A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

This is too funny!  I made this for some friends a long time ago.  She sent me a text asking where on my blog could she find the recipe because she wanted to make it for Sunday.  I didn't have it!  But I remember after I sent it to her that she asked me for the recipe and I minded if she put it on HER blog! So, I searched her blog -- found the recipe for her! Funny! Streusel Coffee Cake 1 pkg (26.5 oz) cinnamon streusel coffee cake mix 3 large eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/3 cup softened butter 1/4 cup water 1 tsp vanilla Streusel packet from cake mix box 1/2 package toffee bits 1 cup chopped pecans 1/3 cup uncooked regular oats Mix cake mix (not the struesel mix) and next 5 ingredients together about 2 mins. Pour 1/2 of mixture into a 9×13 pan or a bundt greased pan. (I used a bundt pan because I like a bundt pan) Combine struesel packet, toffee, pecans and oats. Sprinkle 1/2 of this mixture over batter. Dollop then spread remain...

  No recipe today. Just a story of how we spent our Friday night having fun and making a memory! The other day, a friend told us at their house they do "Chopped" at home.  Each family member puts an ingredient in a basket and then they have to make a meal. We adapted the concept a bit and came up with our own entertainment .  . .and meal! Each person had to put an item in the "entree" basket and an item in the "dessert" basket. The boy cherub and I had the responsibility of cooking the entree. The Mr. and the girl cherub were creative with the dessert. The rules were simple: use the ingredients in your basket  items from the pantry and refrigerator were available  Let's start with dessert first!  Get ready -- this is . . .interesting!  Not only the ingredients but the finished product!  Are your wheels turning yet?  What would you have created with such unique ingredients?      The...

Because he loves baseball . . .so do we.  A dugout is only home to a few.  Love is shown in subtle ways.  100% -- if you're going to strike out; strike out swingin'! Cousins  Winning -- it's about your game both on and off the field.

By now you're wondering what you're going to do with the left-over ham from Easter. You're tired of looking at it. Truthfully, you're tired of eating it too! Here's a recipe I made last night.  We gave it a thumbs up! Ham, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 cups chopped ham (cooked) 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 small package frozen broccoli 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup cooked rice Cook rice according to directions on package. Steam broccoli, drain and chop. In a large bowl, add soup, sour cream, cheese, pepper, chopped broccoli, chopped ham, and chopped onion.  Stir until well combined. Pour into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish.  Top with a bit more shredded cheddar cheese, if desired (we desired it), and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes* or until heated thoroughly. Serve with a side salad. *I baked our casserole for about 45 minutes and then broiled it for about 3 minute...

This past weekend my mom said she'd do a fruit salad with mint dressing.  "Does that sound good to you?" she asked. "Sure." "It's a recipe I recently found -- it's easy.  Mint, sugar, and mayonnaise." "Gross!"  I said.  "Maybe with sour cream, or something, but mayo ? That's disgusting!  MAYO ?" "I can make something else.  Do you want me too?" "No, we'll try it.  It sounds gross -- but whatever." This is simple syrup in the making.  This is mint -- this is what makes the simple syrup taste minty! This is what makes the dressing taste yummy!  And these delicious berries were the proud recipients of a delicious mint dressing! Mint Syrup (and Dressing) 1 cup of water 1 cup of sugar 1 cup of mint, cleaned and rough chopped 1 cup of mayonnaise Bring water and sugar to boil in a sauce pan.  Stir until dissolved.  Boil for 4 minutes.  R...

Not because I think I did a good job these-- but because I want the memory so that next year I can improve!

If you're looking for something easy to whip up to haul into the office with you tomorrow  . . . to make other's think that you're totally with it . . . to make them think that you are the most creative person there ever was . . . to make them think, "Are you kidding me, you've got the stuff at home to make this?" . . . to make them think, "I wish I could be like that!" . . . Then you need to run to the store to grab these easy ingredients . . . and a cute and decorative Chinese take out box to package it in (or maybe you just want to rinse out the one from the other night !). Easter Candy 1 lb. white chocolate almond bark, melted 1 package of Easter M&M's (I used the M&M Speckled Eggs because I wanted to) 15 vanilla oreos (so are they really oreos?) 1 1/2 pretzel rods, broken Easter colored sprinkles Roughly crush the vanilla oreos and sprinkle evenly on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle some of the pretzel rods on top of t...

