Mimi's Kitchen

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the day which one of my favorites! I think it is a favorite because my birthday is just a few days away! Gordon and I went to the China House for lunch as a treat, so there was no cooking for me, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I however, made him some brownies for dessert for tonight to go with his ice cream later! We have exchanged gifts and cards in years past, but lately we just hug each other and say "I love you", which means more to me than ever! I'm still cleaning and I will be tackling the hall closet tomorrow. I did the hutch yesterday, which took all day! Blessings!

pantry done!

2012-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Well, the pantry looks so much better than it did! 2 garbage bags later, what a waste of money and energy always looking through everything to find something! I am so glad I did it and can check it off my to-do list of things to get done before I go back to work! Hoping you had a wonderful Sunday! And yes, I did pay a price for cleaning, but with a couple of Advil, my back is okay!

Blessings!

cleaning

2012-02-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

I'm cleaning my pantry which has made me rethink many things over the past 3 days! I've thrown out most the spices that were probably so outdated and lost their spice! I have found outdated canned goods, pie crust mixes, cereal, and on it goes! I'm not embarassed, maybe I should be, but it just had to be done! I'm moving the spices to a new spot as I had them over the stove in a cabinet, but that's not the best spot for them! So, it has become the spot for my large Le Creust stock pot, it fits just perfect! I am thinking about getting an over the door spice rack holder if I can find on, probably on line somewhere! I will photo the end results! The photo of the table is what hasn't found a home yet in the pantry

meals

2012-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

We have the greatest friends! Thye have been bringing over meals every few days so I don't have to stand in the kitchen and cook something! The meals have been very good!! Ham, potato salad, baked beans, salads, desserts and lots of dinner rolls! We thank God for them and their kindness at this time! Someday I will have to have a party to thank them! Blessings!

books I'm reading

2012-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I would share a few books that I'm reading while recovering from surgery! One is from Molly Wizenberg and it's very witty, cute, written well with great recipes in it to go along with her life with food and her wonderful blog, Orangette. I would recommend it if you like to read about life and food! The second one is a great book about being more comfortable in your own home and sharing it with others! The author, Karen Ehman is a great writer and makes you feel like she is your best friend trying to help you out when you need help, but doesn't make you feel inadequate if serving others is hard for you! I love being home, but I want my home to be a welcomed stop for friends, so they can feel that stopping by is okay by me! So, stop by for coffee and a chat! Blessings!

flowers

2012-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I received flowers from my sister Sandy and her husband Bob on Thursday. They are so pretty and make me smile! I'm moving at the pace of a snail and he's winning sometimes! I keep telling myself to stand tall and no leaning to one side like before, so it's alot to think of when I get up from the chair. I lay down alot with ice packs and have not taken any meds since I got home except for Advil as needed! I am reading 3 books and have downloaded 10 or so onto the kindle for later when I can get back on my bike, it helps make the time fly by! Thanks for the prayers and phone calls! Blessings!

I'm home

2012-02-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

I got home yesterday from the hospital around 2p.m. We stopped off in Rice Lake for KFC! It's what I wanted to eat! People are bringing food in for us and Gordon is so happy as the pies are coming!! He does have a sweet tooth! So, thanks for the prayers and good words you have sent via cards or calls!Blessings!

Sunday

2012-01-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

Well, the "hub" got home from ice fishing with the son, son-in-law, and his Dad! They had fun, slept on the ice in a shack with holes in the floor by their beds! Only guys would think of this!!! So, I got alot of things done before my surgery, lots of washing done and meatballs made for easy meatball sandwiches! I found a few new websites the other day and want to share with you, go to karenehman.com. She has very practical life lessons for all of us! Then there is Lysa Terkeurst, I'm not sure on her website, but she has a few books out that I plan on reading while I recover(like 3)! Love you guys and I will blog later on my surgery! Blessings!

surgery

2012-01-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

Just to let you all know that I will be having back surgery on Tuesday morning! I'm so excited to get this done! I will stay over night and be home sometime after 12p.m on Wednesday! I'm so at peace with this and know that Jesus is walking beside me all the way! Thank you for all your precious thoughts and prayers at this time! So, needless to say I will not be posting for a while, maybe a week or so, kinda like now! :) Blessings!

Sunday

2012-01-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

Of course, most of you know that today is church day for us. It's also a day of rest for us! I made a few exceptions today and did some laundry. I also tried out a new recipe from Rachael Ray's tv show called "Beef Tinga". Of course I had to change it up! Recipe: chuck roast cut up into 1 inch pieces,

salt and pepper each side(I used soup meat because it was cheaper than chuck roast), our homemade chorizo(from venison), 2 small onions diced, 1 can of diced tomaotes and 1 cup of water. Brown the chuck in some oil and make sure each side is browned, remove from pan, in same pan brown the chorizo meat and onions. Put the meat and onions is a stock pot and add the tomatoes. I used 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of cayene. Put the stock pot in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours or 275 degrees(while we went to the show for 4 hours. The meat just falls apart and you can eat it with tortillas or as we did with homemade blueberry muffins! YUM!

pound cake

2012-01-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

We have had well issues for most of this week, joys of country living! Our son and son-in-law helped Gordon pull the well pipe up and put on a new pump today, I'm back in business for dishes, showers, washing, showers, washing my hair, washing clothes, and showers!

So, I made pound cake, but no one ate it because they ate too much for lunch! So, I cut a piece so you could see it with the fresh fruit on top! Pineapple, blueberries and raspberries! It looks so pretty! Blessings!

bobcat

2012-01-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Our bobcat is back along with his lady friend, Bobbette! We call him "Bobby" for short and not to freak out city people! We are on looking terms with him through our game camera, no one sees them otherwise, they are afriad of us also! Gordon and I have seen their paw prints in the snow and saw they were looking for something to eat, like last year when we put out the deer carcasses from deer season! Picked clean between the bobcats, eagles, crows, bluejays, and bear! So, Gordon hauled out the carcasses from Novembers hunt and hopefully we have some more pictures! Blessings!

cookies

2012-01-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

Friends of ours gave us "refrigerator cookies" for a Christmas gift. She had them frozen and I have kept them there for a few weeks until tonight, but I was good and only baked 6! They are a slice and bake kind of cookies! They are called Icebox Cookies: 2 cups of brown sugar, 1 cup of softened butter, 2 eggs, 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 cup of chopped walnuts. Cream sugar and butter, add the eggs, Beat in flour, and soda, then add the walnuts. Form into a brick or roll and let stand in refrig.

overnight or freeze. Slice and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. They are one of my favorites for the holiday! Blessings!

