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!

time change

I can hardly wait till the time change this weekend! It's so dark in the morning and it's hard for me to function! So, that's my complaint for the day, sorry!!! I got a call from a friend yesterday about the bread recipe! I was so excited that someone is really reading this blog!!!!! Her question was can she use whole wheat flour and how much. So my answer to her and anyone else is YES!!! Use half white and half whole wheat, if you use too much whole wheat it will be hard pressed to rise decently! You can jazz up the recipe and add garlic or olives or rye flour or just about anything! It will be dense bread because of the flour! I gave that recipe to someone at work about 6 months ago and she makes it all the time! Carol just puts her own spin on the recipe! Go girls and try it!!! Blessings!

granola

Does anyone have a granola recipe???? I have an old one, but I would like to find one that is more updated as far as not as much fat, sugar and more fiber! I think fiber is something we need more and more in our lives as we age! I found one that uses puffed rice cereal with oatmeal(not cooked), so I might try that one. We had a lunch on Sunday with our Bible study group and Dana brought Activa, fruit and granola for a dessert!! How very clever!!!! That Dana girl is so darn cute and very smart!!! Blessings!

Monday

Well, it's another week and demos are lining up!!! Pizza of course on Friday with the Brat and Pop for a $1.00 in honor(?) of the Packer/ Viking game!! Come in and sample the pumpkin donut holes on Thursday with a cup of coffee! Saturday, I haven't figured it out yet!! On another note, I'm thinking about doing Weight Watchers. My friend, Lori is going(she has lost 70 pounds) and I might join her or just do it on my own for a while! Any recipes to share, send them my way!!! I found a granola and chili recipes, so that can be snacks and lunch! Blessings!

snow

We got snow yesterday about 1 inch, Gordon says 1/2 inches! It was great snow for packing and making snowballs, but I didn't do it!! It is gone today and the sun was out for part of the day!! Yeah, we like the sun this time of year! The trees are all turned and losing leaves like crazy! Yesterday's demo was the best dip, but not so great for your waist line! Recipe: 1 jar of Cheez Whiz, 1 jar of salsa and 1 can of chili(beans or no beans, you choose)! Heat through and serve with tortilla chips! Not a very hard recipe to follow and great for game day!! Blessings!

Pampered Chef

Most of you know that I am an consultant for Pampered chef company. I really like the products and like the people I work with, Kayla and Diane!! They are very nice women!!! Tomorrow my daughter has a party which will be her first party ever!!! I'm so excited for her!! She already has 3 outside orders and 1 person has booked a party off of her party! Way to go Erika!!! I'm making the clubhouse chicken pizza and mini cinnamon rolls(my old stand-bys)! I'm also taking the creative cutters and sugar cookie dough so the girls can get involved in the party! Please check out the website!! My website for pampered chef is pamperedchef.biz/mimiskitchen52 Blessings!

Pineapple zucchini cake

Well, I finally made this cake and its' really good, but too much for 2 people to eat! So, it will go to work with me tomorrow! The recipe is online at: tastykitchen.com and type in pineapple zucchini cake. You don't have to join to get the recipes, which I really like, but I like the website anyway! It has been a long day and I will close for today! Blessings!

chinese

We had Chinese dumplings for dinner! They were so good. Gordon's friend, Don, brought them up from Chicago last fall!Did I mention how good they were??!!! I don't think they would be that hard to make, but why when you can buy them! We had friends with them, called egg rolls that I bought this time at the store. I do love making my own egg rolls, though! My recipe for egg rolls: 1 package of cole slaw mix, leftover chicken, pork or 1 small can of shrimp. Heat up a skillet with some oil like 2 tablespoons and add the cole slaw mix, then add some soy sauce and the meat! Very carefully add the mixture to the egg roll wrap and roll up gently, using some water seal the edges. I use a "fry daddy" to fry them up! Serve with soy sauce or sweet sour sauce! Any questions, please let me know, but these are so good and easy! Blessings!

apples

I made so much apple filling for the apple pie filling I canned this past weekend, I think I will turn the leftovers into applesauce for doughnuts later, yes, more donuts!!! Donuts are great and easy to make, much easier than bagels! I made bagels once and never again, too much!!!! What would you do with all the extra filling??? I could make some pies, but Gordon and I don't need to be eating that much pie! Send me your ideas!!! Blessings!

new blogs

I found some new blogs the other day, 1. mary m baker, very nice lady I saw on Glenn Beck, loves Jesus and very concerned over our country, please look it up, 2. hungry girl, kinda a diet blog with recipes I have not tried but intend too,3. joy the baker, of course she's a baker and then my dear friend Rhonda, faithharvestprimitives.blogspot.com. Rhonda and I worked together at the grocery once upon a time before she moved! Her primitives are so doggone cute!!!! She and I will be at a craft show together, so that will be a gab fest!!!! Hey, Rhonda, maybe I should make some food for us this year!!!! Blessings!

busy Saturday

Well, today is my weekend off and I have alot things to do today! I want to get to those apples and make apple pie filling, do some laundry, some cleaning and then maybe a nap!! Aren't weekends fun?! You can plan something fun, but also get some work done around the house, too!! Next week we will be doing a pizza dip, so here's the recipe: 1 -8oz. cream cheese, 1 can of pizza sauce, some pepperoni diced, olives diced and some cheese. Layer the cream cheese in the bottom of the crockpot, then add the rest. The crockpot setting should be on low about 2 hours! Pretty easy!! Also, Rachael Ray did a Cobb Salad dip which we will try in the next few weeks! Have a great weekend! Blessings! P.S. the picture is from last Saturday in the backyard!

