cracker jack

I went to www.smittenkitchen.com today and found a spicy caramel popcorn recipe. Please go to the site and get the recipe, yes I could give it to you, but Deb does a fine job and her photos are much nicer than mine! With that said, I had Diesel as my sous chef hoping to find some spillage on the floor to mop up for me! Blessings!

rice

Gordon and I went to the Chinese restaurant for lunch today! They have very good food and a great lunch deal! I started thinking about rice and different ways to make rice! I usually have 3 ways to use rice, but I know there's tons of recipes out there! Do you have a favorite recipe that uses rice? What are they and is it a really reliable recipe? I make fried rice, Spanish rice and boiled rice to serve with stir fry, I want and need to expand on this! Blessings!

ideas?

Well, I asked you all for some ideas for New Year's and it is approaching! What are they?? I'm thinking of something snackie, beyond cheese, crackers and sausage! I might just get some bubbly drink, like Asti or Moscato! There's a prize out there for a winning idea for New Year's, send in the ideas with your name and email! Blessings!

birthday

The mice look real, don't they? We got snow(now I'm guessing)about 8" and then it rained, yuck!

Today is Gordon's birthday! I won't reveal his age, you can ask him! So, for Christmas we had chicken Parmesan instead of lamb as my son-in-law doesn't like lamb. So, Gordon got lamb for his birthday supper! I want to share a couple of photos, one is of a gift from Erika and Trevor to me for Christmas and the other one is of all the snow we got in the last 2 1/2 days! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!! You're still the one! Blessings!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a wonderful day with friends and family! We have lots of snow and will be in for the day! My kitchen is not closed, but will slow down for today! May God richly bless you all this day!Blessings!

Christmas

I absolutely love Christmas!! With that said, I realize some really don't like the holiday rush, cookies to make for the cookie exchanges, gifts to buy for that person who bought you a gift, and on the list goes! I really love the fact that Emmanuel came for me! I think we forget what the day is about, Jesus! "For unto us a Son is born, a Son is given". "He will be called, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" Isaiah 9:6 How cool is that! When I finally take a breath from all the crazy shopping, I start singing that song from Handel's Messiah, of course under my breath so no one hears me, then I calm down and realize I really do love all of this, but mostly that Jesus came for me! To show love to me!! And then in turn I can show love to others! Merry Christmas!

New Year's contest

I want you all to enter this contest(including you lurkers, I know who you are)!! Wouldn't it be fun to enter what you are having for New Year's Eve or Day as part of this fun time of year??!!!! There will be a prize, I'm not sure what or how I will pick it up, but there will be a prize!!! Send the recipe here with any instructions on preparing it and I will check them out. Make sure you send a name and email address!! Blessings!

chicken

I had a friend stop by the pizza demo and asked me what I was serving for Christmas! I thought for a moment and said "Oh yeah( I almost forgot) I'm planning on Chicken Parmesan." It is an old favorite of ours and easy! Recipe: 1 cut-up chicken, 1 cup of bread crumbs and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in bread crumb/cheese mixture and place in baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place chicken in oven. 30 minutes on one side and 30 minutes on the other side! Meanwhile open 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and the same amount of milk in a dish, mix well. Pour over chicken and bake another 30 minutes. Delish!!! Blessings!

sugar cookies

I'm so excited this morning to tell you about some really cute sugar cookies! I went to thepioneerwoman.com this morning and someone sent her some sugar cookies with edible pictures of frosty the snowman and Santa on them, then the lady piped some frosting on the edges to make the cookies look like a framed photo! So stink in.....................cute!!! I know that the store bakery can do edible photos, so next year I might do a few special cookies with a photo, wouldn't that be cute! The photos are endless what you could do: grand kids, dogs, cats, kids, gardens,etc!! So, check out the website and see those cookies! Blessings!

lamb

We like lamb! I didn't grow up eating it very much, but my mother-in-law would make it at Easter for the family gathering! She wasn't the best cook, but lamb she could cook! The grocery store has it on sale this week, so I'm going to buy one and probably have it for Christmas! After all, Jesus is referred to the Lamb of the world! Of course, you need to serve it with mint jelly and mashed potatoes! Blessings!

panettonne

Last year when we were at Sam's Club shopping, I bought a loaf of Panettone(Italian fruitcake). It was so huge and took us forever to eat, but we loved it!! So, when I picked up the Food Network magazine for December, I found a recipe for Panettone to be made as a gift. "What a great find!" I made the mix to give away as a gift. I also made the loaves to give along with the gift so the friends would know what it tastes like! I took pictures of the finished product and cut one up so you can see the insides! Recipe is long, so here it goes:1/3 cup of diced candied orange peel,3/4c of dried cherries,3/4c of golden raisins,3/4c of diced dried apricots,1/2c of sugar.1 Tablespoon of active dry yeast,3 1/2c of flour,and 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt. This makes 2 loaves for a 5x9 buttered pan, or in my case 4 mini loaves. Melt 1 stick of butter with 1 cup of milk(watch it so not to burn or get too hot), add 1/4c of honey and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. This needs to cool down to no more than 120 degrees otherwise you kill the yeast! Beat 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla together and add to cooled milk, then add to mixture and blend together. Let this rise for 1 hour covered, then put mixture into pans and let rise for another hour! Bake at 350 degrees for 50 -55 minutes. Blessings!

tea at Diane's

My friend, Diane has the cutest house! She invited me for tea this morning with a few other friends! I was going to take my granddaughter's, but they didn't come up because one was sick, so I went and took pictures for them! Diane has an American girl doll and so do my twin granddaughter. Olivia(granddaughter) and Diane have the same one, Kirsten from Sweden! Diane has Kirsten all set up on a shelf with the Swedish theme for St.Lucia! So, doggone cute!!!! Enjoy the pictures! Blessings!

tree

I finally got my tree up and made more fudge! I'm pretty sick of fudge, so I'm hoping I'm done! Kurt is coming back with the 3 little girls for the extra hunting weekend, so I wanted the tree up before they get here tomorrow! I promise I will share recipes next week and be back on track! Blessings!

snow days

Last night and early this morning we got about 5 inches of snow and it is pretty!! I did go to work and worked most of the day, as Gordon drove me in as the roads are crap for a while here! I had intended to stay home and make a day of tree trimming,cookie making and drinking lots of coffee!! But with Sample Fest on Friday, I needed to get some of the little behind the scenes things done! However, I did manage to get my tree up and the realized the top is falling apart, so the angel won't stay on the top, Boo Hoo!!!! Maybe it's time for a new fake tree!!!??? Blessings!

Big party

Friday, there's a BIG party at the grocery store! I'm doing the choreographic dance right now(thought I would throw you all off) in getting everyone organized and where the girls need to be set up! It's fun, but a lot of work! I've got all the recipes ready and will make up the snack food on Wednesday. Thursday, Mary and I demo ,but finish up prep work on some dips, then Friday will be long and busy!! It's always fun to see people reactions to new dips and ideas, so stop in and let me know what you think! this year we will have a coffee bar set up in the front and rumor has it that the liquor dept will serve champagne! I'll try to remember to take photos to show off the party! Blessings!

Saturday

I'm working tomorrow and it's cold here! The snow has started and snowed all day, but not very much on the ground! I've made a large pot of turkey in gravy for supper to serve over biscuits! Poor Gordon got that for 2 nights, but no complaints out of him!! Tomorrow night will be better with ham and potatoes! We are off to see our 9 yr old granddaughter on Sunday! Hope to take her to lunch, bum around, maybe a movie! Blessings!

venison sausage

Gordon is very busy these days mixing meat up for sausage! We(mostly him) make Italian, Cajun(new this year), fresh(all purpose sausage), and chorizo!!! We like the three and I added the Cajun this year for something else! Chorizo is so neat to have on hand, no need to add taco seasoning to the meat, it's already done! Tacos are a breeze! I'm thinking for our Bible study group Christmas party about making Cajun meat with rice as a hot dish, YUM!!!!! Blessings!

disaster!