book

2012-01-06T04:37:00.000-08:00

I have been absorbed lately by this book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp, what a wonderful, mind blowing, thought provoking book! I love it. Thank you Ann for writing it! Gratitude, what are you grateful for these days??? That is what the main theme is in this book. I picked it up thinking it was a gift making like of book, but gratitude is the main thing. I'm so grateful for so many things these days because of my thoughts going to that subject! I am grateful for the beautiful whiteness of the snow, for my friends on this blog, for a car that runs, and on and on it goes!!! She has a download at her site for the calendar where you can write everyday one thing that you are grateful for, I did download it! I'm excited to write down gratitudes for the year, I hope you will check it out and maybe join the website

! Her website is aholyexperience.com. Ann is a young mother of 6 children and a wealth of poetic writings! I'm grateful you read this today, blessings!

recipe

2012-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Remember a few posts back I was talking about making fruitcake if I could find a good recipe??? Remember I was cleaning out papers the other day amd trying to organize Gordon's business mess that he and I have created! Well, lo and behold I came across a piece of paper with my Mother's beautiful handwriting on it, want to guess what it said????? You are right, it was a fruitcake recipe that she had written down in pencil! My Mom, what a gift!!! I don't remember her making it, but maybe she had copied from someone's recipe and

forgot about it! I'm so overjoyed!!!! I took it work to have it laminated, it's pretty fragile paperwise and I didn't want it to get any worse, but I'm excited to try it out! I'm not waiting till next year either if I can find the fruit mix to use! God is so great, I'm so grateful for finding this and not tossing it! Blessings!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

It's late in the day and I am finally getting around to wishing all of you Happy New Year! I pray that this 2012 will be the best year yet for all of us! My wish for you is that God will shine wisdom where you need it, guidance when you ask for it, grace when you fall, and mercy for all the rest! Please keep in touch with me and know that I pray for you all! Blessings!

cleaning

2011-12-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

I'm in the "organizing mode" these days, but I am stuck! I need help and Lord knows I can't ask the "hub", because he "don't know"! I want to organize the business area in our great room! It's in the corner as you walk into the room. I need to first figure out where to put all the items from this area, which room it needs to go, which room has the most storage for all this businees items and then go get some containers. Sounds like a quick shopping trip to Rice Lake to me!!! I would like to go alone, but somehow I doubt that will happen and questions will be asked, like

"why are you getting that?", "don't you have that already?", "where are you going to put that?" and on it goes!! Bless him, he can't help asking the questions! Wish me luck!!

birthday

2011-12-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today is Gordon's birthday. Old is he you ask???? Well, old enough now to get medicare!!! He only wanted to be 21(which was the legal drinking age for Illinois when we were young)! Wow, has time flown by and going faster all the time, but to my "hub", Happy birthday, babe!!! Blessings! P.S. picture is from this summer fishing

with our twin granddaughters! What fun we had fishing!!!!

Christmas

2011-12-25T02:56:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone! Isaiah 9:6 " For unto us a child is born. A son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulders. These will be His royal titles "Mighty God,"Everlasting Father",

"Wonderful Counselor", "Prince of Peace." May you all find this child and have faith in Him! Blessings this Christmas Day!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

What are your traditions?? We have tried a few over the 40 yrs celebrating, but usually come back to what we enjoyed as kids! Christmas Eve service at church usually starts us off, then coming home and snacking on cheese, crackers, herring, sausage and eggnog, then finishing the night off with bed to wait for Santa! This year will be no different except we already started snacking and the eggnog! Wishing all of a very Happy Christmas and that Christ will be the center of the celebrating! Blessings!

my back

2011-12-22T06:01:00.000-08:00

Some of you have asked me about my back and I thought I would respond to all my followers about this ever present issue. I had a CAT scan yesterday, that is the coolest thing ever!!!! Then, I saw the neurosurgeon, he's so nice! He told me exactly what kind of surgery he would do to give me some relief, but left it up to me when I would do it! I'm not sure of the spelling, sorry, but it is called a lamenectomy, which means he would go in and remove that spur that is causing me so much leg pain! That's a great Christmas gift for me to receive! So, I will wait and keep trying PT, now he has added swimming to my plate and using our new toy, the inversion table. Blessings!!!

fruitcake

2011-12-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

Someday I'm going to teach myself how to make fruitcake. Gordon and I love a good fruitcake, I know all the jokes about bad fruitcake, but I have had some wonderful fruitcakes in my life! So when we were at Sam's Club yesterday(mind you to pick up a Kindle Fire for yours truly which they were out of), we found a boxed fruitcake and decided to try it! It's very good! Maybe I will pass one on to you??? No, I won't, just kidding! Blessings!

french toast

2011-12-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

I made one of the recipes from Friday's Sample Fest for our breakfast. Gordon wasn't thrilled with it and so it will not grace our table again! It was too much like bread pudding and he doesn't like that, but here's the recipe for you all to try! Recipe: (I cut this in half for us otherwise this amount will fit a 9x13 pan greased.) 12 slices of bread, place at least 6 on the bottom of pan, then mix 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, pour half of the milk-egg mixture over bread and

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour over bread, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans over the over the slices of bread, repeat layer. Let this soak over night or at least for a few hours. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until it puffs up. Make a glaze of milk and powdered sugar to serve over this. YUM(at least I think so). Blessings!

early Christmas

2011-12-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

We had Christmas with Kate, Kurt and family today! We had fun and enjoyed the kids! Kurt grilled hamburgers for our lunch. I stopped at Target and got potato salad and cookies(as I forgot the cheesecake in the freezer). Kate cooked some yummy squash for us and we had the usual chips! What a feast!!! The kids enjoyed the gifts and we (us girls) had a shopping spree to Michaels! Blessings!

Oranges

2011-12-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

This year it seems like old things are new again like oranges made into pomanders, I love making these and the whole house smells so wonderful!

Anyway, I haven't done these in years and bought some Cuties today with some whole cloves! I only did 5, as I love to eat the Cuties too much to give up any more!
Sample Fest is quickly approaching on Friday. I got a few things done with a lot to do tomorrow! Blessings!

white christmas

2011-12-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

I was over at Isabelleathome's blog yesterday morning and came across this recipe! I took it work and discussed the recipe with my boss. We will use next week for sample fest! Congrats, Isabelle!! Anyway, I decided to make some for baskets I am putting together for Christmas gifts! It is tasty and pretty! So here is the recipe which I changed up just a tad! White Christmas recipe: 3 cups of Cheerios, 3 cups of Rice Chex(store brand), 3 cups of Corn Chex(store brand), 1 bag of Christmas peanut M&M's(could use plain), and 2 cups of stick pretzels broken up, and 1 bag of white chips melted using a double boiler. Mix the cereals, prezels and M&M's in huge bowl. Melt the white chips in the double boiler and pour the melted white chocolate chips over the cereal mix. Mix this well and put some muscle into it!! Let it cool and break it up to put in pretty jars or bags for gifts! Blessings!

cards

2011-12-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

This year I am struggling to write my Christmas letter. I have no clue why, maybe I don't have so much news to share this year??? Or maybe what I do have to say is boring???? I'm in a rut and I don't like it! I still have time, but what a dilemna this year! Time goes so fast and now the push for getting together with family is on! I wish we lived close enough to see the grandkids Christmas programs or could go see Santa with them, but working and so many miles gets in the way! Well, the rambling goes on and on today, sorry! Blessings!

snow

2011-12-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

It snowed late yesterday and it is so pretty out! I'm not a winter lover, but I do enjoy the snow(I like to look at it)! We spent most of yesterday in Duluth, Mn. taking parts back and some shopping! Gordon is not a shopper, I'm just saying because I ended up standing in line for 30 minutes at Michael's for 5 items( the line moved pretty fast), 45 minutes of shopping at Sam's(he bought alot of stuff there, but the lines were short there) and then took me to Olive Garden for a great lunch! So, the answer to what kind of bucket that was featured in Friday's picture is a commode enamel bucket from 30 yrs ago, who knew that a pee bucket could look so cute!! Blessings!

Jenny's

2011-12-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

My friend, Ruth and I went to our friend's house for her open house that shows off her crafts! Jenny has a beautiful home and makes wonderful gifts out of practically nothing(I'm so jealous)!! I bought this bucket with the greens in it, because I don't think I will be putting up a tree. No one is coming home for Christmas, so I don't think I want to take the time to put up the tree! We are going to Erika and Trevor's for Christmas Day in their new home! We are hoping to travel to Kate and Kurt's soon to celebrate with them! So enjoy my bucket! Can you guess what it was in it's former life???? I will reveal what it was next time!! We will all laugh! Blessings!

cookies

2011-12-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

I made cookies from a bag the other day and all that is left to take a picture of is these 2 cookies on the plate...:-( I bought the sugar cookie

mix by Betty Crocker to make with the kids over the weekend and never got around to it, so I made them on Monday night. One of my bosses had a birthday on Tuesday, who loves cookies, so he got a few, but other cookie monster in the house managed to eat most of the rest( I got 4) of the 2 dozen. I guess that's why he stays so slim....:-)! Blessings!!!

recipe

2011-11-29T03:47:00.000-08:00

I demoed a new recipe last week at the store called "Cherry cream cheese spread". 1 pkg of softened cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of diced maraschino cherries, 1 teaspoon of juice from cherries,&

1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Mix well and serve on bagels or toast or what we did was Ritz crackers. It's so pink and pretty, would look so pretty for Christmas morning! Blessings!

Week in review

2011-11-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

Well, the hunting season is officially over for 2011! We got 5 deer for the freezer, making Italian sausage, maple breakfast sausage, fresh sausage and brats this coming week! Kora and Lily came with Kurt, Olivia was ill and stayed home with Mommy(Hi, Kate)! Shealyn and Alex went to their Dad's. We had a very nice Thanksgiving, but missed the others that weren't here! I'm in the decorating mood, but I'm not sure if I will put up a tree or not! I was visiting over at Beth Moore's blog around Wed., she was asking for favorite recipes. There were 558 replies, not all recipes, but a few stood out to me. One was "Maw-Maw's Corn Casserole". It's a pretty easy and straight forward recipe, 2-15 oz. cans of whole cron, 2-15oz of creamed corn, 16 oz of sour cream, 2 pkgs of Jiffy corn muffin mix, and 1 stick of butter. Cut up the butter and place pieces of butter in 9x13 pan, put pan

in oven as it preheats to 350. Mix the other ingredients together and pour over melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes and serve warm! YUM!!!! Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T04:46:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I pray that families are enjoying the day together and the food! We will eat this evening around 6 pm. Erika is bringing the desserts and I will do the rest because I like doing it all!!! Lily and Kora are here to help set the table, I can't wait to watch the Macy's parade with them! I love the parade! Sometimes we talk about what we are thankful for around the table, so this year maybe we will talk about what we aren't thankful for, like no school or I don't have to work! So, Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you who read my ramblings! Blessings!

snow

2011-11-20T06:59:00.000-08:00

We received about 4-6 inches of snow yesteday. It did put a little hamper on the traffic for the craft show! I sold a lot of fudge and cookies, which I use to buy our grandchildren gifts for Christmas. I did get a beautiful gift for my sweet daughter-in-law, too! She is the best wife and mom, I don't get to see her very much, but know how busy she is these days! Well, that's all from here. I know these are short posts, but that's me, too the point! Blessings!

hello

2011-11-15T03:54:00.000-08:00

My cold is almost gone and I missed only one day of work. I have been busy making fudge for the craft sale this weekend at the American Legion hall in Spooner, please come as there are so many wonderful crafters there! Also, Vicki from Simply in Trego, called and ordered some fudge for her open house on Friday night, so please go up there and see Vicki for a great evening with your friends! I also made some Russian Tea cookies to sell this year, so I'm hoping to go home empty handed! Gordon has taken my camera so I have no pictures of fudge or cookies to show off for you! Blessings!

hot dogs and beans

2011-11-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

So, I'm still feeling quite out of it for cooking with this cold, so tonight is the most gourmet dinner I could manage to cook for us, Hot dogs and beans! Yeah, the great old stand by and I love them dogs! I try to buy(when on sale) Hebrew National Hot Dogs, I mean they are so good! They are far the best tasting around(okay Nathan's are good too)! They are a beef frank and I think that is the taste I'm looking for, no fillers! I opened a can of Bush's beans and had to laugh thinking about the dog talking about selling the recipe! Here's hoping you all don't get this cold from anyone! Blessings!

soup

2011-11-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

I am home today with a cold, at least I think it's a cold, but my head hurts! I have been up since 2:30a.m. stuffed up and not able to sleep. I hope to crash here sooon! But since I am home, I decided to make some soup, maybe to clear up my sinuses and mood! The photo doesn't do the soup justice, but I can smell it and I am getting hungry! I used onions from our garden, celery, shredded carrots, chicken breast and some orzo! I love orzo in soup. Blessings!

Bagel chip dip

2011-11-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's demo was called "bagel chip dip." It uses Old English cheese spread by Kraft, cream cheese and garlic powder. So the recipe is: 2 jars of Old English Cheese spread, 2- 8oz. packages of cream cheese(softened), and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix well together( I micorwave the cream cheese for 30 seconds or less to really cream well) and chill for 1 hour before serving. Use bagel chips or mini rye bread or Triscuit cracker. Hugs and blessings!

