A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

Many years ago, while living in Arizona, a friend brought dinner to us one night after we had our first cherub. That dinner left such a lasting impression on us that I still make it and it's one of our family favorites. Not only do I make the "main entree" like Lisa made, but I make the VERY dinner she brought to us 16 years ago! Zippy meatballs, cooked carrots, and mashed potatoes. It just goes together! Yesterday, when my girl cherub got new wires, hooks, and smaller rubber bands for her braces, and it made her teeth really sore! Tonight for dinner, we are faced with a dilemma! While we feel sorry for her, we still want to eat. And we don't want "soft food" either! I thought of meatballs! While we do really adore the zippy meatballs, I was wanting something to serve with rice. Sweet and Sour meatballs! Perfect choice! When you google that recipe, normally you find the appetizer option, using frozen meatballs. ...

We've been eating this meal for 14 years. Lisa brought it to us when the boy cherub was born. We were living in Phoenix, Arizona at the time. Since then, I have made it, shared it, frozen it, and sent it! Many times I'll double the recipe and freeze half of it, uncooked, with the sauce poured over it, in a disposable pan which makes for an easy dinner for us or to give away. When Lisa brought it to us, she brought it with cooked carrots and mashed potatoes. We still eat it with carrots, only now I roast them, and we always have mashed potatoes too! When you make this, you can put whatever side you want with it -- but I'm just saying, to make it "right" you'll want to make carrots and potatoes! Zippy Meatballs 1 1/2 pounds ground beef* 3/4 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup milk salt and pepper to taste 1/2 onion, more or less depending on taste, chopped fine Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the beef and remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Scoop out in...

Image from the Internet Thanksgiving has come and gone. And while Thanksgiving was leaving, our company was just coming! It was a busy and fun weekend with The Nutcracker performances, friends and family, and getting back into the routine! Because our schedule included many hours spent at the theater for our girl cherub dancing in The Nutcracker, I wanted to serve something easy to our friends who were staying at our house. I found this recipe for soup and it sounded perfect.  What caught my attention is that it wasn't a "brothy" chicken enchilada soup.  I liked the thought of that! What I wish I had known was that it wouldn't really be soup weather! Oh well!  We just turned on the air and pretended! I'm going to give you the recipe as I made it.  However, we decided while we were eating that it could have used a bit more "stuff" in it!  I'll make that notation for you!  Then!  You decide how you want to make it! Southwe...

I can NOT believe I haven't posted this recipe. This is an easy, have-on-hand, throw-together-quick dinner. That's a winner! The Mr. was more excited about this last night than the cherubs where! From the kitchen, I hear him say, "Yeah!  Tater Tot Casserole!  I love that stuff!" And he does. And so do the cherubs. And so I'm glad to make it! What's funny about this casserole:  I only make it in the Fall and Winter. That's it. I've relegated it to a seasonal casserole. That's OK. It makes the family more appreciative! Tater Tot Casserole 1 TBSP oil 1/2 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup* (see below for gluten free substitution) pepper salt (I don't salt because of the soup, but you can if you want!) cheddar cheese, grated 1 16oz  package frozen tater tots** In a pan, heat the oil.  Add the onions, green ...

Seriously, is there anything better? I really don't think there is. When it gets down to the basics of life . . . bread is it! Even Jesus refers to bread in teaching spiritual lessons! "I'm listening!" My cherubs love bread. My cherubs love homemade bread. But let's get realistic. Who really has time for that? Oh, there are some "easy" recipes. It's true. And I use them. Occasionally. But my go-to homemade bread and rolls: Rhodes! It's right there in the freezer section. Usually on the bottom shelf. I honestly don't understand that -- but whatever! I grab a package or two to have on hand for when I'm needing that "fresh baked bread" without all of the effort! Fresh Bread Rhodes bread loaves Pam Butter Take out the number of frozen loaves that you wish to bake. Spray a bread loaf pan with pam. Place one frozen bread loaf...

