A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

Go ahead. Moan. Say it! "Is this all you've got?" I know. Really? With everything out there, isn't there something "new" to post? Probably. But sometimes, the old stuff is some of the best stuff. And truthfully, I haven't made this in such a long time. As in, maybe two or three years. Yes, years! This is not my go to soup. However, a weekend or so ago, when I thought it would be cooler, I bought the ingredients for this tried-and-true soup. We ate. I froze the left-overs. We had it again just last night. This soup throws together in a flash and freezes great. And if you need it to feed more, you just add more stuff.  You can't ask for much more than that! Taco Soup 1-2 pounds ground beef 1 onion, diced 2 cans pinto beans 1 can whole kernel corn, drained 2 cans  can tomatoes with chiles 1 can diced green chiles 1 package taco seasoning mix 1 package ranch salad dressing mix Corn chips, for

Several years ago, a friend of mine made this easy dessert. Matter of fact, she threw it together as we sat around the table. Which, in my book, means it's a great recipe to have on hand. Now that Fall weather has settled in, I decided to make this the other night. I halved the recipe. There were only 4 of us for dessert and I didn't want a lot left over. It worked out perfectly! The original recipe doesn't use oatmeal.  But I like the oatmeal.  I reduce the amount of flour and make it up with old fashioned oats. I also like that this recipe makes it's own delicious sauce. Just perfect! Mom's Easy Apple Crisp 6 apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)* 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup water Crumb Topping 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup flour (or reduce the flour to about half and add old fashion oats) 1/4 tsp. salt 6 TBSP butter, melted Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the apples with the sugar and cin

My mom was coming this weekend and I wanted to have something already made that we could have for breakfast each morning.  .  . . And maybe each evening for dessert too, if we wanted! I saw this recipe and it caught my eye. Knowing that my cherubs love just about anything pumpkin, I knew they'd be great with it too! I made a couple of minor changes to the recipe that I found.  Next time, I think I'm going to put a ribbon of cream cheese in the center of it before baking -- just because!  You may want to try that too! Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 15 oz can pumpkin 3 large eggs 2 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 TBSP cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pumpkin flavoring from King Arthur Streusel Topping: 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 TBSP butter, melted 1/3 cup

 Image from the Internet My boy cherub is raising money for a trip that he will go on this Spring. He is raising money in two different ways.  First, he is willing to be "hired" to do small jobs around the house:  lawn mowing, leaf raking, grocery shopping, and the likes. The second way might surprise you. He is selling "treats of the month." That's right! I'm helping him with different treats that people have ordered. This month, it is caramel corn. The "old fashioned" kind! I told him, perhaps we should have thought through what we were doing! Each recipe takes about 1 1/2 hours to make from beginning to end! But I love this recipe because it starts with fresh popped corn. Like the kind that you pop in a pan. I guess you could use microwave popcorn for this recipe. But I don't. I get out the popper and we go to town! If you're looking for something fun to do with your family -- maybe gathering i

Image from the Internet! I thought I took a picture, but can't find it ! The other day, when I was trying to make a non-chocolate cookie, but make it quick, I kept coming back to "no bake cookies." But I couldn't make those because they're chocolate. And I needed no chocolate. But I kept thinking that surely those could be make without chocolate. But I couldn't really get it figured out. I knew it was more than just not adding the cocoa. And maybe not the peanut butter too. And as any good person does -- I went to the Internet. I heart the Internet. But!  The dilemma was the cookies I found had pudding in the mix. I'm not being rude -- because I haven't tried it -- but that didn't really sound like something I was looking for. Maybe it's good. Maybe I'll try it. Because the recipe I did find isn't just perfect for me. It's good. It has a good flavor. But it's not "spot on" for me.

Picture from "My Recipes." I found Italian sausage on sale a few weeks ago while at the grocery store. My boy cherub really likes Italian sausage. He really likes the Italian sausage and peppers that I make. But I wasn't in the mood for that the other day. I was in the mood for grits. Which is weird. I don't really ever crave grits. But I was that day. And since I was the one cooking, I gave in to my wants. That's the beautiful thing about "owning" the kitchen! So I thought, "Self!  Italian sausage and grits would probably taste really good together!" And since I'm smart enough to think of it, I was rather certain that someone else had already thought of it too! That started my google search! And sure enough!  Someone had already figured it out for me! I love that! I found a recipe that sounded great and I made it for dinner and the whole family liked it. It was also great reheated for leftovers. And I

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

The Mr. and I celebrated 18 years of joy yesterday. We were young when we got married. We didn't think about "what would be." Like what it would " really " be! We just thought of what we THOUGHT   it would really be. But now, we know. Now, we've got a house, 2 cars, a dog, 2 cherubs and a busy schedule. We no longer eat dinner on the bed and watch t.v. after work. We no longer can clean the house in 45 minutes. We no longer wonder on the weekends, "what can we do next?" We no longer can go one week with one gallon of milk. We no longer sleep in on Saturday. We no longer rush home on Sunday, throw together a sandwich, and make it down for a nap all before one o'clock. Heck!  We don't even get a Sunday afternoon nap anymore! We wouldn't change it, though! I was 18 when I met the one who would become my Mr. We were in college. We were friends for 4 years before we started dating. Once we started datin

 To go on the waffles I made the other night for dinner, I thought it might be fun to have a flavored butter. You know, you can buy that in the store -- but I never do. When I thought about the Fallish waffles, I thought Fallish butter. Can there be such a thing? In my world, there's room for most anything I want. But only when I'm the only one in my world. Which, by the way, doesn't happen real often! But I basically took the same spices from the waffles and added to it for the butter. I didn't think I could go wrong. And if I did go wrong, it was only for me . . .and the Mr. and the two cherubs. Who of us would complain? At least I cooked, right? So, here it is! Spiced Pecan Honey Butter ½ cup butter, softened a good squeeze of honey 1 to 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 to 2 tablespoon brown sugar ½ cup chopped pecans In a small mixing bowl, add the butter and all of the i

Image from the Internet It's October and, until now, there's not been even a hint that it's Fall. But my mind tells me that it's Fall . . .because it's October. October = Fall. October + Pumpkins = Fall. October + Candy Corn + Peanuts = Fall. In 27 short days, my cherubs will want to wear some costume and go door to door trick-or-treating. Therefore, I must pretend it's Fall! We decided we'd have breakfast for dinner the other night. I had spent the day subbing at school and wanted to make pumpkin waffles for my boy cherub. But I didn't really have the time. So, I made this up as I went along. We all decided the waffles tasted kind of gingerbread-y. Which we liked. I made extra and stuck them in the freezer for a fast Fall breakfast! Whether Fall ever gets here or not! Fall Spiced Waffles Your favorite pancake/waffle mix AND the ingredients it calls for (usually milk, egg, and oil) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon g