Coming Back

Okay fellow bloggers!!! It's been just too long since I've posted. A lot going on in my world right now. Hope everyone is doing well, and look forward to getting out more regular posts. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. Busy days, and busy nights this time of year. My daughter is in the middle of High School District Softball Playoffs. Tonight is a BIG game. If they win, they will be district season champs!! I'm so proud of this team. They are the Best!!

Southern Potato Salad

This is a recipe that we love (sorry the picture is so dark). As most of you know, our daughter plays softball. School softball, then she plays travel softball in the Summer. I made a vow last year to do our best not to eat a lot of fast food during these weekend tournaments. This is a great recipe to have in the cooler on those warm Summer days.

4 potatoes
4 eggs
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup sweet relish
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain and chop

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; peel and chop.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Gently mix.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com


Enjoy....Blessings,
Linda

Mini Fruit-Topped Triple Chocolate Pizzas

Thought I'd share this recipe I got from our local TV Station. I actually made these for our Sunday School Class on Valentines Day. With Strawberries coming in soon, I decided to add it to my blog. They turned out great and everybody thought I had worked for hours. HA!

1 package of refrigerated cookie dough

2 squares (1 ounce each) white chocolate for baking

2 tablespoons milk

1 package (8 ozs.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping (cool whip)

12-16 strawberries, cut in half

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 tsp. vegetable oil

Bake chocolate chip cookies. Remove from oven and cool

Place white chocolate and milk in a small bowl. Microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool slightly

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture. Mix until Smooth.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie.

Cut strawberries in half. Place on top of cream cheese mixture.

In a small bowl, place chocolate morsels and vegetable oil in microwave, uncovered, for 45 seconds, or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over fruit

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Blessings,

Linda

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Grilled Hotdogs with Homemade Chili, Baked Beans, French Fries

Tuesday - Grilled Ribeye Steaks, Baked Potato, Tossed Salad

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Salads

Thursday - Stromboli

Friday - Out

Saturday - Grilled Chicken Kabobs, Fried Rice with Veggies

Sunday - Subs, Veggies & Dip, chips

Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are a regular at our house. They freeze well too!!

1/2 c. butter (softened)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 - 1/2 c. (3 large) ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (I just use the regular size)
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 18 muffins tins or line with paper. Mix butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add bananas, milk, vanilla and eggs; mix well. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Salt if desired. Mix until moist. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill tins 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Can serve warm with butter and enjoy!!

Blessings,
Linda

Party Ham Biscuits

That's what we call these around our house. We usually have them at get togethers and such, it's nice because you make these up ahead of time. Worked great with crock pot green beans and deviled eggs. Everything was ready when we got home (our daughter had another softball game), just had to heat these babies in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Party Ham Biscuits

2 pkgs. rolls

1 lb. baked ham

1/2 lb. swiss cheese

1 stick melted butter or margarine

1 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. dried mustard

1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

1 tsp. onion salt

Place ham & cheese on rolls - mix other ingredients together and spoon over ham rolls. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight (sometimes I make up a couple hours before hand). Bake 15-20 min on 350.

Enjoy!!

Blessings, Linda

Working on Wednesday

Here is a little guy I've been working on for my craft booth. I'm also working on some bigger carrots to display & sell. The pattern comes from Country Whims.

Have a great Wednesday :)

Blessings,

Linda

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

Well, softball season is upon us. I will be relying on my crockpot and make ahead meals to get us through the next few months. We had these Enchiladas last night with a toss salad. I had everything just about ready when we walked in the door. It was freezing at the game, so this warm meal hit the spot. Sorry the picture isn't the best, but I was trying to show the layers.

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup copped green peppers
16 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, or pepper Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (I didn't need this many)

Cook beef, onions, and green peppers in skillet until beef is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain.

Add next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes

In slow cooker, layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture one tortilla, and about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers.

Cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours or until heated through (my crockpot took about 4 hours)

Enjoy!!

Blessings,
Linda

Spring Forward Monday

Hello my blogger friends. I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I have been living in pain for the last month. My thoughts and prayers go to those who live in constant pain. I just can't even begin to imagine. The past month has been very humbling!

I cracked my tooth about 5 weeks ago. My fear of the dentist had me waiting three weeks before I had it checked out. Last week, my dentist drilled it and the tooth broke off. He was pretty sure he had gotten all the crack, so he refilled it and sent me on my way. Well, after the numbing went away I found out that he DID NOT get the crack. He had drilled, and refilled the tooth, packing the filling into the crack. Next day he told me that he could not guarantee that a root canal would work. I didn't want to spend lots of $$$ and end up loosing the tooth anyway, so I went to an oral surgeon and had the tooth pulled. I'm still not back 100%!! All the work done those two days left my other teeth so sensitive. I'm praying really hard that I have no permanent damage done to those nerves.

Hey, but looking on the bright side......I'VE LOST 8 POUNDS!!!!!

Blessings,
Linda

Menu Plan Monday

What's cooking at our house this week:

Monday - Slow Cooker Enchiladas, Toss Salad
Tuesday - Party Ham Biscuits, Green Beans, Deviled Eggs
Wednesday - Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Baked Potato Slices, Steamed Broccoli
Thursday - WW Chili - making either nachos, or taco salads
Friday - Grilled Hamburgers, Mac. Salad, Baked Beans
Saturday - Out for FIL Birthday

Sixteen

Aren't they adorable? My uncle's Golden Retriever had SIXTEEN puppies over the weekend. Bless her heart....she had such a rough go. She had two on her own on Saturday, but was unable to deliver the rest. They loaded her up and took her to the vet where they did a c-section. Needless to say they are going to be very busy in the upcoming weeks.

Menu Plan Monday

Hello Fellow Bloggers!!! Well, this month is flying by, and I know I haven't posted forever. It's never a dull moment around our house, that's for sure. We still have snow on the ground in our part of the country. Our daughter has school tryouts starting today for softball, and they can't even be on the field (it's covered in snow). They will be in the gym at school, and she is so excited to get the season started. It's raining here today, so I'm sure a lot of our white stuff will disappear. Let's keep our fingers crossed for sunny days ahead to dry those fields up :)

Here is our menu for the week:



Monday - Vegetable Beef Stew in Crock Pot

Tuesday - Tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy & biscuits

Wednesday - Taco salads with left over taco soup in the freezer

Thursday - Homemade Pizza

Friday - Chicken Fajitas, Salsa cream cheese dip

Saturday - Party Ham Biscuits, potato casserole, baked beans


Blessings,

Linda

Snowed In Weekend

We had the best weekend. Started snowing Friday night and we ended up with about 10 inches. We stayed in all day Saturday. Yesterday, church services were cancelled and hubby ended up cleaning the driveway and walks. I know a lot of people around here are getting tired of the white stuff....not me!!! I LOVE IT!!! It was especially nice we had snow on the weekend, my daughter didn't miss school, hubby didn't have to brave it to work, and well, I stayed in my p.j's. Our son?...he was out & about with his friends (as usual). I just love downtime!!!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Grilled Hamburgers, Potato Salad, Baked Beans

Tuesday - Black Bean Enchiladas, Toss Salad

Wednesday - Party Ham Rolls, left over potato salad, green beans

Thursday - Pesto Tomato Ravioli, Toss Salad

Friday - Eating at mom's :)

Saturday - Birthday Dinner - Eating Out

Sunday - Taco Salads/finger foods

Blessings,

Linda

Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

My brother always teases me when we have family get togethers. I take this dish A LOT!! He always says "What did you bring?"....knowing exactly what I brought, and I tell him I brought it just for him. LOL!

Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

2 boxed packages frozen chopped broccoli (thawed)

1 cup minute rice

1/2 stick margarine or butter

1 cup cold water

1/3 cup diced celery

1 small jar cheeze whiz

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 can cream of celery soup

Mix all together and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees

Blessings,

Linda

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry!! I know anybody can get this recipe cause it's on the back of Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet Morsel bag, but I'm sharing it anyway. Last week I fixed the "Good for you Cookies", this week I fix the "Not so good for you Cookies". I justify it because I know they are better for you than the store bought packaged cookies....and besides....I was really craving some chocolate chip cookies!!

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cup morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)



Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one ta a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven.


Blessings,
Linda

I've added some new items on my Selling Site

Thought I would share a few pictures. All these items were made by my friend Rose. She has tons of merchandise and has been primitive crafting for 30 years. I have learned so much from her. I just added them to my selling site this morning http://www.fullcupblessings.com/ These are just a few. Hope you enjoy!!