Sunday

2011-10-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

We went to church this morning and now with the sleepiness of the afternoon, I'm trying to stay awake, not working so well! But in the meantime, I'm cooking a buttercup squash, frying some venison for taco salad for later and listening to "Swamp People" with Gordon(he's watching whilst I'm typing)! The weeks fly by and so does the weekend! I did manage to go sit in a hot tub yesterday after work for my back, it seems to feel pretty okay today! Is it the soaking or just the day? It's also raining here which is better than snow! Well, this is just some rambling, nothing for a recipe, but I'm thinking! It's almost time to make fudge, rifle season and Thanksgiving! Hugs and blessings!

new products

2011-10-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

I love to read other blogs and they seem to be so eloquent with words whereas mine is straight to the point, can't help it, it's genetic! My dad was like that and I seem to be like that more each day! But I do detour with that statement! There are new products out all the time, but these 2 are being demoed today and tomrrow at work! New to Country Crock is Honey Butter, we will have it on english muffins to try. Then, tomorrow Rondele cheese has a new pub cheese out which has 4 flavors! So stop in Schmitz's and try out some of the new products. I will be serving Tombstone, it's Friday people, I(99% of the time) serve pizza on Friday! Blessings!

peanut butter pie

2011-10-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning the freezer above the refrig yesteday(what a junk yard) and took out pie shells to bake. Gordon said what kind of pie will you make, I said I don't know and then today came with a peanut butter cream cheese pie idea! I have made this from time to time while I have dieted as a treat and love it without the crust, so why not with a crust! So recipe is 1 cup of peanut butter(chunky or creamy), 1/2 cup of powdered sugar or artifical(this will be less of a 1/2 cup), 1-8oz. package of cream cheese(light) and cool whip(lite). Make sure the cream cheese is very soft(microwave for 30 seconds if needed), add the peanut butter and sugar in the mixer, then add the cool whip. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, you can add 1/2 cup of crushed peanuts or choc. chips when you are about to serve. It is very good! Blessings!

cranberry sauce

2011-10-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Is it too early to start planning Thanksgiving and make some sauce??? I think not!! It's my favorite holiday as it is looked over with everyone freaking out about Christmas and the shopping holiday! I remember some of my family gathering when I was a kid and I love this holiday! I love it when my kids can come and enjoy a meal with us! So, with that in mind, I think everytime the extended families gather, we should somehow celebrate the idea of giving thanks! We have so much to be thankful for in our lives! So start planning the next gathering! Hugs and blessings!

new toy

2011-10-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

The grocery store has a new toy to be used by the public! It is back by the pizza demo station. Please come back there and try it out! It helps you figure out dinner or any meal by providing recipes for that meal! It's user friendly, just touch the screen and it's up with beautiful pictures, ideas and then printed recipes! It can also help you plan your shopping list using the weekly ad from the store and build your menu around the flyer! WOW!!! Blessings!

Memory verse

2011-10-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

In January, I signed up to memorize scripture with Beth Moore. Well, it's been a challenge for me, but a good one. Sometimes I did well and other times not so great! My very favorite verse is Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream come true brings joy and life." Isn't that a great verse!! I can recall that so easy, but not some of the ones I have been learning, go figure! This weeks Bible verse I chose is from the little book of Habakkuk 3:18 "Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the Lord of my salvation." NLT Translation. This verse just reminds me whatever falls my way to rejoice in the Lord, I try to do that, but don't always succeed. Hugs and blessings!I

pumpkin cake

2011-10-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Erika and Trevor came over for a few hours of visiting. The boys wanted to shoot their rifles in preparation for deer season which is coming up in 4 weeks! Erika and I just gabbed for 1 hour!!! She has certainly grown into a godly woman! I truly miss our gab sessions and enjoyed every minute with her!! There were 7 turkeys in the garden walking in the corn that never matured for us to eat,(sorry it's hard to see them, but they are there in the corner of the corn) so cool!! So, I made this pumpkin cake for dessert! Recipe: 1 can of pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice, 1 yellow box cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of butter, melted. Mix eggs, butter,and pumpkin, then add the rest, mix for 2 minutes(I used the Kitchen Aid). Grease a 9 x 13 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350. YUM!!!

5 things you don't know

2011-10-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

I was reading joy the baker's blog, she is so funny to think 30 is old, LOL!! Anyway, she was making a list of things you might not know about her and so, I thought I could do the same!! 1. I don't like heights, ladders are awkward to say the best for me to handle!! 2. I don't like my picture taken, never have, never will! 3. I really love coffee! 4. Don't like scary movies, don't see the point, life is scary enough at times! 5. I LOVE to pray, if you ask me to pray for you, I will always! Now, it's your turn!! Name 5 things I don't know about you! Blessings!

fall

2011-10-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

The trees are starting to lose their leaves. That means fall is reached it's peak! I still have a lot of apples to deal with, but not sure if I want to make more pies or applesauce! Both of our kids are moving either this month and next month! Kate, Kurt and family are moving 3 blocks away from where they are now. Erika and Trevor are moving to another small town(10 minutes from where they live now). I'm sure Gordon and I will be helping somewhere, but I will do very little with my back the way it is! You know it's hard to stand around and watch, but I can cook a few meals somewhere! How many times have you moved??? We have moved 4 times in our 40 yrs of marriage! Blessings!

new book

2011-10-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

I bought myself a new book and it arrived yesterday! I had been a fan of Laurie Colwin, but sadly she died suddenly in the early 90's and I was left with only a few articles from her in Gourmet magazine that I had saved. Laurie not really knowing that she would be gone so quickly from heart disease, had managed to write 6 aritcles for Gourmet ahead of time, but that wasn't enough for me! Well, time has passed and I was on thekitchn.com the other day when someone blogged there about some of her books! WOW, I thought I could afford one, maybe more to read and cherish! I'm pretty pumped to get reading, but just wanted to share this with you! I realize that this may not be your cup of tea, but it sure is mine! Blessings!

pears

2011-10-04T17:46:00.001-07:00

I got a lug of pears from the store and managed to can 5 quarts tonight! They are the cutest pears, so little and sweet! I was thinking of a pear cake, but decided we didn't need anymore sweets around here, but the pears themselves! Blessings!

pie

2011-10-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

October is Pastor appreciation month. So since I picked apples with Gordon last weekend, I made pies today for our 2 pastors and their families. They look very nice and I hope they taste good! Pastor Ron and Pastor Chopper are so great, their families are so sweet. Gordon and I really do appreciate them! Blessings!

apple time

2011-09-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

It's apple time everywhere! I went with Gordon to pick at my friend's house on Sunday evening and today after the doctor visit(which went well), I decided to make baked apples for dessert! I love baked apples, I have made them with diet coke in the middle or diet root beer, apple pie spice with brown sugar and today, just plain old brown sugar! Have a great evening! blessings!

update

2011-09-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided on the way home from church to update my website, so please let me know yea or nay! So many choices and I liked the one I had, but thought maybe people were tired of it??!!! Blessings!

Saturday

2011-09-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today has been a busy day for me! I bought a box of Italian plums yesterday at work, so I got up way too early and started on them this morning, turning them into plum jam! Yum, that's good and so pretty! Next, I had put a chicken in the crockpot last night and I had that to deal with this morning. I asked Gordon what he would like from the chicken, soup or chicken and dumplings. He requested both and since he has been fighting a cold, I said okay to him, we will have both sometime this weekend! A ham is in the oven for supper! Have a great weekend! Blessings!

back

2011-09-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

I've had a few of you ask me about my back, so here's the scoop! I've had issues with my back for 40 yrs after a few accidents! So, now with age(I hate that) and wear on my back, it's not good news! I had a MRI and x-rays 3

weeks ago, this is what it showed us, 3 "slipped disks" and some curving on the lower spine(age related), but the lower disk is pinching and pulling, so that's where the lower leg pain comes in to play and almost unbearable back pain lives! I told my pastor that "pain has become my evil friend." He had just preached on the book of James that talks about prayer and healing. He said that pain isolates the person in pain, how very true! Gordon knows when I have had enough, I become very quiet and withdrawn(which is not me). So, with saying that, I apologize to many of you when that happens! So, next week I will get a shot to see if I get some relief from all of this, I pray it does as I'm looking at surgery otherwise. Please don't tell me the horror stories(I've heard them all), but pray that God's will be done! Well, that's all from here today, today seems to be may be a good day, pain is okay this morning,scale of 0 to 10, pain is 6,YEAH! Sorry this isn't a happy or fun posting today! Blessings!

apple cke

2011-09-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night is our turn to host Bible study! We love our group, we are very good cooks, but most of these ladies are very great bakers! I an okay baker, I would like to be better, but I don't need to have the calories around the house! So, I have a bag of apples to do something with and remembered a recipe from smittenkitchen.com and thought I would give it a whirl, but my back and leg decided to act up and so I did what I could with the recipe! Recipe: 5 cortland apples, peeled and cut up, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar, put the apples, sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl and put aside! Mix 3 large eggs, 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of orange juice and 3/4 cup of oil. Mix well and place in 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 45-60 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. I plan to serve this with vanilla ice cream! Blessings!

broccoli cheese casserole

2011-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

We have a party to attend tomorrow night and I needed to make a dish to pass, so I decided to make broccoli and rice/cheese casserole! I used wild rice as I still have 5 pounds left from the 40 pounds that someone gifted me about 2 yrs ago. Recipe is: 2 cans (plus one can of water) cream of chicken soup, 2 1/2 cups of grated cheese(I used Velveeta, not grated, but cubed), 3 cup of wild rice, and 2 16oz. packages of frozen broccoli thawed. Mix well and bake for 45 minutes at 350. I'm ready to party now, YEAH!!!!! Blessings!

bean dip

2011-09-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

For Friday's demo, I made this Mexican bean dip. Recipe: 1-8oz package of cream cheese, 2 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, 2 Tablespoons of dry onion soup, 1 teaspoon of cilantro, 1 cup of sour cream, some dashes of hot sauce and 2 minced garlic cloves. I added to it yesterday to make it stretch a little farther was a 1 cup of salsa. It was very good! Blessings!

Beans

2011-09-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

I love baked beans! I know some of you are secret lovers of beans, but not of the gas they may provide your body with at times! My friend, Lori, made beans 3 weeks ago for a gathering of friends and they were fantastic! So, I called her and asked for the recipe, by the way she really doesn't have a recipe, so here is what she said to do. Recipe: soak and cook some beans, drain the beans and add one can of tomatoes(diced, or crushed or whole) to the drained beans, one onion chopped(this is were it gets fuzzy), add some brown sugar(maybe 1/2 cup), some bacon(I'm thinking 3 slices cut up), and some molasses(you are on your own with this ingredient)!At this point, I put the beans in my crockpot and cooked them on low. Cook this for 1 - 1 1/2 days till beans are tender, tomatoes break down, the bacon and sugar have some together! They are excellent! Blessings!

potatoes

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Gordon has been digging potatoes for the last month, a few at a time! They are so good. I never would have believed that there is a difference in homegrown and commerically grown, but there is! Homegrown has a much better taste, the potato seems clearly better tasting, maybe the soil or tender care??? We enjoy potatoes and I have come up with many ways to make "taters" such as oven fries with

Emerils seasoning, fried potatoes, chunked potatoes with butter and parsley, just to name a few. I saw on the 1st episode of the Pioneer Woman on food network, her recipe for mashed potatoes is almost over the top! They have cream and cream cheese in them, WOW!!!!! Blessings!

a day of remembering!

2011-09-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today is a day to remember those who lost their life on 9/11. We will never forget what happened or where we were when we heard the news! I honor the families that have carried on during this time! I had just clocked in at my job when I heard the news, most of us where just numb to what happened! We honor and pray for the fallen! We honor those men and women who still fight for freedom! Blessings!

corn soup

2011-09-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I am suppose to make corn soup according to the recipe in the Dorie Greenspan's cookbook "Around my French Table", but I didn't have all the ingredients and wasn't going to go back to work and pick them up! So, I made do with what I have on hand such as cream not milk, whole baby carrots not cut up carrots. So here is my recipe: 4 ears of corn cut off the cob, 1 pint of half and half, 1 cup of water, 2 very small onions, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 sprigs of thyme, and 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper. Saute onion in oil , add corn and stir well. Add cream and water, salt, pepper to taste, and then add the jalapeno. Spicy, but nice! Blessings!

corn

2011-09-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I bought 2 dozen ears of corn as Gordon's sweet corn amounted to 8 ears this year! He had plenty of plants, but not many ears and nothing coming before it freezes! So, with that in mind, I freezing some I bought from a friend and it's really good, thanks Pat!I stand my ears up on a cup(red) and use the electric knife to cut off the cob!

We will eat it fresh for a couple of meals!
I love putting corn in corn bread and making corn casserole, so that's on the menu this week! Have a great Labor Day and enjoy the rest of the weekend! Blessings!