I'm still playing with the "cookie icing" from the other day. Here are some Easter Egg cookies that a friend ordered.   My girl cherub said, "oh, that's creative!" My boy cherub said, "that's so retro!" My Mr. said, "how'd you do that?" These are Easter treats I'm sharing with my friends from my Bible Study group.

Easter is still a week away and I've finished the first of the decorated Easter sugar cookies! Yeah, me! Today's post has the remaining goodies. Here's the deal -- I changed my type of icing for these!  That's a big deal! I normally use royal icing -- but this is a royal-ish type-ish of icing-ish!  I'm sure there's a real name for it, but I don't know it right now.  If I find out, I'll tell you.  For now I'm calling it cooking icing. That's because it's past my bed-time and I'm not very creative when I'm tired! This icing is quicker to mix up, takes color very well, and tastes much better! For my first time, I'd go with an "ok" for experience.  I'm definitely willing to try again and to work on improving my ability with it!  I didn't do enough with it to "layer" the details which is so easy to do with royal icing -- by the point I got to these cookies, I was ready to slap some icing on th...

I love making decorated sugar cookies.  They're cute.  Not mine, I mean other people's sugar cookies are cute-- so I think I can do it too! They taste good.  I do like my sugar cookies.  They're yummy! It takes a lot of time to make decorated sugar cookies --  and it helps to be art-sy; which I'm not, which is where the problem lies! In the end, who cares what they look like -- you're just going to gobble them up!  So taste is really what matters, right? Here's 2 of my "Easter Cookies!"  By the time Easter celebration gets here, I might have them all done! Some of these I kinda like . . .other's I really like!  But you don't know what you really like until you try all of your options-- that's why I'm showing you the good, the bad, and the ugly!  Our favorite little lamb.    I used white sparkling sugar crystals instead of the nonpareils as above.  See the crack?  That means I had to eat it! ...

 Never liked them . . .  . . . Never tried them. How good can they really be?  They're 'brussel sprouts.'  Just say they word -- doesn't even sound like you'd want to eat one!  Cut stem from sprout and remove large, outer leafy green parts . I decided, though, that it was time to face my fear and try them. If I was going to try them, I was going to have to cook them in a way that would give ALL the help they needed to taste tolerable. That meant I couldn't boil or steam these beauties. I'd have to roast them to bring out their 'naturally sweet' flavor!   Drizzle the sprouts with a bit of olive oil and season with coarse sea salt and coarse ground pepper.  Toss to coat well. When the kids walked in -- they both said, "what smells good?" Guess what I said! "Brussel Sprouts!" YEAH! We were off on the right foot! Guess what the Mr. said when he walked in and ...

With the beautiful weather outside, doesn't it make you excited for planting new pots of flowers for your porch, grilling delicious hamburgers, and drinking cool and refreshing drinks?  I love this time of the year; everything is so "new" and right now even watering the flowers is fun! When the weather starts being perfect, I start thinking about those recipes that I love and wanting to try new conncoctions and this recipe is one of those treats! I love frozen lemonade.  It's zippy and tangy and a party for the taste buds.  But why is it that we tend to only have these treats at theme parks?  Let's have them at home too! Here's my version of frozen lemonade.  It's not sugar free, but it is fat free and it's filled with whole fruit and it's much cheaper! Frozen Fruit Lemonade 3 TBSP frozen yellow lemonade 1 cup of frozen fruit* Using a blender or an immersions blender, place 3 TBSP of the frozen lemonade and 1 cup (or more if you want!...

I can't believe I have not posted this recipe! The only reason I know I haven't is because I was on here looking for it because I wanted to make it for the cherubs to have in the morning for breakfast. They're testing at school and the teachers have said, "Make sure you feed your brain with a good breakfast!"  This momma takes it to heart and is both challenged and called to make sure my sweet cherubs have plenty of rest and a great breakfast so they can do their best on their tests! This breakfast casserole is so easy and re-heats very well. I wish I could say it's my recipe, but it's from my friend, Guy.  I had it first at her house when she hosted a cookie exchange years ago! Guy's Breakfast Casserole 6 eggs 2 cups milk 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 lb. sausage, cooked (or other breakfast meat of your choice) 1 bag croutons (I use the New York Style Texas Toast croutons) 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese Mix eggs, milk, sa...

