesan cheese.
Spray 9 x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Put noodles in casserole dish.
Add meat sauce on top of noodles.
Top with cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or long enough to melt cheese, then broil to brown cheese.

Peaches & Pumpkins

Last week I took a recipe a friend shared with me and turned it in what I love now: Peachy Baked Oatmeal! Unfortunately, when I sent the recipe home I madeit in a PDF. So, I just made a pic of the recipe and posted it here.  The pic below is from my breakfast yesterday. I put what I want in a bowl, add a little milk & 'nute it until it is nice and warm then stir til it is creamy. Yummy!

Fall is my 2nd  favorite season, as Summer is the first. So, today being the Second day of Fall, I decided that I would officially welcome it with my super yummy Pumpkin Bread!  

The recipe from Allrecipes.com is the one that I use.  My only change to it is that I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the three different spices.  I would suggest that you make the big batch instead of using the converter to break it down. That way you can buy that big can of pumpkin and use all of it instead of only using part of the regular size can.

I make two regular loaves and a batch of mini loaves. The mini-loves once cooled and froze can make a wonderful quick breakfast when they are defrosted for about 10 minutes and then microwaved for about 45 seconds and then they are like they have just come out of the oven.  The regular loves are good to slice and freeze also, but it takes about 2 of those to make a decent breakfast portion!

Instagram Obsession, Memes and Greek Pasta Salad

Okay, so I've been slacking and not blogging like I should. I promise I've been cooking. I've just been a little obsessed with Instagram lately. Yep, the camera has been out and the boys and I have been having fun. I found a little site and discovered all the fun things I can do at PicMonkey.com. I collaged my Instagram food pics (an idea I saw on Pinterest) and eventually I'll get a poster size print of it and hang it in the kitchen. 

So, we officially kicked off the first day of fall yesterday with Apple Days here at Fort Riley. We had tons of fun at the festival. The boys and I rode in a Humvee, shot M4's, ate  carnival foods and spent the day with a few of our friends having lots of fun. Of course, I had lots of pictures, so I ended up doing a mini collage of our family and completed it with a screen shot pic I took of my husband from one of Skype dates.  

One of the fun things at Apple Days are the period reenactments and never know who you'll run into. We found Abe Lincoln and I couldn't keep a straight face after I informed Chris that this is the President who is on the penny. This ultimately made me reminisce about President's Day weekend when Chris swallowed honest Abe and we patiently awaited his return. So I made a Meme. Abe's expression is priceless, almost like he knew where he'd been. 

On to the food part of the blog....

A couple of weeks ago, I held a get together and one of my dear friends brought this AMAZING pasta salad. I asked for the recipe of course and it was a little of this and a little of that. I googled the ingredients she rambled off and found maybe the very recipe she used or one very close on allrecipes. This Greek pasta salad is full of fresh veggies, olives, feta cheese and a great Greek dressing. I used a bag of Wacky Mac veggie spirals, a whole English cucumber, a few grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, some green onions, and tomato basil feta cheese, but nixed the rest of the veggies called for in the original. I doubled the lemon juice, added a tablespoon each of parsley and dried minced onion to the dressing. It turned out great and maybe next time I'll add artichoke hearts and sliced grilled chicken to it as well. 

Greek Pasta Salad from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups penne pasta 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 small red onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cucumber, sliced 1/2 cup sliced black olives 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well in a colander set in the sink.
2.	Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, green and red peppers, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over the pasta and mix together. Cover and chill for 3 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Found in a Magazine