Demo

2011-08-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

For tomorrow's demo, I used the Philadelpia's Cooking Creme - Savory Garlic, that we carry at the store. I cooked up the cut up spaghetti noodles, 1/2 cup of chopped red onion, 1/2 bag of OM Bacon bits, a little milk, salt (to taste), Itaian seasoning, 1/2cup of frozen peas thawed and mixed well. It's very garlicy good!!! I won't be here tomorrow, but please stop in and taste this out. The sauce almost looks like a thin version of a dip, but the flavor is very intense! I like it!!! Blessings! PS I don't have a camera at work to show you the finished product, sorry!

busy

2011-08-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy weekend! I made pickles, zucchini bread(2 loaves), 2 loaves of honey-wheat bread, made fresh salsa, cut up peaches for cobbler, 2 jars of tomato sauce, 3 jars of pesto, and then the normal stuff like bedding to wash, laundry for the work week and watering plants outside without getting eaten alive by the mosquitos! Have a great start to the work week everyone! Blessings! PS Make sure you check out the blogs I have listed, there are lots of great decorating ideas and recipes!

fresh salsa

2011-08-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are in full swing in riping and faster than I can make salsa! The mosquitos are horrible, little ones that land on you and bite before you know what happens, which was the problem I had this morning while picking tomatoes! I have a few blogs on my list that y'll need to check out, the living in the Ozarks is a great blog on daily life on a farm and her recipes are wonderful!!! I made her Honey and Wheat bread this morning , it's on my list for a weekly bread now! Also, Debbie's blog, she is a hoot! She's into fall decorations now(not me, not ready for fall), hint hint family I want some Rooster dishes for Christmas or my birthday!! Saw them on her blog and I'm jealous! Blessings! PS this would have been my parents 70th Anniversary, what a great memory!

cake

2011-08-26T04:40:00.000-07:00

I have many blogs I visit and Isabelle at home is one of the them! This pound cake recipe was on her site, so I had a can of 7up in the refrig just hanging out and decided at 8p.m. to make it! We are going to a cookout tonight and I thought it would be good to share! So for the recipe, just hop over to isabelleathome.wordpress.com

stew

2011-08-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Holly's blog over at life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com! She is a little thing that loves to cook and I have made quite a few of her recipes, so with that in mind, I made her oven stew! It smells heavenly and looks good! It's dinner tomorrow night for us as it needs to bake for 2 hours! I changed it just a smidge! Recipe: 1-2 pounds of stew meat, 1 packet of onion soup(which I put in the bottom of my casserole pan and rolled the meat around in it to coat the meat), carrots, potatoes, onions, cream of celery soup and ketchup. I threw in 2 or 3 handfuls of baby carrots, 2 very small onions and 4 potatoes(from the garden) cut up in cubes, open the can of soup and pour into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of ketchup to the soup, pour over the layers and bake for 2 hours, at 350. Blessings!

coffee

2011-08-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Gordon and I support a missionary family from the USA to Nicarugua. Amy and Mike have been there for about 6 yrs,( I don't quite remember when they left our area). Anyway, as a thank you to us for supporting their family, they brought us some coffee! Amy and Mike are awesome people. They have 3 children, these kids are amazing! So, in a little while I will make a small pot of coffee to have with some of the zucchini bread I made for a little dessert for us! Thanks Amy, Mike and kids for serving our Lord Jesus in another country! Blessings!

Sunday

2011-08-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

After church today, I have been very busy! Since I work full time, I try to get everything I can done on a Sunday afternoon,since I have been canning this time of year! So, just today I have made 7 pints of peaches in light syrup, tomatoes in the crockpot making spaghetti sauce or will be soon, 2 loaves of zucchini bread for winter or friends, and roasted tomatoes for salad! I still have about 8 cucumbers to make pickles and add to salad to deal with today, plus more eggplant! This I will tackle after my nap! Blessings!

salsa

2011-08-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my day off and so with that in mind, I decided to make salsa. Gordon is so very happy!!! While he was having breakfast with the guys, I picked, washed and peeled the tomatoes. I had him stop at the grocery store to get some pint jars! I have used up all my pints making hot pepper jelly! Yes, I do work at the store and yes, I forgot to pick up more jars, so Gordon got them for me and away we go with making salsa! Blessings!

"the cake"

2011-08-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have had 3 requests for the "Chocolate Zucchini Cake" recipe, so since Kurt is here I made him one for his birthday bash tonight! It looks so yummy!! Recipe: 3/4 cup of oil, 1 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 cups grated zucchini, 1 1/2 cups of flour, 5 Tablespoons of cocoa, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Mix in mixer, add topping to raw batter( 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2cup of choc.chips(I add more and with this cake I used the chips that are dark choc and mint). Bake in greased 9 x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. It's so good! Blessings!!!

garage sale

2011-08-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, our plans changed yesterday and Kurt/ grandgirls came up for the weekend! So, the 3 girls and I went garage sale shopping. I gave them new purses(used from a friend, thank you Mary) and some money, they were set! They got stuffed animals and some little dolls! I, on the other hand, bought some old tablecloths! I love old cloths because they remind me of my childhood, the dinners with friends and family my parents would have! I also managed to get to our local farmers market for some beautiful flowers! Blessings! PS I will post tomorrow the "zucchini cake"

with pics!!!

birthday

2011-08-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our son turns 35 today! I have been asking myself for 2 weeks "how did that happen???" I feel for the most part only 35,(quit laughing), so how is it that I have a child who is 35?? Time does march by so fast! We will be seeing him this weekend at the Anoka Gamefair, where I am planning on bringing a cake and the rest of his gifts with us! His favorite cake is "Chocolate Zucchini cake" with the crunchy topping! He also loves carrot cake, but since it's summer and zucchini is around, that's what I am making! Happy Birthday, Kurt! We love you and are so proud of you! You are a great son! Blessings!!

savory bread

2011-08-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this beautiful loaf of cheese and savory bread in Dorie's cookbook. I said to Gordon "isn't that a pretty picture of this bread?" He said"sure", not really paying attention(like normal), so I decided to make it tonight!

(Top photo is mine. It looks close and smells heavenly! Sorry that my photos isn't so clear, but the other on is from the book!)

It has a very distinct flavor because of the cheddar cheese I used, it's both grated and cubed! Recipe: 1 3/4 cups of flour, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1 cup of grated white cheddar or Gruyere cheese, 2 oz. of white cheddar or Gruyere, 1/4 cup of fresh chives/ Mix eggs, milk, and oil, add the flour, baking powder. I, at this point had the cheese grated and cubed in another bowl(huge one) and added the batter to this bowl for easy mixing. Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes, I bake mine for 40. I also used a tin foil pan a little smaller than a regular size loaf. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing! Enjoy with a cup of tea, fruit and more cheese! Blessings!

cooking with Dorie

2011-08-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

So, this week's cooking with Dorie Greenspan is from page 342 in "Around my French Table". It's slow roasted tomatoes, which I made on Sunday before I joined the group! So the picture is from the book!

They were so wonderful! A very unique taste, I like to add them to spaghetti noodles with some basil leaves cut up and parm cheese! I will make them again and take photos! YUM! Blessings!

cookbook

2011-08-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

I bought myself a new cookbook! Are you surprised?? Why??? You all know I love me some cookbooks! Anyway, it's a beautiful book and then I joined the website which features recipes out of the book that I can cook along with the group! WOW, what fun!!! So, check it out by Dorie Greenspan "Around my French Table."