Well, I was minding my own busy and a disaster happened!! I was happily making bars for a funeral at church, it was a new recipe and had it all under control, when it happened! 15 minutes into the baking process, I smelled something burning, not the bars, oh no!!! No it wasn't the bars actually, but the glass pan broke in the oven and the contents were burning on the bottom of the oven! I stood there and said to Gordon,"the pan broke". He came into the kitchen and we turned off the oven, but didn't try to take the broken glass pan out because of the heat, but I dumped the second pan as we thought maybe there would be glass fragments in the other pan of bars! What a night!!! Cuts on both of our hands from the glass pan! So, I emailed Pyrex and I'll let you know what happens!! Blessings!

payday bars

Someone told me about payday bars, so now I'm on the hunt for them! If you have that recipe, send it to me!!! We love nut bars, so I figured payday would be close with the peanuts and goo!!! Is goo a real word??? Anyway, I'm putting pix of the girls from this weekend, they had candy and their lips,teeth and tongue turned colors!! what fun!

followers

Hey, I'm so excited, I have 5 followers!!! Some of you are still lurking on the site and have not signed up to follow!!! Today was a long day at the grocery store, more people out shopping elsewhere, not for groceries! Tomorrow, I'm out to a craft show with the girls! Mommy and Alex are coming for the rest of the weekend! Have a great weekend and I'll be back at the cooking next week! Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I remember getting up early just to watch the parades on TV. My children did the same, but the grandkids aren't that interested! How times change!!! Do you have any memories? I hope everyone enjoys the day with family and friends, eat lots of food and count our blessings! We owe alot to our ancestors for enduring the harshness of the first years here in the new nation, most of them dying before the nation was established, but here we are some 350 years plus later and enjoying this freedom! Enjoy the pix of my grandkids Blessings!

applesauce donuts

Well, the weekend is coming and I'm getting some family members, so I think it's time to pull out all stops and make some donuts! I have had this recipe for close to 20 years and we just love them! So, when I'm making them, we'll take photos and post them as we go! I don't know why I'm saying we, as there is no "we" in this process!!! So, as Thanksgiving is approaching, have fun with family and pray for our nation! Blessings!

Thanksgiving

What is Thanksgiving to you? Family, friends and good food is what it to me! But above all I'm so grateful to live in the United States of America where I have the freedom to worship, speak my mind and live the way I like to! This year we are having a few family members and friends in for dinner! I'm so excited to cook for everyone! I'm thinking about a new side dish which includes sweet potatoes and bananas! Sprinkle a little sugar on top and put under the broiler to brown the sugar! It sounds pretty good! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and count your blessings!

craft fair

Today was a big day for my friends and I! We had a craft sale and it was fun! It was a long day, but worth it! So, I'm showing some of my friends wares! Enjoy the pix! Blessings!

fruitcake

I'm so excited that I have found a recipe that looks easy to make for fruitcake!! Gordon and I really like fruitcake(that was one of the many reasons I married him)! Anyway, king Arthur flour has pretty papers you can bake your breads, cupcakes, and fruitcakes in that are disposable! I was just cruising around their site and found this recipe!!! I will take pix of the steps and make it soon!! Maybe the weekend we get Shealyn our 9 yr old granddaughter! She and I like to make stuff especially anything to do with glitter I'm in! This could add something to the fun!!! Blessings!

sorry

Sorry that I have been MIA for the last few days! It's crazy making fudge here every moment after I get home from work! I made the sloppy joe casserole ahead of time and I changed it up( of course, I changed it) using salsa for part of the ketchup! It's pretty tasty! I was going to take a picture of it, but my camera is MIA! Gordon must have it or it's really MIA! I will try and post a pix later when the camera turns up of the casserole! Blessings! Well, I found the camera and was able to post a photo, it was very good!!