Blessings,
Linda

Menu Plan Monday

Monday Again???? I'm excited about my menu this week. Got it all planned out, and didn't even have to grocery shop (except for milk & bread). I'm trying to use up everything, and last weeks plans got shot a couple nights. Friday night we ate at my parents house, and Saturday night we just had sandwiches. Here goes:

Monday - Weight Watcher Garden Vegetable Soup
Tuesday - Country Ham, Navy Beans
Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Salads
Thursday - Breakfast for dinner (Sausage Gravy, biscuits)
Friday - Chicken Philly's, French Fries
Saturday - Finger Foods (Game Night)
Sunday - Crock Pot Spaghetti, salad

Have a great week!!
Blessings,
Linda

Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing

Outback is our all time favorite restaurant. Granted, we only get to go on special occasions such as birthday's & anniversaries, but we love, love, love it. I have had this recipe for years. It's a copy cat recipe for their ranch dressing. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.


Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper (I use regular)
1 dash dried minced garlic

Mix well and refrigerate.

Watcha Workin on Wednesday

Wow - Unlike last week, this week seems to be flying by. Today I will be finishing up my Valentine Hearts that I started last week. Also, I have a ton of items to add to my selling site, so hopefully I can get those added within the next few days. Along with my daily chores and errands to run this afternoon, it's going to be a busy day. Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!!

Blessings,
Linda

It's Southern Living - They know what they're doing!!!

Okay - so I decided I would make my fam some good ole homemade cookies. As I'm flipping through the new Southern Living Magazine last night I stumble across a very yummy looking recipe for Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies. Yum...this is the ticket. I will make these first thing tomorrow morning (which is today)....

I start getting the ingredients ready, and I'm thinking...hmmm.... 1/3 cup butter doesn't seem like enough, but oh well....it's Southern Living....they know what they're doing. So, I'm mixing and the ingredients keep getting dry, and crumbly, and I'm thinking...this is soooo wrong, but I keep on. Finally, I'm getting really mad. Here I've wasted all these ingredients and the dough is like granola, but it's okay, it's Southern Living.....They know what they're doing!!!






As I start to put the dough on the cookie sheet, I feel like I'm building a sand castle. I am actually packing the dough trying to get it to stick together. I look back at the recipe to make sure I measured everything right....3 TIMES, I looked!!!!! Yep, I did what it said....they've made a mistake!!


So, I put the first batch in the oven, and check about half way through, and they are still just little balls, no flat cookies there!! Now, I am MAD!! I wanted one of those yummy Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Pecan Cookies soooo bad!!! SO - As I am reading the recipe for the FOURTH time, I look at the top of the page, and you know what it said.........

HEALTHY LIVING

I am making "good for you" cookies. I am baking my family a great thing. Cookies that are actually good for you. I pull those suckers out of the oven, and you know what!! Even though they don't look like your normal "not good for you cookies", and they don't taste like your normal "not good for you cookies". They are actually not bad!!! They taste pretty good!! Can't wait to see how the fam likes them. I think I'll go have another one...you know, since they're good for me and all :)



It's Southern Living and They DO know what they're doing!!! Enjoy!!


I may even rename these to "Good for you Cookies" Here is the recipe:

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies (Southern Living)

1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate mini morsels (I used regular)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. (Be sure to watch these...my were burning after 5 minutes).

Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients. Beat sugars and butter at medium speed with mixer until well blended. Add vanilla and egg, beating until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in toasted pecans and morsels.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned.

Blessings,
Linda

Ground Chicken Enchiladas

I'm telling you here & now....My son should have been born a Mexican. He loves Mexican food. I swear he would eat it everyday if he could...but 1. He suffers with acid reflux, and 2. My daughter hates everything about it, (other than nachos & cheese every now and then) so having Mexican every night for dinner just would not work, plus.....I don't think nightly bologna sandwiches would meet the recommended daily allowance for a growing girl.



Here is my easy version recipe Ground Chicken Enchiladas:





1 lb. ground chicken (I buy this in the meat section already packaged)

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)

9-10 Tortilla Shells



Brown ground chicken in skillet then drain. Add taco seasoning & water. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Spread sour cream on each tortilla shell, add the chicken, sprinkle with cheese, roll up. Bake on 350 for about 20 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday

Whew - Busy, busy weekend here! I got a lot accomplished. My biggest project was cleaning our closet. Boy, was I in the trashing mood. I really wish the trash would run soon though, cause I don't want to find myself digging through the bags because I'm having remorse from throwing away clothes that "MAY" fit again...NOT...Who am I kidding??? Anyway, it looks great, and I feel so much better to have it clean & organized.