I will post when I cook with the book and do a short review of the recipe! Blessings!

hot pepper jelly! YUM!!!

2011-07-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

This was a great recipe! I used most of Paula Deen's recipe except for the part where I did put the cleaned and seeded peppers in the food processor. So slick!! Don't let it go too long or you will have pepper juice, but otherwise it was easy! Recipe: 2 green peppers, 4 Hungarian hot peppers, 1 1/2 cups of cider vinegar, 6 cups of sugar, 1 packet of Certo, and some drops of green coloring. Process the peppers and place peppers, sugar and vinegar in 6 qt sauce pan or soup pot(as I made the mistake of walking away and having a spillage, sticky stove), so watch this till it boils, turn off heat and add the Certo and food coloring! I put this mixture in Ball plastic jars, and then in the freezer. It made 5 jelly size jars of goodness! We tasted some on crackers and it was delicious!

Blessings!

peppers

2011-07-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

We have peppers! Gordon and I went shopping at the greenhouse in May and bought a bunch of pepper plants, but he never saves the little sticks that have the names of the plants, so we have no clue until we see the peppers what he planted and how to preserve them! So, it's time to make pepper jelly and I'm going to try Paula Deens recipe that I found online! Blessings!!

preserving

2011-07-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

I was reading a really neat article in "Country Woman" magazine tonight. It was about canning and preserving your fruits and veggies from the garden or farmer's markets. I enjoyed going to both websites, foodinjars.com and sweetpreservation.com. I do think I will use foodinjars.com more as there are many more recipes and ideas, than the other one. The magazine talks about having a canning party(Wow), now that sounds like more work than I'm up too, but if I was younger I would consider it! Canning can take up your life. It did when I was younger and canning 100 quarts of green beans, salsa, and pickles was always on my mind for days!

Now, it's a few quarts here and there, maybe this will motivate me to do more! Especially with Gordon's garden looking like, "oh my, where to start with the canning!!" Blessings!

garden time

2011-07-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Gordon's garden is looking very lovely these hot days in northern Wisconsin! It has been stinkin' July HOT!!!! Humidity has been partners with the temp. One day it was(humidity) 91% and temp was 95, WOW!! Anyway, the garden looks great because of it! So with that in mind, I'm dreaming of Caprese salad, which is so simple and when it's hot you want simple! Recipe: sliced tomatoes, sliced fresh Mozzerlla cheese, basil leaves, some vinegar and oil drizzled over the slices! Maybe add some capers, YUM! This can be presented so pretty with the slices alternating, the red and the white! Blessings!

birthday cakes

2011-07-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday, our twin granddaughters celebrated their 8th birthday! What a day!! We had fun, they had a beach/park party with family and a few friends! Kari, their pastor's wife made their cakes and they were so cute!! The kitty cake was Olivia's and the bunny/kitty (hugging) cake was Lily's. Thanks, Kari!! You do a fantastic job in baking and decorating!! Blessings!

corn salad

2011-07-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

When we do demos at work, I do try very hard to pay attention to the comments! So, with that in mind we did a redo of a salad I made last year, it was such a big hit, that people wanted a reminder what it tastes like and they got it! It's Paula Deen's Corn salad: 2 cans of whole corn- drained, 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese, 1 cup of mayo( it has to be mayo), 1/2 red onion diced, 1 green pepper- diced, and 1 bag of Frito Lays Chili cheese chips. Mix all together except for the chips and chill for at least 2 hours before serving, add the chips just before you serve(I break up the bag pretty good). It's really good! Blessings!

new dessert

2011-07-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

I saw on threemanycooks.com today a very interesting dessert and decided to make it, yes it's not on my diet, but a little is okay! They called it Banoffee Pie, I call it evil! I changed it up, not making it a pie. I used graham crackers that were placed in a 8x8 pan, then sliced up 3 bananas, I took a can of sweetened condense milk, opened it and put the contents in a microwave safe dish. Microwave it for 6-10 minutes, but watch it very carefully as it can run over very quickly! This turns out a caramel like mixture which I poured over the bananas, then topped it with Cool whip Free. Yum, Gordon said it's a winner! Blessings!

rodeo

2011-07-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is Rodeo weekend here in Spooner, Wi. This is a BIG deal for the northern people!!! In tribute to cowboys, I made "Cowboy Caviar" for yesterday's demo. Recipe follows: 1 can of black beans - drained, 1 can of black-eyed peas - drained, 1/2 onion chopped, 1 can of Rotel, and 2 cans of corn. Mix together and add 1/2 cup of Italian dressing, cover and chill, serve with corn chips. To make it spicy, add 1 pickled jalapeno- chopped finely. YUM!!!!! Blessings!! Picture is of our twin granddaughter, we were fishing!

July 4th

2011-07-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

With today being the 4th of July, I would like to take a moment and remember the things that are so important to our country! The freedom to live where we want, the freedom to love whom we want and the freedom that was fought so hard for us on many battlefields! United States of America means freedom to many far and wide, I pray that it means that to everyone! Freedom, it seems to ring out everywhere today and I do worry at times where our country is going, but I know that God the Father created it

and has carrried us through many tough times! When we acknowledge where our freedom comes from, it is pricelesss! Let freedom ring and God bless America!! Blessings!

posts

2011-06-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

I know that my posts lately haven't been great, and with I'm sorry! I have been dieting/changing my lifestyle the last 2 1/2 months! So far I have lost 15 pounds!!! Yeah! This has been a battle for me most of my adult life and I'm so ready to deal with this issue! I've been on a somewhat adjusted Dukan diet, it's a lowfat version of Atkins. It's been hard and easy! Now comes the work, keeping off what I have lost and making huge eating/cooking changes! So bear with me and know that brighter days will be coming as I get my bearings on this lifestyle change! Blessings! If you have any low carb, lowfat recipes to share do so in the comment area! Love you all!

today's demo is....................