The other day I cooked lunch for a meeting of a small group of women. When I do this, I usually go with my "stand-bys."  Those tried and true recipes that are easy to prepare and taste great! But this time, I went out on a limb and made a new casserole . . . and a new side . . . it was a whole new day! Actually, I'm not afraid to try a new recipe on unsuspecting guests -- it's a great way to see if it's a hit or not!  If you think about it -- when you're having company over, just about anything you make for them is "new."  So whether it's tried and true to you -- it makes no difference to them!  This casserole, when I was making it, I kept thinking, "ummm, I don't know.  I'm not so sure this is going to be good."  It's a Paula Deen recipe, and normally those are great.  Granted, I often make minor adjustments to them after the first time I cook them, but over-all, they're trustworthy. But I was...

I've said it before . . . I am not ashamed . . . I  L.O.V.E bread! I love to make bread -- but that's not the only way to have "good" bread!  You can find some great breads at a local bakery or the deli section of your grocery store . . . or in the freezer section! That's right!  The freezer section! I love these rolls: You can bake them off and serve them hot, which, by the way, melts your butter just perfectly!  Or, if you need to, you can thaw them out in the bag and dump them into your serving bowl and serve them room temperature. Which is exactly what I did today! They are great!  They're moist.  They're tasty.  And the best part of all -- they're easy! Right now, I've got 2 thawing out and I'm going to make my cherubs little grilled chicken sliders for their lunch tomorrow!  That's lunch-box envy, don't you think?

My family loves Italian food! They could seriously eat pasta every night of the week, I think! I, myself, like lasagna.  But there's this myth out there that lasagna is hard and time consuming and, and, and! But my friend, Paula, makes this great lasagna that is SO easy and so good! I'm giving you her recipe, just as she does it -- but in the directions, you'll see where I make a few minor adjustments . . .but only if I have time!  You may ask, "Don't you have to cook the noodles?"  I never have.  I just snap them to make them fit the pan I'm using and layer away.  By the time the lasagna is browned and yummy -- the noodles are always soft and perfect! Paula's Easy Lasagna Lasagna noodles, uncooked 1 jar of Ragu tomato, onion, and garlic sauce (or whatever brand/flavor you prefer) 1 lb ground beef, cooked 1 small container or Ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese Mozzarella cheese, grated Preheat over to 350 degrees. B...

Picture used from the Internet -- we ate all of ours before I got the camera out!  Oops! I've always wanted to try to make meatballs. That sounds so " Italian !" Words like: "Ciao!" "Italiano!" "Buon appetito!" "Grazie" and "Meatballs!" When we had friends for dinner, I decided that would be the time to try something new!  (Actually, if you're brave enough to do it -- when you're having friends for dinner really is a good time to try a new recipe!) The meatballs did take a bit more time, but it was well worth the effort! So -- here's the "ricetta!"  (That's Italian for recipe!) Spaghetti and Meatballs Sauce * 2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes 1 - 8oz can tomato sauce 1/2 tomato sauce can of water 1 can tomato paste 1/4 cup of sugar 2 TBSP Italian seasoning 1 small onion, chopped Place the above ingredients in a crock po...

Remember yesterday, we made little cutie pies?  Remember I had some leftover pie dough scraps?  Well, here's what we did!  We made a little pie in a jar!  That's right!  We (as in my sweet girly cherub and I) took the leftover dough, smushed it together and rolled it out again to the right pie dough thickness.  I tore pieces off and we began to smush it into the jar; pressing together the seams.  We lined the jar almost all the way to the top.  Since we weren't making a "2 crust" pie, I didn't worry about saving extra for the top.  We then filled it with the yummy, ooey-gooey filling and baked it for 40 minutes!  It was YUMMY!  When I first saw this idea, it said this was a "single serving" pie -- yeah, it can be, but it really is a lot of dessert!  Not that I wouldn't have any trouble eating it . . .it just wouldn't be in one sitting!  Last night, all 4 of us enjoyed this dessert and we were satisfied (yeah, I keep te...

These noodles are your hidden secret to yummy soup!  My mom has used these since I can remember in her chicken noodle soup -- which is now my chicken noodle soup!  These little gems are  found in the freezer section of your favorite (or in my case, not so favorite) grocery store!  Once you get your soup all made up the way you like, you drop a bag of these in and it's the cat's meow!  Sometimes I've had people say, "Oh, chicken and dumplings!"  NO!  These are NOODLES -- there is a big difference in noodles and dumplings, but I will say these are much heartier than your basic dried egg noodle -- these are delicious!  I know for many of us there is cold weather coming and if you're making your final trip to the grocery store to get a few things, add this to your list and make your favorite chicken soup and drop these in -- you'll be glad you did!

Oh, I could put a recipe on here for stuffed chicken . . . but really!  We'd all just look at the recipe and say, "I'm not doin' that!"  But let me tell you about a place where you can GET stuffed chickens and they are great!  My friend, Kilie, whom I met when we moved to Dallas, introduced me to these things!  She is from East Texas and she got me h.o.o.k.e.d!  Whenever she went back to see her mom, I'd have her bring me several chickens so that I'd have them in my freezer.  They're great for company or for your very own!  Now that Kilie lives in Tennessee, I don't have a "chicken runner" anymore . . .so if any of you get a wild idea to drive to Longview; give me a call and I'll go with you!  I only have one chicken left in the freezer! The website is http://www.hebertsmeat.com/   They have several things they're proud of; but I think the bonless stuffed chickens are the main thing!

I'll go ahead and say it for you . . .this doesn't sound so great!  But I'm tellin' ya, it's just yummy!  Just ask my kids!  And I'll warn you . . .it doesn't look so hot either!  But serve it in individual ramekins and it looks a bit more appealing.  And you know, anything in a ramekin is just more fun to eat! I first tried a casserole similar to this from my friend, Kilie.  Her recipe is a bit different, I think, but either way they both freeze just beautifully! Enjoy! Green Bean Chicken Casserole 1 package long grain wild rice, prepared according to directions 4 cups cubed chicken, cooked 2 cans green beans, drained 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of chicken soup 2/3 cup chopped onion 1 cup shredded Colby cheese French Fried Onions ** can add a can of chopped water chestnuts, well drained To the prepared rice add everything EXCEPT for the cheese and fried onions.  Dump everything into your 9 X 13 pan (or don't forget abou...

I have been cleaning out my spiral scratch pad -- all those little things that are necessary but not meant to be kept forever!  I found 3 recipes that my family likes and I want to pass them along so that I can throw these papers away! You'll be sad to see there are no pictures of these delicious dishes.  But trust me!  They're yummy! Santa Fe Chicken 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves minced garlic 1 TBSP olive oil 1 lb. chopped cooked chicken 2, 15-oz cans black beans, drained 24 oz jar thick salsa 1 cup taco sauce 8 corn tortillas 1 cup sour cream 2 cups shredded cojack cheese Cook onions and garlic in oil.  Add the cooked chicken, salsa and stir well.  (I call this the "chicken mix")  In a 9 X 9 pan, layer taco sauce, 4 corn tortillas, and 1/2 of the chicken mix.  Dollop with some sour cream and 1/2 the cheese.   Repeat the layers, ending with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until hot.  If freezing, defrost first bef...

So, I'm not even sure about what I'm doing -- except spending a lot of time on a project that I think only I can access!  If this is the case, this is not a worthwhile project!  Assuming that you'll be able to find this blog, I'm going to put the recipes for 3 easy (and freezer ready!) meals!  These have been a hit with my family as well as those I've shared them with! Chicken Potato Casserole 1 can cream of chicken 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup of milk 2 cups chopped chicken 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided 3 1/2 cups thawed hashbrowns 1 1/2 cups chopped onions and green peppers (can find these in the freezer section) 1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips Mix everything together in a big bowl, remembering to reserve 1 1/4 cups cheese and leave out the potato chips!  Dump this into a 9X13 pan and top with remaining cheese and chips.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until hot.  If you're freezing this:  leave the chips off until you defrost it!...