My oldest cherub's  "Future Problem Solvers" team from school qualified for state competition in Austin, Texas this weekend!  Future Problem Solvers was not around when I was in school. If it had been, I most certainly would not have been in it. I'm not "future" or "solver" enough to handle such responsibility or the competition! Maybe it was around and I just didn't know about it! I'm certain it wasn't! Wanna see pictures? This is my cherub's team: Andrew, Jackson, Dalton, and Carolyn Fun in the pool after morning competition. Riding the elevator at the hotel . . . all the way to the 9th floor!  There's a story! The both 6th grade teams and two alternates AND their families at dinner Friday night before competition!  All 30 of us having dinner together!  That was fun! Sunday at the award's ceremony . . . waiting to see if their names are called to go to intern...

Picture from Cooking with Paula Deen ( . . .and aren't those cute dishes!) We first had this delicious casserole on Mother's Day while feasting at "Dining on Persimmon Hill," which is a restaurant at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.  Side note --- if you have the chance to visit the Museum, please take advantage of the opportunity.  It is a wonderful experience!  And don't forget to eat at the museum restaurant.  It's delish! So back to the casserole.  After eating it we knew we had to find out the recipe!  The owner of the restaurant graciously shared her secret!  It's a Paula Deen; which means it's full of fat AND yummy flavor! This casserole is a hit with my cherubs and the Mr.  Also, whenever I make it for friends, they always want the recipe . . . maybe they're just being nice, I'm not sure!  When you look at the recipe, you might think it's a pain, but really, it is so easy!  ...

I wish I didn't love it -- but I do!  Bread!  It's amazing!  I especially love the homemade kind.  But let's face it.  Homemade bread, regardless of the kind, always seems to be so time consuming.  That's why I love these biscuits.  They're easy. They're quick. They're fail-proof.  (Maybe I should say, "fool-proof!) They only need 2 ingredients. You can have these for dinner tonight! Yum! Biscuits 2 cups self-rising flour* 1 cup heavy cream* In a large bowl, combine the flour and cream.  I mixed mine in my stand mixer with the dough hook.  Turn out onto a floured surface; knead for 5 minutes or until no longer sticky. On a floured surface, roll dough into desired thickness, at least 1/2-in. thick. Cut into 3-in. biscuits. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. *Self-rising flour is really a short-cut!  If you don't have it, then add...

Don't be fooled!  "They" know how to market to our kids! They make our kids hungry! They entice our kids to want this stuff! And really, can we blame them?   . . .the kids, that is! Have you ever tasted one of those?  The Lunchable . . .not the kid! They're really not good. But my cherubs wanted Lunchables, just like all the other kids. So, here's what I did. I waited. That's right . . . waited. I waited until they went on sale. I bought 2.  I have 2 cherubs. I let the cherubs have the content -- but I kept the containers. I washed the containers. Then, whenever my cherubs wanted a Lunchable, I filled the old Lunchable containers with good stuff! That did mean that I had to Purchase round crackers.  But that's not a problem. Cut the cheese into shapes.  But that's not a problem. Cut the chicken into squares.  But that's not a problem. I would go to the deli and ask for the thickest cut of meat that they cou...

I realize this probably isn't the best picture to post first!  In your mind you're going, "Gross!  What is that?"  If you need to spoil the ending -- then scroll down and see what we're going to end up with!  But if you do that, just know you're going to have to come back to this picture so that you can read the rest . . . it's kind of like a good book! Line a baking pan with foil and place your bacon on the pan.  Place pan in a pre-heated 400 degree oven.  You only want to partially cook the bacon -- so probably about 7 to 10 minutes.  Each oven is different, but you're basically wanting a floppy, half-done piece of bacon.  If you're a bacon connoisseur, then you know there is a difference in bacon!  For this recipe, I prefer to use a thicker slice of bacon.  If you prefer the same, you'll need to purchase a "thick cut" brand, such as Wright's.  However, if you prefer thin bacon, than most any brand at the store wil...