2011-06-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

I made a really easy and yummy banana pudding for the grocery to demo today while I'm off! It's made with sugar free vanilla and banana instant pudding, bananaa cut up, sugar free cool whip, and vanilla wafers. We don't carry the sugar feee vanilla wafers anymore, but if you were dieting or watching your carbs, just eliminate the wafers. It was really pretty looking yesterday when I threw it all together. Got the recipe from kraftfoods.com Recipe follows: 2 boxes of sugar free instant vanilla pudding, 2 boxes of sugar free instant banana pudding, 1- 8oz. container of sugar free cool whip, 5 cups of lowfat(1% milk), 2 ripe bananas, sugar free vanilla wafers. Make the puddings in separate bowls, then combine and let them set for 10 minutes, add cut up bananas and cool whip, mix well and refrig. Then just before putting this into bowls or serving, add the wafe

rs, so they can get soft. Yummy!!!

rhubarb cake

2011-06-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

A friend made this and I thought it was pretty good and have lots of rhubarb, so this past weekend I mae it for dessert! Here's the recipe: 3 cups of sliced rhubarb, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cake mix(reg size), 1 1/2 cup of water,1 pkg of strawberry jello(3 oz), and 2 cups of marshmallow. Bring rhubarb, sugar and water to boil, remove from heat and add the Jello, set aside. Grease the bottom of 9x13 pan and cover with marshmallows. Prepare the cake mix as directed on package. pour this over the marshmallows, then pour rhubarb over the cake batter. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Yum, make sure you have vanilla ice cream!!! Blessings! Thanks Marla for sharing the recipe!!!

breakfast

2011-06-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

This morning with so many people to feed(which I love), I found this recipe on cooks.com on Friday and picked up the items for it! It was pretty easy and I made it last night for this morning! It was very good. The one thing I changed was the cheese, I used just cheddar. So here's the recipe: 1 1/2 cup of frozen hash browns- thawed (here I used a bag, large bag), 1 lb. of pork sausage, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded swiss cheese, 6 eggs beaten and 1 cup of milk. Place the thawed hash browns in a 9 x 13 pan with some spray. In a skillet brown the sausage. Place the browned meat on top of the hash browns and sprinkle with the cheese. In another bowl, beat the eggs and milk together, pour over the hash browns. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings. I used the entire package of hash browns because I had some big eaters. It served us well and just enough for me to take to work tomorrow! Blessings!

grandgirls

2011-06-10T05:34:00.000-07:00

Our son is bringing the grandgirls up this weekend! We have a plumbing need and he's a plumber! I'm so excited to have them come, I love it!!!! Too bad the weather is going to cooperate with my plans of swimming and such! But, I do have a baking idea. It's a rhubarb cake made with marshmallows! So I will post the recipe tomorrow after we make it! Blessings!

ribs

2011-06-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

Lately we have been on a smoking the meat kick! Gordon smoked a turkey 2 weeks ago and it took us forever to eat all of it because it's just the two of us! Today, he smoked baby back ribs and they were so good. He took a tip from our son and put them in foil after they had smoked for 2 1/2 hours. Then left them on the grill/smoker for another 1 1/2 hours. So juicy and tender!!!! Recipe for rub is yellow mustard rubbed all over them and then I used McCormick's pork rub. sprinkled on pretty heavily! In the pan below the ribs, Gordon put lemonade in the pan, which catches the drippings and makes more smoke! Blessings!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2011-06-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

I made this dip today for demo world tomorrow! It smells so divine! Recipe:
1/2 cup of Frank's Hot Sauce, 1 cup of blue cheese crumbles or mozzarella shredded, !/2 cup of blue cheese salad dressing, 1-12oz. can of chicken breast, 1 8oz package of cream cheese. Mix the cream cheese(softened), salad dressing, and hot sauce, then mix in the chicken and cheese. Place in 9x13 pan, heat through about 20 at 350 degrees. Serve warm or room temperature. Serve with pita chips or crackers or little rye bread squares. I used a crockpot to heat everything through as I have no oven at the store to use! Blessings!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid in Chicago that Memorial Day was a fun day and great day for parades, bands and picnics! It is too bad that it's remembered as a day off and maybe some people get together at the local cemetary for a services for the fallen vets! I hope you had a special day and had a moment of silence for the people who gave of themselves for our freedom! Blessings!

sister time

2011-05-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

My sis is here with her hub! We have had some really heart felt talks in the last 2 days! We haven't always seen eye to eye or haven't felt close, but this time with God's grace watching over, things are pretty good! We ate lasagna tonight and that was a hit! I made this a million times from thepioneerwoman.com website and it's a blessing that Gordon likes it because there's always plenty of leftovers! Blessings!

smoked turkey part 2

2011-05-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

What to do with the leftover of the smoked turkey is on my mind! Any suggestions???? I didn't get any pics as Gordon got that thing cut up so fast it made my skirt fly up!! LOL :) So, should I got with a soup with a mexican flair? Or enchiladas or some fancy sandwiches?? Help me out here people!! Blessings!

smoking a turkey

2011-05-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Gordon decided to smoke a turkey today. It's raining and he is busy, so I'm left to watch the bird! We got a smoker from friends who left the area and have used it twice so far to smoke ribs and pork loin. So, this our adventure today between everything else I'm trying to get done before my sister comes. It is ridiculous what I'm putting myself through, after all she is coming to see me, not how clean the house is or if I got all the periennal gardens looking great(which they don't and probably won't)! I'll post pics later of the bird! Blessings!

coleslaw

2011-05-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

I made this really easy coleslaw the other night. I'm not a big fan of coleslaw, so this is "BIG" deal! Prepackaged coleslaw, sunflowers seeds and dressing! That's about all I used and it was so good. I used the prepared dressing called "Rudolph's". It doesn't have too many carbs and that's what I had on hand! Still on my diet and lost 6 1/2lbs so far. I'm pretty excited!! Blessings!

tomato salad

2011-05-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our Bible study had a get together last night and I was to take something, so being on this diet, I was challenged to take something I could eat and stay on my diet! I made a tomato and red onion salad. I sliced up 7 tomatoes and 1/2 of a red onion pretty thin. I then made a vinegar and oil dressing to pour over the salad, added some feta cheese and basil leaves cut up. It was a hit and I have leftovers for Sunday dinner!! We had a great evening with our friends! Blessings!

diet

2011-05-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well, a few of my fellow co-workers had decided to do the new Dukan diet, I thought "that should be a good jump start for some weightloss!" So, this is day 3 and it's a tough diet for a few reasons, the first few days you are allowed only protein. So, after 2 days of only protein I decided this the day I would add the vegetables that are allowed (so the theory on this is one day you eat protein only and the next you add some vegetables with protein), so this the burger I came up with for supper! Ground turkey italian burger with spaghetti sauce and onions/green peppers that are sauteed in a non-stick skillet. It was really good, Gordon had seconds, I however did not as I needed to eat a nonfat yogurt with oat bran later! Well, wish me luck, I plan to stay on this for a while! Blessings!

taco dip

2011-05-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

I made this for the store to demo on Saturday, a taco layered dip which is served cold! Recipe: 1 can of refried bean and 1 packet of taco seasoning mixed together for the 1st layer, next layer is 1 8oz package of cream cheese(softened) and 16oz of sour cream mixed well, 1-16oz jar of salsa, 1 small can of sliced black olives, 1 small bunch of green onions slices, 1 green pepper diced, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and a layer of shredded lettuce. This should total about 6 or 7 layers. I didn't add the tomato diced as I didn't want it to get so mushy! I used the taco strips from Frito Lay which were very good! Blessings!