Monday - Hawaiian Meatballs, mashed potatoes, corn

Tuesday - Weight Watcher Soup, grilled cheese sandwiches

Wednesday - Chicken Philly Sandwiches, tossed salad

Thursday - Country Ham, navy beans, potato salad

Friday - Homemade Pizza, tossed salad

Saturday - Grilled chicken, broccoli casserole, baked potatoes

Have a great Monday,

Linda

Philly Cheese Steak Subs

Joining in Colleens Recipe Swap for this week, this is my version of Philly Cheese Steak Subs.

Package of Top Sirloin Steaks (I used two)

Chopped onion

Chopped Green pepper (I didn't use this time because I didn't have one)

Can of mushrooms

Mozzarella Cheese

Sub Rolls

Butter

Steak sauce of your choice (I used Dales)

I put the steaks in the freezer for a little bit, so they would be easier to slice. I sliced the steaks into thin pieces first. I then put the steak, sauce, onions & mushrooms and cooked until done. I buttered the bread, put the steak mixture on the bread, then added the cheese. I then put under the broiler in the oven until cheese melted. These are always a huge hit with my family. I served them with tossed salad and chips. I guess I should add; this was just enough for my family of 4.

Blessings,

Linda

Weight Watcher Chili

This has turned out to be a family favorite.....(except for my daughter, she was having none of this. She turns to cereal when we have something she doesn't like). Oh well!! It's very good and I ended up putting it in the crock pot for about 4 hours. The recipe came from my friend Rachel.

Chili - WW - 1 cup = 3 points

1 can Mexican (or Italian) stewed tomatoes

1 can fat free chicken broth

1 can fat free refried beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 onion

1 package chili mix

1 lb. lean ground beef

Cook beef with onion (diced). In large pot mix all ingredients and cook on low for desired time.

Enjoy!!!!

Blessings,

Linda

Watcha Working on Wednesday

I finally decided to give this a try. I've been working on these great smelling Valentine Ornaments. I still have some to finish painting, and then I will need to seal them. I got the dough recipe from Colleen at And Baby Makes Five. I will be hanging some on my ornament tree in the shop, and using some as bowl fillers here at home.

Ornamental Gingerbread Dough

3 T shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup water

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp each: ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in molasses. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir them into sugar mixture and gradually add water. Dough will be very stiff. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 350. Cut dough into three pieces. Roll one piece at a time (between two pieces of waxed paper) to a thickness of about 1/4". Cut out desired shapes and pattern. Note: If you are planning to hang these ornaments, poke holes in the shapes now with a straw or toothpick. Bake for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool and harden for several hours or overnight.

Finished ornaments can be painted, sealed or dipped in melted wax. The possibilities are endless.

Thanks again to Colleen at "And Baby Makes Five" for the great recipe.

Blessings,

Linda

Kris Kringle Cakes

Okay, okay, I know Christmas is past, but I have to tell you....I made these pancakes last weekend and they were delicious. I got the recipe from "Finding Joy in my Kitchen". I usually just make pancakes from bisquick, but wanted to try something different. Yummy!!

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 cup oats (I used quick oats)

2 T. brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/3 cup applesauce

1 cup milk - may need a little extra

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together applesauce, egg, and vanilla

Add Milk

Then mix dry ingredients together.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until moist. You may need to add additional milk if the mixture seems overly thick. Cook pancakes on a griddle heated to medium. Flip when little bubbles begin to form. Enjoy!!

Blessings,

Linda

Menu Plan Monday

So - my big plan this year is to eat out less!! I think it will help me be accountable is I join in the "Menu Plan Monday". I'm just posting dinners so far. I'm breaking myself in slowly. So...here goes:

Monday - Weight Watcher Chili Recipe - From my friend Rachel

Tuesday - Philly Cheese Steak Subs

Wednesday - Pork Medallions with Mushroom Sauce (from my friend Laura)

Thursday - Chicken Enchiliadas

Friday - Stromboli's

HELLO January!!!

Well - I had planned on doing a better job of posting on my blog. Maybe starting today I will do just that. Being a mom sure is a hard job. You know...as my children have grown, I actually thought juggling would be easier, but it seems it is just the opposite. I think my grown son assumes we have a motel here. He eats, sleeps and showers here and it is so seldom that we get to spend time with him. Between working, going to class & hanging with his friends - It feels like the beginning of the empty nest, but I still have his laundry!!! And it seems I'm just the Taxi Driver for my daughter.



Oh well....I really am going to have a hard time with the empty nest thing!!



Here are some Valentine Heart Ornaments I've been working on. They turned out really cute, and I added them to the shop yesterday. What do you think?


Blessings,
Linda