A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

Sometimes I hate having just a little bit of "something" in the fridge. Like "a little bit" of onion left . . .  . . . or a little bit of lettuce . . .  . . .or a little bit of cheese. You know; the amounts where you can't throw it out, because there's too much, but you don't really have enough for what a recipe calls for. That's kind of how I came up with this casserole we had for dinner the other night. There was just "a little bit" of some ingredients, so I combined them with other "whole" ingredients. If you want to make this, but you don't have the amount of the ingredients listed, that's OK.  Just make due! If you have more than the amount listed, that's OK too!  You have a choice!  Do I use "a little bit" or the whole thing? Cowboy Sausage Casserole "a little bit" of breakfast sausage (maybe 1/2 pound or so) (substitute ground beef if desired) "a little bit...

It's getting close to trick or treat time and I wanted to do something creative! Our neighborhood is not "traditional." By that, I mean it is very small and off the beaten path. If you talk to my mom, you'd think we live off the grid! But truth is, by most standards, we might be considered "in the country." But by those who really live "in the country," we are close to city-dwellers. Regardless of such, we won't have a lot of little trick or treaters running up to our door. Matter of fact, I had to tell our neighbors to come see us that night! And with that, comes the fact since we won't have too many kids I wanted to go BIG! I bought BIG candy for the kids! Who doesn't love getting full-sized candy bars when they trick or treat? I mean, really!! To make your candy mummy, you'll need: any kind of full-size candy bar strips of white cloth; muslin, cheese cloth, even crepe paper if you have it.  (I used...

While it may not feel like it outside, the calendar tells me that it is Fall. There are so many things about this season that I absolutely love! I like the falling leaves, and to watch the squirrels gather their food, and where we live, we have deer . . . so now I like to watch them too! I also love Fall food. One of my favorites are apples! I'm not really sure, but in the Fall, I love to nosh on apples. It's the strangest thing! Maybe it's because they are more crisp, or their color is more appealing. Whatever the reason, I'll go with it! Today, both of the cherubs were wanting an "after school snack." Looking at the apples on the counter, I offered apples and dip. Since I didn't have any dip, I made some! I took three things that my girl cherub really likes and I mixed them together. I just mixed; no measuring! If you like these ingredients, just mix yourself some dip and and enjoy an apple! Peanut Butter and Nut...

We love pizza. When we were thrown into gluten free eating, we had trouble finding good gluten free pizza out in restaurants. Which leads to me to ask the question, "Why is pizza so crazy expensive?" I honestly don't understand! While we do like "calling in a pizza," we also really like making them at home more! We all hang around and prepare different ingredients for the pizza bar. Some of us like pineapple. Some like garlic. Some like black olives. Some want meat, while others don't. That's why make-your-own-pizza night is fun! It gets you in the kitchen together, talking, laughing, and making fun of your family members! The other night, we were going to make pizzas but I had no pizza sauce. Stop there. I really don't like buying pizza sauce. I actually don't really like the way it tastes and since we don't use it all at one time, there are left-overs. I don't like using the left-over sauce. ...

Removing tomato paste from the can might be a wee bit of pain. The cans are small. The spatula needs to be smaller than the standard spatula size. Sometimes you might cut your finger trying to "clean out" all of the tomato paste. It would be nice if tomato paste was a bit easier to get out of the can; don't you think? I've been doing this trick to empty the tomato paste can for many years now. So it's neither new nor my own invention! Perhaps you already do this nifty little trick. But in case you don't, I wanted to post it for you! Yes, you!  You may be the one person who needs this handy-dandy kitchen trick. And you'll love it next time you open a can of tomato paste! You will feel like you have conquered the world! OK -- maybe not to that extreme. But you will do it and you will say to yourself, "Well, huh!  That's pretty neat!" Below are pictures and a brief description. Not that you couldn't look at...

I'm tired of unpacking. I'm tired of heat.  I'm dreaming of Fall. I drive down the street and there are beautiful pumpkins at the garden centers. Gorgeous pots of mums line the drives. I'm beginning to think about Fall food . . . And I have the air conditioner on! Something is wrong with this picture! I want to wake up and throw the windows open and have a long sleeve shirt on. I want the days to warm to the perfect temperature. And I want to be able to sit with the family around the uncluttered table to a great bounty of fall food. But that's not happening right now. As I'm dreadfully unpacking yet another box, I had the idea of a "crustless apple pie." One reason for this is I have no time to make a pie right now. Another reason for this thinking is back to line #4 -- I'm dreaming of fall food. Apple pie is Fall! The third reason for this idea is being gluten free; I haven't attempted a gluten free pie cr...

Last Christmas we spent a week away. It was a wonderful gift! We did very little while we were gone. We played games and watched moves. We made ourselves get ready and leave the condo 3 times during our 8 days. We weren't gone very long on those excursions . . . . we were rather content in the condo watching moves and playing games! One day, the Mr. made reservations at a restaurant on the campus of  The College of the Ozarks. On a side note, this college is founded on amazing principles.  If you have time, you ought to take a look!   https://www.cofo.edu/ College of the Ozarks, Keeter Center Image from the internet We had a great lunch and we even ordered dessert. Two reasons: We were on vacation; when on vacation we can do whatever we want. They had a gluten free option. When you eat gluten free, it is always exciting to go to a restaurant and have "normal" options! We ordered the chocolate someth...