Thursday

Well, no one stopped for donuts the other day, so I'm not posting the recipe yet!!! Keep you in suspense! I was able to buy a little crock pot for dips for demos for the store. Any good dip recipes out there???? I was thinking about a "Reuben dip" and found a pizza dip which we will try next week!! Stop by for pizza tomorrow and say "howdy"!!! The weekend is coming and I'm so excited to be off! I'm planning on making apple pie filling and canning it! I'll try to take photos as I go and share the recipe! Blessings!

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Kate and Kurt!!! What a beautiful and simple wedding they had 7 years ago!!! What a beautiful family you have all become!! So, in keeping with something simple, I made an apple crumb dessert tonight! I went to the apple orchard on Sunday and got alot of apples! I washed the apples and diced them without peeling them! Add 3 tablespoons of sugar,1 teaspoon of apple pie spice and 2 tablespoons of flour over the apples, then melt one stick of butter and add about 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 1/4 cup of brown sugar to the melted butter! Baked for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Very yummy!!! Blessings!

5 minute bread

I was in the mood to make bread, so I got my stuff together and made this 5 minute bread. Recipe follow: 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast, 3 cups of lukewarm water(almost cool). Let the yeast dissolve and then add 6 cups of bread flour( you can use all purpose, but bread flour is better). Mix this together, it will be wet and sticky, but don't PANIC!!!!! I usually use an ice cream bucket that has a lid to mix this in, let it sit for 2 hours to rise! Then divide into 2 loaves or one large loaf(like I did today). Let this rise again after you put the dough into the pan for another 40 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes, with a shallow pan of water on the bottom shelf of oven. This will make a very crusty bread to serve with the jelly! YUM is the word of the day!!! Blessings!

grape jelly

Well, after years of not producing very much fruit, my grapevine is doing it all this year!! I'm making my second batch of jelly as we speak! I went to CD Kitchen and got the recipe! Very easy and very good! I'm getting almost the same amount as I got on Sunday, which came out to 12 small containers, 1 pint size jar, 2 small ramekins, and 1 medium size Tupperware container! We will be enjoying the jelly for many months to come! Blessings!

applesauce donuts

It's apple time in the north! Lots of apples everywhere!!! I tasted a new one just the other day at work and I bought a few, Michigan Honey Crisps!! Very good, rugged looking apple(is that a description?) I made an apple crisp with them for the weekend! Since tomorrow is my day off, I'm thinking about applesauce donuts! I might have to whip a batch of them and if you are really good children(become a friend of my blog),I crack me up, I might share the recipe next time!!! Or stop by tomorrow for a couple with tea or coffee!!!! Blessings!

rain

It's been raining most of the day! We truly need it, as we have been in a drought for 3 years and the lakes, rivers and creeks really are showing the lack of rain! So, I had a terrible time getting motivated for work today. I was wishing that I could be home making soup, some bread and maybe brownies! YUM to it all!!! With the 4 girls here this past weekend, I have ended up with a sore throat, so everything is an effort! I did make meatballs on Sunday. I then put together a pasta bake with the meatballs and tomato sauce I had canned this summer, Gordon liked it all! Blessings!

demos this week

Hey, it's time for me to talk about the demos for this week again! I made this snack mix and it's pretty tasty!!! I will put the recipe up tomorrow as I didn't bring it home with me and I can't remember the entire thing! Friday is pizza day and Saturday will be a new cupcake from Little Debbie! I will have some coffee ready to go with the cupcakes, so stop by and say "hi" to Mary and me!!! Blessings!

apples

I have a really good apple oven pancake recipe! I have been making oven pancakes for a very long time, maybe 20 years! Many people still do not know about oven pancakes and the wonderful quality of oven pancakes! They are light like a crepe, but a little more substance! Recipe: 1 apple, cored and diced, 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of flour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a iron skillet in the oven with 2tablespoons of butter, after 5-8 minutes being in the oven take the skillet out and place the apples in the skillet,(at this point make sure the butter doesn't burn) put back in the oven for 5 minutes more! In the meantime put the eggs and milk in a food processor, blend well, then add the flour. The mixture is really for the skillet, take skillet out of oven and add the egg,flour and milk mixture. Place back in oven and set timer for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, after 15 minutes, back the heat down to 375 degrees for 10 minutes more. At this point DON'T open the oven door!! I repeat, DON'T open the door. It rises like a souffle and you will deflate it if you open the door!!!Make sure the maple syrup is ready and you have some coffee poured! It's so GOOD!! Enjoy! Blessings!

pizza

Kurt and the 4 girls are here visiting, so I made homemade pizza! It was fun!! I used the Italian sausage Gordon made last year with the venison and it's just right with spices!! Thanks, Gordon!!! So, I made the girls a cheese pizza and the adults a meat pizza!! Also, I have included pictures of Auntie and the 3 little girls working on homework! Shealyn and the guys are outside goofing off! Blessings!

meatless

Have you ever thought about going meatless??? We heard the other day that most meat has parasites in it and needs to cooked thoroughly or frozen! It was pretty nasty to look at them! I could go meatless once or twice a week, but I don't think Gordon could for more than once or twice a month! I do have a easy meatless recipe for nachos made with refried beans, nacho chips and cheese, add a little sour cream and salsa, there's dinner!!! Any recipes to share along this line?? Let me know!!! Blessings!