craft show

Well, I'm in the throws of making fudge every spare moment I have in the next week for the craft show on Saturday! Come see us at the American Legion in Spooner!!! I enjoy being there so much, it's a lot of work for everyone, but we all have fun and have made friends along the way! Blessings!

cake

Hey is anyone reading this??? Just kidding!! I know I have a few followers! I found a new to me cake recipe for those of us who are trying to cut down on calories! Take one Devil's Food cake mix and add 1 15oz. can of pumpkin, mix together( it will be very sticky and thick),place into greased 9" cake pan and bake for 30- 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into 12 pieces and serve! I made it last night and had a piece, YUM!!! If you're one weight watchers it's only 4 points! Blessings! Love this photo of Olivia and lipstick, this was taken a few years ago, she better at putting on chapstick now!

work

Today being the 13th, there's a 13 hour sale at the grocery store! I don't have to work the whole time, but the majority of it! So, it will be a long day! Tonight will be a crockpot meal for us! That is country style ribs in the slow cooker!!! It's a great way to have supper ready when I get home! Have a great day! Blessings!

brats

We have brats from last year after the BIG hunt!! Anyway, we are running out of venison and Gordon has been out bow hunting, but nothing! He let some go by and I yelled at him, poor guy! But we are running out of meat!!! He likes brats with ketchup and mozzarella cheese on a bun, I like my separate without a bun, mustard on the side with a little ketchup!How do you like your brats?? We like making our own brats, chorizo, breakfast sausage and Italian! It saves us by not making us mad when we take it in and don't get back what we wanted! I use venison the same way I use hamburger or any of the other sausages! Blessings!

casseroles

I just read about a new casserole idea to me, Sloppy joe casserole! I think I will make this when our grandgirls come next weekend! It has carrots, onions, meat, ketchup and biscuits on top, YUM!!!! I will take photos for you all when I make it, promise! Blessings!

salad dressings

I made that clubhouse chicken pizza the other night for a Pampered chef party and it was a hit, but I had a little bit of ranch dressing left, so I added a little more mayo and the crushed peppercorns/garlic seasoning from Pampered chef to the mix and wow, what a great salad dressing!! I couldn't find the pics from the pizza, so you got to see my violet again! Blessings!

fish fry

Today is Friday and that means Friday night Fish Fry! It's a big deal here in northern Wisconsin! I never heard of it growing up in Chicago, but after we moved here, it's like "Tradition". Can't you hear the guy from "Fiddler on the Roof" singing??? We went to a local place with friends and ended up sitting for 2 hours talking! It was so much fun!!! Have a great weekend! Blessings!

brownies

YUM, brownies!!! I made brownies for a pampered chef party today! I have to say they are very yummy! Nestle's has a new morsel out in the grocery store, it's a dark chocolate and mint variety! All I can say is it's good!!! I sprinkled them on top of the warm brownies and let them melt like a frosting! Try them and let me know what you think! Blessings!

glazed chicken

We had company last night and I made a new recipe! Glazed chicken with mashed potatoes,YUM!!!! I found it on the rachaelrayshow.com site and I have had very good luck with her recipes! Of course, I made it slightly my way and cooked the chicken a little longer than she said to cook the chicken, as 12 minutes doesn't cut it for her as a ok time for chicken! So, if you look at the recipe keep that in mind! Blessings!

spaghetti and meatballs

Do you remember the book "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs"? It's now a movie and I haven't seen it, but really wanted too as this was one of my daughter's favorite book when she was little! I remember reading it a million times to her!! Anyway, tonight my buddy, Jordan Lombard celebrated his 25th birthday and we were invited! Grandma Ruth made spaghetti and meatballs which was very good!! I'm not a big fan of spaghetti, but hey it was Jord's birthday and that's what he wanted! Well, Ruth's husband is Italian and his grandmother taught Ruth how to make it the Italian way. It has pieces of beef, sausage cut and meatballs in the spaghetti sauce, so every bite can have some sort of meat which is excellent!! So, next time jazz up your spaghetti sauce with the meat and see if I'm not right that it totally jazz's up the whole meal! Blessings!