     On August 25th when Em played some volleyball and we had an adventure to a covered bridge, my mom-in-law, gave me the September 2012 issue of Family Circle to have as she had already read it.  I thumbed through it and fell in love with a recipe called 'Gnocchi all'Amatriciana'.
     A week later, and I decided that is what we were going to have for dinner along with a stromboli.  The stromboli was just in case we didn't like the new recipe. The bread I made for the stromboli was actually a Pizza Crust for Bread Machine that I did with out the machine and baked it at 425 for about 20 minutes. It turned out wonderful. But that is not why we are here...so back to the Gnocchi all'Amatriciana.  
     Jamey called me at The Fresh Market and informed me he invited our parents & my nephew for dinner. No worries, just had to grab some more gnocchi since I was just going to half the recipe.  So, I make the dinner and everyone raves. Even my picky nephew.
    Tonight, I decided to make it again since the pancetta was still on sale at Food Lion, as well as the crushed tomatoes and pasta. Since gnocchi isn't sold at my local in the middle of nowhere store, I chose to make it with rotini noodles. The reviews from tonight's dinner, said it was good with the gnocchi as well as the rotini.  I too, liked it with either and am looking forward to having it for lunch tomorrow at work if I can keep the kids out of the leftovers tonight!

    The recipe makes about 8 servings and with the ingredients either on sale or already at my house (including the garlic bread in the picture), the total came out to $1.22 a serving!

Too Hot to Bake

It was just too hot to cook or bake anything on Labor Day 2012 and I wanted something sweet. So I went in search for a cooler dessert. I found what I was looking for on one of my Pintrest boards (sorry, I can't remember which one I had it on). The original posting is by Michelle Duggar and her recipe for Layered Ice Cream Cake.

This was fun to make and while drizzling the syrup, I thought this would be great to make in into like a 'banana split layered ice cream cake'. The only additions would be the fruit since it has everything else. Oh, I might just add more Butterfinger next time because that is MY favorite candy bar.

As for a picture, some unknown teen stole my batteries from my ancient camera to use in a remote of some sort, so a picture right now, isn't going to happen.  Just Google. the name of the recipe and you will see many different pics on what people have made. Maybe one day, I will add my own, cause after all, it's all butter(fingers!) people!

Fun with Food Update

Back in December, I posted an idea that was named: 'Fun with Food'. Funny thing about life (and my medications) things get forgotten or pushed to the back burner. Unfortunately, this is what happened to my 'Fun with Food'.  One of those things I wanted to do was called - All from Same Publications.
So for dinner tonight, that is what I have chosen to do. The publication was chosen by Michael. I told him to choose any of my cookbooks.  This is the one he chose.

Yep.  You see that right: Can You Take the Heat? The WWF is Cooking! That is what I get when a 13 year old boy picks out a cookbook!  This was a Christmas present many moons ago when I watched my husbands 'soap opera' as he calls it with him.  

I began the task to pick out enough recipes that if something wasn't liked, at least you could have something else to eat.  
The menu looked like this:

• J.R.'s Slobberknocker Pork Chops
• J.R.'s Smashed-Down Potatoes with Attitude
• Headbanger's Stuffed 'Shrooms
• The Rock's "Smack-aroni" Salad
• J.R.'s Country Corn Bread
• Perry Saturn's Super Cookies
• Bob Backlund's Low-Card Vanilla Ice Cream

 This was our tablescape.  I had Michael to get his wrestlers and put them around the table - until everyone sat down. Din't want The Rock to use 'The People's Elbow' on The Undertaker on top of the corn bread!

As part of our 'Fun with Food' undertaking, everyone tried everything. I did not like the stuffed mushrooms, but my Mom loved them.  The pork chops were fabulous. Most everyone went back for seconds on those. They use crushed 'shredded wheat' cereal to be browned in before they hit the oven with some tomatoes. The corn bread was sweeter than I normally make, but still good. The mashed potatoes were loaded with garlic and were nice along side the pork chop. The macaroni salad was good but, I don't recommend having it with everything else we had with it.

As for our "Finishing Moves" aka Dessert, I didn't have the Splenda the ice cream called for, so I used regular sugar and milk.  The cookies were created from a butter recipe cake mix. The only thing I didn't make and wished I had was "J.R.'s Granny's Chocolate Gravy". I was just too tired to make it after dinner was done and we had rested.

The Slobberknocker Pork Chops will definitely be enjoyed in our home again and next time we might make The Rock's Famous Rock-Bottom Pancakes, or Stone Cold's Texas Toast or maybe Rikishi's Rump Roast.  All I know is that no matter what adventure we take with our food, it's all butter!